12/8/14
Full Body (Double Progression Method)
High Bar Squats: 245 - 5x5
Bench Press: 230 - 5,5,3,3,3
Chest Supported DB Row: 55 - 3x10
Progressed with my squats but hit a wall with my bench today. My boss joined me for the bench press part after he rode the bike while I did squats. Felt rushed during bench working with him. He has always thought when lifting it should be I-Go, You-Go, nothing wrong with that but not my goal at the moment. He’s a cardio nut. Knocked out the rows while he was getting dressed so I could get some back work in. Will stick with 230 again next week on bench to see if I can get it for 5 reps across the board.
12/9/14
Full Body-ish (Double Progression)
Power Clean (Mid-Shin): 195 - 5x3
1 Arm KB Snatch: 50 - 5x10 (each arm)
Leg Raise: B/W - 5x10
First few sets of Power Cleans (set in the rack at mid-shin) never feel really good. Seems like it takes me a set or two with my work weight to get a decent groove going. Not sure if it takes a while for my body to get going or what, but the last few sets felt really good. I used the gym’s kettlebell instead of my own 55. Their KB felt smaller but did not affect my form. This may become a 4th lifting day so I can keep a progression on my Power Cleans. Definitely too cold and wet to get out with the kettlebells. This cold I have been fighting for the past few days has not done me any favors either.
12/10/14
Full Body (Double Progression Method)
Incline Bench Press: 190 - 5,5,4,3,3
Front Squats: 215 - 3,3,3,3,2 (bar rolled off of my shoulders - frustrating!)
Not a terrible day considering my cold has gotten a little worse and my son woke up at 4 AM not feeling well. Bossed joined me again (boo!) for incline bench press. Do not enjoy being told to hurry up while I’m still unracking his weights to put mine on and also while I’m getting set. I would tell him to shut the hell up if he wouldn’t fire me! Fronts Squats were feeling great but the bar just rolled off of my shoulders while I was coming up for the last rep. May still raise the weight next week but make sure I bring a towel and wipe my shoulders off after each rep. The good ol benefits of sweatin’ like a hog!
Edit: I know… lots of excuses!! Being a puss-boy today!
12/13/14
Full Body (Double Progression)
Overhead Press: 155 - 5x5
Snatch Grip Deadlift: 275 - 5x3
Power Snatch: 135 - 5x3
Had to workout on Saturday instead of Friday due to my son being sick and also getting only 2 hours of sleep Thursday night. Presses felt really good and that was a nice 5x5 PR for me. Decided on Snatch Grip Deadlifts for a change of pace. These were a little too light but made sure to be as explosive as possible. I decided to try a few snatches as well since the deadlifts felt good. All sets felt very effortless. I can tell doing KB Snatches helped a lot in learning the movement properly. I gave up barbell snatches about a year ago because I could never get the feel correctly. May build upon that.
12/15/14
Full Body (Double Progression Method)
High Bar Squats: 255 - 5x5
Bench Press: 230 - 5,5,4,3,4
Chest Supported DB Row: 65 - 3x10
Squats were feeling pretty good today. Felt stiff all day today but everything loosened up once I got to the gym and got moving. Too much sitting at my desk today! Barely missed the lockout on the 4th set of bench press. Probably 2" short of calling it a good rep. Debated on counting it but I would be cheating myself. Really pushed hard to get the 4th rep on the final set. Will stick with that weight again next week. I will slowly but surely get there. Making progress!
12/17/14
Full Body (Double Progression)
Power Clean: 205 - 5x3
Front Squat: 225 - 5x3
1 Arm KB Snatch: 50 - 5x10 (each arm)
Very happy with all of my lifts today. Power Cleans were feeling very crisp and front squats were a thousand times better than last week. Was really trying to push my pace with the KB Snatches and get some good cardio in. That made a nice finisher to this workout.
On a side note:
I bought Dan John’s book “Never Let Go” yesterday for the Kindle I can’t put this book down! I’m not quite halfway through it but I will go back and re-read some sections because his writing is just phenomenal. I had major respect for him already just through his articles on this site but this book is flat out amazing. It really puts training into perspective for me and it really got my head in the right place to go lift today. This book is exactly what I need right now mentally when it comes to working out!
12/18/14
Full Body (Double Progression Method)
Incline Bench Press: 190 - 5,5,5,5,4
Incline DB Curl: 25 - 3x10 (slow and controlled)
Leg Raise: B/W - 3x10
I was maybe a couple of inches away from locking out the final rep of inclines but couldn’t push it all the way through. Felt like doing some curls for a change of pace today. Did these very slow with a 2 second pause in the stretched position. I have sadly forgotten how good a bicep pump feels! I probably should have done some pull-ups today since I haven’t done them in a few weeks!
