Not the best nights sleep nor best eating before this session. Bit man fluey.
On a more positive note, got new SBDs - went down 2 sizes from xxlarge to large. Keeping the old ones as training sleeves to keep my knees warm in general sessions but will probs be using the new ones a fair bit in the lead up to comp.
Squat - warmup
Low bar, front, and overhead squats Comp. sleeves on
4 sets from bar to 120kg
Squat - daily max
Low bar Belt on
150kg x 1
170kg x 1
200kg x 1
215kg x 1 @ 9
225kg x 1 @ 9
Squat - back offs
Front squat Belt off
120kg x 2
140kg x 2
150kg x 2 - beltless PR? Easy enough anyway.
Ss/ Ring chins
3 x 5
Left vastus lateralis is still being a twat. Really tweaked at 200kg. Didnāt manage to get in for that massage this week. May warrant some time off of deep squats which would suck. Will keep doing all I can to get through it.
Bench - warmup
Comp. bench Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Facepulls
5 x 20
Bench - daily max
Comp. bench Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 8.5
127.5kg x 1 @ 9
132.5kg x 1 @ 9.5 - spotter took it at the sticking point but it was going. Very happy I can hop under a 1 week old PR and still feel very comfortable.
Bench - back offs
Close grip bench
100kg x 3
110kg x 3 - ties PR easily
Ss/ Facepulls
2 x 20
Deadlift - volume
Conventional deadlift to knees - and squeeeeze Beltless
70kg x 3
100kg x 3
120kg x 3
150kg x 3
170kg x 3
190kg x 3 x 3
Double overhand no hook
190kg x 1
200kg x 1
205kg x 2 x just barely locked out. First attempt was better.
Rugby was on so went to drink whisky. Whatās so great about this superb owl all the lbs lifters are excited about?
BW 95.5ish on the gymās analog scales taken end of day and pretty hydrated.
Been very crampy recently and not sure why. No major changes to diet or fluid intake. Maybe just overreacting to this cold. Mainly in glutes and quads.
Squat - warmup
Front, and overhead squats Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ Reverse hypers
5 x 10
Squat - daily max
Front squat Belt on
140kg x 1
152.5kg x 1
165kg x 1 @ 8.5 175kg x 1 @ 9.5 - 2.5kg PR - and felt good but camera angle makes depth look iffy relative to my normal standard. Iāll hit something north of 170 again for a more convincing rep sometime later this week.
Squat - back ups
Front rack holds - walk out, brace, and bounce lightly for a 3 count
190kg
210kg
Ss/ Wide neutral chins
2 x 5
Bench - warmup
Comp. and close grip bench Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Seated DB power cleans - lol - actually felt stuff working in a way I donāt normally.
6s x 5 x 20
Bench - daily max
Close grip bench Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 8.5
125kg x 9
Bench - back offs
Pin press - comp. grip, pin 14, just below sticking point
100kg x 3
110kg x 3
120kg x 3
130kg x 3
Ss/ Ring chins
4 x 6
Benched in the rack which meant I was on one of the adjustables instead of the dedicated benches. Just feels a little off.
Assistance work
Plate front raise into oh triceps
A load at 15, 20, 25kgs
Low bar, front, and overhead squats Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ Facepulls
5 x 20
Squat - daily max
Low bar Belt on
150kg x 1
170kg x 1
200kg x 1
217.5kg x 1 @ lol speed
227.5kg x 1 @ 9.5 - yas smooth 500
Squat - back offs
Low bar - paused Belt off
170kg x 2
190kg x 2 x 2
Ss/ Shins to bar
3 x 5
Bench - warmup
Comp. bench Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ DB rear delts
10s x 5 x 20
Bench - daily max
Comp. bench Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 8.5
127.5kg x 1 @ 9
132.5kg x 1 @ 10 - ties PR - got distracted just before the lift, wasnāt focused and my left arm came out too far. Used to be my right arm which did that so at least that side is under control. Also nice to know I can recover this weight. 127.5kg was good but I probably shouldāve left it there. I donāt need to be matching PRs every session.
Bench - back offs
Long pause bench - 3 count
100kg x 2 x 3
Ss/ Band upright facepulls - done with the band I wrap over the bench
2 x 20
Solid session, feeling the triceps fatigue after doing the pin presses and a little assistance stuff yesterday.
SSB Sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 125kg
Ss/ Cannonball pullups
5 x 5
Squat - daily max
SSB Belt on
145kg x 1
160kg x 1
175kg x 1 @ 9 187.5kg x 1 @ 9 - 2.5kg PR
Squat - back offs
SSB good mornings Belt off
105kg x 2 x 5 - these were HARD.
Ss/ GHR situps
2 x 10
Bench - warmup
Floor press
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Ring scarecrows
5 x 15
Bench - daily max
Floor press
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 9 - very smooth 5kg PR. No spot so didnāt go up and this was a satisfying rep anyway.
