My training log

Hello everyone,

Decided to try a training log in cyberspace as well as in my notebook. Since my plan is to try and get better at gymnastics for the time being, this seemed a good place to start. I am a 25 year old male from sweden, 190cm or 6'2" at about 90kg or ~200lb bodyweight, pretty lean. Obviously not the perfect gymnast build but I still figure that this stuff will be a very productive way for me to train. History is I have bum left shoulder which has dislocated probably around twenty times. Started training 2 years ago to rehab it, didn't really know to do but it did get better anyway. Started training crossfit style a year ago, then switched to "Starting Strength", the basic barbell program designed by Mark Rippetoe a few months ago. Gained about 15kg of lean bodyweight throughout this so you can imagine where I was at from the start. Shoulder is still not perfect but way better and I can do a whole lot more stuff with it now. So far I've dislocated i thrice this year mainly from doing stupid new stuff when fatigued.

Current training regime is a mix of rock climbing and max strength training. My plan is to work mostly the static holds on strength days and also one push and one pull. I will try and get to the gym twice a week and work lower body type stuff, will then reduce volume on the rest. So it will be a dynamic schedule depending on how I feel, what I've been doing the days before etc.

I will use the progression format outlined in Coach Sommer's dragon door article, and try to get a full minute hold on the statics before moving on to the next progression. I feel like this should give my joints enough time to strengthen for me to be able to avoid elbow issues etc.

Goals:

200kg deadlift (did 170kg for 4 reps last session, albeit with significant loss of curvature in lower back)

Full ROM HSPU against wall (current max is 5 HeSPU on a good day)

straddle front and back lever ( maybe full lay eventually but seems reeeally far away atm)

solid advanced tuck planche

some kind of planche pushup

strict muscle-up (hurt my elbows this summer trying to get one, will take it easy this time around)

increased shoulder stability (kind of vague but so far just getting better at pullups and overhead pressing has worked really well in this regard)

So hopefully I will get this going and maybe receive some feedback.

Regards,

Emil

I have shoulder stability issues as well, and the wall handstands have done more than any one other thing to help. Chest expander work is also working wonders.

Good to see another scandinavian

If I were you I'd use Ido's shoulder and scapula routines every day before you work out and on off days aswell.

slizzardman said:

Chest expander work is also working wonders.

Not to hijack the thread, but what is "chest expander work"?

Definitely take Razz's advice and check Ido's stuff. It's very good.

Chest expander work is done with elastic bands. I am not familiar enough with it to give more than a few exercises, but it is similar to a few of the things Ido does in his Scapular Mobility video. When my good expanders make it here in a week or so I will post a video showing what exercises there are and the benefits. It's coming with a dvd and a book, and I'll eventually order another course on it by Syd Devis. The chest expanders seem to be primarily a way to build high levels of shoulder girdle strength.

I've seen Ido's routine and done it once or twice. Generally I'm just terrible with following PT type stuff, but I know I should. Scapular mobilization and restoring correct movement patterns would definitely benefit me. In general tho I think you see a lot of benefit from just working the normal strength exercises for the shoulder girdle. It's not like the rotator cuff stops working just because you're pressing something heavy. My hope is that an increased focus on ring training will be effective for this as well.

The problem is that just working the ring strength and 'heavy pressing' doesn't work the rotator cuff in the same way as the prehab exercises and in the end you WILL have an unstable or injured shoulder.. just look at 99% of people who lift weights for 10 years without doing prehab.. they all have at least minor problems now and then and most of them have major problems that keeps coming back at them. Building flexibility and stability is very important

Very interesting guys, thanks. I had been doing bits and pieces of Ido's scapula mobilization routine already. Don't think I have any shoulder issues but enjoyed the resistance of the band exercise. How's this for a comprehensive guide: http://www.scribd.com/doc/7781038/Fatmans-Guide-to-Cable-Training

Thanks! I am reading that now, and it's great!

That stuff is old skool for sure. I don't think I'll try the spreader with the 4 springs attached by wooden dowels because the springs would rip the hair off my chest :shock:

OUCH.

Lifeline makes a great chest expander, with adjustable cables up to 270 lbs of resistance It's quite ridiculous. I have this fantasy that some day I will be able to do that lol!!!

3/12

AM:

Frogstand 2 sets: 35 sec and 25 sec

PM:

Tuck back lever 3 sets of 25 sec

Tuck front lever 4 sets of 5 negatives

Bulgarian ring pushups 5x3 (3 sets of 5 reps)

Some L-chins and ring pullups

3x3 jumping pistols each leg

I have a solution to this whole shoulder re/prehab thing. I will do it at work. I work in a primary care center so I can access the PT training area and use the bands there. Should be a productive thing to do at lunch. I already do my planche progressions between patients.

4/12 -09

Ran through shoulder pre/rehab routine twice. Little bit of discomfort in the ulnar part of the left distal biceps tendon, for whatever reason. Went away as soon as I finished the routine.

5/12

Handstand practice 5 mins

Front squat 102.5kg 5reps x 3 sets (switched temporarily from low bar back squat which hurts my forearms oddly enough. Will try a high bar back squat in a while, see if that works better)

Tuck back lever: 2 sets of 30 secs

Tuck front lever 4 sets of 5 negatives. Managed a 6-7 sec static with hips slightly too high. Hopefully I will be able to hold the correct position pretty soon.

