Friday 4/19
Squat up to 320 for a 5 lb. PB. I then failed 325 and did 300 4x1, then failed the fifth single.
Speed Pulls at 315 for a bunch of singles (~8-10) with short rest. As soon as the bar slowed I stopped doing them. Should be good final pulling prep for the meet in two days.
Meet Day!!
Squat:
295: Good – One of the judges jokingly said he wanted to give me red because I was going “too” low! 
Nice and easy squat.
315: Good – Comfortable squat. Thought I’d have 325 in the bag.
325: Miss – Didn’t quite have it in me. Didn’t stay upright enough and I could grind it out.
Bench:
187: Good – Super easy. Weight just flew up! Had an absolutely fantastic handoff.
198: Good – Not bad at all. Kept nice and tight. Similar to the first attempt, just a little slower. Technically a 3-lb. PB.
209: Miss – I was feeling ambitious, but I lost tension after I got it off my chest.
Deadlift:
352: Good – This was super slow off the floor. Didn’t have enough leg drive. Wasn’t feeling too good after this one.
363: Good – Solid rep. Knew I still had more in me.
375: Good – 7 lb. PB. Took a small hit of ammonia right before the attempt. I’m not sure if it actually has an effect or if it’s just placebo, but either way it made 375 feel easier than 363.
Total: 888 lbs. – Short of the 900 I was going for.
Had I made the squat attempt at 325 I’m quite sure I would have hit 900 since I may have gone more conservative with the bench or could have pulled just a little more for deadlifts. I’m happy, though. It was a great experience with a great atmosphere. To top things off I was the best squatter in my weight class AND I was squatting ATG. My bench and deadlifts were definitely sub-par–I think everyone in my flight benched more than I did, and I was definitely toward the bottom for pulls as well. Maybe it’s time to shake things up with my routine!
Monday 4/22
Front Squat for 225 for 5 singles. Taking it easy the day after the meet.
Bench at 185 for 3x1.
Cable Rows for 3x10-ish. Discovered the semi-supinated handles. They. Are. Beautiful. Great mid trap contraction.
Tuesday 4/23
Squat up to 315, then missed 325. Finished with 295 for 5 singles.
Rack pulls (crossfitters on the platforms…) up to 365 for a single. Fuck these. Can’t get any leg drive, it all goes to the lower back for me.
Thursday 4/25
Front Squat at 230 for 5x1 easy enough. GOing to progress like this for awhile.
Bench up to 200 for a single, finally. Missed 205.
Semi-supinated cable rows for 3x10. These are still awesome!
Monday 4/29
Squat: 295 for 3 singles. Lost a lot of strength after only training three times this past week. Feels good to have the bar on my back again.
Deadlift: 145kg for 5 singles. I felt like my hands might have gotten fucked up if I kept going, so I called it quits. I want calluses, not torn blisters.
Romanian Deadlifts: 120 for 3 sets of 12 . I didn’t feel like counting the reps, I just went until my form broke down. With really flexible hamstrings it’s hard as hell to feel a hamstring stretch during these. Decided to do these a la Tim Henriques, who has pulled more than 700 in the 198 class. He actually suggested 3x20, but I’ll build up to that so that I can still squat down to take a shit without crying out in pain.
Tuesday 4/30
Squat up to 295 for 4 singles. Damn, these weren’t going well again. Who’d have thought that three days off would have completely killed everything?
Bench at 135x5, then 155 for 4x5. Shit, that volume kicked my ass. But I think overall having a higher-volume day once a week and a lower volume day (max single plus 1-2 backoff sets) will be the best way to go. Should be putting on some more size soon from these.
Cable Rows at 100 lbs. for 3x10, perfect form. The mid/lower trap contraction is still great!
Also did some curls with what I’m going to call Fat Gripz drop sets. I went until form failure with the Fat Gripz on, then I immediately took them off and did as many as I could without the Fat Gripz on. I was able to get an additional 3 reps both times I did the drop set. Dat pump!
Thursday 5/2
Squat: tried a more powerlifting-like squat today, although I need to continue doing high-bar because of my shoulder. Worked up to 295 for a comfortable enough single. Form needs work, as well as stance and the like, but it felt comfortable enough.
Box Squat for 3x3 at 225, nice and easy. I need to get used to not going ATG, so I need some kind of depth guide as well as to bring my hamstrings up to par.
