Bench Press Training

19 November 2011

Bench press, medium-heavy:

Bunch of doubles to 205 lbs.
225 lbs. x 1, 235 lbx. 1, 250 lbs. x 1, 255 lbs. x 1, 270 lbs. x 1, 280 lbs. x 1

Pullups 5x5

Incline bench DB flyes 1 set x 10

Dips 2 x 12

EZ bar preacher curls 3 sets x 5-8

Light Deadlift + Heavy Overhead Press

17 November 2011


Warmed up with some light safety bar squats - two fives and two triples. By light I mean light, like 205 lbs. for the triples.

Deadlift - light fast pulls:

Warmup 3 sets x progressively heavier doubles

345 lbs. x 3 sets x 2 (1 conventional, 2 sumo)

Seated behind-the-neck press:

Warmup - fives, then triples
155 lbs. x 3
165 lbs. x 3
175 lbs. x 3
185 lbs. x 2
195 lbs. x 1

Squat and Bench Press Training Day 2

16 November 2011

Back squat:

Warmup x a few sets
275 lbs. x 1
295 lbs. x 1
305 lbs. x 1
370 lbs. x 2
415 lbs. x 1
440 lbs. x 1
340 lbs. x 8 (wanted to max out on reps)

Squat shrugs 340 lbs. x 10 (bar high on traps, move it up and down through shoulder girdle action only)

Bench press:

Progressively heavier triples x 6 sets (still light, top weight was 215 lbs.)
235 lbs. x 3
245 lbs. x 3
255 lbs. x 3 (all paused)

Pullups 3x5 reps

Seated rows x 3 sets, medium weight, 8-10 reps, last set followed by row shrugs x 10

Dip shrugs x 2 sets

Hammer curls x 3 sets

Situps x 2 sets on incline ab board

Squat and Bench Press Training

14 November 2011

I'll be away on business over the next week and a half, so I decided to go into slight overtraining before I leave. Lower body only - I will be bringing my cables on the trip and working the hell out of the upper body. I'll also be spending more time on practising perfect, paused bench press form with light weights several times per week (if I find a gym on the road, even more so). This will hopefully help my right shoulder heal faster.

Squat:

Warmup x a bunch of sets
285 lbs. x 1
295 lbs. x 1
370 lbs. x 2 (belt + wraps)
415 lbs. x 1 (b+w)
440 lbs. x 1 (b+w)
340 lbs. x 5 (supposed to pause these, but too tired)

Bench press: hit a bunch of triples focusing hard on perfect body positioning. It's pretty hard - even with light weights you have to contort your body and hold the pose in order to have the bar descend correctly. Finished off with 225 lbs. x 5 sets x 3.

Pullups 5x5

Seated HammerStrength rows 3 sets x 6-7, kinda heavy

Dips x 15, x 12

DB flyes on slightly inclined bench, 1 set x 11 (wanted to hit 20 reps but my rotator cuff was complaining) with a pair of 50s

Bench Press and Pull Day

12 November 2011

Shoulder (rotator cuff) was giving me trouble, so I decided to do some light high-rep benching. This made me remember how much I suck at high-rep benching.

Bench press:

Warmup x a few sets
235 lbs. x 10 (this felt incredibly light, could have gotten 15)
255 lbs. x 5 (this, on the other hand, felt like 300 on the bar... and the 5th rep was almost failure)
275 lbs. x 2 (no comment...)
235 lbs. x 5

Deadlift:

Warmup x a bunch of sets
355 lbs. x 1 sumo, 1 conventional
375 lbs. x 1 sumo
400 lbs. x 1 sumo - nice and easy pull, no back pain

Bent-over barbell row: 205 lbs. x 3 sets x 5, under 30s rest in between

Seated HammerStrength row 3 sets x 8 reps plus some scapular shrugs at end of each set

Pullups 5x5

Arm supersets:

Two DB hammer curl + tricep pushdown 3 sets
EZ bar preacher curl + bench dips 3 sets
Oly bar curl + Oly bar skullcrusher 3 sets

Squat Training - Week 3 of 4-Week Cycle

10 November 2011

Another shit day, nothing special to report.

