9 Weeks: Week 8, Day 3: Bench Day 2

Competition Bench Press 260x1  (this moved nicely)

Banded Bench Press 5x5 at 45% with doubled greens  (125)

Pullup Negatives 5x8

Double DB Row 4x16  (50's)

Superset Cable Tricep Ext and Barbell Reverse Curl 4x16 on each

Band Pull Apart 125

9 Weeks: Week 8, Day 2: Squat

Wide Stance Squat 3x8 RPE 8  (265/8, 265/8, 265/8)

Competition Squat 365x1  (it was nice to be able to hit this weight after the above volume)

DB Lunges 4x10 per leg  (45's)

DB Stiff Leg Deadlift 4x12 (put the weight of your feet in your heels and outside of your feet)  (55's)

V Ups 4x15

9 Weeks: Week 8, Day 1: Bench Day 1

Wide Grip Bench Press 3x8 at RPE 8  (205/8, 210/8, 210/8)

3 Board Press - 3x4 at 80-85%  (240/4, 240/4, 240/4)

DB Shoulder Press - 4x10 slow on the way down (60's)

Earthquake Bar Incline Press - 3x16  (96)

Barbell Row - 5x10  (155)

9 Weeks: Week 7, Day 4: Deadlift

Conventional Deadlift 415x1

Conventional Stiff Leg Deadlift against Orange Bands 6x6 at 45%  (210)

Hyperextensions 120 reps

Prowler Row into Prowler Drag 100 lbs loaded

TRX Mountain Climber 3x15 per leg   (Couldn't get these right, so I did 3x15 plank touches instead)

9 Weeks: Week 7, Day 3: Bench Day 2

I did this on 12/24.

Competition Bench Press 250x1  (this moved fast)

Banded Bench Press 6x6 at 40% with doubled greens  (115)

Pullup Negatives 5x5

Double DB Row 4x20  (50's, 45's, 40's, 40's)

Superset Cable Tricep Ext and Barbell Reverse Curl 4x12 on each

Band Pull Apart 100 reps

9 Weeks: Week 7, Day 2: Squat

Competition Squat 345x1  (moved OK, but slower than I wanted it to. :/)

Wide Stance Squat 3x10 RPE 7  (225/10, 225/10, 225/10)

DB Lunges 4x8 per leg  (45's)

DB Stiff Leg Deadlift 4x15 (put the weight of your feet in your heels and outside of your feet)  (45's)

V Ups 4x12

9 Weeks: Week 7, Day 1: Bench Day 1

This is the start of the final three week block before testing!

Wide Grip Bench Press 3x10 at RPE 7  (185/10, 185/10, 185/10)

3 Board Press - 3x5 at 75-80%  (225/5, 225/5, 225/5)

DB Shoulder Press - 4x12 slow on the way down  (50's)

Earthquake Bar Incline Press - 3x20  (56/20, 56/20, 66/20)

Barbell Row - 5x12  (135)

9 Weeks: Week 6, Day 4: Deadlift

Deficit Conventional DL plus Orange Bands 5x2 at 70%  (325/2, 325/2, 325/2, 325/2, 325/2)

GHD Back Extension with Twist at the Top 4x12 each side  (I did 4x10 today, which is my best)

KB Side Bends 2x40 each side

Prowler Push with 100 lbs 10 x down and back

9 Weeks: Week 6, Day 3: Bench Day 2

2 Board Press 4x4 at 70-80%  (225/4, 225/4, 225/4, 225/4)

Multigrip Press 4x8 RPE 9  (195/8, 190/8, 190/8, 195/8)

Superset Tricep Ext with Banded Pushups 4x10 on each movement  (got 10, 8, 7, 7 with the pushups)

Ring Row 4 x fail

3 sets/30 each arm of banded pushdowns

9 Weeks: Week 6, Day 2: Squats

Beltless 1-2-3 Squats 4x4 at 65%  (250/4, 250/4, 250/4, 250/4)  (very happy to report that I am done with these!)

Competition Single at 305 for 2 sets

SSB Good Mornings 4x10 with pause at the bottom  (115/10, 125/10, 135/10, 135/10)

GHD Sit Up 3x25  (I did 4 sets...15, 13, 10 10)

9 Weeks: Week 6, Day 1: Bench Day 1

Close Grip Floor Press 4x6 at 65-70%  (195/6, 195/6, 195/6, 195/6)

Flat DB Press 3x10 (slow on the way down)  (75's/10, 75's/10, 75's/10)

Paused DB Row 4x10/side (75/10, 75/10, 75/10, 75/10)

Close Grip Lat Row 4x12

Incline DB Skull Crusher 4x20

9 Weeks: Week 5, Day 4: Deadlift

Deficit Conventional DL plus Orange Bands 5x3 at 60%  (280/3, 280/3, 280/3, 280/3, 280/3)

GHD Back Extension with Twist at the Top 4x10 each side  (did 4x8)

KB Side Bends 2x35 each side

Prowler Push with 100 lbs 8x down and back  (I doubled the prowler work and eliminated jack knife 4x15/side, as I feel like I get nothing out of those. I'm probably not doing them right.)

9 Weeks: Week 5, Day 3: Bench Press Day 2

2 Board Press 4x5 at 75-80%  (225/5, 225/5, 225/5, 225/5)

Multigrip Press 4x10 RPE 8  (185/10, 185/10, 185/10, 185/8, died out on the last set)

Band Pushdowns, one in each hand  3x25

Superset Tricep Ext with Pushups 4x20 on each movement  (my arms were so fried that I ended up doing most of the pushups on my knees, and even those were hard!)

Ring Row 4 x fail with feet elevated

9 Weeks: Week 5, Day 2: Squats

Beltless 1-2-3 Squats 4x6 at 55%  (210/6, 210/6, 210/6, 210/6) (no words......)

Competition Single at 340  (255/1, 285/1, 315/1, 340/1)  (moved very well!)

SSB Good Mornings 4x15  (85/15, 85/15, 85/15, 85/15)

GHD Sit Up 3x20  (did 3x15 this week)

9 Weeks: Week 5, Day 1: Bench Day 1

Close Grip Floor Press 4x8 at 60%  (170/8, 170/8, 170/8, 170/8)

Flat DB Press 3x12 (slow on the way down)  (65's/12, 65's/12, 65's/12)

Paused DB Row 4x10/side  (75/10, 75/10, 75/10, 75/10)

Close Grip Lat Row 4x16

Incline DB Skull Crusher 4x25

9 Weeks: Week 4, Day 4: Deadlift

Deficit Conventional DL plus Orange Bands 5x3 at 50%  (235/3, 235/3, 235/3, 235/3, 235/3)  (very easy)

I went off program and did a couple of conventional singles @ 345 & 405. They both moved very well. 

GHD Back Extension with Twist at the Top 4x8 each side

KB Side Bends 2x30 each side

Jack Knife 4x12/side

Prowler Push with 100 lbs 3 x down and back  (loved these!)

