The Ups and Downs of high-bar squatting

7/8/15 - Friday

Squats, Bench, OHP

Squats

Bar x lots
40kg x lots
50kg x 3
60kg x 2
70kg x 2
80kg x 1
90kg x 1
100kg(B) x 1
107.5kg(B) x 1

Left it there.

Bench

Bar x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 3
67.5kg x 2
75kg x 5 - rep pb!

Happy with that! Upping the weight for the next cycle.

OHP

Bar x lots
30kg x 6
37.5kg x 2
42.5kg x 3x1
37.5kg x 3x5

Ready for the 1rm next week.

BOR

Bar x 15
30kg x 15
40kg x 12
45kg x 4x8

Nice and easy. Back to silly volume next week.

And that is that, nice and simple day. Deadlifts tomorrow!
 
17/8/15 - Monday

I'm back training after a horrific week of being ill. I went to the physio last week and I was informed that I had a quad imbalance in my left leg so I'm upping the quad work and dropping the back squat frequency. I'm not front squatting with volume 3x a week and working up to doubles or singles on back squats twice a week.

Today, front squats and bench.

Front Squats

Bar x lots
30kg x 5
40kg x 3
50kg x 3
60kg x 1
50kg x 2x8
50kg x 10

Having a week of and being ill has ruined my strength as i was supposed to be doing 62.5kg for working weight but 50kg felt a lot more comfortable so thought I'd start here.

Bench

Bar x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 3
67.5kg x5x5

Close-grip bench

55kg x 2x8
55kg x 4 - WUT?....

And that's that for the day. Back squats and deadlifts for tomorrow :D
 
18/8/15 - Tuesday

First deadlift session back, it was horrific, but felt so good to be training again.

Squat

Bar x lots
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 2
80kg x 1
90kg x 1
100kg(B) x 1

All smooth with good form. The 100kg felt heavier than it should but that's to be expected.

Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
97.5kg x 3
110kg x 3
125kg(B,S) x 6 - WUT?
140kg(B) x f,f,f(S),f(S) - All attempted almost immediately after each other, rather than having four failed proper attempts.

Gutted I missed the 140kg from the floor but the 125kg too it out of me as it was a real shock to the body. I'm sure I'll be fine by next week so I'm just treating it as a blip because I had a week off.

Front squats an bench tomorrow.
 
21/8/15 - Friday

So this week and the next two weeks will be hit and miss on what days and how often I train but never mind. Nice east session today.

Front Squats

Bar x lots
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 1
52.5kg x 2x6
52.5kg x 8

Nice easy, much easier than Monday too! More weight next time.

Bench

Bar x lots
40kg x 8
45kg x 8
55kg x 6
62.5kg x 4
72.5kg x 3
77.5kg x 2x1

Still shaky but not as shaky as Monday so that's something, I think it's just triceps being lame, so more OHP should sort this.

OHP

Bar x 8
32.5kg x 12

Ran out of time to get the last two sets in but never mind.

Next proper session is Sunday, and mini thrown together session for tomorrow. Probably finish off the OHP, some core work and some chins.
 
22/8/15 - Saturday

Super light, OHP and Rows.

OHP

Bar x lots
27.5kg x 8
32.5kg x 12 (6+3+3)
30kg x 12 (9+3)
27.5kg x 15 (9+6)

BOR

Bar x 15
30kg x 15
42.5kg x 4 x 12

I was with a different gym partner(s) today and they're fans of doing lots and lots of abz so sure enough we did more ab work than anything else...
 
23/8/15 - Sunday

Front Squat, Bench, Deadlift.

Front Squat

Bar x lots
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
57.5kg x 2x4
57.5kg x 6

Done. More front squats but higher volume tomorrow.

Bench

Bar x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 3
67.5kg x 3
72.5kg x 2x3

Wide Grip Bench
55kg x 3x12

Deadlift Knee Pulls

75kg x 4
90kg x 4
105kg x 4x4

Deadlift Paused Above Knee

112.5kg(S) x 4x2

And that was that. Strength is slowly coming back but for now it feels the same as where I was over a year ago. Never mind, onwards and upwards.
 
