Week 14 - Day 1.5 - Upper Accessories / Cardio
A1 | Triceps Pushdown:
2x12x50
2x12x70
A2 | DB Curls:
4x15/15x25s
Kneeling High Row to Wood Chop:
2x12/12x70
Leaning DB Lateral Raise:
3x12/12x25
Cardio - Air Bike - Moderate Intensity:
Round 1: 100 calories / 4.9 miles in 8:30
Rest 2-3 minutes
Round 2: 100 calories / 4.8 miles in 8:25
Oura Metrics: 196 cal / 141 Avg HR / 150 Max HR
Part of my plan is to spread out my training across 6-7 days in the gym, since I have access to it by walking down a few steps. Another reason is that I can put more effort into accessories and get them all done, regardless of how main lifts / supplements go, since theyāre on entirely different days. While the rep-volume will be similar to a normal 4-day split, the frequency of stimulus will be higher, as will the intensity most likely.
This also gives me the freedom to not do cardio on days with primary lifts.
Iāll be experimenting with a bunch of new mobility exercises and combination exercises like the high row to wood chop listed today. Iāll have to film them.
Week 14 - Day 2 - Full Body Upper Focus
Reverse Band Bench:
4x8x275-Minis - Not a ton taken off by the bands, but allowed me to do mostly pain free pressing
Trap Bar Deadlift:
6x395
2x6x395 - Add belt
Other stuff
I donāt remember other stuffās specifics. The trap barās knurling is sharp as hell. I definitely canāt raw dog it for heavy weight and even strapping up is difficult because it bites into the straps and prevents me from getting a tight fit (damn what a sentence). Iāll either invest in some Versa Gripps or figure it out.
Day 3 - Full Body Lower Focus
Squat w/ Belt/Flats:
4x4x365
Push-Ups on Dip Bar (Neutral Grip + Deficit):
4x10xBW
Single Arm DB Row:
3x12/12x100
Hanging Leg Raise:
3x12
Plus a couple of sets figuring out cable leg curls / leg extensions. My wife got some sturdy pink ankle cuffs, so got a nice 10+ boost on masculinity 
Almost have my hybrid plan in place to start it. Iāll likely try to start a vague representation of it this upcoming week and figure it out fully from there.
TESTING
Day 1 - Full Body Mixed
| Exercise |
Notes |
| Trap Bar RDL - Belt Straps |
|
| 2x8x345 |
Practice sets basically |
| 2x13x345 |
RPE 8-ish |
|
|
| Low Incline Trap Bar Bench |
|
| 3x6x200 |
Easier to control than last time |
|
|
| A1 - Supine Lying Lat Pulldown |
|
| 3x10x120 |
D Handles |
| A2 - KB Swing |
|
| 2x8x135 |
|
|
|
| Triceps Pushdown |
|
| 17x50 |
Myo-rep match sets |
| 12+5 x 50 |
|
| 10+5+2 x 50 |
|
Notes below on first 2 days
Day 2 - Mixed Mode Conditioning + Lower Accessories
| Circuit - 5 Rounds |
Metrics |
Notes |
| Air Bike |
25 cal |
1:45-2:05 each |
| Inverted Leg Curl |
8xBW |
|
| Cable Hack Squat |
12x90+Dbl Monster |
|
| Inverted Row |
10xBW |
1-2 min rest between rounds |
Metrics: 30 mins, 124 avg HR, 5.5 mi on bike
I also did some random moving around after the circuit with side shuffling, skipping, and quick feet sort of things. Need to get the achilles tendons and other ankle parts adapted to rebounding again for any running/jumping activities.
Otherwise, notes on day 2: Inverted leg curls are fucking insanely difficult. I donāt know if itās because Iām using suspended rings and not a barbell or if Iām just weak as shit, but 8 reps per set was hard.
