12/23 training

This was a pretty average week in terms of strength, however my deadlifts and squats felt amazing this week.  With deadlift, something clicked and I found a way to get a lot tighter and with more leg drive off the floor.  It feels like I was stiff legging everything compared to now.  For squats, just more of a sitback and staying tight helped me move more weight for high reps today.  I guess my squat is meant to be more hip dominant, and will relegate a lot of my assistance work to my quads.

Sunday: paused bench: warmup to 225x3 260x3 295x9 260x10 225x10
+ Barbell row: warmup to 5x235x4
Incline DB bench: 4x80x10
+ Rope upright rows: 4x72x10
Incline curls(10-30) + overhead rope(30-50): 50-10

Monday: deadlifts: warmup to 225x5 255x5 285x5 255x5 225x5
Deficit stiff legs: 4x225x5
Kb Bulgarian split squat (offset load): 3x25x10 each leg.. gonna do offset loads this cycle for single leg work.
Seated leg curl: 90 lbs 350 method got 65.  Way too light

Thursday: clean and press: warmup to 135x3 155x3 175x12 155x12 135x12
+ Weighted Pullups: 5x55x3
Dips: 3x2platesx10 1x20 bw controlled
Hammer curls(10-30) + rope pushdown(30-50): 50-10

Friday: squat: warmup to 225x10 235x10 245x10 255x10
Paused front squat: 4x155x5
Kb Bulgarian split squat (offset load): 3x25x10 each leg..
Hack squat machine: 2plates 350 method 55 reps  these were tough after all the other leg work.

Lower body plan

10s weeks: 185x10 195x10 205x10 215x10
195x10 205x10 215x10 225x10
8s weeks: 195x8 205x8 215x8 225x8
205x8 215x8 225x8 235x8
6s weeks: 205x6 215x6 225x6 235x6
215x6 225x6 235x6 245x6

Paused front squats: 4x5
Bulgarian split squat: 3x8
Hack squat machine: 350 method

Deadlift: 5s pro 315 TM
Deficit stiff leg deadlifts: 4x5
Front squat grip reverse lunge: 3x8
Seated leg curl: 350 method

This squat plan I had success with before, and thinking about doing it for a more prolonged period.  The deadlift is something I will try.

12/14 training

This week went pretty good.  Still trying to figure out my lower body, because my squat day crashed and burned right in front of my eyes on Friday.  I think the plan is going to be to use 5s pro for squat and deadlift with low TMs and go from there.  Probably 300 for deadlifts and squats and go from there.  Will be a separate post of the new routine for them.  On the bright side, I had a good top set of bench this week, and a PR on my top set of OHP.

Sunday: paused bench: warmup to 225x5 245x5 275x12(almost 13) 245x10 225x9
+ Barbell row 5x225x5
Incline DB bench: 4x75x10 slow
+ Rope upright row: 4x72x10
Incline curls(10-30)+ overhead rope(30-50): 50 40 30 20 10

Tuesday: glute warmup
Deadlift: warmup to 3x315x3 3x245x8 deficit stiff leg.
Paused Front squat: 4x155x6
Front squat grip reverse lunges: 3x65x8 each leg

Thursday: clean and press: warmup to 125x5, 145x5 165x15(probably a PR) 145x12 125x12
+ Weighted Pullups: 5x45x4
Weighted dips: 3x2platex10 slow, bwx20
+ Kirk shrugs: 4x225x10
Hammer curls(10-35, no 25) + rope pushdown(30-50): 50-10 reps

Friday: glute warmup
Squats: warmup to 275x5, 195x5 225x5 250x5 225x5 195x5.... 275 for a 5x5 wasn't happening today.. probably the front squats from Tuesday. Gonna implement  5s pro with a 295 TM to get some volume in on my shitty squats.
Paused let press: 4x3platesx20

12/9 training deload week.

Tried a bunch of different exercises this deload.  Also finished school for the semester this week, so I believe this deload was well warranted.  I'm going to be doing the paused front squats instead of normal ones because I like how they feel.  My last exercise on deadlift day will probably be some type of hip extension movement, probably back raises.  Will be doing bad girl work for 3 sets of 20 everyday I'm at the gym as well, and do my daily core/glute workout for the 6 weeks to see if there's any improvement. 

Going to be starting at a 325 TM for bench, 315 for deadlift triples, 195 OHP TM, and 275 for the 5x5 on squats and go from there.  I really think if I address my core and glute issues my lower body will be the strongest it's ever been.

Monday: bench: warmup to 245x5 275x3 315x1
+ Barbell row: 3x245x3
Incline DB bench; 2x70x10
+Upright rope row: 2x65x10
Incline curl(10-15-20 lb) + rope overhead extension(30-35-40 lb): 50-40-30 reps.

Tuesday: deadlift: warmup to 5x275x3
Paused front squat: 2x135x8
15 Ab wheel reps from knees.

Thursday; clean and press: 135x5 165x3 185x1
+ Pullups 3x10
Dips: 2x20
+ Kirk shrugs: 2x185x10
Hammer curl(10 15 20) + rope pushdowns(30 35 40): 50 40 30 reps.

