Brendbro's 'almost too weak to lift' Log

[brendbro]

OHP 3
barx10
30x5
40x3
50x3
57.5x3
65x5 PR
downs - 50x3x6
- so 65kg for 5 is a PR but overall slightly lower than last weeks 62.5kg for 8; im not fussed. was pretty difficult and my diet has been all over the place this week. overall im damn happy with where things are at regarding OHP.
- rest of the work out was back / pulling work.
- first video set is 57.5kg for 3. 2nd is 65kg for 5



bb rows - 55kgx6x3
*speed work

pull ups - BWx15,11,9
iso hammer rows - 70kgx3x10
shrugs - 60kgx10, 80kgx10, 60kgx10
*meh. moved it up to 80 but it felt shtt so moved back down.

cardio - 600 cals

[brendbro]

so i really want to fix my squatting issue (hip thing). that issue, in combination with the fact that i didn't make my reps last 3's session, lead me to take 90% of my training max (130kg) and reset. I've decided on working on my low bar, and am no longer using my romaleo's because they make it difficult to get my feet in line with one another. i'm going to also try and use some measure to make sure my feet are alligned (i.e. line on the ground or a stick or somethin) because that seems to exacerbate the issue

squat 5 [low bar PAUSED]
barx10
60x2x5
85x5
100x5
112.5x7
85x5
- so i was primarily working on low bar technique and these all ended up being paused. session was very easy but felt really good. if my shoulders can manage it and i can continue to carefully work on my hip balance then im excited about these.
- gonna upload video

squat press - 4ppsx13,13,13,17
*holy fuk legs were aching after this
leg extension - 30kgx2x30
lying leg curl - 30kgx3x15
cardio - 600 cals

[brendbro]

upper
Bb rows
60x5
80x5
85x3x5
80x5

pull ups - 15kgx3x5
chin ups - 15kgx5
pull ups - BWx10
iso rows - 60kgx15,12,12,12,12
tricep pulldowns - 35kgx20,15,15
push ups - BWx30,20
db curls - 12.5kgx3x12

- just general upper body stuff today. focusing on upper back.

cardio - 600 cals

[brendbro]

Deadlift 1
60x2x5
100x3
132.5x5
150x3
167.5x5 PR
185x0
- well. 167.5kg for 5 is a PR regardless of stance. was not expecting more than 4 and even that, i thought, would have been very difficult. happy with that outcome.
- decided on a single joker afterward because why not, next week is a deload. didn't even budge off the floor. dat dere low fatigue threshold this far into the cut.

hip thrusts
60kgx8
*these felt hella awkward and painful so i dropped it down.
40kgx4x12
*these on the other hand felt quite easy. anyway still working on form so im not concerned with the weight used as long as i get mmc

[brendbro]

Bench 1
barx5
50x5
60x5
75x5
85x3
95x5 PR
- cool. wasn't expecting that. puts 1rm at 113kg which is highest its been since injury and may even be better than pre injury!

db press - 25kgx3x6
*speed work
hammer strength chest press - 14ppsx15,15,6
*burnt out on that last one

cable flyes - 20x3x15
tricep pulldown - 30kgx5x10
preacher curl - 75psx6,6,5
iso bicep curl - 6ppsx2x20

cardio - 625 cals

weighed in at 74.9kg after two coffees today so weight is still slowly but surely moving down! Xmas is definitely going to do some damage though

[brendbro]

quick upper back work
barbell rows - 60kgx6x3
*speed work
pull ups - BWx12,10,9
chin ups - BWx2x10
isolated rows - 60kgx5x10
cardio - 640 cals

[brendbro]

squats 3 [low bar flat soles]
barx5
60x5
80x5
92.5x3
105x3
117.5x6
125x3
92.5x10
- pretty happy with today's session. was in a different gym at different time of day so that threw me through a bit of a loop, there were a lot of distractions so i tried my best to clear my head.
- second session trying low bar and they feel quite comfortable, although i noticed my hip was exceptionally tight. gotta remember to stay on top of mobility etc.
- top set for 6 was not too difficult and i still had some in me.
- did one joker set @ 125 for 3 which i messed up slightly making it harder than it shoulda been
- one thing im noticing with low bar is that, while the form itself feels good, i suck at exploding out of the hole which i think is costing me a lot of strength.
- after joker set did a drop set for as many as possible; hit 10 before the bar started whipping around on me so i finished it but i think i had 12 in me. but man it gassed me. cutting fatigue

leg press - 4ppsx12
different leg press machine - 164kgx12,15
leg extensions - 25kgx21,20,20
lying leg curl - 30kgx2x15

cardio - 400 cals

merry christmas!

