maccaz 2018 prep log

[BeastBuilder]

23 minutes ago, maccaz said:

ok glass shoulders ;)

These things happen sometimes when you're routinely repping 3-4 plates a side I guess

[maccaz]

w4d4

another good session. on a roll

 

squat

bar x lots

70 x 5

100 x 5 

120 x 5

150 x 2

180kg 2 x  3 

190 x 1 wraps

205 x 3 rpe 8 in wraps

210 x 3 rpe 8 in wraps

 videos of top sets below

160 x 8 

 

stoked. felt mint. definitely near or the same as my strongest. just need to slow down a bit on the divebombing them and get more control, but anyway felt so good. the bar tilt is getting better as i isolate left side more and strengthen it. 

 

front squat

110kg 2 x 10

annoying im still struggle to keep the bar up with crossed grip, thats the limiting bit or i could go heavier. will keep working on it

 

walking lunges

20kg/side x lots just up and down the approx 20m astroturf they use for strongman yoke walks

legs cooked

 

 

good session. excited to get stronger at squatting and do some big singles

 

205kg x 3 excuse the crap filming my mate set up his tablet to film

 

 

 

210 x 3 

 

 

 

[maccaz]

w5d1

another perfect session. every session better than the last.

 

squat

bar x lots

60 x 10

70 x 8

100 x 5 

120 x 5

150 x 3

170 x 1 

187.5kg 2x8 in wraps that felt piss easy. good reps. killed it. could do 195-200x8 i reckon

 

bench press

was working in with someone so bit of overkill on warmups

60 x 10

70 x 5

80 x 5

85 2x5

100 x 3

105 x 8 rpe 9-9.5

102.5 x 8 rpe 9-9.5

 

wide grip pause bench

75 3x10

 

db fly

8kg 3x15

 

 

nailed it. feeling so good. can smash out squats well now for some reason. i think its the mobility and whole bottom half of me just working better since recovering from being injured.

notice im getting less pressure in my head as well just everythings clicking.

bench feels good too.

 

 

 

[maccaz]

boom another good one, best constant streak of having good sessions in ever probably lol

 

w5d2

deadlift

70 x 5

120 x 5

160 x 5

200kg 6 singles no straps, grip getting good

190kg x 5 

180kg x 5 

 

kroc row

32.5kg 3 x 15

gonna go up in weights on these each week now that they feel mint

 

sumo sldl

120kg 3x8

 

gym closing so just rushed a couple sets of band leg curls

blue band 2 x 15

 

 

[gazza]

Nice deads, good to crack 2 hundy without straps.

[maccaz]

1 hour ago, gazza said:

Nice deads, good to crack 2 hundy without straps.

 

Thanks mate. My best deadlift is 242.5. 250 fell out of my hands at the top. So im working hard on gripping the bar well deep in my hand rather than in fingers. If i can get 200+ sticking in my hand well for reps x sets then 250 will be doable next time i try

[maccaz]

notes on deadlift now that i have time to write

 

found sweet spot for belt/setup/air and can sit in the bottom position fully set up for unlimited amount of time now and stay tight, so won't need to rush deadlifts anymore. not super comfortable yet but now i have a setup i can consistently repeat and get stronger without feeling shit.

 

comments were that the 200s were real quick which is good.

 

i think deadlift is my least dominant lift now as squat and bench are on fire and feel so sweet atm, but dead is not bad either, just feels less natural because squat and bench are so good atm. 

[maccaz]

W5d3

 

Bench press

Bar x lots

60 x 8

70 x 5

90 x 5

100 x 1

Add blue mark bell reactive slingshot

110 x 3

120 x 3

130 x 3

140 x 1

145 x 1 (will post video) grind

 

Cg bench

95 x 10

85 x 11 

 

French press 

30kg 3 x fail (somewhere between 12 and 20 each set)

 

Ez bar curl

30kg 5 x 10 

 

Amped for big squats tomorrow 

[maccaz]

145x 1 sling shot 

this is blue mark bell reactive so supposedly less assistance than the OG red slingshot 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BB60jxdPnPh

[Wookie]

Good value session and handled the volume easily

[maccaz]

41 minutes ago, Wookie said:

Good value session and handled the volume easily

 

thanks boss.

this time around im not struggling at all with volume or feeling beat up at all. becoming a man probably. 

