View All Posts: Aquarian
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| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 31-12-2015 @ 12:06 | ||
| Done yesterday! Had at best 3 hours of sleep after the last workout and probably less than 2 - I think the system was too shocked after 4 days rest and then a marathon session. LBBS 20x10,60x6,100x4,140x3,160x2,180x1(belt),190x1,140x3 - surprisingly smooth and not sore at all. 180 was easy again, 190 was tougher. I'll probably try and rep 180 next time and then attempt 200. Conv DL 20x10,70x4,100x3,140x2,180x1,190x0,190x1,200x1,220x1 - hooked up to 180 and got it first time, albeit I cheated by using a smooth and probably slightly thinner WL bar. Missed 190 and then switched to regular mixed, right pronated, which was fine. Back felt better at the end than the beginning which has been rare on the DL recently! BP (middle on ring, tng) 20x20,40x10,60x6,80x4,100x3,120x2,60x10 - pec was fine, chest was pretty tight from yesterday but got better and feels fine now. OHP (close grip) 20x10,40x6,60x3,80x2,90x1,40x10 - apart from the left glute issue absolutely fine, no elbow problems at all. Pretty short and sweet (like the writeup which I'm sure the sugden DB will appreciate!). A few hours later had another marathon moving session carrying a few 100kg's of stuff up and down stairs into and out of cars and flats and getting pissed on by storm Frank! Thankfully slept well last night and ready for another session today and more of the same. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 30-12-2015 @ 10:26 | ||
Post Edited: 30.12.2015 @ 11:48 AM by Aquarian 2nd attempt at posting this - stupidly closed the browser before submitting and after writing my usual essay! Workout done yesterday after 4 days of rest - 2 down to gym closed because of chrimbo and 2 due to moving house. Dropped 3kg of bw in between thanks to a lot of gpp - packing, loading, carrying, unloading and unpacking!BP (max grip paused) 20x20,40x10,60x6,80x4,100x3,120x2 - left pec was somewhat sore throughout but speed was good. 150x3 - not very smooth! 160x3 - even less so! 170x2,1 - 2nd rep was a bit wobbly and 3rd was done after 2 mins rest. 140x8 - switched to middle finger on ring. Elbow was fine. Bit disappointed not to get 10 but a bit de-conditioned after a long break! I'll go back to middle finger grip BP from now on since the elbow feels fine now and I think it's a better grip for me strength wise. May also drop the cambered bar bench or reduce it since it seems to have caused the recent pec issue. OHP (medium grip paused) 20x10,40x6,60x3,80x2,90x3,100x3,110x3(belt),80x10 - once again a bit of niggle in the left glute on the first couple of sets. Rest were fine but 110 was a bit too horizontal. Dumbell Bench (neutral grip paused) 10x10,20x10,30x10,40x10,20x20 - other than the left forearm pain setting up on the first rep with the 40's all were good and fast. Lat Raises 2.5x10,5x10,7.5x10,5x20,5x20 - bit painful on the left rear delt to start with but it settled down. LBBS 20x10,60x6,100x6,140x4,160x3,180x1(belt),100x10 - all good, minimal pain and 180 was very fast with the belt on. Conv DL 20x10,70x6,100x4,140x3,180x0,170x2,180x0,180x1,200x1,220x1,230x1(belt) - hooked up to 180 which I failed twice due to not chalking on the first attempt and not having a secure grip on the 2nd. Pain was fine but I think not being used to hooking the grip fatigued quite fast so it will take time to adapt. After 180 switched to a wide mixed which was fine on the back just a bit slow. Barbell Shrugs (wide) 20x10,60x10,100x10,140x10(straps),180x10 - good, first time in weeks done a wide grip shrug. Thought about hooking some of the sets but thumbs said "are you nuts?" Dumbell Rows 10x10,20x10 - getting really hungry now so only did 2 sets to avoid the inevitable cramp. Thick Bar EZ Curls 10x10,20x10,30x10,20x20 - all good. Insanely long workout and hopefully the last of its