24/8/15 - Monday


Front Squats and Bench, but not really front squat, so bench. I did bench.

Front squats

Bar x lots
30kg x lots
40kg x some - Left knee was too click for my liking

Left it there. There was no pain whatsoever and tbh I could trooped on with more weight and reps but I didn't want to risk anything so I left it there and shall try again on Wednesday.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 3
67.5kg x 3
72.5kg x 4x3
67.5kg x 3x6 - pb?

Close-grip Bench

60kg x 2x6
60kg x 4 (very short rest time)

Quite happy with that, shame about the very last set but who cares. More bench on Wednesday.

Deadlifts and hopefully OHP tomorrow.
 
26/8/15 - Wednesday

Front Squats, Bench, OHP :D

Front Squat

Bar x lots
30kg x 8
40kg x 5
52.5kg x 2x8
52.5kg x 10

Done, knees feel good, positioning felt good. Good.

Bench

Bar x lots
40kg x 8
45kg x 8
55kg x 6
62.5kg x 5
67.5kg x 4
72.5kg x 3
77.5kg x 2x2 - Rep and set pb!

So super happy with that, strength is slowly coming back.

OHP

Bar x lots
27.5kg x 6
35kg x 10 - Super happy with this since the previous sessions have been rubbish.
32.5kg x 10 (7+3) - Short break and too much pump
27.5kg x 12 - Easy!

Happy with the OHP. It was dramatically easier than the previous sessions.

Good session, progress (in various forms) all round! Rest until Friday!
 
16/9/15 - Wednesday

I am aback finally and hopefully training should become consistent again! After hearing from the physio about sorting out the quad imbalance front squats are in and back squats are out for the next 6 weeks. But because I've effectively just had 5 weeks off for various reasons I'm starting super light with the front squats, high volume and loading in a wave fashion; +2.5kg each session but each week is only 2.5kg heavier than the last. It looks something like this:

Week 1:

40kg, 42.5kg, 45kg

Week 2:

42.5kg, 45kg, 47.5kg

and so on. It'll take an awful long time to get back to where I should be and where I want to be but it also means no snaps.

Today went like this:

Front Squats

Bar x 2 x lots
30kg x 8
40kg x 4x9

Done. Quads have instantly reinflated, yet without the pump or crippling doms.

Bench

Bar x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 5x5

Hahahaha, so shaky, but the weight was easy.

OHP

Bar x lots
25kg x 8
30kg x 15 (supposed to be 12...)
27.5kg x 12
25kg x 15

Done and finished.

Deadlifts tomorrow.
 
17/9/15 - Thursday

Deadlifts.

Warmed up with lots of dynamic stretching using a light barbell (over head squats, snatch balance, overhead squat walks, bouncing around in a deep squat with a bar on my back to open up hips and stretch hamstrings).

Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 3
110kg x 5
110kg x 2x3

The very first pull felt heavy but moved very smoothly and the rest of the pulls were nice and easy. I'm starting off light and will just build back up over the weeks. I'm currently changing from wendler to a weekly progression just to get me back to where I should be.

Chin Ups

BW x 5,5,5

Done and finished.
 
19/9/15 - Saturday

Front squats and bench.

Lots of dynamic warm up, little bit of knee clicking if I descended to fast (not bombing!) but once the tempo was right and the hip positioning was there it was fine.

Front Squats

Bar x lots
30kg x 8
42.5kg x 5x7

Easy enough.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
47.5kg x 6

Break for ages because I was coaching others....

40kg x 8
47.5kg x 6
55kg x 2x4
62.5kg x 2x3

Nice and easy. Shouldn't have many issues benching 62.5kg for and amrap tomorrow!

Left it there, nice and quick session. Squats, bench, OHP and deadlifts tomorrow!
 
20/9/15 - Sunday

Everything.

Front Squat

Bar x lots
30kg x 8
40kg x 2x3
45kg x 7x5

Super light but still quite tiring after the 5th set.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
47.5kg x 6
55kg x 4
62.5kg x 9

No issues there at all.

