MarkKO's training log

[MarkKO]

That's when I started religiously training my abs.

Any tips / thoughts on how to do so specifically for purposes of strengthening the abs to relieve the lower back? Asking because every few months (including as I write this) my lower back decides to be a pos to the point where I need to really back off. There are a few reasons for that I think, but I’m conscious of the fact that I don’t do a damn thing for my abs and have very noticeable anterior pelvic tilt (as in, at all times, unless I actively flex my abs and glutes and pull everything into neutral).

I didn't do anything super specific in terms of relieving my back, although that's what why I started doing it. What I did do was use exercises that I figured would be somewhat more specific to squat and bench.

Initially I did standing abs. They worked pretty well. I had a brief period where I did planks, which were meh in the extreme. The I moved to hanging leg raises, and I don't see myself changing that for a while.

The key, I think at any rate, is to brace while doing the exercise. I got that idea from Greg Panora. The logic is that you're training your abs to improve their contribution to bracing so you should be bracing while you do the exercise.

I do them at the start of every session in my warmup. That way I never miss them.

[DCR]

That's when I started religiously training my abs.

Any tips / thoughts on how to do so specifically for purposes of strengthening the abs to relieve the lower back? Asking because every few months (including as I write this) my lower back decides to be a pos to the point where I need to really back off. There are a few reasons for that I think, but I’m conscious of the fact that I don’t do a damn thing for my abs and have very noticeable anterior pelvic tilt (as in, at all times, unless I actively flex my abs and glutes and pull everything into neutral).

I didn't do anything super specific in terms of relieving my back, although that's what why I started doing it. What I did do was use exercises that I figured would be somewhat more specific to squat and bench.

Initially I did standing abs. They worked pretty well. I had a brief period where I did planks, which were meh in the extreme. The I moved to hanging leg raises, and I don't see myself changing that for a while.

The key, I think at any rate, is to brace while doing the exercise. I got that idea from Greg Panora. The logic is that you're training your abs to improve their contribution to bracing so you should be bracing while you do the exercise.

I do them at the start of every session in my warmup. That way I never miss them.

Thank you. Gonna get started on this tomorrow. Might be among the limited things that I can do.

[MarkKO]

That's when I started religiously training my abs.

Any tips / thoughts on how to do so specifically for purposes of strengthening the abs to relieve the lower back? Asking because every few months (including as I write this) my lower back decides to be a pos to the point where I need to really back off. There are a few reasons for that I think, but I’m conscious of the fact that I don’t do a damn thing for my abs and have very noticeable anterior pelvic tilt (as in, at all times, unless I actively flex my abs and glutes and pull everything into neutral).

I didn't do anything super specific in terms of relieving my back, although that's what why I started doing it. What I did do was use exercises that I figured would be somewhat more specific to squat and bench.

Initially I did standing abs. They worked pretty well. I had a brief period where I did planks, which were meh in the extreme. The I moved to hanging leg raises, and I don't see myself changing that for a while.

The key, I think at any rate, is to brace while doing the exercise. I got that idea from Greg Panora. The logic is that you're training your abs to improve their contribution to bracing so you should be bracing while you do the exercise.

I do them at the start of every session in my warmup. That way I never miss them.

Thank you. Gonna get started on this tomorrow. Might be among the limited things that I can do.

My pleasure.

If you go with the leg raises, consider slings. My shoulders get cranky very quickly if I actually hold the rack and hang off it.

[MarkKO]

I forget whether or not I mentioned it, but sometime after squats my left trap tightened up. It's still a bit funny, but at this stage I can't realistically relate it to dips or any pressing. I'll keep a close eye on it, though. Especially tomorrow.

Thursday sumo DL on stiff bar
5x3x330 lbs, and again I'm feeling the movement out more than anything. Next week should be more illuminating as the weight goes up somewhat. I am absolutely noticing that it takes me longer to reset between reps but I anticipate that will change as it is more because I'm still quite unfamiliar with what I need to do.
40 m x 264 lbs backwards sled drags, only rest was turning the sled around every 10 metres. I was assured by my young friend Vince that it was 60 metres, but I'm not so sure. Either way, I need to add weight because it's too easy.
2x25 back raises
3x10x198 lbs close grip lat pulldowns, which is a nice improvement. I think they're getting stricter too.
3x40 facepulls

[MarkKO]

Common sense prevailed and I shitcanned dips before even setting foot in the gym.

