Suck Week

Intro training week after 3 weeks off:

8 May 2017

Bench press 295x5, 305x4, 310x3, 320x2, 330x1, 350x2

I haven't lost much strength, but the lifts felt off, as is usually the case. E.g. 310x3 felt like a max effort, but with 320 I felt like I could do 5-6 reps instead of 2.

Pulldowns 10-8-6-5-5 - no strength lost on these at all. Cable pulls definitely take care of the back muscles.

Standing BTN press 135x5, 145x5, 155x5. 165x4

Barbell curl 5s x 5

Barbell extension 3s x 5

DB preacher curl 4s x 6

Overhead cable extensions 15-10-8-8-8


9 May 2017

Pull 385x5, 405x4, 415x3. 435x2, 455x1

Stiff-legged pull 2s x 5

Bent-over row 3s x 5

Light squats 3s x 5

Leg press w. feet high on plate 1s x 20, 1s x 15

Back extension x12, x10


11 May 2017

SlingShot bench press 325x5, 335x4, 345x3, 355x2, 375x1, 315x3

Seated cable row 4s x 10

Incline bench press 5-4-3-2

Barbell extension 3s x 5

DB fly 2s x 12

DB curl 5s x 6-8

Overhead cable extension 4s x 8-10

Preacher curl machine 4s x AMAP


12 May 2017

Squat 365x5, 385x5, 395x5, 405x5, 385x5, 315 x 2s x 5, 275x5

Not great, but not as terrible as expected.

Smith machine front squat 3s x 5

Leg press x 20, x 15, x 12


14 May 2017

Bench press 295x5, 305x4, 315x3, 325x2, 335x1, 335x1, 335x1

Pulldowns 10-8-6-5-5

Barbell extensions 5x5

Barbell curl 5x5

Standing BTN press 135x5, 145x5, 155x4, 165x3, 175x2

DB preacher curl 4s x 5

Overhead cable extensions 4s x 10-12

Puff and Pant

10 April 2017

Pulls 405x5, 415x4, 435x3, 455x2, 475x1, 495x1

Stiff-legged pulls 2s x 5

Bent-over row 3s x 5

One-arm DB row x 40 reps, done in 20-10-10 format, did not use straps.

Seated leg curl 3s x 8


12 April 2017

SlingShot bench press 345x5, 355x4, 365x3, 375x2, 390x1, 365x1

Chest-supported row 10-8-6-6-6

Barbell triceps extension 4s x 5-6

One-arm DB preacher curl supersetted with EZ bar preacher curl x 4 sets

Machine incline press 5x5


14 April 2017

Squat 365x5, 385x5, 405x5, 410x5, 415x5, 405x5

Puffed and panted enough to make John McCallum proud.

Close-stance squat 315 lbs. 3 x 5

Front squat x 5, x 3

Next installment of this shitshow - second week of May.

Rowing Toward Pointlessness

3 April 2017

Pull 405x5, 415x4, 435x3, 455x2, 465x1, 485x1, 505x1

Belt from 455 up. I helped a friend move over the weekend and didn't expect much from today's session, but the weights somehow felt lighter.

Stiff-legged pull 2s x 5

Bent-over row 3s x 5

Smith machine front squat 3s x 5 - these are becoming my new favorite exercise. More like a sissy squat with weight than a barbell front squat.

One-arm row x 40 reps per arm

I need to figure out a good weight for these. The weight I used was too light so I just kept switching arms until I was done. The progression I've envisioned is:

• Do one all-out max rep set in the range of around 20 per arm
• Rest 30 seconds
• Do a second all-out set, trying to hit at least half the reps from first set
• Rest 30 seconds, put on lifting straps
• Do a third set with straps, aiming to match Set 2.

Once I can total 50 reps with no strain, increase weight by 5 lbs. I think 75 pounds would be a good starting point.

This gives me something to shoot for, but doesn't necessarily make sense. E.g. the third set with straps is supposed to allow for more back work in case of a failing grip, because this is what everyone does. But my upper back always fails before my grip does, so the straps are kind of pointless. Decisions.


5 April 2017

SlingShot bench press 335x5, 355x4, 365x3, 375x2, 390x1

Upper back was very sore and I struggled to control the bar on the way down. So I worked up to a heavy single and left it at that.

