In Search of Strength

[CharlesSwann]

03/20
Front squat holds: 2 x 505x(30 seconds)
Pull ups: (body weight)x10, 2 x (body weight)x12





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - [injury issues]
Front racks - [injury issues]
RC work - 0
Grippers - 6

[CharlesSwann]

03/21
Slingshot bench: 315x1, 345x1, 365x2, 315x5
Kneeling squat: 135x10, 225x10, 315x10, 335x10, 3 x 355x10
RDL partial: (2nd pin down) 5 x 135x20





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - [injury issues]
Front racks - [injury issues]
RC work - 0
Grippers - 7

[CharlesSwann]

03/22
Nerve flossing
Box front squat w/ 3-ct pause: 225x5, 2 x 315x5, 335x5, 355x5, 375x8
Pull ups: 3 x 20x10
Nerve flossing
Shoulder stretching/general work





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 0
Front racks - [injury issues]
RC work - 0
Grippers - 8

[CharlesSwann]

03/23
Nerve flossing
Shoulder warm up
Incline bench: 225x2, 245x1, 265x1, 285x0, 275x1, 225x8
RDL partial: (2nd pin down) 5 x 135x20
Grippers: (CoC#2)x1, (CoC#2.5)x2, (CoC#2)x7, 2 x (CoC#2)x8
Assisted gripper close: (CoC#3)x1
Push ups to block: a bunch, trying to desensitize the movement a bit
Split squats: a bunch, desensitizing
Nerve flossing





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 1
Front racks - [injury issues]
RC work - 0
Grippers - 0

[CharlesSwann]

We're tentatively back squatting. The nerve flossing stuff has been helping a ton. I get the impression that, if my form broke down, it might get painful, but I'm keeping RPE low and tempo slow and steady.

03/24
Beltless high-box box squat with 3-ct pause: 315x2, 405x1, 455x1, 495x1, 515x1
Pull ups: 3 x 30x10





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 0
Front racks - [injury issues]
RC work - 1
Grippers - 1

[CharlesSwann]

03/25
Beltless highbar w/ 3-ct pause: 45x5, 135x3, 225x3, 315x3, 365x3, 385x3, 405x3
Shoulder warm up (typical + Lu raise + Licis flys)
2 board bench press w/ 2-ct pause: 135x5, 225x3, 275x3, 315x5
Bench press: 5 x 135x5

The board stuff was a bit too much too soon. Shoulder is still sensitive and cutting ROM didn't solve it. I was gonna do more sets/reps but called it. The 135 felt fine, so maybe I should just slowly build a 5x5 from there...

Cue notes to minimize pain: wider grip definitely better than narrower. Rotated in and then arch by depressing works well. Tuck elbows again before unrack. Slow, slow, slow descent tempo.





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 1
Front racks - 0
RC work - 0
Grippers - 2

[CharlesSwann]

Already getting squats pretty close to pre-injury levels. Not that it ended up being a super long injury. I'm just trying not to reinjure.

Normally I'd do more squats tomorrow, but I'll add a one day rest. I want to do 3 squats in a row twice, for 6 days on 1 day off, eventually, but I might do 3 on and 1 off for a bit. It's not a race and more rest will just autoregulate my working weights a bit up if it's too "easy".

03/26
Front squat w/ 3-ct pause: 315x3, 345x3, 355x3, 365x3
Pull ups: 3 x 35x10





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 0
Front racks - 6
RC work - 1
Grippers - 3

[CharlesSwann]

03/27
Beltless high-box box squat with 3-ct pause: 315x2, 405x1, 495x1, 545x4
Slingshot bench: 275x3, 315x3, 335x2, 335x3, 355x2
Bench: 5 x 145x5





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 1
Front racks - 7
RC work - 0
Grippers - 4

[CharlesSwann]

03/29
Beltless highbar w/ 3-ct pause: 315x3, 365x3, 385x3, 405x5
Incline bench: 185x5, 205x5, 225x9
Bench: 5 x 155x5

OK, I gotta get real here with bench. The incline was a bad idea (felt my shoulder) and the bench after felt iffy. Not sure if it was the incline increasing sensitivity before.

I'm going to restart the flat bench work in pain free ranges (like, just the bar is fine... 155 is iffy... I'm sure there's a better number in between) and try to creep it up as I can. I'm going to play it by ear but get more serious about avoiding sensitive loads while still trying to load it.

Incline push ups were pretty good. Incline and board press were bad. OHP can be good. Not sure about slingshot yet.





