Today-
Bench press-
45lb, 10/5/5
95lbx3
135/155/175lbx1
145lb, 3x8
DB row-
75lbx5
95lb, 5x6
Superseted the volume sets of the bench and row together.
Superset of TRW row and dip-
5x7 on the row
5x6 on the dip
DB snatch and press-
50lb, 5x5 with each hand.
Mini-conditioning work doubling with shoulder stuff.
Today
Squat-
135/185/225/255lbx1
275lb, 13x1
Took a page from ActivitiesGuy. I haven’t attempted weights that go up into 80%+ all that much since I changed my approach to squatting. I think my ability to handle heavy loads has decreased. I am stronger, but I’m struggling to show that when it comes to heavier loads. 275lb should really be in the ballpark of 80-85% of my 1rm right now and I doubt that I can do anymore than three reps.
Going to start training my body to deal with heavier weights (range from 80-85%; I now think anyone who doesn’t plan on competing has a real reason to go beyond their supposed 5-6RM). ActivitiesGuy’s method of doing EMOM sets with moderately heavy loads seems to be a great way to do this. That being said, I didn’t do a true EMOM here. I took a minute rest between each set (except for a long rest somewhere around 6 or 7 when I had an opportunity to switch over to the power rack).
The sets themselves felt good. I got better with depth and overall movement/feel as the sets progressed, though they were some inconsistencies. I planned on getting 15 reps but the 13th rep was effectively a grind so I stopped.
Pull-up
x6
+20lb, 5/5/5/5/4
RDL-
135/185lbx5
225lb, 3x5
Clean deadlift-
225lb, 3x5
Another reason why I squatted today and did RDLs instead of deadlifts- I ripped my shin again last week. I’m getting sick of it. I’m just not going to deadlift whenever I forget to take my tape with me and do RDLs instead.
Did the RDL with double overhand; I should carry my straps with me now so that grip doesn’t become an issue with these.
Today-
OHP-
45lb, 10/5/5
95lbx5
115lbx2
135lbx2
The second rep felt easy. The second rep felt harder. It went up anyways.
Push-press-
145/165lbx1
God. I don’t get how skinny women jerk over 250lb. The actual jerk I understand, but holding that weight? How the fuck do you do that without having big shoulders and arms for stability?
DB row-
75lbx5
Superset of OHP and DB row-
110lb, 3x8 on the OHP
100lb, 5x5 on the row
-Started the superset with the push-presses.
-Did the first four sets of the rows off the floor to conserve grip strength and allow better form. Did the last one without letting go.
-The OHP felt quite manageable until the last rep, which felt like a grind.
Tuck lever-
3x3
Reverse hypers off a bench-
5x5
That was it. Spent some time stretching my upper back and other places.
Today
Cleans-
95lb, 2x3
115lb, 2x1
135lb, 10x1
Did the 135lb with minute rests. They felt… ok.
Front squat-
135/185lbx1
Wow. the 185lb just felt bad. I planned on doing reps with said weight, so this annoyed me.
Paused front squat-
135lb, 5x5
Just did something.
Superset of chin-up/dip/single leg deadlift-
5x8 on the chin-up/dip
6/6/5/5/5 on the deadlift
The last couple of reps for both the chin-up and dips weren’t good.
Regarding the front squat and clean performances today. I think the issue is that I’m overdoing it on the back squat. I basically went from doing an average of 70-80 reps a week to now doing an average of 90-100+. That is a sizable increase, even if the weight I’m moving is supposed to be pretty light.
My main concern is that I’m pretty sure I aggravated something in my left hip, which has always been a problem area, last week with the squats. It got better on Monday, but then an attempt to straighten out my sitting posture two days ago has seriously aggravated the left hip again. I’m now getting some shooting pains when I stand after sitting for a bit. This hasn’t happened before and it’s both annoying and worrying.
Given that I felt virtually no pain or serious aches besides DOMS for months (over an year, really), this sudden onset of bad stuff is not good at all.
SO, I’m cutting down on the volume and going back to what I’ve been previously doing with the squat. Even if it’s only been about a month, this new method hasn’t done much besides probably increase my endurance with lighter weights. I should have been able to do 255lb for 8 without much trouble, but I didn’t.
