AF787 - Beyond 1000

AF787V2 · May 5, 2023, 7:59pm

While I haven’t been very active on the forums this year for various reasons, the first four months of 2023 have been productive. I’m the strongest I’ve ever been, having finally attained a 1,000 lb total across the Big 3 (Bench - 230, Deadlift - 425, Squat - 355). My physique is also better than when I did my first competition last summer. While I might not be as lean, I’ve put on some size and thickness. My current stats are: 5’ 10”, 183 lbs, and estimating my body fat to be in the low-mid teens. Finally, I’m in a really good spot mentally, and just trusting in the process. I don’t let an unusually good/strong or weak/bad session affect my confidence or question the training plan that my coach has laid out for me. I also find myself comparing my progress and current lifts and physique to those of other people less and less, and just try to be the best version of myself.

My basic training plan is lifting 6 x a week with a split of: Lower, Upper Push/Chest and Tris, Upper Pull/Back and Bis, and then repeated, but with different rep schemes and or varying accessory moves. Overall volume has remained consistent since I seem to have found a formula that works and has provided consistent results. Once, I start to hit a plateau, my coach and I will adjust accordingly, but for now we’re just milking as much out of the current training plan before making any adjustments.

My goals for the end of the year are to:

Add 150-200 lbs to my lifting total (Keeping the specific numbers per lift I have in mind under wraps, but I would be happy no matter how this is achieved among the Big 3)
Hit a weighted pull/chin-up and dip at BW + 90 lbs
Improve confidence and positive mindset (measured by weights at which I start to get anxiety or experience self doubt, i.e. these should get higher over the course of the year)

Physique pics below:

Comparison of a week or two before my physique competition (July 2022 - top to Current - bottom, weight difference of 15 lbs)

Couple of leg shots which have always been one of the stronger aspects of my physique

ETA: Adding a couple tags for people that were following my old thread, but of course no obligation to follow going forward: @mnben87 @wanna_be @bkb333 @throwawayfitness

bkb333 · May 6, 2023, 11:14am

Looking fantastic, bro!

AF787V2 · May 6, 2023, 6:18pm

I’m on a deload week, but here is my recap of the just completed training block:

All RPE 6 → 8/9

Day 1

DL (1 x 2), 385 → 425
DL (3 x 3), 355 at 90% of top set → 395
Leg Curls (4 x 15), 95 → 110
Leg Press (4 x 10), 415 → 445
Incline DB Curls (3 x 12 - 15), 25 x 13 → 30 x 15
Preacher Curls (2 x 12-15), 70 x 12 → 80 x 12
Calf Raises (4 x 15), 160 → 170

Day 2

Bench (1 x 2), 205 → 220
Bench (3 x 3), 195 → 210
Machine Chest Press (4 x 15), 145 → 205
Weighted Dips (1 x 4), BW + 30 → BW + 45
Weighted Dips (3 x 10), BW + 10 → BW + 35
DB Lateral Raises (3 x 15), 17.5 → 25

Day 3

Weighted Pull-ups (2 x 10), BW + 20 → BW + 35
Weighted Pull-ups (3 x 10 -15), BW + 10 x 10 > BW + 15 x 12
1 Arm Cable Rows (3 x 15), 47.5 → 57.5
BB Upright Rows (3 x 12-15), 80 x 12 → 80 x 16
Machine Rear Delt Flies (3 x 12-15), 100 x 12 → 105 x 15
DB Curls (3 x 12-15), 30 x 12 → 30 x 14

Day 4

Squat (1 x 4), 285 → 315
Squat (1 x 1), 305 → 335
Squat (2 x 4), 245 → 275
Pause DL (1 x 4), 325 → 345
SDL (2 x 7), 265 → 285
Single Leg Press (3 x 8), 300 → 330
Calf Raises (3 x 15), 160 → 170

Day 5

Bench (1 x 4), 195 → 210
Bench (3 x 6), 185 → 200
Incline DB Press (3 x 10-12), 60 x 12 → 75 x 12
Tricep Pushdown (3 x 15), 47.5 → 57.5
DB Lateral Raises (3 x 15), 17.5 → 25
Closehand Push-ups (3 x AMRAP) → 16 → 19

Day 6

BB Row to Chest, BB row to Stomach Superset (4 x 7-12), 125 → 135
Lat Prayers (3 x 15), 47.5 → 55
Cable Rope Hammer Curls (3 x 12), 25 → 35
Incline DB Curls (2 x 12), 25 → 35
BB Upright Rows (3 x 12-15), 80 x 12 → 80 x 16

