Raynerd's Road to 40

[raynerd]

What Shane said 2x270... that is sweet!
I know I always say it... but dayum, that arch... so jelly of the flexibility!

Question on the DB press... how much diff is the feelz than the bench? What % do you drop to make them safe, hows it feel on the shoulders? I'm thinking about them but not sure AKA a tad scared

Thanks Mooseman, it's all good. So I am doing DB shoulder press and I honestly think it's a better exercise of you have bad shoulders. You have more freedom to move around and not so locked in like. a BB OHP. I would say from a bodybuilding point of view they are a better exercise.

[wishiwasdivin]

Nice 270 double my man.

[mirroroferised]

Morning Weight: 185.2lbs

Bench:
Bar x 15
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 2
250 x 1

Program set: (1-4reps)
270 x 2 vid

Pendlay Row:
135 x 8
205 x 8
225 x 6
225 x 6

Seated DB press:
65 x 8
75 x 6
75 x 6

Weighted wide pullups:
+45 x 8
+45 x 6
+45 x 6

Concentration curls 30lbs
12
9
9

DB reverse laterals 25lbs:
12
12
12

Dun:

Notes: well bench test day done. Gained 3lbs on my 1RM
278.1lbs. Ah well, didn't think this program was doing jack for my bench. I really don't know what will, 60 reps over 70% did jack, more volume did jack, gaining 10lbs did jack. Lol, keep plugging along I guess. Good workout though, not too concerned, trying not to take this chit so seriously anymore.

new page bump for the awesome benching today. Nice work today. Nice weight gain too. I'll be in the 180s by tomorrow or Friday at the latest I would imagine, See you soon

[DocJekyll]

Big presses Shawn. Very nice double

[PtReyesGreg]

Nice workout Shawn. 270 for 2 on bench is very good...a gain of 3 pounds is still a gain...that's a win...and like Tim said it's 26 pounds a year if you keep up that pace which is huge..

Great work on your accessory work too. Everything looks strong...the PRows, DB Press, and Pullups are particularly impressive.

Keep on keeping man...you're killing it in here.

[RT1957]

Nice work done Shawn....2 X 270 is really solid work....maybe 531 might be something to try for BP.....just a thought...I do know once you start to get close to the 300 mark it all slows way down....not to mention you are only 185....a 270 BP is mighty impressive at your BW....from my perspective....

[Jtbny]

Its still 270x2 which is more than last year. Bench is a tough lift to progress on. Too bad you don't own a slingshot. Overload training seems to really help.

[raynerd]

Nice 270 double my man.

Thanks Carl, I'll have to stop in and visit your journal, it's been a while. Last time I was there you were on a journalling break. Hope all is well!

new page bump for the awesome benching today. Nice work today. Nice weight gain too. I'll be in the 180s by tomorrow or Friday at the latest I would imagine, See you soon

Thanks for the bump Dave, it went ok, I was hoping I could pull 3 out of my azz but knew deep down I just didn't earn it the weeks building up. I know I can get my bench up by gaining another 10-15lbs but to me it's just not worth it. I will be lifting at that same ratio of bw to weight pushed anyway. Be awesome if you get into the 180's…I wave at you as I blow past you

Big presses Shawn. Very nice double

Thanks Doc, it's a slow grind on that bench, but will keep plugging!

Nice workout Shawn. 270 for 2 on bench is very good...a gain of 3 pounds is still a gain...that's a win...and like Tim said it's 26 pounds a year if you keep up that pace which is huge..

Great work on your accessory work too. Everything looks strong...the PRows, DB Press, and Pullups are particularly impressive.

Keep on keeping man...you're killing it in here.

Thanks Greg, I will keep working it. If it's gonna be slow, it's gonna be slow. Accessories were good today.

Nice work done Shawn....2 X 270 is really solid work....maybe 531 might be something to try for BP.....just a thought...I do know once you start to get close to the 300 mark it all slows way down....not to mention you are only 185....a 270 BP is mighty impressive at your BW....from my perspective....

