Hise shrugs really help me with this, also walkout holds. I usually do a set or two before a big set to get my body accustomed to the feel of the bar on my back, because that’s where I crap out.
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2/2/21
Press workout part 1
GIANT SETS (chin - press - core)
NG chins: (middle wide grips)
x10
+15x5
+25x5
+35x5
+45x5
+47.5x5
Axle press:
50x10
80x5
100x3
110x3
120x5
120x4
Band Tate side bends:
x10/side
Poundstone curls:
x103
I’ve got some virtual work meetings each night this week since our annual company meeting can’t be in person. Couple that with a snow storm and my workout time the next few days is limited. Figured the best course of action was to cut this in half and split it over two days.
Main work felt rough today, but managed to improve since the last time around by a rep. It came on the second set, but I’ll take it. Curls were noticeably easier without the supplemental work preceding them, but still a forearm killer.
Will hit the supplemental stuff at some point tomorrow. Got about 60 minutes of shoveling this morning and will have another 30-40 later this evening.
Got something going on with my right trap area. I don’t think it’s the trap itself, but one of the smaller weaker muscles that lays beneath it. Deload soon will do the body some good.
@kdjohn Thanks for the tip man! I just cracked into Kelso’s Shrug Book and Hise shrugs are mentioned a handful of times in the first few pages. I think I’m about to get educated haha. The weight actually felt super light on my back and the walkout was money, which was cool since that’s usually the roughest part.
2 Likes
2/3/21
Press workout part 2
GIANT SETS (press - dip - raise - band)
BTN press:
80x2x10
Football bar press:
85x2x10
Axle press:
85x2x10
Dips:
6x failure
Lateral raise:
10x5x12
10x1x11
Pull aparts:
6x20
Well this is pretty kick ass as a stand alone workout. Definitely had a little extra to give without having the main work prior, so wound up getting sets of 10 across the board. Not sure I’d have pulled it off yesterday but I’ll bump the weights anyway and ride that next wave for what will probably be an eternity. The 10th rep on each of the second sets was the last rep I was going to get so this wasn’t a cake walk by any means.
I’ve got a frustrating plate situation that’ll make this next round kind of a pain in the ass. Method seems to be working though so I’ll be sticking with it.
1 Like
2/5/21
Pull workout
Hang clean:
45x5
95x2
115x2
135x2
155x2
GIANT SETS (jump - pull - core)
Box jump: (3 steps)
x3
Mat pulls: (3)
135x5
225x3
275x2
315x1
375x3x5
Hollow hold:
x20s
GIANT SETS (row - chin - core - core)
BB row:
185x3x10
Overhand pullups:
1x9
2x8
Hanging leg raise: (arm loops)
+35x3x10
Band good morning:
3x12
Shoveling snow: 20 minutes
Pretty tough workout tonight. I’m experiencing what feels like the onset of an inguinal hernia, but, there’s no protrusion so it’s just this weird discomfort/awareness in my lower abs. Been going on a couple weeks but the past two days I’ve noticed it a lot more. Makes it hard to get a good brace, hoping it’s just fatigue from the workout cycle being localized or something.
Pulls were all over the place today. Three mats is usually my money zone, but not this time around, think the bracing issue from above just caused everything to be disjointed.
Pretty much getting to the point that the rows are frying my back enough that I’m having to resort to kipping after five or so reps of pullups. Planning on making some changes to this workout after the cycle anyway so it’s not a big deal.
2/6/21
Bench workout
SUPER SETS (row - bench)
DB row:
80x4x8
Axle bench:
50x10
80x5
120x5
170x1x3x5
150x1x3x5
SUPER SETS (press - shrug)
Football bar floor press:
Close grips x115x7
Middle grips x125x9
Wide grips x135x8
DB Kelso lat shrug: (2ct pause)
80x3x5
SUPER SETS (dip - row)
Dips:
x10
Light band x9
Mini band x11
x16
Inverted rows: (15)
4x10
Band pushdowns:
x100
Band shrugs:
x100
Very experimental workout today. Tried out “hard fives” for the first time. Interesting idea, not sure when or if I’ll ever use them again.
