1400 Total @ 148?

[Ape288]

At some point you realize that you have stopped working hard. You tell yourself you've been working hard all along, but then one day you work hard again and you realize that for a long time you haven't been. And then you realize why you have stopped making progress. You have forgotten how to train. You have forgotten the process of the grind, which is what made you in the first place. And you stopped putting your soul into it. The thing about squatting is, it's a primal endeavor. It's raw. It's life threatening. And as such, it requires an emotional response. I remembered this last night as I sat by myself in my gym and realized that I had forgotten how to train. I had forgotten how to grind, not physically but mentally. I had forgotten how to squat. Many people will tell you shouldn't train "on the nerve," and that certainly has great merit, but at the same time, if your training has no heart and no soul you will never break your limits. You have to find the middle. Learn when to throttle and when to pull back. Learn how to turn it off and only use it when it is absolutely necessary.

Yesterday was squat triples with 410. This session was better than 405, which was better than 395, which was better than 385. I still don't feel very strong at the lift, but I "remembered" some important aspects of my personal technique that started to make things feel much more solid than they have been. My depth was better as well. Hopefully, this trend continues. Next week I'll tackle 415.

7/23/17
Back squat(410)- 3,3,3,3,3
Walking Lunge(155)- 8,7,7,6

Pretty basic.

Video of set 2: Instagram

[irongeek]

At some point you realize that you have stopped working hard. You tell yourself you've been working hard all along, but then one day you work hard again and you realize that for a long time you haven't been. And then you realize why you have stopped making progress. You have forgotten how to train. You have forgotten the process of the grind, which is what made you in the first place. And you stopped putting your soul into it. The thing about squatting is, it's a primal endeavor. It's raw. It's life threatening. And as such, it requires an emotional response. I remembered this last night as I sat by myself in my gym and realized that I had forgotten how to train. I had forgotten how to grind, not physically but mentally. I had forgotten how to squat. Many people will tell you shouldn't train "on the nerve," and that certainly has great merit, but at the same time, if your training has no heart and no soul you will never break your limits. You have to find the middle. Learn when to throttle and when to pull back. Learn how to turn it off and only use it when it is absolutely necessary.

I've asked myself the same thing lately with squats. I remember up until abut 6 months ago, the excitement + fear + anger when tackling a new rep max on squats. I agree - it IS primal - stand up or kneel down and pay homage to your iron master. And when I had that emotional response, it was a huge asset. I would get under the bar and laugh out loud because I knew I owned the weight and would hit my target. Maybe it changes over time and that anger and excitement is lost as the "routine" of executing a program settles in. Now, squatting seems more like a chore - routine, almost boring - punch the ticket - even on challenging weights. I want to get it back, too. Hoping a 1RM testing day will conjure up the old magic. Hope you find that magic too. It is much more rewarding!

[Ape288]

I've asked myself the same thing lately with squats. I remember up until abut 6 months ago, the excitement + fear + anger when tackling a new rep max on squats. I agree - it IS primal - stand up or kneel down and pay homage to your iron master. And when I had that emotional response, it was a huge asset. I would get under the bar and laugh out loud because I knew I owned the weight and would hit my target. Maybe it changes over time and that anger and excitement is lost as the "routine" of executing a program settles in. Now, squatting seems more like a chore - routine, almost boring - punch the ticket - even on challenging weights. I want to get it back, too. Hoping a 1RM testing day will conjure up the old magic. Hope you find that magic too. It is much more rewarding!

That's the thing though, if all you do is "punch the ticket" day after day then the challenging weights start to gradually become lower and lower numbers. When it comes to building strength every session has to be a mental investment because every session is a battle. When you check out mentally, progress ceases until your mind returns.

[Ape288]

In keeping with the idea of exercise rotation on my lower body accessory day, I decided to try semi sumo block pulls off a low (1.5") block yesterday. Those sucked and I'm not doing them again lol. I much prefer performing different varieties of conventional pulls somewhat frequently, and only using the sumo stance from the floor a bit less frequently. So I think I'll stick with that from now on. Lesson learned.

7/25/17
Semi-Sumo 1.5" Block Pull- (135x5)(225x5)(315x5)(405x3)(455x3)(505x3)
"Front squat" carry (literally unrack the barbell in the front rack position and take it for a stroll- these were fun)- (135x10yds)(225x10yds)(315x10yds)(365x10yds)(405x1 0yds)(405x10yds)

First time trying those front squat carries. They felt really good. Mid/upper back has to fire like crazy to keep you upright. I could have gone heavier but I need to figure out a better way to set up for these before I start going too crazy. That's all for now.

