TCam's Log - The Road to Elite

Training Logs
721

##The Road to Shitville
Week Etc - Day 1

Complex 2x:
Bird-Dog x10/10, Side Plank 0:15/0:15, RKC Plank 0:15, Hollow Hold Crunch x10

Beltless Deadlift - Texas DL Bar:
3x315 - No pain. Dbl overhand
3x405 - Pain. Straps
2x405 - More pain. Straps
3x3x315 - Dbl overhand

Walking KB Lunges:
6x5/5x40s

KB Unilateral Overhead Walk:
2x100/100ft x 55

A1 | Suitcase DB RDL:
3x20/20x55

A2 | Leg Extension:
3x20x120

Well last week I did a 10x3x315 deadlift without any pain 2 days after the initial injury, so I figured deadlift was fine for a little heavier weight. Turns out itā€™s not. I think the issue is just any back rounding at all is a no go. Iā€™m really not going to let this keep me down though. My plan is 3-4 full weeks of zero full squats or deadlifts. During that time Iā€™m going to continue with my bench plan as if nothing ever happened and I am going to focus on a ton of GPP work and accessories to keep my muscle on my lower body.

Things I canā€™t do:
Squat, deadlift

Things I can do:
Lunges, leg press, split squat, leg extension, step-ups
Hypers, leg curls, suitcase deadlift, DB deadlift, pull-throughs
Shrugs, farmers walks, all kinds of walks
All pressing, rowing, curling, and ab things

Things I may be able to do:
Belt squat, good mornings, RDL, box jumps, KB swings

So basically I have more things that I can do than I canā€™t. So fuck it, letā€™s get generally physically prepared and better at bench.

722

##The Scenic Route to Elite
Week 1 - Day 2

Paused Bench w/ Chains (+40):
7x3x295+40 - All but maybe two reps were perfect.

Rope Pull-Ups:
5x5 - Landed on the ground between each rep. Working on grip.

Lat Pulldown - Close Pronated:
3x12x140

Triceps Pushdown:
3x15x65

Cable Fly:
3x15x25s

Unilateral Cable Curl:
3x15/15x20

RDL:
3x15x135

Am now elite athlete:
Box Jumps - About 12 jumps, 6 broad jumps from sitting to a ~24" box about 6 ft away, 6 box jumps from sitting to a ~36" box.
Backwards Prowler Push - 6 sets of 30 ft with sled+280 lbs
KB Suitcase Carry - 3 sets of 30 ft / 30 ft with 100 lbs
KB Swing - 3x20x100

No back pain on anything other than a bit on the box jumps when I landed in a full squat position. The broad jumps were much better in that regard. Iā€™ll probably continue both. The room that I was doing all of that stuff in is $100/month, but theyā€™re letting me try it out for a week for free. Not really sure at this point if it is worth the price. I would just be doing it for one month though.

Bench felt great and my back continues to have zero issues with my arch. Iā€™ll also be putting more focus into my grip work pretty much every day to see if I can get it stronger while I wait to get back into deadlifts.

723

##The Scenic Route to Elite
Week 1 - Days 3-5

Friday

Pause Bench:
1x380 - Misgrooved it forward, but otherwise easy
5x3x355 - No issues

Close Grip Incline:
3x3x260 - I was supposed to do 5x4, but it was very apparent that this wasnā€™t strong today. Not too worried about it.

Unilateral HS Iso-Row:
4x10/10x135

A1 | Hand Over Hand Rope Sled Pull:
4 x 30 ft x Sled+115 - Mostly rowing work, barely used my legs like you would see in strongman comps

A2 | Sled Push:
4 x 30 ft x Sled+115

B1 | Box Broad Jump:
3x5 @ 6 ft x 20 in

B2 | Trap Bar Carry:
3 x 60 ft x 315 or whatever 3 plates is

C1 | Box Broad Jump:
3x5 @ 7 ft x 20 in

C2 | Goblet KB Carry:
60 ft x 100
120 ft x 100
180 ft x 100

Medicine Ball Throw:
3x10x18 - Wall toss high angle. Hit over 12 ft with each one.