Thanks Ron. I am not going to change anything immediately. I will run JC again with what I assume are going to be the same weights. I have things I can improve on from the last run, the max rep sets and the couple sessions where I didn't get the max amount of reps during a set. I am going to keep fattening up as well for the next 5 weeks. Some accessory changes will happen as well as some small bench tweaks to see if things help out a little. I just think I am at the point on bench where progress is slow as a snail. JC has me working in higher rep ranges for a lot of it as well which is beneficial for me. 5/3/1 is definitely an option and will run this next 5 weeks first then decide. Summer is going to be a much different schedule for me anyway.

Its still 270x2 which is more than last year. Bench is a tough lift to progress on. Too bad you don't own a slingshot. Overload training seems to really help.

Ya that's true. Honestly wasn't that disappointed with today. For one, I am trying to chill out, I know I am doing the work, eating to grow and resting enough. Beyond that I can't control anything else. I push as hard as I can so that's not the issue either.
I will run this for 5 more weeks for sure and continue on a surplus. I think the first 2 weeks again are something I can get a few victories on. Summer I won't be able to stick with JC due to an erratic schedule but plan to run it for multiple cycles starting September. I know I am going to be too fat for my liking after the next 5 weeks…so I may throw a 4-6 week deficit in there to shed off some fluff. This will be a good time for me to work on squat depth and consistency. This may also be a good time to bring in the slingshot later on in the summer when I start a surplus again and before JC...
One thing I am going to change on bench this cycle is to bring in my grip a finger. I switched wider (pointer finger on the rings) 2 weeks before I started JC thinking it may help. Nothing mind-blowing happened, so maybe I can generate a bit more power bringing back to my middle finger.
This is a great program all the same, I know I have work to do on squats, but I still feel I made major progress on it and that is my primary goal
Deads Friday…then round 2!! DING DING!!! DONG

[mirroroferised]

Its still 270x2 which is more than last year. Bench is a tough lift to progress on. Too bad you don't own a slingshot. Overload training seems to really help.

Can you build them out of lumber?

[raynerd]

Can you build them out of lumber?

Davey, I can build it!!

Calves:

BW block raises x 100

Cable Donkey calf raise paused 120lbs.
18/18/18/18/18/18

Seated calf machine 120lbs paused:
13/13/13/13/13/13

BFR
33
18
13

Tibialis Anterior with 45lb bunper on top of foot, raise from floor
15/12/10/10/8

Back stretches, quad stretches

Russian baby makers x 30 seconds x 3

Paused squats and depth work just using the bar, the 95lbs

Dun:

Notes: good calf blast, trying to do some daily squat depth mobility stuff, nothing strenuous, just to get me more limber in the hole and to get my body used to where it's supposed to squat to.

[DocJekyll]

Turning calves into bulls.....

[wasmeFINAFLEX]

Nice dedicated calf day!

[SlothBane]

Benching looked good, and I definitely wouldn't trade body weight for bar weight though. Couldn't tell from the angle, but kind of looks like you didn't load the Tris coming down and the elbows were flared out the entire lift. The second rep got a bit forward, so it almost stalled, but good strength saved the day though. I'm not really qualified to critique, but others in the main OV35 could probably give you some tip if you post up there. I guess you found a federation that doesn't require flat feet also.

Great calve blast. Been blasting my calves day in and day out for decades just walking around.

[SteveWright1]

I do some dedicated calf training Shawn
but nowhere near the volume you achieve routinely, even the little I do, makes walking the following day harder than it should be

270lb for a double is an impressive highlight for that benching session also

[pastorgbc]

Davey, I can build it!!

Calves:

BW block raises x 100

Cable Donkey calf raise paused 120lbs.
18/18/18/18/18/18

Seated calf machine 120lbs paused:
13/13/13/13/13/13

BFR
33
18
13

Tibialis Anterior with 45lb bunper on top of foot, raise from floor
15/12/10/10/8

Back stretches, quad stretches

Russian baby makers x 30 seconds x 3

Paused squats and depth work just using the bar, the 95lbs

Dun:

Notes: good calf blast, trying to do some daily squat depth mobility stuff, nothing strenuous, just to get me more limber in the hole and to get my body used to where it's supposed to squat to.

I do seated and standing. It sounds like you are taking calf training to a whole new level.

