Building a Better, Bigger, Stronger AF787

Training Training Logs
81

Super excited for you man! Definitely looking forward to following along as you progress and get ready for it

1 Like
82

Week 3, Day 2

Pause Squat (255 x 5 x 1), RPE 8
Pause Squat (235 x 6 x 3), 90% of Set 1
Pause DL (320 x 4 x 1), RPE 8
Pause DL (290 x 4 x 2), 90% of Set 1
Leg Extensions (105 x 15 x 3), RPE 8.5
Leg Curls 100 x 15 x 3), RPE 8.5

Pause Squat

  • Happy with the way weights are solidly moving up

  • Just need to work on keeping my elbows in close to my body.

Pause DLs

  • These are really paying off in terms of my positioning, even getting rid of the slight back rounding that’s historically been there before disappearing on reps 2 and on.
2 Likes
83

Week 3, Day 3

1-Arm DB Row (80 x 12 x 4), RPE 9
Lat Pull-Down (122.5 x 15 x 4), RPE 9
DB Curls (30 x 15 x 3), RPE 8.5
Face Pulls (55 x 12 x 3), RPE 8.5

1-Arm DB Row

  • I think 80x12 might be a PR!

  • Everything else was pretty much business as usual.

2 Likes
84

Week 3, Day 4

Bench (205 x 2 x 1), RPE 8.5
Bench (175 x 7 x 3), 85% of Set 1
Standing OHP (75 x 10 x 1), RPE 7
Standing OHP (70 x 10 x 2), 90% of Set 1
DB Skullcrushers (25 x 2 x 15 x 3), RPE 8.5
DB Lateral Raises (25x 2 x 15 x 3), RPE 8.5

Bench

  • My mind beat my body today. I think I had 3 reps in me, but my mind just started to panic after rep 2. It did feel harder, but not like I didn’t have anything left in the tank. I also noticed that my bar speed did not slow down. Next week I’ll keep the weight the same and get the three reps!

OHP

  • Really happy with how this one is coming along even though weight is pretty light. Being so out of practice is definitely why it’s so weak/is going up quickly again.
2 Likes
85

Week 3, Day 5

Squat (210 x 7 x 1), RPE 5
Squat (225 x 7 x 1), RPE 6
Squat (245 x 7 x 1), RPE 7
RDL (225 x 7 x 1), RPE 7.5
RDL (225 x 7 x 2), RPE 7.5
Leg Press (335 x 12 x 3), RPE 8

  • Really happy with the way all of the weights are solidly moving up!

  • Same corrections remain as with last week. I’m getting better, just need to keep chipping away at things.

2 Likes
86

Week 3, Day 6

Incline DB Press (2 x 70 x 10, 2 x 65 x 11), RPE 9
Pull-Ups (BW + 10 lbs x 10 x 2, BW + 7. 5lbs x 10 x 2), RPE 9
Cable Rows (140 x 15 x 3), RPE 9
Incline DB Curls (22/5 x 15 x 3), RPE 9
DB Lateral Raises (25 x 15 x 2) and Upright Rows (80 x 14 x 2), RPE 9

3 Likes
87

It will be interesting seeing you getting ready for a show. Good motivation there. I think for me signing up for powerlifting meets helped my progress.

1 Like
88

Thanks @mnben87 ! I feel like it definitely has made me kick things up a notch in terms of my intensity and focus at the gym. The competition date has been release and will be July 16th, so a little less than 7 months out now!

1 Like
89

Do you plan on getting a coach for the prep? I think many seem to think it is worth it for getting super lean.

90

Week 4, Day 1

2-Count Pause Bench Press (195 x 4 x 1), RPE 7.5
2-Count Pause Bench Press (180 x 4 x 3), 92% of Set 1
Tricep Pushdowns (60 x 15 x 3), RPE 9
DB Curls (35 x 13 x 3), RPE 9
DB Lateral Raises (25 x 15 x 3), RPE 9

Pause Bench

  • Just a little bit fast on my top set, but looking really controlled on my downsets

  • Really happy with how my accessories are moving along and feel like I’m seeing some growth. Also, great pumps after every session.

2 Likes
91

Week 4, Day 2

Pause Squat (275 x 5 x 1), RPE 9
Pause Squat (250 x 6 x 3), 90% of Set 1
Pause DL (340 x 4 x 1), RPE 8.5
Pause DL (304 x 4 x 2), 90% of Set 1
Leg Extensions (110 x 15 x 3), RPE 9
Leg Curls 105 x 15 x 3), RPE 9

  • Felt great to be able to push the weights a little higher while still feeling like I have room to grow beyond this week. Squats and DLs both feeling great.

  • Pause DL, sometimes lose a little positioning on that heavy top set

3 Likes
92

Week 4, Day 3

1-Arm DB Row (85 x 12 x 4), RPE 9.5
Lat Pull-Down (125 x 15 x 4), RPE 9.5
DB Curls (35 x 13 x 3), RPE 9
Face Pulls (60 x 15 x 3), RPE 9

1-Arm DB Row

  • Probably should have dropped back to 80s for my last two sets as things got a little sloppy, but 85 was a PR at least
3 Likes
93

Week 4, Day 4

Bench (210 x 2 x 1), RPE 9
Bench (180 x 7 x 3), 85% of Set 1
Standing OHP (80 x 10 x 1), RPE 8
Standing OHP (75 x 10 x 2), 90% of Set 1
DB Skullcrushers (25 x 2 x 16 x 3), RPE 9
DB Lateral Raises (25x 2 x 16 x 3), RPE 9

