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  1. #121
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout A
    Overhead Press
    45 x 5
    70 x 5
    95 x 5
    95 x 5
    95 x 5
    105 x 3 (extra set)
    Repeat
    Gonna do this one again to make sure it wasn't a fluke, lol. I worked for about a month to jump up 5lbs, and now I jump up another 5 on the following workout? Seems strange. I'm honestly thinking the weight of the barbell or plates (maybe both) was lighter than what it was supposed to be. We'll see how this goes on Friday...

    Sumo Deadlift
    155 x 5
    210 x 5
    260 x 4
    Repeat
    I actually did Deadlifts as my very last lift of the day, because the racks were full up until I was just ready to leave (just too lazy to switch around the order they're listed here, because it makes it easy to copy and paste if I keep them the same). I was exhausted. Got light headed after the first set, and again after the second set. Took plenty of rest before the final set. I could'be completed another rep, but I got slightly out of position on the fourth rep and slightly tweaked my groin on the right side (nothing major at all). Decided to just stop there. The Sumo Deadlifts felt awkward again today. I'm going to just write it off to exhaustion though.

    Chin Up
    BW x 10
    BW x 9
    BW x 9
    Repeat
    Completed one more rep than last time. Going to repeat at BW again.

    French Press
    45 x 11
    45 x 10
    Repeat
    1 more rep than last time.

    Plank
    105 Seconds
    105 Seconds
    To 120 / 60


    Comments:
    Still under the weather, fighting a cold or flu. Energy was low. It's probably a good thing I didn't do Deadlifts until the very end. If I'd done them earlier, I probably wouldn't have had the energy to do anything else. Not a bad result at all today considering how I was feeling. I'll be back in the gym on Wednesday, assuming I'm feeling up to it.
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  2. #122
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout B
    Bench Press
    70 x 5
    105 x 5
    145 x 3
    145 x 3
    145 x 2
    115 x 6
    Repeat
    Struggled

    Front Squat
    60 x 5
    95 x 5
    125 x 5
    125 x 4
    125 x 3
    Repeat
    Struggled here too. I was having a hell of a time bracing. Couldn't seem to fill up my lungs and get my core stable (probably due to the fact that I'm still fighting a cold). Tweaked my back a tiny bit on the final rep of the first set. I stopped early on the subsequent sets because I still didn't feel like I had my core tight enough. Thank goodness I'm using minuscule weight or I may have actually hurt myself. Good reminder for me about the importance of bracing I guess.

    Chest Supported Row
    70 x 8
    70 x 8
    70 x 8
    Increase to 75
    Struggled here also on the last few reps.

    Face Pull
    35 x 12
    35 x 12
    Increase to 37.5
    Wasn't able to get on the cable machine I typically use, so I'm not sure how closely the weights relate. Felt pretty close to the right weight though.

    Hammer Curl
    25 x 13
    25 x 10
    Repeat
    First set felt great. Ran out of steam quickly on the second.

    Comments:
    Today was just a slog. First time in a long time I left the gym thinking it would've been better if I had taken the day off. My energy level actual felt higher than my last two session, but I just didn't have any strength today for some reason. Tomorrow's another day. I mentioned it previously, but I'm going to be slightly switching things up. Swapping days for a few of the supplemental lifts for various reasons. No real major changes though, since I'm mostly happy with how things are going. It'll be:
    Workout A: OHP 5x5, Deadlift 3x5, Chest Supported Row 3x8, Hammer Curl 2x10, Plank 2xTimed
    Workout B: Bench Press 5x5, Front Squat 5x5, Chin Up 3x8, French Press 2x10, Face Pull 2x10

    I'll start with A on Friday.
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  3. #123
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout A
    Overhead Press
    45 x 5
    70 x 5
    95 x 3
    95 x 4
    95 x 3
    65 x 10
    Repeat
    Yeah...last time was a fluke, or the something was off with the weights I used. Wasn't even close to getting 5 reps on any of the work sets today.

    Deadlift
    155 x 5
    210 x 5
    260 x 5
    270 x 1
    280 x 1
    290 x 1
    300 x 1
    310 x 1
    Increase to 265
    These felt great today. The set at 260 was easy enough that I decided to continue to do ramping singles afterward. The most I've ever lifted is 315, and that was about 3-4 months ago, right before I started cutting weight. I stopped at 310 today, but it went up really smooth. I have no doubt that I would've been able to hit 320, probably even 330. There were two areas where I was really on point today, that seemed to make a huge difference. First was the bracing. I focused on keeping my core as tight as possible. The other was overall balance. Just like on my squats, I've had a tendency to shift my weight to my left side. I had much better balance today, and was able to put a little more force into each lift because I just felt more comfortable.

    Chest Supported Row
    75 x 8
    75 x 8
    75 x 8
    Increase to 80
    Probably getting close to my limit on these.

    Hammer Curl
    25 x 12
    25 x 15
    Repeat
    Left a couple reps in reserve on the first set, since I kind of burned myself out on the first set the last couple of times. I'll repeat with 25's one more time and try to hit 14 reps on each set.

    Plank
    120 Seconds
    60 Seconds
    Increase to 120 / 75

    Extra Work:
    Back Squat - 95 x 5 / 115 x 5 / 135 x 5
    Everything was feeling so good today that I decided to try squatting for the first time in quite a while after I finished up everything else. They felt pretty darn good. I was really only planning to do one set at 95lbs, but they felt good so I jumped it up a couple more times. As I mentioned about Deadlifts, my balance felt really good today. I had better weight distribution between my legs, and it made a noticeable difference. I'll still be fighting against my habit to shift to the left for a while I'm sure, but I could see the difference in the mirror today. I had a rep where I started to slide the weight over to the left, but it was pretty minimal, and I was able to correct it again on the following reps. They definitely didn't feel or look perfect, but it was a huge improvement over what I'd been doing previously. I'll try to do these a bit more regularly again, keeping the weight pretty low and just ingraining the correct movement.

    Comments:
    Mostly past the cold. I felt infinitely better today during my workout. It was like night and day from my last workout. I pushed it since I was feeling so good, and I'm starting to feel the soreness already. Haven't really been sore in quite a while, so it's almost welcome at this point. Otherwise, I covered the main points above already... If all goes as planned, I'll be lifting again on Sunday.
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  4. #124
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout B
    Bench Press
    70 x 5
    105 x 5
    145 x 4
    145 x 3
    145 x 3
    105 x 10
    Repeat
    Increased 2 reps from last time. I'm maintaining a closer grip now because it's much easier on my wrists (and shoulder as well, I'm sure). I'm definitely a bit weaker with the narrower grip, but the joints are more important.

    Front Squat
    60 x 5
    95 x 5
    125 x 5
    125 x 5
    125 x 5
    Increase to 130
    Much better today. Still struggled on a few reps, but fought through while maintaining reasonable form.

    Chin Up
    BW x 10
    BW x 10
    BW x 8
    Repeat
    Progress has stalled a bit. Same amount of reps as last time. I'll repeat one more time, and if I don't increase my reps I'll probably just start adding weight.

    French Press
    45 x 13
    45 x 12
    Repeat
    Increased by 4 reps.

    Face Pull
    37.5 x 12
    37.5 x 13
    Repeat
    Stopped a few reps short of failure on the first set, so I had plenty left for the second.

    Extra Work:
    Paused Back Squat - 95 x 5
    Did these immediately after the front squats. I was pretty fatigued at that point, so I just did the one set.