Cut out the core work as it’s bothering my lower abs. I don’t think I have a hernia, but some kind of lower ab strain. Body just needs some rest I think.
Decided to flush my upper traps with blood at the end and see if I can promote some healing in that area.
1 Like
2/8/21
Squat workout
Back squat:
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x1
225x1
275x1
315x0 - so close
SUPER SETS (shrug - squat)
Hise shrugs:
135x3x10
Front squat:
135x3x5
Reverse lunges:
x50
Only had about 30 minutes to lift today, so decided to just see if three plates was there. Coming into this I’d spent more time driving today than I did sleeping last night, got about 3 hours. Food was all whacked out too. I was so damn close to that rep, but I zonked at the sticking point and came to once the bar hit the pins. Saw stars for a few seconds after I stood up and just had a good chuckle at myself. Despite missing the rep it felt great, set up was good, walk out wasn’t awful, descent was smooth, shot out of the hole with some speed and then I just couldn’t grind out that sticking point. I think it would’ve been there on a normal day.
Decided to just try out some Hise shrugs and do a little bit of leg volume then get out of there. I’m going to revisit the shrugs with the SSB, doing them with a straight bar was elbow hell. Squats didn’t feel too bad though.
I’m thinking of doing some 5/3/1 for my squats, and leaning towards using the straight bar for my main sets then switching to the SSB for my supplemental work. Probably just use a neutral TM to keep the math easy, numbers between the two lifts aren’t that far off anyway.
3 Likes
Yeeeeah buddy!
1 Like
2/9/21
Press workout part 1
SUPER SETS (chin - press)
NG chins: (middle wide)
x10
+15x5
+25x5
+35x5
+45x5
+50x5
Axle press:
50x10
80x5
105x5
115x3
125x4
125x3
Poundstone curls:
x104
Snow shoveling:
30 minutes
Wound up having to split this workout again, schedule is just jacked up these days and it’s easier to get two quick workouts on consecutive days than it is one longer one.
I really wanted five on that top set and it was almost there. The fourth rep was slow but not a total grind, took long enough that it zapped what I had left for that fifth rep. Got it to the forehead and held it there for nearly 2 seconds before it started coming back down. On the last rep of the second set I held the lockout for 30s as punishment.
Curls were brutal, my right arm totally seized up and I was having trouble opening my hand after. Made gripping the bar easier though.
1 Like
2/10/21
Press workout part 2
GIANT SETS (press - dip - raise - band)
BTN press:
85x10
85x4
Football bar press:
90x10
90x6
Axle press:
90x10
90x6
Dips:
6x fail
Lateral raise:
10x6x12
Band pull aparts:
6x20
Gassed out pretty quick on this tonight. My right trap is all kinds of jacked up and seems to be getting worse by the day. I can feel a knot in my upper pec and above my shoulder blade that basically mirror each other. Making life more difficult, but I know it’s just a muscular strain and time off will help it. Thinking I’m going to abandon lifting all together next week during the deload in favor of some basic bodyweight stuff and some running.
Next cycle this workout will change a bit, going to stick with the axle weekly but I’ll alternate between the BTN and football bar every other. Should help with my weight situation and make the workout quicker with less set up.
I get this sometimes. So brutal.
The rough part is that I’m pretty sure it’s something I’ve been doing in my sleep. Sleeping for me seems to be the most physically compromising thing I partake in, and I ride motorcycles in the city haha.
Have you met my friend Google Sheets?
2 Likes
2/11/21
Pull workout
Hang clean:
45x5
95x2
115x2
135x2
155x2
Deadlift:
135x5
225x3
275x2
315x1
375x3x5
GIANT SETS (row - chin - core)
BB row:
190x3x10
Overhand pullups:
2x9
1x5+1+1+1
Band good mornings:
3x12
Hang board stuff
Glad this cycle is finally over, I’ve milked this workout for everything I could get out of it and it really showed today. Cleans were the best they’ve ever felt, deadlifts not so much but they moved with purpose. That giant set was hilarious, nothing strict about it.
