KingKai's 500 lb. Bench Log

Training Training Logs
61

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:

[quote]KingKai25 wrote:

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
The new w/out sounds brutal. Yeah!
Friday is my 3rd chest day w/ your suggestion, 275x6x3, I’m still a little sore from Sunday’s chest w/out :slight_smile:
Where you at in Illinois?[/quote]

It’s one of the hardest workouts I’ve ever done, that’s for sure. Really exhausting, really fast. I’ve tried to underestimate the starting weights a lot, but the quick movement from one exercise to another is just brutal. Once I get through this phase, though, I am going to HAVE to include some form of regular conditioning work. What’s your preferred method of conditioning? I don’t have access to a prowler, but other than that, I have a lot of options.

Hope you’re enjoying that workout still! I know it gets tedious, but after a cycle or two, it really starts to pay off.

I live out in Wheaton, but I go to grad school in Chicago. Do you live in Illinois?[/quote]
Are you kidding me? I live in Wheaton! Dude, we gotta hook up.
I have no access to a Prowler either, I just jump rope, do hill sprints or sets of kettle bell swings, or a combo or all three. The chest work out is great, I dig it. It gives me more of a plan to follow. I’ve also changed my back plan to less reps and more weight as a strong back is gonna help my bench as well.
I’m out of town this weekend, but around after that.
[/quote]

Wow that’s awesome! Where do you lift? We should definitely get a workout in together at some point.

62

[quote]KingKai25 wrote:

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:

[quote]KingKai25 wrote:

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
The new w/out sounds brutal. Yeah!
Friday is my 3rd chest day w/ your suggestion, 275x6x3, I’m still a little sore from Sunday’s chest w/out :slight_smile:
Where you at in Illinois?[/quote]

It’s one of the hardest workouts I’ve ever done, that’s for sure. Really exhausting, really fast. I’ve tried to underestimate the starting weights a lot, but the quick movement from one exercise to another is just brutal. Once I get through this phase, though, I am going to HAVE to include some form of regular conditioning work. What’s your preferred method of conditioning? I don’t have access to a prowler, but other than that, I have a lot of options.

Hope you’re enjoying that workout still! I know it gets tedious, but after a cycle or two, it really starts to pay off.

I live out in Wheaton, but I go to grad school in Chicago. Do you live in Illinois?[/quote]
Are you kidding me? I live in Wheaton! Dude, we gotta hook up.
I have no access to a Prowler either, I just jump rope, do hill sprints or sets of kettle bell swings, or a combo or all three. The chest work out is great, I dig it. It gives me more of a plan to follow. I’ve also changed my back plan to less reps and more weight as a strong back is gonna help my bench as well.
I’m out of town this weekend, but around after that.
[/quote]

Wow that’s awesome! Where do you lift? We should definitely get a workout in together at some point.[/quote]
Wheaton Sports Center, Prairie ave. I’m sure you know it if you’re in Wheaton. I just moved here a year ago. I know it’s not a hardcore gym, but it’s 5 mins from home and nobody is there when I work out in the a.m.

63

10/18

German Body Comp Day 3

Superset 1- Incline Dumbbell Presses (1 & 1/2 Reps) and Goblet Squats (1 & 1/2 Reps) - 5 rounds
IDP- 70x5x8
GS- 70x5x8

Superset 2- Shoulder-Width Grip Chin-Ups and Seated Hamstring Curls - 4 Rounds
Chins- 4x5
HC- 205x4x8

Superset 3- Military Press (3 rep clusters) and Face Pulls - 3 Rounds
MP- 155x3x2x3
FP- 60x3x12

Third day is usually the easiest. I am pretty spent right now and I have aches in strange places, but there is only one more day until the weekend, so I am going to be sure to rest up a lot. Tomorrow I have deadlift drop sets and arms. Should be a pretty short day.

64

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:

[quote]KingKai25 wrote:

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:

[quote]KingKai25 wrote:

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
The new w/out sounds brutal. Yeah!
Friday is my 3rd chest day w/ your suggestion, 275x6x3, I’m still a little sore from Sunday’s chest w/out :slight_smile:
Where you at in Illinois?[/quote]

It’s one of the hardest workouts I’ve ever done, that’s for sure. Really exhausting, really fast. I’ve tried to underestimate the starting weights a lot, but the quick movement from one exercise to another is just brutal. Once I get through this phase, though, I am going to HAVE to include some form of regular conditioning work. What’s your preferred method of conditioning? I don’t have access to a prowler, but other than that, I have a lot of options.