    Comments:
    Would've liked to add in some more work, but I was on a pretty tight time frame today. As I've continued to increase weights, it's requiring me to work a little closer to failure. I'm getting uncomfortable with it, to be honest, mostly because I'm concerned about form breakdown and injuries. I'll keep grinding for a bit and try to hold a rep or two in reserve, but I find myself struggling to stick to that in favor of trying to add a rep or two. If I'm not able to keep my ego out of the way, I'll eventually either reset on some of the lifts, or start thinking about changing my programming. I'm planning to switch to 5/3/1 at some point, but I was hoping I could continue with linear progression for a while yet. Next lifting session will be on Tuesday.
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  5. #125
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout A
    Overhead Press
    45 x 5
    70 x 5
    95 x 4
    95 x 4
    95 x 3
    45 x 20
    Repeat
    1 Rep increase. I'll give it a go one more time, and then probably reset to 80 or 85lbs.

    Deadlift
    160 x 5
    215 x 5
    265 x 5
    160 x 10
    Repeat
    Not happy with the last 2 reps. I completed them without any problem, but my core got way too loose. I was having trouble maintaining tightness through most of the reps (even the warmups), so maybe it was just one of those days. I'm not going to increase the weight until I'm able to do all the reps with solid form.

    Chest Supported Row
    80 x 8
    80 x 8
    80 x 8
    Increase to 85
    Last rep was a real struggle. It was probably a solid 9-9.5 RPE. Not really expecting to hit my reps next time, but who knows...

    Hammer Curl
    25 x 15
    25 x 15
    Increase to 30's
    These felt good today. Much easier than the last few times. I'll increase to 30's and shoot for 10 reps next time.

    Plank
    120 Seconds
    75 Seconds
    Increase to 120 / 90
    The 75 seconds was worse than the 120 seconds. Not sure I could've held out for 15 more seconds, so it'll be interesting to see if I can do it next time.


    Comments:
    I got a full body workout in yesterday, shoveling and snow-blowing 15 inches of snow. Also pushed a car about 100 feet down my road through the snow, when someone got stuck while I was cleaning the driveway. I was thinking I'd have to skip my session to today, but I woke up feeling quite good. I got in another workout after my workout, cleaning up the mess from the snow plows (for those of you that don't know, when a plow cleans up 15 inches of snow, it makes piles that are about twice that high, and packed solid. Took me an hour again tonight to get the driveway clean. I'm praying it doesn't snow tomorrow, because I'm not sure I'll be able lift my arms. It's all good though. If this had happened a couple of years ago, I would've had to take half hour breaks every 20 minutes to get through it. It was nice to be able to power through all of it in one shot without feeling like I was going to die.

    The scale has still been teeter tottering. I was down to 166 last Thursday, and back up to 170 by the end of the weekend. Been happening like that for a while now. I know I'm going to be going out to eat almost every weekend (sometimes multiple times), so if I'm going to continue to drop weight, I also need to drop my calorie intake during the week. I'm cutting it back another 200 calories daily this week, and we'll see how that works. I'm down to around 1300 calories per day at this point, so I'm not sure how much lower I can go and still be able to function. I've been just maintaining weight at 1500, and I start gaining as soon as I go over that. Seems ridiculous... It gets a bit demoralizing thinking that I may need to survive on that few calories for the rest of my life if I want to maintain a reasonable body weight. I'm just hoping that over the course of the next 2-4 years I'll be able to stabilize my bodyfat levels, and start slowly increasing my calorie intake and putting on muscle. I should be able to maintain around 160 eventually, but I hope I can do that with a higher calorie intake than I have currently. Conceptually, with a higher percentage of muscle I should be burning fat more efficiently, and be able to eat a bit more at the same weight. Time will tell I guess. All I know right now is that living on less than 2000 calories per day is a pain in the ass. My girlfriend eats more than I do, and she weighs like 110. When she packs meals for the work week, I literally have to remove almost half of it.
    /moaning session

    Expecting to be back in the gym on Thursday for some squats and bench presses.
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  6. #126
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout B
    Bench Press
    70 x 5
    105 x 5
    145 x 4
    145 x 4
    145 x 3
    75 x 13 (Close Grip)
    Reset
    Felt good overall. Improved my previous effort by 1 rep. I don't think I had another rep left in the tank though. Pretty much pushed it to the limit.

    Front Squat
    60 x 5
    95 x 5
    130 x 4
    130 x 4
    130 x 3
    Change to Back Squats?
    Used a Clean Grip on these for the first time in forever. It actually felt pretty good. It forced me to keep from leaning forward. I think I've probably been leaning forward lately when I struggle to complete reps. The extra pressure on my wrists made it really obvious with the clean grip.

    Chin Up
    BW x 10
    BW x 10
    BW x 10
    Increase to 5
    Finally hit my rep goal on all three sets. I'll start doing them weighted now, beginning with just 5 pounds.

    French Press
    45 x 15
    45 x 13
    Repeat
    Another good increase of 3 reps. Trying to get to 30 reps total before increasing the weight.

    Face Pull
    37.5 x 15
    37.5 x 13
    Repeat
    Same as above. 3 Rep increase. Going for 30 reps total before increasing.

    Extra Work:
    Back Squat - 95 x 5 / 115 x 5 / 135 x 1 / 95 x 10
    Had my stance to wide with 135 on the bar, and strained my groin ever so slightly as a result on the first rep.

    Comments:
    Pretty good day. Though I'm not progressing in weights at an astronomical rate, I"m making fairly steady progress on the number of reps. Making really good progress on my form, and starting to feel the correct muscles being worked. Still shaky on the squats, unfortunately.

    As I look forward to eventually transitioning to 5/3/1 w/BBB, I realized that it's going to be a pretty significant volume increase for me. It's an extra day every week. I'll also be doing far more reps on the assistance exercises. I'm sure I'll struggle mightily if I just change over. So, I'm thinking it will be good for me to start increasing my total weekly volume in preparation. I'm going to do this initially by increasing my lifting days from 3 to 4. I'm already doing one of my workouts twice each week, so I shouldn't have too much trouble doing both of them twice per week. Still, I'm going to try to ease into it. I'm pretty much stalled on all of my core lifts (all excepts deadlifts, which I was going to repeat at the same weight again anyway, after having a few poor reps last time). Seems like a good time to reset my working weight on all my core lifts, and work my way back up.

    I'll be reducing all of my core lifts by 20 pounds. That will move OHP to 75, Deadlifts to 245,and Bench to 125. Rather than reset Front Squats, I'm going to switch back to Back Squats, probably starting out at 115. I'm still planning to increase weight after each session, assuming I hit my rep goal, so I'll probably be back up to the same working weights in about 2 weeks.

    I'll slowly increase my overall volume over the next several months in preparation for the program change. Haven't figured out exactly how I'm going to approach that. If anyone has a good idea of how to do that, I'm all ears.

    Probably won't be back lifting until Monday, unless things go differently than expected this weekend.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  7. #127
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout A-1
    Overhead Press - 5x5
    45 x 5
    60 x 5
    75 x 5
    75 x 5
    75 x 5
    Increase to 80
    As expected, this was pretty easy.

    Chin Ups - 3x8
    5 x 8
    5 x 6
    5 x 5
    Repeat
    Did these between sets of OHP. Since I was just doing them on the rack, my hands were at a different angle than I'm used to, which felt odd. Definitely felt more fatigue than I typically do, due to supersetting I'm sure.

    Deadlift - 3x5
    145 x 8
    195 x 5
    245 x 5
    Repeat
    Surprisingly, I was pretty low on energy after doing the OHP/Chin supersets. Just goes to show how poor my conditioning is right now. I wasn't really focused on the first set, and ended up doing 8 reps instead of 5, lol. Struggled to keep my core tight on all of the sets, and felt like my lower back was rounding ever so slightly. I'll repeat at the same weight again.

