What training are you doing/have you done today? (Vol.3)

[d_a_n1979]

horsemeatscandal said:

d_a_n1979 said:

A nap sounds the right idea

I rarely trained biceps; they were looked after by all the heavy deads and stone lifting (it was my biceps that hurt the most with stones, you don't realise how much you use them until they're absolutely hammered)! I always trained triceps though as they're needed for pressing (so lots of NG bench, dips, cable pushdowns etc)

But I train biceps more now; light weights/high reps and they've grown, a lot! Oly bar curls, cable curls, dumbbell curls - simple training, just lots of reps. It's also helped to alleviate some right hand side long head bicep tendon issues I had as well

I train them twice a week now in a dedicated biceps and grip session (triceps are trained alongside chest and shoulders etc)

They get a bit of work through any pulling exercises but very rarely anything targeted. And yeah, light weight/high reps has always felt instinctively right for biceps, doing a couple of heavy curls feels completely ineffective and most of the lift feels like it's achieved just through momentum rather than strength. There's a reason nobody gives a fk about bicep curl world records Triceps get plenty of targeted work, thankfully.

Watching folk doing stupidly heavy bicep curls; swinging the bar like they're in the 60s, gives me the heebie-jeebies

Having seen plenty of folk tear their biceps trying to 'rip' a heavy deadlift off the floor (inc a great guy who I competed with for years, sadly no longer with us); detached his right bicep pulling a 300kg opener at Bradford Uni comp in Feb 2009... Everyone heard it ping!

My pal who I still train with a lot now; detached his right bicep picking a 40kg electric motor up off the floor; it just popped off!

It's so easily done...

I actually enjoy training arms now; never did but now my ways have changed; it's a refreshing way of doing things

[VoynichMS]

@LimaDelta
Thanks for the helpful tip. The application has undergone significant changes since my initial usage several years ago.

I have not extensively experimented with the app due to most features being behind a paywall.

However, I am confident that being gifted the Pro Pass for Father's Day will be a successful investment for me, just as it was for you as a beginner.


@d_a_n1979
I perform OHP standing using the Squat Rack. StrongLifts5x5 guides suggest that OHP uses the smallest muscle group and is therefore the first to fail.

I will decrease the weight increment and incorporate clean and seated OHP once I hit a plateau with weight increases.


Thank you both for your suggestions.

[d_a_n1979]

VoynichMS said:

@LimaDelta
Thanks for the helpful tip. The application has undergone significant changes since my initial usage several years ago.

I have not extensively experimented with the app due to most features being behind a paywall.

However, I am confident that being gifted the Pro Pass for Father's Day will be a successful investment for me, just as it was for you as a beginner.


@d_a_n1979
I perform OHP standing using the Squat Rack. StrongLifts5x5 guides suggest that OHP uses the smallest muscle group and is therefore the first to fail.

I will decrease the weight increment and incorporate clean and seated OHP once I hit a plateau with weight increases.


Thank you both for your suggestions.

Yes shoulders can fail quickly; but training them as well as triceps, rear delts (often forgotten) and upper pecs will help a lot

I used to hate shoulders; at 6ft 4 the weights a bloody long way up when locked out, it'd take a lot of work to get it there

But taking some tips from oly weightlifters we know; the clean & seated presses really helped a lot

Loads to read about on Google and watch on YT

[horsemeatscandal]

Back on the wagon this evening after a weekend on the booze (looks like I might not be the only one....). Due to the aforementioned booze, deload week was split over two weeks, leg day today.

6 x warmup barbell squat sets up to 65% 1RM
2 x 2 squats, 100kg
3 x 3 squats, 85kg
3 x 8 leg press, 230kg
2 x 10 barbell lunges, 67.5kg.

[mcelliott]

Yesterday, first day back from what turned out to be a pretty intense week in the alps, hour race on Zwift, got about 9th from 400 odd, today was first gym workout for about 2wks, everything felt heavy! bench maxed out at 125kg without going into the red, then some lunges and bag carries to finish, pretty happy and enjoying the newbie soreness, then a horrible hour on Zwift, prs all over the place, 8000m of climbing ether on foot or on my bike in France has really whacked up my fitness so looking forward to the next few weeks.

