Vanity Log: how much in a year?

Brief update: took a trip to Pullum Fitness in Luton today, and have come back with a pair of Adidas Power Perfect 2s.

It's funny: some dry squats felt so much more natural (?) with them than withoit, and getting one's posterior a close as is biomechanically possible to the ground just seems so much less stressful on knees and hips as to make it one of those revalatory moment where I just chuckle to myself.

Time will tell in the gym, however - I'll be back in next week and will hopefully get a video update to compare...
 
No. It was something one of my previous coaches was concerned about, too, and when checked, it was just Mr. Vastus letting the side down.

I can drop my ATG squat very easily, and keep my form (back) tight well below parallel, even before the new shoes. The added heel in the new shoes just makes it easier to do. It's probably mostly psychological at the moment - a trip the gym will be required o get a fair opinion. However, my experience does tie in (bearing in mind what I just said!) with the general bumf around lifting shoes.

I'll sort a 'raw' clip at some point to demonstrate. Have to deal with my two kids at lunchtime, however. :D
 
Rubbish training today.

Had 20 minutes after warm up and so just managed a round of snatches (4*3 @ 40kgs) and front squats (5*4*3*3 at 70, 90,95, 95). New shoes meant getting used to adjusted form (really requires consciously better hip movement), so a combination of that and rushed training meant form was shot to hell (back was fine but struggled to get hip draaaaaaaahve sorted properly.

Not a great session, but I'm not going to get straightened out for another week due to another trip to Bangalore this week.

Ugh.
 
Ah, yes - back in the gym for my first proper session since my Far Eastern tour back in September... and I'd poromised I'd hit the gym like a TRAIN!

DAY ONE:

- Hang snatch (4x3): Pretty rusty on these, but slowly got back in to them (40, 40, 50, 50). I love doing these, but just fatigue sooooo quickly!
- Front squat (5-4-3-3): Working on my foot position today with the new shoes (I'll get a video when the gym is lest crowded, Ice). and wearing proper shoes feels much more pleasant than 'un-assisted'/ Loading was 90, 95, 100, 105, although the last rep of 105 caused my core bracing to fail slightly (let go of my breath). Still made it up, but it wasn't pretty.
- Pull ups (5-4-3): BW, 10, 10 for these and not particularly interesting. Will hopefully be back at 25kg before the end of the month.
- Barbell military press (5-4-3): Eurgh, stuck at 50kg total for these. VERY rusty and weak.
- TRX standing roll-out: 2x6 for these.

All in all, a great first session back in the gym, particularly considering it was an early morning effort. I've been hammering single leg squats for the past couple of weeks as the only leg work I can do at home (other than joke squatting with my kids on my back - total of 35kg).

Traps, glutes and quads are going to be riotously sore with EpicDOMS this evening and tomorrow, but it's the only way to fly. :D
 
Went in for a light session today to work out some alternative assistance work that doesn't put a torque on my pelvis...

And have re-discovered single leg dead-lifts: great exercise! And no coccyx pain whatsoever, to boot.

5*5 for 60kgs wasn't bad, so will include them in my DAY 1 routine from this point as assistance for the front squats. Now just have to find something to include in Friday's routine.

I'm not going to talk about the soft tissue work on my legs and back: I have blocked that memory out almost completely: I think it involved lots of shouting, cursing and quite a lot of whimpering...
 
DAY TWO ( really wasn't up for this):

- Hang clean (4x3): 40-60-60-60. Just getting back into the movement to make sure everything is in working order, and working in order. Bar went up nice and quickly, but still not back to full pelt.

- Trap bar deadlift (5-4-3-3): 120-160-150-150. the 'warm-up set' felt good, so went straight in for something close to my previous max. IT went up without too much trouble, but I backed off to make sure nothing breaks just as I'm getting back into this lifting lark. :)

- Single leg squats (5-4-3): 6-8-10. Was feeling empty in the legs at this point...

- Barbell rows (5-4-3): 70-80-80. Love these. A lot more weight is going on these next week!

- Bench press (5-4-3): 70-80-80. These were pretty grindy, so didn't try to squeeze 85 out for the last set...

- Weighted side plank (3x45s): pfft.

Feeling really tired today: combination of not enough rest (even though it was a light session yesterday) and re-introduction DOMS just making me cower like a litte YOLO...

Still, if my front squat is any indication, my deadlift and back squat might not have declined too much in the past 8 weeks. I can but hope...

