NorthStrong's Training Log

[NorthStrong]

At the behest of SCWolf, I've decided to start keeping a training log here to just give you all an idea of how I'm doing things since a couple of you were curious about how things are structured with my training.

Some background info on me that is hopefully relevant

Started lifting in December 2012, so about a year and a half of training. Had pretty bad training ADD for a while. Started at 196lbs, sitting at around 205 right now.

Started out doing a starting strength thing, then a few months of greyskull LP, then 5/3/1 for like 2 cycles, then 16 weeks of the juggernaut method, back to 5/3/1 for about 6 months, and have been training on an RTS system since about december of this year. All kinds of different training has been done, and I should have stuck to fewer things, for longer.

I have my first powerlifting meet coming up on June 28th.

I'll start logging my sessions in here starting on Monday, which will be the first session of the week before meet week which will be more or less of a deload.

Here we go!

[dragon890x]

I'm looking forward to this!

Thanks for taking the time to log your training sessions here. :D

[NorthStrong]

2 Weeks out from CPF Nats

Squat x 3 @ 10, 5%

bar x 10
95x3
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
355x3
385x3 @ 9.5 (PR, just a bit over opener)

365x1 felt like ballz

Pause Bench x 3 @ 10, 5%

barx10
95x5
135x3x2
175x3
205x3
225x3
245x3 @ 10 (PR, also, spotter grabbed it a bit but I know I had it)

230x1x3 (for practice with singles)

Commentary

Happy with this session. The triples will be just over my opening attempts, and both went well. IDK why the 365 felt so heavy for squat, but it folded me over and I was like whatever I'll go bench.

Meet is very soon, and I'm getting really excited.

Originally Posted by dragon890x

I'm looking forward to this!

Thanks for taking the time to log your training sessions here. :D

Thank you for following along!

[NorthStrong]

2 Weeks out from CPF Nats Secondary Sh!t

Pause Squat x 2 @ 9, 6%

bar x lots
135x5x2
185x2
225x2
275x2
315x2 @ 8
335x2 @ 9

315x2 @ 9 (elbows up, upper back got loose)

Spoto Press x 2 @ 9, 6%

135x10
155x2
175x2
205x2
225x2 @ 8
235x2 @ 9.5

220x2 @ 9

Press x 5 @ 10, 6%

bar x10
95x5
115x5
135x5 @ 10 (shame)

125x5 @ 10

Commentary

Alright session tonight. Went at like 11:30pm. Had to pause squat first (was supposed to be spoto press first) due to equipment usage etc. Not a big deal though.

Pause squats were meh, felt really tight still from yesterday. 335x2 was harder than it should have been.

Spoto pressing was alright. 225x2 moved very well, 235x2 not as well. I find this movement very stressful on the pec tendon for some reason, I might rotate it out of my programming after the meet for this reason.

Pressing was alright too. No rest between the bench stuff and overhead stuff, so it was maybe a bit sub par compared to what it could have been. My press strength has gone down since not prioritizing it as much. Might change that after the meet as well since overhead stuff is cool. 135x5 was meh, best rep pr is 135x8.

That was it for tonight. Lats and abs and calves tomorrow.

[SCWolf]

Originally Posted by NorthStrong

calves tomorrow.

I need to start training calves more. What are you going to be doing for calves?

[NorthStrong]

Originally Posted by SCWolf

I need to start training calves more. What are you going to be doing for calves?

Calf raises

[SCWolf]

Originally Posted by NorthStrong

Calf raises

lookin' gooooood man

[Reach]

I brought my calves up from 13.5 to 17.25 inches in 2.5 years.

Calves 3 times a week. I have two calf routines.

Day 1: 4x12 standing calf raise, done in smith machine on a block. 4x15 seated calf raises.

I usually keep the weight the same on the second session and try to do 13 or 14 reps, and then increase the weight the next session.

Day 2: Standing calf raises with weighted pack. 100 reps. Add 5 lbs to this every 2 weeks or so.

After resting for 5+ minutes, I then take the same weight and start with 20 reps. Rest 1 minute. Do 30 reps, rest 1 minute, do 40 reps, rest 1 minute etc until I fail a set.


The most important factor for growth that I've found: full ROM with no bouncing. You must absolutely squeeze out fully at the very top of the ROM. This is extremelyyyy important because it's the only way to fully engage the gastrocnemius. If you stop short you get very little contraction of the gastroc and get mostly soleus activation.

