Author Topic: Prep for - nothing, really.  (Read 174169 times)

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #550 on: November 05, 2009, 06:31:52 PM »
5/3/1 Bench Press (Wave 2, Week 2)

Warmup - SMR/stretch/jump rope

Medium Grip Bench Press
45x5
75x5 (40%)
90x5 (50%)
110x3 (60%)
130x3 (70%)
145x3 (80%)
165x11 (90%)

Not sure if that's a rep PR or not but it's close.

Close-Grip Bench Press
5x115x10 (65%)

Kroc Row
45x10
55x10
65x20

Grip and bicep strength is becoming a factor on the high-rep stuff so I'm going to do a little more direct bicep training on military and bench press days - 2-3 sets of hammer or reverse curls for 10-20 reps should do the trick.  My biceps are shitty anyway.

Hammer Curl
3x25x10

Bodyweight is up to 183 with shoes off, would like to get closer to 190 for the meet in January so I'm backing off on the conditioning work for the time being - the most cardio I'll be doing is walking my dog a few times a week.


Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #551 on: November 06, 2009, 12:14:55 PM »
5/3/1 Squat (Wave 2, Week 2)

Warmup - SMR/stretch/jump rope

Squat
45x5
90x5 (40%)
110x5 (50%)
130x3 (60%)
155x3 (70%)
175x3 (80%)
195x7 (90%) (w/ belt) Rep PR
5x115x10 (w/ loose belt)

My squat technique feels like it's getting much better and I've pegged two things in particular that seem to be helping - the fact that I'm doing soft tissue work 4 times a week or more, and that I started carrying the bar a little higher than I used to.  My upper back isn't very thick so carrying it low just gives me a lot of torque on my shoulders and makes it hard to keep my chest up.  I'm not thrilled with my numbers (obviously) but I'm happy to have isolated some of my issues.

45-Degree Back Raise
5xBWx13

These had my erectors on fire after all the squatting.  Barely finished all 5 sets.

Neck Flexion
50 reps

Neck Extension
75 reps

Started doing some neck work Tuesday and will keep it up 2-4 times a week until I see at least another inch on my neck measurement.  Right now there's not even any need for extra weight - the weight of my head is enough.  That shit is sad, my neck measurement is smaller than my calf measurement (15" vs. 15 3/4").

Video of the squats up later.

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #552 on: November 06, 2009, 04:29:00 PM »

Stubborn

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #553 on: November 06, 2009, 04:35:05 PM »
You decelerate slowly at the bottom of your squats. I find it best to move at a constant rate or even just to "dunk" the squat. The longer the rep takes, the more energy is wasted.

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #554 on: November 06, 2009, 05:37:21 PM »
You decelerate slowly at the bottom of your squats. I find it best to move at a constant rate or even just to "dunk" the squat. The longer the rep takes, the more energy is wasted.

You know, you're right.  It always feels like I'm dive-bombing them when I'm doing them, but they look pretty damn slow on film.  I'll try and work on that.

Ursus

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #555 on: November 06, 2009, 06:29:12 PM »
I like reading this log. Always good to see your progressing!

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #556 on: November 06, 2009, 10:09:44 PM »
Thanks dude.  Not progressing as fast as I'd like to, but then again, nobody ever does.

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #557 on: November 06, 2009, 10:23:41 PM »
Thanks dude.  Not progressing as fast as I'd like to, but then again, nobody ever does.

you are doing great man, it will come in due time 8)

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #558 on: November 09, 2009, 07:20:24 PM »
5/3/1 Military Press (Wave 2, Week 3)

Warmup - SMR/stretch/jump rope

Medium Grip Military Press
45x5 (40%)
55x5 (50%)
70x3 (60%)
85x5 (75%)
95x3 (85%)
105x8 (95%)

Pressing felt great today.  My shoulder is definitely back to normal.

Close-Grip Military Press
5x55x10 (50%)

Band-Assisted Pullup
5x avg x13

These were a bitch.  Surprised I made it through them all.


Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #559 on: November 10, 2009, 11:17:30 PM »
5/3/1 Deadlift (Wave 2, Week 3)

Warmup - SMR/stretch/jump rope

Deadlift
130x5 (40%)
160x5 (50%)
190x3 (60%)
240x5 (75%)
275x3 (85%)
305x7 (95%) (w/ belt) Rep PR

Double-Overhand Deadlift
5x190x10

Grip was a little spotty on these, had to reset a few times on the last couple sets.

DB Side Bend
5x50x12

Neck Flexion
65 reps

Neck Extension
100 reps

Nice way to end this cycle.  Deloading next week and then won't be training the week of Thanksgiving since I'm traveling back to the midwest so I have 2 weeks off to recover before hitting it heavy again the first week in December.  That gives me 2 more full cycles before the January meet.


Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #560 on: November 12, 2009, 10:43:06 PM »
5/3/1 Bench Press (Wave 2, Week 3)

Warmup - SMR/stretch/jump rope

Medium Grip Bench Press
45x5
75x5 (40%)
90x5 (50%)
110x3 (60%)
135x5 (75%)
155x3 (85%)
175x9 (95%) 5-lb PR

Close-Grip Bench Press
5x120x10

Did these with my feet up on the bench because my lower back's been super tight.  It's harder that way anyway so it's not like I'm cheating.

Kroc Row
50x10
70x20

Hammer Curl
3x25x12

Stubborn

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #561 on: November 12, 2009, 10:52:43 PM »
I like all the PR's! Keep it up!

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #562 on: November 13, 2009, 02:32:42 PM »
5/3/1 Squat (Wave 2, Week 3)

Warmup - SMR/stretch

Barbell Squat
45x5
90x5 (40%)
110x5 (50%)
130x3 (60%)
165x5 (75%)
185x3 (85%) (w/ belt)
205x5 (95%) (w/ belt) Rep PR
5x120x10 (w/ loose belt)

I was a little concerned that I was cutting the last heavy set a little high until I saw the video - definitely well below parallel.  This pleases me.

45-Degree Back Raise
5xBWx14

Neck Flexion
65 reps

The next 2 weeks will be spent deloading and relaxing on my trip back to the midwest to visit family.  I may do some bodyweight work that week or just go into the gym and fuck around a little bit, maybe do some curls in the squat rack just for shits.  Or I might just do nothing.

Training maxes for the 3rd wave will be:

Military Press - 115
Deadlift - 325
Bench Press - 185
Squat - 220

I'm planning on backing off going for rep PR's every workout.  If I can set 2-3 new rep records each wave from this point on I'll be satisfied.

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #563 on: November 13, 2009, 06:12:07 PM »
Thursday bench press:



Friday squat:


Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #564 on: November 16, 2009, 03:22:25 PM »
5/3/1 Military Press (Wave 2, Week 4)

Warmup - SMR/stretch/jump rope

Medium Grip Military Press
45x5 (40%)
55x5 (50%)
70x5 (60%)

Close-Grip Military Press
5x55x5 (50%)

Band-Assisted Pullup
5x avg x6

Hammer Curl
3x25x15

Boring workout.  By the end of a wave I completely feel ready for a deload, then by the end of the first deload workout I'm about ready to shoot myself in the face with a dullness bullet.

I'll probably film a bunch of exercise demo videos tomorrow to do something to keep me entertained.

Overload

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #565 on: November 17, 2009, 09:04:52 AM »
Your squat depth is looking a lot better, i think you will see some improvements as you continue to squat deep like the last few workouts.

One thing i noticed that i think i have mentioned before is pausing each rep on deadlifts, even while doing higher reps it is still important to help achieve maximum leg drive and leverage. i know with those crappy plates it is hard to reset yourself after every rep, but i promise you that if you pull each rep from a dead stop your deadlift numbers will increase in a matter of weeks. when you touch and go you eliminate that initial hip/leverage action that is the most important part of starting a heavy pull from the floor. this is something that took me a few years to understand but once i got in the habit of pausing the weight and resetting my hips i noticed a huge improvement on my max lifts off the floor. just a suggestion.

Keep hammering away at it, you are doing good.

8)

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #566 on: November 17, 2009, 11:38:04 AM »
One thing i noticed that i think i have mentioned before is pausing each rep on deadlifts, even while doing higher reps it is still important to help achieve maximum leg drive and leverage. i know with those crappy plates it is hard to reset yourself after every rep, but i promise you that if you pull each rep from a dead stop your deadlift numbers will increase in a matter of weeks. when you touch and go you eliminate that initial hip/leverage action that is the most important part of starting a heavy pull from the floor. this is something that took me a few years to understand but once i got in the habit of pausing the weight and resetting my hips i noticed a huge improvement on my max lifts off the floor. just a suggestion.

Thanks.  I think as long as I'm pulling with multi-sided plates I'm going to stick with touch-and-go pulls for reps.  If you remember way back when I first started corresponding with you my lower back was fucked up from doing paused reps with the same plates and having the bar shift mid-pull so I'm not up for revisiting that period of my lifting life.  I think I am acquiring some traditional round iron plates in the next few weeks so I'll play around with paused reps at that point.

