Kyle's Logs

Wednesday, January 21, 2015
I have been training for close to a year and a half on my own, and close to five years with athletics in school. Through this I have learned a lot, but this is my first log and I am excited to make one.

Through out these last two years I have predominately trained using Christian Thibaudeau’s HP MASS with a good friend of mine, but I have since decided to try out CTs 915 program. The name was derived from the fact that it is a nine week program based around the idea that you should go up 15% on all of the lifts you do. I just finished the test week, and I am excited to explore the facets of this program!

My stats at the start of this program:
Sex: Male
Age: 17
Height: 6’
Weight:160

Week one:

Day 1: 95% of projected max on four main lifts(No belt)
Squat: 95% 155lbs
Bench: 95% 125lbs
Deadlift: 95% 185
Power Clean: 95% 105lbs

Day 2: Programmed rest day
Day 3: Programmed rest day

Day 4: Squat test day(No belt)
Squat 1rm: 185lbs

Day 5: Bench test day(No belt)
Bench 1rm: 145lbs

Day 6: Programmed rest day

Day 7: Deadlift/Power Clean test day
Deadlift(Belted) 1rm: 205lbs
Power Clean(No belt): 105lbs

Sunday February 1, 2015

As I write this I have completed one week of the program. So far I am feeling really good, but very sore. My squat day was easily the most difficult, but I am looking to improve next week.

Here was the first week’s program:

Monday: Bench Press - Heavy
80% of 1RM=115lbs - 5 sets of 4

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Dumbbell Bench Press - 5 sets of 5

2nd Assistance - Weakest Muscle
Pectorals(Pec Dec Flyes @ 60lb resistance) - 4 sets of 6-8

Squat - Explosive
80% of 1RM=145lbs - 5 sets of 2

Tuesday: Deadlift - Heavy
80% of 1RM=165lbs - 5 sets of 4

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Snatch Grip Deadlifts from just below the knees - 5 sets of 5

2nd Assistance - Weakest Muscle
Glutes[Glute bridges(Will be revising next week)] - 4 sets of 6-8

Thursday: Squat - Heavy
80% of 1RM=145lbs - 5 sets of 4

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Paused Squat w/ 2 sec pause in the bottom position - 5 sets of 5

2nd Assistance - Weakest Muscle
Quads(Leg Extensions @ 50lbs resistance) - 4 sets of 6-8

Bench Press - Explosive
80% of 1RM=115lbs - 5 sets of 2

Saturday: Power Clean - Explosive
80% of 1RM=85lbs - 5 sets of 2

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Power Cleans from Blocks right above the knee - 5 sets of 5

2nd Assistance - Weakest Muscle
Hamstrings(Standing leg curl machine @ 45lbs) - 4 sets of 6-8

Monday February 2, 2015

Today, slightly pressed for time, I pre-loaded with Plazma and hit the gym(quick article on Plazma: https://www.T-Nation.com/store/articles/reactive-pump-program).

Today was day one of week two, bench pressing. I didn’t feel quite comfortable with 5 sets of 5, but I was able to get through it(very slowly on the last few of each set). However, my squat felt WORLDS better than last weeks, which means I was either fatigued last week or getting much stronger this week. I choose to believe the latter, as my other lifts didn’t falter last week. Here was the entire workout today:

Monday: Bench Press - Heavy
80% of 1RM=115lbs - 5 sets of 5

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Dumbbell Bench Press - 5 sets of 5

2nd Assistance - Weakest Muscle
Pectorals - 4 sets of 6-8

Squat - Explosive
80% of 1RM=145lbs - 5 sets of 2

Awesome stuff, Kyle! Hey definitely put on your assistance lift numbers are such too. It’s cool to see progress in those numbers as well.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

As I write this I have finished most of my second week, with my last day being the power clean, today. I will update my numbers for that in the afternoon. My squat and bench felt much more natural than the first week, which I am glad for. I believe I am starting to build strength as well as neural efficiency! I’m excited for the weeks to come.

