TCam's Log - The Road to Elite

Training Training Logs
941

Conjugate - Week 5 - Day 3
Friday - ME Upper

Bench:
2x1x315 - No pain
10x225
10x245
10x265
10x245
10x225

Dips:
6x6xBW+45 - 60 sec rest

Seal Row:
4x12x185

Triceps Pushdown:
15x42.5
15x55
12x62.5
12x70

Cable Tate Press:
3x15x42.5

Barbell Curl:
3x10x95

A1 | Unilateral DB Curl Supported on Incline Bench:
3x10/10x25

A2 | DB Y’s - Paused:
3x10x5s

Pretty happy about this workout, considering bench has been a literal pain for a while. The 315s were easy, just need to get back in the neural groove when it comes to controlling the weight. I think I’ll slowly move up on a single or 3 before volume work to reacclimate myself each ME day for a little while.

10x265 was getting tough near the end, but I had a few more in the tank. But still no pains later in the set or anything.

Going to keep working on dips and see if they help anything. I had plenty of reps in the tank on each of these sets, I just didn’t want to push these too fast.

942

Conjugate - Week 5 - Days 4-5
Saturday - Meet Day

Spotted and loaded for 8 hours at a meet. Did a lot more of the work than I should have, but the other guys were not great at it. I figured I would wake up on Sunday with some sort of potential injury, and my left hamstring was bothering me, but I was able to squat.

Sunday - ME Lower

Reverse Band Squat w/ Belt:
1x495-55
1x545-55
1x565-55 - Match PR from like 5 years ago? I don’t trust the amount the bands apparently took off then though
2x1x495-55
3x495-55 @ RPE 8 - Considered going for more, but figured I wouldn’t push the hammy

TnG Conventional Deadlift w/ Belt/Straps:
3x8x405

BFR Belt Squat:
30x90 + 15x90 + 15x90 - Couldn’t get the 3rd 15 rep set in, was dying

A1 | Cable Low Row - V-Bar:
12x150
12x180
12x210

A2 | Standing Single Leg Curl:
3x15/15x"10/18"

Bird-Dog:
2x10/10 - The only time the hamstring was very noticeably painful

Really happy with the squats today considering the spotting and loading I did on Saturday. It was pretty exhausting, but I don’t think it affected me too much other than being careful with the hamstring. Based on how 565 felt, I think that I could currently hit 585 at this band assistance, which would be great.

Deadlifts didn’t necessarily hurt the hamstring, but I did not want to push volume or intensity on any of my posterior chain movements, since it was hit with a ton of volume at the meet.

IG video of 545, 565, and 495x3.

943

Conjugate - Week 6 - Day 1
Tuesday - DE Upper

Bench w/ Bands (+70):
3x3x185+70
3x3x205+70
4x3x225+70

Floor Press:
3x6x275

Dips:
4x15xBW

Lat Pulldown:
2x8x135 - 5 sec eccentric
2x15x135

Tate Press:
15x25s
15x35s
2x12x45s

Seal Row - Rear Delt Focus:
3x20x135

DB Y’s:
3x15x5s

DB Spider Curl:
3x15x25s

This was a really simple workout, but it went well enough. I’ve been having some right shoulder pain after throwing a football last week, which is mostly effecting that elbow, so the benching was painful there. Otherwise I had good speed and all that. Didn’t want to push floor press too much as I get back into benching.

944

Conjugate - Week 6 - Days 2-4
Wednesday - DE Lower

Paused Squat w/ Belt:
5x2x405
2x2x435
3x2x455 - PR

2 Ct Paused Sumo w/ Belt/Straps:
5x5x455 - Real hard

Reverse Hypers:
3x15xBW+50

This was definitely a little intense for a DE day, but it was going well, so I pushed it a bit. Pausing 455 for a few doubles is really good. I do need to work on some longer pauses probably though.

Hamstring got a little aggravated by the longer sumo pauses, but it’s not too much of a big deal.

Friday - ME Upper

Bench:
1x315 - Paused
1x335 - Paused
10x225 - TnG
10x255 - TnG
12x275 - TnG

Incline Bench w/ American Press Bar - Narrow Neutral:
2x8x175
15x175

Dips:
6xBW+50
3x6xBW+75
25xBW

Cable “T” Rear Delts/Rhomboids:
3x15x40

Cable Shoulder External Rotation:
5x10x20

Added 20 lbs to the weekly single for 335. It didn’t feel great because of my shoulder(s) and elbow(s), but all of the higher rep sets felt fine for the most part. I probably had another 3 in me for 275, if I had wanted to be reckless.

