The Basement Tapes 2015

btwrestler119 said:
Goals - figured I should lay out some things to shoot for

Bench Press
315 with a meet legal pause by August

Deadlift
500 by August

Squat
don't really know what to put here, I could probably grind out a legal rep with 350 right now if my life depended on it but my form is such unbalanced shit right now I'd probably injure myself. So I guess I'll say 350 well below parallel with good form and no pain the next day by August.

SOHP
This is an aggressive goal and probably the toughest one I've set yet but I'd like to hit 225 by August.

Pendlay Row
225x5 by August

Depending on my how fixing my squat goes I may do a powerlifting meet this summer.
Click to expand...

Good luck with your goals! Not sure what is wrong with your squat, but maybe try a wider stance. It helped my squat a lot.
 
Thanks, I was squatting barely below parallel and I was shifting towards my right knee which was causing my right piriformis to bother me.

The last couple videos, I seem to have fixed the problem mostly, they feel a lot better.
 
Week 2

4/13/15

Squats

Warm-up

135x5 high bar
135x5
205x3 high bar
205x2
240x1

Work - One max rep set up to 10 followed by 5 sets of 3, 5lbs added, only 60 sec rest

240x10
245x3
245x3
245x3
245x3
245x3

[YT]pR5XMi3Swec[/YT]

Felt great, even though I had a few really shitty walkouts, tried to rush too much.

Deadlift assistance - Snatch Grip DL

Warm-up

135x5 Power cleans
135x3 Snatch grip
135x3 Sumo
205x2 Snatch grip
205x3 Sumo
255x3 Sumo
275x2 Sumo

Work - Spinal Erectors burning, but no where near failure

I hit my nuts on rep 3 and 5 on the second set, so on the third set I set up with a wider stance. On the third set I had to re-secure my versa grips about half way.

205x8 Snatch Grip
255x8 Snatch Grip
275x8 Snatch Grip

[YT]ZInFx5krWK0[/YT]
 
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Week 2

4/14/15

Bench

Warm-up

135x5 pause
185x3 pause
215x1 pause

Work

215x10
230x8
240x8

[YT]7sK_SuWGumE[/YT]

Very happy with this, wasn't feeling particularly strong today. Probably due to being only 12 hours after last night's squats and deadlifts.

Pendlay Row

135x10
135x8
135x8

Still backing off the assistance stuff, easy weight, took 60 sec between sets

SOHP

135x8
135x8
135x8

Triceps tired, but not too difficult.

Chin-ups - superset with SOHP

BWx8
BWx8
BWx8
 
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Week 2

4-16-15

Squat - today's workout calls for 245xmax reps up to 10. And depending on how many reps are completed, there is a number of sets of 235x3 with 60 seconds rest in between sets afterwards. 10 reps=10 sets of 235x3.

Warm-up

45x5 front squat paused
45x5 high bar paused
45x5 paused
135x3 front squat paused
135x3 high bar paused
135x3 paused
185x1 front squat paused
185x2 high bar paused
185x3 paused
245x1 paused

Work - Only 60 seconds rest between sets

245x10
235x3
235x3
235x3
235x3
235x3
235x3
235x3
235x3
235x3
235x3 paused just for the hell of it

[YT]Z6yJPFdUCwA[/YT]

Update, after watching the video, I'm not happy with the depth during this set. It's all below parallel but not consistent from rep to rep.

Deadlift assistance - Stiff legged deadlift

Warm-up

135x5 DOH

Work

205x8 DOH
205x8 DOH

[YT]QeEN_e-88RI[/YT]

These felt extremely difficult, I don't know if it's form or weakness or what but I felt like my spinal erectors were going to cramp up so did a set of Sumo DLs instead of the final set. It's my first time doing these so any form analysis or advice would be appreciated.

Sumo

275x8 Mixed grip

Played with different stances, none of them felt good. I just think my body is better suited for conventional.
 
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Week 2

4-17-15

Bench

Warm-up

145x5 paused
145x5 paused
185x3 paused
215x1 paused

Work

215x10 first 8 paused
230x8
240x7 Wanted 8, program calls for 6-8 reps, think I burnt myself out with all the paused reps on the first set

[YT]FNiaVo-UATs[/YT]

Pendlay Row - easy weight

145x10
145x8
145x8

SOHP - easy weight, although 10 reps of SOHP is annoying at any weight, my traps get pumped and it cuts into my ROM so it feels like I'm pushing against tight muscles as much as I am pushing against the weight.

