Ryan's Journal
- Thread starter Goldfish
- Start date
Today I got back into the heavy lifting...though notably, not as heavy as I'd have liked. Squats and Deadlifts were weaker than a week ago. I'm not sure how much of this is related to psychological factors, how much is related to illness recovery, how much is related to lack of practice, and how much is due to core fatigue from yesterday...but I'm guessing core fatigue is the biggest factor.
Squats
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x3x60kg
1x2x70kg
1x5x75kg
1x4x75kg
1x5x70kg
Vertical Jump 1x3
Bench Press
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x3x50kg
1x1x60kg
1x1x65kg
1x1x67.5kg
2x5x62.5kg
Deadlift
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x3x60kg
1x2x80kg
1x3x90kg
Vertical Jump 1x3
Pull Ups 1x8
Squats
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x3x60kg
1x2x70kg
1x5x75kg
1x4x75kg
1x5x70kg
Vertical Jump 1x3
Bench Press
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x3x50kg
1x1x60kg
1x1x65kg
1x1x67.5kg
2x5x62.5kg
Deadlift
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x3x60kg
1x2x80kg
1x3x90kg
Vertical Jump 1x3
Pull Ups 1x8
Mon 07/06/10
I decided to focus specifically on the sorts of things I'll be tested on this Thursday in the fitness competition. My goal for the session was to work on things relative to my bench press 1RM, max pull ups, vertical jump, wall sit and sit-and-reach. Really, the only one of those that I haven't been doing much to develop (or at least maintain) is the wall sit.
So, here's how things went:
Bench Press
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x1x50lg
1x1x60kg
1x1x67.5kg
1x1x70kg
1x1x72.5kg
Attempted 75kg but missed
1x1x70kg
Attempted 75kg again and missed again
1x3x65kg
Will lift 72.5kg on Thursday (only get 1 attempt, so I'll play it safe)
Pull Ups
2x10 (I did one of these sets between my bench warm up sets, then realised it would take up too much energy to continue doing pull ups between sets of bench)
1x7
1x4
2x3 + 6x-45kg
At this point, I realised that my workload on biceps was probably of a greater total than on my triceps. Wanting to keep things even, but knowing I wouldn't have the time or energy to go do some overhead presses as well as leg work, I decided to try my luck with some Power Clean + Jerks (for those of you playing at home, the difference between this and the Olympic "Clean + Jerk" is that the Clean, as oppose to the Power Clean, involves a full front squat finish...also, for those of you playing at home, while I added the jerk to get some tricep involvement, the arms should not be where the strength comes from in these lifts).
Power Clean + Jerk
1x5x20kg Power Shrug
1x5x20kg Power Clean
1x10xBW Alternating Drop Lunges (I guess would be the best way to describe it, jumping down into a lunge position)
1x5x20kg Power Clean
1x2x20kg Power Clean and Jerk
1x2x20kg
1x4x20kg
1x2x25kg
5x2x30kg
ETA: I feel I should note, I haven't practiced the Jerk part of the movement in about 2 years. For a long time, I've been opposed to doing lunges or any exercises that derive from lunges because of an old ankle injury, and because I don't want to overwork my quads in comparison to the rest of my leg. Well, I did the Jerks, and the injury didn't flare up. No pain
Vertical Jump
1x3
Wall Sit
3x45sec (yeah, I won't be winning too many points for this one...oh well)
Then I spent about 15 min stretching, as I often do.
I decided to focus specifically on the sorts of things I'll be tested on this Thursday in the fitness competition. My goal for the session was to work on things relative to my bench press 1RM, max pull ups, vertical jump, wall sit and sit-and-reach. Really, the only one of those that I haven't been doing much to develop (or at least maintain) is the wall sit.