Friday floor press with football bar
5x209 lbs, 2x10, 8, 9x154 lbs. I somehow managed to pick a pressing exercise that is really hard right where I need it to be. I'm very, very pleased. It also somehow gives me a big pec contraction, although the ROM is almost identical to bench so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. The shoulder was perfectly happy with it.
10, 3x5 pullups
3x10x44 lbs pushups
2x10/side, 2x15/side x 132 lbs DB row, second set with straps
3x40 facepulls

[Hardartery]

Common sense prevailed and I shitcanned dips before even setting foot in the gym.

Friday floor press with football bar
5x209 lbs, 2x10, 8, 9x154 lbs. I somehow managed to pick a pressing exercise that is really hard right where I need it to be. I'm very, very pleased. It also somehow gives me a big pec contraction, although the ROM is almost identical to bench so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. The shoulder was perfectly happy with it.
10, 3x5 pullups
3x10x44 lbs pushups
2x10/side, 2x15/side x 132 lbs DB row, second set with straps
3x40 facepulls

I get a solid pec contraction on Floor Press as well, even though I don't feel it on BP. I'm pretty sure it's at the top pulling the arms to lockout, I use a narrower grip than for BP so the arms have a slightly different ROM.

[MarkKO]

Common sense prevailed and I shitcanned dips before even setting foot in the gym.

Friday floor press with football bar
5x209 lbs, 2x10, 8, 9x154 lbs. I somehow managed to pick a pressing exercise that is really hard right where I need it to be. I'm very, very pleased. It also somehow gives me a big pec contraction, although the ROM is almost identical to bench so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. The shoulder was perfectly happy with it.
10, 3x5 pullups
3x10x44 lbs pushups
2x10/side, 2x15/side x 132 lbs DB row, second set with straps
3x40 facepulls

I get a solid pec contraction on Floor Press as well, even though I don't feel it on BP. I'm pretty sure it's at the top pulling the arms to lockout, I use a narrower grip than for BP so the arms have a slightly different ROM.

That explains it I guess. Maybe the football bar has something to do with it too.

[MarkKO]

Another Saturday, another weighted vest walk. I went today because it's probably going to rain tomorrow and I wanted to get at least one walk in. It was was slower because I didn't push the pace in any way, shape or form. It rained on me to boot, but that wasn't unpleasant.

It's been five weeks of diet now and my waist was at 101.5 cm on waking this morning which is some two to three cm down from what it was before the diet. I have at most nine weeks left and I believe I may have mentioned last week that if I can maintain the current rate of loss that will put me around 201 lbs when this winds up.

[MarkKO]

Turns out it's less rainy today than yesterday, so went for another walk with the weighted vest. Despite absolutely not pushing the pace at all, just like yesterday, came in around a minute and a half faster. Go figure.

I'm still trying to figure out if these walks are actually doing anything, at all.

[MarkKO]

Week one of block two. I was actually excited to train which was nice.

Monday bow bar squat
5x424 lbs, so I'll add 2.5 per cent next time around. I had another three to five at least in that set.
5x5x308 lbs in five minutes and 47 seconds. Needless to say that gets a 2.5 per cent increase as well.
40 m x 308 lbs backwards sled drags which honestly felt the same as 264 lbs.
3x15 GHR
35, 2x25x220 lbs reverse hyper
10, 8, 10x198 lbs close grip lat pulldown
3x25 facepulls



Some discomfort in the left knee but only during the sets, not after. I'm pretty happy with the bar speed on the 5x5 and really on the top set it was OK too.

[MarkKO]

The shoulder/trap issue is directly related to squats, I forgot to mention this yesterday. It's also better today.

Tuesday bench
5x253 lbs, so I'll add 2.5 per cent next week. Had another three-ish reps in that too.
5x5x187 lbs in four minutes and 36 seconds, wrapless. I get to add 2.5 per cent to that too.
11, 8, 6 pullups
3x10x44 lbs pushups using the cambered multigrip bar which were hard as shit, as usual
2x15/side x 132 lbs DB rows, straps on the second set
20x108 lbs, 25x100 lbs, 30x88 lbs tricep pushdowns using the assisted dip machine. Stack weights listed as usual, not actual weights.
2x60 facepulls



This session left me a little jelly-legged which I like after bench day because it means I definitely worked.

