DanCR - Can you believe how much I am in heaven?

[DanCR]

8/23/22 (Max Fitness, Baton Rouge)

Squats 45,135,225x5 260x4 280x2 300,320x1 230 x5s x3r
Bench Press - a bunch of bullshit and then 135 x5s x5r
Bent Rows 100 x6s x6r

I’m too aggravated to type out specifics in my aptly titled log that no one reads, but after some atrocious sets, it was clear that I needed to start from scratch with my bench press, keeping the bar perfectly straight on each rep and actively holding both arms (especially the fucked up right side) in place by activating my rear delts. The sets across at 135 did feel good doing that, but it was incredible how weak I was on the right side. I barely completed the last set.

Being positive about something, my squat form is as dialed in as it ever was. They feel great. I’m right at the point where I usually program hop - gonna keep pushing this time.

[KarlM]

***keeping the bar perfectly straight on each rep and actively holding both arms (especially the fucked up right side) in place by activating my rear delts***

Preach on brother. IMO it's all (well, maybe 90%) about retracting the shoulders. These days I try to press straight up. And I touch just at the top of my ribs.

[DanCR]

8/25/22 (back home at NY Strong)

Squats 45,135,225x5 265x2 285,305,320x1 235 x6s x3r
Bench Press 45,95x5 140 x5s x5r
RDLs 45,95x5 140 x3s x5r
Seated Cable Rows (neutral grip) 120 x6,6,8

Decent session for getting up at 4:30am and flying home.

[DanCR]

8/27/22

Spider Bar Squats 80,130,180,200,210,220x5
Barbell Rows 105,110,115,120,125,130x6 135x7
Bench Press 45,95x5 145 x5,5,5,5,5,5
Lying Leg Curls 75 x10,10,10,10,6
Pullups (neutral wide) x3,2,1

I had never used the spider bar before and had fun with it. Everything else was a fucking disaster. It’s not even that I’m stuck rowing and benching light as fuck, it’s that even at these weights, they don’t feel right. The pullups, which I’d avoided for two or so weeks, were the worst of the lot. Again, it wasn’t even that I could barely do any of them, it’s that my legs were hanging a foot (maybe more) to the left and I couldn’t control that at all. I wish I knew what the actual fuck I did to myself.

At least the back thing cleared up!

[DanCR]

8/28/22

Training with Sal after twenty or so minutes of brutal pressure point manipulation to get my shit to release.

Lat Pulldowns - neutral grip - 75 x6,6 80 x6,6 120,125 x6 Extend torso straight up as far as possible, let the grip extend lats as far as possible, pull down with intent to chest, while remaining as upright as possible, three count eccentric on way back up.

Incline DB Bench Press 20s x6, x3s x8r Neutral grip throughout, start with DBs high and in lats, shoulders fully retracted, chest up, and explode through heels straight overhead, three count eccentric on way back down.

Standing Hammer Curls 15s x3s x8r Shoulders back, curl hard with intent, three count eccentric, stopping/reversing before lockout, so tension never releases.

Great session, when my intention going in only had been to ride the Echo and wallow.

[DanCR]

8/29/22

Squats 45,135,225x5 265x3 285,305,320x1 235 x5s x5r

Other than two of the volume sets when I forgot myself, these were all high bar, which I nearly never do. Was trying to take some off my fucked shoulder. Felt really good, although the two top singles were noticeably harder than they usually are low bar.

[DanCR]

8/30/22

RDLs 45,95x5 145 x3s x5r
Deadlifts (DOH, dead stops) 145 x3s x5r
DB Rows 25s x8,8 30s x8
Incline DB Bench Press 30s x3s x8r
Standing Hammer Curls 17.5s x3s x8r

The DB work all done with three count negatives, in accordance with prior description.

The DLs off the floor, which I hadn’t done in months, were a whim after the RDLs. Just wanted to see how the movement felt. The answer was great, but fuck is my grip pathetic.

[DanCR]

9/1/22

HBBS 45,135,225x5 265x3 285x2 305,320x1 240 x5s x3r
Lying Leg Curls 80 x5,6,6
Lat Pulldowns 125 x3s x8r
DB Bench Press 25s x3s x8r
Standing Hammer Curls 20s x3s x8r

All machine/DB work with three count eccentrics, form as previously.

[DanCR]

9/5/22

Squats 135x10 185x6 235x5 275x3 300,310,320x1 295x2 275x3,2
RDLs 150 x5s x5r
Slight Incline DB Bench Press (neutral grip) 30s x3s x8r
T-Bar Rows (forty-five degree grip) 50x5,5,5,5,7
Standing Hammer Curls 22.5s x3s x5r

Starting squats with the empty bar may make sense after all, at least tonight. I thought that 135x10 would accomplish the same thing as 45,135x5. Ultimately yes, but the first few reps were painful… essentially everywhere. Noticed - yet again - that keeping slight forward lean and pushing big toes into floor, hard, solves the hip shift shit, provided that knee/hip break are slight and I keep my head in it, squeezing.

