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hulk rips wolverine in half

Injured! Plans For Recovery, 300 lb 5×5 Bench Press and Stuff You Should Read

March 10, 2013 — 3 Comments

Even though I'm built like Wolverine, I do not have his body hair or Adamantium laced bones or claws. I also discovered this week that I do not have his healing abilities either.

hulk rips wolverine in half

I got injured on Monday, and I am still not 100% healed.

FRAK!

My obliques had feeling more sore than normal after the mat pulls on Friday, March 1 2013, but didn't expect it to be a problem. I have used similar weights before with rack pulls, and being sore and training with soreness is normal for me, so this injury was unexpected and would have been difficult to avoid.

Ended up hurting myself during a routine low bar squat over-warmup set at 460 lb.

Normally this weight is no problem at all, but coming out of the hole I felt a sharp pain on my right side, below my rib cage and I went down after that. I probably strained some muscle on that side.

Couldn't finish the remaining squats for the day.

Good news is, recovery has been quick since Monday.

I ended up jumping rope the next day, and started squatting again on Wednesday with a light weight, up to 230 lb for a set of 10 (high bar squat).

I've tested out front squat for 140 lb on Thursday (didn't log this) and it didn't hurt at all. Probably because the pain occurs when I bend over, and a front squat keeps my torso upright.

I increased the squatting workout on Friday, working up to 280 lb for 3 sets of 5.

Originally I was planning on sticking to high bar squats for 3x5 until I build my strength back up, but on Saturday I was curious as to how a more bent over, low bar squat would feel. It felt alright for most of the sets, but did feel a bit odd using 320 lb x 5. Not painful, but not normal.

So, after poking my injury with a stick and determining I can squat high and low bar with semi-light weights, I'm going to do both during the same workout for the upcoming week. Probably 3x5 for low bar, and then 3x5 for high bar, and just keep on adding weight day by day. I want to have the volume high to keep my stamina up, but we'll see how it goes.

Being forced to lower the weight for my squats is kinda like being forced to de-load. This will give me some time to recover, and hopefully end up coming back stronger.

I've mentioned before that injuries are education, and I'm going to take this opportunity to figure out how to train around this new injury and recover as soon as possible (without getting re-injured).

Bench Press: 300x5x5

In other news, I bench pressed (reverse grip) 300 lb for 5 sets of 5:

I remember when I benched 300 lb for the first time (actually it was 137.5 Kg, or ~302.5 lb) on April 28, 2011, it was a milestone for me, and I felt like I was finally a real man. Now, almost 2 years later, I'm repping it out. Consistency works!

April 28 2011

The first time I benched pressed 300 lb+

I may take a de-load week for bench press for this upcoming week, simply because my triceps and chest have been feeling worn out lately, and I'm starting to have irrational (probably) pec tear paranoia. I've been benching twice a week since last Fall I think, and have kept on adding weight mostly every week since.

Either I'm going to stick with benching on Monday and Friday, and simply lower the intensity (weight) and/or volume.

OR, I might do overhead presses on Monday and Friday, and bench press only once on Wednesday. We'll see.

Stuff You Should Read

  1. The Art Of The Reverse Grip Bench Press (NSFW) by Jamie Lewis

    Note: This is the first solid article on the reverse grip bench press. I'm working on my own article on the topic, and thought I was going to be the first, but Jamie Lewis beat me to it!

  2. How To Deadlift By Brian Carroll
  3. A Lion in Iron: Women—Be More, Not Less by Alexander Cortes

 

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Training Log: Friday February 1, 2013

February 1, 2013 — Leave a comment

Accidentally stepped on what I initially thought was a red M&M candy...but upon further inspection it was really a lady bug 🙁 Sorry dude!

Texas method intensity day.

Foam Rolling

Low Bar Squat

  • 45 lb: 20
  • 140 lb:10
  • 230 lb: 5
  • 320 lb: 3
  • 410 lb: 1
  • 460 lb: 1
  • 422.5 lb: 3,3,3
    • +2.5 lb from last week.
    • Last rep a bit tough.

