The Flywheel Effect.

[B]Floor Press:[/B] 160 pounds - 6 sets x 6 reps

Probably would not have made it through this, but we went for a family walk after the 3rd set which gave me a lot of recover time. Was still a challenge to get through all the sets.

I've been feeling hesitant to change up my programming since it's been going so well, but I think I need to. My time and motivation have both plummeted recently. I have a Bulgarian Lite type program written up that I've been keeping on the back burner. I may jump into that once I've finished my current cycle.

[B]Wide Stance 12 Inch Box Squat - Speed:[/B] 115 pounds + 2 Chain - 8 sets x 2 reps
[B]Hyperextension:[/B] 35 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps
[B]Strap Cable Curl:[/B] 40 pounds x 20/17/12

Squat were marginally better this week. I shot video of every set and watched them back. It's so weird - the reps that felt the worst looked the best and the ones that felt better looked worse. I think that means I'm doing something wrong, lol.

Hyperextension kicked my butt. Haven't done them in about 3 years. At that time I was still deadlifting in the 300's and was doing hyperextensions with like 75 pounds for sets of 20. I probably wasn't doing them correctly though.

Curls were done with very little rest between sets. Is it weird that these seem to work my rear delts almost as much as my biceps? I'm sure it's just because of the angle of the cable.

[B]Bench Press:[/B] 155 pounds - 6 sets x 6 reps
[B]Narrow Grip Bench - 30 Degree Incline:[/B] 130 pounds x 8/6/6
[B]Triceps Cable Pushdown:[/B] 40 pounds - 3 sets x 15 reps

This is definitely my limit on the bench work. Managed to get all reps on flat bench, with very lengthy rests between sets. Got nowhere close to 3x10 on inclines.

This is my final week for this cycle, so it's perfect timing to max out on these lifts. Still trying to decide what I'll do after this cycle. I have 2 programs ready to go - either continuing with the one I've been doing with some adjustments to exercises, rep ranges, etc. - or changing over to a Bulgarian Lite program. I'm pretty confident that both of them will be effective. I'll probably not make my decision until I'm completely through this week.

[B]Conventional Deadlift:[/B] 365 pounds + 4 Chains x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
[B]Conventional Deadlift:[/B] 295 pounds + 4 Chains x 3 rep

40 pound PR on this. Some of these PR's are a bit deceiving though since it's been 1-2 years since I've maxed on some of these lifts. This one has almost certainly been more than a year.
Lost position at the beginning of the top single, but was able to recover and lock it out. Backoff work was fairly easy.

[youtube]4GHPfQ2InM4[/youtube]

[B]Paused Bench Press:[/B] 195 pounds x 1 rep
[B]Paused Bench Press:[/B] 155 pounds x 3 rep

195 matched my PR. Tried to find video of when I did it previously, but can't seem to find it. I'm about 100% sure this time was a better pause. Watching some of my videos from last year I can certainly see a difference in my overall stability. Still been playing around with my touch point and grip, which is resulting in some inconsistency. Still, VERY happy with how this went today.

[youtube]2EsFRN6Ewls[/youtube]

[B]Trap Bar Deadlift:[/B] 305 pounds - 3 sets x 5 reps
[B]Stiff Legged Deadlift - 3 inch Deficit:[/B] 255 pounds x 1/1/2 reps

Trap Bar deads went very well today. This was far and away the most comfortable I've felt doing these.
Was supposed to do 3x8 on the deficits and then some hamstring curls, but it just wasn't happening. The dog kept jumping up on my son and he'd start screaming/crying. I ended up just cutting the workout short.

I have only 2 more workouts in this cycle. I'm also certain I'm going to move on to a Bulgarian Lite style of training. After giving it some thought I was leaning towards continuing my current program with some tweaks, but then remembered another project I'll be working on that will run through all of October. I'm going to need short workouts if I hope to fit them in consistently. So most likely will go with the Bulgarian Lite for a month or so and then reassess.

