The 2022 Barbell Enthusiasts Collaborative Training Log & Hall of Fame

[EliKoehn]

Thanks man, no vid but this was only tying an old PR

I’m wondering if the machine tricep extension is helping. I’ve only used it twice and it seems like not even a month ago I failed 195

Yeah, I think I've underappreciated the value of machines for localized weak point training. It was similar for me and squats with the hip flexor machines. I had a real bottleneck with the form and then it was like once I started doing those machines with some seriousness and regularity, my squat felt instantly improved in a way just squatting likely wouldn't have efficiently done. Still it's not a strong lift for me, but it made a notable difference.

I'll have to try 205 soon and see if I can match you there. That 185 I got last week was difficult but still relatively smooth. Maybe I can get 205 soon, even if it's with an ugly grind.

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They remastered one of my favorite games as a kid and redid the same score. It's epic and awesome:

[EliKoehn]

Saw SuffolkPunch mention a split in another thread that looked interesting, so I'm going to give it a try.

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Treadmill:
1.5 miles at 6mph

Deadlift:
135 x 8, 225 x 5, 315 x 4, 365 x 3, 405 x 2, 455 x 1 @9 probably

Bench (T&G):
225 x 16 after warmup

EDIT: Also alternated every bench warmup set with a pullup double, which felt super clean and easy. I'll go for a PR AMRAP of them on Friday I think.

Felt strange running in skate shoes (for the deadlifting), and I could tell that there was some detraining on the DL. Felt manageable but somewhat less smooth and natural.

[CW47]

30 Degree Incline Press:
175 pounds x 1 rep
135 pounds - 2 sets x 3 reps

Front Squat:
175 pounds x 1 rep
195 pounds x Fail
145 pounds - 2 sets x 3 reps

Rough way to start out the new program. Had a major grinder on Incline. It tied a PR, and my shoulders were already fatigued because of some house upkeep I did over the weekend.
On the front squats it's almost entirely about staying in a good position throughout. In the video you'll see that I got quite a bit out of position on the 175 rep and still powered through. Wasn't able to do the same with 195. I was using flat shoes in my warmups and then switched to heels. I'm thinking I'll stick with the flat shoes next time around because that felt better - wasn't getting pitched forward so much.





September 27, 2022
Floor Press
195 pounds x 1 rep [PR]
155 pounds - 3 sets x 3 reps

12 Inch Box Squat
255 pounds x 1 rep [PR]
205 pounds x 3 reps

Also did some Bi's and Tri's.

Floor Press was strong today. Set a 10 pound PR. It's been quite a long time since I've tried to max out, but this still obviously shows really good progress.
Squats were slightly awkward, but not too bad considering how little I've done them this year. This was only a PR because I've never maxed out on it before. Almost failed on the backoff work... I'm at least starting to get a better handle on what I need to change in my squat, and making some small improvements. I still seem some obvious issues in the video below. It's a work in progress...

[SaviorSelfJT]

Yesterday was feeling really banged up so just did a couple sets of pull-ups. Even just moving the empty bar out of the rack my back and arms were feeling it lol

Today:
365x1 squat, then 315x2 with long pause

Bench
265x1
245x3

Feel like I’m a little overreached maybe. When I did the 265 bench it was hard and one arm was struggling to lock out. The squats felt hard too

[EliKoehn]

Attempted a 190 OHP twice and got each just over my head. Took 5 pounds off then got 185 again since the other day. It was a little harder than last time, but still relatively clean I would say. (Not sure how I recovered after my left hand began to lower.) After that I attempted a 225 push press, but that wasn't going to happen by a long shot lol.

[CW47]

Cambered Bar Larsen Press
170 pounds x 1 rep [PR]
125 pounds - 2 sets x 3 reps

Sumo Deadlift
385 pounds x 3 reps [PR]

Never maxed out with the cambered bar before. I was expecting it to feel pretty unstable, but it really didn't.
The sumo triple was a 20 pound PR. I'm expecting to be hitting a lot of PR's over the next couple of weeks, just because I'm either maxing on newer lifts, or on lifts that I've not maxed out in a while. The deadlift was interesting today... Typically in the past I've struggled to get into a proper setup position for singles, and when doing reps I'd get into a better position as I went along. It was exactly the opposite today. I've gotten pretty good at setting up for singles (which is obviously good). My starting position got clearly worse with each rep today though. It was mostly just a lack of patience. Hopefully I'll remember to slow down a bit next time I go for a double or triple.

