Marcorock log - Italian style

[marcorock]

Ok...since this forum is populated by some of the baddest/strongest MFers on earth, I'll start keeping a log here, just to lower the overall stats and maybe get some useful advice.

Since I'm from Europe, all weights will be in kilos, ok?

Let's recap (single ply gear # in brackets):
Male, 28 yo (almost...), 76kg on 168cm
S 170 kg (210)
B 122 kg (150 in F6, 165 in a Katana)
D 190 kg (210)

Next meet will be the last week of October. As of now, sessions are being dictated by my lifting mate, for 2 reasons: he is way stronger than I am (270-165-252.5 single ply at under 80kg BW) and has me always in sight, so no need to guess form/speed/recovery etc.

To start, monday's session:

SQUAT
barx8x2
70x5
100x4
114x5 - belt from here
120x5
126x5
130x5
120x5
134x3 - loose wraps from here
144x2
154x1

BENCH
barx8
60x5
80x4
90x3x5

INCLINE DB PRESS
D18x10
D20x8
D22x8x3

Thanks for reading this!

[marcorock]

11/07/2012

Crunches
3x30

GM
Bar x10x3

SQUAT
Bar 5x2
70x5
70x3
94x6
104x6
114x5x2 – belt from here
120x4x2
130x3x2

BENCH
Bar x8
60x6
74x5x3
84x3x3

STIFF LEG DL, standing on blocks (15cm)
60x8
80x8x3

PRESS (clean on 1st rep)
37x5
41x5x2
47x4x2

ROWS machine
50x12x3

LEG CURLS (1st time in forever)
20x12
25x10
25x8

I was feeling incredibly tired and sleepy (I should stop going to bed at 3am)…kicked myself in the butt and got it done. No heavy weights, but the overall volume wasn’t bad at all.

[marcorock]

13/07/2012

Leg raises
18x3

Hyperexthensions
bw+20 x10x3

BENCH (the rack was busy). a note: I always pause my bench
barx8
60x6
70x5
80x5x2
supersets:
90x4 + 80x6
90x4 + 80x6
90x4 + 80x6

Well, these were a bit hard..not for the weight, but because I'm not used at staying under the bar for 10 reps

SQUAT - low descent, pause in the hole
barx5x2
70x6x2
80x5x2
90x4x2
100x3

DEADLIFT from blocks
70x5
100x5
120x5 + 120x5 from floor
150x4x3 - belt - I was supposed to superset these with pulls from the ground, but it simply didn't work: I couldn't pull sh@t right after the block pulls

OH DB exthensions
D24x8
D30x8x2

DB curl
a few sets...

[marcorock]

14/07/2012

Sit ups
15x3

Hyperext
bw x12x3

PRESS (clena on 1st rep)
barx10
30x5
40x5
50x5x5

DB shrugs
D40x12
D40x12
D40x10
D40x8

Band rows
25x4 sets

Rear delt raises
D4x20x3

Bike: 20 minutes

Stretching

[marcorock]

Addendum to Saturday's session: Single leg press, 60x10x3

Today's training:

Crunches
20x3

Hyperext - 10kg plate behind head
10x3

SQUAT
barx8
70x5
90x4
100x3
Supersets:
110x3 + 100x6
110x3 + 100x6 - belt
110x3 + 100x6 - belt

Easy weight, long sets!

Bench: a no go, right shoulder hurts a lot, wtf?!?

DEADLIFT from deficit
70x4
100x5
110x5
120x5x2 - belt from here
130x3
140x4 - good, it felt heavy, then it came out that another guy put 10 kilos more on the bar

Neutral grip pull ups
bwx3x5
bwx4

Rotator cuff work: D2x15x3

[marcorock]

Today I had very little time, and since my shoulder wouldn't let me bench, I opted for some heavy-ish squats

Crunches 20x2
Hyperext 12x2

SQUAT
barx5x2
70x5
70x3
100x3
120x3 - belt from here
130x3
140x3
150x2 - solid

Stretching

[JohnnyRingo]

Bringing down the numbers here! lol! man you are alot stronger than me! Keep up the good work mang!

[marcorock]

Thanks, Johnny! Maybe I should start logging in pounds, so the numbers would look higher :-)

We all have to get stronger...in my case, way stronger (and possibly bigger): as soon as my right shoulder is back to normal, I'll start a nice bulk and blast away in the weight room, I hope to make some solid gains before my next meet in late October.

[marcorock]

20/07/2012

BENCH - testing the shoulder
barx8
60x5
70x4
90x0 - too much, shouldie not happy (on a side note, I'm seeing a therapist on monday)
70x5x4

SQUAT
barx8
70x5
90x3
100x3
120x2 - belt from here
140x2x4

PULL UPS - neutral grip
BW x6
BW x4x6

Crunches
20x2

Hyperexthensions, weight behind head
+5 x10
+10 x10x2

[marcorock]

21/07/2012

ABS - crunches w/ weight behind head
bw x20
+5 x20x2

Hyperethensions
BW x10x3

DEADLIFT
70x5
100x4
120x3 - belt from here
140x3
150x2
160x1 - this felt heavy, so much for getting in the gym within 1 hour of wake-up

SOHP
bar x8
40x8x2
40x12x2

DB skullcrushers
D6x10
D8x10

EZ bar Skullcrushers
20x10
24x10

DB Rows
D24x6
D36x6
D28x12x3

Rear delt raises
D6x40
D6x20x2

DB curls
D10x10x3

Hammer curls
D10x10x2

15 min uphill walk on treadmill

Stretching

[marcorock]

Currently enjoying the sun, sea and food of southern Italy...I'll be back under the iron next thursday!

[marcorock]

1st day back in the gym...what a bust! 2 weeks off and a 10 hours drive can male you STIFF for real

ABS 15x2
Hypers 15x2

SQUAT
bw x a lot
bar x5x3
70x5x2
90x3x3 - long pauses at bottom, trying to stretch my hip flexors to no avail

Then, I proceeded to wander randomly, trying to hit everything: bench, pull ups, curls, pushdowns, leg ext

Some deadlifting, up to 150 x3 with the belt on

Uphill walk on treadmill: 20 min @5 km/h, 9%

[marcorock]

Right now, I'm asking myself how to train next: i think that some straining/lot of assistance work would get me close to where I want to be strength/size wise faster than an East Europe approach...dunno

[marcorock]

Today, it took me 20 minutes of front squatting to have my wallet stolen...good times!

FRONT SQUAT
barx5
40x5
60x5
70x3
80x3
90x3
100x1
110x1

I randomly paused a few reps at the bottom

RAGE

[marcorock]

Ok, let's restart the Norwegian program, that will bring me to my late October meet: 12 weeks to go!

Yesterday i did a short run, plus a few (7) uphill sprints: 3@20m, 3@30 and 1@40

BW: 74.8, the lowest in a while

Abs: Bw x25x2
Hypers: Bw x15x2

SQUAT
barx5x2
70x5
94x6
104x5 - belt from here
112x5x2
120x4x2
130x3
130x1 - WTF???
130x2 - got the total volume in - too friggin' hot to squat!

BENCH - close grip, long pauses
40x5
60x4
70x3
74x3
78x3
82x3 - shoulder didn't complain

DEADLIFT - oly shoes, stiff legs, clean width grip
50x5
60x8x2
70x6x2 - I should've gone way heavier

[marcorock]

08/08/2012

SQUAT - slow descent, pause @ bottom
bar x5x2
57x6
77x6x2
87x5x2
97x3x3

BENCH
bar x8
57x6
67x5
77x5
Supersets:
87x4 + 77x6
87x4 + 77x6
87x3 + 77x6

DB curls
D10x12x3

Cable pushdowns
25x12
30x12x2

[marcorock]

Friday 10: a bunch of random shit, too hot and too stressed to actually train hard.

Abs and Hypers, 3 sets each

Squat: up to 120x3...sad

Press
40x5
50x5
54x3
58x3
62x2

ROWS/Pulls
80x4x5

Press 2
40x8x2

Lat pulldowns, Y handle
45x15
45x22

Tricpes pushdowns x2 sets

Rear delt riases D6 x20 x2

[marcorock]

Kind of a "bro" session, but I liked it:

BENCH
bar x10
40x6
60x5
80x3
90x3
94x3
100x3
104x3 - heaviest bench in a while, it felt pretty good!

CG bench to 4cm board
90x8
90x8
90x4 - aborted due to shoulder pain

DB OH exthensions
D8x10x3

TRI cable pushdowns - drop set
25x12 + 20x22 + 15x12

DB incline flies
D10x10
D14x10
D18x8
D22x6

[marcorock]

16/08/2012

SQUAT
bar x5x2
60x5
80x3
100x3
120x3 - belt from here
130x2
130x3x3 - red devil wraps from here
140x2
150x2

BENCH
barx8
60x5
80x3
100x3x3 - Ram from here
110x2x2

Dips
BWx8x3

Lat pulldowns, Y handle
40x6
55x6
55x8x2

Stretching

Kind of a "meh" session

[marcorock]

17/08/2012

Close grip bench (thumb from smooth)
barx8
60x5
70x5
74x4
78x4
82x4
84x4

SQUAT
barx5x2
60x5
80x5
100x5
Put a belt on
Supersets:
114x3 + 104x6
114x3 + 104x6
114x3 + 104x6

Deadlift with Oly shoes
70x5
90x5
110x4
120x3
124x3
130x3

Had to go, all in all a pretty good one (back on the Norwegian program)

[marcorock]

21/08/2012

I've been diagnosed with lack of speed on all my lifts, so I started working on that right away.

ABS 30x3

HYPERS plate behind head
bw+5 x10
bw+10 x10
bw+15 x10

SQUAT
bar x5x2
70x5
94x5
114x5 - belt from here
124x4
134x3x2 - red devil wraps from here
144x3x4

BENCH
bar x8
60x6
70x5
80x4x2
85x3x2

I should finally have more time to train, starting from today. And in 2 weeks the gym will be open on weekends again.

[marcorock]

Making up for what I had to leave behind yesterday:

Hypers
bw x10x2

SLDL from a 2" deficit, Oly shoes
50x5
60x5
70x5
80x5x2
90x3

PRESS (clean on 1st rep)
bar x8
50x3x5 - these moved fast

ROWS
50x12
60x12x2

LEG CURL
20x12
25x10
30x8

Stretching - A LOT of it

[HJP]

What's the Norwegian program? Good training in here man. Keep working hard.

[marcorock]

Hey, thanks for checkin' in here!

It's a program I got from the the Norwegian PL fed website, allegedly designed by their head coach, Dietmar Wolf.
These guys have been putting up huge numbers for a few years now, especially in the last couple of big IPF meets, so with my training mate we decided to try this program (I mean, we decided I have to try it: he's running a Sheiko prep this time around).

It looks pretty solid, and it runs right into my next meet, with a good balance between volume, intensity, and geared lifts: my goals are a 230 sq, >160 bench and 230 DL in single ply, IPF, either at 74 or a light 83 (I'm 76 ATM), let's see what comes out of it!

[marcorock]

I replied from work this morning, but it doesn't shows? Oh well...thanks man! It's a program I got from the Norwegian PL fed website, allegedly designed by their head coach Dietmar Wolf.
These guys have been putting up bigger and bigger numbers in the last few years, so we had a look into it, and it looked right for me ATM, also because it runs straight up to my next meet.

It seems to provide a good balance between intensity and volume, with a good amount of geared practice as well: we'll see hoeìw it goes!