12/20/14
Full Body (Double Progression)
Overhead Press: 160 - 5x5
Snatch Grip Deadlift: 315 - 5x3
Power Snatch: 145 - 5x3
Lat Pulldown / Planks: 180/BW - 5x10 / 30 secs
Another Saturday session because I decided to hit up 18 holes after work on Friday as opposed to the gym. Took me a while to get warmed up due to the gym itself being so cold. Getting more comfortable with Power Snatches. Doesn’t make too much sense doing these after presses and deads but those two movements get me more prepared for doing the snatch. Felt like I could have gone a little heavier than this but wanted to take it slow. In the past when I worked with this movement I tried to shoot up too fast with it, got discouraged and put it on the shelf.
12/22/14
Full Body (Double Progression)
High Bar Squats: 265 - 5,5,3
Bench Press: 235 - 3x5
Shrugs: 4x15
First set of squats felt pretty good but it seem like after that I totally forgot how to squat all together. I was planning on doing just 3 sets of 5 today to move along a little quicker but that 3rd set was pretty rough. I probably could have squeezed a few more reps but form felt so bad that it wasn’t worth it. Really good day on bench though. Those 3 sets felt very good and could have possibly gotten 5x5 out of that weight today. Ended up doing shrugs with a bodybuilder friend of mine at the gym. He has been on me for months about making the shift to bodybuilding type workouts with him. I just don’t do well with those type of workouts. I get beat up and rundown pretty quick on bodybuilding routines. Maybe if I actually did them with someone who knew what they were doing it wouldn’t be too bad.
Probably going to finish up this week like normal, de-load next week and get back to 5/3/1 to start the new year. Wanted to run the double progression for a while to get an idea of what I will need to set my Training Max for High Bar Squats and Front Squats. I think I will take Dan John’s suggestion and go 5/3/1 with Front Squats and use high bar squats for my rep work. I will also most likely just keep progressing each week with Power Snatches and Power Cleans until a plateau and assign the 5/3/1 percentages to those as well. My hope for kettlebell work is to put those at the end of my lower body workout days. Possibly super-sets with Swings / Snatches and Ab Work.
12/23/14
Front Squat: 235 - 5x3
Incline DB Press / Chins: 60/BW - 5x10/5
Stiff Leg Deadlifts: 135x10, 155x10, 175x10, 155x10, 135x10
12/24/14
Deadlift: 415 - 1x5
Incline DB Curls: 3x10
Triceps Pushdown: 3x10
KB Snatch / Leg Raise: 55/B/W - 5x10
12/27/14
Overhead Press: 165 - 5,5,5,4,3
Power Snatch: 155 - 2x2, 135-4x3
Had some pretty good workouts over the Christmas holiday. Going to workout on Christmas Eve was pretty much a bust. My son went down for a nap and knew I wouldn’t have much time to get there and get some work done. There were probably 10-15 kids around the ages of 10-13 running all over the place doing random things. I just did a set of deadlifts and moved on. Power Snatch form on Saturday felt atrocious. I maybe had 2 good reps with 155. Felt out of sync with those. I put 135 back on the bar and was able to hammer down some technique.
Will be “de-loading” this week. I plan on doing some kettlebell work at home and I also rediscovered my love for my door pull-up bar. My parents got my son (2 years old) a little speed punching bag you hang on the door. He’s too short right now so I hang it on my pull up bar so he can play with it. I take it off so I can do some pull-ups (sets of 5) when he is not playing with it. It’s great because every time we walk by the door with the bar on it he tells me “Daddy do five!” Then of course he wants me to put him on the bar so he can do five as well (with a little help of course!) Fun Stuff!
12/29/14
10 Rounds of:
5 x Pull Ups
5 x Push Ups
5 x Split Squats (Each Leg)
10 x 80lb Kettlebell Swings
Was able to knock this out pretty quick when I went home for lunch. Got the ol heart pumping pretty good but did not feel like I was going to fall over dead at any point. It was fun getting back to basic bodyweight movements minus the kettlebell.
Happy Late New Year to everyone!
Did not do any workouts last week so I could spend all my time with my family and get some rest. I did some random sets of 6 on my door pull up bar at home whenever I passed by it all week and that was really it. Going to start the new year back with 5/3/1 4 days a week for a while and see how things go. The Setup will look something like this:
Day 1
Bench Press 5/3/1
Incline DB Press / Rows 5x10
Arm Work 3x10
Day 2
Front Squat 5/3/1
High Bar Squat: 5x10
KB Snatch / Ab Work: 5x10
Day 3
Overhead Press (Clean Once) 5/3/1
Chin ups / Close Grip Press: 5x10 (Chins: at least 25 total)
Lateral Raises / Bent Over Raises: 3x10
Day 4
Power Snatch 5/3/1 (Maybe)
Deadlift 5/3/1
RDL: 5x10
KB Swings / Abs: 5x10
Saturdays will be for conditioning. I am adding in a little more shoulder and arm work to get some “pretty” work in. Not sure about Power Snatches with 5/3/1 setup but we will see how it goes. Don’t think this should beat me up too bad but will adjust if needed with assistance work. Looking forward to what the New Year has to offer and am ready to get back in the gym and get lifting.
