[quote]TylerPK4L wrote:
I’ve noticed all of the big benchers have gigantic arms and I [think I] have small arms relative to my torso thickness, so I want to build them up.[/quote]
Let’s start the movement back to big triceps/chest and caring less about lats for raw benchers…
Chobbs: Hell yeah, 70’s style. I’m not sure I can get the big chest with my pecs being assholes, but hopefully my arms will be enough for now.
Wave 1 - Week 3 - Rep Squat
Front Squat (Oly Shoes):
Bar
3x5 @ 135
2x5 @ 225 (Add Spud belt on second set)
12 @ 275 (Huge PR)
2x10 @ 275 (Continuation of huge PR)
Squat:
8 @ 225
3 @ 275
3 @ 315
3 @ 365 (Add Spud belt)
3 @ 405
Dimel Deadlift:
3x20 @ 135
Superset:
A1 | GHR:
3x12 @ BW
A2 | DB Side Bends:
3x12/12 @ 80
Well this was unexpected. I wanted to do somewhat higher reps than I back squatted on Saturday, since that was also a rep day, replacing deadlift. I was hoping to get 8’s around 275, but once I started warming up, I actually felt weak. My core didn’t seem very stable at all. But I started that first set at 275 and I just kept going. It was hard as all fuck, and I think it’s like a 7 rep PR, either way I’m very happy with it. I also wasn’t expecting the next two sets of 10’s either. I’m sure I’m going to feel horrible tomorrow.
Back squats felt great after a couple sets. Lots of control. Stopped at 405 for the easy triple.
Wave 1 - Week 3 - Body Day
DB Bench:
25 @ 30s
15 @ 45s
12 @ 80s
4x10 @ 100s
22 @ 100s (1 rep PR)
Chest Supported DB Row (Dead Stop):
8 @ 100s
4x8 @ 120s (Straps on last 2 sets)
Superset:
A1 | Seated DB Arnold Press:
12 @ 30s
12 @ 45s
3x12 @ 60s
A2 | EZ Bar Standing Curls:
3x10 @ 85
Incline Push-Up on Barbell:
2x15/12/10 (Close/Comp/Wide)
Cable Facepull:
3x12 @ “100”
Didn’t want to go very heavy today so I won’t be too beat up for heavy squats tomorrow. DB bench felt good, I wasn’t really planning on going for a rep max on the last set, but it felt good, so I went for it. Pecs felt fine.
Phew those rows got a lot harder with 40 extra pounds. I need to get my grip strength up, since I haven’t been deadlifting for a while.
I don’t think I’ve ever done Arnold presses, but they were really tough between reps 8 and 12. This was part of my “get bigger arms for bench” thing, since the shoulders are part of the arms right?
Wave 1 - Week 3 - Heavy Squat (Replacing Heavy Deadlift)
Squat w/ Chains:
Bar
2x5 @ 135
3 @ 225
3 @ 225+50
2 @ 315+50
2 @ 365+50 (Add Spud belt)
2 @ 405+50
2 @ 425+50
2 @ 455+50 (Match PR)
3x5 @ 405
Superset:
A1 | Paused Deadlift:
5 @ 135
3x5 @ 225 (Pause right off floor)
3x5 @ 225 (Pause at knee)
A2 | GHR:
5x12 @ BW
Band Ab Pulldown w/ Pause:
2x12 @ Avg
25 @ Avg
I was having some pain this morning in my nerve injury deal in my hip, but this workout went pretty well regardless. I wasn’t going to beat my PR today, as the top set was very hard. First rep wasn’t particularly bad, but the second rep had a pretty significant sticking point that I eventually blasted through.
I wasn’t planning on doing much after my main squats with chains, but once I started my first set with 405 and got 5, I figured I might as well get a little more volume in.
