Starting to get serious

[lazyaj]

Thurs 9/7 at Boss

Overhead squat 33x8 63x8
Front squat 93x8 123x8 138x8 133x2x8
Farmers walk trap bar: 135 185 205 225x2 235
GHR 6x6
Hang from a bar and tuck into a ball: 3x10

Sat 9/9 Boss

SSB squat sleeveless beltless 154x3x5
Deadlift 154x2x3 198x3 242x3 264x3 286x3 308x2 (failed 3rd rep)
Speed deadlift/5 second isometric hold at knee supersets: 253x3x5
Reverse hyper 15's: 90 140x3
GHR situp hands overhead 15 12 15

Sunday 9/10

Paused wg bench up to 115x2x8
Paused cg bench up to 108x2x8
Incline bench 86x2x8, 81x9+2.5+1.5
DB fly lying on the floor: 20x2x10 25x3x10
Unilateral db tri extensions: 15x3-4x15

Monday 9/11 at LA Fitness in San Antonio

Hack squat 90x10 70x10
Hb squat 5's 45 95 135 175 195 200 185x2
Leg press up to 3 plates per side plus 10's for 10 reps
Def DB sldl 50x10 60x10 70x9 70x10 (last set w straps)
Hammer high row 4x10
Seated calf 3x10

Not my greatest workouts. Front squats felt way heavier than expected. I thought for sure I could triple 140kg this week on deadlifts, but the first rep was an absolute grinder. Second was better but on the third my right leg said "no" and I helicoptered the bar up to mid-shin and was done. Really frustrating. But the speed pulls after that felt genuinely speedy. I will have to take a deload early, I don't think there's any point trying to repeat 140 this week.

Benching on Saturday moved well. My shoulder was a little sore after but not as bad as last week. Doing the flys on the floor definitely helped. Workout last night was lackluster but improved the longer I was there. Was hoping to do a lot heavier on squats but just didn't have it together. I realized it's pointless to fight bad nutrition and lack of sleep at the gym, so I just dropped the weight for the last two sets, then did fun stuff.

I have tonight off, then tomorrow night planning to work out at Orange County Strength Club in Orange CA. Really excited to check it out!! Probably just bench accessories, though I may do some pulls against bands since I should have done those last night but LA Fitness...didn't have the equipment lol.

[tina722]

Did you mention a training plan for a meet?!

Looks like you are traveling a lot. Do you bring belt/shoes etc with you? Flights and changes in diet intake during travel kill my training ability. My respect for anyone who competes after traveling has multiplied.

[lazyaj]

Did you mention a training plan for a meet?!

Looks like you are traveling a lot. Do you bring belt/shoes etc with you? Flights and changes in diet intake during travel kill my training ability. My respect for anyone who competes after traveling has multiplied.

Yes! I'm doing a meet Nov 11. So, about 7 weeks left to train. Where did the time go?!?!?!?!

Yeah I've been having to travel _a lot_ for work, though it may be slowing down finally. Often I only bring wrist wraps, but this time I had everything - belt, knee sleeves, squat shoes! I'm glad I was able to bring it all because I had three workouts on the road this week.

[lazyaj]

Wed 9/13 at OC Strength Club

Listing all weights in kilos today!
Deficit (red 25kg plate) against doubled mini (orange) bands: 60x5 80x3 90x3 100x3 110x7x1, 30s rest between singles
Paused wg bench 20x5 35x10 40x10 45x2x10
Ohp (standing, paused at the bottom) 20x6 25x6 27.5x6 30x6 32.5x5, x4 30x6
Bamboo bar bench, hanging plates off with mini bands: 10x8, 20x8, 30x2x8
DB lat raise/db front raise/db rear fly superset, x4
Tricep pushdown/facepull superset x4
CG lat pulldown to sternum 10x4

Thurs 9/14 at Metroflex Long Beach
(weights in pounds)
GHR situp BW x2x15
Front squat 45x8 85x8 115x7 135x7 145x3x7
Power squat machine, 2x8
Vertical leg press, up to 4 plates for 10 reps
Farmer carries with crappy trap bar, 4 laps
Hammer iso pullover, plate each side x 5x10
Underhand lat pd 5 or 6 sets of 8-10
GHR 5 reps - that's it!!
GHR situps bw x15, 25x3x10

Great workouts! I loved OC strength, though I was there kind of early and there was barely anyone there. Glad I could do the dl against bands this week. Where I feel it the most is actually my mid-upper back, on the right side. Need to keep an eye on that. The bamboo bar was really weird and challenging. I gave somebody a fright on the last set I did, because I had so much lateral shaking for a minute I'm sure it looked like I would definitely dump it. I just squeezed the bar and then it stopped rocking. When I finished I stood up and this guy was standing there, "Just let me know if you need a spot! It's no problem!" Haha.

