r_graz Tries Not to Get Crushed

[r_graz]

Gotta name a journal something, right? :)

I've been running journals at bb.com for about a year and half now, but like the look of this place better. I know the kind of poundages getting moved around in this journal won't draw people in like flies ;), but I'm pretty confident that any input I manage to get here will be quality :cool:

I'm currently in my 6th week of a 4 day (M-T-Th-Fri) upper/lower split, divided up as Upper Strength, Lower Squat, Upper Hypertrophy, Lower Deadlift. I try to do cardio on at least 2 of the off days. In the past year and half I ran the Starr SF 5x5 for 16 weeks, did a not-so-successful HST run, a Starting Strength run after a January illness-related layoff, and a Texas Method based routine prior to the upper/lower. I'm a purely recreational lifter, attempting to get stronger and bigger (mainly in that order). I'm 42 and my goal is to try to get a little stronger and a little bigger every year from here on out.

The body stats:
42 y/o
5'7"
160 lbs
BF% - low teens (estimate)
Currently eating around maintenance, coming off of a cut I did to ditch some of the fat I gained from a dumbass newb-bulk (went from around 180 to 160) :)

Current 3RM lifts (these are low-ball, haven't done a real test):
Squat - 275 x 3
Bench - 215 x 3
Row - 180 x 3
Dead - 305 x 3
OH Press - 140 x 3
Wish I could tell you those were in kilos :o

Workout currently organized like this. All 3x3 sets are done as 90%/100%/95%, followed by a higher-rep backoff set.

Monday - Upper Strength
Flat Bench Variant - 3 x 3, 1 x 10-12
Pendlay Rows - 3 x 5, 1 x 10-12
OH Press - 3 x 3, 1 x 10-12
Chinups/ CG Pulldowns - 3 x 6, 1 x 10-12
Tri Extension - 3 x 6-10
BB Curl - 3 x 6-10

Tuesday - Lower Squat
Squats - 3x3, 1 X 10-12
RDL - 3 x 6-8
(Ghetto) GHR - 3 x 8-10
Weighted Hypers - 3 x 8-10
Ab work

Thursday - Upper Hypertrophy
Incline DB Bench - 4 x 8
Row Variant (Cable, Chest-Supported) - 4 x 8
DB Seated Press - 3 x 8-10
Dips or CGBP - 4 x 6-8
Pullups/WG Pulldowns - 3 x 8-10
HG DB Curls - 3 x 8-10
DB Lat Raise: 3 x 8-10

Friday - Lower Deadlift
Deadlifts - 3 x 3, 1 x 10
OH Squats - 3 x 8
Power Shrugs - 3 x 8, 1 x 10-12
(Ghetto) GHR - 3 x 8
Ab work

FWIW, the lift that's currently frustrating me is my squat. For as long as I've been squatting (OK, only a year and half...), I've been doing kind of a medium-stance squat, below parallel. But I've been making little progress in the lift for a long time - best 5 rep set I did was 265, and I've been stuck in that general neighborhood for months. I obviously want to get the lift over 300 (and eventually have 3 plates on there), but right now that 25 lbs might as well be 250 lbs. Trying to decide if there are some particular weak points I can bring up, or if changing the squat variant I'm using will help.

[r_graz]

LOWER - SQUAT

Squat
250 x 3
275 x 3
260 x 3
210 x 10

RDL
245 x 7
245 x 7
245 x 6
185 x 12

GHR (pushup assist)
10
10
10

45 Degree Hyper
45 x 10
45 x 10

Hanging Leg Raises
8
8
8

Decline Crunch (30 seconds btwn sets)
12
12
12


NOTES:

Went for broke and bumped it up 10 lbs to 275 for squats. Got it, but can't say I was thrilled with the form. Hips definitely coming up first, and torso lagging behind. Not quite a GM, but I hate to think of what my back would have gone through if it weren't for the belt. I did the 250x3 unbelted, and the 275 and 260 belted. Can't say I was satisfied with any of the 3 rep sets.

I still get psyched-out by having that much weight on my shoulders (yeah I know, it's not very much weight http://forum.bodybuilding.com/images/smilies/smile.gif). Makes it hard to take in good air, and I always feel a little panicky for some reason. I have to come up with a new strategy for squats. Either a big deload (again http://forum.bodybuilding.com/images/smilies/frown.gif), or maybe a Max-Stim approach where I can really just concentrate on one rep at a time. I should also give some serious thought to the stance that's best for me. I've always ended up with kind of a medium stance by default, but I really have to experiment a bit.

RDL's were tough. Last week I had the rack to do them in, so I could take the bar off the rack for each set. This time I only had the floor, so each set began with a full deadlift. Makes it a little harder. I punished myself for my substandard performance with a 12 rep set at the end http://forum.bodybuilding.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Everything else was ok.
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[Misanthrope]

Hey Ron, I may follow your journal here to cut down on the number of journals to keep up with on BB.com (the number is growing huge). That is, unless you prefer I use your BB.com journal to help keep it afloat. :)

Your choice. BTW, since I'm a mod for this section I reserve the right to delete your journal at any time without warning, and also to edit parts of your workout to reflect my own idea of what your workout should have looked like.


:D

[r_graz]

Hey Ron, I may follow your journal here to cut down on the number of journals to keep up with on BB.com (the number is growing huge). That is, unless you prefer I use your BB.com journal to help keep it afloat. :)

Nah, my bb.com journal is a sinking ship. Actually, it left the dock sitting pretty low in the water to begin with :) Ditch it and follow here, I'll probably close that one down soon anyway.



Your choice. BTW, since I'm a mod for this section I reserve the right to delete your journal at any time without warning, and also to edit parts of your workout to reflect my own idea of what your workout should have looked like.
You take requests? Change that squat workout to read "275 rawked!" Coulda' tossed another plate on there no prob!"

If only...:)

[r_graz]

UPPER - HYPERTROPHY

Incline DB Bench (~30 degree incline)
60 x 8
60 x 8
60 x 8
60 x 7
45 x 10

Cable Row
135 x 8
135 x 8
135 x 8
135 x 8

Seated DB Press
45 x 10
45 x 10
45 x 8

Wide-Grip Pulldowns
130 x 9
130 x 9
130 x 9

Single Arm DB Tri Extensions
25 x 8
25 x 8
25 x 7

DB Hammer Curls
30 x 10
30 x 10
30 x 10

DB Lateral Raise
20 x 8
20 x 8
20 x 8

NOTES:

Add 3 reps to the DB inclines today. Getting back into the groove of those. When I can get to 4 x 8, I'll bump up the weight.

Added the seated DB press. Haven't done those in a while, so I picked a fairly easy weight to start with. I'll do the 45's again next week and hopefully bump it up the following week.

Left out the CGBP, since adding the seated press gave me 2 compound db pressing movements for this workout. Honestly after those my tri's felt like they had done quite a bit of work. So I settled for doing some unilateral tri iso's at the end. My right tricep is a weak link, it's both smaller and weaker than my left, and I think it's a drag on my BB work. I'm hoping that these DB exercises will help even things out. I'll probably move the lateral raises to the end of Friday's deadlift workout, since all of the above took too much time today.

Everything else is feeling pretty good, a good workout all in all.
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[TheStender]

I won't have much to say about your workout, since I'm not advanced enough to understand it, but I can always give the typical "great workout!" post.

EDIT: Great workout!

[Misanthrope]

Nice job on the incline DB. Good volume there.

You should give single arm cable rows a try.

[r_graz]

I won't have much to say about your workout, since I'm not advanced enough to understand it, but I can always give the typical "great workout!" post.

EDIT: Great workout!
Thanks. I don't really understand it either :o


Nice job on the incline DB. Good volume there.

You should give single arm cable rows a try.
The unilateral cable setup is only a few feet from the bilateral one, so it seems likely I'll work my way over there :D I am enjoying the cable rows ATM though, I've done nothing but Pendlays for close to a year now.

[Lifting N Tx]

I'm like Matt, with too many journal subs, though pretty much every one that I've subbed to is worth following if one had the time. In here, the journals are still few enough that I don't need subs yet to keep up.

Anyway, glad to see you starting one here, Ron. No suggestions about the squats ATM, as I was up most of the night with a work issue, and only now am I really waking up.

[Kyle]

How often do you change things around with your squatting work?

Kyle

[r_graz]

How often do you change things around with your squatting work?

Kyle
The only thing significant that changes with my squats is the rep range, and it has changed with the program I'm doing. When it was the SF 5x5, it was 5 ramped sets of 5, on SS it was 3x5 sets across, Texas Method it was 5x5 sets across Monday and 3RM on Friday, and now what I'm doing on the upper/lower. On the upper/lower it's one day per week devoted to squatting, building to a 3x3 based on 3RM - 90%, 100%, 95%. Then a higher rep back-off set.

My primary type of squat has always been more or less the same, kind of a medium-stance width, taken fairly deep. The only big variation on the I've done is when I tweaked something in my back and couldn't squat as heavy, I did Bulgarian split squats and ligher paused squats for a while.

On Tuesday I did narrow-stance Olympic squats as my back off set, and I'm just starting to get over the DOMS in my quads now :D Amazing what a few inches of stance width does in terms of the muscles hit.

Right now I'm doing the OH squats on deadlift day as an assistance exercise, since I have to do them ridiculously light.

[r_graz]

LOWER - DEADLIFT

Conventional Deadlift
275 x 3
305 x 3
285 x 3
245 x 8

Overhead Squat
125 x 8
125 x 8
125 x 6

Power Shrug
240 x 8
240 x 8
240 x 8
185 x 12
185 x 12

GHR (pushup assist)
8
8
8

Front Planks (resting on forearms)
2 x 45 second static hold

Weighted Decline Crunch
35 x 8
35 x 8
35 x 8

NOTES:
Rest between sets of GHR's and crunches was 60 seconds.

