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.