Author Topic: chasing athleticism  (Read 924116 times)

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entropy

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Re: chasing athleticism
« Reply #120 on: July 23, 2012, 01:57:46 am »
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Nice bro. I remember when i got my first dunks I felt on top of the world. I didn't know you were an Aussie as well! We got a few on this forum haha. Congrats.  :headbang:

Cheers bro. Yeah there are a few, haha.

Congrats, bro.

Thanks bro!

I forgot to mention yesterday I woke up at ~84kg which is why I decided to head out to the gym to see if it made any difference being lighter. I was actually jumping slightly lower than my best though, so I think I can make a lot of improvement yet. But ultimately I need to get down to ~80kg though hopefully with athletic bodyfat levels and visible abs. I think that's got to my main goal now. I just want to get my squat up to 130x3 quickly before I can start cutting first. Is doing Smolov jnr crazy just to get the 130x3 out of the way? Or may be I should try Kingfisher's daily squatting thing. Need to decide soon, i wanna get this out of the way quickly.

In my position, if you had 2 weeks to put 5-15kg on your squat, what would be the best way?

I woke up sore around the right glute area. That's new. I can't remember the last time that's happened. Using that as feedback, may mean I need to strengthen my glutes for jumping.

today morning bw: 83.5kg (2006-2012 PR)
« Last Edit: July 23, 2012, 03:50:45 am by entropy »
Goals: Cutting to 6-8% bodyfat

entropy

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Re: chasing athleticism
« Reply #121 on: July 23, 2012, 07:06:19 am »
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http://www.amazon.com/Fila-Clutch-Low-II-Basketball/dp/B004UQIVB0

These low tops look pretty good. Will see if I can find a pair here or i'll have to ship them in from online. hopefully I can find a pair here. I dont know why I persisted so long with hightops - they suck.
Goals: Cutting to 6-8% bodyfat

entropy

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w5,d1
« Reply #122 on: July 23, 2012, 09:27:41 am »
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Training
FS 2x3x90 (PR)
BS 2x100, 4x95, 2x6x90,
BP 5,4x75, 4x72.5, 2x6x70

Rusty all round after the marathon pickup ball session yesterday. Could not backsquat for the life of me, but still managed to front squat PRs. Will work extra hard this week to recover lost ground on the lifts from illness.
Goals: Cutting to 6-8% bodyfat

chrisbro1

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Re: chasing athleticism
« Reply #123 on: July 23, 2012, 01:31:20 pm »
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In my position, if you had 2 weeks to put 5-15kg on your squat, what would be the best way?

If I had to try I'd probably do 3 days of lower body and spread the following throughout those days:

Band assisted sets of 3 w/130
1 variation (e.g. box squats)
1 alternate stance squat (e.g. sumo or narrow depending on my weaknesses)
Partial reps in the bottom 1/4 for a few sets of 3-5 reps w/a decent weight & bands for added resistance

Car or prowler pushes
Sprints
Weighted Step Ups

8-10 sets of heavy singles
Heavy partial reps (130+ if you're not able to do 130x1 yet) at a depth between quarter and half (or justhalf if possible)
A few negative reps @ around 150

I'd throw in hanging leg raises, weighted situps, hyperextensions & oblique twists on the 1&3rd day.  No idea if that would work but if left to my own devices that's what i'd try.  I wouldn't try what Kingfish is doing as he's doing it for maintenance and not to build strength and from personal experience, you'd see a dropoff in strength at first.  I'm a fan of mixing it up also so I'd prefer something w/more variety than smolov jr.

Quote
I woke up sore around the right glute area. That's new. I can't remember the last time that's happened. Using that as feedback, may mean I need to strengthen my glutes for jumping.

Could be a sign that your glutes are becoming stronger and providing a larger portion of the force in your jumps.  That's what happened to me when I started doing box squats last year and my pc became dominant.

entropy

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Re: chasing athleticism
« Reply #124 on: July 24, 2012, 03:45:33 am »
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Thanks chris, loads of good ideas there! I like the blanket hammer all the different possible weaknesses approach in case there is a glaring weakness or two which needs the most attention. Will try it out this week. I also agree with your assessment that daily squatting will probably make me 'weaker' in the short term which isn't what I want. I'm reluctant to smolov because while I know it works very well at peaking, I don't like my chances of holding on to the gains while cutting.