9 Weeks: Week 4, Day 3: Bench Day 2

2 Board Press 4x6 at 60%-70%  (195/6, 195/6, 205/6, 205/6)  (these were pretty easy)

Multigrip Press 4x12 RPE 7  (175/12, 175/12, 165/12, 165/12)  (first time doing these....they were "interesting")

Dips 3 x failure   (My shoulders don't allow me to do dips, so I did 3x20 of band pushdowns, one in each hand)

Superset Tricep Ext with Pushups 4x15 on each movement  (the pushup portion of these was hard.. couldn't do 15 straight)

Ring Row 4 x fail  (I like these)

9 Weeks: Week 4, Day 2: Squat

Beltless 1-2-3 Squats 4x8 at 45%  (170/8, 170/8, 170/7, 170/7)  - these are absolute torture. Each rep is a pause in the hole, go halfway way up and pause again, go back down in the hole and pause for a third time, and then go all the way up. I could only manage 7 reps on sets three and four. 

Competition Single at 325  (I really questioned how I'd be able to squat 325 after doing the above. I started with 245 and progressed up to 325. 245 felt really weird after doing the 1-2-3 squats. I got used it to, though, so 325 wasn't bad at all. 

SSB Good Mornings 4x20  (65/20, 65/20, 65/20, 65/20)

GHD Sit Up 3x15  (these were tough - did 3x12)

* Back felt good tonight, so hopefully what occurred this past weekend wasn't anything serious. 

9 Weeks: Week 4, Day 1: Bench Day 1

My back was bothering me the last number of days so I skipped deadlifts last week. I hope that was just a blip because I've been feel great lately. 

Close Grip Floor Press 4x10 at 55%  (155/10, 155/10, 155/10, 155/10)

Flat DB Press 3x15 (slow on the way down)  (55's/15, 55's/15, 55's/15)

Paused DB Row 4x12/side  (55/12, 60/12, 65/12, 65/12)

Close Grip Lat Row 4x20

Incline DB Skull Crusher 4x30

9 Weeks: Week 3, Day 3: Bench Day 2

Paused Close Grip 6x3 at 70%  (200/3, 200/3, 200/3, 200/3, 200/3, 200/3)

Competition Single at 235

Banded DB Press 2x12  (30's/12, 30's/12)

Belt Squat Row 4x10  (90/10, 100/10, 100/10, 100/10)

Paused Facepull 5x12

Banded Tricep Extension 200 reps 

9 Weeks: Week 3, Day 2: Squat

Beltless Paused Squat 5x3 at 70%  (275/3, 275/3, 275/3, 275/3, 275/3)

High Bar Good Morning 4x12  (105/12, 115/12, 125/12, 135/12)

Posterior Pelvic Tilt Plank 4 minutes total

Alt Toe Touch 4x15/side  (did 60 reps, but in many more sets than 4)

Double KB Swing 4x35

9 Weeks: Week 3, Day 1: Bench Day 1

Incline Close Grip 4x5 RPE 9  (190/4, 185/5, 185/5, 185/5)

Military Press (3 seconds on the way down, fast on the way up) 4x8   (105/8, 115/8, 115/8, 115/8)

Straight Bar Pullover 5x10

Plate Loaded Row  Machine 4x12

Cable Tricep Extension 6x20 heavier

9 Weeks: Week 2, Day 4: Deadlift

Deficit Conventional Deadlift 6x4 at 70%  (325/4, 325/4, 325/4, 325/4, 325/4, 325/4)

Trap Bar Deadlift 4x10 RPE 8  (315/10, 315/10, 335/10, 335/10)

Banded Hamstring Curl 4x25

Paused GHD Back Extension 3x20 holding 20 lbs  (just did 3x20, not paused, no weight. This is an improvement over last week.)

9 Weeks: Week 2, Day 3: Bench Day 2

Paused Close Grip 5x4 at 65%  (185/4, 185/4, 185/4, 185/4, 185/4)

Competition Single at 255  (225/1, 255/1)  (should have paused longer)

Banded DB Press 2x16  (25's/14, 25's/12, fell short of 16)

Plate Loaded Row 4x12

Paused Facepull 4x16

Banded Tricep Extension 175 reps

9 Weeks: Week 2, Day 2: Squat

Beltless Paused Squat 4x5 at 65%  (250/5, 250/5, 250/5, 250/5)

High Bar Goodmorning 3x16  (65/16, 75/16, 85/16)

Posterior Pelvic Tilt Plank 3:30 minutes total

Alt Toe Touch 4x12/side  (did 48 total reps, but in a lot of sets, rather than 4x12)

Double KB Swing 4x30

9 Weeks: Week 2, Day 1: Bench Day 1

Incline Close Grip 4x7 RPE 8  (175/7, 175/7, 175/7, 175/7)

Military Press (3 seconds on the way down, fast on the way up) 4x10  (85/10, 85/10, 85/10, 85/10)

Straight Bar Pullover 4x12

Belt Squat Row 4x16  (70/16, 70/16, 70/16, 70/16)

Cable Tricep Extension 5x30

9 Weeks: Week 1, Day 4: Deadlift

Day 4: Deadlift

Deficit Conventional Deadlift 5x6 at 60%  (270/6, 270/6, 270/6, 270/6, 270/6)

Trap Bar Deadlift 4x12 RPE 8  (315/12, 295/12, 295/12, 295/12)

Banded Hamstring Curl 4x20

Paused GHD Back Extension 3x20  (3 sets of 20 paused is a lot for me.. didn't make it, but did 3 sets, some paused, some not. Will get better!)

9 Weeks: Week 1, Day 3: Bench Day 2

Day 3: Bench Day 2

Paused Close Grip 5x4 at 60%  (170/4, 170/4, 170/4, 170/4, 170/4)

Competition Single at 245  (205/1, 225/1, 245/1)

Banded DB Press 2x20  (15's/20, 20's/20)

Belt Squat Row 4x15  (50/15, 50/15, 70/15, 70/15)

Paused Facepull 4x20  

Banded Tricep Extension 150 reps

9 Weeks: Week 1, Day 2: Paused Squats

Day 2: Squat

Beltless Paused Squat 4x7 at 60%  (230/7, 230/7, 230/7, 230/7)

High Bar Good Morning 3x20  (65/20, 45/20, 45/20)

Posterior Pelvic Tilt Plank 3 minutes total

Alt Toe Touch 4x10/side  (I only did 3 sets... this killed me)

Double KB Swing 4x25  (varied the weight.. lighter to heavier)

  * I don't know if it seems like this was tough on paper, but suffice it to say, I think I died a little bit. 

9 Weeks: Week 1, Day 1: Bench Day 1

I hooked up with a local powerlifting coach, who designed a 9 week program for me. There is a push-pull meet in mid January that I will be working up to. 

Day 1: Bench Day 1

Incline Close Grip 4x9 RPE 7 

     175/9, 165/9, 155/9, 155/9:  I haven't trained using RPE before, so this will take some time getting used to. 175 was probably too heavy of a starting weight

Overhead Press (3 seconds on the way down, fast on the way up) 4x12

     65/12, 65/12, 65/12, 65/12 

Straight Bar Pullover 4x15

    65/15, 65/15, 65/15, 65/15

Rope Lat Row 4x20

Cable Tricep Extension 4x30

  * Feels good to be back!

