Antho's Fresh Start

Same Antho, new log. I’ve grown as a lifter, and I don’t feel connected with the old one. Seeing it makes me feel stagnant, weak. So, in the spirit of growth and renewal, strength and wisdom, I’m starting a new log to chronicle my new exploits, such as they are.

Current stats (1/2/2019):

ht.: 5’ 8"
wt. 201 lbs.
age: 32

Press: 1 x 150, 3 x 135, 7 x 50 (kb, 1 hand)
Push Press: 1 x 180, 3 x 160
Clean: 1 x 170, 3 x 155
Chin up: 1 x 250 (bwt + 50), 3 x 225 (bwt. + 25), 8 x 200 (bwt.)
Bench: 1 x 205, 3 x 190
Squat: 1 x 325, 3 x 295
Front Squat: 1 x 235, 3 x 225
Deadlift: 1 x 405, 10 x 315
Sumo Deadlift: 1 x 365

In the long term, I want to keep improving my numbers on these lifts, and I want to improve my body composition. My circumstances are a bit restrictive (not an excuse, just a factor to be considered). I’m in the third year of a PhD program, and I have access to the campus gym, but it is prohibitively far away for me to make extensive use of it (1-1.5 hr. round trip). So, my plan for now is to use that gym once a week and to supplement that with 2-3 workouts at home. I have a pull up bar in the garage, as well as two kettle bells: one 80 lb. and one 50 lb. I’m trying to set realistic short term goals and optimistic long term goals.

short term goals (spring 2019)
Bench 1 x 215 or 3 x 195
Chin 1 x 275 or 3 x 250 or 10 x bwt.
Push Press the 80 lb. kb

long term goals (end of 2019)
Bench 1 x 225 or 3 x 205
Chin 1 x 300 or 20 x bwt.
Press the 80 lb. kb

Monday, 12/31/2018 (2 days ago)

Standard Warmup:
2 x (30 jumping jacks, 5 arm circles (front and back, each side), various stretches)
1, 2, 3, 4 x pull ups, 2, 4, 6, 8 x push ups and air squats

Chins
5 x 3 x bwt. (203)

Press (1h, kb)
5 x 3 x 50 (each side)

Goblet Squat (kb)
5 x 4 x 80

KB Swing
5 x 4 x 80

Push up
5 x 5

KB Row
5 x 5 x 80 (each side)

1 Hand Hold (pull up bar)
3 x 5 s. (each side)

Front Rack Holds (kb)
3 x 5 s. (each side)

Wednesday, 1/2/2019 (today)

Standard Warmup

Chins
3 x 5 x bwt (201)

Press (1h, kb)
3 x 5 x 50 (each side)

Hanging Leg Raise Hold [name?]
3 x 5 s.

Good Morning (kb)
3 x 5 x 50

Push up
3 x 10

Row (kb)
3 x 10 x 50 (each side)

Floor-to-Rack (kb) [2h clean/power curl from floor to one shoulder]
3 x 5 x 80 (each side)

Sumo DL (kb, glute emphasis)
3 x 10 x 80

Friday, 1/4/19

Standard Warmup

Chins
5 x 3 x bwt. (203)

Press (1h, kb)
5 x 3 x 50 (each side)

Goblet Squat (kb)
5 x 4 x 80

KB Swing
5 x 4 x 80

Push up
5 x 5

KB Row
5 x 5 x 80 (each side)

1 Hand Hold (pull up bar)
3 x 5 s. (each side)

Front Rack Holds (kb)
3 x 5 s. (each side)

Monday, 1/7/19

Bench
5 x 85
4 x 105
3 x 125
2 x 145
3 x 165, 170, 175, 180, 185
5 x 165

Chin
1, 2, 3, 4 x bwt.
3 x bwt., +5, +10, +15, +20
5 x bwt.

def. DL (1 plate)
4 x 6 x 225

Leg Press
3 x 10 x 318 (100/side + sled)

Wednesday, 1/9/2019

Standard Warmup

Chins
6, 5, 5 x bwt (203)

Press (1h, kb)
6, 5, 5 x 50 (each side)

Hanging Leg Raise Hold
6, 5, 5 s.