Paused deadlifts felt pretty good, I did 10x5 @ 225 last week with sumo, so this was significantly less volume. I think pausing somewhere between right off the floor and at the knee would be better for me. It’s kind of hard to tell with only 225 though. Just trying to work pulling back in very slowly.
Week Notes: Everything was good this week. No stress really at all, sleep quality was high, and so was motivation. The simple carb cycling is going well so far, although I’m not always hitting my exact numbers. I’m still widdling away towards following that more strictly.
Wave 2 - Week 1 - Rep Bench
Pause Bench w/ Chains:
Bar
3x5 @ 135
2x5 @ 225
5 @ 275
3x5 @ 275+50 (Wraps)
DB Floor Press:
4x10 @ 75s
Band Triceps Pushdown:
50, 20, 15, 15 rest pause = 100 reps @ Light band
Band Curls:
50, 20, 15 rest pause = 85 reps @ 1 mini/hand
First of all: Last night I had some things on my mind that kept me from falling asleep and falling back to sleep when I woke up in the middle of the night. I ended up with about 5 hours of sleep, I think. I’m used to 7.5-8 undisturbed. So that, along with a significant amount of back pain, made me completely unmotivated by the time I got to the gym after work. I was having a hard time getting into my bench arch because of my back.
Despite all that, I was able to do the same bench work that I did 3 weeks ago except with a pause on each rep this time, so that’s good. My pec was feeling tight, but I warmed up slowly and got rid of that.
After bench, my elbows and back were just done, so I just tried to get some blood flow and get out of there to avoid stressing out over it.
Wave 2 - Week 1 - Heavy Squat (Again)
Front Squat (Oly Shoes):
Bar
2x5 @ 135
2x3 @ 225
2 @ 275 (Add Spud belt)
2 @ 315
2 @ 335
2 @ 355 (10 lb. PR!)
4 @ 315
Paused Squat (Oly Shoes):
5 @ 225
5 @ 275 (1 count pause)
5 @ 275 (2 count)
5 @ 275 (3 count)
5 @ 275 (4 count)
5 @ 275 (5 count)
Superset:
A1 | Stiff-Leg RDL (No Lockout)
10 @ 135
4x10 @ 225 (Straps)
A2 | Leg Curl:
4x12 @ “100”
I wasn’t sure what to expect coming into this since I just had a heavy back squat day, but I’m happy with how I performed. The 355 double was hard as shit and the second rep I rounded over and wasn’t able to get my upper back into extension again. So I guess my goal for the next wave is to get this same set but with cleaner form.
Paused squats weren’t bad despite the ascending pause length. I held a good position at the bottom and exploded out of the hole.
Stiff-leg RDL was done for my hamstrings and to try and find a deadlift movement that wouldn’t bother my injury. We’ll see tomorrow. I didn’t lock them out because I was focusing on feeling my hamstrings. I also focused on contracting my abs, which made my back round, but because I didn’t have to lockout, it also meant I kept my back out of the movement.
Yesterday - Wave 2 - Week 1 - Body Day
Floor Press w/ Chains (Short Pause):
Bar
2x10 @ 135
2x5 @ 225
3 @ 225+40
3 @ 225+80
3 @ 275+80 (Add wraps. Video below)
3 @ 275+80 (SlingShot)
3x3 @ 315+80 (SlingShot. First set video below)
Giant Set | 4 Rounds:
A1 | DB Bench:
12, 12, 12, 12 @ 80s
A2 | Cable Low Row (Neutral):
12, 12, 12, 12 @ “195”
A3 | SlingShot Dips:
12, 15, 15, 15 @ BW
A4 | Pull-Ups:
5, 5, 5, 5 (These felt absolutely terrible. I actually had to use a mini band to assist after the first set)
Mini Band Pull-Aparts:
2x33/20 (Overhand/Underhand)
I wasn’t planning on going as heavy as I did today, but I really wanted to get that damn SlingShot working eventually and it finally happened today. Obviously I just can’t use it until I hit a heavy weight. The floor press worked perfectly with it and I got a ton of triceps work in that way. It was 395 at the top, which is only 5 lbs. off my all time bench PR and 10 lbs. over my floor press PR.