30 lb. Deadlift PR!

Conventional Deadlift PRs: first 445, then 465. This is +30 pounds over my previous sumo PR.

I'm starting a new program next week that calls for conventionals, so I decided to practice them tonight, since I haven't done the movement in a very long time. A powerlifting coach gave me a lot of tips this week and they've been great.

Talk about an unexpected PR out of nowhere... I had no thoughts about setting a PR tonight, but as I kept adding weight, it kept feeling great, so I went for it. Getting to 500 is now a real thing!

Squats 3RM

This is my last workout until the beginning of November.  

Squats

    I came in to the night thinking 335/5, which would have been a nice 5RM by 20 pounds. I ended up calling an audible and did a set of 335/3 (which was a brief 3RM), and another set of 340/3 (which is my new 3RM). I knew that I would not make 335/5 during the second rep of that set, so I decided to rack it after rep three. I then looked up my current 2RM - 340 - so I decided to go for a set of 3. The third rep was a battle, but I got it.

Block Pulls: 375/5, 405/3, 405/4

Kabuki Trap Bar HD: 376/6, 376/6, 376/6, 376/6 (first time using this bar.. pretty cool..it weighs 66 pounds)

Bench Press 5RM

Bench Press: worked up to 240/5. The video shows that the pause wasn't that great, so while I won't call this touch and go, I'm hesitant to call it a true paused bench press.  I also did a touch and go rep @ 260 at the end. 

Incline Press: worked up to 205/5, 205/5, 205/5

3 supersets:  Barbell Rows 185/5, Triceps Pushdowns, Concentration Curls

Sumo Deadlift 5RM

Sumo Deadlift: worked up to a 5RM @ 390 and then added a 2RM @ 405 for fun.

Paused SSB Squat: 205/5, 245/5, 245/5, 245/5. Each set done as a superset with the plate loaded row machine.

Kizen Off Season 1-4-4: Incline Press

Spoto Press (60% of incline): 170/10, 170/10, 170/10

Incline Press (77.5%): 185/5, 185/5, 185/5, 185/10

One Arm Lat PD: 3x15

Triceps Pushdowns: 3x15

Concentration Curls: 3x15

* This was the last Kizen Off Season session. I'm "eh" about the program, but glad I tried it. Next week, I will try and set new 5RMs in the SBD. After that, I will be traveling for two weeks and will not have access to weights. 

Kizen Off Season 1-4-3: Squats

Squats (77.5%): 300/5, 300/5, 300/5, 300/8 (8RM), +10 lb 8RM over last week

Block Pulls: 335/8, 355/8, 355/8

Pendlay Rows: 135/15, 135/15, 135/15

3 sets abs

Kizen Off Season 1-4-2: Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press (77.5%): 220/5, 220/5, 220/5, 220/7.  (felt smooth, racked the amrap at 7, but probably could have done 8. May even be good for 9-10 without the 3x5 first, which isn't too shabby. 

Incline DBs: 75's/10, 75's/10, 75's/10

Lat PDs: 3x10

Close Grip Bench: 185/10, 185/10, 185/10

Hammer Curls: 3x10

Kizen Off Season 1-4-1: Sumo Deadlift

Sumo Deadlift (77.5%): 340/5, 340/5, 340/5, 340/11 (11RM)

Pause SSB Squat: 175/8, 185/8, 195/8

Hip Thrusts: 205/10, 205/10, 205/10

Pendlay Rows: 175/10, 175/10, 175/10

Abs: 3 sets

Kizen Off Season 1-3-4: Incline Press

Spoto Press (60% of incline): 170/10, 170/10, 170/10, 170/10, 170/10

Incline Press (75%): 180/5, 180/5, 180/5, 180/5, 180/5, 180/8

  * This is a ton of pressing volume.. jeez.

Plate Loaded Lat PD: 3x15

Triceps Pushdowns: 3x15

Concentration Curls: 3x15

Kizen Off Season 1-3-3: Squats

Squats (75%): 290/5, 290/5, 290/5, 290/5, 290/5, 290/8 (ties 8RM)- this is a better 8RM, though, since it was done after 5x5

Block Pulls: 315/8, 315/8, 315/8, 315/8, 315/8

Pendlay Rows: 135/15, 135/15, 135/15

Planks: 60 seconds, 60 seconds, 60 seconds

Kizen Off Season 1-3-2: Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press (75%): 210/5, 210/5, 210/5, 210/5, 210/5, 210/8

      * Felt much stronger than last week.

Incline DB Press: 70's/10, 70's/10, 70's/10, 70's/10, 70's/10

Pendlay Rows: 170/10, 170/10, 170/10

Close Grip Bench: 170/10, 175/10, 175/9 (didn't take enough of a rest in between sets, died out at 9)

EX Bar Curls: 70/10, 70/10, 70/10

Kizen Off Season 1-3-1: Sumo Deadlift

Sumo Deadlift (75%): 325/5, 325/5, 325/5, 325/5, 325/5, 325/10

SSB Pause Squats: 165/8, 165/8, 165/8

Hip Thrusts: 205/10, 205/10, 205/10

One Arm Lat PDs: 3x10

Planks: 30 seconds, 30 seconds, 30 seconds

* I sweat a lot. 

Kizen Off Season 1-2-4: Incline Bench Press

Spoto Press (60% of incline PR): 170/10, 170/10, 170/10, 170/10

Incline Bench Press (72.5%): 175/5, 175/5, 175/5, 175/5, 175/10

One Arm Lat PDs: 3x15

Triceps Pushdowns: 3x15

Barbell Curls: 3x15

Kizen Off Season 1-2-3: Squats

Squats (72.5%): 280/5, 280/5, 280/5, 280/5, 280/10 (10RM)

   * It was nice to be able to set a 10RM after doing 4x5 at that weight. 

Block Pulls: 265/15, 265/15, 265/15, 265/15

Barbell Rows: 135/15, 135/15, 135/15 (each set was a superset with abs)

Kizen Off Season 1-2-2: Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press (72.5%): 205/5, 205/5, 205/5, 205/5, 205/7

   * The four sets of 5 definitely impacted the AMRAP set. I thought I'd be good for 10-11, but I died out at 7. 

Incline DB Press: 70's/10, 70's/10, 70's/10, 70's/10

One Arm Lat PDs: 3x10

Close Grip Bench Press: 155/10, 165/10, 165/10

DB Curls: 3x10

Kizen Off Season 1-2-1: Sumo Deadlift

Sumo Deadlift (72.5%): 135/5, 135/5, 225/3, 315/5, 315/5, 315/5, 315/5, 315/12

SSB Pause Squats: 155/8, 155/8, 155/8, 155/8

Hip Thrusts: 205/10, 205/10, 205/10

Pendlay Rows: 165/10, 165/10, 165/10

Planks: 30 seconds, 30 seconds, 30 seconds

* Deads felt great tonight. Managed one more rep this week, despite an increase of 10 pounds. 

