2018! New Year, New Thread! PART 3: Still trying to achieve Super Saiyan!

[sooby]

Hey guys, decided to make a new journal to represent a new start for me. These past few years have been a mixed bag overall so I want to rededicate myself to gaining strength on the big 3 as well as building muscle and ideally as injury free as humanly possible.

Cliffs of my journey:

- Started lifting about 3 years ago
- Done programs such as Starting Strength, Fierce 5, Candito 6 week, Texas Method, my own chit, etc
- Fluctuated anywhere from 165-200 lbs
- Suffered a bad lower back injury in November 2016 that kept me out of squats/deadlifts for awhile
- Also other injuries such as a rib injuries and other minor injuries that made 2017 a complete write-off for me
- But probably also wasted my time on lengthy/bad cuts and bad programming decisions
- Rehabbed/strengthened the fuk out of my lower back/abs, now working on SLOWLY bringing up my squats/deadlifts
- Best lifts ever: 225 x 5 bench, 345 x 3 squat, 390 x 3 deadlift, 135 x 6 OHP (around 180-185 lbs maybe)

But enough of the past, let's talk about the current and future.

- Currently cutting right now for about a month, around 180 lbs, plan to get down to 160-170, depending on how the cut progresses
- Current lifts: 225 x 3 bench?, 245 x 5 squat, 255 x 5 deadlift, 115 x 11 OHP (I do have a lot more in the tank on squats and DLs but progressing slowly)
- Goal is to make 2018 injury free, achieve a 300 bench, 400 squat, 450 deadlift at a BW of 170 lbs 13-14% BF (lofty goals but I think I can do it)
- Will also prioritize certain body parts such as lateral delts and forearms for my accessories, which I have not done before
- Will also run Kizen's offseason program after i'm done cutting, really like the lay out of it

[sooby]

I start a new cycle on Friday, this is how my routine is looking like. Not much different from what i've been running for awhile except with the addition of tricep pressdowns. As I get deeper into my cut I may superset some of my accessories to save time and burn more calories (i.e biceps/triceps/face pulls and, back extensions/abs/lateral raises). Other than that, no rhyme or reason for it.

Upper A - Friday

Bench Press - Template
Incline DB Press - 3x12-15
Machine Rows - 5x5
Pull-Ups - 20 reps
Face Pulls - 4x20
Machine Preacher Curls - 4x12-15
Tricep Pressdown - 4x12-15

Lower A - Saturday

Squats - 5x5
RDL - 3x8
Ab Roller - 3x10
Leg Extension - 2x12-15
Leg Curls - 2x12-15
Back Extensions - 2x10-13
Lateral Raises - 4x12-15

Upper B - Monday

Bench Press - Template
Overhead Press - Template
Machine Rows - 5x5
Pull-Ups - 20 reps
Face Pulls - 4x20
Machine Preacher Curls - 4x12-15
Tricep Pressdown - 4x12-15

Lower B - Wednesday

Deadlifts - 3x5
Squats - 3x10
Ab Roller - 3x10
Leg Extension - 2x12-15
Leg Curls - 2x12-15
Back Extensions - 2x10-13
Lateral Raises - 4x12-15

[WolfRose7]

All the way in

[wowter]

Balls deep in this.

Welcome back brahh

[sooby]

All the way in

Balls deep in this.

Welcome back brahh

my first two followers! mah ninjas

[ardee2124]

[sooby]

C1W1D1 - Upper A
Weight - 180.8 lbs

Bench Press - 167.5 lbs x 5/5/5/5/5
Felt pretty good, not too difficult, not too easy.

Overhead Press - 97.5 lbs x 7/7/7/7/5
Started to get a bit more difficult towards the end, not in any danger of failing though.

Pendlay Rows - 105 lbs x 5/5/5/5/5
Decided to do these instead of chest supported rows, I think the chest supported rows started eventually hurting my ribs a bit as I started getting heavier.

Pull-Ups - +5 lbs x 5/5/5/5
Face Pulls - 40 lbs x 15/15/15/15
Machine Preacher Curls - 55 lbs x 12/12/12/8
Tricep Pushdowns - 65 lbs x 15/15/15/7


Additional NOTES: Good first day of the cycle overall, nothing too difficult. Still cold as fuk outside. What i've actually been starting to do is walk up the stairs all the way to the 28th floor in my apartment. It's actually tiring as fuk. Good conditioning I guess.

