Hey guys,
Ive been reading T-Nation articles and forums for and I’m very committed to training and eating (haha) and so I decided that Id make a workout log.
Ive been doing WS4SB since the beginning of the summer, but Im just going to start with todays workout.
currently my stats are
Height: 5’ 10"
Weight: 165 lbs
Bench Press: 200 x 5
12" box squat: 255 x 5
(everything is in lbs)
July 25th: ME lower body.
ME box squat
5 x 45, 95, 135, 185, 205, 225, 245, 255 - PR!
box squat burnout:
205 x 16 1 more rep than last week
bulgarian squats:
115 x 4 (I was having trouble balancing, normally i do 3x8 with 115; I think my glutes and hamstrings were to worn out from the box xquat burnout)
95 x 8 x 2 (these felt light on my quads but my hams and glutes were straining a lot.
eccentric Glute-Ham situp with explosive pushup help for concentric
5 x 3
these felt amazing today, on my first rep of first set, I actually managed to control my entire descent
Good Mornings:
115 x 12 I dont normally do these but my hamstrings felt really tight, it was really easy but I got a good stretch in.
Ab-wheel roll-outs
2 x 12
1 x 19 - till failure.
Overall today was a good workout. Im really confused about what went wrong with the bulgarian squats, hopefully next week ill be ok…
July 27th: ME upper body.
ME Bench Press
3 x 45, 95, 135, 165, 185, 205, 215 - PR!
DB floor press burnout
60 x 16, 60 x 11
A1) BB Rows
155 x 12, 165 x 12, 165 x 12, 165 x 10 (on these I really tried to have no body english, I was very strict until the second last set. Last set was till failure)
A2)rear delt flies
20 x 12 x 4 (these were also very strict, I didn’t go to failure here.)
BB shrugs
225 x 15, 225 x 11 (grip fail), 225 x 15 (I only failed on the second set cuz i tried left hand supinated, right hand pronated which is my weaker mixed grip.)
Hammer curls
40 x 12, 40 x 7, 40 x 5 + 1 + 1
last two sets were both till failure, last set I also included 2 cluster reps at the end.
I am very happy with today’s results, especially the bench PR, I find myself able to really obliterate my upper back more and more every week with the super set.
July 28th: DE lower body
DE box squat
8 x 2 x 185 overall good bar speed, these felt a little slow coming out of the hole (maybe cuz im squating down to a 12 inch box)
Reverse DB lunge from 6 inch box
40 x 12
50 x 8
50 x 8 (weights are per DB)
Good Mornings
135 x 15
145 x 10
145 x 12 this set was hard
AB circuit:
Sprinter situps
V-ups
toe touches
leg raises
Today I got my Biotest supplements in the mail! im excited to start loading creatine and to start taking Surge Recovery.
Overall today was good
July 30th: RE upper body
Neutral grip incline DB press
55 x 18, 55 x 14, 55 x 13 for the first two sets I went one rep before failure, for the last I actually failed on the 14th rep
A1) Neutral grip pull-ups (slightly wider then shoulder width grip)
+10 x 12 x 4 all 4 sets of these were very difficult, this was a huge PR for pullups for me. (i took a lot of rest though)
A2)face-pulls
62.5 x 12, 67.5 x 12 x 3 I have no idea how much weight I actually do for these, Im pretty sure my cable machine is calibrated very wrong.
standing DB OH press
40 x 12 x 2, 40 x 9
lateral raise burnout
25 x 7 + 2 + 1 here I did a paused set with two 15 second pauses (my shoulders hurt a lot by the end of this)
B1)BB shrugs
275 x 5 x 3
B2)lying tricep DB extensions
35 x 5 x 2, 35 x 4 for these I do a full ROM, once my elbow is completely flexed, I pause at the stretch for a second then do my rep.
towel hangs
2 x max time these made my hands hurt a lot
today I am especially pleased with my pullups, I can tell my lats will ache tomorrow - yay
July 31: ME lower body.
ME box squat
3 x 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 255, 275, 285 - 20 lbs PR!
bulgarian squats:
115 x 8
115 x 8
125 x 8 this is the first time Ive bulg squated 125, I removed the box squat burnout so that I could continue to progress in this
eccentric Glute-Ham situp with explosive pushup help for concentric
5 x 3
Ab-wheel roll-outs
2 x 12
1 x 15 - till failure. I guess I didn’t have as many ab-wheel roll outs in me today.
Overall today was an awesome squat day, I originally planned to do 275 x 3 which also would have been a PR, but it didnt feel hard enough so I added 10 more lbs
August 3rd: ME upper body.
ME Bench Press
2 x 45, 95, 135, 185, 205, 225 - PR!
DB floor press burnout
60 x 16, 60 x 12
A1) BB Rows
4 x 165 x 12
A2)rear delt flies
4 x 20 x 12
BB shrugs
3 x 245 x 10
Hammer curls
45 x 7 , 45 x 4, 35 x 12 these made me realize how much weaker my left arm actually was, on all 3 sets, my left arm failed and my right arm felt like it still had many more reps in it.
