Nov 26, 2014

FitNotes Workout - Wednesday 26th November 2014

 ** Barbell Squat **
- 45.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 205.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 255.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 255.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 255.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 155.0 lbs x 20 reps

 ** Flat Barbell Bench Press **
- 45.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 190.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 190.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 190.0 lbs x 5 reps

 ** Deadlift **
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 205.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 255.0 lbs x 5 reps

 ** Overhead Press **
- 45.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 105.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 105.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 105.0 lbs x 5 reps

Did more volume today because I'm planning on heading back to Toronto tomorrow and won't be back until Sunday, at which point I'll probably be too tired to lift much, so I probably won't be lifting again until next Monday.

Squatting 255 was actually quite a grind, but that could be because I only ate 4 eggs and didn't really eat anything else all day so I was not well nourished.  Will probably do 255 again on Monday when I start again.  For later reps in the sets I need to remember to stay more upright so I don't put as much strain on the lower back.  After this, I did the "widowmaker" 20 rep squat workout with body weight.  155 lbs at 151 body weight.  Wasn't too bad.  The squats themselves were easy, especially since it's quite a backoff set after 255, but it did push the cardio.  Might be something I consider tacking on after each workout just to boost my conditioning, but that depends on what the DOMs will be like.  Don't want it to interfere with the main 3x5 of my program.

190 bench was also tough.  Probably will stay at this on Monday before progressing.

Overhead press felt easy actually.  Starting to be more comfortable with the form so should be able to progress for a while longer with this.

Nov 25, 2014

** Barbell Overhead Press **
- 45.0 lbs x 10 reps
- 105.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 105.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 105.0 lbs x 5 reps

** Pullups **
- 5x10 reps

Nov 24, 2014

** Barbell Squat **
- 45.0 lbs x 10 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 205.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 245.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 245.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 245.0 lbs x 5 reps

** Flat Barbell Bench Press **
- 45.0 lbs x 10 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 185.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 185.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 185.0 lbs x 5 reps

** Deadlift **
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 205.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 245.0 lbs x 5 reps

Nov 23, 2014

** Barbell Overhead Press **
- 45.0 lbs x 10 reps
- 100.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 100.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 100.0 lbs x 5 reps

** Pullups **
- 5x10 reps

Nov 22, 2014

** Barbell Squat **
- 45.0 lbs x 10 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 185.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 235.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 235.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 235.0 lbs x 5 reps

** Flat Barbell Bench Press **
- 45.0 lbs x 10 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 180.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 180.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 180.0 lbs x 5 reps

** Deadlift **
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 185.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 235.0 lbs x 5 reps

Squats felt great.  Making sure that I retract the shoulder blades to keep the upper back tight made a HUGE difference in stability both on the eccentric, and also keeps the upper back from rounding and chest up on the concentric, which also helps prevent the bar from moving too far forward and deviating from a straight bar path.  In later reps, with some fatigue accumulation, I do notice my hips tend to rise a bit faster, which does push the bar forward and more stress on the lower back, so I need to try to prevent that in the future.  As for squat form in general, it's feeling really comfortable and smooth.  With glutes flexed, upper back flexed, neck packed, core braced, I just think about weight on the heels and sitting down, butt to heels, and this allows for a smooth hip break and basically ATG depth while maintaining relatively upright.

Bench press also felt good.  Need to remember to use more leg drive though.  The heeled shoes definitely help with that, as well as gaining a slightly better arch.

Deadlift feels light, but lower back still seems like there's slight rounding.  I'm trying to keep the hips high, but I need to remember that when I start each rep, I need to "put the lats in the front pocket".

