2024 Collaborative Training Log and Discussion

[coachcalande]

Really good leg session last night.

Smith machine front squats, Im so weak with these …did 6 sets.
Leg press x4 sets
Leg ext x4 sets
Leg curls x4 sets
Standing calf x 4 sets

[CW47]

Are Pull Up typically trained in the same way as other exercises or are there particular progressions that are considered especially interesting to apply?

They can be trained like any other exercise.

"Greasing the Groove" is also a good approach.
If you're not sure what that is, it basically consists of doing a small number of reps multiple times throughout the day. The main purpose is to help improve the skill of performing the lift, and it works very well for most people.
A google search can provide a lot more detail on this if it's something you're interested in.

[67Vert]

3/11/24 A-Day Monday -

Squat - 215X5,5,5

Pendlay Row - 140X8,10,10

Incline DB Press - 65X8,8,8

[B]Calf raises[B] 3 sets
Facepull 4 sets
Tri.Ext.w/rope 3 sets
DB curls 4 sets


3/13/24 B-Day Wednesday -

OHP - 85X8,8,8, 95X5 dropped weight and did today’s OHP super strict.

RDL - 205X8, 225X8,8

Pull-ups 3X8ish.

I had overslept and got up too late to hit the gym in the AM before work. I used the weights my kids use at home. It got distracted cleaning up, organizing and thinking of home gym upgrades.

I’ll need to finish up arms tomorrow.

3/14/24 B-Day - continued


Hammer Curl (Alternating DB) - 35X10,8,8 -

Upright Dip -20,15,10 -

3/15/24 C-Day Friday
Didn’t happen. And it doesn’t look like I’ll to be able to squeeze it in today either.

[Camarija]

SATURDAY, March 16
11:45 AM
12:42 AM
57 Minutes

Upper Day
S
DB Lateral Raise / 2nd smallest db x12 / x 10 / x8
Reverse Pec Dec / 2 plates x 12 / x 10 / 8
J
DB Lateral Raise / 1 big plate DB x 20 / x 15 / x10
Reverse Pec Dec / 8 plates x 20 / x 12 / x10

S (seat top) (legs top)
Pulldown
5 kg / side x 8
10 kg / side x 10 / x10 with help hard
5 kg / Sude x 20
J
Pulldown
25 kg / side x 8
35 kg / side x 15 / x10 hard
30 kg / side x 10

S (seat: 1 hole J / 2 hole S) (back: 2 holes)
Chest Press
0 kg / side x 8
2.5 kg / side x 12 / x10
0 kg / side x 10
J
Chest Press
20 kg / side x 8
25 kg / side x 15 / x8
20 kg / side x 10

S
DB Preacher Bicep Curl - smallest x 15 / x 12 / x10
J
Cable Bicep Curl
4 block x 15
5 block x 12
5 bloxk x 10

S
Rope Tricep Extension - 2 plates x 16 down / x 16 / x10
J
Rope Tricep Extension
6 plates x 20 over 20 down
7 plates x 7 over 10 down
6 plates x 10 over 10 down

Cam - no idea, when I do my taxes my brokerage forms have a foreign dividend thing, but I think your tax situation is in a whole other league than mine. If your not talking to a CPA, you might actually get decent advice from a LLM

Thank you, that's exactly what I need.

I've been working in start ups for over a decade, almost always losing money. Buy I'm finally ramping volume on one out of the country to have my profit share as an owner be somewhere between $600K and $4.2M a year. I'm just looking for the best way to structure the taxes legally, so I think an LLM is the way to go. My accountant led me to believe he was knowledgable but he basically told me to ask a lawyer without pointing me in any direction. I figure I can create a global holdings company for the basket of startups, as an owner pay myself non qualified dividends in a tax friendly offset haven, but I need to explore options before tax season next year.

Walking Lunge: Goal = 2 sets of 8-12 reps
20's - 2 sets x 12 reps
These were very challenging after the leg curls. Was pretty close to failure on the final reps.

Are you doing these with long steps, stretch on the glutes? Or short steps, maximum knee flexion, stretch on the quads? Just curious. I used to do these with intention of stretching the glutes and hams long steps but eventually swapped them for Rear Leg Elevated Single Leg Squats with more intention on the quads. You know the leg extension machine? It's pretty handy for resting your rear foot without having to take the life sucking steps! Basically I wimped out of walking lunges. Power to you brother!

Thanks man. Already feeling better.

Just kind of a trough moment but they're temporary and a natural part of life that I accept. That's a wise mnemonic with the green, too.

