Unleashing the beast, one rep at a time ... and other mischief

[Romina81]

Hi lilOwl I like your journal You are doing westside right? I am about to start that...have no experience with it.

I see you doing rack pulls for Lower ME day...how long do you keep that as the Lower ME day before switching it to squat?

[lilOwl]

Hey Romina, nice to see you in here! I've just started westside yeah and honestly don't know it in detail yet since I'm mostly just on auto pilot doing whatever the coach has me do. As far as I can tell you could keep the main lift the same for up to 4-5 ME days max if you're not too advanced but the coach suggested we switch more often so I'll only be doing the same lift for two micro cycles. I'd love to be able to tell you why exactly but I still have some reading to do in regards to the programming with westside. I do really like it so far so I hope you enjoy it too and make some good gains, I'll make sure to follow along to get some extra motivation


Monday - Lower ME day

Low box squat
bar x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
77,5kg x 1
82,5kg x 1
87,5kg x 1
92,5kg x 1
97,5kg x 1
100kg x 0 (ugh, was left glued to the box, lost tension as I sat down and that was that -_- )

SLDL
50kg x 8
70kg x 8, 7, 6, 8

Oblique DB raises
20kg DB x 12, 12, 12

+ rolling

Low in volume but holy hell was it high in effort. The box never felt as low before The coach kept reminding me to keep my chest up and I think it's a cue I need to start paying more attention to because it really makes a huge difference when I do it right. I was bummed about failing on the 100kg but then again I'm thrilled to be able to be hitting these numbers on a low box, it should mean that my squat numbers are up as well. I am not leaving the gym without getting the 100kg on my next ME day though, I want to crush it

[lilOwl]

Wednesday - Upper ME day

2 board press (closer grip)
bar x 8
30kg x 5
45kg x 5
50kg x 5
55kg x 3
62,5kg x 1
67,5kg x 1
72,5kg x 1, 1

Military press
bar x 10, 10
25kg x 8, 8

Tricep pushups (on handles)
12, 10, 8, 8

Lat pulldown, underhand grip (on a plate loaded pulley)
25kg x 12
30kg x 12
35kg x 12
37,5kg x 12, 12

Lat raises
5kg plates x 15, 15, 15

+ foam rolling followed by rolling with a tennis ball


Today was pretty good but I didn't feel on top of my benching. I was hoping to go higher on the board press but I kept breaking down in form. I stopped tucking my elbows in after it got heavy and obviously, that made it even heavier. After benching with what I thought was good form for two years I need to constantly go through a list of cues everytime I setup to correct what now feels like a natural movement and 9/10 times I forget to do *something*. I need to re-program the way I approach the lift because right now I'm not taking advantage of so many aspects of a good setup. I'm naturally pretty flexible and I can pull off a killer arch but I don't take advantage of it because I stop pushing my chest out after the bar touches my chest and I just let it sink back into the bench. I have a strong back yet I don't take advantage of that since I don't properly activate it by tucking in my elbows. Between my chest and my triceps, the latter are way stronger but I don't use it to my advantage because I let my elbows flare out fay too soon after the bar touches my chest. My legs are also my strongest bodypart by far but do I let them assist in the lift? Nope. They can't help s**t if I don't actually engage them. I don't make use of the stretch in the bottom position either since I let the bar descend too slowly and it's like I keep anticipating to hit my chest and go even slower. The coach says I guide the bar down as if I was lifting geared.

One thing I've learned after hearing my coach's pointers and observations is that my biggest strength is in being able to complete lifts even after my form breaks down (which it does, too often really). That becomes a big issue when maxing though. He says I have a lot of brute force that often saves my lifts that would otherwise be misses but I need to train myself to channel it through optimal form. So as much as I'm annoyed with myself for not having my setup down yet at least I know there's much more I can improve on and there is still a lot of potential left.

[Romina81]

Nice board presses! Jelly of your coach/setup
how did you find your coach by the way? expensive?

Im not sure how I'll be doing board presses by myself...probably wrap the boards to my chest with some elastic haha

Quick question...for your box squatting...do you completely rest/deload on the box?
I havent been since it seems dangerous, but seems like some people do.

