Strength training for the puny

[Ian Coe]

you reminded me that now I've been paid I need to get a sledge

I saw in homebase they have 8 lbs, 10 lbs and 12 lb ones (I think the 12lb was 30 quid)

Where did you get yours from?

 

[SmashiusClay]

you reminded me that now I've been paid I need to get a sledge

I saw in homebase they have 8 lbs, 10 lbs and 12 lb ones (I think the 12lb was 30 quid)

Where did you get yours from?

I got an 8lb one from Homebase, the yellow and black one with the fibre glass handle (damn that thing looks sexy), my 14lber came from a local diy place and is orange and black (not quite as cool but then again it's 14lbs).

 

[Ian Coe]

yeah, yellow and black, thats the one


How did it hold up (since I'm not sure unless I try with the heavier sledges)

 

[SmashiusClay]

yeah, yellow and black, thats the one


How did it hold up (since I'm not sure unless I try with the heavier sledges)

Hold up? Not sure what you mean.

Pull day

I've trapped a nerve in my neck, I think it may have something to do with the fact one of my cats keeps pushing my head off the pillow so she can sleep there instead, anyway, meant my training was kinda short and careful today (careful in the no loads on shoulders or upper body pulling moves but still doing deadlifts with 95% of 1RM sense of careful).

Deadlifts:

90 (198) x3
130 (286) x1
160 (352) x1
180 (396) x3x1 (three singles on a metric 4-plate pull, damn that felt good)
150 (330) x3x1​

Natural GHRs:

2x5​

Gripper work, crushed a can, bent some nails, levered my 14lb hammer.

 

[jk3004]

Why, on god's greene arth do you have a cat? That's not very manly. You can close the #3 right smashius?

 

[Ian Coe]

Hold up? Not sure what you mean.

Pull day

I've trapped a nerve in my neck, I think it may have something to do with the fact one of my cats keeps pushing my head off the pillow so she can sleep there instead, anyway, meant my training was kinda short and careful today (careful in the no loads on shoulders or upper body pulling moves but still doing deadlifts with 95% of 1RM sense of careful).

Deadlifts:

90 (198) x3
130 (286) x1
160 (352) x1
180 (396) x3x1 (three singles on a metric 4-plate pull, damn that felt good)
150 (330) x3x1​

Natural GHRs:

2x5​

Gripper work, crushed a can, bent some nails, levered my 14lb hammer.

hold up as in with constantly beating things, has it given way or broken?


Are you pulling from the ground...explain metric 4-plate pull

 

[jk3004]

hold up as in with constantly beating things, has it given way or broken?


Are you pulling from the ground...explain metric 4-plate pull

Aww Ian and you're a Kilogram lifting S&P revolutionary. Come to the dark side. The metric system is a dying breed.

 

[SmashiusClay]

Why, on god's greene arth do you have a cat? That's not very manly. You can close the #3 right smashius?

I have three cats, two of which are pure breeds from championship bloodlines, they are constantly fighting and actually quite skilled ground fighters, one has a better sweep from guard than I do. I can't close the #3 but frankly when you're a PLing mixed martial artist who can crush coke cans you stop worrying about what other people think of your manliness.

hold up as in with constantly beating things, has it given way or broken?


Are you pulling from the ground...explain metric 4-plate pull

It's held together really well, used it to smash my old barbecue to pieces so it would fit in the bin, amazing what 8lbs of steel moving at speed can do in terms of damage. Head seems to be solid as a rock and the shaft is still unscathed.

4 plate pull = bar plus 4 20kg plates per side (4x2x20+20=160+20=180) metric equivalnet to a 405 deadlift, and yeah, pulling a conventional deadlift from the ground. I like heavy single deads every other week with an oly explosive pull the other weeks. Seems to agree with me.

 

[Ian Coe]

Aww Ian and you're a Kilogram lifting S&P revolutionary. Come to the dark side. The metric system is a dying breed.

The darkness hurts my eyes

It's held together really well, used it to smash my old barbecue to pieces so it would fit in the bin, amazing what 8lbs of steel moving at speed can do in terms of damage. Head seems to be solid as a rock and the shaft is still unscathed.

4 plate pull = bar plus 4 20kg plates per side (4x2x20+20=160+20=180) metric equivalnet to a 405 deadlift, and yeah, pulling a conventional deadlift from the ground. I like heavy single deads every other week with an oly explosive pull the other weeks. Seems to agree with me.

Good to hear on the sledge


I'm going to have a look at your log, cause I need inspiration. Deads are something I've only stuck to for 3 sessions at most, I always migrate back to squats.

 

[SmashiusClay]

I'm going to have a look at your log, cause I need inspiration. Deads are something I've only stuck to for 3 sessions at most, I always migrate back to squats.

