DCR - Can you believe how much I am in heaven?

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hector
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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#581

Post by hector » Fri Mar 10, 2023 5:39 pm

DCR wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 6:41 pm 3/7/23


FYI for all two readers of this space, yes I know just fucking with the same three lifts every other day is in theory dumb af. These rep PRs have been fun, though, and I’m looking noticeably bigger in the right places, so onward until I get stuck, and I don’t think that I am yet. Not even close.
As someone who also trains essentially only 3 or 4 lifts monotonously, I disagree and salute your style. Congrats on destroying 220 x 10!!!!

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#582

Post by DCR » Sat Mar 11, 2023 1:34 pm

3/11/23

Squats 45,130x10 215x8 275x5 300x2
RDLs 185x10 w/ straps 245 x2s x4r
Bench Press 45,135x10 185x8 225x8+1 235x6
SportsArt Mid Row 115.5,121,126.5x10

Session thoughts:

Thanks, @Renascent and @hector! This community really makes me work harder. Well, except for today, on which I felt like asshole from the first minute. Hence another peak-y squat session in which I bitched out of doing reps, and barely fucking with this new RDL increment. Bench went well, though, in that I’d easily have had 9 if not for feeling like asshole and should for sure hit that next time, leaving me one away from a near immediate next jump.

Heard a young guy actually ask his buddy if low bar is alpha. Brah if you have to ask…

Metal rec of the day: Since the new Enslaved is out (haven’t heard it yet), let’s go all the way back to The Forest is My Throne / Yggdrasill, their awesome split with Satyricon.

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#583

Post by Wilhelm » Sat Mar 11, 2023 2:13 pm

Nice benching.

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Renascent
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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#584

Post by Renascent » Sat Mar 11, 2023 9:25 pm

DCR wrote: Sat Mar 11, 2023 1:34 pmHeard a young guy actually ask his buddy if low bar is alpha. Brah if you have to ask…

Metal rec of the day: Since the new Enslaved is out (haven’t heard it yet), let’s go all the way back to The Forest is My Throne / Yggdrasill, their awesome split with Satyricon.
Normally, I get out of young people's way (figuratively speaking) and let them be, but I'll admit that I'm scared for anybody still using "alpha" as an adjective.

Been meaning to check out Satyricon....

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DCR
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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#585

Post by DCR » Mon Mar 13, 2023 12:43 pm

Thanks, @Wilhelm!

@Renascent, Satyricon are very hit/miss. Easily the runt of that particular litter (Emperor, Enslaved, Mayhem, Immortal, Darkthrone, and yes Burzum despite dude being human garbage). I like Deep Calleth Upon Deep a lot - it’s simple stuff that maybe should be boring, but then the earworms get you.

3/13/23 (back in NY)

Squats 45,135x10 225x8 275x5 305x1
RDLs 190x6 w/ straps: 245 x2s x6r
Bench Press 45,135x10 185x10 225x8 235x6
Pullups x8+3+3

Session thoughts:

Awful early morning session, the time having been forced on me by factors not worth typing out. I never lift early, but if I ever do so again, it will be preceded by some legit cardio. I now know that I cannot just wake up and lift. Everything hurt and hurts.

Making things worse, I think I fucked up my right elbow/bicep stupidly yanking a very heavy suitcase up into an Uber van yesterday; it showed up bad in my top bench sets and worse in the pullups (duh), which were trash half two/thirds reps.

Making things even more worse, I continue to swear that the plates weigh more at my NY spot than my LA spot. I can tell at 135 and it only gets shittier.

Metal rec of the day: Satyricon/Deep Calleth Upon Deep

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#586

Post by DCR » Thu Mar 16, 2023 6:04 pm

3/16/23

Squats 45,135x10 225x8 275,295,315x1 265x10
RDLs 190x7 w/ straps 245x10,6
Bench Press 45,135x10 165,195x6 225x8 240x4
Pullups (strict, full extension) x3s x6r
DB Press 45s x10,7

Session thoughts:

This was fun. I previously bitched out of continuing to progress my squat 10s, ending with 255 and then doing sorta peak-y stuff the past few sessions (read: hiding from reps). So guy in my lifting chat group challenged me to go back and handle 265x10, with him going after it as well. We agreed that we’d both try it today. He's bigger and, on lower body stuff, stronger than me.