Saturday - ME Lower

Squat w/ Chains (+75) - Belt:
2x405+75
1x445+75
1x485+75
1x495+75 - PR

Squats w/ Belt:
1x495 - Wanted to do some doubles without the chains but naw lol
4x4x405

TnG Conventional Deadlift - Straps:
2x6x405 - Beltless
2x6x405 - Belted

A1 | Belt Squat - Wide Stance:
2x12x90
2x12x180

A2 | Plate Walks:
3 x 132 yds x 45 - Description below

I’m happy with how this went, though I wanted to push for a PR double at 485+75, I am okay with getting the 495+75. I’m sure that I could have done that on the day I got 2x475+75 in November, but it’s not done til it’s done. Forgot to actually hit record before the top set unfortunately. But that’s 3 supra-maximal walkouts in the last 8 days, with accommodating resistance. Getting pretty comfortable with that 565 range at the top. We’ll see if there’s some transference soon.

No hamstring pain during the deadlifts, but I didn’t push them much. This day was supposed to be a ME deadlift day, but decided to go with squats since I knew the hamstring wasn’t ready for heavy deadlifts.

My main issue right now is my shoulders and elbows. I’m doing things like the walks today for them, but they’re making each of the big 3 difficult in their own ways. For the walks, I had ~33 yard path to walk and I walked down and back twice, making it ~132 yards per set. On the walk down, I held a 45 lb bumper in a hammer curl position away from my body, to make all of the scapular stabilizers work. On the way back, I held the plate overhead to include the glenohumeral stabilizers.

945

Conjugate - Week 7 - Day 1
Monday - DE Upper

3 Ct. Eccentric / 3 Ct. Pause Bench - Alternating 3 Grips:
3x3x225
3x3x245
4x3x265

Floor Press:
3x7x275 - Just added a rep per set over last week, decently comfortable

Dips:
3x15xBW
30xBW

A1 | Incline Tate Press:
3x10x50s

A2 | DB Row:
3x15/15x80

TRX Reverse Fly:
3x12xBW

I’m going to be going out of town from Wednesday-Saturday, so I will likely only have 2-3 workouts this week depending on if I lift on Sunday. But this went well today. The addition of the slow eccentrics to the long pauses really made it difficult by the end. I think slow eccentrics could be a necessary addition to my bench to solidify everything and get everything back in working order.

Pretty cool to get 30 dips already. I’m gaining some ROM on them as well, which is great for pointing toward tissue elasticity and its safe working range.

946

Conjugate - Week 7 - Day 2
Tuesday - DE Lower

Paused Squat w/ Belt:
5x5x405 - Same weight, more legit pauses = Progression

Stiff Bar Sumo w/ Chains (+60) - Belt/Straps:
10x2x425+60 - Done in 17 min

A1 | Leg Press:
15x200
15x400
15x490
12x490 + 12x400 + 12x200 - Drop set

A2 | Standing Single Leg Curl:
12/12x"12/18"
12/12x"15/18"
12/12x"18/18" - k full stack done
12/12x"18/18" + 12/12x"15/18" + 12/12x"12/18"

Planks:
3 sets

Not gonna lie, I was feeling pain all over before I started this. Left glute, right adductors, all of the spinal erectors, and some quads. But my headspace is pretty fucky at the moment, so I did what I went there to do. The squats were really tough, but I’m getting very comfortable with 405 for paused work when it comes to confidence. Deadlifts were very fast despite the previous glute and adductor soreness, plus fatigue from squats. I didn’t use hook grip for the first 5 sets like 2 weeks ago because it’s currently pulling at my lateral epicondyles too much and causing elbow pain as a result.

I’ll be back on Sunday from NOLA. May come back a changed man.

947

Conjugate - Week 8 - Deload

I didn’t lift on Sunday when I got back from Nola. It was a lot of fun down there and basically went on a 3 day Bourbon St bender. But the week following it has been filled to the brim with personal and school stresses. I went to the gym Tuesday and Wednesday, but I really don’t know what I did. Some incline American bar pressing and bodybuilding stuff in 45 mins and SSB paused squats and a few sumo pulls. But I can write the last two days at least.

