Results matching “Bird”

Aside from the recent snatch-grip deadlifts, I've been ignoring the conventional deadlift for quite some time (the last time I tested my max was back in December). I was hoping that the 'no deadlift' approach may have had a positive benefit here - a 2 x bodyweight lift isn't all that far away.

After warming up with a little ab work (and there is a fine line between warming up and pre-exhaustion) I began climbing the pyramid. It was only after I managed a double at 140kg that I remembered reading the benefits of a hook grip, which I elected to give a run on a 150 attempt. Alas, the bar moved a little, then the grip gave way. A second and third attempt produced the same result. Hmmm.

The hook grip involves wrapping the fingers around the thumb (the regular grip puts the thumb over the fingers. It helps to have fairly large hands for this. With a little practice this should see an extra kilo or two slapped on the bar.

I decided to call it a day there and have a think about future deadlift training. After a few months of almost deadlift-free workouts I may try giving it a lot more time in the sun; probably twice per week. The first of these days will follow a similar pattern to that employed by Andy Boulton (certainly not a deadlift lightweight), and the second will be a westside-style session of speed pulls. Now I just need to make sure this allows enough recovery time.

On the subject of recovery, time to get a bit of shut-eye.

Hanging knee raise 30@bw
Seated knee raise/crunch 20@bw
Deadlift 10@60kg, 5@80kg, 3@100kg, 3@120kg, 3@130kg, 2@140kg, 0@150kg

As you may have guessed from the title, today's/yesterday's workout was done in two parts. Whilst this can be an effective way to train (not to mention the only practical way when time is short), I always seem to end up doing less than if it'd been a regular workout.

Keen to add a little grip and ab work to the mix, yesterday's brief session featured one-handed deadlifts. I generally do these with a barbell as it seems to work the grip much harder than dumbells. Worked up to a double at 70kg.

One-handed deadlift 5@40kg, 5@50kg, 3@60kg, 2@70kg

This morning's quick session was a somewhat abbreviated DE BENCH workout. A great way to start the weekend.

Gorilla chin 15@bw
Push-ups 20@bw
Bench press (explosive) 20@40kg, 4×8@50kg
Bench press (close grip) 4×8@60kg
Standing L-Flye 3×8@6.5kg

Just when I was getting used to having to regularly put the smaller plates on the bar (no matter which lift was being performed), the extra 20kg plates I order a while ago finally arrived. At least yesterday's snatch-grip deadlifts made sure I'm not about to give them an early test run.

Carrying the plates up several flights of stairs did, however, suggest that a quick feeder might be in order, of the bodyweight variety. Having just been reminded of the beauty of pistol (or one-legged) squats over on bdckr's training journal I knocked out a couple of slow and painful sets before realising just how tiring they are. Superb.

Pistol squat 20@bw (each side)

Today was the first DE day since my return to a standard 4 day Westside routine. Accordingly it was a little faster and the weights a little lighter; though perhaps not as much as Westside dictates. I'm yet to be entirely convinced that the speed work is as effective as the heavier lifts.

After warming up with a couple of quick sets of lying leg curls (rarely done, but not bad for a brief warmup) came a bit of reasonably fast squatting. Box-free and below parallel.

The exercise which has ensured a good night's sleep : snatch-grip deadlifts. The combination of squats and deadlifts in the same workout didn't seem too bad as the squats were reasonably light. Using both a wide stance and wide pronated grip is interesting (that's the diplomatic way of putting it), tiring and fun. Will certainly be doing more of these in the future.

Lying leg curl 20@20kg, 10@30kg
Squat 4×10@40kg, 2×10@60kg
Snatch-grip deadlift 2×10@60kg, 2×5@70kg, 5@80kg, 3@90kg, 3@110kg, 2@120kg
Calf raise (standing, single leg) 2×20@16.5 (each leg), 2×20@bw (each leg)

I don't really want to use the word stuck, however my bench press has been increasing with glacial slowness lately. If I stand back far enough I can just see it. Just.

Fortunately all of the other lifts in the BENCH part of the routine are steadily gaining ground - today's workout saw extra weight slapped on the bar for tricep extensions and shrugs, and an extra rep appeared here and there. No doubt that will eventually see the major lifts moving in the right direction.

