The T-Man Chronicles: 1.0

[terman1]

This is my new workout journal. I enjoy following along and participating with a few other members who keep one so I decided I may as well have one too. I hope a few people will take the time to come and visit me because I really enjoy learning new things from all of you.

This is an interesting time in my journey. I have done various types of splits in the past however I have been doing a full body workout, focused primarily on compound moves and strength, three times a week for the past 6 months (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). I am now reaching the point where recovery is becoming difficult. I still enjoy my full body workouts so I have decided to keep the same exercises I do now but in order to give myself a little extra recovery time I have decided it's time to go with a 4 day push/pull type split which will be broken up not only by push/pull but also to train a variety of rep ranges by having 2 lower rep power days in the beginning of the week and 2 higher rep days at the end of the week.

The plan for now is to do something like this:

Sunday: Off
Monday: Push (Lower Rep)
Tuesday: Pull (Lower Rep)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Push (Higher Rep)
Friday: Pull (Higher Rep)
Saturday: Off

And here is my current exercise selection:

Push Days
Leg Press
Hack Squat
DB Flat
DB Incline
Machine Press
DB Shoulder Press
Upright Row
Tricep Overhead Extension

Pull Days
BB Row
DB Row
Lat Pulldown
Close-Grip Lat Pulldown
Face Pull
BB Curl
Roman Deadlift
Prone Leg Curl

Exercise selection is definitely a tough choice for me. There are so many exercises that I enjoy doing but of course we can't do them all. I usually have anywhere from an hour to 1 hour and 15 minuets to work out and have some time saved to shower before work. Due to this my workouts are mostly based on compound lifts to get the most "bang for my buck" with just a couple of accessories thrown in the mix and in my opinion, 8 exercises per day is plenty for me.

It may be worth mentioning that I need to be a little choosy right now with certain leg exercises because I have been suffering from a hairline fracture on the bottom of my left foot for the past two months. Thankfully, the leg exercises I am currently doing on the machines do not seem to further aggravate it so those are the ones I will go with for now. I will be taking it slow and making sure not to do anything that will create any further issues (for now).

Also, although the exercises listed is my current selection, there are very few things in life that I choose to write in stone. Occasionally I do swap exercises when I feel it's time for a change (i.e. trading off bb upright rows for side laterals, face pulls for reverse flyes, etc). Same thing applies to sets, reps and even days of the week. My workout is always evolving based on my needs at the time so what I can say is that what I have listed above is what I will be doing for now.

Well, that’s it for now. I’ll be enjoying my rest days tomorrow & Sunday then back to the gym on Monday for the first day of my new split.

[ironwill2008]

IN.

Looks like you've put some thought into this. Good deal.

Now it's time to do work!

[terman1]

IN.

Looks like you've put some thought into this. Good deal.

Now it's time to do work!

Thank's Bill, I'm really glad to see you here and looking forward to Monday!

[terman1]

This is what I have planned for Monday's low rep/power push day. I am being slightly conservative with the numbers since this is a new arrangement for me but I think it's a close estimate. We'll see how it goes and take it from there:

Power Push

Leg Press:
90 x 10, 190 x 8, 370 x 5, 370 x 5, 370 x 5

Hack Squat (Plate Weight Only)
70 x 8, 130 x 5, 130 x 5, 130 x 5

DB Flat
20's x 10, 40's x 8, 75's x 5, 75's x 5, 75's x 5

DB Incline
35's x 8, 65's x 5, 65's x 5, 65's x 5

Machine Press
90 x 8, 180 x 5, 180 x 5, 180 x 5

DB Shoulder Press
35's x 8, 60's x 5, 60's x 5, 60's x 5

Upright Row
20 x 10, 40 x 8, 80 x 5, 80 x 5, 80 x 5

Tricep Overhead Extension
25 x 8, 50 x 5, 50 x 5, 50 x 5

[ironwill2008]

I am being slightly conservative with the numbers since this is a new arrangement for me ...

That's always the better way to go when starting a new routine, or even just bringing in a new or long-unused exercise into a current routine.

[baker]

Also in. Good luck champ, welcome to the journals!!

[terman1]

That's always the better way to go when starting a new routine, or even just bringing in a new or long-unused exercise into a current routine.

Yeah Bill, I kind of got a wake up call the week before last. I have been primarily working lower reps (3-6) for the past three months to work on increasing my total weight so just to "test the waters" I decided to lower the weight a bit and try for 3 sets of 10 on my same exercises last Friday. Unfortunately, I really underestimated that one, lol. I used one of those rep conversion calculators to calculate my 5 rep max into a 10 rep max. What I discovered was it did do a decent job of calculating when going from 5 to 10 but what they really don't do is take multiple sets into consideration. Needless to say, when I did my three sets they ended up looking like 10, 8, 7, rather then my goal of 10, 10, 10. Although I've never been a fan of lowering the weight, I'll have to take that into consideration, especially true for when I work out the weight for my higher rep days at the end of the week.

Also in. Good luck champ, welcome to the journals!!

Thanks Baker and welcome! It's good to see you here

[terman1]

Today was the first day of my new split and I left everything I had in the gym today. Going from months of doing one primary exercise per body part per day to all my pushing exercises in one session barely left enough in the tank to walk out the door. For the first time for as far back as I can remember, DOMS actually started setting in at around four hours from the time I finished up this morning. It was a great day but one that makes me question if doing two push sessions and two pull sessions per week is a wise choice as far as recovery is concerned. I intend to stay on course for a couple of weeks with this however I have been doing this long enough to know I can just switch to a more standard push/pull split on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays if need be. For now, I'll just keep that option in my back pocket for now and see how it goes.

