PtReyesGreg's Workout Journal

[PtReyesGreg]

fantastic news Greg
congrats on being just 3lb shy of the 1000lb target you set for yourself
like you say, you can get that 3lb and probably more by next time as you will not be as nervous and hopefully will not have just had an injury issue leading up to it.

Thanks Steve. I was definitely happy with the meet. I didn't realize I would miss the 1000 by so little or I would have added a little more to my final squat attempt. That's OK though I'll definitely get it next time. Also, like you said I hopefully will be a little healthier going into the next one.

Great job Greg! Looks like the whole family enjoyed the trip. Nice lifts, and only a couple pounds short of a 1000 on your first try. All the lifts looked great, and you had a 1000 in you. Dead lifts you definitely had more in you. Squats looked great.

Going into December if you decide to do another one, you will definitely break a 1000.

You looked good on stage. Legs looking thick, and you definitely can tell you lift.

Great weekend Greg. Congrats man!

Thanks Shane. It was definitely a fun trip for everyone. I had my wife and son and my nephew and brother-in-law at the meet so it was definitely a good crew. Afterward we also met up with my mother and father-in-law in Reno so that was fun too.

Next time I'll definitely push the squats and deads harder. With the squats I wasn't sure what to expect with the judges depth-wise so I didn't push it as high as I should have. My depth seemed to be OK. They failed some other lifters for that but I don't think I got any reds on squats (aside from the misbehaving lights ).

Thanks for the compliment about the legs but honestly they looked skinny to me in the videos. Most of the other lifters at the meet had much more size. I've got to work on that...so today I'm starting the Behmoth plan to address it.

Thanks for all the support you guys gave me. It's funny but I was actually thinking about the guys on the forum while I was competing...I had extra motivation because I wanted to represent for the 035 crew on here.


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

This morning I completed Week 1 Workout A of 531 The Behemoth Template (Cycle 13) as follows:

Superset:
Squats 5-135, 5-175, 3-200, 5-227.5, 5-227.5, 5-227.5, 5-227.5, 5-227.5
Facepulls 10-Band, 10-Band, 10-Band, 10-Band, 10-Band

Superset:
Multi-Grip Bar Bench Press 10-127.5, 10-127.5, 10-127.5, 10-127.5, 10-127.5, 10-127.5, 10-127.5, 10-127.5, 10-127.5, 10-127.5
(Alternated between Angled Grip and Wide Grip)
DB BOLR 10-15, 10-15, 10-15, 10-15, 10-15, 10-15, 10-15, 10-15, 10-15, 10-15

Bodyweight: 207.4 Pounds (Up 3.0 Pounds from Tuesday)

Workout Duration: 63 minutes (with 1:00 rest between sets)

Good workout today. I started a new cycle with the Behemoth Template I found on Wendler's pay forum site. Basically you do 5x5 of squats and 10x10 bench on monday, deads and ohp on Wednesday, and 10x10 squats and 5x5 bench on Friday. The 10x10 will help me work on some size gains while the 5x5 will help me build more strength. I plan to run this template for 2 cycles, do the 7th week deload protocol, then run the Building the Monolith Program for 2 cycles, another 7th week deload protocol, and finally another program from his pay site called the Rhodes Challenge for 2 cycles Leader and 1 cycle anchor to build up my strength. Between these I have my next 6+ months planned out.

So far so good with this one. The squats felt tough as my legs were still sore from the meet on Saturday but I got em done. For the 10x10 bench I used my multi-grip swiss bar. I plan to use it for the 10x10's and use my regular power bar for the 5x5's to give my shoulders a break and work my triceps more.

Aside from that the plan called for a LOT of facepulls / DB BOLR. My shoulders definitely got some good work in.

[BluesPreacher]

Good workout today.

Dang! I'll say! And congrats on the meet!

[Jtbny]

Why on earth are you back in the gym already???

[PtReyesGreg]

Dang! I'll say! And congrats on the meet!

Thanks BP.

Why on earth are you back in the gym already???

