18/02 Sheiko CMS Prep 1 W4D1
Bodyweight 89.0kg
Squat
10@20
5@40
5@60
5@90
4@110
2x3@130
Added belt
7x3@150
Military press
10@20
5@45
4@55
2x3@65
2x3@75
3x2@80
2x3@75
Pullup / dip
6x8@BW
Leg raises
4x15
Nightmarish start to the session. Squats felt off and I was really flat energy-wise. Definitely on the slow side. Didn’t feel like continuing, but since nothing was actually in pain I kept going, with huge rest periods (actually, the bar was sitting kind of awkwardly, and I’m not sure why…) . Actually found a bit of a groove by the last couple of sets, but was certainly glad to be done.
For whatever reason, though, pressing seemed extremely strong. I know my form has come a long way in the last few weeks, and it’s paying off. The remaining accessories also felt quite good, although I still wasn’t energetic by any stretch.
20/02 Sheiko CMS Prep 1 W4D2
Bodyweight 89.5kg
Deficit deadlift
5@60
5@100
3@140
2x3@160
4x2@190 Hook grip
Bench press last rep paused
10@20
5@50
5@70
5@80
2x5@95
5x4@100 (5 reps on last set)
Deadlift
4@140
4@160
2x3@190
Alternate grip
3x3@220
3x2@230
Rolling triceps
3x15@17.5
2x15 just doubled light bands
Natural GHR with assistance
4x10@BW
Quite happy, on the whole. Deadlifts were pretty slow, but quite strong. No real issues with them, except that they weren’t explosive for the amount of weight. I guess my back’s been a bit sore, along with my hips, but that didn’t rear its head too much today.
Bench felt great; solid setup and good groove, although they’ll still some getting used to again. Triceps were the first thing to struggle, so I threw some accessory work at them. Just need to keep benching enough to progress without wrecking anything.
20/02 Sheiko CMS Prep 1 W4D3
Bodyweight 90.0kg
Squat last rep paused
10@20
5@40
5@60
5@90
4@110
2x3@130
Added belt
3x3@150
3x2@160 no pause
Military press
10@20
5@45
4@55
2x3@65
6x3@75
Close grip floor press
10…1…1…1@90 dropset
13…6…2…2@60
Pullup / dip
5x8@BW
Had to miss the second round of squats because of clients, not that I imagine they would have gone all that well. The first lot felt brutal, but less awful than the last couple of sessions. Military press was OK, but I felt a bit of a tweak in my shoulder that slowed things down.
Extra work
Shoulder prehab
Empty bar snatch technique stuff
Pretty much fluffed around while the gym was emptying
Couldn’t make it into the gym over the weekend.
23/05 Extra
Band lateral raises (paused every fifth rep) 5x20
25/02 Sheiko CMS Prep 1 W4D4
Bodyweight 90.0kg
Deadlift to knees
5@60
5@100
4@140
4@160
Alternate grip
2x3@190
4x2@220
Military press
10@20
5@40
5@60
5x5@75 (8 on last set)
Incline bench last rep paused
10@20
5@60
6x4@80
Rack pull smooth bar
4@160
4@190
2x3@220
4x3@240 held it for 15 seconds or so.
Had to wait an extra couple of days for this one, so I’m not sure if it was cheating because of the additional recovery time. At any rate, it went really well, I felt amazing. I did have a huge sushi binge last night which could have helped, too.
Pulls were all really fast and strong, and I can see some good PRs at this rate. The different pulling variations seem to complement each other quite well. Press felt great, too. Some of the sets were ridiculously fast.
The plan for the rest of the week is to deload slightly for a few sessions, keeping up the accessory work and extra sessions. Uni has started up again, eating up a lot of time, but I’ll do what I can. Sitting down for lectures might give me some time to lacrosse ball, at least.
PM Extra work
Single leg calf raise: 20 reps, back to back sets for 5 minutes ~160 per side
Shoulder rehab
27/02 Deload
Bodyweight 89.0kg
Bench press last rep paused
10@20
5@50
5@70
5@80
4@95
2x3@100
6x2@110
Squat last rep paused
10@20
5@40
5@60
5@90
4@120
Wide bench press last rep paused
6@60
5x6@80
Pullup / dip
7x8@BW
Bulgarian split squat
2x5@20
2x5@40
6@50
Used a bit less volume today and didn’t push squats at all. Apart from my ever-wonderful knees, everything felt fairly cruisy, certainly like a deload.
