11/14 – Deadlift ME

Great deadlifting today. The last few DL sessions have sucked, and considering how hard I went on wide stance squats last week I figured that would set this workout up for some more lameness. I ended up feeling pretty good. Lots of good doubles/triples, then opted to continue the trend of using bands. I doubled the heavy (blue) bands over the bar so that I got a couple inches of rom before the tension hit. I figure the bands are adding around 250lbs at the top, if not more. I had each band weighed down with 280lbs and they weights were still shifting a bit. Worked up to a PR against the blue bands. Finished off with some cable rows, curls, and yoga.

Deadlift:
135x12x1
225x12x1
315x12x1
405x5x1
495x3x1
585x3x1
655x2x1
685x2x1
635x3x1

Deadlift against Heavy Bands (doubled, ~250lbs @ top):
135x5x1
135x5x1
225x3x1
315x3x1
365x3x1
385x5x1
405x5x1 (PR)

Seated Freemotion Cable Row:
100x7x1
120x7x1
140x7x1
160x7x1
160x7x1
160x10x1 (PR)

Standing Single-arm Cable Curls (30s rests):
30x7x1
30x7x1
33x7x1
33x7x1
37x7x1
40x7x1
47x7x1
50x7x1

Ab Roll-outs (15s rests):
bw x10x1
bw x10x1
bw x10x1

+ stretching + yoga (30min)

Duration: 120 minutes

11/12 – Incline Bench DE

Great workout today. I switched things up a bit and did some dynamic effort work instead of rep effort. I forgot how exhausting DE work is – 15s rest between triples. Very tiring. No PRs, but this was a great workout. Standing ab roll-outs just about destroyed my soul.

Incline Bench Press:
135x12x1
155x12x1
185x3x1
185x3x1
185x3x1
185x3x1
185x3x1
185x3x1
185x3x1
185x3x1

Push Press:
135x5x1
185x3x1
225x5x1
225x5x1

Tricep Band Pushdowns (60s rests:
lights+mediums x15x1
lights+mediums x15x1
lights+mediums x15x1
lights+mediums x15x1
lights+mediums x15x1
lights+mediums x15x1

Dips:
bw x12x1

Flat DB Flyes (60s rests):
60x12x1
60x12x1
60x12x1

Narrow Hammer Chins (60s rests):
bw x12x1
+20x12x1
bw x12x1

Ab Roll-outs:
standing x5x1
bw (knees) x10x1
bw (knees) x15x1

+ stretching

Duration: 70 minutes

11/9 – Squat ME

Great workout. Hit some wide-stance squats today to mix things up. Very fired up today and was real pumped to get under the bar. Worked up to a solid double @ 605 (only 15lbs off best wide-stance double), and then worked my way back up squatting against the heavy blue bands, which add about 225-250 at the top. Ended up with a new PR, beating my previous 500 for a single against the blues. Was completely wiped after squatting so I finished with some curls and ab roll-outs.

Wide-stance Squats:
135x12x1
225x10x1
315x8x1
405x3x1
495x2x1
545x1x1
585x1x1
605x2x1

Wide-stance Squats against Heavy Bands (~+225-250 at the top):
225x5x1
315x5x1
405x5x1
505x3x1 (PR)
315x10x1

Standing DB Curls (60s rests):
25x12x1
45x12x1
35x15x1
30x15x1
25x15x1

Ab Roll-outs (30s rests):
bw x12x1
bw x12x1
bw x20x1

+ stretching

Duration: 80 minutes

11/7 – Incline Bench ME

This workout was solid, and was a complete 180 from the previous workouts. Elbow/tricep tweak is still feeling off, but I hit some decent weights on inclines and push presses. Set a PR on db flyes and ab roll-outs. Obviously not big milestones, but they are steps in the right direction. I was amazed at how difficult ab roll-outs get just adding 25lbs. Did some yoga for 30 min after my workout to help get loosened up, mentally and physically, again.

Incline Bench Press:
135x12x1
155x12x1
185x12x1
225x10x1
255x1x1
275x1x1
295x1x1
305x1x1
295x1x1
295x1x1
295x1x1

Push Press:
135x12x1
155x3x1
185x1x1
215x1x1
225x3x1
245x3x1
225x5x1

Military Press:
155x20x1
135x20x1

Flat DB Flye (60s rests):
55x10x1
70x10x1
80x10x1
100x4x1 (PR)
90x6x1

Band Pushdowns (30s rests):
light band x15x1
light band x15x1
light band x15x1
light band x15x1
light band x15x1
light band x15x1

Y-Lateral Pulldowns (30s rests):
160x12x1
160x12x1
160x12x1
160x15x1
160x15x1
160x15x1

Ab Roll-outs:
bw x12x1
+25x10x1 (PR)
bw x15x1

+ stretching + yoga (30min)

Duration: 110 minutes

11/5 – Deadlift ME

Lackluster performances continue…

Deadlift:
245x12x1
335x10x1
425x3x1
515x1x1
515x3x1
515x3x1
515x3x1

Lying Hamstring Curl (60s rests):
150x12x1
150x12x1
150x12x1

Extra-wide Wide-grip Pulldowns:
225x7x1
225x7x1
225x10x1

Standing Cable Adduction (30s rests):
40x12x1
40x12x1
40x12x1

Standing Cable Abduction (30s rests):
40x12x1
40x12x1
40x12x1

Standing EZ Curls (30s rests):
75x12x1
95x12x1
115x12x1
135x12x1
115x12x1
95x12x1
75x12x1

Ab Roll-outs (30s rests):
bw x12x1
bw x12x1
bw x30x1 (PR)

