My Road To The Cage

Yesterday

Box squats
60kgx8
80kgx5
100kgx5
120kgx5-could be a beltless PR or close to one
Belt and wraps on
150kgx7-PR- could have hit 10 but I was stuggling to get air in

Close stance swinging leg press
50kgx6
100kgx6
150kgx6-nothing hard here just keeping things light

Seated calf press
stack x 10
stack x 15
stack x 15

I weighed in at 73.3kg for this session which sows the weight is going up slightly which is good.

Wednesday

Military Press
barx8
40kgx5
50kgx5
57.5kgx5

Dips
BWx10
15kgx6
20kgx6
25kgx5-PR

Super set with

Pull downs, different handles
5sets plus 1 drop set

Cable extensions
45kgx2setsx10
50kgx6-PR

Bicep tendon on my left arm was painful so missed face pulls and curls and did decline close grip on the smith for a few sets nothing exciting.

Front squats
barx6
60kgx5
80kgx5-PR-easy

Box squats
100kgx5-slow
belt on
120kgx5
Wraps on
155kgx5

Step ups
60kgxsome
75kgsome-PR-easy

Leg curls
50kgx6
65kgx6
75kgx6-PR

Seated calf raises
50kgx15
65kgx8
75kgx8-PR?
45kgx2setsx25-PR

Plate neck work
10kgx15reps sides and rear(30reps front)
15kgx15 reps sides and rear(30 reps front)

Not a bad session. No pop in my hips today. could have done another 10kg on front squats. Need more volume in my box squats

Close grip bench-All paused
60kgx10
70kgx5
80kgx5
90kgx3-easy didnt want to push it, want to keep this lift moving and keep a possitive mental state about ti as my bench sucks
70kgx10

Dead hang pull ups
3setsx5reps-all easy will add a rep or two per set each time

Neutral grip db bench
30kgx8
35kgx8
35kgx5

Db rows
40kgx6
50kgx6
55kgx6
left it there

Incline db extensions
12.5kgx6
15kgx6
20kgx6-PR-easy

DB curls
22.5kgx5
17.5kgx8-focusing on squeezing at the top and feeling the contraction

DB seated strict lat raises
10kgx6
12.5kgx6-PR

Rear delt fly machine
80kgx20-PR

I have agreed to fight for a new promotion at light weight in a 4 man eliminator for a title. I am excited and extremely motivated. I have the name of my first opponent. I am currently just over 19 weeks out.

I stepped on the scale today at 74kg dehydrated and without eating so I should be walkign around at 76ishkg.

I benched again simply to get all my weights on the right days that I want them on.

Close grip bench
60kgx10
70kgx8
80kgx5
90kgx5-PR-fairly easy
80kgx10-PR-easy again

Neutral grip db bench
32.5kgx6
37.5kgx8-PR?

Dead hang pull ups (pulling up until the bar hits nipple line)
3setsx7reps-PR

V handle pull downs
72.5kgx6
87.5kgx6

Incline db extensions
15kgx6
20kgx6-form started to get sloppy
17.5kgx12-PR-much better

Barbell curls
30kgx10
40kgx6

Seated strict db lat raises
12.5kgx6
15kgx6

Left out rear delt fly machine

Feeling good at this point and plenty left in the tank. I plan on letting my weight get up to around 80kg in the next 7 weeks or so before slowly dieting down.

I havent posted recetly, as I havent bee able to get to a gym…It has killed me and I have lost some weight. I will be back training tomorrow at my usual gym and have now got access to a shitty gym for free, where I will do extra ab work and bits and pieces.

I will be using Dave Tate’s Bench Cure program, I used it before I competed in a push/pull comp and my benh never felt stronger, I will be also switching to Sumo deadlifts. The next few months are hectic, I’ll be switching career, finding a new house as well as moving twice. So fighting soon is off the cards, so I plan on getting stonger and bigger.

Went to the crao gym to do a mini training session

V handle lat pull downs
3setsx10reps

Machine chest press
3setsx10reps

Cybex leg press
4setsx10reps

Nothing heavy just getting some extra work in.

I went home, ate, showered and headed off to meet my mate who was giving me a lift to another gym, I got there on time but he decided not to tell me he wasnt going anymore…I walked 30mins to get there and then had to turn right back round and walk back…I will try get to the gym this weekend. its a 2 hour walk but its just the price that has to be paid. Got an idea about doing another competiton next year and try hit some big PR’s

It was great to be back in the old gym today, and a big thankyou to te owners who have sorted me out with free training. I will be walking an hour and a half there and an hour and a half back on training days…but its worth it.

DE Bench
82.5kgx1-way too slow
70kgx8setsx3reps-3 grips-these got faster and faster as the sets went on.

