Love the Pain -- Make the Barbell Cry!

[ECGordyn]

Hello all,

Getting close to a 1000 lb total, so it feels a little justified to start a workout journal to track the next big milestones. Working on a 4 plate squat, 3 plate bench, and 5 plate DL, all for reps by the end of the year. That would be about a 1330 lb total, hopefully qualifying me for a few bragging rights, or at least some self gratification if I make it there. Quick rundown of current stats, and brief bio of lifting experience.

Running Candito's 6-week strength program, in the middle of my third cycle. Been lifting regularly for almost two years, didn't have a program for a while, then got on a ULPPL (Viking's) around a year ago. I screwed myself a little by tinkering with the program (running PPLPPL, adding extra sets, and adding weight inconsistently). Stalled twice on squats and OHP, and switched to this program at the end of January this year to see what periodization could do to those stalls. So far I enjoy the combination of prescribed weights and reps on the big 3, and self-regulation on the accessory lifts. There's a variety of rep ranges throughout the program, from 10-12 to 1-2, which gives a full picture of what you're capable of within a cycle, and is also a little fun for testing different levels of strength. The focus by the end is on powerlifting, but the variety within the program makes it feel like well-rounded development.

Height 5'7", bodyweight 190 lbs, up from 135 lbs 2 years ago. Want to cut bodyfat at some point soon, but the focus now is on building strength.

Current 1RM lifts as of starting 3rd cycle on 4th April 2018 (estimated based on actual lifts and Candito's formula):
Squat: 325
Bench: 260
Dead: 395

Target 1RM lifts at end of 3rd cycle (May 2nd - 6th):
Squat: 350
Bench: 275
Dead: 425
1050 lb total!

Targets for the end of the year:
Squat: 440
Bench: 350
Dead: 540
1330 lb 1RM total

That would be repping a 4 plate squat, 3 plate bench, and 5 plate DL. I might hit that by October if my body works perfectly with the program, but I'll be safe and aim for the end of the year.

Right now I feel pretty intimidated, because even in this 3rd cycle those numbers seem like big jumps in squat and dead, especially since the weights are starting to feel more challenging. For example Saturday I did volume squats in week 2 at around 80% of my current max, and it felt like I couldn't breathe or think during the sets. FTR, week 2 has two volume days for legs, and the second day (Saturday) is the hardest. You have a max-rep set where you aim for 10 reps, and if you get all 10, then you get to do 10 sets of 3 reps with 1 minute rest between sets, weight reduced by 10 lbs. That max-rep 10 set is hard enough, and the first few sets of back-off squats feel like relief, but at around the 4th set you start to feel how brutal it is, and by the 7th or 8th set you want to die. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing the 10th set is the last one. But you just turn on machine mode and crank them out, sweat, grunt, pant, scream at the mirror, whatever you have to do, and it pays off. This volume week makes a solid jump to heavier weights in weeks 3-5.

After the squats, my DL variations (pause deadlifts) didn't go so great. I did 20 lbs less weight than I did on the previous cycle, and for some reason all week this weight has felt like a killer. It could be because the squats are more challenging this cycle. So I did a few extra sets of conv. DL for 5 reps at the same weight (275), and for fun I added a 10 second pause to the first rep of my last set. Finished off with 1 set of 2 at 315, then leg extensions and calves and GTFO of the gym.

15 April
Great sleep, about 9 and a half hours, and Sunday was upper day. Focus is on the major compounds, so I started with bench, then Pendlay row, then OHP, then lat pulldown. Candito gives you a choice of compounds, mostly varying between barbell and dumbbell, and then a choice of 2 accessories. I took pulldown because I don't want to hinder recovery by doing another compound at the end, and because I want a more lat-focused vertical pull to help with deads. Honestly, I start to feel gassed after heavy Pendlay rows, and pushing it on OHP takes most of the rest of my juice. Not much left over for pullups, so I p*ssy it out with pulldowns. A little p*ssy never hurt anyone, eh?

