Take that, meet numbers

Squat

265 x 1

285 x 1 (ugly but if passable then PR)

295 x f

Kind of disappointed I'm not at 300 quite yet. I think I could've hit 295, but my ass went up before the rest of me and GMOPs are not quite strong enough to squat-morning out of it.

Band-lightened squat (purple)

315 x 2 x 2

325 x 2

335 x 2

more squats

185 x 10 x 3

Hungry Monday, Squats 4-19-10

--> only meal i was able to eat today was lunch, lifted with 7pm crew feeling out of it

Back Squats:
-single at 205 (P.R.)
-->should have hit 215 but did not attempt since 205 was pretty tough today

Band-Lightened Squats:
-with purples
225x2
245x2
265x2
275x2

Back Squats (again):
135x10
135x10
135x10
--> BEAST MODE. feeling pretty damn good, im not gonna lie

(skipped core so I could make it to covel by 9pm to eat second meal of day)

Weak Bench on Sat. 4-17-10

Bench:
145x1 (really tough)
140x1 (still tough)
135x1
135x1
135x1

Weighted Pushups:
45lbs on back for 2 reps
70lbs on back for 2 reps
70lbs on back for 1 rep + 1 fail
60lbs on back for 2 reps
65lbs on back for 2 reps
-->feeling quite BEASTLY

Floor Press:
115x5
115x5
115x5 (grinder on last one)
115x5 (grinder)
-->all trying to keep elbows tucked in

Pullover Machine:
-all sets with 1 second pauses
135lbs for 8 reps
135lbs for 8 reps
135lbs for 8 reps
160lbs for 8 reps

Rear Delt Machine:
135lbs for 8
135lbs for 8
135lbs for 8
135lbs for 6 + 120lbs for 2

Squat

Squats

75 x 2

85 x 1
95 x 1

Band-lightened

135 x 2
145 x 2
155 x 2
165 x 2

Cool-down Squats

Just did some reps with the bar

Abs
Medicine ball

Deadlift 4-15-10 with Vit and Fireman

(legs still really sore from banded jumps and squats on Monday, 4-12 --> major personal problem)

Deadlifts:
275x3
245x5
255x5
265x5
-->felt really good
---> all NO BELT, NO CHALK

Romanian/Stiff-Leg Deadlifts:
205x5
215x5
215x5
215x5
--> all in STEALTH MODE (no bouncing, quiet floor touches)

Power Cleans:
111 (yellows) x5
111x4+fail
111x5
--> I'm ridiculously tired (personal problem)
---> couldn't get elbows up (personal problem)
----> not explosive at all (personal problem)

Shrugs:
3x10 with the 100lb plates

Machine Cable Lower Back Extensions:
(similar to cable rows but with arms fully extended and performing the motion of a stiff-leg deadlift)
-50lbs for 15 (easy)
100lbs for 15
150lbs for 15 --> grip kept slipping at end (personal problem), lower back probably could have done 200lbs for 15 though)

Planks on Aerobics Ball:
-bringing knees to chest and alternating legs
3x20

4-19-10 Squat Wars Episode V: Soft Max Strikes Back

Squat

315 x 1 easy PR new max!

330 x .9 aka fail I almost got it up. It was going up, but I asked for help after what seemed like at least 5 seconds. I think I could have completed the lift if I had maintained speed out of the hole. 325 probably would have been a sure thing, but I wanted to push myself.

Band Lightened Squat

Purples

325 x 2

335 x 2

Greens

405 x 2

445 x 2 this one felt super heavy when I walked it out, bar dug into my back

Squat Cool Down/Work

225 x 10 x 3 PR these felt super easy after the band lightened stuff. My shoulder started hurting again though after my second set. I need to be careful when squatting and goodmorninging for the next few weeks.

Abs

high school musical, starring 3bone

squats:

455x1

475x1

495x1

band lightened:

495x2

515x2

525x2

545x2

cool down:

some sets at 315

abs:

medicine ball

Squat

Squat

290 x 1 -PR, I think this was right at parallel if not barely high. My shorts were somewhat baggy which didn't help.

300 x fail -no chance, denied entrance into the 300 lb club

Dave was saying I need to jam my head back on the way up because I'm leaning over way too much. Also be faster into the hole because right now I'm squatting with grandma speed.

Band lightened squats (purples)

295 x 2

305 x 2

315 x 2

325 x 2

Cool down squats

185 x 13 -I had trouble breathing on this one so I dropped one hole on my belt

185 x 15 -some serious lower back rounding on the last couple of reps

ME Squat

4/19/10

Squat

275 x 1

295 x 1 (not quite depth, but still hit it, close enough, a couple or one white?)

Band-Lightened Squat (purples)

295 x 2, 2, 2, 2

Squat

185 x 8, 8, 10

ME Squat

Squat:
455 x 1
495 x 1 (PR)
505 x 1 (PR)

I have videos of all three that will be posted next week. Felt good to join the 500 club officially. 505 wasn't too bad of a grinder, but I need to do more.

Band-lightened Squat:
495 x 2
535 x 2
585 x 2
605 x 2

The last one was pretty beastly on my core. I need to go heavier on these in preparation for geared training.

Squat:
365 x 8, 8, 8

Cool down set; got a nice pump, haha.

Finished with ball leg raises.

4/19 ME Squat

Squat:
245x1
275x1
295x2+ 1fail

Glute Thrust:
315x5
365x5, 5

And some hammer curls + abs to finish. I've gotten slower and weaker over these past few weeks, so I figure that I need to start incorporating more low reps and speed work into my program.