High Bar Squat

  • 385 lb: 5,5
    • +2.5 lb from last week.

Face Pulls

  • 70lbs: 12

Reverse Grip Bench Press

  • 45 lb: 10
  • 140 lb: 5
  • 230 lb: 3
  • 280 lb: 1
  • 315 lb: 4,3,3
    • Tried for 5RM on the first set, only got 4. I think I needed more focused, ruthless aggression next time. I'll try again next week.
    • +2.5 lb from last week with fractional plates.

Deadlift

Hook grip.

Wore Vibram TenToes.

  • 140 lb: 5
  • 230 lb: 5
  • 320 lb: 3
  • 410 lb: 1
  • 500 lb: 1
    • Held at the top for a 5 count  (more like 5 quick breaths) to develop grip strength along with pain tolerance.
  • 330 lb: 5,5,5
    • Straps.
    • About 3.5 minutes in between sets.
    • +5 lb from last week.
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Training Log: Friday January 25, 2013

January 25, 2013 — Leave a comment

Texas method intensity day.

Foam Rolling

Low Bar Squat

Low back feeling tight.

  • 45 lb: 20
  • 140 lb:10
  • 230 lb: 5
  • 320 lb: 3
  • 410 lb: 1
  • 460 lb: 1
  • 420 lb: 3,3,3
    • +2.5 lb from last week.

High Bar Squat

  • 382.5 lb: 5,5
    • +2.5 lb from last week.

Face Pulls

  • 70lbs: 12

Reverse Grip Bench Press

  • 45 lb: 10
  • 140 lb: 5
  • 230 lb: 3
  • 280 lb: 1
  • 330 lb: 3 *PR!
  • 312.5 lb: 3,3,3
    • +2.5 lb from last week with fractional plates.
    • I think I figured out how to use my lats during the bench press.

Deadlift

Hook grip.

Wore Vibram TenToes.

  • 140 lb: 5
  • 230 lb: 5
  • 320 lb: 3
  • 410 lb: 1
  • 500 lb: 1
    • Held at the top for a 3 count  (more like 3 quick breaths) to develop grip strength along with pain tolerance.
  • 325 lb: 5,5,5
    • Straps.
    • About 3.5 minutes in between sets.
    • +5 lb from last week.
    • Going to drop down to 3x5 from 5x5. Already doing a ton of volume for squats.

 

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Training Updates, My 1st Guest Post, 360 lb Bench Press, Pork Bulgogi Recipe, Slipping and OHP

January 20, 2013 — Leave a comment

Some training updates and notes from this past week, mainly for myself to clarify exactly what the hell I'm doing (or about to do), and for those who might be interested in my workouts.

Squat

For the squat, I'm increasing the volume on both volume day and intensity day.

For volume day, it will be:

  • Low bar squat: 5x3
  • High bar squat: 5x5

So that's 40 total squat reps (generally Texas Method is 25 total squat reps, and I've done 30 in the past). I'm playing with the idea of adding a couple of low bar squat back off sets of 2x5. Not sure yet.

And intensity day:

  • Low bar squat: 3x3
  • High bar squat: 2x5

Normally for intensity day for the Texas Method is 1x5.

We'll see how this works out.

I haven't squatted 500 lb or more in a long time. In fact, my squat has gotten weaker after making some changes to my programming. I have a feeling this increased volume, along with performing low bar and high bar squats in the same workout, will build a solid foundation and get me back on track.

My short term goal is to finally get a high bar squat of 500 lb or more (current max is 495 lb, missed on 500 lb a few times), and to break my overall squat (which is a low bar squat) PR of 510 lb.

Overhead Press

I missed a 260 lb overhead press on Wednesday, but did get some repetition PRs (225x4 and 200x6).

