W10W2 - 2-15-2016 - Ayersley
Warmup
Squat stretch
Box jumps 3x5
Alternating with
Med ball slams 3x5
BW squats
Squat
315x1, 335x1 (crazy fast), 290x5, 275x5, 255x13* RPE8
Pull-ups (in between squats and RDL)
BWx8x6
RDL
225x8, 8, 8
Leg Press
4 PPS x 8, 8, 8
Ab Wheel
15, 15, 15
335 has never moved that fast. It’s not a planned set, just an over warmup, but is a great indicator lift. Will probably bump the over warmup to 345. 290/275 sets moved quick. 255x13 was a gasser. 8/10.
W10W3 - 2-17-2016 - Belmont
Warmup
Squat Stretch
50 5lb various laterals
OHP
135x2, 155x1, 170x1, 150x5, 140x5, 130x11* RPE9
Paused at top Pull-ups (in between OHP & CGBP)
BWx5x8
CGBP
195x8, 8, 8
Paused Incline DB
70x8, 65x8, 65x8
Light Arms
Thib Delt Growth Factor
x3
Battling a mild cold, zapping some energy. Otherwise, good workout.
W10W4 - 2-18-2016 - Ayersley
Warmup
Squat stretch
Box jump 3x5
With
Med ball slam 3x5
BW squats
Deadlift
365x5, 365x3, 3, 3
Paused Squat
205x8, 205x8, 215x8
Cable Row 100x5x10
Superset with
CG Pulldown 100x5x10
Toe to Bar
10, 10, 10
This cold is kicking my ass. No energy, and all the other crap that comes with it. No belt for anything today. For how I felt weight moved well. Next two days are off so hopefully I can get on the right side of this cold nag.
W11W1 - 2-21-2016 - Home Gym
Warmup
Squat stretch
50 various 5lb laterals
Band dislocates
Leg swings
BW squats
Bench Press
225x2 paused, 255x1 paused, 275x1 paused, 250x3, 235x3, 220x11* RPE8.5
Seated DB Press
60x6, 6, 6
Dip
+45x6, 6, 6
BB Curl ssw Lying DB Ext
100x10 / 30x15 x 2, 85x15+65x10 / 30x20
Laterals
Lots
*Just realized the 235 bench set was supposed to be a 4 rep set. Ah well. Made up for it with the warmup weight I guess.
On the back end of this cold (hopefully), so still not firing on all cylinders, but have a hard time believing it affected this performance. Bench was in the groove. 255 paused flew up, so I went ahead and bumped the over warmup to 275 from 270, and it was a much quicker rep than last week. Was aiming for 10 on 220, but got 11, and it shocked me when 11 went up as smooth as it did. Should have gone for the 12th. 60lb DB’s for pressing was perfect weight weight for reps and desired rpe(8-9). I use Olympic DB handles at home, so range of motion is greater than with standard preloaded DBs. Still touch top of shoulder each rep. Plenty of room to continue to add weight to dips. Next week is AMRAP test week, which happens to be 265x3+ on bench. If I can hit 265x4, it’ll be an all time PR, which is the goal.
W11W2 - 2-22-2016 - Ayersley
Warmup
Squat stretch
Box jumps 3x5
With
Med ball slams 3x5
Leg swings
BW squats
Squat
275x1, 315x1, 345x1, 310x3, 290x4, 275x10* RPE8
RDL
245x6, 6, 6
Leg Press
4.5 PPS x 6, 6, 6
Pull-ups (in between squat/RDL/leg press sets)
7x7
Toe to Bar
11, 11
Ab Wheel
21
I thought the cold was getting better, but symptoms have taken a dive for the worse. Felt pretty crappy, but strength was there. Stamina was a bit off. 345 moved very well, probably RPE8. 275x10 was what I was shooting for, and since I’m not at 100%, I’m happy with the performance. Def had a few more in me, but today was not the day to push. Rest of the work was good quality rep work. One thing to note is my right knee is popping some, not a lot, and is a tad irritated. Slight pain, nothing major. Will start rolling it nightly and keep my eyes on it.