Good work with everything.

Ray

[raynerd]

Morning Weight: 185.5

Warmup:
-broomstick GM paused narrow/wide
-lumpy roller hams/glutes
-Chris Duffin hip activation 3 exercises

Deads:
135 x 4
225 x 3
315 x 2
405 x 1
455 x 1

Program set (1-4)
495 x 2 PR vid

Front squats:
135 x 8
135 x 8 vid
135 x 8

DB alternating lunges 40lb a hand:
8
8
8

Notes: good workout. I was pretty worried I would fail at 5pps today as I spent about 7 hours burying a dog fence wire around my 2 acre yard. My lower back was beat up yesterday.
Anyway I repped 5pps!! Very happy with that If I got 3 reps JC program would have me using new weight next cycle but at this point I have to use the same weights. That's fine, I will aim for 5pps for 3-4 reps this next cycle.
Did some light front squats and lunges for some quad hypertrophy work, as well as depth work on the squats. Happy with my depth on the front squats

Off to the lake to slay some Walters!! Back to day 1, week 1 of JC on Monday. Same weights for bench and deads and a small bump for squats.
Have a great long weekend boys!

[PtReyesGreg]

Great workout today Shawn. Those 495 deads are serious...that is some BIG weight you're moving there. That is awesome you were able to lift that especially with a tired back from yesterday. Nice job on the front squats too...those looked very good.

Have a great day at the lake! I'm jealous of that...

Edit: Oops was thinking Shawn...typed Ron.

[mirroroferised]

Yeah man awesome getting a couple of reps and a pr there!! Have a good time fishing. Just slightly jealous

[SlothBane]

Nailed the double Rayanator!

Depth on fronts were deep.

[TM79]

Solid sets! Nice job on the PR! Good depth on Front Squats too.

[RT1957]

Strong pulls Shawn....and form on front squats is spot on...great depth

[fittofattofit]

Benching at 270 x 2 looked good to me but some great tips from Sloth

Deads:
135 x 4
225 x 3
315 x 2
405 x 1
455 x 1

Program set (1-4)
495 x 2 PR vid

Just awesome work with the deads Shawn .... pulling 5pps for reps is so alpha, but you still managed to keep up that speed off the floor. I thought you had that 3rd rep but then it won't hurt to stay at the same weight for next week and add that 3rd or 4th rep
Fronts looked really good ... it shows you've got that mobility and that should carry over to your back squats

[shaneinga]

Damn Shawn. That was impressive to watch. Great job! Congrats on the PR there. A double at 5 plates is amazing. Front squats after all that pulling had to feel heavy with the lower back trashing that you already had with the deads.

Great workout!

[Jtbny]

Thought you had that third too! Nice PR on deads.

[Plateauplower]

Nice pulling. Looks like your in the lead on the race to 600.

[raynerd]

BSS x 10

Russian baby makers x 2 for 30 seconds

Squat form work:
Bar x 5
135 x 3
225 x 1
225 x 1
225 x 1
275 x 1
300 x 1 vid
300 x 1
300 x 1 vid

Calves:

Standing BW block raise x 100

Standing 1 leg raise holding 25lb DB at side
12/12/12/12/12/12

Seated Calf machine 120lbs paused
12/12/12/12/12/12

BFR
34
15
10 faaaaak these hurt!!

Tibialis Anterior with 45lb bumper on top of single foot, toe raise from floor
16/12/8/8/7

Dun:

Notes: back this afternoon from camp and wanted to get something done in the gym. Squat depth has been plaguing my mind so worked on some singles today trying to get that first rep down in the hole without hesitation. Went ok, please comment what you think of the depth.
Hit my regular calf smash, damn BFR hurt today

So I have been thinking about the program today and wondering if I should just run the same weights on squats over again. There were a ton of high reps on my last cycle and maybe I am best served doing them over and trying to improve the quality and depth of my reps.
Thoughts?

[raynerd]

Turning calves into bulls.....

I am trying Doc, wish it would happen one day!!

Nice dedicated calf day!