115x10
115x10
115x10

Chin-ups

BW+10x8
BW+25x5
BW+35x4

[YT]9qPrMduCW3s[/YT]
 
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Week 2

4-19-15

Bench

Warm-up

135x5 paused
185x3 paused
230x1 paused

Work

230x8 paused

Pendlay Row

155x10
155x10
155x10

SOHP

Warm-up

135x3
135x3

Work

155x3
175x3
185x2
155x6

[YT]HG3Y8YwQ13M[/YT]

Pull-ups - earlier in the day outside on the playground, wife and I were hanging out with our little nephews

BWx10
BWx8
BWx6
BWx4
 
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Week 2

4-20-15

Squat

Warm-up

135x5
135x5
205x4
260x1

Work

260x6 Best set of squats I've done in a long time, good depth and speed. Looked at the videos and this was almost 2 seconds faster than the first 6 reps of 245 last week and every rep this time was deeper.
260x6
260x6

[YT]4FNjWSISGJs[/YT]

Deadlift

Warm-up

205x3 Hook Grip
295x2 Hook Grip
345x1 Hook Grip (new 1RM for hook grip, wasn't too bad)
370x1 Mixed Grip

Work - versa grips, belt for second set

370x6 Hard set, took a lot out of me
370x4 Probably could have grinded out 1-2 more but my abs were fatigued and I didn't feel like I was getting tight enough before each pull so I called it. Part of my continued attempt to lift smarter, not just harder. Those extra couple reps would have been more risk than reward.

[YT]YzUFCWI7ADo[/YT]
 
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Week 3

4-22-15

Bench

Warm-up

135x5 wide paused
135x5 kinda wide paused
205x2 paused
205x2
250x1

Work

250x6
250x4
250x5

took a long rest between sets 2 and 3

Pendlay Row

Warm-up

135x6

Work

175x6
175x6
175x6

SOHP

Warm-up

45x10

Work

155x6
155x6 belt

Chin-ups

BW+25x6
BW+25x5

All and all, a pretty decent day. I had a long stressful day at work and still hit all the required reps, I'll take it.
 
Week 3

4/23/15

Squat

Warm-up

45x10 narrow stance high bar
135x5 paused with 3 breaths in the hole
135x3 fast as possible with belt
185x3 paused with 3 breaths in the hole
185x3 fast with belt
225x2 paused with 2 breaths in the hole
225x5 fast with belt

Work

265x6
295x2
315x1 the weight felt heavy but the rep wasn't hard, I could have got at least 2 more

[YT]3akJxv-nBN0[/YT]

365xwalkout and 30 second standing hold just to acclimate myself to having some weight on my back

Deadlift Assistance - Paused a couple inches off the ground

Warm-up

135x5 DOH
205x3 DOH
255x3 Hook grip

Work

295x8 the pause is exhausting as hell, but I felt fast on these

[YT]uiBW5Bwhbb0[/YT]
 
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Week 3

4-25-15

Bench

Warm-up

135x8
185x5
225x3

Work

255x6 definitely my best set of bench ever
255x5
255x4

[YT]2jnY_PC9E0c[/YT]

Pendlay Row

Warm-up

135x5
135x5

Work

185x6
185x6
185x6

[YT]qPKJ97ysKcA[/YT]

SOHP

Warm-up

45x10
135x3

Work

165x4
185x1 60 sec rest
185x1 60 sec rest
185x3 push press

Chin-up

BWx6
BWx6
 
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Week 4

Squat - the program calls for 265x3, 270x3, and 275x3; I upped the weights a bit

Warm-up

45x10
135x5
185x5
225x3

Work

275x3
295x3
315x3
325x3

[YT]tHcqyGRvCTM[/YT]

405xwalkout and 30 second hold


Deadlift Assistance - Paused Deadlifts (paused halfway to the knees

Warm-up

135x5 hook grip
205x5 first 3 hook, last 2 DOH
255x3 first 1 hook, last 2 DOH

Work

320x6 first 1 hook, last 5 mixed
320x6 versa grips

[YT]8LvAqKx3E2I[/YT]
 
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Week 4

4-28-15

Bench

Warm-up

135x5 paused
135x5 paused
185x5 paused
225x3 paused

Work

255x3 paused
260x3 paused
265x3 paused (most weight I've ever done for a single paused rep, much less 3)

[YT]_yeMbDwkf0Y[/YT]

Pendlay Row

135x10
145x10
165x8
185x6

Push Press

185x3
200x3

SOHP

45x10
135x3
155x3
175x1
185x1
135x5
135x5
 
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Nice work, man! How's Candito program working for you? My brother ran it couple of times and had some decent gainz
 
Thanks, it's going well, my squats and deadlifts are improving rapidly and my bench appears to be coming along as well.