Squat Day 4/19/2010

Squats

1 x 365

1 x 385 NEW PR !!!

Band-lightened

2 x 405

2 x 425

2 x 445

2 x 495 ( Huge jump I know )

Cool-down Squats

7 x 275

7 x 275

7 x 275

Abs

Bench Day 4/17/2010

Bench

195 x 2

205 x 2

Tendonitis kicked in so I stopped.

Flyes

4 sets

Pec Deck

4 sets

Rope Tricep extension

4 sets

Finished with pullovers and shrugs ( 3 sets of 12 at 5 plates on each side then did a strip set )

Squats

Squats
215x1
225x1

Banded Squats
225x4
265x2
275x2
285x2

Warm down Squats
155x10
135x10
135x10

Yoga ball leg lifts
3 sets of 12 rep

80 year old powerlifter

http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/node/15134

Pretty amazing lifts at that age. This man is outsquatting me. Big time personal problem.

Bench Assistance

Flat dumbbell press
75s x 5, 5
80s x 4+1fail
80s x 5

Dips
BW x 24 -For some reason I'm having trouble getting past this 24 rep barrier
BW x 15, 15

Dumbbell rows (w/ straps)
162 x 6, 6, 6
I don't think the straps allowed me to do more reps than I would have without them, but they made it feel like I kept better form towards the end of the sets since my grip wasn't slipping.

Seated dumbbell curls
35s x 10
40s x 6, 6

Post-training BW: 182.8 lbs

Bench

4/17/10

Bench

235 x 1

240 x 1

245 x 1 PR

240 x 1

235 x 1

Incline Dumbbell Press

60 x 6

65 x 6, 6

Weighted Dips, Band Pull Aparts

4-17-10 The most tired Bench workout I did today

Bench with pause, no commands

200 x 1

205 x 1

205 x 1 hard

200 x 1

200 x 1

I felt really tired during this whole workout. I wasn't too weak, but I felt like I couldn't use close to my max effort.

Incline Dumbbell Press

50's x 10

60's x 6

60's x 7

Dips

BW x 10

BW + 25 x 10

BW + 45 x 10 x 2

BW + 55 x 10

I don't go all the way to parallel on dips due to fear of aggravating past shoulder injury

Abs

Band Pull Aparts

Curls

Irresponsible bench

Should be studying

Bench

175 x 1

180 x 1 x 4 (PR)

Hard enough I didn't want to try 185 until next week's soft maxes, but pretty good considering how fatigued I felt going in.

Pause bench

145 x 3

140 x 3

145 x 3

Floor press

135 x 5

145 x 5

160 x 5 x 2

Overestimated how tired I was the first set and went light.

Bench

Bench Press
60x1
65x1
65x1 w/ help
60x1
60x1

(Almost) Push ups
5 sets of 2
Can't do a full push up yet...workin on it.

Floor Press
45x5
55x5
55x5
65x5

Pull Overs
25x8
30x8
35x8
45x8

4 sets of rear delts superset with pull overs

4/17 Crappy Bench

Bench Press:
175x10, 10, 8, 7, 6

Shoulder Press:
115x10, 10, 8, 8, 7

Dips:
15x10, 10, stop b/c of shoulder pain

Was partying at a friend's apartment last night, so today's 11am workout was far from ideal. Also, got some strange shoulder pain on dips today, so I stopped that set prematurely. Maybe I've been doing too much pressing volume - who knows. Going to keep milking this plan for as long as I can.

Bench

Bench Press
185x1
195x1 with help
185x1
185x1
185x1

Weighted Push ups
45x2
70x2
90x2
90x2
95x2

Floor Press
135x5
145x5
155x5 with help on last 2
145x5 with help on last 1

Pull Overs
135x8
180x8
180x8
180x8
got tough at the ends

4 sets of rear delts superset with the pull overs

Bench

bench press (with legitimate pause)
315x1
325x1
335x1
345 fail, ill get it soon though, maybe with a shorter pause
335x1

weighted push ups
135x2
180x2x3
190x2

floor press
255x5
265x5
265x4
255x5

pull overs/rear delt superset
some weights x some reps

4/16 Back, etc

Chin-ups:
10x10, 10, 10, 6, 6

EzBar Row:
130x10x5

EzBar Curl:
70x10, 10, 8, 8, 6

Deadlift Day 4/15/2010

Deadlift

405 x 1

435 x 1

435 x 1

445 x 1

445 x 1

SLDL

275 x 5

315 x 5

335 x 3

GMOP

275 x 10

275 x 10

275 x 10

The workout took two hours so I didn't stay for hamstrings. I think they got a good workout though.

Yesterday's deadlift

Deadlift

365 x 1 x 3

345 x 3

325 x 5

Stiff-legged deadlift

237 x 5

247 x 5

257 x 5

GMOP

185 x 10

195 x 10

205 x 10

Picking it up and putting it down

deadlift:
495x1x4
515x1

stiff legged:
365x5x3

GMops:
275xsomething, hurt my back so I put the pins to a more reasonable level
275x10
315x10

3.15.10--Deadlift

Deadlift:
135x5
185x5
225x4
265x3
295
315
315 Really did not keep my lower back arched well on these :(
285x3 PR
265x5
exhaustion.

