LW Strongman to Powerlifter

Training Training Logs
361

12/26/15 - Hope anyone who sees this had great holidays. That aside, my neck got fucked up from something and I couldn’t overhead/log today so I just benched.

Bench Press
45x8,8
135x10,10
185x5,5
225x3
275x2
300x7
300x7
300x7
300x7 Felt good, working on staying tight at the bottom
-Add Slingshot-
300x7
300x7 hard lock out on last rep
275x7
275x6 failed 7th
drop set
225x10 assisted on 11th

triceps were smoked from this

Strict Overhead Press (axle)
180x11
180x10
180x10
180x8

Seated DB Military
40x10
60x8
100x5 not gonna be getting any actual work with these this far into the workout, just wanted to see though
80x10
40x20
40x25

Side Laterals
25x12
25x12
40x10
40x10
40x10

Face pull
x15
x15
x15
x15

362

12/28/15 - Worked with 135 on squats today just to feel it and it still feels horrible. My knees/quads are hurting still and i can’t seem to find a groove. Did double overhand power cleans with the axle instead, courtesy of Alpha.

Double Overhand Power Clean (2 inch Axle)
130x5,3
170x3,3
220x3
265x2 2nd rep was a nasty catch but the first felt great
285x1 this was all i could manage, didn’t have the zeal to attempt 300.

Clean Grip Muscle Snatch
135x1
155x1
185x1
210x1 kinda sorta halfway pressed this out.

did some boring abs and done.

363

12/30/15 - Oh boy, I put some weight on the farmers today and I LIKED it. Hope I didn’t catch some kind of bug…

Bent Over Row
45x10,10
135x15
185x10
225x8
275x8
325x8
365x8
275x15
275x14
275x12

Wide Grip Bent Over Row
135x20
135x15
135x15
135x15

DB Row
100x20
100x15
100x15
100x15

Shrugs w/ Farmers Handles (weight in each hand)
120x10
170x10
210x8
260x10
drop set
210x12
120x25

Band Pull Aparts
x15
x15
x15
x15

364

1/1/16 - Starting off the new year right, with a log PR. Can definitely say 2015 was my best year of training and I’m happy to keep the momentum going. In regard to the session, I had a low carb day prior (on new years eve? crazy, right?) and fasted in the morning which was a very bad idea. I blacked out on every single attempt starting at 250 and going up. I had to rerack the weight each time.

Log Press (out of the rack)
110x5,3
160x3
200x3
250x1 blacked out but still an easy press
270x1
300x1 almost completely fainted on this one.
330x0, again, the strength was not the issue here. Finding it hard to stay conscious.

Ate some chocolate and a banana and came back 15 minutes later.

330x1 PR, smashed this. Wish I had filmed it, although I have more in the tank.
340x0, close but no cigar. Will hit this weight very soon. I am overdue for it.

Incline Log Press
110x12
110x12
160x8
230x10
250x10
250x10
230x10, failed 11th

BTN Tri. Extension (barbell)
45x15
65x15
75x15
95x10

Front Raise/Side Lateral SS
15x15/15
15x15/15
15x15/15

Face Pull
x15
x15
x15
x15

365

340 attempt, i have this weight!

366

625×625 3.65 MB

[quote]strongmanvinny wrote:
340 attempt, i have this weight!

[/quote]
Holy shit. I quit ry now.

367

Thanks Sir Jlabs.

1/3/15 - Rested up from no squats last week and came in and things felt much better. Worked up to a heavy set of 5.

Back Squat
45x8,8
135x5,3
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x1
365x1 easy
405x5 still having an issue with 4 plates+. Had at least 3 more in the tank, but the reps have no integrity. I think it’s a flexibility issue from building so much muscle in my back but not having had done much squatting in the midst of it.

Called it there, just to hit a decent weight for 5 and still conserve energy.

Step Ups to 18" (reps per leg): goal here is to bring up my single leg strength, primarily my right because it’s so fucked up still.
BW x 20
+25lbs x 20
+40lbs x 15
+80lbs x 15,15,15,15,15 awesome right quad pump which is great all things considered

Front Plank
BW x 60s
BW x 60s
BW x 60s
BW x 75s

So I was bored and under the impression that 1 minute+ planks were pretty decent, but I googled exceptional plank times, and apparently, a good plank is no less than 3 minutes. WTF? “Expert” level being 5 minutes+. No idea if I suck because I’m too heavy, or If these asian planklords just have insane planking muscles. New goal is to plank for 3 minutes in a single set (maybe).

Also worth mentioning I am adding light cardio in the late evenings before bed just to aid in with some fat loss that I picked up from the past years weight gain. I’ll taper off carbs on my off days well to facilitate whatever I can. Goal is to go back down to about 230-235 (lighter depending on if I feel 10lbs off me isn’t too drastic, although I doubt it will be). 240 solid in the morning atm give or take.

