Banjoman V2.0

[banjoman23]

Week 3

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx10,9,9
Wide grip pullups: 10,10,9
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x8
Seated row: 120x11,10,10
Rollouts: 3x15

Lower 1:
Deadlift: 160x5,190x5,225x5,255x5
Smith fronts: 140x3x10
Leg curl: 160x11,10,10
1-leg LP: 170x11,10,10
Calves: 135x3x19

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x9
Wide grip pullups: 10,10,8
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x8
Seated row: 120x11,10,10
Rollouts: 3x15

Lower 2:
RDL: 165x8 back strain

Good week until Friday, when I was doing my first exercise Romanian Deadlifts too fast because the weights are lightish and I was just banging out quick reps, and I really tweaked something in my low back good. It was a killer for the rest of the day, but thankfully was much better when I woke up, and I was able to do yardwork all weekend. Got lucky.

Always respect a barbell.

[banjoman23]

Week 4

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x10
Wide grip pullups: 10,9,9
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,8,8
Seated row: 120x11,10,10
Rollouts: 15,15,12

Lower 1:
Deadlift: 165x5,195x5,230x5,260x4
Smith fronts: 140x3x10
Leg curl: 160x11,10,10
1-leg LP: 170x11,10,10
Calves: 135x3x19

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x10
Wide grip pullups: 3x10
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,8,8
Seated row: 120x11,10,10

Lower 2:
Smith fronts: 150x3x10
Leg curl: 160x11,10,10
1-leg LP: 170x11,10,10
Calves: 135x3x19
Rollouts: 15,15,13

I was still able to get in four decent workouts, but deadlifts Tuesday really wrecked my low back. Looking back through my log, third time in a year, each time when working at/near a new max lift. I'm assuming that, despite having normally solid form (even posted form check vids), at max I have a subconscious form break that sometimes occurs. And man, it hurts; it's a really scary, debilitating, acute pain that starts immediately and lasts for 3 days (I know it's not DOMS, something different and scarier). I love doing deadlifts but I'm going to take a step back from doing them for awhile and re-assess.

[banjoman23]

Week 5

Lower 1:
Smith fronts: 150x11,10,10
Leg curl: 160x11,11,10
1-leg LP: 170x11,11,10
Calves: 135x3x20
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x10
Wide grip pullups: 3x10
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,7
Seated row: 120x11,10,10

Rollouts: 3x15

Lower 2:
Smith fronts: 150x11,10,10
Leg curl: 160x11,11,10
1-leg LP: 170x11,11,10
Calves: 135x3x20

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x10
Wide grip pullups: 10,10,8
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,8
Seated row: 120x11,10,10
Rollouts: 3x15

A good week

[banjoman23]

Week 6

Lower 1:
Smith fronts: 150x11,11,10
Leg curl: 160x11,11,10
1-leg LP: 170x11,11,10
Calves: 135x3x20
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x10
Wide grip pullups: 3x10
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,8
Seated row: 120x11,10,10

Lower 2:
Smith fronts: 150x11,11,10
Leg curl: 160x11,11,10
1-leg LP: 170x3x11
Calves: 135x3x20
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 2: Had to skip, work stuff

Grrr...

[banjoman23]

Week 7

Upper 1:
Wide grip pullups: 3x10
Incline DB bench: 60sx10,10,8. Was supersetting with the pullups due to availability.
Seated Row: 120x11,11,10
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,8
Rollouts: 3x15

Lower 1:
Smith fronts: 150x11,11,10
Leg curl: 160x3x11
1-leg LP: 170x3x11
Calves: 150x3x16

Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx10,10,11!
Neutral grip pullups: 3x10
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x9!
Seated row: 120x11,11,10
Alpha day

Lower 2:
Smith fronts: 150x11,11,10
Leg curl: 160x3x11
1-leg LP: 170x3x11
Calves: 150x3x16
Rollouts: 3x15

! is finally eked out a new rep. Very happy about that rep gained on both presses Thursday.

[banjoman23]

Week 8

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx11,10,10
Neutral grip pullups: 3x10
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,8
Seated Row: 120x3x11
Rollouts: 3x15

Lower 1:
Smith fronts: 150x11,11,stopped

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx11,10,10
Neutral grip pullups: 3x10
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x9
Seated Row: 120x3x11
Rollouts: 3x15

Lower 2: Out of town

Good Upper week, terrible Lower week. Minor low back issue started Monday, I think from tweaking on a form breakdown on the last set of rollouts. Smith fronts aggravated it Tuesday and so I just stopped things there. It got better after a day or two.

Switching pullups to neutral grip is really putting more emphasis on my arms. Big forearm/bicep pump I wasn't having before on pronated wide-grip. I'll stick with this for a bit.