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 3
Front racks - 9
RC work - 0
Grippers - 6

[CharlesSwann]

03/30
Front squat w/ 3-ct pause: 315x3, 345x3, 355x3, 365x3
Pull ups: 3 x 40x10

03/31
Beltless high-box box squat with 3-ct pause: 315x2, 405x1, 495x1, 545x2
Front squat holds: 3 x 515x(30 seconds)
General shoulder warm up
Bench: 45x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 155x5, 175x5, 195x5, 215x5, 225x12





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 1
Front racks - 0
RC work - 0
Grippers - 8

[CharlesSwann]

04/02
Beltless highbar w/ 3-ct pause: 315x3, 365x3, 385x3, 405x5
RDL: 3 x 95x20
General shoulder warm up
Bench: 45x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 245x3, 265x3
Bench w/ 3-ct pause: 285x3, 285x2, 285x3
Bench: 225x10





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 2
Front racks - 1
RC work - 0
Grippers - 9

[CharlesSwann]

04/03
Front squat w/ 3-ct pause: 315x2, 365x1, 405x1, 440x1
Pull ups: 45x10, 45x9, 45x8

OK, definitely need to do grippers tomorrow. I'm playing too much Sekiro.





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 0
Front racks - 2
RC work - 1
Grippers - 10

[CharlesSwann]

04/04
Beltless high-box box squat with 3-ct pause: 315x3, 405x2, 495x1, 545x4
Tempo dumbbell preacher curl: 4 x 30x8, 30x7
Biceps stretching
Tempo push ups: 3 x BWx10

Note to self: even if the weight feels heavy, you can't out-race the weight. I know this already but I guess it's one of those things I have to relearn every now and again. I misgrooved the second rep pretty badly because I rushed. I would've had my goal of 545x5 today I think. That's okay, I'm in no rush to PR squat. Squats are still going really, really well lately. Gotta stay healthy and consistent above all, and the goals will follow.

04/05
Grippers: (CoC#2)x1, (CoC#2.5)x0, (CoC#2)x4, 2 x (CoC#2)x3
Biceps stretching
SLDL sumo stretching

Bad grippers today. Maybe the biceps soreness was killing me. I could barely set them.

04/06
Tempo dumbbell preacher curl: 5 x 30x8
Biceps stretching
SLDL sumo stretching
Licis's circuit





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 3
Front racks - 5
RC work - 0
Grippers - 1

[CharlesSwann]

I think the work on 04/02 was actually 365x3, 395x3, 415x3... I'm positive I did 415x3 last time, and I thought I did 405x5 two sessions in a row, but I'm not sure what happened with my logging? Did I forget to log a session? Probably not. Anyway...

04/07
Beltless highbar w/ 3-ct pause: 315x3, 365x3, 395x3, 415x3
Band suspended push ups: 5 x (body weight)x8
Overhead triceps extension: 45x10, 65x10, 5 x 85x10
SL-SLDL: 5 x 95x10





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 4
Front racks - 6
RC work - 0
Grippers - 2
Curls - 1
Band suspended push ups - 0
Triceps extensions - 0

[CharlesSwann]

04/08
Front squat w/ 3-ct pause: 315x3, 345x3, 355x3, 365x3
Pull ups: 3 x 45x10
Tempo dumbbell preacher curl: 35x6, 35x5, 35x4
Shoulder stretching and Licis's circuit
Some light SLDL sumo deadlifts and mobility work





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 0
Front racks - 7
RC work - 0
Grippers - 3
Curls - 0
Band suspended push ups - 1
Triceps extensions - 1

[CharlesSwann]

04/09
Beltless high-box box squat with 3-ct pause: 315x3, 405x1, 495x1, 545x4
Front squat holds: 3 x 525x(30 seconds)
Licis's circuit
Overhead triceps extension: 3 x 90x10
Band suspended push ups: 3 x (body weight)x8

I feel 545x5 in me, I just haven't put it all together the past few sessions. I am tired, but I think I have it anyway. Maybe it will have to wait 'til after a deload though. We'll see.





