Training Log: Entry 797

RE upper pull

Pull-ups w/10lbs
11,11,10,10

Notes: Amazingly I've sustained a bowling injury to my middle finger.  Some sort of reptitive motion injury.  Aside from preventing me from properly informing people that the powerrack is not the place to do curls, it limits my gripping strength, so these kinda sucked.  Still made progress though.  This new routine allows me to add both weight and reps every week, it's incredible.

Strict press of 175
3,3,4

Notes: Remember elbows up.

Straight bar rows of 160
4x10

Notes: Didn't touch chest a lot, but stressed what I needed to.  Work on the arch.

Dips w/25lbs
10,10,8

Notes: Refocused on pressing with the palm/blade of my hand rather than the fingers.  Something I learned from Beyond Bodybuilding.

Light band pushdowns
45,30

Notes: Couple of chuckleheads occupying the cable rack, so I did this.  Still got a good pump.

Training Log: Entry 796

RE squat

SSB box squat of 265
2x10

Elevated trap bar lifts of 345
5,5,10

Notes: Mighta had 15 in me for the last set, but I'm still recovering from the high volume so I'm taking things light.

Front squats of 155
1x20

Notes: Fell backwards on rep 13 and dumped on the pins, but I just zerchered it back up and resumed squatting once I re-racked.

Average band pulldowns
1x150

Light band pull throughs
30,15,15,15

Notes: I think the ab work before the PC work is really going to help my ability for my hips to recover.

Training Log: Entry 795

RE upper push

DB bench of 100
15,8,6

Notes: It looks like my volume experiment is working towards strength increases.  I only dropped 1 rep from the added weight of 20lbs, whereas before I'd lose about 3-5 reps total from a 10lb increase.

NG pull-ups w/35lbs
3x5

Arnold press of 40
15
DB press of 40+minibands
10,8

Notes: Arnold presses did jack for me, just fried out my forearms.  I might just stick with seated BB presses at this point.  I don't know how much variety I can really throw at overhead pressing for volume.

V-handle rows of 160
4x10

Notes: Just realized I was supposed to use the straight bar, but it's practically the same movement anyway.  Had great lat activation, just focused on moving the weight via flexing the muscles.

Curls and pushdowns

Considerations: I think my current programming is gonna work.  The 2 weeks of high volume tapered off at just the right time, and even though the weight is going up, the reduced reps and sets feel like a break for me.

Training Log: Entry 794

RE deadlift

Deadlift of 315
2x10

Notes: Focused on flexing the triceps and bringing my hands in to shorten distance.  Thinking of the deadlift as two different pulls is helping.  First pull to ths top of shins, second pull is arching the hips.

Squats of 395
3x3

Notes: Remember to get that final "dip" at the end of each squat, both for the stretch reflex and depth.

SSB lunges of 135
1x12

Notes: I've been doing these up an incline on my driveway, but that'll prolly end once it snows.

Band hamstring work w/light
1x100

Notes: I need to find some sort of non-hip flexion hamstring work I can do at home.  My hips are getting beat up.

Saxon side bends of 15
15, 12

Training Log: Entry 793

RE upper pull

DB rows of 130
15,10,8,15

Notes: Hit the 6 rep and then took 3 deep breaths for every 2 reps up to 15.  Went bowling the other night and jammed my finger, so it impacted my grip a little.

Weighted dips w/90lbs
3,3,10

Notes: Don't drop down too fast.  It torques the shoulder.  Hit 7 reps before needing to reset, then went for 3 singles.

Band assisted chins w/mini
4x11

w/average
1x10

Notes: Not much I can do here for rest pause.  I need to get a new mini-band, one of my current ones has a tear in it.

Seated barbell press of 95
8,8,8,18

Notes: Hit 6 reps, then 3 deep breaths for every 2 after that.  This method is working great for all my pushing work, and I'm finally getting some volume in on my shoulders.

Face pulls and cable curls

Training Log: Entry 792

RE squat

SSB box squat of 245
15,10

Notes: Focused more on sitting back on this one, but there's still a litle sitting down with later reps. Form deviation is to be expected.

Trap bar lifts of 345
3x5

Notes: Dove too much and lost my footing on one rep. Watch for that.

Front squats of 155
1x20

Notes: Had a real good pace going on these. Don't spend so much time at the top.

Average band pullthroughs
4x10

Notes: Do ab work first. It should help stretch my back out and give my hips a chance to rest.


Considerations: Need to get a chair in the garage so I can sit between sets. Been eating a ton recently. Probably getting a little fat, but that's ok with me.

Training Log: Entry 791

RE upper vertical push

NG DB press of 50
15,9,20

Notes: Hit about 11 on the second set before I hit up the rest pause.  Set the weight down, 3 deep breaths, 2 reps, repeat until 20.  I read somewhere that the deep breaths help bring oxygen into your system.  Prolly psuedo-science, but the time I spend breathing is rest.

DB rows of 150
6,6,5,5

Notes: This was awesome.  Unfortunately, these are the heaviest DBs in my gym.  I might try putting in a request for heavier ones.  I got incredible lat activation.  Left side has issues where my leg gets in the way of the bell, and I need to find the right place to grip so it doesn't tip.

