J4GGA2's Log: Becoming More Athletic

Training Logs
21

Really bad ankle mobility, and I like Dan John’s/Gable’s advice: If it’s important, do it every day. If it isn’t, don’t do it at all

While Jim reccommends the Agile 8, which I have done for months at a time, I find it doesn’t do much for me as I usually have very mobile hips without stretching.

22

Agile 8 is highly redundant I find, I spent far too long rolling around on the floor with 5/3/1 than actually squatting and stuff. For ankle mobility try a deep third world squat pushing knees forward over toes. If you need better mobility for squatting the best way to get it better is to actually squat.

2 Likes
23

I’m an ugly bencher too, but I think there are some things with your bench that can definitely be improved on. @MarkKO is the king of technique and @BOTSLAYER has a damn good eye for this shiz so I’ll let them confirm or add to my ramblings.

It looks like you’re purposefully trying to touch quite low on your chest with the bar. This actually has moved the weight IN FRONT of your elbow position at the bottom of the lift. Your forearms should be vertical through the lift (or at least most of it). You won’t be generating a lot of power into the bar if the bar is ahead of your elbows like in the video. This might just be mistaking the cue to “tuck your elbows” at the bottom. While a lot of benchers do touch too high on their chest not recruiting enough of their muscles, I believe you are too low.

Nice work overall though man!

2 Likes
24

Thank you for the comments. I really appreciate it from guys like you. I was touching that low because I was conciously trying to keep my wrists and elbows stacked, whikst tucking my elbows. I do have super long arms so maybe that’s with the bar touched so low. Of course, I could just be bad

EDIT: Just rewatched the video looking out for forearm angle and yeah, you’re definitley right. Thanks for the heads-up. Would you mind checking the Bench TM test vid as well? For some reason 55x3 felt a lot easier than 50x5, which at first i thought might be the shoes, only now I’m wondering if it was technique

25

The lazy lifter is basically this. 30s deep bodyweight squat, 60s hang from pull-up bar, another 30s deep bodyweight squat

26

This. I used to do the same thing and it would autocorrect on heavier weights because it had to.

Also your set up is loose. I dont think that towel is doing you any favors. It leaves you to slip around and stuff. The biggest thing I learned about Bench set up is your traps have to be stuck to the bench. If that isnt the case then your set up has no shot.

2 Likes
27

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, my gym mandates towels

1 Like
28

Yes, your touch is waaay too low. You’re also very, very loose. It looks like you aren’t doing anything to lock your shoulders into a strong position.

Try pushing your chest up and pulling your shoulderblades back and down, really squeezing them. Flex your lats. Unrack the bar by pulling it out of the rack, not pressing. As you bring the bar down pull your elbows out while squeezing your lats. You want to be touching around nipple height or a bit lower. Once you touch, push yourself away from the bar into the bench, still flexing your lats.

4 Likes
29

Thanks for the advice. I’ve struggled setting my shoulders properly for a while

1 Like
30

Doing pull aparts lying on a bench can help.

31

Oh this makes sense. I already do a ton of pull aparts (100+ daily) so I’ll try doing some like this

32

5’s Week: Cycle 1
Squats

Mobility:

  • Shoulders
  • Ankles
  • Lazy Lifter

Warm-Up:

  • 30x5/37.5x5/45x3 Squats
  • 1x5 SVJ (First of many things I forgot to do today)

Squats:

  • 50x5
  • 57.5x5
  • 65x4 (Forgot how to count to five apparently)

Deadlift:

  • 45x5
  • 57.5x5x5, EMOM

Assistance:

  • Barbell Rows: 40x3, 60x5x5, ss with
  • Toes-to-Bar Leg Raises: 5x2, 4+1x2, 3+2x2

Conditioning:

  • 5x3 Barbell Complex @ 30kg

Time (Excluding Mobility):
0:51:45

So this workout was pretty good, even though I forgot some stuff. The weight felt easy - as it should on 5s Week - and my technique felt decently locked in (apart from the first and last rep on squats’ top set). The FSL Deadlifts felt incredible though.

2 Likes
33

5’s Week: Cycle 1
Bench

Mobility:

  • 12 Left/Right Ankle Dorsiflexions
  • 10s, 20s, 30s Left/Right Goblet Squat Ankle Stretch
  • 3x10-15 Shoulder Dislocates w/ Band
  • 3x10-15 Band Pull-Aparts

Warm-Up:

  • 5x3 Medicine Ball Chest Throws
  • 25x5/27.5x5/32.5x3 Bench Press

Bench:

  • 35x5
  • 42.5x5
  • 47.5x5

FSL Press:

  • 20x3
  • 25x5x5, EMOM

Assistance:

  • Incline Dumbbell Press (Palms-In): 17.5x2x5, 15x8x5, superset with
  • One Arm Dumbbell Row: 17.5x2x5, 15x8x5

Conditioning:

  • Eight 30-40m Hill Sprints at 75-85% Incline

Time (Excluding Mobility):
1:01:31

34

Any thoughts? @MarkKO @BOTSLAYER @littlesleeper

35

I can see a few possible issues there but im not one to give form tips, and im not mark , bot slayer or Little sleeper but why arent you using a full rom and briefly touching your nipple /lower chest/ or wherever is your optimal position?

1 Like
36

Nah that is full rom, im just not staying at the bottom long enough to tell discerningly

37

Towel isn’t helping also you are WAY too far away from the rack.

3 Likes
38

Like Hugh said get in closer to that rack.

Annnd you over corrected. Now your forearms are non vertical leaning towards you and you are pressing the bar too far back over your head.

Part of this might just be your set up is too far away from the racks and you are using the racks as a reference point.

Your press also looked a bit “wild” which I think will be fixed once you get the forearm angle locked in.

Over correcting is a good sign. It means you can make the adjustments.

What is kind of funny is that if you pressed heavy your form would be forced to correct itself (or you would die) but it would be ludicrous to press heavy until your form is locked in (because of the possibility of death).

EDIT: I like the pre bench band work, your set up does look tighter than last time. Maybe take a band and wrap it over your towel to help set your shoulders?

2 Likes
39

Like BOT mentioned, your bench is a little wild. The bar path seems to travel a significant distance in the horizontal plane in a rep. While you do want it to touch slightly lower than where it finishes (elbow tuck to elbow flare), this seems to be very exaggerated right now for you.

As mentioned above, you are definitely too far from your rack. I typically lock in with the barbell directly over my eyes.

You did look tighter, and your form was already better than the last video but still some things to work on (which is good!).

I’d hit up YouTube for some vids of some respectable benchers and watch their technique. No shame in benching light for a few months until good form becomes habit. That’s when you can start driving heavier weights with a reduced chance of injury.

2 Likes
40

Already hit up some PTW and superTraining videos, since these helped big time with my squat.

Definitely noticed this. I think I might just need to pay more attention when pressing

Yeah i’m noticing this too. I think it’s cos I’m pressing as if I had no arch, even though my back is arched and me chest isnt pointing directly upwards

Cheers for the support mate

2 Likes