Good Morning (kb)
6, 5, 5 x 50

Push up
3 x 11

Row (kb)
3 x 11 x 50 (each side)

Floor-to-Rack (kb)
6, 5, 5 x 80 (each side)

Sumo DL (kb)
3 x 11 x 80

KB Clean and Press
3 x 3 x 50 (each side)

The last bit of work is part of a “do a lift (and add a rep) everyday” thing that I’m trying. I’ve done it before with pushups and lunges, but I don’t think I kept it up very long. We’ll see how it goes this time around. It isn’t meant to be part of my workout, and I haven’t been recording it, but it made sense to me to do it at the end today. So, I’ve done x reps for the xth day of the year every day so far, and that 3 x 3 is my 9 reps for today.

Friday, 1/11/19

Standard Warmup

Chins
6 x 3 x bwt. (204)

Press (1h, kb)
6 x 3 x 50 (each side)

Goblet Squat (kb)
6 x 4 x 80

KB Swing
6 x 4 x 80

Push up
6 x 5

KB Row
6 x 5 x 80 (each side)

1 Hand Hold (pull up bar)
3 x 6 s. (each side)

Front Rack Holds (kb)
3 x 6 s. (each side)

KB Clean and Press
5 x 1 x 50 (each side; finishing my daily work)

Monday, 1/14/19

Bench
5 x 90
4 x 110
3 x 130
2 x 150
3 x 170, 175, 180
2 x 3 x 185
5 x 165

Chin
1, 2, 3, 4 x bwt.
3 x +5, +10, +15
2 x 3 x +20
5 x bwt.

def. DL (1 plate)
4 x 6 x 235

Leg Press
3 x 11 x 318 (100/side + sled)

Wednesday, 1/16/2019

Standard Warmup

Chins
6, 6, 5 x bwt (201)

Press (1h, kb)
6, 6, 5 x 50 (each side)

Hanging Leg Raise Hold
6, 6, 5 s.

Good Morning (kb)
6, 6, 5 x 50

Push up
3 x 12

Row (kb)
3 x 12 x 50 (each side)

Floor-to-Rack (kb)
6, 6, 5 x 80 (each side)

Sumo DL (kb)
3 x 12 x 80

KB Clean and Press
1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1 x 50 (each side) (finishing everyday work)

This workout kicked my ass today. I think I was a little dehydrated and maybe not as carbed up as usual. (I had brie and red wine instead of a carby snack last night and 3 eggs and 1 piece of toast instead of oatmeal this morning.) I really like how this workout starts as strength-hypertrophy work and progresses into conditioning as the systemic (but not so much local) fatigue builds. But I was really beat today, and the last pairing and the clean and presses at the end were rough. (Now, after 1 1/2 hours of rest and a carby lunch, I feel fine.)

Friday, 1/18/19

Standard Warmup

Chins
7 x 3 x bwt. (201.5)

Press (1h, kb)
7 x 3 x 50 (each side)

Goblet Squat (kb)
7 x 4 x 80

KB Swing
7 x 4 x 80

Push up
7 x 5

KB Row
7 x 5 x 80 (each side)

1 Hand Hold (pull up bar)
2 x 3 s. (each side) (essentially failed)

Front Rack Holds (kb)
3 x 7 s. (each side)

KB Clean and Press
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 x 50 (each side; finishing my daily work)

total time: 1 hour

Last night inverted my usual sleep issues: I fell asleep ok, but I woke up around 3:00 and couldn’t get back to sleep (not well, anyway). Short sleep always affects my grip, and you can see that in the holds near the end here. Otherwise, today wasn’t bad. The chins, presses, and push-ups were all fairly easy; everything with the 80 lb kb was work, but that’s fine.

