Existence Is Punishment: Grappling Strong

[Obscure Terror]

Thursday 04/10/2012



Power Cleans
Warmup: 27.5kgx3, 32.5kgx3, 40kgx3
Work: 50kgx3, 57.5kgx3, 62.5kgx1

Front Squats
Warmup: 30kgx5, 37.5kgx5, 45kgx3
Work: 57.5kgx5, 62.5kgx3, 72.5kgx3

Chins 3x10

Decent day, doing maxes of 3's on cleans is the way forward, everything felt better and more powerful. Front squats were tough at first, tight hip flexors but that went away aftr 2 sets. Was rushing so didn't warm up properly. I really like the FS movement and I can feel a lot of hamstring activation in it? Chins were garbage had to use more assistance than normal. Back to 32kg assistance next time. Again no conditioning due to time, to be honest recently I feel like I've adapted to the anaerobic training and after losing 13kg bodyweight am feeling like getting really strong again. I only want to be conditioned for MMA and BJJ so the idea with the upcoming 2 day split is to keep the conditioning sport specific.

 

[Obscure Terror]

Sunday 07/10/2012



Squat
Warmup: 50kgx5, 60kgx5, 77.5kgx3
Work: 82.5kgx5, 95kgx5, 107.5kgx7

Press
Warmup: 25kgx5, 30kgx5, 35kgx3
Work: 37.5kgx5, 45kgx5, 50kgx5
30kgx3x10

Kroc Rows
16kgx5, 24kgx5, 32kgx25

Dips - assisted @23kg
10, 10, 9

The squat Renaissance continues. I won't say those last two reps were easy or pretty but I got them regardless. Shaky afterwards and I think this contributed to not hitting more than five on OHP. Finally hit 25 reps on Krocs and made progress on dips, so a good sesion. Bodyweight is up a little, correlation? Not surprising.

 

[Obscure Terror]

Tuesday 09/10/2012



Power Cleans
Warmup: 27.5kgx3, 35kgx3, 42.5kgx3
Work: 45kgx3, 52.5kgx3, 57.5kgx3

Front Squats
Warmup: 32.5kgx5, 40kgx5, 50kgx3
Work: 52.5kgx5, 60kgx5, 70kgx6

Chins 3x10 assisted @41kg

Early morning session as went walking today in Derbyshire so had to crack on. Quite like doing this workout as second of the week. Cleans felt fairly light and snappy, set a rep record on FS but left one in the tank. Hip flexors feel better. Chins, don't know, was atrocious. Still got 3x10 just highly assisted, I have put a couple of kilos in bodyweight back on however.

Also took this on my walk:

 

[Obscure Terror]

Thursday 11/10/2012



Squat
Warmup: 50kgx5, 62.5kgx5, 77.5kgx3
Deload: 95kgx3, 107.5kgx3, 120kgx1

Bench
Warmup: 35kgx5, 42.5kgx5, 52.5kgx3
Work: 57.5kgx5, 65kgx5, 72.5gx5
42.5kgx3x10

Deadlift
Warmup: 67.5kgx5, 82.5kgx5, 100kgx3
Work: 107.5kgx5, 125kgx5, 142.5gx4 FAIL

Quick on. Squats good, 120kg didn't feel super heavy, hips got up but corrected. bench was tough, felt heavy from the outset don't think I had enough foot drive. Deadlift, all sets felt light until last 2 reps and grip failed? Realised I'd fucked my spreadsheet up on my phone and but my max in 10kg higher. All in all was surprised I managed as much as I did. First deadlifting session since hurting my back in late August.

 

[CRZA]

Nice pictures and good lifting. Where do you live?
do you use mixed grip on deads?

 

[Obscure Terror]

I live in Manchester in the UK but took that picture in the Peak District national park near a tiny town called Combs. I use mixed grip on the final set only. Odd as the bar felt uneven, seemed to hang lower on the right side and drop out of my right hand, which is the supinated hand or palm forward hand. The weight didn't feel heavy though and came up quick, I owe it all to Front Squats.

 

[CRZA]

City or united fan ?

 

[Obscure Terror]

There's a picture of me at 3 days old wearing a United scarf and hat. Not a big follower of football anymore but I'm firmly in that camp!

 

[CRZA]

Haha, alright cool.