--

Worked up to a new Bench PR today:

The trauma ignited gains my brother!

[CW47]

Camarija - Good stuff! How's it feeling being back working out?

For the Lunges I'm doing them with shorter steps - quad focused. I pretty much despise every single leg exercise I've ever done (except leg extensions for some reason), but also see the benefit of doing them so I try to keep it in my programming pretty consistently. I guess the Walking Lunges are the my go to because I like the fact that I get a few seconds to recover between reps on the same leg.


Bench Press: Rest Pause Goal = 9-13 reps
140 pounds x 15 reps (10/5)
Managed the same number as reps as last time, and was further from failure. Still probably less than 1 rep in reserve on both sets, but no super grinder reps. Changed my touched point so that it's higher up towards my head and this felt (and looked) MUCH better than what I've been doing. Thanks for the suggestion Coach!

Overhead Press: Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
75 pounds x 19 (12/7)
Did 7 more reps than last time and couldn't understand why. Then as I was typing this out I realized I was supposed to do it with a Cambered Bar, lol. I'll probably stick with the barbell. It feels more natural for OHP.

Close Grip Bench Press: Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
115 pounds x 19 reps (13/6)
3 more reps than last time. Really good progress. I'm sure it's mostly because I managed to avoid a major grind on anything I did prior to this.

Bulldozer Lateral Raise: Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
Left Arm: 20 pounds x 23 reps (15/8)
Right Arm: 20 pounds x 23 reps (15/8)
For these I let the DB initially travel in front of me - for the right arm the DB starts out in front of my left hip. This helps get a little momentum and more easily overload the end portion of the lift. Really like these.

I'm loving my program right now. Workouts are fast (around 30 minutes). They're also intense and causing more DOM's than I'm used to, but I have enough time to recover. It's basically a PPL spread over 10 days - Push, Pull, Rest, Legs, Rest, Repeat. I have 3 variations of each day, so I'm not repeating a specific exercise for 15 days. This gives a pretty good likelihood that I'll be able to progress on everything for a while. I'm sure I'll still make some tweaks (I added in side delt work on my push days and rear delt work with legs this week), but it's really solid as is and I think I'll be sticking with this for a good while. Feels great to have found something that fits into my life situation right now pretty perfectly because I'd been struggling with lifting for the last 6 months or so. Every time I get on a program that works well I kind of just assume it will work well forever, and then eventually life stuff just throws a wrench in it. I'm sure this will always be the case, so I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts.

Here's video of the first set of Bench Press:

[coachcalande]

Feeling strong today. This was after chest and back this am.

https://youtu.be/qMRQsMTMFjo

[SaviorSelfJT]

Coach - Good stuff. Not sure if this matters but I noticed when your doing seated OHP your looking to the side...I know OHP puts a lot of strain on the neck muscles, might be something to thing about  

----

Squat
255x5
255x5
255x5

OHP:
180x5
180x5
180x5

BB Rows
295x5
295x5
295x5

Rev grip curls
45x5
85x5
95x5

Finger rolls
95x10
115x10
135x10
165x10

Dead hang
53 seconds


Vid - last set of OHP: https://imgur.com/1LbuCS5



I already deloaded squat/bench/deadlift, and had an awesome last week or two of training, but now I'm feeling the fatigue creep in from the other lifts that I didn't deload (rows, OHP etc), wondering if I should back off there a moment

[coachcalande]

Coach - Good stuff. Not sure if this matters but I noticed when your doing seated OHP your looking to the side...I know OHP puts a lot of strain on the neck muscles, might be something to thing about  

----

Squat
255x5
255x5
255x5

OHP:
180x5
180x5
180x5

BB Rows
295x5
295x5
295x5

Rev grip curls
45x5
85x5
95x5

Finger rolls
95x10
115x10
135x10
165x10

Dead hang
53 seconds


Vid - last set of OHP: https://imgur.com/1LbuCS5



I already deloaded squat/bench/deadlift, and had an awesome last week or two of training, but now I'm feeling the fatigue creep in from the other lifts that I didn't deload (rows, OHP etc), wondering if I should back off there a moment

Yes, I turn to the side intentionally to move my nose out of the way and to allow the bar to travel closer to my neck.

[CW47]

Lat Pulldown - Wide MAG: Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
95 Pounds x 22 reps (18/4)
Added 10 pounds and still easily hit the rep goal

Seated Cable Row: Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
110 pounds x 25 reps (18/7)
Also added 10 pounds on this one and hit the rep goal easily.