Friday: bad girl machine 3x130x20 slow
Squats: warmup to 3x225x5
Good morning: 2x65x10
Weighted hyperextension: 2x135x8

12/2 training

Good way to end my first 6 week cycle.  Bench should be back to where it was after the end of the next cycle.  I like doing this run the rack type deal for my arms, they've been sore all week until today.  Good mornings felt great for my erectors and hamstrings.  Hit big numbers on my overhead press, probably from a lot of weight gain recently.  I think it ties a PR or is 5 lbs off .  Dips felt hard but rightfully so after that OHP.  Squats and deadlifts continue to feel iffy for me, but I'll have a chance to work on them this deload week.  I'm cutting volume in half and weight down a bit for this deload week while also introducing the changes to my assistance work.  Kinda excited about it.

Monday: paused bench: 240x5 270x3 305x8 270x10 240x10
+ Barbell row: 5x240x3

DB incline: 4x95x8
+ Rope face pull: 4x50x15

Incline curls: 50 40 30 20 10 reps with 10 15 20 25 30 lbs
+ Overhead rope: same thing with 30 35 40 45 50 lbs

Tuesday: deadlift: warmup to 3x305x3 3x255x6 stiff leg deficit.
5x120x10 leg curls
90x100 leg extensions

Thursday: clean and press: 140x5 160x3 180x11 160x12 140x12
+ Kirk shrugs: weight + 50 5x10
Dips: 3x2.5platex10 bwx20
+ Rope upright row: 4x80x10
Hammer curls(10-30) + rope pushdown(30-50): 50 40 30 20 10

Friday: squat: warmup to 5x265x5
Good morning: 4x65x10
Leg press: 5x5platex20

11/25 training

Had a cold this week, but still hit some good numbers.  Everything felt pretty good.  Bench and press are getting close to where they used to be; another 6 week cycle and I believe I'll be at where I was during my strongest pressing days.  I enjoyed doing the heavy barbell rows on Monday.  For arms I think I'll do incline curls one day and hammer curls the other for the next 6 weeks and then go from there, doing a 50-40-30-20-10 rep style back and forth.  Deadlifts felt and looked really good.  Squats too, surprisingly.  I definitely want to include the good mornings next cycle, just not sure how yet.  May just do the standard one until I get used to the movement under load and go from there.  All in all a solid week..  deload week will be in 2 weeks, and I'm just going to hit every machine for a hard set of 10 2 days that week.

Monday: Paused bench: warmup to 225x3 255x3 290x9 255x11 225x10
+ Barbekl row: warmup to 5x225x4
DB incline bench: 4x90x8
+ Rope face pull: 4x42.5x15
90 poundstone curls
3x30x50 overhead rope extension

Tuesday: deadlift: warmup to 3x295x3 3x245x6 deficit stiffs.
5x110x10 leg curls
80x100 leg extensions

Thursday: Clean and press: warmup to 135x3 150x3 170x12 150x10 135x12
+ Kirk shrugs; weight +50 5x10
Dips: 3x2platesx10 bwx20 controlled negative. + Rope upright row: 4x72x10
Rope hammer curl + rope pushdown 30x100

Friday: squat: warmup to 5x255x5
Leg press: 5x5platesx20
Barbell good morning: tried a few sets standing and seated to see what I liked.
Think I'm gonna start with seated because it focuses more on the erectors.

Next 531 cycle split

The next split is going to be very similar to the last one, mainly doing more and heavier back work, stretching on off days, and moved some assistance work around on upper body days.  The next three weeks before this program I'm really going to work on my ankle and hip mobility to get a better squat/front squat.  I'm hitting something heavy for back every day with this.

Monday:  bench: 531 + back offs trying to match your reps on the top set
+Barbell rows: 5/4/3 reps.. lightest bench weight
DB bench(incline): 4x10-8
+ Rope upright row: 4x10
DB twist curls + pushdowns: 5x15

Tuesday: deadlift: 3x3 + 2x8 deficit sldl
Front squats: 4x10-8
Leg curls 5x10-15

Thursday:
clean/press 531 + back offs
+ Weighted Pullups: 5/4/3
Dips: 3x10 weighted, 1xamrap
+ Kirk shrugs: 4x10
Incline curls: 5 sets + incline DB skull crusher

Friday: squat: 5x5
Good mornings: 4x10
Leg press/hack squat: 5x20

50 reps lying leg raises and stretches every off day.(hip flexors, hams, quads, low back, shoulders?)

11/18 training

Bench felt really strong.  Gonna start working in deadlifts again.  Squats continue to suck.  I think I'm going to really hammer home deadlifts and just let my squat do whatever, hoping that getting a stronger deadlift will help with my squat.  I have no idea how to approach my squat technique without feeling it entirely in my back as a 6'3 lifter with long femurs.  I'm hoping that getting my back super strong will just help me be able to compensate for it when squatting, but we'll see.  I'm gonna try out some new lower body assistance to help with this, just moving some stuff around to really focus more on my back.  Will see next week.

Monday: paused bench: warmup to 225x5 240x5 270x12 240x12 225x10
+ Barbell row: 145x10 165x8 185x6 165x8 145x10
DB incline: 4x85x8
+ Face pulls: 4x50x15
80 poundstone curls
3x30x50 overhead rope extensions

Tuesday: deadlift: warmup to 2x285x3 2x235x8 deficit stiff leg
Seated leg curl: 5x90x10
Leg extensions: 70x100

No 2nd upper body workout..  too busy with Thanksgiving and my girlfriend..  maybe could have trained but didn't get much sleep.

