2011-09-30 Intensity

Warmup

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
2x 315lbs
1x 350lbs
4x 380lbs (5F)
Cuing might have helped here instead of just yelling "Up!" (grr @ spotters - they did a better job last week, but oh well). It's possible I could have made it if I'd just kept pushing but oh well.

2011-09-28 Recovery

Warmup

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185
2x5 - 255lbs
Mother fuck
This is not supposed to cause that feeling in my quads

Bench: 45, 95, 135
1x4 - 155lbs
Right humerus came out of the socket for a second on the 4th rep. Decided to rack it and not push it any further.
I'm going to stop Benching and Pressing for the time being and just do Squats, Deads, and the dieselcrew shoulder rehab circuit. That plus 100 band pull-aparts on training days will hopefully set that entire area to rest and let me get my lats back into the bench.

Pull-Ups:
-65lbs - 8
-80lbs - 8
First set didn't get the activation, second aggravated my shoulder.

2011-09-26 Volume

Warmup

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
337.5lbs - 5x5
Needed a yell on the last rep of the last set.
Or rather, found a yell to be called for and helpful.
I think this has reached "hard" levels now, though only just.
Still going around 6-7 minutes' rest, though. Not sure if I should extend the rests now or wait until it gets REALLY tough.

Press: 45, 95
135lbs - 5x5
Need to talk to the PT about the cramp I get on the back of my left shoulder in the rack position here.
Other than that, easy enough.

GHR:
3x8 - +10lbs
Easy as fuck

Face Pulls:
3x10 - 20lbs
Held each rep for a second. Took a 1-2 second breather before the last rep, then held that 3 seconds.

2011-09-23 Intensity

Warmup

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
332.5lbs - 3
355lbs - 1
375lbs - 5
Nice and psyched up for the 5 set
4th rep was slow and all of them were at least somewhat GMed
Epic roar before 5th
Epic roar at end of 5th
Epic roar after rerack
Many people applauding, lol.

Bench: 45, 95, 135, 185
205lbs - 1
225lbs - 5
Paused
Mother fuck
This should not have been as hard as it was
That said, I credit a lot of it to not being in the same place mentally as the squats; for those I basically just blasted straight from 45 to 275. Here I took too much downtime and wasn't as focused.

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275, 315, 365
430lbs - 1
Wasn't here mentally
Thinking I'll gauge things mentally from week to week. If I get 3, add 10lbs, do as many reps as I'm comfortable with. If it's >3, add 5lbs next week; hopefully that'll have me fully recovered and getting 3. Iono.

2011-09-21 Recovery

Recovery Day, on 3 hours sleep and 150mg Caffeine:

Warmup - Usual

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185
250lbs - 5, 5
These were a lot easier than usual but felt just as bad.

Press: 45, 95
110lbs - 5, 5
These, conversely, felt excellent.

Assisted Pull-Ups:
-70lbs - 8, 8
-75lbs - 8, 8
-80lbs - 8

2011-09-20 Speed

Warmup

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225
10x1x275
Wasn't really getting my upper back into play here as much as last week. Guessing this has something to do with all the scapular activation stuff I've been doing.

DB Row:
3x8ea - 80lbs
Managed to get stuff engaged on the last set. Not as much as I'd like but still better than the previous two, lol.

Farmer Hold:
2x(2ea x 30s) - 85lbs
Grip workout from hell.

Muscle Snatch:
10x45
Then I remembered that I don't do this today.

2011-09-19 Volume

Warmup

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 315(x1)
332.5lbs - 5x5
Fairly hard towards the end but w/e, I'm used to it. Rachel couldn't come today, but I plan to get video on Friday.
Worked on trying to keep an upright torso. Seemed to make progress. May have cut depth a tad; not sure if I should be worrying about this given that I squat waaay past parallel but w/e.

Bench: 45, 95, 135
180lbs - 5
185lbs - 5
190lbs - 5
195lbs - 5
200lbs - 5
Working on getting my right side to activate again. It's very slow going.
The more I work on activating it the less stable that side feels on the bench, too. I'm guessing it's because I'm becoming more and more cognizant of how the area's moving but it's still bloody annoying.

GHR:
3x8 - 5lb plate on face
I tuck my chin on these so it's more like "perpendicular to neck" but w/e.

Face Pull:
3x12 - 20lbs

May start doing the 100 pullaparts per day again.

Programming

Planning to add sled work back in in about 2-3 weeks, once I've got a better handle on everything else. Going by the book there caps it at 12 minutes, which should be roughly 8 trips (more like 6 if I'm dragging with Saarni). Probably going to put it Saturday morning instead of afternoon.

