March 17, 2015 Lower Body

• Squats: 325*2 350*1 365*1 385*1 315*2
• Front Squats: 250*2 275*1 295*1
• Glute Bridges: 225*5 315*5 40583
• BB Curls: 45*12 65*10 75*6
• Standing Calves: 240*12 260*10
• Hammer Curls: 30*10
• Dead Bugs: 10, 10

Great workout, I decided to throw some direct arm work in just for fun. I may actually rotate some in, why not. I'm cutting, I need the extra volume. 

May 7, 2013 Lower Body

• Deadlift: 365*1 405*1 425*1
• Hanging Power Snatch: 135*2 150*2 160*1/2
• Hanging Power Clean: 135*3 155*3 165*3 175*2 185*1
• Glute Bridges: 315*4 405*4 455*3 500*3 550*2 NEW PR? NEW PR!!
• Romanian Deadlifts: 225*3 275*3 315*3
• Ab-Wheel: 10, 10
• P.U.P.P.: 1:00, 1:00

59 minutes

Well that was fun.  Felt like doing an extended workout here, so I did.  Deadlifts I really focused on keeping my shoulders pinned back and making sure I didn't slump at all at the shoulders.  Also didn't want to go too high on weight this week.   Snatches I aaaaalmost had 160.  Next on power cleans I'm starting back over again and focusing on form this time, and making sure I'm keeping the weight in close to my body.  I don't want them to turn into ballistic front raises or something.  After that glute bridges; since I found last week that they didn't really hurt my back/leg that much at all I wanted to push it.  Got to 550 and wasn't sure if that was a PR, turns out 545 was my old one.  I really think I could have had 575 or 600 here, maybe next week.  Was pumped so I did some RDLs, I'm trying to really hammer my lower back, but not via deadlifting & squats, I want to bring my lower back strength up so that it can support squatting better, so I'm throwing in a lot more good mornings, and RDLs.   Finished with some ab-wheel and PUPPs.  Was completely battered after!  

April 30, 2013 Lower Body

• Deadlift (Cluster Set): 425*1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1
• Hanging Power Snatches: 135*1 150*1 155*1
• Power CLeans: 185*2 205*1 215*X
• Glute-Bridges: 315*3 405*3
• Ab-Wheel: 12

45 minutes

I always thought the idea of a cluster set on deadlifts was a bad idea.  It is.  It's just too much stress on my lower/mid back.  I'm still sore typing this up two days later.   Was shot for the o-lifting afterward.  Need to get better on cleans, I think I'm doing what I used to do with snatches, which is bringing the weight too far out in front of me, almost like a ballistic front raise or something, and then snapping the weight back onto my shoulders.   So since that piriformis/glute-medius pull/whatever as I noted before some exercises hurt, like leg-pressing, and glute-bridges. I haven't tried them in a few months, so decided to test it out.  It still hurts a little bit, like a shocking/stabbing pain in the lower back that shoots down my left leg still.  But it's about 80% reduced from last time I did them!  So that's good.  I could do them regularly again if I so chose to.  Yaaaay

March 5, 2013 Lower Body

• Deadlifting: 405*3 435*5 455*3 475*1
• Hanging Power Snatches: 135*1 145*1 155*1
• Hanging Power Cleans: 160*1 185*1 195*1
• Glute Bridges: 275*3 365*3 455*1 545*1 NEW PR!!

45 minutes

No idea why but this was an extremely satisfying workout, I was pumped up, and felt great.  Feels like one of the best workouts I've ever had, and I'm not entirely certain as to what the reason is.  So my gym keeps track of records, but only on 5 rep things for some reason, so I set the deadlift record.  Then I figured I'd keep pulling heavy. Maybe that's why I was excited, I haven't pulled heavy in a couple months.  Got 475*1, which oddly enough would have been a record this time last year, or tied it anyway.   Moved on to snatches, think I could have gotten 160. I was so pumped after deadlifting.  Hanging power cleans were good, was starting to get gassed.

