TCam's Log - The Road to Elite

Training Training Logs
621

The Road to Elite - Week 2 - Weekend Log Dump

Friday

Squat w/ Belt:
4x5x405 @ 7.5
10x405 @ 8.5

Beltless Paused Deadlift:
5x4x365 @ 5 - Control slot

A1 | Lat Pulldown - Medium Neutral - Straps:
5x6x240

A2 | Banded Leg Press:
4x12x270+2 dbl minis

90/90 Crunch w/ Feet Banded:
3x15x30 - Hips being pulled into extension by the band, so I had to fight to keep them at 90 degrees along with crunching the weight up. Rough.

Saturday

Paused Bench:
1x315
1x335
1x345 @ 7.5 - Decent single. First time above 315 since my last pec strain.
6x275
3x6x295 @ 7

Z-Press w/ Pause:
8x3x155 @ 5 - Control slot. About 1 min rest periods.

Incline Barbell Row:
6x225
2x6x255
2x6x225

Cable Pec Fly:
4x15x30s

A1 | Triceps Pushdown:
4x15x50

A2 | Facepull:
4x20x50

Sunday

Paused Incline Bench:
5x8x205 @ 6

RDL - Straps/Belt:
4x10x315 @ 6

A1 | Band Lying Triceps Extension:
3x25 @ 2 minis - This is the only overhead triceps movement I can do without elbow pain. I hadnā€™t done in a long time. Forgot how much pump I get from them.

A2 | Alternating Hammer Curls:
4x10/10x55s

B1 | Calf Raise on Hack Squat:
4x15x270

B2 | Plate Grasp:
3x20x45s - Just holding a plate by the handle in my fingers and curling them up into a fist. Forearm/grip work.

Not a bad weekend of workouts. Biggest thing was obviously the squats. This was the first time I had done a 5x5+ since May of last year when I had my best ever squat workout of 5x5+ with 7 on the end at 455, then my knees started hurting. Iā€™d be lying if I said they were feeling great after this, but they arenā€™t terrible, so thatā€™s good. 405 didnā€™t feel super light on my back, but I was able to hold my form pretty well and it moved quickly. Thatā€™s about as much as I can ask for while I build back up.

Bench has been feeling iffy on my pec. I touched 345 too low trying to protect it and it slowed down the rep. Hopefully this next week Iā€™ll see that it is completely healed. Iā€™m thinking I will be taking singles on bench just like I am on squat and deadlift, meaning once every other week, but I may end up changing it for bench to every week depending on how it goes.

622

The Road to Elite - Week 3 - Day 1

Deadlift w/ Belt - Okie Bar:
7x3x495 @ 7.5 - Maintained a solid RPE the whole time pretty much. These were not easy, but there were always 2-3 reps in the tank. Note: Iā€™ve been using the Okie bar for this slot for several weeks.

Beltless Squat w/ Chain (+70):
7x335+70 @ 7.5 - Dropped weight after this, would have hit 8.5-9 by the end of the sets.
3x7x315+70 @ 7.5

Beltless 3 Ct. Eccentric Squat:
5x3x315 @ 5 - Didnā€™t have the heart for front squats after the other squats. lol

Standing Single Leg Curl:
4x15/15x60

Hanging Leg Raise:
3x15

No conditioning today because I was destroyed from the rest of the workout and I needed to get home.

For deadlift, I tried to move a little closer to the bar and then keep my hips higher to not squat down or let the knees travel too far forward. I did the same thing on my paused deadlifts on Friday, but my lower back didnā€™t hold up as well under the heavier weight. Itā€™s still something to keep trying though. This was done because my friend/coach wanted to see if I could get my bar path a little straighter.

I thought I had done a 3x8x315 on the chain squats 2 weeks ago. Turns out I had just done one set each at 275, 295, and 315. No wonder this volume killed me today. Still moved well enough for RPE 7.5.