[brendbro]

OHP 1
barx10
30x5
40x5
52.5x5
60x3
67.5x3
- mad exertion headache during this session, not sure why but wasn't feeling that strong at all and definitely think id have another in me on that top set on a better day.

barbell rows - 60x5x10
*just workin on form
pull ups - BWx2x10
iso rows - 30kgx10,10,12
lat pulldown - 41kgx12,15,15,15,15
tricep pulldown - 29kgx5x15
- as i said, everything felt completely sht this session. mad headache.

Deadlift deload
60x2x5
70x5
90x5
105x2x5
140x3x5
- today was sposed to be a deload but was feeling really good so just did a few top sets using 80% of 1rm (175kg)

leg press - 4ppsx3x12

ab wheel roller - 3x8
*holy fukk this was insane

cardio - 1200 cals

[brendbro]

Bench deload
barx5
40x5
50x5
60x5
75x5,5,5,4
- so again. after deloading used 75% of training max for sets of 5. aimed for 18 total reps as recommended by prilepins chart.

bb rows - 60x5x10
pull ups - BWx12,10
lat pulldown - 8psx3x15

cardio - 750 cals

[brendbro]

OHP deload
barx10
30x5
35x5
40x5
52.5x4x5
40x3x10
- deload week. did 20 of around 70-75% of training max and then some downs at 40kg. very easy week

chins - BWx3x10
curlsss - 30kgx3x12

cardio - 600 cals

Fun plans for new years!

[brendbro]

Deadlift speed
120x7x3

just a very quick session to work on speed. i'm going to use prilepins chart a bit more for this sort of stuff. this was around 67% of training max for 21 total reps.

[brendbro]

Back
bb rows - 80x5,5,8,8
pull ups [wide grip] - BW10,9,10
seated row - 60x3x12
iso row - 60kgx2x12, high gripx12,15
lat pulldown - 8ppsx12,15

Jan 4th
Bench 5
barx10
50x5
67.5x5
77.5x5
87.5x9 PR
db press - 25kgx3x8
hammer strength chest press - 14ppsx2x12
tricep pushdown - 30kg4x12 + 20x12

- bench is feeling great! i think its all the back work.

[brendbro]

Squat 1 [low bar]
barx5
60x5
80x4
97.5x5
112.5x3
125x6
110x3x5 [80% TM]
- these felt great. except belt was pinching my stomach on some of the reps which was fckin painful and has left a big bruise. anyway i seem to be keeping the hip issue relatively at bay, and low bar is feeling better each session.
-125 for 6 aint an all time PR but its the best ive done low bar!

leg press - 320lb/146kgx2x15
lying leg curl - 25kgx2x20
planks - 20kgx3x40 sec
cardio - 600 cals

[brendbro]

Pull
BB rows - 62.5x5x10
pull ups [wide grip] - BWx10,8,8,4
iso row [high grip] - 60kgx3x15
lat pulldowns - 8ppsx3x15
face pulls - 20kgx3x15
curl machine - 6ps (30kg)x20,20,15,15,10
planks - 20kgx3x40 sec

- so today was lighter hypertrophy pulling, focusing on MMC. ive also got an initial routine plan for at least the next coming weeks. It'll be a PPL split using 5/3/1 and will swap the days around slightly. I'll also be using Prilepins chart (http://70sbig.com/blog/2012/05/prilepins-chart/) when I'm not in the mood for 5/3/1, so like:

Legs [Squats 531 / Prilepins %'s]
Pull [ME work]
Push [Bench 531 / Prilepins %'s]
Rest
Legs [Deadlift 531 / Prilepins %'s]
Pull [Rep / DE work]
Push [OHP 531 / Prilepins %'s]
Rest

Given that this new scheme is pretty much entirely new to me, my swapping of 531 and prilepin % workouts will hopefully become a little more refined with experience. As of now it's going to be a judge by how I feel type of thing.