[Wookie]

It's adaptation. I should probably increase volume more, but given small injuries wise not to if progress is still being made.

[maccaz]

hi guys, im writing from my bed because im completely rekd from the squats i just did. was thinking i dont need a deload next week, but now im grateful.

 

wookie w5d4

 

squat

bar x lots

70 x 5

100 x 5

120 x 3

150 x 3

170 x 1

180 x 1

200 x 1 add wraps

220 x 5 pb

205 x 4

195 x 4 

180 x 4 no wraps

150 x 10 no wraps amrap. fail effort just had nothing left in me lol

 

so on the 220 set, i had programmed 4. on rep 2 the weight drifted forward a lot but i recovered it and got the rep. rep 3 and 4 sweet but i had more in the tank so did a 5th. grinder but got it.

 

looking back on the video depth could have been  better, with wraps i have no clue really when iv hit depth as it feels different depending how tight they are, they were tight so i thought i was deeper than i was as they stopped me. no excuse tho im gonna sink it in competition and its still a good pb.;

 

video below of the last 3, limited by instagram 15 seconds, il post full video on youtube and you can see 

 

 

walking lunges

20kg/side x lots till legs were dead

 

 

 

 

 

[maccaz]

deload week

going to get a massage today if they have time, and will be training light tomorrow.

 

in meantime, made a bit of change to diet, reduced carb quite a bit on non training days. getting too heavy. not stressing about weight for vic states as i want to get the best total possible regardless of aesthetics, but after that one i'd like to be in a bit better shape for nz nats

 

 

 

[maccaz]

deload week zz

 

rows, curls, band pullups, band pressdowns, bb calf raise usual deload light stuff

 

squat

120 3x10

 

log press

50 3x8 push pressed the first rep of each set then strict for the rest

 

only did log because had the opportunity to be shown how to do it properly and always been keen to try it. real technical but fun, i enjoyed it. used the 2nd to lightest log at the gym with no plates, so hopefully doesnt go against the deload concept too bad. wasnt difficult, rpe 6-7

[maccaz]

went gym today cos some mates were testing deadlift so just went to hang out. did a lot of rolling and stretching etc.

 

decided to work on my deadlift setup (without actually doing deadlifts)

 

practiced different belt placement etc and had a mate give me some pointers which after practicing  for half an hour have made my deadlift starting position feel mint.

 

they are:

 

• feet maybe 1-2cm wider
• mentally mark a spot on the bar where my feet should be for every single set, including which lace up on my shoe should be obscured by the bar when in the right position
• practice getting hips to exactly right position every single time automatically without fumbling around
• breathing correctly
• getting to a point where i can take my time and set up comfortably and grab the bar deep in my hand rather than rushing it and grabbing it in finger tips. want to be able to set up and grab the bar and hold tight for 5-10 seconds if need be. i can now
• head position
• lats and shoulder position

 

those are the notes i made and thats what i worked on and  got it locked down, feels mint, excited to do some deadlifts. id put money on a pb being there just from the improvements.

 

boom thats my most awkward lift  improved drastically,  without even doing the lift

 

excited for some tough training coming up. competition is 5 weeks from sunday

[Wookie]

Feet position changes and hip height changes in the deadlift are almost impossible to gauge without a 90% weight in your hand, unless the changes clearly don't help.

From your last few weeks everything has looked fine as far as grip and getting down to the bar, and the weights are moving better than they were at the end of the year. Of course, consistency is important, but I'm not sold on you needing stance or hip adjustments

. Most guys in the gym encourage a lower hip position than is actually helpful as it switches the starting position from hams and lower back to the quads. Hope that hasn't happened.

[maccaz]

2 hours ago, Wookie said:

Feet position changes and hip height changes in the deadlift are almost impossible to gauge without a 90% weight in your hand, unless the changes clearly don't help.

From your last few weeks everything has looked fine as far as grip and getting down to the bar, and the weights are moving better than they were at the end of the year. Of course, consistency is important, but I'm not sold on you needing stance or hip adjustments

. Most guys in the gym encourage a lower hip position than is actually helpful as it switches the starting position from hams and lower back to the quads. Hope that hasn't happened.

 

Nah dont stress. Change if any is so tiny. 

But fair enough on the 90% thing. 

 

Literally more a case of just thinking what each part of me is doing rather than running up with uneven footing bending over and pulling it up lol. 

 

You can decide off videos this week but def wont notice any visual difference. 