Surprisingly, most things went as I estimated as far as the numbers are concerned so with the exception of two exercises it was extremely close. Here was my day:

Low Rep Push Workout

Leg Pres
90 x 10 W/U
190 x 8 W/U
370 x 5
370 x 5
370 x 5

Hack Squat (Plate Weight Only)
Body Weight x 10 W/U
90 x 8 W/U
130 x 5
130 x 5
130 x 5

DB Flat Bench
20's x 10 W/U
40's x 8 W/U
75's x 5
75's x 5
75's x 5

DB Incline Bench
35's x 8 W/U
65's x 5
65's x 5
65's x 5

DB Shoulder Press
15's x 10 W/U
30's x 8 W/U
50's x 5
50's x 5
50's x 5

Plate Machine Bench (Plate Weight Only)
90 x 5 W/U
180 x 5
180 x 5
180 x 5 (barely)

Upright BB Row
40 x 10 W/U
80 x 5
80 x 5
80 x 5

Tricep Overhead Extension
25 x 10 W/U
50 x 5
50 x 5
50 x 3

Since I got all my reps on most exercises today, on next low rep push day I plan to bump leg press, hack squat, machine press and upright row by a dime each and go for 3x3. On my db flat press, db incline press and db shoulder press I will bump the weight by 5 pounds and try for a 3x3. By the time I got to my tricep overhead press my tris were so exhausted from all the pressing I fell short by 2 reps on my last set so next week I will keep the weight the same and take another run at it.

That's it for today. Tomorrow will be my low rep pull day and my plans include BB Row, DB Row, Lat Pulldown, Close-Grip Lat Pulldown, Facepulls, BB Curls, Romanian Deadlift & Prone Leg Curls.

And with that I leave you with a food pic as a tribute to Ironwill for putting the time and teaching us all so much:

Dinner tonight was an 8 ounce grilled Delmonico steak, four thick cut potato wedges, a spinach salad w/ cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and Italian dressing, a piece of Texas toast, and a nice cold glass of orange juice.

[terman1]

Well, today was day two of my new workout program and I just completed my low rep/power pull day. All I have to say is I have no will to pull one more thing for the rest of the day. Not a car door, not my desk drawer, not pulling socks up, nothing. LOL

Seriously though, I had a killer workout today and once again my estimates were pretty much spot on. Here is what went down:

Low Rep Pull Workout

Barbell Row
50 x 10 W/U
90 x 8 W/U
140 x 5 W/U
180 x 5
180 x 5
180 x 5

DB Row
40's x 8 W/U
80's x 5
80's x 5
80's x 5

Lat Pulldown
70 x 10 W/U
140 x 8 W/U
270 x 5
270 x 5
270 x 5

Close-Grip Lat Pulldown
50 x 10 W/U
90 x 8 W/U
170 x 5
170 x 5
170 x 5

Facepull
37.5 x 8 W/U
62.5 x 5
62.5 x 5
62.5 x 5

Barbell Curl
20 x 10 W/U
40 x 8 W/U
70 x 5
70 x 5
70 x 5

Romanian Deadlift
60 x 10 W/U
90 x 8 W/u
120 x 5
120 x 5
120 x 5

Prone Leg Curl
40 x 8 W/U
80 x 5
80 x 5
80 x 5

Once again, I gave it everything I had in the gym today and in return I got all my reps. Barbell rows, lat pulldown, close-grip lat pulldown, facepulls, barbell curls, Romanian deadlift and leg curls will all receive a bump of 10 pounds next week and go for a 3x3. I will be adding 5 pounds to the db rows and go for a 3x3 as well. Also, I have decided to make a slight change for next weeks power pull routine. I will be replacing the Romanian deadlifts with standard deadlifts or rack pulls on my low rep pull day. The high rep pull line-up will remain unchanged for now and will continue to include Romanian deadlifts.

That's it for today. Tomorrow will be a well deserved rest day then back to the gym on Thursday for the first of two high volume/higher rep days. Thursday's exercise line-up will be identical to Monday's low volume/power push day but all exercises will be done with sets of 10 reps, while using a slightly reduced weight.

[terman1]

Today was day one of my two "higher volume" days and most things went as planned. I left the gym today feeling very satisfied with what I done and although the weight was reduced, tripling my reps from what I have been doing has once again left me with a new found respect for higher volume workouts. In a way, this workout was every bit as challenging, and perhaps even more so then the power sets of 3-5 reps which I had become so accustomed to over the past couple of months. So far I am a believer that this combination of two power days in the beginning of the week followed by the two higher volume days at the end of the week my be my personal "Holy Grail". Here was my day:

High Volume Push Workout

Leg Press
90 x 15
150 x 12
310 x 10
310 x 10
310 x 10

Hack Squat (Plate Weight Only)
50 x 12
90 x 10
90 x 10
90 x 10

DB Flat
15's x 15
30's x 12
60's x 10
60's x 10
60's x 10

DB Incline
25's x 15
50's x 10
50's x 10
50's x 9

DB Shoulder Press*
25's x 15
40's x 6
35's x 8
35's x 7

Machine Press
70 x 15
150 x 10
150 x 10
150 x 8

Upright BB Row
30 x 15
60 x 10
60 x 10
60 x 10

Tricep Pushdown
70 x 15
90 x 12
150 x 10
150 x 10
150 x 9

* The DB Shoulder Press was the only real issue that I had today and I can see that this is going to be my "achilles heel". I set out today with a goal of pressing the 40's for three working sets of 10 however after doing a combination of nearly 60 working reps of db flat and db incline my shoulders were absolutely shot and it just wasn't happening. Even after dropping the 40's down to the 35's the best I could muster was 8 reps. I was feeling a little let down afterwards but the more I though it through the more I realized that it may just be a moot point. If my capacity was reduced that much after completing my flat and incline presses then it seems that perhaps I have indeed effectively targeted the intended muscle group after all.


