I was messing around with it tonight and something about closer hands together just made it click. Real tight, way better shelf, and elbows right under the bar. We'll see what happens tomorrow! Thanks yall! :D
Wednesday:
few med ball throws
Bench press - 140 for 5 x 8 (Supposed to be 130, but I'm quite a beginner to benching and adapt faster.)
Gym was pretty clear for once so, I did some light high hang snatches - pretty much no dip under either. felt powerful.
face pulls
some band pullaparts (im up to the doubled red mini band now)
My low back has been pissed off all day, so I took today very careful.
Olympic squat - up to a single at 295. (wasn't all that much of a grinder either) I tried 295 again but fucked up the bottom and lost hip tightness. Which made my sacrum area unhappy, so I cut it off. (I'm so freakin happy with my setup now, all my issues are fixed!)
Wanted to do more and was feeling very powerful so I did some more high hang snatches.
Barbell rows felt bad in my left elbow so I did 2 sets of pullups to failure. Plus hanging to grip failure which also made my spine feel fantastic.
Then I had to go so I'd get to the caf before it closed.
Probably didn't do enough work to progress all that much, but I did my best with what I had.
Well if you won't see reason, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. But the windigo's still better.
Friday:
Rack was in use so,
Clean and press - up to 125 for 4 plus a 5th push press. (only cleaning the first rep)
Person finished quarter front squatting and I set up in the rack,
OHP - somehow missed 130. As always, it flies up to the top of my head (such that when I fail I often drop it on my head...) The gym was about to close cause I screwed up the time so I did a few push presses then down to 95 to failure.
Show your armpits is a great cue.
Nowhere near enough work so I went off into the woods and pressed rocks. I filmed it out of interest so here's one of the sets.
Oly squat - triple at 275, 275 x 2 and I'm ashamed to say I bitched out on the third and didn't put everything into it. I had the strength but not the testicles.
Not sure what was going on, but my lower back was locking up towards the sacrum so I switched to front squats which did their absolute best to tear my right biceps AND fuck with both elbows. (cause my upper back fails, I have to do some weird curl thing to keep the bar from falling. Bigger delts would help.)
Did some hang snatches which I probably shouldn't have cause I wasn't particularly fresh. But i had to do something. Eventually realized that fatigued snatches weren't going to do me any good at all.
So...
Leg extensions. Pathetic stack x 10, stack plus 20 x 10, stack plus 40 x 10, stack plus 40 x 10, non-intense drop set (don't want my quads beat up too much for Monday)
Close grip bench wasn't happening. Just the bar hurt my elbow. I need to fix this thing before it turns chronic. Which is what I'm gonna do with the rest of my day.
rolling everything, compression tack and floss as best as I could with short bands, ball tack and floss. focusing on triceps and flexors.
with enough food and sleep it should be good by monday, though I may have to replace rows for a bit. Rope cable attachment or dumbbell rows maybe. And prioritize good position on squats until it gets ingrained.
I think I should start doing some light extensor work as prehab.
OHP - up to ~6 singles (most times trying for a double) at 125. They're SO fast up to top of head level, and then they just stall. 95 for 3 x 6-7.
Pin OHP from right in the sticking point, (I can just get the front of my head under the bar when in leaned back OHP position) As close to the same grip and everything as possible. 125 for ~30 very short rest singles. I just got more and more explosive as I went. I love pins, getting tight and in good position and then exploding off the stable base is so awesome. Held the last one for a while.
then a few full ROM OHP with the bar just to groove the full movement. Felt SO fast.
band pullaparts
To hit my goal of 225 by July 4th, I'd need an average of ~8 lb a week which I don't think is quite possible. I have to admit defeat there. I think I may need to take a little step back for OHP, so no new goal there for the time being. Still on track to crush the deadlift and squat goals though.
Deadlift - ~6 singles at 315, missed the 7th a few times. Mid rests as always with deadlifts. I'm now at the point where i can put in full force without my back rounding. A very good thing, as I don't have to limit myself and bug out mid-lift anymore.
- then 285 for a few plus a few cluster reps.
***Drag the bar up your shins, lats.***
Tried shrugs again, but my erectors aren't strong enough to hold the slight forward lean, and just dragging the bar over my junk is not happening. So until I get bigger quads, I'll have to use the trap bar.
Back raises - 88 db for 5 x 10. last set plus a few cluster reps with as slow negatives as I could on each.
I wasn't as explosive as usual today. Also, my throat is effed up. Hopefully just allergies from the Ohio pollen.
warmup (which i hardly ever do. Finally got it through my thick skull that just maybe I should.) - shoulder dislocates, pushdowns, knee pushups. Until structures felt good and fluid.
med ball horizontal throws
Bench - 160 5 x 5 (4th set, I missed the 5th rep. 5th set was fastest of all, I felt like I could have done 1 or 2 more reps.)
Close grip bench (hands right at the smooth. Tucked elbows, not cheating and letting my elbows flare out like I was before.) 135 x ~7, 155 x 3, 155 x 2, 135 x ~4, 85 (haha) x 4 x ~8. finished with some holds at lockout with everything properly tight.
Yes!!! I just discovered that my triceps are a huge glaring weakness! I'm excited to fix that and hopefully see my pressing movements take off.
I've got my head out of my ass and started caring about my bench. I'm not an O-lifter and never benching has not served me well at all.
