Swine Flu Redemption

Training Logs
1

Having just been dosed up with a couple of weeks worth of spine flu Iâ??ve now started to work my way back to fitness. Iâ??ve decided to celebrate by beginning a new program.

Goals â?? To gain strength and hopefully add a wee smidgen of hypertrophy.

I will achieve this by basing my workout on the legendary WS4SB template. Chances are though I will deviate from this now and again while on the journey. The new gym Iâ??ve joined has kettlebells and Iâ??ve always wanted to try them out.

31/8/09

ME UPPER

Bench Press â?? 4 x 5 (60kg, 65kg, 70kg, 75kg)
2 x 3 (80kg, 82.5kg)

Incline DB Press â?? 1 x 20 (40kg)
1 x 15 (40kg)

Seated Row* â?? 3 x 8 (45kg)
Face Pulls* - 3 x 8 (15kg)

Machine Shrugs (Hammerstrength) 3 x 10 140kg

Cable Curls â?? 3 x 8 (20kgs)

*Superset 1

This workout went well. Felt that I eased myself in nicely and was fairly jacked at the end. Only disappointment was having to use a machine for the shrugs.

1/9/09

DE LOWER

Vertical Jumps â?? 3 x 5 (BW)

Bulgarian Split Squats (elevated ROM) â?? 2 x 10 (32kg)

DB Romanain Deadlift â?? 3 x 8 (48kg)

Weighted Swiss Ball Crunches â?? 3 x 10 (16kg)

Was fairly knackered by the end of this mostly due to the Bulgarians. Also would have preferred to use an OB for the RDL but had to make do with DBâ??s.

2

3/9/09

RE UPPER

Bench Press - 4 x 12 (57.5kg)

Chin ups* - 3 x 8 (BW)
Rear Delt Flyes* - 3 x 12 (16kg)

Military Press - 4 x 8 - (42.5kg)

DB Shrugs* - 3 x 10 (66kg)
Hammer Curls* - 2 x 10 (28kg)
1 x 8 (28kg)

Workout was rather easy today. Sufficient rest times due to training with 2 other guys. The bench became suprisingly tough even though the weight was on the light side.

3

4/9/09

ME Lower Body

Squat - 4 x 5 (60kg,70kg,80kg,90kg)
2 x 3 (100kg,105kg)

Bulgarian Split Squat - 3 x 8 (36kg)

Cable Pull Throughs - 3 x 9 (27.5kg)

Workout went well and feel i’m setting up a solid base to build upon. Squats felt a little heavy at the last set however will plough through.

7/9/09

ME Upper Body

Bench Press - 3 x 5 (60kg,70kg,75kg)
3 x 3 (80kg,82.5kg,85kg)

Incline DB Chest Press - 2 x 15 (44kg)

Seated Row* - 3 x 9 (45kg)
Face Pulls* - 3 x 9 (15kg)

BB Shrugs - 3 x 10 (110kg)

Cable 3 x 10 (20kg)

Workout felt a little to easy today however i’m trying to build a good foundation so I can break a few PBs. My bench feels pretty hard however and I feel i’m going to hit a wall in the next few weeks. We’ll see what happens.

4

8/9/09

DE Lower Body

Vertical Jumps - 5x4 (BW)

Bulgarian Split Squat (Elevated) - 2 x 8 (36kg)

Romanian Deadlift - 3 x 8 (60kg)

Weighted SB Crunches - 3 x 10 (20kg)

Quick workout that lasted 45 mins. The way I like it. The RDL felt tougher on the grip than it did on my hamstrings. In saying that my hams are killing me today

9/9/09

6 Hill Sprints (45 secs)

This destroyed me.

