Cheeky Canadian Trains for an American Meet

[izzygrant]

Sunday January 5

@ oval

Sumo Block Pulls
205 x 3
225 x 3
235 x 3
255 x 3
275 x 1
2 x 3 @ 205

high block, put the bar about an inch and a half below the knee. I was not really prepared for how hard these were, given the reduced ROM. there's no rounding to be seen, but the only place I felt these was my lower back, so I bailed after one at 275 and dropped way down. 205's not really heavy enough to keep me honest though and I KNOW my glutes aren't doing their job. frustrating.

this space reserved for video.

I wanted to do pause squats after this, but it was a complete disaster with 65lbs and I just bailed. I can't squat when my hips are that open, there's no tightness in the hole. I'm going to have to rethink my programming for this day and either do pause squats first or just be content with squatting 2x a week. I'm nervous about doing that, though, given how fickle my squat form is.

Pendlay Rows
4 x 8 @ 75

wow, that's terrible. now that I'm leaning out, I'm starting to be able to tell what's grown - quads, glutes, hammies, abs are all showing up but my upper back has barely improved. this is really annoying because I've made it a #1 accessory priority for quite a while now. maybe just lighter high rep stuff isn't as effective alone and I need some kind of row where I'm really pushing the weight to get stronger/bigger. deadlifts alone clearly aren't sufficient and I think I've lost ground in this area without the oly stuff lately.

Back/Tri's/Bi's
lat PD, close grip, palms facing x 6 @ 90 double cable
overhead tri extensions x 8 @ level 5
barbell curl x 6 @ 40lbs

4 rounds

Glutes/Core/Back
wide-stance bent-legged pullthroughs x 10 @ level 15
decline situps x 15
doubled mini band pullaparts, various levels x 25

4 rounds

Shoulder Rehab
band internal/external rotations
rear delt raises x 6 @ 10
ball against wall bird dog

4 rounds

Conditioning
200 meter wind sprints x 11, 30-45 seconds recovery
2000 meter row

sucked less than I thought it would, actually.

weight's been stable this week so it's time for more conditioning and less calories :'( I'll take it down to 2000, leaving protein as high as possible.

wssup cannuckistan girl?

omg look who it is!! welcome back. are you going to be a resolutioner this year?

[ilovethe80s]

We seem to be on the same squat fall apart cycle. Lol. Pause squats are my plan as well, and last resort is upping the frequency again. It is frustrating how that happens every so often.

That is great that you can see new developments in your legs and abs. Can you do pull ups unassisted? If not, maybe running that as a side goal alongside what you are doing might help move things along there? Doorway pull up bars / grease the groove style are great for that and don't take up much extra time. Varying the intensity on your rowing is a good idea.

Sounds like your weight loss plan is going along great, still can't believe you already lost 10!

[SmallLats]

That's some impressive conditioning you got going on. 2000m row would probably give me a heart attack

[MatTheCur]

Pffft. Forget strict curls. Do Poundstones at the end of your sessions. Oh yeah.

[Filmbuff81]

HOLY ****!!!!

YOU

DID

CONDITIONING????

[izzygrant]

Monday January 5

@ oval

should have eased into the conditioning, I felt like dying today. everything hurts.

Rehab Bench
bar x 8
65 x 3
75 x 3
3 x 3 @ 80

focused on keeping upper back tight as the one cue. not tight enough obviously, my bar path still felt wobbly. I think the main problem is that things like my rear delts and lats are just really weak and I need to keep strengthening them. shoulder held up fine.

I stole Laura's setup rather than my usual Naumova-esque style and I liked it for putting more weight on the shoulders. wore Adis for most sets, trying to figure out what footwear I want to bench in. arch is higher in oly's but it's harder to get leg drive, which I think is pretty standard. I'm going to have to decide which I need more.

Power Shrugs
5 x 8 @ 225

first time doing these. I really like them. I feel my upper back a lot, delts as well as traps, and it helps me feel what it's like to resist weight in front and keep my shoulders locked back.

Facepull/DB Bench/Curl
face pull x 8 @ 110, face/neck/chest heights
palms facing incline DB bench x 8 @ 20
hammer curls x 8 @ 20

4 rounds

Shoulders
incline pushups plus
band internal/external
dislocations
pullaparts, varying levels

We seem to be on the same squat fall apart cycle. Lol. Pause squats are my plan as well, and last resort is upping the frequency again. It is frustrating how that happens every so often.