[lilOwl]

^ I actually had the most amazing luck with the whole training setup. They just founded the team led by him this April at what was previously an OLY gym and I only found out through my BF by chance really. PL is still very much unknown around here so they're doing their best to attract more people which I guess is why the setup is so great. My only expense is 60€ a month which gets me 12+ sessions (1,5h) with the coach, additional planning for my solo sessions and an open gym. Granted I'm a broke student but that's still a steal as far as I'm concerned. My coach also does coaching separately as a PT but I'm pretty sure I could never ever afford him if it wasn't for the team setup. Plus most of the time I barely have to share him at all since there's only 3 of us training at the same time, max. Plus he rocks. Like, he really knows this stuff down to the details and he's an active competitor as well.

I can't imagine doing board presses by myself, though I love the idea of wrapping or even taping it on lol Especially on ME days, I would need someone at least to spot, I wouldn't dare max without someone but then again I guess you'd need two people, one to spot and one to add the boards. You might be able to "board press" by yourself in the power rack if you can adjust the safety bars to the right height (you'd need to experiment with plates under the bench and all that) but I'm sure it would take ages to setup.

For the box squats - right now I do a full stop for a good second (sometimes two) but don't really rest, meaning I don't lose any muscle tension. It's not touch-and-go but it's still not like I sit back for too long. If I did there's no way I'd get back up because my form breaks down. Maybe with lighter weight but def not when going heavy.


Friday - Lower DE

Box squat
bar x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
(last four sets I used a band to help me pay attention to pushing my knees outwards)

Dip-belt squats
25kg + belt x 8, 8, 8, 8

SL Good mornings
bar x 10
30kg x 10
35kg x 10
40kg x 10, 10

Hanging leg raises
12, 12, 12, 12

Ab roller
10, 10, 10


In other news, there's a strongman competition taking place here tomorrow so obviously I'm going. Should be fun, not to mention motivating. The coach told me there will be a challenge for spectators as well, bench repetition contest @ 1/2 BW for women and BW for men so I might go for that as well, I've never tried that before

[lilOwl]

Monday - Lower ME day

High box squat
bar x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 1
90kg x 1
97,5kg x 1
105kg x 1
110kg x 1

Deficit DL
75kg x 5
80kg x 5, 5

Step up (knee high box)
17,5kg DBs x 10
20kg DBs x 10, 10

Ab roller
10, 10 , 10

The box squats weren't crazy heavy today but I was still way too sore from Friday's session. I'm developing a rather nasty case of sudden sickness when approaching the box That mothereffer has been putting me in so much pain and agony lately ... it's a true love-hate relationship. On one hand I want to keep doing it all day everyday just so I can finally master it but at the same time I want to just go at it with a hammer lol.
I also left my chucks at home fully anticipating today to be an upper DE day so I ended up squatting in my socks. Classy all the way. I'm not sure how I feel about maxing out at 110kg. I suppose it's not bad, I've never even put that much weight on my shoulders and it felt a bit terrifying. It's just that after doing 97,5kg on a low box, I was anticipating for the high box to feel easier. Guess not.

Today was suppose to be an Upper DE day but I skipped it after giving the bench a go on Saturday. I ended up pounding 35 reps at 1/2 BW and got some of the most nasty upper body DOMS I've had in a long time I also got some supps and a bunch of other stuff for the best score but I was mainly doing it to test myself since I never really go high rep. I'm not sure where those numbers put me ATM but I think I want to hit 50 as a mini-goal. Obviously I won't be testing this out on a regular basis but I'll try it out again in a few months. The whole strongman deal was ridiculously cool to watch and I'll try posting some photos in the next few days.

[Romina81]

Lots going in in here!

Yea that isn't too bad 60 euros/77 dollars a month for the coach. Crappy PTs cost more than that around here.

Thanks for the idea about using the power rack as a sub for board presses

I think Im trying to do the box squats similar to you...good to know.
Nice hi box squat weight ...impressive and you just started the program. I'm going to give it a try next week. Box should be slightly above parallel right?

[lilOwl]

^ Yeah a bit above parallel is about right on the hi box. Do you also plan on varying your stance width at all? The coach has had me change it between sessions and I'm still trying to figure why exactly. Apparently on the hi box the stance is supposed to stay the same as with your conventional squat, the same as for the low box but not on DE box squatting ... Not sure why but I figure it's because you obviously need to have an optimal setup when maxing and focus on your weaker points when doing more volume, which for me is hip drive, so I go for a much wider stance.

