Wolf's Log: From Cub to Direwolf

[Michael Wolf]

This week is an odd one. First, I was supposed to squat Friday last week, but ended up doing it Saturday, so wasn't ready to add another 5lbs yet today. Second, my training schedule is a bit unusual this week and coupled with a 2hr dentist appt tomorrow (haven't been to the tooth dr in an embarrassingly long time, but forced to due to what seems to be my wisdom teeth deciding to suddenly show up and cause trouble at 30, instead of 10 years ago, but OK), threw my training schedule off this week. So it's gonna be:
Mon - Bench
Tues - Squat and DL (and sprints if time)
Weds - Press
Thurs - off
Fri - Squat, Bench, Power Cleans, sprints

So. Bench today.

Bench Press
45x5, 135x5x2, 185x3, 225x2, 270x5x3, 295x2

I'm 99% sure these are the weights I used, but the bar circumference was so thin I'm worried I might have been using a women's 15kg or 35lb bar, so may have been 258 or 260. Difficulty would suggest 270 but it's really hard to tell.
What happened was, the gym I was at today only had those godawful thick barbells that I hate. They had one thinner bar, which actually was a York Oly bar. Spun pretty nicely and everything. Too bad I wasn't cleaning today. It seemed smaller in circumference than the B&R I'm used to using, but not SO much smaller. And it was 7' long, not 6'. So I think it was a 45lb bar, but I'm not 100% sure. That's why I did the heavier set for an easy double afterwards, just in case, to get a bit extra work in.

Then since I had extra time and felt it wouldn't hamper recovery, I did

Cable Rows:
100x5 warmup, 180x10x2, 200x7 drop set to 140x5

That's all, folks!

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

We have both the 15 and 20 kg york oly bars. The 15kg is much shorter and thinner, although the 20kg is much thinner than a standard B/R bar IMO. Nice work my man and sweet cable rows, bro. lol. Gettin yoked!

[Michael Wolf]

We have both the 15 and 20 kg york oly bars. The 15kg is much shorter and thinner, although the 20kg is much thinner than a standard B/R bar IMO.

I've worked with York Oly bars before, but only a handful of times so don't know their feel very well. From what you said, I think it was a 20kg bar because it was definitely 7ft long, it just seemed to have such a small circumference. But from your description, that's how they're built. Certainly not an ideal bar for benching, brah, but better than the super thick options (that's NOT what she said).

Nice work my man and sweet cable rows, bro. lol. Gettin yoked!

You know I'm all about the yoke! Hadn't done cable rows since I fooled around with them maybe 2 months ago once, and before that probably 18 months. I should have done DB rows, but in all honesty given the globo gym option of a cable low row, I got lazy.

[Michael Wolf]

Had to lift in the morning, which I dislike, though thankfully not early in the morning. Had breakfast, trained an 8am client, then lifted at 9:30. I like to have eaten at least twice before I lift, but you do what you gotta do in the quest to get strong.

Squat
45x5x2, 135x5, 205x3, 265x2, 325x1, 375x5x3
This was my fourth (if I'm not mistaken) time doing 375x5x3, which remains the most I've done in LP. Each time some circumstance has occurred, unrelated to actually stalling, that's prevented me from doing 380. My freakin' fingers are crossed here that nothing will happen between now and Friday.

Oh, and I have video of the first two sets which I'll post later when I have time to upload from my phone. Set 1 was solid as hell, set 2 I came way forward on the first rep and actually had to step fwd a couple steps to save it at the top - but the rep itself wasn't hard.
It's interesting, I train by myself at a globo gym 99% of the time, so never have a knowledgeable coach to watch and cue me during the set. I had absolutely no idea I was going SO FAR below parallel. I knew I was going a bit further than an inch, but I was really going 6-9 inches below. After watching the first set, I tried to bounce sooner in the second set and while I think I improved to an extent, I can still clearly get below parallel and cut off a few inches of ROM and lift a ton more weight.

Deadlift
155x3, 265x2, 355x1, 440x5
Harder than I expected. The last rep was tough, and I may have been able to do a 6th at gunpoint but not voluntarily. Again, considering how easy 445x5 was for me in April, when my squat was - once again - exactly at 375x5x3, I was surprised. Granted, I had been DLing heavier triples then, most recently 480x3 I think, whereas now I'm still fighting back from having to re-set my DL at 405x5 after getting sick, but I still expected this to be easier. I could probably have done 445x7 in April if I had to. Whereas 440x5 today was tough and 6 would be a maybe.

Was supposed to do sprints but forgot my shoes - only had WL shoes and chucks - and rowing wasn't an option because I have to Press tomorrow, so I skipped conditioning today.

[Rob Israel]

Ever try a box to set your depth? Do you think it's a good tool for that? Ever utilize that as a way to fix depth? (if it's not deep enough)

[Michael Wolf]

Ever try a box to set your depth? Do you think it's a good tool for that? Ever utilize that as a way to fix depth? (if it's not deep enough)

I haven't personally ever squatted to a box, nor tried it with a client, in order to set or fix depth. I've seen many other trainers do it, and I've seen lots of video of Cressey and Gentilcore using it in their place.

I know I've heard from Rip (either in person or his Q&A, or both, I can't remember) that he's against using a box for any of those purposes as you can't learn the bounce off the hamstrings that way, and it becomes a crutch for gauging depth, rather than learning it by feel. Since I've never used one, I can't say I agree from experience, but the logic makes sense to me, and I've never had trouble teaching someone to feel the depth without one. Some people get it right away, others may take a few sessions, but everyone who is capable of squatting at all has gotten in in a fairly short time.

From what I've seen of other trainers using it, it does kill hip drive and become a crutch. I've never seen someone successfully transition a client from squatting to a box to a low bar back squat. But then again, they can't really coach a low bar back squat well anyway so it's not a good sample.

*If any newbies are reading this: None of this has anything to do with box squats; we're discussing squatting TO a box.

[Michele Knaub]

only becomes a crutch if used repeatedly. i've done it to rest my depth perception - one off, and it works.

might be a M/F difference - women generally have much more problem "finding" the bounce because they're so much more flexible in the hamstrings.

[Michael Wolf]

Squat vids from today. Video, commentary, video, commentary. I don't know why these are showing up sideways. I edited them on youtube, where they show right-side up???

375x5, set 1:


Observations:
1. I go way, way, WAY too low on my squats. It looks to me as if I’m going 6-9 inches below parallel, when I want to be aiming for 1 inch below. I thought I had a good feel for where 1 inch below is, but clearly I was way off. This reinforces to me how important it is to have a coach. I mean I coach this shit all day long, every day. Yet still, without a coach of my own to watch me and give cues during the set to fix things up, I was going SO much further below parallel than I should have been or than I realized. I attempted to do better on the second set, as you’ll see. I did better, but still too low.

2. I was happy with how easy it looked/how fast the bar speed was, for 375.

375x5, set #2:


Observations:
1. First rep I almost lost it forward; it was an easy rep, but I had to take a couple steps forward at the top to save it. Too much forward lean, not enough knee bend at the top half of the movement.

2. Bar speed slower than set 1, but still pretty good.

3. I did a better job on some of the reps of not going so ridiculously low, but others were still way too low. And even the better ones were too low. This'll be a process.

4. I like how I look from the back. I’m not a big mirror guy (don’t even have a full length mirror in my apartment), but I'm just vain enough that I noticed the rear view here and liked it.

[Michele Knaub]

Socks.

[Dwayne_KONG_Wint]

Wolf, I wish I had your shoulder flexibility. Everyone--That's how you hold the bar for a squat!