Deadlift for 6 singles at 145kg/319 lbs. until a blister burst. No blood, but it will take some time to heal. Luckily I won’t be pulling again until Tuesday anyway, so no harm done. I’m starting to get my setup down much better–an obvious benefit to doing more sets instead of more reps per set. By the end of today I was fast immediately off the floor, and then the bar slowed down at mid-shin.
RDL for 3x20 at 124 lbs. Holy mother of god, these were exhausting! By rep 15 of the first set I just wanted to curl up and die, but I somehow made it through all the way. I might be walking a little funny tomorrow after these.
Saturday 5/4
Box Squat at 225 for 5x5. I’m not used to doing so many reps per set–I was dying by the end of these.
Bench at 160 for 5x5. Tried moving my hands out another finger width the last two sets and it felt a lot stronger. I did this because I realized that I was having trouble going closer grip without letting my elbows flare at all–too hard to keep my upper back tight using close grip. Really don’t want to move my grip out any more than this.
Cable Rows at 100 lbs. for 5x10.
Fat Gripz Curls for 3 x 12, 8, 5 ( 2). The 2 represents my “copyrighted” Fat Gripz “drop set.” I don’t think I’ve ever had such a big biceps pump in my life!
This summer will be a volume block. Lower weight, more reps per set, and a bit more variety, plus some assistance/hypertrophy work. In order to build a pyramid you need a solid base. I have the basic scheme all planned out–I’ll just need to tweak it as I see fit.
Joined a gym for the summer. I don’t think they’ve ever heard of climate control–I was sweating like a mad man the whole time! Or maybe it was because my GPP sucks…
Monday 5/20
Squat
225 for 5x5
Shit these felt terrible. Been two weeks since I’ve squatted and I’m switching over to more of a PL style squat (still high bar, for now). I thought it would be an easy transition, but with such crazy hamstring flexibility/laxity it’s really hard to go to just below parallel and have any tension in the hamstrings.
Bench
155 for 5x5
The benches at this place suck. They only have one height to unrack from, which is just a little too high for me, and the bench is too close to the floor so it’s really hard to get proper leg drive. Needless to say these were way more difficult than they should have been.
Cable Rows
100 lbs. for 5x10
What do you know, the one thing that actually feels good today is the one thing I do that doesn’t fucking matter?!
Front Squat static holds
225 for 4x20 seconds, then 1x30 seconds.
The first one of these was uncomfortable as hell and made me wonder how I ever front squatted 250. It’s been awhile since I’ve front squatted heavy, so I guess that explains it. I’m thinking I should be able to move the weight on these up to 315 within a few weeks and really strengthen my core and upper back.
Fucked around with some box jumps with a couple 25 lb. dumbbells to get a nice view, if you know what I mean. My knees didn’t like it and it was awkward, so I don’t think I’ll be doing those again unless I can start from a seated position. Speaking of jumping, I can touch the rim of a basketball hoop at a height of only 5’9" without training high jump. I’ll take it.
Thursday 5/23
Deadlift
275 for 5x5 touch and go. Easy. I was hoping I could get away with using a DOH grip because I don’t think the gym allows chalk, but I wasn’t able to. So I used a hook grip, taped my thumbs, and a bit of chalk.
Fat Gripz OHP
65 for 5x5. I want to work up slowly for these because I don’t intend on going to failure ever on these, so might as well start light.
Chins: BW for 3x5
SS with Rope triceps pushdowns 3x20
Facepulls 3x15
SS with Rope biceps curls 3x15
Front Squat Holds
245 x 20 sec
275 x 20 sec (with bands)
295 x 20 sec (with bands)
315 x 20 sec (no bands)
I had the bands pulling down and forward so I could work on keeping my weight further back and make it more of a core strength challenge. I think I’m going to be sore tomorrow…
Saturday 5/25
Squats
230 for 5x5
Felt much better today. Brought my stance back in but kept the powerlifting depth.
Bench
160 for 5x5
Brought my feet out quite a bit to get better leg drive. This guy who was working in with me distracted me pretty bad the last set, but other than that it felt fine.
Cable Rows
100 for 4x10
Facepulls
2x15
Front Squat holds
315 x 30 seconds
335 x 20 seconds
355 x 20 seconds
The weight for these keeps going up. It’s now more than 100 pounds heavier than my best FS and 35 pounds heavier than my best BS. Onward to four plates! Once I get there, though, I think I should hold back a bit and go for time instead of weight for awhile so I don’t get injured.
