Marc's Training Log

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1

Been posting on other sites but I have decided to move over here and consolidate my log. 42 yr 5’8" 220lb lifter. Been training for about 2yrs- I guess mid life crisis? Started competing in local meets in 2016 and got hooked. Competed twice this year, last meet was on Sep 30th. Had a blast and even set DL state record in my age and weight class in the local fed I compete in. So just starting my training back and ramping up. Been fighting back/ si issues this year, hopefully can get those sorted. Next meet is Feb 3rd, if I can get my squat moving again looking to break 1200+.

Here is how this week has went so far:

Sun 10-22-17 PM

Bw- 224.2

Comp Squat w belt & wwraps
285x5 @ 6
300x5 @ 7
300x5 @ 7.5
Ramped up to 3.5mins rest
E1RM: 383, +6

Comp Paused Bench w belt & wwraps
220x5 @ Easy 6
235x5 @ 7
235x5 @ Hard 7
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 300, +4

Incline Bench no belt
135x8 @ 6
145x8 @ Easy 7
155x8 @ Easy 8
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 214, +16

Sun Macros:
68f, 335c, 248p

Mon 10-23-17 PM

Bw- 223.2

2.5" Block Pulls w/ belt
385x5 @ 6
405x5 @ 7
420x4.5, back said ouch
Ramped up to 4mins rest
E1RM: NA this week
Well everything was going great until halfway up with no warning on rep #5 sudden and sharp pain in the extreme low back. Sat the bar down and stood there, bent over because I could not stand, and took stock of things. No radiating pain, no numbness, could still move all my digits, so I forced myself stand and gimped around for a bit- did not want to sit. Unloaded the bar slowly and painfully and decided to try my wife’s warm up dl bar, 95lbs on our spare bar, and things felt better.
95x5
135x5x2
95x10

Floor Press w/o belt, legs flat
200x5 @ Hard 6, felt like poo
215x5 @ 7, felt better
225x5 @ 8, felt good, PR
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 278, +7, PR

Barbell Lunges w/o belt
75x16 (x8 each leg) @ Easy 6
85x16 @ Easy 7
95x16 @ 8
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 167, +14

2

Mon Macros:
67f, 330c, 253p

Tues 10-24-17

BW- 223.4

Getting up this morning was tough, back was very tight and stiff, hard to walk. Air squats and air dls got the motor running. After moving around a bit the back/ si started feeling much better.

GPP, PM
Squat- 45x10, 95x5x2, 45x10
DL- 95x10, 135x5x2, 95x10
6 mins of ABs- Planks: 30sec x3, 20sec x2, 30sec x1
6 mins of Upper Back- Seated Lat Pulls, chin grip: 135x15,15,12,10,10,10 (72reps)
5 mins of Arms- Seated Overhead Tri Ext: 55x15,12,5,9,7 (48reps)
30 mins on the treadmill

Thinking now my back pain may been from my si shifting around. Not sure, feeling pretty good now.

3

Tues macros:
74f, 322c, 256p

Wed 10-25-17 PM

BW- 223.2

Sq w/ belt & wwraps
285x5 @ 6
285x5 @ 6
285x5 @ 6.5
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 377, -6
These felt good, no real back pain.

TNG Bench w/o belt
227.5x5 @ 6
227.5x5 @ 6
227.5x5 @ 6
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest
E1RM: 301, +1 TNG PR

Overhead Press w/ belt
112x8 @ Easy 6
112x8 @ 6
112x8 @ Hard 6
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest
E1RM: 165, -5

4

Wed Macros:
63f, 322c, 249p

Thurs 10-26-17 PM

Bw-223.6

Comp DL w/ belt
385X1 DOH with wwraps, DOH PR
385x5 @ 6.5
405x0 DOH with wwraps, bar started rolling out of my hands
E1RM: 500, -13
Trying to explore different grips. Can feel my spine twisting slightly from the uneven loaded of the mixed grip, maybe this is a contributor to my back flare ups. Currently pull lefty under righty over. Recent back tweak is on the left side. Reversed my mixed grip so lefty was over and righty under on the 385x5 today.

Tried straps with 385 and just did not feel comfortable pulling with them, never really used straps to pull before. Plan to work them some more and maybe try hook grip, also never used that before, during my GPP work tomorrow.

CG Bench TNG w/o belt
212.5x5 @ 6
212.5x5 @ 6
212.5x5 @ 6
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 281, +3, PR

RDL, w/o belt, to the knees
185x8
205x8
225x8 @ Easy 6
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest

Back felt ok, no real pain during training. I bit sore yesterday after squats, no pain while squatting. Overall feeling better.

