Thor's Thunder: Electrake's Epic Training Tales

[Electrake]

4/25/24

Main - OHP (strict)

• 5 x 70lb
• 5 x 85
• 5 x 105
• 5 x 115
• 5 x 135
• 5 x 150

Supplemental - OHP

• 10 x 5 @ 115

Assistance

• upright Row 5 x 10 @ 220
• Floor Press 5 x 5 @185lb

Other Stuff

• Weighted crunch 5 x 30 @ 150lb
• Abwheel 5x5

Time 51min
Weight 213.9

Elbows are tender from the last few days, rest day tomorrow!

 

[Electrake]

20ish minutes probably faster in the morning when there is no traffic.

Bro that’s still spoiled for a ‘real’ gym, check it out

My nearest "specialty" gym is in Charlotte or Kingsport, TN, Charlotte is 2 hours and Kingsport 1.5 hours lol. There's a crossfit gym in Boone 30min away, but they don't count.

 

[Electrake]

This one is actually for Saturday, I'm planning a deeply religious experience for myself and want to suffer. Critique welcome

Main - Deadlift

• 5 x 205lb
• 5 x 255
• 5 x 315
• 5 x 410
• 5 x 425
• 5 x 460

Supplemental -Squat

• 10 x 5 @ 255

Assistance

• PullUps 5x5+
• Incline DB press 5x10 @ 90

Legs or whatever

• Rack Pulls 5x5 505+ (No idea what I can do here)

 

[akboom87]

This one is actually for Saturday, I'm planning a deeply religious experience for myself and want to suffer. Critique welcome

Main - Deadlift

• 5 x 205lb
• 5 x 255
• 5 x 315
• 5 x 410
• 5 x 425
• 5 x 460

Supplemental -Squat

• 10 x 5 @ 255

Assistance

• PullUps 5x5+
• Incline DB press 5x10 @ 90

Legs or whatever

• Rack Pulls 5x5 505+ (No idea what I can do here)

 

[Hyde]

This one is actually for Saturday, I'm planning a deeply religious experience for myself and want to suffer. Critique welcome

Main - Deadlift

• 5 x 205lb
• 5 x 255
• 5 x 315
• 5 x 410
• 5 x 425
• 5 x 460

Supplemental -Squat

• 10 x 5 @ 255

Assistance

• PullUps 5x5+
• Incline DB press 5x10 @ 90

Legs or whatever

• Rack Pulls 5x5 505+ (No idea what I can do here)

I think if you are going to do rackpulls they belong after the deadlifts or squats. But I think all 3 of those combined as written are going to be very fatiguing. I don’t think you need to do a full 5x5 on them, unless you are one of those people that counts 4 warmup sets like that and there is one actual work set.

Never max out on something totally new. It’s more dangerous, and you will have neurological adaptations coming that will make you stronger the next time anyway. So better to have an intro week to practice and learn the movement before putting the pedal to the floor on it.

Also, what’s with the 315-410-425 hop? I would think 385 would make a lot more sense than 410…

 

[Electrake]

Also, what’s with the 315-410-425 hop?

Copy/paste typo lol, I'd start at 255 and have a 365 betwixt the others.

I'll definitely ease into it and see what I can get to without stressing myself, I'm pretty ok at noticing when I need to slow down if I'm in a good mental state. I'm also not married to the idea, we will see how my lower back is doing after all that. Still have house cleaning/moving stuff to do after lol

 

[Hyde]

Copy/paste typo lol, I'd start at 255 and have a 365 betwixt the others.

I'll definitely ease into it and see what I can get to without stressing myself, I'm pretty ok at noticing when I need to slow down if I'm in a good mental state. I'm also not married to the idea, we will see how my lower back is doing after all that. Still have house cleaning/moving stuff to do after lol

5x5 is probably fine at 315, but if you smash them is where it could get greedy.

 

[Electrake]

5x5 is probably fine at 315, but if you smash them is where it could get greedy.

I agree. Deadlift days are holy to me, I don't mind being there for 2 hours if that's what it takes.

 

[Resolve10]

I agree idk if I'd be down to do 5x5 of a movement like that after Deads and Squats unless everything was dialed back to a certain degree.