Don't wory, get pulling regularly and it becomes an addiction. There's nothing like locking out a rep and then staring around the room with at least twice your own bodyweight held nonchalantly at waist height. I assume you've already done so but I'll reccomend you go back and reread the Dave Tate article on pulling, that thing is pure gold.

In other news my neck is bloody killing me, guess I should get changed and do some heavy benching.

 

[SmashiusClay]

Press day

Bench (pinkies on rings):

50 (110) x5
70 (154) x3
90 (198) x3
115 (253) x2x1
120 (264) x1 Even threw in a pause on the chest, still came up smooth and crisp
110 (242) x1​

3 Board press:

110 (242) x3
120 (264) x3
130 (286) x3 (PR)​

4" Rack lockouts:

130 (286)
140 (308)
150 (330)
160 (352) x3​

Could have gone much heavier but decided to not risk the pressure on my neck.
Horizontal pullups:

2x15 + some horizontal shrugs on the end of the second set.​

 

[SmashiusClay]

Trapped nerve in my neck is bothering me, so no squatting today.

 

[mschatz]

Trapped nerve in my neck is bothering me, so no squatting today.

You ever see a chiropracter? Makes a big difference in keeping all the nerves free and clear of any interference. I think some insurance covers it. Its great for prevention so dont feel like you need to get in a car accident before you go.

 

[jk3004]

I have three cats, two of which are pure breeds from championship bloodlines, they are constantly fighting and actually quite skilled ground fighters, one has a better sweep from guard than I do. I can't close the #3 but frankly when you're a PLing mixed martial artist who can crush coke cans you stop worrying about what other people think of your manliness.

Daaaaaaaaaaamn man I was just kiddin. (Dogs are still better) I wasn't implying anything by asking if you could close the #3. I was just curious since you have awsome grip strength if you could close it. Hope your neck gets better soon. Pinched nerves = teh suck.

 

[SmashiusClay]

You ever see a chiropracter? Makes a big difference in keeping all the nerves free and clear of any interference. I think some insurance covers it. Its great for prevention so dont feel like you need to get in a car accident before you go.

No, I should probably see one, my joints take a pretty bad hammering each week. Insurance? Ha, I'm British I don't have any insurance, round here we have the national health service, mind you I don't think they clear chiropractors. Oh well.

Daaaaaaaaaaamn man I was just kiddin. (Dogs are still better) I wasn't implying anything by asking if you could close the #3. I was just curious since you have awsome grip strength if you could close it. Hope your neck gets better soon. Pinched nerves = teh suck

Americans really don't understand when someone is kidding do they, I never believed it but you guys just don't understand the English. I'm currently not far off closing a clamped #2, the #3 is far off but I'm making progress. You'll know when I do, I'll have a freakin' party (there will be cake).

 

[bacon]

Americans really don't understand when someone is kidding do they?

*puts on serious face*

Blow me.

 

[SmashiusClay]

I've always had trouble doing pistols with my right leg, I assumed I had some onesidedness issues steming from years of MT and thought that all I had to do was some more unilateral work. Despite improving unilateral ability I was still finding pistols very difficult on that side.


Then, during a post workout stretch last week, I realised that my left ankle has a reduced fleixbility compared to my right (probably the result of a skiing accident years back where I really fucked my ankle up). So, I decided to try doing pistols with my heel elevated (four issues of national geographic to be precise). Sudenly pistols are just as easy in that leg, no balance or strength issues.

Pistols: 2x10 per leg

Plus some gripper work and levering.

 

[graedy]

I have the same problem in my left ankle. Was a basketballaccident. Tendon ripped with a loud noise. I think about getting some oly liftign shoes so I can do Pistols and ass to grass olystylesquats without always searching the plates to step on with my heels after the unrack.

 

[SmashiusClay]

Press day

Bench:

30 (66) x10
50 (110) x3
70 (154) x3
90 (198) x3
107.5 (236.5) x3,3,3,2,2,1 (14 total reps)​

Decline bench:

70 (154) x6
90 (198) x3x5​

3 Second pause bench (index fingers on rings):

70 (154) x5
80 (176) x5,3,3​

Horizontal pullups:

2x10​

Gripper work and some steel bending, plus rotator cuff exercises.

 

[SmashiusClay]

I feel both my squat and bench need a lot more frequency, I've got the muscle strength but a lot of it is poor form and a lack of practice with my new bench grip. So I'm going to do a 5x5, but as I also want to work on my weighted pullups (for rEmy's comp. I'm replacing the dynamic rows with weighted pullups on days 1&3 and will be doing a few sets of horizontal pullups on day 2. Squatting 3 times a week should be good for me (this time i'll do them in my PL stance, last time I did them narrow stance and they really helped my strength but I need to work on my actual PLing squat) and benching twice a week with my new wide grip will soon bring my strength off the chest up to par.