[marcorock]

23/08/2012

A solid session

Abs
bw x20x3

Hypers
bw+10 x10x3

NORWEGIAN SQUATS, ultra wide stance
bar x5x2
60x5
70x5
80x4
90x4
100x3 - belt from here
110x3
120x2

BENCH
bar x8
60x5
80x3
90x3 - Ram from here
100x3 + 90x4
100x3 + 90x4
100x3 + 90x4
100x3 + 90x4

DEADLIFT, sumo - old loose Inzer from the start, straps down
70x4
100x3
120x3
140x2 - belt from here

From here, I supersetted 2" block pulls with regular height pulls
160x3 + 140x3
160x3 + 140x3
160x3 + 140x3

Standing single arm DB exthensions
D8x12x3

Cross body curls
D10x12x3

[marcorock]

24/08/2012

I was feeling thursday's workout all along the day...good!

Hypers
bw x10
bw + D20 x10
bw + D20 x10

ABS
Explosive hanging leg raises - bw x12x3

SQUAT
bar x5x2
60x5
80x4
100x4
110x2 - belt from here

Supersets:
120x3 + 110x6
120x3 + 110x6
120x3 + 110x6

CLOSE GRIP BENCH
bar x8x2
41x5
61x5
65x4
71x4
75x4x2 - staied really conservative, as right shoulder was bothering me a bit

SUMO DL - 2" deficit
60x5
80x3
100x3
120x3 - belt from here
124x3
130x3x2

Had to go, so I did some assistance work today at home, with a band:

Band shoulder press
x10
x10
x20

Band rows
x10
x15
x20

Band chest press
x10
x10
x15

Band shrugs
x40

[HJP]

Man you are one of the few on here lighter than me!! Some big goals bro, work hard and hit them. Huge numbers!

[Rock1984]

Got unadvertently banned and had to re-register under an other username...no biggie!

Thanks HJP, but I'm far from moving huge numbers! They'll come though, they will come...I also have to work on this "lighter than me" thing, gotta pack some meat on these bones!

Yesterday's session, a good one:

Abs - crunches on decline bench with weight on forehead (where the fuKK is Wesley when you copy him???)
bw x20
bw+10 x15
bw+10 x15

Hypers + weight behind head
bw x10
bw+10 x10
bw+10 x10

SQUAT
bar x bunch
60x4
80x3
100x3
120x3 - belt
130x1
140x1
160x2 - Trx straps down (I tried to put my shiny new Titan centurion on...no friggin' way!)
170x2 - add wraps
180x2
190x2x2 - PR, and pretty easy too
210 - unrack, walkout, 5 secs hold
230 - unrack + 5 secs hold x2 - first time ever putting over 500 ponds on my back this is the goal weight for the meet, I feel really confident about it..we shall see!

BENCH grip 1" closer than usual (per side)
bar x8
60x5
70x4
80x3
90x3x3 - speed work

Stiff leg DL, 2" deficit, Oly shoes
60x5
70x4
80x3
90x3
100x3

Machine rows
50x10
60x10x2

Leg curl
20x10x3

[Rock1984]

Lucklustre session, due to being rushed and to a bit of CNS shutdown from yesterday' squats

Abs
bw x20x3

HYPERS
bw x10
bw+10 x10
bw+10 x12

SQUAT - paused, wide stance
bar x5x2
60x4
80x4
90x4
100x3 - belt from here
104x3
108x3
110x3

BENCH
bar x8
60x5
70x5
80x4
90x3
94x3x2
100x3x2 - not feeling ok, I need to get a better/tighter setup and raise my chest towards the bar more

SUMO DL
70x4
90x3
110x3
120x3 - belt
140x1x2 - gassed, I should have got up to 180x3 tonight...no way, I was just not "firing" properly

Out for a physio session...feeling all loosened up now!

[Rock1984]

31/08/2012

Straight legs sit ups
15x3

Hypers
nw x10
bw+10 x10x2

SQUAT
bar x5x2
70x4
90x3
110x3 - last one paused
110x3 - as above
110x3 - all paused

I used a pretty narrow stance that really "clicked"

CLOSE(ish) GRIP BENCH
bar x8
40x5
60x5
70x4
80x3x3

SUMO DL off 2" blocks
70x5
90x3
120x2
140x1
150x2
150x3x2 - put a belt on

PRESS
bar x8
30x5
40x3
44x3
50x3
56x3
60x3

MACHINE ROWS
45x5
60x4
70x8x3

DIPS
bw x8x3

[HJP]

The goals are huge numbers man an you will get there if you stay focussed an consistent. Got a good looking regime in place. Keep it up mate, like the exercise selection.

[Rock1984]

Thanks man.

Starting today, I'm adding a 4th session, dedicated to assistance/hypertrophy.

[Rock1984]

Getting swole...!

LEG Circuit: close stance leg press + leg ext + calf raises
80x8 + 20x10 + 50x10
120x8 + 20x10 + 50x12
140x8 + 25x10 + 60x12
160x8 + 30x10 + 60x12

Single leg leg press
60x12 each leg

INCLINE DB PRESS
D14x8
D18X8
D22X8
D26X8
D30X8

Cable flies (weight for each side)
15x15
20x12
25x10

Behind head DB extensions, standing
D20X8
D24X8
D30X8X3

Cable pushdowns (dropset)
10x5
15x5
20x30 + 15x10 + 10x15

Cross body DB curls
D10X10
D12X10
D14X10
D16X10
D18X6
D10X15

30 min walk on treadmill, 8% @ 5 km/h

[Rock1984]

03/09/2012

I felt really good walkin' into the gym, and decided to let it go a bit:

ABS
knee raises bw x15x3

Hypers - plate held behind head
bw+10 x10
bw+15 x10
bw+20 x10

SQUAT
bar x8
70x5
90x4
110x3
120x3 - belt from here
130x2
140x2 - red devil wraps
150x2 - rdw
160x5 - titanium wraps - PR

BENCH
bar x8
60x5
70x5
80x3
90x3x2 - long pause
90x10 - paused, PR - these were very solid

Stiff leg DL, 2" deficit, oly shoes
60x5
80x4
100x4
110x4
120x3 - belt

PRESS
bar x8
40x8
44x6
50x6
54x6

LAT pull downs
40x5
50x10
55x10
60x8
65x8

Leg curl
15x12
20x10
25x15

A bit of stretching

Last press and leg curl sets are PRs as well. albeit minor ones.

[Rock1984]

We're buying a new PL bar and a set of bands, we also just got new boards. Looking forward to use all this stuff to get STRONG

[J L S]

nice work going down in here man, new bar should be pretty sweet! always good to train with proper bars!

[Rock1984]

Absolutely!

Even sweeter is the fact that the bar we're gonna buy is built by a friend of mine, who's also a very good lifter!

[Rock1984]

05/09/2012

Knee raises bw x15x3
GM bar x10x3

Squat - paused, wide, high bar, reebok shoes (left WL shoes home...)
bar x8
40x4
60x3
70x3
80x3
90x3
100x3
110x3

BENCH
bar x8
40x5
60x5
80x3
100x3

Add Katana, boards (each board is 2.8mm thick)
120x3 - 3 boards
140x3 - 3B on 1st, 2B on 2nd and 3rd
150x2 - 2B
160x1 - 2B

I need more work witht this shirt.

[Rock1984]

07/09/2012

Feeling the lack of sleep (they did maintenance work on the railroad in front of my house all night long...), I still got a pretty good session in!

ABS - knees raises - bw x12x3

GM
bar x10
30x10
40x10

SQUAT - pause on last rep of each set
bar x5x2
70x5
80x3
90x3
100x3
110x3
120x3x2 - belt

Narrow grip bench (about 1" in from comp grip on each side) - IPF pause
bar x8
40x8
60x5
70x3
80x3
90x3
100x5 - PR

PRESS (with stupid 17kg bar)
bar x8
37x5
47x5
51x3
57x5 - PR
47x10 - PR

Fatman pullups
bw x10x3

DIPS
bw x10x3

[Rock1984]

08/09/2012

SUMO DL
40x5
90x4
110x3
130x2
150x2 - Inzer TRX and belt from here
170x1
190x2x2 - straps up - PR but they were heavy

190x2x2 bar on 2" blocks - straps down - PR (5 secs hold at lock out on last rep)

Close Stance LEG PRESS
60x10
100x10
140x10
180x10
Drop stes:
140x10
100x20

CALF Machine
60x12
60x20

Abductors
30x15x2

DB Shrugs
D34x12
D34x10

Behind head DB extensions
D20x12x3

Cross body curls
D12x12x3

[HJP]

Always plenty of volume in here. Looking good mate

[Rock1984]

Thanks for checking in! (And keep the chest up when squatting!!! ;-) )

Today's session went very well:

Straight legs sit ups - BWx15x3

GM - Bar x10x3

SQUAT - geared
bar x8x2
70x5
100x3
120x2 - belt from here
140x2
160x2 - added Inzer TRX
180x2 - added Titanium wraps
190x2
200x2 - straps up from here - PR
210x2 - PR - Suck it UP gravity! (+20 kg on geared double)

I got off balance BAD when I unracked the weight, but I fought through, set up and squatted: very happy, also considering how my back and core are shot from the heavy deadlifts I did only 2 days ago.

BENCH
bar x8
60x5
80x3
90x4x2
90x5

Romanian DL off 6" blocks
70x4x3
70x8

PRESS (clean on 1st rep)
bar x5
40x5x2
44x3
50x3
54x3
60x3

Pulley
40x5
50x10x3

Leg curl
20x12x3

[J L S]

nice work buddy, getting alot of good stuff in

[Rock1984]

Thanks! Dunno if you have seen it, but I commented on your squat vid (on the Videos section).

Note to self: assistance sessions will revolve around front squats for reps from now on: this will allow me to hit hard legs, core and upper back at the same time.
Additional upper back work (shrugs), incline DB presses and heavy ab work will also be performed.

[Rock1984]

CNS is still at the squat rack....

SQUAT paused
bar x6x2
70x5
80x4
90x3
100x3
104x2
110x2
114x2
120x2x2

BENCH - this is were I noticed I was still under the influence of Monday' squats: NO power
bar x8x2
60x5
70x4
80x
90x3
100x3
104x2
100x3

That's it...tomorrow, deads and arms

[Rock1984]

13/09/2012

Sumo DL - bar on 2" blocks
70x5
100x3
120x3
140x2 - belt from here
150x3
160x3
170x3
180x3 - PR - +10 secs hold on top
Last set felt heavy, 'cause I didn't find a good starting position

PRESS
bar x8
40x5
44x4
50x3
54x3
60x3

Close Grip Bench - 2" board
bar x8
60x5
80x4
90x4x2
96x4x2

EZ bar overhead ext
bar x10
20x10
24x8
28x8

EZ bar curl
bar x70

[HJP]

Sounds like that squat session hit you hard. Hitting it hard is good. Yea mate chest up is always a focus on the squats, doubt there will ever be a time were that cue isn't important

[Rock1984]

Chest up always, yay!

Friday' session:

Hanging knees raises: 3x10
GMs: bar x10, 30x10, 40x10

SQUAT
bar x8
70x5
90x4
110x4x4

SUMO DEADLIFT
70x5
100x4
120x3 - belt
130x3x3 - ok, let's cut it here, nothing fires properly!

LAT pulldowns
50x12x3

[Rock1984]

Saturday (I was still sick from Friday night: too much wine, not nearly enough sleep)

CLOSE GRIP INCLINE BENCH
bar x8
40x8
60x8
64x8x3

Cable Flies
20x12
25x10
20x15

Cable pushdowns
15x50x2 - pump

Front Squats
bar x bunch
50x5
60x5
70x some

40 minutes of contorsion to get into my new Centurion 36, then:
Get-up-you-stupid-suit squats:
70x3
120x3
160x3
180x2
200x2

This suit is promising, I just hope it will fit better with use! It was a CHORE to get it on, and I could have never done it without my training mate.

[HJP]

Lay off the wine lol

Damn a 36 is small!! No wonder it took so long to get in.

[Rock1984]

Well, I'm an Italian living in Italy, what am I supposed to do???

On saturday I also did 3 sets of 10 kneeling cable crunches.

