brute's log

[brute strength]

finally decided to keep a journal online. seems a bit easier to track progress with, than rummaging through my notepad. =)

overview:

for wherever two lifts are shown, such as squat/dl, its to show that they are rotated by week. one week i squat, next i dl.

max lifts (bench, squat, dl) are 2x3.
assistance lifts are 3x5, unless otherwise noted.

mon:
Bench Press - attempt new max triple.
Romanian Deadlifts/GMs
Pullups/Rows
Weighted Chins

tues:
Speed Squats/DL - 60% of 1rm. quick, explosive doubles. if im squatting on thursday, then ill work on squat form today. likewise, if i dl thursday then i do dl doubles today.
Deadlift hold/Partials - great for grip. from what ive read, partials are also great for sticking points. for whatever is the next dl max attempt, ill do these with 20-50lbs more weight so ill know how to hold the bar.
Calves

thurs:
Deadlift/Squat - attempt new dl/squat max
Hang Clean&Press/Clean&Press - 3x3 (form loss is too much at higher reps)
Closegrip benches/JM press
Weighted Dips

fri:
Speed Bench - 60% of 1rm, triples.
Farmers Walk - great full-body lift that i love too much to let go =)
Abs - as known, strong abs help bring up squat/dl.

i think you can tell how much i love full-body routines. every day hits most muscle groups =)

[brute strength]

6'3" , 196lbs , 17yrs old , 4 months of training behind me.

2.24.03

flat bench, max attempt
200lbs x 2 x 4 - a 10lbs pr! suprised myself here. i stopped benching for about two weeks, then tried working my way up. hit 180, last week 190.. now 200. felt lighter than i expected. id been doing a bit more tri work lately, and a lot of explosive 60% triples.

did the usual warmup - hyperextensions, a bit of stretching and then rotator work. did a few light mil. presses as well.

it may sound odd, but im testing out how effective it is to not pyramid up through the weights as a warmup. it seems like a waste of energy that would be well-spent achieving a new pr. you know?

anyhow

wide-stance GMs
130x3
150x3 - too heavy , had to sacrifice much form to keep weight moving
140x3 - muuuuch better =) cranked em out nicely

db rows
hadnt done these in a while. picked up a bit ahead of where i left off.
80 x 3x6

weighted chins

bw + 50lbs x 2x6

oh,i love these. for a while i had stopped using them as a serious bi/upper back strength builder because i only used my body weight. i had been reading about people strapping weight to them... then, a few days ago i had a vision! haha. i saw a 25lb plate on the ground with a clip&strap running through it. looked at the clip&strap, looked at the weight, looked at the chin/dip station, looked at the strap, the weight, the dip station... then it hit me! someone had thrown a 5lb plate at my head.. er

so i grabbed the weight, clipped the strap around my waist and then went for it.

felt amazng. did a few sets with 25; today i cranked em out with 50lbs hanging from my waist. went suprisingly well; should be able to add at least 10lbs more next week.

all in all, first day on this new program went well. i was very tired today; yawned constantly on the bus ride to the gym. if hitting the gym wasnt enough, i had to go to work right afterwards. considering how low my energy and motivation was, im happy with the workout.

[AMG]

Welcome. Glad to see you started a training log.

[brute strength]

2.25.03

speed day

squat - de
170lbs x 4 x 2


partial deads
310 x 3
330 x 3
350 x 3
360 x 3

these felt great. i mightve had the bar set too high; the bar only travelled 4-6 inches before lockout. i used these as gripwork moreso than a sincere pulling movement. i held each lockout for at least 5 seconds before dropping for the next rep. next time i deadlift, im going for a 290-300lb max and i dont want my grip to fail

finished up with hyperextensions to loosen up the back

[Deciever]

thanks for starting a journal.. impressive weight on the partial deads

[brute strength]

2.27.03

squat max
110 x 5
130 x 5
180 x 3
220 x 3
270 x 3

/note
sacrificed form with 270. its a pr for me, but i used a very wide stance and didnt go to parallel.

weighted dips
bw + 55 lbs; 3 sets of 5

weighted chins
bw + 55lbs; 2 sets of 5

god, i love dips and chins. its funny though, how people freak a bit when they see me hanging plates around my waist for dips/chins.