[d_a_n1979]

Just grip training and body weight pull ups for me currently; having a few issues related to my cholecystectomy last June and unfortunately they've put a stop to any sort of proper lifting currently

But doing what I call 'active rest' to keep the blood moving and my body moving otherwise I'll seize up

[biggbn]

1st session since 20th, same circuit, took a little more time between sets due to recovery from this blasted 'cold'

Flat bench 100kg x 11
Dumbell shrug 50kg x 20
Single arm rows 50kg x 20 per side
20kg disc raises x 20, 2 sets
40kg dumbell clasp grip front raise x 10
Clean and press 50kg x 7, 3
Barbell curl Olympic, unloaded x 10, 50kg x 10
Medicine ball wall slams x 15 per side
Squat floor slams x 10
Dip machine stack x 35

Tired!! Still, got one under the belt!!

I have another week and a half of holiday so am considering doubling these circuits up, twice the calories burnt I guess, woukd certainly do no harm. Still to add the battle ropes also.

Edited by biggbn on Wednesday 3rd April 14:37

[horsemeatscandal]

26 miles on the bike.

Half an hour dumbbell bicep/forearm home workout.

[horsemeatscandal]

Hm, didn't get the memo that today *wasn't* a deload day.

4x bench warm up sets to 60% 1RM. Then it went bad..
Failed to match current bench PB of 100kg, just could not get it up in two attempts. Even DMX on full blast couldn't help.
Then failed a new push press PB of 70kg. The trouble here is that I have to clean the bar now because the rack has been moved to where there is a low ceiling, and I'm not very good at cleans. Didn't even properly attempt it to be honest, felt wrong as soon as I started. Gonna have to rethink this, maybe Smith machine.
3 x 12 lat raises, 15kg
3 x 10 flys, 17.5kg

Few quick sets on the Smith machine to reaquaint myself....

[biggbn]

horsemeatscandal said:

Hm, didn't get the memo that today *wasn't* a deload day.

4x bench warm up sets to 60% 1RM. Then it went bad..
Failed to match current bench PB of 100kg, just could not get it up in two attempts. Even DMX on full blast couldn't help.
Then failed a new push press PB of 70kg. The trouble here is that I have to clean the bar now because the rack has been moved to where there is a low ceiling, and I'm not very good at cleans. Didn't even properly attempt it to be honest, felt wrong as soon as I started. Gonna have to rethink this, maybe Smith machine.
3 x 12 lat raises, 15kg
3 x 10 flys, 17.5kg

Few quick sets on the Smith machine to reaquaint myself....

Persevere with the cleans man. I have added them to my morning circuit and find them a really good exercise for overall fitness and hood for core/mobility. In my 'proper' lifting days I'd take a bar out of a rack and press it for reps, but I'm finding the clean and press a more satisfying, more fluid movement.

[d_a_n1979]

biggbn said:

horsemeatscandal said:

Hm, didn't get the memo that today *wasn't* a deload day.

4x bench warm up sets to 60% 1RM. Then it went bad..
Failed to match current bench PB of 100kg, just could not get it up in two attempts. Even DMX on full blast couldn't help.
Then failed a new push press PB of 70kg. The trouble here is that I have to clean the bar now because the rack has been moved to where there is a low ceiling, and I'm not very good at cleans. Didn't even properly attempt it to be honest, felt wrong as soon as I started. Gonna have to rethink this, maybe Smith machine.
3 x 12 lat raises, 15kg
3 x 10 flys, 17.5kg

Few quick sets on the Smith machine to reaquaint myself....

Persevere with the cleans man. I have added them to my morning circuit and find them a really good exercise for overall fitness and hood for core/mobility. In my 'proper' lifting days I'd take a bar out of a rack and press it for reps, but I'm finding the clean and press a more satisfying, more fluid movement.

Agree; as soon as the move does 'click' with you; you'll also find that you have the bar in the best position for pressing; it's smoother than out of the racks etc...

Cleans are a great all body exercise; same with high pulls etc (which help your clean a lot); so work them in too - see Youtube for guides etc

[horsemeatscandal]

biggbn said:

Persevere with the cleans man. I have added them to my morning circuit and find them a really good exercise for overall fitness and hood for core/mobility. In my 'proper' lifting days I'd take a bar out of a rack and press it for reps, but I'm finding the clean and press a more satisfying, more fluid movement.