+ stretching

Duration: 60 minutes

11/2 – Incline RE / Push Press RE

Not one of my better workouts…

Incline Bench Press:
135x12x1
185x12x1
225x12x1
225x12x1
225x12x1

Push Press:
135x10x1
185x10x1
205x10x1
225x4x1

Neutral-grip Flat DB Bench (60s rests):
90x12x1
90x12x1
90x12x1

Rope Pushdowns (30s rests):
80x12x1
80x12x1

Dips (30s rests):
bw x12x1
bw x12x1
bw x12x1

DB Rows (30s rests):
150x12x1
150x12x1
150x12x1

Pec Flye Machine (60s rests):
170x12x1
170x12x1
170x12x1

Ab Roll-outs (30s rests):
bw x12x1
bw x12x1
bw x20x1

+ stretching

Duration: 70 minutes

10/31 – Squat ME

Good squatting. Back up to 550 with my weak stance. Didn’t feel too tough. Probably another 20lbs there right now. On the ‘way down’ most of the reps were ATG (vs parallel on the way up). Last set had a long 10s pause thrown in. Leg curls were fine, pulldowns were strong, curls were light and easy with no forearm complaints really, and I finished with some ab roll-outs. My plan is to keep doing these every workout until I can come back to them each workout and not have any lingering soreness from the last time I did them. Some soreness was present from Friday, but not too much. Once I can get by without lingering soreness I’ll start adding resistance (stacking weight on my back).

Squat:
135x12x1
225x12x1
315x10x1
405x3x1
495x2x1
525x1x1
550x1x1
525x2x1
525x1x1
495x2x1
405x3x1

Lying Leg Curl:
157x7x1
174x7x1
199x7x1

Narrow-grip Pulldowns:
257x7x1
298x7x1
330x7x1
298x7x1

EZ Curls (30s rests):
75x12x1
75x12x1
75x12x1
95x12x1
95x12x1
95x12x1

Ab Roll-outs (30s rests):
bw x15x1
bw x15x1
bw x15x1

+ stretching

Duration: 80 minutes

10/28 – Incline Bench ME

This workout was pretty dull. On Monday I strained my right elbow/tricep connective tissues doing those DB overhead extensions and it really limited my pressing abilities, or at least my comfort/confidence in them. I only did a few sets at incline, then did some ‘spoon presses’ – a DB press movement for triceps that I saw in a recent article on EFS. Something different, and they felt pretty good. Did some real slow flyes for lots of TUT, then finished with some back and ab work.

Incline Bench Press:
135x12x1
185x5x1
225x5x1
245x3x1
265x3x1
265x3x1

DB Spoon Press:
40x12x1
55x12x1
70x12x1
80x10x1 (PR)
80x10x1 (PR)

Flat DB Bench (superset behind spoon presses):
80x12x1
80x12x1

Flat DB Flye (60s rests):
40x12x1
40x12x1
40x12x1

Wide-grip Pulldowns (60s rests):
200x12x1
225x12x1
225x12x1

Y-Lateral Neutral-grip Pulldowns (30s rests):
160x12x1
160x12x1
160x12x1
160x12x1

Standing DB Press:
50x50x1

Iron-Cross Laterals:
20x50x1

Ab Roll-outs (30s rests):
bw x10x1
bw x10x1
bw x15x1

+ stretching

Duration: 70 minutes

10/26 – Deadlift ME

Pretty decent day for pulls. Things weren’t feeling quite ‘right’ – hips and low back felt out of alignment so I focused on reps today. Elevated the weights ~3″ for these pulls (plates sitting on a single 100lb plate). Despite things feeling off, I ended up with some solid rep work that I am pretty happy with. After deads I did some light’ish shrugs to get the upper back some more work. Closed out with light ham curls, db curls (forearm slowly tolerating these more), and ab roll-outs. Did some ab roll-outs, which were super painful today since my abs are still real sore from doing them on Monday.

Elevated Deadlift (plates raised 3″):
135x12x1
225x12x1
315x12x1
405x5x1
495x2x1
585x3x1
585x5x1
585x8x1
585x4x1

Shrugs (60s rests):
225x12x1
405x12x1
495x12x1
585x12x1
495x12x1
405x12x1

Standing Ham Curls (60s rests):
95x7x1
125x7x1
125x7x1

DB Curls (30-45s rests):
25x12x1
30x12x1
35x12x1
40x12x1
35x12x1
30x12x1
25x12x1

Ab Roll-outs (60s rests):
bw x12x1
bw x12x1
bw x12x1

+ stretching

Duration: 90 minutes

10/24 – Incline Press RE/Push Press ME

Good pressing workout today. Finally got 265 for a set of 8 for a reps PR. Push presses felt decent – tied a PR with 245×3. DB presses were tough – lots of fatigue by that point. Finished with some good tricep and back work.

Incline Bench Press:
135x12x1
155x12x1
185x12x1
225x10x1
245x8x1
265x8x1 (PR)
225x10x1

Push Press:
135x5x1
165x3x1
185x2x1
205x1x1
225x1x1
245x3x1 (PR)
225x4x1
225x3x1

Flat DB Bench (60s rests):
110x12x1
110x10x1
110x8x1

OH DB Extensions:
120x7x1
130x7x1
150x7x1

Extra-wide Wide-grip Pullups (60s rests):
bw x12x1
bw x12x1
bw x10x1
bw x10x1

Y-Lateral Pulldowns (60s rests):
160x12x1
160x12x1

Ab Roll-outs:
bw x15x2

+ stretching

Duration: 80 minutes