Strength training for grappling

[Scrofula]

Squatting first today, because I decided to see where my deadlift is now.

Squat:
280lb: 5-PR
Ugly. I basically just folded under the weight like an accordian, and cavemanned my way back to a standing position.

Press:
115lb: 3
120lb: 1F
115lb: 3
My arms and shoulders felt beat up today, even before I started my presses. I don't know whether this is fatigue from Monday's grappling, or just from squeezing the frell out of the bar during my terrible squats. I tried tennis-ball-rolling my triceps and deltoids between sets, but it made no difference. Even the warmups sucked.

Deadlifts (sumo):
Singles at 275lb, 295lb, 315lb, 335lb-PR
Pretty easy 20lb PR. I think I could have done at least 350, but didn't want to push it before tomorrow's grappling. I have one more deadlift workout scheduled before I travel; it'd be nice to hit 365 (and a 315 squat). We'll see.

I need to try something different for my presses, though. Maybe a big deload and 3 sets of 5 again. Or maybe introduce some benching or push pressing to overload the triceps. Or maybe accessory work with dumbbells to improve work capacity. Too many options. I'll start the new strategy when I get back from the trip, at the start of July.

BW: 147.5lb

[Scrofula]

Short workout today -- gym switched to summer hours.

Press:
115lb: 3
120lb: 3,3
Feeling better. I think I wasn't getting much hip drive for the past few workouts. I did some hip flexor mobility work this morning, and it seems to have helped rectify that.

Squat:
280lb: 3,5
First set was terrible. They were out of chalk and my hands were sweaty, so the bar was going all over the place. Consequently, so were my knees. Allowed myself to get a little angry for the second set, and it was much crisper, though quite tiring. Wasn't time for a third set.

Chins (at work): 20,13,7

BW: 147.1lb

[Scrofula]

Press:
120lb: 3,3,2,2F,2F

Squat:
280lb: 5,3,3

Damn. Not one bit of progress. And this is why:

BW: 146.8lb

[Scrofula]

Press:
120lb: 3,3,3,2F
Marginal improvement. Should have gotten the last one as well, but I loosened up a little and let it drift forward.

Squat:
285lb: 5-PR
290lb: 2
Was planning on 3, and could probably have gotten it, but it would have been grindy. Decided not to grind today, since I'm grappling tomorrow and going for PR singles on Tuesday (315 squat, 350+ dead, 127 press?). Grappling again on Wednesday and/or Thursday (depending on recovery) and travelling on Friday.

Chins: 21,12,9

BW: 147.5lb

[Scrofula]

Heavy singles day. Due to some delay getting my much-needed pre-training espresso, I only had time to press and squat. I'll have to move the deadlifts to a Thursday morning workout -- hopefully I'll be able to recover enough by evening to not die at grappling practice. I hate morning workouts, but it'll be a good opportunity to get some lighter pressing and squatting volume in before my upcoming 9 day trip (though I'll try to find a gym there too).

Press:
Singles at 120lb, 125lb, 130lb-PR, 132.5-F
The plan was to stop at 130, but based on how it felt, I couldn't resist 132.5. But I didn't want to eat into my squatting time, so I attempted it with 1 minute rest. Wasn't close. But I can finally smell the 1 plate press, so it'll happen soon.

Squat:
Singles at 275lb, 295lb, 315lb-PR
Ahahah. Ha. Finally. I wish I had recorded it to confirm depth, but it felt slightly below parallel. Somewhat slow on the way up, but felt cleaner than the 300 I did 3 weeks ago.

Naked weight: 142.4lb
0.9BW press, 2.2BW squat. I remember when they used to be in a 1:2 ratio.

Might as well do a mid-year review now, since I have three trips coming up over the next few weeks, and won't be fully back on track until mid August.

Been a fairly good year so far. As of the end of January, my working weights for presses and squats were 105 and 225 respectively, with maxes of 122.5 and 255 respectively, at a bodyweight about 4lb lower than it is now. Hit a 275 squat single in April, and had a pretty nice run since then.

Lessons and questions:

• This pseudo-TM squat programming seems to be working for me. 3 sets of 5 on one day, a slightly heavier set of 5 and some optional doubles and triples the other day.
• Finally gotten my press moving again. I think the Olympic-style pressing with sets of 3 is a successful experiment. Need more than 3 sets, though, and weekly chin-ups are non-negotiable.
• Squats are enough to keep the deadlift moving. Still might be nice to introduce some low-volume deadlifting every other week.
• Don't know how much the squat increase has carried over to Olympic lifting. Should do some cleans when I get back.

[Scrofula]

Deadlifts (sumo, hook grip):
315lb, 335lb, 350lb-PR
Not quite at the limit of my strength, but the 350 made me lightheaded enough to call it a day. I think my body has forgotten what it feels like to hold onto a heavy weight. Being hungry didn't help; should have had a pre-workout snack.

I think three ramping singles every other week would be a good idea.

Press:
115lb: 5,3
Grindy but fun. The deadlifts had tired out my upper back. And posterior deltoids, weirdly.

Gym BW: 146.9lb
Naked BW: 143.4lb
The deadlift was 2.44xBW. 2.5 coming soon.

[Scrofula]

Jet-lagged workout at the University of Edinburgh gym. Pretty awesome gym -- OL room with lots of platforms and cages, and PL room with lots of benches, as well as the usual cardio and machine rooms for people who want that sort of thing. I went to the OL room, since that's the one I found first. Lots of people squatting and cleaning and jerking, some with pretty serious weight. Also the occasional clown half-squatting with the rubber pad, just to remind me that I'm in a university gym.

Between the jet lag and the insufficient food and the lack of belt and shoes, my own workout was far from PR levels; I just played it by ear. Still, I needed it more than I realized.

Press:
50kg (110lb): 3
52kg (115lb): 3,3,2F
50kg (110lb): 3

Squat:
110kg (242lb): 5
120kg (264lb): 2
110kg (242lb): 5

Chins: 17,10,5

BW: Didn't see a weighing machine, but I've probably lost a little weight. The British seem to think that a small sandwich and a banana count as a meal. Been putting away some good bacon, sausage, eggs and black pudding at breakfast, though.

[Scrofula]

Back from travel.

Press:
115lb: 3,3,3,3,3

Squat:
245lbx5
255lbx5
265lbx5

Chins: 18,9,6

Was hoping to grapple later tonight, but I feel ungreat. I'll get some food and a quick nap and re-evaluate.

[Scrofula]

Short workout due to early gym closure.

Press:
117.5lb: 3,3,3
OK, but some asymmetry on the last rep of each set.

Squat:
265lbx5
275lbx2
Warmups felt pretty lousy -- I'm still a bit beaten up from Thursday's lifting+grappling. Expected 265 to be a battle, but it was pretty straightforward. Only had a couple of minutes left, so I decided to do a double or triple at 275. Some knee collapse, resulting in borderline depth. I'm paying for neglecting my mobility work.

BW: 145.6lb
Hadn't weight myself since the trip. Not too much damage. I should be able to fix it before my next travel, in a couple of weeks.

[Scrofula]

Press:
120: 3,2F,2F
115: 3

Squat:
270lb: 5,5,1F

BW: 144.0lb
Oops. That explains the lousy workout. I shall reintroduce the good old oatmeal-milk-whey-PB-ice-cream abomination into my nightly ritual.