I’ll restart with 235lb; I think that would be a good weight. I should have absolutely no problem hitting that for sets of 8s and 9s tomorrow. Hopefully my hips feel better soon too. I’m moving soon and it would really suck to have my hips be in bad shape for that.
Today-
Squat-
135lbx3
185/225/255/275lbx1
235lb, 10/10/5
IIRC, the last time I attempted this I stopped at the sixth rep on the second set. Today didn’t feel that bad; everything went up pretty well.
So, hooray for progress.
Pull-up
6
+20lb, 5/5/5/5/4
Superseted with a rotation between lunges- reverse lunge/side lunge/forward lunge/ side lunge/ reverse lungex5
Superset of hanging leg raise and DB RDL-
5x3 on the leg raise
35lb, 5x6 on the RDL
Today
OHP-
45lb, 10/5/5
95lbx5
115lbx3
135lbx1
BB row-
45lbx10
95/135lbx5
155lbx2, I think. I forget.
185/205lbx1
Superset of push-press and BB row-
135lb, 5x6 on the push-press
165lb, 5x6 on the BB row
DB bench-
45lbx5
Superset of DB bench, bent over lateral raise, and leg raises
60lb, 5x6 on the DB bench
10lb, 5x6 on the lateral raise
4x5 on the leg raise.
Decided to do the leg raises after the first set.
Mini-complex-
45lb, 3x8 of RDL/OHP/front squat/BB row
BB curl-
45lb, 2x25
Today-
Squat-
135lbx3
185/225/255/275lbx1
245lb, 7/7/7/4
This went ok. Things started to slow down on the third set.
Superset of pull-up and RFESS
5x5 on the pull-up
5x6 on the RFESS
Superset of neutral-grip pull-up and hanging leg raise-
5x5* on the pull-up
5x3* on the leg raise
Failed to get 10x5 on the pull-ups by a single stupid rep. Took a couple seconds and did the last one.
Also failed to achieve the last rep on the fourth/fifth set of the leg raises. The pull-ups tired me out too much by the end.
Today
Bench press-
45lb, 10/5/5
95lbx3
135lbx1
DB row-
75lbx5
Superset of bench press and DB row-
155/175lbx1, 145lb, 3x9 on the bench press
95lb, 5x7 on the DB row
My right side is much stronger on the DB row. I had to reset my grip once or twice on the later sets of the rows and my back felt much more fatigued. In comparison, I never had a problem with my right side.
The bench press felt much more taxing than previously. I think I’m going to continue with these reps until it feels easier.
Superset of dip and TRX row-
5x6 on the TRX row
4x7, 1x6 on the dip.
Failed the last rep. Didn’t bother completing it.
DB snatch and press-
50lb, 5x5
My left tricep felt very tired. A good number of these were effectively push-presses.
Today
Clean-
95lbx3
115/135lbx1
145lb, 8x1 (1 min rests)
Squat-
135/185/225/255lbx1
275lb, 2x2, 6x1 (1 min rests)
Same deal with the squat as last week. Started doing singles after I leaned forward a bit on my left side.
Felt like I had better depth and control than last week.
Pull-up-
x5
+20lb, 5x5
Superseted with a rotation between lunges- reverse lunge/cossack squat/forward lunge/cossack squat/ reverse lungex6
Mobility is good enough to get decent depth on the cossack squats, so I rename them as such.
Hanging leg raise-
5x4
God damn these are hard to do reps with. My upper back starts to feel strained as sets go on.
Today
Power snatch/overhead squat-
45lb, 2x5
Full snatch-
45lb, 5x3 (1 min. rest)
Want to start getting better with the snatch, so I’ll do them on Saturdays.
OHP-
45lb, 2x5
95lbx3
115lbx2
135lbx3/failed fourth rep.
Push-press
145/165lbx1
DB row-
75lbx5
95lbx3
Superset of OHP and DB row-
110lb, 3x8 on the OHP
110lb, 3x3 on the DB row. Done off the floor to remove grip being a factor.
