Training from a Recovering Weightlifter

4/15/13
week 2 day 1

hng pwr sn
60x3
80x3
100x3

squat
135x5x3
225x5
315x2
355x5
365x5
375x5
385x5
395x5

yoke squat atg
185x12
195x15

band ham curlx15x3
bw hip thurst w/band around kneesx10x3 (5sec hold at top)
db side bends 60x20
standing abs with bandx25
side plank 3x30sec

I got in a little earlier today. everything went well today. i stayed with a type of olift for some fast twitch activation which went better than i thought it would. squats were solid i took video of 355 and it was were i wanted it then the video of my 395 was a bit to high for my liking. i only throw on my belt for the last set and with a combination of eating close before and eating a lot over the weekend the belt was supper tight and i was having terrible time getting a breath and pushing into the belt. i got some ab work in but need to pick exercises better instead of randomly throwing them in. hopefully i can get some video up soon

4/17/13
week 2 day 2

press
105x5
115x5
125x5
135x5
145x5

lat pull down
110x10x10

kneeling straight arm lat pull down w/band
20x3
bb lat rise
barx10x5

the presses felt like a ton but i got though them with little problem. i spent some time rolling my legs on some pvc and called it a day.

4/18/13
week 2 day 3

4.5" defect pull(kg)
70x5x3
120x2x2
160x1
160 mini bandx1x8 w/ ~30sec rest

squat(lbs)
135x5x3
225x3
275x3
325x3
375x3
405x3
435x3

RDL
135x5
225x10x2
135x15

pull through
50x20x3
sit up
10kgx20x3, bwx60

Today officially was the start of finals and for my first test the professor forgot 2 pages of questions, great start! lol. i’ll try to keep everything current but it might be a little late. todays workout went well. i’m trying to step out of my oly shoes and into flat shoes. the dl felt really odd but form was good and fast. i felt really short setting up for the squat but i think i feel more able to stay upright. i really need to work on coming out of the hole with my chest up more!

4/19/13
week 2 day 4

bench
95x10, x5x2
135x5
185x5
215x5
225x3
245x3
265x3
285x2

close grip
205x8x3

A1:football bar skull chrusher
85x10x3
A1: push upx10x3

band push downx100
band pull apart x150
band face pullx100
ghd sit upx10x3

didn’t go as well as i hoped. i wanted 285 for three, the first two were solid, on the third i let it drift upward off my chest and it got out of position and i lost it, i was also told more leg drive was needed. my upper back was pretty cramped up after this. the rest of the workout was uneventful.

4/22/13
week 3 day 1

squat
135x5x3
225x5
315x2
365x5
375x5
385x5
395x5
405x5

yoke squat(i’ve been basing my yoke squats off of a 45lb bar which i’m certain it isn’t so any yoke bar numbers are on the low side)
205x10x3
165x10
135x5

hip thrust
barx10x3 w/5sec hold at top

5 finals down and 6 or 7 to go!!! today was rough. on my way to school i ran into a huge traffic jam that closed 4 lanes down to 1 lane. i showed up to school just when the teacher was finishing handing out the test. i spent the whole test having to pee which was very distracting! i finished the test went to study then worked out. i thought i was going to have a good day but once i got there i almost called it quits. my first set of 5 felt like i missloaded an extra 100lbs. but one of the old fellas i use to work out with use to say anyone can lift on a good day but it takes a dedicated person to lift on a bad day. i wasn’t burnt out or injured so i lifted and made it through and by the time i got to 395 things were looking a little up. i hit the 405 for 5 with out any major issues after i wasn’t sure if i was going to make 365 for 5! to finals tomorrow so back to studying!

2/24/13
week 3 day 2

press
110x5
120x5
130x5
140x5
150x5

A1: pull upx10x3
A2: parallel grip pull down 100x10x3

seated cable row 100x15x4
bb curl 65x10x3
bb lat rise barx20x3

7 finals down and 3 to go! the press felt much better than last week. this weeks back work was much better than before. back to studying

2/25/13
week 3 day 3

hng pwr cln
70x2x2
90x1
100x1
110x1

squat
135x5x2
185x3
235x3
285x3
335x3
385x2
435x1
455x3

rdl
135x5
245x12
hip thrust
135x15 w/ 2sec pause at top

i was pretty cramped for time so i didn’t get in as much as i wanted. my practical ran late and i still had final 11 and 12 to study for so my only goal was to hit the heave squat. the squat went much better than i thought it would after 435. i almost wussed out and took 445 but decided to go for it and it payed off although my last rep had quite a bit of form breakdown.