Deads were a bear, and I don't like the fact that I feel pretty much nothing in my glutes and hams, and feel *a lot* at the juncture between my glutes and lower back. I try to keep the hips down and back straight, at least 30 degree angle. I'm starting to wonder if my biomechanics warrants an adjustment in my form. When I try to get properly set up, everything feels pretty constricted and I can't get a good breath down into my belly. Wish I had a functioning DV cam so I could tape these for review later.

OH squats were going great till the last set. Things were shaking towards the end, and on the 7th rep I couldn't keep everything in balance and had to dump the bar. Fortunately (after bouncing off my head) it came down on the rack safetys so no damage was done ;) Next week I'll do 125 again. Despite the bad ending today, I'm finding that OH squats (and GHRs) are how a small, weak guy like myself can get a tiny bit of respect in the gym.

Shrugs fine, GHR's fine, I hate planks, blah blah blah :D

[Serpens Aeon]

After reading your journal, I've become a fan of your training construction and exercise selection. :)

Nice pulls too.

[r_graz]

After reading your journal, I've become a fan of your training construction and exercise selection. :)

Thanks. It shows you even wild-ass guesses can get lucky sometimes.



Nice pulls too.
Thank you. And that reminds me, I have to go back to the gym and collect my spine.

[Kyle]

The only thing significant that changes with my squats is the rep range, and it has changed with the program I'm doing. When it was the SF 5x5, it was 5 ramped sets of 5, on SS it was 3x5 sets across, Texas Method it was 5x5 sets across Monday and 3RM on Friday, and now what I'm doing on the upper/lower. On the upper/lower it's one day per week devoted to squatting, building to a 3x3 based on 3RM - 90%, 100%, 95%. Then a higher rep back-off set.

My primary type of squat has always been more or less the same, kind of a medium-stance width, taken fairly deep. The only big variation on the I've done is when I tweaked something in my back and couldn't squat as heavy, I did Bulgarian split squats and ligher paused squats for a while.

On Tuesday I did narrow-stance Olympic squats as my back off set, and I'm just starting to get over the DOMS in my quads now :D Amazing what a few inches of stance width does in terms of the muscles hit.

Right now I'm doing the OH squats on deadlift day as an assistance exercise, since I have to do them ridiculously light.

So your doing 1 regular squat session a week 3x3 working in the 90-95% range for tripples?

Kyle

[r_graz]

So your doing 1 regular squat session a week 3x3 working in the 90-95% range for tripples?

Right. I warmup to 3 triples, 90%, 100% and 95% of 3RM, in that order, followed by a higher-rep backoff set.

[r_graz]

UPPER STRENGTH

Flat Bench
200 x 3
217.5 x 3
207.5 x 3
165 x 8
165 x 7
60 seconds rest between backoff sets

Pendlay Row
172.5 x 5
172.5 x 5
172.5 x 5
145 x 10

Overhead Press
125 x 3
137.5 x 2, 1 (failed 3rd, rested 30 seconds, did one more rep)
130 x 3
105 x 8
105 x 6
60 seconds rest between backoff sets

CG Pulldown
190 x 6
190 x 6
190 x 6

Seated Tri Extension (French Press)
70 x 8
70 x 8
70 x 7
50 x 15 (standing)

BB Curl
80 x 6
80 x 6
80 x 6
60 x 12

Alternated sets of tricep extensions and bb curls, 60 seconds between.

NOTES

Microplates FTW :cool:

Mondays after I've been competing all weekend are tough. I've been involved in stunt kite competition for about 9 years now, and compete pretty much all over the country (and one great overseas invitation). If you don't know what stunt kite (or sport kite) competition is, the picture in your head is probably not accurate, it's a lot less ghey than it sounds ;) I can go into further detail if anyone is interested, but suffice it to say that depending on the wind conditions it can either test your cardiovascular conditioning or your strength, all while trying to maintain fine motor control. This weekend was in Boston and it was hot, humid, and nearly windless, and after hours at these things usually involve bad eating and lots of drinking. So I consider it a PR just to make it into the gym on Monday :D<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[Kiknskreem]

Are you keeping up your journal on BB.com?

And that question applies to anyone reading this that also has a journal here.

[VikingMan]

And that question applies to anyone reading this that also has a journal here.
I'll be starting a journal here in the next few days. I'll probably still keep my journal on BB.com too though, at least for the present.

[r_graz]

Are you keeping up your journal on BB.com?

And that question applies to anyone reading this that also has a journal here.
For the moment. Probably not too much longer, as it seems more and more of the good people who've visited my journal there are showing up here.

[Kiknskreem]

Hmm, perhaps I'll make the switch.

Trying to keep up with two journals wouldn't be much fun unless you were an e-superstar.... a la vikingman.

[VikingMan]

a la vikingman.
Meh, bite me. ;)

:D

[Misanthrope]

Good looking session for being tired, Ronco. I'm going to have to look up this "stunt kite" stuff. ;)

So how did you like the back-off set idea for bench? Does it seem like it will work well?

[Lifting N Tx]

Are you keeping up your journal on BB.com?

And that question applies to anyone reading this that also has a journal here.

Yes.

I still have a decent number of folks who check in over there, but are not here. Over time that may change.

I keep my workouts in a document and just cut and paste each place, so the extra overhead in keeping 2 journals is not much.

[r_graz]

Good looking session for being tired, Ronco. I'm going to have to look up this "stunt kite" stuff. ;)


You'll find a wide range of stuff. Most of the stuff on YouTube isn't that great (though one of my competition routines did make it there). Here's a YouTube video of my flying that has sold a few sponsors on funding stunt kite events. This was just a little demo video we made following a competition, mainly for fun. Called "Goth" after the color scheme of the kite - the only color scheme I reserved for myself and won't build for anyone else ;)
wqA38NHKrpI



So how did you like the back-off set idea for bench? Does it seem like it will work well?

The back off sets were fine. Obviously I can get quite a bit more work in by dividing it into 2 sets. I figure the 1 minute rest between them isn't excessive. For rows, I did one high rep set because that exercise is 3x5 instead of 3x3, so it has more volume to begin with.

[r_graz]

LOWER - SQUAT

Olympic Squat
235 x 5
235 x 5
235 x 5
195 x 10

RDL
245 x 8
245 x 8
245 x 8
185 x 12

45 degree Leg Press
4 plates x 10
4 plates x 10
3 plates x 20

GHR - 5 second static hold
5
5
5

45 Degree Hyper
45 x 8
45 x 8

Weighted Decline Crunch
35 x 10
35 x 10
35 x 10


NOTES:

Switched to Olympic style squats today, feet inside shoulder width, upright back, good depth. Took a substantial backwards step in weight, not surprisingly. I'm amazed by how much a couple inches in stance width changes this exercise. Didn't want to kill myself on the first day, so I settled for a weight I thought I could manage for 3x5.

In my phone call with the S & C coach yesterday, he suggested varying the GHR's by reducing the volume and doing them with 5 second static holds during the eccentric. Basically hanging out there in space for 5 seconds, then allow a free fall foward, and come back up. 3 sets of 5 of these pretty well killed my hamstrings, so I guess they're a good idea.

[VikingMan]

3 sets of 5 of these pretty well killed my hamstrings, so I guess they're a good idea.
Ouch, that burns just thinking about it.

[Misanthrope]

That kite thing looked pretty cool. Do they have kite competitions where you can battle other kites to the death -- i.e. try to knock them out of the sky? :D

Nice job on the workout today. Great work with the RDLs, especially. The weight and volume you're using for them is impressive. I see you're doing something similar to what I've been doing for leg press. That 20 rep set is an ass kicker. I usually have to rest a couple seconds between reps after 15 or so.

[Lifting N Tx]

Strong workout, Ron.

The kite stuff was amazing. If it was just from some random guy on the internet I'd figure it was fake. Being as it's from a non-random guy on the internet I'll say it's cool stuff. :cool:

[Kyle]

That kite thing looked pretty cool. Do they have kite competitions where you can battle other kites to the death -- i.e. try to knock them out of the sky? :D



Now thats what Im talkin about lol

Kyle

[r_graz]

That kite thing looked pretty cool. Do they have kite competitions where you can battle other kites to the death -- i.e. try to knock them out of the sky? :D


Now thats what Im talkin about lol



Actually, they do have fighting competitions, but it's a different type of kite. For hundreds of years the Japanese have been doing kite fighting with large, maneuverable single-lined kites (called "rokakku", for "6-sided"), where the objective is to knock or cut everyone else out of the sky. In India, Pakistan, Afghanistan they have smaller, faster fighting kites that are used in line cutting competitions. In fact the book and upcoming movie "The Kite Runner" features the Indian style of kite fighting.

The dual and quad lined kites I fly are more about technical skill. Our competitions involve judged routines choreographed to music, judged technical skills, and my favorite, judged trick competitions. Believe it or not most of those spinning and flipping tricks have names, and are (usually...) repeatable :D To me the coolest stuff is synchronized pair and team flying, which can look like the Blue Angels when it's done well.

There's way, way more than you probably wanted to know about the subject :D



Nice job on the workout today. Great work with the RDLs, especially. The weight and volume you're using for them is impressive. I see you're doing something similar to what I've been doing for leg press. That 20 rep set is an ass kicker. I usually have to rest a couple seconds between reps after 15 or so.

Oh yeah...the lifting. I got busy talking about something I'm actually good at ;)

Thanks, those Oly squats are humbling but a good change of pace. I'll stick with them a while and see what kind of progress I can make. I added the leg press after reading your and milk_mustache's journals on bb.com, looked like a good supplement for squat day.

If you're looking for a new way to cause pain, try those static GHR holds :D

[r_graz]

The kite stuff was amazing. If it was just from some random guy on the internet I'd figure it was fake. Being as it's from a non-random guy on the internet I'll say it's cool stuff. :cool:
Thanks. It's the product of far too much time spent on beaches and kite fields, and not enough time doing chores around the house :D

The coolest part for me was when I started designing and building my own equipment. It's fun to be able to do that kind of stuff with your own handiwork.

