Pushing Tin - Paekakboyz Training Log

Paekakboyz

Good overhead squat and back squat workout. Went 53 for overheads and 55 for back squats.
 
First few sets of overheads gave me that wrist pain, a bit more weight and it seems to settle down a bit. Doesn't bug me during the lift now though. Did have one rep at 60kg that I bailed on, lost tension on left shoulder/upper back. Arm twisted so I had to bring the bar down. At least I'm not so gumby about the bail now!
 
Warmed up with with sets of 5 on the bar, then 30kg and 40kg. Working sets were 53 at 50kg, 50kg, 60kg, 60kg (one bailed rep) and 60kg. PT reckons things look super solid so that's primo. The ongoing lesson is that if you lose tension by not pushing up throughout the movement it'll get dicey. Worked on push pressing the bar into overhead position too. Getting that movement sorted ahead of things getting heavier.
 
Back squats were volume and light weight. Just keeping things ticking over. Sets 55 at 100, 100, 105, 110, 110. Working on fast bar speed and depth. Bit of cheeky conditioning... the only kind of cardio I like!

Paekakboyz

Back and a bit of core today.
 
Really good KB waiters carries today. We cranked out 3 sets with 18kg no problemo. Will be using 20kg KBs next week for the first set at least. That's rare territory in these parts as my PT pointed out to us in passing... ha ha chasing him down! :good1:
 
Mixed things up by going straight to DB row combo. Increased weight to 48kg for the rows and stayed on 42kg for the press. But we did sets of 8 this week instead of 6. We alternate from time to time, and dropping to 6 reps is a good way to increase weight.
 
Today we were amping to get some work in... nothing at all to do with that 2 scoops of C4 :whistle: 
 
Used straps on the rows but that actually made things harder as the improved grip meant faster reps!! Doh! Normally have to control the descent so the DB doesn't slip out of my palm with the heavier DBs. Not worried about missing out on grip improvement as I'm doing a heap of other stuff that smashes grip. The 8 rep presses were mean too. Those last couple of reps burned hard, especially on the last set.
 
Moved to seated close grip row - 2 sets of 75kg till failure. We both hit 21 reps on both sets - sneaking in more of that conditioning.
 
Close grip lat pulldown - 3 sets of 12 at 60kg, 65kg, 70kg. Getting that full stretch to open up the lats. Feeling it something chronic already, not looking forward to DOMs... gulp.
 
Finished with two 1min planks then two 30sec planks. Mate is getting a handle on these now - he's found having his elbows forward a bit helps his shoulders. Makes the plank a bit harder but such is life.

Paekakboyz

Excellent workout today. Did a bit of stretching and rolling out last night after the gym. That really helped today. Lifted with a few little aches but it was more muscle tiredness than actual tweaks. Suck it up princess!! ha ha
 
Ran through warm up, which I've added for an update and posterity! Story time motherfuckers :greeting:
 
Foam roller work
Legs - spend at least a couple of minutes on the following areas - quads (major and teardrop), IT band, hammies, calves. Always setting things up to use as much force as possible on each movement - so it's all one legged work, no doubling up.
Back - usual stuff, few variations with arms extended overhead, or trying to stretch/rotate one side over a bit more.
Chest/shoulders - use the end of the roller and use that to roll out one pec at a time. You can rest on your knees :whistle: so you can apply some decent force and move easily. Also easy to rotate a bit and hit your shoulder, or extend the arm and start working on the inner pec, and lats up under the armpit. 
 
Stretches
Start with some hip stretches, groin, and glutes. Then some stuff that is apparently yoga that I've picked up off youtube and by watching people train. One's a lunge variation and the other has you sitting on one leg and lying your torso down. I repeat a couple of the hip stretches which gives me a good gauge on how I'm loosening up. 
Have added chest stretches - lying face down with one arm extended in your overhead lift position. Then you roll your opposite leg back over to twist your back and get that stretch rocking. You can change the angle of your arm to hit different spots too.
 
Then I put on the squat shoes and start doing wooden bar work. Nothing fancy, just a few practice reps and bringing it back and over your head to see how loose the shoulders are. 
 
