What training are you doing/have you done today? Vol.2

[didelydoo]

Halb said:

DD, the Wicked has arrived, when do you take it?

Around 30 mins pre-work out should do the job. let me know how it works, i'd imagine it should be great!

[Halb]

didelydoo said:

Around 30 mins pre-work out should do the job. let me know how it works, i'd imagine it should be great!

Feel nervous now after reading about blood pressure.
https://blog.priceplow.com/supplement-news/innovat...
DO you bother with it on non-working days?

[didelydoo]

Halb said:

Feel nervous now after reading about blood pressure.
https://blog.priceplow.com/supplement-news/innovat...
DO you bother with it on non-working days?

Don't die

No, work out days only, unless you want to be bouncing off the walls every day! It's a pretty potent stimulant (I added it to Vodka a long time ago, that's a mad combo.......)

[chris watton]

Back to training this morning after having Monday off to rest a little more. Didn't go mad on first two compounds today..

Squats - 4x12 and 1x8 reps
Bench Press - 4x12 and 1x9 reps

Deadlift:
5x8-1 rep (120-160kg)
1x5 reps with 170kg. Quite a contrast to last weeks efforts where one rep was a struggle. No problem at all today.

BB BOR - 4x12-8 reps
Power Clean - 8x2
Seated Pulley Row - 4x12
Wide grip Pull ups (neck to bar) -3x16-8 reps

Pleased with Deadlifts, only ever done singles with that weight before.

[ORD]

Another fairly conservative workout.

Bench:
5 x 5 @ 85kg s/s with 5 wide arm pull ups
15 breaths between each pair (about 45 seconds, I think)

Squat:
5 x 60,85,100kg
110kg x 9 (rep PR - probably had another in the tank but am trying to avoid failure for a few weeks)

Tricep pull downs: 3 x 25 reps
Side bends: 2 x 20 reps (each side)

Weighted neutral grip pull ups: 5-3 reps with 8, 12, 16 kgs held on my feet. Harder than I expected.

TRX flies & push ups: 12 flies & 8 push ups straight through

[mcelliott]

Last night brisk, mostly solo road ride, legs felt really good, hips not so good (arthritis) and back not great (farmers walk). Other than that very happy - ride below. Then tonight was just over an hour on Zwift, mostly recovery.

https://www.relive.cc/view/967918219

[mcelliott]

Was feeling tired all day today, almost did a turbo session but ended up going out on a group ride with the boys. Not super quick but felt great. Weird.

https://www.relive.cc/view/970921950

[ORD]

DOMS hit me like a sledgehammer last night.

It must be from the side bends I did on Wednesday. I picked up the 25kg kettle bell and thought 'Nah. Not done them for a while'; did the same with the 20kg; ended up with the 16kg bell, which felt light. Reps were quite easy.

Now feel like I've been kicked in the lower ribs.

[didelydoo]

This morning>

Incline DB's: 60's x3, 50's x 12
Seated strict: 70x 12
Rope pushdowns: 12
Wide pull downs: stack + red bands: 15
BB rows: 140kg x 20
bit of posing.

Home. OK.

Strength is pretty much where I left off at the end of the last training cycle, so should be higher at the end of this one. First week back has been pretty tough TBH!

[chris watton]

ORD said:

DOMS hit me like a sledgehammer last night.

It must be from the side bends I did on Wednesday. I picked up the 25kg kettle bell and thought 'Nah. Not done them for a while'; did the same with the 20kg; ended up with the 16kg bell, which felt light. Reps were quite easy.

Now feel like I've been kicked in the lower ribs.

I remember a while ago just doing a workout full of ab exercises. The next day when it came to do squats, my core couldn't handle it and I kept collapsing forward because I couldn't hold the weight!

[chris watton]

Had a change of pace today, to give chest and back a break - shoulders and guns day, with main focus on first exercise

Back Extensions - 2x25

BB Clean and Press (These were tough..):
4x12-8 reps (up to 65kg)
4x5-1 rep (up to 85kg)

Low Pulley Lat Raises - 4x20-12 reps
High Pulls - 4x10-5 reps
Face Pulls - 4x12-9 reps

CG Bench Press (hands 6" apart) - 4x12-8 reps
Standing EZ BB Curls - 4x12-8 reps
Seated Triceps Extensions - 4x12-7 reps
Incline DB Curls - 4x12-8 reps

Measured my arm after, 16.5" pumped, almost half an inch bigger than last year, and that's without doing any meaningful arm isolations for the past year. I am not sure they'd be much bigger if I had concentrated on endless curl and tri-extension stuff, TBH

[Granfondo]

Yesterday 60km hilly ride with 2x5min max efforts in glorious sunshine but a bitingly cold wind.

[ORD]

I am ambivalent about arm isolation stuff. I think the best bang for buck might be compound movements with a bicep/tricep emphasis, e.g. close grip bench press for triceps and chin ups for biceps.

Anyone strong got any advice on how to improve my squats fast? I think they are lagging badly.

I've got a close stance (about shoulder width) and high bar. I've only been doing squats seriously for about 6 months but would still expect to have hit a double bodyweight squat by now.