Since my upper back really needs a lotta work those 'ME' and 'Rep / DE' days are pretty preliminary and im not exactly gonna stick with them. basically I'll just be doing what I am feeling on the day, with the most important part being MMC for my back. I also want to work on other weaknesses this year primarily core strength, rear delts (especially now that im doing low bar squats) and grip strength so ill be adding in more face pulls on the Pull session immediately after squatting; core work on both Leg days; and Wrist work on the Pull day immediately after Deadlifts. I figure this way my core will be most rested for both squats/deads; wrists will be at their most rested for deadlifts, and my rear delts will be at their most rested for squats.

Given that i'm commencing PhD in less than 1 month I don't know how devoted i am going to be to a routine that is (up to) 6x a week, but I'll try my best. If things get too hectic I will reduce down to probably a full body 3x a week routine. Nevertheless, I am committed to one day hopefully do some sort of PL meet, which means being entirely transparent with myself and working on all my weaknesses; not just muscular ones but technique flaws etc too. I want to be doing this long term which means safety is priority, and this year will hopefully be about just that.

[brendbro]

Push
OHP 5
barx2x5
30x5
40x5
47.5x5
55x5
62.5x7
47.5x7,7,7,6
- didn't have it today. got 62.5 for 8 last 5's week so thats a drop of 1 rep not too surprised given that OHP hasn't been going as well as usual.

incline bench - 60x4x6
hammer strength shoulder press - 70x12,10
lat raise [machine] - 23kgx3x15
tricep pushdown - 30kgx5x12 + 20x15
planks - 20kgx3x40 sec

[brendbro]

Deadlift 5
60x2x5
100x5
117.5x5
135x5
155x8 pr
- took the past couple of days off and somewhat kept up with mobility and stretching so i felt well rested for deadlifts today
- form felt spot on too, except on that last set where i was thrown a little bit but dayum otherwise felt great. my grip was definitely the limiting factor also
- nevertheless, looking back at my log shows that my last PR at this weight was for 7 and they were quote 'very ugly' and I am assuming tough because i didn't mention anything about holding back; whereas today's 8 felt relatively good; weren't 100% but definitely weren't super ugly, and i feel like i could have had at least 10 if i had for example used straps.
- i should also add i've not been getting pumped up for deadlifts lately; this may sound like a moot point but given that i have spent the past couple of years always planning my set around some heavy music and getting all riled up n sht.. deadlifts lately have been the exact opposite, been listening to real chill music and keeping calm and collected and, while i am still learning, these are probably how deadlifts are going to stay from now on.

- TL;DR, sumo pulls are going well

conventional deadlifts - 120x3x5
planks - 20kgx3x40 sec
- i said id do grip strength work on this workout but i don't actually know what to do so ill need to look up some exercises first.
- i am in between gyms at the moment and one of the ones im going to just got a glute ham raise machine so i may try and hit those up tomorrow's workout.

cardio - 330 cals

[brendbro]

Pulls
BB rows - 80x8,8,5,5
wide grip pull ups - BWx2x10
seated row - 60x4x12
isolated row - low gripx60x2x12, high gripx60x2x15
lat pulldown - 9ppsx3x12
cardio - 600 cals
- bleh. session done on 5ish hours sleep. felt like sht.

[brendbro]

Bench 3
barx5
50x5
60x5
72.5x3
82.5x3
92.5x7 PR
- fuk yea. finally starting to see some actual progress in my benching again ever since the injury waaay back in feb 2014.

db bench - 25kgx3x8
hammer strength chest press - 14ppsx4x10
cable flyes - 15kgx2x18
tricep pulldowns - 35kgx5x12

cardio - 600 cals

[brendbro]