GMOP:
135x10x3

Abs

Wednesday Thursday Weigh In
169.5lbs

Best of luck to Matt and Dean at Nationals!

Deadlift

Deadlift
399 x 2+1hitched rep -PR, hips were coming up early on the first 2 reps and needless to say the third rep was straight up ugly
333 x 3, 3

Stiff legged deads
263 x 5
283 x 5, 5, 5

Lunges
135 x 8 (per leg)
155 x 8
165 x 6
Massive quad/booty pump.

Back raises
BW x 20, 30, 30
Just to get a little blood into the pulling muscles.

Ball bridges
3 sets of 10-15 reps

Note: Akram the Fireman hit 319 x 3 on deads. Watch your backs Luke, Scott, and Ben. Also, we gotta get him a blog/mailing list invite.

4-15-10 Deadlift

Deadlift

315 x 1 hard after 50 pound jump

325 x 1

335 x fail, got it an inch off ground and couldn't get it higher

295 x 3 farted twice

285 x 5

Stiff Legged Deadlift

207 x 5

227 x 5 x 2

GMOPs

135 x 10 x 3

some jump stuff

4/15 Squats

Squat:
205x20 PR

Glute Thrusts:
225x10x5

Calf Raise:
135x10x5

I widened my squat stance considerably today, and had people check for depth on my warm-up sets. It felt pretty good after squatting super narrow for all that time, although my hips will be killing me tomorrow.

In other news, I am debating the merits of going raw or equipped for my next meet. In equipped, I would have to total 1155 to make Class 3 in the 100kg weight class (~405/300/450). That would be a huge jump from my numbers right now, but I think I could do it with the right training and eating plans.

Deadlifts

4/15/10

Deadlifts

worked up to 335 x 1

then my midterm tomorrow called me

Good Luck Matt and Dean @ Collegiate Nationals

Bring Back the Biggest Sword (for Dave, and the rest of us)

Yesterday's bench

Bench

150 x 2

155 x 2

160 x 2

165 x 2

170 x 2

175 x 2 (PR)

Close grip bench

145 x 5 x 2

150 x 5

Seated pin press

135 x 7

135 x 8 x 2

Cable flyes

4.14.10--Barzan Day

Bench Press:
warmups
95x5
135x3
155x2x2
160x2x2
165x2
165x1+slightest of help on second rep

Close Grip Bench Press:
135x5x3

Pin Press:
95x8x2
115x4

Cable Rows:
100x10
120x8
140x8

Upper Back Machine:
2 sets

Machine Flyes:
3 sets at some weight


BICEPS BICEPS BICEPS

Wed 4-14-10 Bench

Bench: 6x2 with pauses - all at 135lbs (the big Plate!! haha)
Close-Grip Bench: 3x5 with pauses and keeping elbows in - 105, 115, 115
Seated Shoulder Pin Press: 75lbs for 10 reps, 75lbs for 9 reps, 75 lbs for 7 reps -> shoulders done
Incline Cable Flys (machine): 35lbs (heavy, not fast), last 3 sets at 25lbs -> real explosive
Shoulder Front Raises: 3x8 with 25lb plate raising it almost all the way above head

4-14-10 Bench

Bench

185 x 2 paused, easy

195 x 2 paused

200 x 2 paused, PR I think

200 x 2 grinder, brief pause, PR if you count back to back sets

200 x 1 + fail, full paused

190 x 2 paused, easy

Close Grip Bench

175 x 3 + fail, paused, elbow pain in right elbow

155 x 5 stopped so as not to aggravate elbow

Shoulder Pin Presses

135 x 8,8,6

Front Deltoid Raises/ Lateral Deltoid Raises

10's x 10 x 4 sets total

Machine Flyes

3 Sets

4/14/10

Bench Press

135x2

165x2x3

175x2

Closed Grip Bench

135x5x3

Shoulder Pin Press

95x10

115x7

135x5

Flyes

Abs

Bench

4/14/10

Bench

225 x 2, 2, 2, 2

215 x 2, 2

Close-Grip Bench

185 x 4

175 x 4

Shoulder Pin Press

135 x 8, 7

Flyes

4-14-2010

Yes, this is a post from Terence Davy.

bench press:

275x2

285x2

295x2x2

305x2x2

close grip:

245x5x2

255x5

standing pin press:

155x6

185x3x3

(victory hold at the end of each)

Flyes:

some amount of weight x some amount of reps x some amount of sets

4/14 Bench, etc

Bench Press:
215x3 (WTF?)

Shoulder Press:
145x5, 5, 5 PR

Dips:
65x5, 5, 5

Lame-ass bench effort today. On 215 the 1st rep felt nice and solid, the 2nd rep I started to slide, and on the 3rd rep, my arch slid out from under me. Goddamn benches in the central area are slick as hell and I can't get my setup right when we go heavy. I will give my plan another week or two before laying all of the blame on the program.

Bench Day 4/14/2010

Regular Bench

2 x 185

2 x 185

2 x 195

2x 195

2 x 205

2 x 205

Overhead Pin Press

8 x 135

6 x 165

5 x 175

5 x 175

3 x 185

Flyes

Shoulder Raises w/ Straight bar

It was awesome to go back into the gym today. That week off helped but there was no way I was going to do close grip bench. My elbow got irritated after the 4th set of regular bench. Hopefully it'll go away 100% soon.

Bench

Bench:
285 x 2
295 x 2
305 x 2
305 x 1 + .99 (bar was touched)
295 x 2
285 x 2

Felt great until second set of 305. Elbows started getting sore and I started getting tired.