Iā€™m having a hard time with deciding on how to measure the RPE. One way is ā€œThat felt moderately hard and rep speed was decent, Iā€™ll call that a 7.5ā€ and the other is ā€œThere were 2-3 reps left, thatā€™s a 7.5ā€. The former is super subjective, but seems good for some movements and 7.5 ends up being a good workout, but not a crushingly difficult one. The latter the objective version and is what I used for the first two movements today and it was very hard. The RPE on the pulls and chain squats were a 7.5 only because of reps left in the tank, but all of the reps felt hard as hell. This basically left me dead at the end of the workout despite the low RPE. Maybe Iā€™ll assign the version per slot. Like heavy and strength could be the harder version and things like control and volume would be the easier version.

623

The Road to Elite - Week 3 - Day 2

3 Ct. Pause Bench:
5x4x315 @ 7-7.5

Wide Grip Paused Bench - Middle Finger on Ring:
5x7x275 @ 6-7

Beltless Sumo - Straps:
5x4x405 @ 5 - Stayed lighter because I was trying my form with a higher hip position.

HS Low/Yates Row:
5x10x230

A1 | Deficit Push-Ups:
3x15 - Full ROM from scaps protracted to retracted. No pec pain.

A2 | BB Jettison Curls w/ Band:
3x10/10/10 (Bar+Mini / Bar / Mini)

Cable Single Arm Rear Delt:
3x20/20x15

This was a lot of pushing volume for my pecs, but they held up pretty well. I actually wrote a 4x5 for my 3 Ct bench, but apparently I completely forgot about that. I think I may have still gotten up to 315 for that anyway. With my new wider grip, I really have to focus on maintaining my arch during these long pauses, or my shoulders will go into internal rotation, so these could be very good for me in the long run for learning to stay tight. Before, with my closer grip, it didnā€™t matter and I could maintain a decent position without much effort.

The 5x7 felt like nothing for the first couple of sets, but the pecs and shoulders started getting fatigued after that which made it difficult to hold my groove perfect. Extra wide grip should be another good movement for staying tight.

Sumo with the higher hips felt good. This was just a control slot, so it was a good time to practice it. I just want sumo to transfer to conventional and I think the higher hips will help mimic conv more.

624

The Road to Elite - Week 3 - Days 3-5

Friday

Squat w/ Belt:
1x405
1x455
1x485 @ 7.5 - 10 lbs up from 2 weeks ago
5x4x405 @ 6.5-7.5 - Could have gone heavier to hit 7.5 for all the sets, but itā€™s not necessary at this point in the training

Beltless Deficit Deadlift:
4x6x405 @ 7.5 - This many reps on deficits is probably too much honestly. Good for the first 4 reps and then my back started rounding a lot after that.

A1 | Lat Pulldown - Straps:
4x8x230

A2 | Reverse Lunge:
3x12/12x80

90/90 Crunch:
3x15x25

Saturday

Paused Bench:
5x5x315 @ 7 - These were all pretty easy. Very happy with this.

OHP:
4x7x155 @ 7-8.5 - I donā€™t have much endurance on these, so the RPE goes up near the end pretty fast.

A1 | Cable Low Row:
3x8x220
20x220 - Shorter ROM, no stretch, just working the traps basically

A2 | Lying Incline Cable Fly:
4x15x25s

Band Lying Triceps Extension:
25, 25, 20 @ 2 minis

Lying Rear Delt Fly:
3x10x50s
20x25s

Sunday

Paused Feet-Up Bench:
2x3x255
3x265
4x3x275 @ 5 - Control slot. Supposed to be a 7x3, just started counting at the 255 sets. These were very easy with no pec pain or tightness.

Fat-Man Pull-Ups on Smith Machine:
4x12 - These are just inverted rows but with a vertical row. Feet on a box in front like in normal inverted rows, but keep the torso upright instead of extending the hips. Good alternative lat exercise.

