Luke 8-31-11 Bench Ed Coan wk 11

I decided I'm done with the Ed Coan routine. I am not going to do the last week because I hit a max today and I don't care about maxing my CGBP and incline bench.

Bench

45 x 12

95 x 8

135 x 5

175 x 1

205 x 1

235 x 1 (with slight spot) @10+ PR? ok so for this I told the spotter not to touch it unless I failed. The bar stopped moving pretty much a few inches off my chest and he tapped the bar with 1 finger. I then finished the lift with uneven extension. I want to hit this or 240 for real next time I max (probably won't happen). I think I could have got the lift myself with a better liftoff and better form.

Close Grip Bench

205 x 2 @ 10 PR of 10 lbs. Decided not to do another set to not aggravate shoulder.

Incline Bench

185 x 2 @ 9+

190 x 2 @ 10- PR

Well I definitely improved my bench somewhat from the end of the school year. Although I did not hit a new max I hit my old max for 2 which is great. I made sure to eat a lot and I gained a couple of pounds. PR's from program: 205 x 5, 215 x 3, 225 x 2. My goal now is 250 by end of school year. Goals: 450/250/500 RAW @ 165 for a 1200 lb total.

Pendlay Rows pendly penders

135 x 6

165 x 6

175 x 6

185 x 6 very difficult to touch chest at this weight

Shrugs

405 x 5

455 x 5

485 x 5 hard, shitty ROM

Incline Skull Crushers

80 x 10 x 2 felt bad on elbows

Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension

55 x 10

60 x 10 felt bad on left shoulder

Flat bench Close Grip Skull Crushers

80 x 10 x 2 felt good

Kneeling Cable Abs

150 x 12 x 3 went slow to hit abs harder

Triceps Pushdown

150 x 12 x 2

I found grips that don't hurt

Hack squat machine

315 x 5 x 3

Zercher squat

225 x 6 x 3

Bulgarian split squats

30 x 8 x 4

whatnot

Reverse grip bench

135 x 5

145 x 5

150 x 3+2

Wrist extension hurts with pressure, but apparently only when pronated so supinated and semipronated grips are fine. Although later in the workout I found myself able to extend my wrist while pronated so it might just be a matter of stretching. Hope it goes away eventually though.

Neutral grip dumbbell bench

55 x 5

60 x 5

65 x 5 x 2

Tate press

25 x 8 x 4

Pendlay row

135 x 8 x 2

145 x 8

155 x 8

Shrugs

365 x 5

385 x 5

405 x 4

315 x 8

Deadlift

Just did some technique work today.

Deadlift

365 x 1, 1, 1

315 x 1, 1, 1

Did some stiff legged deads and GHRs afterwards.

Squat 5

I went yesterday, but wasn't feeling it because I left my knee sleeves at home, so I just bagged it at left after running a mile. Came back today.

Squat:

405 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 8 w/ monster-minis

Kept it light. Lower back still feels weird, but the legs feel as strong as ever.

SS-bar Squats off Pins:

225 x 5

275 x 5

295 x 5

315 x 5 @9+

I did one set with the barbell, but my shoulders are still feeling rough and the scabs on my back haven't healed from nationals yet, so I switched to the ss-bar. These felt good, but tough. I'm expecting to jump up next week now that I have a feel for where I can start from. This lift reminds me a lot of a conventional deadlift.

Zercher Squats:

135 x 8

185 x 8

225 x 8, 8

I was completely gassed at this point. I noticed that my adductors lit up even when I started warming up with the bar. All of my other squatting is close-stance, so I really need to make sure I'm doing something wide stance each cycle to maintain flexibility, especially for sumo as well.

Finished with ghr abs and a bunch of rotator cuff exercises. Apparently, I'm terribly weak at the backards motion rotator cuff exercises? I could do 50+ reps forward but only 15 or so backwards. Hopefully correcting this imbalance will start to address my shoulder issues.

Bench Tuesday 08-30-11

Bench
145 x 5
150 x 5, 5

Foam Roller Bench
155 x 5,5
165 x 5
170 x 5

P-Rows
Skull Crushers
Shrugs
Abs

Bodyweight: 165 lbs

Ryan Bench 8/30/11

Bench-
195 x5
215 x5
230 x5 (5lb PR)

Foam Roller Press-
245 x5
265 x5
275 x5
275 x3 (racked it, didn't fail)

Benching has been putting a lot of aggravation on my shoulder, and skull crushers are the absolute worst thing for it.

Standing tricep extension SS weighted dips-
150(stack) x12
170 (added 20lb DB) x9
170 x8
weighted tricep-dips w/ plate

P. Rows-
135 x8
145 x8
155 x8
165 x8
I really like these. Felt great. I watched the video and kept my range of motion to virtually zero. Didn't allow my back to move at all, just kept an arch as much as possibly, and flat back, parallel to the floor. Explosive pull all the way to chest, then back down to floor for a very brief pause and disengage.

Shrugs-
up to 495 x5
I could have done more, but these were a big strain on my shoulder.

Cable Ball Crunches x3 up to 82lbs on stack

8/30 Deadlift

Warmed up with some back extensions and a lot of stretching. My left hamstring was super tight, so that may be having an effect on my hip problems.

Deadlift:
135x5x3
185x5x2
245x2
295x2
335x1
385x1
425x1 @9ish
335x5x5

Sumo Deadlift:
245x10x3

Chins:
30 reps @ BW

Abs

OMG so tired. Since I have no squatting to do, I decided to go all out with the deadlifting. 425 wasn't too bad - just slow off the floor. Suprisingly sumo pulling does not bother my hips, so I will use it to maintain leg & glute strength. 10 reps were a mistake though. 5x5 is a better choice.

