Preparing to apply to the 1,000lb club

6/6/16 - Monday

Well, well, well the rehab seems to be going in the right direction.

Squat

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
60kg x 3
80kg x 3
90kg x 3
100kg(B) x 3 - Really happy
110kg(B) x 3 - Incredibly happy with this

Really happy with that. There was more in the tank for sure but it's all about taking it bit by bit with the rehab. Gives me a good baseline to start the next cycle with and hopefully I'll make a similar level of progress too.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 5
70kg x 3
75kg x 3x2
65kg x 3x5

Easy.

Close Grip Bench Press

70kg x 3x3

Not bad at all.

Happy with that session, missed out OHP unfortunately but never mind, Bring on Wednesday!
 
mrthingyx said:
Juicy squatting!

What is your BW now?
Click to expand...

Sitting around 78.4-79.1 because bulking is epic. This completely devalues the progress I've been making but I'm coming back from the knee(s) injury and I'm just enjoying training right now.


8/6/16 - Wednesday

Bench and stiff leg deadlifts. Bench was meh because I was on a horrible bench, stiff leg deadlifts were awesome.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
47.5kg x 5
57.5kg x 4
65kg x 3
70kg x 2x3
75kg x 2x2

A tad rubbish because of the super squishy bench, but damn it was comfy.

Stiff Leg Deadlifts

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 3
120kg(B,S) x 2
132.5kg(B,S) x 1
142.5kg(B,S) x 3
142.5kg(B,S) x 3x1

Nice little deadlift variation PB.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGZ7t3NGGSc/?taken-by=porridgeisyummy

I had a few accessories to do but it's my test week and accessories with half the volume and lower intensity anyway wouldn't do much other than move the muscles around anyway. Good session, hopefully Friday will reap some front squat and bench gains!
 
mrthingyx said:
Why does bulking devalue your progress? :(

Bulking is awesome...
Click to expand...

The lifts are still low in relation to my bodyweight but I have to say that everything feels great so I'm not that fussed and by going for little pb's each week seems to be working wonders. So far my test maxes have had more in the tank which is always a god sign and hopefully this will be true in another cycle or two, or more.
 
13/06/16 - Monday

Squats and bench, not bad but not amazing either.

Squats

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 3
90kg x 10
90kg x 3x8

20kg pb from the last cycle so I can't complain. Quads are weak and my glutes aren't too amazing right now either. Going over my volume of my last cycle it seems that I missed a lot of my glute and back work out, and various accessories just due to being busy and what not. Hopefully I can improve this cycle.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 5x5

Just felt wobbly and weak.

Close Grip Bench Press

57.5kg x 2x8
57.5kg x 10

I don't even lift.

Somehow I've gone form benching really well to gradually declining for no apparent reason. Oh well, hopefully it's just one of those days and things will pick up quick.
 
14/06/16 - Tuesday

Much quicker session today as it consisted of the accessories that I missed yesterday.

OHP

Bar x lots x lots
30kg x 5
37.5kg x 12
35kg x 8+2+2
32.5kg x 10+5

Starting to get worried about how much strength I have randomly lost...

Good Mornings

Bar x 10
40kg x 2x12

Hips and hamstrings were tight from last night so this was just enough to get a bit of a stretch but my positioning didn't feel too great.

Chin Ups

BW x 3x6

Much better than expected.


Culz

Ez + 10kg x 4x12

So weak but it was fun to get in a quicker session in. Hopefully if I get more consistent with my accessories the volume will accumulate nicely and it'll carry over to the main lifts.
 
15/06/16 - Wednesday

Now that is more like it! Bench and deficit deadlifts.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
47.5kg x8
57.5kg x 6
67.5kg x 4
77.5kg x 3
82.5kg x 2x1

Nice and easy.

Slingshot Bench Press

82.5kg x 3x6

Awesomes.

Deficit Deadlift (2")

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 2
115kg x 2
125kg(B) x 5
125kg(B) x 2x3

Solid weight to get into it. Might be a tad too light but I'd rather make steady progress than start too heavy and tire out.

RDL

100kg x 3x8

Boom, 12.5kg pb :D

BOR

50kg x 4x8

Dropped the weight to really focus on back development.

Shrugs

130kg x 4x8

And that's that. Lots and lots of fun and a good way to start the new cycle.
 
17/06/16 - Friday

Front squats and bench.

Front Squat

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 3
67.5kg x 2
72.5kg x 8
72.5kg x 3x6

12.5kg pb from the looks of things so I'm quite happy with that as well as everything in general felt better such as bracing, torso angle, tightness, no knee pain(few clicks) and could have possibly pushed an extra rep or two each set.

Bench

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

Not bad.

Spoto Bench Press

62.5kg x 3x8

Nice. Kept it nice and controlled with a 2 count pause before pressing again.

Dips

BW x 3x8

Shoulders and scapula contraction felt decent.

Tricep Push downs

~26kg x 3x8

Hammer Culz

14kg x 3x8

And that is that. Deadlifts tomorrow.
 