kind. Good session after a long break but slept s**t last night. Feeling ok today, back is quite tight but not painful. Since I'm now living a short walk from the gym I've decided to make a radical change and train every day where possible. I'll try either squatting, benching, ohp'ing and probably deadlifting every session or doing that 4 times a week and then doing the assistance work on the other 3 days. Volume for the main lifts will be lower, intensity will vary according to how I feel, and I'll change the exercise variation (eg neutral grip bp vs straight grip or lbbs vs hbbs) per workout. Assistance work will be done 2-3 times a week with more volume. Hopefully this will lead to better performance, general fitness and recovery and definitely less time per session. Next workout later today...should be interesting! | |||
| » Hook grip advice. (Go to post) | 25-12-2015 @ 02:23 | ||
| IDK if anyone has seen this but I just saw this video and it is very instructive. I may just try hooking till my back recovers. It's a FB Video so IDK how to embed it here but the video is near the top (or check the videos section) labelled "Check out this video by RTS Coach Mark Robb on hook grip technique for deadlift.": [url=]https://www.facebook.com/ReactiveTrainingSystems/ [/url] Turn the volume up he's got quite the monotone drawl! | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 25-12-2015 @ 01:36 | ||
| I think this may just have been the longest time I've ever spent in a gym!!!! Slept s**tty after the last workout but pretty well last night. Left knee was a bit iffy yesterday but everything else was pukka! Wide Neutral Grip BP (paused) 16x20,36x10,46x6,76x4,96x3,116x2,146x3,156x3,166x1,146x5,96x17 - generally ok but did get some pain in the left pec although fairly minor. I could've done 2 reps with 166 but the first one was quite slow and I didn't want to risk grinding out another. Elbow was fine throughout. Medium Neutral Grip OHP (paused) 16x10,36x6,56x3,76x2,96x3,106x3(belt),116x1,96x4,76x9 - had a bit of sharp pain in the left buttock area on the first few sets on pressing up from the bottom but it didn't last. Wasn't too happy with the 106 and 116 sets as I was leaning back too much. Wide Grip Cambered Bar BP (paused) 18x20,38x10,58x6,78x4,98x3,118x2,128x3,138x3,98x15,58x20 - didn't enjoy these too much as the left pec was moderately sore throughout at the bottom. I think I may have to just do these light with high reps to avoid straining the pecs. Pausing too much at the bottom also makes it a bit risky. LBBS 20x10,60x6,100x4,140x3,160x3,180x2,190x1(belt),120x10(beltless) - pretty good, bit of pain in the right lower and middle quads but back was fine. 190 with the belt on felt much easier than beltless so I'll probably put the belt on at 180 or heavier next time. TBDL (beltless) 40x10,90x6,140x6,190x6,240x6 - all good, bit of tightness in the back initially but went away after a few sets. Had a lot more in the tank too. Seated Rows 180x10,240x10,300x10,360x10 - ok just cut out the 420 set due to time constraints. Lat Raises 2.5x20,5x20,7.5x10,5x20,2.5x30 - good pumping sets. Wide Grip Lat Pulldown 60x10,60x10 - first set in front and 2nd behind. Haven't done these in years and they felt a bit awkward and tight in the pecs. Thick Bar EZ Curls 10x15,20x15,30x15,30x15,20x15,10x30 - mega pumped biceps! Nuts but bloody enjoyable! 3 days to recover now gym is closed boxing day. Next up LBBS, DL, other leg stuff and light BP/OHP. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 23-12-2015 @ 02:16 | ||