Current Program Draft*:

Volume Day:
5x5 Squat @ Appropriate Weight (currently 90% of next intended Intensity)
5x5 Bench/Press @ Appropriate Weight (currently 90% of previous Intensity)
3x8 GHR
Face Pulls/Scapular Activation (right now I'm doing the SA drill at home throughout the day - may just abandon face pulls until I can recruit my lats properly on the bench, possibly even from then on too)

Assistance Day:
10x1 Deadlift @ Convenient Weight (currently 275 straight weight or 225+100lbs chain). 1 Minute Rest.
3x8ea DB Rows @ Regular Progress
4x30s/side Farmer Hold @ Regular Progress
3x10 Rollouts @ no idea, maybe I'll tape weights to my back or something

Recovery Day:
2x5 Squat @ 75% Monday Weight (should I lower this?)
2x5 Press/Bench @ 75% Monday Weight
5x8 Assisted Pull-Ups @ Slow and Steady with emphasis on form
Cressey Rotator Cuff Thing @ Snail's Pace

REST AND RECOVER. WITH MEAT.

Intensity Day:
1x5 Squat @ 5lbs over previous Friday
1x5 Bench/Press @ 5lbs over previous Friday
1x3 Deadlift @ 5-10lbs over previous Friday, by feel

Considering moving the pull-ups to the end of Intensity Day (possibly/probably changing the set/rep scheme) but not sure.

2011-09-16 Intensity

Warmup

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 327.5
370lbs - 4 (5F)
Seems I was GMing the hell out of these. Need to get Rachel to bring the camera in future.
Rich (Asian guy with excellent intensity) did a good job on the cues for this. When I asked him to yell at me I thought it'd just be the Saarni-style "Up" and occasional major cues, but instead I got a fairly manly voice shouting at me for the entire set, which was pretty nice.
So:
4s?
3s?
Retake this under the assumption that GHRs and not losing focus between sets will help me to fix the issues? (I was in the zone until I left to go pay for more parking time - something I won't do again).

Press: 45, 95, 135
155lbs - 4 (5F)
Rich yelling at me this one too, though it didn't really help. I wasn't in the right mindset for a max set.
Taking breaks between warmups to go help people seems to impacting my performance. I'm going to have to be stricter about how I behave in the gym; letting my desire to be chatty get the better of me is hurting my numbers.

Deadlift: 155, 185, 225, 275, 315, 365 (all for 3)
420lbs - 3
See, for these, given the way my mind was going after the squats and presses (relaxation - not panic/regret/whatever, seems I'm recovering well enough on the TM that that level of stress never comes up), I figured "Meh, go for 415."
Then I did my 315 set and started to reconsider because the weight was flying up.
Then I did my 365 set and decided to go for 420 because that felt the way 315 did a few weeks ago.
A lot of that is technical - focusing on falling back, rounding my back forward without letting my lats relax - but I suspect that the speed pulls and switch to 3s rather than 5s is a major contributor. Not sure if I should go for 7.5lbs as a rule or stick with 10.
---
So, GHRs are definitely in. I'm fairly sure that speed pulls with chains will work as well as/better than straight weight ones, but may experiment with it.

Not sure if I should do anything extra anywhere to help fix the GMing out of the hole on the squat. GHRs should help a lot, mindset should help a lot, and cuing (both internal and external) should help a lot.

Oh, and the squat dump was perfect.

2011-09-14 Recovery

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185
245lbs - 2x5
I have to vigorously dig my knuckles into the flexor mass of my right forearm for a few minutes before squatting now. Good chance I'm just going to ask Jensine to focus entirely on breaking up that area - the right/left disparity is VERY easy to feel (right side has a very loose, pliable "rope;" left has a larger one that honestly seems more like a "cable" than anything else).

Bench: 45, 95
150lbs - 2x5
Need to work on activating my right scapula. I think the difference in lat activation is just a symptom of a much larger problem with the stability around that shoulder.

Assisted Pull-Ups:
5 sets at varying weights that I can't remember because I was using a different assist machine this time and it has trippy-as-fuck weights on it. Increments of like 6 or some shit.

Cressey - Same as last time

2011-09-13 Speed Day

Warmup - As usual

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225
275lbs - 10x1
Worked on rounding my upper back while keeping my lats tight. It chances the movement mechanics a bit.
By which I mean a lot.

DB Row:
80lbs - 3x8ea
Repeating this weight until I can get my right lat into it.
The left one is activating really well and I'm going to ask Jensine to try to get that happening on the right as well.

Farmer Hold:
85lbs - 4x30ea
Did these as 2 pairs of 2 sets each side (ie 30 left, 30 right, 30 left, 30 right, rest). The effect was noticeable.

I think I need to start doing GHRs again. Monday, Wednesday, or Friday?

2011-09-12 Volume

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
327.5lbs - 5x5
Sick, but not enough to dissuade me from lifting.
Took shorter rests for time reasons, which made this harder than it had to be. ~5 minutes between sets, plus the sickness, meant that by the last two sets I had abandoned all pretenses of form and was just fighting to get the reps done. Seems that sitting straight down actually made them even easier, which tells me I've got some major issues with hamstring strength. Not sure what I'll do to work on that (if anything at all, at least for the time being).

