[General Stalin]

Crushed deadlifts the other night. I see myself really moving up with this lift and the progress has got me excited. This was my workout the other night. My DL looked like this:

1 x 8 x 225
1 x 8 x 245
1 x 8 x 265

Deadlift 2 x 8 x 225 >superset> sumo DL 2 x 8 x 185

I need to buy some knee and shin sleeves because I'm sick of the bar shewing up my shins and bruising my knees up.

Did incline bench today with a lot of shoulder work and also did some light squatting.

My weight has been doing much better. Weighing between 198 and 199 now. Weight was at 198.6 after today's workout so I'm pleased with my gains in that area. I decided to retest my 1RM's last week of June.

[Balkan]

Solid progress so far in this thread General Stalin! Two pretty obvious suggestions that you might already have in place are creatine and squat shoes (adipowers are good).

I've been waking up at 5am and getting 6am fasted workouts in. I'm a natural nightowl so it's been a hard transition but it feels great so far. Give the AM workouts a try if your schedule permits it as I've been on that 10PM night workout grind and it really fucks up your circadian rhythm.

[General Stalin]

(06-09-2016 11:32 AM)Balkan Wrote:  

Solid progress so far in this thread General Stalin! Two pretty obvious suggestions that you might already have in place are creatine and squat shoes (adipowers are good).

Thanks! I have been considering getting a pair of squat shoes. I think the only thing really keeping me from it is the idea of wearing special equipment that changes my form. I actually like lifting barefoot as much as possible. I always deadlift barefoot/in socks and I squatted barefoot the other day.

As for creatine - I know nothing about it really and haven't considered taking it.

(06-09-2016 11:32 AM)Balkan Wrote:  

I've been waking up at 5am and getting 6am fasted workouts in. I'm a natural nightowl so it's been a hard transition but it feels great so far. Give the AM workouts a try if your schedule permits it as I've been on that 10PM night workout grind and it really fucks up your circadian rhythm.

It would be something worth trying. Only issue is that my workout sessions tend to be very rigorous/tiring so I sort of "prep" myself throughout the day for them, making sure I eat a lot and take in a lot of carbs to have energy for my workout. Would hitting the gym right after I wake up with no food in me make for a less than satisfying workout?

Year ago I used to run a lot and would hit the track at like 530 in the morning every morning but I got burnt out on that quick.

[Balkan]

(06-09-2016 12:16 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

(06-09-2016 11:32 AM)Balkan Wrote:  

Solid progress so far in this thread General Stalin! Two pretty obvious suggestions that you might already have in place are creatine and squat shoes (adipowers are good).

Thanks! I have been considering getting a pair of squat shoes. I think the only thing really keeping me from it is the idea of wearing special equipment that changes my form. I actually like lifting barefoot as much as possible. I always deadlift barefoot/in socks and I squatted barefoot the other day.

As for creatine - I know nothing about it really and haven't considered taking it.

(06-09-2016 11:32 AM)Balkan Wrote:  

I've been waking up at 5am and getting 6am fasted workouts in. I'm a natural nightowl so it's been a hard transition but it feels great so far. Give the AM workouts a try if your schedule permits it as I've been on that 10PM night workout grind and it really fucks up your circadian rhythm.

It would be something worth trying. Only issue is that my workout sessions tend to be very rigorous/tiring so I sort of "prep" myself throughout the day for them, making sure I eat a lot and take in a lot of carbs to have energy for my workout. Would hitting the gym right after I wake up with no food in me make for a less than satisfying workout?

Year ago I used to run a lot and would hit the track at like 530 in the morning every morning but I got burnt out on that quick.

I was going to add a caveat saying unless you already squat barefoot/in chucks. I prefer the squat shoes as they give me an incredible sense of stability and take a bit of pressure off my knees with the elevated heels, but it would change your mechanics and it sounds like you got a good flow going.

