I M Groot's Training

[Tim Lofton]

3/1/2015 Sunday

Bench, volume, 165x5x5
Lying tricep ext., 45x10x3
Chins, 2x5, 1x3 + 2 pull-up negatives

Tried to focus on consistently driving the bar on all reps and keep the bar moving steadily throughout each set. Fingers crossed for a good bench ID day on Wednesday. Accessory work felt a bit strained, especially the chins. Not sure why I didn't get 3x5, especially since I'm supposed to be moving to sets of six reps this week. I tried on the first set and could not get the chin past the bar. Need to think a bit more about how I'm doing these and maybe consider doing more throughout the week. Volume squat and BB rows tomorrow.

[Oldman]

Thank you. I try to remind myself as well, that when I was doing endurance stuff, that none of this was possible. I just really would like to get to that 200 bench, then I'm willing to be more patient.

Actually, I'm quite patient; it just doesn't feel like it at times. I'm not ready to start tinkering with things like back off sets, but may have to consider running ID bench out through triples and singles, then start up again. At any rate, I shouldn't complain. Health is good, injury free at this time (scrambling to find wood to knock on), and progress is happening.

This is the exact strategy i used on TM. It worked great; I only stopped because of surgery.

[Tim Lofton]

This is the exact strategy i used on TM. It worked great; I only stopped because of surgery.

Did you run a pre-determined number of weeks for each rep set, i.e., 4 weeks @ 5 reps, 3 weeks @ triples, etc. for ID, or did you go more by "feel"? I tend to be a listen-to-your-body type when it comes to training, in general, but I can also see a case for having pre-determined cycles.

[Oldman]

Did you run a pre-determined number of weeks for each rep set, i.e., 4 weeks @ 5 reps, 3 weeks @ triples, etc. for ID, or did you go more by "feel"? I tend to be a listen-to-your-body type when it comes to training, in general, but I can also see a case for having pre-determined cycles.

I went by feel (which is why I like the RPE approach now, I think), and tended to switch to lower reps when I sensed my current number of reps on the verge of failing or after I in fact failed to hit all the reps. Then I would continue on until the triples failed, then on to doubles until they failed, etc. Then I would go back to where the sets of five ended, and start there.

[Tim Lofton]

3/2/2015 Monday

Squat, volume, 265x5x5
BB rows, 100x10x3

Squats went really well; legs were definitely feeling some fatigue towards the last set, but still a decent amount left at the end. The weekend's back soreness (likely held over from deadlifts last Thursday) did not present and I feel nothing today. Rows were fine; still feel fairly light but I'm not going to make a bigger jump. Really kept the elbows tucked and felt it in my upper back more than last week. PDO today.

[Tim Lofton]

3/4/2015 Wednesday

Bench, intensity, 185x5, 185x2 2-1-2 (what the hell, I was feeling pretty good)
OHP, 120x5x3
Chins + 5 lb, 2x5, 1x3 + 2 Pull-up negatives
Hanging knee lifts, 2x5

After rummaging around the reddit/r/weightroom site and seeing Jennifer Thompsom bench a single for 315 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vryoGcsso4, I got a bit more inspired to figure out what the hell I'm still doing wrong. Not that I'll ever match her output; it was just motivating to see her do that and so I then went and watched her BP 101 video here http://www.132poundsofpower.com/videos.html. I put more effort into some of things she mentioned that I was already doing, but at a half-ass level of commitment. So I retracted my scapulae in earnest, rolled up on my shoulders, shoved my heels into the matting and had my best ID bench, probably ever. Given that 180x5 was REALLY slow last week, it felt good to tack on a couple of slow descent-pause-slow ascent reps at the end. I won't always do this, but I felt like I needed to reaffirm that maybe my technique actually clicked a bit more last night. So that happened.

Press went well; it doesn't feel like it's slowing much yet. I was a bit disappointed to not get a full 3x5 on the chins, so I tossed in the two reps of pull-up grip negatives for some additional stimulus. Overall it was a good night but it was hitting me at bed time. Fatigue set in pretty quickly last night and I probably should have knocked out 30 minutes earlier, especially since tonight is heavy squat and deadlift. Gotta eat my Wheaties today!

[Tim Lofton]

3/5/2015 Thursday

Squat, intensity, 295x5
Deadlift, 320x2

Get right to it. Squats went okay, with no real issues, felt pretty good after.

Deadlift was supposed to be 325x5, after 315x5 last week. My last w/up rep was 305, and it felt fairly heavy. I went ahead and loaded up 325 anyhow. Reformed my set-up a bit after some chatter on the Technique page. Wouldn't budge; like it was cemented to the floor. Strange. I took a break for a few minutes, tried again, nope. Deloaded to 320 (not much of a deload, I know), hoping to still make a progression, told myself "just go three reps". Got two - barely. Went for the third rep and a few inches off the floor my low back went into a spasm. That was it for the night. It was a weight PR for deadlift at least, but it came with a cost. Sat for a while to let the back calm down, then went in and took a muscle relaxant and two Aleve. It never went into spasms again, which is good. Now it's just tight and very sore. Clearly, for whatever reason, I was not ready for the deadlift last night. If I were going strictly by RPE, I probably would have set the work weight at around 310, which would have been five pounds less than last week.

Breaking the weight from the floor last night was challenging for some reason. Fatigue? Everything else seemed fine and squats went well enough. Too many w/up reps? I don't know, but it leaves me puzzled for how to approach next week. Fortunately I have two days off to let the back settle down. Last week's 315x5 went fairly well; it didn't feel super-heavy but also wasn't real fast. I'm hesitant to deload at this point. Right now my thought is to try 315 again for two sets of triples, then progress from there depending on how that feels. I'm going to let the w/up dictate a bit more what I attempt. Also think it's time to go to five pound increases versus the ten I've been doing. We'll see how the week goes. PDO today and tomorrow.

[Tim Lofton]

3/8/2015 Sunday

Squat, volume, 170x5x5
Lying tricep ext., 50x10x3
Chins 6/5/5

Energy levels not real high after yesterday's eight hours of trimming and thinning trees, cleaning gutters, etc., but good enough though to get today's session in without too much complaining. Music was essential today. Foam rolling and light stretching of hamstrings tonight.

[Oldman]

I was reading your entry on the DLs, and saw my own experience reflected back at me. I have experienced a similar difficulty from one week to the next, as I got closer to whatever my current limit was. I think that rather than deload, I would try to go to triples, then doubles, and then singles even, while continuing to add weight. Then you can return to fives where the stalling started, and work back up, and then repeat. This should extend the TM for your pull. Eventually, you may need more volume to increase your DL, which is where I am now.

Nice benching, btw. I have seen her BP 101 before (I might have to review it again), and the 315 was incredible. This is my weakest lift; I'm working to improve it, but it is really slow going for me.

[FuriousE]

Great tip on the Jennifer Thompson video. I'll be watching that later tonight...