Push Press Workout - Sept. 16, 2010 (Cycle 4, Week 2)
Warmup
Shoulder Dislocations - 2x12
Push Press
45x3
105x5 (Forgot that I’m only supposed to do 3)
120x3
135x3
Felt clumsy today for some reason…
Dip
BWx5
BW+65x5
BW+90x4 (PR)
BW+45x5
I wanted 5, but this is still a good performance on my part considering I gained 10 lbs.
Chinup (Kipping)
(BWx8)x3
Don’t worry, I could hit it strict when fresh.
Incline Tricep Extension
(65x10)x3
That’s it for today. Next: deadlift day. I’m shooting for 320x10. Let’s see if I can make it…
Deadlift Workout - Sept. 18, 2010 (Cycle 4, Week 2)
Warmup
Hyperextension - (BWx20)x2
Deadlift
135x3
250x3
285x3
320x10 (PR)
Not too shabby. Felt good for more although it was tough. After the 320 set, my lower back ached, but it went away. The problem is probably that the bar rolls too far away in the middle of the set. I’m going to have to remember to keep it close.
Deficit Deadlift
225x5
255x3 (PR)
265x3 (PR)
Decided to go heavier on deficit work.
Situp
BW+10x10
BW+10x5
Tried something new. Didn’t like it; felt clumsy. No wonder I never do situps…
Zercher Squat Workout - Sept. 20, 2010 (Cycle 4, Week 3)
Zercher Squat
135x5
210x5
240x3
265x1
295x1 (PR)
325x1 (PR)
Tested my max today. Went well. This is actually my first time ever working up to 300 lbs, and man, 325 was hard!
Barbell Row
185x5
205x3 (PR)
(135x10)x2
Still not happy with the 185 form, but I suppose it’s a lot better than most. I went really heavy with 205 to get a feel for heavy weight, so to speak.
Today, I also experimented with difference core exercises. First, I tried Hanging Leg Raises, but I didn’t have the strength to actually do them with my legs straight. Then, I tried Ab Wheel Rollouts, but my back sagged way too much; I tried using a band, but it didn’t work as well as I wanted. So, I did some bridges on a swiss ball and left. I really don’t like most conventional core work; the only exercises that I feel train mine optimally are Prone Bridges, Side Bridges, Landmines, and Rollouts. I’m a fan of isometric stuff for the core.
Hill Sprints
2x10 Sprints
Well, new max. Booya. Now to go heavier on the deadlift next cycle…
Push Press Workout - Sept. 22, 2010 (Cycle 4, Week 3)
Warmup
Shoulder Dislocations - 2x12
Push Press
45x5
110x5
125x3
140x7 (PR)
185 x miss
I wanted 8 on the 140 set, and I came back 30 seconds later and muscled up an easy 8th rep. Then, I did something fairly stupid. I slapped on 185 and tried it. Missed it just short of lockout. I’m actually a little surprised considering I did it after a tough set. I guarantee that I could hit it fresh, hell maybe even a little more. I’m going to reattempt it next cycle.
Dip
BW+65x5
BW+90x4 (tied PR)
I knew that after the shit I did on the push press that I killed my chance of getting a PR on dips. the fourth rep was one hell of a grinder. Probably could do five when fresh.
Also, the gym manager told me that I couldn’t put a barbell plate on the assisted dip/pullup machine (the apparatus that I was using) to put the platform down. So, I had to do something else…
Chair Dip
BW+45x26 (PR)
…these aren’t even challenging. 
Chinup
(BWx5)x3
Well, no PRs today worth mentioning, but still a solid workout. At least until the manager decided to shit in my cornflakes. >:( Also, I injured my neck by dropping the barbell to my front on push presses. I’m going to have to work on keeping that in check.
Solid work being done man. Your zerchers are pretty impressive. Don’t those hurt a shit load? lol
[quote]ashylarryku wrote:
Solid work being done man. Your zerchers are pretty impressive. Don’t those hurt a shit load? lol[/quote]
They used to; you should have seen my forearms in the first weeks doing them! But, now I’ve adapted, and they don’t hurt or bruise at all.
Deadlift Workout - Aug. 25, 2010 (Cycle 4, Week 3)
Warmup
Hyperextension - (BWx20)x2
Deadlift
135x5
265x5
300x3
335x1
355x2 (PR)
This is my first official time ever going over 350 lbs. I’ve had the strength for a while, but I never actually did it until today. I could tell on the 265 set that I was lacking some power today, but 355 wasn’t all that hard. Overall, I’d say that it’s just a matter of getting used to maximal pulling again.
