Novice in Process

Starting a new training program. Today was light leg day. Been working on trying to activate my hamstrings and glutes.

125 (70%) x 5 x 5 back squats with 90 second rests
45 x 10 x 1 glute bridges
65 x 10 x 3 glute bridges
270 x 10 x 1 leg press
290 x 10 x 2 leg press
290 x 15 x 1 leg press
50 x 10 x 2 hamstring curls
55 x 10 x 2 hamstring curls

Squats - YouTube – squats earlier this week (form check).

In

70 (70%) x 6 x 5 bench with 90 second rests
55 x 5 x1 standing barbell press
60 x 5 x 4 standing barbell press
65 x 12 x 5 tricep push-down
22.5 x 16 x 1 dbell jerks
30 x 16 x 1 dbell jerks
30 x 12 x 1 dbell jerks
30 x 10 x 1 dbell jerks

7-6-13
Combined leg and back day. Working on sumo deadlift form. Specifically, I am trying to keep chest up, shoulders back, and increase speed.
130 (72%) x 5 x 1 Back squats
140 x 5 x 1 Back squats
150 x 8 x 1 (PR) Back squats
105 x 3 x 1 Three-second pause squats
115 x 3 x 4 Three-second pause squats
172 x 3 x 5 Sumo deadlifts (speed and form)
115 x 6 x 4 Bent (barbell) rows
30 x 12 x 3 Bicep curls

Since you’re too modest, I’ll post your last meet :). Handsome guy in that video, I must say.

Nice work!!!
At first I saw the numbers 370 for the bench flash across the screen and I thought it was gonna be you. I almost crapped :smiley:

Keep up the good work!

coyotegal: If I tried to bench 370, I would join you in experiencing dyscontrol of bodily functions. :confused:

Chest Day.

I have historically struggled with bench. So, chest day is now going to occur two times a week. Attempting to get better at a narrower grip as I have disagreeable elbows with narrower grips. I also have a worse go of it in terms of keeping any type of arch or pushing through my feet when I try a grip that is about shoulder-width.

72 x 5 x 1 Bench
77 x 5 x 1 Bench
82 x 10 x 1 Bench
72 x 8 x 2 Wide grip bench
72 x 13 x 1 Wide grip bench
17.5’s x 12 x 5 Lying triceps extension w/dbells
Down and back once in our Crossfit room - walking Spiderman push-ups with some pitiful failures and dramatic moans. I made myself finish though. Fun way to end a chest day despite my failures!!

I have no experience with competitive powerlifting, but your mention of benching with a wide grip made me think of this video. Kind of fun to watch. Check out how wide her hand placement is. I’ve tried it without wrapping my wrists and it’s really unnatural for me, and I felt like it had the potential to really sprain something. What is your height and 1RM for bench?

Related, I’ve been doing more bench variations to build my chest. Flat bench, followed by Incline and decline benching, DB squeeze press, and cable chest flies. Also, I like decline pushups, with my feet up on the bench to try to hit lower pec a bit more.

Great video. Her arch is incredible.
My one rep max (I am ashamed to report) is 100.
I am 5 ft 5 inches in height. Why do you ask?
Lastly, up until this past week, I was incorporating flies and
dbell presses. Had to change the training block.
I sure do like push-ups though and might need to figure out
a way to integrate those into my routine.

[quote]rfstef2 wrote:

I am 5 ft 5 inches in height. Why do you ask?
[/quote]

I was thinking wingspan. At 5’5", not a T-Rex. :slight_smile:

[quote]Powerpuff wrote:

[quote]rfstef2 wrote:

I am 5 ft 5 inches in height. Why do you ask?
[/quote]

I was thinking wingspan. At 5’5", not a T-Rex. :slight_smile:

[/quote]

That made me curious so I measured my “wingspan.” Pretty typical, my height is about 65 inches (right at it) and my arms measured from tip (of finger) to tip about 66.5 inches (pretty boring). In general, I think I have average biomechanics for lifting. I do have a long, annoying torso and of course, wish my weight would hover more in my hips and glutes than in my mid-section…Going back to your question, I have wondered sometimes if elbow placement/position in the arm can help/hinder benching. However, I am the first to admit, that at the types of weight I am moving, it is likely not going to matter very much.

Leg day. Still trying to work on activating those glutes and hamstrings more…

134 (~75%) x 5 x 1 Back squats
144 (~80%) x 5 x 1 Back squats
154 (~85%) x 7 x 1 Back squats
65 x 10 x 1 Glute bridges
85 x 10 x 3 Glute bridges
360 x 10 x 3 Leg press
~26 x 20 x 1 KB swings (wider stance, really focused on locking with glutes/hamstrings and hinging at waste)
~26 x 30 x 2 KB swings
~26 x 52 x 1 KB swings

Back day (my favorite day).

179 x x 1 Sumo deadlifts
189 x 3 x 1 Sumo deadlifts
203 (80%) x 5 x 1 Sumo deadlifts
172 x 3 x 5 Conventional Deadlifts (speed and form)
80 x 8 x 5 Straight arm press-downs
15’s x 11 x 5 Chest supported dbell rows
Farmer’s Walks w/dbells (50’s) - 4.5 (down and back Crossfit room)

Light chest day.

72 x 5 x 5 Bench w/90 second rests
72 x 7 x 3 Bench narrow grip
75 x 12 x 4 Tricep press-downs
2 x 8 Incline push-ups (1st time)
1 x 8 Regular push-ups
2 x 10 Regular push-ups
65 x 5 x 5 Hang cleans (for fun since the poor performance on incline push-ups made me feel sorry for myself)
65 x 6 x 1 Hang cleans
65 x 8 x 1 Hang cleans

Back at it again tomorrow with the world’s best spotter :slight_smile:

[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
Since you’re too modest, I’ll post your last meet :). Handsome guy in that video, I must say.[/quote]

I couldn’t find the handsome guy. Am I in the wrong forum?

[quote]conservativedog wrote:

[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
Since you’re too modest, I’ll post your last meet :). Handsome guy in that video, I must say.[/quote]

I couldn’t find the handsome guy. Am I in the wrong forum? [/quote]

riveting tale, chap

Combined leg and back day and had several battles with the left side of my body. Continuing to work on sumo deadlift form. Getting better (slowly) - sitting back at the start of the pull more effectively and locking with glutes and keeping my upper body tight throughout the movement. A couple of issues I have been trying to rehab include allowing my upper body go limp and fall forward during the pull and then ending with a strange hyperextended motion in my back duing the lockout, which I think is my body’s attempt to compensate for the poor, limp form.

135 (75%) x 5 x 8 Back squats w/~90 second rests (noted some odd overpushing in my left foot and had to correct during wamups and first set)
115 x 3 x 5 Three-second pause squats
179 x 3 x 6 Sumo deadlifts (speed and form and not allowing my left foot to turn out excessively relative to the right foot)
120 x 6 x 4 Bent (barbell) rows (focused on pulling left side at an equal speed and range as right)
15 x 10 x 4 Bicep curl machine (during which time I bonked myself in the head; boo on my weak biceps but no odd left side issues)

Chest Day. Kept flaring out my left elbow, boo. Issue did eventually resolve.

75 x 5 x 1 Wide grip Bench
80 x 5 x 1 Wide grip Bench
85 x 6 x 1 Wide grip Bench
75 x 8 x 3 Narrower grip bench
17.5’s x 12 x 1 Lying triceps extension w/dbells
20’s x 8 x 3 Lying triceps extension w/dbells