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  1. #91
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    The new program is of my own making, based upon some of the basic principles I've learned over the last year. I plan to continue my learning and tweak this as I go along, while hopefully keeping my body safe. I'm definitely open to feedback, but in taking ownership of my own programming, the primary decision on changes will ultimately need to be based upon my personal experience with it, and interpreting how I'm progressing and how my body is reacting. So without further ado, here's the program as it stands currently:

    At the moment, I'm only able to lift Monday through Thursday. Since I'm cutting weight, I've not had enough energy or ability to recover to lift 3 days per week, so I'll be lifting only 2 days per week. I'll be running an Upper/Lower, with 'Core Lifts' supplementing the upper and lower lifts on each day. Set and Rep schemes are maybe slightly convoluted at the moment, but I'll describe them below as best I can.


    Core Lifts:
    Deadlift - Performed on 'Upper' day. Will consist of 3 sets, and a total of 10 reps, with the distribution being 5/3/2 (weight increasing each set). I've really struggled to recover with higher reps on this, so I'm going to keep them relatively low, at relatively high weights. I'll use the final set to regulate my progression. If I hit 2 reps I increase the weight next time. If I fail to hit 2 reps twice in a row, I'll decrease the weight.

    Squat - Performed on 'Lower' day. 3-5 sets of 10 (I'll start out doing 5 sets, and adjust as needed). Squats are lagging behind a bit for me, so I want to have the volume be on the higher side. I've not had much success progress with lower reps and higher weights on this particular lift. The final set will regulate progression. I'll increase weight if I hit 10 reps, decrease if I fail to hit 10 twice in a row.

    Bench Press - Performed on both 'Upper' and 'Lower' days. 4 sets of 10, with the last set guiding progression (using exactly the same progression guidelines as I am on Squats). I considered doing OHP on one of the days, but decided to stick with Bench on both days for now since it'll allow me to lift a little bit more weight, and it's a lift I need to improve form on. OHP will still be present on Upper day.


    Supplemental Lifts:
    Upper Day
    Chin Ups: 3 x AMRAP - I'm currently doing these at bodyweight. I'll start adding weight when I reach 30 reps (currently only at 20).
    OHP/Military Press: 3 sets of 10. Last set will dictate progression. I'll increase if I complete 10 reps, decrease if I fail to hit 10 reps twice in a row.
    1st Set = 50% of 10RM
    2nd Set = 75% of 10RM
    3rd Set = 10RM
    Pendlay Row/Cable Row: Same as OHP
    Hyperextension: 1 set of 20. Increase weight if 20 reps are completed, decrease if less than 20 twice in a row.
    Face Pull: Same as OHP

    Lower Day
    Romanian Deadlift: 3 sets of 10 (all sets at the same weight). I'll increase if I complete 30 reps, decrease if I fail to hit 30 twice in a row.
    Single Leg Press: 3 sets of 10. Last set will dictate progression. I'll increase if I complete 10 reps, decrease if I fail to hit 10 reps twice in a row.
    1st Set = 50% of 10RM
    2nd Set = 75% of 10RM
    3rd Set = 10RM
    Leg Curl: Same as Single Leg Press
    Seated Calf Raise: 3 sets of 20 (all sets at the same weight). I'll increase if I complete 60 reps, decrease if I fail to hit 60 twice in a row.
    Decline Crunch: Same as Single Leg Press


    I'm eager to test this out, and hopefully learn a lot in the process.
    On an unrelated note, I've been lifting in basketball shoes for long enough. I decided it's time to get some real lifting shoes. I purchased some SABO GYM shoes as a birthday present to myself. Can't wait to get them on my feet.
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  2. #92
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Scrap my previous post. I decided I hate it, lol. I'm trying to build something simple and stable that I can run for a bit, while I continue to educate myself on programming. I know it would be best to run a proven program as it's written, but I can't seem to find one that I'm confident will work for me, so here we are...
    My current priorities are:
    1. Must fit within a Mon-Thurs lifting schedule
    2. Must allow sufficient recovery (on a cut)
    3. Must hit all the main muscles multiple times per week (3 would be ideal, but I'll settle for twice a week if necessary)

    To satisfy priorities #1 and #2, I could:
    - Run a split routine with as little overlap as possible (could be lifting all 4 days potentially)
    - Run an upper/lower (would only be able to do each once per week, or U,L,Off,U,Off,Off,Off, L, U, Off, L, repeat)

    Both of those options don't really align well at all with priority #3, which is primarily why I'm scrapping the routine in the post above. I feel like I can do much better. This leads me to what I'm actually going to try...

    I'm going for a Full Body routine. I haven't really given one a chance yet, and I suspect I can make some good progress on it partially because it's something totally new to me. I obviously can't run a Full Body routine 3 of 4 days at high intensity, so I'm going to need to build some type of auto-regulation or intensity cycling plan into it. I'll most likely employ a bit of both. I suspect I'll continue to make some changes as I go along, but I'm feeling pretty good about the program I've put together over the last couple of days. It's going to consist of 3 days that will each be setup slightly differently. On one day I'll do 4 sets of 5 reps, with only the final 2 sets being at my working weight. The next day will be 2 sets of 15 reps, with the second set at my working weight. The third day will be 3 sets of 10 reps, with only the last set being at my working weight. Here's what it'll look like:

    Day 1 - 4x5 : 1st set easy, 2nd set harder, final 2 sets at working weight
    Back Squat
    Bench Press
    Pendlay Row
    Overhead Press
    Leg Curl
    Hammer Curl
    Seated Calf Raise
    Leg Raise (This will not follow the rep scheme. I'll do as many reps as possible while keeping a few in the tank)

    Day 2 - 2x15 : 1st set easy, second set at working weight
    Front Squat
    DB Incline Press
    Chest Supported Row
    Cable Pushdown
    Romanian Deadlift
    Face Pull
    Plank (will not follow rep scheme, obviously)
    Cable Curl

    Day 3 - 3x10 : 1st set easy, 2nd set harder, 3rd set at working weight
    Same lifts as Day 1, except I'll replace Leg Raises with weighted Decline Crunch's

    This will potentially allow me to achieve my 3 top priorities. I think I have enough room to adjust to figure out a way to lift 3 times in 4 days. Doing different lifts on the second day (and also at a lower intensity level) should help. I'll have to be pretty strict on my energy management during my workouts, making sure I don't ever go too close to failure. I may need to sacrifice some reps and/or sets at times to guarantee I'm able to recover sufficiently. I can obviously also adjust the reps and/or sets on particular exercises, swap them out for others, or outright eliminate them if need be. I'll have to do some experimenting with the second day to figure out whether it'll fit better as Mon, Tues, Off, Thurs or Mon, Off, Wed, Thurs.

    I did Day 1 today. I happen to have a day off of work tomorrow, so I'll try to do Day 2 and see how my body reacts. That should give me some indication of whether it's doable.
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  3. #93
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    As mentioned in my last post, I did Workout A today.

    Workout A - 4 sets of 5 reps
    Back Squat
    95 x 5
    125 x 5
    155 x 5
    155 x 5

    Increase to 160

    Bench Press
    85 x 5
    105 x 5
    125 x 5
    125 x 5

    Increase to 130

    Pendlay Row
    95 x 5
    115 x 5
    135 x 5
    135 x 5

    Increase to 140

    Overhead Press
    45 x 5
    55 x 5
    75 x 5
    75 x 5

    Increase to 80

    Leg Curl
    85 x 5
    105 x 5
    125 x 5
    125 x 5

    Increase to 130

    Hammer Curl
    15 x 5
    20 x 5
    30 x 5
    30 x 5

    Meant to use 25 pound DB's for my working weight, but there were none available. Increase to 35.

    Seated Calf Raise
    85 x 5
    125 x 5
    165 x 5
    165 x 5

    Increase to 175

    Leg Raise
    BW x 10
    BW x 15

    Just a short explanation of why I chose these exercises... The first 4 lifts of the day are all high on my list of lifts I need to improve and gain strength on. The second four are much less important, but should give me a pretty well rounded workout. I've left Conventional Deadlifts completely off the program for now. I'm still in recovery mode from doing them on Monday. Doing them in combination with Squats and Pendlay rows is just too much for my lower back to handle. It's kind of disappointing, since Deadlifts are by far the lift I enjoy the most, but I think I'm better off not doing them for now.

