Pastor Ray's Project 365

[pastorgbc]

I am about to embark on a 12 week program of training for a bench of 365. I have used this program before to get a lift at 345, and nearly got 355, but couldn't lock it out. Right now, I can get 335 for a single, so I am targetting 365 with this program.

To reach this, I am working the chest, shoulders, and triceps in a decreasing set/rep method, increasing the weights as a percentage of targetted one rep max. I am starting at 50%, 5x12, decreasing to 5x10 in the second week, then decreasing a rep a week while the weights go up in increments of 5%.

Here is the workout, with the target one rep max. It will have me working out 5 days a week for the 12 weeks. I am targetting a de-load week in week 8.

Day 1 Chest
Flat BB Bench (365)
Dips (120)
Incline Bench (300)

Day 2 Back
Chins
Bent over Rows
One armed rows

Day 3 Legs and shoulders
Squat
Leg Presses
Behind the neck press (225)
Front Raises (60)
Lateral Raises (50)
Rear Raises (60)

Day 4
Chins
Biceps

Day 5
Close Grip Bench (300)
Dips - Bodyweight
Flyes (100)

And the first workout today:

1. Flat Bench - 5x12, 185
These felt fluid and easy. I had to make an effort to slow myself down and stay focused.

2. Weighted dips - 5x10, 45
Although I am targetting 120 added weight, I started today at 45 pounds. I still have the sutures in my back, and I thought 60 pounds might be a little too much of a tug.

3. Incline Bench - 5x12, 155
These went well.

Overall a calm before the storm.

Ray

[2nd_chance]

Looks like a plan Ray. I'll be checking in to see your progress. I'm sure you'll smash it!

[pastorgbc]

Today it was time to get after my back. Since I will be hitting the chest, shoulders and triceps hard during this program, I am going to cut back on the volume on my back workouts for a while. I will still hit them hard, however.

The workout - Back

1. Chins - 3x10

2. Wide-grip T-bar rows - 1x10, 3 plates; 1x10, 3 plates and a quarter; 1x8, 4 plates; 1x6, 4 plates and a 10; 1x8, 3 plates and a quarter

I hit these hard and heavy. I really felt they paid huge dividends.

3. Seated cable row - 3x8, 220
Slow and strict with static holds on both ends of the movement. My back was cooked at the end of these.

Ray

[2nd_chance]

Nice back workout Ray. Great work on the t-bar.

Originally Posted by pastorgbc

Today it was time to get after my back. Since I will be hitting the chest, shoulders and triceps hard during this program, I am going to cut back on the volume on my back workouts for a while. I will still hit them hard, however.

The workout - Back

1. Chins - 3x10

2. Wide-grip T-bar rows - 1x10, 3 plates; 1x10, 3 plates and a quarter; 1x8, 4 plates; 1x6, 4 plates and a 10; 1x8, 3 plates and a quarter

I hit these hard and heavy. I really felt they paid huge dividends.

3. Seated cable row - 3x8, 220
Slow and strict with static holds on both ends of the movement. My back was cooked at the end of these.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

I was unable to workout yesterday, and I think the rest did me good. I was refreshed and ready to hit things today.

The workout - Shoulders, chest, and tris

1. Bodyweight Dips - 5x15
Smooth and straightforward on these.

2. Behind the neck Press - 115, 5x12
I went through these fairly quickly. The upper body pump was adding up.

3. Close grip Bench - 5x12, 155
Again straightforward and not much trouble. My tris were definitely feeling things at this point, though.

4. Flat Flyes - 3x12, 50
I held these at the bottom stretch, and flexed very hard and tight at the top. These felt very nice.

5. Lateral raises - 3x12, 25
Finished up things here. I focused on holding the dbs loosely to keep recruiting the forms.

Ray

[2nd_chance]

Looks like a good workout. Do you always do shoulders with chest? I've been bouncing around shoulders to find a home. Since I moved to an arm only day I'm having a hard time finding the right place in the split. The last 3 weeks i've doing them with back. But I'm not sure if this is wise. What are your thoughts Ray?

