asparagus Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 4 Set 1 4 wide pullups5 minutes bike2x4 wide pullups Bench:5x45 lbs5x955x1355x1659x185 DB Rows: 2x10x50lbs, 22x80lbsDips: BW 4x9,10Bar hold: 60 secs @ 135lbs, 31 secs @ 225, 13 secs @ 315 No steps today, going out dancing with the wife tonight. Bench felt great today. I actually had some left in the tank after rep 9, but decided to save it. I'm really happy with my bench press progression over the last few months. I was a lot stronger on the dips this time, since my shoulders were fresher. I think switching dips to bench day assistance was a good idea. Hopefully my jump rope comes in the mail this weekend so that I can get back to my usual warmup next week. I liked the jump rope/pullup alternation for full body warmup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Your wife is lucky to have you, I would hate to go out dancing !!!! Strong benching there, looks like you had a good session where everything just clicked. I'll have to give those bar holds a go next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 I actually like to go out to a dance club every now and again, only these days I don't usually have the energy for it so I suck back a 5-hour energy shot beforehand and then write the following day off as useless. I end up getting home at 3 in the morning, whereas I'm usually sleeping by 10 pm. I actually met my wife while hanging out with friends after a night out clubbing. 5/3/1 Cycle 4 Set 1 5 slow wide pullups5 minutes bike5 slow wide pullups Squats:5x45 lbs5x1155x1655x2055x2405x270 I'm still sick with a cold from yesterday so I decided to go easy today and only hit my main lift and the required reps. Even this was tough. I don't want to stress myself too much. I'd rather get over the cold sooner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 4 Set 2 4 minutes treadmill Military:5x45 lbs5x853x1053x1207x135 - no improvement Pullups: 8,8,7,6,5 - worse than last timeShrugs: 2x5x135 lbs, 9x225 quick grip reset then 5x225 Blah workout today. Had to cut down on the workout due to a shortened lunch break today. No improvement on military press but I wasn't really into it, probably still dealing with the tail end of the cold from Monday. Mediocre performance all around. Finally got my jump rope in the mail though, but I need to let it hang out a couple days to straighten. Also picked up an eco ball for chalking up my deadlift grip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 5, 2012 Author Share Posted October 5, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 4 Set 2 Jump rope!5x100 jump rope alternated w/ 5x3 widest grip pullups Deadlift:5x135 lbs hook grip5x225 hook3x275 hook3x315 hook7x335 over/under Glute ham raise: 5x15 hands crossed over chestLeg raise: 5x14Bar hold, double overhand grip: 135 lbs - 70 seconds, 225 lbs - 40 seconds, 315 lbs - 18 seconds Stoked about getting back to jumping rope. The rope I purchased is great. http://www.amazon.com/All-Pro-Weight-Adjustable-Handles/dp/B0012RLJY6/. The only problem is that they didn't include extra crimps for shortening the rope. Instead they included a couple of eyelet halves. I wouldn't think about trying to crimp those on the rope as I fear they would cut through it. I ended up just taking a small bit of aluminum tube and using it as a crimp - works fine. I left the rope a little long just in case it wears out at the crimps. That way I can re-crimp it a few times before it gets too short. I'm also using it without the added weight (for now). Felt great going into the deadlift. I did the first couple warmup sets slowly to make sure my form was good and then blasted through the rest of them. I also bought an eco ball and tried it for the final set. It really dried out my hands and I felt a much more solid grip. I would have gotten the 7th rep anyway, just with the eco ball powder it wasn't dropping into my fingers at the end like usual. Glute ham raises were tough at the end of the sets, and the leg raise was hell. I'll try for 15 reps next time, but I doubt my feet will reach even chest height by the end of those sets. Noticed a bit of improvement in my bar hold times, looking forward to further improvement. Ended up talking to a couple kids doing squats in the gym who were complaining of tightness and inflexibility. I gave them the secret - stretching! Don't PE/athletics coaches in high school teach stretching anymore? Or do the kids just ignore it because they think it takes too long and doesn't matter (until they injure themselves later in life)? Probably the latter... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Always impressed with your deadlifts buddy, that's a good effort alright. I hear you about the kids, I hardly every see any young ones stretching. Probably part laziness and I'm guessing stretching is stressed much through school as being overly important? I'd hope I'm wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 4 Set 2 5x100 jump rope alternated w/ 5x3 widest grip pullups Bench:5x45 lbs5x1153x1553x1756x195 - no improvement DB Rows: 2x10x50 lbs, 20x80 lbs - no improvementDips: 5x10Bar holds, DOH: 135 lbs - 80 seconds, 225 lbs - 37 seconds, 315 lbs - 13 seconds Felt fine going in but the last set on bench didn't feel great. Rep 6 was a bit more of a struggle than I thought it would be and decided not to try for rep 7. I didn't bother asking for spotter because lately I've been able to finish out my goal rep numbers on bench with a little left in the tank. Not sure what happened on rows, lower reps than last time. I didn't feel as strong on them as I thought I should. Dips and bar holds were fine, and pretty much in line with expectations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Hey I tried those bar holds a couple of workouts ago, really liked them. Great way to finish a workout and they're a killer with heavy weight !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 4 Set 2 5x100 jump rope alternated w/ 5x3 widest grip pullups Squats:5x45 lbs5x1155x1853x2253x2556x285 - no improvement Lunge: 5x15 +30 lbsGood morning: 10x45 lbs, 10x95, 3x10x135Bar hold, DOH: 135 lbs - 90 seconds, 225 - 40 seconds, 315 - 17 seconds Another blah workout. Wasn't on my game and my squats suffered for it. I just couldn't get focused for the heavy set. The first rep felt sloppy, but I got somewhat into the groove for the rest. Again, my hams are touching my calves at the bottom, but looking at the mirror I'm just a bit past parallel. I have to start taking video again so I can check my form from the side. I think I am loosening my shoulders a bit and the bar is rolling/sliding down my back to a lower position. I also don't think I'm keeping my core tight enough, so my chest is dropping, shifting the center of gravity up higher and forward. I tried to remind myself of that before the set, but during the set it just slipped away. I always have good form during my warmups, but almost always lose it during the final heavy set. First time doing good mornings, weight was pretty easy, although I could feel the bar pressing against my spine up near my neck on one of the 135 lbs sets and from that point on made a point to hold the bar lower. Bar hold at 135 lbs was better, probably because my grip was pretty fresh today, no real grip exercises on the docket other than those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Videos definately help on the squats, great to check your form and depth. Don't be afraid to post them up !! Much on for the weekend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 I don't know what's in store for me this weekend yet other than spending some good time with my son. Hopefully I can get the family out for a nice dinner tomorrow night, though. The good mornings from last workout killed my hams and glutes! I was sore all day yesterday and even worse this morning! The hams more so than the glutes, but it was still a bother every time I had to tie shoes, pick something up from the floor, etc. 5/3/1 Cycle 4 Set 3 5x100 jump rope alternated w/ 5x3 widest grip pullups OHP: (I'm not going to call it military press anymore because I don't keep my heels together)5x45 lbs5x855x1153x1305x145 Pullups: 8,8,8,7,6Shrugs: 2x5x135 lbs, 15x225Bar hold: 135 - 70 seconds, 225 - 33 seconds, 315 - 13 seconds Steps: 2 sets 10x28 steps, 1 set 5x28 steps, 90 seconds rest between setsHR after: 160 BPMHR 5 minutes later: 120 BPM Killer workout today. Rep 5 on OHP was a grinder but a little back arch at about the halfway point and up it went. Pullups are slightly better. A few more weeks and hopefully I'll hit 5x8. Shrugs are great, but I need to learn to lean forward a bit - the bar keeps hitting my junk on the way up. Bar holds were a little worse than last time, but that's due to both pullups and shrugs already taxing my grip. I had planned to do my normal 4x5 on steps today, but on the first set I got to the top of rep 6 before I realized I had exceeded the plan. I switched it up and did 2x10 instead. My legs were pretty much dead at the top of rep 10 each set. The last set of 5 was done on full blast - as fast as I could go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 4 Set 3 5x100 jump rope alternated w/ 5x2 widest grip pullups Deadlift:5x135 lbs hook5x225 hook5x295 hook3x335 over/under6x375 over/under Glute ham raise, hands crossed over chest: 5x15, done explosivelyLeg raise: 5x15Bar hang at bodyweight: 45 seconds, 40, 35, 45 My grip was feeling a little week today so I went over/under for my final warmup set instead of hook grip. I wanted to have a strong final warmup to build confidence for the heavy set. I again used the eco ball for grip only on my final set, and my grip was solid. I paused for a couple seconds after rep 5 to reset my feet as the bar bounced a little. Instead of the slow controlled motion I usually use for GHR, I tried them explosively today. I kept my hams and glutes tight and whipped my torso up as fast as I could, letting it slow