Week 2 of 18

Block 1, Week 2

Day 1 (Wednesday, 2/23/11)

Bench
4x195
3x205
2x215
4x215
3x230
2x2x247.5 (90%, misload + 2.5)

Squat
1x5x250 (50%)
2x4x295 (60%)
2x3x345 (70%)
5x2x395 (80%) [belted]

NG Pullups
5x5

Squat (no belt)
1x3x270 (55%)
1x3x320 (65%)
4x3x370 (75%)

Ab wheel
4x6

Supinated band pullaparts
5x10xmonster mini

Comments: Squats slowly but surely are coming along.  And bench went well.  When I first started Sheiko I was working off a 385 squat max and double squat sessions were fun, now that I'm working off a 110 pound higher max (495), I don't associate the same pleasant feelings with double sessions.



Day 2 (Friday, 2/25/11)

Deadlift
1x5x290 (50%)
2x4x345 (60%)
2x3x405 (70%)
5x2x460 (80%)

Bench
1x4x135
2x3x165
4x2x195 (70%)

Snatch grip Deadlift
5x225
5x5x285

Bogart Pulldowns
12x90
12x100
8x110
8x100

Dragon flags
4x5

Band Face Pulls
4x12xlight

Comments: I think my deadlift form right now is better than ever.  I have my hips a little higher and I am using the bar to pull myself into position forcing everything tight.  As for keeping my upper back locked in, I am finding it more productive to look straight ahead than look up . . . it seems easier to continue extending as I break the bar off the floor if I am not at "end range" extension at the start of the pull (note: Eriek Nickson is the best I have seen at this).

And a little rant: I'm going to stop writing "pause bench" in my log, because every time I bench now I pause it.  I got in the habit of writing pause bench when I was doing RTS and there were 10,000 variants of bench exercises including touch and go and soft touch bench.  So when I write bench, it means I am doing the competition exercise, not using some variation of the competition exercise.



Day 3 (Sunday, 2/27/11) 

Floor Press w/chains
5x165
5x165+25lb chains
5x165+50lb
5x165+75lb

Squat (no belt)
1x4x250 (50%)
1x4x295 (60%)
2x3x345 (70%)
6x3x370 (75%)

DB Bench w/4 sec. pause (neutral grip)
5x50
5x60
3x5x70

Squat (no belt)
1x3x270 (55%)
1x3x320 (65%)
4x2x370 (75%)

NG Pullups
6x3x+15lb

Reverse BB Curls
3x10x65

Comments: Floor presses were a bit harder than they should have been but Wednesday was a difficult day on bench.  Squats are finally coming back, handling the volume much better now.  Overall it was a good week.

Week 1 of 18

Block 1, Week 1

Day 1 (Wednesday, 2/16/11)

Pause Bench
4x205
3x215
2x225
4x215
3x225
2x2x235 (85%)

Squat
1x5x250 (50%)
2x5x295 (60%)
5x5x345 (70%) [last two sets belted, HARD]

NG Pullups
5x5

Ab wheel
4x6

Supinated band pullaparts
5x10

Comments: Squats were pretty damn hard today.  The calve injury still has some healing to do which probably has at least a little something to do with squats being hard.  Also it seems like after the narrow stance, high bar squatting it takes a couple of sessions to get my form back.  Benching went well.  I have to pay more attention to my stance, I tend not to tuck my right leg back as far as my left leg.



Day 2 (Friday, 2/18/11)

Pause Bench
2x4x135
3x3x165 (60%)

Deadlift
1x5x290 (50%)
2x4x345 (60%)
2x3x405 (70%)
5x3x430 (75%)

Snatch Grip Deadlift
5x225
3x5x275

Band Face Pulls
5x12xlight

Dragon Flags
4x5

Comments: Even the really light bench technique day seems to irritate my left shoulder a little.  Going to keep after it, I may be arriving at a solution (more external rotation in a palms up position, mostly using short bands just above elbows).

Deadlift form felt tight, just wasn't used to this much volume.  Erectors felt smoked.



Day 3 (Saturday, 2/19/11)

Floor press w/chains
5x160
5x160+25lb chains
5x160+50lb
5x160+75lb

Squat (no belt)
1x5x250 (50%)
2x4x295 (60%)
2x3x345 (70%)
5x3x370 (75%)

4 sec. pause DB bench
5x50
5x60
2x5x70

NG Pullups
5x3x+15lb

Reverse BB curls
3x10x60

Comments: I moved this session up a day because I was worried the winter storm on Sunday would prevent me from being able to go to the gym.  There was rumor that the city snow plowing crew would go on strike.  Although it turned out I could have trained today, I think the extra day of rest after my first week will be beneficial.

