Wednesday, November 23, 2011 cycle 2, week 1, day 3
Bb bench press 95lbs X 5 120 X 5 145 X 3 180 X 5 190 X 5 200 x 4
DB incline press 2 X 50lbs X 10 X 10 x 5 fail
While I have some time ago got over thinking bench press is the be all and end all of strength, I am chagrined over recent attempts. One rep better last set than last time, but that was a wipe out. My one rsp max is down around 220lbs. I will base week 2 on a max of 230lbs, as opposed to 235 and see if I am in better shape then.
Just to mention, I knew I wouldn’t crack 5 reps, so I didn’t actually push it to failure, just at the threshold. Is that what Wendler requires?
I am also concerned about accidentally failing on DB inclines, it is just an accessory.
thursday, November 24, 2011 cycle 2, week 1, day 4
squats 130 lbs X 5 165 X 5 195 X 3 240 x 5 260 X 5 275 X 2
Fuck! My first 2 weeks back at it since my last physically active temp assignment are both a near wipe out. I got back to it too soon, and should have known.
The only thing to do is take the next entire week off and restart cycle 2 (again) a week from Saturday.
Oh, me. I noticed today I haven’t had any activity to report for a while, so I thought to offer an explanation.
I had a very demanding temp assignment in November, and got back into wendler too soon and screwed myself.
while trying to come back from that I got another placement that i was sick for for part of the first, training week. Coming back from that was very stressful and therefore tiring. I am now on a more even keel with it, but don’t know when I will train again, I am tentatively calling it Wednesday.
Oh…me… yes I had wanted to get back into it Wednesday, but so much got in the way and my energy level is useless. Hopefully maybe something tomorrow, but I will see.
I am going to continue with wendler, I will just use my own calculations based on 90% of a one rep max and ditch that spreadsheet I found in this board.
oh…me again. I have been effectively on hiatus for the last while. I am regaining energy after some tiring things in life. I tested maxes and this is what I came up with.
Shoulder press 155lbs
Deadlift 360lbs
Bb bench press 225lbs.
I didn’t test squats because I wanted to be cautious of my hamstring. I will lift for it in proportion to where I left off with deadlift. I am doing Wendler again, but this time I am basing things on 90% of my max, like the author says. I wonder if I will quickly regain strength in early weeks and have to revise my figures upwards. Or maybe not and just do a ton of reps until the next cycle.
Anyway, I am off to the races with this on Sunday, Christmas day with deads.
I don’t know what to call today. i am back at it, but think with my time off to call it a cycle 1. I am doing the Wendler program differently, based on 90% of starting maxes.
Sunday, December 25, 2011 cycle 1, week 1, day 2
deadlift 215lbs X 5 245 X 5 275 X 8
Situps body + 25lbs X 10 X 10 x 2 fail
Db one arm rows 40lbs X Left 10, right 10, X 10,10 X 10, 6
So I am back. I actually feel sensitive in my hamstring unlike no real problems while on hiatus. Still I got to target weight and am not too unsatisfied with progress. Assistance is a bit off, but with time. I even went for a gentle walk and my hamstring actually feels better.
Edit: Oh, and merry Christmas! I for one am bored half to death.
So, Day 1 on Saturday. As on tuesday, i blew past my assumed beginning max and will adjust for next week. I am getting back into it. I normally will be evaluating next cycle maxes on the strength of week 3, but you see what I mean. I am reasonably pleased with today.
Saturday, December 31, 2011 cycle 1, week 1, day 1
BB shoulder press 90lbs X 5 105 X 5 120 X 10 fail
dips body (211lbs) X10 x 6 X 5
It is because of how I am scheduling this and when I started that I finish my week with day 1. I am 5lbs heavier with the same rep achievement of my test day a week ago Friday, so I don’t know if my bench day had any muscle memory carry over. Still, I am going to adjust my maximum for calculation purposes of next week, as I expect to do all around. my deadlift last sunday had been a drop off, but I had only had 2 days since the test day, so that is maybe reasonable.