[wowter]

Fking hell 28 flights of stairs. Good on you mate but damn

[sooby]

Fking hell 28 flights of stairs. Good on you mate but damn

More like 24 because we don't have 4, 13, 14 and 24th floors because of dat dere feng shui and superstition, but still. I think I might actually tone it down a bit, I was literally dying after walking that many floors and my quads and glutes got a pump like no other.

[sooby]

C1W1D2 - Lower A
Weight - 180.6 lbs

Squats - 245 lbs x 5/5/5/5/5
Starting to get into real weights! Eventually got to a RPE 7-8. Can't really tell honestly, I suck with RPE on squats. It's just one of those lifts that starts to burn your legs and quads and you have to fight through it. Still felt good though, I feel like I do have more in the tank.

RDL - 155 lbs x 8/8/8
Ab Roller - 50 lbs x 10/10/10
Back Extensions - 30 lbs x 10/10
Leg Curls - 120 lbs x 12/12
Leg Extensions - 120 lbs x 12/12
Lateral Raises - 10 lbs x 12/12/12/12

Additional NOTES: Another good workout, was pretty tiring though.

[sooby]

C1W1D2 - Upper B
Weight - 180.6 lbs

Bench Press - 145 lbs x 8/8, 155 lbs x 6/6, 190 lbs x 8
Meh, was hoping to get 10 reps on 190 lbs but that might be a bit too optimistic considering this is my 2nd day benching from taking a break. Good news is that the shoulder feels really good. Never gonna give up face pulls ever again. Another good sign was is that 190 lbs felt light initially and then my arms I think just gassed out, sort of indicating that I just need to get some more reps in.

Pendlay Rows - 120 lbs x 5/5/5/5/5
Meant to do 110 lbs but my math was off. W/e fuk it. Felt really light, will up it to 125 lbs next session.

DB Incline Press - 45 lbs x 12/12
Pull-Ups - 5 lbs x 5/5/5/5
Face Pulls - 30 lbs x 15/15/15/15
Machine Preacher Curls - 55 lbs x 12/12/12/7
Tricep Pressdown - 65 lbs x 12/12/12/7

Additional NOTES: Very good session overall, felt pretty strong. Bench will hopefully increase next week, if it doesn't, w/e. What I might start doing is on my deload week is work up to some heavy triples to test strength but also preserve strength. Sounds like a good idea no? Nothing too fancy honestly, maybe 90% 1RM for a triple? It'll also allow me to gauge where my squats and deadlift is at. Maybe not 90% for those because god knows what my 90% is but at least a bit heavier as to bring the lower back up to speed.

[wowter]

Strong bench. Nice that the shoulder is holding up well.

[TnTNZ]

I approve of your views and am subscribing to your newsletter

[sooby]

Strong bench. Nice that the shoulder is holding up well.

haha thanks

I approve of your views and am subscribing to your newsletter

thanks, glad to have you on board!

[sooby]

was supposed to deadlift yesterday but honestly was too bed ridden to do anything.


not completely better today, but I will give it a shot!

[MoldyPancakes]

All the way in

I am all the way as well

[sooby]

I am all the way as well

sweet, reds welcome as well no judgment!

[sooby]

C1W1D4 - Lower B
Weight - 180.6 lbs

Deadlifts - 205 lbs x 5, 235 lbs x 5, 265 lbs x 5
Decided to put the belt on, no particular reason, just felt like it to get used to it. Still used double overhand grip and managed to do it despite the bar slipping from my hands.

Squats - 165 lbs x 10/10/10
Oh man the cardio!

Ab Wheel - 50 lbs x 10/10/10
Back Extensions - 30 lbs x 10/10
Leg Extensions - 110 lbs x 12/12
Leg Curls - 120 lbs x 12/12
Lateral Raises - 10 lbs x 12/12/12/12

Additional NOTES: Still feeling under the weather but honest I didn't feel like it impacted the quality of this workout. Still improving slowly but steadily.