[brute strength]

changed my routine. its now heavily based on a publicly posted strongman routine (http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/mavrocat7.htm/). im using this routine because it seems like a great way to build functional strength; as well as prepare me for future out-of-the-gym strongman work. i especially like its focus on pulling and all-around back work.

sunday- primary focus: legs, calves, lowerback
high rep squats
high rep/explosive calf raises
zercher lifts
dumbbell deadlifts
chins


tuesday- chest, shoulders
incline bench
push press
high pulls
across chest hammer curls
weighted dips


thursday- deads; lower/upperback, traps, lats
deadlifts
partial deads
heavy hypers/good mornings
pullups/rows
8 rep shrugs/hang cleans

other 4 weekdays are rest. this is a relatively high volume routine for me. im curious as to how itll turn out.

[brute strength]

3.02.03

first day on my new 'strongman' routine. i was a bit drained and tired from other issues, but having a new program laid out gave me a lot of energy.

high rep squats
90lbs x 8
130lbs x 12
180lbs x 10
220lbs x 12

havent done high reppers in a long time. very intense after the 7th and 8th rep; start to feel aerobic stress and arms/neck began to tingle. heh.

kind of odd; last week i did 270lb x 3 (pr for me) with a wide, pl'er type stance. with the high reppers, i automatically took a narrower stance; going conventional.


high rep/explosive calf raises
used a standing calf machine; dont know how much each plate weighs. regardless, did 1 high rep set then 2 heavy, explosive sets. calf isolation annoys me; not my favorite muscle.

10 plates x 12
12 plates x 6
14 plates x 6


zercher lifts
very interesting lift. im not flexible enough to bend down to the ground and hook my arms under the bar. so, using the squat rack, i set the weight about 5-6" above the ground. even with this, i had to take a very wide stance and bend over reaaaaaaally far to get the bar into the crook of my arms.

60lbs x 6
90lbs x 6
130lbs x 6

at first, it strained my lower back a bit. but not 15 mins after these, my back had a "comfortable burn" to it. other than that, these felt great and i think i couldve gone further. next week i aim to hit 150lbs.


dumbbell deads
wow; MUCH different than bb deads. felt weird, in a good way, to have the weight at your sides rather than in front of you. my knees didnt get in the way =)

100lbs each hand x 5
115lbs each hand x 5


weighted chins
bw + 55lbs x 6
bw + 55lbs x 5

felt good but still a bit of a challenge. next week i go for 60lbs around the waist.


the new routine drained me, but not as much as i thought. not sure if itll burn me out or not, but for now im enjoying it.

[brute strength]

3.04.03

incline bench
90lbs x 7
130lbs x 7
150lbs x 6
150lbs x 6


push press
90lbs x 8
130lbs x 3
130lbs x 2
120lbs x 4


high pulls
120lbs x 6
110lbs x 5
(switched from shoulder-width grip to a close grip; made it a lot easier)
110lbs x 8
110lbs x 7


across-chest hammer curls
45lbs ea. x 10
50lbs ea. x 10


weighted dips
bodyweight + 60lbs, 2 sets of 6

felt good all-around. for all lifts except dips and push-press, couldve went a bit higher on weight. i wanted to keep it at a moderate level though, because it was my first time doing a few of these lifts.