On bench I worked up to a top set of 215 x 6. :-/ Was going for 8 reps but just didn't make it. 6 is within the assigned rep range, so I don't have to reduce weight for the rest of the program, and that's encouraging I guess. On Pendlay, I pulled 215 for 10, 8, 8, then on OHP pressed 125 for 10, 10, 8. Was only supposed to do 10, 8, 6 on OHP, but the reps felt good so I pushed extra. Might pay for that on the next upper day, or it might kick up some new growth, but it felt good to do today. Finished with lat pulldowns, pec deck, concentration curls, and facepulls for shoulder health. Next week is higher intensity across the board, then heavier again in week 4, and finally test new 4-rep maxes in week 5 for the 1050 total. Some good opportunities to push towards that bigger total. 1330, say my f*king name!

[ECGordyn]

Upper body again to finish off week 2. Bench was prescribed at 205 lbs for max reps, I got 8. A little annoyed that I didn't get more, so I stripped down to 185 and did 3 more sets of 8. That weight felt so much better. Smooth, clean reps.

Next Pendlay row. I went a little lighter at 205, since tomorrow I do heavy squats and deads, and I want to keep my lower back strong for those. Solid reps anyway keeping better form than the higher weight I usually do.

OHP felt the best. I was set on 130 lbs for 10,8,6 reps, and nailed the first set. It felt like I might have had one last grinder in me, but I racked the bar and saved it. Next set nailed 8, and got that grinder for 9. Last set, form broke down a little on two reps, but f* it, I got what I came for more or less.

Lat pulldowns at pretty low intensity. Need those lats tomorrow for heavy deads. Pec deck, concentration curls, facepulls, and catch ya later.

[ECGordyn]

Today squats and deads as the meat and potatoes of day 1 week 3. Squat reps moved pretty good, 285 lbs for 3 sets of 4-6. I got 6 reps on all 3 sets. Filmed 2 sets and saw the last rep of each set was off a bit, so will have to stay focused on form a bit more for the future.

Deads did not feel good at all. Posted a form check vid over in the exercises section. Was going for 2 sets of 3-6 reps; got 4 in the first set, 3 in the second. It was the form, the weight, the fatigue after squats, something. Hopefully will hit everything for the rest of this cycle, so I don't have to reduce weight.

No accessories prescribed, but I did 2 back off sets of deads at 315 for 3, then 3 sets of leg extensions at 80 lbs, and recumbent bicycle for active recovery. Rest tomorrow.

[ECGordyn]

Pretty good upper session this morning. Bench 220 lbs for 3 sets of 4-6. I got 5, 5, 4, which keeps me on track. I get some arm pain inside my elbows sometimes on the negative when bench pressing heavy weight, feels like the brachioradialis. Wish it weren't there.

Pendlay row 225 lbs for 3 sets of 6. Was going to do 230 but kept the weight lower, and it felt beastly anyway. I did this weight last cycle but forgot how tough it is. Still, rowing 2 plates keeps me on par with my bench. Filmed 2 sets of these today and noticed that I rise up quite a bit, so will probably stay around this weight for future cycles until I can nail the form better.

OHP went the best. Pressed 140 lbs for 3 sets of 6, added a rep to the second set. Will go for 145 next upper day, Monday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw7ZYa7IiOY

Lat pulldown felt a little sloppy, should lower the weight a bit from 260 lbs. I use the Hammer Strength iso lateral lat pulldown machine for these, keeps me in place better since it's much harder to use the lower back for momentum. Next facepulls, and get outta there.

[Charbbakhos]

I ran canditos for a bit last year, are you finding the first upper day extremely fatiguing?

[ECGordyn]

I ran canditos for a bit last year, are you finding the first upper day extremely fatiguing?

Not at all. I find the lower days much harder.

How was your bench progress when you ran this program?

[ECGordyn]

Scheduled day off today, but I was feeling bored so I went to work out.

Squats 1 set of 290 for 4-6. Got 6, then added a set of 5 for a bit of extra volume. Squatting barefoot now, and it feels more solid for sure.

DL variation for 1 set of 8. I do pause deadlifts at 315. For some reason I just did not have the strength to do more than 5. Don't know what's up other than using too much weight. So I did a few extra sets of 5,4,2. Calf machine and outta there. Upper day on Monday to finish week 3.