Hope you’re enjoying that workout still! I know it gets tedious, but after a cycle or two, it really starts to pay off.

I live out in Wheaton, but I go to grad school in Chicago. Do you live in Illinois?[/quote]
Are you kidding me? I live in Wheaton! Dude, we gotta hook up.
I have no access to a Prowler either, I just jump rope, do hill sprints or sets of kettle bell swings, or a combo or all three. The chest work out is great, I dig it. It gives me more of a plan to follow. I’ve also changed my back plan to less reps and more weight as a strong back is gonna help my bench as well.
I’m out of town this weekend, but around after that.
[/quote]

Wow that’s awesome! Where do you lift? We should definitely get a workout in together at some point.[/quote]
Wheaton Sports Center, Prairie ave. I’m sure you know it if you’re in Wheaton. I just moved here a year ago. I know it’s not a hardcore gym, but it’s 5 mins from home and nobody is there when I work out in the a.m.[/quote]

My sister actually works there. Hopefully she can get me in for free sometime. Life is pretty crazy right now, but once I get out of this German Body comp phase, we should definitely get together for a workout.

65

[quote]KingKai25 wrote:

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:

[quote]KingKai25 wrote:

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:

[quote]KingKai25 wrote:

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
The new w/out sounds brutal. Yeah!
Friday is my 3rd chest day w/ your suggestion, 275x6x3, I’m still a little sore from Sunday’s chest w/out :slight_smile:
Where you at in Illinois?[/quote]

It’s one of the hardest workouts I’ve ever done, that’s for sure. Really exhausting, really fast. I’ve tried to underestimate the starting weights a lot, but the quick movement from one exercise to another is just brutal. Once I get through this phase, though, I am going to HAVE to include some form of regular conditioning work. What’s your preferred method of conditioning? I don’t have access to a prowler, but other than that, I have a lot of options.

Hope you’re enjoying that workout still! I know it gets tedious, but after a cycle or two, it really starts to pay off.

I live out in Wheaton, but I go to grad school in Chicago. Do you live in Illinois?[/quote]
Are you kidding me? I live in Wheaton! Dude, we gotta hook up.
I have no access to a Prowler either, I just jump rope, do hill sprints or sets of kettle bell swings, or a combo or all three. The chest work out is great, I dig it. It gives me more of a plan to follow. I’ve also changed my back plan to less reps and more weight as a strong back is gonna help my bench as well.
I’m out of town this weekend, but around after that.
[/quote]
Who is your sister? Maybe I know her?
Wow that’s awesome! Where do you lift? We should definitely get a workout in together at some point.[/quote]
Wheaton Sports Center, Prairie ave. I’m sure you know it if you’re in Wheaton. I just moved here a year ago. I know it’s not a hardcore gym, but it’s 5 mins from home and nobody is there when I work out in the a.m.[/quote]

My sister actually works there. Hopefully she can get me in for free sometime. Life is pretty crazy right now, but once I get out of this German Body comp phase, we should definitely get together for a workout.[/quote]

66

10/19

German Body Comp Day 4

Superset 1- Deadlifts and Wide Grip Pull-Ups (45 sec. rest)
Deadlifts- 275x4x6
WG Pull-Ups- 2x6, 2x5

Superset 2- Wide Grip Pull-Ups and Hanging Leg Raises (45 sec. rest)
Pull-Ups- 7,6,5,4
HLR- 4x12

Barbell Curls (45 sec. rest between sets)
55x8x8

I was supposed to do 10 sets of deadlifts, dropping weight each round, but I was so tired today I simply couldn’t do it. Instead, I decided to alternate deadlifts with pull-ups. The biggest difficulty was the cardiovascular fatigue - I am not the athlete I once was, as any cardio I do involving my legs just shreds me. I really need to get in better shape, which this program has done before and will do again. I am looking forward to having this weekend off.

67

10/22

German Body Comp Day 5

Superset 1- Snatch Pulls and Lunges (45 sec. rest)
Snatch Pulls - 135x5x6
Lunges - 30’sx5x12

Superset 2- Bench Press and Dumbbell Front Squats
Bench- 275x2x8, 2x6
DBF Squats- 30’sx4x8

Superset 3- Neutral Grip Chins and Lying Hamstring Curls
NG Chins- 2x7, 2x6
HC- 120x4x8

Significant improvement over last week. I feel like I am in much better shape already. I still felt pretty shot afterwards, but I definitely feel better than I did last Monday. So excited for 5 more weeks of this.

