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Road To 1200


KRC

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Still lifting just not logging lately. All lifts feel good but still not ready to squat. Weird because DL'ing is ok on the back but felt a minor tweak yesterday warming up with 135...

Gonna make a change in form in the coming weeks. I've tinkered with my existing low-bar form for a LONG time and it hasn't felt right ever, minus a few good days here and there. I know high-bar isn't optimal for powerlifting, but my main priority at this point is remaining injury free so I'll play with a different bar positioning and adjust accordingly.

Lifting 4x a week and then doing the Blob KTA later in the day doesn't leave much time for anything else after housework/cooking!

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Hi Kevin,

I have done both Texas Method and 531 several times each. I think that for your goals right now, you are right to go with 531. Once you have addressed your "weaknesses" so to speak, and you are ramping up for a powerlifting meet, you might benefit faster from Texas Method.

I have been lifting weights in some form since an early teenager. I've been through different periods of: more running ,no running, lots of conditioning, no conditioning, heavy lifting, lighter lifting, gaining weight, cutting bodyfat, etc. I am not saying I've tried it all because there is so much out there. Which is great if you view this as a lifelong pursuit. Anyway, I think grip training is a great add-on that, among its physical benefits, keeps training fresh and fun.

Thanks for the note, JChap. Great to hear from someone who's been there. Thinking about strength training as a lifelong pursuit (rather than in terms of monthly or even semi-annual timeframes) is something I still need to work on. I get worked up about where this routine will put me total-wise in x or y time frame, making this or that adjustment... just need to lift, and lift consistently.

And grip work is definitely keeping things fun. As of this week I've been doing grip-specific stuff more or less constantly for one year. I have no desire to slow down or do anything but continue to train well. This pinch work I'm doing now I think will pay huge dividends. My grippers strength (as weak as it is) has been dominating my open hand and pinch strength for almost this entire year. Time to change that :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

First pain-free squatting since April last night. Did a ton of reps with 135 and then an easy triple with 225. Tried out a new bar placement and foot position and things feel very good.

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First pain-free squatting since April last night. Did a ton of reps with 135 and then an easy triple with 225. Tried out a new bar placement and foot position and things feel very good.

Great news! What are the new positions? Are you going to more of a high bar squat?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Let's dust this thing off...

Back to regular grip training after a run of Blob KTA which I consider successful, for the right hand at least. Went from being inconsistent with a 35 to getting a 40 any time I want it, and at best 6 inches on a 45lb fatman RH. LH was a disaster by my own doing. Ripped open a huge cut in the thumb webbing halfway through and never really got back into it, which is unforunate because it's obvious how much my left hand holds back my 2HP and axle numbers.

For the next 8 weeks (until a tentatively schedule comp in the Bay Area), i'll be doing Grippers, Axle, Pinch twice in a row for 6 days of the week with rest on Sunday RH, and alternating pinch and axle for left hand. If there's going to be an off-hand weakness I figure it might as well be on grippers since that is is a one-hand event in comps. Gotta get the left up to speed for thick bar and pinch.

I also just finished my first full cycle of 5/3/1 and I'm absolutely loving it. Bodyweight is still around 240 due to being sloppy with my diet, but i'm noticeably leaner and thicker, especially in the upper body. I'll log those workouts as I complete them for a picture of what my assistance and contidioning look like. I don't know why I didn't switch to this earlier. I feel stronger and generally more "able" from day to day, and getting in, hitting it hard, and getting out around an hour is a huge plus.

6.27.12

2HP: 10x3 @ 130

Some singles and isos with the blobs afterwards. Hit 150 for a PR Monday after not touching the 2HP in almost 8 weeks. Gonna do a basic linear progression leading up to the comp where I hope to hit between 160 and 170.

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Those are pretty impressive gains in that period bro. And looks like all that wide pinch carried over to the 2HP. The wide stuff has the best carryover IMO.

Glad to see you had a great PL cycle. Keep it up bro.

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Thanks, brother.

6.28.12

TSG RH:

4x1 Negatives @ GHP 6

4x1 OC @ IM 2 (sorry Chez forgot to ship out today--will go tomorrow!)

Blobs LH:

A bunch of singles up to 30+6 lbs, 3 iso's w/the 35lb first gen.

Been a damn long time since a hard gripper close haha. Setting strength is absolutely in the toilet but I'm sure it'll come back soon.

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Thanks, brother.

