25JUN17 - ME Upper (W10D2) - Push Press
Workout Start: 0555
Giant Set 1
NG Pull Ups (8x3) - 70x3s (8)
Push Press - 185, 190, 195, 200, 205, 210, 215, 220, 225*
Decline Sit Up - BW, 12-15s
Giant Set 2
NG Pull Ups (8x3 cont) - 75x3s (3)
Push Press (^80%) - 185x3(5)
Decline Sit Up - BW, 12-15s
Giant Set 3
Croc Row - 185x5(3)
CG Bench Press - 185x10(3)
GH Raise Sit Up - BW, 10s
Giant Set 4
Chin Ups - BWx10, 10, 8
Rope Tucks - 220x10, 10, 10
Face Pulls - 30x12, 12, 12
Workout End: 0712
Notes:
*Failed first attempt, got 2nd attempt after halting giant sets and doing push presses on their own
- Wrist and middle finger bruise still an issue for regular pull ups and CG bench
- Left hip extremely tight from ME Front Squats 2 days ago
27JUN17 - DE Lower (W10D4)
Workout Start: 1321
Super Set 1
Squats w/ Chains - 295(+50)x3(10)
NG Pull Ups - BWx7(10)
Super Set 2
Deadlifts w/ Chains - 305x3(10)
Rope Tucks - 130x6(9), 145x3*
Giant Set
Front Squat - 135x5, 185x5, 205x5
BB Hip Thrust - 305x6(3)
Leg Lifts - BWx12(3)
Cardio: Elliptical - Start @ 5, +1 every minute to 10 minutes, then back down, total 20 mins
Workout End: 1510
Notes:
*Was getting pulled off the floor by the weight
- Knees didn’t feel like they were tracking very well
- Each DL set felt too different; some sets felt good others felt like the hinging was off
28JUN17 - DE Upper (W10D5)
Workout Start: 1731
Super Set 1
Bench Press w/ Chains - 1855(+50)x3(10)
Croc Rows - 225x3(5), 235x3(5)
Giant Set 1
BTN Press - 135x6(3)
1 Arm Rows - 105x6(3)
1 Minute Planks - BWx3
Giant Set 2
Dips - 45x10, 10, 8
NG Pull Ups - 45x5, 5, 3
Hyper Twists - BWx12(3)
Giant Set 3
Reverse-Grip Tri Exts - 65x15, 12, 12
Face Pulls - 30x15(3)
Oblique Leg Lifts - BWx8(3)
Workout End: 1820
Notes:
- Leg Drive on bench felt good; weight on bench still felt pretty effortless
- Croc Rows felt easier than previous weeks, no straps but chalked up after 5 sets
- BTN Presses felt heavier than usual; triceps still sore from 2 days ago and shoulders still fatigued from ME Upper; need to program better percentages next cycle
- Workout went extremely fast; was in a hurry and had to skip cardio
30JUN17 - ME Lower - Rack Pulls (W11D1)
Workout Start: 1350
Giant Set 1
KB Swings - 40kgsx8(3)
Rack Pulls (off 45lb bumpers) - 455x1, 465x1, 475x1, 485x1, 495x1
1 Minute Planks - BW(3)
Giant Set 2
KB Swings - 40kgsx6(3)
Rack Pulls (80% 1RM of the day) - 395x3, 3, 2*
1 Minute Planks - BWx3
Giant Set 3
KB Waiters Walks - 30kgx50ft(3)
NG Pull Ups - BWx10(3)
Frog Sit Ups - BWx15(3)
Conditions/Finisher
Leg Blasters + Pulls Ups x 2
20 Air Squats
20 Lunges
20 Jumping Squats
20 Jumping Lunges
2 sets x 10 NG Pull Ups
Workout End: 1515
Notes:
*Left lower back felt tweaked during volume work of Rack Pulls; was lining up too close to the bar and not using enough legs. Going to incorporate good mornings as an accessory along with heavier/more deliberate core work into next cycle
- Best I’ve ever felt doing 1RM rack pulls; set the “rack” a little lower than usual
- KB waiters walks felt annoying on the wrists, especially right one that is still tweaked (going on 2 weeks now)
- NG Pull Ups felt quite easy, did 84 total today to meet monthly requirement
- First time doing Leg Blasters; first set was insanely hard but the 2nd set felt much easier and took fewer breaks intra-set
02JUL17 - ME Upper - Wide Grip Bench Press (W11D3)
Workout Start: 1230
Giant Set 1
Barbell Row - 235x3(4)