No videos this time as there were a lot of ladies in the gym.
 
DAY THREE: Early morning session, so was a bit slower than I'd hoped. Still, 6 ProPlus later, and we have the following:

- Push-press/jerk (4x3): (40-50-50-50) Rusty as something that's very rusty. The weight wasn't a problem, but getting the bar in the right place was pretty tough half the time. Speed also wasn't there, but this is the first time I've done them in around 9 weeks, so at least I sort of remember how it should work. :)

- Back squat (5-4-3-3): (110-120-125-125) These felt goooooooooood. The last 125 was pretty slow, and beast mode was engaged for the last rep, but it went up. More than anything, I'm pleased that nothing's deteriorated in the 8 or so weeks since last doing these.

- Semi-straight leg deadlift (5-4-3-3): (70-80-80-80) Posterior chain was in the toilet by this point, so was just grooving the movement.

- Chin ups (5-4-3): (10-20-20) Getting back into weighted chins was ok: the wieght should probably have been higher on these, but I'm not challenging DjDom/Ice or LiE yet. Nooooo way.

- Banded pushup (5-4-3): (Black Pullum Band) Easy - may have to switch up to the Orange one next week.

- Dragon flags (3x6): Fail - core is still fried from standing TRX roll-outs eariler in the week, so no go here.

All in all, a good session. I definitely going to need the weekend, however, as I'm exhausted. First week back to serious lifting and my body needs some time to adjust to what has happened to it this week.

Still, looking forward to some nice weights before Christmas! :) Hopefully:

- Front squat: 130x3;
- Back squat: 150x3;
- Deadlift: 170x3;
- Bench: 100x3;

We shall see, however - if I can even shift some of these weights off the rack/floor for x1, I'll be happy.
 
Heh - the ramp rate is certainly going to slow as I've definitely reached the 3RM for squats this week (front and back)... from here on in it's probably only going to be 2.5-5kg/week if I'm being outrageously optimistic. :)

Still, two sets of 125x3 felt awesome. I'm paying for it now, however, and tomorrow is going to be hellish. :D

The ultimate aim of all this is to crank the Olympic lifting up, as they're just epic. :)
 
Tried for +40kg on the chins today, and only got halfway up.

Still a LONG way off you and the rest of the 'big boys' as such. :o :D
 
icecold said:
Still strong!

Don't forget that our relative lightness means we're technically moving less weight with chins ;)

Edit: reading that back it sounds patronising, so I will also call you a weakling of inferior testicular fortitude.
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I have two kids. My testicular fortitude has long since disappeared.

But screw you, skinnybhoi. ;) :D
 
DAVY 1: I don't like early morning sessions...

- Hang snatch (4x3): (40-50-55-60[SCORE!]). Satarting to get heavy at the top end and need to concentrate on hip draaaaaaaaaahve to make sure the whole movement works. Ridiculous lat pump, however.

- Front squat (5-4-3-3): (90-105-110 [SCORE!]-105) Second set worked fine so decided to go a little crazy. 110 was a grind, howeve, so dropped it back to 105 for the last set. I reckon training later in the day might make 110 that much easier, but we'll see next week.

- Reverse lung (5-4-3-3): PASS. No time.

- Pull ups (5-4-3): (UW-10-15). Really feel the lats groaning on the last set, but that's what I'm after. :)

- Barbell military press (5-4-3): (55-50-55) First set was tough, but second was too light. Slowly raking back to where I was before my recess...

- Attempted standing barbell rollout (3x6): PASS. No time.

Truncated session today, possibly because I spent a looooooong time warming up. However, it's the way I play it and I generally don't get too badly injuryed in the gym. :)

Happy with the snatches, but the rest needs to catch up now. Probably need to fit my assistance work in there to help, and training first thing is a grind, but overall, the weights are going up. This is good.

Still haven't had time to video the effect of shoes, but when I can train during the day I might find a time when the gym is quiet. Preferably when there are no laydeeez around who might get spooked.
 
Noi, I hadn't. The programme is currently for brute strength, hence the focus on canon lifting with assistance exercises. The Olympic lifts are in there simply to keep the technique in at this point. With roughly an hour for each workout, cranking out the requisite sets with everything else in the programme would be a toughie.

My end objective is to ramp the Olympic lifts and this will probably change in mid-December with my next programme review (December at some point).

