Another Hex Bar Dead PR to end the year

The PR of 451 last time left me wondering if I could do more. Since I had one more workout left in 2014, I decided to find out. But, first....

Planks
Regular: 1:00, 1:00

Pushups
33

Planks
1:00

Hex Bar Deadlift
150/10, 240/5, 330/3, 420/1, 460/1 (PR)
    *HELL YEAH! 460 is a true PR. I used everything I had to get that rep! 460 is 9 pounds closer to 500!

Bodyweight Chins (My weight now is ~224.)
12, 10, 8, 8, 7

DB Curls
25's/15, 10, 10

Pushups
26

And so ends 2014. Definitely a crazy year for me, lifting wise, as I completely changed what I do because of injuries. No more bench pressing, back squats, OHPs, or conventional deadlifts. Enter hex bar deads, front squats, pushups, and the beginning of sumo deadlifts.

Yes, this year has been a huge shot to the ego, and depressing at times. At the end of the day, I am not too upset about replacing conventional deads and back squats because my injury was so painful, that I really don't want to ever experience that again.

However, I am bummed about my left shoulder situation. I really want to bench (in some capacity, even if only decline) and overhead press again. Doing the pushups has been OK on my shoulder, so I am hopeful that at some point in 2015 I can add more chest & shoulder work.

I plan on lifting again on Tuesday, January 6. Between now and then, I will continue doing pushups and cardio.

Happy New Year!

Run & Pushups

I went for a 2 mile run/jog this morning just to get some cardio in to battle all of the poor eating.

I also did a set of 33 pushups this evening.

One more lifting session for 2014- Tuesday. I will center it around hex bar deads. If I am feeling well, maybe I will go for another 1RM to close out the year. If not, I'll try for a multiple rep PR.

Regarding pushups, I will pick up the hundredpushups.com program starting with Week 5, at some point. I am just not sure when that will be, as I will be traveling for the New Year. In any event, I will continue to do sets of pushups, but I am not sure if I will follow the program while away or just wait until I return. 

Pushups, Front Squats, Chins, etc.

Bodyweight: 225- fat. Christmas Eve & Day eating. Felt pretty sluggish in the gym. 

Pushups
26, 26

Front Squats
bar/10, 136/10, 186/5, 226/3, 246/1, 206/10 (10RM)

Sumo Deadlifts
136/10, 226/5, 276/5
   * I feel like the form is getting there.

Lying Hamstring Curls
90/20

Bodyweight Chins
12, 9, 8

Cable Crunches
4 sets, 15-20 reps each

Pushups
25

I was supposed to do a pushups failure test after Week 5 of the hundredpushups.com program tonight. The goal was to be able to do at least 45. There was no way in hell that was going to happen. So, I just did three total sets of 25+. I am going repeat the Week 5 program since I did not reach the goal.

The 10RM with the front squat was one tough set! I had to rest against the bar for a bit after I racked it.

Hex Bar Dead PR, Pushups, etc.

Pushups
Protocol: 13, 13, 15, 15, 12, 12, 10, at least 30
Performed: 13, 13, 15, 15, 12, 12, 10, 23
   * Womp womp.....it started getting difficult at the first set of 12. Knew I was in trouble then.

Hex Bar Deads
150/5, 240/5, 330/1, 380/1, 420/1, 451/1 (PR)
    * Year end goal met!! I knew I had it once it came off the ground. Between this and the front squat PR a few days ago, that's not a bad way to close out the year!

Supersets
Lat Pulldowns at 150
Cable Crunches at 150
Close Grip Seated Rows at 120
    * 4 total sets, high reps for each exercise.

Hammer Curls
25's/21 each arm

Pushups W5D2

Protocol: 10, 10, 13, 13, 10, 10, 9, at least 25

Performed: 10, 10, 13, 13, 10, 10, 9, 26

* Good session. Not as difficult as last time. 

Front Squat PR- Year End Goal Met

Front Squats
 bar/10, 138/10, 188/5, 228/1, 248/1, 262/1 (PR), 228/3, 203/8
    * I felt pretty good today so I figured why not try to go for my end of the year goal of 260/1. My singles of 228 & 248 were solid, so I felt pretty good about trying 262. My knees did cave in a bit on the ascent, but the up and down went very smoothly. Did not hit a snag at all. Never in doubt.

Sumo Deadlift
138/10, 228/5, 228/5, 228/5, 228/10
    * I am not going to increase the weight until I know for sure that I have the form down. I don't know that yet.

Lying Hamstring Machine
90/15

Concentration Curls
30/15 (r), 30/15 (l), 35/12 (r), 35/12 (l)

Abs
Cable Crunches- 4 sets, 85 total reps

Bodyweight Chins
11, 9

* I'm definitely pumped about the front squat PR because I blew it out of the water. If I wanted to be greedy, I would have tried 270. The reason that I didn't is because my knees did have that cave in motion, so I didn't want to push my luck. The other year end goal that I have is to do a hex bar dead at 450.

Pushups W5D1

Protocol: 17, 19, 15, 15, at least 20

Performed: 17, 19, 15, 15, 20

* The first two sets were fast. Started to struggle with the 3rd set. The set of 20 was a killer, but I made it......barely.

Post Week 4 Pushup Test

33

Progression!

Hex Bar Deads & Chins

Bodyweight- 220

Hex Bar Deads
150/10, 240/5, 330/5, 380/1, 420/3, 420/3, 420/3
   * Went to a different gym tonight...the hex bar at this gym weighs 60 pounds.
   * 420/3 is a 3RM. These felt really good tonight, so I decided to do a few sets at 420.
   * Wore Cons instead of just socks & this bar is designed to hold more weight. Not sure if either of these explain the session tonight or I just happened to wake up on the right side of the bed this morning.

