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April 24, 2023
[U]Conv Deadlift[/U]
335 pounds - 3 sets x 5 reps
[U]Bench Press[/U]
145 pounds - 3 sets x 6 reps
[U]Single Leg Curl[/U]
40 pounds - 2 sets x 12 reps
Deads will take a big jump up, to 365 next time. Not sure if I'll be able to do sets of 3, but we'll see.
Bench felt not too hard. I should be able to increase reps the next 2 weeks.
Was working out simultaneously with my 13 year old. Did some leg curls with him while I was waiting to bench. It was a good day to add in some hamstring work anyway.
[youtube]TrVBgidVr3U[/youtube]
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April 27, 2023
[U]SSB Squat[/U]
215 pounds - 3 sets x 4 reps
[U]Close Grip Larsen Press[/U]
130 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps
[U]Supinated Tricep Pushdown[/U]
27.5 pounds - 2 sets x 15 reps
[U]Band Face Pulls[/U]
Mini Band - 2 sets x 10 reps
Solid workout. Squats pushed me near the limit today.
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[u]Bench Press[/u]
175 pounds x 2 reps
155 pounds x 8 reps
[u]Conv Deadlift[/u]
285 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
Low energy level today. Cut out carbs for the last 2 days and I'm feeling it. Didn't feel very strong on bench and only managed 2 reps at my working weight. Rather than try to grind out another set or two of doubles I dropped weight and did an AMRAP (I may have been able to do 1 more rep, but the eight rep felt like 9+ RPE).
Sets of 8 on deads are always exhausting, but still pretty easy for me at this weight (probably could do 16+ reps with this weight).
[youtube]GGxKwOOtf_8[/youtube]
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May 1, 2023
[U]SSB Paused Squat[/U]
165 - 3 sets x 7 reps
[U]Leg Extension[/U]
110 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps
[U]DB Bench Press[/U]
52.5's - 3 sets x 10 reps
Steady progress continues...
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May 3, 2023
[U]Conv Deadlift[/U]
335 pounds - 3 sets x 6 reps
[U]Bench Press[/U]
145 pounds - 3 sets x 7 reps
Deads were HARD this time around. Probably wouldn't have felt comfortable doing another rep on the last set because there was some form breakdown happening.
Bench on the other hand was not bad at all.
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May 5, 2023
[U]Pin Bench Press[/U]
135 pounds - 3 sets x 6 reps
[U]Wide Grip Cable Row[/U]
40 pounds - 3 sets x 15 reps
[U]Spoon Press[/U]
25 pounds - 3 sets x 15 reps
[U]Hammer Curl[/U]
25 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps
[U]Leg Raise[/U]
3 sets x 15 reps
I've basically been doing just squats, deads, and bench for the last 2 months. I made really steady progress throughout that time, and now know for sure that that type of programming can work well for me. I'll definitely revisit it. It felt like it was time to move on to something different, so I'm going to shift to a more well rounded upper/lower split. The focus will be on muscle building and capacity building - full, controlled ranges of motion and shorter rest times.
I know a Pin Press would seem to contradict my comment regarding fuller ranges of motion, but I actually set it up so that in order to get the bar to the pin my back needs to be completely flat on the bench. No arch and virtually no leg drive involved here. I picked weights I was confident I could do for my goal rep ranges, and all ended up being pretty good starting points. I've given myself generous set and rep ranges on some exercises, and fully intend on mixing things up from time to time. As an example, on some of the accessory stuff my rep range is 8-30. I'll probably generally stick in the 12-20 range, but this will likely be days where I venture beyond that. The one thing I was slightly concerned about going into this is whether the elbow that's been acting up for several months would hold up. It's finally been consistently getting better over the last month, and I had absolutely no pain or discomfort at any point during this workout, so that was encouraging.
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May 6, 2023
[U]SSB Box Squat[/U]
175 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Walking Lunge[/U]
50 pounds - 2 sets x 15 reps
[U]Nordic Curl[/U]
3 sets x 8 reps
[U]SSB Calf Raise[/U]
175 pounds - 2 sets x 15 reps
[U]Dead Bugs[/U]
2 sets x 10 reps
Logging yesterday's workout. Squats were harder than expected. I should have started lighter apparently. Everything else went well. My glutes and abs were sore today for the first time in a long time.
