Saturday night. Moved my Sunday night ahead. Have a family Xmas Sunday and plan to pull some other days ahead too. My wife’s at a rock concert and I’m at home with the 3 kids. Worked on the truck a bit, my turn to cook (rare) and watching some classic Xmas movies with the kids before they settle down and I get to enjoy the free UFC fight and some JAGER !
Incline bench- put bench up on my new mat increasing the angle a bit…
Barx8
135x8
205x8 all paused
225x5 tng. Felt heavy
245x5 same. Must be the angle…
Closegrip incline- all paused.
225x3
205x6
135x16 grip in one finger width
High incline- basically the setting on my bench between Incline n seated overhead.
135x8 paused
Seated overhead press- I never do these. 1 finger width in from bench grip…
Ok. Rack set at chest level. So first rep was from deadstop at chest. Remaining reps do everything to chin level.
135x5
155x5
185x5 with any practice I Could get to sets of 8-10 here. …
Monday 12-22-14
B.w 226
Unbelted 1 min rests
I did 2 sets of 10 curl s w. Just the bar before deads. BIcep feels fine. But def felt slight pump in left one…
EXPLOSIVE DEADS- my body felt good really. But everything felt heavy . Assuming last week’s heavy day n p.r is why…
Warmup- doh. No belt. 3" def.
135x8
205x6
225x4
245 x 2
Work- same. No deficit.
275x2
275x2
275x2
275x2
275x2 all felt heavy. Hands even opened up last set.
4" blocks- mixed grip. Left hand pronated.
295x3 lol
295x3 called it
From 2" def.- mixed gril. Left hand pronated
245x8 last two slower
245x8 same
Highbar beltless pause squats- full 2 sec atg pause. No belt
Barx5
135x5
185x5
205x5 last two struggled…
225x5 after previous set I had some doubt here… Held the last two rep 3 secs and each took me to my limit. … Goal met
Barbell rows- 2" deficit. Deadlift Stance. Bench grip. Thumbless. Deadstop
135x8
155x8
185x8
185x8
185x8 last cpl slow on last two sets…
1 sec hang. 1 " below knee
155x12
Rest10secs
135x10 both harder than assumed…
Tuesday 12-23-14
Pulling ahead for obvious reasons
B.w 222.
HEAVY BENCH- hit what was expected then focus on Closegrip.
Warmup- tng. Explosive as possible every rep today.
Barx10
135x8
225x6
250x4 felt well here.
275x2
300x2 flew up
315x2 fast
335x2 slight hitch on 2nd rep. Good for 3-4 here…
350x1 would a been good for a 2nd as a grinder… have other goals for the day…
Closegrip- fingers touching smooth tng explosive. Go for p.rs. basically work my way down after reg bench…
335x1 p.r !
315x3 p.r!
300x5. P.r!
275x6 bring grip in 1 finger each. So pointer on smooth…
225x12 same. spoto no pause.
Excellent fn day !
AB wheels- on my new mat!
X8 tng
X8 paused
X8 paused
X8 paused
X8 paused
Chins- still no chins. Next week I’ll test.
Neutral grip pullups- thumbless. Wanted to get something in . B.w 222
X3 all reps dead hang. Explode up high as possible
X3
X3 felt good thru here
X3 these felt tougher
X3 same
X6 took 5 and came back to suprise my self here!
Merry Xmas all. Squats on Friday for me. Work Xmas eve but hope to get out early…
Friday 12-26-14
B.w 227
My stomach was bloated and my ass played like a musical Instrument this whole session .
Great Xmas, got 3 of my 7 done Xmas day. 2 remain for this weekend. Great food company and even some beers.
Felt like shit during dynamic warmup, warmup and working sets.really.
REP SQUAT
warmup- atg. Beltless . Tng pause last rep only
Barx10
135x8
185x6
205x4
225x4 best set.
245x2 beltup. Felt like shit
245x2 to parellel. Better
Work - To parellel
275x5
275x5
275x5 nothing explosive here. Just took every rep as a single.
295x2 felt heavy but moved.
305x2 first rep sooooo sloow… 2nd better
Some back off work- atg belted.tng
265x5 rep 3 nearly buried me. Shifted weight back to much. Regrouped.
245x5 better. Fought lean
225x5 full 2 sec pause. Everything burned on last 2…
Paused deads- full 2 sec pause 2" off ground.
135x8
205x6
225x6
245x6 belt so tight seemed like it made things worse… that long pause sucks!
Shrugs- doh. Full 2-3 sec hard hold at top
245x6
225x6
205x8
135x16 snatchgrip.
Last week of year. Last week of cycle. Gotta few changes in mind alresdy. Def sticking w. CUBE METHOD. but moving some acessories around or changing them . Also thinking of programming my incline into it as well vs. Random programming like I been doing. Did some testing today in prep for that.
Incline bench- worked on a better foot setup. Think I found it.
Warmup- full pause each rep
barx10
135x8
185x6
205x 4
225x2
Work- getting. Full pause explode up.
245x2
265x2
275x1 using this as my paused max
Incline spoto press- 1-2 " of chest . Tng. Pause there 2 sec last rep only
245x8 p.r never done these but boy did I surprisingly feel strong on em!