Wednesday - Upper ME day

CG Floor press
bar x 5
27,5kg x 5
32,5kg x 3
37,5kg x 3
42,5kg x 3
47,5kg x 3
50kg x 1
52,5kg x 1
55kg x 1

Skull crushers
20kg x 12
22,5kg x 10
25kg x 8, 8

One arm DB rows
22,5kg DB x 10
25kg DB x 10
27,5kg DB x 10, 10

Lat pulldown, underhand grip (plate loaded pulley)
30kg x 12
35kg x 12
37,5kg x 12, 12

Face pulls (plate loaded pulley)
20kg x 8
15kg x 15
12,5kg x 15


Yesterday didn't go quite as planned. Due to some scheduling issues I had to do the session alone so I had to ask for help with the hand off. The gym was half empty though and the guy that ended up assisting me kept holding the bar either too low or high and let go of it as soon as I put my hands on, not even letting me grip it propperly. I was trying to give him more pointers but didn't want to come across as being b**chy about it since he was giving me a favor but geez ... it was all around messy. I had to keep re-adjusting and re-gripping while holding the bar and I ended up pulling something in my right front delt. I got through the main work and managed to hit 55kg as planned but I was completely lacking focus and I was hoping I didn't do any serious damage. I was supposed to do high board presses after but with developing pain and the procpect of more crappy hand-offs there was no way I was getting under 92,5kg on the bench. Thinking back, I probably should have just gone in earlier when the gym was still more crowded and I could have gotten some proper help or just re-schedule. Oh well. Hopefully after a few days of rolling and cooling it'll feel much better.

[Romina81]

Nice that you got the 55kg for the close grip....I have been doing wide grip ones guess I should try close grips

Re box squat stance Usually goes same as my conventional maybe a little bit wider...will check next time. For the dynamic box squats ill go ultra wide then i def need to work on hip drive.

Thanks!

[lilOwl]

Friday - Lower DE day

Low box squats
bar x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 2
55kg x 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

Mid-shin DL
80kg x 5
90kg x 5
95kg x 4
100kg x 3

Step ups
2x10kg plates x 10 (extra grip work)
30kg x 10 (bb)
32,5kg x 10 (bb)

Leg raises
12, 12, 12, 12

Static holds (fat grip)
2x15kg plates x 35sec, 20sec, 10sec

+ foam-rolling


Nothing major today, box squats felt much smoother and more explosive. I've never done the mid-shin DL variation before since I always either went with conventional or rack-pull height. These were positioned right at what's usually my sticking point and after today I think we'll be adding them to the rotation more often. Of all the variations this one feels most challenging, far more than deficit actually. Though my form apparently stayed spot on throughout I cannot seem to get enough leg drive at lift-off and need to start working on that asap. Again. I keep coming back to this issue every so often but I'm still just scratching the surface of what seems to be both a leverage and flexibility problem. If I can re-train myself to stay even more upright with my torso and drop down with my rear I could finally let my legs do some of the work as well. I'm forced into doing it during deficits and they seem much easier. I'm hoping I can get the setup to eventually sink in subconsciously but I know I have my work cut out for me since I've been practicing this same movement for so long it just feels awkward and forced now. *sigh* Back to the drawing board it is.

[lilOwl]

Saturday - Assistance

Towel pull-ups
5x5

Incline DB press
18kg DBs x 8
20kg DBs x 8
22kg DBs x 6
20kg DBs x 8

Ab machine
40kg x 20
35kg x 20, 20, 20

SS: Abductor/Adductor
35kg/35kg x 15, 15, 15

+ 10 minutes of HIIT on the recumbant bike and 10 minutes cool-down


Never tried towel pull-ups before but they absolutely killed my grip. These felt much harder than any other pull-up variation although I didn't really feel them in my back as much as in my arms and forearms. Might add them in more regularly just to spice it up a bit.

