Reion's Training Log

I’ve been a long time lurker of this site, read the articles every day, and have it saved as my home page. It’s about time I finally created a log here. I did have a log on Bodybuilding.com, but that community there is incredibly volatile and I’d rather steer clear of that. I followed the PHAT protocol over the last summer and made some great strength gains on it, then began 5/3/1, with which I’ve completed a few mesocycles. I love it and plan to stick with it. I’m switching to the 2 day per week training option to accommodate my martial arts training.

Personal stats:
28 years old
5’4", 165lbs
Former soldier with a few injuries to live with and train around (ACL sprains, cervical stenosis, etc. etc.)

All weights in pounds (lbs)

Current maxes:
160 - Press
205 - Incline Bench
325 - Squat
415 - Deadlift
(The squat and deadlift are usually belted, with the addition of straps on my deadlift. Straps are only used for the top set, everything else below is double overhand)

Goals I’d like to achieve by summer:
185 - Press
225 - Incline Bench
365 - Squat
405 - Deadlift (already completed, but I’ll keep pushing it)
Get back in to martial arts (Judo and BJJ)

Yesterday’s Workout:

Squat - Warm up:
1x5 120lbs
1x5 150lbs
1x3 180lbs
~1x5 195lbs
~1x5 225lbs
~5+ 250lbs - 7 (Belted)

Incline Bench - Warm up:
1x5 75lbs
1x5 95lbs
1x3 115lbs
~1x5 120lbs
~1x5 140lbs
~5+ 160lbs - 6

Barbell Row - 185lbs - 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Back Raises - 15, 15, 10

Rear Lateral Raises - 15L/R x 12.5lbs, 10L/R x 15lbs, 11 x 15lbs

Today’s Workout:

Deadlift - Warm up:
1x5 150lbs
1x5 195lbs
1x3 225lbs
~1x5 245lbs
~1x5 285lbs
~5+ 320lbs - 7 (Belted/Strapped)

Press - Warm up:
1x5 60bs
1x5 75lbs
1x3 90lbs
~1x5 95lbs
~1x5 110lbs
~5+ 125lbs - 7

Pullup - 8, 5, 3

Dips - 10, 10, 10

Hanging Leg Raise - 12, 10, 7

Machine Curls - 12 x 60lbs, 5 x 70lbs, 5 x 60lbs

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Decided to get into the gym this morning to do some cardio. Got on the stationary bike for a little over 15 minutes, then made sure to do some stretching. I was supposed to get back into martial arts this week, but it’s been a rough few days. Being a 28-year old vet is aggravating sometimes, and I had to leave school early. Everything should be back on track next week though.

Yesterday’s Workout:

Squat - Warm up:
1x5 120lbs
1x5 150lbs
1x3 185lbs
~1x3 205lbs
~1x3 235lbs
~3+ 265lbs - 7 (Belted)

Incline Bench - Warm up:
1x5 75lbs
1x5 95lbs
1x3 115lbs
~1x3 130lbs
~1x3 150lbs
~3+ 170lbs - 5

Barbell Row - 175lbs - 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Back Raises - 10lbs - 12, 10, 10

Rear Lateral Raises - 15lbs - 15, 12, 10

Today’s Workout:

Power Clean - 4x115lbs, 3x135lbs

Deadlift - Warm up:
1x5 150lbs (Did singles on power clean)
1x5 190lbs
1x3 225lbs
~1x3 265lbs
~1x3 300lbs
~3+ 345lbs - 5 (Belted/Strapped)

Press - Warm up:
1x5 60bs
1x5 75lbs
1x3 90lbs
~1x3 105lbs
~1x3 120lbs
~3+ 130lbs - 5

Pullup - 10lbs - 5, 5, 5

Dips - 10lbs - 5, 5, 5

Dumbbell Curl - 30lbs - 7, 5, 4

Notes: Realized that I’d started leaning out a bit over the past week and lost a pound, simply by cleaning up my diet a bit. I’d been wondering if my body fat levels were starting to get a little out of hand for my height, so I’m bringing it down, then building some size back up; slow is smooth. I’m planning on getting back into BJJ this week, so I may take some pictures soon and compare the results later on.

