6/25/2008
Light Band Box Squat: 215X8X2
Walking Dumbbell Lunge: 65X12
GHR: BWX8 25X18 RP
Pull-Through: StackX25
Dumbbell Curl: 25X10 65X5
Machine Abs: 12X10 StackX9
Clean Grip Shrug: 315X10 315X15
Snatch Grip Shrug: 315X15X2
First Day Squatting With Bands. The Hardest part was getting off the box. Once I got out of the hole I had enough speed to blast right through the bands without much of a problem.
I’m going to try setting them up with more tension at the bottom next time.
6/26/2008
Dumbbell Bench Press: 105X9
Push Press: 185X6 RP
3-Board Press: 235X6
Mini-Band Push-up: 30
Blue Band Pushdown: 27
Ahh, now the Push-Press gets hard. The Rest-Pause set broke down like this: 5-1-0. I’m confident that right now, for me at least, rest-pause training is without a doubt the best way for me to train Push-Press. I think I’m gonna take a little hiatus from Dumbbell Bench Press and let my Push-Press get stronger for just a few training sessions.
Then when I come back to starting workouts doing reps with 200+ on Push Press I’ll be able to blast out 105X10 easy and move up to the 110s.
I realized before this workout that the last two times I’ve written up 255 for 3-Board Press I really only had 245 on the bar. I’ve recently done 225X8, then 245X3, and now 235X8. So I don’t really know if I’ve made any improvement there. I really need to bring up my 3-Board Strength and my Lockout strength altogether.
When I missed what would have been my 10th rep on Dumbbell Bench it was at the top. When I missed reps on Push-Press it was when I had gotten the bar overhead. When I really started to slow down and grind through reps on the 3-Board Press I wasn’t having trouble coming off the boards. I was having trouble around what I think is 5-Board territory. I really need some more lockout strength.
I only got 30 reps on Mini-Band Push-ups because the band slipped down to my neck and no longer provided any tension.
I only got 27 reps on the Blue Band Pushdowns because it was actually pretty damn hard in the last 1 or 2 inches of ROM.
It should be damn easy to break PRs on these two banded finisher exercises - not that breaking PRs there is really that important in comparison to other lifts, but whatever.
6/27/2008
Weighted Chins: 45X16 RP
Chest-Supported Row: 4X15 RP
Band Pull-apart: MiniX30
Dumbbell Curl: 65X16 RP
Hammer Curl: 85X15 RP
Blue Band Pushdown: 50
Looks like Weighted Chins are easier for me than a 3-Board Press. So…yeah.
EDIT: Late Night thoughts…
I’ve been looking back over my long and it’s helped me realize and remember a few things. First off, I remembered how much of a worthless pile my roommate was. Ha.
Other than that, it doesn’t look like the Beast Building method of doing 80, 85, or 90% of one’s max for a maximum amount of triples, doubles, or singles in 20 minutes really works. It has again become obvious to me that if you’re gonna go that heavy you might as well just make it count. In fact, always make it count.
That, and I haven’t hit any big Lower-Body PRs in a Month except for a 30 pound PR on Zercher Squats and a Massive amount of improvement on Giant Cambered-Bar Good-Mornings.
I’m pretty confident the reason I didn’t make as much progress as I should have was because (1) I did too much on my RE Lower days (2) When I went for a new Box Squat Max I should have tried for 365X3 or 375X1 instead of 385X1.
I’m entertaining the idea of doing Rest-Pause Bench Press and Board Presses by myself. I am going to try Resting the Barbell on the Safety Pins in between Rest-Pause mini-sets and I’ll see if I can press it off the pins when I want to get the other 2nd and 3rd mini-set going.
I am slightly more reluctant to try Dead-Stop Benching off low Pins because when I have done this in the past the Bar tends to drift up to my neck and puts my shoulders in a bad position. I doubt this would happen with 3-Board Presses restarted from the Pins because of the Height Difference.
But what I’m really concerned about is that Rack Pulls are coming up again and I’ll be giving 545 another tug. I wasn’t in the best condition to lift last time but this time around I actually did a real DE Squat workout instead of a Second ME Lower Body workout - so hopefully I’ll be a lot fresher this time around. I need to get 545 off those pins and I need it bad.