1/5/15
5/3/1
Bench Press Day (70%, 80%, 90%)
Bench Press: 180x3, 210x3, 235x6
BB Row / Incline DB Press: 135/55, 155/60, 175/65, 175/65, 175/65
BB Curl: 45x10, 65x10, 85x10
Tri Pushdowns: 70 - 3x10
Felt pretty good today considering I took a week off last week. I was grinding out a 7th rep on bench press but the spotter helped me a little bit so I didn’t count it. It was fun having an arm pump leaving the gym.
[quote]jblues85 wrote:
12/29/14
10 Rounds of:
5 x Pull Ups
5 x Push Ups
5 x Split Squats (Each Leg)
10 x 80lb Kettlebell Swings
Was able to knock this out pretty quick when I went home for lunch. Got the ol heart pumping pretty good but did not feel like I was going to fall over dead at any point. It was fun getting back to basic bodyweight movements minus the kettlebell. [/quote]
I look forward to the day of a house, with a pull up bar, when I duplicate this very workout. I love the idea of alternating swings and pullups.
I like the looks of your New Year’s plan for 2015 quite a bit. I wouldn’t advise high reps on power snatches, myself, but YMMV.
[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:
[quote]jblues85 wrote:
12/29/14
10 Rounds of:
5 x Pull Ups
5 x Push Ups
5 x Split Squats (Each Leg)
10 x 80lb Kettlebell Swings
Was able to knock this out pretty quick when I went home for lunch. Got the ol heart pumping pretty good but did not feel like I was going to fall over dead at any point. It was fun getting back to basic bodyweight movements minus the kettlebell. [/quote]
I look forward to the day of a house, with a pull up bar, when I duplicate this very workout. I love the idea of alternating swings and pullups.
I like the looks of your New Year’s plan for 2015 quite a bit. I wouldn’t advise high reps on power snatches, myself, but YMMV.[/quote]
It is VERY nice being able to do that type of workout at home and it’s nice being the biggest guy in the gym!!! Sadly I don’t have an enclosed garage to put a barbell and a rack so I’m pretty much bound Golds Gym! I’m not sure about high rep power snatches either in all honesty. Sets of doubles may be what I lean towards with the 5/3/1 percentages or possibly dropping the lift all together since I’m doing kettlebell work. Definitely not the same thing but self teaching a KB Snatch is a lot easier than a BB Snatch.
Oh, I’m not at all discouraging the use of Power Snatches. They’re a great movement and I don’t think they are THAT hard to learn. I just wouldn’t do them for more than a couple of reps, like you’ve noted here.
1/6/15
5/3/1
Front Squat Day (70%, 80%, 90%)
Front Squat: 165x3, 190x3, 210x8
High Bar Squat: 135 - 5x10
KB Snatch (L/R) / Leg Raise: 55 / BW - 5x10
Felt like I had a pretty productive day today. This was the first time in a very long time my hips have not bothered at all while squatting. Started losing my grip on front squats after the 8th rep. Wanted to rack it and sort of rest/pause it but knew the back squats afterwards would take care of whatever my legs had left. Through 3 rounds of my kettlebell work at the end I was getting very gassed. The 30 sec rest periods between rounds became 1 minute and then 2 to finish.
1/7/15
5/3/1
Overhead Press Day (70%,80%,90%)
Overhead Press: 125x3, 140x3, 160x6
Power Snatch: 100x3, 115x3, 135x3,3 135x5 (From Hang Position)
Chins / Lateral Raises: BW / 25 - 7/10, 6/10, 5/10
Chins / Rear Delt Raises (Face down on incline bench): BW / 15 - 5/10, 5/10, 4/10
Chins x 5
Wanted to do Power Snatches today instead of on Deadlift day due to me being impatient!! I was having a tough time with form today. I wasn’t getting the bar to my hip crease correctly making the lift harder than it had to be (hence the 2 sets of 3). I switched to the hang position on a random 3rd set and it felt a lot better. This may be the way I do these from now on. Chin ups and the raises were an interesting super-set. I didn’t feel my performance start to suffer until the 2nd set of rear delt raises. Threw in an extra set of chin ups at the end for good measure!
1/9/15
5/3/1
Deadlift Day (70%, 80%, 90%)
Hang Power Clean: 145x3, 165x3, 185x10
Deadlift: 305x3, 350x3, 390x5
Snatch Pulls: 135x10, 155x10, 175x10, 155x10, 135x10
1 Arm KB Swing (L/R) / Planks: 50/BW - 5x10 / 30 secs
Did not plan on doing 10 reps with the cleans but the weight was feeling so light I figured I might as well get the most out of it. Worked on Snatch Pulls so I can get better at getting the bar to my hip crease. My traps were feeling pretty sore Saturday morning.
5/3/1
Bench Press Day (65%, 75%, 85%)
Bench Press: 175x5, 195x5, 225x5
Incline DB Press / T-Bar Row: 60/135, 65/145, 70/160, 70x9/180, 70x8/200
BB Curl: 45x10, 65x10, 90x7
Tri Pushdowns: 75x10, 65x10, 60x10
Had very short rest periods between DB Presses and Rows and started to run out of gas the last few sets. Was debating on pushing my final set of bench presses for a PR but the free weight area was empty and no one around to spot. The five reps felt nice and smooth. Overall a good, non stressful day!