Squat deload [sort of] [low bar flat sole]
barx5
50x5
65x5
80x5
100x3x5
107.5x4x2
- deload week. threw in some working sets using prilepins chart (see http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/files/prelipins.pdf); 74% for 15 reps & 80% for 8 = a total of 1.
- really working on hip imbalance so been tennis ball rolling my glutes between sets. the imbalance is looking minimal compared with other weeks so im happy with that progress

speed pulls [sumo] - 110x6x3

leg press - 320lbx3x12
glute ham raise - BWx5x8
*first time ever using the glute ham raise machine so getting used to it but i think ima love it

cardio - 600 cals

[brendbro]

Pull
BB rows - 65x10,10,10,10,12,12
chin ups - BWx14,10,7
seated row [wide bar] - 50psx5x15
lat pulldown - 8psx10
DB shrugs - 25kgx3x12 + static hold x 2
face pulls - 20kgx3x15
machine curls - 7psx20,15,15,10 + 5psx10
planks - 20kgx3x40 sec

- great back session. in general preferring these lighter weight / higher rep pull sessions than heavy days as i feel much better MMC with my back
- focused a lot more on working my grip on all pulls today, especially with DB shrugs. threw in a couple sets of static holds after. amazing how little i did and how fukkin painful it was. excited about getting my grip stronger
- never used a wide bar on the seated row before it felt awesome!

[brendbro]

Push
OHP 3
barx10
30x5
40x5
52.5x5 [oops]
60x3
67.5x4 PR
52.5x6x3
- wasn't sure what to expect today. working sets ended up being the same as previous 5/3/1 session. i had that idea in my head today and accidentally hit the first set for 5, thinking that it was a 5/3/1 week again. so not sure if that would've made any sort of an impact on my AMRAP set. but it is what it is.
- first set went up easy. put me in a good mind frame for following sets. second set for 60 i misgrooved and it was slightly tougher than it should have. final set went decently, hit one more rep than last time so that's a PR, but i am quite certain i could hit 67.5kg for 5 if i was fresher, but since my pushing exercises have been rotated around to be lower on the priority list than pulling exercises i think that has slightly lowered my strength on them. no biggie.
- triples with first set weight after coz i wanted a bit of extra volume and to work on speed and technique.

lat raise machine - 23kgx5x15
tricep pushdown - 35kgx5x12
*gym was just about to close so couldn't get too much in today

[brendbro]

Legs
Deadlift 3
60x2x5
100x5
127.5x3
145x3
162.5x8 PR
- holy crap. that's a big PR for me. was not expecting it at all. DL's are coming along very nicely



conventional - 127.5x3x3
DB farmers holds - 24kgx 5 static holds
*these were timed with songs so each one was approx a minute
ab wheel - BWx3x8

[brendbro]

Push
Bench 1
barx5
50x5
60x5
77.5x5
87.5x3
97.5x5 PR
- at the coast the past few days. felt pretty shoddy all over thanks to lots of alcohol and dancing, but hit a PR anyway! bench progress is great atm

db bench - 25kgx3x8
hammer strength chest press - 14ppsx3x12
db flyes - 15kgx3x10
tricep pulldowns - 50psx3x6, 30psx2x20

[brendbro]

Legs
Squat 5
barx10
60x2x5
80x4
90x5
102.5x5
115x9 pr
- my hips felt wrecked today. not sure why. anyway, was kinda thinkin of pushing today's session back tomorrow but decided not to be a lil bish and get it done.
- first couple of working sets felt horrid. but tried to be as focused as possible and AMRAP set actually went pretty well. 115 for 9 aint an overall rep PR but it is a low bar PR, and it was more than i was expecting considering how terrible the prior sets felt.

paused squats
102.5x4x2
*want to try and incorporate more squat variations for accessory work. these felt excellent

leg press - 320lbx3x13
glute ham raise - BWx3x8
lying leg curl - 25kgx2x12
planks - 20kgx3x40 sec

cardio - 300 cals

[brendbro]

Pull
BB rows - 67.5x10,10,10,10,8
chin ups - BWx12,10,8
seated row - 75psx3x5
iso row - 65kgx2x12
db shrugs - 25kgx3x12
farmer holds - 25kgx3x1 min ish
face pulls - 20kgx2x20
iso curl machine - 7psx20,20,15

[brendbro]

