Sounds like a solid plan. I think for most of us it is simply a case of removing a little more fluff and showing what our hard work has created. If chest size or shape is a focus you may want to consider some fly type movements, particularly incline or decline. Both of these always made my tits stick out. LOL
2 Likes
12Nov25
Lunchtime:
Conditioned: 30 min incline treadmill walk. 3.2 mph, 10 Inc
PM
Agile: 5 min mobility
Powerful & Strong:
Superset:
Squat: 275x5, 275x5, 275x5, 275x5, 275x5
Standing vertical jump: 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
Built:
DB BSS: 40sx8, 40sx8, 40sx8
Barbell step up: 135x10, 135x11
45 degree back raise: 25x12, 25x12, 25x12,
Weighted sit-up: 10lbs behind head x12
Cut it there after getting an ab cramp so bad that I couldnāt stand for like 3 minutes. Not in the set. The 12 reps felt easy, I was purposely going light to ease into a movement, but when I was done I crumbled. Need more electrolytes lol.
Notes:
- okay, cardio sucked. Not because thereās anything wrong with my cardio. But I forgot my sneakers at home. Which I didnāt realize until already changed into my PT gear at work. Which means I was walking on a treadmill in steel toe combat boots, cutoff sweat shorts, and a navy rugby tshirt, looking like the most basic boot ass motherfu%Ā£%+* in the gym. Vets, you know what I mean. You never wanna be that guy, and today I was. Iāll haze myself accordingly.
- Lift went well. Squats moved fast, hitting a very satisfying bar speed that has the weights slamming at the top of the rep. Big fan.
- BSS largely limited by my balance. Iām determined to get good at these.
- Barbell step ups feeling good, I like this movement.
- 45 degree back raise largely for the Mrs. She had a back injury in college, and has been known to throw it out doing mundane activities. Plan is to spam these a lot, just try to build some resiliency for her back.
@simo74 I should try doing flies at some sort of angle. Iāve done em quite a bit flat, and tbh never felt like I got a ton out of em. More delt than chest. I LOVED the pec deck when I was at a commercial gym, that rocked
7 Likes
how high do you have your elbows when you do flys ?
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Iād say elbows a higher than if I was bench pressing, but less high than if I was doing a guillotine press
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I have my shoulders really high, like I am shrugging my shoulders up so my delts are up near my ears (watch Arnie do them in pumping iron for reference). This gives a really big stretch along the outside of the pec in the bottom position, when I come together I donāt fully being them together at the top as I find this loses focus on the pecs for me. May be worth a try.
2 Likes
Iāll give it a go!
1 Like
As always, so much to love whenever I catch up this log.
I also forget how YOUNG you are, or rather, Iād forgotten how OLD I am.
Fun note regarding your bench and strict press numbers that you were complaining about:
When I was training both of those lifts (Iām training neither of them now), I could barely strict 135 - and it was the milestone of a lifetime - while benching 225x2 or maybe x3, if I recall correctly.
Similarly, I could deadlift 405 and yet squatting anything above 225 wanted to break me in half. (I did squat 315 exactly once, but even then, any rep above 225 was horrible, and I worked 5x as hard on squats as I did on dealifts).
So proportional lifting is justā¦ different for everyone, I guess.
You have nothing to worry about.
Having big shoulders is way more impressive than big pecs, anyway, if itās a size thing.
Other than that, man, stoked for the wedding, glad youāre actually already married so this really is just a big party, and generally stoked for the way you have made life work for you. Have fun, enjoy it, it flies, and find something meaningful to pursue.
Kids generally fulfill that need.
I think in our modern life, so many of us have it so good, that we lack a meaningful goal or mission, and I think thatās our undoing.
Iām waxing philosophical due to sleep deprivation rofl. Over and out.
5 Likes
13Nov25
Agile: 5 min mobility
Strong;
Seated press: 150x6, 150x6, 150x6, 150x6
- WW: 70x6, 70x6, 70x6, 70x6,
Built:
CGBP: 170x8, 170x8, 170x13
- WW: 85x8, 85x8, 85x15
Chest support db row: 50x12, 50x12, 50x12, 50x14
- WW (cable row:) 90x12, 90x10, 90x10, 90x10
Db bench: 70x11, 70x11, 70x10
- WW: 40x10, 40x10, 40x10
Db curl: 30x11, 30x11, 30x13
Lat raise: 20x15, 20x15, 20x14
Face Pull: 55x15, 55x13
10 Likes
My wife made me measure her arms. They are 14 inches.
She is now flexing on me in the kitchen and going āoh yeah 14 inchesā like macho man Randy Savage.
Iāve created a monster
12 Likes
14Nov25:
Powerful:
Snatch grip high pull: 95x3, 145x3, 145x3, 145x3, 145x3, 145x3, 145x3, 145x3
Strong:
RDL: 95x5, 145x5, 185x5, 235x6, 235x6, 235x6, 235x6
Built:
Front Squat: 95x6, 145x5, 185x3, 235x1, 205x5, 205x5, 205x5
GHD: 12, 12, 10
Front foot elevated Lunge: 35sx8, 35sx8, 35sx8
Notes:
- snatch pulls felt good
- Liked how RDLs felt today. Really feel I get a lot out of using these as a strength movement vice deadlifts. Continuing the trend of building my deadlift without really doing deadlifts. Interestingly, it seems like MOST college S&C programs also forgo the deadlift, but all of them seem to do a variation of RDL or trap bar work. Something to be said about that.