6/29/2008
Rack Pulls: 495X1 545X00000 AGAIN!
Seated GM: 135X6 185X1
Dumbbell Lunges: 70X16
I ran out of time today. This is the 3rd time I’ve missed 545 for Rack Pulls. I was not “off” today. I really put everything I had into moving that bar and it didn’t budge one fucking inch.
It’s pretty obvious that for the past month my Max Effort work has sucked dick and I’ve been missing lifts a lot.
But I’m not going to beat myself up too much about it because, except for today, for every miss I’ve done something to make up for it.
When I missed 545 last month I did 525.
When I missed 385 on Box Squats I did 3 wheels per side on a Cambered-Bar GM.
When I missed 455 on Deadlifts I did 405X7 and I T-Bar Rowed 6.5 Plates
So at first glance I thought I had totally wasted a month of training, but I’m still making PRs in Big, ‘Money’ lifts on a regular basis. They’re just not the PRs that I want.
My 525X1 Rack Pull, 3 Plate GM, and 455 Zercher Squat are pretty damn far ahead of my conventional lifts. My Top End Strength and Lower Back/Abdominal Strength is, in proportion to the rest of my lower body, very high.
In fact I’m not too concerned about not getting 545X1 at this point because I realize what a wounder it is that I could get my Rack Pull that high given what my Squat and Deadlift are.
But even these top end numbers will plateau if I do not address my low end starting strength. After “feeling” where I’m missing in Box Squats and Rack Pulls, I’m thoroughly convinced that my problem is weak hamstrings.
I know from past experience that the worst thing I can do now is freak out and radically change my program. I also know from past experience that trying to bring up a lagging muscle with assistance exercises will not cut it. What I need to do is select core Max Effort Lifts that will build my hamstrings so I have more power off the Box and off the Floor. I think the best exercise to select is Box Squats.
I need to follow through with this plan this time. I will try the Simple 5/3/1 Method for at least the next 3 Max Effort Workouts.
The First Workout I will try to hit
345X5. If I don’t get it the first time I will try again next week. I know I can get this for a few reps at the very least so even if I fall short I will still have gotten in a good set.
The Second Workout I will try to hit 365X3
If I don’t hit this, I will keep shooting for 365X3 until I get it. Again, even if I fail, I will be able to get in some reps.
Hopefully by the Third Workout I will hit
375X1. If I’m feeling good, I will go for 385X1.
If I do this successfully, every one of these workouts will constitute a PR.
get some pictures up!
You have a nice repping deadlift 
[quote]Darin1 wrote:
get some pictures up!
You have a nice repping deadlift :D[/quote]
It’s best not to post pictures on T-Nation unless you’re over 200lbs.
6/30/2008
Push Press: 185X8 RP
3-Board: 235X7
HS Incline: 1X7 3X5
Dumbbell Overhead Extension: 105X10
Incline Tate Press: 50X6
Rope Pushdown: 130X20
I made PRs but they weren’t huge PRs. I can’t be totally certain that I made them because I actually got stronger or I made them because I didn’t Bench Press 100+ Pound Dumbbells beforehand.
If I got 185X13 reps RP on Push Press 4 days from now that would simply be a wet dream. But if I don’t make any progress at all and only get 185X8 again, then I’ll know that it’s time to start rotating exercises again and I’ll only be doing Push Press every 3rd Upper Body Session. I got 6 reps on the first run, 0 reps on the second, and 2 reps on the last run.
The Hardest Part of the 3-Board Press was
unracking the weight. I will begin rotating Triceps Exercises now and I will not return to the 3-Board until 3 weeks from now. The Triceps Exercise for one of my Upper Body Sessions (should have been today) will be some sort of Dumbbell Exercise like Rolling Extensions or Tate Presses. The Triceps exercise for the other Upper Body Session will be Weighted Dips or Board Presses. Eventually the Day that I do Dumbbells for Triceps will be my Max Effort Bench Day and the day I use Dips or Board Presses will be my Dynamic Effort Bench Day.
