lovestolift training log

[Jcraig]

Good work so far bro. Just a note when you Valsalva, don't don't forget to tighten those abs hard. Another thing is try not to drop too fast, but not to slow. Imagine storing energy in your hips by controlling the descent and thinking "Up, Up, Up" and use that stored energy energy to bounce out of the hole.

[lovestolift]

@Jcraig - Thanks for the input, it's always appreciated. Congratulations on being moved up to moderator. Looks like Mehdi made three great choices.

Here's what I did today:

Friday-Workout A
Squat- 185/5/5
Bench Press- 120/5/5
Barbell Row- 70/5/5
Dips- bw/3/5,4,4
Reverse Crunch- bw/3/12

Squats were tough but felt good. The bench is still going well. The barbell row is very light right now, so there are no problems there. I like 'killing' the bar and maintaining a parallel back position over the 45 degree style I've used in the past. I'm not going to bother commenting on the dips from now on, I'll let the numbers speak for themselves. Just know that I'm hitting failure every time, even if the numbers are lower. It's a product of Increased weight on the bench + increased body weight from GOMAD.

[Freddy]

It's a product of Increased weight on the bench + increased body weight from GOMAD.

This is what I've been experiencing with the bodyweight exercises too.

[Jcraig]

Have you tried taking a big breath and holding during your sets of Benchs?

[lovestolift]

Have you tried taking a big breath and holding during your sets of Benchs?

Sorry, I don't follow? I'm not having trouble with the bench. I do take a deep breath when I bench. I'm happy with my form on that one right now, I'm just going to have to keep upping the weight like I've been doing. I was just saying that the increased volume on the bench combined with the extra weight from GOMAD has made my dips harder. But, it's only an assistance exercise, so no big deal.

[Jcraig]

Oh I was saying when you Bench do you take a huge breath and hold it, unrack and do your set and only breath again after you rack it again. I have been doing that and it helps tremendously to conserve energy because your core remains stable.

[lovestolift]

I'll have to give it a shot next time. I usually breath at the top, then hold for the rep. Do you only do that on bench?

[Jcraig]

I do it for the bench press and overhead press. It helps me maintain tightness and reduce fatigue. Sometimes though on the last few reps of my last set, I have to breath at the top. If you try it during a heavy set of squats you will probably pass out though.

[lovestolift]

@ Jcraig - I tried holding my breath on the OHP today. I had to breath once between the 3rd and 4th rep on each set, but it sure helped. I'm not certain I would have gotten all my reps without it, so thanks.

On with the show:

02/09/2009
Monday-Workout B
Squat-190/5/5
Press- 90/5/5
Deadlift- 215/1/5
Chinups- bw/3/5 neg
Prone Bridge- bw/3/26sec

Brutal squats today. I managed all the reps, but I am not happy with the 4th and 5th rep in the 4th set. They were a little dodgy, so I think I will be repeating this weight next time. I want my form to be spot on. Like I intimated in my above message, the press was suddenly difficult. It's strange since 85 lbs felt okay, but 90 lbs felt close to failure. My form felt fine, it just felt heavy. I went to the mixed grip on the deadlifts, which I liked. I've started doing negatives for the chinups and will do them for the pullups as well. With my increased rest periods my workout is now up to an hour and a half. Very good one today, though. Time to go eat.

[Jcraig]

@ Jcraig - I tried holding my breath on the OHP today. I had to breath once between the 3rd and 4th rep on each set, but it sure helped. I'm not certain I would have gotten all my reps without it, so thanks.

On with the show:

02/09/2009
Monday-Workout B
Squat-190/5/5
Press- 90/5/5
Deadlift- 215/1/5
Chinups- bw/3/5 neg
Prone Bridge- bw/3/26sec

Brutal squats today. I managed all the reps, but I am not happy with the 4th and 5th rep in the 4th set. They were a little dodgy, so I think I will be repeating this weight next time. I want my form to be spot on. Like I intimated in my above message, the press was suddenly difficult. It's strange since 85 lbs felt okay, but 90 lbs felt close to failure. My form felt fine, it just felt heavy. I went to the mixed grip on the deadlifts, which I liked. I've started doing negatives for the chinups and will do them for the pullups as well. With my increased rest periods my workout is now up to an hour and a half. Very good one today, though. Time to go eat.

