Author Topic: Prep for - nothing, really.  (Read 175180 times)

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #375 on: June 15, 2009, 07:49:33 AM »
Sunday - Bench Deload

Standing Close-Grip OHP
45x10
65x5
85x5
105x3

JM Press
45x10
75x10
95x10
115x10

Seated DB Clean
3x15x15

V-Bar Pressdown
3 sets

Standing Abs
4 sets

Trying to save some energy for Tuesday's deadlifts as it's supposed to be a PR-setting workout.  Today all I'm doing is chilling in the hottub and doing some stretching and foam rolling.

Also, video of Thursday's close-grip bench PR:


Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #376 on: June 16, 2009, 01:09:01 PM »
To call today's deadlift a catastrophic failure would be an insult to catastrophic failures.  It went something like this:

warmups up to 315x1
360x giant failure
360 again x even giant-er failure
300x ginormous failure
225 stiff-leg sumo x extra-large super-sized failure
225 stiff-leg conventional x double-D bra-bursting failure

Bunch of fucking bullshit.  I'm pretty much seeing red with how pissed I am right now.

splinterhands

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #377 on: June 16, 2009, 07:38:45 PM »
Video? :)  Just kidding.  What do you mean by failure?  As in couldn't get it off the ground or locked out or what?  What's your previous max on deadlifts? 

Was this to be a Coan workout?

ripitupbaby

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #378 on: June 17, 2009, 04:28:23 AM »
I've had those kinds of workouts before...very frustrating!  Time to regroup and go back with a vengeance.  Do you think you need a week off?
:)

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #379 on: June 17, 2009, 05:38:54 AM »
This was week 4/10 of the Coan deadlift workout.  Got 4 attempts on video - 2 with 360, and 2 with the 300 that was to be my speed weight that I also couldn't get off the ground after the 2 max attempts.  Previous max was 352 in competition.  The first 360 got about 3-4 inches and then that was it, the 2nd try didn't even leave the floor.

I'm not sure if I need a week off, but I do think I need to adjust my goal max.  I was trying to go from 352 to 400 in 10 weeks, which frankly I still don't think would be impossible, but I think I should have picked something more conservative just to be absolutely certain that there's no way I wouldn't hit it.  I had it suggested to me to recalculate the rest of the program based on trying to hit 375 instead of 400, but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't go even lower - even going from 352 to 365 in 10 weeks is a reasonable PR, I would think. 

Although I may end up getting a week off before I restart things anyway, my wife is due with #2 on the 26th of this month, but odds are looking like it's going to come at least a few days early.  I highly doubt that during that first week I'll be in much shape to be at the gym anyway.

splinterhands

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #380 on: June 17, 2009, 01:08:36 PM »
Congrats on the second...

I'm thinking of turning my 10 week Coan into a 30 week Coan.  It's too easy to just type numbers in and then the workouts really hurt. I'm trying to go from 425 to 500 in ten weeks.  :(

 Maybe you just had a bad day, it happens.

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #381 on: June 18, 2009, 02:52:29 PM »
Workout lasted about 10 minutes today:

Floor Press
45x10
95x5
135x3
181x1
225x1
235x missed

Shut it down after that, and scrapping the rest of the week to recover.  Definitely having some recovery issues and I'm not trying to injure myself.

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #382 on: June 22, 2009, 04:05:50 PM »
Last week's failure of a deadlift workout:



Any thoughts?

Stubborn

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #383 on: June 22, 2009, 04:21:37 PM »
Looked to be good form. Maybe you need a week of active recovery? Never hurts. Only thing I can think of is that if I used that narrow of a stance, I would lose a lot of power. Try widening up just a few inches and point the toes out slightly. I find it enables you to use the hips more and gives a more stable base.

Overload

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #384 on: June 22, 2009, 04:30:41 PM »
Stance could help, i was always strongest with a shoulder width stance.

Too much weight to be honest.

Might want to adjust your goal to about 370ish.

Aim for 10 pound improvements(on speed work and ME) every month or two.