Tuesday 5/28
Today’s struggle was just doing 5 sets across. It’s completely draining. I need to drive up my determination so I can forget the feeling of being exhausted halfway through my squats and just keep going. This is the off-season; it’s not meant to be easy.
Squats
235 for 5x5
The strength is there for plenty more. The hard part is staying strong enough to do it again 4 sets later. These keep making me sweat mad balls. I can’t even go on to bench until I go to the bathroom and douse myself in cold water and drink something to keep from overheating and to keep myself hydrated.
Bench
165 for 5x5
It’s still hard to get used to having a rather crappy bench so my setup is thrown off. The last rep was hard, but overall these went alright today.
Cable Row
100 for 4x10
Once I can no longer retract my scapulae properly I call it quits
Seated facepulls
3x15
Feel the mad upper back pump!
Triceps Rope Pushdowns
3x20
Thursday 5/30
Deficit Deadlift
285 for 5x5 Touch-n-go
These felt alright. Not fast enough, though. Definitely felt it more in my legs since I did them from a deficit.
Fat Gripz OHP
70 for 5x5
Easy. I just don’t want to move up the weight too fast, so I’m okay with easy.
Speed pulls from the floor
225x1, 245x1, 265x1 All done within 10 seconds of each other just to put the weights on
225x1, 245x1, 265x1 Same as before
225x1, 245x1, 265x1, 245x1, 225x1 Same as before. Surprisingly difficult.
Doing a second deadlift in the same day a la the Russians–KK and Sheiko!
Wide-grip pullups
Got around 20-25 reps total, some with a light band at the bottom. I really suck at these now…
Seated facepulls
4x12
Rope Curls SS with Rope Pushdowns
3x15 each
Front Squat holds (with walk-out)
275 for 3 x 20 seconds
Doing the walkouts as well really engages the core much more than just unracking it.
Saturday 6/1 (Happy belated 5/3/1 day!–hehe, get it, 5/31??)
Squat
240 for 5x5
Doing this volume hasn’t gotten any easier, but I’m continuing to power through it. I did a good job of keeping my chest up, thanks to some of Mark Bell’s tips. My legs are actually the weakness in my squats right now, strangely enough. Should probably throw in some Front Squats or something once a week to build up more leg mass.
Bench (paused again with a few sets of chins thrown in between sets)
170 for 3x5
170 for 2x3
After the first three sets of 5 I knew it would be pointless to try for 5 again for the next two sets because my form would break down too much. So instead I went for triples for the last two sets to help get my technique under heavy loads down perfectly. I will follow a progression similar to one Eric Spoto recommended where if I at least get 5 reps on the first set I will increase the weight for the following week, but I will still try to get as many 5’s as possible.
T-bar Row
75 for 3x10
Ab wheel
BW for 3x3
Monday 6/3
Warmed up with Ab-wheel rollouts for a few reps.
Squat (low-bar!!)
245 for 5x5
These went well today. I had a lot more energy than last time, plus switching to low(er) bar placement helped me stay tight in the hips to get out of the hole. It bothered my shoulder some, so I’ll need to watch that, but hopefully I’ll be able to continue without a problem.
Bench
175x5 (short pause);
175 for 4x3 (slightly longer pause)
I need to choose my battles, and today a single set of five was enough. The triples afterward felt really good.
T-bar Rows
75 for 5x10
These felt better than last time, too. That’s 75 lbs. onto the end of the 45 lb. bar, if that wasn’t clear. It’s not much, but I’m using 25-lb. plates so I can get a greater ROM.
Ab wheel
BW for 5x3
My abs were on fire after these. I’m planning on following KK’s recommendations for these, which is do 5-6 sets with lower reps but add weight onto them, once I can do a decent number with just BW.
Some biceps/triceps with the rope. About 3x20 for both.
Wednesday 6/5
Deadlifts
Deficit: 295 for 2x5
From floor: 295x5
Some Fat Gripz Deads
I tried setting up more like KK, but I found out that I can’t do that without letting my lower back round. Back to my old setup, I guess.
Fat Gripz OHP
75 for 5x5
Still easy. Need to focus more on power out of the hole and gripping the bar harder.
Neutral Grip Pullups
BW for 7x3
DB Bench with pause
40/hand for 4x10
Easy. Just need some additional chest work since my competition bench grip is so narrow.
