Squats, pulls, and curls
- Thread starter Karky
- Start date
Well, the car acciden't did kinda screw some thing up, but I'm nearly 100% recovered from it. The only problem is I sometimes feel it in my knees.
My physio said that my abductors got really tight after the accident, other than that, nothing should be screwing with performance.
One thing I'm thinkin about though: I got the anterior femural glide when I hit 250 lbs squat. And this was at the end of working myself up from squatting the bar again after the accident. So I dunno if it's connected somehow.. could be, but It could just be a seperate thing.
My physio said that my abductors got really tight after the accident, other than that, nothing should be screwing with performance.
One thing I'm thinkin about though: I got the anterior femural glide when I hit 250 lbs squat. And this was at the end of working myself up from squatting the bar again after the accident. So I dunno if it's connected somehow.. could be, but It could just be a seperate thing.
Friday 09.11.2007
Day 1
A1 Power Clean
2x3 204.6
1x2 226.6
1x1 248.6
1x2 226.6
1x3 204.6
there's no problem adding weight to the tripples and doubbles each workout, but the single is too tough, it's not working in terms of getting up my max. I'm gonna go back to the 8x3 thingy
B1 Bench Press
2x3 177.1
1xF 214.5 (I loaded 97.5 instead of 87.5 on the bar, I was suppose to do a doubble. I had a spotter, and he helped me way to quick
)
1x2 192.5
1x1 214.5
1x3 177.1
1x10 154
I can't believe I didn't react to how heavy the "doubble" was, and I can't believe I loaded 97.5 instead of 87.5 Well well. I decided to go with a correct doubble, a single, cut the last doubble and go straight for the tripple and the "volume set". I got 97.5 kg the second time, as the spotter didn't help me. I gotta say though, it was very slow, I was about to signal the dude to help me out, I've never struggled to get through a sticking point that hard in my life.
B2 Bent BB row
4x9 132
The cable row was busy, so I did some BB rows instead.
B2.5 DB Shrugs
1x14 79.2
1x13 79.2
1x14 79.2
These are kinda ackward now, sometimes I feel a slight pain in my shoulder when doing them, I think it's a form issue. I think I'm letting my shoulders go to far down.
C1 Reverse lunge off box
2x8 35.2
1x7 35.2
Increased the weight here, still got a good ammount of reps in
D1 Leg extensions
2x12 82.5
PWO: The usual
Day 1
A1 Power Clean
2x3 204.6
1x2 226.6
1x1 248.6
1x2 226.6
1x3 204.6
there's no problem adding weight to the tripples and doubbles each workout, but the single is too tough, it's not working in terms of getting up my max. I'm gonna go back to the 8x3 thingy
B1 Bench Press
2x3 177.1
1xF 214.5 (I loaded 97.5 instead of 87.5 on the bar, I was suppose to do a doubble. I had a spotter, and he helped me way to quick
)1x2 192.5
1x1 214.5
1x3 177.1
1x10 154
I can't believe I didn't react to how heavy the "doubble" was, and I can't believe I loaded 97.5 instead of 87.5
Well well. I decided to go with a correct doubble, a single, cut the last doubble and go straight for the tripple and the "volume set". I got 97.5 kg the second time, as the spotter didn't help me. I gotta say though, it was very slow, I was about to signal the dude to help me out, I've never struggled to get through a sticking point that hard in my life.B2 Bent BB row
4x9 132
The cable row was busy, so I did some BB rows instead.
B2.5 DB Shrugs
1x14 79.2
1x13 79.2
1x14 79.2
These are kinda ackward now, sometimes I feel a slight pain in my shoulder when doing them, I think it's a form issue. I think I'm letting my shoulders go to far down.
C1 Reverse lunge off box
2x8 35.2
1x7 35.2
Increased the weight here, still got a good ammount of reps in
D1 Leg extensions
2x12 82.5
PWO: The usual
Monday 12.11.2007
Day 3
A1 Power Shrugs
3x3 286
A2 DB Shrugs
2x14 79.2
1x13 79.2
B1 Wide bent row
3x5 149.6
B2 Bench Press
3x5 176
Happy about these, no problem.