EZ Bar Cable Curl: Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
35 pounds x 18 reps (13/5)
5 more pounds than last time. Same number of reps. I'll take it. Still felt good on the elbows today.

Hammer Curl: Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
30 pounds x 25 reps (15/10)

Solid workout today. Rest day tomorrow and then I'll hit legs on Tuesday.

[EliKoehn]

Thanks all for the encouragement on the bench PR!

CW, did you write that plan yourself or did you find it somewhere already? Hope it works out for you well in the long haul. Looks like your son enjoys making a cameo haha!

--

Flat Bench (T&G):
315 x 2*, 295 x 4, 285 x 5, 275 x 6 - all @10

Deadlift:
405 x 1, 455 x 1

A.S.
Double-Pulley Seated Cable Row (medium-width straight handle):
4 x 8 at 175
Standing OHP:
4 x 8 at 105

*Got about a third of the way up on the third rep of that initial 315 set. I won't count it fully but want to document that it was a partial success.

I hadn't deadlifted in a little while and my dad is showing interest in the lift and wanted to do it today, so I wanted to get an idea of where I would be at with recent detraining. 405 went up quite easily and so I attempted 455. It was a clean rep that I fully locked out and held for a second at the top, but my fingers started to uncurl on the way down and I barely avoided dropping it outright. For having benched quite heavily just beforehand, that was still surprisingly manageable, especially since I haven't deadlifted much at all in the past year (I just seem to do it every once in a while to keep it from really atrophying but not with enough regularity to push progress). The primary reason I've focused so much more on the bench is candidly that it's easier to perform, pretty much across the board. It's not nearly as psychologically challenging or fatiguing as squatting or deadlifting (and even though it is fatiguing, it's still much more localized and not something draining overall in the same way), and I can just swoop in and do it in 30 minutes or something and call it a workout, since it is a legitimate "big lift" and an important movement pattern, but that's not holistic or balanced as an approach. It's one of my favorite lifts of course and I am legitimately enthusiastic about it, but I need to get more serious about training my whole body again. I had begun to do that before things hit the fan at work, so I intend to resume. Fortunate to see that my strength remains decent on the deadlift without training up to it.

My dad is gaining a lot of his strength back, too! He benched 260 for 3 today and is back to repping 225 for around 10. (He'll be 58 in a few weeks and is not especially overweight so that's pretty impressive; in his 30s he maxed 345 weighing about 230 so I think the potential is certainly there to hit that again.) He's doing a lot of pulls and dumbbell accessories too and has started to deadlift and squat so he's taking a rounded approach. I can tell he's getting into it and enjoying the challenge and reward of it, which is good to see as his son.

[CW47]

It's my own programming. After giving it some thought I came to the conclusion that High Intensity training is the best fit for me. The intensity techniques reduce the amount of time per workout enough to allow me to get in workouts consistently, and I love going all out on sets so it's a good fit for me from that standpoint too.

I did quite a lot of research on High Intensity programming and what I'm doing now is most heavily inspired by DoggCrapp and Jordan Peters. I learned about how they apply intensity techniques and how they split up muscle groups and volume. Based upon this I wrote out different split variations of my own to get a sense for how things might fit together - Full Body, Upper Lower, PPL, and some combinations of these. I picked the one that I felt best fit my current training availability. Now I'm just making small tweaks as I go. It's not perfect, and not something I would even recommend for anyone else (higher frequency would be better for most people), but it's a good fit for me right now, and having fleshed out multiple split options I now have a great idea of how I can adjust my programming if/when my availability changes without needing to completely revamp my basic training approach.

We have some pink 2.5 pounds DB's. My son likes to copy me so I taught him how to pick them up and overhead press them. The funniest damn thing ever is that when he does it he grunts and scrunches up his face like he's in pain - because that's what he hears and sees me do all the time. I really should get that on video so I can show it to him when he gets older. It's so freaking cute.

I'm sure I've said this before Eli, but it's so cool that you're able to lift with your dad. Time spent together doing something that both of you are passionate about has to be great for building/maintaining a strong bond. Doing stuff you love with people you love is the best thing ever, and doesn't happen very often for a lot of people unfortunately. It's definitely something to be thankful for.