    Using something lower weights, I was able to focus heavily on improving my form, and managed to make really good progress on that on Bench Press and OHP while focusing on my should positioning and movement. Squats didn't feel great, but I don't think they ever will due to some anatomical imbalances. Although the new lifting shoes felt great, they didn't seem to make a huge difference in the amount of weight I was able to comfortable manage on squats. I'll definitely be continuing to use them though. Overall, I'm happy with how it went, but pretty spent. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.
    Last edited by CW47; 11-17-2017 at 02:23 PM.
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  4. #94
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout B - 2 sets of 15 reps
    Front Squat
    45 x 15
    65 x 15

    DB Incline Press
    20 x 15
    35 x 15

    Chest Supported Row
    20 x 15
    35 x 15

    Cable Pushdown
    27.5 x 15
    32.5 x 15

    Romanian Deadlift
    115 x 15
    145 x 15

    Face Pull
    22.5 x 15
    32.5 x 15

    Plank
    30 seconds
    60 seconds

    Cable Curl
    17.5 x 15
    27.5 x 15


    Comments:
    Energy level was good, even though I just lifted yesterday evening. I'll have to try this out for a few weeks and see how it goes, but I'm pretty sure 4x5 on Monday, 2x15 on Tuesday, and 3x10 on Thursday is doable for a while. It'll obviously get more difficult as the weights increase. I started out with weights that I thoughts I could do pretty easily, and that turned out to be the case for the most part. There were only maybe only a couple of exercises where I got as high as an 8 RPE.

    One of the things I'm liking about ramping up to the working weight is that it gives me another avenue for progression. On some of the lifts that I found more challenging, I'll be keeping my working weight the same, but increasing the weights I use in the ramp up. I was pretty lenient on rest times today, so I'll work on tightening that up before I increase weights too much.

    With the holiday coming up next week, I probably still won't get in 3 workouts, because I'm assuming I'll only be able to go Mon-Wed. I'm not sure which rep scheme's I'll use. I'm planning to do 4x5 on Monday and 3x10 on Wednesday, but I'll wait and see how I'm feeling.
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  5. #95
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout C - 3 sets of 10 reps
    Back Squat
    65 x 10
    95 x 10
    125 x 10

    Stay the same

    Bench Press
    55 x 10
    85 x 10
    105 x 10

    Increase Final Set to 110

    Pendlay Row
    55 x 10
    85 x 10
    105 x 10

    Increase Final Set to 110

    Overhead Press
    45 x 10
    60 x 10
    65 x 10

    Increase Final Set to 70

    Leg Curl
    55 x 10
    85 x 10
    110 x 10

    Increase Final Set to 115

    Hammer Curl
    7.5 x 10
    12.5 x 10
    22.5 x 10

    Increase first set to 10 & second set to 15

    Seated Calf Raise
    75 x 10
    110 x 10
    150 x 10

    Increase second set to 115 & Final Set to 155

    Decline Crunch
    35 x 10
    50 x 10
    65 x 10

    Increase Final set to 70


    Comments:
    Wasn't expecting to lift today, but I ended up with an opportunity so I took it. I typically wouldn't do full body workouts three days in a row, but it's very likely that I'll only be able to lift on Monday and Tuesday this coming week, due to holiday plans.

    My energy level started out pretty poor, and I really struggled with the squats. I think I'll keep the weight the same next time and see how I perform when I'm fresher.
    Bench, Row, Leg Curls, and Calves were a piece of cake. The others were a bit more challenging that I expected, though I managed to get through all of them. Everything except squats will increase next time through.
    Last edited by CW47; 11-20-2017 at 06:28 PM.
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  6. #96
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout A - 4x5
    Back Squat
    95 x 5
    125 x 5
    160 x 5
    160 x 4

    Reduce to 85 / 115 / 155 / 155

    Bench Press
    85 x 5
    105 x 5
    130 x 5
    130 x 5

    Increase to 65 / 100 / 135 / 135

    Pendlay Row
    95 x 5
    115 x 5
    140 x 5
    140 x 5

    Increase to 75 / 105 / 145 / 145

    Overhead Press
    45 x 5
    60 x 5
    80 x 5
    80 x 5

    Increase to 45 / 60 / 85 / 85

    Leg Curl
    85 x 5
    105 x 5
    130 x 5
    130 x 5

    Increase to 70 / 100 / 135 / 135

    Hammer Curl
    15 x 5
    22.5 x 5
    30 x 5
    30 x 5

    Increase to 15 / 22.5 / 35 / 35

    Seated Calf Raise
    95 x 5
    135 x 5
    175 x 5
    215 x 5

    Change to different exercise??

    Leg Raise
    BW x 13
    BW x 18


    Comments:
    I didn't feel fully recovered from lifting Thurs, Fri, Sat. Struggled with squats. Had a couple of poor reps in my first working set, and a couple more in the second. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the Calf Raises. For the second time in a row, my feet were sliding off the bar. I'm pretty nervous about continuing to use the same equipment, so I may see if I can find an option I'm more comfortable with. All of the other exercises went relatively smoothly.

    I'm adjusting the first two sets on some of the exercises, moving them closer to 50% and 75% of my working weight respectively. This should help me be fresher for the main work sets, and hopefully allow me to increase my top weight a bit easier.

    My diet is going decently. I'm down 6 pounds so far, in a little less than a month. The weight is coming off slowly, but steadily, which I'm perfectly okay with. I amazed I actually managed to drop a pound this last week, since I was out to buffet's twice, and restaurants two more times for birthdays, visiting family, and other stuff. I restrained myself reasonably well, and still had some really tasty meals and a good time catching up with people I don't see often enough. It was a win/win. This week's going to be another tough one. I have Thanksgiving get together's on 3 different day. Stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, oh my! Wish me luck, lol
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  7. #97
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout B - 2X15
    Front Squat
    45 x 15
    70 x 15
    Increase to 45 / 75

    Romanian Deadlift
    115 x 15
    150 x 15
    Increase to 115 / 155

    DB Incline Press
    20 x 15
    35 x 14
    Repeat

    Chest Supported Row
    20 x 15
    35 x 15
    Increase to 20 / 40

    Cable Pushdown
    22.5 x 15
    42.5 x 15
    Increase to 22.5 / 47.5

    Hammer Curl
    10 x 15
    20 x 15
    Increase to 10 / 22.5

    Seated Calf Raise
    35 x 12
    25 x 15
    Increase to 35 / 35

    Plank
    45 seconds
    60 seconds
    Increase to 60 / 60

    Comments:
    Really good session. I focused on keeping a steady pace, and was able to finish in about 50 minutes (it's typically been taking me around 75). It was nice to be done that quickly. I'll maintain that working pace moving forward. The only hiccup today was on calf raises. I tried out a different piece of equipment and it worked much, much better. Unfortunately, my left calf started cramping up midway through the first set. I stopped immediately, and then dropped the weight for my final set.

    I have this weird thing going on with squats...both of the last two weeks the front squats have felt better than the back squats. I feel like my form is really on point with them. Today I think I figured out why. It seems like with the more upright position I'm in when doing front squats, my knees move naturally. When I stand normally, without thinking about how I'm standing, my feet tend to point out at more than 30 degrees. When I do front squats, my feet are aligned that way and my knees follow them. For some reason, when I do back squat my knees seem to be fighting against my feet. I'm not sure if it's just the fact that my torso is more bent over or what, but my knees keep wanting to move more forward/inward (maybe trying to move under my torso for more support?...I really don't know. Next time I do them I'm going to pay close attention to this and see if I can do them so that my feet and knees are placed and moving similarly to when I do front squats.

    I made some more changes to my program because I wasn't happy with the exercise selection on workouts A & C. I removed calf raises and hammer curls, and replaced them with Chin Ups and Face Pulls. I added the former two exercises to workout B, which is why I repeated them today after just doing them yesterday. Also made some changes to rep ranges. Face Pulls, Leg Raises, and Calf Raises will not follow the rep ranges associated with each of the workouts. Face Pulls will always be 2 sets of 15 (both sets at the same weight). Abs and Calves will be 2 sets of 20 (again, with both sets at the same weight). This gives me a better balance of pushes and pulls on A & C days, and makes workout B slightly more isolation focused. Actually, instead of referring to them as A, B, and C, I think I'm just going to call them Heavy, Medium, and Light from here on out, since that's really what they're intended to be. Here's what it all looks like as of now:

    Heavy - 4x5 (Monday)
    Back Squat
    Bench Press
    Pendlay Row
    Overhead Press
    Chin Up
    Leg Curl
    Face Pull (2x15)
    Leg Raise (2x20)

    Light - 2x15 (Tuesday)
    Front Squat
    Romanian Deadlift
    DB Incline Press
    Chest Supported Row
    Cable Pushdown
    Hammer Curl
    Calf Raise (2x20)
    Plank

    Medium - 3x10 (Thursday)
    Same exercise selection as Heavy day

    Ideally, I'd still like to add one more pulling motion into the mix somewhere (maybe croc rows in place of the abs exercise on my light day?) Not really sure... Other than that, I'm starting to feel pretty okay with the programs setup right now. I'll try running it like this for a few months and see how it goes.
    Last edited by CW47; 11-23-2017 at 10:00 AM.
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  8. #98
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    Medium - 3x10
    Bench Press
    85 x 10
    110 x 10
    110 x 10
    Increase to 85/115/115

    Back Squat
    95 x 10
    125 x 10
    125 x 10
    Stay the same

    Pendlay Row
    85 x 10
    110 x 10
    110 x 10
    Increase to 85/115/115

    Overhead Press
    60 x 10
    70 x 10
    70 x 90
    Reduce to 55/70/70

    Chin Up
    BW-55 x 10
    BW-10 x 6
    BW-25 x 10
    Reduce to BW-60/BW-25/BW-25

    Leg Curl
    85 x 10
    110 x 10
    110 x 10
    Increase to 90/120/120

    Face Pull - 2x15
    17.5 x 15
    17.5 x 15
    Increase to 22.5

    Leg Raise - 2x20
    BW x 20
    BW x 20
    Change to Planks?