Slow and steady. Adding 50 pounds to your deadlift in such a short time is asking a lot IMO. Now if you started eating everything in sight and gained 20 pounds of BW i could see it as a possibility.

8)

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #385 on: June 22, 2009, 04:33:42 PM »
Agreed, I think my back got a little better and I let my enthusiasm get the best of me. I'm going to pick up where I left off with a new goal max of 365 (13lb PR). Then retest and see what happens.

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #386 on: June 23, 2009, 01:50:18 PM »
Monday - RE Bench Press

Bench w/ minis
45x10
95x5
3x135x3
135x7

Close-grip 3-board against minis
2x95x6
3x135x3
155x2

3-Way Delt Raise
12x10
2x12x8

superset w/
Rolling DB Extension
3x35x10


Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #387 on: June 23, 2009, 04:39:26 PM »
ME Deadlift (week 5/10 Coan deadlift program)

Made some adjustments to the program based on advice I've gotten from other lifters.  I lowered the goal max from 400 to 365, and adjusted a couple of the accessory exercises and cut the intensity level of the accessory work way down to avoid getting too burned out.  I also played around with some different foot and grip positions based on some advice I've gotten and will be posting video of each stance later to get some feedback.

Deadlift (all sets conventional)
135x5
185x5
225x3
275x1
3x290x3
3x235x3

Power Shrug off pins just above knee
3x210x5

SLDL
3x225x5

Chest-supported BB Row
3x135x5

Underhand Pulldown
3x150x5

45-degree Barbell Back Raise
3x45x5

Some neck flexion and extension because I have a pencil neck

Swapping bent rows for a chest-supported row and good mornings for back raises seem like they might keep my lumbars from getting toasted.  The weights I used for accessory stuff were all weights I could have gotten 10 reps with but cut it at 5.  Hoping this helps.  Even hitting 365 would be a 13lb PR from the April meet so that's nothing to be too disappointed with.  Then I'll retest my 1RM the week after the program ends and then get back to a more conventional Westside split for Tuesday/Saturday, as opposed to Tuesday deadlift/Saturday squat.

Stubborn

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #388 on: June 23, 2009, 07:59:21 PM »
Did the wider stance help at all?

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #389 on: June 24, 2009, 09:20:23 AM »
Did the wider stance help at all?

Not sure, I need more practice to be sure.


Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #390 on: June 24, 2009, 01:46:12 PM »
Side note - decided that any meets I do this year I'm doing raw (belt/wraps).  I was looking over some old workout notes and realized how pathetic it is that my best GEARED SQUAT is 305 at 175.  What the fuck sort of sad shit is that?  Personally I think I have no business suiting up again until my raw squats are closer to my raw deadlift.

Which leads to another side note - I was thinking yesterday about how my conventional deadlift is about 75lbs over my sumo deadlift, and 90lbs over my raw squat, and I was trying to figure out why.  Would it makes sense that because I sumo pull and free squat with about the same width stance, that I might just be better built to squat with a bit narrower stance, something just a little wider than my conventional deadlift stance?  I know that Westside keeps the box squatting wide on DE days to build the hips, but I'm thinking I'm going too wide on my free squats, especially when they're un-suited and with no briefs.  Am I on to something or just overthinking things here?

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #391 on: June 25, 2009, 12:52:25 AM »
I agree with what you just posted about squats. I was never strong with a wide stance and all the strong olympic athletes i trained with in college all used a shoulder width ass to grass stance. these guys repped 495 like nothing and had huge quads. when i studied body mechanics they always stressed when squating and deadlifting to have your feet exactly in line with your shoulder sockets and have the toes slightly turned out with the path of the knee over the middle toe. i think the sumo pulling is good for people with stronger legs than back. also i think the crazy wide westside squating stance is mainly good for suit squating and opens up a lot of chance for knee/hip injuries, but that's just my opinion based on what i have seen, done and researched. Ask any physical therapist or Orth about wide squats vs. the knee joint.

