Iron619's Strength Training Journal

[iron619]

Paused Bench Press: 7 sets of 5 @ 270 lbs
270x5, 270x5, 270x5, 270x5, 270x5

Touch N Go CGBP: 160x10, 160x10, 160x10, 160x10, 160x10

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 60x10, 60x10, 60x10, 60x10, 60x10

Cable Pushdowns: 100x10, 100x10, 100x10, 100x10, 100x10

Seated Neutral Grip Machine Rows: 100x10, 100x10, 100x10, 100x10, 100x10

Smith Machine Shrugs: 295x5, 295x5, 295x5, 295x5, 295x5

Situps: 20, 20, 20, 20, 20

Comments: Overall, an excellent training session. The 7 sets of 5 @ 270 lbs was very difficult, and surprisingly, my forearm/bicep issue had decreased since the previous bench press workout. Not sure how this is possible, but the pain was a bit less than the previous two bench press sessions. Regardless, the first prescription with 270 lbs was brutal.

Everything after the paused bench press was considered accessory work, and it was fun. Today's (the 5th workout) list of accessory work is probably one of my favorite out of the week. As I have done during the past few weeks, I threw in shrugs and situps.

[iron619]

Conventional Squats: 1 set of 1+ @ 365 lbs
365x2 @ 9.5 RPE

Conventional Squats: 4 sets of 2 @ 345 lbs
345x2, 345x2, 345x2, 345x2, 345x2

Straight Leg Cable Pull-Throughs: 75x10, 75x10, 75x10, 75x10, 75x10

Smith Machine Standing Calf Raises: 225x10, 225x10, 225x10, 225x10, 225x10

Hanging Knee Raises: 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Standing Barbell Curls: 95x6, 95x6, 95x6, 95x6, 95x6

Comments: Finally, my training week is officially complete! Very exhausting week, not only because of the workouts, but because of my work schedule. I'm just tired at this point. We are working 14 days in a row, with each days being a minimum 10-hr day. I train after my work is done, so I don't get home until after about 15-16 hours of leaving. Completing all the workout sessions this week was mentally fatiguing, and I am definitely happy that I get a day of rest tomorrow (Sunday).

This was a good workout session. As usual, my knees were popping LOUD on each rep on squats, and I think it's just my right knee. I'm not sure if this is bad, but it certainly distracts me. Either way, all squat reps were heavy but still felt smooth. I have timed my rest periods between all primary and secondary exercises throughout the week, ensuring that I rest, on average, 3 minutes between each set.

Everything after the squats was accessory work, and were done in a circuit with very minimal rest.

[The_Izebox]

Are you out in the field everyday or is it in some sort of administrative capacity? Ten hours of training everyday would kill my energy to lift. Tho sitting at a desk all day does the same lol

[iron619]

Are you out in the field everyday or is it in some sort of administrative capacity? Ten hours of training everyday would kill my energy to lift. Tho sitting at a desk all day does the same lol

Naw dude, I'm not stationed on a typical base that has tons of land and space for field ops. I'm literally in a remote building (called I&I duty) that belongs to the Navy (the Marines are like tenants of their building). Whenever the Artillery Marines head to the field or the range to train, they have to commute nearly 2 hours each way (convoys take a long time). Yeah, long days suck, but I just got here a couple months ago and have lots of work to catch up on.

[iron619]

Paused Flat Bench Press: 1 set of 1+ @ 320 lbs
320x1 @ 9.5 RPE

Paused Flat Bench Press: 4 sets of 2 @ 300 lbs
300x2, 300x2, 300x2, 300x2

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 100x5, 100x5, 100x5, 100x5, 100x5

Smith Machine Shrugs: 295x6, 295x6, 295x6, 295x6, 295x6

Flat Dumbbell Flys: 50x8, 50x8, 50x8, 50x8, 50x8

Chinups: BWx9, BWx9, BWx9, BWx9, BWx9

Situps: 25, 25, 25

Comments: Overall, an excellent training session to kick off Week #5 of my program. This has been a grueling month of training because I have worked out 6 days a week for a month now, but I'm still going strong. The single with 320 lbs was tough, but there was no way I could have done more than 1 rep. The prescription for the accessory work lowered to hit between 5-10 reps, which is great because I prefer lower reps over higher reps. The chinups were extremely tough. I can't quite hit 5 sets of 10 at body weight, but I am getting close. The extra exercises that wasn't part of the plan that I still completed anyway were the smith machine shrugs and situps. Lastly, I'm pleased that my bicep/forearm pain hasn't been as intense in this workout.