My diet I have to admit is trashy with the Yuletide season. I dread the holiday crowds shopping and I bought on Wednesday a 1kg chocolate bar that I finished the last of yesterday morning. I got a good deal on frozen pizza, no not whole grain crust, and that seems to be the rule of late.
Still, I deadlift tomorrow and I MUST prove something to myself so I won’t trash my condition over new year’s eve.
My explanation for myself is this. Saturday I bounded out of bed too fast, which is an explosive power movement with my hamstring. Sunday morning there was a new year’s disturbance out my window and again I did the same thing.
So, neither yesterday nor today could I call myself in a position to deadlift, it just wasn’t sensible for the way the ham felt. I bench tomorrow and look forward to squatting on Wednesday, I will have two nights sleep to recover before hand.
Great day today. My bench has long been stagnant, or even going down over the last number of months. Same bench achievement 10lbs heavier. Depending on how you calculate it might make for a one rep maximum of between 242lbs and 250lbs, although less accuracy might occur wih higher rep achievement.
Inclines left me with a wonderful burn in my deltoids, although i didn’t plan to reach failure.
Chins I stopped because my doorframe is in danger of falling apart. Should I substitute with bent arm pullovers anyone?
another good day. I reached the same rep number with squats as last week, 15lbs heavier. I feared I was getting light headed and thought if I went any more I might compromise my hamstring, which came out fine.
Edit: I just looked at last week and I may have been off calling that 10 reps.
I accidentally did week 3 numbers for this, but thought why not. I am revising upwards my max for next time, and I will do a real week 3. Improvement with dips, although that is just assistance. I timed it 3 minutes between sets for shoulders, 2 for dips because of the amount of weight I am doing, and 90 seconds for biceps.
I look forward to doing week 3 numbers tomorrow for deadlift, even though I opted out of doing last week’s lifting.
DB one arm rows 40lbs X Left 10 right 10 X 10,10, X 12, 10
reasonably good day. I actually slept a bit badly, but knew I wanted to do this. Considering I missed last week’s dead work, I am pleased I am regaining ground with my max. Actually my grip was giving out and I hadn’t known to have straps ready.
5lbs weight increase for rows for next time. Actually next week 1.
A ho hum day, but I admit I went to bed unsure if I ate enough protein yesterday. There will be fluctuations in day to day energy level, but I did better with incline.
Pullovers are to replace chinups, I will adjust weight downward for next time.
I look forward to squatting tomorrow.
Edit: I wonder since I did better with incline if I really could have eeked out a 5th rep of flat bench, so maybe it isn’t all too bad. I might have defeated myself in my mind.
Db hammer curls 2 X 30lbs X Left 10,right 10 x 10,10 X 6,6
I didn’t do this day yesterday because of poor sleep. this morning I awoke and realized I had left some ground chicken cooked at room temperature and knew there was a risk eating it. I was loathe to throw it out so I went for it. I felt a tad light headed afterwards and held off on lifting until more recently.
I am still though happy with squats, it is an increase in max over last time.
My rationale in setting next cycle’s figures is that because of muscle memory I am shooting up in max capability this first cycle back at it and I think I might be reasonable for next cycle and just raise things 5lbs for upper body and 10lbs lower. So, above what I can do now, I will increase, or just stay the same?
I don’t have the strength today to feel like I am progressing with my shoulders. Dips are reasonable though, I don’t know why I had an improvement there when I failed on shoulders. My diet tends to be poorly planned, and I still drink too much coffee.
I skipped rope yesterday, the first 8 minutes non stop, the balance of what I could do for 20.
tomorrow I deload, but for next cycle I wonder what I should call my maxes for calculations when there was fluctuation with both bench and shoulders.
So, it isn’t as if I am going to journalize my deload work and text below it, “I overcame great adversity to move this weight”, type of thing. I am doing as sort of an afterthought to my overall day the lifting, just nothing to write home about.