Today my flight home got delayed two (now three!!!) hours, so I hit up Metroflex. That place is also great! Love all the old, weird machines. Front squats felt...not easy, but completely doable today. Thank god! I tried out a vertical leg press, and I love it. My hips don't allow me to go super deep, but the stretch in the hamstrings at lockout is really interesting. They also had a Hammer iso pullover (plate loaded). I stuck to one plate per arm. That thing is ok, but somewhat limited range of motion, and no foot pedal to get into the starting position. I liked the Nautilus one I tried better, even though it was too easy!!! My only complaint about Metroflex is they have this really ancient, janky reverse hyper. The plates go right in the middle, so I'm not sure how it's possible to use it without bashing yourself in the shins? At least, that's what happened to me, then I immediately gave up haha.

=======

I went back and watched all my recent deadlift videos. When I pulled 135x7, 145x3, and 138x3 off a deficit, I was standing up between reps and breathing at the top. Last week when I failed the third rep at 140, I was starting from the floor. Dan wants me to start from the floor and keep my hips low, because he says when I breathe at the top I stiff leg it. I think that in the long term, what he is telling me to do will get me further. But currently, his way is about 5-10 kg weaker for me than my way. It was the same leading up to the May meet, and I went back to breathing at the top for the competition, about 3-4 weeks out. On the other hand, I found a video of 135x3 that I pulled starting from the floor, back in May. The 135x3 I did two weeks ago was WAY faster. So, I am making some dl progress, but I should probably track "my" dl and what Dan wants me to do separately, since there's such a big gap there. Lol not to overthink things!

[lazyaj]

Saturday 9/16 at Boss

SSB squat - no belt, no sleeves, no hands! up to 70kgx5, 75kgx2x5
Deadlift (Dan's way) triples - 70 85 100 115 127.5 132.5 137.5kg aka 303 lbs
Deadlift triples at 117.5kg/5 second iso hold at knees supersets: 5 sets
Reverse hyper 14's (lbs): 90, 140, 180x2-3
DB rows 8's (lbs): 50x2, 60
GHR situp bw x 2 x 15
Calf raise on leg press machine - 4 sets

Great workout today. Pulls felt a million times better than last week. Glad I could get my head back in the right place! Did the no-hands ssb squats as a warmup for fun. I love them!

For deadlift, I'm learning a few things. First, I switched my grip so I have the bar jammed into the web of my thumb. I'm getting callouses on a different part of my thumbs now, and it's painful, but I think I'll get used to it. However, it's definitely more secure! Second, I need to squeeze the bar tighter before I initiate the pull, but not too tight too early because it's too taxing for some reason. Third, I need to breathe and push out against my belt while standing, then hold that tightness as I set up. I can hold it even with breathing out and in at the bottom. But I can't (for some reason) obtain that tightness at the bottom in the first place. This only helps with the first rep, but it's only the first rep that matters at a meet!

insta: http://www.instagram.com/p/BZH5hpLla...-by=irfpdotnet

[lazyaj]

Sun 9/17 at University

Paused wide grip bench up to 120x2x6
Paused cg bench up 110x2x6
Incline bench 85x2x6, 85x5+3+2 (rest-pause, 15s rests)
Pec dec 4x8
Hanging leg tucks
Random tricep extension/row random superset x3-4
GHR situp bw x 2 x25

Fun workout. When I was trying to do tricep extensions, some woman jumped on the cable machine doing SUPER slow, very light sets - it was making me really impatient! Then she switched to cable rows. So, I just did a different tricep and row exercise each time - first rope pushdown, then overhead cable extension, then dips lol. For rows, plate-loaded iso low row and iso high row.