Powered along by Swedish band Blindside, today's workout looked something like :

Bench press 10@20kg, 5@40kg, 5@50kg, 5@60kg, 3@65kg, 3@70kg, 3@75kg, 2@80kg
Chin-up 5@bw+20kg, 12@bw
Tricep extension 2×8@40kg, 8,8,4@50kg
Bent row 8,8,8,3@60kg
Shrug 10@60kg, 8@90kg, 8@110kg, 8@120kg, 8@130kg, 5@140kg

My calves seem to have been overlooked recently, which as some might point out, isn't particularly difficult given their current stature. Fortunately they'll be just one of the winners when I return to a 4-day-per-week routine, commencing this week. I'm simply not convinced that the current 3 day routine is achieving enough.

Although I'm yet to decide on the exact breakdown of the 4 days (I may simply return to a standard Westside approach), one thing is certain - the additional day provides time to adequately train a few bodyparts that have been somewhat overlooked lately. As well as calves, a bit of anterior deltoid training is on the hit list.

Today's workout moved along a little faster than usual for a Sunday (I'm trying to keep each session down to an hour), and had a quad/calves focus. Following a few high rep sets of squats (warmup and a little pre-exhaustion) came some Hack squatting and step-ups; and a little calf work. Short and sweetintense.

Gorilla chin 13@bw
Squat 20@20kg, 20@40kg, 20@60kg
Hack squat 10@60kg, 5@70kg, 5@80kg, 5@90kg, 5@100kg, 2@110kg
Step-up 10@ (2×24kg) - each side
Standing calf raise - single foot 2×10@ (2×24kg), 2×10@bw (each side)
Seated calf raise 10@80kg

Following the recent switch from using the cage's chin-up bar to the slippery square surface of the cage itself, I began today's session with a few Gorilla chins on the back of the cage. Unlike the bar, the painted surface ensures the first thing to give way is grip - perfect for a quick Friday workout.

Gorilla chin (rear of cage) 6@bw

Next up came a quick combination of standing L-Flyes and fingertip pushups (with hyperextension); which performed the dual roles of testing finger strength and stretching the subscaps a little.

Standing L-Flye 3×7@6.5kg (each side)
Fingertip push-up 10@bw

The final component of the workout was a motley crew of grip exercises, covering pinch, holding and crushing grips. These included :

Single hand deadlift - grip gave way at 80kg
Dumbell hold (untimed, 46.5kg)
Bar hang (untimed, square edge of cage)
Plate pinch (mixture of 2 and 4 plate pinching)
CoC grippers (T and 1)

Having tried out this wonderful old-time lift a couple of nights ago, I decided to find my max. As I was fairly certain that this would take me past the total amount of iron currently at my disposal I engaged in a bit of light squatting for some mild pre-exhaustion.

The origins of this lift are a little more difficult to find than those of many other weird and wonderful movements from the strongmen of old. The only strongman I've come across with the name of Jefferson is Thomas Jefferson 'Stout' Jackson (1890-1976) of Texas; though I can't find any link with this particular lift.

Whomever the originator, this lift was initially performed using a large pear-shaped weight with a cross-bar attached. As this style of weight isn't exactly common, a loaded barbell is usually substituted. The lift itself is essentially a deadlift performed whilst straddling the bar, such that one hand is in front and the other behind you. The difficult part seems to be getting the foot and hand placement just right so a comfortable lockout can be achieved (this lift is also called the 'nut crusher', and a bad foot/hand placement will show you exactly why).

This seems to be one of the few exercises which works the Rectus Femoris in its hip flexion capacity; that fact alone sees it included in future routines.

Worked up to a triple at 130kg, however was unable to lockout 140kg; so it sits behind the regular deadlift in terms of max lifts. For now at least.

Squat 20@40kg, 20@50kg
Jefferson lift 10@60kg, 5@70kg, 5@80kg, 5@90kg, 3@100kg, 3@110kg, 3@120kg, 3@130kg, 0@140kg

Dimmel deadlift 4×10@60kg
Good morning 10,10,10,5 @45kg
Hanging knee raise 4×10@bw

It's been just over a year since I first began to share my bedroom with weight plates. Over that time the act of lifting weights has gradually moved towards the status of 'healthy obsession' (although there are some who would dispute the 'healthy' part of that phrase), and shows no signs of becoming anything less.

The following is a quick look back at the major events that shaped my training :

March '04
The Marcy Pro weight bench arrived. Complete with attachments for hamstring and preacher curls, this promised to support far more weight than I'll be looking at for quite some time.

If starting again, I'd probably buy a simpler bench; however at the time I bought this, the power cage was yet to be even a consideration.

My initial routine was based on a 10 week plan from a Mens Fitness magazine (it's the only time I've ever been tempted to buy one), with a few changes to suit the lack of equipment. Still, with a barbell, two dumbbells and a bench, I certainly had the basics covered.