5

Thurs Macros:
69f, 334c, 245p

Fr Macros:
65f, 333c, 252p

Fri 10-27-17 PM

BW- 224
6 mins of ABs- Hanging Knee Raises: x15,12,12,10,10,10,8,8,8 (85reps)
6 mins of Upper Back- Seated Lat Pulls, chin grip: 135x15,15,12,12,10,10,10 (84reps)
Red mini band pull aparts x25
Shoulder dislocates x10
HIIT bike sprint x6

Weighed in this morning at 221.6 and checked my waist measurement. 38 1/4"s, down another 1/4" in two weeks plus the 1" loss then from the previous month. Upping my protein and dropping my carbs from last training block in conjunction with more regular cardio and returning to HIIT work seem to have produced unexpected results. Did not expect my waist to drop like this. Will keep macros were they are for a couple of weeks and see where this goes.

6

Sat Macros:
74f, 335c, 248p

Sun 10-29-17 PM

Bw- 223.6

Comp Squat w belt & wwraps
290x5 @ Easy 6
305x5 @ 7
305x5 @ 7
Ramped up to 3.5mins rest
E1RM: 390, +13 from 10-26, + 7 from 10-22
Been a very long time since squats felt this good. Had planned to stick to @6 but the weight felt lite and the bar moved very fast. These may have been half an RPE lower than recorded.

Comp Paused Bench w belt & wwraps
225x5 @ Easy 6
237x5 @ 7
237x5 @ 7
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 303, +3, PR

Incline Bench no belt
135x10 @ Easy 6
145x10 @ Easy 7
145x10 @ Easy 7
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 220, +6, PR

Very good session, had planned to stick to @ 6 this week but may have to reevaluate.

7

Sun Macros:
65f, 333c, 250p

Mon 10-30-17 PM

Bw- 223.2

8" Block Pulls w/ belt
405x4 @ Easy 6, hook grip
405x3x1 hook grip, had to reset after 3
405x4, comp mixed grip
Ramped up to 4mins rest
E1RM: 522, PR but never pulled with this short of ROM
Puled all warm up sets and first two worksets hook grip. First time hooking and I ran into the problem I was afraid of- small hands and or short fingers. Was having issues keeping my fingers around my thumb and could not quite manage the ring finger over the thumb. By set 3 fingers were fatigued and would not stay wrapped around thumb so switched to mixed grip. Not going to give up just yet- will continue to work on this.

Floor Press w/o belt, legs flat
220x4 @ Hard 6
230x4 @ Easy 7
230x4 @ Easy 7, felt better than the last 2 sets
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 287, +9, PR

Barbell Lunges w/o belt
80x20 (x10 each leg) @ 6
90x20 @ 7
90x20 @ Hard 7
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 179, +12

Made some 8", 6", & 4" platforms on Saturday to help rehab the back:

8 Blocks.jpg
8 Blocks.jpg1069×602 196 KB

8

Mon macros:
66f, 318c, 254p

Tues macros:
66f, 333c, 248p

Tues 10-31-17 PM

Bw- 222.6

7 mins of ABs- Hanging Knee Raises: x15,15,12,12,10,10,8,8,8,6 (104reps)
7 mins of Upper Back- Lever Rows:
90x20 (x10 each hand)
90x16x3 (x8 each hand)
90x12 (x6 each hand)
(80 reps)
Shoulder dislocates x10
30 mins on the treadmill

Wed 11-1-17 PM

BW- 223.4

High Bar Sq w/ belt & wwraps
275x4 @ Easy 6
290x4 @ 7
290x4 @ Easy 7
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 358
First time officially doing High Bar. Made a realization that I started out squatting high bar and did so all of last year. Came to that realization over Christmas last year. Today I realized that from my squat videos that have been critiqued it was not apparent in video- I was being told to lean over more. First few warm up reps I tried to lean over squatting high bar- not a good idea. I had forgotten how much more natural and comfortable high bar feels for me. Will be interesting to see how the next few weeks go, I suspect my E1RM will climb rapidly on these. Last year I got up to 400 in training squatting high bar and this spring got to 405 squatting low bar, may consider switching if things look good in training. I also wonder if this has something to do with my recent back troubles- they started in February, about 6 weeks after going to low bar. I know, I know- I can hear everyone screaming squats do not hurt the back, who knows but it is an interesting coincidence.

