Sneaky hiding a PR in the summary! Huge props for this.
Onward and upwards!
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I like the drop down menus because it keeps my thread less cluttered, and someone who just wants to skim the workouts and look at strictly exercises and numbers doesnāt have to wade through my thoughts if they donāt want to haha.
But thank you!! Feels good to add some more weight. Next order of business is to get that rep looking cleaner and add ten more pounds!
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I need to do this. Mine is very cluttered.
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I think itās cool how every training log thread is unique to the individual, they tend to take on the character of the OP and thatās always super neat. 
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10/1/25 - Back + Triceps
Weighted Super Wide Pull Ups - 60 x 8, 60 x 6
Bent Over Rows - 155 x 12, 155 x 12
Wide Mag Grip Cable Inverted Rows - 180 x 13, 180 x 13
Unilateral Cable Pushdown - 32.5 x 12, 32.5 x 11
Unilateral Cable Overhead Extensions - 25 x 11, 25 x 10
Decline Dumbbell Extensions - 25 x 10, 25 x 10
Summary
My upper back was really sore after this one! The super wide pull ups + two really great rows really trashed my entire upper back. Felt awesome! Also got a nasty tricep pump after the isolations, the unilateral pushdowns jumping right into unilateral extensions right after did the trick for sure. What more could you ask for?
10/2/25 - Legs
Back Squat - 245 x 10, 245 x 10
Barbell Calf Raises - 275 x 13, 275 x 13
Barbell Good Morning - 135 x 11,135 x 11
Weighted Pendulum Sissy Squat - 85 x 11, 85 x 11
Unilateral Facing Away Lying Cable Hamstring Curls - 20 x 8, 20 x 8
Behind the Back Barbell Shrugs - 185 x 13, 185 x 13
Summary
I still am not thrilled with my leg progress at the moment. Even though itās not my main priority at the moment, I still know that Iām going to have to be patient and give them time and effort. Definitely could have come down a bit more, I think the bottom of the rep is a bit weaker for me. Might try pause squats and pin squats soon to see if I can make any progress toward addressing that weakness. Also realized that Iām bending my knees a bit more than I would prefer on the good morningsā¦not concerningly so, but enough that itās a bad look and probably not ideal.
As hard as Iām being on my form (probably justifiably so), it was a great workout haha. Tried the cable version of a dumbbell hamstring curl, basically a lying hamstring curl. Absolutely loved it and I definitely had to use less weight than I thought starting out, my hamstrings were smoked afterword!
Couple pics from recentlyā¦lighting is decent, posing is mid haha:
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10/3/25 - Chest/Shoulders + Biceps
Cambered Swiss Bar Bench +38 lbs. chains - 270 x 1, 200 x 10, 200 x 10
Lying Cuff Lateral Raises - 15 x 15, 15 x 15
Weighted Push Ups - 90 x 10, 90 x 10
Barbell Curls - 90 x 9, 90 x 9
Dumbbell Hammer Curls - 35 x 11, 35 x 11
Lying Dumbbell Curl - 25 x 7, 20 x 11
Summary
Great workout to wrap up the week with, nothing like hitting a bench PR on a Friday to end the week with. Decided to go for a cambered Swiss bar bench with chains, the deep stretch from the camber really makes the bottom harder with the extended range of motion and the chains really make the top half of the movement so hard so the strength curve is unique in that it is very even throughout the whole rep unlike most other variations, just a grind the whole way. Hit a 20 pound PR and did great on the backdowns. I did try for 290 on the max effort single but failed right at the 90 degree mark, so I think Iām going to hit some board press and floor press next to work on that specific joint angle a bit more and see where that takes me.
Iāve also fallen in love with the lying cuff laterals. So grindable and yet my shoulders feel so good when itās over, the delts are trashed but in a really nice way thatās unlike any other free weight lateral raise or OHP variation.
I also tried a new curl, the lying dumbbell curl. It seemed a bit gimmicky to me beforehand but to my surprise I did really appreciate the stretched position it put my biceps into, Iāll always welcome another variation that has a huge stretch to give me another variation to play with. Lowered the weight for the second set and really felt it at the bottom, which was awesome.
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Woohoo! Nice!
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I like reading your log. You have such positive vibes. Sets me up for a positive day. 
