Reactive Training Systems

Mark Robinson · Senior Member

RE: Mark's Training Log

Mark Robinson · Senior Member

Ok, day 1 of training under Mike, unfortunately under pretty extreme stress going on around it, I'm not normally one to talk of stress but just lately things have been crap. However, despite the gym being harder than usual, I made some good numbers for me.

Squat

85kX5@5
100kX4@6
120kX4@8
130kX4@8
140kX4@9
135kX4@8.5
135kX4@9.5

Floor Press

60kX4@6
70kX4@7
80kX4@8
85kX1@freaked out due to a misslign here
85kX2@similar story to above
80k 3X4@8
80kX4@9

GM

70kX8@7
80kX8@7
90kX8@8
100kX8@8
105kX8@9
102.5kX8@9

I'm pretty bad at judging the RPE on higher reps I think but this was close. Floor press was interesting, I think I haven't got the technique down yet otherwise there wouldn't be such a huge difference with just 10lb extra on the bar! Will need to work at it. Squats were really fast which I was pleased with. I'm now exhausted in every way and am going to try and get some sleep ready for round 2 on Wednesday...

Mark Robinson · Senior Member

Tuesday:

Scap Pushups
External Rotation
Infraspinatus Activation

Weds: BSB

Warmup: Getting into a bench shirt for the first time. I tried at home with my Dad and it was useless, at the gym with a powerlifter we got me into it although it made me sweat and injured his elbow.

Raw Bench: Paused

60kX5@5
70kX4@6
80kX4@8
85kX4@8
87.5kX4@9
85kX4@8
85kX4@9

Squat w/raised heels

85kX5@5
100kX4@6
120kX4@8
130kX4@8
135kX4@8
140kX4@9
135kX4@9

JM Press

30kX6@5
40kX6@6
50kX6@8
60kX6@9
57.5kX6@9

Pleased with the raw bench, it puts my estimated 1 rep max at around 109k. I think the chart is probably a little off for me but thats good nevertheless.

Squat with a plate under my heels is a new exercise for me. I thought it would be harder than regular squatting but it actually removed my sticking point altogether and I hit the same as I did for regular squats on my first go. I think it was only a 9 because it was a new movement and certain muscle groups were getting fatigued + my cardiovascular system with asthma. It was easy to make depth and I loved the way it felt coming out of the hole which suggests I should maybe look into a shoe with heels?

JM Presses are great! They hit your triceps hard, I'm just not used to them yet hence the small weights and quick fatigue. All in all great workout.

Mike Tuchscherer · Guru

VS Athletics makes a weightlifting shoe that is very good -- especially if you like shoes with a heel. Plus it's much more reasonably priced than addidas.

Borge Fagerli · Member

I can also recommend Do-Win Rogues. Look cool, have a wider toe area and are very reasonably priced. Glenn Pendlay can get them for you.

Mark Robinson · Senior Member

Cool, I'll check them out thanks guys. I think if nothing else, it'll give me something to squat in an alternative stance.

Today:

Chins 5X3@9 (seriously, I find these really tough)
Abs 2X10
Scap Pushups 2X10
External Rotation 2X10
Infraspinatus Activation

Mark Robinson · Senior Member

Friday: DBSB

Deadlift:

100kX5@5
120kX4@6
140kX4@7
160kX4@8
165kX4@9
160kX4@9

Close Grip Bench

60kX5@5
70kX4@7
80kX4@8
85kX4@9
82.5k 2X4@8
82.5kX4@9

Front Squat

70kX6@8
80kX6@8
85kX6@8
90kX6@9
87.5kX6@9ish

Still getting used to technique on this one and it mashed my shoulders!

Standing Military

40kX8@8
42.5kX8@9
40kX7@9

I hate high reps and I'm really not very good at them... otherwise training went well today. Good week.

Mark Robinson · Senior Member

Sunday: Prehab stuff

Scap Pushups 2X20
External Rotation 2X10
Infraspinatus Activation

Monday SBD

Squat

85kX5@5
100kX4@5
120kX3@7
135kX3@8
145kX3@9 (low 9)
152.5k@9.5
145kX3@9
145kX3@9.5

I wanted the 152.5k to be a 9 for a PR but to be honest, I couldn't tell if I could have had another one or not. Maybe at the extreme....so I called it a 9.5. I seemed to be sticking on the 3rd reps quite a lot today.

