Spotting and Loading

Jumping on ye olde forum training log bandwagon (can it be called a bandwagon anymore?) in the hopes I’ll regain the consistency I’ve lost over the past couple of years (ironically worse since we came out of COVID restrictions here in Aus).

Powerlifting comp results (although it’s missing my first 3-4):

Since then in training I’ve gone 250/140/250 in gear then 180/115/225 raw.

Current PRs:
idk but probably not a lot. Haven’t been lifting much (if at all) over the past 6 months since I moved for work and I’ve had a weird thing going on for 2-3 months that seems like some combination of posterior hip labrum, SIJ and lumbar (basically if I ext my hip, back, lie on my left side or take a really deep breath with my leg in certain positions I get horrible pain into my L hip + hamstring as well as some weird sensations into my foot). Basically atm traditional squats, bench & deadlifts seem to be out of the question so going a bit more BBer mode to get some general size + conditioning back while it sorts itself out.

30.07.2023 - Bench + accessories (weights in kg)

  1. Bench press (2min*) *if I write times like this it means I do a set every 2 minutes
    on floor (I’ve taken a pad off a bench so in essence I can do full ROM floor press for the time being), reverse grip
    20 x 15
    30 x 10
    40 x 6 x 6

  2. Tricep extension (2min)
    EZ bar, close grip, elbows in, slow tempo
    15 x 15
    20 x 12, 10, 10, 10

  3. Seated overhead press (2min)
    20 x 10
    30 x 10 x 3

  4. Landmine rotations (3min)
    3 x 10

31.07.2023 - Lower body

  1. seated leg extension w/slow tempo (2min)
    #6 x 15 x 4

  2. seated calf raise (2min)
    60 x 15 x 4

  3. seated hamstring curl w/slow tempo (2min)
    40 x 15 x 4

  4. 45* back raise w/5" hold (3min)
    3 x 15

  5. ab crunch machine (3min)
    #6 x 20 x 3

Felt ok. Definitely aggravated something marginally (like 1-2/10 worse after) which I suspect was the hip extenion at the top of back raises.

02.08.2023 - Bench + accessories

  1. Landmine rotations
    3 x 10

  2. Floor press (3min)
    20 x 20
    40 x 15
    50 x 10
    60 x 5
    70 x 1
    80 x 1
    90 x 1
    95 x 1
    I’d done either 110 or 115 before I moved which is kinda depressing lol

2A) cable row w/D handle
#7 x 25, 25, 12, 12 (RIP conditioning)

2B) Incline Tate press w/slow tempo
10s x 15, 12, 8, 7

3A) reverse pec deck
#5 x 15, 12, 12

3B) DB hammer curl w/slow tempo
10s x 15, 12, 9

  1. cable pullover (3min) → using these as a progression to dead bugs and then rollouts
    #5 x 12 x 3

Missed Friday’s lower session as I was away for the weekend.

06.08.2023 - Bench + accessories

  1. Landmine rotations
    3 x 10

  2. Bench press (2min)
    on floor, reverse grip
    20 x 15
    32.5 x 10
    42.5 x 6 x 6

3A) decline DB tricep extension (dont think these were a great idea so ditching them for now)
10s x 15, 15, 12, 10

3B) hammer strength chest supported row
#40 x 15 x 4

4A) DB chest fly w/slow tempo
5s x 15 x 3

4B) Reverse EZ bar curl w/slow tempo
15 x 12 x 3

  1. cable pressdown w/T-handle
    #10 x 50, 35

  2. concept rower
    1 x 20min (4201m)

1 Like

07.08.2023 - Lower body

1/ seated calf raise (2min)
60kg - 4x15

2/ seated leg extension machine w/slow tempo (2min)
#7 - 15, 12, 12, 10

3/ hip thruster machine w/slow tempo (2min)
10kg - 4x10
Trying to work out the best way for me to train hip ext atm. Suspect back raises will be better than this but might try RDL or single leg deads on Friday