That is great that you can see new developments in your legs and abs. Can you do pull ups unassisted? If not, maybe running that as a side goal alongside what you are doing might help move things along there? Doorway pull up bars / grease the groove style are great for that and don't take up much extra time. Varying the intensity on your rowing is a good idea.

Sounds like your weight loss plan is going along great, still can't believe you already lost 10!

haha. someday we'll figure out how to convince squat to stick around. no, I can't do unassisted pullups, which stung my pride at the lifting party so now it's a goal for sure. one of the girls suggested negatives as something that helped her. I have a doorway pullup bar and I try to do one or two whenever I go by, but the problem is I'm never home. I really need one at work but I don't think they'd like that too much, lol.

apparently that's the easy part done with, the scale is stubbornly refusing to move now. I still have a good 20 to go in the next seven weeks, yikes. I don't know if it's really realistic. but I'll never know if I don't try.

That's some impressive conditioning you got going on. 2000m row would probably give me a heart attack

well it took almost 10 minutes so clearly I wasn't going that fast, lol. I was more impressed with myself for not falling on my face while sprinting. I'm a huge klutz.

Pffft. Forget strict curls. Do Poundstones at the end of your sessions. Oh yeah.

sure, except I can only curl the bar 6 or 7 times. #nogunz #yolo

HOLY ****!!!!

YOU

DID

CONDITIONING????

ha. it happens sometimes. I didn't really need it while I was bulking, I had lots of cardio from my previous running addiction and it was getting in the way of strength gains, but it usually seems to help kickstart fat loss for me a bit. you'll probably see more of it over the next few months as I recklessly try to make 63 class.

[Filmbuff81]

another nice workout and yeah running long distance is gonna kill the strength to an extent, but some sprints and rowing is a little more specific and helpful. next stop 11 sled drags and rowing supersetted!

[MatTheCur]

Monday January 5

@ oval

should have eased into the conditioning, I felt like dying today. everything hurts.

Rehab Bench
bar x 8
65 x 3
75 x 3
3 x 3 @ 80

focused on keeping upper back tight as the one cue. not tight enough obviously, my bar path still felt wobbly. I think the main problem is that things like my rear delts and lats are just really weak and I need to keep strengthening them. shoulder held up fine.

I stole Laura's setup rather than my usual Naumova-esque style and I liked it for putting more weight on the shoulders. wore Adis for most sets, trying to figure out what footwear I want to bench in. arch is higher in oly's but it's harder to get leg drive, which I think is pretty standard. I'm going to have to decide which I need more.

Power Shrugs
5 x 8 @ 225

first time doing these. I really like them. I feel my upper back a lot, delts as well as traps, and it helps me feel what it's like to resist weight in front and keep my shoulders locked back.

Facepull/DB Bench/Curl
face pull x 8 @ 110, face/neck/chest heights
palms facing incline DB bench x 8 @ 20
hammer curls x 8 @ 20

4 rounds

Shoulders
incline pushups plus
band internal/external
dislocations
pullaparts, varying levels

sure, except I can only curl the bar 6 or 7 times. #nogunz #yolo

Nice workout!

What's the motive behind the three different heights on face pulls? (srs question)

Also, you only get better doing Poundstones if you ... y'know ... keep doing Poundstones lol <3 ( I haz no gunz neider )

[izzygrant]

today: mobility and 30 minutes incline walking. I am sick again/still, fml.

another nice workout and yeah running long distance is gonna kill the strength to an extent, but some sprints and rowing is a little more specific and helpful. next stop 11 sled drags and rowing supersetted!

I would have definitely preferred to do either sled drags or prowler pushes rather than all out sprints. sadly I don't have access to either.

Nice workout!

What's the motive behind the three different heights on face pulls? (srs question)

Also, you only get better doing Poundstones if you ... y'know ... keep doing Poundstones lol <3 ( I haz no gunz neider )

they were suggested by paul above, for the purpose of hitting different portions of the upper back and making sure everything stays awake and properly tight and active.

but I hate curling!! bah you are right

[trancebreak]

Read about your 275 single block pull... that's impressive as fuk to say the least. Good luck with your goals bud!

[thom2355]

What's the motive behind the three different heights on face pulls? (srs question)

My use for them is mostly to break up repetition and ensure quality movement. If I hit 30 reps of face pulls in the same path of motion, it becomes a bit redundant. Moving the path of motion keeps me focusing on squeezing the upper back. It also hits the upper back muscles just a bit differently.