Sumo Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 2x6

Sumo Deadlift Pause Above Knees

70kg x 3
82.5kg x 3
90kg x 4x2 - should have been 95kg...

Taking these light just so I don't strain the hips too much.

OHP

Bar x lots
27.5kg x 6
32.5kg x 3
37.5kg x 3x5
32.5kg x 3x8

Better than expected. Fatigue hit me hard on the last 2 back off sets.

Chin Ups

BW x 5,5,6

And that is that! Rest day tomorrow!
 
GSVBagpuss said:
WB btw - nice to see you're back on it :)
Click to expand...

Thank you!

22/9/15 - Tuesday

Squats and Bench. Short session as I didn't have much time.

Warmed up with lots of dynamic movements.

Front Squat

Bar x lots
30kg x 8
42.5kg x 4x9

Providing I thought about the rep and positioned the hips properly (and actually used them!) I had no problems! A few clicks here and there but nothing of concern and no pain either.

Bench

Bar x lots
40kg x 8
47.5kg x 6
57.5kg x 4
65kg x 4x3
60kg x 3x6

Somehow have developed more of an arched path but it's working fine and feels great.

Done and finished, deadlifts and OHP tomorrow!
 
mrthingyx said:
Have you tried my favourite therapeutic exercise of all time: the deficit Bulgarian split squat (DBSS)?

The reason I ask is that - whilst the exercise is utterly savage - it is very effective at highlighting problems with imbalance or inactivity... they also happen to be amazing for leg strength and - should you so desire - hypertrophy.

In all seriousness, it would be interesting to see how your knees and hips felt during and immediately after the exercise, and then (once the DOMS has subsided) how your lower limbs work as a result...

Try them... you might like them.
Click to expand...

These are on my to-do list! I just haven't had the time for everything lately. Quads are starting to balance out but where the weight is so slight, I'm not sure if there are many hypertrophy gains going on atm but hips and knees are feeling more stable and that's all that matters.
I also forgot to mention that last night I started to snatch with the coach using an iddy-biddy 5kg training bar. I don't care how light it is, it's a start!

23/9/15 - Wednesday

Deadlifts and OHP! Strength is coming back nicely. And in other news my GBPF Coaching qualification came through today! Believe it or not, I am now a powerlifting coach.

Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 3
115kg x 5
115kg x 3x3

Each set was easier than the last, strength is coming back and my pull technique is better today too.

Deadlift Knee Pulls/w 2 sec pause

65kg x 3
77.5kg x 3
90kg(S) x 4x3

Hands were so sore that I just had to use straps.

OHP

Bar x 12
27.5kg x 8
32.5kg x 10
30kg x 10
27.5kg x 12

Tiny weight, and yet challenging, still easier than last week so that's all that matters.

Squats and bench tomorrow. Really need to start getting in some back work and DBSS.
 
Touché, you have me there. But what I meant is that it's been because the gym has been closing (somewhat unexpectedly) rather than me having other commitments. What I should do is before I start benching, do the DBSS as I can use the bench to elevate my back foot, do a few sets and then start benching immediately. I'll do this tomorrow and see how I get on.
On another note to please you, tonight I did drop snatch (looooooooove this), millions of snatch drills (first pulls, high pulls, overhead squats), and then at the end we started doing split jerks (not very good atm - never done them before either!) and for giggles some squat jerks, turns out I can do them pretty well... It was funny watching people fall over and dumping the bars whilst I could hold it overhead with a clean(ish) grip.
 
24/9/15 - Thursday

Front Squats, DBSS, Bench, done.

Lots of dynamic warm ups.

Front squat

Bar x lots
30kg x 3x3
40kg x 2x3
45kg x 5x7

Not my best evening regarding clicks to the knee but not painful at all and I think it's my left quad that is tight and that's pulling the knee a bit.

DBSS

BW x 3x8 (each leg)

Definite strength/coordinate imbalance, need to make sure I'm doing these correctly too.

Lots of shoulder mobility....

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
47.5kg x 2x6
55kg x 2x5
60kg x 2x4
65kg x 3x3

Work sets were awesome, so much stronger than all warm ups!

