Squat Training

29 July 2012

Back squat:

Warmup - 315x5 - 385x5 - 425 x 3 sets x 5

Leg press (all for 10 reps) - 4 plates - 5 plates - 6 plates - 7 plates

Split squat 1 set unweighted, 1 set +25 lb. DBs

Single-leg extension 2 sets AMAP

Abductor / adductor machine 1 set each

Light KB swings x 2 x 20 reps (w. 35-lb. KB)

Bench Press Training

28 July 2012


Bench press, regular 270 lbs. 3 sets x 6, 1 set x 7

Pullups bodyweight x 5, +10 lbs x 4 sets x 5, 1 set x 4

Seated front military press 135x3, 185x3, 205x2, 215x1, 225x1

DB skullcrushers 50s x 3 sets x 8

DB hammer curls 50s 3 sets x 6-8

DB incline bench curls 3 sets x 10

Chest-supported rear delt flys 2 sets x 12-15

Face pulls 2 sets x 12

Ab work 3 sets, weighted

Deadlift Training - Stiff Legged Pulls

26 July 2012


Warmup - light squats up to 275 lbs. x 2

Stiff-leg deadlift:

135 x 8 - 225 x 5 - 275 x 5 - 315 x 5

All double overhand. Took fewer sets to hit the top weight for the day than last time and it worked well.

Barbell shrugs 405 x 8, 425 x 2 sets x 8

Split squats 1 set unweighted, 1 set with 20-lb. dumbbells

Single-leg curls 2 sets as many as possible

Abductor machine 1 set

Bench Press Training

23 July 2012 - Cardio (rowing and cycling), then 3 sets x 12 reps T-Bar rows

24 July 2012

Bench press 260 lbs. x 3 sets x 6, 1 set x 8 (smoked it this time)

Then did some cleans&presses with a strongman log, 3 sets + 2 sets bent-over row

DB seated incline curls 4 sets x 10

DB skullcrushers (50 lbs.) 3 sets x 6

Squat Training Plus PM Workout

22 July 2012

Back squat - warmup, 315x5, 375x5, 415x 3 sets x 5

Leg press 10 reps with 5, 6, then 7 plates

Split squats x 3 sets

Catching Up

21 July 2012

Bench press 260 lbs. x 2 sets x 6, 2 sets x 5 - was supposed to hit 260x4x6, but triceps gave out. My endurance is really shitty, on the first 2 sets I felt like I could do 10 reps with the weight and then crapped out by set 3.

Seated front military press - worked up to 205x2, then 215 x 1, 225 x 1 and 235 x 1, the latter 2 being PRs. 245 lbs. didn't come up, but I'm still pretty stoked (especially after all the bench pressing).

Ultra-wide-grip standing BTN press 135 lbs. 3x3

Thick bar curls x 5 sets

DB skullcrushers x 3 sets x 8 w. 45s (will move up to 50s next time)

Deadlift Training

19 July 2012

Pull from mid-shin:

135x10 - 225x5 - 315x2 - 365x1 - 405x1 - 425x1 - 455x1

Shrugs 405 x 8 - 425 x 2 sets x 8

T-bar rows 3 sets x 8-12 (last set was 3 plates + 25 for 8)

Bench Press Training Plus Pushups

Yesterday (16 July) - cardio training + biceps

Cardio - 2 x 5 minutes on rower, 2 x 5 minutes on static bike, medium effort

Biceps - DB preacher curls, 3 sets x 6-8 reps with 40 lbs. Arms were pretty tired after the rowing.

Today (17 July)

Bench press 255 lbs. x 3 sets x 6, 1 set x 7 reps

Bent-over barbell row, light, 4 sets x 10-12 reps (heaviest was with 205 lbs., I think)

Dips bodyweight x 10, weighted (50 lbs.) 3 sets x 5

DB skullcrushers 3 sets x 8 with 45s

Band-resisted close-grip pushups 3 sets x 10 (killer)

Squat Training

15 July 2012

Back squat warmup, then 315x5, 365x5, 405x3 sets x 5

Leg press 4 plates x10, 5 plates x 10, 6 plates x 10

Split squats (BW) x 5 sets

Standing calf raise x 1 set AMAP with stack

Light ab work x a lot

Bench Press Training

14 July 2012

Bench press 245 lbs. x 6 x 3 sets, x 8 x 1 set

Bench row x 4 sets

Snatch-grip standing BTN press - worked up to 155 lbs. x 1, which I believe is a new PR

Seated front military press - worked up to 205 x 2, 215 lbs. x 1

Misc Training - With Cardio

Highlights only.


10 July 2012

Bench press, light, 245 lbs. x 4 sets x 6 (shoulders and arms felt beat up, like I was lifting 285 or more)

Barbell bent-over rows – can’t remember the poundage, but it was low and reps were high. 4 sets.

