Bergstedt's Intermediate Log

[Bergstedt]

Great with a PR
Looks like you are doing something at the 4th rep, are you breathing at the top or just moving your chest. ? Just thinking about how it might effect your back in a neg way?

Thank you, Lasse!

I am taking a quick breath in order to stay tight in the bottom for the next rep. The back felt a lot better after stretching and doing some work in the gym last night, so I think that all I need is a visit to the chiro and some more stretching. But I have a hard time knowing if back pain is "good" (DOMS or just stiffness) or bad after hurting it last year. Now all pain feels like bad pain, since I am scared of hurting myself again.

[Bergstedt]

Squats: 140 kg*5 @5,5, 150 kg*5 @7 (Belt and sleeves. I decided to take it a bit easier than programmed, since my back still was fried from Saturday's workout. After thorough stretching and some extra warm-ups, the back felt a lot better. However, I still played it safe and decided to stay after 150 kg, even if I targeted it as my reasonable @8 weight for the day and it was surprisingly light. But that is a win, too!)

Bench press 030: 72,5 kg*4 @7,5, 80 kg*4 @9, 80 kg*5 @9 (It got a lot easier on my second top set, so I decided to do one more rep to hit my @9)

Deadlifts 020 @3 cm: 140 kg*4*2 @9 (No belt or straps. My left wrist is starting to feel better again, so I could DOH without pain. These also felt very stable and it felt like I could really bore down on the lats and abs to stay tight throughout every rep.)

[Bergstedt]

Squats 020: 130 kg*4 @nothing, 155 kg*4 @8 (Sleeves but no belt. 2 count pause on first three reps on top set and 5 count pause on last rep. Surprisingly easy! I was supposed to do pin squats, but the racks were busy so I had to settle for pause squats.)

OHP w/ belt: 55 kg*5 @7,5, 60 kg*3*2 @9

Chins: bw*8*4

[Bergstedt]

LISS bicycle: 11,3 km in 25 minutes

Plank: 6 minutes total TUT in 7 minutes (1 minute regular + 1 minute per side, rest 1 minute and then repeat once.)

[Bergstedt]

Chins: 35 reps total in 7 minutes 20 seconds

Plank: 6 minutes total TUT in 7 minutes (1+1+1 minutes regular, R side/L side with 1 minute rest and then repeat.)

HIIT bike: 20:100 seconds x 6 rounds (2 hard, 2 light and 2 medium, in order to not throw up after starting to feel sick already after the second round...)

[57bergstrm]

Thank you, Lasse!

I am taking a quick breath in order to stay tight in the bottom for the next rep. The back felt a lot better after stretching and doing some work in the gym last night, so I think that all I need is a visit to the chiro and some more stretching. But I have a hard time knowing if back pain is "good" (DOMS or just stiffness) or bad after hurting it last year. Now all pain feels like bad pain, since I am scared of hurting myself again.

I see, I take my air before I lift at the bottom. Thats always a bit awkward. But I dont dare breath at the top.

[Bergstedt]

I see, I take my air before I lift at the bottom. Thats always a bit awkward. But I dont dare breath at the top.

That is my usual technique, too, but lately I have tried a hybrid of touch-and-go reps and completely re-setting between each rep, which I call stop-and-go, which is where I breath at the top, set down the bar with full control and initiate a new rep as soon as I feel that the bar has "settled down", so that it is a very short pause on, with no bounce off, the floor. I find that it allows me to move more weight for more reps while staying at lower RPE's, while still not being potentially sloppy touch-and-go reps.

[Bergstedt]

Deadlifts: 170 kg*1 @5, 180 kg*1 @7, 190 kg*0, 1 @9,5, 180 kg*4 @9, 170 kg*4*2 @8 (the singles at 170 and 180 kg felt surprisingly light - definitely RPE PR's for both - and 190 kg was an RPE PR as well, but just nu by as much margin. It moved quite well through the whole lift, with no pauses or sticking points. The back keeps feeling extremely sore after deadlifts, though. It is not pain, but very sore and stiff, so that I have to do some lacrosse ball-ing and stretches for a couple of days, all around the hips, before the tension goes away and I am fine again.)

190 kg:


180 kg*4:


Bench press 010: 80 kg*4 @5,5 85 kg*4 @6, 90 kg*4 @7, 95 kg*4*2 @8, 92,5 kg*4*3 @8

Beltless squats: 120 kg*6 @7,5, 130 kg*6*2 @9 (No belt or sleeves. Everything felt off doing these. I felt unstable and wobbly, I felt soft in the bottom and it felt like I couldn't find any angles or positions. They looked alright according to the people I was working out with, but just felt shit. After heavy deads and for the first time withouth sleeves in quite a while that was probably to be expected, so I am not too worried.)

[Bergstedt]

Squats: 1*160 kg @5, 170 kg*1 @6,5, 180 kg*1 @8,5, 167,5 kg*3 @9, 160 kg*3 @9, 150 kg*4 @7 (Belt and sleeves. I don't know what happened after the singles, since they all felt very fast and powerful. I state the RPE's as I perceived them just after having done the singles, but is a bit unsure of their merit after trying - and failing - to do my 4's at similar weights. The bar felt very heavy on the back for all sets - including the singles - but I still felt as if they moved very well and that I had good power through the whole movement.)

Bench press 030: 80 kg*3 @6,5, 85 kg*3 @8, 90 kg*3*2 @9

Deadlifts 020 @3 cm: 130 kg*4*2 @8-9 (Rested 90 sec between sets due to time constraints.)

[Bergstedt]

Pin squats: 140 kg*3 @6, 150 kg*3 @7, 160 kg*3*3 @8, 8,5, 9 (10 kg PR from last cycle) (Sleeves but no belt. These felt surprisingly good! The back was a little ache-y and I felt tired and hungry when coming to the gym, but already warmin up the back started to feel good and I felt strong and powerful. 160 kg felt really good. It is weird how good I have become at these accessory/secondary squat exercises, but continue to struggle with the comp squat, to the point where it almost feels as if I can pause/pin squat within 95% of my comp squat...)

OHP w/ belt: 60 kg*1 @7, 65 kg*1 @8,5, 70 kg*1*2 @10 (tied PR), 60 kg*3*3 @9 (I rate the two top singles @10 since I would not be able to do a double on either of the sets, but they were by no means extreme grinders, either. They were definitely heavy, and I definitely could not have done any more reps, but they moved - especially the first single - rather fast and without too much trouble. Maybe the first single was more of a @9,75 - like a pretty fast single, so that you have maybe 1-1,5 more kg left on the bar but no more reps in the tank, so to speak...)

Then I was out of time!