Recovery after major shoulder repair

[fittofattofit]

Saturday 21st September 2013

166lbs

Back

Pendlay Rows
10, 10 x 90kg (198lbs)
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 x 100kg (220lbs)
10 x 90kg (198lbs)
Power up
Form a bit loose on the 100kg

Yates Rows
10 x 90kg (198lbs)
10 x 100kg (220lbs)
10 x 110kg (242lbs)
8, 8, 8, 8, 8 x 120kg (264lbs)
12 x 100kg (220lbs)
16 x 90kg (198lbs)
Keeping strict. Great pump through the lats

seated low cable rows
FST-7 30 secs between sets
8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 x 80kg (176lbs)
Lats, tris, rhomboids

Reverse pec deck rear delt flyes
FST-7
7 sets x 8-12 reps x 30 second rest

band pull-aparts

Roman chair sit-ups
20, 20, 20 x BW+20kg

80 minutes

Just a back day .. I felt good, my lower back felt good and had a good session. Started with the Pendlays and felt good on the 90kg so bumped to the 100kg. I know it's loose but I could really feel the lats working and got a great pump. I got a couple of vids. I think that I'll mainly work with the 90kg and try to work for sets of 10 really solid reps before I bump the working weight

90kg/198lbs x 10


100kg/220lbs x 5






Sunday 22nd September 2013

166lbs

Pull-ups/Chesticles

Pull-ups
10 minute challenge
12, 7, 10, 7, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 101 reps in 11 minutes
Wide-grip, dead hang to chin over bar

Incline Smith presses
10, 10, 10, 10, 10 x 20kg/44lbs per side
Slow. Full range

Flat Smith presses
10, 10, 10, 10, 10 x 20kg/44lbs per side
Slow. Full range

Hammer grip cable pull down to chest Tempo 3:2:3
10 x 80kg (176lbs)
8, 8, 8, 8 x 90kg (198lbs)
8 x 90kg ... 8 x 60kg ... 12 x 40kg dropset

Pec deck flyes Tempo 3:3:3
8 x 96kg (211lbs)
8 x 89kg (196lbs)
8, 8 x 82kg (181lbs)
8 x 75kg (165lbs)
8 x 68kg (150lbs)

'Perfect' push-ups
12, 12, 10, 10, 8
Slow. Could feel these through the pecs

Band pull-aparts

70 minutes

Once again resting the legs on the Sunday from the usual HIIT cycling and saving myself for a deads session tomorrow
Pull-ups felt really good. I was aiming for 100 reps in 10 minutes but a guy came up to chat to me for about a minute. I finished the 100 in 11 minutes including chat time so I was pretty happy with that
Same old, same old for chest but I'm keeping those pecticles under tension and by the time I get to push-ups I can feel them burning. It's a beautiful day here and 26ºC so a nice day for a walk and eating outdoors
Tomorrow is a deadlift session back with the trainer after his break and looking forward to it


And a pic showing where the rain came through our ceiling the other night


Enjoy the weekend guys

[jonnyboy44]

Good strong back work and loads of volume on those pecs. Looks like you've got a job to do fixing that leak. No rush though Probably wont rain again for another 9 months now your heading into summer

[doughnutgut]

The form in the pendlays looks amazing. HOLY pullups batman!!!!!!

Had to reread that, thrice. Nothing like a smithy for slow controlled chest bombing IMHO.

Where you get the energy from for perfect pushups after that volume baffles me. I used to use the lifestyle fitness seated press for chest exhaustion after a session before the 5x5. No way would I be able to push any of that volume fella.

As for the house. Not impressed. That looks like a chit load of work needs doing to stop the rain and dry out the walls. Gutting.


Have a blinding day fella. After all them cliffs, you deserve it.

[ProtienandIron]

Bloody el mate, I counted 46 sets there, and with proper weights too- I'm in awe. How are your shoulders in the deadhang position? If I do it my scapular pinches my anterior deltoid.

That water damage looks aweful, but these things are rarely as bad as they look. You can save a fortune by ripping it down and re-boarding yourself, That way you just need to have it skimmed. PM me if you need any links/help.

[EB68]

Awesome work on the rows Andrew. The pendlays looked great and 30 reps at 198, plus 25 reps at 220 is unreal. The yates rows were equally impressive though. As for the pull-ups, I will never be able to do that I suppose, I just don't have the stamina. Hate that about your house, I have a small leak that is going to result in the same thing if I don't get up there and get it fixed. Hope you had a great weekend.