Good man, and strong lifts. You get used to it after a while, it's kinda odd at first because it feels in direct opposition to what you were taught.

[Jcraig]

Oh another tip, I just noticed your deadlift is approaching 2 plate territory. To load the 2nd plate on, roll the plate onto a 5lb. plate to get some clearance. It's a pain unload the weights without it, especially after a heavy set of deads.

[lovestolift]

@Jcraig- Thanks, I've used that one at my old gym. I train at home now with (sigh...) NON-OLYMPIC gear. The horror! It kind of sucks, but I got all my stuff cheap, so I can't complain much. I don't have the money to move up to better equipment now, so it'll have to do.

Here's the goods:

02/11/2009
Wednesday-Workout A
Squat- 195/5/5
Bench Press- 125/5/5
Barbell Row- 75/5/5
Dips- bw/3/6,4,3
Reverse Crunch- bw/3/12

I know that I said I was going to re-do 190 lbs, but I couldn't resist that extra 5 lbs. It went pretty well. My form felt solid, I think I even got a little lower. The bench felt good, but my triceps were sore from Monday's Press, which is weird since I'm not usually sore, even the day after a workout. I Valsalva'd through each set and the bar just exploded up each rep. Nice to have a steady base - Thanks again Jcraig for the tip. The row is still very light, and I am fully used to the parallel back position. I am toying with the idea of adding 10 lbs each time for a while, to catch up the lift. I am only resting 1 minute since it is so easy. I'll make the decision before next Monday.

Two more things. First off, this week will see the end of 'extra' ab work. I feel that I am getting enough from squats, and that the reverse crunches and bridges are hindering my ability to recover. After Monday I'll be doing the old version of StrongLifts. If I feel that I need them in the future, I'll reintroduce them.
Second, I have upped my caloric intake by 500 calories, by adding in some more carbs. I have been making good progress with muscle gain, but I'd like a little more energy to get through the workouts. My new intake, including GOMAD is 5100 non-workout, 5500 workout day.

[lovestolift]

Here's today's:

02/13/2009
Friday-Workout B
Squat-200/5/5,5,3,2,2
Press- 95/5/5,5,4,5,4
Deadlift- 225/1/5
Pullups- bw/3/5,4,4 (negatives)

What can I say about today's workout? It was terrible. I've had 17 workouts in a row that I would classify as good or better. This one was atrocious. I went into it with a sore body and a negative mind. I couldn't stop thinking of words like "failure" and "injury." I believe that positive thinking leads to positive outcomes, so I also have to believe that negative thinking leads to negative outcomes. I am usually pretty good at keeping the negative thoughts away, but not today. The squat failure was almost certainly mental. I just couldn't get down for the next rep. I felt like I wouldn't get up, so I just didn't go for it. The press was a real muscular failure, so I'm not disappointed with that, I did my best. The bar was moving slow after the 3rd set, but I pushed as hard as possible. The deadlift was tough, I didn't have much energy left for it, but I persevered and felt better for it. I did as many negative pullups as possible, then called it a day. I was going to do one last workout with the extra ab work, but I had nothing left in me. It was a very disappointing day.

[Dogfish]

...What can I say about today's workout? It was terrible... This one was atrocious. I went into it with a sore body and a negative mind. I couldn't stop thinking of words like "failure" and "injury." ...I am usually pretty good at keeping the negative thoughts away, but not today... It was a very disappointing day.

You did notice that it was Friday the 13th..?

[lovestolift]

You did notice that it was Friday the 13th..?

I am not really superstitious, but you may be on to something. However, I did have 17 good workouts in a row, so one bad day is to expected now and then........