C1 Good Morning
1x5 187
2x5 182.6
These were really tough, harder than I had expected
D1 Leg Press
1x11 396
1x12 374
1x11 374
PWO: The usual
Day 3
A1 Power Shrugs
3x3 286
A2 DB Shrugs
2x14 79.2
1x13 79.2
B1 Wide bent row
3x5 149.6
B2 Bench Press
3x5 176
Happy about these, no problem.
C1 Good Morning
1x5 187
2x5 182.6
These were really tough, harder than I had expected
D1 Leg Press
1x11 396
1x12 374
1x11 374
PWO: The usual
Monday 19.11.2007
Making a change in my routine now. I'm gonna be more "random" and just have strenght, power and work capacity days. Doing about 2 big lifts (lower body and an upper body press) and then fill in with assistance exercises.
Rotate pretty much everything so I'll get alot of variety. Probably try a few lifts I've never been serious about in the past (like sumo deads.. I can't wait!)
Strenght Day
A1 Romanian DLs off plates
Tried some wave loading here, first time I've done that.
1x3 286
1x2 308
1x1 330
1x3 291.5
1x2 313.5
1x1 335.5
1x10 220
All of these sets were pretty darn heavy. The last single was slooooooooow.
Next time I might not do 10kg jumps between tripples, doubbles and singles.
The bar was at a dead stop on the plates before each rep, which makes it a lot tougher than the normal "start from the top" RDL (atleast IMO)
B1 DB Bench press
1x5 74.8
1x6 70.4
1x3 74.8
All the BB benches were taken. That's the good thing about being more random, you're not counting on one piece of equipment to be free.
C1 DB bent row
3x10 39.6
C2 Plate Squat
3x10 22
These are cool for the abz. Question: Are you suppose to hold the plate out on straight arms during the entire exercise. Or raise the plate as you decend and let it down as you ascend? Reason I'm asking is because the shoulders got really tired from just holding the plate at arms lenght.
D1 Seated smith calf raise
1x15 132
1x15 154
1x15 176
E1 Pull-throughs
3x12 84.7
3x12 100.1 (that's the entire stack)
The stack only goes to 100 lbs, that sucks. Guess I gotta start adding weight with DBs and plates.
F1 Planks
Regular plank 30s
Side plank (both sides) 30s x2
I just went directly from one to another, no rest.
PWO: The usual
And Goergen: I'm suppose to vary the assistance exercises from day to day too right? Just rotate exercises that hits my weakness, then see improvement when I eventually come back to the same exercise again?
Making a change in my routine now. I'm gonna be more "random" and just have strenght, power and work capacity days. Doing about 2 big lifts (lower body and an upper body press) and then fill in with assistance exercises.
Rotate pretty much everything so I'll get alot of variety. Probably try a few lifts I've never been serious about in the past (like sumo deads.. I can't wait!
)Strenght Day
A1 Romanian DLs off plates
Tried some wave loading here, first time I've done that.
1x3 286
1x2 308
1x1 330
1x3 291.5
1x2 313.5
1x1 335.5
1x10 220
All of these sets were pretty darn heavy. The last single was slooooooooow.
Next time I might not do 10kg jumps between tripples, doubbles and singles.
The bar was at a dead stop on the plates before each rep, which makes it a lot tougher than the normal "start from the top" RDL (atleast IMO)
B1 DB Bench press
1x5 74.8
1x6 70.4
1x3 74.8
All the BB benches were taken. That's the good thing about being more random, you're not counting on one piece of equipment to be free.
C1 DB bent row
3x10 39.6
C2 Plate Squat
3x10 22
These are cool for the abz. Question: Are you suppose to hold the plate out on straight arms during the entire exercise. Or raise the plate as you decend and let it down as you ascend? Reason I'm asking is because the shoulders got really tired from just holding the plate at arms lenght.
