11/10/15
Deadlift Day (65%, 75%, 85%)
Deadlift: 315x5, 365x5, 405x8
Walking DB Lunge: 55 - 4x10 (each leg)
Ab Wheel: 3x10
Deadlifts felt good yesterday. Had to get in the gym at around 10:00 to get this workout in. 405 for 8 reps is a rep PR for me with that weight. Probably had a couple more reps in me to get 10 but staying tight that long is a pain in the butt! Lunges were a little wobbly at the start but had to slow myself down and focus a little more. Very happy with this workout!
11/11/15
Overhead Press Day (Advanced 5/3/1 Template)
OH Press: 165 - 5x5
Bench Press: 240 - 3x5
Pull-Ups: 40 total
Decent day considering this is the exact weights / sets / reps from the previous cycle and even the exact same pull-up total. Nothing eventful!!
405 x8 deadlifts is beastly!
[quote]furo wrote:
405 x8 deadlifts is beastly![/quote]
Thanks furo! I was a little surprised how good all 8 reps felt. I told my buddy who was lifting with me 365 felt pretty heavy but 405 yesterday felt so much better. Looking back I wish I would’ve pushed for 10 but it was getting hard trying to stay tight without feeling like I was going to puke or poop myself from squeezing into my belt so hard!!!
11/13/15
Squat Day (65%, 75%, 85%)
Squat: 205x5, 240x5, 270x8
Stiff Leg Deadlift: 135x10, 185x10, 205x10, 225x10
Decline Sit Ups: 2x15
Leg Raise: 2x15
Back Extension: 3x15
Set a PR with Squats on Friday with 8 reps at 270. Anything above 225 for more than 5 reps will be a PR by default since switching to High Bar and trying for rep PRs. My back was aching when I woke up Friday morning. Probably due to sleeping funny since my back did not ache at all during the other days of the week. Wanted 10 reps but my back was starting to feel tight after the 8th so I just racked it and moved on from there. Good workout Friday!
11/16/15
Bench Press Day (Advanced 5/3/1 Template)
Bench Press: 275 - 5x3
OH Press: 165 - 3x5
DB Row: 85 - 5x10 (super-sets with my OH Press)
Bench Press felt good today. All sets and reps were crisp and did not have any troubles. Decided to super-set my Overhead Press with DB Rows to move the workout along faster. Will probably continue to do that super-set moving forwards. Good workout!
11/17/15
Deadlift Day (70%, 80%, 90%)
Deadlift: 335x3, 385x3, 430x7 (PR)
Walking DB Lunges: 55 - 4x10 (steps per leg)
Ab Wheel: 3x15
Very happy with my Deadlift PR today!! I had 6 reps as my goal to hit with 430 and was very pleased to beat that by 1 rep. The Lunges on the other hand felt pretty difficult. I was a little tired from the deadlifts which made the lunges more of a mental hurdle than a physical one. Got through them alright but not my best work. Pretty happy with sets of 15 on the Ab Wheel as well. Great workout today!!!
11/18/15
Overhead Press Day (Advanced 5/3/1 Template)
OH Press: 190 - 5x3
Bench Press: 240 - 3x5
Pull-Ups: 50 total
Overhead Press with 190 felt heavy today!! The 3rd rep on my first set wasn’t exactly moving with great speed which had me a little concerned about the next 4 sets. Got through the rest okay even though the 3rd rep on the 5th set was a bit of a grinder. Did a few extra warm-up sets on Bench Press so I could sneak in a few more sets of 5 to get to 50 total on the day. Wish I could knock out 5 sets of 10 reps on Pull-Ups but not there yet. Good workout even though the weights were feeling pretty heavy today!
11/20/15
Squat Day (70%, 80%, 90%)
Squat: 225x3, 255x3, 285x7
Paused Squat: 225 - 3x5
Stiff Leg Deadlift: 135x10, 185x10
Lying Leg Curl: 100 - 3x10
Leg Raise: 20# DB between feet - 3x10
Pretty happy with Squats on Friday. My goal was to get 6 really good solid reps with 285 and hit 7 with good form. Was going to push for 8 but I can tell I was getting a little sloppy with my bracing and didn’t want to go for an ugly 8th rep. I cut my Stiff Leg Deadlifts after 2 sets since I really wasn’t feeling the movement for that day so I just went with some leg curls. Happy with the way my High Bar Squats are feeling lately!!