I decided that I am going to treat my volume days a little differently then my power days. Due to this, I am going to place more focus on adding reps, rather then weight. Since my goal on these volume days is to do no less then 10 reps per set, I decided to go the other direction and not bump the weight up until I can do all three working sets with twelve reps. When I can hit 12 reps on all three working sets I will consider that to be my "graduation", if you will.

That's it for today's workout. Tomorrow will be day two of my volume days and finish out the week with my pulling exercises. My plans include bb row, db row, lat pulldown, close-grip lat pulldown, facepulls, bb curls, Romanian deadlift and prone leg curls.

[ironwill2008]

You're certainly putting out the volume.

How's your recovery so far? (might take you a couple of weeks to get conditioned)

[terman1]

You're certainly putting out the volume.

How's your recovery so far? (might take you a couple of weeks to get conditioned)

Hey Bill, so far recovery has been surprisingly good although you are spot on about the conditioning factor. What’s making this challenging is I’m basically going from a full body workout where I was only doing one primary exercise per body part 3x per week to this push/pull which has everything but the kitchen sink all on the same day. Also, the fact that I had been working primarily low reps (3-6) for strength over the past couple of months is definitely coming into play on my high rep days because it seems that although my strength had gone up, my endurance and capacity for overall work volume seems to have taken a hit.

It’s kind of funny, it's like once I do anything above 7-8 reps my muscles get confused and want to protest a bit, LOL. I have a new understanding and appreciation for higher volume days. For me, it seems that this combination of high and low reps days may be just what I needed to have the best of both worlds.

[terman1]

Today was day two of my end of the week higher volume days and I'm very happy with my workout today. Everything went better then expected so it was a great way to finish up the new week. Here is what is did:

Volume Pull Workout

BB Row
70 x 15 W/U
140 x 10
140 x 10
140 x 10

DB Row
35's x 15 W/U
65's x 10
65's x 10
65's x 10

Lat Pulldown
70 x 15 W/U
110 x 12 W/U
230 x 10
230 x 8
230 x 7

Close-Grip Lat Pulldown
70 x 15 W/U
130 x 10
130 x 10
130 x 9

Facepull
27.5 x 15 W/U
52.5 x 10
52.5 x 10
52.5 x 10

BB Curl
30 x 15 W/U
50 x 10
50 x 10
50 x 9

Romanian Deadlift
50 x 15 W/U
90 x 10
90 x 10
90 x 10

Leg Curl
30 x 15 W/U
60 x 10
60 x 10
60 x 10

I was able to hit all reps on 5 of the 8 exercises today; bb row, db row, facepulls, Romanian deadlift and leg curl. On these exercises I will try to hit 12 reps on all sets next week before bumping up the weight. Lat pulldown, close-grip lat pulldown and bb curl came up just slightly short so I’ll keep the weight & reps the same and take another run at these next week.

That’s it for today and for the week. I will rest up over the weekend and begin again on Monday with my lower volume/power push day. The exercise selection will include leg press, hack squat, db flat, db incline, db shoulder press, machine press, upright row and tricep push-down.

[terman1]

Power Push

Leg Press
100 x 10 W/U
200 x 8 W/U
280 x 6 W/U
380 x 3
380 x 3
380 x 3

Hack Squat (Plate Weight Only)
70 x 10 W/U
140 x 3
140 x 3
140 x 3

DB Flat
20's x 10 W/U
40's x 8 W/U
60's x 5 W/U
80's x 3
80's x 3
80's x 3

DB Incline
35's x 10 W/U
70's x 3
70's x 3
70's x 3

DB Shoulder Press
25's x 10 W/U
55's x 3
55's x 3
55's x 1

Machine Press
100 x 10 W/U
150 x 8 W/U
190 x 3
190 x 3
190 x 3

Tricep Pushdown
90 x 10 W/U
140 x 8 W/U
180 x 3
180 x 3
180 x 3

Upright Barbell Row
20 x 10 W/U
40 x 8 W/U
60 x 4 W/U
90 x 3
90 x 3
90 x 3

As planned, I bumped up all weights today and to my delight mostly everything went right up. With the exception of my the db shoulder press I will be bumping the reps on all my sets next week from 3 to 5 before increasing the weight. I will take another run at the db shoulder press using the same weight and reps and try again for the 3x3 and see if any progress can be made.

I am beginning to question whether or not the overhead press needs to remain in this routine for much longer. I really feel like I am getting more then enough work out of my anterior deltoids by doing my combination of heavy flat & incline db presses first so I'm not sure what they are really doing for me which is not already being done. I guess it's just my old school way of thinking that keeps me convinced that it's not a complete workout without some type of overhead press. For now, I will leave them in there however I believe it may be of more benefit to me to swap them with an additional exercise for the lateral deltoids, such as db side raises.

That's it for today. I'll be back again tomorrow for my power pull day. Tomorrow's workout includes bb rows, db rows, lat pulldown, close-grip lat pulldown, deadlift, facepull, bb curl and leg curl. Deadlifts are a new addition and have been added back into my routine for the first time in several weeks since hurting my foot so I'll be a little conservative on those for now. On all other exercises, the weight has been bumped up from last week’s weight and I will be attempting a 3x3 on all sets.

