My Big, Stinky Log

Keep it in context, Gator. 240 is a bit light only given the situation - I only do deads every other week, and I'm doing legs once per week. If I was hitting my legs 3x per week like I did last cycle, I doubt I'd be saying anything resembling this.

I'm looking forward to power cleans. I gotta get the hang variety down first though (I think) - and I'm hoping you're right that it'll just click one day. I'm a clumsy dude - so this "clicking" may take a while.
 
Wow, you weren't squatting at all on cleans? Keep practicing and make sure you do full squat cleans, do power cleans after you're pretty good at squat cleans. If you can squat clean you can power clean, but not the other way around.

Do more warm-up sets with just the bar, that'll help you with wrist flexibility. Also, start doing front squats, that'll help also, you'll get used to the catch position and you won't have the death grip on the bar.
 
<div>
(liegelord @ Aug. 10 2007,00:46)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Wow, you weren't squatting at all on cleans? Keep practicing and make sure you do full squat cleans, do power cleans after you're pretty good at squat cleans. If you can squat clean you can power clean, but not the other way around.

Do more warm-up sets with just the bar, that'll help you with wrist flexibility. Also, start doing front squats, that'll help also, you'll get used to the catch position and you won't have the death grip on the bar.</div>
No liege - not at all. Kinda dumb of me, right? I was sitting at work and it just hit me. I'll get it one of these days. I work that wrist flexibility every time I'm in the gym, so hopefully it'll be where it needs to be soon. I like the thought of doing front squats - maybe I'll throw a set or two of those in during my warmup.

Thanks as always for your suggestions!
 
(SST) D1 - Chest/Biceps, 80%

No Olympic warmup to speak of today - I was very, very tight. My low back especially. So - I traded my Oly sets for an extended stretching session.

The workout surprised me a bit. My chest and biceps have always been the weakest parts of me, with the only exception to that maybe being my shoulders.

Flat Bench: WU: 135 x 8; 165 x 7
195 x 5 x 5

I haven't done flat bench in months - maybe even over a year. I'd pegged my 80% number at 185 - but that was far too light. I'm looking at the 195 here the same way I do the 240 for deads - a good welcome back/introductory load, but a bit too light. Saying that for me just feels weird given my history with this exercise, but I honestly feel as though my true 80% number is probably another 10-15 pounds heavier.

The remaining exercises were supersetted...

Decline Dumbells: 80's x 5 x 5
Barbell Curls: 95 x 5 x 5

The declines here felt right load-wise, but I think I'll really be pushing the 5RM load early. Just a hunch.

The curls just reminded me how much I hate trying to develop my biceps. I very specifically am doing theses ISO movements for the benefit of other lifts; in this case, back development is really important to me health-wise, and my biceps are holding me back. God willing, between heavy chins and these bicep ISO's, I'll get closer to where I want to be.


Incline Dumbells: 60's x 5 x 5
SA Incline Curls: 35 x 5 x 5

I was amazed at how much my delts were working as stabilizers during my inclines - MUCH more so than with the barbell variety.

I decided to do the curls single-arm because it just felt better. I was getting a weird stretch doing them (alternating) double-arm. Regardless - what a fantastic pump! I love this exercise, even though I'm using about 60% of the weight that I feel I should be using. I'll get there.

OK! This has been a great week 1! Hopefully the tweaks that I made in each workout will prove to be correct. And hopefully, I can actually get close to doing a hang clean rep next week with better form.
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(SST) A2 85%

I was running stupid late today and as such did the best I could with what I had. The result was a very fast workout - and in strength terms, I'm amazed that I did as much as I did with as little rest between sets as I had. I skipped the Oly warmup today because of time - but on that front, I found a coach. I'll get something on the books appointment-wise soon.

OK.

Pendlay Rows: WU: 135 x 8; 155 x 7
165 x 5 x 5 - I don't know how I feel about this load level yet. On the one hand, I feel like I may be over-reaching a bit too much this early in the cycle. On the other hand, I feel as though I should keep pushing through these sets just as hard as I have.

Everything else is supersetted.

[Barbell Skullz/Chins]
[Smithy Close Bench/WNGP]

Barbell Skullz: WU: 45 x 10
105 x 5 x 5 - better load this time, but maybe a tad heavy.

Chins: 50 x 5 x 2; 42.5 x 5 x 2; 42.5 x 4.5 x 1 - I was way wrong about my starting number. 50 was too heavy for this point in the cycle, and it killed my remaining sets. I hate to admit that, because I had really hoped that 50 was right.

Smithy Close Bench: 160 x 5 x 3 - time.

WNGP: 25 x 5 x 3 - time.
 
I think your Pendlay strength should rise pretty fast, as for me, strength came with better form. I would consider sticking to your set percentages for another workout or so on those, and if it still seems way off, then I'll stand corrected.