D1 Seated smith calf raise
1x15 132
1x15 154
1x15 176
E1 Pull-throughs
3x12 84.7
3x12 100.1 (that's the entire stack)
The stack only goes to 100 lbs, that sucks. Guess I gotta start adding weight with DBs and plates.
F1 Planks
Regular plank 30s
Side plank (both sides) 30s x2
I just went directly from one to another, no rest.
PWO: The usual
And Goergen: I'm suppose to vary the assistance exercises from day to day too right? Just rotate exercises that hits my weakness, then see improvement when I eventually come back to the same exercise again?
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I saw this and just had to chime in. I actually pronounce it wed-nes-day. When people look at me funny or inquire about why I pronounce it that way I let them know when they spell it Wensday I will pronounce it wens-day. It's no wonder it is so tough to teach our children to read and spell.
wednesday, that right? Thanks a lot! And don't worry about it, I want people to correct my spelling and grammar. It's the only way I can get better at it.
And thanks, Tom. I guess I have a thing for compounds
I like putting in an isolation exercise here and there though. Doing a WO with 5 compounds straight can be very taxing. I've found if I put an isolation exercise in between them, then my body won't get as taxed. Since the isoation is a lot lighter on the body, I won't feel as tired.
And thanks, Tom. I guess I have a thing for compounds
I like putting in an isolation exercise here and there though. Doing a WO with 5 compounds straight can be very taxing. I've found if I put an isolation exercise in between them, then my body won't get as taxed. Since the isoation is a lot lighter on the body, I won't feel as tired.
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You're right. We did used to pronounce every letter. And phoenetically sounds change from culture to culture. For example, in Middle English the k in knight was pronounced.
Wednesday 21.11.2007
I was pretty sore in my hams from the RDLs on monday, so I took it easy on some of the exercises today.
Power day
A1 Power Snatch
1x1 154
5x3 143
1x3 132
The speed of the par decreases quickly when the par passes my head. So It's very hard to get the bar to lockout. I think I need more practise with pulling this high.
B1 Jerks
1x1 187
1x3 176
3x3 132
Been a long time since I've done jerks. Going into the split was very ackward. I though I would get a lot more here than on push press. But I can actually push press more than this. I think also I was affected by the snatches first. They are kinda hard on my wrists (with supporting the weight overhead). I really think that overhead pressing and snatching in the same workout might "crash" a little.
C1 Pulldowns
1x8 84.7
1x6 84.7
1x8 73.7
D1 Standing ab pulldown
1x12 52.8
1x14 52.8
D2 Hanging leg raises
2x8 BW
No rest between D1 and D2.
E Single leg RDL
1x10 26.4
1x10 35.2
1x10 39.6
I felt my glutes fireing on these, which is good. I also really felt in in my back, the entire back. Very different fatigue feeling than from normal lower back work. I think it's because of struggling to keep the body from rotating that requires some "new" fireing patterns I'm not used to.
PWO: The usual
I gotta find some hip dominant exercises to hit my glutes and hams more than my lower back. On most lifts, DLs, Pullthroughs, RDLs, etc, I feel it mostly in my lower back, and I think my lower back is compensating for lack of glute strenght/activation. Now, why do I think it's not just that my lower back is weak? I fit the "profile" of someone with poor glute strenght/control. Anterior pelvic tilt, anterior femural glide, my femurs shift inwards when doing single leg stuff. I have a feeling some wide stance stuff can help: Sumo deads, sumo squats, etc. I'm gonna give those a try and just keep looking for exercises that hits my glutes and do those more frequently than those wh don't. Hopefully I'll find sevral so I can rotate them.
This workout was a bit "random" I tried some exercises that didn't work that I didn't bother to put up. I guess I'm just getting used to this new style of training. I'll get the hang of it soon.
I was pretty sore in my hams from the RDLs on monday, so I took it easy on some of the exercises today.
