30 July 2014
Did a quick workout of standing presses and arm exercises, supersetting as follows:
BTN standing press with front/lat raises
Preacher EZ bar curls with concentration curls
Chest machine presses (triceps emphasis) with pushdowns
EZ bar curls with dumbbell kickbacks
Used light weights (BTN presses up to 165x5) and got a huge pump.
31 July 2014
Squat 135x6, 225x4, 275x3, 315x3, 365x3, 405x3, 455x3, 495x3
Belt on 405, belt and wraps on last two sets. Felt pretty strong.
Stiff-leg deadlifts worked up to 345 lbs. x 5
Weighted back raise x8, x6
Seated paused DB shrugs 3s x 20
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Combined Squat and Press
29 July 2014
Combined two rep sessions into one, will do some shoulders and small stuff tomorrow.
Speed squat 320 lbs. x 5, 405 lbs. 2s x 5
This was kinda hard (i.e. not fast enough) because my shoulder and wrist kept hurting and I had a hard time placing the bar properly on my traps. Tried wrapping the wrists, but it didn't help.
Bench press 285 lbs. 3s x 5
Shoulders and elbows hurt (both this time), this didn't feel that great either.
Leg press 3s x 10+10 (10 reps feet close, 10 reps feet wide) - only used 4 plates per side.
Seated paused DB shrug 3s x 20 - this was the only exercise that felt OK.
Dips x12, x8, x7 - elbows really started acting up.
Combined two rep sessions into one, will do some shoulders and small stuff tomorrow.
Speed squat 320 lbs. x 5, 405 lbs. 2s x 5
This was kinda hard (i.e. not fast enough) because my shoulder and wrist kept hurting and I had a hard time placing the bar properly on my traps. Tried wrapping the wrists, but it didn't help.
Bench press 285 lbs. 3s x 5
Shoulders and elbows hurt (both this time), this didn't feel that great either.
Leg press 3s x 10+10 (10 reps feet close, 10 reps feet wide) - only used 4 plates per side.
Seated paused DB shrug 3s x 20 - this was the only exercise that felt OK.
Dips x12, x8, x7 - elbows really started acting up.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Squat and Pull
28 July 2014
Squat: 135x6, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 365x2, 405x2, 435x1, 460x1
Unnecessarily too heavy for what I wanted to do today. Should have gone with maybe 445 at most. Oh well. No belt or wraps on any sets.
Deficit deadlift - worked up to 415 lbs. for two singles. Used two 45s as a deficit platform, but I think this might be too much of a deficit.
Smith machine front squat 3s x 5 - medium-intensity sets
Leg curl 2s x 8
Weighted situps 3s x 8
Squat: 135x6, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 365x2, 405x2, 435x1, 460x1
Unnecessarily too heavy for what I wanted to do today. Should have gone with maybe 445 at most. Oh well. No belt or wraps on any sets.
Deficit deadlift - worked up to 415 lbs. for two singles. Used two 45s as a deficit platform, but I think this might be too much of a deficit.
Smith machine front squat 3s x 5 - medium-intensity sets
Leg curl 2s x 8
Weighted situps 3s x 8
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Heavy Push
26 July 2014
Bench press - wave loading again:
305x3 / 315x2 / 330x1
315x3 / 325x2 / 340x1
320x2
Started third wave, but couldn't quite manage all three reps so I stopped (you stop when you miss your first set). A bit heavier than last time, and more reps too.
SlingShot: 350x3/360x2/380x1 - not bad.
Pullups 4s x 5 - token back work, will do deadlifts tomorrow.
HammerStrength incline bench machine 3s x 8
Machine preacher curl 4s x 7-8
Pushdowns 3s x 10
Bench press - wave loading again:
305x3 / 315x2 / 330x1
315x3 / 325x2 / 340x1
320x2
Started third wave, but couldn't quite manage all three reps so I stopped (you stop when you miss your first set). A bit heavier than last time, and more reps too.
SlingShot: 350x3/360x2/380x1 - not bad.
Pullups 4s x 5 - token back work, will do deadlifts tomorrow.
HammerStrength incline bench machine 3s x 8
Machine preacher curl 4s x 7-8
Pushdowns 3s x 10
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Speed Squats - 80%
24 July 2014
Decided to up the weights for the speed squatting day to 80%. I'll keep them the same until I hit 500 for a triple, then use 420/520 as the new projected max and work down to 60% of that for the speed day.
Speed squat 320 lbs x 5, 405 lbs. 2s x 5
The sets with 405 were easy enough, but it took me a few reps to figure out how to explode from the hole and fight the ingrained slow squatmourning movement pattern. It was kinda like being a newbie driver in a manual transmission car: I'd hit the bottom, grind for a moment in first gear, revving the engine and trying to find second, then finally shift and lurch upward unsteadily. Once I learn how to make the transition smoother, I think this will do good things for my squat.
Hack squat 4s x 8
Weighted situps on incline board 3s x 6-8
That was all for today.
