Martin's odyssey to become not as weak.

[martin_mathers]

Paused Bench
barx20
135x10
185x5
225x4
255x3
275x3x12 sets
Nice and fast. Wanted to do 5's but I need to stick with lower reps until after the meet. Too risky.

Lat Pulldown
4x12

DB OHP
3x10

DB Bench
3x20

Facepulls
3x15

Flys
3x15

Still 7 weeks out, lots of time. Moving back to school in 3 weeks though which means no more Fortis and back to sub-par equipment.

[martin_mathers]

Squat
barx10
135x6
225x3
315x1
365x1
wraps
405x1
435x1
460x3x8 sets
Weight moved very well but I was in pain today. Right calf, right trap and left groin were all hurting. Was supposed to do 460x5x5 but my form was way off due to these nagging pains so I did 8 triples instead. Moving forward I'll probably stick with triples, doubles and singles til the meet.

Finished with lunges and abs.



Saturday
Paused Bench
barx20
135x10
185x8
225x5
255x3
285x3x10 sets
No pain or discomfort at all. First time in over a month.

Finished with lots of upper body stuff.

[NorthStrong]

Flat shoe squatting looks better than your heeled style imo.

Good news about the pain free benching!

[martin_mathers]

Flat shoe squatting looks better than your heeled style imo.

Good news about the pain free benching!

I haven't gotten pitched forward once since switching to flats so that's good. I thought depth would get much better but it's still kind of the same.

Deadlift
barx15
135x8
225x5
315x3
365x2
405x1
455x1
485x1x20 sets

GHR
3x10

Felt a little better again this week. Still struggling to keep my ass down, but I'm slowly getting the "ass down, fall back" feel at the bottom position before I pull. Lock out has been crisp as hell obviously ever since I started squeezing the weight off the ground instead of yanking it. Really hope all this technique work will pay off when the weight gets heavy.

[dtaps24]

How long does it take you to do 20 sets? You are getting so strong. We're real proud.

[martin_mathers]

How long does it take you to do 20 sets? You are getting so strong. We're real proud.

Excluding warm up sets, about an hour.

[martin_mathers]

6.5 weeks out
Paused Bench
barx15
135x10
185x8
225x5
275x3
295x3x9 sets

Rows
4x15

DB Bench
3x20

Facepulls
3x15

Tri Pushdown
2x15

Shoulders were feeling iffy and form was all over the place. Couldn't get tight for some reason.
GF's meet is this Saturday and I'm gonna need to figure out a way to train. Excited to see some friends though.

[martin_mathers]

Friday:
Squat
barx10
135x5
225x3
315x1
365x1
wraps
405x1
435x1
455x1
475x3x5 sets
Form was off again. Left groin was bugging me and right trap and collar bone were both hurting. Could barely get under the bar. These moved really fast though so I got that going for me.

Finished with rows, abs and leg presses.

Saturday:
Didn't get to train, had to coach the gf at her 2nd meet. She did great and I called pretty good numbers. Went 8/9 722 total. 242 squat, 138 bench and 342 deadlift. It was also nice to chill with a bunch of friends I don't get to see very often. 90+ lifters with two platforms and the meet ran pretty damn smooth. There were also no participation awards at the end. Only the overall best lifters were awarded which was good.

Sunday:
Paused Bench
barx20
135x10
185x8
225x5
275x3
305x3x8 sets
I feel like I'm weaker than before my pec injury but on video the bar speed was on point. Should be fine as long as I keep my bodyweight up and technique solid.

Finished with pulldowns, DB bench, side raises and facepulls. Still no OHP due to bad trap.

[martin_mathers]

Deadlift
barx15
135x5
225x4
315x3
365x1
405x1
455x1
505x1x15 sets

GHR
3x10

Meh.

[martin_mathers]

5.5 weeks out
Paused Bench
barx20
135x10
185x8
225x5
275x3
295x1
315x3x7 sets https://instagram.com/p/BEcf-CqSkcI/
Moved fast but form still felt off. Every lift has been the same story lately. Good speed but iffy form. IDK if the weights on one side were heavier or not but the bar kept drifting to right and left. Maybe I just didn't keep my back tight enough.