[hardNheavy2011]

Awesome work on the rows!! All I can see is TRICEPS!!! They look swole up!!
Too bad about the roof. Looks like a ****ty job.

[acrawlingchaos]

Looking good in here. The Pendlays are bad ass. The 198 x 10 was looking pretty solid, but there was a probably a bit more body english on the heavier set than wanted. Of course... can't really say much when you're Pendlays out weight you by forty pounds.

[fittofattofit]

Good strong back work and loads of volume on those pecs. Looks like you've got a job to do fixing that leak. No rush though Probably wont rain again for another 9 months now your heading into summer

Thanks Jon! Unfortunately there's a storm front heading our way ... at least with the summer on the way the mould won't grow and stink the place out

The form in the pendlays looks amazing. HOLY pullups batman!!!!!!

Had to reread that, thrice. Nothing like a smithy for slow controlled chest bombing IMHO.

Where you get the energy from for perfect pushups after that volume baffles me. I used to use the lifestyle fitness seated press for chest exhaustion after a session before the 5x5. No way would I be able to push any of that volume fella.

As for the house. Not impressed. That looks like a chit load of work needs doing to stop the rain and dry out the walls. Gutting.


Have a blinding day fella. After all them cliffs, you deserve it.

Thank Lee! With my p!ssy pressing I have to make all the chest work count, so slow and full range it is I do have good chest DOMS today though. It's quite fun to do the push-ups at the end because I am so pre-exhausted that it is literally 'all-or-nothing' and when I fail it always ends in a face-plant

[QUOTE=ProtienandIron;1137325963]Bloody el mate, I counted 46 sets there, and with proper weights too- I'm in awe. How are your shoulders in the deadhang position? If I do it my scapular pinches my anterior deltoid.[/quoyte]
Thanks Andy .. I'm fine in the deadhang position. I think it's due to the fact that my GH joint is distracted so that it's pain free. Pressing is totally different for me and I find that that is painful. One thing with the deadhang and moving through full range to chin over bar is that my scapula goes through a full range of motion and I find that that has been great for my general shoulder health and mobility

That water damage looks aweful, but these things are rarely as bad as they look. You can save a fortune by ripping it down and re-boarding yourself, That way you just need to have it skimmed. PM me if you need any links/help.

Yeah ... it looks awful but I'm hoping that we can get a quick patch up done pending a proper reno

Awesome work on the rows Andrew. The pendlays looked great and 30 reps at 198, plus 25 reps at 220 is unreal. The yates rows were equally impressive though. As for the pull-ups, I will never be able to do that I suppose, I just don't have the stamina. Hate that about your house, I have a small leak that is going to result in the same thing if I don't get up there and get it fixed. Hope you had a great weekend.

Thank Eric!

Awesome work on the rows!! All I can see is TRICEPS!!! They look swole up!!
Too bad about the roof. Looks like a ****ty job. : (

Thanks Brad I prefer to think about the 'swole triceps' than 'falling ceiling'

Looking good in here. The Pendlays are bad ass. The 198 x 10 was looking pretty solid, but there was a probably a bit more body english on the heavier set than wanted. Of course... can't really say much when you're Pendlays out weight you by forty pounds.

Thanks Jeff! Yeah I know that the 22o was a bit loose and I could feel my weight shifting away from the heels so I'll stay at the 198 for now

Monday 23rd September 2013

168lbs

Squats with the PT

Good mornings
3 sec neg, pause, hip drive up
10, 10, 10 x 40kg (88lbs)
Superset with
paused squats
Deep down, 3 sec pause, explode up
5, 5, 5 x 40kg (88lbs)
Warm up; form work

Squats
Deep. Rebound out of the hole
8 x 80kg (176lbs)
5 x 100kg (220lbs)
5 x 120kg (264lbs)
5 x 130kg (286lbs) PR
12 x 100kg (220lbs) PR
Squats felt great

Superset
Deficit SLDLs
4" deficit; slow down, power up
10, 10 x 80kg (176lbs)
with step-ups
24" box
8, 8 each leg x two 30lb DBs
Glutes, hammies, quads

Superset
BB lunges
8, 8, 8 x 80kg (176lbs) each leg
with GHRs
10, 10, 10
Quads, glutes, hammies