[B]Floor Press:[/B] 165 pounds x 5/5/5/4 - 145 pounds x 6/6
[B]Larsen Press - Camber Bar Narrow Grip:[/B] 110 pounds x 10/9/7
[B]Cable Pulldown - Med Supinate MAG:[/B] 100 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps
[B]Triceps Strap Pushdown:[/B] 30 pounds x 17/12/8

First time I've gotten in all of my planned work in a while. It was a hard workout and I'm feeling it.

[U]30 Degree Incline Press: [/U]
175 pounds x 1 rep
135 pounds - 2 sets x 3 reps

[U]Front Squat:[/U]
175 pounds x 1 rep
195 pounds x Fail
145 pounds - 2 sets x 3 reps

Rough way to start out the new program. Had a major grinder on Incline. It tied a PR, and my shoulders were already fatigued because of some house upkeep I did over the weekend.
On the front squats it's almost entirely about staying in a good position throughout. In the video you'll see that I got quite a bit out of position on the 175 rep and still powered through. Wasn't able to do the same with 195. I was using flat shoes in my warmups and then switched to heels. I'm thinking I'll stick with the flat shoes next time around because that felt better - wasn't getting pitched forward so much.

[youtube]28iDSMohVvQ[/youtube]

[U]Floor Press[/U]
195 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
155 pounds - 3 sets x 3 reps

[U]12 Inch Box Squat[/U]
255 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
205 pounds x 3 reps

Also did some Bi's and Tri's.

Floor Press was strong today. Set a 10 pound PR. It's been quite a long time since I've tried to max out, but this still obviously shows really good progress.
Squats were slightly awkward, but not too bad considering how little I've done them this year. This was only a PR because I've never maxed out on it before. Almost failed on the backoff work... I'm at least starting to get a better handle on what I need to change in my squat, and making some small improvements. I still seem some obvious issues in the video below. It's a work in progress...

[youtube]2wTrrROOBGI[/youtube]

[U]Cambered Bar Larsen Press[/U]
170 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
125 pounds - 2 sets x 3 reps

[U]Sumo Deadlift[/U]
385 pounds x 3 reps [[B]PR[/B]]

Never maxed out with the cambered bar before. I was expecting it to feel pretty unstable, but it really didn't.
The sumo triple was a 20 pound PR. I'm expecting to be hitting a lot of PR's over the next couple of weeks, just because I'm either maxing on newer lifts, or on lifts that I've not maxed out in a while. The deadlift was interesting today... Typically in the past I've struggled to get into a proper setup position for singles, and when doing reps I'd get into a better position as I went along. It was exactly the opposite today. I've gotten pretty good at setting up for singles (which is obviously good). My starting position got clearly worse with each rep today though. It was mostly just a lack of patience. Hopefully I'll remember to slow down a bit next time I go for a double or triple.

[youtube]DIjM8bwinso[/youtube]

[U]3 Count Paused Bench[/U]
175 pounds x 1 rep
145 pounds x 3 reps

[U]Low Bar Squat[/U]
245 pounds x 1 rep
195 pounds x 3 reps

Quick workout today. Starting to feel some fatigue, but it likely has more to do with the fact that I've been fighting off a cold for the last couple of days, and been a little short of sleep as well.
The paused bench went very well - moved a little easier than I expected. This matched my PR.
Great progress on the squat today. This is the first time in quite a long time that I've watched back video of my reps and legitimately thought they looked good. At 245 I fell forward a little bit so decided to stop there. Backoff work was done with good form. This makes me hopeful that I may be able to start making some progress.

[U]Close Grip Bench Press[/U]
185 pounds x 1 rep / 195 x Fail
145 pounds - 3 sets x 3 reps

[U]High Bar Squat[/U]
245 pounds x 1 rep

Tied my PR on Close Grip. I got it easily enough that I was virtually certain I could do another 10 pounds. I was wrong, lol. It got about 4 inches off my chest and stopped dead.
Tied my PR on High Bar as well. Top priority by far on squats right now is to maintain a good bar path. I feel like I did that reasonably well, even on the top single.
There's a good chance I set new PR's on both of these next time around.

