Now you too can train like a l2icks0r! for only 12 payments of $35.00 at some random gym… The bastards, they with their damn auto EFT requirements for membership…anyways…
It has honestly been a while since I’ve followed any sort of full body progressive lifting routines. I was stuck in an upper body maintenance mode for months after the terrible muscle tears I suffered in my right leg and lower right abdominal. I quit squatting and deadlifting for 18 months – which is a really long time to be out of it. During that time I would do a moderate bench press workout maybe 2-3 times a month. With my return to BMX I quit working out in the gym completely in July 2008 about a month before I broke my wrist and then restarted around mid November. I had a new overuse injury from pulling the brake on my bike so many times resulting in a problem with my right forearm where I couldn’t grip anything without a lot of pain and something as simple as pouring milk out of a gallon jug was very painful. I couldn’t really do anything anymore; bunny hopping on my bike was the most injurious action there was and I would hurt for days after doing it.
It was very lame to not be able to ride my bike or workout. Working out was most severely limited and I had no choice but to cut back on BMX. I did a ton of daily icing, compression from an armband, ibuprofen at night, and supplemented with glucosamine/chondroitin. Slowly I got my arm back to a manageable pain level where injury was not reoccurring and started to do some light rehab in the gym. I have been continually amazed at how lack of activity does nothing for healing. Immobilization has its time but from my experience it needs to be as short as possible because in the long run healing will be drastically delayed if you are gentle with it. I remember my second collar bone break I didn’t do anything for it after I broke it and it hurt for over a year. It wasn’t even really that bad of a fracture but since the bone had been heavily fractured in two places previously I thought that might be why it took so long for the pain to go away - wrong. All I was doing then was working at a desk all day. The third break was more severe and was also accompanied by a sternum fracture and compound fracture of a bone in my hand. In six months I had rehabbed all of them it doing exercises that put a lot of stress on each bone after waiting about five weeks before I actually went to the gym. I started powerlifting four months after the break and the rest is history I suppose. =)
If my old adage was to not be gentle with injuries after the needed immobilization period then why did I wait so long to get back to a full lifting again? With my first major lifting injury, when I injured the lower right side of my spinal erector, it was only about three months before the erector spinae could support both squatting and deadlifting so why so long for these latest two tears? These two tears were much worse than the back tear and there was a lot more internal bleeding evidenced by lots of bruising on my leg and stomach areas. The bleeding from my back injury was just a few speckles of bruising. The leg muscle that was injured was the adductor magnus torn near the pubis. The injured ab muscle was the lower rectus abdominus also torn near the pubis. Both tears occurred on the right side of my body. I did actually ride my bike a few times in 2007 after the injury in August but it was a bit risky because if I crashed I would have reinjured my leg from the quick violent movements used to minimize impact from the ground. Even with the risk of a crash I still rode and of course walked a lot. I got to the point where I thought maybe I could start lifting again and went into the gym. Any movements involving core stabilization were very painful in the abdominal area. Squatting 185lbs was just wrong at that point and hurt enough to know I couldn’t go higher. Deadlifting felt weird with 225lbs, caused my leg to swell at 315lbs, and at 365lbs I was obviously reinjuring it from the pain and swelling. I did this test workout about six months after the injury and then did another test six months later after that. The second test was done more conservatively but also yielded disappointing results. Another six months go by after that and I try again for the third time but this time the pain felt therapeutic.
Eighteen months later after the absence of heavy muscular stimulus my body had changed in a very unappealing way. I was soft and weak with more fat and less muscle resulting in a lower overall body weight. I had a fatty face, jiggly jowl, pulpy pecs, gelatinous gut, deflated derriere, thin thighs, cushiony calves, baby biceps, tiny triceps, and feeble forearms – it sucked. Muscle seems to behave similarly to the melting of snow in terms of atrophy. The bigger the muscle the longer it takes to melt away so my arms went first, pecs second, and then my back. Legs were difficult to really notice other than clothes fitting looser. As far as being weaker upper body wise it wasn’t until late into riding my bike that I noticed it became harder to hold onto the handlebars when I would get a bit out of control in a rhythm section which was a little scary. Other than decreased acceleration my legs didn’t seem to be too affected for the bike but walking was a different story. Now that my legs were weaker it was hugely noticeable as moving was more difficult. My stability had decreased and my legs felt like they weighed more and my knees were weaker. Putting things into better perspective in terms of understanding what the loss of strength was like is hard to do. It is a fact that after I started squatting I had easily more than doubled the strength of my legs going from a beginning squat of about 225lbs to 525lbs for a one rep maximum. Functionally increasing leg strength made the biggest difference in what I could actually feel as the legs are involved for both deadlift and squat and their raw strength development potential is enormous in comparison to the bench. Standing, walking, running, and jumping all felt so much better and easier with strong legs.
I started training more seriously with the bench 11 weeks ago, squat training four weeks ago, and I am now three weeks into deadlift training. There have been noticeable differences aesthetically from the nearly three months of bench pressing, slightly tighter legs for the squat, but zero for the deadlift. The bench press workout is the easiest of the three and it yields the most noticeable visual results the quickest in pecs, shoulders, and arms. It takes a while to see what the deadlift gives where traps and forearms are most noticeable with the back being the least. The squat really only seems to make the legs above the knee bigger in diameter nearest to the hip and slightly increases gluteus size. As far as pain goes there hasn’t been much other than the left knee popped a couple times and now it looks like I am going to have to back off on the squat for a week or so which sucks. In the nearly three months of bench pressing I had to back off only once due to a slight strain high in the left pec even with starting out with what I thought was low enough weight. Everything in the bench is solid now though after taking it easy for a week. The deadlift was a little painful at first with my right arm gripping the bar but that has dropped to very low pain levels and it seems to be doing very well. Even with being only three weeks into training the weight is going up very easily for the deadlift but that was my strongest lift. Both the squat and the deadlift workouts have yet to incorporate using a weightlifting belt. I will try to go as far as I feel it is safe to not use a belt as it will only add to overall lower back strength but only to a point where it will eventually be detrimental to not use one. With the exception of the bench, I am really at an easy foundational phase of acclimation to the stress of the movements. My body can move more weight than what I am training with right now but it has to get tougher first before it gets stronger. It took 10 weeks to get my body to the point where it could withstand the stress benching placed on it for joints, tendons, and muscle and there were no injuries to contend with as there is for the squat and deadlift. Once the body is tough then the heavy lifting can begin and the fun begins as substantial strength gains are acquired. w00t!
Teh l2icks0r! & teh comeback!!
Moderator: enderzero
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
- Post Apocalyptic
- Posts: 2171
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 2:48 pm
- Location: teh w00ds
teh l2icks0r! workouts mk2!!
My powerlifting workouts are all designed to build strength primarily instead of size which is what bodybuilding workouts are designed for – size is still achieved in what I do though just not as pronounced. There is an intermediary workout type called powerbuilding which is kind of interesting as it is a mix of both. Power is strength and speed combined so the main movements in a powerlifting workout (the squat, bench press, and deadlift) are executed as fast as possible. At lower weights it means that I actually have to stop the weight from moving as there is so much momentum built up. In the bench press at lower weights I can press the weight up so fast that my back will come off the bench as I stop the bar from moving upward. Building speed up like this helps make you stronger as the explosive movements require the immediate activation of more muscle than a more gradual push - I am not exactly sure on the science behind this but it has to do with taxing the nervous system more during an explosive movement which in turn develops greater muscular activation.
The workouts I do are done to build up strength for one main movement per workout so I have a total of three days that I spend in the gym – one for squat, bench, and dead. The workouts all begin with a stretch and a warmup for the main movement followed by three to four working sets where I am doing around 60-90% of max effort until I get to two reps per set later in the training cycle which gets to about 95-98%. After the working sets are finished then it is followed up with lower intensity assistance exercises which are designed for further strength building and injury/muscular-imbalance prevention. The larger muscles are worked first so heavier weight is used and then later smaller muscles move lighter weight and then the workout is over. The heavier loads are done first when the muscle is not fatigued and also because it is neurologically and mentally taxing as well. Once the main movement is over with the tension from not having to focus on moving heavy weight makes the rest of the workout relaxing. I guess what makes powerlifting a bit different than bodybuilding as it is almost scary to move weight you have never touched before. Injury is always easily attainable if your form is not perfect so focusing on what you are doing is extremely critical. Everything has to be just right and you have to concentrate and stay alert. I suppose it is easier to just describe how this is so with each lift.
The bench press is the easiest as you get to lie down on a nice comfortable bench, have the weight handed to you, and if you can’t push it up someone is there to catch if for you – things can go wrong though with heavier weight. For me over 350lbs gets pretty scary as just keeping that in a straight line going down is difficult as well as on the way up. If the weight goes back too far or too far forward you can get hurt. You are struggling just to control the weight as well as lift it. In a raw bench meet I ended up hurting my shoulder with my final lift of 380lbs just because it got out of line and my shoulders had to handle the stress of bringing it back in. In another earlier shirted competition I had 412lbs on the bar and half way up I lost control and the bar stopped moving up for a second as I brought it back in line – the lift didn’t count even though I was able to press it all the way up to a full lockout. With that kind of weight exploding up from the down position also puts a ton of stress on your bones. It is actually painful for me to push up at first because the bones in my wrist are flexing and I can feel it. With that kind of weight you can’t even get the bar off of the rack without hurting yourself because of the angle your shoulders are at so someone has to lift it off for you. I have also had something pop in my chest and my strength just gave out and the weight dropped to my lower chest and bruised my ribs. I don’t know what happened to my chest muscle but it went away after about three weeks.
The deadlift is pretty uncomfortable in comparison to the bench. So far in my three weeks of training I have already managed to make my shins bleed through my sweats as the bar makes contact going up and down. I will soon have start using my thin neoprene BMX shin guards to stop that annoying problem. Good form in the deadlift is essential which means the bar is in contact with your legs all the way up and all the way down. On the way down I constantly bruise the top of my leg right above the knee. If the bar goes out too far from your legs you can get off balance and hurt your back. If you don’t tighten your abs as tight as you can while you lift you can easily hurt your back. Continual stress of holding that much weight in each hand puts a ton of stress on your biceps. I have to actually almost discontinue any bicep exercises later when the weight gets too high as my biceps are so ridiculously taxed which is understandable considering each hand has to be able to hold on to 300lbs if you are lifting 600lbs like I have done. I have two training partners who have actually ripped their bicep tendons and had to have them reattached in surgery – one of them actually has a current deadlift world record though. Having your back sore is not comfortable at all and if you are deadlifting heavy you will have a constantly sore back usually for at least two to three days after the lift day. Getting out of bed is difficult sometimes, doing dishes pretty much totally sucks, and if you have a back injury that really sucks.
