Spytech’s Intense Workout Log

Holy hell was it humid at the gym today. Ridiculous. Everything felt heavy as hell on my back; 225 felt the same as 455. Regardless, I ground out the reps needed. Kept volume light on front squats this week, but they felt good despite my back being ‘done’ and using straps. Straps makes fronts quite a bit harder for me as I don’t keep the bar in as tight so my back has to work harder to stay vertical. PR with strap grip. Did some roll-outs and hit the stationary bike for a bit. Good workout overall.

ATG Squat:
135×12x1
225×12x1
315×5x1
345×5x1
400×5x1
455×6x1

Front Squat (with straps):
225×5x1
275×5x1
295×5x1 (PR)

Ab Rollouts:
bw x6×4
bw x10×1

DB Curls:
55×10x1
60×10x1

Cable Curls:
204×6x2

Stationary Bike:
17 minutes of intervals

+ stretching

Duration: 90 minutes

This workout started out feeling like crap, but it ended up being pretty great. Target weight for bench today was 280 and I handled it with ease. Paused the 3rd set of 5 with some long pauses (3-5s on chest per rep), then hit an 8 repper after that. Finished bench with 2 more paused sets at 250 with even longer pauses (5+ seconds per). Moved over to decline and worked up to a still easy triple with 325. Not bad despite all the work beforehand. Inclines still felt good this week so I worked up to 255. Had a rep or two in the tank yet, I think, but 5 reps was good enough tonight. Hit up some pulldowns, did a set of chins (too hard on the torn callous hand though), and finished with some bodyweight dips.

Bench Press:
135×12x1
155×12x1
185×5x1
225×5x1
250×5x1
280×5x1
280×5x1
280×5x1 (reps paused)
280×8x1
250×5x1 (reps paused)
250×8x1 (reps paused)

Decline Bench Press:
225×3x1
275×3x1
305×3x1
315×3x1
325×3x1

Incline Bench Press:
135×12x1
185×5x1
225×5x1
255×5x1

Shoulder-width Overhand Cable Pulldowns:
216×5x1
240×5x1
250×5x1
252×5x1
264×5x1
276×6x1

Chins:
bw x15×1

Dips:
bw x12×3

+ stretching + yoga (60min)

Duration: 140 minutes

Pretty nice deadlift session. My right hamstring is still a bit tight behind my knee, but I felt like getting some pulls logged anyways. Upper back has some soreness from the high volume shrugs Friday, and it certainly affected lockout a bit, but I hit my goal for the day, and then some. Target was 645 - got that for a single, then put 10 more on and doubled 655 with a good pause between reps. Tore callouses on my last triple with 585, but not too serious. After pulls I did some light conventional pulls. Hamstring doesn’t like those as much so I only did 3 quick sets then moved on to some light abs and curls. Finished with hypers.

Deadlifts (reps deloaded):
225x12x1
315x5x1
405x3x1
495x1x1
585x1x1
645x1x1
655x2x1
585x3x1
585x3x1

Conventional Deadlift:
405x3x1
455x3x1
505x3x1

Standing Cable Crunches w/ Ab Strap (hard tower):
108x12x1
120x12x4

Standing DB Curls:
45x12x1
60x12x1

Standing V-bar Cable Curls:
120x12x1
156x12x1
204x10x1
204x8x1
204x6x1
204x6x1

45-deg Hypers:
bw x12x3
+45 x12x1
+80x12x1

+ stretching

Duration: 90 minutes

I am out of town this weekend so today’s workout had to be done elsewhere. I ended up lifting this morning at a university strength training facility, which was pretty awesome. Tons of fully equipped power racks with platforms, bumper plates for each station, dbs up to 150, lots of Hammer Strength iso machines, chalk, etc. Quite the change of scenery compared to the YMCA I lift at.

I wanted to take advantage of the nice rack and platform setup so I opted for standing military presses instead of the seated variant. I haven’t done these (heavy) in quite a while, and they felt pretty damn good. All strict and I had more in the tank. These stress out my tricep a bit more than the seated overheads (I use a much wider grip on seated overheads) so I didn’t push as hard as I could have, but I was very pleased. After shrugs I did a quick set of ATG squats with 225 on the bar to loosen up my tight quads, then moved onto shrugs. My only gripe about the gym was the design of the plates they use. They are all fatter at the center than the edges, so the max any bar could hold was 675. I would have liked to have gone heavier on shrugs, but 2 sets of 12 at 675 felt great. I did some rows after the shrugs, hit up some curls, then wandered over to the Hammer Strength machines and gave a handful of them a try since we don’t have them at the Y. The GHR was very nice - I’ve never had a chance to use a ‘real one’ before.

Anyways, great workout. Our Y needs one of these racks and platforms.

Standing Military Press:
135×12x1
155×12x1
175×3x1
200×3x1
225×3x1
235×1x1
185×12x1

ATG Squat:
225×12x1

Shrugs:
135×12x1
225×12x1
315×12x1
405×12x1
495×12x1
585×12x1
675×12x2 (PR)
495×12x1

BB Rows:
225×12x1
315×12x1
365×6x1
315×12x1

DB Curls:
55×6x1
65×6x1
70×6x1
60×6x1
55×6x1

Single-arm Hammer Curls:
100×10x1
130×10x1

Single-arm DB Preacher Curl:
45×12x1

BB Curl:
135×6x2

Hammer Strength Lat Pulldown:
90×12x1
180×12x3

Hammer Strength Military Press:
140×12x1
180×10x1
230×8x1
270×5x1

GHR:
bw x12×3

Pullups:
bw x12×3

+ stretching

Duration: 90 minutes

Killer squat workout. My quads are already getting sore. After cruising through atg squats I worked on my front squat form. Despite using light weight my quads and upper back got smoked. Front squat form was at its best tonight - just need more reps to continue getting used to it.

