The Flywheel Effect.

[U]Deadlift[/U]
275 pounds - 3 sets x 6 reps

Stiff bar, beltless, strapless. The biggest challenge for me right now is grip since I've mostly been using straps when deadlifting. I did hook grip for the first set and lost hold of the bar during the last rep. Used mixed grip on the next 2 sets and had no issues. Had 2 other exercises on the program, but the 3 sets of 6 was about all I could handle today.

[B]Lunges:[/B] 25 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps
[B]Pushups:[/B] 3 sets x 10 reps
[B]Pullups:[/B] 3 sets x 3 reps
[B]Situps:[/B] 3 sets x 10 reps
[B]Calf Raises:[/B] 3 sets x 20 reps

Adding in a more conditioning based day every fifth day to help build up my work capacity. Doing these all in a circuit. Started out quite easy and I'll add reps and/or increase the pace each time

[U]Pin Bench Press[/U]
185 pounds x 1 rep
155 pounds x 3 reps

[U]Cable Row[/U]
100 pounds - 3 sets x 20 reps

Bench was strong. Pin was essentially right at chest level.

[U]High Bar Squat[/U]
265 pounds x 1 rep
215 pounds x 2 reps

[U]Leg Extensions[/U]
100 pounds x 20 reps

Good squatting day. I'm planning to do most or all of my squatting right now without a belt so I don't need to worry about trying to hit new PR's (this tends to derail me when I'm trying to cut weight). Still got within 10 pounds of my PR which was totally unexpected. I did end up overshooting my 8-9 RPE range though I think, and I felt the impact on the back off work where I stopped after 2 reps because I thought I might fail the 3rd.

Did a crapload of Leg Extensions but didn't keep count aside from the top set. I was pretty wobbly by the time I was done.

Bodyweight is at 183 pounds - down 1 pound from the previous week. Not bad considering I had a couple of large feasts celebrating my birthday.

[U]Overhead Press[/U]
105 pounds x 1 rep
85 pounds - 2 sets x 3 reps

Still proving to be a busy time for me. Trying to fit workouts in when I can. Felt especially weak on this lift today. Would have liked to gotten some more volume in but it is what it is.

[U]Paused Sumo Deadlift[/U]
365 pounds x 1 rep
365 pounds x 3 reps (w/straps)

[U]Hamstring Curl[/U]
90 pounds x 5/10/10

Did the deadlifts with a stiff bar, no belt, no straps for the top single. I dropped the bar on the way down. Added straps for the 'back off' work and kept the weight the same. Good demonstration of how much grip limits me right now.

[U]Push Press[/U]
85 pounds x 6/3

[U]Seated Shoulder Pin Press[/U]
85 pounds x 4
65 pounds x 8

[U]DB Upright Row[/U]
45 pounds??? x 6

Long break as I continue to be incredibly busy. Hammered this out in less than 15 minutes, just trying to get some kind of work in.

Weight check in - started this week at 182. Down just 2 pounds so far after 2 weeks. I'll count it as a win if I lose or maintain this week since I'll be attending at least 2, maybe 3 holiday get togethers.

[U]Front Pin Squat[/U]
185 pounds x 1 rep
135 pounds x 3 reps

[U]Hamstring Curl[/U]
90 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps

Think I had the pins a notch too low, but the front squat still ended up going pretty well.
Missed yesterday because of a family get together, and have another one tomorrow. Doubtful that I'll fit in a workout, but we'll see.

[youtube]c7tixFpOwbs[/youtube]

[U]50 Degree Incline Press[/U]
115 pounds x 5 reps

[U]Barbell Front Raise[/U]
45 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps

Had planned the incline press to be max effort but I could not get setup in a way that allowed me to unrack the bar properly. I have one more option I'll try next time I attempt something like this, so hopefully that will work out. The lack of maneuverability when doing incline work is one of the few downsides of using a built in lat pulldown...

