TCam's Log - Get Strong(er)

Training Training Logs
661

Deadlift - Cycle 2, Week 3 - Yesterday

Deadlift:
Bar
5 @ 135
5 @ 225
5 @ 275
5 @ 365
3 @ 405 (Switch to sumo)
5 @ 460 (+5 lb. PR!)

Goblet Squat:
4x10 @ 120

BB Hyperextension:
8 @ 135
3x8 @ 185 (PR. Previous = 2x5)

Cable Ab Pulldown:
10 @ “80”
3x10 @ “100”

Another great deadlift day! I had to use the shitty bar from early last cycle that my hands weren’t working with. I had to get chalk between the 4th and 5th reps at 460 because it slipped. Only took about 5 seconds though. The 5th rep was actually almost easy. My grip is clearly stronger now though.

My lower back was pumped to hell after the hypers. I could barely walk. Nothing some ab work couldn’t fix though.

Motivation: 4/4
Nutrition: 4/4 (F: 95g, C: 318g, P: 280g, kcal: 3,247) I’m really only counting calories on my workout days so that I know I’m eating enough. Still basically carb cycling, though not strictly.
Explosiveness: 4/4

662

Bench - Deload, Cycle 2 - Yesterday

Banded Bench (2 Doubled Minis):
Bar
Bar+Bands
5 @ 135+Bands
5x5 @ 225+Bands
Edit: 20 @ 135

Banded Pendlay Rows (2 Monster Short):
2x8 @ 135+Bands
3x5 @ 185+Bands

Incline Press (On T-Bar Row):
8 @ 1.5p L/R
5 @ 2.5p L/R
3x8 @ 2p L/R

Band Facepull (2 Mini):
4x10

663

Squat - Deload, Cycle 2

Banded Box Squat (1 Avg. Per Side):
Bar
Bar+Bands
5 @ 135+Bands
5 @ 225+Bands
5x3 @ 275+Bands (Add Belt)

Natural GHR:
4x5 (+1 set PR)

Banded Unilateral Leg Press (1 Avg. Per Side):
8 @ 2pps+Bands
8 @ 4pps+Bands
5 @ 6pps+Bands
3x5 @ 7pps+Bands
5 @ 6pps+Bands
5 @ 5pps+Bands
10 @ 4pps+Bands

Simple workout. It felt very good to box squat, much better than free squat. Thinking about a 531/Westside hybrid where I could get box squats back in there. Depends on if my lifts are going up or not on just 531. I’ll be testing maxes after this next cycle.

GHR was rough. Nearly fell off at the top of the last rep. But I’m very happy about it. Hopefully it’s helping my deadlift. No idea about squat.

Motivation: 4/4
Nutrition: 3/4 (I’m not counting calories/macros anymore. It’s annoying and I know how to eat to get in enough food now)
Explosiveness: 4/4

664

Military Press - Cycle 2, Deload

Military Press:
Bar
8 @ 95
4x5 @ 135

Pull-Ups:
2x8 Pronated
6 Pronated
6 Neutral

2-Plate Pinch Curl:
3x8 @ 70

Incredibly low motivation today. My elbows were killing me for the first time in a while. I’m done doing banded bench for the foreseeable future. Not remotely worth the pain/inability to lift.

Motivation: 0/4
Nutrition: 4/4
Explosiveness: 2/4

665

Deadlift - Cycle 2, Deload - Yesterday

Deadlift (Conventional):
Bar
10 @ 135
5 @ 225
5x5 @ 275 (Add belt. Packed my neck and looked down. It felt great and moved fast)

Power Clean:
5 @ 135
3 @ 185
2 @ 225
1 @ 255 (10 lbs. under my PR. Wasn’t too difficult)

Dragon Flag Abs:
I don’t know how to quantify these. 3 sets of several holds.

Banded Sit-Ups (On bench, band wrapped around DB behind bench):
10 @ 2 Mini
2x10 @ 1 Avg.

Hill Sprints:
10 (90 second rest)
5 (No rest)

This was the opposite of Monday. I felt great in every way. I want to keep trying to keep a neutral spine for deadlift since it went so well here. I’m not sure what will happen when I lift heavier though. All I know is that I can sit back a hell of a lot better.

I stopped cleans at 255 because I started to black out at the top of the rep. haha

Banded sit-ups are hard as shit. They are heavy too, I had to get my girlfriend to hold down the 120 lb. DB so that it wouldn’t slide.

