AM workout
20 minute airdyne- 7.51 miles
AM workout
Squat 5x215,245,275, 5x10x215
Accumulate 50 banded push-ups
Accumulate 50 chins (pause at top + slow eccentric on first 20)
Really good workout today. Squats were tough, & I tried to push short rest periods which made it even harder. Then pause & slow eccentric on chins made those super difficult. I’m always surprised by how much of an effect a small variation on an exercise can have. I definitely want to build up the volume on the paused chins, as this had a really great training effect without crazy volume or a heavy load
AM workout
Bench 5x160,185,205, 5x10x160
Deadbugs 3x5
Gorilla kb row 5x10x45
Ab wheel 3x5
SL KB RDL 3x8x45
Dumbbell curls 2x15
Barbell shrugs 2x20
Band pushdowns 1x30
Went with as short of a rest as possible between sets of bench, which made for a good challenge. Rest of the assistance was really solid. This was my first time doing tricep extensions in a couple months, so I thought they would light me up a little bit more than they did. Still hard, but not quite a “extending my arms is gonna be brutal the rest of today” kind of difficulty. Half way through week 5, so I’m starting to get a game plan for what is next. Currently thinking a deload week, then a cycle of vanilla 5/3/1. Would be a good reset in terms of volume, & give me a chance to hit some PR sets to see where I’m at. Could also change up some assistance movements then to emphasize some other thing
AM workout
RDL 5x8x155
Chins 5x6 (pause at the top)
Dips 5x10
Accumulate 20 more chins
Accumulate 100 band pull-aparts
Incline dumbbell curls 2x12
AM workout
Press 5x120,135,155, 5x10x120
Deadbugs 3x5
Gorilla kb rows 5x10
Reverse lunges 3x10x95
Ab wheel 3x5
Db curls from the top 2x12
Skullcrushers 2x12
Onto the last week of beefcake. Let’s get it
PM workout
20 minute airdyne- 7.56 miles
AM workout
Squat 5x230,260,290, 5x10x230
50 banded push-ups
50 chins
100 Conan curls
The top set of squats moved really well, WAY better than 285 moved three weeks ago. Definitely made some significant strength improvements. The bbb sets were very tough. Never a question of if I would finish them, but they got super fatiguing. Really solid work. Threw in some curls at the end since I had a bit of time & felt like it. Good way to kick off the last week of beefcake
AM workout
Bench 5x175,195,220
Deadbugs 3x5
Gorilla kb rows 5x10x45
Ab wheel 3x5
Kickstand RDL 3x8x45
Various curls 100 total reps
Pushed the pace on the bbb sets, which made it pretty tough. Solid workout overall. Adding in more arms this week since I have a bit more time & I want to
PM workout
20 minute airdyne- 7.48 miles
AM workout
RDL 5x10x135
Accumulate 50 pull-ups
Dips 5x10
Incline db curls 2x15
Those curls ended up being fantastic today. I used 12 lb db’s & went super slow on the eccentric, & got a giant stretch at the bottom, squeezing really hard at the top. Was really solid. Unsure on if I’ll hit the final press workout tomorrow or Saturday morning. It’s gonna be a real barn burner, so I want to make sure I’m recovered enough to complete it
AM workout
Press 5x130,145,160, 5x10x130
Deadbugs 3x5
Gorilla kb rows 5x10x45
Reverse lunges 3x6x115
Curls 2x20
Ab wheel 2x5
Strong finish to beefcake. Press was gnarly, but got it done. Really liked how this program went though. Definitely grew significantly & got stronger. Might be able to do more of a write up on it sometime tomorrow. But in summary-when in need of a size program, bbb is always a solid choice. Hasn’t let me down yet
AM workout
Squat 2x5x205
Deadbugs 2x5
Bench 2x5x155
Pull-ups 2x5
Press 2x5x95
Barbell rows 2x5x95
Fat grip barbell curls 2x10
Easy lift after a week off. Hit all the big exercises with some light work, did a slow eccentric & paused at the bottom on everything. Got fat grips for Christmas & just tried them out as well. For as much as I read people saying they are useless, I kinda liked them on the curls. Will probably keep using them for at least a little while
Wanted to jot down some quick bullet points on my run of BBB beefcake. Here goes:
•pushing for a tough, heavy goal on the 5x10 just drives the program & eating really well. With the goal of 130 on press especially, that slight fear definitely made sure I wasn’t slacking off at any point