So, here's how things went:
Bench Press
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x1x50lg
1x1x60kg
1x1x67.5kg
1x1x70kg
1x1x72.5kg
Attempted 75kg but missed
1x1x70kg
Attempted 75kg again and missed again
1x3x65kg
Will lift 72.5kg on Thursday (only get 1 attempt, so I'll play it safe)
Pull Ups
2x10 (I did one of these sets between my bench warm up sets, then realised it would take up too much energy to continue doing pull ups between sets of bench)
1x7
1x4
2x3 + 6x-45kg
At this point, I realised that my workload on biceps was probably of a greater total than on my triceps. Wanting to keep things even, but knowing I wouldn't have the time or energy to go do some overhead presses as well as leg work, I decided to try my luck with some Power Clean + Jerks (for those of you playing at home, the difference between this and the Olympic "Clean + Jerk" is that the Clean, as oppose to the Power Clean, involves a full front squat finish...also, for those of you playing at home, while I added the jerk to get some tricep involvement, the arms should not be where the strength comes from in these lifts).
Power Clean + Jerk
1x5x20kg Power Shrug
1x5x20kg Power Clean
1x10xBW Alternating Drop Lunges (I guess would be the best way to describe it, jumping down into a lunge position)
1x5x20kg Power Clean
1x2x20kg Power Clean and Jerk
1x2x20kg
1x4x20kg
1x2x25kg
5x2x30kg
ETA: I feel I should note, I haven't practiced the Jerk part of the movement in about 2 years. For a long time, I've been opposed to doing lunges or any exercises that derive from lunges because of an old ankle injury, and because I don't want to overwork my quads in comparison to the rest of my leg. Well, I did the Jerks, and the injury didn't flare up. No pain
Vertical Jump
1x3
Wall Sit
3x45sec (yeah, I won't be winning too many points for this one...oh well)
Then I spent about 15 min stretching, as I often do.
Last edited:
Thur 10/06/10 - Iron Person Competition
Bench Press 72.5kg - notably, once I was on the bench I was so psyched up that this weight actually seemed to move quite easily. I felt like I could have lifted a bit heavier, but I was the only person who lifted more than 70 and less than 80kg, so I doubt I could have potentially scored higher, even if I could have lifted heavier.
Pull Ups 12 - I was very disappointed at how leniant the coordinator was; myself and I think only one other guy actually did full range of motion, but the coordinator allowed so much cheating...bet I could've gotten closer to 20 if I took advantage of his leniancy.
Vertical Jump 55cm
Agility Test I think I got in at 2.9sec...the high scorers got around 2.3-2.5sec, while other guys slipped and fell over instead of actually turning.
Beep Test 6.9 and my lungs have been killing me since, thanks to having done no training for endurance in running in 6-12months.
Sit and Reach +1cm
Wall Sit I got about 2min, but I didn't check my score. I know I was the 6th male to drop, so I got 6 points.
The way the competition is scored is, the person to have the lowest result on the test gets a 1. So, with bench press, for example, the girl who benched the empty bar would have scored a 1, as would the guy who benched 60kg, which was the lightest male lift. You get 1 point for every person you achieve greater than. With 24 males and 4 females in the competition, that means that the guys could score up to 24 points per test, and the girls up to 4 points per test. At the end, your score for each test is tallied up, and you get your ranking. I scored 6-9 for every test.
Total Score: 53.5 (don't ask me how half a point can be earned, I have no idea).
Rank: 21st place.
Bench Press 72.5kg - notably, once I was on the bench I was so psyched up that this weight actually seemed to move quite easily. I felt like I could have lifted a bit heavier, but I was the only person who lifted more than 70 and less than 80kg, so I doubt I could have potentially scored higher, even if I could have lifted heavier.
Pull Ups 12 - I was very disappointed at how leniant the coordinator was; myself and I think only one other guy actually did full range of motion, but the coordinator allowed so much cheating...bet I could've gotten closer to 20 if I took advantage of his leniancy.
Vertical Jump 55cm
Agility Test I think I got in at 2.9sec...the high scorers got around 2.3-2.5sec, while other guys slipped and fell over instead of actually turning.
Beep Test 6.9 and my lungs have been killing me since, thanks to having done no training for endurance in running in 6-12months.
Sit and Reach +1cm
Wall Sit I got about 2min, but I didn't check my score. I know I was the 6th male to drop, so I got 6 points.
The way the competition is scored is, the person to have the lowest result on the test gets a 1. So, with bench press, for example, the girl who benched the empty bar would have scored a 1, as would the guy who benched 60kg, which was the lightest male lift. You get 1 point for every person you achieve greater than. With 24 males and 4 females in the competition, that means that the guys could score up to 24 points per test, and the girls up to 4 points per test. At the end, your score for each test is tallied up, and you get your ranking. I scored 6-9 for every test.
