Pushing Tin - Paekakboyz Training Log

Paekakboyz

Mean squat session this morning. Worked up to 200kg for a single so was well pleased. Had been thinking we'd hit 170 or so. But everything was feeling good so we pushed on.
 
Warmed up and stretched out. Double scoop of pre-workout and down to business.
 
Box squats - using the low box so we get well below parallel. My knees don't dig ATG for back squats anymore. Funnily enough I can get nice and low for fronts but that puts a different sort of pressure on the knees.
 
Warm up sets at 60kg and 80kg then into working sets.
4 reps at 100kg, 120kg, 140kg, 160kg, 170kg
then 3 reps at 180kg
1 rep at 200kg
4 reps at 160kg and a final set at 140kg
 
Knee felt pretty good - I think it'll always be something I have to manage now. Just need to back my form and focus on that rather than worrying about my knee. 
 
That was the deepest squat I've managed at 200kg. Have done 225kg on a higher box so things are looking good.
 
Got the all clear to hit deads this wed so that is exciting. Ended up dipping out of playing rugby, just can't hack the chance of getting injured. Let alone my cruddy fitness levels.

Paekakboyz

Good chest session tonight. Sticking to my improved habits with water and less fizzy. Eating continues to get cleaner too. So a few wins on that front.
 
Knee was still a bit tender today, but legs and glutes felt jacked so that was cool.
 
Bench was DB flat press, decline BB press, cable flies. Did about 5-6 working sets for each.
 
DB bench
warmed up on 20's then into a set with 30s (12 reps) and then 4 sets with 40s (8 reps each). Haven't been on the DBs for a bit so didn't push for anything heavier.
 
Decline press
warmed up on 60 then straight up to a hundy. 4 sets of 6 reps. 
 
Cable flies - seated. First time trying these bad boys out. Felt fine once I'd got the range of motion sorted. Too high and it's like a decline variation and too low and it feels like a straight arm curl or something. 
warmed up on 10kg then hit 12.5 for two sets. 15 kg for another set then back down to 10kg to finish with some volume. Rep range was 15-20.
 
Nice to get a bit of blood moving out of the legs. Bit of cardio at home tomorrow and PT session on wed. Gonna hit deads and then do squats again on sat.

Paekakboyz

PT session tonight went well. Knee still a bit tender but didn't slow down deads at all. It's just a bit sensitive coming out of a deep squat - if I don't activate glutes to lead the upward motion my right knee swings in a bit. Not 100% sure what the actual issue is but meh. I can work around it.
 
had a good warm up, didn't stretch out hips or hammies. PT likes to do that with some warm up exercises and keep some tension saved up.
 
Warm up was a four exercise superset
KB upright rows, KB swings, backwards bear crawl (about 10m) and then a plank to finish.
set one was 8, 8, crawl and 30 sec plank
set two was 10, 10 crawl and 40 sec plank
set three was 12, 12, crawl and 60 sec plank.
 
Move to deads then.
60kg6 and 100kg5 as warm up sets.
 
Then 5*5 working sets with 90 sec rest.
120kg for the first and 130kg for the next four sets. PT was keen to up the ante but had to remind him I hadn't done deads for a couple of months. He got too excited ha ha. 
 
Will work on deads for the next couple of sessions with PT. Need to make sure I've got enough rest time in between the bigger lifts. Training Mon, Wed and Sat now. So I need to be thinking about the Mon/Wed split.

Paekakboyz

Squats today. Lots of volume and pause back squats and a few sets of KB front squats to finish.
 
Warmed up on 60kg - 2 sets of 6

Working sets
3 sets of 806 3 sec pause at the bottom
same again with 90kg and then 100kg
3 sets of 120kg4 with pauses on the first set only
2 sets of 130kg*4. Not paused.
 
Finished with 3 sets of Front squats with a 32kg KB.
 
Knee felt fine. We weren't using a box either so it was good to work on hitting a good depth without that trigger from hitting the box.

Paekakboyz

Deads again with PT last night.
 
Place was full of AB's - always fun watching them train. SBW and Messam were going hard with some sparring. Impressed with the work that Crockett and Whitelock were doing esp. Naholo was working hard too - spin bike and rowing machine.
 
