Dream's...something or other log

02/04/14 - B day

Relatively ok session but I really want/need to start getting some proper progression going on, I've been stuck in this typical weight rage for a while now. It'll be nice getting the squats consistently back into the 90kg's, OHP into 40kg's and DL back to 100-110kg like it should be.

Squats

Bar - lots
40kg x lots
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kh x 3
87.5kg x 5x5

Not bad but since this was backed with yesterday's session I'll drop down to 82.5kg x 5x5 on Friday. I did have an odd click in the left knee however so dropping the weight sounds like a good idea.

OHP

Bar - lots
25kg x 3
30kg x 3
35kg x 5x5

Nice and easy.

Deadlift

60kg x 5
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
90kg x 3x5

Not much really to say although my training partner mentioned how the form looked good but that I looked as if I was struggling slightly.

Chin-ups
BW x 7
BW x 5
BW x 4

I forgot to swap to pull-ups....again.

Good session I guess but I'm looking forward to next week when all the weights should be back where they should be.
 
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04/04/14 - A day

Good, yet disappointing. 5x5 Squatting 3 time s a week is starting to take it's toll considering I used to do 3x5 at this weight. It's making the sessions longer (not that I mind) and it may explain why I don't have as much energy at the end for BOR's like I used to.

Squats

Bar - 3 x lots
40kg 2 x lots
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 2
82.5kg x 5x5

A slight left knee issue with clicking but providing I extended my hips a little bit further everything felt fine.

Bench

Bar - lots
30kg x lots
40kg x lots
50kg x 3
57.5kg x 5x5

Easy, bring on 60kg.

BOR

Bar - lots
30kg x lots
40kg x lots
50kg x 3
50kg x 5x5

Absolutely horrendous. I couldn't do penally because there aren't plated big enough where I'm currently training for a few weeks. I swapped not standard BOR and whilst the form looked ok, I just didn't necessarily feel any activation in my back or lats.

Dips

BW + 5kg x 7
BW + 5kg x 4
BW + 5kg x 3
BW x 4

I think I'll stick to doing these now. First set was really stable but going in for the others was more difficult, but I assume that was just fatigue kicking in.

Everything was ok other than the BOR's. I shall be doing standard BOR's for a few weeks due to the plate issue so I'll be making sure I'm getting the form right.
 
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05/04/14 - Off Day

I decided to focus on grip strength and back as my rows are letting me down so I thought an extra bit of work won't help. As usual my off day's are often kept short and typically aren't very exciting but at least it's a change to the typical routine.


Kroc Rows

18kg x 25/25
16kg x 25/25
16kg x 25/25

18kg felt ok but there was no way I was going to get another 2 smooth sets out at that weight.

Pull ups
BW x 3 (Wide grip)
BW x 3 (Narrower grip)
BW x 3 ( Neutral)

I have issues with these on the best of days but since I had just finished Kroc's there was no energy whatsoever left to do these.

Dead-Hangs

BW x 3x 20sec

Planks

BW x 3x 45sec

Not bad and hopefully I should see some transition to my grip strength to help with the deadlifts.
 
07/04/14 - B day

One of the most positive sessions I've had in a long time. Squats were good. OHP was good. Deads were good. Good.

Squats

Bar - lots
40kg x lots
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
85kg x 5x5

Nice and comfortable.

OHP

Bar - lots
25kg x 3
30kg x 3
35kg x 2
37.5kg x 5x5

Bring on 40kg.

Deadlift

60kg x 5
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
90kg x 2
95kg x 3x5

That bar got so much love <3

Pull-ups (Neutral grip)
BW x 4
BW x 3
BW x 2

Well they were terrible but I had some crazy bicep activation going on.

Rather pleased if I'm honest and I'm really looking forward to the next B-Day to get back into OHP 40kg and back to 100kg Deadlift.
 
09/04/14 - A day

I was told in advanced that I could have a play around with a belt just to try one out as my training partner had accumulated one so I took advantage of this and changed the typical format of the squats.