Friday - ME Upper

Paused Bench:
1x345 - Moved very well, but I was really shaky
5x275
5x295
5x315

Dips:
8xBW+25
8xBW+50
8xBW+75
8xBW+100 - PR for recent dip addition
30xBW

Lat Pulldown - Wide Neutral:
3x8x195

A1 | Cable Fly:
12x25s
12x32.5s
12x40s
12x25s - Slow ecc

A2 | Band Overhead Triceps:
3x15xLight

Seated Low Row - MAG Grip Moderate Neutral:
3x15x165

Shakiness under the weight is my main concern from this workout. Spotter told me he was nervous, but I hadn’t really noticed it. When I got to my 5 rep sets, it was obvious to me. Maybe it’s just from not having much weight in my hands all week though.

Saturday - ME Lower

2" Sumo Block Pull - Belt/Straps:
1x585
1x675 - Moved fast after getting it off the blocks, maybe double there
0x730 - Wanted that 5 lb PR. Got it off the blocks very slowly and then got hit with the shakes and the whip killed me
3x585 - Was going to do something like a 3x3, but the failed lift took it out of me. Plus…“deload”

Cambered Bar Squat w/ Belt:
3x7x330

Belt Squat - Wide Stance, Lower Half of Movement:
3x12x180 - Trying to hit the bottom position of a sumo pull basically

Not an especially successful session, but I’m happy with a few things. The 675 moved really well once it got a couple of inches off the blocks, it was like nothing. So clearly the bottom range of about 0-4" from the floor is my biggest weakness. The 3x585 was pretty nonchalant too, so that’s cool.

948

Conjugate - Week 9 - Days 1-2
Tuesday - DE Upper

Banded Bench - Alternate 3 Grips:
6x3x225+Dbl Minis

3 Ct. Eccentric / 3 Ct. Pause Bench - Alternate 3 Grips:
6x3x275 - Hard as hell. Lockout was slow at the end of all of these

Incline Bench w/ Multi Grip Log Bar - Mid Grip:
3x10x175

A1 | Seal Row - Straps:
3x8x225
8x225 + 15x135 - Drop set

A2 | Dips:
3x15xBW
25xBW

B1 | Cable Rope Curls:
3x15x40

B2 | Cable Shoulder External Rotation:
3x15x25

Those 3 ct ecc + 3 ct pauses are brutal. Definitely going to keep doing them so that I learn some control on my descent. I think I pushed this workout a little too hard to have a good max effort day, since I’m having to do it on Thursday this week. Going to support my classmate at his bb show.

Wednesday - DE Lower

Banded SSB Squat w/ Belt:
6x3x335+Light

5 Ct Eccentric SSB Squat w/ Belt:
6x3x335 - Fuck

0.25" Deficit Sumo w/ Belt/Straps:
5x5x455 - Put a mat down to prevent slippage and the small deficit changes everything

A1 | Belt Squat:
3x12x180

A2 | Standing Single Leg Curl:
3x12/12x"14/18"

Kneeling Cable Crunch:
12x70
12x85 - Cue cramping

Feeling preeetty beat up from yesterday. The rows killed my upper back, I think. But the SSB wasn’t too bad with regards to that, it was just hard. I’m liking/hating this 6x3 + 6x3 thing where I practice a faster paced variation and then a slowed eccentric variation. Very conjugate, much concurrent.

Really, the 1/4 inch of deficit on those sumo pulls are deadly. Really difficult on the hips. Not sure if I’ll continue with them, but it may be worth a cycle.

EDIT: I had some comically bad cramping in my quads, hams, and calves a couple of hours after this workout. Was barely able to move as I laid there drinking salt water and my vastus mediali were sore as shit the next day lol. I’ve been eating less than usual the last couple of weeks because of stress and this let me know to stop being stupid with that.