Quote
Could be a sign that your glutes are becoming stronger and providing a larger portion of the force in your jumps.  That's what happened to me when I started doing box squats last year and my pc became dominant.

Perhaps so! Now i'm kicking myself for not doing deadlifts and heavy belted squats. The reason of course I don't do these things is because I don't want to fucking injury myself since I have the worst form on deads and belted squats. But in the past I did a lot of those anyway, only wish I had still kept the strength I build while doing that dangerous shit. I know I keep saying i need to get back into deadlifting but i really do need to do. Maybe even starting light and doing high rep sets to start with, as long as form is good, and i can progress them that way.

Second day in a row waking up ~83.5kg - im a little confused really.  I mean it wasn't long ago i was 86kg and since getting the flu, i've lost weight of course, but it's starting to feel permanent? I'm happy about it. It was a big mental stumbling block being stuck over 85kg and i wasn't breaking under it for about 2 months i think. And then boom, overnight i'm under it. I'll take it. The best thing is it's given me extra motivation to get leaner and lighter, i have a feeling I can break into the 82kgs by the end of the month. And if that happens i'll definitely be under 15% for the first time in forever. It'll have been a long journey from a rather fat 112kg a coupla years ago down to 82.
Goals: Cutting to 6-8% bodyfat

entropy

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w5d2
« Reply #125 on: July 25, 2012, 10:56:46 am »
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Training
SQ 1x110, 2x6x92.5
FS 2x3x92.5 (PR)
10 SVJ jumps on carpet (About 8" away from the roof so when I ever touch the roof i'll have a 30+" SVJ)
OP 2x60, 4x55, 5x52.5, 7x50 (PR)
RDL 3x115 (PR), 10x90 (PR)
DL 6,4x90

How I went from doubling 127.5 to a max of 110 I don't know. I Still can't squat very well, I think my body has forgotten how. I kind of remembered in the last set of 6x90 though by screwing my feet into the floor. I was previously forgetting to use hamstrings. But in that set my depth was borderline. So either I had depth and shitty form (quad centric squatting) or better form (hamstring involved) and bad depth. Should be able to get both next workout if I work on both aspects.

FS was fine. I failed to take a tight grip on the bar on set 1, did so in set 2 and form was better as a result.

OP, working on mastering the weights between 50-60kg aiming for the goal of 10x60. Will keep working with various rep ranges until I've mastered things. In the coming weeks i'll get 10x50 to start with, then 10x55, and finally work towards 60x10. I was able to double 60kg today so i'm not too bad on pressing considering it's only my second pressing workout this year. I'm a much better presser than bench presser, I should probably just press more, but I wanted to bench 100kg first and it's just not happening.

RDL - I didn't RDL last week, so was keen to get back into it. The only problem was grip. I haven't pulled this heavy in about 2 weeks explaining the grip weakness.

Finally I did DLs today. And i'm pleased to report the press the floor cue worked. I actually pulled with a flat back, and the weight was very easy, my form was good. This was prob the best part of training today. I would love to have a decent DL if i can fix my form, there is no reason why not.

Bodyweight: ~84.5kg - bounced up from yesterday. I guess that's to be expected.
« Last Edit: July 26, 2012, 12:22:47 am by entropy »
Goals: Cutting to 6-8% bodyfat

entropy

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Re: chasing athleticism
« Reply #126 on: July 26, 2012, 12:40:54 am »
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Kind of lost my appetite last wk and today I was supposed to meet some friends for a buffet today and didn't go. Fuck that shit, I have an enormous appetite and I know what would happen and it's not good and I can't have that anymore.

 I'm recognising that a few months ago when I did a good amount of dieting and was beginning to get real lean, I'd jeopardise it all by binging. I know that's just my body reacting to the hunger and stuff but I should know better. Of course that's no big deal in a normal diet but the thing is, when you've been dieting a while, those binges end up undoing weeks of work, you're just primed for fat gain, and it all goes right back. And it's so easy to justify it in the name of recovery ("i wanna get some PRs brb eating like a pig) but that's all bullshit. It makes no difference. To be fair I was healing from injuries so it was justified. But now i'm healed up I have to be careful not to spin my wheels.