A1 | Triceps Pushdown:
15x65
3x12x80

A1 | EZ Bar Curl:
15x80
3x12x80

B1 | Hyperextension:
4x12xBW+12 - Just some light movement for my low back

B2 | Single Leg BW Calf Raise:
4x12/12

These were a few good workouts, Iā€™d say. Squats are going pretty well and my knees are staying mostly pain free as long as I do some work on the surrounding tissue afterwards. On deficit pulls, I was at the top of one of my reps and I tried to breathe deeply and set my lats, and I ended up pulling something in my mid back on one side. Itā€™s affected pretty much every movement during my day other than actually lifting. It should be gone soon though. Time to deload for a week.

625

The Road to Elite - Week 4 - Day 1 - Deload

Deadlift w/ Belt - CAT:
6x2x455 - Moved really well for the most part

Beltless Paused Squat:
4x4x315

Beltless Squat - CAT:
6x2x365 - Meh, paused squats moved better

Seated Good Morning:
3x10x135 - Did these solely for my thoracic extensors/upper back, since it rounds during squats when my form breaks down. I let my upper back round a lot, like what happens during my squats, then arched back. Didnā€™t sit fully upright so that I would keep tension on the back.

Standing Single Leg Curl:
3x20/20x50

Lying Leg Raise:
2x20

Spent all day unable to get comfortable with this weird back strain thing and also a good amount of lower back soreness, but once again as soon I started lifting it all went away. Not really sure what to think about that, but now the pain is significantly lower the morning after the workout, so whatever.

I decided to do CAT (compensatory acceleration training) for my pulls and squats just to make sure I was putting in enough effort at these lower volumes. Iā€™m really not good at it for squats, but maybe because my left hip/quad area was tight again. Really need to sort that out, because it hinders my ability to reverse and explode out of the hole when I get a sharp pain.

626

The Road to Elite - Week 4 - Day 2 - Deload

Paused Towel Bench:
5x315 @ 6
3x5x325 @ 7 - Easy. This was literally a folded towel in place of a board. Smooshes down to about 1/2 to 1 inch.

Paused Wide Grip Bench:
3x10x255 @ 6

Beltless Sumo - Straps:
3x6x405 @ 7

Seal Row:
3x10x185 - Set these up super easy with a plyo box instead of a bunch of other shit. Video linked below.

Seated DB Curl:
4x12x40s

A1 | Decline Deficit Push-Ups:
3x15

A2 | Rear Delts:
2x20 - Mini band pullapart
2x20 - Mini band facepull

Little odd that I ended up benching 80% of my max on a deload week. I was thinking I would be doing 275-295, but that would have felt like nothing. The sets with 325 werenā€™t perfect for the first 2 sets, but the 3rd one was practically flawless.

Hereā€™s how I set up my seal rows: Tyler Campbell | Health & Fitness Coach on Instagram: "Great alternative to using every piece of equipment in the gym to set up seal rows. I wonder how many booty IGs will like this. #DATASS #booty #powerlifting #powerliftingmotivation #fitness #fitnessmotivation #strength #strong #lifting #rpowerlifting"

627

The Road to Elite - Week 4 - Day 3 and 4 - Deload

Friday

Squat w/ Belt:
4x4x405 - Easy, this is back to being form work weight. Focused a lot on trying to stay upright and explode while keeping my hips in a good position.

Beltless Paused Deadlift:
5x3x405

Banded Leg Press:
3x12x270+2 dbl minis

A1 | Lat Pulldown - V-Grip:
4x8x200

A2 | Cable Ab Pulldown:
4x12x80

Saturday

Paused Bench:
1x315
1x345
1x365 @ 7.5
2x4x315 @ 7 - Could have easily kept going with this weight, but my shoulders/pecs were feeling tight. Didnā€™t want to risk anything for a deload week.
2x4x275

Z-Press:
8x2x165 - 45-60 sec rest

Paused HS Iso-Row:
4x8x270

HS Wide Bench - Unilateral:
3x12/12x90
20/20x45 - Last set dropset

Cable Triceps Pushdown:
3x15x47.5

Facepull:
20x47.5
3x12x80

Cable Curl - Unilateral:
3x12/12x20

Pretty good couple of workouts for a deload week. The intensity is similar to what Iā€™ve been working with, just much less volume so Iā€™m feeling good. Just wish my shoulders and pecs didnā€™t feel kind of shitty today, but it shouldnā€™t be a big deal provided I keep up with my mobility work.

