Training update: Short Timing To Meet Training

ast week was deload for the 5/3/1 program, had a deload squat sesh, skipped the deload bench sesh, and I managed to convince myself that "deload" deadlift day surely meant "dynamic effort" deadlift day. At first, I was reasonably convinced that it was just going to be a rep day, and as mentioned in the last sesh report, I had already decided on working toward getting hips more involved. If you track what happens biomechanically in a sumo pull versus a conventional pull, this generally means working the feet a little further out BUT I didn't want them as wide as I had initially had them set when starting with sumo pulls. 

"Skip a bit, brother..."

Here, listen to this

At any rate, according to the standard program the deload top set was supposed to be a set of five at 225lbs

HOWEVER

being apparently bored and easily swayed by peer pressure - Austin's fault, and maybe a preworkout isn't necessary on deload days - went ahead and pulled out the band platform for the deathlifts and added some doubled over EliteFTS orange Pro micro mini bands. Since we were adding bands, might as well do them in the dynamic fashion and, instead of a single set of five, go ahead and knock out eight sets of three with short rests between. True dynamic fashion, at least how we typically run it, would see you with less than 60 second rests between sets but as this was a deload (and deadlifts, to boot) I went with enough time to check form on video and grab some water between most sets.

Fun stuffs. Almost makes me want to rewrite the program to give deathlifts their own day in the block periodization scheme, but too late for that now.  Maybe gearing up for the next one after November's meet, probably April at earliest.

C'est la vie.

Sooooooooooo... this week was supposed to see the start of a new cycle of 5/3/1

HOWEVER

I went back the other day to look at my programming for my upcoming meet and tracked it backward from the meet date on my calendar. After doing so I realized that, based on a three day per week lifting schedule, my meet training actually needs to start this upcoming Monday, 29 July, not 09 August or so like I originally had mapped out.

And I got a little giddy.

As an aside - it's kind of a sad commentary on the current state of things when you go to do a Google image search for "schoolgirl", as in "giddy as a schoolgirl", and the results come back more suited to "naughty schoolgirl". I found out, though, that if you search for "giddy as a schoolgirl" instead, this image is among them:

And of that I approve. It makes me giddy as a schoolgirl.

What. The. Crap.

Anyhoo, looks like this couldn't happen at a better time, because I am apparently getting bored with 5/3/1. Don't get me wrong- 5/3/1 is a great program that I wholeheartedly believe in and will run again when not prepping for a meet. It does, however, get a bit monotonous, especially when you start remembering things like bands and chains and specialty bars and start to cave into your own programming ADD. Of course, you can program 5/3/1 for specialty bars, swap movements, etc, as it is a very flexible program, I just heart me some block periodization.

But I digress.

A few days later it was time to squat. Having decided to go off program and having caught the scent of the upcoming program, I decided to try something else out- getting back to squatting wide(ish) in my Chucks. Despite my recent mobility concerns, this didn't go as bad as expected. I did manage to expose some imbalances and technique fixes that need to be made, but aside from some mobility work that needs to be done this was halfway decent.

Here's an earlier video in the sesh.

Yeah, the camera is not set properly level, so it looks like I am leaning way right BUT I am actually leaning a little right- note the more closed knee angle on the right side, the higher grip, etc. My left shoulder is the injured side, and you can tell the shoulder is tighter as it is physically higher than my right- that plus tight hips is probably most of the imbalance there.

A little later on in the sesh -

Side view on a little later set - 

Hard to tell, but I got my feet set out a little wider, balance is a little better left to right. The left shoulder still tight and a little high, still need to get a little lower into proper parallel. There's also a little front to back motion that needs to be eliminated.

And just a touch of... BUTT WINK... DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Work to do. Mobility work to do. But David already knew that.

Stay tuned and destroy.

Training update, 7/5 - 7/10/2014: 5/3/1 Week

Ah, excitement. 5/3/1 week has drawn to a close and we are headed into deload. I am reasonably happy about this as, no matter how much I might like the new semi sumo, I seem to have tweaked the low back a bit. Alles ist gut, few days of rest and lower output and we should be right as rain.

It has been a good week with some very positive work, even if there was some video sabotage going on.

First, we squat.

Saturday, 7/5, was squat day. Mildly saddened that I didn't get to squat for freedom and Murrica on Independence Day, but I spent it with the family instead.

Lots of squat days. Only one family.

Boom.