Squats

Bar - 3 x lots
40kg x lots
60kg x 4
70kg x 3
80kg x 5
90kg x 5
100kg x 5
105kg x 3 - PB
110kg x 2 - PB!!!

Well that was a nice surprise! I'll be back to 87.5kg 5x5 on Friday though and just working my way back up.

Bench

Bar - lots
30kg x lots
40kg x lots
50kg x 3
60kg x 3x5

Lost 2 sets due to being pushed for times :( I shall revisit the weight though just to make sure I get all the sets in.

BOR (Pendlay)

Bar - lots
30kg x lots
40kg x lots
50kg x 3
50kg x 5x5

Back to penally this time because the plates were available. These felt nice and comfortable to so I shall up the weight to 52.5kg next time.

Dropped dips due to left elbow was starting to feel a bit iffy and I didn't want to push it, as well as I was in a hurry to get out.

Well I'm chuffed with the squats, the rest of the session was nothing special but it's nice to see some new numbers popping up.
 
11/04/14 - B day

Another decent session fortunately except for a snag in my upper back. No biggie, but no looking left atm until this is rolled out.

Squats

Bar - lots
40kg x lots
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
87.5kg x 5x5

90kg should be nice and simple providing I focus on sitting back on every rep. One of the reps turned into a bit of a good morning but at least it was only the one rep.

OHP

Bar - lots
25kg x 4
30kg x 3
35kg x 2
40kg x 5x5

Comfortable but snagged left trap somehow on the very last rep. The weight was fine though.

Deadlift

60kg x 5
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
90kg x 2
100kg x 3x5

Nice and simple, the bar slipped forward one a few reps but taking a split second to reset the bar corrected that.


No pull-ups this time since I snagged a muscle in my back and I just did not want to risk it.

Pretty decent session today. I shall add 5kg to the dl each session until I stall and then drop back to 100kg 3x5 and then add 2.5kg each time until the next time I stall.
The squats are still going up 2.5kg per session until at least 100kg 3x5 and then see how it goes. A change of program may be due soon.
 
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12/04/14 - Off Day

I thought I'd mix it up a bit today and focus on some bench work as it doesn't really seem to go anywhere and doesn't seem to get much easier.
TL;DR Pyramid bench followed by drop set with some added grip work.


Bench

Bar x 10
30kg x 8
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 4
70kg x 1 - Whooop PB!
70kg x f (The first felt great but the second just was not happening)
60kg x 4
50kg x 8
40kg x 12
30kg x 15
bar x 12

Annoyed not getting 70kg x 2 as the first rep felt great but never mind. I thought I'd do this just to mix it up a little.

Incline-Bench

12kg x 3x8

Pretty simple, if I didn't have a random arm pump going on it would have been much easier

Dead-Hangs

BW x 3x 20sec

Rather happy with the new bench pb but annoyed that the first rep was awesome but the second rep was horrendous. There should have been some reverse curls in there for extra grip work and some planks but I was a tad pushed for time so I and to give them a miss.
 
14/04/14 - A day

Having eaten earlier than usual the night before and only having peanut butter on toast at 8am in the morning, by the time I started training (4pm) and left the facility (7.30pm) I was wrecked due to lack of food.

Squats

Bar - 3 x lots
40kg x lots
60kg x 4
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
90kg x 5x5

Pretty simple although I noticed I was a tad far forward on a rep or two in the last 4th/5th rep of a set or two which caused the rep to turn slightly more into a good morning. Fatigue was hitting me like hell though and the enormous lack of food did not help either...

Bench

Bar - lots
30kg x lots
40kg x lots
50kg x 3
60kg x 5x5

Finally got the last 2 sets in and the reps were a lot better than the last session at 60kg.

BOR (Pendlay)

Bar - lots
30kg x lots
40kg x lots
50kg x 3
40kg x 5x5

Dropped the weight as my elbows have been playing up and I really wanted to make sure I was rowing using the lats. I didn't have big enough plates so none of them were from dead stops. I stuck with Pendlay for lat development otherwise I would have swapped to standard BOR.