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 1
Front racks - 0
RC work - 0
Grippers - 4
Curls - 1
Band suspended push ups - 0
Triceps extensions - 0

[CharlesSwann]

04/10
Tempo dumbbell preacher curl: 35x8, 35x7, 35x6
Licis's circuit + some others
Some light SLDL sumo deadlifts and mobility work





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 2
Front racks - 1
RC work - 0
Grippers - 5
Curls - 0
Band suspended push ups - 1
Triceps extensions - 1

[CharlesSwann]

04/11
Beltless highbar w/ 3-ct pause: 315x3, 365x3, 395x3, 415x3
Shoulder stretching, Licis's circuit, Strickland's circuit, weighted internal rotation against wall
Bench from pins: 45x5, 135x5, 225x1, 225x1
Bench: 275x1, 315x1, 335x1, 2 x 275x5, 275x7
Overhead triceps extension: 3 x 95x10 - note: actively avoid shrugging here—lower weight if necessary. I found focusing on my mid-back tightness was actually the most hopeful cue for this, even/especially right before unracking (otherwise I can't quite get tight until after I lockout/shrug the first rep).
Face pulls: (black band)x15
Some light SLDL sumo deadlifts and mobility work

Some bench thoughts: I like this warm up. And I like doing the biceps work (incl. stretching) on off days. For the bench itself: chalk bench, ring finger on rings, depress shoulders, unrack with glutes up, descend slowly, and touch lower than I used to.

I think with the warm up, new unrack, slower descent, and lower touch point, I might be able to start training bench again.

Squat felt awesome. To be honest, I held back a tiny bit. I'm going to take a light week after Saturday's attempt at 545x5 on the box squat and Sunday's deadlifting, and I'd like those to go well, and I'm already ahead on these.





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - [injury issues]
Pull ups - 3
Front racks - 2
RC work - 0
Grippers - 6
Curls - 1
Band suspended push ups - 2
Triceps extensions - 0

[CharlesSwann]

04/12
Front squat w/ 3-ct pause: 315x3, 345x3, 355x3, 365x3
Dumbbell row: 190x5, 210x5, 230x5
Tempo dumbbell preacher curl: 35x8, 35x7, 35x6
Licis's circuit, Strickland's circuit, weighted internal rotation against wall
Some light SLDL sumo deadlifts and mobility work





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - 0
Pull ups - 4
Front racks - 3
RC work - 0
Grippers - 7
Curls - 0
Band suspended push ups - 3
Triceps extensions - 1

[CharlesSwann]

04/13
Beltless high-box box squat with 3-ct pause: 315x3, 405x2, 495x1, 545x5
Shoulder stretching, Licis's circuit, Strickland's circuit, weighted internal rotation against wall
Bench press: 45x5, 135x5, 225x5, 5 x 275x5
Overhead triceps extension: 3 x 100x10 - still trying really hard not to shrug. I can pull it off but it's basically the only thing I'm focusing on!

Bench: pinkies on rings (closer than usual), depress with glutes up to unrack, feet further back, and touch lower on chest with a slow eccentric. This was the combination that lead to the least pain/issues. Last set was actually best.





Days since:
Deadlifts - [injury issues]
Rows - 1
Pull ups - 5
Front racks - 4
RC work - 0
Grippers - 8
Curls - 1
Band suspended push ups - 4
Triceps extensions - 0

[bpg523]

Good Workout!
Love the shoulder stretching circuits.
Got a link to a description of these?

[CharlesSwann]

OK, so we're back deadlifting. I'm not happy with the top set today, but I am happy with how it went overall. I felt a twinge in my hamstring on the third rep and brought the bar back down and didn't have any pain or issues. I was a tiny bit tender so I ended up 225x30 to get some blood flow and felt amazing after.

So my tear isn't 100%, but it's close. I'm going to do some really high volume deficit sumo pulling back in my home gym to iron out that last bit of pain so I can start some serious pulling again!

04/14
Deadlift: 135x3, 225x3, 315x3, 405x2, 495x1, 545x1, 605x2, 225x30
Pull downs: 30x5, 75x5, 105x5, 135x5, 165x5, 180x5, 195x5, 210x5, 225x5
Downwards shrugs: 225x5, 240x10, 240x8
Grippers: (CoC#2)x1, (CoC#2.5)x0
Assisted crush: (CoC#3)x1
Grippers: (CoC#2.5)x0, (CoC#2)x1

So many sets of pull downs because I haven't done them before and had to find my weight.

Downwards shrugs on the pull down machine: these kind of bothered my left AC joint. Weird. Gotta look into that and maybe do some prehab here.

Grippers: I don't know why I went from doubling #2.5 to not being able to do it. Maybe just off days. The back off work is awful too. I'm mostly staying the course for now, though.





Days since:
Deadlifts - 0
Rows - 2
Pull ups - 0
Front racks - 5
RC work - 1
Grippers - 0
Curls - 2
Band suspended push ups - 5
Triceps extensions - 1

Good Workout!
Love the shoulder stretching circuits.
Got a link to a description of these?