[Misanthrope]

Actually, they do have fighting competitions, but it's a different type of kite. For hundreds of years the Japanese have been doing kite fighting with large, maneuverable single-lined kites (called "rokakku", for "6-sided"), where the objective is to knock or cut everyone else out of the sky. In India, Pakistan, Afghanistan they have smaller, faster fighting kites that are used in line cutting competitions. In fact the book and upcoming movie "The Kite Runner" features the Indian style of kite fighting.
I read "The Kite Runner" recently. That's what actually gave me the idea to ask, lol. I vaguely knew about the Japanese kites, but not much detail. Don't worry about giving too much info--I find just about anything having to do with history or cultural anthropology to be most interesting.

I didn't know a Kite Runner movie was in the works. Seems like it could be good, though I could do without the rape scene. :eek:

[r_graz]

I didn't know a Kite Runner movie was in the works.

Don't know the public release date, but I've heard that there's supposed to be a pre-release screening of it at the American Kitefliers Association convention this year. So I may get to see it in October.


Seems like it could be good, though I could do without the rape scene. :eek:
Guess it will depend on what Hollywood does with it. Could be good...or they could totally f*ck it up.

Yeah, the rape scene... :eek:

[Heisman]

Your squats look pretty good to me for just starting to use an olympic lifting stance. The GHR thing sounds really tough... no wonder you felt that.

[r_graz]

UPPER - HYPERTROPHY

Incline DB Bench (~30 degree incline)
60 x 8
60 x 8
60 x 8
60 x 7 :mad:
45 x 12

Cable Row (close hammer grip, to sternum)
140 x 8
140 x 8
140 x 8
140 x 7

Seated DB Press
45 x 10
45 x 10
45 x 9

Wide-Grip Pulldowns
130 x 10
130 x 10
130 x 9

Lying Tricep Extensions, Straight Bar
70 x 8
70 x 6
60 x 7


DB Hammer Curls
35 x 7
35 x 7
35 x 7

-alternated with (60 seconds between sets) -

DB Lateral Raise
20 x 9
20 x 8
20 x 8

NOTES:

Couldn't quite get that 8th rep on inclines, I was hoping to get it and then move up to the 65's next week. I was stricter about 90 seconds between sets today, and definitely used a fuller ROM of motion throughout, so that may have contributed. Still getting used to dumbbell pressing again.

Technically got all 4x8 on the cable row, but I thought there was a bit too much movement from the waist on that last rep so I'm not giving myself credit for it. I'm going to repeat 140 next week.

Added another rep on seated DB press. Not a full 3x10, but I may just go to the 50's next week anyway. We'll see.

I did lying tricep extensions with the straight bar (normally use EZ bar) today after reading some things about different tricep heads emphasized. This was noticeable harder than the EZ bar. Right now I'm on the fence about whether to add back in a compound tricep-specific movement (dips, cgbp) on this day now that I've added the seated db presses. My big concern has been straightening out left/right pressing strength imbalances, and now I've got two good db based pressing movements on this day. Maybe that's enough.

This higher rep stuff is kicking my ass energy-wise. That's probably a good thing.

[Misanthrope]

You're mad about missing one rep out of four sets on incline DB? :p

Okay, I probably would have been mad, too, even if there is no reason for it, lol. Everything looked good to me, man. I think what you're doing in this session is plenty. I tried doing CGBP with a higher rep format and didn't like it much. I think if and when I use it, it will be done with the strength-based format I've been using for my main compound lifts.

Are you adjusting to the all high rep days, endurance-wise? That aspect of it was an ass kicker for me, and I never seemed to get much better at it. Now that I've changed the format a bit the problem has essentially gone away. Short rest times = bad mojo for Misanthrope. :)

[r_graz]

You're mad about missing one rep out of four sets on incline DB? :p

Okay, I probably would have been mad, too, even if there is no reason for it, lol. Everything looked good to me, man. I think what you're doing in this session is plenty. I tried doing CGBP with a higher rep format and didn't like it much. I think if and when I use it, it will be done with the strength-based format I've been using for my main compound lifts.

Well, yeah, a little mad ;) I picked up 3 reps last week from the previous week, and had hoped to complete this weight this session. I may still go to 65's next week and adjust my expectations accordingly, we'll see. Freakin' annoying that 5 lbs each is the minimum I can jump on db's.

I think the pink dumbbells go up in smaller increments, maybe I'll use those instead :p

I've gotta read back through your journal and see if I can review what you're currently doing for a strength format. I know you've done the 3x3 90/100/95 thing, now your doing 2x4, 2x5, 2x6...? I wish I had a better handle on the programming side of things.



Are you adjusting to the all high rep days, endurance-wise? That aspect of it was an ass kicker for me, and I never seemed to get much better at it. Now that I've changed the format a bit the problem has essentially gone away. Short rest times = bad mojo for Misanthrope. :)
They kick my ass, no doubt about it. I do sort of enjoy them though. The first week was a killer for sure. I'm hoping that getting back into the groove of some higher reps will yield benefits overall. As far as the rest times go, I've always tried to stick to 60-90 second rests on sets of 8 or more reps, so I wasn't totally unprepared. It's tough to do that on every exercise for an entire session, though :)

[r_graz]

LOWER - DEADLIFT

Conventional Deadlift
275 x 3
295 x 1
305 x 1
315 x 0 :(
285 x 3
245 x 10

Overhead Squat
125 x 7
125 x 7
125 x 8

Power Shrug
245 x 8
245 x 8
245 x 8
195 x 12
195 x 12

GHR (pushup assist)
10
10
10

Hanging Leg Raise (knees to chest)
8
8
8

Front Planks (resting on forearms)
2 x 45 second static hold


NOTES:
Rest between sets of GHR's and crunches was 60 seconds. 30 seconds between planks.

I decided to do some deadlift singles today, and was surpised to discover how weak I am. Last week I did 305 x 3, which was tough but I got it. This week I wanted to do singles up to 315. Not even close! The first attempt I got maybe a couple inches off the floor, and had to drop it. Rested a few minutes, and the next attempt I just cleared my knees but so rounded there was no way I was going to get all the way up, had to drop it. Final attempt I barely got it off the ground. Pretty humiliating.

OH squats on the first 2 sets I lost my balance around the 5th rep, and had to struggle to get everything centered again. That cost me some energy and my shoulders didn't have enough to get through 8 reps. Last set I managed to grind out 8. Tough stuff.

[Heisman]

Those overhead squats are really impressive to me. I'm stronger in deadlifts and squats but can't overhead squat that. I need to work on that.

[Misanthrope]

I decided to do some deadlift singles today, and was surpised to discover how weak I am. Last week I did 305 x 3, which was tough but I got it. This week I wanted to do singles up to 315. Not even close! The first attempt I got maybe a couple inches off the floor, and had to drop it. Rested a few minutes, and the next attempt I just cleared my knees but so rounded there was no way I was going to get all the way up, had to drop it. Final attempt I barely got it off the ground. Pretty humiliating.
You did some singles prior to the 315 that were pretty close to that weight. That may have played a role. I bet you'll have it in a few weeks.

[r_graz]

Those overhead squats are really impressive to me. I'm stronger in deadlifts and squats but can't overhead squat that. I need to work on that.
Saying you're stronger in deads and squats is putting it mildly. I'm astounded when I look at your numbers, considering you're within 10 lbs of my body weight.

Don't know what it is with the OH squats. The guy who got me started doing them was amazed that the first time I tried them I could do 10 reps with the bar, no problem. 125 is a real challenge. Does make me want to attempt some snatches, though.

Long term goal is to do 15 reps w/ bodyweight. Very, very long term goal, lol.

[r_graz]

You did some singles prior to the 315 that were pretty close to that weight. That may have played a role. I bet you'll have it in a few weeks.
We'll see. I had mentioned in my bb.com journal that the s&c coach who used to train at my gym left and is working somewhere much better, which is only about a 15 minutes drive for me. A facility set up to train athletes, not a health club. I'm going to skip my squat session Tuesday and instead do a training session with him on Wednesday to work on my squat and deadlift, so hopefully some useful things will come from that.

[Lifting N Tx]

I shudder to think of doing OH squats for any kind of weight/reps. I agree with Matt about the singles close to the max attempt. Heavy singles close to a max attempt beforehand take more of a toll by far than for any other lift.

Don't know about the longer term trend with your DLs but it does seem likely that something like:

265 x 2-3
280 x 1
315 x 1

would have worked to succeed with the max attempt.

[r_graz]

I shudder to think of doing OH squats for any kind of weight/reps. I agree with Matt about the singles close to the max attempt. Heavy singles close to a max attempt beforehand take more of a toll by far than for any other lift.

Don't know about the longer term trend with your DLs but it does seem likely that something like:

265 x 2-3
280 x 1
315 x 1

would have worked to succeed with the max attempt.

You're probably right. It's just that by my calculations, my max should have been a good 10 or so pounds more than 315. Shows you how useful those calculators are ;)

My guess is on Wednesday I'll be taken off of conventional deads for a while and put back on a diet of snatch pulls to force me to use my hams and glutes more. My biggest issue with conventional deads is no matter what I try, I feel hardly anything in the hams and glutes, and lots in the quads and lower back. I'm sure that points to a problem right there.

[r_graz]

UPPER STRENGTH

Flat Bench
200 x 3
220 x 3
210 x 3
170 x 8
170 x 7

BB Row
175 x 5
175 x 5
175 x 5
145 x 11

Overhead Press
127.5 x 5
127.5 x 5
127.5 x 5
105 x 10

CG Pulldown
195 x 6
195 x 6
195 x 5

Seated Tri Extension (French Press)
70 x 8
70 x 8
70 x 8
50 x 15 (standing)

BB Curl
80 x 7
80 x 7
80 x 6
60 x 12

NOTES:

OK, as Messrs. Rippetoe and Pendlay have pointed out, strict BB rows are just that, so I've stopped associating a name with them ;)

I went back to a 3x5 format for OH press, I prefer that.

