The Inevitable Return of the Great White Dope

[matty_mcfly]

How's the body holding up?

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[El Exorcisto]

Squat: 5s @ 45,95,135,185,205,225; triple @ 245

Good morning: 2x5 @ 185, 3x6 @ 135 plus a bunch of singles and doubles

BSS: 10@bw, 2x10 +10lb DBs

Leg lifts: 3x15

 

Squats were deep and felt pretty good. It's the first time I've put my barbell across my traps in ages and it just felt right. 245 was kind of grindy. They were all unbelted and 245 might be an unbelted PR squatting high bar.

 

Good mornings... wow. So my wife was out bullshitting with me between sets and told me I had a weird thing going on in my hips at 185. I had her describe it and it sounds like my pelvis was dropping on the left and shifting to the right. My hip asymmetry strikes again. I think I've been doing single leg good mornings this whole time and somehow not realizing it. I dialed the weight back and had her watch some more. It was still happening. So I replayed Clint Darden's GM video in my head and started arching really hard. Harder than ever before. Hard enough that it felt like I was trying to snap myself in two... and it worked. I lost the weird shifty bullshit and learned what a good morning is supposed to feel like.

 

Stabilizer work because holy fuck do I need stabilizer work...

 

I'm holding up alright. I'm still a little stiff in the morning but not enough that it gets in the way too much.

[El Exorcisto]

Bench: 5s @ 165, 167.5, 170; 2x5 @ 172.5

 

BTN press: 5s @ 95, 100; 3x5 @ 102.5

   superset with

Ring chins: 5x6

 

One-arm DB press: 3x10 @ 40

   superset with

EZ bar curl: 10,10,8 @ 65

 

It was another night that I had to drag myself out into the gym. Everything felt shitty but it seemed to go up easier than usual so I put a little weight on bench and BTN press. Strangely, whatever rehab I'm doing for my hips is having an effect on my bench setup. I always get a gnarly cramp in my left hip flexor on the setup. Tonight it took me a good minute of fucking around getting set up because it didn't feel right before I realized that the pain in my left hip wasn't there. Hopefully that's a good thing.

 

One-arm presses didn't wreck me nearly as bad this week but I was getting a serious pump going in my erectors and low lats. It's the same spot that was getting worked hard on good mornings last night. I don't know what that means.

[El Exorcisto]

SSB squat: 5@185, 3x5 @ 205, 2x5 @ 225

Power snatch: 5@45, 5@89, 3@109

DB step-up: 2x10 @ 60

Roman chair sit-ups: 3x15

 

It sounded good in my head... "Hey, bro... You know what you need today? Volume squats! Yea, I know, you trained less than 12 hours ago and it hasn't even been 48 since your last squat day, but fuck it, yo!"

 

I got a little messy on the last set but all in all it felt like a good day of squatting. Everything else felt like dogshit, probably because I was trashed from squatting.

[matty_mcfly]

 

It was another night that I had to drag myself out into the gym. Everything felt shitty but it seemed to go up easier than usual so I put a little weight on bench and BTN press. Strangely, whatever rehab I'm doing for my hips is having an effect on my bench setup. I always get a gnarly cramp in my left hip flexor on the setup. Tonight it took me a good minute of fucking around getting set up because it didn't feel right before I realized that the pain in my left hip wasn't there. Hopefully that's a good thing.

 

What are you doing for your hips lately??

 

I've been doing the frog pose, fire hydrants, sitting in 3rd World Squats a lot, couch stretch, et cetera.

[El Exorcisto]

Band bad girls and frogs as prehab and single leg work every lower day.

[matty_mcfly]

Ugh...fucking single leg work.  

 

But cool, nice to know I'm not missing too much. 

[El Exorcisto]

Strict press: 4x5 @ 117.5, 5@120

 

DB bench: 5x10 @ 50

   superset with

Bar chins: 7,6,6,6,7

 

Concentration curl: 4x10 @ 20

   superset with

Roll-out: 4x12

 

Running late. Off to work.

[El Exorcisto]

I've been fucking around with a new old tractor for the last couple weeks so training hasn't been all that structured. I've been getting it all done but chalking it up to a deload. The tractor needed to get finished up because I'm sick and tired of shoveling snow and the 36" snowblower will make life a lot better in the coming months. All that said, it didn't seem to have a negative effect on my progress.

 

Deadlift: 5s @ 135,225,275,315 beltless, belted singles @ 365, 385, 405 - PR @ bodyweight, 420 - all time PR

SSB squat: 10s @ 135, 155, 175, 185

 

I haven't pulled from the floor in at least a month and I haven't gone for a max single on anything in even longer. The PR felt awesome and did a lot to show me that whatever I am doing seems to be working. I've been squatting twice a week for the last couple and that should continue. 

