Iron619's Strength Training Journal

[ktj4l]

Man, that workout looks sickening. Great job getting through it. I really like the idea of reducing to three workouts a week for a bit to allow for a different adaptation. This program your running is brutal but I believe you will wreck some PRs through it. So far you've survived it well.

[iron619]

Man, that workout looks sickening. Great job getting through it. I really like the idea of reducing to three workouts a week for a bit to allow for a different adaptation. This program your running is brutal but I believe you will wreck some PRs through it. So far you've survived it well.

Man, the past 6 weeks of training was brutal! I have never done so much volume with heavy weights. Thankfully, week #7 was a deload week (just completed). Physically, I feel restored, but mentally, I don't really have my hunger to train. Of course I will continue lifting, but sometimes the motivation and focus isn't there.

Hopefully you are right about hiting some PRs soon!

[iron619]

June 29, 2015: Week 7, Workout 1 (Deload)

Conventional Squats: 1x1 @ 355 lbs
355x1

Paused Flat Bench Press: 1x1 @ 305 lbs
305x1

Sumo Deadlifts: 1x1 @ 425 lbs
425x1

Accessory/RE Work:

Seated Calf Raises: 135x8, 135x8, 135x8, 135x8
Hanging Leg Raises: 8, 8, 8, 8

July 1, 2015: Week 7, Workout 2 (Deload)

Conventional Squats: 1x1 @ 315 lbs
315x1

Paused Flat Bench Press: 1x1 @ 270 lbs
270x1

Accessory/RE Work:

Seated Calf Raises: 115x19, 115x10, 115x10, 115x10, 115x10
Hanging Leg Raises: 8, 8, 8, 8

July 5, 2015: Week 7, Workout 3 (Deload)

Conventional Squats: 1x1 @ 395 lbs
395x1

Paused Flat Bench Press: 1x1 @ 335 lbs
335x1

Sumo Deadlifts: 1x1 @ 530 lbs
530x1

Accessory/RE Work:

Kneeling Cable Crunches: 120x15, 120x15, 120x15
Hanging Knee Raises: 8, 8, 8

Video: All three workouts:


Comments: Narrated within video

[iron619]

July 6, 2015: Cardio

Cardio: Treadmill running

Duration: 30 minutes

Speed: 6.4 mph

Distance: 3.2 mph

+ 8 minutes of stretching

July 8, 2015: Military Combat Fitness Test (CFT)

Comments: The CFT is one of the annual tests we have to complete for score. This has a big effect on your promotion score, or for the higher ranking guys, the annual evaluation. I always struggle with this test because it requires a lot of endurance, which is something I don't really train for. The worst part is sprinting with heavy boots on. For more information explaining the CFT, see the following link: http://www.marines.com/becoming-a-ma...o-prepare/cft# .

July 8, 2015: Week 8, Workout 1 (Deload)

Conventional Squat: x5 @ 7-8 RPE
315x5 @ 7.5 RPE

Paused Flat Bench: x5 @ 7-8 RPE
275x5 @ 8 RPE

Accessory/RE Work:

Standing Calf Raises: 90x10, 90x10, 9010
Hanging Leg Raises: 8, 8, 8
Seated Leg Extensions: 110x10, 110x10, 110x10

Comments: A solid deload session! This was a quick workout. I'm feeling pretty good and recovered at this point.

July 10, 2015: Week 8, Workout 2 (Deload)

Sumo Deadlifts: x5 @ 7-8 RPE
405x5 @ 5 RPE

Paused Flat Bench: x5 @ 7-8 RPE
275x5 @ 8 RPE

Accessory/RE Work:

Seated Leg Curls: 100x10, 100x10, 100x10
Dips: BWx12, BWx12, BWx12
Chinups: BWx8, BWx8, BWx8
Kneeling Cable Crunches: 120x12, 120x12, 120x12

+4 minutes stretching

Comments: I felt a bit sluggish today, most likely because I had to complete the Marine Corps CFT this morning. I definitely felt tired throughout the day from this, and my legs were feeling a bit worn. Because of this, I kept the Sumo Deadlifts relatively lighter than prescribed. I also knew that I was going to do cardio the next day, so I wanted to minimize the fatigue to my legs. One thing I want to mention was that it felt awesome doing dips again. I haven't done dips in a couple months, and it definitely felt my lower pecs/serratus area being stimulated. I've always felt dips -- especially weighted dips -- was an excellent upper body strength accessory exercise to incorporate, which also dually serves to stretch the pecs out as well. I will try to fit dips in my program soon.

