Lol's New HST Log

If the partials aren't the answer - what if you did higher-rep board presses with moderate loads? Not sure, Lol - but that may give you the range of motion you need to not overstimulate your AC joints and still develop your bench prowess. Dunno - a thought. Regardless - three 300+ pound singles with 10-second static holds should have creamed your triceps, pecs and deltoids fairly well. Nice work!
 
Wed 23/03/11

Had to work out in two parts tonight as had a farewell do to attend for a friend returning to SA.

Part I

Warmup: 500m row @ ~2:00 pace

Deads:
10 x 60kg
10 x 100kg
5 x 140kg
5 x 170kg (375lb)
5 x 160kg (352lb)

Oly shoes and hook-grip throughout. Pleased with the 5 x 170kg. The load is starting to feel a bit heavier now but I managed to keep the bar moving at a reasonable speed. Dropped back to 160kg for one final set to match last week's top set.

C2 Rower Sprints:
100m in 15.6 sec
100m in 16.0 sec

Damper on 10; short rest between sprints. Would have done more but ran out of time. Off for dinner. :)

Part II

Warmup: 500m row @ ~2:00 pace

Chins:
10 x bw
5 x bw+25kg (55lb) @ RPE 8
5 x bw+25kg (55lb)
5 x bw+25kg (55lb)
5 x bw+25kg (55lb) @ RPE 9

All reps strict. Touched bar to base of neck.

Dips:
Warmup: 5 x bw
The warm-ups were a little dodgy for my right shoulder so, instead of heavier weighted reps, I decided to stick to BW reps and do a bunch of them.

30 x bw
30 x bw
20 x bw
20 x bw
15 x bw
15 x bw

That's a total of 130 reps. It didn't take that long to do them either.

Called it a night after that.

I'm reasonably happy with my deadlifting tonight and hope I am on track for 5 x 180kg next week. I must try not to overdo my squats between now and then to give myself a good chance; my hams and quads are still sore from Saturday's squat session. I'll try to get in plenty of food and sleep between now and then too.
 
Fri 25/03/11

Been invited out somewhere tonight and rather than be a stick in the mud and say "Naah, thanks, gotta bench!" I thought I'd try to squeeze in some training throughout the day.

Part I

Warmup: 500m row in ~ 1:44 plus a bit of slower stuff; shoulder dislocates with pvc pipe.

Bench Lock-outs (from pin 6)
10 x 60kg
5 x 90kg
5 x 110kg
5 x 120kg (264lb)
4 x 130kg (286lb)
3 x 130kg (286lb)
2 x 130kg (286lb) - pure evil!

This time I un-racked the bar from my regular pins and then lowered down to the rods in the bottom position, rather than starting each rep by driving off from the rods. This way I get to hold the load the whole time during a set. There is also the benefit of a little stretch reflex compared to a dead-stop start. Either way, partials are absolutely draining as anything.

Regular Bench:
5 x 100kg (220lb)
5 x 100kg (220lb) @ RPE 9
4 x 102.5kg (225.5) @ RPE 9.5 - only just missed 5th rep, due mainly to losing tightness.

Never thought 100kg would feel so light! For my second set with 100kg I improved my set-up yet again and had seemingly the least discomfort in my right shoulder of the whole session. It's sore now (but it was before I started) but not disablingly so. Amazing how long it takes to really nail this.

According to various 1RM predictors, I'll need to get around 265 for 5 in order to nail 300lb. So that's the target.
 
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Fri 25/03/11

Part II

Got back from an evening of bowling (I won both games!) and hit the squat rack:

Front Squats:
15 x 40kg - warmups
10 x 60kg - as fast as possible with full hip extension and good depth
5 x 90kg (198lb)
5 x 102.5kg (225.5lb) @ RPE 8.5
5 x 102.5kg (225.5lb) @ RPE 9

Back Squats:
15 x 120kg (264lb)

Just the one set. I don't want a repeat episode of last weeks DOMS following two high-rep sets of squats. All the 15 reps pretty much unbroken—only a slight pause for breath at 10 reps.