I dont have access to boards any more so…

Pin Press (2board height)
60kgx5
80kgx5-Baseline PR
85kgx3-harder than I thought-Baseline PR
I am weak at these so I need to hammer them

20mins free time

Barbell Shrugs
60kgx10
80kgx10
100kgx9

Super set with

Seated DB Cleans
12.5kgx2setsx8reps-baseline PR
10kgx8

I could have went heavier, but I wanted every rep to be a mirror image of the one previous

Wide Grip D Handle Pulldowns
65kgx8
80kgx8
87.5kgx8-Baseline PR

Machine Preacher Curls
35kgx8
40kgx8
45kgx8-Baseline PR

It felt great to be back training and in the old gym. Im about 21lb lighter than what I was…I feel awful at 154lb! First two orders of business will be to get back the weight and strength I have lost and then to surpass them!

I deadlifted convensional today…I will switch in two more heavy deadlift session to sumo for 3 heavy sessions than flip flop between the two

Deadlifts
100kgx3
140kgx3
160kgx1
180kgx1-easy

Rack Pulls va Bands
60kgx5 ( 60kg of band tension)
100kgx3 ( 60kg of band tension)
140kgx1-easy-( 60kg of band tension)

Front Squats off pins
Worked up to 70kgx5-easy

Ab Bench
30kgx2setsx8reps

I walked the hour and a half to the gym but managed to get a lift back. Off tomorrow and then ME Bench.

ME Bench and already wavering away from 6 week bench cure

Floor Press
40kgx20
50kgx10
60kgx5
70kgx5
80kgx3
90kgx1
70kgx8

I couldnt set up properly and this cost me weight and reps…I will still do the next 2 weeks on this exercise but depending how I feel, will decide what reps

Incline Tate Extensions
15kgx6
17.5kgx6
20kgx8-PR?
22.5kgx8-PR-easy

Bent Over Rows (From a dead stop on the floor for each rep)
40kgx8
50kgx8
60kgx8
70kgx8
80kgx8
90kgx8-Baseline PR

These felt great and my back was destroyed after…Might just be my new favorite back movement!

DB Rear Delt Fly
10kgx8
15kgx8

Nothing challenging, just wanted to get some blood in there

Hammer DB Curls
20kgx6
22.5kgx6
25kgx5
27.5kgx6-PR

All together a fun training session. I havent checked my weight since, but I feel heavier. Will check in a week or so.

I was ment to squat today, but my training partner has let me down. This is getting old fast. I have a busy week next week and a huge 18 hour party on Friday so all my training will be pushed in before it. It probably wont be a good week number wise because of it, but I’ll do my best even if Im destroyed by friday…The beer will hide the pain!

Did DE Bench instead of squats since I walked 9 miles

Bench
3setsx75kgx3reps
5setsx70kgx3reps

Dropped weight as speed wasnt were I wanted it

Pin Press
60kgx5
70kgx5
80kgx3
90kgx2-PR
80kgx7-PR

20mins free time

Shrugs
60kgx8
80kgx8
100kgx8
110kgx3-couldnt seem to squeeze the bar hard enough, felt light though

super set with

Seated DB Cleans
12.5kgx3setsx8reps-PR

Wide Grip D Pulldowns
65kgx8
80kgx8
95kgx8-PR

Machine Preacher Curls
40kgx8
45kgx8
50kgx7-PR
40kgx12-PR

Dips
BWx8
10kgx8
15kgx8
Nothing hard just getting extra volume in

I was asked last night for a good program to start on, from a friend of mine. I recommended 5x5, as I think its a great program. My friend then commented “If its so good, why arent you doing it?” This then ended up as a challenge to see why makes the best progress on 5x5 in a 16 week period.

To be honest it fits my need for more lift practise, less days and to build a base all over again since I lost soo much weight and strength, when I was unable to train.

I will be lifting tomorrow and thursday then on monday I will start 5x5. The progress will be based on our starting numbers and then how much we can hit for 1RM on squats, bench and deadlift after we finish…GAME ON!

havent posted in abit. I did a 5x5 on thursday to get some base number. I did:

Squat
worked up to an easy 100kgx5. Will start at 110kg

Bent over rows
worked up to an easy 100kgx5. will start at 105kg or 110kg

Bench
worked up to 80kgx3. this will be my start weight

I was in a different gym so I did
4sets of hyper extensions working up to 40kg. would have done more but the plates kept slipping out of my arms.

8sets of pull ups reps between 8 and 12.

Weighed in at 71kg dehydrated. Should be around 72-73kgish hydrated.

I plan on doing a push/pull in december as a primer for a few comps next year. I wont be cutting weight. I plan on bulking until around jan-feb time so will just compete at what ever I weigh. I have some numbers in mind that I would like to hit and a rough idea of what I should be weighing at the time. Hard work starts monday!

Yesterday

Week 1 Day 1 of 5x5

Squats
70kgx5
80kgx5
90kgx5
100kgx5
110kgx5-easy enough

Barbell Rows
70kgx5
80kgx5
90kgx5
100kgx5
110kgx5-10kg PR…Stomach evacuated contents
120kgx5-20kg PR…Moved well…wiped me out

Bench
40kgx5
50kgx5
60kgx5
70kgx5
80kgx5

Good Mornings
60kgx3setsx8reps-Weight was nothing…just focusing on technique

Struggling to get tight on bench and this is killing my numbers. I have a feeling its doing rows before I bench. Will try putting bench first on Friday and see if that fixes it.