6/24/2011
Deload
Power Clean and Push Press: Bar x 5 → 65 x 5 → 95 x 5 → 105 x 5 → 115 x 5
Dips: BW x 10 x 5
Evil 8 Circuit w/75 lbs
6/26/2011
Deload
Deadlifts: Bar x 5 → 135 x 5 → 205 x 5 → 235 x 5 → 275 x 5
Chin Ups: BW x 10 → BW x 8 → BW x 6 → BW x 4
Evil 8 Circuit w/75 lbs
6/29/2011
Front Squats: Bar x 3 → 95 x 3 → 135 x 3 → 160 x 3 → 180 x 3 → 200 x 3 → 225 x 1 → 225 x 1
Glute Ham Raises: BW x 10 x 5
Hanging leg Raises: BW x 8 x 4
First session utilizing the 5/3/1 for Powerlifting template and I like it. I warmed up with overhead squats, which is out of ordinary for me, and I think it had great carryover so I’ll be incorporating that into my lower body warm ups from here on.
7/1/2011
Power Clean and Press: Bar x 3 → 65 x 3 → 100 → 3 → 115 x 3 → 130 x 4 → 145 x 1 → 145 x 1
Dips: BW x 5 → BW 45 x 3 → BW 65 x 3 → BW 85 x 3 → BW 90 x 3
Incline DB Press: 45 x 5 → 65 x 5 → 70 x 5
Floor JM Press: Bar x 5 → 95 x 5 → 135 x 5 → 145 x 3
First time experimenting with the JM Press, getting the motion was a bit of a struggle but the video with Dave Tate I watched was quite informative. Doing them at the end of a session certainly impacted the weight being used. I’ll likely go back to California Skull Crushers as my final exercise on this day from now on. Everything else felt great though!
7/3/2011
Deadlifts: Bar x 3 → 135 x 3 → 225 x 3 → 285 x 3 → 325 x 3 → 365 → 3 → 405 x 1
Chin Ups: BW x 3 → BW 25 x 3 → BW 45 x 3 → BW 50 x 3 → BW 60 x 2
DB Rows: 60 x 8 → 80 x 6 → 90 x 6
DB Hammer Curls: 25 x 8 → 35 x 6 → 40 x 4
A good session, I’m still getting the hang of picking a weight to do for singles and I think 405 was a bit to close to my max as I only had one in me. I’ve learned my lesson and I’ll approach it better next time. Really happy with the progress I’ve made with chin ups, even had a middle aged woman come up to me and say how she was very impressed.
7/6/2011
Front Squats: Bar x 5 → 95 x 5 → 145 x 5 → 170 x 5 → 190 x 5
Glute Ham Raises: BW x 10 → BW 10 x 8 → BW 10 x 6 → BW 25 x 4
Hanging leg Raises: BW x 8 x 4
Evil 8 circuit w/ 75 lbs
First time I’ve added weight to the GHR, and while I feel I could do this consistently, the fact that I’m doing them on a lat pulldown machine makes holding the weight and then stopping myself at the bottom when necessary a bit of a risky maneuver. So I’ll likely just stick to BW for them until my gym decides to start accommodating people who like to be challenged or when I find a new gym.
7/8/2011
Power Clean and Press: Bar x 5 → 65 x 5 → 95 x 5 → 110 x 5 → 125 x 5
Dips: BW x 20 → BW x 15 → BW x 10 → BW x 5
Incline DB Press: 45 x 5 → 55 x 5 → 65 x 5
California Skull Crushers: 75 x 5 → 85 x 5 → 95 x 5
Evil 8 Circuit w/75 lbs
Overall a good sessions, I was inspired by Martin Rooney’s latest article with the dip challenge. I’m aiming to get 30 consecutive reps first before I attempt the AMRAP in 3 minutes (I believe) challenge. Best part of the workout was seeing a girl that’s definitely into fitness and not just at the gym to look pretty, watch me perform my Power Cleans. When I moved on to dips I noticed her experimenting with an empty bar and I wish I would have had a chance to go over and stike up a conversation as I noticed a few tweaks to her form she could be making.
7/10/2011
Deadlift: Bar x 5 → 135 x 5 → 225 x 5 → 265 x 5 → 305 x 5 → 345 x 5
Chin Ups: BW x 10 → BW x 8 → BW x 6 → BW x 6
Face Pulls: 50 x 25 → 50 x 25 → 50 x 15
Hammer Curls: 25 x 5 → 35 x 5 → 45 x 5
Evil 8 Circuit w/75 lbs
Good session, focused on implementing the deadlifting tips Thibs outlined in his last spill. I believe I may have approached the lift too fast though (if that’s even possible) and I’ll allow myself a few more seconds of prep time to make sure my grip is firm and form locked down.
7/13/2011
Front Squats: Bar x 5 → 95 x 5 → 135 x 5 → 170 x 5 → 190 x 3 → 215 x 1 → 225 x 1 → 235 x 1
Good Mornings: Bar x 5 → 135 x 5 → 155 x 5 → 165 x 5 → 185 x 3
Hanging leg Raises: BW x 8 x 4
Good session, I stayed in the power rack for the entire session. I assumed at some point someone would come and ask to work in or how many sets I had left. Apparently I gave too much credit to my fellow gym goers again as the only conversation I had with any members was when on two separate occasions people came over to ask if I would be using the pussy pad that was laying on the ground.