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May 8, 2023
[U]Seated Overhead Press[/U]
65 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps
[U]Lat Pulldown - Close Grip[/U]
80 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps
[U]Triceps Pushdown[/U]
Mini Band - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Spider Curl[/U]
25 pounds - 2 sets x 15 reps
[U]Cable Crunch[/U]
40 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
Spider Curls didn't really work for me. I have a history of elbow discomfort doing curls (aside from the ongoing elbow issue I'm getting over now), and I felt that discomfort here. I'll likely change this to a different curl variation. Cable Crunch was also a bit awkward, but I believe that was just because of how I did them (tried doing them standing, leaning against a barbell for back support). I'll try them kneeling next time.
Everything else went well. Both overhead press and lat pulldowns were a little more difficult than I anticipated. I'll probably have a struggle on my hands next time I do this workout with a weight increase, but we'll see...
Overall, the level of soreness I'm feeling is much higher than I'm used to. It's taking some time for my body to acclimate to these new movements, but its not unexpected and I know I'll adjust to it soon enough.
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May 9, 2023
[U]Stiff Legged Deadlift[/U]
245 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Leg Curl[/U]
90 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps
[U]Glute Bridge[/U]
Bodyweight - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Donkey Calf Raise[/U]
25 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Dead Bugs[/U]
Bodyweight - 2 sets x 10 reps
Posterior chain was really feeling it before the workout was even done. I like the exercise selection here - it all felt like it fit and served a purpose.
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Saving this just as a reference for myself since I'm trying to primarily use bands for all of my triceps work right now.
[youtube]E4C3GP9CFHM[/youtube]
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May 13, 2023
[U]Larsen Press[/U]
115 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps
[U]Inverted Row[/U]
Bodyweight - 3 sets x 10 reps
[U]Spoon Press[/U]
27.5 pounds - 3 sets x 15 reps
[U]Hammer Curl[/U]
27.5 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps
[U]Hanging Knee Raise[/U]
Bodyweight - 3 sets x 10 reps
Had a cold that was pretty rough for a few days. Feeling good enough to get a workout in today.
One of my shoulders felt wonky when benching, so I went relatively light. It ended up feeling fine by the time I was done. Everything else went well enough...
I'm thinking I'll change my approach for most accessory stuff. Seems like I'm not pushing them hard enough when sticking to predetermined sets/reps, so I'm planning to move away from this approach and leave it fluid. I've felt like I had the best results when pushing closer to failure on these lifts - doing things like drop sets, cluster sets, and AMRAP's.
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May 15, 2023
[U]High Bar Squat[/U]
155 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Leg Extension[/U]
65 pounds x 20/12 (drop set)
Also did [B]Nordic Leg Curls[/B], [B]SSB Calf Raise[/B], and [B]Dead Bugs[/B].
I don't think I've squatted with a standard barbell since last year. It definitely hit a little different. I did the Extensions immediately after the squats and my quads were totally fried.
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May 16, 2023
[U]40 Degree Incline DB Press[/U]
45 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps
[U]Rack Pullup[/U]
Bodyweight - 3 sets x 10 reps
[U]Single Arm Cross Body Tricep Extension[/U]
5 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Single Arm Cross Body Bicep Curl[/U]
5 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Cable Crunch[/U]
40 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
Tried out some new stuff today. It all felt quite nice. Did the cable crunches differently today and they felt much better.
I plan to push all of the accessories harder next time, now that I have a better idea of what weights to use.
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May 17, 2023
[U]Back Raise[/U]
95 pounds - 3 sets x 6 reps
[U]Leg Curl[/U]
100 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Glute Bridge[/U]
Bodyweight - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Donkey Calf Raise[/U]
35 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Dead Bugs[/U]
Bodyweight - 2 sets x 10 reps
It's been years since I've done back raises with a barbell. I stopped doing them because I was getting major lower back fatigue buildup, and they seemed to be a main contributor to that. Man...I must have been doing them wrong because they never felt anything like they did today. They torched my hamstrings.
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May 19, 2023
[U]Pin Bench Press[/U]
140 pounds - 3 sets x 7 reps
[U]Wide Grip Cable Row[/U]
50 pounds - 3 sets x 15 reps
[U]Spoon Press[/U]
35 pounds - 2 sets x 15 reps
[U]Hammer Curl[/U]
30 pounds - 2 sets x 12 reps
[U]Knee Raise[/U]
2 sets x 12 reps
Aside from the rows everything was getting somewhat close to failure today, but I managed to get in all my planned sets and reps. I plan to increase weight on everything, so things may get interesting.
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May 22, 2023
[U]SSB Box Squat[/U]
185 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Walking Lunge[/U]
60 pounds - 2 sets x 15 reps
[U]Nordic Curl[/U]
1 sets x 8 reps
[U]SSB Calf Raise[/U]
215 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Dead Bugs[/U]
1 sets x 10 reps
Everything was hard today. I expect it's just going to be like that from now on... My recovery has been somewhat poor lately. More volume and more bodypart focused sessions are probably contributing to that. My hamstrings in particular were still not fully recovered today even though it was 5 days since my last lower workout. I would think I'll acclimate to it at some point, but I'll need to monitor it closely.
