T Nation

Gonna Punch Life in the Face

Training Logs
#1

Well, it’s time. I’ve decided to hold myself accountable to the Nation, and get my act together. Here’s the background:

Age: 25
Height: 6’2
Weight: 224 (7/25/12, trying to get to 230)

Training Age: Around 3 years
Previous Life: Was a cross country runner in college (scary to think about)

Training Maxes
Bench: 315x1 (not anymore)
Squat: 415x1
Dead: 425x1
Curls: 135x repz brah
Push Press: 255x1
Log Press: 245x1 (split jerk)
Axle Press: 255x1 (push press)

Goals: SFW, Be Strong so I can Lift Fat Patients, Qualify for NAS Nats.

I’m now a licensed Physical Therapist. I’m a damn doctor. Crazy. And my work schedule changes every day so training can be tough to keep consistent sometimes. This is my attempt to keep myself accountable so that I have to keep track of my numbers, and progress type stuff. Also keeps me sane, so to speak. Look forward to the journey, and any advice is appreciated.

EDIT: 9/13/11 Updated some training maxes
EDIT: 2/26/12 Updated Training Maxes and Weight
EDIT: 7/25/12 Updated Weight, Goals, Maxes

#2

Sunday 10/24/10

For future reference, I’ll post my 5/3/1 numbers, then just reference my top sets for everything else.

Shoulders/Bis

Military (5’s week)

105x5
110x5
120x15 (feels good to finally do military press again)

Dead Stop BO Raises

some reps
30x2x8

Dead Stop Laterals

some stuff
35x2x8

Alt. Offset Curls

35x2x8

Pinwheels

25x2x6

EZ Curls

105x alot (somewhere around 15 i think)

DONE.

#3

Monday 10/25/10

Legs

Squats (5’s)

235x5
250x5
270x10 (pretty sure thats a rep PR)

Lying Leg Curls

3 plates x2x10 (hold for 2 sec squeeze at top each rep)

Leg Press

4 plates per side (pps from now on)x 2 x15

Contemplated lunges, but my left knee wasn’t really feeling it, so I went and shot around in the basketball gym for some easy cardio type stuff

Note to self: Squat day destroys any leg drive I may have for a jump shot… >.<

Overall, felt pretty good. The 270 felt super light on my back, and the funny thing was, I never felt like I grinded a rep… I just cut it at ten cuz my legs all of a sudden felt dead. Legs were just kind of weak today, haven’t squatted in a while.

#4

Tuesday 10/26/10

Cardio

Elliptical/Bike 30 mins

Just some nice, easy recovery cardio to get the HR up a bit and give the joints a break. Gonna get some hill sprints in tomorrow morning hopefully, and then its Bench work in the afternoon. Thank goodness for days with one random class haha.

#5

Wednesday 10/27/10

Chest/Tris

Bench (5’s)

200x5
210x5
225x9

Should’ve just gotten prescribed today. I wasn’t really feeling it and went for it anyways… Everything felt heavy for some reason.

DB Bench

85x2x11,8

EZ Extension

85x2x12 <—Need to up the weight next week

DB Extension

40x2x8,7

V-Bar Pressdowns

Burnout set, lots of reps, for da pumpz yo.

DONE.

Not sure why all my weights felt heavy today. Feeling pretty rested, but I didn’t eat much last night and only had breakfast this morning, so I’m going to chalk it up to lack of calories, and try not to let it happen again. Still sore from Monday’s squat session, so I felt like my leg drive might have been weak in the bench.

Ah well, gonna try and get some hill sprints in this afternoon. Will report back with the results.

#6

Friday 10/29/10

Keg Loading

Paid for kegs, loaded them into truck, haha.

Afterwards, consumed many brews from said kegs in celebration of mah birth… So now I’m out two training days (Fri/Sat) due to the most epic hangover I’ve ever had. Was worth it though.

Gonna put my Deadlift day on Sunday and just bump all the other days back… we’ll see how that works out

#7

Sunday 10/31/10

DL/Back

DL (5’s)

225x5
260x5
295x5

Went prescribed today to nail my form down. Will try for rep PR next weekend.

BB Hip Thrusts

135x2x10

Really like the feel of these. Ties in my hams, glutes and low back well, it feels like. Need to up the weight and stick with them and see what happens to my DL.

DB Kroc Rows

100x25/each arm

Pullups

5x3

DONE.

Too gassed for cardio. Gotta study, so I can hit the cardio later this week.