Close-grip:
225 x 5, 5, 5

Went light intentionally

Standing Pin Press:
pins right at eye level
165 x 5
175 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 3 @ 10

Finished with 4 sets of cable flyes for 15 reps

4-13-10 upper back

Pullups varied 2 sets wide grip, 2 sets medium grip and one set chin ups

Body Weight x 12 x 5 sets total

Cable Rows

Biceps Curls

Shrugs

Ab Wheel

Bench/Upper Back

Bench (brief pause)
175 x 2
180 x 2, 2
185 x 2
190 x 2 -PR
195 x 2 -PR

Close grip bench
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 3+1w/help
I think these are probably tearing up my elbows as they were pretty tender afterwards, but I'm reluctant to change anything because my bench seems to be improving.

Lat pulldowns
240 x 8
250 x 7, 7, 6

Machine shrugs (w/ straps)
5 plates/side x 20
6 plates/side x 15, 15

4/13 Back, etc

Chin-ups:
45x7

EzBar Rows:
180x5, 5, 5

EzBar Curls:
90x5, 5, 5

Here we go. On the blog for good.

Back Squats: 175x3, 185x3, 195x3 --> P.R.!!!
Band-Lightened Squats (with purples): 225x5, 245x5, 245x5, 245x5, 245x5 - all sets/reps I squatted almost all the way down and got some nice speed out of the bottom.
Front Squats: 105x8, 105x8, 105x8
Banded Jumps (with purples): 2x30 second intervals --> I'm really tired.

3.12.10--Squat

This video was described to me by my suitemate as the funniest video ever. You can decide for yourself.



Squat:
warmpus
95x5
135x5
185
205x3
215x3 PR
225x3 PR Really happy with this Arnold PRess
Form pretty good on these, although some of them were a little high.

Band Lightened Squat (purples):
275x5
295x3+f+high
285x3x3
exhausted after these

Front Squats:
45x5
75x8x3
still not very good at these, but I was able to do it with good form because it was so light.

Calves:
1 set of calves machine
2 sets of Band Resisted Jumps

Drake Stadium:
jogged 2 laps

That Big Red freshness lasts right through it

Squat

255 x 3

265 x 2+f

265 x 3

Second set felt way easier thanks to Big Red®. Also apparently I can watch youtube on a horse with it so that's cool

Band-lightened squat (green)

365 x 5 x 3

375 x 5 x 2

Band resisted jumps

30 seconds x 3 sets

Squat

Squat
255 x 3
265 x 3 -some serious squat morning action on the last rep
275 x 3 -these probably didn't look too good but I got them, letting out a squeaky fart on the last rep :)

Band lightened squats (greens)
365 x 5
375 x 5
385 x 5, 5 -I think my back was rounding on the last rep of these sets causing me to get a massive lower back pump
365 x 5
I noticed that whenever I stop before my last rep of a set to catch my breath, I end up not being able to take as big of a breath before finishing the set, causing me to not be able to stay as tight on my last rep.

Pause squats (3 second count)
185 x 3
205 x 3
215 x 3

Standing abs -abs still really sore from ball leg raises on Thursday
100 x 10, 10
110 x 10, 10

Squat

4/12/10

Squat

205, 215, 225 x 3

Band-Lightened Squat (purples)

255 x 5, 5

275 x 5, 5

Cable Abs

4-12-10 Squat

Squat

275 x 3 x 2

285 x 3 PR not too hard

Band Lightened Squat purples

315 x 5 x 2

335 x 5 x 3

Band Resisted Jumps with purples

60 seconds

45 seconds

30 seconds

this was the most exhausting exercise that I can remember doing. I think it took years off my life.

Jump Stuff

ME Squat

Squat:
435 x 3 @ 9
455 x 3 @ 9
465 x 3 @ 9

Felt really good today on these. The lower back was tired, but not fried. Elbows started getting irritated, but not nearly as bad as on Thursday.

Band-lightened Squat:
495 x 5, 5 @ 7
525 x 5, 5 @ 8
545 x 5 @ 8+

Kept it a bit light on this to focus on form in the hole. My core felt much stronger this week.

Finished with band-resisted jumps for 60, 30, 30 seconds and 3 sets of cable abs

4/12 Squat

Squat:
285x4

Glute Thrust:
255x5, 5, 5

Calf Raise:
170x5, 5, 5

Eh. I was trying to get 285x5, but did not happen. I'll just have to shoot for 295x5 next week.

4.11.10-Bench

Kinda had a shitty lifting because my girlfriend came down and visited me so I didn't sleep much.

Bench Press:
warmups
95x5
135x3
160x2
160x1+f
155x2x2

3 Second Pause Bench:
135x3
140x3
145x2+f

Dips:
BWx8x3

Close Grip Lat Pulls:
100x8x3

Abs:
lots of 'em

4-11-10 Bench

Bench with commands

190 x 2 x 3

195 x 1+ spot I really should have been able to get this 190 felt so easy

3 second pause Bench with comands because Darvin is getting stronger

165 x 3

170 x 3

175 x 3

Dips

BW x 16

BW + 35 x 10 x 3

Dumbbell Rows

75 x 12 each arm

80 x 10 each arm

85 x 8 each arm

Abs

knees to chest

Bench

Bench:
295 x 2
305 x 2, 2, 1+f

Failed 6" off the chest on the last one. Unusual spot for me. Elbows were feeling rough at that point, so not the best training session overall

Floor Press:
245 x 5
255 x 5
265 x 5
275 x 5

These went surprisingly well. The last set may have been a PR, based on previous attempts.