The squat is insane when you squat heavy weight. The initial compression you endure from when you first take the weight onto your back has jacked my blood pressure up so high that it takes a second to just get used to having the bar rest on your back. Just stepping out away from the rack is a challenge to not hurt your knees as you take quick little tiny baby steps backwards. I have had my ears ring near the bottom of the movement. I have seen guys pass out after the racking the weight and even have nose bleeds while pushing the weight up. When I had my injury the weight went forward and rolled off of my neck giving me whiplash. I couldn’t keep the weight stable at my waist and my hips started oscillating violently enough to tear a couple muscles in the battle to not get crushed with 405lbs I had on me. Currently I have a minor knee problem just from going up to 265lbs. I started out at 95lbs just to be safe and so far my injured leg and abdominal can take it but my other previously non-injured leg now has a knee problem so I am going to have to back off this Monday and probably not go above 135lbs.
Here is a list of the exercises I do for each day in order of execution with the weights I will be doing next week except for the squat which if my knee isn’t better I will have to back off. Each workout takes about 2.25 hours to complete and sometimes longer if I add a few other little things or have a longer variation.
Monday – Squat
Stretch: hamstrings, adductors
Squat warm-up: 2 x bar x 10, 2 x 135 x 8, 185 x 6
Squat main: 225 x 6, 245 x 6, 265 x 6, 285 x 6
Leg curl: 4 x 10 x 95, 105, 115, 125
Leg extension: 4 x 10 x 170, 180, 190, 200
Calf raises: 4 x 20 x 135
Reverse calf raises: 4 x 20 x 135
Stretch: hip flexors
Sit ups: 2 x 15
Butt lifts: 2 x 15
Tuesday – Bench
Stretch: pecs
Bench warm-up: 2 x bar x 10, 2 x 135 x 8
Bench main: 185 x 6, 225 x 6, 270 x 6, 285 x 6
Incline dumbbell press: 90 x 6, 100 x 6, 110 x 6
Standing military press: 95 x 6, 105 x 6, 115 x 6
Lever shoulder press: 25 x 90, very short rest, 15 x 90
Cable external shoulder rotation: 2 x 20 x 30
Cable internal shoulder rotation: 2 x 20 x 30
Dumbbell front raise: 2 x 10 x 10
Cable tricep extension w/rope: 130 x 6, 140 x 6, 150 x 6
Cable pushdowns: 70 x 6, 80 x 6, 90 x 6, 100 x 6
Dumbbell lying rear lateral raise: 2 x 10 x 10
Lying tricep kickbacks: 2 x 10 x 10
Thursday - Dead
Stretch: hamstrings, adductors
Squat warm-up: 2 x bar x 10, 2 x 135 x 8
Deadlift: 2 x 135 x 8, 225 x 8, 275 x 8, 295 x 8, 315 x 8
Seated back row pull: 200 x 10, 225 x 10
Glute ham raise: 2 x 10
Cable pulldown: 105 x 8, 120 x 8, 135 x 8, 145 x 8
Lever seated row: 4 x 90 x 10 all negs
Standing dumbbell curls: 35 x 8, 45 x 6
Seated barbell preacher curls: 2 x 40 x 20 + 5 negs
Seated barbell wrist curls: 4 x 40 x 20
Seated barbell reverse wrist curls: 4 x 30 x 20
Dumbbell side bends: 2 x 65 x 10
Stretch: hip flexors
Sit ups: 2 x 15
Butt lifts: 2 x 15
The workouts I do are done to build up strength for one main movement per workout so I have a total of three days that I spend in the gym – one for squat, bench, and dead. The workouts all begin with a stretch and a warmup for the main movement followed by three to four working sets where I am doing around 60-90% of max effort until I get to two reps per set later in the training cycle which gets to about 95-98%. After the working sets are finished then it is followed up with lower intensity assistance exercises which are designed for further strength building and injury/muscular-imbalance prevention. The larger muscles are worked first so heavier weight is used and then later smaller muscles move lighter weight and then the workout is over. The heavier loads are done first when the muscle is not fatigued and also because it is neurologically and mentally taxing as well. Once the main movement is over with the tension from not having to focus on moving heavy weight makes the rest of the workout relaxing. I guess what makes powerlifting a bit different than bodybuilding as it is almost scary to move weight you have never touched before. Injury is always easily attainable if your form is not perfect so focusing on what you are doing is extremely critical. Everything has to be just right and you have to concentrate and stay alert. I suppose it is easier to just describe how this is so with each lift.
The bench press is the easiest as you get to lie down on a nice comfortable bench, have the weight handed to you, and if you can’t push it up someone is there to catch if for you – things can go wrong though with heavier weight. For me over 350lbs gets pretty scary as just keeping that in a straight line going down is difficult as well as on the way up. If the weight goes back too far or too far forward you can get hurt. You are struggling just to control the weight as well as lift it. In a raw bench meet I ended up hurting my shoulder with my final lift of 380lbs just because it got out of line and my shoulders had to handle the stress of bringing it back in. In another earlier shirted competition I had 412lbs on the bar and half way up I lost control and the bar stopped moving up for a second as I brought it back in line – the lift didn’t count even though I was able to press it all the way up to a full lockout. With that kind of weight exploding up from the down position also puts a ton of stress on your bones. It is actually painful for me to push up at first because the bones in my wrist are flexing and I can feel it. With that kind of weight you can’t even get the bar off of the rack without hurting yourself because of the angle your shoulders are at so someone has to lift it off for you. I have also had something pop in my chest and my strength just gave out and the weight dropped to my lower chest and bruised my ribs. I don’t know what happened to my chest muscle but it went away after about three weeks.
The deadlift is pretty uncomfortable in comparison to the bench. So far in my three weeks of training I have already managed to make my shins bleed through my sweats as the bar makes contact going up and down. I will soon have start using my thin neoprene BMX shin guards to stop that annoying problem. Good form in the deadlift is essential which means the bar is in contact with your legs all the way up and all the way down. On the way down I constantly bruise the top of my leg right above the knee. If the bar goes out too far from your legs you can get off balance and hurt your back. If you don’t tighten your abs as tight as you can while you lift you can easily hurt your back. Continual stress of holding that much weight in each hand puts a ton of stress on your biceps. I have to actually almost discontinue any bicep exercises later when the weight gets too high as my biceps are so ridiculously taxed which is understandable considering each hand has to be able to hold on to 300lbs if you are lifting 600lbs like I have done. I have two training partners who have actually ripped their bicep tendons and had to have them reattached in surgery – one of them actually has a current deadlift world record though. Having your back sore is not comfortable at all and if you are deadlifting heavy you will have a constantly sore back usually for at least two to three days after the lift day. Getting out of bed is difficult sometimes, doing dishes pretty much totally sucks, and if you have a back injury that really sucks.
The squat is insane when you squat heavy weight. The initial compression you endure from when you first take the weight onto your back has jacked my blood pressure up so high that it takes a second to just get used to having the bar rest on your back. Just stepping out away from the rack is a challenge to not hurt your knees as you take quick little tiny baby steps backwards. I have had my ears ring near the bottom of the movement. I have seen guys pass out after the racking the weight and even have nose bleeds while pushing the weight up. When I had my injury the weight went forward and rolled off of my neck giving me whiplash. I couldn’t keep the weight stable at my waist and my hips started oscillating violently enough to tear a couple muscles in the battle to not get crushed with 405lbs I had on me. Currently I have a minor knee problem just from going up to 265lbs. I started out at 95lbs just to be safe and so far my injured leg and abdominal can take it but my other previously non-injured leg now has a knee problem so I am going to have to back off this Monday and probably not go above 135lbs.
Here is a list of the exercises I do for each day in order of execution with the weights I will be doing next week except for the squat which if my knee isn’t better I will have to back off. Each workout takes about 2.25 hours to complete and sometimes longer if I add a few other little things or have a longer variation.
Monday – Squat
Stretch: hamstrings, adductors
Squat warm-up: 2 x bar x 10, 2 x 135 x 8, 185 x 6
Squat main: 225 x 6, 245 x 6, 265 x 6, 285 x 6
Leg curl: 4 x 10 x 95, 105, 115, 125
Leg extension: 4 x 10 x 170, 180, 190, 200
Calf raises: 4 x 20 x 135
Reverse calf raises: 4 x 20 x 135
Stretch: hip flexors
Sit ups: 2 x 15
Butt lifts: 2 x 15
Tuesday – Bench
Stretch: pecs
Bench warm-up: 2 x bar x 10, 2 x 135 x 8
Bench main: 185 x 6, 225 x 6, 270 x 6, 285 x 6
Incline dumbbell press: 90 x 6, 100 x 6, 110 x 6
Standing military press: 95 x 6, 105 x 6, 115 x 6
Lever shoulder press: 25 x 90, very short rest, 15 x 90
Cable external shoulder rotation: 2 x 20 x 30
Cable internal shoulder rotation: 2 x 20 x 30
Dumbbell front raise: 2 x 10 x 10
Cable tricep extension w/rope: 130 x 6, 140 x 6, 150 x 6
Cable pushdowns: 70 x 6, 80 x 6, 90 x 6, 100 x 6
Dumbbell lying rear lateral raise: 2 x 10 x 10
Lying tricep kickbacks: 2 x 10 x 10
Thursday - Dead
Stretch: hamstrings, adductors
Squat warm-up: 2 x bar x 10, 2 x 135 x 8
Deadlift: 2 x 135 x 8, 225 x 8, 275 x 8, 295 x 8, 315 x 8
Seated back row pull: 200 x 10, 225 x 10
Glute ham raise: 2 x 10
Cable pulldown: 105 x 8, 120 x 8, 135 x 8, 145 x 8
Lever seated row: 4 x 90 x 10 all negs
Standing dumbbell curls: 35 x 8, 45 x 6
Seated barbell preacher curls: 2 x 40 x 20 + 5 negs
Seated barbell wrist curls: 4 x 40 x 20
Seated barbell reverse wrist curls: 4 x 30 x 20
Dumbbell side bends: 2 x 65 x 10
Stretch: hip flexors
Sit ups: 2 x 15
Butt lifts: 2 x 15
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 2:48 pm
- Location: teh w00ds
Teh l2icks0r! training journals!!!