Job done.
 
It was the the annual Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race again yesterday—where did that year go?!

For those who don't know much about it: it's an annual race held on the River Thames between two rowing eights; it has been taking place since 1829. The course is 4 miles 374 yards. It's a beast of a race and the sixteen rowers involved are themselves all complete beasts. I find it almost impossible to comprehend the power output they can produce for the duration of the race. To give you some idea of the speed they are travelling at: it takes about 3:30 for them to cover the first mile! And then they just keep on going without much of a drop in pace for the middle section of the course before piling on the power again for the last mile.

One interesting stat I heard mentioned was that the race takes around 600 strokes to complete; for each stroke, each member of the crew has done two hours of training.

Anyway, Oxford won this year by a good margin.

Afterwards, I did this:

C2 Rower Session
500m in 1:44; Damper on 1; 36 spm
500m in 1:40; Damper on 4
500m in 1:36; Damper on 6
500m in 1:33; Damper on 10; 32 spm

A bit shaky and cream-crackered after that. Legs were sore from the previous day's squat session but not overly so.
None of these intervals were intended to be all-out death rows; I just wanted to mess about with damper settings and to improve my time each interval as the damper setting increased.

Most of the rowers in the O & C teams could manage 1:28/500m pace or better during a 4 minute max-output test. To date, 1:28 is the best time I've recorded for a single 500m sprint, after which I am spent—they can keep that pace going for another 2.5 minutes!

Max HSPUs:
13 x bw - yesterday
15 x bw - today

Wanted to see how my shoulder fared doing these. Performed against a wall. Bit annoying that I lost my balance on the 13th rep. I think I had two more reps in me.

Tried again today and got 15! Think I strained a bit too hard on the last rep and now I have a pain in my mid-trap area. Muscle spasm me thinks. I'll hit it with some tennis ball rolling later, to try to free it up.
 
Mon 28/03/11

Not quite sure what I have done to my neck? Occasionally, it gives me a sharp pain but most of the time it just feels a bit sore. Think I'll get it checked out if it doesn't improve this week.

Warmup:
Shoulder dislocates; push-ups; chins
C2 Rower: 2 x 500m at ~ 1:35/500 pace

I've been experimenting with increasing my stretch at the catch to increase the distance I pull the handle. As work done = force x distance, I should be increasing my power output if I can maintain my stroke rate and speed while pulling the handle a bit further on each stroke. It's not much of an increase but it does seem to make a noticeable increase in power output on each stroke.

I think I should be able to maintain close to 1:35/500 pace for a 1k. That'll beat my current PR by 10 seconds which is massive.

Death by Chins!

With a continuously running clock do one chin the first minute, two chins the second minute, three chins the third minute… continuing as long as you are able. Use as many sets each minute as needed.
Last time I did this with pull-ups and completed 10 rounds plus 6 pull-ups in eleventh minute for a total of 61 reps.

Completed 11 rounds plus 4 chins for a total of 70 chins.

NB. All my chins were fairly strict, ie. no intended kipping but I did start to struggle a bit towards the end.

Floor Press Lock-outs:
10 x 60kg
5 x 90kg
5 x 110kg (242lb)
5 x 120kg (264lb)
5 x 130kg (286lb)
1 x 140kg (308lb) @ RPE 10 + 10 second static hold
1 x 140kg (308lb) @ RPE 10 + 10 second static hold
0 x 140kg (308lb) - couldn't press it after lowering under control. Not enough rest after last set.
1 x 140kg (308lb) @ RPE 10 + 10 second static hold
1 x 140kg (308lb) @ RPE 10 + 10 second static hold
1 x 140kg (308lb) @ RPE 10 + 10 second static hold
1 x 142.5kg (314lb) @ RPE 10 + 10 second static hold

Thought my neck might complain about these but it was ok.

I did a bit better with 140kg this week. Added a few extra pounds for the final set and got it.

Push-ups - feet elevated on bench

30, 15, 10, 10, 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 — 100 total reps.