Monday 17/09/2012

Hanging knee raises 12x3
Hypers:
bw x10
bw+20 x12x2

SQUAT
bar x5x2
70x5
90x4
110x3
120x2 - belt from here
130x2
140x2
150x2 - red devil wraps from here
160x2 - cake

BENCH - trying a new "less arch" set up - med grip
bar x8
60x5
70x4
80x4
86x4
90x4
94x4
100x4

Romanian DL off 6" blocks
70x4
80x4
90x4

Press
bar x8
40x8x3

DB ROWS
D20x12
D24x12x2

I also put the centurion on once again: it went up way easier, I'll try to use it on wednesday's deadlifts

[HJP]

Well, I'm an Italian living in Italy, what am I supposed to do???


fair call!!

Good to hear that suit is getting a bit easier to get on!

[Rock1984]

19/09/2012

Hanging knees raises x12x3
Bar GM x10x3

BENCH (1 board is just over 1")
bar x8x2
60x5
80x4
90x3
100x2
120x3 - SuperKatana 42 from here - 4b
130x3 - 2b
140x2 - 1b - PR I think
150x1 - to chest - way hard
130x2x2 - 2b

Ooook...this shirt is too big, providing no pop off the chest. Next week I'll try my old F6.
Bench plan is gonna change, too: going to get in the shirt every week from now on, and do a 2nd volume/assistance session. I need A LOT of triceps strength.

CG INCLINES
40x10
50x10
60x10

Rope push donws
20x12x2

Face pulls
15x12x3

EZ bar curls
20x12x3

[Rock1984]

3 shitty sessions in a row: perfect!

It boils down to my CNS being not used to gear yet, and to the Centurion being friggin' impossible to use.

21/09 - Deadlifts with centurion
Did 170x1, then 170x1x4 off blocks - the suit made it pretty much impossible to grab the bar and get in a proper starting position, even with straps down.

22/09 - Raw squat up to 140x2, bench up to 90x3 (incredibly weak)

23/09 - Geared squat (not the smartest thing ever, but there would have been nobody to help with this neither Monday nor Tuesday)
Centurion: up to 200x2, NOT able to go down (barely a quarter squat)
TRX: 180x1, heavy as shit - just shot by the Centurion, that F**ker hurts even when standing.

Bottom line: gotta man up.

[Rock1984]

Back at it!

26/09/2012

Abs + GMs

SQUAT
bar x5x2
70x5
100x5
110x5 - belt from here
120x5
130x5

BENCH
bar x8
60x8
70x8
80x8
90x8

SLDL off a step
70x4x4

PRESS (clean on 1st rep)
40x6
50x6
56x4
60x3

DB overhead extensions
D22x12
D24x12
D26x12

Squat lift off and hold: 250x5 secs - this didn't even felt that heavy, most weight I've ever put on my back
All in all, pretty satisfied

[Rock1984]

28/09/2012

Logging this session today cause I was off to Terni to attend my training mate's wedding: fun and food!

BENCH
bar x8x2
60x4
70x4
80x4
90x4
96x4
100x4
104x1 - bah

CLOSE GRIP INCLINE
40x6
50x6
60x6
70x6

DEADLIFT - classic, oly shoes
60x5
90x4
110x4
130x4

SNATCH high pulls
50x8x3

Hameer curls
D10x12x3

[Rock1984]

01/10/2012

BENCH - geared
bar x8
60x5
80x3
90x2
100x1
120x3 - F6 shirt - 3b on 1st, 2b on 2nd and 3rd (boards are about 1")
140x2 - 2b on 1st, 1 b on 2nd
150x1 - to chest, not good
140x1x2 - last one was the best

140x1 - Katana shirt - 3b - not even halfway down
150x2 - 3b on 1st, 2b on 2nd
160x1 - 1b - hard as fuck
160x0 - to chest - not able to go down
170x0 - got it down and kept it there...
160x0x2 - trying to touch, but to no avail

Ok, at this point I think I'll just go with the F6: I need A LOT more strength to handle the weights imposed by the Katana

CLOSE GRIP BENCH
50x8
60x8
70x8
80x6
90x6

Cable pushdowns
20x12
25x12x2

Rows - pause at chest
50x12x3

Band facepulls x12x3


Contrast shower - 3 rounds

[Rock1984]

I need more focus and aggression under the bar, f##k me: especially on geared bench, I wuss out, make the descent too slow thus creating the worst possible environment for a powerful press.

Gotta sort this out fast.

[krazylarry]

Did you have cannolis at the wedding? I love those things.

I would say something more productive, but you are talking geared lifting and I don't even use a belt. So listen to some Behemoth when you bench...

[Rock1984]

No, no cannoli: they're tipical of Sicily, so another part of the country (waiting for a Sicilian friend of mine to bring some KILLER cannoli up from Catania early next week)

Thanks anyways, Behemoth would probably do the trick...!

[HJP]

Sounds tough lately on the squats with the suits bro. 250 is a heavy unrack

[Rock1984]

Cheers Hayden!

Tonight I'll find out where I am at with them, def going with the TRX: if I get my descent right, I think I can get a pretty good squat in it.

[J L S]

looking good rock, gotta get these new additions broken in though by the sounds of it.

[Rock1984]

Thanks JLS! I'm still pretty new to the gear game, but I'll get the hang of it.

03/10/2012

SQUAT
bar x5x3
70x4
100x3
130x1 - belt from here
160x1 - add TRX straps down
190x1 - add Titanium wraps and straps up - smokeshow
220x1 - +10 kg PR - this wasn't easy, mostly because wraps were a bit too tight: I need a faster descent to explode back up; I got a bit stuck halfway up, but I wrestled the weight and won, and that is very good

SUMO DL (Trx)
100x2 - straps down
140x1 - add belt
170x1
200x1x2 - straps up - 2nd one was a bit rugged, since I only rested 10 secs between the 2 singles

SUMO DL raw
120x3x2
120x8x2

Static hold chins (getting in the "chest to bar" position and keeping it)
1x12 secs
1x14 secs
1x12 secs (I actualy think my 2count" is way slower, but I'll call them "seconds2 nonetheless)

SQUAT flat shoes
100x5x3

Kneeling abs
30x10
35x10
40x10

Contrast shower - 3 rounds

[J L S]

Thanks JLS! I'm still pretty new to the gear game, but I'll get the hang of it.

03/10/2012

SQUAT
bar x5x3
70x4
100x3
130x1 - belt from here
160x1 - add TRX straps down
190x1 - add Titanium wraps and straps up - smokeshow
220x1 - +10 kg PR - this wasn't easy, mostly because wraps were a bit too tight: I need a faster descent to explode back up; I got a bit stuck halfway up, but I wrestled the weight and won, and that is very good

SUMO DL (Trx)
100x2 - straps down
140x1 - add belt
170x1
200x1x2 - straps up - 2nd one was a bit rugged, since I only rested 10 secs between the 2 singles

SUMO DL raw
120x3x2
120x8x2

Static hold chins (getting in the "chest to bar" position and keeping it)
1x12 secs
1x14 secs
1x12 secs (I actualy think my 2count" is way slower, but I'll call them "seconds2 nonetheless)

SQUAT flat shoes
100x5x3

Kneeling abs
30x10
35x10
40x10

Contrast shower - 3 rounds

nice work man, I played around with it for a while but couldnt get on with it at the time, I may return at some point when im a hell of a lot stronger but for now im a rawwrrrrr dog. Do you train with a crew who use the gear or anything? When I started I was getting alot of advice of some stronger dudes on other boards, getting in it as much as possible seems the right way to go to begin with, at least thats what they told me haha.

[Rock1984]

Two of my training mates use gear.
One is pretty strong (280-165-260 single ply at 80kg BW), the other one is a youngster who will become an ox if he keeps on working hard.

I'm always trying to get as much advice as i can..even to much at times, I'd say.

And, I'm constantly torn between raw and geared: since I'm no genetic freak, this lack of will is holding me back, but I like both worlds.

[Rock1984]

04/10/2012
Last session before a 4 days stop (I'll be away with no time to train)

SQUAT - just to get the wheels moving
bar x5x2
70x5
100x3
120x3 - belt from here
120x2x3

BENCH
bar x8
60x6
80x3x3
90x3

CLOSE GRIP BENCH to 3boards - 3cm from smooth
80x8x3

PRESS - clean on 1st rep
50x6x3

Hammer curl
D10x12x2
D14x10x2

Skullcrushers
30x10
30x15

As expected, no power at all...we'll see where I am on Tuesday!

[Rock1984]

Back from the trip.
Looking forward to getting under the bar tomorrow.

[Rock1984]

09/10/2012

BENCH
bar x8x2
60x5
80x3
100x2
120x3 - added F6 shirt - 1st to 3bd, 2nd to 2bd, 3rd to 1bd
140x1 - to chest
150x1x3 - 3rd one was the best, widest grip of the 3 sets (IOR)

Ok, at least I know I can put a bench attempt in! On the next cycles I'll have to focus on speed off the chest and heavy board work: 150 weren't light (nor limit, though)

Close grip to 2b - 1" from smooth
80x6
90x6
96x6
100x5

Standing DB extensions
D20x6
D30x6
D34x6
D30x8

Rows (pause at chest)
50x8x2
60x5x4

Neutral grip chins
BW x4x5

Facepulls
15x12x3

Cable flies
20+20 x20x2

Contrast shower - 3 rounds

Good session

[Judas]

Two of my training mates use gear.
One is pretty strong (280-165-260 single ply at 80kg BW), the other one is a youngster who will become an ox if he keeps on working hard.

I'm always trying to get as much advice as i can..even to much at times, I'd say.

And, I'm constantly torn between raw and geared: since I'm no genetic freak, this lack of will is holding me back, but I like both worlds.

Understand though that this is not 2005... raw lifting has picked up a LOT ov momentum... even in the extremely stubborn IPF. At this point there are genetic freaks in both raw and geared, and probably for a couple years to come yet, the heavies will still favor the gear (there will come a time when the roles reverse though i think). That means you've got less competition in raw than in gear. Plus, gear sucks. Over the years the city i live in has gone from all gear-whores (but me) to all raw, plus maybe one or two geared lifters. The writing is on the wall. Plus... dont you think that training should be... you know... fun...???

[Rock1984]

As of now, I have the exact same competition in both divisions: here in Italy, almost everybody does both, or there are very smilar # of lifters in both divisions.

Gear is getting fun, but I know I will get back to raw lifting eventually (and never abandon it altogether...even Louie says that "you get strong out of gear"

[Rock1984]

11/10/2012

Not enough sleep=weak night

BENCH
bar x8x2
60x5x2
70x5
80x5 - forget it, not happening tonight

PUSH PRESS - clean on 1st rep
50x5x3
50x12 - PR

DiZenzo Rows (belly pulldowns)
40x12x3

DEADLIFT - 2" deficit
70x4
100x3
120x2
140x2
150x2x3 - belt

Behind head DB exthensions
D20x15x3

[Judas]

As of now, I have the exact same competition in both divisions: here in Italy, almost everybody does both, or there are very smilar # of lifters in both divisions.

Gear is getting fun, but I know I will get back to raw lifting eventually (and never abandon it altogether...even Louie says that "you get strong out of gear"

Well even i know better than to disagree with something Louie Simmons says on a multi-ply forum, but lets just say i disagree and leave it at that.

Funny you've still got so much gear going on over there. The second raw was recognized here the comps have all become HEAVILY raw oriented. Its not uncommon to find 50-lifter competitions with less than 5 geared lifters. There have been some already that size or larger with only 1 or 2 geared lifters. These are not raw only competitions either... they are open to both, but it was very quickly clear what people preferred. Even many world-class geared lifters dropped that shit the second they had a choice. MY girlfriend is a many time IPF World champion (in gear) and she now will not compete in it at all. In fact, she'd rather lose badly at a raw world competition that is open (shes a master lifter) than win gold at a geared world competition.