    Bulgarian Split Squat - 2x10
    BW x 10
    BW x 10
    Increase to 10
    Using as large a range of motion as possible (knee touching the floor). I feel unbalanced, which maybe isn't surprising since I'm not used to doing these. Even without weight I felt a good burn. My calf actually cramped up at one point and I had to stop to stretch it out. I'll do them with 10lbs next time.

    Hammer Curl
    30 x 11
    30 x 11
    Repeat
    Pretty happy with this result. I had 1 or 2 reps in reserve on both sets. Judging by the result today, I won't need to go all the way up to 15 reps before increasing weight. I'll probably just go up to 13, and then when I increase I should still be able to do 8-9 reps at the higher weight.

    Plank
    120 Seconds
    90 Seconds
    Increase to 120 / 105


    Comments:
    As mentioned earlier, I'm switching from 3 days to 4, using an A-1, B-1, A-2, B-2 system. The 1 and 2 workouts are going to be really similar, with most of the exercise selection staying the same. I'll be alternating rep schemes on the core lifts though. So A-1 will have me doing 5 rep sets of OHP (which is the primary lift for that day), and 5 rep sets for Deadlifts. A-2 will have me doing 10 rep sets for OHP and 3 rep sets for Deadlifts (which is the primary lift for that day). B-1 and B-2 will function similarly, alternating rep schemes between Bench and Squat, with one of them taking priority each day. In addition, I'm adding an exercise each day (from 5 to 6), and I'll be supersetting Chins with OHP, and Rows with Bench. This should help prepare me for an eventual transition to 5/3/1 with BBB.

    For now, I'll not be doing any additional work (Joker sets, FSL, etc.). It's already going to be a pretty big jump up in volume, so I'll wait until I adjust to it before adding anything else. The 10 rep exercises will only be done for 3 sets initially. I'll eventually add additional sets until I'm up to 5. At that point, the only thing that will really be different than 5/3/1 is the progression. I'll do a full change over once I'm pretty well stalled out with my current progression system (adding weight every time I hit the prescribed number of reps), which probably isn't far off, to be honest. I expect I'll be ready to do that in somewhere around 2-3 months, but we'll see...

    I'll be back at it tomorrow.
    Last edited by CW47; 01-30-2018 at 07:59 PM.
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  8. #128
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    Workout B-1
    Bench Press
    65 x 5
    95 x 5
    125 x 5
    125 x 5
    125 x 5
    Increase to 130
    This actually felt much more challenging than I expected. Possibly because I'm not accustomed to lifting on consecutive days. I got through all of the reps cleanly though, so I'll increase the weight. I'm planning to superset rows with bench, but just wasn't able the access the equipment to do that at the time today.

    Back Squat
    45 x 8
    65 x 7
    85 x 5
    95 x 10
    95 x 10
    95 x 10
    Increase to 100
    Form held up well I think. I'll need to film myself at some point to see if anything jumps out at me. I felt like the bar was maybe drifting slightly forward, but my perception could've very well been off.

    Romanian Deadlift
    155 x 8
    155 x 8
    155 x 8
    Increase to 160
    After realizing that people typically don't touch the floor when doing these, I tried stopping just short of touching the floor, while making sure that I was getting a good stretch and keeping my back flat and tight. What I found is that my flexibility allows me to stretch all the way to the floor relatively easily with good form, and I don't feel like I'm really getting a full stretch of my hamstrings if I stop short of the floor (even when I was 50+ pounds overweight, I was able to stand with my legs straight, bend over, and place my palms flat on the floor, so flexibility has never been an issue for me). What I DID really like about stopping short of the floor is that it required me to keep my core tight from the beginning of the first rep through the end of the last. I'm not used to doing that, and it's something that can probably help me with bracing in general. It's also definitely more demanding when it comes to grip strength, which is another area I need to improve in. I'll probably do a combination of going to the floor and stopping short, since they both have their benefits.

    Kroc Rows
    40 x 20
    40 x 20
    Did sets of 20 for each arm. I only ended up doing these because I wasn't able to get on the chest supported row when I wanted to. It's an exercise I like a lot, so I'll probably continue to do these occasionally.

    French Press
    45 x 13
    45 x 13
    Repeat
    Did 2 fewer reps than last time. I was more fatigued than I usually am when I did these today.

    Face Pull
    37.5 x 15
    37.5 x 15
    Increase to 42.5


    Comments:
    Pretty much got what I expected out of today's session. It's going to take me a while to adjust to lifting on consecutive days, and doing some additional volume. Rest day tomorrow, then I lift again on Thursday.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  9. #129
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    Workout A-2
    Deadlift - 3x3
    155 x 3
    205 x 3
    255 x 3
    Increase to 260
    Felt like I definitely could've done a few more sets, or a higher weight, but decided not to push it until I have a couple weeks of lifting for 4 days.

    Overhead Press - 3x10
    65 x 10
    65 x 10
    65 x 10
    Increase to 70
    I ended up doing Military Press since that's all that was available at the time. I thought I was starting pretty light, but this was tougher than I expected.

    Chin Ups - 3x8
    5 x 8
    5 x 7
    5 x 6
    Repeat
    A few more reps than last time, but I didn't do them as a superset due to equipment availability.

    Bulgarian Split Squat - 2x10
    10 x 10
    10 x 10
    Increase to 15
    It was much easier balancing while holding some weight. My legs are weak af. I barely made it to 10 reps.

    Glute/Ham Raise - 2x10
    BW x 8
    BW x 9
    Repeat
    Second set felt much better than the first, after I got more comfortable with the movement.

    Leg Raise - 2xAMRAP
    BW x 22
    Decline Crunch
    35 x 15
    Wasn't able to get back on the doohickey for leg raises after the first set, so I did a set of decline crunches instead.


    Comments:
    Not much to comment on. Had to switch out some exercises for alternatives based upon what was available to be used. Energy level was good throughout.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  10. #130
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout B-1
    Back Squat - 5x5
    55 x 5
    85 x 5
    115 x 5
    115 x 5
    115 x 5
    Increase to 125
    No problemo.

    Bench Press - 3x10
    95 x 5
    95 x 5
    95 x 5
    Increase to 100
    Did these very deliberately, focusing on keeping my core tight, and paying close attention to my arm and wrist positioning, along with bar path. Got to be challenging towards the end, but that's probably mostly due to the slow bar speed.

    Pendlay Row - 3x8
    115 x 5
    115 x 5
    115 x 5
    Increase to 125
    A bit too easy. I'll bump it up 10lbs next time.

    Leg Curl - 3x8
    135 x 8
    135 x 8
    135 x 8
    Increase to 140
    This was the only lift for the day where I really had to push myself. Still had a few reps in reserve on all of the sets though.

    Calf Raise - 2x10
    20 x 10
    20 x 10
    Increase to 25
    Doing these with the fullest range of motion I'm able to do.

    Face Pull - 2x10
    42.5 x 15
    42.5 x 15
    Increase to 47.5


    Comments:
    Got through this session in less than 50 minutes, even with a bit of dawdling. Intensity level was quite low, and I didn't even break a sweat. I was able to get through the first 4-workout week pretty easily. I'll start ramping up the intensity next week.

    The scale is going the right direction again. I weighed in at 164.6lbs this morning, which is exactly 2lbs lower than I was last Friday morning. I'll continue at the new calorie level.

