KingKai's 500 lb. Bench Log

Training Training Logs
101

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:

[quote]KingKai25 wrote:
12/15

I’m going to visit my family in PA over Christmas break for the next two weeks, so I decided to give 405 another try before heading home to my crappy Gold’s Gym with benches that are barely 12" off the floor. 4 hours of sleep two nights ago, 8 hours last night, and I felt tired. But I knew I needed to hit it again, so I downed an energy drink and went to my old gym in Wheaton, the one with my favorite benches…

Bench
135x5
185x4
225x3
275x2 (felt solid)
315x1 (flew up)
345x1 (flew up)
365x1 (flew up)
385x1 (just over a second on the concentric - no slow down)
405x1! (still a grinder, but better than before)

Felt awesome! I had my feet closer to my body (heels down, of course), so I felt much more stable. Definitely happy with that.

Close Grip Bench (2 minutes rest)
265x5
285x4
305x3
275x5
295x2
315x2

Wide Grip Chins (1-5 rep ladders, 30 sec. rest)
1-5x2
1-3 = 36 total reps

Barbell Curls (1 set for the pump, 1 and a quarter reps)
45x12[/quote]
You, dude, are a fucking beast :)[/quote]

haha thanks man! Much appreciated.

102

12/23

Bench (3x6, 3x3, 2 minutes rest between sets)
135x5
185x5
225x5
245x6
265x6
286x6
295x3
315x3
335x3
315x3
335x2
355x1
365x1

Surprisingly good workout. I haven’t been sleeping well at home so far, and I was super tired going into the gym, but once I got going I felt great. I went 10 lb. heavier on the second and third sets of 6 than on Wednesday and 5 lb. heavier on the third set of three. I felt so good that I decided to drop back down and try a wave of 3-2-1 to finish. 355 and 365 flew up with ease; I was surprised that 90% of my 1RM felt that good after all that other work. Even more surprising was how I performed despite the short rest intervals; I usually take 3-4 minutes once I get over 315, so being able to do all that work with only 2 minutes rest really surprised me. That was all I had time for; I’ll hit back and biceps tomorrow.

103

12/24

Wide Grip Pull-Ups (3 rounds HDL style, 2 minutes rest)
5-4-3-2-1 = 15
5-3-1-1-1 = 11
4-3-2-1-1 = 11 = 37 reps

Barbell Curls (1 minute rest)
65x3x10
65x6 (Reverse Curls), then 65x4 (regular curls)

Dumbbell External Rotation
25x2x8

NIce easy pre-Christmas workout. Thank God for another fantastic year!

104

12/29

Bench Press (2 minutes rest between work sets)
135x5
185x5
225x5
250x6
270x6
290x6
295x3
315x3 (Couldn’t find a spotter to give me a lift off, and my joints needed some rest, so I called it there)

Wide Grip Pull-Ups (1-5 Rep Ladders, 30 sec. rest between rounds)
1-4x2, 1-3
(My hands were so slippery that every rep was near impossible. I seriously miss chalk; my hands sweat so badly…)

Dumbbell External Rotation (1 minute rest)
25x2x8

Im enjoying being home with my family, but I am definitely looking forward to training back in Wheaton.

105

12/31

My best friend is getting married on August 3, and as his best man, I really want to help him get in better shape before his wedding. We should be able to train together three or four days a week, which I think will be sufficient given his relatively novice status. Fortunately, we trained together a bit in the fall, so he should be ready to start gaining some more muscle mass. I also want to get in better shape - I really need to lean out as much as possible. I’d like to lose about 35-40 lb. (I honestly think I have that much to lose), while gaining an additional 8-10 lb. of muscle mass (especially in my legs, traps, and delts). I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon and try Indigo-3G. For this week (until the Indigo arrives), I’m going to follow the pulse feast diet again. In the following weeks, I’ll slowly increase my carbs while following a carb-cycling plan laid out by Tim Henriques.