[Camarija]

Monday, March 18
10:52 AM
11:44 AM
52 minutes

Lower:
Hip Adduction (inside)
S
3 block x 20
4 block x 15
J
12 block x 20
12 block x 20

Hip Abduction (outside)
S
5 block x 20
5 block x 20
J
12 block x 20
13 block x 20 easy

Hack Squat Machine (+ 20 kg Band) (footplate 1 hole)
S
7.5 kg per side x 20 - 10 + 5 double pulses
12.5 kg per side x 15 - 5 + 5 double pulses
15 / 10 kg per side x 15 - 5 + 5 double pulses
J
27.5 kg per side x 20 - 10 + 5 double pulses
32.5 kg per side x 15 - 5 + 5 double pulses
35 kg per side x 15 - 5 + 5 double pulses

RDL Machine - 4 holes
S
5 kg / side x 9
7.5 kg / side x 12
10 kg / side x 12
J
35 kg / side x 20
37.5 kg / side x20
40 kg / side x20

Abdominal Exercise
S
0 x 8
0 x 8
J
5 kg x 15
5 kg x 12

Leg Press Machine Calf
J
35 kg /side x 20
35 kg /side x 20
S
5 x 18
5 kg / side x 16

Notes:

Not bad, feels more like cardio with this light weight but not bad, still stretching the muscles under load.

In a hurry to finish today to make it to a meeting so cut out some abdominal and calf work

[Keyshade]

I've taken the advice to train fullbody until I've made enough progress in the main lifts. I'm drawing inspiration from the Fierce5 program, but putting deadlifts aside, at least for now.

This is what I did this morning:

Heel Elevated Back Squat High Bar
8 x 190 lb
6 x 190 lb
5 x 190 lb

Bench Press
6 x 165 lb
6 x 165 lb
6 x 165 lb

Hammer Strength Plate Loaded Iso Row
2 plates per side: 3 x 12 EDIT: I've just realized that 'plates' refers to those weighing 45 lbs. I was using two plates, but with less weight on each one.

Back Extension Romanian Bench
Working for reps with my bw.

Banded Face Pull
3 x 20

Calves and tricep

[coachcalande]

Suppose to train today. My entire family is sick. Feels like Flu, positive Covid tests.

Disheartening in some ways.

[Camarija]

Tuesday, March 19
1:41 PM
2:33 PM
52 Minutes

Upper Day
S
DB Lateral Raise / 2nd smallest db x12 / x 10 / x10
Reverse Pec Dec / 2 plates x 15 / x 12 / 10
J
DB Lateral Raise / 1 big plate DB x 20 / x 15 / x12
Reverse Pec Dec / 8 plates x 20 / x 15 / x12

S (seat top) (legs top)
Pulldown
7.5 kg / side x 8
10 kg / side x 10 / x10 with help / x10 with help
J
Pulldown
27.5 kg / side x 10
35 kg / side x 15 / x10 / x8

Chest Press (seat: 1 J / 3 S) (back: 2)
J
20 kg / side x 8
27.5 kg / side x 15 / x7 / x5
S
0 kg / side x 8
2.5 kg / side x 10 / x12 / x8

S
DB Preacher Bicep Curl - smallest x 15 / x 12 / x12
J
Cable Bicep Curl
5 block x 20
5 block x 12
5 block x 10

S
Rope Tricep Extension (pushdown) - 2 plates x 16 / x 16 / x16
J
Rope Tricep Extension (overhead + pushdown)
7 plates x 20 over 20 down
7 plates x 8 over 15 down
7 plates x 8 over 10 down

I've taken the advice to train fullbody until I've made enough progress in the main lifts. I'm drawing inspiration from the Fierce5 program, but putting deadlifts aside, at least for now.

This is what I did this morning:

Heel Elevated Back Squat High Bar
8 x 190 lb
6 x 190 lb
5 x 190 lb

Bench Press
6 x 165 lb
6 x 165 lb
6 x 165 lb

Hammer Strength Plate Loaded Iso Row
2 plates per side: 3 x 12 EDIT: I've just realized that 'plates' refers to those weighing 45 lbs. I was using two plates, but with less weight on each one.

Back Extension Romanian Bench
Working for reps with my bw.

Banded Face Pull
3 x 20

Calves and tricep

This is a very solid workout. You'll get to intermediate numbers in no time if this is your Day A in a 3 day full body

Suppose to train today. My entire family is sick. Feels like Flu, positive Covid tests.

Disheartening in some ways.

Prayers for you and your family Coach

[EliKoehn]

Yeah, get well soon.

--

Squat:
275 x 6, 315 x 5, 365 x 0*

*This was probably a half squat but it was at least decently above parallel. I didn't have someone to check but could tell it wasn't properly deep.

The 275 set was challenging but not as maximal as I was expecting, so I decided to go up to 315 for 5, which was gruellingly difficult but I am pleased because I went well below parallel and kept my form solid. Did not have much strength left for that final set. Haven't squatted 315 for more than a few reps in quite a long time.