Kizen Off Season 1-1-4: Incline Press

Spoto Press (60% of incline PR): 135/8, 170/10, 170/10, 170/10

Incline Press (70%): 170/5, 170/5, 170/5, 170/10

Lat PD: 3x15

Triceps Pushdowns: 3x15

EZ Bar Curls: 3x15

Kizen Off Season 1-1-3: Squats

Squats (70%): 135/5, 225/3, 270/5, 270/5, 270/5, 270/11 (11RM)

Block Pulls: 225/15, 225/15, 225/15

Pendlay Rows: 135/15, 135/15, 135/15

Planks: 60 seconds, 60 seconds, 60 seconds

  * Nice little 11RM with squats.. previous best @ 11 was 255. 

Kizen Off Season 1-1-2: Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press (70%): 135/5, 195/5, 195/5, 195/5, 195/12 (12RM)

Incline DB's: 70's/10, 75's/10, 75's/10

Hammer Curls: 40's/10, 40's/10, 40's/10

Standing Skull Crushers: 60/10, 60/10, 60/10

One Arm Lat Pulldowns:  110/10, 110/10, 110/10

* I am going switch off of skull crushers going forward because they aren't nice to my left shoulder. 

Kizen Off Season 1-1-1: Sumo Deadlifts

 I'm going to run the Kizen 2020 off season program until I take a couple of weeks off from the gym due to some upcoming traveling.

Tonight's workout was sort of a shock to the body with all of the 10 rep sets. It's been a while since I've trained with this many reps!

Sumo Deadlift (70%): 155/5, 265/3, 305/5, 305/5, 305/5, 305/11

303 Tempo Squat: 135/7, 95/10, 95/10 (never did this exercise before.. ridiculously hard, as you can see by the weight selection. I figured that 135 for 10 would be an easy starting point.. NOPE-  I racked the bar after the 7th rep!)

Hip Thrusts: 205/10, 205/10, 205/10

Pendlay Rows: 135/10, 155/10, 175/10

Planks: 30 seconds, 30 seconds, 30 seconds

Gym Meet Results

Squat: 385 (PR)

Bench: 265, failed twice at 285

Dead: 425, failed at 440

Total: 1075

  * 385 was a nice 20 pound PR. It was pretty smooth, too.. probably could have hit 395.

  * After squatting, I realized that doing all three maxes in the same day is a lot different than just doing one. I started to get taxed.... bench never felt all that great. 265 moved, but it just didn't feel right. 285 moved at first, but died about halfway through.

  * By the time we got to deadlifts, I was definitely pretty spent. 425 was hard, but I thought I'd be able to get 440. Nope.. wasn't even close.

  * Very glad I did this and had a lot of fun. I wanted 1100, ended up with 1075. Not too far off. We'll get there. 

SBD Tune Up

 Some light work before the PR day on Saturday.

Squats

worked up to 270/3

Bench

worked up to 205/3

Dead

worked up to 315/3

planks- 2 sets 

Sling Shot

 Last Sling Shot day before the gym meet... worked up to 290/3, which is a 3RM. It was harder than I wanted it to be, though.

Accessories: 

plate loaded shoulder press- 2 sets

plate loaded row machine- 2 sets

abs- 3 sets

* Next Tuesday, I will work up to a set of 3 at 70% in the SBD, and that will be it before 9/12.

Peaking, Week 5: Sumo Deadlift

 Tied a PR @ 435. It was fast off the floor, but it took everything I had to get through the second half of the rep. My legs were shaking like crazy.

Accessories: belt squat- 2 sets; planks- 3 sets

I'll hit some Sling Shot for reps on Friday, then do a light session of all three lifts on Tuesday, and that will be it.

The gym meet is on September 12.

I'm thinking about getting at least an 1100 total. I've played around with the numbers a bit, but something like 380, 285, 435 will get me there. I'd like to do more than that for each movement, but who knows how I will feel that day and how tired I will get as we progress. 

Let's go!

Peaking, Week 5: Paused Bench Press

 Huge PR of 280 tonight!! I would have been happy to hit that at the meet in two weeks. Now, I am eyeing 290.

Accessories: two sets of triceps pushdowns

Peaking, Week 5: Squats

 Last week of peaking.

Worked up to 365 in the squat, for a PR. Moved well. Looking to do 380+ at the meet.

Accessories:

belt squat- 3 sets

planks- 3 sets

Another Sling Shot PR

 Worked up to 315 on the Sling Shot tonight!

Accessories

Incline Bench (185/10, 185/10, 185/8, 185/6)

abs- 4 sets

Peaking, Week 4: Sumo Deadlift

 Sumo Deadlift

Worked up to 425/1. This was a great day because I went into it thinking 410, and ended up hitting 425. Now, I'm thinking 440 at the mock meet.

Accessories

plate loaded row machine- 3 sets

curls- 2 sets

Peaking, Week 4: Paused Bench Press

 Paused Bench Press

worked up to a new PR @ 270. Looking for 275 next week.

Accessories

triceps pushdowns- 4 sets

abs- 4 sets

Peaking, Week 4: Squats

 Squats

Worked up to 350/1 (felt smooth.. definitely have more in the tank, which is the point at this stage)

Accessories

hip thrusts (banded, body weight)- 5 sets

planks- 3 sets

* This is the first of two weeks of singles leading up to the mock meet on 9/12. The accessory work goes way down from this point forward. 

Sling Shot PR

 Sling Shot Bench

Worked up to 305/1 (15 pound PR)

Incline Bench Press (185/9, 185/9, 185/8)

plate loaded shoulder press- 4 sets

one arm plate loaded lat PD- 2 sets

back extensions- 3 sets

planks- 3 sets 

Peaking, Week 3: Sumo Deadlift

 Sumo Deadlift (2x2)

Worked up to 395/2, 400/2. Felt solid. Edit: Just realized that 400/2 is a 2RM. Nice. 

Accessories:

Hex Bar Deadlift (335/10, 335/10, 335/10)

Planks- 3 sets 

Peaking, Week 3: Paused Bench Press

 Paused Bench Press (2x2)

 Worked up to 250/2, 255/2, both being 2RMs. Things are moving very well right now.. need to keep it going another 4 weeks.

Accessories

Spoto Press (215/6, 215/6, 215/6)

Incline DBs (90's/6, 90's/5, 90's/5)

plate loaded shoulder press- 3 sets

plate loaded rows & abs- 4 supersets

Peaking, Week 3: Squats

 Squats (2x2)

Worked up to 330/2 & 340/2 (By default, they were both PRs) Both sets felt pretty good, too. 

Accessories

belt squat machine- 5 sets

curls- 5 sets

Accessory Work

 Incline Bench (205/3, 210/3, 210/3, 210/3)

 Sling Shot Bench (225/3, 250/3, 265/1, 280/1, 290/1 (PR))

 shoulder press machine & abs- 3 supersets

 back extensions-  3 sets

 lat pulldowns- 4 sets

 hip thrusts (205/10, 225/8, 245/8, 245/8)

 

Peaking, Week 2: Sumo Deadlift

 Sumo Deadlift (85%, 3x3)

380/3, 380/3, 380/3 (stiff bar; moved pretty well)

Accessory Work

Hex Bar Deadlift (385/6, 405/6, 405/6)

DB curls- 3 sets

Triceps pushdowns- 3 sets

Peaking, Week 2: Paused Bench Press

 Paused Bench Press (85%, 3x3)

235/3, 235/3, 240/3  (felt great, decided to add an extra 5 pounds for the last set)

Accessories

Spoto Press (200/6, 210/6, 210/6)

Incline DB's (85's/7, 85's/7, 85's/7)

plate loaded shoulder press- 3 sets

plate loaded rows- 4 sets

Peaking, Week 2: Squats

Squats (85%, 3x3)

305/3, 305/3, 305/3

  * These moved very well. 

