Week 13 (Rest Week) - Day 36A

23 Aug 2011

Today's my first day of recovery.  I decided on lower volume and intensity for this week because I felt that my body wasn't recovering fast enough to keep my going workout to workout.  In addition, mentally I was very exhausted, motivation was very low when going to the gym.  I've also decided to force deload my squats because I feel as though my form has deteriorated to the point where, if I continue doing what I'm doing, I would most likely end up injuring myself very badly.

I arrived to the gym much earlier than usual so I took my time with my warm-ups.  Squats felt relatively light compared to the 230 I was rocking a week ago.  I felt pain in my lower left back area when warming up and all throughout my sets.  Benching was a bit heavy as I decided to continue progressing on the lift but with just recovery volume, 3x3.  I think the problem with my technique is that I'm not benching straight down and straight up.  I noticed that I shift the bar a lot when pressing the weight, usually shifting the bar to the right a bit.  Also, I think I need to find the correct bar width grip.  Many times, I think I may be gripping to narrow and therefore flaring my elbows when pressing.  For some reason, when I engage my back into a powerlifter arch, it seems as though the lift becomes significantly easier.  I think this has a lot to do with lifting stabilization.  When I start from a flat back, I don't really engage my lats and upper back and stabilize, lending to my wobbly press when I press up.  Coinciding with this effect is that, I'm not using as much of chest as I want to and instead I feel my biceps and shoulder being worked and due to imbalance, my right side gets worked a bit more.  Rows were pretty heavy.  I tried using the hook grip and it did wonders for my gripping strength.  I can definitely see many people screwing their thumb up though using the hook grip.  I'm not sure if I will continue using the grip, but I think this would be the appropriate time to invest in some lifting straps.  It really does suck that the gym doesn't allow chalk use.

Warm-ups:

3 x 10 Shoulder dislocations

3 x 15 sec. Doorway pec stretch

3 x 10 Leg swings

3 x 20 sec. static Squat stretch

Squats:

2 x 5 x Bar

5 x 135

3 x 155

3 x 3 x 185

Bench:

2 x 5 x Bar

5 x 95

3 x 115

3 x 3 x 135

Rows:

5 x 95

3 x 115

2 x 135

3 x 3 x 150

** **

Week 12 - Day 35B

23 Aug 2011

Missed my workout Wednesday, I was extremely exhausted by the time I got home.  Today's workout was pretty disappointing.  Aside from being physically exhausted, I think my CNS has also taken quite a beating and it's taken a toll on my mental stamina.  Last rep of the 2nd and 3rd set, I was stuck in the hole for what seemed like forever.  Pressing was fairly difficult, it seemed like I was balancing left and right arm workload more than I did previously.  Grip was failing very hard on my workset; the bar was very slippery.

Warm-ups:

2 x 10 Shoulder dislocations

2 x 15 sec. Doorway pec stretch

1 x 10 Leg swings

1 x 20 sec. static Squat stretch

Squats:

2 x 5 x Bar

5 x 135

3 x 165

2 x 195

3/3/2 x 235

Press:

2 x 5 x Bar

3 x 65

5/4/3 x 82.5

Deadlift:

5 x 165

3 x 195

2 x 225

5 x 260

Week 12 - Day 34B

16 Aug 2011

Decent workout.  Made the mistake of downing a yogurt on top of a cup of coffee immediately before heading out to the gym.  Felt pretty bloated and nauseous during the workout.  Squats were pretty difficult, I think my stance a bit wider than usual and I was going a bit deeper than I usually go.  Presses were pretty solid until the last set.  I did notice that my right wrist was quite a bit more bent than my left.  I also noticed that my right elbow was tucked in a bit more than my left.  I need to pay attention to my forearm and make sure that it is perpendicular to the floor from the front and the sides.  Still managed to bang out the Deadlifts.  I don't know if I'm arching my back, but I'm definitely not feeling it strain.  Pull-ups felt more confident today than the previous workout.  I tip-toed to the wide arm grips, hung from it, then started my reps with control.  Prone bridges were hard as hell; I did them for 60 seconds instead of 30.

Warm-ups:

3 x 10 Shoulder dislocations

3 x 15 sec. Doorway pec stretch

2 x 10 Leg swings

2 x 20 sec. static Squat stretch

Squats:

2 x 5 x Bar

5 x 135

3 x 165

2 x 195

3 x 5 x 230

Press:

2 x 5 x Bar

3 x 65

5 x 5 x 80

Deadlift:

5 x 165

3 x 185

2 x 205

1 x 225

5 x 255

Accessory:

3/2.5/2 x BW Pull-ups

3 x 60 sec. Prone Bridges