7/15/2011
Power Clean and Press: Bar x 5 → 65 x 5 → 95 x 5 → 115 x 5 → 125 x 5 → 140 x 1 → 155 x 1 → 155 x 1
Dips: BW x 5 → BW 45 x 3 → BW 65 x 3 → BW 85 x 3 → BW 90 x 3
Incline DB Press: 45 x 5 → 65 x 5 → 75 x 3
California Skull Crushers: 75 x 5 → 85 x 5 → 95 x 5
Great session, probably the best upper body day I’ve ever had in terms of how the weight felt. All my PCandP attempts went up like nothing, the Dips felt great, and I moved up a bit more in weight on my DB press.
7/17/2011
Deadlift: Bar x 3 → 135 x 3 → 225 x 3 → 305 x 5 → 345 x 3 → 385 x 1 → 405 x 1 → 405 x 1
Chin Ups: BW x 5 → BW 25 x 3 → BW 45 x 3 → BW 60 x 2.5 (15 second break) BW 60 x 1 →
DB Rows: 60 x 5 → 80 x 5 → 100 x 5 → 70 x 12
Cable Hammer Curls w/Rope: 45 x 12 → 60 x 12 → ((75 x 12 → 45 x 12 → 15 x 12))
A good session overall, I’m getting concerned about my deadlift again though. May have to take a look at my form again.
7/20/2011
Deload
Front Squats: Bar x 5 → 95 x 5 → 115 x 5 → 135 x 5
Hanging leg Raises: BW x 8 x 5
Evil 8 circuit w/75 lbs
7/22/20111
Deload
Power Clean and Press: Bar x 5 → 55 x 5 → 75 x 5 → 95 x 5
Dips: BW x 15 → BW x 12 → BW x 10
Evil 8 circuit w/75 lbs
I finished up with a bit of form work for my deadlift based off of some Rippetoe and Tate videos I watched, good stuff.
7/24/2011
Deload
Deadlift: 135 x 5 (Sumo) → 135 x 5 (Conv.) → 165 x 5 (Conv.) → 205 x 5 (Conv.) → 245 x 5 (Conv.)
Pull Ups: Alternated between Wide Grip, Neutral, and Chin Ups until I hit 30 reps
Evil 8 circuit w/75 lbs
This log is going active again.
I fell off the wagon hard the past few months and both my strength levels and physique took a dive. I’m unimpressed with myself, but looking on the bright side, I now have a new challenge in front of me: Get back to where I was, crush it, and move forward.
A breakdown of my training:
- 5/3/1 (The Boring But Big 3 Month Challenge template outlined in a JW article a while back)
- 3 Days a Week
- Day 1 - Press/DB Bench/Rows or Chins/Assistance (Biceps/Triceps/Rear Delts) or Conditioning
- Day 2 - Deadlift/Front Squat/Ab Work/Conditioning
- Day 3 - Same as Day 1 but with the Bench as the main lift/Press as secondary
I’ve already gone through one 3 month block in which the Squat was my main lower body movement on Day 2 (w/Snatch Grip DL as the secondary) and I liked the way things are set up with progressions built into your assistance work.
I’d hope that by the new year I’ll be back to where I was strength/physique wise and then can move forward in 2013 on achieving new goals. I let petty life problems get in the way of truly bettering myself…never again.
Interesting… Welcome back!
I forgot to update this past Monday, so this post will cover that workout and today’s.
10/08/2012
Press: 45 x 8 → 45 x 8 → 65 x 5 → 100 x 5 → 110 x 3 → 120 x 1
DB Incline Press: 45 x 10 x 5
Pendlay Row: 45 x 10 → 95 x 10 → 95 x 10 → 135 x 8
10/10/2012
Deadlift: 135 x 5 → 135 x 5 → 185 x 5 → 235 x 5 → 265 x 3 → 295 x 1
Front Squats: 95 x 10 x 5
Standing Calf Raise: 100 x 100
Slow and steady is going to win this race. I’m trying not to get ahead of myself even though the weights I’m using now are quite lower than what would have been detailed in my log previously. Forgetting my iPod at home was a grave mistake though, aside from “Clint Eastwood” by the Gorillaz coming on randomly, I was amazed by the dreck that gets played at my gym…er, fitness center.
10/12/2012
Bench Press: 45 x 5 → 45 x 5 → 45 x 5 → 95 x 5 → 140 x 5 → 160 x 3 → 170 x 1
Press: 60 x 10 x 5
Pendlay Row: 45 x 10 → 135 x 5 x 5
Face Pulls: 30 x 100 (25x4)
Tricep Pushdowns: 45 x 100 (50x2)
Hammer Curls: 30 x 5 → 40 x 5 → 40 x 5 → 45 x 5
The bench is still my weakest lift by far, but I took my grip out a bit further today than usual and it felt a bit better. I’ll keep experimenting with set ups and what not until I find out what works for me. Definitely focused on leg drive today and getting my feet underneath my hips, and noticed a big difference.
10/15/2012
Deload/Conditioning Week
Evil 8 Barbell Circuit:
Deadlift → SL Deadlift → Row → Hang Clean → Front Squat → Press → Squat → Good Morning
Countdown from 8 reps/Minimal rest between each set/Used an empty barbell
Farmer’s Walks (One Arm At A Time):
135 x 10 second carry x 4 walks per side
Turns out, when your gym is populated by mouth breathers…doing Farmer’s Walks is not ideal, as they will make an exercise out of walking directly into your path from any given direction. The “fitness center” I train out of primarily used to have a pretty ideal break in equipment where most people would do any sort of walking/carry movements.
I went in today and a lot of the equipment that frames that pathway were not a bit all over the place. I asked a trainer why, and I was told it was to discourage exercises such as walking lunges or carries because some members were complaining that it was inconvenient to have deal with people doing these exercises…fuck.