[lilOwl]

Monday - Upper DE day

Speed bench (varying grip width)
bar x 8
30kg x 5, 5
35kg x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Incline CG bench
bar x 6
30kg x 6
35kg x 6
40kg x 6
45kg x 5 (last was assisted)

CG 4 board press
60kg x 8, 8, 8

BB rows, overhand grip
35kg x 12
37,5kg x 10, 10, 10

Front+lateral+rear delt raises
2,5 kg plates x 20+20+20

+ foam-rolling

I was lifting on a mad sugar rush today so I wasn't exactly feeling it but it wasn't too bad. Speed bench went great with great explosiveness and the inclines didn't feel overly heavy but I am kinda meh about the rest. I was crashing hard by the end and was about ready to take a nap on the spot. The good news is that my shoulder feels as good as new, I felt no pain, no tightness or anything out of the ordinary which I'm really happy about. I'm not sure if it was the tennis ball rolling (painful as all hell), anty-inflammatory OTC pills, muscle relaxing ointment or the extra attention I got for whining about it ... whatever it was it worked

[lilOwl]

Wednesday - Lower ME day

Good morning
bar x 5, 5
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
55kg x 3
60kg x 3
65kg x 3
67,5kg x 3
70kg x 3

Front squat
bar x 10
30kg x 8
40kg x 8
45kg x 8
47,5kg x 8

Hyperextensions
BW x 10
+5kg x 10
+15kg x 10
+20kg x 10

Cable crunches (plate loaded pulley)
20kg x 15, 15

DB oblique raises, per side
25kg DB x 15, 12, 12


I've never done max effort good mornings before so this was a first. I could probably have gone higher but the coach insised we steer clear of failing on these to avoid any kind of back straining. Warm-up sets felt a bit awkward since I could tell my left hamstring was still acting up a bit but the tightness went away after I kicked it into high gear. Front squats weren't half bad either but I need to figure out a way to position the bar more comfortably because right now it keeps pressing onto my throat too much which makes it harder to get through longer sets.

[lilOwl]

Friday - Upper ME day

4 board press (closer grip)
bar x 8
30kg x 5
35kg x 5
45kg x 3
52,5kg x 3
60kg x 3
65kg x 3
70kg x 1
72,5kg x 1
75kg x 1

Seated behind-the-neck pin-press
bar x 8
30kg x 6
40kg x 6
50kg x 6
55kg x 6
60kg x 6, 6

One arm BB rows
bar x 12
bar+5kg x 12
bar+7,5kg x 12
bar+10kg x 12

Face-pulls (plate loaded pulley)
15kg x 15, 12, 12


Same old story on the bench. Lots of room for improvement on the form front and still some reserve on the max. As I learned after the fact, we're aiming for 80kg so today was still a bit short of that but I should nail it comfortably after I get my setup consistently under control.

[lilOwl]

Sunday - Assistance

Dips
BW x 100 (11x8, 2x6)

Chins
BW x 50

Triceps extensions
20kg x 20, 15, 15, 10

Cable pull-apparts
10kg (per side) x 15, 15, 15, 15
5kg (per side) x 20, 20, 20


This one was brutally special At first I thought the coach must have been joking when he sent us the plan but nope, dead serious. I'm not a quitter so I was determined to get through it no matter what and I did but it took forever and it left me feeling so incredibly tired I had to practically drag my ass out of the gym. I'm not looking forward to the soreness that's bound to kick in tomorrow but I'm feeling pretty good about actually being able to handle such volume, especially since I find both dips and chins really freaking challenging.

[lilOwl]

Monday - Lower DE day

Low box squats
bar x 10
30kg x 5
40kg x 3
50kg x 3
60kg x 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
70kg x 2
77,5kg x 1

Mid-shin DL
80kg x 6
90kg x 6
95kg x 5
100kg x 3

Step ups with BB
30kg x 8
35kg x 8
37,5kg x 8

Leg raises
12, 12, 12, 12

Reverse hypers
15, 15, 15

+ foam-rolling

[Romina81]

Hi!
After all these box squats...are you ever tempted to do regular squats sans box?
I was...and man it felt weird without the box at first lol

[lilOwl]

^ Hey Romina!
Yeah, I got used to box squatting in these last weeks but I'm seriously itching to do some good old regular squats again. I used to do them all the time so I just miss them now. I keep asking the coach when we'd get back to them but he keeps saying "soon, just not as soon as you'd like" lol. He did say we'd be testing our 1RMs again in about three weeks so at least I'll be giving them a go then. I'm already really curious about how they will feel after not doing them for what feels like forever though

Wednesday - Upper DE day

Speed bench (varying grip width)
bar x 8
25kg x 5
30kg x 3
35kg x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Incline CG bench
bar x 6
35kg x 6
40kg x 6, 6
42,5kg x 6

