Staving off the decline, part deux

[Wilhelm]

this will be a project for some time.

Agreed.

Skid pointed out i needed to touch lower so my elbows weren't flared out at the bottom.
Closer to a 45 degree angle than a 90.
That was a see the light moment too.
I had seen that bit, but there was so much information to absorb, that it slipped through the cracks.
Having it pointed out on an actual vid of me doing it made it easily understandable.

I too am trying to get more drive up the bench the whole time.

Have you seen the stuff about bar path moving in a j pattern? So back towards your head off the chest, then up when it's in a better position above your shoulders.
I probably was overdoing that at first, but i have reduced the times when i miss and push straight up off my chest.
So damn much to think about.

This is what i first read about the bench bar path
https://www.strongerbyscience.com/bench-press-bar-path/
I feel that helped me.

*Man, i hope i'm not clooging up your log too much, but i'll link this here. I'm still waiting for replies, but i'm going to try what the article recommends for grip width.
http://www.exodus-strength.com/forum/vi ... 338#p28338

[JimRiley]

*Man, i hope i'm not clooging up your log too much

No worries about clogging up my log. I need the clicks!

The elitefts.com article agreed just about exactly with the changes I'd already made based on Alan Thrall's video - so that's encouraging. The other article about the J-shaped bar path is really interesting too. My bar path is in fact J-shaped, but it's an upside-down J, like what the article says not to do. So I'll work on that as well. Good stuff!

Thursday, 12/14/17
Body weight: 183.2
GPP workout.
Upper back (7 minutes): Body weight rows with straps; negative chinups. Humbling.
Abs (7 minutes): Knee lifts on Swiss ball; forearm planks; V-sits. Also humbling.
Cardio: Cycled indoors for 41 minutes. Twice I went moderately hard for 5 minutes. Just for grins, I also simulated climbing a steep hill (my specialty back in the day) by riding out of the saddle in my biggest gear, with the rear brake on. Rode at a LISS pace the rest of the time. Not quite as humbling as the upper back and abs work.

Monday, 12/18/17
Body weight: 184.6 (on the preceding day)
Squat: 45x5x3, 75x4, 105x3, 135x2, 152.75x6x2
Press: 35x5x2, 45x4, 55x3, 61.5x2, 66.5x6x3
Deadlift: 135x5, 165x3, 178.75x6x3
Bench: 45x5, 65x4, 85x3, 95x8x3

184.6 tied the highest body weight I've ever seen, so my cutting regimen may need to be fine tuned just a bit.

[JimRiley]

So now I'm being coached online by @KoolaidMannn, at @KOTJ's suggestion. Looking forward to working with Colin, who recently coached his stepfather to a double-BW pull. This also means my Thrall number is now 3. (My Erdős number, sad to say, is stuck at infinity, although I was in the same room with him once.)

Wednesday, 12/20/17

Body weight: 182.0

Press: 35x5x2, 45x4, 55x3, belt, 63.75x8x3 (target RPE: @7)
Squat: 45x5x3, 75x4, 105x3, 135x2, 155x1, belt, 167x6x3 (target RPE: @6)
Bench with 2-count pause: 45x5x2, 65x4, 85x3, 95x6x2, 101.5x6 (target RPE: @7, but these were the easiest of the lot)

[Wilhelm]

So now I'm being coached online by @KoolaidMannn, at @KOTJ's suggestion.

Nice, @JimRiley!

[chromoly]

How exciting! Hope the coaching goes well!

[JimRiley]

Thanks, @Wilhelm and @Chromoly! I'm a-cravin' me some volume.

Friday, 12/22/17
Body weight: 181.2
Paused squat: 45x5x3, 75x4, 105x3, 135x2, 155x1, 167x5x3 @7
Close-grip bench: 45x5x2, 67x4, 87x7x3
Paused deadlift: 135x5, 165x3, 165x5x3 @6.5ish

Hadn't ever done paused squats or deadlifts before, so that was kind of interesting.

Deadlifts were supposed to be 178.75, but I spaced out and didn't add plates after my last warmup. (I was busy addressing last-minute Christmas cards and various other stuff between sets, plus I'm a dip.)