Hah! I know, I know I probably should have taken another week off to recover. I was sore yesterday but woke up feeling good and rested today so I decided to go ahead and start up my new 531 cycle. Honestly I don't think I pushed it as hard as I could have at the meet so I didn't need as much recovery this time. Next time, however, I'm going to leave it all on the table, so I'll do more recovery then.

[Jtbny]

Thanks BP.



Hah! I know, I know I probably should have taken another week off to recover. I was sore yesterday but woke up feeling good and rested today so I decided to go ahead and start up my new 531 cycle. Honestly I don't think I pushed it as hard as I could have at the meet so I didn't need as much recovery this time. Next time, however, I'm going to leave it all on the table, so I'll do more recovery then.

The toll a day like that takes on your whole system is sometimes hard to gauge. As an example Ed Coan would take 2 full weeks off after a meet. Granted he was lifting way heavier but the fact is the body does need to rest up- bones, tendons, ect get taxed and IMO its asking for an injury.

I know them feelz wanting to jump right in but MOAR isn't always better. I certainly would't have started a new program 2 days removed from a meet. Just my .02. Nobody wants to visit snap city.

[PtReyesGreg]

The toll a day like that takes on your whole system is sometimes hard to gauge. As an example Ed Coan would take 2 full weeks off after a meet. Granted he was lifting way heavier but the fact is the body does need to rest up- bones, tendons, ect get taxed and IMO its asking for an injury.

I know them feelz wanting to jump right in but MOAR isn't always better. I certainly would't have started a new program 2 days removed from a meet. Just my .02. Nobody wants to visit snap city.

Thanks John. I hear what you're saying and I think I'm finally accepting it. You told me that before and I also read it in Wendler's 531 for Powerlifting book and heard Ed Coan talk about it in a video, but in my excitement to get started on my next cycle I ignored all the advice. This is one of those cases where I've got to step back and think bigger picture and take another week to recover. Plus, honestly doing my squats today and even a little on bench my oblique was barking at me...another week of recovery will probably help there too. I'll just start my cycle over next week and do some recovery/mobility work this week. Thanks for the reality check.

Tried to rep you but am still on spread.

[MooseTequila]

Greg be thy man!

So happy to see ya do the meet Greg... the best of both worlds, attended and worked through/around an injury, and the bonus of family watching and not aggravating said injury!

From my POV and yours, you left so much on the table, and I sure hope you do the Dec PLM, you will crush it! This one just helped ya get any (if) nerves out of the way, and really sets you up for a lot of success in Dec... congrats man... awesome vids and smiles in those vids!!!!

[TM79]

Thanks TM. The deadlift did feel pretty good. That was my first time over 385 so that was a pretty good PR. I followed your advice and switched to the mixed grip for the meet and it did feel much stronger and the bar felt more secure. I'll probably keep training double over hand for the most part (to keep building my grip strength) and then use the mixed grip for my heavies sets.

I was kicking myself for missing the bench but realized there was nothing I could do about it after the fact. I'll just have to get it next time and leave 1000 in the dust.

Yeah, I noticed that you switched your grip in the video. Glad it felt strong for you and that is really impressive if you just decided to switch it for the meet. I would've at least done it a fair amount before that. Double OH grip will definitely build your grip strength, but may limit your true upper end strength if that's all you do. May want to do some of each. Just a thought. Bottom line, you killed it at the meet and I am extremely confident that you'll kill it even more in your next one. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

Edit: Just read more of the other posts. I'm with John. You've done a lot of work in the gym lately and topped it off with the meet. Better to take a break and let your body rest. Shoot, I'm doing that right now and didn't compete in a meet a few days ago.

[raynerd]

Well…I was going to echo what John said there, but glad you came around. I definitely didn't take enough time off after my mock meet but think it was more than 2 days. I had plans to continue on my JC lower body progression as well while dieting but he gave me a good reality check on that.
New program sounds tough so let the body heal up right. Good workout regardless though. You will lose nothing and protect yourself from future injuries. The thing with injuries, you never see them coming until you are already injured, something I have trouble coming to terms with.
I hope you tell me this exact same thing when I try to jump back into the gym after the April meet

[PtReyesGreg]

Greg be thy man!