[NorthStrong]

So much calf talk

more squat talk pls

But yeah I'm mostly doing them to try and improve ankle flexibility, letting it stretch really hard at the bottom, just doin a couple sets of 10 ish with light weights 2x a week. My calves are like 17.5 without doing anything so I'm not concerned with size really.

[Reach]

17.5 doing nothing.

I don't like you :(

Mind you I have 8 inch ankles so I wasn't exactly blessed in that department.


Squat is by far my least favorite of the big 3.

But if we want to talk squats, how often do you pause squat? I noticed above that you were doing them. You do them ATG? ATG pause squatting is by far my favorite way to squat.

[NorthStrong]

I just checked and have 10" (c)ankles.

But yeah I hate pause squatting lol, pretty much been doing it 1x a week. I try to go right to where I would in a normal squat, just to train it in a more specific manner. Further out I might do them with a higher bar position and a closer stance, deeper depth kinda thing. Dan Green and Ed Coan are both big fans of that variation.

[Reach]

Yeah I just started squatting again tonight actually after a huge hiatus because of my injury...been stretching a lot though these past few months, and squatting felt good tonight.

I guess I do that variation, since I do high bar, moderate stance, ass to basically the floor and pause for 2 seconds. Brutal, but fun.

I don't know if I'll ever get back up to a 385x3 squat but I guess I'll see. For the time being I'll see if I can stay ahead of you on bench ;)

[SCWolf]

Get your form down and you won't have any issues with that.

My goal is to keep up with him lol

[NorthStrong]

Originally Posted by Reach

Yeah I just started squatting again tonight actually after a huge hiatus because of my injury...been stretching a lot though these past few months, and squatting felt good tonight.

I guess I do that variation, since I do high bar, moderate stance, ass to basically the floor and pause for 2 seconds. Brutal, but fun.

I don't know if I'll ever get back up to a 385x3 squat but I guess I'll see. For the time being I'll see if I can stay ahead of you on bench ;)

Lol the bench shouldn't be any problem, it's not my favourite lift. 315 in 2015 though for sure. Gonna get on dat dere Bill Kazmaier time.

Yeah high bar close stance squats are godo to just teach you to push with your quads if you are a PC dominant kinda person, since for a while in the powerlifting world it was considered wrong to squat with your quads at all, lol.

Originally Posted by SCWolf

Get your form down and you won't have any issues with that.

My goal is to keep up with him lol

You're pretty much fukn ahead of me on bench you kuntbag. At like a whole person lighter bodyweight.

[SCWolf]

[NorthStrong]

Stuff


Deadlift x 3 @ 10, 6%

135x5
185x3
225x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
355x3 @ 8
375x1 @ grip failure, this is new.

Close Grip Bench x 2 @ 9, 6%

barx10
95x5x2
135x2
185x2
205x2
225x2 @ 8
235x2 @ 9.5

Front Squats

bar x10
135x5
185x5x3 (forgot squat shoes, knee hurting)

Pushdowns

Commentary

Terrible day.

[NorthStrong]

8 days out CPF Nats

3ct Pause Bench x 2 @ 9, 5%

135x2
155x2
175x2
195x2
215x2 @ 8
215x2 @ 8
220x2 @ 9

210x2x2

Stiff Leg Deadlift x 5 @ 9, 5%

135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5 @ 9

260x5 @ 9 (farted hard mid set was lols / lost concentration tryin not to sh!t srs!)

Incline x 5 @ 9, 5%

bar
115x5
135x5
165x5 @ 9

155x5 @ 9

Commentary

Solid session, feeling sliightly better. Had a headache and was a bit dehydrated / needed to chit today so it wasn't awesome or anything but I got in a final bit of work.

One week out!

[NorthStrong]

Fluff n Buff

Bent Rows

135x5
155x5
175x5
155x5
155x5
135x5

Abs 2 sets

Calves 2 sets

Pushdowns 2 sets

Curls 2 sets

Commentary

Tired today. Now begins my "deload" leading into the meet. 6 days out.

[SCWolf]

How'd the calf training go

[NorthStrong]

Originally Posted by SCWolf

How'd the calf training go

It was terribly exciting. I can't wait to not have these days in my programming anymore lol.