Thanks mate. My clean form is awful and I don't think I use my hips at all. I think I've maybe done 65 or 67.5kg before but just did not fancy it today. I know what you mean about about fluid movement, I quite enjoy doing clean and presses for reps with the Swiss bar.

My plan for the next few months is to stick with the strength routine for squats and deadlifts but switch to high volume for any pressing. I also have a suspicion that putting a lot of weight on my delts during cycling just saps all the strength away. It certainly fked with my grip; I got "handlebar palsy" which I don't think has ever fully gone away.

[biggbn]

horsemeatscandal said:

biggbn said:

Persevere with the cleans man. I have added them to my morning circuit and find them a really good exercise for overall fitness and hood for core/mobility. In my 'proper' lifting days I'd take a bar out of a rack and press it for reps, but I'm finding the clean and press a more satisfying, more fluid movement.

Thanks mate. My clean form is awful and I don't think I use my hips at all. I think I've maybe done 65 or 67.5kg before but just did not fancy it today. I know what you mean about about fluid movement, I quite enjoy doing clean and presses for reps with the Swiss bar.

My plan for the next few months is to stick with the strength routine for squats and deadlifts but switch to high volume for any pressing. I also have a suspicion that putting a lot of weight on my delts during cycling just saps all the strength away. It certainly fked with my grip; I got "handlebar palsy" which I don't think has ever fully gone away.

My form is terrible, I rarely use more than 60kg and it's more of a brute pull than anything...but, it gets me breathing and raises my heart rate which is what I need rather than outright strength now.

[d_a_n1979]

biggbn said:

horsemeatscandal said:

biggbn said:

Persevere with the cleans man. I have added them to my morning circuit and find them a really good exercise for overall fitness and hood for core/mobility. In my 'proper' lifting days I'd take a bar out of a rack and press it for reps, but I'm finding the clean and press a more satisfying, more fluid movement.

Thanks mate. My clean form is awful and I don't think I use my hips at all. I think I've maybe done 65 or 67.5kg before but just did not fancy it today. I know what you mean about about fluid movement, I quite enjoy doing clean and presses for reps with the Swiss bar.

My plan for the next few months is to stick with the strength routine for squats and deadlifts but switch to high volume for any pressing. I also have a suspicion that putting a lot of weight on my delts during cycling just saps all the strength away. It certainly fked with my grip; I got "handlebar palsy" which I don't think has ever fully gone away.

My form is terrible, I rarely use more than 60kg and it's more of a brute pull than anything...but, it gets me breathing and raises my heart rate which is what I need rather than outright strength now.

Nowt up with a brute power when it comes to stuff like this

High pulls tech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PWmsHOwA7U&ab...

Getting onto your toes is a good thing; helps you drop under the bar a bit more...

Watch Torokhtiy's tech here too; obviously its flawless; but it's a good way to see what to replicate to improve the pull into the clean:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WuSiyM-knI&ab...

[mcelliott]

Yesterday, bruising back session, plate loaded pull downs then weighted pull ups , then grip work to finish, first workout with my son in ages as he’s been living in Canada which was great, he said all his friends think I’m juiced when he showed them a picture of me, I’ll take that!

[biggbn]

d_a_n1979 said:

biggbn said:

horsemeatscandal said:

biggbn said:

Persevere with the cleans man. I have added them to my morning circuit and find them a really good exercise for overall fitness and hood for core/mobility. In my 'proper' lifting days I'd take a bar out of a rack and press it for reps, but I'm finding the clean and press a more satisfying, more fluid movement.

Thanks mate. My clean form is awful and I don't think I use my hips at all. I think I've maybe done 65 or 67.5kg before but just did not fancy it today. I know what you mean about about fluid movement, I quite enjoy doing clean and presses for reps with the Swiss bar.

My plan for the next few months is to stick with the strength routine for squats and deadlifts but switch to high volume for any pressing. I also have a suspicion that putting a lot of weight on my delts during cycling just saps all the strength away. It certainly fked with my grip; I got "handlebar palsy" which I don't think has ever fully gone away.

My form is terrible, I rarely use more than 60kg and it's more of a brute pull than anything...but, it gets me breathing and raises my heart rate which is what I need rather than outright strength now.

Nowt up with a brute power when it comes to stuff like this

High pulls tech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PWmsHOwA7U&ab...

Getting onto your toes is a good thing; helps you drop under the bar a bit more...