Superset
Swiss ball jack knives
10, 10
with Swiss ball glute bridge/leg curls
10, 10
Abs and hammies cramping

Thoracic rotations/hamstring stretches

60 minutes



The session:

Good mornings supersetted with paused squats
GMs ... weight through the heels, break at the hip, slow down, pause and hip drive up. Felt good as a warm-up
Paused squats ... found a comfortable position for my knees. Got the form ground in

Squats
80kg x 8 ... easy
100kg x 5 ... easy
120kg x 5 ... Good. Concentrating on making my knees track outside my feet. Weight through the hips
130kg x 5 ... Deep and getting good rebound from the hole. 4th rep was a bit of a grind but 5th was good
100kg x 12 ... 6 straight off, pause with the bar, then 3, then 3. Deep. Form felt good
Forearms were aching: I find that I really grip the bar tight and pull it into my traps when I go heavy

Deficit SLDLs, step-ups
80kg SLDLs from a 4" deficit ... mixed grip because of the forearms. Keeping lower back tight. Full stretch through the hammies
Step-ups to 24" box ... quads and stability. Knees felt good

Lunges, GHRs
80kg BB lunges ... stability and quads
GHRs ... glutes and hammies
Great superset

Swiss ball jack knives/glute bridge leg curls
Jack knives ... prone position, feet on ball, hands in push up position and jack knife. Wanted to throw up my Xtend
Glute bridges ... Back on the floor, both feet on the swiss ball; contract the glutes to drive the hip up and curl the ball in to the butt. Hammies were on fire


a great session for me

1. Was expecting to do deads but did squats
2. I got down quicker and deeper on the 130kg and got good rebound from the hole.
3. Thought I'd fail on the 100kg x 12 but could have got another 3.
4. Knees felt good and the step-ups and lunges were almost pain free. My knee pain is definitely a tracking issue that is fine when I let my knees track outside my feet
5. Was covered in sweat and my hammies are screaming at me

Deads and back will be on Thursday!

[Flounderbout]

a great session for me

1. Was expecting to do deads but did squats
2. I got down quicker and deeper on the 130kg and got good rebound from the hole.
3. Thought I'd fail on the 100kg x 12 but could have got another 3.
4. Knees felt good and the step-ups and lunges were almost pain free. My knee pain is definitely a tracking issue that is fine when I let my knees track outside my feet
5. Was covered in sweat and my hammies are screaming at me

Deads and back will be on Thursday!

[/center]

That is monster. I keep having to check and look at your stats - your numbers would be seriously impressive for a 200lb guy. Loving the detail of the journal too - I get a huge amount out of it - so many thanks!

Was interested in the idea of doing GMs by way of a squat warmup. I think that might help my flexibility issues since ubertight hamstrings are definitely a part of it. Though would have to be careful to not exhaust the back before squatting. Might steal that idea!

[fittofattofit]

That is monster. I keep having to check and look at your stats - your numbers would be seriously impressive for a 200lb guy. Loving the detail of the journal too - I get a huge amount out of it - so many thanks!

Thanks it'd be nice to get a 150kg squat cos that would be 2 x BW
I try to write up the thinking behind these sessions because I've learnt a lot with this trainer and I like to crystallise my own thinking about what I'm doing
I hope it can be of help

Was interested in the idea of doing GMs by way of a squat warmup. I think that might help my flexibility issues since ubertight hamstrings are definitely a part of it. Though would have to be careful to not exhaust the back before squatting. Might steal that idea!

I've had longstanding (like 30 years long ) flexibility issues. You can do as much passive stretching as you want but the real stretching for me occurs when I'm moving under load ... the best things for me just before squatting are the GMs and the paused squats. They shouldn't be too heavy because it's important that the form is perfect ... with the GMs my forst few reps are very shallow but as I warm up and loosen up they get deeper. The paused squats are great for getting deep and activating the glutes prior to going heavy .. it really grinds in your form

[robertfah]

Man, sorry to hear about the rain damage.....when I read last week that your roof was leaking I didn't think it would be that bad.

Rows looking strong my friend.....and I gotta agree with hardNheavy2011, all I see is TRICEP!

Thank you for introducing me to pause squats again.....I really feel like they help me focus on hip drive and glute/hams/quad activation rather than just bouncing out of the hole.