Medium grip bench press of 185
10,8,6,12

Notes: Hit 4 on the last set until I had to rest pause.  Rack, 3-6 breaths, 1 rep, repeat.  I could do this to 20 if I need to, which I just might.  My knee pain is minimal, but setting up on bench still aggravates it, so I'm benching with just shoulder blades tucked.

Lat pulldowns
3x12x160
1x12x140
Burnout from 140

Notes: Feel really strong on these, much like all the other movements.

Tricep pushdown of 80 superset w/curls of 70
14/13, 14/12, 10/10

Notes: Rest periods were jacked up, working in on the cable rack.

Training Log: Entry 790

RE deadlift

Conventional deadlift of 295
2x15

Notes: Need to get a camera to check my form.  When I focus on falling back everything works pretty well.

Squats of 385
3x3

Notes: Still making great progress.  Weight feels like nothing.

SSB lunges of 115
1x20

Notes: Really fried my legs, was wobbling everywhere on the last rep.  I'm doing these uphill in my driveway, but that won't last for long.

Band hamstring work

Notes: I think I have too much hip flexion on this day, and the good mornings just because unbearable.  I'll have to figure something else out.  I ended up doing something like a band ab pullldown put holding the band out in front instead of being inside it, and focusing on keeping my back arched instead of rounding.  Actually had decent results.

Saxon side bends of 15
3x8

 

Considerations: I think I'm going to use my pulling from mats strategy with my heavier weight days.  Made another blender bomb, think these will be a great way to get calories and nutrients.

Training Log: Entry 789

RE upper pull

Pull-ups
11,11,11,11,*4

Notes: I tried kipping on the last set, and realized after years of training strict form, I have no idea how to kip.  I ended up just jumping from the bottom, but it didn't really do much. 

Strict press of 165
3,3,4+2 push press

Notes: Weight flew up easy, but the push presses sucked.  I tried for a 3rd and failed because of timing. I'm really uncoordinated.

V handle cable rows of 140
15,13,12,11

Of 100
15

Notes: Focused on really getting the lats and upperback here.  Got a decent pump.

Bodyweight dips
8,8,8,20

Notes: Hit about 10 on the last set before I started using rest pause.  Dips have got to be the greatest upper body movement for the rest pause.  It's got a built in stretch reflex, and failure just means dropping.  Got a big pump in my chest and triceps.

Face pulls of 30 superset with cable curls of 50
20/15, 20/15, 20/10

Considerations: I'm feeling incredibly strong on these high volume days.  I think both having a low volume week before hand and having 2 different training weeks plays a role in my recovery.  I'm definitely not bogging down.

Made a blender bomb half full of milk, 4 heaping table spoons of yogurt, over 1 cup of blue berries, and 2 scoops of whey for post workout.   I need more calories.

Training Log: Entry 788

RE upper squat

SSB box squats of 245
10,10,6

Notes: I saw the squats going the way of my previous RE experiment, with an inability to recover both after the movement and after the workout, so I switched out to the SSB off a box.  Still a great strain, but easier to recover from.  Need to focus on hip initation rather than knee when the set starts getting hard.  Really fried out my quads.

Trap bar lifts of 315 off of 2 risers
5,5,15

Notes: Definitely have more in me.  Hitting 15 reps showed me how useful the trap bar may be if the conventional deadlift becomes too difficult to use for RE work.  First rep of every set flew up, and I felt like I didn't have the right weight.  Dive bombing helped.

Front squats of 155
1x15

Notes: May switch to a widowmaker set of squats sometime, still experimenting.

Averange band pulldowns
1x120

Training Log: Entry 787

RE upper push

DB press of 90
15,8,15*

Notes: Hit 10 in the last set, set down for 3, set down for another 2.  Maybe 15 seconds between pick-ups.  I'm amazed at how strong I felt on the last set before I even put the weights down.  Normally 1 more rep is a struggle, and this time I had 3 in me, and the previous sets went up easy.  My mini-cycles between horizontal and vertical might have an effect here, something from Pavel's 3-5.  One day I need to sit down and hammer down all the different theories and concepts I have built into this program.

NG pull-ups w/25lbs
4x5

Bradford press of 95
8,8,7,4

Notes: Once again, the number represents from and back.  I might need to can this, just because my right shoulder tends to but me on the rows after I do these.

Low pulley rows of 140
15,11,12,10

Of 100
15

Notes: Form was getting pretty bad towards the end.  Cable rows don't quite have the potential for rest pause like DB rows do, having to reset the form every time.

Cable pushdown of 72.5 superset w/cable curls of 50
15/15, 15/13, 10/10

 

Considerations: I've doubled my fish oil intake starting this week.  I was going to experiment with PWO nutrition, but my training is happening before dinner, so that's what I eat.  I need to start drinking more water at work and eating less junk.  Kinked something bad in my neck on the pull-ups, and tore my right lat and jacked up my serratus moving stuff around the house.  I'm a mess.

Training Log: Entry 786

RE lower deadlift

Conventional deadlift of 295
2x10

Notes: Small weight increases next time.  I need to take the Stuart McRobert approach here.  Form was still decent.  Need more heat in the garage.

Squats of 375
3x3

Notes: First set was painful, after that it was good.  Better warm-up next time.

SSB lunges of 115
1x15

Notes: Kept it easy because my right help was pulling.  Heat issue.

Average band good mornings
3x20

Notes: Punch the hips, don't just extend the back.

Saxon side bends w/15lb DBs
2x10