Spytech’s Intense Workout Log

Last workout of the year! Gym closes early tomor for new years so I got tomorrow’s deload workout in today. Shoulder rehab work, like usual, then did some light flyes. I haven’t done flyes without pain in at least 6+ months. I stayed light, but they felt great. I also did some light incline benching. The flyes and inclines really pull on my collarbone and I can feel tightness where the injury was - these should help loosen things up.

Happy New Years everyone!

Shoulder Rehab:
15 sets of 12

Flat DB Flyes:
20×12x1
25×12x1
35×15x1

Incline Bench Press:
45×30x1
135×12x3

Shrugs:
225×12x1
315×12x2

+ stretching

Duration: 20 minutes

Good lower deload workout.

Leg Extensions:
150x12x4

Lying Hamstring Curl:
65x12x4

45-degree Hyper:
bw x12x4

Standing Cable Adduction:
60x20x3

Standing Cable Knee Raises:
60x12x2
80x12x2 (PR)

Hammer Chins:
bw x15x1

+ stretching + yoga (75min)

Duration: 95 minutes

Started off the deload week with some good rehab work.

Earlier today I went to the doc for a 2 week adjustment, and to have things checked out. My shoulder had 4 points of injury when I started treatment - 3 are either gone or almost gone/healed now, the point in my posterior delt is still bothering me a bit. This injury also seems to tie in with my right tricep, which started getting really achy/sore once I started resting my upper body. It got progressively worse for a while (while doing nothing) and it seems to be getting a little better now, but it is still very annoying. The doc and I think that all the while my shoulder was injured and I was still pushing hard, my tricep was taking the load off my injured delt. When I started resting finally, my tricep (which had apparently become damaged in the process) started healing up, albeit painfully. Today the doc did some real aggressive deep tissue work on it (the main source of pain is in the connective tissues that join the tricep to the elbow) and man is it sore now. Swollen a bit, and I have been icing it. This is too be expected, and hopefully this will speed up the healing. I will have some ultrasound done on it next week. I plan on laying off any pressing movements (again) for a while, or just limiting my benching and overhead pressing to my normal wide grips, but going super light (ie: rehab).

Shoulder Rehab:
30 sets of 12-20

+ yoga (35min)

Duration: 55 minutes

Nice quick Christmas Eve workout. Not too sore from last night’s squatting, so I was able to hit today’s lifts with some vigor. Benching felt good - there isn’t any discomfort and I’m not really thinking about my shoulder any more. For my last 2 lighter sets of bench I actually moved my grip out wider (index on outer rings) and that felt fine. My normal grip is still an inch, at least, wider than that! I haven’t tried that grip yet, though. CG Bench was tough today - benching wore me out. Flat db pressing felt great - I’m glad to be working my way back up to the heavy stuff again. Went heavier on shrugs today and my neck/occipitalis were solid. DB rows were easy and comfortable as well. Finished off the session with 20 sets of shoulder rehab work. Came home, shoveled the driveway again (and the neighbor’s).

Bench Press :
45×20x4
135×12x1
155×12x1
175×12x1
195×12x1
215×12x1
250×12x1
225×12x1
185×12x1

CG Bench Press:
185×12x1
225×5x2
185×12x2

Flat DB Bench:
80×12x1
90×12x1
100×12x1

Shrugs:
135×12x1
225×12x1
315×12x1
405×12x1
455×12x1
495×12x1
515×12x1

DB Rows:
150×6x2
110×12x1

Shoulder Rehab Exercises:
20 sets

+ stretching + shoveling (2 driveways)

Duration: 60 minutes

Major squat farts after tonight’s workout! Finally got to the point where ATG squats generate them now. After the last cycle when I hit 495×5 I knew I wanted to go for a new 1rm PR this cycle. I wasn’t sure how tonight would play out, as my knees have been achy from yoga, and my squats haven’t felt all that strong since hitting that 495×5 last month, but things fell into alignment tonight and I had some good lifts. After talking with a new friend at the gym about where the line is between tasteful heavy metal, and crap, I set to it. I hit the target single for this cycle (465) and then went for a 5lb PR. The last time I maxed out my ATG squat I barely got 505 for a single (see my youtube vid of it). Tonight I killed 510. After a few minutes of rest I put 15lbs more on the bar and went after 525. Pretty easy double! I probably could have done 2-3 more reps, but my adrenals said ‘ok thats enough’, as I had totally psyched myself up 3 times in a row and was mentally toast at that point. After hitting that great PR I stripped down to 315 and did 3 paused squats - holding each rep in the hole for a 10-15second count. Those were some long pauses and made my blood pressure go through the roof. Very dizzy afterwards, but I sure love those paused squats. Afterwards I did step ups to one of the 16″ portable flat benches. The 4 extra inches of height makes a big difference, but I liked the quad workout better with the 16″ bench in comparison with the 12″ box. Less weight, but still kicked my ass. Finished off with some abs, and went into the yoga studio and had some hot chocolate. Came home, shoveled the driveway (again).

Merry Christmas everyone!

ATG Squat:
135x12x1
225x12x1
315x1x1
405x1x1
465x1x1
510x1x1 (PR)
525x2x1 (PR)

Paused ATG Squat (reps paused for 10-15 seconds):
315x3x1

BB Step Ups (to 16″ bench):
135x10x2
155x10x1
175x10x1
185x10x1 (PR)

Hanging Leg Raises:
bw x12x6

+ stretching + shoveling

Duration: 75 minutes

Got a new 48″ snow shovel last week so I got to put it to use today. Did some neighbors’ driveways as well. Great cardio.