949

Conjugate - Week 9 - Day 3
Friday - ME Upper

Paused Bench:
1x315
1x345
1x365 - Not bad, not as fast as I would like though
3x6x275
10x275 - Wanted AMRAP, but this didn’t feel great, despite ending at like RPE 6

Dips:
10xBW
10xBW+45
10xBW+90
33xBW - PR

Pulldowns - Narrow Neutral:
2x8x210
1x255 - Was challenged to lift stack lol
2x10x180

Tate Press:
3x12x45s

DB Curls:
Some amount til pump and failure with 20-30 lbs

I was still fatigued from Tuesday’s workout, so bench wasn’t going to be amazing today. I’m glad to add 20 lbs to my weekly single. I think it may be good to stick with 365 for a few weeks until it moves like nothing again. No reason to rush it.

Left triceps was very tight at the beginning of the workout, which was concerning, but there was no evidence of it once I added weight to the bar. Just noting it.

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950

Conjugate - Week 9 - Day 4
Sunday - ME Lower

Squat w/ Belt:
1x525 - Hard sticking point, but maintained a decent position
4x3x455 - This was way too hard

Sumo Deadlift w/ Belt/Straps:
3x405 - Felt like an empty bar, super good positioning
2x495 - Proximal hamstring strain

Oh okay, I guess I’ll just have a strain now. No big deal though, it doesn’t feel serious. It is higher than any hamstring strain I’ve felt before, which is interesting. I sat down basically all day on Saturday watching my friend get his WNBF pro card, so that could have had something to do with it, but I’m personally thinking that it was those slight deficit sumo pulls I did the other day. That’s the only new stress I can think of. But, I’ve rested 24 hours now, so it’s time to start eccentrically loading it a bit and get it back to function ASAP. Gimme 2 weeks at most.

951

Damn dude. Hope it heals up soon!

952

@duketheslaya Thanks, man. It’ll be fine soon, it was pretty minor. Just gotta be patient and smart for a couple of weeks.

Conjugate - Week 10 - Days 1-2
Tuesday - DE Upper

Banded Bench - Alternate 3 Grips:
6x3x225+Dbl Minis - Same weight as last week because I wanted to progress the next exercise instead. These moved better though

3 Ct. Eccentric / 3 Ct. Pause Bench - Alternate Wide/Comp Grips:
2x3x275
4x3x295

A1 | Incline Bench w/ Multi Grip Log Bar - Mid Grip:
4x6x215

A2 | Seal Row:
5x10x185

Dips:
4x15

I was having some right shoulder pains during some of this, so I didn’t push the dips at the end. But otherwise this went well. I think I’m gaining some control from the eccentric/paused presses.

Wednesday - RE Lower

Treadmill Walk:
10 mins at 2.7-3.3mph

High Bar Squat w/ Oly Shoes - Belted:
4x10x315 - First set beltless. This was exhausting but RPE was around 5-6 throughout.

A1 | Belt Squat:
3x15x90 - No hamstring felt here

A2 | Band Pull-Through:
3x15xLight - Some hamstring felt here at the bottom

Standing Single Leg Curl:
Left - 3x20x"3/18" - Felt the shit out of the hamstring here
Right - 3x20x"11/18"

Treadmill Walk:
10 mins at 3-3.3mph

20 mins of treadmill time in one workout!? Yeah, I was just doing that to get some easy high reps on my hamstring. I’ll probably do that for these couple of weeks, but I’m not on that cardio train.

Squats were completely fine for the hamstring, but I’ll stick with the Oly shoes to be safe for now. I think I’ve learned through my form reconstruction how to actually keep my pelvis in an okay position with deep narrow squats. It’s very difficult on the low-mid back, I had an insane pump for awhile after squatting.

I had a pretty significant drop in strength on the leg curls, both due to pain and it really felt like I couldn’t have moved up strength-wise. That will likely be my main rehab exercise as a result of that finding. A 3/18 on that machine is comically light. Clearly the knee flexion is a bigger part of this despite my injuring it during hip extension.

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953

Conjugate - Week 10 - Days 3-4
Friday - ME Upper

Paused Bench:
2x1x365 - First rep was off balance due to tight pec minor, smashed it out and fixed it. Moved faster than last week
4x5x315 - Soft pause
5x315 - 3 ct pause

Dips:
10xBW
10xBW+45
3x10xBW+90

A1 | Cable Low Row - Moderate Neutral:
12x180
12x210
12x240
2x15x180

A2 | Cable Overhead Triceps:
3x15x55

Meadows Rear Delt Fly:
2x12+12x45s+20s

Push-Ups:
30xBW
2x20xBW - Decline

Treadmill Walk:
10 mins x 3.3 mph

Pretty happy with this workout. I was feeling good on bench until that first 365 and I wasn’t happy with how it move crooked due to the different sink levels on either side. Cleaned it up with the second one really well. Looked like a very conservative opener.