WG Bench Press - 265x1, 275x1, 285x1, 290x1
Leg Lifts (from the bench) - BWx12(3)
Giant Set 2
Barbell Row - 245x3*, 225x3(2)
WG Bench Press (80%^) - 235x5(3)
Leg Lifts (from the bench) - BWx12(3)
Giant Set 3
NG Pull Ups - 25x5, 50x5(5)
Military Press - 135x5(6)
Leg Lifts - BWx12(6)
Conditions/Finisher*
NG Pull Ups - 10, 9, 8
Dips - 10, 9, 8
Rowers - 10, 9, 8
Workout End: 1340
Notes:
*Left lower back felt fine until 245lb rows which tweaked it a bit, backed down the weight
- ME WG Bench felt decent, was using the crappy bar for my wrist but managed to PR; weak point felt like it was the middle/lock out area
- Bench Press variations are the only ones I can manage 3 sets of 5 @ 80% immediately following ME work… why…
- Military Press felt more technically sound than previously, min 5x5 style weight is <135lbs
- 5x5 at Pull Ups new minimum is now >50lbs
- Conditioning got cut short due to A/C at the gym being out and almost dying of a heat stroke
04JUL17 - DE Lower - (W11D5)
Workout Start: 0630
Super Set 1*
NG Pull Ups - BWx5(10)
Squat (w/ Chains) - 325x3(10)
Super Set 2**
Hyperexts - BWx12(10)
Deadlifts (w/ Chains) - 335x3(10)
Giant Set
SSB Good Mornings (DL height) - 95x10(2), 115x10(1)***
Land Mines - 25x10, 35x10, 45x10
1 Minute Planks - BW(3)
Conditioning: 400m Sprints
Warm Up: 3:00 @ 6.0mph
Work: 4x 400m Sprints @ 9.0mph
Rests: 200m Walk in between @ 3.8mph
Workout End: 0832
Notes:
*Squats felt all over the place, couldn’t find the right combination of hand width, foot width, torso angle, etc… it was just a mess.
**Lower-left Back started acting up after ~6 sets; was extremely careful after that with bracing
***First time doing SSB Good Mornings and they felt awesome; should feel better once lower-left back stops bugging me
Cardio felt awful but it was the first one… will get better.
Side Note: Ate salty theater popcorn and pizza yesterday plus most-likely expired Sriracha… stomach and overall feeling was awful
05JUL17 - DE Upper (W11D6)
Workout Start: 0435
Super Set 1
Bench Press w/ Chains - 215(+50)x3(10)
Croc Rows* - 185x3(2), 195x3(2), 205x3(2), 215x3(4)
Conditioning
15 Minutes Rowing @ <2:30/500m
Tabata Sit-Ups (min 10 per 20 secs)
Workout End: 0602
Notes:
- Bench started feeling heavier than previous weeks; managed to keep more of the chains off the ground prior to descent making it slightly heavier overall (thanks to the hooks someone added)
- Kept rows slightly lighter than last time to ease up on the lower back
- Mil Presses felt very strong; cues: Glutes, Press, Head-through
07JUL17 - ME Lower - Rack Pulls (W12D1)
Workout Start: 0430
Giant Set 1
Hyperexts - 45x10
SSB Squats - 365, 375, 385
Leg Lifts - BWx10
Giant Set 1
Hyperexts - 45x10
SSB Squats (^~80%) - 305x3(5)
Leg Lifts - BWx10
Giant Set 3
Pull Ups - BWx6(4)
Pause Squats (10 breaths) - 225, 275, 315, 345
Rope Tucks - 115x10, 10, 10, 8
Super Set
Pull Ups - BWx6(4)
Sit Ups - BWx15(4)
Conditions/Finisher
10 Minutes of 60:90 Stationary Rows
Workout End: 0555
Notes:
- SSB Squats felt heavy all the way through the warm ups until I spread my feet slightly wider than I thought they needed to be then it felt easier to get into the hole
- Failed a 395 lb SSB Squat attempt after going to low and not being able to get out of the hole (dumped forward)
- Worked up breathing pause squats and the bar felt really really light after the SSBs
- 60:90 Rows were really intense and fun
Hey @lunchbox89 nice to see you started a log. Welcome to tnation.
