Seal rows: 2x20 with 16kg/35lbs and 1x10 with 20kg/44lbs
Incline DB press: 2x10 with 20kg/44lbs
Tricep pushdown: 2x15
Weighted Crunches: 50 total reps over 3 sets
NOTES
Todays benching felt good. Really good and fast which is expected with the reduced TM but what was not expected was being able to get the widowmaker done. The main sets felt good that I changed plans and instead of doing SSL I decided to just push for a widowmaker PR.
Except that not much to report on. Tomorrow should be the return to MMA and should also include an AM session, be it conditioning or recovery work.
Legs feel fried atm with my adductors being sore and tight. Perhaps 3 widowmakers the day after squats is not the smartest thing
-Bench press superset with bent over rows
35kg/77lbs x20 on both bench and rows
37.5kg/83lbs x20 on both bench and rows
40kg/88lbs x20 on both bench and rows
-Tabata 8 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off alternating between 30kg/66lbs bench and bent over row
-1 Mile on the air bike (done at moderate speed)
NOTES
That was all for this morning. Legs are fried so the bike rides were more to get blood flowing into the area. To be honest I am not too sure if the above would classify as ‘conditioning’ because it’s not much. It got the blood flowing and heart rate up but wasn’t a ‘lung burner’
Goblet squats: 2x8 with 45kg/99lbs and 1x14 with 32kg/70lbs
RDL: 60kg/132lbs x10 and 70kg/154lbs x10
Seated Overhead DB press: 2x10 with 15kg/33lb
DB Bench press: 1x30 with 15kg/33lb
Seated cable row: 1x20
Bicep curls: 2x15
Conditioning
5 rounds of Low handle prowler marches to one end of the room followed by a high handle sprint back with 40kg/88lbs added weight
NOTES
Today felt good considering my body is sore everywhere. The extra conditioning over the last days hasn’t hindered my performance (everything felt good lift wise) but has left me feeling a bit beat up. Not much else to mention except:
Yesterdays MMA session
So Yesterday was a rough session. I went back to MMA yesterday and was meant to do both Jiu-Jitsu and then boxing but only did the Jiu-Jitsu. We were drilling shoulder locks and high elbow chokes and I was drilling with a guy built like a baby gorilla. As you probably guessed my left shoulder issues came back but it’s manageable and just slight discomfort (widow makers for bench in the last 2 days prior and intense shoulder mobility work probably did not help) and I also seem to have injured my throat. During drilling the high elbow choke the blade of the guys wrist was constantly ramming into the side of my throat/ adam’s apple and I felt something ‘pop’. Anyways talking, swallowing and tucking my neck down hurts but I have not got anything check because my thinking is “if it was a serious injury I would have not woken up this AM”. Hopefully I can go tomorrow.
Seal rows: 2x15 + 1x20 with 16kg/35lbs
Decline DB press: 1x20 with 15kg/33lb
Tricep extensions: 2x15
NOTES
Again nothing much to report. Decided for BBS supplemental today after doing FSL 5x5 and feeling like 5 more sets wouldn’t be too much of a fatigue inducer and would double the practice at the lift.
Throat still feels with a little bit of blood coming up (most likely unrelated). Will play it by ear and see what this means for MMA tonight. On one end I really want to push and go back to my old level of consistency and get back to my ‘peak’ when it comes to combat. On the other I have missed the heavy majority of 2022 and a few days extra to let the throat heal does not seem like a big deal. But also the last part of that sentence is what my ’ inner bitch’ would say under the guise of being reasonable
Squats: 100kg/215lbs x3, 110kg/243lbs x3, 122.5kg/270kgx3, 2x137.5kg/303lbs x1 | 5x5 with 100kg/215lbs
Barbell hip thrusts: 2x10 with 100kg/220lbs
Goodmornings: 1x20 with 40kg/88lbs
RDL: 40kg/88lbs x20
Leg extension: 3x15
DB bench press: 2x15 and 1x20 with 20kg/44lbs
Bent over row: 2x15 with 50kg/110lbs
Seated cable row: 1x20
NOTES
Not much to report on. Today the bar moved a tad slower but I wasn’t feeling 100% (stomach/ toilet issues) so not too worried. That is all
NOTES
Not much again (I think I need more of a plan with these) but a nice way of getting 100 squat reps split into 50 Zercher and 50 Back squats while getting out of breath and having the heart rate go up.
I have also reduced calories this week to get into a slightly more aggressive deficit for the next 4 weeks before going back on a gaining phase.
Seal rows: 2x15+1x20 with 16kg/35lbs
Incline DB press: 2x8 with 22.5kg/50lbs + 1x15 with 15kg/33lbs
Tricep pushdown: 2x15
Weighted Crunches: 50 total reps over 3 sets
NOTES
Today felt good. Workout went by very very fast. Nothing else to say. Next week will be the same and then we hit the anchor which should be more exciting. Until then I am going to continue showing up and doing what needs to be done
-Tabata 8X20 seconds on and 10 seconds off alternating between battle ropes and end to end suicide sprints
NOTES
Today was surprisingly taxing on the lungs despite only 150 reps of work and less than 4 minutes ‘cardio’. The cleans in between the bench and rows were a killer and the battle ropes + sprints left me floored. I guess it’s not how long you do something but how hard you do it.
On a side note the bottom of my bicep tendon (attached to the forearm) is somewhat painful and I have small bruising on my elbow crease. Has anyone gotten this issue when doing Zercher squats for the first few times?
