Final year as a junior powerlifter - I still don't even lift

[Dreamforger]

12/08/17 - Saturday - Heavy Bench

Today did indeed involve some heavy benching. It was in fact the heaviest I have pressed for reps without equipment. Shoulder wasn't feeling 100% and my left wrist was playing up too, so I had a less than ideal session. But considering that, and not being able to press ass aggressively as I normally would, the weight still moved pretty well and managed my top sets/reps/weight.

Bench / Medium-ish bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 2 - hand slipped wider
80kg x 2 - Maybe medium grip - it was a different bar and I had no way to measure the ring distance so I'm not positive as to where my grip was.
90kg x 5x4

Chuffed with that and almost all reps were paused. No reps were bounced but maybe some should have been paused longer than they were. Hopefully once the shoulder/wrist is better then taking this weight again/ a similar weight then it'll move better.

Slingshot Bench Press (Same grip)

100kg x 3x4

Nice pb, nice mini milestone too.

That was all I had time for and there was no way the wrist was going to hold out for anything else, bench press or otherwise.

13/08/17 - Sunday - Heavy Squat

This was a "heavy" squat session relative to what I have been managing recently but by no means an actual heavy session to the point I didn't bother working up to a top set because I just don't need to push the numbers super quickly back to where they were. Take it careful and take it slow.

SSB Squat

Bar x lots x lots
45kg x 5
65kg x 3
75kg x 6x4

Done. Super simple, the weight was not an issue but it was enough for the knees and ankles to deal with for the day.

Conventional Deadlift Block Pulls ~4"

60kg x 5 -RDL
80kg x 3
100kg x 3
120kg x 3 - Block
135kg(B) x 2
147.5kg(B) x 2x6

Moved really well and it wasn't much of a struggle either. Maybe RPE 6.5 at best.

SSB Good Morning

Bar x lots
65kg x 8
70kg x 8
75kg x 8

Happy with that. Back is getting stronger and really tarting to feel it in the glutes and hamstrings now.

That's another session done and moving into a lighter portion of the cycle for most of next week. Need to keep on top of the mobility work and work on the back to keep things feeling healthy (for once!).

 

[GSVBagpuss]

That is some sweet Sumo action - must be able to bust your current 1RM of 180(?)

 

[Dreamforger]

That is some sweet Sumo action - must be able to bust your current 1RM of 180(?)

In terms of raw the best single I ever actually pulled was 160 and in the suit it was 170x3 so it's ice knowing that I was doing my old 1rm for reps. From the calculator though it does suggest upwards of 180 as a max.

15/08/17 - Tuesday - Light bench

Light bench with a medium grip tonight and some board work. The wrist/shoulder is easing up but still causing problems so it wasn't the best of pressing tonight but at least I got something done.

Medium Grip Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 2
78kg x 6x6

Not amazing, not terrible.

Medium Gip 1" Board Press

75kg x 4x6

Felt better.

Cable Row

50kg x 10
55kg x 10
60kg x 2x10

Since I can't work with BOR right now because of the wrist position cable rows (and hopefully lat pull downs) will be the way to go for a short while. These really helped my back/shoulder feel better.

Finished up with some general back/pec/shoulder mobility and things feel a little better, but far from great.

 

[Dreamforger]

16/08/17 - Wednesday - Light Deadlifts

Light deadlifts are no longer quite so light, but they did feel really good. Still using straps a the wrist is still giving me grief.

Sumo Deadlift

70kg x 5
90kg x 3
110kg x 3
130kg(B) x 2
143kg(B) x 3x6

Not bad but I wanted to just stop after every set.

2 count Paused Sumo Deadlift

128kg x 2x6

Better than last time when I did 125kg.

SSB Good Morning

65kg x 8
70kg x 8
75kg x 8
80kg x 8

Yay for a good morning pb.

That's the session finished. I might do some really light accessory work later (lat pull down, back extensions, hamstring curls) if I can be bothered as I' helping 2 friends prepare for a competition this weekend so I'll be at the gym later anyway. At the very least I'll get through some mobility work.