The first 2 reps on flat bench @ 220 were pretty smooth so I knew I had it. The last rep I made a frequent mistake of mine, which is ending up pressing too far forward on the concentric (like I was doing a decline bench), so things stalled out for a second as I had to bring it back in line. No problem. I guess this is a PR for me, since I couldn't get 220x3 when I was doing my Texas Method-based routine.

These upper days are going much better than the lowers lately.

As of Saturday, I weighed in at about 162. Right now I'm getting 2400 - 2500 calories on average, which I think is 100-200 calories over maintenance.

[r_graz]

LOWER - SQUAT

Olympic Squat (shoulder width stance, high bar)
240 x 5
240 x 5
240 x 5
200 x 10

RDL
250 x 7
250 x 7
250 x 8
195 x 12

45 degree Leg Press
4 plates x 10
4 plates x 10
3 plates x 20

GHR - 5 second static hold
3
3
3
3

45 Degree Hyper
50 x 8
50 x 8

Front Planks (45 secs btwn sets)
3 x 45 sec static hold

Decline Crunch
12
12


NOTES:

About 2.5 minutes between squat sets, 2 minutes between RDLs, 1 minute between hypers, 45 seconds between GHRs, planks, and crunches.

Olympic squats again today, only this time I decided to bring my Oly lifting shoes. I should really have been using them all along, such a nice, stable base and the raised heel helps with Oly squats. First set was awkward and difficult, but I "got my mind right" for the next 2 sets and they were much, much better.

The frame of our power rack has 2 lengthwise supports down low that the bar hits before the plates reach the ground, so at my height that means I don't get completely parallel on the RDL's. I slide my grip out, halfway between a clean and snatch width to compensate a bit. Today I really tried to emphasize firing the hips forward on the concentric, like in the first phase of a clean.

High percentage of high school kids at the gym today. I think they're trying to get good and ripped before going back to school ;) What amazes me is how they can spend an hour+ "lifting" and never even come close to breaking a sweat, whereas I'm soaked just after squats. Guess I'm doing something wrong :rolleyes:

[Misanthrope]

Looking good, Ron. Those RDLs keep climbing.

[r_graz]

Looking good, Ron. Those RDLs keep climbing.
Thanks. RDL's are the exercise I don't really pay much attention to, strangely enough.

I'm too busy getting pissed off at my squat, and trying to quietly sneak up on 225 on bench ;):D

[VikingMan]

I like your training structure. Upper lowers are the best.

[r_graz]

I like your training structure. Upper lowers are the best.
Thanks. Definitely satisfied with this set up so far. I can forsee minor tweaks, but the general layout works.

[r_graz]

UPPER - HYPERTROPHY
Incline DB Bench (~30 degree incline)
65 x 8
65 x 8
65 x 7
65 x 7
50 x 11

Cable Row (close hammer grip, to sternum)
140 x 8
140 x 8
140 x 8
140 x 8

Seated DB Shoulder Press
50 x 8
50 x 8
50 x 7

Wide-Grip Pulldowns
135 x 9
135 x 9
135 x 9

Weighted Dips
+35 x 8
+35 x 8
+35 x 7

DB Hammer Curls
35 x 8
35 x 7 (might have been 8 - lost count :o)
35 x 7
25 x 11

-supersetted with -

Seated French Press - straight bar
60 x 9
60 x 9
60 x 9

NOTES:

Moving up on the incline press worked out fine. Had some of my old right shoulder pain in the working sets, but discovered something interesting in the backoff set. Seems if I externally rotate my wrists to move towards more of a neutral grip in the db press, it causes pain. If I keep them in, or even slightly internally rotate them, no pain. Something to keep in mind for the future.

Move up on seated shoulder press too, wanted 3x8, but couldn't quite push out that last rep. No problem, I'll get it next week.

Added back in weighted dips, though not with as much weight as I'd like since the incline and shoulder presses pretty well toasted my triceps early on. Still, it's a good exercise and it adds some volume.
In other news, last night I had a training session with Peter, the s&c coach who used to work at my gym. Met him at the ice rink/athletic training facility where he works now. He's got a small training room that I could happily do all my workouts in. 2 good power racks, bumper plates, good set of dumbbells, a few Oly bars including one really nice Eleiko bar. We spent an hour and a half going over squats and deadlifts. Turns out a lot of my problem with squats as he sees it is speed, or lack of. My assignment is to combine speed work into my regular squat session, doing a set of maybe 3 @ 80% of 1RM, followed by an explosive set with maybe 40% of 1RM, followed by a heavy set, etc. The goal is to get me dropping into the hole and blasting out faster. Got some good pointers for my deadlifts and snatch pulls too.

[Misanthrope]

Nice session, Ronco. I'd definitely go with the pressing technique that doesn't cause pain. :D

That's cool you were able to get some constructive advice on your squatting. I look forward to seeing if this will result in improvement.

[Lifting N Tx]

Lifting on an ice rink could be exciting. :eek: I think I'll pass on it, though. ;)

Good looking session, Ron. Sounds like you got some good advice, too.

[r_graz]

Lifting on an ice rink could be exciting. :eek: I think I'll pass on it, though. ;)
It's a nice rink, and one advantage of the facility is that the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) practice there, so some of the nicer stuff in the training room is courtesy of them :cool:

[r_graz]

Nice session, Ronco. I'd definitely go with the pressing technique that doesn't cause pain. :D

Yeah, less pain = better :) Shoulder's bugging me a little now, but I'm hoping it'll settle down before Monday's upper strength workout, aka "the road to 225x3 bench" :D



That's cool you were able to get some constructive advice on your squatting. I look forward to seeing if this will result in improvement.
We'll see. Peter is really big on exercises to build explosive power, which I guess makes sense considering he mostly trains athletes where lifting is a means to an end, rather than the goal itself, and is himself a bobsledder. One interesting thing is he encouraged me to drop the 5 minute warmup on the exercise bike in favor of exercises with just the bar - drop squats, drop snatches, bradford presses, etc., since they warm the body up in a way more appropriate to lifting than sitting on an exercise bike.

[r_graz]

LOWER - DEADLIFT

Conventional Deadlift
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
245 x 1
265 x 1
285 x 1
305 x 1
305 x 1
305 x 1
305 x 1
285 x 3
225 x 8

Overhead Squat
125 x 8
125 x 8
125 x 8
95 x 5 w/ 3 second pause

Power Shrug
245 x 10
245 x 10
245 x 10

DB Shrug
75 x 10
75 x 10

GHR (pushup assist)
10
10
10

Core Work
Static core exercises, supermans

NOTES:
Today was really just an experimental day for deadlifts, to see where my form feels like it's breaking down. I was OK till those 4 singles at 305 (1 minute between). A couple were OK, but a couple definitely felt like my shoulders were rolling forward and my back was rounding. I try to concentrate on pushing down with my feet rather than pulling up on the bar, but when it gets heavy for me, all that goes out the window. At the end I tried some sumo deads with just 185 on the bar to get a feel. Very different, but in some ways they felt better. Of course everything feels fine till the weight gets heavy, lol.

Overhead squats were very good. I wore my Oly lifting shoes today and they make for a nice stable base. I staggered back near the end of the second set, but I fought my way back into control and ground it out. Last set was pretty smooth. One of the tips I got on the OH squats the other day was to really contract the traps and essentially shrug with the weight overhead. Does make things easier on the shoulders and more stable. I did that back off set at the end with a good 3 second pause in the hole on each rep, this also felt nice and stable. I think I like OH squats better than back squats :) It's a few weeks off for sure, but I'm looking forward to getting a couple wheels on the bar :cool:

[Andrew Smith]

Dude that's some very nice OH squatting. Great job.

[r_graz]

Dude that's some very nice OH squatting. Great job.
Thanks much :D

[Lifting N Tx]

NOTES:
Today was really just an experimental day for deadlifts, to see where my form feels like it's breaking down. I was OK till those 4 singles at 305 (1 minute between). A couple were OK, but a couple definitely felt like my shoulders were rolling forward and my back was rounding. I try to concentrate on pushing down with my feet rather than pulling up on the bar, but when it gets heavy for me, all that goes out the window. At the end I tried some sumo deads with just 185 on the bar to get a feel. Very different, but in some ways they felt better. Of course everything feels fine till the weight gets heavy, lol.


For me, once form starts to go on DL, it really starts to go due to the fatigue factor. Where was your back rounding? Upper back rounding can be ok if you're conditioned to it, and is sometimes used by high level DLers. They tend to start that way, though, rather than starting to round during the lift. Lower back rounding is much more of an issue.

Very true about the Sumo DL and everything feels fine until the weight gets heavy. Unlike me, your squats are fairly good relative to your DL, so Sumo might work well for you.

[r_graz]

Where was your back rounding? Upper back rounding can be ok if you're conditioned to it, and is sometimes used by high level DLers. They tend to start that way, though, rather than starting to round during the lift. Lower back rounding is much more of an issue.
Today it was more mid-back than anything else, which is something new for me. Usually I'm feeling it in my lower back as things start getting heavy. I'm not sure if the mid-back thing is better or worse than lower back, but I wasn't going to push my luck.

As far as the sumo deads go, they might make a nice change of pace to let me work general glute/ham strength. The other thing I've been advised is to consider doing more snatch pulls, since the starting position pretty much forces you to recruit ham/glute more than conventional deads.

[r_graz]

UPPER STRENGTH
Flat Bench
200 x 3
222.5 x 3
212.5 x 3
170 x 8
170 x 8

BB Row
177.5 x 5
177.5 x 5
177.5 x 5
145 x 12

Overhead Press
125 x 5
125 x 5
125 x 5
100 x 10

CG Pulldown
195 x 6
195 x 6
195 x 5

Seated Tri Extension (French Press)
70 x 9
70 x 8
70 x 8
60 x 10 (standing)

BB Curl
80 x 7
80 x 7
80 x 7
60 x 12

NOTES:
Debated whether to workout today. I've been fighting some kind of head/nose/throat problem since last Friday, and it didn't have me feeling at my best. I checked my temperature and no fever, so I decided to go ahead with the workout.

