It Takes Ball

Been a couple years since I posted here. In those years had a lot of great stuff going on but managed to go from 220 to 235# bodyweight and take gym powerlifting total 1400-1525#.

Then I got the balls cancer and dropped bodyweight to 205#. These are the chronicles of getting back to 1500#+ total which will double my previous per testicle PR.

All time PRs:
Squat 525#
Bench 435#
Dead 565#
Press 265#

I've also managed to flip around 4000 pounds of gym equipment for average 80% markup over the last 2 months of state-imposed gym-market turmoil leaving me close to a dream garage gym set-up for free, so I'll feature that if I can get back to filming.

We've got near identical bodyweight and totals. I was 235bw with a mid 1500's total right before all the lockdown stuff. Will follow along!
Good luck with the training, it'll be cool to see how fast you bounce back.

And as a Washington resident near the ID border, I've been really enjoying your state's gyms the last few weeks. Lol.

Thanks, citizen of Greater Free Idaho Kaimi.

Today's lift:
Deadlift 464# cluster of 15 singles in 15 minutes

Been doing some of this recently to get some good singles practice and acclimate my hands to new bare steel Texas Deadlift Bar. Way more cheese-graty than the OPB that I sold a month ago for $650. Bwahahahaha

Pushups, 2 sets to failure

Bench 370# x 3 x 3
Log clean and press 195x3, 205x3, 215x3, 225x3x2 (1 clean per)
Squat warm ups

Then I ordered some AR-15 parts so that you remember I'm an Idahoan.

Nice Bench!
After seeing your log work I may just bring mine out. I'm dealing with some issues with my left shoulder and the neutral grip of the log may be the answer for that.

Skid, I got no idea if log is better for shoulder, but it is a lot of fun and I toy with doing a strongman event when I find a convenient one. As far as carry-over, it's a shorter range of motion, and I usually fail bench in the top half, so it can't hurt. Any tips on how you integrate log?

Today's Playlist:
Cambered bar squat: 420# x 5 x 3
(The sacred rep scheme with a profane bar. Still waiting on new power bar to arrive.)

Fat bar pullups: 10, 10, 10

Sorry, can't help you with programming the log. I made mine a 5-6 years ago when I competed in a strong man comp the local cross fit put on. I've found that for me at least that pressing does little for my bench, but benching keeps my press strong. I haven't done a heavy press in a long time but could probably right now do within 15% of my max. Maybe I'm doing something wrong:)

However, log pressing is a lot closer to benching due to the layback required, so there probably is more carry-over. Good luck with it!

How I be in garage:
Bench 375# x 3 x 3
CG Feet Up 245# x 5 x 3

Mo' Deads, Mo' Problems
474# x 1 x 15 EMOM
Form was breaking down at end. I tend to get upper back in too much flexion at start ("drive the chest up"), but ended with an easy double, so I have some room to run with this scheme.

Fat bar pullups 10, 10, 12

Bench 380# x 3 x 3
Vid here if you want to see extra long setup to compensate for benching with deadlift bar:
YouTube

Then 10 hours of GPP with chainsaw, so these squats after felt extra great.

Camber Squat 405# x 5 x 3

Dead 485# x 1 x 5
355# x 10 x 2

Was planning on 15 singles again between scraping paint but got late so ended with quick 10s

Yesterday
Bench 385 x 1,1,1,1,2
CG Feet up pin 265 x 6 x 4

Camber Squat 426# x 5 x 3
YouTube
Pullups 3 x 10

Lots of manual labor doing landscaping/ rabbit ranching things over last week, so everything hurts

Bench 390# x 1 felt easier than any heavy single in last few weeks, but left me with a back tweak, so I moved on to volume work and will repeat this weight. Would have waited 10 minutes and tried again, but it's getting late

CG Feet up pin 255# x 6 x 4

Dead 444# x 1, 1, 495# x 1, 1, 444# x 1, 1
355# x 10, 10

Fat bar pullups 10, 10

Bench 389# x 1,1,1
314# x 3,5,5,5,5
3 count pause at max legal grip. My grip has moved wider over last couple years. Now investigating just going all the way out.