I’m not doing Max Effort/Dynamic Effort workouts for the Upper Body quite yet because I still want to use both of my Upper Body workouts to improve my Push Press. Once I am Push Pressing 205 for reps or once my Push Press has plateaued using the Rest-Pause technique, I will start off my Upper Body workouts with Max Effort Lifts or Dynamic Effort Bench Press. I will only stop performing Push-Press every Pressing workout when I don’t make any improvement from one workout to another. Then I will alternate with Dumbbell Pressing and Hammer Strength Pressing.
7/1/2008
Dumbbell Row: 105X8 135X6 182X12
HS High-Row: 5X9
Machine Reverse Fly: 150X14 170X6
Barbell Curl: 115X7 RP
COC: TX5 1X6
I may or may not do so hot on my other days of training, but it’s Upper Back Training that keeps me coming back in the gym for more.
I’m using an Olympic Dumbbell Handle to accommodate enough plates. I have to use 25lb plates so the ROM is cut. I’m thinking about forgoing the Bench so I can change my form.
None of these videos are me, of course.
This is kind of what I’m doing now
But I want to switch to a more Shawn Ray form so I wont’ hit my leg or hit the bench, or have the bench nearly tilt over.
Hopefully by switching the Shawn Ray-esqu form I’ll be able to get some more ROM by bringing the Dumbbell higher and to my side. If this works, then the size of the 25lb plates shouldn’t be an issue.
My last Machine Reverse Fly was 150X10 or less. I think since I hit 170X6 I should be hitting 170X10 the next time I do this exercise. I want to be able to do the entire stack (200lbs) by the end of the summer.
Barbell Curls were actually a PR for me for a Straight bar. I think. Maybe not. But at least I have something up-to-date to go by that should be an easy record to break next time around. I really just want to work up to 135 for reps with a straight bar. I think by then I’ll be able to use weights that will be heavy enough to make my arms actually grow.
No chalk today so I didn’t get in many gripper sets.
I think since I got 180s for Dumbbell Rows. 365 on Snatch-Grip Platform Deadlifts should be do-able. I was jut going to do some Conventional Platform Deads AFTER my Box Squats on ME Squat/DL but today made me realize that I probably have enough back strength do do 365 Snatch Grip from a Platform instead of just conventional from a Platform for some reps. My Max Effort Squat/DL workouts will, as I have already stated, be geared towards low end starting strength in the Squat and Deadlift since that is a major weakness for me.
I’ve also decided to add in DE Deadlifts on my DE Squat/DL
day. The only reason I hadn’t done this earlier was I wasn’t sure exactly what to do. But I’ve found a 3-week cycle for people weak off the floor.
50% for 6-8 singles off 1 plate.
50% for 6-8 singles off 2 plates.
50% for 6-8 singles off 3 plates.
Band tension stays the same throughout.
7/3/2008
Light Band Box Squat: 225X2X8
Mini-Band Platform DL: 225X1X6
Dumbbell Lunge: 85X9
Lying Leg Curl: Stack CityX14 RP
Machine Crunch: Stack CityX12
Light Band Pulldown Abs: 50
I’ve set up the bands better now so I’m getting a fair amount of tension in the bottom. If my form is perfect, I actually move faster because of the improved stretch-reflex the band tension causes.
Speed Pulls really forced me to think about my form in order to get more speed. I think I only had about 1 or 2 pulls that I would actually call fast.
Dumbbell Lunges weren’t too bad but balance was an issue. I got quite the trap pump just holding onto the bells for so long. I’m kinda surprised but it’s not the first time this has happened.
The Stack for the Leg Curl Machine is 200 and the Stack for the Machine Crunch is 300.
The Light Band Pulldown-Abs were real easy and went really fast since I was just jerked up on the eccentric portion. I forgot to bring the blue band.
I had planned to do very strict Reverse Hypers instead of Leg Curls, but I found that strict Reverse Hypers are pretty much all Lower Back, and I want to use my DE Squat/DL workout to focus on starting strength and hamstring strength. I also don’t want too much lower back work on this day so I can save myself for my Max Effort Squat/DL workout.
I’m looking forward to doing Single-Leg Curls once I rest-pause over 20 reps on the entire stack of that machine.
Tomorrow is Push-Press! Goin’ for Broke MOTHA FUCKA!