The 200x3 was smooth, 222.5 wasn't so smooth. That top set is tough because my nerves always get in the way, especially when it's a number I've never moved before. Ground out 3, though the last wasn't pretty. The 3rd set @ 212.5 was very smooth by comparison, decent bar speed considering % of max, no sticking. The back off sets at 170 were also very smooth, only a little slow down at end of final set. Next week is 225, big milestone for me. It's my short-term goal, so when I get it I'm considering leaving the top set there and increasing the load around it, i.e. move the 1st and 3rd triple closer to 225, with the eventual goal of 225x3x3.

I got the 177.5 x 5 x 3 rows, but don't think I'm ready for 180 next week. I'll probably do 177.5 one more week and evaluate from there.

I dropped OH press a bit because I'm moved my grip out, following a discussion in VikingMan's journal. I'd like my OH press to have carryover to my bench, and it seems like a grip approaching my bench grip (pinkies on the rings) might facilitate that. Normally I OH press with my index fingers just outside the smooth. Today I was halfway out to the rings. I'll advance slowly till I get there (or it causes my shoulders problems).

[Andrew Smith]

Nice pressing Graz. Looking good.

[Misanthrope]

Strong work on everything today. Good luck with 225 next time.

[r_graz]

Nice pressing Graz. Looking good.
Thanks Andrew.


Strong work on everything today. Good luck with 225 next time.
Thanks - can I get a spot? ;)

[r_graz]

LOWER - SQUAT

Olympic Squat (60 seconds btwn sets)
225 x 3
135 x 3
225 x 3
135 x 3
225 x 3
135 x 3
185 x 10

RDL
250 x 8
250 x 8
250 x 8
195 x 12

45 degree Leg Press
3 plates x 20

GHR - 5 second static hold
3
3
3
3

45 Degree Hyper
45 x 10
45 x 10

Front Planks (45 secs btwn sets)
3 x 45 sec static hold

Superman
2 x 30 sec static hold

NOTES:

Today's workout marked a change in my approach to squats. Peter called me yesterday to follow up on our squat/deadlift session last week, and encouraged me to go with this squat set up. Essentially, it's a 75% of max triple, followed quickly by a 45% of max triple, etc. I get enough time to change plates, grab a drink of water, and take a few breaths, not much more. The goal here is to significantly improve my bar speed and use of stretch reflex, in the hopes that that will move my squat forward. On each rep, whether it's heavy or light, I'm trying to blast the bar up as fast as I can.
It's a drop back in weight, but since my upper body stuff is what seems to be progressing well right now, I'll just ride that as long as I can and use the time to work on different aspects of my squat/deadlift without trying to pile on the weight. One thing he pointed out to me was that my upper days always have a rest day before them, and my lower days don't. This could be one reason upper is doing better ATM.

[Lifting N Tx]

Kind of interesting alternating the heavy and light triples that way. Did it feel like there was carryover from the lighter sets so that you could fire more explosively with the heavier ones?

I'd read before that DE type work in Westside was more applicable to really strong guys, but I've noticed that Rippetoe has Dave76 doing some explosive squats. Makes me think of trying some. Lord knows that anything that helps my squat increase would be good.

[r_graz]

Kind of interesting alternating the heavy and light triples that way. Did it feel like there was carryover from the lighter sets so that you could fire more explosively with the heavier ones?

Maybe...hard to say. What I noticed for sure was how much faster the 135 was moving as the sets progressed. 135 moved OK in my warmups, by my sixth working set it was flying. That 185 backoff set also moved quicker than it normally would have, I think.



I'd read before that DE type work in Westside was more applicable to really strong guys, but I've noticed that Rippetoe has Dave76 doing some explosive squats. Makes me think of trying some. Lord knows that anything that helps my squat increase would be good.
I had never really thought about doing DE work myself. I'm working with a trainer who is an athlete in a sport where explosive power is pretty important, so that is an angle from which he'll approach the problem. Faster out of the hole, more momentum to blast through any sticking points.

[Misanthrope]

Will be interesting.

[r_graz]

UPPER - HYPERTROPHY

Incline DB Bench (~30 degree incline)
65 x 8
65 x 8
65 x 7
65 x 7
50 x 12

Cable Row (close hammer grip, to sternum)
145 x 8
145 x 8
145 x 8
145 x 7

Seated DB Shoulder Press
50 x 8
50 x 8
50 x 8

Wide-Grip Pulldowns
135 x 10
135 x 10
135 x 9

Weighted Dips
+35 x 8
+35 x 8
+35 x 8

DB Hammer Curls
35 x 8
35 x 8
35 x 8
25 x 14

Seated French Press - straight bar
60 x 10
60 x 10
60 x 10

NOTES:

[Misanthrope]

Solid work on the incline DB and dips. I can't wait until I can add weight on dips. :)

[r_graz]

LOWER - DEADLIFT

Snatch Grip Deadlift
135 x 5
165 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 3
225 x 3
225 x 3
185 x 8

Overhead Squat
130 x 8
130 x 8
130 x 8
135 x 3
95 x 8 w/ 3 second pause

Power Shrug
255 x 8
255 x 8
255 x 8

DB Shrug
75 x 12
75 x 12

GHR (pushup assist)
8
8
8

Core Work
Planks, reverse crunches

[r_graz]

UPPER STRENGTH


Flat Bench
205 x 3
225 x 3
215 x 3
175 x 8
175 x 7

BB Row
177.5 x 5
177.5 x 5
177.5 x 5
145 x 13

Overhead Press
-skipped-

CG Pulldown
195 x 6
195 x 6
195 x 5

Seated Tri Extension (French Press)
80 x 6
80 x 5
70 x 8
60 x 12 (standing)

BB Curl
80 x 7
80 x 7
60 x 12
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[r_graz]

Olympic Squat (60 seconds btwn sets)
230 x 3
140 x 3
230 x 3
140 x 3
230 x 3
140 x 3
190 x 10

RDL
250 x 9
250 x 9
250 x 9

45 degree Leg Press
3 plates+25 per side x 20

GHR - 5 second static hold
3
3
3
3

45 Degree Hyper
BW x 20

Front Planks (45 secs btwn sets)
3 x 45 sec static hold

NOTES:
Squats set up to focus on speed out of the hole.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[Lifting N Tx]

Solid looking workouts, Ron. Now that you've done squats twice this way, how are you liking them? When do you expect to be able to (hopefully) tell a difference from doing them?

[r_graz]

Solid looking workouts, Ron. Now that you've done squats twice this way, how are you liking them? When do you expect to be able to (hopefully) tell a difference from doing them?
Not sure when I'll be able to see a definitive difference, but even the couple of times I've done them they've been interesting. I'd swear that the second and third heavy triple move faster than the first, or at least feel better. I mentioned in response to Tad in bb.com journal, for me whenver it gets to 225, things move slow. I'd be willing to bet a large part of that is psychological, from having a weight on my back. The short rest times don't really give me enough time to think about or dread the next set :)

[r_graz]

UPPER - HYPERTROPHY

Incline DB Bench (~30 degree incline)
65 x 8
65 x 8
65 x 8
65 x 6
50 x 13

Cable Row (close hammer grip, to sternum)
145 x 8
145 x 8
145 x 8
145 x 8

Seated DB Shoulder Press
50 x 9
50 x 8
50 x 8

Wide-Grip Pulldowns
135 x 10
135 x 10
135 x 9

Weighted Dips
+45 x 6
+45 x 6
+45 x 5
+45 x 5

DB Hammer Curls
35 x 10
35 x 9
35 x 9
25 x 14

Seated French Press - straight bar
60 x 10
60 x 10
60 x 10

NOTES:

[r_graz]

LOWER - DEADLIFT

Snatch Grip Deadlift
135 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 1
225 x 1
235 x 3
235 x 3
235 x 3
185 x 8 (high pull first 5 reps, shrug last 3)

Overhead Squat
135 x 7
135 x 7
135 x 8
95 x 5 w/ 3 second pause

Power Shrug
250 x 9
250 x 9
250 x 9

DB Shrug
75 x 12
75 x 12

GHR (pushup assist)
8
8
8

Core Work
Decline crunch - 3 x 12

[Lifting N Tx]

That's a lot of work in the last couple of workouts, Ron. Solid and consistent workouts.

[r_graz]

That's a lot of work in the last couple of workouts, Ron. Solid and consistent workouts.
Thanks Steve.

[r_graz]

LOWER - SQUAT

Olympic Squat (60 seconds btwn sets)
232.5 x 3
142.5 x 3
232.5 x 3
142.5 x 3
232.5 x 3
142.5 x 3
195 x 10

RDL
255 x 6
255 x 6
255 x 6
255 x 6

45 degree Leg Press
3 plates+35 per side x 20

GHR - 5 second static hold
3
3
3
3

45 Degree Hyper
BW x 20

Front Planks (45 secs btwn sets)
3 x 45 sec static hold

NOTES:
Skipped Monday's upper strength workout after a long weekend spent running around in the hot sun, and relatively little sleep.
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[r_graz]

UPPER - HYPERTROPHY

Incline DB Bench (~30 degree incline)
65 x 8
65 x 8
65 x 8
65 x 8
50 x 13

Cable Row (close hammer grip, to sternum)
150 x 7
150 x 7
150 x 7
150 x 7

Seated DB Shoulder Press
50 x 9
50 x 9
50 x 8

Wide-Grip Pulldowns
140 x 8
140 x 8
140 x 8

DB Hammer Curls
35 x 10
35 x 9
30 x 10

Seated French Press - straight bar
70 x 8
70 x 8
70 x 7

NOTES:
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[Misanthrope]

Nice weight on the incline DB bench for 4x8. What bench angle to you use? I'm actually still undecided as to whether or not I like incline DB. I've done it off and on throughout my training, and it's never felt as good in my chest as flat DB.

[r_graz]

Nice weight on the incline DB bench for 4x8. What bench angle to you use? I'm actually still undecided as to whether or not I like incline DB. I've done it off and on throughout my training, and it's never felt as good in my chest as flat DB.