#8

Monday 11/1/10

Shoulders/Tris

Military (3’s) somehow I miscalculated the poundages. oh well

100x3
115x3
125x12
145x3 (just to see where I’m at)

4 Board Press

225x5
265x3
285x1( 2 with spotter)

Gotta get used to the heavier weights again.

Lateral Raise

40s x3x8

BO Laterals

35x2x6 (may need to drop the weight on these)

Dips

BWx2x10 (haven’t done these painfree in forever! awesome!)

OA Reverse Extensions

25x2x12,8

Overall, I’m pretty happy with the workout. 285 did not feel heavy at all in my hands, which is certainly a new feeling for me. I’m gonna give the 4 board one more week, and then I may try to take 285 to the 2 board after that. Shoulders are feeling strong and healthy again! And the Bodyweight is up a bit to 217.5. If I can just maintain this gain up till about 220, then I should be able to gain around 6 lbs from bloat I hope on meet day.

No cardio today either. May try in the morning. Got a hellacious 2 weeks of tests and presentations coming up. Ahh crunch time.

#9

Wednesday 11/3/10

Crazy Day

So in studying for a huge ortho test I had at 8 am this morning, I somehow managed to induce a mild anxiety attack last night. Not sure how, but it was rough, and subsequently ruined my sleep.

I took a 2 hour nap this afternoon sort of on accident, just kinda dozed off and woke up 2 hours later, which meant I had to hit the gym at rush hour. My gym has one squat rack, and a lot of knuckleheads, and after I had already staked my claim after the guy currently on the rack and got jumped in line twice, I just gave up and went for a run instead.

With my background in cross country, I still get a release of mind and body on runs. Even just little short runs now can be super relaxing, despite the fact that my pace has slowed accordingly. Even so, I stepped out and ran a little 1.8 mile run in 16 flat, cruising and smiling the whole 2nd half.

I may still try to squat Friday, but with the upcoming meet being a push/pull, my focus is certainly more on the deadlift, so I may just do some back squat as accessory work, so I don’t lose the groove.

#10

949b6_ORIG-optomist_slogan.jpg723×467 89.2 KB

Saw this in a log on EFS. Serves as a good reminder for me that I’m doing this for the reasons I want to, and so that I may assist patients in the clinic far more efficiently when the time comes.

#11


Friday 11/5/10

Bench/Bi’s (kinda)

Bench (3’s)

210x3
225x3
240x3 (grinded?)
250x1
260x1 <—PR

The 250 and 260 flew up surprisingly easily after 240 felt super heavy. Weird.

Incline DB

65x10
75x10

DB Floor Press

65x12 <–I really like how this movement feels through the chest. May sub for Inclines next time.

Alt. Offset Curls

30x8
40x8

DONE.

Low on calories today because I had to go into the clinic this morning to eval a neuro patient for a class. Not very often that you see a stroke into the basal ganglia. Wicked. Enjoying a massive PWO shake now before I get to studying again. Hope to run the trails for the first time in years tomorrow morning as a sort of easy cardio reprieve. Also, I love girls in yoga pants. Best invention after volleyball shorts.

#12

Sunday 11/7/10

DL/Back

DL (3’s)

240x3
275x3
310x3
330x1
350x1 <—PR for the new stance

GM’s

135x3x10

(SS’d) Pullups

BWx10,7,3

Chest Supported Row

2p’sx2x8

DONE.

DL’s felt fast today. I’m really happy about that because while this new stance is easier on the back, it just feels so SLOW sometimes. These singles flew up off the floor, which was certainly unexpected. Shot around yesterday for about an hour, so I guess that counts as cardio. Couldn’t go run because of a Neuro test I’m studying for. Ugh. Back to the books I s’pose.

#13

Monday 11/8/10

Shoulders/Tris

Military (5/3/1)

110x5
125x3
135x10 <—PR for reps

155x0, then got it with some leg drive
165x1 with leg drive

RGBP

95x10
135x10

Trying to get a feel for these. I dont think I’m staying tight enough because I’m getting some discomfort in my right anterior shoulder on the low end of these. Tried adjusting and staying super tight and it went away. Hmm. I need to work these in more, felt all the way thru my tris.

CGBP (once shoulder got irritated with RG)

185x6
205x3

Dead Stop Lateral Raises SS’d with Tate Presses

30s x 10,10
35’s x 10,10

Rear Delt Fly Machine

some x some x some

DONE.

Need to work on tightness I think for my bench setup. The adjustment on RGBP made that apparent today. Perhaps that will carry over when I do some heavy singles on the Bench later this week.

