Serge's Strength Training Log

I'm having "one of those days" today :/

I had 140kg x 5 x 7 ahead of me and just felt awful, my knees were hurting a bit from the high volume training so I decided to warm up with 60kg but felt equally uncomfortable on my back and legs. I upped to 100kg for a set of 5 and then 140kg. I did a single rep with it and just felt very uncomfortable with a combination of my lower back, calves and knees all aching. I think had I have done the session, it would have been counterproductive and wrecked me for a few days at least so I'm taking a step back today and going to carry on as normal on Saturday.

Frustrating but it happens.
 
JoeF1 said:
The highest i have attempted to squat so far is your warm up. :D

This log sounds fun, good luck!
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Two years ago I only had 100kg in me for a single, and I've never had a natural affinity for strength. You'll get there if you keep persevering :)

I'm going to have a copious amount of food and sleep over the next two days and pick up where I left off on Saturday. I can't give up on the routine at this stage, the gains are too good.
 
Two new training sessions to update.

Training 02/02/2014
Right pectoral tendon has been hurting recently following fatigue recovery so I went fairly light yesterday to ease back into benching, unfortunately, my knees have still been hurting as a result of volume squats but I've dramatically increased fish oil dosage over the last few days and that seems to be helping a lot.

Bench Press:
1 x 5 x 60kg (warm-up)
1 x 5 x 100kg (warm-up)
5 x 3 x 110kg

Felt pretty comfortable after the warm-up and the tendon issue alleviated itself after the first 110kg set.

Training 03/02/2014
Knees were feeling much better today but I don't think I can carry on with the Smolov routine at this point, the volume seems to be killing me by bringing a load of niggling problems up so I decided to ease back into squats full stop.

Bench Press:
1 x 5 x 60kg (warm-up)
1 x 5 x 100kg (warm-up)
1 x 3 x 115kg
1 x 1 x 125kg

Heavy pectoral fatigue today from yesterday's session but I was feeling fairly strong so I decided to try a set with 115kg. It came up quicker and easier than the sets of 110kg I'd done the day previously (with no fatigue) and I felt as if I could have got 4-5 out at a push but decided not to over-do it until the fatigue is gone lest the tendon issue arise again. I also tried 125kg just to judge what it'll be like for a set of 3, the first rep came up pretty quickly but I didn't want to attempt a set of 3 with it at this stage so I racked it. I'll likely try 5 x 3 with 120kg once the fatigue has cleared up.

Squats:
1 x 5 x 60kg (warm-up)
1 x 5 x 100kg (warm-up)
1 x 5 x 120kg (warm-up)
1 x 5 x 140kg

Knees are still hurting a bit but they seemed to be okay enough to at least ease back into squats today. I'll see what kind of leg fatigue I get from today's session and then possibly try a set of 5 with 150kg once I'm recovered.

All in all, a good session despite the fact that I've cut the volume and intensity down, it's nice to see that my strength is returning a bit after a crappy week of dieting/soreness. I'm looking forward to getting back on form this week after the few set-backs I've suffered.

EDITED: As an addition, I did a few strict form barbell curls with 60kg as I haven't done much with my biceps for a while in lieu of going after squat/bench/deadlift goals. Some slight forearm pain but that's the price of not having an EZ bar really.
 
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No wonder your pec is jaffed if you're benching that close each session. How often are you benching a week? I'm also presuming you stretch your pecs?

If your knees are hurting from squatting why not step back a bit and look at things? Rather than going in and trying to increase the weight again?
 
I can usually cope with benching 4-5 times a week (though not extreme volume) and that does seem to help me grow, though usually I keep this to about twice a week (the extra calories I've been consuming as of late have been helping me to recover a lot faster muscularly but perhaps not with regards to connective tissue). I may have overdone it in a drive towards 140kg which has resulted in my tendon playing up a bit. It didn't feel like an actual injury, just as if I was very cold and trying to bench without warming up.

I do some door-frame stretches but not just before benching as I've always been aware that this can have an implication on power (which is something I've noticed subjectively in any case.) Flexibility doesn't seem to be an issue for me in that regard, I think it might have just been repetitive strain from over-benching.

Knee wise, it's been purely from high volume/high intensity at the same time. I do seem to have those issues (including shin splints) whenever I introduce massive volume for my legs. Normally, I have absolutely no issues leg wise. I think it could be a dietary issue though as Omega 3 hyper-dosing seems to resolve it in a matter of days. I was foolish not to load up on it before starting Smolov though.
 
.....right. So you're just going to continue then?

So your knee healed in a matter of days.....was you doing leg work during that time?
 
Delvis said:
.....right. So you're just going to continue then?
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I've given myself over a week of active rest, introduced heavy amounts of fish oil and I'm feeling better now. All the issues I had at the start of the week seem to have completely alleviated. I am however going to drop the volume and maintain intensity for the time-being whilst ramping back up to working weights.

So your knee healed in a matter of days.....was you doing leg work during that time?
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Some active rest with squatting but nothing over 100kg for reps. I say sore, I should really say stiff because that's been the issue since the end of the first week of Smolov. Active rest squatting has been alleviating the stiffness thankfully. I can't really do much else but squat with the limitation of only having a power rack.
 
I'm not going to continue as I was though, I'm going to drop volume and bench 2-3 times a week again but maintain intensity.