68

10/23

German Body Comp Day 6

Superset 1- Snatch Grip Deadlifts and Wide Grip Pull-Ups (45 sec. rest between exercises)
Snatch Grip Deads- 235x4x6
WG Pull-Ups- 4x6

Superset 2- Dips and Back Squats
Dips- 4x8
Squats- 225x4x6

Dumbbell External Rotations
30x2x6

Didn’t have a lot of time, but it was a good workout.

69

10/25

German Body Comp Day 7

Superset 1- Close Grip Bench and 1 & 1/4 Squats (45 sec. rest)
CGB- 255x4x6
Squats- 135x4x6

Superset 2- Supinated Chin-Ups and Seated Hamstring Curls
Chins- 2x6, 2x5
SHC- 220x4x6

Superset 3- Barbell Shrugs and Seated Supinated Row
Shrugs- 225x3x6
SSRow- 100x3x8

70

10/26

German Body Comp Day 8

Deadlifts (45 sec. rest between sets)
135x3
225x3
275x10x3

Superset - Wide Grip Pull-Ups and Knee Raises
Pull-Ups- 2x7, 2x6
Knee Raises- 4x12

Barbell Curls (45 sec. rest between sets)
65x5x8, 3x6

71

German Body Comp Day 9

Bench Singles
135x5
185x4
225x3
275x2
315x1
345x1
365x1
375x2x1

Superset 1 - Snatch Pulls and Lunges (45 sec. rest)
Snatch Pulls- 145x4x6
Lunges- 35x4x12

Superset 2 - Bench Press and Dumbbell Front Squats
Bench Press- 275x8, 8, 7, 6
DBFS- 35x4x8

Superset 3 - Neutral Grip Chins and Lying Hamstring Curls
NGChins- 4x6
LHC- 130x4x6

I have had a cold for the last two days, and last night I made the mistake of taking a night-time decongestant. Consequently, I was super drowsy and lethargic all day today. Nevertheless, I still had a pretty good workout. Started out with some singles in the 90%+ range to maintain my neurological efficiency. I’m also down 3 lb. total since I started this program, with about one inch lost from my waist measured at the belly button.

72

10/31

German Body Comp Day 10

Superset 1 - Snatch Grip Deadlifts and Wide Grip Pull-Ups (45 sec. rest)
SG Deads- 245x4x6
WG Pull-ups- 2x7, 2x6

Superset 2 - Dips and Dumbbell Step Ups
Dips- 2x9, 2x8 on 21X tempo
DBSU- 30x4x10

Superset 3 - Barbell Shrugs and 1&1/4 Hammer Curls
Shrugs- 225x3x6 on 23X tempo
Curls- 30x3x8

Couldn’t lift on Tuesday, so I did that workout today. I’m going to take tomorrow off and lift again on Friday. I’m steadily increasing reps or weight on the various exercises each week, and aside from a slightly enflamed left bicep tendon, I’m feeling pretty good.

73

11/2

German Body Comp Day 11

Deadlifts (45 sec. rest between work sets)
135x5
185x4
225x3
275x2
295x10x2

Wide Grip Pull-Ups - Rep Ladders (30 sec. rest between sets)
2-6
2-4x3

Superset - Close Grip Bench and Barbell Curls (45 sec. rest between exercises)
CGB- 265x5x5
Curls- 75x5x8

My lower back was KIIIILLLLING from the snatch grip deadlifts on Wednesday, but doing the regular deads today really loosened it up a lot. I feel a lot better. The pull-ups went well too, as did the superset. I was not as strict about my diet this week or as consistent with my workouts, mainly because I had a lot going on at school. I’ll be sure to improve that this coming week.