[terman1]

Power Pull

Barbell Row
50 x 15 W/U
100 x 8 W/U
140 x 6
190 x 3
190 x 3
190 x 3

DB Row
45's x 8 W/U
60's x 6
85's x 3
85's x 3
85's x 3

Lat Pulldown
70 x 10 W/U
140 x 8 W/U
200 x 6
280 x 3
280 x 3
280 x 3

Close-Grip Lat Pulldown
50 x 10 W/U
90 x 8 W/U
140 x 6
180 x 3
180 x 3
180 x 3

Facepull
37.5 x 10 W/U
67.5 x 3
67.5 x 3
67.5 x 3

Barbell Curl
20 x 8 W/U
40 x 6 W/U
80 x 3
80 x 3
80 x 3

Deadlift
100 x 6 W/U
160 x 6 W/u
230 x 3
240 x 3
250 x 3

Prone Leg Curl
30 x 10 W/U
50 x 6 W/U
90 x 3
90 x 3
90 x 3

Today's workout was tremendously successful. I felt very good this morning for some reason and even with bumping the weight on all exercises today I was still able to complete all reps across. Today was just one of those unexpected days where I woke up feeling very strong for no good reason, lol. I actually felt like I could have worked through a 3x5 on most exercises however I decided it best to stick to the plan and go for my 5 reps across on all working sets next week.

Also as planned, I replaced the RDL with the standard deadlift today and it now has a permanent home on my power pull days. The deads felt pretty good and I'm happy to have them back in my workout after not including them regularly for a couple of months after the injury. I'll be taking this exercise slow at first to make sure that I don't aggravate anything but so far I'm happy to report that everything seems to be good.

That's it for today. After my scheduled rest day tomorow I'll be back on Thursday for my high volume push day.

[terman1]

High Rep Push

DB Flat Press
15's x 15 W/U
30's x 12 W/U
60's x 12
60's x 12
60's x 9

High Incline DB Press
20's x 15 W/U
40's x 12
40's x 12
40's x 12

Machine Press
70 x 15 W/U
150 x 12
150 x 8
150 x 8
120 x 10 (back off set)

Barbell Upright Row
30 x 15 W/U
60 x 12
60 x 12
60 x 12

Tricep Pushdown
70 x 15 W/U
150 x 12
150 x 12
150 x 12

Leg Press
90 x 15 W/U
150 x 15 W/U
230 x 12
310 x 12
310 x 12
310 x 12

Hack Squat
50 x 15 W/U
90 x 12
90 x 12
90 x 12

For the most part, the weights went up just fine for me today and it worked out to be a fairly productive day. I picked up a few reps on most exercises this week and will be bumping up the weight on high incline press, barbell upright row, tricep pushdown, leg press and hack squat and trying for 10 reps across. On db flat I picked up a couple of reps however I only got 9 of 12 on my last set so I'll keep the weight the same next time. Machine press didn't move from last week, having gone from 10, 10 and 8 last week to 12, 8 and 8 this week so my net working reps were still 28 on both weeks, so to me it was a push.

That's it for today. Tomorrow is my high rep pull day and my list will include barbell row, db row, lat pulldown, close-grip lat pulldown, facepull, barbell curl, Romanian deadlift and leg curls.

[ironwill2008]

What’s making this challenging is I’m basically going from a full body workout where I was only doing one primary exercise per body part 3x per week to this push/pull which has everything but the kitchen sink all on the same day. Also, the fact that I had been working primarily low reps (3-6) for strength over the past couple of months is definitely coming into play on my high rep days because it seems that although my strength had gone up, my endurance and capacity for overall work volume seems to have taken a hit.

It may take a couple of weeks, but as long as you're eating and sleeping/resting adequately, you'll adapt. That's one thing the human body was well-designed to deal with--adaptation to stress.

I am beginning to question whether or not the overhead press needs to remain in this routine for much longer.

It's your call, but you'd do well to leave at least the Dumbbell Shoulder Presses in there.

[terman1]

It's your call, but you'd do well to leave at least the Dumbbell Shoulder Presses in there.

Well, after some consideration I have to agree with you once again on this one, Bill. I became focused on the fact that my anterior delts were exhausted from all the pressing before doing my shoulder presses that I guess I forgotten the basic fact that overhead shoulder pressing is much more then just “another anterior deltoid exercise”, as I was somewhat one-dimensionally making it out to be. After a quick visit to my old friend EXRX.net last night it reminded me that, unlike the bench press, the list of synergists used during the shoulder press is very extensive and includes a total of seven additional muscle groups as well as four additional stabilizers. Once again, you got me back on track.

With that said, I did some thinking and have a new plan of attack going forward which I will incorporate beginning the week of July 1st after my deload week (next week). I rearranged my routine a bit and decided to go after the shoulder presses first while I am fresh, followed by incline bench and finally flat bench. Going with this high-medium-low method should allow me to increasingly make better use of my bigger and stronger muscle groups later in the workout after my delts are fatigued.

[terman1]

Volume Pull

Barbell Row
BAR x 12 W/U
70 x 12 W/U
140 x 12
140 x 12
140 x 12

*I picked up 2 reps on each set today and reached my goal of 3x12. Next time I'll add 10 pounds to the bar and go for a 3x10.

Lat Pulldown
70 x 12 W/U
110 x 12 W/U
230 x 10
230 x 10
230 x 9

*I picked up a couple reps today and came very close to a 3x10. I feel that my form could have been better on the last couple reps on the last set however although it was shakey I did just barely get the bar under my chin on the 9th rep so I am counting it. I'm going to stick with the same weight again next time and retry the 3x10.

DB Row
35's x 12 W/U
65's x 12
65's x 12
65's x 10

*I picked up a couple reps here today and almost got my 3x12. I could have got the last two reps on the final set if I wanted to however it would have been with a little more "english" then I prefer and I work hard to keep perfect form and full rom on this exercise. I'll keep the weight the same next time and try again. I'm almost certain I'll get my 3x12 next week.