Nov 21, 2014

** Barbell Overhead Press **
- 45.0 lbs x 10 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps

** Pullups **
- 5x10 reps

Tried doing OHP instead of dumbbell shoulder press since I think, though I have the powerblocks which gives more than enough weight, the hardest part is actually kicking the dumbbells up into the initial starting position.  I'm going to give the barbell OHP a shot since it can actually be set up in a good starting position without kicking it up.  Have to get used to the form though.  Biggest fear is actually tipping and falling forward or backward, which could be really dangerous and destructive to the surroundings.  As such, I'm starting light and plan on increasing slowly in 5 lb increments.  I figure it's alright as it is after all, an assistance exercise.  Pullups I'm just starting again as I believe it's a great exercise (was my favorite before) and I've neglected it for quite a while.  Next time, should add back the dumbbell rows as well.  I'm feeling guilty that since I got the squat rack, everything's been barbell-centric and by far my most expensive gear (the powerblocks) are kind of just sitting around...

Nov 20, 2014

FitNotes Workout - Thursday 20th November 2014

** Barbell Squat **
- 45.0 lbs x 10 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 185.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 225.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 225.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 225.0 lbs x 5 reps

** Flat Barbell Bench Press **
- 45.0 lbs x 10 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 175.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 175.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 175.0 lbs x 5 reps

** Deadlift **
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 185.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 225.0 lbs x 5 reps

Used "butt to heels" as cue.  At top, keep weight on heels and just thinking about sitting down with the butt.  Felt good and strong, great depth, virtually ATG, good speed.  Watching the videos after, it looks like by using this cue, I am unconsciously doing a hip break.  Well, it's working out well.  Need to remember to keep upper back tight and upon concentric, to push the back INTO the bar to keep upper back from rounding and hips rising too fast.

Nov 13, 2014

FitNotes Workout - Thursday 13th November 2014

** Flat Barbell Bench Press **
- 45.0 lbs x 10 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 180.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 180.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 180.0 lbs x 5 reps

 ** Deadlift **
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 205.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 255.0 lbs x 5 reps

Driving to DC for the SfN conference early tomorrow morning and I am unlikely to be able to work out at all until I get back Next Weds, the 19th, so that's a lot of workouts missed.  As such, I went ahead and benched and deadlifted tonight, although I did those yesterday already.  It felt alright, though really my priority is the squat.  I gave that a break though.  I don't want to stress the hips too much and be set back due to injury instead.  I'm hoping to wake up early tomorrow and knock out some squats before I start the drive, but I'm not the most optimistic about it, especially since I'm weaker in the morning, I'll have to wake up an hour before I start squatting since I don't want to deal with spinal compression/spinal fluid issues, and then I'm not sure how wise it is to squat heavy before driving 6-7 hours.  Anyhow, I'll see how I feel tomorrow morning when I wake up.

Nov 12, 2014 - Squat Depth

Today was the 2nd workout since starting over.  As I started at 225 on Monday, I'm hopping back onto my program of adding 10 lbs per workout so I did 235.  Felt light, pretty smooth and easy, but as I mentioned in the last post, my focus for today was on speeding up the eccentric.  It felt relatively successful, particularly for the first set.  The first rep of each set was still slower than the rest, as it seems like it takes me the first rep or two to "find the groove", so I need to work on that.  I tried looking more downward to help with the speed but I don't think it made a difference.  Rather, after all the sets were done and I was examining the videos, it seemed like some of my squats may be just at parallel and may not be convincingly legit.  The last rep on my first set though, was the best rep I did form-wise, depth-wise and speed-wise so I examined that one quite a bit.  Seemed like I kept my upper body more tight and stayed slightly more upright for that rep and depth was definitely well below parallel.  I toyed w/ the form with just the bar after my working sets were done and I found that indeed if I made sure I made my upper body as tight as possible, or "set in stone" as Jay Nera would call it, which includes cocking the head back to pack the neck (what Alex Kang and Izzy both suggest), then it really helps to maintain that back tightness.  This does help me stay more upright, which should make my depth more convincing.  One addition is that I need to make sure I allow my toes to flare out a bit more.  I think between 30-45 degrees is most comfortable and stable for me, but I usually end up starting out more and 15-20 degree flare.