Yesterday

Camber Squat
401# x 3
431 x 5
401 x 5 x 2

Just got notification my Synergee Rhino power bar is on the way. Will be so glad to stop using the camber bar for all my squats; my upper back is killing me.

Qiantian (day before yesterday)

Bunch of fun with log clean and press while friend was over. Failed the clean at 250# a bunch of times and am now super sore.

Yesterday

Bench 390# x 1 x 4 in 9 minutes
315# x 5 x 3 -- 2 count pause

Got a Synergee Rhino bar yesterday. Feels great, is somewhat stiffer than the OHB I've used for last couple years and knurling less aggressive which I like now that I mostly deadlift on a deadlift bar.

Also picked up an old Airdyne for $100 so I've been doing a few 30 second sprints during the workday.

7/2
Deadlift 500#x1x2
Got called by work in the middle of late night workout

7/3
Deadlift 500# x 1 x 3
445# x 3 x 4

Bench 355# x 3 x 5

Squat 405# x 1 and several light sets getting reacclimated to barbell squats

Yesterday
Squat 445# x 1 felt better than 405 2 days before, but tried to get under it again a few minutes later and it felt terrible in the upper back.

Several very light back off sets of 3-5

Squat 405#, 405, 450
Feeling much better, was going to do rep work after but turned out a perfect day to take the kids out to water park

Bench 405#, 405 x 2 RPE 9
First time with a 405 double since February surgery and other than weird bar path on the way down for first rep it felt great

And now it's after midnight, so rep work tomorrow.

YouTube
405# x 2 bench from yesterday. Felt great but really not happy with bar path as I review the video. If I can dial that in I think I have a 440#+ PR within a month.

Bench 355# x 4 x 4
Dead 424 x 4 x 4, 515# x 1 eezee
YouTube

Then the squats.... Fuggin terrible up to 405#

Going to assume that's mostly in my head and try again tomorrow, cuz my legs feel fresh, even undertrained, but my upper back is a mess as soon as 400#+ is unracked. It might not be pain so much as panic.

I hurt myself today
To see if I still squat
Focused upper back pain
But I just pretend it's not

155 x 5, 265 x 3, 355 x 2
405 x 2, 445, 465

It's worst on unrack and walkout, so I'm going to raise the hooks and put a mat down for unracking an inch higher. Might turn out one-inch spacing in the squat area is important.

I'm also having to rediscover stance, top single is definitely wider and more forward knee travel than I like.

YouTube

Bench 355# x 3, 405#, 415#
Closegripfeetuppinbench 265# x 4 x 4 : I do these more now that I have safety straps instead of pins. Easy way to increase stress with a lot less weight.

YouTube
That bench single felt great, even easy, with none of the front shoulder pain I often feel on both sides after something heavy.

Dead warm ups

Fat grip chins 10, 10, 10

415# is a big bench!

Thanks, John. I didn't think about it but as a % of bodyweight it's slightly better than my 435# PR since that was at 230# bw.

Last week
Bench 420# and several more at 405
rep work every 2-3 days of about 4 sets of 3-4 at 355+

Squat. 445# for a few singles about every 3 days. Pushing at hard as I can to get heavy practice without aggravating upper back

Deadlift similar to bench several singles over last week up to 534# and rep work around 405#

Training weird like this because I haven't done enough heavy stuff and I randomly signed up for a meet on the 25th. USPA Battle at the Border in New Plymouth, Idaho on the 25th. Not likely to absolute PR anything, but I'd like to at least break my meet total of 1466#. Ideally I can do that on 2nd attempts and just go wild for 3rds. USPA is pretty new in ID, so I could probably even take conservative 3rd on bench to seal the total and take a 4th to shoot the moon on since I'll probably open with a state record