On the down side, benching was terrible and my shoulder hurt the whole time, though not the next day. Partially it's the weird benches and bars (wrong height, rings in the wrong place), partially it was my back being tight from dl's. Really feeling frustrated about bench, will have to make a decision on Wednesday about what to do.

[lazyaj]

Posting a few links to look at later, may or may not be interesting:

First part of "dumpers" series from RenEx. Seems a bit cultish! But I'm interested in the theory behind designing exercise machines.
www.ren-ex.com/dumpers/

Some exercise guides from RP:
http://renaissanceperiodization.com/...e-central-hub/

[lazyaj]

Tues 9/19 at Boss

Squat 44x10 88x5 132x5 165x5 198x5 209x3x5
DL against minis 112.5kgx7x1, :30s between reps
45 degree hypers: bw x 12 25x12, bar in hb position 3x12
Chest supported row 45x10 47.5x4x10
Ab wheel 3x15

Wed 9/20 at Boss
Paused bench 10's: 44 75 88 104.7x2
Ohp paused 44x6 55x6 66x6 68x3x6
Facepulls/Unilateral DB tri ext superset, 3x
CG cable row/db pec fly ss, 5x
Shoulder triset: lat raise/front raise/rear fly, 2x

Thurs 9/21 morning session with Dan

Front squat, about ten light sets, focusing on form and bracing
Hack squats, sets of 20 until I got a really bad back cramp and had to quit for the day

Tues and Wed night were good. Squats were not the best I've ever done but also not bad for not having done low bar in a month. Bench felt easy and smooth last night, with bringing my grip in from web on the ring to ring fingers on the rings. However, today while doing hack squats (?!?!) I got a brutal back cramp that's still bothering me, 4 hours later. Going for an emergency chiro session tonight, then another one tomorrow morning that I already had booked. Hopefully can get this worked out asap, then get back to training. But in any case, I was going to deload my deadlifts this week, so the timing is ok.

[lazyaj]

Saturday 9/23 at 24Hr Fitness

Hammer iso high row 10's: 45 70 80 70
Goblet squat 10's 245 40 55 65 70
HB breathing squat (5 breaths at the bottom) 95x4 95x2x3 105x3
Deadlift 115x20135x20 155x12+8 185x10 205x10 225x10
Squat machine 50x15 70x15 90x10+3+2
Leg press on calf raise, sitting up: a bunch, it hurt
Seated calf, 3 sets
Back extension bwx15, 25x10

Sunday 9/24 at Boss
Paused wg bench 44x8 77x2x6 93.7x6 110x6 121x6 126.8x2x6 (@9, 9.5)
Paused cg bench 115.7x2x6 (@7)
Incline bench 88x2x6, 88x7+3+3 (10 second rests, bro spots)
DB fly 25x4x12
Seated row, deadlift grip: 4x8-10
tri pushdown/cable curl ss, 2x
Abs: hanging tuck, dip bar leg raise

Feeling most to back to normal, though not 100%. Saw the chiro on Thursday eve and we just did ART, then again Friday morning and she did graston on my erectors. That definitely helped a lot! I felt pretty good when I woke up Saturday. I signed up for 24Hr fitness, so I have a second gym option for when I'm rehabbing, or just want to do machines. Side benefit: working out there makes me feel stronger than I am lol. Everything in Saturday's workout felt good, but I also made sure to leave some in the tank on everything (except calf raises haha). I realized that when you do calf raises on a leg press, if you sit up so your hips and legs are at a 90 degree angle, it mimics a donkey calf raise. It really hits your calves in a different way! Amazing.

Sunday my back felt much better, but my right glute/ham tie-in was sore, and it still is today. I can't figure out if it's just doms, or if it's actually mad at me. Was hoping to squat tonight but I'll have to see how I feel - if I need to deload squats also, that's ok. I think this is probably from deadlifting though, because my right glute is definitely weaker on pulls. I should probably do more of these high-rep deadlift sets!! Bench was fine last night. My shoulder was mostly ok with the wide grip, only a little mad, though the worry about injuring it makes it hard to focus and put my all into the reps. CG were super easy, and I had a great incline day for once - imagine that!