Motivation: 4/4
Nutrition: 4/4
Explosiveness: 4/4

666

Bench - Cycle 3, Week 1 - Yesterday

Bench:
Bar
10 @ 135
5 @ 225
5 @ 245
5 @ 275
7 @ 310 (Add wraps. 5 lbs. off PR)

T-Bar Row:
8 @ 2p (Wide Pronated)
8 @ 3p
5 @ 4p (Neutral)
2x5 @ 4.5p
5 @ 4p
8 @ 4p

JM Press:
4x10 @ 135 (Wraps)

Sprints:
6 @ ~60m

Everything went well today. All fast and stable. I could tell I would have failed the 8th rep at 310, so I stopped after a moderately difficult 7th. Previous PR was 7 @ 315 that was much harder if I remember correctly, so I’m happy with what I got today.

There was no real goal with the sprints other than to loosen up my hips. It worked pretty well.

Motivation: 4/4
Nutrition: 4/4 until dinner, and then wings, cheese fries, and alcohol.
Explosiveness: 4/4

667

Squat - Cycle 3, Week 1

Squat:
Bar
5 @ 135
5 @ 225
5 @ 275 (Add belt)
5 @ 315
5 @ 345
5 @ 395 (I didn’t realize it last cycle, but 5x385 was a PR. So +10 lb. PR!)

Natural GHR:
5x5 (+1 set PR)

Front Squat:
5 @ 135
3x3 @ 225

Zercher Squat:
5 @ 135
3x3 @ 225

Well hot damn. Going back through my log, I realized that squats aren’t going so shitfully after all. I tied my PR when I did the 2x435 (Edit: wrong, 20 lbs. under my PR. But still) last cycle and, as I said above, PR’d twice in the fives. I just hope that this is helping my 1RM go up too.

Still very happy with the GHR. All I’m doing now is stopping my momentum and stabilizing with my hands before I go back up. I’ll start trying to use no hands whatsoever soon.

I did the front squats for some speed work. They moved very well.

I haven’t done zerchers in a while because of getting hurt the past two times I loaded 275 on them. So I just did 225 and it worked out well.

Motivation: 4/4
Nutrition: 4/4
Explosiveness: 4/4

668

Military Press - Cycle 3, Week 1 - Yesterday

Military Press:
Bar
10 @ 95
5 @ 135
5 @ 155
6 @ 170

Pull-Up (Neutral):
3x8
5x5

4" Deficit Plyo Push-Up:
3x10

HS Low-Row:
10 @ 1pps
10 @ 2pps
8 @ 2.5pps
3x5 @ 3pps

I gotta stop forgetting to write this on the same day as the workout. I may have forgotten a set or two. Nothing important though. Military press went pretty well. I’ve been getting sevens, but lower reps are bound to happen as weight goes up. I felt strong during the set and then had to power through a sticking point on the sixth.

Pull-ups went well for the first time in a while. My elbows started aching though.

Squats are killing me. I’m still very sore from Sunday.

Motivation: 4/4
Nutrition: 3/4
Explosiveness: 4/4

669

Deadlift - Cycle 3, Week 1

Deadlift (Conventional, Neutral Spine):
Bar
5 @ 135
5 @ 225
5 @ 275 (Add belt)
5 @ 315
5 @ 365
10 @ 420 (+10 lb. PR! Horrible form past the 5th rep. Fuck it.)
1 @ 420 (Sumo. I wanted to attempt neutral spine with it. Felt weird)

One-Arm DB Row (Straps):
3x15 @ 120 L/R

Banded Sit-Up On Bench (Average Band):
10, 9, 8

God damn. This shit is getting rough. My ribs were about 2 inches away from my pelvis when I saw my reflection on the 10th rep. Epitome of sound form. lol

I could have mustered up a few more reps with equally horrible form. I’m very happy with this though, because it means that all I need to do is work on form. I’m clearly stronger when it comes to brute strength than ever before.

I’m definitely going to continue using the look-down/neutral spine technique so that I get better at it, because it’s a stronger position for me. Unsure if I’ll switch to sumo to test my max though…

Motivation: 4/4
Nutrition: 4/4
Explosiveness: 4/4

670

Bench - Cycle 3, Week 2

Bench:
Bar
10 @ 135
5 @ 225
3 @ 275
3 @ 295
5 @ 330 (wraps)(PR)
5x5 @ 225 (close grip)

Pendlay Row:
10 @ 135
5 @ 225
5x5 @ 275

Facepull:
3x15 @ 80, 90, 100

2 Mini Band Pull-Apart:
3x15

Edit: This went really well. Bench was smooth and easy. The fifth rep was pretty tough, but I didn’t really hit a hard sticking point.