[U]High Bar Squat[/U]
145 pounds - 3 sets x 6 reps

[U]Pin Squat - Low Bar[/U]
135 pounds - 3 sets x 3 reps

Work capacity is still horrible. Goal is to do at least 3 sets of 8 on each of these, along with a couple of exercised of higher rep work. This was all I could handle today though.

[U]Push Press[/U]
85 pounds - 5 sets x 5 reps

[U]Overhead Seated Pin Press[/U]
65 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps

Good progress. Only managed to do 9 total reps last time on the push press with the same weight. I'll shoot for 6x6 next time.
Also saw really good improvement on the pin press, hitting all of the prescribed reps & sets.
I'll probably add in some accessory work as well next time.

[U]Bench Press[/U]
175 pounds x 1 rep
145 pounds - 2 sets x 3 reps

[U]Sumo Deadlift[/U]
415 pounds x 1 rep

I've lost more top end strength than I expected.
May have had 185 on bench, but not much more. I failed a 415 deadlift without straps. Put on straps and did it but it was still difficult.
I'm expecting to lose strength on these 2 lifts since I've decided to focus on Squat and Overhead Press for the foreseeable future.

[U]Seated Press[/U]
65 pounds - 6 sets x 6 reps

[U]Seated Pin Press[/U]
70 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps

[U]Upright Row[/U]
2 Chains per hand - 2 sets x 6 reps

I was able to handle the overhead volume much better today. Got in all of the programmed reps and sets so I also added in some upright rows. I ended up supersetting them with the pin presses, so I used chains rather than a barbell. A bit awkward but got the job done.

[U]16 Inch Box Squat[/U]
275 pounds x 1 rep
225 pounds x 3 reps

Quick and simple today. I bought a squat box form Elitefts for Black Friday and used it today. Definitely worth it due to how much easier it is to move and setup.

[U]Push Press[/U]
115 pounds x 1 rep
95 pounds x 3 reps

[U]Barbell Front Raise[/U]
45 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps

All of my overhead work is being done with a wider grip, which I'm noticeably weaker at. Hoping to build up that weakness and get some carryover to bench. Plus it's the only I can actually do standing overhead work without hitting the ceiling - wider stance and wider grip to make lockout happen at a lower height.
Front raises were improved. I added 2 reps to each set.

[U]High Bar Squat[/U]
145 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps

[U]Pin Squat[/U]
135 pounds - 3 sets x 5 reps

Added 2 reps to each set on both squat variants. 3x8 was my goal, so mission accomplished there. Still trying to work up to 3x8 on pin squats as well.
This workout wrecked me. I finished about 40 minutes ago and still feeling queasy. Probably has more to do with the reduced calories than the actually difficulty of the workout.

Weight Check In: At 179.8 pounds this AM. Down about 5 pounds so far.
Slow going but as long as it keeps trending in the right direction I'm good with it. Still want to drop at least another 15 pounds before reassessing.

[U]Push Press[/U]
85 pounds - 6 sets x 6 reps

[U]Lat Pulldown - Wide MAG[/U]
60 pounds - 3 sets x 20 reps

[U]Tricep Pushdown[/U]
20 pounds - 3 sets x 20 reps

My 12 year old decided he wants to start lifting. And of course he wants to do exactly the same thing I'm doing. It's obviously not the best way to start out, but the most important thing right now is for him to just get some enjoyment out of it while also seeing a little bit of progress. Took me twice as long to get through everything because I had to completely change the setup and weights for every set of every exercise. I'm sure we'll work out a process to speed things up.

[U]T-Bar Row[/U]
135 pounds x 8/6 - 8 RPE on both

[U]Lat Pulldown - Wide Grip[/U]
100 pounds x 11/5 - Rest Pause

[U]Leg Curl[/U]
115 pounds x 8/4 - Rest Pause

[U]Preacher Curl[/U]
55 pounds x 8/5 - Rest Pause

Haven't touched a T-Bar Row since 2019 when I messed up my back pretty bad doing them. I was more than a little nervous but it went smoothly. Tried doing 4 plates but for some reason the 'anchored' end of the bar kept coming loose. 1 set of rest pause on everything else.