Creatine is interesting. I just hopped back on it after a 3 year hiatus. There are a few types, including buffered, kre-alkalyn, and the most popular and common monohydrate. I take monohydrate. It's the cheapest but the downside is it leads to slight water retention in some people, whereas the other forms of creatine don't. Creatine monohydrate has been around for decades and there are positive longitudinal studies so it's deemed safe. In my opinion, it's the most helpful supplement for muscle gain, which means I'd rank it above protein powder/bcaas. It's been most helpful during bulking phases as creatine shuttles more ATP into your muscle cells, thus giving you more cellular energy which leads to slight increases in lifting capacity. Eating a ton of meat, especially beef, would also considerably raise your creatine levels fyi. All my maxes go up by 5-15lbs when consistently on creatine (could be placebo-ing myself here) This means more muscular breakdown during workouts ==> more recovery growth ==> more gains. Not trying to peer pressure you into taking it but just putting it on the radar.

If you're not used to fasted/morning workouts then yes, they'll initially be worse. I feel more rested and more ready for workouts when they're at night. I don't expect this to ever change although over time my morning workouts have gotten easier on the willpower/grogginess front. Sometimes I still workout at nights (no later than 8pm though) as I like bookending my day with either an early morning or nighttime workout for daytime productivity. The real benefits for me, which outweight the slight lack of intensity of morning workouts, are the habit loops of having it in a morning routine and the feeling of completion/endorphin flow that you have for the rest of the day. Once again, seems like you got a good flow going, minus the midnight workouts , and I wouldn't mess with it. Consistency > when you workout.

[Anabasis to Desta]

(06-07-2016 12:40 AM)General Stalin Wrote:  

My weight has been doing much better. Weighing between 198 and 199 now. Weight was at 198.6 after today's workout so I'm pleased with my gains in that area. I decided to retest my 1RM's last week of June.

Awesome.

Almost there man ... 200 lbs is an emotional milestone in every lifters journey.

[General Stalin]

(06-09-2016 07:03 PM)Anabasis to Desta Wrote:  

(06-07-2016 12:40 AM)General Stalin Wrote:  

My weight has been doing much better. Weighing between 198 and 199 now. Weight was at 198.6 after today's workout so I'm pleased with my gains in that area. I decided to retest my 1RM's last week of June.

Awesome.

Almost there man ... 200 lbs is an emotional milestone in every lifters journey.

I'm more concerned about getting the most out of my 200 lbs. There are a lot of dudes in my gym that weigh 200 and are fucking strong. Hell, the owner is 198 and benches 375, deadlifts 650, and squats 700.

Given my height, I think ideally I'd like to be 210-215 with decent definition. I'd be swole as a bastard, and if I could make the most out of that weight I'd be extremely happy with myself. I've put on 10 lbs since March no reason I can't put on another 10 lbs by Fall.

[General Stalin]

(06-09-2016 07:03 PM)Anabasis to Desta Wrote:  

Almost there man ... 200 lbs is an emotional milestone in every lifters journey.

Squatted last night. Weighed 200.6 lbs. beefin' !

Squat - 1 x 5 x 145 (warm up)
1 x 8 x 165
1 x 8 x 195
1 x 6 x 215

Box Squat - 2 x 8 x 165 >superset> Squat - 2 x 8 x 145

Close Stance Front Squat - 3 x 8 x 125 >SS> Leg Ext. - 3 x 8 x 100 >SS> Leg Curl - 3 x 8 x 50

Standing Calf Raise - 3 x 15 x 200 >superset> Shrugs - 3 x 15 x 200

Legs Straight Lying Toe Touches - 3 x 20

First time I've squatted since my max where I didn't have groin pain so that was a relief, but still not throwing up the weight:reps I'd like. I probably should have nutted up and squeezed out two more reps of that 215. I'm worried that my squat max may potentially hardly go up if at all.

[Anabasis to Desta]

(06-10-2016 01:17 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

Squatted last night. Weighed 200.6 lbs. beefin' !

First time I've squatted since my max where I didn't have groin pain so that was a relief, but still not throwing up the weight:reps I'd like. I probably should have nutted up and squeezed out two more reps of that 215. I'm worried that my squat max may potentially hardly go up if at all.

[General Stalin]

Did some bench last night and got invited to do "Strongman Fridays" with some of the guys at the gym.