Somewhere between 30 and 45 degrees, I'd guess. Our adjustable benches aren't callibrated by degree, just X number of notches between completely flat and completely up right. I don't go quite as steep as a lot of the other people I see doing db incline bench, mainly because I plan to hit seated db press in the same workout.

I feel it somewhat in my chest, probably a bit more in my front delts and triceps though. Strangely enough, it hurts my right shoulder quite a bit during my warmups (my first warmup with 40 lb db's is kinda painful), but that goes away as I get into my working sets.

I'll probably vary this exercise as I go along, either reducing the angle or going completely flat eventually.

[r_graz]

LOWER - DEADLIFT

Snatch Grip Deadlift
135 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 3
225 x 2
240 x 3
240 x 3
240 x 3
195 x 8

Overhead Squat
135 x 8
135 x 8
135 x 8
105 x 6 w/ 3 second pause

DB Shrug
85 x 8
85 x 8
85 x 8
70 x 15

GHR (pushup assist)
8
8
8

Core Work

60 second Planks x 2
Reverse crunches - 3 x 8
Decline Crunches - 2 x 8

NOTES:

Nagging chest cold I can't seem to shake. Hacking up nasty stuff between sets of deads and OH squats :( Got a decent workout in, though.

[r_graz]

UPPER STRENGTH


Flat Bench
205 x 3

225 x 2 (15 sec rest)
225 x 1 (30 sec. rest)
225 x 1 (30 sec. rest)
225 x 1

205 x 4
175 x 8
175 x 8

BB Row
180 x 5
180 x 5
180 x 4
145 x 12

Dips
+45 x 6
+45 x 6
+45 x 6
BW x 12

CG Pulldown (reset)
185 x 6
185 x 6
185 x 6

Seated Tri Extension (French Press)
80 x 6
80 x 5
70 x 8

DB Curl
35 x 10
35 x 9
35 x 7

NOTES:
I think I'm almost ready for a week off or deload. Lost a rep on bench today, and 185 x 6 on the pulldowns felt as hard as 195 a couple weeks ago. I'll finish out this week and then decide how I want to go.

[r_graz]

LOWER - SQUAT

Olympic Squat (60 seconds btwn sets)
235 x 3
145 x 3
235 x 3
145 x 3
235 x 3
145 x 3
235 x 3
145 x 3

195 x 10

Good Morning
165 x 6
165 x 6
165 x 6
135 x 10

45 degree Leg Press
4 plates per side x 20

GHR
8
8
8


45 Degree Hyper
BW x 20

Front Planks (30 secs btwn sets)
3 x 45 sec static hold

NOTES:

Reduced rest on the planks to 30 seconds.

[r_graz]

UPPER - HYPERTROPHY

Incline DB Bench (~30 degree incline)
70 x 7
70 x 7
65 x 8
65 x 6
50 x 13

Cable Row (close hammer grip, to sternum)
150 x 8
150 x 8
150 x 7
150 x 7

Seated DB Shoulder Press
55 x 5
50 x 8
50 x 8
40 x 10

Wide-Grip Pulldowns
140 x 9
140 x 9
140 x 8

DB Hammer Curls
35 x 10
35 x 9
35 x 7

Seated French Press - straight bar
70 x 8
70 x 9
70 x 8

NOTES:

Uninspired workout. Definitely time for a break, a change, or both.

[r_graz]

LOWER - DEADLIFT

Snatch Grip Deadlift
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 2
245 x 3
245 x 3
245 x 3

Overhead Squat
140 x 6
140 x 6
140 x 7
105 x 15

DB Shrug
85 x 10
85 x 10
85 x 8
70 x 15

GHR (pushup assist)
8
8

Core Work

60 second Planks x 2

NOTES:

Decent workout, snatch grip deads felt pretty good.

Intended on just doing 3x6 on OH squats today, really just wanted to get 140 up before I took a week off. Last set felt good so I went ahead and did 7. The backoff set of 15 was to start getting accustomed to doing that many OH squats, since my (very) long term goal is 15 reps with my bodyweight overhead.

Abbreviated the GHR and core stuff because I was getting anxious to start my week off ;)

[Misanthrope]

Oh hai Ron. I see you're back. :)

Next week we need to figure out how to get things shaped up the way you want them.

[r_graz]

Oh hai Ron. I see you're back. :)

For the moment. I had pretty much given up on this journal, but today on a whim I decided to post the past week's workouts. Even more of a ghost town in here than in my bb.com journal :D



Next week we need to figure out how to get things shaped up the way you want them.

That sounds good. Do you charge by the hour or by the exercise? ;) :D

[Lifting N Tx]

Just remember, he also has to charge extra for diet advice. It's part of the e-trainer's code.

[Misanthrope]

Just remember, he also has to charge extra for diet advice. It's part of the e-trainer's code.
+ the additional fee for sharing super secret guru info that's not available to the general public.

+ a processing fee.

+ shipping and handling.

[r_graz]

+ the additional fee for sharing super secret guru info that's not available to the general public.

+ a processing fee.

Is shipping and handling included?

[r_graz]

In preparation for starting up again next week, I'm tweaking the upper/lower I've been doing. The main goals of these mods are to (1) try to fold in the O lifts, and (2) not split the upper into strictly "strength" and "hypertrophy" workouts. Here's what I've got so far:

Monday Upper
Flat BB Bench - 2-3 x 5, 1 x 10-12
Pendlay Rows - 3 x 5, 1 x 10-12
DB Shoulder Press - 3 x 8-10
Weighted Chinups - 3 x 6-8
Weighted Dips - 3 x 6-8
BB Curls - 2-3 x 8-10

Tuesday Lower
Cleans - 5-6 x 3
Squats - 5 x 5 (or 5 x 3)
Good Morning/RDL - 3 x 6-8
Glute Ham Raise - 3 x 8-10
Core work

Thursday Upper
Incline DB Bench - 3-4 x 8
Cable Row - 3 x 8-10
BB OH Press - 3 x 5
WG Lat Pulldowns - 3 x 8-10
Tri Ext. Variant - 3 x 8-10
DB Hammer Curls - 3 x 8-10

Friday Lower
Snatch - 5-6 x 3
OH Squats - 3 x 8
Deadlift Variant - 3 x 3
Shrugs - 3 x 8-10
GHR - 3 x 8-10
Core Work

I've tried to build the O lifts into the lower days. Not sure how this will work out, but if anyone stumbles in here on their way to somewhere else :o, any input is appreciated.

[Lifting N Tx]

Generally it looks pretty close to what you posted when you started this log, with the minor modifications that you mentioned.

Since you seem to be making consistent progress it makes sense to only tweak things, not make big changes. Doing too many "ME" type exercises in one workout saps my energy. Is that your rationale for going away from "strength" vs. "hypertrophy" sessions? If so, it seems like a good idea to me, and I do like working in some olympic lifts but that's more personal preference.

As I say, it's still very close to what has been working, and I don't see what's not to like about that.

[r_graz]

Doing too many "ME" type exercises in one workout saps my energy. Is that your rationale for going away from "strength" vs. "hypertrophy" sessions? If so, it seems like a good idea to me, and I do like working in some olympic lifts but that's more personal preference.

That's it, mainly. Doing all the strength stuff on Monday is pretty taxing, and by the time I get to the OH press I'm pretty much out of gas. There are things I like about the RE work, and things I like about the ME work, so I don't see any reason not to mix the two. I'm also trying to better mix my barbell and dumbell work - chest bb exercise and db shoulder on one day, db chest and bb shoulder another.

Definitely want to work those O lifts in as best I can. Where to do them in my gym is going to be challenging. It may be the thing that pushes me to set something up in my basement.

Thanks for the input :)

[r_graz]

UPPER WORKOUT A


Flat Bench
202.5 x 5
202.5 x 5
165 x 10

BB Row
170 x 5
170 x 5
170 x 5
140 x 12

DB Shoulder Press
50 x 8
50 x 8
50 x 8

Weighted Chinups
+20 x 6
+20 x 6
+20 x 5
BW x 8

Seated Tri Extension (French Press)
70 x 8
70 x 8
70 x 7

BB Curl
70 x 8
70 x 8
70 x 7

NOTES:
That was a pretty awful workout, as seems to happen pretty often when I take a "rest" week. Doesn't feel like I recovered during that week, feels only like I lost strength and gained some bodyfat (despite 5 days of cardio).

[t-p-c]

Strong chins though. BTW, oh squats are extremely difficult. I am impressed with the weight u use on them.

[r_graz]

Strong chins though. BTW, oh squats are extremely difficult. I am impressed with the weight u use on them.

Thanks. Yes, OH squats have progressed nicely for me.

[r_graz]

Spent an hour and a half with the strength coach last night going over snatches and cleans. He prefers to teach snatches with a clean grip to start, since it requires a greater range of motion and forces you to really extend on the second pull. Went through jump shrugs, shrug cleans, hang power cleans, and hang power snatches. Did so many sets I lost count, mostly triples and then doubles as we added weight. I think we got up to 110 on the clean grip snatches and 135 on the cleans, not bad for a first time. Snatches definitely feel better to me than cleans, still awkward about racking the bar.

My lower workout today calls for cleans, but I'll probably take it real easy since I'm definitely "feeling" yesterday's workout.

[Lifting N Tx]

That was a pretty awful workout, as seems to happen pretty often when I take a "rest" week. Doesn't feel like I recovered during that week, feels only like I lost strength and gained some bodyfat (despite 5 days of cardio).
Are you possibly conflating 2 different things, namely strength and endurance? I think that latter declines much faster than the former. One reason that I wonder about this is that you tend to use short rests between sets, I think.

I looked at one of your workouts from a couple of weeks ago and the numbers don't look that different. A lot of the exercises are different though, which makes comparison harder.


Spent an hour and a half with the strength coach last night going over snatches and cleans.
90 minutes of cleans and snatches ought to get that endurance back. ;) Seriously, sounds like fun, though tiring and hard to do technique-oriented work for that long.

