My Journey to 1100#

Signed up for my first meet in August and wanted to start a log on here for my own accountability.

Current stats
6’1"
176 lbs
Squat 300
Bench 200
Deadlift 345

With 20 weeks until my meet and a 15 week training program from Brandon Lilly, here are my goals.

181 body weight
Squat 350
Bench 250
Deadlift 400

I have had all 3 of those in the past 3 years, but life, work, and a quad injury, non lifting related have knocked me back a peg. So with that in mind I’m dedicating myself to becoming a better version of myself.

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That’s all you need to fit right in around here. Welcome.

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DEADLIFT DAY

1"DEFICIT
175X6
205X5
235X4
275X4 4 SETS
235XAMRAP 7 REPS

4" BLOCK PULLS
205X2 4 SETS
235X2 6 SETS

SNATCH GRIP BLOCK PULLS
205X8 3 SETS

LAT PULLS
90X12 4 SETS

LILLY SHRUGS
35# platesX15 4 SETS

LEG PRESS
295X10 3 SETS

ROMAN CHAIR SIT UPS
4X25

PLANK
3X1 MINUTE

First week after test week with Cube Predator Mass. just hoping I can walk tomorrow. My low back is by far the weakest link in my chain. Got through all sets without pain, but my grip degraded quickly. Going to have to come up with some way to get around missing a pinky.

BENCH DAY

Comp grip bench press
Warmup
100X8
120X6
140X5
150X3 6 sets
130XAMRAP 13 REPS

Close grip bench
115X6 2 sets
135X6 3 sets

Seated DB hammer curls
20X12 4 sets

Skull crushers
40X15 3 sets

Lilly shrugs
35# platesX12 3 sets

Incline bench
100X6-8 4 sets

Weighted crunches
25X4 sets 20# Slamball

Working on my form in the bench, trying to engage my lats more. Felt different but definitely felt more powerful if that’s possible.

Work and a stomach bug made me miss a couple of days, so trying to get caught up without over doing it.

Saturday AM

COMP STANCE SQUAT

1 set of 8 @135
1 set of 6 @165
1 set of 5 @190
3 sets of 8 @205
2XAMRAP @165

PAUSE SQUATS

3 sets of 8 @150

LAT PULLS

4X12 @90

RDL

4 sets of 10 @135

LUNGES

3 sets of 12 each leg @60

CRUNCHES

4X25

PLANK

2X1 minute

Squats were awful feeling. Thanks to some form feedback I have been trying to find the stance/bar position for me. I don’t like high bar, somewhere in the middle seems the most comfortable. People seemed to dislike my super wide, that looked like a geared setup, but Olympic narrow feels horrible. So still experimenting. I prefer to be wide, probably due to flexibility issues with my hip, but working on getting a bit narrower.

Saturday PM

COMP GRIP BENCH

1 set of 8 @100
1 set of 6 @120
1 set of 5 @140
5 sets of 3 @160
2 sets of AMRAP @140 5 reps each set

DB Palms facing bench

1 set of 10 with 35s
1 set of 8 with 40s
1 set of 6 with 50s
1 set of 5 with 55s

French Press

4 sets of 15 with 15s

Military press

4 sets of 12 with 50 lb straight curl bar

Incline press

3 sets of 5 @105

Roman Chair Sit-ups

3 sets 20,15,15

Literally no energy tonight. This stomach bug really drained me. No excuses though, pushed through, hit every set and ended with a pretty good arm pump. Diet has been crap since Friday when the big hit, scared to eat anything I don’t want throw up, lol. Hopefully feel better tomorrow and put the diet back in place.

Missed a few days due to an upper respiratory infection which drained all energy. Only made 2 of my 4 days this week so I opted for Squats and my Heavy bench day foregoing deadlifts and light bench day. So the following is Saturday and Sunday.

Squat Day

1 set of 8 at 140
1 set of 6 at 170
1 set of 5 at 195
3 sets of 3 at 225
1 single at 240
1 single at 260

The last single I actually did 2 reps. I knew I didn’t hit depth on the first one so I made sure on the second.

Ballistic Squats

3 sets of 6 at 170

Lat Pulldowns

4 sets of 12 at 90

Walking Lunges

5 sets of 12 steps with 85# bar

Crunches

4 sets of 25

Plank

2 - 1 minute holds

Heavy Bench

1 set of 5 at 140
1 set of 3 at 160
4 sets of 2 at 170
2 AMRAP sets at 135 12 reps and 10 reps

DB Palms Facing Bench

4 sets of 12.10.8.6 with increasing weight
40# 45# 50# 55#

Incline Bench

3 sets of 4 at 130

DB French Press

4X15 with 15# DB

LAT Pulldowns

4X12 at 90.90.90.80

DB Pullovers

4 sets of 10 at 40

Roman Chair Crunches

4 sets of 12

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Today’s lesson if you are in a hurry, deadlifts are not the lift to shorten rest periods. At least for me this was brutal.