Accessory Work

belt squat- 5 sets

one arm lat pulldowns: 3 sets

curls: 3 sets

planks: 3 sets

Peaking, Week 1: Sumo Deadlift

Sumo Deadlift (80%, 3x4)

350/4, 350/4, 350/4

  *All sets moved very well.

Accessory Work

belt squat- 4 sets

plate front raises & plate OHP- 2 supersets

one arm lat PD & one arm triceps PD- 2 supersets

curls- 2 sets

Peaking, Week 1: Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press (80%, 4x4)

225/4, 225/4, 225/4, 225/4

  * The first three sets were smooth, so I threw in a fourth set.

Accessory Work

Incline DB Press: 75's/10,10,8,8

Lat PDs: 3 sets

Triceps Pushdowns: 3 sets

Front Raises: 3 sets

Side Raises: 3 sets

Peaking, Week 1: Squat

Squats (80%, 3x4)

285/4, 285/4, 285/4, 285/4

Accessories

belt squat machine- 5 sets

hex bar deads- 315/10, 315/10, 315/10

curls- 3 sets

* Good start. This week is going to be 3 sets of 4 of the three main lifts, plus accessory work. Next week will be 3X3, the following week sets of 2, then two weeks of singles, and the mock meet on 9/12.

Beyond 531, Cycle 2-2020, Week 3: Incline Bench

Incline Bench (plug in weight: 210)

160/5, 180/3, 205/1, 225/1, 240/1 (PR)

paused: 185/8, 185/8, 185/7

  * Finally hit 240 after failing at this weight twice in the past!

Accessories

plate loaded rows- 3 sets

plate loaded shoulder press- 3 sets

hip thrusts- 4 sets

curls- 3 sets

back extensions- 3 sets

abs- 3 sets

cable rows- 3 sets 

* We are doing a gym powerlifting competition on 9/12, so I am going to switch to a 6 week peaking program starting next week. 

Beyond 531, Cycle 2-2020, Week 3: Sumo Deadlift

Sumo Deadlift (plug in weight: 370)
275/5, 315/3, 350/8, 385/1, 410/1
315/5, 315/5, 315/5
  *This was a great session- used a straight bar instead of a deadlift bar and it felt great.

Accessory Work
Goblet Squats- 4 sets
Planks- 3 sets

Beyond 531, Cycle 2-2020, Week 3: Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press (plug in weight: 245)
185/5, 210/3, 235/4 (4RM), 250/1
185/10, 185/10, 185/10
  *Eh 4 RM, but the rep of 250 flew up.

Accessory Work
Incline DB's: 90's/5, 90's/5, 90's/5, 90's/5
Curls- 3 sets
Lat PDs- 5 sets

Beyond 531, Cycle 2-2020, Week 3: Squats; Hex Bar Dead PR

Squats (plug in weight: 310)
230/5, 265/3, 295/7 (7RM)

Hex Bar Deadlift
335/1, 385/1, 425/1, 480/1 (PR), 500/1 (PR)

Squats (back off sets)
230/5, 230/5, 230/5

* I felt like having a little fun today with the hex bar, based on how working with it recently has felt. I had a feeling that I would be good for 500, so I decided to give it a shot. It was the first time in my life that I've ever picked up 500 pounds! I know that I could have done more than that, too, if I started off the session with a true PR in mind. That being said, I am not really "training" this exercise for PRs anymore, so I just wanted to hit the magic number of 500 for fun. 

Beyond 531, Cycle 2-2020, Week 2: Incline Press

Incline Press (plug in weight: 210)
150/3, 170/3, 190/3, 210/5 (5RM)
paused: 175/7, 175/7, touch and go: 175/11
   * 5RM, but eh, wanted 6+

Accessories
plate loaded shoulder press- 3 sets
back extensions & abs- 3 supersets
plate loaded row machine- 3 sets
hip thrusts- 3 sets
curls- 1 set

Beyond 531, Cycle 2-2020, Week 2: Sumo Deadlift

Sumo Deadlift (plug in weight: 370)
260/3, 295/3, 335/8, 370/3, 405/1
260/5, 260/5, 260/5
  * Another good week with the narrower stance.

Accessory Work:
Hex Bar Deadlift
315/3, 365/3, 415/3, 435/3, 455/1

Beyond 531, Cycle 2-2020, Week 2: Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press (plug in weight: 245)
175/3, 195/3, 225/3, 245/3 (3RM)
175/10, 175/10, 175/10
   Felt like going for a RM @ 245 tonight. Almost got 4, probably would have been good for 4, maybe 5, if I didn't do the set of 225 before it. I'll take 3, though, because it's a +10 pound 3RM.

Accessories
Incline DB: 85's/8, 95's/4, 95's/4, 75's/8
2 supersets: neutral grip pull-ups & front raises
2 supersets: neutral grip pull-ups & side raises

Beyond 531, Cycle 2-2020, Week 2: Squats

Squats (plug in weight: 310)
215/3, 250/3, 280/9, 310/3
215/5, 215/5, 215/5

Accessories
plate loaded shoulder press- 3 sets
plate loaded rows- 3 sets
curls- 3 sets
lat pulldowns- 3 sets

Beyond 531, Cycle 2-2020, Week 1: Incline Press

Incline Press (plug in weight: 210)
135/5, 155/5, 180/5, 205/7 (7RM), 230/1 (ties 1RM)
paused: 160/8, 160/8, 160/10

* This session was OK, but nothing special. 230/1 was a hard stop at 1. May have done 2 with a spotter. May have also done 8 @ 205 with a spotter.

Accessory Work
plate loaded shoulder press machine- 4 sets
hip thrusts- 4 sets
back extensions- 3 sets
abs- 3 sets

Beyond 531, Cycle 2-2020, Week 1: Sumo Deadlifts

Sumo Deadlifts (plug in weight: 370)
245/5, 275/5, 315/10, 350/5, 370/3
245/5, 245/5, 245/5
   * These are the best pulls have felt in a long time. I moved my feet in a little- maybe that's it?

Accessory Work
Hex Bar Rows: 185/7, 205/6, 215/5, 215/5

Beyond 531: Cycle 2-2020, Week 1: Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press (plug in weight: 245)
160/5, 185/5, 210/10 (10RM), 230/5 (5RM)
160/10, 160/10, 160/10
   * Another great bench workout... loving this right now!  230/5 was a default 5RM because it was a hard stop at 5. I definitely had at least one more in the tank.