628

The Road to Elite - Week 4 - Day 5 - Deload

Paused Incline Bench:
3x8x185 - Different grip width each set moving inward. Started thumb-length from the smooth and ended up at the smooth. Close grip feels fine on the pecs on incline, so that may be where I use it.

SLDL w/ Belt - Straps:
3x8x315 - Belted these to feel them more in my hamstrings, just like I do with RDLs now.

Fat Man Pull-Ups:
8xBW
8xBW+25
8xBW+45

A1 | Dips w/ Chain:
4x8xBW+40 - Very easy, no pec issues and just focused on explosiveness and keeping the shoulders in a good position. Want to include these more often.

A2 | BB Reverse Curl + Regular Curl:
3x12+12x45

Calf Raise on Leg Press:
3x15x270

Band Pull-Apart:
3x20

Very low volume last day of the deload. 2 weeks ago my incline sets were 5x8x205, so this was a large drop in volume and some intensity. Just making sure Iā€™m recovered and ready for the next 3 week wave that starts today (Monday).

629

The Road to Elite - Week 5 - Day 1

Deadlift w/ Belt:
1x495
1x545
1x565 @ 8 - Wanted this for a slightly lower effort (7.5) and much better form. Just lost my upper back very easily. This is still 90% of my 1RM PR, so itā€™s not terrible.
5x3x495 @ 7.5 - Added straps on the 2nd set because my hands were getting fucked by the Okie bar.

Beltless Pin Squat - 1-2" Above Parallel:
4x6x345 @ 7.5 - These are brutal

Beltless Front Squat:
7x4x225 - 1 min rest = death

Standing Single Leg Curl:
4x15/15x60

90/90 Crunch:
3x15x35

Another day 1, another exhausting workout. I knew this was going to be very difficult, but thatā€™s the point. Because weā€™re having to lift on Mondays since Iā€™m taking a class on Tuesday/Thursday, this workout always ends up being the 4th training day in a row. This basically puts my toughest workout at my most fatigued point in the week. Itā€™s not optimal for performing during this workout, but it is very good for training myself to be better.

The deadlifts felt super amazing up to 455 and then 495+ slowed down considerably. I think I need to focus my deadlift on not trying to be really explosive off the floor for a little while, because my mid back canā€™t hold its position when I do that at weights around 80%+.

Pin squats are definintely something Iā€™m going to do more often. They are very tough on my back, glutes, and hamstrings. I donā€™t think my quads are my weak point in my squat, so this should help.

Fuck front squats.

630

The Road to Elite - Week 5 - Day 2

1" Pin Press:
5x5x275 @ 6 - Pecs were feeling very tight, so I kept this easy.

Paused DB Bench:
4x10x110s - Havenā€™t done DBs in a while. This replaced the comp grip or wide grip Iā€™ve been doing for this slot.

Seal Row:
5x6x225

Beltless Double Paused Deadlift:
6x3x365 @ 5 - This is a control slot. I forgot about it until I was doing my rows. Pre-exhaust, I guess?

A1 | Cable Fly:
20x22.5s
20x27.5s
20x33.5s

A2 | Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown (Isolateral/Cross-body):
15x22.5s
15x27.5s
15x33.5s

Isolateral Cable High Row:
3x25x33.5s - I did these very quickly just to get a bunch of volume to everything around my scapula for shoulder health.

Lying Single-Arm Reverse Fly:
3x10/10x35

I wasnā€™t too happy about this workout when I finished it because of the shitty performance on pin press, but really the rest ended up being alright. The DB bench didnā€™t hurt my pecs, I just had to worry about them the whole time, which was annoying. Other than that, they moved easily.

I need to step up my recovery game between workouts. I let my pecs get tight sitting around and then expect them to be fine when I do a short warm-up and some mobility stuff when I get to the gym. Obviously thatā€™s not going to keep working for long.