Personal preference but also not really a fan of rack pulls. I prefer blocks and even then I think it just turns more into an ego thing. Most people who do lots of pulls there don't really need those kinds of pulls. If it really is a weakness that needs addressing I find that individuals who do need them actually have trouble lifting a ton of weight on them, hence the need for them as a weakness in their pattern. I find more people need help with from the floor and if missing lockout strength on deadlifts do better with things that will force better positions once they reach that higher part of the movement (as possible coordination and positioning is leading to the miss at the top), doing them much "lower" on blocks than they think they need (not super high which can be tough to get pins set low enough), or accommodating resistance like chains has helped me more when I needed that kind of work.

Again there are definitely use cases though, not saying no one should ever not do them.

 

[Hyde]

I agree idk if I'd be down to do 5x5 of a movement like that after Deads and Squats unless everything was dialed back to a certain degree.

Personal preference but also not really a fan of rack pulls. I prefer blocks and even then I think it just turns more into an ego thing. Most people who do lots of pulls there don't really need those kinds of pulls. If it really is a weakness that needs addressing I find that individuals who do need them actually have trouble lifting a ton of weight on them, hence the need for them as a weakness in their pattern. I find more people need help with from the floor and if missing lockout strength on deadlifts do better with things that will force better positions once they reach that higher part of the movement (as possible coordination and positioning is leading to the miss at the top), doing them much "lower" on blocks than they think they need (not super high which can be tough to get pins set low enough), or accommodating resistance like chains has helped me more when I needed that kind of work.

Again there are definitely use cases though, not saying no one should ever not do them.

All of that is my experience too, just with myself. I hate pulling off from blocks, but they work for me because my conventional is always strong from the floor and pulling from 3-4” blocks is a weakness (I can only lift similar weights as floor).

But rackpulls I struggle to obtain the actual positions I’d be at by that height when deadlifting from the floor. So they don’t really transfer well.

 

[Dustin07]

I'm one of those who needs rack pulls in his life because 90% of lifting for me is and always has been mental. I can feel like dogshit walking into the gym but with headphones on, the ritual of lacing up shoes and pulling on knee sleeves gets my competitive side amp'd up.

adding 5lbs a week or whatever on a given cycle from the ground is nice but for me reaches diminishing returns a lot faster if I don't do those rack pulls. I do believe there is of course physical/neurological benefits to simply holding very heavy weight (squat walk outs, bench holds, etc) and I used heavy rack pulls to rehab my back injury years ago.

But now days I just find that heavy rack pulls seem to give my body the ability to hold very heavy weight without being anywhere near as taxing as a full conventional. What I want to do in the next few weeks is cycle from deficit pulls > rack pulls and then see where my conventional is.

Main - OHP (strict)

• 5 x 70lb
• 5 x 85
• 5 x 105
• 5 x 115
• 5 x 135
• 5 x 150

what's your PR here, or goal?
at 150 x 5 you have me paying attention lol. I think my best legal rep was like 205 but I'm not sure if my 5 rep ever crossed 175ish. I was using micro plates in the 160s to eek out gains.

There's a crossfit gym in Boone 30min away, but they don't count.

they aren't what they used to be. in the good old days, I'd spend 90+ minutes training at the box before I even started doing wods. it was a hangout. pound a shake, aminos, water, 20 minutes later do another wod. We would look at all the benchmark wods and our leaderboards at our box and start takings stabs at them trying to earn the #1 on every board.

Main - Deadlift

• 5 x 460

fuuuck.

 

[Electrake]

what's your PR here, or goal?

PR for 100% strict with a decent warmup is 225, same with the log. I don't really have a goal for OHP atm except to increase my weights, but it's been something I was missing for years to increase upper body size and overall push strength. Bench rocketed up when I started incorporating it about a year ago. At the moment, I'm comfortable with 175x5, but last week I dialed my weights back significantly in order to get some more volume in, work on endurance, and basically just keep my **** together until life is stable lol.

 

[Dustin07]

I always sorta see 150+ for reps kinda like 225+ for reps on bench. it's like that foundational launching pad for most male lifters I think. Yes these can be 1rm goals for a lot of guys at first, but as you're chasing big numbers they sorta are like the launchpad IMO...