As far as training goes, I’ll be spending the next four weeks focusing on improving structural balance, losing bodyfat, and retaining muscle. Consequently, I’ll train four days per week, with two heavy lifting days (Mon. and Fri.) and two lactate-producing/ fat loss days (Wed. and Sat.). I’ll be benching less over the next four weeks, focusing instead on bringing up my overhead press by following Poliquin’s protocols. By the end of these first four weeks, I hope to be down 7-8 lb., as that would get me off on a very good start to achieving my goals for the next 31 weeks.

Dumbbell Neutral Grip Overhead Press (Resting 90 sec. after each set)
45x5x8

Wide Grip Pull-Ups (1-5 Rep Ladders, resting 30 sec. between sets)
1-5x2 = 30 reps
1-4 = 40 reps total

Dumbbell Rows (Pyramid up 12, 10, 8, resting 2 minutes between sets)
70x12
75x10
80x8

Dumbbell External Rotation (90 sec. rest)
25x3x6

Barbell Curls alternated with Goblet Squats (45 sec. rest between exercises)
BC - 95x3x5
GS - 70x3x6

106

1/2/13 - Fat Loss Day

Bench (16 sets of 2 reps, resting 30 sec. between sets)
135x5
185x5
225x3
275x3
305x16x2

Snatch Grip Deadlift (16 sets of 2 reps, resting 30 sec. between sets)
135x3
185x3
225x16x2

Neutral Grip Chins (16 sets of 2 reps, resting 30 sec. between sets)
16x2

Decent workout today. For my fat loss workouts for the next four weeks, I am following Thib’s recommendation of 3 exercises for 16 sets of 2 with 20-30 sec. rest between sets. I’ll progress by dropping 5 seconds from the rest periods each week, and then on the fourth week I’ll go back to 30 sec. rest but add 10 lb. to the training weight.

107

1/3/13

My shipment has arrived! Two bottles of Indigo 3g and four tubs of MAG-10. I’ll start the Indigo on Monday, following the pulse feast diet until then. Can’t wait to get started. Here come some more strength and mass gains.

108

1/4

Wide Grip Pull-Ups (HDL style, 10 sec. between micro-sets, 2 min. between rounds)
5-4-3-2-1 = 15 reps
5-4-3-2-1 = 15 reps = 30 reps total
5-3-2-1-1 = 12 reps = 42 reps total

Dumbbell Neutral Grip Overhead Press (90 sec. rest between sets)
50x5x7

Dumbbell External Rotation (75 sec. rest between sets)
25x3x8

Barbell Curls (60 sec. rest between sets)
45x5x10, pausing at peak contraction

I felt like crap today, but I was excited to work out nonetheless. I was very happy with my performance on the HDL set of pull ups - that was definitely my best performance yet. I’ll do another fat loss workout tomorrow.

109

1/5

Close Grip Bench w/bands (Elitefts Short Minis, 55-70 lb. at top; 1 minute rest between sets)
45 (100-115 at top)x3x5
135 (190-205)x3x3
185 (240-255)x8x3
225 (280-295)x3x3

Front Squats (Just learning the motion; I’ve never done these before)
45x5x3

Easy day today. I didn’t really feel like doing much of anything, as I had gotten up early to pick up my sister from O’Hare. Day 3 of indigo; biggest surprise so far was the tremendous fullness I saw in my lats this morning.

110

12/7

Military Press (5,3,2 x 2 Waves, resting 2 minutes between sets)
45x5
95x5
135x5
155x3
170x2
140x5
160x3
175x2

Wide Grip Pull-Ups (1-5 Rep Ladders, 30 sec. between sets)
3x1-5 = 45 total reps

Dumbbell Rows (2 minutes rest between sets)
75x12
80x10
85x8

Dumbbell External Rotations (70 sec. rest between sets)
25x3x8

Barbell Curls (60 sec. rest)
95x4x6

Felt good today. I still don’t think I am really taking advantage of indigo yet - I’ve already dosed this morning and haven’t had more than 30g of carbs all day - but my primary goal right now is losing fat. Consequently, I followed more of a pulse fast type diet again today, though I did start the morning with a hearty breakfast of milk and chicken cordon bleu. I’ll be eating the bulk of my carbs for dinner.