[U]Reverse SSB Squat[/U]
165 pounds x 6 reps
135 pounds x 12 reps

[U]DB Bench[/U]
50's x 13/6 reps - Rest Pause

[U]Lateral Raise[/U]
20's x 12/8 reps - Rest Pause

[U]Cable Pushdown[/U]
20 pounds x 13/8 reps - Rest Pause

Reverse SSB is always extremely awkward and difficult. The remainder of the workout was relatively straight forward.

[U]Hyperextension[/U]
50 pounds - 2 sets x 8 reps

[U]Helms Row[/U]
40's x 15/9 - Rest Pause

[U]Supinated Lat Pulldown[/U]
80 pounds x 10/6 - Rest Pause

[U]Cable Hammer Curl (Strap)[/U]
40 pounds x 8/5 - Rest Pause

[U]Behind the neck Press[/U]
55 pounds x 10/6 - Rest Pause

[U]DB Fly[/U]
27.5's x 14/8 - Rest Pause

[U]Dips[/U]
BW x 10/6 - Rest Pause

[U]Leg Extension[/U]
115 pounds x 18/9 - Rest Pause

I've not done a behind the neck press since I was still in school. Injured my shoulder doing them at that time. I didn't have a clue how to lift at that time though - was just goofing around. These felt awesome! Definitely regret not trying them again sooner and absolutely plan to have them in my programming semi-regularly now.

[U]Barbell Row[/U]
155 pounds x 8/8

[U]Straight Arm Pulldown[/U]
30 pounds x 12/8 - Rest Pause

[U]Incline DB Curl[/U]
25's x 8/4 - Rest Pause

[U]Leg Curl[/U]
90 pounds x 18/8 - Rest Pause

[U]Situp[/U]
BW x 30/30/15

[U]T-Bar Row[/U]
135 pounds x 8/8

[U]Lat Pulldown - Wide Grip[/U]
100 pounds x 10/6 - Rest Pause

[U]Leg Curl[/U]
115 pounds x 9/4 - Rest Pause

[U]DB Preacher Curl[/U]
20's x 20/12 - Rest Pause

[U]Bench Press[/U]
175 pounds x 1 rep

[U]Conv Deadlift[/U]
365 pounds x 1 rep

Been busy with other things but was able to fit in a quick workout today. Just looking to do some basic maintenance work on bench and deadlift, working up to a heavyish, but not grindey, single on each. All went well.

[U]Seated Overhead Press[/U]
70 pounds - 6 sets x 6 reps

[U]Seated Overhead Pin Press[/U]
75 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps

[U]Upright Cable Row[/U]
5 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps

[U]DB Lateral Raise[/U]
17.5's - 3 sets x 10 reps

Ended up doing the last 2 lifts several hours after the first because of holiday activities. Shoulders were still dead by the time I got through everything.
I'll be adding weight to at least the first 2 lifts next time.

[U]SSB Box Squat[/U]
245 pounds x 1 rep
205 pounds x 3 reps

[U]Single Leg Curl[/U]
45 pounds - 2 sets x 10 reps

Squat were feeling good today. I could have added more weight but didn't want to overdo it since I haven't really been squatting recently.

[U]High Bar Squat[/U]
145 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps

[U]Hyperextension[/U]
Bodyweight - 3 sets x 12 reps

[U]Low Bar Pin Squat[/U]
135 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps

Gradually building up my work capacity and getting closer to where I want to be. I hit all of the planned sets and reps today. Next time around I'll probably add in some leg extensions as well. Then will start adding weight.

[U]Push Press[/U]
90 pounds - 6 sets x 6 reps

[U]Seated DB Press[/U]
35 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps

[U]Wide Grip Pulldown[/U]
70 pounds - 3 sets x 20 reps

[U]Cable Pushdown[/U]
25 pounds x 16/14/11

[U]T-Shirt Bench Press[/U]
165 pounds x 1 rep

[U]Conv Deadlift with Orange Bands[/U]
315 pounds x 1 rep

Just doing top singles at 90+%. Both of these were at or just below that percentage.

[U]Seated Overhead Press[/U]
75 pounds - 6 sets x 6 reps

[U]Seated Overhead Pin Press[/U]
75 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps

[U]Upright Cable Row[/U]
5 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps

[U]DB Lateral Raise[/U]
17.5's - 3 sets x 10 reps

Didn't have much left by the end of this workout. The lateral raises were pretty poor as a result and I should have reduced the weight on them. Probably will next time. Still happy I made it through all this volume.

[U]Paused Squat[/U]
285 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
225 pounds x 3 reps [[B]PR[/B]]

Looks like I'm definitely making progress on my squat. These were new PR's by a significant margin and still weren't super close to a true max.

[U]Cambered Bar Overhead Press[/U]
105 pounds x 1 rep
85 pounds x 3 reps

[U]DB Front Raise[/U]
15's - 3 sets x 12 reps

[U]Trap Bar Deadlift[/U]
225 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps

Not sure why but this wrecked me today. Got dizzy and a headache so ended up cutting the workout off early. Feeling fine now though.

[U]Push Press[/U]
95 pounds - 6 sets x 6 reps

[U]Seated DB Press[/U]
37.5 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps

[U]Wide Grip Pulldown[/U]
80 pounds - 3 sets x 15 reps

Going well. Push Press seems to be getting easier each week despite the weight increases.

[U]Bench Press - 1 Board[/U]
175 pounds x 3 reps

[U]Deficit Conv Deadlift[/U]
315 pounds x 3 reps

Bench pushed me to the limit.
Felt like I could've done another 3 reps on deads.

[U]Seated Overhead Press[/U]
80 pounds - 6 sets x 6 reps

[U]Seated Overhead Pin Press[/U]
80 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps

[U]Upright Cable Row[/U]
10 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps

[U]DB Lateral Raise[/U]
15's - 3 sets x 12 reps

[U]High Bar Squat[/U]
275 pounds x 1 rep
225 pounds x 3 reps [PR]

[U]Lying Leg Curl[/U]
90 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps

Both the top single and the back off set on squats were a little more difficult than I wanted. Good thing I didn't know what my PR was - I tied it and would likely have loaded up more if I had known.

[U]Seated Overhead Press[/U]
125 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
100 pounds x 3 reps

[U]DB Front Raise[/U]
17.5's - 3 sets x 12 reps

Pressing is improving quickly! About 3 weeks ago I maxed out my Push Press at 115 (granted, I was way detrained on it at that time), and now I hit 125 strict quite easily. It was definitely less than a 9 RPE. Almost loaded up 135 but decided there was no reason to push things right now. Pressing has always been a grind to me and this is the first time I've ever seen noticeable progress in a short period of time. I know it's not sustainable, but it feels really good to be making such clear progress right now.

[U]High Bar Squat[/U]
145 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps

[U]Hyperextensions[/U]
Bodyweight - 3 sets x 12 reps

[U]Pin Squat[/U]
135 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps

[U]Leg Extension[/U]
50 pounds - 3 set x 12 reps

Still adjusting to the volume. Legs were wobbly and sore by the end of this workout.

[U]Push Press[/U]
100 pounds - 6 sets x 6 reps

[U]Seated Overhead DB Press[/U]
40's - 3 sets x 8 reps

[U]Wide MAG Lat Pulldown[/U]
90 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps

[U]Tricep Pushdowns w/strap[/U]
20 pounds - 3 sets x 15 reps

[U]Floor Press[/U]
175 pounds x 3 reps

[U]Sumo Deadlift[/U]
415 pounds x 2 reps

Today's mission was to see how many reps I could do with a weight that's around 90% of my PR. It went well. This tells me I'm retaining most of my strength on these lifts despite doing them once every 10 days or so.

[U]Seated Overhead Press[/U]
85 pounds - 6 sets x 6 reps

[U]Seated Overhead Pin Press[/U]
85 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps

[U]Upright Cable Row[/U]
10 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps

[U]DB Lateral Raise[/U]
15's - 3 sets x 12 reps

If anything the pressing work is getting easier each week right now, despite the weekly weight increases. That's obviously a good sign.