Band Triceps Pushdown + Overhead Extension:
3x20+15xMini+Monster Mini

Didnā€™t really realize how much stuff I did in the GPP room until I wrote it down. Lol. The box jumps are pretty much the reason I donā€™t do speed work in my training. I havenā€™t lost any explosiveness and I havenā€™t trained for jumps in like 8 years. Thatā€™s just my natural strength, so I donā€™t need to work on it. It is fun though. My grip on the other hand is shit, so Iā€™ll be doing more and more of these farmers walks with multiple implements.

Saturday

A1 | Banded Leg Press:
4x12x270+2 dbl lights

A2 | DB RDL - Straps:
4x15x100s - Very easy, but just hitting the hamstrings and getting a feel for this

B1 | Belt Squat:
3x15x100 - No back issues here, so this is about to become a staple

B2 | KB Shrug:
3x12x100s

Pull-Ups:
5x3 - 15 sec rests. Straight bar.
5x3 - 15 sec rests. Rings.

Band Pull-Apart:
2x50xMini

C1 | Tire Lift:
3x10 - Basically I just did the first part of a tire flip, going into triple extension. This was like a 400 lb tire or something relatively light

C2 | Stair Lunge:
3x11/11xBW

Iā€™m starting to get the hang of this no-main-movement workout. Everything here felt fine on my back. Iā€™ll definitely be doing a lot of belt squats to keep the squatting pattern going. Iā€™ll likely add goblet squats next week to see if Iā€™m okay to load up top again.

I got a massage after this and he worked on the QL area, glutes, and then rekt my psoas. The psoas isnā€™t something Iā€™m ever able to reach, because all the people that try to show it say that you should be pressing like 2 inches lateral to the belly button. Itā€™s more like 5 inches. But I feel like the massage actually helped a lot with this injury.

Sunday

Paused Wide Grip Bench:
5x6x315 - Sets ranged from RPE 7-8.5

A1 | DB Bench:
2x8x115s
14x115s

A2 | Paused Bent Over Row - Wide Grip:
5x10x135

Triceps Pushdown - Myo-Reps:
20x75 + 8x5x75 - 15 sec rests

B1 | Overhead Hanging KB Walk:
4 x 60 ft x 95 - Video below of what this is. 30 ft forward, 30 ft backward.

B2 | KB Curl:
4x12x50s

Didnā€™t do much volume on GPP work today since I did a lot the past two days. Iā€™ve been enjoying doing this a lot though honestly. I may incorporate it each time after I peak as my transition phase. Just a thought for now though.

Bench felt good today, but it wasnā€™t very easy. The first and last sets were the best, but the middle sets were actually difficult. I think wide grip is just harder for me to hold on for that many reps. Iā€™m getting better though.

Video of a set of bench and the overhead walk:
Tyler Campbell | Health & Fitness Coach on Instagram: "Last set of a 5x6x315 paused wide grip and a set of overhead wobbly walks. Bench specialism is going well so far. You can see a discrepancy on the right side during the walk, I wasn't getting my shoulder and elbow into full adduction and extension, respectively, so I focused on that on the next set. #powerlifting #fitness #fitnessmotivation #bodybuilding #gym #strong #strong #bench #workout #rpowerlifting"

724

##The Scenic Route to Elite
Week 2 - Day 1

T-Bar Row - V-Grip:
8x180
5x8x205 - 4.5 plates. Maintained my position back pretty well, no pain

Iso-Lateral Lat Pulldown:
3x10x160

Cable Pull-Through:
3x12x95

Standing Single Leg Curl:
3x15/15x60

Box Jumps:
3x32"
3x36"
3x40"
3x3x42"

KB Farmers Walk - Belt:
2 x 200 ft x 100s - Hard as shit. Grip failed once on the first set and twice on the way back. Handles were like 2" thick

KB Swing:
2x25x100 - These are so much more useful with a heavy KB

Belt Squat:
3x15x100 - And then quad cramps. Thatā€™s good, I guess.

Pretty good workout for continuing to not have a specific plan when Iā€™m not benching. Part of my goal during these 4 weeks is to bring up my back, so more rows will continue to happen.