Final part is using the bar. Using it to compress traps and lats/armpit area. You have to hold the bar down but it's a good trick to get that extra mobility in your shoulders. Can do it with arm down by your side or extended, the latter is a doozy!
 
Have added in band work also, to hit lats and triceps. Normally do that as part of front squat prep. 
 
Then I'd start on my warm up lifts with the bar - or say 60kg if it was backsquats.
 
On back day we do waiters carries to get started, maybe some Turkish get ups too.
 
Chest day only has the KB press hold to set your shoulders for bench. Will be adding in Turkish get ups though. 
 
So that's the stretch/roll routine for each day's training. I try and do a bit of work at home during the week, tennis ball against the wall works a treat. My advice is work out what stretching/mobility stuff will benefit your training/goals the most. Start with 2-3 things and once you see the benefits you'll probably be keen to do more. It has surprised me how quickly you can improve by doing things regularly 2-3 times a week. Umm hopefully you read all of that mini-rant with eye of the tiger in the background!! 
 
So today's workout...
 
Overhead squats.
2 sets of 5 on the bar, then another set at 25kg.
Working sets were 35kg5, 40kg3, 45kg3, 50kg3, 55kg3
 
My mate is doing really well - nudged up to 30kg today and while it cost him depth, you can see he is getting a handle on the movement. Shoulder mobility needs a fair bit of work but he nailed a few good reps. Won't be long till he's really able to use his upper body strength. He's a brick shit-house so I expect he'll put up some big numbers if he works on the mobility and practicing the movement.
 
Then we did back squats.
55 at 100kg. With short rest period to get the heart pumping. Nice and clean, really good depth. 
 
Weight has dropped into the 105's now, which is cool given I was 107 early April. I think the no-booze element is really kicking in. Plus I'm doing well with kai and portion size in particular. Seeing changes is definitely motivating. Hoping to really lock in this buzz to see me through winter!!
 
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plus...weight is shopping in around or below 107kg. Have gone in 2 notches on my belt and clothes starting to get a bit looser. Weight will come down as the fat % drops but cool to see some real progress on that front. 
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Paekakboyz

Solid chest workout with some back and core. Thee amigos tonight, with our new fulla back from illness and skirt chasing.
 
Set shoulders with KB press hold. 1min each arm with 20kg KB, two sets.
 
Did 5*5 on bench, warmed up with sets at 60kg and 80kg. 
 
Working sets of 100kg, 110kg, 110kg, 110kg, 100kg. With 5 push ups in between each set. Did 10 on the last set as I'd dropped back to a hundy.
 
Did wide grip pull ups next. Used a band to help me get out of the pocket, works a treat! Did 5 sets of 5. Can really feel my lats now and using the band meant I went to full extension rather than cribbing it a bit. Full ROM means lots of DOM!! 
 
Finished with 2 sets of Turkish get ups with 16kg KB. Good to end with a full body movement, even if it does involve weight.
 
Left hammy was a bit tweakie today - will have to make sure I stretch and roll out this week.

Paekakboyz

Good workout with my PT tonight. Had a headache all day and work was pretty intense, could have easily bailed but made myself go. From that point on I was winning :good: ah, as in the non-Charlie Sheen version (don't think that included much lifting! maybe sniffing!)
 
Had about 40min to warm up - pain of rolling out chest trumped headache pain. Seeing good improvement in range of motion with stretches etc, always good to see clear progress.
 
Yarned with my PT about the meh day etc - figured we'd go for heavy box squats and then lighter 53 deep squats. Next week we'll be back to overheads and working in some wide grip press to start prep for heavier weight. 
 
Warmed up with sets of 5 at 80kg, 100kg and 120kg. Working sets were 3 reps each at 130kg, 140kg, 150kg, 160kg, 170kg, ended up doing another set at 170kg as we started pretty light (for box squats). PT reckons I'd hit an easy 200kg if we were looking for a 1RM. Really enjoyed the 160kg+ sets. That sort of weight triggers my 'game on motherfucker' mindset. Dig the lighter stuff and working on form, but having a bit of weight on the bar is super fun time.
 
Got a mean quad and glute pump from the box squats - did the variation where you don't sit on the box. Keeping the tension rather than relaxing when you touch the box.
 