A bit of metabolic work to finish up.
 
Wed 30/03/11

Did 3 muscle-ups earlier today as a demo. Was talking to a young climber about training for single-arm pull-ups and got onto the subject of M-U's. Showed him how to do it. He wasn't able to manage it but he didn't do badly. I suspect he will get there soon enough.

Back to tonight:

Warmup:
Shoulder dislocates; push-ups; chins
C2 Rower: 500m at ~ 1:35/500 pace

Deads:
10 x 60kg
5 x 90kg
5 x 110kg
3 x 120kg
1 x 160kg
5 x 180kg (397lb) @ RPE 9
5 x 160kg (352lb) @ RPE 8

Oly shoes; hook grip; no belt. Pleased with that. Most I've lifted in a while. Not an absolute max effort either—hard enough though. :)

Front Squats:
10 x 60kg
5 x 80kg
1 x 110kg @ RPE 9
1 x 120kg (264lb)
7 x 100kg (220lb) @ RPE 8.5

Don't think I could have managed much over 120kg for a single. Good'ish' form. The final set with 100kg shows definite improvement, especially considering I had deadlifted beforehand.

Bench Lock-outs (from pin 6)
(10 x 60kg - regular bench; paused reps)
5 x 90kg
9 x 110kg (242lb)
5 x 120kg (264lb)

The floor-press lock-outs on Monday were great but decided to do some bench lock-outs tonight. Shoulder is feeling much better. I will try some full-ROM bench again on Friday and see how it fares with that.

C2 Row:
500m in 1:32
Damper on 3.5

To finish off with a bit of metabolic work for back and legs I decided to do a quicker 500m. Cream-crackered after that! I started out slowly and then picked up speed. I was pulling 1:29/500 for a while to end up with 1:32. Not a rubbish time for me esp. with the damper set so low.
 
Thu 31/03/11

Very quick bench session before I had to go out tonight.

Regular Flat Bench:
10 x 60kg
5 x 80kg
3 x 90kg
5 x 105kg (231lb) @ RPE 9
5 x 105kg (231lb) @ RPE 9.5

Wrist wraps for heavier sets.

Not paused, but good quality reps. Pleased with that. Not sure how much partials are helping yet? One thing's for sure though, my 5RM load now feels light compared to what I use for short-range partials—it's a great psychological boost.

I'm chasing ya Tim! :)

Crossfit Workout: Chelsea

5 rounds for time of 5 pull-ups, 10 press-ups, and 15 air-squats.

Time 3:07.7

Last time I did this workout it took 3:16.1 so I got a PR tonight, for what it's worth.

Observation:

I am feeling nicely sore everywhere—mainly from yesterday's deads and squats. My right shoulder is coping quite well with all the regular and partial benching. I think this is partly because I have tweaked my form again; I am focussing on keeping my entire body really tight, from feet to shoulders. My arch is a little better too which means my chest is a little higher, putting my pecs in a stronger position—it's effectively like doing a slight decline bench press.
 
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Fri 01/04/11

Warmups:
500m C2 Row
Shoulder dislocates

Towel Pull-ups:
4 x 5 x bw

Never done these before. Either towels are slippery customers or my grip still sucks! 5 reps and my grip loosened.

Low-bar Back Squats:
10 x 60kg
5 x 100kg (220lb) - Paused reps
5 x 140kg (308lb) - Paused reps
5 x 140kg (308lb) - Paused reps @ RPE 10

Oly shoes; no belt for all squats tonight.
Haven't squatted with 140kg in ages so to get these as paused reps was better than I expected.

Bench Squat:
1 x 140kg (308lb)
1 x 140kg (308lb)
1 x 140kg (308lb)

These felt particularly hard tonight. I intended to do sets of 5 but it wasn't going to happen. I completely sit down and then get up again. Bench is quite low. Not happy with my form. They need work.

