28-May Strength Cycle 5, Day 3 - Deadlifts
Deadlift warmup: 65 x 5, 65 x 5, 155 x 5, 245 x 3, 245 x 2
Deadlifts 300 x 3, 5 sets (7 minutes)
Barbell Row: 135 x 8, 4 sets
T-bar row: 100 x 10, 4 sets
leaning ring pull-up: 15, 9, 9 (amrap)
super set with
pull-ups: 5, 4 (amrap)
deads were not ‘easy’ but they are moving relatively fast. I want to work on getting them explosive, ‘easy’, fast and touch and go. Once there I will increase weight. Using the Paul Carter base building methods.
28-May - Evening (while training wife)
arm curls: 35lb x 100. 4 minutes 30 seconds duration.
Pull-ups: BW - 10, 7, 5, 5
29-May Strength Cycle 5, Day 4 Press
Press - warmup; 115 x 1
Press - 105 x 5, 3 sets
Press - 95 x 5, 3 sets
Press - 75 x AMRAP, 1 set - 10
SGHP - 155lb x 3, 10 sets
Lateral raise - 15lb: 20,15,12,20
Face-pulls - band x 15, 4 sets
30-May - Off day
31-May Strength Cycle 6, Day 1 Squat
Squat - 240 x 1 (80%)
Squat - 210 x 3, 3 sets (70%)
Squat - 180 x5, 3 sets (60%)
SLDL - 225 x 8, 4 sets (up from 5x5 last time)
Front Squat - 135 x 8, 5 sets (up from 5x5 last time)
Hanging leg raise - x10, 3 sets
Squats feeling strong. Not explosive for all yet.
Front squats - I tried 185 but could not maintain form. I plan to go up to 145 next week for 5x5.
1-June Strength Cycle 6, Day 2 Bench
Bench - 185 x 1 (85%)
Bench - 165 x 5, 3 sets (75%)
Bench - 155 x 5, 3 sets (70%)
125 x 1AMRAP - 18 (60%) (up 3 from last week)
Incline Bench - 85 x 10, 4 sets
Dips - 4 x AMRAP - 10, 9, 8, 6
Ab Wheel - 10 reps, 2 sets
This week I felt much stronger than the previous. Not sure if it is because last week was after a week off due to business travel or if the program is working. Time will tell.
Incline Bench felt really easy. I did not increase the weight thought I wanted to. Dips felt much better and I did far more this week than last.
1-June Weight check in
I was 200.0 lbs exactly on 1-May. My goal is to continue to grow less than 2 lbs per month so long as I don’t get too fat.
During May I took a business trip for a full week. I tried to eat smart but I did not worry too much (context - I am anal retentive and have a spreadsheet with every food I eat daily - so ‘not too much’ is relative). After my trip I had lost 4 pounds (which was about 10 days ago). I figured that most of this was water weight. After resuming my diet and training, I weighed in on 1-June at … EXACTLY 200.0 lbs. Interesting.
I plan to not change anything with the diet for June and see where this takes me.
2-June Conditioning
2.5 mile walk with 60lb vest.
3-June Strength Cycle 6 Day 3 Deadlift
Deadlift 300 x 3, 5 sets - 6 min 10 sec
BB Row 135 x 10, 4 sets
T-Bar 100 x 10, 4 sets
Pull-ups 9,8,5,5
Leaning Ring Pull up: 13
Deadlift overall time dropped 50 seconds from last week. Will keep the weight at 300 at least one more cycle. I am not as explosive as I would like and my last set I was getting fatigued. This program calls for really ‘owning’ a sub-maximal weight before adding anything to the bar.
BB rows I added a few reps. Pull-ups felt much better than last cycle with many more reps.
4-June Strength Cycle 6, Day 4 Press
OHP: 122.5 x 1
OHP: 117.5 x 3, 3 sets - slow
OHP: 105 x 3, 3 sets - slow
OHP: 90 x AMRAP - 7
Lateral DB raise: 10lb 15,10,10
Face Pulls: Band x 10, 3 sets
Behind the Neck Press: 55 x 5, 65 x 5, 65 x 5
Felt weak. The 105x3 for 3 sets was supposed to be 105 x 5 for 5 sets but I had to adjust. Paul Carter does not write a template for press base building so I just used a bench template. Either this is too much or I am just that weak on pressing. Probably the latter. I will go back to the other two bench templates for OHP as I could do those and will continue those until they are ‘easy’.