[ljimd]

Good job on those squat PR's, you've certainly put in the effort.

[fittofattofit]

Man, sorry to hear about the rain damage.....when I read last week that your roof was leaking I didn't think it would be that bad.

It's a bummer, but now I can't wait for the reno to start, even thaough it's going to break the bank

Rows looking strong my friend.....and I gotta agree with hardNheavy2011, all I see is TRICEP!

Thank you for introducing me to pause squats again.....I really feel like they help me focus on hip drive and glute/hams/quad activation rather than just bouncing out of the hole.

Thanks Bob! I feel much more comfortable about my squat when I start with the paused reps, although I've still got about 100lbs to add to catch up to you

Good job on those squat PR's, you've certainly put in the effort.

Thanks Larry .. at least my knees are telling me I've been putting in a lot of work

Tuesday 24th September 2013

167lbs

Arms

EZ bar curls Tempo 1:1:3
8, 8, 8, 8, 8 x 40kg (88lbs)
Strict; squeeze at the top; 3 sec neg

Superset
OH triceps rope extensions Tempo 3:2:3
10, 10, 10, 10, 10 x 110lbs
with chest pulls
20, 20, 20, 20, 20 x 80lbs
My delts were on fire

Standing DB concentration curls
12, 12, 12, 12, 12 x 12.5kg each arm
Slow. Full range. Supinating at the top

Triceps dips Tempo 3:2:3
10, 10, 10, 10, 10 x BW


40 minutes

I woke this morning with great hammie and quad DOMS to add to my sore pecs and lats. Fcuked around talking at the gym so only had a quick session. Arms today: going slow and working for that MMC

[jonnyboy44]

Good strog arms Must be time to bump the weights on those EZ curls

[doughnutgut]

Arm work

Killa Vanilla. DOMS city looming there, especially using slow negatives.. WTG.

Have a good day.

[Lou1se]

[OLD/SESSION/QUOTED=fittofattofit;1135056763 ]

Tuesday 17th September 2013

166lbs

Squats

Squats
10 x bar paused
8 x 60kg paused
8 x 80kg (176lbs)
8 x 100kg (220lbs)
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 x 120kg (264lbs)
12 x 90kg (198lbs)
All Deep. Huge burn after the last set

Horizontal leg presses
20 x 200lbs
16 x 300lbs
10, 10, 10, 10, 10 x 370lbs (stack)

calf presses
20, 20, 20 x 370lbs

GHRs
10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Roman Chair sit-ups
20, 20, 20 x BW+20kg

70 minutes

I worked in on the squats with a young guy who was my height and weight -- handy because our lifts were similar and I had a spotter if I needed to. He was impressed with my squatting and was really surprised that I was 52 .
Anyway I got 5 x 5 x 120kg so I was really happy with that. Each rep was as deep as I can go and I got good rebound out of the hole. The 90kg set to finish off was a burner .. I could have got more than 12 but I left it while I still had good form.
Leg presses and GHRs were good and my knees felt good during the session although they are a little achy now

[END/QUOTE]







What a great session and that PR 5x5 120kg is super impressive squatting! I can appreciate the "burn" finisher after that. I never like doing the Leg Press work with Squats and can appreciate the effort of doing those straight after. You worked the stack for sets of 10, huge volume and killing the weights. You're looking set for 150kg if you keep this type of pressure up. I guess you'll be testing and pushing according to what the knee will allow.

Good work on the deads. Lots of work at 140kg. You'll get the 170kg again.

Nice volume on arms and chest. 100 pullups in 11mins and you never cut the guy short with - wait one minute mate!!! The thing that impresses me most about your training Andrew is your consistency and determination to move forward and hold your ground(gainz) whilst on a relaxing holiday. What's that? EXACTLY!!! lol

Everyone noticed your tri's in the videos, I was also 'mirin' the calf muscles. Your rows are always great to watch. You're looking very lean and understand that you'll be eating at a surplus. Nice compliment from the young bloke you were working with earlier re: your strength and age. Which reminds me - has Frenchie continued to train back home?

Glad I'm not the only one with a leak problem. Got major problems in the toilet and a small one in the gamesroom.

[fittofattofit]

Good strog arms Must be time to bump the weights on those EZ curls

I keep thinking about bumping the weight but then if I slow the tempo I make it harder. A weight bump might be on the way soom though

Arm work : (

Killa Vanilla. DOMS city looming there, especially using slow negatives.. WTG.

