Despade: Journey to Strong(ish?)

Training Logs
122

5/12/17

Weight: 213.6 (weighed 4 times, 213.6, 211.6, 211.6, 211.6, in that order, uh…)

Bench

65% 165 x 5
75% 190 x 5
85% 215 x 5+ (12 Total, 1 grinder left in the tank)
70ish% 185 x 7 (paused)

Assistance:
Dips
-5 x 5 @ +75

Dips
-5 x 10 @ BW

Swiss Bar Bench (Middle Grip)
-5 x 170
-5 x 180
-5 x 190 (Stay here for now, got 5, slow reps)

Seated OH Tri Extension (Rope)
-4 x 25 @ 30lbs

Low Point Cable Fly
-3 x 15 @ 30lbs

Tricep Extension (Rope)
-25, 50, 25 @ 30lbs

Decent day of pressing, lack of sleep, end of the week, all that jazz caught up with me and can definitely feel it. Not sure what’s going on with the weight at all. I’ve been so steadily 215-217 that a drop to 211-212 seems odd, not overly dehydrated, ate breakfast and drank water prior to weighing.

Edit: Weighed approximately 2 hours later 213.0 (after shake and a can of tuna)

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123

The longer you track your weight the more you’ll see patterns. Right now it’s a bit of a mystery, in some months you’ll generally be able to even predict if you’ll be up or down the next day and know exactly what causes the change.

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124

5/15/17

Weight: 4:45am 210.6, 6:30am 211.4, 213.2, 213 (Pre food/water, post food/water)

Deadlifts

65% 285 x 5
75% 330 x 5
85% 375 x 5+ (13 Total)
70% 315 x 5 (w/ straps, pause below knee)

Assistance:
WG Pullups
-3 x 5 @ +25lbs

Chin-Ups
-3 x 5 @ +25lbs

DB Row (Strict)
-4 x 8 @ 100lbs

Lat Pulldown w/ Rope
-5 x 15 @ 150lbs

Low Cable Row (D-Handles)
-3 x 20 @ 150lbs

Superset:
Upright Row (w/ Rope)
-5 x 15 @ 100lbs
Straight Arm Pushdown (w/ V-Bar)
-5 x 10 @ 90lbs

So I tried throughout my pulls to really emphasize sitting back, felt real unnatural, gonna take some getting used to for sure. This is my top set, I did it well (I think?) on my first one, tried to reset on my third, but really got out of groove so went back to my more back dominant pull. Tried to really sink my hips, seemed to feel more quad involvement when I dropped the hips and kinda wedged myself down… is that the idea? Thanks for the input all! Sure tryin’ to get better haha all the advice is not for nought!

125

Take this from an old track guy - best way to protect against injury on sprints is to slowly progress the distance. In my plans to get back to track workouts (with goal of 2x per week - have only done 1 session so far!) I will do short runs at 100% effort - but these start at 10m runs - and will gradually extend the distance until they are 40m plus. On longer sprints (Say 100m+) - I will be much closer to 60% of all out speed. And then gradually increase the pace over workouts. You want to have some of your sprints all out, or you won’t get faster.

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126

Will definitely be easing into it one way or another, ha. Because I’m gonna be real upset if I act the idiot and pop a hammie and put myself out of training for months. Appreciate the input! I will be incorporating sprints in this manner moving forward once I get my schedule sorted out a bit better.

127

This is like 3 steps for me… I ran some 40 m sprints at about 95% effort today. Felt good, a little less stable in terms of leg and arm action but I needed it.

128

There’s definitely improvement. Keep focusing on sitting back and it’ll get and feel better. Feeling more quads is what happened when I started too.

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129

10m is 6 steps even for Usain Bolt!

130

5/16/17

Weight: 5:00am 211.0 (Post Breakfast) 11:45am 210.6 (Post workout/meal)

Shoulders

65% 105 x 5
75% 120 x 5
85% 135 x 5+ (11 Total)

Assistance:
SNG High Pull
-95 x 5
-135 x 5
-135 x 5
-5 x 5 @ 225 (straps)

Seated DB Press
-5 x 5 @ 75 (3.5 reps on 6th set)
-4 x 5 @ 65

Superset:
Rear Delts
-3 x 15 @ 20lbs
Lateral Raises
-3 x 12 @ 20lbs

Superset
Plate Raise
-3 x 15 @ 35lbs
Tricep Extension (Rope)
-2 x 50 @ 30lbs

Good press day. Nothing too exotic. Felt good with all my presses, 11 was a grind, but got it locked out, pretty happy with that. Feeling some different muscles after attempting to modify the deadlift yesterday, quads mostly, a little different in my lower back. Good day. Weight holding steady 210-212, cautiously optimistic.