Rows
4x12

DB Bench
4x15

Side raise
3x10

Tried doing some light DB OHP but right shoulder and trap were still hurting a little. Guess I won't be doing any overhead stuff in a while.

After being at my gf's meet I've been really fired up to step on the platform again. I'm moving back to school next weekend which means moving homes and gyms again. Hope that doesn't affect my training too much being this close to the meet.

[martin_mathers]

Friday, 5 weeks out
Squat
barx15
135x8
225x3
315x1
365x1
wraps
405x1
435x1
465x1
495x3x5 sets

Felt ok, legs didn't feel too strong. Was gonna cap it at 4 sets but I'm a savage so did another one.

Pulldowns
4x12

Abs
3x12

Leg Press with bands
2x15

Going to slowly cut the assistance stuff short. Gotta start cutting down the volume on the main lifts too.


Saturday (at Torque Barbell)
Light Paused Bench
barx20
135x10
185x5
225x5
275x5x6 sets
First time doing 5's since the pec injury. Felt good, no pain. Torque also has wide ass benches so it felt good on my shoulders.

Rows
4x15

DB OHP
4x10 yay no pain

Facepulls
4x12

Triceps
3x12

Went to visit Torque Barbell today. I'm moving back to school (Waterloo) next week but my gf has another 4-month coop term in Etobicoke and she's gonna move closer to where she's working. And Torque will be like a 10 minute walk from her work. Pretty cool gym, very different than Fortis. This place screams meathead and "hardcore". It's like the owner tried really hard to make sure people know it's a PL gym. While Fortis is also full of powerlifters but Sean really tries to make it as welcoming to everyone as possible. But of course equipment-wise it's nowhere close to Fortis. I'll probably have to train at Torque a few times a month when I come visit the gf.

[NorthStrong]

Sounds like a pretty cool gym tho.

Nice squatting, good to hear the pec's gooder now too.

5 weeks out now eh, ****'s getting srs.

[martin_mathers]

Sounds like a pretty cool gym tho.

Nice squatting, good to hear the pec's gooder now too.

5 weeks out now eh, ****'s getting srs.

Yea pec is closer to 100% now, still got nagging pains in lower body.


Deadlift
barx15
135x8
225x5
315x3
365x1
405x1
455x1
495x1
525x1x10 sets

Pulldowns
4x12

GHR
4x10

Deadlifts are feeling worse and worse every week. I started this whole "squeeze the weight off the ground" thing 5 weeks ago in hopes of not pulling myself out of position and getting fuked in the face at lockout with heavy weights. Right now I'm slow as shiit off the ground cause I'm not gripping and ripping like I used to, and my lockout only feels a tiny bit better than before. Granted I'm not using the dl bar but my form is still nowhere close to a good sumo deadlift.

In short, deadlifts are dumb. I'm just hoping this form change thing will pay off at the meet. Should just get my squat and bench up a lot so I don't have to worry about pulling lol.

[JustBulk]

"I wanted to be bigger, stronger, and to be left alone."- I like your motto lol.

Good luck, I'm sure you will adjust accordingly and deadlifts will not be dumb anymore lol

[martin_mathers]

"I wanted to be bigger, stronger, and to be left alone."- I like your motto lol.

Good luck, I'm sure you will adjust accordingly and deadlifts will not be dumb anymore lol

Thanks I got it from Brian Schwab. Deadlifts are still dumb they've always been.

4.5 weeks out
Paused Bench
barx20
135x15
225x5
275x3
305x1
325x3x8 sets
https://instagram.com/p/BEuobhrykdV/

Rows
4x15

DB Bench
3x20

Not bad, not great. Shoulders hurting a little.