    I've never really talked about what I'm actually eating, but here was today's food for anyone who cares:
    Breakfast = 2 pancakes with maple syrup (545 calories). I typically just have 1 or 2 eggs for breakfast during the week, and have something like this one per week at most.
    Noon = about 20 dark chocolate almonds (160 calories). Generally eat protein and veggies here, but just had a snack since I indulged for breakfast.
    Afternoon = 4.5oz Salmon. 1/2 cup each of steamed asparagus and green beans (320 calories)
    Treats = 2 cups of coffee with a bit of cream and sugar (124 calories), and a Pure Protein Bar post workout (190 calories)
    Daily Total = 1,339 calories - This is typically about where I end up Mon-Thurs. Fri/Sat/Sun are a crap-shoot, depending upon if I end up out to eat at all. Just found out that I'm not going out tonight for the first Friday in about a month. I'll probably end up eating another protein bar since I'm pretty hungry right about now. That'll put me just over 1,500 calories for the day.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  11. #131
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout A-1
    Overhead Press - 5x5
    45 x 5
    60 x 5
    80 x 5
    80 x 5
    80 x 5
    Increase to 85
    My shoulders felt fantastic today. Not a hint of any pain or discomfort. It was odd, lol.

    Chin Ups - 3x8
    BW x 10
    BW x 8
    BW x 8
    Repeat
    Dropped back down to bodyweight on these, since they're much more difficult when supersetting them. I'll work my way up to at least 10 reps across before adding weight.

    Deadlift - 3x5
    145 x 5
    195 x 5
    245 x 5
    Increase to 255
    Much tighter form than last time. It mostly seems to come down to balance for me, which seems strange, but I don't know why it seems strange. Obviously poor balance is going to F up a deadlift.

    Bulgarian Split Squat - 2x10
    BW x 15
    BW x 15
    Increase to 20
    Starting to get more comfortable doing these now. Struggled with some of the reps with my right leg.

    Hammer Curl - 2x10
    30 x 12
    30 x 11
    Repeat
    Just one more rep than last time. Planning to stay at this weight until I'm able to do 13 reps in both sets.

    Plank - 2xTimed
    120 Seconds
    105 Seconds
    Increase to 120 / 120
    Been working my up to 2 minutes for a long time now. Hoping I can do 2 minutes twice next time, then I'll start doing them weighted.

    Comments:
    Second time around this merry go round. I expect it to go pretty smoothly this week. I didn't add in any extra work today, but I definitely plan to tomorrow. Probably get in some extra bench work after my final set, either dropping down and doing an AMRAP set, or ramping up as far as I can at 3 reps per set. It'll just depend upon how I'm feeling.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  12. #132
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    Workout B-1
    Bench Press - 5x5
    65 x 5
    95 x 5
    130 x 5
    130 x 5
    130 x 5
    135 x 3
    140 x 3
    145 x 1
    150 x 1
    Increase to 135
    All good today. Form stayed tight even as I approached 9 RPE. Really happy with that.

    Chest Supported Row - 3x8 (supersetted w/bench)
    85 x 8
    85 x 8
    Increase to 90
    Last few reps were a grind, but I felt the same way at 75 and 80... We'll see if I'm able to hit the reps again next time.

    Back Squat - 3x10
    45 x 6
    65 x 5
    85 x 5
    100 x 10
    100 x 10
    100 x 10
    Increase to 105
    Everything felt really solid today. I want to take my time increasing the weight so I can really get comfortable with the lift again, so I'll just be increasing by 5 pound increments. I may increase by larger increments on my heavier squat day, depending upon how difficult or easy it feels.

    Romanian Deadlift - 3x8
    160 x 8
    160 x 8
    160 x 8
    Increase to 165

    French Press - 2x10
    45 x 14
    45 x 14
    Increase to 55
    Another 2 rep increase. I'll make the leap up to 55 next time and see if I can handle it.

    Face Pull - 2x10
    47.5 x 10
    47.5 x 8
    Repeat
    This is pushing the limits for me. I struggle to brace myself enough to really do them right. I'll try one more time.

    Comments:
    Good session today. Energy level was steady throughout. Really happy with the squats and bench work. I'll have a day off tomorrow, and then do my heavy deadlift day on Thursday.
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  13. #133
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    Workout A-2
    Deadlift - 3x3
    155 x 3
    205 x 3
    260 x 3
    275 X 1
    295 X 1
    315 X 1 (PR)
    335 X 1 (PR)
    Increase to 265
    It's kind of crazy how much easier it is for me to do singles than multiples. I didn't even have to grind it out much at 335. Could've definitely done another 10-20 pounds. I've made some adjustments in my setup over the last month or so that are making a huge difference. On both squats and deads I had been setting up with a pretty wide stance. I've narrowed it significantly, so that my feet are basically at shoulder width on both lifts, and for some reason it feels fantastic now, where it felt really uncomfortable before. With the narrower stance, I just feel like there's less resistance. I suppose I was fighting against my body somewhat with the wide stance, and now I'm not. I have much better balance. I'm not needing to think about my weight distribution. I'm not concerned about my knees giving out. I'm able to just focus on moving everything upward in a straight line. I'm blown away that I was able to beat my previous PR by 25 pounds with relative ease. The fact that I felt confident in jumping up another 20 pounds after hitting the PR at 315 should speak volumes for how smooth it was. Feels good man.

    Overhead Press - 3x10
    70 x 10
    70 x 10
    70 x 10
    Increase to 75
    Last set was around 8.5-9 RPE. The lift felt great. Second time in a row I felt absolutely no discomfort, and was able to move the weight smoothly.

    Chin Ups - 3x8-12
    BW x 10
    BW x 8
    BW x 7
    Repeat
    My shoulders were pretty well exhausted when doing these. My rear delts were feeling it from the deadlifts, and then I was supersetting these with OHP. Surprised I got as many reps as I did.

    Leg Press - 3x10
    270 x 10
    270 x 10
    270 x 10
    Increase to 290
    My legs were a little wobbly from the deads, but these felt good. Last set was maybe around a 7 RPE.

    Glute/Ham Raise - 2x10
    BW x 6
    Repeat
    My right calf cramped up on the very first rep. I got down and stretched it for a few minutes before resuming. On the sixth rep, I felt a twinge in both calves at the same time. Decided to cut it short at that point.

    Leg Raise - 2xAMRAP
    BW x 25
    BW x 25
    Repeat
    I was probably able to do more than I typically would because I skipped out on the glute/ham raises. That's usually taken just a little bit of steam out of me since it requires me to keep my core really tight.


    Comments:
    Excellent session. My mid/upper back and my rear delts are still feeling fatigued now, over 2 hours removed from the session. I'm sure they'll be a bit sore tomorrow. Nonetheless, I'm really looking forward to tomorrows workout. I tried to refrain from getting too excited about it, but my squat session on Tuesday felt so freaking good. I can't wait to squat tomorrow and see if it feels good with a little heavier weight. I've been battling squats for so long. I don't think I've ever looked forward to a squat session before.

    Feels like everything is coming together right now. A lot of the balance issues I've been commenting on over the last 6 months seem to be working themselves out after I've made some adjustments. I've been dealing with bad shoulders and knees forever (even before I started lifting), and those issues have improved enormously lately. I haven't had any discomfort in my knees in several weeks, and even the cracking has mostly gone away. My shoulders still give me issues (it's felt like the joints are slightly out of place for decades), but I've recently not felt any discomfort at all when lifting. Definitely going through a good patch right now. This is literally what I was hoping to achieve when I first committed myself to lifting regularly. It's why I named my thread the Flywheel Effect, because it refers to the fact if you just keep pushing on a flywheel consistently for long enough, it eventually gains momentum, and once there's enough momentum the wheel keeps spinning mostly on it's own, without requiring much external force. I'm hoping this momentum will continue for a while now. I'm going to ride it out as long as possible.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  14. #134
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    Workout B-1
    Back Squat - 5x5
    65 x 5
    95 x 5
    125 x 5
    125 x 5
    125 x 5
    135 x 3
    145 x 3
    155 x 3
    165 x 1
    175 x 1
    Increase to 135
    Felt great again today. I got misaligned in the rack slightly at 175 and the plates hit the safety bar on the left side. I re-racked, rested for a minute, and did the rep correctly. Decided to stop at that point though because I kind of lost focus.