5

10/9/09

RE Upper

Bench Press - 3 x 15 (60kg)
1 x 11 (60kg)

Chin Ups* - 3 x 9 (BW)
Inc Rear Delt Flyes* - 3 x 12 (18kg)

Military Press - 1 x 9 (42.5kg)
1 x 7 (42.5kg)
1 x 6 (40kg)

BB Shrugs* - 2 x 12 (100kg)
Cable Curls* - 2 x 12 (15kg)

Brutal workout which left me really disappointed. I had limited my carbs in the run up to this and it seriously sapped my energy and strength levels. Fuck that. Straight back on the carbs that night. I’m not sacrificing strength in the pursuit of low BF.

11/9/09

ME Lower Body

Squat 4 x 5 (60,70,80,90kg)
2 x 3 (100,107.5kg)

Bulgarian Split Squat - 3 x 10 (36kg)

Cable Pull Throughs - 3 x 12 (30kg)

Workout felt a lot better than the RE day due to an increase in carbs no doubt. Bit pissed of with my squat however as I felt my form go in the last set. Starting to think i’m a fucking genetic weakling. Can’t let the bad vibes get me down though

14/9/09

ME Upper

Bench Press - 3 x 5 (60,70,75kg)
2 x 3 (80,85kg)
1 x 2 (87.5kg)

Inc DB Chest Press - 2 x 16 (44kg)

Seated Row* - 3 x 10 (45kg)
Face Pulls* - 3 x 8 (17.5kg)

High Pulls - 3 x 8 (40kg)

Cable Curls - 3 x 10 (22.5kg)

Good workout. Bit pissed of with my bench though. My goal is to bench 100kg. My bodyweight is 78kg so I know it will call for some hardcore training. If anyone has any advice on how to accomplish this then please pass it on. Will be greatly appreciated!

6

15/9/09

DE Lower Body

Vertical Jumps - 6x3 (BW)

Bulgarian Split Squat (Elevated) - 2 x 10 (36kg)

Romanian Deadlift - 3 x 8 (62.5kg)

Weighted SB Crunches - 3 x 10 (22kg)

Good quick efficient workout however doing vert jumps in my chuck taylors combined with hill and flat sprints has left me with a serious dose of shin splints which is pretty agoninsing. I believe the only cure is rest. Trying to think what I can substitute the vert jumps with. Any ideas?

7

17/9/09

RE Upper

Bench Press - 4 x 15 (60kg)

Chin Ups* - 2 x 10, 1 x 8 (BW)
Inc Rear Delt Flyes* - 3 x 12 (20kg)

Military Press - 3 x 9 (42.5kg)

High Pulls* - 3 x 8 (42.5kg)
Hammer Curls* - 3 x 8 (32kg)

Big improvement from last weeks shitty performance. This is definitely the hardest day of the program IMO. The high rep bench really does the damage as do the supersets. Starting to wonder how my 31 year old carcass can sustain this.

8

18/9/09

ME Lower Body

Box Squat 3 x 5 (60,70,80kg)
4 x 3 (90,95,100,102.5kg)

Bulgarian Split Squat - 3 x 8 (40kg)

Cable Pull Throughs - 3 x 10 (32.5kg)

KB swings - 2 x 10 (24kg)

Absolutely goosed after this workout. Box squats felt damn good though. Love 'em! Really starting to get into the groove with this program. Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated

9

21/9/09

ME Upper Body

Bench Press - 3 x 5 (60,70,75kg)
2 x 3 (80, 87.5kg)

Inc DB Chest Press - 2 x 15 (48kg)

Seated Row* - 3 x 8 (50kg)
Face Pulls* - 3 x 9 (17.5kg)

High Pulls - 3 x 8 (45kg)

Cable Curls - 3 x 10 (25kg)

I really enjoyed this workout. Felt good getting the last 3 reps on the bench. It was pretty hard going. I’ll be surprised if I hit 3 reps at 90kg. Might have to change my max effort lift next week. Thinking of going for floor presses. Rest of the workout went well and i’m still progressing through poundage.