TNG Bench w/o belt
238x4 @ 6
250x4 @ 7
250x4 @ 7
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 309, +8 TNG PR

Overhead Press w/ belt & wwraps
110x10 @ 6
118x10 @ 7, PR
118x10 @ Hard 7
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest
E1RM: 178, +13, PR tie

9

Wed Macros:
71f, 335c, 250p

Thurs 11-2-17 PM

Bw-223.2

6" Block Pull w/ belt
385x5 @ Easy 6
385x5 @ 6
385x5 @ 6
Ramped up to 3.5mins rest
E1RM: 513
Warmups pulled hook grip, worksets pulled mixed grip.

CG Bench TNG w/o belt
218x4 @ 6
230x4 @ Easy 7, PR
230x4 @ Easy 7
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 287, +6, PR

RDL, w/o belt, to the knees
230x10 @ Easy 6
230x10 @ Easy 6
230x10 @ Easy 6
Ramped up to 3mins rest

10

Thurs Macros:
73f, 328c, 249p

Fri 11-3-17 PM

BW- 223.2
7 mins of ABs- AB Wheel Rollouts: x10,10,10,10,10,5,5,5,5,10 (80reps)
7 mins of Upper Back- Seated Lat Pulls, chin grip: 135x15,15,12,12,10,10,10,12 (96reps)
Hammer Curls 35x15,15 (1 min rest)
Red mini band face pullsx30
Shoulder dislocates x10
HIIT bike sprints x6

11

Sat Macros:
Did not track macros Sat and Sun. Left to pickup a free truck from a friend, a 6 hr drive, spent the night and drove back this morning. Measured waistline at the navel on Sat before we left, holding at 38.25"s. Weight is trending up, 225.2lbs Sat morning. Will monitor weight this week and if the up swing continues will cut carbs for a few weeks. All indications are I could potentially slowly bulk and maintain waistline (maybe even reduce waistline, in Oct 2016 was 213lbs with a 39.5" waistline) but want to stay a 220lb class lifter.

Sun 11-5-17 PM

Bw-no scale this morning.

Comp Squat w belt & wwraps
295x5 @ 6
310x5 @ 7
310x5 @ 7
310x5 @ Hard 7
Ramped up to 3.5mins rest
E1RM: 396, +6

Comp Paused Bench w belt & wwraps
257x1 @ 6
272x1 @ 7
238x5 @ 7
238x5 @ 7
238x5 @ Hard 7
238x5 @ Hard 7
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 304, +1, PR

Incline Bench no belt
140x10 @ 6
150x10 @ 7, PR
150x10 @ 7
150x10 @ 7.5
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest
E1RM: 226, +6, PR

12

Mon 11-6-17 PM

Bw- 227.8, did not think I ate that bad the last 2 days

8" Block Pulls w/ belt
405x4 @ Easy 6
425x4 @ Easy 7
405x4,@ Easy 6
405x4 @ 6
Ramped up to 3.5mins rest
E1RM: 530
Pulled all warm up sets hook grip and worksets mixed grip.

Floor Press w/o belt, legs flat
245x1 @ 6
260x1 @ Easy 7
235x4 @ Easy 7, PR
235x4 @ 7
235x4 @ 7
235x4 @ 7.5
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 293, +6, PR

Barbell Lunges w/o belt
85x20 (x10 each leg) @ 6.5
92.5x20 @ 7.5
92.5x20 @ Easy 8
92.5x20 @ 8
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest
E1RM: 182, +3

13

Mon Macros:
77f, 313c, 251p

Tues macros:
70f, 320c, 246p

Tues 11-7-17 PM

Bw- 225.2

7 mins of ABs- Hanging Knee Raises: x15,15,12,12,10,10,10,10,8,8 (110reps)
7 mins of Upper Back- Chin Grip Lat Pulldowns 135x15,15,15,12,12,10,10,12 (101reps)
Hammer Curls: 35x15x2
Red Mini Band Pullaparts x26
Shoulder dislocates x10
30 mins on the treadmill

Wed 11-8-17 PM

BW- 225.2

High Bar Sq w/ belt & wwraps
282.5x4 @ 6
297.5x4 @ Easy 7
297.5x4 @ 7
297.5x4 @ Easy 7
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 371, +13

TNG Bench w/o belt
263x1 @ 6
278x1 @ 7
252x4 @ 7
252x4 @ 7
252x4 @ Hard 7
252x4 @ 7.5
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 311, +2 TNG PR

Overhead Press w/ belt & wwraps
112x10 @ 6.5
120x10 @ 7.5 PR
120x10 @ 8.5, suicide grip- tried this to see if it helped the elbow
115x10 @ 10, reg grip
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest
E1RM: 178, +0, PR tie
Left elbow has been very sore the last couple of days. Tendinitis is making a comeback, the press today really seemed to aggravate it.