I'm liking the floor presses w/chains, so far so good.  Similar enough to the competition exercise that I anticipate good carryover without being so similar that it confuses my competition exercise movement pattern (like reverse band bench and board benching seems to do).

Squats were hard today but I knew they would be on less rest.  I was glad to get through them without a belt.  Overall a good first week.

I'm not going absolutely ape shit on the accessory work because: (1) I might be getting smarter; (2) I know it is staying the same for ~12 weeks and I'm not in a huge hurry to push it to the limit.  I'm going to guess (2).

Transition

Session 1 of 5 (Friday, 2/4/11)

3+ sec. Pause Olympic Squat
1x4x250 (50%)
4x4x295 (60%)

Incline Pause Bench
5x95
5x115
3x5x135
3x155

3 Stop Pause Bench
3x125
3x135
3x150

NG Pullups
5x5

Dragon Flags
4x5

Band Face Pulls
4x10xlight

Comments: Love the pause olympic squats, they are hard with very little weight.  I suck at inclines even more than I remembered, I am going to make these my primary bench accessory exercise.  I thought the 3 stop pause bench would really improve my stability, but they don't feel as though they will do what I hoped, I'm not going to use them for now.  Didn't really consider training on Wednesday, we were getting 11 inches of snow that day, bus system was down, school was closed, and I figured I could use the extra rest.



Session 2 of 5 (Sunday, 2/6/11)

Snatch Grip Deadlift
5x135
5x185
5x225
5x245
5x265
5x285
2x5x305

4 sec. Pause DB Bench
5x45
5x55
5x65
5x70

Pause Bench
5x135
4x165
3x3x195 (70%)

Supinated Band Pullaparts
6x10xmini

Comments: Once I re-learned how to use straps, snatch grip deadlifts went pretty well.  It had been about 8 months since I had used them last and I forgot you need to go from underneath the bar, what a dummy!  I am planning on using this as my primary deadlift accessory exercise.  Since I have said what my primary bench and deadlift accessory exercises will be, I might as well write my primary squat accessory exercise as well: the squat.



Session 3 of 5 (Wednesday, 2/9/11) [begin bench training]

Pause Bench
4x195
3x205
2x215
4x205
3x215
2x2x225 (82%)

2+ sec. Pause Olympic Squat
4x250 (50%)
4x295 (60%)
4x4x320 (65%)

NG Pullups
5x5

Ab wheel
4x6

Supinated Band Pullaparts
5x10

Comments: I felt ready to start bench training again so today marked the first day of the new program.  So far so good, got some good long pauses in and we'll see how the next couple weeks go, I'll get up to doubles at 245 on my last sets in 2 weeks.  I should take a picture of how red my face gets by the last rep on my pause squats, fun stuff.



Session 4 of 5 (Friday, 2/11/11)

Pause Bench
1x4x135
2x3x165
2x2x195 (70%)

Deadlift
5x290
4x345
3x3x405 (70%)
*add suit (35 Inzer Max DL)
1x455
1x475
1x495
1x515 (90%)

Snatch Grip Deadlift
5x225
3x5x275

Dragon Flags
3x6

Band Face Pulls
6x10xlight

Comments: Got some light technique work on bench, I think doing this mid-week will be productive.  I also tried a couple of deadlift suits.  I got the 46 Metal King Deadlifter on without much issue but it was extremely tight.  There was no way in hell I was getting down to the bar, couldn't even open my knees in it.  It felt a lot more like a squat suit.  The Inzer was much better, and that is the suit I intend to put my energy into as my prep for this meet.  I probably could handle a size smaller but this will be great for now.



Session 5 of 5 (Sunday, 2/13/11)

Floor Press w/chains
5x155+25lb chains
5x155+50lb chains
5x155+75lb chains

2+ sec. Pause Olympic Squat
4x250 (50%)
4x295 (60%)
4x4x320 (70%)

4 sec. Pause DB Bench
5x45
5x55
5x65
5x70
5x65

NG Pullups
4x3x+15lb

Pendlay Rows
3x8x135

Reverse BB Curls
3x10x55

Comments: First week of the new bench program went well.  And I feel ready to jump into my squat and deadlift program next week.  I think I'll keep the pause Olympic squats in the mix for this program.  After being videoed on the first work set I noticed I wasn't keeping my upper back posture  as well as I should.  On the next sets I focused more on keeping my back tight out of the hole and it really seemed to stimulate the back in a way that is similar to the deadlift.  For that reason I'll do this exercise as a second movement on Sundays, but not on Wednesdays to ensure I'm fresh for Friday deadlifts.