I kept the giant sets pretty easy except for those damn pull-ups. I don’t know if the rows took all my strength or what happened, but clearly I need to get more pull-ups in my programming.
Videos:
Today - Wave 2 - Week 1 - Explosive Squat
Speed Squats w/ Bands:
Bar+Bands (1 Avg. per side = +135 at the top)
2x3 @ 135+Bands
2x2 @ 225+Bands
8x2 @ 295+Bands (Spud belt added on 4th set)
Cambered Bar Squat:
5 @ 155
5 @ 245
4x5 @ 335
Stiff-Leg RDL (No Lockout):
10 @ 135
4x10 @ 225 (Straps)
Weighted Planks:
2x1:00 @ BW+45
This was all pretty difficult based on feel, but everything moved well and I looked strong form-wise. The speed squats got better and better as they went on. These were 20 lbs. heavier than last wave.
I used 335 last wave on the cambered bar too, but I had done 5x4 paused. So this was the same volume without the pause, but still more volume per set. My knees were just done for the day.
The stiff-leg RDL felt good again today.
Updates: Everything went well this week. I fell of the diet on Thursday because of a live music and drinking event after work. Same will most likely happen each Thursday in May, but I’m not expecting a change in my performance.
Wave 2 - Week 2 - Heavy Bench
Bench:
Bar
10, 5 @ 135
2x3 @ 225
2 @ 275
2 @ 315 (Add wraps)
2x2 @ 335
Add Reverse Minis (1 per side = About 50-65 off bottom, 0 off top)
2 @ 365-Bands
2 @ 385-Bands (Paused)
Superset:
A1 | Standing T-Bar Row (Fat Neutral):
10 @ 50+Bar
10 @ 75+Bar
10 @ 100+Bar
3x10 @ 125+Bar
A2 | JM Press w/ Chains:
2x10 @ 135
10 @ 135+50
3x10 @ 155+50
Superset:
B1 | Barbell Reverse/Regular Curl:
2x20/20 @ Bar
B2 | Band Pull-Aparts Overhand/Underhand:
2x20/20 @ Mini
I wasn’t feeling terribly motivated today for some reason, so I didn’t push the weights too high. The first set of 335 didn’t feel great, so I did it again and got tighter. Decided only to move up with bands and squeezed out the 385 double paused. Not exactly a PR since I’ve done 375x2 without bands, but this was obviously a max for the day.
I performed the T-Bar rows body builder style and made sure I was controlling the weight with my lats and squeezing them. Felt better this way. Need to do more of my back accessories as mass builders rather than strength builders.
Wave 2 - Week 2 - Heavy Rep Squat
Front Squat (Oly Shoes):
Bar
2x5 @ 135
5 @ 225
2x5 @ 275 (Add Spud belt)
3x5 @ 315 (PR)
Paused Squat:
3 @ 225
3 @ 275
5x3 @ 315
Giant Sets | 3 Rounds:
A1 | Stiff-Leg RDL (No Lockout):
10, 12, 14 @ 225 (Straps)
A2 | Pendlay Rows:
8, 8, 8 @ 225 (Straps)
A3 | GHR:
10, 12, 14 @ BW
A4 | Ab Wheel Rollout:
10, 12, 14 @ BW
This was supposed to be explosive squats, but I just did that, so like last wave, I made this a heavy rep front squat day. It was brutal.
First set of 315 was shitty because I didn’t have the bar centered, so it was off balance. I should have just racked it and gotten into a better position, but I’m an idiot. Either way, the following two sets were better, though still very hard. My quads were sore by the end of this.
Paused squats felt pretty awful compared to how they’ve felt recently. Lack of control and stopping power basically. I still had the strength to hold form, but I wasn’t as powerful as I’d like to be.