Bench

  • A friend was supposed to come spot but flaked out on me. After trying 205, which felt way easier compared to last week, I decided to go for 210. I think I had three in me but didn’t want to risk the last rep without a spotter. Huge mental win though to at least give 210 a shot and be mentally solid throughout for the most part- like I was consciously thinking about safety rather than freaking out about not being able to make the lift
3 Likes
94

Week 4, Day 5

Squat (225 x 7 x 1), RPE 6
Squat (245 x 7 x 1), RPE 7
Squat (265 x 7 x 1), RPE 8
RDL (245 x 7 x 1), RPE 8
RDL (245 x 7 x 2), RPE 8
Leg Press (350 x 12 x 3), RPE 8.5

  • Similar to Leg day 1, happy that I’m able to push things out a bit more in terms of strength. Still playing it safe-ish, but feels great to be close to the 300s on squat at least for a single
3 Likes
95

@mnben87 - my current coach will be helping me through prep. He is more of a powerlifting specialist but does have other physique athletes on his client roster. One thing I am thinking about investing in is a posing session or two with somebody that is more specialized in that area though since I know how you pose and present yourself is a factor when it comes to placements.

1 Like
96

Just depends on how into the bodybuilding thing you are. Do you care about placement, or just want to get into that condition needed to step on stage?

I think most good BBers do work on posing though. First scene in Pumping Iron is Arnold and Franco working with a posing coach.

1 Like
97

[quote=“mnben87, post:96, topic:275794, full:true”]
Just depends on how into the bodybuilding thing you are. Do you care about placement, or just want to get into that condition needed to step on stage?[/quote]

Both, but more thinking in terms of doing everything I can do to bring my best to the stage, then thinking about trying to target a specific placement.

Week 4, Day 6

Incline DB Press (2 x 75 x 10, 2 x 70 x 9), RPE 9.5
Pull-Ups (BW + 12.5 lbs x 10 x 2, BW + 10 lbs x 10 x 2), RPE 9.5
Cable Rows (145 x 15 x 3), RPE 9
Incline DB Curls (25 x 15 x 3), RPE 9
DB Lateral Raises (27.5 x 15 x 2) and Upright Rows (80 x 15 x 2), RPE 9.5

Good session to end this training block before the deload week starts.

Was planning on doing this next week, but my coach asked for a physique update so he can see where I’m at to better plan out my time from now through July. Next up is a cut to get me down to around 10% bodyfat (2 months is what he’s thinking), followed by maintenance, then the final push down to stage lean.

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4 Likes
98

I got off track last week in terms of updating my log here. However, it was still business as usual in terms of completing my workouts and hitting my macros. Because, I just started a new training cycle today, I’m going to pick up the log from this point instead of filling in the blanks. As I mentioned before, I’m starting a cutting phase where the goal is to get down to around 10% body fat by the end of March/early April

Week 1, Day 1

Bench, 2 Count Pause (195 x 1 x 1), RPE 6
Bench (155 x 8 x 3), 80% of Set 1
Dips (BW x 10 x 3), RPE 7
Hammer Curls (25 x 13 x 3), RPE 7
Upright Rows (70 x 15 x 3), RPE 7

  • Wow- to hit 195 on Week 1 at such a low RPE is huge for me! It might be a little ambitious but I’m thinking of setting a 225 target for myself by the end of this phase. What worries me is more is actually flaking out mentally, so I’m going to focus on maintaining a positive mindset and self-talk. In any case, I’m pumped to be able to go for 200 next week.

  • For some reason on rep 8 of my back off sets, I kept hitting the hooks on the way up, so I’ll have to clean that up for next time. Otherwise bench felt really secure and left me with a good pump.

  • Coming after bench, dips were stronger than I expected. My goal is to work up to 15 reps by the middle of the phase, and doing them weighted in my peak week.

  • Remaining accessories were solid and also did ab work after.

3 Likes
99

Week 1, Day 2

Pause Squat (285 x 1 x 1), RPE 6
Pause Squat (245 x 4 x 4), 85% of Set 1
Pause DL (305 x 1 x 1), RPE 6
Pause DL (275 x 3 x 4), 88% of Set 1
Walking Lunges (25 x 2 x 16 x 3), RPE 7
Leg Curls (95 x 15 x 3), RPE 7

Pause Squats

  • 285 is the heaviest I’ve gone on squats since my injury back in November. It would be awesome to get this back to 300 by the end of this training cycle.

  • My first rep can still sometimes be a little slow/not as aggressive as the remainder of the set, so I need to work on trusting myself more.

Pause DLs

  • Doing a better job of pushing the floor away from me and standing up faster, which is my coach’s biggest critique at the moment.

Walking Lunges

  • Just need to be mindful of hitting depth especially those last few reps when fatigue is setting in.
3 Likes
100

Week 1, Day 3

Barbell Row to Chest (115 x 8 x 3), RPE 7
Parallel Grip Lat Pulldown (122.5 x 13 x 4), RPE 7
Cable Curls (47.5 x 15 x 3), RPE 7
DB Rear Delt Flies (20 x 15 x 3), RPE 7
Dead Bugs (6 per side x 3)
Weighed Slant/Incline Board Crunches (10 x 15 x 3)

Barbell Rows

  • Took some time to figure out my setup so I’m pulling to my chest/nipple line, rather than lower.

  • I have a little bit of upper body movement at the top as I try to lock out, but I think it’s a reasonable amount and not crazy body English or anything

Lat Pulldown

  • Felt really smooth and controlled. To be honest I prefer this to the traditional and wider grip versions. However, I just do what my coach tells me since I know he has a reason for programming in what he does, and to avoid blind spots and weaknesses by avoiding things I don’t like.

Cable Curls

  • Elbows coming forward maybe a smidge too much when finishing a rep, but again nothing major

DB Flies

  • Think I’ve finally figured out how to really feel these a bit more in my delts.
3 Likes