Deadlifts and Shoulders

Things are looking up now that I have been back in the gym for nearly 2 weeks. Not as stiff or sore day on day and slowly getting my head into what has to be done over the next few months. A lot of big stuff on it's way and a few massive challenges. Deadlifts were the first thing tonight and the first set was to put it mildly, CRAP. Butt to high and craning the weight up way to much. Next couple of sets got it sorted out a bit more. Still got plenty of speed and power off the floor. Standing Shoulder presses were pretty good and strong, even the weight was okay. Pronated d/bell press, the weight is to light and I need to push it up a bit next week. Bentover lat raise went okay with good control and by the third set I could feel my rear delts real well. As I haven't done cable pull throughs for a while still getting use to it but making progress. I like to squeeze my butt real hard while doing them and boy can I feel it by the last rep. And who was the idiot that put in prowler pushes, again just getting use to them. Trying to drive through my calves, hams and butt. This is also good for GPP work as well.

Deadlifts (3 x 3 @ 180kg)
Strong off the floor with plenty of power.

Shoulder press ( 4 x 6 @ 75kg)
Good presses and could feel my shoulder's working.

Pronated Dumbbell Press ( 3 x 8 @ 30kg)
Weight is a bit to light so will need to increase that next week.

Bentover Lat Raise (3 x 10 @ 15kg)
Good control and nice tempo.

Cable Pull Throughs ( 3 x 10 @ 54kg)
Good hard squeeze on the way up and can I feel my butt by the end of the set.

Prowler pushes (4 x 1 @ 80kg)
Track is about 15mtrs long. A lot more power this week.

Isn't there just something about heavy weight.

Gotta love the second week of training don't ya, Weights can get a bit heavier and things just look and feel better. That;s the way with tonight. Benchpresses and slowly getting my body ready for the big weight in a few cycles time. But right now man 180kg felt good. I just felt alive yeah. Good speed off my chest and strong looking lockouts. Controlled it all the way to my chest. Still getting use to incline benches, the bar wants to go it's own way every now and then. Not surprising since I haven't done for a long time. Close grip is coming along well and getting good feel in my tri's at the moment. Flat backs with the dumbbells I find I just have a better feel in my tri's when I use the bands. Just me I think. Old school stiff leg deadlifts are working a lot better than I thought. Getting a pretty decent stretch from my hams as well. Working hard on keeping my core strong so keeping the Cable Obliques in. Overall a good day at the office.

Benchpress ( 3 x 3 @ 180kg)
No# 3 bands over elbows a bit like a Titan Ram or Slingshot from Mark Bell.

Incline Benchpress ( 3 x 6 @ 80)
Good reps

Close Grip Benchpress (3 x 6 @ 100kg)
Tucking elbows and trying to feel the weight on my tri"s

Flat Back Dumbbell Extensions ( 3 x 8 @ 30kg)
At the moment I seem to be getting good control on the way down. Probably could use a bit more extensions so will have to watch that part and make sure I am doing it next week.

Stiff Leg Deadlifts ( 3 x 10 @ 90)
I am liking this old school exercise

Cable Obliques ( 3 x 10 @ 48kg)
This is the best way I can find in the gym to simulate swinging an axe.

Start of the second week back

Well Monday you have come around again. Feeling a lot better after last week and ready to start pushing things a bit more. Safety bar squats went well and back to a bit better weight. Top set of 165 + 50kg of band tension. 3 good reps. Front squats were good as well. working on the back a bit more as this was a area towards of last year I could have been stronger in. The heavy physical work at the end of last year probably didn't help. Using the bands for squatting is a bit like tossing the caber in that when you get it right the weight seems to disappear. Need to work on it a lot more but happy with the start. Overall a good workout.

Safety Bar Squats ( 3 x 3 @ 145, 155, and 165 + 50kg of band tension)
Good squats with good speed. Hit depth pretty easy.

Front Squats ( 3 x 6 @ 120)
Felt different with the bands but also good in "Feel"

Bentover Rows ( 4 x 6 @ 90kg)
Good control on all reps and good to feel my back working.

Lat Pulldowns ( 3 x 8 @ 160Lbs)
Nice stretch in the lats.

D/bell Rows ( 3 x 10 @ 45kg)
Good reps could really feel my back working on these. By now back is starting to get a good "worked" feel to it. Not quite a pump but that sort of thing.

Reverse Hypers (3 x 10 @ 70kg) Not filmed
I like how it makes my lower back feel after doing squats and back work. Try not to throw the weight up. Good to be back using this exercise.

Strongman/GPP and Yesterday

Two days in one go here. The speed day yesterday was/is not much to write about as the weights were so light. However it was a good day to practice a bit of technique and to think about a couple of things as to how I want to do some of it this year. To that end a couple changes to the squats are a coming and also for the deadlifts as well. A good day from that perspective. No video as I didn't want to look that ridiculous, cue smart arse comments. All sets are done on a 90 second count from my phone.

Today I got the chance to do some Strongman/GPP training. WOW am I really that slow/weak or any other word that could be use. Just an easy day today with only 3 sets per exercise. Not a lot of power in the hammer hits and talk about being slow with tyre flips ( and I want to be able to start using the MONGREL full time in 3 weeks) although on the video it doesn't look that bad. Need to get my butt down a bit lower though. Log press wasn't to bad. Tyre pulls, Hmmmmmmm This is the hardest they have been in a real long time and I could feel my back by the end of the third one. Tyre drags, could I feel this one or what. the trip down the drive ain't to bad however on the return I could really feel everything working, Butt, Hams, Calves, Lungs (trying to suck in enough air) and my mind willing me on to the end. Still this is only the first week so can't expect to be in peak condition. Next week it will be 4 sets of everything so that should be fun.