 

[Dreamforger]

17/08/17 - Thursday - Medium Bench

Since I'm getting towards the end of my final cycle (I've finally decided) it's no surprise that my light sessions are no longer light, medium sessions are heavy, and my heavy sessions are pushing the limits now to where my numbers actually should be. Wrist is getting better but it's throwing off the rotation in the shoulder a little bit so the presses weren't as clean I would have liked.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 2 - So smooth
87.5kg x 4x5 - rep/set pb

The very last rep was more touch and go than I would have liked but I'm genuinely not fussed by that.

Floor Press

92.5kg x 4x5 - pb

More difficult than I would have liked. Had a little bit of an issue keeping the shoulders tight and pulling the bar into the position I wanted rather than where the bar wanted to go on its own but for the most part pretty solid.

Cable Row

55kg x 10
60kg x 3x8

Done.

Wrist is improving, shoulder is improving and my bench is still going up. I am however looking forward to next week being my final week of training before going back to hypertrophy training and dropping the intensity significantly.

 

[Dreamforger]

18/08/17 - Friday - Light Squat

My ankle was giving me issues today as there was certain rom where the tibia (shin) just won't get into the position I need it too. I kept doing banded ankle distractions, cossack squats, duck walks and then do some squats and it all helped, but just not as much as I needed it to for the day. The good thing is that the weight was light so the lack of mobility wasn't tooooooooooo much of an issue.

SSB Squat

Bar x lots x lots
45kg x 5
55kg x 3
65kg x 3
70kg x 6x6

Not great, not terrible. I think I need more ankle mobility work away from squatting and I'm considering looking into Rom Wod to help with my mobility ventures.

Conventional Deadlift Block Pulls ~ 4.5"

70kg x 5
90kg x 3
110kg x 3
130kg (B) x 3 - Now onto blocks
145kg(B) x 2
157.5kg(B) x 2x5

Still using straps because of my wrist. The way 145kg moved made me think 157.5kg was going to be a nightmare but I was surprised.

I had a terrible headache the entire session and could not cope with doing accessories. I'm off to coach at a competition tomorrow and then doing squat work on sunday anyway so missing accessories tonight is not the end of the world and I can catch up on sunday.

 

[Dreamforger]

21/08/17 - Monday - Light Bench

Light bench session with medium grip went well as the numbers are going up, wrist pain is dramatically coming down and shoulder functionality is improving.

Medium Grip Bench Press

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 2
80kg x 5x6

The floor was quite slippery and had almost 0 leg drive so I'm quite pleased that not only was that a medium grip pb by +2.5kg but it almost entirely upper body too.

Medium Grip 1" Board Press

77.5kg x 4x6

Another mini pb and these felt reallllly good.

Dips

BW x 3x8

Shoulders are feeling a lot better since this was he first time in years that I've performed dips without assistance.

BOR

52.5kg x 4x8

My wrist gave me a little aggro so had to use straps and go "thumbless" but even then I couldn't get the proper contraction I normally would with rows, but at least I was able to do some back work...

Happy with that session. On Thursday will be my final heavy bench session of the cycle so I may push a big 3rm and then pb back-offs depending on how I feel. It'll be a wait and see situation.

 

[Dreamforger]

23/08/17 - Wednesday - Final Deadlift

The intention today was supposed to be a nice simple medium-ish sumo session but it just was not to be. I couldn't get into position at all, particularly where the floor was a tad slippery which meant I couldn't spread my feet hard enough to get the knees open and the chest up. I was falling forwards slightly with 120 which meant 150 was a no go. Instead I swapped to conventional for the first time in at least 10 weeks and worked up to a top set of 3.

SSB Squat

Bar x lots x lots
50kg x 5
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
75kg x 6x5

Things felt a little off today but at the same time the weight was not difficult, rather the reps just weren't as consistent as I would have liked them to be.