Here is what occurred:

Scratch that. That occurred on the Fourth- paletas and fresas con crema at La Michoacana. If you are in Memphis and you like sweet stuff (besides me, of course- I'm WAY taken, but you can still visit), you need to go pay one of their five shops a visit. Long story short is that La Michoacana is a local chain of family owned ice cream/desert parlors with a Mexican flair - you know, because the food is Mexican.

Straight up.

Their staff is very friendly and very helpful. For those of us that do not speak Spanish or are not familiar with certain offerings, they are always eager to translate, explain, offer suggestions, etc. They push good times, a clean shop, and as many awesome natural ingredients as you may want to have frozen on a stick.

Or in a cup. Or in a cone.

So...

As to squatting on the 5th, here is what occurred:

• Warm up, etc - about 10min
• Squat - warm up sets, then 5x285lbs, 3x325lbs, 3x365lbs
• Lat pulldown, straight fat bar - 3x10x110lbs
• Front squat - 5x165lbs, 5x195lbs, 5x215lbs
• Reverse Hypers, HITO - 4x10x90lbs
• Band pull aparts - 3x15 w/EliteFTS moderate Onyx band

Pretty decent sesh, really, though there were some technical difficulties in the A/V department. Tried to record my last two working sets of skee watts, the first of which apparently resulted in about ten blank videos of exactly zero second duration each. On the second, my phone apparently fell over and decided to stop recording.

Like this:

It's a bugger, because I really wanted to see my depth on the last two reps. The first one felt off, so I reset my feet a little and went for the other two, which felt a bit better.

C'est la vie.

Due to a conversation with one of the other gym members (Brittany, it's your fault) and the vague recollection that front squatting can make you stronger, I decided to throw those back in at an easy pace to get used to doing them again. During the previous run of front squats, I was getting a lot of wrist pain due to poor mobility and a refusal to change to "bodybuilder grip" front squats, so I wrapped the wrists well and had no issues. Hopefully that continues. Worked up to a set of five at 215, called it there and decided they were worth doing again, will do again heavier on the next go around.

Reverse hypers, band pull aparts, called it a day.

Couple days of work, back at it on the 8th for benchlings. Tiny little benchlings.

That said, they are getting a little better. Steady progress all the time, eh, guvnah?

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHH?!

Sorry, y'all. That's just how my brain works.

You'll be fine. There, there.

Here's what occurred:

• Short warm up, 5min?
• Bench - warm up sets, then 5x145lbs, 3x165lbs, 6x185lbs
• TBar row - 4x8x55lbs
• Bench - 3x10x135lbs

Short sesh, got stuck at work late, grabbed a Starbucks on the way in and got to it. Decent work - one more rep on the 185 than I have done in the past, though a little bit of a grinder with a soft lock out. Alles ist gut, still progress.

Sweet belly, brah. Looks like I could stand to bring my grip out a finger or I could tuck my elbows a little more- got some flare going on. Need video from the other side to see it it's just my injured side flaring out or if it is a technique issue.

Anyhoo, progress.

Boom.

Few more days later and it was time to deadlift on the 10th. Deathlift. Deadly deathlift.

Stuff.

This was another early morning sesh, actually managed to get my behind out of bed and roll out at a good time. Here is what occurred upon my arrival at the Ferrum de Ecclesia:

• Warm up, stretch - about 10min
• Deadlift - warm up sets, then 5x285lbs, 3x320lbs, 6x360lbs
• OHP - 10xbar, 7x65lbs, 5x95lbs, 3x105lbs, 7x115lbs
• GHR - 3x8 (bodyweight)
• Lat pulldown, wide angled bar - 3x10x100lbs
• Shoulder series - x2 w/ EliteFTS red Pro Mini band

Good training sesh despite the morning time. Think my 5/3/1 deathlift day top set on the last cycle was 350lbs for five reps, this was 360lbs for six.

I'll take it.

I got my belt figured out a little better- rotated the belt so that the prong/buckle was at my left side instead of in front- and I think I figured out what my problem was, though I still haven't corrected it.

Here's the second working set, 3x320lbs:

And the last set, 6x360lbs:

Forgive the little yell, there. Post lift pressure release. I don't normally get "loud" before a lift, so between that and holding air through a set I typically have some stored up energy to purge.

Anyhoo, if you game tape that, you can see where I don't have my hips as involved as they could be at the start of the lift. I am sitting back, but the knees aren't getting pushed out nearly as much as with my "full sumo" - and that's saying something because my hip mobility sucks something awful.

There is an official video for this song, but I can't bare to post it here due to its high level of douchebaggery and weed, man. The song is pretty fucking hard, though. Boom shaka laka.

or

There is this old school jam. Lolly.

