Today I felt really good. I added carbs in my morning meal. Maybe it helps. We’ll see on the long run.
High bar squat 9 sets of 10 reps with 295lbs (133.8kg)
The first set were hard like always, but everything got better around the 5th set. That 5th set was the easiest. The 6th and 7th sets were harder, but surprisingly the 8th and 9th sets went really well. I wasn’t that much spent in the end.
Overhead press 9 sets of 10 reps with 95lbs (43.1kg)
These went really well too. Only the very last rep was hard. The movement felt really natural.
Assistance work
Front squat 3 sets of 3 reps with 275lbs (124.7kg)
These felt good, not too hard, not too easy. Maybe I could have pushed myself a little more.
Push press 3 sets of 3 reps with 185lbs (83.9kg)
These were hard. That’s a weight I have issue holding above my head
YTWL 3 sets of 3 reps with a red band (little band)
Next time I’ll make sure to bring my orange band, the red band is too stiff.
School is starting to have a negative impact on my training…
Yesterday I couldn’t workout because I had a post-internship meeting which took all the time I usually have to lift. I was pissed, I didn’t even learn anything usefull during those painfull 3 hours. Today I didn’t have much time because of school and work, so I had to sick to the essentials. I hope that tomorrow I’ll have time for a badass training session…
On a happier note, today I added carbs in all my meals and just like two days ago, I think it paid off. I felt really good during that workout.
Main Work
High bar squat 9 sets of 10 reps with 295lbs (133.8kg)
These went really well, only the last two sets were challenging and I know I had this 10th set in me, but that’s for next week. I still have a couple of training session that I need to work in this week.
Overhead press 9 sets of 10 reps with 95lbs (43.1kg)
These went really well too. Only that very last rep was really hard. The movement felt natural which is really good.
Assistance work
I did some barbell holds ed coan style. I held a 135lb (61.2kg) barbell for sets of 5-10 seconds then a 95lb (43.1kg) barbell for sets of 30 seconds each side. It really worked on my grip strength. I should do those more often.
Today I felt like shit. My training went really bad. I trained at around 5:30 PM with only my 10:30 AM meal and two protein bar in my stomach. Maybe the lack of calories impacted my training more than I thought it would.
Stiff leg deadlift 9 sets of 10 reps with 295lbs (133.8kg)
These felt really hard. That last sets was a grinder. Also, I did them in my olympic shoes and I think it made it a little bit harder (more range of motion).
Close grip bench press 9 sets of 6-10 reps with 185lbs (83.9kg)
These went horribly. I could even finish my 4th set so I increased my rest periods a bit and I stumbled my way through my sets with an average of 8 reps/sets.
After that I needed to cheer myself up so I decided to do some low bar squats with wraps hoping that I would hit a decent weight. That did not happen.
Low bar squat with wraps (no belt)
I worked my way up to a triple at 405lbs (183.7kg). Then I loaded 435lbs (197.3kg) on the bar, I squatted it down, but I couldn’t even get it back up for one rep.
At that point I knew I wasn’t going to amount to anything good today, so I went home, I ate some food and I went to sleep.
Today went much better. Even though I trained in the morning (which I don’t like), I had a really good squat session.
High Bar Squat 9 sets of 10 reps with 295lbs (133.8kg)
These were hard but they went well. My quads were all pumped up and on fire.
Overhead press 9 sets of 10 reps with 95lbs (43.1kg)
These were kinda easy. I can’t wait to increase the weight.
Since tomorrow I’m going to a wedding and I won’t have time to train, I wanted to have a big training session, but the fire alarm went off and by the time I could get back in the building I had to shower and go to class. So that was it for today.
Today was a good lifting day and it had to be. I didn’t train last saturday because I went to a friend’s wedding, so I had tow consecutive rest days. Today I had a good training partner too which motivated me a lot.
Today is the first training day of the week I’ve been waiting for. This week I finally get to do 10 sets of 10 reps on my main lifts.
High bar squat 10 sets of 10 reps with 295lbs (133.8kg)
These went well. The first sets were “scary” as usual, but everything went into place as usual too. My quads were on fire all the way through. Thats the kind of pain I like.
Overhead press 10 sets of 10 reps with 95lbs (43.1kg)
These went good as well. I might have grinded the very last rep, but there is nothing else to say.
