Adarq.org

Quote from: Raptor on August 28, 2012, 12:43:22 pm

Yeah it depends. You could also do a russian plank... both Bret Contreras and Pavel demonstrated that one.

Uh yea I don't have a kettle bell bro.

fucking LOOOOOOOOOOOOLL!

Training

Session 1

BS 6x107.5, 5x102.6, 6x100
OHP 3x5x53.5
PP 4x65, 5x62.5

Wasn't happy with form or depth on back squats. I'm gonna repeat the weight until i've got good depth & form.

Session 2
CURLZ 3x8x42
Chins - 23 reps
CURLZ 15,15,12 pump work with the empty bar
abs - 2xplanks, 2x10 ab wheel rollouts from knee (new exercise)

total cardio - 2.1km on TM

What about carrying bags etc for example for school? Some people always carry on the same side all the time, right or left... it can develop some imbalances.

Make sure when you do ab wheel rollouts to round the back a ton. If you arch it you're going to feel it in the lowerback.

Like this:



http://www.shapeshiftermagazine.com/3/01.htm

BW: 82.35kg/181.55lb

Am on track to end the month successfully with my bodyweight goals. The fat is literally melting off overnight, I lost 1/2" from my waist, and i'm close to an even 34". I think the next few kilos will have a dramatic visual impact. Thank cardio for that. It's targeting abdominal fat specifically.  I'm not even doing hardcore cardio, just several small 5-15 minute sessions at a leisurely pace. Later when I want to get close to 10% i'll probably need to do harder cardio. I'm ok with that, the lighter I get, the easier it becomes to recover from cardio too which is nice.

Training
1.07km Fasted TM (AM)
500m warmup (PM)

Session 1
BS 2x100, 1x110, 1x115 (maximal)
SQ 1x100, 1x105, 1x107.5, 1x112.5 (PR), 2x102.5, 1x105, 0x106
BS 1x100, 1x107.5, 3x107.5 (belt on), 2x2x112.5, 2x102.5

Well the Ab wheel fucked me up. My lower back was torched apparently even before I walked into the gym from those conservative ab wheels I did the other day. I had even kept sets and reps low (2x10) done from the knees intentionally because I knew the ab wheel has a disrupting effect (usually to my triceps lol) upon introduction, but apparently it can destroy lower back too lol. Anyway so the 115 single was hard, and I didn't go any heavier. I had planned on doing a single with 120kg but that wasn't gonna happen today.

Then it started raining. A lot. Flash flood. Flooded the gutters and all over ,my gym was covered in water in 30 seconds. My pendlays got slippery as hell on the wood, i was sliding around lol. Mopped it up as best I cud, and threw a carpet over it, and that allowed me to continue the workout.

Front squats weren't any easier on account of lower back doms. I managed a PR of 112.5kg though. Form was unacceptable but i muscled that sucker up somehow. Did a bunch of singles. Managed to strain my R groin again. It's not as bad as the first time just a bit tender.

Then I knew backsquats werent gonna happen either but I tried anyway. Thought to work around my lowerback soreness by using a belt. Kinda worked, cud do a few more reps. And here is something interesting....... when I used to put on a belt in the past, i'd instantly squat morning. Well not today. This is either from having a HBBS bar placement AND/OR recent remedial work in liue of uprightness. Or perhaps both. So the workout wasnt a complete waste of time - finding out I can now wear a belt and still stay upright is a nice discovery.

Session 2
BP 6x79.5 (PR!), 6x76, 6x73.5

I've got my BP unstuck finally!! PRs in consecutive workouts. Looks like ramped sets + wide grip assistance did the trick.

Squat Video Analysis Tool
I've been playing with two copies of my video
A- in reverse starting from from hole
B- normally starting from the hole

In a perfect squat - A and B would be indistinguishable. In mine, A and B are very different. To improve my squat I have to make B look closer to A. I'm stepping the video frame by frame to see where the breakdown takes place.

Ok i've gone full analytard - ive decided to make my next project an app which takes a squat video as input, and produces as an output, a frame by frame description of the angles and positions during eccentric and concentric.  The app will allow easy analyis of where positions differ from ideal, to suggest possible improvements and more importantly to measure them. You can't improve what you can't measure, and this is a first step in measuring. Yes i'm a geek but you gotta admit it sounds cool. Any suggestions for names?   squatysis?

 

Training
2.04km Fasted TM (~25 mins)
core stuff (AM)
5 mins jump rope (PM) (new ex)
700m TM (PM)

Here is September already. Aiming to break under 80kg (~176lb) by 1st October. Only one scheduled off-diet day - my birthday, and even that I'm going to fast prior and still hit a caloric deficit over the day. The rest of the month is 100% strict. Not doing RFL, i've got a good thing going now, can train hard and make progress as well as seeing steady fat losses - so why change to something else which might not work as well. Stay the course.

Lifting goals for the month are to hit 120kg front squat for a single. 120x3 will come much later once  i'm maxing around 130kg, so that's still a while away. Work on core and upper body weaknesses.

HBBS is good much better than LBBS because it keeps me upright out of the bottom. It's fixed the squatmorning problem but there is still work to be done.

Things to Try Next Week

From reading clarence I have a plan for what to do next. I have to do slow perhaps even paused, heavy backsquats out of the bottom. And ensure I never let my body go fwd out of the hole. It's as simple as that. That's how i'm going to fix my squat. I know kingfisher might not approve because athletic squats aren't done slowly - but my problem is STRENGTH - and specifically strength in the bottom position.

Once i've got good positions at the bottom and out, I can work on getting faster. Bouncing is easy and will come naturally once weakness are addressed and positions are good.

When core fatigue sets in, the belt can be used to do additional sets for further volume for leg strength.

Another big weakness I have which the belt wont help with, is upper back/chest dropping. That needs desperate remedial work. So have to do the rows and hang cleans. May just add an extra session JUST for that. Perhaps evenevery day I train.

For the (front) squat I need to drive my elbows up out of the hole. I did this on my last front squat set, and lol it worked - but my body found the position unfamiliar (it is used to upper back rounding) that I just stalled and then failed! (my first fail btw). I think part of the reason that happened is because I "forgot" to keep pushing with the legs at the same time, because I was concentrating so hard on the elbows? Maybe.

If I do the above and i've got good positions out of the bottom of the hole, and my core is strong, my upper back and chest are strong - then i'll be ready to push my squat (front & back) up aggressively. That should happen, at the latest when i've finished cutting and ready to gain some mass. Hopefully before that though.

form is the very first thing you should be focusing on.. so you have the right idea here.

do not pay attention to the weight on the bar. just make sure there is enough load there to push you down and give you a challenged concentric.