bean counter's Barbell Medicine Log

[bean counter]

nice deadlift PR

x2.

Nice work.

200kg by March, or else!!!

Well done my man!

Thanks Guys!


Sunday 27 December
Week 10, Day 1

Bodyweight: 93.8 kg

No variance either way from my break in tracking macros over Christmas. I brought tomorrow's session forward a day so I'll have a rest day before this week's Day 2.

LBBS
℞ 1 X 1 @ 8, 1 X 1 @ 9, 3 X 3 @ 9
Belt, wrist wraps, SBD sleeves
140 kg: 1 X 3 @ 7
155 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8
160 kg: 1 X 1 @ 9 [=PR]
150 kg: 3 X 3 @ 8.5, 8.5, 8.5
Totals: 14 reps, 2,085 kg

Excellent day. Two days off evidently let me recover more than usual and I was training with two cups of coffee in me once again. 155 kg went up really well. 160 kg had a touch of form breakdown (bar going forwards), but was a repeat of my previous PR weight and I definitely had a little more in me today. The volume triples at 150 kg were even better and I didn't even fatigue to the target @9.

Pin Bench
℞ 1 X 1 @ 8, 3 X 2 @ 9
Wrist wraps
95 kg: 1 X 2 @ 7
102.5 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8
102.5 kg: 3 X 2 @ 8.5, 8.5, 8.5
Totals: 9 reps, 910 kg

I propped the bench up on thicker plates this week and managed to get the bar pretty much on my chest, but at the expense of leg position. These still feel awkward, but strength was good.

DB Curls
12 kg: 16, 12, 12

Chins
BW: 1 X 8

Thanks to extra rest I felt fresh enough to do a little fluff.

Edit - Nutrition Summary



Good compliance where tracked - didn't keep records over Christmas.

[bean counter]

Tuesday 29 December
Week 10, Day 2

Bodyweight: 94.1 kg

Comp Bench
℞ 1 X 1 @ 8, 1 X 1 @ 9, 3 X 3 @ 9
Wrist wraps, belt
97.5 kg: 1 X 3 @ 7
107.5 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8-
111.25 kg: 1 X 1 @ 9 [=PR]
102.5 kg: 3 X 3 @ 8.5, 8.5+, 9
Totals: 14 reps, 1,435 kg

Decent, solid day. The top single wasn't fast, but went a lot better than last week. Hopefully I can push the top single and the triples up by a notch (1.25 kg) next week. I had to enlist a bunch of unfamiliar guys as spotters and none of them did a great job on the hand-off.

Squat without belt
℞ 1 X 6 @ 6, 1 X 6 @ 7, 3 X 6 @ 8
SBD sleeves, wrist wraps
107.5 kg: 1 X 6 @ 6
112.5 kg: 1 X 6 @ 7
116.25 kg: 1 X 6 @ 7
117.5 kg: 2 X 6 @ 8, 8.5
Totals: 30 reps, 3,430 kg

Slight weight bump on last week, aided by having a rest day since my main squat day this week. Lower back and hips got very fatigued once again.

DB Curls
12kg: 4 X 12

I appear to be going through a curling phase at the moment. Didn't push it hard today since I have pullups tomorrow.

[bean counter]

30 December 2015
GPP

Bodyweight: 93.8 kg

Spin Bike LISS
25 minutes: supposed to be 120-130 bpm, but I got a bit carried away in the middle.

Pullups [7 minutes]
7 X 3, 1 X 4 = 25

First couple of sets were chest-to-bar, but I couldn't keep it up.

Mobility
10 minutes

Planks [7 minutes]
1 X 60s, 6 X 35s = 4:30

[bean counter]

Thursday 31 December
Week 10, Day 3

Feeling kind of beaten up and fatigued in the lower back and hips.

Bodyweight: 94.3 kg

Deadlift
℞ 1 X 1 @ 8, 1 X 1 @ 9, 3 X 3 @ 9
Belt
165 kg: 1 X 4 @ 7
182.5 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8
190 kg: 1 X 1 @ 9+ [PR : video linked]
176.25 kg: 1 X 3 @ 9 [PR]
170 kg: 2 X 3 @ 8.5, 9
Totals: 14 reps, 2,420 kg

More PRs, but deadlifts @9 are really taking a lot out of me. The 190 kg single had a three-second concentric. It might have been an @9.5. Target for the top triple was 177.5 kg, but I reduced it slightly. I ended up taking over 50 minutes for this deadlift slot, which isn't going to work when I'm back to training under time pressure next week.

Close-Grip Bench
℞ 1 X 6 @ 6, 1 X 6 @ 7, 3 X 6 @ 8
Wrist wraps
83.75 kg: 1 X 6 @ 6
87.5 kg: 1 X 6 @ 7
92.5 kg: 3 X 6 @ 8, 8, 8.5
Totals: 30 reps, 2,695 kg

Good stuff. Spotter pointed out my foot position was uneven, which is something to consider in future.

DB Curls
12 kg: 16, 12, 12

[anticausal]

Been lurking in the log, never commented. Nice job on the DL PR. Solid looking lift. I'd be surprised if you couldn't have gotten another rep.