First day back in BJJ. Holy crap, it was humbling, to say the least. Worked on sweeps from side control today. There’s a competition in a few weeks that a few of the guys are planning on competing in, so side control is going to be the main point of study leading up to it.

I’m excited to be back and finally be around one place long enough to really give it a go.

Forgot to post my workout from last weekend.

2/13/2016:

Front Squat - Warm up:
1x5 45lbs
1x5 95lbs
1x3 135lbs
~1 - 185lbs
~1 - 205lbs
~1 - 225lbs
~1 - 245lbs (Belted)
~1 - 275lbs (Belted) (PR)

Incline Bench - Warm up:
1x5 70lbs
1x5 95lbs
1x3 115lbs
~1x5 140lbs
~1x3 160lbs
~1+ 170lbs - 3

Barbell Row - 180lbs - 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Back Raises - 20lbs - 15, 12, 12

Rear Lateral Raises - 20lbs - 11, 13, 12

2/14/2016:

Deadlift - Warm up:
1x5 150lbs
1x5 190lbs
1x3 225lbs
~1x5 285lbs
~1x3 320lbs
~1+ 355lbs - 4 (Belted/Strapped)

Press - Warm up:
1x5 60bs
1x5 75lbs
1x3 90lbs
~1x5 110lbs
~1x3 120lbs
~1+ 140lbs - 3

Pullup - 15lbs - 5, 5, 5

Dips - 15lbs - 5, 5, 5

Cable Curl - 20x40lbs, 13x50lbs, 7x60lbs

Notes: Decided to stop training the martial arts, at least for a little while. It just takes too much out of my body and leaves me way too sore/exhausted to really do anything. On another note, I’m going to do a few training cycles, focusing on my front squat. I wanted to test it on Saturday to see how far it’s come since the last time I did them (last summer, 225lb 1RM). I also feel far more stable doing them. Also down a few pounds, three weeks into my cut. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

Today’s Workout:

Incline Bench - Warm up:
1x5 80lbs
1x5 100lbs
1x3 120lbs
~1x5 130lbs
~1x5 150lbs
~5+ 170lbs - 5

Barbell Row - 185lbs - 3, 3, 3, 3

Single-Arm Dumbbell Press - 50lbs - 5, 5, 5

Lateral Raise - 20lbs - 10, 10, 7

Rear Lateral - 20lbs - 10, 7, 4

Cardio:
Stationary Bike - 20:00
Max HR: 171

Today’s Workout:

Deadlift - Warm up:
1x5 155lbs
1x5 195lbs
1x3 235lbs
~1x5 250lbs
~1x5 290lbs
~5+ 330lbs - 7 (Belted/Strapped)

Dumbbell Shrug - 40lbs - 12, 8, 9

Hanging Leg Raise - 12, 12, 10

Cardio:
Stationary Bike - 10:00 (HIIT)
Max HR: 163

Today’s Workout:

Press - Warm up:
1x5 65lbs
1x5 80lbs
1x3 95lbs
~1x5 100lbs
~1x5 115lbs
~5+ 130lbs - 6

Pullups - 25lbs - 5, 5, 5

Dips - 25lbs - 5, 5, 5

Dumbbell Row - 60lbs - 12, 10, 9

Cardio:
Elliptical - 23:00 (Hills)
Max HR: 171-194 (This was taken using the machine, so likely off by a lot)

Yesterday’s Workout:

Front Squat - Warm up:
1x5 100lbs
1x5 125lbs
1x3 150lbs
~1x3 165lbs
~1x3 190lbs
~3+ 215lbs - 5 (Belted)

Back Raise - 25lbs - 12, 10, 10

Lying Leg Curl (Single-Leg) - 10x30lbs, 5x50lbs, 12x30lbs

Cardio:
Elliptical - 12:00 (Steady)
Max HR: ~171-180

2/27/2016:

Barbell Row - 185lbs - 5, 3, 3

Incline Bench - Warm up:
1x5 80lbs
1x5 100lbs
1x3 120lbs
~1x3 140lbs
~1x3 160lbs
~3+ 180lbs - 4

Single-Arm Dumbbell Press - 55lbs - 5, 5, 5

Notes: Stayed on campus for the weekend and had one too many the night before. Workout suffered as a result.