Bench - back offs
Floor press
110kg x 2 x 2
Ss/ BOR - overhand, strict
60kg x 2 x 12
Deadlifts - heavy day
Deficit conventional deads - yellow 15kg bumper
70kg x 1
100kg x 1
120kg x 1
150kg x 1
170kg x 1 Belt on
200kg x 1
220kg x 1
240kg x 1 @ 9 - 10kg PR
250kg x 1 @ 9 - 20kg PR 260kg x 1 @ 10 - 30kg PR and 7.5kg over my best deadlift from the floor.
Ridiculous session. 3 lifts which traditionally feel pretty awkward for me but I ground out PRs on all 3. Brute strength won today.
Thanks @mortdk ! Everything feels like itās coming together well, just gotta get the body weight under control. I have plenty of baggage fat to lose without cutting into strength, just need to do the work in the kitchen to get there. Weighing heavy for BUCS isnāt an option so gotta crack down on it.
BW 97.9kg. I got KFC last night to celebrate the pull.
Fasted most of the morning because housemateās birthday shindig later and weāre out for dins.
Upper back is the sorest area today. Have long suspected it will be my weak link in pulls (front squats too) so will hammer it with heavy deadlift based stuff as much as I can over the next few weeks. Facepulls wonāt cut it.
Squat - warmup
Front, and overhead squats Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ Unilateral farmers walks
30kg x 5 x 15m/hand
Squat - daily max
Front squat Belt on
140kg x 1
152.5kg x 1
165kg x 1 @ 9
172kg x 1 @ 9.5 - so I wanted to hit 170kg minimum for a good looking rep because the video of my 175 from a few days ago was at an angle that just made my depth and technique look horrible. After the pull yesterday I was surprised this moved as well as it did.
Squat - back ups
Pause front squat
150kg x 2 x 2
Ss/ Pullups - breathe and stretch in bottom
2 x 3
Bench - warmup
Comp. and close grip bench Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Seated DB power cleans - ok, I like these
6s x 5 x 20
Bench - daily max
Comp. bench Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1
127.5kg x 9 - REAAAAALLY thought about 132.5 again but will leave it for a fresher day. This was a very good rep so Iām taking that away.
Bench - back offs
Slingshot bench - xl grey bench blaster - 3 sizes above the one I hit 150kg in. Probably better suited to my needs. Felt it out with light weight today but will use it for overload in the 140 range now and then.
120kg x 3 x 3
Ss/ Back extensions - pad mid thigh
3 x 15 Comp. bench
100kg x 12 - 2 rep PR and all paused as compared to previous PR. E1rm of 140kg so somehow I am still more efficient at reps despite 5 months of daily singles.
Accessory work
*DB seated ohp
20s x 10
26s x 10
30s x 2 x 10
Ss/ Meadows row
40kg x 4 x 10
Not anticipating pressing feeling very fresh tomorrow.
Yeah the few times Iāve done them recently itās been my upper back that was struggling to hold.
A long time ago I experimented with doing them from blocks for sets of 10. Never had upper back and teapot soreness like it.
You could try a bit lower weight, doing them with a slight explosive pull at the end, for 10 - 12 reps, takes the breath out of you, and really working on the upper back.
Dire nutrition today but it worked out. Also walked the 30 mins to the gym today which I guess is nice.
Squat - warmup
Low bar, front, and overhead squats Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ GHR situps
5 x 10
Squat - daily max
Low bar Belt on
150kg x 1
170kg x 1
200kg x 1
215kg x 1 @ 8.5
225kg x 1 @ 9 232.5kg x 1 @ 10 - 2.5kg PR yesyesyes. Depth not as good as previous two reps but still good for comp and itās a PR. Hard as though lol.
Squat - back offs
No
Bench - warmup
Close grip bench Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Hamilton trap raises
2s x 5 x 15
Bench - daily max
Close grip bench Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 8.5
125kg x 1 @ 9 - sound. I wasnāt as fatigued as I expected but happy to leave these here.
Bench - back offs
Comp. bench
105kg x 3
110kg x 3
115kg x 3
Ss/ Plate trap raises
10kg x 3 x 20
Bant
Box jumps
105cm x 1
105cm x 1
125cm x F
125cm x Nearly
125cm x fack
125cm x 1 - toes on, stood halfway up, immediately fell
125cm x 1 foot, 1 knee
125cm x other foot, other knee 125cm x 1 - Superhero landing! Really bad for the knees - think this is the first time Iāve made this.
Working on that functional fitness for all those real world scenarios where I have to jump onto a specially designed box.
Bit of heavy bag
Really happy with todays squat. 215 and 225 are looking to be my 1st and 2nds, and they didnt feel great today compared to the past few times Iāve worked in that range so hitting my minimum goal for a 3rd after a poor start is a good thing.
I can cruise with my daily maxes in the 225 range for a few weeks now, no need to push up past 500lbs again until I get close to comp. Same applies to bench, I know I can hit my minimum goal of 132.5 even if I fuck up my technique, so 127.5 - 130 is a solid working weight for a typical day.
