Caesium32's Log - Cycling With a Side of Lifting

You may also want to check locally for a PL or more strength oriented gym. They aren’t always super expensive.

That said, I remember my uni gym was tiny. Them they partnered with our Super XV rugby team and built a whole new facility and I got all excited, but all it meant was the old equipment got moved into the new building and put in a smaller space behind some temporary screens next to where the players trained. You could see all their equipment, but not use it at any time. Stopped training there petty quickly.

It’s nice to see you stopping by my log.
I had a look when I first came here but the only ones that seem half decent are both pretty far away on the outskirts of town and without a car they’re really difficult to reach. I’m just gonna stick it out with my current one and if I can go when it isn’t busy it’s actually pretty good.

1 Like

Saturday 15/10/16 5/3/1 C1W1D4
Overhead press 25x5, 27.5x5, 32.5x10
Close grip bench press 27.5x10, 35x10, 40x10
Face pulls 15x10x4
Shoulder press machine 20x15,12,10,10
Dumbbell rows 16x15x3
Lat pull-down 40x10x3

All presses felt fast and most of the close grip was paused too. Wanted to do dips but the assisted machine was broken so tried a shoulder machine but didn’t really like it, then lots of upper back.
Despite saying earlier I was going to repeat week 1 I think it’s gone okay so I’m going to move onto week 2 next week.
Gym was a lot more empty today which was nice. I might start going Saturday and Sunday. That will make it easier for me to avoid going to the gym and a martial arts class on the same day and I can avoid the gym being so crowded.

Good solution. If dips aren’t possible, try diamond push-ups or something. Or just push-ups.

Thank you, I was looking for an alternative but wasn’t sure.

Tuesday 18/10/16 C1W2D1
Deadlift 60x3, 70x3, 80x5 (capped), 60x1x5 with 5 second hold at top

Threw in a few easy singles after my main work to practice using hook grip and work on technique a little. Mixed grip makes me want to spin the bar out and I feel like I’m set up really weird with it so all my deadlifts are double overhand under 80kg.
Technique feels great double overhand though so hopefully something good is on the horizon. My bar path seems really straight, the bar lands exactly where it leaves the floor and the bar speed was great today too. Only thing letting me down is I find high reps hard and my grip. Doing double over so much has actually made my grip really strong I can easily hold my max with a mixed grip but then mixed grip effects my actual pull so I sacrifice some weight from my max by making sure I hold on. Only a couple months ago my grip was fried from 40kgx10 on RDLs but last week I did 70kgx7 and my grip felt pretty solid still.
Plan is to slowly add in more hook grip volume and probably get some chalk too.

Front squats 30x8, 35x8, 40x6
Back extension BWx10,10,12

Taking assistance easy as got a martial arts class tonight.

If you decide to go back to it, put your underhand gripping hand about a half inch or so further out than your overhand gripping hand. That can all but cancel out the bar drift.

Thank you, I’ll give that a try. I’ll still be using it for now for my top sets until my hook grip is stronger.

Wednesday 19/10/16 C1W2D2
Bench press 45x3, 50x3, 55x12
Incline press 30x8, 35x8, 40x6
Lat pull down 40x10x5
Dumbbell rows 16x15x3
Lateral raises 5x12x3

I’m really trying to focus on bar speed with all my main and assistance lifts and they’re all coming up really fast. I definitely seem to be better at high reps on upper body lifts, especially bench press. I had a crazy back pump today for the first time in a while, I think it’s due to changing my grip width each pull-down set.

1 Like

Friday 21/10/16 C1W2D3
Squat 55x3, 65x3, 72.5x8

Total opposite of last week today, everything was really rough. I did 3 reps with the bar and was so close to racking it, 70-80kg has felt easier than that did. Pushed on anyway and did hit a PR but I swear the bar was collecting dust it went so slow. Putting it down to not eating well today and yesterday and maybe my martial arts classes effecting recovery so I’m gonna give tonight’s class a miss. Didn’t feel like deadlifts after so just did loads of easy fluff stuff to feel like I’d done something.