a bit as I approached full extension before bending the knees for the GHR part of it. The momentum from the back raise carried over into the GHR, so the movement as a whole was easier today. Barely made the 15 reps on the last two sets of leg raise. Noticed a little bit of swing at the bottom. Decided to do a set of timed bar hangs instead of the bar holds I've been doing today. Bodyweight clothed today was ~197 lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 Oh yeah, for the two people who probably check my journal, I've started a thread for a strength table here:http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=29127 Pass it on and hopefully we get some people to post on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Cool man, will have a look at that table. 6x375 over/under Congrats on those deads as well, huge pulling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 Heh, nothing in the table yet. No one seems interested so I'm probably going to delete the post after another week or so. 5/3/1 Cycle 4 Set 3 5x100 jump rope alternated w/ 5x3 widest grip pullups Bench:5x45 lbs5x855x1255x1653x1856x205 DB Row: 2x10x50 lbs, 22x80 lbsDips: 11,11,11,8,8Bar Hold, DOH: 135 lbs - 73 seconds, 225 - 33 secondsBar hang, BW: 3x25 seconds Felt a bit of shin discomfort on jumping rope, I hope I'm not developing shin splints. It might just be a bit of bruising from deadlifts on Wednesday. Bench went as well as I expected. The last rep was hell but I got it. When I went to pick up the bar for a hold at 315 lbs, I wasn't focused well enough and I felt a little strain in my back, so I put it down and called it done. Did some bar hangs instead and stretched my back out - felt fine afterwards. Skipped steps because I got a late start and needed to get back to the office. My workouts are starting to run a little long, I have to pay attention to how long I'm resting between sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Heh, nothing in the table yet. No one seems interested so I'm probably going to delete the post after another week or so.Sorry for the delay, done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share Posted October 18, 2012 Heh, nothing in the table yet. No one seems interested so I'm probably going to delete the post after another week or so.Sorry for the delay, done Nice! You seem to have a decent number of followers here so maybe having you down will spur some interest! Of course, it would probably help if there was actually a table up! I'll get to work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Look forward to seeing the table, will you be able to post it up in the thread do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 Happy to have some strong lifters on the table now. I guess it will grow like muscle, slow and steady! 5/3/1 Cycle 4 Set 3 5x100 jump rope alternated w/ 5x3 widest grip pullups Squats:2x5x45 lbs5x955x1355x1753x2055x2403x270 somewhere between parallel and ATG5x300 low bar Lunge: 5x15 +30 lbsGood morning: 10x45 lbs, 10x95, 3x10x135Bar hold, DOH: 135 lbs - 75 seconds, 225 - 35 seconds, 315 - 13 seconds That final set of squats was ugly! I took some videos of my squats this time and my form looks OK to me for the most part, but I'm sure there's problems there that I'm not aware of. I'll post them up when I get some time, maybe on Monday. On the 2nd to last set, I had a bit of trouble going ATG so I decided I was going to do the final set low bar and to parallel. I think I figured out the trouble I've been having with the high-bar position and ATG squatting. In the high-bar position, I need to use a bit more upper body strength to keep the bar from sliding down into the low-bar position, and I'm just not used to doing it. Usually with low bar position I don't need to think too much about holding the bar up with my arms as it sits better and the lower back angle makes it less likely to slip. So on the last set, since I hadn't done any warmups at low-bar I was off my game a bit. My knees kept buckling in off the bottom and I'd push them out, as opposed to keeping them out the whole time. I also took a couple seconds between some of the reps to reset myself and try to focus. I've also been reading up a bit on squatting and I'm not sure I'm ready for heavy ATG squats yet. I think I'll practice a bit with the light sets to make sure my form is good, but for the top 3 sets I'll go back to low-bar below parallel. Rest of the workout went fine, although a bit long given that I did a few extra squat sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 4 deload week5x100 jump rope alternated w/ 5x3 widest grip pullups OHP5x45 lbs5x605x755x90 Deadlift5x155 lbs5x1955x235 Pullups: 3x5 widest gripShrugs: 3x5x135 lbsGHR: 3x10Bar hang, BW: 2x45 seconds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Good squatting !! Yeah throw the video up, I've just posted up a squat video in my thread so feel free to critique. My weakest lift but saying that, that also means there's