[Rock1984]

Well, on this topic you and Louie are saying the same thing, so no need to disagree here!

Here in Europe, single ply seems to be doing pretty well still.
I think I'll never love it, and eventually get outta it, but I do admit a sharp, geared squat max or shirted bench is a very intense rush.

[Rock1984]

Friday 12/10/2012

SQUAT
bar x5
70x5
110x3
140x2 - belt
170x2 - add TRX
190x2 - add wraps

After looking at a few vids, I tried wearing the TRX a bit lower on my thighs: it makes A LOT of difference, I had trouble going down with the 190.
Next week I'll give a go at a 200-210 single to get this straightened out: if I can go down well, I'll spring the weight up.

[Rock1984]

14/10/2012

SQUAT
bar x5x2
70x5
90x2
110x2
130x2x6 -belt - just to move the wheels a bit

[Rock1984]

15/10/2012

BENCH
bar x8x2
60x5
80x3
100x2 - add Ram
110x2
120x2x3
130x2 - butttttttery

Close grip incline bench - 2 fingers on smooth
57x6
67x6
73x6

Cable tri ext
20x20x2
15x20x2

DiZenzo pulldowns
50x10
55x10
60x10

Rope Facepulls
15x15x3

DB curls
D14x8x3
D10x15x2

Downright awesome session: bench moved Fast, and I think I got everything right: not too heavy, not too light.

Wednesday I have my last heavy squat/DL session, then I'll cruise towards the meet: key word will be NO CNS Fatigue.

[krazylarry]

mmmmmm butter

[HJP]

Interesting gear/raw discussion!!

Goodluck for the meet bro, nail it. What date is it?

[Rock1984]

Oct 27th.

I have to put in the last heavyish squat/Dl session, then cruise on to meet day, keeping fresh and mobile.

[Judas]

I'm jealous... i think my dream ov Worlds just swirled down the hole. I'm going to be peaked pretty fucking awesome in about 2-3 weeks... and now NO MEET!!! Dammit.

[BloodandThunder]

GL at the meet!

[Rock1984]

I'm jealous... i think my dream ov Worlds just swirled down the hole. I'm going to be peaked pretty fucking awesome in about 2-3 weeks... and now NO MEET!!! Dammit.

????

[Rock1984]

GL at the meet!

Thank you!

[Rock1984]

18/10/2012
Got out of work waaaaaaaaaaay late, and was destroyed: I opted for a lightish upper body session, and will squat and DL tomorrow.

BENCH
bar x8x2
60x5
80x3
90x2
100x2
100x6 - hit the gas a bit harder here, i think I'd be good for>10 reps on a strong night.

PRESS (clean on 1st rep)
50x2
50x4x4

DB incline bench
D16x20
D18x20

Facepulls
20x10
25x10
30x10

[Judas]

????

No money. For what is supposed to be such a cheap place to get to and stay at, its gonna end up costing me a LOT ov fucking money. This meet would sink me utterly for months... and while that would be acceptable if everything was looking good right now, everything is not. My deadlift is shit. And damned if i'm going to blow the rest ov the year and the first half ov 2013 on a meet where i'm losing 50-100lbs off my total.

I should have known better than to rely on sponsors here. What can i say... it was a fun dream while it lasted. Training for 2013 Nationals now. Still gonna peak around the same time and put up some serious PR's, but after that its back to olympic lifting for a good while... until its time to start another peak for the next big meet. I wish there were more meets happening near here... i'd do every one.

[Rock1984]

Sorry to hear that J. Just go and bend all the bars they have at Nationals!

[Rock1984]

Last "heavy" session before next week's meet.
I kept it pretty light, since this week has been plagued by long work hours and insufficient sleep.

SQUAT
bar x5x2
70x5
70x3
100x3
130x2 - belt
160x2 - TRX straps down, light wraps
190x2 - full gear - cake (about 90% of opener)

DEADLIFT sumo (I kept the TRX on from squats)
90x3
130x2
160x1 - belt
180x1 - straps up - half the people in the gym went blind because of how fast I pulled these; again, about 90% of opener

LEG PRESS close stance
100x10
130x10x2

[Rock1984]

A short "have to move a bit" session:

Lat Pull downs 3 sets

BB rows 3 sets

hypers 2 sets

power clean 3 sets

push presses 3 sets

abs 2 sets

DB curls 4 sets

calves 2 sets

stretching

[HJP]

Nice final session. Fast and easy is what you want. Rest up now!!!

[Rock1984]

Thanks!

A bit of work on the 70% range today, 50-60% on wednesday, then it'll be game time!

[Rock1984]

22/10/2012

SQUAT
bar x5x3
70x5
70x3
100x3
120x2 - belt from here
140x2
160x2x2 - wraps - 73% of geared max

BENCH
bar x8x2
60x5
80x3
100x2
110x2x2 - ram - too easy - 73% of 150

DEADLIFT sumo
70x3
100x2
130x1 - belt from here
150x1 - again, just over 70% of geared max

Getting ready

[J L S]

looking strong rock! good luck for the meet!

[Rock1984]

Thanks JLS!

Last session, training is wrapped up for this cycle:

Bench - 90x3x2
Squat - 130x2x3 - belt

[HJP]

Boom game time!! Go hard mate

[Rock1984]

Aaaaaall right! Meeting done, and I'm pretty happy with how it went.

Bw on the meets' scale: 77,1

Then 300 gr of Cantonese rice...

Squat
Bar x5
60x5
100x3 - belt from here
120x3
140x1
170x1 - TRX straps down and light wraps
190x1 - full gear

Stage time
210 - ok - this felt heavy...
215 - ok - conservative, but it felt good: I was waking up, finally - 5 kg meet pr
225 - 2 reds - 1 st high squat of my life, because of a mighty good wrapping: I got in a closer-than-usual stance, and got up too early; I have more anyway, the weight flew up like a 1st attempt

Bench
Bar x8
60x5
80x3
90x1
100x1
120x2 - f6 shirt, board
140x2 - half board, then to chest - decided to lower 1st attempt a bit

Platform:
145
150
155 - 15 kg meet pr

Deadlift
70x3
100x3
120x2 - belt from here
140x1
160x1 - TRX straps down
185 x 1 - full gear

205 - ok
212.5 - ok - 2.5 kg pr
217.5 - ok - 5 kg pr

587.5 kg total - 410.8 wilks points
5th place in the -83 kg class (12 lifters)

I finally have a geared total, and I got a lot of pr's and the best placing I ever got.
Only thing I'm disappointed about is not getting a 600 total, but I know that I will blow it out of the water next time.

Lesson learnt: practice gear more. Way more. And get the wraps TIGHT

[Rock1984]

Moreover, my training mate Massimiliano got 3rd place in the same class, with 270-167.5-250 (he did a stupid error on a 260kg 3rd attempt) and my other training mate Lorenzo got 6th place in a very stacked Jr division by means of 240-170-227.5 @ 93.

All of the above with single ply gear, IPF sanction.

[krazylarry]

25 kg PR, Great job!

[Rock1984]

Thanks!

I want a 650 Kg total at my next comp (April '13)

[HJP]

Huge PR!! very strong work man. Training more in gear will make a huge difference. A 3rd attempt like a 1st means there's more and its just techincal. Training will be good man, looking forward to continuing following

[Rock1984]

Thanks Hayden!

[Judas]

Good job bubba. Three good lifts in a bench shirt is doing well too. I'm serious about my threat to fly out there though. You squat more than you deadlift and i'm cutting all your gear up!

[Rock1984]

Thanks J.

My suit has a hole in it already, you'd have only to finish it...and apparently I still DL more than I squat (215 vs 217.5), at least in competition...

Do fly over here, it would be a blast to train together (and we have THE best steak you can imagine, not to mention a very long list of foods you've never even imagined)

[Rock1984]

30/10/2012

1st day back

SQUAT
bar x5x3
60x5
80x4
90x3
100x3
110x3
90x5x2

BENCH
bar x8
60x5
80x3
90x3
100x3
80x5
80x15 - PR

[Judas]

Thanks J.

My suit has a hole in it already, you'd have only to finish it...and apparently I still DL more than I squat (215 vs 217.5), at least in competition...

Do fly over here, it would be a blast to train together (and we have THE best steak you can imagine, not to mention a very long list of foods you've never even imagined)

Yyyyeeaaahh... I'm just gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you on the steak thing. You're close! Italians make very good steak. But those guys about 2-300 miles due North ov you (i forget exactly where you are again) have got the art ov steak covered. As for the rest ov Italian food... so tempting... but i'm too pretty to eat Italian food anymore.

[Rock1984]

Who? I promise you NOBODY has a better steak than the ones we have here in Florence.
Wait..I can give you this: bison steak, cooked our way, is even better than cow steak.

Real Italian food won't make you fat...at least, not as much as you'd think it would.

[J L S]

bit late but nice job at the meet rock, thats a f@cking huge bench PR haha! congrats and look forward to your future numbers, good lifting!

[Judas]

Who? I promise you NOBODY has a better steak than the ones we have here in Florence.
Wait..I can give you this: bison steak, cooked our way, is even better than cow steak.

Real Italian food won't make you fat...at least, not as much as you'd think it would.

Dude... go to Bavaria, pick 5 random 'gasthaus/gastoff/whatevers and eat at them. Then come back to me with your opinion.

And bison...??? You guys dont even HAVE bison over there... well, no more than we have giraffes over here. But yes... bison meat is good.

[Rock1984]

Got a bit behind with the log:

02/11/2012

SQUAT
barx5x2
70x5
110x3
130x2 - belt from here
150x3 - add wraps
140x3x2

BENCH
bar x8
60x5
80x3
100x2
110x3x3 - Ram

Close grip incline bench
55x8
60x8
65x8

[Rock1984]

03/11/2012

DEADLIFT
70x5x2
90x4
110x5x3

PRESS - clean on 1st rep
50x5
50x8x2

SLDL 5" deficit
60x5
60x8x2

Y grip lat pulldown
45x8
50x8
55x8
60x8

Facepulls
15x10
20x10
25x10

DB Curls
D12x8
D14x8x2
D12x8

Hanging leg raises
12x3

[Rock1984]

04/11/2012

Hanging leg raises 12x2
GM bar x10, 40x10

SQUAT
bar x5x2
70x5
90x4
110x3 - belt
130x2

BENCH
bar x8
60x5
80x10x2

Deadlift - classic
50x5
100x3x3

[Rock1984]

bit late but nice job at the meet rock, thats a f@cking huge bench PR haha! congrats and look forward to your future numbers, good lifting!

Thank JLS!

[Rock1984]

Dude... go to Bavaria, pick 5 random 'gasthaus/gastoff/whatevers and eat at them. Then come back to me with your opinion.

And bison...??? You guys dont even HAVE bison over there... well, no more than we have giraffes over here. But yes... bison meat is good.

Bavaria of all places?!? BAVARIA???
My mom is form Sudtirol, her brother has been living in Munich for the last 40 years...as much as I like the stuff they make up there, I'm sorry but there is no matching what we have here.

There's a place here that imports bison meat from Alberta, and cooks it our way: the best of Old and New world, I guess

[Rock1984]

05/11/2012

Feelin' shitty as hell: a big cold is catching up on me, and my left forearm is hurting pretty bad, i don't know why.

Hanging leg raises 12x2

SQUAT
bar x5x2
70x5
100x3
120x4 - belt
130x4
140x4 - wraps
150x4
160x3x2 - not too bad, but not very strong either

BENCH medium grip
bar x10
50x5
70x5
80x4
90x4x2

Lat pulldowns
40x12x3

Cable flies
15+15 x10
20+20 x10x2

[J L S]

looking good rock, not too shabby at all with the squattage!

[HJP]

Some good work Rock, how many times you squatting a week?