Conventional Double OH DL

Warmup

1 set of 8 at 165
1 set of 6 at 200
1 set of 5 at 235
1 set of 3 at 265
1 single at 300
1 set of 2 at 305

Deficit DL

5 sets of 2 at 250

Snatch Grip Block Pulls

3 sets of 8 at 235

Had to use a strap for my right hand for all sets. Used both straps on last set.

LAT Pulldowns

4X12 at 90

Lilly Shrugs

4X15 with 35# plates

Leg Press

4X10 at 320

Crunches

4 sets of 25 with 16# med ball

Plank

3X1 minute

Had to leave after DL to go meet someone for my wife. Rushed through it and back stayed tight when I got back 30 minutes later through the end of the work. DL is by far my longest day about an hour and a half with proper rest between sets. I did it in 1 hour today. Bench tomorrow then squats on Friday, so we will see how well I am recovering. Now time for a nap.

Finished this workout right at an hour bc my gym closes at 10:00 and my boy has baseball tonight.

Floor Press

Warmup
1 set of 8 at 100
1 set of 6 at 120
1 set of 5 at 140
5 sets of 3 at 160
2 AMRAP sets at 110
23 reps and 15 reps

Close Grip Floor Press

2 sets of 6 at 125
1 AMRAP set at 135
8 reps

Did all of these with about 60 seconds rest and felt a pretty good pump.

Incline DB Press

4 sets 12.10.8.6 increasing weight
35,40,45,50

Seated DB Military Press

4 sets of 12.10.8.6 increasing weight
20.25.30.35

Lilly Shrugs

4 sets of 12 with 35# plates

DB Flys superset with Roman Chair Sit-ups

4 sets of 10 at 20#
4 sets of 20.15.15.15

Bent Over BB Rows

4 sets of 10 at 75#

Loved the pace of this workout, obviously not one that is sustainable for most of my workouts. I will probably try to keep this pace on my light bench days going forward.

Squat Day

Experimenting with bar/stance positions, looks like mid bar, Olympic stance feels the most powerful.

Warmup to 135 all squats to a low box

1 set of 8 at 140
1 set of 6 at 170
1 set of 5 at 195
6 sets of 2 at 205
2 sets of 2 at 235

Really wanted to push the weight up, but stick to the program.

Pause Squats

3 sets of 5 at 185

Pitiful but I felt like passing out during these.

RDL

3 sets of 10 at 155

This bordered on cardio, lol, nope not my favorite

Lat Pulldowns

4 sets of 12 at 90

Crunches

4 sets of 25 with 16# med ball

Planks

3X1 minute

Trying to get 2 days ahead so I don’t miss anything on vacation at the end of next week. Went ahead and benched once I finished my squat workout.

Heavy (lol) Bench

1 set of 8 at 100
1 set of 6 at 120
1 set of 5 at 140
3 sets of 3 at 160
3 sets of 3 at 170
2 AMRAP sets at 140
14/9 reps

Palms Facing DB Bench

4 sets of 12.10.8.6 increasing weight
45.50.55.60

First time in 4 weeks I thought I might miss a lift but hit them all so there’s that.

Military Press

4 sets of 6-8 at 80
8.8.6.6

These were surprisingly heavy, may have picked the wrong weight, but I still finished the sets.

DB French Press

4 sets of 15 at 20.20.15.15

Missed 1 exercise (DB Pullovers) trying to get home before my wife. Need to do those plus lat pulldowns and abs tomorrow morning when I take my boy to workout.

This weeks weights and volume look off to me, but they came from a coach so who am I to question them. Seems like a deload of sorts, but my back doesn’t think so, lol.

Deadlift

1 set of 5 at 200
20 reps in as few sets as possible at 235#
Did it in 2 sets of 10. 1 Convetional and 1 sumo

Rack Pulls

2 sets of 8 at 205

Snatch Grip Block Pulls

1 set of 12 at 225

Lilly Shrugs

3 sets of 12 with 45 pound plates

Lat Pulldowns

4 sets of 12 at 80

BB Lunges

4 sets of 20 with 95#

These were an option during the entire 4 week phase or as I chose leg press. After feeling the burn of this, I need to switch to these predominantly.

Roman Chair Sit-ups

4 sets of 25,20,20,15

Planks

3 sets 1 minute hold

Light Bench Day

1 set of 5 at 140
20 reps at 150 in as few sets as possible
2 sets 12/8

Close Grip Bench

2 sets of 8 at 135

Seated Hammer Curls

4 sets of 12 with 25# DB

Skull Crushers

4 sets of 15 with 30# straight curl bar

DB Rows

4 sets of 12 with 55# DB

Incline Press

3 sets of 8 at 100

Crunches

4 sets of 25 with 25# plate

Went to the gym today just to tan and hit abs, can’t do that, lol

Ended up doing very light form work and some mobility stuff, plus a couple accessory moves I missed yesterday. Pretty sure this is not what is intended on a 4 day split, but it’s so medicinal to pick shit up and put it down. Still have 12 weeks on this program, that I certainly feel stronger on. So other than today’s detour, going to stick to the 4 day split until it’s over. After my meet, going to look at something designed for 5 days.

Squat

Trying to learn a low-bar wide stance squat, still not comfortable. Maybe I just leave well enough alone when what I’m doing works fine.