18/06/16 - Saturday

Deadlifffffttssssssss.

Stiff Leg Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 3
120kg(B,S) x 10
120kg(B,S) x 3x5

Hamstrings are dead.

Deadlift Block Pulls (4-5"?)

112.5kg x 4x4
150kg(B) x 2 - Meant to load up 130kg
130kg(B) X 2
145kg(B) x 2

And that's that. Pleased I managed to pull the 150 by accident.
 
GSVBagpuss said:
Mind games are so much to do with it. Accidentally load up 160 next time ;)
Click to expand...

Funny you should say that as I did something similar today but putting 5kg onto the bar for stiff leg more than I intended and the weight was only 2.5kg off what I'm supposed to do next week for a 8RM pb.

25/06/16 - Saturday

It's been a long week of moving and stress and to be quite honest, I was just tired and ached and didn't want to go in and train and snap everything in 113,000 pieces, but today I felt better so I did what I could. I intentionally made it a fairly easy session just to get back into the swing of things.

Squat

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
60kg x 3
80kg x 2
90kg(B) x 3x8

Moved pretty well but the bar slipped down the back slightly a few times but this was mainly due to the heat and the sweat making my t-shirt slippery.

Front Squat

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
60kg x 3
72.5kg(B) x 3x6

Pretty good, back is a little tight but didn't cause any problems.

Stiff Leg Deadlifts

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 3 - Seriously miss pulled the first rep. Just a tad tired, nothing more.
120kg x 1
125kg(B,S) x 3x5

Moved really well considering I put on 125kg on the bar instead of 120kg. I knew I put 125kg on the bar, I simply forgot that my actual weight was only 120kg.

Close Grip Bench Press

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 12
60kg x 10
60kg x 2x8 - Fatigue kicked in hard.

And that's that. Just needed to do a little bit of everything to get things moving and everything moved pretty well but my shoulders need some work apparently.

Back into the normal routine on Monday.
 
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27/06/16 - Monday

Squats, bench and half the accessories I intended because I was dying from the heat.

Squat

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
60kg x 3
80kg x 3
90kg x 2
100kg(B) x 8 - wut? Felt like RPE 7
100kg(B) x 3x6

The back off sets were harder due to the heat, fatigue and for the simple fact my body hasn't been exposed to this kind of weight in a long time and it's +20kg since my last cycle tour what I managed for 8 reps too so I'm rather happy about this.

Good Mornings

60kg x 3x12 - another wut?

I honestly left 60kg on for the giggles because I couldn't be bothered to take it off, turns out I smoked it.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 5
70kg x 4
77.5kg x 4x3 - Moved well but it's incredibly hard to unrack on this bench.
72.5kg x 3x6 - Easy

Close Grip Bench Press

62.5kg x 2x6
62.5kg x 11

Really wanted the 12th as that would have been +2.5kg since Saturday but it's not something I'm too fussed about.

Curlz

Ez + 15kg x 2x12
Ez + 15kg x 8+4, 9+3

Turns out I can't even curl like I used to.

Left out OHP, Dips and Chins and will move it to Saturday when I have very little going on.
 
29/06/16 - Wednesday

Bench and Deficit Deadlifts.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
47.5kg x 8
57.5kg x 6
67.5kg x 5
72.5kg x 4
77.5kg x 3
82.5kg x 2x2 - Setup is horrible on this bench.

Sling Shot Bench Press

87.5kg x 3x5(6?)

Moved really well because I had a lift off and set up how I usually would.

So throughout the bench session I had an old school bodybuilder constantly telling me that arch is bad and that I want to be as flat as possible because I can keep the shoulders tighter and it'll prevent them from rounding later on. Ok, whatever you say.

Deficit Deadlift 3"? (it was two 20kg plates)

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 3
120kg x 1
125kg(B,S) x 6x3

Felt rather easy, hopefully this means my deadlift has gone up a bit.

RDL

100kg x 4x8

First set was a bit off but the others were great.

BOR

50kg x 4x10

Probably should go heavier, I just don't seem to feel it in my back that much.

Shrugs

130kg x 4x10

Also moving really well.

Not a bad session at all. Bench is feeling a bit off because of the new bench I'm using and how I have to set up and what not but never mind. Deficit deadlifts are starting to feel like the correct % again, so fingers crossed for gains.
 
1/7/16 - Friday

Front squats and bench. Need to work on my mobility tholepin with front squats as I can't get much lower below parallel and tbh, I don't really feel it in my quads so I need to work on my positioning too.

Front Squat

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
60kg x 3
70kg x 2
82.5kg x 5
82.5kg x 3x4

Form didn't feel amazing but the video I took actually indicated it wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought. The video did however reveal my issue hitting depth due to lack of doors flexion so that's something to work on.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 5
70kg x 4
77.5kg x 3x4 - So slow

Spoto Bench Press

67.5kg x 3x6

Much better.

