The Inevitable Return of the Great White Dope

[matty_mcfly]

I'll stop dicking around and just stick with what seems to be working.

Strongman does seem a bit more your speed than just a PL meet. The keg seems like a bitch, but you should have no problem with the yoke.

Have you done DB/circus dumbbell presses before?

[El Exorcisto]

My best DB C&J was 80 over a year ago. I haven't done them since then but I can't imagine I've gotten any weaker at them. The 200 pound keg should be easier to deal with than my 200 pound stone which I hit for a triple early during the summer. The yoke sounds rough because I've never had anywhere close to that much weight on my back, and I won't for another few months.

 

Provided I don't feel like total dog shit in the morning tomorrow, I'll be hitting the log for a bunch of singles and seeing where I'm at with the 18" deadlift.

[El Exorcisto]

Log clean and strict press: 8x1 @ 130 (bare log)

Zercher squat: 8x2 @ 170

18" deadlift: triple @ 225, single @ 275

 

The log still scares the shit out of me. I still managed to not get crushed, and not miss a rep. I'll add some weight next time around, but I needed to get reacquainted to how awkward this thing is.

 

Zercher squats were uneventful but felt heavy as fuck. I do really like them.

 

That brings us to the day's surprise. I thought by taking over half the ROM out of a deadlift that it'd get a lot easier. I was wrong. I actually had to screw with hand and foot position just to break 225 off the blocks. I ran out of time, but soon I'll be putting the time in on these since right now I'd bomb out on the deadlift if I went to competition.

[El Exorcisto]

Close-grip incline bench: 5 @ 45,95; triple @ 135; eight singles @ 155

Superset with ring chins: 35 total

Bent press: singles each side @ 50, 60 - PR

 

I hate incline bench and tonight I think I figured out why. I have a habit of dragging the bar out of the hooks way too far and touching too low. It's not so bad to touch low on the flat bench, but on incline it just makes everything suck big sweaty balls. I got a better groove going than usual but almost lost the bar on the right side at lockout on my last single. Chins were the usual except that I led with a set of six instead of five and paid for it later.

 

I am finding that the bent press is best reserved for when you are fresh, certainly not after doing a bunch of 90 percentish singles on another press. I still PRed by 10 pounds but ended up failing 65 miserably.

[El Exorcisto]

Bench press doubles: 6@ 185, 1 @ 190, 195

18" deadlift triples: 7 @ 225

Andserson Zercher squat triples: 4 @ 200, 1 @ 220, 1 @ 230

 

It was bitter cold in the gym tonight, and I didn't get out there til around 7:30. I'm still sore from Monday and Wednesday's workouts but the work needs to get done. Despite that, I am fairly certain I hit a rep PR on the bench at 195.

 

18" deadlifts are getting a little easier, so I'll be putting some more weight on the bar next time around fa sho. I'm feeling them all in my lats, and as soon as I break the bar off the blocks it locks out like nothing. Right now this is worrying me more than the yoke.

 

My dad and I screwed around lifting his table saw today after we got done butchering my deer and it ended up being a Zercher half-squat from the bottom. I liked how it felt and just had to try it with actual weight. My abs were on the edge of cramping but they felt so good. I don't know if I want to keep this pin height for the next time or drop them some. The pins were set just below the greater trochanter of my hip, so they were right about at half depth.

 

Tomorrow is the fam's turkey day, preceded by a frigid morning of walking up and down a fucking mountain side with a gun in my hands and a pack on my back in the hunt for a fuller freezer. No doubt about it, winter is trying to kill me already this year.

[El Exorcisto]

Parallel box squat triples: 3 @ 225, 1 @ 245, 1 @ 265, 2 @ 275

Strict press singles: 8 @ 135, 1 @ 145

Bar chin-ups: 10 (PR),4,2 rest-pause

 

Two days spent hiking up and down a mountain side in search of my dad's venison were in vane. I got home tonight a little let down with another deer season full of hope and just a little payoff at the end of the season. Between my work schedule and needing to get my gym built and insulated, my season is over. I was beat and pissed, which seemed like a great time to spend some time with the iron.

 

I haven't box squatted since I hit three plates for the first time, but these just felt fucking right. I set up wide, sat WAY back, and drove off the box like it was my fucking job. I wore my belt for the first time in months on 265 and 275 for a little peace of mind. My abs are a lot stronger then they used to be. With the belt I probably could have smoked a PR tonight but I'm still rehabbing some.

 

It seems like whenever I press, if I can hit one rep I can hit three. The drive off the bottom is the hardest part of the lift, and living off the stretch reflex is just stroking my ego. After thoroughly trashing myself on 135 I wanted to see if I could hit my old PR (at 200 pounds) and I did. It was ugly, but it went up. These were all belted and wrapped.