The first 2 days of this and Iāve already switched my days around for the cycle design. It was done as written to be a lower body accessory day + moderate conditioning. But it wasnāt quite right. Iām going to move my hard conditioning + mobility to this day and have this day on Day 3 next time. It was a good workout regardless. I may separate the conditioning from the accessories as well and not do a circuit, but Iāll just be testing and iterating forever anyway.
Day 1 was good. RDLs on the trap bar feel good for getting the tension to my hamstrings and glutes rather than all on my low back. Happy with the control of the trap bar bench too.
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Testing
Week 2 - Day 1 - Full Body Strength - Lower Focus
Update: Little roadblock. Iāve been dealing with some intense upper GI pain the past week. It subsided after about 4 days, but it came back on Sunday evening and I ended up in urgent care on Monday after self-inducing vomiting due to nausea and there was some blood. Either have a gastric ulcer or gastritis. Got medication to protect the stomach lining that night and the pain has subsided. Havenāt been eating much. But this workout was 1 day late.
Squat w/ Belt/Oly Shoes
5x3x405
Low Incline Close Grip Bench
8x185
2x8x225 - Left pec feeling iffy, didnāt push for more
A1 | Deficit Push-Ups - Bottom 3/4 Reps
25, 22, 20 x BW
A2 | Cossack Squat
8/8x32
2x8/8x44 - Never done these with more than like 25 lbs I think
Triceps Pushdown
3x8x70
Pretty pleased with this workout for having the issue above. Lifting doesnāt cause any symptom exacerbation during or after. Feeling much better overall, but still need to be cautious with food choices for a week or so. This is my first actual medical issue in my nearly 35 years of being alive outside of anything going on when I was a baby lol
Testing
Week 2 - Day 2 - Accessory A + HIIT
SL Cable Leg Curl - Lengthened Position
2x15/15x20
A1 Cable Chest Supported Row
8x160
2x8x170
A2 Incline DB Curl
3x12x25s
Cable Rear Delt Fly
3x12x30
Cardio - High Intensity - Air Bike
8 x 0:15/0:15 at 100% and 0% - Gassed out by 5th round, but kept trying
Still deciding on how to split up these secondary days. There will be 2 of them per week and I originally considered doing upper acc on one day and lower on the other, but Iām not sure yet.
Higher intensity cardio wouldnāt usually be on this day, but missing Monday pushes it here.
Testing
Week 2 - Day 3 - Full Body Mixed
Trap Bar Deadlift w/ Belt/Straps:
3x8x425 - Normal conventional setup with hips high, not squatting
Pendulum Standing Press w/ Bands:
3x8-10x225+Monster Minis - Basically like a jammer arm press but with a barbell through straps
A1 | KB Swing:
3x20x90
A2 | Kneeling Single-Arm Cable High Row:
2x12/12x65
Slam Ball Sit Up to Chest Pass:
3x15x25
Using the trap bar in a normal deadlift position is hard as shit right now. Iām not sure if itās the grip being wider or just the balance of the bar somehow, but itās definitely hard. Iāll use it for the classic squatty trap bar deadlift at some point.
Pendulum presses took my āpowerā slot for pressing today. Thereās zero tension at the bottom, since the bar is hanging straight down, but itās still a fun way to mix things up. Weāll see if I find any benefit to it regardless.
Week 2 - Day 4 - Accessories B
Triceps Pushdown - Straight Bar:
3x12-15x32.5+Dbl Mini
KB Standing Windmill:
3x5-8x22 - I was able to touch the ground without bending my knees for the first time on these!
Ring Suspension Facepulls:
3x15
Cable Curl - Shortened Position:
2x15-20x32.5+Dbl Mini
Very casual time in the garage today.
Note: Iām going to list the cable weights as the āfelt weightā based on the cable ratios. On my machine, the 2 center pulleys (lat pulldown and low row) are 1:1 and the 2 side ones are 2:1. So when Iām using a single side-pulley like I did today, the tension is half the weight actually on the machine.