    Comments:
    Bench felt great today. The last few times I've done it, I narrowed my grip to help me keep my elbows tucked tight to my body since I've had a habit of flaring them out. It was a bit too narrow though (about halfway between a normal bench grip and a close grip bench grip). I was able to widen my grip to a more normal distance today, and still keep my elbows tucked tight. The motion felt natural. The weight felt lighter. I'm really happy with the form improvement on bench over the last month or so. I feel like I'm finally in a position where I can stop worrying about hurting myself, and just do the lift. Feels like I'm at a point where I should start making some progress.

    Squats were an entirely different story. I'm getting unbelievably frustrated with them. I honestly feel like I've made zero progress on squats since I started lifting. I've increased the weight a bit, and made some form improvements, but I've never felt right doing them. Today I tried to use some of the cue's that worked well for me when doing front squats, and it really didn't help much. I was able to keep my knees out just fine, but I felt super weak, and struggled to get through 10 reps on my first set at 125, which is really freaking sad. For the second set at that weight I tried a low bar squat. I was able to handle the weight pretty easily, but I was really uncomfortable with the pressure it put on my shoulders and wrists (which I've had problems with basically since I was a kid). I doubt I'll be able to do the lift that way on a regular basis. Even though the weight felt much lighter, my form still felt terrible. I don't really like complaining about it, but my legs are different lengths, and it really seems to mess up squats for me. I just can't get balanced right. If I don't shift my weight primarily to one leg or the other, it feels really awkward. It feels significantly less awkward if I shift my weight primarily to one leg, but still doesn't feel right, and it pretty much defeats the purpose of doing squats. Working primarily one leg when doing squats is pretty damn stupid, lol. To be honest, after almost 18 months I'm nearing the point where I'm ready to give up on squats and just move to doing leg presses or lunges, or something else for my legs. I'm not calling it quits yet, but I'm super frustrated. It's not doing me much good spinning my wheels at basically the same weight over and over again. I know I can get my legs much stronger than they are, but I'm really struggling to do it with this particular lift. I'll keep grinding at it for another month or so and see what happens. If the front squats continue to feel good, I may end up dropping back squats and just do those and leg presses instead. We'll see...

    Pendlay Rows felt pretty easy, so I'll be bumping those up next time. OHP felt decent also, but I ran out of steam on the last set. I'm just going to reduce the weight on my first set slightly for those. This was my first time doing Chin Ups for 10 reps, so I kind of guessed at how much assistance I needed, and I was say off, lol. I think I have a good idea of what the weight should be next time though. Leg Curls felt great. Leg Raises went surprisingly well. I've jumped up from 25 reps to 40 reps in just over a week, and felt like I could've done a few more today. At this point, I'm not sure if I want to continue doing them, or change to doing planks or decline crunches.

    I did Face Pulls at a much lower weight than I had originally planned to. I found out that I had been doing them entirely wrong previously. The way I did them today felt much, much better. I'll increase the weight slightly next time, but I'm not going to be in any great hurry to increase the weight on them. I'll just be focusing on performing the exercise correctly to make sure I'm building strength in the correct muscles. Here's the video from Omar Isuf that made me realize I was doing them wrong previously:
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  9. #99
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Heavy - 4x5
    Bench Press
    65 x 5
    100 x 5
    135 x 5
    135 x 5
    Increase to 65 / 115 / 135

    Back Squat
    85 x 5
    115 x 5
    155 x 5
    155 x 5
    Increase to 85 / 115 / 160 / 160

    Pendlay Row
    75 x 5
    105 x 5
    145 x 5
    145 x 5
    Increase to 75 / 105 / 150 / 150

    Overhead Press
    45 x 5
    60 x 5
    85 x 5
    85 x 5
    Increase to 45 / 65 / 85 / 85

    Chin Up
    BW x 5
    BW x 5
    BW x 5
    BW x 5
    Repeat

    Leg Curl
    70 x 5
    100 x 5
    135 x 5
    135 x 5
    Increase to 70 / 105 / 140 / 140

    Face Pull
    22.5 x 15
    22.5 x 15
    Repeat

    Plank
    BW x 60 seconds
    BW x 60 seconds
    Change to 45/75 sec

    Comments:
    Let's just get this out of the way... Squats sucked again. Technically I hit all of my reps, but it wasn't pretty. I'm starting to wonder if cutting weight isn't just having a much bigger impact on this particular lift. I felt like I was actually making decent progress over the last couple of weeks before I started my cut. It's gone down hill quickly since then. I'll finish this week out and if it continues to be shaky I'm just going to drop the weight significantly (15-20%) and start working my way back up again.

    Everything else went well.
    Bench felt pretty damn good again. I had a few reps in the tank. I don't really want to rush it on this lift, so instead of increasing the top weight, I'm just going to increase my second set weight. If all goes well with that slight increase, I'll bump up the top weight next time. I'm taking the same approach for OHP, which also felt pretty good today. Leg Curls felt relatively easy, so they'll get increased. I hit all my reps on Chins and Face Pulls, but I'm going to repeat them both again since I'm don't feel like I'll be able to handle additional weight yet. I'll increase if it feels a bit easier next time. Planks suck, lol. They're painful. I'm going to plan to do the same amount of total time again, but with one being for a shorter time period and one for longer. If I hit the longer one, I'll then increase the shorter one each session until I'm able to do it twice for the longer time period. I'll continue this way until I get up to 90 or 120 seconds twice, then I'll plan to start adding weight.

    Now that I'm starting to figure out a program that I can handle for 3 workouts in 4 days, I may not need to do that schedule anymore, lol. I was able to go today, which means that this weeks schedule will be Sun/Tues/Thurs. The following week should be Mon/Wed/Fri, followed by Sun/Tues/Thurs, then Mon/Wed/Fri, and so on. Still not ideal, but definitely better than what I've been doing. It's really hard for me to predict though, and could change again at any time. I'm planning to continue running the program I'm on now. Having a light workout in the middle of the week gives me more flexibility to move around my other days if need be.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  10. #100
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    Light - 2X15
    Front Squat
    65 x 15
    65 x 15
    Increase to 45 / 75

    Romanian Deadlift
    145 x 15
    145 x 15
    Increase to 150

    DB Incline Press
    30 x 15
    30 x 15
    Increase to 35

    Lat Pulldown
    70 x 15
    70 x 15
    Increase to 75

    Tricep Pushdown
    42.5 x 15
    42.5 x 15
    Increase to 47.5

    Chest Supported Row
    35 x 15
    35 x 15
    Increase to 40

    Hammer Curl
    20 x 15
    20 x 10
    Repeat

    Seated Calf Raise - 2x20
    35 x 15
    35 x 15
    Repeat


    Comments:
    Good session today. My quads are already sore from the Front Squats. RDL's were no problem at all. On the Incline DB Press, I tried to widen my arms out a bit, similar to what I did on barbell bench press. I think I'm going to stick to doing them with my arms tucked tighter to my sides. It feels much more natural, and removes some of the stress from my shoulders. The Lat Pulldowns made my lats burn, so I guess that's good. It at least tells me I'm moving the weight with the correct muscles. I didn't hit my goals on either Hammer Curls or Seated Calf Presses. I'll repeat both at the same weight next time and try to complete more reps.

    Immediately after finishing my workout, I noticed some discomfort in my left shoulder. It's the first time I've experienced that in a few months. I can't pinpoint anything in particular that may have cause it since I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary during the session. It may have just been fatigue from doing a bunch of exercises that have typically not felt totally comfortable for my shoulders. It's feeling okay at the moment. I'm definitely going to be cautious about this though. If it continues next time, I'll probably take some time off or significantly reduce my working weights for a week or so.