[youtube]gaCyUn_3P40[/youtube]

[U]Cambered Bar Bench[/U]
160 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

[U]Conventional Deadlift[/U]
415 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

Bench is only a PR because it's the first time I've actually done it.
I failed my initial 415 attempt on deadlift because my grip gave out just before lockout. Redid it with straps and got it cleanly.

[youtube]kfMaiSGEl8M[/youtube]

[U]Decline Press[/U]
205 pounds x 1 rep

[U]Yoke Bar Squat[/U]
225 pounds x 1 rep

Not a bad day, but also not what I was expecting. Fatigue is starting to hit me pretty hard. My left elbow is bothering me quite a bit, and is the main reason I've struggled pressing the last 2 days. Left knee is bothering me a bit too. I've cut out the extra work for now to see if that allows me to recover.

I most likely will not to Decline Press again. I think this is the first time I've done it in years. I don't have a great way to setup for it. It took me 10 minutes just to get the bench setup. Also don't really feel I'm getting anything out of it that I wouldn't get out of something like a 2 board press. I may just change over to that.
Squatting felt good, but I just ran out of gas - almost didn't get 225 up.

[U]Bench Press[/U]
200 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
155 pounds x 3 reps

[U]16 inch Box Squat[/U]
265 pounds x 1 rep
225 pounds x 3 reps

It's amazing how much difference a day can make sometimes. Today I was feeling fresh and pain free, and got in some good work.

Finally made it to a 200 pound bench! I seriously doubted whether I'd ever do that at some points. Feels good. It definitely was not a competition standard lift, but it was still reasonably well controlled.

Squat is coming together. I made some additional tweaks today that felt very good. Rather than go for a heavier single I opted to do some back off work and get in a few extra reps. I'll probably take this approach on all of my squatting for a little bit because the technique work is most important right now. It's encouraging that I'm mostly keeping it together even on the heavier singles.

[youtube]GXeeflBiTxo[/youtube]

[U]Reverse Cambered Bench Press[/U]
190 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
155 pounds x 3 reps

[U]Deficit Deadlift[/U]
375 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

Had no idea what to expect on the bench since I've never done the lift like this before. For those that don't know what a reverse cambered bench is, it's flipping the bar upside down so rather than extending the range of motion it's being shortened by a couple of inches.

Deadlifts are going great right now. My grip started to fail just after lockout. Could've done another 10-20 pounds with straps probably. I'm trying to build up my grip strength a little bit though. It's not something I work on much, but the lift is much smoother when I don't use straps, so there's some benefit to building up my grip strength.

This was the last workout of this cycle. I have 9 workouts scheduled that I'm going to be cycling through. I've done very little maximal work over the last 9 months so it's no surprise that I've been hitting a slew of PR's. Now will be the real test though - to see if I can continue to hit a few more over the next couple of weeks.

[youtube]PKBawR3hVxs[/youtube]

[U]30 Degree Incline Press[/U]
165 pounds x 1 rep
135 pounds x 3 reps

[U]Front Squat[/U]
205 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
155 pounds x 3 reps

Second time through. Did 10 pounds less than last time on the Incline Press. Probably had another 5-10 pounds if I wanted it, but could feel that I wasn't going to be setting a new PR. Form was tighter today.

Added 30 pounds to the front squat. I don't even know for sure what my previous PR was on this, but it definitely wasn't more than 185, so this was a big jump up. There's still more there to be had too. The main thing holding me back is keeping the bar in position. I expect it will get easier with repetition.

[youtube]qXXz1igMAi0[/youtube]

[U]Floor Press[/U]
185 pounds x 1 rep / 205 x Fail
135 pounds - 3 sets x 3 reps

[U]12 Inch Box Squat[/U]
265 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

185 feels like a sure thing on Floor press right now. Gave 205 a shot today and got nowhere close.
Squat felt fantastic today. Another 10 pound PR. Feel like I can probably do another 40 pounds if I can manage to stay in a good position throughout. Felt like I got about a centimeter out of the groove today with 265 and the bar stopped dead. Was able to keep good enough balance to regroove it and then it went up the rest of the way easily. I couldn't even see anything obvious on the video, but could clearly feel it. It's getting better every time I squat right now.