53 follow up was 100kg for the first 3 sets then 110kg for the last two. Smoked these and was feeling pretty good.
 
Will sleep well tonight, and after a good feed and shower the headache is gone!

Paekakboyz

Hit PBs on our waiters carries tonight. Stoked! 3 sets of carries with KB's - about 15m circuit each arm. Tonight we managed 20kg on our first set, then dropped back to 18s for the last two, and they felt super light. Left side was a bit harder than dominate right side but it was all good. Had the meanest forearm pump after the first set, grip strength was getting hammered! Haven't managed 20s before so that was pretty sick.
 
Did wide grip overhead press afterwards. We were going to do push press but I was keen to give these a hoon as I didn't do overheads last night. Was also keen to work up to 70kg to see if I can manage that overhead. On sat I'll be doing some heavier sets of overheads and tonight's work means I feel all good to handle 70kg, at least for one rep!! 
 
We did sets of 5, with a slow negative (maybe a 2-3 sec count) at 30kg, 35kg, 40kg. Then dropped to sets of 3 (same pause) at 50kg, 60kg and 70kg. It's weird that with pressing you have to deal with multiple reps and the burn. But when squatting it the challenge is more controlling bar movement through the squat. In any case if you stop pushing the bar upward you're kind of screwed! Mate was stoked with how he went on these - weekday training buddy has really loose shoulders that cause him some issues. He's a strong mofo and the KB work and stuff we've been doing has helped out heaps.
 
Finished with our one arm DB rows/press. 3 sets of 6 each arm with 46kg for the row and 40kg for the press. Mad shoulder/back pump, and both buzzing about the waiters carries.

Paekakboyz

Made it to the gym this morning after a late night on the energy drinks and Tramadol watching the league... :whistle:
 
Legs, especially hammies, were super tired. Mate isn't squatting yet either so we did a bunch of turkish get up variations.
 
Rolled out and stretched for a good 20min. Then started out on turkish gets ups.
 
First round with a 12kg KB. For these ones we added a walk after you stand with the KB from the TG movement, with the KB extended overhead. Go for a 15m walk then come back and complete the movement. Did two sets with 12kg, 14kg, 16kg.
 
Then we upped the weight and did a 30sec plank after each set. That was with 18kg, 20kg, 24kg2. The planks made it that much more challenging on core.
 
Finished with 4 sets of curls on the ezibar - 2020kg, 1625kg, 1230kg then a set till failure on 25kg to finish, mate got 20 and I managed 22 and then just about died.
 
Awesome workout in the end. Legs felt heaps looser and while I'm tired nothing in particular hurts. Apart from my guns which will be giving me some DOMs tomorrow. gulp.

MN5

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Made it to the gym this morning after a late night on the energy drinks and Tramadol watching the league... :whistle:
 
Legs, especially hammies, were super tired. Mate isn't squatting yet either so we did a bunch of turkish get up variations.
 
Rolled out and stretched for a good 20min. Then started out on turkish gets ups.
 
First round with a 12kg KB. For these ones we added a walk after you stand with the KB from the TG movement, with the KB extended overhead. Go for a 15m walk then come back and complete the movement. Did two sets with 12kg, 14kg, 16kg.
 
Then we upped the weight and did a 30sec plank after each set. That was with 18kg, 20kg, 24kg2. The planks made it that much more challenging on core.
 
Finished with 4 sets of curls on the ezibar - 2020kg, 1625kg, 1230kg then a set till failure on 25kg to finish, mate got 20 and I managed 22 and then just about died.
 
Awesome workout in the end. Legs felt heaps looser and while I'm tired nothing in particular hurts. Apart from my guns which will be giving me some DOMs tomorrow. gulp.
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Paekakboyz" data-cid="577570" data-time="1462586873">
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Made it to the gym this morning after a late night on the energy drinks and Tramadol watching the league... :whistle:
 
Legs, especially hammies, were super tired. Mate isn't squatting yet either so we did a bunch of turkish get up variations.
 
Rolled out and stretched for a good 20min. Then started out on turkish gets ups.
 