I decided to try glute bridges again.  Since I hurt my piriformis back in August (or glute medius, depending on the day...still can't be certain which it is, seems like symptoms of both, maybe I hurt both) I haven't done glute bridging, or leg pressing,   The glute bridging hurts when I extend my hips to their maximum forward range, and it tugs on my lower back.  I was so pumped though I didn't particularly care.  Maybe I need to be doing these again, and eventually they'll hurt less & less.  The bridges & leg pressing are the only two exercises where the piriformis/medius injury bothers me at all.  The leg pressing I don't mind, but I really like doing the bridges.  So I tried 275, and it hurt but I did it.  I notice if I arch my back more and focus on keeping my lower back flexed & steady it hurt less though. So I did 365 focusing on that, and it hurt but not as bad.  Put 455 on the bar, did a rep and realized it didn't hurt that bad either.  Put 545 on the bar, got it, but it hurt as it's hard to keep everything flexed with that much weight.  It's not like a reinjury type of hurt, just like the same tugging/pulling/shooting sensation down my left leg and lower left back that I get when stretching out after I work out.    Going to keep doing these and see how I progression. 

November 20, 2012 Lower Body

• Deadlift: 315*3 365*3 405*3
• Hanging Power Snatches: 135*3 140*3 135*3
• Hanging Power Cleans: 155*3 175*3 165*3
• Glute Bridges: 135*9..PIRIFORMIS! 
• P.U.P.P.: 1:00, 0:30

45 minutes

YES!!! It worked.  Putting snatches & cleans on this day definitely fits.  Hits the whole posterior chain as primary movers, and all my work for the week that will hit my grip, forearms, and traps, all in one session. This is exactly what I was hoping for. It's going to take a couple weeks to get used to, my grip on the snatches wasn't great, hence the final set being at 135. Plus I'm not used to deadlifting before snatches.   Deadlifted over 400 again, felt great.     The piriformis thing is about 80% healed at this point.  I don't get tingling in my foot very often, and the pain in my calf is only about once per day, and is much fainter.  However, I still find it excruciating to try and do things like glute bridges or leg pressing. Maybe if I did some pigeon stretches beforehand? Who knows. Going to give it some more time to heal, it's doing well on its own.   Good session.    I was absolutely exhausted after this one. I usually stay up until 11:30 or so at night; I could've gone to bed at 7 after this session. 

April 9, 2012 Lower

• BB DL: 410*3 440*3 475*3
• Hanging Power Cleans: 200*2 210*1 185*3 185*3
• Glute Bridges: 315*3 365*4 405*4
• Ab-Wheel: 12, 12
• Bird-Dogs: 10

I don't do 'easing back into things' after taking my weeks off.  Deadlifting was hard, but I managed.  Now that I'm done with the bulk I can focus on form, as I said in my previous post.  I dropped the weight back on the cleans and focused on not landing wide on those last two sets.  It's amazing how much easier they are with good form.  I almost clipped my chin on that first rep of 185 I did.  I'm going to build back up on the weight using better form on the jump & landing.   Added in glute bridges as well, trying to focus on the contraction with them, and hip drive.  Did some abs after, can't forget about the wide-stance anti-rotational chops, I need to do them some point this week.  Won't be going to the gym tomorrow, I have a friend in Boston Visiting.  Wednesday will be my heavy/upper day. 

November 14, 2011 Lower / Heavy - More f*cking like it.

• BB DL: 315*3 365*3 385*3 395*3 405*2, 1
• Hang Cleans: 95*3 135*3 145*3 155*3 175*3
• Glute Bridges: 315*3 365*3 405*3 425*3 445*3

THERE we go.  No need for doing O-Lifts first, I actually find it easier doing them after a big movement for some reason, maybe the weight just feels lighter.  That last set with 405 I just did too soon after the 395, if I had rested more I would've had all 3.  I immediately reset and pulled it for a third rep.  Hang cleans went well, there's a guy there that does snatching at the same time I'm doing cleans, so I work in with him.   I'm grateful there's someone there that knows their shit with the o-lifts, he noticed that on the hang cleans I'm doing the 'jump' and 'catch' portions one after the other instead of simultaneously so the movement takes too long. Also weights went way up on the hang cleans, going to start at 155 next time, use 95 as an unrecorded warmup, probably 135 as well.  Also, stomach is about 78% back to normal. Hard to describe how much better it feels compared to this time last week.  Still not great exactly, but definitely much better

November 7, 2011 Lower / Heavy

• Hang Cleans: 95*5 135*3 140*3 145*3
• Deadlifts: 315*3 365*3 385*3 390*3 365*3
• Glute Bridges: 365*3 405*3 415*3 435*3 455*1-LEFT CALF CRAMP

So I learned several things here:

1. I'm never taking over 3 weeks off from heavy deadlifting again.   Holy crap....seriously I cannot explain how rusty I was here.  Probably should've eased back into this instead of going near 400 right off the bat again, much less for a triple.  
2. I'm never taking a whole week off again, or not going heavy for 2 straight weeks, at least intentionally.  Last week I had off, two weeks ago I was doing that glycogen depletion stuff. By the 3rd set of deadlifts I actually was feeling something similar to DOMS. I'm recording this a couple days later and all I can say is that every part of my body is sore, and it's not even from the upper body workout I did the day after this.  My rhomboids feel like someone took a lead pipe to them
3. Hang cleans do not 'prime your nervous system' they just tire you out.  I think what I'm going to do from now on is switch the order every other week.  So next week I'll lead off with deadlifts.  For my Thursday workout this week I'm going to lead off with the squats and go to the snatches second.  Next week I'll do deadlifts first on this Tuesday workout and hang cleans second.  Then next Thursday I'll lead off with snatches and move to squats 2nd.  
4. You can apparently cramp your calf  by doing glute bridges.  That fucker didn't let go completely for about 5 hours, but I could at least walk. 
5. Kale does not work in my morning shakes.  Just does NOT work.  I'm going to eat it with dinner from now on.

 

October 7, 2011 Lower Body BEAST MODE

• Leg Press: 540*4 630*3 720*2 NEW PR!! 810*1 NEW PR!! 855*1 NEW PR!!
• Glute-Bridges: 405*3 455*3 NEW PR!!  505*2 NEW PR!!
• Elevated-Foot Rope Pullups: 14, 13, 10

WHARGARBL.  OK, so I was starving for this workout, I thought I was going to pass out about 5 minutes in.  I thought my old record on leg pressing was like 780.  Apparently it was 700.  I beat that 3 straight sets, and my final set was 155 lbs. over my previous record.  I was actually out of room on the sled for weight, I had to balance a 45 behind the foot plate.  Also thought on glute bridges that 455 was my old record, turns out it was 405. I beat that by 100 lbs. for a double. So yeah...good session

August 19, 2011 Deadlifting/Lower

• BB Deadlift: 405*1 435*1 455*1
• Glute Bridges: 405*4 NEW PR!! 405*6 405*5
• BB Rows (scapula pinned back): 135*10 185*7
• Batwings: 40*5 40*3
• 34" Plyo Box Jumps: 30
• Shoulder-Touch Planks: 8, 8

So when I wasn't being menaced by the Phantom Homo in the sauna I got in a good workout.  I feel like I could break my deadlift record right now as is, but I think next week is a scheduled off week for deadlifting, and my lower back needs it.  Glute bridges...yeah I think I could hit 500 here.  I feel like I need to do more mid/upper back work so I started doing some rows with my scapulae pinned back, then realized Dan John actually had an exercise for these called bat wings.  You can find a picture/link on them earlier in this blog.  I want to make sure that this part of my posterior chain doesn't hold back my deadlifting.  Finished with some plyo jumps & shoulder touch planks.  I actually pulled my left lat somehow on the jumps...still sore. 

August 12, 2011 Lower & Pullups

• BB Deadlift: 405*1 415*1 425*1 450*1
• Sumo Deadlifts: 405*2 405*2 405*1
• Snatch-Grip Deadlifts: 315*3 315*1
• Glute Bridges: 315*6 335*6
• Pullups: 50*3 55*3
• Banded Pullups: 2....not so much.
• 2 8KG KB Plank Transfers: 4,5

So I'm heading to the beach now so the videos won't be up til later but I got a ton from this workout. 

Deadlifting went well.  Probably should've waited until next week til I tried 450, I just started doing heavier deadlifting again.  Still I got it, and at 200 lbs, so I'm happy.  A friend was talking about sumo deadlifts with me between sets, so it inspired me to do some.  Then did some snatch-grip deadlifts after.  Finished the lower body work with some glute bridges.  I think I may bump this up to 365 and 400 next week, since Fridays are supposed to be heavy days.  I'm going to keep adding weight on to pullups.  Tried banded pullups....yeah I need a better way to anchor the weight.  You'll see in the video.  Finished with kb plank transfers.   

First the banded pullups:

Sumo Deadlifts, 405

Snatch Grip Deadlifts, 315:

Glute Bridges, 335: