The Decade of Strength (apparently)

Hello and welcome to my journal.
 
I have been following and commenting on my friend's journal for a while now and have decided it's time to step up and start keeping one of my own.
 
Bit of background first, I recently hit the big 30 and to try to soften the blow my training buddies confidently told me that your 30's are the time to get strong (hence the title), which is good as what little athletic ability I have left, will be dwindling . I have been training for a couple of years now on and off, some of the lay off's have been injuries but also general laziness has played it's part too, hopefully having a journal, that I have to update will keep me motivated.
 
I never really used to have a major plan or goal for my training apart from getting bigger and stronger. Although I had made progress, it is only really in the last six months that I've really started to get my training nailed. Solid hard work, fairly good diet and top training partners who have pushed me. I also think that putting my glorious sat league football career on the back burner has helped, as I now have a lot less niggly injuries. 
 
Stats:
Height 6ftish
Weight 14stish
That's all I have now, if I ever get round to measuring my body parts, I will update my stats
 
Goals:
Fairly simple this, I just want to get stonger. Any size or aesthetically pleasing aspects that come will be a welcome by product but I don't have a weight or 'look' in mind.
 
Will post the first workout tomorrow and hopefully some pics if I can get round to it. 
 
Workout.
 
I was previously following a Push/Pull/Legs split, which obviously saw me in the gym 3 times a week. This worked around my other activites such as football and football training. However what with the season ending a few weeks ago and my decision to take a break from football training (while I decide whether I have another couple of seasons in me or not) means I can make it in to the gym a couple more times a week. So as well as joining Jedi, Jackman and vicmasters4 for their weekly powwaaarrrr lifting sessions (which I have been doing for a couple of weeks, I'll probably be training with Jedi and Jackman a bit more in the gym.
 
So my training will be a combination of their sessions and the stuff I was doing before, if I decide to return to football, I will also return to my Push/Pull/Leg Split, confused? good because I am. Basically as long as I Deadlift, Squat, Bench and OHP every week, I'll be happy. The exercises done around them may well be subject to change.
  
  
 

Deadward
I recently hit the big 30

Jedi likes them young eh?
As do I.
I'll be keeping my eye on you young man....

Hello...good luck with everything....

Deadward


Goals:
Fairly simple this, I just want to get stonger.

Excellent goal that.
Straightforward, simple and best of all easily verified by the weight on the bar.

You needn't think it means you don't have to do reps though

Northerngal


Hello...good luck with everything....

Cheers NG. If I can show even half the enthusiasm you do, then I'll be well on my way to succeeding

daKensta

Deadward
I recently hit the big 30

Jedi likes them young eh?
As do I.
I'll be keeping my eye on you young man....

My mother warned me about people like you Dakensta

it lives it lives
welcome and spill the beans

Mon 24th - Chest + Tri's

Flat Bench BB (inc bar)
60kg x 10 (warm up)
80kg x 6
90kg x 5 bit of 'canoeing' on number 5
100kg x ?
Felt nice and solid at the beginning, I'm finding it easier each week to keep the bar on a decent plane. 100kg felt annoying heavy, considering I managed to grind a couple out last week. It's hard to put a number down this week, as I did 4reps but had jez supporting the bar, not actually giving any help on the upwards part of the lift but just helping to eliminate the canoe action, so I've left it blank and will asses next week.
 
Incline DB's
30kg x 8
34kg x 8
36kg x7 PB
Was told off by Jedi for using the 30's as I didn't need a warm up. I didn't have the heart to tell him I considered them a working set and not a warm up. He may have had a point as I proceeded to bang out a set of 34's with easy and even managed a decent attempt at the 36's. Will definitely be starting heavy next week.
 
Dips
BW x 8/8/6
Me and dips have 'history', the mere mention of the word used to be enough to have my shoulder complaining. Only a concerted and prolonged period of rehab has left my shoulder feeling strong enough to attempt them again and I didn't want to push them to far.
 
Mid-Point Cross Over Cables
Hmmm can't remember the weight, this was probably because I'm still getting used to doing the damn things.
 