Bodyweight Chins
12, 9, 7
    * Felt my body favoring my right side (my dominant side) during the movement. Tried to curtail it as much as I could.

Pushups W4D3

Pushups
 
Protocol: 16, 18, 13, 13, at least 20

Performed: 16, 18, 13, 13, 24

* Blew this out of the water. Next is an AMAP test, probably Friday, perhaps Wednesday. 

Pushups W4D2, Front Squats, etc.

Pushups
Protocol: 14, 16, 12, 12, at least 18
Performed: 14, 16, 12, 12, 20
   * The set of 20 was very difficult, but I still was able to do 2 more than what was called for.

Front Squats
bar/10, 138/10, 188/5, 228/3, 248/2, 248/2, 208/8
   * 248/2 is a 2RM and I did it twice.
   * 208/8 was a killer set. After racking the bar, I squatted down and leaned against the squat rack for a bit to catch my breath.

Sumo Deadlift
138/5, 228/1
   * I didn't like how my lower back felt after picking up 228. There is no way that I am going to risk an injury like I had at the beginning of this year, so I will be overly careful with these.

Lying Hamstring Machine
90/20, 90/15, 90/13

Bodyweight Chins
12, 8

EZ Bar Curls
70/12

Not sure when I am going to lift next week because of basketball/yoga and a couple of holiday dinners. I will continue with the pushups, at least. Maybe I can squeeze in a quick hex bar dead session on Tuesday, or if basketball isn't particularly busy, on one of those nights. If not, I probably won't lift again until Friday.

Pushups W4D1

Pushups

Protocol: 12, 14, 11, 10, at least 16

Performed: 12, 14, 11, 10, 20

* I am going to do front squats and sumo deads on Saturday. I had a long/tough yoga & basketball session last night, so I could use the lower body rest.

Pushups W3D3, Hex Bar Deads, Back

Pushups
Protocol: 11, 13, 9, 9, at least 13, 120 seconds rest in between each set
Performed: 11, 13, 9, 9, 22, I rested roughly the full 120 seconds in between each set.

Hex Bar Deads
135/10, 225/5, 315/5, 365/1, 405/7 (7RM!!!)
   * Pretty pumped about the 7RM. I should have loosened up more before the workout, though, because my lower back felt pretty stiff and uncomfortable throughout all of the sets.

Bodyweight Chins
13, 8, 8 (I've been ignoring these lately, and tonight's results confirm that.)

T-Bar Rows (underhand grip)
135/5, 115/7, 115/8

Lat Pulldown (regular grip)
150/10, 130/15, 130/12

Abs
Crunches- 3 sets of 20

EZ Bar Curls
Drop Set: 100/7, 60/7, 30/11

Pushups, W3D2

Protocol: 10, 12, 8, 8, at least 12, 90 seconds rest in between each set

Performed: 10, 12, 8, 8, 17, I rested less than 90 seconds in between most of the sets.

NOTES: While the first day was too hard, this one seemed too easy. But, it's a good starting point and I will just build from this.

Pushups

Tonight, I started the hundredpushups.com program, which is run three times per week. According to the site, the first thing to be done is an initial test, just to see where you are. On Tuesday, I took the initial test and was able to do 27 pushups. The site recommends starting at Week 3 of the program if your initial test resulted in more than 20 pushups. Each week is broken down into three different options based on how many pushups were completed.

27 put me in the most difficult part of the Week 3 program. Sets of 14, 18, 14, 14, and at least 20 were called for, with a recommended rest period of "60 seconds (longer if required)" in between sets.

I was able to get 14 on the first set and 18 on the second. However, I only managed 10, 10, and 10 on the remaining three sets. I took longer than 60 seconds in between each set, as well.

Despite my initial test results, I obviously did not come close to handling the recommended sets. As a result, I will move down to the easiest part of Week 3 for my next workout and progress from there.

Front Squats & Sumo Deadlifts

Front Squats
133/10, 183/5, 203/3, 223/1, 243/3, 223/7

Sumo Deadlifts
133/10, 133/10, 223/5, 223/5, 273/5

Front Squats
183/8

Planks
Regular- 2:00

NOTES:
a) 243/3 is a 3RM;
b) 223/7 ties a 7RM;
c) Tonight's front squat workout was similar to my October 16, 2014 session, but this time I did 243/3 instead of 243/1;
d) I've read about sumo deadlifts recently and felt like trying them out. They are supposedly not as rough on your lower back as conventional deads, and hit the posterior chain more than the hex bar variety. I could definitely feel that tonight. For the time being, they will be done after front squats. I will continue to try to get the form down on lighter weights before moving up, so as not to risk injury. 

Hex Bar Deads, etc

Planks
Regular 1:00, Right 1:00, Left 1:00, Regular 1:00, Regular 1:00

Pushups
27

Concentration Curls
30/15 right, 30/15 left, 30/12 right, 30/12 left

Chins
BW/11

Hex Bar Deads
135/10, 225/5, 315/5, 405/3, 405/3, 405/3, 405/3

T-Bar Rows (underhand grip)
90/12, 90/12, 90/12

Chins
BW/6

Seated Close Grip Cable Row
140/12

NOTES:
a) I am going to use the set of 27 pushups as the starting point for the hundredpushups.com program that I will start later this week;
b) The hex bar was in use when I arrived, so I had to wait. Hence, deads occurring in the middle of the workout. Volume triples at 405 felt good;
c) Both sets of bodyweight chins were pretty tough. I did the first set after curls and the second set after rows.