[matty_mcfly]

Good shit man

[El Exorcisto]

Log C&P: 5s @ 105, 115, 125, 130, 135 - rep PR

 

Close grip floor press: 10s @ 95, 115, 115, 95, 95

   superset with

Ring chins: 5x6

 

My log technique is back to being terrible but it did a lot to trash my triceps and shoulders. I'll stick with it for a few weeks to get it polished a little better and see where I really am. My dip and drive was the shit part, my press was pretty strong. I only ground a little on the last couple reps. I felt the weight shift onto my toes so I was losing the log ever so slightly out ahead before I drove up. If I can get that cleaned up I should be in a lot better shape.

 

DB bench was putting too much on my chest and not enough on my triceps. While I'm not complaining about the little bit of pec growth I've had, I'm not seeing it having a whole lot of carry over to the press. Close grip floor press trashed my triceps. On set 4 my chest started taking over and got very quick and uncomfortable pump. I cleaned it up on the last set. I'll run it for this three week block and see what I see for carry over to my strict press.

[Rooks]

I forget.  Do you have any upcoming comps?  Or you just going to stick to training for the purpose of training for a bit?

[El Exorcisto]

My next is the Lift for Autism again in April. Right now I'm all about base building.

[matty_mcfly]

So are you planning on keeping the log in rotation for a few weeks this block?

 

I know it shows up every now and again.

[El Exorcisto]

Yea, I think I'm replacing bench with log for this 3 weeks and maybe axle after that. I'd like to be repping bodyweight on the log and hitting a strict single at bodyweight with the axle by April. Horizontal pressing makes a lot more sense as supplemental work than main lifts if I want to make it happen. I'm not going to max on the strict press until I know I can hit bodyweight. It's just too prone to fail out of nowhere which ends up really fucking with me.

[matty_mcfly]

Do you have an idea where you are on the log and axle?

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[El Exorcisto]

I have no idea. I'm staying away from maxing out on my presses. Hitting reps makes me stronger at everything. Right now being specific is the last thing I want. My lower body lifts always respond better to the occasional heavy single or triple.

[matty_mcfly]

Didn't necessarily mean a heavy single but are you feeling that your press is getting stronger where you'll be able to hit your axle goal?

[El Exorcisto]

Oh fa sho. 135 was a little shitty but it was sloppy from lack of practice. I'd be surprised if I don't rep 150 in a couple weeks. Some perspective, in the run up to last year's April contest I hit 160 for a single because that was contest weight. I just looked for next year's events and it's up. It looks like I'm going to be trying for 165.

 

http://media.wix.com/ugd/0bb576_e6447722849a4245926fe276e5a2f316.pdf

 

I've been wanting to pick up a car since I started training.

[matty_mcfly]

Are you looking at these weights from the lens of strict press or just getting the weight overhead?

[El Exorcisto]

I want a bodyweight strict press for a personal milestone. Repping it on the log and axle is all about just getting it overhead. If I can rep 175 in the gym then hitting 160 back and forth at the contest should be a lot more solid than last year.

[matty_mcfly]

Yea, same goal as mine.

 

Yea, I think the biggest issue about that event, for me at least, would be the cleans. Getting it overhead is the easy part, getting it racked...that's a different story.

 

And shit cutting down to 165???

[El Exorcisto]

I was 177 two days ago when I pulled 420. Stripping off another 10 pounds and water cutting into weigh-ins shouldn't be a problem at all. Hell, I've got six months. I was already planning on spending another three weeks cutting starting November first so I had some room to come up through the holidays anyway.

[El Exorcisto]

Power snatch: 2x3 @ 89, 2x3@99, 3@104

Squat: 5s @ 225,235; 2x5 @ 245

SSB good morning: 10s @ 95,135; 2x10@155

 

Snatching felt a lot stronger than it has before so I may be on track to set a PR next week or the week after. Other than that there wasn't anything remarkable.

[El Exorcisto]

Strict press: 4x5 @ 125 - rep PR, 5@120

 

Klokov press: 5@45, 5@65, 3x5@85

   superset with

Ring chins: 5x5

 

Push-ups: 2x10, 1x12

   superset with

Roll-out: 3x15

 

I was supposed to do 120 5x5 tonight but my wife had all the 2.5s on the DBs for bench so I said "bro, you could be a pussy and drop back to 115 or you could nut the fuck up and knock out a rep PR." I knocked out the rep PR and then did it three more times. I dropped back to 120 for the last set because I almost ate the bar on my last rep at 125. Klokov presses were ugly and hard. Everything else was just the usual.