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131

5/17/17

Weight: 5am 208.2, 208.8, 208.8

Anger Level: 8/10

Played two innings of softball last night, managed to make myself bleed and strain a hamstring, went to plant and my foot slipped, hamstring tried to ball up immediately. Real unhappy with this event. Will be taking some rest apparently, per the universe (Edit: Literally 3 minutes later, decided I will take a rest day or two, and if necessary will be training single leg stuff, read in sleeper’s, as well as jmaier’s log about some good carryover with heavy single leg. Was pretty down about missing legs and such, so this decision improves my mood immensely.) On a positive note, woke up as light as I’ve been in…well a long time…easily since we moved and bought our house 6-8 months ago, so there’s that.

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132

5/18/17

Weight: 5am (209, 208.2, 208.2)

Notes: Swapped Squats for Bench due to hamstring issues.

Bench

70% 175 x 5
80% 200 x 3
90% 225 x 3+ (10 total, missed 11 by maybe 3 inches, racked on lower hooks)
75ish% 185 x 10 (w/ pause, up from 7)

Assistance:
Swiss Bar (Middle Grip)
-170 x 5
-180 x 5
-190 x 5+ (6 total, stay here til easy 8)

Low Point Cable Fly
-20 @ 30lbs
-15 @ 40lbs
-2 x 12 @ 50lbs
-15 @ 40lbs
-20 @ 30lbs

Dips (BW)
-20, 15, 15

Seated OH Triceps (w/ Rope)
-5 x 20 @ 40lbs

Tricep Extensions (w/ Rope)
-5 x 20 @ 40lbs

Pretty good press day, missed the 11th rep at 225 by just a hair, surprised by that as my triceps tend to be strong and I usually miss it off my chest as opposed to near lock out, ah well, happy with 10. Hamstring is coming out of it, walking normally, did a bunch of body weight squats to different depths to see if anything would bug me, nothing did, seems to be low enough on my hamstring (really almost at the back of my knee) that it doesn’t seem to have much effect on my squats, no twinge, tentatively planning on squatting tomorrow (at least hit the minimums depending on how it feels under weight, otherwise I will go heavy with accessory style stimulation of the quad on that side and whole leg on the right) it really only hurts when I pull “through” my heel as in a hamstring curl motion. Such is life.

Got my order of Plazma, Mag 10, and Brain Candy yesterday, that was the only thing that really changed with my diet (taking Plazma out) with this weight drop, so we will see how this goes, but had a great pump today with reintroducing it, looking forward to seeing how Mag-10 works because I really throttled my chest and triceps today.

Critiques of anything and everything are always welcome,

Cheers

2 Likes
133

5/19/17

Weight 209.2, 209.4

Skwaats

70% 215 x 3
80% 250 x 3
90% 280 x 3+ (10 Total)
75ish% 225 x 6 (paused, up 1 from last week)

Assistance:
RDL
-3 x 6 @ 135
Felt these in my hamstring, but not bad as long as I was slow and kept from reflexively bouncing at the bottom of the movement.

Standing Calves
-4 x 12 @ 90lbs (1-0-1 Tempo, deliberate at top and bottom)

Lily Shrugs
-3 x 15 @ 40lbs

Leg Press Superset:
Close Stance
-3 x 10 @ 290
Squat Stance
-3 x 10 @ 290
Notes: Sled Weight not added

Leg Extensions
3 x 20 @ 70, 80, 80

I was really happy with my plus set, (got 285 x 8 two weeks ago) especially because I was planning on just hitting the minimum of 3 reps if any discomfort was felt in my hamstring, wasn’t sure how it’d move because I got really light headed on 250, took a long break before 280 and then just kept breathing and bracing, down and up and cranked the 10. Looking forward to mentally owning squat weights in the 300+ category moving forward into the next couple cycles. Going to do shoulders on the road tomorrow, take Sunday off, and feel my hamstring out for deadlifts come Monday.

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134

5/20/17

Shoulders/OH Press

Weight: ?

70% 110 x 5
80% 130 x 3
90% 145 x 3+ (10 Total)

High Pulls w/ DBs (Tried to pull with bar, exploded into it and hamstring tried real hard to cramp)
3 x15 @ 45

Seated DB Press
10 x 5 @ 70

Note: Progress, 5 x 5 @ 75, start working up

Rear Delt Superset:
Flys
4 x 15 @ 20
Plate Raise
4 x 15 @ 25

Superset:
Straight Arm Pushdown
4 x 10 @ 50
Lateral Raise
4 x 10 @ 20

Plate Loaded Lat Pulldown
5 x 10 @ 230 total

Plate Loaded Rows
Neutral Grip
4-5 sets x some type or reps x some weight
Overhand Grip
4-5 sets x some type of reps x some weights

Superset:
Lat pulldowns
3 x 15 @ 100
“Trap Rows”
3 x 12 @ 140 per side (weird little cable machine)

Had a lot of fun with this workout, was out of town so hit a larger gym to kill some time and hadn’t planned on working the next day, so used the opportunity to hit machines and movements that I don’t have access to at home. Everything felt good and moved well, except SNG High pulls, those hurt the hamstring.