Back extensions BWx10x4
Leg curls 35x10x3
Hack squats 50x15x3 or 4, lost count

1 Like

Saturday 22/10/16 C1W2D4
Overhead press 25x3, 30x3, 35x8, 25x12

My friend has 25kg on the bar from his set so I thought I’d just hit a quick set with it at the end for some extra shoulder work.

Close grip bench 35x8, 40x8, 45x6
Lat pull-down 40x10x5
Press ups BWx10, x20
Cable rows 30x15x5

Had such a crazy pump today in my whole upper body, my ego enjoyed it. I’m giving hammering the upper back with lots of volume a try at the minute after seeing a few people do the same and I feel like it’s already bigger. Having steak out at a pub for dinner tonight too, good day.

1 Like

Best way to drive press and bench IMO.

That’s not really something I’d considered so if it does that it’ll be a great added bonus. I’m definitely going to keep at it until Christmas and see how it effects me.
I think it’s important, especially when as relatively new to training as I am, to try different things and see what does what.

I’ve found a good rule of thumb is that you can never do too much pulling. Second to that, it’s hard to argue that you can do too much to strengthen your lower back beyond being judicious in how much heavy squatting and DLing you do.

Between those two sort-of-rules you’ll rarely find your back lets you down. The only thing to be careful of is to not overdo an individual exercise, but you don’t need to go nuts with variety. Early on, barbell rows, dumbell rows, pull aparts and chin ups or fatman pull-ups are probably all you need. Add in back extensions for your lower back and you’re set.

Then later on lat pull-downs and other machine rows, chest supported rows, V or T-bar rows, good mornings and stuff come into play.

Could you recommend any bands I can buy to use for pull aparts? And also what are fatman pull ups?
I’ve added in more back extensions recently, I think I’ll do them twice a week and I want to increase the frequency of my ab training too and see how it feels.

Any light bands should do fine. Increase or decrease tension by where you grip. Fatman pull-ups are where you lie under a bar with feet on the floor and pull chest to bar. Also called inverted rows. When the bar is too easy, use straps.

Thank you, I’ve just bought some cheap bands off Amazon, they should be fine for what I want and if not they cost me next to nothing. I’ve always called those inverted rows but I like the name fatman pull ups, it fits well because I’m too fat for normal ones.

2 Likes

Wednesday 26/70/16 C1W3D1
Deadlift 70x5, 80x3, 85x7

85x7 was a bit of a grind at the end. I stopped more because I felt my form going downhill than it being too heavy to get up, which I suppose are basically the same thing. Compared to a couple months ago my grip has got loads stronger, my 80kg set was double overhand and I didn’t feel my top set in my forearms at all. I did however forget to add in some hook grip practice afterwards. All in all good session.

Front squat 32.5x5, 37.5x5, 42.5x5, 55x1

My friend was doing squats with me and wanted a 4th set so I decided I’d go for a 5kg PR, it came up nice and fast. Previous best was 50x5 which is probably just as hard but I’ve definitely got 60kg in me.

Ab crunch machine 30x10x2, 25x12, 20x15
Back extensions BWx10x3
Dumbbell side bends 22kgx10x3 each side

Finished off with lots of core work. That crunch machine is no joke, it’s basically a seated cable crunch. Side bends were fun too, it was my first time doing those, think I’ll keep them in for a while because I feel like I neglect my obliques.
On another note I’ve now got some bands which I intend to use for pull aparts mostly in my room, not sure how to program them though, any suggestions? Also bought some myprotein straps just because they were cheap and I was ordering anyway so not sure when they’d be useful just yet either.

1 Like

Do 100 a day. Or 50 and work up to 100 eventually. Do different ones (standing, lying down, with a rotation at the end to activate your rotator cuff, static holds…). It doesn’t matter too much so long as you do them.

Thanks, I was thinking 100 a day but was worried it’d be too much. I did 100 yesterday throughout the day in sets of 20 and 10, I’ll try different variations too.

1 Like