PtReyesGreg's Workout Journal

[raynerd]

Happy Father's Day Greg and welcome back! Man that 20 repper set was awesome, so fast and consistent. That shows how good your conditioning is right there, I need that big time!
Cool clean vid and great job on the trisets!

[PtReyesGreg]

Happy Father's Day Greg and welcome back! Man that 20 repper set was awesome, so fast and consistent. That shows how good your conditioning is right there, I need that big time!
Cool clean vid and great job on the trisets!

Thanks Shawn...Happy Father's Day to you too! The pace on the 20 reppers felt good but I need to focus on getting a little lower next time.

My conditioning definitely feels good right now. I plan on adding some more Airdyne work and replacing the running for a little while to let my knees, hips, and ankles heal up a bit...I just don't wan't to lose the conditioning so hopefully the Airdyne will maintain that.

I enjoyed the cleans although I've got a lot of room for form improvement there. I plan on including those and front squats to try to hit my muscles from a little different angle and try to improve my overall strength.

[shaneinga]

Welcome back Greg. How was camping? Looks like you stayed pretty well on course with the diet and didn't gain much weight.

Killer workout today. Those 20 rep squats looked really good. I would probably lose count doing them. Haha.

Power cleans are an interesting addition.

[PtReyesGreg]

Welcome back Greg. How was camping? Looks like you stayed pretty well on course with the diet and didn't gain much weight.

Killer workout today. Those 20 rep squats looked really good. I would probably lose count doing them. Haha.

Power cleans are an interesting addition.

Thanks Shane. I'm glad to be back. It's funny but I couldn't wait to get my hands on my power bar again when I got back.

Camping was fun. My wife's two sisters and brother joined us with their spouses and kids so we had 7 kids in total. It was a LOT of work but a lot of fun too. It was cold and snowing at our first campsite so we had to change plans and move to a lower elevation but it was fun and nice weather after that.

The workout felt good. I'm feeling much better with the low bar squats and the 20 repper didn't even feel too bad. The power cleans were a little awkward but I think I'll get used to them and they will help out with overall strength.

Happy Father's Day!

[mirroroferised]

This morning I completed Week 1 Workout A of 531 For Hardgainers (Cycle 11) as follows:

Warmup:
Hypers 20-0, 20-0
Band Y-Press (micro band) 15-0

Superset:
Squats 5-105, 5-127.5, 3-155, 5-167.5, 5-195, 7-217.5 (5+), 20-167.5 (vid below)
Pushups 10-0, 10-0, 10-0, 10-0, 10-0, 10-0

Moar Squats (jokers) Skipped These Today

Superset:
T Bar Rows (V Grip) 12-120, 10-130, 8-140, 6-150, 12-120
DB Rows 12-85

Triset:
Power Cleans 3-89, 3-89, 3-89 (vid below)
Drag Curls 10-65, 8-75, 10-85
Leg Raises 20-0, 20-0, 15-0

Bodyweight: 201.2 Pounds (Up some but not too bad given the week of camping eating (i.e. high carbs ))

Workout Duration: 62 minutes (with 1:00 rest between most sets and 2:00 between heavier squats)

Good workout today. During my deload week I decided to stick with the 531 Hardgainers plan for another cycle. I had such good results from the first cycle I figured why change it up now.

Squats went well and felt good. The low bar stance is feeling pretty comfortable now. There was still a little left shoulder discomfort on the 20 rep set but no big deal. Also, my depth wasn't great on the 20 rep set though I think it was much better on my "normal" sets.

Here is a video of my 20 rep set:


I did a BFL rep scheme (12,10,8,6,12 ss 12 of related lift) for TBar Rows and DB Rows and that felt good.

I added in Power Cleans with light weight and tri-setted them with Drag Curls and Leg Raises. I videoed the Cleans and realize I still have a lot of work to do form wise on those. I need to shoot my elbows up and use the front delts to hold the weight. Also, I need to drop the weight straight down at the end. Finally, like Rippetoe recommends in the video I need to take it much slower at first until I dial in the movement.

Here is a video of my last set:


Here is Mark Rippetoe video that shows the correct form (big differences from mine that I need to work on):

Well let's get this on the new page Welcome back man!!

[PtReyesGreg]

Well let's get this on the new page Welcome back man!!

Thanks Dave. It's good to be back.

