Drudixon's See No Evil, Hear No Evil - Aesthetics Acquisition Log

[drudixon]

Ugh I get almost sick in ma bellie reading smolov savagery!! I like it!

It's funny, I like more sets at lower reps than fewer with higher reps. Day 1 certainly the hardest (and most sickening) so far.

[drudixon]

smolov week 1 day 3

warmups (usually 135 x 5, 225 x whatever number I'm doing that day), then work sets. Been playing around with form and bar position. Still looking for most optimal position. Wide is out, narrow low bar feels easiest, but butt rises a bit first, and high bar is easier than wide, looks really good, but hard.

265x4
265x4
265x4
265x4
265x4
265x4
265x4
265x4

Hopefully back at it today. Have a work function, so I'm not sure.

[raynerd]

Great session Dru, definitely with you on lower reps more sets being much more desirable.
So narrow lower bar feels best, why not stick with it? You have long femurs like me I believe and that's my best feeling style. Is the hip shoot that bad? Mine probably look the exact same, kinda a Lane Norton like ugly squat lol, gets the job dun though!

[drudixon]

Great session Dru, definitely with you on lower reps more sets being much more desirable.
So narrow lower bar feels best, why not stick with it? You have long femurs like me I believe and that's my best feeling style. Is the hip shoot that bad? Mine probably look the exact same, kinda a Lane Norton like ugly squat lol, gets the job dun though!

Went a hair wider today and really focused on very tight upper back. Also did better job bouncing out of the hole. Had to go deeper than usual but seemed to work really well. No squat mornings so I'll take it.

Smolov week 1 day 4

135*5
225*3
285*3
285*3
285 3
285*3
285*3
285*3
285*3
285*3
285*3
285*3

[raynerd]

Sounds like you were in the zone! Congrats on surviving that madness! You just reminded me I gotta do a 10x3 EMOM at 295 after a 10 rep set of 310 in 2 weeks

Awesome work Dru! Kicking some Russian arse!

[drudixon]

Yesterday

Bench, shoulders were really sore from squatting but decided to bench anyway. Wish I hadn't. Light rotator strain...

135*5
185*5 felt weird
225*5 ow stretched some
225*5 more ow, called it.

[drudixon]

Today

Squats... Still working on tightness. Much harder to stay tight for 6 than 3

Upper back and erectors are sore as phuk. Videoed 3 sets. Put one in main forum seemingly thread. Anyway, odd enough, I didn't count reps, so in each of the videos I did 7 reps by mistake. Was too focused on form lol.

240*6
240*6
240*6
240*7
240*7
240*7

[drudixon]

Sounds like you were in the zone! Congrats on surviving that madness! You just reminded me I gotta do a 10x3 EMOM at 295 after a 10 rep set of 310 in 2 weeks

Awesome work Dru! Kicking some Russian arse!

What does emom mean? I'm slow

That's a lot of volume lol. Have you gotten 405 yet? If not, I'm sure you'll hit it before me. I'll be lucky to get it by xmas.

[Plateauplower]

What does emom mean? I'm slow

That's a lot of volume lol. Have you gotten 405 yet? If not, I'm sure you'll hit it before me. I'll be lucky to get it by xmas.

Every minute on the minute (EMOM).

In your vid your hands are really wide. If you bring your grip in narrower it will make it much less fatiguing to maintain tightness. My pinkies are usually inside the rings by a bit, that's a good compromise for me with getting in close and not making my shoulders sore. Set your grip and when you dip under the bar and get into position you will feel tighter instantly. Then you don't have to work as hard bracing and bleeding energy.

[drudixon]

Every minute on the minute (EMOM).

In your vid your hands are really wide. If you bring your grip in narrower it will make it much less fatiguing to maintain tightness. My pinkies are usually inside the rings by a bit, that's a good compromise for me with getting in close and not making my shoulders sore. Set your grip and when you dip under the bar and get into position you will feel tighter instantly. Then you don't have to work as hard bracing and bleeding energy.

I can go that narrow on high bar but lose my shelf on low. My usual grip is a little narrower but not much. Am I missing something?

[raynerd]

What does emom mean? I'm slow

That's a lot of volume lol. Have you gotten 405 yet? If not, I'm sure you'll hit it before me. I'll be lucky to get it by xmas.

Ya what Tim said about EMOM
Nope no 405 yet, I hit 380 in my mock meet at the beginning of summer, but hope I can hit it by Christmas...or die trying lol. See where JC takes me over the next few cycles.
Chitty about the shoulder strain on bench. Lowbar can be a b$tch on the shoulders.
Great job on the 240x6 sessions, love the unintentional extra reppage!

[Plateauplower]

I can go that narrow on high bar but lose my shelf on low. My usual grip is a little narrower but not much. Am I missing something?

I can't comment on low-bar other than yea it's hard to get a narrow grip without your shoulders feeling like they are going to tear out of the sockets. I can't low bar anyway, it bruises my delts for a week if I'm lifting heavy enough to work low rep sets, just not adapted to it but trying the occasional set to try to get more comfortable. I don't think your missing anything but in the vid it looks like your hands could come in by a fair amount and that would keep your upper back tighter and just make it easier to stay tight without wasting energy trying to do it. It all comes down to individual body mechanics / mobility etc, so I can only speak for what works for me.

[drudixon]

OK y'all, did two and a half more days of smolov.

255 7*5

Next day 275 8*4

Yesterday 290*4*3

If you know the program, yesterday was way short on sets. I moved my grip way in as suggested and ho Lee phuk my arms were in excruciating pain yesterday. I can't go that narrow and keep the weight off my arms. From middle of my forearm to the shoulder was on fire.

I tried y'all, just not for me.

That said, I'll reduce what the app says by 20lbs and finish the last week with high bar. Been chewing on switching a while anyway, but this sews it up.

I actually did one of yesterday's sets high bar to help the pain, but there's no way I can do 10 sets of it.

Anyway, sorry y'all. I'll be in the gym tomorrow, hopefully pain free.

[raynerd]

Chit Dru, sorry to hear about the pains, I remember John having to stop smolov altogether for the same reasons. Honestly the reason I have never tried it is because I don't think I would hold together. Any more than 2 times a week squats and I will blow out my patellar tendons.
Way to push through!

[drudixon]

Chit Dru, sorry to hear about the pains, I remember John having to stop smolov altogether for the same reasons. Honestly the reason I have never tried it is because I don't think I would hold together. Any more than 2 times a week squats and I will blow out my patellar tendons.
Way to push through!

It's weird chit like arms hurting , not even the primary movers hurting that makes it frustrating. Today my arms hurt a little but nothing like Friday.

Hb squats
135 5
225 6x6

Did a great job of chest up by had a lot of butt wink. I have a huge ass so hard to tell what's lumbar flexion versus lengthening of
Glutes.

Anyway, movement felt good, vid looked ok.