[MarkKO]

I am inordinately excited because I found out that Woolworths not only sells sports tape; they sell rolls of sports tape in a variety of colours.

I should explain that all this is because I figured it's going to be a good idea to have another crack at hook grip. mixed grip feels awkward with sumo, and hook should let me stay in position better.

To that end, I'm committing to learning hook grip.

Which is why I needed sports tape.

I looked at Woolworths because my stepson wanted to see if they stocked Prime hydration. Which it turns out is ridiculously sweet in the way only artificial sweeteners can be. I don't mind it for what it is, and there are far worse things he could be wanting to drink.

[MarkKO]

Thursday sumo DL on stiff bar
4x2x413 lbs, all sets bar the fourth hook grip. The new tape is nice, but I could feel a couple of callouses starting to go. So I threw straps on for set four. Hook DEFINITELY makes a big difference in positioning.
8x413 lbs, I called it there because anything more and I would probably have ended up out of position and as far as I'm concerned it's way too early for me to be doing that.
50 m x 308 lbs backwards sled drags, only rest was turning the sled around every 10 metres
2x25 back raises
2x10, 1x8x198 lbs close grip lat pulldowns
3x25 facepulls



I'm still trying to figure out sumo. It feels promising, and I'm committed to training it at least for this cycle but there's a lot to figure out. I haven't even figured out when to take my air. It's almost like it isn't as important, as long as I stay in position. That can't be right, so I'll just keep playing around.

What I'm definitely noticing is that sumo has you under tension for WAY longer than conventional.

Any sumo pullers please chime in with comments, BTW.

[JohnHelton]

This guy Yangsu Ren (deadlift_panda) is the best at explaining proper sumo technique. He is also stupid strong.



Regarding hook grip, I only use it when working up to heavy singles. I throw the straps on for all rep work. I agree that it produces a much better setup than mixed grip.

[MarkKO]

This guy Yangsu Ren (deadlift_panda) is the best at explaining proper sumo technique. He is also stupid strong.



Regarding hook grip, I only use it when working up to heavy singles. I throw the straps on for all rep work. I agree that it produces a much better setup than mixed grip.

Thanks. I'll have a look at that.

How do you condition your hands to hook? I find the pain is a distraction which is the main problem.

[JohnHelton]

How do you condition your hands to hook? I find the pain is a distraction which is the main problem.

It becomes less painful with time, but it is never comfortable.

[houzi]

How do you condition your hands to hook? I find the pain is a distraction which is the main problem.

I cant help with the sumo issues, but I pull hook grip with conventional. I think the best thing to do is make tiny adjustments in how you are setting up your grip. If you are gripping in a way that all the pressure is going into the pad of your thumb, then that will hurt like hell. I put all the pressure from my fingers along the edge of my thumb, from the corner of the knuckle to the edge of my thumbnail.

[Renascent]

How do you condition your hands to hook? I find the pain is a distraction which is the main problem.

It becomes less painful with time, but it is never comfortable.

This was my experience as well. Hurt like hell the first few times, but I gradually became accustomed.

Only time it really bothers me now is when I trim/bite my nails too short. Then I get bloody thumbs during the next pull session.

[JohnHelton]

Only time it really bothers me now is when I trim/bite my nails too short. Then I get bloody thumbs during the next pull session.

I make sure to only grip my thumb with the index and middle fingers. The ring fingers doesn't engage in the gripping of the thumb, otherwise you can get a bloody nail bed.

[Renascent]

Only time it really bothers me now is when I trim/bite my nails too short. Then I get bloody thumbs during the next pull session.

I make sure to only grip my thumb with the index and middle fingers. The ring fingers doesn't engage in the gripping of the thumb, otherwise you can get a bloody nail bed.

Huh. I never thought to try that.

When I was learning hook grip, I made a huge effort of trying to cover the thumb with as many fingers as possible, and never gave the habit much thought thereafter.

I may need to try your method next week.