245x6 again suprised
225x8
225x8
135x12 extreme closegrip spoto. 2 fingers on smooth. Full pause .
Curls- just to get some blood flowin
E-z bar- with the clips it weighs 6pounds. I always have 5s on there for my daughter to deadlift or play around. Basically its hers.
16x10
36x10
56x10 pause at bottom
56x10 pause at botto.
bench bar (45) x10 wide grip
Had some pump in that left bicep.
Late start. Got a good day in tho. Will log after work. Pulling days ahead again too…
Monday 12-29-14
B.w 223
Belted 1-2 min rests
REP DEADLIFT
warmup- 3" deficit. Doh. Unbelted .
135x8
205x6
225x4
245x2
265x2
275x2
295x2 belted up. Mixed grip here
Work- from floor
315x2 belt a bit snug making things odd.
335x2 same.
355x2 same. Not bad tho. This is becoming a weight I can rep…
Back off sets- 2" deficit
315x5 bit a rounding on last two
225x8 stiff legged
225x8 stiff legged
Highbar paused squat- atg. 2 sec pauses.
135x5
205x3
225x3 good.
245x3 beltup here on out. Fought a little lean on rep 3…
265x3 p.r . Last rep rounded pretty good… lol
275x1 not a bad rep for a 2sec pause…
Back off sets- heavy tng. Then lighter long pauses.
275x5 challenging set for me. Balance an issue at times…
225x5- full 3 sec pause. Brutal set again. Last two reps my hips shot up a bit and fought some lean. Everything burnin.
Barbell rows- from floor. Deadlift stance. Bench grip. Thumbless. Deadstop.
135x8
155x8
185x8
205x8
Rest10secs
205x4
Rest10secs
205x2 I was already quite whipped from deads n squats and made this that much harder.
Good day overall.
I am quite sore from my incline session! I haven’t been this sore from incline in months ! Pulling bench day up a day sooner too… could be interesting…
Tuesday 12-30-14
B.w 225
1 min rests
EXPLOSIVE BENCH
warmup- tng. Pause last rep only
Barx10
135x8
205x6
225x4
245x2
Work- explosive as possible
265x2
265x2
265x2
265x2
265x2 all moved well
Comp paused bench- 1 sec pause. Explode up
275x5 good
275x5 tried to get more explosive on this set. And did.
Closegrip bench- pointer fingers touching smooth
245x6
245x8 again .focused on explosion. Got me 2 more…
Closegrip spoto- 1 sec pause 1" off chest
225x8
225x8 last two slow on each
135x16 moved fingers in one to on the smooth. Feet up. Basically every variable possible to make it tougher here. Lol .last 4 were jello hell!
Chins- test day. Passed well.
1 sec hang n hold- b.w 225
X1
X2
X3
Tng- focus on controlled form
X3
X3
X3 felt well. Called it. I’ll ease back In
Neutral grip pullup- tng . Stressing full height at top
X6
X6 last two on each slow…
AB wheels - b.w 225. Tng
X8
X8
X8
Spoto rollouts? Pause 1 inch off the floor for a 1 sec hold. Reverse motion…
X10
X10 last two brutal on each.brutal.
Lowering my parellel squat a bit. Was about 13" before. .from now on its exactly 12" which is what the pic shows @ 300 pounds today. For my purposes it looks good.
Friday 1-2-15 new year !
B.w 228. Babang!
Belted 2 min rests
The squat depth is just one improvement for next cycle. Also started testing other changes as well. Focus on form n tightness in my squat along with a slower controlled descent for the top 1/3 of my squat. Which instantly was noticeable today. Some deadstop deficit stiff legged deads comin too. Short arms plus deficit = hell on wheels.
HEAVY SQUAT- work on changes. Staying super tight and slow controlled descent from top 1/3 then pickup speed and get most rebound possible.
Warmup- beltless .atg. controlled.
Barx5 2sec full pause
135x5 same
185x5 same
205x5 controlled tng
225x3 same easy
245x3 same easy. Belted up here
To parellel- same controlled descent . Tng @12". Felt deeper but good
265x3
275x3
295x3
315x1
335x1 not easy. But good. Could I have thrown a 10 on each side and got it? I believed so. But no safeties so I called it…
Back off sets - tng
300x6 to parellel. This is where the pic is from.
250x10 atg! P.r! Last two hard!
Stiff legged deads- 2" deficit. Deadstop
135x8
205x8
225x10 last two hard…
Shrugs- full 2sec hard hold each rep. 10 sec hold last rep each set.
225x8
225x8
225x8
Good day. Getting a feel for new stuff.
Renting the UFC fight this weekend. Should be fun. Been a while!
New maxes.
Decided changes-
-
Programming my incline into cube method. Using my 275 paused rep as a starting point. Programmed it for 285. As with all my lifts I’ll program it based on where I want to be at the end of the 9 week cycle. Usually 5-10 pounds more than the previous cycle. Until a stall…
-
Deadlift day- instead of ending with deficits. I’m replacing them with paused deads. Which are being pulled from squat day. Atg pause squats are still my acessory- but programming will change. I’ll be focusing on the strict form I began practicing and I’ll be using a format I’ll call “heavy 6” work up to a heavy 6 belted /or not then a couple back off sets of 8. Same for Barbell rows this day…
-
BENCH- not much change. Went to a heavy focus on Closegrip volume last Cycle . Basically continue that. Chins- build them back up from my time off. .AB wheels are a must. Love these things. If anything do more from standing.
