Starting to feel strong again after being back from vacation and in the gym a few times. I’ll probably be adding some sprints in pretty soon and some plyometrics again.
June 23rd
Farmerâ??s Walks 2 times around 1/6 mile track switching with partner 80 lbs
Reverse Crunches 3x12
Palloff Presses (5 second iso hold) 2 sets 4 each side 1 set 12 each side no pause
It felt good to have alot of weight on my back. I can’t wait until I can nail this much to parallel.
June 24th
PMT Back Squats (pins at 9) (375x6)x2
RDLs (feet close sup. grip) (135x5)x5
Donkey Calves (explosive) 135x10
DB Step-Ups 40x5
I think I am doing something wrong… My energy has been low and the weights/my weight have not been going up. I have started playing sports again, so I’m getting some sprinting in which I wasn’t before. I am wondering three things I guess, 1: am I eating enough still, 2: am I getting enough sleep, and 3: should I back off the volume a bit in the gym?
I think I am going to address all three, because sleeping more can’t hurt, eating more should be right with more activity, and backing off the volume in the gym in the short term probably won’t hurt my long term goals too much. I am thinking to just do one exercise less each session and if that doesn’t bring things back in line to change from 4 days a week to 3 (more of an in season sort of approach).
June 25th
Chin-Ups 70x3
Close Grip BP 195x5, 225xfail (two forced reps)
BB Row (off pins hold against stomach) 135x5
Face Pulls 7settingx10
Seated Cable Row 140x5
A little less volume today…
June 27th
Back Squats work up to 225x5
PMT Back Squats (pins at 10) 365x5, 3, 2
Rack Pulls 405 3 singles
Donkey Calves (single leg) 90x5
Tried OHP with a really narrow grip and it worked, no shoulder pain! Looks like I’ll be doing these now (index fingers at the edge of the knurling and elbows tucked in tight). I’d encourage anyone else who has anterior shoulder pain with OHP to give this a shot.
June 29th
BP (from pins 4 in off chest) (225x3)x2 full ROM 185x10 almost 11
DB Curls 45x3
OHP (close grip) 115x3
Fly Machine
June 30th
Farmerâ??s Walks (90s) 2 times 1/6 of a mile switching off
Reverse Crunches
July 1st
PMT Back Squats (pins at 10) (375x5)x2
Good Mornings 225x3, 135x10 (explosive last set)
Donkey Calves (single leg) 70x10
Seated Calves 90x10, (explode, squeeze, and pause at bottom) 90x5, 110x5, 130x5
July 2nd
Chin-Ups BW+25 (40 total) 5, 6, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1
Close Grip BP 225x1, 135x10
BB Row (off pins hold against stomach) (135x5)x2 155x5
Face Pulls (setting 8)x10
I bought some Vibram Five Finger shoes last Thursday and today was my first day squatting and deadlifting in them. I was a little worried about squatting in them as I thought my feet were weak, but it felt great and deadlifting was great too even though it was supposed to be fast (dynamic effort today) it felt real fast off the floor especially. I guess this is because the bar was about 3 quarters to 1 inch higher than normal in relation to my feet.
Adding back in some single leg work felt pretty good also (as per this advice Forums - T Nation - The World's Trusted Community for Elite Fitness). It really does seem that I have some assymetry. My right glute doesn’t like to do much of anything and after deadlifts my left leg seems to be really fried. I think I may add in single leg RDLs too.
July 6th
PMT Back Squats (pins at 11) 335x2, 375x1, 350x3,3,2
Deadlifts (DE conventional) (295x2)x3
Donkey Calves (single leg) 70x5
Bulgarian Split Squats (45x10)x3
July 7th
BP (from pins 4 in off chest) 235x2, 2, 2, 2
DB Curls 40x5
OHP (close grip) 125x4
Face Pulls (setting 9)x10
No workout today… I pushed my next squat workout to tomorrow as I am soooo sore still from Tuesday.
Yo man, hadn’t been here in a while…you’re making awesome progress dude…you still planning to do that meet in October?
Are you doing a Westsideish template now? I can’t really tell since I admittedly just skimmed over the past few pages, but if so, how are you liking it?
Also, is your back all healed up? I fucked mine up the first part of June and I’m still struggling. Haven’t done any lower body lifts in a few weeks and its killing my workout intensity for upper body.