4/26/13
Week 3 day 4
Bench
95x5x3
135x5
185x5
185 doubled monster minix3
205 doubled monster minix3x8

Close grip
205x6x3

A1: football skull chrush 85x10x3
A2: dip x6x3
B1: tri ext 50x15x3
B2: push up x10x3
Situp 10 kg x15x6 bwx50
DB windmill 20x15 30x15

This was my first time with bands on the bench, it took a couple sets to get use to it. I found out I’m still terrible at dips. My.obliques are quite a bit more sore than I.thought after the windmills

4/29/13
week 4 day 1

squat
135x5x3
205x5
275x5
335x5
385x5
415x5x2
315x3x4

yoke squat o-style
135x5
185x5
225x5
245x5x2
225x10
185x10

hip thurst
135x15x3
db windmills
35x15x3

i was destroyed after the 2 heavy squats. i felt like my depth wasn’t good but after watching video i was still well low enough for competition. i’m trying to hit some heavier weights with the yoke squat for the next 3 weeks to help my arch before i make a push for sub 5 rep sets again.

3/19/13
week 4 day 2

press
115x5
125x5
135x5
145x5
155x5

A1: pull upx10x3
A2: lat pull down 90x10x3

low cable row 90x15x4
bb curl 65x10x5
bb lat rise bar w/ 10lb on endx10x3
band tri ext x100

my press coming along fairly well. i’m still weak but at least its improving. i was fairly destroyed after monday but feel nice and refreshed after this workout.

5/3/13
week 4 day 3

dl(kg)
70x5x3
120x2x2
170x1x2
200x1x10

low box squat
135x5
225x5
275x3
315x1
335x2x10
275x3x10

rdl
135x5
225x5
245x10x3
135x10

i was not use to the dl form at all. hopefully i can get it dialed in, in the next couple of weeks.
5/4/13
week 4 day 4

bench
95x5x3
135x5x2
185x5x2
225x5x2
265x5
270x5

close grip w/ shoulder saver
225x5x5

floor press
185x10x2
155x10

band pull apart 200

5/6/13
week 5 day 1

squat
135x5x3
205x3
285x3
335x3
385x3
435x1
455x1
475x1
425x5
435x5

yoke squat o-style
225x12

i was pretty happy with how my bench is coming along. the 270 felt good but on the last rep i let my foot slip so i completed the rep a little sloppy but still fairly smooth. i was fairly busy on squat day and didn’t get to hit the yoke squats as hard as i would have liked but i got a heavy single rep in that went very smooth and two heavy sets of 5.

its been awhile since i got this posted but here are the last 3 workouts

5/8/13
week 5 day 2

press
120x5
130x5
140x5
150x5
160x5

pull upx5x20
low bar row 90x10x10
bb lat rise bar 10 on the endx10x2, just barx10x2
hammer curl 30x15x3

5/9/13

dl
70x5x3
120x2x2
130x1x20

low box squat
135x3
185x3
235x3
275x2
275 105lbs chainsx2x10
added foam to the box which took me to 2" below parallel
275 105lbs chainsx2x10
foam off
275x2x5

pull through
90x15x3
band hamstring curl
average bandx15x3

5/11/13

bench
95x5x3
135x5x2
185x5
215plus doubled monster minix3x7

close grip with shoulde saver
225x5
235x5x2
225x5x2

floor press
185x10
185x8x2

thats all the training i’ve done since last post. my break ends on tuesday so i’ll get back to regular postings then. all the presses felt heavy but went fairly well. first time with chains in a long time nothing to different.

