[Wild Dan Hibiki]

alright guys, i hit the 115kg 5x5 mark. i went to workout late at night tonight and there were guys already squatting at the rack, we rotated so it turned out pretty well. my attitude completely changed with them around. i felt like my old self again. before leaving sydney i worked out with my friends and they were there to spot me and push me, lately i've been working out alone so that's probably been messing me up. these guys were there to spot me even though i didn't need it which is good. i think i'll workout late at night now when these guys workout. LOL

117.5kg next week!

[Urban]

Glad to hear it Dan! Keep it up!

[Merrill]

So I decided against Smolov and instead opted for Doug Hepburn "B."

A)Squat
barX10, 135X5, 185X3, 225X3, 275X1, 330 5X1

3-4 minutes rest between sets

B1)Bench
135X5, 185X2, 225 5X1

B2)BOR
120X6, 195 5X1

90-120 seconds rest between sets

Rest 10 minutes

A)Squat
265 6X3

60-75 seconds rest between sets

B1)Bench
180 6X3

B2)BOR
155 6X3

45-60 seconds rest between sets


This took all of 1 hr 45 minutes to complete. I may split this up next week into an upper and lower split. Surprisingly, this was not as easy as I though it would be.

[Wild Dan Hibiki]

oh btw guys, over the last 6 or so months, i haven't really felt my ass being activated as i squat, and consequently don't feel any doms like i used to. what could this be an indicator of? leaning too forward? not going low enough? if figuring out why my ass hasn't been activated can get my squats to improve by 2.5kg i wanna know!

[BlondeWarrior]

Dan-- how do your quads feel?

You can also try a different bar position, that might help. When the bar is too low for me, I lean too far forward, and everything becomes too uncomfortable.

[ratman201]

Originally Posted by Wild Dan Hibiki

oh btw guys, over the last 6 or so months, i haven't really felt my ass being activated as i squat, and consequently don't feel any doms like i used to. what could this be an indicator of? leaning too forward? not going low enough? if figuring out why my ass hasn't been activated can get my squats to improve by 2.5kg i wanna know!

Dan look up gluteal activation exercises. Plenty easy stuff you can do to get the glute firing properly, and stretch those hip flexors!

Have you been suffering from any low back soreness over the last 6 months when you thought your glutes weren't firing? Asking because if they aren't firing your lower back ends up taking a lot of the stress.

[Wild Dan Hibiki]

Originally Posted by BlondeWarrior

Dan-- how do your quads feel?

You can also try a different bar position, that might help. When the bar is too low for me, I lean too far forward, and everything becomes too uncomfortable.

oh they fire up alright buddy, no need to worry about the quads. lol. now that i think about it i suppose maybe my glutes haven't been firing because i did recently switch up to the low bar thumbless position. that probably is a big reason why it hasn't been firing isn't it?

[Wild Dan Hibiki]

Originally Posted by ratman201

Dan look up gluteal activation exercises. Plenty easy stuff you can do to get the glute firing properly, and stretch those hip flexors!

Have you been suffering from any low back soreness over the last 6 months when you thought your glutes weren't firing? Asking because if they aren't firing your lower back ends up taking a lot of the stress.

do i do these exercises before i hit the squats? or are these more of an on-the side assistance thing?

not any noticeable soreness besides a few weeks ago after hammering a few sets i felt the lower back tighten up a bit. but besides that, nothing.

[ratman201]

Originally Posted by Wild Dan Hibiki

do i do these exercises before i hit the squats? or are these more of an on-the side assistance thing?

not any noticeable soreness besides a few weeks ago after hammering a few sets i felt the lower back tighten up a bit. but besides that, nothing.

Things like x-band walks and such you would do as a warm-up to get your glutes firing. Hip flexor stretchs can be done at the end, but some people such as Defranco has suggested doing them between sets jumps, because tight hip flexors inhibit hip extension and it will make you jump high. I'd suggest looking this stuff up on T-nation. There are a plethora of articles on the very common hip and shoulder problems.

[SmashiusClay]

Final smolov session - 147.5kgs (325) x10x3

Fucking glad that's over.