Edit: Here's the video. Watching it back again now it looks like my torso was actually too vertical at the bottom and once I got into a stronger position the bar started moving.

[youtube]NmxrNJnSC-s[/youtube]

[U]Cambered Bar Larsen Press[/U]
160 pounds x 1 rep
140 pounds x 3 reps

[U]Sumo Deadlift[/U]
445 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

Elbow was feeling uncomfortable so I didn't push it on bench today. Just tried to hit a solid weight and then minimal backoff work.
10 pound PR on the Sumo Dead. Definitely was not a smooth rep. I'm getting better at pushing through when the reps slow down on deadlift.

[youtube]DvHKqF3GIDw[/youtube]

[U]3 Count Paused Bench[/U]
180 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
145 pounds x 3 reps

[U]Low Bar Squat[/U]
295 pounds x 1 rep
225 pounds x 3 reps

5 pound PR on the paused bench. Felt strong and it was one of the cleaner pauses I've had (I tend to lose tightness and let the bar move).
Getting in a nice groove on squat now. This was 5 pounds less than my PR, but was a much better rep than that PR lift which was probably a couple inches above parallel. Feels like a new PR will likely be there within the next couple of weeks.

[youtube]rL4Q3pwrjUc[/youtube]

[U]Close Grip Bench Press[/U]
190 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
150 pounds x 3 reps

[U]High Bar Squat[/U]
265 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

When I did these last time, I predicted I'd PR on both of them next time around. I turned out to be right.
Bench actually wasn't feeling great today, but still had a pretty good result.
High Bar Squat is going better than low bar right now, and feels more natural. I think I still have more PR's in store on this lift because even the 20 pound PR today wasn't super difficult.
I'm stringing together a bunch of really good days. I also think I've now got a decent feel for when I can push for more weight and/or reps without building up too much fatigue, and when to hold back.

[youtube]QPXp3fZkiUU[/youtube]

[U]Cambered Bar Bench[/U]
170 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

[U]Conventional Deadlift[/U]
385 pounds x 1 rep

10 pound PR on the bench and if anything it felt easier than the 160 I did last time.
Lower back is more fatigued than it's been in years. Wasn't going to be close to a PR on deads today.

Ended up awake half the night last night because my son decided it was time to be awake at 1AM and that nobody else was going to sleep either, lol. Going to try to sleep early today or it will catch up to me really fast.

[U]Pin Bench Press[/U]
205 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
145 pounds - 3 sets x 3 reps

[U]Yoke Bar Squat[/U]
245 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

Unplanned rest day yesterday because we had some people over for dinner. Started grilling right when I got home and it turned into a bit of a late night.
Never done a max on a pin bench before, so this was a PR by default more than anything. Definitely pushed it pretty hard though - I didn't think the 205 was going to move at all when I first started pushing.
Squats either tied my previous PR or set a new mark. For some reason I didn't have a PR recorded. Felt strong. Can definitely improve on this easily. May be able to add quite a bit if I continue getting better at the movement, which is still pretty sloppy.

[youtube]_VVYf_Oh2SI[/youtube]

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

[U]16 inch Box Squat[/U]
305 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

I figured out why my left elbow has been bothering me on bench. I've not been retracting as much on my left side as on my right. Fixed that today and even though there was still some mild discomfort it was much, much better. The pain should go away over time now.

10 pound PR on the box squat. With the recent tweaks in my squat form it's going to require some changes in how I do box squats. Didn't get it dialed in very well at all today, but I'll be doing them a couple times per week so I'll get it worked out.

[U]Reverse Cambered Bench Press[/U]
180 pounds - 3 sets x 1 rep

[U]3-inch Deficit Deadlift[/U]
385 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

Did 3 heavy singles on the bench today. Wasn't planning to but when I got to 180 I didn't feel up to going any heavier, but felt like I could pretty easily do multiple singles, so I did.

Did not think the deadlift was going to break the floor initially, but it did and then went up quite easily the rest of the way.