Man, I did the SAME thing on chins last cycle. I had myself trying to lift nearly as much at the beginning what I am doing NOW lol. It looks like yours aren't nearly as far off as mine were, but don't be worried if you have to do an adjustment.
 
<div>
(UFGatorDude30 @ Aug. 13 2007,10:06)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I think your Pendlay strength should rise pretty fast, as for me, strength came with better form.

...

Man, I did the SAME thing on chins last cycle.</div>
Gator - what specifically do you do form-wise on Pendlays that have returned good strength gains for you? I'm starting off in a deadlift-like stance, and raising the bar to my upper abs. Is that close?

I'm glad I'm not the only one who made a mis-judgment on the chin number. I think I used my 3 RM from last cycle instead of my 5 RM number to determine the loads for this cycle (mistakenly). I was so hoping it was right; I'd at least have half a shot of coming close to my goal. Oh well - I suppose this cycle is designed to get me to my goals, so we'll see how it all goes.
 
I think you got the right idea for Pendlays. At first, I was bringing the bar up to my chest.. quickly realized that wasn't quite right. The lower down I bring it in relation to my torso, like upper/middle abs, the more natural it felt and more load I could lift. It will come, I promise.
 
<div>
(UFGatorDude30 @ Aug. 13 2007,10:34)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I think you got the right idea for Pendlays.  At first, I was bringing the bar up to my chest.. quickly realized that wasn't quite right.  The lower down I bring it in relation to my torso, like upper/middle abs, the more natural it felt and more load I could lift.  It will come, I promise.</div>
i agree.
 
i gotta say youve taken on a real workout there tim.
good luck with your progress.


if you listen to liege you wont go far wrong, he knows his s##t
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Thanks Icars - I think this is a pretty decent layout for overall development, think being the operative word. Hopefully it all proves out.

You know, everything that liege has told me thus far has been incredible. I'm just hoping that I can get a bunch more of this down before I start my Olympic cycle!
 
(SST) B 85%

Semi-click?

Oly WU:
Hang Cleans: 115 x 5 x 3

I thought quite a lot about golf today; when I practice my golf swing, I do it until it feels right. Before I added weight to the bar, I did reps - lots of reps - until the movement felt more fluid. I'm still not completely there, but I'm closer.

The workout today featured two supersets to kill my delts and some ab work.

[OH Press/Reverse Pec Deck]
[Medial Lateral Raise/Shrugs]

OH Press: WU: 45 x 8; 85 x 7
105 x 5 x 5 - Someday, I know this will get easier. Today it definitely wasn't.

Reverse Pec Deck: 140 x 5 x 5 - I won't be progressing this load next week - the next plate up is 160, and I ain't nowhere near there yet. I pushed hard through these sets, and I was feelin' the posterior delts a-screamin' pretty much immediately. Feels goooooooooooooooood.

Medial Lateral Raise: WU: 20 x 8
20 x 5 x 5 - This is a weird exercise for me. I know it hits the medials really well, but the movement is so awkward.

Shrugs: 235 x 5 x 5 - Remembered the straps this week, and without forearm concerns, this was way too light. I kept waiting for it to feel heavy, and it never did. I'll adjust upward for next week.

Abs: [Roman Chairs @ 25/Machine Crunches @ 90]
I went through the superset twice and started cramping something crazy bad. The Roman Chair sets were 8 reps a piece, and the Machine Crunch sets were 15 very slow reps each.

All in all, a nice week 2 deltoid festivus.
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(SST) Catch up: C + D = stupid @ 85%

Last week was nuts and as a result I missed my Thursday and Friday workouts. Those happen to be legs and chest/bicep. So, I have a bit of making up to do. Today, I combined the two workouts I missed last week. Imagine just how fun it was to have all the blood flowing to my legs after my squat sets, then to move over to bench as the second half of a SUPERSET. No fun, no fun - but I got the job done, and the first part of my make-up is done - now everything else will shift a day, and I'll be caught up on Thursday of this week. I made a couple slight tweaks - I skipped any kind of bicep work today as I'll be hitting my back tomorrow and didn't want to compromise anything there. I'll do an ISO if I have anything left after my back WO.

The workout was just two supersets, without an Oly warmup (sorry liege):

[ATG Squats/Flat Bench]
[Leg Curl/Incline DB Press]

ATG Squats: WU: 135 x 8; 185 x 6
225 x 5 x 5 - Having never really done these, it may take a while to get my form down enough to start really ramping up the weight. I found myself almost pancaking at mid-lift instead of keeping my back straight. That NEVER happened when I was squatting at or just below parallel.