    I'll have a day off tomorrow, and then be lifting again on Thursday.
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  11. #101
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Medium - 3x10
    Bench Press
    85 x 10
    115 x 10
    115 x 9
    Repeat

    Back Squat
    95 x 10
    95 x 10
    95 x 10
    Drop to 65/95/95

    Pendlay Row
    85 x 10
    115 x 10
    115 x 10
    Increase to 120

    Overhead Press
    50 x 10
    70 x 6
    70 x 8
    Repeat

    Chin Up
    BW-60 x 10
    BW-25 x 10
    BW-25 x 10
    Increase to BW-20

    Leg Curl
    90 x 10
    120 x 10
    120 x 10
    Increase to 125

    Face Pull - 2x15
    22.5 x 15
    22.5 x 15
    Increase to 27.5

    Leg Raise - 2xAMRAP
    BW x 20
    BW x 22


    Comments:Today's session was kind of messed up by a lack of equipment availability. I had to do some lifts back to back that I typically wouldn't want to. OHP was the one that suffered most. I did it immediately after bunching, and my performance suffered (expectedly)

    Bench went pretty well. I'm think I could've squeezed out the final rep, but I really trying not to go beyond a 9 RPE right now. I'll repeat at the same weight next time.
    I decided it's time to do a major reset on Squats. I've been overcompensating for weaknesses in so many ways, and it needs to stop now. I dropped the weight down to 95, and still struggled to hit the reps with relatively strict form. I could definitely feel the areas that are weaker. I'm okay with stopping short of my rep goal rather than overcompensating to allow myself to lift the weight for the designated number of reps. I'm gonna proceed cautiously, and make sure I only increase weight when I can truly complete the reps with solid form. I was really shocked at how much I struggled with 95 lbs.

    Rows were relatively easy. I already touched on OHP. I'll repeat that again at the same weight. Chin Ups went well. I had probably 1 or 2 reps left in the tank. Leg Curls, Face Pulls, and Leg Raises were completed successfuly, with a few reps to spare.

    I'll be off until Monday now, most likely.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  12. #102
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    Heavy - 4x5
    Bench Press
    65 x 5
    115 x 5
    135 x 5
    135 x 5
    Increase to 140

    Back Squat
    65 x 5
    85 x 5
    115 x 5
    115 x 5
    Increase to 125

    Pendlay Row
    75 x 5
    105 x 5
    150 x 5
    150 x 5
    Repeat

    Overhead Press
    45 x 5
    60 x 5
    85 x 5
    85 x 5
    Increase to 90

    Chin Up
    BW x 5
    BW x 5
    BW x 5
    BW x 7
    Increase to 5lbs on last 2 sets

    Leg Curl
    70 x 5
    105 x 5
    140 x 5
    140 x 5
    Increase to 145

    Face Pull
    27.5 x 15
    27.5 x 15
    Repeat

    Plank
    BW x 45 seconds
    BW x 75 seconds
    Increase to 60/75 sec

    Comments:
    Wasn't planning to lift today, but an opportunity arose so I took it since there's a decent chance I'll end up missing a day this next week. I'm feeling pretty fresh now as well, so I didn't really feel the need for 3 days of rest.

    Bench felt pretty good, but a few of the reps were a struggle. Squats were meh. Just like my previous session, I lowered the weight significantly. I'm still working on finding a stance (feet width and angle) that feels reasonably comfortable. I'll start increasing the weight more significantly once I get that figured out. Rows were marginal. I hit all the reps, but wasn't happy with a couple of them, so I'll repeat with the same weight. A few tough reps on OHP as well, but I'll increase it next time.

    Chin ups felt pretty damn good, managing a few extra reps on the last set. I'll start adding weight now, initially going to add 5 lbs on my final 2 sets. We'll see how that goes. Leg Curls are going well. I'll continue to increase gradually. Face pulls felt good as well. I'll repeat them once more at the same weight though. Planks...I don't think I've ever enjoyed doing planks, but I got through them today, lol. I'll try adding 15 seconds to the first one next time.

    Most importantly, I haven't had any shoulder issues the last two session (well...not any new, or unexpected shoulder issues. They never feel perfect).
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  13. #103
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    Light - 2X15
    Front Squat
    70 x 15
    70 x 15
    Increase to 75

    Romanian Deadlift
    150 x 15
    150 x 15
    Increase to 155

    DB Incline Press
    35 x 15
    35 x 15
    Increase to 40

    Lat Pulldown
    75 x 15
    75 x 15
    Increase to 80

    Tricep Pushdown
    47.5 x 15
    47.5 x 15
    Repeat

    Chest Supported Row
    40 x 15
    40 x 15
    Increase to 45

    Hammer Curl
    20 x 15
    20 x 13
    Repeat

    Seated Calf Raise - 2x20
    35 x 20
    35 x 20
    Repeat


    Comments:Front Squat, RDL, DB Incline Press, Lat Pulldown, and Chest Supported Row all went very smoothly, and I'll bump up the weight next time.
    I hit my rep goal on Tricep Pushdowns and Calf Raises, but will repeat them once more at the same weight. Hammer Curls saw an improvement from last time (from 25 to 28 reps). I'll repeat the same weight on those as well. At some point soon I'll probably need to change my progression approach for this day, since I'm not going to be able to progress in a linear fashion for too long. I'll keep milking it for now though.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  14. #104
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    Medium - 3x10
    Bench Press
    85 x 10
    115 x 10
    115 x 10
    Increase to 120
    Everything felt good. The last rep was probably around an 8.5-9 RPE. I'll be bumping up the weight, but I'll make sure I stop short of failure next time, as I expect I'll be unable to complete all the reps.

    Back Squat
    65 x 10
    95 x 10
    95 x 12
    Increase to 65/105/105
    Still feeling off a little bit. I tested out a narrower stance, and it felt decent. I realized after the fact that it would've felt better if I'd angled my toes out a bit more. I did a few extra reps to focus on keeping my weight back, because I noticed I was shifting my weight to the balls of my feet. I can increase weight comfortably, but I have work to do yet in getting a solid stance and weight distribution. Those will be my primary focus moving forward.

    Pendlay Row
    85 x 10
    120 x 10
    120 x 10
    Increase to 125
    The last few reps were a grind, but I completed them with pretty solid form. Starting to get in the groove on this movement finally. An important key for me has been keeping my core tight/stable.

    Overhead Press
    50 x 10
    70 x 10
    70 x 8
    Repeat
    A 4 rep increase from last time. This was the best I've felt doing this lift yet. I made a small adjustment to my shoulders (not retracting them as much as I typically have) and the motion felt much more natural. I had no shoulder discomfort at all, which is basically unheard of for me.

    Chin Up
    BW-60 x 10
    BW-20 x 10
    BW-20 x 10
    Increase to BW-15
    Piece of cake today. Probably could've done 5 more reps. I'll continue to increase slowly though.

    Leg Curl
    90 x 10
    125 x 10
    125 x 10
    Increase to 95/130
    Starting to feel challenging, but I had a reps in the tank still.

    Face Pull - 2x15
    27.5 x 15
    27.5 x 15
    Increase to 32.5
    I'm feeling pretty comfortable with these now.

    Leg Raise - 2xAMRAP
    BW x 22
    BW x 23
    Repeat
    3 Rep increase from last time. I'll continue doing AMRAP's until I get up to 50 reps, then I'll probably change to something else.

    Comments:
    The consistency and repetition is starting to pay dividends finally. With the exception of Squats, I'm seeing solid improvements in the lifts pretty much across the board. Form and bar paths are improving significantly. This is something I'm going to continue to focus on, especially on the higher rep days.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  15. #105
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Heavy - 4x5
    Bench Press
    65 x 6
    115 x 5
    140 x 3
    140 x 3
    Repeat
    My form is staying tight even as the reps get harder, which is really encouraging. I may have had another rep in me on each of the work sets, but definitely wasn't going to hit 5.

    Back Squat
    65 x 5
    95 x 5
    125 x 5
    125 x 5
    I think this is the last time I'm doing back squats for a while. It just felt all kinds of wrong again. I'm thinking I may put Leg Press in on my heavy day, move Front Squat to medium day, and do some single leg work on the light day. I'll think about for a few days though. I'll definitely revisit back squats at some point in the future.

    Pendlay Row
    75 x 5
    105 x 5
    150 x 5
    150 x 5
    Increase to 75/115/150/150
    Better form throughout the sets than last time. I was happy with all of the reps except the very last one, which wasn't bad but also wasn't great. Instead of increasing my work weight, I'll keep it the same for one more week and slightly increase my warmup weights. If I perform reasonably well, I'll then drop the warmup weights back down a bit and increase the working weight.

    Overhead Press
    45 x 5
    65 x 5
    90 x 3
    90 x 3
    Repeat
    Same story as Bench here pretty much, though I was probably just a bit closer to failure.

    Chin Up
    BW x 5
    BW x 5
    5 x 5
    5 x 5
    Increase to BW/BW/5/10

    Leg Curl
    70 x 5
    110 x 5
    145 x 5
    145 x 5
    Increase to 75/110/150/150
    Still feeling strong on these. It should be a few weeks yet before I start to struggle.

    Face Pull
    32.5 x 15
    32.5 x 13
    Repeat
    I could've pulled through the last couple of reps, but it was getting tough enough that I was concerned about a form break.

    Plank
    BW x 60 seconds
    BW x 75 seconds
    Increase to 75/75 sec
    My whole body started shaking 15 seconds into the first plank, lol. Somehow I managed to get through it.