Saturday: squat: warmup to 5x245x5
Leg press: 5x4platesx20

11/11 training

Pretty good week.  Strength is coming back slowly but surely for upper body.  4 reps off a PR on flat bench.  Those DB inclines are getting tough but still doable.  Might go up anyway.  Did stiff legs from a higher deficit to get more total body action instead of just focusing on the hams.  Pretty sure I'm only 1 rep away from tying a PR on that CP top set on Thursday.  Squats felt okay.  Doing leg press with really low and close feet for my sissy quads.  Felt good.

Monday: paused bench press: 235x5 265x3 300x7 265x9 235x10
+ Barbell row: 155x10 175x8 195x6 175x8 155x10
DB incline: 80x10,10,10,9
+ Rope face pull: 4x42.5x15
70 poundstone curls
3x30x50 overhead rope extensions

Tuesday: stiff leg deficit deads: warmup to 3x225x8
Lying leg curl: 5x90x10
Leg extensions: 50x100

Thursday: clean and press: 135x5 155x3 175x11 155x10 135x10
+ Kirk shrugs same weight 5x10
Dips: 3x2platesx10 bwx20
+ Rope upright row: 4x72x10
Hammer curls to quads: 3x15x50
Rope pushdowns:  30x100

Friday: squat: warmup to 5x235x5
Leg press: 5x3platesx20 quad dominant
100 kettlebell swings 35, lbs

11/4 training

This week went really well.  Everything is feeling stronger, probably because I'm eating mountains of food.  Incline DBs were tough this week with a slow eccentric, 80s will probably be below 10 reps.  The stiff legs feel weird because they're not heavy, but just tough to do with the amount of tension I'm creating in my hamstrings.  Will probably stand on a bigger plate for these and just focus on clangin and bangin with a bigger ROM.  The step ups felt a lot better with 3 squares than 2.  Dips were a little funny on the wrists, but starting from the top fixed that.  C&P top set was strong, probably had 12 in me.  Squats we're really good this week too.  I like this set up, my feet were a little wide and I had very little sit back, pushing my knees forward and out.  Very comfortable to hit depth and no back/shin pain.  Just gonna stick with the linear progression on that for now .

Monday: Paused Bench: 225x3 255x3 285x8 255x9 225x10
+ Barbell row: 145x10 165x8 185x6 165x8 145x10
Incline DB bench: 4x75x10
+ Face pulls: 4x42x15
60 poundstone curls + 3x30x50 overhead rope extension.

Tuesday: Deficit stiff leg deadlift: warmup to 205x13, 7 50% hams were sore so probably not as low as I could've went but still felt a lot of tension.
Lying leg curls: 5x85x10
Peterson step ups: 50 each leg, 3 squares.

Thursday: Clean and Press: warmup to 135x3 145x3 165x10 145x10 135x10
+ Kirk shrugs: same weight 5x10
Dips: 3x45x10, bwx20
+ Rope upright row: 4x65x10
3x15x50,50,40 hammer curls
100 rope pushdowns 30 lbs

Friday: Squat: warmup to 5x225x5
Goblet squat: 5x60x15
30 lb Kb swings 100 reps

10/28 training and whats happened

I got kicked off the wrestling team so I guess we're back to lifting.  Goal is to get as big as possible while also lifting a good amount of weight.  For upper body I'm using a 531 pyramid routine that I got a lot of strength and size from before my stomach issues almost 2 years ago.  Gonna try some different things with my lower body, not sure how it's going to go since I sprained my ankle.  Gonna try a 5x5 squat with 5x20 goblets next Friday..  my upper shins don't feel the best when I squat so I really have to be careful playing around with squatting until I build some strength in that area.  Gonna play with a squat that's sorta between high and low bar.  Gonna also try a 50% set with deficit sldl next week..

Tuesday: Paused bench: 205x5 235x5 265x9 235x9 205x9
+ Barbell row: 135x10 155x8 175x6 155x8 135x10
Incline DB bench: 4x70x10 slow
Rope facepulls: 4x35x15
50 poundstone curls, 3x30x50 overhead rope

Wednesday: Deficit stiff leg: warmup to 185x20
Leg curls: 5x80x10
Peterson step ups: 50 each leg 2 square

Thursday: Clean + press: 115x5 135x5 155x10 135x10 115x10
+ Kirk row: 10 reps each weight.
Bodyweight dip: 4x20
+Cable upright row: 4x65x10
3x15x50,40,30 hammer curls
100 rope pushdowns 30 lbs

Friday: High bar squat(5 lb plate): warmup to  185x15.
Hack squat machine: 5x2platesx10
25lb kettlebell swings 100 reps

9/9 training

Monday: Overhead press: warmup to 4x185x5 185x6
Paused Bench press: warmup to 5x245x5
Incline DB: 65x350 method

Wednesday: none.  Giving my knee time to heal.  Medial part is feeling crispy now too.

Friday: Barbell row: warmup to 4x215x5
50 pullups
100 overhead raises 25 lb plate.

9/2 training

Tuesday: Ohp: warmup to 4x175x5 175x8 (rly amped up for that one)
Paused bench: warmup to 5x225x8
Low incline DB press: 1x70x15 2x12

Wednesday:
Squat: warmup, 205x20
Deadlift: warmup, 205x20
Leg extensions : 3x70x25

Friday:
Barbell row: warmup to 4x205x6
40 pullups
25 lbs 100 overhead raises

8/26 training

Monday: ohp: warmup to 4x165x5 165x7
Paused bench: warmup to 5x225x8
Incline machine: "185" for 2 sets of 1 minute.