Band-resisted Bench:
185 x 3, 3 (greens)
205 x 3, 3
225 x 3

Felt good

Finished with pull-overs and ab wheel

Bench Assistance

Dips
BW+45 x 8
BW+70 x 5
BW+80 x 5
BW+90 x 3+1fail -a failed dip does not feel nice on the shoulders

Flat dumbbell press
60s x 10
65s x 8

Dumbbell rows
152 x 10
172 x 6
182 x 5

4/10 Bench, etc.

Bench Press:
170x10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Shoulder Press:
110x10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Dips:
10x10, 10, 10, 9, 8

Good session. Improved substantially in reps and weight from last week, and I remembered how to bench using my lats today.

Also, I will put in my vote for our unofficial mascot to be Bachelor Frog.

Bench

4/10/10

Bench

225 x 2, 2, 2, 2 PR

Floor Press

185 x 5, 5

195 x 5

205 x 5 PR

Band-Resisted Bench Greens

135 x 5, 5, 5

Rows and Abs

Maybe I'll just save up posts for a week and do them all in one

Thursday

Band-lightened deadlift (greens at 4)

425 x 2

455 x 1+f

425 x 2 x 3

I'm not sure if this is better or worse than last time, but it probably is since last time was 5 x 5.

Stiff-legged deadlift

221 x 5

241 x 5

251 x 5

GMOP

185 x 10

195 x 10 x 2

Standing banded abs

Friday

Bench

160 x 2 x4

Pause bench (3 sec)

135 x 3 x 3

Dumbbell bench

60 x 5

65 x 5 x 2

Cable row

170 x 8

180 x 8

190 x 8

200 x 8

GHR abs

4/9 Back, etc

Chin-ups:
5x10, 10, 10, 10, 9

EzBar Rows:
125x10, 10, 10, 10, 10

EzBar Curls:
65x10, 10, 8, 8, 10

Good back session today. Progressed in weight and reps on chin-ups, and it feels like I am encouraging some new lat and upper back growth with them and the rows. Workin' the chesticles, shoulders, and triceptuals tomorrow.

LoBack

I didn't want to risk irritating my elbows with heavy pulling, so opted in favor of on-the-back legs stuff

Pause Squats:
365 x 3, 3 sec @ 8.5
385 x 3, 3 sec @ 9
405 x 3, 3 sec @ 10
415 x 3, 3 sec @ 10+

I tend to start helicoptering on these, but I think it's due to the bar changing position on my back.

Half way through, my elbows started getting irritated again from picking up the weights. By the last set, I was getting that numbing pain in my forearms and hands and couldn't do much. That just shuts me down mentally from focusing, which is extremely frustrating.

GMoP:
off the lower pin today
135 x f (turned into squats on all reps)
225 x 10
315 x 10, 10

Looks like I need at least 225 to stretch out my hamstrings on this

Lunges:
135 x 12
225 x 12
225 x 12

Finished with ball leg raises

4.8.10--Deadlift

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZwhNFOn4ik

Deadlifts:
135x5
After my first set, I had quickly realized that this felt a little foreign... Then I remembered that I missed last week, the week before it due to Spring Break, and the week before that due to finals. I had a feeling that today would be a pretty shitty deadlift day.
185x3
255
These served as my warmups for my band lightened deadlifts

Band Lightened Deadlifts (Greens, pin 5)
275x5 (last warmup)
315x5x2
325x5x2
335x5
Contrary to my prediction, I actually had a great deadlifting session. My form was really great on these, as I maintained my arch through my full lifts. Some were slower than I liked, but when Vit told me to be quick, I was always able to rip them off the ground. This was encouraging, but I already knew my lockout was strong so I'm hoping my overall better form leads to a new max around 350 pounds when this training split is done. This will count on me getting it off the ground quickly.

GMOP (pin 9/10):
I have found these to really be the best hamstring exercise for me, oddly enough (besides partner stretching).
135x5x4

Cable Abs:
80x10x3

This Saturday, I'm busy from like 9-4 so I'll probably bench on Sunday afternoon if anyone wants to join.

Dave, please post The Room drinking game.

Deadlift

Band-lightened deadlifts (greens on pin 5)
375 x 5
385 x 5
395 x 5
405 x 5
405 x 4+1slight hitch at the very top+10 second hold at the top by Dave's count

GMOPs
205 x 5
225 x 5 -PR
235 x 5 -PR
255 x 5 -PR
Dave forced me to go up in weight which helped today.

Lunges
135 x 8, 8, 8 per leg

Finished with 3 sets of Ball leg raises and Ball reverse hypers

4-8-10 Deadlift

Band Lightened Deadlift Greens at 5?

315 x 5

345 x 5

355 x 5

365 x 5

375 x 5

GMOPs at 9

135 x 10 x 4

Jump Stuff

2500

2500th Post!!!!!