Close-Grip Lat Pulldown
40 x 12 W/U
70 x 12 W/U
130 x 10
130 x 10
130 x 10

*This was a tough one for me today but I finally got my 3x10 and with good form and no leaning back, which is easy to do with this exercise once fatigue starts setting in. Next time I will keep the weight the same and going for a 3x12 before bumping up the weight.

Facepull
27.5 x 12 W/U
52.5 x 12
52.5 x 12
52.5 x 12

*These are moving right along for me. I got my 3x12 today and will be adding a nickle next time and going for a 3x10.

Barbell Curl
30 x 12 W/U
50 x 10
50 x 10
50 x 10

*I got my 3x10 with ease on today. I was only one rep short on my top set last week so I was able to maintain near perfect form on all rep this week. Next week I'll keep the weight the same ad try for a 3x12 before adding additional weight to the bar.

Romanian Deadlift
50 x 12 W/U
90 x 12
90 x 12
90 x 12

*I picked up two reps on each set today and hit my goal of 3x12. Next time I'll add a dime to the bar and go for a 3x10.

Leg Curl
30 x 12 W/U
60 x 12
60 x 12
60 x 12

*These felt really good today after doing my RDL's and a very good end to a very good week. Got my 3x12 here and looking forward to adding a dime to the bar next time and going for a 3x10.


That's it for today. I got two full weeks of the new split under my belt and things are going well. I have been going hard for the past 7 weeks without a break so I am going to be doing a scheduled deload next week. I plan to cut the weights by 50% and following the same set/rep scheme as I'm currently following.

[terman1]

Low Volume Push - Deload
Monday, June 25th, 2012

Leg Press
50 x 10
100 x 8
190 x 5
190 x 5
190 x 5

Hack Squat
40 x 8
70 x 5
70 x 5
70 x 5

DB Shoulder Press
15's x 8
25's x 5
25's x 5
25's x 5

DB Incline Press
20's x 8
35's x 5
35's x 5
35's x 5

DB Flat
20's x 8
40's x 5
40's x 5
40's x 5

Machine Press
50 x 8
90 x 5
90 x 5
90 x 5

Tricep Pushdown
50 x 8
90 x 5
90 x 5
90 x 5

Upright Row
20 x 8
50 x 5
50 x 5
50 x 5

Today was day one of my deload week and the workout was completed in just under 35 minuets. Everything went well and form was obviously good on all exercises. Because everything felt so light, everything was done real slow, like a 3 count up and a 4 count down which is something I'll rarely ever do with my actual working weight. I was just thinking, how funny would that be if I wake up tomorrow with DOMS from doing them all slow when I'm supposed to be on a deload week, LOL. Anyway, not much more to be said about today. I'll be back in tomorrow for my low volume pull deload.

[terman1]

Well, a terrible thing happen at work today I stepped off of a curb on the way to lunch and wasn’t paying attention and stepped off of the curb wrong. My ankle hit a grate which was directly off of the curb and turned inwards and I heard a loud pop so I think it pretty bad. I limped back to work and now I’m sitting here contemplating my workout tomorrow. Now that I have been sitting in a chair at the computer for a couple of hours it’s really getting sore. Although I probably shouldn’t have, I just went on a quick break and limped down to our local CVS pharmacy and bought ACE bandage and a Futuro Sport quick strap ankle support so I can have some support while walking/standing.

The only thing I have for legs to do tomorrow is leg curls and RDL but just standing on it hurts so bad that I’m not sure if it would be good idea to walk around carrying weights and placing additional weight on it right now. I think my best bet is going to be to stay off of it for a couple of days and just move my push deload day to Friday, depending on how I’m feeling at that time. As soon as I get home this evening I’ll ice it, elevate and possibly a light compression wrap.

[terman1]

Good news! The ankle felt good enough today for me to get back in the gym today and at least do my pull day to finish off my deload week. It's still a little sore but I'm able to walk on it with minimal discomfort. Here was today's pull deload day:

Low Volume Pull - Deload
Thursday June 28th

Barbell Row
bar x 10
bar x 10
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5

Lat Pulldown
70 x 10
70 x 10
140 x 5
140 x 5
140 x 5

DB Row
20's x 10
20's x 10
45's x 5
45's x 5
45's x 5

Close-Grip Lat Pulldown
50 x 10
50 x 10
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5

Facepull
37.5 x 5
37.5 x 5
37.5 x 5

Barbell Curl
20 x 10
20 x 10
40 x 5
40 x 5
40 x 5

Deadlift
140 x 5
140 x 5
140 x 5

Leg Curl
45 x 5
45 x 5
45 x 5

Well, that concludes my deload week. It may not have gone exactly as planned however maybe just doing the two light days (push/pull) rather then the planned four days this week made for a nice break that my body/CNS needed anyway. Today I absolutely flew through this workout moving from one set to the next and completed everything in 35 minutes. With so much time left over I even through in some cable crunches and hanging knee raises, just for fun.

I am taking tomorrow off and as usual I will take the weekend off and return on Monday. Due to the leg not being 100%, I am making a change for next week in order to give myself some additional time to heal since I do not to chance re-injuring anything. I will be doing a basic push/pull/legs split next week, placing my leg day at the end of the week on Friday.

I'm going to make all three of my days next week my power/low rep style days and with moving the leg exercises to the end of the week I am even considering upping the sets from a 3 x 5 to a 5 x 5 if time allows. Depending on how that goes, I may even consider incorporating that same push-pull-legs split the week after, but by training my higher rep sets that week.

[terman1]

OK, those of you who visit are going to think I have gone absolutely insane however I just decided that I am going to change one more thing on my workout next week. Since I felt like I was not getting the most out of my shoulder workout due combining with my chest presses on the same day, I decided that shoulders would combine great with my leg day and allow me to keep at least a minimum of 48 hours in between.

