Training Log - Bulking Edition

Training Logs
1

I’ve been a reader of t nation for a few years now, and I just recently decided to make an account to track my bulk. I figured by keeping people up to date I wont get distracted and my progress wont derail.

I’m 19 years old (20 tomorrow), 5’8, 155 lbs. I got into training mainly for hockey when I was 16. By my senior year in hs, I was in contact with D1 and D3 teams for scholarships, but more importantly, i could bench 240, squat 320, and trap bar deadlift 415 (I was about 163 or 164 at the time). This was in late 2013. Then, I got a nasty shoulder injury, which required surgery and left me sidelined for 9 months. Having given up on hockey, i went to uni in the fall of 2014 at a weight of 145, and began training again. Over the past few years now I’ve hopped programs alot swirtched between o ifting and regular strength training, and my numbers are 200 in the bench, 320 squat, and 395 trap bar deadlift.

a couple days ago i decided to stick to a plan for 5-6 months, and attempt to put on some good mass. My goal is to reach a weight of 170 - 175, while hitting 2 plates in the bench, and my current 5 rep maxes in the squat and trap bar deadlift for 12 reps ( 260 and 320 respectively). My ohp is around 130 135, but i currently have no goals for it.

The routine I’m running is from an old book written by brooks kubik. it consists of high reps in the trap bar and squat, while using rest pause sets for the pressing movements (rest pause, in his explanation, is performing a single rep, racking the weight, resting for 15 or 20 seconds, then performing another rep for the prescribed number of reps.)

Monday:
Bench Press 3x10,8,6 rest pause
Barbell Rows 3x8-10
hanging leg raises 2x15

Wednesday:
OHP 3x10,8,6 rest pause
a) Trap bar deadlift 1x15, 1x12
b) dumbbell pullovers 2x15
Barbell shrugs 3x8-10

Friday:
a) Squat 1x15, 1x12
b) dumbbell pullovers 2x15
EZ Bar curls 3x8-10
Close grip bench 3x8-10
2 sets of wrist curls and farmers walks.

1 Like
2

I’m going to formally start this Monday. Yesterday I ran the Wednesday lift sort of as a ‘test’ day to see how the rep schemes feel.
I really like the rest pause set up for ohp. did my sets with 110, with the exception of a few reps on the second set in which i stripped the weight due to a failed rep
(i attribute this to not focusing on my form for that rep)
As for the trap bar deadlift, though i would normally add 5-10 pounds for the 12 rep set, I kept the weight the same for both sets (215). These felt good, I usually respond
well to high reps on this lift.
Overall I feel good today. My appetite is definitely a bit bigger, and my triceps are especially sore. I think this has to do with the new rep scheme for ohp,
i’ve never really had sore triceps form this lift before.

I’ll be back with my next workout.

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31/07/16

apparently my gym is closed tomorrow, so I did my lift today.

Bench 3 x 10/8/6 @ 165
Barbell Rows 3x8 @ 145
leg rasies 2x15 with 8 lbs on my feet

I’m planning on upping the weight on at least one of my bench sets next week, and doing 3x10 for the rows next week.
deit is around 3100 cals on lift days 2700 on rest days.

4

02/08/2016

OHP 10/8/6 @ 110
Trap bar deadlift 1x15, 1x12 @ 215, 220
shrugs 3x10 @ 205

Notes:
OHP was way easier with this weight than last week. instead of doing rest pause singles i did doubles. gonna go up to 115 next week
Trap bar deadlifts were good but tiring. Going to do 220 for both my sets next week.
going to go up 5 pounds in my shrugs and start at 3x8 too.
finished off with 1 light set of lateral raises

5

04/08/2016

Squat 1x15, 1x12 @ 185, 195
Pullovers 2x12 @ 25
Ez bar curls 3x10, 25s a side
close grip bench 3x8 @ 130
2 sets of farmers walks/wrist curls with 60lbs/wrist curl thing

Notes:
I forgot how brutal high rep squats are. I think i actually felt a pump in my arms after the first set lol. thank god I made this lift on Friday, my legs are definitely going to need the weekend off.
Hit the weights i wanted to anyway in the close grip bench. going to go up to 3x10 next week. also going to do both sets of squats with 195 next week. one thing thats definitely going to help is that I’ll be done exams and back home, so no stress to hinder my performance.