Next weeks test amrap is 330x3+. Will be shooting for 4-5.
W11W3 - 2-24-2016 - Ayersley
Warmup
Med ball swings
With
Leg swings
50 various 5lb laterals
OHP
135x3, 170x1, 160x3, 150x4, 140x10* RPE9
CGBP
225x6, 6, 6
Paused Incline DB Press
75x6, 80x6, 75x6
Light Arms
x3
Thib Delt Growth Factor
x3
Still sick but got meds from doc so should be on the mend. 160x3 flew up. It’s amazing how much easier OHP is when you hit the groove and are really tight…glutes, abs, squeeze bar, etc. 140 set was good, grinder out some good reps and probably had one left in the tank. Nice to have 2 plates on CGBP for some straight across rep sets. Last set was probably RPE9.
Going to ortho doc tonight to have my right knee looked at. Somethings not right. Cracking and pain, especially when I squat down. Concerned it is a meniscus tear, but could be worse. About a month ago I had a pop in that knee with swelling when paused high bar squatting. Going to have ortho doc look at it and do an MRI. Fingers crossed its just overuse or something very minor, I just have a bad feeling about it.
Went to Otho doc and had an x ray done, along with work up. No issues on x ray, and exam was good. He thinks it’s overuse and inflamed/aggravated. I still have some doubt and would prefer an MRI, but will try rest first and see if I can get it calmed down. I’m going to cut the paused squats for now, and move my leg press to my deadlift day as squat assistance. Hate only squatting once per week, but it’s necessary right now. It may come necessary to tweak my form to a more friendlier knee version, but I hope not. I was really getting comfortable in my squat form.
Still battling this cold/sinus infection too.
I may go ahead and scrap today’s DL session, and redo this week next week. This will give me 3 more days of rest on the knees too.
W11W1 (Re-do week, sickness & knee pain) 2-28-2016 - Home Gym
Warmup
Foam rolling
IT band, quad/hip and calf stretching
50 various 5lb laterals
Bench Press
205x3 (P), 235x2 (P), 255x1 (P), 275x1 (P), 250x3, 235x4, 220x9* RPE9
Seated OHP
60x6, 6, 6
Dip
50x6, 6, 6
DB Fly
20x20, 20, 20
BB Curl / DB Lying Ext
95x10 / 30x20 x 2, 95x10 + 65x15 / 40x10 + 30x10
Laterals
Lots
Terrible workout, 3/10. I’ve been obsessing over my knee issue, which is taking away focus from my actual sets/reps. I knew I wouldn’t have great strength today coming off sickness and traveling out of town. Strength wasn’t all that bad, but that 220 amrap was doomed as I nailed the pegs on my rack twice and just was not in it mentally.
Hoping the knee issue will resolve with stretching of calf and quad plus foam rolling. The pain has subsided for the most part, still some dull aches, but the joint is still very noisy. Will foam roll prior to activity, and stretch post activity.
W11W2 (re-do week, sickness & knee pain) - 2-29-2016 - Ayersley
Warmup
Foam rolling
Stretching
BW Squats
Squats
315x1, 345x1, 310x3, 290x4, 275x8* RPE8
RDL
245x6, 6, 6
Ab Wheel
10, 10, 10
Stretching
Terrible headache and fatigue during w/o, but glad to report I feel much better today (w/o was yesterday). Right knee was in my head the whole time squatting. It wasn’t very painful, but I was certainly cautious. I need to be very careful that I’m not compensating elsewhere. I did narrow my stance some, probably a few inches, in an effort to make sure I’m keeping my knees tracking properly. The 8 rep set was a decent set. Got 10 the week prior, but after the sickness and knee issue, I can’t complain. I didn’t do leg press today to reduce some volume on the knees. I’ll adjust as I finish this cycle. My knees don’t feel bad today, I was actually quite surprised. I’ll get in some foam rolling and stretching this evening. I’m hoping to have this cycle culminate in at least a 1RM of 375. If my knees heal up and everything feels good, 375 should be a minimum, with 400 upside.