    Bench Press - 3x10
    45 x 20
    100 x 10
    100 x 10
    100 x 10
    Increase to 105
    Last set was around 8 RPE. Form felt on point through all the reps.

    Pendlay Row - 3x8
    125 x 8
    115 x 8
    115 x 8
    Thinking I may replace this with Kroc Rows. With doing deadlifts twice per week and RDL's, my lower back is getting stressed a bit. I was noticing it while squatting, and definitely noticed it here. Lowered the weight after the first set because I was having a hard time keeping my form tight.

    Leg Curl - 3x8
    140 x 8
    140 x 8
    140 x 8
    Increase to 145

    Calf Raise - 2x10
    25 x 10
    25 x 10
    Increase to 30

    Face Pull - 2x10
    47.5 x 10
    47.5 x 10
    Repeat
    Hit all of the reps, but I don't think I can brace well enough to do it with any more weight, so I'll keep it the same for now.


    Comments:
    Another solid day. Gonna rest up over the weekend and be ready to hit it hard again next week.
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  15. #135
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    Workout A-1
    Overhead Press - 5x5
    45 x 5
    65 x 5
    85 x 5
    85 x 5
    85 x 5
    90 x 3
    95 x 3
    100 x 1
    105 x 1
    Increase to 90
    Got some solid work in. This is probably the most volume I've ever done on OHP. I failed my final attempt at 110, but it stalled out at about eye level. I was happy with how my core held up, it stayed really stable even on the failed attempt. I've seen a big improvement in that area over the last couple of months.

    Chin Ups - 3x8
    BW x 10
    BW x 8
    BW x 8
    Repeat
    Kind of stalled out at the moment. I've been putting in a lot of extra work on my other lifts though, combined with supersetting, so I'm not really surprised or worried about it. I'll just continue doing AMRAP sets at bodyweight.

    Deadlift - 3x5
    155 x 5
    205 x 5
    255 x 5
    Increase to 265
    The weight went up relatively easily. The one bad habit I need to get rid of is letting my shoulders sag (typically only my right shoulder). I tried to focus on keeping it solid, but still seemed to lose tightness just slightly on a couple of the reps. I don't really notice it much at this weight, but it start becoming a problem at higher weights. I'll keep working on it.

    Bulgarian Split Squat - 2x10
    BW x 20
    BW x 20
    Repeat
    Had to reset after the 8th rep on my right leg because it totally gave out. I'll repeat at the same weight again next time.

    Hammer Curl - 2x10
    30 x 12
    30 x 13
    Repeat
    I stopped a couple of reps short of failure on the first set so I wouldn't fatigue myself. I should have a good shot at hitting 13 reps on both sets next time.

    Plank - 2xTimed
    120 Seconds
    120 Seconds
    Increase to 10 pounds x 60 seconds
    Well that was really uncomfortable. Didn't honestly think my body would hold up when it started shaking like crazy about 45 seconds into the second attempt. I'll drop down to 60 seconds and add weight next time.

    Comments:
    Really happy with the OHP today. Squats will be the focus tomorrow.
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  16. #136
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    Workout B-1
    Back Squat - 5x5
    45 x 10 (WU)
    65 x 5
    100 x 5
    135 x 5
    135 x 5
    135 x 5
    145 x 3
    155 x 3
    95 x 10
    Increase to 140
    Felt off today. Nothing too noteworthy...balance was just off a bit.

    Bench Press - 3x10
    105 x 10
    105 x 10
    105 x 10
    Increase to 110
    Good solid reps all the way through. Was primarily focusing on keeping my back tight and stable, and keeping the bar sitting in the correct position within my hands.

    Kroc Row - 2x15
    45 x 15
    45 x 15
    Repeat
    Definitely going to stick with these in place of the Pendlay Rows. I was pretty fatigued on the last few reps with my left arm. I'll repeat again and try for a few extra reps.

    Leg Curl - 3x8
    145 x 8
    Repeat
    Wasn't able to get back on the machine after my first set, and I was in a time crunch, so couldn't wait around.

    Calf Raise - 2x10
    30 x 10
    30 x 10
    Increase to 35

    Face Pull - 2x10
    47.5 x 10
    47.5 x 10
    Repeat
    A struggle to brace myself again. Not going to increase the weight until my strength increases enough to handle it. I'll just work on adding more reps.


    Comments:
    Squats felt awkward, as I mentioned above. Everything else went well today. I was pretty short on sleep, which may have impacted the squats.
    Weight is still basically about the same, fluctuating from about 164-168. Body composition is certainly changing though. The belt is one notch tighter than it was a few weeks ago. Still trying to keep the calories low, but I struggle with it on the weekends. It's all good though. I have my priorities in the order I want them, so I'll just continue doing the best I can within that framework.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  17. #137
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    Workout A-2
    Deadlift - 3x3
    160 x 3
    210 x 3
    265 x 3
    305 X 1
    305 X 1
    305 X 1
    Increase to 270
    My lower back started feeling funky yesterday. Not sure if I slept wrong, or what. I haven't really had any pain. Just feels like somethings slightly out of place. I decided not to push it too far today as a result of that. 305 is going up pretty smoothly now for singles. I did the three singles in pretty quick succession with no problem.

    Overhead Press - 3x10
    75 x 8
    75 x 8
    75 x 8
    Reduce to 70
    I did NOT expect a 5 pound increase to result in 6 fewer reps. Not sure if I was just having a bad day today, a good day last time, or what... I really don't want to be grinding out reps on my lighter OHP day, so I'll drop back down to 70 next time.

    Chin Ups - 3x8-12
    BW x 9
    BW x 9
    BW x 9
    Repeat
    A 1 rep increase, but I had pretty long breaks between sets. My exercise order was all jumbled up. Ended up doing a circuit of sorts, jumping between these, Leg Press, Glute/Ham Raises, and Leg Raises depending upon what was available.

    Leg Press - 3x10
    290 x 10
    290 x 10
    290 x 10
    Increase to 320
    This felt easier than last time, despite the extra 40 pounds. Gonna make another big jump next time.

    Glute/Ham Raise - 2x10
    BW x 10
    BW x 10
    Repeat
    Making progress. It felt significantly better/easier than my previous attempts. I'll continue trying to increase the number of reps for a while. I don't want to add weight until I'm really comfortable doing these.

    Leg Raise - 2xAMRAP
    BW x 30
    BW x 30
    Repeat
    Well this came out of nowhere. This is 10 more reps than last time, and 18 more reps than the time before that. Not sure why the number of reps I'm able to do is skyrocketing, but I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing.


    Comments:
    Not much to add. Hopefully the lower back will be totally back to normal soon. If it's not by the end of the weekend, I may take a bit of a break since that's not something I want to mess around with. On another note, I made a general observation today that my posture and balance have definitely improved. Not that I've never really had bad posture. I just know that I need to pay close attention to it when lifting, because slight imbalances or misalignment's are dangerous and much more noticeable. That attention has just carried over to other areas of my life. I sit in a better position. I walk more erect and balanced. All of my movements feel more natural.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  18. #138
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    Workout B-2
    Bench Press - 5x5
    45 x 10
    65 x 5
    100 x 5
    135 x 5
    135 x 5
    135 x 5
    140 x 3
    115 x 10
    Decrease to 125
    I hit all the reps, but I'm going to reduce weight next time. I took video of myself, and didn't like what I saw. My bar path was okay on some reps, but wavered quite a bit on a few. The bar was also going up slower than I thought it was. I still have work to do on my setup, maintaining tightness throughout my body, and bar path.