Pain update is that I am fine on all of the lifts Iā€™ve tried, but I do have some discomfort during the day when Iā€™m sitting in the same position for too long or I get into a bad position. Still, Iā€™m happy with the progress so far.

725

##The Scenic Route to Elite
Week 2 - Day 2

Warm-Up Row:
1,000 meters in 4:19 - Was curious about back pain here since there is spinal flexion involved. No problems.

Paused Bench w/ Chains (+40):
7x3x305+40 - Moved pretty well, but needed more rest between sets. Iā€™ve tapped out my speed work potential on this movement, so Iā€™m going to lay off of it for a few weeks.

Incline BB Row:
5x8x225 - No straps for grip work

Rope Pull-Ups:
3x5 - Landed on the ground between each rep. Grip work.

Band Triceps Pushdown + Skullcrusher:
3x15+15xLight

EZ Bar Curl:
3x15x80

BB Rear Delt Row:
3x20x45

Pretty straightforward workout. I didnā€™t do any box jumps and whatnot because Iā€™ve come down with a small head cold. Itā€™s not affecting much, but Iā€™d like to easily recover from it.

My pecs were a little tight with my normal grip width, so I moved out a finger width to my wider grip and it felt stronger and better on the pecs. Iā€™m wondering if I can keep on moving out to get that ridiculously short ROM.

726

##More Pit Stops on the Road to Elite
Week 2 - Days 3-5

Before I write the last three days, I am now more injured. I think Iā€™ve mentioned before that I was joining a kickball league with some friends, well it started a couple weeks ago. Yesterday (Sunday) we had a practice game and on my last kick, I strained the shit out of my right hip flexor. Basically the injury that you would think could happen in kickball. Very powerful kick and not making enough contact with the ball = Just fuck me up, fam. Iā€™m thinking this is pretty much the highest grade strain I can have without it being torn, because itā€™s been aching ever since it happened regardless of movement and movement is stupidly painful, but thereā€™s no bruising.

At this point Iā€™m still two weeks out from starting back to barbell squatting and deadlifting, but this shit is going to take at least two weeks to heal, Iā€™m thinking. I wonā€™t be able to do my box jumps either. Also, Iā€™m guessing that my bench arch is going to be highly effected.

Luckily itā€™s a very accessible area for wrapping, icing, massaging, etc. The only positive Iā€™m seeing is that it will make me be extra careful when I start squatting and deadlifting again. It will be a very slow build up to normal weights.

Friday

Paused Bench:
1x390
5x3x370 - 5 lb volume PR. Really happy with this, but it was very hard

OHP:
6x4x185 - Havenā€™t done this is a long time, just didnā€™t want to stress my pecs more with incline

Unilateral HS Row:
8/8x135 - Wide neutral
8/8x180
8/8x230
8/8x230 - Pronated
8/8x180
8/8x135

A1 | HS Chest Press:
3x20/20x45

A2 | Rear Delt Cable Crossover:
3x20x15s

One-Arm Hyperextension:
8/8xBW+60
10/10xBW+60
12/12xBW+60

Saturday

Cleans:
3x3x135
3x185 - I just suck at these. Not worth it. lol

Snatch Grip High Pull - Straps:
5x8x185 - First time doing this. Pretty fun

DB RDL:
3x12x110s

Seated Box Jumps:
5x5 - Varying heights

Medicine Ball Throw:
3x10x20

KB Swing:
2x20x100

Sunday

Wide Grip Paused Bench:
6x5x335 - PR for any grip as far as I know. Bounced between ring and middle fingers on the rings

DB Bench:
2x8x120s
12x120s @ 9

Lat Pulldown - Close Supinated:
3x12x120 - Real light on these just for a stretch

Triceps Pushdown - Myo-Reps:
20x80 + 8x5x80 - 15 sec rests

A1 | TRX Inverted Curl:
3x15 - Like an inverted row, but Iā€™m using my biceps

A2 | Single Leg Plank on Bosu Ball:
3 sets of 3 reps at 10 sec holds per side

Well anyway, it was a good few days of workouts. Iā€™m skipping today (Monday) because Iā€™m just resting/icing the injury for the first 24-48 hours before I go to work on it other than light massage.