Floor Press

60kX5@5
70kX4@6
80kX3@8
85kX3@8.5
87.5kX3@9
85kX3@9

These are still weird...

GM's

80kX6@7
100kX6@8
110kX6@9
105kX6@8
105kX6@8
105kX6@9

Good weights used for that but I find it much more difficult to judge the RPE with higher reps. I'll get used to it.

Mark Robinson · Senior Member

GPP Day:

Hill walk with some sprintingX1hr 15mins.

Chins: 6X3
Abs (v-situps): 2X10
Scap Pushups 3X20
External Rotation 3X10
Infraspinatus Activation

Mark Robinson · Senior Member

Substandard session today (very slightly) probably for a couple of reasons. The hill walk/sprint actually burned me a little yesterday so I felt tired today but more importantly, I smacked my elbow on the corner of my car door getting out and my lower arm went completely numb for about 5 mins. The feeling in my little finger has only partially returned! This made things a little more challenging...

Bench

60kX5@5
70kX4@6
80kX3@8
90kX3@9
85k 3X3@8
85X3@9

On a good day I think I'd have had another 2.5k (5lbs) in this lift but there you go...

Squat with heels raised

80X5@5
100X4@6
120X3@8
130X3@8
140X3@8.5
145X3@8.5
145X3@9 (meant to put an extra 2.5k on, woops)
140kX3@9

Couldn't get into the groove so well today. I think you have to squat a lot more upright for these which I was starting to get at the end. I kept hitting the J-hooks which made things a bit harder. Still, the numbers aren't all that bad...

JM Press

50X6@5
60X6@8
65X6@9
Remembered I was supposed to be doing 4's...
65X4@8
67.5X4@9
65X4@9

I think my form was all over the place due to my screwed up elbow. I actually seemed to tax my biceps quite a lot which is odd. Anyway, it is what it is, nothing too bad, just not optimal. Next time...

Mark Robinson · Senior Member

Thursday: GPP

Chins: 6X3
Abs (v-situps): 2X10
Scap Pushups 3X20
External Rotation 3X10
Infraspinatus Activation

Friday: DBSB

Deadlift:

100X5@5
120X4@6
140X3@7
160X3@8
170X3@8.5
175X3@10 (???)
162.5X3@8
162.5X3@9

I think my mental groove got thrown off for the top set which turned it into a 10 whereas it could have been a focused 9-9.5, I actually stopped halfway up on the third rep which pissed me off enough to finnish it but it was a grinder. If 170 was somewhere between 8 and 9, 175 shouldn't have been a 10 but there you go.

Close Grip Bench

60X5@5
70X4@6
80X3@7
85X3@8
90X3@9
85 3X3@8
85X3@9

Good session here.

Front Squat

80X4@7
90X4@8
100X4@9 (from the stress on my shoulders/falling forward, not the squat)
95X4@8
95X4@8....but the general stress of holding the bar was enough here.

Standing Military Press

40X6@8
45X6@8
47.5X5@9
45X4@9

I fatigue really quickly here, I guess the shoulders are only small muscles. I'm still not so good technique wise at the moment so its easy to misgrove and turn it into a grinder on say the 4th rep which makes completing the set pretty hard.

Generally, another less than optimal session but thats ok. I know it doesn't mean I won't benefit from them in the long run.

Mark Robinson · Senior Member

Sunday: One hours walk with limited running.

Monday: SBD

Squat:

80kX5@5
100kX4@6
120kX3@7
120kX3@7
140kX2@8
150kX2@9
157.5kX2@9
147.5kX2@8
147.5kX2@9

First go in the weightlifting shoes today. I like them even if they do change the groove slightly, I feel nailed to the floor. I find it hard to evaluate with low reps where my RPE is at becasue everything is such a grinder past the first rep. However, this is where I feel they were at. 1 rep max estimation is still at 175k which is where its been hanging for the past couple of weeks but I'm not super concerned, I tend to make progress in leaps rather than steady and I'd rather not lie to myself on RPE's.