Skulls (ez-bar not inc)
20kg x 8
30kg x 8
40kg x 6 and a couple of spotted reps, got the first 2 but on the 3rd I let out a squeal of "no, take the bar". I sat up to disapproving looks from Jedi and Jackman, this prompted me to mumble some excuse about me losing my grip, my wrist was twisting, I was wearing the wrong kind of shirt, the planets weren't properly aligned. All these were met with the contempt they deserved.
40kg x 5 and a couple more spotted, this time my arms did genuinely give out on me.
 
+ some cable isolations
Don't know the weights and stuff as they're abit 'showy' for me
 
 
 

Tues 25th - Legs
 
Little bit of foam rolling to warm up and to work some of the kinks out, mainly tightness in my hips. Meanwhile Jedi and Jackman are already putting themselves through the wringer on the leg extension pre-exhaust. I or rather my knees decline to get involved.
 
Front Squat (inc bar)
50kg x 10 (warm up)
60kg x 6
80kg x 6
90kg x 3 + 1 assist
90kg x 3
 
Back Squat (inc bar)
60kg x 6 form was all over the shop with this set.
80 x 6 adjusted to a narrower stance, which seemed to cure the form issues from the previous set.
90 x 4 + 1 assist
100 x 2
 
Calf Raise (standing-machine)
97kg x 15
106kg x 12
115kg x 10
 
Hammy Curls (seated-machine)
77kg x 10
81kg x 10
91kg x 7

Back squats looked spot on tonight once you'd gone a bit narrower.
Might be a short period of adjustment as you squat with more leg and less of your mighty back but deffo onwards and upwards from here.

I just tried my supremeprotein cookies and cream bar.
As M. Jackman(previously the face of ultraslim bars) rightly says;

"Sshhhhhluvvverly."

Morning....just in for a quick look if that's ok....you made me laugh at the skulls thing...all the excuses etc...lolol.....and if you don't mind me asking whate are skulls please?...I think you may mean skullcrushers..tricep thing?...I do those..but miniscule wieghts of course.....I can't think of anything else....

Hope all is well with you...and lol on the piccie from Jedi too.....he's very good with all that stuff hey...always brings a smile...once I've mastered the meaning of it in the first place...durrrrr......

This is a really good vid about squat technique if you can find time to give it a watch
...and ignore the almost criminally dull delivery.

It is good though, especially the diagramatics concerning forward lean and correct bar placement that I am usually dribbling on about.

Cheers Jez,
 
I'll give it view whilst eating my lunch. My squatting form definitely felt better last night, even if the weight on my back felt a bit heavier. I'll be viewing form adjustments as a 1-step back, 2-steps forward approach.

Good to see you started a journal mate, between yours and Jedi's, you should keep everyone well entertained

Helloooo.....just to say thank you for visiting and your kind words...happy training....

Thurs 24 - PowRAAAA Lifting
 
We were back to full strength tonight as jackman and vicmaster4 returned to the fold after last weeks absences. I had done my foam rolling at home to save time, think I am starting to get an unhealthy obesession with foam rolling and could really be in trouble if the gf ever rumbles my secret midnight sessions. Anyway this meant when I got to the gym I could jump straight in to some quick dynamic stretches to loosen up the hips. This prompted jackman to remark that I looked like a unflexible ballerina.
 
Squat (inc bar)
50kg x 10 (warm up)
50kg x 10 another warm up! It seems some of the lads, coincidentally the one's who hadn't been doing the 'ballerina stretches' still felt a bit tight. Method to my madness perhaps
90kg x 5
110kg x 2 felt good and strong as I would normally only single this and I knew I had more in the tank, so sat down feeling pretty pleased. My mood was to be short lived. It seemed vic took my 2 as some sort of challenge to his manhood, as he proceeded to bang out 3 at 110kg. When he finished, he gave me a wry smile as if to say "nice try but not yet son", so the one up-manship had started for another week
120kg x 1 felt good, could of done more but resisted putting the ball back in vic's court.
Wraps
140 x 0 FAIL! WTF? was disappointed as the 120 felt so damn light. Think the weight might of caught me out, so decided to rest and have another pop.
140kg x 1ish following jackman's advice I decided to try a high one first to 'feel' the weight and then try one with proper depth. This is a lot more sucessful and only the slightest bit of assistance is required from jedi, next week my pretty next week.
 