Since it's a new bench I've had to adapt the way that I set and sure enough as each set passed and my setup got better and better each set moved better and better... funny that...

JM Press

40kg x 4x8

Not sure if I was doing this correctly but it makes a nice change from typical tricep extensions.

DB Bench Press

20kg x 4x8

Hahaahahhaahahahaha... pathetic. My chest needs a lot of work but finding weak points and movements that I'm terrible at is a good thing.

Hammer Curlz

12.5kg x 4x8

Gunz!

And that's that. Really fun session but lots of things to try and improve on too.
 
2/7/16 - Saturday

Deadliftssssssssss. Lots of small pb's today.

Stiff Leg Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 3
120kg x 2 - Felt easy
130kg(B,S) x 8 - Nice, +12.5kg from last cycle, +2.5kg than intended today
130kg(B,S) x 3x4 - Not too shabby

Really trying to refine my technique and it made everything better rep by rep. Happy with that pb but now it increases my goal for the next time I do it...and it turns out that's on Monday...

Deadlift Block Pulls (4"-5"?)

117.5kg x 4x4
132.5kg x 2 - Beltless pb
150kg x 2 - A huge beltless pb (~92.5% of max)
117.5kg x 20 - hell to the yes

Well that was unexpected... With the lower sets I had enough time to go over my form and technique, as well as make sure my body was pulling from the same position as if the blocks weren't there, and tbh it felt quite easy. Gains?

Neutral Grip Pull Ups

BW x 4x5

Ha... rubbish

Lat Pull Downs

45kg x 2x10
40kg x 2x10

Also rubbish at these.

Hanging Knee Raises

BW x 4x10

And that's that finished. Lots of fun, lots of little pb's broken and a sign that training is going in the right direction.
 
GSVBagpuss said:
That's great work - heavy DLs are progressing quickly :) I should know this, but what program are you following?
Click to expand...

I decided to write my own program and really aim it towards my weak points. Every 4th week I'll drop the volume and test the main lifts and the tests reveal what I'm strong at and what weak points I have. If weak points appear then I'll add in an exercise and balance out the volume that I already have or if it's the same weak point I'll increase the volume of the relevant exercises.

The program structure is very simple, Week 1 Majority of the work is ~75% 6-10reps per set reps, week 2 ~80% 5-8per set, Week 3 ~85% 3-5per set and Week 4 deload in volume and hit some 90% work.

Each main lift will then have accessories picked for each muscle used in the lift and as for exercise selection it's my best bang-for-buck that will eliminate my weaknesses and still have a pretty good degree of specificity towards the main lifts. I'll use a lot of compounds variations for this. For example, coming back from my knee injury, my back got very strong because it's all I could do after benching, OHP and tricep work, so when I started deadlifting again I didn't need as much back work but did need a lot of hamstring and glute work. Now this didn't mean I would eliminate back work but by looking through exercise choices my best bets were Stiff leg deadlifts (great for hamstrings, glutes and back and for helping speed off the floor), deficit deadlifts to strengthen the entire chain, and block pulls to also help with improving positioning, hamstrings, back, glutes and core(positioning and lockout).

This meant I had the upper portion of the lift covered, the lower portion of the lift covered, and an additional exercise to bring up the weaknesses. Because of all of these new exercised that would tax the back quite significantly I could reduce the amount of the back accessories that I had previously. The amount of volume/frequency programmed is what I know I can recover from and what works for me may not work for someone else.

My exercise selection is also to do with the fact I'm so far out from competition right now that I don't have to worry about my main lift variations for a good while and can just focus on building the tissue for now, and also, variations are fun.
 
19/07/16 - Monday

So the past few weeks have been incredibly busy with work and as a result no training has happened. The up coming month or so is going to be quite inconsistent so my training has changed to a hypertrophy block style for at least the next 4 weeks and then I'll either run another hypertrophy block or go into a strength block.

With the start of the new routine today introduced a little more fluff and buff style training but still having an emphasis on the powerlifts to keep a level of specificity.

High-bar squat

Bar x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
65kg x 3x10

Happy with that for the first time squatting (high-bar too for that matter).

Leg Press

50kg 2x10

First set was iffy because of the knee and my quads being rubbish but the second set was super easy and could have done way more weight.

Hamstring Curl

35kg 3x10

Kept it light just because it was the first time that I have ever done these.

Nice bit of fun doing something different. Bench tomorrow
 
9/07/16 - Tuesday

Bench today. Wide grip and medium grip followed up with accessories.

Bench (Wide)
Bar x lots
40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 5
67.5kg x 2x10

Bench feel real good today.

Bench (Medium)

55kg x 2x10
55kg x 8

Pump.

Lat Pulldown

45kg x 4x8

Good control. More reps next week, maybe more weight later on in the week.

OHP

Bar x lots
30kg x 3x8

Hahahaha, so light but it was enough for today.

Dips

BW x 3x6

Not bad but the last rep has niggled the elbow ever so slightly.

Good, fun session. Deadlifts tomorrow.
 
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