Well, I decided to also make a log to motivate myself a little more and having a record of the stuff I am lifting.. I was hesitant to make this thread for 2 reasons. First, I dislike the feeling of talking to myself and secondly I am inconsistent at everything except being inconsistent, so this log will most likely have a short life. Anyway, I hadn't trained for a week, due to a lower back pain, so I didn't do much today Hyperextensions 2x15 Low-bar Squats 2x5 with the barbell then 55kgs 1x5 65kgs 1x3 75kgs 1x3 85 kgs 1x5 I wanted to do two more sets with 85, but my lunch somehow found its way to my mouth. No low back pain though, so I am happy. Overhead Standing Press 1x10 with the bar 25kgs 1x10 30kgs 1x5 45kgs 20x1 I wanted to experiment with lots of singles and short rest intervals (about 1-2 minutes). I want to see if I can get ripped and increase my volume (which is just sad) by doing singles, doubles and triples the CnP way.. I usually train 2-3 times a week, due to following starting strength (loosely though) and laziness. So my immediate goals are to sort out my training schedule, diet and sleep and my long term goals are to get a lot stronger with huge shoulders and arms! Here's hoping
I am still taking it a little easy, so today I did some random stuff for many reps.. Standing Overhead Press 20kgs 3x10 25kgs 1x10 30kgs 1x6 30kgs 1x10 35kgs 2x6 40kgs 2x5 45kgs 1x3 Rest periods were 1-1:30 minutes until the first 30kgs set and then I had to rest for 3 minutes between sets. One Arm Seated Dumbbell Press 4x10 each arm with no rest with 2,5 kgs Side Lateral Raises 4x6 ( I wanted 4x10 but no dice.) with 2,5 kgs dumbbell curls with 10 kgs 4x10 hammer curls 4x10 couldn't do more because it was closing time for the gym.
Hyperextensions 2x15 Low-bar back squat 20 kgs 2x10 77,5 kgs 1x10 87,5 kgs 3x5 The most brief and weird warm up for squats I have ever done. Happy that I didn't have any back pain and that I lift 87,5. I had months to lift anything above 85. Standing overhead Press 20kgs 1x10 27,5 kgs 1x10 37,5 kgs 1x5 47,7 kgs 15x1 (90 seconds rest periods) It's the second time I do multiple sets of singles. I enjoyed it very much for some reason! Hang clean Power Clean I have previously done this exercise at random times and only with the olympic bar. So I at last put some weight and did it more seriously. 30 kgs 1x10, 1x8, 1x7, 1x3 (the bar starting below knees)
Standing Overhead Press 20kgs 1x10 30kgs 1x10 40kgs 1x5 50kgs 15x1 Front Squats 20kgs 1x5, 1x7, 1x5, 1x6 30kgs 3x5 First time I try them. From what I have read it's an awesome exercise and it may help my abs getting some extra exercise. I don't know how my form was. I tried to keep my elbows up in order to be upright and to get as low as possible. I think that I opened my knees on the descend even more than I do in back squats. Barbell Shrugs 30 kgs 4x10 This was also a first. I am gonna do more of this in the future!! I also did a couple of hang power cleans with the same weight, some hyperextensions and I bailed.
Have you got someone to help you lift, or are you by your lonesome as well? Are you lifting at the gym or at home?
I am basically alone in a commercial gym. I did get a friend though to start squatting and when I have doubts about my technique I give him a few pointers and get him look for some weak points in my squat form, but I have no one with experience to train along with me. There is a powerlifting club relatively close by car, but I prefer lifting on my own to be honest. I wish I could lift at home. It would be very handy! How about you?
Good efforts so far, also: front squats are pretty excellent Lifting on your own is not too bad, as long as you have a programme and the motivation to follow it... Good luck dude, and I hope your back pain gets better And talking to 'yourself' does seem a bit strange at first, but soon you'll let your inner ramble out...
Thanks Harry! Right now I can't say I am following a specific programme. I am still working it out in my head. I used to follow loosely SS, but I grew bored of it and want to experiment a little. All I know right now is that I am gonna squat and press a lot. This is what I am afraid the most!
Home lifter. Recently found a gym where they have an actual squat rack an' such (I have a barbell and enough plates to go to 80kg, but the problem is I have no bench or racks I have to lift anything I squat and I can't OHP 80kg yet). I had a lot of people last year locally ask to train with me (usually doing bag work and the like, some who also suggested with weights) but to date no-one has stepped forward. Besides, I kinda like being alone Anyways, keep it up dude
Yeah, flaming you are right, pulling is necessary, but the fact that I hate deadlifts made me slack a lot on this front. I suck at them and even reaching the bar on the floor makes me sweat bullets. I did several sets of deadlifts today and I can't say it was fun. This is the stuff I did today. Standing Overhead Press 20kgs 2x10 32,5kgs 1x10 42,5kgs 1x5 52,5kgs (failed) 50kgs 6x2 20 kgs 1x10 22,5 kgs 1x8 That was a bad workout and I expected it to be so, so I had no place to try lifting that 52,5 kgs. I knew it but I still went for it. Deadlifts 40 kgs 1x5, 1x3, 2x5, 1x6 Horrible form. My middle and upper back were rounded almost every time. It's funny that I get worse the more I do this exersise. Pull ups 5x2, 1x1 I wanted to do 10x2. I am to blame since I should have gone for singles both here and on the presses. I am 100 kgs so the weight I am lifting in this exercise is strangely enough, the heaviest weight I am currently lifting. did some dumbell curls with 10 kgs and I bailed. Too much grinding today and this is counterproductive and foolish. I'll knock some sense into my head and come back on Monday.
i'd suggest you do RDLs until you're repping out one plate or more. RDLs will teach you to keep your back set properly without having to be all the way at the bottom, so when you switch back to conventional deads, you'll know what your back is supposed to be doing, you'll have a stronger posterior chain that'll help get into the lower position, and you'll be using big plates so the bar isn't as low and is thus easier to reach. plus, light weights on the deadlift will be almost impossible to set-up for, because deadlift set-up depends on being able to pull against the bar without the bar moving (which locks you in place so that you can set your back, basically pulling yourself towards the bar before lifting it, usually referred to as "pulling the slack out of the barbell")
I guess I can't get around them anymore.. I read a couple of articles about RDLs and I also refreshed my memory on the deadlift's form and I am gonna try them both tomorrow. What ****es me off is how much of contradicting information there is about the deadlift. For example whether your shoulder blades should be above the bar or slightly above or behind it or whether you should overextend your back and having an anterior tilt or not, or retracting your shoulder blades. Someone could find many sites whose goal is to teach the public proper form but they don't agree to many points like these. Anyways, in the end of the day I still look like this Spoiler
depending of the background of the writer, deadlifting is different. but the back point is: - a unrounded, and tight, lower and upper back - arms like ropes, dont let them bend - hips and knees straighten out at a similar rate
Zaad, are there any differences between the form of a powerlifter and and an olylifter in the deadlift? From what I have seen olylifters are more upright. Is deadlift taught in a different way in these 2 groups?
theres a difference in shoulders over or behind the bar at the start as well as knee position its variable depending on the Olympic lifting coach and lifter being trained though