I shouldn’t have attempted the fourth rep on the OHP, but each of them went up so much better than I expected that I just kept on going. Failed about halfway up.
Stuck with 3x8 for the OHP because I failed on the 135lb. This pretty much felt the same as last week, with the grind on the last rep and everything.
The 110lb rows felt heavy, but manageable.
Superset of TRX push-up and TRX row-
5x5 on the push-up
7/7/5/7/7 on the row
Not sure what happened with the third set. I might have gotten my positioning off or something.
bent knee leg raise off a dip bar-
5x5
Wobbling all over the place. Things should get better as I get used to the movement.
Today
Clean-
95lbx3
115lbx2
135lb, 5x3
I think my form is improving; these all felt good. Now I just need a new cell phone so that I can actually record something that doesn’t have god awful resolution for Destrength.
Front squat-
135/165/185/205/225lbx1
185lb, 3x5
Yup, last week was an anomaly. These all felt good.
Hip and lower body in general feels near 100% now.
Superset of chin-up/dip/single leg deadlift-
4x8, 1x7 +1 after resetting grip for both chin-up and dip.
5x6 for the deadlift
Upper body fatigue became too great on the chin-up and dip. Might be because I tended to go lower on both the chin-up and dip today.
Today-
Squat-
135lbx3
185/225/255/275lbx1
245lb, 8/8/9
Last rep felt like a grind and the fellow working in with me told me that it looked like a grind. The rest felt good.
Pull-up-
x5
+20lb, 5/5/5/4/4
Superseted with a rotation between lunges- reverse lunge/cossack squat/forward lunge/ cossack squat/ reverse lungex6
Did the above with 1.5min rest instead of 2 min. Since 25lb DBs are unwieldy with the way I load them, it makes more sense to improve by reducing rest time instead of adding more weight.
Superset of hanging leg raise and DB RDL-
5x4 on the leg raise
37.5lb, 5x6 on the RDL
Wanted to use 35lb, but couldn’t because other people used them.
TODAY
OHP-
45lb, 10/5/5
95/115lbx3
BB row-
45lb, 10/5
95/135lbx5
155lbx3
Superset of clean and press and BB row (one minute rests)-
135lb, 10x1 on the clean and press
185lb, 10x2 on the BB row
My back positioning on the cleans clearly suffered near the end. I think it’s because of fatigue from the rows.
The presses became noticeably difficult by the seventh set; I didn’t think I would hit the desired ten sets. But then I did, and they weren’t dreadful or super-grindy; the last one WAS a grind though. Elbows also started to ache a bit.
This felt awesome. By far the most pleasing set of lifts I’ve done so far this year. My upper body strength simply refused to budge in any meaningful direction for pretty much the entire time I’ve been training. I could do 115lb OHP for 5x5 but fail to budge 125lb and vice versa. Now it’s moving rapidly within a span of a couple of months. The only thing I did different is add a heavy horizontal pull movement to every upper body day.
If that is the reason why my upper body strength has improved in the last couple of months, then a sincere thanks to Destrength for suggesting that I make BB rows and DB rows a regular part of what I do.
Superset of TRX push-up and TRX row-
5x5 on the push-up
5x7 on the row
Superset of BB curl and bent knee leg raise off a dip bar-
45lb, 5x10 on the curl. Did them more slowly.
5x5 on the leg raise. Less wobbling.
Today
Squat-
135lbx3
185/225/255/275lbx1
245lb, 10/10/5
Legs felt like someone filled them with lead on the third set. Got through it without grinding too much. The first and second set felt great as far as speed and consistency though.
Forgot to mention- elbows felt achy. Has to be because of yesterday.
Superset of pull-up and RFESS
4x7 on the pull-up
4x8 on the RFESS
Superset of hanging leg raise and DB RDL
5x4 on the leg raise
35lb, 5x7 on the RDL
Lifting is satisfying when you set PRs.
Today
Overhead squat-
45lb, 6/5
Snatch-
45lb, 5x3
Going to stick with just the bar until I get mobile + good enough at the lift to be able to more or less sit into the squat position without having to come up immediately because I’m losing balance.