[Rock1984]

7/11/2012

Only got 2 hours of sleep in, due to spending most of the night in a ER with a pretty vicious gall colic and having to go to work...I decided to tone it down a bit:

PAUSE SQUAT
bar x5x2
70x5
80x6x2
90x5x2
100x3x2

BENCH
bar x8
60x5
80x5
100x4 - Ram from here
110x2
120x2
130x1 - I stupidly used a narrower grip and a looser set-up, turning what shoudl have been a solid double in a pretty heavy single

No point in putting a tight, bitchy Katana on tonight: I shut it down here

DEADLIFT
110x3x3 - taking it WAAAAAYYY easy

DB curl
D10x15x2

OH DB Ext
D18x15x2

[Rock1984]

looking good rock, not too shabby at all with the squattage!

Thanks J!

[Rock1984]

Some good work Rock, how many times you squatting a week?

Cheers Hayden...with the new program, I should be squatting 3 times a week most weeks: 1 pretty heavy (sort of conservative ME/RE), 1 light (paused squats) and 1 dynamic, with gear thrown in at least once a week.

[Rock1984]

08/11/2012

Another quiet night...

BENCH - 3 secs down, 2 secs pause
bar x8x2
60x5
70x5
80x4x4

SQUAT - pause
bar x5x2
70x5
90x4
100x3x2
120x1 - belt, no pause
130x1

Leg press
3x10

[krazylarry]

Sucks about the gall stones. How are you feeling?

[Rock1984]

Well, pretty good. Never happened before, and hope it won't anymore! I'm under meds for it now...

[larsen540]

Keep it up bro

[Rock1984]

Adrian, thanks for stopping by! I will, don't worry...!

Out of town for work for a few days, I'll be back to the gym on wednesday night...in the meanwhile, saturday' session:

DL - WL shoes, 3" deficit
70x5
90x5
110x4
120x4
130x4x2 - belt
130x2 - belt - not firing properly...!

Press - clean on 1st rep
bar x8
50x4x4

Lat pulldowns - wide grip
40x8
50x8
60x8
70x8 - PR
80x4 - PR

Facepulls
20x10
25x10
30x10

[J L S]

nice work rock!

[HJP]

Good work mate. Glad your healing up health wise too. Play it safe

[Rock1984]

14/11/2012

Off the plane at 6.45pm, in the gym at 7.30...

With this session, I start a cycle drawn up by my training mate, based on the programs written by Askold Surovetsky, a less reknown Russian coach who has trained a lot of strong bastards and won some IPF masters championships himself...we will see what this turns out to!

BENCH
bar x8
60x7
70x6
80x5
90x4
100x3
110x1
114x1 - I haven't pressed this much raw in quite a while, I'm still good for at least 120
94x4x2
88x5x2
94x4x3 - 3 to 4 secs pause - these were friggin' hard

Board press - each board is 2.8mm thick
120x2x3 - 3b on 1st rep and 2b on 2nd rep for each set

DEADLIFT regular
70x8
100x5
120x4
130x6x4 - belt

Cable flies
20+20 x12x3

Lat pulldowns
50x10
60x8x2

A good session!

[J L S]

14/11/2012

Off the plane at 6.45pm, in the gym at 7.30...

With this session, I start a cycle drawn up by my training mate, based on the programs written by Askold Surovetsky, a less reknown Russian coach who has trained a lot of strong bastards and won some IPF masters championships himself...we will see what this turns out to!

BENCH
bar x8
60x7
70x6
80x5
90x4
100x3
110x1
114x1 - I haven't pressed this much raw in quite a while, I'm still good for at least 120
94x4x2
88x5x2
94x4x3 - 3 to 4 secs pause - these were friggin' hard

Board press - each board is 2.8mm thick
120x2x3 - 3b on 1st rep and 2b on 2nd rep for each set

DEADLIFT regular
70x8
100x5
120x4
130x6x4 - belt

Cable flies
20+20 x12x3

Lat pulldowns
50x10
60x8x2

A good session!

nice looking session, lot of good work in there, looks it this will build you up nicely!

[Rock1984]

http://youtu.be/ol9RHXCDk8M

My squats from the Oct 27th comp: as you can see, the last attempt was red lighted for depth, jut by a few mm possibly...I will get back on the platform and get white lights on way heavier squats, so no worries here!

Jay: exactly! And I also like how it hits different parts of the lift in the same session (full ROM/long pauses/boards)!

[J L S]

you've got great technique rock, like those squats alot even if you have got that nasty gear on! (joking of course).

that was a very very close call, but you popped that up lovely. Could have sunk that an extra inch or two I think and still come up just as fast!

as for the routine. yes, sounds a tad sheiko-ish to me!

[Rock1984]

I only lack strength!!! Yeah, i could have definitely gone a bit lower, but I was sure I'd hit depth. Next time, with a lot more weight.

16/11/2012

SQUAT
bar x5x2
70x8
110x6
134x5 - belt
150x4 - add loose wraps
170x3 - add Trx, straps down
190x1x2 - tighter wrapping, solid form
140x5 - no wraps
140x7x2 - loose wraps

Abs - standing, with Avg band
3x12


17/11/2012

BENCH
bar x8
50x8
60x6
80x5
90x4
100x3
120x2 - add F6, to 4b (each is 28mm thick as always!)
140x2 - to 2b
140x2 - to chest (1st was at about 1b)
150x1 - to chest
160x2 - to 4b
160x2x2 - to 3b

120x3x2 - off goes the shirt, put on the Ram
120x2x2 - long pauses

Lat pulldowns
60x10x3

DB standing presses
D20x10x3

DB OH extensions - slow eccentric
D20x10x3

Facepulls
20x12
25x12
30x12

Cable flies
20+20 x12x3

Smoked...!

[HJP]

Cheers for the vid bro! That 3rd must have been close on depth, hard to tell from that angle but looked close. Definitely looks like it would've come up even with more depth as JLS said.

Training looking solid bro. Keep it up. Crazy volume on all those upper body movements.

P.s. Don't know if you watch any rugby but over the weekend the All Blacks beat Italy 42-10 :) - had to let you know lol

[Rock1984]

Thanks Hayden....ahahah yes yes I know that, 42-10 isn't even THAT bad!
We always loose it the last 20-15 minutes of a game, it's unnerving: we've had this issue for at least the last 10 years.
Next saturday we'll play against Australia here in Florence, I went to see the same match plaied in 2010, not sure I'll go this time.

The difference is in the attitude: after the game, our players went on to have a shower and enjoy the 3rd time, Austrlian whi didn't get field time got out on the field for their evening session...!

Used to play even if I don't have the size to be very good, I was fairly thecnical, and it was a lot of fun!

[Rock1984]

Also, expect even more upper body assistance volume: I need size up here, and a lot of it: I have 6 kilos to the class limit, and I also have quite a wide BF margin, so I'll try to make up for all of this.
I've already started asking for guidance to a couple of very good BB trainers I know, they're very good at what they do and I'll exploit their expertise.

[Rock1984]

19/11/12

BENCH
Bar*8
50*8
70*6
80*5
90*4
100*3
120*3*2 - add Ram
110*6*2
100*3*2 - 5 count pause

Deadlift - 3" deficit, oly shoes
80*6
100*4
110*4
120*4*3 - belt from here
120*8 - PR

Rows
60*8*2

CSR with 2 secs hold
50*8*2

X body curls
D14*8
D16*6
D14*8
D10*10
D10*14

GM
40*8*2

Cable flies
20+20 *20*2

Stretching

[J L S]

nice work rock! like the look of those deficits in OLY shoes. Whats the main thinking behind it? blow up/engage those quads and speed/power off the floor!?

[JosephITA]

...another strong bastard!

[Rock1984]

Jay, the plan was to do regular DLs, 4x4 @ 140 kg, then my training mate Massimiliano came up with the deficit DL idea. Due to the huge difference in total, I'm not allowed to question his training decisions, so I got the job done...I could have gone to 10 on the last set.

Grande Beppe! Questo è un allevamento di bovini!!!

[HJP]

Awesome to hear you played union bro!! Deficits are good

[Rock1984]

I was the little bastard that runs fast.and hits hard...I also had a pretty decent pass.

[Rock1984]

20/11/2012

SQUAT
Bar *5*2
60*8
90*6
110*4
120*6*3 - added belt
120*10 - PR - this was pretty gut busting, especially since glutes and low back were fatigued from yesterday's DLs

BENCH
Bar *10
50*8
64*5
80*4
90*3
100*2
110*3*2 - volume PR, never tripled 110kg more than once before
100*4*2
90*3*3 - loooooooong pauses, around 5 secs

Db front raises
D8*10*4

Face pulls
30*12
35*12*2

Cable tric ext
20*10
25*10
30*10*2
20*12*2
20*15

Lat pulldowns
50*15*2

Hanging leg raises
Bw*10*3

[J L S]

haha I like that alot. Listen to the boss!

early PR's... good signs!

[Rock1984]

We shall see....!

[krazylarry]

2 PRs in a day, not bad.

[Judas]

QUESTION AUTHORITY.

(heh... couldn't resist...)

You must be happy huh? With all the happy IPF news ov late. Relaxing the belly-bench rule (bad idea in my opinion), and the IOC meeting. I've reversed my opinion and now i'd like to see powerlifting in the Olympics. After watching some ov what passes for a "sport" in the last Olympics... powerlifting might as well. But if its geared then i'm utterly done with them. That would be a colossal loss. This is the time to really bring back integrity to the sport... fuck i hope they dont drop the ball this time. I'm still pissed about the knee-sleeves bullshit...

[Rock1984]

I will when the time will come, don't worry Tovarisc J.

I had no idea of the belly bench rule relaxation...not good.
PL in the Olympics would be GREAT, raw or single ply I personally wouldn't mind (with a slant towards Raw, of course...to unleash the beastiness that would ensue in just a couple Olympic cycles)

[JosephITA]

I'm one of the few that think that powerlifting is not an Olympic sport.
If powerlifting (or maybe the IPF) will one day land in the Olympic week, let's forget about national cup, national championship, small town meet and so on. And get ready for try the next Nike bench shirt! Or maybe Adidas...

[Rock1984]

23/11/2012

DEADLIFT sumo
70x8
100x6
130x5 - add belt
150x3
170x2 - add TRX straps down
180x1
190x1 - 5 secs hold at lockout
130x8
130x10 - PR

LAT PULLDOWNS
55x12x3
40x15 - lats are DONE

LEG PRESS
120x10x3

Hanging leg riases
bw x10x4

GM
40x8
40x10
40x12

DLs felt very good!

[Rock1984]

24/11/12

Bench
Bar *8
50*7
70*6
80*5
90*4
100*3
125*1 - ram
Add Katana:
145*2 - 3b
155*2 - 3b
165*2 - 2b
175*2 - 2b - pr
155*8 - 2b - pr

As usual, boards are 28mm thick

Wendler rows
60*8*5

Face pulls with rope
25*10*3

OH tricep ext
D20*10
D24*10
D24*12
D18*20 - pr

Cabl flies
20*15*2

Great session!

[Rock1984]

I also did 105*3*3 long pauses with the ram after the shirt work

[HJP]

Lots of volume PR's bro. Nice work.

Judas what do you like/not like about knee sleeves rule?

[Judas]

Judas what do you like/not like about knee sleeves rule?

Heh... LOTS. But, i'm not sure i want to open up that stupid can ov worms again. I'll get flamed off this forum in a day...

[HJP]

PM me Judas, then we don't invade Rocks log too.

[Rock1984]

Ahahah no problems Hayden, you guys can write anything you here. J, go ahead and let it out!

[Judas]

Ahahah no problems Hayden, you guys can write anything you here. J, go ahead and let it out!

On a geared powerlifter forum...??? Unlikely.

Last time i ranted on this subject it went fucking viral and ended up on a couple other forums. Buncha whiners...