[iron619]

Sumo Deadlifts: 1 set of 1+ @ 510 lbs
510x1 @ 10 RPE

Conventional Squats: 4 sets of 8 @ 325
325x8 @ 9.5 RPE
325x8 @ 10 RPE
325x8 @ 10 RPE
325x8 @ 10 RPE (took a 13 minute break between 3rd and 4th set)

Single Dumbbell Rows: 85x5, 85x5, 85x5

Single Leg Press: 145x5, 145x5, 145x5

Kneeling Cable Crunches: 150x8, 150x8, 150x8

Standing Calf Raises: 275x8, 275x8, 275x8

Cardio: Treadmill running, 10 minutes, 6.5 mph, 1.07 miles

Comments: This was an EXTREMELY challenging and strenuous training session. The workout started out tough with a real heavy single on deadlifts. The prescription called to do a "1+", but it's unrealistic for me to even attempt a second rep. The squats today were straight stupid. I believe these were the most difficult sets of squats I have ever done, at least that I can recall. I took about a 5-6 minute break between each set, but the last one straight planted me to the point where I had to rest for about 13 minutes. I was still surprised that I was successful in completing the prescription for squats. I mean, I wouldn't have even been mad if I missed on hitting all 8 reps on any set.

After the deadlifts and squats, the rest of the workout was accessory work. At this point, my biceps were feeling sore (from the benching done on the day before and the low bar position on squats today), and since I was also simply tired, I cut the volume down and completed on 3 sets on each exercise. The cardio work wasn't part of the prescribed plan, but I am okay with running the short duration after my workouts.

[iron619]

Touch N Go Flat Bench Press: 4 sets of 1 & 1 set of 1+ @ 325 lbs
325x1
325x1
325x1
325x1
325x1

Standing Overhead Press: 4 sets of 1 & 1 set of 1+ @ 165 lbs
165x2
165x2
165x2
165x2
165x4 @ 9.5 RPE

Smith Machine Shrugs: 315x5, 315x5, 315x5, 315x5, 315x5

Seated Face Pulls: 87x10, 87x10, 87x10, 87x10, 87x10

Dips: BW+60x6, BW+60x6, BW+60x6, BW+60x6, BW+60x6

Single Dumbbell Lateral Raises: 25x8, 25x8, 25x8, 25x8, 25x8

Comments: Another excellent training session in the books! I was motivated with this workout because I was doing bench singles -- I'm all about low reps and I was looking forward to this workout. All reps with 325 lbs were very tough, but smooth. I only rested about 3 minutes between each set. The standing OHP was great as well, and were supersetted with the smith machine shrugs. I'm purposely not wearing a belt on anything other than squats and deadlifts because I feel that the belt doesn't really help me much on the upper body exercises, and that I can strengthen my core without relying on using a belt for every main lift.

The rest of the workout was accessory work and were done in a circuit fashion (3 exercises in a row). It felt great adding some resistance on dips -- I really like doing weighted dips.

