Why the front squat exercise? Personally, I love this exercise but you don’t see a lot of guys doing it.
I like your combination of squats, GM, and leg press exercises. I know the leg press gets a bad rap, but if you do it as an accessory lift with squats and lower back work, it is a great strength/endurance builder.
Why NOT the front squat? 
I started doing these as I was rehabbing my disc injury and grew to love them. Those, Zercher squats, and db ‘goblet’ squats.
Now that I think about it, I did 20 fast Bodyweight squats after every set of front squats-- I should edit those in.
For the longest time I could go heavier with those than my backsquat.
Additionally, for me, I think I hit my abs harder with them than my legs, so I try to pair up the leg press when I can.
Doc (chiro) said I had a serious ab imbalance (ie not strong enough) and obviously didn’t want me doing backsquats (especially since that’s how I injured myself). I got the go ahead for the goblet squats and basically started with bodyweight.
I try to alternate f-sq, z-sq, and back squats every week, although I wasn’t happy with my sets last night, I may keep those in for a couple weeks.
Front Squats to the rescue! And I thought I was the only one. Putting in a lot of work it looks like. I keep seeing most the guys doing GoodM’s, still trying to get into that groove myself, only tried a couple times. The way your setting them up looks worth a try.
Maybe you could try a “mister T” on the misses??? She’d sleep right through the flight and suddenly, you’d be living in Colorado! Nice Pushpress also, another favorite.
9.26.08 - Abs/Bis (thanks Bauer97)
A1: DB Curl: 30x15, 35x11, 40x9
A2: Swiss Ball Jackknife: 10, 15, 10
B1: BB Curl: 65x12, x9, x10
B2: Rope Crunch: 150x20, 170x20, 180x20
C1: Pinwheel Curl: 55x8, 50x10, 55x8, 60x5, 55x5
C2: Rev. Crunch: 10, 10, 10, X, X
9.27.08 - Chest/Tri
A1: DB Press: 80x8, x7, x8, x6
A2: Tate Press: 40x8, 45x5, 40x5, 35x8
B1: Inc. DB Flye: 40x8, x8, x6, 35x10
B2: DB Floor Press: 80x3, x2, 70x5, x5
C1: PecDec: 70x8, x8, x8
C2: DBFP (cont’d): 70x1+fail, 60x5, 60x8
D1: Tcep Pushdown (T attach): 100x15, 120x12, 120x10
D2: 1 Arm Rope P/D: 40x7, x8, 50x6, x6
Man those super sets can kill you, nice work. How much rest between super sets? (From a to b I mean)
Yeah, they’re nasty! The gym has a track, so I walk around once or twice (almost a minute per lap) between sets and definitely twice between groups plus whatever time it takes to get set up. That’s usually enough to recover but not so much that I lose intensity.
Wow a super organised log and training plan, keep up the sterling work. It looked like you have some postural issues, are you addressing those?
Thanks jamfly!
I have to work on my antisocial behavior issues before I can attack my postural issues.
On the road in CO this week…
Looks like casein shakes, egg/bacon breakfast buffets, and meaty salads all week.
Will try to post workouts-- probably lot of cardio and Hammer Strength machine work.
Saw this dude on the plane going to Denver. Could have been a pro. He was incredibly HUGE and had that dry look to him like he has/will/could compete soon. Didn’t get a chance to talk to him.
3 Workouts on the road last week:
Tue 10/7: Hammer Strength Row machine many sets 5-8 reps, Lat pulldowns (same), biceps curl machine same
Wed 10/8: Hammer Strength Presses (Bench, Incline, Shoulder)- many sets 5-8 reps
Thurs 10/9: Squats - 5x5, 2 x 3 @ 315
Fri 10/10: Cardio Recumbent Bike, some db curls
Food: Lots of omellettes, casein protein, protein bars, and meat salads (buffalo salad, steak salad, etc.), Wendy’s chicken caesar salad + the meat from a double mixed in. Lot of beef jerky and macadamia nuts (flight food).
Back home:
10/13 (Mon) – Shoulders:
A: Mil Press: 95x8, 115x6, 135x3+2PP, 135x4, 115x6, x5 + 3PP
B: Plate Front Raise (2 hand): 35x10, x12, 45x10
C: Seated Smith Sh. Press: 90x5, x6, x5
D: Seated Smith OH Shrug: 180x10, x10, 200x10*
E1: Cable Lateral Raise: 20x10, 30x6, 25x7
E2: Face Down Inc. Rev. DB fly: 15x15, 25x10, 20x10
F: Raised DB Walks**: 10#(per arm)x180’, 12.5 x 160’, 10x160’, 10x160’
G1: DB Side raise: 40x8, 40x10, 45x8
G2: DB Lateral raise: 20x7, 25x5, 20x6-> 15x6-> 10x8-> 5x15 (last was drop set)
** Held DB to the side at arms length and walked track
10/14: Biceps/Abs – Double Session
AM:
A1: Seated Inc. DB Curl: 20x15, 30x10, 30x12
A2: Rope Pulldown: 160x15, 160x15, 170x15
B1: 1-Arm DB Bench Preacher Curl: 30x10, 35x10, 40x8, 35x10
B2: Rope Woodchop: 70x15, 80x15, 100x15, 100x15
PM:
A: Conc. Curl: 25x15, 30x12, 30x10 (Ab crunches between sets)
B: Scott Curl: 30x8, 20x10, 20x10+2 (Hanging Leg raises between sets)
C: Inc. Hammer Curl: 25x12, 30x12, 35x12
Treadmill Walk: 20 min @ 4.0mph
Great job on the two-a-days SteelyD. Are these going to be a regular feature in your training or was this just a one time thing?