Bench rocketed up when I started incorporating it about a year ago.

man I wish I was the same. I definitely had diminishing returns and found that specializing in one or the other, and treating the other as an accessory was the key for me. The only time I've been able to get two lifts to PR side by side was really 2023 when I focused exclusively on deads and bench and let OHP, Squats, cleans, jerk everything else wither a bit.

 

[Electrake]

I always sorta see 150+ for reps kinda like 225+ for reps on bench. it's like that foundational launching pad for most male lifters I think. Yes these can be 1rm goals for a lot of guys at first, but as you're chasing big numbers they sorta are like the launchpad IMO...



man I wish I was the same. I definitely had diminishing returns and found that specializing in one or the other, and treating the other as an accessory was the key for me. The only time I've been able to get two lifts to PR side by side was really 2023 when I focused exclusively on deads and bench and let OHP, Squats, cleans, jerk everything else wither a bit.

I agree with everything about the 150 range, seems like a hard place to get to, but when you're there you're kind of stuck unless you specialize lol.

Everything else you mentioned definitely seems par for the course. I think I still have a lot of "beginner" gains to be achieved from years of poor training, bodybuilding specialization, and improper diet. The last year+ of strength training has seen my biggest PRs and I may be the most muscular I've been, besides coming back from Iraq at an absolutely shredded 170 lol. But those were my "Jim Stoppani is god" days. Thanks Bodybuilding.com

 

[Electrake]

I thought this was weird... I added a scoop of karbolyn to 20oz almond milk, scoop of ON vanilla whey, and 2 tbl PBfit. It's amazing. 9/10 would do again.

 

[akboom87]

I thought this was weird... I added a scoop of karbolyn to 20oz almond milk, scoop of ON vanilla whey, and 2 tbl PBfit. It's amazing. 9/10 would do again.

I need to locate some Protein powder this weekend, this tub of ghost I got I am not fond of.

 

[Electrake]

I need to locate some Protein powder this weekend, this tub of ghost I got I am not fond of.

I'm not sure if it's one of the supps I've been eating, but I've been fighting nausea lately and have been slamming shakes of various types. Would recommend this one

 

[Electrake]

The training plan went as prescribed, it was a mess! Only difference was working rack pulls, I started pretty low, mid shin, at 315 for 5. That didn't do a lot for me so went up 405, 455, 505, finally 525 for 5. No belt, but i did bring out the straps.

 

[Electrake]

This is the end of the first week of adding in AE to my "stack," so as far as anabolism is concerned, I'm rocking AE, Axt, pepti-plex, and recomp20. I do notice some differences already, could be because I'm week 4 with Axt too, the sensation of weights feeling heavy but moving regardless. That specific feeling I equate to supplements kicking in, I've only ever felt it before when taking double doses of oral prohormones.

 

[Electrake]

Didn't get through a whole hell of a lot today, wasn't feeling super well, but well enough to try to train.

4/30/24
bw 210.8

Squat
6 sets of 5 up to 335

OHP 10x5 at 135
superset with kroc rows(100lb DB with fat grip) and incline press machine

Had a strange tightness develop that I couldn't decide if it was serratus or chest, so I cut out a bit early. Haven't been eating well, house lists in 3 weeks and I'll be out of town for 12 days, finals, work kicking me ass, lots going on. Working on hydration and nutrition today, and we will hit it again tomorrow!

 

[Electrake]

First and foremost, I broke 200lb weight weight at wake up post poop was 199.

5/1/24

Main - Bench

• 5 x 110lb
• 5 x 140
• 5 x 170
• 5 x 180
• 5 x 215
• 5 x 245
• 1x255,265,275,285,295 (PR)

Supplemental - OHP

• 10 x 5 @ 125

Assistance

• axe pendlay row 5 x 5 @ 185
• DB tricep extensions overhead 5 x 10 @ 90

Legs/Stuff

• Super set cable crunch/oblique cable pushdown

This is the chalk bin at my gym today... I left the liquid chalk AND backup chalk at the house

 

[Electrake]

Highest bench I've had since high school however. Knocking on the door of 300.

 

[Resolve10]

Congrats on the PR!

 

[Electrake]

Congrats on the PR!