AF787V2 · May 8, 2023, 9:20pm

Deload / Active Rest Week Continued…

Normally, a deload week for me is around 90% of my peak week intensity, but with volume at only around 50-70% of my regular workload. Since I’m visiting family for the week, I’m taking an active rest week instead.
Daily activity = Getting in at least 15,000 steps
Daily mobility work along with some calisthenics. In particular, I’m focusing on areas that have been troublesome historically, so quite a few bird dogs, plank variations, and dead bugs.
Nutrition-wise, I’m indulging a bit more and enjoying home cooking, but also being mindful of portion sizes and protein intake.

AF787V2 · May 12, 2023, 8:35pm

Back to work! It feels great to be back in the gym, although I did have a bit of an abysmal day on DLs. More on this later, but anything over 345 was just not happening today, which is a disappointment considering I started the last block at 385.

Day 1

All RPE 6-7

DL (1 x 1), 345
DL (3 x 2), 345
Squat (1 x 7), 245
Squat (1 x 7), 265
Back Extensions (4 x 8-15), BW + 25 x 10
Leg Press (2 x 8), 425 x 8
DB Curls (3 x 12 - 15), 30 x 13
Seated Calf Raises (4 x 12 - 15), 165 x 15

I know off days are completely normal, but I’ve never had one like this where I was off the mark by a good 40-50 lbs. Perhaps it was as simple as being completely off for a full week, or sub-optimal sleep, but I just couldn’t seem to get the bar moving. In particular, as I got the bar off the floor by a few inches, it seemed like my strength just disappeared. While I try to focus more on pushing off the floor, rather than pulling, it seemed like my arms were just giving out. At this point, I was feeling extremely frustrated and ready to give up on the day. After taking some moments to recompose myself and send a frantic text to my coach (even though I knew I wouldn’t get a response considering the differences in my training/his sleep schedule), it made me start to settle down and have the knowledge that I would figure this out, even if not immediately.
With subpar DLs out of the way, I moved onto squats. To my surprise, these felt fairly smooth despite the break. While the first rep can still be a bit shaky, I was able to course correct as I noticed little things here and there (like making sure I was pushing forward with my knees, not shifting my weight over my feet, etc.). I was also very happy with the weights being used considering on the last block, I was only going for 245 x 4 on week 1.
All of my other exercises were in-line with expectations pre-deload week, so I’m feeling less stressed about what happened on DLs. I’m going to lower my expectations for bench tomorrow, being aware that things might be tougher than normal. However, I’m trying to do into the session with a positive mindset and focusing on fundamentals, instead of worrying about having a bad chest day.

mnben87 · May 12, 2023, 8:55pm

I feel weak AF if I take a whole week off.

AF787V2 · May 12, 2023, 9:28pm

It’s been at least 7 months since my last full week off, so I could very well have just forgotten what it feels like to return to training after time off.

AF787V2 · May 13, 2023, 3:59pm

Day 2

Bench (1 x 1), 215
Bench (4 x 2), 200, 195
Machine Bench (3 x 8 - 10), 185 x 10
Weighted Dips (1 x 3), BW + 45
Weighted Dips (3 x 6 - 10), BW + 25
Cable Upright Rows (3 x 12 - 15), 57.5

Wow! I was not expecting bench to go as well as it did given that it’s historically been the first lift to go with time off. I also had some lingering doubts after the DL issues yesterday, but warmup felt good so I started to trust myself. I think 215 is the highest starting weight on a block.
Couple of things to keep working on: 1) my wrists tend to fall back, which is making things suboptimal as I try to push off my chest and 2) bar path can still be a little wonky
Just so happy to be trusting myself mentally as I get higher into the 200s
Starting at 45 lbs for weighted dips is another PR

AF787V2 · May 14, 2023, 5:01pm

Day 3

Weighted Pull-ups (2 x 5 - 10), BW + 25 x 10
Weighted Pull-ups (3 x 10 - 15), BW + 12.5 x 10
Incline Bench DB Rows (3 x 12 - 15), 50 x 2 x 13
Machine Lateral Raises (3 x 12 - 15), 15 x 15
Face Pulls (3 x 12 - 15), 50 x 15
Cable Curls (3 x 12 - 15), 50 x 15

Pretty solid across the board on my back day. I debated on starting with higher weights, but lower reps for the weighted pull-ups. Ultimately, I decided to keep the rep scheme relatively the same as on my last block so I had a more apples to apples progression. Last block I opened with BW + 20.
Overall a good job of hitting my RPEs as well considering that most of the accessories are new compared to the last block.