[r_graz]

Are you possibly conflating 2 different things, namely strength and endurance? I think that latter declines much faster than the former. One reason that I wonder about this is that you tend to use short rests between sets, I think.

Maybe, though it felt like a strength issue on the bench press. A few weeks ago I did 3 x 3 at 205, 225, 215. I would have thought 2 x 5 at 202.5 should have been pretty easy based on that, but I pretty much barely got the last rep. It was just frustrating, and left me feeling like I've made little progress.

I've learned enough though to reserve judgement till I've gotten a few weeks into it.



90 minutes of cleans and snatches ought to get that endurance back. ;) Seriously, sounds like fun, though tiring and hard to do technique-oriented work for that long.

It was a lot of fun, though a bit tough after the upper body workout earlier in the day. I was actually surprised that the coach kept adding weight to the bar, I guess my form didn't break down as quickly as I expected. It was the first time I've done any real volume of either exercise and it was encouraging.

[r_graz]

LOWER WORKOUT A

Olympic Squat
225 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5

Hang Power Cleans (above the knee)
95 x 3
95 x 3
95 x 3
95 x 3
95 x 3
95 x 3

Good Morning
165 x 6
165 x 6
165 x 6
135 x 10

GHR (3 second negative)
4
4
4


Front Planks (45 secs btwn sets)
2 x 60 sec static hold

NOTES:

Kept the hang cleans light today because I did so damned many of them last night, just included them today to get the practice. My form got better in the last couple sets, I think. Concentrated less on getting the bar racked and more on the explosive portion of the lift. I've got a serious amount of wrist flexibility work to do, I think.

I had forgotten what a ballbuster 5x5 squats are.

[Misanthrope]

I had forgotten what a ballbuster 5x5 squats are.
Yeah; they suck. :)

[r_graz]

UPPER WORKOUT B


OH Press
120 x 5
120 x 5
120 x 5

Cable Row
150 x 8
150 x 8
150 x 8
150 x 7

DB Flat Bench
70 x 6 (WTF?)
60 x 8
60 x 8

WG Pulldown
140 x 9
140 x 9
140 x 7

Seated Tri Extension (French Press)
70 x 9
70 x 8
70 x 8

DB Curl
35 x 8
35 x 8

NOTES:
Another awful upper body workout. Lost strength pretty much everywhere.

[r_graz]

LOWER B


Clean Grip Power Snatch (hang, from above knee)
105 x 3
105 x 3
105 x 3
105 x 3
105 x 3
105 x 3

Snatch Grip Deadlift
135 x 3
165 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 2
245 x 3
245 x 3
245 x 3

Overhead Squat
135 x 7
135 x 8
135 x 7
110 x 13

GHR (pushup assist)
8
8
8

Core Work

Decline Crunches - 3 x 12
30 second Planks x 3

NOTES:

[Lifting N Tx]

Looks like lower is closer to past workouts than your upper numbers, as I think you've mentioned. Hopefully, week 2 will start an upward trend.

[r_graz]

Looks like lower is closer to past workouts than your upper numbers, as I think you've mentioned. Hopefully, week 2 will start an upward trend.
That's true. Lower seems to be holding steady. About the only thing that fell off a bit was OH squats and I think it's mainly because it got moved to the 3rd exercise in this workout instead of the 2nd, so I'm more fatigued.

Here's hoping for a good week 2 :)

[r_graz]

UPPER WORKOUT A


Flat Bench
205 x 5
205 x 5 (barely)
165 x 10

BB Row
172.5 x 5
172.5 x 5
172.5 x 5
145 x 12

DB Shoulder Press
50 x 9
50 x 9
50 x 8

Weighted Chinups
+20 x 6
+20 x 6
+20 x 6
BW x 8

Seated Tri Extension (French Press)
70 x 9
70 x 9
70 x 8

BB Curl
70 x 9
70 x 8
70 x 7

NOTES:
A little better than last week, but disappointing that I had to struggle to get 205 x 5 x 2 on flat bench. Maybe doing nothing but heavy triples for the past 12 weeks on bench has made it tougher to do 5's? I will say that the first 3 reps go up nice and strong, and it's like a huge drop off in strength for reps 4 and 5. 1-3 reps is supposed to be more neural training, so I guess that could have something to do with it. All my other upper body exercises I've been training at 5 reps or more all along.

[r_graz]

LOWER WORKOUT A

Olympic Squat
230 x 5
230 x 5
230 x 5
230 x 5
230 x 5

Hang Power Cleans (above the knee)
125 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3
- unknown # of singles @ 95

Good Morning
165 x 6
165 x 6
165 x 6
135 x 10

GHR (3 second negative)
4
4


Front Planks (60 secs btwn sets)
2 x 60 sec static hold

Weighted Decline Situps
25 x 10
25 x 10
25 x 10

NOTES:
Workout felt pretty good, though I think I'm going to lower the weight on GM's. Just don't feel like my form is quite right yet. Squats felt decent, only really hard on the last rep of the last set.

I'm liking the cleans, but something must be off with the way I'm racking it because I keep banging the right side of my collarbone pretty hard (got a pretty good bruise going there). I did the 6 sets at 125, then dropped down to 95 for a bunch of singles just to work on my speed. Amazing how much faster it moves when backing off than when warming up.

Seems like my upper and lower workouts have flip-flopped - last upper/lower cycle, the upper days were better, but for the past 2 weeks the lowers have felt better.

[r_graz]

Talked to Peter last night and when I told him about the collarbone bruising he immediately said "You're reverse curling the weight up". As opposed to keeping the bar close to the body and rotating the wrists under to rack it. Makes sense since just yesterday it occured to me that I wasn't really RDL'ing the weight down to the hang, i.e the bar wasn't staying in contact with my thighs, it was hanging out front. Bad bar path down makes it unlikely the bar path back up will be good.

Other issue is that none of the bars at my gym spin very well, he recalled that only one was halfway decent. Guess I gotta find that one and appropriate it for my personal use ;) I'll leave some chalk handprints on it - chances are no one else will touch it :D

He's working on my next couple of training cycles, moving towards a greater emphasis on the olympic lifts. Looking forward to seeing what he comes up with.

[Lifting N Tx]

Ron, are you looking to do actual competition style lifts? Thinking of focusing training on them, or keeping them as an addition to the rest of what you do? I'm interested to see what you come up with.

[r_graz]

Ron, are you looking to do actual competition style lifts? Thinking of focusing training on them, or keeping them as an addition to the rest of what you do? I'm interested to see what you come up with.

Getting a gentle nudge towards the competition style lifts. The coach thinks I have some aptitude for them, and the right body proportions, so I'm game.

For now they'll be a part of my regular workout, but future training cycles may focus on them on them more specifically.

My biggest problem is going to be a place to lift, as I move forward.

[t-p-c]

Are you doing ghetto ghrs or do you actually have a ghr apparatus? That 3 second negative must be brutal, your hams were probably screaming.

[r_graz]

Are you doing ghetto ghrs or do you actually have a ghr apparatus? That 3 second negative must be brutal, your hams were probably screaming.

No apparatus, ghetto only. The 3 second negs are pretty brutal, but the 5 second static hang is even worse :eek:

[r_graz]

This is what Peter sent me this morning, his recommendations for a routine:

Monday
BB Bench - best set of 3-5 reps, with 5 or so warmup sets. Try and increase the weight 3-6#'s every week.
Instead of a drop set, put the barbell on the bottom of the rack and do 2 sets of max reps of barbell push-ups (full ROM). If you can do more than 20, elevate your feet higher.

BB Rows - 3-4 x 6-10, superset with a scap retraction exercise like face pulls or DB reverse flys (3-4 x 10-12)

Behind back BB Shrugs - 3 x 8-10

Iso hold DB hammer curls - 3 x 20-30 sec. Feel free to change if progress stalls.

Tuesday
High Hang Clean or Hang Clean - 5-7 x 2-3

OH Squat - 3 x 4-6

Suitcase DL - 3 x 3-5 ea (unilateral exercise, BB parallel to foot, try and keep shoulders and hips level). Give your body a break from DL, try and correct imbalances.

Pull throughs or GHR - 3 x 8-10

Core work - weighted/resisted 3-5 x 10-12

Thursday
Weighted Pull-ups - best set of 5 with 2-3 w-up sets, add down set of 5. Try and increase the weight 3-6#'s every week.

Scap retraction exercise - 3 x 10-12

BB OH Press - 4 x 6-8

Weighted Dips 3 x 8-10 superset w/Zottman curls 3 x 8-10

Heavy DB holds 3 x 35-45 sec

Friday
High Hang Snatch or Hang Snatch - 4-5 x 2-3 (clean grip), (think speed and technique, don't worry about weight........yet)

Front Squats - best set of 3-5 reps, with 5 or so w-up sets. Try and increase the weight 5-10#'s every week.

Step-ups - 2-3 x 6-8 ea (knee height)

Good Morning/RDL - 3 x 8-10

Core - circuit (4-5 exercises done consecutively for 10-20 reps, rest, repeat for a total of 2-3 times)



The plan is to move towards a more typical Olympic lifting off-season program next after running this for 6 weeks or so.
Monday is another training session, for testing power parameters (jump, speed) and more work on the clean and snatch.

[Lifting N Tx]

Looks pretty decent, Ron. That core stuff on Friday sounds pretty killer.

I'm guessing that the suitcase DL works the quads harder than a regular DL. Maybe that about equalizes the work for your squatting muscles between Tuesday and Friday, depending on how heavy you can manage to get those OH squats. Looks to me like it might be better for OH pressing than horizontal pressing, but I don't do dips, so maybe I'm wrong about the carryover. I don't know if that's a real concern anyway.

Overall looks decent, though hard for me to say too much since I haven't done a lot of those exercises. At least it shouldn't be boring.

[r_graz]

I'm guessing that the suitcase DL works the quads harder than a regular DL.
I think what they hit hardest is the core, as in trying to maintain an upright position while lifting a heavy weight on one side of the body.