BB rows, overhand grip
37,5kg x 12, 10, 10, 10

Lat raises
6kg DB x 15, 15, 15

Triceps extensions (plate loaded pulley)
12,5kg x 15
15kg x 15
17,5kg x 12

+ foam-rolling


Wasn't really feeling it today. I've been deeling with a headache and some mild cold symptoms since yesterday and although the session looks good on paper the focus just wasn't 100% there. I'm hoping to fight it off with some extra sleep and down time. It also didn't help that I'm still crazy sore all over ... traps middle/upper/lower back, triceps, abs, shoulders, hams, you name it - it hurts. Sunday's work did a number on me but I knew it was coming I'll be entering full-on sloth mode, slathering myself in muscle-relaxant ointment, courtesy of the BF, and hoping it passes quickly

[lilOwl]

Friday - Lower ME day

Low box squat
bar x 8
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
77,5kg x 3
85kg x 3
90kg x 3

Reg back squat
60kg x 8
65kg x 8
70kg x 8
75kg x 8

Hyperextensions
+20kg x 10
+25kg x 10, 15, 12

DB oblique crunch
24kg x 10, 10, 10

+ rolling

I was hoping we would be going for 1RMs because I am still waiting for a chance to crush the 100kg but the game plan ended up being different. The numbers ended up being good though, last time I did 90kg on a low box even one rep felt pretty hard. I was fiddling with the stance width a bit since I have gotten so used to doing these with a wide stance that my regular setup felt a bit weird. It took a good few sets to get into the groove properly. We finally did some regular back squatting (yay!) and even thoughI was already tired from the main work they ended up going really well, the motion felt smooth and my depth was more than satisfactory. Of course, the squat induced soreness is back again and so is my inability to climp the stairs without looking like I was run over by a truck

[Lou1se]

Wow, good to see you managed to shake whatever was trying to take a hold of you Wednesday.

Fantastic work on the benching and I love the work you are doing for Squats. 90kg on Box Squats!! Strong girl

Abdominal area work is impressive too!

[lilOwl]

Thanks a lot Lou1se! I've been trying to get the most out of every session and it's been going pretty well so far but I haven't managed to completely shake off whatever bug I caught last week. I've had a sore throat the last couple of days and the headache is back full force today so I'm ODing on vit C and resting. I did get two training sessions in since Friday but we'll see how the rest of the week goes. I'm not keen on taking time off right now but if I have to I will.

Saturday - Assistance

High step-up
10kg DBs x 6
12kg DBs x 6
14kg DBs x 6, 6

Cable pull-throughs
57.5kg x 15
65kg x 15, 15

BB oblique twist
bar x 20
bar+5kg x 15
bar+7,5kg x 15
bar+10kg x 15

Cable crunch
25kg x 20, 20, 20, 20



Monday - Upper ME day

Board press
bar x 5
30kg x 5
40kg x 3
45kg x 3
52,5kg x 3
57,5kg x 1
60kg x 1
65kg x 1

Seated behind-the-neck pin-press
50kg x 5
55kg x 5
60kg x 5
65kg x 5

Wide-grip pushups (on handlebars)
12, 12, 12, 12

One arm BB rows
+7,5kg x 10
+10kg x 10
+12,5kg x 10
+15kg x 10

Front-side-rear dealt raises
2,5kg plates x 20/20/20


Yesterday I felt drained and tired, running on low energy. The 65kg went up really fast, got a long pause, great speed and good form for a change. I feel confident about the progress I've made on the benching so far and I'm curious to see where my numbers are right now but hopefully I can test that when I'm not feeling as run-down as yesterday. The rest of the session just seemed like a blur and I couldn't wait to get it over with. It was a struggle to get through mentally but at least it gave me a chance to tough it out ... not every session's going to be a stellar one and that's fine. You need to be able to get through the bad ones in order to truly appreciate the good ones anyway

[lilOwl]

Thursday - Lower DE day

Low box squats
bar x 8
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
70kg x 1
80kg x 2
85kg x 1

GHRs
8, 8, 8, 8

Reverse hypers
bw x 15
+5kg x 15, 15

Hanging leg raise
12, 12, 12, 12
(some of these were toes-to-bar ... tough as f)

Side oblique crunch
25kg DB x 12, 12, 12


Yesterday's session was postponed till today which ended up fitting perfectly with my recovery. I'm feeling back to my old self minus a few sniffles here and there so I did really well on the squats. The speed was the best I've managed to produce in a while and I didn't feel any fatigue between the sets which was awesome. The gym was a ghost town so we blasted the music up which probably helped as well since the silence really kills my drive sometimes.