[Ape288]

Got in some solid work yesterday on the sumo deadlift. I'm training it every other week at the moment. Working on progressively heavier singles to adjust to the hook grip and then throwing on the straps and doing a burnout set at the same weight. Yesterday was another good session. I'm starting to feel more and more comfortable with the hook grip. I've only done it a few times so far, but the pain and pressure I feel on my thumbs has decreased substantially and I could have easily held over 500lbs with the hook yesterday. I'm not going to deviate from my plan though, so the bar won't be at 500 for at least 4 more weeks. Anyway, I cranked out 8 easy singles yesterday with 455 with 90 seconds rest between lifts. Then I finished up deads with a burnout set of 10 reps, also at 455. I rounded out the day with some farmer's walks up to 240lbs per hand. Chris McCarthy, if you're reading this, turns out my driveway is 25yds long lol.

7/27/17
Sumo Deadlift- 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 405x1
455 x 8 singles
455 x 10

Farmer's Walk- (110lbs x 50yds),(160 x 50yds),(200 x 50yds),(230 x 25yds),(240 x 20yds)(200 x 25yds)(220 x 25yds)(230 x 20yds)

Done.

Sumo Deadlift 455lbs x 10 @ 157 - YouTube

[Chris McCarthy]

Chris McCarthy, if you're reading this, turns out my driveway is 25yds long lol.

Of course I am...

[Ape288]

Of course I am...

That was your test. You passed.

[Ape288]

Got in some solid work yesterday. This was my secondary deadlift session where I'm supposed to be rotating through different variations in a 3 week block. SO far I've tried stiff-legged, which I actually really enjoy, but I irritated some mild hamstring tendonitis last time I did it so I think that precludes that as an option. I've also done 2.5" deficit deads, which are a keeper, semi sumo block pulls off a 1.5" block, which I'm never doing again lol, and now regular old conventional deads from the floor. I think from now on my 3 week rotation is going to be deficit deads, 3" conventional block pulls, and regular conventional deads (unless this variation presents a recovery issue as I move deeper into the cycle). My primary deadlift day simply has me alternating between sumo pulls one week and conventional pulls the other. Sumo will be my "competition" style. Anyway, yesterday was solid. I ramped the conventional deadlift all the way up to a tough but solid max effort triple with 500lbs. I could have perhaps tripled a little bit more than this if I planned for it, but I wanted to inch my way up by doing triples on all the sets, rather than just the top set. So on my way to 500 I tripled 415, 455, and 485, which probably created some fatigue. Solid work though. After deads I did some front rack carries, this time working all the way up to 455lbs, which was pretty tough. It's an exhilarating feeling knowing that one misstep is going to lead you having to bail on a barbell that will destroy your driveway lol. I should probably consider using bumpers on these, but then I won't have enough weight. Oh well. And then I rounded out the day with a bunch of walking lunges.

8/1/17
Deadlift- (135x5)(225x5)(315x3)(365x3)(415x3)(455x3)(485x3)( 500x3)
Front rack carries- (135 x a distance)(225 x a distance)(315 x a distance)(365 x a distance)(405 x a distance)(455 x a distance)
Walking Lunge(155)- 6,7,8,10

Done.

Deadlift 500lbs x 3 @ 157 (3.2x BW) - YouTube

[Ape288]

Still squatting once a week, not really sure why. Every time I'm warming up I find myself saying hmmm why not just deadlift instead lol. Anyway, another one in the books! I worked up to a poopy triple with 425. I still don't remember how to squat, unfortunately, that's for damn sure. I'm all the over place. I've been tinkering with things slightly pretty much every set just waiting to find that "aha!" moment, but alas, it has not yet arrived. I've been experimenting with bar positioning, stance width, descent path, the way I attempt to drive out of the hole, etc. Some stuff has felt better than others but nothing has really made that profound difference. I keep making the sticking point look really difficult even when it's not because I'm so out of groove by the time I get there that the bar has to slow down substantially to allow me to bring it back into position to finish the lift. Oh well, I'll just keep plugging away and it'll come back eventually.

Squat- (385x3) (405x3) (425x3) (405x3) (415x3)
Front squat hold- (415 x 15secs) (465x15) (515x15) (545x15) (525x15)
Good morning(95lbs)- 10,10,10,10,10

Done.

[Ape288]

Got in some solid work on the 2.5 inch deficit yesterday for my deddy deads. I'm really loving this variation right now. It's a hell of a lot of fun. I worked up to a solid triple with 460 last night and then moved on to some heavy front rack carries and finished up with reverse lunges. Good stuff. Upper body accessory work today and then sumo pulls tomorrow!

8/8/17

2.5" Deficit Deadlift- 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 375x3, 415x3, 440x3, 460x3

Front rack carry- 225lbs, 315lbs, 405lbs, 455lbs, 500lbs!!! (this was tough, but I could do more. My biggest fear is just taking a misstep, having to dump the bar, and destroying my concrete. Fun exercise though. It's quickly becoming a favorite of mine, it's just a bit of a pain in the ass to set up).

Reverse lunge (off 3" deficit)- 145lbs x 8,8,8,8

Done.

2.5" Deficit Deadlift 460lbs x 3 @ 158 - YouTube