Post-Meet 1.3: 2/14/15
Body Weight: 141.4
RHR: 66
HRV: 78 (Green)
Sleep: 6:29, 96% Efficiency (54% Light, 42% Deep) - Woke up early to go to the bathroom, then dozed off for a little bit after.
I trained at Morgan Stanley at around 1 PM - since I’m still in free-for-all mode I figured I’d save myself the trip to Jersey just for this weekend.
A. Bench (feet flat): 205x3@7.5, 215x3@8.5, 205x3@8, x3@8, x3@9 - I was originally planning on doing Repeats but I overshot my intended RPE with 215 so I did this as a Load Drop instead.
B. Press (x6, Repeat 5% Fatigue): 85x6@6, 105x6@8, x6@8, x6@9 - I haven’t done these in FOREVER, so tech felt a little rusty.
C1. Pull-up: BWTx4x10
C2. Half-Kneeling Lift: TRX Rip Trainerx4x10 per side
For the next several weeks we’ll be going on a mass phase to see if I can finally fill out the 148 class. I’m thinking of doing a USAPL meet in May (unfortunately the Brooklyn one is ALREADY sold out) to post a qualifying total for Raw Nationals and serve as a tune-up for later in the year (I’m still not 100% sure if I’m going to do Raw Nationals or Boss of Bosses 2 instead).
Mass Phase 1.1: 2/16/15
Body Weight: 142.0
RHR: 71
HRV: 76 (Green)
Sleep: 8:15, 89% Efficiency (40% Light, 49% Deep)
As I had the day off for Presidents’ Day, I trained at Iron Arena at 3 PM. All benching was done in the ER Rack with kilo plates.
A. Bench (feet flat, touch-and-go): 85 kgx4x6
B. Triceps Death (5 full bench reps, 5 to a 2-board, 5 to a 3-board, 5 to a 4-board): 65 kg, 67.5 kg - My sheet said 145 for two sets. I started with 143 which felt a little too easy, so I bumped it up to 148 which was MUCH harder.
C. Seated Row: 90x4x12
D. Wide Grip Pulldown: 100x4x12
E. Incline DB Press: 45x4x12
F. Preacher Curl: 20 lb DBx4x12 - No dedicated preacher curl bench so I did this on an incline bench with a 20 lb DB, working one arm at a time.
Mass Phase 1.2: 2/17/15
Body Weight: 141.8 (Well THAT seems to be going well so far, lol.)
RHR: 67
HRV: 80 (Green)
Sleep: 7:17, 94% Efficiency (56% Light, 38% Deep) - wanted to sleep a little more but the need to pee woke me up.
I trained at Morgan Stanley at 2 PM.
A. Squat: 265x4x6, 245x10 - Been a while since I’ve done high rep squatting, so this took some life out of me but every set moved well.
B. Barbell RDL (1-second Pause at Bottom): 155x4x12 - For some reason I always hook grip RDLs (must be because weightlifters use this exercise a lot and they hook grip everything), but my left thumb started bleeding after the first set so I switched to an alternating grip which felt much easier. This wasn’t easy, though - I had the option of going as heavy as 185 but stuck with 155.
C. Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat: 30 lb DBs in each handx4x10 per leg
D. Hanging Leg Raise: 4x20
Mass Phase 1.3: 2/18/15
Body Weight: 142.8
RHR: 65
HRV: 77 (Green)
Sleep: 7:36, 86% Efficiency (56% Light, 30% Deep) plus a little dozing off after
I trained at Morgan Stanley at 2:30 PM (got in a little later because I went to Mass for Ash Wednesday first).
A. Press: 95x4x10 - First set felt good, but got sloppy toward the end. I was trying to cram this all in a short time period so rest periods may have been a little short than they should have been.
B. Chinup (even sets): BWTx4x10
C. Seated DB Press: 25x4x12
D. T-Bar Row: 50 lbs added weightx4x12
E1. Skullcrusher: 45x4x12
E2. DB Front Raise: 15x4x12
A lot of exercises I hardly ever do - feels weird. Off tomorrow, then squatting and deadlifting Friday.
Mass Phase 1.4: 2/20/15
Body Weight: 143.8
RHR: 64
HRV: 79 (Green)
Sleep: 7:56, 95% Efficiency (42% Light, 54% Deep)
I trained at Morgan Stanley. Squats and deadlifts were done at 2:30 PM (I missed the train I wanted to catch so I was a little later than I wanted to be), while assistance was done during my break at 7 due to time constraints.
