Adarq.org

Week 43

Saturday - 01/24/14
191.4lbs | 14.5% bf | 62.2% H20

-= Workout Log =-

ATG Squat
135 x 8
135 x 8
135 x 5
185 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 2
315 x 1
345 x 1
375 x 1
405 x 20sec unrack
455 x 20sec unrack
405 x 1 PR

Bench Press
45 x 15                                   >> 2min rests.
95 x 8                                 >> Was too dead after squatting. Don't care much that I dopped; it's expected.
135 x 5
155 x 3
195 x 2
235 x 1
200 x 10
200 x 6
200 x 5

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afFmSGMGCEM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afFmSGMGCEM</a>

So let me explain. I get to the gym and I'm in a pretty good mood. Then I start squatting, and the weights feel pretty light. Reps are explosive. I think to myself, "today might be the day."
The 345 was harder than expected. I said whatever, I'll push through. The 375 was pretty tough. I was doubting myself, but then I realized with music and getting hyped up, I can definitely get 405lbs.

I listened to music and got EXTREMELY hyped up. In fact, I had an adrenaline rush. After unracking the bar, I stood for like 15 seconds straight (the vid doesn't show it all). My legs were shaking from the adrenaline. Pretty crazy. I felt a little unstable. I knew that I had the strength to lift 405, however, I didn't feel stable enough to do it. I was about to back out. I didn't want to get injured.

Then, as I'm standing there, the bar literally starts to feel lighter on my back, mid set. That has never happened to me before in my life! It was pretty damn cool to ACTUALLY FEEL the effects of adrenaline AS it's happening! So the weight feels light and then I get my confidence to squat even though my legs feel very shaky.

Personally I felt like I could have gotten an inch lower and really mash my hams to my calves like I usually do, but whatever. It' still ATG. I also feel like I could have hit 425lbs to be honest. I'll take the 405 though.

Last workout I squatted 360x3. So knowing that, my max is 405. That's a 45lb difference. I'll use my 3RM to gauge my max from now on. eg, 385x3 will give me a 435lb max. Actually a little more than that, but I like to take conservative figures for maxes. Not that it matters anyway; I'm not competing. I don't have to TEST my max. I just need to GET STRONGER so i can jump higher. But it's just cool to know my max.

Made it to the hiring pool for Nucor which is a steel mill near me.  With it my gainz might drop when they decide to hire me but even with the lowest paying job there at 10 an hr, with the weekly profit shares on a bad week turns into about 20 an hr.  It'll be good to have until I get to the academy but my weight definitely drop

your body will adjust to the increased work load. your gains will drop only temporarily...

...provided you eat enough! if you dont lose weight theres no reason to keep losing strength.

Lower ab veins to me just mean a pump i think. I get them at the end of the day of lifting or towards the end of a 24hr long fast; even when obese. Not sure it means anything. Btw wonder what you look at 192?

Didn't do abs today, no ab pump!
I have a pic of me at 192 earlier in this thread, around page... 10 i think? No idea. I'll find it later.

I laughed at "foam rolling gluten"

Yeah... it's just... I think a lot of it is in your body structure... femur lengths and all that. I just hate to do mobility work, I just don't "believe" in it. I'm like "yeah yeah... I'm stretching this for 5-10 minutes so what? maybe I'll see a 1% increase in mobility in like 5 years of doing this".

da heck?! the s is nowhere near the n... how did i write gluten instead of glutes?!

mobility work is boring as hell... if its stretching. foam rolling my IT bands and glutes takes just 2 minutes though and its not as boring as stretching!
i dont think ive stretched in months...

Beautiful, solid, heavy and badass squat is beautiful, solid, heavy and badass.

Thanks! I'd like more bar speed on it though.

Woke up with horrible wrist pain today. Left one. Its killing me! It's a little better now. Hopefully it doesnt stop me from benching later today. I think I slept with my hand in a weird position maybe.

Also, god damn my hip flexors are veryyyy uncomfortable. After those 315x10 squats, for the first time in my life i felt hip flexor pain after squatting. Always wondered how it happens to people and now I have it.

Did some research. It's caused by overactive hamstrings. When you squat and your hammies take over the glutes, it shifts your femur bone (i think thats the one) slightly out of alignment and makes it grind up against the hip socket. So the discomfort is actually in the hip socket cartilage itself, but since the hip flexor crosses over it, it feels like its in the hip flexors.

What everybody else does: stretch hip flexors.
What the actual solution is: foam roll hammies, activate glutes.

Edit: on second thought, stretching the hip flexors can help activate the glutes. antagonist inhibition.

Looks like you had a ton of reactivity in you, which makes strength training all the more effective for you! Nice!

Week 42

Saturday - 01/17/14

-= Workout Log =-

ATG Squat
135 x 8                         >> 3min rests.
135 x 8                         >> 315x10... boy that was tough! Feels great though!
135 x 5                         >> I'll move up to 355lbs next time.
185 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 1
315 x 1
350 x 3
350 x 3
350 x 3
315 x 10 PR

Hack Squat Machine Calf Raises
+90lbs x 5                                   >> 60sec rests.
+180lbs x 5
+270lbs x 3
+320lbs x 1
+270lbs x 15
+270lbs x 15
+270lbs x 14
+270lbs x 12 PR
+270lbs x 10 PR

Bench Press
45 x 15                     >> 2min rests.
95 x 8                       >> Failed the 6th rep on the last set. Just barely.
135 x 5
155 x 3
195 x 1
235 x 1
200 x 10
200 x 10
200 x 5

Incline DB Press
65's x 7                     >> 60sec rests.
65's x 4                     >> Went down since I failed on the bench. Made this tougher.

I think that by the time I can do 365 for 3x3, I'll be able to max out at 405lbs without too much stress. I'll give it 2 months.