Blonde will make you STRONG

[EvilPie]

Really good day with DLs today.

4x8 at 150kg. last rep I bowed out at 7, but didn't use the belt at all. I always feel my form can get a bit sloppy with the belt so looking to go beltless for as long as I can.

All the accessory work went up to. Trying to add in two 1h walks a week, but the weather isn't on my side, and Im not about the walking in rain life, I realise how millennial that sounds.

Vegas is looking unlikely now which kinda sucks, but if I cant looking to go away in July for a long weekend, so really looking to push towards then. Not sure how much progression I will get weight wise, but will go for it as long as I can. I think I will finish at 82kg, so the numbers I am putting up now I would absolutely love at that weight. I haven't weighed in this week, so not sure where I am at.

Savage!


Tenerife is nice any time of year, and only a  4 hour flight.

Some awesome places within a 4 hour window though isn't there. We are off to Madrid for the last bank holiday of May. I really fancy Barca but not sure if I will be spanished out. I do kinda want a beach/sun combo.

Can't go wrong with Spain, in fairness.

Think I'm heading to Sidari in Corfu in July. Looks a un kinda place and surprisingly cheap.

[EvilPie]

Glad I posted that, cheers for the advice! Makes sense that as a beginner I'll gain no matter what I do, but yeah if I want to bench more probably the best thing to do is bench more. Increasing my numbers is def my primary goal atm.

Seeing him today so will let him know what you guys have said. We're doing a back session which I'm starting to think I can probably do on my own. Might be worth the £17 just to get me through the door after work though.

I think bench is one of the hardest technical movements too, outside of OL. I think people really underestimate how full body it is. So practising the motion is going to be huge. But you're right, as a beginner you are just going to grow by going. The problem lies when you become an intermediate/advanced and haven't nailed the movement pattern and you just hit the brick wall.

Completely agree with this, I've seen huge differences now that I'm able to recruit more muscles in to each press.

Currently really working on leg drive which involves glute activation as well. When I get a rep just right it absolutely flies up so I'm determined to groove the movement so that it sticks on every rep.

I have one heavy bench day and one technique day. Technique day actually hurts more as I'm using so many other muscles which aren't used to being activated whilst lying down.

Definitely found this interesting. When i'm struggling to force out a bench rep i tend to find my feet lift off the floor. Gonna have to think about trying to use them which in turn will keep them firmly grounded.

Speaking of bench, we pyramided up then i did 3 reps of 65kg independently plus 2 assisted reps of 70kg. Was very fucking hard but it's progress. 

That's just your body trying to recruit more muscles to help out. If your feet were planted properly they wouldn't move so more muscles would contract and you'd have that little bit of help that you need.

There's loads of great bench press videos on youtube and these are the best in my opinion:







Set half an hour aside and watch them all. Once you've watched them al re-watch the first video about set up and just focus on that and your bench press will improve.

I watch these regularly and particularly before a bench session. I just pick one particular element and focus on that, you can't fix everything in one session so just one or possibly two things per session is fine.

[EvilPie]

Get yourself in here when you go to Vegas, Matt http://pizzarocklasvegas.com/

I'm reserving 3/4 lunch/dinners, so I can work through the whole menu.

Just got back. Fuck sake!!

[EvilPie]

Really good day with DLs today.

4x8 at 150kg. last rep I bowed out at 7, but didn't use the belt at all. I always feel my form can get a bit sloppy with the belt so looking to go beltless for as long as I can.

All the accessory work went up to. Trying to add in two 1h walks a week, but the weather isn't on my side, and Im not about the walking in rain life, I realise how millennial that sounds.

Vegas is looking unlikely now which kinda sucks, but if I cant looking to go away in July for a long weekend, so really looking to push towards then. Not sure how much progression I will get weight wise, but will go for it as long as I can. I think I will finish at 82kg, so the numbers I am putting up now I would absolutely love at that weight. I haven't weighed in this week, so not sure where I am at.

I really wanna see you hit 200 on these soon.

I can't even imagine 5 at 150 for a single set never mind 4 x 8. I'm pretty terrible at volume on DL so my singles won't be too far behind you but for volume you're absolutely miles ahead of me.

Awesome stuff.

[Marky147]

Get yourself in here when you go to Vegas, Matt http://pizzarocklasvegas.com/

I'm reserving 3/4 lunch/dinners, so I can work through the whole menu.

Just got back. Fuck sake!!

Oops

I'll be moving in there for a few days, so will let you know if it's worth trying.

[EvilPie]

So as expected Vegas was brilliant. Slightly tainted by having a cold for the whole 5 days which was particularly bad on the first couple of days meaning I could barely talk.

Still felt bad when I got back aqnd didn't train Wednesday through to Friday but managed to get in for a bench session yesterday feeling about 80% or so.