A. High-Bar Squat: 185x2x10, 195x10, 205x10 - The recommended weight was 185+, and considering I haven’t squatted high-bar in FOREVER I started off with the low end. These all moved well, though finding the right bar placement felt awkward at first.
B. Conventional Deadlift (controlled eccentric): 275x4x8
C. Walking Lunge: 30 lb DBs in each handx3x8 per leg
D1. Leg Extension: 65x4x12
D2. Leg Curl: 65x4x12
E. Abs (Technogym Machine): 50x4x20
Mass Phase 1.5: 2/21/15
Body Weight: 143.4
RHR: 64
HRV: 80 (Green)
Sleep: 7:06, 82% Efficiency (36% Light, 47% Deep)
I trained at Iron Arena at 1 PM, benching on the Metal Militia bench.
A. Bench Press (Paused): 185x4x5
B. DB Bench: 55x2x12, 60x2x12 - I started light to make sure I got every rep; 55 felt easy so went up to 60 for the last two sets.
C. Seated Row: 90x4x12
D. Dips (even sets): BWTx4x12
E1. DB Curl: 25x4x10 per arm
E2. Triceps Pushdown: 30x4x12
E3. Lateral Raise: 20x4x12
A little more sore than usual throughout the week, but overall everything felt good.
Mass Phase 2.1: 2/23/15
Body Weight: 144.6
RHR: 63
HRV: 81 (Green)
Sleep: 8:37, 96% Efficiency (47% Light, 50% Deep)
I trained at Morgan Stanley at 2 PM. Since I don’t have boards at Morgan Stanley, Saturday and Monday’s workouts were switched for this week.
A. Bench (feet flat, paused): 190x4x5
B. DB Bench: 60x4x12
C. Seated Row: 90x4x12
D. Dips (even sets): BWTx4x12
E1. DB Curl: 25x4x10 per arm
E2. Triceps Pushdown: 30x4x12
E3. Lateral Raise: 20x4x12
I didn’t feel quite as sore as Saturday, so the rest yesterday definitely helped.
Mass Phase 2.2: 2/24/15
Body Weight: 144.6
RHR: 65
HRV: 71 (Amber)
Sleep: 6:58, 89% Efficiency (55% Light, 35% Deep) - Got home late because there was a broken rail so my train had to move backwards for a little bit. Also some dude lit a cigarette on the train so the cops came and took him and his buddies off. No, I’m not making this stuff up.
Anyway, I trained at Morgan Stanley at 1 PM - I came in early so I could watch Manchester City vs. Barcelona afterward.
A. Squat: 275x4x6, 250x10 - Squats felt a little off (couldn’t quite get my knees out as much as I wanted to, fell forward more than I would have liked), but everything moved well regardless.
B. RDL (1-second Pause at Bottom): 155x4x12 - Used an alternating grip the whole time this time, and felt much better.
C. Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat: 30 lb DBs in each handx4x10 per leg
D. Hanging Leg Raise: 4x20
Mass Phase 2.3: 2/25/15
Body Weight: 146.2
RHR: 68
HRV: 76 (Green)
Sleep: 7:25, 91% Efficiency (45% Light, 46% Deep)
I trained at Morgan Stanley at 2:30 PM.
A. Press: 95x4x10 - Last set was a struggle, but form was much better this week. I think I found an optimal grip width, and shorter wrist wraps seem to work better than longer ones here.
B. Chinups (even sets): BWTx4x10
C. Seated DB Press: 25x3x12, 30x12 - Stuck with last week’s weight for the first three sets, but the third set seemed surprisingly easy so I bumped it up to 30 for the last set.
D. Incline DB Row: 45x4x12 - I was supposed to do a chest-supported T-Bar row but we don’t have any chest-supported row machines (of any kind) at Morgan Stanley so I used dumbbells and an incline bench instead.
E1. Skullcrushers: 45x4x12
E2. DB Front Raise: 15x4x12
Mass Phase 2.4: 2/26/15
Body Weight: 145.6
RHR: 65
HRV: 83 (Green)
Sleep: 7:53, 92% Efficiency (59% Light, 33% Deep)
Today was supposed to be an off day, but with an early meeting and clients tomorrow, I knew that trying to fit in training would screw with my sleep schedule, plus I was feeling good physically, so I decided to train today instead. 2 PM, Morgan Stanley.