[pastorgbc]

Originally Posted by 2nd_chance

Looks like a good workout. Do you always do shoulders with chest? I've been bouncing around shoulders to find a home. Since I moved to an arm only day I'm having a hard time finding the right place in the split. The last 3 weeks i've doing them with back. But I'm not sure if this is wise. What are your thoughts Ray?

I do not always do shoulders with chest, but I am doing them during this 12 week program. Because I tend to go heavy on my shoulder presses, I find I would be much too burned out if I did shoulder presses on the same day I benched. In this program, I am going to do unweighted dips and then go into my behnid the neck presses. Since the dips are unweighted, and I am not going to failure, I find that this is a good way to warm up the upper body and also do some work. I am following up with the behind the neck presses with close grip benches, but that will be a big tricep focus.

I am doing flyes as well, but that is not a pressing movement, so I am hoping that works out to be more synergistic.

If you are thinking about doing shoulders with chest, I would experiment with how much pressing movements you can handle in a single workout. If you are not wedded to shoulder presses as part of your workout, you could try something like this:

1. Flat benches - hits the pecs and also works the front deltoid
2. Incline benches - dbs or bb as suits your fancy
3. Shoulder series: front raises, lateral raises, rear raises, or face pulls. I cycle these, sometimes doing them light as giants, and others one after the other a little heavier. You can have fun here.
4. Dips

Depending how you split, you can do this once a week. If you want to do chest and shoulders twice a week, on the second workout, you could sub in the shoulder press of your liking for the incline benching movement, but I then would not do front or rear raises, but only do the lateral raises.

That's my thoughts on it. I would not be afraid to try something like that for a 6-8 week period to see what happens.

Thanks for stopping by.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

Weird prelude to the gym: I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned. My regular hygenist is on pregnancy leave, so I got a sub. Bad experience! She gagged me about 6 times with the mirror thingy, and several times hurt me with that pointy thingy. Ah, the price we pay for healthy teeth.

The workout - Legs, chins, and biceps

1. Chins - 4x10
I used a wide grip today. These felt good.

2. Squats - 3x10, 155
The same weight as last time. I felt a little stiff in the hips this time out.

3. Leg presses - 3x15, five plates each side.
I'm just getting the work down and laying the foundation for more plates.

4. Barbell Curl - 1x12, 95; 1x10, 105; 1x8, 115; 1x8, 125
My biceps felt really strong today. I felt really good about these sets.

5. Leg curls - 3x10, 80
Again, getting back into it.

6. Concentration curls - 1x8, 40; 1x8, 45
These two sets finished things nicely.

Ray

[2nd_chance]

Good workout Ray. Just a matter of time with the legs. Strong bi work. Thanks for the shoulder tips. Have a great service Sunday.

[bamazav]

Been a while since I have checked on you also. Lifts are looking good. What is this about sutures in the back?

[UCANDOIT]

Hi Ray

I see you are still upping the goals and keeping it interesting. I glad to see from the last couple of posts you are relatively injury free as well.

165kgs bench, still keeping the whippersnappers at bay.

Enjoy and live to enjoy the next workout.

Cheers

Marcos

[pastorgbc]

We had a fantastic weekend and despite stifling heat and humidity here in Mass., I had a lot of energy and desire heading to the gym over lunch. This is the second week of project 365, and the weights are moving up a little, and the reps are moving down.

1. Flat BB Bench - 5x10, 205
I played around with the width of the grip a little and the tempo to keep the sets interesting.

2. Weighted dips - 5x10, 45 pound plate
straightforward and strong here.

3. Incline BB Bench - 5x10, 165
I was a little fatigued as I went into these, so I felt them nicely in the upper pecs.

4. Tricep pushdown - 5x10, 70
I added some tricep work here to keep the heat the the tris.

Ray

[2nd_chance]

Glad to see you enjoyed your lunch as much as I did. Chest special just like me. I bet you had a nice burn going. What's up next Ray?

Originally Posted by pastorgbc

We had a fantastic weekend and despite stifling heat and humidity here in Mass., I had a lot of energy and desire heading to the gym over lunch. This is the second week of project 365, and the weights are moving up a little, and the reps are moving down.