Barbell tricep extensions 3s x 5-6

Seated cable row 4s x 6 - barely made it through these. I guess those DB rows did have some effect, although I couldn't feel much on Monday.

Incline bench press 5-4-3-2

Preacher curl superset DBs + barbell x 4 sets

Cable tricep extensions 4s x 10-12


7 April 2017

Squat 365x5, 405x5, 410x5, 415x5, 405x5

Front squat 3s x 5

Leg press 5s x 10 - 3 sets with feet low on the plate, 2 sets with feet high

Hack squat 3s x 10


9 April 2017

Bench press 305x5, 315x4, 325x3, 335x2, 350x1, 365x1, 380x1

Pulldowns 10-8-6-5

Standing BTN press 115x5, 135x5, 155x5, 165x3, 165x3

Barbell curl 5x5

Reverse curl 3s x 5

Barbell tricep extensions 4s x 5-6

Overhead cable extensions 4s x 10

The Night Ocean

Recommended reading for Lovecraft fans - "The Night Ocean" by Paul La Farge. Coach and maybe Sunny D would really enjoy it IMO. I read the Goodreads blurb and it didn't seem particularly compelling, the story itself turned out to be quite different from what I expected, but in spite of all this it was a tremendously enjoyable read.


26 March 2017

Bench press 300x5, 310x4, 315x3, 325x2, 335x1, 350x1, 370x1

Pulldowns 10-8-6-5

Standing BTN press 115x8, 135x5, 145x4, 155x3, 165x2

Barbell curl 5x5

Barbell extensions 4s x 5 - not sure these were a good idea

Seated DB curl 4s x 6

Band pushdowns 3 sets x AMAP


27 March 2017

Pull 395x5, 415x4, 425x3, 445x2, 465x1, 485x1, 495x1

Belt from 465 lbs. and up.

Stiff-legged pull 2s x 5

Bent-over row 3s x 5

Wide stance leg press 3s x 8

Smith machine front squat 3s x 5


29 March 2017

SlingShot bench press 345x5, 355x4, 365x3, 375x2, 385x1, 395x1

Barbell tricep extensions 4s x 5-8

Smith machine bent-over row 10-8-6-5

Preacher curl DB + barbell superset x 4 sets

Overhead cable extensions 4s x 10-12


31 March 2017

Squat 405x5, 415x5, 425x4, 435x2, 405x2

I tweaked my right knee doing wide-stance leg presses on Monday, and it started to hurt a bit on the heavier sets, so I stopped squatting. The lack of volume is hurting my squat gainz (from previous experience, I know I need to squat twice a week to make progress, and I'm not interested in that right now), so, I'll probably switch to something more generic like 5x5 for squats going forward.

Front squat 3s x 5

Leg extension 2s x 12


2 April 2017

Bench press 300x5, 310x4, 315x4, 330x2, 340x1, 355x1, 375x1

Nice and smooth.

Pulldowns 10-8-6-5-5

Barbell curl 4s x 5

Barbell tricep extensions 4s x 6-8

Seated BTN press 135x5, 155x5, 165x5, 175x4, 185x2

How Fatman (Kind of) Got His Groove Back

15 March 2017

SlingShot bench press 340x5, 350x4, 360x3, 370x2, 390x1, 370x1, 370x1

Upped the weight on all repetition sets and kept the singles lighter.

Seated cable row 10-8-6-5

Incline bench press 5-4-3-2-1

Two-DB preacher curl 4s x 8-10

Rope pushdowns 3s x AMAP

Seated DB curl 10-8-6-5-5


17 March 2017

Squat 390x5, 410x4, 420x4, 440x2, 450x1 (wraps on this set), then 400x5, 370x5

Squat is finally moving up. 420x4 felt like a joke. 440x2 was easier than 445x1 a week ago.

I've realized that part of the reason for my squat sucking is my lack of confidence walking out heavier weights. This messes up my setup and I end up getting mauled by seemingly moderate weights. All my doubles and singles these past few weeks were done with an extremely narrow stance (for me, I squat with the feet fairly wide out) and they felt awful and heavy.

Some of it I can trace back to the squat near-disaster I had a few months ago (collar and plates slipping off one side of the bar). Now whenever I unrack the bar I have a fear in the back of my mind that the plates are slipping, so I take small, mincing steps and never quite get into the right position and feel like I'll tip over with the weight on my back.

