Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

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omaniphil
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Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#1

Post by omaniphil » Mon Sep 18, 2017 10:45 am

Well, I haven't logged in a while, mostly because I just got lazy. Hoping to end that streak here.

I'm 35 years old, 5'11, and currently a fatty, at 260lbs. I've been lifting for about 3 years on and off, but really have only been serious about it for the last year or so. I competed at the SS spring challenge in 2017, and am currently signed up for the Fall Classic in Chicago. I'd like to give powerlifting a try, maybe sometime next summer, after I fix my poverty bench. PRs are
Squat: 405lbs
Press: 195lbs
Bench: N/A (believe it or not, never actually have tried for one yet - probably around 250-260 though)
Deadlift: 475lbs

My current programming is stupid, but I want to stick with it through the Fall Classic, and then re-evaluate. I had a custom program written for me last year by Robert Santana that worked pretty well, and then I joined the Baker Barbell Club earlier this year, but left after a couple of months. I felt like there wasn't quite enough pressing volume on it, only benching/pressing 3 times in 2 weeks. (I've not seen the programming the last few months, so that may have changed). So after leaving the BBC, I went to the other extreme, and am on a 6 day a week Powerbuilding DUP split (template found online somewhere), where I squat and deadlift 3 days a week and on alternate days I Bench, Press and generally bro out. The volume is pretty high and I'm feeling really beaten down, so have been dropping sets and intensity from the scheduled program just to manage it. We'll see what the results look like at the end of October.

The last two weeks:
9/4
Squat 5x8 300lbs
Deadlift 3x8 355lbs

9/5
Bench 5x8 205lbs
OHP 3x8 135lbs
Pendlay Rows 3x6 185lbs

9/6
Squat 6x6 320lbs
Deadlift 3x6 380lbs

9/7
Bench 5x6 215
OHP singles at 172.5, 175, 185, 187.5, 190, 195 (PR)
Lat Pulldowns
LTEs

9/8
Squat 6x4 330lbs
Deadlift 3x4 400lbs

9/9
Bench 6x4 230lbs
Lat Pulldowns
Assisted Dips

Deload week
9/11
Squat 3x5 320lbs
Deadlift 2x5 390lbs

9/12
Bench 3x5 215lbs
OHP 5x5 155lbs

9/13
Squat 3x3 335lbs
Dealift 2x3 415lbs

9/14
Bench 3x3 225lbs
OHP 5x5 160lbs
LTEs
Pendlay Rows 3x6 190lbs

9/15
Squat 5x2 345lbs
Deadlift 2x2 425lbs

9/16
Bench 5x2 230lbs
Lat Pulldowns
Assisted Dips

9/17
Squats 4x5 325lbs
Deadlifts 1x5 400 (was supposed to do 2 sets, but just couldn't do it)
Last edited by omaniphil on Mon Sep 18, 2017 11:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

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TimK
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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#2

Post by TimK » Mon Sep 18, 2017 11:09 am

Hey, I'll be at the Fall Classic too. Nice to know I'm not the only Exoduster signed up!

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omaniphil
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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#3

Post by omaniphil » Mon Sep 18, 2017 7:10 pm

9/18
OHP 5x5 160lbs
Bench 3x5 220lbs
Lat Pulldowns + Assisted Dips

Bench moved slowly, but the presses felt light. I probably should have added a set or two to take advantage of that. I had a nascent case over the last couple of weeks of elbow tendonitis brought on from high volume benching. I got a pair of elbow sleeves, and that seems to have really helped.

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#4

Post by omaniphil » Wed Sep 20, 2017 1:59 pm

Huh - took a day off and already at the end of the second page?

Feeling the fall allergies bad today, with a stuffed nose and clogged sinuses, headache, etc, I almost skipped lifting today. Instead I took some preworkout, and voila, good as new! In fact, everything moved pretty light today.

Squat 5 sets of 3 at 340lbs - Not bad
Deadlift 2 sets of 3 at 420lbs - easy.


