It has happened.
Morning training has begun.
And by morning training, I mean
early
morning
training.
Like alarm goes off at 4:30AM, in the gym by 5:30AM kind of early morning training.
Like needs a little Thy Art Is Murder and two scoops of Magnum Serum to raise an eyebrow kind of early morning training. Whenever anything less than about 120BPM came on the ol' Xbox music this morning on the way the jamesnasium, it was unceremoniously skipped.
Yeah, yeah, I've posted it before. Watch it anyway.
All over reactionary drama aside, it's not that bad. I used to train early mornings exclusively about two years ago, but it definitely takes some getting used to. First early morning back, thankfully, was during deload. I contemplated skipping deload lifts altogether and just taking a few days off, but after having already taken the weekend off and some previous contemplation on the matter, I decided to go ahead and take the first early morning session as a deload to play with some stuffs and keep the hips working.
Here is what occurred in the first of probably many morning seshes:
- Warm up - 10min
- Squat - 2x5xbar, 5x145lbs, 5x195lbs, 5x235lbs
- Deathlift of the semi sumo variety - 5x135lbs, 5x185lbs, 4x5x225lbs
- Band pull aparts - 4x15 w/EliteFTS moderate Onyx band
- Reverse hyper, heels in/toes out - 3x10x95lbs
- JM press - 3x10xbar
Aside from having the weakness of the morning, not a bad sesh overall. Squats felt way heavier than they were, but didn't look awful. As you will see in the videos for the next sesh, still working on the hips- need to open just a little more to consistently hit that parallel.
Belly.
At any rate, as mentioned in the last sesh report, I decided to change up deathlifts just a little, but it may make a big difference. In a nutshell, decided to play with emulating a set up by ol' Ed Coan, via a video from about 20 years ago.
As a refresher of the awesomeness:
Someone brought up the technique last week at some point- what looks like a more narrow sumo. I have been enjoying the sumo lately, but I was formerly a conventional puller, and while I have been reasonably happy with my sumo progress overall lately, there is still room for improvement.
Is this that one weird trick that makes personal trainers and/or doctors hate him? That one weird trick to losing stubborn belly fat?
Hint: No. No, it's not.
It's a slightly alternative method of deadlifting, demonstrated above by one of the best powerlifters in history.
I am also intrigued by it as, though I may have three inches of height on him, much like the Coanator (I just made that up, but you can have it) I have short little legs. Despite my shorter arms and longer trunk, his makes sumo a fairly logical choice but there is always room for tweaking.
Not that kind of tweaking.
At first blush, I like it. Need to see what it is like under working weights, and I need to get my hips set back a little better to get my shoulders more in line with the bar and figure out the drive a little better. Seems that the drive through the legs should be less "spreading the floor" and more driving through the heels, closer to a conventional pull.
You'll have to forgive the hips on that one, apparently they were not awake and my right flexor was causing me some pain.
Will work on it more, but the stance seems to have some of the benefits of sumo while maintaining similar drive to a conventional pull. I have always been a stronger conventional puller than sumo puller, but I like some of the benefits of sumo- chiefly that it does not seem to tax the back as much as conventional and there is a shorter range of motion.
More updates as they come as I try it next time with working weights.
Let us now flash forward two days to the next morning sesh, on Thursday, 6/19. 4:30AM alarm, throw stuffs in bags, and on to business.
Get it?
Here is what occurred:
- Active warm up - about 10min
- Squat - 5xbar, 5x145lbs, 5x195lbs, 5x235lbs, 5x285lbs, 5x325lbs
- Lat pulldown, wide grip straight fat bar w/pause - 3x8x110lbs
- Leg press, wide/low stance - 10x315, 405, 495, 585, 675
- Cable crunch - 4x10x120lbs
So while squatting at 5:45AM or so is not my favorite thing in the whole world, it wasn't too bad. Definitely felt weaker than normal but I got my prescribed reps. But no more. Will try for more on the three day coming up.
Form felt reasonably good. Don't even mention the hips. They need to open up to get down a hair more. I know this. Also looks like I might be able to get my feet a tetch wider if my hips can tolerate it.
- Set of five at 285lbs:
- Set of five at 325lbs:
- Full set of Fantomas in Switzerland:
You get the picture.
Pretty good volume on the accessory work, higher poundage than I have gone on the ol' leg press in quite some time, if that means anything. This early in the morning, I think it means something.
Also- when you are unloading your squat bar, you probably don't want to empty one side and leave more than a plate on the other side. It makes the bar tip over and fall off the rack in slow motion.
I was there. It happened to me.
Sorry about that, David.
Yay.
Yay for morning training.
Yay for Magnum Serum (thanks again to Al at CaptainJacked.com) before morning training.
And yay for you.
I'll keep trucking on as normal and hit the bench and deathlift next sesh this weekend and see how the recovery goes with morning training, not sure at this point if more warm up time is going to be required or not. I don't want to go to a three day split just yet, but I will if I need to.
Oh, and yay for Revocation, who is coming to town next week. Good times shall be had.
Go forth and destroy.
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