Starting to get real sick of Fortis. This place has gotten way too far from what it was. Way too many members, way too many people here to talk, socialize, hogging a piece of equipment for 3+ hours, and way too many big egos. As one of the OG members, I first joined because this was a gym very different than your average goodlife. Now it's pretty much a goodlife that allows chalk and has good equipment. It's getting so damn crowded here there's almost nowhere to stand between your sets. People come up to you and talk when you're getting ready for a set, wrapping your wrists, putting your belt on. People walking INTO your weight during a set. People yelling with 315lbs on the squat. I mean there's not even a clear path from the chalk bowl to the deadlift platform. I understand that most people come to the gym to train and have fun. But there's a point when there's just too much socializing going on. And all of this is from the new crowd, not the people who have been here for a long time. When I'm in the gym I really just like to be left alone and I only talk to like 3 people. I thought I was just spoiled by a good gym and being a whiny pussy, but I could care less about good equipment and fancy bars. I'm kind of glad this is my last week at Fortis. Because next week I'm back in school and I get to train at this small private gym my friend has again. They don't have any fancy bars, racks and benches. Nothing is even competition-grade but the atmosphere is awesome. They take a very limited amount of members and all the others are group training or personal training clients.

[Hunttarded]

Saw that video yesterday on your IG. Glad your pec is good to go bro.

Shame about Fortis. I totally get what you're saying about atmosphere being #1, can't reproduce that momentum with people who don't share the same goals.

[martin_mathers]

Saw that video yesterday on your IG. Glad your pec is good to go bro.

Shame about Fortis. I totally get what you're saying about atmosphere being #1, can't reproduce that momentum with people who don't share the same goals.

What's your IG?

The business is just getting too big. Omar brought in a LOT of people. Good for the owner but not for the OG members. As far as I know we complain pretty much every time we're there.

[Hunttarded]

What's your IG?

The business is just getting too big. Omar brought in a LOT of people. Good for the owner but not for the OG members. As far as I know we complain pretty much every time we're there.

@fattestskinnykidalive

Yea, I get what you're saying. Seems like you can't have both a large membership and a great atmosphere. But if you find one, let me know lmao. U of T Athletic Center is supposed to be good too, but haven't seen for myself. York's gym is just small.

[martin_mathers]

@fattestskinnykidalive

Yea, I get what you're saying. Seems like you can't have both a large membership and a great atmosphere. But if you find one, let me know lmao. U of T Athletic Center is supposed to be good too, but haven't seen for myself. York's gym is just small.

I think home gym is the only solution here. The only positive left at Fortis is training with Jeremy and my old training partner. Where do you train?

[Hunttarded]

I think home gym is the only solution here. The only positive left at Fortis is training with Jeremy and my old training partner. Where do you train?

Basement for the same reasons. Thinking of getting like a Goodlife membership just for accessory work. Would also like to play with some Hammer Strength stuff, apparently they got that. Honestly if you go home gym, just buy the best from the beginning. I kind of bought middle tier stuff, ended up replacing it all except the rack - that's next.

[martin_mathers]

Basement for the same reasons. Thinking of getting like a Goodlife membership just for accessory work. Would also like to play with some Hammer Strength stuff, apparently they got that. Honestly if you go home gym, just buy the best from the beginning. I kind of bought middle tier stuff, ended up replacing it all except the rack - that's next.

That's awesome. I've been dreaming about having a home gym since day 1. But first I need to get a house lol.

[Hunttarded]

That's awesome. I've been dreaming about having a home gym since day 1. But first I need to get a house lol.

I'm moving out with friends in Sept, so I dunno what the plan is then. Really though, the only advantages of a home gym are you don't need to deal with people's crap and your commute is a flight of stairs.

[martin_mathers]

you don't need to deal with people's crap

Ah, that's something that money can't buy.

[martin_mathers]

Friday
Squat
barx10
135x8
225x3
315x1
365x1
wraps
405x1
445x1
485x1
515x3x3 PR triple and did it for 3 sets. Pretty happy with this. Best triple before this was 510x3 and it was a HUGE grinder. 3x3 at 515 went up quite fast on this day. Right calf pain came back though.