Really wild dealing with a low ratio machine after being used to commercial equipment numbers telling me I can triceps pushdown 125-150 lbs full stacks lol
Testing
Week 2 - Day 5 - Full Body Mixed
Paused Bench:
3x3x315
Feet Up Paused Bench:
2x6x265
Beltless SSB Pin Squat:
5x3x290
Cable Crossover Lateral/Y Raise:
3x12x15s
Bench still giving me shoulder pain, but Iām happy to be able to hit 315 again.
After some of this testing, I probably wonāt be doing full body days each primary lifting day. Itās just too much to deal with from a time, fatigue, set up, motivation, etc. perspective. Iām going to do a lower-only and an upper-only day, as well as a secondary lifts-focused full body day. And Iāll still have my 2 separate accessory days in between.
Part of the goal was to not spend 2 hours in the gym each day, but full body days just look like that for me unless theyāre both secondary lifts that donāt need as much warming up and code switching. This also will give me more room to have an off day as needed but still hold a contained 7 day pattern. Not that itās important to do that for any real reason with a home gym, but itās simpler that way. That may change in the future.
Testing
Week 3 - Day 1 - Lower Body
SSB Squat w/ Belt/Oly Shoes
3x3x420 - RPE 10s due to positional difficulty with handles up
2x6x330 - Paused
Conventional Deadlift w/ Bands (+90 lbs) - Belt/Straps
6x3x315+90 - 90 sec rests
A1 | Lying Lat Pulldown
3x12x110
A2 | Hanging Leg Raise
3x15xBW
First time going heavy with the Titan SSB and attempting to keep the handles up. Wooo itās spicy. Iāve always pulled the handles down and used brute force with SSBs (especially Rogueās). Iām making an effort to use the bar as intended, partially because this oneās pad is so big that pulling the handles down might just decapitate me. But weāll see how things progress. This was super hard.
It was fun pulling against bands for the first time in a long time. Good speed. Iāll likely just run DE style work for this slot for the time being, but may incorporate other power-focused non-powerlifting movements too.
Week 3 - Day 2 - Light Conditioning
Mixed Mode - 5 Rounds / No Rest
Air Bike - 3 min (1.5 mi / 25 cal)
KB Alternating Cleans - 15/15x44
Cable Row + Alternating Rotation - 15/15x70
Oura Metrics:
32 min - 294 cal - HR: 122 avg / 145 max
Testing
Week 3 - Day 3 - Upper Body
Low Incline Paused Bench (15 Deg):
4x4x275
A1 | Pull-Ups:
8x5 - 30 sec rest to push-ups
A2 | Band Push-Ups:
8x8xBW+Light Band - 30 sec rest to pull-ups
B1 | Rotational Slam Ball Single-Arm Pass:
5x3/3x25
B2 | Cable Curls / Spider KB Curls:
2x12x42.5
2x12/12x35
C1 | Cable Overhead Triceps Extension:
15, 15, 12 x 42.5
C2 | Barbell Snatch Grip High Upright Row:
3x15x45 - Controlled eccentric
Adding any incline to bench is always tough for me, so this wasnāt surprisingly difficult. 2 of the sets felt good, the other 2 felt harder than intended. Definitely still have some pec/shoulder fatigue from this weekendās bench. No big deal though, since I switched the days around from here on.
Hypertrophy clusters for pull-ups/push-ups superset. Reps slowed down around set 6-7.
Also, light conditioning slot this morning was 1 hour of lawn mowing. 265 cal and 97 BPM average. Probably shouldnāt consider that cardio lol. Good extra steps but the HR isnāt high enough to matter much.