[brute strength]

3.06.03

extremely happy today! i finally broke 300lbs for deadlift! conventional; a 20lb pr, 305lbs for 2 reps without a belt, suit or even chalk. the deadlift holds and partial deads ive been doing for the past couple weeks DEFINATELY increased my grip strength. not only that, but it when you get used to holding 350+ lbs for a partial, holding 300 for a deadlift doesnt seem so bad =)

conventional deadlifts
130lbs x 8
180lbs x 5
220lbs x 3
270lbs x 1
305lbs x 2


weighted hypers
5lb plate x 10
25lb x 10
45lb x 8


wide-grip pullups
bodyweight x 6
bodyweight x 5


explosive 8 rep shrugs
75lb db ea. x 8
80lb db ea. x 8



/notes
was cramped for time today (had to go to work), so i left out the partial deads.

felt tired, from other issues. i almost didnt go to the gym today but i forced myself. if ANYTHING, to break 300lb for dead.

not going to do hypers anymore. i cant settle on the apparatus right; there ends up being an enormous amount of pressure on my knees. the weighted hypers made them sore for most of the day. for next week, ill replace them with romanian deadlifts.

[brute strength]

3.09.03

zercher lift
90lbs x 5
130lbs x 5
...
worked up to 180lbs x 4


db deadlifts
115lbs ea. hand, 8 singles

weighted chins
bodyweight + 60lbs x 6, x 5
bodyweight + 50lbs x 5


/notes
had very little time today. i went to the gym after work, only to find out that it was closing early that night; in 45 minutes. warmed up quickly and hit what i could with little rest in between sets.

overall i am satisfied, considering the time restraints. db deads from the ground are a pain in the ass. since im a tall, inflexible mofo i nearly stiff legged them up. im especially proud with my weighted chins/dips; feels great being able to chin with 60lbs hanging from your waist.


ive skipped tuesdays workout because of a cold. feeling much better now. im hoping that ill be good for tomorrow; deadlift day is my favorite part of the week =)

[brute strength]

took a break for a week, due to a cold.

ive got a couple undocumented workouts, though.

in addition, something ive decided to add is high rep training alternated with the low-rep training. e.g. one week ill do incline bench press for weight (5-6 rep max) and the next week ill shoot for 10+ rep max. this is to adapt my body for future strongman training; that which deals with max rep events. the low/high rep rotation will be for the "big" lifts only; deads, incline press, squats, push press., etc. assistance work such as high pulls and dips/cg press will stay at the optimum 8-10 rep range.



incline bench press for reps
90lbs x 14
120lbs x 10
140lbs x 6 (note: too heavy for high-rep. do 130/120x10 next week)

push press for reps
40lbs x 9
90lbs x 10
110lbs x 8
90lbs x 9

high pulls
110lbs x 8
110lbs x 7
110lbs x 8

hammer curls
30lbs ea. x 10
40lbs ea. x 8

weighted dips
b/w + 60lbs x 6
x 5

(note: ive decided to stop with weighted dips. although i like being able to dip with that much weight, i shouldnt do it until i have a proper dip belt. using a loose pulley strap from the cable machines, to hoster 60lbs around my waist caused a bit of problems.)

[brute strength]

trap bar deads for reps and count
285lbs x 18
335lbs x 13
360lbs held for 60 seconds
450lbs held for 16 seconds

(note: wow. how different it is to pull weight with handles at your sides, than in front of you at your shins. MUCH more comfortable)


body-weight pullups
x 5
x 4


hang clean
130lbs x 5
150lbs x 3
150lbs x 2
130lbs x 5


romanian deadlifts
90lbs x 8
130lbs x 8
180lbs x 8
220lbs x 5


abs - decline situps
+10lbs plate x 10
+25lbs plate x 10

[brute strength]

3.31.03

military press
90lbs x 7

push press
110lbs x 6
120lbs x 3
110lbs x 6

(note: pinky finger on the BB ring felt best)


high pulls
90lbs x 8
115lbs x 8
115lbs x 6


incline press
130lbs x 5
150lbs x 5


hammer curls
35lbs x 10 x 2


incline cg press
90lbs x 6 x 3


(note: today felt bad. not horrible, but i was drained. diet has been slipping recently and i felt it today. clean it up a bit for next week. aside from that, close grip incline press felt great in place of dips for tris; also set pr on high pulls.)

[healthy n_fit]

good workouts! I can tell ytou're getting stronger :)

and good job on the conv deadlift!