11/23/15
Bench Press Day (Advanced 5/3/1 Template)
Bench Press: 305 - 5x1
OH Press: 165 - 3x5
DB Row: 90 - 5x10 (super-sets with my OH Press)
First set of Bench Press felt pretty heavy but the next 4 sets were pretty smooth. I was thinking of trying 335 for a single depending on how the first set of 305 felt but did not want to chance missing a rep and just stuck to the plan. Overhead Press felt good along with the DB Rows. Happy with today’s workout!
11/24/15
Deadlift Day (75%, 85%, 95%)
Deadlift: 365x5, 405x3, 455x4 (PR)
Walking DB Lunges: 55 - 4x10 (steps per leg)
KB Snatch: 50 - 10,10,10,15,10 (each arm, super-set with Ab Wheel)
Ab Wheel: 4x10
Happy to hit my Deadlift goal. My minimum to hit was 3 reps and would’ve been ecstatic with 5 and hit right in the middle with 4 reps with 455. DB Lunges were a little better today but can tell these are tough for me after Deadlifts. May either lighten the weight next time or just keep sticking with 55 until it becomes too easy. Decided to hit some KB Snatches to go along with Ab Wheel since I’ve had 2 Thanksgiving meals in 2 days and still have a couple more to go! KB Snatches are still my favorite kettlebell exercise. Good day overall!!
11/25/15
Overhead Press Day (Advanced 531 Template)
Oh Press: 210 - 5x1
Bench Press: 240 - 3x5
Pull Ups: 50 total
Happy to get through all 5 singles of Oh Press since the weights were feeling pretty heavy yesterday. Bench Press and Pull Ups felt pretty good afterwards. Knocked a few sets of 6 pull-ups and went back down to 5s and had a set of 2 at the very end to get 50 total. Pretty good day yesterday. Happy Thanksgiving!!
11/28/15
Squat Day (75%, 85%, 95%)
Squat: 240x5, 270x3, 300x5
Squat: 245 - 3x5
Lying Leg Curl: 100 - 5x10
KB Snatch: 50 - 4x15 (each arm, super-set with Plank)
Plank: 4x30 seconds
The 5 reps with 300 pounds felt really clean and crisp. Felt like I kept good form for all 5 which is why I cut the reps there since I didn’t want to have any major break down in form. A high bar PR for me and felt surprisingly good considering I hit this workout pretty early Saturday morning.
11/30/15
Bench Press Day (65%, 75%, 85%)
Bench Press: 200x5, 230x5, 260x6 (PR)
Paused Close Grip Bench Press: 200 - 5x5 (super-set with DB Rows)
DB Row: 90 - 5x10
Happy with how bench press felt today. Wanted to shoot for 8 reps with 260 but did not have a spotter and just racked the weight at 6 reps. Definitely had more in me but cut it short to be on the safe side. Still a rep PR with that weight. Paused Close Grip work was fun to hit again since I haven’t done them in a while. Good workout!!
12/1/15
Deadlift Day (65%, 75%, 85%)
Deadlift: 320x5, 365x5, 415x8 (PR)
Walking DB Lunges: 55 - 4x10 (steps per leg)
Ab Wheel: 3x15
Happy to hit another PR this week with Deadlifts. Goal was to hit 8 reps today even though after the 8th I was debating on going for 10 but didn’t want to blow my load in one workout. Lunges felt a lot better today than they have in a while. Will still stick to this weight for the rest of this cycle. Finished up with Ab Wheel. Debated on trying some standing Ab Wheel reps but didn’t want to fall flat on my face in a surprisingly crowded gym today. Good workout and pleased with the way Deadlifts are progressing to this point!!
12/2/15
Overhead Press Day (65%, 75%, 85%)
Overhead Press: 135x5, 155x5, 175x7 (PR)
Overhead Press: 135 - 5x5 (super-set with Pull-Ups)
Pull-Ups: 5x8, 2x5
Shoulder Circuit: 3x10
Beat my previous rep PR with 175 by 1 rep today. Previous PR was 6 reps back in the Summer. I was most excited about my Pull-Up performance. 8 reps for multiple sets is a PR for me. Edging closer to 5x10. Did a couple of sets of 5 to get 50 total for the day. Had a little extra time at the end of the workout to hit a shoulder circuit of 45# Plate Front Raise / 25# DB Lateral Raises / Band Pull Aparts. Happy with today’s workout!!