This will allow my shoulders to get some work when they are fresh and also conveniently frees up two spots on my chest/tris day for me to add two replacement exercises that I really miss doing; cable crossovers and either close-grip or JM presses. This also allows me to add one more exercise to my back/bis day. Since I think I have back exercises pretty well covered, I believe I will add db hammer curls as a second bicep exercise.

So, plans for next week will now be:

Monday: Chest/Tris
Wednesday: Back/Bis
Friday: Legs/Shoulders

The only question now is whether or not I should consider chest with bis instead...hmmmmm J/K

[terman1]

Ahhh, nothing like a good deload week to recharge the batteries. New PR's were hit today in regards to both weight and overall volume.

Chest/Tris - Low Rep
Monday July 2nd

DB Flat
35's x 10 W/U
60's x 8
75's x 5
75's x 5
75's x 5
75's x 5
75's x 3

DB Incline
30's x 8 W/U
50's x 6
65's x 5
65's x 5
65's x 5
65's x 5
65's x 5

Machine Press
90 x 8 W/U
140 x 6
180 x 5
180 x 5
180 x 5

Cable Crossover
20 x 8 W/U
40 x 5
40 x 5
40 x 5

Tricep Pushdown
90 x 8 W/U
130 x 6
170 x 5
170 x 5
170 x 5

JM Tricep Press
50 x 8 W/U
70 x 6
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5

Tricep Overhead Extension
10 x 8 W/U
20 x 6 W/U
40 x 5
40 x 5
40 x 3


With the relocation of leg/shoulders to their own day, my focus today was great since all my efforts were concentrated on chest & tris. Since these exercises complement each other so well, everything just seemed to fall into place today. I added two additional working sets to my two primary presses, db flat and db incline, and went for 5 sets of 5 on my sets today. To my surprise, not only did I complete all reps on my incline db presses but I also got all but two reps on my last set of db flat presses. I addition to the extra working sets, I also added three additional exercises today – cable crossovers, JM tricep press & tricep overhead extension, all of which fit right into my workout like a glove.

That’s it for today’s workout. Wednesday was originally supposed to be my back & bis day however due to Independence Day family/holiday obligations I need to move back/bis to tomorrow and shoulders/legs will remain on Friday as planned. Although the week’s schedule may not be optimal, I still think it’s a better choice to buckle down and get my back day in there tomorrow rather then trying to wait and do back the day before legs on Thursday, since lower back tends to come into play so much on leg day.

[terman1]

Back/Bis - Low Rep
Tuesday July 3rd

Barbell Row
50 x 10 W/U
100 x 8 W/U
140 x 6
180 x 5
180 x 5
180 x 5
180 x 5
180 x 5

Lat Pulldown
70 x 8 W/U
100 x 8 W/U
200 x 6
270 x 5
270 x 5
270 x 5
270 x 5
270 x 5

DB Row
45's x 8 W/U
65's x 6
85's x 5
85's x 5
85's x 5

Close-Grip Lat Pulldown
90 x 8 W/U
140 x 6
180 x 4
180 x 3
180 x 3

Deadlift
100 x 8 W/U
160 x 6 W/U
200 x 5
230 x 5
250 x 5

Barbell Curl
30 x 8 W/U
60 x 6
80 x 5
80 x 5
80 x 4

Hammer Curl
20 x 6 W/U
35's x 5
35's x 5
35's x 4

I finished up today's workout in just over a hour. Just as I had done with chest/tris yesterday, I added two additional working sets to both my barbell rows & to my lat pulldowns today in order to increase my overall volume. I also added a new exercise to my line-up today, hammer curls. These were done immediately after my barbell curls and done as the last exercise of the day. Overall today went really well. I hit all my reps on barbell row, lat pulldown, db row & deadlift today and form felt good so I will be bumping the weight on all four of those next week.

On barbell curls I actually came really close today however I felt form beginning to slip on the last couple of reps of my third set so I’ll keep the weight the same and try those again next week. Close-grip lat pulldown felt really heavy this week which was expected since I added additional working sets to both barbell rows and lat pulldown and they were done as the fourth exercise of the day. I’ll try that weight again next week and see if some progress can be made. On the hammer curls, I came very close, only missing by one rep which I’m certain I should get next week.

That’s it for today. I’ll rest up tomorrow and Thursday and get ready for my low rep legs/shoulders day on Friday.

[terman1]

Legs/Shoulders - Low Rep
Friday, July 6th

Leg Press
200 x 10 W/U
300 x 8
380 x 5
380 x 5
380 x 5
380 x 5
380 x 5

Hack Squat (Plate Weight Only)
70 x 8 W/U
110 x 6
140 x 5
140 x 5
140 x 5

Leg Curl
30 x 8 W/U
60 x 6
90 x 5
90 x 5
90 x 5

Standing Good Mornings
60 x 8 W/U
80 x 6
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5

DB Shoulder Press
20's x 8 W/U
35's x 6
55's x 5
55's x 5
55's x 5
55's x 4
55's x 4

Barbell Upright Row
30 x 8 W/U
60 x 6
90 x 5
90 x 5
90 x 5

Facepull w/rope attachment
37.5 x 8 W/U
67.5 x 5
67.5 x 5
67.5 x 5

Reverse Cable Crossover
10 x 8
40 x 5
40 x 5
40 x 5

Barbell Shrugs
100 x 8 W/U
140 x 6
190 x 5
190 x 5
190 x 5

I enjoyed a very productive legs/shoulder day today. Thankfully my ankle felt pretty good so giving my legs some additional time was a very good call.