Bench press-
45lb, 10/6/5
95blx3
135lbx1
DB row-
75lbx5
Superset of bench press and DB row-
155lbx1/175lbx1/145lb, 3x9 with the bench press
85lb, 5x10 with the DB row
The bench press felt better than last week.
Used 85lb because the someone had the 90lb and 95lb. Left side definitely weaker; I can rep out the 85lb with ease for the right side. I started struggling around the third set or so for my left side.
Superset of TRX row and dip-
5x7 on both the row and dip.
DB snatch and press-
55lb, 5x3
A lot of the presses were really push-presses on the left arm.
Today
Clean-
145lb, 10x1 (one minute rests)
Currently trying to apply how Glenn Pendlay teaches the clean on Youtube. Weight distribution is fucking with me.
Squat-
135/185/225/255lbx1
275lb, 6x2 (one minute rests)
The first rep of all of these felt very easy; like 245lb easy. The second rep felt harder, and I think the last rep came close to being a grind.
My elbows and shoulders ached throughout the squat today.
Pull-up-
x5
+20lb, 5x5 ( 90 second rest, did the last one as a chin-up to ensure that I can get it)
Superseted with a rotation between lunges- reverse lunge/cossack squat/forward lunge/ cossack squat/ reverse lungex6
Hanging leg raise-
5x4
Good day.
Today
Overhead squat-
45lb, 2x5
95lbx0
65lb, 4x5
Snatch-
45lb, 3x3
Got about halfway down with the 95lb and realized that this wouldn’t end well, so I aborted the rep.
Wait about 20 minutes for a rack
OHP-
45lbx5
95/115/135lbx2
Push-press-
145/165lbx1
DB row-
75lbx5
95lbx3
Superset of OHP and DB row-
110lb, 8/7/7 on the OHP
110lb, 4/3/4 on the row
Went for a ninth rep on the OHP and failed. Could be because of the overhead squats. Could be because my upper body is fatigued. Dunno. I thought I could get it but failed. Bleh
That’s it because 20 minutes of standing around eats up a lot of time.
Today
Clean-
135lb, 7x2 (one minute rest)
Felt fine. Started to get sloppy around the fifth set; felt like I started pulling too fast off the floor.
Front squat-
45lbx5
135/165/185/205/225lbx1
Paused the 205lb by accident. Sort of did the opposite on the 225lb, where I started coming up a bit too early. Both felt easy though, so meh.
185lb, 3x6
The second/third set felt difficult. So much tension in the belly that I got a mild stomachache afterwards.
Superset of chin-up/dip/single-leg deadlift
5x6 on all of them.
Lowered the reps so that I can account for form better. Initially wanted to build up to 5x10, but I’ve decided that it would be better to build up strength at the all ROM to account for fatigue messing me up like last time.
Today
Squat-
135lbx3
185/225/255/275/295lbx1
The 295lb felt solid. Felt like no grinding or slowing down anywhere. The singles and doubles with the 275lb seems to be helping. Pretty sure I can squat 3 plates with solid form and depth now as well, but that can wait for another couple of months before I try it out.
I may be able to get to 2xbw squat by the end of the year after all. Only about 60lb more (last I checked, I weighed 174lb).
255lb, 4x6/+1 after 30 seconds of resting.
This felt very difficult mentally, but physically I never ground a rep or did anything weird up until the last rep or two of the last sixes.
Pull-up-
x5
+20lb, 5x5 (90 sec rest)
Superseted with a rotation between lunges- reverse lunge/cossack squat/forward lunge/ cossack squat/ reverse lungex7
Legs felt very weak and some pain when I did the cossack squats.
Superset of hanging leg raise and DB RDL-
5x5 on the leg raise
35lb, 5x7 on the RDL
I think I have a head cold.
Today-
OHP-
95lbx5
115lbx3
135lbx1
BB row-
95lbx5
135lb/155lbx3
185lbx2
Superset of push-press and BB row(one minute rests)-
145lb, 5x3 for push-press
165lb, 5x4 for the row
Cleans didn’t feel that great. The push-presses felt fine. The rows felt harder than they should have.
Clean deadlift-
185/225lbx3
And that’s it. Had to go somewhere.