Total Score: 53.5 (don't ask me how half a point can be earned, I have no idea).
Rank: 21st place.
So, I haven't posted anything in a while, mostly because I haven't been doing anything for a while. My last training session was a Pilates class two days after the Iron Person Competition. I told myself after that I was going to dedicate the next week to finishing off Pilates prac, but that still hasn't been done, and I've spent the last 10 days focused on my girlfriend. I'll probably go back into the gym on Friday, if I'm not doing Pilates then.
I want to start learning the Olympic lifts properly, so once I can get into it regularly again, I think my program will look something more like this:
A:
- Squat 3x5
- Bench Press 3x5
- Power Clean warming up for Deadlift 1x5
- Pull Ups 2xAMRAP
B:
- Front Squat 3x5
- Press 3x5
- Power Clean 5x3
- BB OH Lunges 2x6-8
Once I'm used to Front Squats, I'll convert Power Clean to a Full Clean, and once I'm used to Lunges I'll convert to Split Jerk. I'll bring them together to do the Clean and Jerk, then start learning the Snatch by converting Front Squats to OH Squats.
I want to start learning the Olympic lifts properly, so once I can get into it regularly again, I think my program will look something more like this:
A:
- Squat 3x5
- Bench Press 3x5
- Power Clean warming up for Deadlift 1x5
- Pull Ups 2xAMRAP
B:
- Front Squat 3x5
- Press 3x5
- Power Clean 5x3
- BB OH Lunges 2x6-8
Once I'm used to Front Squats, I'll convert Power Clean to a Full Clean, and once I'm used to Lunges I'll convert to Split Jerk. I'll bring them together to do the Clean and Jerk, then start learning the Snatch by converting Front Squats to OH Squats.
Well, today I got a 3-day gym pass at one of the places I was looking at doing my Pilates prac, which allows me access to the gym today, tomorrow and Saturday. Of those options, there's only Pilates on tomorrow (Friday), but that's okay. I went straight in to do a strength session. This place certainly isn't ideal for strength. It has a pretty good set up, but the knurls on the barbells are too sharp, and there's no chalk. Seemingly minor issues, but they cause trouble. Anyway, here's how it went:
Thur 24/06/10
Front Squats
2x5x20kg
1x5x22.5kg
1x3x25kg
1x2x27.5kg
3x5x30kg
Press
2x5x20kg
1x5x22.5kg
1x3x25kg
1x2x27.5kg
3x5x30kg
I would have done power cleans, but didn't feel confident that I'd still have skin on my hands if I did. So instead I just did some assistance exercises.
BB OH Lunges 2x6x20kg -- I was surprised at how difficult it was to keep my arms locked out....not so surprised by how difficult it was to keep my balance.
Back Extensions 2x10xBW -- It was nice to feel my glutes working in an exercise.
Thur 24/06/10
Front Squats
2x5x20kg
1x5x22.5kg
1x3x25kg
1x2x27.5kg
3x5x30kg
Press
2x5x20kg
1x5x22.5kg
1x3x25kg
1x2x27.5kg
3x5x30kg
I would have done power cleans, but didn't feel confident that I'd still have skin on my hands if I did. So instead I just did some assistance exercises.
BB OH Lunges 2x6x20kg -- I was surprised at how difficult it was to keep my arms locked out....not so surprised by how difficult it was to keep my balance.
Back Extensions 2x10xBW -- It was nice to feel my glutes working in an exercise.
Did Pilates this morning. It was brutal, partially due to fatigue from yesterday (especially in the triceps), but mostly due to how advanced the instructor made so many of the exercises, without offering many lower-level alternatives. It'll be an interesting report I have to write about that session. I was going to go home immediately afterwards, but decided to stick around and do some back work, since I didn't do any pulls yesterday.