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Clearly youāve never seen me fail a PR attempt 
Thank you, I try to stay positive and not tear myself up, small progress! Your post made me happy and I really appreciate the kind words. 
10/7/25 - Back + Triceps
Weighted Pull Up + 19 lbs. Chains - 60 x 9, 60 x 8
Straight Bar Cable Inverted Row - 195 x 12, 195 x 12
Cambered Swiss Bar Chest Supported Row - 130 x 12, 130 x 12
Unilateral Incline Pushdowns - 35 x 10, 35 x 10
Dumbbell French Press - 45 x 10, 45 x 10
Summary
Decent lift today, I was running short on time before I had to leave for work so I dropped my last isolation. -_- All good though, still got some good work in regardless and five good movements is better than none, after all.
Felt good on the pull ups, I tried for a ninth rep on the second set and failed it, I might have been able to grind it out I I had really tried on it, I donāt know. Ended up matching my previous work on it, which was good. Also tried incline pushdowns for the first time in a while and those were brutal. Definitely want to do them a bit more regularly. Also had a couple great sets on the dumbbell French press! Ever since Iāve gotten my dumbbell handles Iāve really enjoyed rotating this one in. Went with a couple of the more stable row variations since I want to do a heavy deadlift single on leg day next, so weāll see how that pans out.
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Quite a lat spread.
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@Friedrich thank you!
10/8/25 - Legs
Hack Deadlift - 495 x 1
Barbell Calf Raises - 275 x 13, 275 x 13
Romanian Deadlifts - 215 x 12, 215 x 12
Original Barbell Hack Squat - 55 x 12, 55 x 12
Summary
Pretty short on time for this one, decided to push it through anyway. Equaled my previous best on hack deads, and tried 545 but failed. Last time I tried these five plates went up really smoothly, this time it was a bit more of a grind. Probably should have tried something a bit more like 515 but I wanted to see if I could pull five and a half plates. I think I can get there eventually though.
Since I was short on time I figured I would do mostly compounds that hit pretty much everything: max effort quad-focused deadlift, RDLs for posterior chain and hamstrings, calves, and a quad-focused squat variation. Itās not a ton for some stuff but everything at least got hit in a pretty short amount of time which was great.
10/9/25 - Chest/Shoulders + Biceps
Flat Bench - 275 x 1, 225 x 10, 225 x 10
Seated Behind the Neck Press - 80 x 12, 80 x 9
Dumbbell Flies - 25 x 11, 25 x 11
EZ Bar Preacher Curls - 70 x 11, 70 x 11
Dumbbell Hammer Curls - 35 x 12, 35 x 12
Dumbbell Concentration Curls - 30 x 10, 30 x 9
Summary
Was super stoked for this one, apart from not sleeping that well the night before. Was feeling ok so I wanted to see what I could do on bench. Ramped up to a top single from the bar, then 135, 225, 275, and then tried three plates after I saw how well 275 went up. Failed 315 twice at the 90 degree sticking point both times. -_- Just could not get it past that point to save my life. Tried it twice just to see if I could get it to move more, but also to get a little bit more acclimated to that weight. I figured it would be worth it to know what it feels like, so itās not all wasted. And somehow after all that I added another rep on my backdowns, so go figure lol. Everything else went really great, I think I added reps or weight in pretty much everythingā¦this is not out of the ordinary but during this workout it all came really naturally and easily so hereās my brilliant hypothesisā¦
I will mention that this was the first time Iāve tried Igniter and oh boy does it live up to the hype. Decided on one scoop of Igniter before the workout and a scoop of Surge consumed throughout the first half or so. Honestly, Igniter is probably the best tasting supplement and pre Iāve ever had (and if we remove the Lemon Drop Surge, itās an easy W). Absolutely goated and the upper body pump I had after that workout was on another levelāmost of the time I can push a workout hard and the pump is great but this one was next level, wish I had taken a couple pics right after because that was amazing opportunity to do so. Biotest really nailed this one by far. Soā¦next time Iām attempting to bench 315 Iām probably going to run the same thing, a scoop of Igniter and Surge and crush it. 5 star supplement for sure and the best pre on the planet by far.