AF787V2 · May 15, 2023, 2:53pm

Day 4

Squat (1 x 3), 295
Squat (1 x 1), 315
Squat (2 x 3), 255 (80% of set 2)
Pause DL (1 x 3), 345
SDL (2 x 6), 285
Single Leg Press (3 x 6), 315
Calf Raises (3 x 12 - 15), 165
Hammer Curls (2 x 12 - 15), 25 x 13

On squats I’m working on breaking at my knees first as opposed to pushing back with my hips and also driving my knees forward. The first rep can still be a little hit or miss, but overall squats felt much smoother and stable this way. I might also need to adjust my stance to make everything really click.
Getting back to my previous max of 355 and maybe even a little higher, is possible by the end of this block, but I’m not going to stress if it doesn’t happen because I am tinkering with technique.
DLs felt way more like they should compared to Friday, but still not completely normal. However, I’m still calling it a win. My lats are feeling a bit sore, while not really noticing any DOMs anywhere else, so this seems to support what I was experiencing in terms of my sticking point on Friday. Also, pull-ups seem to go pretty fast after time off, which makes sense as well.

AF787V2 · May 16, 2023, 2:19pm

Day 5

Bench (1 x 3), 200
Bench (4 x 4), 185 (92% of top set)
Incline DB Bench (3 x 8 - 10), 65 x 2 x 10
Tricep Pushdown (3 x 12 - 15), 50 x 15
Cable Upright Row (3 x 12 - 15), 57.5 x 15

Pumped to be opening the block at or above 200 on both bench days
Focusing on having more of a pause at the bottom and less touch and go, though I’m not doing anything horrible right now. The thought process here is to see if having more control at the bottom helps keep my wrists from rolling back on the push off my chest
Continuing to do well mentally here, the low 200s don’t phase me at all anymore!

AF787V2 · May 17, 2023, 2:51pm

Day 6

BB row to chest, super set BB row to stomach (4 x 5 - 10), 140 x 8
Lat Prayers (3 x 12 - 15), 50 x 15
Cable Lat Raises (3 x 12 - 15), 15 x 15
DB Spider Curls (3 x 12 - 15), 20 x 13
EZ bar Curls (2 x 12 - 15), 70 x 15

Everything felt easier than I expected, even for a week 1, especially the BB rows, which are always a bit of a struggle because of the supersetting
All in all, a really solid week to kick off the new training block. I know where I need to focus my attention on, but progress is definitely being made.
In my last week, my coach wants me to test one rep maxes, which will be fun. I will be happy with matching previous maxes, especially given the issues I mentioned earlier on squat and DL, but I think I can get my bench above 230 at the end of the block.

AF787V2 · May 18, 2023, 3:00pm

Week 2, Day 1

DL (1 x 1), 405
DL (3 x 2), 365
Squat (1 x 7), 255
Squat (1 x 7), 275
Back Extensions (4 x 8-15), BW + 35 x 10
Leg Press (2 x 8), 435 x 8
DB Curls (3 x 12 - 15), 30 x 14
Seated Calf Raises (4 x 12 - 15), 170 x 15

DL is back! Huge mental win for me here as well because I was a basket case as I got ready for my first working set. I was shaking a bit and just feeling nerves all around, so I had to reset and tell myself that it was both a weight I had done before, and also a lift I was going to make. A deep breath, brace, and boom the weight moved, and really solid lockout, holding it at the top for a couple of seconds.
Squats were all over the place, but I think these intial pains are going to pay off big time. My coach wants me to work on breaking slowly at the knees and hips and really accelerate into the hole. For someone that’s historically been slow into the hole, making the start slow didn’t seem to make any sense. However, after giving it a try, I can see how my squat will become so much better once I get the movement pattern down. The slow break gives me a much better body awareness and I’m starting to feel like I actually can bounce out of the hole.
I’m still pushing my butt back a little too much, but I think even just daily body weight squats will make things better.
No rest day since I’m traveling again and rearranged things to make sure that I don’t miss any sessions.

mnben87 · May 18, 2023, 3:17pm

Changing my grip fixed this issue for me. It did take some time to get used to though.