Got to the gym feeling less than confident but, my good luck, this very strong and disturbingly intense dude was there, who has been really helpful in the past. (He's flat out resolved injuries that I've had by essentially beating the shit out of me. Pressure points and all that.) As soon as I saw him, I knew what I had to do: essentially the gym version of suicide by cop. Walked right up, told him that I had this challenge, and that I wasn't confident that I could accomplish it. As expected, he lost his mind on me for "talking like a pussy" and we got after it. Rather than my usual work up, at his direction I hit heavier singles to "prime your CNS, or, as I like to put it, let the bitch leave you." He actually wanted me to go heavier and just do an eccentric down to the safeties, to make the 265 feel even lighter, but I didn't want to fuck with something out of the ordinary for me. Anyway, the results spoke for themselves - I destroyed the set. Almost equally pleasing was how absurdly easy the 315 single was. I get that that isn't very heavy, but with a lifetime max of 355, it is for me, and it's about where things usually go off the rails for me. It was great to see all of the rep work these past weeks actually pay strength dividends.



Coda: guy from my chat group failed at 7 reps.

Got another RDL increment, but bench was frustrating because by the time I got to it, the place was empty and I don't like chancing failure without a spotter, even with safeties. I have a bad habit of failing back toward my face, which is just over the safeties. (My face and chest are above the safeties, neck below them. So I can't get guillotined, but I could wreck my face. If I put the safeties any higher, they impede me from touching my chest.) Felt like I'd have had more with someone there. Next time.

Metal rec of the day: Gorod / The Orb. Demonstrating that progressive death metal isn't necessarily an oxymoron. (It usually is.)
Last edited by DCR on Thu Mar 16, 2023 8:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Renascent
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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#587

Post by Renascent » Thu Mar 16, 2023 7:52 pm

DCR wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 6:04 pm 3/16/23

Squats 45,135x10 225x8 275,295,315x1 265x10
RDLs 190x7 w/ straps 245x10,6
Bench Press 45, 135x10 165,195x6 225x8 240x4
Pullups (strict, full extension) x3s x6r
DB Press 45s x10,7

Session thoughts:

This was fun. I previously bitched out of continuing to progress my squat 10s, ending with 255 and then doing sorta peak-y stuff the past few sessions (read: hiding from reps). So guy in my lifting chat group challenged me to go back and handle 265x10, with him going after it as well. We agreed that we’d both try it today. He's bigger and, on lower body stuff, stronger than me.

Got to the gym feeling less than confident but, my good luck, this very strong and disturbingly intense dude was there, who has been really helpful in the past. (He's flat out resolved injuries that I've had by essentially beating the shit out of me. Pressure points and all that.) As soon as I saw him, I knew what I had to do: essentially the gym version of suicide by cop. Walked right up, told him that I had this challenge, and that I wasn't confident that I could accomplish it. As expected, he lost his mind on me for "talking like a pussy" and we got after it. Rather than my usual work up, at his direction I hit heavier singles to "prime your CNS, or, as I like to put it, let the bitch leave you." He actually wanted me to go heavier and just do an eccentric down to the safeties, to make the 265 feel even lighter, but I didn't want to fuck with something out of the ordinary for me. Anyway, the results spoke for themselves - I destroyed the set. Almost equally pleasing was how absurdly easy the 315 single was. I get that that isn't very heavy, but with a lifetime max of 355, it is for me, and it's about where things usually go off the rails for me. It was great to see all of the rep work these past weeks actually pay strength dividends.



Coda: guy from my chat group failed at 7 reps.

Got another RDL increment, but bench was frustrating because by the time I got to it, the place was empty and I don't like chancing failure without a spotter, even with safeties. I have a bad habit of failing back toward my face, which is just over the safeties. (My face and chest are above the safeties, neck below them. So I can't get guillotined, but I could wreck my face. If I put the safeties any higher, they impede me from touching my chest.) Felt like I'd have had more with someone there. Next time.

Metal rec of the day: Gorod / The Orb. Demonstrating that progressive death metal isn't necessarily an oxymoron. (It usually is.)
Good shit.

I see you're creeping up on 225 x 10 on the bench as well.

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DCR
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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#588

Post by DCR » Thu Mar 16, 2023 8:09 pm

Renascent wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 7:52 pm I see you're creeping up on 225 x 10 on the bench as well.
Would’ve had x9 today except for fear of having an even less pretty face.

Today’s squat experience has me contemplating how to further use supra 10RM sets to move this along faster. Wondering what would happen if, say, I singled 245 and 265 and then dropped back for the 225 set.