 

Priority was making it feel more correct, and making it repeatable. Not really remaking it from scratch just trying to remove the false starts and bad setups i do so it doesnt happen on platform 

 

[maccaz]

wookie w7d1

i love being back into training, deload make me feel lazy and unproductive but i know theyre necessary so i do them as im told.

 

squat

bar x a few

70 x 8

100 x 3

120 x 5

140 x 3

160kg 6 x 3  "speed squatS" first few sets were speed, got slow on last few, not grind just slower. rpe 5 at worst.

 

bench press

bar x lots

60 x 8

80 x 5

95kg 3x6 same deal, first few sets fast as, last couple slower. no grinds though. all rpe 5 or something.

 

then just mucked around for 45 mins doing random mobility stuff like banded crab walks, etc

[maccaz]

W7d2

Perfect deadlift session. Fck all sleep. Felt crap. Wanted to skip today and go bed but got it done and got pb double. particular milestone as last prep i got 232x2 but was using straps. no straps any more, want to avoid using them unless i need to.

 

Deadlift

70 x 5

120 x 3

150 x 3

170 x 2

200 x 2

220 x 2

235 x 2 pb video below

220 x 2

210 x 2

200 x 2

170 3 x 3 with straps

 

Sumo sldl

140 2 x 8 

 

235kg x 2 

 

 

[maccaz]

not a pb but filmed so i can look at form etc and pretty happy  with it, here is 220x2 last night

 

 

 

[maccaz]

Wookie w7d3

 

Easy session today. Felt strong. When i was done felt like i could redo the whole session if i wanted to.  Got a rep pb also. 

 

Bench press

Bar x lots

65 x lots

85 x 5 

100 x 2

110 x 2

122.5 x 3 (was programmed for 2 but they were easy so did a 3rd. No chance of failure) thats a pb

110 x 2

105 x 2

100 x 5

 

Good result. Last prep on testing day i got 122.5 for a bounced rpe 10 grinder single where my ass lifted off the bench and everything, so to get it for a comfy triple is promising! 

 

Db bench

40 x 8

42.5 x 8 rpe 10

34 x 8 rpe 10

 

French press

30kg 3 x 20

 

Stoked  

 

[maccaz]

w7d4

nailed it

 

squat

70 x 8

120 x  5

150 x 3

180 x 1

190 x 1 add wraps

200 x 2 

220 x 2 

232.5 x 2 pb, attempted a 3rd and failed it. was programmed for 2 so its ok.

220 x 2 

200 x 2

160 x 8 no wraps. wanted 12. too dead. rpe 10

 

lots of walking lunges

 

232.5 x 2 is a massive milestone for me as this is the weight in failed in competition and injured myself on, so glad to get it out of the way. was less than perfect situation also wasted energy changing rack height after i'd already wrapped my knees etc, as guys had forgotten to change it after the guy that i was working in with. im not mad tho anything that makes it harder than it needs to be is ok as that wont be an issue in competition.

 

let it be noted on the record that im not going to add any extra reps onto what i have programmed, whether i can do them or not.

 

one thing to note thats fairly major, the thing thats limiting me in squat is my lack of being able to take in a deep breath while i have a heavy weight on my back. Im hoping in a monolift this wont be a factor as il do it all on one breath, but need to practice that

 

232.5 x 2 video

 

 

 

 

 

[bang_bang]

Nice bro your squats strong as. Yeah much better to nail the double and gain confidence from thinking there's another rep there rather than failing a 3rd and knowing for sure that's your max double. Biggest thing I learnt from toms programming you don't have to be grinding reps to get stronger. Look at some of the top Aussie guys they make their top sets look like speed reps. 

[maccaz]

1 hour ago, bang_bang said:

Nice bro your squats strong as. Yeah much better to nail the double and gain confidence from thinking there's another rep there rather than failing a 3rd and knowing for sure that's your max double. Biggest thing I learnt from toms programming you don't have to be grinding reps to get stronger. Look at some of the top Aussie guys they make their top sets look like speed reps. 

yeah bro agree, should have tried to finish on a good note.

 

only useful thing is it kind of showed me where im going wrong as i havent failed a squat in a long time. issue is im struggling to breath in deep with the weight on my back, and it gets progressively harder rep to rep so by the 3rd rep i almost couldnt suck any air in so torso was basically floppy lol.