5/13/13
week 6 day 1

low box squat
135x3x2
added mini band for everything beyond
135x3
185x3
225x2
275x2
315x2x10
band off
315x1x10

front squat
135x5
185x5
225x3
245x5
135x10x3

good morning
135x10x3
average band leg curlx15x3
pull through 70x20x3
front squat hold 315x3, 415x3x3 each held for a few sec

this was the last training day before the start of the summer tri. a new tri means i have to have a new schedule. i’m going move all my assistance for squat on monday press and upper back on wednesday squat and dl on friday and bench on saturday. for this training session everything went well, trying some accommodating resistance with at least 60% at the bottom.

5/15/13
week 6 day 2

press
105x5
115x5
125x5
135x5
145x5

pause bench
95x10
135x5
185x3x5

pull upx5x20
lat pull down 90x20x5
band pull apartx50ish

my shoulder was giving me a little bit of trouble for some reason so i threw in a few band pull aparts. i started helping some guys work on their o lifting technique and totally forgot to get a good pump in the bi’s.

5/13/13
week 6 day 1

low box squat
135x3x2
added mini band for everything beyond
135x3
185x3
225x2
275x2
315x2x10
band off
315x1x10

front squat
135x5
185x5
225x3
245x5
135x10x3

good morning
135x10x3
average band leg curlx15x3
pull through 70x20x3
front squat hold 315x3, 415x3x3 each held for a few sec

this was the last training day before the start of the summer tri. a new tri means i have to have a new schedule. i’m going move all my assistance for squat on monday press and upper back on wednesday squat and dl on friday and bench on saturday. for this training session everything went well, trying some accommodating resistance with at least 60% at the bottom.

5/15/13
week 6 day 2

press
105x5
115x5
125x5
135x5
145x5

pause bench
95x10
135x5
185x3x5

pull upx5x20
lat pull down 90x20x5
band pull apartx50ish

my shoulder was giving me a little bit of trouble for some reason so i threw in a few band pull aparts. i started helping some guys work on their o lifting technique and totally forgot to get a good pump in the bi’s.

5/18/13

squat
135x5x3
185x3
235x3
285x3
335x3
385x2
425x1
455x1
reverse band squat w/ average band
405x1
455x1
495x1
535x1
removed bands
405x5x3

deadlift(kg)
70x3
120x3
170x3
210x2
220x2
160x2x5

hip thrust
185x15x3

not a bad workout but not as good as i hoped. i wasn’t feeling great at the bottom of the squat but form was on. the average bands for the reverse squat were to much, i should have used mini’s. i probably shouldn’t count the first rep of 405 after the reverse band squats, it was the first time switching over and it was odd getting low. the first one was about a half squat at best, i hit the rest deep it was just the first one that threw me off.

5/19/13

bench
95x10,x5x2
135x5
185x5
225x5
245x2
265x2
285x2
shoulder saver
225x2
265x2
295x1

close grip shoulder saver
245x5x3
225x5x2

A1: band extx25x4
A2: floor press 185x5x4
band pull apartx200

got this one in later in the day on saturday so no one else was at the gym so i cut my shoulder saver singles down one heavy so i wouldn’t have a chance to fail. presses felt a little weak but everything moved well and the 285 went easier than the last time even though i felt weaker so i think my press is still getting stronger. the second rep on 285 i let my elbows flair way to early and it was pretty ugly but still went up a lot smoother than it should have. i was to wiped for my 10 rep floor presses so i went with 5 instead and threw some tri ext between to work my tris more.

it was a busy weekend of wedding planning followed my next weekend being busy with wedding planning. today i have school with no breaks until 430 then a wedding at 6. so instead of finding some time for a half assed workout i’m moving everything back until tomorrow which still gives me enough time to recover before the next leg day.

5/21/13
week 7 day 1

yoke squat o-style
135x5
185x5
225x5x5

squat
225x5
335x5x5

good morning
135x5
185x5

rdl
185x20x3

this went pretty good. my good mornings are fairly weak. nothing else was terribly exciting.

