Beyond 531: Cycle 7, Week 4: Bench Press

Bench Press (plug in weight: 235)
45/10, 135/5
155/5, 175/5, 200/10 (10RM)
210/3, 210/3, 210/3, 210/3, 210/3

Incline Press
165/10, 175/8, 175/7

Back.

* Good workout.

Beyond 531: Cycle 7, Week 4: Jeffersons

Jeffersons (plug in weight: 445)
155/5
290/5, 335/5, 380/9 (9RM)
400/1, 400/1, 400/1, 400/1, 400/1

Curls

* 380/9 was a really tough set, but it's also a 10 pound increase over my previous 9RM, set just 20 days ago!

Beyond 531: Cycle 7, Week 3: Barbell Squats

Barbell Squats (plug in weight: 275)
45/10, 135/5, 185/5
205/5, 235/3, 275/1, 315/1, 315/1 (PR)
225/10

Overhead Press
95/12, 135/10, 135/8, 135/8

Back

* The safety squat bar was in use, but I had to get squats in, so I tried my hand at barbell squats. The weight on the barbell felt much easier than that same weight feels with the safety squat bar. However, the position of the bar wasn't great for my shoulder, so I had to bail on my normal volume. Going forward, I might use the barbell for my main sets, and then use the SSB for volume sets. Feel free to critique my form on Instagram @beetroot5m.

Beyond 531: Cycle 7, Week 3: Bench Press

Bench Press (plug in weight: 230)
45/10, 135/5
175/5, 195/3, 220/5 (5RM), 230/3 (3RM)
185/5, 185/5, 185/5, 185/5, 185/5

Incline Press
165/8, 165/8, 165/7

Also did some back.

* Strong session!

Beyond 531: Cycle 7, Week 3: Jeffersons

Jeffersons (plug in weight: 435)
155/5, 155/5, 265/3
325/5, 370/3, 415/3 (ties 3RM)
350/5, 350/5, 350/5, 350/5, 350/5

Curls

* I struggled big time with my grip today in the 415 set. Not sure why, as I never experience grip issues. Pretty frustrated because I wanted 4-5 with 415. Fought to get 3. Video is @beetroot5M on Instagram.

Beyond 531: Cycle 7, Week 2: Safety Bar Squats; Arnolds; Inclines

Safety Bar Squats (plug in weight: 275)
65/10, 155/5
195/3, 220/3, 250/10 (10RM), 275/5 (5RM)
245/5, 245/5, 245/5

Arnold Press
45's/8, 50's/7, 55's/6

Incline Press
135/10, 185/5, 190/5, 190/5

* Good session tonight.

Tomorrow, I will do a 45 minute cardio session and train back.

Beyond 531: Cycle 7, Week 2: Bench Press & More

Bench Press (plug in weight: 230)
45/15, 135/5
160/3, 185/3, 205/8 (ties 8RM), 230/2 (ties 2RM)
Sling Shot: 230/4, 230/4, 230/4

Incline Press
155/10, 175/5, 175/6, 175/5

Arnold Press (Standing)
40's/8, 40's/8, 40's/8, 45's/6

Lateral Raises: 4 sets

Beyond 531: Cycle 7, Week 2: Jeffersons

Jeffersons (plug in weight: 435)
155/5, 155/5, 265/3
305/3, 350/3, 395/6 (6RM), 420/1
double overhand: 305/5, 305/5, 305/5, 305/5, 305/5

Curls.

* Not bad considering I had a poor night's sleep.

Beyond 531: Cycle 7, Week 1: Safety Bar Squats

Safety Bar Squats (plug in weight: 275)
65/10, 155/5
180/5, 205/5, 235/10 (10RM), 260/5, 295/2 (2RM)
245/5, 205/5, 205/5, 205/5, 205/5

Goblet Squats
50/50 total reps: 30, 10, 10

*Good session.

Beyond 531: Cycle 7, Week 1: Bench Press; Shoulders

Face Pulls: 4 sets of 12-15

Bench Press (plug in weight: 230)
45/15
150/5, 175/5, 195/10 (10RM), 215/2, 215/1
185/5, 185/5, 185/5
  * 195/10 was nice, but then I just died afterward, as the sets of 215 felt really heavy for some reason.

Incline Press
155/9, 155/8, 155/8, 155/8

Arnold Press
35's/12, 35's/12, 35's/10, 35's/12
  * Granted, the weight was light, but these felt really good.

Lateral Raises: 4 sets

No shoulder pain tonight. Yay.

Yesterday, I did a 45 minute cardio session and trained back afterwards.

Beyond 531: Cycle 7, Week 1: Jefferson Deadlift

Jefferson Deadlift (plug in weight: 435)
155/5
280/5, 325/5, 370/9 (9RM), 395/3, 410/1
280/5, 280/5, 280/5, 280/5, 280/5

Curls.

Feels good to be back. Nice little 9RM tonight.

I am not going to do overhead presses this cycle because my right shoulder has been hurting when I've been lowering the weight for some reason. It has lasted for a while now and I have no idea why this started. Maybe it's related to bench pressing? The funny part is that my left shoulder, the one with the injury, hasn't been too bad since I started benching again. During this cycle, I'll do lower weight accessory movements for shoulders.

I'll reassess both bench pressing and overhead pressing after this bench only cycle.