PM Extra work
TKEs: 6x20 first time doing these, felt good
02/03 Deload
Bodyweight 89.5kg
Deadlift to knees
5@60
5@100
4@140
4@160
2x3@190
5x2@220
Military press
10@20
5@45
4@55
2x3@65
2x3@75
3x2@80 (3 on last set)
Close grip floor press
13…1…1@90 dropset 12…3…3@60
Zercher squat
2x5@20
5@60
5@90
5@110
Felt good, strength seems to be up. The Zerchers were cool, and didn’t hurt my knees. I’m pretty stoked about that. They didn’t do great things for my elbows, but I’ll live.
Going to try CMS 3, so I can keep up the deadlift frequency. Everything seems to be going well, it’s just the knee pain I get from squats. I might throw in box squats, and keep the weight lower if I’m really sore.
Extra work
TRX row: 4x16@BW
Band abs: 4x20 used heavier band
Hanging leg raise: 3x15
TKEs: 4x30
04/03 CMS 3 W1D1
Bodyweight 90.0kg
Squat
10@20
5@40
5@60
5@80
5@100
4@120
2x3@140
Added belt
4x2@160
Bench press last rep paused
10@20
5@50
5@70
4@80
2x3@95
5x3@110
Box squat
5@40
5@80
4@110
4x3@130
Rolling triceps
10@20s
3x10@25s
3x12 just bands
Natural GHR with assistance
4x10@BW
My knees actually felt pretty good for the first round of squats, and the squats in turn were quite strong. Doing box squats for the second round seemed to keep my knees reasonably happy. They also hit my hamstrings and adductors pretty hard.
Bench was fairly decent,too. Just need to keep the technique nice and tight and get the reps in.
06/03 AM Extra
Massive stretch, roll and traction on my hips and legs. Bad DOMS after Monday’s box squats.
06/03 CMS 3 W1D2
Bodyweight 89.0kg
Military press
10@20
5@50
4@60
2x3@70
5x2@80 (4 last set - possibly a PR)
Deadlift
5@60
5@100
3@140
3@160
2x3@190
Alternate grip
5x3@220 (held it for 15 seconds and gave it a shake)
Military press
5@45
5@55
4x4@70 (instead of 65; did 6 last set)
Hanging leg raise
5x15
Back extension
3x10@BW plus band
TKE
3x30
My hamstrings and adductors are killing me, but I had an awesome session. Would have struggled had it been squats today, but deadlifts were fast and happy. Press was really good too. Might think about upping the working max once I’m consistently getting extra reps.
After the accessories, my legs actually seemed to feel much more normal. Contrast shower, stretching and carb-up window to follow.
08/03 CMS 3 W1D3
Bodyweight 89.0kg
Squat last rep paused
10@20
5@60
5@90
4@110
2x3@130
Added belt
6x3@150 (5 reps last set)
Bench press last rep paused
10@20
5@50
5@70
4@80
2x3@100
6x3@110
Pullup / dip
4@BW
4@20
3x4@30
2x8@BW
Good morning
5@60
4x5@100
Had another huge warmup and my knees didn’t feel too bad, for the second consecutive squat session. In fact I think I found a bit of a sweet spot getting my upper back tight, and got into a nice groove. Could have pushed out more than 5 reps on the last set, but they probably would have been fairly ugly. I’m still happy.
Bench was a bit less of a success; my right biceps and shoulder were a bit tweaked and that put me off. Still, the technique was decent and I got the reps in. Hopefully stepping up the prehab work will help.
PM Extra work
Band biceps
Shoulder stuff
09/03 CMS 3 W1D4
Bodyweight 89.5kg
Deadlift to knees
5@60
5@100
3@140
3@160
2x3@190
Alternate grip
4x2@220 (supposed to be 205)
Military press
10@20
5@45
4@65
6x3@75
2@85 for shits and giggles
TRX row
5x10@BW
Rack pull smooth bar
4@160
4@190
2x3@220
4x2@240 held the last rep for 10 seconds
Front squat
3x5@60
2x3@80
Hanging leg raise
5x18@BW
Felt half asleep for most of today, but had another good one. Went heavier than prescribed on deadlifts to knees without issue, then military press instead of incline and pushed that a bit. Only real drama was my right biceps, which is pretty sore still.