[lazyaj]

Monday 9/25 at Boss

Squat 44x10 95x2x5 135x5 165x5 add belt 198x5 209x5 220x3x5
Def (red plate) dl against doubled red minibands 132x3 165x3 176x3 209x3 231x2x2 253x1,1, fail, 1, fail
Hyperextension/GHR situp/GHR superset, 2x

Definitely not back at 100%. :/ Squats were ok (not bad, not great), though I definitely felt like my lower back was working harder than it wanted to. Deadlifts were just not possible, or at least I didn't have the mind and heart to get them done. Probably should have just taken some weight off the bar and done more singles, but hindsight blah blah. Glute-ham tie in is feeling a lot better today (yay), and left shoulder is feeling 90% good (yay), but somewhere on my lower right back is feeling dense and a little sore, and my vmo's and pat tendons were both feeling unhappy this morning.

In other news, I found out my next planned meet is the same day as the men's day of Reebok Record Breakers. Thinking about dropping my meet so I can go watch Record Breakers! What terrible timing...

[tina722]

Sorry to hear about the pain.

I had to look up the Record Breakers...who will be in it? Is there another meet you could do this fall/winter?

[lazyaj]

Thanks Tina. It's really annoying. :/

I don't know whether they've posted the roster for this year's Record Breakers, actually. The last two years were awesome though! There was some drama this year, so I know Kevin Oak and Larry Williams aren't competing - but other than that, I don't know who is.

If I bail on the November meet, I might wait until March. Not really sure. I'll talk to Dan about it tomorrow.

[lazyaj]

Tues 9/26 at 24Hr

Paused wg bench 10's: 45 65 85 97.5 107.5x2
Ohp 45x10 65x10 65x8 75x2x4
Decline skullcrushers 30x2x20
Facepulls 10's from 35 to 60
dips 10 8 6
Seated DB press 20x13 12 10
cg cable row 3x
Pec deck/rear delt fly supersets, 5x10
Lat raise machine, 4x

Fun workout. Was too late to make it to Boss so went to 24. Bench felt more solid than last week. Plan is to keep stick with sets of 10 on the light days and add 2.5lb/week. I think I should have another 5 weeks of that. Still haven't really learned to get a pec pump, but I can at least feel my pecs participating in the lift. I'll take it!

[lazyaj]

Thurs 9/28 am session with Dan

Front squats - at least 12 sets of 5, various light weights
Hack squats 20's - 30 40 50

evening

Farmer carry with trap bar 135x2, 185 215 225 235 245
Lat pulldown underhand close grip 10's 90 95 100 105 110
seated DB clean 8x2x20
Decline situp bwx15, 10x2x15

Sat 9/30 afternoon at Boss

SSB squat 5's 66 110 143 154x2
Deadlift 132x7 176x5 209x5 add belt 242x2 264x2 286x2 308x2
Speed dl triples/isometric hold at knee 5 s 264/176, 3 sets
Reverse hyper 90x3x15

Thursday morning was fun. For front squats, Dan is really trying to get me to focus on letting my knees track forward, keep my torso straight upright, drop my hips straight down, go ass to grass, and then come back up the same way. Opposite in every way of how I usually front squat! The last few sets I actively engaged my abs and that made it ridiculously easy, so the last few sets were 7-8 reps.

This morning, I realized that when I start my deadlifts from the floor, I never bother to set my abs before I start pulling. Duh! So today I would take a big breath, set my abs, bring my hips up and down and then start the pull. Huge difference! I think if I practice this more it should eliminate most of the difference between the standing and crouching starts. Anyway, pretty happy with how 308 moved. It was definitely slower than 286 but nothing like the 308 disaster from a few weeks ago. Hit the gym a little apprehensive about pulls because I'm still having a little low back weirdness, but it's actually feeling better post-lift! Ran out of time for rows and abs today, but I can just double up tomorrow lol.

http://www.instagram.com/p/BZsa5J0jQ...-by=irfpdotnet

[lazyaj]

Sun 10/1/2017 at Central Strength

Paused wg bench 5's: 44 77 94.6 105.8 121 132x2
Paused cg bench 5's: 121x2
Incline bench 90x5, 5, 5+4+3 (rest-pause 10s)
DB fly 20x10 25x10 30x10 30x8 30x10
EZ bar rolling tricep extension (slow eccentric) 4x10
DB row 55x3x8
Hammer curl 20x3x10
GHR situp bwx3x15

Fun workout with my old coach. I remember his handoffs being a lot better though lol. Top bench sets were a little messy, misgrooved the 5th rep a bit on both sets. No shoulder pain this week, though! Close grips felt crazy easy, and once again I had a good incline day.