Accessories
Incline DB's: 75's/10, 85's/8, 95's/5
3 supersets: side & front raises

Beyond 531, Cycle 2-2020, Week 1: Squats

Squats (plug in weight: 310)
200/5, 230/5, 265/11, 295/4
200/5, 200/5, 200/5
 
Accessories:
Hex Bar Deadlift
155/5, 245/5, 315/5, 365/5, 415/4, 415/4
   * haven't done these in years....felt good.....will mix them in with accessory work

3 supersets: lat pulldowns, curls

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 6: Incline Press

Incline Press (plug in weight: 200)
150/5, 170/3, 195/11 (11RM), 210/1, 225/1
150/10, 150/10, 150/10
   * Previous RM @ 195 was 8, so +3 reps is pretty sweet.

Accessories
plate loaded shoulder press- 4 sets
abs- 3 sets
hip thrusts- 4 sets
plate loaded rows- 3 sets

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 6: Sumo Deadlifts

Sumo Deadlifts (plug in weight: 360)
270/5, 305/3, 340/1, 375/1, 400/1
270/8, 270/8, 270/8
   * Just hit the minimum on the third set because I was so annoyed at missing 395 last week, that I really wanted to hit 400 tonight. It wasn't that pretty, but I did it. Deadlifts have been so meh since the gyms have reopened.

Accessory Work
Rows (super deadlift bar)- 4 sets
Back Extensions- 3 sets
Abs- 3 sets

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 6: Paused Bench Press

Yesterday's workout:

Paused Bench Press (plug in weight: 235)
175/5, 200/3, 225/8 (8RM), 250/1
175/10, 175/10, 175/10
  * Huge 8RM @ 225!! My previous RMs @ 225 were 6 (touch and go) and 4 (paused).

Incline DB Press
75's/10, 85's/7, 85's/7

3 supersets: cable front raises, cable side raises

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 6: Squats

Squats (plug in weight: 300)
225/5, 255/3, 285/9 (9RM), 315/1
225/5, 225/5, 225/5
   * Nice 9RM today....now, if I can only get my deads going.....

Accessories
lat pulldown- 4 sets
machine curls- 3 sets

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 5: Incline Press

Incline Press (plug in weight: 200)
140/3, 160/3, 185/13 (13RM), 225/3 (3RM), 200/7 (7RM), 160/16 (16RM)
  * 4 RMs in one session- hard to argue with that. Really happy about 225/3- sort of came out of nowhere.

Accessory Work
4 sets hip thrusts
3 sets plate loaded lat PD
3 sets back extensions
5 sets machine shoulder presses

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 5: Sumo Deadlifts

Sumo Deadlifts (plug in weight: 360)
250/3, 290/3, 325/7, 360/3, failed twice going for 395/1
250/8, 250/8, 250/8

* Strongest in my life at bench right now, progressing nicely with squats, but deadlifts are in the toilet.  :/

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 5: Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press (plug in weight: 235)
165/3, 190/3, 210/9, 235/3 (3RM)
165/10, 165/10, 165/10

Accessories
4 sets barbell rows
3 sets DB side raises
3 sets barbell curls
3 sets plate front raises

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 5: Squats

Squats (plug in weight: 300)
210/3, 240/3, 270/8, 300/3, 335/1, 335/1
210/5, 210/5, 210/5
  * Felt good to squat 335 again. It's been a while.

4 sets of barbell rows

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 4: Incline Press

Incline Press (plug in weight: 200)
135/5, 150/5, 175/15 (15RM), 190/5, 210/3, 220/1
155/8, 155/8, 155/8
   * Last 15RM was @ 160, so this is a nice 15 pound jump.

Accessory Work
4 supersets: hip thrusts, back extensions, abs
4 supersets: plate loaded shoulder press, plate loaded extreme rows

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 4: Sumo Deadlifts

Sumo Deadlifts (plug in weight: 360)
235/5, 275/5, 305/10, 340/5, 375/1
235/8, 235/8, 235/8

* I was exhausted, so this was a get in, get out workout.

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 4: Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press (plug in weight: 235)
155/5, 175/5, 200/10, 225/4 (ties 4RM again)
155/10, 155/10, 155/10

Incline DB Press
85's/7, 90's/4, 75's/8

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 4: Squats

Squats (plug in weight: 300)
195/5, 225/5, 255/11 (11RM), 285/5
195/5, 195/5, 195/5

Curls - 5 sets

* Decent enough session.

* I did a back and shoulder accessory session yesterday.

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 3: Incline Press

Incline Press (plug in weight: 190)
145/5, 160/3, 180/13 (13RM), 200/1, 215/1, 230/1 (PR), 240/0
145/10, 145/10, 145/10
   * 230 went up fast. 240 was a bonus attempt. Died a little more than halfway up.

Accessory Work
4 supersets: hip thrusts & back extensions
3 sets of abs

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 3: Sumo Deadlift & Bonus Paused Bench PR!

Sumo Deadlift (plug in weight: 350)
265/5, 300/3, 335/7, 365/1, 390/1
265/7, 265/6
  * Not bad.. thought I might get more than 7 @335, and probably could have done another rep, but I just put the bar down after 7.

Paused Bench PR
Smoked the 265 that I missed a couple of days ago. It went so fast that I made sure the spotter didn't help me at all. Very happy to get this weight paused!!!

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 3: Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press (plug in weight: 225)
170/5, 190/3, 215/9 (9RM), 235/1, 255/1 (PR), 265/0
170/8, 170/8, 170/8
  * The 255 PR attempt flew, so much so, that I am not sure why I failed @ 265. Either way, I hit a PR so I can't be all that upset.

Incline DB Press
80's/9, 85's/8, 90's/5

Front & Side Raises- 3 supersets

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 3: Squats

Squats (plug in weight: 290)
220/5, 245/3, 275/8, 305/1, 325/1
225/5, 225/5, 225/5
   * Pretty happy with today's session. 305 flew up, 325 was slower, but not bad.

Pull-ups
6 sets, 5-6 reps per set

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 2: Incline Press

Incline Press (plug in weight: 190)
135/3, 155/3, 170/14 (14RM), 190/3, 210/3, 220/1
135/22, 135/13

Accessory Work
3 supersets: back extensions & abs
4 supersets: plate loaded shoulder press & hip thrusts (only did 3 hip thrust sets)

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 2: Sumo Deadlift

Sumo Deadlift (plug in weight: 350)
245/3, 280/3, 315/10, 350/3, 385/2
245/8, 245/8, 245/8
  * Feeling pretty good. The last time I did 385 it was for a slow single, so to hit 2 reps after that set of 10 was nice.

Hex Bar Rows
185/8, 195/7, 195/7, 195/7

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 2: Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press (plug in weight: 225)
160/3, 180/3, 205/10 (10RM), 225/4 (ties 4RM), 245/1
180/8. 180/8, 180/8
  * Bench is firing on all cylinders right now. My paused PR is 250. If I feel this good next week, I might try 255.