Fri 25/06/10
Warm Up: Rowing 5min
Pendlay Rows
1x5x30kg
1x5x35kg
1x5x40kg
1x5x45kg
1x5x50kg
1x4x55kg
Fri 25/06/10
Warm Up: Rowing 5min
Pendlay Rows
1x5x30kg
1x5x35kg
1x5x40kg
1x5x45kg
1x5x50kg
1x4x55kg
Mon 28/06/10
Squats
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x3x50kg
1x2x60kg
3x5x70kg
Bench Press
2x5x20kg
1x5x30kg
1x3x40kg
1x2x50kg
2x5x60kg
1x4x60kg
Power Clean
2x5x20kg
1x3x25kg
1x3x30kg
1x1x35kg
1x1x40kg
1x1x45kg
1x1x50kg which I believe is a new PR. I had planned on only going up to 40kg, as a warm up for deadlifts, but got the urge to see how heavy a weight I could clean, and gave in to trialling 50kg.
Deadlift
1x1x60kg (felt very light compared to the previous power clean)
1x1x70kg
1x5x80kg
Pull Ups
1x9
1x8
Squats
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x3x50kg
1x2x60kg
3x5x70kg
Bench Press
2x5x20kg
1x5x30kg
1x3x40kg
1x2x50kg
2x5x60kg
1x4x60kg
Power Clean
2x5x20kg
1x3x25kg
1x3x30kg
1x1x35kg
1x1x40kg
1x1x45kg
1x1x50kg which I believe is a new PR. I had planned on only going up to 40kg, as a warm up for deadlifts, but got the urge to see how heavy a weight I could clean, and gave in to trialling 50kg.
Deadlift
1x1x60kg (felt very light compared to the previous power clean)
1x1x70kg
1x5x80kg
Pull Ups
1x9
1x8
Wed 30/06/10
After Pilates, I used this resistance training session as a recovery session from Monday, and now I'm feeling VERY refreshed.
Front Squats
1x5x20kg
1x5x22.5kg
1x3x25kg
1x2x30kg
3x3x35kg
Press
1x5x20kg
1x5x22.5kg
1x3x25kg
1x2x27.5kg
3x3x30kg
Pendlay Row
1x5x20kg
1x5x22.5kg
1x3x25kg
1x2x30kg
3x3x40kg
This was followed by a 30min walk home.
After Pilates, I used this resistance training session as a recovery session from Monday, and now I'm feeling VERY refreshed.
Front Squats
1x5x20kg
1x5x22.5kg
1x3x25kg
1x2x30kg
3x3x35kg
Press
1x5x20kg
1x5x22.5kg
1x3x25kg
1x2x27.5kg
3x3x30kg
Pendlay Row
1x5x20kg
1x5x22.5kg
1x3x25kg
1x2x30kg
3x3x40kg
This was followed by a 30min walk home.
Wed 14/06/10
Squats
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x3x60kg
1x2x70kg
3x5x82.5kg
Bench Press
2x5x20kg
1x5x30kg
1x3x40kg
1x2x50kg
1x5x62.5kg
1x4x62.5kg
1x5x62.5kg
Power Clean
2x3x20kg
1x3x25kg
1x1x30kg
1x1x35kg
1x1x40kg
1x1x45kg
Deadlift
1x1x60kg
1x1x70kg
1x1x80kg
1x5x90kg
Pull Ups
1x11
1x7
1x5
Total: 23
Squats
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x3x60kg
1x2x70kg
3x5x82.5kg
Bench Press
2x5x20kg
1x5x30kg
1x3x40kg
1x2x50kg
1x5x62.5kg
1x4x62.5kg
1x5x62.5kg
Power Clean
2x3x20kg
1x3x25kg
1x1x30kg
1x1x35kg
1x1x40kg
1x1x45kg
Deadlift
1x1x60kg
1x1x70kg
1x1x80kg
1x5x90kg
Pull Ups
1x11
1x7
1x5
Total: 23
Fri 16/07/10
Squats
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x3x60kg
1x2x75kg
3x5x85kg -- PR!! I happily collapsed down onto my hands and knees after racking the last set.
Press
2x5x20kg
1x5x25kg
1x3x30kg
1x2x32.5kg
2x4x37.5kg
2x3x37.5kg
Power Cleans
2x3x20kg
1x3x25kg
1x2x30kg
1x2x32.5kg
5x3x37.5kg
Pull Ups
1x9
1x7
1x4
TOTAL: 20
Squats
2x5x20kg
1x5x40kg
1x3x60kg
1x2x75kg
3x5x85kg -- PR!! I happily collapsed down onto my hands and knees after racking the last set.