Friday (Speed Day) Haha Refer above re this week.
Safety Bar Box Squats @ 50%  of top weight on Monday ( 3 Mats)
10 x 2 @ 70kg
A: the mats will come down over the next few weeks and
B: the %age will go up over the cycle.

Benchpress @ 50% of top weight on Tuesday
10 x 2 @ 50kg

Speed Deadlifts @ 50% of top weight on Wednesday (4 Mats)
10 x 1 @ 70kg.

Saturday: Strongman/GPP work.
Hammer hits
3 x 10 with a 6 pound sledgehammer.

Tyre flips (Baby Tyre, Weighs about 170kg)
3 x 5

Log press (log weighs probably 55kg now)
3 x 5

Tyre pulls: the rope weighs 25kg and is 25mtrs long and the tyre is 55kg. As you pull the tyre in you end up with less Rope weight and in theory it should be lighter however you are now starting to get tried so the perceived weight stays probably the same.
3 x 1

Tyre drags: The drive is about 40mtrs long so the whole journey is about 80mtrs with the same tyre being used as in the tyre pulls so it weighs 55kg.
3 x 1.

Deadlift's You want me to do Deadlifts, Yeah whatever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OKAY First Question, who was the bugger that move the floor and extra 15 feet away, cause hell it seemed a lot further away than the last time I did them. As you can guess today was the first day I had done deadlifts for a awhile. Not wanting to go to hard today. the first pull on the first set felt real quick but after that it was just to get though them. The body is starting to feel a lot better now that we have been in 3 days in a row. Also got in some shoulder with some reasonable weights.
Today was just an easy day and I actually felt pretty good though the whole workout. Just a couple more workouts this week and we will have got that first week out of the way. Then on to the bigger stuff. Now on to some speed work on Friday and strongman/gpp on Saturday.

Deadlifts (3 x 5 @ 140kg)
Good sets with no real power or gusto. First rep of first set came up real fast but that was it. Good starting point.

Shoulder Press (3 x 6 @ 60kg)
Behind the neck, Felt pretty good even though I have not done them for a few weeks. Probably dropping them a little fast but will clean that up next week.

Pronated D/bell press ( 3 x 8 @ 25kg)
Felt pretty good but on a few reps a little unbalanced. Again not to worried about it. I am only at the start.

Bentover Lat Raise ( 3 x 10 @ 12.5kg)
Pretty easy sets but good to get them in.

Cable Pull Threws ( 3 x 10 @ 30kg)
Could feel this one a bit more as when doing these I try to squeeze my butt hard. Good to get  them out of the way.

Prowler Push ( 4 x 1 @ 60kg)
The carpet is about 20mtrs there and 20mtrs back. Good way to use my posterior chain. I also try to concentrate on pushing through my butt as well.

Ouch Day, Well it's not really that bad.

Ahhhhhhhh DOMS you are such a nice friend. Well it wasn't to bad as I could still move around reasonably well. Chest and Tri's today. Looking back at last year one of the area's where I good have got more quality out was Triceps, so a bit more focus on them over the coming cycles should help. The other area that could have been better is Hamstrings so again a lot more focus this year.

Benchpress (3 x 5 @ 100kg)
Man anyone would think I was a beginner with the way these went tonight. Was hard to get under the bar and then to do reps. but STRUGGLED though them.

Incline Benchpress ( 3 x 6 @ 60kg)
It is so long since I had done these that I actually had to relearn how to do them. Arms here, Elbows over there and a bar going wherever it wanted. Finally got it sorted out by the third set. Check the video out on my youtube site. Don't laugh to hard though.

Close Grip Benchpress ( 3 x 6 @ 80kg)
Lots of focus on using my tri's and not trying to get my chest involved. Will have to work on that part however the light weight probably didn't help.

Flat Back Dumbbells ( 3 x 8 @ 25kg)
Felt pretty good doing these tonight and again a lot more focus on the triceps. Again just getting the job done this week.

Stiff Leg Deadlifts (3 x 10 @ 80kg)
Again another of those things from last year, not enough work on my hams so putting them in a lot more and using more focus to get a lot stronger to help out my squats.

Cable Obliques (3 x 10 @36kg/75lbs)
As I said last night an area I have to work on. That whole dare i say it "CORE" area. Easy weight.

Day 1 Week 1 Cycle 1 since Commonwealths.

Well into the gym I went today after having about 5 weeks off since the Commonwealth champs. Well rested and now ready for the challenges of the new lifting year. First year into the Master 2 class (50-59) at 120kg+. Not really going for it this week so nothing great

Safety Bar Squats (3 x 5@ 140kg)
Nice and clean nothing spectacular, just clean reps.

Front Squats (3 x 6 @ 100)
Good clean deep reps.

Lat pulldowns for 3 sets of 10. Had to increase the weight as I have not done any of these for a number of years so did not know where to start. Had looked at 40kg but had to increase it to 60kg.

D/bell Rows (3 x 10 @ 30kg)
Nice and easy, Could be a lot heavier but will get there.

Reverse Hypers ( 3 x 10 @ 60kg)
Good feel nothing great yet

Standing Crunch (3 x 10)
Got to work on these as to how to get the most out of them. This is one area that I feel I was weak on last year.

Gonnna be sore tomorrow though. DOMS will be a bitch.