Sunday 2/6 Snatch Grip Deadlift: 5x305
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3RUZgjauXw




Sunday 2/13 Pause Olympic Squat: 4x320
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8PrIzvJo8A

The Deadlift, 600 and beyond

Now is the time for my deadlift to take off.  It was nearly 15 months ago when I pulled an ugly 540 for the first time as I was just starting to pull in a suit.  I missed 584 at the last meet by an extremely narrow margin.  My resolve to pull a smooth 600 at the meet in June is strong, now what do I need to do:

I need to improve my starting position.  High hips, stretched chest, locked upper back, open knees.  I tend to drop my hips when I feel I'm getting little pop out of my suit.  I've been pulling in a loose suit for awhile now, it is time to get use to a suit that gives me something off the ground.  I need to increase my upper back strength so that I can maintain my positioning as I initiate the pull, that is where snatch grip deadlifts and other accessory work come in.  As for open knees, I need to do mobility drills so this positioning first becomes possible, then becomes "comfortable."

Thanks to the people who have patiently helped me with my deadlift.  Eriek has been amazingly helpful over the last couple of months.

Here is an article that highlights the changes that need to be made:
http://www.elitefts.com/documents/strong_deadlifts.htm

And Belyaev really showcases the set-up changes I need to make. Note when he sets his back and gets his hips in position he drops his hips minimally, the movement is not sudden, it is calculated. His upper body and lower body are moving in conjunction with one another:

Badger Open Training Cycle

I'm putting together my training cycle and figured I'd write something about it for future reference.  Although the meet isn't scheduled yet, I imagine I'll have 17-18 weeks to prepare.  This gives me three 5 week blocks potentially a deload week in there somewhere and a taper, perfect.

Squat: I'll continue working off a Sheiko #37 template with a 495 raw max, 657 suited max.  During week 5 of the first block I'll put my loose suit on and with straps up I'll do 5x3x80-85%.  During the second block I'll get in the loose suit in week 4 doing triples and then in week 5 I'll put the medium suit on and do 3-4x2x85-90%.  In the third block I will do a week in the loose suit with triples, a week in the competition suit working up to ~645, between first and second attempts (3 weeks out), and my opener in the competition suit (2 weeks out).

Bench: I will emphasize raw bench for about 12 weeks, then get in the bench shirt for about 5 weeks.  Hopefully after the raw cycle I will have built enough strength to handle the Katana.  During the raw cycle I will do a "heavy," "medium," and "light" day.  The "heavy" day will be pause bench, the "medium" day close grip bench, and the "light" day incline bench and bench w/3 stops on way up.  I'll rotate among 4x5, 4x4, and 4x3, starting quite conservatively in the first 3 week block.  During my competition cycle I will continue to press 3 times a week, Wednesday shirt bench, and Friday and Sunday will be unequipped pause bench, 2-3 reps at 80-85% for the most part.  I find this helps reinforce the shirt groove, fairly long pause and then press in a straightish line--break the tendency to start pressing toward my face right off the chest.

Deadlift: I plan to use the following progression:
Week 1: 5x3@75%
Week 2: 5x2@80%
Week 3: 5x3@80%
Week 4: 4x2@85-90% (suit)
Week 5: 3x1@90-95% (suit)

I'll start off a 575 max and try to add weight each block.  I probably won't hit anything heavier than about 550 in this training cycle leading up to the meet.  This will get me in a deadlift suit 6 times before the meet.  I'm going to be using a tighter deadlift suit, either an Inzer Max DL or a Metal King Deadlifter so I'll need a decent amount of practice.  During my third block I'll likely do singles in the deadlift suit twice.  At three weeks out I'll work up to something between my first and second attempts, probably somewhere around 550-555, then my opener at two weeks out.  Also, I'll do sets of 5 with snatch grip deadlifts each week trying to build the upper back so it is more solid at the start of the pull.  The progression will look something like this.

Week 1: 5x5
Week 2: 4x5 +10-15lb
Week 3: 3x5 +20-30lb
Week 4: 5x5 (90% of week 1)
Week 5: 5RM