Push
OHP 1
barx10
30x5
40x5
55x5
62.5x3
70x3 PR
55x5x5
- wasn't expecting 3 on my top set. actually almost hit a 4th! i think i would have had it if i had reset between reps for a slight bit longer to ensure my set up was proper and to have a little more confidence, but it is what it is. puts my 1rm at 79kg which is an increase of 1kg.. lol. ill take it

db lateral raise - 8kgx12, 10kgx5x10
seated db skullcrushers - 30lbx3x12
tricep pushdown - 35psx4x12

cardio - 300 cals

its looking as though this is my final cycle through 5/3/1, as next week is final week before i commence PhD and a 3x a week routine. Gonna probly use some sort of starting strength base and add in / swap stuff around from there depending on my recovery capacity etc.

[brendbro]

Legs
Deadlift 1
60x2x5
100x5
135x5
155x3
172.5x6 PR
- PR's all up in here. srs though that's a great PR for me and i definitely didn't expect it. DL's goin great and am looving sumo
- just kinda fukked around a bit afterward coz i was worn out and planned to be finished after that

conventional pulls - 135x5
speed sumo pulls - 100x3,3,5

leg press - 1ppsx3x20
*placed my feet really high up to kinda emulate sumo DL's and just kinda wanted to get lots of reps in to get blood in abductors / hammy's / quads

ab wheel - BWx3x10

this coming week ill deload most my lifts, except maybe back work. and then its PhD time and change of programme time. hoorah!

[brendbro]

Pull
BB rows - 60x6x3
*speed work

weighted fat grip pull ups - 10kgx6,6,6,5,5,2 + BWx10
*using a 'fat grip' type pull up bar at the gym to work on grip a lot more. these felt ggooooood.

seated row - 75psx3x6
*these felt awesome and i think the progression scheme will be 3x5, and move up the weight when i can hit it for 3x8

seated incline row - 20kgx3x8
*these didn't feel the best but had already done a decent amount of work so maybe that's why

DB farmers holds - 27.5kgx1:30,1:00,0:45 (all 'ish) + 20kgx not much

isolateral db curl machine - 7psx20,20,15

Actually had a really good session despite this workout coming a little under 12 hours after my deadlift session last night. Aaaand I've been feeling pretty damn beat up recently to where a deload is looking like a good idea.

[brendbro]

Push
Bench deload

- honestly I just fukked around tonight and didn't track what I did, just working on form, filming from different angles to see what things were looking like. i also did some low bar squatting and hit a beltless PR of 110kg for 2, which is kinda cool. anyway got my new programme written up;

Workout A
Squats 3x5
Back exercise 1
Back exercise 2
Chest exercise 1
Chest exercise 2
Tricep exercise
Bicep exercise
Lower back exercise
Ab exercise

Workout B
Squat 3x5
Deadlift 1x5
Back exercise 1
Back exercise 2
Shoulder exercise
Grip exercise
Tricep exercise
Bicep exercise
Ab exercise

For the time being I will be omitting bench because my shoulder / trap has been playing up a bit recently and I want to be safe. Not sure if it is the benching or the low bar squatting but regardless, will avoid benching for now and instead throw in a couple of chest exercises that don't feel so bad i.e. dumbbell presses, flyes, or maybe some machine stuff. As you can see I don't have the specific exercises plotted out, and that is because i think i'd prefer to be able to change it a bit more on the fly depending on what I feel like. The only constants will be squats and deadlifts (and face pulls at the end of every workout), and the progression on them (for the time being) will be linear; not sure how long this will last but I may as well try and see if I can get some gains using linear progression, if not then no biggie I will change it to something more intermediate oriented. Oh and yea it'll be 3x a week, so ABA, BAB, etc.

[brendbro]

Legs
Squat 3
barx3x5
60x5
80x5
95x3
110x3
122.5x8 PR
joker - 130x3
- unexpectedly awesome squat session today. low bar technique is feeling better each session; today found the perfect area to position the bar on my back, felt great. and hit a overall PR

leg press - 320lbx15,13,13
lying leg curl - 25kgx3x15
good morning - barx10
*felt derpy

cardio - 300 cals