A. High Bar Squat: 185x10, 205x10, 220x2x10 - I loosened my belt a notch and found a more secure high bar position so this would look more like a different variation of a squat rather than some awkward hybrid squat. The weight still felt good though.
B. Conventional Deadlift (Controlled Eccentric): 275x4x8
C. Walking Lunge: 16 kg Kettlebells in each handx3x8 per leg
D1. Leg Extension: 70x4x12
D2. Leg Curl: 65x4x12 - I stuck with 65 this week to make sure I had the form down (wanted to make sure I kept my back on the pad).
E. Abs (Technogym Machine): 50x3x20, 55x20 - First three sets felt good so added weight for the fourth set.
I’m a little behind on the logging - whoops. I’ll start with Saturday’s workout.
Mass Phase 2.5: 2/28/15
Body Weight: 146.0
RHR: 66
HRV: 77 (Green)
Sleep: 7:56, 96% Efficiency (50% Light, 46% Deep)
I trained at Iron Arena around 1:30 PM (was a little late as my car had a flat tire). Benched on the Metal Militia bench as Jason was using the ER Rack.
A. Bench (touch-and-go): 195x4x6
B. Triceps Death (5 reps to chest, 5 to 2-board, 5 to 3-board, 5 to 4-board): 150x2 sets
C1. Seated Row: 90x4x12
C2. Wide Grip Lat Pulldown: 100x4x12
D. Incline DB Press: 50x4x12
E. Preacher Curl: E-Z Bar (I forgot how much it weighed, but just the bar)x4x12 - used the back of the GHR pad for this.
Solid week overall. Recovery is starting to get better.
Monday . . .
Mass Phase 3.1: 3/2/15
Body Weight: 145.4
RHR: 62
HRV: 77 (Green)
Sleep: 8:43, 88% Efficiency (44% Light, 45% Deep)
I trained at Morgan Stanley at 2 PM, benching in a power rack as someone else was on the bench and my preferred spotter was busy.
A. Bench (feet flat, paused): 200x4x5
B. DB Bench Press: 60x4x12
C. Seated Cable Row: 90x4x12
D. Dips (Even Sets): BWTx4x13 - Felt good enough for an extra rep on every set, so that’s what I did.
E1. Alternating DB Curl: 25x4x10 per arm
E2. Triceps Pushdown: 30x4x12
E3. Lateral Raise: 20x4x12
And finally, today . . .
Mass Phase 3.2: 3/3/15
Body Weight: 145.0
RHR: 72
HRV: 69 (Amber)
Sleep: 7:22, 96% Efficiency (66% Light, 30% Deep)
I trained at Morgan Stanley at 2 PM.
A. Squat: 285x4x6, 255x10
B. RDL (1-second Pause at Bottom): 155x4x12
C. Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat: 35 lb DBs in each handx4x12
D. Hanging Leg Raises: BWTx4x20
Mass Phase 3.3: 3/4/15
Body Weight: 145.4
RHR: 67
HRV: 81
Sleep: 7:34, 95% Efficiency (54% Light, 42% Deep)
I trained at Morgan Stanley at 2 PM.
A. Press: 95x4x10
B. Chin-up (Even Sets): BWTx4x10 - Got every rep cleanly. May go for another rep on each set next time.
C. Seated DB Press: 30x4x12
D. DB Row on Incline Bench (10-second hold on last rep): 40x4x12 - Lighter weight than last week; the first 11 reps on each set felt easy but the hold was brutal.
E1. Skullcrushers: 45x4x12
E2. DB Front Raise: 15x4x12
Mass Phase 3.4: 3/5/15
Body Weight: 146.2
RHR: 67
HRV: 76 (Green)
Sleep: 7:03, 96% Efficiency (41% Light, 55% Deep) - not sure this is 100% accurate since I noticed my phone was on the floor when I woke up.
This was supposed to be an off day but I moved my Friday workout to today because, between watching the Arnold and the Algarve Cup tomorrow, I doubt I’ll actually get anything done. 2 PM, Morgan Stanley.
A. High Bar Squat: 225x4x10
B. Conventional Deadlift (Controlled Eccentric): 275x8, 285x3x8 - I had the option of 275-285 here for 4 total sets, and 275 felt easy so I took 285 for the last three sets.