Overall looks decent, though hard for me to say
too much since I haven't done a lot of those exercises. At least it shouldn't be boring.
That's kind of the idea. Introduce some new stuff, and lower the volume a bit for a while. I think he picked these exercises to strengthen areas that are going to be important as we move more into a true Olympic-lift oriented program. I know Peter's keen on strengthening things that support the big stuff, like scap stabilizers, the core in general, and so forth. I suppose if I'm looking to concentrate more on Olympic lifts, vertical press strength (and the ability to support big weights overhead) is going to be more important than horizontal.

Sounds like he's already got the next phase planned out. Can't wait to see what's in store ;)

[r_graz]

Upper A


BB Bench
95 x 5
135 x 5
165 x 3
185 x 2
205 x 5

Barbell pushups
2 x 20

BB Rows
145 x 10
145 x 10
145 x 10
145 x 8

-supersetted with -

DB Reverse Flyes
12.5 x 8
12.5 x 8
12.5 x 8
10 x 10

Behind back BB Shrugs
155 x 10
155 x 10
155 x 10

Iso Hold DB Hammer Curls
30 lbs x 30 sec
30 lbs x 30 sec
30 lbs x 25 sec

NOTES:
First day of the new format. Interesting, and barbell pushups were a surprising ass-kicker. I've got a training session tonight, testing power output and more clean and snatch work. I'm gonna be one sore SOB tomorrow ;)

[t-p-c]

nice high rep rowage! are u sore today?

[r_graz]

nice high rep rowage! are u sore today?
I'm sore alright, but not because of anything in my workout....:mad:

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

[r_graz]

So last night while I was doing my high and broad jump testing, I felt a twinge above my navel. Started doing some light snatches, and the twinge got worse, and I felt a small lump there.

Been to my doctor, and now a surgeon, and I have an both an abdominal hernia (upstairs) and an inguinal hernia (downstairs). Truth is I've known about the inguinal one since I was 18, but it's never caused me trouble. Surgeon says the abdominal one is small but we really have to fix it, and might as well do the inguinal one at the same time.

Bottom line is that, as of next Wednesday, my lifting is totally fugged for quite a while. The big problem is the abdominal repair - it involves stitches in the abdominal wall so it's going to be a solid 4 weeks before I can do even the lightest lifting.

Needless to say, I'm royally pissed.

[r_graz]

Upper B


Weighted Chins
120 x 8 (pulldowns)
145 x 5 (pulldowns)
BW x 3
+25 x 5
+10 x 6

Face Pulls
70 x 12
70 x 12
70 x 12


BB OH Press
110 x 8
110 x 8
110 x 8
110 x 7

Weighted Dips
+25 x 8
+25 x 8
+25 x 9

- supersetted with -

Zottman Curls
30's x 8
27.5's x 8
25's x 8

NOTES:
Zottman curls are harder than they look. The reverse curl negative really seems to limit how much weight I can use.

This was a good workout, and I felt fine. I wore my belt throughout just to be safe, but I felt no pain. I'm trying really, really hard to fight the urge to cancel the surgery :mad: My trainer is encouraging me to go through with the surgery, quote "Get it done now. I would hate for you to be in the bottom of a 100 kg clean and feel like your gut is tearing out." Yeah, so would I, I guess.

[r_graz]

Lower B


Clean-Grip Hang Snatches
95 x 3
95 x 3
95 x 3
95 x 3
95 x 3


Front Squats
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 3
155 x 3
175 x 5
145 x 8

DB Step-Ups (knee height)
25's x 5
25's x 5
25's x 5

Good Mornings
145 x 6
145 x 6
145 x 6

BB Curls and Seated Tricep Extensions
- did some in lieu of direct core work

NOTES:
Wore the belt throughout the workout today to try to keep the insides...on the inside ;)

Kept the hang snatches light, concentrated on form (needs work).

First time I did a real front squat workout in ages. Last time I did them I did the bodybuilder crossed-arm style. Now I'm determined to work on my rack position, so I did them that way. Was more comfortable than I expected.

Lowered my GM weight and concentrated on back arch and keeping the motion in my hips, not my knees or back.

Direct core work seemed ill-advised, so I did some arm iso's instead.

Counting down the workouts before I go under the knife :( Trying to enjoy these since they're the last ones I get for a while.

[t-p-c]

Nice fronts Ron. Enjoy these wo's as much as u can.

[Lifting N Tx]

Ouch! Good luck with the surgery, Ron. No doubt in the long run you'll be glad that you got things fixed up.

I'm sure that it's not fun to contemplate short term, but it's only a detour.

[Matt]

If you have questions about the hernia stuff, post over at EliteFTS to Mike Ruggeria. He has had several hernia operations and can probably help put your mind at ease.

Good luck, I agree with your trainer. Get er done!

[r_graz]

Nice fronts Ron. Enjoy these wo's as much as u can.
Thanks, trying to :)


Ouch! Good luck with the surgery, Ron. No doubt in the long run you'll be glad that you got things fixed up.
I'm sure that it's not fun to contemplate short term, but it's only a detour.
Thanks. The surgeon is also a wrestling coach, so he kind of understands where I'm coming from in terms of athletic performance. It was funny he said "I tell most people they can work out after 3 or 4 weeks, but I've got a feeling you're going to want to go heavy, so don't do anything stupid till 5 or 6 weeks out". He had me pegged.


If you have questions about the hernia stuff, post over at EliteFTS to Mike Ruggeria. He has had several hernia operations and can probably help put your mind at ease.

Good luck, I agree with your trainer. Get er done!
Yep, gittin' er done ;) Thanks for the tip about Mike at EliteFTS. Maybe I post over there - I'll have some extra time on my hands for the next few weeks anyway :D

[r_graz]

Upper A


BB Bench
95 x 7
135 x 5
165 x 3
185 x 2
200 x 1
210 x 5

Barbell pushups
25
22

BB Rows
145 x 10
145 x 10
145 x 10
145 x 10


Behind back BB Shrugs
165 x 8
165 x 9
165 x 10

Iso Hold DB Hammer Curls
35 lbs x 25 sec
35 lbs x 25 sec
35 lbs x 20 sec

NOTES:
Counting down the workouts before surgery. Tomorrow's the last one for a while.

210 x 5 is a technically flat bench PR for me, I think the best I did on the 5x5 was 208 x 5 (when I was almost 20 lbs heavier). It wasn't easy but it wasn't a battle to the death, either.

[r_graz]

Lower B


Hang Cleans
125 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3

Overhead Squats
145 x 5
145 x 5
135 x 6

BB Suitcase Deadlifts
85 x 5
95 x 5
95 x 5

NOTES:
Short workout, didn't have time to do the assistance work.

Didn't have it in me with the OH squats today. The 6th rep came crashing down on sets 1 and 2, so I dropped 10 lbs for the last set of 6.

BB suitcase deads are a challenging unilateral exercise. Finding the right spot in the middle to balance the bar is tough in and of itself.

And that's it for a while. Surgery is tomorrow morning. Hopefully I'll be able to stay sane for the next 4-6 weeks, when the closest I'll get to the weight room is the cardio deck :(

[Matt]

good luck tomorrow man, heal up and get back to it!

[r_graz]

good luck tomorrow man, heal up and get back to it!
Thanks!

[r_graz]

Had my surgery today, in the OR at 10 am, and back home at my desk at 2:30pm. Gotta love modern medicine.

A little sore but not bad. Percoset on standby in case that changes ;)

[r_graz]

Just had my 2 week post-surgical follow-up. Things have healed nicely, so the doctor gave me the go-ahead to start lifting. The only caveats were no going heavy, no deadlifting, no direct core work for 2 more weeks.

So basically, I'm doing the happy dance.

[t-p-c]

congrats

[r_graz]

congrats

Thanks.

[r_graz]

Front Squats
135 x 3
135 x 3
135 x 3
135 x 3
135 x 3

BB Bench
95 x 8
135 x 5
155 x 5
175 x 8
145 x 12

Chins
BW x 10
BW x 8
BW x 6

Dips
BW x 11
BW x 10
BW x 8

Zottman DB Curls
25 lbs x 8
25 lbs x 8
25 lbs x 8

NOTES:
I figured since I got the green (ok, technically yellow) light, why waste any time getting back in the weight room.

I probably shouldn't have been doing any kind of squat yet, but I kept the front squats on the light side for 5 sets of triples. They felt fine, no pain (other than my shoulders and wrists ;))

Benching actually made me feel a strain in the lower abdomen into the groin area (on the side of my surgery), so I only did the one set of 175, and just did a lighter set afterwards for max reps. Don't know if it was anything to worry about, but I'm not taking chances.

I felt like a weakling on chins and dips, but nothing unusual there :)

Still, it was good to do some lifting again.

[abhirockzz]

solid stats there pal... great going.

can you help me with some advice on how to periodize my training schedule. currently, i do 5x5 scheme for squat, and 5x3 for bench, oh press, rows, cleans, weighted chins and singles for deads. i do the above exercises distributed over 3 days a week and one day for isolation and DB work- hypertrophy kind. how should i vary my training intensity? per week. or per month? light, heavy, medium? i am not a beginner, neither am i a novice.. lol....

so, can you please suggest me a proper periodization scheme to help me keep progressing as well as not overtrain me.

thanks

[powerandvelocity]

solid stats there pal... great going.

can you help me with some advice on how to periodize my training schedule. currently, i do 5x5 scheme for squat, and 5x3 for bench, oh press, rows, cleans, weighted chins and singles for deads. i do the above exercises distributed over 3 days a week and one day for isolation and DB work- hypertrophy kind. how should i vary my training intensity? per week. or per month? light, heavy, medium? i am not a beginner, neither am i a novice.. lol....

so, can you please suggest me a proper periodization scheme to help me keep progressing as well as not overtrain me.

thanks

Let's keep it simple. Do your heavy work once a week with at least 3 exercise variations for bodyparts, and deload every one or two months. Add some assistance work, but don't overdo it. Do a maximum of ten sets per assistance exercise. If it's too much, reduce it to five.