Accessory Work
3 supersets: front raises, side raises, triceps pushdows

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 2: Squats

Squats (plug in weight: 290)
205/3, 235/3, 260/9, 290/3
205/6, 205/6, 205/6

Accessories
plate loaded row machine, abs, curls: 3 supersets

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 1: Incline Bench Press

Incline Bench Press (plug in weight: 190)
125/5, 145/5, 160/15 (ties 15RM), 180/5, 190/5
135/8, 135/8, 135/8

Accessory Work
plate loaded shoulder press machine - 5 sets
back extensions & abs- 4 supersets

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 1: Sumo Deadlift

Sumo Deadlift (plug in weight: 350)
225/5, 265/5, 300/10, 330/5, 350/4
225/8, 225/8, 225/8
   * Not bad, though I did lose some strength in the deadlift during the forced COVID time off.

Accessory Work
DB Rows- 3 sets
Rope Pulldowns & Abs- 3 supersets

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 1: Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press (plug in weight: 225)
145/5, 170/5, 190/13 (13RM), 210/5 (5RM), 225/4 (4RM)
145/10, 145/10, 145/10

   * Felt great tonight. I am starting a new category called "Bench Press - Paused" on my PR page, so the above RMs are defaults more than anything else. That said, both the 190 and 225 sets were pretty good for me. I had much more in the tank with the 210 set, but the set called for a hard stop at 5 reps.

Hex Bar Rows
185/7, 185/7, 185/7, 185/7

EZ Bar Curls - 3 sets

Beyond 531, Cycle 1-2020, Week 1: Squats

The gyms are open again! I've been going for about a month to ramp my strength back up. Now that I know where my numbers are, I've decided to run Beyond 531 again, this time with squats, bench, sumos, and incline press. (no OHP)

Squats (plug in weight: 290)
190/5, 220/5, 245/9, 275/5
190/8, 190/8, 190/8

Shoulder Accessory Work: 3 supersets- front lateral raises with plate & DB side lateral raises

* Felt good to start a program again!!

Box Squats

Today is the last day I can lift for a while. There is a mandatory two week shutdown starting right about now. Hopefully, it's just the two weeks......

Box Squats
work sets: 315/4 (4RM), 335/1, 350/1 (PR), 315/3
   * Great way to end it....I may have been good for 360, but without spotters, I didn't want to risk it.

Chins (4 sets)
Hex Bar Rows (4 sets)

  * The plan now is to do the at home, no equipment template found on the Barbell Medicine site.

:/

Stay safe everyone.

More Sumos & Paused Bench

Sumo Deadlifts
155/8, 265/5, 315/3, 355/1, 380/1, 405/1, 375/3

Paused Bench Press
worked up to 250/1 (PR); failed at 255, but I was happy to get 250.

Concentration Curls (4 sets)

* One more day with the barbell tomorrow, then we are on a government shutdown for two weeks. I will probably run the Barbell Medicine home workout without equipment template.

SIGH.

Sumos & Paused Bench Press

Managed to find someone that would let me use his equipment during these crazy times we live in. Pretty limited compared to normal, but we have more than enough to get by.

Sumo Deadlift
worked up to 380/1, 415/0
325/6, 325/6, 325/6
   * I wasn't using a deadlift bar so that could be why I missed 415. Or, I simply just missed it. Who knows? The rest of the sets moved pretty well, though.

Paused Bench Press
work sets: 225/4, 245/1 (PR), 215/4, 215/4

Hex Bar Rows
135/10, 155/7, 165/6, 165/5

Football Bar Shoulder Press (4 sets)

Box Squats, Jeffersons

Box Squats
135/10, 205/5, 245/3, 280/3, 315/1, 335/1, 345/1, 275/5, 275/5
   * 335 & 345 were both PRs and felt great. I really hope they don't close our gym because my progress has been really good lately.

Jefferson Deadlifts
265/5, 335/5, 380/3, 380/3, 380/3

Walking DB Lunges (45's, 3 sets)
Abs (ball, 3 sets)

Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press
work sets: 230/1, 240/1, 200/8, 200/8, 200/7
   *Really good session. I think 240 is a paused bench PR.

Accessories
Incline Press (175/8, 175/8, 175/7)
Super Deadlift Bar Rows (155/6, 155/6, 155/6, 155/6, 155/6, 155/6)
Landmine Shoulder Press (4 sets)
Olympic Bar Curls (3 sets)

Sumo Deadlifts & Box Squats

Sumo Deadlifts
worked up to 410/1
back off sets: 315/8, 315/8, 315/8
  *Stronger session than last week.

Box Squats
185/5, 225/5, 255/5, 280/4

Hip Thrusts
155/8, 155/8, 155/8

Back Extensions (3 sets)

Lower Abs (3 sets)

Double Paused Bench Press

Double Paused Bench Press
185/9, 185/8, 185/7, 185/6

Accessory Work
Smith Machine shoulder press (4 sets)
single arm plate loaded lat PD (4 sets)
chest supported DB rows (3 sets)
rope pushdowns (3 sets)
abs- ball crunches (4 sets)

Box Squats & Jefferson Deadlifts

Box Squats (lowered the box 2", to a 14" box)
135/10, 185/5, 225/3, 255/3, 280/3, 300/3, 300/3, 300/3

Jefferson Deadlifts
155/6, 265/5, 335/3, 375/1, 415/1, 375/4, 375/4

Abs (side planks, 2 sets each side, 40 seconds each)

DB Walking Lunges (3 sets, 40 lb. DB)

Paused Bench Press

Paused Bench Press
work sets: 230/3, 230/3, 230/2, 195/9

Accessories
Supersets:
- incline bench press (170/8, 170/8, 170/8) & super deadlift bar rows (135/9, 145/8, 145/8)
- plate loaded shoulder press (3 sets) & plate loaded row (3 sets)
- rear delt machine (3 sets) & curls (3 sets)
- abs (3 sets)

Sumo Deadlifts & Box Squats

Sumo Deadlifts
155/10, 225/5, 285/5, 335/3, 380/1, 405/1, 305/8, 305/8, 305/8
      405/1 was tough, but I made it.
      305/3x8 made me winded.

Box Squats (lowered the box to 14")
185/6, 225/5, 245/4, 245/5

Accessories:
Back Extensions (3 sets)
Hip Thrusts - band (3 sets)

Paused Bench Press & lots of accessories

Paused Bench Press
work sets: 220/4, 220/4, 220/4, 220/4

Accessory Work
Supersets:
a) incline bench press (165/9, 165/9, 165/9) & plate loaded rows (3 sets)
b) shoulder press machine (3 sets) & super deadlift bar rows (135/9, 135/9, 135/9)
c) concentration curls (3 sets) & abs (3 sets)
d) rear delt machine (3 sets) & lower abs (3 sets)

Sumo Deadlifts, Box Squats, etc.

Sumo Deadlifts
worked up to 400/1, back off sets: 355/3, 355/3
  * Mini goal met coming back from injury.

Box Squats
185/8, 225/5, 275/5, 275/5, 275/5

Hip Thrusts
135/10, 155/10, 155/10

Back Extensions

Abs (front & side planks)

Box Squats & Jeffersons

Box Squats
working sets: 275/5, 315/3, 315/2, 275/7

Jefferson Deadlifts
265/5, 315/12, 375/5, 410/1

Hip Thrusts
135/10, 135/10, 135/10

Abs

* Good session...the set of 275/7 on box squats was nice, as were all of the Jefferson sets. The second set of 315 on squats was much harder than I wanted it to be, though. It almost got stuck at the bottom, but I pushed through.