Rows
3x15

Leg Press against bands
3x12

Abs
2x15



Saturday
Light Paused Bench
up to
285x5x6 sets

Lat Pulldown
3x15

Triceps
3x15

Side Raise
3x12

Wanted to do some OHP but shoulder and trap were still hurting. Was our last day at Fortis. Trained early in the morning then pretty much packed and moved all day. Settled down at new place in Waterloo. Still very beat up and tired from moving. GF left and went back to Toronto since she's still working there. Haven't lived alone in 3 years so this is gonna be weird. Hold me fam.

[martin_mathers]

Deadlift
barx15
135x5
225x3
315x2
365x1
405x1
455x1 awful
455x1 awful
495x1 awful
525x1 awful
So dropped down in weight and tried to pull as fast as I could
405x3x3
425x3x3
445x1x3
465x1
485x1
505x1
Went back to my old "grip and rip" form and felt a little bit better but still pretty fuking awful. I'm 4 weeks out too what the fuk am I doing with my life. It's like every pound I've gained on the squat, I've lost on the deadlift. My pulls have been feeling straight up jack shiit since the 600 miss like 10 weeks ago. I have 2 more deadlift sessions before the meet. Hopefully I can get my shiit together next week. The moving this weekend definitely drained me a bit.

[NorthStrong]

That's rough bruh. You'll bounce back.

[martin_mathers]

That's rough bruh. You'll bounce back.

It's ok, I've made peace with it. Deadlifts will always be a struggle for me due to these insanely short arms and long torso. I just hope the other two lifts keep improving like the way they've been.


3.5 weeks out
Paused Bench
barx15
135x10
185x8
225x5
275x3
295x1
315x1
335x3
340x3x4 sets
315x3 long pauses
Plan was to hit 335 for at least 5 triples, but first set felt too easy and I knew the weights here at the school gym would always feel lighter. So put 5 more pounds on and they moved well too. But I didn't want to do too much volume @ 90% so did my 6th set with lighter weight. Also had to kind of rush these sets because I trained in between classes.

Rows
4x12

DB Bench
3x15

Facepulls
3x15

Probably won't be able to film my bench stuff for a while. School gym is pretty small and crowded but they do have 3 competition benches (comp height + comp width) which is why I bench here and not at my friend's private gym. Plus I train alone now since the wife lives in Toronto.

School is already starting to get busy as fuk and I was still dreading over the bad deadlift day. So it's good to get in a good bench session to keep the momentum going.

[izzygrant]

you can either make squat progress or deadlift progress at any one time. it is known.

[martin_mathers]

you can either make squat progress or deadlift progress at any one time. it is known.

Come to think of it, this has always been true for the number of year I've been lifting. It's either that or no progress at all.

[martin_mathers]

Friday
Squat (3 weeks out)
barx10
135x8
225x4
315x1
365x1
405x1
445x1
475x1
505x1
535x3 20lb PR. Moved well. Happy with this. I was glad that squatting at a different gym than Fortis didn't affect my groove. Right calf is not doing well at all right now, lots of pain and tension in there in and out of the gym. Pretty much makes me want to cry when I'm in the hole cause the wrap digs into the calf and it's excruciating. Just need to hang in there for 3 more weeks then I'll be taking some time off after the meet.

Deadlift
135x5
225x3
315x3
405x1
455x1x4 just wanted to get some light practice in. Already felt a lot faster than the crappy pulls on Monday.

Box squat
225x10x2

BW lunges
2x15

No leg press at this gym so did some light quad work. Squatting one top set didn't really make me feel like I did enough work for my legs.



Next week I'll work up to at least an opener (550-555). If I feel good I'll go for a small PR.


Saturday
Paused Bench
barx20
135x10
185x8
225x5
275x3
295x5x5

Pullups
4x8

DB OHP
4x10

Facepulls
4x12

Going to lower the volume a bit on this day next week.