Front Squat Walkouts:
160kg (352lb) x 10 seconds
170kg (375lb) x 10 seconds
180kg (397lb) x 10 seconds
190kg (420lb) x 10 seconds

Alternated with:

Partial Squats: (1/4 squats with at least 10 inch ROM)
5 x 160kg (352lb)
10 x 170kg (375lb)
10 x 180kg (397lb)
10 x 190kg (420lb)

These were really like walk-outs plus a slight dip. Ha! I thought 10" at the top of the squat would feel deeper and be tougher; but it was pretty easy for the old pins, even with 190kg. The work was done by my back and abs holding everything nice and tight. Core is noticeably more tired now. Next time I will lower the rods down a notch.

For Front Squat Walkouts, I counted to 10 slowly for each rep; so, unless time dilated, I probably held on longer than 10 seconds. Interesting experience; needed to stay really tight to feel in control.

Heavy stuff makes me very tired. I'm loving it.
 
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Sat 02/04/2011

I'm going to be away from my weights for a few days so thought I would give my benching a shot before I go.

Regular Bench:

Warmups
10 x bar
10 x 40kg
10 x 60kg
5 x 80kg
3 x 90kg

Work Sets
5 x 110kg (242lb) @ RPE 10
4 x 110kg @ RPE 9.5 - might have made a 5th
3 x 110kg @ RPE 9.5 - might have made a 4th

Not paused, but all good reps. Felt light in my hands. Definitely the benefit of doing lock-outs. Oh yeah, baby! 250 x 5 is in my sights now.

Am I catching you, Tim? :)
 
Sat 02/04/2011

Back from my almost-a-week away in sunny Cornwall. Did plenty of cycling, some walking and a wee bit of swimming amongst other things. Did some HSPU practice for delts and tris and some 'toes-to-high-up! raises hanging from a wall for abs etc.

General Warmup
1k C2 Row @ ~1:55/500m pace

Regular Flat Bench:

Warmups
10 x bar
10 x 40kg
10 x 60kg
5 x 80kg - explosive eccentrics

Work Sets
5 x 110kg (242lb) @ RPE 9.5 - Definitely easier than last Saturday.
5 x 110kg @ RPE 10 - Good; about the same s last weeks 1st set
4 x 110kg @ RPE 9.5 - might have made a 5th
3 x 110kg @ RPE 10

Grip on bar with pinkies touching rings rather than clean-width grip. I am going to standardise on this grip for bench for as long as my shoulders remain happy.

Bench Lock-outs (from pin 5)
5 x 120kg (264lb)
2 x 130kg (286lb)

Bench Lock-outs (from pin 6)
3 x 130kg (286lb)
1 x 140kg (308lb)
1 x 140kg (308lb)

Focussing on making everything really tight. For the second single with 140kg I felt a tiny twinge somewhere in my right intercostals; stopped there.

Will squat in the morning as it's late now and I need to eat. Good to be under a bar again.

Observation
In attempting to improve my bridge when benching, I made my lower vertebrae quite sore, along with the erector muscles in that area. I'm expecting that the soreness will subside as I continue to use this position on a regular basis.
 
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Yeah I've noticed the same thing on benching. Sometimes my lower back, if I've already done deadlifting, will cause me major problems when benching heavy. Hopefully you become more accustomed to it as you continue training this way.
 
Tue 12/04/11

Back home again tonight after more time away.

Managed a quick row and a squat session on Saturday morning before I left for a long weekend. Worked up to 110kg on the squats for 10 reps. They felt hard. Legs definitely still carrying a fair amount of fatigue from all the hill climbing and cycling.

I'm going to try a slightly wider stance for my back squats for a while and see how I get on. I tried this on Saturday and immediately felt my adductors having to work harder.

Lower thoracic and upper lumbar spine still a bit sore from the bridging/arching I am doing when benching. I guess it's a bit similar to the wrist strain I experienced when I first started cleaning—it soon clears up if you persevere with it.

I should be able to train quite consistently again for a couple of months now, barring one week in May which will be spent travelling around the UK, catching one of my fave bands, RUSH, at different venues when they hit these shores. Might get a chance to hit a gym while I'm away—when I'm not sleeping or rocking out. That should be a blast!
 
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