Bench – main sets
Week 1: 155lbs, 165lbs, 175lbs, 185lbs for 10 reps (calculated max at 247lbs) too much too soon hurt a bit at end
Week 2: 155lbs, 175lbs, 185lbs, 205lbs for 10 reps (calculated max at 273lbs) ok hurt less
Week 3: 165lbs, 185lbs, 195lbs, 215lbs for 10 reps (calculated max at 287lbs) ok but pushing it
Week 4: 185lbs, 205lbs, 215lbs, 225lbs for 10 reps (calculated max at 300lbs) kind of hard
Week 5: 185lbs, 200lbs, 215lbs, 230lbs for 10 reps (calculated max at 307lbs) hard
Week 6: 185lbs, 225lbs, 235lbs, 250lbs for 8 reps (calculated max at 310lbs) ok
Week 7: 185lbs, 225lbs, 240lbs, 255lbs for 8 reps (calculated max at 317lbs) ok
Week 8: 185lbs, 225lbs, 245lbs, 260lbs for 8 reps (calculated max at 323lbs) difficult
Week 9: 185lbs, 225lbs, 250lbs, 265lbs for 8 reps (calculated max at 329lbs) very difficult, 330lbs is realistic max
Week 10: 185lbs, 225lbs, 255lbs, 270lbs for 6 reps (calculated max at 314lbs) had to back off - easy
Week 11: 185lbs, 225lbs, 265lbs, 280lbs for 6 reps (calculated max at 325lbs) solid and easy
Squat – main sets
Week 1: 95lbs, 135lbs, 135lbs, 135lbs for 10 reps (calculated max: 180lbs) kind of scared but no pain
Week 2: 135lbs, 155lbs, 175lbs, 225lbs for 8 reps (calculated max: 279lbs) hurt a little @225 but solid
Week 3: 185lbs, 205lbs, 225lbs, 245lbs for 8 reps (calculated max: 304lbs) solid, slight knee tweak, no injury pain
Week 4: 185lbs, 225lbs, 245lbs, 265lbs for 8 reps (calculated max: 329lbs) very solid but knee tweak, no injury pain!!
Dead – main sets
Week 1: 135lbs, 155lbs, 175lbs, 225lbs for 10 reps (calculated max: 279lbs) no pain and very easy
Week 2: 135lbs, 185lbs, 225lbs, 255lbs for 8 reps (calculated max: 317lbs) easy but had tiny strain last rep
Week 3: 225lbs, 255lbs, 275lbs, 295lbs for 8 reps (calculated max: 348lbs) very easy, felt very strong - no strain
Overall training is going pretty good considering it being a comeback and all. Abdominal muscles are phenomenally weak right now. Trying to find exercises that isolate the lower part of the abs where but lifts seem to work pretty well. Swiss ball crunches work too but I am shaking like crazy doing them from such weak muscles. Weighted ab machines seem to be ok so will be experimenting with other ab exercises as time goes on but strength is so abysmal its scary. They really need to get stronger to minimize chances of injury.
Week 1: 155lbs, 165lbs, 175lbs, 185lbs for 10 reps (calculated max at 247lbs) too much too soon hurt a bit at end
Week 2: 155lbs, 175lbs, 185lbs, 205lbs for 10 reps (calculated max at 273lbs) ok hurt less
Week 3: 165lbs, 185lbs, 195lbs, 215lbs for 10 reps (calculated max at 287lbs) ok but pushing it
Week 4: 185lbs, 205lbs, 215lbs, 225lbs for 10 reps (calculated max at 300lbs) kind of hard
Week 5: 185lbs, 200lbs, 215lbs, 230lbs for 10 reps (calculated max at 307lbs) hard
Week 6: 185lbs, 225lbs, 235lbs, 250lbs for 8 reps (calculated max at 310lbs) ok
Week 7: 185lbs, 225lbs, 240lbs, 255lbs for 8 reps (calculated max at 317lbs) ok
Week 8: 185lbs, 225lbs, 245lbs, 260lbs for 8 reps (calculated max at 323lbs) difficult
Week 9: 185lbs, 225lbs, 250lbs, 265lbs for 8 reps (calculated max at 329lbs) very difficult, 330lbs is realistic max
Week 10: 185lbs, 225lbs, 255lbs, 270lbs for 6 reps (calculated max at 314lbs) had to back off - easy
Week 11: 185lbs, 225lbs, 265lbs, 280lbs for 6 reps (calculated max at 325lbs) solid and easy
Squat – main sets
Week 1: 95lbs, 135lbs, 135lbs, 135lbs for 10 reps (calculated max: 180lbs) kind of scared but no pain
Week 2: 135lbs, 155lbs, 175lbs, 225lbs for 8 reps (calculated max: 279lbs) hurt a little @225 but solid
Week 3: 185lbs, 205lbs, 225lbs, 245lbs for 8 reps (calculated max: 304lbs) solid, slight knee tweak, no injury pain
Week 4: 185lbs, 225lbs, 245lbs, 265lbs for 8 reps (calculated max: 329lbs) very solid but knee tweak, no injury pain!!
Dead – main sets
Week 1: 135lbs, 155lbs, 175lbs, 225lbs for 10 reps (calculated max: 279lbs) no pain and very easy
Week 2: 135lbs, 185lbs, 225lbs, 255lbs for 8 reps (calculated max: 317lbs) easy but had tiny strain last rep
Week 3: 225lbs, 255lbs, 275lbs, 295lbs for 8 reps (calculated max: 348lbs) very easy, felt very strong - no strain
Overall training is going pretty good considering it being a comeback and all. Abdominal muscles are phenomenally weak right now. Trying to find exercises that isolate the lower part of the abs where but lifts seem to work pretty well. Swiss ball crunches work too but I am shaking like crazy doing them from such weak muscles. Weighted ab machines seem to be ok so will be experimenting with other ab exercises as time goes on but strength is so abysmal its scary. They really need to get stronger to minimize chances of injury.
-
Bill Drayton Jr.
- Post Apocalyptic
- Posts: 2171
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 2:48 pm
- Location: teh w00ds
-
Bill Drayton Jr.
- Post Apocalyptic
- Posts: 2171
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 2:48 pm
- Location: teh w00ds
Squat - Week 5
3 main sets @ 225lbs, 255lbs, 285lbs for 8 reps (calculated max: 354lbs) very solid and easy.
I originally planned on not going above 135lbs but my knee was recovered enough to handle a full load without popping and now feels better although not 100% yet. Being at week five is not long enough for my body to fully adapt to the stress but again healing seems to always be accelerated through active utilization. No belt was used. This week was more solid than the previous week despite a 20lb increase in the last set. I did skip first set of 185 and went with 3 sets of 8 instead of 4 sets of 6 to keep with the same training volume.
This was the first time I did leg extensions and leg curls on squat day - historically I had always done them on deadlift day. I felt a tiny bit nauseated towards the end of the workout. I would attribute the nausea from not being able to buffer from the extra lactic acid released.
Ended up doing weighted abs as well - I think it is a good idea to continue with doing them every dead and squat workout.
I originally planned on not going above 135lbs but my knee was recovered enough to handle a full load without popping and now feels better although not 100% yet. Being at week five is not long enough for my body to fully adapt to the stress but again healing seems to always be accelerated through active utilization. No belt was used. This week was more solid than the previous week despite a 20lb increase in the last set. I did skip first set of 185 and went with 3 sets of 8 instead of 4 sets of 6 to keep with the same training volume.
This was the first time I did leg extensions and leg curls on squat day - historically I had always done them on deadlift day. I felt a tiny bit nauseated towards the end of the workout. I would attribute the nausea from not being able to buffer from the extra lactic acid released.
Ended up doing weighted abs as well - I think it is a good idea to continue with doing them every dead and squat workout.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Bench - Week 12
4 main sets: 185lbs, 225lbs, 270lbs, 285lbs for 6 reps (calculated max at 331lbs) solid but not easy - 331lbs is a slightly low realistic max.
did last set of dumbbells @110lbs for 7
Added 4th set of military press @125lbs for 6 - this had more of an impact on overall workout than I expected leaving me dead at end of workout. Did pushdowns @ 85, 85, 95 & 100 but only got five last set. Tris were totally fatigued so no tricep extensions or kickbacks - nothing left. Also no lying rear lateral raise - too fried. Internal/external rotations helped quite a lot and made shoulders feel good. Shoulders were so saturated with blood I was in pain for about 20 minutes after military press and lever raises actually hurt during each rep.
Amazingly tired now, workout was too difficult.
did last set of dumbbells @110lbs for 7
Added 4th set of military press @125lbs for 6 - this had more of an impact on overall workout than I expected leaving me dead at end of workout. Did pushdowns @ 85, 85, 95 & 100 but only got five last set. Tris were totally fatigued so no tricep extensions or kickbacks - nothing left. Also no lying rear lateral raise - too fried. Internal/external rotations helped quite a lot and made shoulders feel good. Shoulders were so saturated with blood I was in pain for about 20 minutes after military press and lever raises actually hurt during each rep.
Amazingly tired now, workout was too difficult.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Dead - Week 4
225lbs, 275lbs, 295lbs, 315lbs for 8 reps (calculated max: 391lbs) very easy - felt new power I didn't have last week.
Rep 6 of last set form got a little off. Not leaning back far enough, need to be more careful. Also need to start wearing neoprene shin guards as right shin got quite bloody today. Not using a belt yet, spinal erectors were tight during last couple sets from increased blood saturation. Left hamstring was a bit taxed. Dropped bent over rows. Added seated lever row. No glute ham as hamstring was over taxed. Dropped sit ups and butt lifts for evil overload ab machine.
When I was done today I was exhausted which I attribute to slight over training related to total volume of exercises for all days. Not too sure about overall pace of weight increase as reaching 400lb level in four weeks might be a bit too fast.
Food and water intake is increasing. Been a bit dehydrated last couple days despite no caffeine.
Rep 6 of last set form got a little off. Not leaning back far enough, need to be more careful. Also need to start wearing neoprene shin guards as right shin got quite bloody today. Not using a belt yet, spinal erectors were tight during last couple sets from increased blood saturation. Left hamstring was a bit taxed. Dropped bent over rows. Added seated lever row. No glute ham as hamstring was over taxed. Dropped sit ups and butt lifts for evil overload ab machine.
When I was done today I was exhausted which I attribute to slight over training related to total volume of exercises for all days. Not too sure about overall pace of weight increase as reaching 400lb level in four weeks might be a bit too fast.