Recovery Band-Lightened Deadlifts

315 x 5, 1, 2, 3, 1

Recovery GMOPs

135 x 5, 5, 5

Recovery Band-Resisted Hyperextensions

Bench

4/7/10

Bench

215 x 5, 5

205 x 5, 5, 5, 5

Close-Grip Bench

165 x 5

175 x 5, 5

185 x 5

Shoulder Press, Flyes

4/8 Squat

Squat:
195x20

Glute Thrust:
185x10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Seated Calf:
130x10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Reducing volume heavily on squats. One set of heavy squats (3-5 reps) and one set of light squats (15-20 reps) per week. I feel like this will greatly help out my recovery and should not interfere with my strength gains at all. Still keeping the assistance volume high, as it is not super-stressful like squatting.

4-7-10 Bench

Bench with pause

175 x 3 x 2 easy

185 x 3 x 2 pretty easy

195 x 2 + fail

190 x 2 + fail

Close Grip Bench

155 x 4

165 x 4

175 x 4 PR I think but it was touch n go

175 x 3 + fail

Shoulder Pin Press

135 x 5

Arnold Press

45's x 6

40's x 6

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

45's x 8

Basketball

Track Work

Weigh In: 152 lbs

Benching in the city of chess

Bench:
285 x 3 @ 9, x 3,3,3 @ 10
295 x 3 @ 10+
285 x 3 @ 10

Yesterday I irritated my elbows doing the isolateral row. Bench really irritated them today to the point where my hands were going numb and I couldn't pick up anything due to the pain when stretching my arms. Vitamin-I didn't seem to help.

Close-grip Bench:
225 x 5
235 x 5
245 x 4 (going for 5)

Overhead Pin Press:
Thing started feeling better at this point (perhaps the Vitamin-I kicked in?)
185 x 6
205 x 6, 6
155 x 10

Finished with cable rope triceps for 4 sets.

Probably won't deadlift tomorrow to rest the elbow ligaments. GMoP instead, which is fun but not as fun as deadlifting.

4.7.10--One Night in Benchkok

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlL0jB0j3YA for anyone who doesnt get the reference of the title of the post.

Bench Press:
45x10
95x5
135x3
155x3x4
155x2+f
145x3

Close Grip Bench Press:
115x4
125x4
135x4
145x3+f

Shoulder Pin Press:
95x8x3
105x8

Flyes:
3 sets of 8

Wednesday Weigh-In:
168lbs

Running at Drake:
100m sprint
200m buildupsx3
6 laps total

Look at all these arnold presses I'm getting

Bench

145 x 3

150 x 3

155 x 3

160 x 3

165 x 3

170 x 3 (PR)

Decent pause on most of these, except the last 2 on 170 were definitely touch and go.

Close grip bench

135 x 4

145 x 4 x 3

DB shoulder press

40 x 8

45 x 8

50 x 8

50 x 7

Cable flyes (going upwards)

I like how these work my "flipping shit over" muscles

4/7 Bench, etc.

Bench Press:
210x5

Shoulder Press:
140x5, 5, 5 PR?

Dips:
60x5, 5, 5

Bodyweight: 219 lbs

First day of implementing the new plan went well. My back slid around on the bench when I tried to use leg drive though, which resulted in some form breakdown.

As for the accessory work, I have not hit anything higher than 135x6 before (or so my logbook says) so it is techinically a PR. I probably could have ground out 8 reps or so on the first set though. I'm liking this simplified training method a lot.

UB

Short workout session because i had to leave right at 8

Weighted close-grip pull ups:
bw x 8
bw + 45 x 6
bw + 90 x 6
bw + 90 x 6
bw + 100 x 4 (harrrd)

Isometric mid row something or other:
3 plates x 8 @ 4
4 plates x 8 @ 7
4.5 plates x 7, 8, 8 @ 9

Worked up to 3 sets of shrugs with 5 plates x 33 and 40.

Finished with hammer curls 70s x 8, 85s x 6, 90s x 6

4.6.10--Upper Back

Sorry I missed group lifting. I went to the UCLA Baseball game to watch us take on Cal State Fullerton. I was 20 minutes late because the car we wanted to take was blocked in and we needed to wait for the owner to move it. I get to Jackie Robinson Stadium at the bottom of the first inning...5-0 Fullerton. Fail. We ended up losing 6-1.

After the game, I decided to get a burrito as Passover had ended and I wanted to eat something that I could not eat while observing Passover. I finally headed over to the gym at 11.

Pullups:
BWx2 PR Fuck yeah.

Lat Pulls (wide grip):
100x10
120x8
130x6x2
I had horrible BO so I couldn't keep doing lat pulls as it was making it uncomfortable for me and some of the people around me to breathe. LOL

Shrug Machine:
3 sets until failure with 2 plates on each side

Cable Row:
100x10
120x8x2

Bicep Curls:
50x8x2
50x5

Upper Back 4/6/2010

Cable Rows

8 @ 200lbs

9 @ 200lbs

7 @ 210lbs

6 @ 220 lbs

Lat pull down

I did four sets on the lat pull down where there's one bar and two cables. Hard to describe.

Shrugs

Did a super-set to 5 plates. I worked my way up and worked my way down.

biceps

ab roller

3 sets of 15

Upper Back

4/6/10

Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown

170, 180, 190 x 5

Seated Row

180, 190, 190, 200 x 5

One Arm Dumbbell Row (Vit and Brent's advice to strengthen D-lift lockout)

95 x 5 reps x 4 sets

Weird Seated Row Machine

Curls (with emphasis on reverse curls to strengthen wrists for benching)

Abs

Bench/Upper Back

Bench (paused)
165 x 3, 3
175 x 3, 3
185 x 3 -PR, last rep was a grinder
180 x 2+1w/spot -last rep stalled right around the 3 board sticking point for like 3 seconds
My left elbow has been irritating me lately and it got progressively worse throughout these sets but not to the point where it was too painful. I think it may be due to heavy dips on Saturday's. I may have to stop doing those. I feel like they may be helping with bench strength, but I'm pretty sure my recent progress on the bench is mostly from doing all of the volume benching during this cycle.