W11W3 (re-do week, sickness & knee pain) - 3-2-2016 - Ayersley
Warmup
Foam rolling
Stretching
50 various 5lb laterals
OHP
135x2, 155x1, 175x1, 160x3, 150x4, 140x9* RPE9
Pull-ups (in between OHP and CGBP sets)
BWx8x4
BWx5x4 (paused at top 2 ct)
CGBP
225x6, 6, 6
Paused Incline DB Press
70x6, 75x6, 75x6
Light Arms
X3
Thib Delt Growth Factor
More foam rolling and stretching.
Energy is returning. Knee seems to be feeling better. Been foam rolling and stretching daily, which seems to be correcting my knee woes. It’s not 100%, but after I’ve foam rolled and stretched, it feels damn close. Moved the over warmup to 175 for OHP, and it moved well. Amrap set was fine, but still working on getting my endurance back. Thankful to be on the mend.
W11W4 - 3-4-2016 - Ayersley
Warmup
Foam rolling
Stretching
Med ball slams
Deadlift
315x1, 345x1, 385x1, 410x2, 410x1, 1
Paused Squat
225x6, 6, 6
DB Row
130x6, 6, 6
Ab Wheel
12, 12, 12
Foam rolling
Stretching
Happy with DL performance. Reps were not as fast as I’d like, but still working on getting back to 100%. Knees feel pretty good, but are still cranky. Walking up stairs is the worst, as my right knee cracks with each step, and walking down is a dullish pain. Squatting is mostly pain free, but feels as if something ‘catches’ in right knee. Again, pain has stopped while squatting. Will continue to monitor, foam roll and stretch daily.
W12W1 - 3-6-2016 - Home Gym - Test and Deload
Warmup
Foam rolling
Stretching
Squat stretch
50 various 5lb laterals
Pull a parts
Bench Press
265x3* RPE10
Seated DB Press
30x10, 10, 10
Dip
+25x10, 10, 10
BB Curl ssw Lying DB Tri Ext
75x20x3 ssw 30x20x3
Rear Lateral + Side Lateral
30x10 + 10x15 x 3
At least I hit the goal. With all the crap that’s been going on I guess that’s acceptable. 3rd was not a grinder, but didn’t have a 4th. BP max goes up 5lbs for the last microcycle.
This knee thing still has me bugged. I’m going to get an MRI so I can put my mind at rest, or get something fixed.
W12W2 - 3-7-2016 - Ayersley - Test and Deload
Warmup
Foam roll
Stretching
Squat stretch
Squat
330x3* RPE9
RDL
135x10, 10, 10
Toe to Bar
12, 12, 12
Seated Ham Curl
4 sets
Foam roll
Stretch
Body just feels beat up. Been tinkering with form some, which is not a great idea when trying to test. This set though, I only used the cues I was confident in. Did not feel strong today, but I will take this performance as it met my rep goal, so I add 5lbs to max going into 4th and final microcycle of this program. Knees are still not right. I don’t feel confident squatting BC of it either. I will be getting an MRI, possibly tomorrow if they can fit me in. I need to take time off from squatting, probably 2-3 weeks to get this sorted out. This last microcycle of this program is in jeopardy for squats and deads, but not a big deal.
W12W3 - 3-9-2016 - Ayersley - Test and Deload
Warmup
Foam roll
Stretching
50 Various 5lb laterals
OHP
165x3* RPE10
CGBP
135x10, 10, 10
Paused Incline DB
40x10, 10, 10
Arms
Thib Delt Growth Factor
The first two with 165 went up quick, then 3rd was a pretty good grind. Surprised me. Rest of the work was deloaded.
I have decided to clean up my diet and reduce carbs. Trying to finish out this cycle, which depends on how the knee feels.
Speaking of the knee, Most of the pain has dissipated. There are no more sharp pains, just occasional dull pain, and the popping/cracking walking up stairs.
After foam rolling and stretching it feels great.