I did surprisingly well managing a few paused triples at 100kg on the incline but then fatigue really kicked in half way through my 3 x 5 + AMRAP and I had to bail out before the AMRAP. I would've expected this to be tough even on a good day as I'd missed a week but with the added cold recovery I just flagged. Still I was pleased just managing to get there and got 2 x 5 at 107.5kg which was far from disappointing given the circumstances. I'll drop back down to 105kg next week and hopefully I'll smoke that and be back on form.

I'm going to be dieting for the next few weeks to try to drop a few kgs. Nothing drastic just cut out the extras I normally have to try to gain weight. Might also throw in a few walks in the evening same as Harvey has been doing. That's one of things I've missed out on since not having a dog, we used to do quite long walks when he was young and even when he got old it would be at least a mile a night and the calories add up.

Starting weight is about 105kg. No particular target just want to get back on to belt hole number 3 on my work belt and number 6 on my training belt.

[the sicilian]

PT has got me lon ots of conditioning .. lots of ascending and descending ladders i.e.  something like 25-20-15-10-5 and reverse say 5-10-15-20-25 ...ovehead lunges with olympic bar and full chest to floor burpees..no stopping ( well a few hands on kness breathers wondering why i actually enjoy this hell ) then EMoms..basically alternating excercises changing every minute.. you complete the excercise then what ever is left of the minute thats your rest period..then you start the next excercise etc usually six rounds..12 minutes ..lastest one is goblet squats with 30kg dumbell followed by hammer curl to overhead press 12 reps each.

Its all a new kind of hell..but i flipping love it.. looking to get shredded for summer.. not doing much strength work.. my bench is pretty pitiful ( i think ..never been much of a bencher )at 100kg..seem to be a natural squatter ( low centre of gravity ..i.e im a short arse )  currently doing :

10 X 80kg
10 X 100Kg
10 X 120KG
10 X 130KG
squeezing 6 at 140KG... not too sure how far to push..i think 160kg is within range but im worried about injury.. ego over age

Looks like all kind of hell that lot.

100kg bench isn't weak at all, it's surprising how few people can stick two plates on a bar for more than a couple of reps. How many sets/reps are you doing?

Solid squat work there. Maybe rather than push the weight you could do fewer at the lighter weights just as warm ups then do 3 or 4 sets of 8 to 10 at 140kg. Those lighter sets particularly the 80 and 100kg are just warming up if you're getting up to 140kg. You're fatiguing yourself which means you can't do as much at the working weight. If you're getting 10 out at 130kg I can't imagine you really feel the 10 at 100kg so they might be a waste.

Perhaps try
10 x 80kg
6 x 100kg
4 x 120kg
2 x 130kg

Then 3 sets of 6-8 at 140kg....

Whatever you do it's bloody impressive. How much you weighing in at now?

Hey Mr Evil .. Hope you are well..

bench wise i do
10 x 60kg
10 x 80 kg
6 x 100kg

its ok i suppose.. just i seem to do better at most other strength items.. i think a little more practice will bring it up.. i train on my own so no spotter.. so not that happy going for it for fear of ending up with a bar on top of me i cant move looooool..

you may be right about the squats.. 100kg is pretty comy tbh..ive always be conditioned for reps over weight which is fine in most areas..

im about 14'8 at the moment looking at being about 14 stone but solid and cut ( if that possible at my age ).. i think its going to be more food than excercise and im stricting up on the diet side..more protein..less carbs and bad stuff..which is hard for a self confessed pizzaboy .. but clean for 3 weeks

For someone who's not focused on strength you're pretty fucking strong 

LoL.... Thanks... Might have to work on my dead lifts to catch up with you though..think i managed a dirty 1 rep at 150 kg once.. usually only do 100-110.. my lower back is my only real weakness

[EvilPie]

LoL.... Thanks... Might have to work on my dead lifts to catch up with you though..think i managed a dirty 1 rep at 150 kg once.. usually only do 100-110.. my lower back is my only real weakness

I doubt your lower back's particularly weak if you're squatting 140kg+

Probably more to do with technique and not getting on to your hams and glutes quite as you should be.

If it was a 'dirty rep' I'd imagine it's more that your lower back and quads are doing most of the lift then your upper back is having to finish off on its own.

Video yourself if you can and post it here for us to have a look. Maybe even join us for a deadlift session. I keep mentioning it to Harvey but he's swerving..... Think he's getting scared

[StuartHopkin]

Get yourself in here when you go to Vegas, Matt http://pizzarocklasvegas.com/

I'm reserving 3/4 lunch/dinners, so I can work through the whole menu.

Just got back. Fuck sake!!

Oops

I'll be moving in there for a few days, so will let you know if it's worth trying.