1. Flat BB Bench - 5x10, 205
I played around with the width of the grip a little and the tempo to keep the sets interesting.

2. Weighted dips - 5x10, 45 pound plate
straightforward and strong here.

3. Incline BB Bench - 5x10, 165
I was a little fatigued as I went into these, so I felt them nicely in the upper pecs.

4. Tricep pushdown - 5x10, 70
I added some tricep work here to keep the heat the the tris.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

It was back day and last week the back day felt so good, I was anxious for more.

Today it was time to get after my back. Since I will be hitting the chest, shoulders and triceps hard during this program, I am going to cut back on the volume on my back workouts for a while. I will still hit them hard, however.

The workout - Back

1. Chins - 3x10

2. Wide-grip T-bar rows - 1x12, 3 plates; 1x10, 3 plates and a quarter; 1x8, 4 plates; Drop set - 1x4, 4 plates and a quarter, 1x2, 4 plates, 1x5, three plates

I really felt these. The drop set was fun.

3. Wide-grip, hammer-grip pulldowns - 2x8, 190
Through these in for a different wrinkle. The lats were really feeling it.

4. One-armed rows - 2x10, 100
I saw some young bucks working hard, and they were doing their one-armed rows with both feet on the floor, leaning on a bench. I have been doing them since Eric Sandow's day with one knee on the bench, so I thought , let's give this a shot. I liked the way both feet on the floor felt. Every now and again you can learn something new.

Ray

Ray

[2nd_chance]

Your back numbers are always off the chart! Great job. I do them with one knee on the bench too. Hmmmm.

[pastorgbc]

I was restless to get back into the gym today, so I was glad that nothing prevented me from getting my workout in today.

The workout - Shoulders and biceps

1. Behind the neck presses - 5x10, 125
This were straightforward and non-dramatic. I am looking forward to the weight increases.

2. Barbell curl - 5x10, 95
A little lighter in intensity, but I kept the volume up to give some endurance to the biceps.

3. Lateral raises - 5x10, 20 pounds
Tedious, but I stayed with them.

4. Rear deltoid raises - 5x10, 25
Nothing fancy again.

5. Hammer curls - 2x10, 40 pounds
Lighter again to finish things up.

Ray

[2nd_chance]

Non-dramatic? Gotta love it. Laying the foundation brother. Good job.

[UCANDOIT]

I think I will try the same idea for the DB row, might shake things up a bit. I really enjoy back but it sometimes gets a bit same old same.

Enjoy the week

Marcos

[pastorgbc]

I felt fine going into the last workout of the week. I had a lot of energy, and I felt strong. The first two weeks of this program have been basically a de-load for the chest, shoulders, and tris. I am expecting a little more heat next week, and especially in the weeks that follow.

The workout - Chest, chins, some delts, and tris

1. Bodyweight dips - 5x15
My Friday staple. These do give you a great pump and are a great start to the workout.

2. Chins - 3x10
These felt nice. I did these at a nice slow pace.

3. Close grip Bench - 5x10, 165
I actually may have done 6 sets of these as something I have been praying about invaded my head and I lost track. I am looking forward to more weight here.

4. DB Overhead Press - 2x10, 60
I just through these in to sitmulate the delts a bit.

5. Flat Flyes - 5x10, 55
Good pump all the way around.

Ray

[2nd_chance]

Nice way to finish the week Ray. Your numbers are always outstanding. But some how I get the feeling you're getting ready to go through the roof! Great Job! Have a great service Sunday.

[bamazav]

Great week Ray. Have a blessed Sunday!

[pastorgbc]

After a nice weekend, it was time to get back to work. I figured this week to be a little tougher than the last couple.

The workout - Bench/Pecs

1. Flat BB Bench - 5x9, 225
Everything felt good on these. I felt them nicely in my pecs.

2. Weighted Dips - 5x9, 55
I went slow on these to get the stretch I wanted. Everything was pumped and felt great, with the right amount of fatigue.

3. Incline BB Bench - 5x9, 185
I really felt these on sets 4 and 5. I maintained a slow and steady pace and really felt these through the upper pecs.