111

1/9

Had almost no time to workout between classes today, so my training partners and I ended up doing a circuit of Bench Press, Sumo Deads, and Neutral grip pull-ups. I just needed to get something in, and this did raise my heart rate.

5 rounds w/45 sec. rest between exercises
Bench Press - 315x3,3,4,5,5
Sumo Deads - 225x5x3
NG Chins - 5x4

112

1/11

Wide Grip Pull-Ups (HDL; 2 minutes rest between rounds, 10 sec. between micro-sets)
5-4-3-2-1 = 15 reps
5-4-3-1-1 = 14 reps = 29 reps
5-3-1-1-1 = 11 reps = 40 reps total

Pendlay Rows (3x6, 3x3, resting 90 sec. between sets)
135x6
155x6
175x6
185x3
195x3
205x3

Dumbbell External Rotations (70 sec. rest between sets)
25x3x8

Barbell Curls (HDL; 2 minutes rest)
75x2x (6-5-4-3-2) = 40 reps

113

1/12

Hadn’t done any really heavy benching in a while, so I wanted to give it a go. I really need to ease off the benching while I’m fixing my overhead press, I think.

Bench Press (7/5/3 Waves, 2-3 minutes between waves)
135x5
185x4
225x3
275x3
295x7
315x5
335x3
300x7
320x4
340x2

Banded Close Grip Bench (8x3, pink short minis, 1 minute rest between sets)
45x3
135x3
185x3
205x8x3 (still felt really explosive on all of these)

Conditioning Circuit of Farmer’s Walks and Spiders Crawls

114

1/14

Military Press (5,3,2 waves, resting 2 minutes between sets)
45x5
95x3
140x5
160x3
175x2
145x5
165x3
180x2

Wide Grip Pull-Up Rep Ladders (1-5, resting 30 sec. between sets)
3 full rounds = 45 reps

Dumbbell Rows (12,10,8, resting 2 minutes between sets)
80x12
85x10
90x8

Dumbbell External Rotations (resting 1 minute between sets)
30x3x6

Barbell Curls (Rest Pause, resting 15 seconds between micro-sets and 2 minutes between rounds)
115x5 1
115x4 1

Superset - Cable curls and Rope Hammer Curls (Resting 5 sec. between exercises and 75 sec. between rounds)
CC- 40x2x12
HC- 30x12, 8

Very intense workout today. I’m happy with it, especially with the chins. Weight down a lb. and a half since Friday.

115

7/16

It’s been several months since I posted here, mainly because I was posting on the Indigo-3G log. I am still using it occasionally, but I have a very strange schedule and do not always have the ability to use it at the appropriate times each day. Consequently, I’ll still be taking it and will try to make an effort to get it in twice a day at the right times, but it’s not fair to those who developed and sell the product to claim implicitly that I represent the product when I am using it so rarely.

So what has changed? I felt that I stalled for a while on the regular bench press, so I switched over to training the close grip (14") bench press almost exclusively to develop more front delt and triceps strength, and I have definitely seen excellent results. Here’s today’s workouts…

Close Grip Bench (7/5/3 waves, 3.5-4 minutes rest between sets)
135x2x5
185x2x4
225x2x3
275x2x2
295x7
315x5
335x3
300x7
320x5
340x2

Wide Grip Pull-Up Rep Ladders (30-40 sec. rest between sets)
1-5x3 = 45 total reps

Dumbbell External Rotations (60 sec. rest between sets)
30x3x8

Today on the 7/5/3 waves, I used the same weights as I did on January 12 with the regular bench and actually performed better. Very happy with the results. I plan on testing my regular bench press again after my best friend’s wedding on August 3, as well as moving on to another program.