74

11/5

German Body Comp Day 12

Bench Press
135x5
185x4
225x3
275x2
315x1
345x1
365x1
385x3x1

Superset 1- Snatch Pulls and Lunges (45 sec. rest)
SP- 155x4x6
Lunges- 35x4x12

Superset 2- Bench and Dumbbell Front Squat
Bench- 275x2x8, 2x7
DBFS- 35x4x8

NG Chins - Rep Ladders (30 sec. rest between sets)
1-5x3

Kettlebell Swings - 1-10 Breathing Ladder
35 lb.x 1-10

Great workout today. Only about 5.5 hours of sleep last night, but I felt pretty good and hit some solid singles on bench. I realized that each single I did with 385 lb. got faster, which was super encouraging. Some dude took up the only hamstring curl, so I decided to do rep ladders on the chins instead of alternating with hamstring curls, which still got my heart rate up super high. I finished with kettle bell swings, stopping once I got to 10 reps. I have never done those before, but I found them super effective in hitting my hamstrings and glutes, as well as getting my heart rate up, so I am going to do those more often (perhaps on a conditioning day).

75

11/7

German Body Comp Day 13

Superset 1- Squats and Wide Grip Pull-Ups (45 sec. rest)
Squats- 205x4x6
WGP- 2x7, 2x5

Superset 2- Dips and Step-Ups
Dips- 3x10
SU- 30x3x10

Superset 3- Underhand Low Rows, Face Pulls, and Dumbbell Curls
LR- 80x3x8
FP- 35x3x10
DC- 30x3x8

I felt horrible today. Way too little sleep last night, and I decided to train way too late in the day. Worst of all, I screwed up my right bicep tendon trying to get into the proper squat position again. Extremely frustrating, but hopefully it will feel better by Monday.

76

11/9

Was supposed to do German Body Comp, but I simply didn’t feel like it. I was extremely tired and I am thinking about switching back to a more strength based program while still employing short-ish rest intervals. Instead, I had one of my training partners test his bench press max while I did a couple of light singles on the bench. I hurt my right bicep tendon the other night just getting into the squat position, so I felt like I was really unstable with my right arm. The good news is that I am down another 2 lb. in the last week; the bad news is that I am truly getting sick of the program, so I need to switch it up.

Bench
135x5
185x4
225x3
275x2
315x5x1

Wide Grip Chins (Rep Ladders - 30 sec. rest between sets)
1-5x3

Dumbbell External Rotations
30x2x6

I have decided to finally try out some Biotest products and try following the pulse feast diet. That, coupled with a new routine, should result in some fat loss over the next few weeks before Christmas break.

77

For what it’s worth, I love the Biotest sups. My recovery is so good. Expensive, yes, but worth it. Def should try the Anaconda/MAG-10 regime.
Hope your Bi feels better…

78

11/12

My bicep felt a lot better today, so I had my first day of non-GBC training, and it was awesome. I decided to follow Waterbury’s singles training protocol (for hypertrophy) until Christmas, when I’ll start another strength focus again.

I felt absolutely awesome on the singles today - I focused on explosivity and felt stronger on every single set. I finished up with some higher rep work to preserve pectoral length and health.

Bench
135x5
185x4
225x3
275x2
315x1
345x1
365x1
315x24x1

Poliquin Inclines (3 minutes rest, 8 reps at three different inclines)
55x3x8,8,8

Neutral Grip Sternum Chins
3x5

Dumbbell External Rotations
25x2x8

79

11/13

Speed Pulls (60 sec. rest between sets)
135x5
225x3
275x10x3

Wide Grip Pull-Ups (1-5 Rep ladders, resting 30 sec. between sets)
3 rounds (45 total reps)

Superset - Barbell Shrugs and Hammer Curls (60 sec. between exercises)
Shrugs- 185x3x20 sec. holds 8,5,4 reps
Curls- 30x3x8

Rear Delt Swings - 40x1x50 reps, drop to 10’s for 15 reps

80

11/15

I decided to give CT’s Ramping/Cluster/HDL method with the close grip bench press. Definitely a highly effective method - the only thing I would say is that you absolutely need to have a spotter, or else do the work from pins. I didn’t have a partner and that made things very difficult. I can’t wait for my Anaconda to get here so I can push even harder.

Close Grip Bench - Ramping
135x5
185x4
225x3
275x1
315x2x1

Close Grip Bench - Clusters at 90% of max training weight (10 sec. rest) - 13 repetitions total
285x2x5x1
285x1x3x1

Close Grip Bench - HDL at 70% of max training weight (10-15 sec. rest)
225x5/4/3/2/1
225x5/3/1

Shoulder Width Grip Chins - 2 sets alternated with the HDL set
6 on first set, 8 on second