6.28.12

TSG RH:

4x1 Negatives @ GHP 6

4x1 OC @ IM 2 (sorry Chez forgot to ship out today--will go tomorrow!)

Blobs LH:

A bunch of singles up to 30+6 lbs, 3 iso's w/the 35lb first gen.

Been a damn long time since a hard gripper close haha. Setting strength is absolutely in the toilet but I'm sure it'll come back soon.

its cool dude. Not for training anyway. whenever you get a chance.

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7.1.12

2HP: 9x3 @ 132.5, superset with

Neck Harness: 9x20 @ 22.5

Blobs: 4x1 LH @ 35 2 good, 2 to six inches

2x1 RH @ 45 -- both a few inches air

4x1 LH Iso @ 45lbs/5 sec

2x1 RH Iso @ 50lbs/5 sec

Start the second cycle of 5/3/1 tomorrow.

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7.2.12

OHP: up to 1x8 @ 120, superset with

Pull Ups: 2x5, 1x12 (Blue Band)

BBR: 3x10 @ 135

DB BP: 3x10 w/60s

LH FG Rows: 10/4/2 @ 60

RH V2: 8x3 @ L10 CROM

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7.3.12

Squat: up to 1x8 @ 225. Squat rebuild is coming along

Romanian DL: 3x10 @ 85

Reverse Hyper: 3x10 @ 85

FG DB Rows RH: 6x5 @ 10RM (70lbs)

FG DB Rows LH: 6x5 @ 60

The 70 was a little too much for the RH, had to break up the sets of 5 at the end, will use 65's next time.

Farmers: 150ft w/95's

Hamstrings are fried.

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7.4.12

2HP: 8x3 @ 135, superset with

Neck Harness: 8x20 @ 25

Blob RH: 4xF @ 45lb Fatman, 2x1 5s Isos @ 50

Blob LH: 4xF @ 35lb Fatman, 2x1 5s Isos @ 45

On the fourth attempt with the 45lb fatman RH, I got my knees locked out with it but not my hips haha. I'll count this as a small victory even though it crashed to the ground at about 2 feet+. By far my best attempt yet. That thing is getting locked out soon.

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7.5.12

Bench: up to 1x11 @ 190, superset with

Pull Ups: up to 1x13 (blue band), superset with

RH TSG: some negatives and overcrushes

BBR: 3x10 @ 140

DB OHP: 3x10 @ 40s, superset with

External Rotation Band Pulls: 3x10 w/2 second hold, superset with

LH FG Rows: 9/9/8 @ 60

Since I started to focus on conditioning, and since the loads are so light, I decided to superset ... pretty much everything. Basically no rest between everything in a superset.

Tried something different with the grippers today... it was a failure, lol.

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7.6.12

Deadlift: up to 1x8 @ 255. Had at least another 2 in the tank but cut it there. Squat is pretty good to go full force in terms of the back, but pulls are still a little tweaky.

Band Speed Deadlift w/EFS Monster Mini Bands (~90lbs band tension): 12x1 @ 95 on the minute

Bulgarian Split Squats: 3x10 @ BW <-- these were HARD, lol. Amazing how weak I am unilaterally.

FG BB DL: up to 2 attempts at 200 lost at the knees. Left is obviously weaker than the right. 28 second hold @ 95lbs against bands.

Was pretty gassed and soaking wet after the band pulls, and the split squats were pretty brutal even unweighted.

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good times today man. we gotta do that more often. strong hubbing there. That's a very respectable lift with the traditional style on a brand new IM hub. IMO the IM hub is harder than real hubs due to the slick paint. Those blobs must be paying off. Now go tear up some phone books cuz that thing needs to go down in the medley. The more destruction the merrier.

super nice fatman too man. it feels solid but at 54 pounds it's deceptively hard. if you lift that most ANY other blob won't stand a chance.

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Thanks dude, good times indeed. Yeah that hubbing felt really natural. 53ish pounds as a baseline. Will hit it hard both hands after the comp. Think I can put up a decent number eventually. I was shocked by that Silver Bullet hold, too. Felt like 15 seconds so I'll say it was probably around 8 or 9, lol. Another good baseline. Can't wait to see how that goes that late in the comp.

Once Tim's blob arrives here I should have an idea about whether I can hit that 2nd gen you have, which also felt really good in my hand. And yes the fatman is a beast! Really good for negatives and iso's for the next... (few) year(s)... good long term goal, there.