Dips

BW x 7
BW x 6
BW x 3

Not too bad. It's a shame about the rows but maybe by dropping the weight I can properly ensure that the lats are being used as intended.
Squats were decent but I might drop down to 3x5 as I don't want the form to be compromised by fatigue as the weight gets heavier.
I'm going to keep pushing with the 5x5 on the bench but I suspect it will only work for maybe 2 more sessions before being forced to drop to 3x5.
I shall just have to work with the rows and make sure I'm getting proper lat development.

TL;DR - Probably switching to 3x5 soon and more than likely swapping to Madcow within a matter of weeks (finally).
 
16/04/14 - B day

Rather pleasant.

Squats

Bar - lots
40kg x lots
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
90kg x 2
92.5kg x 3x5

Dropped to 3x5 simply because my knees are getting better and I want to keep them that way. Also, less fatigue resulted in much better reps than at 90kg's.

OHP

Bar - lots
25kg x 4
30kg x 3
35kg x 2
40kg x 1
42.5kg x 3x5
42.5kg x 2x3

Each set got better and better. I went for 3x5 because the first set wasn't amazing but by the end of the third set I felt I could push some triples, so I did.

Hang-Cleans/Power-cleans

Bar x some
Bar x some

I was waiting ages for plates to deadlift so I thought I'd have a go at playing around with clean's since Mrthingyx goes on about them all the time, they look awesome, and I've heard that power cleans are supposed to be good for strength. I only did these so stop from cooling down from waiting, and well just because I could and they looked awesome.

Deadlift

60kg x 5
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
90kg x 2
100kg x 1
105kg x 3x5 (DOH mainly but swapped to mixed each set as soon as the bar slipped)

I never realised how annoying a bent bar is whilst deadlifting, it makes gripping it (and it staying still) absolute hell.

Chin-ups

BW x 7
BW x 5
BW x 3

Not bad.

Rather happy with the session. Squats are looking good at the moment so hopefully I'll be on 100kg 3x5 soon enough for squats and as annoying as it is using mixed grip on deadlifts at such a low weight, the weight does go up so I'll have to focus on more grip training in other areas.
 
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18/04/14 - A day

This time I had eaten before training and yet I was starving then entire time and as a result almost everything suffered...

Squats

Bar - 3 x lots
40kg x lots
60kg x 4
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
90kg x 2
95kg x 3x5

Sod all strength and power today, damn being hungry and squatting at the same time. The reps were good, but sluggish.

Bench

Bar - lots
30kg x lots
40kg x lots
50kg x 3
60kg x 2
62.5kg x 3x5
62.5kg x 2x3

Not bad, I'll stick at the same weight next time to get the 5x5.

BOR (Pendlay)

Bar - lots
30kg x lots
40kg x some
42.5kg x 5x5

No iffyness in the elbow and noticing it more in the back so hopefully that means that I'm doing something right now.

Dips

BW x 7
BW x 5
BW x 3

I never know what to think of the reps of dips anymore since they vary every session.

I'm hoping the squats were a tad sluggish due to being hungry and therefore 97.5kg should be ok (especially since I've done 100kg x 5 no problem before).
Bench was ok but it is frustrating at how I'm in the same weight range that I have been for ages.
Rows are getting better, I just feel like a plank doing heavier weights and clearly not using my lats properly and instead must have been over compensating by using my shoulders/hammy's.
 
19/04/14 - Off Day

Still going with a bit of a chest, back an grip session for my off days.


Bench

Bar x 10
30kg x 8
40kg x 5
50kg x 6x6

Just decided to do the very first day of Smolov Jnr. just so I had something to do for bench that wasn't a typical 3x8 like I have been doing. It worked well and it felt good.

T-Bar Rows

40kg x 8
55kg x 4x8

Thought I' give these a try and they worked pretty well. I could have used more weight once we came across a handle rather than just holding the bar.