Squat Monday 08-29-11

Squat
205 x 5 @8-
215 x 5 @8
225 x 5 @8/9

Box Squat
185 x 3, 5, 5

Zerchers
135 x 6,6,6

Plyos
Abs

Bodyweight: 164 lbs

Bench

Bench

215 x 1 @8

225 x 1 @8+

225 x 1 @8+

225 x 1 @9

185 x 3, 3, 3

Worked on trying to keep my back arched, shoulders pinned back, belly up, and leg drive.

Incline dumbbell bench

65s x 4 x 8

Lat pulldowns (w/ neutral grip bar)

150 x 15

170 x 10

180 x 10, 8

Ryan Squat 8/29/11

Squat-
275 x5
295 x5
315 x5 (10lb PR)

Loooow Box Squats-
225 x5
235 x5
245 x5

Zurchers-
185 x6x3

Abs x3

Luke 8-29-11 Squat

woke up at 6:30 today, worked 9.5 hours, and I have the same schedule tomorrow. shoulder is still hurting, but in a new way. I'm not sure if I should try to bench 230 x 2 on bench day and then go for a 240 max the following week or just go for 235 x 1 on bench day. maybe I should skip it, but I want to hit a new PR single. This week is gonna suck.

Squats

new warmups

45 x 10

135 x 7

225 x 3

275 x 2 (add belt and wraps)

325 x 5 @ 8+

355 x 5 @ 9+

375 x 5 @ 10 (5 pound PR) The 2nd rep was way below parallel and felt hard, the ones after were border line depth

Zercher Squats

185 x 6

225 x 6 x 2 tired

I hate it when these roll into my stomach, it feels like getting punched.

Pin Squats

I wasn't about to reset the pins again and reload the weight back up to 405. Next time I'll do them right after normal squats.

Abs and stretching and foam rolling

8.29.11--Squat

Squat:
warmups
225x3@9-
245x3@9
255x3@9
265x3@9+
275x3@10

Pretty sure I'm high school musical on all of these, but the more workouts I get under my belt (which is not fitting like it used to), the better my depth will get.

Some leg presses, calf press, and upperback/biceps

BW: 186 lbs

Squat

All of my injuries have healed up really over the past few weeks off except my hip.
I just really am tired of my hip hurting while squatting and deadlifting, and want to fix it before i get hurt badly.
It is SI joint dysfunction. My ART guy said if persistent adjustments arent holding, and i obviously dont have a traumatic injury, its due to muscle imbalances.. because I've mostly just worked around this injury and not rehabbed it, I can feel my Left lower back is more defined than the left, and watching squat videos sometimes I shift the weight to compensate. So until school starts my main goal for lower body is to get this gone, once and for all, so I can train full force for collegiates and today I think was a good start...

Took some advice from some really knowledgeable guys at my gym, lets just say they really humbled me.
This workout was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, and Im more shaky than after a 5x5 squat workout.

Defecit Lunges
95x20,20,20
10 per leg, my glutes and quads were dying, this is 1/2 the weight I use for normal lunges.

Single Leg pistol squats, BW
x6,6,6 per leg

These were ridiculous, i could feel a big stretch in my very upper glutes and lower back meeting point on the left side. these were harder on left leg.

Single Leg RDL's
95x20,20,20
10 per leg, these were really stupidly hard, on my right side, these were KILLING my hamstrings, but on left leg not much hamstring but my glutes were getting fried. think i might have found the problem.. not sure.

finished with PNF and transversus

8/29 Bench

Warmups with Cuban Presses and some other stuff

Bench:
135x5
165x5
185x5
205x5x5

Incline:
135x10x5

Upright Row:
65x10x5

Curls & Stretching

Body is definitely not used to the volume. I feel like I could have hit 225x5 today if I were doing just 1 set, so my 5x5 will probably be about ~20lbs lower than 1 all-out set of 5. Upright Rows felt pretty good so long as I used a narrow grip and pulled up to chin level. Hip still feeling like crap.

Bench Assistance

Standing Press:

135 x 8

145 x 8

155 x 8, 8

Pendlay Rows:

135 x 6

155 x 8

175 x 6, 6

These were harder than I expected, partially due to me not being that flexible to keep my back flat. I like the forced range of motion though, so I'll keep them in next cycle and see how they progress.

Close-grip bench:

185 x 8, 8, 8, 8

Mild left shoulder irritation with these.

Chin-ups:

5, 17, 8, 8 (pull up on last one).

Felt a weird pull in my left pec on the third set.

Finished with cable flyes for sets of 20 and supine rows til failure.

Luke 8-27-11 Press

Standing Pin Press (bar started just below eye level)

125 x 1 @ 8-

135 x 1 @ 9-

145 x 1 @ 9

150 x 1 @ 10

155 x 1 @ 10+

160 x 1 @ 10+ kinda cheated the rep by lowering my body to start with arms more extended

Pin Press (from about 2 board. 4th pin in rack at hastings 24 for my reference)

185 x 5

205 x 5

225 x 5 PR

240 x 1 to see what it feels like, hard

somewhere in here my left shoulder started hurting again like it used to. I need to remember to pull apart the bar I guess. I really hope this goes away soon.

Pause Bench with self imposed pause

135 x 5

155 x 3

175 x 3 @ 10

wide ish grip Pull Ups

BW + 45 x 8,6,5

superset with Dips

BW + 45 x 12,8,12

Chest Supported Rows

2 plates x 10 x 2 not feeling heavy rows

superset with Cuban Press

30 x 10

45 x 10 x 2

8/27 Much Lameness

Squat:
135x5
185x3
235x3 (Hip Pain)

Deadlift:
135x8
185x5
245x3
295x1
335x1
365x1
385x1
335x5, 5, 5

Leg Press:
490x10x5

Abs & Back Raises

So much fail. Hip pain is back in full swing. I have no idea why my left hip is bothering me so much. The doctor said that it was just some inflammation, and I have been stretching and foam rolling constantly.