[MyEgoProblem]

Cw
You have a great stacked setup for sumo mate!

When you say cambered bar..
Are we talking buffalo, mcdonald or giant?

[CW47]

Cw
You have a great stacked setup for sumo mate!

When you say cambered bar..
Are we talking buffalo, mcdonald or giant?

Thanks man! It's only taken me about 4 years to figure it out, lol.

This is the Cambered bar. Just got it within the last month. I love it!

[CW47]

3 Count Paused Bench
175 pounds x 1 rep
145 pounds x 3 reps

Low Bar Squat
245 pounds x 1 rep
195 pounds x 3 reps

Quick workout today. Starting to feel some fatigue, but it likely has more to do with the fact that I've been fighting off a cold for the last couple of days, and been a little short of sleep as well.
The paused bench went very well - moved a little easier than I expected. This matched my PR.
Great progress on the squat today. This is the first time in quite a long time that I've watched back video of my reps and legitimately thought they looked good. At 245 I fell forward a little bit so decided to stop there. Backoff work was done with good form. This makes me hopeful that I may be able to start making some progress.

[EliKoehn]

That bar looks great. Wonder why none of the cross handles are truly perpendicular? Otherwise you can't do a neutral grip bench, it seems.

[CW47]

That bar looks great. Wonder why none of the cross handles are truly perpendicular? Otherwise you can't do a neutral grip bench, it seems.

They also sell a true neutral grip version. I just prefer an angle. It feels more natural to me.

[EliKoehn]

They also sell a true neutral grip version. I just prefer an angle. It feels more natural to me.

Assuming you get acclimated to it over a couple weeks, would you say it's a harder variation than just the straight bar?

[CW47]

Assuming you get acclimated to it over a couple weeks, would you say it's a harder variation than just the straight bar?

Yes, it's harder because of the camber which is adding a couple of extra inches to the range of motion at the chest.
The grip angle doesn't really affect the difficulty much once you get used to the balance.

[MyEgoProblem]

Thanks man! It's only taken me about 4 years to figure it out, lol.

This is the Cambered bar. Just got it within the last month. I love it!

Oh brilliant!
Cambered football bar.
Top kit man.

Wish I'd got the cambered version

[SaviorSelfJT]

Smoked a 445 squat after 2 days of rest

https://streamable.com/hnyt5g


This is only 20 lbs from my all time best squat. But this lift was high bar, the 465 was low bar. So maybe I'm stronger now

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@Eli - mirin endurance, normally if I fail a lift I'm significantly weaker for the rest of the workout. If I failed an OHP twice, theres no way I'd be able to drop 5 lbs and do a rep

[coachcalande]

Smoked a 445 squat after 2 days of rest

https://streamable.com/hnyt5g


This is only 20 lbs from my all time best squat. But this lift was high bar, the 465 was low bar. So maybe I'm stronger now

-------

@Eli - mirin endurance, normally if I fail a lift I'm significantly weaker for the rest of the workout. If I failed an OHP twice, theres no way I'd be able to drop 5 lbs and do a rep

Artwork!

[CW47]

Yes, awesome squat Savior!


September 30, 2022
Close Grip Bench Press
185 pounds x 1 rep / 195 x Fail
145 pounds - 3 sets x 3 reps

High Bar Squat
245 pounds x 1 rep

Tied my PR on Close Grip. I got it easily enough that I was virtually certain I could do another 10 pounds. I was wrong, lol. It got about 4 inches off my chest and stopped dead.
Tied my PR on High Bar as well. Top priority by far on squats right now is to maintain a good bar path. I feel like I did that reasonably well, even on the top single.
There's a good chance I set new PR's on both of these next time around.

[EliKoehn]

Yeah great job on that squat!

Thanks, too. I felt extremely close to breaking the sticking point on 190 so hopefully I'll get it next time.

[RapidFail]

Sooo, I got bored and went back and converted all of my lifts in this thread from kg to lb - seeing as everyone else is posting in pounds. Took a couple of hours - I wouldn't usually have time for shenanigans like this, but I'm on a 2-week break from work!