[sooby]

C1W2D1 - Upper A
Weight - 179.2 lbs

Bench Press - 165 lbs x 5/5/5/5/5
Felt pretty good

Overhead Press - 105 lbs x 6/6/6/6
Got pretty heavy towards the end

Pendlay Rows - 125 lbs x 5/5/5/5/5
Pull-Ups - 5 lbs x 5/5/5/5
Machine Preacher Curl - 55 lbs x 13/13/13/7
Tricep Pressdown - 65 lbs x 13/13/13/9

Additional NOTES: Pretty good workout.

[sooby]

C1W2D2 - Lower A
Weight - 179.6 lbs

Squats - 250 lbs x 5/5/5/5/5
Felt pretty good, better than last week, feel like I have a lot of room for improvement here.

RDL - 160 lbs x 8/8/8
Ab Wheel - 50 lbs x 10/10/10
Back Extensions - 30 lbs x 11/11
Leg Extension - 110 lbs x 13/13
Leg Curls - 120 lbs x 13/13
Lateral Raises - 10 lbs x 13/13/13/13

Additional NOTES: Still feeling under the weather, meh, suffering from the winter blues lol. Cold as sht outside, feeling really stuffy, cutting at the same time, just lol. But these workouts still going strong and I'm happy for that.

[wowter]

Nice work. Getting some good weight on the bar again.

[sooby]

Nice work. Getting some good weight on the bar again.

thanks, tryna get that 3 plate squat!

[sooby]

C1W2D3 - Upper B
Weight - 180.6 lbs


Bench Press - 145 lbs x 8/8, 155 lbs x 6, 180 lbs x 4/4, 190 lbs x 7
Meh, I got one rep less than last week on the top set. I hate how my bench goes to crap no matter what when I'm cutting. But honestly though as long as I can make strides on my squat and deadlift hopefully things will come together eventually

DB Incline Press - 45 lbs x 13/13

Pendlay Rows - 135 lbs x 5/5/5/5/5
Meant to do 130 lbs but honestly I was just too lazy to slap on multiple plates so I put a 45 on each side. No big deal, wasn't too tough anyway.

Pull-Ups - 5 lbs x 5/5/5/5
Face Pulls - 30 lbs x 15/15/15/15
Tricep Pushdown - 65 lbs x 13/13/13/6
Machine Preacher Curl - 55 lbs x 13/13/13/6

Additional NOTES: Kind of pissed that I didn't get at least 8 on the bench. I hate how hard bench feels on a cut. Honestly I'll probably only cut down to 170 this time around. I've been tracking but a bit unhappy with my rate of weight-loss, only lost like 4 lbs in 6 weeks and kinda hate how much my bench has gone down. But, I did have that shoulder injury that kinda derailed things even though it was only for two weeks. I guess no choice but just to put my head on the grindstone and keep working. After my cut like I said, I'll try out Kizen's Infinite Offseason. It's time to do something new since obviously there are some things that I've been doing that haven't been working. But I think first and foremost I have to make it a goal to lift injury free throughout most of the process. I think quite honestly though I may respond better to lower reps on the bench press, not sure though. If I could get a few months of solid consistent benching on a bulk I will know for sure.

[sooby]

C1W2D4 - Lower B
Weight - 178.8 lbs

Deadlifts - 215 lbs x 5, 245 lbs x 5, 275 lbs x 5
Wasn't too happy with form, I think I was concentrating too much on keeping the bar from slipping on my hands. So about 275 is about my limit for double overhand before my form starts to break down a bit, not too bad TBH.

Squats - 170 lbs x 10/10/10
These feel like hella cardio lol. Not heavy at all but then the legs start to feel like jelly. Pretty sad that my 10RM for bench is probably higher than my 10RM for squats haha. I guess I just have to push through the pain for these.

Ab Wheel - 50 lbs x 10/10/10
Back Extension - 30 lbs x 11/11
Leg Curls - 120 lbs x 13/13
Leg Extension - 110 lbs x 13/13
Lateral Raises - 10 lbs x 13/13/13/13

Additional NOTES: Pretty good workout, no complaints here, things still going up steadily.