Double Paused Bench Press

Double Paused Bench Press
working sets: 200/5, 200/5, 200/5, 200/5

Accessory Work
- plate loaded lat pulldown (4 sets)
- bicep curls (3 sets)
- lateral raise machine (3 sets)
- rear delt machine (3 sets)
- shoulder press machine (3 sets)

Sumo Deadlift, Box Squats

Sumo Deadlift
working sets: 355/3, 370/2, 390/1, 355/3
   * weight moving smoothly, but feels heavy

Box Squats
working sets: 225/8, 225/8, 225/8

Hip thrusts (band, 3 sets)
Abs (3 sets)

Paused Bench Press, Incline Press, etc.

Paused Bench Press
working sets: 215/6, 215/4, 215/4, 215/4

Incline Bench Press
155/10, 160/10, 165/9

Accessory Work
- plate loaded shoulder press machine (3 sets)
- rows with super deadlift bar (3 sets)
- plate loaded row machine (3 sets)
- side planks (2 sets each side)

Box Squats, Jefferson Deadlifts

Box Squats
working sets: 225/5, 275/5, 295/3, 315/3
  * best session yet!

Jefferson Deadlifts
265/5, 335/3, 375/3, 375/3, 375/3

Accessory Work
- hip thrusts (band)
- abs
- plate loaded rows

Paused Bench Press, etc.

Paused Bench Press
working sets:  225/4, 225/4, 225/4, 225/3
   * This might be the most volume I've ever done at this weight paused.

Accessory Work
- plate loaded lat pulldown (2 sets)
- plate loaded row (2 sets)
- plate loaded machine overhead press (3 sets)
- DB curls (3 sets)
- rear delt machine (3 sets)

Sumo Deadlift, Box Squats

Sumo Deadlift
working sets: 345/3, 365/3, 380/1, 345/3

Box Squats:
working sets: 225/5, 255/5, 275/2, 275/2

Hip thrusts (band), abs

Double Paused Bench Press, Incline Press

Double Paused Bench Press
working sets: 190/5, 195/5, 205/4, 205/4

Incline Press
working sets: 175/7, 185/4, 185/4, 185/4

Jeffersons & Box Squats

Jefferson Deadlift
working sets: 375/4, 375/5, 375/4

Box Squats
working sets: 225/5, 255/3, 255/3

Hip Thrusts
115/10, 115/10, 115/10

Curls & Abs

Bench Press, Push Press

Bench Press
working sets: 215/7 (ties 7RM), 215/6, 215/5, 215/5
 * Probably could have done an 8th rep on the first set, but I didn't have a spotter so I racked it.

Push Press
working sets: 140/8, 155/5 (ties 5RM), 165/3 (3RM)

7 sets of back, side planks, rear delts

Sumo Deadlift, Box Squats

Sunday workout.

Sumo Deadlift

working sets: 335/4, 335/4, 335/4

Box Squats

working sets: 225/5, 245/5, 245/5

Hip thrusts, abs

* Slowly ramping back up.

Log Press, Double Paused Bench Press

Log Press
 * First time doing this exercise.
85/8, 115/8, 135/7, 135/7, 135/5

Double Paused Bench Press
 * First time doing this exercise.
135/6, 185/5, 185/6, 185/6

Cable rows, cable triceps pushdowns, rear delt machine, lateral raise machine

PT this morning.

Jefferson Deadlifts

This was done on Thursday.

Jefferson Deadlifts
155/10, 155/10, 265/5, 315/5, 345/5, 375/3, 405/1, 345/5
  * Haven't done significant weight with these in quite some time. Felt good!

Plate Loaded Lat PDs, hip thrusts, curls, abs

Bench Press & Push Press

Bench Press
45/20, 135/10, 185/5
225/6 (ties 6RM), 225/4, 225/4

Push Press
115/8, 135/11 (11RM), 155/5, 155/5

4 sets of plate loaded extreme rows, PT exercises

* I haven't done any direct shoulder work since before I was injured. The push presses felt great!

Smolov Jr. Testing & Back to Deadlifting!

I only managed 265 in my Smolov Jr. testing on Friday. It is a modest PR, but it was kind of disappointing. I tried 275 twice and missed. I felt like I was so close to pushing through, but ultimately couldn't.

On another note, I am happy to report that I am healthy enough to deadlift again and to at least box squat. For the time being, I am not going to run a program. My goal here is to just keep ramping up. At some point, though, I will go back to Beyond 531.

Tonight's workout:

Sumo Deadlift
155/8, 205/5, 265/5, 315/5, 315/5, 315/5

Box Squat
135/8 (18" box)
135/6, 185/6, 185/6, 225/3, 225/3 (16" box)

Paused Hip Thrusts, Abs, and other PT exercises

Glad to be back!

Smolov Jr Update

I've kept up with it- just haven't been posting here. But, you can see each day's workouts on @beetroot5m on Instagram. I finished the last day of the program yesterday and will be testing on either Thursday or Friday of this week.

Smolov Jr. Bench Press Week 2, Day 2

Max: 260

Tonight:
75% + 10 pounds
205/5, 205/5, 205/5, 205/5, 205/5, 205/5, 205/5

Accessory Work: face pulls, plate loaded rows, abs

Smolov Jr. Bench Press Week 2, Day 1

Max: 260

Tonight:
70% + 10 pounds
190/6, 190/6, 190/6, 190/6, 190/6, 190/6

Accessories: 3 sets each of plate loaded lat pulldowns, single arm triceps pushdowns, curls, planks

Smolov Jr. Bench Press Week 1, Day 4

Max: 260

Today:
85%
220/3, 220/3, 220/3, 220/3, 220/3, 220/3, 220/3, 220/3, 220/3, 220/3

Accessories: None

It started to get hard at set #6, but I managed to power through.

This was done on Saturday afternoon.

Smolov Jr Bench Press Week 1, Day 3

Max: 260

Tonight:
80%
205/4, 205/4, 205/4, 205/4, 205/4, 205/4, 205/4, 205/4

Accessories: neutral grip pull ups, abs

Smolov Jr. Bench Press Week 1, Day 2

Max: 260

Tonight:
75%
195/5, 195/5, 195/5, 195/5, 195/5, 195/5, 195/5

Accessories: plate loaded rows, face pulls

I did this workout on Wednesday.

Smolov Jr. Bench Press Week 1, Day 1

Long story short... I have a few bulging discs and other stuff going on with my back....had to abandon ship on ATS 2.0. I am starting PT on Friday.

Until then, I am #benchonly. Tonight, I started Smolov Jr., which I did about 7 years ago or so and had good results. Those results can be found somewhere on this site.

Max: 260

Tonight:
70% - 180/6,6,6,6,6,6

Accessory Work:
Plate Loaded Rows (4 sets), DB curls (3 sets), Triceps PDs (3 sets), Ball crunches (3 sets)