VTBalla34,
Thanks for dropping in and I appreciate the encouragement. I am still planning to do the meet in October. As far as my training goes… I must sigh a bit here… It’s my own concoction of little pieces of others that I’ve read about. It has been working for me, but who’s to say I wouldn’t do better on something else.
I’m hard headed and like to do my own thing first until it dawns on me that other people are smarter than I am. The gist of what I have been doing though is a focus on the big compound lifts (something like 5x5 with ramped weights) and then whatever accessory work seems to fit with my perceptions of my weaknesses (or what my chiropractor has told me is weak).
I must admit I don't really know what a westside workout looks like so maybe I am doing it or something like it. I have started recently adding in some dynamic effort lifts and alternating them with max effort, but really it has just been sort of an "it feels right" sort of thing.
I'm doing a second run at the PMT (progressive movement training from Waterbury), but for squats this time and I must say it is way tougher than doing it with the DL, loading 110% + of your 1RM on your back and squatting even partially is eyepopping strain.
My back is all healed up finally. I haven't done any true max effort deadlift stuff since I hurt it though. It was really kind of pathetic. After having pulled 475 the weak before I jacked myself up pulling 275. -sigh- I hope you get all healed up soon. I truely know how bad it sucks.
July 9th
PMT Back Squats (pins at 11) 350x3, 3, 2
RDLs (single leg) (45x10)x2, (65x10)x2 trying to get my right glute to fire!
Donkey Calves (single leg) 70x6
DB Step-Ups 40lb DBs 3x5
Standing Calves (single leg) 90x6
July 10th
Scratch that!
July 12th
PMT Back Squats (pins at 12) 315x1, 350x0 (just hovered over the pins)
Rack Pulls 405 4 singles (first one dbl overhand without thinking!)
Donkey Calves 45x8, 4, 2
Bulgarian Split Squats 75x10
Seated Calves 110x7
I think I may have gotten all I can get out of the PMT squats, so I think I’m going to go back to normal squatting.
What I have been doing has been working well for me thus far, but I think it is now time to try someone elses specific program. I am thinking about 531, but I am not totally sure what I’ll go with yet. I probably won’t start anything new until August though after I’ve had a chance to max in all my lifts again.
July 13th
BP 240x3, 2, 1 185x10
DB Rows 70x10, 80x10, 90x10, 100x6
OHP (close grip) 45x10, 65x10, 85x10, 100x6
Face Pulls setting 9x10
Decline Skull Crusher 45x10, 65x10, 85x10
July 15th
Back Squats 180x5, 210x5, 240x10
RDLs (single leg) (65x10)x2, (75x10)x2
Donkey Calves (single leg) BWx10, BW+45x10, BW+90x6
Seated Calves 90x10, 110x10, 130x7
DB Step-Ups 45x5, 50x5, 50x5
Unfortunately, I won’t have access to weights next week, but I will have my weight vest, so it looks like I’ll be doing some BW and weighted vest stuff for a week anyway. It’ll be kind of a deload I suppose and then I’ll probably look for my maxes in the following week and then I’m pretty sure I am going to purchase 531 and give it a whirl for 6 months at least.
Pitiful workout today…
July 26th
July 26th
Deadlifts 280x5, 325x5, 365x5
Donkey Calves skipped
Bulgarian Split Squats 65x10, 75x10, 80x10
Seated Calves skipped
Front Squats skipped
I was so worn out when I got up this morning… Too much time in a car recently and not enough food. It’ll get better. Time to eat more. I think I am going back to the gym this afternoon to finish what I didn’t get done this morning.
So, I went back this afternoon to the gym because it was killing me that I didn’t get my calf work in.
Front Squats (to warm up) 45x5, 95x5, 135x5
Donkey Calves (single leg) BWx10, 45x10, 90x6 (both legs) 90x10, 8, 6 explosively
Seated Calves (explosively) 90x10, 8, 6
Well, I immediately felt better this morning after I got to my office and downed my shake and ate two hard boiled eggs, so I think that food was the culprit this morning.
I ate a ton yesterday and now… I feel better. My twenties are also now over, I’m officially 30 years old (I don’t feel too old though).
July 27th
BP 150x5, 175x5, 195x10
Bent Rows 95x10, 115x10, (135x10)x3
Decline Tricep Ext. 45x10, 55x10, 65x5 (weird pain/tightness so I stopped short)
DB Rows (90x10)x3