4/ seated hamstring curl machine w/slow tempo (2min)
47kg - 4x10

5/ hip abduction machhine w/slow tempo (2min)
42kg - 4x10

6/ standing hip flexion w/kettlebell & slow tempo
6kg - 3x8

7/ stair climber
1x15min @ 90spm

08.08.2023 - 40 minute walking my kinda gf’s dog while she’s in Europe

09.08.2023 - Bench press + accessories

1/ Bench press (3min)
football bar, middle handles, on pad on floor
25kg - 1x20
35kg - 1x15
45kg - 1x10
55kg - 1x5
65kg - 1x1
75kg - 1x1
85kg - 1x1
90kg - 1x1
65kg - 1x10
About 20% off my pre-break PR on this one.
I’ve made my best bench gains doing 1-3rms on overhead press immediately after bench so will build up number of bench drop sets to 4-5 then switch to working up on overheads just so I don’t jump in volume too soon given I seem pretty deconditioned atm.

2A/ Seated cable row
straight handle attachment
pin #11 - 1x15, 3x12

2B/ tricep extension
dumbbell, elbows out, 45* incline
12.5s - 1x12, 1x10, 2x8

3A/ Pullover
kettlebell, feet up (trying to limit how much anterior tilt + Lx hyper extension I go into)
12kg - 3x15

3B/ bicep curl
dumbbell, neutral grip
12.5s - 2x12, 1x10

4/ airdyne bike
1x20min (255cal/11.2km)

10.08.2023 - indoor volleyball (iirc it went for about an hour; tolerated it really well at the time h/e was a bit stiff this morning)

11.08.2023 - Lower body

1/ goblet squat (2min)
0kg - 1x15
5kg - 1x10
10kg - 5x5
Felt alright. I’ll work up to 20kg then switch to a barbell and see what happens.

2/ deadlift (2min)
close stance, pin 3
20kg - 1x15
30kg - 1x10
40kg - 5x5
Will work up to 60kg then start dropping start height (pin 3 is roughly the height of my tibial tuberosity).

3A/ 45* back raise
bw - 4x20

3B/ shoulder shrug
seated, dumbbell
10s - 4x20
doing these straight after back raises wasn’t my best move - the back pump was rather uncomfortable

4/ farmer’s walk (3min)
single arm, dumbbell
20kg - 3x30m each hand

5/ prowler
40kg x 140m

12.08.2023 - 1 hour walk with the dog. Was a little stiff through the SIJ this morning but it cleared up pretty quickly. That aspect (being stiff then better when warm then stiffer the next morning) comes across as being a bit tendony in origin but doesn’t really match anything else.

14.08.2023 - Bench Press + accessories

Braved the Monday morning at the gym as I need to wait for Bunnings to open to get new concrete anchors to re-bolt my rack.
Gym has no dedicated bench presses and all the squat racks were taken hence the dumbbells.

1/ bench press (2min)
Dumbbell, feet up
10s - 1x20
15s - 1x15
20s - 1x10
22.5s - 6x6

2A/ tricep extension
Dumbbell, elbows in, feet up
12.5s - 15, 15, 12, 10

2B/ lat pulldown
Cable, medium neutral MAG attachment
Pin #9 - 15, 12, 10, 8

3A/ internal shoulder rotation
Bench, dumbbells
10s - 3x10
Best way to describe these is a skull crusher/pullover hybrid

3B/ bicep curl
Cable, EZ attachment, pronated grip
10kg - 2x15
Lost the only cable machine in that part of the gym between sets