SSB Sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 125kg
Ss/ Facepulls
5 x 5
Squat - daily max
SSB Belt on
145kg x 1
160kg x 1
175kg x 1 @ 9
185kg x 1 @ 9
Squat - back offs
Seated SSB good mornings
75kg x 3 x 10
Ss/ Pullups
3 x 6
Bench - warmup
Comp. and close grip bench
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ DB rear delts
8s x 5 x 15
Bench - daily max
Close grip bench
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 9
127.5kg x 1 @ 9.5
Bench - back offs
OHP
Bar x some
40kg x 5
50kg x 5 Belt on
60kg x 5
70kg x 3 Push press Belt on
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
90kg x 3
100kg x 2 - 1 rep PR - failed the 3rd, it was there but I dipped too slowly and didnāt grind.
Deadlifts - volume day
Pulled on an oly bar today, which is probably a bit whippier. Other than the finer knurling canāt say I noticed a difference.
Pause conventional deads - just off floor
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
100kg x 5
130kg x 5
150kg x 5
170kg x 5 Belt on EMOM
190kg x 5 x 1
Snatch grip pull into shrug at top
100kg x 2 x 5
Ss/ Deadlift row
100kg x 2 x 5
Ss/ RDL into shrugs
100kg x 2 x 5
Stomach bug yesterday. Day off. On plus side weighed in at 94.9kg.
Today
BW 96kg
Still a bit iffy.
Squat - warmup
Front, and overhead squats Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ Unilateral farmers walks
25kg x 5 x 20m/hand
Squat - daily max
Front squat Belt on
140kg x 1
152.5kg x 1
165kg x 1 @ 9
172.5kg x 1 @ 9 - by far the easiest this has ever felt 180kg x 1 @ 9.5 - 5kg PR and a milestone Iāve wanted for AGES.
Squat - back offs
Klokov front squat - 5 count down, 5 count pause Belt off
140kg x 1
150kg x 1 - definitely a PR for pause length on a beltless rep
Ss/ Shins to bar
2 x 5
Squat - back up
Front rack brace and bounce Still beltless
190kg x 3 count
Ss/ Shins to bar
10 - nice. Still canāt do a lever though.
Bench - warmup
Comp. and close grip bench Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Seated DB power cleans
6s x 5 x 20
Bench - daily max
Comp. bench Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1
127.5kg x 1 @ 9 - fine rep. I promised not to go heavier for a while unless bench felt amazing and Iām sticking to that.
Bench - back ups
Slingshot bench - xl grey bench blaster
130kg x 1
135kg x 1
140kg x 1 @ 9
Ss/ Facepulls -
3 x 20
Bench - back offs
Spoto press
100kg x 3
105kg x 3
110kg x 3
Ss/ Reverse hypers
3 x 20
SSB Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 125kg
Ss/ Pullups
5 x 5
Squat - daily max
SSB Belt on
145kg x 1
160kg x 1
175kg x 1 @ 9
190kg x 1 @ 9 - 2.5kg PR
Squat - back offs
SSB - paused Belt off
145kg x 3 x 3
Ss/ Pullups
15kg x 3 x 3
Bench - warmups
Floor press
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Facepulls
5 x 20
Bench - daily max
Floor press
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 9
125kg x 1 @ 9.5 - 5kg PR. Floor press was stagnant for ages so I abandoned using it as a DM lift but itās moving again and is a lift I think will carry over to comp. bench.
Bench - back offs
Floor press
105kg x 3 x 3
Ss/ Ring chins
3 x 5
Deadlifts - heavy day
Pause conventional deads - just off floor
60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 2
120kg x 1
140kg x 1
160kg x 1
180kg x 1 Belt on
200kg x 1
215kg x 1
225kg x 1
240kg x 1 - whatās that? Max actually stopped his heavy day at 90% like heās supposed to? Trap bar deads - high handles - never used it, had some fun. Savage knurling.
170kg x 2 x 2
200kg x 2
220kg x 2
240kg x 2
Low bar, front, and overhead squats Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ GHR situps
5 x 10
Squat - daily max
Low bar Belt on
150kg x 1
170kg x 1
200kg x 1
215kg x 1 @ 9
222.5kg x 1 @ 9.5
Squat - back offs
Low bar - paused
180kg x 2
192.5kg x 2
Ss/ Chins
2 x 5
Squats did not feel good today. Need a good session on low bar later this week to make up for that. Can chalk it up to fatigue from the SSB and pulls but ideally Iād like 2.5kg under my planned 2nd to move much better than it did today regardless of how tired I am.
Bench - warmup
Comp. bench Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Facepulls
5 x 20
Bench - daily max
Comp. bench Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 8.5
127.5kg x 1 @ 9 - another solid rep at this weight, after a comparatively harder floor press yesterday. Confidence building after naff squats.
Bench - back offs
Long pause comp. bench - 3 count
107.5kg x 3 x 3
Ss/ GHR
3 x 10
Took the elbow sleeves off for the back offs. I wear them literally every session to keep some golfers elbow I had problems with at bay, and I wanted to see if losing them made a massive difference. Nothing I could notice, and had no such problems last meet in November.