[iron619]

Front Squats: 4 sets of 1 & 1 set of 1+ @ 210 lbs
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x6 @ 7.5 RPE

Pendlay Rows: 4 sets of 2 & 1 set of 2+ @ 230 lbs
230x2
230x2
230x2
230x2
230x5 @ 9 RPE

Seated Leg Curls: 138x8, 138x8, 138x8, 138x8, 138x8

Kneeling Cable Crunches: 162x8, 162x8, 162x8, 162x8, 162x8

Smith Machine Calf Raises: 275x8, 275x8, 275x8, 275x10, 275x10

Cardio: Treadmill running, 11 minutes, 6.5 mph, 1.18 miles

Comments: A pretty good workout today. The front squats singles with 210 lbs were any problem at all. The AMRAP set on front squats gave my quads a good pump. The pendlay rows were tough. I try to be mindful of my technique and form on this, ensuring I keep my torso relatively horizontal during the lift. Everything after the front squats and pendlay rows was accessory work. I again did cardio at the end, and increased the duration from the previous cardio session by 1 minute. I need to progressively increase the duration over time; I just haven't decided if I should do 30 seconds or 1 minute more each time. Also, I want to build up the adaptation where I can do (short) cardio sessions after every training session (not just on lower body-dominant days).

[The_Izebox]

You're always killing it bro, phenomenal work!

Do you have hyppertrophy phases or always low reps like this?

[iron619]

You're always killing it bro, phenomenal work!

Do you have hyppertrophy phases or always low reps like this?

Thanks dude. All I can try to do is stay consistent with my training.

For me, anything over 5 reps is considered hypertrophy. Each workout consists of the main lifts and everything after the main lifts is accessory work. The accessory work is where I utilize various machines, isolation movements, and other lifts for the purpose of getting some good volume and hypertrophy work in.

[iron619]

Paused Flat Bench Press: 8 sets of 4 @ 275 lbs
275x7 @10 RPE
275x4
275x4
275x4
275x4
275x4
275x4
275x4

Touch N Go Close Grip Bench Press: 225x5, 225x5, 225x5, 225x5, 225x5

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 90x5, 90x5, 90x5, 90x5, 90x5

Cable Pushdowns: 112x8, 112x8, 112x8, 112x8, 112x8

Seated Machine Rows: 125x8, 125x8, 125x8, 125x8, 125x8

Smith Machine Shrugs: 315x6, 315x6, 315x6, 315x6, 315x6

Situps: 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20

Comments: Overall, this was an excellent workout. The training session started out a bit rough because the set/rep/weight prescription I received for paused flat bench press stated to do "4 sets of 8 @ 275". I initially thought this was a bit of an overreach because just 4 weeks ago, I barely hit 4 sets of 8 @ 245 lbs, and the week before, I barely did 7 sets of 5 @ 270 lbs. I didn't actually review these stats until I had completed the first set, where I only hit 7 reps. I had to really arch and drive on the last rep to the point where I barely hit the 7th rep, but strained my lower back while do so. After a 15 minute break to let my lower back muscles relax, I was convinced that the prescription should have read "8 sets of 4 @ 275", and I completed the remainder of the paused bench press work at this prescription. Doing 8 sets of 4 @ 275 lbs was still pretty darn challenging, too.

Everything after the paused bench press was considered accessory work and were group together in two large clusters (circuit fashion). The accessory work prescription for this week called for a rep range of 5-10 reps, and I opted for the lower range on some of the lifts. I simply prefer to do less reps with heavier weight, than the opposite. For instance, for CGBP last week, I did 5 sets of 10 @ 160 lbs, but today, I increased the weight to 225 lbs and knocked out 5 sets of 5. On incline DB bench, I did 60 lbs for 5 sets of 10, but today, I used 90 lbs for 5 sets of 5.

Now, one more workout to officially complete week #5 of my training.

[TheBeastTyler]

Looks like a killer bench session, man. Nice work, keep it up!

[iron619]

Looks like a killer bench session, man. Nice work, keep it up!

Yeah, this recent bench press session was no joke man.

Thanks dude; I'll try!