[Keyshade]

This is a very solid workout. You'll get to intermediate numbers in no time if this is your Day A in a 3 day full body

Yeah! I planned to do A/B workouts 3 days a week. I'm thinking of leaving out biceps and triceps exercise until I switch to upper/lower because I feel they're already getting enough work from presses and chin up/rows.

I planned both days like this:

Workout A
Heel Elevated Back Squat (Quad Dominant)
45º Back Extension (Hams Dominant)
Bench Press (Horizontal Push)
Hammer Strength Row (Horizontal Pull)
Face Pull (Postural Pull)
Calves Work / Triceps

Workout B
Reverse Lunge (Quad Dominant)
Leg Curl (Hams Dominant)
Standing Press (Vertical Push)
Chin Up (Downward Pull)
T-Bar Row (Upward Pull)
Ab Work / Biceps

I'm doing squat with bench press instead of standing press because I progress easier on the bench than on the press.

[CW47]

Coach - Hope you and family feel better soon. Been there a couple of times with Covid/Flu getting passed around to the whole family and I know it's no fun at all.

Eli - Awesome job on the squats, especially considering how little squatting you've been doing. You'll probably see some really nice progress if you stick with it for a bit.

Keyshade - Do that consistently for an extended period of time and I'm confident you'll get great results. What I love most about full body workouts is that you'll go into just about every exercise being pretty fresh (from a muscular fatigue standpoint).


Yesterday was Leg day. I ended up calling it off very early. Don't recall ever really having done that before...

I started out with some warmups on Leg Extensions and Leg Curls before getting into my High Bar Squats. Squat warmup with the bar felt pretty good. I put 25's on each side and they still felt pretty good. Changed to 45's and immediately got a snapping sound and sharp pain in my right knee at the lockout of the first rep. This is something I experienced quite frequently when I first started lifting, but after a couple of years it went almost completely away (I'm sure because I built up my overall leg strength). Since then I've had it crop up a few times per year, but it's usually been something I can work through on the day. So I went back and did some 'pump' work on extensions and curls, trying to get blood flowing some more. Went back to the squat rack. Snapping sound and sharp pain again at the lockout on the first rep. Damn! Repeated the process again. Widened stance slightly to take stress off of the knees. Same thing on the first rep again! Felt like something was ready to snap if I pushed it any harder so I decided I was just done for the day. There was no lingering discomfort at all - literally just felt it momentarily and then it was gone on all 3 occasions. Very disappointing to have gone in ready for a successful workout and then ending up getting basically nothing done, but it is what it is - live to lift another day. May give it another shot today.

[CW47]

High Bar Squat: Goal = 2 sets of 4-6 reps
185 pounds - 2 sets x 6 reps
No real issue with the knee today. It clicked a few times, but that's not at all out of the ordinary. It does that just walking normally, lol. More important is the fact that I had zero discomfort. I'm happy to have finally his the top of my rep range here. Started feeling quite hard at rep 5, but rep 6 wasn't much more difficult and on the video it looked like I could probably have done a few more reps. It's possible I've been a little too hesitant to continue sets once form starts breaking down even slightly. I thought for sure the 6th rep would be a squat morning, but it really wasn't - form didn't degrade very noticeably at all even though it felt like it was. Something for me to be aware of when squatting over the next few weeks...

Donkey Calf Raise (Cable): Goal = 2 sets of 15-20 reps
90 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
I'll increase weight on these next time as well.

Lying Leg Curl: Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
115 pounds x 14 reps (10/4)
Same result as last time, but I had done them before squats so to get the same amount of reps doing them after squats is pretty good.

Here are both sets of squats. First was with a wider stance than normal because I was still slightly concerned about the knee, and then I narrowed it to a more typical stance on the second set.

[EliKoehn]

The quality control of this site is pathetic. I had just finished writing a lengthy reply on my phone and it ripped it just to load another screen-encompassing ad and now I have to start over...

@Keyshade - I didn't even see your workout when I wrote my previous post but that does look like a solid workout. The thought behind such an approach is sensible across the board and it seemed well-balanced. Dedication to something like that will build up a solid core of strength in short order.

@CW - Glad your pain didn't recur! Are you sure it wasn't sciatica? I've gotten it once, and the pain was initially felt right after the lift but would then recur irregularly and sporadically for a while thereafter. Thanks too for the word of encouragement on my squats.