Wednesday: Squat: warmup to 225x5, 195x20
Deadlift: warmup to 195x20
3 40 second planks.

Friday:
Barbell rows: warmup to 3x195x8 1x6
Palms in chins: 4 sets max reps (no belt today)
Low back extensions: 350 method

8/19 training

Monday: Military: warmup to 4x155x5 155x6
Paused Bench: 3x225x8 1x7,6
3x135x10 incline

Everything felt heavy today and I had to leave for work.

Wednesday:
Squat: barx10 135x5 185x5 225x5 185x20
Deadlift: 135x5 185x5 185x20
Planks: 3x30secs.

Friday: Barbell rows: warmup to 4x185x8
Palms in Chins: 10lbsx5 20x4 30x3 40x2 50x1 bwx13,8
Rope pulldowns: 2x85x10 2x100x10

8/12 trainimg

Monday : Military press: 4x145x5 145x10
Paused bench: 3x225x8 1x7 1x6
Incline: 3x155x10

No other training this week.  Pulled my back during wrestling.

7/15training

30 pullups every day

Tuesday: Paused Bench: barx15 135x5 185x4 225x3 255x2 285x1 255x13, 5 50%
50 slow dips
Incline curls + hammer curls: 25x18 + 10

Thursday: hurt my knee Wednesday so I just did some single leg work thru out the week.

Friday: DB seated press: 55 lbs 350 method got 24+15+
Incline DB press: 75lbs 350 method got 12
Might have to use less weight with this.
4x55x12 seal rows

7/2 training

Tuesday: Paused bench: 135x5 185x4 225x3 255x2 285x1 255x13 6 50%
(Lowered weight to go for more reps.  Trying to "milk the weight" for gains.)
Dips: 50 dips 3 second eccentric
Pullups: 25 pullups 3 second eccentric
Arms

Thursday: Leg press: warm up to 5 plates 3100 method got 40 + 25 + 20 = 85
Leg curl: 4 mins of sets of 5 with 95 lbs.
Rdl machine: 2x225x15

Friday: DB seated press: warmup to 350 55 lbs got 50
DB incline press: warmup to 350 75 lbs got 37
Seal row: 3x50x15
Arms

6/24 training

Monday:
Paused bench: barx20 135x5 225x4 255x3 285x2 315x1 285x8,4 50% 225x9 close grip
Dips: 50 3 second negative 5 sets.
Pullups: 20 3 second negative 3 sets.
Arms

Wednesday:
Leg press: warmup to 5 plates 3 100 method got 65 .. this was tough
Leg curl clusters: 4 mins sets of 4 with 95 lbs. 15 seconds rest
Rdl machine: warmup to 2x10 275 1x10 225

Friday: went to PA instead of lifting.

6/17 training

Monday: Paused bench: barx15 135x5 225x4 255x3 285x2 315x1 285x9, 4 50% 225x9 close grip
Dips : 90 reps 6 sets.
Chins: 40 reps in 4 sets.
Arms
Notes:. Completely destroyed from work today.  Had a strong workout considering.  Gonna do pullups or rows on my upper body days.

Wednesday:
Leg press: warmup to 4 plates, 3 100 got 100
Leg curl clusters: 5 minutes 5 reps 80 lbs 15 seconds between.
Shrug machine RDLs: 1x1plate, 2x2platesx10
Notes: was in a rush.  Some equipment was taken so tried changing things up.

Friday:
DB overhead press: warmup to 350 method with 50 lbs.  24+16+10 = 50
DB low incline: warmup to 350 method with 75 lbs. 15+14+11 = 40 need 10 more
Seal row: 3x50x15
Notes:. This session played out how I wanted it to.  I decided to put the overheads before the inclines so that I wouldn't have to use as much weight on the inclines and still get a strong training effect.

6/10 training

Monday: Paused Bench: barx20 135x5 225x4 255x3 285x2 315x1 285x9, 4 50% 225x8 closegrip
Dips: 80 reps in 5 sets
Seal.rows: 2x50x15
Weighted chins: 20 reps in 5 sets 45 lbs.
Bis and tris

Wednesday:
Leg press: "3 100" 3 plates 100 reps
Mid shin dead: work up to 4x275x3. Felt so weak with these, probably because low back is fucked.
Leg curls: 4 mins 5 reps 80 lbs 15 seconds rest clusters

Friday: DB incline press: 75 lbs 350 method got 50
40 chins

6/3 training

Monday: Paused Bench: barx20 135x5 225x4 255x3 275x2 315x1 275x10, 5 50% 225x10 close grip
Dips: 70 reps in 5 sets
Seal rows: 2x50x15
Pullups: 25lbs 24 reps in 4 sets.
Biceps and triceps

Wednesday: taking off.  Wrestling on Tuesday killed me and my low back was locking up at work.  Shins still sore too.

Friday: DB incline press: 75x20, 17, 13 350 method
40 chins
Notes: home workout.  Brother had prom today and had no time to get to the gym.

5/27 training

Monday: Paused Bench: barx20 135x5 185x4 225x3 265x2 295x1 265x11, 6 50% 225x7 close grip
Dips: 60 reps in 5 sets
Low incline row: 2x45x20
Chins: 25 lbs 22 reps in 4 sets.
Biceps and triceps
Notes:. Solid training, especially with the holiday rush.