1 Like
09JUL17 - ME Upper - Incline Bench Press (W12D3)
Workout Start: 0530
Giant Set 1
NG Pull Ups - 80x3(6)
Inc Bench Press - 225x1, 235x1, 240x1, 245x1, 250x1, 255x1 (20lb PR)
Land Mines - 50x6(6)
Giant Set 2
NG Pulls Ups - 80x3, 80x3, BWx10
Inc Bench Press (80%^) - 205x5(3)*
Land Mines - 50x6(3)
Giant Set 3
CG Bench Press - 175x10, 205x10, 215x8
Single Arm Cable Row - 70x8(3)
Side Leg Lifts - BWx8(3)
Conditions/Finisher*
Pyramid Sprints (1st Time)
Run 400m, Walk 400m
Run 300m, Walk 300m
Run 200m, Walk 200m
Run 100m, Walk 100m
Run 200m, Walk 200m
Run 300m, Walk 300m
Run 400m, Cool Down
Total Distance: 2.12
Total Time: 21:20 (Starting Baseline)
Workout End: 0725)
Notes:
- 20lb PR on Incline Bench Press; Mentally the distance from the top to the bottom to lockout felt intimidating the heavier the weight got. Sticking point was very clearly at the middle to lockout; reinforces doing Floor Presses next training cycle.
- 5x3 @80% felt fair the entire time
- 8x3 Pull Ups felt very heavy, weight is still moving up though
- Chose to not do any heavy overheads after inclines just to self-regulate a little bit
- CG benches felt very very fast
- Pyramid sprints felt comfortable, will push for ~20:30 next time
11JUL17 - DE Lower (W12D5)
Workout Start: 0440
Super Set 1
Squats w/ Chains - 335(+50)x3(10)
Pull Ups - BWx5(10)
Super Set 2
Deadlifts w/ Chains - 345x3(10)
Leg Lifts - BWx8(10)
Super Set 3
Rope Tuck - 130x10(3)
SSB Good Morning - 95x6(3)
Cardio: 60:90 Rows for 10 minutes
Workout End: 0605
Notes:
- Weights for DE Squats felt heavy; could not get into a good grove until around set 8 or 9
- DE Deadlifts also felt off until around set 5 or 6 after more consciously trying to engage the lats and keep my back neutral
- Felt completely gassed after all DE work was done so accessory work was shorter/lighter than usual
1 Like
12JULN17 - DE Upper (W12D6)
Workout Start: 0430
Giant Set 1
T-Bar Rows - 115x5(4), 125x4(3), 135x3(3)
Bench Press w/ Chains - 225x3(10)
Ab Wheel Roll Outs - 8s(10)
Giant Set 2
NG Pull Ups - 10, 10, 10, 8, 8
Mil Press - 155x4(4), 155x3*
Planks
Cardio
Elliptical 60:90s for 20 minutes
90s @ 6; 60s @ 17
Workout End: 0550
Notes:
- Bench felt very difficult on this day; form started to feel better once I focused on tucking my elbows and flexing my lats on the descent
- Managed 155 for 4x4 but only got 3 on set 5; noticed that the faster the reps went the more likely i was to finish the set
- Cut overall accessories short due to test week next week
1 Like
14JUL17 - 18JUL17: Deload Week
14JUL17 - Squats
Squats: 265x3(10)
Conditioning:
15 Minutes of Leg Blasters + Pulls Ups
3x Leg Blasters done in 15 minutes
16JUL17
Bench Press - 185x3(10)
Kroc Rows - 185x3(10)
18JUL17
Deadlifts - 275x3(10)
Leg Lifts - BWx10(3)
Front Squats - 135x3(3)
Good Mornings - 45x10(3)
Notes:
- Decided to deload rather than go straight into testing because I was sore to the point of death after the final DE Upper day
- Squat day felt terrible as my CNS was burnt toast; sets felt consistent at that weight
- Bench day started to feel better CNS wise; sets were also very consistent and setup started to feel right