I also got my hands on knee and wrist wraps today after the coach said he'd place an order since it's sbout bloody time we got serious about this whole PL thing lol. I already had a chance to test the wrist ones a few times before but I've never given the knee ones a try and omfg do those things hurt. Apparently they weren't even wrapped on too tightly (coach said that when comp time rolls around he'll be wrapping them on for me so tightly it'll make me wanna cry lol) but it felt like I could barely move with them on. I can't imagine going even tighter and on bare skin no less (went over my capris today but a time will come when I'll need to pull out the singlet as well ) although just doing a few BW squats I can already see how these will help tremendously once I hit below parallel. Can't wait to give them a proper go soon regardless of whether or not they actually bring me to tears

[lilOwl]

Friday - Upper DE day

CG bench
bar x 8
25kg x 5
30kg x 3
35kg x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
40kg x 2
45kg x 1
50kg x 1

4 board press (closer grip)
60kg x 5
67,5kg x 3
72,5kg x 1

Skull crushers
bar x 12
25kg x 10, 10, 10

BB rows, overhand grip
40kg x 10, 10, 8, 8

Lat raises, unilat
6kg DB x 12, 12, 12

Band pull-aparts
20, 20, 20


Saturday - Assistance

Dips
BW x 8
+5kg x 6
+7,5kg x 6
+10kg x 5
+5kg x 6, 5

Lat pulldown (underhand grip)
70kg x 6
75kg x 6
80kg x 5, 4
70kg x 5, 5

Abductor machine
20kg x 30, 30, 30, 30, 30

+ 10 mins of incline walking


Friday was a bust. I get annoyed just thinking about it. I was failing on the board press so my spotter tried to grab the bar but I guess he didn't grip it well enough (while I released the tension thinking he grabbed it already) so the bar came down on on me and I felt a tug in my left arm. It didn't feel like anything major but the whole arm felt a bit achey and tired afterwards. It only began to feel a bit inflamed on Sunday morning and it still feels a bit off. I am also dealing with a disrupted schedule this week due to different work hours than usually so I will have to wing it and do most of the sessions alone. Next week I'm taking time off completely and will be bumming around at the seaside. It should give me some time to unwind, recover and get back to business with full speed when I get back. My arm will probably appreciate the change of pace as well so rather than thinking of this as time off I'll just think of it as time well spent on supercompensation lol.

[tina722]

Just sayin hi! Still reading along, it sounds like joining this team/gym was the right move to make. When do you get to try the wraps again?

[lilOwl]

Tuesday - Lower ME day

Rack pulls
bar x 10
40kg x 8
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
80kg x 3
87,5kg x 3
95kg x 3
102,5kg x 3
110kg x 1
115kg x 1
120kg x 1
122,5kg x 1
125kg x 1

Good mornings
40kg x 8
45kg x 8
50kg x 8, 8

Reverse hypers (on a machine)
20kg x 10
30kg x 10, 10, 10

Ab roller
12, 12, 12, 12


This one took place at the old gym at an unnaturally wee hours (translation = 7.30) in the morning for me personally, since I'm a zombie till about 10 o'clock. I pretty much slept my way through the rest periods since I was training alone and my brain was all fuzzy but I got it done. I approached the rack with major doubts since I have to admit I haven't been feeling too confident about my pulling since starting WSBB. It just feels like we pull really rarely and even then I end up feeling like the weight seems even heavier than before starting the new routine. The last time I did rack pulls I ended up pulling 120kg which felt crazy heavy and I actually expected not to even hit that on Tuesday. When I got to 100kg it already felt heavy but after I started with the heavy singles they basically all felt the same. I was supposed to only do 3 singles but due to my lack of faith I didn't plan the numbers out wisely enough so I stopped after I hit 125kg. I am sure I could have gone higher, had I planned it out a bit better but at least I have next time to look forward to. Plus, I'll happily admit the numbers proved me wrong since I've definitely gained some good pulling power over the last two months of work. My drive was a lot better too and I've finally learned to pull the bar closer (I have some nasty bruises and scratches to prove it). All in all, a pretty good day considering the not so stellar circumstances

[lilOwl]

Wednesday - Upper ME day

CG Floor press
bar x 5
30kg x 5
35kg x 3
42,5kg x 3
47,5kg x 1
50kg x 1
55kg x 1

+ CGFP with slingshot
60kg x 2
65kg x 1, 1

4 board press
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
55kg x 5
60kg x 5