First round with a 12kg KB. For these ones we added a walk after you stand with the KB from the TG movement, with the KB extended overhead. Go for a 15m walk then come back and complete the movement. Did two sets with 12kg, 14kg, 16kg.
 
Then we upped the weight and did a 30sec plank after each set. That was with 18kg, 20kg, 24kg2. The planks made it that much more challenging on core.
 
Finished with 4 sets of curls on the ezibar - 2020kg, 1625kg, 1230kg then a set till failure on 25kg to finish, mate got 20 and I managed 22 and then just about died.
 
Awesome workout in the end. Legs felt heaps looser and while I'm tired nothing in particular hurts. Apart from my guns which will be giving me some DOMs tomorrow. gulp.
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Any excuse not to do chins aye bro :knuppel:

Paekakboyz

yeah... about those chins... ah, next week!!
 
Chest day - added in two sets of KB waiters carries. Sneaking these in twice a week now. Managed two clean sets with the 20's. Stoked.
 
Set shoulders with 30sec holds with 20kg, repeated twice each side.
 
Continued with our bench press and push up super sets. Today we did 53 with 10 strict push ups after each set.
 
Warmed up on 6012 and 80*10. Working sets were 110kg, then 120kg for the next four sets. Push ups didn't get tough till the last set. Hella lactic acid but the push ups felt waaaay lighter than the 120kg! Pleased with bench strength tonight, only had to grind out the last rep on the last two sets. Slowed down a bit on the last set, triceps had a massive pump.
 
Did Turkish get ups to finish. 3 sets with 14kg KB. Didn't want to go for anything heavier as our arms were smashed.
 
Tomorrow is going to be interesting, hope I can still move my arms!

Paekakboyz

Man, just couldn't find the chin bar today. Wee bugger must have been hiding :whistle:
 
It was a filthy day in wellies. But there's nothing better than smacking workday stress in the face with some weights. Giddy up!
 
PT session tonight. Had nearly an hour to stretch and roll out. Really noticing improved mobility through my chest and shoulders. But I overstretched my right hip tonight. Not painful but it tightened up a bit. No problems with squat strength or depth though.
 
Warmed up on overheads with the wooden staff then with 30kg. Sets of 5 and a few pause squats thrown in.
 
We were working on adding new movements tonight. Building toward the more technical lifts. Tonight we started with 5 overhead push presses, with hip drive to get the bar moving, into 5 overhead squats. Nothing overly heavy and working on bar speed and driving through hips. Then transitioning into the squats without too much delay or resetting etc.
 
That meant 10 reps with the bar overhead per set, so that got my shoulder pumped pretty fast. Did 2 sets at 40kg then 3 more sets at 45kg. Really happy with how solid the lockout feels - still have to do minor adjustments with bar position from time to time - but getting there.
 
Next we started working on snatch balance - which is some mystical trippy shit. Essentially dropping down under the bar into a squat (as deep as possible) with the bar locked out in overhead position. Trick is working out how it all works and being fast enough to catch the bar before it drops.
 
For the first few sets I was giving the bar a bit of a push to clear extra space to get under. Felt super unco but by the 3rd set I was starting to figure out what I needed to be doing. Bit of banter with my PT trying to describe the movement and where to start. You kind of stand there going wtf then wham, get under that sucker. Easy to practice on my own so that'll be added to high rotation till I've got a handle on things.
 
Not sure if I'm on the slippery slope to crossfit :think: nah, too cardio shy to get into that guff!

Paekakboyz

Shoulders are on fire. Had a mean workout tonight. Reckon we officially reached the 20kg KB club - 3 clean sets each, even if there were a wobble or two. Had a brief hoon on a 24kg KB - sketchy but managed 5-6m before I bailed. One day ha ha
 
So we did KB waiters carries 320kg KB
 
Wide grip behind the head press, with slow negatives. Sets of 5 starting with the bar, then, 30kg, 40kg, 50kg, 60kg, 70kg. For the 60kg and 70kg we dropped to 3 reps. I mentioned my shoulders were feeling it then worked out I'd trained yesterday - doh. 
 
