Delaware Strength's Pushing and Pulling Journey to Virginia

Training Training Logs
1

Hey, restarting log. I ended up not being able to compete because the place was too far away and my dad is ill (my parents want to come watch, and it’d be a shitty thing to go without them).

So, time to max and get some work in.

11/9/15

Decided to go test my bench, it was on a really shitty bench with a shitty bar so I did bad, but it was a good PR for competition pause on that bench.

ME bench day
competition bench
45X5
95X5
135X5
185X5
225X3
275X1
295X1 easy
310X0 absolutely sunk

weighted dips
45X16
45X6
45X5

bent over rows
185X10 for 5 sets, 1 and a half minutes rest

weighted chin ups
45X3 for 5 sets, 1 and a half minutes rest

Gonna do some curls and rear delts if I have time tonight/early this morning, if not I’ll do it tomorrow as an extra workout.

So… not great considering I’ve done 265X3 for 3 sets closed grip TnG with a good bar, chalk, and off a good bench that I am used to. However I am going to be training with some friends, (going to put them on a 3 day westside or cube program unless they can join a gym nearby) since they had requested I train them, and I need reliable spotters anyway. I’d say not being able to do as well in training is a good trade off for being able to have reliable spotters, and they are my friends anyway.

So, time to go max my deadlift out tomorrow, I am going to go for about 475-480 beltless depending on how I feel. Nothing impossible, but still a heavy enough weight that I can get a more accurate training max and able to see my current weakness.

Bench weakness: leg drive, just couldn’t get it in probably because of the bench. Other than that, I just need a crap load of muscle on my back, triceps, and chest. Lots of dips, extensions, and DB benching along with tons of back volume is in my future.

Meet date:

January 16th. That gives me 9 weeks, four weeks to get my GPP back up, 4 weeks to lift heavy, 1 week to deload. I am turning in the form for the competition tomorrow.

edit: I am going to go for another heavy max on the bench after a couple more ME days. It doesn’t make sense to use 295 for it when I can rep it on a good bench with a good bar.

2

11/11/15

Max effort deadlift day

conv dead
135X3
225X3
315X2
365X2
405X1 felt like a dynamic effort pull
445X1 easy
475X0 tried without a belt, felt stapled to the floor then immediately put on my belt and…
475X1 10 pound PR, my back rounded like a motherfucker so I didn’t try anything higher

good morning
185X10 for 5 sets, 1 and a half minutes rest

calf raises
185X30 for 3 sets, 1 minute rest

suit case holds
145X30s
145X30s
145X15s
145X15s

I guess I actually do get something out of a belt. Going to work on stretching my hip flexors, doing some glute activation work, and wreck the shit out of my back, abs, and hips 24/7.

3

DE bench
205X3 for 8 sets, played around with grip a bit and found something I liked

DB flies
35’sX8 for 3 sets

push downs - a lot, didn’t really record

chin ups
bwX10
bwX10
bwX10
bwX9
bwX5

De deadlift day
285X3 for 8 sets

squat good mornings
245X5 for 3 sets very easy, going to keep adding ten pounds each week until it gets really difficult to stay in the right position

weighted single leg squat
10X6 each side for 3 sets

single leg calves
three sets of each side keeping the reps 10+ with 90 pounds

Going to do an ab/glute extra work out tonight if I have time (deadlift workout last night). Going to do ME bench tomorrow, try to get at least 260-265 for a single on close grip incline.

4

Sounds like a good plan. It’s a shame you missed the first meet, but it was the right call. Nine weeks is a good length of time to prep too.

Good to hear you’re getting something out of the belt as well.

5

Still absolute shit at keeping a log these days. Notables: 385X3 close stance parallel box squat, 305X3 close stance good morning off of pins, 245X5 close grip floor press, fairly certain I did another ME bench but I forgot what, it likely wasn’t a ME exercise I care about/do often if I don’t remember. Also got 425X3 sumo rack lockout starting below the knees. Assistance and accessory work going well especially on lower body work. My endurance has been really shitty though from the cut. Doing max effort bench today.

Yesterday:
Close stance good mornings off of pins
worked up to 305X3

hip thrusts
205X20
225X15
245X10
265X6

back extensions
bwX33
bwX20
bwX10

today so far:
did some work I meant to do yesterday
suitcase holds
155X30s
155X30s
155X30s
155X30s

fat grip pull ups
bwX41 in 5 mins, I saw the article and I’ve been meaning to try out timed exercises. Gonna try to time these for awhile and see how I like it. It brutalized the shit out of my forearms/lats, especially considering I went straight for 20 consecutive reps without breaks.

single leg calves alternating legs with no rest
90X20 per side
90X11 per side
90X4 per side

Slowly getting leaner, I need to get a scale/replace the awkward rarely used type of batteries in my ancient electric scale.

6

[quote]Destrength wrote:
hip thrusts
205X20
225X15
245X10
265X6
[/quote]
You get enough out of doing these that they’re worth doing?

I’ve done maybe one or two [barbell] hip thrusts in my life.

7

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]Destrength wrote:
hip thrusts
205X20
225X15
245X10
265X6
[/quote]
You get enough out of doing these that they’re worth doing?

I’ve done maybe one or two [barbell] hip thrusts in my life.[/quote]
I’d say they are worthwhile if you have issues using your glutes on heavy deadlifts/can’t seem to push your hips through at the top. I also definitely notice that I squat morning a lot less often/less severely when I include them.

They aren’t irreplaceable though, kettlebell swings/cable pullthroughs do essentially the same thing. I just don’t have access to any station for cable pullthroughs, and I am stuck to only using dumbbells for swings. That, and sometimes my back needs a rest.

8

11/30/15
Max effort bench
close grip incline
45X5
135X5
185X5
205X5
225X3
245X3 (fairly certain this is a +1 rep PR that I’ve been trying to break on these for a little while)

weighted dips
45X16
45X7
45X6
29 total reps, going to shoot for at least 31 total reps next time, preferably more

bent over rows
205X10 for 3 sets
205X5 didn’t want to force any extra reps by using momentum
205X3

three way shoulders
25’sX20 each way
25’sX10 front, 20 side and back
25’sX7 front, 20 side and back

I’ve been doing the front with straight arms instead of slightly bent, so okay-ish progression.

overhead tricep extensions
45X30 1 minute
45X15

Going to go for 300-315 for one rep close grip next week tng. I’ll have to check my previous logs to see what my CG max is so I have an exact number to beat, I hate how I’ve broken my logs up into a lot of different pieces. I should start to keep a physical copy or at least an excel table with my PR’s. Maybe I could make a line graph to show the growth over months.

9

Definitely a hard copy. I’ve found a big day to a page office diary works best.