Can't deadlift for toffee

I normally go with dont touch it unless it completley stops. Then when they try to touch it becuase its slow i say 'mine'! then then next time it normally takes 'mine mine'! and the third 'mine mine mine'!!
Also, If you add I really want to work my pecs and feel the burn their more likely to understand what your after.

Ah yes, of course - the direct route into the simple brain of the average commercial gym member.


Wednesday 30th Jan

Introduced some shoulder work on its own day. Using moderate poundage as I don't want to destroy my front delts for benching on Friday.

Fat bas***d Chins 5,5,5,4
Standing military press 70 X 5, 75 X 5, 80 X 4, 82.5 X 4
Reverse curls (EZ bar) 37 X 8, 42 X 6, 44.5 X 5
Grip work 4 sets
Sit ups (40kg DB on chest) X 10, 10

Squats are getting harder now - I need to back off on the poundages and do some more rep work. I tried front squats just to see if they were as uncomfortable as I remember. Yep, even more so if anything, despite the miniscule poundage.

Squats (about 90-95% 1RM) 195 X 1,1,1,1

Front squats 70 X 6, 80 X 5

Bench Press (paused, about 95% 1RM), worked up to: 145 X 1, 1

Decline CG bench press (Smith machine) 105 X 10, 125 X 6, 5

Static holds 4-5 sets.

Face pulls "15" X 8,8,6

Monday 4/2/08

Couldn't resist having a little play on deadlifts to see how my grip was coming along. It held up well until 220, where it slipped just as I was locking out. I think the bars here might be a little slippier than in some places which doesn't help.

Never mind, that's a 15kg PB without straps for me. Had a little break from high percentage bench press as well. 130 for 10 touch and go, whereas I was doing 137.5 X8 before I swapped to powerlifting training . So max RM strength doesn't necessarily help with strength for reps.

Deadlift 170 X 1, 180 X 1, 190 X 1, 200 X 1, 210 X 1, 215 X 1

Hyperextensions body X 10, 2.5 X 10, 5 X 10, 5 X 10

Bench Press (touch and go) 130 X 10

Lying DB extensions 26.5 X 6,5,5

130x10 is excellent benching, well done on the deadlifts too!

If you can bench 130x10 you're definitely good for more than 145. My best's 120x10 and I'm probably good for at least 155.

Thanks gents, comments are much appreciated.

I think I could probably get 155kg. The main problem is that I get quite a lot of pain on the way down and this really limits me on heavier poundages. I am trying (a) cissus supplementation (b) face pulls and lots of back work (c) elbows in, shoulderblades squeezed etc (d) stretching (when I remember).

I went to see an Active Release Therapist in London for a brachioradialis/brachialis issue and he was really good, if I could just get down there again, I'm sure he would help my chest/shoulder issues.

Also, I'm chasing your total Rick (though mine is only in the gym )

I used to have tremendous lowering pain trouble. The answer for me seems to have been (a) not trying for an exaggerated elbow tuck (along with generally improving bench form), (b) lots of empty bar sets to start and (c) two ibuprofen an hour before touching the bar, as a matter of routine on every session (benching or squatting).

My total's only in the gym too mate, albeit at that Sugden meet - it'll be a few months yet before I have an official three-lift total .

That's interesting, I might experiment with widening them out a bit.

Wednesday 6-02-08

No curls tonight as the chins seemed to be more than enough. MPs are coming along nicely, cleaning from the floor (not each rep)seems to set me up just right.

Fat bas***d Chins: bodyweight X 6,5,4,4

Military Press: 70 X 5, 75 X 5, 80 X 4, 85 X 4

Sit ups: bodyweight X two sets, 45kg DB X 8, 8

Grip work with DBs: Four sets

IMO you want a fairly "natural" elbow position. When you tuck them in "like a gay pterodactyl", to quote the great Wendler, I think there's always going to be the danger of tendon pain there. If you're lowering to the proper point on your chest and keeping your elbows under the bar they'll tuck the proper amount naturally anyway.

The Olympic Bar Man Cometh!

I normally train on Fridays instead of Saturdays, so Olympic Bar Man's (OBM) path and mine don't cross often. I had forgotten just how annoying OBM is.

There are only two olympic bars in my gym. OBM uses the olympic bar for everything, including shrugs (40kg), curls (30kg), rows (approx 45kg) and overhead press (30kg). I also use the olympic bar for almost everything, meaning if OBM is in, I usually have to wait forever for this empty-headed blood-clot to finish. Oh, and he does curls in the squat rack on occasion.

Any way, tried out front squats with a Sting Ray (TM) today. Fantastic! At last, a gadget that actually works.It 's two bits of polyurethane that sit on your front delts. The bar then sits in a groove in the pads. At £45, it's not cheap, but it really seems to get rid of all the issues I have with fronties. It's the first time I've ever felt confident enough to experiment with a bit more weight.

Backed off on the bench press weights and added some more volume.

Front squats

70 X 5
80 X 5
90 X 5
100 X 5
110 x 3

Face pulls

"15" X 9 - three sets

Bench Press

112.5 X 6 (paused)
120 X 6 (paused)
120 X 6
120 X 4
120 X 4

Grip work with fat bar

Tuesday 12th Feb

Deadlifts

70 X 6
100 X 5
120 X 3
150 X 1
170 X 1
180 X 1
200 X 2,2,2

Stiff legged deadlifts 140 X 6, 6

Hyperextensions bodyweight X 10, 10kg plate behind head X 6, 6

Bench Press (all paused)

125 X 2, 2
132.5 X 2, 2
150 X negative

I can press 150 I think, but that's what the program calls for at this stage...

What program? Forgive me if you've already mentioned it.

I haven't mentioned it, but I forgive you anyway. It's a bench press program I found a while back at this site: [url=]http://www.joeskopec.com/programs.html [/url]. It's optimistically titled "Add 50 bench". The explanation article link is broken, all that's left is the spreadsheet.

I'm too stupid to figure out how to import a table or spreadsheet into the post, but essentially:

Bench press is trained twice a week
One day uses higher rep ranges, the other lower rep ranges
Intensity increases, volume decreases, over the cycle
Some days employ a negative rep or one set taken to failure.

I don't really know what I'm doing with this powerlifting stuff as yet, so I thought I'd give it a go. I'm not under any illusions that it will add 50lbs to my bench, though.