I have decided to starting working on my own programing as I work up towards my max so have be switching to workup sets > lower reps

Bench Press - 1 x 10 x 135 (warmup)
1 x 8 x 165
1 x 6 x 175
1 x 4 x 185
1 x 2 x 205

In between those bench sets I fucked around with strongman stuff with the other guys. Did axle push-press for time. 55 lbs. 3" axle bar with 25 lbs. tires. Did 12 reps in 1 minute.

Then we pulled my truck with a harness. 60' best time wins. My truck weighs ~ 5600 lbs. I got the best time at 15.1 sec and best overall average of 3 pulls as well.

Back to my workout.

Bench - 2 x 8 x 165 >superset> 2 x 8 x 135 (second set my tris were fatigued and could only put up 6)

I decided to do some OHP and try and work towards a heavy single (PR).

Standing OHP - 1 x 8 x 95
1 x 6 x 105
1 x 4 x 115
1 x 1 x 135 (failed attempt)

I figured since I put up 115 for 4 then a single at 135 was in my grasp, but I couldn't put it up. A 20 lbs. jump is asking a lot for this sort of movement I understand. 125 may have been doable but I did not attempt. I'm sure doing the axle bar presses didn't help - will try another day.

Seated DB Shoulder press - 3 x 8 x 35 >ss> pullover complex - 3 x 8 x 65 >ss> Upright plate rows - 3 x 8 x 35

Weighed myself - 199.8 lbs.

Went home, did some late night grocery shopping. Ate a premium 1lbs. leg of lamb steak and an entire crown of broccoli and a handful of spinach. Topped it off with a tall smoothie (1 whole banana, 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt, 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter, ~1.5 cups whole milk, and 2 scoops of whey protein isolate).

My biggest fuck up is that I only got like 5 hours of sleep last night after all of that. Failing to get proper sleep is fucking me.

[General Stalin]

Big deadlift PR last night!

Gym was a ghost down when I showed up. Opened the garage door, turned on the big ass fan, and it starts pouring rain thunder and lightening. Good vibes. If it was my equipment I would have taken the bar and plates outside and lifted in the parking lot soaking wet.

Starting this program my Deadlift 1RM was 315.

I did 315 x 2 last night and likely could have done for 3 if pushed myself, but I didn't want to totally compromise form for the sake of reps.

Deadlift - 1 x 5 x 135 (warmup)
1 x 8 x 225
1 x 6 x 275
1 x 3 x 295
1 x 2 x 315

2" Deficit deadlift - 2 x 8 x 225 >superset> Sumo deadlift 2 x 8 x 205

Bent over barbell row 3 x 10 x 95 >ss> Shrug complex (hanging pullup bar shrugs/upright dip rack shrugs) 3 x 15 >ss> Single arm row 3 x 10 x 60

Took a bunch of video of my form last night and realized my sumo kinda looks like shit. Rounding in the mid back. Part of that could be because my legs were tired from strongman shit the night prior night and squatting the day before that, but whatever. Excuses. Need to work on form when sumo.

Weight 199.2.

[General Stalin]

I've officially outlined my strength goals (as of right now).

I'm looking to be part of the 300/400/500 club.

Bench at least 300 lbs.

Squat at least 400 lbs.

Dead lift at least 500 lbs.

Curious about how much of a 1RM increase I should go for on my lifts in 2 weeks.

I would love if I could deadlift 405, but I think that is an unrealistic goal based off the fact that I could MAYBE pull 315 x 4 max effort. 350ish might be more reasonable...

I plan on shooting for a 245 bench press which I feel is doable.

I also would love to squat 300/315 but I don't feel too confident in my squat. I did 235 x 2 a couple weeks ago and that was shaky. Had some forward lean going on in the 2nd rep.

[H1N1]

Those are most likely going to be some pretty long term goals, as I'm sure you're aware.

I would not really aim for a 1rm increase in a fortnight, I am not sure why you have set that as a time period, hope I haven't missed anything.

You won't pull 405 in a fortnight if you're pulling 315x4 now. I think 340ish would be realistic, although you'd only be doing a minor strength peak rather than building your 1rm.