It looks like I will be training my bench and deadlift hard, and leaving the squat by the wayside for now.

Luke 8-26-11 Lower Back

worked out at 10pm on friday because I was a day behind

Sumo Rack Pulls

365 x 3 @ 8-

405 x 3 @ 8+

435 x 3 @ 9+

455 x 2+ failed lockout

455 x 1 @ 10- loosened belt

455 x 1 @ 10 lockout difficulties (I'm not sure about the reps for the 455 sets. I reset a bunch of times and I think I may have hit another set of 2)

I did these instead of regular rack pulls, because after all, I pull sumo. I set these up in the lowest pin in the rack and stood on a 35 and 5 so my feet were on top of the side walls at the bottom of the rack. The bar started below my knees. I find these way more like the way I actually deadlift and also way harder, although that may be due to the added height of the plates on which I stood. I found that when I had my belt in hole 4, which is my squat hole, my belly felt like it was gonna explode and I didn't want to test my luck. When I loosened it one and kept tight I could actually lift the weight. Anyone who has done these before let me know your thoughts on them. I have been having trouble locking out my deadlifts recently, and these mimic the same difficulty I have with sumo, as opposed to conventional rack pulls where I can just hitch 500 easily.

Good Mornings/GMOPs

headache and dead tired at this point plus back wasn't feeling great

worked up to 225 x 5 high bar

225 x 5 low bar, felt weird switching, stopped before I hurt myself in my exhaustion

some hyper extensions and hamstring curls and abs. everything felt really hard at this point

I'm thinking I might be better at conventional since I can lock out a shit load more weight conventional. Should I switch?

Bench Assist Friday 08-26-11

Standing Press
95 x 5, 5

Standing Pin Press
95 x 5
105 x 5
115 x 5

Bench
95 x 10
105 x 10
115 x 10

Weighted Push-ups
Pullups
Dips

Inverted Rows
Abs

Bodyweight: 163 lbs

GMOPs
135x10
225x5
315x5
375x5
405x5,5,5
455x5

RH
2x20

BW GHR
x,10,10,10

Glute Activation

8/26 Bench

Less than a week until MCAT. Long nights studying and lots of stress.

Bench:
185x3
205x3
225x3
195x5x5

Chins/Dips:
BWx5/5x5

Row:
5 sets of 10

Curls & Rotator Cuff

As much as I hate doing volume work, I think I need it to get stronger. 1 set isnt cutting it anymore. As for the RC work, I found an exercise that works really well. Not sure what it's called, but it uses a barbell and is a combo upright row + external rotation + overhead press. My shoulders feel amazing after doing a couple sets with the 45lb bar.

EDIT: This is the rotator cuff exercise. Looks lame, feels great.

7AM Squat Singles

I don't have time to squat this weekend hence the early workout. This workout was powered by 2 cups of apple juice.

Squat

275 x 1

295 x 1 @8+

315 x 1 @9+

325 x 1 @10-

340 x 1 @10

185 x 8, 8

GHRs

BW x 15, 10, 10

Post training BW: 203.8lbs

Bench

Bench:

225 x 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

Went just for volume to get the muscles used to working out again. No shoulder or elbow pain, which is awesome.

Incline Dumbbell:

70 x 8, 8

75 x 8

80 x 8

Chin ups:

10

15

12

I felt a weird tightness in my left rhomboid area when I first started. Someone suggested that tightness in this area might be responsible for shoulder pain, so I think it's good i managed to stretch it out.

Dips:

10

20

20

Cable Row:

200 x 15, 15, 15

Dumbbell Triceps Extensions:

30 x 10

40 x 10

45 x 10

Bicep curlz:

50 x 7

55 x 5

60 x 5

Finished with 3 sets of transversus crunches and some pnf stretching. The stretching felt awesome after playing ultimate frisbee on tuesday, which I'm still crazy sore from.

Bench Assistance

Standing press

125 x 5 @8

135 x 5 @9

140 x 5 @9+

Dumbbell rows (w/ straps)

150 x 10

160 x 10

Incline bench

145 x 8, 8, 8

3 sets of bicep curls

Deadlift Assist Thursday 08-25-11

Good Mornings
165 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 5
215 x 5
225 x 5

Band Aided Deadlift
315 x 5,5,5

Banded Hamstring Curls
Banded Hyperextentions
Abs

Bodyweight: 164 lbs

Ryan Deadlift Assist 8/25/11

GM (high bar)-
275 x5
315 x5
345 x5
365 x5
385 x5

BA Deadlift-
365 x5
405 x5
425 x5

Banded Hamstring Curls x3
Hyper x3
Abs x4

8.24.11-Bench

Bench Press:
warmups
155x3@9-
165x3@9+
170x3@10
170x3@10- (this one felt easier for whatever reason)
175x2+f, would've gotten it had I gone for it on my 4 set, but not enough left in the tank to grind it out

Incline Press:
95x8@9
115x8@9+
125x8@10+, any more weight or reps I wouldn't have gotten it

Various machines to work triceps, chest, and shoulders

Luke 8-24-11 Bench Ed Coan wk 10

Another night of very little sleep and 9.75 hours of work meant no energy today

Bench

45 x 12, 10

95 x 7

135 x 4

175 x 1

205 x 1

225 x 2 @ 10+ PR (hit my old max for a double)

225 x 1+spot First rep felt like @ 10-, second rep the spotter said he took off about 5 pounds, I still grinded it out.