•I used to think of the assistance as kind of “minimums”, but this run through I took it in almost the opposite direction. Instead of trying to get 50 reps of chins in, then add in whatever I could, I would think “I have 50 reps of chin-ups, how can I make this as effective as possible without going over that.” So I often did weighted, tempo, or really quick rests/rest pausing. I thought this worked really well, & there was the added benefit of workouts not taking longer and longer every week
•the single leg assistance was awesome. I can’t speak highly enough about it. This needs to be something I keep doing. Too good to just ignore. Noticed some good quad and general lower body growth, & squats moved easier as the program went on, even with heavier weights
•conditioning…yeah, I put that on the back burner. I am very active at my job, walking well over 10,000 steps a day, so between that and 2 airdyne sessions a week I stayed pretty lean while putting on about 6 lbs. that said, my performance on conditioning is surely down. But, I’d rather succeed at one or two things & back burner the others than try to do all of them & fail all at once
•overall, really pleased with how this went. Whole body grew pretty well, I stayed decently lean, & lifts are back up after taking a hit from a couple months of running a lot
•what’s next? Not 100% sure. Gonna do a couple conditioning days then start something Tuesday. Might do a cycle of PR sets & choose my own assistance. I think I want to do something with more arm/shoulder work, which would end up being less barbell focused & more assistance work, but that would be easy to do with classic 5/3/1. Also considering starting a pure bodybuilding style program with very low weights & a bunch more exercise variation & tempo work. That would also go well with more arm/shoulder work. We’ll see what I come up with over the next couple days
AM workout
20 minute airdyne- 7.48 miles
Preacher curls 2x10
Overhead tricep extension 2x10
Alright, thinking on Tuesday I’m going to start 5/3/1 for bodybuilding. Still has a bit of heavy lifting, but mainly bodybuilding style work, which is exactly what I’m looking for. Have a friend that plans to do the whole thing with me as well, which is nice. Gonna have to modify some stuff based on equipment, & also might add a touch more assistance on one or two days, but I’m looking forward to this
Yesterdays workout:
18 mins of assorted cardio
20 minute sauna
Today’s AM workout
Press 5x110,130, 12x145
Kb press 4x10x45
Lateral raise + rear delt raise 4x12+12 x10
Fat grip barbell curls 4x12x45
Incline db curls 4x10x15
First day of 5/3/1 for bodybuilding done. Absolutely loved it. Smoked my shoulders & arms like crazy. Wicked pump. Looking forward to this program. Also pretty pleased with the top set of press. 12x145 is 5 lbs off my all time best set of 12, but I was also about 5-6 lbs heavier then. Will definitely be growing from this program, which will put me on trajectory to beat my old best numbers
AM workout
RDL 1x15x135
Barbell row 4x12x115
Good morning 4x10x95
Pull-ups 4x10
Shrugs 4x12x135
Deadbugs 4x5
Biceps are sore from yesterday, making the rows & pull-ups tougher than usual. Not much more to write about from today. Without a lift to go for a PR set on, this day felt a bit different, but I still think this was a solid workout
AM workout
30 minute walk w/ 40 lb vest
AM workout
Bench 5x155,175, 13x200
Dips 4x10
Db incline flies 4x10
BW tricep overhead extension 4x10
Push ups 4xF
Another brutal day. Focusing on rep quality has really hammered me this week. Biceps are still sore from Monday, hamstrings are sore, lats have mostly recovered but are still a bit sore, & now all of my pushing muscles are fried. It’s been a good week of training. Got legs tomorrow to round out the week
AM workout
Squat 5x205,235, 10x265
Front foot elevated reverse lunge 3x8x95
Back extension 3x10
Ab wheel 3x5
Top set of squats was fine. I had a lot more in me, but honestly just don’t feel confident enough in my squat right now to really push it, & I knew the rest of the workout would nuke my legs pretty good, so I called it at 10. Lunges hammered my glutes & legs, so I was shaking a ton by the time I got to back extensions. Really good first week overall. Probably the most soreness I’ve had from a week of training in the last few years at least. Chest & triceps are annihilated from yesterday, & walking will certainly be an adventure tomorrow
PM workout
35 min weight vest walk w/ 40 lbs