Preparing to apply to the 1,000lb club

22/2/16 - Monday

About damn time, I'm almost back to where I was before my exams in December.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 5
70kg x 3
80kg x 4x3
65kg x 3x8

I did what I could paused but the odd rep in the top sets were touch and go as was the very last set of 65kg.

Close Grip Bench Press

65kg x 3x4

Offft. Feels like that bar is traveling for miles with the close grip.

OHP

Bar x lots
30kg x 5
35kg x 8
32.5kg x 8
30kg x 10

Rather easy tbh. Maybe I've made some shoulder gains.

BOR

55kg x 4x8

Felt really nice tonight. Happy days.

Really happy with that session. It was by far the hardest I've had in a long while and my next bench session isn't going to be much nicer either. May the gains be with me.
 
23/2/16 - Tuesday

Deadlifts and squats! I can finally squat (a little)!

Deadlift Slow Tempo

60kg x 5
80kg x 5
100kg(S) x 5

Deadlift

120kg(B,S) x 5
120kg(B,S) x 3x2

I'm missing so much leg drive but as the sets went on the better they got. The knee is the limiting factor right now so I'll be interested to see how everything is once it is hunky-dory again.

Squat

Bar x lots
40kg x 6x3

The weight is not the issue at all, I'm currently working on my mobility, my stance and overall consistency. It's nice to finally be doing some weight again.

The plan is currently to do what feels good over the next two weeks and then work on my rehab program to gradually get me back to where I was. I know I'm going to have to take it slow but in the long run it will be worth it. At least it means I'll be able to redevelop my deadlift since I'll have some leg strength and mobility again and it also means I can keep focusing on bench. The squat sessions will be extremely short since the weight is so light so I'll be ok piling in the squat sessions wherever I can.
 
24/2/16 - Wednesday

Bench, so much bench. Managed to slightly alter my set up to make unracking the bar a million times easier.

Bench

Bar x lots
40kg x 8
47.5kg x 8
57.25kg x 2x6
67.5kg x 2x5
75kg x 2x3
85kg 2x1 - All time pb!

First one was properly paused but the second one had a bad lift off which threw off the rep slightly but managed it without much issue.

Slingshot Bench Press

You know that pb I just got? I did it for 3 triples...

85kg x 3x3

Super happy with that, all with sufficient pauses and fully controlled eccentrics too.

Tricep Push downs

some weight x 4x8

Nice.

Shrugs

80kg x 4x8

Very nice. I've got much stronger at these.

Really happy with that session. Heaviest session I have ever done and it's nice to see my training is heading in the right direction.
 
mrthingyx said:
Awesome bench.

Wth shrugs. :p ;)
Click to expand...

I find it a great way to practise retracting and focusing on keeping the scapula against the thoracic wall rather than letting them elevate and wing, especially after the pecs become tight and slightly protract them. Before I reintroduced deadlifting my second bench day was the best place for them. I might switch shrugs to my deadlift day and replace them with a back accessory instead such as chin ups.

25/2/16 - Thursday

I managed some squats today, I'm start back incredibly light and will just attempt to rebuild again. Mobility is still horrific but at least I'm doing something.

Squat

Bar x lots
30kg x 5
42.5kg x 9
40kg x 5x4

And that is that. Upping my training max for next week and see how that goes :) It's my left knee that is currently clicking rather than my right which is good I guess but I want to alleviate all necessary stress out of the knees. I'm going to attempt to do some stretching and what not outside of training to see if that makes things any easier.
 
Last edited:
mrthingyx said:
Facepalm. :D

That is the worst justification for shrugs I have ever read! ;) Just say "I want big traps" and have done with it: there are a lot of better exercises to keep your scaps pinned. And I know you know that. :)
Click to expand...

Well there is that too... ;) I agree there are better exercises but these are doing the job nicely and my traps are getting slight stronger too, or bigger, who cares :p


26/2/16 - Friday

Today was tough, heavy bench and heavy deadlift.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 5
70kg x 3
80kg x 6

I misgrooved the 4th rep which made the 5th and 6th iffy. Went up without any problems and I am 100% confident they would have been better if I hadn't slightly misgrooved so I'm upping my training max.