    Chest Supported Row - 3x8 (supersetted w/bench)
    90 x 8
    90 x 8
    90 x 6
    Reduce to 70
    Time to reset. Last rep on the second set was a grind. The sixth rep on the last set was pretty poor.

    Back Squat - 3x10
    45 x 5
    105 x 10
    105 x 10
    105 x 10
    Increase to 110
    Much like the Bench Press, I still have a lot of room for improvement. I had one rep where I leaned too far forward. Didn't have any problem completing the rep because the weight is so light, but it might've been ugly with a heavy weight. Some of the other reps seemed to be a little unbalanced too. I've noticed that I have trouble activating my right glute on both squats and deadlifts. My left glute is working harder, and is sometimes noticeably sorer after finishing workouts. I'll be focusing on getting the right side of my lower body tighter on those lifts.

    Romanian Deadlift - 3x8
    165 x 8
    165 x 8
    165 x 8
    Increase to 170

    French Press - 2x10
    55 x 5
    45 x 10
    Reduce to 45
    Holy hell. I never would've thought I'd struggle to even get 5 reps with 10 extra pounds. Not sure if I'm going to drop to a lower weight, or switch to a different triceps exercise.

    Face Pull - 2x10
    47.5 x 11
    47.5 x 11
    Repeat


    Comments:
    My back was feeling much better today. I'm still feeling good about how things are progressing. As I continue to get more experience with the main lifts, my deficiencies become more obvious. I'm enjoying the process of noticing and working through these deficiencies. Taking video when I'm able to is proving to be very helpful. I'm just going to keep being consistent with my lifting schedule, and constantly trying to improve how I perform the individual exercises.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  19. #139
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    Workout A-1
    Overhead Press - 5x5
    45 x 5
    65 x 5
    90 x 5
    90 x 4
    90 x 4
    65 X 12
    Repeat

    Chin Ups - 3x8
    BW x 10
    BW x 9
    BW x 9
    Repeat
    2 reps better than last time. Not a fair comparison at all though. I ended up starting out with these since there were no racks available.

    Deadlift - 3x5
    155 x 5
    210 x 5
    260 x 5
    Increase to 265
    Really focused on overall tightness during these reps, and did a much better job of keeping my shoulders and back tight. Being more attentive to maintaining tightness resulted in slower, less explosive reps. I hit all of them easily, but I'll need to work on combining the tightness and the explosiveness. When I get that, I expect I'll see another big jump in the amount of weight I'm able to lift.

    Bulgarian Split Squat - 2x10
    BW x 22.5
    BW x 22.5
    Increase to 25
    I was supposed to repeat at 20 after failing last time, but there were no 20 lbs dumbbells available, so I grabbed a 22.5 and hit all of the reps with good form.

    Hammer Curl - 2x10
    30 x 13
    30 x 13
    Increase to 35
    Made it to my goal of 13 reps on each set. I'll try 35's next time. Hoping I can get to about 8 reps initially, and work my way up from there.

    Plank - 2xTimed
    60 Seconds x 10 lbs
    60 Seconds x 10 lbs
    Increase to 25 pounds x 60 seconds
    This was a bit too easy. I'll jump it up to 25 pounds next time, and start increasing the time with that weight until I'm up to 2 sets @2 minutes again.

    Back Squat
    65 x 5
    95 x 5
    These weren't part of my plan today, but I watched some videos on squat form over the weekend, and since I finished earlier than normal I decided to do a few light sets to see if the cue's I picked up would be helpful. They were. My balance was better. The reps felt more natural, movement wise. Damn though...my hips are weak. I've been overcompensating to have my quads help get the weight up, and fixing that made it really obvious that I have a weakness in my hips that needs to be improved. I'm interested to see how tomorrow goes, since it's supposed to be my heavier squat day.
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  20. #140
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    Workout B-1
    Back Squat - 5x5
    45 x 5
    70 x 5
    105 x 5
    140 x 5
    140 x 5
    140 x 5
    85 x 15
    Increase to 145
    Must've gotten slightly off on one of the reps because I felt a twinge in my back. It's perfectly okay. Didn't even need to stop the set. Otherwise it went smoothly today. On the last set, I honestly just ran out of energy. Not used to bracing for that long, and I was getting light headed. One good thing came out of today's session. I think I figured out one of the reasons my weight shifts to my left side. My lower body on my right side is relaxing too much, especially on the descent. Meanwhile, my left side stays tight, and the muscles are better prepared to initiate weight going upward. I tried to pay attention to that and keep my right side tighter. It's something I'll need to be really conscious of. Habits suck...when they're bad.

    Bench Press - 3x10
    110 x 10
    110 x 10
    110 x 10
    Increase to 115
    This was easier than it was at 105 last time. Tried to get my feet under my hips. I was keeping my lower body and core pretty tight previously, but didn't have my feet under me enough. That adjustment made a noticeable difference.

    Kroc Row - 2x15
    45 x 15
    45 x 15
    Increase to 50
    These were much easier than last time also.

    Leg Curl - 3x8
    145 x 8
    60 x 8
    60 x 8
    Increase to 70
    Decided to try out a standing single leg curl after my first set because the leg curl machine I've typically used wasn't available. I like it. Prevents one leg from taking over, and felt like it did a better job of isolating the hamstring. I'm going to continue using it moving forward.

    Calf Raise - 2x10
    35 x 10
    35 x 10
    Increase to 40

    Face Pull - 2x10
    47.5 x 11
    47.5 x 11
    Repeat


    Comments:
    Bracing/Tightness continues to be the biggest challenge and area of focus for me. Made some improvements on Squats and Bench today. Still have a long way to go. It's really the only thing I'm worried about right now, since I feel like I've go the basic movements all down. I'm starting to notice a buildup of fatigue. I'll wait and see how I feel at the end of this week. I'll be taking a deload week either next week, or the week after. I think it's been about 6 or 7 weeks without one, so I'm probably due.
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  21. #141
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    Workout A-2
    Deadlift - 3x3
    160 x 3
    215 x 3
    270 x 3
    305 X 1
    325 X 1
    205 x 5
    Increase to 275
    Attempted 345 after doing 325 fairly easily. It didn't come off the floor initially, so I dropped the weight and worked on technique. For all of the reps, I focused totally on bar speed and tightness. It's literally the only thing I was thinking about. Also tried starting a hair closer to the bar. Then, just thought 'bar speed and tightness, bar speed and tightness'. Results were good. I still have a long way to go on tightening up my glutes, lower back, and shoulders, primarily on the right side of my body. Still seems strange to me that I do a pretty good job of keeping the left side of my body tight, but I lose it on the right side the moment I stop thinking about it. Bar Speed and Tightness is going to be my mantra on deadlifts for quite a while I think.

    Overhead Press - 3x10
    70 x 10
    70 x 10
    70 x 10
    Increase to 75
    Ended up doing Military Press because that's what was available. Went within probably 1 rep of failure on all three sets (definitely within 1 on the last two sets). I've recently been able to lift more doing OHP than military press, so I'll bump it up 5 pounds next time and see what happens.

    Pull Ups - 3x8-12
    BW x 8
    BW x 7
    BW x 7
    Repeat
    Decided I wanted to try pullups instead of chins. I've avoided them because they put more stress on my shoulders, but my shoulders have been feeling really good lately. Not surprised, but I wasn't able to do as many reps as I have on chins. I think I keep alternating between the two for a while.