Seated Facepulls
4x15
Hanging Leg Raises
2 sets
Ab roller was gone, so I had sub these in.
Friday 6/7
This training session felt better than any I’ve done in quite a while! Must be the creatine kicking in–just finished the saturation phase a few days ago!
Squats
250 for 5x5
My shoulder was being bothered big time from the low-bar on Monday, so I set the bar just a touch higher and I moved my hands out quite a bit. It looks like a true PL setup now!
Bench (paused)
180x5
180 for 3x3
I can’t remember if I did 3 or 4 triples, but I’m thinking it was 3. Anyway, the first set felt awesome! Could have done one more easily!
Kroc Row
50 for 2x20
Wanted to err on the side of caution with these and go with a lighter weight. By the end of summer I’m hoping to get 75 for 20 reps, which I definitely think is doable. I’m doing these because of a discussion I had with my Uni BB/PL group about hook gripping. I’m now trying to get my DOH grip strength up significantly so that I can do higher rep sets (> 3 reps) with DOH and save the hook grip for low rep stuff only to avoid destroying my hands too much. Grip work is now a priority!
Triceps Extensions // Biceps Curls
2x20 // 2x12
Ab Roller
BW for 2x4
It feels like I pulled something in my lower abs doing these. Oops…
Monday 6/10
Squat
255 for 5x5
Started leaning forward on some reps when I wasn’t completely focused. As soon as I remembered to push my knees out, keep my neck neutral, and push my elbows under the bar, my technique improved one-hundred-fold.
Bench
185 x 4 and failed the last rep. I let my ego get the best of me today. Not getting 5 reps is okay. Failing one of the reps, however, isn’t.
185 x 3 grinded it out
175 x 3 didn’t find the groove
Called it quits after that because I knew everything after this would be sloppy. I’ll try for 185x5 again later this week and then drop down to 175 and do 5x5 for a couple sessions to reform my groove and build some strength.
Kroc Rows
55 for 2x20 each arm
These started to get sloppy at the end of the second set for each side. I think I’ll do 1x20 increasing the weight as much as I can and then do 1-2 sets of 20 with a 50-pounder to make sure my form doesn’t suck.
Neutral Grip Pullups
BW for 2x3
The rows took it out of me. I need to start doing these in between bench sets.
Lat Pulldowns for a couple sets of 10.
Tried to do Ab Rollers, but I felt a massive pain in my lower abs. Definitely tore something last week, which sucks, but at least it’s not affecting my big lifts.
Wednesday 6/12
Deadlift
305 for 4x5
Easy. I did all warmups from a deficit and went back to my old, stronger form and these went well. I had a little more pump in my lower back than I would like, so I cut it a set short.
Fat Gripz OHP
80 for 5x5
Not bad, but not easy enough for the weight I was using. I need to be faster out of the hole.
Pullups
BW for 8x3
All explosive. By the time I start 5/3/1 I’d like to be able to do a good number (8 ) between each set of pressing.
DB Bench
45 per hand for 4x10
Had a nice pause at the bottom for the first 3 sets.
Cable Row
100 for 4x10
Rope Pressdowns // Rope Curls
3 x 20, 15, 15 // 3 x 15
Friday 6/14
Squat
260 for 5x5
The first 4 sets weren’t too hard, but I lost some focus on the last set. Other than that very happy with how these are going.
Bench
185 for 3x3
Paused every rep. Since I “stalled” on 5’s I’ll be adopting somewhat of a Texas Method approach for bench: 5x5 with a reasonably light weight earlier in the week and then 3x3 (the Eric Spoto way) at the end of the week.
Kroc Row
60 lbs. x 20 each side
50 x 20 each side
Getting harder, but I still had some in me after the first set. My grip was getting a little challenged.
RDL (DOH Grip)
135 for 3x10
My grip was destroyed by the end of these. But that’s a good thing.
Monday 6/17
Squat
265 for 3x5
Wasn’t feeling 5 sets today. Maybe I’ll go back to 5 sets next week, but a volume “deload” will definitely do me some good.
Bench
165 for 5x5
Light enough where my form wasn’t breaking down but heavy enough where I had to have it in the groove so I wouldn’t have to grind any reps.
Kroc Row
65 lbs. x 20 each side
Nice!
T-bar Row
75 for 2x10
50 for 1x12
Didn’t want to do any more Kroc Rows, so I went to the next best lift for me to hit the traps and lats hard!
Some high-rep biceps/triceps with heavy band