[banjoman23]

Week 9

Lower 1:
Smith fronts: 150x11,11,10
Leg curl: 160x12,11,11
1-leg LP: 170x12,11,11
Calves: 150x3x17
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx11,10,11!
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,9.5
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x9
Seated Row: 120x3x11

Rollouts: 3x15

Lower 2:
Smith fronts: 150x11,11,10
Leg curl: 160x12,11,11
Calves: 150x3x17
RDL: 135x5, 150 x tweaked back, stopped
1-leg LP: skipped

Upper 2:
Rollouts: 3x15
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,10!
Incline DB bench: 60sx11,10,8
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,7
Seated row: 120x3x11

Good: Good volume week, and eked out a new rep in some spots. Some patella tendinitis was creeping in on the left knee, especially during Smith fronts, but a foot placement adjustment (less foot pronation) Thurs on smith fronts felt a lot better. I believe that one's solved.

Bad: Just deadlifting only 150 lbs up to starting position for RDL did the same low back tweak that leaves me wrecked for a couple days, that I've done a few times now. I might have to swear off deadlifts and RDLs completely. Real shame, I love deadlifts, did them for years. The 95% of the time my form's good they're my favorite exercise, but that inevitable small fraction of time where I break form (usually working at/near new maxes, though not this time) just leaves my low back wrecked in a way that's scary and debilitating for a couple days. Maybe a belt will help. Something to research... If it doesn't, I might just have to listen to my body and call it quits on them.

[banjoman23]

Week 10

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx9,9,8
Neutral grip pullups: 9,8,8
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x7
Seated Row: 120x3x9
Rollouts: 3x12

Lower 1:
Smith fronts: 130x11,11,10
Leg curl: 130x12,11,11
1-leg LP: 130x12,11,11
Calves: 120x3x17
Rollouts: 3x12

No Upper/Lower 2.

Deload Week

[banjoman23]

Week 11

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx10,10,9
Neutral grip pullups: 10,9,9
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x8
Seated Row: 120x3x10
Rollouts: 14,13,13

Lower 1:
Smith fronts: 135x11,11,10
Leg curl: 145x12,11,11
1-leg LP: 150x12,11,11
Calves: 135x3x17
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 2: Same as Upper 1 but no rollouts

Lower 2: Same as Lower 1 but calves were:
Hammer Strength Super Horizontal: ramped up to 300x2x20
because normal calf machine taken.

Deload week #2. One of those rare times when I can say that physically, I do not currently have even a single tiny nagging thing to complain about. That's sure not to last long.

[banjoman23]

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x11!
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,10
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x9
Seated Row: 120x3x11
Rollouts: 3x15

Lower 1:
Smith fronts: 150x11,11,10
Leg curl: 160x12,11,11
1-leg LP: 170x12,11,11
Calves: 150x3x17

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x11
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,10
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x9
Seated row: 120x12,11,11

Lower 2:
Smith fronts: 150x3x11!
Leg curl: 160x12,12,11
1-leg LP: 170x12,12,11
Calves: 150x3x18
Rollouts: 3x15

Good week

[banjoman23]

Had a one week beach vacation, and I took it off from everything - no running, no lifting, let my diet wander (to put it mildly). It was quite nice, but time to get right back into the swing of things. Can't let those occasional breaks become a slippery slope into permanence.

[banjoman23]

Week 13

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx11,11,10
Neutral grip pullups: 10,10,9
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,8
Seated Row: 120x3x11

Lower 1:
1-leg LP: 170x3x12
Leg curl: 160x12,8,X stopped
Calves: 150x3x18
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx11,11,10
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,9
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,8.5
Seated row: 120x3x11

Lower 2:
Hamtractor: 195x2x12
1-leg LP: 170x3x12
Calves: 150x3x19
Rollouts: 3x15

Lost my usual rep after a week off, no surprise. Some lingering low back / knee small bothers. I've been doing the same exercises for a long time now, I'm going to explore some new stuff for Lower days, mix things up a bit.

[banjoman23]

Week 14

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x11
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,9
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x9
Seated Row: 120x12,11,11

Lower 1:
1-leg LP: 180x9,9,10
Hamtractor: 195x3x12
Calves: 150x3x19
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x11
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,9.5
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,6
Seated row: 120x12,11,11

Lower 2:
1-leg LP: 180x3x10
Hamtractor: 195x3x12
Calves: 150x3x19
Rollouts: 3x15

I might run without the front squats (or variants thereof) for a bit. I know that makes my leg day a total wuss out, but the body feels real good right now, back and knees and everything, and it's really great. I'm well past the point of ego lifting, so haters can hate.