[ilovethe80s]

My use for them is mostly to break up repetition and ensure quality movement. If I hit 30 reps of face pulls in the same path of motion, it becomes a bit redundant. Moving the path of motion keeps me focusing on squeezing the upper back. It also hits the upper back muscles just a bit differently.

Thank you for posting on that, I started doing this as well after reading your advice in the previous page and do feel like I get a lot more out of the movement that way.

[MatTheCur]

they were suggested by paul above, for the purpose of hitting different portions of the upper back and making sure everything stays awake and properly tight and active.

but I hate curling!! bah you are right

Hokay.

And hokay.

My use for them is mostly to break up repetition and ensure quality movement. If I hit 30 reps of face pulls in the same path of motion, it becomes a bit redundant. Moving the path of motion keeps me focusing on squeezing the upper back. It also hits the upper back muscles just a bit differently.

Thank you for posting on that, I started doing this as well after reading your advice in the previous page and do feel like I get a lot more out of the movement that way.

Thanks Good to know!

[austin.j.taylor]

omg look who it is!! welcome back. are you going to be a resolutioner this year?

Absolutely not. I am still on the mend like I have been for about 8 months. Stuff is feeling better but I wont start body weight stuff for at least another week or two.

[izzygrant]

Read about your 275 single block pull... that's impressive as fuk to say the least. Good luck with your goals bud!

thanks! I was a bit disappointed since I'd planned on a triple, but I was getting some unusual lower back compression so it didn't seem worth it to force it. I'll be impressed with myself when I pull it from the floor

Absolutely not. I am still on the mend like I have been for about 8 months. Stuff is feeling better but I wont start body weight stuff for at least another week or two.

body weight? you're taking up calisthenetics? inb4 crossfit

seriously, sorry to hear. I thought you were sufficiently patched up before now.


here is some 255 x 3 block pulls for everyone's entertainment

[FrmrHoss]

Is that you all the way over there????

Looks good, esp w/r/t to back position but I'm wondering if that's really a position you find yourself in when pulling from the floor.

[izzygrant]

Is that you all the way over there????

Looks good, esp w/r/t to back position but I'm wondering if that's really a position you find yourself in when pulling from the floor.

well, it's the position I'd like to find myself in, if I can learn/develop the mobility to sumo correctly... ideally my hips would stay that close to the bar, but they may be a little lower there than is really ideal. I was trying to find a groove that took the pressure off my lower back a bit more. didn't work.

[thom2355]

When pulling from blocks, it is very difficult to not feel pressure in your lower back. It is a shorter pull that most people can handle more weight on, but you lose the momentum that you would build with leg drive from the floor. I find that block pulls (I stick with a 4" block) feel awful on my back during training, but I recover faster from them then I do pulling from the floor. By placing them after pulling from the floor, I can overload a bit after being fully warmed up/fatigued. With the faster recovery and overload, I am getting stronger while still being ready to pull again next week.

In short, block pulls suck to perform (i.e. they hurt), but pay dividends in the long run.

[izzygrant]

When pulling from blocks, it is very difficult to not feel pressure in your lower back. It is a shorter pull that most people can handle more weight on, but you lose the momentum that you would build with leg drive from the floor. I find that block pulls (I stick with a 4" block) feel awful on my back during training, but I recover faster from them then I do pulling from the floor. By placing them after pulling from the floor, I can overload a bit after being fully warmed up/fatigued. With the faster recovery and overload, I am getting stronger while still being ready to pull again next week.

In short, block pulls suck to perform (i.e. they hurt), but pay dividends in the long run.

Oh so that's normal? Cool, I will stop being a pussy and finish my sets then.

[izzygrant]

Friday January 10

today was medical imaging day: ultrasound for the shoulder (a good month after the fact, thanks canada health care) and chest x-ray because the doc thought I might have pneumonia. ultrasound results will be about a week and the chest x-ray was clear so they sent me home with some nice antibiotics. this workout was hellish because I haven't been able to really eat in a good three days and I still feel like crap, but it got done.

@ oval

Squats
135 x 3
145 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 1 high
add belt
135 x 5
3 @ 155 (x2)
135 x 5

I don't know quite what happened here. I got under 165 and out of the blue had a full-on panic attack and couldn't squat it. I wasn't particularly psyched up, this isn't really heavy for me anymore, it was just going to be another warmup set. I forced myself to try and I'm pretty sure it was an inch or so high. I was thrown by that so I dropped down and worked up again, and everything was fine. I haven't been scared of a squat in a really long time. six weeks out, I had better get my sh!t together mentally. hopefully it is just being sick and feeling kinda faint that was messing with me.