Sunday, 1/20/19

Standard Warmup

Chins
9 x bwt. (201.5) new PR

1H KB Press
10 x 50 (each side) new PR

Goblet Squat
10 x 80 (mental fail)

Push up
20

KB Clean and Press
8 x 1 x 50 (each side) (finishing daily work)

total time: 35 min.

Because of MLK Day tomorrow, my M/W/F schedule will be thrown off next week. This gave me the opportunity to do a free day today, so I decided to test some of the movements I’ve been working on. Chins and presses were good, but I fell into a mental funk after that. I quit early on the goblet squats, and I continue to be bad at push ups. I also wanted to test rows and swings, but I tweaked something in my low back earlier in the morning, and I didn’t want an annoyance to become an injury.

Wednesday, 1/23/2019

Standard Warmup

Chins
6, 6, 6 x bwt (201.5)

Press (1h, kb)
6, 6, 6 x 50 (each side)

Hanging Leg Raise Hold
6, 6, 6 s.

Good Morning (kb)
6, 6, 6 x 50

Push up
3 x 13

Row (kb)
3 x 13 x 50 (each side)

Front Rack Holds (kb)
3 x 6 sec. x 80 (each side)

Sumo DL (kb)
3 x 13 x 80

KB Clean and Press
1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2 (each side) (daily work)

total time: 50 min.

Yesterday turned out to be busier than I expected, and I ended up taking the day off (aside from the daily work). So, today I resumed with my Wednesday workout. My back feels better, but I changed the racks (floor to shoulder, semi-ballistic) to rack holds (stability) just to be safe.

Friday, 1/25/19

Standard Warmup

Chins
8 x 3 x bwt. (202)

Press (1h, kb)
8 x 3 x 50 (each side)

Goblet Squat (kb)
8 x 4 x 80

KB Swing
8 x 4 x 80

Push up
8 x 5

KB Row
8 x 5 x 80 (each side)

1 Hand Hold (pull up bar)
3 x 8 (right) / 8, 8, 4+1+1 (left) sec.

Front Rack Holds (kb)
3 x 8 s. (each side)

KB Clean and Press
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1 x 50 (each side; finishing my daily work)

total time: 1 hour, 7 min.

Monday, 1/28/19

Bench
5 x 105
4 x 125
3 x 145
2 x 165
3, 3, 2, 2 x 185

Chin
1, 2, 3, 4 x bwt. (204)
3, 3, 2, 2 x bwt. + 25

Zercher Squat (w/ fat grips)
3 x 135
2 x 165
3, 3, 2, 2 x 185

Leg Press
3 x 12 x 318 (100/side)

Thursday, 1/31/2019

Standard Warmup

Chins
7, 6, 5+1 x bwt (202)

Press (1h, kb)
7, 6, 6 x 50 (each side)

Hanging Leg Raise Hold
7, 6, 6 s.

Good Morning (kb)
7, 6, 6 x 50

Push up
3 x 14

Row (kb)
3 x 14 x 50 (each side)

Front Rack Holds (kb)
7, 6, 6 sec. x 80 (each side)

Sumo DL (kb)
3 x 14 x 80

KB Clean and Press (super-set with holds and DLs)
1, 2, 3, 1; 1, 2, 3, 1; 1, 2, 3, 1 x 50 (daily work)

total time: 53 min.

I slept poorly again Tuesday night, and my right trap was hurting Tuesday and Wednesday, so I pushed the Wednesday workout back to today. (I kept up my daily work every day.) I like to keep the tempo for this workout high, but it is more important to me not to miss reps, especially in that first pull/push pairing. In the future, I’ll need to keep a slightly slower pace at the beginning and allow for a little more recovery between sets.

Hey Antho! I’m in the 2nd year of PhD. That, along with my 2 little daughters and work, make for a lot of stress. I have to keep reminding myself about my priorities and that I might not actually be able to do everything. Good luck, I’ll be following you.