2/28/2016:

Deadlift - Warm up:
1x5 155lbs
1x5 195lbs
1x3 235lbs
~1x3 270lbs
~1x3 315lbs
~3+ 350lbs - 3 (Belted/Strapped)

Dumbbell Shrug - 50lbs - 12, 10, 8

Hanging Leg Raise - 10, 7, 6

Notes: Another rough day. I know I should have pulled it for 5 reps, but everything just seemed off. Didn’t have anything the night before, but likely just exhausted still.

Today’s Workout:

Press - Warm up:
1x5 65lbs
1x5 80lbs
1x3 95lbs
~1x3 110lbs
~1x3 125lbs
~3+ 140lbs - 5

Pullups - 30lbs - 5, 5, 4

Dips - 30lbs - 5, 5, 5

Dumbbell Row - 65lbs - 12, 8, 8

Notes: Today felt much better. As it stands right now, I’m down 5-6 pounds in the past four weeks and haven’t noticed a significant negative change in my strength levels.

Today’s Workout:

Front Squat - Warm up:
1x5 100lbs
1x5 125lbs
1x3 150lbs
~1x2 175lbs
~1x2 200lbs
~2+ 225lbs - 5 (Belted)

Back Raise - 35lbs - 12, 10, 8

Lying Leg Curl (Single-Leg) - 13x40lbs, 3x60lbs (switched to a few negatives here to make it worth something), 5x40lbs

Cardio:
Stationary Bike - 23:00 (Steady)
AVG HR: 115

Yesterday’s Workout:

Incline Bench - Warm up:
1x5 80lbs
1x5 100lbs
1x3 120lbs
~1x5 150lbs
~1x3 170lbs
~1+ 185lbs - 1

Barbell Row - 185lbs - 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Single-Arm Dumbbell Press - 60lbs - 5, 3, 3

Today’s Workout:

Deadlift - Warm up:
1x5 155lbs
1x5 195lbs
1x3 235lbs
~1x5 290lbs
~1x3 330lbs
~1+ 365lbs - 1 (Belted/Strapped)

Cardio:
Stationary Bike - 15:00 (Steady)

Notes: Everything just felt off this weekend. The cut’s been killing me because I think I’ve been decreasing my calories too fast. Wasn’t even able to make it through my first two work sets on deadlift without the straps. I’m going to reset my incline bench and deadlift maxes, and increase my calories.

Today’s Workout:

Press - Warm up:
1x5 65lbs
1x5 80lbs
1x3 95lbs
~1x5 115lbs
~1x3 130lbs
~1+ 145lbs - 3

Pullups - 30lbs - 5, 5, 5

Bench Press - 135lbs - 10, 8, 6

Dumbbell Row - 65lbs - 15, 8, 8

Yesterday’s Workout:

Front Squat - Warm up:
1x5 100lbs
1x5 125lbs
1x3 150lbs
~1x3 190lbs
~1x2 215lbs
~1+ 240lbs - 3 (Belted)

Notes: Been getting over a wicked cold the past couple days, so I’ll take this with everything that’s been going on.

Today’s Workout:

Flat Bench - Warm up:
1x10 45lbs
1x5 95lbs
1x3 115lbs
~3 - 155lbs
~3 - 185lbs
~3 - 205lbs
~~Back off set - 6 - 155lbs

Barbell Row - 135lbs - 10, 7, 7

Single-Arm Dumbbell Press - 60lbs - 5, 5, 5

Cable Lateral Raise - 10lbs - 13, 13

Cable Rear Lateral - 10lbs, 10, 7

Notes: Worked up to a heavy triple today while trying to get back into flat benching. Working on just regulating myself and really working on my form so I don’t mess up my shoulder again. Everything felt tight.