Deadlift

60kg x 3
80kg x 3
100kg x 3
120kg x 3
140kg(B) x 2 - Swapped to Conventional
160kg(B) x 3 - old comp pb for a comfortable triple
167.5kg(B) x 3 - current training max for a triple

Bang on mediocore session in terms of how it felt, but looking back at it I just did my training max for 3 so things are moving in the right direction.

For the upcoming hypertrophy cycle I need a lot of glute work to help break the bar off the ground easier. I'm also going to swap to conventional for my primary deadlift variation but still keep sumo somewhere in the routine. I shall just plod along with SSB squats for the time being since they're not aggravating my knee at all but hopefully the additional mobility work I'm doing will improve tissue quality (hopefully everywhere...).

 

[Dreamforger]

24/08/17 - Thursday - Heavy Bench

Today was a terrible bench session and a real disappointing way to end the cycle. I just couldn't get tight and my feet were slipping the as they were in my previous sessions which meant it was very difficult to plant my feet, and keep them planted, as well as transfer force from the legs into the bar. Other than that I'm a tad tired and underfed. Pick any excuse and apply it, but whatever the case it just was not a good day for me.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 2
70kg x 1
80kg x 1
90kg x 1
100kg x 2,f - 3rd rep fell forwards
92.5kg x 3x3 - hard but good
92.5kg x 2+1? - Not sure if I managed the last rep or if it was taken by the spotter.

And that's it. Really couldn't be bothered with anything else. Maybe things will improve in the next cycle.

 

[Dreamforger]

It's been a very long week so training has been crammed together in whatever was has been feasible. This has also meant that I've done upper and lower session together and my training days have been back-to-back; so it's fair to say I'm feeling a tad worn out already.

29/08/17 - Tuesday - Light Squat, Medium Bench

With being on holiday and having no access to a safety squat bar I had to put my high heels back on and go back to high bar squatting. Turns out it was ok. What really hit me though was doing squats and then volume bench, sure enough the bench suffered. But who cares? It's only bench...

High Bar Squat

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 4
70kg x 3
75kg x 6x6

Lots of warm ups to make sure things were grooved properly and for the most part they were, the odd rep was a tad off but overall it was a success.

Medium Grip Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 4
67.5kg x 3
72.5kg x 2x8
67.5kg x 2x8

I was using lb plates so the actual values are ± some but who cares.

30/08/17 - Wednesday - Heavy Deadlift

Everything was sore from the day before ad sure enough performance suffered, yet felt good. The deadlifts were slow but comfortable, even if every rep looked like a solid RPE 9.

Conventional Deadlifts

Bar x lots
60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 3
120kg x 3
137.5kg x 3x4 (3count eccentric)

Slow but comfortable.

Conventional Deficit Deadlift ~2"

127.5kg x 2x4 (3count eccentric)

Same kind of story tbh.

Close Grip Feet Up Bench Press

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
55kg x 3x8

Going to up the weight next time (2.5kg - 5kg).

Good session, hamstrings are dead.

31/08/17 - Thursday - Medium Squat

LB plates are silly. Squats weren't bad today but my hamstrings were shot and not working and my lower back was a little tight from yesterday. No problems caused fortunately but at least with a lower body rest day tomorrow it should give things a chance to get hunky dory for Saturday.

High Bar Squats

Bar (45lb) x lots x lots
40kg (95lb) x 8
50kg (115lb) x 6
60kg (135lb) x 4-5?
70kg (155lb) x 3
84kg (185lb) x 6x5

lb plates are silly... ended up with more weight on the bar than I wanted, and whilst it didn't cause any real problems I am being super cautious of the knee so will take a very small increment in the next squat session.

Not bad, pleased it's over with as I'm rather tired at this point with the training and all the other bits and bobs going on atm. Bench tomorrow and hopefully some squats and deadlifts on Saturday.

 

[GSVBagpuss]

Lbs for show, kg for dough

 

[Dreamforger]

14/09/17 - Thursday - Light Squat

First day back after a very busy period and things felt slow and clunky. The session was easy enough so it was a case of blowing the dust out of the cracks.