631

The Road to Elite - Week 5 - Days 3-5

Friday

Squat w/ Belt:
1x405
1x455
1x495 @ 7.5-8 - Felt great
2x1x495 - Reverse avg bands. Maybe 45-65 lbs off.
3x6x405

Beltless TnG Deadlift - Straps:
4x6x405 - First time doing these in years

Leg Press:
3x12x450 - Wider stance than usual

A1 | Lat Pulldown - Medium Neutral:
2x8x220
15x220

A2 | Standing Ab Pulldown:
4x12x80

Saturday

Paused Bench:
3x3x335 @ 7 - RPE is misleading. Overall I felt shitty.
3x6x295

Seated OHP - Paused:
4x5x185

Cable Low Row:
4x12x140

A1 | Cable Curl:
3x12x30s

A2 | Band Triceps Pushdown:
3x25 @ 2 minis

Lying Cable Fly:
3x15x25s

Unilateral Cable Rear Delt Fly:
3x15x25s

Sunday

Feet Up Bench - Slow Eccentric:
5x3x245 - Very easy, just being careful

Fat-Man Pull-Ups:
4x8xBW

DB Hammer Curls:
3x15x50s

Facepull:
3x15x65

Abs:
Some things

These last few workouts were okay on average, but Friday was definitely the best. I had 495 in my mind for a top set going in and it was very easy. I decided to get more time under a heavy weight by doing the two singles with the same weight but with reverse bands added. The bands were set up horizontally instead of vertically. Hereā€™s a video that shows the set up, as you can see, the bar doesnā€™t hit the bands until Iā€™m about halfway down and doesnā€™t help very much or for long. Tyler Campbell | Health & Fitness Coach on Instagram: "Some lifts from tonight. Worked up on squats to a single at 495 @ RPE 7.5 or 8 followed by 2 singles at 495 with reverse bands added, then a 3x6x405. Then did touch and go deadlifts for the first time in years for a 4x6x405. #squat #skwaats #deadlift #powerlifting #powerliftingmotivation #fitness #fitnessmotivation #strong #strength #lifting #rpowerlifting"

The video also shows one of my TnG deadlift sets. Literally havenā€™t done those in probably 5 or 6 years when I didnā€™t know what I was doing. Iā€™m adding them to get some eccentric loading, work on my positioning, and figure out how to come off the floor without having to explode so much. This Monday showed me that I can be super explosive up to about 455, but after that the lift is hindered when I try too hard to rip it off the ground. Hopefully the TnG will help me with control.

632

The Road to Elite - Week 6 - Day 1

Deadlift w/ Belt:
3x3x495 - Felt pretty bad today honestly
2x5x455 - Straps. Felt much better than the 3x3
8x455 - AMRAP w/ 8 rep limit

Beltless Pin Squats - 1-2" Above Parallel:
5x5x365 - God these are brutal. Definitely going to stick with them though.

Beltless Paused Squat - CAT:
5x3x315 - Very explosive

A1 | Standing Single Leg Curl:
15/15x50
15/15x60
15/15x80

A2 | 90/90 Crunch:
3x15x30

Cardio - Recumbent Bike:
25 cal at level 5 (of 25) warm up
15 cal at level 20 sprint
10 cal at level 15 slow
15 cal at level 20 sprint
10 cal at level 12 slow
15 cal at level 20 sprint
25 cal at level 5 cool down (This all took about 12 mins)

Not feeling super confident with my deadlift currently. 495 is 80% of my 1RM, so a 3x3 should not be difficult, but it definitely is and my form isnā€™t holding up well. Could be because my squat is improving and when one is improving the other is usually suffering or taking the backseat. I could just be a bitch though.

Squats on the other hand seem to be going well and I can be happy about that. The pin squats seem like something that will really help me with staying tight and getting stronger at my sticking point. Iā€™m not sure if Iā€™ll continue with front squatting in the slot that I did paused squats in tonight. My quads are not my weak point and itā€™s just an upper back movement for me basically. I also hate them, but I feel like I can do other things like seated good mornings for my upper back.