Wednesday:
Squat: barx10 135x5 185x4 225x3 245x2 275x1 245x10, 5 50%
Mid shin deadlift: work up to 4x265x6
Leg press: 2x315x25
Leg curl clusters: 80lbs sets of 5 4 minutes total 15 secs between reps
Notes: shins still recovering so didn't push squats.  Also went wider than normal to save my shins.  Leg press in for hack squat for shins.

Friday:
Incline press: barx20 135x8 185x3 225x1 185x17,11,7 35 total 350 method.
PBN: barx20 95x10 135x2 155x1 135x10,4 50%
Barbell rows: 2x155x15
Chins: 30 reps in 4 sets.
Biceps and triceps
Notes: went to a different gym had thicker bars which I think messed up my PBN a bit.  Other than that was a good day tho.

5/20 training

Monday: paused bench press: barx20 135x5 185x4 225x3 255x2 285x1 255x11, 6 50% set 225x8 closegrip
Dips: 50 reps in 5 sets
Chest supported rows: 2x45x16, 14
Weighted chins: 25 lbs 20 reps 4 sets
Biceps and triceps 2 sets each.
Notes: this was brutal.  Light but brutal.  I feel so out of shape.

Wednesday: Squats: barx10 135x5 185x4 225x3 245x2 275x1 245x10, 5 50%
Tng Mid shin deadlift: warmup to 4x255x6
Leg curl clusters: 80 lbs sets of 4 for 4 minutes 15 seconds rest.
Notes: shins were killing me during squats. Not sure why, so I skipped hacks. 

Friday:
Incline: barx20 135x5 185x2 225x1 185x14, 9, 8 350 31 total.
PBN: barx20 135x3 155x1 135x10, 5 50%
Barbell rows: 2x135x20 15
Chins: 30 reps in 5 sets
Biceps and triceps
Notes:. Wasn't feeling great this morning from nervousness.  My shins are still killing me too.

Programming change.

So in my last post I said that I would be changing up my programming.  There were a few things I liked about the training I did and a few things that I didn't like.

I did like the three days a week full body, but I think my programming was starting to take a toll on me.  2 of the days had me doing a squat and a deadlift on the same day, which was brutal for a full body split.  In addition to wrestling often, I think that this was an issue with recovery.

Some of the exercises weren't my favorites either, but I found some exercises that I liked.  I was also missing out on some areas that I wanted to develop (traps, triceps, hsmstrings, etc). My goal with this training is to get big and get strong and get in shape. It's going to be tough but doable.  It's going back to my high intensity roots, but on a 3 day split instead of 4.  This is what it will look like

Monday: bench: 50% method, back off set
Dips: 50-100 total reps
Rows: 2 sets
Chins: 30 reps weighted
biceps and triceps 3x20

Wednesday:
Squat: 50% method Back off set.
Rdl: 4 sets of 10
Paused hacks: 2 sets of 20
Leg curl clusters

Friday: incline: 350 method
Pbn: 50% method
Rows: 2 sets
Chins: 50 reps weighted
Biceps and triceps 3x20

Tuesday Thursday Saturday: facepulls, laterals, calves

It's a very simple but brutal upper lowrt program, pushing hard on a main movement to break PRs and then getting in quality volume with the assistance exercises.  The reason there is no deadlift is because there is a lot of back work already in the orogram, and because I think the RDL is a better alternative for me right now.  I'm not a powerlifter, so I don't necessarily need to do a proper deadlift.  The RDL will most likely be done from a deficit, giving my entire posterior chain tons of time under tension with a strong eccentric.  I'll also be throwing in barbell rows on Friday to hit my low back a bit more as well.  For dips I think I'm going to keep them unweighted for now and really focus on moving my body under control.

What's been going on.

So the past couple weeks have been deload/messing around weeks.  I got sick and my stomach got worse again.  It's getting a bit better, but still a struggle.  I also was experimenting with some rep schemes and other exercises.  I'll be back to training hard next week.  Numbers are probably gonna be super low again, but I think I'm going to focus on being more of an athlete instead of a pure strength approach.  Just want to be big and strong, and not just in the big 3.

4/23 training

Monday: squat: barx15 135x5 185x4 225x4 255x3 285x2 315x1 285x9 225x8 paused.
Btnp: barx20 135x10 145x8 155x6 2x160x5 1x4.
Mid shin deadlift: 135x10 185x8 225x6 3x245x5
60 reps 15 lb hammer curls
Notes: squats felt a lot better today.  Shoulders were weak but this was expected after being sick last week.  Deadlifts felt good.  Didnt have fat grips for hammer curls today.

Wednesday: 1 legged leg press: 135x20 185x15 225x12 3x315x10 each leg.
Paused Bench press: barx20 135x5 225x4 255x4 285x2 315x1 285x9 3x235x5 wide grip tempo.
Weighted chins: bwx10 10x8 25x6 3x45x5
60 hammer curls 15 lbs
Notes: leg press felt solid.  Bench didnt feel great today.  Chins felt heavier but I switched to a thicker bar.

Friday: smith machine front squats: 105x20 125x15 145x12 3x155x10
Reverse grip smith machine bench press: 135x10 185x8 225x6 3x255x5
Deadlift: 135x5 225x4 255x3 295x2 325x2 4x295x3 90 seconds between.
70 reps 15 lb hammer curls fat grips
Notes:  pretty bleh today.  Didn't eat much.  Little sleep.  Still got thru it

4/16 training

My numbers are gonna suck ass the next week or two because I had the flu.  Hopefully I'll be back on track in may.  In other words I'm gonna have to start taking stretching more seriously.  Hamstrings and ankle and hips every day along with neck training.  I gotta stop skipping the prehab.  The last 2 weeks I havent done any small workouts either, which is going to change this week.