[brute strength]

4.3.03 - D-Day

deadlifts
135lbs x 4
185lbs x 5
220lbs x 2
270lbs x 1
315lbs x 1

good mornings
95lbs x 8
135lbs x 8
145lbs x 3

db rows
65lbs ea. x 8
75lbs ea. x 8
80lbs ea. x 8

8 rep shrugs - trap bar
160lbs x 8
200lbs x 9
250lbs x 5

abs - weighted decline
25lbs x 3x8

[brute strength]

4.7.03

high rep squats
95lbs x 10
135lbs x 10
185lbs x 10
225lbs x 10

high rep trap-bar deads
360lbs x 12
450lbs x 8

zercher-lifts
135lbs x 6
185lbs x 2 (too heavy)

db deads
100lbs ea. x 6

bb curls
95lbs x 10
105lbs x 7


//notes
i was all over the place today. my last workout using this split - seemed great on paper, and i LOVE the variety of lifts, but i feel weaker 2-3 weeks into this routine. theres a bill starr pl routine that ive been aching to try; think ill give it a go.

[brute strength]

new routine :cool:

"Bill Starr Power Routine"
http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/manrodt4.htm


4.9.03
- light day

squats
45lbs x 5
95lbs x 5
145lbs x 5
145lbs x 5

incline bench
45lbs x 5
95lbs x 5
145lbs x 5
145lbs x 5

high pulls
45lbs x 5
95lbs x 5
115lbs x 5
145lbs x 5 (bit too heavy - sacrificed form)

decline situps
25lbs 3x10


//note
felt good. felt light. i definitely see how a heavy/light/medium split can keep things balanced, in contrast to a heavy/heavy/heavy split. due to my work schedule ill skip this weeks medium and go straight to heavy, then start fresh from there.

havent done powercleans in a long time; im stoked and cant wait :cool:

[brute strength]

4.15.03
"Heavy"

squat
45lbs x 5
95lbs x 5
145lbs x 5
195lbs x 5
245lbs x 2 (bit too heavy; loss of form)

flat bench
45lbs x 5
95lbs x 5
145lbs x 5
165lbs x 5
205lbs x 1 (too heavy; stopped at 1rep due to bad form)

powerclean
45lbs x 5
95lbs x 5
135lbs x 5
145lbs x 5
165lbs x 5

weighted hypers
25lbs x 6 , x 5

weighted decline situps
25lbs x 3 x 5


//notes
new routine :D even though it was a "heavy" day, i kept weight within reason through most of the workout. i tested the ropes with squat and bench; 5th set was a bit too heavy so ill go lighter next week. felt great doing powercleans again =)

[AJ010]

Nice job! Good luck on this new routine!

[hugedude]

looks like you know what you are doing. and doing a good job doing it. just curious how long have you been lifting? do you mean in your first post only 4 months total?

[brute strength]

yes - at the time of the first post in this log, only 4 months total.

[brute strength]

4.18.03
"Medium"

squat & bench - 4x5, triple with 2.5% weight increase over 5th set weight on heavy day, then an 8-rep backoff. powerclean - 4x5, triple with 2.5% increase.

squat
couldnt do; short on time.


bench
45lbs x 5
95lbs x 5
145lbs x 5
165lbs x 5
185lbs x 3
145lbs x 8


powerclean
45lbs x 5
95lbs x 5
135lbs x 5
145lbs x 5
170lbs x 3


close-grip press
45lbs x 8
95lbs x 8
145lbs x 5


bb curls
105lbs x 8
" x 7
" x 5

[hugedude]

Originally posted by brute strength
yes - at the time of the first post in this log, only 4 months total.

very very impressive then.