633

The Road to Elite - Week 6 - Day 2

Paused Bench:
2x3x295
5x3x325 @ 7

Beltless Paused Sumo - Straps:
2x3x405
4x2x455 - Felt great and got better throughout.

DB Paused Bench:
5x8x120s

HS Iso-Row:
5x8x320 - Varied grips

A1 | Cable Fly:
3x10x35s
2x20x20s

A2 | Facepull:
3x10x80
2x20x50

Felt really good about this workout after the frustrating one on Monday. I decided to work with a couple rep schemes I took from Sheiko. His programs tend to have a few sets at a certain weight prior to going up to the heaviest weight of the day, so thatā€™s why I did the 295 on bench and 405 on deadlift. Iā€™m not sure the logic of it other than extra volume and maybe greasing the groove for extra warm-ups, but it felt good. I also made the exercise order BE-DL-BE in order to get some rest on bench between styles. If I was doing barbell bench for both, I would probably not do that though.

Anyway, all the weights moved well today and thatā€™s all I wanted.

634

The Road to Elite - Week 6 - Days 3-4

Friday

Squat w/ Belt:
2x3x405 - Beltless
4x2x455
5x455 - This was pretty tough and my back wasnā€™t holding up very well, but this was the first time hitting this since I did my 5x5+ back in May when my knees started hurting.

1.5" Block Pull - Beltless:
4x4x435

Banded Leg Press:
3x12x360+2 dbl minis

Lat Pulldown - Straps:
2x8x220
6x240
6x260 - Just wanted to try the whole stack. Greatest PR ever

RKC Planks:
3 x Middle/Side/Side for 15 seconds each. Side ones had the top leg lifted.

Iā€™m happy that I was able to hit 455 for multiple sets, but my back was rounding too much in the hole and I wasnā€™t getting out of that position on the way up like I usually do. So now my back has been aching a lot. Iā€™m not sure how much lifting Iā€™ll be able to do tonight (Monday), Iā€™m just hoping it feels better soon. I guess AMRAPs on squats just may not be a good idea for me for a while.

Saturday

Paused Bench:
8x275
6x305
4x335
2x365 @ 8-8.5 - But my elbows have been hurting a lot, so I was wearing my elbow cuffs. Not sure if that helped move the weight though.
4x335
6x305
8x275

Seated OHP:
3x6x185 - Nothing special. Elbows continued hurting so I didnā€™t push it.

Incline DB Row:
4x12x100s

Single Arm Tate Press:
3x25/25x10 - Just for elbow health

Cable Curl:
2x12x57.5
2x12x50

Band Pull-Apart - Slow Eccentric:
4x12xMini

Very happy with how bench felt movement-wise. Obviously Iā€™m not happy that my elbows have been hurting, but the elbow cuffs remove that issue. Itā€™s most my right triceps tendon I think, which is easier to deal with than the type of pain that happens in the flexors.

This pyramid was another idea I stole from Sheiko. I was a great way to get a bunch of volume in with lower percentages and also practice with some heavier weight with the top set. I found that the sets after the top set felt much better than the ones leading up to it.

No lifting on Sunday. Too much sitting and stressing on Saturday from leasing a new car and my back was getting worse. Weā€™ll see how it goes tonight.

635

The Road to Elite - Week 7 - Day 1

Deadlift w/ Chains - Belt - Normal Bar:
2x405+70
2x425+70
3x2x455+70 @ 7-8 - Surprised myself with this. Back issue felt pretty much fine.

Beltless High Bar Squat:
5x3x365 - Felt heavy, but no back pain here either.

Beltless Double Pause Squat:
5x3x225 - Pause at bottom and mid-way up. Very light, just for grooving.

Banded Hyperextension:
3x10 @ 1 dbl mini

A1 | McGill Curl-Up:
2x5/5 for 5 ct.