High Bar Squat

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
75kg x 4x6

Easy enough, knee was a bit clicky though.

Sumo Hover Deadlift

70kg x 5
90kg x 3
110kg x 3x4

Need a lot more strength in the newly acquired ROM but my positioning is far better.

Not a bad session at all. Day one... many to go.

15/09/17 - Friday - Medium Bench

Still suffering from a sprained wrist. It's taking an incredibly long time to full heal because I simply have to use to frequently in day-to-day life.

Medium Grip bench Press

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
67.5kg x 5x8

Decided to go for a lower intensity to save the wrist. It went well as going any heavier maybe have not been the smartest idea, and next time I can push the intensity and volume anyway.

Close Grip Feet Up Bench Press

60kg x 3x8

Final rep was full on RPE 10. Overshot the intensity for this exercise today but hopefully the next time I do it will feel better and I'll do some extra volume too.

DB Incline Bench

22kg x 10,8,7

Fatigue hit quick and everything just stopped working.

DB OHP

12kg x 3x10

Better but incredibly light. Pls strength come back.

Cable Row

40kg x 10
45kg x 10
50kg x 10
55kg x 10

Nice.

Tricep Pushdown

30kg x 10
35kg x 10
40kg x 10

Feels good to get a full session in with all the accessories too.

16/09/17 - Saturday - Heavy Deadlifts

Had a very long day at work, had only a single meal so it's fair to say I wasn't expecting a lot but it went better than expected.

High Bar Squat

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 4x5

Small increases from the last session but I'll take it.

Conventional Deadlift

70kg x 5
90kg x 3
110kg x 3
130kg x 3
145kg(B) x 2
157.5kg(B) x 6 - pb
137.5kg x 2x4

The top set felt way better than expected. The back down sets however were just exhausting.

Wide Grip Deficit SLDL

70kg x 4
90kg x 2x4

When I did these a week or so ago, 90kg x 6 was a true challenge but today it was nothing. Going to go for 95kg - 100kg next time, maybe more.

Done for now, hopefully bench tomorrow.

 

[GSVBagpuss]

Still suffering from a sprained wrist. It's taking an incredibly long time to full heal because I simply have to use to frequently in day-to-day life.

Damn life; ruining lifts since 1993

 

[Dreamforger]

Damn life; ruining lifts since 1993

Fortunately it's getting better day by day because I've been smart enough to reduce the stress on it. Although now that I've started my cut, that's now the culprit to my terrible lifts (I've got to blame something, right?).

19/09/17 - Tuesday - Heavy Squats and Bench

By no means was the weight for squats today actually heavy but it was the heavier day in the sequence. I had to cram in my bench session too with the lighter intensity but the higher volume. The aim of this phase is volume and the reduced intensity is a great opportunity for everything to get back to being 95%.

High Bar Squats

Bar x lots
40kg x 5
60kg x 3
80kg x 3
85kg x 6x4

Easy enough. The squats now reset with a very minor increase in both intensity and volume coming into the next half of the cycle.

Wide Grip Bench Press

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
75kg x 4x6

Back and shoulders are a tad tight tonight but didn't cause any real problems.

Slingshot Wide Grip Bench

82.5kg x 3x6

2 minutes rest between every working set of bench added up very quickly and was rather tired by the end of this session.

Job done. Got to be in at 7:30am tomorrow for work and to train (literally) with the staff, should be interesting. Thank goodness I have light deadlifts and light bench work...

 

[Dreamforger]

20/09/17 - Wednesday - Light Deadlift and Bench

Today was a very early start so I dropped the intensity for the bench since I bench last night and made sure I had a strong focus on form and volume. The pump was good by the end.

Conventional Deadlift with controlled eccentric

RDL x lots
70kg x 5
100kg x 3
120kg x 3x6

Not much to it today, it's supposed to be a light session so I stuck to the plan.

Medium Grip Bench Press

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
57kg x 3
63kg x 4x10

Harder than it should have been but at least I was able to take 3minute rests today.