Thanks, mica5h! It looks like we’re similar in a lot of ways: size, strength levels, and stressors. You’re definitely right about priorities. Following you back.

Thursday, 2/7/19

Standard Warmup

Chins
4 x 5 x bwt.

KB Press
4 x 5 x 50 (each side)

KB C+P
1, 2, 3, 4 x 50 (each side)

KB Squat
4 x 5 x 50 (1h, front rack, alternating sides each set)

KB Swing
4 x 5 x 50 (too easy)

KB C+P
1, 2, 3, 4 x 50 (each side)

Hanging Leg Raise Hold
4 x 5 sec.

KB C+P
3 x 1, 2, 3 x 50 (each side)

No measurements for bwt. or workout length today.

Between a brief illness and other demands on my time/energy, I took an unplanned deload this last week. I kept up the daily work but did nothing else. Speaking of, my original intention was to do that daily work alongside anything I programmed for workouts, but I have been doing much–or, as today, all–of it within my at-home workouts, anyway. Today, that meant so much vertical pressing that I opted not to do any horizontal pressing (i.e., pushups) so as not to crush myself on my first day back. So, I think I will plan on including each day’s daily work within my workouts, at least the ones I do here at home. As I will continue to progress that work and to do it on my off days as I have been, I don’t think fitting it in with planned workouts (rather than doing it in addition) will negatively impact my goals.

Saturday, 2/9/19 (yesterday)

Standard Warmup

Hollow Body Chins
5 x 3 x bwt.

KB C+P
5 x 3 x 50 (each side)

KB C+Front Squat
5 x 1 x 80 (each side)

Banded Pushups
5 x 5

KB Rows
5 x 5 x 80 (each side)

KB Swings
5 x 6 x 80

KB C+P
5 x 3 x 50 (each side)

No bwt. or workout length.

This was my first time even attempting a one-handed clean with the 80 lb. kb. I was happy to do five clean singles with each hand. (And all it took to get here was hundreds of reps with the 50, plus the two-handed cleans and holds to acclimate to the 80!)

The only movement that hasn’t been modified since last cycle (month) was the row; that was hard enough at 80 lbs. Otherwise, while I’ve regressed the sets/reps to what I did in January, I’ve progressed each movement to a harder variation. (Exceptions include the squats–which are drastically reduced in reps to focus on the clean–and swings, which I’ve increased reps on slightly.)

Tuesday, 2/12/19

Standard Warmup

Offset Chin up
4 x 3 x bwt. (204) (alternating sides each set)

KB C+P
4 x 1, 2, 3, 4 x 50 (each side)
3 x 1 (each side; rounding out the daily total)

KB Front Squat
4 x 3 x 80 (alternating sides each set)

Toes-on-'Bell Pushup
3 x 10

KB Row
3 x 10 x 50

Hollow Body Hang
2 x 20 sec.

total time: 50 min.

With the chins, I wanted a way to make them harder without adding weight. (I’m not sure my at-home set up can hold much more than me!) I tried using one hand on the bar and one gripping a band looped around the bar, but that was a bit too advanced. So, I placed one hand near the body and supinated, with the other far out and pronated, then I focused on pulling more with the former and less with the latter.

Friday, 2/15/19

Standard Warmup

Hollow Body Chins
6 x 3 x bwt. (205)

KB C+P
6 x 3 x 50 (each side)

KB C+Front Squat
6 x 1 x 80 (each side)

KB C+P
6 x 3 x 50 (each side)

Chins
1, 2, 3, 4 x bwt.

KB C+P
1, 2, 3, 4 x 50 (each side)

total time: 50 min.

No horizontal pushing/pulling today. I felt sluggish the whole workout, and I didn’t want to do too much and be dead tomorrow. Next week, I’m going to try to get back to the M/W/F plan with Mondays in the campus gym. We’ll see.