Training for the Women's Pro/Am April 14th. Programming by Dave Tate in italics.

 

I am 11 weeks out from this meet and we are in the 4th week of this hypertrophy/conditioning block. It is a down week (as you can see from the exercise selection and fewer sets than usual) then we will be getting back into a normal meet training cycle for the remaining time.

TUESDAY

  • Warm Up
  • Hanging Leg Raise
  • Reverse Hypers
  • Pull Down Abs
  • Face Pulls
  • Low Rows
  • GHR
  • *2-4 sets (whatever you need)

 

  • Good Morning
  • + any bar
  • Warm up top 5 sets of 5  

I used some sort of uffalo bar. No matter what I did, I could not get my hamstrings to feel like they were working. Anything over a quarter on each side was all low back. The weight was not heavy by any means but I think my low back is so weak that it can’t let me perform the movement correctly and feel it anywhere else in my body aside from my back. I only went up to a plate and a dime and figured I uh at least was getting a little low back work in.

Joe suggested doing them with a more bent knee and that helped me feel it more in my whole back in a “my back is working” way as opposed to a “my back is weak as fuck way”. I dropped back to a plate at the end to try and get it more in my hamstrings but, alas. My hams were not strung. Or my back was strung out on meth and that’s why it wasn’t working. Wait wouldn’t it be extra strong if it was on a meth binge? I might need to reevaluate my supplement decisions.

So the decision has been made to add in good mornings 2x a week. On my ME day, buffalo bar, going heavier, with bent knees to keep everything in my back (sets of 5). On my DE lower days, another sort of good morning variation with higher reps and legs straighter to keep the hamstrings in there.

Not exactly where I want to be 11 weeks out. But we shall see what happens.

During my post-meet no-barbell-touchey-but-also-try-to-get-low-back-strong time, I hit the back attack pretty heavy. But, alas, apparently it did not do much for me.  Noted.

 

  • Supplemental Movement A1
  • Close Leg Press - 2 sets with 100 reps with 1/3 the weight you topped off the heaviest set of 5 with last week.

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Well good thing I took a picture of the colossal mess I had on the leg press last week so I could figure out some sort of rainman math for what to use this week.

Used 5 plates or something like that.

The second set I just got in the zone and jammed them out. So I got in the…. Auto Zone???

 

  • Supplemental Movement A2
  • Standing Leg Curl - 2 double sets of 12-15 reps

-

I like the standing leg curl because it is easy to take the weight on and off and you don’t have to maneuver much to get on the machine you just lean on it. I judge gym equipment by how lazy I can be while using it.

In order of ease of use:

  1. Ab bench
  2. Standing leg curl
  3. Seated leg extension
  4. Seated leg curl (yes you get to sit but it’s a bitch to get your legs in that thing)

 

Anyway back to the actual exercising, 35 lbs each leg for one set, 40 for another.  I overstimated my strength with 40 lbs a little.

 

  • Accessory B
  • Glute Machine
  • 2 double sets with the starting reps being 12-15. To do these select a weight you can do for 12-15 and do that set, go straight to the other leg and do the same # of reps. Then go right back to the first leg and do as many reps as you can. If this is more than 60% of the reps on the first round add more weight or slow down the tempo. After that double set rest. 

-

The leg pressing ad hamstring curls got me good I couldn’t even do BODYWEIGHT KICKBACKS this week! My #1 indicator exercise of a good squat jk jk jk jk. Just kidding. Just kickbacks.

I did 130 lbs so if I ever need to kick another human who is behind me, I made a mental note that their max weight should be 130 lbs. Teenagers, line up.

 

  • Accessory C
  • Reverse Hyper
  • 3 moderate sets of 6-8 reps

-

Used 6-7 plates total. I’m trying extra hard to focus on what I am doing each set and make changes as needed instead of just doing them and assuming I did them well because I completed the reps with a good amount of weight.

If I am doing heavier sets to target my glutes, I make sure to squeeze at the top and I mess around with my hip position on the reverse hyper to make sure I am positioned where I feel it the most.

If I am trying to target my low back, I take the tempo and ROM down, keep my chest up, and move my hips on the reverse hyper to a spot where I feel like I am hitting my low back the most.

 

  • Accessory D
  • Sissy Squats using the sissy squat stand.
  • 2 sets training to 3 reps shy of failure.

 -

Well here is a semi tutorial since like the 3x I have tried to do these in the past, my attempts have been an abomination. Until Dave told us how to do it. Told, not showed.

 

Wow I can't believe I can hear Tyrel cursing in the back. This is a family gym, Tyrel.

I work on leaning back, pushing my feet forward, and pushing my calves against the pad before I start the first rep. Then sit back as far as possible. On the way up, I squeeze my quads and push my hips through. As you can see, I’m leaning back throughout the entire motion- I never stand straight up. I try to keep the tempo fairly slow. Do all of that and these fucking suck. That’s what you’re going for, right? Exercises that fucking suck?

 

What am I doing with my arms? Great question. Making a little table for snacks probably.

 

  • Free Time
  • Whatever you want

 -

Innie outtie machine, back extension on the GHR with 16 lb med ball for high reps, T bar row with a plate and 2 quarters.

 

THURSDAY

  • Warm Up
  • Hanging Leg Raise
  • Reverse Hypers
  • Seated Rows
  • Facepulls
  • Pulldowns
  • One Arm tricep Band Pushdowns

 

  • Dynamic Effort Movement
  • Bench Press with Fat Bar and 1.5 chains per side.
  • + 9 sets of 3 reps with 45-60 seconds rest between sets
  • + same weight as last week
  • + three different grips

-

Plate with 1.5 chains as stated above. Close grip (thumb away from smooth), regular bench grip, and wide shirted bench grip.

 

  • Supplemental Movement - 1
  • 1 Board Close Grip Board Press - keep using the fat bar. Pull chains off. Work up to 2 heavy sets of 5 - rest no more than a couple minutes between sets

 -

Worked up to a plate, quarter, and a five for 2x5.

 

  • Supplemental Movement  - 2
  • Seated Rows (any grip). 1-3 warm up sets and then 2 sets of 8 reps leaving around 1-2 rep in the tank on each set.

 -

I did these Joe style where I did not cheat YOU HEAR THAT JOE/ 170 staying upright and using my mid back instead of I don't know what.

 

  • Accessory - 1
  • Tricep Extension with bells (can be kettle bells, dumbbells or fat bells).  40 total reps. Use as many sets as you need but no more than 30 seconds rest between sets

-

I saw Nate Harvey do dead stop tricep extensions with a kettle bell on the floor on Instagram so that is what we did today. #fitspo.

With half a pood. Yep.

 

  • Accessory - 2
  • One Arm Standing Shoulder Press
  • 3 sets of 8-10 (each set to failure)

-

35 lbs with a slow tempo so I could do a lightish weight to failure.

 

  • Accessory - 3
  • Push ups with closed first (this can be with hands on hex dumbbells, the push up things or a barbell in a rack)
  • 60 total reps. Use as many sets as you need but no more than 30 seconds rest between sets

-

Barbell push ups aka rib cage bounces.

 

  • Free Time
  • Whatever you want

-

Face pulls 100 lbs, lat pull with tsunami bar (weird. 1/10 would not do again), shrugs on calf raise (220 lbs, holding at top for 3 seconds), stir the pots, grip work (grenade attachment on plates).

AND NOW THE MOMENT YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR....

What do you call a lyrically inclined onion?

A RAPSCALLION!!!

Hahahahahaha. heheh. hehhhh. ehh.........