Close Grip Bench

195 x 2 @ 9+

195 x 2 @ 9

Incline Bench

185 x 2 I think the spotter was touching the bar

185 x 2 bar felt wobbly on both reps, (note don't use spin bar for incline)

Dumbbell Rows

120's x 10 x 3

Dumbbell Shrugs

100's x 20 pulling shoulders back at top

115's x 10

105's x 15

85's x 20

Gripping the dumbbells was equivalent to double overhand grip on barbell shrugs, however the dumbbells can tilt back or forward which makes it hard.

Next week I'm supposed to bench 235 x 2 x 2, CGBP 205 x 2 x 2, Incline BP 195 x 2 x 2. I don't think I can hit any of those, except possibly CGBP. I'm gonna try to bench 235 for at least a single and if I feel like I have more in the tank I can go up in weight.

No pushing

Squat

295 x 1

305 x 1

315 x 1

325 x 1

335 x f

I was feeling good until I tried to tie my old PR and choked

Front squat

175 x 5

180 x 5

185 x 5

190 x 4+f

Terrible idea, screwed up my wrist for the next day (see below)

Pause squat

225 x 3

235 x 3

245 x 3

whatevs

Bench

hilarious

Can't extend my wrist too far without a sharp pain so I laid off pushing and replaced with pulling

Pull ups

BW x 15 x 2

BW x 12 x 2

BW x 6

lats and biceps

wicked pump bro

Bench Tuesday 08-23-11

Bench
135 x 3
135 x 3
140 x 3
145 x 3
150 x 3

Pause Bench
135 x 3
145 x 3, 3

Pin Press
145 x 5, 4
135 x 5, 4

Cable Rows
Shrugs

Abs

Bodyweight: 163 lbs

Luke 8-24-11 Squat

Slept on floor last night, got very little sleep, worked 9.5 hours, went straight to gym feeling dead... personal problems. Also I only had 45 minutes to do the workout.

Squat

45 x 10

135 x 6

225 x 3

275 x 2

315 x 1

365 x 1 @ 8

385 x 1 @ 9-

405 x 1 @ 10+ this rep must have taken at least 5 seconds. I didn't think I was gonna fail, but the bar stopped moving and it may have been red lighted for dipping in comp. This was surprisingly hard after 385. Maybe this was because I got so little rest both last night and I was resting only about 2 minutes between sets.

Pause Squat

315 x 3 @ 8+

315 x 3 @ 8+

Front Squat

135 x 5

145 x 5

155 x 5

165 x 5

focused on form on these since I hate them so much. Everything was really good until the last 2 reps of 165. Weight felt @ 7- on my legs, but @ 8 on my core.

Box Squat Jumps and One Leg Step Up Lunge Jumps

8.23.11-Squat

Got the Costco 2 year membership to the 24 hr fitness near my apt. I also popped my roommate's squat cherry. I am... a little bit rusty. I'm fatter (not Clay fat, but still my belt fits on the 2nd hole when it used to fit on the 4th or 5th), and generally out of shape (weighed in at 186 lbs this morning). Luckily, because school started, I will no longer have food to eat so this weight should drop back down to 175 lbs once I am back in my normal gym schedule.

Squats:
warmups
185x5@9 (this used to be a 8)
205x5@9+
225x5@10- (this used to be a 9 or 9-)
Hopefully I'm back to my PR (275x5) in no time

Calf Presses

Hip Abducter Machine

Cable Glute Thrusts

Ryan Bench 8/23/11

Bench-
245 x1
255 x1
265 x1
275 x1 @10-

Pause-
185 x3
205 x3
215 x3
225 x3 @9-

Pin Press-
185 x5
205 x5
215 x5
225 x5

Rows x4
shrugs x3
Tricep Extension + Tricep Dips x3
Abs x3

Deadlift Assistance

Rack pulls (hole 4 - from lower part of the knee cap)

415 x 3 @9

435 x 3 @10-

445 x 3 @10

GHRs

BW x 20, 10, 10

Finished with 3 sets of standing abs and stretching. Played full court basketball for an hour afterwards.

Bench

Bench-
135x10
185x5
225x5
245x5
255x5
265x5
280x4
265 was really easy...to the point where I felt 280 wouldn't be a problem/greedy. I was just gassed, muscle conditioning is coming back though

CG Bench
135+80lbs chain x10,10
135+80lb chain+50lb Kettlebell weightx5,5

DB Row
100x20,20,20

Shrugs, PNF,rolling

8/23 Squat

Squat:
225x3
255x3
275x3
285x3 @9ish

Front Squat:
135x5
185x3, 3, 3

Deadlift:
245x3
295x3
315x3
335x3 @7-8

Abs & Such

One of those days where the bar feels heavy. Just got in, did some work, and got out. Even if the weights are lower, I feel that my form has improved dramatically over the squat-morning that it used to be.

Ryan Squat 8/22/11

Squat-
335 x1
345 x1
355 x1
365 x1
375 x1 (10lb PR)

Front Squat-
185 x5
195 x5
205 x5

Pause Squat-
245 x3
255 x3
265 x3

Explosive Squat Box Jumps x3

RAWDOG SQUAT

RAW Squat-
barx10
135x10
225x5
315x3
365x5
385x5
405x5
425x5
440x5@9+ PR +5lbs
Yeah I miss my squat suit

2sec pause Box Squats
225+80lbs of chain
5x3 w/ 90 sec rest intervals

GHR
3x6

Abs PNF

Bench

Back to training at OCSC.