Overload

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #567 on: November 17, 2009, 12:01:54 PM »
Thanks.  I think as long as I'm pulling with multi-sided plates I'm going to stick with touch-and-go pulls for reps.  If you remember way back when I first started corresponding with you my lower back was fucked up from doing paused reps with the same plates and having the bar shift mid-pull so I'm not up for revisiting that period of my lifting life.  I think I am acquiring some traditional round iron plates in the next few weeks so I'll play around with paused reps at that point.

Cool, i do remember that and that makes sense.

When i used to lift at 24 Hour years ago they had those crap plates, so i feel your pain.

Good luck!

8)

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #568 on: November 17, 2009, 07:35:35 PM »
5/3/1 Deadlift (Wave 2, Week 4)

Warmup - SMR/stretch/jump rope

Deadlift
130x5 (40%)
160x5 (50%)
190x5 (60%)

Double-Overhand Deadlift
5x160x5 (50%)

Then filmed a shitload of exercise demo videos for my clients since I'm going out of town for a week this Saturday.  That was enough for accessory shit for the day.

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #569 on: November 19, 2009, 01:53:30 PM »
5/3/1 Bench Press (Wave 2, Week 4)

Warmup - SMR/stretch/jump rope

Medium Grip Bench Press
45x5
75x5 (40%)
90x5 (50%)
110x5 (60%)

Close-Grip Bench Press
5x75x10 (40%)

1-Arm DB Row
3x40x10

Stop! Hammertime Curl
3x25x15

Boring.  I was the only one in the free weight area which made it even more boring than usual for a deload workout.

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #570 on: November 30, 2009, 02:10:10 PM »
Forgot to post my last deload squat workout before I left for Iowa.  Who cares, it was a deload and I didn't squat over a plate.

5/3/1 Military Press (Wave 3, Week 1)

Training Max - 115

Warmup - SMR/stretch/jump rope

Medium Grip Military Press
50x5 (40%)
60x5 (50%)
70x3 (60%)
75x5 (65%)
90x5 (75%)
100x10 (85%)

100x10 ties my previous PR, good but not great.  First 5 felt easy as cake but the last two were pretty tough.

Close-Grip Military Press
5x60x10

I need to ditch the close-grip on these and just do more medium grip for my 5x10.  The close-grip on the overhead kills my wrists. Had to use a little leg drive on the last 3 reps of the final set.

Band-Assisted Pullup
5x avg x12

Band Pressdown
2x light x20

Broke in the new Texas Power Bar today.  Hard to get used to having the power rings the regulation distance apart, the cheap bars we have here are probably an inch closer on each side or more.  Knurling felt nice and sharp though, I like it.  Me and Tony will break in the deadlift bar tomorrow.

Oh, and I have to be the only person in America that lost 5lbs over Thanksgiving.

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #571 on: December 01, 2009, 08:54:54 AM »

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #572 on: December 01, 2009, 04:25:28 PM »
5/3/1 Deadlift (Wave 3, Week 1)

Training Max - 325

Warmup - SMR/stretch/jump rope

Deadlift
130x5 (40%)
165x5 (50%)
195x3 (60%)
215x5 (65%)
245x5 (75%)
280x5 (85%)

Just hit my reps today.  Still catching up from eating and sleeping like shit all last week.  Also had some trouble getting used to the whip of the Texas Deadlift bar, but that shouldn't be an issue after a couple of sessions with it.

Double-Overhand Deadlift
5x195x10

Grip is still a factor - had to pause and readjust my grip multiple times in the last few sets.

DB Side Bend
5x50x15

Neck Flexion
5x15

Neck Extension
1x100

Just have to stay smart about when to push it and when to reel it in a little bit.  Weight is back up to 178, should be back at low 180's by week's end.

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #573 on: December 02, 2009, 05:46:43 AM »

Zach Trowbridge

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Re: Prep for - nothing, really.
« Reply #574 on: December 03, 2009, 02:28:34 PM »
5/3/1 Bench Press (Wave 3, Week 1)

Training Max - 185

Warmup - SMR/stretch

Medium Grip Bench Press
45x5
75x5 (40%)
95x5 (50%)
115x3 (60%)
120x5 (65%)
140x5 (75%)
160x5 (85%)

Wasn't feeling it again today so just hit my reps without pushing for more.

Close-Grip Bench Press
5x125x10

Kroc Row
50x10
75x20 PR
85x10

Hammer Curl
2x27.5x10

Both boys were up off and on all night last night so I slept like shit and it showed today.  Still getting in the minimum numbers so I'm not too heartbroken.  Tomorrow's squat workout is going to have to be a short one so I'm just going to try and break a rep PR and be done after that.  Plan is 10 or more with 190.