Could have gone heavier with the rack pulls but saved it for another time. Front squats were OK, apart from struggling not to dump the bar. Something to work on, I suppose. To top it off, my abs feel awesome after the leg raises and are at present trying to escape my body. Good times indeed.
11/03 CMS 3 W2D1
Bodyweight 89.0kg
Bench press last rep paused
10@20
5@50
5@70
4@80
2x3@95
5x3@110
Squat last rep paused
10@20
5@40
5@60
5@90
4@110
2x3@130
Added belt
5x3@150
Bench press last rep paused
5@75
5@90
4x4@100
Close grip floor press
8…1…1@90 dropset 12…3…3@60
Natural GHR with assistance
5x10@BW
Did band shoulder external rotations in between
Pretty fair today. My right biceps is still giving me grief, which is slowing down my pressing and makes squats a tad uncomfortable, but for the moment it’s only a minor concern. Still got all my reps in on the bench, with all the planned pauses, so that’s good.
Squats were pain-free, and pretty solid. Stayed far more upright. I feel my biggest weak link is keeping my chest up; a lot of times I’ll either good morning the weight up or get crushed. Fatigue plays a big part, but the form and execution have tightened up considerably.
13/03 CMS 3 W2D2
Bodyweight 89.5kg
Deadlift to knees
5@60
5@100
3@140
3@160
2x3@190
Alternate grip
4x2@220
Military press
All cleaned from the floor
10@20
5@50
5@60
4@70
2x3@75
2x2@80
3x1@85
3@75
5@65
8@60
Flye / rear delts
5x10@20s
Nice session, but pretty low on energy. Got the work done on the main movements then had to bail so I could head to uni.
PM Extra
Sled push up to a couple of laps with 115kg x30 metres
Leg raises
5x18@BW
TKE
4x30 with heavy band
15/03 CMS 3 W2D3
Bodyweight 89.0kg
Squat
10@20
5@40
5@60
5@90
4@110
2x3@130
Added belt
5x2@150
Bench press
10@20
5@50
5@70
4@80
2x3@95
5x2@110
Flye / rear delts
5x10@22.5s
Box squat
6@80
6@100
2x6@110
Ran out of time there. Pretty buggered after a night of very little sleep. Still, I’m fairly pleased with the technique today, considering.
PM Extra
Natural GHR with assistance
5x10@BW
Front squat hold
15sec@140
4x15@160
Off to see Ensiferum tonight. Should be a mad concert!
16/03 CMS 3 W2D4
Bodyweight 89.5kg
Military press
10@20
5@50
4@60
5x3@70
Deadlift Program said rack pulls
5@60
5@100
4@150
4@180
2x3@205
4x3@230 held the last rep for 15 seconds
Pullup / dip
5x10@BW
Decline JM press
3x12@40 straight into 2x25 band pushdowns
Leg raises
7x18@BW giving them a good squeeze
Not the most restful of nights; what with all the Guinness and Viking metal, but had a good session despite feeling pretty under-slept. Ensiferum were bloody awesome, easily one of the best shows I’ve been to. Hope they come back again soon 
Press was fine, not that I went really heavy. Pulls were smooth, if not fast. Mustn’t grumble, since they were supposed to be rack pulls. Everything went pretty well, and I finished in just over an hour. Time to get outside some barbecued animal products and watch kung fu movies.
Extra
Band lateral raises
Shoulder prehab
18/03 CMS 3 W3D1
Bodyweight 88.5kg
Bench press last rep paused
10@20
5@50
5@75
4@90
2x3@100
4x2@115
Squat last rep paused
10@20
5@40
5@60
5@90
4@110
2x3@130
Added belt
5x3@150
Bench press last rep paused
5@70
4@80
3@95
5x2@110
Flye / rear delts
5x10@25s
Close grip floor press
10…1…1…1@90 dropset 8…3…3@60 dropset
2x25 band pushdowns
Natural GHR with assistance
5x10@BW
Had a good day today. Benching is feeling better; no real shoulder pain anymore. Squats were pretty good too. Triceps and hamstrings are certainly pretty fried now.