July 11, 2015 - Cardio

Cardio: Running outside

Duration: 20 minutes

Distance: 1.98 mile

Comments: This was the first time trying a running app on my phone called "RunKeeper". For my cardio, I've always preferred to run on the treadmill because it was easier on my body to recover from, and was also easier to quantify in terms of specific stats. With this new app, I can accurately measure the time, distance, pace, and estimated calories (although the last one isn't important to me). My lack of cardio capability and limited endurance was apparent when completing the Marine Corps CFT test two days prior. Running on the treadmill is definitely not the same as running on the pavement. With my upcoming change in position and jobs in the Marine Corps, I need to ensure I am up-to-par with the running standards. I was excited about trying this app and will try to run outdoors more frequently. In the military, unless its snowing, we almost always run outdoors.

[iron619]

Cardio: Running outside (@ 7:33 AM)

Duration: 22 min, 5 sec

Distance: 2.24 miles

Comments: This was the second cardio session where I used the "RunKeeper" app on my phone. I'm definitely liking this app, as it provides a means to accurate track statistics to gauge progression. The other stats it provides is the average mile pace and the estimated calories burned. The most important ones that are relevant is the distance and time, so that's all I'm recording in my journal -- keeping it simple. For my job, I simply need to become a better runner, and improving on the treadmill is definitely not the same.

On other news, my deload week is over, and I will resume my weight training tomorrow. The plan for this week is to lift 3 times and complete 2 cardio sessions (today being the 1st).

[ktj4l]

Strong everything in here. You pulled 405lbs for reps at an RPE@5? Mirin'

[iron619]

Strong everything in here. You pulled 405lbs for reps at an RPE@5? Mirin'

Hey thanks brotha! Eh, 405x5 @ 5 RPE is alright -- not bad for a deload!

[iron619]

Conventional Squat: 4 sets of 3 & 1 set of 3+ @ 325 lbs
325x3
325x3
325x3
325x3
325x5

Paused Bench Press: 4 sets of 3 & 1 set of 3+ @ 275 lbs
275x3
275x3
275x3
275x3
275x5

Accessory/RE Work:

Hanging Leg Raises: 10, 10, 10, 6, 6
Seated Leg Extensions: 115x10, 115x10, 115x10
Weighted Dips: BW+45x10, BW+45x10

+9 minutes stretching

Video:


Comments: Narrated within video

[iron619]

Sumo Deadlifts: 4x9 & 1x9+ @370 lbs
370x9
370x9
370x9
370x9
370x9

Paused Slingshot Bench Press: 5x3 @ 310 lbs
310x3
310x3
310x3
310x3
310x3

Front Squats: 4x6 & 1x6+ @ 205 lbs
205x6
205x6
205x6
205x6
205x6

Comments: Overall, this workout was a heck of a battle but a great workout. Once I went through my warmup sets on Sumo Deadlifts, I only had 50 minutes before the gym closed, so I had to somewhat limit my rest periods. I had planned on doing cardio on the following day, but that didn't happen. I didn't take a video today because this was essentially a "light/high rep day",so there wouldn't have been anything cool to watch .

Going into this workout, I didn't think the deadlifts would slay me because it was only 370 lbs, but I was WRONG. I'm typing this workout summation 2 days after this workout, and my entire by feels destroyed, from the top of my traps to my hamstrings. By the time I finished the 3rd set, I was beat. Let me restate what I have mentioned in the past many times: I HATE HIGH REP DEADLIFTS! I can tolerate high rep squats more than high rep deadlifts, but I just have to grind through the fight haha.

The slingshot bench press was surprisingly tough, which caught me off-guard because I crushed 355 lbs for singles a few weeks back. I think I was too exhausted because the slingshot bench press and front squats were done in alternating sets to save time. I didn't have a minute to spare before the gym closed, so I had to skip all the accessory exercises. Thinking back on it, even if I had extra time, I was beat up from the three main exercises so I probably would have skipped the accessory work anyway, with maybe the exception of abs. Both the Sumo Deadlifts and Front Squat had a "+" on the last set, but I didn't even want to do any extra reps.

[ktj4l]

That's a great weight to get so many high rep deadlift sets with, man!