Thanks! Hemorrhaging weight like I am, not sure how sustainable the weights are, but I'll take it!

 

[Dustin07]

4/30/24
bw 210.8

First and foremost, I broke 200lb weight weight at wake up post poop was 199.

wait (weight!) 10lbs in a day?

1x255,265,275,285,295 (PR)

congrats homie! Fuk. now you're going to make me push harder to get back over 300.

I left the liquid chalk AND backup chalk at the house

I have no sympathy. we have discussed how to overpack gym bags at length already

 

[Electrake]

wait (weight!) 10lbs in a day?



congrats homie! Fuk. now you're going to make me push harder to get back over 300.



I have no sympathy. we have discussed how to overpack gym bags at length already

I've been very inconsistent with how I've been weighing myself out of apathy, it's generally been in shorts and a tank top, today was right out of bed, toilet, scale lol

Yesterday my shaker opened and dumped 24oz of karbolyn and mio into my bag, so I dumped everything and didn't put it all bag. Epic fail lol

 

[Dustin07]

I have been stricter lately with the renpho app every morning post piss but only because I have looked back 6-12months+ and saw periods of time where I didn't have good weight info and wish I did. so I'm doing it more for future reference than for current needs if that makes sense....

 

[Electrake]

I have been stricter lately with the renpho app every morning post piss but only because I have looked back 6-12months+ and saw periods of time where I didn't have good weight info and wish I did. so I'm doing it more for future reference than for current needs if that makes sense....

Absolutely, I'm just counting the days until there's stability in my life and I can recommit to the gain train in the mean time, all I'm looking forward to is 4 Dicks deluxe 3 fries, a strawberry shake, and like 10 sides of tartar

 

[Hyde]

Absolutely, I'm just counting the days until there's stability in my life and I can recommit to the gain train in the mean time, all I'm looking forward to is 4 Dicks deluxe 3 fries, a strawberry shake, and like 10 sides of tartar

Nice work on the bench!

You put the tartar sauce on the burger or dunk the fries in it?

 

[Electrake]

Nice work on the bench!

You put the tartar sauce on the burger or dunk the fries in it?

I was dunking fries, but now you have my gears turning...

Edit: the tartar they give you is like thimble sized, but like $.05 so buy a handful

 

[Dustin07]

all I'm looking forward to is 4 Dicks

this explains a lot

 

[Electrake]

this explains a lot

Touche

 

[dapack]

Congrats on the PR!!!!

 

[akboom87]

First and foremost, I broke 200lb weight weight at wake up post poop was 199.

5/1/24

Main - Bench

• 5 x 110lb
• 5 x 140
• 5 x 170
• 5 x 180
• 5 x 215
• 5 x 245
• 1x255,265,275,285,295 (PR)

Supplemental - OHP

• 10 x 5 @ 125

Assistance

• axe pendlay row 5 x 5 @ 185
• DB tricep extensions overhead 5 x 10 @ 90

Legs/Stuff

• Super set cable crunch/oblique cable pushdown

This is the chalk bin at my gym today... I left the liquid chalk AND backup chalk at the house

View attachment 241861

Congrats on the bench PR! That’s how the chalk bowl was last deadlift day I had!

 

[SkRaw85]

Gratz on the bench pr

 

[Dustin07]

Boys!

$8.

 

[Electrake]

Boys!

$8.View attachment 241866

I'm going to buy a box of the clip ons, they'll by in my truck, on my bag, my key chain, my belt loop, my next girl friends ear rings, dogs collars...

 

[Hyde]

I'm going to buy a box of the clip ons, they'll by in my truck, on my bag, my key chain, my belt loop, my next girl friends ear rings, dogs collars...

If she won’t wear them, you know she’s not ride-or-die material

 

[Dustin07]

I'm going to buy a box of the clip ons, they'll by in my truck, on my bag, my key chain, my belt loop, my next girl friends ear rings, dogs collars...

legit. for a while I had an extra one in my lifting buddies bag and my sons gym bag as well

 

[Electrake]

Woke at 0420 to drive 2 hours to Charlotte for my trip to Seattle today, 0421 I get an email saying my flights delayed 3 hours, that's fine, I'll sleep more. 0422, I get an email saying I'll miss my connector, I need to schedule a new flight or cancel. Next flight is tomorrow with an 8 hour layover, at least it's in Denver, I'll take the train in and hit some breweries. Dick heads won't cover the cost of the extra day of my rental car though because it was an airport issue, not theirs, and Priceline won't because I didn't pay for the insurance. What a crock of ****. Lost my seats on the new flight so **** it, I'm flying first class.