[Judas]

Oh, and dont worry... i have no problem at all cluttering up Marco's log... hahahahaha

[Judas]

See...???

[Rock1984]

C'mon J, don't be shy....a good old flame war is always fun!

[Rock1984]

26/11/2012

Squat
70*8
100*6
120*5 - add belt
150*3 - add wraps (loose, I wrapped myself at evet set)
160*4*3 - add Trx straps down
160*8 - this was work - Pr

Bench
Bar*8
50*7
70*5
90*4
100*3
120*2 - add Ram
130*2
120*2
110*5*2
100*3*3 - uber long pauses

CSR with hold
50*10*3

Facepulls
20*20
25*20

Db curls
D10*15*2

Cable flies
15+15 *20*2

Hanging leg raises
Bw*12*3

Another solid session

[Rock1984]

27/11/2012

DL sumo
70x8
90x6
110x5
120x4
130x6x4 - add belt

Lat pulldown
45x15
45x20

Hypers
Bw x20x2

[Judas]

Judas what do you like/not like about knee sleeves rule?

FINE.

Knee sleeves are fucking gear. Period. In Olympic lifting, they are used by many, but not the majority. Maybe 50/50? That is an argument the powerlifters that are always trying to rationalize their 'whoring use. But the weightlifters sleeves are the ones fit for their size, not the smallest ones made for girls. What helps you squat the lift up in weightlifting HURTS you when you try and get under the bar fast, and any elite lifter can tell you its better to be wicked fast under that bar than have a monster squat. Squat suits are also allowed in weightlifting... as are full-on knee wraps. Do you see them used? Never.

Knee sleeves in powerlifting will be abused. Period. Powerlifters... for some reason i will never understand... are utterly notorious for taking the easy route out. Knee sleeves are ordered as small as possible. When the rule was first made certain suppliers ran out ov women's extra-small sleeves in Europe... because all the Russian heavies bought them up. That tidbit came right from the horses mouth. Go to IPF raw worlds and look at the majority ov the knees there... you could see veins practically through some ov the sleeves they were so tight. I talked to a few IPF marshalls when i was coaching at IPF raw worlds this year, they said in one or two meets they'd already seen: cut and re-sewn sleeves to be smaller, re-stitched sleeves to be tighter, one had seen the sleeves hide a much modified knee wrap underneath. IN the competition, with my own eyes i saw: doubled-up sleeves, sleeves it took a strong man to put on and pull up for the lifter, and one Russian girl actually glued hers to her legs... and got away with it because she wore them through the bench and deadlift as well. I also saw, at Nationals, at least a dozen raw lifters that had never used sleeves before, using them under the new division for the first time. That was just the lifters i know, so effectively triple or quintuple that figure (its a big country). Why? same reason my girlfriend... who never used or even owned sleeves before said: " Well, if everyone else is using them i'm not giving up that advantage, even if its only 5lbs." I heard that line a LOT.

In a nearby barbell club, known for its geared lifters, a friend ov mine was more than relieved when he heard they were allowed. First thing out ov his mouth? "There's GOT to be 30lbs in the right set-up..." And he is right. I've already seen him and two other guys massaging a pair up his legs. And again at worlds... at least a couple "raw" lifters walking out to squat with that same stupid 'cant bend my knees' gait.

Further... this was maybe 6 months after the rule came in. Do you honestly think companies like Inzer and Titan are not going to capitalize on this? There are parameters for the allowable sleeves, dimensons and such. How much you wanna bet there'll be a 'better' sleeve... specifically made for carryover... on the market soon enough. These are companies that are brilliant at circumventing the guidelines for bench shirts and suits. Look at the SuperKatana... does that look ANYTHING like what the IPF had in mind when they drew the line a few years ago?

My girlfriend got at least a little bit ov carryover from them, and her legs are so small that the small women's sleeves (which is exactly what she is) actually fit her properly. Now, whats that sleeve going to do on my 28" leg? What about these much larger, thicker guys with 30"+ treetrunks? What about the ones that cheat and modify? (because you know, NOBODY ever uses illegal gear mods in powerlifting...). What about 3 years down the road when Inzer has the 'Hypersleeve' and Titan comes out with its 'THP sleeves'? How about some APT strangulator sleeves?

Granted... i'm talking about maybe 10-20% ov the population that would bother (unless ov course the special sleeves do come out, then everyone will), but are you going to win raw against another guy as strong as you, that abused the sleeve rule? No chance.

Gear has its place, fucking lift there. Leave raw to the ones that fought for the division. It was corrupt since the day it was recognized. Why is it so fucking hard for such a 'superhardcore' powerlifter to just lift what he can lift, and if he cant, then either work harder till he can, or admit that he cant?

[/diatribe]

[Rock1984]

Solid rant, my friend.

[Rock1984]

28/11/2012
Tired as hell, and it showed...

Bench
Bar*8
50*7
70*6
80*5
90*4
100*3
110*3*2 - this would be a Pr tie, but it was almost ugly
Then I.should have gone for a 115 double, but called it quits before hurting myself.

Front db raises
D8*15*2

[Rock1984]

29/11/2012
I'm out for work, but decently close to a pl friendly gym, so I was able to sneak a brief but good session in!

Squat
Bar*5
75*8
105*6
125*4 - add belt
125*2 - ultra high bar tentative, not good
145*1 - feeling the lack of sleep (up at 5am) and the 4 hours drive
155*2 - add wraps
175*2 - add trx straps down
190*1
205*1*2 - straps up, 1st was a bit slow, 2nd was nice and crisp

Csr with hold on top
45*10
50*10*2

Db press
D20*8*10

Db curl
D10*10
D14*10
D18*8
D12*20

Oh triceps ext
D20*10*3

Out!

[HJP]

Good rant Judas. I see many points I hadn't thought of in terms of smaller sizing. Some people must be pretty crazy to try get carryover through modifying though, it's raw for a reason isn't it? And the gains must be minimal. 30lbs are you for real? I doubt I dont think I got that from when I used to wrap my knees!! I doubt I get anything from mine (did a session without them an hit a 3 rep squat PR - SLEEEVES I am referring to here) but I guess people will find a way. Are you a raw lifter? Have you lifted equipped before?


Nice bench PR there Rock! Get some sleep ay.

[Judas]

Good rant Judas. I see many points I hadn't thought of in terms of smaller sizing. Some people must be pretty crazy to try get carryover through modifying though, it's raw for a reason isn't it? And the gains must be minimal. 30lbs are you for real? I doubt I dont think I got that from when I used to wrap my knees!! I doubt I get anything from mine (did a session without them an hit a 3 rep squat PR) but I guess people will find a way. Are you a raw lifter? Have you lifted equipped before?

I've been 100% raw since day one. If it gets to the point where i need gear to lift something, i'll go drive my car instead. I compete raw, in a fed that also allows sleeves (and for that matter, high squats, T&G benches, etc.) so basically every time i go i'm bringing a knife to a gunfight. Knee wraps can be good for upwards ov 100lbs carryover, maybe even more, though i've not heard about it. Even my girlfriend gets at least 50lbs from hers, and she can almost walk normally up to the platform.

Even 15-20lbs carryover is a pretty serious edge. Easily can mean the difference between 1st and 2nd. But... what do you expect from a sport that considers actual knee-wraps raw lifting...

[Judas]

Solid rant, my friend.

Uh... thats me being really nice...

[HJP]

Haha it's good to be passionate bro!!

By 100% raw do you mean no belt also?

[Rock1984]

On saturday, the stressful week and the decadent friday night got the best of me: it was a pretty dismal session...

SQUAT
bar x5x2
70x6
100x4
120x3 - add belt
140x3x2 - add loose red devil wraps

BENCH
bar x8
60x6
80x4
100x2
120x3 - 3b, add F6
140x2 - 2b
150x0 - nothing...!
140x5 - 3b

Some random stuff, all light and high reps (2x15-20 of lat pulldowns, hypers, triceps ext, blah blah blah)

[Judas]

Haha it's good to be passionate bro!!

By 100% raw do you mean no belt also?

No. As much as I dont use one, you cant take away people's belts. Heh... you'd have 3 people show up to compete! I really (personally) dont see the need for a half-inch thick power belt, to me that starts to look like carry-over (as evidenced by lifts going down if you give them a typical say, leather 'gym-rat' belt), but again... belts are part ov lifting. I have never heard ov anyone GAINING 5lbs on a lift simply by putting a belt on, only lifters losing pounds if they dont use one... which ONLY happens if you get used to using one. My squat/dead wont increase 5lbs with a big Inzer belt, but take my girls belt away and she'll lose 20lbs off her squat.

How about another turn on the sleeves rant...???

Tonight my girl brought in her Titan 'small' knee sleeves... that she's used in two competitions, but has now decided not to. A guy in my gym wanted to try them so now they're in my gym bag until he shows up. Tonight i tried one on, just for kicks. Now... this is just a 'small', not an 'extra-small'. Neither give her anything really, as even for an elite lifter her legs are disproportionately small. But on ME...??? Fuck. Having tried one on i gotta say now give me a fucking break. If there is not 10lbs immediate carryover in just the size i tried on tonight then... well. Having tried them first-hand now... ITS FUCKING GEAR.

I'm going to test them out in a couple days when i max out my front squat... see what they're worth.

What a stupid sport.

[Judas]

Heh... see latest journal entry for my sleeves-experiment results.

[Rock1984]

Yes, I saw it.

Deload week...partly forced by work rythms.
Yesterday I.did some squats, benched a bit then a few upper auxiliaries.

[J L S]

deload could be be good for you rock, been putting in some solid training

[Rock1984]

I put in a short session on friday, not even worth to be logged.

Work is still killing me, but this deload thing HAS to be over now, no time to lose.

Today's session:

BENCH
bar x8
55x6
75x5
95x4
105x3
110x2
98x3x2
90x3x2 - long pause

SQUAT
bar x5x2
70x5
90x4
110x3
120x3 - add belt
130x4x4

Cable flies
20+20 x10x3

Face pulls
30x10x3

Cable tricep ext
15x100 (40+10+10+10+10+10+10)

I need to put in more and heavier assistance work.
Also, for the next 8 week focus will shift back to raw, with gear thrown in once every 3 session.

[HJP]

Raw work will benefit you well. Build that strength base up!

Whats the next comp? How far away?

[Rock1984]

Yes! I'm even convincing my gear-whore training mate that building a raw base is essential to huge geared lifts, even Simmons looks at it this way.

Next comp will either be the Italian Deadlift opens in March, or the Italian full PL opens in late April: goals would be >230 in the DL comp, and >630 in the full meet.

[Rock1984]

13/12/2012

PRESS
bar x8x2
40x5
46x5
50x5
54x5
58x5 - add belt
50x10 - these last 2 sets should be PRs?

DL, regular
70x5
100x5
120x5 - add belt
140x5
160x1
180x1 - solid

Y grip lat pulldwons
50x10x4
45x10

Hammer DB curls
D12x12x3

Front raises
D8x12
D10x12x2

Side bends
D30x12x3

[Rock1984]

Bench attempts from my Oct 27th competition:

http://youtu.be/Eimdw2TanVA

[Rock1984]

Aaaaand the DL attempts:


http://youtu.be/1SETImsUzsg

[Rock1984]

16/12/2012

A digestive squat session, in the early Sunday afternoon

SQUAT
bar x5x2
75x3
95x3
115x2
125x1 - add belt
135x1
145x1
155x3 - PR but I am not satisfied with my raw squat form.
120x3

Leg curl
25x12x2

Calf machine
50x12x2

[Rock1984]

17/12/2012

Very good session!