Spoto Bench Press

65kg 6x4

Much slow. So paused. Pump chest.

Sumo Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 5
100kg x 5
120kg x 1
130kg(B,S) x 5
130kg(B,S) x 3x2

Good lord that was hell. Mobility is slowly coming back and once it does I'll stop using straps as I'll be able to get into a much better position and pull much more efficiently.

Only going to push the deadlift 5kg's next week rather than making such dramatic jumps as I have been.

I missed out rows but I'm not too fussed either. I might try and sneak some in tomorrow at the Sheiko seminar. Good times!
 
Last edited:
29/2/16 - Monday

Bench, close grip pb and OHP :D

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 5
70kg x 3
77.5kg x 3x2 - Felt slow :(
67.5kg x 3x5 - wayyyyyyy easier

I think it might just be one of those days. My tops sets just felt slow, not particularly heavy though which is good I suppose.

Close Grip Bench Press

72.5kg x 3x3 - close grip pb!

Happy days. Moved so easily.

OHP

Bar x lots
30kg x 5
37.5kg x 12

The last rep was a grind but it the bar didn't stop or go down at any point so I';m counting it.

Left out rows so I could do them tomorrow after deadlifts and instead spent the time doing some banded stretches for pecs, delts and lats as well as doing a couple of dead hangs to aid the stretching.
 
1/3/16 - Tuesday

Squats and slooooooooow tempo deadlifts. Since going heavy isn't sensible for me right now because of the pressure through the knee, I've found that doing much lighter weights but much slower to increase time-under-tension the way to go for the time being. I've designed the next training cycle (and the last week of this one) to focus on control and positioning of the deadlift. Doing this and taking the squat rehab super slow should pay off in the end.

Squat

Bar x lots
40kg x 3
45kg x 3x2
40kg x 3x5

Seems to be a strain in the right hip flexor which makes the concentric part of the squat a lot more difficult than it should be. Fortunately I'm playing with baby weight and fingers crossed it'll go in a few weeks.

Deadlift (Tempo 4-2-4)

60kg x 5
75kg x 2x3
82.5kg x 2x3
90kg(S) x 5x3

The positioning greatly improved over the sets. Looking forward to doing this style over the next 4 weeks.

Shrugs

90kg x 4x6

BOR

60kg x 4x6

Really quite easy.

Happy with that session. Taking this week light and then I'll focus on going up in weight.
 
2/3/16 - Wednesday

More bench.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
47.5kg x 5
57.5kg x 4
67.5kg x 3
72.5kg x 2x3
77.5kg x 2x2

Moved relatively well but still feels a tad heavy. Currently having mixed feelings about the test on Friday.

Tricep Pushdown

Some weight x 4x6

Chin Ups

BW x 4x4

Oh dear, I've clearly lost all bicep and lat strength. Hopefully it will come back if I reintroduce these each week.

Finished up with some shoulder, pec and lat stretches and mobility work.

Nice easy session. Squats tomorrow.
 
3/3/16 - Thursday

Squats.

Squat

Bar x lots x lots
25.5kg x 5
35kg x 4
40kg x 3
42.5kg x 2x3
45kg x 2x2

Feeling much better than Tuesday. Hopefully knees and hips will keep on improving.

Good Morning

40kg x 4x6

I was too lazy to take the weight off the bar. This was quite a nice weight so I know roughly wha I'm aiming for in the next cycle.

Back Extensions

BW x 3x12

Super easy but just a tad of pressure through the knee so I didn't want to add on weight.

Happy with that session. Nice and light and super quick.
 
5/3/16 - Saturday

Everything today. So much fun. So much hate.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 5
70kg x 3
77.5kg x 2
82.5kg x 6

Oooh, not bad. I could have maybe pushed out a 7th but there wasn't much point in that. Training max gets upped for next week.

Spoto Bench Press

67.5kg x 3x3

Makes a nice changed from the typical 6x4.

Squat

Bar x lots
40kg x 5
47.5kg x 9

Nice and easy and my mobility is coming back. This worked as a nice warm up for sumo deadlift coming up next.