[iron619]

That's a great weight to get so many high rep deadlift sets with, man!

Haha thanks man, but it sure sucked. As the weeks progress, the reps will gradually decrease, so I'm looking forward to that.

[iron619]

Conventional Squats: 4 sets of 9 @ 275 lbs
275x9
275x9
275x9
275x9

Comp Paused Bench Press: 4 sets of 9 @ 235 lbs
235x9
235x9
235x9
235x9

Accessory/RE Work:

Seated Leg Curls: 110x8, 110x8, 110x8
Standing Calf Raises: 105x10, 105x10, 105x10
Hanging Knee Raises: 10, 10, 10

Comments: Overall, this was an exhausting but great training session to successfully wrap up week #9 of my training! Going into this workout, I didn't anticipate it being too tough because I looked at it as only 8 total work sets: 4 on squats and 4 on bench. But the time constraint of only having 45 minutes (after warming up) to start this workout really caused this workout to be tough as nails.

The squats felt great! Of course my legs were still feeling very sore from the sumo deadlifts performed a few days prior, but that didn't hold me back from having the strength to do these sets. My rest periods between set averaged about 3 minutes between sets. You would think 4 sets of 9 isn't bad, but it eventually creeps up on you after the second set. Doing this volume almost makes me feel like a bodybuilder!

The bench press sets was the toughest sets today. By the time I reached bench press, I was really in a time crunch. I actually performed the bench press and all of the Accessory/RE work movements in a big circuit training fashion. This really saved on time and allowed me to squeeze in the extra volume for Accessory work, but it left me fatigued on bench. My triceps burn out the fastest on bench press, and I wasn't sure if I was gonna be able to complete all 4 sets of 9. I BARELY squeezed out the 9th rep on the 4th set (it was definitely an RPE of 10).

[Andalite]

Workouts are looking good. High rep deadlifts are just killer!

[iron619]

Workouts are looking good. High rep deadlifts are just killer!

Thanks brotha! Just gotta grind through them, one rep at a time.

[iron619]

Cardio: Running outside

Duration: 25 minutes

Distance: 2.40 miles

Comments: Man this was a BRUTAL cardio session! I ran this at about 3:30pm, and it was about 90 degrees outside, but with the 60% humidity, my weather app stated that it "felt like" 106 degrees! Despite the weather, I was still able to increase the duration of this run from the previous duration. When I finished the run, I was beat! Definitely looking forward to my rest day tomorrow.

[iron619]

Warmup: Elliptical Trainer, 10 minutes

Conventional Squats: 4 sets of 3 & 1 set of 3+ @ 335 lbs
335x3
335x3
335x3
335x3
335x5

Paused Bench Press: 4 sets of 3 & 1 set of 3+ @ 285 lbs
285x3
285x3
285x3
285x3
285x5 @ 10 RPE

Accessory/RE Work:

Seated Calf Raises: 135x8, 135x8, 135x8, 135x8
Hanging Leg Raises: 10, 10, 10, 10
Weighted Dips: BW+45x8, BW+55x8
Seated Leg Extensions: 115x10, 115x10
Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns: 150x10, 150x10

Video:


Comments: Narrated within the video

[iron619]

Straight-Leg Sumo Style Deadlift

[iron619]

Sumo Deadlifts: 4 sets of 7 & 1 set of 7+ @ 400 lbs
400x7
400x7
400x7
400x7
400x7

Paused SlingShot Bench Press: 5 sets of 3 @ 320 lbs
320x3
320x3
320x3
320x3
320x3

Front Squats: 4 sets of 5 & 1 set of 5+ @ 210 lbs
210x5
210x5
210x5
210x5
210x5

Skipped all Accessory Work

Comments: Man what a brutal workout! Workout #2 of each week has consistently been, by far, the toughest workout of each week with this program. The effects were amplified even more so today because I generally train every other day, but this workout was done on back-to-back training days. I decided to train two days in a row because while I was house hunting in Richmond, VA for 4 days, I was unable to train at all. This caused me to delay the start of my training week to Thursday instead of Monday. Anyway, as usual with the second workout, I skipped all the Accessory Exercises again because of the time limitation and also due to exhaustion. Although the last sets on Sumos and Front Squats were "+" sets (aka AMRAP), I had no desire to push past what was required for the day. I should also mention that my rest periods were adequate between each set. I recently started timing my rest periods to ensure that I am taking a long enough rest between heavy sets. For instance, rest periods between sets on Sumos averaged between 3-4 minutes. After the Sumos, I was running short on time, so I had to do the SlingShot Bench and Front Squats in alternating supersets, which wore me out!