[PtReyesGreg]

This morning I completed Week 1 Workout B of 531 For Hardgainers (Cycle 11) as follows:

Superset:
Bench Press 5-100, 5-125, 3-150, 5-162.5, 5-187.5, 5-212.5
Chins/Pullups 7-0 chins, 7-0 pullups, 7-0 neutral grip, 7-0 chins, 7-0 pullups, 7-0 neutral grip

Superset:
Moar Bench Press 5-212.5, 5-212.5, 5-212.5, 5-212.5
DB Bent Over Lateral Raises 10-15, 10-15, 10-15, 10-15

Superset (BFL):
Seated DB OHP 12-30, 10-40, 8-45, 5-50, 12-30
DB Bent Over Lateral Raises 12-15

Superset (BFL):
Seated French Press 12-65, 10-70, 8-75, 6-80, 12-65
JM Press 12-80

Bodyweight: 202.2 Pounds (Up 1.0 Pounds from yesterday)

Workout Duration: 62 minutes (with 1:00 rest between most sets)

Good workout today. Everything felt good although my legs are a little bit sore from yesterday's squat work...I guess coming back after the deload week away from lifting gave me some minor DOMS.

The only thing of note is that I've tweaked my 10,8,6,15 scheme to use the very similar Body For Life 12,10,8,6,12 ss with similar exercise scheme. That allows me to get a little more work in and add some variety to the workouts without going to crazy.

[RT1957]

Looks like I missed a few sessions. Camping trip sounds like fun except when it snows....I was thinking you took some time off to heal the ankle....strong work Greg....

[MooseTequila]

Welcome back Greg... 20 repper... show off!

[PtReyesGreg]

Looks like I missed a few sessions. Camping trip sounds like fun except when it snows....I was thinking you took some time off to heal the ankle....strong work Greg....

Thanks Ron. Yeah camping in the snow in June was unexpected. I guess all things considered I'd rather camp in the cold than in 100 degree heat though.

I lucked into the timing of the week off in the mountains coinciding with both a deload and the sprained ankle so I definitely took advantage of the rest time. My ankle was still barking a little during squats yesterday but it is feeling much better. I'll probably lay off running altogether for another week or so to let it fully heal up.

Welcome back Greg... 20 repper... show off!

Thanks Moose Man! It's good to be back. Now I've just got to find some extra hours in the day to catch up on all the journals...so much seems to happen when you're gone for even a few days.

[raynerd]

Great job on the benching Greg, tons of reps were had! Big work with the 3 different SS'!

[shaneinga]

Nice benching Greg. Tons of volume there. Hopefully those Doms have subsided a little today, but they are usually worse the second day.

I like the pairing on the SS's as well, nice volume on your shoulder presses and raises.

[PtReyesGreg]

Great job on the benching Greg, tons of reps were had! Big work with the 3 different SS'!

Thanks Shawn. This plan definitely has me doing a ton of reps on bench. That and OHP seem to be the highest volume lifts. On week 3 when I do my heavy joker sets we'll see if it's paying off.

Nice benching Greg. Tons of volume there. Hopefully those Doms have subsided a little today, but they are usually worse the second day.

I like the pairing on the SS's as well, nice volume on your shoulder presses and raises.

Thanks Shane. You called it there...my DOMS were definitely worse yesterday. I rode the Airdyne for 25 minutes when I woke up and that helped some but they are still lingering even today. I'm about to do my dead workout so hopefully that clears the rest of the DOMS out.

[PtReyesGreg]

This morning I completed Week 1 Workout C of 531 For Hardgainers (Cycle 11) as follows:

Hypers 20-0, 20-0

Superset:
Deadlifts 5-131, 5-162.5, 3-195, 5-212.5, 5-245, 7-277.5 (5+)
Dips 5-0, 5-0, 5-0, 5-0, 5-0, 5-0

Superset:
Moar Deads 5-212.5, 5-212.5, 5-212.5, 5-212.5, 5-212.5
Face Pulls 12-65, 10-70, 8-75, 6-75, 12-65 superset DB BOLR 12-15

Superset:
DB Rows 12-85, 10-90, 8-10, 6-110, 12-90 superset KB Swings 12-35
Decline Situps 20-0, 20-0, 20-0, 20-0

Bodyweight: 200.8 Pounds

Workout Duration: 75 minutes (with 1:00 rest between most sets)

Good workout today. That was a lot of deads. They weren't too heavy but you definitely feel it from the volume.

I wanted to add a few sets of front squats in as an assistance lift but I just didn't have time. In looking at my program I don't think this day (Dead day) is the day to do it. There is just too much going on in this workout to add anything else.

[MooseTequila]

Applauding the volume on those deadz Greg... I would have puked!

[BluesPreacher]

Dood!

Wicked sets!

We need to call you the DEDZ DOOD!!

Great work, man!

[shaneinga]

55 reps on deads. Nice Greg. Good job getting a solid 7 on your 5 plus day as well.