CHIMERA
Week 1 - Session 1 - Main Lower Focus
Paused Squat w/ Belt/Oly Shoes
3x3x405
2x6x315
Conventional Deadlift w/ Bands (+90 lbs) - Belt/Straps
6x3x315+90 - 60-90 sec rests
A1 | Lying Lat Pulldown
2x8x120
15, 12 x 85
A2 | Hanging Leg Raise - Back Supported
3x15
Hadnāt mentioned it here, but I just spent the last week vacationing in Costa Rica with my wife. It was awesome, super not relaxing though lol. Lots of adventuring and driving to different areas. No exercise outside of walking and kind of hiking on existing trails. Probably got a lot of neck training in from driving on their āroadsā sometimes. That plus plane travel, the neck was seriously sore for a couple of days after.
First workout back and Iām naming this thing Chimera. Itās āhybridā training in the sense that Iām attempting to become very well-rounded in strength and conditioning. The hybrid trend is essentially a renamed version of just being an athlete instead of a lifter meme archetype.
I effectively repeated my previous lower body day logged in rep schemes and such. For being fully off for the last 8 days or so, I actually felt decently strong relative to recently.
One thing Iāve decided on through testing is that I donāt want to mix too many modalities into a single training session. Just because weāre going āhybridā doesnāt mean training sessions need to include 3-4 different athletic qualities. A heavy resistance training focused day is still going to be very similar to a normal powerlifting or bodybuilding day.
CHIMERA
Week 1 - Session 2 - Moderate Conditioning
Air Bike:
5 min w/u
4 rounds: 3 min work at 60-66 RPM / 285-330 watts + 90 sec rest/slow
3 min c/d
Metrics: 260 cal / 11.9 mi / 99-136 HR (Oura ring didnāt record HR, but the generalized HR section for the exercise section of the day says those numbers)
Week 1 - Session 3 - Main Upper Focus
Paused Bench w/ Chains (+75)
4x240+75
4x275+75 @ RPE 9.5
2x6x240+75
Paused Feet Up Bench
3x3x240 - Simply a quick power slot, focused on bar speed
A1 | Cable Low Row - Wide Neutral / Paused at Stretch
12, 15, 12 x 120
A2 | Low Incline Triceps Skullover
12x60
2x12x75
B1 | KB Incline Curl
2x12/12x22
B2 | KB Spider Curl
2x12/12x35 - Done in alternating 6s
Cable Lateral Raise
2x15/15x15
Heaviest Iāve benched in a good while, both in absolute weight (350 at the top, about 320 at the bottom) and intensity (reaching an RPE 9.5). Relatively low pain throughout in the left shoulder, but still there. Happy with the progress.
Lateral raises cause a significant amount of pain though. Due to the length of time Iāve had the shoulder issue, Iām not scared to push through it and see what happens. Next day now and itās sore-ish, but not terrible.
Overall, great bench/upper workout that I havenāt had in a long time.
CHIMERA
Week 1 - Session 4 - Lower Body Accessories
A1 | Zercher Deficit Split Squat w/ Open Trap Bar
3x6/6x125 - Rotating every 3rd rep
A2 | Suspension Leg Curl
3x15xBW - Myo-rep match sets
Kickstand Landmine RDL
2x10/10x90
Landmine Lateral Shift
3x8/8x45
Leaning QL Suitcase Hold - Right Side Only
3 x 30 sec x 44
This was a spicy day for just being a lower accessory day. But the accessory scheme throughout the week is basically tertiary/easier ones on the main days and primary/harder accessories on their own day. So thatās what this was.
This all killed my glutes. First time doing some zercher work and it was fun. Kept that pretty conservative for the first week, so weāll see what actual difficult days will do.
The last exercise is to help get the left QL to inhibit by getting it lengthened and the right QL some tension. Iāll have to film it to show it here after I see if it helps. This is part of my trying to fix my hip shift / rotation / discrepancies in my squat.
