Log Clean and Press: 75x3, 125x3, 155x5, 155x5, 155x7
Superset 2:
Lat pulldown: 150x10, 150x10, 150x11
Db lat raise: 20x14, 20x14, 20x14
Giant set:
Overhead DB ext: 80x12, 80x12, 80x12
Axle curl: 60x11, 60x11, 60x11
Band Pull Apart: 15, 15, 15
Notes:
Lifting outside because the benches inside were all taken. Had to throw on sunglasses, and even then I was closing my eyes during the bench. Sun was just straight over me, was not a factor I was expecting haha. Glad to be using 2 plates on bench, still my worst lift but getting better
Warm up: Angry Man circuit (catchy names make me stick to things better, even if I make them up)
3 rounds:
20 battle ropes
5 70lb jammers
5 box jumps
5 sledgehammer slams each side
Dead tired, work has had me working like a dog the last couple of days. Did this after maybe 6 hours of sleep in the last two days, and definitely felt it. Mad I didn’t get 155 for 8 on the overhead, would of been a PR (I think).
Honestly not sure, scales been acting up (will deviate 20 or so lbs if I step off and on). the way my clothes fit, I would say around 235-240. A lot heavier than I should be, slowly getting back down to 200ish
I really wanted to hit 395 for 8 on that last set. I have managed to hit 8 reps on deadlifts every week so far, strength has been building like crazy. Absolutely did not have it in me, and I was pretty mad about it at the time. Made me do some thinking though.
My recovery is not what it was. Started a new position at work this week, and it has me busy. Very busy. Waking up at 0430, on my feet for most of the day, walking around and up and down stairs in steel toes, I am more drained going into these workouts that I was two weeks ago when I went from a classroom to the gym. I need to account for that. I’m not actually weaker, but I am not hitting the weights at 100%, and it’s going to take a couple weeks or so to adjust to that. Frustrating as hell to do though.
I need to drop weight and up my conditioning. I always deadlift more when I’m lighter, being big just makes getting into position feel off. Also, sucking wind way too much after these deadlift sets, should not take that much out of me lung capacity wise. Which bring me to point 4.
PRT in two months. No longer have to do a mile and a half in under 10:30, not even sure the time limit now. Still, I generally run this pretty fast, only once have I been above 10:00 and that was with my ankle in a brace. But, I have not ran in months, and am walking around a bit heavier than half a year ago. So, on top of dieting down, I’m also going to start running again, slowly for the next couple weeks; and then murder myself the month before the test. Maybe not as fast as I usually do, but I still want to get a good score. Looks good for my FITREPs, plus it looks good to outrun my men. God I hate running…
That’s pretty crazy if you can run a 10 min mile and a half at 230 to 240 lb. That’s what less than a 7 min mile pace. Also how do the ssb squats compare to regular squats in your opinion? Same with log presses and regular presses.
So you will see this with my running, but I generally can’t run that fast. Fitness test comes around, and I start to kill myself with running. 100% of the time end up giving myself shin splints like an idiot and then limp around for an hour after any run. My run times go from above 12 to low 11s, I start to worry, and then the test day comes, and I break 10 minutes. I think it is really just the competitiveness coming out. I can push myself pretty hard on a run, but nowhere near the way I can on test day. It’s pretty normal for me to vomit and be unable to catch my breathe for about 20 minutes after the run. I have awful form, by all accounts I shouldn’t be able to run that fast, but I hate being passed up, so it’s basically a mile and a half sprint for me. Which is maybe why I hate it so much…
I like SSB squats a ton, they seem fantastic. They are also very different feeling. With squats, I’m very cautious while I lift, working hard to focus on cues to keep my chest upright, knees out, etc. none of that with SSB. It’s a dirty lift, you just drop into the whole and get back up. You can collapse forward like crazy, but you can also fight forward much more. I’ll say I bet squats are better for leg development, but SSB seems like it should help my deadlift a ton, plus help me get better at saving a squat. Definitely a harder lift, I can’t use as much weight on it.