727

##Recovery
Week Something - Day 1

3 Ct. Paused Bench:
7x3x315

Seal Row - Full Stop:
5x6x225

Reverse Hyper:
4x15xBW+Mini - Figured out a way to do these on the Smith Machine

Lying Leg Curl:
5x8x110

Cable Fly:
4x15-20 - Various angles, hand positions, and weights between 5 and 15 per side

A1 | Kneeling Cable Crunch:
3x15x80

A2 | DB Side Bend:
3x15/15x85

Hook Grip Holds:
Fine with 135 for 10 sec holds, felt like death with 225 for 5 sec holds, and entered another realm with 315 for like one 3 sec hold. I want to see if I can build onto this, but damn it is painful.

Alright, so my hip flexor is still in pain but obviously significantly less than the first day. Iā€™m working on it in some way every day and I think Iā€™ll be fine around 10 days from now. I was able to get into a decent, but painful, bench arch but I couldnā€™t use much leg drive to get the bar off my chest. As a result, along with cumulative stress, my left pec was left feeling beat up. Iā€™m planning on going by feel and not forcing my heavy day if I think Iā€™m going to get hurt. All Iā€™ve got at the moment is bench and Iā€™d rather not lose it.

The reverse hypers actually felt pretty good. Any time Iā€™ve tried them before they seem to hurt more than help, but I think I figured out how to perform them correctly. Iā€™m using these as the first step into stressing my lower back before getting into squatting or deadlifting again. Iā€™ll get a video of the Smith Machine set up next time.

728

##Recovery
Rest of Last Week

Iā€™m not going to bother logging whatever I did for the remainder of the week. I decided against benching to make sure I didnā€™t injure my pecs. I did do some OHP at 185 and then snatch grip high pulls at 225, which seemed to exacerbate my back issue a bit. The hip flexor strain is nearly healed as expected though.

At this point Iā€™m going to move ahead with adding in single leg squatting variations, more belt squats, glute bridges, and heavier ab work. Iā€™m pretty done with this injury and want to move on.

729

##Good News / Bad News

Core/Hips Warm-Up Circuit - 2 Rounds:
McGill Curl-Up: 10/10 reps
Rolling Plank: 10/10 reps
Bird-Dog: 10/10 reps
Mini Band Walk: 10/10 reps

A1 | Bulgarian Split Squat:
3x12/12x100
12x100 - Right leg
11x100 - Left leg, right hip flexor strained again, this time with an audible pop (in my ears at least)

A2 | Seated Band Leg Curl:
3x20xLight

Seated Single Leg Curl:
3x15/15x60

Wellā€¦lol

I donā€™t even know. The above entry says my hip flexor was pretty much healed and I still think it was, but it wasnā€™t for the position of a Bulgarian split squat. I was focusing as much as I could on the working leg instead of the back leg, but it was still getting a somewhat uncomfortable stretch and I guess I should have stopped. I wrapped my hip with a multipurpose wrap to keep some pressure on it, but that obviously didnā€™t matter.

I was all excited about this workout because I was ready to do some work for the next week prepping me for getting back to squats and deadlift. Alas, that will not be happening for another 3-4 weeks probably.

At this point Iā€™m likely going to seek some professional help to fix myself up. Iā€™m not able to fix myself the way I want, so I need to trust someone else.

The good news in the title is that I received an invite for my first interview at a PT school. That will be occurring on Nov 18. This is significantly more important than my injury, so Iā€™m really happy about this at least. Also good news is that the warm-up circuit I did was really good for my back. Will likely make that a standard.

730

##Recovery

StairMaster:
5 mins at level 5-6
Rest 1 min
5 mins at level 8-9

Lying Hamstring Curl:
3x10x95 - These were to just counteract the quad pump from the stairs

Close Grip Incline Bench:
5x8x185 - Last 3 sets with FatGripz

Pull-Ups - Stirrup Handle:
5x8xBW

Dips w/ Chains:
4x12xBW+35

Chest-Supported Row w/ Bands:
4x10x90+1 dbl mini - I liked this because it made me continue to pull through at the top rather than letting it float to the end of the ROM

A1 | EZ Bar Curl:
3x15x80

A2 | Incline Skullcrusher:
3x15x80

DB Curl - Alternating:
2x8/8/8/8x35

B1 | DB Rear Delt Fly:
3x10x35s

B2 | DB Lateral Raise:
3x10x35s

Yay bodybuilding things. StairMaster wasnā€™t too bad, I could see myself working up to 15-20 mins on it, given my calves and quads can handle it. There is no issue in that ROM for the hip flexor. Probably therapeutic since thereā€™s a light stretch to it.

