The Return of the jedi-This is not Sparta. This. Is. Madness.(now incl. Race to 100kg OHP)

ORIGINAL: chrismac

Lets hope it goes my way too!

You seem to have the dedication to ensure that it most certainly will.


Much better on chins tonight;
Wide Grip
12
10
10

Although pleased about that, it also seemed to confirm that I am on some kind of weird "One crap week/ One good week" cycle at the minute. Is this just me or has anyone else suffered? I guess it might be a symptom of over-training slightly and needing more than a week to recover fully.

I've suffered the one good/one bad week thing. How is your sleep pattern mate?

ORIGINAL: RACK

I've suffered the one good/one bad week thing. How is your sleep pattern mate?

Sleep has been pretty good just lately so I can't blame that.
The really weird thing is that it also seems to alternate between pushing and pulling so was down on reps with pressing this week but better on chins/curls which was the opposite to what happened last week.
Very strange.

Strange indeed mate, you've stumpped me

Think I must definitely have been overdoing it a bit just lately as felt pretty grim all weekend.
Last week's leg marathon was maybe a bite more than I could chew.

Was tempted to take a week off but think I'll just chop the volume back instead.

ORIGINAL: jedi

..
Was tempted to take a week off but think I'll just chop the volume back instead.

Changed my mind about that and took the week off as I was starting to feel really crummy.

Back at it last night with a gentle run which took me 4 miles and had my knees giving out before the heart and lungs.

I'm changing things round again and will be doing at least a month on heavier weights/less volume and to accommodate that I am going to switch running to the 'off' days. Also, have some more medical tests coming up at the start of next month which I am not looking forward to and they are looming over me like some kind of (painful) tribal initiation TBH

Chest and tri's tonight.

Very much enjoyed not having to run before and after training.

Enjoyed the reduction in volume too, completing 3 x 5 on 100kg with a teeny tiny dab from a spotter on the last set. Was also quite surprised to get reps on (steep)incline bench for 80kg as haven't been anywhere near that weight for a while. Finished the session nicely tired rather than completely exhausted.

Well done on the 80kg incline Jedi

ORIGINAL: jedi

Very much enjoyed not having to run before and after training.

Enjoyed the reduction in volume too, completing 3 x 5 on 100kg with a teeny tiny dab from a spotter on the last set. Was also quite surprised to get reps on (steep)incline bench for 80kg as haven't been anywhere near that weight for a while. Finished the session nicely tired rather than completely exhausted.

its a good place to aim for mate, tbh if im exhausted in the true sense of the word i know im doing to much

ORIGINAL: kendod666

ORIGINAL: jedi

Finished the session nicely tired rather than completely exhausted.

its a good place to aim for mate, tbh if im exhausted in the true sense of the word i know im doing to much

I agree, I definitely think I've been overdoing it a bit.
I won't rule out upping the volume again at some point in the future but for now I'm going to keep it within the bounds of what I can comfortably recover from.

Further evidence of creeping decrepitude today in that my run was going very nicely until pain in my left knee surfaced again and this time it was a lot worse. Looks as though I am going to have to bite the bullet and try some knee supports. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this as it just adds to the general air of being held together by bits of string and sticking plaster.

Back and bi's tonight and continued the theme of heavy with less volume.
I know it is early days but it is definitely suiting me better.

Did chins super slow with widest possible grip as I chickened out of adding any weight. 3 x 7
Heavy lat. pulldowns for the first time in a long time and form was pretty good.
Not having to do a monster pyramid meant that 40kg was a bit light on E-Z bar curls so up to 45kg next week.
Alternate curls on 50lb dumbbells also felt good.

Medical tests finished and they were not nice
I didn't cry in front of the sexy nurse though



Back to training last night with bench, which went better than expected really. Three sets of 5 at 100kg felt easy enough to contemplate upping the middle set next week, although might consolidate for one more week. Will look to up the steep incline bench to 90kg at around the same time, although 80kg was back to feeling heavy last night. Also did some dumbbell pressing on shallower incline and am stuck at 70lb-ers not because I couldn't press more, just that I couldn't get anything heavier into position.
Weed.

Triceps getting stronger, 60kg close-grip bench felt easy and am now adding 40lb to the stack for pressdowns.

Running tonight was sheer bliss.
Not one twinge, ache or minor tingle.
Was like being ten years younger and all thanks to my new knee supports. I wish I hadn't been quite such a t!t about the whole thing and bought some sooner could've saved myself a lot of pain and aggravation.
I got the open/peep-hole bra type and they certainly seem to have stabilised the patella.

However, at first, it did feel a bit like wearing;

ORIGINAL: jedi
Three sets of 5 at 100kg felt easy enough to contemplate upping the middle set next week, although might consolidate for one more week.

good call, I think I'll do the same.
105 was fine, but 107.5 felt far too heavy last week.

ORIGINAL: daKensta

ORIGINAL: jedi
Three sets of 5 at 100kg felt easy enough to contemplate upping the middle set next week, although might consolidate for one more week.

good call, I think I'll do the same.
105 was fine, but 107.5 felt far too heavy last week.

A good call as long as I don't go into a period of prolonged consolidation.
Can't-be-@rsed-syndrome as I believe it is more commonly known.

Got a bit of a pain in my left shoulder after doing close-grip the other day. Think I may have been gripping a bit too close (i.e. hands touching). Am I allowed to space hands either side of the middle 'gnurling' on the Oly bar and still call it close-grip?

hands touching is far too close.
I do it hand half on half off the inside of the gnurling, but that's on a stadard bar.
anything up to shoulder width still counts, as long as you keep your elbows in.

Elb

ORIGINAL: daKensta

hands touching is far too close.
I do it hand half on half off the inside of the gnurling, but that's on a stadard bar.
anything up to shoulder width still counts, as long as you keep your elbows in.

OOooopsy. I think I may be doing 'em wrong.
I had hands close and arms trying to be under the bar, elbows out, big triangle kind of fashion.
No wonder my shoulder hurts
Are you saying I should have elbows positioned feet side of the bar arms more in to body. A bit like powerlifters are supposed to bench-press? I can see how this might save my shoulders from some pressure. Will probably work the long head of the tricep more than the outside one. Will give it a go as it probably couldn't do any worse damage than that which wot I was doing.

Really enjoyed training again tonight.
3 x 8 widest possible grip on chins with gymnast like form, a beauty to behold.
As heavy as I have ever managed on the lat pulldown too, despite being a stone lighter
....which made for some very interesting balancing arrangements in order to get the weight down for rep 1.
45kg curls and 3 sets on the 50lb dumbbells

Attracted my first "What are you on?" inquiry so am starting to get the steroid boys a bit rattled

ORIGINAL: jedi
Are you saying I should have elbows positioned feet side of the bar arms more in to body.

your upper and lower arms should stay parallel to the line of your body, or as near as is comfortable.
and it's knurling.
damn your jedi mind control tricks making me spell wrong

It may only be knurling on your bar but I assure you ours are gnurled.

Gnurling: (n) (contraction; Good knurling, G'knurling, Gnurling).
Knurling of the highest quality. Most often that performed freehand by a Master Knurler.