The giant sets killed me today. For some reason, the Pendlay rows were the hardest part. RDLs felt good again though, so I think I’m going to move up in weight soon.
Wave 2 - Week 2 - Body Day
2-Board Close Grip Bench w/ Chains:
Bar
2x5 @ 135
5 @ 225
5 @ 225+50
5 @ 225+90 (Add wraps)
3x5 @ 255+90
Incline DB Bench:
10 @ 65s
10 @ 85s
2x10 @ 105s (Strained left pec during these)
20 @ 40s
Superset | 3 Rounds:
A1 | Pull-Ups (Neutral)
12, 10, 10 (These were done one at a time after the 6th rep each time. I’m awful at this. lol)
A2 | SlingShot Dips:
20, 20, 20 @ BW
Superset | 3 Rounds:
B1 | Chest Supported DB Row:
3x8 @ 105s
B2 | Band Press:
20, 20, 20 @ Light per hand
Preacher Curls w/ EZ Bar (Myo-Reps):
12+3+3+3+3+3+3+2 @ 75
DB Lateral Raise (Myo-Reps):
15+5+5+5+5+5 @ 30s
Well I thought this was going well until I strained my fucking pec again. It’s been the right side the last few times, but it was the left this time. I have no idea what causes this. I’ve hurt them doing like 5 different types of bench.
Anyway, the board press felt good and I didn’t really have a number to base my performance off of.
Myo-reps were interesting. I think I’ll keep doing it and see how it works. You basically do your first set to within a rep or two of failure and then wait 15 seconds and do 3-5 more reps and repeat until you can’t hit the same number.
I feel like I can throw myself to the moon with slingshot dips lol
Chobbs: Lol same here. I use them mostly for easy reps on my pecs and pumping the triceps. Also, regular dips hurt my sternum for some reason.
Yesterday - Wave 2 - Week 2 - Rep Squat
Buffalo Bar Squat:
Bar
2x5 @ 155
2x5 @ 245
5 @ 335 (Add Spud belt)
3 @ 385
3 @ 425
3 @ 445
3 @ 475 (+1 rep PR!)
Buffalo Bar Pause Squat:
2x10 @ 335 (PR over last wave’s 2x8)
Superset:
A1 | Deficit Deadlift w/ Chains:
5 @ 135
5 @ 135+40
5x5 @ 225+50
A2 | GHR:
5x12 @ BW
Ab Wheel:
3x10
I was originally planning going for a 5RM, which I was hoping for 455 (PR is 4), but my knees were aching a lot, so I decided to go heavier with fewer reps and it obviously turned out pretty well. The first couple reps at 475 were clean, but I shot forward on the third and ended up good morning-ing it. I didn’t last long in that position though and was able to blast through it.
The thing about 475 for a triple that makes this special it’s really close to 495, which has been a psychologically scary weight, but I feel like I could double that now.
Deadlift felt good, still just slowly incorporating it. My back and injured area feel fine today, so I think I can start moving up in weight.
This week was up and down in almost every way. I think I’m going to need either a deload or an increase in my recovery efforts.
Deload - Originally supposed to be explosive bench
Speed Bench w/ Bands (1 doubled mini per side):
Bar
Bar+Bands
3x3 @ 135+Bands (Pecs aren’t gonna allow this safely)
Pendlay Rows w/ Chains (Straps):
2x5 @ 135
5 @ 225
5x8 @ 225+40
Superset:
A1 | Lat Pulldown (Fat Bar):
3x10 @ “165”
A2 | Cable Low Row (Fat Neutral):
3x8 @ “210”
A3 | DB Seated Arnold Press:
12 @ 45s
2x12 @ 65s
JM Press:
3x10 @ 135
As I mentioned in the last post, I’m feeling pretty run down and feel like I need to deload. I don’t usually get to this point, but the extra squatting has probably taken extra out of me. Obviously my pecs are a big part of this as well, since I can’t seem to make them stop straining. I’ll take this week without benching and see if it helps, since it was a smaller strain than usual.