Everything else was fine, nothing was fun. lol

Hip flexor seems to be healing nicely, so it wasnā€™t as bad as the pop I felt/heard led me to believe. But I did make an appointment with a rehab facility for Friday. Iā€™m not sure what theyā€™ll do on this first evaluation.

This was also my only workout for the week since Iā€™m going to the beach after that appointment.

731

Back to It

Been a crazy week and a half. Iā€™m not even playing catch up on the log, I literally havenā€™t been to the gym since the last entry. There was a death in my family and I also had my first PT school interview this Friday. From Friday through Friday, I traveled about 35 hours driving and flying and slept in 5 different beds other than my own.

Anyway, I also had my chiro/rehab appointment last Friday and he confirmed my hip flexor was strained. He doesnā€™t think the QL was strained, but he obviously didnā€™t test it at itā€™s worst time. He thinks that I have a hard time stabilizing my neck because of how shaky I get against resistance and my propensity to get my neck out of neutral when Iā€™m lifting. He gave me a few exercises, but Iā€™ve only been able to do them for the last 2 days. So here are Friday and Saturdayā€™s workouts that just happened:

Friday

Paused Bench:
4x10x225 - Moved easily but felt heavy and I didnā€™t have a lot of control. It was expected

Paused Sumo - Beltless:
5x5x225 - No pain in back or hip flexor. First time deadlifting since Sept 19

Box Squat - Beltless:
3x5x225 - No back pain. Hip flexor pulling on eccentric. First time barbell squatting since Sept 15

Slide Board Reverse Lunges:
3x15/15xBW - This is one of the rehab exercises for the hip. Eccentric loading focused

Dead Bugs:
3x0:30 - Another rehab exercise. This is just a static dead bug with no arm or leg movement

I took this very easy tonight since I knew I would feel weak as hell. I couldnā€™t quite get into my bench arch because of the hip flexor, but Iā€™m not too far off. I was excited about deadlift, so I decided to do more today:

Saturday

Sumo Deadlift - DL Bar:
3x2x405 - First beltless, remainder of deadlifts belted. No pain anywhere

1" Sumo Block Pull - DL Bar/Straps:
3x3x405
2x3x455 - All good!

Paused Front Squat:
5x5x135 - No pain

High Bar Squat:
25x135
20x135 - Some hip flexor pulling like last night

A1 - Reverse Hyper:
4x15xBW+Mini

A2 - Dead Bug w/ Band:
3x0:30xMini - Band trying to pull hands overhead

B1 | Hip Adductor Machine:
2x20x110
20x130

B2 | Lying Leg Curl:
3x20x80

B3 | Hip Abductor Machine:
2x20x200
20x250

Slide Board Reverse Lunge:
3x12/12xBW

Woop woop! Sumo pulls went well today. I wasnā€™t planning on going as heavy as I did, I figured Iā€™d feel okay enough for 315, but I really had no issues. I just need to keep practicing my form and working on my underhand mobility. Hereā€™s a video of some of the sets:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BL3-1C-Bsb_/

732

Sunday

Paused Bench w/ Chains (+75):
5x3x275+75 - Maintained RPE 8 or so throughout. I was able to get into about 90% of my arch without hip flexor pain
43x135 - For fun. Just looked at my PR sheet at 45 is my PR. Booo. I did 38 unbroken though

Chest-Supported T-Bar Row w/ Band:
4x8x135+1 dbl mini

A1 | Cable Triceps Pushdown:
3x15x65

A2 | Band Overhead Triceps Extension:
20xMini
2x15xMini

Bent-Over EZ Bar Curl:
4x12x70

Lying Band Fly:
3x15x1 Mini per hand

Slide Board Reverse Lunge:
3x15/15xBW

Dead Bug:
3x0:30

I was surprised by how well bench went compared to Friday. I thought I would need another session until I didnā€™t feel horribly weak, but this all moved just fine with plenty of control. My PR is a 5x5 at 275+75, but I was just trying to move some weight today.