Rest day tomorrow! Huge session on Saturday!
 
mrthingyx said:
Juicy.
Click to expand...

Oh it got a lot juicier today!

26/9/15 - Saturday

I had to merge two sessions into one so weightlifting was minimal and used it as a way to warm up, and all other efforts went into powerlifting. Weightlifting stuff just consisted of snatch high pulls to get the shoulders, hips and glutes working.

I'm sticking with the dynamic warm up that I'm doing as it's working wonderfully. This time I added in walking lunges with a light bar on my back. This helped wake up the quads and the hips. Knee clicks went.

Front Squat

Bar x lots
30kg x 8
40kg x 3
47.5kg x 5x7

Not worrying about opening the hips as much and I'm getting much more quad use and fewer or no clicks in the knee. I am however still opening the hips rather than letting my knees crash together.

DBSS

BW x 3x8(each leg)

I actually did these on a deficit this time! Still need to sort out the foot positioning so my shin is a bit more vertical, but all in all much better this time.

Bench

Bar x lots
40kg x 8
47.5kg x 6
55kg x 3
60kg x 3
65kg x 9!

Upping the weight next week, seemed nice and easy today!

Sumo Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 3x6

Finding really nice positions that don't aggravate my left hip and also making the pulls so much smoother. Turns out the pull is much easier if I break the bar from the floor by actually using my glutes!

Paused Sumo Deadlift Below Knees(S)

60kg x 3
72.5kg x 3
85kg x 3
90kg x 5x2

Nice and straight forward. Need to make sure the bar stays nearer mid/upper shin when pausing rather than just below the knee.

OHP

Bar x 10
27.5kg x 6
35kg x 3
40kg x 3x3
35kg x 3x6

Getting better each week!

Chin Ups

BW x 6,6,6

That was one hell of a session! I ended up eating food in between sets to keep me going. Time to rest and prepare for training on Monday.
 
28/9/15 - Monday

Front Squats and Bench.

Front Squat

Bar x lots
30kg x 8
40kg x 5
45kg x 4x9

Easy enough. Looking forward to the weight getting heavier and the reps coming down (slightly) to help really hammer the quads.

DBSS

BW x 3x8 (Each leg)

Bench

Bar x some x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 3
67.5kg x 3
72.5kg x 4x3
60kg x 3x8

Super happy with that. I was worried that my strength had completely gone and I was pleasantly surprised. It was made harder due to not having anyone to help unrack, but I survived.

BOR

Bar x lots
30kg x 10?
40kg x 4x10

Definitely can go 5kg heavier rather than 2.5kg next week.

Deadlifts and OHP tomorrow.
 
Last edited:
29/9/15 - Tuesday

Deadlift and OHP. I liked this, I liked it a lot!

Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 3
110kg x 2
120kg x 5 - Was there even weight on the bar?
120kg x 4x3

120kg x 5(4 shown)

Super happy with that, went up much easier than I thought it would! Fatigue set in hard though as my 4x3 sets were much tougher, yet the pulls were incredibly smooth! Legs and glutes being sore from last night probs didn't help.

Paused Deadlift Below Knee (S)

65kg x 3
80kg x 3
92.5kg x 3
100kg x 2x2 - hahahaha, this felt far too heavy
105kg x 2 - supposed to be 2 singles; feeling even heavier!
105kg x 1 - pretty sure I had forgotten how to count and clearly loaded the bar with 200kg instead of 105kg, it just should not have felt that heavy. Felt great though!

OHP

Bar x lots
27.5kg x 6
35kg x 8
32.5kg x 8
30kg x 10

Done, nice and simple.

Chin Ups

BW x 6,6,7

Great session, time to eat everything and get ready for a two part training session tomorrow. Weightlifting in the morning and powerlifting later on.
 
Last edited:
30/9/15 - Wednesday

Front Squats and Bench.

Front Squat

Bar x lots
30kg x 8
40kg x 5
47.5kg x 5x7

Done. Getting better.

Bench

Bar x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 2x6
60kg x 2x5
67.5kg x 2x3
75kg x 3x1

Happy days, some strength is still there!

Done, time to rest.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom