This weekend was my 25th birthday. Unfortunately, I was sick (and still sort of am now), so I did not get really to do very much. I did drink a little on Saturday night.
Anyways, my back also has been in quite a bit of pain. I am not entirely sure where this started, but it is deep of my right shoulder blade, and seems to exist anywhere underneath any part of the shoulder blade. Now, last Tuesday I did deadlifts, push press, and rows. I wonder if I started the issue at that time with a little muscle pull or something, and then exacerbated it later in the week with my coughing and sneezing (it hurts in a particular way whenever I sneeze). In any case, I feel like shit, and I'm obviously falling apart. I though that I was going to pass out a couple of times on Saturday when I moved wrong and my body throbbed. So I'm going to take it easy this week. It may also be due to stress, as work has been certifiably crazy lately, and I did not get that house that I really wanted.
Deadlifted 315, failed on 335 (I need to reduce my gut, as it very negatively affects my breathing during the setup for Deadlift).
Push Pressed 185 (went 115, 135, 155, 185), actually went up pretty easily, which felt great. I am going to start doing these more.
Showing posts with label Back. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Back. Show all posts
Monday, February 15, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Goals Re-Stated
Goals, stated more appropriately:
Deadlift twice my bodyweight.
Squat twice my bodyweight.
Overhead Press 1.25 times my bodyweight.
To make the math simple, let's say that I weigh 200 pounds. This would be a 400 lb deadlift, 400 lb squat, and a 250 lb overhead press. That last one will be the hardest for me, even though it's the lowest goal of them all. I'm within 85 lbs of the deadlift goal. I am probably about 175 lbs from the squat. I think that I will be able to move that squat up significantly in about three months when I am hopefully more comfortable in my technique. The overhead press will be hard because I've always been lacking in shoulder strength, and I used to avoid doing shoulder stuff. The deadlift is pretty much a foregone conclusion in my mind, frankly.
Deadlift twice my bodyweight.
Squat twice my bodyweight.
Overhead Press 1.25 times my bodyweight.
To make the math simple, let's say that I weigh 200 pounds. This would be a 400 lb deadlift, 400 lb squat, and a 250 lb overhead press. That last one will be the hardest for me, even though it's the lowest goal of them all. I'm within 85 lbs of the deadlift goal. I am probably about 175 lbs from the squat. I think that I will be able to move that squat up significantly in about three months when I am hopefully more comfortable in my technique. The overhead press will be hard because I've always been lacking in shoulder strength, and I used to avoid doing shoulder stuff. The deadlift is pretty much a foregone conclusion in my mind, frankly.
Monday, Deadlift
Deadlift
135 X 5
185 X 3
225 X 3
245 X 1
275 X 1
295 X 1
305 X 1
315 X 1
275 X 1
275 X 1
225 X 1
Shrugs
135 X 5
185 X 3
225 X 3
225 X 3
225 X 3
Bent Rows
135 X 5
185 X 3
225 X 3
225 X 3
Felt really good today. Back was not a limiting factor until 305 pounds. I noticed that even with straps, my grip is a weak point, as is my lower half form (probably because I've been doing top partials for a long time, but not full deads). Also, I'm fat, so my big fat stomach gets in the way and makes my form kind of awkward. I think that after I got over my fear of deadlifting with a rounded back (watch ANY video of top deadlifters, they all use a round back), my strength sort of jumped a bit and my back actually hurt less the next day. Let's see how I feel tomorrow.
135 X 5
185 X 3
225 X 3
245 X 1
275 X 1
295 X 1
305 X 1
315 X 1
275 X 1
275 X 1
225 X 1
Shrugs
135 X 5
185 X 3
225 X 3
225 X 3
225 X 3
Bent Rows
135 X 5
185 X 3
225 X 3
225 X 3
Felt really good today. Back was not a limiting factor until 305 pounds. I noticed that even with straps, my grip is a weak point, as is my lower half form (probably because I've been doing top partials for a long time, but not full deads). Also, I'm fat, so my big fat stomach gets in the way and makes my form kind of awkward. I think that after I got over my fear of deadlifting with a rounded back (watch ANY video of top deadlifters, they all use a round back), my strength sort of jumped a bit and my back actually hurt less the next day. Let's see how I feel tomorrow.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Sunday - Partial Deadlift
Got the itch, but was running short on time as I needed to get to my brother's house for dinner. Decided to do partial deadlifts.
115 X 5
135 X 7
185 X 3
205 X 1
225 X 2
245 X 1 (began wearing wrist straps, wore them for the rest of the sets)
255 X 1
265 X 1
275 X 1
285 X 1
295 X 1
Felt great. Sort of started to feel the strain in my lower back at 275, but took an extra minute of rest time and stretched out a little. Felt like new! I was worried because my back started to feel really engorged and mildly painful after the set with 135, but that went away after about 245, and it just started feeling tight and powerful, which was good for my psyche. Someone had left a resistance band on the rack, so I stood on it and did some mock deads to try to remind myself of good form. This actually helped quite a bit.
After the partial deads, I left my straps on, stripped the bar down to 225 and did triples of shrugs. Basically, I completed a partial dead to standing position, then did three shrugs. I did this three times, for 9 total shrugs.
225 X 3
225 X 3
225 X 3
At this point, I was about 15 minutes behind schedule, so I called it a night. Didn't have the pump that I'm used to from my past work with bodybuilding style training. I am okay with this though, because I felt much more satisfied, like I had actually accomplished something with my time this night. Also, it is nice to be so close to 300 on something, even if it is just partial deads. I will try to do full deads next week and see if I can break 275. 300 would be fantastic.
Ate poorly. Or rather, I did okay until dinner at my brother's. Had some steak fajitas with four taco sized tortillas, some chips and salsa, some guacamole, and then a small piece of pie and a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Also had one small piece of peanut brittle.
115 X 5
135 X 7
185 X 3
205 X 1
225 X 2
245 X 1 (began wearing wrist straps, wore them for the rest of the sets)
255 X 1
265 X 1
275 X 1
285 X 1
295 X 1
Felt great. Sort of started to feel the strain in my lower back at 275, but took an extra minute of rest time and stretched out a little. Felt like new! I was worried because my back started to feel really engorged and mildly painful after the set with 135, but that went away after about 245, and it just started feeling tight and powerful, which was good for my psyche. Someone had left a resistance band on the rack, so I stood on it and did some mock deads to try to remind myself of good form. This actually helped quite a bit.
After the partial deads, I left my straps on, stripped the bar down to 225 and did triples of shrugs. Basically, I completed a partial dead to standing position, then did three shrugs. I did this three times, for 9 total shrugs.
225 X 3
225 X 3
225 X 3
At this point, I was about 15 minutes behind schedule, so I called it a night. Didn't have the pump that I'm used to from my past work with bodybuilding style training. I am okay with this though, because I felt much more satisfied, like I had actually accomplished something with my time this night. Also, it is nice to be so close to 300 on something, even if it is just partial deads. I will try to do full deads next week and see if I can break 275. 300 would be fantastic.
Ate poorly. Or rather, I did okay until dinner at my brother's. Had some steak fajitas with four taco sized tortillas, some chips and salsa, some guacamole, and then a small piece of pie and a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Also had one small piece of peanut brittle.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tuesday, October 13th - Back
It's all about the numbers.
I will most likely update Back more than anything else, because it's my favorite thing to do. Tonight I broke a mental barrier, and then broke it again. I began the evening with Partial Dead Lifts, which are basically dead lifts, but performed on a power rack with the safety catch bar thing set at just below knee level. This removes the bottom 25% of the motion, which is primarily leg muscles anyways. I have a number of reasons for doing this. For one thing, it helps me train the back intensive portion of the movement, thereby improving my form on the arguably more important "lockout" portion of the lift, as well as isolating back muscles (duh). I'm having trouble forming cohesive thoughts, so let me hit it with a series of random thoughts instead.
In any compound movement, there are a number of muscle groups involved. With the deadlift, in addition to all of the muscles of the back (erectors, lats, and traps mostly) the early portion of the lift involves hamstrings, glutes, and quads (sort of in that order, I think), and calves for stabilization. The forearms are also involved quite thoroughly throughout the entire motion, obviously. Some people may forget, but if you use a traditional over/under grip (which I do), you are also using the bicep of your "under" hand. This is how people occasionally pull or tear their biceps while doing deadlifts. Well, to elaborate, that happens when someone's back is clearly outpulling the abilities of their biceps (per history, this happens more with people who are "artificially enhanced," and using aides such as wraps, which increase your grip ability). You see, there are certain limiting factors sort of built in to movements like the deadlift or the squat, or really any compound movement. For instance, I have lost a ton of my grip strength, but retained a surprising amount of back strength. This means that my back can handle bigger numbers than what I'm actually using, but my forearms are too weak to hold the bar so I can't actually pile it on yet. I am intentionally not using my wrist wraps or belt right now in order to force myself to keep the weight low and focus on form.
