1/7/12 - Saturday
Breakdancing. Sore from yesterday. Did a little better in flares and windmills and learned a little bit about everything in general, which I’m looking forward to applying more next Wednesday.
1/8/12 - Sunday
From now on I’ll denote a week as cycle#,week#. For example, I’ll write cycle 3, week 1 as 3,1. Just makes it easier to type and read.
Measurements:
Weight: 150.5 lbs (+1.5 lbs)
Waist: 29 1/2" (no change)
Chest: 37 3/4" (+3/8" from deload (last week), +1/8" from 6,3)
Good week.
1/9/12 - Monday
Cycle 7, Week 2, Day 1
Overhead press
3x80
3x90
8x100 - Wanted to beat previous 10x95; didn’t get close. It seems that for breaking records, +1 rep is much easier than +5 lbs.
DB OHP
6x6 - 40s
DB skullcrusher
4x10 - 45
1x7:F - 45
Goal here was to do 5x10 with 45 lbs. This kind of thing happened before with this exercise; one time I got a 1x9:F. Well, life goes on.
Pull-ups
4,2,3 - 9 total
Wanted to do 10 but by 9 they were all such bad form - going down two inches at most. Now that I think about it, that’s how all the other Monday pull-ups were.
I’ll replace pull-ups with pull-downs on Mondays. Pull-ups on Fridays are fine - I go to a better gym on Fridays so I don’t have to hang from a smith rack; I can use an actual pull-up bar. OR I can just go to that better gym on Mondays as well; that’s probably better since my chest measurement is going up right now and I don’t want to touch anything that might change that.
1/10/12 - Tuesday
Cycle 7, Week 2, Day 2
Deadlift
3x170
3x195
13x220 - Beat previous 12x220.
RDL - Surprised myself here. Planned on 6x10 with 160.
1x10 - 165
1x10 - 170
1x10 - 175
1x0:F - 180
1x8:F - 170
1x10 - 165
1x8:F - 165
Clean
1x6 - 115
1x6 - 120
1x6 - 125
1x0:F - 130
1x4:F - 125
1x6 - 120
Don’t know if anyone noticed so far but I’ll just point it out now. If I have a set with 0 reps because I couldn’t even do one, it doesn’t count.
1/11/12 - Wednesday
Broke it down. Held 85s for 58 seconds, goal was 60 seconds. I was about to drop them so I let them down slowly to avoid making a loud noise and getting in trouble. That’ll teach me to be polite. I vow to never again put a weight down slowly if it’s falling out of my grip. I was pissed about it. Will move up to 90s for all future DB holds, though. The extra 10 lbs will probably strengthen my grip more than another two seconds with 85s.
By the way, after dropping the 85s, I DID finish off the remainder of the minute as I usually would, after a bit of rest of course.
1/12/12 - Thursday
Cycle 7, Week 2, Day 3
Bench press
3x100
3x110
9x125 - Might’ve been able to get 10, but the person spotting me erred on the safe side when it took a couple seconds before I could get out of the hole. Can’t compare to any PRs from this cycle or last.
Bent-over row
2x6 - 140
1x6 - 145
1x0:F - 150
1x6 - 145
DB bench press
2x6 - 55s
1x5:F - 55s
1x6 - 50s
2x4:F - 50s
DB ‘kroc’ row - Feels like I’m turning on a lawnmower.
1x22:F - 90
DB hold - Planned on only 30 seconds but I got 40 seconds before the first drop so I pushed it.
60 seconds
90s
2 drops
^Reason I wear shorts over sweatpants. Gets hot back there after all those good mornings.
1/13/12 - Friday
Cycle 7, Week 2, Day 4
Squat
3x130
3x150
10x165 - Beat previous 4x165 and 10x160.
Good morning
2x10 - 140
1x0:F - 140
4x10 - 135
Front squat
1x6 - 135
1x5:F - 145
1x6 - 140
1x0:F - 140
1x6 - 135
1x6 - 140
Pull-ups
7,5,4 - 16 total
Officially done with 6 1/2 cycles, meaning that I am half-way to completing 13 cycles and achieving those 1RM goals I set at the beginning of cycle 1.
1/14/12 - Saturday
Low back hurt when I woke up. Not just a swollen, somewhat pleasant DOMS-pump feeling. It hurt. I think it’s because of the good mornings. I’m going to switch them out for RDLs on Fridays, starting next week. I’m quite simply not sure how to go about doing a proper good morning and it only adds to my uncertainty that I’m using as much weight on them as I’m using on front squats. I just feel like RDLs are harder to cheat on, so I don’t round my back on them as much as I do with good mornings.
Breakdancing practice today.
Flares
15x1
Keep at it.
Handstands
8x3
Definitely getting better. Had some 5+ second ones. Hard on the wrists, though.
Windmills
3x4
Felt smooth and quick. Also felt like my legs were wide enough but I can’t be sure without a video.
Headswipes
7x2
Shift head back to put balance on arms and head and keep legs off the ground. Figured this out at around set 5 when I was already tired. Will experiment with this next Wednesday.
Thought about doing some hanging leg raises but I just didn’t know how to go about them in terms of reps, sets, weight, and progression. So, I didn’t do any.
1/15/12 - Sunday
Measurements:
Weight: 149 lbs (-1.5 lbs)
Waist: 29 1/4" (-1/4")
Chest: 37 1/2" (-1/4")
I didn’t change my diet or training at all, which is why I’m perplexed about the sudden decrease in measurements from last week. I can’t say that I care about this decrease, though; my main goal is pound-for-pound strength. If a 1/4" off my chest is the difference between a double bodyweight deadlift and… not a double bodyweight deadlift, then so be it.