--

Another day of several hours of overtime! Oh well, it builds good experience and hones discipline in a way that can be looked upon positively in retrospect. That said, I was planning on a more replete workout today but managed a successful small and focused (if albeit brief) couple of exercises at a good intensity, matching the low-volume semi-maxing I've done for most movement patterns aside from the bench this past week to renew aptitude following only moderate detraining.

A.S.
Standing OHP:
185 x 1, 155 x 5, 135 x 10
Barbell Curl:
135 x 3, 135 x 3, 155 x 1,* 115 x 6

*This was somewhat cheaty though I would not call it a full cheat curl. The 135 triples had some body English as well such that they were not strict curls, but I would call them proper "normal" ones considering that, whereas I'd title them as strict otherwise.

Moderate leanback towards the end of the AMRAP OHP set, but as a deliberate failure set with lots of pre-fatigue, I think that's fine in this case.

[CW47]

@CW - Glad your pain didn't recur! Are you sure it wasn't sciatica? I've gotten it once, and the pain was initially felt right after the lift but would then recur irregularly and sporadically for a while thereafter.

I can't say what it is or isn't with any degree of certainty. My knees and ankles have cracked regularly when doing stairs or even just walking normally since I was in my teens - the result of doing stuff I probably shouldn't have been doing because I still thought I was indestructible, lol. If anything, lifting has improved this, but there are times here and there were something happens in a join that feels very wrong. Just happened to be one of those days.

[coachcalande]

I’m back to work, probably won’t lift until Saturday as Im pretty dehydrated. We will see. Down 12 pounds since Monday (refeed last weekend) which is wild.

This forum does get smacked with spam- only reason I bother with this forum
Is threads like this and my own training log:

That said, if this place ever shuts down look for me to create a new natty forum through pro boards which is free.

[CW47]

12 pounds since Monday IS wild, wow! Glad you're feeling a bit better.

The one good thing about the spam is that it gives me plenty of opportunity to hand out negative rep, which means I can plus rep people that deserve it more regularly.

And I'm pretty sure we discussed this before, but I found another lifting forum that I really like and have been cross posting there. And I also have created and run a forum on Proboards before and would be totally open to starting, helping out with, and/or participating in something like that if it ever comes to that. In fact, it might not be a bad idea to have something already setup just in case (and link shared here). Otherwise it's likely that most of us would never find our way to it if this place actually shut down unexpectedly.

[Camarija]

Thursday, March 18
10:55 AM
11:40 AM
45 minutes

Lower:
Hip Adduction (inside)
J
13 block x 20
13 block x 20
S
3 block x 20
4 block x 15

Hip Abduction (outside)
J
14 block x 20
14 block x 20
S
6 block x 20
6 block x 20

Hack Squat Machine (+ 20 kg Band) (footplate 1 hole)
J
30 kg per side x 20 - 5 + 5 double pulses
35 kg per side x 20 - 10 + 5 double pulses
37.5 kg per side x 15 - 5 + 5 double pulses
40 kg per side x 5 - 5 paused
S
10 kg per side x 20 - 5 + 5 double pulses
15 kg per side x 20 - 10 + 5 double pulses
17.5 kg per side x 15 - 5 + 5 double pulses
20 kg per side x 5 - 5 paused

RDL Machine - 5 holes
J
35 kg / side x 15
40 kg / side x 20
42.5 kg / side x 20
45 kg / side x 20
S
5 kg / side x 8
10 kg / side x 12
12.5 kg / side x 8
15 kg / side x 6

Abdominal Exercise
S
0 x 8
0 x 8
J
10 lbs x 15
10 lbs x 12

Leg Press Machine Calf
J
37.5 kg /side x 20
37.5 kg /side x 20
S
7.5 kg / side x 15
7.5 kg / side x 18
7.5 kg / side x 18

Yeah! I planned to do A/B workouts 3 days a week. I'm thinking of leaving out biceps and triceps exercise until I switch to upper/lower because I feel they're already getting enough work from presses and chin up/rows.

I planned both days like this:

Workout A
Heel Elevated Back Squat (Quad Dominant)
45º Back Extension (Hams Dominant)
Bench Press (Horizontal Push)
Hammer Strength Row (Horizontal Pull)
Face Pull (Postural Pull)
Calves Work / Triceps

Workout B
Reverse Lunge (Quad Dominant)
Leg Curl (Hams Dominant)
Standing Press (Vertical Push)
Chin Up (Downward Pull)
T-Bar Row (Upward Pull)
Ab Work / Biceps

I'm doing squat with bench press instead of standing press because I progress easier on the bench than on the press.