Monday: no training because flu.

Wednesday:
Squats: 135x5 185x4 225x3 275x2 305x1 275x7 225x7 paused.
Paused Bench: barx20 135x5 185x4 225x3 275x2 305x1 275x9 3x225x5 wide grip tempo
Chins: bwx10 +10x8 +25x6 3x+45x5
50 Hammer curls
Notes: need to get back to stretching daily.. my left knee wasnt feeling great today.  Left a few in the tank on everything.

Friday: Smith front squat: 95x20 115x15 135x12 3x145x10
Smith reverse grip bench: 135x10 185x8 225x6 3x245x5
Deadlift: 135x5 225x4 255x3 285x2 315x1 4x285x3 90 sec rest
50 hammer curls 15lbs
Notes: stayed at the same weights for assistance this week.  Deadlifts felt decent.

4/9/18 training week

Monday: Squats: 135x5 185x4 225x3 265x2 295x1 265x10 225x9 paused.
Btnp: barx20 95x10 135x8 145x6 3x155x5
Mid shin deadlift: 135x10 185x8 205x6 3x225x5
Fat grip hammer curl: 50 reps 15s.
Notes: squat felt okay.  My left ankle needs work to get stretched.

Wednesday: 1 legpress: 135x20 185x15 225x12 3x275x10
Paused Bench press: barx20 135x5 185x4 225x3 265x2 295x1 265x12 3x225x6 wide grip tempo
Chins: bwx10 +10x8 +25x6 3x+45x5-4-3
Fat grip hammer curls: 15lbsx
Notes: leg press was pretty light.  Just gonna go up slowly though.  Had 2 or so left in the tank on bench which is good.  Wide grips felt interesting.  Weighted chins were hard.

Friday: Smith machine front squat: 95x20 115x15 135x12 3x145x10
Smith machine reverse grip bench: 135x10 185x8 225x6 3x245x5
Deadlift: 135x5 185x4 225x3 275x2 305x1 275x10
15 lb. Fat grip hammer curl: 50 reps.
Notes: front squats didnt feel heavy, but were really hard.  Reverse bench I didnt feel too much.  Deadlifts felt a lot better but still need work imo.  I think I have to change up the rep scheme because amraps seem to be draining me more than helping me.  Maybe I'll do a single every 30 seconds for 10.  Or a double every minute.

Assistance thoughts part 1

Since my first 6 week training cycle is coming to a close, I feel like I should make this post series to go into detail about some of the more assistance exercises I used throughout the program and detail how they worked for me here.

Overhead press: solid lift to get the shoulders strong again.  I cleaned the first rep of every set too which probably helped.  Low reps really get me moving heavy weight here.

Stiff leg deficit deadlift: these were really good.  I felt it a lot better in my hamstrings with a really close stance, but as I got heavier I started to feel it more in my back.  The deficit version let's me get more of a stretch since I'm tall and more ROM.

Lunges: I was very surprised at how much I liked these.  Every time I did them they lit up my quads.  They also weren't super taxing either.  I only did about 3 "work sets" for these, with a bodyweight set of 20 and a set of 10 before going heavier. 

Barbell rows: Good row.  I would take these out of the rack and do a Romanian deadlift and start rowing.  I cheated a little bit the last 2 or so weeks, but I'd rather cheat a bit on an exercise where using heavier weight can carry over to my other rows.  I really liked working with low reps, but think I'll try and double the reps the next time I rotate these in.  Not sure yet.  I started pulling these to my stomach but now I try to focus on pulling it a little bit higher.

Hack squats (paused): these were a pleasant surprise as well.  The pause puts a whole new meaning to the exercise.  You can also try putting your feet close together and point your toes out.. basically touch your heels and do some slow negatives to really torch your vmo.  I did these wider like a real squat.  Something to keep in mind the more upright my torso was the harder the movement was, not sure why.  Maybe I could get more ROM and less hip action in the mix.

Incline bench: I always hated inclines, but going heavier on them for top sets of 5 make them a much more bearable exercise.  I actually have started looking forward to these.  It's a really good assistance exercise for hitting all the prime movers of the bench press under a longer rom.  I cut the last inch or so out of the movement to prevent some shoulder issues, but this is a solid choice still.  I think someone like me who has neglected inclines can get a lot out of focusing on them.

4/2 training week

Mondays: HighbarSquats: barx15 135x5 225x4 255x3 295x2 325x1 295x7 225x8 paused
Ohp: barx20 135x10 155x8 165x6 3x180x5
Deficit stiffs: 135x10 185x8 205x6 3x235x5
Poundstone curls: 100
Notes: highbar today so my reps were low, but felt a lot more natural.  Ohp and deficit stiffs felt good.

Wednesday:
Lunges: bwx20 95x10 3x145x8
Paused bench: barx20 135x5 185x5 225x4 255x3 295x2 325x1 295x9 3x245x7,7,6 close grip paused.
Barbell rows: 135x10 185x8 225x6 3x245x5
Poundstone curls: 100
Notes: lunges felt tough.  Bench felt okay.  I expected 8 for the amrap but got 9 which is 2 reps off my all time touch and go PR.  Rows are as heavy as I can go with decent form.