[iron619]

Conventional Squats: 1 set of 1+ @ 375 lbs
375x2 @ 10 RPE

Conventional Squats: 4 sets of 2 @ 355 lbs
355x2
355x2
355x2
355x2

Straight Leg Cable Pull-through: 100x8, 100x8, 100x8, 100x8, 100x8

Standing Barbell Curls: 100x5, 100x5, 100x5, 100x5, 100x5

Smith Machine Calf Raises: 315x8, 315x8, 315x8, 315x8, 315x8

Hanging Knee Raises: 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Cardio: Treadmill running, 12 minutes, 6.5 mph, 1.29 miles

Comments: Overall, a fantastic training session to successfully wrap up Week #5 of my training program! This has been a very tough week. Actually, the past 5 weeks have been crazy because I have hit the gym hard 6 days a week each week. Due to my increasing work hours and requirements during the next two months, I will need to cut down on the frequency of training to 4 days a week. With this change, I will most likely revert back to training full-body each workout. Basically, I need to remain flexible and adaptable to the needs of my career first.

This workout was tough man, but I was looking forward to it. I knew the squats would be a struggle, but I never doubted myself of this today. After the squats, the workout was smooth and consisted of several accessory exercises. I again incorporated another cardio session at the end and I think doing these at the end of a lower body-dominant day is best.

Now, I'm looking forward to my day of rest tomorrow.

Lastly, I have recorded most of the work on the main lifts trained this week, with the exception of front squats and standing overhead press. I will post this vid shortly.

[iron619]

Collaboration of Lifts Done This Week (10/26-10/31)

[iron619]

11/2/15: Week 6, Workout 1 (Deload)

Conventional Squats 8 sets of 3 @ 235 lbs
235x3, 235x3, 235x3, 235x3, 235x3, 235x3, 235x3, 235x3

Paused Bench Press 8 sets of 3 @ 200 lbs
200x3, 200x3, 200x3, 200x3, 200x3, 200x3, 200x3, 200x3

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 80x12, 80x12, 80x12, 80x12, 80x12

Seated Leg Curls 126x12, 126x12, 126x12, 126x12, 126x12, 126x12

Supinated Grip Lat Pulldowns: 100x12, 100x12, 100x12, 100x12, 100x12

Kneeling Cable Crunches: 150x12, 150x12, 150x12, 150x12, 150x12

Smith Machine Shrugs: 315x5, 315x5, 315x5

Comments: Overall, this was a good start to a deload week. Not much to say about the main exercises (squats & bench), but the accessory work had me pretty exhausted. The workout prescription concerning the rep range for accessory work was 12-20 reps. This is a pretty wide range, and for me, I will almost ALWAYS shoot for the lowest prescribed rep range possible. All of the accessory work was done in a circuit manner.

11/4/15: Week 6, Workout 2 (Deload)

Sumo Deadlifts: 8 sets of 3 @ 375 lbs
375x3, 375x3, 375x3, 375x3, 375x3, 375x3, 375x3, 375x3

Touch N Go Flat Bench Press: 8 sets of 3 @ 235 lbs
235x3, 235x3, 235x3, 235x3, 235x3, 235x3, 235x3, 235x3

Single Leg Press: 105x12, 105x12, 105x12, 105x12, 105x12

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 50x12, 50x12, 50x12, 50x12, 50x12

Seated Face Pulls: 75x12, 75x12, 75x12, 75x12, 75x12

Situps: 21, 21, 21, 21, 21

Comments: Prior to starting this session, the workout was seemingly simple, but it was moderate in my energy exertion. I guess I didn't feel my best today because the deadlifts actually took some effort. I belted up on around the 4th or 5th set. The deadlifts and bench press were supersetted to save time simply because it had been a tiring day at work. The accessory work went well, though for some reason, I struggled with the single leg press.

11/6/15: Week 6, Workout 3 (Deload)