Bench

185 x 3 @7

195 x 3 @8

205 x 3 @9-

I was told that my back was flattening out pretty badly so I dropped the weight to focus on keeping a tighter arch

185 x 3, 3

Close grip bench

165 x 5

175 x 5, 5

135 x 5 (regular grip)

I'm also trying to play around with my foot placement to find out where I can get the best leg drive.

Lat pulldowns

180 x 4 x 8

8/22 Bench

Bench:
195x5
215x3
235x3
185x8

CSR:
115x5x5

Delt Stuff

Uneventful for the most part. 235 felt pretty good, and my PR at that weight is 5 reps. Goal for next time is to get those 5 reps or maybe even 6.

Bodyweight at 228 this morning. My immune system just decided to shut off this weekend, so I have a bit of congestion going on. I imagine that it is a result of MCAT studying, so nbd.

Luke 8-21-11 Press(ed for time)

Did this workout on my way home from Lauren's before supper

Standing Pin Press (bar started between mouth and chin)
115 x 3 @ 8+
125 x 3 @ 9+
135 x 3 @ 10-

Pause Bench with self imposed pause
135 x 5
155 x 5 @ 8
175 x 5 @ 10-

One Arm Cable Row

100 x 6 per arm

120 x 6 per arm

140 x 6 per arm grip was getting hard

superset with triceps pushdowns

130 x 10,13,12

Squat

Squat

265 x 3

275 x 3 @8

285 x 3 @8

295 x 3 @9

305 x 3 @9+

Finished with 3 x 10 bodyweight GHRs, 3 sets of ball transversus, and some stretching. Planned to do box squats but the gym was closing.

Fine I'll start doing heavy shrugs again

Rack pull

365 x 4 x 4

That's all my hands can stands and they can't stands no more

(holy crap my grip strength is really going down, this wasn't even close to hard for my back)

Stiffies

275 x 5 x 4

Glute-ham raise

BW x 8 x 4

I moved all around the gym looking for a good place to do these

abs

Standing pin press

115 x 3

120 x 3 x 2

125 x 3

130 x 3

Made sure to allow the bar to fully rest between each rep

Bench press

135 x 10

140 x 10 x 2

Weighted pushups

BW+25 x 10 x 4

Chin ups

BW+30 x 5 x 2

BW+30 x 6 x 2

dips superset

BW x 8 x 4

KRULLS

8/19

Squat:
135x8
185x6
225x4
255x12, 6

Deadlift:
135x8
245x4
295x2
335x2
385x2 (too tired)

Accessory:
Good Girl/Bad Girl Machines, Leg Ext, Back Ext, Abs

first workout back

excluding the meet, i havent really been under a bar in a little over 3 weeks, i just got back from 12 days backpacking europe so i wasn't sure what to expect. after meet my body always needs a workout or 2 to adapt, so after i got out of the airport, I drove to the gym before i went crazy.

preworkout BW 245, this is good.

Pause Squat-
barx10
135x10
225x10
225x10
315x10

RDL's
225x10,10

Pause bench-
135x10
185x10,10,10

Lat  pulls
3x10

All felt about how I expected, heavy squatting monday.

Bench Assistance

Standing press
115 x 5
125 x 5 @8
135 x 5 @9
135 x 5 @10-

Dumbbell rows
100 x 30, 20

Incline bench
135 x 8, 8, 8

Barbell shrugs
405 x 10
455 x 10, 12

Ryan Deadlift 8/18/11

So I reset my deadlift form again, and I decided to give sumo stance a legitimate try, so I'll be doing that this 6 week cycle. Notes: Sumo feels much more comfortable on my entire body, though I can't lift as much weight. I think that I'll adapt, and I'd like to see what comes of this 6 weeks.

Deadlift-
365 x5
405 x5
425 x4+f lockout

Deficit (conventional)-
275 x8
295 x8
315 x8

GHR x3
Cable crunches x3
calves x3
close grip pull-ups x3
PNF
Note: A friend of my is a PT and is training in sports medicine, and worked my hamstrings by standing and pulling outwards on my leg will stretching out my leg, which not only took the stress from behind my knee away, but felt awesome on my hamstrings. I've implemented this the last 2 PNF sessions with Mis and I think he and I both agree this is a great form of PNF.

Luke 8-18-11 Lower Back

Rack Pulls

(from lowest pin in rack, similar to Vit's, right at knee, switched alternated grips)

405 x 5 @ 8

435 x 5 @ 9

455 x 5 @ 9+ PR

475 x 4 @ 10 PR grip started failing on 4th rep

500 x 1 @ 9 PR hard to hold at top. I just wanted to pull 500 to impress my friend.

My left shoulder was kinda starting to hurt during the 435 set, but it stopped on the next set. I need to look out for this pain. I would have stopped if it had continued.

GMOPs

(pins were kinda low)

275 x 5

315 x 5

345 x 5

felt harder after rack pulls. my back got pretty scraped from these.

Hyper extensions

Abs

Deadlift Assistance

Rack pulls (from middle of the knee)
In all of my failed deadlifts, the bar stops about 4 inches above my knee so the bar slows down right around the knee. Hence the bar placement for rack pulls.
405 x 5 @8
425 x 5 @9-
435 x 5 @9



Good mornings
135 x 8
185 x 9
225 x 8
225 x 5
My knees come forward when I do these, causing me to use my lower back and quads mostly. I tried to focus on pushing my ass back to take the tension in my hamstrings instead.

Standing abs
100 x 12
110 x 10
120 x 10, 10

Finished with 3 sets of high rep back extensions and lower body stretching.

8/18

Bench:
95x10
135x8
165x6
185x4
205x2
225x5, 3

Incline:
135x8
165x4
185x4
135x12

Accessory:
Side & Rear Delt Raises, Pushdowns, Curls

Weight: 229lbs

Gotta love the Lactaid milk. Gained about 4lbs this past week just from drinking lots of milk and eating lots of bread. Bench is feeling considerably better too.