Decided to up the weights for the speed squatting day to 80%. I'll keep them the same until I hit 500 for a triple, then use 420/520 as the new projected max and work down to 60% of that for the speed day.
Speed squat 320 lbs x 5, 405 lbs. 2s x 5
The sets with 405 were easy enough, but it took me a few reps to figure out how to explode from the hole and fight the ingrained slow squatmourning movement pattern. It was kinda like being a newbie driver in a manual transmission car: I'd hit the bottom, grind for a moment in first gear, revving the engine and trying to find second, then finally shift and lurch upward unsteadily. Once I learn how to make the transition smoother, I think this will do good things for my squat.
Hack squat 4s x 8
Weighted situps on incline board 3s x 6-8
That was all for today.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Volume Monster
22 July 2014
Had to wait a while to do bench presses. I thought Monday was supposed to be International Bench Press Day. Maybe Monday now has a bad rap among the functional / starting strength crowd, so everyone benches on Tuesdays instead. The tryhard revolution eating its children, something something.
Pullups 5x5 while I waited (actually 3 sets pullups, 1 set chinups, 1 set neutral grip)
Bench press 275 lbs. 5/4/3/5/4/3 - fatigue accumulates quickly on these ladder things. That last triple felt like 325.
Seated cable row 4s x 6, increasing weight each set
Machine preacher curls 3s x AMAP - waiting for rack or stands to open up for presses.
Standing BTN press 155 lbs. 5/4/3/5/4/3 - not bad.
EZ bar curls 4s x 6-8
Machine incline presses 4s x 6-8, just as a finisher.
Had to wait a while to do bench presses. I thought Monday was supposed to be International Bench Press Day. Maybe Monday now has a bad rap among the functional / starting strength crowd, so everyone benches on Tuesdays instead. The tryhard revolution eating its children, something something.
Pullups 5x5 while I waited (actually 3 sets pullups, 1 set chinups, 1 set neutral grip)
Bench press 275 lbs. 5/4/3/5/4/3 - fatigue accumulates quickly on these ladder things. That last triple felt like 325.
Seated cable row 4s x 6, increasing weight each set
Machine preacher curls 3s x AMAP - waiting for rack or stands to open up for presses.
Standing BTN press 155 lbs. 5/4/3/5/4/3 - not bad.
EZ bar curls 4s x 6-8
Machine incline presses 4s x 6-8, just as a finisher.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Heavy Bench Press - Wave Loading Experiment
20 July 2014
Tried the wave loading setup for bench presses today. It felt good, although it seems to take a lot of time.
Bench press:
300x3 / 310x2 / 325x1
305x3 / 315x2 / 330x1
SlingShot: 345x3 / 355x2 / 370x1
I'm still not feeling 100% (or even 90%), so only did two waves. The plan is to do 3, then one with the SlingShot for a total of 4.
Smith machine bent over rows 5x5
Weighted dips 5, 6, 5
EZ bar curls 3s x 8
Tried the wave loading setup for bench presses today. It felt good, although it seems to take a lot of time.
Bench press:
300x3 / 310x2 / 325x1
305x3 / 315x2 / 330x1
SlingShot: 345x3 / 355x2 / 370x1
I'm still not feeling 100% (or even 90%), so only did two waves. The plan is to do 3, then one with the SlingShot for a total of 4.
Smith machine bent over rows 5x5
Weighted dips 5, 6, 5
EZ bar curls 3s x 8
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Squattery
19 July 2014
Sinus infection is still raging, but feeling better today. Not getting much sleep, tho.
I helped a friend move this morning / early afternoon, then decided to hit the gym for some squats:
Back squat 135x6, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 365x3, 405x3, 435x2, 455x3, 485x2, hi-bar 325x5
From 405 on up, wore a belt but no wraps. I realized that I don't know how to put those things on right, because today I didn't wear them and still hit 485x2 (might have done a third but felt a bit tired), which is more or less what I do with the wraps on. On the other hand, my knees are feeling a bit weird.
Leg curl 2s x 8
Weighted back raise 8, 6, 5
Weighted abs 8, 6, 6
Smith machine front squat 3s x 5
Sinus infection is still raging, but feeling better today. Not getting much sleep, tho.
I helped a friend move this morning / early afternoon, then decided to hit the gym for some squats:
Back squat 135x6, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 365x3, 405x3, 435x2, 455x3, 485x2, hi-bar 325x5
From 405 on up, wore a belt but no wraps. I realized that I don't know how to put those things on right, because today I didn't wear them and still hit 485x2 (might have done a third but felt a bit tired), which is more or less what I do with the wraps on. On the other hand, my knees are feeling a bit weird.
Leg curl 2s x 8
Weighted back raise 8, 6, 5
Weighted abs 8, 6, 6
Smith machine front squat 3s x 5
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
More Upper Body
15 July 2014
Continuing with the light workouts, did upper body stuff again today.
Bench press 275 lbs. 5/4/3/5/4/3 - this was nice and easy.