4/ torso rotations (3min)
Standing, cable, straight arm
5kg - 3x15

5/ tricep press down (4min)
Cable, V-handle attachment
10kg - 2x50

15.08.2023 - Lower Body

1/ quad extensions (2min)
Hammer strength select, slow tempo
33kg - 4x15

2/ hamstring curl (2min)
Seated, Hammer Strength select, slow tempo
40kg - 4x12

3/ good morning (2min)
Kneeling, GHD, slow tempo
bw - 8, 7, 3

4/ heel raise (2min)
Seated, plate loaded, fast tempo
20kg - 3x50

5/ 25 minute walk

16.08.2023 - 45 minute walk/jog

17.08.2023 - Bench + accessories

1/ bench press (3min)
On floor pad, pinky on ring, 2 chains per side, paused
20kg - 1x15
30kg - 1x12
40kg - 1x9
50kg - 1x6
60kg - 1x3
70kg - 1x1
Add Large Widowmaker, index on ring
80kg - 1x1
90kg - 1x1
100kg - 1x1
110kg - 1x1
I was expecting the Widowmaker to be like my old slingshots where I could touch with the bar and only get 10-15% carryover. This was more like needing 3-4 plates to touch and 50% carryover lol.

2A/ row
Seated, cable, D-handle attachment
20kg - 4x20

2B/ bench press
Index on smooth, to throat
30kg - 4x10

3A/ bicep curl
Standing, cable, strap attachment
10kg - 3x20

3B/ pullover
Weight plate, feet up
20kg - 3x12

4/ tricep press down (3min)
mini band - 40, 35, 35.

17.08.2023 (pm) - 1 hour indoor volleyball
Once I warm up my back/hip feels fine playing.
Just wake up a little stiff in the morning.
Definitely improving though as the pain with deep inhalation is significantly less than it was 1-2 weeks ago.

19.08.2023 - lower body

1/ squat (2min)
Goblet, dumbbell
0kg - 1x20
5kg - 1x15
10kg - 1x10
12.5kg - 5x5

2/ deadlift (2min)
Close stance, pin 3
20kg - 1x20
30kg - 1x15
40kg - 1x10
45kg - 5x5

3/ back raise (3min)
45*
bw - 4x25

Was a bit behind schedule today and didn’t make it to the gym until 21:15 which is about the time I’m normally thinking about going to bed.
Might be pushing my luck on the back raises with regards to volume but I’ll see how I feel the next couple of days and make a call. Might be a I need to do either planks or isometrics for my low back work.

20.08.2023 - 45min at the skatepark

21.08.2023 - Bench + accessories

1/ concept rower
1x5 minutes - 1097m

2/ bench press (2min)
Dumbbell, feet up
10s - 1x20
15s - 1x15
20s - 1x10
25s - 6x6

3A/ tricep extension
Dumbbell, elbows in, feet up
12.5s - 15, 11, 10, 9

3B/ lat pulldown
Cable, medium neutral MAG attachment
Pin #9 - 15, 15, 11, 10

4A/ internal shoulder rotation
Bench, dumbbells
10s - 3x12

4B/ bicep curl
dumbbells, pronated grip
10s - 3x10

5/ torso rotations (3min)
Side lying, dumbbell
5kg - 3x10

6/ tricep press down (4min)
Cable, V-handle attachment
10kg - 2x55

21.08.2023 (pm) - 60 minute walk

22.08.2023 (am) - Lower Body

1/ hamstring curl (2min)
Seated, Hammer Strength select
26kg - 1x20
40kg - 1x15
47kg - 3x10

2/ split squat (4min)
Rear foot elevated, hammer strength lever deadlift/shrug thing
bw - 1x12
20kg - 3x10
Feel like I have no power driving through my left leg but these weren’t painful par se which I’ll take as a win atm

3/ heel raise (2min)
Seated, plate loaded
40kg - 4x25

4/ hip abduction (2min)
Seated, plate loaded machine
35kg - 1x15, 3x12

5/ deadlift (3min)
Single leg, dumbbell
10kg - 3x10
I’ve had an ongoing issue with my bursa over the greater trochanter on my left since a really big skate slam a few years ago so these always feel a bit off at the best of times. Like split squats they weren’t painful but just felt really awkward and uncomfortable.