PM:
30 BW Chins (Neutral Grip)

Personal problem: lifting alone

Squat

285 x 3 @10

wait what

275 x 3 x 4 @9 to 9+

dammit

Front squat

175 x 5 x 4

Pause squat

225 x 3 x 3

split jumps, abs superset

Bench

175 x 3 x 3 @9

180 x 3 x 2 @9+

Pause bench

155 x 3 x 2

160 x 3

Pin press

155 x 5

145 x 5 x 2

155 x 5

Letting each rep rest completely for these makes them terrible

Dumbbell row,

100 x 8 x 4

upright row superset

8.17.11 Bench

Went to a 24 Hr Fitness that is a 20 min walk from my apt.

Bench Press:
135x5@8
145x5@9
155x5@9+
165x5@10
155x5@10

Pause Bench (3 second pause):
135x3@9
145x3@10
135x3@10

Various chest, shoulder, triceps machines

Shrugs+triceps isolation

It's nice to be working out again. Gonna hit some 5x5 squats tomorrow. Good news for bench is that my PR is 170x5 and I was able to do 165x5. Bad news is that I'm fatter now.

Squats Cycle 1 Week 2 8.16.11

Squats

165x3 @ 8

175x3 @ 8+

185x3x2 @ 9

195x3 @ 9+

Pause Squats

155x3

165x3x2

Front Squats

95x5

105x5x2

Luke 8-16-11 Bench Ed Coan wk 9

Bench

135 x 4

185 x 1

215 x 3 @ 8+ spotter touched every rep so I told him not to on the next set

215 x 3 @ 10 (5 pound PR)

I was very happy with my second set of 215. I was worried coming into this workout, but it went great.

Close Grip Bench

190 x 3 @ 10 PR

190 x 3 @ 9

Incline Bench

175 x 3 @ 9+ PR

175 x 3 @ 9+

Dumbbell Rows

120's x 10,8,8

Shrugs

405 x 12

455 x 12,7,5

405 x 12

Abs

Ryan Bench 8/16/11

Bench-
215 x3
225 x3
235 x3
245 x3
250 x2+f

Pause-
205 x3
215 x3x2

Pin-
185 x5
205 x5x2
215 x5

One arm cable rows x4
shrugs x4
abs x3

8/16

Going into today, my hips were super tight, so my squats were right at parallel instead of just below.

Squat:
135x6
185x6
225x4
255x2
275x2
295x4 (started to twist under weight, so stopped)

Deadlift:
205x6
245x4
295x2
315x10

Accessory:
Leg Ext, Good Girl/Bad Girl Machines, Back Ext, GHRAbs

Oh, how good it felt to deadlift again. Going to ease into it though, so as not to mess anything up in my back. I'm not sure if it's a side effect of high bar squatting, but I actually felt my legs getting into the lift (instead of 100% lower back).

My hips felt much better after I did all of the high rep accessory BS, so that may be key for me to stay injury-free leading up to the meet.

Ryan Squat 8/15/11

Squat-
295 x3
305 x3
315 x3
325 x3
335 x3 (10lb PR)



Front Squats-
155 x5
185 x5
195 x5
205 x5 (10lb Pr)

Pause Squats-
225 x3
235 x3
245 x3

Explosive Squat Jumps
Foam roller abs
PNF

Luke 8-15-11 Squat

I shared the rack with a guy who was supersetting abs and calves with 10x10 high squats at 405.

Squat

355 x 3 @ 9-

365 x 3 @ 9-

375 x 3 @ 10 should have been easier, but I was distracted*

385 x 3 @ 10

395 x 3 @ 10+ (5 pound PR)

good work sets today. I did not bike today so I was up for more volume. Tomorrow should be interesting.

*2 guys next to me were high box squatting. One of them goes to UCLA and was interested in the powerlifting team... however if he does join I will haze him constantly about how badly he fucked up today. His partner had just finished doing 455 (with my belt). UCLA unloads his half of the weights while 205 pounds remain loaded on the other side. Bar flips up and hits parter in head with plates and bar scrapes his back. Luckily no one got badly injured. All this happened after I had walked out 375 pounds. I hit my triple after I saw that everyone was alive.

Pause Squat with 3 second self imposed pause

335 x 3

345 x 3

Front Squat

135 x 5 on fingertips

165 x 5 high

165 x 3 arms crossed... I really hate front squats. They are what hurt my knee really bad over a year ago and I suck at them. What can I substitute?

Plyos

Box squat jumps and step up lunge jumps

Raw Bench

I'm in Kauai with my family this week. I found a gym near where we're staying called Kauai Muscle and Fitness. They have a squat rack and bench press and dumbbells up to 100s and a bunch of machines and cardio equipment. The bars are slightly rusted from the humidity though. Still functional though.

Bench
175 x 5
185 x 5 @8-
195 x 5 @8+
205 x 5 @9 (5 lb PR)
210 x 4+1 fail

I contemplated repeating 205 for my last set but ended up being greedy and trying 210. I have this tendency to get greedy right after a meet I guess because I'm excited to be training again after basically 2 weeks off. Greg said in the Cycle 1 email: "Remember, there should never be failing in a 5/3/1 EVER"....I have failed you Mr. President :(


Elbow flaring is happening too early.