| Left pec was pretty sore last two days as was the left acl when walking slowly. LBBS (beltless, medium wide stance) 20x10, 60x10, 100x6, 140x4, 180x2, 140x6, 100x10 - all were ok, no back issues or groin issues. Felt a bit of pain in the right upper quad but nothing major. Mostly came down slowly and paused a bit at the bottom and then pushed the abs out hard and squeezed the bar when coming up. Went all the way down and kept the head neutral or slightly down. 180 was a bit wobbly but mainly due to not having gone this heavy or deep beltless in a long time. Very encouraging and I'll continue squatting every workout and eventually try some closer stance high bar too. Trap Bar DL (all tng, beltless, strapless) 40x10,90x6,140x6,190x6,240x6,290x1,300x1 - immense, no back issues or grip issues, only some tightness in the left bicep on the 300. I believe 300 is an all-time beltless and strapless pb. Glad I persisted with the tbar rather than trying wide grip conv dl's. Let's see how far I can get with these beltless and strapless - I think 330 or 340 is my best with belt and straps. I think I can get pretty close to that without any supportive gear. Leg Extensions 160x10,220x10,280x10,340x10,220x15,160x20 - all good only a bit of pain in the left knee on the 280 set but it didn't persist. Bench Press (max grip, paused) 20x20,40x10,60x6,80x4,40x20 - left pec was fine. I started feeling a bit tight on the 80 so stopped there and went down and then felt a lot better. OHP (medium grip, paused) 20x10,40x10,60x10,20x20 - good, no issues other than a bit of wrist tightness on the 60's not wearing the wrist wraps. Wrist Roller 10x5,15x5,10x5 - the most awesome forearm pump ever! Damn good session all over! Next up Neutral Grip Pressing, Curlz, and finishing off with Squats and Pulls. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 20-12-2015 @ 22:57 | ||
Post Edited: 21.12.2015 @ 00:22 AM by Aquarian Another mega marathon session!BP (Max Grip Paused) 20x20,40x10,60x6,80x4,100x3,120x2 - got a weird pain in the left pec just getting the hand into position and unracking the bar. Almost stopped there as it refused to go away. 140x5 - fine, thankfully the pec pain went down to virtually nothing. 150x5 - ok, better than last time when I only got 4. 160x3.99,1 - lost my breath after the 3rd and just missed the 4th rep lockout on the right side. 5th rep was pretty comfortable done after 60s or so. Still a 1.99 rep improvement over the last time! 120x10 - easy, could have done a few more. Hopefully the pec issue isn't serious and was just some residual soreness left over from the last upper session. Elbow was absolutely fine throughout. OHP (medium grip, paused, beltless) 20x10,40x6,60x3 - all ok. 80x5 - easy. 90x5 - easy. 100x5 - ok, last rep was a bit slow and horizontal. 60x12 - pumped! No elbow pain at all - dare I say it but last 2 straight bar pressing sessions have been almost pain free and I may just have overcome this issue. Dumbell Bench (neutral grip, paused) 10x10,20x10,30x10,40x8,20x15 - got the forearm pain on the 40's again and probably gassed after all the volume on the ohp and bp. I may just try switching to a pronated grip on these next time if the elbow is fine. Lat Raises 2.5x10,5x10,7.5x10,10x10,5x20,5x15 - ok till the 10's when the delts got a bit sore. Front Raises 2.5x10,5x10,7.5x10,10x10,5x20 - not really feeling much in the front delts doing these. I may just ditch these and do lat pulldowns or dumbell press instead. Shrugs (narrow) 20x10,60x10,100x10,140x10(straps),180x10,220x10,100x20 - got some pain in the left forearm doing these. Grip was so weak by the time I hit the 140's couldn't do 1 rep with them without straps! Last drop set with the 100's was done strapless. Dumbell Rows 10x10,20x10,30x10,40x10(6 left side) - got cramp on the 40's on the left side so stopped at 6. Thick Bar EZ Curls 10x3x30 - just some light pumping LBBS (beltless) 20x10,60x6,100x6,140x3, 60x6 - wasn't planning on going that heavy but had zero pain doing these and managed to go as deep as possible with a medium wide stance. Only issue was getting into the low bar position the first few sets as the shoulders and arms were jacked! I think I may just have found a solution to my squatting issues - more forward lean, weight on mid-foot, head slightly down. If the groin is fine and I can keep the upper back tight...watch this space. May try squatting and pulling a bit every workout from now on. Excellent session and very encouraging. Next up - back feels fine today and was ok yesterday too. So I will probably do some pulls from the ground - may squat first though - maybe try wide grip pulls or tbar pulls again. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 19-12-2015 @ 01:25 | ||
