Ark94's Workout Log

[ark94]

Completely for my reference:
This is just what i would like to hit if your wondering wtf it is. Also if i lose my paper, i can just go online and check what it was that i'm doing.

Monday's Workout


Deadlift
245x3x3

Cable Pullthroughs
110x8x4

Hammer Curls
30x7x4

Core Training - Renegade Rows
15x12x4

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

The spinal erectors get heavily taxed from any squatting or pulling movement. Even rows if unsupported hit them to an extent.

Alot of people don't "have" to deadlift more than once every 2-3 weeks. I think part of this is do to their structure and how hard their back is loaded from squatting or deadlifting. Some guys don't get as much fatigue in the lower back from pulling/squatting as other's and benefit from a decent frequency of pulling.

Other guys even with perfect squat form might feel their low back gets heavily taxed just from the squat.

It's pretty common for advanced lifters to deadlift every other week.

I'm not surprised you lost strength on the bench. Having run 2 different variations of the 5x5 program a few times I can say without hesitation that you most certainly can bench 2x a week if the volume and intensity is regulated. Stands to reason that 2-3 weeks with no direct stimulation to those pressing muscles would cause a drop in strength.

A good example would be comparing bench training from my 5x5 program vs my current 5-3-1. On 5x5 I have no problem benching twice a week. Last bench workout I had done was 240x3 on friday and then 240x5-6 on Monday. This didn't tax me too bad because only the top set was real effort and it was moderated at that because it wasn't absolute max effort to get the reps. Alot of people don't realize that your cns generally dictates recovery time far more than muscles. The harder you push relative to your maximum weight and the closer you approach rep failure on a set of reps the more in-roads you make into your cns. Your cns fires the impulses to activate your muscles. Pressing 70% of your 1 rep max once isn't hard at all. Pressing 95% of your 1 rep max weight will tax you to a certain extent because your cns is firing harder.

Now on the other end is going to failure on an exercise and it's impact on the cns. Going to failure on smaller exercises like curls or leg extensions is not nearly as impactful to your cns as doing a set of deadlifts, squats or bench. This is probably because your cns is firing hard to ALOT of different muscles all at once vs. a dumbell curl where it's predominantly just firing the biceps with assistance from some other small muscles.

So let's use 70% of your 1 rep max. Let's just use 200lbs on bench as a hypothetical. 70% of 200 is 140lbs. Pressing 140 once is easy. So you decided to press it 12 times. As each rep goes by your cns is firing harder and harder. By the time you are approaching momentary muscle failure your cns is firing off impulses at warp drive and this is very taxing to it.

Some of my terminology and explanation are probably off or not exactly right, but this is a pretty decent way of looking at how intense exercise impacts your central nervous system imo.

This is why I find programs like 5x5 or 5-3-1 to be so successful. In 5x5's case it regulates volume and intensity. Take a week off every now and then as training load builds up and you're golden. Run the dual factor high volume version and it regulates by using high volume in the first phase, and less volume, but higher relative intensity in the second. It also has a deload week between the 2 phases to reduce training fatigue(cns).

5-3-1 regulates intensity and has a built in deload week every 4th week. Training percentages go up each cycle. This is a better "all-around" program because it has less volume on the big lifts, but more assistance work, thus more overall balance imo. The main lifts only get hit once every 7-9 days depending on how you run the program, but the main set for each main lift is generally more taxing than 5x5 because you are pushing that set closer to failure.

Both are smartly designed programs that focus on the important stuff and take into account cns fatigue.

I know there are other good programs out there that I'm sure can compete with these and that take into account the main principles of sound program design, but these are the only 2 that I am currently knowledgeable enough about to recommend.

Hope this helps.

 

[ark94]

B3 W2 – Deadlift
(weightxrepsxsets)

One word.................................................... VIDEO!!! 

Deadlift (greattt fucking workout)
135x5x2
175x3x3
205x1
235x5 (did not put weigh on heels, need to sit down a little bit more)
235x5 (killed it, strong set!)
235x5 (great set! Last rep hard)

Cable Pullthroughs
100x12x3 (damn, this was tough, not too bad but still non the less tuff)

Core Training – Renegade Rows
12x10
12x15
12x20

Link to youtube page - YouTube - Lilark94's Channel
videos will be up in a bit... still uploading.

Notes – Fun stuff to read about the workout

Well, for starters I got my phone to record! And it looks hella sexy, the quality is great in 720p hd so I’ll have that uploaded soon.

Second, great workout!!! Loved it, bunch of stuff to discuss. First, I got some tips by the guys who were rooting me lol in the second video, to put my thumb in. It may hurt but to start doing it, and not at my top set. To gradually do it, so my next deadlift I will do it with my thumb tucked in for my warmup of 135, see what I can get, and till what point it starts to hurt. But keep it under 5 reps, and if its good go onto my next warmup of 175 or 185, and see. If it hurts, stop doing it then next week rinse and repeat then gradually get your way all the way up to the working set.

Third thing, if you REALLY REALLY turn up the volume, not blasted but loud you can hear in the first video some talking. Then the second video the lifters were sorting of instructing me etc. The guy in the red you might see who walked by, he is a gold medal champion at various meets around the world, and he is going to Europe next month for a meet. The guy with the bench shirt on, the white dude with the black shirt is the same, and that black guy I believe just trains with them but is really close friends too. They have always complimented my form, but today they gave me an offer just to train with them. They will teach my things help me out, etc. Was pretty cool I guess, but I will stick around here, not with the powerlifters. But the guy in the red mentioned the thumb tucking in when I deadlift, instead of keeping it over the bar like I was doing. This is just for a fun read I guess, nothing special thought it would be something to add though. =D

One thing that idk why I am sharing, but it was just cool and gay at the same time. During my first set, I have no idea why but literally all the people around me, people in the dumbbell area and a place where there are machines that you can’t see where looking at me doing a set of 235.... it was cool because I got a little pumped, but gay because it is only 235, those powerlifters come there and deadlift in the 600’s.... im guessing everybody thought I was a pussy lol

 

[JDid23]

good work bro!!!