I can't wait until back tomorrow.

Ray

[2nd_chance]

Ray, great workout. Is the 60% the % of your 1RM or normal rep range. Those weighted dips (slooooooow) are IMPRESSIVE! Back in the old days I used to strap on 2-3 plates. I'm a long way from there.

Great job on the bench work as well. Do you use a spotter?

Here's to a great back day for you tomorrow! (legs for me).

Originally Posted by pastorgbc

After a nice weekend, it was time to get back to work. I figured this week to be a little tougher than the last couple.

The workout - Bench/Pecs

1. Flat BB Bench - 5x9, 225
Everything felt good on these. I felt them nicely in my pecs.

2. Weighted Dips - 5x9, 55
I went slow on these to get the stretch I wanted. Everything was pumped and felt great, with the right amount of fatigue.

3. Incline BB Bench - 5x9, 185
I really felt these on sets 4 and 5. I maintained a slow and steady pace and really felt these through the upper pecs.

I can't wait until back tomorrow.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

This is 60% of my target for this program, 365.

2 or 3 plates is awesome on dips. I like to keep my reps up on dips (I get more out of them that way), so I like to add weight. I like to keep my reps in the 7+ range.

I will use a spotter on some lifts, but not at this weight. If I would feel myself failing, I would rest-pause. So far, I have been able to hit all my reps.

Enjoy the leg workout. I'll checking your journal tomorrow.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

It is hot today, and the gym AC was not keeping up with things. I decided to keep the volume down just a tad, but keep the intensity at a good level. That's not earth-shattering, its just what I did.

The workout - Back

1. Chins 5x5, 25 pounds added
I decided to throw a quarter around my waist today and see how I handled it. It baasically cut my reps in half. I am not sure if I favor the extra reps or the extra weight on this movement. We'll see.

2. Wide-grip T-Bar Rows - 1x12, 3 plates; 2x10, 3 plates and a quarter
I did not want to burn out on these, so I kept both the volume and intensity down on these. They felt good.

3. Wide grip, hammer-grip, front lat pull-downs - 2x10, 190
Same protocol as last week with a little more weight. The upper lats were really feeling it.

4. One-armed rows - 2x10, 110
This is a best ever rep count for me at 110. I had gotten 8 once before, so I felt pretty good about this.

Ray

[2nd_chance]

You have a very strong back brother! Great job on the db rows and ........ well, everything. BTW, what's best for lower lats?

[pastorgbc]

Originally Posted by 2nd_chance

You have a very strong back brother! Great job on the db rows and ........ well, everything. BTW, what's best for lower lats?

Thanks for stopping by, and the encouragement.

The lats are a very large muscle in the back that extends all the way from your waist to under your arm. Any time you stimulate the muscle, you will cause the nerves to fire in that muscle and cause it to work. For that reason I do not think you can work the upper part of the muscle and not the lower part. Having said that, one exercise that is overlooked for hitting the lats hard is the deadlift. This is because when the arms are straight and under load, and you stand straight up from a bent waise position, the lats do a lot of the work. This causes the lats to be stimulated to good growth because the dead lift stresses the muscles under some heavy loads. In this way, by stimulating lats from the "bottom up", you will get good size.

I hope that makes sense.

Ray

[KingDavid55]

it's good to see such hard work consistently

[Hibiscus09]

It gets hot and humid where you live?

Nice new journal and strong workouts! I'm sure you'll achieve the 365.

[pastorgbc]

It is hot and humid again (yes Hibby, from to time..), but the AC in the gym was working a bit better today.

It was the day to get after the shoulders a bit.

The workout - Shoulders and biceps

1. Behind the neck the presses - 5x9, 135
These felt good today. I am looking forward to adding more weight here.

2. DB Curls - 1x10, 40; 2x8, 50
Slow and strict on these.

3. DB Lateral Raises - 3x10, 30 pounds
Again I was working on the light grip to keep the focus on the side delts.

4. BB Curl - 2x10, 105
Two sets of these were enough today.

5. DB Rear Shoulder raises - 3x10, 30 pounds
I finished the shoulders and the workout with these.

Ray