[brute strength]

4.22.03
Heavy


squat
45lbs x 18 (warmup)
95lbs x 5
145lbs x 5
230lbs x 5


incline bench
135lbs x 5
170lbs x 5


powerclean
45lbs x 5
95lbs x 5
135lbs x 5
145lbs x 5
170lbs x 3 , x 2


romanian dl
135lbs x 8, x 8


abs
crunch machine, 130lbs x 3x8

[brute strength]

4.25.03
"Medium"

squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
145 x 5
195 x 5
235 x 5
145 x 8


flat bench
45 x 5
95 x 5
145 x 5
165 x 5
190 x 3
165 x 8


powerclean
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
170 x 5


closegrip bench
135 x 3x8


bb curls
110 x 7
105 x 6
95 x 5

[brute strength]

4.28.03
"Heavy"

deadlift
95 x 5
145 x 5
195 x 5
245 x 5
295 x 3


flat bench
45 x 5
95 x 5
145 x 5
190 x 4


good mornings
95 x 8
95 x 3
145 x 8


decline situps
bw + 25lb plate x 2 x 8

[brute strength]

4.30.03
Light

squat
45lbs x 5
95 x 5
155 x 5

military press
45lbs x 5
65 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 5

high pulls
45lbs x 5
95 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 5

decline sit ups
bw x 8
+ 30lb db x 8
+ 30lb db x 7

deadlift hold
315lbs x 13sec
365 x 12sec
315 x 20sec

[brute strength]

5.02.03
Medium

squat
45lbs x 5
95 x 5
145 x 5
195 x 5
240 x 3
145 x 8

flat bench
45lbs x 5
95 x 5
145 x 5
165 x 5
190 x 6
145 x 8

powerclean
45lbs x 5
95 x 5
145 x 5
175 x 5

bb curls
65lbs x 8
95lbs x 8

hammer curls
35 x 8
45 x 8

cg bench
145lbs x 7
135 x 6
95lbs x 8

[brute strength]

5.05.03
Heavy

squat
45lbs x 5
95lbs x 5
145lbs x 5
195lbs x 5
240lbs x 5

flat bench
45lbs x 5
95lbs x 5
135lbs x 5
165lbs x 5
190lbs x 7

powerclean
95lbs x 5
135lbs x 5
145lbs x 5
175lbs x 3, x 3 (15sec rest in between to re-adjust grip)

db romanian deadlift
70lb ea. hand x 8
again x 7

misc ab work

[delldell]

"On light day, Squat the first 3 sets of 5 just as you did on Monday, and then do a fourth set of 5 with the weight used on the third set. An extra fifth set at this same weight can be added. Incline bench is done using the same scheme, working up to 2-3 sets of 5, but with about 70-80% of the weight flat bench, to accommodate the leverage difference of the incline. "

I wanted to switch the incline with military as well on this routine. What I'm confused about is how he says working up to 2-3 sets of 5. Does that mean the first set is a warm up and then 2 or 3 sets normal? Also since it is "light" day, should you be going all out for the working sets? I'm just worried that since I'm benching on Mon heavy and Wed medium, but it's still pretty intense that I should keep military light so I don't overtrain.

[brute strength]

because of how its worded, he seems to say 1-2 warmup sets then 3-4 work sets. as far as weight goes, 70-80% of my flat bench is pretty heavy for inclining. before i switched to military press, i put the same intensity into incline that i did for flat bench on the heavy day.

one thing thats remained the same for both incline and military press, is that i go heavy but not to failure. i cycle up through the weights with warmup sets, then do an all out set. my aim is 5 reps with good form - when i hit 6, 7 or 8 reps then i bump the weight up for next week.

for instance on my last light day, i did military press this way:

45lbs x 5
65lbs x 5
both light, warmup weight

95lbs x 5
medium

120lbs x 3
120lbs x 4
i paused to adjust grip between the two sets, but couldnt get 5+ solid reps with 120 so i will use it again this week.

[delldell]

"120lbs x 3
120lbs x 4
i paused to adjust grip between the two sets, but couldnt get 5+ solid reps with 120 so i will use it again this week."

Isn't that considered failure though?

my aim is 5 reps with good form - when i hit 6, 7 or 8 reps then i bump the weight up for next week.

