1 hour of jumping on trampolines at Jumping World for my friends birthday. It was a blast.
Monday, April 25th, 2016
Max Effort Lower Body
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Dynamic warm up including backwards running, lunging, abs, etc.
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Box Jump
28 inch box - 2x4
36 inch box - 2x5 (New height record!) -
Concentric Good Morning (from pins)
95lbs - 1x3
115lbs - 1x3
135lbs - 1x3
155lbs
170lbs
185lbs
195lbs
205lbs - 1x3
215lbs - 1x3 no belt
The last set was okay. I felt a bit of weakness from my lower abs (old hernia spot). My low back, of course, also was taking most of the beating, but I know today that it was all good because I have no disc pain. Just erector soreness. -
Tire Sleds: attached to the dip belt
45lbs in tire - 12 houses worth (6x2)
HIPS -
Meadows Row
75lbs + barbell - 3x8 per side
These felt great! -
Good Morning/Knees to chest with Stability ball
45lbs + doubled monster minis - 2x20/BW - 2x10
This honestly wasn’t great, but I wanted some extra core work.
I REALLY need to figure out a way to do reverse hypers and/or a better way to do back raises.
Wednesday, April 27th, 2016
Max Effort Upper Body
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Speed Bench
95lbs - 3x3 as fast as humanly possible -
Floor Press, knees bent like feel up on bench
95lbs - 1x3
115lbs - 1x3
135lbs - 1x3
155lbs - 1x3
175lbs - 1x3
185lbs - 1x1
190lbs - 1x1
195lbs - 1x1
200lbs - 1x1
205lbs - 1x1
RECORDS UPON RECORDS! My best 4RM was 175lbs and my best 3 rep max was 185lbs. I’d say 20lbs up even for only 1 rep is a great improvement. And no belt! -
Overhead Triceps Extension w/ Econo Lat & Triceps Pulley
25lbs - 3x12 -
Triceps Pushdown w/ Econo Lat Pulley
25lbs - 3x12
EXCEPT THIS TIME, I had a brilliant idea! Instead of using the normal straps for handles, why not make a typical bar of sorts? So I put an empty one of these (Access to this page has been denied.) through the straps and pushed down on that. It felt great! The handle rotated well and I could feel a much better contraction in my triceps. -
One Arm Lat Pulldown w/ Econo Lat Pulley
45lbs - 3x12 per arm
70lbs - 2x8 per arm -
Low Incline DB Flies
20lbs each - 1x12
30lbs each - 3x10 -
Barbell Reverse Curl
55lbs - 3x10
Thursday, April 28th, 2016
Bonus Work: Upper Body
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Push-Ups
Bodyweight - 2 sets of 50
On the 2nd set, I had to rest around 35 but kept going after. -
Bodyweight Triceps Extensions (Standing Skullcrushers)
BW - 5 sets of 8
Another Snocone Factory on the job workout. If only I could setup a reverse hyper in there… 
Friday, April 29th, 2016
Dynamic Effort Lower Body:
Week 1 of the 3-Week Pendulum Wave
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Depth Jumps for Height from 36 Inch Box
BW - 4 sets of 3
WOW! I was impressed by these. I’ve never actually done depth jumps from a really high box before. I like the idea that gravity does the work on the eccentric while I focus on absorbing the force and propelling upward upon landing. -
Wide Stance Box Squat to 14 inch box
185lbs + light band on each side: 12 sets of 2
The bar weight or the band weight might’ve been a little too heavy. The ELITEFTS Orange Light Bands that I used produce 100lbs of band tension at the top. -
Sumo Deadlifts
310lbs - 10 singles
. -
Reverse Flat Bench Hyperextensions (kinda like these)
BW - 4x20 -
Standing Abs with [Econo Lat Pulley] (http://www.roguefitness.com/spud-inc-econo-tricep-and-lat-pulley)
45lbs - 4x15
Dynamic Effort Upper Body:
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Jump Rope
250 total jumps in 5 minutes -
Speed Bench: 3 sets close grip, 3 sets normal grip, 3 sets illegally wide grip (technique Louie uses)
85lbs + “doubled” monster mini band - 3x3: 30 seconds rest between sets
95lbs + “doubled” mini band - 7x3: 30 seconds rest between sets
So I was trying to find the right variation for this 3 week waves, but my first go round here was too much band tension for sure. -
Dumbbell Bench on Stability Ball
50lbs each - 2 sets of 15 -
High Incline DB Tricep Rollbacks/Reverse Grip Push-Up
30lbs each - 3x6/BW - 3x10 -
Wide Neutral Grip Pull-Ups
BW - 3x10 -
Lateral Raises
30lbs each - 3x6
50lbs each - 1x20 BOTTOM HALF of the range of motion like John Meadows does here -
Seated Dumbbell Incline Curls
20lbs each - 3x10
HUGE stretch -
Tricep Dips
BW - 1 all out set for 1 minute
This was an awesome workout. I’m still trying to optimize the 3 week wave, though.