RPE for bench presses was off the chart, in the low direction. That's probably for the best since I'm still reorganizing my form.

Saturday, 12/23/17
Body weight: 181.0
Cycled 34 minutes indoors. Did ten 15-second intervals with 45-second recoveries, fairly easy at first and harder at the end. Those were nearly fun.

My left lower back/glute/hip/somewhere in there is kind of sore today - possibly a souvenir of deadlifting yesterday. I won't be training until Tuesday, so hopefully it'll settle down in the meanwhile.

Today I'm supposed to do bodybuilding rows (a term which would provoke gales of laughter in anyone who's seen me), but I've decided to skip them because of the back thing. Maybe.

[JimRiley]

Tuesday, 12/26/17
Comp. squat: 45x5x3, 75x5, 105x4, 135x3, 155x2, 167x6@6, 171x5@6, 171x6@6
TNG bench: 45x7, 45x5, 65x5, 85x4, 105x3, 113.25x6x4

Squat work sets were all supposed to be 6 reps, but I threw in a fahve for old times' sake.

Wednesday, 12/27/17
Body weight: 184.0
Pendlay row: 35x7, 45x5, 55x4, 65x3, 75x3, 85x6x2@6, 95x6@8

The rows were supposed to be part of yesterday's workout, but I ran out of time last night and did them this morning instead. This was my first time doing these. The two work sets at 85 weren’t half bad, so I tried 95 for the last one, and that was quite a bit harder. Realized afterwards I was supposed to do sets of 8. Focus, Jim, focus!

Cycled 40 minutes on the road. Got into it after a while and rolled in the bigger gears for a bit.

[JimRiley]

Thursday, 12/18/17

Press
35x5x2, 45x4x2, 55x3, belt, 60x3
66.5x8@7
66.5x8@8
63.75x9@7

Deadlift
135x5, 165x3, belt, 185x2
203.5x6x3@6 (DOH, no straps, but they would have helped a bit on the last set)

Two-count bench
45x5x2, 75x4, belt, 95x3
108.75x6x3@6

Press was basically awful, deadlift was basically fine. Bench press felt easy, but I couldn't get my elbows in front of the bar. Every set I thought I finally had 'em out where they belong, but then in the video they were directly below the bar like always. Silly old proprioception.

[Wilhelm]

@JimRiley I thought that's where they are supposed to be. Right under the bar.
At the bottom, and then as they flare, they stay under the bar the whole time throughout the press.

That's what Dave Tate was saying in one of his vids i watched anyway.

His example was that when the elbows are in front (towards the feet) of the bar, it becomes more and more like a triceps extension. Elbows behind would be more like a shoulder raise.

You are talking side view, right?
If so, i think you have it right already.

Might be worth looking into it on the technique forum to double check this.
There might be different schools of thought.

Here you go. Check @mgil's vid from his log. Post #197
http://www.exodus-strength.com/forum/vi ... &start=180

[KoolaidMannn]

@Wilhelm so for Jim the elbows should just be ever so slightly in front of the bar so that he can push the bar “backwards“ more easily instead of straight off the chest, at least that’s how I think about it. The elbows in front of the bar is not super over exaggerated like some people end up doing, it may even look almost like elbows directly under the bar. Elbows directly under the bar could be just fine for some people but for someone like Jim who has a Tedency to let his elbows get behind the bar, I think it’s a good cue.

[Wilhelm]

Thanks, @KoolaidMannn
I barely grasp the mysteries of bench as it is. : )
I learn a little something here too.

@JimRiley sorry to interject incorrectly here.

Looks like people really can be different from one another ; )

[JimRiley]

Thanks for the discussion, @Wilhelm and @KoolaidMannn. It's a pleasure to see someone's been updating my log!

By the way, I haven't maintained this in the last couple weeks because it was getting to be a bit much to write up each workout multiple times.
tl;dw: I'm having fun doing more volume and getting the hang of RPE, and KoolaidMannn has extremely helpful and responsive.

[JimRiley]

So I haven't updated this log in quite a while, but I've been working with @KoolaidMannn since December and doing RPE and all kinds of cool stuff. He's an awesome coach and an inspiring person besides.

