Cal's Training Journal

[super_rice]

5x5 Volume Phase: Week 4, Day 2
Training Videos

First set of deads, 245lbs x 5. I picked a weight too low to be setting records in my week 3&4 of 5x5. Need to adjust weight selection for next time.

http://s27.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3N6JRNOHRIOAO2L9FE5LWWC2BS

 

[super_rice]

GPP & Recovery Work
Thursday, 3 Feburary, 2005

Had a nice huge balonga sandwich and veggies before workout. yummmm.

Warmups Just to get the blood flowing
No arm swing jumps
OHP with bar 2-3 sets
Deads with bar 2-3 sets

Hang Cleans
3 Sets x 2 reps with the bar

Hang Snatch
10 singles with bar
3 singles with 100lbs

Squat Cleans, Power Jerk
3 Sets x 2 reps with bar
3 Sets x 2 reps 100lbs
3 singles power jerks

Drop Snatch
5 Sets x 2 reps with 5 sec hold in squat snatch bottom position with bar
2 singles reps with 5 sec hold..... 100lbs

Squat Snatch
2 singles 95 lbs

Full Olympic Backsquat
3x5 100lbs

Assistance Abdominals
Leg Raises 3x8
Abdominal Bridges 2x30 sec hold


Then I spent 30 minutes stretching out, took at 25 minute soak in epsom salts, and a 5 minute contrast shower.

I'M READY FOR ANYTHING TOMORROW

CHECK HERE FOR MORE VIDS!

 

[Madcow2]

Sweet little home gym. Rack in the back and what looks to be a platform. I notice in your GPP work you are doing the olympic lifts. You should consider working some of those into your next training cycle, most people don't know how to do them so I have avoided putting them in. Do you have a set of bumpers also? Chains and bands?

You are outfitted pretty well and have good skills and training knowledge for someone so young - makes me jealous now that I am old, hurt and washed up.

 

[super_rice]

yeah, the home gym is my pride and joy, had to forgoe possibly the rest of my life's worth of presents from family members and such, but it was well worth it. the platform is just two sheets of equipment matting with particle board in between. works nicely

i don't own any chains and bands, i've been advised to stick with "straight weight" until it begins to stagnate. at this point, the gains are coming so rapidly just doing this first 5x5 phase i don't think i'll change anything until it stops.

doing oly lifts would cause the intensity to change drastically - plus, my form is not good enough to give me confidence to lift any serious weight (everything is under 150lbs right now).

i also do not own any bumbers, all i've done is use layers of tape on my plates to give a little bit of padding. i'd like to practice bailing out of squat cleans / snatches, but don't want to damage my only equipment.... this is greatly keeping my oly lifting down.

a 45lbs rubberized plate goes for 75 bucks!

 

[wnt2bBeast]

great job on the deads..form looks solid as well..
one suggestion keep the head UP seems youre looking slightly down..its ok to look at your feet but before you pull, especially when the weights get near your max youll wanna look up..the body follows the head..nice work

 

[super_rice]

thanks. yes, i have that prob squatting too. i got the habit from looking at my feet to see if i was doing it right when learning all the lifts.

 

[Madcow2]

You have a video camera - use that. You can't have your head off line with your spine. Fix that right away. If you are out of alignment the forces load disproportionately - I've seen a drawing with the angles and math worked out due to back rounding and the amount of load on one side is multiplied to a staggering level far far beyond anything you'd think possible for a given weight. If I had it I'd post it because it's a pretty effective deterent.

 

[wnt2bBeast]

thanks. yes, i have that prob squatting too. i got the habit from looking at my feet to see if i was doing it right when learning all the lifts.

ive been there too..especailly squatting since i lift alone i wanted to make sure i was hitting depth..not recommended with a load on your back lol

what i did to fix it was literally stare at the celing for a good 10 seconds before getting under the bar and then again when you unrack (doesnt have to be 10 secs here)

when you pull its fine to look at your foot placement but before you get super tight for your pull drive the head back and up then rip it

 

[super_rice]

5x5 Volume Phase: Week 4, Day 3
Friday, 4 February 2005

Due to having botched the initial weight and exercise selections for the volume phase, I ended up having to set 3 PRs today. Oh well, had to get shit done. Videos included, my mom took them My brother my training partner wussed out.

I'm pretty beat up overall after the 4 week loading period. I got to the gym (hahah my basement, suckers) feeling exhausted, but nailed the PRs anyway. To think, my greatest accomplishment at one time was a 200lbs 1RM. Today's 5RM of 185 I completed in sub 6sec (estimated... it was very light that's all I know for sure). Unfortunately no viddy of that, mother was busy making steak

Hope after a few cycles of 5x5 my leg drive increases. My DL is good, but is much stronger than my squat. The increases in these exercises has had a huge carryover to my vertical though, I'm at a 32" VJ with no plyo training in the last few months. I guess I use a high percentage of whatever strength I have.

Bodyweight pre-workout (5:00pm EST): 169lbs
Workout duration: 1.5hrs

Drop Snatch Warmups
10 singles x bar + 5 sec holds at the bottom
Power Snatch Warmups
5 singles x bar
Squat Snatch Warmups
3 singles x bar
Overhead Squat Warmups
5 reps x bar

Bench Press
Warmup bar x 10, 50lbs increments
Set 1: 155 x 5
Set 2: 155 x 5
Set 3: 165 x 3
Set 4: 175 x 2
Set 5: 185 x 5 +10 lbs PR

Full Olympic Backsquat
Warmup bar x 10, 50lbs increments
Set 1: 200lbs
Set 2: 200lbs
Set 3: 200lbs
Set 4: 200lbs
Set 5: 200lbs +5lbs 5x5 PR

Videos (All are ~8-10mb, sorry about size, but YouSendIt is pretty fast ):
http://s17.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2TKJWUZ8BLE0Q2YEQG4QTK8K46 [Set 1]
http://s17.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=140OQBG4NHMXP2O72JDGYFKVAG [Set 3]

Near the end, my form just fell apart. I did not take enough rest time between sets, was pressed for time. Generally I think my form isn't bad, but I will be working on making sure it doesn't fail again (not getting so deep in the last few sets) during deloading and in the future. Oh, I made a concerted effort in keeping my head up. Felt a bit weird at first, but I seemed to be a bit more upright because of it.

Bent Over Barbell Rows
Warmup bar x 10
Set 1: 115 x 5
Set 2: 115 x 5
Set 3: 125 x 5
Set 4: 125 x 3
Set 5: 145 x 5 +10lbs 5RM PR

Video:
http://s17.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2OTJ8WXGBBPV23MS68RLX38MG6 [145lbs PR w00t]


3 PRs today! Now I'm gonna go get some rest! I'm a newbie to bent over rows, so please, any fom criticism is welcome. Man I planned on assistance exercises at the end, some abs and definately some rotator cuf work. The bent over rows pretty much sealed the deal though - no assistance today. Will def be hitting that stuff hard next week.

BTW: I'm not bald, my hair is just really thin and short and it stands up on end

Music selection is 2 Pac, some Jimmy Eat World, and Twista

 

[wnt2bBeast]

awesome job on the squats and the PR's!!!!!!!!!!!
the rows look really good for someone doing them for the first time..
only pointer i can think of is to make sure that squeeze the shoulder blades together at the top..madcow could rpolly better critique you..

looks like you got a solid routine going..keep up the good work