Very easy day as I’m trying to assess my squat and current abilities therein. I know I am stronger than to be struggling with a 400lb squat, so I need to find what’s impeding my progress. If I have literally become stronger vastly on nearly every other movement, there’s no reason why I can’t with my squat.

368

1/5/15 - Couldn’t find my straps so I had to pull hook grip (probably for the best).

Deadlifts: all sets hook grip (sumo, from floor)
135x8
225x3,3
315x3
405x3
500x2
550x1
585x1 not too bad, feeling awkward adjusting to hook grip unplanned. Want to try and make the pulls smoother.
585x1
585x1
585x1
585x1

I lowered the rest periods on the latter 3 sets from 5 minutes to 2 minutes. Very happy to have done that. It built so much confidence to just run up to 585, strapless even, and just pick it up with out too much worry. I had another set or two in me but there was no point, they were getting ugly and my thumbnails might be falling off.

Single Leg Hip Thrust
x15
x15
+40lbs x 12
+40lbs x 12
+40lbs x 12
x15

I started today adding conditioning stuff to some of my workouts. Doing this just to kick myself in the butt as it’s been a while since I’ve done things demanding on the heart.

Circuit: High knees in place for 30 seconds with AMRAP pull ups. 30 second rest between each. Done for 10 minutes.

Lying HS Curl
x15
x15
x15
x15
x15

369

Okay, the amount of trouble I’m going through trying to get access to my original account is absurd. To make it worse, the website looks like a 12 year old designed it. Going to reply to this with my recent bench workout on this fake ass account I made.

Hit an awesome 5x5 with 315 and each set felt better and better in the face of fatigue.

Bench Press
45x8,8
135x5,5
185x3,3
225x3
275x3
315x5
315x5
315x5
315x5
315x5

Standing Log Press to Crown (kind of dangerous unless you wear a soft hat like a beanie): pretty much press overhead, and bring it down to the top of your head to lock out.
110x12
135x10
145x10
135x10
135x10
110x15 blew up my triceps

DB shrugs
40x20
40x20
40x20

Face pull
x15
x15
x15
x15

very easy on accessories, right shoulder was bothering me

370

1/9/15 - Today went exceptionally well. I dialed back on squats and refrained from pushing myself too hard, but still got quality work in with a medium-heavy weight. I squatted with bands around the knees to help me spread the floor which in turn helped (I think?) stay tight in the hole. Also spent time stretching my upper body to help with the low bar position and reduce pain I get post workout.

Back Squat
45x8,8
135x5,5
185x3,3
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x5
365x5
375x5

No struggle with any of these sets but I am feeling awkward with the bar on my back. My bar is ever so slightly bent and since it’s an all around power bar it’s quite thin and not thick like a bench and squat bar, so it bites down hard and can roll out of position if I am haphazard.

Step ups to 18" box
BW x20
+80lbs x 15
+80lbs x 15
+80lbs x 15
+100lbs x 12
+100lbs x 12

Since I haven’t done conditioning exercises in a while, I’m open to new stuff so I grabbed a few things from Alpha. One thing in particular that looked extra uncomfortable was kettlebell swings (or anything) done with reasonably high reps and with a mouthful of water.

Circuit: 20 40lb kettlebell swings with a mouthful of water, 8 pull ups, 60 sec plank. All done back to back with 15 second rest between each round. 3 rounds total.

371

1/11/15

Bent Over Row
45x8,8,8
135x10
185x10
225x10
275x10
315x6
365x7
-drop set-
315x7
225x10
135x20

Wide Grip Bent Over Row
95x15
95x15
w/ 3 sec pause at top
95x8
95x8
95x8

DB Row
100x15
100x15
100x15
100x15

Recline Row
x15
x15
x15
x15

Horizontal Row (thick purple band)
x12
x12
x12
x12

372

Good job man! I am glad you gave the mouthful of water stuff a run. It definitely shows that you don’t need as much oxygen as you think you do and helps me with anxiety and the panic that hard conditioning can bring.

373

Thanks man. You’ve got an awesome training style and I’m always looking for ways to improve.

1/13/16

Log Press (out of rack)
110x5,3,3
160x3,3
200x3
250x5
250x5
250x5
250x5
250x6 extra rep for fun, had 7 but my stability is a problem.

Floor Press w/ band tension (probably 80ish lbs at the top)
135x10
185x10
185x12
225x8
225x8 really hard here, had help on the last rep.

Band Pull Apart
x15
x15
x15
x15

Lower volume day as I’m still trying to give my right shoulder a break.

374

1/15/16 - worked up to a heavy single on squats today. Need to really stay sharp in cycling effort/dynamic days with squats because they seem to be the hardest day for me atm. I used to love squatting and hate deadlifting, now it’s the opposite.