Have a good day.

Thanks Lee ... those slow negs really get the blood pumping

What a great session and that PR 5x5 120kg is super impressive squatting! : ) I can appreciate the "burn" finisher after that. I never like doing the Leg Press work with Squats and can appreciate the effort of doing those straight after. You worked the stack for sets of 10, huge volume and killing the weights. You're looking set for 150kg if you keep this type of pressure up. I guess you'll be testing and pushing according to what the knee will allow.

Thanks Louise I was really happy with that 5 x 5 and it was nice to partner up with the young guy cos it pushed me ... gotta show these younguns who's the boss
I know that you like hitting legs and I'm the same .. if I take enough time to recover between sets then I can keep on going with the volume
I'm hoping that I'll get 140kg x 5 sometime in the next month or so and then think about 150kg for a single as a Christmas present

Good work on the deads. Lots of work at 140kg. You'll get the 170kg again.

I'm hoping for 170kg tomorrow and if it feels OK ... who knows, maybe 180kg

Nice volume on arms and chest. 100 pullups in 11mins and you never cut the guy short with - wait one minute mate!!! : p The thing that impresses me most about your training Andrew is your consistency and determination to move forward and hold your ground(gainz) whilst on a relaxing holiday. : D What's that? EXACTLY!!! lol

Everyone noticed your tri's in the videos, I was also 'mirin' the calf muscles. Your rows are always great to watch. You're looking very lean and understand that you'll be eating at a surplus. Nice compliment from the young bloke you were working with earlier re: your strength and age. Which reminds me - has Frenchie continued to train back home?

I really appreciate your comments Louise .. you say the nicest things

As for the Frenchie he sent this email last week

----Message d'origine----

Hello ! Thank you for the mail, I hope you're going weel.
I will begin my Piano lessons on Tuesday, my parents lease
a piano for me.
I'm getting stronger and stronger, I continue the gym.
Thank you again for this amazing tme I had in Australia !!
+++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++

Wednesday 25th September 2013

167lbs

Chesticles

Incline Smith presses
10, 10, 10, 10, 10 x 20kg/44lbs per side
Slow. Full range

Flat Smith presses
10, 10, 10, 10, 10 x 20kg/44lbs per side
Slow. Full range

D-bar cable pull down to chest Tempo 3:2:3
10 x 160lbs
8 x 180lbs
6, 6, 6, 6 x 200lbs
6 x 200lbs .... 10 x 160lbs .... 6 x 120lbs drop set
Upper chest, serratus, anterior delts

Rope/cable OH pull-overs
Shoulders on swiss ball, pulling from OH
10, 10, 8, 8, 8 x 100lbs
Upper chest, anterior delts

DB flyes Tempo 3:2:3
10, 10, 10 x 10kg DBs
light and slow. Squeezing the pecs

60 minutes

I was going to take a day off today but my wife was snoring and I was lying awake since 4am. When it got to 5:30am I thought: 'fcuk this ... I may as well hit the gym'. Since my chest is in the remedial class I decided to give it extra tuition
I'm getting to like the dreaded Smith machine now .. I'm learning to activate the pecs and while I still can't go heavier without aggravating my shoulders I'm having regular pec DOMS afterwards. I haven't used the D-bar for pull-downs before. It actually felt good .. the hammer grip always feels more comfortable for my shoulders and I found that I could really pull it down tight to the top of the chest. Following that with rope pullovers on the swiss ball and my upper pecs were feeling swole.

On the domestic front: my 16 year old rang me yesterday saying they'd just released some last-minute tickets for the One Direction concert last night. Anyway, the 'best dad in the world' (that's what she said) bought her a ticket and drove her to the concert hall and she had the 'best night of her life'. She says that she is sure that Harry was smiling straight at her
Of course a week ago I had no idea who One Direction were .. now I know that they've grossed $1 billion this year .. WTF they're 19-21
She's going to the concert again tonight ... this time with a few friends. I don't understand teenage girls
She's being really nice at the moment but I'm expecting that she'll turn feral again once she has to think about her studies

I'm on-call tonight and hoping for a quiet one because tomorrow is a double header in the gym: rehab session in the morning and then deads with the trainer ... might even give 180kg a go

[Flounderbout]

I'm getting to like the dreaded Smith machine now .. I'm learning to activate the pecs and while I still can't go heavier without aggravating my shoulders I'm having regular pec DOMS afterwards. I haven't used the D-bar for pull-downs before. It actually felt good .. the hammer grip always feels more comfortable for my shoulders and I found that I could really pull it down tight to the top of the chest. Following that with rope pullovers on the swiss ball and my upper pecs were feeling swole.