The 315 sets after were pretty clean as well. At least my upper body now likes me, but apparently lower is going to shit now…

Saturday - ME Lower

Reverse Band Squat w/ Belt:
1x455-55
1x495-55
1x545-55 - I felt a pop in my left quad right out of the hole. It moved well regardless of that. Another strain to deal with. sigh

RDLs - Beltless/Straps - Alternate Conv and Sumo:
2x10x135
2x10x225
4x10x315 - No hamstring issues

Standing Single Leg Curl:
Left - 25s at “3,4, and 5/ 18” - Minimal pain
Right - 2x15x"11/18"

Welp, I fixed the hamstring pretty quickly, but my body hates me lol. The 545 felt really, really good otherwise, because the pain was gone as soon as it happened and I was able to finish it, but it was immediately back after racking the bar. The rep was basically perfect, so I don’t know that I could have done anything about the quad. Maybe a more thorough warm-up to ensure tissue extensibility. I was prepared to go up to 585, if 545 felt good, which it did, but it is what it is. At least I’m smart enough not to push through these types of things and tear it in half.

I gotta make sure I’m eating enough, that’s for sure. I’m still trying to get more calories back in after the last month or so.

954

Recap Last 2 Weeks

I’ve been too busy to get on here, but I’ve been in the gym, mostly for upper body because of the quad. But here are some updates:

DE Bench: Last week I did the usual 6x3x225+Dbl Minis and then 3 ct eccentric + 3 ct pauses for a 6x3, including a couple of sets at 315. I moved up this week to hitting the entire 6x3x315. It is getting very difficult, so I likely need to remove that for a wave.

ME Bench: I have this tomorrow, but last week I moved up to 1x375 and then hit a 5x5+ at 315 and got 8 on the plus set with 1-2 in the tank.

DE Lower: Basically just deadlift days, I didn’t even go in for this last ME lower day because I was out of town. First DE day I did double paused sumo at 405 and some conventional at 405. The quad was still hurting even on deadlifts. Today it felt better and I hit a 5x3x495 on paused sumo pretty easily and then 3x1x585 normal sumo. I was able to do 3x12x180 on belt squat with no quad pain, so I think I’m pretty much good to go for starting with light barbell squats.

955

Spring Break Woo!

I’ve been on my break for the past week. I lifted on Thursday and then nothing until yesterday (Wednesday).

Thursday - ME Upper

Bench:
385x1 - Paused, felt good
3x6x315
8x315

Seal Row w/ American Bar:
2x6x265
6x265, 10x215, 20x125 - Drop set

Unilateral Incline DB Press:
2x10/10x80
10/10x80 + 5/5x80 + 3/3x80 - Drop set just alternating arms

Triceps Pushdown:
3x12x85

Lying Cable Lateral Raise:
10x40
10x60
10x50

Cable Rear delts + Infraspinatus - Couple sets

This went well. The 385 single was not hard and I considered jumping to 405 actually, but figured I would be smart and stick with slowly moving up. I’ve basically been using 315 as the bulk of my benching volume recently, so I’m getting really comfortable with it again. I’ll likely need to move up soon.

Wednesday - DE Bench - Deload

3 Ct. Paused Bench:
6x3x315

A1 | HS Iso-Row:
10x360
2x10x410
10x360

A2 | Unilateral Incline DB Press:
8/8x80
3x8/8x85

B1 | Cable Fly:
15x25s
15x30s
15x35s

B2 | Band Pushdown:
3x30xLight

C1 | Lying Cable Lateral Raise:
3x10x50

C2 | Cable Rope Curl:
3x15x55

I’m calling this a deload mostly because I’m out of town and not in the usual gym, plus I need to use it to get back into squatting lightly. The 6x3x315 may not seem like a deload, but I removed the 3 ct eccentric part and also the preceding banded bench that I’ve been doing.