[ECGordyn]

Upper day. Bench went poorly. Was set to do 225 for 3 sets of 4-6. First set I got 4, second set I got 3, so I threw some weights off the bar and did 220 for 2, then threw more off and did 185 for 6,8,8. Will be working with a different bench program from here on, heavy weight just doesn't feel right for me for bench.

Pendlay row at 235 for 6. Filmed 2 sets, and my form was not the most tidy. Plus, the last rep of the last 2 sets didn't touch my body, so I really need to drop weight on that one to keep more strict form. But rowing 2 plates + just feels so f*n good.

OHP 140 for 3 sets of 6. Almost went for 7 again but felt gassed after rows. Will save that extra push for week 5. Lat pulldown 260 3x6. Was supposed to stop there, but still felt annoyed about failing bench, so I added 3 sets of pec deck. Facepulls as always and off to eat.

[ECGordyn]

Good lower day. Squats for 290x3, 295x3, then 300x4. Should have been 300x3 but they felt so good I went for another one. Might have had 1 more rep in me.

DLs 315x8,8. Supposed to do 2 sets of 6, but again they felt good. It's amazing how your body has its own things going on that you aren't even aware of. Plan on a routine day then get a couple pleasant surprises. Let's hope I have it again on Saturday for much heavier DLs after heavier squats.

2 sets of leg press, 2 sets of lying ham curls, then calves. I like to add these accessories when I'm up for it, but sometimes the main lifts gas me so much that I can't do much with these. In the program, Candito makes clear that these are optional, and that if you want to just do squats and deads then you're free to go. But they feel good working the muscles in different ways. Tomorrow upper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdrrT8BhomM

[ECGordyn]

Bench 210x5,5,5,5. Will switch back to the Hammer Strength bench press, I always get this bad pain through my elbows on barbell bench.

Pendlay 215x10,10,8,6

OHP 125 12,11,9,8. Form broke down a bit on a couple reps. Was trying too much weight.

Lat pulldown 230x12,10,12,8

Pec deck 180x12,11,9,8

Facepulls 50x12,12,12

Heavy lower on Saturday.

[ECGordyn]

Squat 300x3. Felt heavy, added knee wraps and did 310x2. Might have had another rep but I'll follow the program as usual.

DL was absolute failure. I must have trained too heavy on Wednesday at 315x8,8. Today I was set to do 365x3, then 380x1-2. Warmed up, couldn't even get 365 for 1. Stripped down to 355, failed again, barely broke the floor. Stripped down again and got 335x1, then did 315x4. Total failure. Strange because I finished last cycle at 365x4. Moving forward, will be careful about training too heavy in the days before a heavy lift.

Test max squat on Wednesday, and max DL next Sunday. Tomorrow upper.

[ECGordyn]

Bench 225 4 sets of 10. Using the Hammer Strength iso lateral machine now with no problems in my arms.

Pendlay 205 x 10,10,8,6. Felt a bit heavy, but pretty good control of the reps. Really felt the lats pulling around the spine.

OHP 125 x 12,12,10,8. First set was the best, whole body felt locked in tight. Really fought for the last rep of the remaining sets, but got 'em all. F*k yeh, love this lift.

Pulldown on HS machine, pec deck, facepulls. Week 4 finished.

[ECGordyn]

Squat 320 x 5. YEAH! Hit the target for this cycle. Surpassed it actually, only needed 4 reps. Went for 6 but failed it.

Light deadlifts after, 275 x 4, 285 x 4, 295 x 3. Max DL day is Sunday, saving energy for that.

Leg press 410 x 10, 10, 10.

Glute ham raise bodyweight (190 minus whatever is braced on the pads) x 14, 14, 10.

Calf raises on machine, 320 x 14, 11, 10.

Cable crunches and leg raises to finish off.

[ECGordyn]

Basic upper day, nothing special. A bit tired from work but that's over with.

Bench 235 x 10, 10, 10, 8
Pendlay 235 x 8, 225 x 6, 6. First set felt horrible so dropped the weight.
OHP 145 x 5, 140 x 4, 135 x 3. Felt so heavy all through my body. I've done more but today no strength for it.
Pulldown 230 x 8, 6, 6.

