I Come From the Land of the Ice and Snow

[hbriem]

Friday Sept 17th 2010 - Deadlift Day

Warmup

Power snatches, squats, presses, overhead squats, jerks w/20-50kg

Deadlift

120kg (265 lbs) x 3
150kg (331 lbs) x 3
180kg (397 lbs) x 1 (DOH grip PR)
200kg (441 lbs) x 1
220kg (485 lbs) x 1
200kg (441 lbs) x 3

Close Grip Bench Press

110kg (242 lbs) x 3,3,3,3,3,3

I had planned 5x5, but had no spotter and wasn't confident enough.

Wide Grip Pullup

BW x 8,8,7

[hbriem]

Monday Sept 20th 2010 - Squat Day

Squat

20kg (44 lbs) x 10 (overhead)
45kg (100 lbs) x 10 (overhead)
60kg (132 lbs) x 5
80kg (176 lbs) x 5
100kg (220 lbs) x 3
120kg (265 lbs) x 3
140kg (309 lbs) x 1
165kg (364 lbs) x 3,2 (first set is PR, but second too slow)
160kg (353 lbs) x 3,2+F (lost my balance)

Speed Bench Press

60kg (132 lbs) x 8
100kg (220 lbs) x 3
115kg (254 lbs) x 2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2

Chinup

25kg (55 lbs) x 4
BW x 12,10

[hbriem]

Wednesday Sept 22nd 2010 - Bench Press (and Deadlift) Day

Can't train Friday.

Bench Press

80kg (176 lbs) x 6
100kg (220 lbs) x 3
120kg (265 lbs) x 1
130kg (287 lbs) x 1
120kg (265 lbs) x 3,3,3,3,3,3

Some sort of improvement, I've never done 120x3 more than once before.

"Speed" Deadlift

120kg (265 lbs) x 3
150kg (331 lbs) x 3
170kg (375 lbs) x 3
190kg (419 lbs) x 2,2,2,2

Military Press (superset w/squat)

50kg (110 lbs) x 5
60kg (132 lbs) x 5
65kg (143 lbs) x 3
70kg (154 lbs) x 3
75kg (165 lbs) x 3 (PR for reps)
70kg (154 lbs) x 3

"Speed" Squat (ss w/press)

50kg (110 lbs) x 5
60kg (132 lbs) x 5
70kg (154 lbs) x 5
100kg (220 lbs) x 5

No pop in my legs at all after deads. Good presses though.

[slowjoe]

How would you assess things after a month in terms of your plans for the meet in November?

[hbriem]

Monday Sept 27th 2010 - Squat Day

Squat

20kg (44 lbs) x 10
45kg (100 lbs) x 10
70kg (154 lbs) x 6
100kg (220 lbs) x 3
130kg (287 lbs) x 3
150kg (331 lbs) x 1
165kg (364 lbs) x 3,3,3

Pretty good, but extremely hard. The last rep was very slow and I all but gave up on it. Glad I didn't.

"Speed" Bench Press

70kg (154 lbs) x 8
100kg (220 lbs) x 3
117.5kg (259 lbs) x 2,2,2,2,2,2

Power Clean

40kg (88 lbs) x 3
65kg (143 lbs) x 3
70kg (154 lbs) x 3
75kg (165 lbs) x 3
80kg (176 lbs) x 1
85kg (187 lbs) x 1
90kg (198 lbs) x F,1

[hbriem]

How would you assess things after a month in terms of your plans for the meet in November?

Thanks for checking in slowjoe.

Well, my meet plan is, as always, the modest plan to do better than last time (200-140-225). I think I'm on track to eke out a few little improvements. I'll be using the same tired equipment, so I don't expect any leaps and bounds.

I will start to test the equipment next week and do a few lifts in it.

In the squat I plan to open with 190kg (419 lbs), then try a meet PR of 205 if that goes well and finally a 210 kilo finisher.

In the bench I'll probably open with 135kg (298 lbs), then 142.5kg for a PR and hope for a final 145.

I'll probably deadlift raw as I've never really found a groove that works for me in the squat suit and open with 225kg (496 lbs) like last time, then try 235kg because my old 235 lift got wiped from the records in the big changeover last year and finally, if all goes well, 240 once I again (I've failed it three times in competitions).

The big question is whether to relax and lift in the 100 (I currently weight about 94.5kg, 208 lbs) or to cut myself down to 90 ... It would mean giving up nice food and booze for a month though, which is a bummer.

[hbriem]

Wednesday Sept 29th 2010 - Bench Press Day

Bench Press

50kg (110 lbs) x 8
70kg (154 lbs) x 6
100kg (220 lbs) x 3
115kg (254 lbs) x 4,4,4,4,4,4*

*well, my spotter gave me a finger to help on the 4th rep. Strangely hard. I'm trying 6x5 next week though.

"Speed" Squat

50kg (110 lbs) x 8
70kg (154 lbs) x 6
100kg (220 lbs) x 3
120kg (265 lbs) x 2,2,2,2,2,2

DB Hammer Curl

28kg (62 lbs) x 10
30kg (66 lbs) x 10
32kg (70 lbs) x 6

[slowjoe]

Thanks for replying. I'm interested in what smart and successful lifter do, and your speed sets are confusing me.

I thought they might be a variation on Westside Dynamic Effort, but at the weight you're using, you're way above the 50-65% window. And are you training in bench shirt and squat suit?

[hbriem]

OK, here's the thing. Over the years, I've found that the 50-65% window that Westside use does nothing for us weaker guys (at least in the bench). I could bang up 70-80 kilo benches for a hundred sets and reps and all it's going to do is make my elbows sore. Believe me, I've tried it. (I use 60-70% for speed in the squat). When you're weak, you have to use a higher percentage.

Essentially, I'm doing the Sheiko "light day", which is 80% for 6x2, but I've progressed the light day a bit as time goes on, so I'm up to 90% in the bench, while 80% for 6x2 is a little too heavy in the squat so I've toned that down a bit. You can see an overview of the past couple of months at the start of this thread.

All my training since my meet in April has been raw, or belt and wraps only for the work sets. Warmups and speed sets without those as well. I'll be unpacking the suit and shirt in a week or so and going for the odd heavy single. All my percentages are based on raw maxes, not equipped.

Thanks for your interest.

[hbriem]

Friday Oct 1st 2010 - Deadlift Day

Warmup (snatches, overhead squats, front squats, presses, etc)

30kg (66 lbs) x 20

Power Snatch

60kg (132 lbs) x 2
70kg (154 lbs) x 2,2

Deadlift

100kg (220 lbs) x 5
150kg (331 lbs) x 3
170kg (375 lbs) x 3
200kg (441 lbs) x 1
220kg (485 lbs) x 1
170kg (375 lbs) x 6

Awful. Everything felt horribly heavy. I had hoped for 220x2 or failing that 1+1, but not a chance.

Military Press

60kg (132 lbs) x 5
70kg (154 lbs) x 3
77.5kg (171 lbs) x F (push pressed)
75kg (165 lbs) x F (push pressed)
65kg (143 lbs) x 6

Equally awful.

Close Grip Bench Press

60kg (132 lbs) x 5
90kg (198 lbs) x 5
110kg (242 lbs) x 2
100kg (220 lbs) x 5

Horrible. I made none of my goals today and the only thing I can think of is to take it easy next week and recover.