I know DOMs is no indicator of progress, but I never get chest DOMs, and I always feel the burn in my shoulders on BP day, which makes me suspect that I am very shoulder dominant on BPs. Any top tips on activating the pecs?

Looking forward to seeing you make 180kg your bitch tomorrow... . In fact why not go for 182kg (>400lb)?!

[doughnutgut]

I remember when I used to mention the Smithy for chest day and all I got in return was broscience and a shake of the head.
Balance issues, ROM issues, etc, etc.

Some great work can be had from that piece of machinery and with slow, controlled movement along with focusing on the muscle rather than the ego weight used, the yield can be nothing other than a win, win.
I use the smithy for incline as there are no other tools available and I can not fault it. Some of my meanest next day titty aches came from a smithy.

You seem to have gone full beast on the chest there fella. Loads of burn must have been felt. Great work.

I am baffled at Harry Styles and his band at how they have grown into such a worldwide phenomenon. Teenagers minds baffle me.
As for the good lady snoring eh, lol. I have plenty of ideas that may be of assistance with this issue but I will keep them to myself for now.

Have a good day and again, great reaction workout.

[ljimd]

Don't understand the vitriol towards the Smith. Handy piece of equipment that assures
form. Wish I could stuff one into my home gym. Carlman (ntrllftr) a long time competitor,
introduced me to a version of the incline front and back shoulder press on a Smith that
absolutely trashed my delts.

I solved my wife's snoring issues several years ago by conceding one whole end of the
house to her. I've slept like a baby ever since.

[Lou1se]

I'm glad to hear you're liking the Smith Machine Andrew. Even I have felt the pressure from serious-lifting women. You just can't wait to get in there!! It's a lot of fun and it's clear many here are benefiting from this unique self-spotting device. It's been around since the 1950's. A D-bar turned up at our gym this week. It looked a little roughly made and extremely wide. I doubt I could even use it

Ha! I laughed so hard when I read Frenchie's email. Isn't that great!? The fact he's getting stronger and stronger means he's been going hard pretty much since he came home. That is awesome Nice work Andrew!

One Direction are huge! Loved the story, gee daughters are funny! If they're not over-the-top happy, they're over-the-top cranky lol

[EjnarKolinkar]

I don't understand teenage girls

X2

Good to read you are getting chest firing, swole, and DOMS.

[wedjim]

Solid work, mirin' those pendlays then realized how long it has been since I cruised by here scrolling down, WOW! You are moving a lot of weight in a week my friend!

Sorry to see the house issues, just had my own roof replaced and garage ceiling, etc....$17,000. Boooo


Oh...Smith machine, well, I use it to mix things up. But I don't like how it forces me to stay in a single plane and not use any balance accessories. But it still does the job when called on! jmo

[fittofattofit]

I know DOMs is no indicator of progress, but I never get chest DOMs, and I always feel the burn in my shoulders on BP day, which makes me suspect that I am very shoulder dominant on BPs. Any top tips on activating the pecs?

I reckon a lot of us use shoulders and tris for pressing and fail to activate the pecs (I certainly did for most of my lifting life ... probably the main reason that I destroyed both rotator cuffs). I think that one of the tricks for activating the pecs is to make sure that you go full range for pressing movements. The pecs are a broad muscle with lots of radiating fibres ... a lot of people try to stop the bar a few inches above the chest because it's easier on the shoulders but I think that this is the same as stopping your squats above parallel to protect your knees (ie it prevents the other prime movers getting involved). You'll actually put more strain on your delts as opposed to going for full range (and lighter) and letting your pecs do the work through the full range of motion. I'm always amazed at how much I've had to re-educate muscles to work

Looking forward to seeing you make 180kg your bitch tomorrow... : D. In fact why not go for 182kg (>400lb)?!

Got it and should've got 185kg/407lbs

I remember when I used to mention the Smithy for chest day and all I got in return was broscience and a shake of the head.
Balance issues, ROM issues, etc, etc.