My triceps always feel a little fatigue and sore on Wednesday from Monday's bench workout. I suspect that if I decrease my bench press from 5x5 to 3x5 on Monday, I'll press 260 lb on Wednesday. We shall see.

Bench Press

My first bench press PR of the year! 360 lb with a reverse grip:

Everything felt smooth for the most part. I did feel the bar move forward towards my head by a fraction of a nanometer (normally on the descent, it goes down until the bar touches a point below my sternum), but I managed to control it and press it up.

I think I'll hit some repetition PR's before tackling a 1 rep max again.

Deadlift

I'll be trying out some added volume for deadlifts at 5x5. Basically, I'll work up to a heavy single (500 lb) with a hook grip to keep my pain tolerance high and to ensure I can deadlift 500 lb anytime, and then hit 5x5 for my work sets. I'm starting with 320 lb and will probably be adding 5 lb or so per week.

I was thinking of doing rack pulls again and gradually decrease the height of the bar over time, but changing the sabre style safeties in my power rack is a bit of a pain in the ass. Maybe I'll come back to this in the future.

L-Sit Chin Ups

Lastly, I also posted a video of me doing some L-sit chin ups, which I believe helps in the OHP (see my article below) and keeps me from looking like a Centaur.

Anyway, here are some blog posts I wrote this past week that you might have missed:

  1. Pressure Cooker Pork Bulgogi Recipe - This is yummy.
  2. How To Prevent Your Back From Slipping & Sliding During The Bench Press - This $1 item helped increase my bench press.

And check out these articles about the overhead press:

3 Ways To Increase Your Overhead Pressing Strength by John Phung (hey, that's me!)

I wrote a guest post for AllThingsGym.com at the request of the site owner. I write about some things that has helped me with my overhead press. I have a still have a few tricks up my sleeves, so maybe there will be a part II in the future 😉

Pimpin' Ain't Easy #4- Let's get Down to The Finish (NSFW) by Jamie Lewis

Another article about the overhead press, detailing different methods by guys like Tommy Kono and Bill March, who both had a similar body weight as me in the past, but pressed well over 300 lb over their heads.

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360 bench press

Training Log: Friday January 18, 2013

January 18, 2013 — Leave a comment

360 bench press

Texas method intensity day. Increasing the volume slightly for the squat, and a lot for deadlifts.

Foam Rolling

  • 10 minutes on the Rumble Roller and lacrosse ball.

Low Bar Squat

  • 45 lb: 20
  • 140 lb:10
  • 230 lb: 5
  • 320 lb: 3
  • 410 lb: 1
  • 460 lb: 1
  • 417.5 lb: 3,3,3
    • +2.5 lb from last week

High Bar Squat

  • 380 lb: 5,5
    • Same weight as last week, but 1 more set.

Face Pulls

  • 70lbs: 12

Reverse Grip Bench Press

Had some shoulder problems and a cold last week. This week, no problems.

  • 45 lb: 10
  • 140 lb: 5
  • 230 lb: 3
  • 320 lb: 1
  • 360 lb: 1 *PR!
    • +5 lb PR! First PR this year...About time!
    • On the descent, it felt like it moved a fraction of a millimeter out of the groove. Stuck with it and brought it down under control before blasting it back up.
  • 310 lb: 3,3,3
    • +2.5 lb from 2 weeks ago. Same weight as last week (didn't get 3x3).

Deadlift

Hook grip.

Wore Vibram TenToes.

Going to try something new: Work up to a heavy single, followed by 3x5 5x5 deadlift (3x5 felt easy so I kept on going). Starting out nice and easy. 320 lb feels like baby weights. It's like I'm using a 320 lb pink dumbbell or something.

  • 140 lb: 5
  • 230 lb: 5
  • 320 lb: 3
  • 410 lb: 1
  • 500 lb: 1
  • 320 lb: 5,5,5,5,5
    • Straps
    • About 3.5 minutes in between sets
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