I didn't get what you mean here, 8 reps, 5 reps?

[brute strength]

yes, its pretty close to failure. i try to stop 1-2 reps shy of complete failure (e.g. stalling out mid-press). im 1-3 reps shy of hitting 120lbs for 5 solid reps - so ill keep working up to it until i push it for at least 5.

if it feels comfortable, ill add weight after hitting 5 solid reps. if i "accidently" push the weight for 6 or 7 reps, i dont kick myself in the ass. i just accept it as progressing sooner and further than expected, and add more weight.

hope that clears it up.

[delldell]

Alright I think I get it. On the last set of 5, the 5th rep should be ideally one or two reps before complete failure because even though you could do 7 full you don't want to stress the CNS too much because you went heavy on monday.

[brute strength]

in short, i obsessively spent 4+ months playing basketball; rarely lifting. ive lost a good deal of size (5-10lbs) as well as strength. time to get back to work =)

my goal is to rebuild the muscle ive lost, put on an addional 5-10lbs, then cycle down for strength once ive got a solid base. ive written my routine around that goal. for what its worth, this is also the first time ive used a nearly pure muscle-group split. in the past, ive stuck with routines that work my entire body 3x a week. this is similar to the strongman routine i used a while back, which is shown in this log.

the routine:

sunday- lats, traps, bis, grip
rows - 3x8
hang cleans - 3x3
partial deadlift + hold for time (20 seconds is ideal)
weighted chins - 2x8
hammer curls - 2x10


tuesday- chest, shoulders, tris,
push press - 3x3
high pulls - 3x8
weighted dips - 2x8
cg press - 2x8

thursday - quads, hams, calves, lowerback, abs
zercher lifts OR SLDL - 3x8
high rep squats - 3x12
high rep/explosive calf raises - 3x10
decline weighted situps
side bends

warmup sets arent shown. a habit ive kept since i began lifting, is to warmup with stretches and light compound exercises. ill do things like SLDL with the bar, squats with bar, overhead presses, etc to get blood flowing good before i start the workout.

generally speaking - for the explosive power movements, such as push press and hang cleans, i do sets of 3. for the muscle building exercises (not that cleans dont build muscle :D) i keep reps higher; 6-8 being ideal. with all exercises, when i can pump out 2+ reps over the ideal number, i consider a weight increase.


now that im back ,i ve been lifting for a couple weeks to get into it. feeling good, so ive started with the routine. ive got two workouts documented so far =)


push
push press
45lbs x 10
65lbs x 7
95lbs x 3
135lbs x 3
150lbs x 4


high pulls
45lbs x 10
95lbs x 5
105lbs x 5
115lbs x 7
120lbs x 6


cg bench
45lbs x 10
135lbs x 8
145lbs x 8
155lbs x 8


dips
bodyweight + 25lbs x 5
bw + 35lbs x 5

note to self: buy a weight belt for dips... pain in the ass to hold a dumbell with my feet while i dip.




pull - 2.08.04
rows
25lbs x 10
45lbs x 8
70lbs x 8
90lbs x 6
110lbs x 5 - tough but had good form


DB shrugs - did in place of hang cleans. fun, but will stick with cleans from now on.
65lbs ea. x 10
75lbs ea. x 10
90lbs ea. x 10
100lbs ea. x 10


powerclean - as noted above, sticking with just hang cleans from now on.
135lbs x 5
155lbs x 3


chins
bw + 30lbs x 6
bw + 30lbs x 5


deadlift hold for time
225lbs x 20 sec
315lbs x 5 sec
" x 5 sec

always liked doing dl holds. imo its a great way to prepare the body to pull heavy weights with dl, pclean, etc. i think for grip, in addition to dl holds, im going to use this grip station my gym has. it lets you stack plates on, then close a pair of handles with each hand; similar to those hand crushers. what are they called, CoC crushers? you guys know what i mean. its cool, because like i said you can stack plates on it however you want ; 3 45s, or just 2.5lbs here and there to slowly increase weight. good stuff.