Ok, before this starts to sound like an unboxing video, hereās a few quick thoughts on where my bench goes from here since Igniter still doesnāt take away the fact that Iām not at my goal yet (the massive pump I got from the rest of the workout did ease the sting of defeat a bit though, ngl). Since I failed at 90 degrees Iām going to target that heavy with my next few Push days, which isnāt going to be rocket science because I was focusing on the top half and lockout for the entire year until August/September-ish, so Iām going to go back to that again. I think Iām going to throw in some board press, floor press, and some more chains in the near future. Iāve stayed away from adding accommodating resistance to very many things recently to focus on the pop off the chest, but now that itās a limiting factor again Iām bringing it back. Floor press is going to be a big one to really target the 90 degree point, and maybe some reverse grip for more triceps if I feel like it. Going to run a couple of these variations and then take a stab at three plates again, I know Iām getting close. 
10/10/25 - Back + Triceps
Weighted BTN Pull Ups - 45 x 10, 45 x 9
Unilateral Cable Inverted Row - 85 x 12, 85 x 11
Seated Cable Row (Straight Bar) - 140 x 12, 140 x 12
Straight Bar Pushdowns - 75 x 12, 75 x 12
Dumbbell Extensions - 25 x 12, 25 x 12
Barbell Overhead Extensions - 75 x 11, 75 x 11
Summary
Back again with another pull day, Iāve been having way too much fun with rows recentlyā¦I donāt know when the last time I did pulldowns was but I have noticed recently that my back is looking decently thicker compared to this spring and I think spamming all these rows for the past couple months might be the reason. I want to program more seated cable rows too, I always enjoy doing them.
The isolations went really well today, it wasnāt until the barbell extensions that I really felt like my arms were getting really sore, and thatās after adding reps and/or weight to my pushdowns and dumbbell extensions. I donāt know why, but I guess itās just one of those days where everything was just great for my arms. Love it when that happens, weāll take what we can get!
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10/14/25 - Legs
Front Squats - 135 x 12, 135 x 12
Barbell Calf Raises - 275 x 13, 275 x 13
Zercher Good Mornings - 135 x 10, 135 x 10
Original Barbell Hack Squat - 65 x 12, 65 x 12
Unilateral Lying Cable Hamstring Curls (Facing Away) - 20 x 8, 20 x 8
Barbell Shrugs - 185 x 12, 185 x 12
Summary
Back at it after a long weekendā¦was dealing with a cold, which came at an inconvenient time. Was tired this morning and still getting back to 100% but I felt well enough to get in a decent lift even if I wasnāt going to break any PRs. Decided to try front squats today, and itās been a while since Iāve done those. Started out a bit lighter than I needed to but those sets felt a lot heavier than I felt they should. Iām not sure if Iām just not built for squats, I need to push myself harder, or what but that was a bit eh, even considering the fact that itās a front squat. Good thing muscles respond to tension and stress and not simply the number of pounds on a bar, right? Chalk one up for me in that my legs still get big stress from smaller weights, I guess lol. Going to be focusing on double progression for all my squat variations and see where I can take them in the next year or so, maybe somewhere a bit more respectable.
I also tried zercher good mornings today, I had first heard about them from an older article on here somewhere and remembered it today. The bar positioning felt a bit uncomfortable but I liked how the hinge felt, a bit different and less axially fatiguing which I think will come in handy to blend exercises in the future. Finished off with a familiar trio, the OG hack squat and these lying cable hamstring curls absolutely burned my quads and hams today.
All in all, decently good workout even if I wasnāt feeling 100%!
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10/15/25 - Chest/Shoulders + Biceps
Floor Press - 275 x 1, 225 x 10, 225 x 10
Anterior Delt Press - 95 x 12, 95 x 12
Weighted Dips +38 lbs. chains - 45 x 12, 45 x 12
EZ Bar Spider Curls - 60 x 12, 60 x 12
Unilateral Cable Curls - 32.5 x 12, 32.5 x 10
Unilateral Incline Cable Curls - 25 x 10, 25 x 10
Summary
Was feeling ok about the floor press but was pretty bummed that I only matched my previous max, was hoping for five or ten more pounds out of it. The backdowns went great though so progress is progress. Also should have gone heavier on the dips but still had some good effort.