7/4/2008
Push Press: 185X9 RP
4-Board Press: Worked up to 265X4
Mini-Band Push-ups: 47
DB Laterals: 30X30 RP
Pushdowns: 150X12
Well, at least I didn’t get weaker. I was really hoping I’d be able to keep making big PRs with Rest-Pause sets. Time to start rotating exercises.
At least I didn’t totally suck today. I put up some pretty good numbers for myself that should be easy to beat the next time these exercises come up.
And Mini-Band Push-ups were a pretty good PR. I don’t think I’ve even done that many normal Push-ups for many months. I think my best non-stop for normal push-ups is like 90-ish.
I think this will be post 2385 or something for me. I’m not going to post in any other part of the forum other than my training log. Maybe I’ll go back to posting outside of this log at some future date, but for now any efforts I make to communicate anything just seem like a complete waste of time at this point.
7/5/2008
Weighted Chins: 45X18 RP
HS Pullover: 3 Plates X 12 RP
Dumbbell PC: 50X24 RP
Incline DB Curl: 55X15 RP
The HS Pullover Set went 10-2-0 for rest-pause mini-cycles or whatever they’re called.
Once I find the time I’m going to buy a length of THICK rope and a bag climbers use to hold chalk. I’ve been saying I’m gonna go get the chalk bag for a long time but hopefully getting the Thick Rope will motivate me more.
Then I can alternate weeks where I do weighted chins and where I do Rope Chins. Looks like Matt Kroc got 11-7-7 Rest-Paused reps doing Rope Chins. Grip strength is something I can always use more of but it’s hard to train grip when you don’t have constant access to chalk.
7/7/2008
Box Squat: 345X8
Snatch-Grip Platform Deadlift: 315X1 365X2
Dumbbell Lunge: 85X12
Seated GM: 185X6 225X2
Incline GHR: 45X7
Weighted Crunch: 25X6 45X6 65X6 85X6
Hanging Leg Raises: Did Some
Except for the last two reps, these box squats were pretty damn fast by any measure. My goal for this workout was 5 reps but if I had flirted with going to failure, it’s possible I could have done 10 reps. But, seeing as how a lot of my Max Effort Squat/DL workouts have not been up to par I thought it would be a good idea to leave something in the tank today. Getting 365 for 3+ reps next time is far more important than whatever benefit doing 345X9 or 10 would have yielded.
I used a much lower bad position than I usually do, but I also used a pretty narrow stance.
I didn’t push Snatch-Grip DLs too hard. I was very slow on this movement. Getting the bar off the floor was not a problem. I could have done a lot more but my spider sense told me this is a silly exercise. Contrary to what coaches on this site might say, you don’t get the benefits of a squat and a deadlift just because you start in a squat. What happens is your hips rise first and you end up doing a deep SLDL that’s very low back intensive. Setting up for Snatch-Grip Platform Deadlifts is also a huge pain. It’s pretty hard to start from a safe position. Lastly, I don’t know if this is a very technically sound critique, but I don’t feel like this exercise allows for a lot of neural output if that makes any sense. No matter how fired up you get, you can’t really fire everything you have into this movement.
Doing Glute-Ham Raises with the Bench Propped up 10 inches in the back while holding a 45lb plate to your chest is hard. No surprise there. I would have rest-paused this but I didn’t get anything out of the attempted second rest-pause set.
I bought the Climber’s Chalk Bag. I haven’t been able to find any rope as thick as the one in that picture. I think I will have to rig something up with the El Gordo Barbell that we have at our gym. I may do Dogg Chins with it.
7/8/2008
Reverse Band Bench: 315X1 340X1 340X2
Dumbbell Press: 45X6 65X5
Rolling Extensions: 45X6
Upright Row: 135X16 RP
V-Bar Pushdowns: 90X10
The only exercises I really put any energy into were the Reverse Band Bench Press and the Upright Row. Everything else just felt awkward in setting up so I didn’t push it very hard at all.