Conventional Squats: 3 sets of 10 @ 265 lbs
265x10, 265x10, 265x10

Paused Flat Bench Press: 3 sets of 10 @ 225 lbs
225x10, 225x10, 225x10

Dips: BWx12, BWx12, BWx12, BWx12, BWx12

Straight Leg Cable Pull-Throughs: 62x12, 62x12, 62x12, 62x12, 62x12

Seated Machine Rows: 100x12, 100x12, 100x12, 100x12, 100x12

Situps: 22, 22, 22, 22, 22

Smith Machine Calf Raises: 275x10, 275x10, 275x10, 275x10, 275x10

Comments: Another solid workout to wrap up all the lifting sessions of this deload week. I will likely do cardio on Saturday or Sunday. Before starting this workout, I strongly pondered if the set/rep prescription on squats and bench press were erroneously switched. Even though the weight prescription was light, I kind of struggled on squats, and I really struggled on bench press. I kept re-reading the email to ensure my eyes weren't deceiving me, thinking maybe he meant to do 10 sets of 3, but I stuck with what was provided. On the bench press sets, the first two sets felt like the last rep was an RPE of 9-9.5 The last rep on the third set was an RPE of 10. Because of this difficulty, I questioned why I would be pushed to an RPE of 10 during a deload week. The rest of the workout was solid and was done in a big circuit fashion.

11/8/15: Week 6, Workout 4 - Cardio (Deload)

Cardio: Elliptical Trainer: (25 minutes) & Treadmill Jogging: (15 minutes, 5.0 mph, 1.24 miles)

Situps: 25, 25

+ 10 minutes of stretching

Comments: Okay ever since completing my last deload session on Friday, I have had a painful twinge in my middle back, around where my rhomboids and lower traps are. It feels like a sharp pain that isn't constant, but can be felt if moved in certain ways. This was why I had skip the cardio session on Saturday. On Sunday, after a few great massages from my Wife, 800mg Ibuprofen, and some stretching, I felt a little better. I wanted to knock out a cardio session, so I started with the Elliptical Trainer to test for discomfort. The pain was mild but manageable. As I type this late Sunday evening, the twinge is still lingering in my back. I hope that I will be well enough to resume my modified program tomorrow. If not, I will need to rest it for a little while longer.

[The_Izebox]

What's going on marine? No more training for you?

[iron619]

What's going on marine? No more training for you?

Hey dude, yeah I've been training this week, just haven't had a chance to update my journal. I'm doing it right now. Thanks for keeping me accountable!

[iron619]

Conventional Squats: 4 sets of 3 & 1 set of 3+ @ 325 lbs
325x3
325x3
325x3
325x3
325x5 @ 9 RPE

Paused Flat Bench Press: 4 sets of 3 & 1 set of 3+ @ 275 lbs
275x3
275x3
275x3
275x3
275x5 @ 9.5 RPE

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 80x10, 80x10, 80x10, 80x10, 80x10

Seated Leg Curls: 126x10, 126x10, 126x10, 126x10, 126x10

Supinated Grip Pulldowns: 100x10, 100x10, 100x10, 100x10, 100x10

Situps: 20, 20, 20, 20, 20

Barbell Paused Shrugs: 185x8, 185x8, 185x8, 185x8, 185x8

Smith Machine Calf Raises: 275x10, 275x10, 275x10, 275x10, 275x10

Cardio: Treadmill running; 8 minutes, 52 seconds; 6.8 mph; 1.00 miles

Comments: After 5 consecutive weeks of training 6 days per week, we had to revise my program to adjust for the increased work hours and scheduling issues. For now, I will be training 4 days a week. With that said, this was a great start to my revised training program. The main exercises (squats and bench) were fairly challenging. I'm still a bit disappointed with why I have struggled on bench press. Just a few months ago, I could have benched 275 lbs for 10 reps (touch n go), and now, I barely do sets of 5. I do not have any pain or discomfort anywhere at this time, either, so not sure what's going on. Everything after the main exercises was accessory work and was great. As usual, the accessory work was done in a big circuit manner.

[iron619]

Sumo Deadlifts: 4 sets of 9 & 1 set of 9+ @ 375 lbs
375x9
375x9
375x9
375x9
375x9 @ 8.5 RPE

Touch N Go Flat Bench Press: 4 sets of 3 & 1 set of 3+ @ 295 lbs
295x3
295x3
295x3
295x3
295x3

Front Squats: 4 sets of 6 & 1 set of 6+ @ 175 lbs
175x6
175x6
175x6
175x6
175x6

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 55x10, 55x10, 55x10, 55x10, 55x10

Seated Face Pulls: 75x10, 75x10, 75x10, 75x10, 75x10

Situps: 25, 25, 25, 25, 25

Smith Machine Paused Shrugs: 225x10, 225x10, 225x10, 225x10, 225x10

Comments: What a TOUGH workout. Damn I hate high reps for the main lifts, and I consider 9 reps to be high. The last set on sumo deadlifts were considered AMRAP sets (indicated by the plus sign) but I will probably never go for any higher than 9 reps, as prescribed. After the sumo deadlifts, the touch n go on bench press was very tough. The touch n go bench press work was supersetted with front squats. After the front squats, the accessory work was solid. I'm getting in a great amount of volume through the circuit manner. This is definitely the toughest workout of the week, and the longest.

[iron619]

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

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

Dips: 11, 11, 11, 11, 11

Seated Leg Curls: 126x11, 126x11, 126x11, 126x11, 126x11

Seated Machine Rows: 100x11, 100x11, 100x11, 100x11, 100x11

Smith Machine Calf Raises: 275x10, 275x10, 275x10, 275x10, 275x10

Comments: Another solid workout. On paper, the weight on squats and bench press appears light, but doing 36 reps with 275 lb squats and 36 reps with 235 lbs on paused bench was very challenging! The 9th rep on each of the bench press sets felt like RPEs of 10. The accessory work gave me a great pump, as usual.

[iron619]

Paused Sumo Deadlifts: 10 sets of 3 @ 295 lbs
295x3, 295x3, 295x3, 295x3, 295x3, 295x3, 295x3, 295x3, 295x3, 295x3

Standing OHP: 4 sets of 7 @ 1 set of 7+ @ 140 lbs
140x7
140x7
140x7
140x7
140x9 @ 10 RPE

Single Leg Press: 105x10, 105x10, 105x10, 105x10, 105x10

Smith Machine Paused Shrugs: 225x10, 225x10, 225x10, 225x10, 225x10

Situps: 30, 30, 30, 30, 30

Standing Dumbbell Curls: 25x10, 25x10, 25x10, 25x10, 25x10

Barbell Wrist Curls: BARx10, BARx10, BARx10, BARx10, BARx10

Cardio: Treadmill running, 6.8 mph, 1.20 miles

Comments: Overall, an excellent workout to successfully wrap up week #1 of the new training program! Mentally, I wasn't too motivated for this workout because it had been a long day and I didn't start this workout till much later than usual, but physically, it felt good. I supersetted the paused sumo deadlift work - for every 2 sets done on sumos, I completed a set of OHP. Towards the end of the accessory work, I felt like trying a new exercise -- barbell wrist curls. What prompted me to try it was that I had never done this exercise before, and looking at my wimpy forearms, they looked like they needed some direct work. I've always hoped that doing heavy deadlifts, rows and pullups indirectly would have helped beef up my forearms, but after years and years of lifting, this is not the case! So, I might be throwing in some barbell wrist curls at the end of the workouts every now and then. The cardio at the end was good, too, and I am incrementally increasing the distance each time I run.

[iron619]

Conventional Squats: 4 sets of 3 & 1 set of 3+ @ 335
335x3
335x3
335x3
335x3
335x5 @9 RPE

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

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 80x11, 80x11, 80x11, 80x11, 80x11

Seated Leg Curls: 126x12, 126x12, 126x12, 126x12, 126x12

Supinated Grip Pulldowns: 100x11, 100x11, 100x11, 100x11, 100x11

Situps: 25, 25, 25, 25, 25

Smith Machine Calf Raises: 275x11, 275x11, 275x11, 275x11, 275x11

Barbell Wrist Curls: 50x12, 50x12, 50x12, 50x12, 50x12

Cardio: Treadmill running / 6.8 mph / 11 min, 30 sec / 1.30 miles

Comments: An excellent, exhausting training session to kick off week #2 of my new program! Each week, as the weight increase, the reps will progressively decrease. Things felt heavy today, but I felt pretty good on everything. I really enjoy doing singles, doubles, and triples, so this (the first) workout of the week is probably my favorite, which also helps with my focus and motivation. Squats were feeling tough, and I pushed it to an RPE of 9 on the last (AMRAP) set. Anything I do beyond what is prescribed is a bonus.