- Front squats felt great, and terrible lol. Got a quad pump from my first few reps at 95lbs, seems like doing the RDLs first lead to some better quad activation. Hit 1 rep at 235 to make 205 feel lighter, which I think worked well.
- made the GHD a bit harder by manipulating the angle of the setup. Easier solution than trying to figure out how to hold weights lol.
- Realizing I get a lot more out of lunges if I cut the weight and focus on stretching the quad. Hamstring to calf, feels great
9 Likes
Alright. Anyone who has been on t-nation long enough remembers all the old Chris Thibaudeau articles about snatch grip hi pulls. Benefits for the yoke, shoulders, explosiveness, and general badassery.
Well Iāll say this. Iāve remembered, which is why Iāve been throwing them in lately. And holy hell, my traps are so sore that Iām walking around with a near constant state of āshrugā.
Iām not even sure if this is a recommendation or a condemnation at this point haha, nothings had my traps this sore before
8 Likes
Super late to the party, but Happy Belated Birthday!! I hope you had an awesome day!
1 Like
I remember the article well, I also remember the doms after I tried them too. LOL
1 Like
21nov25:
Work for today:
Decline DB press: 50x20, 20, 20, 20
Bent over DB Row: 50x20, 20, 20, 20
Standing DB press: 50x12, 12, 12
Kneeling rope lat pulldown: Stackx10, 10, 10
Tricep extension: 4x15ish
DB curl: 3x15ish
lat Raise: 3x15ish
Cardio: 30 min peloton session.
Notes:
- Pre wedding lift. Wanted to take today easy, been a lot of family and traveling the last few days. Woke up, had some coffee with the parents, hit the workout, hit the sauna, did some yoga in the hotel. Just feeling good.
- Tbf, also sweating out some demons. One of the groomsmen dropped half a paycheck on a bottle of scotch, another brought in some Cubans heās had since our last deployment togetherā¦ I can feel it haha
- tiny hotel gym. DBs up to 50, a small cable tower and some peloton bikes. Made it work
15 Likes
24Nov25
Lunchtime:
Conditioned: incline treadmill
45 min, 10inc, 3.2 mph
2 min, 10inc, 6.5mph
PM:
Agile:
5 min mobility
Powerful:
3x5 med ball chest pass
Strong:
Bench: 45x10, 135x10, 165x5, 190x5, 190x5, 190x5, 190x5, 190x5
- WW: 45x10, 65x8, 85x6, 100x5, 100x5, 100x5, 100x5, 100x5
Built:
DB incline bench: 75x10, 75x10, 75x7
- WW: 45x5, 40x10, 40x9
Lat Pulldown: 170x11, 170x11, 170x9, 170x8
- WW: 110x10, 110x10, 110x10, 110x8
Seated Db press: 55x12, 55x12, 55x11
- WW: 30x8, 30x8, 30x8
Kroc row: 115x22
- WW: 50x18
Lat raise: 20x15, 20x15, 20x13
- WW: 15x12, 15x12, 15x12
Straight bar pushdown: 65x15, 65x13, 65x11
- WW: 40x15, 40x15, 40x15
Notes:
- alright. This was a wild, wild week. And I am beat.
- The wedding was amazing. We had a few last minute hiccups, and handled em likes champs. Our DJ was PHENOMENAL, so much better than expected, and it absolutely killed. Was I expecting ABBA at the wedding? Nope. Did it absolutely slap? Yes, yes it did.
- Iām never drinking again (for the next few weeks anyway).
- No I didnāt get sloppy drunk at the wedding, more just continual slight drinking for like 4 days, compared with poor diet (not terrible, but every meal was eating out), that just has me feeling dead.
- Anyway, onto actual workouts.
- Bench moved great, happy with bar speed.
- Accessories went pretty well, DB incline is feeling strong. Want to get some heavier DBs, only go up to 80 rn, so the plan is Iāll let myself get them once I can hit 80x3x15
@SvenG lol, it honestly wasnāt a great workout or anything, I just mentally wanted to get a workout in on wedding day. I will say, I do dig the peloton. Gave mine away a few years ago to a friend who needed it more, but I do miss it!
@alex_uk too many of bothā¦ I could feel it today haha. Especially the cigars tbh.
If it makes it better, a Filipino guy supplied both at a German/Polish wedding haha
13 Likes
26Nov25:
Agile: 5 min mobility
Strong:
Squat: 280x5, 280x5, 280x5, 280x5, 280x5
- WW: 185x5, 185x5, 185x5, 185x5, 185x5
Built:
Db BSS: 40x9, 40x9, 40x8
- WW: 25x8, 25x8, 25x8
DB RDL: 60x12, 60x11, 60x9
- WW: 30x10, 30x10, 30x10
45 degree back raise: 75x10, 75x8
- WW: 15x10, 15x10
6 Likes
Sorry if I missed it, but Iāve been meaning to ask, what does:
mean?
1 Like