8/24
Was going to try for 405 today, but I realized that I am completely burnt out. Completely. I’ve been doing heavy singles for far too long, and adding in the drop sets last week was a huge mistake. Even 185 felt heavy, and after an eternity grinding out 385, i decided to start my new program for the next four weeks (Dave Tate’s Extended Tension sets). These felt excellent, especially since I haven’t had anywhere near such high time under tension in awhile. Each week I am adding 5 seconds to the total time; this should give my joints some time to recuperate and hopefully add a little muscle mass too.
Bench Press (3-4 minutes rest)
135x3x5
185x3x4
225x3x3
275x2x2
315x2
345x1
365x2x1
385x1
ET Bench Press (30 sec. on, 90 sec. rest, 3 count negatives)
255x12, 225x13, 135x20
Lateral Raises (30 sec. on, 90 sec. rest)
15x2x20, 10x20
Rear Lateral Raises (30 sec. on, 90 sec. rest)
10x2x20, 5x25
Decline DB Triceps Extensions (30 sec. on, 90 sec. rest, 3 count negatives)
35x3x10
Rope Triceps Pushdowns (30 sec. on, 90 sec. rest)
57.5x2x15, 25x25
Here are the last two workouts using Tate’s Extended Tension sets. Extremely painful but really, really fun and simple to perform. I like them a lot. Definitely helping me recover from the months of low rep work.
8/26 - Legs, Back, and Biceps (30 sec. on, 90 sec. off)
Leg Press - 4 pps x 3 sets
Hamstring Curls - 205 lb. x 3 sets
Wide Grip Pull-Ups - 10, 8 w/ hold, 6 w/ hold
HS Low Row - 2 pps x 3 sets
Reverse EZ Curls - 25 lb. ps x 2, 15 lb. ps x 1
Incline Curls - 30x2
DB Shrugs - 80x2
8/28
Close Grip Bench - Ramp, then 3 extended tension sets
135x2x5, 185x2x4, 225x3, 255x3, 275x3, 295x3, 315x3
ETS - 255x2, 135x1
Incline DB Press - 70x2, 35x1 (1 and a quarter reps)
EZ Bar French Press - 25 lb. x 2
Lean Away Laterals - 20x2
Dumbbell Curls - 30x1
8/30
More extended tension training. Moved work time up to 35 sec., rest 90 sec.
Bench - 225x2, 135x1
Wide Grip Pull-Up Countdowns - 4x3-2-1 w/75-90 sec. rest
Lean Away Laterals - 20x2, 10x1
Rear Laterals - 10x2, 5x1
Decline DB Triceps Extensions - 35x3
Rope Pressdowns - 60x2, 30x1
10/1
Extended tension training for legs, back, and biceps (35 sec. on, 90 off). These workouts are pretty brutal after doing low reps for so long…
Leg Extensions - 2 rounds
Lying Hamstring Curls - 2 rounds
Neutral Grip Pulldowns - 150x3
Low Cable Row - 130x2, 70x1 (w/ 1
10/3
Extended tension training for legs, back, and biceps (35 sec. on, 90 off). Still brutal, but I am enjoying these a lot.