| Slept poorly post last workout. Back felt stiff before training for some reason - was fine yesterday. DL 20x10,70x8,100x6,140x3,180x2,220x1 - ok up to this point. 230x3 - ok 240x1(straps) - ok but was feeling tight in the back so stopped there. Could've maybe done more reps with 240 or gone to 250 with the belt on. Box Squats (narrow stance, just above parallel) 20x10,60x6,100x6,140x6 - all ok. 180x3 - quite slow. 200x2(belt) - as above. 210x1 - very slow. Stopped there as it was getting close to the limit. 2 holes lower than last time and was a lot tougher. But I think I tried to stay too upright and it wasn't conducive to getting much force out of the hole. LBBS (medium wide stance) 60x3,100x3,140x3,180x1 - surprisingly these were quite comfortable. Had to push the core out hard at the bottom when coming up to avoid stressing the back/glute and depth was marginal but encouraging. Maybe I can do these instead of the box squats or hbbs and it may be easier on the back - counter intuitively. Seated Leg Curls 100x10,140x10,180x10,220x10,140x15,100x20 - all ok. Hip Abduction 5x10,10x10x15x10,21x10,10x10 - all ok Hip Adduction 5x10,10x10,5x10 - ok, bit weaker than usual. On the plus side I didn't aggravate the injury again - on the minus side the back was still sore after the pulls and box squats but the lbbs was pretty good and I may be able to do these from now on. I may just drop all the pulls for a few weeks and just squat and see if that feels better. At this point getting a really sore and stiff back for the sake of pulling 240-260 doesn't seem to be worth it. See how it feels in a few days. Next up BP 3x5 up to 160, ohp 3x5 probably up to 100 and then more pec and shoulder blasters! | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 17-12-2015 @ 00:44 | ||
| Pain in the leg had thankfully cleared up and everything else felt fine. Wide Neutral Grip BP (paused) 16x20,36x10,56x6,76x4,96x3,116x2, 136x5,146x5,156x4,1 - all good, last set waited about 60s between 4th and 5th reps. 96x15 - nice pumping set to finish. Medium Neutral Grip OHP (paused) 16x10,36x6,56x3, 76x5,86x5,96x5 - all good, easier than expected. 76x15 - nice pump again. Wide Neutral Grip Cambered Bar BP (paused) 18x10,38x6,58x3,78x3,98x3,118x5,128x5,138x3 - good, last set could have done 4 but it would have been a grind and the pecs and delts were getting a bit irritable. Seated Rows 180x10,240x10,300x10,360x10,420x10 - should have stopped at 360 as the forearms were getting sore and the 420's were not fully locked out. Lateral Raises - 2.5x20 - almost to the limit rep wise. Front Raises - 2.5x20 - much easier could have 25 or 30 per side. ohp - 20x2x10 - close and wide grip. Thick Bar EZ Curls 10x20,20x20,30x20,20x20,10x10(5 s eccentric on these) - could have gone bit heavier after the 30's as all the drop sets were a bit too easy. And that was it! Good session. I forgot to do shrugs on the last upper workout but didn't have time to fit them in. Next up the voyage continues to try and find a acceptable limit on deadlifts without aggravating the glute/back issues. I had some pain the left knee walking back from the gym which is worrying since I didn't do any pulls today so it may be an issue next time. Also will continue with box squats and try putting the box lower to about parallel. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 15-12-2015 @ 00:12 | ||
| Feeling generally ok apart from a very irritating throbbing pain in the right leg somewhere between the quad and ham. Did totally demolish a printer too pre-workout which may or may not have helped... Trap Bar DL Bar weighed 40kg I discovered afterwards and with pretty thick handles! 40x10,90x6,140x6,190x4,240x3(belt),260x3(straps),290x1 - no pain at all but tougher than I expected from previous experience although most of that may have been down to the trap bar having lower and thicker handles than the last one I used. Pretty sure I managed 330-340 last time but I was very wary of pushing it too far and at 290 it felt quite slow. HBBS Out of the blue decided I'd give this a shot with the most excellent Jack Revans and his cap for company! 20x2x10,40x6,60x6,80x6,100x3(belt),120x2,140x1,160x1 - not too bad back wise but got a bit uncomfortable in the right glute/hip area. Could have gone a bit heavier but it was getting a bit strainy. Leg Extensions 160x10,220x10,280x10,340x10,280x10,220x15,160x20 - all good just cut the top weight a bit to avoid any knee issues later. Rolling Thunder - great name! 10,20,30,40,50 - Managed around 10s up to the 40 and then 5s with the right and much less with the left with the 50's. Left forearm and hand weren't happy with the 50. Wrist Roller 5x5,10x5 - unbelievable pumping! Decent session and so far no pain. Hope the same is true tomorrow! Next up the return of the neutral grip extravaganza! Sets of 5s or 6s for the pressing and then some major shrugging and curling to follow! | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 12-12-2015 @ 23:14 | ||
| Pretty sore in the right side and leg yesterday. Today side and back were better but leg was still throbbing a bit. BP (Max Grip, Paused) Warmups 20x20,40x10,60x6,80x4,100x3,120x2 - all good, no pain. Working Sets 150x1 - good. 170x1 - bit slow. 185x1 - pretty smooth, maybe could've done 190. Surprisingly had no pain in the elbow up to this weight and virtually none after doing it. I used some leg drive on my 3 working sets after seeing Sarychev doing it on his 335 and I think that helped both the lifts and the elbow. Pleased as punch! Push Press 20x6,40x4,60x3,80x2,100x1,110x1,120x1(belt),130x1,140x0 - on the last set didn't dip nearly enough and missed it comfortably. Got some pain in the left rear delt doing these. Elbow was fine till the 140 attempt. Biceps and forearms got pretty sore. Strict OHP (close grip, paused, beltless) 20x10,60x6,80x6,100x1 - very encouraging virtually no elbow pain. Again used more leg drive than usual and didn't grip the bar very hard. I think next time I do this workout I'll do the ohp rather than the pp and go moderately heavy. Dumbell Bench (neutral grip, paused) 10x10,20x10,30x10,40x10,47.5x8 - started getting forearm pain the left forearm on the 40's. Forgot to do the drop sets on this! Lateral Raise 2.5x10,5x10,7.5x10,10x10,5x15,2.5x15 - better than last time pain wise, turned the thumbs up a bit. Front Raise 2.5x10,5x10 - another blast from the bb past! Dumbell Rows 10x10,20x10,30x10 - thankfully no cramps this time, cut down the water consumption. EZ Curls (Thick bar) 10x3x20 - just some light pumping! Extremely pleased with the pressing strength and the lack of pain - more of the same on Monday would be awesome. Speaking of which I'll be doing Trap Bar DL's and then a load of machine work for the quads and hams. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 11-12-2015 @ 01:05 | ||
| Conv DL 20x10,70x8,100x6,140x3,180x2,220x1 - all good no issues at all 240x1 - got sharpish pain in the right back. 220x1 - straps on, was fine. 240x1 - belt on, ok again. 