First time working BTN press. I did them today instead of SGHP. Starting light.
5-June - rest day. Well sort of. No training but traveled for work and did not sleep as much as I would have liked.
6-June - Strength Cycle 7, Day 1, Squats
Back Squats - 225 x 1
Back Squats - 180 x 5, 5 sets
SLDL - 185 x 10, 4 sets
Front Squats - 115 x 10, 4sets (last three reps of each were pause)
Despite travel and fatigue the squats felt relatively easy. I will judge my fatigue level over the next day or two to determine if it is time to up the estimated max that my percentages are based upon.
I am switching around the rep/sets on my assistance work through each cycle. This time I used 4 sets of 10. Last time was 4 sets of 8. Previous to that was 5x5. I like the change up for some variety. Front squats are interesting… my form breaks down fairly quickly above 135 lbs… but my legs are far stronger than this. Not sure if it is technique or back strength. I will try to remember to video them next time and post for suggestions.
6-June - in evening during wife’s training: 35lb barbell curls 1 x 100, 4 min, 25 seconds.
7-June - Strength cycle 7, day 2, Bench
BP - 185 x 1
BP - 165 x 5, 3 sets
BP - 155 x 5, 3 sets
BP - 125 x AMRAP - 19 reps
Incline Press - 95lb, 3 sets for total 50 reps in 5 minutes: 19,11,6,4 in 5 minutes.
Overhead Tri Ext - 30 x 20, 4 sets
Ab Wheel - 10 reps, 4 sets
Dips - 4 x AMRAP: 5,5,5,5
Still getting stronger on bench with sub-maximal weight. One additional rep to PR on BP AMRAP set. Incline press was closer to hitting goal of 50 reps in 3 sets.
I wrote my workout on the whiteboard such that I missed seeing the dips. So feeling like the workout was not enough I added the overhead tri extensions (not heavy - just for pump). THEN I saw the dips and did them as well.
8-June conditioning: 35 minute walk with 60lb vest.
Uploading video of my bench press form. It is sub-maximal weight to be sure. I seem to have minimal arch but with a bit of leg drive. Critique is welcome to be sure.
Cheers,
Needa
9-June Strength Cycle 7 - Day 3 Deads
Deadlift - 300 x 3, 5 sets - 5 min, 30 seconds
BB row - 135 x 10, 4 sets
T-Bar row - 100 x 10, 4 sets
Pull-ups: BW x 7,6,5,6
leaning ring pull-up: 1 x AMRAP: 13
Deads felt strong. No slowing on the last set. Time also came down again. I will up the weight a whopping 5lbs. This will move the ‘everyday max’ that the sets are based upon to about 380 lbs.
The back assistance work still feels correct: they are working me without destroying me. I was weaker on pull-ups this session but they seem to come and go.
10-June Strength Cycle 7 - Day 4 Press
Press - 105 x 1
Press - 95 x 8, 95 x 8, 95 x 8, 95 x 6, 85 x 8
DB lateral - 10 x 15, 4 sets
Face Pull - Band x 10, 4 sets
Continue to be weak in the Press. I could not do the 75% EDM for 5 sets of 8. Conclusion: the ‘everyday’ max that I am basing my percentages off are clearly not a weight I can hit everyday. So it is time to be a man and … lower the EDM. I will lower to EDM of 120lbs. That will put 75% at 90lbs.
I ran out of time for my scheduled routine this morning. If time allows tonight I will do behind the neck press (light - just learning this move) and SGHP’s.
Edit - During evening also did:
SGHP - 165 x 3, 10 sets
Behind the Neck Press - 65 x 5, 5 sets
BTN Press is a new lift. Keeping nice and light for awhile.
11-June Conditioning - 45 min walk with 60lb vest
12-June Strength Cycle 8 - Day 1 Squat
Squat - 240 x 1
Squat - 210 x 1
Squat - 180 x 3, 5 sets
SLDL, 3/4" deficit - 245 x 5, 5 sets
Front Squat - 135 x 10, 4 sets
Your daughter is super cute!
Bench press form looked good, only thing I would maybe improve is keeping your shoulders pinned and down. You seem to push your shoulders up and the round them at the top of the rep because of how hard your push the rep. It is hard to say if that is the case for certain tho at that angle.