A2 | Birddogs:
2x5/5

I didnā€™t expect to feel good at all during this workout, since my back has been hurting, or at least uncomfortable, all day. Iā€™m not sure if lifting fixed it, but it definitely made it feel better so far. Weā€™ll see when I wake up tomorrow.

The PR I have recorded for chain deadlift is 4x455+70, so tonightā€™s lifts line up with at least a match PR and I havenā€™t done this in a while. Seems like the chains may help me learn the hips-higher technique Iā€™ve been trying out too.

636

The Road to Elite - Week 7 - Day 2

Paused Bench:
3x315
3x335
3x355 @ 7.5
4x3x355 @ 6 - Blue SlingShot

Slight Incline Paused DB Bench:
4x10x100s

Beltless Sumo - Straps:
3x6x405 - Tried mixed grip up to 365, but my shoulder doesnā€™t like that external rotation with the arm adducted that much. Maybe one day Iā€™ll learn/bare the burden of hook grip so I can pull sumo for real.

Seal Row:
4x8x215

Cable Fly:
3x15x25s

A1 | Single Arm Cable Curl:
3x12/12x25

A2 | Single Arm Cable Rear Delt Fly:
3x15/15x15

For the most part this went as well as I could have expected. Bench groove was feeling a little off, so I didnā€™t push that too far. Iā€™m sure I could have gotten 3x365 @ 8 though. Added the SlingShot instead of decreasing intensity to keep some weight in my hands. First set felt like shit, but the other three were great. This is the first time Iā€™ve used the SS since I strained my pec while using it, when I was doing a warm-up set with 385. I believe that was the red SS.

637

The Road to Elite - Week 7 - Days 3-5

Friday

Squat w/ Belt:
1x405
1x455
2x495 @ 9 - Did a double instead of continuing to go up in weight because I wasnā€™t feeling super stable.
3x1x495 - Reverse avg. bands.
2x4x405 - Feeling very weak at this point, so I just cut these short.

Cable Belt Squat:
4x12x115 - Will need to load these some other way, because this was an entire stack plus 3 of those extra plates.

A1 | Standing Single Leg Curl:
3x15/15x60

A2 | Kneeling Cable Crunch:
4x12x75

Didnā€™t do the deadlifts I usually do on this day because my girlfriend was testing her maxes the next day and thus didnā€™t have much to do in the gym. Just pushed it back to Saturday. My back got sore again from these squats. I really need to get it stronger and more stable, otherwise I wonā€™t be able to keep moving up. Regardless, even on a day where I felt kind of weak, 2x495 @ 9 isnā€™t bad. PR is 3x495, so Iā€™m getting there.

Saturday

Paused Bench:
1x315
1x335
1x365 @ 7.5
1x385 @ 9.5 - Screwed up my concentric groove, but got it back in line pretty quick. Expected more like RPE 8.5.
4x5x315 - Great control by the end of these.

Beltless Deadlift:
6x3x405 - Trying to figure out my form still and letting this be rehabilitative for my back.

A1 | Seated Machine Row:
4x10x210

A2 | Band Triceps Pushdown:
30, 25, 20 x Light Band

Barbell Curl:
3x20x45

Right elbow is still hurting a bit but I was able to bench without the cuffs today. Iā€™m mostly happy that I barely had to warm up my pecs and I felt nothing in them the whole time. Really happy with how 365 moved too. 385 wasnā€™t great, but it was a technical issue that was fixed during the rep.

Sunday

Paused Incline Bench:
8x3x225 - 45 seconds rest

Fat-Man Pull-Ups:
3x15xBW

Seated Arnold Press:
3x12x50s - 60 seconds rest

Lying Rear Delt Fly:
3x10x55s
2x15x25s

Wanted to get this workout done pretty quickly, so I made the incline presses cluster sets. Or at least thatā€™s what a friend calls them. I was always under the impression those were done with 10-15 seconds rest between reps, not based on rest periods between sets. But heā€™s a PhD student in exercise phys and thatā€™s apparently what the journals consider cluster sets. Regardless, it was a fun change from doing something like a 3x8, since I suck at incline.