Kroc-rows

16kg x 25/25
16kg x 25/25
16kg x 25/25

Reverse Curls

Ez-Curl bar + 5kg x 3x8

I heard these were good for grip so I thought I'd give them a go.

Chest, back and lats are nuked and feels great. I had some great activation going on during the T-Bar rows for my upper back and I really felt it in my lats when doing the Kroc's so it felt like I was doing something right.
 
20/04/14 - B day

Lack of sleep, severe lack of food and needing the loo for pretty much the entire session and not being able to resulted in a terrible session.

Squats

Bar - lots
40kg x lots
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
90kg x 2
90kg x 2
97.5kg x 5

Last rep was almost a good morning. I had little energy, little power and a left knee that kept cracking each rep. Bailed after the first set as I could not have imagined it going well at all. Hammy's were nuked though.

OHP

Bar - lots
25kg x 4
30kg x 3
35kg x 3
40kg x 2
42.5kg x 5x5

First set was ropey but I managed all 5 sets rather well so I'll push to 45kg next time and see how that goes.

Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 2
110kg x 5

Major lack of energy and I didn't want to compromise the form with more sets. The weight went up, but it should have been easier especially since I managed 105kg 3x5 but found 110kg x 1x5 to be a bit of a stretch...

Neutral Grip pull-ups

BW x 7
BW x 5

Felt decent but I didn't have enough time for the last set.

Not happy with the session at all if I'm honest, yet amazed that the OHP was the best part of the session. I'll revisit the weight on the squat next time to see ifI can get cleaner reps and more sets.
OHP was ok so I'll push.
Deadlifts should have been a lot better, but I could put that down to the lack of food/needing the loo (Yes...I couldn't squeeze hard enough with the core/glutes/hammys to get the proper strength that should have been present -.- )
 
23/04/14 - A day

Tight on the squats today but everything else was brilliant and I was able to add in farmer walks again!

Squats

Bar - x lots
40kg x lots
60kg x 4
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
85kg x 3x5

Really tight still and I want to get 97.5kg perfectly on Friday so I thought I'd slightly deload just for the night.

Bench

Bar - lots
30kg x lots
40kg x lots
50kg x 3
60kg x 2
62.5kg x 5x5

Kept really tight, utilised the lats and completed the sets with virtually no problems whatsoever. 65kg next time.

BOR (Pendlay)

Bar - lots
30kg x lots
40kg x 3
45kg x 5x5

Nailed it. Kept a much tighter form and ensured I was using proper arm movement. I shall stick with the weight next time just to make the most of the proper from at the weight.

Dips

BW x 8
BW x 6
BW x 4

Ooooh an improvement.

Farmer's walks - 20m

30kg x 2 x 1
50kg x 2 x 3
70kg x 2 x 2

These got better and better so I shall try 80kg next time.

It was a shame about feeling the necessity to drop the squats for the session but hopefully it will go in my favour on Friday.
Bench was lovely so up to 65kg next time. I shall get at least 3x5 and hopefully 2x3 at least as a minimum.
Rows were awesome but I want to do the weight again to make sure I have it spot on.
It's nice adding in a bit of conditioning at the end. I'm trying to work out the best way to add in farmers walks/battle ropes/yokes/prowler across each session. I'm not sure if a particular conditioning method is better suited to a particular day or not.
 
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25/04/14 - B day

Awesome session. Squats and OHP were a bit hellish but deadlifts were awesome, chins were awesome, yoke was awesome. Awesome. Swapping to Madcow next week.

Squats

Bar - lots
40kg x lots
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
90kg x 2
97.5kg x 5

Nice clean set. Nothing amazing, not bad either.

OHP

Bar - lots
25kg x 4
30kg x 3
35kg x 3
40kg x 2
45kg x 3x5 {(4,1),(3,2),(3,2)}
40kg x 2x5

First set was ropey but I managed all 5 sets rather well so I'll push to 45kg next time and see how that goes.

Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 2
110kg x 3x5

WHOOOOOP! First two sets were brilliant, last set was fine too but it was a tad more of a struggle.