Close grip bench
155 x 8
165 x 8, 8

Lat pulldowns
I started doing these with my shoulders retracted and a slight backward lean to mimic pulling the bar in during a shirted bench.
180 x 4 x 8 (various grips)

Hammer curls
55s x 8, 6
45s x 8

8/15

Took Saturday and Sunday off from training. I had milked the daily training to the point where I felt like a zombie 24/7. Transitioning to benching 2x/wk, and squatting 2x/wk now that I have gotten most of my lost strength back. Going to increase the eating as well to fill out in the 242's. BW currently 225.


Bench:
95x10
135x6
165x6
185x6
195x4
205x4, 4, 4 @8-9

Incline:
135x8, 8
155x6
165x6

Accessory:
Rear Delts, Side Delts, Triceps, Biceps (& Chins later)

***Assistance Edit:
Been doing a timed 2min set of chins on a regular basis, going for max reps at bw. Hit 25 reps tonight, a PR. Lats are looking a whole lot thicker after doing this for about a month.

Bench Assistance

8/13/11

Seated Pin Press

95, 115, 135, 135, 145 x 5

Bench

185 x 10 x 3

Weighted Pushup

BW + 25 x 10

BW + 45 x 10

BW + 70 x 10

One-Arm Row

110 x 5 x 3

Pullups, Dips, Biceps, Abs

Squats 8/12

Gave my separated AC some time to rest before my competition the 20th. Back in the grind.

Squat
135x5
155x4x5

Cleans (instead of FS)
115x5x3
125x5x2

Pause Squat
125x3x3

(All lifts unbelted)

Back to Training - Squats

I played 5 on 5 basketball yesterday for the first time in 10 months so my legs were pretty sore today. I was able to grab the rim with both hands pretty easily despite putting on about 12 lbs since last playing. Heavy squats fix everything? Anyways, I tried out a wider stance today in hopes of being able to sit back more.

Squat

225 x 5

245 x 5

265 x 6

275 x 5, 5 @9-

I feel naked without a squat suit on :(

Box squats (~1 inch below parallel)

185 x 5, 5, 5, 5

GHRs

BW x 10, 10, 12, 12

Luke 8-12-11 Press

Standing Pin Press (Pins below eye level)

105 x 5 @ 8-

125 x 5 @ 10-

125 x 5 @ 10-

125 x 5 @ 10

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press (same ROM as standing pin press)

55's x 8

60's x 8 PR

Pause Bench (with 3 second Chase count)

155 x 5 @ 9

175 x 3 @ 10-

Low Cable Row

180 x 8

210 x 8

240 x 8

270 x 6

300 x 3 PR this was the entire stack. getting into the starting position felt like a heavy deadlift

Pull Ups / Dips superset

BW + 45 x 5,5,5 / 8,12,10 (pull ups were dead hang)

Hammer Curls

35's x 8 x 3

Abs

Triceps Pushdowns

130 x 10 x 2

Shrugs (because friends were doing them. super hard after shrugs and deadlifts)

275 x 10 hook grip

315 x 6 hook grip

405 x 10 straps

8/12

Squat:
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x3x8

Bench:
95x5
135x5
165x3
185x1
205x1
225x1x2
235x1x3
185x6x2

Row (225x5)
Abs + Stretching

Everything felt like crap, and I felt like going heavy on squat today would just be a bad idea. So instead of working up to 300, I stayed at 225 and did some speed work. Focused on getting a plate rattle out of every single rep.

Bench felt decent today though. Moved grip out a bit to get a bit more grinding power, so now it is pinkies on ring (comp bar). Pecs and shoulders were super sore from incline yesterday. The deadlift-position rows keep feeling awesome, and I will be using straps to go even heavier.

Bench Assist Friday 08-12-11

Standing Press
85 x 5
95 x 5,5, 4

Incline Press
95 x 5
115 x 5,5,5

Cable Flyes
Cable Abs
Preacher Curls

Bodyweight: 162.5 lbs

gone for a week. see u in week 3!

Ryan Bench Assist 8/12/11

Standing Pin Press-
115 x5
125 x5
135 x5x3

Bench-
155 x10x3

Weight Push Ups x10x3

Dips/Pull ups x3
Biceps x3
Floor Sweeps x3

Luke 8-11-11 Deadlift

So I messed up the cycle and deadlifted today instead of next week. Not a big deal. I also was helping my friend deadlift. I put pads under the plates today which greatly reduced bouncing.

Deadlift

365 x 5 @ 8

385 x 5 @ 10 first 4 reps were easy

405 x 4.9 @ 10 grip failed past knees on last rep. no chalk. shitty bar. 3rd set. 2 beers deep.

I haven't completed the final set of deadlifts for the past 4 deadlift workouts... however today's workout was a huge improvement over last.

Ultra Wide Sumo Deadlift

245 x 6

265 x 6 no belt

285 x 6 belted, easiest set

Hamstring Curls

Hyper Extensions

Cable Abs

8/11/11 DL Assistance

High-bar GMs:

275 x 5

295 x 5

315 x 5

335 x 5

345 x 5

Band-Assisted DLs:

315 x 5 (too easy)

405 x 5 x 2

425 x 5

Banded-leg curls, Hyper-extensions, Transversus Abs

Ryan Deadlift Assistance 8/11/11

Good Morning High Bar-
275 x5
315 x5
325 x5
335 x5

Band-Assisted Deadlifts-
(Reset Form Again)
405 x5x3

Banded Hamstring Curls x3
Banded Hypers x3
Abs x3

8/11

Squat:
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x1
245x1
265x1
285x1
295x1

Incline:
95x8
135x5
155x3
175x1
185x1
195x1 (daily min)
205x1
155x6x2

Rows (worked up to 225x3x2)
Curls
Abs

Another minimum day. After 295 on squat I just looked at the bar and didnt want to do any more. And I felt like the overhead work was irritating my shoulders a bit, so I tried incline today. Felt great, so will be switching stuff out.