DB Bench Press

20kg x 3x10

OHP

Bar x lots
30kg x 3x10

DB Row

22.5kg x 4x10

Should be able to add some kg's to all lifts next time whilst increasing the volume too.

Not a bad session at all, just a tad tired and a tad fatigued from yesterday and the lack of sleep. Looking forward to trying to push the intensity and volume next time.

 

[Dreamforger]

23/09/17 - Friday - Light Squats and Medium Bench

I was extremely tired today so I did what I needed and left.

High Bar Squat

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
77.5kg x 5x6

Easy enough.

Medium Grip Bench Press

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
68kg x 3
72.5kg x 5x8
72.5kg x 7,f

Missed the very last rep on the very last set because I changed my set up for some reason so leg drive was minimal and my positioning was slightly off. Not fussed by that at all so nevermind.

That was it. Time is quite limited for the time being so I'm just doing what I can.

 

[GSVBagpuss]

Lots of steady progress here; carry on

 

[Dreamforger]

Lots of steady progress here; carry on

Steady progress is the aim.

25/09/17 - Week 1, Day 1 - Squats, Bench

Today was the start of a new training cycle under the coaching from someone else. For the first time I've given up the reigns on programming to let someone else point out and fix problems that I don't recognise in my training. Squats tonight felt much better than expected but my shoulders felt horrendous when benching so that is definitely something that I need to work on asap.

Comp Squat (Low Bar)

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg(B) x 5
85kg(B) x 5
90kg(B) x 2x5

First time doing low bar squats in a very long time so I slightly undershot the weight because of it feeling like an unfamiliar movement rather than not being strong enough. The good thing is that it gives me lots of room to progress next week and onwards.

Comp Bench (Wide Grip)

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 4
70kg x 5
75kg x 5
80kg x 3x5

Shoulders weren't working properly but there was 0 pain so that is a good sign. Also not too familiar with benching after squatting and sure enough it took away from numbers that I'd be expecting to hit. I just need some adjusting.

DB Incline Bench

20kg x 4x8

Tricep Pushdown

40kg x 12
45kg x 4-5 x 12

Not sure how many I did but it was enough in either case.

Happy with day one. It's nice getting out of my comfort zone and doing things differently. It's also a great opportunity to learn and get and insight into programming from a different point of view.

 

[Dreamforger]

27/09/17 - Week 1, Day 2 - Deadlift, Bench

Today was pretty decent. Managed some decent intensity and volume on deadlifts and benching felt miles better today too.

Sumo Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 3
120kg x 3
135kg(B) x 5
142.5kg(B) x 5
150kg(B) x 2x5

Very nice indeed. Hip mobility needs a bit of work but it's miles better than what it was.

3ct Pause Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
65kg x 4
70kg x 4
75kg x 2x4

Shoulders are feeling better and the 3 count helped reinforce tightness which was very much needed.

DBSS

BW x 4x8

Started off with just body weight because of how my knees have been lately. It was the correct decision and will try and grab some dumbbells next time.

Ran out of time for DB rows so will add them into my next session.

Happy with how things went tonight. Hopefully steady progress continues.

 

[Dreamforger]

28/09/17 - Week 1, Day 3 - Squat, OHP

Started off with pin squats and they went better than expected. Maybe the pause irritated the knee to a very small degree, but all in all things felt ok. Back to doing OHP as a primary movement so that was fun.

Pin Squat

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
60kg x 3
80kg x 4
90kg x 4
95kg x 2x4

Rather happy with this. Managed 90kg for 5's on Monday and 95kg for 4's to a pin today. Hopefully I can push normal squats next week.

OHP

Bar x lots
30kg x 6
35kg x 6
40kg x 2x6

Heaviest OHP in a while so quite happy with this, despite it not being much weight at all. It's going to take some getting used to to get re-familiar with the movement at higher intensities.

DB Bench

22kg x 4x8

DB Row

22kg x 5x10

Fun session but the right knee is a little bit angry. I'm sure it will calm down after some stretching and TLC.