Flat Bench: WU: 135 x 8; 185 x 7
215 x 5 x 5 - I used a spotter for my last two sets but he didn't touch the bar. Feeling pretty good.


Leg Curl: 115 x 5 x 5 - Light considering I'm north of 300 for my extensions, but my hammy's were screamin' after those squat sets.

Incline DB Press: 65's x 5 x 5 - It's amazing to me how much a one or two degree difference up or down it makes when trying to hit the chest; it is so easy to train the delts with this exercise. I don't remember feeling the same way when I was doing barbell inclines.

So, that was it. Time became my enemy, and fatigue really set in quickly. I don't think I'm going to superset legs with anything other than abs from now on.
 
Sick.

I feel like crap.

I dragged myself to the gym to just do something. So, I did this:

Hang Cleans: 135 x 3 x 3 - Not good. On my last rep, I fell on my ass and dropped the bar on my shins. 135 didn't feel so good. I gotta have a session or two with a trainer - this is nuts.

Barbell Skulz: 100 x 5 x 5 - Felt weak.

Hammer Strength Curls: 90 x 5 x 5 - Weak as well.

I then went in and sat in the little sauna they have at the gym for about 5 minutes, hoping that all the proponents of sauna-sitting are right, and that I might sweat out &quot;the impurities&quot;. WTF-ever.

I still feel like crap - AND my shins hurt.
 
A Re-Do Is Forthcoming

I'm not quite a sick as I was last week, but my insanity at work hasn't stopped and will continue through at least this week.

I got in a very short workout today.

Pendlay Rows: WU: 135 x 8
165 x 5 x 5 - Felt pretty good.

...Then I did a few supersetted sets: [Pullups/CNGPs] (CNGP = Close Neutral Grip Pull)
I didn't have my belt, so I did this with bodyweight.
8/3, 4/3, 3/1+, 2+/1+, 3/1+

Humbled, I hit the bike and did 5 minutes HIIT just to try it out. I've never really put cardio anything into my routine and feel it's high time that I did - at least with some kind of frequency.

I'm going to re-start the cycle next week. I have no idea how the rest of this week is going to play out, so if I get to the gym, I'll play it by ear as to what I do.
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I'm going to re-start the cycle next week. I have no idea how the rest of this week is going to play out, so if I get to the gym, I'll play it by ear as to what I do. </div>
I backtracked one week into my cycle from being sick, away, and a lack of transportation. It sucks, but it is inevitable within every cycle unless you are lucky.
Click to expand...
 
Hope you feel better Tim. Don't be discouraged if you have to take a few steps back, it was the best decision I made yet on my current cycle.
 
Thanks guys -

Life gets in the way sometimes - that's the inevitable truth that I've proven time after time after time. I know I'll get back on track, hopefully next week.
 
RE_DO! A2 @ 85%

OK. So I decided that I'd missed enough of this cycle to restart it at my 85% week. So today, I hit my A2 routine (back/tri) with OK results.

My shins still haven't healed from the last time I did Hang Cleans. So, I didn't do 'em. Stupid? Absolutely.

Pendlay Rows: WU: 135 x 8
155 x 5 x 5 - Felt pretty good. I really focused on form, and felt it was a good decision to start lighter for exactly this reason.

Next I supersetted [Chins/Barbell Skullz]

Chins: BW+45 x 4 x 5; BW+45 x 1 x 4.5 - Big time disappointing. My biceps are horrid; I had to cluster my last three sets. I'm gonna annihilate my bi's this week.

Barbell Skullz: WU: 65 x 8
100 x 5 x 5 - My triceps did not disappoint.

Lastly I did a couple supersets - [WNGP/Smithy Close Bench]

WNGP: BW+30 x 2 x 5 - Biceps, biceps, biceps.

Smithy Close Bench: 160 x 5 x 2 - Time. It was the right time to stop, too.

I just hope I'm sore tomorrow. Time to kick it back in and go balls out, boys.
 
A2 @ 85% - UGLY

The last time I worked shoulders was back on 8/14. It showed.

No supersets, no Oly anything. My shins are still healing.

OH Press: WU: 45 x 8; 75 x 7
100 x 5 x 3; 100 x 4 x 1; 100 x 2 x 1 - I didn't decrease the weight because, put simply, I was mad. I wanted to push, so I did. My anterior delts were horrible today. I hate to see what happens on chest day.

Rev Pec Deck: 140 x 5 x 2; 120 x 5 x 3 - My form broke down completely at the start of my 3rd set, so I dropped the weight.

DB Lateral Raise: WU: 20 x 10
25 x 5 x 5 - Totally worked on form. Used a lighter weight than planned just given how the day had gone thus far.

Shrugs: 255 x 5 x 5 - All I gotta say is thank God for my straps.

All in all, it FELT like I took time off with today's workout.
 
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