Right knee is unhappy though, right around my vmo. I think it's overuse, between the hack squats and the deadlifting. Was hoping to squat today, but might have to push it to tomorrow (and then plan to skip the front squat day this week). I'll see how I feel in a few hours. But doing bodyweight lunges has felt bad yesterday and today, which is unusual and doesn't feel like something to ignore.

[Gett01]

Hey it's been like forever since I commented in here because I've been off of BBing.com for a while now, but just wanted to say I am super jealous of your training with Dan Green! He is by far my favorite powerlifter, I've followed him for a while and learned much from his videos. Glad to see that getting your abs into the deadlifts is helping!

[lazyaj]

Hey, thanks for stopping by! Yeah I am super blessed to live 10 minutes away from Boss, and have Dan as a coach. It's not cheap but totally worth it! Dan has an amazing eye for technique and also a really good sense of how far he can push people without them breaking. He and Sparkle are awesome and Boss is basically my favorite place in the world right now.

[lazyaj]

Tues 10/3/2017 Boss

Low bar squat (kg) 20x10 42.5x5 60x5 add belt 75x5 90x2x4 97.5x4 105x3x4 rep PR
DL Eleiko bar against doubled red mini bands standing on a 25kg plate (kg) 60x3 80x3 100x2 110x3 switch to pounds on dl bar: 245 250 255 260 265 "RPE 3" according to gym friend
Superset: Back extension/GHR situp, bw/bw x15, 25/20 x 2x15
Chest supported rows, 10's: 45 55 55 70 55

I was really nervous about this workout due to discomfort in vmo and my general fear of squatting, but it ended up being a really fun night. I had the bar loaded with 97.5 and was about to do it (as a last warmup) when some guy came and started using the other side of the rack, and he STUNK. I said "Come on, you have to put your shoes back on!" He claimed it was his tshirt and went to spray febreeze on it - which frankly is worse, I'm really sensitive to artificial scents like that. So I just moved to a mono. I repeated 90kg on the mono just to get my bearings, then did the 97.5 and the work sets. Really happy to get through those!

For the dl against bands, I was thinking of working in with some friends but when they added a third plate I thought it would be too much of a pain, so I put together my own setup. But then this older guy at the gym worked in with them and was only doing two plates (and failed the first few times). I moved over to lift with them, and stayed conservative but added weight each time. I easily could have hit 125/275 last night, but better safe than sorry! I'll get it next week. After that the four of us did abs/hypers/rows together. It feels good to train with men, and not be the weakest! Haha. And a lot of props to those guys for not being hung up about it. Love my gym. <3

[lazyaj]

Wed 10/4/2017 Boss

Paused wg bench 10's (kg): 20 35 40 45 50x2
Ohp paused at bottom kg: 20x10 25x6 30x6 31x6 31.5x6 30x6
Facepulls 3x
Dips 12 11 10
DB press 25x10 30x10 x8
Close grip bench (index fingers on smooth) 3010 tempo 75x4x6
Seated optimal grip rows 2x10

Triset: front raise/lateral raise/cable fly, x2

=======

Friday 10/6/2017 at Boss with Dan

Deadlift (kg) 60x5 80x5 100x5 add belt 100x2 100x3 120x3 135x2 145x2, x2, x1, x1
Trap bar deadlift off 3" blocks (kg): 100x3 130x3 150x1 165x3x0 ugh 140x2x5 145x5
Pullup 5 5 5 4 4
DB row 45x2x15
DL with straps, belt (kg): doubles at 95 115 135 145
Reverse hyper 14's: 90 140x2 180x2
GHR situp bwx15 25x10 30x10 35x10 40x8

Good workouts. Bench was feeling solid. I ran out of steam doing 6's on paused overhead though so I'll have to start tapering those. Then just did bodybuilding stuff.

Today was a mixed bag. Session with Dan was disappointing. I couldn't focus properly and only had one good rep at 145kg on the initial go-round. Dan was really convinced I could get 165kg on the trap bar off of blocks but I couldn't figure out the position and it definitely wasn't moving. Frustrating! That was the end of our session but he said to do the backoff sets, which were shockingly easy and fun. My crappy job at pulling from the floor was weighing on my mind though so later I went back and worked up to 145 again - and did two solid reps. Not fast, but with overall decent position and smooth to lockout. Really happy about that!