Assistance work
I did some farmer’s walk with no straps and a regular grip. I walked with a 95lb (43.1kg) barbell in each hands. I did 4 runs of what I think is 50 meters with a 180 degree turn in the middle (without dropping the bars).
I’d say that at that weight, it only works my grip. In a near future, I might do some heavier carries with a hook grip so I can work my traps and core as well.
Stiff leg deadlift 10 sets of 10 reps with 295lbs (133.8kg)
These were so easy. Only that last sets was a bit challenging. I did walk funny by the end of the deadlifts though. But seriously it was easy, maybe I bounced the weight on the floor too much.
Close grip bench press 10 set of 10 reps with 185lbs (83.9kg)
These were really hard, but I did finish all my sets… yay! I’m really happy about that since my close grip bench has been weak for a few weeks.
Assistance work
I tried to do the following: EMOM 5 bodyweigth pull up for 10 mins
I broke on the 4th or 5th minute. I had to finish this with some inverted pull up.
Now I realise that I should really work on my back. So I’m gonna try it again with 4 reps instead of 5 every deadlift/bench day until I can finish it. Then I’m gonna increase the reps and continue.
Today I was a bit tired but I completed the training without much struggle.
High bar squat 10 sets of 10 reps with 295lbs (133.8kg)
These were challenging mentaly but it was doable. Surprisingly, the 9th set was the easiest (by far).
Overhead press 10 sets of 10 reps with 95lbs (43.1kg)
These went ok. The last 2-3 sets were hard but then again, they were doable.
Assistance work
I did some side barbell holds with a 95lb (43.1kg) barbell. I did one set of 1min on each side and then 4 sets of 30sec on each side. My forearms where toasted after that.
Today was a good day. I had a really good time a the gym with a few fellow lifters.
Stiff leg deadlift 10 sets of 10 reps with 295lbs (133.8kg)
These became hard around the 7th set. I didn’t even want to do the last set, but I’m glad I did. This was a good workout.
Close grip bench press 10 sets of 10 reps with 190lbs (86.2kg)
I use a heavier bar today, not really on purpose but rather because of circumstances. I think the bar is 5-10lbs heavier then the regular olympic bars but I still use the same plates. I started breaking my sets around the 7th set. So I did a few sets of 8 instead of 10. Given the fact that I used a slightly heavier load then two days ago, I’d say it’s ok.
Heavy work and assistance work
Sumo deadlift.
I ramped up to 3 singles with 495lbs (224.5kg) without a belt.
Giant sets of the following:
15 hanging ab crunches
5 dumbbell presses with 100lbs (45.3kg) dumbbells
5 bodyweight pull-ups
I did five rounds of that giant set. I failed the very last rep on the dumbbell presses though.
Today was a bad day. I had about 6 hours of sleep last night, 6h30min at best. I woke up in a good mood, but by the time I got to the gym I was feeling exhausted. Also, I had a really good training session yesterdays and the lack of recovery showed in today’s workout.
High bar squat 10 set of 10 reps with 295lbs (133.8kg)
I kinda hated every rep on this training. I did finish the 10 sets and I’m happy about it. Also, I had no lower back pump whatsoever, this tells me that my squat stayed upright all the way through. That’s a good thing.
Overhead press 10 sets of 10 reps with 95lb (43.1kg)
These went well. The movement felt right. The last three sets were hard but doable.
This covered the essentials and since I haven’t completely recovered from yesterday’s training session, I didn’t bother with assistance work. I went straight to eating.
This week marked an important checkpoint in this training cycle. I finally did my 10x10 week (I actually missed today’s stiff leg deadlift and close grip bench due to school). So now I’m done incrementing the volume. I’ll be increasing the weigths while keeping the same volume for another 4 weeks.
Reading back the initial post of this training log I realise that I made some changes along the, but I think that it paid off. Now I have a pretty good where I’m going for the next couple of weeks.
So this is what I got planned until christmas:
Next 4 weeks:
I’ll keep my high bar squat and overhead press day 3 time a week on a 10x10 rep scheme. I’ll try to increase the weight a little bit every week.
I’ll have two push/press days. The press will be some kind of bench variation and the pull will be some kind of row variation on one day and some pull-up variation on the other.
The 6th day I’m gonna do a big (heavy) lift, either a low bar squat or a sumo deadlift. I’m also gonna add some posterior chain exercises.
