122.5kg 3x5 squats 47.5kg 5/3/4 OHP some bench pressing with lower weights and small rest in between. chinups x 7
Progress is going great. Just last time I finished 45kg OHP, and I expect to do 47.5 kg 3x5 next time. Soon I will hit 70kg bench too probably. Squats are still progressing, though this time I finished my last set with willpower alone, the reps were pretty terrible form I felt. But in a way I feel godly when squatting, because unlike before, I don't know how, but I just bang those reps in. Do I feel tired after the second rep? You bet I'm finishing the set, with deeper squats than before. I don't know how, but I just do it, with a red face and eyes bloodshot. lol.
However, there is something itching me. When I squat my elbow aches afterwards. Sometimes the ache persists even for 1-2 days. I recently saw a video of Mark Rippetoe explaining bar position to avoid elbow and wrist pain. I tried fixing my form up a bit, but I dunno if it made a difference. I guess I have to pay more attention to it. I don't want to screw up my elbow. It only started hurting recently with heavier weights.
torn bicep/ligament-which-joins-forearm-to-not-forearm is still fucked. amazed i got 5 reps out in 80kg bench but after that i was done for. screeched out in pain when trying to do a second set at 60kg and bailed, then spent the rest of the session in minor burning agony. deadlift i cant stand up past a certain point because it puts stress on that area when i get to a certain point. squatting consists of trying to block out the pain and lack of arm tightness (but means i just go slowly and focus on form i guess). bench and ohp well i am shocked i could do them at all but i guess im restricted to 1 set (or similar) waiting for this to heal. fuck knows how i managed to do pullups, i guess its coz i done them first before the pain/agitation sets in
knee is healed though (no clicking or pain but still being careful)
squat form was sweet today. my back pain that has been persistent daily for 2 years now is basically GONE. my back still clicks a ton but within the last 1-2 weeks my increased mobility has meant that my posture is suddenly and without warning able to be 10x better. my back doesnt feel "jammed" anymore (most of the time). my pelvis/hips and abs tilt in the correct fashion and i feel like im standing upright without much difficulty for the first time ever. (i could force my posture into a decent ish position in the past but it still never felt 100% correct especially with my back feeling crushed in on itself all the time).
Thanks man! It feels good to have progressed so much and it has been a huge learning experience for me. Now I just need to catch up to you on those pull ups
On March 06 2013 03:59 decaf wrote: Got a quick question: what do you guys have to say about locking out reps? Should I do it? I'm currently locking out on all my lifts except dips, especially concerned about bench press.
As a general rule: If strength training, lock out on high intensity. If bodybuilding, maximize time under tension.
I keep hearing people say though that it's bad for your joints if you lock out under heavy weight this should go for all exercises, squats, deads, bench, press, dips
I mean I'm not yet throwin around heavy weight, but it's wise to start doing it if it's the correct way.
On March 07 2013 08:04 infinity21 wrote: Controlled lock out should be completely safe. Full range of motion and hyperextending are different things.
This.
There's also a difference between the kind of "lock out" that's required in a powerlifting meet, and the kind of "lock out" you might see an average bro doing on a max effort set. At the end of a bench/squat/DL, and even more so on a C&J/Snatch, the weight gets much easier to hold up. That's partly because some of the effort is now resting on the joint instead of the muscles, but 1) those joints have been built up to withstand that stress 2) you're not moving it anymore, and holding in place is less work than moving (duh) and 3) the muscles around that joint are still engaged - it's just that all the supporting structures are now properly aligned underneath the weight which makes those muscles more efficient at doing what they're doing. Then there's the stupid kind of lockout that IS bad for you - the kind where you come up too fast on a squat for example, and lose tension in the surrounding muscles. Then ALL the force gets transferred directly to the joint/bone. For your femur, this isn't so much of a problem. For your smaller bones, it definitely is. For your knee/hip/shoulder/etc, it's going to be a bad time. This is one of the reasons that jump squats are bad (and why they're so much worse for an amateur lifter than a professional) - you're going to lose tension in the air if you aren't careful.
TL;DR you should lock out, just don't let that be an excuse to lose muscle tightness.
On February 28 2013 01:08 Mementoss wrote: Infinity I call your 365 deadlift: + Show Spoiler +
Ed Coan Week 9:
Deadlift (97.5%): 1x1 @ 365 lbs Speed deadlift (70%): 2x3 @ 265 lbs (rest as needed b/w sets) Power shrugs (75% of current): 2x5 @ 225 lbs
Romanian deadlift: 2x5x205 lbs
Did 365 for a 2.25 BW deadlift! (Next milestone 2.5BW) Felt really hard, but I'm confident I can finish this program off next week with 375 and a 30lb PR. Difficulty: 8.5/10
I raise you 20lb
I was having a really crappy day, having failed 315 squat and 140x5 press but then I did this.
On March 07 2013 08:04 infinity21 wrote: Controlled lock out should be completely safe. Full range of motion and hyperextending are different things.
This.