 

I hit a PR on bar chin-ups. Good stuff.

[El Exorcisto]

DB floor press: 15 @ 50, 2x8 @ 60

EZ-bar curl: 12 @ 65, 2x10 @ 75

Face pull: 3x20 with EFS light band

Bodyweight hyper: 3x15

 

Just a prehab/rehab kind of day.

[El Exorcisto]

Log C&P: 1 @ 130

Zercher squat: 8x2 @ 180

Incline bench: 8x1 @ 175

18" deadlift: 3 @ 135, 1 @ 225

 

Just another shit day in the gym today. My low back grabbed me on my first log rep so I went to squats hoping to loosen up. It didn't work. Squats felt good but my low back was still stiff as fuck at the end so I decided some inclines were in order. They felt awkward and shitty again, but I did PR weight for eight sorta ugly singles. I tried 18" deadlifts and again, low back wasn't having it.

 

I'm still horribly sore from box squatting the other night. I'm guessing that had something to do with it, but who knows?

[El Exorcisto]

Close grip 3-board press triples: 3 @ 205, single @ 215, 3 @ 205

Shrug triples: 1 @ 315, 1 @ 335, 5 @ 355 (PR)

Front squat doubles: 2 @ 185, 1 @ 195, 4 @ 205 (PR)

 

I'm struggling at lockout as I get fatigued on overhead work so decided some triceps nastiness was in order. Since I have a bunch of 2x4 and 2x4 scrap laying around, and my wife is home, I screwed together a 3-board and got to work. I failed the second rep at 215 and getting out from under it was problematic. I reset the pin height for the last three triples and never needed them.

 

Shrugs are feeling good but I think the rapid increase in weight is more about technique than getting that much stronger. Regardless, my traps and upper back were crushed.

 

I led with zombies to warm up and they didn't feel right. I put my straps on the bar and got to work. My groove was sloppy and they felt like front squats always do. Despite that, I'm pretty sure I PRed them by a rep and 20 pounds. It's telling me that my weakness has always been my abs and that Zercher squats are doing god's work to get them stronger. They're pretty rekt right now.

[El Exorcisto]

18" deadlift triples: 1 @ 225, 1 @ 275, 2 @ 315, 2 @ 325 (PR)

EZ-bar curl: 20 @ 35, 2x15 @ 45

Face pull: 3x20 with EliteFTS light band

Roll-outs: 3x15 from the knees

 

 I watched some videos of 18" deadlifts in training and saw a lot of rounded upper backs, so I followed suit. They had a lot better pop with some rounding. I belted up for 315 and 325 and got a lot out of the belt, but 325 as still a real grinder. The upside is that I'm at least hitting the opener for the contest now so I'm guaranteed not to zero it.

 

Curls, face pulls, and roll-outs as prehab/rehab. Nothing remarkable.

[El Exorcisto]

Zercher squat triples: 1 @ 110, 160; 4 @ 200

Strict press singles: 1 @ 135, 10 @ 140

DB rows 8s: 60, 110, 120

 

I was getting really sloppy on the last set of Zerchers so I called them short. My legs were still a little tore up from front squats and my abs from both front squats and roll outs. Presses were rough and slow, but 5 pounds more than last week with shorter rests. DB rows were great. Just a few weeks ago they were grabbing my low back. I didn't go for any kind of PR on them but I got close.

 

Now it's time for a few days off. The friend that got me into the iron is moving south in a few weeks. To celebrate we're going to play a couple games of Uncle on Sunday and I want to be fresh.

[El Exorcisto]

My friend bitched out on me. No worries though since it gave me time to finish up the temple. It holds heat now, so no more hands going numb or sticking to the bar.

 

 

 

The power rack platform is 2 layers of 9/16" OSB over 2x6s and 2x4s. The deadlift platform is 4'x8' and is made of 2x4s, 9/16" OSB, 3/4" plywood and stall mat. I installed gate latches to use as band pegs but need to get shorter lags for my squat/bench pegs. I bolted the rack down to the platform, and screwed the platform to the concrete. I'm pretty sure it'd take Godzilla to get any of it to slide or rock.

 

I'm too trashed after spending all day for the last two days hanging OSB, wiring, and running insulation to get any work done tonight. Tomorrow morning is sounding good for some hurt though.

[Disil]

That looks awesome.

[Shortgorilla]

Super jelly of your temple.

[Rooks]

Very nice looking home gym there EE.  I need to get off my ass and get that my platform built.