Close Grip Bench Press (2 minutes between sets)
135x5
185x4
225x3
255x3
275x3
295x3
315x3
335x1
355x1
Dips - 3 rounds
Pec Deck - 130x 3 rounds
Wide Grip Pull-Up Countdowns - 4x3-2-1 w/ 90 sec. rest
French Press - 25 lb. ps x 3 rounds
Lateral Raises - 20x2, 10x1
These were the last two workouts I performed in the gym (10/7 and 10/8). Feeling rejuvenated after taking some time off from incessant heavy work and increasing the time under tension. Going to move into something different next week…
10/7 - Extended tension sets (40 sec. on, 90 sec. off)
Wide Grip Pull-Up Rep Ladders (30 sec. rest between sets)
1-5x3 = 45 total reps
Bench Press (2-3 minutes rest between sets)
135x2x5
185x2x4
225x3
275x3
315x3
335x3
Dips - 3 rounds
Lateral Raises - 20x2, 10x1
Rear Laterals - 10x2, 5x1
Dumbbell Shrugs - 70x2
Decline Dumbbell Extensions - 40x3
Rope Pressdowns - 60x1
10/8
Neutral Grip Pulldowns - 165x3
Low Cable Row - 120x3
Barbell Curls - 95x5x5
Incline Curls - 30x2, 15x1
Reverse EZ Curls - 20 lb.ps x2 (mechanical drop sets)
Dumbbell External Rotations - 30x2x8
10/10
Close Grip Bench Press (2-3 minutes rest)
135x2x5
185x2x4
225x3
255x3
275x3
295x3
315x3
335x3
365x2x1
Wide Grip Pull-Ups HDL (15 sec. between micro-sets, 3 minutes between full sets)
5-4-3-2-1 = 15 reps
5-4-2-1-1 = 13 reps = 28 reps total
5-3-1-1-1 = 11 reps = 39 reps total
You still da man!
Nice work.
[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
You still da man!
Nice work.[/quote]
Haha thanks man.
Bad news though - I definitely strained my left pec during close grip bench yesterday. No bruising or loss of function or strength; just a little swelling and some pain to the touch. I was deloading a bit and increasing the number of reps and sets, so I shot for 4 sets of 5 reps with 305. First set felt great, but on the second set, at rep 5, I felt my left pec get very tight suddenly. I did another set of 3, testing it out and pausing on every rep, but the pain was pretty bad, so I called it there. I’m icing, taking lots of vitamin C, and getting more sleep for the next week or two. I strained my pec once before two years ago, and it required about a week and half to heal completely, so I’m hoping to speed that up this time.
[quote]KingKai25 wrote:
[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
You still da man!
Nice work.[/quote]
Haha thanks man.
Bad news though - I definitely strained my left pec during close grip bench yesterday. No bruising or loss of function or strength; just a little swelling and some pain to the touch. I was deloading a bit and increasing the number of reps and sets, so I shot for 4 sets of 5 reps with 305. First set felt great, but on the second set, at rep 5, I felt my left pec get very tight suddenly. I did another set of 3, testing it out and pausing on every rep, but the pain was pretty bad, so I called it there. I’m icing, taking lots of vitamin C, and getting more sleep for the next week or two. I strained my pec once before two years ago, and it required about a week and half to heal completely, so I’m hoping to speed that up this time.
[/quote]
Hoping for a speedy recovery! When I tore my my tricep it was a bitch.
10/21
Pec felt better today. Still a little tight, especially near the shoulder joint, and there was some pain when I did touch and go benching. consequently, I switched to a pause at the bottom of each rep and felt much better. I used less weight too, but it was still a decent workout and I’m glad I left without pain. I’m also wondering if the lateral raises I have been doing were tightening up my shoulder too much and thus causing some impingement.
Close Grip Bench - 2-3 minutes rest between sets
135x3x5
185x2x4
225x2x4
275x5x5 w/pause (7 on last set)
Wide Grip Pull-Ups (1-5 Rep Ladders, 30 sec. rest)
1-5x3 = 45 total reps
Dumbbell Bench Press - 50 lb.x3x 30 sec. on, 90 sec. off
L-Lateral Raises - 20x3x 30 sec. on, 90 off
Rear Laterals - 2x10, 1x5 x30 sec. on, 90 off
Rope Pressdowns - 120x12, 130x10, 140x8 (dp 130x5, dp 120x6)
Dumbbell Decline Extensions - 40x1x30 sec.
10/22
Neutral Grip Pulldowns (90 sec. rest between sets)
150x12, 165x10, 180x8
Low Cable Row - 150x3x10
Barbell Curls - 100x5x5, resting 2 minutes between sets
Incline Curls - 30x3x10
Reverse EZ Curls - 2 rounds of mechanical drop sets - 25lb. ps x8-12 reps, then switch to regular curls at failure
Dumbbell External rotations - 30x2x8
10/24
Still taking it easier on the pecs, building up really slowly and pausing everything. starting to feel a lot better.