 

[Obscure Terror]

Sunday 14/10/2012



Squat
Warmup: 50kgx5, 62.5kgx5, 75kgx3
Work: 90kgx3, 100kgx3, 112.5kgx3

Press
Warmup: 25kgx5, 30kgx5, 35kgx3
Work: 42.5kgx3, 47.5kgx3, 52.5kgx0 FAIL
27.5kgx3x10

Kroc Rows
34kgx16

Dips - assisted @23kg
3x10

Ego smasher of a day. Squat's just didn't feel good, felt like ass was geting up again even though there was a lot of hamstring invovlement. Didn't help that I forgot I was using 20kg plates and did a triple at 80kg after my warmups for no reason. 112.5kg isn't a heavy weight and I'm not happy that I struggle with it. Press, I failed. Couldn't even do one rep, what the hell? Couldn't even push press it. Deload to 47.5kg training max, gonna set some serious rep PR's now or I'll be pissed. Made a move on Krocs, probably eek out another 2-3 reps, and made progress on dips but still not happy. Especially as I made this after:

Impromptu GHR setup. Couldn't do a single rep which pissed me off. Gonna add these on Sundays, and makes me wanna switch to the Simplest Strength template ASAP as it has Romanian deadlifts in there for more direct ham work. Gonna be this:

Day 1:
Deadlift 531
Front Squat SST
Press 531
CGBP SST
GHR 3x10?

Day 2:
Squat 531
Romanian Deadlift SST
Bench 531
Incline Bench SST
Chins

Day 3(before wrestling/MMA or in the morning before work):
Power Clean 531
Kroc Rows
Conditioning if on lates

I suppose a pioece of good news is I tested my resting heart rate this morning, was 61bpm, which for my age of 27 is classed as excellent. If I can get it to 55bpm I'm officially in the athlete category.

Now for some tits:

 

[Obscure Terror]

Actually after some reading it seems that doign RDL's and GHR's is probably redundant. Makes me feel a bit better but definitely need to bring this weak point up. Gives me more flexibility on Krocs/Chins if I run out of gym time/

 

[JauntyAngle]

Impromptu GHR setup. Couldn't do a single rep which pissed me off.

Don't feel bad about this. With a proper GHR machine, the point of leverage is above the knee. When you do "ghetto" ones, the point of leverage is usually below the knee and it is much, much harder. It seems like when they first try ghetto ones, it seems like most people can't do a controlled negative and have trouble doing a rep.

I've been doing them on and off for a while now, and it took me a couple of months of fairly consistent effort to be able to do a controlled negative, and I still need a small shove to do a full rep (and more than a small shove if I am doing a lot of reps).

They are a really good exercise to have in your arsenal, though. One thing that is really handy is that they put little if any stress on the lower back, and so are a great way to work glutes and hams when you are having back issues.

Now for some tits:

You are a man after my own heart.

 

[Obscure Terror]

I feel better about it slightly on reflection as it does make stuff way more difficult. The SST template in 531 calls for RDL's so I'm tempted to run that for a while then come back to the GHR and see how the extra hamstring work has affected my strength there. Obviously it's not directly comparable as the GHR uses the knee end of the hams whereas RDL focuses on the proximal end, but considering I'm gonna be squeezed for time and building that setup is really only a "quiet gym" possibility then it seems like an efficient compromise.

Breasticles are perhaps the best part of the female anatomy. This is known.

 

[Obscure Terror]

Tuesday 16/10/2012



Power Cleans
Warmup: 27.5kgx3, 35kgx3, 42.5kgx3
Work: 47.5kgx3, 55kgx3, 62.5kgx3

Front Squats
Warmup: 32.5kgx5, 40kgx5, 50kgx3
Work: 57.5kgx3, 65kgx3, 72.5kgx4

Chins 3x10 assisted @41kg

Not a bad day, cleans felt light and snappy, muscled up one of the reps on set 3 though. Front squats easy, knees fishtailed a little as I went A2G on a set which made me wary of the knee but was fine. Chins weren't exactly a breeze but weren't their usual grind. Was tempted to condition but doing 3 hours of Kickboxing/BJJ tomorrow and doing 6 days in a row next week.

 

[Obscure Terror]

Thursday 19/10/2012



Squat
Warmup: 50kgx5, 62.5kgx5, 75kgx3
Deload: 95kgx3, 107.5kgx3, 120kgx1

Bench
Warmup: 35kgx5, 42.5kgx5, 52.5kgx3
Work: 60kgx3, 70kgx3, 77.5gx4
42.5kgx3x10

Deadlift
Warmup: 62.5kgx5, 77.5kgx5, 95kgx3
Work: 110kgx3, 125kgx3, 140gx4

One of my best days in a long time. Widened squat stance slightly after reading Starting Strength and turned toes out a little to 45 degrees, way stronger, hitting depth is easier as long as I keep my knees out and no back rounding. 120kg didn't feel easier or quicker but my form was way better. Bench made a huge difference to get stable glutes and made sure lower body was tight before unracking, heels still down though. Deadlift felt great and light, could have done more on last set but felt like my back was rounding a little.