Seated muscle-up transitions + dips a couple of sets of 4-5 reps

20kg weighted back extensions 15x2

6/12

Indoor climbing mostly for some volume and flexor endurance

Shoulder re/prehab routine x 1

Frog stand 30sec + 25sec

8/12

Full cleans: singles on the minute for 15 minutes with 90kg

Little bit of handstand work

Tuck back lever two sets: 40sec + 25sec with pull back to inverted hang.

Tuck front lever negatives 4 sets: managed a 3-4 sec hold in a good position. Soon will start working these using statics instead of negatives.

HeSPU 4 sets of 3 reps

Curls from inverted hang: 5x4

Thoughts on programming cleans? I've tried the starting strength model of 3x5 but didn't really like it. This way of doing it felt pretty good, and I've seen some other people program in this manner. 90kg is about 90% of my old PR, so fairly high intensity. Still felt pretty easy.

If you intend to get as strong as you possibly can with the cleans, you pretty much have to do singles. You're doing a lot of them, but if it isn't wearing you out then keep it up! I used to do my deadlifts like that and that's how I got up to 510 lbs. If you're going for some other goal you may want to adjust your workout.

I'd do what you're doing until you feel like you've got really good form, and until your tendons have adapted, maybe a few months, and then use your singles as a warm-up progression. LIke, 1 single with 60, 1 with 70, 1 with 80, 1 with 90, and then maybe 91 or 92, and do 5-6 singles there. When you're doing good with that, and don't feel like it's much of a challenge, go up another kg or so.

There are others who like to go up 2-4 kg at a time, or about 5-10 lbs, but sometimes that's too much, and it is a good idea to keep a success habit going. What I mean by that is, when you only go up by 2.2 lbs, or 1 kg, you're going to get the clean. That means you succeed. If you miss a weight on your first try, you may start to think of it as "heavy," and if you think of something as "heavy" or "hard" you will be more likely to fail. Instead, it's always easy weight, and you give it everything you have. That's strength/power style.

I prefer more steady 1-2 lb jumps in weight to 5 lb jumps myself. Some like the challenge of the 5 or 10 lb increase, but I prefer to keep getting stronger steadily with small increases. When I end up being REALLY strong on some things, like when I'm curling 150 or so with the 3" bar, I"ll start using water bottles and put in a half shot to a shot per bottle(1.5-3 ounces total) every workout while maintaining sets and reps. So over time I'll go up in weight, but the difference from workout to workout will be so small that I'll be able to keep going at the same set/rep scheme. Some will say that you can not progress like that without going to more volume, but when you get to a high strength level, like when you break 150kg on your clean, you're going to want to go up ounces at a time. Extra volume at that point will detrain you from a strength perspective. There's a reason that a LOT of successful O-lifters and powerlifters use singles. They work.

I definitely agree with you about microloading, and probably even more for the clean than any other lift. I don't currently have a good way to microload something I might have to drop to the floor. Using 1lb ankle weights on the other lifts, but I've already broken a set of those from dropping a clean. Will have to work something out. I have definitely had the experience of doing an easy 92.5kg power clean, moving to 95kg and just not even being able to accelerate the bar from the hang.

The weight I am using atm isn't THAT hard for me so I am thinking about moving up like 2.5kg or so, but not sure. Might stick with this weight for a while and drill form and allow myself to adapt.

I will say one thing: moving to this new training regime (from starting strength) with no linear progression, and no forcing oneself to make a new PR every workout, has done wonders for my recovery. My whole body feels real fresh and no pain anywhere. So sticking with a given weight for a few workouts and allowing adaptation, which would be a clear no-no earlier, seems like a nice alternative right now.

9/12:

Climbing in indoor climbing gym. Made my project route (with some rest breaks) which is easily the hardest I've ever climbed. So yay.

Static stretching and Ido shoulder routine x1 at home.

Also, just wanted to make it clear that I am definitely not a good climber more like slightly better than noob. Active flexibility and grip strength is still limiting me fairly severely, but making steady progress so happy about that.

12/12

A little bit of handstand and glute activation work in the warmup.

Tuck back lever: 45 sec + 15 sec with pull back to inverted hang.

Tuck front lever: 4 sets of negatives. Making progress.

Tuck yewkis + bulgarian ring pushups (3+5/5+5/5+5/3+5) So this was a nice combo, hit the abs in a good way.

Deadlift: 165kgx5 (4F) Sucked really bad. Blame having had some alcohol two days in a row. Core was a bit tired from the rest o the workout.

Yeah alcohol kills

Razz said:

Yeah alcohol kills

Yup, it's terrible. I've cut consumption down pretty drastically this fall but now there's christmas parties and whatnot.

13/12

Climbing

Headstand practice

Ido shoulder routine + static stretching of hip flexors, hammies, intrinsic hip muscles + 2 sets of 10 wrist pushups

14/12

Frog stand 50sec + 10sec

Loads of hip stretching at work.

Most likely you are able to move on to a harder planche progression now