Friday squat saturday bench

calf felt half decent, I think next week I'll be able to front squat again.

front squat
hit 345 for a single

that was all my calf could take.


Saturday

bench
285 for 10 sets of 3

- went flat footed for quite a few of my sets, leg drive felt really good. Weight didn't feel easy, but I was never in danger of not getting all the reps.

Going to go 255 for 5 sets of 7, 275 for 7 sets of 5, and 295 for 10 sets of 3 next week.

Monday squat

Monday squat
-right calf trashed. Increased range of motion was a bit much for me.

front squat
315x3, 345x2
-started shifting too much

chain deadlift 75lbs of chain no belt
-dash was doing them, and I wasn't very satsified with the amount of work I'd done.
405x3,455x2, 505x1

-Dash has pulled 585 and found this hard, so I was happy with doing this no belt no grrind.

Tuesday
-brachial feeling almost better, benched for the first time in a month.

bench
245 5 sets of 7

pull downs
-i'm just forcing myself to work up to one heavy set around 10 reps, I'm going much heavier than I was expecting. only a couple of pins from the very bottom of the stack. Never been that low on these before.
-external rotations
-not worrying about weight, just doing them

Wednesday

Front squat
185x3
-calf is still very bad

rack pulls at knee 80% for 2's used 455 - the 80% is a guideline, and if I can't squat, I'm going to work my deadlift with a lot of volume. I'd like to slowly build to dong 550 for 5 sets of 2 on these

Thursday

Bench

80% for 7 sets of 5 used 265
-looking forward to getting this back within range of 350

close grip pulldowns
external rotations

not sure if how front squats are going to go tomorrow, hopefully won't be too much longer until the calf loosens up.

Friday squat

Knees weren't aching too much today, so I was hoping for a good workout. Didn't have to warm up too much, just stretched my hips a bit then I was ready to rock and roll.

Front Squat
315x1,365x1, 385x1, 405x1,425x1 (weightlifting belt on), 365x2
- my descents are pretty rough, but once I'm in the hole, I can shift back onto my heels then it goes up easy and smooth.
-425 wasn't the prettiest, my elbows dropped, but I stood up well.
- going to at least do 385x3 on monday, I'd like to get to 405x3, but I don't know if I can for sure hit it, might have to save it for the week after.
-this workout next week I'll likely try to do 5+ singles with 405, trying to build to 10.

thursday bench

starting to get the itch to bench again, elbow is almost back to normalish. this day was a bit of a deload, and more an excuse to go in, do some mobility stuff, and get ready for a front squat day on friday. Might just deload that too.

military
165x5x2 sets

side laterals
face pulls
tricep pressdown

skipped the prowler, trained early and the aerobics room was full where I usually push it.

wed deadlift

felt very fatigued heading into this, doing some of the strongman stuff is just starting to catch up to me a bit. Just did some singles with 80%, light, but heavy enough to have to try to keep my form. These felt really hard, and I think I'm just fatigued from the heavy front squat workout on monday. I found it very hard to get into position, and just felt brutal.

Not a huge deal, I was expecting to have to cut my pull a fair bit to be able to focus on strongman events.

tuesday bench

still not benching, but I can military press fairly well.

military
went up to 205x4
- 5th rep wasn't happening. I think I probably need to do more reps, but I'm still pressing over my head 3x a week, so that should help.

face pulls
chins

prowler 6 trips
- said I was going to do 10... but 6 was very challenging, im' happy with it as 3 trips when I started was harder.

Saturday - mini events day

It's been a while.

Overall, feeling fairly good about today, did some work, got comfortable with a couple things, log press felt pretty good.

Log - clean and press each rep 90 second time limit
220 for 4 reps
-took it nice and easy on this, felt like I could have had 6 if I pushed it, I think 6 will be the highest 220 number, I still would prefer to do 3 reps with 250, and after today I don't think that will really be a problem, each rep was smooth. Spent some time on all my warm ups just holding the log overhead, and really extending the log back over my head onto my traps and getting comfortable with it.

Timed farmers hold 295 a hand
35 seconds
- stopped right when I felt my hands getting beat up, think I can go for 45, and that should be good enough for a high placing, and since it's the first event, let me see what I need to do on log press.

medley
200 a hand farmers/ prowler push/ prowler drag
50' each 80 seconds.
-this worked out pretty well, I wanted something that would last about 90 seconds.
-next week I'll go 250 a hand and heavier prowler, and do 2 trips, then 3 etc

-my one concern is going to be the atlas stones, my front squat is feeling very good, so I know the strength will be there, and I'll be coming in with pretty decent cardio, it'd be nice to get my hands on a 300 stone, but I also don't really mind just going for it without much preparation. This event has always been a strength for me, and if I can't get to practicing on any, not a huge deal, this competition is for fun, but I'd also like a good placing.