For the record - I'm currently doing a 4-day Upper-Lower routine, but have only been posting my bench press to this thread, seeing as my primary lifting goal this year is to get my calculated 1RM above my bodyweight. I'll be starting my summer cut next week, which should see my weight heading back towards 170lb (180lb at present). Based on my recent 8-rep PR with 138lb my estimated 1RM is 171lb. I'm planning on running the Candito 6 Week program once my cut is over, where I should be hitting some new low-rep PRs.

[EliKoehn]

^^ That is a good program, good luck. I found the squat work far and away the most challenging, and being decently proficient at the deadlift already, it wasn't too hard to follow them with it. Bench volume is low, however. Not sure if that will be good or bad for your purposes; nevertheless I still seemed to progress my bench running it.

[SaviorSelfJT]

Welp, it might be a minute before I do any more heavy squats

I was doing them today and felt my lower back getting a little agitated but I kept doing more sets. Then on my last set with just 315 I felt it all of a sudden go out

I don’t think it’s a “real” injury like an injured disc or anything but my back is stiff as a board right now and all locked up

[coachcalande]

Had two lifts this week. Pushing and pulling tomorrow and can’t wait. So glad to be back at it.

[RapidFail]

^^ That is a good program, good luck. I found the squat work far and away the most challenging, and being decently proficient at the deadlift already, it wasn't too hard to follow them with it. Bench volume is low, however. Not sure if that will be good or bad for your purposes; nevertheless I still seemed to progress my bench running it.

Cheers - it was your suggestion that lead to me looking into it. I think it will be fun doing the big lifts with higher frequency and I agree that the squat work looks by far the hardest.

[Camarija]

Hey bros!

Hope everyone is staying motivated and hitting the weights

I'm about 14 weeks into my bulk, up at least 20 lbs dry. With a full stomach and pumped up I'm up about 30 lbs (~214 lbs) , so this bulk has been aggressive and fun.

Played around with this Precor Power Squat machine as a first quad dominant movement. I haven't loaded it up heavy yet, but it's pretty neat actually! Great for rocking on the quad, pumping it up with blood, but it looks like this would be a bad machine to hit true failure on.

Bro it looks like you're doing the combine in a madden game! Smooth reps like butter :-P

I know you mentioned you've bulked up pretty quickly, I'm on the path doing the same right now.

I'm interested in bulking hard and long, maybe until February or March, getting some serious mass.

Just wanted to ask if getting up there in the 200's was worth it for you? Do you feel like you've gained a significant amount of muscle mass getting up there?

Cheers Brother!

Top priority by far on squats right now is to maintain a good bar path. I feel like I did that reasonably well, even on the top single.

Form is looking great, even with higher weight. Good job bro!

Sooo, I got bored and went back and converted all of my lifts in this thread from kg to lb - seeing as everyone else is posting in pounds.

Lol! That's a lot of effort bro

I use both lbs and kg, I don't mind converting either in my head, but I do mind when reading logs and it's not stated which numbers are in lbs or kg :-P

Then on my last set with just 315 I felt it all of a sudden go out

I don’t think it’s a “real” injury like an injured disc or anything but my back is stiff as a board right now and all locked up

Heck bro, I'm in my early 30's and I noticed my back started going out every now and then, I feel your pain. Normally I've noticed it happens after I've been traveling for 8+ hours a day. Good luck with taking it easy these days!

Had two lifts this week. Pushing and pulling tomorrow and can’t wait. So glad to be back at it.

LET'S GO COACH!

How is the weight loss coming along?

[EliKoehn]

@Camarija, the interesting thing about your video is that your arms are looking similar to your legs at the bottom of those reps lol.

Yeah, my weight gain was just more or less letting myself go honestly. Certainly not the intention. I've actually been above 200 since joining this forum. My physique at 230 was getting close to somewhat lean so that's the aim atm, but I'm taking a slower approach. Unless you meant like getting on the upper half of the 200s? If so, yeah, my pressing strength seems better but I'm not sure how much of that simply has to do with weight gain. While I'm not okay with remaining this heavy, one reassuring thing is that my pullup capacity is about the same as it was at 240 and I just feel stronger overall, so maybe there has been legitimate strength progress (can still do more than 8 strict pullups without uncertainty). Lately I've been able to do multiple touch and go singles of 315 on the bench and that honestly feels great. Hope I can keep that throughout the way back down, but I'm well aware that bodyweight and pressing strength are closely correlated.