Leg Press: Today I added two additional working sets on my leg press and worked through a 5x5, completing all reps and sets. I will be adding 10 lbs to each set next time around and go for a 5x3.

Hack Squat: Hack Squats were good and all reps were completed however I caught myself trying to go a little shallow on my last working set so I am keeping the same weight next time around in order to reinforce my form.

Leg Curls: I successfully added two reps to each set of leg curls today and got my 3x5 so I'll be bumping those up by 10 lbs next time and trying for a 3x3.

Good Mornings: I got all my reps on standing good mornings however they did not feel good at all and did nothing but over fatigue my lower back and make the rest of my workout very uncomfortable. I believe I will be swapping with barbell lunges on power weeks & Romanian's will continue to be incorporated on my high rep weeks.

DB Shoulder Press: Since shoulders are now separated from my chest day, I added two additional working sets to my db shoulder press and worked through a fairly challenging 5x5. I came up two reps short but I'm sure I'll get them next time.

Upright Row: Upright rows are still moving forward and I'm glad to report that the shoulders are still doing well with them. All reps were completed and I will be bumping the weight by 10 lbs and going for a 3x3.

Facepull: As usual, I worked straight through the facepulls this week and was able to add two rep to each set. Next time around I will be adding 5 lbs and go for a 3x3.

Reverse Cable Crossover: I tried a new rear delt exercise today, reverse cable crossover, and they felt great! Rear delts can be tricky to hit sometimes but these definitely did the trick. I may even go as far as to say that I felt these more then facepulls, which have been a favorite of mine for a long time. I am considering making this a staple exercise on my shoulder day.

Barbell Shrugs: I finished up the day with barbell shrugs, which I have not done in a long time so I kind of forgot how much weight I used to use. I worked up to three sets of 190 although now that I wet my feet I know I can easily add a dime to my sets next time around.


That's it for today. I like the way this split worked out this week so I am going to stay with it for a while. I'll rest up over the weekend and come back on Monday to begin my high rep week, beginning once again with chest & tris.

[terman1]

Chest/Tris - High Rep
Monday July 9th

DB Incline
20's x 12 W/U
30's x 12
50's x 12
50's x 12
50's x 11

DB Flat
30's x 12 W/U
40's x 12
60's x 10
60's x 9
60's x 8

Machine Press
70 x 12 W/U
100 x 12
140 x 10
140 x 8
140 x 8

Cable Flyes
20 x 12
30 x 12
30 x 12
30 x 12

JM Tricep Press
50 x 12 W/U
70 x 12
90 x 12
90 x 10
90 x 8

Tricep Overhead Extension
10 x 12 W/U
20 x 12
30 x 12
30 x 12
30 x 12

Tricep Pushdown
90 x 12 W/U
110 x 12
130 x 10
130 x 8
130 x 8

Today was the day one of my different, but equally challenging high-rep week. There is some guess work involved this week in the determining the numbers since this is my first high rep workout day since switching from the push/pull split to my current chest/tri, back/bi, legs/shoulders split however my estimates were very good. To determine today's exercise weights, I basically just took all my recorded weights from last Monday's low rep power routine and reduced them by approximately 20%.

The amount of my reduction turned out to be fairly accurate because on most exercises I came just short of my goal of three working sets of twelve reps. I'm actually ok not hitting all my reps today because that tells me that at least I didn't estimate too low and I know that I had no choice except to work hard and earn every rep. A good thing is that two weeks from today, when I do this high-rep chest/tri workout again, any progress made should be easy to determine, even if it only means the addition of a couple of reps.

DB Incline: This was my first exercise of the day and they went well. I only came up one rep short on my last set. Weight will remain the same on these next week.

DB Flat: I did not hit my goal of 12 reps on any sets here however I did manage a 10, 9, 8. I may have estimated a little too high however I'll take it. One thing for sure, I definitely got some work to do next time around.

Machine Press: This was my third press of the day and after so many reps on my db flat & db incline, even the warm-up sets felt heavy on these. A 10, 8, 8 was the best I could manage on these however I'm ok with that. If I can keep the weight the same and at least get a minimum of 10 reps across all three sets next time I'll be content. If nothing is gained next time I may consider reducing the weight by an additional 10 percent.

Cable Flyes: These went well and I got all three sets on twelve today. I feel that I can comfortably add 10 pounds on these next week.

JM Press: These went ok, I got a 12, 10, 8 however I am considering swapping these out for either a more traditional CGBP or skullcrushers beginning next week. The problem with these is it's such an odd hybrid of the two that it's too hard to guage progress properly on these. It seems a little too easy to cheat and turn these into a traditional CGBP as the set progresses. I am leaning heavily towards skullcrushers since I am already doing multiple presses in the beginning of my workout.

Tricep Overhead Extension: These went and I got all reps across. I will add 5 pounds next week.

Tricep Pushdown: This was my final exercise of the day and my triceps were absolutely exhausted by the time I got to them. I still pulled off a 10, 8, 8 today so I'll take it. I'll be keeping the weight the same next week and see if any progress can be made.


That's it for today. I'll rest up tomorrow and be back on Wednesday for my high-rep back & bis workout.