Did KB upright rows and swings for a warm up. Heaps of emphasis on the hip drive and squeezing the glutes.
28kg KB and 3 sets of 6
 
Warm up for deads
65kg and then 105kg - breaking down the movements and checking form.
 
Then 4 working sets at 120kg and another set at 130kg
 
Finished with 3*1min planks.

Paekakboyz

Good leg session today. Box squats with some KB front squats at the end.
 
Knee has been a bit twingy the last few days so took it easy re weight and depth.
 
Good roll out and stretching.
 
Low box plus a 20 plate so I hit just on 90 degrees. 
2 sets of 60kg12
80kg8, 100kg8, 110kg6, 120kg6, 120kg6, 120kg*6
 
Then we did 2 sets of 12 front squats with a 32kg KB

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Paekakboyz" data-cid="508160" data-time="1439525481">ha ha all good Hooroo. I'm only 5kg off a 230kg lift and you absolutely need a strong core... but that's different to having a ripped core (I should know!!). 
 
If you are getting to twice body weight or more for deads or squats you are doing well. I follow a couple of power lifters on FB and at a recent comp one of them managed a 287kg squat and a 315kg deadlift at 82kg bodyweight. Amazing.</blockquote>
 
I have a reasonably trim core but there's no danger of me being mistaken for a mid 90s Peter Andre anytime soon. As paeks is alluding to though some guys are built better for certain lifts....I think taller jokers are better deadlifters while squats and benching are better done by shorter stouter fellas. There is always gonna be exceptions though, lanky Scots number 8 turned centre Richie Vernon was the Glasgow Warriors champ at weighted chins hauling 174kg so basically 1 rep with 70kg hanging off him. Great effort.

Paekakboyz

Short and sharp chest hit out last night before a stellar mexican meal.
 
DB flat bench. Stretched and warmed up on some 20's then into the working sets
30kg10, 30kg10, 40kg6, 40kg6, 46kg4, 46kg4, 50kg4, 50kg4
 
Stoked to get back to repping the fifties, had been a while.
 
Did some close grip bench to wipe out the triceps to finish. 
60kg10, 60kg10, 80kg8, 80kg8
 
PT tomorrow and lined up for a thursday session - cardio and some light shoulder work.

Paekakboyz

PT session tonight. Keeping up with the deadlifts with a focus on form.
 
After the last couple of deadlift sessions I'd had a lot of tightness in the lower back. Figured it was fatigue and/or some form issue. Knocked about on youtube and google and it sounded like insufficient hamstring tension. So while I kept my chest up I was still hinging more through my lower back.
 
Yarned with PT about it - exactly what he was wanting me to do. Find a point where your hip height triggers tension on your hamstrings. Pulling on the bar can help fire them too, but I had been sitting too low. Did a shed load of 5 rep sets at 60kg and then 100kg. Running through all the movements and triggers etc. Really dig a more technical session.
 
thinking went - deep breath, death grip on the bar, chest up and fire the hamstrings then push through your feet. Just hammered that again and again. I was stoked with how things went, that amount of volume would have had my back locking up with prior form. But sweet as tonight, although my hammies feel a bit tender! 
 
Finished with 10m reverse bear crawls into a 40 sec plank. 3 repeats.
 
Primo session yeow!

Paekakboyz

Had a mean morning workout today. Mixed it up with deads, squats, overhead press and bicep curl drop sets. 1.5hrs!
 
5min on the treadmill then I rolled out and stretched etc
 
Started with deads, working on those form tweaks from my PT. Higher hips and fire the hammies.
3 warm up sets at 65kg, 4 reps each
105kg4 for two sets
125kg3
145kg2
165kg2 was feeling good at this point. Bar speed up to my knees was cranking, and the lock out was all hips. No hitching the bar up at this stage.
185kg1
205kg1 this felt pretty good. Did feel heavy though! final part of the lockout was a bit slow. But she went up alright. 
 
No back soreness at all - mint!
 
We moved to overhead press next. Keeping it light and getting form right. Glutes firing and ducking your head as the bar travels up, flare the lats at the end.
30kg10, 35kg10, 35kg10
 
KB front squats
2 sets till failure with a 32kg KB. For that finishing pump to quads and upper back.
 