That is a heck of a lot of SS in a workout.

Solid work put in today Greg.

Hopefully that Airdyne and volume deads got those DOMs worked out.

[raynerd]

Holy deadlifts! Awesome volume Greg! What's the date of the meet?

[SteveWright1]

that does read like a tough session Greg
I did the 5 x 5 at higher % after main deadlift work, and I reckon it was probably the toughest workout I did during any given week

congrats on getting through all that and with 2 reps to spare on the plus set

[PtReyesGreg]

Applauding the volume on those deadz Greg... I would have puked!

Thanks Moose. It was tough but not puking tough...I save that kind of reaction for my squat workouts.

Dood!

Wicked sets!

We need to call you the DEDZ DOOD!!

Great work, man!

Thanks BP. I think Shane will forever hold that title with the way he used to crank out the heavy BBB deads.

55 reps on deads. Nice Greg. Good job getting a solid 7 on your 5 plus day as well.

That is a heck of a lot of SS in a workout.

Solid work put in today Greg.

Hopefully that Airdyne and volume deads got those DOMs worked out.

Thanks Shane. Yeah I purposely don't add up the total reps before my workout...if I did I probably would trim it down some.

As for the DOMS...they didn't get worked out. I'm limping around like an old man at work today. Another round of squats on Sunday ought to set me right though. Plus, I plan on doing a short run tomorrow morning so that should help too.

Holy deadlifts! Awesome volume Greg! What's the date of the meet?

Thanks Shawn. It's on August 13th. So that basically gives me two more cycles of 531 between now and then. I'll ramp up the intensity and add in Joker sets to test out my maxes in weeks 2 and 3 of each cycle, so hopefully when 8/13 comes I'll have a good idea of what neighborhood my maxes are in. Then it'll just be a matter of getting in there and knocking out my attempts.

that does read like a tough session Greg
I did the 5 x 5 at higher % after main deadlift work, and I reckon it was probably the toughest workout I did during any given week

congrats on getting through all that and with 2 reps to spare on the plus set

Thanks Steve. Yeah the extra 5x5 is pretty tough. In week 2 it increases from 65% of TM to 70% and then in week 3 it increases to 75% so those weeks are more challenging. Today the DOMS left over from squats were my big challenge. For some reason, the DOMS primarily impact my hammies so each time I bent over to do the deads the hammies would start barking...I was happy to get it done.

[TM79]

Man, Deadlift City! Thanks for doing 50 reps for me! That is one heck of a workout! I really like the deadlifts and dips superset. That is a very interesting combo. Nice job!

[PtReyesGreg]

Man, Deadlift City! Thanks for doing 50 reps for me! That is one heck of a workout! I really like the deadlifts and dips superset. That is a very interesting combo. Nice job!

Thanks TM. Yeah the DL and dip superset is a good one. It seem to helps me stretch my shoulders and chest and keep them in a better position during the deads. So far I'm liking it.

[PtReyesGreg]

Apologies once again for lack of presence in the forums lately...work has been busy as usual as we're getting ready to release a new product...hopefully it slows down some in the next month or so.

*******************

This morning I completed Week 1 Workout D of 531 For Hardgainers (Cycle 11) as follows:

Superset:
OHP 5-65, 5-75, 3-90, 5-97.5, 5-115, 5-127.5
Light Squats 5-135, 5-135, 5-135, 5-135, 5-135, 5-135

Superset:
Moar Fat Bar OHP 5-97.5, 5-97.5, 5-97.5, 5-97.5, 5-97.5, 5-97.5, 5-97.5, 5-97.5, 5-97.5, 5-97.5
Shrugs 6-220, 6-220, 6-220, 6-220, 6-220, 6-220, 6-220, 6-220, 6-220, 6-220 Superset UR 12-95

Incline Fat Bar CGBP 12-120, 10-130, 8-150, 6-165, 12-130 Superset Dual DB French Press 12-15

Bodyweight: 201.2 Pounds

Workout Duration: 59 minutes (with 1:00 rest between most sets)

Good workout. The weight was light being week 1 of the cycle but the volume was intense...especially when I supersetted the 10 sets of shrugs with the 10 sets of FB OHP. Instead of chins I supersetted light squats with my first 5 sets of "regular bar" OHP. I wanted to loosen up my legs some and this seemed to help. Plus, I feel like I haven't been carrying my weight on the squat crew lately.

*******************

After lifting I took a page from Dave's book and ran sprints on the dirt road in front of my house. I ran ~105 yards up and jogged back and repeated for 21m:01s. I wound up going a total of 1.86 miles and burning an estimated 348 kcal. This was my first time running since hurting my ankle in the race and overall it felt good. I'll probably try a trail run with the dog manana.