#14

Tuesday 11/9/10

2 mile run

RPE - Easy, not timed.

I managed to fall and bust ass today in a practical and landing directly on my ischial tuberosity on the right side. Wanted to get a run in to try and relax and see if getting some blood flow would help loosen things up. I feel so much better from a mental standpoint after the stress from the past week or so, but I’m worried this “bruise” so to speak may end up hampering my squat work tomorrow.

Guess I’ll hit the contrast shower in a bit and see how I feel. Maybe if I pack in enough calories tonight it’ll work itself out, haha.

#15

Wednesday 11/10/10

Squatzzz

Squat (5/3/1)

235x5
265x3
300x1
315x1
325x1

Extra singles felt solid form wise. Strength is definitely down. Right butt is sore from my wipeout yesterday, and I could feel it on the last two sets, so I cut it there.

Leg Press (Alt. feet together low, and feet angled high each set)

3pps x 15,15
4pps x 10,10

DONE.

GPP: Shoot around at the gym for 30 mins.

Overall, not a bad day. Squats are just weak still, and the whole deep tissue bruise thing doesnt make 'em easier. I will get better.

#16

Sunday 11/14/10

GPP ( or Yack City)

3v3 basketball, 2 hours worth of games.

Times attempted to puke: 3
Times successful: 0.

I really need to make a better effort to work out when I visit the GF. This long weekend stuff kills me. This is a deload week anyway. So I’m going to do some rep work on the bench and deadlift to practice my groove more, then take some triples and singles on those lifts next week to prep for the meet Dec. 4th.

Hopefully I don’t end up being too sore from basketball. Interesting note though: As play continued and I got increasingly tired, I noticed that when I jumped for rebounds I kept getting higher and higher. I know this because of where my face was in relation to the backboard. Kind of a neat experience, got plenty of boards for it and a few points to boot.

#17

Tuesday 11/16/10

Squat/Lower Accessory

Box Jumps

-didn’t happen due to locked room

SLDL

135x4x10 (up 10 lbs next week)

Standing Ab Crunch

30lbs per stack x 4x12

Free Time (20 mins, focusing on machines and single leg movements)

One Legged Leg Press

1pps x 4x12

Lower Band Pull Aparts (miniband doubled above knees, seated 6 in off ground, pull knees apart)

Mini Band (5s hold) x 2 x Failure

BB Lunges

Bar x 10L, 10 R

My legs are a quivering pile after this. Basically what happened here is due to lack of funding (I’m broke), I won’t be able to compete at the meet I had originally planned on attending. I’m a little upset, but I think this may be a sign I need to buckle down, hammer my accessories, and get my technique nailed so I can get stronger before the next meet I attempt to do. I’m going to run the S4 program I’ve been watching Dave Tate put up each few weeks, as I feel like I’m in a very similar (albeit slightly older) boat as the raw guy he’s training with that program (Jon Taylor)…

Hopefully I’ll see some gains… I plan on eating like a champ once I get some more money and some thanksgiving leftovers, and I’m praying I’ll be back at school next March/April after clinicals weighing in about 225 and lean. Screw hoping, here’s to getting shit done.

#18

Thursday 11/18/10

Bench Accessory

Speed Bench w/ Doubled Mini bands

135x6x5

Rolling Tricep Extensions

30x8x8

Seated Lateral Raises

25x3x12

Band Pull Aparts

2xfailure

20 minutes “Free Time” including:

Incline DB Bench: 60x2x10

EZ Curls: 75x12, 95x10

Smith Tricep “Ladders”: 1 Giant Set x failure

I really like the bands for my bench setup. They really do force me to do a perfect job of staying tight. May keep this in for a few weeks on these days just to help with my form to start things off right. By the time I hit the free time stuff, my shoulders were dunyuns, so I just fought through as best I could. Anyways, gonna finish this Monster and then its off to a class potluck Thanksgiving dinner. Goal for the evening is at least 3 lbs of food consumed. Gotta get my practice in for Thanksgiving, haha

EDIT: Weight is down to 212 all of a sudden. Not sure why or how, but tis no bueno. Must be fixed with ample amounts of chow.

#19

How’s your form when you bench? Do you arch your back and all that good stuff?

#20

[quote]BlackLabel wrote:
How’s your form when you bench? Do you arch your back and all that good stuff?[/quote]

Yeah I follow the setup that Dave Tate put out with his 6 week Bench Press Cure. Feet under and driving, arched back, upper back and scaps locked in tight against the bench. I just have long ass arms and bench has always been the slowest lift to progress for me. It’s going up though.