Close grip bench
155 x 4
165 x 4, 4
155 x 4

Barbell shrugs
405 x 12
425 x 10
445 x 8
455 x 8

Lat pulldowns
230 x 8
240 x 8
250 x 7
260 x 5

Barbell curls
80 x 8, 8, 8, 8

Doing upper back work after benching is pretty tiring, but I think it was better today since I ran into all the 9 o'clock guys (instead of being alone and sad).

4-6-10 Upper Back

One Armed Douche Bag Rows

90 x 7 each arm

95 x 6 x 2 each arm

105 x 4 right arm

95 x 4 left arm

Shrugs

3 plates x 12

4 plates x 5 ish

3 plates + 25's x 8

3 plates x 20

Lat Pull Down

180 x 8

200 x 8

220 x 6

close grip 200 x 8

Biceps Biceps Biceps Biceps

We have a 'shitty' tag?

Not going to post yesterday's shitty squat work due to the fact I was still recovering from Khmer culture night on Sunday. Probably shouldn't even have gone in yesterday since I was falling asleep between sets.

Bent-over row

185 x 7

195 x 6 x 3

Lat pull down (neutral grip)

160 x 8 x 2

170 x 8 x 2

Machine shrugs

3 plates x 20 x 4

curls for like 25 minutes

abs

4/6 Back, etc.

Chin-ups:
40x3, 3, 3

EzBar Row:
175x5, 5, 5

EzBar Curl:
85x5, 5, 5

I think that I may need to adjust my heavy days a bit. I'm fine with the way most of it is working out, but my main exercises are frustrating me a bit (squat, bench, chin). I'm trying to boost these as high as possible, and I just feel like I'm cruising too much just doing 3x3. I think I may adjust it to 1 set to failure just like I was doing last quarter, and still keep the volume pretty high on the assistance days (maybe a little lower volume on squats there too). I may or may not make better progress, but it will keep me a little more sane.

I really noticed this yesterday with my squats. Getting under the weight for the first set, I was focused and banged out my three reps. However, the next two sets just seemed like a pain in the ass to do, and I felt lacking in motivation. The weights I have planned for me should keep me in a reasonably heavy rep range (<7), so it should all be kosher there.

4/5/2010 Squat Day

Squats

345 x 2

345 x 2

355 x 2

355 x 2

355 x 2

355 x 2

It wasn't until the last set where I felt I could have done more. I found that my depth was better when I started going down faster.

Front Squats ( my elbow was killing me )

185 x 2

225 x 2

225 x 2

225 x 2

225 x 2

Superset w/ bungie chord and sled ( 3 sets each )

Abs ( transversus work )

4.5.10--Squat

Squat:
45x5
95x5
135x5
185x3
195x2
205x2x4

Bench Press to compensate for missing Saturday:
45x10
95x5
140x3
145x3
155x3

Bungie Sprints supersetted with Sledding:
3 sets including massive harness fail on Sled. My bad.

Transversus:
3 sets

Squat

4/6/10

Recovery Squats

205 x 2, 2

215 x 2, 2

225 x 2

235 x 2

Band-Lightened Squats

225 x 2

235 x 2

245 x 2

255 x 2

275 x 2

Sled Pulls

Made James sit on 6 plates and hold 2 more

Bungee Sprints

4-5-10 First to 300 squat

Squat

255 x 2

265 x 2

275 x 2

285 x 2 PR first set that felt hard

295 x 2 PR NEW MAX

305 x 2 PR NEW MAX this set was really hard, both reps were slow and I almost stopped on the second but it is a 20 pound PR and I hit it for 2 reps.

Bench

185 x 3 x 3 almost no pause, had to make up for missing saturday, more difficult than it should be

Bungee Sprints x 3 lol supersetted with

sled pulls x 3 with 6 plates plus Scott, Patrick and Kyle

and some jump stuff

then tranversus 3 sets held for 5 to 10 seconds

Squat

Squats
235 x 2
245 x 2, 2
255 x 2, 2
265 x 2 -still having trouble with knees coming forward when I get to the hole

Band lightened squats (greens)
405 x 2, 2, 2, 2 -these got progressively slower
405 x 1+1fail, 2 -this last set may have been my fastest

Bungee sprints/Sled dragging
3 sets of 20 seconds/3 sets of 6 plates+Dave

Squat Day

Squat:
425 x 2
445 x 2, 2, 2
455 x 2
465 x 2

Felt better as the sets went on. Hamstrings were incrediably sore to start, which threw me off. No quad pain though, which was great.

Band-lightened Squats:
495 x 2
545 x 2,
585 x 2, f+2, 2, 2

On the fourth set, I just couldn't move and got stuck at the bottom. After getting helped up, it wasn't too bad. My core felt quite dead today though.

Finished with 3 bungee sprints and 3 trips of the sled with 6 plats + Vit. Massive quad pump...