DB row and press combo. Hit 48kg on rows and stuck with 40kg on the press. 3 sets of 8. Using straps on the row, which is good as the waiters carries do a number on your grip.
 
Finished with 530sec planks with 30sec rest between them. Nice way to finish, core strength is really coming along nicely. 
 
Still sitting around 105-106kg, slipped a bit with clean eating but not too badly. No booze since late Jan and that's really starting to kick in now, particularly when I'm managing a regular routine.

Paekakboyz

meh, have been an old man the last few days. Hip tightened up and my lower back started giving me yips on sat morning. Going to have a week off and rest up. Will do some stretching but suspect I overtrained in the last couple of weeks where pretty much every workout was gnarly. I think I might be getting too much torque on the one armed rows and that would explain the lower back soreness.

Paekakboyz

Back to the gym for a light session tomorrow - man, I've really noticed a difference with no exercise this week. Getting scratchy and grumpy ha ha

Paekakboyz

Hip is on the mend, should be sweet for some squats this weekend or next week... hopefully!
 
Chest, arms and core tonight. Bit of pre-workout fired things up - needed it with the cold snap that hit wellies today.
 
2 sets of waiters carries with 20kg KB. Really noticing improved grip strength - unless the KB gets into a really bad position I can keep that bad boy under control.
 
Bench and push up supersets next. Wussed out and only did 5 push ups each set, but did them decline style.
 
Warmed up on 60kg for 10. Then working sets of 1005, rest were 1105 and that went pretty well. Push ups were mint. It's working really well for my shoulders - no soreness at all from bench. Aside from the DOMs of course!
 
Next we did some skull crushers with 30kg DB 2 sets of 6 then a set of 12 to finish.
 
Finished up with 6*30sec planks with 30 rest in between. Core strength is coming along nicely - no shakes or wobbles at all till the last set and even that wasn't a bother. 
 
Weight is down to an even 105kg most mornings. That's down from 113kg around Jan. Booze ban still in effect, no dramas on that front - we do have tickets for ABs v Wales at the cake tin. But if I'm popping my booze cherry in June I doubt it'll be with shitty watery stadium 'beer'!!

MN5

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Hip is on the mend, should be sweet for some squats this weekend or next week... hopefully!
 
Chest, arms and core tonight. Bit of pre-workout fired things up - needed it with the cold snap that hit wellies today.
 
2 sets of waiters carries with 20kg KB. Really noticing improved grip strength - unless the KB gets into a really bad position I can keep that bad boy under control.
 
Bench and push up supersets next. Wussed out and only did 5 push ups each set, but did them decline style.
 
Warmed up on 60kg for 10. Then working sets of 1005, rest were 1105 and that went pretty well. Push ups were mint. It's working really well for my shoulders - no soreness at all from bench. Aside from the DOMs of course!
 
Next we did some skull crushers with 30kg DB 2 sets of 6 then a set of 12 to finish.
 
Finished up with 6*30sec planks with 30 rest in between. Core strength is coming along nicely - no shakes or wobbles at all till the last set and even that wasn't a bother. 
 
Weight is down to an even 105kg most mornings. That's down from 113kg around Jan. Booze ban still in effect, no dramas on that front - we do have tickets for ABs v Wales at the cake tin. But if I'm popping my booze cherry in June I doubt it'll be with shitty watery stadium 'beer'!!
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Really ? wouldn't have thought you'd have hit that but I haven't seen you face to face in awhile.

Paekakboyz

Yeah bro, full on beefcake. Got into some bad habits last year with kai and booze - always enjoyed a beer while cooking and another eating dinner. But that snuck up to 3-4 some evenings, then most evenings. It was only when I took the recycling out (missus drinks very little) that I started to see how much I was drinking. If you've got to make two trips you might need to ease off ha ha
 
It's taken nearly 3 months for the body to get used to zero alcohol and the weight is starting to drop faster. Means I'm finally getting more out of my muscle mass in terms of metabolism - which is cool as I can see progress now whereas when I was drinking I was getting stronger but the weight was going up or staying static at best.