Best RDLs thus far.

Dumbbell work done as described previously, but ditched lockout on the bench. T-Bar done sinilarly, and remembering to initiate with shrug back.

[DanCR]

9/7/22

Squats 45x10 135x5 195x4 245x3 285x2 305,325x1 245 x5s x3r
Lying Leg Curls 80 x3s x8r
DB Rows 30s x3s x8r
High Incline DB Bench Press 35s x3s x8r
Standing Hammer Curls 22.5s x3s x8r

Very good squats. Remembered to push big toe down and stay on midfoot (not heels) on nearly all reps, resulting in very little hip shift and a straight bar on my back. All DB stuff done as noted previously. Forgot on leg curls.

[DanCR]

9/9/22

Squats 45x10 135x5 195x4 245x3 285x2 305,325x1 250 x5s x3r
RDLs 155 x5s x3r

[DanCR]

9/10/22 (Somers Point Fitness)

Rows 45x10 95,105x6 115x4,5,5 125x3,3
Pulldowns 50x8 80 x6s x6r
Bench Press 45,95,115x6 135x5
Standing Hammer Curls 25s x3s x5r

Rows very focused/slow, pauses at bottom and top.
Pulldowns/curls as previous, but added initial lat contraction and pause on chest to pulldowns.
Bench presses excruciatingly slow and controlled to keep form. Extremely difficult. Fuck.

[DanCR]

9/12/22
Squats 45x10 135x5 185x4 225x3 265x2 295,310,325x1 255x1,2,3,1,2,3
RDLs 160 x5s x3r
Lying Leg Curls 85 x3s x4r

Leg curls back to three count eccentrics.

Really liked the ladders, which I hadn’t tried before. Didn’t find myself dreading any particular set as I normally do with sets across.

[DanCR]

9/13/22

Chest Supported T-Bar Rows (forty-five degree grip) 55 x5s x8r
Bench Press 45,95x6 140 x6,3,3,3,3
Standing Hammer Curls 25s x6,6,6
Standing DB Press 25s x8,6,6

Rows amd DB stuff done as previously.

Bench was perfect every rep, and so fucking hard.

[DanCR]

9/14/22
Squats 45,95,135,185,225x3 275x2 305,325x1 260 x1,2,3,1,2,3
RDLs 165 x5s x3r
Goblet Squats 25,30x10

[DanCR]

9/16/22

Lat Pulldowns (neutral MAG) 85 x6s x6r
Cable Rows (close underhand MAG) 85x6 90 x5s x6r
Bench Press 45,95x6 145x6,4,3,3,3
High Incline DB Bench Press 40s x6,6
Standing DB Press 25s x9,6
Standing Hammer Curls 25s x8,6,6

All forms as previously. Bench was hard but felt the best that it has - getting easier to keep bar steady and touch uniform without losing it on the push. Bringing grip in on last set felt much better.

[DanCR]

9/18/22

Squats 45,95,135,185,225,275x3 295,310,325x1 265x2,2,3 135x10

[DanCR]

9/19/22

Chest Supported T-Bar Rows (forty-five degree grip) 60 x3s x8r (neutral grip) 60 x3s x8r
Bench Press 45,95,125,150x6

Cut off the bench session because needed to get to airport and per trusted spotter still crooked, with left arm closer to head and right arm closer to stomach. I need a mirror on the damn ceiling.

[DanCR]

9/21/22 (Max Fitness, Baton Rouge)

Squats 45,95,135,185,225,275x3 305,325x1 265 x5s x2r 140x20
RDLs 170 x5s x3r
Lat Pulldowns 100 (neutral mag) x4,4 (internally rotated mag) x4,4
Bench Press 45x6 95x6 115x3 95x6,6
Standing Hammer Curls 25s x9,6,6
Hammer Strength Incline Press 40s x10,10
Incline DB Bench Press 40s x6

Very focused on keeping bar over eyes on bench, under the assumption that the drift away from me was some part of the crookedness of my motion. Dude told me it looked good. I hope so.

[Hardartery]

9/21/22 (Max Fitness, Baton Rouge)

Squats 45,95,135,185,225,275x3 305,325x1 265 x5s x2r 140x20
RDLs 170 x5s x3r
Lat Pulldowns 100 (neutral mag) x4,4 (internally rotated mag) x4,4
Bench Press 45x6 95x6 115x3 95x6,6
Standing Hammer Curls 25s x9,6,6
Hammer Strength Incline Press 40s x10,10
Incline DB Bench Press 40s x6

Very focused on keeping bar over eyes on bench, under the assumption that the drift away from me was some part of the crookedness of my motion. Dude told me it looked good. I hope so.

Okay, serious question, why are you keeping the bar over your eyes? That makes my shoulder hurt just thinking about it. There are better ways of monitoring bar path that keep the bar over the joint. You could stretch a band from the top of the rack to the spotters on either side, for example. Over the eyes is a biomechanically disadvantageous position, it's a bit like trying to squat while leanng backwards.