Some great work can be had from that piece of machinery and with slow, controlled movement along with focusing on the muscle rather than the ego weight used, the yield can be nothing other than a win, win.
I use the smithy for incline as there are no other tools available and I can not fault it. Some of my meanest next day titty aches came from a smithy.

You seem to have gone full beast on the chest there fella. Loads of burn must have been felt. Great work.

I always disliked the Smith but then I think I tried to go too heavy so that I tried to manhandle it the way I did my BB bench instead of treating it as a more focussed exercise. For me I don't have the RCs to balance a bar so the Smith is perfect for me. I'm even thinking of using it for 531 to see if I can get to some respectable numbers. I've been getting good titty aches from the Smith

I am baffled at Harry Styles and his band at how they have grown into such a worldwide phenomenon. Teenagers minds baffle me.
As for the good lady snoring eh, lol. I have plenty of ideas that may be of assistance with this issue but I will keep them to myself for now. ; )

Have a good day and again, great reaction workout.

Thanks Lee ... I am amazed that a manufactured boy band can generate $1 billion of revenue in a year, but then my daughter would spend anything to see them. Teenage girls are weird

Don't understand the vitriol towards the Smith. Handy piece of equipment that assures
form. Wish I could stuff one into my home gym. Carlman (ntrllftr) a long time competitor,
introduced me to a version of the incline front and back shoulder press on a Smith that
absolutely trashed my delts.

I'm coming around to your way of thinking ... it's the perfect way to hit my chest because of my RC issues. Of note is that Yak does most of his BB pressing on a Smith since he had shoulder recons and he's gone on to win an Olympia!

I solved my wife's snoring issues several years ago by conceding one whole end of the
house to her. I've slept like a baby ever since.

A couple of times when I've snored she's pinched my nose so that I've woken up scared sh!tless that I was suffocating ... it worked. I stopped snoring cos I was worried that the pillow was going to be next!
I wouldn't dare do that to her though .... dat dere Irish temper

I'm glad to hear you're liking the Smith Machine Andrew. Even I have felt the pressure from serious-lifting women. You just can't wait to get in there!! : D It's a lot of fun and it's clear many here are benefiting from this unique self-spotting device. It's been around since the 1950's. A D-bar turned up at our gym this week. It looked a little roughly made and extremely wide. I doubt I could even use it :eek :

Ha! I laughed so hard when I read Frenchie's email. Isn't that great!? The fact he's getting stronger and stronger means he's been going hard pretty much since he came home. That is awesome : D Nice work Andrew!

One Direction are huge! Loved the story, gee daughters are funny! If they're not over-the-top happy, they're over-the-top cranky lol

Thanks Louise! I'm learning to like the Smith and one day I'm sure I'll learn to love it
I really appreciated his email .. it's funny because of the spelling and the grammar but it's sweet because he was genuine. He's going to be a big dude by the time he's 18!
And daughters are weird but anything that keeps the feral child out of our faces is worth it!

X2

Good to read you are getting chest firing, swole, and DOMS.

Thanks Robert!

Solid work, mirin' those pendlays then realized how long it has been since I cruised by here scrolling down, WOW! You are moving a lot of weight in a week my friend!

Sorry to see the house issues, just had my own roof replaced and garage ceiling, etc....$17,000. Boooo


Oh...Smith machine, well, I use it to mix things up. But I don't like how it forces me to stay in a single plane and not use any balance accessories. But it still does the job when called on! jmo

Thanks Jim! I enjoy going heavy so that I love my squats, deads and back day. Chest day is always a chore because I feel so weak ... still it's the weak lifts you've got to work on. I agree with the need to use stabilisers and maintain balance (which is one of the reasons I love squats) but I have to accept that my RCs are stuffed so at least the Smith takes care of that for me and allows me to focus on the pecs
I don't like the sound of $17000

Thursday 26th September 2013

167lbs

Deadlifts with the PT

Thoracic/hip rotations and stretches

Deadlifts
5 x 70kg (115lbs)
5 x 100kg (220lbs)
5 x 130kg (286lbs)
3 x 155kg (341lbs)
1 x 170kg (375lbs)
1 x 180kg (396lbs) WOOT!
F, F x 185kg
Got 180kg for the second time ever.
First since Nov 2012

Superset
Pendlay rows Tempo 1:2:3
6 x 70kg (154lbs)
6, 6 x 80kg (176lbs)
Ring reverse rows -- feet on 18" box Tempo 1:2:3
10, 10, 10