Logs suck and I hate them. I take barbell pressing over log any day. Barbells I can focus on the movement and getting stronger, log is still my keying my technique. Now, I tend to push press the log, so that is also new to me, and the log is a recent thing that I am still learning. Cleaning a log is like doing an explosive cheat hammer curl, which is odd to describe and weirder to do. That being said, despite it feeling weird and sitting on your neck while you lift and generally being awful, it feels freaking cool to do logs. Something about it just feels like a badass lift, and I definitely would keep one around if I owned a gym!
Conditioning: easy 400’s, 1 min rest between
400m at 7.5 mph
400@ 7.7
400@7.9
400@8.1
400@8.3
Notes:
Bench went okay. Got 225 for 6 on the last on, so added 1 rep to last week. Not great but still a win
Log went okay, but I am still having trouble getting any leg drive into it. I feel like if I use my legs, I dump the log forward. Damn.
First day back running. Kept it easy, just going to see how my gate was feeling, work a little bit on controlling my breathing as I ran. Will do this for a couple weeks before cranking up the intensity
Finally got my scale. Holy hell im fatter than I thought. And that’s after a week of eating clean. I put on about 30lbs in the 3 months I’ve been married. Ik the move and honeymoon didn’t exactly help anything, but that’s freaking nuts. We were eating out multiple times a week and downing wine and snacks at night, fun for a new couple but time to cut back. A lot. Will start logging my weight to keep me accountable. Feel free to mock or publicly humiliate me.
SSB squats were tough, but I am definitely getting stronger. My bar weighs 70. I would really like to hit 3 plates on the SSB, so that would be 3x5 at 340. 55lbs heavier than I am doing now. Tough, but not impossible to hit relatively soon. Going to be writing down some end of year goals here soon.
Going to start doing goblet squats more often. I have awful squat form, always have. Pitch myself forward a ton, so these are really just to give my quads some more focus and to gets some extra reps practicing good form.
Feel like I’m close to hitting a ceiling on my overhead Press. Honestly, my program right now is really simple; meant to just milk out the strength gains from as little work as I can. May only have a month or two left doing this before I need to hop onto something more programmed, add some volume to these lifts
Deadlifts went great today! Added two reps to what I got last time on my final set, and they all felt a lot crisper. May of had an eighth rep in me, but I was happy with the 7. Two cues really helped me out. The first was making my pull as efficient as possible. I have a tendency to hyperextend deadlifts at the top, which really kills me sometimes. This time, I focused on not leaning back at the top, just getting to lockout and sticking there. Second tip was one I stole from @T3hPwnisher , held my breath for as long as I could in these sets. Got my first two sets all in one breath, and didn’t stop to breath until the 6th rep of the last set. Once I have to catch my breath, it is game over for my bracing, so I think this will really help me going forward.
Front squats finally got to a point where I am struggling not to dump the bar forward. Part is my crap form, part is my god awful front rack position due to even worse shoulder mobility. Will work on both.
I have no idea if I am doing reverse hyperextensions right, I feel like a fat seal just swinging his legs around. Idk if I should add weight or use less or what, just a weird movement for me. Will keep playing with it
I feel that. I am guessing that improving ones conditioning would probably help out in regards to how long you could hold your breathe, at least that makes sense to me. Which is good because now I can justify conditioning as part of my strength work, and maybe then I will hate it less haha
Superset 2:
Lat pulldown: 150x12, 150x12, 150x12
Db lat raise: 20x15, 20x15, 20x15
Giant set:
Db overhead extension: 85x10, 85x10, 85x10
Axle curls: 60x12, 60x12, 60x11
Band pull apart: 12; 12, 12
Notes:
Bench is finally starting to move. Not sure why now, but also not going to question it. Added a rep on to last weeks final set, bumping up weight next week.
Log Press is still foreign to me, I think I would benefit from more volume. Despite being a relatively explosive lifter, I have a ton of trouble recruiting any leg drive into this. If I dip at the hips, I lose it forward. Just need to get in quality reps to nail down my technique.
Dead tired going into this, didn’t think it was going to be a good one. Been on the ship basically since my last workout, working like mad the whole time. Things should cool down in a few months, and I will be very glad that they do haha.