Tuesday: Deadlift - Heavy
80% of 1RM=165lbs - 5 sets of 5

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Snatch Grip Deadlifts from just below the knees(135lbs) - 5 sets of 5

2nd Assistance - Weakest Muscle
Glutes - 4 sets of 6-8

Thursday: Squat - Heavy
80% of 1RM=145lbs - 5 sets of 5

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Paused Squat w/ 2 sec pause in the bottom position(115lbs) - 5 sets of 5

2nd Assistance - Weakest Muscle
Quads(Leg extensions @ 70 lbs) - 4 sets of 6-8

Bench Press - Explosive
80% of 1RM=115lbs - 5 sets of 2

Thanks colb! I’ll start keeping track of what I use on secondary work. Appreciate the comment!

Monday February 9, 2015

As I write this I have two workouts to log, yesterday(which was actually Saturday’s programmed day) was my power clean. I couldn’t make it to the gym on Saturday due to visiting family, so I went before work on Sunday instead.

Week 2 Day 7:
Saturday: Power Clean - Explosive
80% of 1RM=85lbs - 5 sets of 3

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Power Cleans from Blocks right above the knee(75lbs) - 5 sets of 5

2nd Assistance - Weakest Muscle
Standing leg curl @ 45 lbs each leg â?? 4 sets of 6-8

This workout felt really good! My power clean day is absolutely my fastest day, only taking thirty five minutes this time. I had no failed reps and flew through it, feeling great.

Monday February 2, 2015

Week 3 Day 1

Today was a day of missed reps. I ended up not benching the full 5 sets of 6 for all but one set. I think this might have been due to a lack of food on my part, and I intend to ramp up the calories going forward. I hope my other lifts perform better than today did.

Bench:
1x8 45lbs
1x6 85lbs
(Both warmup)
1x4 115lbs
1x6 115lbs
1x4 115lbs
1x4 115lbs
1x4 115lbs

Traditional bench was the only thing I missed reps on. The rest of the program went well. Here is the rest of it:

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Dumbbell Bench Press(35lbs) - 5 sets of 5

2nd Assistance - Weakest Muscle
Pectorals(pec dec flyes @ 50lbs) - 4 sets of 6-8

Squat - Explosive
80% of 1RM=145lbs - 5 sets of 2

Due to a time constraint I had to cut the work out short. I accomplished this by leaving out the explosive squatting. Overall the day went okay, but those failed lifts really bothered me. I will be ramping up food as a solution

Saturday, February 2, 2015

Man, I need to remember to post these at the end of the night. I keep forgetting and think about it after four training days, and I obviously can’t remember how I felt on these first days of the week. Note to self: quit sucking.

Anyways, this is my week 3 days 2-4.

On Tuesday, I did my deadlift day. If I remember correctly, it went very well. My bench day the day before was not very good, but my deadlift day was fantastic, so I’m not sure what happened. Here are the numbers for my deadlift day.

Tuesday: Deadlift - Heavy
80% of 1RM=145lbs - 5 sets of 6

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Snatch Grip Deadlifts from just below the knees(135lbs) â?? 5 sets of 5

2nd Assistance - Weakest Muscle
Glutes - 4 sets of 6-8

Both of the deadlifts went really well from what I remember. One thing is, I am not exactly sure what I want to do for glutes. Does anyone have any ideas? I just did standing leg curls as I wasn’t really sure of what to do.

Week 3 Day 4

Squatting, squatting! The day went great from what I remember. I know that I was getting really short of breath at the end of those later sets, but I think that kinda goes with the territory, I’m not too worried about it. Here was the day.