Can't comment on bench other than to say it looks like a big jump, but I am shit at bench and not in a position to offer advice.

I would not try 300 on the squat if your recent best is 235x2. You'll probably get crushed in the hole and be demoralised.

Very confused about the 2 week thing, but I may be being dense here.

Personally I'd build the reps with the weights you are using now. It'll build more strength, and more muscle, with less risk of injuring yourself for no reason.

[General Stalin]

(06-13-2016 08:57 AM)H1N1 Wrote:  

Very confused about the 2 week thing, but I may be being dense here.

In my first post I mentioned my previous maxes we set 4/26. 2 weeks from now will be 2 months/8 weeks since my lest max. My trainer recommended going for a 1RM after 6-8 weeks.

My goal is to check my progress and see where my strength gains are at since starting this a few months ago.

I know my 300/400/500 will likely take at least a year to achieve.

As for the 245 bench - when I originally went for my maxes my trainer thought that was attainable and I made an attempt but failed. He said if we had skipped 225 and gone straight to 245 it could have made the difference.

---------------

Speaking of maxes, I did a strict OHP of 135 today and was pretty proud of myself. Struggled at top-of-head height but pushed through it and locked out. Another PR for this week. Pretty high off of the achievement.

Weight 200.2 lbs.

[H1N1]

(06-13-2016 08:10 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

(06-13-2016 08:57 AM)H1N1 Wrote:  

Very confused about the 2 week thing, but I may be being dense here.

In my first post I mentioned my previous maxes we set 4/26. 2 weeks from now will be 2 months/8 weeks since my lest max. My trainer recommended going for a 1RM after 6-8 weeks.

My goal is to check my progress and see where my strength gains are at since starting this a few months ago.

I know my 300/400/500 will likely take at least a year to achieve.

As for the 245 bench - when I originally went for my maxes my trainer thought that was attainable and I made an attempt but failed. He said if we had skipped 225 and gone straight to 245 it could have made the difference.

---------------

Speaking of maxes, I did a strict OHP of 135 today and was pretty proud of myself. Struggled at top-of-head height but pushed through it and locked out. Another PR for this week. Pretty high off of the achievement.

Weight 200.2 lbs.

My bad dawg, thanks for clearing that up.

I don't know how long it has taken you to get to the lifts you're doing now, but I suspect it may take a lot longer than a year. You're looking at adding nearly 200lbs to your squat and dead, and at least 60lbs to your bench.

That is a major leap forward for 12 months if you aren't new to training - particularly when your sleep is so sub-optimal. Not tryn'a hate nor nuffink, just important not to get demoralised if you're still a long way off that at the end of the year. To be rounded out like that really is very strong. I've pulled 500 and squatted 400, but I have a strong lower body and torso/back naturally, whereas I am probably the whackest bench presser in the whole entire world. I still struggle with benching 200, yet I have pushpressed 190. Life can be very cruel sometimes.

I think to have any chance of hitting your target you would have to make some very serious adjustments to your schedule to prioritise your lifting.

[General Stalin]

You may be right, most importantly with sleep, though I have been making pretty steady gains so far with less-than-optimal practices so I am optimistic. My dead lift has gone up very fast especially

[General Stalin]

Did some SKWATS today. Went for a heavy double and got it, though I did have a spotter almost have to grab me on the 2nd rep as I lost a lot of steam down in the hole but powered through it.

Squat - 1 x 8 x 145
1 x 8 x 165
1 x 6 x 195
1 x 4 x 215
1 x 2 x 235
1 x 2 x 255

20 lbs. increase from my previous 2RM. I'm confident I can improve from my original 275 1RM, but I don't think going for 300 is going to happen. I may go for 285 on max day and if it feels okay I'll go for 300.

The rest of the workout looked like this:

Box Squat 2 x 8 x 165 >superset> Squat 2 x 8 x 145

Close stance front squat 3 x 8 x 125 >ss> Leg Ext. 3 x 8 x 110 >ss> Leg Curl 3 x 8 x 60

Sissy squats 3 x 10 (each side)

My Leg curl and extension haven't gone up, as typically I've done 100/50 respectively and adding an extra 10 lbs this workout made a very noticeable difference. Leg curls were basically to failure at 8 x 60. I'm thinking the issue there is lack of volume - they are very isolated movements and I only 3 sets of 8 once a week.