There's also a difference between the kind of "lock out" that's required in a powerlifting meet, and the kind of "lock out" you might see an average bro doing on a max effort set. At the end of a bench/squat/DL, and even more so on a C&J/Snatch, the weight gets much easier to hold up. That's partly because some of the effort is now resting on the joint instead of the muscles, but 1) those joints have been built up to withstand that stress 2) you're not moving it anymore, and holding in place is less work than moving (duh) and 3) the muscles around that joint are still engaged - it's just that all the supporting structures are now properly aligned underneath the weight which makes those muscles more efficient at doing what they're doing. Then there's the stupid kind of lockout that IS bad for you - the kind where you come up too fast on a squat for example, and lose tension in the surrounding muscles. Then ALL the force gets transferred directly to the joint/bone. For your femur, this isn't so much of a problem. For your smaller bones, it definitely is. For your knee/hip/shoulder/etc, it's going to be a bad time. This is one of the reasons that jump squats are bad (and why they're so much worse for an amateur lifter than a professional) - you're going to lose tension in the air if you aren't careful.
TL;DR you should lock out, just don't let that be an excuse to lose muscle tightness.
This!
When I said "strength training" I'm mainly referring to powerlifting movements. If you don't lock out on a 1RM deadlift, you're probably doing something wrong. When I OHP on a 1RM, I definitely lock out, rest, and put down. On a squat, I do a basic lockout to rest my joint on anything 3RM and heavier.
I'll admit I completely forgot about swinging weights. I've been programmed for so many years not to swing that I didn't realize this is the reason people are advised not to lock out.
But as mentioned, locking transfers tension onto your bones from the muscle. If you're doing bodybuilding-style work, you need to maximize both time under tension and intensity, so locking out cheats you out on that volume.
On March 07 2013 08:04 infinity21 wrote: Controlled lock out should be completely safe. Full range of motion and hyperextending are different things.
This is one of the reasons that jump squats are bad (and why they're so much worse for an amateur lifter than a professional) - you're going to lose tension in the air if you aren't careful.
Is doing them correctly any more complicated than just making sure I hold tightness in the air? I've wanted to add jump squats, and actually did them for the first time last week, but now I'm worried about the potential damage.
Yesterday's workout: Squat singles: 350 365 380 385 Behind the neck push press: 3 sets of 5 @ 145
If the 12 hours of work aren't too exhausting tomorrow I'll finally hit 100kg on the squat d: I've increased it by 15kg in the past 2 weeks, 105kg would be 1.5bw for me. Excited to see for how long I can keep these kinds of gains up.
So today was I was having a pretty shitty day today. Studying all day for the past 3 days on a midterm for my hardest class. Finally have the midterm today, and see a question I remember seeing before the midterm and its on the test. Problem is, I forgot to go back and actually learn it. So mad at myself 20% of my exam I could have easily had, so frustrating.
Than after the exam group works on presentation for project. So basically at school 8-8. Get home with another assignment due tomorrow. My mind is a mess. So I say fuck it, I need to go throw around some heavy weight, and listen to some heavy music as loud as it goes.
So I get in the zone at the gym, warming up for my final deadlift, 375, a 30 lb increase from the first week. I make the lift and just hold the lockout for about 5 seconds. All my stress and frustration is out of my mind, its a moment of lifting bliss. All the hard work and focus over the last 10 weeks has paid off.
Review of Program: 30 lbs in 10 weeks, this program works. I would highly recommend to anyone plateauing on deadlift who is intermediate or advanced on their deadlift. This is not for the weak minded, you will sweat, you will look at the numbers and not think you will be able to do them. Only complaint is the power shrugs seemed a bit high, but maybe thats just me. Week 4 and Week 8 are the hardest.
What did the rest of the week look like? Do you know how bodyfat/muscle mass was affected?
The thing about the routine that puts me off is the circuits. There's no way I can use a bar (possibly 2nd if I'm not wanting to pull plates off), a lat pulldown machine, and a squat rack with another bar at the same time at my gym. It's too busy.
Had like 20 minutes to kill before going to rugby practice so i got a quick snatch session in...forgot my shoes though. 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 105 110 120 130x
Today I did 95 lb squats. Felt a lot better than the last time I did them (more stable). Shouldn't be too hard to get back up ~200.
Seems like every time I break 190 lbs bodyweight though, I get sick - like flu symptoms, lose my ability to eat anything for a few days, and drop like a rock. It's happened every time I get up to 190, which has been 6 times so far. This time was particularly bad, I didn't eat more than 600 calories a day for two weeks (and went several days in a row eating nothing at all) and I'm all the way back down in the mid 170s =(. Weight gain is hard.
So my elbow hurt enough that I didn't want to risk making it worse, and thus took it easy. I will let it heal properly. It most likely came from bad bar positioning, which led some of the weight to go to my elbows rather than my back. I tried to fix it, but couldn't do it in one session. Therefore, today, I did high-bar squats instead of lowbar, and with lower weights. Also some bench pressing and deadlift, though BP went average at best, due to the elbow as well.
It's not THAT bad, as in I do feel better over time, and it doesn't hurt all the time etc, but it does hurt under a specific strain, so I better take it easy.
I don't even know how I'm putting on weight lol. Weightlifting belt is finally getting tight around my mid section. Maybe I'll cut back down to 94s for rugby/summer time/weightlifting nationals. Probably save me some money too lol
EPT