Thursday: Squat - Heavy
80% of 1RM=145lbs - 5 sets of 6

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Paused Squat w/ 2 sec pause in the bottom position(115lbs) - 5 sets of 5

2nd Assistance - Weakest Muscle
Quads(Leg Extensions @ 70lbs - 4 sets of 6-8

Bench Press - Explosive
80% of 1RM(115lbs) - 5 sets of 2

My explosive bench also went really well, but I definitely used the stretch reflex to get them as quick as I could.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Week 3 Day 7

My high pull day always goes really well! Today was no different. I wasn’t able to get to the gym on Saturday due to a project, but I had a two hour break at work so I went and hit the gym! The workout took about thirty five minutes and it was a really good training session. Here is the exact work out:

Saturday: Power Clean - Explosive
80% of 1RM=85lbs - 5 sets of 4

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Power Cleans from Blocks right above the knee(65lbs)- 5 sets of 5

2nd Assistance - Weakest Muscle
Hamstrings(Standing leg curls@45lbs) - 4 sets of 6-8

(The reason this wasn’t logged day of, Sunday, is because I had some issues posting it)

Monday, February 16, 2015

Here is my next “phase” of the 915 program all planned out:

Phase 2-Integration (Weeks 4-6)

Monday:Bench Press - Heavy
90% of 1RM=130lbs - 3 sets of 2, 3 for Weeks 4 and 5/95% of 1RM - 3 sets of 3 for Week 6

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening Paused Wide Bench w/ 2 sec pause just above chest on concentric of every rep(95-115lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Half Bench Presses(155lbs) - 3 sets of 3

Squat - Explosive
82% of 1RM=150lbs - 5 sets of 2

Tuesday: Deadlift - Heavy
90% of 1RM=185lbs - 3 sets of 2, 3 for Weeks 4 and 5/95% of 1RM=195lbs - 3 sets of 3 for Week 6

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Romanian Deadlifts(145-165lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Rack Pulls from just below knees(225lbs) - 3 sets of 3

Thursday: Squat - Heavy
90% of 1RM=165lbs - 3 sets of 2, 3 for Weeks 4 and 5/95% of 1RM=175lbs - 3 sets of 3 for Week 6

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Paused Squat w/ 2 sec pause @ 90 on concentric on every rep(135lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Half Squats(195-205lbs) - 3 sets of 3

Bench Press - Explosive
82% of 1RM=118lbs - 5 sets of 2

Saturday: Power Clean - Explosive
80%=85lbs - 5 sets of 5: Week 4, 90%=95lbs - 5 sets of 2: Week 5, 90%=95lbs - 5 sets of 3: Week 6

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Power Cleans from Hang(75-85lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Clean Low Pull from Hang(115-125lbs) - 3 sets of 3

Monday, February 16, 2015

Week 4, Day 1
Today was the first day of a higher weighted workout, and it felt pretty awesome! My bench felt much more natural and smooth than the previous weeks, and I think that is a product of my ramping up food a bit. The half presses definitely felt unnatural, just because that is a higher weight than I can actually do. Regardless, I got them done. Here is the exact workout:

Monday:Bench Press - Heavy
Warmup:
1x10 45lbs
1x5 95lbs
1x3 115lbs
90% of 1RM=130lbs - 3 sets of 2
1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening Paused Wide Bench w/ 2 sec pause just above chest on concentric of every rep(115lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Half Bench Presses(155lbs) - 3 sets of 3

Squat - Explosive
82% of 1RM=150lbs - 5 sets of 2

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Man, I suck at remembering to log my workouts. I either run out of time or totally forget to log them. Well, another week has passed. I’ll post the exact numbers but I don’t remember specifics of the workouts.

Tuesday: Deadlift - Heavy
90% of 1RM=185lbs - 3 sets of 2

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Romanian Deadlifts(145-165lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Rack Pulls from just below knees(225lbs) - 3 sets of 3

Thursday: Squat - Heavy
90% of 1RM=165lbs - 3 sets of 2

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Paused Squat w/ 2 sec pause @ 90 on concentric on every rep(135lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Half Squats(205lbs) - 3 sets of 3

Bench Press - Explosive
82% of 1RM=118lbs - 5 sets of 2

Saturday: Power Clean - Explosive
80%=85lbs - 5 sets of 5

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Power Cleans from Hang(75-85lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Clean Low Pull from Hang(115-125lbs) - 3 sets of 3