[banjoman23]

Week 15

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x11
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,9.5
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,6
Seated Row: 120x12,11,11

Lower 1:
1-leg LP: 180x11,10,10
Hamtractor: 195x3x12
Calves: 150x3x20
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 2: skipped

Lower 2 skipped

Real life happenings took their toll this week. Nothing to do but keep on keeping on.

[banjoman23]

Week 16

Upper 1:
Neutral grip pullups: 3x11!
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,10!
Seated Row: 120x12,11,11
Incline DB bench: 60sx10,9,8

Lower 1:
1-leg LP: 180x3x11
Hamtractor: 205x11,11,10
Calves: 150x3x20
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx11,11,10
Neutral grip pullups: 11,11,9
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,8,7
Seated row: 120x12,12,11

Skipped. Boo.

[banjoman23]

Week 17

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx11,11,9
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,10
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,10
Seated Row: 120x12,12,11

Lower 1:
1-leg LP: 180x3x11
Hamtractor: 210x3x11
Calves: 150x3x20
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x11 real grinder last rep
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,10
Seated DB Press: 45sx10,9,8
Seated row: 120x3x12

Lower 2:
1-leg LP: 180x12,11,11
Hamtractor: 210x3x11
Calves: 160x3x16
Rollouts: 3x15

Good week

[banjoman23]

Week 18

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx11,11,10
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,10
Seated DB Press: 45sx10,9,8
Seated Row: 120x3x12

Lower 1:
1-leg LP: 180x12,11,11
Hamtractor: 210x12,11,11
Calves: 160x3x17
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 2: skipped

Lower 2 skipped

[banjoman23]

Week 19

Upper 1:
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,11
Incline DB bench: 60sx11,9,8
Seated Row: 120x3x12
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,8

Lower 1:
1-leg LP: 180x12,12,11
Hamtractor: 210x3x12
Calves: 160x3x17
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx11,10,10
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,9
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x9
Seated Row: 135x3x10

Lower 2:
1-leg LP: 180x12,12,11
Hamtractor: 210x3x12
Calves: 160x3x17
Rollouts: 3x15

[JustBulk]

Glad you didn't had to skip any workouts this week. Have a good weekend!

[banjoman23]

Week 20

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x11
Neutral grip pullups: 11,10,10
Seated DB Press: 45sx10,9,10
Seated Row: 135x3x10

Lower 1:
1-leg LP: 180x3x12
Hamtractor: 225x3x10
Calves: 160x3x17
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx11,11,12!
Neutral grip pullups: 11,11,9.5
Seated DB Press: 45sx10,10,7
Seated Row: 135x3x10

Lower 2:
1-leg LP: 190x11,10,10
Hamtractor: 225x3x10
Calves: 160x18,18,17
Rollouts: 3x15

Glad you didn't had to skip any workouts this week. Have a good weekend!

Yeah, between running a family household that includes 3 young kids and also having a full time job, pretty much any week I can just even get in all my planned workouts is a good week for me. If I happen to make progress somewhere or get in some higher volume running totals, that's really just icing on the cake that totally makes my week.

Thanks for stopping by!

[banjoman23]

Week 21

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx12,12,11!
Seated Row: 135x11,10,10
Seated DB Press: 45sx10,9,9
Pullups: 63

Lower 1:
1-leg LP: 190x11,10,10
Hamtractor: 225x11,10,10
Calves: 160x3x17
Rollouts: 15,15,11
Pullups: at least 50

Wed: Pullups ~50

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx12,12,10
Seated Row: 135x11,10,10
Seated DB Press: 45sx10,10,9
Pullups: ~50

Lower 2:
1-leg LP: 190x3x11
Hamtractor: 225x11,11,10
Calves: 160x4x18 with an extra break in the middle
Rollouts: 3x15
Hanging Leg Raises: 1x15
Pullups: ~50

I'm trying out a grease-the-groove type of method of pullups. Doing several sets of ~9 or so throughout each day, leaving a rep or two in the tank each one (~11 is my fresh max). It took me a whole one day to start losing my total daily count, but it's probably been at least 50 or so each day. I'll try this for a few weeks and see where it takes me.

[banjoman23]

Week 22:

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx3x12!
Seated Row: 135x11,11,10
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x10!
Pullups: 64 (10 w/ 20 lbs weight)

Lower 1:
1-leg LP: 190x3x11
Hamtractor: 225x3x11
Calves: 160x3x18
Rollouts: 3x15
HLR: 2x12
Pullups: ~50

Wed: Pullups ~50

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx12,11,11
Seated Row: 135x11,11,10
Seated DB Press: 45sx10,9,8
Rollouts: 3x15
Pullups: ~50

Lower 2:
Couldn't get to gym, work stuff
Pullups: ~60

My hand callouses had never reached actually-bothersome level, even when I was deadlifting regularly. So I just thought of them as a badge of honor type of thing. That's changed with this gtg pullups stuff, all the extra gripping all day has taken them beyond mildly-annoying level into legit pain. So I had to bite the bullet and get some gloves. Helps a lot.