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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#5

Post by Allentown » Thu Sep 21, 2017 5:19 am

omaniphil wrote:Huh - took a day off and already at the end of the second page?
Jerks like me who do something every day won't help!

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#6

Post by chromoly » Thu Sep 21, 2017 9:57 pm

Allentown wrote:
omaniphil wrote:Huh - took a day off and already at the end of the second page?
Jerks like me who do something every day won't help!
Yeah, log section is really active here! It's great :)

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#7

Post by omaniphil » Fri Sep 22, 2017 5:22 am

chromoly wrote:
Allentown wrote:
omaniphil wrote:Huh - took a day off and already at the end of the second page?
Jerks like me who do something every day won't help!
Yeah, log section is really active here! It's great :)
Not bad for a forum that's been open for a week!

Anyways, here's yesterdays session.

9/21/2017
OHP 5x5 at 160lbs

I was supposed to bench as well, 5 sets of 3 at 235lbs and do a little accessory work, but when I got to the gym, the power racks were full, and I had to wait about 20 minutes (reminder, never go in the late afternoon). I was running short on time, and I had a double header softball game about an hour afterwards, so didn't want to get too exhausted and did the minimum. I'll be squatting and deadlifting today, so if I'm feeling good I may tack on the BP after my deadlifts.

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#8

Post by omaniphil » Fri Sep 22, 2017 10:00 am

omaniphil wrote:I'll be squatting and deadlifting today, so if I'm feeling good I may tack on the BP after my deadlifts.
Haha. Nope. Didn't happen.

9/22/2017

Squat 5 sets of 2 at 350lbs
Deadlift 3 sets of 2 at 430lbs

I'm bouncing off my knees too much on the squats. I really need to commit to getting tighter, especially in the hole, and using the stretch reflex from the hips. They weren't terrible, but I can tell my knees are a little achier than they should be.

As for the deadlifts, I'm pretty excited that I have finally learned how to deadlift with a 4" belt. I never felt as if I could set up properly with it, but then yesterday, while Pressing, there were no racks available so I was powercleaning the bar up to the rack position, and found that the 4" belt felt pretty comfortable while I was initiating the PC. I think the trick is to get it as tight as possible. I don't know why it works, but it did.


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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#9

Post by omaniphil » Sat Sep 23, 2017 6:41 pm

9/23/2017

Hit a milestone-ish PR on my overhead press tonight - 200lbs. And that was after a long day playing softball in a tournament at a nearby state prison. The inmates love to interact with people from outside, and its a lot of fun. Anyways, being severely dehydrated most of the day, and then hitting a PR feels pretty good. Even if I wasn't able to do the volume I had hoped to do.

OHP - did ramping singles 170,175,180,185,190, and then after 190 felt pretty good decided go for a new PR of 200lbs. I wouldn't say it flew up, but it made it to the sticking point halfway pretty quick, and then was able to grind through to a lockout.
Bench - 235 for 5 sets of 2
Lat Pulldowns 4x8 170lbs
Dips 3x6

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZZ0Gl1jRAI

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#10

Post by omaniphil » Tue Sep 26, 2017 9:51 am

9/26/2017

Was only supposed to take 1 day off, but my workout last night got postponed by my wife so that we can help plan our vacation in a little over a month. We're going to Morocco and we hadn't done any prep work until last night. No idea where to go once we're there, where to stay, what to do, etc. So, good thing we got that taken care. These things can sneak up on you pretty quick.

Anyways, today's workout:
Squat 5 sets of 5 at 330lbs. Felt light, but I wasn't entirely happy with the form. A rep here and there in the last couple of sets (linked below) were a little high, I was getting on to my toes a bit, and a few other small quibbles.
Deadlifts 3 sets of 5 at 405lbs. These were rough and slow. For the last year, up until about 2 months ago, I had been deadlifting and squatting on different days. Doing a lot of reps of each of these on the same day is tiring.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZgvMAyjlij

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#11

Post by omaniphil » Wed Sep 27, 2017 9:15 am

9/27/2017

BP 5x5 225lbs - lots of wiggling here. Need to get tighter. What else works here? more leg drive?
OHP 5x5 160lbs. Nice and light.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZjPOnYDaMY

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#12

Post by cgeorg » Wed Sep 27, 2017 10:08 am

That Dave Tate series (mentioned in the "why your press sucks" thread) goes over wiggling/tightness. I think it was in video 5 maybe.

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#13

Post by omaniphil » Wed Sep 27, 2017 10:35 am

cgeorg wrote:That Dave Tate series (mentioned in the "why your press sucks" thread) goes over wiggling/tightness. I think it was in video 5 maybe.
Thanks - lots of good stuff in there. I really liked his comment about driving the heels into the ground, but noting that they won't actually touch the ground since the feet are placed further back. I've heard the first cue, and so have had my legs placed where my heels would actually come into contact with the ground, but that meant my legs were placed too far out.

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#14

Post by cgeorg » Wed Sep 27, 2017 10:54 am

Yeah, I used that specific cue today and felt a lot more stability and power coming from my lower body, without the normal discomfort that came from my previous version of leg drive, which I think was just kind of trying to push myself as if to slide up the bench. I imagine I could be tighter on the bench still - is it weird to ask a random fellow gym goer to nudge you after you unrack? Probably. Imagine the entry in their log though.

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#15

Post by Chebass88 » Wed Sep 27, 2017 11:15 am

Congrats on your 200lb press. That is a great milestone. Keep training and turn that into a 205lb max!

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#16

Post by omaniphil » Wed Sep 27, 2017 11:32 am

Chebass88 wrote:Congrats on your 200lb press. That is a great milestone. Keep training and turn that into a 205lb max!
Thanks! Next stop, 225.

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#17

Post by omaniphil » Thu Sep 28, 2017 9:17 am

9/28/2017

Squat 5 sets of 3 @ 345lbs. Too much knee slide on these again.
Deadlift 3 sets of 3 @ 425lbs. Oof.

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#18

Post by omaniphil » Sat Sep 30, 2017 11:26 am

9/30/2017

Pressapalooza today.

OHP 5 sets of 5 at 165lbs
BP 5 sets of 3 at 235lbs
Lat Pulldowns 4 sets of 8 at 180lbs

I incorporated the cue from the Dave Tate videos that cgeorg mentioned above, about driving heels into the ground, and I feel like that helped quite a bit. Felt a bit tighter overall while benching, and the video bears that out.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZrLf5oBzSW

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#19

Post by omaniphil » Sun Oct 01, 2017 2:10 pm

10/1/2017

Squats 5 sets of 2 at 355
Deadlifts 0 sets of 2 at 435. Fail.

I thought my squats went ok - if a little slow. My deadlifts just didn't happen. Couldn't even budge the bar off the floor. My last warmup at 405 was really really slow, so I guess I could have seen it coming. I think maybe I've accumulated just a little too much fatigue here - deadlifting heavy 3 days a week. My next cycle is definitely going to keep the same volume - 7-8 sets, but make half of them heavy on one day, and then a lighter variety like RDLs 3 days apart from the heavy deadlifts.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZuDH7HDka-

edit - I've seen people embed instagram posts - how to do that? I tried using the embed code from instagram but it didn't work.

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Re: Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

#20

Post by omaniphil » Mon Oct 02, 2017 6:59 pm

10/2/2017

Press 185, (170x3)x6, (145x6)x3
Bench Press (225x2)x6
Lat Pulldowns (190x5)x4

Adopting new notation. I've seen Chebass use this - I like it. Very clear, and also concise.

Worked singles on my OHP up to 185, which is currently about 92% my max, and then backed off to 170 to do a bunch of triples. Got some extra volume in by backing off again down to 145.

My program called for 240lbs on the bench instead of 225, but the program is primarily for benching, and since I'm prepping for a strengthlifting meet, starting about two months before the meet, I switched the order so that I'd be pressing first, to be able to hit that harder. after all that pressing volume today, there was no way I'd have been able to do 240, so called an audible and deloaded to 225.

No video as the gym was crowded.

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