    Comments:
    It was a very long day at work. I'm quite short of sleep. Kind of surprised today went reasonably well. I almost didn't even go to the gym because I got off of work so late, was tired, and both of my wrists were sore from working on the computer all day, but I don't know if I'll have a chance to go again until Monday so I sucked it up and went anyway. I have a full slate of Christmas get togethers this weekend, and somehow need to fit all of my shopping and wrapping in there too.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  16. #106
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    Heavy - 4x5
    Bench Press
    65 x 6
    115 x 5
    140 x 4
    140 x 3
    145 x 2
    Reduce to 130
    One more rep than last time. After failing twice in a row at this weight, I'll reduce it next time and work my way up again.

    Leg Press
    180 x 5
    270 x 5
    360 x 5
    360 x 5
    Increase to 410
    This was my first time ever really doing a leg press before. I'd only ever done single leg previously. I just kept adding plates until it felt reasonably challenging.

    Chin Up
    BW x 5
    BW x 5
    5 x 5
    10 x 3
    Repeat
    I banged my knee pretty hard on the damn pullup machine, which prevented me from attempting any more reps on the last set. I doubt I would've made it to 5 regardless. I was trying to hold a plate between my feet, which resulted in me keeping my feet more forward than normal and hitting my knee. I'm planning to go get a dip belt tomorrow that should help with this in the future.

    Leg Curl
    70 x 5
    110 x 5
    145 x 5
    145 x 5
    Well ****...I forgot to log my progress on this the other day, so I repeated at the same weight again. I'll be dropping this from my heavy day anyway.

    Face Pull
    32.5 x 15
    32.5 x 15
    Repeat

    Plank
    BW x 75 seconds
    BW x 75 seconds
    Increase to 60/90 sec

    Comments:
    Wasn't able to get in a rack since they were all being used the entire time I was there, so I had to improvise a bit. Other than there, there was nothing really of note today.
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  17. #107
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    I'm making some more adjustments to my program in an effort to simplify things a bit since I feel a lot of the stuff I've been doing is unnecessary for me at this point. Now that I'm back on a pretty regular schedule and not needing to lift on back to back days, I'm going to drop the Light Day, and just alternate Heavy and Medium days. I'm also cutting back from 8 to 6 lifts on each day. Here's what it will look like:

    Heavy
    Deadlift - 2x5
    Bench Press - 4x5
    Leg Press - 4x5
    Chin Up - 4x5
    Face Pull - 2x15
    Plank - 2 sets (timed)

    Medium
    Overhead Press - 3x10
    Front Squat - 3x10
    Pendlay Row - 3x10
    Leg Curl - 3x10
    Tricep Pushdown - 3x10
    Hammer Curl - 3x10

    For most lifts I'll be ramping up to my working weight with one or two lighter sets (60-70% of my working weight). I'm also going to try implementing some of the concepts from 5/3/1 to hopefully aid in progression once I begin stalling. I'll introduce these when I've failed to hit the required number of reps on a given exercise. On Heavy days, if I fail I'll continue ramping up the weight until I'm only able to do 1 or 2 reps. On Medium days, I'll do drop set/s at 70% of my working weight. I think it makes sense to build towards heavier weights on the heavy day, and add more volume on the medium day when I'm struggling on a particular lift. I'm ONLY going to do this when I've failed to hit all the reps on a lift, since I don't see the need to ramp up volume across the board at this point.

    We'll see how that works out. Sometime in the future I foresee myself moving even closer to 5/3/1 programming, where I'll have my working weight be a percentage of my 5 / 10RM, and utilize Joker Sets on Heavy Days, and First Set Last on Medium Days. Further down the road yet, I'll probably transition into running 5/3/1 exactly as it's written. I feel like it's too early for me to limit my progression to that extent right now, which is why I'm not ready to follow it strictly quite yet. I'm planning to run my current setup for a good 6 months, assuming I can continue to progress steadily for that long.

    My cut is going reasonably well. I'm down about 8 pounds in the last 6 weeks. I've been able to do it without feeling like I'm any hungrier than normal. Also been able to maintain or increase most of my lifts. I still have quite a ways to go before I get to where I really want to be. I'm thinking that once I drop another 8 pounds I'm going to maintain that for a month or so to help establish that as a 'new normal', and then cut about another 10 pounds. By sometime in the summer (mayber earlier), I should be in a position to do a well controlled bulking phase. That's quite a ways off though obviously.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  18. #108
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    Medium - 3x10

    Overhead Press
    50 x 10
    70 x 10
    70 x 10
    Increase to 50 / 75
    I did a seated barbell shoulder press instead of a standing press because it was the only option I had at the time. Historically my OHP and seated shoulder press have been virtually identical, so I'm fairly confident I would've made the reps on OHP also. I'll increase the weight next time.

    Front Squat
    65 x 10
    85 x 10
    85 x 10
    Increase to 65 / 90
    The front squats feel infinitely better than the back squats, but I still have quite a lot of work to do on tightening up form. I'm able to keep the weight better balanced between each leg on front squats for whatever reason, which is my main problem on back squats. I still struggle a little bit with foot placement (stance width and foot angle), and with forward/backward weight balance. I definitely have a tendency to lean forward slightly at some times, and shift my weight too far back onto my heels at other times. Some reps feel great. It's just inconsistent. I'll keep working on it.

    Pendlay Row
    85 x 10
    125 x 8
    125 x 9
    Repeat
    Despite failing to hit all of the reps, I kept my form tight throughout, which is something I've struggled with in the past as I neared failure.

    Leg Curl
    90 x 10
    130 x 10
    130 x 10
    Increase to 95 / 135

    Tricep Pushdown
    32.5 x 10
    47.5 x 10
    47.5 x 10
    Increase to 37.5 / 52.5

    Hammer Curl
    15 x 10
    22.5 x 10
    22.5 x 10
    Increase to 17.5 / 25

    Comments:
    Not much to say about today's session. Everything went well. My work pace was good and steady, finishing in less than an hour easily. All of the lifts went reasonably well. Not sure if I'll be able to lift on Friday since I may have another commitment that day. The weekend is a question mark also. I'll be traveling Mon-Thurs next week, with no gym access whatsoever. There's an outside chance I'll be able to lift on both Friday and Sunday, or this could have been my last session for over a week. We'll see what happens...
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  19. #109
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    Heavy - 4x5
    Deadlift
    155 x 5
    225 x 5
    225 x 5
    265 x 2
    Increase to 235
    The work sets at 225 were no problem at all. Bumped it up to 265 for 3 more reps, but my grip failed. I'm pretty surprised by how poor my grip has gotten after about a month of not deadlifting. I'm planning to stick to a double overhanded grip and allow my grip strength to limit my weights for a while, since I'll sometimes be deadlifting twice a week. Trying to limit the stress on my lower back for now.

    Bench Press
    75 x 5
    90 x 5
    130 x 5
    130 x 5
    135 x 3
    140 x 3
    Increase work sets to 135
    130 was easy enough, as expected. Did a couple of 3 rep sets afterward with slightly increased weight. I'll be doing these additional sets at higher weights on my heavy days, based upon how I'm feeling at the time.

    Leg Press
    230 x 5
    270 x 5
    410 x 5
    410 x 5
    Increase to 430
    No extra work after the work sets. Still getting used to doing these, so I didn't want to overdo it. I could probably handle another 50 pounds at 5 reps, but I'll continue to increase slowly.

    Chin Up
    BW x 5
    BW x 5
    5 x 5
    10 x 6
    BW x 4
    Increase to BW / BW / 10 / 10
    Got a dip belt as planned. It helped out enormously. I've felt like a weakling doing them assisted, so I'm super pumped to finally be able to finally do weighted chins.

    Face Pull
    32.5 x 15
    32.5 x 15
    Increase to 37.5
    These felt noticeably easier today.

    Plank
    BW x 60 seconds
    BW x 90 seconds
    Increase to 75/90 sec

    Comments:
    I'm making good, steady progress right now on pretty much all lifts. The reduction from 8 to 6 lifts per day feels great. I have more energy to put into each lift, and don't feel like I'm losing anything. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what progress I can make over the next several months with this setup.

    Diet is going okay. My weight stayed essentially steady over the last week. This next week will be a challenge since I'll be away from home, and won't be able to cook my own meals (also won't have access to a gym during that time). I'm hoping I can tread water for another week, and then tighten up the diet a bit again. I may be getting to the point where I'll need to slightly decrease my calories to continue dropping weight, but I want to give it at least one more weeks at the current level and see how it goes. On the bright side, I've found some foods that I really enjoy eating, that are also quite healthy and compatible with a weight cutting phase. Been eating lots and lots of salmon, eggs, green beans, asparagus, pea pods, ground turkey, and mixing in some protein bars and coffee as my 'treats'. It's a diet I feel I can maintain comfortably for quite a long time.