Shoveled Driveways:
5 driveways (PR)

Duration: 45 minutes

Pushing the shoulder a bit more…I started the workout with 21 sets of rehab work and then went to seated overhead presses. I am using a really narrow grip on these (inch or so outside of the inner smooth) so I am pretty pleased with the weights I am using despite that. ROM is from mouth to lockout. Nothing feels ‘hard’ yet, but still easing into things. I am probably going to keep my weightloads where they are now for a while and sort of coast, while letting my ‘base’ strengthen. The main sore spot in my right subscap isn’t healing as fast as I would like. It just persists and doesn’t really hinder things, but if it’s not getting better quickly so I am still probably doing too much for it. I’ll see what a few weeks of this rehab work I am doing now does. After overhead presses I did hammer chins. Very happy here as I haven’t done chins in months! Painfree and easy. Curls and some more back work to finish it off.

Shoulder Rehab Work:
21 sets of 15-20 reps

Seated Overhead Press w/ Close Grip:
45×20x1
95×5x1
115×5x1
135×5x1
155×5x1
175×5x1
185×5x1

Hammer Chins:
bw x12×4
bw x15×1

Standing Cable Face Pulls w/ Rope:
156×10x1
180×10x1
204×10x1
219×10x1
234×10x1

Incline DB Curls:
45×12x5

Strict and Slow Preacher Curls:
75×12x1
95×12x2

DB Hammer Curls:
70×10-65×10-60×10-50×10-40×10

+ stretching

Duration: 60 minutes

I was too busy yesterday to get to the gym, so I did yesterday’s workout this morning. I did a 60min yoga class first, which involved alot of upper body work, then went to it. Benching felt fine, no pains, but 245×12 was tiring. Had a handful of reps left, though. After that I did some work with 265, just to get a feel for something a little heavier. CG Bench went well with lower reps. I decided I am going to start focusing on db pressing more than bb pressing, so I started doing those again. Light weight, but my shoulder handled them well. I finished off my main workout with some db rows. I didn’t go too hard on these as they really pull on the subscap, and that is where my right shoulder still hurts yet. No pains from the rows, though. After I finished that stuff I did around 25 sets of shoulder rehab work.

Bench Press:
135×12x1
155×12x1
175×12x1
195×12x1
215×12x1
245×12x1
265×1x1
265×3x1

CG Bench Press:
185×5x1
205×5x1
225×5x1
185×12x2

Flat DB Press:
65×12x1
75×12x1
85×12x1

DB Row:
55×12x1
110×12x1
120×12x1
130×12x1
120×12x1
65×12-100×12x1

Shoulder Rehab Work:
25 sets

+ stretching + yoga (60min)

Duration: 120 minutes

I finally got up the nerve to try some light pulling tonight since my neck/collarbone hasn’t been bothering me during shrugs. This was the first time doing pulls since the end of September, and I decided to stick to SLDLs. I was pleased to hit 505 for a double. Could have done more, but didn’t want to get too crazy today. Pulling was definitely rusty. Moving on to strict GMs - getting heavier there, but still keeping form very tight. Finished with abs and yoga.

Sumo SLDL:
135x12x1
225x5x1
315x5x1
405x5x1
455x3x1
505x2x1
405x6x1

Conventional SLDL:
405x5x1

Strict GMs:
135x12x2
155x12x2
175x12x1
195x12x1 (PR)

Hanging Leg Raises:
bw x12x3

Eagle V-situps:
+100 x15x1

Decline Situps - arms straight overhead:
bw x12x1
+6 x12x1
+10x12x1

+ stretching + yoga (75min)

Duration: 135 minutes

Shoulder rehab continues to move in a positive direction. I have been working my shoulders alot in yoga, and hit them pretty hard tonight. There are only a few spots of achiness, but I’m not feeling any discomfort in the movements I have put my shoulder through so far. Wide-grip overhead pressing is still not something I want to try so I am doing all my OH pressing with a shoulder-width grip. Still hits my shoulders hard, and works the tris good, too. I am able to hit lateral pulling movements (ie: cable face pulls) pretty hard now without any real fears or concern. Healing sure is slow…but it’s getting there. Everything felt strong (and easy) tonight, but I am taking things slow. I did hot yoga yesterday (75 min) and some OH presses with the kettlebells - did the 88 for a double on each hand without too much effort just to see where things were.

Seated Overhead Press (shoulder-width grip):
45x20x1
65x12x1
85x12x1
105x12x1
125x12x1
145x12x1
165x12x1

Seated External Rotations:
20x15x2

Standing Cable Internal Rotation:
48x12x2 (PR)
36x12x2

Standing Cable Face Pulls w/ Rope:
144x15x1
168x15x1
192x15x1
214x15x1
224x15x1
234x15x1 (PR)

Side Laterals (various grips/rotations):
20x30x1
20x50x1

Shrugs (wide, narrow, regular grips):
315x12x3

Standing OH Cable Curls:
40x12x1
50x12x2

Incline DB Curls:
35x12x5

Standing DB Curls:
55x12x2

Single-arm DB Hammer Curls:
110x12x2

+ stretching + yoga (30min)

Duration: 90 minutes