[U]30 Degree Incline Press[/U]
175 pounds x 1 rep
145 pounds x 3 reps

[U]Front Squat[/U]
135 pounds x 1 rep
185 x Fail (twice)

Benching felt really good. Matched my PR and did it easier than last time. The triple at 145 was technically a PR and still had a couple reps to spare.

Squats did not go well. The squat motion itself was very good and I felt strong, but I just could not keep the bar in place today for some reason. Dropped the bar straight away at the bottom on my first 185 attempt because I could feel it was out of position already. Tried again and got out of the hole but then started losing the bar again. I tried to push through but ended up slightly hyperextending my wrist and elbow, so dropped it again. Decided just to stop there. No real harm done I don't think. I will try a small adjustment on the grip next time I do this.

[U]Floor Press[/U]
200 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
165 pounds x 3 reps (close grip)

[U]12 Inch Box Squat[/U]
275 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

About as good a session as I could expect, and overall I'm extremely happy to still be progressing on lifts the third time through.
Pressing was great again. I have virtually no pain in my elbow now after adjusting my setup a few days ago. This was a 5 pound PR.
Box Squat wasn't perfect today, but was greatly improved from last time. This was a 10 pound PR.

[youtube]hyUdV8UWQD4[/youtube]

[U]Cambered Bar Larsen Press[/U]
170 pounds x 1 rep
120 pounds - 2 sets x 3 reps (Close Grip)

[U]Sumo Deadlift[/U]
455 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

Was out of town for work for a few days so no workout yesterday. Got one in this evening after I got back home. Felt pretty refreshed after a day off.
Larsen Press moved well, tying my PR from a few weeks ago. Did some close grip back off work.
Deadlift felt great during the ramp up. 415 went up easy - felt like I could've done a triple - so I attempted a new PR and hit it. This is one of the only times I've ever started getting the shakes when deadlifting. Weird feeling, but I knew that if I just kept pushing I'd get through it.

I've had a shift in mentality lately that I'm quite sure is helping me push through and hit these new PR's. Can't say I've ever really been scared when attempting a PR, but very often lacked confidence. That's not the case anymore. I'm not necessarily going in being 100% sure I'm going to hit it. It's just that the doubt isn't there. I'm able to just go through the process of setting up and then performing the lift properly without worrying about whether I hit it or not. In the past I would sometimes end up changing how I was doing a lift because of my uncertainty - bouncing off the chest on bench, divebombing squats, changing my grip or stance on deads. This was for sure affecting my results. I'm not even sure what caused this shift in mentality, but I'm liking it.

[youtube]rbOX6a-ukmY[/youtube]

[U]3 Count Paused Bench Press[/U]
185 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]
155 pounds x 3 reps [[B]PR[/B]]

[U]Low Bar Squat[/U]
305 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

Wow. Was not expecting to PR both of these today. It was a pleasant surprise, lol.

Worked up to 165 on the bench and it still felt pretty easy so I decided to try 185. That was about my max for the day. A 5 pound PR. Stayed in a much better position during the pause, which I'm certain was helpful.

Squat felt cruddy initially, but by the time I got up to 225 it was feeling really good. 275 moved fairly easily, so I added another 30 pounds and got my first PR on this in over a year. There's still a LOT of room for improvement on this lift without even necessarily needing to get much stronger. I'm staying tighter in the hole, but still getting out of position as I start back up. Making baby steps in the right direction though, so I'm happy.


[youtube]rAkYEssMTOc[/youtube]

[U]Close Grip Bench Press[/U]
195 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

[U]High Bar Squat[/U]
275 pounds x 1 rep [[B]PR[/B]]

This is getting kind of silly now. PR'd both lifts again today, adding 5 pounds to the close grip and 10 pounds to the high bar.
My left elbow was not feeling great today. No pain, but it just felt weak. It actually almost totally gave out when bringing the bar down to my chest on the PR attempt. Decided to skip the back off work because of this.
High bar went well. Got a little off balance on the PR but was able to push through it.
Both of these were definitely close to true max lifts - probably didn't have either more reps or more weight in the tank.


[youtube]OFq4ishAq3A[/youtube]