Cheers and best of luck on your bulk. You don't look any softer at all in that video honestly.

[CW47]

October 1, 2022
Cambered Bar Bench
160 pounds x 1 rep [PR]

Conventional Deadlift
415 pounds x 1 rep [PR]

Bench is only a PR because it's the first time I've actually done it.
I failed my initial 415 attempt on deadlift because my grip gave out just before lockout. Redid it with straps and got it cleanly.




October 2, 2022
Decline Press
205 pounds x 1 rep [PR]

Yoke Bar Squat
225 pounds x 1 rep

Not a bad day, but also not what I was expecting. Fatigue is starting to hit me pretty hard. My left elbow is bothering me quite a bit, and is the main reason I've struggled pressing the last 2 days. Left knee is bothering me a bit too. I've cut out the extra work for now to see if that allows me to recover.

I most likely will not to Decline Press again. I think this is the first time I've done it in years. I don't have a great way to setup for it. It took me 10 minutes just to get the bench setup. Also don't really feel I'm getting anything out of it that I wouldn't get out of something like a 2 board press. I may just change over to that.
Squatting felt good, but I just ran out of gas - almost didn't get 225 up.

[RapidFail]

@Camarija, the interesting thing about your video is that your arms are looking similar to your legs at the bottom of those reps lol.

Yeah, my weight gain was just more or less letting myself go honestly. Certainly not the intention. I've actually been above 200 since joining this forum. My physique at 230 was getting close to somewhat lean so that's the aim atm, but I'm taking a slower approach. Unless you meant like getting on the upper half of the 200s? If so, yeah, my pressing strength seems better but I'm not sure how much of that simply has to do with weight gain. While I'm not okay with remaining this heavy, one reassuring thing is that my pullup capacity is about the same as it was at 240 and I just feel stronger overall, so maybe there has been legitimate strength progress (can still do more than 8 strict pullups without uncertainty). Lately I've been able to do multiple touch and go singles of 315 on the bench and that honestly feels great. Hope I can keep that throughout the way back down, but I'm well aware that bodyweight and pressing strength are closely correlated.

Cheers and best of luck on your bulk. You don't look any softer at all in that video honestly.

Interesting to read about how bodyweight affects strength. I've bulked up from 165lb to 180lb this year and seen small improvements to my lifts, except bodyweight pull ups, where my max has dropped from 11 to 8. Weighted chin ups have seen a small improvement when bodyweight is included.

My bodyweight goals have changed over time. The first time I cut I was down to 155lb at about 14% body fat and looked good shirt-off but skinny shirt-on (I'm 6'1" but very small-boned). At that time my goal was to be 175lb at a similar bodyfat and was convinced I would look huge at that weight. Now I'm thinking 185lb lean (15% or so) is a realistic goal for me.

[coachcalande]

Seated Military press

https://youtu.be/8yriB6lXJ6k


Shoulder is on the mend.

[SaviorSelfJT]

Nice deadlift PR CW

——


Today my back is actually feeling a lot better. Last night I was on the couch watching tv and it got so stiff it was hard to move around and even just got off the couch

Like 15 minutes after it happened yesterday I tried to keep it moving by doing some light deadlifts with 80 lbs and I think that was key to making it feel better


More light deadlifts with 80lbs

Then bench press with feet on bench to keep back neutral

285x1
225x5
225x5

Honestly it feels like I could be back to heavy squatting/deadlifting in just a few days srs

[EliKoehn]

Yes, great lift CW!

SJT, my experience with this may not be applicable to your situation, but I've found with strains and pulls that are extremely unpleasant (usually the left side of my QL, when it flares up) one thing that helps is to try to actively move or stretch "through the pain" so to speak. Earlier last year when I first began to squat at relatively high intensity for me, I once strained my lower back so badly that I literally couldn't bend over at all without immense pain. This remained for like an entire day, and then I decided to just go ahead and try to touch my toes. It was excruciatingly painful but then the pain was greatly reduced almost instantly.

Just an anecdote. Obviously if it's serious you should probably see a doctor but it sounds like this one is already on the mend for you.