heaps of room for improvement. I always do them ATG as you'll see, but not something you can jump straight into. Hitting that depth has taken me a fair bit of time, and I'm still far from perfect with the technique. We live and learn I guess. Hope you are having a good week MF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 Still need to post those squat vids... 5/3/1 Cycle 4 deload week 5x100 jump rope alternated w/ 5x3 widest grip pullups Bench5x45 lbs5x955x1155x135 DB row: 3x10x50 lbsDips: 6,6,10Bar hang: 45 seconds, 30,30 Quick workout today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 (edited) OK, Squat video post! All these vids were taken last Friday on my heaviest squat day of this cycle. Warmup, I don't remember the weight, but pretty light. High-bar position, going for ATG, but I don't actually get that deep. However, my hams are squashing my calves at the bottom, so I'm not sure how much deeper I can go? 2nd to last set, 270 lbs. High-bar position, going for ATG, but I barely break parallel. If I recall correctly the bar was sliding down a bit and it's difficult to do ATG with a low-bar position. Final set, 300 lbs. I decided not to do high-bar/ATG, but I still kept resetting the bar to the tops of my shoulders. As I mentioned in my journal for the day, my form was shit and the set was ugly. I'm almost embarrassed about posting it. I couldn't keep my back tight for shit. I didn't even hit parallel on 2 or 3 of the reps. They were much harder than I thought they should be. My knees kept buckling in and my stance was wobbly. Ugly. I think I'm going to go back to low-bar parallel for a while, until I can get a bit more practice at high-bar. Comments are welcome. Edited October 26, 2012 by asparagus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 26, 2012 Author Share Posted October 26, 2012 Fixed the URL issue and now the vids embed just fine. 5/3/1 Cycle 4 deload week 5x100 jump rope alternated w/ 5x3 widest grip pullups Squat:10x45 lbs10x955x1355x1655x195 Lunge: 3x10Good morning: 5x45 lbs, 3x5x95 lbsBar hang, angled (neutral) grip: 60 seconds, 45 seconds, 40 seconds All the squats were done high-bar, ATG. I'm not sure exactly how low I'm getting, but my hams were compressing my calves at the bottom. I tried to keep my torso as upright as possible and concentrated on keeping my upper back and arms tight. I think that I am going to do the first squat workout of each cycle high-bar ATG as well as during the deload week so that I can get some practice with the form and decide in the future whether I want to incorporate it more into my lifts. For the 2nd and 3rd squat sessions of each cycle I will stick to low-bar as deep as I can go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Had an impromptu workout yesterday. Our TV died and my wife's parents offered to give us their old one, which was almost exactly the same size and model as the one we had. The workout stems from it being an old 36" tube television, so it weighed in at about 160 lbs (~73 kg), maybe more, and was basically a 38" (~1 meter) cube. I had to pick it up out of the cabinet at the in-laws' house and set it down on a dolly. Rolled it out to my truck, then lifted it from the dolly (ground) to the bed. That part was the warmup. I then drove it to my house and prepared to take it from the truck and use the dolly to get it the ~30 ft to my front door. I picked it up and walked over to the dolly, and then as I started lowering, I decided "to hell with the stupid dolly" and carried the set into the house. I then picked up my old set (same weight and dimensions as the new one), and carried it out to the truck. I drove it around to the garage and put it on the floor. It would have been easy if it was a 160 lb barbell, but the carry was actually pretty difficult due to the size of it and no good spots for a single carrier to grip it. That is one of the main reasons I train - so that I can just pick up shit like this and move it without a second thought. Felt good! Today:5/3/1 Cycle 5 Set 1 5x100 jump rope alternated w/ 5x2 widest grip pullups OHP10x40 lbs5x855x1055x1206x135 Shrugs: 2x5x135 lbs, 14x225 lbsPullups, alternating grips: 8,8,8,8,7 Not a great workout today. I went really late, compared to my usual lifting at lunchtime. I never seem to lift as well later in the day as I do in the very early afternoon. The gym was extremely busy, I had to wait about 10 minutes for a barbell to free up. Also, I usually press in the rack, so the bar starts in the pins at squat height. Today the bar was cleaned from the floor prior to each set. I'm not sure if that affected my lift at all, but I should have been easily able to hit 7 reps, possibly 8 if I was feeling strong. I skipped the bar holds since my workout was running long anyway. No big deal, I'll go in on Wednesday and pull some nice reps on the Deadlift and make myself feel better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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