April '04
I increased my cardio with a daily dose of cycling. It was only 15 mins, but that was quite enough for me at the time.

This was the month when I first uttered 'time to buy some more weights'. Well, I only started with 50kg. I decided to switch to Olympic plates (for several reasons, the main one being the increased size of the bar) and grabbed a set - barbell and 145kg of weights.

My diet slowly improved.

The deadlift entered my routines.

Knocked up wrist roller and a chain for grip work.

May '04
Photos and video first made an appearance on this blog.

Switched from a 3 day/week beginner's routine to a 4 day/week westside powerlifting routine.

Acquired a couple of Captains of Crush grippers (Trainer and #1), and moved the grip training up a notch.

Introduced both dynamic and isometric stretching to the routines.

June '04
First sampled the delights of Zercher Squats.

Power cage arrived. This is a purchase I've never regretted - the extra safety allowed me to push harder with confidence; the cage's versatility enabled me to try out a greater range of exercises. Fantastic.

One of the new exercises the cage enabled me to explore is the chin-up - and I still love them. Quick, simple and highly effective.

The cage also marked the beginnings of my squat training. Prior to that I didn't have so much as a pair of squat stands; so my leg work up to that point consisted of the usual raises and curls.

New exercises: Bradford Press, Sweeping the Floor, Box squatting, Rack Pulls and the Floor press.

Began noting weights for each exercise on blog.

July '04
Spent a gym-free week in The Netherlands. Managed to lose 3kg in the process, but put it back on with a few weeks. Illness shortly afterward made sure this was a light training month.

Dipped a toe in the waters of Olympic lifting with a go at the Hang clean. Toe in, toe straight back out.

New exercises: Zottman Curl, Incline close-grip bench press, Hang clean, Seated good morning.

August '04
New exercises: Neider press, Floor press (close grip).

Departed for a month of sun in Australia.

It's been just over a year since I first began to share my bedroom with weight plates. Over that time the act of lifting weights has gradually moved towards the status of 'healthy obsession' (although there are some who would dispute the 'healthy' part of that phrase), and shows no signs of becoming anything less.

The following is a quick look back at the major events that shaped my training :

March '04
The Marcy Pro weight bench arrived. Complete with attachments for hamstring and preacher curls, this promised to support far more weight than I'll be looking at for quite some time.

If starting again, I'd probably buy a simpler bench; however at the time I bought this, the power cage was yet to be even a consideration.

My initial routine was based on a 10 week plan from a Mens Fitness magazine (it's the only time I've ever been tempted to buy one), with a few changes to suit the lack of equipment. Still, with a barbell, two dumbells and a bench, I certainly had the basics covered.

April '04
I increased my cardio with a daily dose of cycling. It was only 15 mins, but that was quite enough for me at the time.

This was the month when I first uttered 'time to buy some more weights'. Well, I only started with 50kg. I decided to switch to Olympic plates (for several reasons, the main one being the increased size of the bar) and grabbed a set - barbell and 145kg of weights.

My diet slowly improved.

The deadlift entered my routines.

Knocked up wrist roller and a chain for grip work.

May '04
Photos and video first made an appearance on this blog.

Switched from a 3 day/week beginner's routine to a 4 day/week westside powerlifting routine.

Acquired a couple of Captains of Crush grippers (Trainer and #1), and moved the grip training up a notch.

Introduced both dynamic and isometric stretching to the routines.

June '04
First sampled the delights of Zercher squats.

Power cage arrived. This is a purchase I've never regretted - the extra safety allowed me to push harder with confidence; the cage's versatility enabled me to try out a greater range of exercises. Fantastic.

One of the new exercises the cage enabled me to explore is the chin-up - and I still love them. Quick, simple and highly effective.

The cage also marked the beginnings of my squat training. Prior to that I didn't have so much as a pair of squat stands; so my leg work up to that point consisted of the usual raises and curls.

New exercises: Bradford press, Sweeping the Floor, Box squatting, Rack Pulls and the Floor press.

Began noting weights for each exercise on blog.

July '04
Spent a gym-free week in The Netherlands. Managed to lose 3kg in the process, but put it back on with a few weeks. Illness shortly afterward made sure this was a light training month.

Dipped a toe in the waters of Olympic lifting with a go at the Hang clean. Toe in, toe straight back out.

New exercises: Zottman curl, Incline close-grip bench press, Hang clean, Seated good morning.

August '04
New exercises: Neider press, Floor press (close grip).

Departed for a month of sun in Australia.