Also, some trainer (uppity lesbian) complained to staff while I was doing Pendlay rows and had them come ask me to not drop the weights, which I wasn’t doing. He told me she’s “really anal” (Lol) about some stuff, so he’s just coming by to appease her. This woman has now bitched at my friend and my girlfriend but was too scared to bitch at me. She told on me. What a bitch.

Motivation: 4/4
Nutrition: 4/4
Explosiveness: 4/4

671

Squat - Cycle 3, Week 2

Squat:
Bar
10 @ 135
5 @ 225
3 @ 275 (Add belt)
3 @ 315
3 @ 345
3 @ 385
3 @ 420 (5 lbs. off PR)

Natural GHR:
5x5 (Some push off)

Bulgarian Split Squat:
5 @ BW L/R
5x5 @ BW+100 L/R

Hey, look, I actually took some video today. I learned that my squat looks a lot better than it feels when I think my form is breaking down. So that’s good. Watching the video, 345 looked like speed work, so I’m happy with that. I could have squeezed another rep out of 420, but it wouldn’t have been pretty. I just stuck with three for the near-tie PR.

GHR didn’t feel great today. I needed some push off because of it. Still much better than before.

I don’t know if I’ve ever done BSS in the gym with any added weight. They murdered my glutes. I can already feel the soreness coming. I’ll definitely continue doing those. I want to get up to the 100 lb. dumbbells in a month or two. I think balance is the main issue anyway.

Motivation: 4/4
Explosiveness: 4/4
Nutrition: 4/4

672

Military Press - Cycle 3, Week 2

Military Press:
Bar
5 @ 95
5 @ 115
3 @ 135
3 @ 155
5 @ 180 (PR. Bigger than previous best 3x185)

Pull-Up:
2x8 (Neutral)
5 (Neutral)
3 (Pronated, this felt terrible)
5 (Neutral)

Single-Arm Cable Triceps Pushdown:
3x8 @ “80” L/R

Cable Low Row:
3x8 @ “180”

Straight Bar Curls:
8 @ 50+Bar
2x6 @ 70+Bar

First the bad: Almost all my accessories felt like shit. Weak pull-ups and rows, and curls killed my wrists.

The good: Don’t care, military press went up. I’m very happy with the top set. The 4th rep was tough, but not enough to stop. That’s a stronger PR than the 3x185, so it’s progress.

Motivation: 4/4
Nutrition: 3/4
Explosiveness: 4/4 (MP), 1/4 (Accessories)

673

Deadlift - Cycle 3, Week 2

Deadlift (Conventional until 405):
Bar
10 @ 135
5 @ 225
5 @ 275
3 @ 315
3 @ 365
3 @ 405
5 @ 445 (PR. Closest Previous = 455x3)

Glute Hip Thrust (Bret Contreras sent this out in his newsletter and I was inspired for some reason: [- YouTube], this is what I did):
8 @ 135
8 @ 225
5 @ 315
5 @ 405
3 @ 495

Banded Leg Press (2 Average Bands):
10 @ 2pps+Bands
8 @ 3pps+Bands
5 @ 4pps+Bands
5 @ 5pps+Bands
3x10 @ 3pps+Bands

Banded Pulldown Abs (2 Average Bands):
5x10

Banded Hyperextension (2 Doubled Minis):
3x8

I felt pretty good today. Apparently my deadlift form is just going to be with a rounded back. Conventional didn’t feel right. Watching the video, I didn’t sit back and take the slack out of the bar. I just gripped and ripped. The top set felt good though. I probably had the strength to go for one more, but I’m testing my max next week anyway.

I’m going to continue doing the glute hip thrusts. I used to do it on the floor, but I don’t think I got much out of them. Now that I tried them on the bench, I feel like I could get some use out of the added ROM.

I played basketball for a few minutes before lifting and I didn’t warm up at all. My left knee, right below the patella, hurt a bit after one time I jumped. This affected the leg press.

Motivation: 4/4
Nutrition: 3/4
Explosiveness: 4/4

674

Good stuff Tyler. What time do you lift at the rec? Ive been going there more lately vs the aquatic, thought the rec seems to be quite strict lately about no chalk.