-
Squat- not much change. Keep the new depth along w. Stricter form. Stiff legged deads replace the paused deads moved to dead day. I’ll use the heavy 6 programming here as well. Shrugs- focus on harder n longer holds at the top.maybe a high rep tng finisher.
That’s it. Some changes but Nothin crazy. Look forward to it all.
Week 1. New cycle. New things. New year
Cube incline bench- looked light n easy n was…
Warmup -tng
Barx8
135x8
155 X8
Paused- 1 sec pause. Explode up. 3 sec pause last rep only
185x8
185x8
185x8 felt good. Easy.
Closegrip- tng.
205x6 ok.
205x8 last two hard.
Spoto- pause 1-2" off chest for 1-2 sec pause.
185x8 good
185x8 last 2 hard… Goal met. Pumpday…
Neutral grip pullup- thumbless. B.w 232 in shoes n clothez.
Full 2 sec hang- explode up high as possible
X3
X3
X3
Full 2 sec hold at top
X2
X2
X2
1 sec hang/ hold at top/ hold at halfway
X2
X2
X2 just to get some more pulling in each week. Random schemes like today…
Monday 1-5-15
B.w 229 - should be peak…as I’ll lean down now…
Belted 1-2 min rests
HEAVY DEADLIFT
warmup- doh. 3" def. Deadstop. Beltless.
135x8
205x6
225x4 feelin it
245x2
265x2 chalk
275x2 mixed grip
295x2 belt too tight. Face felt like it would explode. So adjusted belt bigger one increment and man what a difference. Made the day!
Work- deadstop. Mixed.
305x2 these flew up!
305x2
305x2
305x2
305x2 all felt good. Last two sets hair slower.
4" blocks- deadstop
315x2 easy
325x2 same
365x1 moved!
405x1 p.r ! So pumped! !!
Paused deads- 1sec pause 1" off floor. Explode up
285x5 wasn’t sure about this much weight. OWNED it.
285x5 last two slower…
Highbar paused squats- focus on super tight. Upright. Slow descent. 1 sec pause.
135x6
205x6 good.
225x6 belted up. 2 sec pause. I was whooped here on out…
245x6 1 sec pause. Last two slower…
205x8 back off set. Slow descent. Fast rebound tng.
Barbell rows- from floor. Deadstop. Bench grip thumbless. Deadlift stance .
135x6
155x6
185x6
205x6
225x6 last two sucked. English.
185x8 back off sets
185x8
Awesome day. 405 on the bar is a first and a great feeling!
Wednesday 1-7-15
B.w 221- not bad. I’m trying something called Lean gains . It’s intermediate fasting , 16/8 schedule an I chose it because it fits my schedule nearly to a T! Monday morning I was 229 as noted here… Tuesday morning I was 219. Lol 10 pounds in 24 hours !
REPS BENCH
Warmup - tng
Barx10
135x8
205x6
225x4
Work- tng. Explosive as possible
250x8
250x8
250x8 all moved well n fast!
Comp pause - 1 sec full pause. Got a paused count from my wife which seemed forever!
265x6 last one slower. Moved well
265x6 last 3 progressively harder… last one very hard ! Fatigued here on out…
Closegrip bench - paused
245x8 comp pause. Last two hard.
225x6 pause just off chest 1 " or less for 1 sec. Whooped here and some major pump in chest shoulders n arms. Excellent session!
Chins- b.w 221. Re acclimate myself
Full 1sec pause top and bottom
X3
X3
X3
Tng
X5
X5
X5 last two hard…
AB wheels- from a deficit? Basically knees on mat about .5 inch higher than the ground. Seemed harder…
Tng- pause last two only
X10
X10
X10 every one seemed hard.
That wraps it up. Chins and AB wheels seemed quite hard. Some of fatigue from blowing my self out on bench.
Any you guys know much about intermittent fasting? Feel free to comment or any advice welcome. Lookup lean gains to see exactly my protocol. I have many questions really lol…
On IF, if you’re calories are any where near high I felt like it was tough to get all of them in. But the 16/8 schedule would work perfectly with your work schedule. I think spidey did IF for awhile but I might be wrong.
[quote]barbedwired wrote:
4" blocks- deadstop
315x2 easy
325x2 same
365x1 moved!
405x1 p.r ! So pumped! !![/quote]
Congrats. I’m getting close myself… I’ll have to buy another pair of 45s.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
[quote]barbedwired wrote:
4" blocks- deadstop
315x2 easy
325x2 same
365x1 moved!
405x1 p.r ! So pumped! !![/quote]
Congrats. I’m getting close myself… I’ll have to buy another pair of 45s.[/quote]
Yep. Now that I’ll have a need. I want two more myself. I started with 6… with the thought I’d earn each set here on out !