23/9/09

DE Lower Body

Vertical Jumps - 7x3 (BW)

Bulgarian Split Squat (Elevated) - 2 x 8 (40kg)

Romanian Deadlift - 3 x 8 (65kg)

Ab Rollout with dumbells - 3 x 6 (BW)

I like the DE lower day due to the fact that it’s focused and over rather quickly. Could have went heavier on some weights however I don’t want to burn my legs out as I have to do a lot of sprinting and stair climbs during the week

10

24/9/09

RE UPPER

Bench Press - 3 x 15, 1 x 10 (62.5kg)

Pull ups* - 3 x 6 (BW)
Rear Delt Flyes* - 3 x 10 (24kg)

Military Press - 4 x 10 - (42.5kg)

Power Shrugs* - 3 x 8 (100kg)
Hammer Curls* - 3 x 9 (32kg)

Changed the chins to pulls as I felt last week I was busting a gut to get 3 sets of 10. That superset is a killer, especially straight after the 4 sets of bench which is fairly brutal. Lifts are all going up smoothly though so jobs a good 'un.

25/9/09

ME Lower Body

Box Squat 3 x 5 (60,70,80kg)
4 x 3 (90,95,100kg)
1 x 4 (102.5kg)

Bulgarian Split Squat - 3 x 9 (40kg)

Cable Pull Throughs - 3 x 12 (32.5kg)

Box squat felt quite tough on the last rep of the last set. was tempted to put the weight up but tbh there’s no rush and I want to ensure progress in every session. I’m also a little cautious of going hell for leather every workout as i’m not really used to doing a 4 day split. 3 days FB’s at most and some years of abbreviated training so I feel this is a step up.

11

28/9/09

ME Upper Body

Floor Press - 4 x 5 (60,70,75, 77.5kg)
2 x 3 (80, 85kg)

Inc DB Chest Press - 1 x 15, 1 x 10 (52kg)

Seated Row* - 3 x 9 (50kg)
Face Pulls* - 3 x 8 (20kg)

High Pulls - 3 x 9 (45kg)

Cable Curls - 3 x 10 (27.5kg)

I was a tad apprehensive going into todays workout as I was taken to hospital last night. Had an asthma attack building up over the whole weekend which culminated in me going to A & E to get sorted. Oxygen levels were low in my blood so had to be given high dose steroids (prednisolone) to get my lungs back in working order along with 15 minutes on a nebuliser. Woke up the day feeling tired and groggy however had to go to the gym to get my fix.

The workout was fairly intensive. Have changed from the Bench to the Floor Press to give my CNS a break. It felt good. Could have went further however need to take it easy and ensure linear progress. High Pulls were also pretty tough and I’m starting to feel a twinge in my shoulder as I reach the end of the set. Will need to keep an eye on that

12

29/9/09

DE Lower Body

Box squats into Vertical Jumps - 5x3 (BW)

Bulgarian Split Squat (Elevated) - 2 x 9 (40kg)

Romanian Deadlift - 3 x 10 (70kg)

1 legged decline sit ups - 2 x 10 (BW)
1 x 10 (12kg)

This is by far the easiest day of the whole program. In saying that though the bulgarians are always a killer, especially due to the increased ROM. Jacked up the RDL and it still felt pretty easy. Grip was the only problem in that lift. The decline sit ups were sick. Will definitely feel that tomorrow.

13

1/10/09

RE UPPER

Bench Press - 3 x 15, 1 x 12 (62.5kg)

Pull ups* - 3 x 7 (BW)
Rear Delt Flyes* - 3 x 11 (24kg)

Military Press - 4 x 8 - (45kg)

Power Shrugs* - 3 x 8 (100kg)
Tricep Pushdowns* - 3 x 12 (17.5kg)

14

[quote]yusef wrote:
I’d like to start this program soon, or perhaps 5/3/1. Is it generally enjoyable?

Also are you training at pleasance?[/quote]

It’s a great program Yusef. It’s really demanding as well, especially if you do the 4 day a week template. Seeing some good gains and my traps have increased ion size due to the face pulls, power shrugs and hugh pulls.