Chin-ups
10, 10, 10
(some unassisted, some assisted)

Face pulls (on plate loaded pulley)
15kg x 20
17,5kg x 20
18,75kg x 12


Yesterday was just alright. Got into the gym pretty beat already and the session was probably a PR in duration, we finished just shy of 2 hours ... I have no idea what took us so long. I stopped at what was already my current PR since it was a real grinder, it took me a good 3-4 seconds to get it. My setup was lacking a bit again, as usually, so I decided that was it for the day and didn't try to force it. The coach brought a slingshot for us to test out a bit and even though it felt incredibly awkward at first it definitely helps a bunch. Obviously the setup and the movement felt a lot different from the standard but it's something I'd definitely like to toy with some more when I get the chance. Unfortunately the thing was too big for me (coache's own L size) so the benefits were limited but maybe next time I can get my hands on a smaller version.

[lilOwl]

Thursday - Lower DE day

Low box squat
bar x 5
30kg x 5
40kg x 3
50kg x 3
60kg x 10x2

GHRs
10, 10, 10, 10

Reverse hypers
BW x 15
+5kg plate x 15, 15

Ab roller
12, 12, 12, 12


Today was short and sweet. The squats had great speed so I had to literally hold the bar down to keep it from bouncing off my back. I guess those are the kind of problems you want to have on your squats so I'm a happy camper


Turns out the coach and I have perfectly co-ordinated schedules since he's off to take a vacation next week as well so my de-load will come just according to plan. The following week we're testing out our new 1 RMs so I'm thinking I won't be taking a full-blown week off simply because I know myself well enough to be able to anticipate a pretty major dip in strength if I deload completely. I'll have access to a gym while I'm away (well we'll see what exactly this gym has to offer anyway) so I'll get a few days of light full-body sessions in just to keep moving. I don't want to approach the bar feeling weak as hell when I get back because I'd be seriously disappointed if I didn't actually get any new PRs after all the work we've done so far.

[lilOwl]

Just sayin hi! Still reading along, it sounds like joining this team/gym was the right move to make. When do you get to try the wraps again?

Tina, hi! Yes, I'm feeling really good about the change now! It took some getting used to but now I would not go back to how it was before, no way! I'm thinking we might try the wraps again soon, just probably not immediately after I get back from the vacation since we'll be trying out our new maxes without any equipment (at least I think so? would make sense since we haven't been training with them at all ... we'll see). If the knee wraps have anywhere near the effect as the slingshot they will probably do wonders for my squat - or at least that's what I'm hoping for


Tomorrow our coach and a few other SLO powerlifters will be giving it their all at the WUAP European Championship 2013 in Slovakia. I'll be watching the meet via a live stream so hopefully I'll see them nail all their lifts. According to what I've heard from the coach the girl in the team is well on her way to breaking some records in her division (junior) so I cannot miss this for anything. I've seen her lift various times (she competed in the BP meet as well) and it never ceases to amaze me how ridiculously strong she is. The coach has been dealing with some lingering shoulder issues but he's going to do great I'm sure, I can't imagine him ever half-assing a lift so tomorrow should be a good day for our beasts.

For anyone interested, you can watch the meet on the link below and it starts at 10.00 local time.

http://euro2013.awpc-slovakia.com/

[lilOwl]

ADDED RESULTS:

Marisa G. (Women Junior)
385kg Total @ 57kg BW - 150/100/135
848lbs total @ 125lbs BW - 330/220/297

That's a total of all 3 WRs broken ... major congrats!


Nino P. (Men Open) aka the Coach
672,5kg total @ 90kg BW - 260/182,5/230
1482,5lbs total @ 198lbs BW - 573/402/507

[lilOwl]

Saturday - Assistance

Incline DB press
18kg x 10
20kg x 8
22kg x 6, 6

Rope pullups
5, 5, 5, 5

Skull-crushers
EZ+15kg x 12
EZ+17,5kg x 10
EZ+20kg x 8

Face pulls
30kg x 20, 20, 20

EZ curls
bar+10kg x 10
bar+15kg x 8, 8


Last session of the cycle before deloading. The following week will be pretty freestyle, preferably some weighed work if I can get my hands on weights and bodyweight work if I can't. I'll be checking-in again after a week of swimming and doing nothing, hopefully with some solid new numbers just around the corner.