[lazyaj]

Saturday 10/7 at two 24's

Def sldl 95x15 135x3x10
Life fitness squat machine 4x10

leave, go to other 24

Hack squat/calf raise supersets, 4x10
Nautilus Nitro pullover machine 5x10
Cybex older adductor/abductor supersets, 5-6x
Cybex older leg press 4010 tempo 4 sets
Cybex leg extension 2012 4-5x10
TRX bodyweight rows
Angled captains chair leg raise 2x10

It's amazing to me how different all of the 24 Hr Fitness clubs are. There are five within 15 minutes of my house (Mountain View/Sunnyvale CA), and after yesterday I've been to them all. East Arques is definitely the worst of the five. They had a few racks, and a squat machine I like, but every other machine is the garbage Hoist Roc-It series. Literally nothing to do there. Then I went to the one at E Fremont and Sunnyvale-Saratoga, and it's a hidden gem! Kind of like Parkmoor in San Jose. All the machines were older, mostly Cybex and Nautilus Nitro series, and they randomly had a Mcdonald cambered bench bar. Small but well curated! Will definitely be back. I don't like the Nitro pullover as much as the Nautilus Women's pullover I tried a few months ago (range of foot pedal was too limited) but was still really happy they had it. But the Cybex adductor and abductor machines they had were among my favorite I've ever used. Belt driven and super smooth.

[Gett01]

That's interesting about the 24 hr fitness places, there's one I've gone to for a long time that has a lot of stuff and it's all old-school, metal plates and oldish machines, and old-style DBs. They even have a power bar and bumper plates, a McDonald Cambered Bench Bar, and a Buffalo Bar. Idk if you've ever used a McDonald bar or are considering it, but be careful because if it's cambered enough it can give you a massive ROM. I felt as if with heavier weight I would injure my shoulders going all the way down, so I would just use an inch or two of the extra ROM and mostly use it because it forces you to stay tighter and more controlled.

[lazyaj]

Haha yeah I tried the McDonald bar once. It was set up with 15 kg plates on it and I thought "I can do that!" But the guy who was using it was adamant I took the plates off before trying. And I'm super glad I did! It just felt like there was no bottom to that thing. I think it would probably be helpful to me in the long run if I did a few training cycles with it, but I would have to be really careful, because I have nowhere near enough mobility for it.

That 24 sounds like a good one. The newer 24's are really crappy, almost worse than Planet Fitness in my opinion. I just absolutely despise the Hoist Roc-It machines. Hopefully they didn't get them for every new installation.

[lazyaj]

Mon 10/9 at Boss

Squats (kg) 20x8 40x6 60x5 add belt 75x5 90x3 100x3 110x3x3 set/rep PR
DL against red doubled minibands, Eleiko bar (kg) 60x5 80x3 100x1 110x2x1 115x1 120x2x1 125x1
Tbar rows 10's 45 55x2 60x2
GHR 6 6 8 8
Toes to bar 4x10

Good workout. Squats were not my best ever but not too bad either. Really focused on keeping my upper back tight on the second set, which helped, but starting to really feel fatigued on the third set. Deadlifts moved really well though. Last week with the dl bar was too easy, so back to the stiff bar. Benching tonight!

http://www.instagram.com/p/BaDiNiTDX...-by=irfpdotnet

[tina722]

^^^Those were awesome! I could tell you were working hard, but still didn't seem rpe 10.

You are looking really lean. Are you still following rps-like diet?

[lazyaj]

Thanks Tina!

I'm not tracking my food right now, but 5 days out of 7 (or so) I'm eating pretty much the same as I did on RPS, except I have a cookie at lunch. Then usually 1-2 days a week I'll go out to dinner and have "whatever", though the rest of my meals are pretty much on-plan. Also have been having a glass of beer or wine with dinner again, which I definitely enjoy!