260x1 - ouch, got to the knees and as I started to lock felt a sharp pain in the right side and heard a loud click - which usually spells trouble. All the pain I hadn't felt in a week or so came back with a vengeance. Quite annoying there was no warning till the first 240 pull but having gotten the pain I should've stopped right there. Not smart at all! And it's still throbbing away nicely although most of the pain seems to be in the upper part of the leg rather than the back. Next time - if there is one - I'll go up to 220 and maybe do 1 single with 240 with the straps and belt on and stop there or do some drop sets with 220 or less. I think the mixed grip is just too risky to use with this problem and it has to be straps or nothing above 220. Box Squats (about 2in above parallel, close stance inside shoulders,beltless) 20x10,60x6,100x6,140x6,180x6,210x3,220x1 - absolutely fine no pain in the back at all as long as I kept pushing the core out hard throughout the rep. Kept the back as vertical as possible, looking up all the way through. Only pain I got was in the left lower quad / knee and it went away after a few sets. 210 should have been 200 - I misloaded the bar (probably too used to using the 25's) and put on 15's rather than 10's on the end but it felt fairly light. Great that I can do these - I'll experiment with going a bit lower but I think staying above parallel will be better for the back. Seated Leg Curls 100x10,140x10,180x10,220x10,260x10,180x10,140x15,100x15 - all good, no knee pain. Hip Abduction 5x10,10x10,15x10,21x10,15x10,10x15 - all good. Hip Adduction 5x10,10x10,13x3,8x10,6x15 - all good. That was it. Hopefully will be ok by Sat because it's bench max day - somewhere between 180 and 190 with the max grip. Then Push Press max hopefully above 140 and then lots of pumping and posing! | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 09-12-2015 @ 00:29 | ||
| Both yesterday and today had really bad pain in the right patellar. Left elbow was a bit tender too. Wide Neutral Grip BP (paused) 16x20,36x10,56x6,76x4,96x3,116x2,136x2,156x2,166x1,176x1! - Awesome 4 plates per side on the last set. Elbow was fine throughout. Wide Neutral Grip Cambered Bar BP (paused) 18x10,38x6,58x4,78x4,98x3,118x2,138x2,158x1 - easy until the last set which was tougher than expected and got a bit of elbow pain. Medium Neutral Grip OHP (paused) 16x10,36x6,56x3,76x2,96x2,116x1(belt + wrist wraps),121x1, 16x20 - 121 is a pb with this bar, leaned back a lot but fairly comfortable lock out. Seated Rows 180x10,240x10,300x10,360x10,420x10 - all good. Thick Ez Curls 10x10,20x10,30x10,40x10,20x25,20x20,20x15 - seriously bad-ass bicep pumps. I must've hit 20inches arm size right after doing these. After this tried some close grip benching with the bar and couldn't even come close to touching the chest the biceps were so pumped! BP 20x2x10 - first set medium grip, 2nd set middle finger on ring. OHP 20x2x10 - first set index on beginning of knurl, 2nd pinkie on ring - I started the first set just below the eye level due to the pumped up arms. Great session some uber neutral grip pressing and curling. Knee was absolutely fine afterwards - managed to squat rock bottom and sit there for 60s and zero pain. Elbow fine too now. Next up some dl's from the floor and another fine selection of lower body machine work to follow. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 07-12-2015 @ 13:16 | ||
JackRevans said:I thought you were never going to do sumo again Never say never! It was semi-sumo / squat stance. I might try trap bar next time. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 06-12-2015 @ 21:50 | ||
| Semi Sumo DL (texas dl bar) 20x10,70x8,100x6,140x3,180x2,220x1 - back was fine, right glute/thigh got sore from 180 so I stopped at 220 which was fairly slow getting it off the floor. Hadn't used the dl bar in ages so didn't pull the slack out, not that it would've mattered much with these weights. Tried Romanians with just the bar and it was sore straight away. I'll try the Trap bar next time I do this workout - sumo is probably going to cause pain in the right leg. Steps Ups (dumbells, about 15in) No weight x 10 (5 per leg), 10x10, 15x10 - laughable weights but felt it in the lower quads and the hands and traps surprisingly. Leg Extensions 160x10,220x10,280x10,340x10,380x8,280x10,220x15,160x20 - did the drop sets with less rest and got really