So happy to see ya do the meet Greg... the best of both worlds, attended and worked through/around an injury, and the bonus of family watching and not aggravating said injury!

From my POV and yours, you left so much on the table, and I sure hope you do the Dec PLM, you will crush it! This one just helped ya get any (if) nerves out of the way, and really sets you up for a lot of success in Dec... congrats man... awesome vids and smiles in those vids!!!!

Thanks Moose Man. I appreciate the kind words. I think I am going to do the Dec meet...it's not too tough to talk the wife into making a trip to Santa Cruz.

Yeah, I noticed that you switched your grip in the video. Glad it felt strong for you and that is really impressive if you just decided to switch it for the meet. I would've at least done it a fair amount before that. Double OH grip will definitely build your grip strength, but may limit your true upper end strength if that's all you do. May want to do some of each. Just a thought. Bottom line, you killed it at the meet and I am extremely confident that you'll kill it even more in your next one. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

Edit: Just read more of the other posts. I'm with John. You've done a lot of work in the gym lately and topped it off with the meet. Better to take a break and let your body rest. Shoot, I'm doing that right now and didn't compete in a meet a few days ago.

Thanks TM. I actually switched it up the week before the meet so I could get a little used to it, but I didn't do any heavy lifts with it until the meet. It felt pretty good and I think I'll defintely keep it in the mix for my heavier lifts. I'll probably do some mixture of the two like you mention. I like the DOH in that it keeps both sides of my body somewhat balanced. I've heard that when you exclusively do mixed it can lead to imbalances between the two sides.

Well…I was going to echo what John said there, but glad you came around. I definitely didn't take enough time off after my mock meet but think it was more than 2 days. I had plans to continue on my JC lower body progression as well while dieting but he gave me a good reality check on that.
New program sounds tough so let the body heal up right. Good workout regardless though. You will lose nothing and protect yourself from future injuries. The thing with injuries, you never see them coming until you are already injured, something I have trouble coming to terms with.
I hope you tell me this exact same thing when I try to jump back into the gym after the April meet

Thanks Shawn. Yeah I finally broke down and decided to listen to John on that one. It is tough for me to skip workouts, even when it is the smart thing to do. I usually wake up early anyway so I figured what the hell I'll just go out to the gym and lift. This week if anything I'll probably just do some bodyweight stuff to loosen up and maybe the dog for a couple of runs.

That's good advice about the injuries btw. I really want the oblique strain to go away so rest will probably help with that too.

Don't worry man, I'll remember and remind you about this conversation after your meet in April. You are someone who looks like you hate to miss the gym sessions even more than I do.

[DocJekyll]

We all hate missing workouts; but you put yourself through it man. Training hard through an injury and then making the meet. Rest is well needed I'm sure and much deserved. Dig deep and take some time off... lol

You'll come back refreshed and jacked up mentally for new goals.

[PtReyesGreg]

We all hate missing workouts; but you put yourself through it man. Training hard through an injury and then making the meet. Rest is well needed I'm sure and much deserved. Dig deep and take some time off... lol

You'll come back refreshed and jacked up mentally for new goals.

Thanks for the advice there Doc. Of course this is coming from a man who rarely misses a workout and whose workouts (and their intensity) make mine look like a stroll in the park. Seriously though there is wisdom in your words and you are right. Time off from lifting to recover serves a purpose and will do me some good.

[PtReyesGreg]

This morning I woke up with tight legs and hips as usual so I did the Lower Back and Hip Opening yoga routine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L53n0eHI1T4

After that I went over to the track at Ready Springs elementary school and did my sprint complexes (sprinting on the straight aways and jogging around the end zones) on the track. I wound up doing 16 ~100 yd sprints and going a total of 2.07 miles in 19m:56s. I burned an estimated 379 kcal.

Bodyweight: 206.6 Pounds (Down 0.8 Pounds from yesterday)

[shaneinga]

Looks like a deload is in the books for this week Greg.