I was able to squeeze out 5 reps on the last AMRAP set on bench, which was good, but it was truly an RPE of 10 on that set. This week, I made slight changes to my bench setup, namely gripping the barbell one finger space wider, so my middle finger is now on the power rings. Also, I will focus on bringing the barbell a little lower on my torso. I'll try this out for a week or two and see how that feels.

Everything after the squats and bench press was accessory work and were supersetted in one way or another. I get such an awesome pump and sweat going from this circuit training/supersetting of accessory work, so it's also indirectly good cardio for me. I feel I am improving on my situps, which is an exercise I get tested in. During the military test, we have to do 100 situps in 2 minutes. Most would think this is cake, but for me, I've always struggled (see even my abs hate doing high reps haha). I also threw in some barbell wrist curls again (like last week). After doing this, I think I prefer to do dumbbell wrist curls, so I will make that switch later this week. Of course none of this (wrist curls, cal raises, cardio) are programmed in weekly training, but I add this in on my own accord. I still get all the volume in from what is actually prescribed, so this shouldn't be a problem. Lastly, I increased the distance for my cardio from the prior cardio work from running 1.20 miles to 1.30 miles. I hope to slowly increase the distance over time.

[iron619]

Sumo Deadlifts: 4 sets of 7 & 1 set of 7+ @ 400 lbs
400x7
400x7
400x7
400x7
400x9 @9 RPE

Touch N Go Flat Bench Press: 4 sets of 3 & 1 set of 3+ @ 300 lbs
300x3
300x3
300x3
300x3
300x3 @10 RPE

Front Squats: 4 sets of 5 & 1 set of 5+ @ 180 lbs
190x5 (<--Accidentally loaded 190 lbs instead of 180 lbs)
180x5
180x5
180x5
180x8 @9 RPE

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 55x11, 55x11, 55x11, 55x11, 55x11

Seated Face Pulls: 75x11, 75x11, 75x11, 75x11, 75x11

Smith Machine Shrugs: 245x8, 245x8, 245x8, 245x8, 245x8

Situps: 30, 30, 30, 30, 30

Dumbbell Wrist Curls: 25x11, 25x11, 25x11, 25x11, 25x11

Comments: Another awesome and very tiring workout to continue the momentum for this week! Prior to starting the workout, I was a little hesitant because of how the sets of 9 on sumo deadlifts felt during week #1. But, today, I KILLED the deadlift work. I actually felt pretty good on all the set, and even squeezed a couple extra reps on the last AMRAP set. I also wore deadlift socks for the first time in months, and these really helped me focus on the pull instead of worrying about my shins bleeding. One noticeable thing I did differently on each rep (than how I have been pulling during the past couple months) on sumo deadlifts was not waste as much energy setting the barbell down. Of course I am still controlling the drop of the barbell, but I'm descending the barbell must faster than before. I think I was wasting too much energy by going down a little too slow on each rep. I suppose we'll see how this works as the weight increases in the upcoming weeks.

The work on Touch N Go bench was tough man. I wish I could have done more than 3 reps on the final AMRAP set, but it simply couldn't happen. I should mention that my lower peck got bruised from Monday's bench press work because I crushed the microphone part of my headphones as I paused and slightly sank the barbell. This happened over a course of a few sets, and now, I have a visible bruise on my chest. I'm still grinding on these bench sets though.

The front squats were supersetted with the bench press. Once the weight on the front squats gets too heavy, I probably won't be able to superset two main compound lifts with one another. But 180 lbs on squats is still relatively light for me, so it's working for now. Solid sets on this exercise, too. I feel I can squat much deeper on front squats than on back squats - strange.

