Idea is to start each day with 3 sets of 1-5, then do the rest of the day’s work in the 6-12 rep range.
BB Bench
bar 3x135 3x185
1x225 - so I didn’t get any stronger after all with the 3x/week full body… ;(
3, 3 x205
8, 6 x185
6x175
OHP
8, 7, 6 x115
10, 8 x95
Side raises
4x12x15s
Not too exact with reps here, was more like mechanical drop sets type of deal where I gradually up the cheating until my shoulders are really pumped up.
Session took about an hour, so logistically that’s solid. Planned on doing incline BB bench but it felt awkward so I skipped ahead to BB OHP. This ended up being a good choice because by the time I was done with OHP I couldn’t even do a dip.
Bench press
bar 3x135 3x185
1x225 - The second rep was halfway up and I swear I had it. But spotter saw the bar slow down and grabbed it up.
4, 3 x205
6x185
6, 6x175
12x135
OHP
11x95
4x115
9, 7, 7 x95
Shoulder raises
More total volume than last time (I don’t count isolation work in said total).
Tangible goals for by December 31:
Bench: 1x245
Pull-up: 1x+85
Deadlift: 1x445
It’s easier to fail under a weight that’s way too heavy than it is to actually grind out a tough weight you can do. These goals are modest compared to the OP but I think I can actually hit these before December ends.
Pull-up
singles and triples with BW and +25
2, 1x+75
2x+65
6/1x+25 - X/Y+W means X reps at +W weight, then drop the DB from my feet and do Y more reps.
7/1x+25
5/1x+25
7, 6 xBW
Training, today was two sessions:
AM:
4 bowls oats, superset with 2% milk
Notes: Felt pretty good coming out, definitely had some space in the tank. Was considering doing some egg work but I just felt like my oats were lacking today.
PM:
(Didn’t seem to need a warmup, just went right into the main work)
Main lift: One heavy set of footlong on white with extra (and I mean extra) turkey
Auxiliary work: 3 full plates rice super set with 6 fillets salmon
Finish with 2% chocolate milk dropset to failure
Don’t know why my gut always seems to be distended out. Picture above is completely relaxed (not even bodybuilding show “relaxed”, I mean RELAXED). So I have a six pack with a basketball under it.
In any case I would do well to make more out of my lower body day (which is today by the way). At the minimum some high rep squatting would sure boost my appetite. All I did last week was deadlifts and GMs. I’d probably even do well for myself by replacing GMs with squats.
Total lbs is 11750, so more volume than last week. Deadlifts poopy because hamstrings are still sore from last week. This has happened before, but I come back stronger. Definitely not going to say my lower body work capacity is limited to 3 heavy sets of tugs.
Ran into some scheduling issues and didn’t have enough time to eat (I actually need a specific amount of time per day to devote to shoveling rice), then I hit the dining hall for breakfast to see there were no oats available… just pancakes (full of fat, low in carbs) and breakfast cereal (check nutrition facts - half the carb content of oatmeal/rice)
Will take that into my own hands and start cooking my own oatmeal. Friday will have a PR.
Oats are nasty but I’m making my own white rice instead now for much easier shoveling.
The gym I normally go to was closed, so I had to head to the gym across campus. Since I normally plan on going in the last hour the gyms are open to avoid crowding I only had 45 minutes for today.
Bench
2, 2, 1 x225 - Last set I might have been able to hit two. Spotter grabbed it while I was still grinding in the middle. I directly told him not to touch the bar unless I explicitly said “Take it”. Not mad, just sayin.
8, 5 x185
6x175
12x135
OHP
12, 7, 7 x95
As for a PR? Today was actually a new best for work per time.
My phone died before I went to the gym so I couldn’t log set by set. But maybe I can remember:
Pull-up
3x+75 - Third wasn’t as high as the last two but higher than I ever got it before.
2, 1 x+65
8/3 x+25
4/2 x+25
5xBW
Lat pull-downs
16, 9x120
5x100-110x8-12
Upright rows and curls
ANYWAYS I’ve been thinking about how I took my dips up from 2x+85 to 2x+95 just by doing pretty much only dips for two days straight, taking a day off and then coming back. I want to try that with BB bench on Monday.
No PR for total volume BUT keep in mind I benched three times this week, not just two. Also, new weight PR >>>> all. I’ll do upper body pull tomorrow, off Saturday, lower body Sunday, and back to benching on Monday.
Back rounded on 375 but I kept my form strict with 365. ATM I am losing my train of thought because my roommate is watching some heated British TV drama. Anyways went with more GMs instead of squats because I want to really crack down on low back and hamstrings. Not sure how total work compares since I naturally squat more than I GM. If I really wanted to get my lower body moving up I’d probably want to train it at least twice a week instead of what I do now. But I don’t know what more I can get away with if I’m already doing so much benching.
Total 11085 lbs. One more total heavy rep than Thursday but otherwise not much new. It seems like I only need 48 hours tops to recover fully from a bench day, even when I really drive myself down by coming in directly the next day. Speaking of which, that isn’t a good idea. If I’m going to prioritize pressing I would do better to have a setup more like:
Sunday: Lower body
Rest of week: Alternate press/pull days
So if I can do pull tomorrow, come back Wednesday and hit any kind of new pressing PR, that would tell me that I had better be pressing every other day.
There’s nothing to say that the two-day on, one day off plan actually made me stronger since 225 was pretty fast by the time I tried it anyway.