    As I mentioned already, I won't be lifting for about a week, so the thread will be inactive for a while.
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  20. #110
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    Medium - 3x10

    Overhead Press
    50 x 10
    75 x 10
    75 x 5
    45 x 10
    Repeat
    I should've stopped earlier on my first work set. I went to about a 9 RPE and then had nothing left in the tank for the final set. I dropped it down to just the bar and did 10 more reps after about a 30 second rest to get in some more volume.

    Front Squat
    65 x 10
    90 x 10
    90 x 10
    Increase to 95
    All good here. I did a few reps of back squats w/90lbs immediately after. Gonna try to work in a few reps with light weights during each workout for a while and focus solely on getting comfortable with the movement.


    Pendlay Row
    85 x 10
    125 x 10
    125 x 10
    Increase to 130
    Made 3 more reps than last time, with a couple in the tank still.


    Leg Curl
    95 x 10
    135 x 10
    135 x 10
    Increase to 140
    These are starting to be pretty challenging now.


    Tricep Pushdown
    52.5 x 10
    52.5 x 10
    Increase to 57.5
    Had some discomfort in my right shoulder on the first set. The second set felt really good. Strange how that happens sometimes. It seems like something inside my shoulder joint gets slightly out of place. When that happens I'll feel some discomfort even with pretty light weights. Other times I can lift much more weight without feeling anything at all. I get the same thing when doing bench, OHP, squats, face pulls, chins. So pretty much everything, lol.


    Hammer Curl
    25 x 10
    25 x 10
    Increase to 25 / 30
    It going to be a challenge to increase weekly from now on, since I'll be jumping in 5lbs increments. I'll try increasing the weight on one set at a time and see how that goes.


    Comments:
    Just got back from my vacation yesterday. The diet wasn't very good, but I somehow managed to only gain 1 pound, so I'm pretty happy with that. I had an early flight back (had to be up at 3am to get to the airport), and only got a few hours sleep. As is usually the case, I felt pretty good yesterday despite the lack of sleep. It typically hits me the day after though, and my energy level has been low today. I had to take longer than normal rests between some of the sets because I was struggling. I'm surprised I only failed on my first lift of the day. Was pleasantly surprised at the improvement on Rows.

    I've been watching a lot of videos and doing a lot of reading about lifting over the last several months. Learning a lot. I've been working on planning my programming for the next several years. I'm still in the early stages, and don't really have any reason to jump into it in too much detail because I know that things can change quickly; I may encounter new ideas I hadn't been aware of, things could happen in my family, work life, or health that change things, etc. At the moment though, I'm really enjoying soaking up the information. My rough plan as of now is to continue with the program I'm running right now until I'm no longer progressing. I'm thinking I should be able to continue progressing in a relatively linear manner for several month yet, maybe longer. I still haven't figured out exactly how I'll know when I've reached end of the line, but at this point I guess I'm just trusting that I'll know. I have a pretty good idea of what I want to move on to when the time comes... Been learning a ton about 5/3/1. I've read the original book and Beyond front to back a couple of times each. I haven't decided whether I'll get Forever since I already have a good grasp of the system, AND a pretty good idea of how I'd want to run it initially. I'm really liking the Boring but Big assistance template. I think a good next step for me would be to run that with the version that has the assistance work being different than the core lift (Squat on Deadlift Day, OHP on Bench day, and visa versa). This will give me the 2x/Week frequency on the main lifts that I want to have still at the early intermediate stage. I'm the kind of person that generally like to stick to what's working for as long as it's working, and 5/3/1 seems like the kind of program that can work for a LONG time. I don't see any reason why I couldn't continue to see good progress with it for several years to come. But anyway, for now I'm happy with the progress I'm making, especially considering I'm in the middle of a cut. I'm looking forward to continuing as is for quite a while. Also happy to be confident about what direction I want to take my training in the future. And like I mentioned earlier, really enjoying learning a lot through books, articles, and videos.

    As of now, I'm planning to be back in the gym on Sunday for my Heavy day. Looking forward to some Deadlifts.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  21. #111
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout A
    Deadlift - 5x5
    115 x 5
    165 x 5
    185 x 5
    210 x 5
    235 x 5
    Increase top weight to 240
    Tried a hook grip. It helped enormously. Also hurts like hell, lol.

    Overhead Press - 5x5
    45 x 5
    65 x 5
    85 x 5
    85 x 5
    85 x 5
    Increase work weight to 90
    Solid effort here. Still experimenting a bit with hand placement. Started closer than normal on the first set, and widened it slightly each set. I feel much more comfortable with a wider grip. Not sure if it's doing my shoulders any favors though.

    Paused Back Squat - 3x5
    55 x 5
    80 x 5
    105 x 5
    Repeat
    Wanted to try this out to see if it helps pinpoint some issues with my squats. It definitely did. I'm pretty weak coming out of the hole, and particularly on the right side of my body. Found myself compensating for it even at this light weight. I'll continue doing this, and may supplement it with some bodyweight split squats on my right leg on off days to try to build up some strength.

    Chest Supported Rows - 2x10
    45 x 10
    45 x 10
    Increase to 50

    French Press - 2x10
    35 x 10
    35 x 10
    Repeat
    Last few reps were a struggle. I'll either repeat at the same weight or drop to 30, depending upon how I feel next time.

    Glute/Ham Raise
    BW x 4
    Just messed around with this since I've never used it before. It felt extremely awkward. I may try to get someone at the gym to help me out with it sometime, since if seemed like I didn't really have it setup correctly. Even with the few reps I did, I can see why people recommend these. I could feel it working the back side of my legs pretty good.

    Comments:
    Well, for anyone that's been watching my progress, you can see that I changed things up again, lol. I probably spent another 15 hours studying over the last couple of days, and made some more tweaks as a result. I noticed that my program is getting to be pretty similar to some of the popular beginner programs around here. I guess that's probably a good sign, though certainly not intentional.
    I came to the conclusion that there was no real benefit for me to be alternating reps schemes daily at this point. Also wanted to make sure that my 'core' and 'supplementary' lifts were setup more appropriately. I removed 1 supplementary lift from each day, since I want to really be focusing on the core lifts. I changed around some of my supplementary lifts as well, hoping to focus on some weak points rather than just picking something generic to hit a muscle without thinking about why. Here's a screenshot of my log sheet.
    A & B Workout.png

    Workout A
    Deadlift - 5x5 (ramping to 1 heavy set at the end, as can be seen in this post above)
    Overhead/Military Press - 5x5 (2 lighter sets, then 3 work sets)
    Paused Back Squat - 3x5 (ramping the weight up each set)
    Chest Supported Row - 2x10
    French Press - 2x10

    Workout B
    Front Squat - 5x5 (2 lighter sets, then 3 work sets)
    Bench Press - 5x5 (2 lighter sets, then 3 work sets)
    Chin Up - 3x5 (1 lighter set, then 2 work sets)
    Face Pull - 2x15
    Plank - 2xTimed
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  22. #112
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout B
    Front Squat
    55 x 5
    80 x 5
    105 x 5
    105 x 5
    105 x 5
    Increase to 110

    Bench Press
    65 x 5
    100 x 5
    135 x 5
    135 x 5
    135 x 3
    65 x 10
    Repeat
    The last rep on the 3rd set at 135 was nearing a 9 RPE. Extremely doubtful that I was going to hit 2 more reps. Dropped the weight significantly and did another easy 10 reps. I probably should've done at least 85 pounds on the last set. Oh well...

    Chin Up
    BW x 5
    10 x 5
    10 x 5
    BW x 5
    Repeat
    Final rep @10 lbs was around a 9 RPE. I'll keep the weight the same until I can get at least 1 or 2 extra reps.

    Face Pull
    37.5 x 15
    37.5 x 15
    Drop to 32.5
    Was a bit more difficult than I want this exercise to be. Dropping the weight next time to make sure I'm not sacrificing form to complete the reps. I'll increase once I'm able to complete all the reps at 32.5 a bit easier.

    Plank
    75 Seconds
    90 Seconds
    Increase to 90 / 90

    Extra Work
    Back Squat: 95 x 4
    Deadlift: 135 x 5
    Dip: BW x 3
    Glute/Ham Raise: BW x 5

    The back squats are purely to work on grooving good form. Watched video I took of myself doing the paused back squats a few days ago, and noticed some things I need to work on. My focus today was on keeping my weight balanced more even through my feet, and on leading more with my back than with my hips. It's feeling a bit more comfortable now. I did a bunch of Bulgarian Split Squats with only my right leg on my off day yesterday. It's super week, and I'm only able to do 4 or 5 before I REALLY start to struggle. Left leg is significantly stronger right now, so I'll continue the extra work for the right side.

    I also filmed my last deadlift session, and was surprised at how poor my form appears to be. My back feels flat, but doesn't look flat in the video. It's especially noticeable on the eccentric portion of the lift, so I wanted to do some light work focused on trying to improve that. I felt fine lifting the weight, but even at 135 lbs I felt like I didn't have great control of the bar on the way down, and felt like my back was rounding. I'll continue putting in some extra work at light weights.