10/16/25 - Back/Rear Delts + Triceps
Weighted Neutral Grip Pull Ups - 65 x 10, 65 x 8
Yates Row - 175 x 10, 175 x 10
Unilateral Seated Cable Row - 70 x 12, 70 x 12
Dumbbell Reverse Flies - 10 x 12, 10 x 12
Straight Bar Pushdown +19 lbs. chains - 70 x 12, 70 x 11
JM Press - 115 x 12, 115 x 12
EZ Bar Overhead Extensions - 75 x 10, 75 x 10
Summary
Really liked this one, decided to add rear Delts in at the last minute and Iām glad I did. Will probably continue to do this here and there as Iām able, if time allows. Added a bit of weight here, a few reps there. Isolations were on point today and they felt pretty strong.
10/17/25 - Legs
Front Squats - 155 x 11, 155 x 11
Barbell Calf Raises - 275 x 13, 275 x 13
Barbell Good Morning - 135 x 11, 135 x 11
Weighted Pendulum Sissy Squat - 85 x 12, 85 x 12
Unilateral Lying Cable Hamstring Curls (Facing Away) - 20 x 10, 20 x 10
Lying Unilateral Cable Shrugs - 100 x 15, 100 x 15
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10/22/25 - Chest/Shoulders + Biceps
Board Press (1 Board) +38 lbs. chains -275 x 1, 225 x 10, 225 x 10
Seated BTN Press - 80 x 12, 80 x 9
Paused Weighted Dips - 90 x 10, 90 x 10
Incline Dumbbell Curls - 30 x 11, 30 x 11
Dumbbell Preacher Curls - 30 x 10, 30 x 10
Cable Floor Curl (Straight Bar) - 65 x 10, 65 x 9
Summary
Nice little evening workout, I love a good late night vibe. Tried board press with chains to emphasize the 90 degree sticking point and the chains to add some accommodating resistance to the top to help build some more strength at the lockout. With the emphasis on the bottom at 90 degrees, I hit a 20 pound PR on the max single and hit 313 pounds at the top for the lockout. This one felt pretty good too, if I can get past 90 degrees I think 315 might be there on a good day. Getting closer and closer! Anyway, Iām patient but Iām getting to the point where I can almost taste it lol.
Loved the trio of curls today, hit some great angles and had a massive pump all around after the benching and curls.
10/23/25 - Back + Triceps
Weighted Chin Up - 80 x 8, 80 x 7
Jumping Bar Pull Ups - 115 x 8, 115 x 8
Small mag Grip Cable Inverted Row - 190 x 12, 190 x 12
Unilateral Cable Pushdown - 32.5 x 12, 32.5 x 11
Dumbbell French Press - 45 x 11, 45 x 11
JM Press - 120 x 11, 120 x 11
Summary
Went heavy on my vertical pulls today, decided to switch it up a little bit and only do one row again. Honestly I just really wanted to do some more jumping pull ups with really heavy weight to overload a bit.
What really shone on this one is the isolations, the French Press never fails to give me a wicked pump and my JM Press has been exploding recently. The past few times Iāve done it Iāve added five more pounds and hit 12 reps no problem. I think next time Iām going to throw 130 or 135 on the bar and see where my reps end up then.
10/24/25 - Legs
Front Squats - 155 x 12, 155 x 12
Barbell Calf Raises - 275 x 13, 275 x 13
Barbell Good Mornings - 135 x 12, 135 x 12
Original Barbell Hack Squat - 65 x 12, 65 x 12
Summary
Slightly shorter leg day. Mostly because of time, to be honest - had to be at work earlier than usual so I was really pushing it and had to let a couple things go. Also I want to hit chest and bis again tomorrow night and I want to really push it, so tapering off a day before seems like a good idea this time since I want to be really fresh for tomorrowās session. Was pleased with the front squats today, the weight might be lowish but I felt happy with the form and depth as Iāve gotten more comfortable with the movement.
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Iām excited for you. Canāt wait to read that you hit it. I assume I wonāt have to wait long.
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@BethB Iām hoping not too long! Been working for a year now to add another plate so Iām pretty patient with the process but itās getting close, Iāll be glad to finally get it!