Test max DLs on Sunday, then start next cycle on Wednesday.

[ECGordyn]

Not even gonna log yesterday's "peak DL session," it was that pathetic.

Upper today, starting 4th cycle of Candito strength program early.

Bench on Hammer Strength flat back IsoLat machine: 240 x 10, 8, 9, 8
Pendlay row: 210 x 10, 10, 8, 6
OHP: 120 x 12, 12, 10, 8
Pulldown on HS machine: 230 x 12, 12, 10, 8
Pecdeck: 180 x 10, 8, 6
Facepulls: 50 x 12, 12, 12

[ECGordyn]

Squat 285 x 6, 6, 6, 6. Felt heavy but I checked my vids of the sets and it looked like form held up, so I'm good to go.

DL 315 x 6, 6. Completely gassed after squats, but made 'em all.

Leg press 410 x 7, 6, 6. Usually hit around 10 of these per set but not today.

Lying ham curl 170 x 7, 7, 6.

Calf raise machine 320 x 12, 10, 10.

[ECGordyn]

Upper day.

Bench on Hammer Strength: 245 x 10, 9, 8, 8

Pendlay row: 215 x 10, 10, 8, 6

OHP: 125 x 12, 12, 10, 8

Lat pulldown on HS machine: 240 x 12, 12, 10, 8. Felt a bit too difficult so I should lower the weight for better form and contraction.

Pec deck, facepulls, concentration curls, and catch ya later.

[ECGordyn]

Lower yesterday.

Squat 250 x 8, 8, 8, 8. By the videos these reps moved quick and smooth.

DL 275 x 8, 8. For some reason these are starting to feel like I'm pulling with my back. I've always felt the leg drive but lately that's gone away. Need to work on form.

Leg press 410 x 6, 8, 10

Lying ham curl 170 x 10, 8, 6

Calf raise machine 320 x 14, 10, 10

[ECGordyn]

Upper today.

Bench on HS bench machine: 250 x 10, 9, 8, 7

Pendlay row: 215 x 10, 10, 8, 6

OHP: 125 x 12, 12, 10, 8

Pulldown on HS machine: 230 x 12, 9, 9, 8. These felt tough, but I kept the weight the same.

Pec deck, facepulls, and concentration curls.


Next week volume drops / intensity rises for upper body, lower body has much more volume. (Week 2 of Candito strength program is notoriously balls-to-the-wall f*king hard.) Will aim for heavier weight on these upper lifts, and just burn through all the volume on lower lifts.

[ECGordyn]

Week 2 of cycle 4. Lower days are hella beastly.

Squat
285 x 10. Max-rep 10 set, then move on to extra volume squats.
290 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, with 60 seconds rest between sets. Tried one of these sets without knee wraps, and man it was a grinder. I use the wraps to avoid knee pain, and they help with that, but they're pretty uncomfortable to leave on between sets, since I wrap them pretty tight. Next lower day this week, where I do 10 sets of 3, I'll just have to suck up the longer rest times to give my lower legs some more blood circulation.

Paused DL
275 x 8
285 x 8
275 x 8

Leg press 410 x 8, 8, 8

Lying ham curls 170 x 10, 9, 6

Calf raise machine 320 x 14, 11, 9

[ECGordyn]

HS bench machine: 255 x 8, 8, 9, 7

Pendlay 220 x 10, 8, 8

OHP 130 x 10, 8, 8. Supposed to do 10, 8, 6 but pushed two extra reps.

HS pulldown machine: 230 x 10, 8, 8. Same as OHP, pushed extra.

Pec deck, facepulls, and concentration curls to finish.

[ECGordyn]

Squat
290 x 10
280 x 10 sets of 3 reps

Pause DL
285 x 8
285 x 7
275 x 7

Leg extensions
80 x 12, 12, 12

Lying ham curls
170 x 10, 7, 5

Calf raise machine
320 x 14, 11, 9

Stretched for 10 min after.

Volume squat day is the hardest day in the whole program. You have a prescribed weight, about 80% of your 1rm, to do for 10 reps max. If you get all 10 reps, then you get to do 10 sets of 3 at 10 pounds less, with 60 seconds rest between sets. Doesn't sound that bad, but it feels fkn brutal. And then you do some volume deadlifts. Will sleep for 10 hours tonight.