Full report on the Sausage and Stout Pizza please Marky.

[muckthenuts]

Decided to give 120kg squats a go yesterday. Got 2 reps fine but struggled and very nearly toppled forward on the 3rd rep! Scary shit. I got it but regardless going take it a little slower from now on, you won't see me experimenting with 130 next week

My deadlift is also 120kg lol. Tried 130 but it didn't move.. Would love to get 145 out at some point this year, that'd be about 2x body weight for me.

Everyone in the thread seems to be smashing it right now which is sick. Personally I've never looked better or felt stronger than I do right now. PT was one of the best decisions I made this year for sure.

[muckthenuts]

Glad I posted that, cheers for the advice! Makes sense that as a beginner I'll gain no matter what I do, but yeah if I want to bench more probably the best thing to do is bench more. Increasing my numbers is def my primary goal atm.

Seeing him today so will let him know what you guys have said. We're doing a back session which I'm starting to think I can probably do on my own. Might be worth the £17 just to get me through the door after work though.

I think bench is one of the hardest technical movements too, outside of OL. I think people really underestimate how full body it is. So practising the motion is going to be huge. But you're right, as a beginner you are just going to grow by going. The problem lies when you become an intermediate/advanced and haven't nailed the movement pattern and you just hit the brick wall.

Completely agree with this, I've seen huge differences now that I'm able to recruit more muscles in to each press.

Currently really working on leg drive which involves glute activation as well. When I get a rep just right it absolutely flies up so I'm determined to groove the movement so that it sticks on every rep.

I have one heavy bench day and one technique day. Technique day actually hurts more as I'm using so many other muscles which aren't used to being activated whilst lying down.

Definitely found this interesting. When i'm struggling to force out a bench rep i tend to find my feet lift off the floor. Gonna have to think about trying to use them which in turn will keep them firmly grounded.

Speaking of bench, we pyramided up then i did 3 reps of 65kg independently plus 2 assisted reps of 70kg. Was very fucking hard but it's progress. 

That's just your body trying to recruit more muscles to help out. If your feet were planted properly they wouldn't move so more muscles would contract and you'd have that little bit of help that you need.

There's loads of great bench press videos on youtube and these are the best in my opinion:







Set half an hour aside and watch them all. Once you've watched them al re-watch the first video about set up and just focus on that and your bench press will improve.

I watch these regularly and particularly before a bench session. I just pick one particular element and focus on that, you can't fix everything in one session so just one or possibly two things per session is fine.

Thank you so much for these vids Matt. I'll be hitting the bench today so will make sure I watch them all before I head in.

[Marky147]

Get yourself in here when you go to Vegas, Matt http://pizzarocklasvegas.com/

I'm reserving 3/4 lunch/dinners, so I can work through the whole menu.

Just got back. Fuck sake!!

Oops

I'll be moving in there for a few days, so will let you know if it's worth trying.

Full report on the Sausage and Stout Pizza please Marky.

That one is top of the list, probably for lunch after one of the England WC games.

[EvilPie]

Easy start to dieting yesterday and today. Basically ate the same as normal but reduced portion sizes on a few meals.

Three eggs and 1 pitta instead of 4 eggs and 2 pittas saves 230 calories 7 days a week. Dropping one pitta from lunch during the week saves 145 calories. Cutting out the random flapjacks which were at least one per day will save 290 calories per day minimum.

Add that lot up and it's a very easy 4000 calories per week which should equate to a kilo every couple of weeks. I've got just under ten weeks to a beach holiday in Corfu so if I can keep this up I should hit around 100kg by the time I go away.

As you can probably tell I'm not taking this too seriously so no worries if things don't go as planned. I think I'll avoid the scales completely until I go away and just check then out of interest. Main concern as always is the waist line and I judge that by my belt buckles so it gets checked daily.

Hopefully I won't lose too much strength. The current programme is brilliant for keeping tabs on this as I do an AMRAP of each main lift once per week. Easy to see if that goes down so it'll show what's happening.

[Marky147]

I bought a new belt for holiday, and I need to get some more notches put in it. Might get 3 put in, and then use those to workout how my waistline is going forward.

I probably wear jeans ~10x per year, so it won't get used often.

[EvilPie]

Got 8 out on my 57.5kg OHP AMRAP tonight which was really pleasing after Saturday's tough, tired session.

That means I get to go up again next week on OHP to 60kg which makes up for dropping back on bench.

Lack of calories didn't seem to affect me tonight although it's a much easier session than Saturday with far less volume.

Managed to cut another 150 calories out tonight by dropping my rice and just having chicken and veg in a Chinese sauce. Will probably do this every night during the week but then load up on Friday before benching and see how that works out.

All in all a great day