Bergstedt's Intermediate Log

[slowmotion]

I set up regular bench and close grip bench the same.

[Bergstedt]

I was supposed to workout last night and run this morning, but work exploded (not literally!) so I got stuck way late and had to go in early this morning, so I didn't manage to do either workouts...

I set up regular bench and close grip bench the same.

Ok. Thanks! My thoughts are 1. I should flat bench to get the most ROM and also keep the weights lower while getting good "contact" and hopefully some hypertrophy, 2. CGBP is only programmed for sets of 4, so it is too few reps for hypertrophy so a comp-style setup may be better in this instance to more closely resemble the comp bench and therefore carry over better. I am probably going to go with 2. for The Bridge.

Edit: hooray! The edit function is back again. And also a new Delete post-function. (Y)

[Bergstedt]

I squeezed in this week's GPP workout this morning and will have to skip the second workout, since I am busy tonight and Sunday and will do the third workout tomorrow.

Running: 23 minutes total @6-7 (The intensity was a little higher than last week, though it felt a lot harder even if I was not that much more winded.)

Chin-ups 7 minutes: 39 reps (+1 from last week.)

Isometric abs 7 minutes: ~6m15s TUT

[Bergstedt]

Deadlifts: 137,5 kg*5 @6, 147,5 kg*5 @7,5, 155 kg @8,5, 150 kg @8, 150 kg @7,5 (Deadlifts felt good, with good drive off the floor and an unusually high tempo through all reps. 155 kg felt a bit heavy and then 150 kg felt good, or even a little bit too light. I am still not used to using RPE as tool for setting the weight for a given set.)

Third set:


1 ct bench press: 77,5 kg*5 @6, 82,5 kg*5 @7, 86,5 kg*5*2, 82,5 kg*5, 80 kg*5 all @8 (These continues to feel good. I went up 1,5 kg from last week, and is thinking about taking it slowly to continue to add weight each week up until the meet on November 11.)

First set:


Squats 303: 85 kg*8 @6, 95 kg*8 @7, 105 kg*8 @8, 100 kg*8 @8 (No belt or sleeves. Very narrow stance with toes forward due to sharp pain in the groin area. But even without the groin thing, this is just plain and simple a horrible exercise.)

[slowmotion]

Nice deads, Levi! What did your thumbs say after that?

[Bergstedt]

Squats: 135 kg*5 @6, 142,5 kg*5 @7, 150 kg*5*2 @8, 147,5 kg*5 @8 (Belt and sleeves. The first top set was probably @8,5, but it was because my stance was a bit too wide. When I moved my feet in a cm or two on each side sets 2 and 3 felt tighter and better.)

First set at 150 kg:


CGBP: 75 kg*4 @6, 82,5 kg*4 @8, 88,5 kg*4 @8,5, 88,5 kg*4 @9 (I under-shot my first set, but decided to move ahead to the @8 set in order to not get more fatigued than necessary, since I had my eyes set on 88,5 kg for the two @9 sets, despite last week's "debacle". This also proved to be a good move, since the first top set was even @8,5.)

Rack pulls (5 cm): 130 kg*7 @6, 137,5 kg*7 @7, 145 kg*7 @8, 140 kg*7 @8 (These felt a lot better than last week, when I was completely fried when it was time for the pulling.)

First top set (145 kg):

[Bergstedt]

Nice deads, Levi! What did your thumbs say after that?

Thank you, Jan! And I actually DOH'ed them, so my thumbs were quite happy. The hands were not so happy, though!

[slowmotion]

Damn! Not sure I could have held onto the bar like that DOH!

[Bergstedt]

Last night's session was a really good one, with good tempo and heavier weights.

Squats 020: 122,5 kg*4 @7, 127,5 kg*4 @8, 132,5 kg*4*2 @9 (No belt or sleeves. Pause squats are somehow one of my favorite squat accessories, since they really give you full control over form and technique at the same time as I always feel powerful and strong when sitting down with a relatively heavy weight on my back, jus' chillin'.)

Second set at 132,5 kg:


OHP w/ belt: 42,5 kg*5 @5, 45 kg*5 @5,5, 47,5 kg*5 @6, 50 kg*5 @7, 52,5 kg*5*2 @8, 50 kg*5*2 @8 (I had a hard time finding the first work set @6, since it turned out to be 7,5 kg heavier than two weeks ago when I did this workout the last time.)

Barbell rows: 60 kg*8 @6, 70 kg*8 @7, 75 kg*8*3 @8-ish

[Bergstedt]

Damn! Not sure I could have held onto the bar like that DOH!

Thank you, Jan! Even if I have not been able to train like I would have liked to during 2017, and I therefore have lost quite some strength, my grip strength seems to hang in there quite well!

We have a little informal contest at my powerlifting club now, where you enter by deadlifting the maximum amount of weight you can DOH and, when you have locked it out at the top, must say "[Name Surname] hereby enters into the September Month's Edition of the Monster of the Month" before you can set down the bar. We have a guy in the -93 kg class who is currently in the lead with 200 kg...