It sounds like Wendler's pay site has a ton of different templates in it.

Cool to see you running some of them.

New programming sounds like it is going to be great!

[PtReyesGreg]

Looks like a deload is in the books for this week Greg.

It sounds like Wendler's pay site has a ton of different templates in it.

Cool to see you running some of them.

New programming sounds like it is going to be great!

Yes indeed Shane...it's deload time for me...it just took me a little while to wrap my head around that.

Wendler's pay site does have a bunch of new templates/programs on it. A lot of them are going to be in his new book but he basically gives a preview of them over there. It's $5 a month but so far has been well worth it in terms of good info for me.

I'm really excited to get going with the new program...for now I just have to be a little patient.

[SteveWright1]

keen as ever hey Greg

resting is not a bad idea after the mental and physical fatigue that a competition must entail
(only ever done 1 mock meet myself and I know doing the 3 compounds on same session and I did pay for it over following 2 or 3 days)

still having said that, I for one can totally relate to your desire to get back to the heavy work
congrats on getting through that Behemoth session

[PtReyesGreg]

keen as ever hey Greg

resting is not a bad idea after the mental and physical fatigue that a competition must entail
(only ever done 1 mock meet myself and I know doing the 3 compounds on same session and I did pay for it over following 2 or 3 days)

still having said that, I for one can totally relate to your desire to get back to the heavy work
congrats on getting through that Behemoth session

Thanks Steve. Yeah it definitely takes it out of you when you do a meet. The toughest thing for me is that it was spread over such a long period of time. There was probably a 3-4 hour gap between my squats and deadlifts at the meet. Because my leg muscles really cooled down between the lifts and even though I warmed them up they got pretty sore by the time I was done.

I think the Behemoth plan is going to be a good one. Wendler said to only run it for 2-3 cycles because of the toll the 10x10 sets of bench and squats takes. I think it'll go a long way towards stimulating some growth...or pain.

[DocJekyll]

Great idea getting some Yoga in this morning. That sounds like a nice recipe for recovery......then he goes and sprints! lol...... rest up.

[PtReyesGreg]

Great idea getting some Yoga in this morning. That sounds like a nice recipe for recovery......then he goes and sprints! lol...... rest up.

Guilty as charged Doc! I intended to go for a nice easy jog but was running short on time so it wound up being 20 minutes of sprints.

[PtReyesGreg]

This morning I woke up with really sore hammies from the sprints yesterday I'm guessing. I decided to take it easy and do some "Restorative Yoga":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sED6YXSzW5o

Bodyweight: 208.0 (Up 0.6 pounds from yesterday -- yesterday at work they had cake and ice cream and I was a weak man)

[shaneinga]

Cake and ice cream, yum.

Sprints and yoga? Whats going on in here? Sounds like a party. LoL.

J/K Greg. Enjoy that rest man, you will be back crushing it soon enough.

[raynerd]

Your work sounds like heaven and hell mixed into one big bag lol.
You pulling out your hair yet?? I know I would be
Trying to decide about a deload myself right now before I start JC this weekend...stressing me out dammit!!

[PtReyesGreg]

Cake and ice cream, yum.

Sprints and yoga? Whats going on in here? Sounds like a party. LoL.

J/K Greg. Enjoy that rest man, you will be back crushing it soon enough.

The cake and ice cream was definitely yummy...but completely blew my new attempt at clean eating out of the water. I did manage to pass up the pancake breakfast the "Fun Committee" made for everyone yesterday. I swear they are trying to fatten us all up here at work...and judging by my co-workers they are succeeding.

Resting is tough business. I actually did some light lifting this morning to loosen up more after the yoga...nothing worth journaling. It was nice to feel the knurl in my hands though.

Your work sounds like heaven and hell mixed into one big bag lol.
You pulling out your hair yet?? I know I would be
Trying to decide about a deload myself right now before I start JC this weekend...stressing me out dammit!!

Heaven and Hell would be a good description. Like I was telling Shane I think they are trying to make my clean eating efforts as tough as possible.