4 sets of 5 at BAR, 65,65,85

Good Mornings

Very light high rep, seems to help with soreness in my hamstrings

4 sets of 15 with empty bar

Bench

1 set of 10 with empty bar
1 set of 5 at 65
1 set of 5 at 95
1 set of 10 at 135
1 set CGBP at 115

DB Pullovers

3 sets of 12
35,40,40

Lat Pulldowns

4 sets of 12 at 80
2 front/2 behind the neck

Crunches

3 sets of 30
Did these on a bench with my feet up

Planks

3 at 1 minute

This may seem like a lot, but I was finished lifting 35 minutes and done tanning at 55 minutes total.

Realized I didn’t put my before photos on this thread. These are from 5 weeks ago, the day before I started this PL program.
Stats at that time 176 lbs in the morning. My diet hasn’t been nearly good enough, for gaining mass, and I still sit at the same weight 5 weeks later. I am leaner and stronger, but I said I was serious about size and still don’t eat, FML.

Headed to Mexico Fri-Mon then Tuesday the 4000 cal/day regimen begins again.

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Decided to check out Metroflex Ft Worth today and daaaammn them boys can lift. Watched a 545# squat for 8 reps!!! My workout went good and I felt like maybe my focus and intensity were better in this environment. The place was hot, dirty, and loud, and I loved it. I don’t need motivation to lift daily, haven’t had a workout partner since '14. With that being said, watching guys who are where I want to be reminds me of the work ahead and I think will sharpen my focus. On to the workout.

Squats

1 set of 8 at 95
1 set of 8 at 135
1 set of 8 at 175
4 sets of 8 at 205
1 AMRAP set at 225
9 reps

Pause Squats

3 sets of 8 at 155

Barbell Row

4 sets of 12 at 85

Sandbag Lunges

3 sets of 16 steps

RDL

4 sets of 10 at 155
Need to increase this weight next week, maybe 185?!

Good Morning/Crunches Super Set

3 sets 15 GM/30 crunches

Tweaked something above my left hip in my side/low back. Don’t think it’s serious, but glad I don’t have any lower body work until Tuesday bc of vacation.

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Last workout before Mexico

Heavy (lol) Bench

1 set of 8 at 109
1 set of 6 at 133
1 set of 5 at 146
6 sets of 3 at 168
2 AMRAP sets at 146
18/15 reps

Numbers are funky because my new gym had kilos and I’m clueless on them.

I felt so damn strong today, relative to where my bench has been. 18 reps at 146 compared to 12 last week at 140. Part of it is being in a hardcore BB/PL gym and part I think is better form over the last few sessions.

Palms Facing DB Bench

4 sets of 10.8.6.6 increasing weight
40.50.55.60

DBs had fat handles something I’ve never even seen, but it works

Incline Bench

3 sets of 5 at 125

French Press

4 sets of 15.15.12.10 with 20# DB

I hate this shit, this ends my 4 week block of assistance exercises. Definitely changing this out for something else.

Lat Pulldowns

4 sets of 12 at 100#

Military Press

4 sets of 12 at 75.75.75.65

Feel like my shoulder pressing has regressed considerably. Maybe bc I’m on a PL program it’s less necessary but I don’t like it. Stick to the script though.

Hanging Leg Raises

4 sets of 25.15.15.15

Well, now to pack my speedo and head to the beach. Plan on eating everything, drinking all the beer, and some bedroom cardio.

End of my first 4 week wave of 16

180 lbs
Sore as hell, but feeling so much stronger on the big 3.

Progress photo from this morning

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Back to work after vacation feeling nice and refreshed.

Deadlift

1 set of 8 at 175
1 set of 6 at 210
1 set of 4 at 245
3 sets of 4-6 at 275
Got 6 reps on all sets

Deficit DL

4 sets of 2 at 210
3 sets of 2 at 245

Snatch Grip Block Pulls 4"

3 sets of 8 at 210

BB Rows

4 sets of 12 at 75

Lilly Shrugs

4 sets of 15 with 35# plates

BB Lunges

4 sets of 10 at 75

Crunches

4 sets of 25 with 20# Slamball

Planks

3 - 1 minute hold

Did this workout at home and used my Olympic bar for the deadlifts. In the future I don’t think I’m going to do much deadlifting at home. My bar is too skinny and my grip never felt strong. All DL except the 275# set were done without my belt I also used mixed grip for my top set. Back felt good, but viewing the video I think my hips were a bit too high.

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Horrible start to my day so only got about 35 minutes of gym time this morning. Planned on finishing up this evening but baseball went forever. So here is my workout and tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, but I will probably hit the accessory work I missed today.

Light Bench

1 set of 8 at 105
1 set of 6 at 125
1 set of 5 at 150
5 sets of 3 at 160
1 AMRAP set at 135
16 reps

Close Grip Bench

2 sets of 6 at 120
3 sets of 6 at 135

Seated DB Hammer Curls

3 sets of 12 at 30#

Still have work to do on my bench. I think the stress this morning led to everything feeling heavy. However, I didn’t miss any reps on the main lifts so I am happy with that.

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