Using double collars seems to help. So do heavy walkouts, although I'm always skeptical about these and they kill my arms and shoulders. And now that I feel like I'm getting my squat groove back, I'm taking another week off lifting. Such is life.

Front squat 3s x 5

Hack squat 3s x 15

McFail's Navy

5 March 2017

Bench press 300x5, 310x4, 320x3, 330x2, 340x1, 360x1, 380x1

Back-off set 300x3

Right elbow is still feeling off. This is nothing new. However, it also hurts when I'm trying to go to sleep, which has never happened before.

Pulldowns 10-8-6-5-5

Standing BTN press 135x5, 145x5, 155x5, 165x3, 175x2

Barbell curl 10-8-6-5-5, then reverse curl 3s x 5

DB lateral raise x 2 sets

Incline bench DB curl x 2 sets


6 March 2017

Pull 395x5, 415x4, 435x3, 445x2, 455x1, 475x1

Stiff-legged pull 2s x 5

Bent-over row 3s x 5

Front squat 3s x 5


8 March 2017

SlingShot bench press 335x5, 345x4, 355x3, 370x2, 385x1, 395x1

Incline bench press 6-5-4-3-3-2

I always plan to do 5-4-3-2-1 on inclines too, but never figure out the weights correctly. Also working up to a single on the incline bench press feels stupid for some reason.

Could not get to a seated row machine (either of the two) due to overcrowding, so I just did a few pullups after every pressing set (including warmups) until I couldn't do more than 1-2. Got in around 10-12 sets.

DB curls 10-8-6-5-5

Cable pushdowns 4s x 15-20

Preacher curl machine x 4 strip sets


10 March 2017

Squat 385x5, 415x4, 425x3, 435x2, 445x1

Squat walkouts up to 505 lbs.

Front squat 3s x 5

Close stance leg press 3s x 20


12 March 2017

Bench press 300x5, 310x4, 320x3, 335x2, 345x1, 365x1, 380x1

Pulldowns 10-8-6-5-5

Standing BTN press 135x5, 155x4, 165x3, 175x2, 155x5

Barbell curl 10-8-6-5-5, then reverse curl 3s x 5

Tricep pushdowns on assisted dip/pullup machine 4s x 12

Got this exercise from a John Meadows video. You get into a close-grip dip position on the foot bar and press away. Pretty good pressing angle, but most assisted dip machines don't have enough weight for this purpose.

Incline bench DB curl 4s x 10-12


13 March 2017

Pull 395x5, 415x4, 435x3, 445x2, 465x1, 485x1

Belt on last two sets.

Stiff-legged deadlift 2s x 5

Bent-over row 2s x 5

Front squat 3s x 5

Leg curl, seated 3s x 8

Waterdhavian Noble

26 February 2017

Bench press 295x5, 305x4, 315x4, 325x2, 335x2, 355x1, 375x1

Pulldowns 10-8-6-5

Barbell curl 10-8-6-5-5

DB lateral raise 3 sets for 30-ish reps total


27 February 2017

Pull 385x5, 410x4, 420x3, 430x2, 445x1, 460x1, 480x1

Stiff-legged pull 2s x 5

Bent-over row 2s x 5

Front squat 3s x 5

Standing BTN press 135x5, 155x4, 165x3, 175x2, 145x5

Seated hamstring curl 4s x 8

Barbell triceps extension 4s x 10


1 March 2017

SlingShot bench press 335x5, 345x4, 355x3, 365x2, 385x1, 405xfail, paused 315 x 3, x 2

385 felt like 365 and I decided to give 405 a shot. Then I unracked 405 and it felt way too heavy, so I didn't even try. Never mind.

Seated cable row 10-8-6-5

Barbell triceps extensions 2s x 5-6

Seated DB curl 10-8-6-5

Incline bench press - worked up to a "heavy" double. Rep scheme was all over the place, something like 10-8-6-5-5-3-2-2. Still, the double today was heavier than the singles I was hitting before my last layoff from lifting. Working on a new lifting program, "Lift More By Not Even Lifting". Should be right up there with 5/3/1, Paul Carter and the Cube Method.

Preacher curl superset DB + EZ bar curl x 4 sets

Tricep pullovers with DB 4s x 10


3 March 2017

Squat 385x3, 405x3, 415x2, 425x2, 435x1, 365x5, 365x5

Front squat 3s x 5

That was all.