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CHIMERA
Week 1 - Session 5 - Light Conditioning / Mobility
Air Bike:
20 min LISS at 50-55 RPM primarily legs-only
Metrics: 170 cal / 10.2 mi / 126 avg HR / 142 max HR
Mobility:
Adductors and spine mostly - Likely not logging the specifics of mobility exercises unless I find ones that I want to measurably progress
Week 1 - Session 6 - Full Body
Open Trap Bar Squat w/ Belt/Flats
5x6x330
A1 | Paused Close Grip High Incline Press (60 Deg)
3x8x165
A2 | Standing Single Arm Cable Curl w/ Rotation
3x12x55
B1 | Cable Single Leg Curl - Lengthened Emphasis
2x15/15x27.5
B2 | DB Facepull
2x15x25s
B3 | DB Rear Delt Fly
2x12x25s
Kept the open trap bar squats conservative on RPE to have room to improve over the cycle. Wellā¦ RIR really because the RPE with this variation is mostly RPE Jesus-Christ-This-Is-Difficult regardless of the proximity to failure. Not even sure of the cycle goal yet.
High incline was also conservative for the same reason. Probably wanting 3x10x165, 4x8x175, 4x8x185 or something to that effect over the cycle.
CHIMERA
Week 1 - Session 7 - Upper Accessories
A1 | Curls
3x15x17.5s - Cable Pelican Curls
1x10x35, 2x10x55 - Cable Curl
A2 | BW Presses
15, 12, 15, 12, 15, 12 - Alternating push-ups w/ slow eccentrics and dips
Triceps Crossover Pushdown
3x12x17.5s
1/2 Turkish Get-Up
5/5x44 - Overshot this for the left shoulder
2x10/10x35
Band Shoulder External Rotation
2x15xMicro Mini
I do think Iām going to like some of these extra days that are more casual in nature but allow me to focus effort into the areas that I would usually be too fatigued (physically or mentally) to focus on following main lifts. I literally just went down to the garage and did this workout in my house slippers.
Week 1 - Session 8 - Moderate Conditioning
Running:
8 rounds: 1/4 mile run + 2 min walk
Cool down: Walk 5 mins and another slow 1/4 mile
Metrics: ~3.5 mi total / 699 cal / 136 avg HR / 170 max HR
Wife paced us to a peak of 1:45-1:50 for like 3 of the 1/4 miles and otherwise they were mostly 2:00-2:10. Although I was getting the muscular fatigue again at the end, this actually got me pretty good aerobically today. This is a good sign, since I needed to adapt out of muscular endurance being the main limiter to get better aerobically.
First week review: This went well and I feel decent recovery-wise. Iām hoping that this running today doesnāt affect tomorrowās lower body day too much, but itās part of learning this thing. Things I neglected this week: Power work mostly. Will continue to find places for things though.
CHIMERA
Week 2 - Session 1 - Main Lower Focus
Sumo w/ Belt/Straps
3x5x495 at RPE 7, 6, 6
Beltless Squat w/ Flats
6x3x315 - 90 sec rests, also no knee sleeves
Single Leg Landmine Deadlift
2x5/5x90
5/5x135
Leg-Assisted Ring Pull-Ups
4x8xBW - This is simply an inverted row setup with feet on a bench, but a vertical torso
Half-Kneeling Cable Woodchop
3x10/10x40
Got these single leg landmine deadlifts from Alec Blenis on IG. Itās not that I didnāt know of them already, but he was doing them heavy with 275 lbs (not the confused two 45s and one 25 on landmine, but literally five 25 kg plates on one side). They wrecked me with just 135 for 5. Going to see what I can do with them as a secondary hinge. Maybe theyāll help with my hip discrepancies.
Sumo felt alright. Although this was the āheavyā slot for hinges, I wanted to ease into it with decent weight but low RPE. Honestly the landmine deadlifts were harder lol.
