I’ve been considering using a Designer Athletes type set up for a while- very similar in design to your current split. Cressey style volume cycling definitely worked for me in the past, I really liked 5x4/4x4/8x3/3x3.
There’s another big part of me that wants to run Maximum Strength again just because I never got to finish the program and see all the improvements because of my thumb injury.
I’ll be deliberating this over the next couple weeks, just have two real finals and a paper to finish up.
Finals Week is traditionally max week for us, didn’t start out too great.
Got absolutely stapled by 240 twice on bench. Wasn’t the greatest day to start with (even 185 felt heavy) but that was embarrassing. First attempt was going up decent but somehow shifted to the left and missed. Happened on the second rep as well. I’m mystified since I’ve never had any kind of real strength imbalance between my arms. I’ll be retesting bench on Friday, if it goes the same then I’ll make some judgements. Until then it was just a bad day.
Also did 365 sumo, didn’t feel like 385 would break from the floor if I tried it. Still strange that I have so big of a disparity between my conventional and sumo.
Hopefully I can redeem myself on Wednesday with the Front Squat.
I’d say 3 or 4 inches up, it was the strangest thing because it’s never happened to me before. Didn’t go for a video either time since I figured a 5 lb PR wasn’t worth it, kind of wish I had now just to check it out.
Was way too sore in the mid back (absolutely destroyed from the front squats, awesome feeling) to retest bench or military so I’ll just keep progressing with those.
Gym also closed early so no conventional deadlift, but I’ll be back home on Monday and the current plan is to pull from a deficit all summer- the plates back home are smaller than normal, plus I’ll have a 2 inch platform so it should be pretty brutal!
I’ve got a pretty good tentative plan as to what my programming will look like over the summer so that will be going up later today. No more tests and the rest of the fridge has to be emptied of… stuff.
Some modifications will probably happen later when I get a job/retake Anatomy but we’ll get to that as time goes on. I may post my warmup and meal plan later on depending on how bored I am lol.
Deadlift
A1. 5/3/1 Deficit Pull (2 inches)
A2. Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
B. Good Morning 4x6-8
C. Single Leg Squat 3x5-10
D1. GHR 2x6-12
D2. Pallof Press 5x10
Bench
Going by Tim Henrique’s bench program here on T-Nation. I’m not expecting anything amazing but I think the high volume and hypertrophy will help for when I eventually run the full Ed Coan Bench. I want this summer to be mainly about making my bench not suck anymore, but it’ll be difficult without a spotter. After the bench work:
B. Barbell Row 5x5-10
C. gun show
Squat
A1. Front Squat 5/3/1
A2. Ankle Mobilization
B. RDL 4x6-8
C. Reverse DB Lunge 3x5-10
D1. Hyper 2x6-12
D2. Ab Wheel 5x10
Chin
A1. 30/40/50 Pullup/Hammer/Chin (cycle every week)
A2. Military 3x6-10
B1. HS High Row 5x5-10
B2. Overhead Lockout 5x5-10
C1. Reverse Curl 2x6-12
C2. External Rotation Circuit
A. Flat Bench: 185x5, 4x175x5 B. Incline: 5x5x115 C. Close Grip: 5x5x135 D1. Cable Crossover: 5x8x40 D2. HS High Row: 5x8x2 plates
Combination of monstrously sore lats and really bad barbells. My working weights should have been at least 10 lbs higher. I’m considering buying a Texas Power Bar and some Muscle Clamps when I get the cash.
In retrospect, I think I’m going to use a more work up to a heavy set of 5 strategy the next heavy week as opposed to the straight sets approach. Doing heavy and high volume incline and close grip after flat is very tiring. Hopefully next time I can set up a bench in one of the power racks that will have the right safety bar setting so I don’t have to worry about failing a rep without a spotter.
Barbell Row was in the plans but my lats and P-chain were too sore to do anything but machine rows. Good thing I like this one.
Front squat tomorrow and then a chin/military on Friday- should be fun.
Oh, and 45 minutes of 3.5 mph/4.5 incline today. Morning cardio was running on Mon/Tues.
A. Front Squat: 165, 190x5 and 215x10 B. Romanian Deadlift: 4x6 work up to 215x6 C. Reverse DB Lunge: 3x8 work up to 30s D1. Hyper 2x12 D2. Ab Wheel 5x10
Still very sore but wanted to at least equal my 225 reps. Definitely have room to go much heavier on everything, working my way up.
Oh and may I just say that Airdyne Intervals suck… that is all.
A1. Military: 90, 100x5 and 115x8 or 10 (I don’t remember? lol) A2. Wide Grip Pullup: 30 reps (6x5) B1. DB Row: 4x6 work up to 95x6 B2. Seated Overhead Lockout: 3x8x115 Curl and External Rotation
Forgot the camera today, would have been helpful but I’ll get it next week. These shitty barbells are affecting my pressing the most but I’m persevering and hopefully I’ll be ordering a bar of my own soon. I like the assistance right now (DB Row and Overhead Lockout) and will be adding volume before weight.
Overall not bad. Have the weekend now to relax and make some new equipment.
Bad/spotty knurling, very rigid and not willing to rotate at all. I had to fight to rotate the barbell while deadlifting earlier in the week (definitely took some repping power away) and I was noticeably weaker pressing with these bars than with the ones back at college.
