Dan's log

[elVarouza]

08/29/13 Thursday.

Squat:

45x5
135x5
225x4
285x2
325x2 (belt, wrist wraps)
375x1
415x1
415x1
445x2 (PR)

I was really distracted today trying to teach people how to lift so everything above 400 was much harder than it should have been. My first 415 was really hard because of this so I did a second single.

Bench:

45x10
135x5
185x3

Paused bench:

235x2
275x1
300x1
315x0

315 paused was really close but it got out of groove. I'll get it on a day when I can focus better.

Standing hammer curl:

40x10

Only one set cause I ran out of time.

[elVarouza]

08/31/13 Saturday.

My elbow was killing me from squats on Thursday. It's definitely from me unconsciously trying to press the bar with my left elbow. When I'm straining on a rep my left elbow gets under the bar and really jams up into it. The second rep of my 445x2 from Thursday was really tilted up on my left side due to this. I really need to think about keeping my elbows motionless when I squat to finally get rid of this terrible elbow pain.

Press:

45x5/5
95x5
135x3
165x1 (belt, wraps)
185x1
195x1

Was going to do a double at 195 but my elbow was in so much pain I was lucky to get a single. My elbow nearly collapsed unracking the bar it was so bad. At least I finally know what the problem is.

Deadlift (in kgs):

70x4
110x4
150x2
190x1 (hook grip)
220x1 (belt)
235x3 (PR)

Hell yeah! Really happy with my deadlift. I was originally planning to pull 235x2 for a PR double but turned it into a PR triple. Watching some deadlift vids beforehand got me pretty pumped for pulling today. I love watching Pete Rubish pull, guy is super intense.

Yo Ed if you read this check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMOKueeNiPk

[Billy Mixon]

Congrats on the PR deadlift! What sort of bar are you pulling with?

Definitely agree with you about watching those deadlifts videos....I had to stop watching them on my off days since I was getting too jacked up haha.

[elVarouza]

Thanks Billy! I'm just using a normal, commercial gym bar, nothing special. They probably have a little more flex in them than a stiff PL bar but it didn't seem to be a problem at the meet.

[Patrick Stroup]

In for 600

[elVarouza]

Cool man, good luck!

[Rascal]

Ah, yes. I've seen his videos before. Good stuff, haha. By the way, tell Nick to make a log on here! Furthermore: Nice triple! (I hope that you know that all of the excessive punctuation was for your entertainment.) Also, hopefully I can hit a 445 triple today.

[elVarouza]

09/05/13 Thursday.

Squat:

45x5/5
135x5
225x4
315x2 (wrist wraps)
365x1 (added belt)
405x1
445x1
395x5

Tried paying a lot of attention to keeping my elbows still. It was really hard. They still moved a little and it was throwing off my form.

Bench:

45x10
135x5
185x3
235x2
275x1
315x1
335x0
335x0

Close both times. I'll be able to get it on a better day. I might start doing some board presses if I can get the equipment. My sticking point is always about 4 inches off the chest so a 2-board should work well.

GHR:

BWx10
BWx10
25x10

First time ever doing these. For the 3rd set I held a 25lb plate against my chest. They were actually somewhat difficult with the 25.

Standing hammer curl:

35x10
40x10
45x10

[elVarouza]

09/07/13 Saturday.

Press:

45x5/5
95x5
135x3
165x1 (belt, wraps)
175x3

Elbow was killing me, said fuck it.

Deficit dead (1", in kg):

70x4
110x3
150x2

At this point I said fuck deficit deads. I can't get myself into good position even with a pathetic deficit. I also wanted to use straps to save my thumbs from the hook grip but I can't figure out how to get a good grip with straps lol. Pulling mixed with a conventional stance feels like shit too. Figured I'd try sumo for the first time, why the hell not.

Sumo deadlift (in kgs):

110x4
150x2
190x2 (mixed grip)
210x1 (belt)

Conventional deadlift:

210x1 (hook, no belt)

Sumo feels a lot harder than I was expecting. The 210kg didn't go up very smoothly. Sumo definitely seems taxing on the hips. I think I'll rotate it every week with my conventional deads. At the very least it should help my squat due to more hip involvement. I can also go mixed grip a lot easier cause my arms are inside my legs so I can spare my thumbnails from the hook grip. I had to pull a rep at 210kg conventional after to get rid of the weird sumo feeling :-P.

Ab wheel:

BWx5
10kgx10
10kgx10

10kg plate was placed across my lower back.

[elVarouza]

09/10/13 Tuesday.

Squat:

45x5/5
135x5
225x3
315x2
375x1 (belt)
415x5 (PR)

Switched back to thumbless grip so I didn't need wrist wraps. It felt a little better on my elbow than the thumbs around but only time will tell. My elbows were still moving around when I was straining but it wasn't too bad. The PR set of 5 actually felt fairly easy, maybe 8 RPE. I'll do 425x5 in a few weeks. If I get 445x5 before the meet I can probably hit 500x1. If I hit 455x5 I can definitely get 500x1 and probably 510+.

Bench:

45x10
135x5
185x3
235x2
275x1
295x3/3/3

Bench felt pretty weak today. My shoulders and elbows felt alright so it was probably just an off day. Really need to be hitting 330x1 paused at the meet if I'm going to total 1400.