July 28th: DE lower body
DE box squat
8 x 185 x 2
DE conventional deadlift
6 x 185 x 1 I decided to add in DE deadlifts because I havent been doing ME deadlifts and I want to get the form down pat. (these were ridiculously easy)
Reverse DB lunge from 6 inch box
50 x 8
50 x 8
55 x 8 (weights are per DB)
Good Mornings
145 x 12
155 x 12 this set was hard
165 x 12 this set was really hard
AB circuit:
ab-wheel rollout
Sprinter situps
leg raises
August 6th: RE upper body
Neutral grip incline DB press
55 x 19, 55 x 12, 55 x 10
A1) Neutral grip pull-ups (slightly wider then shoulder width grip)
+15 x 12, +15 x 11, +15 x 8, +15 x 6 - OUCH
A2)face-pulls
4 x 67.5 x 12 I
standing DB OH press
40 x 12, 40 x 11, 40 x 7
lateral raise mechanical drop set burnout
20 x 12, 20 x 2 with bent arm concentric, straight arm eccentric, 20 x 4 with bent arms
B1)BB shrugs
3 x 245 x 10
B2)lying tricep DB extensions
3 x 30 x 6
I have a very bad cold, I decided to train anyway… I guess thats why they call it training
August 7th: ME lower body.
ME box squat
45 x 2
95 x 2
135 x 2
185 x 2
225 x 2
255 x 2
275 x 2
295 x 2 - 10 lbs PR
bulgarian squats:
115 x 8
125 x 8
125 x 8
eccentric Glute-Ham situp with explosive pushup help for concentric
5 x 3
Accentuated Crunches on the Bench
12.5 x 10
17.5 x 10
22.5 x 10 I actually really like this exercise
I originally planned on getting 305 x 2, but based on the way 295 x 2 felt I decided not to add 10 more lbs. I hate being sick
August 9th: ME upper body.
ME Bench Press
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 5 - 5 lbs PR (or two rep PR depending how you think about it)
floor press
135 x 3
185 x 3 - Ive never done this exercise before, im planning on doing ME floor presses after my ME bench presses for a few more reps (e.g. 2 rm bench press → 5 rm floor press)
DB floor press burnout
60 x 15
60 x 12
A1) BB Rows
175 x 12
175 x 12
175 x 12
175 x 12
A2)rear delt flies
20 x 12
20 x 12
22.5 x 12
22.5 x 12
BB shrugs
275 x 8
275 x 8
275 x 8
BB curls
95 x 8
105 x 5
95 x 8
Mechanical drop-set: biceps
B1)DB reverse curls
25 x 12
30 x 9
B2)DB suppinated curls
25 x 8
30 x 6
B3)DB hammer curls
25 x 8
30 x 4
My biceps are incredibly sore… Im happy about the Bench Press PR
August 11th: DE lower body
Deadlifts:
1 x 135 x 1
1 x 185 x 1
1 x 225 x 1
2 x 275 x 1 these felt really fast
1 x 295 x 1
the bar speed on this was not as fast as I would have liked it, in fact it was kind of a grinder… OOPS
DE box squats:
8 x 185 x 2 easy peasy lemon squeezy
Reverse DB lunges off of 6" box
3 x 55 x 8
Good Mornings
1 x 155 x 12
2 x 165 x 12
ab circuit:
ab-wheel rollouts
8
15 (failure on 16)
sprinter situps
20
14 (failure on 15)
leg raises
20
20
August 14th: RE upper body
Neutral grip incline DB press
60 x 15
60 x 12
60 x 11
A1) Neutral grip pull-ups (slightly wider then shoulder width grip)
+20 x 11
+20 x 9
+20 x 7
+20 x 7
A2)face-pulls
52.5 x 12
57.5 x 12 x 3
standing DB OH press
45 x 9
2 x 45 x 6
lataral raise burnout
B1)BB shrugs
3 x 255 x 10
B2)lying tricep DB extensions
1 x 30 x 8
1 x 30 x 7
1 x 30 x 6
Hey man, just stoppin by to show your log some love.
It looks TO ME like on some of your big lifts, you have maybe one too many warmup sets that might keep you from getting some more reps or weight on your top set.
For example:
5 x 45, 95, 135, 185, 205, 225, 245, 255 - PR!
ME box squat
45 x 2
95 x 2
135 x 2
185 x 2
225 x 2
255 x 2
275 x 2
295 x 2 - 10 lbs PR
I guess it’s kind of nitpicky. On squat, maybe do the bar, 135, 185, 225, 255 for a rep if you must if you’re goin for a heavy weight, and then nail 3 plates.
haha thanks man, its nice to get feedback from more experienced lifters
I do know what you mean, in the 5rm example the 245 set definitely took away from my 255, however I do take a lot of rest in between my ME sets, and I definitely don’t think I could get more reps… but you may be on to something, cuz I might be able to get the same reps with slightly more weight if I do less warm-up sets… Ill give it a shot
August 15th: ME lower body.