So anyways, looking forward to killing it in the gym today.

 

[Dustin07]

Charlotte for my trip to Seattle today,

it's so weird how our lives are like... sorta connected in the Kevin bacon sense with my best friend since age 9 being over there at Bragg, and he and I both being from farms outside of Seattle, and now you coming back out to the PNW from the Braggish area lol

I get an email saying my flights delayed 3 hours,

so when I was flying home from AZ last month my uber from airport to house (mom and dads place) was $85. (surge pricing from airport). so I prescheduled an uber for 4 days later from house to airport for only $40.
as the uber was on it's way to pick me up weds morning I log into the alaska airlines app and find out we have a 2 hr delay... well... uber is almost here, so we may as well just go and kill time at the airport.
we get to the airport and they delay it 2 more times... I swear Alaska Airlines is the worst airline in the nation right now.

 

[Electrake]

being from farms outside of Seattle

Also me my family has 30ish head of cattle on 100 acres outside of Lake Stevens/Granite Falls.

I swear Alaska Airlines is the worst airline in the nation right now.

They used to be amazing! But yeah they suck ass now. I really wanted to fly into Payne field but holy hell it's expensive. At least now, I won't be driving through Seattle north in rush hour.

 

[Dustin07]

Also me my family has 30ish head of cattle on 100 acres outside of Lake Stevens/Granite Falls.

Mom and dad typically only keep 5-10 these days, just enough that we get to butcher one or two every summer lol. But my brother just picked up a small farm down the road where his wife is running a farm school, and he's raising minis now. now for food, but I guess they sell for massive bucks so he's partnering up with some breeders and running a few on his farm now. My wife and i mostly just raise chickens (and ducks, dogs, fish lol)

I won't be driving through Seattle north in rush hour.

word. I have this craving to hang out in some of my old areas of Seattle but it's really hard to motivate to make the drive these days. I used to go into the city twice a week for rock shows but now days i'm probably there 6 times a year tops lol

 

[akboom87]

Also me my family has 30ish head of cattle on 100 acres outside of Lake Stevens/Granite Falls.



They used to be amazing! But yeah they suck ass now. I really wanted to fly into Payne field but holy hell it's expensive. At least now, I won't be driving through Seattle north in rush hour.

Can’t remember are you just visiting there or thinking of moving out that way?

 

[Dustin07]

I don't think he's dumb enough to move back to what's left of washington, he escaped and saw the greater potential beyond our over taxed, traffic dominated, shithole of a sanctuary drug induced criminal hideout.

 

[akboom87]

I don't think he's dumb enough to move back to what's left of washington, he escaped and saw the greater potential beyond our over taxed, traffic dominated, shithole of a sanctuary drug induced criminal hideout.

Yeah I didn’t think so but I couldn’t remember.

 

[Electrake]

Can’t remember are you just visiting there or thinking of moving out that way?

I'm from about 30 miles north of Seattle and haven't been home to see my family in nearly 3 years, figure it's about time.

 

[Electrake]

I don't think he's dumb enough to move back to what's left of washington, he escaped and saw the greater potential beyond our over taxed, traffic dominated, shithole of a sanctuary drug induced criminal hideout.

I will say, the gun laws are still better than most states I've been too. At least they used to be.

 

[akboom87]

I'm from about 30 miles north of Seattle and haven't been home to see my family in nearly 3 years, figure it's about time.

Yeah that I understand that. When my parents retired and moved from Alaska to the states, I was still up there it was long periods between family visits.

 

[Dustin07]

I will say, the gun laws are still better than most states I've been too. At least they used to be.

as I read that all I can think about is the piles and piles of 30round mags (and one 50round drum mag) my buddies and I bought up before they got banned, and the AR i bought my step son the month before they got banned......... lol