Hey, more specifically, I've been doing:

- Broom subscap stretch
- Sleeper stretch
- The two exercises Licis does here
- Then light front raises, side raises, and rear delt flys in a circuit I got from a Strickland video

I like it, my shoulder has been feeling better running through this two or three times before I start bench work.

[Atom1980]

Nice work Charles! Hopefully you can work through it.

[CharlesSwann]

04/16
Triceps extensions: 3 x 105x10
Dumbbell preacher curl: 35x8, 2 x 35x7
Some plate slides for adductors
Some body weight sumo DL for high reps
Some rotator work





Days since:
Deadlifts - 2
Rows - 4
Pull ups - 2
Front racks - 7
RC work - 3
Grippers - 2
Curls - 0
Band suspended push ups - 7
Triceps extensions - 0

Nice work Charles! Hopefully you can work through it.

Thanks! Good to see you here.

[CharlesSwann]

04/18
Front rack holds: 660x(18 seconds)
Cossack squats: BWx5, 30x5, 2 x 45x5, 3 x 65x5, 3 x 85x5
Super set the squats with: side plank clamshell holds for (body weight)x(15 seconds)
Pull ups: 50x9, 2 x 50x8
Shoulder health circuit
Band suspended push ups: 3 x (body weight)x8

I tried split squats, but this pain in my left hip was flaring up. Swapped to Cossack squats. I'm just trying to get some decent unilateral leg loading going on my light week. Hope the hip doesn't become an issue. Plan is to start next block of heavy squatting this Sunday.





Days since:
Deadlifts - 4
Rows - 6
Pull ups - 0
Front racks - 0
RC work - 5
Grippers - 4
Curls - 2
Band suspended push ups - 0
Triceps extensions - 2

[CharlesSwann]

Plan was high bar today, but that weird hip pain is still there, so I swapped to my box squat for today. We'll see what the plan is tomorrow... have to play this by ear.

Tentatively, I'll do front squats and maybe seal rows tomorrow. If my hip hurts, I might try more box squats, or I might take it off and do rehab/stretching.

04/21
Beltless high-box box squat with 3-ct pause: 315x3, 405x2, 495x1, 555x4
Some high bar fiddling/stretching to try to mobilize my hip
Shoulder warm up circuit
Bench: 5 x 280x5, 30 second break + 280x3 -- I meant to AMRAP the last set, but I kept hitting the hooks. I got up, rewrapped wrists, and set up to get three more reps...
Dumbbell preacher curl: 3 x 35x8





Days since:
Deadlifts - 7
Rows - 9
Pull ups - 3
Front racks - 3
RC work - 0
Grippers - 3
Curls - 0
Band suspended push ups - 3
Triceps extensions - 5

[CharlesSwann]

04/22
Front squat w/ 3-ct pause: 315x4, 345x4, 355x4, 365x3
Seal row: 3 x 235x5
GM on bench: 3 x 45x8





Days since:
Deadlifts - 8
Rows - 0
Pull ups - 4
Front racks - 4
RC work - 1
Grippers - 4
Curls - 1
Band suspended push ups - 4
Triceps extensions - 6

[CharlesSwann]

Hips feel awful. Body feels awful. Had to do a lot of stretching to get into today's squatting.

04/23
Beltless highbar w/ 3-ct pause: 315x3, 365x3, 395x3, 415x3
Triceps extensions: 3 x 110x10
GM on bench: 3 x 45x8





Days since:
Deadlifts - 9
Rows - 1
Pull ups - 5
Front racks - 5
RC work - 0
Grippers - 5
Curls - 2
Band suspended push ups - 5
Triceps extensions - 0

[CharlesSwann]

Now my knee feels iffy. I can't believe how badly I'm falling apart after a deload. Will have to be careful/play this by ear.

04/24
Beltless high-box box squat with 3-ct pause: 315x3, 405x3, 495x1, 545x1, 570x3
Pull ups: 50x10, 50x9, 50x8





Days since:
Deadlifts - 10
Rows - 2
Pull ups - 0
Front racks - 6
RC work - 1
Grippers - 6
Curls - 3
Band suspended push ups - 6
Triceps extensions - 1

[CharlesSwann]

04/25
Front squat w/ 3-ct pause: 315x3, 345x3

Couldn't finish my session. Every rep was painful. Not worth pushing through.

Gotta reevaluate how to continue here...





Days since:
Deadlifts - 11
Rows - 3
Pull ups - 1
Front racks - 7
RC work - 2
Grippers - 7
Curls - 4
Band suspended push ups - 7
Triceps extensions - 2