I think the reason my hip wasnā€™t allowing me to get into my arch on Friday was because of all of the traveling I did. Sumo and general movement must have opened it up for this session. This week will likely be two bench days and two deadlift days and then I expect my hip to be alright to begin squatting on the following week.

733

Tuesday

Paused Bench:
5x5x315 - Pretty easy. Last set was RPE 7.5

Landmine OHP:
3x10/10x70 - These are a bit too rough on the shoulders probably

Bent-Over Row w/ Bands - Straps:
5x10x185+2 mini bands pulling bar forward, so I had to resist it from pulling away from me like on a deadlift

Mag-Grip Pulldown:
4x6x200 - 2 sets semi-pronated, 2 sets semi-supinated

Paused Decline JM Press:
3x15x95

DB Curl - Alternating:
8/8/8/8x35

Nothing to write home about on this one. The plan for the time being is to make my volume work on bench the competition movement and the heavy day will include a variation, like chains.

Hip flexor was tight today, but I could still get some leg drive. Continuing to do my rehab stuff.

734

Wednesday

Beltless Paused Sumo Deadlift:
8x2x405 - Good for the most part. Got in front of me a couple of times. Still figuring it out

Stiff-Legged Box Deadlift w/ Bands:
5x8x225+2 minis pulling the bar away - Video below

Reverse Lunge w/ Upside-Down KB:
3x8/8x30

Cable Pull-Through:
3x10x95

Front Squat:
2x10x135 - Hip is still tight, even pinching on these this time

Dead-Bug w/ KB:
3x10/10x35 - One arm hold KB straight up, reps counted are my legs moving, alternating one in 90/90 and the other kicking straight out. Then moved to the other arm and repeated the 10 reps. Hip is plenty strong for this with no issues

Other than my hip flexor continuing to be a pain in the ass, things seem to be going decently well. I had some back pain during the last couple of sets of paused sumo, but no big deal, I just need to continue figuring out my positioning and bracing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMDEkcJhRh5/

735

Friday

Paused Bench w/ Chains (+75):
2x275+75
2x295+75
2x315+75 - 10 lb PR or +1 rep PR!
10x225+75
9x225+75 - Failed on 10th

Seated OHP:
4x5x185 - Oof weak

HS Low-Row:
4x8x270

Band Triceps Pushdown:
100xLight

Dead-Bugs:
3x0:30

So I hurt my hip flexor again on Thursday night. Went to play kickball and was not going to kick other than bunting, so I practiced running all the way up to some sprints around 85% with no pain. Well I hit a bunt and then started running to first base and within the first couple of steps the hip flexor strained again. I donā€™t really get it, but whatever, done trying to do anything athletic for a while. The strain isnā€™t as bad as the previous two times, just annoyed at this point.

I couldnā€™t get into my full arch with leg drive obviously, but I had some decent mobility in my back. Iā€™m really happy that I was able to get a PR with a longer ROM and less leg drive.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMISO8OBaZS/

736

Saturday

Sumo Deadlift w/ Chains (+60) - Belt/Straps:
2x405+60
2x455+60
3x2x495+60 - PR by default basically
3x2x405+60

Lat Pulldown - Medium Neutral:
3x10x185

Leg Press Machine - Single Leg:
20/20x120
3x12/12x180 - Tough on the hip, focused on control

Hypers:
4x12xBW+70

Sliding Reverse Lunge:
3x12xBW - Just did these with the right leg back to get my eccentric loading rehab started again

Iā€™m happy with how this went, since I was pretty unsure about how my hip would act with sumo. There were no issues though. I got into a crazy good position on one of the 6 reps at 495 and it was like butter. If I can find that again, Iā€™ll be in really good shape. Straps obviously help the ROM, but I may be trying hook grip. Undecided as of now on that though.