The only thing that I wasn’t too happy about was my eating the past couple of days, and thus my weight and energy today. Going to try to get more calories in (sans carbs) first, then aim for more protein. I might bump up the intake for cheat meals too. I’m not too bothered if I don’t eat a great deal in the hours before training, just about the caloric deficit getting too great for too long. Should be sweet.
19/03 Extra work
Band shoulder raises
20/03 CMS 3 W3D2
Bodyweight 89.5kg
Deadlift to knees
5@60
5@100
3@140
3@160
2x3@190
Alternate grip
5x2@220 (supposed to be 205)
Military press
10@20
5@50
4@60
2x3@70
6x3@80
Rack pull
3@160
3@190
2x3@220 little pop in my back on the second set
3x2@245 held for 15 seconds
Leg raise
5x20@BW
Everything went pretty well until the rack pulls. Deadlifts to knees were really fast and tight. Military press was easily a PR for volume at 80kg, and felt quite comfortable. I guess I was just too pumped by the time I got to rack pulls. On the second set of 220, I got a bit loose putting the bar down and felt something move in my lumbar/sacral spine. I don’t think it’s a disc, because I negative slump test, but it didn’t feel too awesome either way.
Still tried and succeeded with 245, although it was slower than it would have been otherwise. Did some abs and buggered off home to stretch out and eat.
21/03 Extra work
Stretching and rolling glutes, piriformis and hip flexors.
Did some squats with the bar, and it didn’t hurt. I still have a lot of discomfort in my lower back, so I’ll have to play tomorrow by ear.
21/03 More stuff
Trunk stability/activation
More stretching/rolling
22/03 CMS 3 W3D3
Bodyweight 89.0kg
Squat
10@20
5@40
5@60
5@80
5@100
4@120
2x1@140
Didn’t bother with 160
Bench press last rep paused
10@20
5@50
5@70
4@80
2x3@95
2x2@110
3x1@120 all paused
Flye / rear delts
5x10@25s
Leg extensions against short band
10@25
10@45
3x10@65
Natural GHR with assistance
5x10@BW
Good girl machine
20@30
4x10@60
Hip and lumbar mobility are pretty much back to normal, but the pain is still nagging. I think it might be my SI joints as well as around L5/S1. Squats moved well warming up, but 140 was just uncomfortable. Didn’t have any drive, so I bailed.
Bench was a little painful, but I got by. 120kg is actually a gym PR on the crap gym benches. I really worked on getting a tight setup, and the singles flew up. That kind of balances things out, I guess.
Did some extra lower body accessories to try and mitigate any problems with muscle inhibition due to this injury. My adductors seem weak, so I might throw some more work at them.
PM Extra work
TKEs 3x30
More stretching and rolling
23/03 CMS 3 W3D4
Bodyweight 89.5kg
No deadlifts
Military press
10@20
5@50
5@60
4x4@70
Pullup / dip
5x10@BW
Close grip floor press
10…1…1…1@90 dropset 15…3…3@60
Good girl machine
20@30
12@60
4x12@70
20@50
Band monster walks
4 trips of about 30m
Apart from not being able to deadlift, I guess this was an OK session. Ended up working through everything pretty quickly and worked my arms pretty hard.
Hips are improving slowly.
24/03 Extra work
Band lateral raises 5x20
25/03 CMS 3 W4D1
Bodyweight 89.0kg
Bench press last rep paused
10@20
5@50
5@75
4@90
2x3@100
5x2@115 (3 for the last set)
Squat
10@20
5@40
5@60
5@90
4@110
2x3@130
Added belt
2x2@150
3x1@170
2x3@150
Flye / rear delts
5x10@27.5s
Natural GHR with assistance
5x10@BW
Brilliant day today. Wasn’t sure if I was going to keep to the schedule or repeat the previous week, deloading the lower body lifts. I did the bench press portion for week 4 because it was similar, so it hinged on how I felt squatting.
It felt fantastic, as it happens, so I went for gold. Obviously I should be able to get 170kg for singles, but it was a definite volume PR for that weight. The singles were better form-wise than 150 was a couple of months ago, too.
Got a really good feeling from the flyes, too. Would have thought the bigger dumbbells could have ruined the isolation, but I had an awesome pump in my pecs and upper back. Natural GHRs seem like they’re a hair away from the point where I can do them without assistance, which is pretty cool too.