 

[Obscure Terror]

Sunday 22/10/2012



Squat
Warmup: 50kgx5, 62.5kgx5, 75kgx3
Work: 95kgx5, 107.5kgx3, 120kgx1

Press
Warmup: 20kgx5, 25kgx5, 30kgx3
Work: 37.5kgx5, 42.5kgx3, 47.5kgx1
25kgx3x10

Kroc Rows
34kgx18

Dips - assisted @18kg
10, 8, 8


This is a bare minimum day really, made no progress on squats or press. Not surprised as I only had 5 hours sleep and I'd been to wrestling in the morning, was on empty. The form on squats was better, and I changed my pressing grip as per Starting Strength as it was too wide, no I'm right at the edge of the knurling which means my forearms are vertical from the front & sides in the rack position. Couple more reps on rows and made progress on the dips. Last week of full body before moving to the SST 2 day split, deload next week and test maxes on Incline Bench, Close Grip Bench & Romanian Deadlifts so I can plug numbers into the new format and take a run at the 135kg squat.

 

[Obscure Terror]

Tuesday 23/10/2012



Squat
Warmup: 50kgx5, 62.5kgx5, 77.5kgx3
Deload: 95kgx3, 107.5kgx3, 120kgx1

Bench
Warmup: 35kgx5, 42.5kgx5, 52.5kgx3
Work: 65kgx5, 72.5kgx3, 82.5gx1
42.5kgx2x10

Deadlift
Warmup: 62.5kgx5, 77.5kgx5, 95kgx3
Work: 117.5kgx5, 132.5kgx5, 142.5gx1

Did this workout to mirror my buddy's Starting Strength workout. Squats were OK but had a new bar at the gym and strained my bicep tendons somehow on the last two sets. This screwed me over on benching, and I overall felt pretty beat up. Also had some drama with my now-ex girlfriend, the tattooed one, and I've got a job interview today so was grinding away. Deadlifts all felt heavy and the last bench rep basically stopped halfway. Still making progress but I need the deload week and to change my routine up a little to keep fresh. I've been on Full Body for exactly 6 months and my training maxes haven't moved, but my rep records have increased and I've dropped bodyweight. If I can improve the maxes by year end I'll be good.

 

[Obscure Terror]

Thursday 25/10/2012



Power Cleans
Warmup: 27.5kgx3, 35kgx3, 42.5kgx3
Work: 52.5kgx3, 57.5kgx3, 65kgx2

Front Squats
Warmup: 32.5kgx5, 40kgx5, 50kgx3
Work: 60kgx5, 70kgx3, 77.5kgx3

Chins 3x10 assisted @36kg

Final workout of this assistance template, cleans felt good for a change, doubled last set because I was feeling good. Squats were OK, left knee has been achey recently and it was bothering me but got the weights up, last set was a bit slow but no massive form breakdown.Chins were no problem probably overcompensated on reducing weight. Start Simplest Strength on Sunday. Don't feel like I need a deload.

I'm not even sure if that's hot...

 

[Obscure Terror]

Saturday 27/10/2012



Squat
Warmup: 52.5kgx5, 65kgx5, 80kgx3
Work: 85kgx5, 97.5kgx5, 112.5kgx5

Bench
Warmup: 35kgx5, 45kgx5, 52.5kgx3
Work: 57.5kgx5, 67.5kgx5, 75kgx5

RDL
50kgx10, 60kgx10, 70kgx10

Incline Bench
30kgx10, 37.5kgx10, 42.5kgx10

Kroc Rows
34kgx20

First day of SST template and really liked the variation. I'm in the gym for a little longer but I feel like I'm doing a decent amount of volume. Squats were OK, little slow on last two sets but forced extra rest and helped. Bench was the same, reps 4 and 5 were hard to move but got there. Just wish I could make some rep PR's here but I'm back down to 90.5kg in my shoes so calories aren't high. RDL's were tough but Incline was a breeze.

Yessica Martinez, for the Glory of Squatr:

 

[Obscure Terror]

Tuesday 30/10/2012



Deadlift
Warmup: 67.5kgx5, 82.5kgx5, 100kgx3
Work: 107.5kgx5, 125kgx5, 142.5kgx4 FAIL

Press
Warmup: 20kgx5, 25kgx5, 30kgx5
Work: 32.5kgx5, 37.5kgx5, 42.5kgx6

Front Squat
42.5kgx10, 52.5kgx10, 60kgx3 FAIL

Close Grip Bench
40kgx10, 50kgx10, 57.gkgx10

Chins assisted at 32kg
3x10

Not good. Failed on DL just couodn't break the last rep off the ground. Shame as all the other reps felt strong. The Press was decent, felt light and good form. The started Front Squats and was OK at first, but on the last rep of the 2nd set my elbows dropped and my low back rounded as I muscled the bar up, felt my low back strain. Initally it wasn't too bad so I decided to try my third set, but by rep 3 was pretty painful and I was getting pain down my glutes just holding a tight back position so bailed. Did my CGBP which was fairly good but my back was on my mind, did my chins and got out. Just banged some ibuprofen down while I'm in work and it's pretty annoying pain, I'd gotten over what I thought was a strain and don't want this to set me back as throughout Aug/Sep I barely deadlifted while it healed. I've got to do BJJ tomorrow and Power Clean on Thursday so I'm hoping it'll be better tomorrow.