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...
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