Ghost's Training Log

[Ghost]

Squats 5x5 92,5kg: Considerably harder than the previous weight. Probably because my sleep rhythm was all over the place this week and I didn't eat very well.
OHP 5x5 (5,4,3,2,1) 45kg: Blah, messed up completely..
Deadlift 1x5 130kg: Damn damn damn! Had to change to mixed grip for the last 2 reps.
Pull ups 3x5 6,25kg: Harder than it should've been considering the weight.

[Ghost]

Squats 5x5 95kg: These are starting to require effort. Getting back the feeling I usually got after squats ie lightheaded.
Bench Press 5x5 65kg: Heavy.

[Ghost]

Squats 5x5 97,5kg: Whew! These are heavy again. Closing in to that damn 100kg number which forced me to take a 3 month rest. Technique feels much more solid now than it's ever been when lifting heavy though, so I'm confident it'll go up next time without any damage.
OHP 5x5 45kg: Nailed it.
Deadlift 1x5 132,5kg: Could only do 2 reps with overhand grip.
Chin ups 3x5 7,5kg: Man, that deadlift kills my arms completely before this. It ain't fun.

[Nje]

Great to see you're almost up at 100 kg squats again! Good to hear technique is solid. 2 reps at 132.5 kg with overhand is still good right? Well done on those chin-ups, always find it rough after my deadlifts..

[Ghost]

Great to see you're almost up at 100 kg squats again! Good to hear technique is solid. 2 reps at 132.5 kg with overhand is still good right? Well done on those chin-ups, always find it rough after my deadlifts..

Thanks.
I suppose 2 reps using overhand grip is good, it just became sort of 'the thing' for me with deadlifts. Mainly because I need grip strength a lot in riding and wanted to see how heavy I could do without mixed grip. Also, it gave a weird sense of pride/accomplishment, that gave more motivation, seeing people deadlift with straps, mixed grip and a belt and me lifting more than they without any of those stuff. Not in a way that I was putting anyone down or thinking I was better or they suck or anything like that, just taking advantage of personal quirks to motivate myself to lift more.


Finally got my bike fixed up and went to the track on Friday. It sure felt that I haven't been able to ride for a month or so. Damn it killed me.


Almost scared myself shitless today. When I went to the dressing room, there was a guy with a claymore. A f***ing claymore! You know, when it says 'fencing' in the gym/sports hall schedule, that isn't quite what I imagined..

Squats 5x5 100kg: Woohoo! Just the right amount of difficulty while lifting but form was good and every lift came up. Nailed this sucker!!
Bench Press 5x5 (5,5,5,4,3) 67,5kg: I might've been able to squeeze one rep more on both of those failed sets but I was alone in the gym and played it on the safe side.
Bent Row 5x5 52,5kg: Ha! Got it.
Dips 3xF (12,8,7): The belt that's used to do weighted dips/chin ups was broken. Now I need to find a shop where I can buy my own belt so I can do them weighted.
Dragon flags 3x5: Negatives.

[Nje]

Loving the 100 kg squats..

Dipping weighted is awesome, I loved it until my collarbone started hurting, now I'm doing band push-ups which is also fun.

I also like pulling with an overhand grip - had a smug sense of superiority yesterday, was pulling 120 kg double overhand for four out of five reps (wasnt feeling up to it on the fifth, so switched to make sure) but this other guy was pulling 90 with mixed grip hehe.

Claymore! I would be freaked out too.. They fence with like, real claymores? One would think that would be lethal..

[Westsider]

Your squats are coming along nicely. Keep up the good work.

[Ghost]

Claymore! I would be freaked out too.. They fence with like, real claymores? One would think that would be lethal..

Well, it was a practice sword so it wasn't sharpened. That's the only thing different on it than in a real sword though, so I definitely wouldn't want to get hit by it! Some pretty good damage might be caused. It did have enough wear and cuts in the blade that showed it wasn't being used with light touches.

Your squats are coming along nicely. Keep up the good work.

Thanks!