SQUAT
bar x5
70x5
100x4
110x4
125x5 - add belt
140x2 - I paused the 2nd at the bottom for 2 secs
150x1

BENCH
bar x8
60x5
80x4
90x3
100x2
110x1
100x5
100x6

DB INCLINE BENCH
D20x10
D22x10
D24x10
D20x18

Cable flies
15+15 x30x2

Lat pull downs
50x10x4

Facepulls
20x20x2

Rope triceps ext
100 reps (25+10+10+15+15+15+10)

SWOLE

[HJP]

Goals look good. Squat is strong too, keep it moving up

[Rock1984]

19/12/2012

Working long hours + Xmas obligations = not much time to train...!

PRESS
bar x10x2
40x5
50x3
56x1
60x1
64x1
50x5x3
40x15+5 (3 breaths) - PR

[J L S]

keep the good work coming despite the adversity rock! You're looking strong! nice PR on those squats!

[Rock1984]

20/12/2012

Thanks Jay!
This should have been the last of the very stressful days...I hope so, at least!

SUMO DL
70x5
100x3
120x2
140x1 - add belt
160x1
180x0x2 - on the 1st one, no chalk and a smooth bar had me loose my grip, then nothing happened on the 2nd...CNS waved me goodbye!

Stiff leg DL
70x8x3

Cross body DB curls
D14x8x3

Hanging leg raises
Bwx10x3

[Rock1984]

21/12/2012

Squat
Bar x5
60x5
90x5
110x3
130x2 - add belt
140x1
150x1
110x4
110x5
110x6
110x12 - PR

Well, I feel like shit, tired and rundown due to work related stress, yet I still edge squat PRs, so it isn't that bad, right?

[Rock1984]

I also did:

Leg extension
20x12
20x15

Leg curl
50x12x2

Hypers
Bw x15x2

Side bends with db
D22x12x3

[HJP]

Nice squat PR - keeping up the training through the busyness is solid bro!!

[Rock1984]

Yeah!

Christmas' eve session:

Squat - trying a closer stance/higher bar setup
Bar x5
75x5
105x5
125x4 - add belt
145x3x2
145x1x2
155x1

Bench
Bar x8
55x8
75x6
95x3
95x5x3

[Rock1984]

27/12/2012

BENCH
bar x8
50x8
75x5
85x5
95x5
105x1
75x6

DL - regular, Oly shoes
70x5
90x5
110x5
130x5
140x5 - belt

DB incline press
D20x8
D26x8
D26x6x2

Front raises
D10x8
D14x8x2
D12x6
D10x6

SLDL
70x6x3

Facepulls
25x10x3

[J L S]

looking solid as ever rock! all the best for 2013 buddy!

[HJP]

Good work going on rock. I have noticed a few people deadlifting in Oly shoes, what's the idea behind that?

[Rock1984]

Guys, an iron-loaded 2013 to y'all!

Oly shoes...in my case, I use them for light deadlift when I don't feel like changing shoes, or to change things up a bit.

[Rock1984]

03/01/2013

1st session of the year!

SQUAT
bar x5
70x5
90x4
110x2
130x1 - belt from here
140x1
150x1
110x4x4

BENCH
bar x10, 8
60x5
80x3
90x2
100x1
110x1
80x5x3
80x12

DB incline bench
D20x4
D24x4
D28x8x2
D24x8
D24x6

Front raises
D10x4
D14x8x2
D14x6x2

Lat pulldowns
50x8
60x8
70x8

DB curls
D10x5
D14x8
D16x8
D18x8
D14x6x2

[MAR72]

I like the benching after squatting.

[Rock1984]

It's nothing groundbreaking nor new, but it works! :-)

[Rock1984]

03/01/2013

PRESS
bar x8,5
40x5
48x3
54x1
58x1
64x1
50x5x5

Deadlift - sumo
70x5
90x3
110x2
130x1
150x1
170x1 - add belt
120x4
130x4x3

1 arm DB press
D18x8x2
D16x6x2

Laid back lat pulldowns
50x8
60x8x3

[J L S]

1 arm DB press! thats a new one! liking the training as of late rock.

[Rock1984]

Think the DB press they do in Strongman...only for reps, and FAR less weight (delts were still fried from wednesday's front raises)

[Rock1984]

04/01/2012

BENCH
bar x10,8
60x6
80x3
90x2
100x1
110x1
100x1
110x1
90x4x4

Sore shoulders and upper back=poor bench

SQUAT
bar x5x2
40x5
60x3
80x3
100x3
120x2 - add belt
130x1
140x1
150x1
120x3x5 - working on tightness and rebound

INCLINE DB PRESS
D22x6
D28x8x2
D24x6x2

Front raises
D14x8x2
D12x6
D10x6

[HJP]

Keeping up a good amount of work throughout the new year, no slowing you down!

[Rock1984]

Yep, but I still have to get rid of New Year's hangover...and now I have the one from yesterday to fight too! For the sake of my training, I should really tone my friday nights down a couple notches...

[Rock1984]

05/01/2012

Deadlift, regular, oly shoes - 3 count pause at knees
60x5
80x3
100x3
110x3x3

No pause from here:
130x1
140x1
150x1
160x1

FRONT SQUAT - it was a long time!
bar x5
40x5
50x3
60x3
70x3
80x3
90x3
100x3 - didn't expect this, not bad!
90x3
90x5

FS iso holds - courtesy of Blood&Thunder
140x10 secs x2
160x5 secs

SLDL off a 3" box
60x8x3

Lat pulldowns (cheatfest...)
50x8
60x6
65x6
70x6
75x6
80x6
85x6 - pr
90x6 - pr and full stack

Cable press down - 100 reps with 15 kg
25+10+10+10+10+10+15+10

DB curls
D12x10x3 - no rest
D10x20

A good session!

[Rock1984]

07/01/2012

The gym was packed with resolutioners today: it took forever to train, you literally had to dodge people to get to benches and dumbells

SQUAT
bar x8
bar x5
70x5
90x3
110x3
130x2 - add belt
150x1
160x1 - solid - I'm still capable of a 170 kg squat...good!

110x10
110x8
110x6

BENCH
bar x8x2
60x5
85x3
95x2
105x1
115x1
120x1
120x2 - TNG - not bad!
85x10
85x8
85x6

INCLINE BENCH
50x4
60x8x2
60x6x2

FRONT RAISES
D10x4
D16x8x2 - pr
D14x6
D12x6

Calf raises
50x12x2

Done...a good session!

[HJP]

Got to hate it when the gym gets like that! Still got a lot of work in, nice. Good to know that squat is maintained too. Strong

[J L S]

strong benching rock!

[Rock1984]

Thanks J!
But...150x2 is strong, 120x2 is just above weak! :thumbup:

07/01/2012

Felt tired, groggy and sleepy all day: not good to have a blasting session!

PRESS
bar x8x2
40x5
50x3
54x2
60x1
64x1
70x0 - got pinned just above eyes level, it's been a while since I last failed a lift like this: guess yesterday's bench did me in on this?

50x5x3

DEADLIFT - Regular, Oly shoes
70x5
90x3
110x3
130x1
150x1
170x1 - belt - ties PR, and on such a night it's not too bad!
120x3x3 - no belt

1 arm DB press
D20x8x2
D18x6
D16x6

Lat pulldown
45x10
50x10x3

DB curl
D14x15x2
D14x10

Hypers
BW x15x2

It could have been way worse...!

[Rock1984]

09/01/2012

SQUAT
bar x5x3
70x5
90x3
110x3
130x1 - add belt
140x1
150x1
160x1
120x3x3 - no belt, last rep of each set was paused at the bottom

Hanging leg raises
bw x10x3

Hypers
bw x15x3

[macdaknife]

But...150x2 is strong, 120x2 is just above weak! :thumbup:

BUGGER! :cry:

[Rock1984]

Ahahaha...my view only! I need to keep me unsatisfied, to chase bigger weights!

[Rock1984]

10/01/2013

FRONT SQUAT
bar x5x2
40x5
50x3
60x3
70x3
80x3
90x1
70x5x3

PUSH PRESS - it's been a while...
bar x8x2
40x5
50x3
60x3
64x3
68x3

PRESS
40x5x2

1 arm DB press
D20x8
D22x8
D18x6
D16x6

DB OH ext
D30x8
D34x8
D30x6x2

Cable pushdowns
15x20x3

Machine CSR
50x6
65x6
75x6x3
75x10

Facepulls
20x20x2

Leg curls
20x12x3

[Rock1984]

Back under the bar after a weekend in Sicily to see my lil' bro, who's a Carabinieri officer down there.

Today we started the cycle that will bring us to our next comp, at the end of April: Italian Opens

14/01/2013

SQUAT
72x5
102x3
122x3 - add belt
142x2
162x2 - add TRX straps down, and wraps
172x5 - PR
182x5 - PR (+12 on previous best "5" of 170)
182x5

After this, I was SMOKED

BENCH
60x5
70x8x4

Hypers
BWx12x3

On a side note, I'll also try to slim down a bit, December has been very rough on my lovehandles: I may even get down at 74 kg for the competition (sitting at 80 kg as I type)

[HJP]

Nice work on the deadlift equal PR back there. Best of luck with the build up to the italian opens

[Rock1984]

Thanks Hayden!

16/01/2013

DEADLIFT - close sumo stance
70x5
110x10x3 - PR of sort

PRESS, clean on 1st rep
barx6
40x5
50x5
54x5
60x5 - PR, I think?

1 arm DB press
D20x8
D22x8
D18x6x2

DB CSR (as in Vincent Dizenzo's videos)
D20x6
D20x8x4 - harder than I thought it would be

FATMAN PULLUPS
Bw x8x3

Lat pulldowns
50x10
60x10
70x10 - pr

1 arm BB shrugs
30x10x2

[Rock1984]

18/01/2013
Deadlift - close stance sumo
60*5
100*3
110*2*2
120*2*8 - short RIs

Close stance squat
Up to 120 kg, then my left groin started bugging me and I shut it down. It should be nothing serious

[Rock1984]

19/01/2013
Bench
Bar x8x2
50*6
70*5
90*3
102*5*3 - these didn't feel very strong, but I'm in PR territory.

DB incline bench
D24*8*4

Front raises
D10*10*3

Incline bench DB curls
D10*10*3

DB french press
D10*10*3

Cable flies
15+15 *15
20+20*12
25+25 *10

[Rock1984]

21/01/2013

SQUAT
Once again, I went up to 120 kg just to find out that my groin is still giving me a hard time: I'll avoid all squatting and deadlifting for a week, and see if this will be enough to let it heal.

BENCH with feet up
60x5x8 - boring

[Rock1984]

A light session...

24/01/2013

PRESS
bar x8x2
30x5
40x4
44x5
50x5
54x5

Side raises
D8x10x3

Rear raises
D8x10x3

1 arm DB press
D22x8x2

Hanging knee raises
bw x12x5

Hypers
bw x10
bw+ 10kg plate behind head x10x2

15 min bike

[Rock1984]

25/01/2013

BENCH
bar x8x2
60x5
80x3
100x3
RAM on from here:
110x7x3
110x3 - medium grip and 6cm board from here
120x3
130x3
130x5

DB incline bench
D24x8x2
D24x6
D24x8

Front raises
D16x8x2
D14x6
D12x6

DB skullcrushers (1 DB each hand)
D16x6x3

Standing BH ext
D22x12x3

Cable flies
20+20 x10
30+30 x8
25+25 x10
20+20 x12

[Rock1984]

26/01/2013

Lat pulldowns - BB style, concentrating on the "squeeze"
40x8
50x6
60x6x2
50x8
45x8x2

Pulley
50x8x4

DB shrugs
D30x10x3

DB curl on incline bench
D10x8
D14x6x3

Curl 15 (a stillborn curl 21)
20x2 sets

DB hammer curl
D10x10x4

[HJP]

Hope that groin heals up quick mate. Looking like a bodybuilder in here lately, lots of volume an lots of exercises each session. Should help you grow.

[Rock1984]

Yep, I hope the groin heals up fast: i miss squattin'...!

