My road to 1500

19-12-16
Upper

Band pullaparts between warmups

Bench
Warmup: 5x bar / 60 / 60 / 80kg, 3x 100kg
Work: 5x 110 / 117.5kg, 3x 125kg, 1x 130kg
Slingshot: 2x 140kg

DB Rows 10, 10, 9, 9 @ 70kg
Inc DB Bench 10, 10, 8 @ 42.5kg
DB OHP 10, 10, 8 @ 30kg, 15x 25kg
Pulldowns 3x10 @ 13 plates
High Inc fly 12, 12, 10 @ 20kg
Hammer Curls 2x10 @ 20kg

Wasn’t feeling too strong today, had 5, 5, 3, 3 in my head for bench, but with how the weight felt I decided against my 2nd triple and just hit a single.

DB Rows felt really good, I need some bigger DBs soon I think. Nothing else really felt amazing today.

My next 2 bench sessions will be relatively light I think, I’ll hit some higher rep work and give my chest / shoulders a chance to recover a bit.

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20-12-16
Lower

Band dislocations / foam rolling / glute bridges to warm up

Squat
Warmup: 5xbar / 60 / 60kg
Work: 5x 80 / 80kg, 3x100kg
Box: 3x8 @ 80kg

2" Deficit Deadlift
Warmup: 3x 100 / 100 / 140 / 180kg all + chains
Work: 3x 200kg + chains

RDLs 2x10 @ 120kg, 1x10 @ 130kg
Back Raises 3x10 @ 60kg
Crunch Machine 3x20 @ 60kg
Hip Thrusts 3x10 @ 50kg

Squatting is still a pain and its really annoying me, but theres nothing I can do about it, so just staying light enough that it doesnt get aggrivated!

Deadlifts felt good today, dropped my hips lower than I usually do and my power off the floor felt so much better! Will have to work this into my conventional. Judging by the video below though I need tofocus on keeping my chest up so my back stays flatter.

RDLs were done to a full stretch (as far as I can go anyway) with a 1sec pause at the bottom, then power back to lockout, felt really good :slight_smile:

Heres my working set of deficit DLs:

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Looking at it I’d say it’s no so much a matter of chest up rather shoulders behind the bar. It seems like you set up with nice low hips but as soon as you pull your hips come up and your shoulders go forward in front of the bar.

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Cheers bud, nice to have another point of view! Would you say my shoulders go forward because my hips shoot up? Maybe I just need to be tighter in my upper back… I’ve noticed I didn’t turn my elbows in today like I usually do

I’d say it’s because you pull up rather than back. It’s hard to keep behind the bar if you’re pulling up, because the weight wants to pull you forward. If you sit back and pull backwards into yourself, your weight falls back behind the bar and the bar doesn’t pull you forward as much.

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I knew there was a reason I kept you around! :wink: haha cheers man, great advice as always!! Thats something I’d never thought of / heard of! So weight on heels and pull back?

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Happy to help mate!

Yes, that’s a cue that would work. For me, I like Steve Goggins’ ‘scrape the skin off your shins’. I find it damn near impossible to get out of position if I focus on that. That, and hips down/fall back.

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Well this is my first time trying with lower hips, usually I deadlift with higher hips and it puts a lot on my lower back. I’ll have to focus on that next time I deadlift, drag the bar up my shins.

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It was a game change for me. You might feel a trifle slower off the floor, but bar speed should be steadier across the lift.

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Im not bothered about speed off the floor aslong as the powers there. With my hips higher I had a very hard time just moving anything over 240kg off the floor which is why I’m trying lower, so even if its slow, aslong as it moves consistently I’m happy.

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22-12-16
Upper

Band pullaparts between warmups

Bench
Warmup: 5x bar / bar / 50 / 50 / 70kg, 3x 80kg + chain
Work: 100kg + singled chains 2x5, 100kg + doubled chains 1x5, 110kg (amrap) 1x8
Slingshot: 130kg (amrap) 1x6

CG Cable Rows 4x10 @ 9 plates
High Inc Flys 20, 17, 15 @ 17.5kg
Smith OHP 4x8 @ 75kg
Side Laterals 3x10 @ 12.5kg, 1x8 @ 15kg

Really focused on breaking the bar today, and wow!! What a difference it makes! It made me touch lower on my chest, but the weight moved so easily! I misgrooved my 8th rep on my 110kg amrap and flared too early which screwed me up! I think I could of gottan a few more if i hadn’t but oh well.

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I had the same problem when I was doing them last year. The scrape the shins thing is right on point imo. Also, something that really helped me was watching Jay Nera’s “Big on the Basics”. It looks like you have a similar set up as him and Rubish as far as bar positioning goes. And with the deficits they helped really hammer in the push through the floor not pull the bar mentality. Overall, however, very clean and strong pull brother.

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Thanks man, I’ll check that out! I’m deadlifting again tomorrow, so I’ll be trying the scrape the shins thing.

Deficits is going to be something I’ll use I think, they felt really good. :slight_smile:

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As a by the by I prefer snatch grip DL to deficit. I feel it makes me groove my leg drive better.

Something to consider :slight_smile: I’ve never actually tried them! I could give them a whirl one Squat day, I’ve just got it programmed as ‘Deadlift Variation’ so its pretty open to whatever I fancy on the day

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They’re pretty awesome. The whole setup forces you to fight the bar pulling you forward as well as making you really get your leg drive.

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Watched a couple of the ‘Big on the Basics’ stuff, thanks man!! The way he explains stuff just makes things click! Much appreciated

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23-12-16
Lower

Band pullaparts, foam rolling, glute bridges

Deadlift
Warmup: 5x 60 / 100 / 140kg, 3x 170 / 170kg +chains
Work: 1x 200kg + chains, 1x 220kg + chains, 1x 230kg + chains PR

RDLs 3x10 @ 120kg
BB Shrugs 3x10 @ 130kg
Leg Ext 12, 12, 12, 10 @ 8 plates
Hamstring Curl (double) 3x10 @ 40kg
Ab Crunch Machine 3x25 @ 60kg

Deadlifts felt really good today and getting that PR really gave me a huge confidence boost, it felt amazing! Can definately feel my hamstrings and glutes getting involved now, tried to pull the bar backwards but I don’t think I nailed it 100%, something to keep working at.

230kg + chains PR video:

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Merry Christmas guys n gals!!

I’m going to be taking a few days off training to enjoy the time of year, physio on Weds the 28th, back training Thursday or Friday depending on how I feel :slight_smile:

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Small update:

Hip is no better, its been around 8 weeks now since injury. My physio seems to think, given where the pain is and when its occurring that its ligament damage. Got to phone the hospital tomorrow to arrange an appointment with a NHS physio and see where I go from there… hopefully try get a scan or something ASAP to get an answer to whats up.

Not very happy about things atm, really bumming me out! I have no idea what to expect or what that means if it is ligament damage.