Close Grip Bench (2-3 minutes rest between work sets)
135x2x5
185x2x4
225x2x3
255x3
275x3
295x1 (paused)
315x1 (paused)
295x6x3 (5 on last set, all paused)
Wide Grip Pull-Ups HDL (5-4-3-2-1, resting 15 sec. between micro sets, 2 minutes between rounds)
5-1x2 = 30 total reps
10/29
Close Grip Bench (2-3 minutes rest)
135x2x5
185x2x4
225x2x3
255x3
275x3
315x3
335x1
285x4x5 (all paused)
225x8 (all paused)
Wide Grip Pull-Up Rep Ladders (30 sec. rest)
1-5x3 = 45 total reps
Here are the last two workouts from 11/1 and 11/4…
11/1
Close Grip Bench (SS) Wide Grip Pull-Ups (75 sec. between exercises)
CGB - 135x3x5, 185x2x4, 225x2x3, 255x3, 275x3
315x5x3 (all paused)
WGP - 4x8, 1x6
11/14
WGP Rep Ladders (30 sec. rest)
1-5x3 = 45 reps total
SS - Low Row and Goblet Squats (45 sec. rest)
LR - 135x3x10
GS - 80x3x8
SS - Dumbbell Row and Hamstring Curls (45 sec. rest)
DR - 65x3x10
HC - 140x3x10
Barbell Curls (30 sec. rest)
105x5, 3, 3, 2, 2
Been awhile since I posted last, but I’m not going to log all the previous workouts, just today’s.
SS - Close Grip Bench Press and Barbell Curls - 90 sec. between exercises
CGBP - 135x2x5
185x2x4
225x2x3
255x3
275x3
305x10x4 (all paused)
BBC - 105x10x4
Felt awesome in the gym today. The 8th set of CGBP felt hard, but my nervous system revved up and the final two sets were easy. My triceps are basically shot right now, but I feel good. Next week I’m shooting for 10x3 with 320 (all reps paused) - we’ll see how that goes 
Another week without posting. I’ve been super busy, but I’ll post the last two workouts…
11/20
CGBP
135x5
185x4
225x3
255x3
275x3
295x5
305x4
315x3
335x2
355x1
365x1
11/23
Superset - Close Grip Bench and Barbell Curls (100-120 sec. rest)
CGBP
135x2x5
185x2x4
225x2x3
275x2
325x10x3 (all paused)
Barbell Curls - 115x10x3
Those are the highlights, anyway…
11/29
I’ve been sick the entire week, but I needed to get back into the gym, so I went anyway. Wanted to hit 305 for 10x5, but didn’t feel well enough for the drudgery and tiring nature of 5s, so I did more of a wave loading scheme.
Superset - Close Grip Bench and Wide Grip Pull-Ups (90 sec. rest)
CGBP (all reps paused)
135x5
185x4
225x3
275x3
305x2
305x2x5
315x2, 3, 4
335x1, 2, 3
WGP
2x8
1x6
4x5
3x4
3x3 = 63 total reps
12/3
Still sick, still feeling terrible. Going to get a lot more sleep tonight…
Bench Press - 95x10, 135x10, 185x10, 225x10, 275x10, 315x5, 315x6x1 w/15 sec. rest (all paused)
Wide Grip Pull-up Rep Ladders - 2x1-5, 1x2-6 - 50 reps
12/7
Recovering from whatever hit me last week; I’m still afraid I might have bronchitis. Either way, I felt better today and was prepped for some heavier benching…
Superset - Close Grip Bench and Wide Grip Pull-Ups (100 sec. rest)
CGB
135x2x5
185x2x4
225x2x3
275x2x2
305x5x5, 5x3 (all paused)
WGP - 5x4, 5x3 (35 total)
Dumbbell External Rotations - 30x2x8
Dumbbell Curls - 30x2x10 (1 and 1/4 reps)
EZ Bar French Press - 25ps x2x12