We’ll see. I’m not going back to Ortho. Hopefully I can rehab it back myself and it’s just an overuse injury, or something correctable.
Since tomorrow is not a test day for DL, and Deload on everything else, I’m probably going to take the day off which will give me a full week of rest on the lower body.
Perhaps I can finish this cycle if everything feels good.
Deadlifted yesterday, and knee did not feel good. I have decided to take several weeks off of any knee bending work.
I will start Smolov Jr for bench Sunday. This will give me 3 weeks of rest for the knees. In the mean time I will do good mornings in an effort to keep some lower/posterior stimulation.
I’m going to keep it very simple over these 3 weeks.
Bench
Rows
Laterals
Good Mornings
Pullups
Abs
Good mornings will be twice per week.
So…
Bench/rows/good morning/abs
Alternating with:
Bench/Pullups/laterals
Still trying to get this knee better, but it’s moving in the right direction I believe.
8x8 is not for me, horrifically boring and feels unproductive. I’m returning to 5/3/1, and will run the 28 week template in Beyond.
Day 1: OHP, Dips (will superset in DB rows and curls)
Day 2: Squat, RDL, ab wheel (will superset rear Delt and Pullups)
Day 3: Bench, Inc DB bench (will superset 25 reps weighted Pullups, face pulls)
Day 4: Deadlift, single leg leg press, leg raises
Assistance will be 50 reps.
3-20-2016
C1W1W1
Warmup
Limber11
OHP
95x5, 110x5, 125x10, 95x13,5,4 (R/P)
(rear laterals 10x10x5 & db rows 60x10x5)
Dips
BWx5x10
(Curls 75x10x5)
Lost a lot of strength over the last month but that’s OK. I’ve been lost in my training with this knee ailment. It seems to be getting better pain wise (not sound wise). Glad to be back to 5/3/1, as it simplifies my training. Started with conservative maxes of 165 OHP, 315 squat, 265 bench and 365 DL. Fun workout.
3-21-2016
C1W1W2
Warmup
Limber11
Box jumps/Med ball slams
Squats
185x5, 215x5, 240x10, 185x18
RDL
165x10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Ab Wheel
10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Did pull-ups in between sets, 7x6. Have a ortho/sports Med appointment Wed to have my knee looked at again. It was getting better probably due to me backing off squat frequency and weight, but today’s session, albeit light, flared it right back up. Dull pain is back, and had one occurrence of sharp pain about 2 hours post workout. Very frustrating. Probably going to have to take an extended absince from lower body work.
3-23-2016
C1W1W3
Warmup
Limber 11
50 various laterals
Bench Press
155x5, 180x5, 205x9, 155x13
Pullups (in between bench sets)
+15x5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Paused Incline DB Press
55x10, 10, 45x10, 10, 10
Face Pull (in between incline sets)
5x20
Light arms
Damn I’ve lost a lot of strength! That’s OK though, I’ve lost a lot of fat 2 weeks into this cut, plus I’m severely detrained. Actually failed the 10th rep at 205, ha. Didn’t even consider failing it, and the weight just died in my hands. I’m probably taking this cut too quickly, so will add some carbs back in.
Saw ortho doc again. He confirmed Petella Femoral. Prescribed anti-inflam meds and PT. Will go to PT twice weekly to see if they have better corrective exercises than I’m currently doing. Right knee is tracking improperly, clearly. X ray confirmed structure favors right side. Need to strengthen VMO and quad overall. Need to continue foam rolling and stretching, especially hams, calf, quad. Hoping to work myself out of this.
3-24-2016
C1W1W4
Warmup
Limber 11
Stretching
Deadlift
215x5, 245x5, 280x10, 245x15
Single Leg Leg Press
25’s x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Ham Curl
120x10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Leg Raises
10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Knee felt pretty good today. Still some dull pain, but probably only 2-3/10. Maybe making some progress with all the stretching and corrective work.
Capping work at 10 reps on main set. Was pretty winded at 10 though. Single leg press is tough! Crazy pump in VMO, which is exactly what I was after. Good workout, albeit light.