116

7/20

Another solid performance today. My close grip bench press felt great today, despite the fact that I am back in PA visiting family and working out at a Gold’s Gym with crappy benches. Didn’t have a lot of time, but after my best friend’s wedding, I am going to start on an eight week cycle of fat loss, so my workouts will be more complicated and varied.

Close Grip Bench (3.5-4 minutes rest between sets)
135x2x5
185x2x4
225x2x3
275x2x2
315x3
330x5
340x4
350x3
365x2 (PR)
375x1
265x10

Wide Grip Pull-Up Rep Ladders (30 sec. rest)
1-5x2 = 30 total repetitions

117

7/23

Visiting my wife’s family who are staying at a house about 45 minutes from my hometown, so my workout choices have been limited. Today I stopped at a Planet Fitness and asked the guy at the front desk, “do you have a bench press station?” He replied, “oh yeah, we got smith machines, a chest press machine, a pec fly machine…” I said, “ok, but do you have a free weight bench press?” He said, “yeah, we got free weights.” I pay $20 bucks, walk all over the building, and find that they do NOT have a single barbell anywhere in the place, and their dumbbells only go up to 90 lb. I went back and explained to him my dilemma and he fortunately gave me my money back.

Then I noticed the sign for a small gym across the street, but it had moved several miles down the road. When I got there, it turned out it was a Crossfit box and it was closed. Fortunately, the gym owner was working out and he let me lift for about fifteen minutes for free. So this was my first workout for the day…

Close Grip Bench (60-75 sec. rest between ALL sets), alternating with wide grip pull-ups (3 sets of 3, 1 of 6 = 15 total reps)
135x2x5
185x2x4
225x2x3
275x2x2
315x5

Then later in the day I found the address of a Rec center nearby with an awesome facility, and when I got there, they let me in for free since they only had 35 minutes left. Here was my second (and more significant) workout…

Superset - Close Grip Bench and Wide Grip Pull-Ups, resting 90-120 sec. between exercises
CGB
135x2x5
185x2x4
225x2x3
275x2
315x2
345x1, 295x6, 355x1, 305x6, 365x1, 315x6 (PR)

WGP- 10, 6, 6, 5, 4, 5 = 36 total reps

Very happy with 315x6; I stopped there, but I definitely could have gotten at least 1 more rep.

118

7/26

Several nice PRs today. Very happy that I’m still progressing on the close grip bench…

Close Grip Bench - 3.5-4 minutes rest between sets
135x2x5
185x2x4
225x3
275x2
315x2x2
335x5 (PR)
345x4 (PR)
355x3 (PR)
365x2
375x1

Wide Grip Pull-Up Rep Ladders - 30 sec. rest between sets
2-6x1 = 20 reps
1-5x1 = 15 reps = 35 total reps

Dumbbell External Rotations - 30x2x8

119

7/29

Felt terrible today. After working out on Friday, I went tubing down the river and ended up twisting both my arms pretty bad and hurting my bicep tendons. Consequently, I decided to keep my reps slightly higher and my intensity low. In any case, I’m still really satisfied with my performance on Friday.

Close Grip Bench - 3.5-4 minutes rest between sets
135x2x5
185x2x4
225x2x3
275x2x2
295x7
315x5
335x1
315x3
295x5
275x6
225x8

120

8/1

Not a good workout - went to a new gym and used a bench press with a VERY high bench. It made it hard to get leg drive. Also, I was pretty shot after my workout on Monday, and my left shoulder was still bothering me. In any case, here is what I had time for.

Close Grip Bench (3 minutes rest)
135x2x5
185x2x4
225x2x3
275x2x2
315x2x2
335x4
355x2
365x1
(Switched to regular bench grip for the first time in awhile, then…)
365x3

Wide Grip Pull-Up Rep Ladders (30 sec. rest between sets)
2-6 = 20 reps
1-4 = 30 reps total