C1. Leg Extension: 70x4x12
C2. Leg Curl: 70x4x12
D. Abs (Technogym Machine): 55x4x20
Mass Phase 3.5: 3/7/15
Body Weight: 146.2
RHR: 68
HRV: 74 (Green)
Sleep:7:36, 83% Efficiency (23% Light, 61% Deep)
I trained at Iron Arena at 1 PM.
A. Bench (touch-and-go): 220x4x3
B. Triceps Death (5 reps to chest, 5 to 2-board, 5 to 3-board, 5 to 4-board): 155x2 sets
C1. Seated Row: 90x4x12
C2. Wide Grip Lat Pulldown: 100x4x12
D. Incline DB Press: 50x4x12
E. Preacher Curl: 35x4x12 - Used E-Z Bar and back of GHR Pad.
Mass Phase 4.1: 3/9/15
Body Weight: 145.0
RHR: 66
HRV: 73 (Green)
Sleep: 7:16, 96% Efficiency (59% Light, 38% Deep)
The parking situation at the train station was totally effed up, so I couldn’t start training until 2:30. I trained at Morgan Stanley.
A. Bench (feet flat, paused): 210x3x5, 200x5 - Was supposed to be 210x4x5 but this was a real struggle. Both the handoffs and my overall setup felt off. Also I might have felt rushed since I got in later than I wanted to. This is my 5RM so I shouldn’t be surprised that this would be tough, but even then this was pretty rough.
B. DB Bench: 60x4x12 - Even this felt heavy, even though this was the same weight I used last week.
C. Seated Cable Row: 90x4x12
D. Dips (Even Sets): BWTx4x14 - At least my joints felt fine here, even though my triceps were definitely fatigued by this point.
E1. Alternating DB Curl: 25x4x10 per arm
E2. Triceps Pushdown: 30x4x12
E3. Lateral Raise: 20x4x12
Rough day. My sleeping patterns have been off lately so that could be catching up with me. Unfortunately, with the way this week is looking, that might not fix itself soon.
Mass Phase 4.2: 3/10/15
Body Weight: 144.6 D:
RHR: 70
HRV: 76 (Green)
Sleep: 8:00, 88% Efficiency (32% Light, 57% Deep)
Once again I got in later than I wanted to, so I did my Squats at 2:30 and everything else during my break at 7.
A. Squat: 295x4x6, 265x10 - I got a new pair of Nike Romaleos and this was my first time squatting in them. Definitely feel much more stable, allowing me to spread the floor better, though I was falling further forward than I would have liked (most likely due to poor bar placement - my shoulders weren’t bothering me during squatting but my upper body was feeling sore when I woke up).
B. RDL (1-second pause at bottom): 165x4x10
C. Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat: 16 kg Kettlebells in each handx4x10 per leg
D. Hanging Leg Raise: 4x20
I didn’t feel GREAT, but I did get through everything that was planned for the day. I did notice several of my coworkers have been getting sick recently - hoping they’re not stealing my gainzZz in the process.
Mass Phase 4.3: 3/11/15
Body Weight: 146.4
RHR: 72
HRV: 66 (Amber)
Sleep: 6:42, 84% Efficiency (47% Light, 37% Deep)
I trained at Morgan Stanley at 2 PM.
A. Press: 95x4x10 - Best my press has felt.
B. Chin-up: BWTx4x10
C1. Seated DB Press: 30x4x12
C2. Incline DB Row (10-second hold at top of last rep): 40x4x12
D1. Skullcrusher: 45x4x12
D2. DB Front Raise: 15x4x12
Everything moved fine here, so it looks like Monday was just a fluke.
Mass Phase 4.4: 3/13/15
Body Weight: 146.4
RHR: 65
HRV: 79 (Green)
Sleep: 8:15, 96% Efficiency (51% Light, 45% Deep)
I trained at Morgan Stanley at 2 PM.
A. High Bar Squat: 235x4x10
B. Conventional Deadlift (Controlled Eccentric): 285x8, 295x8, 300x2x8
C. Walking Lunge: 30x8 per leg, 40x2x8 per leg
D1. Leg Extension: 70x4x12
D2. Leg Curl: 70x4x12
E. Abs (Technogym Machine): 55x4x20