Food and water intake is increasing. Been a bit dehydrated last couple days despite no caffeine.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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SKIPPED: bench week 13, squat week 6, dead week 5 - too sick
I don't like to skip at all but it was actually good for the body, at least for benching, to take a week off. Taking a week off every 12-14 weeks is actually almost a requirement for not getting hurt when training at near max levels.
Squat week 7: 225lbs, 275lbs, 295lbs, 315lbs for 8 reps(calculated max: 391lbs) semi-difficult from being weak from being sick, 3rd set something popped in left knee and caused sharp pain. Went to 4th set anyway and started getting difficult at 6th rep, knee was semi-ok in last set but damage was already done in 3rd set. Amazingly sore in the days afterwards and was difficult to support my weight going down stairs - there was no strength left at all. Knee has been bothering me still.
Bench week 14: 225lbs, 255lbs, 275lbs, 290lbs for 6 reps(calculated max: 337lbs) difficult - not as weak as expected from being sick but still weak. Amazed I was able to go up 5lbs from last week - will go for 295x6 next week and then drop down to 5 rep sets.
Dead week 6: SKIPPED, left knee still hurting, extremely sore also. Both dead and squat are at same weight/reps this way so try and keep them the same for as long as possible. Willing to have a 20% difference in the long run.
Squat week 7: 225lbs, 275lbs, 295lbs, 315lbs for 8 reps(calculated max: 391lbs) semi-difficult from being weak from being sick, 3rd set something popped in left knee and caused sharp pain. Went to 4th set anyway and started getting difficult at 6th rep, knee was semi-ok in last set but damage was already done in 3rd set. Amazingly sore in the days afterwards and was difficult to support my weight going down stairs - there was no strength left at all. Knee has been bothering me still.
Bench week 14: 225lbs, 255lbs, 275lbs, 290lbs for 6 reps(calculated max: 337lbs) difficult - not as weak as expected from being sick but still weak. Amazed I was able to go up 5lbs from last week - will go for 295x6 next week and then drop down to 5 rep sets.
Dead week 6: SKIPPED, left knee still hurting, extremely sore also. Both dead and squat are at same weight/reps this way so try and keep them the same for as long as possible. Willing to have a 20% difference in the long run.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Squat - Week 8
4 main sets @ 225lbs, 255lbs, 285lbs, 315lbs for 8 reps (calculated max: 391lbs) felt solid but fatigued - no leg or knee pain but felt some back strain.
Used 30lb increments for set progression to test how the knee would hold up. Using more even weight distribution set to set slightly reduced total work done(including warm ups) from 13,240lbs to 13,000lbs. Used a narrower stance which reduced knee stress considerably. I may have hurt my knee from using too wide of a stance in the past and from now on am going with the narrower one.
Had slight pain in lower back after 3rd set from going too far forward and not keeping back arched enough throughout the movement. May have to start wearing a belt as the repeated weekly stress could be too much to handle on a consistent basis.
Had a lot of fatigue both during workout and after similar to last week but less pronounced. May not have eaten enough.
Made great progress with abs 5 sets @ 35lbs x 20, 45lbs x 15, 55lbs x 15, 65lbs x 15, 75lbs x 14 - when first started it was 30lbs x 15, 40lbs x 10, 50lbs x 5...So going from 5 reps of 50lbs at fourth set to 14 reps of 75lbs at fifth set is incredible progress...
Used 30lb increments for set progression to test how the knee would hold up. Using more even weight distribution set to set slightly reduced total work done(including warm ups) from 13,240lbs to 13,000lbs. Used a narrower stance which reduced knee stress considerably. I may have hurt my knee from using too wide of a stance in the past and from now on am going with the narrower one.
Had slight pain in lower back after 3rd set from going too far forward and not keeping back arched enough throughout the movement. May have to start wearing a belt as the repeated weekly stress could be too much to handle on a consistent basis.
Had a lot of fatigue both during workout and after similar to last week but less pronounced. May not have eaten enough.
Made great progress with abs 5 sets @ 35lbs x 20, 45lbs x 15, 55lbs x 15, 65lbs x 15, 75lbs x 14 - when first started it was 30lbs x 15, 40lbs x 10, 50lbs x 5...So going from 5 reps of 50lbs at fourth set to 14 reps of 75lbs at fifth set is incredible progress...
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Bench - Week 15:
225lbs, 255lbs, 280lbs, for 6 reps, 295lbs for 5 reps(1 rep max: 332lbs) solid but simply not strong enough for last set.
First set of 225lbs felt heavier than normal. I feel fine but I have yet to recover full strength from being sick. I was definitely stronger at week 11 than I was today. I also failed to do the same number of reps of dumbbells at the same weight as I did at week 11. I have basically lost a month of progress from the flu.
Depressingly enough I have not been able to bench more than 335lbs for the last 18 months. I know I have not trained that hard and hopefully now that I am going to the gym more than 2-3 times a month I should get through this "plateau" as they call it. I haven't done near the tricep assistance exercises I used to do so that is probably a huge issue. The goal was to do 8 sets for tris but I have really only been doing 4-5 at moderate weight. Back in the day I used to do 12 sets.
I also need to switch days so I have a day of rest after squatting - maybe even change the order of all the workouts again.
First set of 225lbs felt heavier than normal. I feel fine but I have yet to recover full strength from being sick. I was definitely stronger at week 11 than I was today. I also failed to do the same number of reps of dumbbells at the same weight as I did at week 11. I have basically lost a month of progress from the flu.
Depressingly enough I have not been able to bench more than 335lbs for the last 18 months. I know I have not trained that hard and hopefully now that I am going to the gym more than 2-3 times a month I should get through this "plateau" as they call it. I haven't done near the tricep assistance exercises I used to do so that is probably a huge issue. The goal was to do 8 sets for tris but I have really only been doing 4-5 at moderate weight. Back in the day I used to do 12 sets.
I also need to switch days so I have a day of rest after squatting - maybe even change the order of all the workouts again.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Dead - Week 7:
225lbs, 275lbs, 295lbs, 315lbs for 8 reps(1rm@391lbs) very solid, easy.
I have taken two weeks off so I chose to ease back into it by keeping the weight the same as week four. After only four deadlift workouts I felt that holding back was the intelligent thing to do especially since I am still not incorporating the use of a belt and am not used to a full routine.
My hamstrings felt great with zero strain even though I added two sets of 10 glute ham raises on a 45 degree glute ham machine. Unlike leg curls this exercise finally made both of my hamstrings sore and really taxed my lower back. I will eventually try and do flat glute hams by improvising something since there is no machine that does that where I workout.
Since I haven't adapted to the routine of doing three workouts a week I have been heavily fatigued with an elevated resting heart rate but my appetite has greatly increased. My back is fatigued but never became sore.
I have taken two weeks off so I chose to ease back into it by keeping the weight the same as week four. After only four deadlift workouts I felt that holding back was the intelligent thing to do especially since I am still not incorporating the use of a belt and am not used to a full routine.
My hamstrings felt great with zero strain even though I added two sets of 10 glute ham raises on a 45 degree glute ham machine. Unlike leg curls this exercise finally made both of my hamstrings sore and really taxed my lower back. I will eventually try and do flat glute hams by improvising something since there is no machine that does that where I workout.
Since I haven't adapted to the routine of doing three workouts a week I have been heavily fatigued with an elevated resting heart rate but my appetite has greatly increased. My back is fatigued but never became sore.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Squat - Week 9:
225lbs, 275lbs, 295lbs, 315lbs, 325lbs for 8 reps (1rm:404lbs) very solid, easy.
Originally intended to stop at 315 but I felt very strong and so I added a 5th set which was easy to the 8th rep even with the increased training volume from an extra set. Total work done from warmup sets was 4,540lbs. Total work from main sets was 11,480lbs bringing overall total to 16,020lbs which is a 3020lb increase from last week and is a significant increase in training volume.
Today was the first squat workout that actually felt good where I didn't have any pain even though both knees popped. The narrower stance has made a huge difference in comfort levels as well as really taxing my legs immensely. Glutes are not taxed at all which was what happened with a wide stance. The wide stance I used historically was bad for me in both my hips and knees. I have congenital hip dysplasia so I never should have considered using a wide stance especially since squatting wide used to make my hips hurt all the time. The narrower stance is definitely going to cause much more growth in my legs.
I am still not using a belt, back was taxed today but it has only been two days since I dead lifted so it hasn't had as much recovery time.
Ab strength went up again 5 sets @ 45lbs x 15, 65lbs x 15, 75lbs x 15, 85lbs x 15, 90lbs x 13
Super fatigued once again but didn't feel nauseated just insanely super hungry right at the end of the workout. Gorged on sushi and then hungry a few hours later and got ton of crap Mexican. Appetite is causing painful hunger pains.
Originally intended to stop at 315 but I felt very strong and so I added a 5th set which was easy to the 8th rep even with the increased training volume from an extra set. Total work done from warmup sets was 4,540lbs. Total work from main sets was 11,480lbs bringing overall total to 16,020lbs which is a 3020lb increase from last week and is a significant increase in training volume.
Today was the first squat workout that actually felt good where I didn't have any pain even though both knees popped. The narrower stance has made a huge difference in comfort levels as well as really taxing my legs immensely. Glutes are not taxed at all which was what happened with a wide stance. The wide stance I used historically was bad for me in both my hips and knees. I have congenital hip dysplasia so I never should have considered using a wide stance especially since squatting wide used to make my hips hurt all the time. The narrower stance is definitely going to cause much more growth in my legs.
I am still not using a belt, back was taxed today but it has only been two days since I dead lifted so it hasn't had as much recovery time.
Ab strength went up again 5 sets @ 45lbs x 15, 65lbs x 15, 75lbs x 15, 85lbs x 15, 90lbs x 13
Super fatigued once again but didn't feel nauseated just insanely super hungry right at the end of the workout. Gorged on sushi and then hungry a few hours later and got ton of crap Mexican. Appetite is causing painful hunger pains.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Bench - week 16:
5 main sets: 225lbs, 260lbs, 290lbs, 300lbs for 5 reps, 305 for 4 reps (1rm:338lbs) 4th set difficult, 5th set too fatigued
My third set of 290 felt too heavy to make a 15lb jump to 305 so I went to 300 and got it well enough to see about going for a 5th set. I believe it was just too much volume as the first two reps of 305 were pretty much the same as 300 but the 3rd rep my arms got tired and I barely got the 4th rep and did a forced rep for the 5th. I think if I would have made the 15lb jump and only did four main sets instead of five I could have done 305 for five.