I think this explains it pretty well. I found I don’t really need wrist wraps anymore either.

AF787V2 · May 18, 2023, 3:49pm

Thanks- I will give this a shot!

AF787V2 · May 19, 2023, 2:33pm

Day 2

Bench (1 x 1), 220
Bench (4 x 2), 205
Machine Bench (3 x 8 - 10), 195 x 10
Weighted Dips (1 x 3), BW + 50
Weighted Dips (3 x 6 - 10), BW + 30
Cable Upright Rows (3 x 12 - 15), 60

Landed after a ten hour flight and headed straight to the gym. Feeling a little tight and sore from sitting so long, but was extra patient with my progressions in warm-up
220 felt surprisingly easy! Huge win hitting it especially being in an unfamiliar gym and with the travel as well
Pumped the session as a whole was a good one!
Somehow I’m 2 lbs heavier than when I left even though I hardly ate or drank on the plane (especially compared to normal food volume). Not stressed about it or anything, but my body is usually pretty predictable in how it responds to given circumstances since I’ve been tracking for so long.

AF787V2 · May 20, 2023, 2:56pm

Day 3

Weighted Pull-ups (2 x 5 - 10), BW + 30 x 10
Weighted Pull-ups (3 x 10 - 15), BW + 15 x 10
Incline Bench DB Rows (3 x 12 - 15), 52.5 x 2 x 13
Machine Lateral Raises (3 x 12 - 15), 17.5 x 15
Face Pulls (3 x 12 - 15), 52.5 x 15
Cable Curls (3 x 12 - 15), 52.5 x 15

I’m definitely starting to feel a little bit of the impact from travel and almost two full weeks without a rest day- just a little bit sore and tight, especially in my shoulders. However. I’m now off until Wednesday, so a good chance for me to recover.
Foodwise, I’m enjoying myself while keeping protein high and also activity high (hit almost 24K steps yesterday!)

AF787V2 · May 22, 2023, 9:45pm

Many pastries and calories later and the abs are still remaining fairly loyal. I’m shooting for a minimum of 20,000 steps a day, and have been averaging 25,000. Back into the gym on Wednesday where I’ll be picking up where I left off, so a leg day.

AF787V2 · May 24, 2023, 7:44am

Day 4

Squat (1 x 3), 305
Squat (1 x 1), 325
Squat (2 x 3), 260 (80% of set 2)
Pause DL (1 x 3), 355
SDL (2 x 6), 285
Single Leg Press (3 x 6), 325
Calf Raises (3 x 12 - 15), 170
Hammer Curls (2 x 12 - 15), 30 x 12

Training beltless(the Inzer is a little big to fit in my backpack), barefoot(flats normally, but I needed running shoes for all the walking I’m doing so barefoot was the only way to go), and on a platform for the key lifts (I prefer a plain floor for squats and DLs), today was more about just trusting myself mentally and getting through than trying to have a killer session.
Despite this, my lifts felt pretty good and I did manage to go heavier across the board.
Squat is still a work in progress, but understandable given timing and the unfamiliar gym setup.
Surprisingly, the scale has not really moved since my last weigh-in! I’m not worried if it does, but just with the super high carb intake, I figured I would see a bit of a pop this morning.

AF787V2 · May 25, 2023, 8:42am

Days 5 and 6, both done today

Bench (1 x 3), 210
Bench (4 x 4), 195 (92% of top set)
Incline DB Bench (3 x 8 - 10), 70 x 2 x 8
Tricep Pushdown (3 x 12 - 15), 52.5 x 15
Cable Upright Row (3 x 12 - 15), 60 x 15

BB row to chest, super set BB row to stomach (4 x 5 - 10), 145 x 8
Lat Prayers (3 x 12 - 15), 52.5 x 15
Cable Lat Raises (3 x 12 - 15), 17.5 x 15
DB Spider Curls (3 x 12 - 15), 25 x 13
EZ bar Curls (2 x 12 - 15), 70 x 15

For some reason I thought that I benched 205 last week, and not 200, but I’ll take the 10 lb bump! Even though it’s the same line of gyms I use at home, the equipment feels different enough that my technique was a little hit or miss. That said, I still need to be mindful of continuing to keep working on the little details.
I ended up taking less time than I expected to get through both workouts, but definitely found myself losing some mental focus by the end of what was 3.5-4 hours in the gym.
Vacation was brilliant but pumped to be going home and getting everything dialed in again!