I think I'm going to do some log strict press during the week, my knees are really bugging me right now and I think it's from push press, so a little time away from that can't hurt. the biggest thing is going to just be balance for me, and being able to get over the vertigo of pressing outdoors. I'll keep hammering the prowler, and get that up to 10 trips even if it takes me an hour, and then start cutting the rest periods. the medley today just wrecked me, but only for about an hour, so that's a good sign, cardio to be able to go all out for 90 seconds should be there within 2 weeks.

The comp got split into 2 days, so I'm really going to try to compete Sunday so I can see everyone else's results before I even start which is always helpful. too bad it will be at 1030 am, I prefer competing later on in the day, but those are the breaks.

Interested to see how I'm feeling tomorrow, I don't want to be too sore, I'm hoping I feel fine, so I know I can push harder next week. Realistically, it's 4 events, and 1 is a timed hold, the log for me is probably going to be 3 good reps, it's

Thursday upper Friday squat

Thursday
-still can't bench, but there's a strongman competition coming up, and there's a choice of a 220 or 250 log. I think I can do a rep or two with 250. If not something like 6 reps with 220 would be a decent goal for me. I'm fairly shaky on these right now, so I'm really hoping to make some fast improvements, my strict press is good for me, I've done around 275 in the gym, but not ever really over 235 in competition. My plan is to do reps 2 days, and one day a week really push the clean and press each rep. I feel capable of 250 for 3 reps, but I have to transfer to a push press. One thing I'm going to change right away is I've generally faced the mirror for most of my military, so I'm going to immediately start facing away. I actually find this really hard so I'm going to really attack it not so much to train the strength, I'm just more practicing it, so doing overhead 3x a week and developing my shoulder flexibility, and general balance, and learning how to perform in this lift. I bought the log to eliminate my fear of wrecking a log in training, so that should help. The gym is actually fairly cool about dropping weights, I'd rather not push it.

log press
195x5,3,2

-just getting used to the weight again.
-Going to do 10 reps tomorrow again, trying for heavier weights. It's 90 second events I believe, so I'm just going to learn how to do a rep, take 5-7 breaths, do a rep, step back, take 5-8 breaths, do a rep. I'll watch my timing in a couple videos. I've always been fairly good with the cleans, so I'm not too worried, just need to raise up my work capacity now.

did some upper back, lots of band pulls aparts, and going to start adding in chins as soon as my arm is feeling better.

Friday - front squats
-went in with a plan to do 10 singles with 315, but by the 5th single I was bored, so I slowly worked up, went up to 90%, didn't hit any serious grind. I think I can do 10 singles with 365 fairly soon. The closer I can get that number to 400 for 10 singles the sooner I'll squat 455. I think I can do it, I felt like I could have done 400 today. I've got as long as it takes to push this number up, there's always going to be lots of meets, and I don't need to rush anything. One thing I like about front squats is they really enforce an upright torso, I'll know I'm ready to hit some big weights when I find it hard to sit up out of bed. I actually cramp up from it. I'm not really sure whether to work on that, or just let it happen.
315x5
355x3
365x1
315x1

- think I'll go up around 385 next week, or maybe next session. My light workout is 315x10 singles if I'm ever really beat up, I did 275 for around 10 singles a few weeks before I hit 415. My knee felt kind of funny, but loosened up as I got going. Really strained my thumb of all things, I'm hoping it doesn't mess things up for me tomorrow.

tomorrow I'm going to set up a mini events day, and with the closeness of the meet I may not actually get to train with any equipment, but I can do quite a bit, I'm going to be working my log press a ton. Another thing Is I'm going to set up some timed holds, just to get used to those again, toughen my hands up. Then do a set of zercher squats with 300 pounds, and just get those muscles used to doing work, and then set up a farmers/prowler/sled pull medley. They haven't announced the medley, but it's easy to guess it's going to be really hard, probably have farmers walks in it, some kind of sled pull as it's easy to load, and maybe a prowler push, or tire flip. I doubt they'd do an atlas stone cary after a rep event. I'm betting farmers, sled, something that's going to take a really hard 90 seconds potentitally.

I'm in bad shape right now, thankfully I've been doing a few prowler pushes, looks like I'm going to have to immediately get those sessions up to 10 trips. I think I've got 6ish weeks to be ready, that's not very much time. I'd like to get my hands on an atlas stone just once before the competition, but I think I'm going to have to rely on coming in to this being able to go all out for 90 seconds on every event, they may be 75. But my grip has always been a strength, I'm going to log press my little heart out, stones are my favorite event, and I'm going to prepare myself for a really hard medley, put the time in on the prowler 3x a week, get up to 10 trips as quick as possible, and just come in as prepared as possible.

wedensday deadlift

went in with good intentions, but very rundown, and very sore and achey. Not my day. Went up to 500 without a belt, went for 545 where I wanted 2-5, but just stopped.