- Deadlift day felt fully recovered CNS wise; grip was extremely strong on the bar and everything was moving very fast
- Extreme stomach discomfort on DL day due to poor eating the day prior; NEVER eat fried fast food ever again…
20JUL17 - ME Lower - Pause DL (Week 1)
Workout Start: 0415
Giant Set 1
KB Swings - 40kgsx6-8(3)
Pause DL - 315x3, 335x3, 365x3 (+20lb from previous cycle)
1 Minute Planks - BW+10lbs(3)
Giant Set 2
KB Swings - 40kgsx6(3)
Pause DL - 275x5(3)
1 Minute Planks - BW10lbsx3
Giant Set 3
SSB Good Mornings - 20x10(3)
BB Hip Thrusts - 155x10(3)
KB Push Outs - 40kgsx10(3)
Conditions/Finisher
15 minutes 60:90s Elliptical (levels 8&17)
Workout End: 0600
Notes:
- Decided against testing after previous cycle despite successes, first time mentally i was not peaked after a training cycle
- PR’ed in pause DL; even follow on volume work felt easy compared to previous weeks
- Lower back was getting pretty fatigued by accessory work
- Planks after DLs is awful
21JUL17 - ME Upper - CG Bench Press (Week 1)
Workout Start: 0515
Giant Set 1
CG Bench - 245x3, 265x3, 285x3 (+10lb from previous cycle)
Kroc Rows - 185x3(3)
Land Mines - 25x6(3)
Giant Set 2
CG Bench - 215x5, 215x5, 215x8 (AMRAP)
Kroc Rows - 195x3(3)
Land Mines - 35x6(3)
Giant Set 3
Floor Press - 185x10(3)
T-Bar Row - 70x10(3)
Side-Leg Raises - BWx6(3)
Conditions/Finisher
AMRAP 5x Pulls up & 10 Dips: 3
Workout End: 0600
Notes:
- Bench set up feeling more consistent
- Noticed once the weight got heavy/felt fatigued elbows would immediately flare on the way back up
- +10lb PR on CG bench triple; last rep almost got stuck in the middle but grinded through it; reinforced need for floor presses
- Floor presses were in standard rack, rack position felt kind of high but couldn’t go any lower because of the rails at the bottom; still felt pretty effective
- Didn’t have time for the cardio on this day
24JUL17 - DE Lower (W1)
Workout Start: 0420
Super Set 1
Squats w/ Chains - 225(+50)x3(10)
Pull Ups - BWx6(7), BWx5(3)
Super Set 2
Deadlifts w/ Chains - 225x3(10)
Rope Tucks - 130x6(6), Hanging Leg Raises - BWx12x4
Giant Set
DL Stance Box Squats - 135x10, 185x10, 205x10
Sumo DLs - 135x10, 135x8, 135x8
Cardio: 60:90 Rows for 20 minutes
Workout End: 0605
Notes:
- Speed work all felt much faster and more consistent than previous cycle; more mindful repetitions
- Lower back started to get tired towards the end
- Was gassed after every super set
- Wasn’t as consistent with core work due to equipment sniping
- May begin moving to HITT room for DLs to increase overall speed (currently lowering the bar under control due to hexagonal plates in main room)
26JUL17 - DE Upper (W1)
Workout Start: 0440
Super Set 1
Bench Press w/ Chains - 135x3(10)
Single Arm Rows - 100x5(1)
Giant Set 1
Floor Press - 185x10(3)
BB Row - 185x5(3)
Decline Situps - BWx15-20(3)
Giant Set 2
Pull Ups - BWx5, 25x5, 50x5, 50x5, 50x5, 60x5, 60x4
Mil Press - 135x5(5)
Leg Lifts - BWx12-15(3)
Finisher: Got 4 until failure
Pull Upsx5
Dipsx10
Side Bendsx5s
Cardio:
60:90s Elliptical (8/18)
Workout End: 0620
Notes:
- Flat bench felt fine… it was light