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135

5/21/17

Random AF/Bro Pump

Weight: ?

Single Arm OH Press
2 x 8 @ 40

Rear Delt Fly
2 x 12 @ 15

Curls
3 x 10-12 @ 25

Tricep Push Downs
3 x 20 @ 40

WG Pull Ups
3 x 5

Seated OH Tri Ext.
3 x 15 @ 50

EZ Bar Curl
3 x 10 @ 55

Skull Crusher
3 x 10-12 @ 55

Ab Wheel
3 x 12

Single Arm Shrug (Smith Machine)
3 x 10 @ 95

Face Pulls (High point, low point)
3 x 10/10 @ 100

Seems like a lot as I was typing it, but it was just a fun little pump day, took about 35 minutes to do, in and out, wham, bam, thank you ma’am! Thinking about deadlifts today (5/22/17) am probably going to feel them out as my hammie feels pretty ok at the moment, if it doesn’t work out, will be moving forward with leg day.

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136

5/22/17

Weight: 213.2, 213.0

Squats and Back

75% 235 x 5
85% 265 x 3
95% 295 x 1+ (11 total!)
225 x 8 paused

Back

BO Rows
185 x 8
3 x 8 @ 205
185 x 12

Pull ups
5 x 5 @ +25lbs

Lat pulldown
5 x 10 @ 150

DB Rows (Single Arm)
4 x 10 @ 100lbs

Trap Superset
High row
4 x 10 @ 100
High pull
4 x 10 @ 100

Superset
Single arm lat pulldown
3 x 12 @ 80
Face pull
3 x 10 @ 80

Worked up really slowly on deadlifts got up to 275 without issue in my hamstring, threw 315 and felt it try and ball up on the first rep so I shut it down and hit squats. Bummed about deads, but hit freakin 11 on my plus set (stoked). Had a solid training partner today so we got a lot of good, heavy volume in and the pump was outstanding, had a lot of fun training today, not worried about my deadlift dropping as I’m hitting everything else hard as far as grip and back work. Optimistic that when I can deadlift again I will continue moving forward without issue.

3 Likes
137

5/23/17

Bench

Weight: 211.6

75% 190 x 5
85% 225 x 3
95% 240 x 10
70ish% 185 x 12 (paused, up from 10)

Assistance:

Swiss Bar
-170 x 5
-180 x 5
-190 x 5+ (8 Total, move up 175,185, 195)

Incline Gauntlet
-12 x 3 (45,50, 55)
Notes: Single Arm, Alternating arms every 3 reps

Low Point Cable Fly
-20 @ 30
-15 @ 40
-12 @ 50
-12 @ 50
-15 @ 40
-20 @ 30

Dips
-3 x 10

Tricep Triple Threat
-5 x 15/15/15 @ 40, 40, 40, 50, 50
Notes: Done w/ rope, regular extension, bent over/overhead extension, close grip extension

A really solid press day getting into weights that I haven’t done for more than 3-5 in the past and am feeling strong all the way to the last rep and while the last one was a grinder, it didn’t stall and I never felt like I was going to miss it. Getting close to the most I’ve done in years on bench (the 255 x 3 to start my initial 5/3/1 cycle was the highest I’ve gone for recent historical purposes) so I’m pretty happy with that, happy with progression all around, really.

Edit: Ever find something that you didn’t realize you needed to hear (or read)?

“Think about it this way: If you break a max by 5 pounds a month, that’s 60 pounds a year. If you keep doing that, you’re going to be a bad dude.” - Louie Simmons

4 Likes
138

Nice work man! Keep it going!

139

Hey! Much appreciated! Your log is lookin’ good as well, boyo!

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140

Thanks man! Just trying to get strong like you!

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141

5/25/17

Weight: 210.8

Squats

65% 210 x 5
75% 240 x 5
85% 275 x 5+ (11 Total)
70% 225 x 5 paused
3 x 10 @ 155

Standing Calves
2 x 12 @ 90
2 x 8 @ 140
1 x 12 @ 90

RDL
3 x 12 @ 115

Short and sweet… well the squats didn’t feel short, they actually felt rather long. Hamstring is still not having it so for the foreseeable future I will be doing a minimal leg day and also squatting on my deadlift day, squats are feeling really solid at the moment, I seem to get my second wind on the plus sets, I’m sittin there on my second set going, “what the shit did I do this for?!” And then my plus set comes and it’s just breathe, brace, push. Excited to be hitting squats twice a week to replace the lost deadlift (probably two weeks out would be my guess) so let’s get this rodeo goin!

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