EPTFinally decided on a good training split, which is one by Greg Nuckols from http://www.strengtheory.com/ , it's a beginner/novice program that has me Squatting and Benching 3x a week while Deadlifting 2x a week. Although for Deads I'm actually just pulling conventional and sumo 1x per week each. Here's the program and numbers for this week. I'm lowering my working sets by 10 to 15kg because it's a new program after all, plus this has higher volume during the sets compared to the 3x5 and 1x5 stuff I was doing.
MONDAY
-Squat
--90kg 2x8
--90kg 1xAMRAP
-Bench
--50kg 2x8
--50kg 1xAMRAP
-Conventional Deadlift
--Work up to heavy, but not max set of 5 (Came up to 120kg today)
--2x3 with the same weight
WEDNESDAY
-Squat
--95kg 2x6
--95kg 1xAMRAP
-Bench
--55kg 2x6
--55kg 1xAMRAP
FRIDAY
-Squat
--100kg 2x4
--100kg 1xAMRAP
-Bench
--60kg 2x4
--60kg 1xAMRAP
-Sumo Deadlift
--Work up to a moderate weight for 2x6 sets
--Should have 2-3 solid reps in the tank after each set
AMRAP = As many reps as possible, with no form breakdown
My previous working weight for the big lifts before switching over were:
Squat 115kg (Low bar)
Bench 60kg
Deadlift 120kg (Sumo only)
I plan to increase the weight by 5kg each week, and if I don't get at least 1 more extra rep during the AMRAP sets compared to the regular sets, I won't increase the weight at all. Eg. on Mondays I'm squatting 2x8, but if my AMRAP set isn't at least 1x9 I won't up the weight.
Monday, 30/3/15
1) Woke up feeling and knowing that training today was gonna be really shit. Haven't been feeling the greatest lately, especially since I'm just coming off a minor flu. Definitely going to stop eating crap food and start tracking macros + calories again. Plus, I'm going to make sure I get a ton of sleep for recovery this week.
2) Squats were alright, they were a little difficult considering that I thought I was going to smoke through 90kg because my previous working weight was 115kg for 5. Got through the 2x8, and got 10 reps for the AMRAP set, stopped because my squats were becoming good mornings I think.
3) Bench. Don't have a lot to say about this, pretty okay I guess. Got 9 reps on the AMRAP, might want to focus more on pausing at the bottom because I'm just doing touch n' go.
4) Deadlifts. Starting to pull conventional again even though I haven't done it in a couple of weeks. Worked up to 120kg for 5, and it felt really tough after it came off the floor. Forgot to take a video of my sets
I would say that the 120kg 1x5 was about RPE 8~9, really want to fix my form before even increasing the weights.I took a video after completing my sets of my set-up with just 60kg, and I can tell that my lower back is already rounding at such a low weight. Does anybody have any advice/help? I slowed down the video by twice it's speed btw, and sorry for the poor lighting.
Wednesday, 1/4/15
1) Just recovered from a slight fever yesterday (Tuesday), woke up and did like an hour of foam rolling and mobility work because my body was just SO sore and stiff. I think the fever did some work on me haha. Didn't think that training today would go well, but it was alright.
2) Squats. Pretty good today I guess, they weren't too hard or too easy either. Feels like I went through my sets without any need for hyping myself up. I took a video of my 2nd set and my AMRAP set (got 10 reps in), and it seems that even though I had it positioned lowbar(just above my shoulders) and cued myself to break from the hips first, my squats look like highbar squats. Might want to just drop the Oly shoes and wear my Chucks on Friday?
Depth seems fine for my squats, but my bar path isn't something I'm proud of, especially since I can tell my hips shoot up way faster. I think I'm going to start the ascent by pushing my quads first rather than focusing on my hips.
2nd set (6 reps):
AMRAP set (10 reps, probably could've squeezed out 1 more):
Actually really excited to go back to squatting ~2 plates again on Friday! Hopefully I can really nail my lowbar on Friday and hit 6+ reps on the AMRAP set! Also, gonna be taking a video of my working set of Deadlifts on Friday too.
Friday, 3/4/15
1) Didn't feel too bad upon waking up, got decent sleep in for the past few days + great meals!
2) Squats. Damn thought the 100kg/2plates were gonna go badly considering how heavy 90 and 95kg felt for Monday and Wednesday, but today's squatting session went awesome. Warmed up with some paused squats, and really focused on my technique.
Really happy with my bar path, depth, and form this time. Was able to keep the reps consistent too I think. Plus this powerlifter who was there today said my squats were beautiful, so that's a huge ego boost
Here's my AMRAP set, didn't expect to get 10, but I was aiming for it anyway so mission accomplished :Okay looking at the video again I think the squats could've been a lot smoother HAHA they don't look too great
3) Bench. These felt bad and heavy. Only got 4 reps in on the AMRAP set so I guess I'll only be working within the same weight ranges as this week for the next week!
4) Sumo Deadlifts. These were feeling REALLY REALLY awful. I don't know why, but benching and deadlifts feel so awkward for me. Think I might start to lower the weights a lot and then work on a comfortable technique.
2nd set of 6reps at 110kg:
That's it for this week! Overall, really excited to progress on my squats, not so much with benching and deadlifts. Depending on how things go I might add in some accessory work next week too.