Watch Torokhtiy's tech here too; obviously its flawless; but it's a good way to see what to replicate to improve the pull into the clean:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WuSiyM-knI&ab...

Thanks for these, will try some light ones as an addition to the clean and press, increase my wee circuit by another two exercises.

[d_a_n1979]

biggbn said:

d_a_n1979 said:

biggbn said:

horsemeatscandal said:

biggbn said:

Persevere with the cleans man. I have added them to my morning circuit and find them a really good exercise for overall fitness and hood for core/mobility. In my 'proper' lifting days I'd take a bar out of a rack and press it for reps, but I'm finding the clean and press a more satisfying, more fluid movement.

Thanks mate. My clean form is awful and I don't think I use my hips at all. I think I've maybe done 65 or 67.5kg before but just did not fancy it today. I know what you mean about about fluid movement, I quite enjoy doing clean and presses for reps with the Swiss bar.

My plan for the next few months is to stick with the strength routine for squats and deadlifts but switch to high volume for any pressing. I also have a suspicion that putting a lot of weight on my delts during cycling just saps all the strength away. It certainly fked with my grip; I got "handlebar palsy" which I don't think has ever fully gone away.

My form is terrible, I rarely use more than 60kg and it's more of a brute pull than anything...but, it gets me breathing and raises my heart rate which is what I need rather than outright strength now.

Nowt up with a brute power when it comes to stuff like this

High pulls tech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PWmsHOwA7U&ab...

Getting onto your toes is a good thing; helps you drop under the bar a bit more...

Watch Torokhtiy's tech here too; obviously its flawless; but it's a good way to see what to replicate to improve the pull into the clean:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WuSiyM-knI&ab...

Thanks for these, will try some light ones as an addition to the clean and press, increase my wee circuit by another two exercises.

Breaking the lift down will help you a lot; it did with us when we fettled with a bit of olympic lifting back in the late 2000s (before we realised we're too old, too fat and too stiff to do it better)

My biggest ever C&J was 135kg; but I had push-pressed 165kg from blocks (never again). Biggest strict press was 120kg (but I was leaning back like a banana)

There's no chance in hell of me ever getting back to those weights again; but I did manage 8x85kg on seated military press in my powercube last week, but haven't trained properly since, as I'm fighting some issues relating to my gallbladder removal last June

[biggbn]

d_a_n1979 said:

biggbn said:

d_a_n1979 said:

biggbn said:

horsemeatscandal said:

biggbn said:

Persevere with the cleans man. I have added them to my morning circuit and find them a really good exercise for overall fitness and hood for core/mobility. In my 'proper' lifting days I'd take a bar out of a rack and press it for reps, but I'm finding the clean and press a more satisfying, more fluid movement.

Thanks mate. My clean form is awful and I don't think I use my hips at all. I think I've maybe done 65 or 67.5kg before but just did not fancy it today. I know what you mean about about fluid movement, I quite enjoy doing clean and presses for reps with the Swiss bar.

My plan for the next few months is to stick with the strength routine for squats and deadlifts but switch to high volume for any pressing. I also have a suspicion that putting a lot of weight on my delts during cycling just saps all the strength away. It certainly fked with my grip; I got "handlebar palsy" which I don't think has ever fully gone away.

My form is terrible, I rarely use more than 60kg and it's more of a brute pull than anything...but, it gets me breathing and raises my heart rate which is what I need rather than outright strength now.

Nowt up with a brute power when it comes to stuff like this

High pulls tech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PWmsHOwA7U&ab...

Getting onto your toes is a good thing; helps you drop under the bar a bit more...

Watch Torokhtiy's tech here too; obviously its flawless; but it's a good way to see what to replicate to improve the pull into the clean:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WuSiyM-knI&ab...

Thanks for these, will try some light ones as an addition to the clean and press, increase my wee circuit by another two exercises.