Another problem I cause for myself is my insistence on not using straps. When coupled with an inability to drop the bar due to a floating floor and the gym being in the middle of the office building, my chosen approach (no straps) doesn't help.

I've started using a hook grip when straight up grip starts to fail, but it's still not the ultimate answer to the question. :)


Anyway, DAY 2: glutes and CNS was still fried from yesterday's squatting which wasn't a good thing, however...

- Hang clean (4x3): (40-60-70-80) Happy to find that 80kg went up pretty quickly which is a good sign. Which is interesting because...

- Deadlifts (5-4-3-3): (70-110-140-110-110) These were REALLY hard. Glutes would just not fire for these and it was a massive grind.

- Barbell rows (5-4-3): (80-90-100) first two sets were fine and 100kg was pretty tough on the legs and glutes, but strangely not on the back and arms.

- Bench (5-4-3): (80-85-90x2) These seem really difficult at the moment, but I was realy up for them as they were independent of the legs. The last set collapsed because it just felt HEAVY. Still, it's good that strength is coming back from previous weeks, so I'm happ overall. :)

Gym was RAMMEd this morning, so no videos. Hopefully a return to pre-lunch training will allow some voyeur vids of shoes vs. no shoes.

Also might mean a bit more rest between sessions, meaning some more interesting lifting. Oh, yeah - here I come. :cool:
 
dod said:
Interesting, I'm feeling like that tonight as well. I don't understand the mechanics well enough though to do anything about it.
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Fatigue is my problem: went wild with squats yesterday and didn't eat/sleep/rest enough between workouts. :(

dod said:
Deadlifts (5-4-3-3): (70-110-140-110-110)
how many reps are you actually doing there?
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Included my warmup. Doh! :)
 
DAY THREE:

- Jerk (4x3): (40-50-60-70) As I'm building the technique on these, I thought I'd slowly ramp the weight. The issue at lower weights is that the hip drive and arm strength means I can be very lazy with the actual jerk, making it almost slow motion. At 70kg, it was a lot faster and better, but still pretty dozy by even average standards. Still 70kg felt pretty easy, but I have to remember to concentrate when stabilising at the top. :eek:

- Back squat (5-4-3-3): (70-110-120-127.5x2... SCORE!) Had to bail the last rep at 127.5 because my right hip was too tight and didn't want to cause any injury. More soft tissue, stretching and dynamic warming up for this. I think this is just an artifact of the poor rest/eat/sleep regime I've had this week, but still...

- Semi-straight leg deadlift (5-4-3-3): BAILED because of the above. :(

- Chin ups (5-4-3): (10-20-20) Felt good and strong. Concentrating on an explosive pull and then slow negative really gets the muscles burning! :)

- Banded pushup (5-4-3): For some reason, all felt really difficult today (Pullum black band).

- Dragon flags (3x6): After the first set, wound up doing quasi-candlesticks, but then made up in the third.


Overall, happy with the technical side but disappointed with the back squats. I've decided I'm just going to video my squatting at home because by the time I've finished checking my technique, the gym is full of ladies. :mad:

Anyway, here's the jerk video. Enjoy lolzoring at the floppy core. ;)
 
Yeah, I just have to get into a habit of doing them and sorting out the activation pattern out (hip drive -> split -> shoulder lift and retraction of scapula), whilst holding my core steady.

Just like snatches/cleans, really: I can only get to the current weights if I get the activation pattern right.

Dragon flags are just mean, however: my physio isn't a fan as he thinks they put too much strain on the back. But then, I call him a *****. :D

@ Delvis: if you're going to try them, I'd suggest working up from candlesticks and REALLY make sure your core is not just solid, but that your abz are clenched like a very tight thing to prevent the load going onto your back.
 
Delvis said:
Candlesticks? Not seen those
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They're only "half" dragon flags: rest position is the same, but instead of the core lift to vertical, crunch the knees into the chin and push up vertically to get to the 'top' of the dragon flag.

Then lower your body in a nice line. Get rinsed, and repeat (if you can). :)

LiE said:
Yep! The tightness required in the core to maintain a rock solid position is immense.
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Yeah - the second you feel that weight transfer to your back (you'll feel your vertebrae get shunted together! :D ), release the 'hold and drop. It's not worth it.
 
I keep telling myself that... Then I try and move my arms!

This actually feels worse than ab DOMS! :eek:

But as you say, DEM GAINZ.
 
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