That's the idea: going PL on the main lifts, then BB the shit out oof the auxiliaries, to force some growth; I have to re-learn how to get to muscular failure, squeeze, the mind-muscle connection etc etc...we will see if it pays off!

[Rock1984]

28/01/2013

BENCH
bar x8x2
60x5
80x3
90x3x2
100x4x2 - nice and fast

DB incline press
D22x4
D26x8
D28x8
D26x6
D22x10

DB front raises
D12x8x2
D10x6x2

SQUAT (Yeah!)
bar x5x3
70x5x3
80x3
90x3

Nothing heavy, but at least I'm squatting!

Cable flies
20+20 x12x3

Hanging leg raises
bw x10x5

[Rock1984]

While showering after my session tonight, I've realized that, if I want to attain the strength and size goals I have, I really need to up the ante: training heavier, straining, getting far closer to failure, in order to elicit the gains I want.

I've been playing it safe, but this will not take me far, and thus it ends Now.

[Rock1984]

29/01/2013

PRESS
bar x5x2
30x5
40x5
44x5
50x5
54x5
58x5
60x3

Seated DB press
D22x8
D24x8
D22x6
D22x8

Fatman pullups
bw x4
bw x6x5
bw x8

Seated behind head DB extensions
D30x8x4

DB curl
D14x7x4

Side raises
D6x20x2

Rear raises
D6x20x2

Leg curl
20x15x3

[Rock1984]

I've been away for a couple of days due to work...training today:

DEADLIFT Sumo
60x5
110x3x4 - ok

BENCH
bar x8x2
64x5
84x3
94x2
104x2 - add Ram from here
114x2
124x2
128x2
134x2
134x5 - 9cm board
134x5 - 6cm board
134x3 - 3cm board
100x3x2 - 5 secs pauses

SQUAT
bar x8
60x5
80x3
100x3x2 - ok, still not 100% but on the right track

OH DB ext
D28x12x2

Supersets x2:
Cable flies 20+20 x12
Cable pushdowns 20x10
Hypers Bw x12

[Judas]

My posts ARE there, as are everyone else's who bothered to post anything... you just cant see them (i made one tonight). That forum is fucked, 100%. I've been posting workouts every night for the last 6 weeks there, but starting about 2 weeks ago we cant see them anymore. I need to move those posts over here.

[Rock1984]

Judas-ize this place!

[Judas]

Judas-ize this place!

Hah! I think i got more action in my journal at FI... with its 5 remaining members...

[HJP]

While showering after my session tonight, I've realized that, if I want to attain the strength and size goals I have, I really need to up the ante: training heavier, straining, getting far closer to failure, in order to elicit the gains I want.

I've been playing it safe, but this will not take me far, and thus it ends Now.
Great attitude change. Sounds like we have been thinking along the same lines.

[Rock1984]

Had to start the training week yesterady, instead of Monday: so, Day 2

BENCH
bar x8x2
64x5
74x3
84x2
94x2
98x2
104x2
98x2x2

Incline Bench
55x8x4

DEADLIFT sumo
50x5
70x5
90x3
110x3
120x3 - belt from here
130x3
140x3
140x2x2 - groin seems to be fine

Pulley, V handle
40x5
50x5
60x8x4
40x10

Cable flies
20+20 x12x3

1 arm DB ext
D8x12x3

1 leg Leg curls
20x10x2

Hypers
bw x12x3

Stretching - gotta do WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY more of this!

[Rock1984]

08/02/2013

Hanging leg raises
bw x12x3

Hypers
bw x12x3

SQUAT
bar x5x2
74x5
94x3
104x3
114x3 - add belt
124x3 - add Red Devil wraps
134x3
144x3 - loose Titanium wraps

1-leg Leg press
60x8x3

Lat pulldowns - 3 secs negative, BB style
40x5
50x8
50x6
50x8
50x6
40x10

[Rock1984]

09/02/2013

BENCH
bar x8x2
50x5x3
60x5
70x5
80x3
90x2
100x1
110x1 - add Ram
114x1
120x1
124x1
130x1
134x1

Add 9cm board
134x2
140x2

100x3 - to chest, 5 secs pauses

DEADLIFT
Regular, 6cm deficit, Oly shoes:
50x5
70x5
90x3
110x2x3 - 30 secs RIs from here
120x2x3
130x1x3
140x1 - from the floor, no shoes
160x1 - idem, add belt

DB incline bench
D20x15x2

[Rock1984]

This week I've had a lot of issues with recovery/getting into the gym focused and aggressive: I need to find the culprit and address it.

[Judas]

There... i figured it out. You happy now...???

[Rock1984]

11/02/2013

SQUAT
bar x5x3
60x5x3
80x5
100x3
120x2 - belt from here
120x5x3
130x1
140x1

Numbers don't tell the whole story here: my squat is coming back, and I hope it does so with a vengeance

GM - narrow stance, stiff legs
40x8x3

Lunges
bw x10x2

Stretching

[Rock1984]

13/02/2013

DEADLIFT - Sumo
70x5x3
100x5
120x4
130x3 - add belt from here
140x5
150x5
160x5 - ties PR - pretty heavy, but solid
170x1
180x1

BENCH DE - 30 secs RI, medium grip
bar x10x2
60x5
70x3x10 - this was FUN, and I felt like I did a lot of useful work
90x1
100x1
110x1

DB incline bench
D20x10x5

Pulley
40x5
50x5
60x5
70x5
60x6
50x6
50x8

Standing OH DB ext
D20x5
D30x5
D36x6 - PR
D30x8
D30x10 - PR?
D30x12 - PR

1 arm OH DB ext
D6x12x3 - tris were fried for good!

Cable flies
20+20 x12x2

Stretching

[Rock1984]

15/02/2013

Hanging leg raises
bw x10x3

GM
bar x10x3

SQUAT
bar x5x3
40x5x2
60x5
80x3x2
100x2x6 - 1min RIs
120x1 - add belt
130x1
140x1
150x1 - this felt heavier than it should

[Rock1984]

16/02/2013

BENCH
bar x8x2
40x8x2
60x6
70x6
80x5 - here I understood that thihs wouldn't have been fun - wednesday's DE got the best out of me, Max was feeling the same
90x4
100x3
90x5x3 - fuck! plan was to attempt a ramp up from 100, but...no way!

DEADLIFT - regular
90x5
90x3
110x3
130x2
150x1
130x2x3

Standing DB press
D20x8x2
D20x10

Front raises
D8x6
D10x10x2

Lat pulldowns
50x8
60x8
60x6

DB curl
D14x8x3

Cable flies
20+20 x15x2

Romanian DLs
60x10x2

[Rock1984]

19/02/2013

Got in to the gym feeling sleep and tired...this is happening way too often, lately...?!?!

Hanging leg raises
bw x10x3

Hypers
bw x10
bw x12
bw x15

SQUAT
bar x5x3
60x5x2
80x3
100x3
120x2x4 - add belt - these were feeling like 160 kg...

BENCH - just to get the upper body moving
bar x10x2
50x8
60x7
70x6
80x5
90x4
100x3

Bench actually woke me up: time to do what I went inot the gym for: I put my Centurion on, and squatted!

SQUAT 2 - Centurion suit
100x3
130x3
160x2
180x2x2 - added loose wraps - last rep was deep enough to get white lights: I'll get the hang of this suit soon!

Standing DB ext
D24x8
D24x10
D24x12
D24x15

Lunges
bar x8x2 - I'll raise the weight on this exercise very carefully and slowly

[Rock1984]

21/02/2013

This "being late and lazy" thing has got to stop!

DEADLIFT
50x5
70x5
90x4
110x3
130x3
140x3 - add belt
150x3 - stopped here, as my right hamstring was giving me a weird feedback...not the right moment to tear something up!

BB Rows
50x8
50x10x4

DB Shrugs
D30x12x3

[Rock1984]

23/02/2013

BENCH
bar x10x2
54x8
64x7
74x6
84x5
94x4
104x3
104x2x4

SQUAT
bar x8x2
70x5
90x5
110x3 - add belt
120x2
130x2
120x2x2 - paused squats

ROWS
50x8
50x10x4

Cross body curls
D10x8
D12x8
D14x8
D12x8

[Rock1984]

New start - RTS program - 26/02/2012

Total Specificity looks to be the name of the game...bring it on!!!

2 hours OT at work, gettin' into the gym at 8pm

BENCH, 2ct pause - had to start here instead of squatting first, 'cause otherwise I'd have been without a lift off
bar x6x2
50x6
70x4
80x4
90x4
94x4 @8.5 - stayed a bit conservative here, since I've been experimenting with touching a bit lower

SQUAT
bar x5x2
60x5
90x3
110x2
130x1 - add belt
140x1 - wraps from here
150x1
160x1@8.5 - this started to feel pretty heavy, but it still was very solid
140x4@8.5 - decided to drop a bit more
130x4
130x4@>8 - decided to stop it here cause I was starting to feel "mental" fatigue

JM press - 1st time ever doing this
bar x10
40x8x3
44x8
50x8@9.5 - stopped here

Ok, overall I played it a bit safe, it will take a while to get good at RPE estimation.

[Rock1984]

Got to the gym within 7.30 pm: not a bad start, and I was feeling good and ready to give it a good run.

DEADLIFT - sumo, raw - load drop
70x5@4
100x3@5
120x2@6
140x1@7 - added belt from here
160x1@8
180x1@9 - not far from 9.5, actually
150x5@9.5
140x5@8.5
140x5@9

BENCH - TnG
bar x6x3
60x6@4
80x6@6
90x6@7.5
100x6@9
104x6@10 - last rep started well off the chest, but got pretty grindy at lockout!

Front squat
40x6@5
60x6@7
80x6@8
90x2 - bailed out of these, since my low back cramped up on me
All the FS weights were very light on the legs, but keeping the correct position made it all more difficult (my best FS ever is 120 kg)

[Rock1984]

1st GPP session

Laying ext rotator - D (dumbell) 4 x10x3

Facepulls
25x10
30x10

AB wheel - 1st time ever, not an easy exercise!
bw x10x2

Hanging leg raises
bw x10x3

BB rows
70x10x3

Treadmill - 20 minutes (a mix of high inclination fast paced walking and flat running...oh my, I have to start moving MORE, I'm out of shape)

Stretching
Foam rolling

I need to do 2 things to improve my recovery:
- reintroduce contrast showers
- go to bed WAY earlier

[HJP]

Strong reps on the Deads. Quite like the idea of hitting something heavy then getting some reps in. Nice work mate

[Rock1984]

Thanks, Hayden!

It looks like I'm finally gaining some momentum again, so I hope to be able to log some good weights in the weeks leading up to the Italian Championship!

[Rock1984]

01/03/2012

Got into the gym feeling awake and primed to lift! Yeah!

Competition bench
bar x6x2
60x5@5
80x3@6
90x1@7
100x1@7.5
110x1@8
116x1@8.5
100x5@9
94x5@7
94x5@7
94x5@8
94x5@8.5
94x5@9

Incline Bench
60x8@7.5
70x8@8.5
74x7@9

SQUAT with wraps (this should have been with bands, but my training mate couldn't make it to the gym, and he has the bands...)
bar x5
70x5@5
100x4@6
120x4@7.5 - added belt
140x4@8.5 - added wraps
150x4@9

A good session!
I think part of the reason why I got into the gym so "ready" was that I limited my carb intake at lunch.

[Rock1984]

DEADLIFT with mini bands (regular DL)
70x4@4
90x4@5
110x4@6.5
130x4@8 - added belt
140x4@9
This was fun!

BENCH with boards (9cm thickness)
bar x6
50x5
70x4
90x4
100x4@6.5 - boards from here
110x4@7.5
130x4@9 - this was a misload...oh well

Snatch grip SLDL
70x8@7
80x8@8
90x8@9

A pretty quick, nice session!