BB bicep curls - dropset.
30kg, 20kg, 15kg barbells. 2 sets through starting with 30kg and working down. Keeping the glutes firing to avoid that back arch and swing.
 
Managed 20 on the 30kg, 2020kg and 15*15kg.
My second set was 20, 15, 12 and an evil burn.
 
Had a primo all body pump afterwards. About to follow up with some work in the garden. Need to trim my shrubbery!

Paekakboyz

oh, and knee felt pretty sweet throughout. Thinking front squats might be the way to go as it's back squats that trigger the soreness.

MN5

solid paeks, solid. 
Do you use alternate grip on your DLs? 
As you allude to sometimes it is good to leave the ego at the door and focus on form and explosiveness and drop the weight considerably to iron out form.

Paekakboyz

Yeah bro, mixed grip all the way. Did flirt with double overhand for a bit but the bar shifts heaps. Meant I had to use straps once I got past 100kg. I can't out lift my grip at the moment so no straps needed.

MN5

An interesting train of thought is to try and treat the deadlift as a 'pushing' exercise ie you're driving with your legs. Like anyone else I look at it more as a 'pulling' exercise ( pulling haha ) but in a way it is kind of both working together to get those big numbers.

Paekakboyz

That's the mantra from my PT, concentrate on pushing through your feet and you can't help but engage the hammys, glutes etc. Much better than trying to muscle it up via your lower back :whistle:

JK

Yeah Ive always seen Deadlifts as a complete push/pull exercise. Push down hard against the floor to get the bar moving and then a pull through to lock out. 
 
I think a lot of people miss that initial push part and just try to lever it up

MN5

I found it tougher to coordinate than I thought the first couple of times but got the hang of it. It's a movement that starts with a quarter squat pretty much.

Paekakboyz

Pulling on the bar to get that tension helps a lot in my experience. But hip height is far more individual than I'd realised. So not always good to copy others who might actually have good form for their body shape but it won't suit your own! Which is kind of different for squats and even bench where there is more easily identified good form.
 
Barely any DOMS from the deads on Saturday although the guns are still burning! Hitting chest tonight with the lads so that'll be good times.

Paekakboyz

Short and sharp chest session.
 
DB bench press, decline BB and close grip bench to finish. 3 of us training tonight so a bit more shooting the shit etc.
 
DB bench
Warmed up on 20's and then a set of 30's. Working sets were 408, 408, 506, 506 light spot on the final rep of the last set. 
 
Decline bench
6010 to warm up then working sets. 806, 906, 1006, 1106 last 2 reps spotted.
 
Close grip bench
6010, 806, 6010
 
Arms are still a bit tapped out from sat, drop sets are fluffybunnys

Paekakboyz

Good session with the PT tonight. Front squats and deads. Was keen to test out the knee a bit and fronts don't seem to bother it much.
 
Had a good 40min warm up today. 15min on the treadmill then heaps of stretching and rolling out. 
 
Front squats to start. Mucking about with rack position to see if we can get a better bar position. Went a bit wider so I've got more room to drive my elbows up. Flare the lats and keep your chest up etc.
Started with 3 sets of 40kg and lifting each elbow to stretch and drive the bar up. Alternating hands and holding for 5sec or so.
Then we moved into 55 at 40kg with a 3 sec pause at the bottom of the squat. Focusing on sitting back on heels and driving chest up. No drama with my knee.
 
Didn't go heavy with deads - another 55 checking form and getting those triggers locked in.
Warmed up with two sets at 60kg. Then working sets of 60kg, 80kg, 80kg, 100kg, 100kg.
 
Feels like more of a challenge to have good form on lighter weights. You can't pull as hard on the bar to create that tension and because the bar flies up so fast it can get a bit loose! Fessed up that I'd hit 200kg over the weekend so PT had a laugh about taking things slow. Got another laugh when I flicked the 60kg bar up onto the rack like it weren't no thang... "all that focus on form today and you do that!" he goes. Dang bro, that's why I lift!!

The Silver Fern

Pushing Tin - Paekakboyz Training Log