2-Count Pause Squat
3 @ 125 (x 4)

beltless. totally fine.

Bench
3 @ 75 (x 5) paused

the initial sets of these tweaked my shoulder and I was thinking of bailing, but then I figured out what I've been screwing up with my bench lately. I'm setting up too far forward and not bringing the bar out enough. it was basically becoming a skullcrusher/bench thing. if I set up with the bar over my clavicles rather than my chin, and bring it out just an inch or so further, the touching point is fixed, the shoulder stays back and is quiet, my lats grab on to the weight and stay tight all the way, and leg drive comes through my quads while my butt stays down. freakin' magic.

BB Hip Thrust/High T-Bar Row
8 @ 135 HT
8 @ 60 TBR

x 5

Shoulders
band rehab + pullaparts, various

[Filmbuff81]

Hopefully you feel better soon.

I vote for being sick and not eating on the freakout.

**** happens in training.

[izzygrant]

Saturday January 11

ME Judging

judged another meet this weekend. ended up spending the entire day in the head ref's chair. I have a new appreciation for how exhausting that is - so many things you're responsible for. got told by some people I was really mean and others too lenient so I guess that means I struck a good balance?

Hopefully you feel better soon.

I vote for being sick and not eating on the freakout.

**** happens in training.

yeah I think so. not surprising for your body to balk at getting under something heavy when you are feeling light-headed, really. a bit annoyed for not being tougher but I'll cut myself some slack. I do seem to be feeling somewhat better, thanks.

[austin.j.taylor]

body weight? you're taking up calisthenetics? inb4 crossfit

I am below 250 All my gains are gone. Yeah I plan on crossfitting as soon as my legs shrink enough to get into some board shorts.

[beatha]

. got told by some people I was really mean and others too lenient so I guess that means I struck a good balance?

thumbsup.jpg ... ^^^ sounds like a good balance izzy.

[izzygrant]

Sunday January 12

@ oval

2-Count Pause Squats
3 @ 115 (x5)

felt heavy, boo

Conventional in Olys
singles up to 215 x 1 vs doubled mini

Sumo Block Pulls
up to 265 x 1

3", down from 4" last week. I cannot use my belt with these, I end up sitting into it wrong and rounding my back a lot. I really need to learn how to get something out of a belt for deadlift, so far it just fuks me up on both styles no matter where I put it.

Sunday weigh in: 13lbs down from start on Dec 1, about 1kg/week loss over 6 weeks.

Monday January 13

Rehab Bench
8 @ 65 (x3)
2 @ 85 (x8)

heaviest I've benched since the injury. shoulder was pinching a little on some reps but I just kept it pulled back and made sure to use zero front delt and it was ok. it feels like a very foreign way to bench.

Pullups
4-5 w/ light band (x 10, alternating neutral and overhand grip)

yay, I can do pullups with a band again! not sure how much is me being stronger and how much is the lighter bodyweight.

both days: band shoulder work, pullaparts x lots between sets

I am below 250 All my gains are gone. Yeah I plan on crossfitting as soon as my legs shrink enough to get into some board shorts.

WHAT? you are tiny now!

thumbsup.jpg ... ^^^ sounds like a good balance izzy.

thanks B

[NorthStrong]

Good stuff Izzy, impressed with the cutting ability lol.

[psychodiver9]

Good stuff Izzy, impressed with the cutting ability lol.

this any progress pics?

[ilovethe80s]

this any progress pics?

No kidding! Sounds like it is pictures time

You probably did a very fair job of judging if some said to lenient and others said too strict.

I wear my belt really high for deadlifts, and it took a while to get used to a thicker belt. Up to last year I just used a really cheap fabric / velcro belt from a sporting goods store because it was more comfortable.

[Alfha]

Back from bandcamp!
Can you pm or if not shy put name publicly of gym? The ceiling is awesomeeeeeeeee! Srs. I've missed on a lot though but from what I've skimmed through you seem to still be making steady progress brah. If you dedicated yourself to the Aesthetics lifestyle (inb4 negs lol) you'd make it too srs.
thank you marc .

[tina722]

Dumb question. 3" is the height of the block? That sounds pretty short/almost from the floor.

Things look really good, I'm back to following consistently.