Thanks! Well, I’d been doing 2 sessions before, but it was early AM cardio, then weights in the late AM or PM.
I seem to have plateau’d on the arm growth, or at least have slowed down-- just fractions short of 2 3/4" arm increase since April, so I’m looking for a plateau buster. I’ve cleaned up the diet a bit and still trying to keep the cals up. Dropped all the carbs for the past few weeks and the bloat is gone, but feel a little flatter from the water loss.
T-Cell has 2 great threads focusing on PX’s diet down and his training thread. I like the idea of the 2-a-days he’s been doing for his shoulders, so I’m going to try that with the biceps when I can. As far as shoulders, I’m going for high volume sessions.
I think I get the right volume for the triceps throughout the week between shoulder, press, and arm days – that’s 3 days of triceps. Bi’s get it on back and bi day (soon to be 2-a-days).
I have the hardest time with my arms, hence this summer’s “project”, but I still don’t feel like I have that connection or get the volume they need.
Maybe it’s a “T” thing and age. I’m starting to consider maybe getting some bloodwork done and/or looking at boosters like Alpha Male or anti-E (RezV). Not that they’re a primary solution, but just looking for that little tweak.
I think increasing volume (all other things equal) may be the solution. I actually have sore biceps this morning which I can’t remember the last time I had biceps DOMS.
10-15-2008 (Wed): Chest/Tri (Double)
AM:
A: DB Inc. Press: 25x15, 45x12, 55x10, 65x7+2Partial, 70x5+2P, 65x5+1P, 65x7*, 70x8*, 70x7*
B1: Pec Dec: 85x10, x8, x8
B2: DB Scull Cr: (30x2)x10, 35x6, x7
PM:
A: Rolling DB Tri-ext: 30x10, 35x8, x11
B: Triceps cable pushdown (TBar): 130x12, 140x9, 135x9, x8, 125x10, x10
C: Close grip Smith Press**: 70x12, 90x9, 110x7, 90x10
** Safety pin set about 4" off chest to sim a board press.
Definitely feeling tris, upper chest and front delts this morning
10-16-2008 (Thur): Deads/Hams/Biceps
A: Deadlift (Sumo): 135x6, x6, 225x6, x6, 275x5, x5, 295x5, x5, 315x4, x4, x2
B: GoodMornings: 135x8, 155x8, x8, 205x6, 225x6, x6
C1: Hammer Conc. Curls: 30x11, 35x10, 35x9
C2: 1 Leg DB Deadlift (per leg): (2x45)x6, (2x50)x6, (2x55)x5
Trying to increase volume…
10-17-2008 Back/Bi
A1: Facepull: 100x15, 120x12, 140x12, x15
A2: 1Arm Stand Cable Curl: 50x15, x12, 60x9, 55x9
B1: Lat Pulldown: 150x15, 160x12, 180x10, x10, 190x10
B2: EZ Bar P.Curl: 40x8, x10, x12, 50x8, x8
C1: Opposite Cable Shrug: (2x90)x10, (2x120)x10, (2x140)x10
C2: BB Rev. Curl: Bar x 12, x10, 55x10
D1: BB Shrug: 135x10*, x10*, 185x12
D2: Delt. Dec: 70x8, x10, x10
E1: BB Shrug (cont’d): 225x10, 255x10, 275x10, X
E2: Str. Arm Lat Pushdown: 140x10, 140x10, x9, x9
E3: EZ Bar Curl (standing): 40x10, 50x10, 70x3, 50x9
10-18-2008 - Shoulders (Shit, can’t find my paper) – lot of DB presses and lat raises
10-19-2008 - OFF
10-20-2008 (Mon): Chest/Tri
A: Inc. Bench*: Bar x 30, 135x20, 155x8
B: DB Inc. Press: 55x15, 70x8, 75x5, x6, x5, x4
C1: Pec Dec: 85x10, 95x8, 115x8
C2: Tate Press: 35x10, 40x8, 35x11
D1: DB Floor Press: 70x5, x5, 65x6, x5, x5
D2: Triceps Rope Pushdown ( ^ attach): 130x10, 140x4, x5, x9, 150x5
Generally, I can’t explain my fatigue pattern-- some sets I can’t past 4 or 5, then the same weight for 8 or 9 (given same rest period).
I noticed the same thing on the superset or speed sets SteelyD. On the first set things go fine and then set two or three just kills me. I then go to do my last set and I will get all 8-12 reps.
Let me know when you figure it out…