Volume phase two
Then I’m gonna adopt a 4x7 rep scheme and I’ll add a set every week until I get to 7x7 and from there I’ll increase the weight for 3-4 weeks just like with the 10x10.
In 2017 …
In january I’ll start a strength building cycle probably in a 5x5 and 8x3 fashion. Then I might do an overload period of 4-6 weeks. Finally, by the middle of summer 2017 I’ll peak and I’ll test my maxes wrapping up this whole training program.
This is a very long shot but I have high hopes for this. If I get through, this will be the longest program I’ve ever completed (maybe the only one??).
High bar squat 10 sets of 10 reps with 305lbs (138.3kg)
This week I’m keeping the same volume as last week but I increase the load. I hesitated between adding 5lbs or 10lbs to the bar. Finally I decided not to be a lil bitch and I added 10lbs to the bar. I almost regretted that decision but I’m glad I made it. These were probably the hardest squat session of my life. After my last set I felt awful, I took me something like 15-20 minutes to be able to stand and do my overhead presses. The worse part of this wasn’t the squatting itself, it was the waiting in between, trying to recover and catch my breath knowing that I would have to unrack that bar once again in two minutes. Over and over.
Overhead press 10 sets of 10 reps with 100lbs (45.4kg)
This is only a 5lb increase from last week, but it shower. I barely finished my sets. I had to push press the last rep of both my last sets.
After that I wanted to do some farmer’s walk, but I couldn’t stand straight. So called it a day.
Today I was moving slow, my entire lower body is toasted from yesterday’s squats. Knowing that I’m gonna have to do that same squat session again tomorrow makes me a little bit anxious.
Bench press (competition style):
I worked up to a set of 4 reps at 275lbs (124.7kg) (I tried to go for 5 reps but I missed it) then I did 4 back off sets of 7 reps with 225lbs (102.1kg). This kind of reps/sets with these weights isn’t some kind of personal record, but my reps were feeling really fast.
Giant set of:
5 dumbbell row (each side) with 100lbs (45.4kg) dumbbells
5 dumbbell presses with 100lbs (45.4kg) dumbbells
10 hanging leg raises.
I did 5 rounds of these in about 20mins. I went pretty well. It was fun.
Then I did a superset of 20 calf raises and 20 dumbbell shrugs
I hate calf raises. I hate anything in relation the calfs. I hate calfs.
Damn that was a misatke. That would be pretty insane though… I think I mistaken my overhead press with my close grip bench! The reallity is MUCH less impressive. Thanks for pointing it out though, I’ll edit my post right away!
Today I felt beaten up. I woke up a 3 AM very anxious because of an aweful dream (yea I’m a sissy like that). Then I had kind of a stomach ache and I was still sore from two days ago. On top of that, I was dreading this training session a lot since I did the same two days ago and it was painful. Turns out it wasn’t so bad after all. My squats went much better than two days ago when I was feeling good.
High bar squat 10 set of 10 reps with 305lbs (138.3kg)
These got me working hard, but they felt much better than two days ago. I didn’t need to rest 20mins after the last set to get back to being a functional human being.
Overhead press 10 sets of 10 reps with 100lbs (45.4kg)
These were really hard, I almost didn’t finish it. Also, I did a couple of reps with very bad form (shame on me).
Day39 (6th of October) Walking in the park is a good thing
Today I had kind of a stomach ache just like two days ago. I think it’s because of the protein powder I use. Anyway, once again I had a pretty bad night of sleep, I woke up a 2 AM and I had trouble getting back to sleep. By the time I got to the gym in the afternoon I was feeling tired but then something incredible happened. The god of gainzz laid his swole hand on my tiny shoulder and gave me the strength to smash my squat session. Ok maybe not, but it felt just like that…
High bar squat 10 sets of 10 reps with 305lbs (138.3kg)
These went incredibly well. The first five sets were a walk in the park. The kind of walk with mommy and daddy swinging off of their arms being happy af. Seriously I had to check the weights to make sure I was squatting the right load. Then the last 5 sets went pretty good. After the last set I wasn’t feeling beaten up, I even think I had a couple more sets in me but I didn’t push it. I have plans for tomorrow… Anyway, at first I didn’t understand what happened so that my squat went that well so I made a list of what could have influenced my performance (in a good or bad way):
I didn’t sleep well
I had a stomach ache and I trained right after lunch (plus my lunch tasted like shit)
I had a rest day yesterday (I may seem like a good reason to perform but I don’t think that is the case. Since the beginning of this training cycle, the first training day of the week has been the worst for me even if it was preceded by a rest day)
I ate a ton of carbs today (oat meal and white rice)
I did some hip mobility before my squat workout (I did notice that my squat stance was a bit wider than usually and it felt good)
I was very calm during the training session
I walked A LOT yesterday. I had to shop for my cousin’s birthday present so I walked for 2-3 hours. I think that this impacted my squat session a lot since walking during a rest day has been proven to be a terrific active recovery method.