Helped Megan out, she pulled 130 tonite, looked very good.

tuesday bench

session didn't go as planned, and I was pretty pissed about it. For me, I like training hard 6 days a week, and leaving with a good feeling, that comes before numbers or anything else... so far that hasn't been happening lately, so time to make a few more changes, and keep making them until I'm happy again.

back squats will have to go for a while, I'm just not flexible enough in my shoulders to be able to squat regularly, and bench well right now... I'll figure it out, but it would be a good time to switch to front squats again. it's a pain, because I just started feeling really good with my back squat form, but I want to bench well again, end of story, and I can get my back squat back in a few weeks now that I've got it... I think.

tonite I went

shoulder warm up, lots of band stuff

bench
205 with chainsx5 - stopped, very sharp pains all up and down my right arm. again.

did a couple random things, tried to take a break and get myself collected, but I was just too frustrated today.

monday squat

Didn't warm up very well, could get into position right away, so I kind of rushed it, didn't loosen up my shoulders at all, and wound up getting really sore arms because of it. I forgot that I've gained around 25 lbs, and that does make it tough to be flexible in the shoulders.

back squat
445x5
-same speed as 425, I thought maybe even a bit faster. Going to go up to 465x5 next week.

assistance
-lots of band upper back work, shoulder stretching, stick dislocations, band pull aparts, chest stretching.

I did the assistance while I was spotting Megan. I think something I need to do is go and sit down after my main movement and chill out a bit, then come back in and do some work. When I head in, I've been thinking about the workout for at least a week, and I get a little tunnel vision. Tonite, I ate a sandwhich, then came back in and spotted megan, and just did some work while I did that.

I think it might be one of the only ways I can get in the rest of the work I should be doing.

Tomorrow, I'm going to bring a band in, and spend a good 20 minutes just doing upper back stuff before I try to bench. I felt like I could have benched tonite, I may even do some pec stretching, and just keep it light.

thursday bench/ friday squat

Thursday bench
-shoulders still feeling rough, so went with assistance work.

Military
225x2
-was pretty happy with this, probably going to reset and try for 175 for 7 reps then 185 then 195 and retest... something like that. would like to get this to 250, that would be pretty sweet.

assistance
lat pull downs
face pulls
external rotations
dumbell pullovers


Friday

10 singles with 425 and chains.

weight moved same speed as 405, going to go to 445 next week. This wasn't easy, and I'm not really sure how hard this was, I'm hoping I can do 10 singles up to 475ish, but we'll have to see. Next week will be interesting and challenging, and a test to see where I'm at, if I roll through it like tonite, then I'm definitely in PR land, The meet is pretty far away, so I don't think it'll hurt to keep going like this for a while, then retest my squat, then do a prep for the meet. Monday will be interesting as well, I'll be attempting 445x5, I think I can do both workouts... 465 will be interesting. I think when I can do 500 with chains for 10 singles I'll squat 600. I don't know what I'll want to do for the meet yet... but it'll be fun to have a set program to follow

Wednesday deadlift

warmed up fairly well, wasn't feeling too hot before training, almost skipped the session.

conventional
510x5
-was only supposed to do 2, but they were just too easy and just wanted to see where I was at, the week before didn't feel so good.
dropped down to
420 3x3

skipped power shrugs and the circuit. not a bad session.

tuesday bench

military
195x5

neutral grip lat pulldowns
3x20

dumbell external rotations with dumbell pullovers
2x10

face pulls with side laterals
2x10

nothing serious, took about half an hour

monday squat

dynamic warm up

squat
405x5,4 skipped the 5th rep on the second set.

that's really all I'm doing right now... it's just one of those times.

friday/saturday

Friday squat
10 singles with 405 and chains
-didn't warm up well enough, was getting pulled to one side in the hole a bit until I was warmed up. Each rep got easier. Big week coming up next week. I can't believe I used to do that everyday.

Saturday - upper
-was too torn up to bench, going to focus on military for a week or maybe even two until things get better. I'm not sure if it's my shoulders or pecs, but they're very tight and sore, I don't think it's a good idea to train through this, last thing I need is some kind of injury when I can just take a week off.

Military
175x5
-these just hurt so I stopped.

pulldowns
standing military
reverse flys
flys

felt better leaving than when I went in.

thursday bench

decided to go light
went up to 295x3
-forearms and elbows are torn up, and I wasn't quite locking these out until the third rep.
-going to focus on overhead press for a bit, until this goes away.

military
2x10x95
-did these mostly for a stretch

chins
2x10

rotator curls
2x10 per arm

-I'm just hitting a training low right now I feel on bench, and I should get recovered a bit, I think I just need to do some more back work and my pecs and shoulders will loosen up.