So, like I was trying to say, I am using Partial Dead Lifts because it allows me to test my back strength without being limited by so many other factors such as leg strength and lower movement form (which is still pretty shaky for me). It's been a long time since I've broken 185 on a back movement, even though that used to be pretty common place for me. Tonight I warmed up with 115 and then 135. After that I felt really good, and my form was locked in, so I kept going. I jumped straight to 185. Then I moved on to 205 for 6, and finished with 225 for 4. I'm about 100 pounds shy of what I used to do on full deads (I used to do a final set of 315 for 4-6, and a super heavy set of 405 for 2). Anywho, I moved on to T-Bar Rows and locked in my form pretty well. Didn't do any tremendous numbers or anything, because I was trying to focus on my form the whole time. I then did some pulldowns. These kind of mess with my shoulder a little bit, I might have to use an alternate movement. Finished with Smith Machine shrugs. Nothing impressive there either.
Whenever I do Back day, I feel like trying to commit myself to power lifting. Whenever I do Chest, on the other hand, I feel like trying to get a Pro card as a natural bodybuilder. I think it's because I think that I could actually do well in competitive deadlift if I really trained for it, as my back tends to be my definite strong point. With chest, on the other hand, I put up really terrible numbers, but my chest really responds and shows progress quickly. Either way, I haven't been able to really commit to anything yet, so let's just get some of this weight off first and then choose a direction at that time.
I will most likely update Back more than anything else, because it's my favorite thing to do. Tonight I broke a mental barrier, and then broke it again. I began the evening with Partial Dead Lifts, which are basically dead lifts, but performed on a power rack with the safety catch bar thing set at just below knee level. This removes the bottom 25% of the motion, which is primarily leg muscles anyways. I have a number of reasons for doing this. For one thing, it helps me train the back intensive portion of the movement, thereby improving my form on the arguably more important "lockout" portion of the lift, as well as isolating back muscles (duh). I'm having trouble forming cohesive thoughts, so let me hit it with a series of random thoughts instead.
In any compound movement, there are a number of muscle groups involved. With the deadlift, in addition to all of the muscles of the back (erectors, lats, and traps mostly) the early portion of the lift involves hamstrings, glutes, and quads (sort of in that order, I think), and calves for stabilization. The forearms are also involved quite thoroughly throughout the entire motion, obviously. Some people may forget, but if you use a traditional over/under grip (which I do), you are also using the bicep of your "under" hand. This is how people occasionally pull or tear their biceps while doing deadlifts. Well, to elaborate, that happens when someone's back is clearly outpulling the abilities of their biceps (per history, this happens more with people who are "artificially enhanced," and using aides such as wraps, which increase your grip ability). You see, there are certain limiting factors sort of built in to movements like the deadlift or the squat, or really any compound movement. For instance, I have lost a ton of my grip strength, but retained a surprising amount of back strength. This means that my back can handle bigger numbers than what I'm actually using, but my forearms are too weak to hold the bar so I can't actually pile it on yet. I am intentionally not using my wrist wraps or belt right now in order to force myself to keep the weight low and focus on form.
So, like I was trying to say, I am using Partial Dead Lifts because it allows me to test my back strength without being limited by so many other factors such as leg strength and lower movement form (which is still pretty shaky for me). It's been a long time since I've broken 185 on a back movement, even though that used to be pretty common place for me. Tonight I warmed up with 115 and then 135. After that I felt really good, and my form was locked in, so I kept going. I jumped straight to 185. Then I moved on to 205 for 6, and finished with 225 for 4. I'm about 100 pounds shy of what I used to do on full deads (I used to do a final set of 315 for 4-6, and a super heavy set of 405 for 2). Anywho, I moved on to T-Bar Rows and locked in my form pretty well. Didn't do any tremendous numbers or anything, because I was trying to focus on my form the whole time. I then did some pulldowns. These kind of mess with my shoulder a little bit, I might have to use an alternate movement. Finished with Smith Machine shrugs. Nothing impressive there either.