ME squat
45 x 1
95 x 1
135 x 1
185 x 1
225 x 1
275 x 1
315 x 1
325 x 1 - this is my first time doing a max squat since the beginning of the summer… I got 30 more lbs!
squat burnout:
225 x 15 this was ouch
bulgarian squats:
95 x 12
95 x 12
105 x 12
eccentric Glute-Ham situp with explosive pushup help for concentric
5 x 3
A1)Accentuated Crunches on the Bench
17.5 x 12
17.5 x 12
17.5 x 13
A2) Cable side-bends
2 x 62.5 x 6
47.5 x 12
today was a really good day, after doing 8 weeks of box squats, returning to regular squats feels AMAZING, Im really happy about my PRs (315 and 325 are both PRs)
August 17th: ME upper body.
ME Bench Press
45 x 1
95 x 1
135 x 1
185 x 1
205 x 1
235 x 1 ironically even though I have benched 225 x 2, this is a 30 lbs PR for my max.
245 x 0 this was upsetting
ME floor press
135 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 4 I was hoping to work up to a heavy 5 rep set… apparently that didn’t work out (both in weight and reps lol)
DB incline press burnout
50 x 10
50 x 15
A1) BB Rows
185 x 11
185 x 8
185 x 6
155 x 12
A2)rear delt flies
3 x 20 x 12
20 x 20 This was till failure… I felt an electric shock go through my rear delt/upper tricep area on the last 2 reps of this… I thought it was kinda cool
BB shrugs
295 x 5
295 x 4
295 x 4 this was just for fun… its the heaviest Ive ever shrugged
BB curls
105 x 8
105 x 5
105 x 4
Mechanical drop-set: biceps
B1)DB reverse curls
35 x 7
35 x 6
B2)DB suppinated curls
35 x 7
35 x 5
B3)DB hammer curls
35 x 3
35 x 2
again biceps incredibly pumped and in pain…
On the one hand Im pissed I didnt hit the 245, but on the other hand, the floor press felt incredible and I have a feeling it will help my bench tremendously
August 18th: ME lower body
Squats:
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
255 x 5
275 x 5 this was an easy PR (well it was still really hard, but you guys all know what I mean)
Squat Burnout:
225 x 16
Reverse DB lunges off of 4" step
3 x 40 x 12
Good Mornings
135 x 12
145 x 12
155 x 12
ab circuit: 3 sets
1)ab-blast-strap rollouts - I used blast straps instead of an ab-wheel…
2)sprinter situps
3)leg raises - for these I did that pelvic posterior tilt thing Cressey talks about.
Today was supposed to be a DE lower body day, but I worked out at my school for the first time this summer and my coach wanted to do heavy squats with me…
I used the DE accessory work though
August 14th: RE upper body
RE bench press
135 x 23
135 x 17
135 x 15
A1) Neutral grip pull-ups (slightly wider then shoulder width grip)
+20 x 10
+20 x 11
+20 x 10
+20 x 9
A2)face-pulls
57.5 x 12
2 x 62.5 x 12
57.5 x 12
standing DB OH press
40 x 12
40 x 10
40 x 8
B1)DB shrugs
3 x 100s x 10
B2)Band pushdowns
3 x purple band x max reps
Fat Bar Hold
3 x max reps
BB curls
85 x 15
85 x 12
August 22nd: ME lower body.
ME deadlift
135 x 3
2 x 225 x 3
275 x 3
295 x 1 I think this was the slowest deadlift Ive ever done. At one point right below the knees, I actually stopped dead and couldnt move the bar up any more, so I focused hard on flexing my glutes and keeping my lumbar really tight, and then as I let my breath out I managed to get the rep!
ME rack pulls (just below knee)
135 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 5
315 x 5
bulgarian split-squats:
95 x 12
105 x 12
115 x 12 - this was fucking hard
eccentric Glute-Ham situp with explosive pushup help for concentric
5 x 3
Accentuated Crunches on the Bench
17.5 x 12
22.5 x 12
27.5 x 12
After the glute-ham situps, my left knee started making a crunching noise whenever I squatted down (like not a weighted squat, my log book was on the ground so I was squatting down to write in it) I was really freaked out cuz It wasnt just clicking, like it was loud and I could feel it crunching, fortunately when I got home I iced it for a while and did a bunch of hip and knee mobillity drills/stretches and now it went away… (i did the drills before the icing lol)
has that ever happened to anyone else?
August 24th: ME upper body.
ME Bench Press
45 x 3
95 x 3
135 x 3
185 x 3
205 x 1
220 x 3 - PR!
Bench Press Rep-out (in preparation for 185 test for football)
175 x 11
155 x 14
A1) seated cable rows
160 x 12
160 x 12
160 x 12
140 x 12
A2)rear delt flies
4 x 20 x 12
BB shrugs
2 x 245 x 10
2 x 245 x 12
DB hammer curls
3 x 40 x 12
Barbell Hang (grip)
3 x max time
B1)blast-strap pushups
3 x 10
B2)band pushdowns
3 x purple band x max reps
Today was another really good workout, the 220 x 3 felt perfect form-wise