5/22/13
week 7 day 2

lat pull down 90x15x3

press
110x5
120x5
130x5
140x5
150x5

bench
135x5
205x5x5

pull upx5x20
lat pull down 90x15x3
band pull apartx25x3
hammer curl 30x15, 20x20x2

i was trying out starting the workout with some lat pull downs to warm up my shoulders a little more. my presses felt strong and shoulders were feeling good. i was having a little bit of trouble keeping a tight arch in the bench. i did some extra band pull aparts to help my shoulders.

5/24/13
week 7 day 3

squat
135x10, 5x2
225x2x5
315x2
380x2
410x2
440x2
reverse light bands
440x1
475x1
495x1
515x1
bands off
350x6

sumo dl
70x5
120x5
160x2
190x1
150x5x4

hip thrust
185x15x3
135x20

the light bands were much better than the average bands. the bands take off about 90ish lbs at the bottom, next week i’ll hopefully hit some more reps now that i’m more accustomed to it.

5/25/13
week 7 day 4

bench
95x10, 5x2
135x5
185x5
225x5
240x4
265x3
290x2

close grip with shoulder saver
245x5x4

bench with shoulder saver
225x2x5

band tri ext x25x4

i had to get in early on saturday since the afternoon was wedding stuff. saturday morning is the time when the powerlifting team lifts so it was crazy in the gym. but i got to lift with some strong guys and gals. also Al Caslow was in the gym which was awesome. my bench was stronger than last week. i was going to hit some heavier singles with the sligshot but i didn’t have much time so i just went on the my normal assistance.

5/27/13
week 8 day 1

cambered bar squat
135x5
185x5
225x5
245x5
265x5
275x5x3

squat
345x5x5

rdl
195x20x3

pull though 100x15x3
standing band curls x25x3

i went with the cambered bar instead of the yoke bar because i haven’t been feeling as stable in the squat as i had been. i will see how fridays squats go before deciding on if next monday will be yoke or cambered bar. the first set of regular squats were a little shaky but i settled into the groove and the rest were solid. the rdl volume was much easier than last week.

5/29/13
week 8 day 2

pull down
90x15x3

press
115x5
125x5
135x5
145x5
155x5

bench
220x5x5

pull upsx5x6
lat pull downs 90x15x2
band pull apart x50

i wasn’t feeling to great by the time of the workout. i’ve been eating a lot of probiotic food for the last few days and i think it left me a little dehydrated getting everything out. by the time the pull ups came around i was just wiped out. i did a few pulls but i’m going to have to catch up on some more pulling on saturdays workout.

5/31/13
week 8 day 3

squat
135x5x2
225x2x5
315x2x2
380x4
415x2
450x1
450x2
reverse band squat light band
450x1
495x1
495x3
reverse band off
365x5

dl
135x5
225x5
315x3
405x2
455x2
495x1
365x3x3

weighted sit up 10kgx25x2

the top set of the squat was suppose to be 450x2 the first time around but my head wasn’t right and it felt heavy even though form and speed were quite good. i got my head in line and nailed the next attempt. i wanted to get two for the top dl set but it wasn’t in the picture. i’ve really been slacking on ab work and i think my lifts are suffering a little so i really need to double down in my efforts.

6/1/13
week 8 day 4

bench
95x10x2
135x5
185x5
225x5
245x2
265x2
285x2
295x1
add slingshot
295x1
315x1

close grip w/ shoulder saver
245x5x4

shoulder saver bench
225x3x4

band tri ext x25x4
band pull apart 100
ghr sit upx20x3

the 285 moved amazingly well and the first 295 moved very well but the second attempt just wasn’t there, got it a couple inches off the chest and it just stopped. i think i need to work on my groove more.

6/3/13
week 9 day 1

cambered squat
135x5
225x5
315x4 one face plant
315x5
335x5x2

squat
385x3

reverse hyper
100x15x3
50x20
ghr x10x3
x-band walk light bandx10x3

this was a pretty awful day. on my first 315 set i nailed the first 4 then on the 5th i just lost focus and let the bar swing and ended face down on the ground because i didn’t take the 3 secs to slide the safety straps in place. i did hit the next 3 sets and i got a lot of good work in and i should have hit one more set of the cambered bar but i wanted to finish with the straight bar which turned out to be a terrible idea. it was just terrible and i just quite at 3 reps, my form was no where near were it needed to be.