[raynerd]

Holy OHP Greg! Insane volume, those front delts must have been screaming the SS's with the shrugs sound painful. Awesome work on the sprints! Is manana your dogs name?

[mirroroferised]

Good work with that session. How much fun are those sprints I actually love them and to me they beat a normal run. Just pretend to be chasing somebody lol

[RT1957]

Some good work being done Greg....I think sprinting is more fun than long distance running but all its all personal ...I like NHRA better than NASCAR too

[PtReyesGreg]

Holy OHP Greg! Insane volume, those front delts must have been screaming the SS's with the shrugs sound painful. Awesome work on the sprints! Is manana your dogs name?

Thanks Shawn. Yeah the delts were doing some barking by the end of that. The shrugs were definitely the more painful part though.

By the end of the workout I must've been in a daze because the sprints didn't seem too bad. My dog definitely enjoyed them...her name is Puru btw...and she always wants to run now but I always promise her we'll go manana.

Good work with that session. How much fun are those sprints I actually love them and to me they beat a normal run. Just pretend to be chasing somebody lol

Thanks Dave. The sprints weren't too bad but I do enjoy my trail runs more. I'll have to give the chasing somebody trick a try...although honestly I might do better pretending I'm being chased.

Some good work being done Greg....I think sprinting is more fun than long distance running but all its all personal ...I like NHRA better than NASCAR too

Thanks Ron. That's funny...you and Dave prefer the sprints. I'll take the long runs and NASCAR any day.

[shaneinga]

Nice work Greg. SOHP supersetted with squats. Awesome!

Nice added 50 additional reps on top of your other SOHP work, great volume and numbers on those.

Tri's had to be smoked after that CGBP and FP superset after all that over head pressing.

Sprints sound like a great way to finish it off. Enjoy your run tomorrow.

[PtReyesGreg]

Nice work Greg. SOHP supersetted with squats. Awesome!

Nice added 50 additional reps on top of your other SOHP work, great volume and numbers on those.

Tri's had to be smoked after that CGBP and FP superset after all that over head pressing.

Sprints sound like a great way to finish it off. Enjoy your run tomorrow.

Thanks Shane. Yeah I have been supersetting chins with my presses (both OHP and Bench) but I'm thinking I might keep pairing the squats with the OHP like I did today...that seemed to work well and my legs feel much less sore after doing those squats.

The OHP volume with the hardgainers plan is something else but it really feels good. It's a hell of a lot of sets but the sets of 5 are much easier to knock out than doing 5 x 10 would be. I just seem to do better with sets of 5.

I'm looking forward to the run tomorrow...I'll have to go hit some good tough hills.

[PtReyesGreg]

Yesterday morning I ran 3.45 miles in 46m:05s on the Deer Creek Tribute trail in Nevada City. I climbed a total of 209 ft to a max elevation of 2643 ft and burned an estimated 621 kcal. This was my first trail run since I hurt my ankle in the race and it felt good to be back on the trails although my pace was nice and slow.

*******************

This morning I completed Week 2 Workout A of 531 For Hardgainers (Cycle 11) as follows:

Superset:
Squats 5-105, 5-127.5, 3-155, 5-180, 5-205, 5-230, 20-185 (video below)
Pushups 10-0, 10-0, 10-0, 10-0, 10-0, 10-0

Moar Squats (Jokers) 1-255, 1-275 (video below)

Superset:
Barbell Hack Squats 10-111, 8-131, 6-151, 15-121
Drag Curls 10-65, 8-75, 6-85, 15-75

Superset:
PRows 10-155, 8-175, 6-185, 9-155
V-Bar Lat Pulldowns 10-100, 8-122, 6-122, 10-100

Bodyweight: 202.2 Pounds (Diet was crappy yesterday)

Workout Duration: 81 minutes (with 1:00 rest between most sets)

Good workout. Squats felt pretty good although legs were a little sore from run yesterday. The 20 repper felt good. On 275 I don't think I got as deep as I should have...my legs were feeling the 20 repper by that point in the workout although I need to focus more on depth as I get closer to the contest.

Used my homemade pulley system for lat pulldowns today. Man those are much tougher than commercial machines I've used. The 122 felt VERY heavy. I liked the v-grip though (got the inspiration to try that from Shane) and I think I'll keep it in.





*******************

After lifting I took my dog to the local school track and ran sprints on the straight aways and jogged around the end zones. I wound up going a total of 2.31 miles in 23m:08s and I lost count of the number of actual sprints. It was tough in the sun but I was happy to get it done.