1/16/12 - Monday
Cycle 7, Week 3, Day 1
Overhead press
5x85
3x95
8x105 - Beat previous 8x100 and 7x105.
DB OHP*
1x0:F - 45s
3x6 - 40s
1x0:F - 45s
1x7 - 40s
1x7:F - 40s
1x6:F - 40s
DB skullcrusher*
1x5:F - 50
1x10:F - 45
1x7:F - 45
1x10:F - 45
1x12:F - 45
Pull-ups**
4,4,2,2
*Couldn’t do a full set with the smallest possible weight increase. So I’ll have to get stronger by doing more reps, then I will be able to increase the weight. I didn’t care to come up with a periodization template in the middle of my workout so I just went to failure on the weights that I COULD handle for the amount of reps I wanted. Not sure if this is the best way to do it but I’m thinking I’ll keep doing it this way until I can increase the weight.
1/17/12 - Tuesday
Cycle 7, Week 3, Day 2
FINALLY get to deadlift two plates. Jeeeeez-us.
Deadlift
5x180
3x205
8x230 - Can’t compare to previous PRs.
RDL
4x10 - 170
1x8:F - 170
1x0:F - 170
1x6:F - 165
Clean
1x6 - 120
3x6 - 125
1x4:F - 130
1/18/12 - Wednesday
B-boy marrot, comin’ at ya strong.
Flares
15x1
Keep at it. Haven’t made any obvious progress, might just have to wait until I’m stronger.
Handstands
8x3
Hard on the wrists. Seem to be getting mostly 3+ second handstands, though.
Windmills
2x4
1x6-7
Stayed in place for the most part while doing them, which is good.
Felt pretty smooth overall.
Liked the last all-out set. Will do it that way from now on.
Headswipes
5x2
Got two with no leg-ground contact whatsoever. Awesome. Just gotta smooth it out and find a place for it in an actual set.
DB hold
60 seconds, 90s, 1 drop
1/19/12 - Thursday
Cycle 7, Week 3, Day 3
Bench press
5x105
3x120
6x135 - Can’t compare to any previous PRs.
Bent-over row
3x6 - 145
1x6 - 150
DB BP
3x6 - 55s
1x3:F - 55s
2x6 - 50s
DB ‘kroc’ row
1x21:F - 95
DB hold
60 seconds, 90s, 2 drops.
Weather says it’ll snow tomorrow, which scares me because if the road conditions are too bad then my dad won’t let me drive to the YMCA across town where there is a squat rack. I’ve got the following options:
-Lift at the school gym before/after school/during lunch
-Pick a gym that’s closer to home, might cost extra $ but oh well.
Prepared to do just the main lift if that’s all I have time for.
1/20/12 - Friday
FUCK.
Weather conditions left the road too slippery and dangerous to drive on to go anywhere, according to my dad. Gym teacher didn’t let me use the school gym either, which also sucked. No workout today. I’m praying I’ll be able to squat tomorrow and breakdance on Sunday or tomorrow.
According to the NOAA website there will be no snow tomorrow and it will be mostly sunny, plus city plows should make it possible for me to drive to the gym and do the squat workout.
It’s straight up frustrating how hard it is to get access to a heavy bar and a rack to be honest.
1/21/12 - Saturday
Cycle 7, Week 3, Day 4
Squat
5x140
3x155
7x175 - Beat 4x165 from 6,3.
RDL
6x10 - 170
Good mornings gave me a pulled, painful, stretching feeling between my low back and glutes. They also tended to be more painful on my back as I went heavier instead of giving me a ‘pump’ that I would get from any other exercise. Additionally, after doing a set of good mornings my elbows would hurt really badly, pain that extended into the day after the workout.
RDLs feel much better and work my grip, too.
Front squat
1x6 - 140
1x6 - 145
1x6 - 150
1x6 - 155
1x6 - 160
Really surprised myself here. My goal was to just get 6x150. I think it’s because I used to do good mornings with bent knees which tired out my legs before I got to front squats. And I didn’t sacrifice depth, mind you, both me and the guy who spotted me can vouch for my ATG rawesomeness.
Pull-ups
7,4,4
This whole workout I also focused on not having too short of rest between sets, which also probably helped.
1/22/12 - Sunday
Measurements:
Weight: 149.5 lbs(+.5)
Waist: 29 3/8"(+1/8")
Chest: 37 1/2"(no change)
Might’ve put on just a bit of chub because of Friday’s forced off day. No worries, did squats yesterday and will do breakdancing later today, then I’ll be right back on track.
1/22/12 - Sunday
Breakdancing practice.
1/23/12 - Monday
Cycle 7, Week 4, Day 1
Overhead press
5x45
5x55
5x65
DB OHP
6x6 - 20s
DB skullcrusher
5x10 - 20
1/24/12 - Tuesday
Cycle 7, Week 4, Day 2
Deadlift
5x95
5x120
5x145
RDL
6x10 - 85
Clean
5x6 - 60
Took the opportunity to work on form for full cleans with a slightly heavier weight than just the bar.
Worked up a little sweat after this workout. I looked at the clock - I end my hard deadlift workouts at about 5:15 p.m. I got done with this one at 4:15. Amazing how much of an impact rest periods have. Didn’t try to go for some CrossFit cardio circuit-training bomb but I was trying to limit rest periods to what I needed for a deload workout.
1/25/12 - Wednesday
Breakdancing practice. RIght off my spreadsheet.