Saturday: Hack squat machine: 135x20 225x20 275x15 315x12 3x365x10
Incline bench: barx20 135x10 185x8 225x6 3x245x5
Deadlift: 135x5 225x4 255x3 305x2 335x1 305x9
Notes: I think my left knee has some tendonitis from banging it into a table on Monday lol.  but it's not affecting anything as of yet, I just feel it.  Didnt eat much yesterday or today, but everything felt good.  DL was a struggle

Assistance changes to program for cycle 2.

With 6 weeks coming around the corner, I figured I would lay out my changes to assistance work for my program.  Just a really short post.  I'm generally keeping everything the same (overhead stuff on Monday, single leg stuff Wednesday etc) just changing the actual exercise for a different feel but keeping the purpose the same.  There are 1 or 2 exceptions, but I'll outline them.

This cycle I sort of messed up.  I went all gung ho and chose a lot of movements that tax the lower back, and I definitely feel it.  Wrestling on my off days doesn't help either, so this cycle I'm going to take some of the pressure off my low back.  In addition, squats will be highbar also, because I'm feeling that all in my low back also,and think a highbar position will pay off well with carrying over to wrestling better than low bar, and having more muscular tension in the quads than a back squat.

So anyway, here is the second cycle that I'm going to be working on.

Monday - 
Squats - same as cycle 1.  Switch to highbar
Push - press behind the neck. 10-8-6-5-5-5
Pull: midshin deadlift: 10-8-6-5-5-5 *this is one of the exceptions.  This hits more of the back than the hamstrings,but still trains the deadlift, which is why I'll be doing a lot of leg curls in my small workouts to balance this out.*

Wednesday - 
1 legged leg press: 2 warmup sets of 10, 3 work sets of 10
Push - Bench - same as cycle 1.  Back offs are going to be wide grip instead tho.
Pull - weighted chins: 10-8-6-5-5-5 gonna stick to underhand chins for this one.

Friday -
smith machine front squats: 20-15-12-10-10-10
Push - reverse grip smith machine bench: 20-15-12-10-10-10 giving these a shot.  Apparently they're good for the triceps and upper chest.
Pull - Deadlift - same as cycle 1.

Tuesday/Thursday = wrestling conditioning.

Db hammer curl with fat grips after each day Poundstone curl style.

"Small workouts" are probably going to focus around rear delts/traps, leg curls,and the staple calves and abs.  I just started doing neck every morning this week with the harness, so that's gonna be a factor this cycle as well.

This cycle should be a lot easier on the low back, and a bit easier to recover from since not every workout will be all barbell stuff.  Gains have been good this first cycle, and I'm hopeful cycle 2 will continue to provide gains.

3/26 training week

Monday: Squat: barx15 135x5 185x4 225x3 285x2 315x1 285x9 225x10 paused.
ohp: barx20 135x10 155x8 165x6 3x175x5
Deficit stifys: 135x10 185x8 205x6 3x225x5
Poundstone curls: 100
Notes: had a few in the tank, but squats felt horrible in my low back today.  Gonna try to do more of a high bar squat from now on.  Ohp was heavy but fine.  Rdls feel good again.

Wednesday: Lunges: bwx20 95x10 3x135x8
PausedBench: barx20 135x5 185x5 225x4 255x3 285x2 315x1 285x10 3x245x6 close grip paused.
Barbell rows: 135x10 185x8 205x6 3x235x5
No poundstone curls today. Short time.
Notes: 80%er.  Felt exhausted for everything.  Literally feel the fatigue from school.  Bench was 1 away from failure. deload soon.

Friday: paused hack squat: 135x20 225x20 275x15 315x12 3x365x10
Incline bench press: barx20 135x10 185x8 205x6 3x235x5
Deadlift: 135x5 185x5 225x4 255x3 295x2 325x1 295x10
Poundstone curls: 100
Notes:  hacks were a lot tougher when I kept my torso upright..almost leaning back.  Will take that into consideration.  Incline bench felt heavy but strong.  Deadlift felt a little better with technique.

3/19/18 training week

Weight: 227.5
Monday: Squat: barx15 135x5 185x4 225x3 275x2 305x1 275x11 225x8  paused.
OHP: barx20 135x10 145x8 155x6 3x170x5
Dsldl: 135x10 185x8 195x6 3x215x5
Poundstone curls: 85

Notes: squat felt okay.  Not super hard but felt way heavier than last week.  Ohp felt fine.  I widened my legs for deficits like I did with my normal DL and didn't feel it in my hammy.  Brought them back in for the last set and it felt a lot better.

Wednesday: Lunges: bwx20 95x10 3x125x8
Bench paused: barx20 135x5 185x4 225x3 275x2 305x1 275x10 3x225x10,10,7 close grip paused.
Barbell rows: 135x10 185x8 205x6 3x225x5
Poundstone curls: 90
Notes: lunges are tough but give me such a good pump.  Bench felt a lot better this week.  Felt like I had 12 or 13 with 275.  Barbell rows are feeling real heavy now.

Friday: Paused hacks:185x20 225x15 275x12 3x315x10
Incline bench: barx20 135x10 185x8 205x6 3x225x5
Deadlift: 135x5 185x4 225x3 2x285x2 315x1 285x10
Poundstone curls90
Notes: I didn't eat much for lunch so it wasn't the best session.  Everything felt heavy but I got my reps in.