Chin-ups

BW x 7
BW x 7
BW x 5

Well that was a lot better than expected.

Yoke Walks - 20m

Frame x 2x3
Frame + 20kg x 2x2
Frame + 30kg x 2x1

I had to get the bar stupidly low to be able to pop up the frame without it hitting the ground whilst working. Awesome fun though.

Squats were ok but nothing special.
OHP was more of a challenge than it should have been since I managed 5x5 only 2.5kg less last session...
Deadlifts were brilliant, so much more powerful than last session.
Yokes were fun. I shall focus on speed one the lower weights and then just focus on being able to move with higher weight.
 
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26/04/14 - Off Day

Last off-day with benching in for a while since I'll be benching twice a week with Madcow so I need to find a new compound to focus on. I'm either going towards deadlifts or do some form of olympic lifts for power.

Bench

Bar x 10
30kg x 8
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
52.5 x 7x5

I decided to do the second day of Smolov Jnr. since I started it last week, but only to give me something to work on rather than actually following the program. Not bad at all.


Kroc-rows

15kg x 25/25
15kg x 25/25
15kg x 25/25

Battle Rope conditioning

30 sec x 5 (1 min break in-between)

Holy hell this was a lot more difficult than I anticipated.

Sled-dog pushes - 20m

Frame x 2 x 3
Frame + 20kg x 2x2

This was hell, just the frame wasn't too bad but adding on 20kg killed me. I had to lay down at the end of the turf for the break.

It's nice to get some conditioning in for once and hopefully it'll improve without killing my strength as I don't think it's enough to ruin things but definitely enough to make me feel like I've been worked. Either way it's great fun and it's nice doing something different that won't necessarily impede on another session.
 
28/4/14 - Start of Madcow

Since it's the start of Madcow, the program states to start with a deload that finishes after a four week period.

Squats

Bar x lots
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
80kg x 5
90kg x 5

Lovely and easy. I started to notice a bit of fatigue on the last rep but it was solid. ATG with low-bar ftw :D

Bench

Bar x lots
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
45kg x 5
50kg x 5
55kg x 5x5

Felt pretty good, 57.5kg 3x5 on Friday with 50kg 1x8 to make up the difference.

BOR (Pendlay)

Bar x lots
30kg x 5
40kg x 5x5

Really easy. 42.5kg 5x5 on Friday because there aren't enough sets to do the 1x8.

Dips

BW x 10
BW x 8
BW x 6

AWESOME.

Hanging Knee Raises

BW x 12
BW x 12
BW x 12

Madcow mentions about doing core work (specifically sit-ups - No thanks) so I thought I'd add these in.

Rather happy with the session. I' looking forward to the deload being over to where how the program develops.
 
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I would have thought that but somehow it didn't, maybe I wasn't as low as I thought, but I was definitely past parallel. I guess it might be just because I'm short. I'm still trying to get used to wearing the high-heels by working out how far back I should actually be sitting.
 
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30/04/14 - Madcow - Wednesday

Nice and easy.

Squats

Bar - lots
40kg x lots
60kg x 5
70kg x 2x5

I quite like having a mid week reload. I really focused on power and speed when coming back up.

OHP

Bar - lots
22.5kg x 5
25kg x 5
30kg x 5
35kg x 3x5

Nice and easy.

Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 5
90kg x 5
102.5kg x 3x5

Note to self: using a bar that can spin makes deadlifts far more difficult.

Chin-ups

BW x 8
BW x 7
BW x 5

Yay.

Farmer Walks - 20m

30kg x 2x1
50kg x 2x1
70kg x 2 x 3

These felt so much better than last time. I'll be trying 80kg next week.

Squats were lovely, albeit really light.
OHP was easy once the shoulders decided to function properly.
Deadlifts were more difficult than they should have been due to a spiny bar. I shall check the bar before I use it next time.
Farmers were great fun and felt so much better than last week. I shall up the weight and see what I can do.
 
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