Monday, May 2nd, 2016
Max Effort Lower Body
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Some good mornings and abs to warm-up
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Single Leg Jump from 14 inch box to around a 22 inch box
BW - 3x2 per leg
I used the same technique that Westside uses as far as sitting back on a box and then slamming the feet (or foot in this case) down into the ground. -
Full Zercher Cycle
135lbs - 1x1
185lbs - 1x1
215lbs - 1x1
245lbs - 1x1
275lbs - 1 failed attempt, 1 belted success: On the first attempt of this one, I simply couldn’t stand up. I didn’t honestly believe I could do it. But I didn’t put the bar down totally. I just rested it on my thighs. Because it was already there, I went for it. And although it was ugly (I began to turn), I got it. This was my old 1RM.
280lbs - 2 failed attempts, 1 belted success: So the first failure was because I put the bar too far back on my thighs and I fell over! The second failure was because I again didn’t commit to it as much as I should’ve. But the 3rd attempt, “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane came on my playlist. I love this song. It’s very exciting and fueled the success. I felt great after despite 3 total fails
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Poor Man’s Glute Ham Raise
BW - 3x8: Again, just like a few weeks ago, I could not even fully lower myself on the eccentric. But I tried my best to get the biggest range of motion with the hamstrings.
BW - 2x10, less range of motion to really hit the hamstrings. -
Belt Squats (not walks but actually squats)
90lbs - 1 set of 3 minutes (preceded by a minute of walking trying to set things up with the weight attached) -
Ab Wheel - standing
BW - 3x10
Although I wanted to do more belt squats (time crunch), and I failed some of those zerchers, I thought this was a great workout!
Wednesday, May 4th, 2016
Max Effort Upper Body
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Various warm-ups including dumbbell overhead press, band pull-aparts, etc.
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1-Arm Med Ball Slam
20lbs - 3x3 per side -
Close-Grip Low Incline Press (Strict, no butt lifting)
95lbs - 1x3
115lbs - 1x3
135lbs - 1x3
155lbs - 1x2
165lbs - 1 single
175lbs - 1 single
185lbs - 1 single
190lbs - 1 single
195lbs - 1 single
135lbs - 1x12, 1x10 -
Straight Bar Econo Lat Pulldowns
90lbs - 1x20
135lbs - 3x8 (had a partner push down my shoulders to keep me from coming up) -
Overhead Triceps Extension w/ Econo Pulley
45lbs - 3x8 -
Leaning Back Econo Biceps Curl
45lbs - 5x10
Awesome workout!
Thursday, May 5th, 2016
Bonus Work: Upper Body
John Meadows Shoulders
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Reverse Incline Rear Delt Raises
10lbs each - 3x35 -
Heavy Lateral Swings
50lbs - 3x30 -
Wide Overhead Presses
60lbs - 3x10
This pumped up my shoulders so much. They burn an hour after as I write this!
Friday, May 6th, 2016
Dynamic Effort Lower Body:
Week 2 of the 3-Week Pendulum Wave
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Normal Stance Box Squat to 14 inch box
175lbs + monster mini band on each side: 11 sets of 2 with 40 seconds rest in between
This was probably a better bar and band weight for my strength level. This produces 60lbs of tension at the top. -
Sumo Deadlifts
335lbs - 8 singles with 30 seconds rest in between -
Vertical Jump Reset
BW - 5x5 -
Low Incline Bench Back Extensions
BW + 50lbs dumbbell - 3x12 -
Tire Sled: Pushing through the heels
70lbs in tire - 2 sets of 4 houses worth -
Abs Straps Leg Raises
BW - 5x10
Awesome session. #3 thru #7 were done with 2 newbies here at The Coop, so I decided not to put them under the barbell just yet and put them through some safer assistance so they can build a little body awareness first.