Everything after the front squats was accessory work and were supersetted as usual. I made the switch from barbell to dumbbell wrist curls, which feels a lot better. The range of motion and the natural movement feels optimal with dumbbells. The situps started getting tough on around the fourth set. I had to take a few extra breaths on the last few reps on the last set.

[iron619]

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

Paused Flat Bench Press: 4 sets of 8 @ 245 lbs
245x8
245x8
245x8
245x8

Smith Machine Calf Raises: 245x10, 245x10, 245x10, 245x10, 245x10

Seated Leg Curls: 126x11, 126x11, 126x11, 126x11, 126x11

Smith Machine Shrugs: 225x12, 225x12, 225x12, 225x12, 225x12

Hanging Knee Raises: 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Feet-Up Close Grip Bench Press: 175x10, 175x10, 175x10, 175x10, 175x10

Seated Machine Rows: 100x11, 100x11, 100x11, 100x11, 100x11

Comments: Great workout today! Aside from my knees popping on almost every rep on squats, this squats felt good. I timed my rest periods, averaging about 3 1/2 minutes between sets. I almost always start the stopwatch on my watch after completing a set on a main exercise to ensure I'm within a window of rest. In the workouts where I have a lot of sets or high reps, the rest periods between sets gradually increase.

Everything was supersetted or done in a circuit, like always. This really helps cut down on the overall workout duration, which is long enough as it is. On the feet-up CGBP, my feet were flat on the bench, which helps with balancing my body on the bench. I really like how the seated machine rows hit my upper back, too. For my ab work, I've been doing a lot of situps lately. I will probably alternate doing situps and hanging knee/leg raises every other work for some variety.

[iron619]

Paused Sumo Deadlift: 9 sets of 3 @ 310 lbs
310x3, 310x3, 310x3, 310x3, 310x3, 310x3, 310x3, 310x3, 310x3

Standing Overhead Press: 4 sets of 5 & 1 set of 5+ @ 150 lbs
150x5
150x5
150x5
150x5
150x7 @ 9.5 RPE

Single Leg Press: 105x11, 105x11, 105x11, 105x11, 105x11

Situps: 35, 30, 30, 30, 30

Stand Alternating Dumbbell Curls: 25x11, 25x11, 25x11, 25x11, 25x11

Smith Machine Calf Raises: 275x8, 275x8, 275x8, 275x8, 275x8

Dumbbell Wrist Curls: 25x12, 25x12, 25x12, 25x12, 25x12

Cardio: Treadmill running / 6.8 mph / 12 min, 25 sec / 1.40 miles

Comments: Another solid workout to successfully wrap up week #2 of my training program! I really didn't get much of a pump from this workout, nor did I feel particularly strong or psyched for this workout, but I hit everything I was supposed to do and squeezed in a little more volume than required. I supersetted the sumo deadlifts with the standing overhead press. The single leg press, situps, and curls were done in a circuit, and the calf raises and dumbbell wrist curls were supersetted. The cardio at the end felt great, and I worked up a lot sweat. Each time I run on the treadmill, I'm trying to increase the duration by .10 of a mile. I know it's not much, but it's slowly adding up. This is why the duration isn't set to a rounded number (i.e. 10 min, 12, min, 15 min...etc). Not much more to say about this training session. Looking forward to my day of rest tomorrow!

[The_Izebox]

Good **** as always man, you really grind out some crazy volume. Any meets coming up?

[iron619]

Good **** as always man, you really grind out some crazy volume. Any meets coming up?

Thanks a lot bro. I'm definitely putting in the effort - hopefully it pays off.

I don't have any specific meet picked out, but I will take a look and see if any are around this area (I just moved to Richmond, VA about 3 months ago). My last meet was in May 2016, so I'm itchin' to step onto the platform again soon.

[iron619]

Just put up a new trailer for my channel - It's a collaboration of some of the lifts I've done over the years on my journey for strength. Enjoy!

[ThighoftheTiger]

Subbing in to watch and be inspired. Got two teens going into the USMC in the next 0.5-3 years, so I'll be watching from that angle too.