Whenever I do Back day, I feel like trying to commit myself to power lifting. Whenever I do Chest, on the other hand, I feel like trying to get a Pro card as a natural bodybuilder. I think it's because I think that I could actually do well in competitive deadlift if I really trained for it, as my back tends to be my definite strong point. With chest, on the other hand, I put up really terrible numbers, but my chest really responds and shows progress quickly. Either way, I haven't been able to really commit to anything yet, so let's just get some of this weight off first and then choose a direction at that time.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, September 29th - Back
Today was different. In a physical way, it was different because I began using NOX as well as Creatine. It was different in a preparedness way, because I brought a gym bag and used a locker. I don't think that I can really overstate the gym bag. In my mind, it is extremely important. I think that the thing that has been stopping me from being successful in this aspect of my life is a lack of ritual. I used to have this mental calendar, and the gym was not even officially represented on it. A doctor's appointment would be a red bar. A work shift would be a long blue bar. A social outing would be a green bar. All of these would have white words superimposed on them, explaining what they represented. However, the gym was different. It was just a black space. No words. Just a blackness. Sort of like sleep. In other words, it was an unavoidable certainty in my life on that day for a particular span of time. It was not a rescheduable (neologism acknowledged) event. Part of this inevitability was due to a ritualistic process immediately before and after the actual gym-going. I would wake up, and immediately begin to make my breakfast - 1 cup oatmeal with two scoops of protein - and drink an enormous cup of water. I would already have a gym bag ready to go with my wrist straps, weight belt, and towel. My wallet, keys, and phone would get added to that bag. I'd already be dressed by this time, and be on my way. This whole process took nearly an hour, but it was an important part of my morning, I think, because it gave me time to prepare mentally for the upcoming workout. The gym bag would also carry my water bottle for when I used one of those, and my post-workout shaker bottle thing. Sometimes, I'd bring some pills or whatever I was taking immediately post-workout. When I used a journal, it went in the bag, too. This point has to be made by now.
So tonight, when I pulled out the bag, I felt something shift. The water in the moon's surface melted a little bit and the surface slid slightly to the left. The tides of the earth's oceans then ebbed and flowed in response, and retook the lands which used to be their floors. Something in my mind clicked, and I felt stupid. I felt stupid for not recognizing earlier something so obvious. You cannot expect to be a serious gym-goer if you do not take going to the gym seriously. You cannot just throw your keys and wallet and such in your pockets and head over whenever you feel up to it. It must become a black bar of hellish seriousness. You cannot take this too seriously, frankly. You cannot be afraid to sound like a loser or a nerd because you make this a priority.
Tonight, I have visions of a piano player. An older man with tearful expression hewn into his medium-level talent which he displays regularly for friends and others in bars and the such. A man for whom the world has become a sad display of a regrettable truth. Now, amputate this man's hands. Remove his only means of expression and connection. Re-isolate him in a very real way. Give him two years to realize that the human being is only so adaptable, and that once one loses one's ability to connect with other humans, that ability is truly gone. It does not shift from music to suddenly being dance. We all have only one way to say anything important, and it certainly can go away. After two years, give him his hands back, and watch as he sits back down at the piano to express himself. The past two years will come out in a soft approach. Nothing as impressive as he played before, but a certain reminiscence will be undeniable. A familiar sound will waft through his most used chords and melodies. His blood will pump again, and his clothing will become cosmic dust.
So tonight, when I pulled out the bag, I felt something shift. The water in the moon's surface melted a little bit and the surface slid slightly to the left. The tides of the earth's oceans then ebbed and flowed in response, and retook the lands which used to be their floors. Something in my mind clicked, and I felt stupid. I felt stupid for not recognizing earlier something so obvious. You cannot expect to be a serious gym-goer if you do not take going to the gym seriously. You cannot just throw your keys and wallet and such in your pockets and head over whenever you feel up to it. It must become a black bar of hellish seriousness. You cannot take this too seriously, frankly. You cannot be afraid to sound like a loser or a nerd because you make this a priority.
Tonight, I have visions of a piano player. An older man with tearful expression hewn into his medium-level talent which he displays regularly for friends and others in bars and the such. A man for whom the world has become a sad display of a regrettable truth. Now, amputate this man's hands. Remove his only means of expression and connection. Re-isolate him in a very real way. Give him two years to realize that the human being is only so adaptable, and that once one loses one's ability to connect with other humans, that ability is truly gone. It does not shift from music to suddenly being dance. We all have only one way to say anything important, and it certainly can go away. After two years, give him his hands back, and watch as he sits back down at the piano to express himself. The past two years will come out in a soft approach. Nothing as impressive as he played before, but a certain reminiscence will be undeniable. A familiar sound will waft through his most used chords and melodies. His blood will pump again, and his clothing will become cosmic dust.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Sunday, September 6th - Back
Smith Machine Near-Floor Deadlifts
90 X 12
120 X 12
140 X 10
Seated Machine Rows (Lever Arms)
60 X 12
80 X 12
100 X 10
120 X 8
140 X 6
Seated Pulldowns
75 X 10
90 X 10
120 X 8
105 X 6
Standing Cable "Pullovers"
60 X 8
70 X 8
80 X 6
90 X 12
120 X 12
140 X 10
Seated Machine Rows (Lever Arms)
60 X 12
80 X 12
100 X 10
120 X 8
140 X 6
Seated Pulldowns
75 X 10
90 X 10
120 X 8
105 X 6
Standing Cable "Pullovers"
60 X 8
70 X 8
80 X 6
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