    On the dips, I honestly just want to try them out. I've avoided doing them because of weakness and pain in my wrist and shoulder joints making them pretty uncomfortable. I still felt some discomfort (not pain, but a bit more of a stretch in my shoulders than I was comfortable with). It definitely wasn't as bad as it had been previously. I'm hopeful I'll actually be able to do this comfortably once I build up a little more strength in my shoulders. I'll continue doing them for low reps every now and then.

    I had one of the trainers at the club show me how to do Glute/Ham Raises. I ended up learning how to do normal back raises... I don't know what I expected, lol. I DID learn how to adjust the machine correctly though, which helped enormously. I was then able to do the exercise correctly, so it was worth it.
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  23. #113
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout A
    Deadlift - 5x5
    120 x 5
    170 x 5
    190 x 5
    215 x 5
    240 x 5
    Increase top weight to 245
    I may do Sumo style next time. It's been a while since I've done it, and I'd like to mix it in every now and then.

    Overhead Press - 5x5
    45 x 5
    70 x 5
    90 x 3
    90 x 4
    90 x 3
    Repeat
    The bar got out of position on the fourth rep of the first set at 90, or I would've had 4 reps for sure. Not a big deal though. I'll repeat w/the same weight next time. Not expecting to get all the reps, so I probably add a drop set at 70 lbs to get in some extra volume.

    Paused Back Squat - 3x5
    55 x 5
    80 x 5
    105 x 5
    Reduce to 95
    Pretty much the same story as last time. Completed all reps, but my right side fatigued and I was compensating for it slightly on the last couple of reps. I'm just going to drop the weight and work up pretty slowly. I'm sure it's going to take quite a while to build up the strength in my right leg. I've obviously been compensating for it pretty significantly, and I need to break that habit. I'll continue doing bodyweight split squats with my right leg on off day for the foreseeable future, and once I've built up a bit of strength I'll add then into my scheduled workout and start doing them weighted.

    Chest Supported Rows - 2x10
    50 x 10
    50 x 10
    Increase to 55

    French Press - 2x10
    35 x 10
    35 x 10
    Increase to 40
    Got through the reps a bit easier this time, so I'll bump up the weight slightly

    Comments:
    Nothing like shoveling after Deadlift day...
    Energy level was a bit low today. Probably because I've been short of sleep the last couple of days. Not a bad workout though. Just took slightly longer rests between sets.
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  24. #114
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    Workout B
    Front Squat - 5x5
    55 x 5
    80 x 5
    110 x 5
    110 x 5
    110 x 5
    85 x 5
    Increase to 115
    Solid reps. As the weight gradually increases, I'm beginning to notice the right side weakness that's been impacting by back squats. I'm just going to focus on keeping the weight balanced between my legs and progress as best I can.

    Bench Press - 5x5
    65 x 5
    80 x 5
    100 x 5
    135 x 5
    135 x 5
    135 x 5
    140 x 3
    145 x 3
    Increase to 140
    I have no idea what happened, but this felt freaking fantastic today. I felt like I had more than 1 rep in reserve on every set. Huge improvement over last time. I think I can partially chalk it up to increased focus on the ramping sets. I made sure that my body was in a good position, my hands were placed correctly, and I was being as explosive as possible. My progress on this lift over the last couple of months has been tremendous. I'm no longer worried about hurting myself because of my form, and I'm not able to really put some force into it. Actually, it probably helped that I did his as my first lift of the day since the squat rack wasn't open. My squats ended up being fourth, without any noticeable difference in strength. I'll see how it goes next time (with doing squats first), and potentially look into swapping the order if there turns out to be a big difference. Working weight will go up to 140 next time.

    Chin Up - 3x8
    BW x 7
    BW x 7
    BW x 7
    Repeat
    The 5 reps per set I've been doing has felt like too little volume. I'm going to aim for a minimum of 8 reps from now on. I felt kind of weak on the lift today. Expected to get 8 reps on the first couple of sets, but that didn't happen. I'll repeat at bodyweight again next time.

    Face Pull - 2x15
    32.5 x 15
    32.5 x 15
    Increase to 37.5 / 32.5
    Felt good today. Form was flawless on all reps, and I didn't feel overly fatigued. The jump up to 37.5 feels pretty big for me still. Next time I'll do one set @32.5 and one @37.5.

    Plank 2xTimed
    90 Seconds
    90 Seconds
    To 105 / 60
    Have I mentioned how much I dislike plans recently? lol. They suck... I'll increase the first set to 105 seconds, and then see how long I can go on the second set. Still planning to work my way up to 2 sets for 2 minutes, and then start adding weight.

    Extra Work
    Dips: BW x 5
    Bulgarian Split Squat (right leg only): 10lbs x 5
    The dips felt pretty good today. I feel like I'm to the point that I have enough upper body strength to do these without putting too much stress on my joints.
    Went as deep as possible on the split squats, and focused on initiating the upward movement with my glutes & hamstrings, since they've seemed to be my weak point. I tired out quickly. Just gonna keep at these consistently for a while.

    Comments:
    Not much else to say about the workout. My diet needs to get tightened up right now. With the holidays and traveling, I've basically maintained my weight, which isn't the worst thing ever. I'm a bit disappointed about this last week though. I had a couple of doughnuts that I didn't really need, and added in some snacks here and there even though I wasn't particularly hungry at the time. I have to cut those unnecessary items out so I don't prolong this cut too much. This weekend may be a challenge with new years eve, but after that I'll dial it back in and get back on track again before I create any bad diet habits. I'll probably be back in the gym on Tuesday.
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  25. #115
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    Workout A
    Overhead Press - 5x5
    45 x 5
    70 x 5
    90 x 4
    90 x 4
    90 x 4
    65 x 6
    Repeat
    A 2 rep increase here. Not bad. I probably had at least 1 rep in reserve on each of the sets at 90lbs.

    Sumo Deadlift - 5x5
    125 x 5
    160 x 5
    195 x 5
    220 x 5
    245 x 5
    255 x 4 (extra set)
    Increase top weight to 250
    Did Sumo Deadlifts for the first time in forever. They felt fantastic. When I'd done them before they always felt a bit awkward, but felt like the most natural thing ever today. Weird... I felt much more explosive off the floor, and made all of the reps pretty easily. I liked that it was a little easier on my lower back. I want to keep working on both styles. I'll probably go back to conventional next time.

    Chin Up - 3x10
    BW x 9
    BW x 8
    BW x 9
    Repeat
    This was a 5 rep increase from last time. Super happy with that obviously. I'll continue at bodyweight until I'm able to do more than 30 reps total.

    French Press - 2x10
    35 x 12
    35 x 12
    Increase to 45
    Well...I found out that the EZ Curl bars jump in 10lbs increments, so I wasn't able to do it at 40lbs like I had planned. I still had a few reps left in me with 35 even after doing 12 on each set, so I'll try it with 45 next time.

    Plank - 2xTimed
    105 Seconds
    60 Seconds
    Increase to 105 / 75


    Comments:
    Had lots of energy to start the session today. It was probably the freshest I've been in a while. My energy crashed pretty quickly after each of the final 2 sets of Deadlift, which is why I stopped even though I could've done 1 or 2 more sets with 10 pound increases. I may end up changing Planks to my other day, just because my core was pretty shot after doing deadlifts. Not sure if it'll be any easier on Squat day though, lol. The program is feeling really good. I have more energy on my primary exercises, and still seem to be getting enough accessory work in. Feels like everything is on point right now.
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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  26. #116
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout B
    Front Squat - 5x5
    55 x 5
    85 x 5
    115 x 5
    115 x 5
    115 x 5
    125 x 3 (Extra Set)
    135 x 2 (Extra Set)
    Increase to 120
    Still feeling weak on the right side. I suppose it's going to take quite a while before that imbalance goes away. I changed up my cadence, speeding up the descent a bit, and being as explosive as possible on the way up. Seemed to help a bit, but I still struggled on the last few reps. It's such a small amount of weight to be struggling with, but there's nothing to be done about but to continue grinding away and pushing myself.

    Bench Press - 5x5
    70 x 5
    85 x 5
    140 x 5
    140 x 4
    140 x 3
    115 x 6 (Extra Set)
    Repeat
    The fourth rep on the second work set got a bit sloppy, and was probably a 9+ RPE. Stopped after three reps on the following set with 1-1.5 reps in reserve. I expect to get pretty close to hitting the reps next time, but I'll keep it conservative to make sure I don't have any breakdown in form.

    Chest Supported Row - 3x8
    45 x 8
    55 x 8
    55 x 8
    Increase to 60
    Changing from 5 reps to 8 reps, I decided to drop the weight 10lbs, back to 45. That turned out to be much easier than expected, so I bumped it back up to 55 and completed the next two sets easily.

    Face Pull - 2x15
    37.5 x 15
    32.5 x 13
    Decrease to 32.5
    Wore myself out on the first set, and didn't have enough energy left to hit the reps on the second.