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May 29, 2023
[U]Seated Overhead Press[/U]
70 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps
[U]Lat Pulldown - Close Grip[/U]
85 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps
Banded Triceps Pushdown Burnouts x2
Banded Biceps Curl Burnouts x2
Situps - 2 sets x 35 reps
Both of the Banded Burnouts were done starting out with 2 bands and doing as many reps as possible and then continuing on with 1 band doing as many as I can. I think I got close to 80 total reps each time. Arms are still shaking because I'm not used to doing anywhere near that many reps.
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May 30, 2023
[U]Stiff Legged Deadlift[/U]
255 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Leg Curl[/U]
100 pounds - 3 sets x 9 reps
[U]Glute Bridge[/U]
Bodyweight - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Donkey Calf Raise[/U]
45 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Dead Bugs[/U]
Bodyweight - 2 sets x 10 reps
Deads were great today. All reps were well controlled. Feels like there's still a lot in the tank here, but I'll continue with 10 pound jumps.
I'll likely replace the glute bridges and dead bugs next time through. I don't feel like I'm getting as much out of them as I had hoped.
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June 2, 2023
[U]Larsen Press[/U]
120 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps
[U]Inverted Row[/U]
Bodyweight + Mini Band - 3 sets x 10 reps
[U]Spoon Press[/U]
37.5 pounds - 2 sets x 15 reps
[U]Hammer Curl[/U]
32.5 pounds - 2 sets x 12 reps
[U]Hanging Leg Raise[/U]
Bodyweight - 2 sets x 10 reps
Really good workout. All of these exercises are now in a weight range that's pretty challenging, and everything got fairly close to failure today.
I probably need to recheck proper form for the Spoon Press because I'm finding that it's working my front delts more than anything and I programmed it as a triceps exercise. I suppose just bringing the touch point of the db's up higher should put more emphasis on the triceps...
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June 4, 2023
[U]High Bar Squat[/U]
165 pounds x 8/7/7 reps
[U]Leg Extension[/U]
100 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps
[U]Nordic Curls[/U]
2 sets x 8 reps
[U]SSB Calf Raise[/U]
215 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Face Pull[/U]
5 Pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
Still not used to straight bar squats and I failed to hit the planned reps for the day. Still happy with how I squatted though. The whole workout went well. I almost fell on the stairs afterward because my leg gave out, lol.
I mentioned recently that I was planning to replace dead bugs. I did Face Pulls in place of them today and plan to continue doing rear delt focused stuff in this spot since it's something I just need to do regularly. I'm almost 100% convinced that rear delt weakness has been the source of the elbow pain I've been dealing with because doing band pull aparts and other rear delt stuff is the only thing that's made it better.
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June 5, 2023
[U]40 Degree Incline DB Press[/U]
47.5 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps
[U]Rack Pullup[/U]
Bodyweight 12/10/12 reps (second set done with very little rest because I was demonstrating the movement for my 13 year old)
[U]Triceps Band Burnouts [/U]
2 Sets
[U]Biceps Band Burnouts [/U]
2 Sets
[U]Situp[/U]
20 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps (DB held just below my chin)
I'm gaining a new appreciation for body building. I'm finding I struggle to work through the muscle burn that comes with higher rep work. The banded burnout sets are exceptionally uncomfortable and I've ended up stopping before I reach true failure just because it's so uncomfortable. Trying to build up a tolerance for that discomfort by pushing a little further each time.
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June 7, 2023
[U]Back Raise[/U]
95 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Leg Curl[/U]
105 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Donkey Calf Raise
[/U]55 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Cable Crunch[/U]
45 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Banded Rear Delt Work (Face Pulls and Fly's)[/U]
A couples sets of each in the 15-20 rep range
Back Raises felt much easier this time around. I did 2 more reps per set and wasn't close to failure.
Good progress on everything else at well.
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June 8, 2023
[U]Pin Bench Press[/U]
145 pounds x 7/6/6 reps
[U]Wide Grip Cable Row[/U]
55 pounds - 3 sets x 15 reps
[U]Spoon Press[/U]
40 pounds - 2 sets x 15 reps
[U]Hammer Curl[/U]
35 pounds - 2 sets x 12 reps
[U]Leg Raise[/U]
2 sets x 12 reps
Trying to keep bench in the 3x6 range as a minimum right now, so I'll likely keep weight the same next time around and try to add reps.