956

Thursday - DE Lower - Deload

2 Ct. Paused Squat - Beltless:
5x3x315

Squat w/ Belt:
3x365
2x3x405 - No quad pain, just tight hips and it felt heavy

1.5" Deficit Conventional Deadlift - Belt/Straps:
5x5x405

A1 | HS Low/Yates Row:
3x15x180

A2 | Lying Leg Curl:
15x65
15x75
15x85 - These were all done with a controlled eccentric to full extension

Lying Straight Leg Raise:
2x15 - Cue ab cramps

Cardio - Recumbent Bike:
2:30 warm-up @ level 12
5 rounds of 1:00 at level 17 / 1:00 at level 12
2:30 cool-down
Totals: 158 cal (didn’t input weight), 3.55 miles, avg HR 160-170, sweat: a lot

Seems like the quad strain is now healed. My hip flexors are definitely struggling though, especially during the pauses. It had never been an issue before I moved my stance out, but I guess that’s what happens when you actually control your pauses.

Forgot how difficult deficit pulls can be. I should probably have a wave of those soon.

957

Friday - ME Upper - Deload

Paused Bench:
1x345
3x10x275

Inverted Row:
3x15xBW

This was just done at a friend’s home gym while I helped him with his shoulder issues and talked a bunch.

Monday - DE Upper - Wave Beginning

Bench w/ Chain (+75):
6x3x225+75

Paused Bench:
3x315
5x3x335 - Speedy

A1 | Seal Row w/ Multi-grip Log Bar:
4x15x215

A2 | Dips:
10xBW
3x15xBW - More controlled than usual on descent

Prone EZ Spider Curl:
3x15x75

Lying Cable Lateral Raise:
15x40
2x15x50

I felt pretty good today. I moved from bands to chains for this wave, will stick with 225 bar weight again. I decided to just do competition form for my heavier 6x3. Hopefully it’s fine, but I’d like to work up to 335-355 on those for the wave. If I’m doing speed work with 355, I’ll be very happy.

I like seal rows much more with the neutral grip. I can use much more weight and keep my chest up my easily.

958

Wednesday - Week 1 - DE Lower

SSB Paused Squat w/ Belt:
6x3x335

Squat w/ Belt:
4x3x405

Sumo Deadlift w/ Belt/Straps:
6x3x495

A1 | KB Swing:
3x20x97

A2 | Leg Raise:
3x15

A lack of sleep over the past 2-3 weeks caught up with me on this one and I forgot to drink coffee in the morning and then forgot again before this workout. So I was not exactly prepared to be strong. The hip flexors are not feeling good on squats currently, I really need to turn some attention to them.

959

Week 1 - ME Upper

Paused Bench:
375x1 - very easy, solid pause

Floor Press:
5x315 - Easy
3x315 - Left pec strain ayylmao

Overhead Cable Triceps:
3x15x55

Iso-Row:
5x20x180

A1 | DB Curl:
3x16/16x30s - Alternating 2x8 per side per set

A2 | Band Pull-Apart:
3x50xMini

Now every lift has been hurt over the last month or so! Sick!

48 hours and rehab begins. I’m done floor pressing forever. I just didn’t have the same groove and my elbows stayed too flared, putting my pecs into too much of a working position for the weight and it got me very suddenly and without warning. But it is what it is.

960

Update

I’m still trying to get back into everything basically, but also just rounding out my semester trying to survive. Pec is still hurting, but I’m working on it. Not sure if I wrote it here, but I also hurt my patellar tendon playing flag football, so I’m dealing with that as well. Still getting in some good workouts, just can’t focus on competition lifts.

Been doing some overhead press and did some incline for a 5x8x185 the other day. This past weekend I did a mid-shin conventional block pull for a max effort lift and got 615x1 and then missed 635, then 495x8 and 495x12, which I’m really happy with. Been doing some light Hatfield squats to try to maintain some strength, but any knee extension or flexion eccentric hurts. Hit a 4x10x405 on sumo last night plus Hatfield squats to 295x10 and then BFR for 155x30,15,15 and nearly died.

I think the biggest factor in my training is figuring out how to determine when I’m going to reach these fragile states that I find myself in every once in a while. It’s like I show no fatigue symptoms but all of the sudden injuries come and I feel like shit physically, and of course emotionally due to the injuries, but there’s something physical that feels different. I may need to have restorative blocks every 8 weeks or so, where I just focus on bodybuilding, mobility, soft tissue work, and unilateral work.