Well left knee has started bothering me again as has the left elbow as mentioned above. Next week is a Low Stress week, just cannot put together weeks of sets of 4 and 5 anymore, even at these low RPEs. 4-5 weeks of ramping volume then a volume deload seems to work pretty good for me.

14

Wed Macros:
66f, 305c, 250p

Thurs 11-9-17 PM

Bw-225.8

4" Block Pull w/ belt
390x5 @ 6
405x5 @ 7
390x5 @ 6
390x5 @ 6
Ramped up to 3.5mins rest
E1RM: 517
Warmups pulled hook grip, worksets pulled mixed grip.

CG Bench TNG w/o belt
245x1 @ 6, 15lb PR
260x1 @ Easy 7, 30lb PR
235x4 @ Easy 7, PR
235x4 @ Easy 7
235x4 @ 7
235x4 @ 7
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 293, +6, PR
Been awhile since heavyish singles with these, about a year I think. Old 230x1 was @9 I believe so 50lbs + on this variation.

RDL, w/o belt, to the knees
235x10 @ Sub 6
245x10 @ 6.5ish
245x10 @ Easy 7
245x10 @ Easy 7
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest
These are at PR levels as well just not tracking E1RMs due to shortened ROM.

15

Thurs Macros:
66f, 305c, 250p

Fri Macros:
72f, 311c, 253p

Sat Macros:
65f, 304c, 251p

Fri 11-10-17 PM

BW- 224.6

ABs- AB Wheel Rollouts 4x10 EMOM
7 mins of Upper Back- Seated Lat Pulls, wide grip: 135x15,15,14,12,12,12,10,6 (96reps)
Red mini band face pullsx30
Shoulder dislocates x10
HIIT bike sprints x6

Sun 11-12-17 PM

Bw- 223.8

Comp Squat w belt & wwraps
335x1 @ 6
355x1 @ 7
320x4 @ 7
320x4 @ 7
Ramped up to 3.5mins rest
E1RM: 397, +1

Comp Paused Bench w belt & wwraps
260x1 @ 6
274x1 @ 7
247x4 @ 7
247x4 @ 7
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 306, +2, PR

Incline Bench no belt
150x9 @ 6
157.5x9 @ 7, PR
157.5x9 @ 7
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest
E1RM: 230, +4, PR

Waistline is down another 1/4", measured 38" on Sat morning. Weight is dropping a bit from last weekends trip, will hold macros steady this week and see how things go. Oddly enough elbow and knee are feeling better.

16

Sun Macros:
67f, 320c, 250p

Mon 11-13-17 PM

Bw- 224.8

8" Block Pulls w/ belt
435x1 @ Sub 6 + wwraps
465x1 @ 6
425x5 @ Easy 7 - wwraps
405x5 @ 6
Ramped up to 3.5mins rest
E1RM: 537, +7
Pulled all warm up sets hook grip and worksets mixed grip. Was going to try 435 hook but was not feeling good with last wup, 390x1. Going to scrap hook for the time being and go back to pulling mixed. Need to start recording pulls again. 465 moved real fast, most likely less than @6 based on 420x5 being an easy @7. Once the weight on the bar starts going north of 450 I really need to see video- helps me dial in my RPEs as the weight “feels” heavy. Judge that “feel” with bar speed, usually I can pull alot more than I thought based on “feels” alone.

Floor Press w/o belt, legs flat
250x1 @ sub 6
265x1 @ 6.5, PR
231x5 @ 6.5, PR
231x5 @ 7
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest
E1RM: 301, +8, PR

Front Sq w/o belt
145x9 @ 6
155x9 @ 7
155x9 @ 7.5
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest
E1RM: 226

17

Mon Macros:
69f, 307c, 249p

Tues macros:
65f, 317c, 250p

Tues 11-14-17 PM

Bw- 222.8
ABs- Ab Wheel Rollouts x15,15,10,10,10 EMOM
Pendlay Row, w/o belt 185x10.9,5 EMOM
LOL, was trying something different here. 185x10 was @ 6.5-7. Basically about 30 secs recovery at this RPE range between sets was not enough.

Hammer Curls: 35x20
Shoulder dislocates x10
30 mins on the treadmill

Wed 11-15-17 PM

BW- 224.2

High Bar Sq w/ belt & wwraps
320x1 @ Easy 6
340x1 @ Easy 7
300x5 @ 7
300x5 @ 7
Ramped up to 3.5mins rest
E1RM: 383, +12
These just feel so much better than low bar. If next week is this significant of a jump will most likely switch comp sq to high bar and see were it goes.