Breaking the lift down will help you a lot; it did with us when we fettled with a bit of olympic lifting back in the late 2000s (before we realised we're too old, too fat and too stiff to do it better)

My biggest ever C&J was 135kg; but I had push-pressed 165kg from blocks (never again). Biggest strict press was 120kg (but I was leaning back like a banana)

There's no chance in hell of me ever getting back to those weights again; but I did manage 8x85kg on seated military press in my powercube last week, but haven't trained properly since, as I'm fighting some issues relating to my gallbladder removal last June

Keep it up. My best push press from a rack was 140kg, but that was a long time ago!! I'll not go much heavier than @80kg these days in deference to preserving my ageing, but (relatively) healthy, joints. Same for all the lifts, I had big numbers (for the time!) on all my lifts about a dozen years ago and for the fifteen years before that, I always trained heavy and had to be strong...I'm passed that now, mentally...I'd quite like to live longer!

[d_a_n1979]

biggbn said:

d_a_n1979 said:

biggbn said:

d_a_n1979 said:

biggbn said:

horsemeatscandal said:

biggbn said:

Persevere with the cleans man. I have added them to my morning circuit and find them a really good exercise for overall fitness and hood for core/mobility. In my 'proper' lifting days I'd take a bar out of a rack and press it for reps, but I'm finding the clean and press a more satisfying, more fluid movement.

Thanks mate. My clean form is awful and I don't think I use my hips at all. I think I've maybe done 65 or 67.5kg before but just did not fancy it today. I know what you mean about about fluid movement, I quite enjoy doing clean and presses for reps with the Swiss bar.

My plan for the next few months is to stick with the strength routine for squats and deadlifts but switch to high volume for any pressing. I also have a suspicion that putting a lot of weight on my delts during cycling just saps all the strength away. It certainly fked with my grip; I got "handlebar palsy" which I don't think has ever fully gone away.

My form is terrible, I rarely use more than 60kg and it's more of a brute pull than anything...but, it gets me breathing and raises my heart rate which is what I need rather than outright strength now.

Nowt up with a brute power when it comes to stuff like this

High pulls tech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PWmsHOwA7U&ab...

Getting onto your toes is a good thing; helps you drop under the bar a bit more...

Watch Torokhtiy's tech here too; obviously its flawless; but it's a good way to see what to replicate to improve the pull into the clean:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WuSiyM-knI&ab...

Thanks for these, will try some light ones as an addition to the clean and press, increase my wee circuit by another two exercises.

Breaking the lift down will help you a lot; it did with us when we fettled with a bit of olympic lifting back in the late 2000s (before we realised we're too old, too fat and too stiff to do it better)

My biggest ever C&J was 135kg; but I had push-pressed 165kg from blocks (never again). Biggest strict press was 120kg (but I was leaning back like a banana)

There's no chance in hell of me ever getting back to those weights again; but I did manage 8x85kg on seated military press in my powercube last week, but haven't trained properly since, as I'm fighting some issues relating to my gallbladder removal last June

Keep it up. My best push press from a rack was 140kg, but that was a long time ago!! I'll not go much heavier than @80kg these days in deference to preserving my ageing, but (relatively) healthy, joints. Same for all the lifts, I had big numbers (for the time!) on all my lifts about a dozen years ago and for the fifteen years before that, I always trained heavy and had to be strong...I'm passed that now, mentally...I'd quite like to live longer!

Yeah; the last 3 years of my body trying to kill me has put an end to any heavy lifting now; but in my heyday the push-press worked in hand with the log etc and they both started to fly; then I tore my shoulders and never got back to those heady heights!

Lighter weights, higher reps and a lot more grip training now is what does it for me; I'm lucky enough to have one of the best gripsters in the UK as a good friend, and he's a brilliant all round powerlifter/weightlifter and has the world record for the timed Dinnie Stone hold that no ones surpassed yet; not even the pro-strongmen! So getting back to training with him will do me a world of good...

I just have to wear my sensible cap when I'm around him

[d_a_n1979]

Finally felt up to doing something in the garage training wise...

I've dropped 3kg this week alone through not eating/no appetite, not great but need to keep moving!

Managed:

- 8 x 3 bodyweight wide grip pull ups (121kg currently) - slow up, slow down is best for my shoulders, super-setted with sets of x25 straight-handle curls on the 'pull down' cable system with just 15kg weight

- 5 x 5s with 60kg on the rolling thunder super-setted with x5 30sec bodyweight hangs (thumbless grip)

- 8 x 8 60kg narrow-grip bench super-setted with 8 x 15 15kg rope pushdowns

- Finished with 60kg on the oly bar for 5 x 10 wrist curls

Uncomfortable under my ribs; but feel better for doing a bit. In & out in 27mins