Saturday, May 7th, 2016
Bonus Work: Lower Body
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36 inch box jump from 14 inch box
10lbs of ankle weights - 3 sets of 3 successes
This was very difficult for me to complete. It was a generally difficult jump for me especially with the weights, but for about 12 jumps I totally couldn’t get myself to throw both feet up to stick the landing. -
Lying Band Leg Curl
Monster Mini each leg - 100 total reps
Dynamic Effort Upper Body
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Pull-Ups/Med Ball Throw from Chest (warm up)
BW - 3x8/20lbs ball - 3x2 -
Close-Grip Speed Bench: Ballistic Method (found in the “Book of Methods”)
105lbs @ ~ 50% - 9x3 w/ 30 seconds rest
For those unfamiliar, the Ballistic Method is another method to be used to develop explosive and speed-strength. From the book:
“Use… 45-50% load of a shirtless max. Drop the bar quickly but control it in the descent with the lats, not the triceps. Catch the bar 1-3 inches off the chest and reverse it concentrically as fast as possible.” -
Dumbbell Bench
50lbs each - 1x8
75lbs each - 1x12 (I think this is a new rep record for me) -
Various Dumbbell Triceps Extensions: Flat Bench
20lbs each - 1x8
30lbs each - 4x8 -
Dumbbell Row: One arm at a time
120lbs - 3x8 per arm -
Econo Lat Pulldown: One arm at a time
90lbs - 3x8 per arm -
Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise
20lbs each - 2x12
I tried some upright rows and I just wasn’t feeling it.
Overall awesome workout. I liked the change to ballistic benching.
Monday, May 9th, 2016
Max Effort Lower Body
To preface, my dad and I built these handles for me to squat like we have a safety squat bar! I’ve been wanting something like this for a while to provide variation.
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Safety Bar Squat - to parallel box, wide stance
45lbs - 10 reps SUPERSET with 3 reps of Kneeling Jumps (w/ 45lbs barbell)
135lbs - 5 reps SUPERSET with 3 reps of Kneeling Jumps (w/ 45lbs barbell)
185lbs - 3 reps SUPERSET with 3 reps of Kneeling Jumps (w/ 45lbs barbell)
225lbs - 3 reps SUPERSET with 3 reps of Kneeling Jumps (w/ 45lbs barbell)
245lbs - 1 single, belted
265lbs - 1 single, belted
285lbs - 1 single, belted
305lbs - 1 single, belted
325lbs - 1 single, belted
This came up pretty quick! I’m feeling good about these. I had my sister film it. My shins were vertical if not a little farther back than my ankle, and I released the hip flexors at the bottom. -
Glute Ham Raise - semi flexed hip
Okay this setup is a little different than last time. I got [this] (Access to this page has been denied.) at Academy over the weekend. I hooked it underneath my patio (basically a door like suggested), put a bosu ball underneath my knees for cushion, and leg curled that way.
BW - 4x8, trying my best to lower the eccentric under control -
High Incline Chest Supported DB Row
80lbs each - 3x8
These felt great despite really hitting my back hard yesterday. -
Deadlifts
135lbs - 2 sets of 1 minute of work without putting down the bar
On the second set, my grip failed at just about a minute. -
Weighted Bosu Ball Crunches
45lbs + BW - 2x12
This workout in its entirety took exactly 1 hour. I timed it from start to finish. Very proud of this session.
Tuesday, May 10th, 2016
Bonus Work: Lower Body
I was able to go to my high school weight room and use their equipment. I went ahead and took advantage of the things I can’t really replicate back at The Coop (my house).
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Lying Leg Curl
40lbs - 10 reps
50lbs - 10 reps
60lbs - 8 reps
70lbs - 8 reps
40lbs - 10 reps -
Lat Pulldown
100lbs - 12 reps
120lbs - 12 reps
140lbs - 10 reps
160lbs - 10 reps
100lbs - 12 reps -
Back Extension (on GHR)
BW - 20 reps
BW + 45lbs
BW + 70lbs
BW + 90lbs
BW - 20 reps
This was incredibly satisfying. I’ve been trying to optimize my setup for hamstring, lower back, and lat work for so long that just coming in and putting in the work on some good machines felt amazing mentally. Like a cheat meal.
Thursday, May 12th, 2016
Max Effort Upper Body
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Push Press
45lbs - lots
55lbs - 5 reps
65lbs - 5 reps
75lbs - 5 reps
95lbs - 3 reps
115lbs - 3 reps
135lbs - 1 rep
155lbs - 1 rep, belted
165lbs - 1 failure
160lbs - 1 rep, belted
170lbs - 1 rep, belted
I don’t really feel like this was the best choice for a 1RM strength lift to max on because it inevitably becomes a push jerk when the weight gets heavy. Whereas with a lighter weight, you can focus on using less momentum. So take that into consideration. Regardless, this was a 5lbs PR for me. -
Dips
BW - 2x20 -
Econo Pulley Triceps Pushdowns - straight bar
45lbs - 4x8
These felt great! Pulley triceps work always feels the best for me. -
Econo Pulley Face Pulls
45lbs - 3x12 -
Barbell Curl w/ FatGripz
65lbs - 3x8
45lbs - 1x12
This led to an awesome pump. I used a slight cheat but a slow eccentric only when necessary.