Solid program, just be methodical with your progression / load / reps / sets / intensity

Coach - Hope you and family feel better soon. Been there a couple of times with Covid/Flu getting passed around to the whole family and I know it's no fun at all.

Eli - Awesome job on the squats, especially considering how little squatting you've been doing. You'll probably see some really nice progress if you stick with it for a bit.

Keyshade - Do that consistently for an extended period of time and I'm confident you'll get great results. What I love most about full body workouts is that you'll go into just about every exercise being pretty fresh (from a muscular fatigue standpoint).


Yesterday was Leg day. I ended up calling it off very early. Don't recall ever really having done that before...

I started out with some warmups on Leg Extensions and Leg Curls before getting into my High Bar Squats. Squat warmup with the bar felt pretty good. I put 25's on each side and they still felt pretty good. Changed to 45's and immediately got a snapping sound and sharp pain in my right knee at the lockout of the first rep. This is something I experienced quite frequently when I first started lifting, but after a couple of years it went almost completely away (I'm sure because I built up my overall leg strength). Since then I've had it crop up a few times per year, but it's usually been something I can work through on the day. So I went back and did some 'pump' work on extensions and curls, trying to get blood flowing some more. Went back to the squat rack. Snapping sound and sharp pain again at the lockout on the first rep. Damn! Repeated the process again. Widened stance slightly to take stress off of the knees. Same thing on the first rep again! Felt like something was ready to snap if I pushed it any harder so I decided I was just done for the day. There was no lingering discomfort at all - literally just felt it momentarily and then it was gone on all 3 occasions. Very disappointing to have gone in ready for a successful workout and then ending up getting basically nothing done, but it is what it is - live to lift another day. May give it another shot today.

On the knee popping / pain during squats

It happened to me when I was following Calgary Barbell

The pain went away when I worked on my adductors using a machine, cossack squats warmup weren't enough for me

[SaviorSelfJT]

Coach - stay healthy

CW - weird with the knee thing, I've never heard of that before. Something you could do is partial reps if its just the lockout bothering it?

---------


Squat:
260x5
260x5
260x5

Bench:
185x5
185x5
185x5

Deadlift:
355x5 (mixed grip, full reset stand up between reps)

DB Rows:
85s x 5
125s x 8
125s x 8

jeeeeez that felt heavy, like my arms were gonna be pulled off. Sick back pump tho

Hammer curls:
65s x 5

also felt heavy. I had 80lb hammers scheduled, just skipped

Jefferson curl:
45x5
95x5


I need a sharp deload, stat

[CW47]

Fly Press: Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
30lb DB's x 23 reps (14/9)
Still trying to figure out this movement pattern. Felt okay during warmups, felt odd during the first half of the initial work set, and then it felt fin again from that point on. I didn't push to total failure because of some slight shoulder discomfort. Still was well above the goal rep range so I'll add weight again next time.

Behind the Neck Press: Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
50 pounds x 23 reps (14/9)
Also left a few reps on the table here. Trying to err on the side of safety on this lift considering my past elbow and shoulder issues. If feel great though - really liking how it hits the shoulders. Will add weight again next time.

Cable Overhead Triceps Extension: Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
27.5 pounds x 13 reps (9/4)
This was 2.5 pounds more than last time and I got 8 fewer reps. Amazing how much of a difference a tiny little plate can make... Honestly had more to do with the previous lifts though. Even though I didn't go to all all failure on anything else, I pushed it closer than last time and that had a clear impact. I'll probably step up the intensity a bit more each time, so may just end up reducing the weight on this excercise.

6-Ways: Goal = 2 sets of 8-10 reps
10lb DB's x 6 reps / 5lb Plates x 6 reps
Man, I struggled with these - shoulders were quite fatigued going in. Even the 10 pound DB's were too much so I went with smaller weight plates for the second set. I'll likely start out with 5 pounds plates next time and try to get more reps.

If you don't know what 6-Ways are (and I just realized I did them wrong when watching this video, lmao):


Video of both Fly Press sets and the first set of Behind the Neck Presses:

[Camarija]

Friday, March 22
10:31 AM
11:27 AM
56 Minutes

Upper Day
S
DB Lateral Raise / 2nd smallest db x15 / x 10 / x10
Reverse Pec Dec / 3 plates x 9
2 plates x 15 / 12
J
DB Lateral Raise / 1 big plate DB x 20 / x 15 / x12
Reverse Pec Dec / 8 plates x 20
9 plates x 15 / x12

(seat top) (legs top)
Pulldown
J
27.5 kg / side x 10
37.5 kg / side x 13
35 kg / side x10 / x8
S
7.5 kg / side x 8
10 kg / side x 10 / x10 with help / x10 with help