[lazyaj]

Tuesday 10/10 at Boss

Paused bench (not wide grip) 44x10 77x10 93x10 104x10 112x10, x9 failed 10th
Paused wide grip bench 112x6 99x10
Ohp paused at bottom 44x4 55x4 66x4 71x4 75x3 77x1
DB press, steepest incline - 30x13 35x8,7,8
Facepulls/tricep pushdown ss, 3x
Front raise with ez bar 3x10
Plate pullover 33x10 44x2x10

Frustrating workout. Tried bringing my grip in on bench, so pinkies on rings - which is a full hands-width, because I've been doing most of my benching with the web of my thumb on the rings. Still surprised and confused about failing the second work set. Definitely did not expect that. I came off the chest at slightly the wrong angle, but then my right arm gave out and just couldn't lock out. Right tricep is noticeably weaker than left. I'm confident I would not have failed that set with wide grip. I've done all my training with a wide grip leading up to this meet, and I think I just need to follow through. Will discuss with Dan tomorrow morning, maybe he has some suggestions.

Otherwise, good workout, though I felt depressed about it all last night and this morning lol. This article really helped me put things in perspective: www.t-nation.com/training/rule-of-five

So much of this is mental. I've been consistently putting in work, and my nutrition and sleep are pretty good, so I know my foundation is there. I just have to get my internal monologue to be about getting stronger and succeeding, instead of being weak and failing.

http://www.instagram.com/p/BaHo1pQDP...-by=irfpdotnet

[lazyaj]

Thursday 10/12 morning at Boss with Dan

Deadlift (kg) 60x2x8 80x5 100x5 add belt 115x3 130x2 140x1 150x2x2 rep PR and rep/set PR
Trap bar deadlift off 4" blocks (kg) 120x5 140x3 155x2 (failed 3rd rep) 140x5
Trap bar deadlift from 5-6" deficit (kg) 100x3x8

Awesome session this morning. For once, I was just starting my pulls and wasn't having the moment of panic a split second before I start. None of the 150's were particularly fast, though the second rep seemed a bit better on both sets. In any case, super happy about getting that. I've never actually done 150 before, only got up to 145 in my last meet prep, then did 145/155 at the meet. The trap bar off blocks made a little more sense this time (in terms of body position and technique) but the 155 double was done entirely with my back, which kind of defeats the purpose which is to get my legs more involved. So Dan had me do extreme deficit trap bar pulls lol. Not sure that really worked either (I just tried to stiff-leg everything) but maybe? Haha.

Had to run to work after that, but planning to go back tonight and do some hack squats and other quad-dominant exercises.

Also, as far as bench Dan said don't bother messing around, just focus on wide grip and stick with it, at least through the meet. Also, the light day is supposed to stay light, so definitely don't let that get in the way of the heavy day. Duh!

http://www.instagram.com/p/BaKJUmYDD...-by=irfpdotnet

[lazyaj]

Friday 10/13 at 24 Fremont, SV

hb breathing squats up to 135x3 breaths x 3
hb squat 135x2x5
hack squat 4-5x10-12
prone hamstring curl, 5x10-12
Nautilus Nitro pullover 4x10-12
Cybex leg extension 4x10-12
Adductor 5x10-15
Abductor 2x12
Body Masters standing calf, 4x10-12

Sat 10/14 Boss
Wide grip bench triples: 44 77 93 104 115 121 132 143x2
Paused cgbp 130x2x3
Incline bench 93x3 97x2x3, x3/1.5/1.5 rest-pause
Lowest incline db bench 30x16 35x13 40x10 45x2x7
DB press highest incline 30x10 35x2x10
DB fly 20x15 25x13 30x3x10
cg lat pd to sternum 3x10
ghr situps 3x10 (various weights)
seated optimal grip rows 3-4x10-12
cable french press 3x15

Sunday 10/15 at the beach
get drunk in the sun, play in the waves, lose sunglasses, scale cliff three times, somehow tibialis anterior got VERY sore haha

Wednesday 10/18 at Boss

Paused wg bench 10's (kg): 20 35 42.5 51x2 (@8, @8)
cgb to 3 board, 5's (kg): 50 55 60 65 70
Paused ohp, 8's: 44 55 60 62 64
DB press 25x10 30x3x8
Dips bw x 3x8
Facepulls 3x12
DB lat raise 12's x 3 sets

Thursday 10/19 at Boss with dan
1" deficit deadlift (kg): 70x6 100x3 115x1 130x1 130x1 call it due to rhomboid strain :'(
db walking lunges 25'sx3x18 steps per leg
Reverse hyper
seated calf raise
hamstring curl 3x10
Hang from a bar one-handed for time, 1x each hand