TNG Bench w/o belt, w/ wwraps
265x1 @ 6
280x1 @ 7
245x5 @ 7
245x5 @ 7
Ramped up to 3mins rest
E1RM: 313, +2 TNG PR

Overhead Press w/ belt & wwraps
115x9 @ 6
123x9 @ 7, PR
123x9 @ Hard 7
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest
E1RM: 180, +2, PR

Left elbow better, left wrist is bothering me. Jambed it shutting the tailgate on the truck about 6 weeks ago and it will not go away. Not enough to stop/ change training, just annoying. Going to use wwraps on everything going forward to see if it will clear up.

18

Wed Macros:
71f, 306c, 246p

Thurs 11-16-17 PM

Bw-225.2

Comp DL w/ belt & wwraps
415x1 @ sub 6
445x1 @ 6
415x4 @ 7
395x4 @ 6
Ramped up to 3.5mins rest
E1RM: 514
Back to mixed grip.

CG 2 BD Bench TNG w/o belt, w/ wwraps
255x1 @ 6, PR
270x1 @ 7, 18lb PR
236x5 @ 7, PR
236x5 @ 7
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest
E1RM: 302, PR

RDL, w/o belt, to the knees
245x9 @ Easy 6
255x9 @ 7
255x9 @ 7
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest

Weekly Tonnage & Reps
Low Stress 11-12-17
Squat: 49 reps, 11,005lbs
Bench: 100 reps, 18,649lbs
DL: 49 reps, 15,915lbs

19

Thurs Macros:
74f, 312c, 255p

Fri Macros:
69f, 302c, 243p

Sat Macros:
66f, 306c, 252p

Fri 11-17-17 PM

BW- 224.8

6 mins ABs- Hanging Knee Raises x15,15,12,12,12,10,8,8 (92 reps)
6 mins of Upper Back- Seated Lat Pulls, chin grip: 135x15,15,15,12,12,12,13 (94reps)
Shoulder dislocates x12
HIIT bike sprints x6

Sun 11-19-17 PM

Bw- 226.2

Comp Squat w belt & wwraps
330x1 @ 6
350x1 @ 7
365x1 @ 8
380x1 @ 9
305x5 @ Hard 7
305x5 @ 7
305x5 @ 7.5
Ramped up to 4mins rest
E1RM: 394, -3
Decided to go for “high bar” and push things a bit. About even compared to last week, however after reviewing video my “high bar” is not an oly high bar and looks very similar to traditional low bar hence my confusion. I had never squatted before Dec 2015 when I started Strong Lifts. I settled the bar were my shoulders allowed and were it was comfortable, at the top of my delts and the base of my neck. Feet were just slightly under shoulder width. As I progressed widened my stance to just past shoulder width. This is were I place my feet for “high bar”. After reading SSBBT again, paying more attention to bar placement I realized I needed to lower the bar about 3 inches. So this is were I have been squatting for most of this year. After reviewing video today and mentally reviewing previous sessions with the bar higher up it seems to be easier on my low back. On the “high bar” heavier singles I do have a bit more lean than on the lighter volume work were I feel like I am sitting back a bit. When I first started these I could feel my glutes and hamstrings quite a bit (maybe the wider stance). Still feels like I have “hip drive” and the bar is very stable, just resting my palms on the bar during the volume work today, not one finger around the bar. Back feels great after today, if this had been “low bar” I would be icing my back now, and at this point I am going to stop differentiating between the two and just call it a squat. Strength wise I would say it is a draw and if it helps alleviate low back/ SI pain and or fatigue then it worth it even if I lose a few pounds off the top weight.

Comp Paused Bench w belt & wwraps
260x1 @ 6
275x1 @ 7
240x5 @ 7
240x5 @ 7
240x5 @ Hard 7
Ramped up to 3.5mins rest
E1RM: 307, +1, PR

Floor Press w wwraps
190x10 @ 6
200x10 @ 7, PR
200x10 @ 7.5
Ramped up to 2.5mins rest
E1RM: 301, +0

20

Mon Macros:
66f, 303c, 246p

Tues 11-21-17 PM

Bw- 222.8
ABs- Ab Wheel Rollouts x35
Pendlay Row, w/o belt 95x10, 135x10, 155x8- back was feeling tight
Wide Grip Lat Pulls 135x10x4
Banded Pull through x20
Band Pull Aparts x20
Shoulder dislocates x10
30 mins on the treadmill

Its official, mailed in my check and entry form for the next meet. Sat Feb 3rd 2018, full power. Goals are 190kg sq, 140kg bench, and 240kg DL. Looking to solidly join the 1200 club. Training at RPE 6 and 7, or less with DLs, seems to be working. Feel like I am gaining some momentum. Going to try and phase back in pause squats next week, most likely will keep them @6 and see how it goes.