- Floor presses were more difficult than Saturday; did them in a rack with no bottom railing so I was able to easily put my triceps flat on the ground before exploding back up; had to more consciously keep shoulder blades retracted mid sets to not lose form
- Had a hard time keeping my brace during BB rows
- Military Presses felt very easy and smooth
- 5x5 pull ups felt decent, pull ups still feeling off
- Not sure if overall workout volume was too high on this day, felt very spent by the end and throughout the day
27JUL17 - ME Lower - Pause Squat (Week 2)
Workout Start: 0430
Giant Set 1
BB Good Mornings - 45x8(3)
Pause Squat - 365x3, 405x3, 435x3 (+30 lbs from previous cycle, +1 rep)
Rope Tucks or Leg Lifts - Max Stack/BW - 12-15(3)
Giant Set 2
Jumping Squats - BWx8
Pause Squat - 325x3(5)
Rope Tucks or Leg Lifts - Max Stack/BW - 12-15(3)
Giant Set 3
SSB Good Mornings - 50x8(3)
BB Hip Thrusts - 225x8(3)
Rope Tucks or Leg Lifts - Max Stack/BW - 12-15(3)
Conditions/Finisher
5/10/15: Pull Ups/Dips/Decline Situps
Workout End: 0600
Notes:
- Extremely sore hamstrings and obliques
- Pause Squats felt decent, felt most of it in the core
- Volume work was very difficult; had to rebrace after every rep of pause squats
- Accessory work felt easy despite big jumps in weight
- No cardio with brother in town
29JUL17 - ME Upper - Military Press (Week 2)
Workout Start: 0515
Giant Set 1
NG Pulls Ups - 25x3, 70x3, 80x3(6), BWx8
Military Press - 135x3, 145x3, 165x3(+10 from previous cycle)
Land Mines - 60x5(3)
Giant Set 2
NG Pulls Ups - 25x3, 70x3, 80x3(6), BWx8 (^ cont)
Military Press - 135x5(3), 135x6(AMRAP)
Land Mines - 45x5(3)
Giant Set 3
T-Bar Row - 205x8(3)
Kroc Row - 185x3(3)
Twisting Decline Sit Ups- BWx12(3)
Tabata Z-Presses: Avg ~7
Grip Work
155lbs: R side felt shakey
135lbs: Fine on both sides
Conditions/Finisher
AMRAP: 5/10/15 Pull Ups/Dips/Russian Twists
Got 4
Workout End: 0640
Notes:
- 165 Mil Press maintained tempo, called it off after so I wouldn’t fail
- Pull Ups felt pretty stiff the entire time
- Floor Presses felt strong, suitable increase in weights
- Kroc rows also felt awful
- Z-Presses felt better than previous iterations
- Grip stuff felt a little off but not terrible
31JUL17 - DE Lower (W2)
Workout Start: 0430
Super Set 1
Squats w/ Chains - 255(+50)x3(10)
Pull Ups - BWx6(10)
Super Set 2
Deadlifts w/ Chains - 265x3(10)
Hanging Leg Raises - 15x6(4), BWx10(4), 15x6(2)
Super Set
DL Stance Box Squats - 225x5, 275x10, 225x5
Sumo DLs - 155x8(3)
Conditioning/Finisher
15 Minutes
3x Leg Blasters + 5x Pull Ups + 15 Push Ups
3x Minute Weighted Planks (25lbs)
Workout End: 0610
Notes:
- Experimented with hand width on speed squats, trying to find best place to place hands to feel like I can shoulder press the weight back up once the eccentric is finished… too close isn’t good but around pinky on rings seemed good
- Deadlifts felt a little off but I double overhanded, no belted for the first 5 sets, then did over-under grip, then threw a belt on for the last set… was fine
- Super set felt better than previous week; sumos felt much better
- Overall felt better than previous week, legs got pretty pumped