Rows are still not too hard but I'm sticking to slow weight increases and hoping I can continue them for a long time.
Triceps and Biceps work is getting quite hard at this point. I'll bump up the weight on these but it's likely I won't hit the full number of reps next time.
On leg raises I'm focused on using my abs to get things moving rather than using arms/shoulders to get things moving.
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June 12, 2023
[U]SSB Box Squat[/U]
195 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Walking Lunge[/U]
35 pounds - 3 sets x 15 reps
[U]Nordic Curl[/U]
2 sets x 8 reps
[U]SSB Calf Raise[/U]
195 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Face Pull[/U]
10 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
I'm in the final round of workouts for this cycle, and seeing some good progress. The squats felt easier today than they have any other day and I've added 20 pounds since the start of the cycle.
Lunges also went well today - this was the first time I actually completed all three rounds. Legs were toast at that point in the previous workouts, but I was still feeling pretty fresh today.
I'm starting to give some thought to my next block and am thinking I'm going to keep a pretty similar structure because I'm enjoying the well rounded approach. I plan to lower the rep range on the primary lifts (down to somewhere around the 4-6 range). Only other changes I'm planning right now are to possibly add 1 more exercise on certain days. I've typically been doing my last 3 lifts as a giant set, but I could add one more exercise and do two supersets without adding much time to the workouts. I'll only do that if it's something that makes sense on a given day, and lines up with a weak point.
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June 14, 2023
[U]Seated Overhead Press[/U]
75 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps
[U]Lat Pulldown - Close Grip[/U]
90 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps
[U]Triceps Pushdown Burnouts [/U]
Bands - 2 sets x AMRAP
[U]Incline Curl [/U]
20's - 2 sets x 15 reps
[U]Situps[/U]
35 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
I'm still hitting all sets and reps while increasing weight weekly on pretty much everything. This is at least partially because I started out lighter than I needed to on some exercises. Still happy with the progress though. Work capacity has been something I've been trying to build up for a while now and I feel like I'm doing really well on that front. On a lot of days I've been able to get through everything in 35-40 minutes, so I'm moving at a pretty good pace now and not feeling too fatigued during workouts.
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June 15, 2023
[U]Stiff Legged Deadlift[/U]
265 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Leg Curl[/U]
110 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Rear Delts[/U]
Band - 2 sets x 30 reps
[U]Donkey Calf Raise[/U]
60 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Cable Crunch[/U]
55 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
Same story. Good progress all around. Everything (except the band work) was done with 10 pound increases from the last time I did them. Leg Curls are close to maxed out, but still feels like there's room to keep adding weight on all of the others for a while yet.
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June 19, 2023
[U]Larsen Press[/U]
125 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps
[U]Inverted Row[/U]
Bodyweight - 3 sets x 12 reps
[U]Spoon Press[/U]
42.5 pounds - 2 sets x 15 reps
[U]Hammer Curl[/U]
37.5 pounds - 2 sets x 11 reps
[U]Hanging Leg Raise[/U]
Bodyweight - 2 sets x 12 reps
The going is getting tough on this day. I failed to hit my rep goal for the first time on any of the lifts with the hammer curls. Just barely made the reps on larsen press, inverted rows, and spoon press.
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June 20, 2023
[U]High Bar Squat[/U]
165 pounds 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Leg Extension[/U]
105 pounds - 3 sets x 12 reps
[U]Nordic Curls[/U]
2 sets x 8 reps
[U]Face Pull[/U]
15 Pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
Short on time today so calf raises got cut. Good quality reps on everything else.
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June 22, 2023
[U]40 Degree Incline DB Press[/U]
50 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps
[U]Rack Pullup[/U]
Bodyweight 3 sets x 12 reps
[U]Triceps Band Burnouts[/U]
2 Sets
[U]Incline Curls[/U]
22.5 pounds - 2 sets x 12 reps
[U]Situp[/U]
45 pounds - 2 sets x 15 reps
DB Presses were 9+ RPE. Missed the rep goal on curls and situps. Good reps throughout though, and pushed it about as far as I could.
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June 23, 2023
[U]Back Raise[/U]
105 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Leg Curl[/U]
110 pounds - 3 sets x 8 reps
[U]Donkey Calf Raise[/U]
60 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Cable Crunch[/U]
60 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
[U]Rear Delt Work[/U]
A bunch of Face Pulls and Fly's and Pullaparts
Ended up doing the Back raises last since I was working in with my 13 year old. They were still pretty easy. Probably wouldn't have hit the Leg Curl reps if I hadn't done them first.