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7.9.12

OHP: up to 1x8 @ 125, superset with

Pull Ups: up to 1x10 w/Green Band, superset with

RH V2: 12x3 @ Level 8, superset with

LH FG DL: 6x3 @ 85 (failed on the very last rep)

Barbell Rows: 3x10 @ 145

DB OHP: 3x10, superset with

Band Pull-Aparts: 3x10 w/2 second contraction

Farmers: 2x150' w/95s. Dropped LH at about 120' on the second run after zig zagging through the gym dodging personal trainers having their clients doing god knows what right in my way, despite me having told her I was going to be walking that way with the DB's in my hand. Otherwise fine.

Got the Horne GripTopz including the adj. fat bar in today 4064327615.gif

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7.10.12

Squat: up to 1x8 @ 240

RDL: 3x10 @ 90

Reverse Hyper: 3x10 @ 90

Farmers: 2x150' @ 95s w/110s rest

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7.12.12

2HP: 6x3 @ 140

Blobs: 3x1 @ 35 fatman LH/45 fatman RH, all no good but got about 6" RH.

Isos: 2x5s @ 45 fatman LH/50 fatman RH.

Family from the East Coast just arrived so I don't know how much training I'll do, but I don't plan on missing any.

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7.13.12 C2W2D3

Bench: up to 1x10 @ 200, superset with

Pull Ups: up to 1x8 (Green band), superset with

TSG Negatives RH: 6x1 @ GHP 6, superset with

TSG Overcrushes RH: 6x1 @ BBM

Barbell Rows: 3x10 @ 150

DB OHP: 3x12 w/40s, superset with

FG Rows LH: 3x4+3 @ 65

Farmers: 4x90' w/95s @ 110s rest

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7.16.12 C2W2D4

Visitors have made keeping to the schedule harder than expected; I'm about 4 days behind, but I'll just condense my deload week when the time comes.

Deadlift: up to 1x8 @ 270

Speed DL: 10x1 @ 115 + MM Bands

Bulg. Split SQ: 3x10 w/5lb weight

FG DL: 6x1 @ 185

Farmers: 4x90' w/95s @ 100s rest

Abs (grappler): 3x6 @ 15lbs + bar

Thinking about replacing the bulgarian split squats with walking lunges soon. The BSS is just too unstable and all I can feel are my hip flexors activating rather than quads and glutes. Maybe work back up to them after a few cycles of lunges.

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Fitness with family in town is tough. All one can do is squeeze in what things they can and then make up ground when back at it.

Good work still going down here. I agree with the lunges if you're not hitting the targeted areas.

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7.17.12

2HP: 5x3 @ 142.5

Blobs RH: 4xF @ 45lb 1st gen, 2x1 Isos @ 5s w/fatman

Blobs LH: 2xF, 2x1 @ 35lb 1st gen, 4x1 Isos @ 5s w/45lb 1st gen

Pretty good training. The final few sets of the 2HP were fast and strong. The LH Blob lifts are a PR. Gotta keep up the good LH training. I don't think a 40lb 1st gen lift is out of the question in the next couple months.

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7.18.12

OHP: Up to 1x5 @ 135, superset with

Pull Ups: Up to 1x5 w/purple band

BBR: 3x10 @ 155, superset with

FG DL LH: 5x3 @ 90

DB BP: 3x15 w/60s, superset with

BPA's: 3x10 w/3s hold

Farmers: 5x90' w/95s @ 90s rest

I think I finally found a decent hand position for thick bar work, with the fingers more underneath. Maybe my TB stuff will start to not be so horrible. Pretty disappointed with the OHP top set. I was expecting at least another rep, maybe two to three. Was supposed to be 132.5 but I forgot my 1.25lb plates. Ah well, slow and steady wins the race.

7.19.12

Squat: Up to 1x6 @ 255

RDL: 3x10 @ 95

RH: 3x10 @ 95

FG DB Rows: 5x5 @ 70 RH/65 LH

Farmers: 5x90' w/95s @ 90s rest

Was looking for more reps on the squat here, too, but I'll take it. Back felt really good the entire set, and speed was there too. Really focusing on externally rotating out of the hole is making a huge difference, as is the new bar placement. Just need to keep building.

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^Forgot to add 10x3 on the Vulcan done after I got home because I forgot to bring with me.

7.20.12

2HP: 6x2 @ 145

Fast and easy. Looking forward to peaking out with this. Expecting a big PR.

Blobs on the other hand were crap today. It was insanely hot/humid in my corner of the laundry room today for some reason and the blobs were nothin' doin.

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