So yeah. Coming up on the deload days, will take a couple days off due to upcoming vacation BUT I am going to get into the gym on one of these days off and try to get the hips more involved in the semi sumo, maybe help keep that bar in the shins. As mentioned way up there in paragraph one, tweaked my low back on that last set and I'm pretty sure that was due to letting the bar float out there on a few of those reps, so I know it needs to be fixed. And like now.

So there you have it. Calculated total is now close to my first meet total, with four months left to work before my next potential meet. As long as I can stay injury free, think I'm looking good for being able to beat my previous meet total despite the injury and shitty bench. Roll this program for another month or so, gauge progress, and contemplate whether to stick with the 5/3/1 or roll with some good ol' block periodization. No point in changing if it's still working.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Work done, progress made, work to do.

Go forth and destroy.

Training Sesh 7/1: Deathlift 3s and OHP

Quick sesh report harkening back to the grand old time of last week, and back to early mornings. Per last training session report, I recently split the bench out due to the shoulder issues the other day, so followed that up on this sesh with the deathlifts. This was a "three" day.

I also remembered that with my back and shoulder rehab going on, I should probably add in some overhead work, so we can go ahead and throw presses back in there, as well.

Here is what occurred:

• Warm up, stretch - about ten minutes
• Deathlift, semi sumo - 2x5x135lbs, 5x185llbs, 3x225lbs, 3x275lbs, 3x305lbs, 5x335lbs
• Overhead press - 10xbar, 7x95lbs, 5x115lbs
• OHP drop set - 5x95lbs, 5x75lbs, 5x65lbs, 5x55lbs, 5xbar
• Reverse hyper - 4x10x90lbs
• Dimel deadlift - 3x15x135lbs

Deathlifts didn't go quite like I wanted, but it was early morning.

I need to find that one weird trick to training in the mornings.

Serum and death metal only go so far.

Got some extra reps in on top of the scheduled three, but should have been able to get more. Maybe it's the strain in the low back, maybe it's the morning, but everything just felt disjointed. Also used a belt for some reason, probably still favoring the low back a little. I have also had a dull pain deep in my left glute (insert LOLs here), feels like it's in the joint.

I know.

I need 2CCs test c, stat!

But, surprisingly, didn't actually seem to affect anything- maybe made the pulls a little more diffucult than they should have been, but couldn't really feel an increase in pain at the top of the deathlifts or at the top of my sets of hypers.

And I actually wanted to do hypers.

Strange.

Here's the last working set of deads, 5x335lbs. You can see where the belt tab was getting in the way after rep one, I checked to make sure it was tucked into the loop/keeper, then said eff it and went with the set anyway:

More fun was had with overhead press. Just worked up to 5x115lbs, but you can see where I am pressing to the left, the injured side, like the elbow is trying to chicken wing out. Need to work on that, maybe add in some unilateral dumbbell or kettlebell presses to help even that out. More work on the stabilizers needed as well to get that thing out front and set.

Reasons why Jason's (chiro/PT homey) eyes lit up a week or three ago when I was talking about the injury and rehab.

Still need to have a visit with him at some point.

More band work, more manipulation and stim.

Yay.

Go forth and check this out, because I've been on a Doomriders kick. Warning to my epileptic/seizure prone friends: lots of strobey things.

Destroy.

More Plural Training Seshes, 6/22 - 6/29: Little bit of everything and some words on the new Mastodon

As mentioned previously, I have been a busy, busy bee with...

REAL LIFE

Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhnnnnnnhhoaihdoiaowhowaklfdnao;df

As such, training the last week or so has been a little sporadic, but decent. You are welcome for the latest installment of Biergartenopolis, by the way, even though the training log has been a bit more sparsely populated.

But that's... okay.

The only real issue, dear reader, with not updating or taking overly meticulous notes on training sessions is that you forget some of the ins and outs, the trials and tribulations, the minutiae that may make subtle differences. You tend to remember the big stuff, obviously, but the little stuff fades away with time.

Oh, well.

6/22 was a bench and deathlift day, for fives. Here is the piece de l'occurence (that there's real French, boy):

• Warm up, etc - about 15min
• Bench - 5xbar, 5x95lbs, 5x125lbs, 5x145lbs, 8x165lbs
• Deathlift - 5x135lbs, 5x185lbs, 5x265lbs, 5x295lbs, 11x320lbs
• TBar row, paused - 3x8x55lbs
• Shoulder series - x 2

Not awful overall, and the deathlift went reasonably well. The new "semi sumo" or "Coan stance" seems to be working pretty well. The bench went for several extra reps, which is good if not there yet, and the deathlift went for quite a few extra- I had to consult the video to get a rep count, as after rep five or so it all became pretty automated.