Ended Saturday with a biceps workout

I appear to be having issues posting from a mobile device. Does anyone else have this problem? When I get on a desktop it is fine.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Yesterday should have been my bench day, but I had a dodgeball tournament that my team placed third in! It was a lot of fun but I think it affected the bench workout I pushed back to today, unfortunately. It did not feel as smooth and good as I would have liked, but I was still able to do the weights necessary, with less speed. I did increase the food today as a preparation for the workout, and I think that did help a little bit. Here is the exact workout

Bench Press - Heavy
90% of 1RM=130lbs - 3 sets of 3

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening Paused Wide Bench w/ 2 sec pause just above chest on concentric of every rep(95lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Half Bench Presses(155lbs) - 3 sets of 3
I actually had someone ask if I wanted a spotter for this weight, presumably thinking that I was trying to full rep it. It is cool to see people are looking out for me, even if unnecessary :slight_smile:

Squat - Explosive
82% of 1RM=150lbs - 5 sets of 2

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Through another hiccup in my schedule yesterday, I had to push deadlift, which is normally Tuesday, to today. I had jazz then work after school and I didn’t wake up early enough to go before school. Regardless, I did it today. It felt great! I really focused on proper form on all of the lifts and over all it took around thirty-five minutes.

Tuesday: Deadlift - Heavy

90% of 1RM=185lbs - 3 sets of 3

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Romanian Deadlifts(145-165lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Rack Pulls from just below knees(225lbs) - 3 sets of 3

Overall I had a great day in the gym. My grip on the third set of rack pulls started to fail but I switched to an alternating grip as a quick remedy. I could have used grip straps but I chose not to.

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Week 5 Day 4: Squat

Squatting felt awesome today. I dominated the weight like I haven’t before and I really saw progress in my mobility as well as depth. Excited to keep traveling this 915 journey and can’t wait for more. Here is the workout:

Thursday: Squat - Heavy
90% of 1RM=165lbs - 3 sets of 3

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Paused Squat w/ 2 sec pause @ 90 on concentric on every rep(135lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Half Squats(195-205lbs) - 3 sets of 3

Bench Press - Explosive
82% of 1RM=118lbs - 5 sets of 2

Also, the solution to my schedule issues was to just push squatting to today, saturday; And I will power clean tomorrow since it is not a super demanding day like squat deadlift back to back would have been.

Friday, March 6, 2015
915 Program: Week 6, Day 1-5:

Another school week has passed by, and I realized I forgot to log my workout this week. So far I’ve done all but high pulled this week. I am loving this program! I had a great week where I destroyed the weights on one of the hardest weeks! This is the exact day for each:

Monday:Bench Press - Heavy
95% of 1RM - 3 sets of 3 for Week 6

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening Paused Wide Bench w/ 2 sec pause just above chest on concentric of every rep(95-115lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Half Bench Presses(155lbs) - 3 sets of 3

Squat - Explosive
82% of 1RM=150lbs - 5 sets of 2

Tuesday: Deadlift - Heavy
95% of 1RM=195lbs - 3 sets of 3 for Week 6

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Romanian Deadlifts(145-165lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Rack Pulls from just below knees(225lbs) - 3 sets of 3

Thursday: Squat - Heavy
95% of 1RM=175lbs - 3 sets of 3 for Week 6

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Paused Squat w/ 2 sec pause @ 90 on concentric on every rep(135lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Half Squats(195-205lbs) - 3 sets of 3

Bench Press - Explosive
82% of 1RM=118lbs - 5 sets of 2

Sunday, March 8, 2015

915 Program: Week 6, Day 7; Power Clean Day

Today I fit in my work out after work and before church, and it was a pretty good session.

I started off with a warm-up where I practiced catching the 45lb bar using only stretching as high as possible and then dropping underneath and catching the bar. Afterwards, I did:

Saturday: Power Clean - Explosive
90%=95lbs - 5 sets of 3: Week 6

1st Assistance - Weak Point Strengthening
Power Cleans from Hang(85lbs) - 5 sets of 3

2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Clean Low Pull from Hang(125lbs) - 3 sets of 3