Press: 45, 95
122.5lbs - 5
127.5lbs - 5
130lbs - 5
132.5lbs - 5
137.5lbs - 5
Decided to switch my presses over this week instead of next, on the assumption that sickness would probably shaft them anyway and that the effort of doing them heavy 3 times per week was probably impeding my gains elsewhere.
Basing Bench off of a 5RM of 225, Press off of 152.5. The bench may be a slight overestimate since I'll be switching to Paused, and the Press is probably a slight understimate from the sets across, but whatever.

2011-09-09 Intensity

Need to stop talking to people so much. I'm never in the mood for hard work when I hit the deads and it shows.

Warmup

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 315
335lbs - 2
350lbs - 2
365lbs - 5
Some were great, some were ugly. I expect it'll improve next week.

Bench: 45, 3x95, 135, 185
230lbs - 5, 3, 4
I can only engage my left lat.
It's frustrating.
I'm guessing some more massage may help this.

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275, 315, 365 (x2)
410lbs - 3
I'm doing triples but even then this was harder than it should have been.

2011-09-07 Recovery

Warmup

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185
245lbs - 2x5
Bitching time
I don't like recovery day. I can't engage my upper back properly because it's fried from Monday and Tuesday, and I'm just generally tired/temporarily burned out on squats, so 245 for 2x5 requires effort that I don't put in on the other days until I'm up over 300. My form always feels off and it's generally unpleasant.
I get why it's that way and that suffering through this indignity has a strong, positive effect on Friday always feeling great, but it's still pretty annoying.

Press: 45, 95, 135
155lbs - 3, 1, 2
Yeahhhh
Uh
I didn't really sleep last night, which didn't help the squats. I took a nap over the middle of the day, though, so it may not be that
Either way I'll just keep pushing. Bench should stall out in the next 2-3 weeks and then I can switch them both to TM and make sweet, sweet love to my arms.
Yeah, I don't know what happened with that sentence either.

Assisted Pull-Ups:
-80lbs - 3x8
-90lbs - 2x8
Figured I should up the volume here.
Maintaining lat activation for an entire set is pretty hard. I'm fairly sure I'm avoiding excess bicep recruitment, though. I can improve the ratio by squeezing my glutes, which is nice.
Just need to keep at these and eventually I'll be at 5x8 with bodyweight and great lat activation.
"Eventually" here meaning "In like a year."
Hopefully less. >.>

Muscle Snatch - 3x8, 45lbs
L-Lateral Raise - 1x10, 5lbs (use more next time)
45-Deg Raise - 2x8, 5lbs (use more next time)
Lying External - 2x8, 2.5lbs (probably repeat)

2011-09-06 Deads

Warmup

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225
275lbs - 10x1
Yay.
That said, I'm strongly considering picking up a Texas Power Bar and some rubber tiles/pavers so I can just do these on my porch. Focused on pulling back (which I haven't been doing properly recently) and discovered why powerlifters like talcum powder.
Aaaand I don't want to deal with lugging the chains to the gym.

DB Row:
75lbs - 3x8ea
Also be easier to do these with the DB Handle at home.

Dicked around with various things

Static DB Hold:
75lbs, 3 holds each side, 30 seconds each
Also these.

Weighted Planks:
70lbs - 2 holds, 30 seconds each, 30 seconds rest
Shoulder girdle/pec region is too much of a limiting factor here. Switching to rollouts.

Design notes for Tuesday

Speed Pulls - 10, 1 minute apart.
DB Rows - 3x8ea or something
Single-Side Suitcase DL - Probably 3x8 each side
Weighted Plank - 5x30sec, 1min rest

I'm in this hilarious situation of wanting to just get some hypertrophy going in my core because I'm not going to be semi-chubby forever, but I really like filling my shirts out to the extent that I do and suspect that the thickness is helping on my lifts.

Not sure if I should do full-contact twists or something, lol. I want to look like a barrel.

2011-09-05 Volume

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
325lbs - 5x5
Felt a mild twinge after the first set, so I got on the roller, found the trouble spot, and sat there for a few seconds. That was fucking EXCRUCIATING. Guh.
Anyway, other than that these went pretty well. Roughly 6.5 minutes rest.

Bench: 45, 95, 2x135, 185
225lbs - 5, 5, 4, 1
Got Eric to come in and spot me for these. Surprised he agreed, but now I owe him a spot so w/e. I need to hang out with him more.
First set was ok, second set was slightly better, third I got better lat activation but was tired. Fourth was pretty hard because I'd only waited 3 minutes.

Face Pulls:
3x12 - 20lbs
Held most of the reps for a ~half second. Tried adding more weight but it didn't really work out.

2011-09-02 Recovery

Warmup as usual

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185
2x5 - 245lbs
Seems fine.

Press: 45, 95, 135x3
155lbs - 4, 3, 3
Whee

Pull-Ups:
-90lbs - 3x5
-80 next time. This was easy on a level that made it impossible to recruit my lats properly.