Either way, I'm happy with my squats today. Noticeable improvement over my previous workup to a heavy double.

Weight: 199.2

Need to adjust my diet a bit and start eating a little more as I've been at 200 give or take for about a week now.

[General Stalin]

Bench 3-rep PR today. Had a girl spot me and she had to assist me a little on the 3rd rep no shame. She was one of those serious gym types. Traps bigger than mine, mad muscle definition, broad shoulders. Whatever WB.

I likely could have made all 3 reps smooth if I didn't put in as much volume working up.

Bench:
1 x 10 x 135
1 x 8 x 165
1 x 5 x 185
1 x 3 x 205

Last week 205 x 2 was a PR and the second rep was real shaky (ass off the bench/max leg drive). This time the 2nd rep felt comfortable which is why I went for 3.

I ended up doing a lot of volume today not too sure if that's bad for ramping up to a 1RM but whatever.

Bench Press - 2 x 10 x 155 >superset> Close grip 1 x 10 x 135/1 x 3 x 135 (failure)

DB Flys - 3 x 10 x 30 >superset> Reverse DB Flys - 3 x 10 x 20

Cable Crossover - 3 x 12 x 40 >superset> Tricep pushdown - 3 x 12 x 90

Seated DB Shoulder Press - 3 x 8 x 40 (last set failure at 7)

Also spotted a different body builder chick on incline DB press (she couldn't set the dumbells up over her head to start the set; how cute). Starting to get a weird fetish for ripped toned chicks with broad shoulders and traps...

Weight: 200.2 lbs.

[General Stalin]

Deadlift one rep PR last night.

1 x 5 x 135
1 x 4 x 225
1 x 2 x 295
1 x 1 x 335

Took me two attempts. I was pretty happy with that lift considering I was running off of half a night's sleep and barely ate anything during the day. Was in no condition to be doing a heavy deadlift but pulled it anyway. My weakest point in deadlift is floor speed so I've been incorporating deficit deadlifts to try and work on that.

2" Deficit Deadlift - 3 x 8 x 225

Sumo Deadlift - 3 x 8 x 205

Pendlay Rows 3 x 10 x 75 (strict) >ss> Lat Pull down 3 x 10 x 90 >ss> seated row 3 x 10 x 90

Concentration Curl 2 x 8 x 30/1 x 12 x 22 (burnout) >ss> Single Arm row 3 x 8 x 60 >ss> Wrist curl 2 x 10 x 60/1 x 12 x 50 (burnout)

Decline twisting situps 3 x 10

Weight: 198.4

Been doing shitty with food the past few days because I've been going out.

Realizing quickly that I am unable to be equally dedicated to fitness, my day job, side business/personal projects, and social life. Something always gets in the way of something else. Honestly, the main problem is my job...

I work about 50-60 hours a week depending on the week and it fucks me. I don't get home until late and I really only have time to do one thing before I have to eat and go to bed to get a halfway decent night sleep. I can choose to go to the gym, work on my studio, or go out. If I have a date with a girl, then I can't go to the gym that day. Simply no time. If I go to the gym after work, I don't have adequate time after I get home to do much else besides shower, eat, and go to bed.

Need a new way to make money that is less of a time suck.

[General Stalin]

Great past couple of days. Made a 10 lbs. squat PR today too. Was a grinder but I got it. I'm coming for that 300.

Did OHP and a lot of shoulder work Monday. worked up to 1 x 4 x 125 then worked back down.

Squats today:

1 x 8 x 145
1 x 5 x 195
1 x 2 x 215
1 x 1 x 235
1 x 1 x 255
1 x 1 x 285 PR!
6 x 3 x 235 <- this is a fucking MASSIVE improvement. A few weeks back I struggled to squeeze out 2 reps of 235. Today I went 6 x 3 no problem.

Then a did a bunch of leg press, calf raises, and hamstring raises.