Press
2x5x20kg
1x5x25kg
1x3x30kg
1x2x32.5kg
2x4x37.5kg
2x3x37.5kg
Power Cleans
2x3x20kg
1x3x25kg
1x2x30kg
1x2x32.5kg
5x3x37.5kg
Pull Ups
1x9
1x7
1x4
TOTAL: 20
The last few days, whenever I walk anywhere, I get a rather glamourous pain in my left testicle, as though someone kicked me there and then left their foot there. I've seen a doctor about it, had a radiologist look it over, and the problem is varicoceles, which the doctor says there's no treatment for other than surgery, and wants to see if things get better or worse over the next couple months before opting for surgery. Not sure how this is going to impact things.
Since my last update, my gym membership has expired and I haven't renewed it. For the first week after my last post, I was barely walking anyway, but the pain has since gone away and I've been getting active again. I haven't felt compelled to post much in here as my activities have mostly been trying to make use of some pissy little 4kg dumbells at home and doing push ups and bodyweight squats. Nothing exciting to report on.
However, in the last week I decided to start getting some cardio happening. Had an interesting experience on Thursday last week. Some physiology for you all out there, if you're a normal, healthy individual, then when you wake up in the morning after 8+ hours of fasting, you're blood sugar levels will be low. If not, it's a sign of diabetes. Anyway, people are notorious for using this information to justify training first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, because if your body doesn't have sugar to use, it'll switch straight to burning fat...or so the logic goes. I, however, have always had a different hypothesis, that if you train on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, the body will still try and use sugar as fuel, as per normal, and you will experience symptoms of hypoglycaemia. Well, on a whim, I decided to test this hypothesis. So, I woke up, but on some shoes, and spent about 25-30min doing hill runs. I then got hit hard with nausea, and got myself home. I considered my former hypothesis to now be a decent theory when I regained consciousness on the kitchen floor. I had passed out while preparing to get some nutrients in me. Since then, I have made sure to do no training before breakfast.
However, in the last week I decided to start getting some cardio happening. Had an interesting experience on Thursday last week. Some physiology for you all out there, if you're a normal, healthy individual, then when you wake up in the morning after 8+ hours of fasting, you're blood sugar levels will be low. If not, it's a sign of diabetes. Anyway, people are notorious for using this information to justify training first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, because if your body doesn't have sugar to use, it'll switch straight to burning fat...or so the logic goes. I, however, have always had a different hypothesis, that if you train on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, the body will still try and use sugar as fuel, as per normal, and you will experience symptoms of hypoglycaemia. Well, on a whim, I decided to test this hypothesis. So, I woke up, but on some shoes, and spent about 25-30min doing hill runs. I then got hit hard with nausea, and got myself home. I considered my former hypothesis to now be a decent theory when I regained consciousness on the kitchen floor. I had passed out while preparing to get some nutrients in me. Since then, I have made sure to do no training before breakfast.
Great news. I have a job now in a gym (signed all the paperwork this morning), which of course means staff use of the gym. After handing in all the paperwork, I went upstairs to do my first gym-based training in ages. Kept it fairly light since it's been more than a month since my last time training ina gym, but still broke a sweat. I hadn't exactly planned for the session, so it was a bit haphazardly put together.
FRONT SQUATS
5x20kg, 5x25kg, 5x30kg, 5x35kg, 5x40kg
JUMP SHRUGS
5x40kg, 5x45kg, 3x50kg, 1x55kg, 5x60kg
SPLIT JERK
2x5x20kg
PULL UPS
1x5, 1x4
BENCH PRESS
5x20kg, 3x30kg, 5x40kg, 3x50kg -- I tried to focus primarily on keeping a tight arch and the legwork.
FRONT SQUATS
5x20kg, 5x25kg, 5x30kg, 5x35kg, 5x40kg
JUMP SHRUGS
5x40kg, 5x45kg, 3x50kg, 1x55kg, 5x60kg
SPLIT JERK
2x5x20kg
PULL UPS
1x5, 1x4
BENCH PRESS
5x20kg, 3x30kg, 5x40kg, 3x50kg -- I tried to focus primarily on keeping a tight arch and the legwork.