Training Log for April 2006

An update on my training progress (or lack thereof!): I spent the last three months of 2005 doing lots of volume training and felt quite good. Everything seemed set for a big year in 2006. Disaster struck early in January, though, when I attempted my first heavy deadlift since the Commonwealth Championships in September. I hurt my lower back quite badly and I could hardly walk for about a week. In retrospect I know that it is entirely my own fault that this happened as I pushed too heavy too soon without getting back into things first.

The result of this little mishap was that I could do almost no lower body work for the next three months. I did some light speed squats last week and for the first time since the injury I could honestly say that I felt no pain at all. Seems like the rest did allow it to heal up nicely. You have to look on the bright side, though and I must say that the injury forced me to concentrate on my bench, which is getting on very nicely.

I still have to decide what my competition schedule for 2006 will be like as I first have to determine how long it will take my lower body strength to get back to it's previous level. I'll be playing April entirely by feel but the plan is that I'll probably not be pushing too heavy on the max effort days.

Monday 3 April (Week 1 of 3): Maximum Effort Bench Press

Floor rack lockouts (about 60% ROM)	100kg x 3, 130kg x 3, 150kg x 3, 170kg x 3
	180kg x 3, 190kg x 3, 200kg x 2, 210kg x 0
Floor rack lockouts rep sets	170kg x 6, 170kg x 6, 170kg x 6
Floor rack-unracks	140kg 4 x 8
Decline reverse smith machine press	100kg x 10, 130kg 2 x 10, 100kg x 15
Remarks	That didn't feel too badly. I got that 210kg
	moving but just could not lock it out. Worried
	about tomorrow's good-mornings, though.

Tuesday 4 April: Maximum Effort Squat

Good mornings with untied blue bands	60kg x 6, 100kg x 3, 130kg x 3, 150kg x 3,
(low tension)	170kg x 3, 190kg x 3, 210kg x 3, 160kg x 6,
	140kg x 6
Pull-throughs	4 Sets of 10 working up to 15 plates
Remarks	Tonight was a big test of the ol' back and I'm
	very thankful to say that it held up pretty good.
	Even though I didn't max out and kept the
	volume low, that was still a mean workout
	considering my current lack of form.

Wednesday 5 April: Delts

Seated presses inside power rack	60kg x 10, 80 x 8, 90 x 8, 100 x 8, 60kg x 10
Seated low pulley front raises	4 Blocks x 10, 5 Blocks 3 x 10
Remarks	I felt well tonight but decided to keep volume
	low and not to start pushing too soon.

Thursday 6 April: Dynamic Effort Bench Press

Speed bench 120kg with very tight	9 sets of 3 reps
green bands
Reverse grip floor bench	100kg x 10, 130kg x 8, 150kg x 6,  140kg x 8
Incline log press	75kg x 10, 95kg x 10, 95kg x 10
Remarks	Battling to get used to the workload again.
	That bench was very heavy and speed was only
	so-so.

Saturday 8 April: Dynamic Effort Squat

Speed squats - medium weight	9 sets of 2
with blue bands (see notes)
Pull throughs with tied blue band	4 sets of 10
Zercher squats	60kg x 10, 80kg x 10, 100kg x 10, 110kg x 10
Remarks	Took the family away for Easter holiday but
	managed to get in two workouts with my
	buddy Hennie in Tzaneen (8 and 10/4).
	No pain from back at all but I'm in bad shape!

Monday 10 April (Week 2 of 3): Maximum Effort Bench Press

High board presses (used Hennie's	100kg x 3, 140kg x 3, 170kg x 3, 190kg x 3,
boards - a bit higher than mine)	210kg x 3, 230kg x 1, 250 x 1, 260kg x 0
High board presses rep sets	190kg 3 x 6
Conventional bench press	5 Sets working up to about 140kg x 8
Reverse grip floor bench	4 sets working up to about 150kg
Remarks	Still training with Hennie. My current lack of
	form was very evident. The upper body feels
	fatigued too.

Took Tuesday and Wednesday off due to being on Easter holiday.

Thursday 13 April: Dynamic Effort Bench Press

Speed bench 120kg with very tight	9 sets of 3 reps
green bands
Reverse grip floor bench	100kg x 10, 130kg x 8, 150kg x 6,  140kg x 8
Incline log press	75kg x 10, 95kg x 10, 95kg x 10
Remarks	Battling to get used to the workload again.
	That bench was very heavy and speed was only
	so-so.

Saturday 15 April: Dynamic Effort Squat

Speed squats - 145kg plus very	9 sets of 2
tight green bands
Rack lockouts from below the knee	140kg x 10, 180kg x 10, 220kg x 6, 270kg x 3
Remarks	Band tension very high and speed not very
	impressive at all. Back feeling okay, though.

Monday 17 April (Week 3 of 3): Maximum Effort Bench

Floor bench with 30kg total	60kg x 8, 100kg x 3, 130kg x 3, 150kg x 3,
chain weight	170kg x 3, 180kg x 1, 190kg x 0
Floor bench rep sets	130kg x 6, 150kg x 6
Incline log press	75kg x 10, 95kg x 10, 115kg 2 x 8
One arm DB bench	40kg x 10, 46kg 3 x 10
Remarks	That max bench was baaaad! My PR is 200kg
	so this really sucks. I'm definitely in the worst
	shape that I've been for a very long time.

Tuesday 18 April: Maximum Effort Squat

Parallel chain suspended squats	65kg x 3, 105kg x 3, 145kg x 3, 165kg x 3,
from a seated position off a medium	185kg x 3, 205kg x 3, 225kg x 1, 245kg x 1
box	265kg x 1, 230kg x 6
Chain suspended good mornings	140kg x 8, 160kg x 8, 180kg x 8
Remarks	I don't know what to make of that squat as it
	is the first time that we did chain suspended
	squats off a box. I don't think that's very good
	but considering my poor current form I was
	expecting less. Seems like there's still hope...

Wednesday 19 April: Strongman, Lats & Triceps

Tyre flip	260kg tyre 6 sets of 5 reps
	615kg tyre 2 reps
Standing bent over low pulley row	9 Blocks x 10, 11B x 10, 12B 2 x 10
Seated high pulley wide grip row	10 Blocks x 10, 12B x 10, 14B 2 x 10
Smith machine decline skull crushers	30kg x 10, 40kg x 10, 45kg 2 x 10
High pulley overhead tricep extension	8 Blocks x 10, 10B x 10, 11B x 10, 12B x 6
Remarks	Started doing some light strongman work for
	the first time this year. Got the lungs going a
	bit. Only did machines in the gym. Didn't feel
	too badly. No complaints from the back after
	last night's workout. That's a good sign.

Thursday 20 April: Dynamic Effort Bench Press

Speed bench 120kg with very tight	9 sets of 3 reps
green bands
1 Delt, 1 tricep and 1 lat auxilliaries	4 sets each
Remarks	The speed was definitely better than last week
	but still not brilliant. At least there's some
	positive progress now.

Friday 21 April: Dynamic Effort Squat

Speed squats - 155kg plus very	9 sets of 2
tight green bands
Remarks	Unfortunately ran out of time before we could
	do anything else but the speed was definitely
	way up from last week. Nice.

23 to 29 April: Rest week