This was the week for 1RM testing, and here are the results, at BW 181:
Squat: 240 (5-pound PR)
Bench: 155 (10-pound PR)
Deadlift: 285 (10-pound PR)
Not huge PRs, but I have a cold and a sore finger and our Yorkie growled at me and I missed the new Billions and I don't understand everything on jordan.memegenbaum and my new shoes are worn at the heels and my suntan has rapidly peeled, so I'll take 'em. It was especially nice to move the needle on the bench, where I'd been stuck at 142.5 and then 145 since 2016.

No OHP PR. I quit doing it because I don't like it, kind of like when Bush 41 swore off eating broccoli.

[Wilhelm]

So I haven't updated this log in quite a while, but I've been working with @KoolaidMannn since December and doing RPE and all kinds of cool stuff. He's an awesome coach and an inspiring person besides.

This was the week for 1RM testing, and here are the results, at BW 181:
Squat: 240 (5-pound PR)
Bench: 155 (10-pound PR)
Deadlift: 285 (10-pound PR)
Not huge PRs, but I have a cold and a sore finger and our Yorkie growled at me and I missed the new Billions and I don't understand everything on jordan.memegenbaum and my new shoes are worn at the heels and my suntan has rapidly peeled, so I'll take 'em. It was especially nice to move the needle on the bench, where I'd been stuck at 142.5 and then 145 since 2016.

No OHP PR. I quit doing it because I don't like it, kind of like when Bush 41 swore off eating broccoli.

Ok, big congratulations on the progress and PRs +++

Also, lol @ the view on OHP. Right or wrong,I feel pretty much the same.
I'll probably keep testing it every 6 months to see how benching 3X week improves it.

Points for Jethro Tull reference.

[JimRiley]

Thanks, @Wilhelm! Funny you should mention testing the OHP. I actually did that yesterday, just to see if it had miraculously gotten better. Of course the answer was no.

Points for detecting Tull reference.

[JimRiley]

Still plugging away, expertly guided by @KoolaidMannn, except when I haul off and ad lib.

Today I was supposed to do dumbbell delt raises, but they hurt because I have a case of tennis elbow. The delt raises are actually a replacement for pressing, which I decided some time ago to hate (see post 53 above). But since it's the StSt press in particular that I hate, I figured shoot, why not substitute strict presses for the delt raises? Kinda like switching from broccoli to cauliflower and then substituting romanesco for the cauliflower. The whole idea was kind of ridiculous because I hadn't done any pressing at all since January and had never practiced nor been taught the strict press - so naturally I got right on it, and worked up to the heaviest press I've ever done. It was only 97.5 pounds, but a PR in my little world.

Being a shrinking violet, I've never posted a lifting video before, either here or in Egypt, but my dear wife's encouragement was so spirited I just have to share it:

She's so awesome. As for me, my wrists are all wrong and I was hamming it up and it looks dorky, but at least I didn't break the light on the ceiling.

[Wilhelm]

Congratulations, @JimRiley!

[JimRiley]

Thanks, @Wilhelm.

Man, you did a lot of deadlift singles today!

[Wilhelm]

Thanks, @ Wilhelm.

Man, you did a lot of deadlift singles today!

Yeah, i train singles exclusively.
10 week cycles, weight moves up, and reps come down.
Started doing these (SSPT) cycles last September.

[JimRiley]

My coach @KoolaidMannn met with me at Untamed Strength on August 4. It was awesome to finally meet Colin in person; he's a heck of a nice guy! We ran through the four main lifts, and he gave me some spot-on form tips. He took one video in particular of a bench press set where I could scarcely believe it was me! (Usually when that happens it's just because the guy in the video looks so old and fat.) So yeah, it was a great time.

I've also taught my wife the main lifts and coached her some on them, but she needed more guidance on form than I can provide, so she went along too and worked with Alan Thrall for an hour. She was kind of apprehensive that it would be intimidating, but Alan was very helpful and it was a really good experience for her. Alan also watched me do a few squats at one point and then said "nice squats"; I'm still giddy.