[El Exorcisto]

Parallel box squat triples: 1 @ 275, 4 @ 285

Snatch high pull triples: 1 @ 185, 6 @ 195

Bench press triples: 7 @ 185

 

I had my wife check my depth on the box today and I was about 1.5" above parallel the last time I did box squats. I adjusted and got humbled a little but not terribly. My last rep at 285 took me for a bit of a ride so I quit there.

 

I haven't high pulled in months and these were shaky as fuck. I belted for the 195s and got a lot more solid. Next time the weight will definitely be going up. I need to do something about my boxes though. With the new platform everything has a little bit of spring to it and the boxes walk around from rep to rep.

 

I was pretty cashed after the high pulls so last week's triples at 195 weren't happening. The OSB in the rack is fucking awesome. It's so grippy that your feet cannot move.

[El Exorcisto]

Log C&P: Triple @ 130, failed 140

Axle C&P Triples: 110, 130, 150

DB C&P Singles each hand: 60, 70, 80

 

It was a rough day in the gym today. Nothing felt right and I found out my platform needs a little more framing underneath it. On a brighter note, I'm down to 177 by accident and it's time to put some more weight on.

 

[matty_mcfly]

177? You skinny fuck. Apparently I was on an accidental bulk while you were inadvertently cutting.  I'm up around 179/180 as of yesterday morning.

 

The yoke and log keep calling my name when I hit the gym. So do the stones, but those bitches start at 200 and I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet.

[El Exorcisto]

Heh, I'm still soft as fuck. Why don't you stop with these peaking programs and do some fun shit? You have access to shit I can dream about, indoors, and you just let it sit there. I'll never understand.

[matty_mcfly]

I'm trying to compete sometime soon, just can't find a meet near by.  Also I have a personal goal of repping 3 plates for squats and deads and 2 plates for bench.

 

Though, the fact that I won't live a 3 minute walk away from this awesome kind of gym that has all these toys could push me to fuck with them sooner than later.

[Shortgorilla]

Log C&P: Triple @ 130, failed 140

Axle C&P Triples: 110, 130, 150

DB C&P Singles each hand: 60, 70, 80

 

It was a rough day in the gym today. Nothing felt right and I found out my platform needs a little more framing underneath it. On a brighter note, I'm down to 177 by accident and it's time to put some more weight on.

 

 

Making Brodin proud.

[El Exorcisto]

18" deadlift singles: 315, 325, 335, 7 @ 345

Incline bench singles: 155, 165, 6 @ 170

Straight bar curl triples: 75, 85, 5 @ 95

[El Exorcisto]

So I'e been logging my training back at BB.com because of the chaotic nature of my training. I thought I' like their tracker since I may not hit a movement for weeks. They have every conceivable machine thing but they are sorely lacking in fun shit that makes you want to die. So here I am, logging back here.

 

Friday: Woke up like I got gutted and run over by a rhino on meth. Rest day.

 

Saturday:

Weighted dips: 7x3 @ 35 lbs

Weighted chins: 7x3 @ 15 lbs

Front squat: 7x3 @ 205

 

Sunday:

Conventional deadlift singles: 1 @ 315, 1 @ 335, 3 @ 355 (40 pound PR since the injury, 60 off all time PR)

Axle C&P triples: 1 @ 130, 1 @ 150, 2 @ 160 PR

 

Today:

Zercher squats off pin "T", roughly ball height, singles: 1 @ 200, 3 @ 220, (took wider stance) 1 @ 220, 1 @ 240, 5 @ 250

Strict axle press triples: 1 @ 110, 1 @ 130, 5 @ 135 rep PR

Superset with

Snatch high-pull triples: 1 @ 155, 1 @ 175, 5 @ 195

 

Im getting bigger and stronger, faster than I ever have in my life. I put 40 pounds on my deadlift in about a week after some good mornings off pins and a bunch of front squats. My work capacity, what used to be the bane of my fucking existence, doesn't even rate any more. I'm done pulling for a few weeks since I don't seem to need it to get better at it quick. My strict press is moving slowly but my axle C&P is flying. I need to spend some more time under the log, but that's getting better after watching some YouTubes from actual strong guys.

[El Exorcisto]

From page 1:

 

 

Maybe all that bullshit that jdanger was spewing about getting the ab work done had some merit.

Maybe that's why I've been a cripple.

and Maybe I'll stop being a bitch and start doing the shit I hate doing, like taking lightweight sets to failure and not being so dogmatic about needing to squat, pull, and bench heavy to get stronger.

 

I'll concede points one and two were spot on. My abs were, and still are pathetically weak. Point three however... I just never took it far enough. Fuck light weights and failure.

 

Does anyone have any idea how to go about finding an empty keg?

[Rooks]

Tried liquor stores or breweries?  Might be able to get one on the cheap if it was somehow damaged.  Not sure if you are looking for it to still hold fluid or not.