I did 110lb dumbbell inclines for 9 reps in the third set. Military pressed 135lbs for 6 in the third set. Unfortunately the military press taxed my back too much so I may have to cut it out. This was my strongest bench week up 1lb from two weeks ago with a 338lb max. I haven't been able to crack the 340lb barrier that I have been at for 18 months but hopefully the beefed up tricep assistance exercises will push me beyond. Did tri pushdowns 80, 100, 110, 115 for 6 reps, 120 for 5, 125 for 3.
I switched from benching on Tuesday to Wednesday now because squatting on Monday tired me out too much to bench the following day. Overall I am just too tired and fatigued asking way too much of my body. I helped a friend do some framing all day and move a few heavy items and tomorrow is looking like a bad idea for deadlifting so I may skip. Pretty much screwed. I might have to switch to a sliding routine where I use an 8 day week instead of a 7 day week. I have no idea how I am going to be able to combine BMX with powerlifting - doesn't seem possible unless I scale both back...
added lever pec flys
My third set of 290 felt too heavy to make a 15lb jump to 305 so I went to 300 and got it well enough to see about going for a 5th set. I believe it was just too much volume as the first two reps of 305 were pretty much the same as 300 but the 3rd rep my arms got tired and I barely got the 4th rep and did a forced rep for the 5th. I think if I would have made the 15lb jump and only did four main sets instead of five I could have done 305 for five.
I did 110lb dumbbell inclines for 9 reps in the third set. Military pressed 135lbs for 6 in the third set. Unfortunately the military press taxed my back too much so I may have to cut it out. This was my strongest bench week up 1lb from two weeks ago with a 338lb max. I haven't been able to crack the 340lb barrier that I have been at for 18 months but hopefully the beefed up tricep assistance exercises will push me beyond. Did tri pushdowns 80, 100, 110, 115 for 6 reps, 120 for 5, 125 for 3.
I switched from benching on Tuesday to Wednesday now because squatting on Monday tired me out too much to bench the following day. Overall I am just too tired and fatigued asking way too much of my body. I helped a friend do some framing all day and move a few heavy items and tomorrow is looking like a bad idea for deadlifting so I may skip. Pretty much screwed. I might have to switch to a sliding routine where I use an 8 day week instead of a 7 day week. I have no idea how I am going to be able to combine BMX with powerlifting - doesn't seem possible unless I scale both back...
added lever pec flys
Last edited by Bill Drayton Jr. on Mon Apr 06, 2009 10:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Dead - Week 8, Squat - Week 10:
Dead week 8: SKIPPED, back was extremely taxed. The last three workouts worked my back hard and ran it into the ground. Then I worked all day with 2x4s framing and moving some heavy items. When Friday came around deadlifting would have been a super bad idea. Monday I went BMXing and taxed my back more after two days of rest and wore my legs out. Strength compliments BMX so much with improving agility, power, and control it's ridiculous.
Squat week 10: 225lbs, 275lbs, 315lbs, 345lbs for 8 reps (1rm:428lbs) very solid!, easy.
I am using a belt from now on. I put it on this today because my back has been severely taxed from all the activity. My experience with not using it seems to have only made it more tired and worn out. Wearing it today made a huge difference. My back is still tight and sore but doing good considering what I have put it through this last week. There really is no point in not using it from now on other than just to wear my back out more. If I were to tax my back, Monday, Wednesday(military press), Thursday, AND then BMX on the weekends I would get injured for sure. As it ended up my left hamstring ended up becoming very tender after BMX and leg curls made it worse even with lowering the weight.
Since my legs were tired from BMXing yesterday I cut set #2 of 135 and set #3 of 185 and went right to 225 with just two warm ups with the bar and 135. I put the belt on at 275. The last three sets were extremely solid and on the last rep of 345 I paused the weight at the bottom before finishing easily as I had more strength left. Left knee felt a tiny wobbly but it is a mental issue as I am favoring it instead of pushing outwards - there should be no lateral movement like the right knee.
Decreased reps from 15 to 12 in crunches and went to 110lbs
60 x 15, 80 x 15, 90 x 15, 100 x 15, 110 x 8 + 4
Side bends come after crunches now and added two extra sets of side bends so doing four sets total.
2 x 10 x 75, 2 x 10 x 85
Squat Monday, bench Wednesday, dead Friday, BMX weekends.
So its the 10th week now and I have went up 210lbs since the start where originally I held back because of the torn leg and ab muscles. The tears are recovered and the concerns now are the left knee and overly taxed back. Looking back going from 135 to 225 from week 1 to 2 was too fast - I should have had a week at 185 before continuing. Is going from 225 to 345 in six weeks too fast? Its been 20lbs a week so...seems ok. Will I get to 405 in another month? Is that too fast? Should I keep the reps high so I am more limited to lighter weight?
?
Squat week 10: 225lbs, 275lbs, 315lbs, 345lbs for 8 reps (1rm:428lbs) very solid!, easy.
I am using a belt from now on. I put it on this today because my back has been severely taxed from all the activity. My experience with not using it seems to have only made it more tired and worn out. Wearing it today made a huge difference. My back is still tight and sore but doing good considering what I have put it through this last week. There really is no point in not using it from now on other than just to wear my back out more. If I were to tax my back, Monday, Wednesday(military press), Thursday, AND then BMX on the weekends I would get injured for sure. As it ended up my left hamstring ended up becoming very tender after BMX and leg curls made it worse even with lowering the weight.
Since my legs were tired from BMXing yesterday I cut set #2 of 135 and set #3 of 185 and went right to 225 with just two warm ups with the bar and 135. I put the belt on at 275. The last three sets were extremely solid and on the last rep of 345 I paused the weight at the bottom before finishing easily as I had more strength left. Left knee felt a tiny wobbly but it is a mental issue as I am favoring it instead of pushing outwards - there should be no lateral movement like the right knee.
Decreased reps from 15 to 12 in crunches and went to 110lbs
60 x 15, 80 x 15, 90 x 15, 100 x 15, 110 x 8 + 4
Side bends come after crunches now and added two extra sets of side bends so doing four sets total.
2 x 10 x 75, 2 x 10 x 85
Squat Monday, bench Wednesday, dead Friday, BMX weekends.
So its the 10th week now and I have went up 210lbs since the start where originally I held back because of the torn leg and ab muscles. The tears are recovered and the concerns now are the left knee and overly taxed back. Looking back going from 135 to 225 from week 1 to 2 was too fast - I should have had a week at 185 before continuing. Is going from 225 to 345 in six weeks too fast? Its been 20lbs a week so...seems ok. Will I get to 405 in another month? Is that too fast? Should I keep the reps high so I am more limited to lighter weight?
?
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Bench - week 17:
225lbs, 265lbs, 295lbs, 315lbs for 5 reps (1rm:354lbs) not solid, difficult.
I had a unique day with a remarkable strength increase. Going from barely being able to finish my sets for the last few weeks to what I did today is a huge surprise. The last 4 weeks of maxes were 331, 337, 332, and 338. At week 9 I had a 329lb max. From weeks 9-16 I had a 9lb improvement from 329lbs to 338lbs. 8 days after week 16 I have a 16lb improvement to 354lbs. 315x4 is a 344lb max and I got that easy enough to go to five but that was the limit.
The increase on the flat bench was very good but the dumbbell incline increase was inexplicable. When I was at my best two years ago capable of between a 380-395lb bench I was strong enough to press the 120lb dumbbells for 5 reps and it was very difficult - somehow today I was able to do that again. I can't figure out how in the hell this is possible with smaller arms, a weaker bench, and being two years older. Also, I only ever did three sets of dumbbells before - today I did a fourth. Last week was 90x6,100x6,110x9 - this week was 90x6,105x6,115x6, and 120x5. I am not complaining but it is a total mystery that doesn't make any sense other than for some reason I don't lose much strength on dumbbells. One thing for sure is it is actually a bit scary and difficult to get into position with those things - how long before I hit 125 for 6? I always try to do at least 6 but only could get 5 this time...
I recognized my triceps were weak a few weeks back and really pushed the assistance exercises for that and I think that has made a huge difference. Tri pushdowns at 80, 100, 110, 115 for 6 reps, 120 for 5.
Still getting acclimated to pec flys - going to have to keep track of the weight that I do for that.
No military press - back too weary.
Left knee hurts from BMX still deadlifting tomorrow hope is ok.
I had a unique day with a remarkable strength increase. Going from barely being able to finish my sets for the last few weeks to what I did today is a huge surprise. The last 4 weeks of maxes were 331, 337, 332, and 338. At week 9 I had a 329lb max. From weeks 9-16 I had a 9lb improvement from 329lbs to 338lbs. 8 days after week 16 I have a 16lb improvement to 354lbs. 315x4 is a 344lb max and I got that easy enough to go to five but that was the limit.
The increase on the flat bench was very good but the dumbbell incline increase was inexplicable. When I was at my best two years ago capable of between a 380-395lb bench I was strong enough to press the 120lb dumbbells for 5 reps and it was very difficult - somehow today I was able to do that again. I can't figure out how in the hell this is possible with smaller arms, a weaker bench, and being two years older. Also, I only ever did three sets of dumbbells before - today I did a fourth. Last week was 90x6,100x6,110x9 - this week was 90x6,105x6,115x6, and 120x5. I am not complaining but it is a total mystery that doesn't make any sense other than for some reason I don't lose much strength on dumbbells. One thing for sure is it is actually a bit scary and difficult to get into position with those things - how long before I hit 125 for 6? I always try to do at least 6 but only could get 5 this time...
I recognized my triceps were weak a few weeks back and really pushed the assistance exercises for that and I think that has made a huge difference. Tri pushdowns at 80, 100, 110, 115 for 6 reps, 120 for 5.
Still getting acclimated to pec flys - going to have to keep track of the weight that I do for that.
No military press - back too weary.
Left knee hurts from BMX still deadlifting tomorrow hope is ok.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Dead - week 9:
225lbs, 275lbs, 315lbs, 345lbs, 375lbs for 8 reps(1rm:466lbs) so so, easy.
The last four weeks only saw one dead lift workout so I pushed it this time going up 60lbs and adding a 5th set. I will make 225 warmup from now on. I usually start two light sets of squats before deadlfiting but my left knee was hurting and popped about four times in the earlier sets.
I didn't put my belt on until 315 and it really didn't seem to make a difference in this lift. My grip was slipping a tiny bit near the end of the last two sets. The last two sets my form went to shit and I was overly stiff legged. I'd say half of it had to do with not wanting to bend my left knee too much and the other half from bad execution. Still though I confidently got 375x8 which I could have got for 10-12 putting me at a solid 500lb single right now.