Supersetted with:
Seated cable row 8/8/6/8/6/6 - all at same weight
Combo front+lat raise 2s x 20
EZ bar curl 3s x 8
Dips 12, 10, 10 - haven't done dips in over a year, I think
Pushdown 3s x 10-12
Preacher curl machine 3s x 8
Continuing with the light workouts, did upper body stuff again today.
Bench press 275 lbs. 5/4/3/5/4/3 - this was nice and easy.
Supersetted with:
Seated cable row 8/8/6/8/6/6 - all at same weight
Combo front+lat raise 2s x 20
EZ bar curl 3s x 8
Dips 12, 10, 10 - haven't done dips in over a year, I think
Pushdown 3s x 10-12
Preacher curl machine 3s x 8
Monday, July 14, 2014
Light Squat Repeated
14 July 2014
Decided to give these another shot, and also get stiff leg deadlifts out of the way.
Speed squats 280 lbs. 2s x 5, 350 lbs. 2s x 5
Nice and explosive this time, not 100% but still good.
Stiff-leg deadlifts 135x5, 225x3, 275x3, 335x5
Smith machine front squats 3s x 5
Weighted back raise 4s x 5-8
Tried doing these with a light EZ bar behind my neck, felt different from holding the weight at the chest.
Weighted incline board situp 2s x 8
Leg curl 2s x 8
Decided to give these another shot, and also get stiff leg deadlifts out of the way.
Speed squats 280 lbs. 2s x 5, 350 lbs. 2s x 5
Nice and explosive this time, not 100% but still good.
Stiff-leg deadlifts 135x5, 225x3, 275x3, 335x5
Smith machine front squats 3s x 5
Weighted back raise 4s x 5-8
Tried doing these with a light EZ bar behind my neck, felt different from holding the weight at the chest.
Weighted incline board situp 2s x 8
Leg curl 2s x 8
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Light Push
12 July 2014
As I expected, legs are extremely sore today.
Tried to experiment with rep ladders today, didn't get very far. Probably because doing ladders requires a lot of rest between sets, and I was trying to keep rest periods to around 45 seconds (60 seconds later in the workout). Was supposed to do 7/5/3 twice, instead did the following:
Bench press 275 lbs. 5/5/3/5/3
Supersetted with:
Smith machine bent-over row 5/5/3/5/5
Then:
Standing BTN press 155 lbs. 7/5/3/7/5/3
Supersetted with:
Pulldowns 10/10/8 (so only first 3 sets of the press)
EZ bar curls 5x5
Smith machine close-grip floor press 2s x 8
I think I'll keep doing the ladders as I get back into the lifting groove. 7/5/3 done twice is double my usual light day volume of 3 sets of 5, which is pretty decent. I'll keep the weight the same and try to reduce rest periods, then up the weight slightly once I'm getting all the reps in with very short breaks.
For my second press day (heavy) I've decided to give wave loading a shot. Should be an interesting experiment.
As I expected, legs are extremely sore today.
Tried to experiment with rep ladders today, didn't get very far. Probably because doing ladders requires a lot of rest between sets, and I was trying to keep rest periods to around 45 seconds (60 seconds later in the workout). Was supposed to do 7/5/3 twice, instead did the following:
Bench press 275 lbs. 5/5/3/5/3
Supersetted with:
Smith machine bent-over row 5/5/3/5/5
Then:
Standing BTN press 155 lbs. 7/5/3/7/5/3
Supersetted with:
Pulldowns 10/10/8 (so only first 3 sets of the press)
EZ bar curls 5x5
Smith machine close-grip floor press 2s x 8
I think I'll keep doing the ladders as I get back into the lifting groove. 7/5/3 done twice is double my usual light day volume of 3 sets of 5, which is pretty decent. I'll keep the weight the same and try to reduce rest periods, then up the weight slightly once I'm getting all the reps in with very short breaks.
For my second press day (heavy) I've decided to give wave loading a shot. Should be an interesting experiment.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Back Again
11 July 2014
First leg workout after traveling always sucks.
Speed squat 285 lbs. 2s x 5, 350 x 5, 330 x 5
350 moved waaaaay too slow. I took the weight down to 330. Still slow. And I know I'll be sore for days after this.
Smith machine front squat 4s x 5
Last 2 sets were the heaviest I've done since starting on the front squats, but moved really well. It seems that 2.5 weeks of not squatting have killed my back squat and made my front squat stronger.
Hack squats 3s x 8
Leg curl 3s x 8
Leg extension 3s x 10
Calf raise 2s x 12
Weighted situp 3s x 8
First leg workout after traveling always sucks.
Speed squat 285 lbs. 2s x 5, 350 x 5, 330 x 5
350 moved waaaaay too slow. I took the weight down to 330. Still slow. And I know I'll be sore for days after this.
Smith machine front squat 4s x 5
Last 2 sets were the heaviest I've done since starting on the front squats, but moved really well. It seems that 2.5 weeks of not squatting have killed my back squat and made my front squat stronger.
Hack squats 3s x 8
Leg curl 3s x 8
Leg extension 3s x 10
Calf raise 2s x 12
Weighted situp 3s x 8
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