So i'm eating small serves of food, even nutritious food, no point going overboard, Im having smaller portions and not going back for seconds. If I keep eating like this consistently, no takouts,  eating clean, no seconds, i'll surely find my abs.

new soreness: hams, upper back, and the back of my arms (presses?).

more and more I think chrisbro's approach is sound. I have too many weaknesses. Could be abs, hams, quads, upper back, lower back, glutes, any of those. Not knowing which, just need to hammer them all hard.

I just finished ripping off all the duct tape of my barbell. I had accumulated a few layers on the center knurl cos that thing was razor sharp and bruised up my back bad. I've had a bandage on my back for the last month and a half, and I wear like 3 layers of fabric between the bar and my skin, and several layers of tape as well but it still bruised me up. So finally ripped off the tape and spend a good 2 minutes with sand paper. It's not sharp now but it's not smooth either. Hopefully that's enough otherwise i'll sand it down some more. Must say the bar feels much more comfy and secure without the tape, may even improve form.
« Last Edit: July 26, 2012, 04:09:37 am by entropy »
Goals: Cutting to 6-8% bodyfat

entropy

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Re: chasing athleticism
« Reply #127 on: July 27, 2012, 09:53:51 am »
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Ah man waste of a friday night. I called up the Fila store and asked if they had the Clutch lows (pictured above), and i was told yes by a girl on the phone, and they even had the similar DLS shoe. Wicked I thought, i'll go and pick up a pair. Got there and they had one shitty pair of high top clutches, and that was it. I asked the guy there if had the clutch los and he said nah we never had those. lol. Waste of an hour driving and then walking around different shops looking for an alternative pair. I found one I liked, the Nike Air Ring Leader Low - reasonably priced but not in my size :( What i like about this shoe is that it's fairly wide. At least it looked wide than the typical narrow basketball shoe.

Tried out the new kobe los, they're ok, i wouldn't pay the crazy price for it, for what is pretty much an ordinary running shoe that costs 4x more. Converses had a few low tops which I liked but real narrow at the front.

Nothing at adidas, i was told they had some decent low top adizeros, but man I couldn't find them for the life of me.

After this adventure i don't think i'd bother risking ordering online in case i get a shoe that doesn't fit me well. Special bonus, someone yelled out at me, confusing me for the name of a little known homicidal evil genius who sparked a bunch of wars earlier this century. Swear to god I don't that fucking guy but it could be worse, at least my name isn't michael bolton

Oh and before I forget, i should log todays training too brb
« Last Edit: July 27, 2012, 09:57:06 am by entropy »
Goals: Cutting to 6-8% bodyfat

entropy

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w5d3
« Reply #128 on: July 27, 2012, 12:35:11 pm »
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Training
SQ 1x115, 1x122.5 (failed 2nd rep badly), 1x112.5, 1x110
FS 2x95 (PR)
SQ 6x95 and i think i did another set with 97.5 but i can't remember how many reps
10x30m sprints (best time 04:63 - im not sure if its a pr? anyway i hit 04:65 consistently several times today- yes checked out as PR)
1 1 hand dunk, could barely palm the ball for some reason
BP 2x85 (ugly shitty set), 6x75, 8x70
chin ladders, 26 total reps

worst training in a long itme. next week im just gonna reset and work back up on backsquats. the failure today was very ugly, my back was rounded so much when I got pinned at hte bottom. I didn't expect to fail, i haven't failed in a long time, so i didn't set the pins high enough, meaning i had to rest the bar on a low pin (i leave it there for benches) and it crumbled me up in a dangerous position. no more of this bad form shit. i honestly thought i had 120+ for a triple today after finding the 115 pretty ok. but i got greedy, maybe if i had just gone with 3x117.5 i'd have got it too :/

not mentioning how bad front squats were today, every single rep i did today whether FS or BS sucked bad, my back was rounded, every single rep was horrible and dangerous. even warmups. I shouldn't have done RDLs and DLs last workout, i should save them for fridays, lesson learnt. i think my hams (or lb or abs or all of the above) were fried from wednesdays marathon hamstring sesh and i couldn't squat for shit. end of story.

horrible end to the week, reset and good form next week!