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10/25/25 - Chest/Shoulders + Biceps
Flat Bench - 275 x 1, 225 x 10, 225 x 10
Dumbbell Lateral Raises - 15 x 12, 15 x 12
Incline Dumbbell Flies - 20 x 12, 20 x 12
Barbell Curls - 90 x 10, 90 x 9
Dumbbell Hammer Curls - 40 x 10, 40 x 10
Unilateral Cable Floor Curl - 35 x 10, 35 x 9
Summary
Another late-night weekend session, really wanted to rotate in flat bench again to see if last time was just an off day or not. My last few bench variations have been flat, floor press, board press with chain, and now flat again which is a smidge early to see a ton of progress on that top end of the lift but I wanted to see if there was improvement and maybe I could grind a bit more and possibly actually get it.
Good news: there is improvement. What Iām doing is working. The thing is, itās just going a bit slower than I would like (which has honestly been an oft-repeated chorus over this entire journey haha). But as long as I keep seeing improvement Iāll keep digging bit by bit, Iām patient. Tried 315 and got maybe around halfway up, so above 90 degrees which is definitely better than last time . But man, this lockout problem has been such a limiting factor for me. So, since I donāt want to just try a different variation or two and hope my lockout drastically improves overnight, Iām going to throw maybe 4-6 different variations into the mix to specifically build that lockout up as much as possible over the next few weeks and see if that keeps me going in the right directionā¦reverse grip, adding chains, close grip, maybe some more floor press, you name it. Going to see if running these variations to target that weakness and going hard on them helps get me the last bit of the way there. After my last push day I know I can lock out 315 with chains, I just have to nail that weight with strict plates.
On the rep work I matched my previous sets, was pretty tempted to try to grind out an 11th rep on the first set but decided not to. Next time I think Iāll go for it for sure.
Nothing fancy the rest of the workout, a bit here and a bit there, as always.
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Nice Journal, nice build!
Youāre doing the hack deadlift! I havenāt done a 1-repper on them for awhile. Last night I did them from a deficit and used the smaller dia plates for reps for a leg blaster, plus a upper back pump.
I donāt recommend only because the bar hits the back of the ankle and mine are very bruised. Iām grateful I can walk today! Iāll still give it another go though.
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@Cretin78 thank you! Appreciate the kind words.
Yes, Iāve been programming that here and there recently. I like it because I think it feels a bit better with my anthropometry. Generally I donāt do rep work with deadlift variations because theyāre so hard for recovery, plus I think Good Mornings are a better hip hinge so I generally do volume work with those. Sometimes RDLās too when I feel like it.
Honestly Iāve never had problems hitting my ankles with the bar path on hack deads.
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100th post in here. 
Kind of a cool feeling, I guess. According to my workout log on my phone this is my 105th workout of the year, which is also pretty solid.
10/28/25 - Back + Triceps
Weighted Super Wide Pull Ups - 60 x 8, 60 x 6
Small Mag Grip Ghetto Pulldown - 160 x 12, 160 x 12
Bent Over Rows - 175 x 10, 165 x 10
Rope Pushdown - 60 x 11, 60 x 11
Cable Overhead Extensions (Straight Bar) - 60 x 10, 60 x 10
Summary
Little bit of a rushed session today. I really wanted to add JM Press to milk that bench carryover for all itās worth but I was so pushed for time that I decided to do only two isolations, and I saved even more time by doing both movements on the cable tower - happy accident that my working weight for both happened to be the same for both. Added five pounds to the extensions and those lit up my tris! Very happy with how those extensions felt today.
Last time I did bent over rows I did 155 x 12 both sets, today I started out at 175 and got ten reps but the form was lacking a bit so I dropped it down to 165. Not sure if Iāll start out at 170 next time or try to get two sets of 12 with 165ā¦probably depends on how strong I feel next time I do them lol.
Decided on a pulldown variation for the first time in a while, hitting the ghetto setup is great because my pulley comes in at more of a diagonal angle for my ghetto pulldowns, so I just sit on the ground in front of my rack, brace my feet on the uprights, and pull away. Hits a slightly different vertical angle than pull ups. Pulldowns went great, pull ups were ok but I felt really weak at those today. Sometimes when I match my previous work it happens pretty smoothly and sometimes like today with those pull ups Iām fighting for every rep. Not a strong start to the workout but the rest was great even if it was a tad rushed. Another day, another pump, another little bit of progress.
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