Thinking I’ll stick with ROM progression, but use a top set and then a few FSL type back off sets, probably with some rows and chins in there.
@Voxel Yeah I’m quite familiar with our mutual friend, but, I don’t like to bring them around certain company haha. The TM difference between a back squat and SSB squat would be like 20lbs tops, so when it boils down to the actual work sets there’s not a big difference in weight. If anything my main work will be a little easier and the supplemental a little harder, sounds like a perfect leader template.
2/12/21
Bench workout
SUPER SETS (chin - bench)
Hangboard pull ups: (jugs)
x7
Axle bench:
50x10
80x5
120x3
170x1
200x1
230x1
SUPER SETS (bench - band)
DB bench:
50x2x10
dropset
50x14
40x9
30x11
20x16
Pushups x8
Band pulldowns:
2x10
1x18
Band pushdown:
x100
Band shrug:
x100
2/15/21
Squat deload workout
Squats:
BWx2x10
40x2x10 - DB goblet
60x2x10 - vest
100x2x10 - vest + DB
CONDITIONING CIRCUIT
Walking lunges:
x10-8-6-4-2/leg
Burpees:
x10-8-6-4-2
Jump rope:
x50-40-30-20-10
Decided for the deload week I’m just going to stay away from the barbell. Body has been wrecked the last couple weeks and it’ll be good to give it a break. Planning on doing a little mobility work this evening as well. The hernia feeling had gone away mostly but is back today, I actually think it has more to do with tight hips than anything though. I had a physical exam and was told I’m fine and that an ultrasound doesn’t make sense, so I’ll run with that.
1 Like
2/16/21
Press deload workout
GIANT SETS (chins - press - dips - raise - band)
NG chins: (widest to narrowest grips)
5x10
DB press:
35x5x10
Dips:
5x fail
Lateral raise:
15x5x10
Band pull apart:
5x20
DB curls:
15x2x50
I haven’t done this workout in close to a year, brought me right back to early Covid days which somehow I remember fondly, haha. Wound up using more weight than I used to and got it done just as well, so that bodes well for the last year of training. 5x10 chins have never been that easy either, although I did get a mechanical advantage each set as I moved the grip in.
DB curls were significantly more challenging than the axle somehow. Grip wasn’t a factor, but my arms got a crippling pump. Wound up rest pausing both sets, DB curls are sweet.
Probably has to do with the fact that you need to actively work to supinate your hand with the DB, whereas with the axle or barbell, it’s already in that position.
Either way, yes, they are sweet.
1 Like
2/18/21
Pull deload workout
RDL: (DB and band)
Band x10
100x10
Band +100x3x10
GIANT SETS (row - chin - band)
Double DB rows:
100x3x10
Underhand chins:
3x8
Band leg curls:
3x10
Hangboard stuff
Nothing notable to report here, except that underhand chin ups were harder than I expected them to be. Really focused on the lats rather than upper back and that probably had something to do with it.
For the DB rows I planted my ass against the wall with my feet further in front and it pretty much took my lower back out of the equation. Good tool to keep in mind.
@kdjohn That might be it. I was doing something in between a regular and hammer curl, so I wasn’t trying too hard to supinate haha. Bicep DOMS are real today, so definitely had a good training effect at least.
1 Like
Stealing this for whenever I do controlled rows.
1 Like
2/19/21
Bench deload workout
Dips:
BWx10
+25x10
+50x6 (begin drop set)
+25x7
BWx11
DB bench:
50x50 rest/pause
Band pushdown:
x100 rest/pause
Farmer shrug:
20x100 rest/pause
Only goal for this workout was to get a good solid pump in the pecs, tris, and traps. Goal accomplished. The empty handle farmer shrugs for high reps is a big time burner. Had to take a couple breaks to let the traps recover so I didn’t start ducking the neck in to compensate.