Squats 5x5 102,5kg: Last rep started to turn into a good morning, otherwise went pretty good.
OHP 5x5 (5,5,4,1,1) 47,5kg: Meh..
Deadlift 1x5 135kg: First 2 reps with overhand grip. You know, this certainly makes my back work!
Pull up 3xF (12,8,7): Not as good as I hoped, but that deadlift sucked all my strength away.
Prone Bridge 3x45s: Pretty easy.

[Westsider]

Perhaps you should rest a bit longer in your pullups sets and give yourself about 10 minutes between your last set of deadlifts and your first set of pullups. Why are you going until failure?

[Ghost]

Yeah, probably. I just get so damn anxious while waiting in the gym. 5 minutes between squats is pretty much the absolute max I can wait without starting to jump or run on the walls. Have to do failure sets because the belt that's used for doing weighted dips/pull ups is broken and I haven't bought my own. The gym being a university gym with the nickname "Rocky gym", I'm not putting my hopes on the belt to be replaced there. One of the barbells even has CCCP stamped on it.


Squats 5x5 105kg: Not fun. Heavy, and my form suffered a bit so I'll likely repeat the weight next time.
Bench press 5x5 67,5kg: Surprisingly easy. Wasn't anywhere close to failing a lift.
Bent row 5x5 55kg: Starting to be heavy.
Dips 3xF (14,10,7): Well.. it's certainly better than last time.
Dragon flags 3x5: First set consisted of half-ass reps with ugly form. The rest were negatives.

[Ghost]

Squats 5x5 105kg: Repeated the weight because of form, and now I'm thinking of repeating it again. Got this weird pain on the left side of my groin, no idea what might've caused it but it came only in the last 5 inches of a lift.
OHP 1x3 47,5kg: Yeah... Failed after 3 reps on my first set. Just went "well f**k this" and moved on to deadlift. Considering deloading already even though it's only the second time to fail. Also it might be a proper idea to start microloading. I obviously can't manage 2,5kg weight increases.
Deadlift 1x5 137,5kg: One rep with overhand grip. Starting to get to a point I may not be able to lift all 5 reps.

Had to cut the workout short because of sauna.

[Nje]

Hey Ghost, just thought I would say something, though I may have misunderstood - you're not supposed to stop after failing on one set, you know right? But I suppose as it was a short workout you didn't want to overdo it. Maybe I'm wrong too but I seem to remember you do all the sets but stop after failing? You're gonna beat me in the lifts department now.. Used to get above you because of deadlifts but that time will soon be past I suppose. Stupid knee Well done :p

[Westsider]

I really don't see how training to failure is going to help you. In any case it would hinder your progress. If you were to train your back muscles to failure it would take a significant amount of time before they fully recover. Your back muscles are used in almost all of the SL lifts. If I were you I would leave a rep in the tank. I was in your position regarding pullups before. I have progressed well by leaving a rep in the tank. I can do weighted pullups one day and weighted chin-ups another day with no adverse affects.

[Ghost]

Nje: Yeah I know that. I just got so freaking pissed off that I failed in the first set. Came so close to punching wall/mirror/nearby people/training partner that it was better to move on straight to deadlifts. And thanks, I'm sure that as soon as you get that knee fixed we're in for one brutal competition.

Westsider: Yeah, I guess I should do that. I know that doing failure sets isn't good in the long run but since it's been only a couple of workouts I thought it wouldn't do much harm.


Squats 5x5 105kg: Not good.. My form has suffered from repeating the weight. Again felt pretty sharp pain in my left hip joint/groin. No idea what I'm doing wrong. Tried to push more with left leg -> pain, more with the right leg -> pain, equally -> pain, push knees more out ->pain, push knees less out -> pain.. Couple reps were pain free, but I don't know what I did differently, except doing the last 5 inches of the lift considerably slower. Will deload to ~90 kg to work on form yet again.
Bench Press 5x5 70kg: Yay! A completely new PR!! Haven't lifted this before.

Had to cut the wo short again. Almost passed out twice in squats and felt so weak there was no point in trying to stick around. Noticed after I got back that I haven't been paying attention to making sure I eat enough for 4 days and it feels. I need to stick a poster to a wall telling me to Eat moar food!

[Westsider]

Take a video of yourself and post it. You can let yourself and others see what you were doing wrong.