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#589

Post by Renascent » Thu Mar 16, 2023 8:39 pm

DCR wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 8:09 pmToday’s squat experience has me contemplating how to further use supra 10RM sets to move this along faster. Wondering what would happen if, say, I singled 245 and 265 and then dropped back for the 225 set.
I suggested this method to an old (unofficial) gym partner some years back when we were squatting one day. He was surprised at how light the weight felt after the heavy single. Like, straight up giggling.

I also saw a guy in the same gym rep 315 for a triple on the incline as part of his warmup for work sets at a much lighter weight.

In other words, it sounds like it's worth a shot.

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#590

Post by broseph » Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:04 am

That’s a great story about the squats, lol. Nice work.

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#591

Post by DCR » Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:09 pm

3/18/23

Squats 45,135,225x10 275,300,325x1 275x3
RDLs 190x7 w/ straps 255 x2s x4r
Bench Press 45,135,185x10 235,255x1 225x9
Chest Supported T-Bar Row (angled grip) 95x10 (neutral grip) 100x5,4

Session notes:

Yesterday I was sore in that good way that tells you that you’ve done something hard. Then I went out last night and went to bed at 2am. Yes I’m 44. Related or not, today I was sore in that bad way in which everything fucking hurts and moving, at all, is an issue. Because tomorrow is busy, I went to the gym and did my usual bullshit anyway. Once I got warm I was pleased with the top squat single, being 30 lbs off my lifetime max (now nearly four years ago). The plan, given how tired and sore I was, was to stop there and avoid any higher rep stuff outside of the work up… but no, I had to chase the utterly ridiculous idea that maybe on this awful day I could shock myself and knock off 275x10. How that went: LOLZ.

Tried the idea from my exchange with @Renascent with bench and it nearly worked. I mean it did work, in that I added a rep, but I was sure around 7-8 that I had 10, and then it died. I just missed that perfect place where the set is fast enough to not run out of steam, but controlled enough that the bar isn’t all over the place leaking energy. Maybe next time.

Metal rec of the day: Demon King / Vesania. Awful name but this is ex-Inferi dudes doing something more fun than Inferi.

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#592

Post by DIR » Sat Mar 18, 2023 5:20 pm

Bench can be a fickle bitch like that....the sets good until....nope it's not

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#593

Post by broseph » Sun Mar 19, 2023 6:43 am

My bench fails the same way; the reps are fast until suddenly the bar stops moving.

Then again, you could just be out of steam from your soreness and late night?

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DCR
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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#594

Post by DCR » Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:33 am

broseph wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 6:43 am My bench fails the same way; the reps are fast until suddenly the bar stops moving.

Then again, you could just be out of steam from your soreness and late night?
Entirely possible. Next session will be esecially conducive to finding out, because by necessity I need to lay off the squats/RDLs for a minute and it’ll be bench / bro concentrated. My lower back has had it with my shit; I’m one or two sessions from it dying like it did two or so years ago and starting over with the empty bar. Fuck that.

Probably the RDLs are more the problem. Maybe make especially sure to keep the squats upright and throw some leg curls in here and there instead, which is what I was doing before I discovered the wonders of straps and started irresponsibly pushing the RDLs.

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#595

Post by DCR » Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:29 pm

3/22/23

Squats 45,135x10 185x8 235x6 275 x3s x3r
RDLs 190x7 w/ straps 255 x2s x6r
Bench Press 45,135,185x10 235,260x1 225x8
Pullups (full extension) x7,7,6
Ab Wheel: hahahahaha

Session thoughts:

What a bunch of garbage. Had to take three days off due to family stuff and refrained from finding time to fit in a session because my lower back had been bitchy. Was expecting to feel refreshed today and instead felt tired and weak, and everything hurt. Back when I used to deadlift, it could be really finicky from session to session, but I’d never before experienced that with my squat. How I went from squatting 275x7, 285x6, and 295x4 like three weeks ago, to wanting to die hitting a triple with 275 tonight, is beyond me. It pissed me off so badly that I took like eight minute rests and did it twice more, after which I felt even worse. Lost a rep off bench too, although perhaps because I upped the single too far. At least the pullups felt great. I don’t think I ever got 7 before at this bodyweight.

I’m not discussing the ab wheel. My journey into ab work is gonna have to begin elsewhere.

Metal rec of the day: Enslaved / Heimdal. Best record I’ve heard thus far in 2023.

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#596

Post by augeleven » Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:59 pm

I kinda want to discuss the ab wheel though.
Nothing beats ab wheel DOMS.