Though to be honest, I am un-trained enough right now that any program would probably work for squats and deadlifts.

I need to get better at controlling the intensity of the main assistance work, I go too hard on the non-big 3 lifts sometimes which hurts me recovery wise because my grueling work schedule and my general lack of conditioning.

I think I'm going to run it again though and add some light conditioning/mobility warm-up to try and improve the my work capacity. I'm going to estimate my training maxes from next week's heavy sets and then take about 10% off for squats and 5% off for deadlifts.

Hopefully one more cycle through will get me over 315 for bench, 405 for squat and 495 for deadlift.
 
Week 4

4-29-15

Trying to take advantage of having a few days off work to cram, most of my workouts for this week early in the week. Felt the effects of three days in a row today, got the required weights but definitely didn't feel particularly powerful.

Squats

Warm-up

45x8
135x5 paused
185x5
225x5
245x3


Work

275x3
295x3


Deadlifts

Warm-up

135x5 hook
225x5 2 hook, 3 mixed
295x3 1 hook, 2 mixed
345x1 hook
365x1 hook +20lb hook grip PR

Work - versa grips

385x3
400x2

[YT]LqkwMMKXv7E[/YT][YT]sBKhqFfKSd0[/YT]

On the left is today, and on the right is 365x3 and 385x3 a little over a month ago, and comparing the two videos my form has definitely improved.
 
Week 4

5-1-15

Bench - so my right shoulder has been getting increasingly bothersome (taking longer to get warm, more soreness post workout). It hasn't affected my workouts much yet but its been coming on slowly for a few weeks now. I'm debating making SOHP a main lift next cycle and having bench as an accessory and let my shoulder get better.

Warm-up

bunch of push-ups
135x10
185x5 paused
235x3
260x1

Work

260x3
265x4
280x2 Heaviest double I've done


Pendlay Row - did these DOH with my bench press grip width instead of narrow double underhand like usual. Thinking maybe part of the problem with my shoulder is that all my pressing is overhand grip and all my pulling is done underhand grip so trying to change it up.

135x10
135x10
155x8
155x8

SOHP - went light on these focusing on overhead ROM and tight abs (no lumbar arch, just thoracic extension)

135x5
135x5
135x5

Did some 30 second hangs from the bar instead of pull-ups or chin-ups, triceps are very tight
 
Week 5

Squat

Warm-up

135x5
135x5
185x5
225x3
275x1
295x1

Work

335x3 My all-time max is 350 so this is obviously a rep max. Not super happy with this though, my 2nd rep was out of whack and so much harder than the fairly easy 1st rep.

[YT]2tQ4E0iiZdY[/YT]

185x5 front squat
185x5 front squat
185x5 front squat

Decided to get a little front squat work in.

Deadlift - Working on my hook grip and speed off the ground, all reps hook grip

Warm-up

135x5
135x3 full squat clean
205x3
255x3

Work

295x3
295x3 1.5" deficit
315x3 3" deficit

[YT]mF3K2dUuQ1w[/YT]

Overall felt good and fast, felt like I wasn't fast enough off the floor on the first rep of each set kinda like it was taking a bit for the muscles to start firing. I feel like I am much stronger at lockout than off the floor so more deficit work is in my future.
 
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Week 5

Bench

Warm-up

135x10
185x8
225x3
255x1
275x1

Work

290x1 + fail almost had two
300xfail almost had it, pretty shitty

Pendlay Row

135x5
155x5
175x5
195x6 ish 5th rep didn't quite touch my torso

[YT]NtOMjsUinEE[/YT]

Push Press

135x3
155x3
175x3
195x2
195x1 strict press
205x2
225x1
135x8 strict + 4 push press
 
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Week 5

Deadlift

Warm-up

135x5
225x5
295x3 versa grips from here on out
345x1
385x1

Work

415x3

[YT]S9IH_jpAq_Y[/YT]

My best set in at least 4 years, I think I did 405x5 once back in the day. Probably could have gotten a fourth but I'm happy with 3 with minimal form breakdown (my butt came up a little too fast).

295x3 Sumo
295x3 Sumo
295x3 Sumo

Box jumps

26" x 8
26" x 6
26" x 4
 
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