Chest Press (seat: 1 J / 3 S) (back: 2)
J
20 kg / side x 8
27.5 kg / side x 15 / x 7 / x 6
S
0 kg / side x 8
2.5 kg / side x 12 / x 10 / x 8

S
DB Preacher Bicep Curl - smallest x 16 / x 15 / x16
J
Cable Bicep Curl
6 block x 20
6 block x 12
6 block x 10

S
Rope Tricep Extension (pushdown) - 3 plates x 10 / x 10 / x 9
J
Rope Tricep Extension (overhead + pushdown)
8 plates x 17 over 17 down
8 plates x 6 over 11 down
8 plates x 5 over 8 down

[CW47]

Lat Pulldown - Close Grip: Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
100 pounds x 23 reps (16/7)
Really close to getting an 8th rep on the second set. Weight will increase next time. Probably just going to continue with 5 pounds increases even though I'm pretty sure I'll end up several reps above my goal rep range. I'll reach that range eventually though, and then try to stay there.

Incline DB Curl: Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
30lb DB's x 17 reps (11/6)
Did this with 5 pounds more than last time and lost 12 reps. :O Still ended up within the goal rep range though.

Dumbbell Row: Goal = 2 sets x 12 reps
70 pounds - 2 sets x 12 reps

Wrist Curls: Goal = 2 sets x 12 reps
55 pounds - 2 sets x 12 reps

Rest day tomorrow and then I'll do legs on Sunday.

[coachcalande]

We don’t talk diet much in this thread but I thought I’d update you guys on something I’m really enjoying as something of a maintenance way of eating without any restrictions. I’ve been on “The Anabolic Diet” protocol now for maybe 6-7 weeks. It’s a carb cycling approach that is no different from bodybuilding diets of the 1970s. (See Rick Flair on YouTube) Dr DiPasquales book “The Anabolic Diet” is what first got me interested in this approach. There is also a ******** group of bodybuilders that had a group “cKB” (cyclic ketogenic bodybuilding) that I followed a few years back…

Anyways, I like it as a free for all with little consequences. Here is what I do and enjoy:

Mon- Friday - I eat all the meat, eggs, greens and some cheese that I want. I try to eat a lot of RED meat here. Usually I get 350-450 G protein and about 125 G fats and carbs are under 30g. I don’t even track anymore because I know I’ll be around those numbers. I don’t go chasing fat but if I crave bacon, I’ll eat it. 5 meals a day hits about right. I do not see any training energy or strength loss at all here. I drop water weight and flatten out over the week. My skin really clears up nicely too.

Then either Friday night or Saturday am I start my free for all. Anything goes. I like to eat oatmeal with banana and PB along side my eggs or egg whites…usually I crave rice and bread on the weekends too, I like sandwiches. Pizza? Sure, fries or chips? Sure but I don’t chase that stuff. Usually it’s a bowl of nuts that I crave too. Beer is even ok but again, I don’t go out of my way to eat poorly, just respond to whatever I feel I’m missing out on. I know this summer I’ll have my ice cream. The consequences here with carb loading are bloating, inflammation and carb coma…I definitely nap hard on the weekends. I usually anticipate big powerlifter days after carbing up but so far I am not sure there’s much difference. The pain in my joints usually last a day or two after crap eating on the weekends…by Wednesday I’m drying out.

This week:
Monday 280-281 felt huge and got many comments “looking BIG” at work
This am 268 and tightened up.

Now I start again…probably breakfast sandwiches to start it off. French toast for meal two and the. Chicken and rice for a couple meals.

What I find on the weekends is that four meals is about right. My macros may change to something like 35% protein 40% carbs, 25% fat but again it not something I track or restrict, could be 40% protein 30% carbs, 30% fat…I do tend to make a small effort to reduce fat where carbs are boosted with exception to eating pizza/fries. For example, instead of 8 whole eggs in a meal, I may just go with 2 cups egg whites with a bowl of rice. I would consider 40% pro, 40% carbs, 20% fat to be ideal.

It’s an absolute blast.

*I just checked macros on my first meal: (two huge breakfast sandwiches)

98 grams protein
74 grams carbs
28 grams fat

My second meal is chicken, rice, broccoli
73 G protein
69 G carbs
7 G fats

My third meal should be the same…

I’m asking my daughter to make some PB choc chip cookies….we will see.

[coachcalande]

First session coming back from Covid.
https://youtu.be/NOl-_lYzDKk