Training at home for a bigger Press & bigger Deadlift!

[dlocas]

Your training is most impressive and inspiring.

Thanks!

[dlocas]

I am now in week #2 of the two-week layoff I take every year. It's typically during Christmas time, but this year my apartment windows are getting replaced, so I kept lifting throughout December and early January, and now I have been off the weights for 10 days.

I am scheduled to get back in training next Saturday. Then, the next three training blocks will look like this:
Week 1 -- Medium volume, low to medium intensity (frequency will stay constant at 3-4 sessions per week)
Week 2 -- Medium volume, medium intensity
Week 3 -- High volume, medium intensity
Week 4 -- Lower volume, lower intensity

Week 5 -- Medium-high volume, medium-high intensity
Week 6 -- Medium volume, medium intensity
Week 7 -- High volume, high intensity
Week 8 -- Lower volume, lower intensity

Week 9 -- Medium volume, medium-high intensity
Week 10 -- Low volume, high intensity
Week 11 -- Lowest volume, highest intensity
Week 12 -- Very low volume, low intensity… then test maxes

[dlocas]

Saturday January 25th -- return from 2-week layoff

(warm up with empty bar)

Muscle Snatch
85 lb x 5 x 2 sets / 128 x 3 x 2 sets / 148 x 2 x 3 sets / 158 x 2 x 3 sets

Push Press (clean on each set)
148 x 3 x 2 sets / 168 x 3 / 188 x 3 / 200 x 2 x 3 sets

Press (wider grip than usual; about 4 inches wider)
148 x 5 / 158 x 5 / 168 x 7 @ RPE 8.5

Snatch Pull from 6-inch blocks (focus is on standing up fast & using traps to pop the bar up)
200 x 3 x 2 sets / 230 x 2 x 5 sets (plenty of quality work with low per-set fatigue; hence my using doubles)

Snatch Deadlift from deficit (standing on one regular York 45-lb plate)
250 x 5 / 300 x 3 x 4 sets (this is a very good quad builder; I do it with the same positions as if I were going to snatch that weight)

Stiff-leg Deadlift off deficit -- 225 x 5 x 2 sets
Abs (jacknives) x 10 x 2 sets

& some stretching

[dlocas]

Monday January 27th

(warm-up with empty bar -- work on shoulder flexibility… overhead squat is improving)

Clean & Press (regular grip)
85 lb x 5 x 2 sets
128 x 1 x 3 singles
148 x 1 x 2 singles
168 x 1, 188 x 1, 200 x 1, 205 x 1, 215 x 1 @ RPE 9

Press (wider grip)
148 x 5, 158 x 5, 168 x 5, 178 x 3 @ RPE 7.5

Muscle Clean
178 x 3, 200 x 2, 220 x 2 x 3 sets

Clean Pull off 6 inch blocks (no straps = cumulative easy work for grip)
250 x 2 x 5 sets -- much easier on lower back, as torso is more upright at the start of the lift… Focus is on extending fast & using traps to pop the bar up.

This is meant to be a very easy week, so I didn't do the Clean Deadlifts and went straight to stretching. Training time was about 1 1/2 hours.

Over the last two weeks, some intensive window replacement work took place in my flat and I spent too much time sitting on my kitchen chair, which left my lower back somewhat irked and sensitive. I am not sure yet, but my lower back may require extra recovery time because if this unusual turn of events (usually, I am 100% recovered everywhere when I am back from a 2-week layoff).

Since I have been lifting for 7 years, I may take 2-3 weeks entirely off and not lose that much strength, and even if I lose a little bit, it is very easy to gain it back by doing some easy volume work. If I neglect to take time off to heal a minor injury, the problem will worsen. Injured pro athletes completely accept to lay off when their medic tell them to do so; that's a good take-away!

[dlocas]

February 8th

I did train yesterday and I had entered the session here after loggin in, but somehow, the system decided I wasn't logged in so I had to again enter my user name & password, thus losing the journal entry. I am not typing my session again, as this problem happened several times before and I am growing quite fed up with this problem.

[dlocas]

Saturday March 7th -- One-arm Snatch & Easy Deadlifts

To prevent worsening the pain in my right elbow, I have to layoff the pressing for a while (probably 1-2 weeks). So this week the focus is on pulling.

One-arm Muscle Snatch
54 lb x 3 x 2 sets
64 x 3, 74 x 3, 84 x 2

One-arm Snatch (knee re-bending)
54 x 2, 64 x 2, 74 x 2, 84 x 2, 89 x 2 x 3 sets (both arms)

One-arm Push Press
94 x 1 x 3 sets (only left arm)

Deadlift
229 lb x 3, 280 x 3, 320 x 2 -- no straps
350 x 3 x 3 sets
370 x 3 x 2 sets

Dumbbell Front raise
Pair of 39's x 5 x 5 sets (easy)

Dumbbell hammer curls
Pair of 54's x 4 x 4 sets (easy)

[dlocas]

Monday March 9th -- Clean & High Pulls

Muscle Clean
128 lb x 3 x 2 sets
158 x 2
188 x 2
210 x 2
230 x 1 x 3 sets

High Clean Pulls
254 x 3
274 x 2 x 3 sets
295 x 2
315 x 2

Dumbbell Front raise - my goal here is to increase maximal force of my front delts (prime movers for the strict press)
Pair of 34's x 3 (explosive start)
Pair of 44's x 3 (explosive start)
Pair of 49's x 3 x 2 sets (PR) -- There was much less volume than Saturday (12 total reps vs. 25), but these last two sets were really hard.

[dlocas]

I am still training full-body three times a week. Here is my training from yesterday evening.

Wednesday July 29th

Clean & Press (5 x 5 at 70%)
128 lbs x 1 x 5 lifts
148 x 5
168 x 5 x 5 sets -- putting 100% effort on each rep!

Clean High Pull
220 x 3
250 x 3
270 x 3
290 x 3 x 2 sets -- all sets without straps

Deadlift (5 x 5 at 67.5%)
300 x 4 -- without straps
370 x 5 x 5 sets -- 100% effort on each rep!

One-arm strict Press
56.5 lbs x 5
74 x 5 x 3 sets -- not to failure (2-3 reps in tank)

Dumbbell hammer curls (simultaneous)
51.5 x 5
56.5 x 5, x 4, x 4 -- one rep left in tank on each set

[J. Killmond]

Just read your thread, as noted above, very inspiring.

Love your point about low back fatigue. Avoiding back fatigue (I now squat the day after deadlifting, never on the same day) has allowed me to finally make some training progress.

Regarding elbow soreness, I noted in several of your deadlift videos that your elbows had some bend in them from the start. This not only increases the length of the pull, it can be hard on the elbows (Starting Strength, 3d ed., p. 137).

On losing posts--apparently, it is a problem: Timing out - Don't lose your work

[dlocas]

Regarding elbow soreness, I noted in several of your deadlift videos that your elbows had some bend in them from the start.

Thanks! There is some slight bending when I start the first rep, sometimes more sometimes less. I just need to contract triceps before starting the pull.