Had a great leg workout Friday, actually got a quad pump for once. Felt great!! Saturday benching went fine. Switched from paused to touch and go for that week and the next few weeks. Sunday the beach was ~amazing~ except I got whomped by a wave and lost my sunglasses and skinned my knee. Actually, even that part was pretty fun. But I don't understand why my tibialis anterior was so sore on both legs!?!? M-Tu was traveling on business. Wednesday night was tired so I benched instead of squatted. Wide grips were super easy. Wanted to do some heavy tricep work so added close grips. Top set was challenging. Must have tweaked my rib again, because my rhomboid was a little sore last night when I was going to sleep. This morning, strained it on the first single at 130kg. SUPER bummed. Tried to lacrosse ball it out, but no go. Did another single but I was guarding and it was slow and unbalanced, so we called it there. Then just did some lower body hypertrophy, and Dan chastised me for doing the close-grip bench (since it wasn't on my program). Haha. Though, if that's what caused my rhomboid problem, he has a point! :'(

Missed squats this week, Dan said don't worry/try to make it up, just get extra rest and then put the extra effort into them on Monday. Ok!

Already had a chiro appointment for tomorrow morning, so hopefully she can fix it. The rib itself doesn't feel sore, but I've tweaked this exact spot enough times to know that the rib is somehow involved. I would be so happy to stop having this injury!!!

[lazyaj]

Went to 24 on Thursday night with my work friends who want to start lifting. It was really fun! I hope they decide to go with me again. It's fun watching someone who obviously has very little body awareness start to improve over the course of a set.

So rhomboid. I think on Thursday am it was more of a preemptory cramp, protecting against a strain. After art and some graston, the area feels a lot better. In particular, no rib displacement or soreness, thank god! Chiro mentioned that I have some scapular winging on the left side. Is it related? I don't know. I definitely don't have scapular winging from a defective serratus anterior or nerve damage, which are the main "official" causes. On the other hand, injuries to this specific area have been a recurrent theme. :/

Took yesterday and today off, though I'll probably do some anti-winging exercises later (pushups plus, band serratus press, etc) as a sanity check. Hoping to bench tomorrow.

[lazyaj]

Sunday 10/22 Boss

Wide grip bench (tng, kg): 20x8 35x5 40x5 47.5x3 52.5x3 57.5x2 62.5x2 67.5x2, x1.75 (bro spot)
Paused cgbp 60.5x2x2 rpe 8/8
Incline bench 100x2x2, x2/1.75/1.25 rest pause
DB shoulder press highest incline, x3
DB incline fly
Seated DL grip row
Cable french press

evening session:
Paused wgbp (kg) 20x8 35x5 42.5x5 50x2x3 55x3 60x3x3
Paused cgbp (kg) 50x3x5
YTL's 2x
serratus press 2x
Preacher curls, ezbar close grip 2x

Monday 10/23 at Boss

low bar squat (lbs) 45x10 95x5 135x5 170x3 add belt 200x3 230x3 250x2x3 awful form, rpe 10,000
DL against doubled red mini band on the Eleiko: 7 or so singles up to 275
Reverse hyper 180x3x14
Chest supported row 45x10, 55x3x10
GHR 8 8 7

Ok workouts. I knew that the benching on Sunday would be difficult. Got through the first set, but couldn't finish the second rep on the second set. Really struggling to touch in the same place when the weight gets heavy; the heavier it is, the lower I want to touch. Not sure why. After the gym, went on a 3.5 mile hike, then went back and did some extra benching. I was focusing on touching in the right place every time. I could tell I was fatigued because I was having a hard time staying tight. I think that was good practice!

Last night had a really off squat night. My form hasn't been as good leading up to this meet as it was leading up to the last one. In particular, I think the lack of pause squats has been bad for my form. The set at 230 felt heavier than I would have liked, but totally doable. However, on the 250 work sets I just got crushed. One both sets, the second rep was awful. First rep of the second set was pretty good, because I got tight and maintained my tightness. The deadlifts were ok but also definitely not my best work. I don't know if it was the hike or what, but I do know that Monday morning I was 164.4, and today I woke up at 161.6. So, something pretty off. Eating a lot extra today!