I am going to stop going to the gym now until Saturday when I got for Deadlift PR, then I will rest two days and go for bench PR next Tue, then rest two more days and do squat PR next Friday.

Current goals are:

Deadlift - 355
Bench - 245
Squat - 300

I feel these are reasonable numbers. 15-20 lbs. gains I'm shooting for across the board. I'd like to shoot for a higher DL but I think it's smarter to be conservative. If I can pull 355 we'll see how I feel and if I can go higher.

[General Stalin]

New deadlift 1RM last night. I was in less than optimal state - 2 hours of sleep the night before, and a 1.5 hour nap before going to the gym. Warmed up with some foam rolling, back hypers, and Romanian deadlifts with just the bar.

Deadlift:
1 x 4 x 135
1 x 2 x 225
1 x 1 x 315
1 x 1 x 355

Got a video and form is garbage but I got the weight up and locked out, then again it is a 1RM so form can/will breakdown. I was drained from lack of sleep so I'm pretty proud of the gains given that.

I made two attempts at 365 but could not get the weight off the floor. Crazy what a difference a measly 10 lbs. makes.

Weight last night was 201.6 lbs.

Now 2 days rest and bench press Tuesday.

[Snowflake]

that's some insane progress considering the numbers you posted in your OP... mirin

[General Stalin]

Disappointing bench PR day. I increased my max but not a much or as smoothly as I would have liked. Put up 235 (previous successful 1RM was 225). I made four attempts at 245, but I honestly think part of my problem may have been my spotter... Made friends with him about a month or so ago and we've been gym bros, but he is a little more novice than I am and didn't let me struggle enough with the weight before he helped me. One of those 245 attempts he said was "95%" me. I didn't like it so I went for 235 instead. More form was garbage today.

I also failed at 1 attempt at 235. Was getting pretty shot from all the max attempts - definitely overdid myself a bit, but I did get the 23t5 as ugly as it was ass way off the bench and all.

1 x 4 x 95
1 x 2 x 135
1 x 1 x 185
1 x 1 x 205
1 x 1 x 235

Was bummed about not hitting my goal so I hit some light weight after just feel better about myself:

Bench - 1 x 15 x 135
1 x 10 x 155

DB Press - 3 x 10 x 55

After my Squat max day this weekend, I'm going to take a trip back to the drawing board with being more tight, technical, and explosive with my lifts. I'm also going to start on a body building program for a month or two to get more mass on me, then shift to more of a strength program to make those bigger muscles into stronger muscles.

If anyone has any recommendations for programming for this these, or if you have any sort of advice or criticism I'd be very happy to hear it.

EDIT: Also still at 201.4 lbs. Weight holding pretty steady lately. Need to make the next step in my diet to start gaining again though. Also, once again I was not properly prepped for maxing on bench today. I went camping last night and although I did get 8 hours of sleep, it was uncomfortable sleep in a sleeping back on the ground, and I didn't eat very adequately before hitting the gym.

[H1N1]

Cannot recommend GZCL strongly enough. I'm new to it, so can't give too much personal experience, but the idea behind it is great. Check out:

http://swoleateveryheight.blogspot.co.uk...ed_13.html

[General Stalin]

Thanks man, looks great! I'll write a program for myself based on this and try it out for a month see how it goes.

The only confusion is the "Training Max" metric. He states it's something you can do that is in the 2-3 rep range. So lets say my heaviest successful double on bench was 205 - would that be my "max" I would base all the weights off of?

[H1N1]

Ye, I would use 200-205 as the weight you work with. Probably 200 if it were me. You spend a lot of time working with a significant proportion of that weight, and the goal at the end of a 4 week cycle is to be able to smash out 3 or 4 reps with that weight. If you can do that, you slap on another 10-15lbs and run another cycle.

Because you are spending a period of 4 weeks working with roughly the same weight, the idea is to concentrate on moving the weight better with your T1 work, then you back off and hit some volume with your T2 work to build a bit of muscle and get more practice in, and then use the T3 work to really build some supporting muscle.

I'd personally do bench T2 on ohp day if you have one, and ohp on bench day. I'd swap the lower body lifts like that too. Keeps it interesting (lol) and stops you burning out too quickly.