6

07/08/2016

bench 3x10/8/6 165, 165, 170
Rows 3x8 155
Rear delt raises 2x10
leg raises 2x20

Notes:
Bench felt strong today. i did my rest pause sets as doubles instead of singles for my first 2 sets with 165 (5x2, 4x2 as opposed to 10x1 and 8x1). the last set was done in the normal singles fashion with 170. felt decently light, I plan on doing my next week sets all with this weight.

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09/08/2016

OHP 3x10/8/6 115
Trap bar dl 1x15, 1x12 @ 220lbs
Pullovers 2x15
Shrugs 220 3x8
lateral raises 2x10

Notes: Getting in the pressing and deadlifting groove. may stay at the same weights for ohp but less rest pause time (20 seconds between reps today, going to go down to 10-15).
Increasing to 2 plates for my 2nd deadlift set, and to 3x10 with 220 in the shrugs. added in lateral raises today again as well

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11/08/2016

Squat 1x15, 1x12 @ 195
Pullovers 2x15 with 25 pounds
ez barbell curls 4x8 with 25s, then 10s
close grip bench 4x8 with 135
Farmers walks 65s

Notes:
Going to go for 205 in both sets of squats next week, felt pretty easy today. decided to do 4x8 instead of 3x10 today (adding a set as opposed to adding reps). I was at a different gym today and the ez bar i used was heavier than the one at my normal gym so i went down in weight for the last 2 sets. went up in weight and volume on my presses. overall good workout.

Also i had access to a weight scale today… i weighed myself at 150 a few weeks ago and just assumed the scale was broken.weighed myself at home and am currently around 153.8 or 154 pounds. so im guessing that i was initially lower than i thought, and have gained some initial weight through fuller glycogen stores and muscle weight. I am eating around 3300 on lift days and 2700 on rest days

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Mon. August 15th
Bench 3x10/8/6 @170
rows 3x10 155
rear delt raises 3x10
handing leg raises 2x15

Notes: Bench was heavy but easy, the weight moved fast. i did rows with an underhand grip which made it a bit hard on the upper back as opposed to the lats. i can feel that my rows are going to stall, so i may lower the weight and do my sets with slower reps and a bit of a pause to contract the back harder. Weighed myself in at 154.5 pounds, so the weight gain is going at a steady pace that inhibits fat gain

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Wed. August 17th
OHP 3x10/8/6 115 (10 second rest pause)
trap bar deadlifts 1x15, 1x12 220, 225
shrugs 3x10@ 220
lateral raises 2x15 w/ 20 pounds

Notes:
Used a different trap bar today with wider handles, safe to say i hated it. going to up the weight on one of the ohp sets to 117.5. weighed in at 157, could be due to water weight. im going to guess im sitting at 155 now. though I initially thought i was this weight i was like 152.

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August 19th 2016
Squat 1x15, 1x12 @ 205
barbell curls 65lbs 4x8
close grip bench 135 4x10

Notes: the close grip bench was done with a fat bar, made it more difficult and harder on the triceps. was at a different gym today and didnt have access to an ez bar so curls were done with a normal barbell. squats are getting tougher but the second set will go up to 215 next week. pullovers were done between the sets of squats and i finished with hammer curls and farmers walks for 2 sets.

12

if anyone has read this, i have a question - would it be smart to maybe include either a heavy set of deadlifts or squats each week just to keep my lower body used to handling heavy weights? my upper body lifts have a good mix of high volume and high weights but my lower body thus far is just getting high volume. Its working, but i’m just wondering if doing something heavier for the lower body could benefit me.

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august 22nd 2016

Bench 3x10/8/6*** done with 170, 175
meadows rows 3x8
weighted situps 2x15

notes: Did the first two sets of bench as doubles (5x2, 4x2) with 170, then did 6 singles with 175. going to move all the wights up to 175 next week. i was going to try paused barbell rows, then i came across the rowing variation article here on t nation, and gave the meadows rows a try. i think im going to stick with these, i really liked them.
no access to a roman chair at this gym, so i opted for weighted situps with a 25 pound plate.

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August 24th 2016

OHP 3x10,8,6 @ 120,120,115
Trap bar DL 1x15, 1x12 @ 225
pullovers 2x15 @ 25

Bodyweight in the morning at 157 right now.

15

Friday August 26th

Squat 1x15, 1x12 @ 215
pullovers 2x15 with 25 pounds
barbell curls 3x10 @ 65
close grip bench 3x8 @ 145
farmers walks 2 laps with 70s, hammer curls 2x8 with 20s

16

Monday August 29th
Bench 10,8,6 (non rest pause) 155, 165, 170
Meadows rows 3x10 50 on the bar
weighted situps 2x15 with 25s