2 Board Bench

60kX5@0 :D
80kX4@6
90kX3@7
100kX2@8
110kX2@8
115kX2@9
120kX1@10
107.5k 6X2@8
107.5kX2@9

First off, I have a quite unaturally massive arch, and my upper arms are very short. This leads to my range of motion being around six inches on a two board, I don't know how normal that is as I've never done them before. It did mean however, it took a fair few sets to reach fatigue! I enjoyed the exercise, time will tell the carryover to regular bench. Its getting me used to feeling heavier weights which has to be a good thing.

Romanian Deadlift

100kX5@7
120kX5@8
130kX5@8
140kX5@9
130kX5@8
130kX5@9

First time doing this exercise, I like them a lot. My RPE estimation may be a little more conservative here (i.e a lower nine rather than an all out one) but I was knackered and didn't feel the need to push it to its limit on the first go. I was feeling the strain either way.

Very positive training session.

-- Edited by Mark Robinson on Monday 23rd of March 2009 09:20:45 PM

Mark Robinson · Senior Member

Wednesday: BSB

Raw Bench

60X5@5
70X4@6
70X4@6
80X3@7
90X2@8.5
95X2@9
97.5X2@very high 9
90X2@8
90X2@8
90X2@9

Good session here. I'm experimenting with putting in an extra warmup set at 6-7 and it seems to be working well in terms of getting me prepared for the heavier sets. I messed up the top set on two counts, first rep I didn't pause so it flew up, second rep I coughed/let my breath go on the way down, tried to regain it during a long pause then hit a grinder! Despite this I'd still say I could have got another one with everything I had.

Wide Stance Squats

80X5@5
100X4@6
120X3@8
130X2@8
140X2@8
150X2@9
140X2@8
140X2@9

These are quite fun, hard to make depth on (I'm going a fair bit wider than usual, almost my sumo stance) but they murder your hamstrings.

JM Press

50X4@8
60X4@8
65X4@8
70X4@9
65X4@8
65X4@9

Think I'm finally starting to get the hang of these technique wise... still feel very odd but more consistent. The estimated 1 rep max on these has been steadily increasing.

Mark Robinson · Senior Member

Thursday GPP:

Chins- 2X5
Side Lying External Rotation- 3x10,
Scap Pushups- 2x30,
Spinal Traction,
Ab wheel- 2x10,
Landmine- 2x10

My abs hurt a lot today, not used to this!

Friday: DBDB

Dead

100X5@5
120X4@6
120X4@6
140X2@7
140X2@7
160X2@8
180X2@9
185X2@9 (2nd rep off form so harder than it should have been but still had another one)
172.5X2@9

Fantastic, thats the deadlift back on track then! I think I figured out the problem last week....not enough warmup sets on the first exercise. Putting more in helped a lot with the heaviest weights, I think it must be a case of getting the CNS fired up.

Bench

60X5@6
70X4@7
80X3@7
90X2@8
95X2@9
90X2@8
90X2@8
90X2@8
90X2@8
90X2@9
87.5X2@8
87.5X2@8
87.5X2@8
87.5X2@9

Hitting my prescribed 7% fatigue was a real bitch today even with the work down but I guess thats a good thing. Figured out a great new setup with the olly shoes which seems to make me stronger (sometime during the drop sets). Feet back 100 miles and wide as I can, touch bar a little more towards the neck and then I can hold the pause much easier and drive up with more speed. Brilliant.

Good Mornings

100X4@8
110X4@8
120X4@9
112.5X4@8
112.5X4@8
112.5X4@8

The last 8 was slightly harder so I called it a fatigue stop and was done. Could have been there all day otherwise.

Military Press

40X5@7
45X5@8
50X5@9
47.5X5@9

So this is steadily increasing at 2.5k or so per week. Good stuff. I'm now fatigued past all recognition but I reckon it was worth it. :D Great session.

Mark Robinson · Senior Member

Sunday: GPP

I went on an adventure today. There's a forest near me built on several rather large hills so I parked round the corner and set off. I didn't know my way around so got severely lost and ended up taking around 2.5hours. Cardio related activities included scaling hills too steep to walk up (used trees as aids) as fast as possible, running down hills, hiking, throwing rocks and chalk in a quarry. Good fun. Later on in the day:

Chins- 2X5
Side Lying External Rotation- 3x10,
Scap Pushups- 2x30,
Spinal Traction,
Ab wheel- 2x10,
Landmine- 2x10