Back squat:

Warmup x bunch of sets including some light singles

360 lbs. x 1

405 lbs. x 1
430 lbs. x 1

380 lbs. x 3

390 lbs. x 2

400 lbs. x 2

410 lbs. x 2

420 lbs. x 1

Squat shrugs (bar on back, shrug up & down using scapular muscles only) 315 lbs. x 12, 225 lbs. x 12

Leg press 4 plates x 5, 5 plates x 5, 6 plates x 5

Called it a day.

Press Training

8 November 2011

Shity session, tired and unfocused for some reason.

Overhead press from rack:

Warmup x a bunch of sets
195 lbs. x 2
205 lbs. x 2
215 lbs. x 1
230 lbs. x 2 x fail
205 lbs. x 1
155 lbs. x 2

Two-DB overhead press 65 lbs. x 5

Pullups on bar / rings 5x5

Close-grip bench press with chains - worked up to 255 lbs. + big chains x 1

Seated HammerStrength row 4-5 sets

Bodyweight dips 2 sets x 15

Misc Leg Work and Conditioning

6 November 2011


Totally random training day, some leg exercises and some conditioning work tacked on.


Safety bar squats (right shoulder was in agony this morning - got to sort that out soon):

Bar x 5
155 lbs. x 5
205 lbs. x 5
245 lbs. x 3
265 lbs. x 3
295 lbs. x 3
315 lbs. x 2
295 lbs. x 1
245 lbs. x 5

Deadlift: sumo stance 335 lbs. x 2 sets x 2, conventional 1 set x 2

One-arm KB swings 5 sets x 20 (10 per arm)

Farmer's walk 5 sets x 40 meters

Repetition barbell power cleans, light 4 sets x 10

Finished off with some planks and even some cardio work.

Bench Press Training

5 November 2011


Bench press:

Warmup x bunch of sets
225 lbs. x 5
245 lbs. x 2
275 lbs. x 3
295 lbs. x 1
310 lbs. x 1
320 lbs. x 1 (didn't feel like I had more in me and wanted to avoid stressing the shoulder)

285 lbs. x 2, x 1 (too beat up to continue)

Close grip bench press 225 lbs. + light chains x 2 sets x 5

Overhead press - worked up to 205 lbs. x 1

Seated HammerStrength rows 2 plates + 25s + 10s x 4 sets x 8

Arm supersets:

Hammer curls + tricep pushdowns 3 sets
One-arm preacher machine curls + triceps dips off bench 3 sets
Straight-bar curls + skullcrushers 3 sets

Extra Leg Day

3 November 2011

Still tired and a bit sore from the squatting on Tuesday. Wanted to press, but my right shoulder / scapular muscles are in a world of pain. I blame the combo of low-bar squatting and bottom-position bench presses. Looks like I'll have to give one up - bottom-position benches will be the ones to go for now. No use destroying my shoulders.

Due to the pain I used a safety squat bar to take stress off my shoulders and wrists. I will immediately say this is probably the hardest leg exercise I've ever done. A squat with a SSB is nothing like a normal squat: much more leg involvement, less stress on the back. A mere 3 plates (335 lbs., as the bar weighs 65 lbs, not 45) for singles was the best I could do.

Safety squat bar squats to a box above parallel:

155 lbs. x 5
205 lbs. x 3
245 lbs. x 3
265 lbs. x 3
295 lbs. x 2
315 lbs. x 2
335 lbs. x 5 singles

Sumo deadlift - technique practice:

Warmup
330 lbs. x 3 sets x 2 for speed and technique

Incline ab board situps with weight behind head 3 sets

Squat Training - Week 2 of New 4-Week Cycle

1 November 2011

Back squat:

Warmup x bunch of sets
225 lbs. x 5
265 lbs. x 4
350 lbs. x 1
395 lbs. x 1
430 lbs. x 1
370 lbs. x 5
380 lbs. x 3
390 lbs. x 3
400 lbs. x 2
410 lbs. x 1

Paused squat 320 lbs. x 5

Leg press 3 plates x 8, 4 plates x 5, 5 plates x 5, 6 plates x 5, 6 plates +25s x 5

Calf raise 3 sets