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#597

Post by DCR » Thu Mar 23, 2023 7:01 am

augeleven wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:59 pm I kinda want to discuss the ab wheel though.
Nothing beats ab wheel DOMS.
Tried it twice and instantly got dizzy to feeling like I was gonna pass out, absolutely no idea why. Only ever had that happen before a few years back when overhead presses tended to cause the same thing. (Meaning, during a set; I’ve had some nearly bad moments over the years after a set of squats.)

Only other dude in gym was a good guy who’s working on some training certs and asked if I minded his two cents, which I didn’t. Told me that I was in ridiculous anterior pelvic tilt and he was right - it’s my natural state, an issue I’ve ignored for actual decades while also getting frustrated with the twice yearly or so lower back issues. I can pull myself into neutral or posterior pelvic tilt and flex my glutes easily while standing, but proved total inept at doing it while trying to ab wheel. We worked on some bird dogs instead as a beginning movement, and I did better there, but not great. I find bracing / counting exercises unenjoyable and wish there was an actual movement to address this shit. Open to suggestions.

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#598

Post by augeleven » Thu Mar 23, 2023 3:24 pm

I’m not 100% sure on the pelvic tilt thingy, so anything I say may be super unhelpful. Dave Tate likes hanging leg raises. I can’t do anything near a toes to the bar movement, but I’ll do knee to chest hanging from the pull-up bar during squat warmups. I gave up on them before I got a chance to really progress them.

Also check out Copenhagen planks, which are like EXXTREME! planks, I guess.

I went back and did some ab wheel last night and got some weird hip flexor pain. I wonder how much of my general life-suckiness could be tied to my hip flexors suddenly becoming tight?

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#599

Post by Hardartery » Fri Mar 24, 2023 9:41 am

DCR wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 7:01 am
augeleven wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:59 pm I kinda want to discuss the ab wheel though.
Nothing beats ab wheel DOMS.
Tried it twice and instantly got dizzy to feeling like I was gonna pass out, absolutely no idea why. Only ever had that happen before a few years back when overhead presses tended to cause the same thing. (Meaning, during a set; I’ve had some nearly bad moments over the years after a set of squats.)

Only other dude in gym was a good guy who’s working on some training certs and asked if I minded his two cents, which I didn’t. Told me that I was in ridiculous anterior pelvic tilt and he was right - it’s my natural state, an issue I’ve ignored for actual decades while also getting frustrated with the twice yearly or so lower back issues. I can pull myself into neutral or posterior pelvic tilt and flex my glutes easily while standing, but proved total inept at doing it while trying to ab wheel. We worked on some bird dogs instead as a beginning movement, and I did better there, but not great. I find bracing / counting exercises unenjoyable and wish there was an actual movement to address this shit. Open to suggestions.
Gonna say something that mat be very "Old man" at this point in history. Don't just do linear ab work, by which I mean the twisting situps/crunches and that ilk actually serve a purpose past trying to make the serratus pretty. There are plenty of things that help hit all angles for the anterior trunk muscles. Bent Press for reps with a lightish DB, Saxon Side Bends, simply doing situps reaching an elbow to the opposite knee (with a band or weighted resistance) has a certain carryover in addition to just contraction in line with the body IMO.

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Re: DCR - Some Dogg, Some Crapp

#600

Post by broseph » Fri Mar 24, 2023 3:55 pm

My n=1 re: anterior pelvic tilt and ab work.

For years I walked around with what I think was a pretty decent anterior tilt. I didn’t bother to fix it because I thought it was just nonsense. My lower back was always “tight” and I’d get a low back pump with stupid things like shoveling snow, and I always felt like I wished someone could grab my lumbar spine from behind and pull it backwards which is oddly specific but that’s the only way I can illustrate the feeling/pain.

Once my wife started getting serious about lifting/fitness she had the same issue and a CF coach told her to engage the abs and cue “pull your ribs down,” and cue it all the time every day. I tried it too and it was a huge help for both of us.

It’s a little tricky because you don’t want to drop your chest and bend over, but I had to get over my posture of always kind of puffing my chest up. I always thought “chest up” was good posture? But standing more neutrally with my abs engaged just feels right. After a while it becomes habit (mostly).

When I’ve been standing or driving for a while I’ll notice that old familiar feeling again and realize I’m arching my lower back and slacking out my abs.

Anyway, regarding ab work; I think I was slacking my abs and letting my lumbar spine just kind of hang off my back muscles when doing ab wheel, and ab wheeling always gave me extra back pain the next day. I hadn’t used it for years until just a few days ago and I realized how I had been fucking it up all those times before.

Also I like hanging knee raises, and I cue “knees to armpits” to really engage the abs and get some active spinal flexion.

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