Leading up to this workout my back was very tired. During the workout my lower back got tight and pumped from the glute hams. After doing abs my back stopped hurting and feels fine now.
My right bicep is feeling the strain from holding the weight for so long so had to do really light biceps. Lat pull downs hurt, lever rows hurt. Only on the right side so I might switch to supinating left instead of right.
Benching yesterday interfered with working out today. I need that day of rest in between for the sake of my arms although chest and triceps feel pretty good - prolly hurt worse tomorrow.
It seems like lifting right now is more about survival than actual lifting so much. I need my left knee and right arm to get better. And I need another month of dead lifting before I can start doing more fun weight.
The last four weeks only saw one dead lift workout so I pushed it this time going up 60lbs and adding a 5th set. I will make 225 warmup from now on. I usually start two light sets of squats before deadlfiting but my left knee was hurting and popped about four times in the earlier sets.
I didn't put my belt on until 315 and it really didn't seem to make a difference in this lift. My grip was slipping a tiny bit near the end of the last two sets. The last two sets my form went to shit and I was overly stiff legged. I'd say half of it had to do with not wanting to bend my left knee too much and the other half from bad execution. Still though I confidently got 375x8 which I could have got for 10-12 putting me at a solid 500lb single right now.
Leading up to this workout my back was very tired. During the workout my lower back got tight and pumped from the glute hams. After doing abs my back stopped hurting and feels fine now.
My right bicep is feeling the strain from holding the weight for so long so had to do really light biceps. Lat pull downs hurt, lever rows hurt. Only on the right side so I might switch to supinating left instead of right.
Benching yesterday interfered with working out today. I need that day of rest in between for the sake of my arms although chest and triceps feel pretty good - prolly hurt worse tomorrow.
It seems like lifting right now is more about survival than actual lifting so much. I need my left knee and right arm to get better. And I need another month of dead lifting before I can start doing more fun weight.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Squat - week 11:
225lbs, 275lbs, 315lbs, 350lbs, 365lbs for 8 reps (1rm:453lbs) solid, somewhat easy but challenged on a couple reps.
I really questioned whether or not I should even work out today because of my left knee. I had an insane cracking noise this morning and it had been clicking all week so I wasn't sure what I should do. There was some pain five weeks ago but since then most of the pain has gone but the clicking has stayed. I was going to play it safe and not go but I thought I would just see how it felt and take it easy if it hurt. I wore an elastic knee support that made my knee feel more comfortable. I had no problems during and at the end of the workout my knee felt almost perfect. Once again this shouldn't be that much of a surprise to me as I have constantly seen that not exercising can be detrimental to healing.
I am really taking my time to set up each rep which is good. First rep is too fast going down. I am pausing too long at the bottom. On the fifth set I went too far forward on one of the reps. On the sixth rep of 350 I lost a bit of control and my waist gyrated a bit. The waist control issue is huge huge huge and I will really have to watch that as that is what caused my injuries last time. Really really need to make sure every rep is just as focused as the first.
I cut out 185lb warmup and will continue with that, cut one set with the bar also. Training volume for this was 14,850lbs which is high but fatigue was not an issue. I am putting my belt on at 275 now.
Did two sets of leg curls at 50% weight since left ACL is still tender.
Abs @ 60,70,80, & 90lbs for 15 reps but with a pause at the max crunch point so makes it much harder. I seem to be only really hitting upper abs now. Will have to find something that works lower abs that I can do.
I really questioned whether or not I should even work out today because of my left knee. I had an insane cracking noise this morning and it had been clicking all week so I wasn't sure what I should do. There was some pain five weeks ago but since then most of the pain has gone but the clicking has stayed. I was going to play it safe and not go but I thought I would just see how it felt and take it easy if it hurt. I wore an elastic knee support that made my knee feel more comfortable. I had no problems during and at the end of the workout my knee felt almost perfect. Once again this shouldn't be that much of a surprise to me as I have constantly seen that not exercising can be detrimental to healing.
I am really taking my time to set up each rep which is good. First rep is too fast going down. I am pausing too long at the bottom. On the fifth set I went too far forward on one of the reps. On the sixth rep of 350 I lost a bit of control and my waist gyrated a bit. The waist control issue is huge huge huge and I will really have to watch that as that is what caused my injuries last time. Really really need to make sure every rep is just as focused as the first.
I cut out 185lb warmup and will continue with that, cut one set with the bar also. Training volume for this was 14,850lbs which is high but fatigue was not an issue. I am putting my belt on at 275 now.
Did two sets of leg curls at 50% weight since left ACL is still tender.
Abs @ 60,70,80, & 90lbs for 15 reps but with a pause at the max crunch point so makes it much harder. I seem to be only really hitting upper abs now. Will have to find something that works lower abs that I can do.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Bench - week 18:
225lbs, 265lbs, 295lbs, 315lbs for 5 reps (1rm:354lbs) bad form, difficult.
I was weaker this week than 6 days ago. I also had a spotter that didn't allow me to take the full weight so even though I completed the fifth rep I didn't do it 100% under my own power. I am not sure if I would have been able to do it even if my form was better and if I didn't have to tell the guy not to touch the bar as I was pressing which messed me up.
I did two extra sets at 225lbs for 12 and 8 reps after just for fun - my arms were totally dead at this point so was pretty funny to only be able to do eight reps the second set.
Dumbbells I only did three sets and the 3rd set of 6 at 115lbs I was barely able to complete the 6th rep.
I tried very hard to find an exercise that worked my upper pectoral muscles by continuing to do the pectoral fly exercises. I did a retarded 18 sets of flys on three different machines and with free weights. Except for the first two sets of 100lbs I kept the reps to 6 starting at and kept upping the weight until there was no more weight available using a 15lb progression from 115lbs to 295lbs which results in 13 sets including the two warmups. I did two sets on a different pectoral fly machine and one set on a cable fly. I finished up with two sets of incline dumbbell flys at 20 and 30lbs at 15 reps. I completely overdid it but my pecs are not tight or sore at all and I don't think they are really going to be that sore in the next couple days. I was really trying to target the upper pectoral region but really wasn't too successful. I am not sure what to do. This is an aesthetic goal as there just isn't any muscle in my upper pecs and I have no idea why. I have been doing heavy incline dumbbell presses for years and it hasn't built an upper chest. I might not possess the genetics for upper pec development. I haven't really found an exercise that really hits it yet though.
I was not as strong on the tri pushdowns and did 100,105,110,115 for 6 reps, then a continuous burn out set of from 50lbs to 45 to 40 to a retarded count of 70. I followed that up with ropes for two sets at 100lbs and then did a super set of tri kickbacks at 10 reps at 10lbs,8lbs, and 5lbs. Tris were in a painful state.
I did my usual lever shoulder press for two sets and then decreased the how high I pushed the weight so only the shoulders were being used and not the triceps. I followed this up with dumbbell presses for two sets and then internal shoulder rotations.
Today was stupid. I did a retarded amount of exercise. I was in the gym for three hours. I attribute having stamina for that long to drinking two Gleukos drinks. They are much better than Gatorade based on the results i have had with them first BMXing and now with the gym. After filtered water the next ingredient in this drink is glucose. Glucose doesn't need to be digested and is where all the carbohydrates come from from the drink. My experience with it is that it works noticeably better than Gatorade.
I am not that tired after the workout this time so my body must finally be getting used to it. Recovering from squatting was easier too. My back is not bothering me. My knee is almost 100%. Hopefully this trend will continue.
I was weaker this week than 6 days ago. I also had a spotter that didn't allow me to take the full weight so even though I completed the fifth rep I didn't do it 100% under my own power. I am not sure if I would have been able to do it even if my form was better and if I didn't have to tell the guy not to touch the bar as I was pressing which messed me up.
I did two extra sets at 225lbs for 12 and 8 reps after just for fun - my arms were totally dead at this point so was pretty funny to only be able to do eight reps the second set.
Dumbbells I only did three sets and the 3rd set of 6 at 115lbs I was barely able to complete the 6th rep.
I tried very hard to find an exercise that worked my upper pectoral muscles by continuing to do the pectoral fly exercises. I did a retarded 18 sets of flys on three different machines and with free weights. Except for the first two sets of 100lbs I kept the reps to 6 starting at and kept upping the weight until there was no more weight available using a 15lb progression from 115lbs to 295lbs which results in 13 sets including the two warmups. I did two sets on a different pectoral fly machine and one set on a cable fly. I finished up with two sets of incline dumbbell flys at 20 and 30lbs at 15 reps. I completely overdid it but my pecs are not tight or sore at all and I don't think they are really going to be that sore in the next couple days. I was really trying to target the upper pectoral region but really wasn't too successful. I am not sure what to do. This is an aesthetic goal as there just isn't any muscle in my upper pecs and I have no idea why. I have been doing heavy incline dumbbell presses for years and it hasn't built an upper chest. I might not possess the genetics for upper pec development. I haven't really found an exercise that really hits it yet though.
I was not as strong on the tri pushdowns and did 100,105,110,115 for 6 reps, then a continuous burn out set of from 50lbs to 45 to 40 to a retarded count of 70. I followed that up with ropes for two sets at 100lbs and then did a super set of tri kickbacks at 10 reps at 10lbs,8lbs, and 5lbs. Tris were in a painful state.
I did my usual lever shoulder press for two sets and then decreased the how high I pushed the weight so only the shoulders were being used and not the triceps. I followed this up with dumbbell presses for two sets and then internal shoulder rotations.
Today was stupid. I did a retarded amount of exercise. I was in the gym for three hours. I attribute having stamina for that long to drinking two Gleukos drinks. They are much better than Gatorade based on the results i have had with them first BMXing and now with the gym. After filtered water the next ingredient in this drink is glucose. Glucose doesn't need to be digested and is where all the carbohydrates come from from the drink. My experience with it is that it works noticeably better than Gatorade.
I am not that tired after the workout this time so my body must finally be getting used to it. Recovering from squatting was easier too. My back is not bothering me. My knee is almost 100%. Hopefully this trend will continue.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Dead - week 10:
315lbs, 365lbs, 405lbs, 435lbs for 6 reps (1rm:505lbs) fast!, easy
I had a big power increase over last week. I knew something was a lot different from my very first set of 135. All sets flew up with a huge amount of speed. After doing 405 so easily I thought I should just see how easy 495 would be just for fun but instead decided to add another heavier set as it was still only the 10th week since I started and this was only the 7th deadlift workout. I feel I still need to work on building my base strength up before putting heavier strain on my body.