Deload week is here. Iā€™m not sure what Iā€™m wanting to do after it. I bought the Sheiko app, so I may just hop on that with some alterations and see how it goes.

638

The Road to Elite - Week 8 - Day 1 - Deload

Beltless Banded Deadlift:
8x2x315+2 short light bands - About 85 lbs added to the top

Beltless Pause on Eccentric Squat:
6x3x315 - First time doing these. Could be pretty useful for a control exercise

Beltless Good Morning:
4x6x225 - Hips banded with mini on all but first set

Lat Pulldown:
3x8x200

Pull-Through:
12x65
12x80
2x12x95 - Stack

Machine Ab Pulldown:
3x12x120

This was a pretty quick and easy workout. My left hamstring was a little twingey during deadlifts for some reason and itā€™s a little sore now after the workout. Iā€™ll have to keep an eye on that, but at least itā€™s deload week. Plus, the pulls were pretty fast.

I like the eccentric paused squats. I squatted to around the usual sticking point, a few inches above parallel, then dropped to the bottom and completed the rep. On the last set, I also paused at the bottom, which was rough.

639

The Road to Elite - Week 8 - Day 2 - Deload

3 Ct. Pause Bench:
5x3x315 - Self hand-offs to practice, gf is going away for school soon, so I have to get comfortable with handing off to myself for at least 315-335.

Beltless RDL:
4x6x365 - Think this was a PR actually.

Paused Incline DB Bench:
3x8x100s

Isolateral Cable Low Row - Handles Crossed:
12x160
2x12x180 - Phew, crossing the cables makes this a lot harder and lights up the traps

A1 | Push-Ups:
30xBW
30xBW - Incline

A2 | Concentration Curl:
3x12/12x30

TRX Rear Delt Row:
4x12

Pretty much everything in this workout went well, so thereā€™s not much to say. The hamstring issue from Monday is gone, since I flossed it a few times. It hurt some during the day on Tuesday, but I didnā€™t feel anything at all during the RDLs tonight. I decided to go beltless on the RDLs despite the fact that Iā€™ve recently said I donā€™t see the point in going beltless on them. Itā€™s because I wanted to feel my lower back getting into it more, since it has been so iffy recently. Gotta get it stronger if I want to stay healthy.

640

The Road to Elite - Week 8 - Days 3-4 - Deload

Saturday

Squat w/ Belt:
4x405
4x425
3x2x455

Beltless Double Pause Deadlift - Straps:
5x3x405

Squat Press:
10x360
10x450
10x540
10x630

Cable Low Row:
10x175
2x10x220
10x175

Sunday

Bench:
4x6x315 - Originally going to be solely TnG, but the bench was shitty, so I had to pause some of them for stabilityā€™s sake. Still around RPE 7 mostly.

Paused DB Bench:
3x8x110s

HS Dip Machine:
3x10x180

Lat Pulldown:
3x8x205

A1 | Band Pec Fly:
3x25 @ 1 dbl mini

A2 | Plate Pinch Curls:
3x12x40 - 2 10 lb plates per hand

I was at the beach this weekend, so I was at the Goldā€™s there. Iā€™m happy with the workouts I was able to have for being at an unusual location. The squats felt very heavy on the walkout, but the movement itself felt pretty good. As far as I can tell from searching the log, the last time I used 405 for double paused deadlifts was on the day I pulled my 615 PR. Felt pretty good with those.

The squat press feels so much better than leg press. I wish I had one at my local gym.

The benches there were low, slippery, and narrow, so they pretty much were worthless other than the supports holding the weight properly. I put a band to help me not slide out of my arch, but it was still pretty bad. Iā€™m actually happy with it though because I felt like I was just muscling the weight up with shitty form and yet my pecs felt fine.

Moving onto the next week I donā€™t believe Iā€™ll be hoping on Sheiko like I mentioned. I want to keep taking ideas from it though. Iā€™ll just keep writing my own programming for now.