3/11/2016:

Deadlift - Warm up:
1x5 135lbs
1x5 185lbs
1x3 225lbs
~3 - 275lbs
~3 - 315lbs
~3 - 365lbs
~1 - 405lbs

Lots of shrugs using dumbbells and even smith machine

Hanging Leg Raise - 13, 10, 10

Notes: Also switched to an autoregulatory workout for this too. Dropped the straps (kept the belt for all top sets though) and just went until I knew I’d risk pushing my form past its limits. Definitely felt much better than simply grinding through another rep for the sake of jacked up form.

Today’s Workout:

Press - Warm up:
1x10 45lbs
1x5 95lbs
1x3 105lbs
~7 - 115lbs
~2 - 135lbs
~3 - 125lbs

Pullups - 35lbs - 3, 3, 3

Pushup - 20, 12, 9

Single-Arm Cable Row - 20x50lbs, 15x60lbs, 11x70lbs

Notes: Got up extremely early for this workout, so I didn’t have much energy to really push the presses. Benches were taken, so benching and dumbbell rows were out of the question today, but I did alright with what I had.

Today’s Workout:

Front Squat - Warm up:
1x5 105lbs
1x5 135lbs
1x3 155lbs
~1x3 170lbs
~1x3 195lbs
~3+ 225lbs - 5 (Belted)

Back Raise - 45lbs - 12, 12, 8

Lying Leg Curl (Single-Leg) - 5x50lbs, 7x30lbs

Cardio:
Elliptical - 23:00
Max HR: 172

Notes: Front squats felt really good today. They’re still weak, but they’re moving.

Yesterday’s Workout:

Flat Bench - Warm up:
1x5 45lbs
1x5 95lbs
1x3 115lbs
~5 - 135lbs
~5 - 155lbs
~5 - 165lbs
~5 - 175lbs

Barbell Row - 5x115lbs, 7x135lbs, 5x155lbs, 6x135lbs

Dumbbell Clean and Press - 60lbs - 5, 5, 5

Cable Lateral Raise - 15x10lbs, 12x12.5lbs, 11x12.5lbs

Cable Rear Lateral - 15x10lbs, 7x12.5lbs, 8x10lbs

Cardio:
Battle Rope Intervals

Notes: Felt good working up to a top set of five. Form felt tight.

Today’s Workout:

Deficit Deadlift - Warm up:
1x5 135lbs
1x3 185lbs
~3, 3 - 225lbs
~1, 1, 1 - 245lbs
~1, 1 - 275lbs

Hanging Leg Raise - 15, 10x10lbs, 7x10lbs

Cardio:
Treadmill (Steady jog)
15:00
Max HR: 176

Notes: I SEVERELY underestimated the deficit deadlifts. I plan to rotate these with regular pulls from the floor, as well as high rep work. I was also able to get back into doing some jogging on the treadmill, which felt great. Just sucks that my heart rate still spikes during something that just feels easy.

Yesterday’s Workout:

Press - Warm up:
1x10 45lbs
1x3 95lbs
~1 - 115lbs
~1 - 135lbs
~1 - 155lbs
~~Back off set - 8 - 115lbs

Pullups - 35lbs - 4, 3, 3

Pushup - 25, 13, 9

Single-Arm Cable Row - 17x70lbs, 8x80lbs, 9x80lbs

Cardio:
Kettlebell Ladder (45lbs)
15-10-5-10-15-10-5-10-15

Notes: Wanted to work up to a top single, but with good form and speed. Went up alright, but started to slow down at my forehead. I’m walking around at a lower bodyweight, but I guess I should be pleased with the fact that I should be able to do a bodyweight strict press.