[terman1]

Back/Bis - High Rep/Reduced Weight
Wednesday July 11th

Barbell Row
70 x 10 W/U
100 x 8 W/U
140 x 12
140 x 12
140 x 12

Lat Pulldown (Plate Weight Only)
90 x 10 W/U
160 x 8 W/U
220 x 12
220 x 11
220 x 9

DB Row
30's x 10 W/U
50's x 8 W/U
65's x 12
65's x 11
65's x 10

Close-Grip Lat Pulldown
70 x 10 W/U
100 x 8 W/U
140 x 9
140 x 7
140 x 6

Rack Pull
100 x 12 W/U
180 x 10
200 x 10
220 x 5

Barbell Curl
40 x 10 W/U
60 x 12
60 x 9
60 x 8

Hammer Curls
25 x 7
20 x 8
20 x nothing left in the tank


Workout Notes

Today was day two of my higher rep work week. As was done on Monday, I took my current 5 rep working weight and reduced the amount by approximately 20% in order to calculate the weight for today's workout. Similar to the experience I had on Monday, the weights I came up with for today's workout worked out well for the most part. Most exercises were just challenging enough that I was able to come close without hitting all reps across and the sets generally followed a "12, 10, 8" type set/rep pattern which is exactly what I was hoping they would look like. Once everything was said and done, there were only two exercises which I can say that I truly underestimated which will be discussed in more detail below.

Barbell Row: First exercise of the day and they went up without a hitch. Reps felt explosive and form felt great. I got all reps across and will be adding 10 pounds to my sets next time around.

Lat Pulldown: I didn't get all reps however I was close. It's a slow process however my endurance with this exercise for this rep range seems to slowly be improving. I'll keep the weight the same and maybe I'll get it next time.

DB Row: Another one where I came really close and ended up with a 12, 11, 10. Weight will remain the same next time around.

Close-Grip Lat Pulldown: This was one of the two exercises that I really underestimated. I had already pulled quite a few reps up to this point so it was half expected. Although my goal was a 12, 12, 12, I ended up with a 9, 7, 6. Since I couldn't even get my 12 reps on the first set this will need to be reset next time. I plan to reduce the weight by 10 pounds next time and work my way back up.

Rack Pulls: This is my replacement exercise for deadlifts, which I prefer to do on my lower rep week. With both deads and rack pulls, I always liked increasing the weight on each set, rather then keeping all sets the same. I went for 3 sets of 10 on these. My first two sets went well however by my third set my hands were sore/hurting from all the gripping and pulling done up to this point so I choose to stop at 5 reps on the third set.

Barbell Curls: I increased the weight on these by 10 pounds today and they went very well, resulting in a satisfying 12, 9, and 8 on these for the day. Next time I'll keep the weight the same and see if I can progress to a 12, 12, 8 (or better).

Hammer Curls: This was the last exercise of the day and since I gave it my absolute all on the barbell curls today there was nothing left in the tank to finish them, even after reducing the weight on the second set by another 5 pounds. The funny thing is, my biceps were so shot that my front delts actually tried to take over and I felt the fatigue more there, then in the biceps themselves. All and all, I know it took a ton of work to get me spent to that point so not a single sh*t was given this day

That's it for today. I'll rest up tomorrow and be back on Friday for my high rep leg & shoulders day.

[terman1]

Shoulders/Legs - High Rep/Reduced Weight
Friday, July 13th

DB Shoulder Press
25's x 10 W/U
45's x 10
45's x 9
45's x 6
40's x 8 (drop set)

Upright Row
30 x 10 W/U
50 x 8 W/U
70 x 12
70 x 12
70 x 12

Facepull
32.5 x 12 W/U
57.5 x 12
57.5 x 12
57.5 x 12

Reverse Cable Crossover
10 x 12 W/U
10 x 12 W/U
30 x 12
30 x 12
30 x 12

Trap Bar Shrugs
120 x 10 W/U
170 x 8 W/U
200 x 12
200 x 12
200 x 12

Leg Press
160 x 10 W/U
240 x 8 W/U
320 x 12
320 x 12
320 x 12

Leg Curl
35 x 10 W/U
50 x 8 W/U
70 x 12
70 x 10
70 x 10

Hack Squat
50 x 10 W/U
70 x 8 W/U
100 x 12
100 x 12
100 x 12


Workout Notes

DB Shoulder Press: These weren't too bad today but it could have been better. I had an expectation of 12, 12, and 12 however I only managed to pull off a 10, 9, 6. Since I came up short by multiple reps I added a back-off set by dropping the weight down 5 pounds and was able to get an additional 8 rep set.

Upright Rows: These went well today. I added 10 pounds to my working sets and I still got my 3 sets of 12 on these today. Happy days!

Facepulls: Well, what can I say...the're facepulls and I have yet to stal on them. Prehaps someday but until then I'll sit back and enjoy bumping them weekly.

Reverse Cable Crossover: It's my new favorite exercise! Got all my reps and sets today and even got a rear delt pump by the end for my efforts. Awesome!

Trap Bar Shrugs: So I walked past the trap bar for months and never picked it up. Today I decided to try them and it was life changing, lol. All the advantages of the regular barbell without hitting the bar into anything on the way up. Having the weight distributed on the sides of the body like DB's, rather then in the front, also makes a a big difference and is great because our db's only go up to 100 pounds. My traps are already sore and my workout was only 4 hours ago!

Leg Press: These went right up today and I'll be adding 10 more pounds next time around. Not much else to be said.

Leg Curl: These went well today even though I didn't get all reps across. I had the biggest pump in my hams by the time I was done today to the point where bending at the knee was actually difficult afterwards (in a good way).

Hack Squat: These also went well today and all set and reps were completed. I will be bumping the weight next time.

Today was day three of my higher rep work week. With the exception of running out of time today, everything went as planned. I'll rest up over the weekend and now that my foot & ankle feel 100% better I'm happy to say that I will be going back to my full body type workout program beginning on Monday 07/16. More info to come!

[ironwill2008]

With the exception of running out of time today, everything went as planned.

Good job all around; can't ask much more than ^^^^ This.

now that my foot & ankle feel 100% better I'm happy to say that I will be going back to my full body type workout program beginning on Monday 07/16. More info to come!

Good deal on the recovery!