[U]Low Bar Squat[/U]
295 pounds x 1 rep

Had planned to do more after working up to a top single, but this one wiped me out. It was about a 10 second rep. Thought I was going to pass out part way through it, lol.

Edit: Ended up doing my 12 year old's Pull workout with him a couple hours later. Inverted Rows, Straight Arm Pulldowns, Incline Curls, Single Leg Curls, and Planks. Nothing too taxing.

[U]Overhead Press[/U]
115 pounds x 1 rep
95 pounds x 3 reps

[U]DB Front Raise[/U]
15's - 3 sets x 15 reps

[U]High Bar Squat[/U]
150 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps

[U]Leg Extension[/U]
75 pounds - 2 sets x 15 reps

Ended up cutting out my second squat variation and hyperextensions because I was wiped out after high bar. Very short of sleep and worked out much later than normal (just finished). Rough week as I have a personal project I've been working on that needs to wrap up within the next day or two so I've been eating into my sleep time to push that to completion.

[U]Bench Press[/U]
155 pounds - 8 sets x 3 reps

[U]Low Bar Squat[/U]
265 pounds x 1 rep
205 pounds - 8 sets x 4 reps

My own programming is just not working right now. I've not been able to manage the fatigue and it's preventing me from progressing. So, I'm switching away from my own programming for now. I'll run it for a while and see how it goes.

First session went well, but the squat destroyed me. Gave me a doozie of a headache. The program uses DUP (daily undulating periodization), so it rotates through different rep ranges and intensities each day. I was supposed to do Chin Ups as well today but my left elbow just isn't letting me right now. In fact it's even been acting up on Lat Pulldowns. Decided just to skip the chins rather than push through the pain.

[U]Bench Press[/U]
130 pounds x 8/8/8/8/6/6 [44 reps total]

[U]Sumo Deadlift[/U]
395 pounds x 1 rep
315 pounds - 8 sets x 4 reps [32 reps total]

[U]Pushup[/U]
BW x 30/25

[U]Hammer Curl[/U]
25 pounds - 2 sets x 10 reps

This was a bear of a workout. Took me almost 2 hours because I'm nowhere near acclimated to the volume. Everything felt good though - solid reps throughout. Most likely will take a couple days off to recover now.

The following two days were meant to be in 1 workout, but life happened and I did what I could. Didn't actually finish up the second workout until almost 11PM yesterday.

[B]Feb 3, 2023[/B]
[U]Bench Press[/U]
180 pounds x 1 rep
150 pounds - 6 sets x 4 reps

Top single was a 9+ RPE - more difficult than I wanted. Rep work went well though.


[B]Feb 4, 2023[/B]
[U]Yoke Bar Box Squat[/U]
195 pounds - 5 sets x 3 reps

[U]Close Grip Cable Row[/U]
100 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps

Going away from straight bar squatting for the foreseeable future. My left elbow has been bothering me for months and isn't getting any better. I think there are a few contributing factors, but the stress from low bar squatting is almost certainly one of them. Also going to be limiting or removing a lot of rows since grip work seems to impact it as well (even when wearing straps). The rows I did here were relatively light, and had at least another 5-10 reps in the tank.

[U]Cambered Bar Bench[/U]
110 pounds - 5 sets x 8 reps

[U]Bicep Curl[/U]
Orange Band - 3 sets x 10 reps

First time touching a cambered bench bar in a while. The extra stretch felt good. Seems weird though that this bar seems to fatigue my triceps more than my chest.

[U]Sumo Deadlift[/U]
350 pounds - 4 sets x 3 reps

[U]Overhead Press[/U]
105 pounds x 1 rep
85 pounds x 39 reps [7 minute density block]

I've not done a density block in quite a while. I really like them. Arms are still shaking as I type this, lol.
Haven't posted any video in a while, so I decided to record one of the deadlift sets today.

[youtube]Zda9Rqj91KE[/youtube]