Back Squat
45x8,8
135x8,5
185x5
225x5
275x3
315x2
365x2
405x1
455x1 felt heavy as balls on the back, but it came up with no issues. Can definitely hit 500 atm, but that’s really not something I want to consider a feat of strength on squats for now. I’ve doubled it with one left in the tank at my squat “prime”, so I need to keep consistent and know when to back off, but also work on single leg strength as it really seems to be the issue. My core can handle the weight but my quads in particular are having the hardest time.

Bulgarian Split Squats
x15
x15
+20lbs x 15
+20lbs x 15
+40lbs x 12
+40lbs x 12

Side Planks
x60s
x60s
x60s

Circuit: 20 Kettlebell swings with mouthful of water, 10 jumping squats, and plank to failure. 15 second rest between sets, 4 rounds.

375

1/17/16 - Worked with a 4 rep max that I hit at the end of the summer time. Got it for a 3x3 with timed 3 minute rests and another set left in me. Would like to hit 550 for 6 sometime in the future.

Deadlifts (floor, sumo)
45x8,8
135x8,8
225x3
315x3
405x3
495x2
550x3
550x3
550x3 loosened belt a bit.

Single Leg Banded Good Morning (on deficit and thick purple band)
x15
x12
x10
x10
x10

Those blew the fuck out of my back. Lower back pump like crazy.

Single Leg Hip Thrust
x15
x15
x15
x15
x15

Circuit: 8 pull ups, 20 side bends (40lbs), 20 oblique crunches. 4 rounds 30 sec rest.

376

1/19/16 - The single leg GM’s fucked my back up so I need to be extra careful this week. Movements that strain my erectors are needless for me, just made a mistake.

Bench Press
45x8,8
135x5,5
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x2
335x3
335x3
335x3
335x3
335x3

Add Sling Shot (every minute on the minute)
335x3
335x3
335x3
335x3
335x3

Flat DB Bench
100x20

Standing BTH Tri Extension
45x15
65x15
75x15
75x15
75x15
75x12

3-way shoulders (extra light) and band pull aparts.

377

1/21/16 - I’ll start training some beltless pause squats every other week. Not with the plan to somehow make my “core get s00per strong” from not using a belt, but to increase my leg drive strength out of the hole, as I’ve come to the conclusion that a belt is a crutch on squats for me and it really makes my legs not have to do shit in the hole.

Pause Squats (no belt)
45x5,5,5
135x3,3
185x3,3
225x3
275x3
315x5
315x3
315x3
315x3

Not so shocking that it did not feel much different beltless. I just have to work a bit harder to stay rigid at the bottom of the lift.

Bulgarian Split Squat
x15
x15
+20lbs x 15,15
+40lbs x 15,12 I’m piss poor at these due to a severe hip imbalance which makes it almost impossible to balance. Sucks, as there are people doing this with 400lbs. Can’t win em all, I guess.

Step ups (18")
x15
x15
+20lbs x 15
+40lbs x 15
+80lbs x 15,15,15

Circuit: 15 Squat Jumps, 30-45sec Plank. 4-rounds, no rests at all.

Decent day, feeling quite sick however :frowning: Will make sure to up my water intake and watch my diet more carefully.

378

1/24/16 - Succumbed to a cold/flu, although it’s not too debilitating. I keep getting headaches in the back-left side of my head when I cough or sneeze, and also over exertion, so I found out that training atm is pretty much impossible. Tried anyway and got some light back work in until I felt like I was going to pass out.

Bent Over Row (no straps, no belt)
45x15
135x15,15
185x10
235x10
235x10
235x10 felt like death
135x15,15,15,15

Band Pull Aparts
x15
x15
x15
x15

That’s all for this day. Feeling pretty shit as I write this up on a Sunday morning, but that’s because of the needless cold medicine I took that just makes me feel like a zombie and dehydrates me to no end.

379

1/25/16 - Was very miserable last night with a fever. Stood under the hot water in the shower shivering and was pretty pissed figuring I’d not train today, but I woke up feeling like the fever had subsided, but the cold symptoms stayed. Could feel it in my body during the warm ups. Just felt crampy and achy. Had no plans to even put weight on the log but I did, and some good stuff ensued. Body weight is down to 235.

Log Press (out of the rack)
110x5,5 the log empty felt pretty horrible so that was a bad sign.
160x3
200x2
230x2 decent for being sick, not expected
250x9, PR. No idea how this happened.

Because I’m sick and my headache just got worse I did light 3 way shoulders and banded triceps to finish.

380

1/27/16 - Feeling a lot better, just dealing with a minor cough and a stuffy nose. Hit some volume squats today, courtesy of a whim I had in the middle of the night lying in bed.

Back Squat
45x8,8
135x3
185x3
225x3 put the bar slightly higher on the back. made everything feel so much more comfortable.
275x3
315x1
365x1
380x8
380x8
380x9 spotter miscounted and I did an extra one. Hard as fuck, definitely didn’t have 10 in me on this final set.

Circuit: 20 renegade rows (40lb DB), 15 squat jumps, 16 (8 per leg) spider man push ups. 4 rounds, 30 sec rest in between.