Right now that’s all I can think of. I will definitely go for a walk this Sunday and I will continue to eat carbs. Well see on Monday how my squat will go.
Overhead press 10 sets of 10 reps with 100lbs (45.4kg)
These were hard but they went a lot better than two days ago.
Today was my heavy day. The goal was only to hit some decent weight squat and deadlift. It didn’t go as planned, but I didn’t sleep a lot and yes, I was hangover. Shame on me. I needed this though (not the abuse of the bad things but rather the good time with some of my closest friends). Anyway, back to the training session. After an extensive warm-up session, I worked up to a 425lbs (192.8kg) squat which felt really uncomfortable although it appeared to be easy and fast to the eyes of my spotter. That was a low bar squat in 7 mm knee sleeves and with a belt. Then I moved to the sumo deadlift. My warm-up were feeling explosive, but my top single of 515lbs (233.6kg) felt really heavy. After that, I was done.
Today was a good day. I did a lot of mobility work before my squat session and it showed.
High bar squat 10 sets of 10 reps with 315lbs (142.9kg)
Today I added another 10lb to the bar. Usually my first squat training of the is shit, but today it went really well. The first 4 or 5 sets were really easy. I did all my sets without even wanting to complain about it. Today wasn’t much of a challenge. I did all those sets with the exact same E4MOM fashion as I’ve been doing for the last 6-7 weeks, so in the light of today’s training I’d say that I’ve progressed a lot, and I’m still progressing. This got me thinking that I might continue this 10x10 thing for longer that I expected. I planned to do it for two more weeks after this week, but if I still can add weight to the bar in three weeks, I’ll keep going that way. Never change a training program that works.
Overhead press 10 sets of 10 reps with 100lbs (45.4kg)
Last week that weight got me lifting with bad form so I’m not gonna increase it this week. Today it went a little better than last week, I think. Maybe I’ll increase the weight next week.
Bench press (competition style):
I worked up to a top single at 315 lb (142.9 kg), then I did 4 backoff sets of 4 reps with 255 lb (115.7 kg). It went well. My top single at 315 felt good, I had more in me. My backoff sets were a little bit slow but they were easy.
Assistance work
For my assistance work I did two giant sets in an EMOM fashion. I really like EMOMs, it helps a lot to focus on the task at hand, to monitor progress and not to be a pussy.
Giant set 1: E4MOM of:
7 barbell row with 225 lb (102.1 kg)
15-30 seconds of barbell hold (more 15 than 30) over hand with the 225 lb barbell.
1 min to 1.5 min of abs plank
This gave me about 30 seconds of rest every 4 minutes. I was hard. The plank was surprisingly hard. The barbell holds too for that matter. I really wanted to hold it for more than 15 seconds but I couldn’t.
Giant set 2: E4MOM of:
7 pull ups
Dumbbell press 5 reps with 100 lb (45.4 kg) dumbbells.
12 hanging ab crunches.
The limiting factor here was probably my grip strength
Then I wanted to do calves (not really) but I hate calves. No body should do calves. It’s the most useless muscle of the human body. I hate calves… So I went home.
Today’s training session was hard. I didn’t feel so well and my squats were really challenging unlike two days ago. I think I don’t digest well the protein I use. I’ll stop using it and we’ll see what happens.
High bar squat 10 sets of 10 reps with 315 lb (142.9kg)
These were really hard, from the first set to the last one. It was a good mental challenge.
Overhead press 10 sets of 10 reps with 100 lb (45.4 kg)
As usual, these were really hard and I barely finished them. Today was a little bit different than the past few weeks, I didn’t feel the work in my triceps but rather in my shoulders.