I'm definitely pulling my hair out. I have to admit I did a little light lifting this morning but technically my rest day is intact. I did a few light sets of OHP with my multigrip bar to loosen up my shoulders. I also set up a 1.75" block in my deadlift area to use for deficit deads. I plan on making deficit deads a key part of my plan leading up to the meet in December.

Try not to stress out too much...those deloads are definitely stressful though.

[shaneinga]

Haha. You are an iron addict Greg. The first step is to just admit it.

Man, skipping pancakes would have been TOUGH for me. I have a real weakness for those.

[PtReyesGreg]

Haha. You are an iron addict Greg. The first step is to just admit it.

Man, skipping pancakes would have been TOUGH for me. I have a real weakness for those.

That's funny. When I came in from the garage this morning my wife said "You are addicted to weights aren't you?". Now I'm getting it from you too Shane.

Skipping the pancakes was tough. They had plain, blueberry, and chocoloate pancakes. I just walked over the kitchen to take a look and then kept on walking back to my desk and put my headphones on so I wouldn't be tempted. After lunch they rolled out 2 mammoth chocolate cakes, 4 white cakes, and what looked like 5 gallon tubs of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream to celebrate our company birthday...the headphones didn't help me avoid those temptations.

[DocJekyll]

What a place to work!

Sugaz everywhere!

[MooseTequila]

LOLZ! Too much fun reading... thank gawd I don't work there... there wouldn't be anything else left for others (Would help you though Greg)

[BluesPreacher]

Yea, sprints will torch one's legs. Good work.

[PtReyesGreg]

What a place to work!

Sugaz everywhere!

Ain't that the truth. It's definitely the land of the walking rotund. Must be strong...

LOLZ! Too much fun reading... thank gawd I don't work there... there wouldn't be anything else left for others (Would help you though Greg)

Hah Moose! No such luck...if you were here we would keep each other in line.

Yea, sprints will torch one's legs. Good work.

Thanks BP. Yes indeed. That's why I opted for a more gentle jog today.

[PtReyesGreg]

This morning I skipped my yoga which probably wasn't wise but I wanted to make sure to get a run in. I ran 2.55 miles in 31m:03s on the Penn Gate trail at Empire Mine state park in Grass Valley. I climbed a total of 314 ft to a max elevation of 2687 ft. It's good to be getting somewhat back into my groove now following the meet.

Bodyweight: 206.4 (Down 1.6 pounds from yesterday)

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

I've been taking advantage of my break from lifting...to plan for MOAR lifting!

I'm now pretty sure I'm going to do the meet on 12/3 in Santa Cruz. I have planned out my next 5 cycles accordingly to get me to the meet in peak form. I plan on doing the following:

Cycle 1 - The Behemoth Template - Goal: Build some size and strength
Cycle 2 - The Behemoth Template - Goal: Build some size and strength
Cycle 3 - Rhodes Challenge Leader - Goal: Build base strength
Cycle 4 - Rhodes Challenge Leader - Goal: Build base strength
Cycle 5 - Rhodes Challenge Anchor - Goal: Build peak strength


The Behemoth Template is a MWF template like this:

Monday
Squats 5x5 @ 85%
BP 10x10 @ 50%

Wednesday
DL
OHP

Friday
Squats 10x10 @ 50%
BP 5x5 @ 85%

The Rhodes Challenge Leader is basically a 5x5/3/1 template in the 3/5/1 format:
Week 1 - 2x5 @ 90%, PR set @ 90%
Week 2 - 10x5 @ 85%
Week 3 - 2x5 @ 95%, PR set @ 95%

The Rhodes Challenge Anchor is basically:
3/5/1 + PR set and 3x5 FSL for some added volume plus Jokers on weeks 1 and 3

I plan to hit it really hard on these programs for the next 5 cycles and get ready for December. If I do this correctly I think I should be able to have a shot at ~1100 pounds then (~350 squat, ~315 Bench, ~450 Deads).

I can't wait for Sunday to get started.