One pisser- that last rep or two I got out of position and too far forward, so I strained the low back a bit. After the T bar row accessory I tried to get on the reverse hyper with the usual 90-100lbs, but the low back wasn't having it- couldn't take it much past 45° or so. In hindsight, probably should have unloaded, or at least partially unloaded, the weight and gone ahead for some light sets, but I was pretty done at the time. Ran the shoulder series a couple of times and called it a day.

Low back stayed tender for a few days, so fast forward a few stretching days and a few long nights with the daughter and next lifting day was Friday, 6/27, in the PM, thankfully, for squat threes. Wasn't exactly sure how it was going to go with the back being a little sore, but I went ahead with the planned lifts and decent results were yielded. Here is what occurred:

• Warm up - not focused, but a few minutes of stretching, depth checking
• Squat - 5xbar, 5x145lbs, 5x195lbs, 5x235lbs, 3x270lbs, 3x315lbs, 4x345lbs
• Lat pulldown - 4x10x110lbs
• Good mornings - 10x165lbs, 3x10x185lbs
• Cable crunch - 4x10x110lbs
• Hip abduction - 3x20 w/EliteFTS moderate Onyx band

I have found it a little frustrating that my squat doesn't seem as strong as it was about two months ago.

Remember this?

That was (supposedly) 5x375lbs from April.

Whereas this was the top working set from this squat sesh, 4x345lbs:

HOWEVER that 5x375 was quite a bit nastier looking than the 4x345 set- parallel is now better, back is holding better, knees tracking better, etc and I think I had another couple in the tank on the 345 set. Must always remember to get the quality above the quantity and keep working the technique, etc.

Oh, and in the spirit of the games currently going on...

Germany - Algeria is currently nil to nil. Nil to Naught. Zero zero. Whatever.

Anyhoo, on to Sunday, 6/29. Another "play it by ear" kind of day- left arm and shoulder had been aching through the day like bicep tendinitis again, and we had one of my daughter's school mate's birthday party to attend. Leaving there, when the wife lady suggested I go to the gym and just piddle about and work the shoulder out, I went ahead and took her up on it. 

Here is what occurred:

• Warm up, about 10min
• Bench - 5xbar, 5x95lbs, 5x115lbs, 3x135lbs, 3x155lbs, 6x175lbs
• Tbar row, slow/paused- 4x10x50lbs
• Bench - 4x8x135lbs
• Shoulder series - x 2

Germany just scored in overtime. One to nil.

I'm pretty sure my shoulder just reset in the middle of the warm ups (good ol' rack anchored elbow snap took care of that). Didn't feel awful, didn't feel good enough to go full retard

but still got a few extra reps out. I'll take six on a three day. Ran through some accessory work and tried to make sure it was shoulder/back-centric and was sure to add in some door frame stretches and non-weighted external rotations throughout the workout.  Shoulder and arm ended up feeling better, if still a little crunchy. 

So speaking of crunchy, remember when Mastodon used to be good?

and

and then

and even

 But, oh no...

and

I realize that every band progresses, and they should. Most any long term artistic endeavor that does not progress, that remains turgid, tends not to be worthwhile. There is a certain amount of growth and expansion that SHOULD happen with any artist BUT

didn't Black Sabbath already do it better?

Has Ozzy not already sung similar songs with more gusto, more panache, more heart?

Forty years ago?

The newest Mastodon album is called Once More Round the Sun, and it honestly sounds like the album title unintentionally suggests, like they just wrote and recorded an album to do it. Like it is largely phoned in from start to finish, save for a high point here and there. The last video/track above, "High Road", is one of the better tracks on the new album, in my opinion, and even on it they just sound...

bored.

Maybe it's the producer's fault- big name on this album with Nick Raskulinecz, who has also done work with Ghost, Foo Fighters, and Deftones, among others- but there is no attack like on some previous outings. They're missing the fire, the dynamic.

And that is just a downright SIN when you have someone like Brann Dailor on a drum kit behind you.

I was at that show, by the by- one of my favorite shows of the last five years or so. They played and looked like they were having fun and they meant it.

At any rate, check the new album out for yourself, if ye so desire BUT just know- I am sad for the last few Mastodon efforts and look to their future work with much trepidation. And obviously, it's all about me.

Go forth and meh, whatever. Maybe go back and listen to some Doomriders. Yeaaaaaahhhhh...

Germany won, by the way. 2-1 over Algeria.