« Last Edit: July 27, 2012, 01:17:25 pm by entropy »
Goals: Cutting to 6-8% bodyfat

Mikey

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Re: chasing athleticism
« Reply #129 on: July 27, 2012, 01:05:19 pm »
+1
Squatting is soo frustrating!
I'm in a similiar position to you atm. A few weeks ago I got 132.5 for a double and now today I only done 120 for a triple. In my case it was coz I fuked up my knee, which set my progress back a bit but yeh hopefully in like a couple months I'm doing 140 for a triple- if not than :pissed:
"IMO, It didn't happen if it's not on vid/official"- adarqui

It's easier to keep up than it is to catch up...

entropy

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Re: chasing athleticism
« Reply #130 on: July 27, 2012, 01:16:56 pm »
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I swear it's the hardest lift to get right if it's off. When things are going right it's just automatic and you wonder what the fuss is about, but when it's not, it's the damnest thing! Get that 140 triple man, you've got plenty of back/leg strength given your nice DL, you just need to string together some consecutive progress over a few weeks. I know it's hard with your sport, it eats into recovery and training time so you can't help it either!

Btw i just checked and the 04:63 was a pr on the sprints. I guess that was the only good thing from today. Will take it. I realised while doing the 4 or 6th sprint that I could take LONGER strides, and somehow this made me get better times. There is definitely a trick/technique to these short sprints. Wish someone would tell me what it is! it's frustrating having to discover it myself thru trial and error
Goals: Cutting to 6-8% bodyfat

Mikey

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Re: chasing athleticism
« Reply #131 on: July 27, 2012, 01:36:13 pm »
+1
Yeh I know what you mean. With squats when you get a PR or make progress they are actually enjoyable but when you don't they just piss you off but we'll both be repping 3 plates soon just got to stick at it.
"IMO, It didn't happen if it's not on vid/official"- adarqui

It's easier to keep up than it is to catch up...

entropy

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Re: chasing athleticism
« Reply #132 on: July 29, 2012, 09:10:10 am »
+1
Woke up 84.15kg, thought I should go try dunk. Didn't eat anything, just sipped on a whey shake. This whole kellyb inspired idea of dunking when you're light is fucking dumb.  I won't do it again. Gotta have a solid meal in and well hydrated. Couldn't actually land any dunks, i was using a different ball and i couldn't even palm it, otherwise I would have got some dunks. Then played pickup ball for 3 hours. That was dumb. Finished up and could barely walk, got in the car and started feeling nauseous, like i was about to faint, and just really freezing cold. Somehow managed to get home ok, and popped some mini snickers bars and felt better. Guess was just suffering from low blood sugar. What a waste of a day. Couldn't even play well, was sluggish and slow, was getting beaten off the dribble and couldn't even block guys who were driving inside where I was waiting.

Not sure if i'll be able to lift tomorrow, blah, the fog continues. What would abishek do? Probably quit lifting and let the adrenals return to normal function. I lost my libido like 2 months ago for the first time ever, and it hasn't come back. Maybe i'm overtrained.
Goals: Cutting to 6-8% bodyfat

entropy

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Re: chasing athleticism
« Reply #133 on: July 30, 2012, 07:12:20 am »
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My bodyweight thru the month of July



Weighed in at a light weight 83.6kg today. It's strange being under 185lb. I think that's hydration related more than anything else but still i'm confident i'll be under 84kg by the end of the July.

Still fat at 83.5kg - but i'm confident somewhere along the way from 84kg down to 83kg I will cross the 15% bodyfat barrier. And i'm going to be agressive about fat loss over August - nothing short of 82kg will do.

Soreness - right glutes, and right hips. Quads are still sore from friday sprints. low back is fine, lats are a bit sore from marathon chins on friday too.

Taking the day off training today, I could probably force it but there is no point pushing it. I'm deloading anyways.
« Last Edit: July 30, 2012, 07:14:18 am by entropy »
Goals: Cutting to 6-8% bodyfat

LanceSTS

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Re: chasing athleticism
« Reply #134 on: July 30, 2012, 07:30:35 am »
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  Looks like youre having some rough days, hang in there.  Its important to remember when cutting, that the trip there is not the same as the stay.  Youll have some days like that for sure,  but look at them through the grand scheme of things, a few off days here and there  but youre achieving a much longer term goal in the process. Things will even out and youll  be able to make up for those days you felt "off" with no problem.
Relax.