Deficit Deadlift
275x5 (PR)
285x3 (PR)
315x3 (PR)
Now I’m really pushing the deficit work. I figure that I’m never going to get stronger off the floor pussyfooting around with 235 or so. 
Kroc Row
125x25/25
I rest-paused a lot, but oh well. I can tell that my upper back is going to be sore tomorrow.
Zercher Squat Workout - Sept. 27, 2010 (Cycle 4, Week 4)
My lower back felt slightly tweaked today for some reason. Nothing serious, it’ll go away shortly.
Zercher Squat
115x5
135x5
170x5
Just deloading…
T-Bar Row (Not counting bar)
175x8 (PR)
------dropset------
140x8
------dropset------
105x8
------dropset------
70x8
140x10
Haven’t hit the T’s in a while.
Hill Sprints
3x10 Sprints
Push Press Workout - Sept. 29, 2010 (Cycle 4, Week 4)
I did a lot of fooling around today…
Warmup
Shoulder Dislocations - 2x12
Push Press
65x5
75x5
95x5
Geez, why do I even go to the gym on the PP deload days?
Dip
BWx22
(BWx8)x2
Hmm…my best on dips is 27. I wanted 30. Oh well, I’m better with heavy weight. I did a few sets to backdown.
One-Armed Dumbbell Snatch
60x3
70x2
Just fooling around on these. I also tried to press a 75 lber overhead with one arm, but it was hopeless after the dips.
Also, a friend was at the gym today dong incline work. I fooled around with a quick set of 135x3. My upper chest is already sore, and that wasn’t even working weight! There’s a certain thing about the incline press that I like. I’m definitely going to get back into it.
Deadlift Workout - Oct. 1, 2010 (Cycle 4, Week 4)
First workout of the month…
Deadlift
140x5
175x5
215x5
Nothing to see here.
After deloading, I decided to give incline benching another go. Here’s how it went…
Incline Bench Press
45x5
135x3
155x3 (PR; never incline benched with a barbell much)
165x3 (PR)
175x3 (PR)
135x8
175 was tough. I seriously need to get back into this lift.
Chest Press
(200x10)x3
Thought that I might as well do some chest work. Haven’t touched a machine in forever. Probably won’t again anytime soon. 
Zercher Squat Workout - Oct. 4, 2010 (Cycle 5, Week 1)
Zercher Squat
135x5
190x5
215x5
245x5
Just got the reps in…didn’t attempt anything crazy. I thought about attempting 245x20, but considering I’m attempting a max on the push press and a heavy double on the deadlift this week, it’s not exactly the greatest idea in the world.
After this, I tried doing farmers’ holds with some EZ-curl bars. It didn’t go as planned at all; the bars wouldn’t balance properly and I ended up looking like a jackass. So then, I tried some natural glute-ham raises (done via lat pulldown; I don’t have a dedicated GHR), but realized that I don’t have the strength to really do them properly outside of a few reps. So, I just did some hyperextensions and left.
Hyperextension
(BW+45x30)x2 (PR)
I didn’t do any hill sprints today, either. Thought that I’d just relax.
Push Press Workout - Oct. 6, 2010 (Cycle 5, Week 1)
Warmup
Shoulder Dislocations - 2x12
Push Press
45x5
105x5
115x5
130x5
155x1
175x1 (PR)
190 x miss
190 x miss
God damn it! I should have had this weight! I’m tempted to just keep on attempting it each week until I get the fucking thing up. It’s a few pounds over my bodyweight. I’m thinking about just focusing on incline work for a while and see where that takes it.
Chinup
BWx3
BW+50x3 (PR)
BWx10
JM Press
95x5 (PR)
105x5 (PR)
115x4 (PR; missed 5th rep)
First time trying these.
I was going to do incline work today, but the shitty push pressing pissed me off too much. FML…
Deadlift Workout - Oct. 8, 2010 (Cycle 5, Week 1)
Warmup
Hyperextension - (BWx10)x2
Deadlift
135x3
235x3
275x3
315x3
365x3 (PR)
Big PR for me. This means that I can pretty much smoke 405. You may notice that I’m doing triples instead of 5’s. I modified it. It works better for my goals.
Deficit Deadlift
295x2
325x2 (PR)
335x1 (PR)
335 x miss (don’t know how I missed it)
335x1
Barbell Row
195x5 (PR)
205x3
205x5 (PR)
I’m using looser form on these. Just experimenting with heavier loading.
And for fun…
Clean
135x3
135x2 (fell on my ass on the 3rd rep, LOL!)
Great workout, considering that I just came off of a migraine. Can’t wait to rape 405.
Solid deadlifts man. 405 is yours before you know it!