    Hammer Curl - 2x10
    30 x 7
    30 x 6
    Decrease to 25
    Not even close to 10 reps. I'll drop back down to 25 and stay there until I'm able to do 14-15 reps.

    Extra Work
    Back Squat: 115 x 3 (done right after I finished front squats)
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  27. #117
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout A
    Overhead Press - 5x5
    45 x 5
    70 x 5
    90 x 5
    90 x 4
    90 x 5
    65 x 8 (extra set)
    Repeat
    Another 2 rep increase. My grip was probably a bit too wide on the second work set, otherwise I think I would've hit all the reps. I should make it next time.

    Deadlift - 5x5
    125 x 5
    165 x 5
    200 x 5
    225 x 5
    250 x 5
    275 x 3 (extra set)
    Increase top weight to 255

    Chin Up - 3x10
    BW x 8
    BW x 8
    BW x 8
    Repeat

    French Press - 2x10
    35 x 15
    35 x 15
    Increase to 45
    Decided to stick with 35 for one more session. Another huge increase, with 6 more reps than last time.

    Plank - 2xTimed
    105 Seconds
    75 Seconds
    Increase to 105 / 90

    Extra Work
    Bulgarian Split Squat (right leg only): 20lbs x 10 / 50lbs x 5

    Comments:
    Solid effort today. OHP felt good. I've usually had discomfort in my right shoulder on this lift, but today was basically painless, which was really nice. I struggle with pretty much everything after Deadlifts. I may need to reduce the number of sets I'm doing, or reduce the number of reps in some of the earlier sets. Not sure yet...I may keep it as is for another session and see how it goes.
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  28. #118
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
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    Workout B
    Bench Press
    70 x 5
    105 x 5
    140 x 5
    140 x 5
    140 x 5
    115 x 6 (Extra Set)
    Increase
    Not sure if I had another rep in me at 140. The last one didn't move easily, but I really didn't want to stop one rep short when I was pretty sure I'd be able to do it (typically been trying to leave a minimum of 1 rep in reserve). Curious to see how many reps I'll be able to do at 145

    Front Squat
    70 x 5
    90 x 5
    120 x 5
    120 x 5
    120 x 5
    85 x 10 (Extra Set)
    Increase to 125
    Still struggling to even out my imbalances on squats. My left glute was shot after finishing my squats, which tells me that I'm still primarily relying upon the left side of my body. I'll talk about this a bit in the comments at the end.

    Chest Supported Row
    60 x 8
    60 x 8
    60 x 8
    Increase to 65
    Still relatively easy. I"m going to continue increasing at 5 pound increments though.

    Face Pull
    32.5 x 18
    32.5 x 18
    Repeat
    I'll probably keep the weight the same until I get up to 20 reps on both sets.

    Hammer Curl
    25 x 10
    25 x 10
    Repeat
    I could only track down one 25 pound dumbbell, lol. Ended up doing 10 reps for each arm consecutively rather than alternating like I typically do. It actually worked out pretty well. It was a struggle to complete the reps, where it had been probably a bit too easy the other way.

    Extra Work
    Split Squat: 25 x 7 / 35 x 10
    Glute/Ham Raise: BW x 8


    Comments:
    As mentioned above, still having issues with my imbalances when squatting. I believe this all stems from some knee issues I had on right leg when I was younger. I did a lot of water sports, and did what seems to have been some permanent damage to my knees (knee boarding and wake boarding were both pretty hard on my legs). I remember being nervous about my right knee just totally giving out, causing me to fall down. It would occasionally give out randomly when I was going up or down stairs, for example, or even just when walking on a rare occasion, so I had reason to be wary. As a result, whenever I was standing for any length of time, I'd purposely put most of my weight on my left leg. I've noticed that I still have that habit, even though my right knee is much healthier and stronger than it was at that time. It's pretty much an unconscious habit at this point. Even though I think about it and try to maintain even balance when squatting, I find myself leaning towards my left leg repeatedly. On top of it being largely a habit, I still have that lingering fear of my right knee giving out, or of doing some damage to it (it does crack pretty regularly when doing the lift, but I've never felt anything painful or really concerning. It's just a mental thing). So anyway...I believe that's the root cause of my issue. As I was walking to my car after my session today, I noticed that I even walk with my weight more centered over my left leg, and when stepping with my right leg I almost feel like I'm walking on it like people usually do on injured legs (gingerly, and transferring my weight back to the other side a bit quicker than would be normal). This is despite the fact that both knees are feeling pretty damn good. It's just habit at this point. Which means that it's going to take a major effort on my part to resolve this issue. It's not just a squatting issue, it's an issue in general, which becomes more apparent when squatting. I'm going to need to retrain myself to stand and walk in a more balanced way. When I'm squatting, I'm probably going to need to exaggerate in the opposite direction if I'm going to have any hope of fixing it (shifting my weight so that it actually favors my right leg). And it needs to be fixed. There's no good reason for me to be favoring one leg when they're both healthy. And so ends my squatting bitch session for the week, lol. Tune in next time...
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  29. #119
    Work in Progress CW47's Avatar
    Join Date: Jun 2016
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    Workout A
    Overhead Press
    45 x 5
    70 x 5
    90 x 5
    90 x 5
    90 x 5
    100 x 3 (extra set)
    Increase to 95
    Felt pretty good today. Finally increasing the weight.

    Deadlift
    125 x 5
    165 x 5
    200 x 5
    230 x 5
    255 x 5
    Increase top weight to 260
    All of the reps moved pretty smoothly. I didn't have anything left after the final set though. I'll reduce to 3 sets of 5 next time (One at working weight, with two lighter sets at 60 & 80%). This should allow me to be more fresh for my work set, and give me more flexibility to decide if I want to do either lighter or heavier follow-up sets, or just stop at the three sets if I'm spent.

    Chin Up
    BW x 9
    BW x 9
    BW x 9
    Repeat
    Completed one extra rep on each set. The final rep was a grind, and I probably didn't have another rep in me. Continuing at bodyweight until I get to at least 30 reps total. It'll probably take a few more sessions.

    French Press
    45 x 10
    45 x 10
    Repeat
    I felt like I had about 3 reps in reserve on the first set, but the second set was a grind to get to 10. Gonna follow the same process (work up to 30 reps total before increasing).

    Plank
    105 Seconds
    90 Seconds
    Increase to 105 / 105
    Ouch

    Extra Work
    No extra work today

    Comments:
    Feeling a bit under the weather today. My voice is totally and completely gone, and I'm feeling a little wore down. Nothing catastrophic, and I didn't even think about skipping the session, but I was wore out by the end of it. Hopefully it's just a fast passing bug and I'll still be able to lift on Friday.

    Diet-wise, I'm struggling a bit. I do great during the week, then struggle on the weekend. I'm constantly getting dragged to buffets and restaurants, and even though I don't get crazy with the amount of food I'm eating, it ends up equalizing the work I do during the week. I think I'd still be able to make progress if I knew about the eating plans ahead of time so I could adjust the rest of my meals for the day accordingly. I'm dealing with a young lady that's allergic to planning things ahead of time though, lol. Anyway, the end result is that I've mostly been maintaining weight for the last several weeks. Weighed in at just over 168lbs this morning, which is down 10lbs from my starting weight. Still planning to cut to at least 155, so the scale needs to start moving in the right direction quickly. The one reason I'm not freaking out about it too much is that I'm seeing progress in the mirror. I'm pretty sure my bodyfat is continuing to drop, because I'm definitely seeing more muscle over the last month or so. Still, I'd rather be dropping the weight even if it means losing a small amount of muscle. My bodyfat% is still much too high (probably mid to upper 20's). Just gonna keep at it. Keep turning that flywheel.
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  30. #120
    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
    85 x 13 (Extra Set - Close Grip)
    Repeat
    I'm starting to feel more comfortable doing this with a slightly narrower grip. It puts less stress on my shoulders (obviously) and wrists. Strengthening my triceps has made a huge difference, because I don't feel such a huge difference in the amount of weight I can handle like I did initially.

    Leg Press
    180 x 5
    270 x 5
    360 x 5
    450 x 5
    450 x 5
    450 x 5
    Wasn't able to get in a squat rack at all, despite the fact that it wasn't very busy. I'll hopefully be able to go back to doing Front Squats next time, but got a decent workout for my legs anyway.

    Chest Supported Row
    65 x 8
    65 x 8
    65 x 8
    Increase to 70

    Face Pull
    32.5 x 18
    32.5 x 18
    Increase to 37.5

    Hammer Curl
    25 x 12
    25 x 10
    Repeat
    I've been supersetting the face pulls and curls, and my arms are pretty exhausted by the time I'm done. I'll probably adjust my supplemental lifts a bit so I'm a little fresher for all of them. Just going to move some of them to different days.


    Comments:
    Energy level was still slightly low, but not bad. Didn't do any extra work at all today. I was pretty disappointed that I wasn't able to get into a squat rack, but whatcha gonna do...
    The Flywheel Effect - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=172103043
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