Take Home Message:
-Upper back tight, cock head back, pack neck
-Flare toes 30-45 degrees outward
-Ensure that weight is on HEELS
-After everything is tight, FLEX GLUTES and sit straight down --> think butt to the heels while knees are pushing out
--MASTER ECCENTRIC CUE-- BUTT TO HEELS
--> use "butt to heels" as the fast eccentric cue as opposed to thinking about "push knees out" as the main initiation cue

FitNotes Workout - Wednesday 12th November 2014

** Barbell Squat **
- 45.0 lbs x 10 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 185.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 235.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 235.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 235.0 lbs x 5 reps

** Flat Barbell Bench Press **
- 45.0 lbs x 10 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 175.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 175.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 175.0 lbs x 5 reps

** Deadlift **
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 185.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 235.0 lbs x 5 reps

Nov 10, 2014 - Starting Over

FitNotes Workout - Monday 10th November 2014
 ** Barbell Squat **
- 45.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 185.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 225.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 225.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 225.0 lbs x 5 reps

 ** Flat Barbell Bench Press **
- 45.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 95.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 170.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 170.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 170.0 lbs x 5 reps

** Deadlift **
- 135.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 185.0 lbs x 5 reps
- 225.0 lbs x 5 reps

After taking a week off due to pretty bad hip issues, I started up again, though quite cautiously.
The squat form that I have adopted now as a result of my hip pain and impingement is a shoulder width stance with toes flared about 30 degrees out (Rippetoe type stance).  From what I've read, a wider stance is technically supposed to give more room to minimize impingement but on the other hand, a wider stance limits the amount of external rotation that can be achieved at the joint capsule.  Also, although flaring the toes out reduces the amount of torque I can generate at the hip, it allows me to push my knees out to the side much farther, which opens up even more room for me to drop down without (or minimal) impingement.
I toyed with unlocking the hips back (Chad Wesley Smith) and also with relaxing the glutes (Jay Nera) before initiating the descent, but in the end, it seemed like I felt most comfortable with a straight knee break, pushing HARD out to the sides as much as possible (Alex Kang).  This not only allowed me to have the smoothest squat, but also the fastest, though my eccentric is still painfully slow.  I have been wearing shoes to keep me more upright and allow me to push off the heels easier, and I have been trying to keep my chest up and eyes straight forward.  However, something I will try next squat workout is to actually look more downward.  Just trying with body weight squats after my main workout, I found that even with no weight, my eccentric is quite cautious if I'm looking straight ahead; however, if I look more downward so I can actually see the ground and see my knees, then I seem much more confident with dropping into the hole.  I will try this somewhat downward gaze next time, though I will also simultaneously have to pay more attention to not letting my upper back round or hips shoot up too fast while doing this.

The bench press felt good and relatively light, but it has been 2 weeks since I've done it so I started at a light weight and will progress up from there.  Wearing the oly shoes while benching allows me to use leg drive more, which is good, but I am not used to it so I need to consciously remember to cue myself to use leg drive.

Deadlifts were not good.  I was already quite tired by the time I got to the deadlifts so didn't really have too much motivation nor energy to really attack it.  Also, with this new Texas Power Bar (TPB), the knurling is quite rough, which is great for the grip, but brutal on the shins if I were to have a stance outside of the small smooth sections close to the middle.  As such, I went with a conventional narrow stance.  225 didn't feel heavy and it moved fast, but I think my back was rounding during the movement because I was already fatigued.  That and my sore intercostal muscles, which seem to be taking an extremely long time to heal, prevent me from bracing very well.  Next time I will try belting up to compensate for this issue, though I hope not to rely on the belt too much...but until my intercostals actually heal up, it is kind of a band-aid solution.  I will also try widening my stance slightly so that my shins are right at the farthest point of the smooth sections.  This is a very minor move, but hopefully it will help me recruit some more glute activation so I can hip thrust more explosively during the movement.  With a narrow stance like I had, it ended up being primarily a quad and spinal erector movement.  Hopefully now that I am starting up again, I can re-build my work capacity so I am not completely gassed by the time I get to deadlifts, otherwise it is really going to suffer.  On a related note, because of the knurling, unless I get shin guards or figure something out, I think sumo is kind of out of the question as I don't think Danyi will be too pleased with me ripping up my shins and bleeding all over the floor...