Thanks Simon, you will find I am batchit crazy about building calves lol

Benching looked good, and I definitely wouldn't trade body weight for bar weight though. Couldn't tell from the angle, but kind of looks like you didn't load the Tris coming down and the elbows were flared out the entire lift. The second rep got a bit forward, so it almost stalled, but good strength saved the day though. I'm not really qualified to critique, but others in the main OV35 could probably give you some tip if you post up there. I guess you found a federation that doesn't require flat feet also.

Great calve blast. Been blasting my calves day in and day out for decades just walking around.

Thanks for the critique bud! I am going to make a few changes this cycle and see if I can load the tris better and flare only on the way up. Keep the tips coming please!

I do some dedicated calf training Shawn
but nowhere near the volume you achieve routinely, even the little I do, makes walking the following day harder than it should be

270lb for a double is an impressive highlight for that benching session also

Thanks Steve, I hate my calves and they must pay lol. The problem with my bench is lack of progression. It has really gone nowhere in the last year or so. It's frustrating me.

I do seated and standing. It sounds like you are taking calf training to a whole new level.

Good work with everything.

Ray

Thanks Ray, ya I am full calf retarded!

Great workout today Shawn. Those 495 deads are serious...that is some BIG weight you're moving there. That is awesome you were able to lift that especially with a tired back from yesterday. Nice job on the front squats too...those looked very good.

Have a great day at the lake! I'm jealous of that...

Edit: Oops was thinking Shawn...typed Ron.

Thanks Greg, I was happy with the double there for sure. The weights I am at right now are scary to me to even think about pulling them. Definitely happy with that one!

Yeah man awesome getting a couple of reps and a pr there!! Have a good time fishing. Just slightly jealous

Thanks Dave, was happy it even moved. Fishing was fun, we had incredible weather and I have incredible sunburn!

Nailed the double Rayanator!

Depth on fronts were deep.

Thanks SB! Wish I could get down there with my low bar dammit!

Solid sets! Nice job on the PR! Good depth on Front Squats too.

Thanks for popping in! Appreciate the support!

Strong pulls Shawn....and form on front squats is spot on...great depth

Thanks Ron, felt good to hit that double! Front squats felt real good too, going to bring them back as a JC accessory this cycle

Benching at 270 x 2 looked good to me but some great tips from Sloth
Just awesome work with the deads Shawn .... pulling 5pps for reps is so alpha, but you still managed to keep up that speed off the floor. I thought you had that 3rd rep but then it won't hurt to stay at the same weight for next week and add that 3rd or 4th rep
Fronts looked really good ... it shows you've got that mobility and that should carry over to your back squats

Thanks Andrew, ya need to make some changes on the bench. I should be progressing a bit better than this. Going to take Sloth's advice and narrow my grip a bit so I can tuck the elbows a bit more on the way down.
I was pretty happy with the 5pps double, deads are at that real slow moving state and any progress is great progress. I may have had a real ugly 3rd rep there but it wasn't worth the risk. I was happy with the front squat depth, I spent quite a bit of time on depth mobility last week and think that helped. I hope I can translate it over to my low bar now.

Damn Shawn. That was impressive to watch. Great job! Congrats on the PR there. A double at 5 plates is amazing. Front squats after all that pulling had to feel heavy with the lower back trashing that you already had with the deads.

Great workout!

Thanks Shane, was happy with that one. The fronts were light but got some good quad activation going on.

Thought you had that third too! Nice PR on deads.

Thanks John, the third one felt like it was going to be a dangerous grind if I got it. Save it for next round!

Nice pulling. Looks like your in the lead on the race to 600.

Thanks Tim! I have the feeling this is gonna be a looooong race haha

[mirroroferised]

You hit easy depth on both. Awesome job. Sounds like a fun weekend. I did yardioxfor two straight days lol

[Jtbny]

Depth is good.

Remember these three things in this order moving forward-

Technique (form)

Consistency

Intensity

Make sure your technique is good and can be repeated without thinking about it;
Do it over and over consistently;
Increase weight when the above are being done.

[raynerd]

You hit easy depth on both. Awesome job. Sounds like a fun weekend. I did yardioxfor two straight days lol

Awesome thanks Dave. Going to be working on this every rep this cycle. 2 days of yardio booo