[sooby]

C1W3D1 - Upper A
Weight - 180.2 lbs

Bench Press - 177.5 lbs x 6/6/6, 200 lbs x 3/3/3/3
First 3 sets felt kinda difficult ish, the triples definitely felt better although still difficult.

Overhead Press - 112.5 lbs x 5/5/5
Not too bad TBH, happy with these

Pendlay Rows - 140 lbs x 5/5/5/5/5
Still fairly easy-ish

Pull-Ups - 5 lbs x 5/5/5/5
Machine Preacher Curls - 55 lbs x 14/14/14/5
Tricep Pushdown - 65 lbs x 14/14/14/10

Additional NOTES: Overall good workout. Gonna hit some heavy squats today though.

[sooby]

C1W3D2 - Lower A
Weight - 179.6 lbs

Squats - 255 lbs x 5/5/5/5/5
Damn these feeling kind of heavy, wouldn't classify any of the reps as a "true grinder" but they are heavy on my back. 5x5 is pretty tough so yeah. Right now I would estimate I could do 275 for a 5 rep max but I could be underestimating myself.

RDL - 165 lbs x 8/8/8
Ab Wheel - 50 lbs x 10/10/10
Leg Extension - 110 lbs x 14/14
Leg Curl: - 120 lbs x 14/14
Back Extension - 30 lbs x 12/12
Lateral Raises - 10 lbs x 14/14/14/14

Additional NOTES: Good workout, glad to see my back is holding up on squats, I do get a bit of soreness in the hips but hopefully it isn't indicative of anything.

[sooby]

C1W3D3 - Upper B
Weight - 179.2 lbs

Bench Press - 140 lbs x 8/8, 155 lbs x 6, 175 lbs x 4, 200 lbs x 2, 210 lbs x 2, 190 lbs x 7
Bench Press actually felt pretty good. The top set of 210 lbs felt alright, could have possibly squeezed another rep or two. I tried widening my grip a little bit (pinky outside the first ring) and it felt better. I feel like in the long run it will be better for gains on my bench due to the reduced ROM and more chest involvement. I feel like I have stronger triceps and a weaker chest. I think the main thing is I have to learn to explode better with this wider grip but once I do I feel like I will be golden.

Pendlay Rows - 145 lbs x 5/5/5/5/5
Pull-Ups - 5 lbs x 5/5/5/5
DB Incline Press - 45 lbs x 14/14
Face Pulls - 40 lbs x 15/15/15/15
Tricep Pressdown - 65 lbs x 14/14/14/12
DB Incline Curls - 25 lbs x 5/5/5/5 (per arm) - machine preacher curl broke so I did these instead.

Additional NOTES: Workout felt very good in general. I think my lower back got a pump after my squat workout a few days ago. I'm 90% sure it is a lower back pump at least but sometimes it can be hard to differentiate between an actual injury and just general soreness in the area. But I only really just started to go "heavy" on squats so I'm not surprised it is sore, although I do high bar and I feel like my form is pretty good. But will continue to monitor this and hopefully the soreness I get after squats goes away once I start getting used to heavier weights. Shoulder feeling good too, I think the wider grip ironically feels better on my shoulder.

[sooby]

C1W3D4 - Lower B
Weight - 177.6 lbs - lowest so far on this cut

Deadlift - 225 lbs x 5, 255 lbs x 5, 285 lbs x 5
Damn these are starting to take the wind out of me and feel heavy, but I guess I got to get used to this feeling and push through and be explosive. Really happy with my form on this one, decided to use straps for the top set.

Squats - 175 lbs x 10/10/10
Ho lee fuk my lungs were about to explode after these squats, and my legs were feeling like they were on thin ice.

Ab Roller - 55 lbs x 10/10/10
Weighted Back Extensions - 30 lbs x 13/13
Leg Curls - 120 lbs x 14/14
Lateral Raises - 10 lbs x 14/14/14/14

Reverse Lunges - 30s x 7/7 (per leg)
Leg Extension machine broken, decided to do these


Additional NOTES: Very good workout overall, definitely progressing and getting a lot stronger. The back and hips feels really good too.

[WolfRose7]

Sets of 10 Squats = no thank you XD.

Good job mate, keep it going

[wowter]

Looks like everything is going well in here, nice work. Also hard pass on 10’s on squats