The Reverse Band Bench is hard to set up by yourself, but it’s a lot of fun to actually put some heavy weight on the bar. I didn’t think I’d get over 285 today. I don’t really know what this 340lb Bench Press with Reverse Average Bands translates to. As far as I can figure I think anywhere from 255 to 285 at the bottom with this setup. From the looks of what numbers other people are hitting with Average Reverse Bands, it looks pretty comparable to using a Bench Shirt. Since I intend to compete in full gear once I actually become strong, I’m more interested in increasing this lift more than any other of my Max Effort Bench Press lifts at the moment. I did them in a pretty short power rack as far as power racks go. I did a lot of sets in order to figure out what I could handle. I was very surprised to get over 315. But the more I think about it, the less surprising getting 340lbs on this exercise is. Given how heavy many of my assistance exercise poundages are in relation to this number, 340lbs for a Reverse-Band Bench Press is actually low for someone Rowing 180 pound dumbbells.
I also greatly improved my form, tucked, my elbows, and flexed my lats as hard as I could when I was setting up.
The Upright Rows hurt my elbows (surprise), the Rolling Extensions are a pain in the ass to set up if you’re doing them on the floor, and Dumbbell Presses are just a pain to get started anyway. I’m going to drop Dumbbell Presses, drop Upright Rows, and start doing the Rolling Extensions on a Bench.
EDIT: According to Loui the Average Bands in a 7 foot power rack reduce the weight 95 pounds at the chest, which would leave me with 245X2 off the chest. The slowest part of my 340X2 was locking it out.
7/9/2008
I had planned on training Upper Back and Biceps today, focusing on Dumbbell Rows, but T.V. shopping took up too much time and we had company for dinner.
I don’t think training 4 days in a row will destroy me, so I’m going to take this day as my off day, and train Upper Back, DE Squat, DE Bench, and Upper Back again all the way from tomorrow until the 13th, then take my next off day.
Keeping my weight up has been difficult as of late for no other reason than there’s actually a shortage of food at my house at the moment.
The Reverse Band Press is still kind of a mind-fuck for me. If I was only pressing 245X2 at the bottom, I really haven’t improved my Bench much at all. But I don’t know how high this power rack I used was, my Push Press and other lifts have come up so much, and in comparison to what other people are handling on Reverse Average Band Bench Press, 340X2 looks like 365X2 in a shirt or 265-285 raw.
7/10/2008
Dumbbell Row: 212X7
Chest-Supported Row: 4.5X13 RP
Mini-Band Pull-Apart: 37
Kelso Shrug: 5X10 5X15 (These Still Suck)
Dumbbell Curl: 45X6
THICK Bar RowsL 135X5X3 135X12 RP
W00t on Dumbbell Rows. It’s pretty obvious I’m totally out of balance as far as pulling to pressing strength goes, but now I’m pondering if I’m approaching being out of wack for Upper-Body Pulling in comparison to Lower-Body Pulling. I doubt even Matt Kroc could have done a 25 rep set of Deadlifts with 455.
On second thought, maybe he could have. I won’t be increasing weight on Dumbbell Rows for no other reason than that I’VE MAXED OUT THE BAR. 4 25lb plates and a spring collar per side don’t allow for any more weight.
Whenever I think about how much stronger this exercise is than anything else, a lot of times I chalk it up to the possibility of me cheating. But whenever I’m actually performing Dumbbell Rows or Dumbbell Bench Press (not quite as out of wack) I’m always pretty surprised at myself when my form is actually ok.
Yeah, My hips move a little bit but oddly enough I promise these were 7 pretty legit reps. And most importantly, I feel my lats working. That’s all I feel.
Chest-Supported Rows were set up so I was pretty much pulling the handles to my neck. I would set it up so I could pull into my chest but it’s just too uncomfortable that way. I want to keep doing Kelso Shrugs so I’m going to try to set something up with a Flat Bench and a Cambered Bench Bar.
I imagine once I start to get even more reps on Dumbbell Rows with 212 I’ll probably switch the emphasis of my Upper Back training to include more Vertical Pulling even though I already have an entire day dedicated to Vertical Pulling.
This will probably entail me cycling Dumbbell Rows, T-Bar Rows, and 1-Arm Pulldowns on my back thickness day. Or I could always to 1-Arm Low Cable Rows and work up to using the stack.
The Thick Bar I used today was bigger than the collars on the end of the bar. It was probably about the same diameter as a coke can and it defiantly weighted over 60 pounds. I was able to get in a few good sets with a 45 on each side but once I added 15 pounds to each side I couldn’t even hold on to the bar long enough to complete one rep. I plan on using this Thick Bar for doing Dogg Chins from in my Next Upper Back workout.