675

Thanks, Achilles. I go Sunday (time depends on work), Monday (2:30), Wednesday (2:30), and Friday (1:30). I have a rock climbing chalk bag, it doesn’t leave a mess and I haven’t been caught. You can just squeeze it real quick in both hands. http://www.amazon.com/Metolius-Ball-Non-Marking-Chalk-Substitute/dp/B000212TGA/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1334337148&sr=1-1

676

Friday - Bench, Cycle 3, Test Week

Bench:
Bar
5 @ 135
5 @ 225
3 @ 275
3 @ 315 (Add wraps)
2 @ 345
1 @ 365
1 @ 385 (Super slow grind)
0 @ 400 (Not even close)

Cable Low Row (w/ Lat Bar):
8 @ “160” (Pronated)
8 @ “180” (P)
2x8 @ “200” (P)
2x5 @ “200” (S)

Incline Plyo Push-Ups on Smith Machine:
5x5

Not very happy with this. I’ve gotten stronger, but not more powerful. My right should hurt a lot after this. I think it was my anterior delt.

Today - Squat, Cycle 3, Test Week

Squat:
Bar
5 @ 135
5 @ 225
3 @ 275 (Add belt)
2 @ 345
2 @ 365
1 @ 385
1 @ 425
1 @ 455 (Tough, not easy enough to continue)

Natural GHR:
5x5 @ BW (Still getting better at these)

Bulgarian Split Squats:
5x5 @ BW+130 (30 lbs. PR)

Alright…So, I’m thinking I’m going to stop 5/3/1 as it is and try the 3/2/1 with speed work that I did last fall that worked so well. But I want to keep deadlift the same as in 5/3/1 because I feel like it’s working (we’ll see on Wednesday) and I want to keep military press for the hell of it. I didn’t go into this program feeling like it was going to be perfect for me, and it’s clearly not. I need speed work and I need to get a lot of weight in my hands/on my back weekly so I’m not scared of it (specifically for squats).

This will mean adding back box squats, speed (box) squats against bands, speed bench (without bands, fucks my elbows), and decline bench. It also means 5/3/1 deadlifting after speed squats and 5/3/1 MP on speed bench days. It’s a lot of volume, but I think I need the 2/weeks on squat and bench.

I did drop 10 lbs. at the beginning of this program, but I doubt that has anything to do with it, as I’ve PR’d a lot recently in the higher rep ranges. Although being “strong” is fun too, I’d much rather get my 1RM up.

I’m going to get to work on this probably Frankenstein of a program and see what happens.

Motivation: 4/4
Nutrition: 4/4
Explosiveness: 3/4

677

Have you looked at any of the coan programs for bench? My bench is stalling so I start it this week. I have yet to find a negative review on it from those who followed it exactly, just that it is a killer. Deltaazeroth (sp) took his bench from 365 to 405 in the 12 week cycle. Worth a try but if you lift alone might not work since some sets end up in failuer or are ME.

Also, it might sound stupid but speed squats against bands and squat from pins got me past my 550 plateau. I used two variations of pins, one from bottom position to work on explosion (actually harder than reg squats since you lose the flex) and then squats from top half or 3/4 pins. Those ones allowed super maximal weight so thatl reg singles felt light and didnt shock my CNS.

Obviously what you are doing works for you but just food for though.

678

Achilles: I just looked at the Coan bench program. I’m sure it would work for me, but I don’t know if my shoulders and elbows would be able to take the volume and the 3 different bench variations. I may run that eventually though when I want to focus on bench.

Yeah, I’ve pretty much finished writing the program, and all of my speed squats are against bands. One cycle is box squats and the other is free squats. I am interested in the speed squats from pins though. It definitely sounds interesting, as I’m also planning on pausing some of my speed bench reps to get rid of the stretch reflex.

Thanks for the advice, it’s definitely appreciated.

679

Military Press - Cycle 3, Test Week

Military Press:
Bar
5 @ 95
5 @ 135
3 @ 165 (Add wraps, belt)
1 @ 195
1 @ 205 (5 lbs. under max)

Floor Press (Speed):
3x8 @ 135

Vertical Cable Row (Rope):
3x8 @ “140”

2 Mini Bands Pull-Apart:
4x25

Another disappointing day today. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to get anything above 205, as I barely got 205 locked out. My right shoulder and elbow are aching now too. Everything up until 195 was easy, but then it was just slow. Another effect of the strength but no power dilemma. After MP, I just hurried through the rest. Definitely feeling shitty about this, but I guess I can just chalk it up to a maintenance phase.

I’ll deload after Wednesday, when I hopefully deadlift well, and then get back to destroying things.

I’ve written out most of the new 3/2/1 plan and it’s looking pretty difficult. I’m not sure if I should keep the MP in there though. At least as a main lift. I’ll write about it here in the next couple days.

Motivation: 2/4
Nutrition: 4/4
Explosiveness: 2/4

680

Nice to see you still chippin away at the strength work bro. Good numbers all around, as always.