    Leg Press - 3x10
    320 x 10
    320 x 10
    320 x 10
    Increase to 360
    I should be able to handle another big jump next time.

    Glute/Ham Raise - 2x10
    BW x 12
    BW x 10
    Repeat
    These are really hammering my hamstrings. I'm needing to make sure I stretch a bit right before doing them, because my calves keep wanting to cramp up. I'm liking this exercise so far.

    Leg Raise - 2xAMRAP
    BW x 32
    BW x 32
    Repeat
    Another good increase, four reps. Working my way towards sets of 40...


    Comments:
    All good today. Deadlifts are feeling pretty good. Shoulders are feeling good on both pressing and pulling exercises. I don't have a single complaint. Feeling real happy about how things are going. I'll be lifting again tomorrow, focusing on Bench Press. I'm heavily leaning towards deloading next week. I may just take the week off since my schedule is going to make it hard to lift on Monday and Tuesday anyway. If I end up doing any lifting, it will be low intensity.
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  22. #142
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    Workout B-2
    Bench Press - 5x5
    45 x 10
    65 x 5
    95 x 5
    125 x 5
    125 x 5
    125 x 5
    135 x 3
    145 x 3
    95 x 10
    Increase to 130
    I watched Dave Tate's series on Bench Pressing and made some additional adjustments. Felt really awkward, to be honest. I'll have to do some experimentation. Also need to video myself at some point probably, because my foot position seemed to be better and my lower body was tighter, but I felt like I had no lower body drive at all. Not sure if I was just too rigid, or perhaps need to adjust foot position a bit.

    Chest Supported Row - 3x8
    70 x 8
    70 x 8
    70 x 8
    Increase to 75
    No problem at the lighter weight. I was able to focus more on utilizing the 'correct' muscles.

    Back Squat - 3x10
    45 x 10
    95 x 6
    110 x 10
    110 x 10
    110 x 10
    Increase to 115
    Video'd myself today. Didn't look terrible, but my bar path started to drift forward on about the 4th rep of my first set. Probably happened after 1 or 2 reps in the following sets. I may upload it and post it here if I have time.

    Romanian Deadlift - 3x8
    170 x 8
    170 x 8
    170 x 8
    Increase to 175

    French Press - 2x10
    55 x 4 / 45 x 10
    45 x 12
    Repeat at 45
    Decided to try with 55 lbs again to make sure it wasn't just a bad day last time. Epic fail, lol. Struggled to even get the four reps (last rep was crappy, and shouldn't even count). I'll be staying at 45 until I can do it for 16 or 17 reps on both sets.

    Face Pull - 2x10
    47.5 x 12
    47.5 x 10
    Decrease to 32.5
    I'm just not happy with how I'm doing this exercise at this weight. I'm going to lower it, and focus on getting higher quality reps.

    Comments:
    My energy level was kind of low today. For the first time in a very long time, I didn't have meals prepped. Ended up buying ramen noodles out of a vending machine for 2 of my meals today. It got the job done as far as getting some calories in me, but didn't really agree with me (stomach was rumbling, and had bad gas). The session got better as I went along. All in all, not a bad week. I'm continuing to make progress on pretty much every lift, by increasing the weight used, refining form, or both.

    Weight loss is still pretty slow. I weighed in at 163.8 today. I started cutting at the beginning of November, at 176.6 pounds, so that's a total weight loss of almost 13 pounds. Pitifully slow, but it is what it is. At least it's continuing to go the right direction. Just gonna keep at it.
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  23. #143
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    Got a chance to upload a couple of videos. I realize the quality isn't great. I'll try recording with a widescreen view next time and see if that helps.

    The first is a deadlift from 3 or 4 weeks ago. I don't remember for sure, but I think I was lifting about 315 pounds, which would've matched a PR at the time.


    My lower back was rounding slightly. I always look very awkward when lowering weights that are heavy for me. Not sure if that's a big deal or not, or what to do about it.
    I've made some adjustments since this was recorded, standing a little closer to the bar, and improving my bracing and overall tightness.


    This is one of my squat sets from yesterday. It was 10 reps at 110 pounds.


    I know I've never shared video of myself before, but this is an enormous improvement on my squat form. Still have a lot of room for improvement though. In general, I still struggle to get my feet positioned in a way that's comfortable (I don't necessarily notice it as I'm doing a set, but I can see clearly in this video that my feet were shuffling about between reps). I also still tend to favor my left side (I'll try to get video from the front or back at some point).
    The other things that jumped out for me in this video are that my elbows are poorly positioned. I need to get them a little more under the bar and straighten my wrists more. Also, at about rep number 4 I start leaning forward on the ascent, and it gets a bit worse as the set goes on. I'm assuming this is the result of weaknesses in the lower back, glutes and hips. Hopefully some of the assistance lifts I'm doing will help bring up my strength in those areas.

    If anyone sees anything else that I've missed in these videos, or disagrees with my assessment, I'd love to hear it.
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  24. #144
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    Taking a deload week this week. I lifted today, not following any particular plan. I'll probably lift again on Thursday. Not sure if I'll get another workout in after that or not. I kept the weights pretty light across the board, mostly doing 3x10, with 3x5 on lower body lifts.

    Paused Back Squat
    45 x 10
    115 x 5
    115 x 5
    115 x 5

    Sumo Deadlift
    165 x 5
    165 x 5
    165 x 5

    Deficit Deadlift
    165 x 5
    165 x 5
    165 x 5

    Leg Curl
    30 x 10
    30 x 10
    30 x 10

    Calf Raise
    20 x 10
    20 x 10
    20 x 10

    Military Press
    45 x 10
    45 x 10
    45 x 10

    Spoto Press
    45 x 10
    65 x 10
    65 x 10
    65 x 10

    Back Raise
    25 x 10
    25 x 10
    25 x 10

    Decline Crunch
    25 x 10
    25 x 10
    25 x 10


    Comments:
    Worked on bar speed and tightness. I kind of have a hard time focusing on tightness with lighter weights. It's something I need to get better at for sure. It's really just a matter of focus, so there's no good excuse for it. My next workout will be similar, but have some more pulling included.
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  25. #145
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    Back Squat
    45 x 10
    115 x 5 (paused)
    115 x 5

    Trap Bar Deadlift
    225 x 3
    225 x 3
    225 x 3
    It seems like most people find these to be easier than doing them with a conventional bar. Not the case for me at all. Being pretty small, I'm used to having a narrow grip. This forced me to have a much wider grip than usual, and felt pretty awkward as a result.

    Leg Press
    180 x 20

    Incline Press (Paused)
    95 x 5
    95 x 5
    95 x 5

    Pullup
    BW x 5
    BW x 5
    BW x 5

    Kroc Row
    40 x 10
    40 x 10

    Face Pull
    27.5 x 10
    27.5 x 10

    Hammer Curl
    17.5 x 10
    17.5 x 10

    Leg Raise
    BW x 40


    Comments:
    Kind of a mish-mash of exercises again today. Just wanted to hit the main movements without killing myself. Most of the accessories were done while I was waiting for a rack to open up. I'll probably be lifting again on Friday with the same goal in mind.
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  26. #146
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    Bench Press
    45 x 10
    65 x 5
    95 x 5
    115 x 3
    135 x 3

    T-Bar Row
    35 x 10
    75 x 10
    75 x 10

    Squat
    45 x 5
    95 x 5
    115 x 4
    135 x 3
    155 x 3

    Sumo Deadlift
    45 x 5
    95 x 5
    135 x 5
    225 x 5

    Deficit Deadlift
    225 x 5

    DB Shoulder Press
    20's x 10
    25'x x 8
    30's x 5
    35's x 5
    40's x 5

    Lat Pulldown
    70 x 10
    100 x 10
    130 x 6

    Hanging Leg Raise
    BW x 5


    Comments:
    Messing around a bit again today. Form on Bench was slightly improved, but I caught myself relaxing my hips multiple times. The squats got better as I went along. I did a far better job of breathing, and maintaining tightness. The later sets were smooth, and the weight moved pretty easily. Sumo Deadlift felt really good today too. I narrowed my stance slightly, and did a better job of pulling the bar close to me. The 5 reps at 225 were pretty effortless. Hanging Leg Raises suck, lol.

