Rows: 275x5/5/5/5/5, 185x16/8/5 RP
Seated Hammer Curls: 40x10/10/10/9/7
Spin Bike: 200 Cal in 14:50
Despite my kneejerk bitching they actually fixed the place up really nicely (@Traditionalelk) - we just went from 2 power cages and 1 squat rack to 6 and 4 respectively, all of which have adjustable benches, and all of the new power cages have a two-barbell setup. And all of them have new UA-branded bumper plates and new Olympic bars (I’ll keep squatting with the bar that has center knurling).
We also got two glute-bridge machines - the sort where you strap yourself in with canvas straps as opposed to resting 400+ pounds of metal across your hips and having to explain the bruises later that night lmao.
@freshyfresh now I can brag even more obnoxiously by saying 500+ pounds lol
TPWiaB W32D5: Squat
Squat: 355x3, 315x8 (Close-Stance, Heels Elevated)
Machine Glute Bridge (New Machine): 505x5 (See below)
Prone Ham Curl (New Machine): 165 (Max Out Machine) x7/4/3 RP
Spin Bike: 200 Cal in 14:37
Worked up to an easy 505x5 on the new machine before noticing the “max load: 360 pounds” sticker from the manufacturer.
I really don’t feel like paying for it, so I’ll probably never touch it again lol.
Maxing out the new prone ham curl machine my first time using it was pretty cool though.
Didn’t even come close to hitting three on that top set. Couldn’t really find a setup on the new racks that lets me get right to unrack but that’s a dumb excuse so we’re just gonna go with “I’m not strong enough.”
Will probably be going with what @atlas13 mentioned for bench programming a few days ago when I start my next cycle. But I’m going to swap the 7-rep standard for 8 because 7 is a dumb number that belongs nowhere near a strength program (read: to slow down the progression a bit more).
Deloading for a few days and then starting Alex Bromley’s program “Bullmastiff,” which will end my ~8 month streak of doing whatever I felt like programming-wise (which honestly went pretty well - I gained a decent chunk of bodyweight and put a good amount on every lift but my bench, which still went up by ~35 pounds).
This program includes deadlifts and pressing, so I decided to try both today and see if my back is still going to make them a non-starter. I deadlifted (conventionally for some reason) up to 455, which moved solidly (I’ll probably go back to what I’m good with for the program, i.e. moderate sumo,) and then warmed up to Press standing for the first time in ~3 months
I think it’ll be a nice contrast with what I’ve been doing - much more accumulation-y. And it lets me test the waters on bringing back some pressing and deadlifting without immediately going super heavy on them.
The first half is nine weeks long, I’m going to commit to at least that much and then decide whether I want to run the peaking half, repeat it, or do something else.
I like Bromley’s stuff in general. Haven’t watched him in a while, but the stuff I have seen has been helpful, and I just liked the look of this one reading through it.
Squat: 265x6/6/6/15
Light RDL’s: 155x12/12/12
Chins: 10/10/10
Leg Extensions: 230x12/10/9
Leg Raises: 13/11/10
Spin Bike: 200 Cal
Did a side-by-side and noticed that the rings on the new bars - which I thought were supposed to be at a standardized spot - are a few inches further out than on the old ones. This might explain why by bench unracks have felt so weird while I’ve been using them. Will either move my grip in or just use one of the old bars (having center knurling is nice, anyways) going forward.
Decided to stick with seated press because reintroducing deadlifts will already be plenty of stress, and the recent press PR suggests they’re working as intended.
For anyone not familiar with how this program works, the quick version is that the first exercise gets heavier/resets in three-weeks blocks, the second exercise adds sets and then resets heavier (also in three-week blocks,) ((hence the light start on both,)) and assistence is assistance.
Bullmastiff W1D4: Deadlift/I can’t do this program
Deadlift: Warm up, 525x1 (PR)
I can’t pull for reps. It’s bizarre at this point - as light as 50% of my max, if I try to double or triple the weight I get the same sort of pain down my left leg that I had before my spine surgery a couple years back. This happens regardess of whether I touch-and-go or dead-stop the weight. Sumo/conventional stance also doesn’t seem to make a difference, but the RDL’s I did earlier this week felt fine. And heavy singles feel fine as well, which defies any explanation I can think of. If I can keep progressing my deadlift without focusing on it, though, this really isn’t a problem for the time being.
This means that I pretty much can’t do the program without modifying it to death, so after a whopping one week of Bullmastiff I’m changing my lower-body and back programming back to essentially what it was (which admittedly was working really well in the first place)
Lifting today because I fly back to MD on Saturday and likely won’t get to that day. Will be there for about a week and then head back to wrap up the semester.