CHIMERA
Week 2 - Session 2 - Main Upper Focus
Paused Bench w/ Bands (+80)
5x3x185+80
Feet Up Close Grip Spoto Press
15, 12, 10 x 185
Chest-Supported Incline Row w/ Open Trap Bar
3x13x165 - Myo-rep match sets based on initial set to RPE 9
Triceps Pushdown - Straight Bar
3x10x80 - This was like RPE 9-10 on my cables lol
Band Lateral Raise
2x12/12xMini
This week has not been a strong fitness week overall. Session 1 was good, but Iāve neglected my planned conditioning on accident. Theyāre placed separately from the resistance training, so I havenāt built the habit of thinking about it during the day. This is part of the change process and also why people who donāt train or eat well have a hard time suddenly changing their actions.
This session in particular was fine for the bench portion, but I wasnāt motivated much for the remainder. Biceps werenāt done. But weāll keep moving forward and adjusting as needed. This week just wonāt be a realistic representation of how itās going.
CHIMERA
Week 2 - Session 3 - Lower Body Accessories
Zercher Deficit Paused Bulgarian Split Squat w/ Open Trap Bar 
7/7x125
2x7/7x145
Suspension Leg Curl
3x15xBW - Myo-rep match sets
Kickstand Landmine RDL
2x10/10x95
Straddle Good Morning
2x10x45 - Example here, just a hip mobility thing
Leaning QL Suitcase Hold - Right Side Only
3 x 60 sec x 44 - Some static, some active side bending
Once again this day was brutal with the Zercher split squat variation. Curious to see what happens with these and how it affects my recovery for other days.
CHIMERA
Week 2 - Session 4 - Full Body
Open Trap Bar RDL - Beltless/Straps
2x8x395
2x10x365
Low Incline Bench
4x5+5x225 - 30 sec rest clusters
Standing Cable Leg Extension
2x15/15x40
Had plans to do more exercises, but RDLs crushed the motivation out of me. Figured out how to do leg extensions without a leg extension machine, so thatās cool. Will have to film it.
Week 2 - Session 5 - Light Cardio
Air Bike:
30 mins LISS - Mostly legs-only
Metrics: 14.2 mi, 210 cal, 110 avg HR, 130 max HR
First long, boring ride on the air bike. I wasnāt sure how Iād like it relative to a stationary bike where I could lean forward and just pump it out, but it was fine. Goal here was to maintain pretty much exactly what I ended up with for heart rate to focus entirely on the aerobic base and not reach into glycolytic pathways by going too hard.
Chimera
Week 2 - Session 6 - Upper Accessories + Moderate Conditioning
A1 | Ring Push-Ups - SLOW Eccentrics
4x8 - 8-count eccentricsā¦ woof
A2 | Rear Delt Fly Sequence - 3 Angles
4x8+8+8x25s
Elevated Deficit Pike Push-Ups
8xBW - Bench height at 30 deg
2x8xBW - Bench height at 45 deg
B1 | Cable Pelican Curls
2x12x15s
B2 | Cable Iron Cross Curls
2x12x15s
Barbell Curl
2x15x45
Conditioning - Mixed Mode Intervals
1/3 mile jog warm-up
3 Rounds: 1/3 mile run + 2.5-3 min rest + 1 mile bike + 2.5-3 min rest
Metrics: 1 mile run, 3 mile bike, 414 cal (Oura), 149 avg HR, 171 max HR
This was my first time doing ring push-ups outside of maybe 1-2 times messing around in the gym over 18 years. Lemme tell ya, 8 seconds of eccentric wobbling is rough. But it wasnāt so wobbly that I didnāt get anything out of it. My pecs got lit up and there was a ton of tension at the bottom. They were set up low, so it was practically a normal angled push up too.
Similarly, the pike push-ups were very hard. The deficit was like 8 inches, so weāre talking nearly a full ROM overhead press. Going to work on both these movements and see if the super difficult closed-chain pressing gets the shoulder fully right again.
Got in a 2nd slot of conditioning 
This was really difficult, but only listed as moderate because of the actual intensity of it. The 1/3 mile runs each took 2:30-2:50 to complete and each 1-mile on the air bike took 1:30. So this was a moderate intensity run and moderate-high intensity bike interval.