My best reps: 110kg for 9; 130kg for 3. Puts me at about 145kg 1RM. I would like to get to 5 reps at 145kg pretty fast.

I'm doing a version of 5/3/1 with 3 workout days so squatting twice one week and once the next (when I deadlift twice).

I've been thinking about dropping the second deadlift workout in that week and adding a high rep squat session, so I would do this:

Week 1: One heavy squat day and one moderate reps squat day (5-8)
Week 2: One heavy squat day and one high rep squat day (15 reps)

I think I can squat twice per week quite comparably because I'm still so weak.

My thinking is that it must be partly practice that is holding me back. High reps and higher frequency would presumably help groove the movement and improve efficiency.

Happy to eat lots and go for hypertrophy if that would help. My legs are neither tiny nor big (83kg at 5'11 and in proportion)

[chris watton]

A 145kg Squat 1RM is very good I think, especially as you have only been doing them for six months.

Can't comment on stance, as everyone has their preferred spacing, I guess, mine is slightly wider than shoulder width.

You could spend one of your squat sessions doing pure hypertrophy (or a mix of both high and low reps, my fave). I have found that the best way to improve on lifts is to just keep plugging away at them, whether I like it or not, and mixing the rep ranges.

[didelydoo]

ORD said:

I am ambivalent about arm isolation stuff. I think the best bang for buck might be compound movements with a bicep/tricep emphasis, e.g. close grip bench press for triceps and chin ups for biceps.

Anyone strong got any advice on how to improve my squats fast? I think they are lagging badly.

I've got a close stance (about shoulder width) and high bar. I've only been doing squats seriously for about 6 months but would still expect to have hit a double bodyweight squat by now.

My best reps: 110kg for 9; 130kg for 3. Puts me at about 145kg 1RM. I would like to get to 5 reps at 145kg pretty fast.

I'm doing a version of 5/3/1 with 3 workout days so squatting twice one week and once the next (when I deadlift twice).

I've been thinking about dropping the second deadlift workout in that week and adding a high rep squat session, so I would do this:

Week 1: One heavy squat day and one moderate reps squat day (5-8)
Week 2: One heavy squat day and one high rep squat day (15 reps)

I think I can squat twice per week quite comparably because I'm still so weak.

My thinking is that it must be partly practice that is holding me back. High reps and higher frequency would presumably help groove the movement and improve efficiency.

Happy to eat lots and go for hypertrophy if that would help. My legs are neither tiny nor big (83kg at 5'11 and in proportion)

Russian Squat routine or Smolov are by far the fastest way to increase squats, 6 week RSR would be my preference ( http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Weightlifting/R... ) All planned out, just stick to it and reap the rewards.

Hard work, but will likely put 20kg on your squat. It's all to do with frequency and loading- I've tried loads of things, but RSR has been the best for me. Smolov is harder, but gains around the same.

Be aware that other lifts will have to be put on the back burner, just maintain them. (Your deadlift will likely go up anyway) Eat enough to recover/grow depending on aims.

Main thing is stick with it, start with a realistic aim or you'll stall, and follow it strictly.

You'll loose a bit of strength if you drop the frequency after completion, but will keep a large chunk regardless.

[popeyewhite]

chris watton said:

A 145kg Squat 1RM is very good I think, especially as you have only been doing them for six months.

Yes it's very good, as is 110 for 9.

[Otispunkmeyer]

I am trashed this week and I have no idea why. Not done much different to any other week. In fact its been a little lax as I had to miss some gym time due to unforeseen events. Just got no energy. Training last night and this lunch time in the pool, the mind was willing but the body had no answers.... good 3-5 seconds off my usual times which is bad considering we're only talking 50's 100's and 150's.

Also need some squat advice as mine has been stuck, seemingly forever on about 85 kg (5 x 5, I am 75 kg).

I've switched to leg press for a bit because it seems to hurt less.... for some reason squats began feeling very uncomfortable on the knees and round the hips/groin. I am probably in the wrong position or something. Then again, on the hammer strength leg press I can only do about 180 kg which still isn't that much. I have long legs, but thats pretty weak.

[JKING]

Today's leg session
Squats
6 sets of 6 @ 140kg
(Paused) 6 sets of 3 @ 120kg

Front Squat
5 sets of 6 @ 110kg

RDL
5 sets of 8 @ 120kg

BSS
5 sets of 8 @ 20kg/ side

Single Leg Lying Curl
2 sets of 12 side & 2 sets of 10 side @ 19kg

[ORD]

Thanks, Diddly & Chris.

I think I'll try to incorporate the principles from that Russian routine in my next training cycle if I stall with 5/3/1 (which I think I might - I think I need more volume and maybe some growth). Russian system looks sensible but quite aggressive (week 4 looks like the real jump; I would get the reps until then, I'm sure).

Since I posted, I have checked back over the last few months and have actually made much more progress than I thought. My 1RM at the end of January was apparently 125kg, so that's 20kg in 3 months! I'm an idiot, it turns out.

[Halb]

Here is alink to the old Bill Starr routine which is the classic; Heavy, Light, Medium routine
http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/manr...