Pendlay rows with chains felt good. I’m figuring out how to brace correctly, which should help as I add deadlift back in.
Yesterday - Deload - Lifting al Fresco
Carried heavy squat stands and plates outside.
Paused Squat:
Bar
2x5 @ 135
2x3 @ 225
7x3 @ 315 (Spud belt)
Superset with 3 of the squat sets:
A1 | Sled Rope Pulls/Rows (Thick Rope):
3x15 yards @ Sled+225
A2 | Sled Push:
2x15 yards @ Sled+225
Carried everything back inside.
Machine Hack Squat:
12 @ Sled
12 @ Sled+90
12 @ Sled+180
Drop set:
12, 12, 12 @ Sled+180, 90, 0
GHR:
3x15 @ BW
This made me sweat my ass off and I got some decent work in. The paused squats weren’t the best because I wasn’t used to not looking in a mirror. Need to fix that by covering my view from now on, because I always want to look down when I can’t see myself.
The rope pulls were tough, but I liked it a lot, I think I’ll start using it more often for conditioning and shoulder/grip work. 15 yards of rope is a lot when you go somewhat heavy. It took about 15-18 reps per arm to get it done.
Machine hack squats were a little rough on my knees, so I’m not sure how often I can do them, but they hit my quads pretty hard.
Deload - Fuckin Around - New Program Starting Tomorrow Described Below!
Dips:
10 @ BW-SlingShot
5 @ BW (No pain, carrying on)
2x10 @ BW (Add Elbow Cuffs (new))
2x10 @ BW+20 (Chains)
2x10 @ BW+40 (Chains)
Paused DB Floor Press:
12 @ 40s
12 @ 60s
2x12 @ 80s (Wraps)
Didn’t keep up with the rest of the workout, I did some BW hypers, 45 degree band rows, and chain flies.
This was just the calm before the storm. I’m starting a new style of program tomorrow that isn’t the Cube, although I’ll just keep logging here. It’s a mix between Mike Tuchscherer’s RTS and what’s in this article: articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/block-periodization-for-powerlifting-revisited-and-revised/
Once I get to the transmutation block in two weeks, I’ll be squatting, benching, and deadlifting 3 times per week each. Each will have 1 competition lift, 2 supplemental lifts, and 1 developmental lift per week total. The supplements are very close to competition lifts, like floor press or close grip, for bench.
I’ll be using RPE starting tomorrow and fatigue drop sets starting next Saturday, as a short 2-week accumulation block. I’m doing this with a July 26th meet in mind, so that will be exactly 10 weeks away tomorrow. Gives me 2 weeks of accumulation, 5 weeks of transmutation, 2 weeks of intensification, and 1 week deload. If I don’t end up at the meet, then so be it, I just want to see how high frequency training treats me.
I’ll write more about this as the program progresses.
10 Weeks Out - New Program - Accumulation Phase - Week 1 - Deadlift/Bench
Conventional Deadlift w/o Belt (RPE):
4 @ 365 (7)
4 @ 405 (8)
4 @ 435 (8)
4 @ 455 (9)
No Fatigue Drop
e1RM: 530
Reverse Band Close Grip Bench (2 Doubled Minis Per Side):
5 @ 275 (8)
5 @ 315 (8)
5 @ 345 (9.5)
No Fatigue Drop
e1RM: 406
Superset:
A1 | RDL:
3x10 @ 225 (Straps on last set)
A2 | DB Shrugs w/ Pause:
3x12 @ 100s (Straps)
Planks w/ Hard Bracing:
3x0:30
As you can see, this first workout was very low volume and pretty simple. I won’t start adding the fatigue sets until next week, so overall this was an easy workout. Also, this accumulation phase only has two main exercises per day, whereas the transmutation phase will have 3 per day.