[ECGordyn]

Bench
260 x 10, 8, 8, 7

Pendlay
220 x 10, 8, 8

OHP 135 X 10, 8, 6. Fk yeah motherfker! OHP used to be a grind, but in this program it consistently increases. Next week will go for 150 x 6, 6, 6.

Pulldown machine
240 x 10, 8, 6

Pec deck
180 x 12, 11, 7

Concentration curls
30 x 12, 10, 9

Facepulls
50 x 14, 12, 12

Thought I'd still be tired after volume squats the day before, but managed to have a pretty good workout.

[ECGordyn]

Upper day again to finish week 2.

Bench
265 x 9, 9, 8, 8

Pendlay
225 x 10, 8, 8

OHP
135 x 10, 9, 8. Supposed to do 10, 8, 6 but added more reps.

Pulldown
245 x 10, 9, 6. Same as OHP, again.

Pec deck
180 x 12, 11, 7

Facepulls
50 x 14, 12, 12

Concentration curls
30 x 12, 11, 10

Felt pretty good even though I was tired from hiking up a mountain for 2 and a half hours with girlfriend the day before. Tomorrow squats and deads.

[ECGordyn]

Squat
305 x 5, 5, 4. Really wanted 6 reps for all sets but I just didn't have 'em.

DL
345 x 2
335 x 2
315 x 5, 3
This was a mess. Was set to do 345 for 2 sets of 3-6. Bombed the first set so I reduced weight per the program instructions. Then pulled 2 reps at 335 so reduced it again for future training. Then did some reps at 315 just to feel my back and glutes and hams rip apart like I expected them to on leg day. Better than total failure I guess. My DL hasn't been good for a couple weeks now. Today's weight is almost the weight I was doing during the 2nd cycle, two months ago. I wonder what's up.

Leg extensions 80 x 12, 10, 12

[ECGordyn]

Upper day a day early. Felt bored so went to work out.

Bench
270 x 9, 7, 8, 8

Pendlay
245 x 6, 6, 6. Form was a bit sloppy as in I rose up quite a bit, but I touched each rep to my body.

OHP
150 x 6, 6, 6. Aw yeh.

Pulldown
270 x 6, 6, 6

[ECGordyn]

Been a little sick and dealing with tight legs, so I did an upper strength day.

Bench
270 x 6, 6, 6

Pendlay row
225 x 6, 6, 6

OHP
145 x 6, 6, 6

Pulldown
250 x 6, 6, 6

Hoping for better work on legs tomorrow.

[ECGordyn]

Squat
285 x 6, 6, 6

DL
315 x 6, 6

Leg press
410 x 8, 8, 8

GHR
bodyweight x 8, 8, 8

Calf raise machine
300 x 14, 10, 10

Back after sick for 4 days. Had some nasty microbes take a tour through my guts. Decided I'll actually cut for a couple weeks since I was pretty much forced to diet this past week. First cut so I will monitor strength, progress, and weight & fat loss until I see a need to change something.

Bodyweight today: 88.5 kgs / 196 pounds. Too heavy for being 5' 7" with these lifts.

[ECGordyn]

Bench
270 x 6, 6, 6

Pendlay
205 x 6, 6, 6. Going for stricter form.

OHP
145 x 6, 3
135 x 6. Failed second set of 145 so dropped weight. Must be the cut.

Pulldown
230 x 6, 6, 6

Pec deck
170 x 9, 9, 6

Facepulls
50 x 14, 12, 12

Concentration curls
30 x 12, 10, 8

[ECGordyn]

Squat
280 x 6, 6, 6, 6

DL
300 x 6, 6

Leg press
410 x 8, 10, 8

Lying ham curl
150 x 12, 12, 8

Calf raise machine
300 x 12, 10, 8

Starting over on this 4th cycle of Candito strength program. Got sick and barely ate for about a week, plus was having problems with tight hip flexors in the middle of week 3. Great workout today, we'll see where the rest of them go with more stretching and being on this cut.