Friday, May 13th, 2016
Dynamic Effort Lower Body:
Week 3 of the 3-Week Pendulum Wave
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Box Squat to 14 inch box
185lbs + monster mini band on each side: 10 sets of 2 with 30 seconds rest in between -
Sumo Deadlifts
355lbs @ 80% of 1RM (445lbs during my last test) - 8 singles with 30 seconds rest in between -
Tire Sled: hooked on hip belt from behind
45lbs in tire - 5 sets of 2 houses -
Reverse Hyper - sorta
My current setup is FAR from ideal, but I’m experimenting for sure. Here I laid down on a bar sized pole with a cushion on it. I has the hip belt hooked with a plate. I turned around the hip belt and plate, laid forward onto the bar, held onto something for support, and swung the plate up with my low back, glutes, and hams.
45lbs - 2x12
This was done at 6:00am with little warmup.
Saturday, May 14th, 2016
Bonus Work: Lower Body
Due to some weird scenario things, this workout was split up into basically 3 different 5-10 minute phases. It was only abs using a variety of movements like:
Hanging Leg Raise
Lying Leg Raise
Towel Ab Rollout
Reverse Crunches
Crunches
Good workout for sure. I missed abs yesterday so I was glad I could get this in.
Dynamic Effort Upper Body
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Warm-Up including bear crawls and underhand 20lbs med ball throw for height
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Close-Grip Speed Bench: Dynamic Method (found in the “Book of Methods”)
115lbs @ ~ 55% - 10x3 w/ 35-40 seconds rest
No bands. I kept with the close grip for all sets, and unlike the ballistic method which uses lighter weight and touching the chest is not advised (because the focus is on reversing the barbell before the chest is touched), the dynamic method according to the Book of Methods does not necessarily entail bands especially if a heavier bar weight is used. I also touched my chest on every rep. -
Dumbbell Bench
80lbs each - 1x8
50lbs each - 1x20 -
Dips/Decline Push-Ups Superset
45lbs + BW - 3x6/BW - 3x12 -
Tricep Dips (Feet up on bench)
BW - 3x12 -
Dumbbell Shrugs w/ pause at bottom and top
80lbs - 3x12 -
John Meadows 6-Ways for shoulders
10lbs each - 3x8 -
Dumbbell Hammer Curls w/ pause at top
30lbs each - 3x10
This was an awesome workout despite not sleeping too great the past few days. I’ll make sure to take care of myself tonight though. I also took some progress pics I’ll post soon.
Monday, May 16th, 2016
Max Effort Lower Body
Some light barbell squats and lunges were done before as well
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Hanging Leg Raises/Broad Jump from Box
BW - 3x10/BW - 3x3
I first tried to use 36 inch box jumps holding a 20lbs dumbbell. I wasn’t mentally prepared to -
Deficit Deadlift - conventional, 2 inch deficit
135lbs - 3 reps
185lbs - 1 rep
225lbs - 1 rep
275lbs - 1 rep
315lbs - 1 rep: left under over
365lbs - 1 rep: belted, left under over
405lbs - 1 rep: belted, right under over
425lbs - 1 rep: belted, right under over
445lbs - 1 rep: belted, right under over
This was absolutely a deficit record. I’ve never gone super heavy with these, and I hit 20lbs below my all time best deadlift! -
Back Raises… sorta
Using the sit-up bar attachment for my feet, I laid my torso down on a bosu ball (that was on a box). I then put a barbell on my back and proceeded to do the raises with straight legs. I felt these mostly in my hamstrings near the knee.
BW - 1x10
75lbs + BW - 3x5
BW - 1x10 -
Hip Belt Walks
4 plates (180lbs) - 3 sets of 90 seconds of walking -
Standing Ab Pulldown w/ Econo Pulley
45lbs - 5x12
Simple, but effective. I was actually a little scared at the thought of maxing on deadlifts. I always try and remember that there are 2 types of fear regarding achievement:
Fear of Failure
Fear of Success
It’s definitely fear of failure that gets me. Failure is absolutely brutal. But that’s why lifting weights is such a good life tool.
Tuesday, May 17th, 2016
Bonus Work: Lower Body
Sled Pulling - Metal sled like [this] (http://www.elitefts.com/shop/cardio/prowler-sleds/eliteftstm-compact-dragging-sled.html)
90lbs - 1x8 houses
135lbs - 2x8 houses
I was toast after this. This took about 20 minutes and was all I could do before our PN-G HS award ceremony where I was awarded scholarships. GLUTES!