Deadlift moved really well for not having done it in 2.5 months other than the light RDLs recently. It felt awkward as hell as a result, but watching the video (below), the top set moved pretty quickly. I doubt this was a true RPE 9, but with my form being untrained, I didn’t want to fuck up. Either way, my deadlift is stronger than it was right before the meet and my injury pain is gone.
Bench wasn’t special, I overshot on the last set, as I wanted to keep it at an 8. I need to figure out a way to get more band tension on the bottom, because it doesn’t help all that much the way I have it set up now. Either way, I think I was thrown off because of the dips last night, but I’ll have to get used to doing the exercises every day almost.
And here’s the video: Beltless DL 455x4 @ RPE9 - YouTube
New training looks really interesting
Chobbs: Yeah I’m excited to get into it, hopefully it works for me.
Auto-Regulation - Accumulation Phase
Week 1 - Day 2 - Bench/Squat
Bench (Competition Grip)(No Pause)(Wraps):
4 @ 275 (7)
4 @ 295 (8)
4 @ 315 (8)
4 @ 335 (9)
No Fatigue Drop
e1RM: 388
Squat w/ Chains(+90) (Spud Belt):
5 @ 275+90 (6)
5 @ 315+90 (7)
5 @ 345+90 (7.5)
5 @ 365+90 (8)
No Fatigue Drop
e1RM: 442+90
Band Lying Triceps Ext. (Myoreps):
15+5+5+5+5+5 @ 1 Light per hand
Band Lying Biceps Curls (Myoreps):
15+5+5+5+5+3 @ 1 Light per hand
Superset:
A1 | Chain Flies:
3x20 @ 20s (Flat, Incline, Decline)
A2 | Band Pull-Aparts:
3x20 @ Mini
Day 2 of the program went well for the most part. Some technical errors on my part on both top sets of the day. On bench I touched too low on a couple of the reps and they were slow as a result. I still rated at a 9 because the weight felt light otherwise, probably good have gotten 345x4 @ 9 if I had kept it together. That would put my e1RM at 400. Maybe next week.
On squats, I went too low and my back got rounded under. I’m sure the arching for bench affected this. Again, something I just have to get used to if I’m going to survive this.
Now the good: My pecs felt great during bench and I had a lot of control other than the top set. I worked on barely touching my chest instead of sinking it. So the reps move slower because of all this, but being too explosive is going to keep me injured I think. Squatting on the other hand can be as explosive as I need, and it was super explosive today on the first few sets. I’m happy with the e1RM here (532 at the top).
Program note: Obviously I’m still warming up as I always have, I just don’t want to keep writing it here for no reason. I want to keep it kind of condensed.
Video:
Auto-Regulation - Accumulation Phase
Week 1- Day 3 - Squat/Deadlift
Competition Squat (Spud Belt):
4 @ 315 (7)
4 @ 365 (8)
4 @ 405 (9) (Felt pretty awful)
No Fatigue Drop
e1RM: 463
2" Deficit Deadlift (Spud Belt):
5 @ 365 (7)
5 @ 405 (7.5)
5 @ 425 (8)
No Fatigue Drop
e1RM: 516
GHR:
3x12 @ BW
I’m not surprised by this workout since I squatted yesterday too. The weight just wasn’t moving very well on squats and my lower back was rounding again like in the video from yesterday. I’m not sure what’s causing that, since it feels like I’m holding it straight.
Deadlift went pretty well though. Most of the reps were fast and smooth. I’m not sure how accurate the e1RMs will be with translating to the supplemental lifts like deficit deadlift, but I’m not making dozens of charts.
Note: I’m training several days in a row this week because I’m going to the beach on Friday. So I’m either going to finish out the Monday-Thursday training or do Monday-Wednesday and then go to the Gold’s at the beach on Saturday. Not sure yet.