MN5

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Yeah bro, full on beefcake. Got into some bad habits last year with kai and booze - always enjoyed a beer while cooking and another eating dinner. But that snuck up to 3-4 some evenings, then most evenings. It was only when I took the recycling out (missus drinks very little) that I started to see how much I was drinking. If you've got to make two trips you might need to ease off ha ha
 
It's taken nearly 3 months for the body to get used to zero alcohol and the weight is starting to drop faster. Means I'm finally getting more out of my muscle mass in terms of metabolism - which is cool as I can see progress now whereas when I was drinking I was getting stronger but the weight was going up or staying static at best.
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Yeah gotta watch the boozing, I'll never ever go cold turkey, enjoy it too much but it is definitely my only real vice so I watch it like a hawk most of the time. I rarely eat desert, sweets etc, I do enjoy doritos and chippies in general though......

Paekakboyz

Brutal shoulder session with PT tonight. Hip is getting better so I'll probably do some light leg stuff on sat.
 
Today we did 4 super set exercises
 
Lying rotator cuff with 4kg DB sets of 15. Matched with standing one arm KB press, with the KB upside down. Sets of 6 each arm with 14kg KB. Got to keep your glutes and core locked out, otherwise you get a sway and lose control of the KB.
 
Second one was standing shoulder BB press. Learning the rack position to it sits down on your clavicles and your arms are resting on your lats. Gives you a solid platform to work with. Again you gotta keep the core and glutes locked. That was combo'd up with chin ups - band assisted. Sets of 6 for each. Had 40kg on the bar so it was about getting the movement sorted.
 
Next was 1.5kg plates and doing a bent arm row - keeping your upper back super tight. First set was a bit iffy but got the hang of it from there on. That was partnered with cable reverse rows - targeting the upper back and shoulders again. Mean burn by this stage.
 
Finished with reps of DB press into a walk with them held overhead. Started with 4 reps, then walk 15m, then 3 reps, 15m walk and 2 reps to finish. 14kg DBs. Way harder to keep DB's overhead compared to the barbell - after that I did 6 pull ups with the band again. We did 3 sets of this.
 
Shoulders felt monster after all this - was well knackered too! PT is a bloody wizard, no matter what is busted with yo ass he's got a plan. Picked up a few new exercises to inflict on my training bros now too! Share the love, spread the pain/gain!

Paekakboyz

Repeat of last nights workout - but we mixed up the order a bit. Shoulders were pretty sweet today so backing up was all good. 
 
Good fun taking training mate to a dark place, his problem shoulder was all good so that was choice. Especially as I'm keen to add this stuff to regular programme.
 
We added KB waiters carries beforehand too so that added some pain to the menu.

Paekakboyz

Hulk smash. Well not really but rode the victory buzz of the Canes win, plus 2 scoops of C4 into today's workout.
 
Mate and I were getting back into squats today - he's slowly coming right from nearly 4 months off squats with a hip complaint. My hip soreness had dropped away and it was only hurting if I was pushing it with stretches. So we aimed to hit good depth without going for ATG.
 
Rolled out and did some stretching. Started with back squats - really light and a bit more stretching in between the warm up sets.
 
Did 3 sets of 40kg for 12 reps, 2 sets of 60kg for 8 to finish warm up.
 
Wrking sets were 8 reps at 70kg and 80kg. 6 at 100kg and 110kg. Then 4 at 120kg and 140kg to finish. 
 
After that we did 2 sets of KB goblet squats. 20kg for 12. Nice way to burn out the legs and hammer glutes. Everything was pinging after this. Hips felt tired but no soreness and I could drop into a ATG squat without discomfort. We even through in a set of overhead squats with just the bar. Shoulders were a bit tight but no problem. Chur!
 
Finished up with alternating sets of pull ups (overhead press spacing for hands) and chins. 6 reps each set. I did better on the chins but managed the pull ups with a light spot rather than use the rubber band. Good to stretch the back out after two days of shoulder/back work. 
 
Stoked with how my hip went. I'll roll out a bit today and take it easy next week. Might wait till sat for any more squatting but secretly hoping I might be ok for some light stuff on wed. Will see how that goes.
 
Had another buzz the other day when trying on some old clothes, the fit nice and easy so that's further evidence things are going well.

The Silver Fern

Pushing Tin - Paekakboyz Training Log