Snatch-grip standing BTN press 3 low-rep sets up to 135 lbs. x 2

DB preacher curls 3 sets x 6

DB skullcrushers 3 sets x 6-7


11 July 2012

Cardio (hurrah!) – Concept2 rower 2 sets x 5-8 minutes, some sort of elliptical machine 10 minutes, some crunches

12 July 2012

5-rep-max stiff-leg deadlifts. Discovered a piriformis injury, i.e. my ass and lower back cramp up severely on the left side when I lift. Still managed to complete the deads.

115x10 – 225 x 5 – 255 x 5 – 275 x 5 – 295 x 5 – 305 x 5, hamstrings sore like hell today

Shrugs 405 x 3 sets x 8

Low pulley rows 3 sets

Face pulls 2 sets

Lots of light ab sets (crunches), rehab for piriformis (tough to get at) – foam rolling and stretching

Leg Training

8 July 2012


Weak effort today, going back to low-rep training next week. Also my legs felt tired and lower back got uncomfortably pumped (to the point it felt like it was going to burst), no idea why.
Safety bar box squats:
175x12 – 200 x 12 – 225 x 12 – 245 x 10 – 265 x 8 – 285 x 6

Leg press: 3 plates x 20, 4 plates x 20, 5 plates x 10
Single-leg extensions 1 set AMAP
Single-leg curls 1 set x AMAP
Weighted abs x 2 sets, unweighted x 1 set

Then did some hanging off a bar to stretch my back and some Bulgarian split squats with no weight. I’m surprisingly weak at this movement and need to do it more. I also need to stretch and rest my lower back this week: I did some foam rolling over the weekend and found all sorts of horrible knots in it.

Going for a Max in the Bench Press

6 July 2012

Great day today. As planned, I went for a new BP max and got it. Here's how it went:

Warmup - sets of 2-5 reps with weights up to 225 lbs.
255 x 1 - 285 x 1 - 315 x 1 - 345 x 1 - 370 x 1 (PR by 10 lbs.)

Debated whether I should go for 365 or 370 on the last attempt. 315 felt like 215, so I decided to be ambitious. My form was shitty and I raised my ass off the bench toward the end of the lift, but I'll take it. I'm pretty stoked about hitting 370 this early in the year; this was my target weight for 2012, so I might add a pound or two to it by year-end. Still over 5 months to go.

Bent-over rows, light, 4 sets x 10-12

DB preacher curls 3 sets

DB skullcrushers 3 sets

Chest-supported DB reverse flyes 2 sets, high reps w. 15-lb. DBs

Standing ultra-wide-grip BTN press 3 sets, light

Training - Deadlift

5 July 2012


I'm starting a new deadlift program, a bastardization of Brad Gillingham's pull template that I got from the lift-run-bang. com website. It alternates pulling from different heights in the power rack for max singles with 5-rep sets of stiff-leg deadlifts, then back to the floor building up to a max single. The entire program takes 24 weeks and I'm hoping it'll finally put me over the 500 lbs. mark. My deadlift has sucked long enough - I'm determined to make it at least mediocre this year.

First day - pull from below knee

I thought this would be easier than pulling from mid-shin. Turns out I'm even weaker at this point than from the middle. I've hit 600 from less than two inches higher (above knee), but I can't even pull my full-ROM max from just below the knee. Lots of work ahead...

135x10 - 225x5 - 310x2 - 385x1 - 415x1 - 435x1 - 455 x fail

Shrugs 405x8 - 415x8 - 425x8

Hanging leg raises 3 sets

Single-leg curl 1 set

T-bar rows 3 sets x 10 (2 plates x 1 set, 3 plates x 2 sets)

Training - Overhead Press

4 July 2012

Ultra-wide-grip standing BTN press: worked up to 135 lbs. x 2 in sets of 3 and 2

Seated front military press: warmup, 185x3, 205x2, 215x1, 225xfail

Pullups: bodyweight 2 sets x 5, +10 lbs. 5x5

Close-grip bench press 185x5, 225x5, 255x3, 275x1

Barbell curls 5 sets

Parallel-grip DB skullcrushers 3 sets x 8

Training - Squats

2 July 2012


Safety squat bar squats (little to no rest between sets):

175x12-195x12-215x10-235x10-255x10-275x10-295x7-315x3

Leg press 3 plates x 20, 4 plates x 20, 5 plates x 2 x 10

Single-leg extension 2 sets x AMAP

Single-leg curl 2 sets x AMAP

Standing calf raise 2 sets x AMAP

Ab work 4 sets x 20-30 reps (crunches)

Training - Bench Press

1 July 2012


Bench press, regular - 275x1, 300x1, 330 x 2 x 2, then 265 x 8

Close-grip BP 225x5, 275x3, 295x2

Then two slow negatives with 335 lbs.

Barbell bent-over row 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Barbell curl 5 sets x 5-12 reps

High pulley bicep curl 3 sets x 8-10

Face pulls x 20, x 12