[iron619]

Paused Bench Press: 4 set of 8 @ 245 lbs
245x8
245x8
245x8
245x8 @ 10 RPE

Conventional Squats: 4 sets of 8 @ 285 lbs
285x8
285x8
285x8
285x8

Accessory/RE Work:

V-Grip Cable Pushdowns: 70x10, 70x10
Medium Grip Lat Pulldowns: 165x8, 165x8
Standing Calf Raises: 105x12, 105x12

Comments: Overall, a solid workout. I only had about 50 minutes to do everything before the gym closed. I had planned to complete squats first, but both squat racks were being used, so I had to complete my bench press work first. Everything felt good today, and I felt strong, but the last rep on bench press took me to an RPE of 10 - very tough! The squats weren't a walk in the park by any means, but the reps were still smooth. I didn't have too much time left at the end, so I had to reduce the volume on the Accessory/RE work and do them in a circuit to save time.

[iron619]

Cardio: Treadmill Running

Duration: 21 minutes

Speed: 6.5 mph

Distance: 2.27 miles

+9 minutes of stretching

Comments: I wanted to run outside for my cardio work today, but I was busy all day and didn't get a chance. Instead, I opted for the treadmill, which was still very exhausting. When using the treadmill, I want to make my baseline running speed not to be slower than 6.5 mph. At this speed, I am barely running in a pace that would allow me to pass the military run test. Running at merely 6.5 mph still kicks my butt. My sore legs from the previous workouts didn't help, either.

[iron619]

Paused Sumo Deadlifts: 9 sets of 3 @ 305 lbs
305x3
305x3
305x3
305x3
305x3
305x3
305x3
305x3
305x3

Standing Overhead Press:
155x5, 155x5, 155x5, 155x5

Straight-Leg Sumo Style Deadlifts:
185x8, 185x8, 185x8, 185x8

Weighted Chinups:
BW+50x5, BW+50x5, BW+50x5

Kneeling Cable Crunches:
120x12, 120x12, 120x12

Standing Calf Raises: 120x10, 120x10, 120x10

Standing EZ Bar Curls: 80x8, 80x8

Comments: An excellent training session to successfully wrap up Week #10 of my training program! Everything felt great today. The main exercise today was the Paused Sumo Deadlifts, which is something I haven't done in a few weeks, so I was especially looking forward to doing this variant. Everything after the Paused Sumo Deadlifts was considered Accessory/RE Work, and I added a few extra exercises and sets to help make up for what I skipped earlier during the training week. I was a little disappointed with my OHP -- I got weaker on this! For the Accessory Work, I decided to add a little more resistance -- the weighted chinups, for example. I have been neglecting my pullups lately, which is something I need to ensure I keep up with for my physical tests in the military. For me, weighted pullups at relatively lower rep (3-5 reps) have always worked well in keeping me strong on these. Most of these exercises were doing in a circuit fashion, which got me sweating a lot and my heart rate up.

[iron619]

Cardio: Treadmill running

Duration: 28 minutes

Speed: 6.5 mph

Distance: 3.03 miles

Comments: A great cardio session! This was a really tough run and I was glad with this cardio session. I don't get as satisfied running on the treadmill because it is definitely easier than running outdoors, which is something I need to improve. At the very least, the treadmill allows me to get my cardio work in after it gets dark.

[iron619]

Cardio: Running outside

Duration: 25 minutes

Distance: 2.58 miles

Comments: This was a tough run! According to my running app, this was the most distance I have covered since tracking my distance with my phone. I am content with this and look forward to improving upon this mark, both for duration and distance. It was a pretty warm day out, and it was nice to get some fresh air for a change (as opposed to air conditioned air).

[iron619]

Cardio: Running outside

Duration: 29 minutes

Distance: 2.91 miles

Comments: Man, I pushed it today! Fairly warm out, and pushed it even further than the run I did the day prior. This cardio session was tough, but still showed increased marks on duration and distance. As hard as I ran today, this cardio session would have caused me to FAIL my run portion of my physical fitness test. For my age group, I have 29 minutes to complete a 3-mile run. I came just short on that by only running 2.91 miles. At least I kind of know where I am at so I can strive for improvement.