Goblet squats: 2x8+ 1x7 with 40kg/88lbs
RDL: 60kg/132lbs x20
Weighted back extensions: 1x14
Seated Overhead DB press: 1x12+1x13 with 15kg/33lb
Bench press: 40kg/88lbs x25
Seated cable row: 1x20
Bent over rows: 2x15 with 50kg/110lbs
NOTES
Today was a good day. Perhaps it’s mental but I feel like the singles this cycle are ‘harder’ than the last cycles with heavier weight. However never in doubt of missing the single.
Accessory work was nothing out of the ordinary today but proud of the 25 rep bench set. The goal with that weight is to get to 40 reps.
Leviathan Cycle 2 Week 3 Day 4 (very easy conditioning)
AM Weighted vest walk to work (25kg/55lbs)
1/2 mile walk to bus stop in 9 Minutes
1 Mile (aprox) walk uphill in 20 minutes
PM Weighted vest walk back home from work (25kg/55lbs)
2.5 miles walk done in 49 Minutes
Notes
Not much to be honest considering I would have done the 1 mile walk anyways to get to work (the walk to bus stop wouldn’t due to me normally getting the bus right outside home) but for the 1st (or 2nd if we count the one time I did incline treadmill walk) time using a weighted vest not bad.
Ordered 25kg/55lbs vest with removable sand pouches but didn’t bother removing weight. Also the vest at work from the same make has the sand bags falling out and super loose so somewhat hesitant to remove the weight incase it caused the same issue. I can use the vest for lower body recover work and also push ups but unless I go for very low reps I don’t think pull ups and dips are doable with this weight.
If anyone has any advice on how to use the vest please do chime in. I’m keen to make the most of it!
Which vest did you get? I’ve looked a few times but never invested.
Right now I barely do any conditioning at all. I want to keep it separate from my workouts. I’d love to be able to just pop by the gym and do some sprints on the bike for 30-60secs as “reps” but it’s just not feasible me going in just for that. I’d buy one to have at home if I had the space. Weighted Vest may be the best solution for me, short of doing something at home I don’t enjoy.
Squats: 100kg/215lbs x3, 110kg/243lbs x3, 122.5kg/270kgx3, 2x137.5kg/303lbs x1 | 5x5 with 110kg/243lbs
Barbell hip thrusts: 2x10 with 100kg/220lbs
Goodmornings: 2x25 with 40kg/88lbs
Leg extension: 3x10
Decline DB bench press: 2x15 with 17.5kg/39lbs
Seated DB ohp: 1x8 with 17.5kg/39lbs and 1x12 with 15kg/33lbs
Seated cable row: 3x10
Bicep curls: 1x20
NOTES
Again nothing much to report. Just slowly trucking away. This week I really felt the fact that Squats is the only lift I did not reduce after the last cycle as the top set single felt decently hard. Next week the fun starts with the Anchor!
Seal rows: 2x15+1x20 with 16kg/35lbs
Incline DB press: 1x15 with 15kg/33lbs and 1x10 with 17.5kg/39lbs
Tricep pushdown: 2x15
Weighted Crunches: 50 total reps over 3 sets
NOTES
Again got in and got out. Nothing special to report with the workout itself, basically a carbon copy of last week so I ‘changed things up’ by using a wider hand positioning on the main work and supplemental work.
I contemplated doing a bench press set with 40kg/88lbs to beat 25 reps but a few reps in my shoulder felt weird. No pain, no weakness but the back of the shoulder felt different so I just re-racked and went home. No point risking an injury for an extra challenge set.
Also on a side note, I have been STARVING all day since the weighted vest walk. I have no idea if it’s coincidence or a result of the walk but everything I have eaten today has felt like it has gone into a black hole.
Leviathan Cycle 2 Anchor Week 1 Day 1 (Conditioning)
10 Minute as many rounds of possible consisting of:
Bench Press: 40kg/88lbsx10
Hip Cleans: 40kg/88lbs x5
Bent over rows: 40kg/88lbs x10
(managed 5 or 6 rounds before time ran out)
Boxing bag consisting of:
30 seconds straight punches as fast as possible (with good technique)
30 seconds hard shots (straights/ hooks/ upper cuts etc) with maximum force
above repeated 3 times for a total of 3 minutes
NOTES
Ok the cleans with 40kg/88lbs is hard and getting 5 with decent (not perfect but not bad) technique took long so overall did not manage that many rounds for the 10 minutes of work. I however was out of breath after the 1st round. I think sandwiching an explosive lift that I struggle with between 2 light exercises is a good way to build up fatigue so may do this more often instead of widowmaker bench and rows supersets.
The 3 minutes of boxing circuit is an upper body killer and deceptively hard on the lungs.
Overall happy with this AM
Goblet squats: 2x8 with 40kg/88lbs and 1x14 with 32kg/71lbs
RDL: 60kg/132lbs x10 and 70kg/154lbs x10
Bench press: 40kg/88lbs x26 and 45kg/99lbs x15
Seated Overhead DB press: 1x9 with 15kg/33lb
Seated cable row: 1x20
Bent over rows: 2x15 with 50kg/110lbs
NOTES
So not too happy with only getting 8 on the 5+ set considering I got 8 reps last Anchor with 5kg/11lbs more.
I am happy with the 26 reps on Bench press beating last weeks 25. Except that not much to comment on.
On non gym new work has gotten somewhat more stressful overnight (new head of department flexing her chops and trying to make things ‘happen’) so hopefully this isn’t something which causes issues