I experimented with a pronated hook grip for the first two sets and then switched to the alternate grip for the rest. Grip became an issue at 405 and at 435 I couldn't hang on for the 6th rep so I reset which made it harder than if I hadn't had to. I now have to start using chalk in order to keep the weight from slipping out of my hands.
Did 210&250 for back pulls pretty easily. Two sets of glute-ham raises to 15 reps from 10 - really tax the back hard.
Cable pull downs to 160.
Did one set of lever seated rows at 180 instead of 90 - pretty lame exercise thinking about ditching it in favor of bent over barbell rows. I did two sets of 135 bent over rows powerfully.
Actually got two sets of standing dumbbell curls in at 35 & 45lbs with no pain. Followed up with preacher curls at 50lbs to 15 reps and then 5 reps of negs. My biceps did not bother me at all despite the heavy strain put on them from deadlifting - hopefully they can survive.
Wrist curls up to 50lbs from 40 but reverse wrist curls stayed the same at 30lbs with an attempt at 40 but not strong enough.
Skipped the crunch machine and instead did full situps and butt lifts. I stopped earlier than normal as my abs have been worked too hard and felt like they were going to cramp up. I am skipping abs next week as they are overtaxed. It was nice to finally have enough strength to be able to do full situps. They definitely work the lower abs as I felt pain in the area where the tear was that I haven't felt in the crunch machine.
Overall this was the best deadlift workout I have had in a long time. I could really feel my old strength coming back and it is nice to know I am well over a 500lb deadlift right now. Also very very nice to not have any knee or bicep pain plus my back felt great the whole time. I was really worn out at the end but best recovery so far.
Squatting is going to be a little scary this Monday because if I drop to 6s I would have to do at least 390 or 405 for 5 which seems a bit crazy.
I had a big power increase over last week. I knew something was a lot different from my very first set of 135. All sets flew up with a huge amount of speed. After doing 405 so easily I thought I should just see how easy 495 would be just for fun but instead decided to add another heavier set as it was still only the 10th week since I started and this was only the 7th deadlift workout. I feel I still need to work on building my base strength up before putting heavier strain on my body.
I experimented with a pronated hook grip for the first two sets and then switched to the alternate grip for the rest. Grip became an issue at 405 and at 435 I couldn't hang on for the 6th rep so I reset which made it harder than if I hadn't had to. I now have to start using chalk in order to keep the weight from slipping out of my hands.
Did 210&250 for back pulls pretty easily. Two sets of glute-ham raises to 15 reps from 10 - really tax the back hard.
Cable pull downs to 160.
Did one set of lever seated rows at 180 instead of 90 - pretty lame exercise thinking about ditching it in favor of bent over barbell rows. I did two sets of 135 bent over rows powerfully.
Actually got two sets of standing dumbbell curls in at 35 & 45lbs with no pain. Followed up with preacher curls at 50lbs to 15 reps and then 5 reps of negs. My biceps did not bother me at all despite the heavy strain put on them from deadlifting - hopefully they can survive.
Wrist curls up to 50lbs from 40 but reverse wrist curls stayed the same at 30lbs with an attempt at 40 but not strong enough.
Skipped the crunch machine and instead did full situps and butt lifts. I stopped earlier than normal as my abs have been worked too hard and felt like they were going to cramp up. I am skipping abs next week as they are overtaxed. It was nice to finally have enough strength to be able to do full situps. They definitely work the lower abs as I felt pain in the area where the tear was that I haven't felt in the crunch machine.
Overall this was the best deadlift workout I have had in a long time. I could really feel my old strength coming back and it is nice to know I am well over a 500lb deadlift right now. Also very very nice to not have any knee or bicep pain plus my back felt great the whole time. I was really worn out at the end but best recovery so far.
Squatting is going to be a little scary this Monday because if I drop to 6s I would have to do at least 390 or 405 for 5 which seems a bit crazy.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Squat - week 12:
275lbs, 335lbs, for 6 solid & easy
375lbs for 6 (1rm:436lbs) not deep enough, very difficult
385lbs for 4 (1rm:420lbs) scary, very difficult
315lbs for 7, 6, & 5 - last set extremely solid, easy
A calculated one rep max is inapplicable to me for my performance of the squat. Numerically(one rep maxwise) 365lbs for 8 reps is the same as 390 for 6 however having 385lbs on my back today was not a confident experience. An attempt at squatting 450lbs for a single rep would be a disaster right now. It's a control issue that I believe stems from a muscular imbalance. The major muscles involved in moving a max weight are strong enough but the stabilizing muscles(abdominals) are too weak. Additionally I have not developed the skill to handle that much weight from lack of experience at that weight level. Squatting 225 is different than squatting 405 in regards to skill. I need more experience at heavier weight in addition to stronger stabilizers before going further than 405.
Doing more weight than the previous week is now a secondary goal. The primary goal now is control. This reminds me of the Pirelli saying, "Power is nothing without control." And also quality(of control) not quantity(of weight).
This week I dropped from 8 reps to 6 but even that is too high now. It is too hard for me to focus and stay in control for that long with heavy weight. I won't stick to a static number of reps for each set but will keep dropping the reps as I go up in weight. So maybe next week would look something like:
warm up (no belt):
45 x 12, 135 x 10, 135 x 8, 225 x 6
main sets:
275 x 5 (1rm:309)
315 x 5 (1rm:354)
345 x 4 (1rm:376)
365 x 3 (1rm:386)
385 x 2 (1rm:396)
405 x 1
form reinforcement set:
315 x 5
Training volume would still be about the same as last week and I shouldn't need as much rest in between sets. I should be ok without spotters, possibly better considering there probably isn't going to be anyone I can trust to help me.
Leg extensions: 170, 185, 200, 215 (pushed it)
Leg curls: 80,85,90,95 (held back)
Smith calf raises 135,185,225,245
Smith reverse calf raises: 135,185,225
Donkey calf machine: 90, 135
Leg press reverse/regular calf raises: 90 x 4
Two sets of 20 full situps without using the wall - w00t!
Tweaked left knee during calf raises. Tweaked left arms brachioradialis somehow. Lower back is very taxed. Fatigue is not so bad!
375lbs for 6 (1rm:436lbs) not deep enough, very difficult
385lbs for 4 (1rm:420lbs) scary, very difficult
315lbs for 7, 6, & 5 - last set extremely solid, easy
A calculated one rep max is inapplicable to me for my performance of the squat. Numerically(one rep maxwise) 365lbs for 8 reps is the same as 390 for 6 however having 385lbs on my back today was not a confident experience. An attempt at squatting 450lbs for a single rep would be a disaster right now. It's a control issue that I believe stems from a muscular imbalance. The major muscles involved in moving a max weight are strong enough but the stabilizing muscles(abdominals) are too weak. Additionally I have not developed the skill to handle that much weight from lack of experience at that weight level. Squatting 225 is different than squatting 405 in regards to skill. I need more experience at heavier weight in addition to stronger stabilizers before going further than 405.
Doing more weight than the previous week is now a secondary goal. The primary goal now is control. This reminds me of the Pirelli saying, "Power is nothing without control." And also quality(of control) not quantity(of weight).
This week I dropped from 8 reps to 6 but even that is too high now. It is too hard for me to focus and stay in control for that long with heavy weight. I won't stick to a static number of reps for each set but will keep dropping the reps as I go up in weight. So maybe next week would look something like:
warm up (no belt):
45 x 12, 135 x 10, 135 x 8, 225 x 6
main sets:
275 x 5 (1rm:309)
315 x 5 (1rm:354)
345 x 4 (1rm:376)
365 x 3 (1rm:386)
385 x 2 (1rm:396)
405 x 1
form reinforcement set:
315 x 5
Training volume would still be about the same as last week and I shouldn't need as much rest in between sets. I should be ok without spotters, possibly better considering there probably isn't going to be anyone I can trust to help me.
Leg extensions: 170, 185, 200, 215 (pushed it)
Leg curls: 80,85,90,95 (held back)
Smith calf raises 135,185,225,245
Smith reverse calf raises: 135,185,225
Donkey calf machine: 90, 135
Leg press reverse/regular calf raises: 90 x 4
Two sets of 20 full situps without using the wall - w00t!
Tweaked left knee during calf raises. Tweaked left arms brachioradialis somehow. Lower back is very taxed. Fatigue is not so bad!
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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The day after...
Last night was pretty rough - painful to lay in bed with left knee. Iced left knee and elevated it in bed. Back was very taxed. Took ibuprofen for back and knee pain. Could not straighten left knee without feeling pressure in the knee itself. Was painful to type with left arm.
Morning was better but both knees actually hurt at that point. Back was way better. Calves were painfully sore and some ligaments were irritated including left ACL.
After walked a couple miles today knees are good, back is ok, but calves are thrashed.
Earlier today I was very fatigued. Tomorrow is looking like it probably isn't going to be a good day for the bench. Left arm is still tender - have no idea what caused it.
Morning was better but both knees actually hurt at that point. Back was way better. Calves were painfully sore and some ligaments were irritated including left ACL.
After walked a couple miles today knees are good, back is ok, but calves are thrashed.
Earlier today I was very fatigued. Tomorrow is looking like it probably isn't going to be a good day for the bench. Left arm is still tender - have no idea what caused it.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Bench - week 19:
225lbs, 265lbs, 295lbs for 5 reps (1rm:332lbs), difficult.
315lbs for 4 plus 1 forced rep (1rm:344lbs) slow, weak.
Painful workout even with taking an extra day of rest. Both biceps are strained to the point of painful aching. The last set seemed to really push it.
Dumbbells 90, 105 - weak and slow.
Dumbbell flys too painful 30,40 for 10
Did one set of pushdowns as they were too painful so substituted skullcrushers and kickbacks. The skullcrushers felt very good - should have to do those more often.
Finally remembered to do some transverse abduction before heavier shoulder. Used lever machine with some pain - will use dumbbells next time.
Seated dumbbell shoulder presses, 40, 50, 60, 65 for 6 reps - felt good should incorporate.
Today was a horrible day from being disabled by pain. Also I was tired for the last couple days so that could have contributed to fatigue. Pain could have been from doing so many flys last week...
Tomorrow is deadlifting...hope arms can survive.
315lbs for 4 plus 1 forced rep (1rm:344lbs) slow, weak.
Painful workout even with taking an extra day of rest. Both biceps are strained to the point of painful aching. The last set seemed to really push it.
Dumbbells 90, 105 - weak and slow.