4/5 Heavy Squat

Squat:
275x3, 3, 3

Glute Thrust:
245x5, 5, 5

Seated Calf:
165x5, 5, 5

Sled Drags:
a few culminating with 6 plates + Darvin + 90lb DB (~530lbs)

Bench Assistance

Dips
BW+55 x 6
BW+70 x 5
BW+80 x 4.5, 4
BW x 24.5 -PR

Dumbbell rows
142 x 8
152 x 8
162 x 6

I had a 40 about half an hour before this workout (Olde English), so I'm happy with the PR.

Bench

4/3/10

Bench

225 x 3

215 x 3, 3

Floor Press

185 x 5, 5

195 x 4, 5

Dips

BW x 10-15 x 4 sets

Pullovers, Chest Supported Rows, Abs

Movin' on up

Bench

155 x 3

160 x 3

165 x 3 (PR)

Pause bench

135 x 3 x 2

140 x 3

145 x 3

This right here, this is the the thing. Self imposed 5 second pause from the second set onward, which is probably closer to a 3 second pause from someone else.

Dips

BW+10 x 12 x 4 (PR)

Chin ups/abs superset

BW x 8

BW x 7

BW x 5

Cable rows

190 x 8

200 x 8 x 2

4/3 Bench, etc.

Bench Press:
165x10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Shoulder Press:
105x10, 10, 10, 10, 7

Dips:
10x10, 8, 7, 7, 6

Went pretty early with Arthur today because he had some stuff to do. I really need to eat more before training on the weekend, because I was utterly exhausted by the time we got to dips. Especially since my triceps were already working hard on the 2 previous presses.

Also, saw Ben benching it up in the gym. He hit an easy 135x3 touch-n-go, which is awesome progress. Keep it up Ben!

Lower Back

I went to campus yesterday at 11:15 but drove around for half an hour trying to find parking with no luck, so I went home and lifted Friday morning instead (had a plane flight at 5). The best part of this session was the couple who were doing some push-up while grunting things like "yeahh," "ohhh" and "come on." It did not sound like a workout...

Had to skip deadlifts due to the platform being used and time constraints.

GMoP:
405 x 5, 5 @ 8
425 x 5, 5 @ 8
445 x 5 @ 8+

These didn't feel hard, but I didn't get in the groove except for the second work set. Not sure what happened here.

Pull-throughs:
blue band x 4 sets

Weighted hypers:
45 x 4 sets (20-30 reps).

Focused on keeping my lower abs tight, which change the motion, though I can't say how.

Finished with 3 sets of the ab wheel. Sadly, my triceps were giving out on this before my abs.

4/2 Back/Biceps

Chin-ups:
BWx10, 10, 10, 8, 7

EzBar Row:
120x10, 10, 10, 10, 10

EzBar Curl:
60x10, 10, 8, 8, 7

Good volume session today. Was much stronger on chins than I had anticipated, which was nice. The rows are pretty light in order to lessen the low back stress, so I am really focusing on the form and contraction with them. Also, sweet bicep pump lolz.

4-2-10 Return of the Deadlift

Deadlift sumo, no belt

280 x 2

290 x 2

300 x 2

310 x 2

Deadlifts felt fine. This was the first time I did them in about 4 or 5 weeks I think due to back pain, finals and spring break. I skipped GMOPs because I'm still scared of them because they hurt my shoulder.

Hyperextensions

35 pound plate x 20 reps x 3 sets

Dumbbell Pull Through

40 x 12 x 4

Jump Stuff

Abs

Going to assume the 11 lifting session was an April fool's joke

Deadlift

329 x 2 x 4

Didn't want to try any higher since I had absolutely nothing on me, but beltless, chalkless PR right here.

GMOP

185 x 5

195 x 5

205 x 5

215 x 5 (PR)

Cable pull throughs

stack x 8

stack x 10

stack x 12 x 2

Hyperextensions

65 x 8 x 3

Deadlift

Deadlift
349 x 2
359 x 2
369 x 2
379 x 3 -PR
My lockout (definitely the weak point in my deadlift) felt pretty strong today.

Stiff legged deads
263 x 5
273 x 5
283 x 5

GMOPs (pin 10)
185 x 8, 8, 9

Finished with Reverse hypers and GHR abs while listening to Dean's wise words about flexibility and improving form (Dean also pulled a pretty fast 459 today).

4/1 Foolishness and Squats

Squats:
185x10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Glute Thrusts:
165x10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Seated Calves:
125x10, 10, 10, 10, 10

And then some stretching at the end - just to ensure that I can walk tomorrow. This week feels pretty light, yet I am still damn sore from monday through wednesday.

Bench 3-31-10

Bench

175 x 4 x 6 paused

Close Grip Bench

135 x 5

155 x 5

165 x 4 +spot

Shoulder Pin Presses

135 x a bunch x 3 sets

105 x 12

Cable Flyes

Efficient post

Tuesday

Squat

235 x 3 x 2

245 x 3

255 x 3

265 x 2+f (PR)

Pause squat

195 x 3 x 2 (3 sec pause)

205 x 3 (12 year pause; dammit Kyle)

Last rep on 205 was essentially driven by rage, especially as I was coming up I saw Kyle and Scott coming over to try to spot me.

Transversus

CYBEX EAGLE GLUTE MACHINE

Wednesday

Bench

140 x 4 x 2

145 x 4 x 2

150 x 4

155 x 4 (PR)

160 x 4 (PR)

I'm still at the point microloading helps so I'm going to run with it.

Close grip bench

135 x 5

140 x 5

145 x 5 (PR)

Pin press

135 x 8 x 4

Cable flyes