Bit of a training dump

24.08.2023 - bench press + accessories

1/ reverse hyper (2min)
10kg - 2x15
these are pretty uncomfortable atm but i think it’s the bracing against the pad as opposed to the ROM

2/ floor press (3min)
pinky on ring, quadded micro bands
20kg - 1x12
30kg - 1x9
40kg - 1x6
50kg - 1x3
60kg - 1x1
70kg - 1x1
75kg - 1x1
80kg - 1x1
last time I did this I hit 2 plates so this is a bit depresso

3/ overhead press (3min)
high incline, pinky on ring
20kg - 1x9
30kg - 1x6
40kg - 1x3
50kg - 1x1
60kg - 1x1
70kg - 1x1

4/ bench press (2min)
index on smooth, to throat
30kg - 1x10
35kg - 4x8

5/ row (2min)
seated, cable, D-handle
20kg - 1x20
30kg - 4x15

6/ bicep curl (2min)
standing, cable, yellow strap attachment
15kg - 3x15

7/ ab rollout (2min)
kneeling, single handles
3x3
tolerated this well so will look to bump up volume

26.08.2023 - lower body

1/ stationary bike
1 x 5 minutes

2/ squat (2min)
goblet, dumbbell
0kg - 1x20
5kg - 1x15
10kg - 1x10
15kg - 5x5

3/ deadlift (2min)
close stance, pin 3
20kg - 1x20
30kg - 1x15
40kg - 1x10
50kg - 5x5

4A/ shoulder shrugs
standing, spider camber bar
45kg - 4x20

4B/ ab crunch
seated, cable, yellow strap
10kg - 4x25

5/ reverse hyper (3min)
10kg - 4x10

27.08.2023 - 70 minute-ish skate

28.08.2023 - bench press + accessories

1/ treadmill
1 x 5 minutes @ 5kph / 1.0% incline

2/ bench press (2min)
flat bench, dumbbell, feet up
10s - 1x20
17.5s - 1x15
22.5s - 1x10
27.5s - 6x6

3/ overhead press (3min)
high incline, dumbbell
15s - 3x15

4A/ lat pulldown
synergy pin loaded machine
#11 - 3x15

4B/ tricep extension
dumbbell, elbows in, feet up
12.5s - 3x15

5A/ internal shoulder rotations
bench, dumbbells
7.5s - 3x15

5B/ bicep curl
standing, cable, EZ attachment, pronated grip
12.5kg - 3x15

6/ torso rotations (3min)
side lying, dumbbell
5kg - 3x12

7/ tricep extension (4min)
standing, cable, EZ attachment
10kg - 2x60

2 Likes

29.08.2023 - lower body

1/ stationary bike
1x5min

2/ hamstring curl (3min)
Seated, Hammer Strength select
40kg - 1x15
54kg - 3x12

3/ split squat (4min)
Rear & front foot elevated, hammer strength lever deadlift/shrug thing
bw - 1x15
20kg - 3x10
Elevating my front foot drops that leg below parallel so need to remember to do them like this

4/ back raise (3min)
45*, holding dumbbell to chest
5kg - 4x20
These felt surprisingly good so body might be finally starting to play ball

5/ heel raise (3min)
Seated, plate loaded
60kg - 3x12
I’m normally a bit loosey goosey with my technique as there should be a bit more carryover to walking/running but 60kg is probably still a touch too heavy for me to do well enough

31.08.2023 - bench press + accessories
Was planning a lower volume day regardless, but I slept in then had to pack my car so I could leave straight for the city (~3.5 hour drive) after work.
Left me with about an hour by the time I got there.

1/ reverse hyper (3min)
10kg - 2x15

2/ bench press (3min)
On floor pad, 35mm squat bar, pinky on ring
25kg - 1x20
45kg - 1x15
65kg - 1x10
75kg - 1x5
85kg - 1x1
95kg - 1x1
Forell F8
105kg - 1x5
115kg - 1x5
125kg - 1x5
135kg - 1x5
145kg - 1x5

3/ ab rollout (3min)
Single handles, kneeling
3x5

Where abouts in Aus are you mate. There are a few other Aussies that hang out here.

I’m in East Gippsland (regional Vic heading up the Princes towards NSW).

1 Like