pumped up. Knees were fine. Hyper Extensions 1x10 - ok, hamstrings started cramping pretty quickly so I was probably doing these correct! Reverse Hyper No weight x 5, 10x5,20x5,30x5,40x5 - ok but got pain in the left rear delt holding on to the handles unless I gripped tightly. BP 20x10x6 - did index on beginning of knurl, index between rings, pinkie on rings, ring finger on rings, middle on rings and index on rings - all painless. OHP 20x10x4 - index between rings, pinkie on rings, index on beginning of knurl (thumbless), pinkie on rings (thumbless) - all painless. Wrist Roller (cable) 5x5,10x5,15x5 - rolled and unrolled all the way, forearms got a great pump! Interesting session! May do some more grip / forearm work on the lower body sessions from now on since I have more time to fit them in here. Back feels fine now - healing slowly - would probably heal faster if I dropped deads altogether but for now I'll keep them in and just do moderate weights. Next up more neutral grip pressing, biceps and maybe some light straight bar presses. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 05-12-2015 @ 02:08 | ||
Post Edited: 05.12.2015 @ 14:32 PM by Aquarian Feeling pretty good aches and pains were down.BP (Max legal grip width, paused) Warmups 20x20,40x10,60x6,80x4,100x3,120x2 - bit of clicking in the left shoulder but virtually no pain. Elbow was fine so far. Working Sets 150x3 - bit more elbow pain but not too bad. Shoulders were fine. 160x3 - 3rd rep was a bit tough. 170x2,1 - Could've done 3 straight or at least attempted it with a spotter. 3rd rep done after 90s or so. 120x3,140x3 - just as an experiment tried a few sets with my old regular grip (pinkie on ring). 120 was fine,140 was a bit niggly on the elbow. I didn't squeeze the bar much at all doing these. So some improvement but probably not enough to go back to a closer grip. Encouraging think I'm good for 185 to 190 paused next week on this. Getting more used to the width and shoulders seem to be holding up fine. Push Press Warmups 20x10,40x6,60x3,80x2,100x1 - luckily no pain in the right leg. All good. Working Sets 120x2 - ok 130x2(belt) - ok 140x0x2 - missed the lockout at the same point in both reps - 3 to 4 in from the top. 100x3 - kept the elbows more vertical at the bottom, felt ok. 120x2 - as above but harder feeling a bit tired now. Happy I could do these at all. Possibly didn't drive as hard as normal due to fears about the leg. Shoulders, elbows and back were all ok doing this. Dumbell Bench (neutral grip, paused) 10x10,20x10,30x10,40x10,50x7,30x10 - Got a little painful in the left elbow from 40 onwards at the bottom. 50x7 is a one rep pb! Lat Raises 2.5x10,5x10,7.5x10,2.5x10 - back of left shoulder got sore from the 5's onwards but were fine with the 2.5's. A tip that I got was to point the thumbs up slightly and bend forward a bit to reduce the strain on the rear delts and it seemed to work. Upright Rows (narrow grip, slight use of hips) 20x10,30x10 - another blast from the past! No pain doing these. I'll probably go a bit heavier with these but won't do them too strictly - somewhere between a high pull and a cheating upright row. Shrugs (wide) 20x10,60x10,100x10,140x3,140x10(straps),180x10,220x10 - grip was a bit poor with the 140's. Bit of niggle in the left shoulder too shrugging at the top. Dumbell Rows 10x10,20x10,30x10 - again left rear delt was sore doing these. Got bad cramp in the abdomen doing the 30's with the left arm and had to stop after 4 reps. I think the longer workout and drinking too much water probably making me salt deficient and causing the cramps. Thick Ez Curls 10x20,10x25,10x30 - just pumping those guns baby! Another marathon session over and a good one too. Next up - either Romanian DL's or semi-sumo pulls from the floor. Will see how the back feels - it's much better today so might be able to pull from the floor again. And then lots and lots of other groovy movements! Stay tuned... | |||