[Chris McCarthy]

Moar weight required, as the kids say.

[Mahendra]

Solid lifting! Congratulations on your Deadlift PR!

[bean counter]

Been lurking in the log, never commented. Nice job on the DL PR. Solid looking lift. I'd be surprised if you couldn't have gotten another rep.

Thanks - good to have another opinion on the @9 RPE call. It was a slow rep, but not too much wrong with it other than that.

Moar weight required, as the kids say.

Solid lifting! Congratulations on your Deadlift PR!

Thanks both, hopefully there will be more to celebrate in Week 12 when test week rolls around.


Saturday 2 January
Week 10, Day 4

Bodyweight: 94.8 kg [PR]

TnG Bench
℞ 1 X 1 @ 8, 3 X 2 @ 9
Wrist wraps
107.5 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8-
107.5 kg: 2 X 2 @ 8.5, 9
105 kg: 1 X 2 @ 8.5
100 kg: 1 X 2 @ 7.5
Totals: 9 reps, 950 kg

I forgot to take a warmup double @7, so ended up tagging that onto the end of the slot. Decent performance today, but I'm currently feeling more comfortable with paused bench over touch and go. For example, I think the reason that the second double at 107.5 kg was @9 wasn't directly because of fatigue, but because I misgrooved the second rep slightly off the chest.

LBBS
℞ 1 X 1 @ 8, 3 X 2 @ 9
SBD sleeves, belt, wrist wraps
145 kg: 1 X 2 @ 7
155 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8
155 kg: 2 X 2 @ 8.5, 9 [PR]
150 kg: 1 X 2 @ 8.5
Totals: 9 reps, 1,365 kg

Right side lower back/glute/hip all feeling tight and a bit sore. That didn't stop me having a reasonably decent squat slot (including an incidental doubles PR), but it is a frustration.

Progress Summary



I changed my format slightly after tidying up my spreadsheet for the new year. Volume up on Week 9 not because that was intended, but because of Week 9 only having three training days.

[bean counter]

Monday 4 January
Week 11, Day 1

Bodyweight: 95.9 kg [PR]

Woah. Feeling really fat today, aided by a restaurant dinner last night. First 0630 session of the year.

LBBS
℞ 1 X 1 @ 8, 1 X 1 @ 9, 3 X 3 @ 9
Belt, wrist wraps, SBD sleeves
140 kg: 1 X 3 @ 7
155 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8
160 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8.5 [=PR & video linked]
152.5 kg: 1 X 3 @ 9
150 kg: 1 X 3 @ 9
147.5 kg: 1 X 3 @ 9
Totals: 14 reps, 2,085 kg

Good day. 140 kg didn't feel like a big deal, which it usually does. 155 kg wasn't great because I initially misloaded a 15 kg bumper rather than 10 kg on one side and unracking that uneven weight really threw me off, even though I didn't actually try to squat it. 160 kg was very nice. Based on bar speed I'd even be tempted to call it @8. Because that went well I bumped up my top triple +2.5 kg on last week (rather than the planned +1.25 kg). That was solid (tempted to call it @8.5), but I felt my head was under great pressure from the valsalva and my eyes looked bloodshot afterwards. The same thing happened on the remaining two triples and my eyes actually felt sore by the end.

TnG Bench
℞ 1 X 1 @ 8, 2 X 4 @ 9
Wrist wraps
96 kg: 1 X 4 @ 7
108.75 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8
102.5 kg: 2 X 4 @ 9, 9
Totals: 13 reps, 1,315 kg

Strength and technique both felt decent, especially on the top single. The spotter got in the way on the first heavy 4, making my job harder, so I knew I would be able to repeat that weight without excessive fatigue.

Edit - nutrition summary for last week

[bean counter]

Tuesday 5 January
Week 11, Day 2

Bodyweight: 94.7 kg

Back to a more sensible looking figure after yesterday's excess.

Comp Bench
℞ 1 X 1 @ 8, 1 X 1 @ 9, 3 X 3 @ 9
Wrist wraps
97.5 kg: 1 X 3 @ 7
108.75 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8
112.5 kg: 1 X 1 @ 9 [PR]
103.75 kg: 1 X 3 @ 9
101.25 kg: 1 X 3 @ 9
100 kg: 1 X 3 @ 9
Totals: 14 reps, 1,430 kg

Nice solid last session before I test next week. Another small PR on the top single went smoothly, aided by leg drive. Hopefully I'll be good for something like 117.5 kg next week. As with yesterday's squats I hit the target RPE on the first heavy triple and ended up dropping weight to stay at the right intensity.

Squat Without Belt
℞ 1 X 6 @ 6, 1 X 6 @ 7, 3 X 6 @ 8
SBD sleeves, wrist wraps
105 kg: 1 X 6 @ 6
112.5 kg: 1 X 6 @ 7
115 kg: 3 X 6 @ 7.5, 7.5, 8
Totals: 30 reps, 3,375 kg

I kind of wimped out here and did less weight than the last couple of weeks. Still ended up with a crampy lower back. While this block is making me better at heavy reps I feel that my work capacity might be diminishing a bit as I feel less able to power through a bunch of volume that I did a few weeks ago.