I’m coming to accept my current Pressing numbers, however low they may be, because I’m still making PRs from day to day and just because my Pressing numbers are behind doesn’t mean I’m putting in less effort into my Pressing workouts.
If anything, I don’t get that psyched up for Dumbbell Rows and Chins because I know I’m going to make PRs even if I have a shitty workout. But somewhere, out there just over the horizon is a 500lb Deadlift and Zercher Squat waiting for me.
I’m not going to announce the goals I’ve got planned in my mind. But once I get my Pressing numbers up to a certain level, I’m going to get my hands on the Dynamic Bench Press manual and get to the bottom of how to develop some serious starting strength off the chest.
If the Universe smiles kindly upon me, maybe when I start my Dynamic Bench Training in two days, I’ll have started the path that will bring my pressing strength up to match the rest of me.
7/11/2008
Light Band Box Squat: 145X2 195X2 235X2X8
Light Band Speed Pulls: 225X1X8 315X1 365X1
Dumbbell Lunge: 45X6 75X3 105X5
Seated GM: 135X5 205X8
Incline GHR: 45X12 RP
Fast Day. Forgot Mini-Bands for Deadlifts so I used the Light Bands. They were doubled up. I have no idea what the band tension was but I’m pretty sure it was well over 100 at the top. I don’t think I’ll use this heavy band tension again as long as my sticking point for the Deadlift is still the floor.
But I just wanted to work up to something heavy today and I felt more comfortable doing it with Deads than with Squats since I’ll be Squatting heavy relativly soon.
Dumbbell Lunges were too heavy to be a productive set. I had to do Reverse Lunges instead of walking lunges.
As Usual, the Speed Pulls were also done off a Platform. Because of this there was constant tension throughout the lift. The 365 was not very fast, but the 315 wasn’t too bad. I’m pointing my toes out a lot more and it’s helping me blast the bar off the floor.
Squats are feeling fast, but not as much of a dramatic improvement in speed as the Deadlifts. It’s very early though. This is only my first 3-week DE Squat Cycle and it was the heaviest week. I feel like concentrating on speed has greatly aided me in a short time by making me think more about my form and body position.
Except this time if my shit isn’t together, the rep is slow. It’s not as stressful as missing a heavy attempt because my shit isn’t together. Today I think I was really able to concentrate on using the upper back strength I already have to my advantage.
so fighting scott, how are you liking the program, would you recommend it?
7/12/2008
Speed Bench: 135X3X8
Close-Grip: I’m not even gonna post this
HS Shoulder Press: Not much
Arnold Press: 35X5 45X10
Speed Benching with the Doubled Minis took a lot more out of me than I thought it would.
Will someone please tell me why Bench Pressing is THE exercise. I don’t get it. I just don’t get the Bench Press. Hopefully Speed Benching is what I’ve been missing in my training all this time.
7/13/2008
Weighted Chins: 70X9 RP
HS High-Row: 5.5X10
Machine Reverse Fly: 170X9
THICK Barbell Rows: 135X20 RP
Barbell Curl: 115X12 RP
Weighted Chins are still where they normally are. I think the best I’ve ever gotten on weighted chins was 6 straight reps (that was the first cycle of reps). If I can RP 10 or 11 next time around I’ll be very pleased even if it means I only get 6 reps again on the first cycle of reps. My bodyweight has gone up recently, so maybe that made it a tiny bit more difficult.
The Curls were not done with good form on the way up. At this point I honestly care more about Curling 135 than getting big arms, since I’m pretty convinced my arms will never be big. Ever.
When my Horizontal Pulling day comes up next I’m gonna go for 225 and stick with that weight and just work on getting a lot of reps with it. Vertical Pulling I will focus more on heavy weight and low reps, but I won’t max out. I’ll probably stick around the 5-8 range and maybe mix it up with something else every once in a while.
[quote]crod266 wrote:
so fighting scott, how are you liking the program, would you recommend it?[/quote]
My Flat Barbell Bench Press sucks. Other than that I think I’ve got myself a pretty good program.