As for squats, I'm going to have to concede defeat to the Smolov routine this time and plan it more carefully in future. I'm just going to work back up and then look at a new routine once I know I'm comfortable at working weight for both lifts.
 
Delvis said:
Serge carry on I look forward to reading things
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I shall. Once I've bedded in my top lifts and reached 220kg for a deadlift (or even tried it), I'd really like to take a step back and start working on some form/flexibility related issues and just maintain my strength for a month or two, the rest would probably do me good as well before going for the goals in my OP.

I do actually have a video of my 140kg for 5 but my pants fall down slightly and show my arse for the last rep so I thought I'd avoid posting it. :D
 
I would only advise attempting smolov if your technique is good and you have zero niggles. You might be able to get away with it if you put a very low estimated max in {which might have happened before, even if you felt it was at or your max, some newbie effects apply), but it's still not a great idea.

If I was coaching you, I'd suggest that you fix your technique now. If you wait until you get stronger, you'll have more work to undo. You will be stronger when you peak out from your corrective work (if done properly), so there is literally no point in trying to hammer a bent nail further into the wall.

Also, fish oil doesn't do anything for joint health. No supplements do. You only hope is improving the mobility and function of your entire leg, which may have happened slightly when you stopped smoloving.
 
icecold said:
I would only advise attempting smolov if your technique is good and you have zero niggles. You might be able to get away with it if you put a very low estimated max in {which might have happened before, even if you felt it was at or your max, some newbie effects apply), but it's still not a great idea.
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Last time I attempted it, I actually set it at my 1RM which was 120kg at the time (if memory serves) I'd been squatting for a good few years on and off prior to that so I don't think I was in the newbie gain phase in terms of nervous system. I may have set it a little high this time at 170kg though as I've often seen notices to set it at 10kg below your 1RM. I didn't have any niggles prior to attempting it but seemed to develop some from continuous strain last week.

icecold said:
If I was coaching you, I'd suggest that you fix your technique now. If you wait until you get stronger, you'll have more work to undo. You will be stronger when you peak out from your corrective work (if done properly), so there is literally no point in trying to hammer a bent nail further into the wall.
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The problem is the actual technique issues that need to be resolved. What videos would I be best taking so you can observe technique properly? I don't mind doing them tomorrow if my legs aren't fatigued (which they shouldn't be from a single set below working weight).

icecold said:
Also, fish oil doesn't do anything for joint health. No supplements do. You only hope is improving the mobility and function of your entire leg, which may have happened slightly when you stopped smoloving.
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I've read a lot into hyperdosing omega 3 and joint health, I'm interested to see why you're stoic in that it makes no difference regardless of dosage. Particularly when I get very little in my diet due to not consuming fish or other foods that are known to contain it.

As far as mobility goes, I can't really see how I'd improve my leg mobility any further, I can pretty much literally touch the floor with my arse. That's my full depth and always has been. With regards to overall leg function, I've no idea what the current state is for that, I'm sure it would become apparent with some proper videos though.
 
Serge said:
Last time I attempted it, I actually set it at my 1RM which was 120kg at the time (if memory serves) I'd been squatting for a good few years on and off prior to that so I don't think I was in the newbie gain phase in terms of nervous system. I may have set it a little high this time at 170kg though as I've often seen notices to set it at 10kg below your 1RM. I didn't have any niggles prior to attempting it but seemed to develop some from continuous strain last week.
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Essentially, 120 is newbie weight for most people no matter how long you've trained. With dramatically increased squatting frequency and aggressive loading, it's possible to see massive jumps in your numbers. A lot of this is down to learning how to squat.

The problem is the actual technique issues that need to be resolved. What videos would I be best taking so you can observe technique properly? I don't mind doing them tomorrow if my legs aren't fatigued (which they shouldn't be from a single set below working weight).
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From the rear, and as close to a side angle as possible. If the side angle is hard for you, all kinds of aerial angles would be sufficient.
I've read a lot into hyperdosing omega 3 and joint health, I'm interested to see why you're stoic in that it makes no difference regardless of dosage. Particularly when I get very little in my diet due to not consuming fish or other foods that are known to contain it.
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I have read conflicting research :) If you ask in the supplements thread, mrthingy is very good at referencing good research.
As far as mobility goes, I can't really see how I'd improve my leg mobility any further, I can pretty much literally touch the floor with my arse. That's my full depth and always has been. With regards to overall leg function, I've no idea what the current state is for that, I'm sure it would become apparent with some proper videos though.
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You may be able you touch your arse to the ground, but if your bar position isn't just in front of your heel then you've still got problems.

Almost nobody has enough ankle range, so this is always a good place to start.
 
icecold said:
From the rear, and as close to a side angle as possible. If the side angle is hard for you, all kinds of aerial angles would be sufficient.
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I'll actually see what I can grab now if you're still going to be online for a short while. Nothing heavy but heavy enough to illuminate technique.
 
I think I have some good ones, I'm feeling very tired right now though so didn't do anything with a significant weight. Let me know if you want me to do a set with 140kg+ after my fatigue has gone as the issues may become more apparent. Hopefully they should still help.

I'm just uploading them now.
 
Serge said:
I think I have some good ones, I'm feeling very tired right now though so didn't do anything with a significant weight. Let me know if you want me to do a set with 140kg+ after my fatigue has gone as the issues may become more apparent. Hopefully they should still help.

I'm just uploading them now.
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Hopefully you didn't get your arse out for these ones.
 
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