[quote]ashylarryku wrote:
Solid deadlifts man. 405 is yours before you know it![/quote]
Yep. Two weeks away from the attempt. The goal is actually now ~430 by the end of the year.
Zercher Squat Workout - Oct. 11, 2010 (Cycle 5, Week 2)
Nothing too extraordinary today; just training…
Warmup
Hip Mobility Work
Zercher Squat
135x3
205x3
235x3
(265x3)x3 (PR)
Never did anything more than a single with 265 before. Nevertheless, I could probably triple about 285 - 295.
Hip Thrust
135x10
225x5
275x5 (PR)
315x3 (PR)
365x3 (PR)
I finally found an efficient method for doing these. I prop two 100 lb dumbbells up on the legs of a bench. Stays really sturdy.
Hill Sprints
2x11 Sprints
Tried to do these as consecutively as possible.
Incline Bench Press Workout - Oct. 13, 2010
I’m not doing 5/3/1 for the push press anymore; I switched to incline, and I’m not using 5/3/1 for it. Once I get it up to about 225, I’ll go back to push pressing to see what I can do. My routine is simple. Each week, I work up to a heavy triple, adding five pounds each week.
Warmup
Shoulder Dislocations - 2x12
Incline Bench Press
45x3
135x3
155x3
180x3 (PR)
135x8 (paused)
Glad that I hit it. Not a big PR; only 5 pounds, but hopefully it’ll be a stepping stone onto bigger numbers in the near future.
Savickas Press
95x3 (PR)
105x3 (PR)
115x3 (PR)
I’m doing these to help with my overhead strength; from what I heard, they work wonders. They felt awkward at first; I even fell backwards on the 95 set! I guess that I didn’t know what to expect. But, I suppose that there’s no shame in being weak on Savickas’.
Chinup
BWx3
BW 35x3
BW 55x2 (PR, very close miss on the third rep)
BWx7
Damn…so close. Oh well, I’ll get it next time
Today’s workout was pretty good, I suppose. I had to leave the gym unexpectedly, so I couldn’t get any triceps work in. Next time…
Deadlift Workout - Oct. 15, 2010 (Cycle 5, Week 2)
Warmup
Hyperextension - (BWx12)x2
Deadlift
135x2
185x2
225x2
255x2
295x2
335x2
355x1
380x2 (PR)
Sweet. I know that I’m practically not even doing 5/3/1 anymore, but to hell with it. First time ever using chalk, too. My grip felt so strong. Great stuff.
Snatch Grip Deficit Deadlift
205x5
225x5
(275x5)x2 (PR)
Haven’t done these in forever. Felt good. I use straps on them.
Barbell Row
215x5 (PR)
225x5 (PR)
135x10
Loose form, but whatever.
Reverse Fly
(40x15/15)x2
Threw these in for fun. I like upper back/rear delt work a lot.
20 minutes of easy cardio…and…done.
Next week, I’m doing four plates. Say your prayers, 405…
Zercher Squat Workout - Oct. 18, 2010 (Cycle 5, Week 3)
Warmup
Hip Mobility Work
Before actually starting the zerchers, I wanted to give one arm DB snatching another go.
One Armed Dumbbell Snatch
45x2
65x1
75x1
80x1 (PR)
Kept the volume low. 80 was tough, but hopefully this doesn’t interfere with my incline bench workout coming up…
Anywho, on to Zerchers…
Zercher Squat
135x3
215x5
245x3
275x1
This was about 3x harder than it would’ve been on any other given day; I was playing football at school today (which I evidently suck at), so I was a LOT weaker than usual. I could probably get that like 7 - 8 times on a better day.
Leg Press
4 plates x 10
5 plates x 8
This was just filler…
I didn’t do any hill sprinting today; football took care of that. Hopefully none of this shit will make a difference with my incline workout and my 405 lb deadlift attempt later this week.
Incline Bench Press Workout - Oct. 20, 2010
Warmup
Shoulder Dislocations - 2x12
Incline Bench Press
45x3
135x3
155x3
175x1
185x2 (technical PR; missed the 3rd rep)
Crap, I was hoping to get this. But, I suppose that I have to stagnate at some point. I’ll get it next week. >:D
Savickas Press
115x3
125x3 (PR)
135x1 (PR)
Getting stronger at these…
Chinup
BWx3
BW 30x3
BW 55x3 (PR)
BWx20 (rest-paused, kipping)
There we go! Might have gotten a sloppy 4th rep if I pushed it a little more…
Overhead Dumbbell Extension
55x10
60x8
65x10
These are awkward…I don’t like them…
Well, today was okay. I’m not happy about the incline, but that was really the only bad part, so I can’t complain all that much. I suppose it’s just something to work on next workout. So, all in all, a decent session.