    On Monday I'll be starting 5/3/1, running this - https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...post1483508011
    I'll be using BBB (5x10) for everything except Deadlifts, where I'll do BBS (5x5). I'm looking forward to it, and plan to be on this program for a long time.
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    Day #1 of 5/3/1

    Bench Press / Kroc Row (Superset)
    45 x 20 (WU)
    95 x 5 ____________35 x 15
    110 x 5____________35 x 15
    125 x 9 (AMRAP)____35 x 15
    135 x 3 (Joker)
    145 x 3 (Joker)
    95 x 15 (First Set Last)

    OHP (Boring But Big) / Chin Ups (Superset)
    45 x 10___________BW x 5
    45 x 10___________BW x 5
    45 x 10___________BW x 5
    45 x 10___________BW x 5
    45 x 10___________BW x 4

    French Press / Hammer Curl (Superset)
    35 x 10___________22.5 x 10
    35 x 10___________22.5 x 10
    35 x 10___________22.5 x 10

    Face Pull
    27.5 x 15
    27.5 x 15
    27.5 x 15


    Comments:
    I was planning to start out with Squats, but there were no racks available and I didn't feel like waiting, so I decided to start off with bench since there was one open.
    It looked easy on paper, and while it wasn't necessarily hard, it felt like a lot more volume than it looked like. Supersetting the rows and chin ups along with the presses wore me out. I'm sure my body will adjust to the new program within a week or so. I'm glad I started out light. My right shoulder was pretty sore after benching. Feels perfectly fine now, but I think I let my grip get a little too wide. I'll have to be careful about that.

    Not sure if I'll make it to the gym tomorrow. Most likely I'll have a crap load of snow to clean up. We'll see what happens.
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  28. #148
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    Back Squat
    45 x 20 (WU)
    100 x 5
    115 x 5
    130 x 9 (AMRAP)
    145 x 3 (Joker)
    155 x 3(Joker)
    100 x 11 (First Set Last)
    The squats didn't feel good today. It was one of those days where they just inexplicably felt off, but I was unable to pinpoint what was wrong. My energy level was really low to start off with, which definitely didn't help matters. I stopped both of the AMRAP sets because my form was getting out of hand.

    Deadlift (Boring But Strong)
    240 x 5
    240 x 5
    240 x 5
    240 x 5
    240 x 5
    I struggled more with grip strength than anything on these. I'm not really used to doing this much volume. Aside from that, the lift went well. Everything was tight and efficient.

    Single Leg Curl
    40 x 10
    40 x 10
    40 x 10

    Leg Raise
    BW x 30
    BW x 25
    I was gassed by this point. I had originally planned to do Brazilian Split Squats, but I had nothing left in the tank.

    Comments:
    I need to get some more sleep. I had less than 6 hours each of the last 2 days, and it kind of caught up to me today. I was low on energy throughout the workout. I'll take a rest day tomorrow, and lift again on Thursday.
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  29. #149
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    5/3/1 w/Boring But Big - Press Day
    Overhead Press / Pullup (Superset)
    45 x 10 (WU)
    60 x 5
    70 x 5
    80 x 8 (AMRAP)
    85 x 3 (Joker) _______BW x 5
    90 x 3 (Joker) _______BW x 5
    95 x 3 (Joker) _______BW x 5
    100 x 1 (Joker) ______BW x 5
    105 x 1 (Joker) ______BW x 4

    Bench (Boring But Big) / Chest Supported Row (Superset)
    70 x 10_____________55 x 10
    70 x 10_____________55 x 10
    70 x 10_____________55 x 10
    70 x 10_____________55 x 10
    70 x 10_____________55 x 10

    Rope Curl / Tricep Pushdown (Superset)
    30 x 10_____35 x 10
    30 x 10_____35 x 10
    30 x 10_____35 x 10


    Comments:
    I had planned to do Deadlifts today, but was still pretty sore from Tuesdays workout so I decided to do OHP instead. Not a whole lot to comment on today. Everything went reasonably well. My workouts are taking longer than I'd like. I'd like to be able to do them in an hour, and it's been taking me about 75 minutes. I should be able to pick up the pace once my body gets adjusted to the new stimulus.

    That 3rd set on bench... That was THE ONE. The clouds parted. The sun shone through in all its magnificence. The reps were perfect. God smiled upon that 3rd set on bench. Seriously though, it's the first time where everything felt right. I think it's the first time I've ever really got the setup right. My whole body was locked into place. I could feel my feet under me, driving with each rep, while my body remained statue-like. It was effortless (and it wasn't just because I was only lifting 70 pounds, lol). I know what I'm aiming for now. I got close, but wasn't able to replicate it exactly in the 4th and 5th sets. I still need to figure out how to consistently get my feet placed correctly before locking in my upper body. Will continue to work on it.

    Tomorrow is Deadlift Day. Looking forward to kicking some ass.
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  30. #150
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    5/3/1 w/Boring But Big - Deadlift Day
    Deadlift
    45 x 3 (WU)
    95 x 3 (WU)
    135 x 3 (WU)
    185 x 3 (WU)
    195 x 5
    225 x 5
    255 x 9 (AMRAP)
    275 x 3 (Joker)
    295 x 3 (Joker)
    315 x 1 (Joker)
    I had good control today, but felt weak, especially with my grip. I dropped the bar on the 3rd rep at 295 immediately after locking it out. Decided to stop at 315 even though I could've gone higher. I had a rep or two left in the tank, and that's pretty much where I want to call it quits on the Joker and the AMRAP sets. My glutes were fried when I was done, which I'm not really used to. Don't know if did something different. I was just a bit more methodical, which I supposed required my muscles to fire for a bit longer than I'm used to. I'm happy with how the day went with deadlifts.

    Squat (Boring But Big)
    75 x 10
    75 x 10
    75 x 10
    75 x 10
    75 x 10
    Started to get fatigued on the last couple of reps on the final set, but no real problem here. I tried taking video of myself from the front, but there's only about 2 feet of space. You couldn't see my head, or anything below my knees, lol. When I watched it back it looked much easier than it felt. I guess that's a good thing. I may try getting a view from behind next time, but there's not really a good way to set that up either. We'll see...

    Plank
    25lbs x 90 seconds
    25 x 60

    Comments:
    I tried doing Brazilian Split Squats after the planks, but my right leg gave out on the first rep attempt. I tried to reset and go again, thinking my balance was just off, but it wasn't happening. It's strange, because my legs didn't feel particularly tired, but there was just nothing there when I tried the split squats.

    I have a much better idea how I want to approach my workouts now that I've got through the first week of 5/3/1. I should only have to do some small tweaks as I figure out how much assistance work I can handle. I like the focus on the primary lifts, so I want to keep the assistance work pretty limited to assure I have plenty of energy for the primary lifts. All in all, I got what I wanted out of the week. I'll rest up this weekend and be back in the gym on Monday.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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