Sumo Deadlift (1/2 (x 3) + 1)

60kg x 3
75kg x 2x3
90kg x 2x3
97.5kg(S) x 5x2

I'm guessing everyone is looking at the brackets trying to work out what on earth I'm on about. Each pull started with a half pull for 3 reps and then 1 full rep - this counted as 1. So I would pull the bar from the floor up to my knees and then back down to the floor and repeat this 3 times. I would then do one full rep to count as an overall 1 rep. The reason for doing this was practising the start position as well has help develop the power from the floor.

BOR

60kg x 4x6

Really easy.

And that is that. My quads and hips are dead so time to eat and rest and hopefully let them grow.
 
7/3/16 - Monday

Bench with so much awesomeness. OHP (pathetic weight) with so much fatigue.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 5
70kg x 3
75kg x 5x5

Felt good, sooooooo good.

Close Grip Bench Press

60kg x 3x8

Had more in me on the last set but thought I'd save it as I had OHP coming up.

OHP

Bar x lots
30kg x 5
37.5kg x 10
35kg x 10
32.5kg x 12

Fatigue hit me so hard and I broke once on each set but I know I can do it so I'm not fussed.

Face Pulls

mini band x 4x12

Band Pull Aparts

mini band x 4x12

Shoulders are feeling really good after that little bit of banded work.

Super happy with this session. Should mean good things to come later in the week.
 
8/3/16 - Tuesday

Squats and tempo deadlifts

Squat

Bar x lots
40kg x 5
47.5kg x 5x5

I swapped to flate shoes as I was getting a pull in my hip flexor, goodness knows how I've aggravated that but now I really am resembling a lot more of a low bar squat.

Deadlift (Tempo 4-2-4)
60kg x 5 - Normal concentric, slow eccentric.
70kg x 5
82.5kg x 3
90kg x 3
97.5kg(S) x 4x3

These went on forever. As much as I'm enjoying them I'll be looking forward to doing some more standard pulls next cycle.

Shrugs

80kg x 4x10

BOR

55kg x 4x10

I'm trying to get a tad more parallel each time as my knees are improving.

Curlz

Ez + 12.5kg x 3x12
Ez + 12.5kg x 1x10

Not a bad session. Ended up being rather long but still a solid session. Rest tonight, bench tomorrow.
 
9/3/16 - Wednesday

Bench. Lots and lots of bench.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 8
60kg x 6
70kg x 2x4
80kg x 2x3

Must admit, felt a tad heavier than I would have liked it to feel. Lacking some arch and leg drive. Stuff to work on.

Slingshot Bench Press

80kg x 3x8

Paused the reps too. Had a little bit left in me each set, maybe 2-3 reps at the most.

Tricep Pushdown

Some weight x 4x10

Chin Ups

BW x 4x5

Better than last time but still rubbish.

Face Pulls

Mini band x 5x12

Band Pull apart

Mini Band x 3x12

Finished up with some super quick mobility work and that's that. Hopefully it won't be too long before I'm close to catching a two plate bench.
 
Warbie said:
Hi mate. What's a slingshot bench? I'm struggling with bench at the moment and anything that might help would be much appreciated. Good work btw - getting closer!
Click to expand...

It utilises an piece of equipment called a "slingshot" which is somewhat similar to a bench shirt. It allows me to bench for a bit more volume or a bit heavier than what I usually would do (sometimes both) and helps work on both parts of the lift whilst taking a good amount of stress out of the joints. It's a great thing to have but by no means should it be the thing to immediately go for without exhausting your other options first. First thing to do is make sure your setup, form and technique is correct. Then look at your program to ensure you have something that you can actually make progress on and if not change it accordingly. If that's looking good then start looking towards weak parts of the lifts and assign auxiliary lifts and accessory lifts to target weak muscles. It's at this point you constant to think about using lifts to strengthen certain parts of the lift, but don't introduce a lift just for the sake of it.

10/3/16 - Thursday

Squats in flat shoes. Utter rubbish.

Lots of warm up stuff to start with.

Squat

Bar x lots
32.5kg x 8
40kg x 6
45kg x 2x4
52.5kg x 2x3

Tbh, utter rubbish. Mobility is still trash but knee funk is a lot less so I guess that in it's own right is an improvement.