[banjoman23]

Week 23:

Upper 1:
Pullups: 63 I think
Incline DB bench: 60sx12,12,11
Seated Row: 135x11,11,10
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x10

That was it. Rest of the week I had neck pain and a bad cold and felt like crap, decided to just rest up till I felt better.

[banjoman23]

Week 24

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 60sx12,11,11
Seated Row: 135x3x11
Seated DB Press: 45sx10,10,9

Lower 1:
1-leg LP: 190x12,11,11
Hamtractor: 225x3x11
Calves: 160x3x19
Rollouts: 15,15,11

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 60sx12,12,10
Seated Row: 135x3x11
Seated DB Press: 45sx10,9,8

Lower 2:
1-leg LP: 190x12,11,11
Hamtractor: 225x3x11
Calves: 160x3x19
Rollouts: 3x15
HLR: 2x15

and 50-90 total pullups for the 5 weekdays.

[banjoman23]

Week 25

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 65sx8,8,9
Seated Row: 135x3x11
Seated DB Press: 45sx10,10,9
Rollouts: 3x15
HLR: 2x12

Lower 1:
1-leg LP: 190x12,12,11
Hamtractor: 225x3x11
Calves: 160x3x19

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 65sx9,9,8
Seated Row: 120x3x12 FC
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x8 fc
Rollouts: 3x15
HLR: 1x12

Lower 2:
1-leg LP: 190x12,12,11
Hamtractor: 225x12,11,11
Calves: 160x3x19

50-80 total pullups each day. A good week. Some lingering neck pain went away when I figured out it was me straining/cheating too much on DB press. Little form check, all good.

[banjoman23]

Week 26

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 65sx3x9!
Seated Row: 120x3x12
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,8,8
Rollouts: 3x15

Lower 1:
Hamtractor: 225x12,11,11
1-leg LP: 190x3x12
Calves: 160x20,19,19
HLR: 3x15

Upper 2:
I remember having a decent U2 workout but forgot my notesheet to log

Lower 2:
Skipped. Boo.

50-80 pullups per day except the skipped Friday.

[banjoman23]

Week 27

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 65sx3x9
Weighted Pullups +25: 5,5,4,5
Seated Row: 120x3x12
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x9

Lower 1:
Hamtractor: 225x12,12,11
1-leg LP: 190x3x12
Calves: 160x20,19,19
Rollouts: 3x15
HLR: 2x15

Upper 2:
Weighted +25 PU: 4x5
Incline DB bench: 65sx9,9,8
Seated Row: 120x3x12
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,7

Lower 2:
Hamtractor: 225x12,12,11
1-leg LP: 200x3x9
Calves: 160x20,19,19
Rollouts: 3x15

Finally got a belt and moved up to weighted pullups.

[banjoman23]

Week 28

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 65sx3x9
Weighted Pullups +25: 5,5,4,5
Seated Row: 120x3x12
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x9

Lower 1:
Hamtractor: 225x3x12
1-leg LP: 200x10,10,9
Calves: 160x20,20,19
Rollouts: 3x15
HLR: 2x15

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 65sx3x9 he-vee
Weighted +25 PU: 4,4,5,4
Seated Row: 135x10,10,9
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,8,6
Rollouts: 3x15
Really had to grind to hit 3x9 on first exercise, and it left me a little fried for the rest of the workout. Should've cut a rep.

Lower 2: Couldn't swing it, work stuff.

I feel a little better about missing a workout when it's a true forced thing like this week, major work issue. It's the ones where, if I was honest with myself, I probably could've swung if I really wanted to, that I feel bad about in hindsight. Not the case here.

[banjoman23]

Week 29

Upper 1:
Incline DB bench: 65sx9,9,8
Weighted Pullups +25: 4 sets of 4-5, don't really remember
Seated Row: 135x10,9,9
Seated DB Press: 45sx3x9

Lower 1:
Hamtractor: 225x3x12
1-leg LP: 200x3x10
Calves: 160x20,20,19
Rollouts: 3x15
HLR: 2x15

Upper 2:
Incline DB bench: 65sx9,10,9!
Weighted +25 PU: 4x5
Seated Row: 135x10,9,9
Seated DB Press: 45sx9,9,10

Lower 2:
Hamtractor: 225x3x12
1-leg LP: 200x3x10
Calves: 160x20,20,19
Rollouts: 3x15

Upper 2 was an alpha day (for me), gained a rep on everything. I was ticked off from something.

[banjoman23]

Took a week off. Happy Thanksgiving!