ATG Squat:
135×12x1
225×12x1
315×5x1
375×3x1
425×3x1
480×7x1 (PR)
405×3x1

ATG Front Squat:
225×3x1
275×3x4
275×8x1

Leg Extensions:
305×20x4

Single-Leg Extensions:
305×6x1 (PR)
250×10x2

+ stretching + yoga (60min)

Duration: 120 minutes

Man, it felt good to get back in the gym. This was a killer bench session for me. Flat bench kept feeling stronger after each. I am trying to push assistance work with more intensity, so went heavier than I have been on decline - weights moved quick. I was pretty toasted after declines but gave inclines a run anyways. Slowly adding weight and intensity to the movement, while monitoring how my shoulder feels. 245 did not create any unwanted sensations in my shoulder so I’m clear to go heavier next week. Finished off with some heavy shoulder width pulldowns (these really stretch the injury site in my shoulder so I have to be careful), and yoga.

Bench Press:
135x12x1
155x12x1
185x5x1
225x3x1
280x3x1
300x3x1
300x3x1
300x5x1
300x5x1
275x10x1
245x12x1

Decline Bench Press:
225x6x1
245x4x1
265x4x1
285x4x1
305x5x1

Incline Bench Press:
135x12x1
185x3x1
225x3x1
245x3x1
245x6x1
185x12x1

Shoulder-width Overhand Pulldowns:
228x6x1
240x6x1
252x6x1
264x6x1
276x6x1

+ stretching + yoga (60min)

Duration: 150 minutes

Very quick and easy deload workout. Curls and some back work.

DB Curls:
50x12x2

BB Curls:
95x12x4

Reverse BB Curls:
65x12x1
85x12x2

DB Hammer Curls:
100x12x2

Overhead Cable Curls:
60x12x3

Cable Pushdowns:
150x12x4

Single Arm Kneeling Lat Pulldown:
150x12x2

Pullups:
bw x12x3

+ stretching + yoga (75min)

Duration: 95 minutes

My legs are still very sore. Back is getting better, but it still feels fatigued. Anyways, whining aside, I was planning on doing 18″ deadlifts in a sumo stance to ‘take it easy’ a bit, however I changed my mind on the way to the gym and decided to do pulls with the weight lifted 2.5″ (plates sitting on 100’s). I felt this was a decent compromise that would let me work hard, but woudln’t tax my legs and back as much. Goal for the day was anything over 600 since my legs felt like crap. 585 felt decent, but slow, so I went for 675. Very tough single. Rested a bit and doubled it - felt stronger this set than the first one. No complaints there. Worked my way back down, doubling 585, then did a 10 repper with 495. On the 585 and 495 sets I completely let go of the bar each rep and reset before pulling again. I liked how this felt. Afterwards I did some heavy hamstring curls and some abs. Next week is a much needed deload.

Elevated Deadlifts (weights raised 2.5″):
225x12x1
315x5x1
405x1x1
495x1x1
585x1x1
675x1x1
675x2x1
585x2x1
495x10x1

Lying Hamstring Curls:
150x5x1
160x5x4

Leg Raises:
bw x12x3

Standing Cable Adduction:
100x12x1
120x12x1
150x12x1
120x12x2

+ stretching

Duration: 80 minutes

Holy hell are my legs sore. Ridiculous. Legs aside, tonight’s workout was pretty exhausting. Hit all the targets for the seated overhead press 5/3/1, and did a few extra reps after the 240 single. Did a few easy standing military press sets, then went on to chins. I was curious if I could still bang out a set of 50 straight on hammer chins so I gave that a whirl - not bad. My arms and lats were toast after that. Curls were next to impossible, so I stayed light. Did some db jerks as well to finish things off.

Seated Overhead Press:
95x12x1
115x12x1
135x5x1
190x5x1
215x3x1
240x6x1 (PR)

Standing Military Press:
135x12x1
185x12x1
155x20x1 (PR)

Hammer Chins:
bw x12x1
bw x50x1
bw x12x1

Close-grip Chins:
bw x12x1
bw x15x1

DB Curls:
60x12x1

Wide-grip BB Curls:
95x12x4

Close-grip BB Curls:
95x12x2

DB Jerks:
100x2x1
120x2x1
130x2x1
100x20x1 (PR)

+ stretching + yoga (75min)

Duration: 155 minutes

Great workout tonight. My lower back is pretty fried from last week’s rack pulls, good mornings, and rowing, and I really felt it during squats today. Normally I feel rock solid throughout every rep regardless of weight on the bar, but tonight I was pretty wobbly. I worked through my 3 target weights as per the 5/3/1 plan and went for a PR, as I have been doing the last few months. Nailed the first rep @ 555 for the PR, but on the second rep my back had enough and I lost it forward halfway up. If my back was 100% I would have had it - leg strength was there. Still very pleased! Finished squats with 3 sets @ 405 going extra deep and pausing a bit. After ATG squats I switched to ATG front squats and went after singles. Worked up to a PR effot of 365. Not too bad, but I was done by this point. Finished off with some strong core work.

ATG Squat:
135×12x1
225×12x1
315×5x1
390×1x1
445×1x1
495×1x1
555×1x1 (PR)
405×3x2
405×5x1

ATG Front Squat:
225×3x1
275×1x1
315×1x1
345×1x1
365×1x1 (PR)
315×3x1
225×5x1

Decline Situp w/ Weight held out behind head:
+10×5x1
+15×5x1
+20×5x1
+35×5x1
+45×5x1 (PR)

Decline Twist Situps:
bw x20×2

+ stretching

Duration: 110 minutes