Bench (inc bar)
60kg x 10 (warm up)
80kg x 3 very few reps this week as I am gunning for that 110kg PB.
100kg x 1 slight wobble but still felt confident.
110kg x 1ish pressing plane was good and the strength is there, once again slight assistance required, so can't claim the PB . Tried to perform a few negatives and all was going well until my calf of all things decided to do it's shakin stevens impression. With cramp in my calf I had to rack the bar much to jackman's and jedi's amusement.
105kg x 1 + 1assist pressing plane was vastly improved on last weeks canoeing.
 
Deadlift (inc bar)
90kg x 6
130 x 5
160 x 1
180 x 1 vic masters obviously decided I was getting uppity again and proceeded to do 4. Once again I was on the receiving end of his wry smile. I'm sure this flirting will end soon and vic will just snap and shout "foooook you, I'm older and stronger than you, you damn whipper snapper"
200 x 1 felt foookin heavy and didn't bode well for my thought's of a double at 210
210 x 0 first attempt fail, didn't even budge, I tried to recreate last weeks heroics by storming straight back to the bar and showing it what for but alas it was invain. I did manage to drag it half way up but the was to be no repeat.
 
It seemed jackman and jedi were also engaging in some healthy competitiveness, as when I thought we were all done and dusted for the day jackman declared he would be repping some deads. Feeling crushed, I declined but jedi said he would rep half of anything jackman got. Jackman got 10, so a nice simple 5 for jedi then right? Well actually no it would seem, 5 came and went and with a mad look in his eyes the bar still in his hands and with more than a touch of the crazy about him, jedi demand a rep count, "that's 9" I said. So I figured he'd do one more to equal jackman, once again the answer is no, he did 2 more to take him to 11 .
 
Although on paper it doesn't seem as sucessful as last week, what with the lack of PB's and comeback heroics. I'm not too disappointed with this weeks lifting, as solid progress was made in terms of form. Also a lot of ground work was put in and I feel I'm on the brink of posting some solid lifts in the next couple of weeks.
 
 
 

Unlucky with the bench mate, at least you got a spotter. I'm out in my garage so I got to be confident of getting it up or I'll eat it  

crying freeman


Unlucky with the bench mate, at least you got a spotter. I'm out in my garage so I got to be confident of getting it up or I'll eat it  

Cheers mate, maybe I need that 'fear' to help me get the bar up. Next week no spotters  

You looked in such a strong position under that 140 I couldn't believe you didn't get it.
I honestly think it is just you having to get used to driving from the hole with your legs and not the mighty deadlifting back. Still think it's worth making the slight technical adjustments and that it'll pay off in the long run but feel free to ignore me.

As for the deads, I don't think you should look to double your 1RM the week after re-establishing it
I reckon 190 x 3(minimum) next week, 200 x 2 the week after and whenever 200 is up to 4+
...then try for a 215.

jedi


You looked in such a strong position under that 140 I couldn't believe you didn't get it.
I honestly think it is just you having to get used to driving from the hole with your legs and not the mighty deadlifting back. Still think it's worth making the slight technical adjustments and that it'll pay off in the long run but feel free to ignore me.

As for the deads, I don't think you should look to double your 1RM the week after re-establishing it
I reckon 190 x 3(minimum) next week, 200 x 2 the week after and whenever 200 is up to 4+
...then try for a 215.

Yeah as disappointed as I was about not getting the 140, the weight didn't feel insurmountable, so I know the strength is there. Like you said, I just have to get used to really driving from legs.
 
I like your plan on the deadlifts, I was actually thinking a similiar thing after thurs night. I've had the 210 a couple of times now, so it seems pointless to keep with that weight. I like the idea of building some strength through reps at 180/190