3-12 training week

Monday: Squat: 135x5 185x4 225x3 265x2 295x1 265x10 225x8 paused
Ohp: barx20 135x10 145x8 155x6 3x165x5
Dsldl: 135x10 155x8 185x6 3x205x5
75 poundstone curls

Notes: squat top set was super easy.  I probably could've done 15+  Idk why I cut it short.  Ohp is tough as always, but making progress.  Leaving for Florida tommorow so not sure what to expect for Wednesday and Fridays workouts.

Wednesday: Lunges: bwx15 95x10 3x115x8
Pause bench: barx20 135x5 185x4 225x3 265x2 295x1 265x10 3x225x7 close grip paused.
Barbell row: 135x10 175x8 195x6 3x215x5
Poundstone curls: 80

Notes: I like this set up for lunges.  Bench top set was closer to failure than id like, maybe different equipment and my flight is why..  doing Fridays workout Saturday.

Saturday: Paused hack squat: 185x20 225x15 275x12 3x315x10
Incline bench: 135x10 185x8 195x6 3x215x5
Deadlift: 135x5 185x4 225x3 275x2 305x1 275x10
85 Poundstone curls

Notes: got literally 4 hours of sleep today because of flight.  Everything felt solid.  Deadlift warmup felt like ass but I widened my stance a bit for the top set and it felt a lot better.  Gonna experiment with that more.

Smaller workout Sunday.  Facepulls low traps calves abs

3-5 training week

Monday: Squat: barx15 135x5 185x4 225x3 255x2 285x1 255x12 225x7 paused
Ohp: barx20 135x10 145x8 155x6 3x160x5
Deficit rdl: 135x10 155x8 175x6 3x195x5
Poundstone curls : 60

Neck was really kinked today and OHP made it worse but not a bad session.

Thursday: Lunge: bwx15 4x105x8
Paused bench press: barx20 135x5 185x4 225x3 255x2 285x1 255x10 3x205x8 close grip paused.
Barbell row: 135x10 165x8 185x6 3x205x5
65 poundstone curls

Neck feels a lot better today, lifting Thursday and Saturday instead of wednesday and Friday because of the storm.  Just gonna skip one of the small workouts on the weekend.

Saturday: Pause hacks: 135x20 185x15 225x12 3x275x10
Incline bench: barx20 135x10 155x8 185x6 3x205x5
Deadlift: 135x5 185x4 225x3 265x2 295x1 265x10
70 poundstone curls.
Notes: deadlift didn't feel great today.  Last week I felt like I was in a really good groove but not this week.  Pause hacks are going up next week.  Stayed at the same weight because it was tough last week.

2-26 week training

Monday:
Overhead: barx20 115x10 135x8 145x6 3x155x5
Squat: barx10 135x5 185x4 225x3 245x2 275x1 245x12 205x10 paused
Deficit RDL: 115x10 135x8 155x6 3x185x5
Poundstone curls
*note overhead was first today because the squat rack was taken.

Wednesday: Lunges: bwx20 4x95x8
Bench: barx20 135x5 185x4 225x3 245x2 275x1 245x10 2x205x8 1x7close grip all paused.
Barbell row: 135x10 155x8 180x6 3x190x5
50 poundstone curls.

Friday: Paused hack machine: 1platex20 1.5x15 2platex12 3x2.5x10
Incline bench: 135x10 155x8 175x6 3x195x5
Deadlift: 135x5 185x4 225x3 255x2 275x1 255x10
Poundstone curls: 60 reps

Notes: solid first week back.  Everything is feeling good.  Pretty much none of the big stuff was taken to failure.  The squat and bench press amraps were 3-4 reps shy of failure, and the deadlift amrap probably could have been 20 or more reps if I really pushed it.

Overhead is very tough still, gonna keep grinding with that.
Also the paused hack squats destroyed my quads on Friday. Putting my feet higher on the platform helped me get a little deeper than normal.

Small workouts this weekend are gonna consist of laterals and rear delts flyes, calves and abs, and facepulls

The plan for after wrestling season.

My wrestling season should be done in 2 or so weeks so I decided to think about my training a little bit for the off-season.  The goal is to get stronger while also gaining about 20 lbs in 8 months, while wrestling twice a week and not let myself get completely out of shape.  I weigh around 223 right now, but once the season ends I'll most likely jump up to 230 relatively quickly, so 250 by October is the goal for body weight. (About 3lbs/month)

My split is going to be very basic.  It's 3 days of lifting, 2 days of conditioning/wrestling, and 2 days of recovery.

The lifting is full body 3x a week Monday Wednesday Friday.  One squat,one push, one pull.  Taking most of the fluff out of my training and getting back to basics to get stronger and bigger.  I have each of the lifts have there own "focus" day, with a similar movement pattern/assistance work for the other 2.  Every 6-8 weeks I'll swap assistance exercises. For example, Monday looks like this:

Squat: 5-4-3-2-1 warm-up, amrap at "2" weight.  1 back off set.
Overhead work: 10-8-6-5-5-5
Deadlift variation: 10-8-6-5-5-5

Tuesday and Thursday are wrestling days,which will act as my conditioning.  If I can't make it on the mat, I'll do some form of HIIT.

Saturday and Sunday are recovery days.  So basically I'll make sure to do everything I can to recover.  There will be some LISS, stretching, and some ultra high reps for muscles that I neglect throughout the week(calves, forearm flexors, medial/rear delts).  Nothing that really hurts recovery.  Just feel good training to keep my body moving.  I'm not really going to track my diet, just going to eat as much as I can, and try to track my weight every week and adjust accordingly.