Not really sure about how much the chains actually add at the top, but 60 sounds about right. Last set of 495 shown below, which was the slowest of the sets. I donā€™t think 495 has felt this easy for conventional in a long time, so Iā€™m thinking sumo is probably here to stay. Just gotta hold my form on heavier sets.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMKIUm7BCAR/

737

Monday

Paused Bench:
4x8x295 - No problems here. Probably RPE 7-8 throughout. Just got a bit unstable near the end

DB Incline Bench:
2x10x85s
20x85s

Cable Low Row:
4x10x200

A1 | Band Lying Triceps Extension:
27, 25, 20, 17 x 1 mini per hand

A2 | Prone Incline EZ Bar Curl:
4x15x80

Facepull:
3x15x50

Sliding Reverse Lunge:
3x12/12xBW

This was a pretty good volume-focused bench workout. Very bodybuilder. Ended up with a ridiculous pump on the arms superset. I have done the band extensions in a long time, but they are great.

Hip is still limiting my arch, but it wasnā€™t bad for leg drive.

738

Tuesday

Paused Sumo Deadlift:
2x2x405 - Beltless
3x2x425 - Beltless
3x2x455 - Belted

Box Deadlift:
4x8x275

Pull-Ups:
5x3 - 20 sec rest
5x3 - 20 sec rest

Box Goblet Squat:
5x10x50 - Starting my long journey back to squatting

Reverse Hyper:
15x1 mini
2x15x2 minis
15x1 mini

Hack Squat Machine:
3x10x180 - No pains here, so this may be something I have to use to regain some strength

Core Work:
2 sets single arm KB dead-bugs, 1 set KB hollow-hold, both with 50 lbs

This went well other than feeling a tweak in my QL/back thing from last month. It happened on my first set of 405, but I decided to continue and focus on bracing, which helped a lot. I felt no other pain after that, but it is sore today, so I donā€™t know. Iā€™ll be doing block pulls as my heavy work on Thursday, so I think the higher back angle will help avoid that.

Anyway, all of the paused sets moved really well. I only belted up for 455 because of the tweak. I did hook grip up to my first set of 405 and then tapped out for the day. Will continue working it in though.

739

Wednesday

Paused Bench:
2x345
3x2x365
2x2x345

Seal Row - Straps:
5x8x225

Seated OHP:
4x10x135

Cable Fly:
3x20x20s

Rear Delt Cable Crossover:
3x15x15s

Band Triceps Pushdown:
100xLight - Rest pause style, did something like 30, 20, 20, 10, 10, 10

KB Curl:
3x20x30s

I didnā€™t really have a plan going into this workout other than it being a heavy bench day. Realized before starting I wanted to work with 365 and feel that out. Iā€™ve done a 5x3x365 a couple of months ago, so a 3x2 isnā€™t anything special, but these were about RPE 8 probably, so itā€™s fine. I had some pec irritation during all of this, partially because I was on the lower bench with higher hooks and didnā€™t use a spotter. Still cool Iā€™m casually self-handing off 365 on a shitty bench.

740

Thursday

1" Sumo Block Pull - Belt/Straps:
2x495
2x545
2x585 - Had this number in my head going in. My best sumo pull ever was 545 I think, so this is cool
2x1x585
2x12x405 - Brutal on the conditioning, but I had about 20 in me on both sets

Box Goblet Squat:
5x10x75 - Short mini band around knees

Leg Press - Close Stance:
20x180
20x270
20x360
20x270

Lying Leg Curl:
2x15x95

KB Hollow-Body Hold:
3x3x0:10x50

Woop this was fun. 585x2 plus a near third is my conventional PR near the peak of my strength a while back. Sumo block pulls are obviously easier than that variation, but Iā€™ve only been practicing sumo for a couple of weeks. The weight felt heavy for sure, but the reps themselves were honestly pretty snappy, only slowed down a bit at the knees. My glutes, hamstrings, and even quads were getting hit very hard, so I feel like Iā€™m doing well with the form. Also, the back thing seems to be fine as long as I focus on bracing.

Not sure if Iā€™ve mentioned it, all of these deadlift days have been on the Texas deadlift bar.