Power day
A1 Power Snatch
1x1 154
5x3 143
1x3 132
The speed of the par decreases quickly when the par passes my head. So It's very hard to get the bar to lockout. I think I need more practise with pulling this high.
B1 Jerks
1x1 187
1x3 176
3x3 132
Been a long time since I've done jerks. Going into the split was very ackward. I though I would get a lot more here than on push press. But I can actually push press more than this. I think also I was affected by the snatches first. They are kinda hard on my wrists (with supporting the weight overhead). I really think that overhead pressing and snatching in the same workout might "crash" a little.
C1 Pulldowns
1x8 84.7
1x6 84.7
1x8 73.7
D1 Standing ab pulldown
1x12 52.8
1x14 52.8
D2 Hanging leg raises
2x8 BW
No rest between D1 and D2.
E Single leg RDL
1x10 26.4
1x10 35.2
1x10 39.6
I felt my glutes fireing on these, which is good. I also really felt in in my back, the entire back. Very different fatigue feeling than from normal lower back work. I think it's because of struggling to keep the body from rotating that requires some "new" fireing patterns I'm not used to.
PWO: The usual
I gotta find some hip dominant exercises to hit my glutes and hams more than my lower back. On most lifts, DLs, Pullthroughs, RDLs, etc, I feel it mostly in my lower back, and I think my lower back is compensating for lack of glute strenght/activation. Now, why do I think it's not just that my lower back is weak? I fit the "profile" of someone with poor glute strenght/control. Anterior pelvic tilt, anterior femural glide, my femurs shift inwards when doing single leg stuff. I have a feeling some wide stance stuff can help: Sumo deads, sumo squats, etc. I'm gonna give those a try and just keep looking for exercises that hits my glutes and do those more frequently than those wh don't. Hopefully I'll find sevral so I can rotate them.
This workout was a bit "random" I tried some exercises that didn't work that I didn't bother to put up. I guess I'm just getting used to this new style of training. I'll get the hang of it soon.
Friday 23.11.2007
Work Capacity Day
A1 Box Squat
1x12 88
1x12 110
1x9 121
I did these very strict. No rocking off the box at all. Last set my hip flexors hurt, and they hurt now too.
I tried doing lumberjack squats before this, that didn't work out so well. If I sit back as much as the bar forces me to do, I'll fall flat on my hiney.
B1 DB seated OHP w back support
1x12 35.2
1x10 35.2
1x12 22
This was really unusual for me. I haven't done DB OHP seated in a long time. Not to mention how unusual it is for me to do high reps, which I guess means I'll just have to do it more. Having a work capacity day forces me to do more high rep stuff, which is good.
C1 Cable Row
1x12 62.7
1x10 67.1
1x10 62.7
D1 Full contact twist
1xlots 11
4x8 22
That's 8 reps on each side. God I loved these, a rotation exercise which really makes my abs feel it. A lot better than russian twists (which I used to prefer)
E1 45 Degree Back Extension
3x12 33
These were awsome. I managed to really use my hams and glutes instead of just my back. I kinda pushed my hips forward, even though they can't really move forward because they are resting on the machine thingy, it really helped use the glutes and hams to straighten the body out instead of just hyperextending the lower back.
PWO: The usual
I'm a bit angry at the squatting, since it doesn't seem to work. I guess I just gotta keep trying, but I'm running out of things to try. Front and back squats don't work, both narrow and wide stance.. box squats didn't work. Overhead squats don't work neither. I'm not quite sure what to do. It's been a very long time since I squatted and I'm getting sick of not squatting.
Work Capacity Day
A1 Box Squat
1x12 88
1x12 110
1x9 121
I did these very strict. No rocking off the box at all. Last set my hip flexors hurt, and they hurt now too.
I tried doing lumberjack squats before this, that didn't work out so well. If I sit back as much as the bar forces me to do, I'll fall flat on my hiney.
B1 DB seated OHP w back support
1x12 35.2
1x10 35.2
1x12 22
This was really unusual for me. I haven't done DB OHP seated in a long time. Not to mention how unusual it is for me to do high reps, which I guess means I'll just have to do it more. Having a work capacity day forces me to do more high rep stuff, which is good.
C1 Cable Row
1x12 62.7
1x10 67.1
1x10 62.7
D1 Full contact twist
1xlots 11
4x8 22
That's 8 reps on each side. God I loved these, a rotation exercise which really makes my abs feel it. A lot better than russian twists (which I used to prefer)
E1 45 Degree Back Extension
3x12 33
These were awsome. I managed to really use my hams and glutes instead of just my back. I kinda pushed my hips forward, even though they can't really move forward because they are resting on the machine thingy, it really helped use the glutes and hams to straighten the body out instead of just hyperextending the lower back.
PWO: The usual
I'm a bit angry at the squatting, since it doesn't seem to work. I guess I just gotta keep trying, but I'm running out of things to try. Front and back squats don't work, both narrow and wide stance.. box squats didn't work. Overhead squats don't work neither. I'm not quite sure what to do. It's been a very long time since I squatted and I'm getting sick of not squatting.
HA. Friggen' Awesome. I remember bantering back and forth about using different muscles on the same exercise. I love that you are seeing how to gain better control of your body.
Don't count out the box squat yet. Just having you feet out wider and reaching to the box will really get at the hip flexors. My training partner did box squats for the first time the other day and his hip flexors just started being less sore today.
What height was the box? Parallel??? If it was lower, try moving the box up a few inches. Adjust you feet in and out. You will find something that works.
On the parallel question. How do you judge parallel? (I know different people have different ideas of parallel.) once we are on the same page we can discuss the height of your squat.
It was a bit below parallel. And for how I judge parallel.. I'm not really sure, I just see it
I've heard that the femur should be parallel to the floor, but that's pretty impossible to actually see. How does one judge parallel in powerlifting comps.? I've heard something about the relation between the knee and the hip.
I tried holding my leg at what I think is parallel and noticed my knee is at the same level as the anterior of my hip. Hope that helps.
The box at the gym is kinda ackward; it's not really a box made for box squatting, it's some kind of gymnastics thing.
Look at this pic:
it's the thing you see at the right
If I put it one notch up it will be very high, but I think I can just slide a plate under it or something.
And another thing: For me to do really narrow stance squats, I have to have something under my heels or I'll fall back. I just don't have the ankle mobility to compensate for my for my long femurs putting me so far back when I sit back. Is it OK to slide some plates under my heels?
I've heard that the femur should be parallel to the floor, but that's pretty impossible to actually see. How does one judge parallel in powerlifting comps.? I've heard something about the relation between the knee and the hip.
I tried holding my leg at what I think is parallel and noticed my knee is at the same level as the anterior of my hip. Hope that helps.
The box at the gym is kinda ackward; it's not really a box made for box squatting, it's some kind of gymnastics thing.
Look at this pic:
it's the thing you see at the right
If I put it one notch up it will be very high, but I think I can just slide a plate under it or something.
And another thing: For me to do really narrow stance squats, I have to have something under my heels or I'll fall back. I just don't have the ankle mobility to compensate for my for my long femurs putting me so far back when I sit back. Is it OK to slide some plates under my heels?
Karky do you have bumper plates at your gym? I'm assuming you do with oly lifts...but anyway, when I have bumper plates and a crappy box or no box at all I stack a bunch of plates instead, it's easy to adjust the height as well. You've probably already tried this instead, but if you haven't give it a try.
The box is fine to box squat on, it's wide enough and everything, but you can only adjust the heigh in pretty big increments, but I can put plates under it to make the increments smaller. Besides, there aren't enough plates in my gym for people to start up that high, which sucks. If a lot of strong people are squatting/deadlifting at the same time, getting a hold of enough 45s can be a pain in the backside.
But I'm not suppose to just fall down on the box and jerk/rock to get off it?
I'll just set the box a bit high and work on increasing the rom.