Dumbbell flys too painful 30,40 for 10
Did one set of pushdowns as they were too painful so substituted skullcrushers and kickbacks. The skullcrushers felt very good - should have to do those more often.
Finally remembered to do some transverse abduction before heavier shoulder. Used lever machine with some pain - will use dumbbells next time.
Seated dumbbell shoulder presses, 40, 50, 60, 65 for 6 reps - felt good should incorporate.
Today was a horrible day from being disabled by pain. Also I was tired for the last couple days so that could have contributed to fatigue. Pain could have been from doing so many flys last week...
Tomorrow is deadlifting...hope arms can survive.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Dead - week 11, Squat - week 13:
Dead: skipped so I could go BMX.
Squat: Delayed because of BMX.
In short my body can't recover fast enough. Its very depressing. My left leg on the outside(instead of inside) is super tender from leading with my left leg on my bike. My right arm is still screwed up a bit from deadlifting. My middle back is almost perma-fatigued and I need to lay down to rest A LOT.
I rode Saturday and Sunday. Saturday at the track I was severely fatigued and burned through all my energy in about the first five runs. Sunday I went to Green Lake since you barely have to pedal to do anything there.
I am going to have to revise my lifting from maximal strength gains to less intense easier lighter weight where I might not go up in weight for a month.
Maybe tomorrow I will squat....sooo tired...
Squat: Delayed because of BMX.
In short my body can't recover fast enough. Its very depressing. My left leg on the outside(instead of inside) is super tender from leading with my left leg on my bike. My right arm is still screwed up a bit from deadlifting. My middle back is almost perma-fatigued and I need to lay down to rest A LOT.
I rode Saturday and Sunday. Saturday at the track I was severely fatigued and burned through all my energy in about the first five runs. Sunday I went to Green Lake since you barely have to pedal to do anything there.
I am going to have to revise my lifting from maximal strength gains to less intense easier lighter weight where I might not go up in weight for a month.
Maybe tomorrow I will squat....sooo tired...
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Squat - week 13:
main sets:
275, 325 x 5 (1rm:309,366)
345 x 4 (1rm:376)
365 x 3 (1rm:386)
385 x 2 (1rm:396)
405 x 1
Down set
315 x 15!!
Could have focused a little better on form as I forgot to look up early on but got it together after 225. Also it seemed like I wasn't going deep enough but not sure. 385 & 405 was all about going slow and concentrating to stay in control. I never went forward on any rep.
Left knee is good - was very tender in ACL area on left side but now feels way better. The knee joint itself is amazingly better - hope it stays that way. Left brachioradialis still slightly tweaked - has something to do with when I grab the bar. Slight tweak upper right back from BMX. Calf raises were good - still like the smith raises but did a bunch of calf stuff on leg press machine. Calf raises felt a lot lighter than last week so calves must be getting stronger.
I was very discouraged yesterday. Today was much better but I am still going to take it easy. I am just going to keep doing this workout with the same weights for a while and not go above 405. I think the 450 1rm squat is probably unattainable and realistically 425 would probably be my max until I can get a more solid base.
275, 325 x 5 (1rm:309,366)
345 x 4 (1rm:376)
365 x 3 (1rm:386)
385 x 2 (1rm:396)
405 x 1
Down set
315 x 15!!
Could have focused a little better on form as I forgot to look up early on but got it together after 225. Also it seemed like I wasn't going deep enough but not sure. 385 & 405 was all about going slow and concentrating to stay in control. I never went forward on any rep.
Left knee is good - was very tender in ACL area on left side but now feels way better. The knee joint itself is amazingly better - hope it stays that way. Left brachioradialis still slightly tweaked - has something to do with when I grab the bar. Slight tweak upper right back from BMX. Calf raises were good - still like the smith raises but did a bunch of calf stuff on leg press machine. Calf raises felt a lot lighter than last week so calves must be getting stronger.
I was very discouraged yesterday. Today was much better but I am still going to take it easy. I am just going to keep doing this workout with the same weights for a while and not go above 405. I think the 450 1rm squat is probably unattainable and realistically 425 would probably be my max until I can get a more solid base.
Last edited by Bill Drayton Jr. on Tue May 12, 2009 10:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Bench - week 20:
225lbs, 265lbs, 285lbs for 5 reps good form, ok
305lbs for 4 plus 1 forced rep (1rm:333lbs) good form, very difficult
Dumbbells 80,90,105 to 6 - difficult last set
I am losing strength. I have become weaker from not eating enough the last week or so. I switched to a healthy eating again and feel better but have lost weight and become weaker. Too difficult to eat enough to get all the calories.
Bicep tendons are still hurting from dead lifting so I skipped again. Don't see how I can keep that up but maybe going from 375 to 435 was too large of a jump. Maybe I should limit deadlifting to 405 as well and hope that eventually my arms will become acclimated to the strain as I advance slower.
What isn't hurting is my right elbow that has been bothering me for 8 fricken months! It still cracks and makes noises all the time but doesn't hurt like before. My left knee doesn't hurt but is a little crackly and the PCL is a little tender - I said ACL before it is actually the PCL. If I could get past the achy bicep tendon issue that would be amazing. I contribute this to adding fish oil caps, and cissus quadrangularis in addition to glucosomine and chondroitin plus my multi vitamin. All this stuff works - the vitamins are too powerful to take before going to bed and will not allow me to sleep. The cissus is new and since I have taken it my elbow got better - could be coincidence but still...
Is raining today...can't ride so maybe just go to the gym...
305lbs for 4 plus 1 forced rep (1rm:333lbs) good form, very difficult
Dumbbells 80,90,105 to 6 - difficult last set
I am losing strength. I have become weaker from not eating enough the last week or so. I switched to a healthy eating again and feel better but have lost weight and become weaker. Too difficult to eat enough to get all the calories.
Bicep tendons are still hurting from dead lifting so I skipped again. Don't see how I can keep that up but maybe going from 375 to 435 was too large of a jump. Maybe I should limit deadlifting to 405 as well and hope that eventually my arms will become acclimated to the strain as I advance slower.
What isn't hurting is my right elbow that has been bothering me for 8 fricken months! It still cracks and makes noises all the time but doesn't hurt like before. My left knee doesn't hurt but is a little crackly and the PCL is a little tender - I said ACL before it is actually the PCL. If I could get past the achy bicep tendon issue that would be amazing. I contribute this to adding fish oil caps, and cissus quadrangularis in addition to glucosomine and chondroitin plus my multi vitamin. All this stuff works - the vitamins are too powerful to take before going to bed and will not allow me to sleep. The cissus is new and since I have taken it my elbow got better - could be coincidence but still...
Is raining today...can't ride so maybe just go to the gym...
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Bill Drayton Jr.
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Dead week - 12:
315lbs, 365lbs, 405lbs, 435lbs for 6 reps (1rm:505lbs) fast, easy
Took a little bit of a risk by deadlifting today and possibly BMXing tomorrow PLUS will be squatting again on Monday to get back to a normal routine of Mon/Wed/Fri.
I never used an alternate grip the whole time. I used a standard pronated grip for 135,225, & 315 and didn't use a belt. I switched to a hook grip and used my belt from 365 on.
I was only going to go to 405 but it felt so much better to keep my arms pronated that I went to what I did last week. I am going to eliminate the seated back row as it really isn't doing that much and I definitely felt some arm strain big time so no more.
Thumbs are ok but I screwed up my right pointer finger by crushing the nail with my neighboring finger somehow - very bizzare. I would think that my thumbs would have been pulled off first before something like that happened.
The hook grip is awesome, and quite painful, but this was the first time that I really used it with reasonably heavy weight. I will have to continue. They seem ok, probably take it easy possibly next dead lifting session for the sake of my thumbs. Hopefully my arms are not overly damaged as well.
Took a little bit of a risk by deadlifting today and possibly BMXing tomorrow PLUS will be squatting again on Monday to get back to a normal routine of Mon/Wed/Fri.
I never used an alternate grip the whole time. I used a standard pronated grip for 135,225, & 315 and didn't use a belt. I switched to a hook grip and used my belt from 365 on.
I was only going to go to 405 but it felt so much better to keep my arms pronated that I went to what I did last week. I am going to eliminate the seated back row as it really isn't doing that much and I definitely felt some arm strain big time so no more.
Thumbs are ok but I screwed up my right pointer finger by crushing the nail with my neighboring finger somehow - very bizzare. I would think that my thumbs would have been pulled off first before something like that happened.
The hook grip is awesome, and quite painful, but this was the first time that I really used it with reasonably heavy weight. I will have to continue. They seem ok, probably take it easy possibly next dead lifting session for the sake of my thumbs. Hopefully my arms are not overly damaged as well.
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Bill Drayton Jr.
- Post Apocalyptic
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- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 2:48 pm
- Location: teh w00ds
swine flu!
Don't let it get you!
Something hit me hard in about an hour. Hopefully it is not the swine flu.
No squatting today.
Something hit me hard in about an hour. Hopefully it is not the swine flu.
No squatting today.
-
Bill Drayton Jr.
- Post Apocalyptic
- Posts: 2171
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 2:48 pm
- Location: teh w00ds
Squat - week 14, Bench - week 22, Dead - week 13
SKIPPED...got sick again...sucks
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Bill Drayton Jr.
- Post Apocalyptic
- Posts: 2171
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 2:48 pm
- Location: teh w00ds
Squat - week 15:
main sets:
275, 315 x 5 (1rm:309,354)
350 x 5 (1rm:394)
365 x 4 (1rm:386)
Down set
315 x 10
I was really weak from being sick and missing a whole week of exercise. I was also very dehydrated. I decreased a bit of the weight and sets. I hurt my right knee doing leg extensions. I didn't do any sidebends. I've lost some strength and weight - hopefully next week I will be back to where I was a couple weeks ago. The down set of 315 was ok to do but I wouldn't have been able to get 15 reps like before.
Got Keaver to workout with me by his request which was nice to have someone to talk to between sets while I was resting. He did rather well for his first time.
275, 315 x 5 (1rm:309,354)
350 x 5 (1rm:394)
365 x 4 (1rm:386)
Down set
315 x 10
I was really weak from being sick and missing a whole week of exercise. I was also very dehydrated. I decreased a bit of the weight and sets. I hurt my right knee doing leg extensions. I didn't do any sidebends. I've lost some strength and weight - hopefully next week I will be back to where I was a couple weeks ago. The down set of 315 was ok to do but I wouldn't have been able to get 15 reps like before.
Got Keaver to workout with me by his request which was nice to have someone to talk to between sets while I was resting. He did rather well for his first time.