I don’t train at Pleasance mate. Where is it?

15

2/10/09

ME Lower Body

Sumo Deadlift 4 x 5 (60,70,80,90,100kg)
3 x 3 (110,120,125kg)

Bulgarian Split Squat - 3 x 8 (44kg)

Cable Pull Throughs - 3 x 10 (35kg)

Changed the squat to a deadlift day. Felt good however the last lift killed me. Also got told off by some lackey for banging the deadlift off the floor. She told me I had to do it on a foam matt. I told her this was stupid as it would absorb the force but she wasn’t having it. Dumb PT bitch. Gonna put in a complaint because all the roiders throw weights about willy nilly yet never get told off. Seems to be selective in there.

6/10/09

ME Upper Body

Close Grip Bench Press - 3 x 5 (60,70,75kg)
3 x 3 (80,85kg)
1 x 2 (87.5kg)

DB Floor Press - 2 x 15 (52kg)

Seated Row* - 3 x 10 (50kg)
Face Pulls* - 3 x 9 (20kg)

High Pulls - 3 x 8 (47.5kg)

Cable Curls - 3 x 9 (27.5kg)

Good workout however seem to be sticking on my ME lift. Had to change it over because some idiot was doing deadlifts(badly) in the powerrack. Other than that everything went well

16

I trained at pleasance once… was really nice but took 3 buses to get there. I go to david lloyds, either at glasgow road or in leith depending when and where I’m working… since I joined all my numbers went through the roof

Jack mate, do you deadlift normally? and do your dumbell weights refer cumulatively or to each individual one? I personally find DB chest press better on my chest than BB which hurts my right shoulder to hell.

17

[quote]Bambi wrote:
I trained at pleasance once… was really nice but took 3 buses to get there. I go to david lloyds, either at glasgow road or in leith depending when and where I’m working… since I joined all my numbers went through the roof

Jack mate, do you deadlift normally? and do your dumbell weights refer cumulatively or to each individual one? I personally find DB chest press better on my chest than BB which hurts my right shoulder to hell.[/quote]

Bambi mate that was the first time I had deadlifted in about 2 months. My PB for a dead is 140kg for 3 reps which is pretty poor however i’m working on it. I think my body shape is a hindrance, I have wee legs and a longer body so i’m blaming the body mechanics:-)

The DB weight is combined mate as well. I’m having problems with my shoulder as we speak and I blame the BB as well mate. Doin high reps on repetition upper day has created a cramping sensation that has plagued me all week and is worrying. Gonn aleave that movement out next time.

Thanks for the input mate.

18

No problem mate it’s good to see you train as well as pissing off people in GAL ;). Since I actually trained lower body properly and deadlifted (all variations) 2x a week my numbers have shot up, grip’s better, back’s stronger, can run faster… I think the answer to life is deadlifts, not 42 ha.

Ever tried YWTL movements for shoulders? Did wonders for mine when I really hurt it

19

LOL aye mate i’ve been winding up those nutters no end and they keep taking the bait. Giving it a rest though as my posts seem to take about 3 hours to appear. Think i’m being screened by mods or something.

Mate I plan to hit deads hard after I finish this program. Twice a week sounds like a good shout. Deads are awesome mate thats spot on, so simple and effective.

I’m defo going to try that YWTL movement as my shoulder is killing me. Always been lucky with injuries however this is starting to affect me mentally. Constant cramp and i’m not going down the painkiller route.

You got a log yourself mate?

20

6/10/09

DE Lower Body

Box squats into Vertical Jumps - 6x3 (BW)

Box Squats - 10 x 3 (60kg)

Romanian Deadlift - 3 x 8 (75kg)

Workout was fairly lax as my shoulder is killing me and i keep thinking i should give it rest. I can’t though as I am addicted to rep. Done some box sqauts and emphasised my speed. Done it mostly as I felt it would help my recovery. My new job has ate into my regime and I need to work out 3 days in a row so didn’t want to go to crazy.