Good Mornings

35kg x 4x10

Oh the booty and hammy development.

The good mornings made me feel a tad better by making it feel like I had actually done something.

I finished up with some stretching ( :o ) and a sports massage so hopefully the fact I can now stretch my mobility might start to improve.
 
12/3/16 - Saturday

Ended up just benching, and not very well either.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 5
70kg x 3
77.5kg x 3
85kg x 4
80kg x 2x3

Utter rubbish....

Double Paused Spoto Bench Press

65kg x 6x4

Most were good but my scapulas just were not sliding properly so when I went to pause the bar sometimes shifted.

French Press

Ez + 10kg x 3x8

Slingshot Dips

BW x 3x12

I tried some without the slingshot and it looks like my stabilisation is terrible.

I was supposed to squat and deadlift too but I'll do that tomorrow. Horrible session but that's not to say that my next bench session won't be better :)
 
13/3/16 - Sunday

Squats and deads. Both were laughable.

Squat

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
52.5kg x 2x3

And that's the squats over with. Struggling with depth atm due to the knee but after quite a bit of work and playing around with stance, toe angle and cueing, it started to come together. Going to keep the training max the same for the next two weeks so I know that I'm hitting depth every time.

Sumo Deadlift (1/2 (x 3) + 1)

60kg x 3
85kg x 3
105kg(S) x 4x2

I've realised that these really can't be done for multiple reps as it's too exhausting with the constant pausing and the overall time under tension within one set. I've adjusted the upcoming deadlift days accordingly.

BOR (Pendlay)

55kg x 4x10

I switched to Pendlay today so I could ensure I was getting a full range of motion as I just couldn't keep a decent angle and instead kept keeping into a yates row.

Hammer Curlz

5kg x 3x8

And that's that. I had very little food in me and very little energy as a result. I guess it's just one of those days.
 
15/3/16 - Tuesday

Squats and bench. Squats are getting better, bench was feeling heavy. Sleep is off and food intake is super low so it's to be expected I guess.

Squat

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 2 x 5
50kg x 4x3
47.5kg x 3x6

Should have been 52.5kg x 4x3 but never mind. Mobility is improving and it's getting easier to hit depth. Taking this rehab super slowly seems to be the way to go. I'm not focusing on the squat too much now until after the competition so I'm not fussed about frequency, consistency or progression providing I don't allow the knee to get worse.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 8
60kg x 6
70kg x 5
80kg x 4x3 - Felt heavier than it should have
75kg x 3x6 - Paused.

Close Grip Bench Press

65kg x 3x6

Rather easy if I'm honest.

OHP

Bar x lots
30kg x 5
40kg x 8 - rep pb :D
37.5kg x 8
35kg x 10

And that is everything.

More bench and some deadlifts tomorrow.
 
16/3/16 - Wednesday

Food intake is better and sure enough the session was better too.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 8
60kg x 6
70kg x 5
80kg x 3
85kg x 2x2 - Felt Great

Slingshot Bench Press

90kg x 3x3 - Moved really well. Slingshot PB too :D

Tricep Pushdown

Some weight x 4x8

Really happy with that tiny bench session.

Everything moved really well and most importantly it was a lot better than the last session.
 
Last edited:
20/3/16 - Sunday

Bench.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 8
60kg x 6
70kg x 5
80kg x 3x4 - Moved really welly

Spoto Bench Press

70kg x 5x4 - Also moved really well

Really happy with how bench moved today.

French Press

10kg x 4x8

Slingshot Dips

BW x 4x12

Hammer Curlz

10kg x 4x8

Decent session. Hopefully this will continue.
 
Last edited:
22/3/16 - Tuesday

Really good bench.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 8
60kg x 6
70kg x 5
77.5kg x 3
85kg x 4x3 - rep/set pb
70kg x 3x8

Awesome.

Close Grip Bench Press

70kg x 2x4
70kg x 10

Happy with that.

Face Pulls ss/w Band pull aparts

mini band x 3x12

Awesome session. Hopefully my next session will being a little pb and some slingshot pb's too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom