A Semi-Newbie's Training Log - HST/Stronglifts Hybrid

[AlexAustralia]

1. Just tell him any old day

2. Seems like a form of cluster-reps, which is completely fine. Just stay away from routinely going to failure.

[TangoDown]

1. Just tell him any old day

2. Seems like a form of cluster-reps, which is completely fine. Just stay away from routinely going to failure.

1) Watch how he's going to wait for me at the gym all day. Oh God .

2) I only went to failure because my grip wasn't strong enough with double-overhand to lift the weight. 4 reps in and I could tell I was basically pinching the bar instead of holding it. My body could keep going, as it demonstrated when I switched to a mixed grip. I rarely go to failure as is. I went to failure last bench session and this bench session, unfortunately, but next bench session should be my last before SD. Curl failure was the first time I've failed in curls this whole cycle.

Yeah, I seem to cluster all my deadlifts just because I like resetting. If I don't reset, my hips end up too low.

[TangoDown]

Squat: 135lb x 5, 155lb x 5, 190lb x 4 (PR + 5lb)

Barbell Military Press: Bar x 10, 100lb x 5, 115 x 1

Barbell Row: 135lb x 5, 165 x 3

Pullups: Weight Belt + 35lb x 3

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Squat, I got a PR. Didn't try for the 5th rep, but I'm gonna set my 5 rep max at 190lb for my next cycle.

Mil Press, gonna set my 5 rep max to 105lb since 100lb felt like I could have gotten 7 or 8 reps. Hopefully due to CNS adaption that number should shoot up by the time I go for a PR.

Barbell Row, I just don't like. Thinking of switching back to pullups for back work. Did 35lb for 3 at home, but the weight is resting on the floor for the first couple inches of the pull since the pullup bar is on my door.

Gonna wait until Friday or Saturday to test deadlift and bench. Then I might test barbell row again just to iron out form and then decide if I want to do it or not.

[Lol]

Congrats, TD. Great that you got a PR. Especially good that it was in your squat.

I haven't checked out what kind of cycle you are doing so I'm guessing that the low volume for your four lifts in your last session is not your usual training volume?

Barbell rows are a really great back strengthener but if you aren't getting on well with them why not try single-arm db rows (AKA Kroc Rows)? You'll need access to heavy db's though. Do more reps than you would for other movements. Starting a cycle with 25 reps and working the loads up until you can only manage 10 reps at the end of a cycle is a good idea until you are more familiar with the movement.

Re grip for deads: have you tried a hook grip? If not, it's definitely worth working through the discomfort the first few sessions until you have it sussed. My feeling is that there's no need to use a mixed grip until the load is at least 400lb. Hook grip comes in handy for Kroc Rows too. And always use chalk if you are allowed to use it at your gym.

I look forward to seeing you break through the 200lb x 5 barrier in your squats.

[TangoDown]

DBs only go up to 100lb at my gym and back when I was doing DB row I was maxing at around 95lb for 5 reps. I think once I'd get to 100 it wouldn't be too long until I'm getting high reps with those.

I'll recheck my form with the barbell row. My lower back felt fine the next day. I felt some tightness immediately after the lift but that might have been due to just the lower back being pumped lol. Not used to that since I don't do any lower back work. Thinking about doing the variant where the bar hits the ground with each rep. Think its a Pendlay row.

The low volume is not normal. I'm finding my PRs right now so I figure I only needed 1 set.

I was planning on trying hook grip next deadlift session but my hands are not that large so we'll see how effective it is.

And thanks for the encouragement .

[TangoDown]

Sumo Deadlift: 185x3, 225lbx2, 245x1, 275x1, 300x0, 290x0, 280x0, 225x2 (lolnope.avi).

Bench Press: 115lb x 8 (felt weak as ****), 135x5 (still felt weak as ****)

Pendlay Row: 135x5, 155x5

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First 1 rep max day...ever. Deadlift, pushed to 275lb. Didn't know how good the form was though, as nobody was in the weightroom to check or film me, save for some scrawny kid doing yoga and some chick gyrating on a medicine ball. I definitely felt it in my lower back, but it wasn't pain, just "lol it's helping to lift the weight." Got cocky and tried 300lb. Lolnope, couldn't budge it off the floor. Then tried 290lb, nope, 280lb, nope. I think if I had gone from 245lb to 280lb, I could have pulled it, but alas I want good form over anything and I don't even know how hot my form was with 275lb, so I decided to call it a day, after pulling 225lb for 2 almost failing on the second rep.

Went to bench press and it felt weak as ****. Left arm felt like I was pushing 20lb more weight than right, and the bar had 15s on each side. Didn't try for a max as planned; time for SD.

Pendlay, I managed 155lb in good form, bent over without any jerking until the last rep. If I started explosively jerking like some sort of Psuedo Kroc row, I'd probably have pulled up a whole lot more, but then again these aren't Kroc rows.

Time for SD.