12/4/15
Squat Day (65%, 75%, 85%)
Squat: 215x5, 245x5, 280x9
Squat: 225 - 5x5 (Too lazy to put 215 back on the bar)
Lying Leg Curl: 100 - 5x10
KB Snatch: 50 - 5x10 (each arm, super-set with Plank)
Plank: 5x30 seconds
Squats were feeling pretty good on Friday. I am not sure but I think 280x9 is a rep PR regardless of bar positioning. Wanted to go for a 10th rep but I couldn’t keep tight anymore and didn’t want to chance an ugly or missed rep. I didn’t pause all of my 225 Squats but paused the first and last rep of each set. KB Snatches were really kicking my butt towards the end but sucked it up and got the work done. Very happy with this workout on Friday.
12/7/15
Bench Press Day (70%, 80%, 90%)
Bench Press: 215x3, 245x3, 275x4 (PR)
Close Grip Bench Press: 215 - 5x5 (super-set with DB Rows)
DB Row: 95 - 5x10
275 for 4 reps is a PR but went into the workout wanting 5 reps. I went for a 5th but could not lock it out. For Close Grip Bench I paused the 1st and last reps of each set. After the last round of the super-set I was sweating pretty good. Good workout!!
12/8/15
Deadlift Day (70%, 80%, 90%)
Deadlift: 345x3, 395x3, 440x5
Walking DB Lunges: 55 - 4x10 (steps per leg)
Ab Wheel: 4x10
Much like yesterday, the weights were feeling pretty heavy today. Happy with 5 reps at 440 but could probably have gotten a couple more reps but shut it down after 5. Lunges felt the best today than they have in a while and will feel comfortable upping the weight next training cycle. Luckily my deload falls on the week of Christmas where I won’t be able to get in the gym much anyway. Had to get this workout done at about 9:30 this morning since I had to be on a job site. Good day overall!!
12/9/15
Overhead Press Day (70%, 80%, 90%)
Overhead Press: 145x3, 165x3, 185x4
Overhead Press: 145 - 5x5 (super-set with Pull-Ups)
Pull-Ups: 3x8, 2x6, 3x5 = 51 total
Seated DB Lateral Raise -superset- Band Pull Aparts: 3x10
Didn’t hit my goal I set for myself today of getting 5-6 reps with 185. I’m not sure 5 would have happened since bar speed got pretty slow on the 4th rep. Maybe could’ve have REALLY grind one out but I will live to play another day. Hands were a bit achey after Deadlifts and Lunges yesterday so pull-ups weren’t as good as last week but not too bad. Decent day overall and just going to keep grinding from here!
12/11/15
Squat Day (70%, 80%, 90%)
Squat: 230x3, 260x3, 295x7 (PR)
Paused Squat: 230 - 5x5
Lying Leg Curl: 100 - 5x10
KB Snatch: 50 - 3x15 (each arm, super-set with Plank)
Plank: 3x30 seconds
Squats felt really good on Friday. Very happy with hitting 295 for 7 solid reps which was my goal for that day. Paused Squats afterwards were getting a little tough on the last 2 sets but was able to push through and get the work done. Decided on 3 sets of KB Snatches since I knew I was going to do some Kettlebell work on Saturday. Very pleased with this workout
12/12/15
Double KB Complex - 3 rounds with 55# Kettlebells
5 x Double Swings
5 x Double Snatch
5 x Clean & Jerk
5 x Front Squat
KB Swing (80#) -superset- Band Pull Aparts: 3x10, 1x20
The Complex was a little more brutal than I had anticipated. Getting through the Swings, Snatch and C&J’s was pretty good but my upper back endurance was tested having to go straight into Front Squats after those movements. I was shooting for 5 rounds of this but did not want to over do this workout the first time trying it. 3 rounds was plenty hard enough especially since I squatted the day before. I had a little extra time after the complex so I just hit up some Swings and Band Pulls for 50 total reps. Will probably revisit this workout very soon!