My deadlift stance is, i put the middle of my shoe at the edge of the knurling(next to your hand) and grip about halfway to the ring keeping my arms as close to my body. i have very broad shoulders but stance #2 or 3 looked like a more natural position in your video.

Remember to sit back and drive with your heals and get some body weight to help you without jerking. don't pull the bar off the floor, press the bar up away from the floor with your heals and the straighten the back and flex the glutes.

Takes years to master all of this because everyone has different leverage, you are doing great, just keep at it.

8)

ripitupbaby

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #392 on: June 25, 2009, 04:27:31 AM »
Keep working at it Zach...stance is something that I think varies from person to person a little bit, and you need alot of practice to see what works best for you.  If It makes you feel any better, I am benching more than I am squatting these days.   ::)   ;D
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Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #393 on: June 25, 2009, 01:54:51 PM »
Thanks guys.  There's not a USPF meet in the area until December so I have a lot of time to get it right.

ME Bench
30-degree Incline Press
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x1
205x0 (set pins in power rack too high and the bar hit on the way down)
205x1 (5lb PR)
2x155x8

DB Key Press
2x35x20

Standing 1-Arm Hammer Strength Row
3x90x10

Swiss Ball Pulldown Abs
50x15
3x65x15

More neck work because my skinny neck makes me look like a Charms blowpop

Good workout for having to go at it alone today.  Some changes going on at work as the independent training company I work for is having their contract terminated with Gold's, so at the beginning of the month I have to get re-hired as a Gold's gym employee - shouldn't be much of a big deal since Gold's is buying up the sessions my clients had with our old company, so I still have 50 clients so I think my job is relatively secure.  If not it looks like I'll be paying rent to Midtown S&C and taking people over there.

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #394 on: June 26, 2009, 02:02:21 PM »
Extra workout

Close-grip Crazy Bell Press
45+50=95x10
45+50+20=115x10
45+50+50=135x5

Monster Mini kneeling pushdown
30, 20, 15

Face Pull
4x70x10

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #395 on: June 29, 2009, 07:25:27 AM »
Saturday - DE Squat @ Supertraining

Box squats w/ avg bands and Mastadon bar

60x5
110x2
4x150x2
2x170x2
170x1 (poor setup)
170x2

GHR
4 sets

GHR situps
4 sets

Squatted with Cove and a visitor, Nathan maybe? Felt a lot better than the first time I used greens - I remember being stapled with a plate and looking like a pussy. It did feel like a waste to have the mastadon bar though, Hoss had it for something like 600 and blues and we didn't bother to change the bar out.

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #396 on: June 29, 2009, 03:38:11 PM »
DE Bench

45x12
95x5
135x5
2x185x5
205x3
5x155x3

Incline Tate Press
4x40x10

Seated DB Clean
3x20x10

superset w/

Alt. Hammer Curl
3x35x12

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #397 on: June 30, 2009, 06:04:19 PM »
ME Deadlift

Deadlift
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x1
310x1 (missed 2nd rep due to poor setup)
310x2
3x255x3

Power Shrug
3x230x5

SLDL
3x225x5

Chest Supported Barbell Row
3x155x5

Reverse Pulldown
3x160x5

45-degree Barbell Back Raise
3x55x5

more neck work

Still working on my stance - I tried Overload's suggestion of widening it out so half my foot is inside the smooth and half out, which felt pretty powerful, but watching the video it looks like I need to grab a little bit wider - I noticed my knees buckling in at the bottom because my arms were getting in the way.  It's still a work in progress but I think the changes are coming along nicely.

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #398 on: July 01, 2009, 01:03:59 PM »
Monday:


Tuesday:


splinterhands

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Re: Moving up a weight class
« Reply #399 on: July 01, 2009, 02:31:33 PM »
Good stuff, except the a-ha (take me on) music during the middle of bench presses. ;D

Is there a reason your head comes up as the weights go down? 

It looks like you're getting your deadlifting rythym back after the one disaster you had.