Superset
Prone incline KB rows
6, 6, 6 x 32kg KB in each hand
With Kettle bell swings
12, 12, 12 x 32kg (71lbs)

Ring pull-ups Dead hang to rings at chest
7, 7, 7

Superset Superman and cobras

Lat stretches/hamstring stretches

60 minutes


The session

Deadlifts
130kg/286lbs x 5 .... first working set. Felt very light and JP said the form was perfect
155kg/341lbs x 3 .... First two reps were quick off the ground and great form. Last rep was slower but still good
170kg x 1 .... Quick off the ground. Felt good
180kg/4pps/396lbs .... Quick and smooth off the ground. Forgot to lock on the glutes for the lock out but did it easy when I remembered
185kg x F .... JP said I set up really well, then just before I started to pull I tensed through my lats and started bending my arms. Never got the core tension right

I was really, really, really pleased ... this has been a monkey on my back since I first got the 180kg in November last year. That lift was a grinder and this one was much easier. I relaxed into it and while the bar didn't 'fly up' it was smooth off the ground and my back felt great afterwards
I failed at the 185kg but I was trying too hard ... tensing through the lats and throwing myself forward instead of concentrating on the tension through the hammies and keeping my chest up

Pendlays and reverse ring row supersets
Pendays 80kg/176lbs x 6 ... power up, 2 second pause and then 3 sec negative.
Reverse ring row ... same tempo. A bit of fade on the last few reps but these are feeling good

Prone, incline KB rows and KB swing supersets
Prone rows ... 71lb KBs in each hand. Power up and squeeze the scaps at the top
KB swings ... 71lb KB swings concentrating on the hip drive. These were starting to feel easy

Ring pull-ups
From deadhang prone to hammer grip with the rings at the level of the chest. The last few weeks have been 5, 5, 5 and then 6, 6, 6. I got all but the last 2 reps of the last set without assistance

The good
1. Got metric 4pps dead for only the second time ever. This rep wasn't a grinder
2. Last time was 10 months ago after which I hurt my back and lost my mojo. It's been a monkey on my back for 10 months!
3. All the rows are getting easier. The weights are going up and the form and stamina is getting better
4. Ring pull-ups are getting easier. Muscle-ups are looking possible!
5. Got a DTM massage straight afterwards

[jonnyboy44]

first in to congratulate the 180k deadlift breaking that barrier will do wonders for your confidence.

[lunchbreak]

180Kg! Awesome. Now why couldn't you do that earlier eh?

[Lou1se]

You did it!! Congratulations!

Bet you were walking on air from then on lol

Looking forward to the write-up.

Still on spread.

[ProtienandIron]

Great news on that 180 deadlift matey!!!! That must feel amazing. I can see that becoming a regular entry in here now.

[fittofattofit]

first in to congratulate the 180k deadlift breaking that barrier will do wonders for your confidence.

Thanks Jon .... you are so right about this being a confidence builder for me! When I got 180kg the first time it was November last year on the day that I 'popped' my facet joint (not when I was deadlifting but earlier in the day)
That lift was a grind and each successive session after that my form got worse, my back was aching and I was getting so down about the deads. My head was totally destroyed and I felt that I just couldn't take a trick. The last few weeks have been great and today the lift felt good ... not a grinder and not 100% effort and I feel pretty good at the moment ... actually I feel pretty fcuking awesome

180Kg! Awesome. Now why couldn't you do that earlier eh?

Thanks for dropping in Doug! That's the question I've been asking myself ... I needed to get this again to just get my head around some consistent good form. I feel like I lost 10 months of progress but if I can be getting 180kg regularly by the end of the year then that will be the perfect Christmas present for myself

You did it!! Congratulations!

Bet you were walking on air from then on lol

Looking forward to the write-up.

Still on spread.

Thanks so much for the support Louise! I would have loved to have a vid but then if he'd set up his camera I'm sure it would have changed the dynamics for me. I just felt quite relaxed about this lift and up it came
And I've been trying to rep you as well but you're on spread from me

[fittofattofit]

Great news on that 180 deadlift matey!!!! That must feel amazing. I can see that becoming a regular entry in here now.

Thanks Andy! That's the hope ... regular 180kgs by the end of the year and I'll be so happy I'll be p!ssing myself!