Aside from the run, I am really looking forward to starting my next week of training (Week 11). As of today, I haven't lifted in 5 days, so I am definitely feeling anxious!

[Andalite]

I was wondering why there haven't been any updates. Good luck on the new cycle!

[iron619]

I was wondering why there haven't been any updates. Good luck on the new cycle!

Hey bro, thanks for the support. Yeah, I've been slacking with posting workouts, but try to input few sessions at a time once or twice a week. Half of my posts might just be cardio, so nothing exciting to the strength brahs .

[iron619]

Conventional Squats: 4 sets of 2 & 1 set of 2+ @ 345 lbs
345x2
345x2
345x2
345x2
345x5 @ 9.5 RPE (AMRAP)

Paused Flat Bench Press: 4 sets of 2 & 1 set of 2+ @ 295 lbs
295x2
295x2
295x2
295x2
295x4 @ 10 RPE (AMRAP)

Accessory/RE Work:

Seated Calf Raises: 135x8, 135x8, 135x10, 135x10, 135x10
Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 100x8, 100x8, 100x6
Good Mornings: 135x6, 135x6, 135x6
Weighted Pullups: BW+50x5, BW+50x4

Comments: Overall, an excellent training session to kick off Week #11 of my program! Very satisfied with how everything went today. As per usual, I only had about an hour to train, so I had to superset all of the Accessory work. The squats felt very good and I didn't feel any twinges or pain in my IT Band. I attribute this to the frequent stretching and massages I have been getting. On the fifth set on Paused Bench Press, I was expecting to get at least 5 reps, but it just felt heavy today. The fourth rep was an RPE of 10, so there was no way I could have done another rep. I was able to squeeze in some solid volume for Accessory/RE work, which has been something I have kind of neglected during the past couple months.

[iron619]

Cardio: Treadmill running

Duration: 30 minutes

Speed: 6.5 mph

Distance: 3.25 miles

Abs:

Hanging Knee Raises: 8, 8, 8
Kneeling Cable Crunches: 120x10, 120x10
Situps: 12, 12

+8 minutes of stretching

Comments: This was a great cardio & ab session. I finally hit 30 minutes at 6.5 mph, so that's a good thing. Now I need to at least be able to do this consistently and with decreased effort. This will likely be the baseline for me, but considering it doesn't directly translate to running outside, I will need to gradually increase the speed. For instance, there is no way I could have run 3.25 miles in 30 minutes on the pavement. I was sweating a ton from this session, too. The ab exercises were supersetted and hit my core well.

[iron619]

Sumo Deadlifts: 4 sets of 5 & 1 set of 5+ @ 425 lbs
425x5
425x5
425x5
425x5
425x6

Paused Slingshot Bench Press: 4 sets of 2 & 1 set of 2+ @ 325 lbs
325x2
325x2
325x2
325x2
325x5

Accessory/RE Work:

Standing Overhead Press: 160x4, 160x4, 160x4, 160x4
Standing Calf Raises: 155x12, 155x12, 155x12, 155x12
Seated Cable Rows: 160x10, 160x10, 160x10, 160x10
Dumbbell Cross-Body Curls: 35x10, 35x10, 35x10
Flat Dumbbell Flys: 55x8, 55x8

Comments: Overall, an excellent training session! This was the first workout completed while on my "vacation" back home in San Diego, CA. I was kind of surprised how well everything went, especially considering that I was jet-lagged from flying in earlier in the morning and did this workout after midnight. Overall, very pleased with how everything felt today. The Sumo Deadlifts were pretty tough but manageable. While in San Diego, I have a membership to a gym that is open 24 hours/day, so I have plenty of time to complete everything and to also add in more Accessory/RE Work than usual. Back in Jersey, I'm always in a rush and usually have to cut down the volume, or even eliminate the Accessory/RE Work, so this option is something I feel like doing.

[iron619]

Cardio: Running outside

Duration: 21 minutes

Distance: 1.98 miles

Comments: I was a little skeptical about running today because I was busy the entire day and was exhausted, plus, I had to run outside at around Midnight, but all went well. My pace wasn't that great because the streets where I ran were constantly changing in grade, meaning that the streets weren't always flat like I'm used to running in Jersey. The change in steepness definitely caused me to run a little slower than usual, but it's all good.