Went heavy on the rows today though, since those felt good. I am doing them from a dead stop on the floor - basically from the deadlift starting position. Should help me with my main pulling weakness.

Post-Meet Cardio

>5 reps = Cardio.

Bench

135 x 8

155 x 8

175 x 8

185 x 10 @9+ (PR)

Dumbbell shoulder press

50s x 8, 8, 8

Dumbbell rows

125 x 3 x 10

Finished with 4 sets of kneeling abs and 3 sets of biceps.

Luke 8-10-11 Bench Ed Coan wk 8

Bench

165 x 1

190 x 1

210 x 3 @ 10

210 x 3 @ 10 spotter touched the bar, but did not help. 210 x 3 is my PR. I definitely could not have hit another rep on either set. I don't know if I warmed up smartly for this. Today was hard and I was expecting it to be easy after 205 x 5. If I eat a ton, maybe I can hit next week's goal of 215 x 3 x 2.

Close Grip Bench

185 x 3 @ 10 PR

185 x 3 @ 10- moved grip out a little

Incline Bench

165 x 3 @ 10++ I hit the safety on the way up on my last rep and it took forever to grind it out.

170 x 3 @ 9+ PR

Shrugs

403 x 15 x 3 felt hard

superset with Dumbbell Rows

120 x 8 x 3 per arm, felt good

also biked 12 miles for work and played frisbee golf during lunch

8/9/11 Bench

Dumbbell Bench:

60s x 5

65s x 5

70s x 5 x 2

75 x 5

Decline Bench:

135 x 5

145 x 5

155 x 5 x 3

Flys, Abs, All sorts of rows.

Alone time

Squat

255 x 5

265 x 5

275 x 5

280 x 5

280 x 4

sllllooooooowwwww progress

Zercher squat

225 x 5 x 4

Pause squat

225 x 3 x 3

plyabs

Bench

155 x 5

165 x 5

170 x 5

175 x 5 x 2

Pause bench

155 x 3 x 3

Pin press

145 x 5

155 x 5 x 3

I don't know why I'm so bad at these

Dumbbell row,

90 x 8

100 x 6 x 3

upright row superset

8/10

Squat:
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x1
245x1
265x1
285x1
295x1
225x6x2

Push Press:
95x5
115x3
135x1, 1
145x1
150x1
155x1
160x1
165xF, F
135x6x2

Rows 5x6
Curls (worked up to 105)
Abs + Stretching

You know that post-meet-hit-by-a-truck feeling? I feel like I got hit by a smart car. Body is trying to adapt to increased daily maxes and everything just kinda aches. The new push press technique feels so much better, but I just didn't have the power needed for 165+ today.

Bench Assistance

8/9/11

Dumbbell Bench

85 x 5

90 x 5 x 2

95 x 4 bogey

Decline Bench

185 x 5 x 2

195 x 5

205 x 5

215 x 5

Flyes, Cable Row, Biceps, Tricep Rehab, Abs

Squats 8.10.11

So, I haven't posted in...months? Ever since Orientation started, my workouts haven't been up to par. I'm constantly exhausted, working 16-hour days and hardly have breaks where I can get a workout in. The workouts I have gotten in haven't been full effort, especially without spotters and the team to push me.

And then my pink inzer belt came in yesterday.

Best workout of the SUMMER, and therefore worth posting :)

Squats

165x5

175x5x2

185x5x2

Pause Squats

155x3

165x3

175x3

Front Squat--first time ever (thanks for showing me how to do these, Kyle!)

95x5x3

Power Cleans

85x8x3

95x5x2

Cable abs

Ryan Bench 8/9/11

Bench-
205 x5
215 x5
225 x5x3

Pause Bench-
195 x3
205 x3
215 x3

Pin Press-
195 x5
205 x5
215 x4
205 x5

One-Handed Cable Rows x4
Shrugs x3
Tricep Push-Downs SS Tricep Dips x3
GHR Abs x3

8/9

Squat:
95x8
135x5
185x3
225x1
245x1
265x1
285x1
295x1
305x1
255x3x3

Bench:
95x10
135x5
155x3
185x3
205x1
215x1
225x1
175x5x2

Weighted Chins
Curls
Abs

Was pretty stiff today, and my shoulders were incredibly tired. Need to stretch a bit more aggressively after workouts. I think I'm going to up the rep range to 5-6 on my volume, just so it gets done quicker. I have little energy most of the time after I hit my heavy singles on bench and squat. Plus a little extra incentive for muscles to grow would be nice.

Luke 8-8-11 Squat

Worked out at Arcadia. The power rack was in use by this guy doing presses who told me I was acting like a woman because I he knew I wanted the rack and then he squatted 405 x 4 to depth and told me he competed in weightlifting at the 1984 olympics for Portugal... but anyway as a result I had to use the shitty open rack with built in safeties which barely allowed me to hit depth.

Squat
315 x 10 @ 9 (60 pound PR)
decided to do one high rep set to save time, begin a new cycle and see what I could do. My hamstrings and quads were all like wtf? after this set due to biking and high rep squat.

Pause Squat
315 x 3 x 2

Plyos

Abductors and Adductors

also biked 12 miles to work and back

Post Meet Things

Played 2 on 2 basketball for like 20-30 minutes.

4 x 10 bodyweight pullups

4 x 20 pushups

Finished with some bitching and moaning about how sore my lower back is.

Ryan Squat 8/8/11

Squat-
265 x5
275 x5
285 x5
295 x5
305 x5 @9+(This is a 30lb PR from my previous 5x5, but ties my PR for my last 3x5)

Front Squats-
155 x5
175 x5
185 x5
195 x5

Pause Squats-
225 x3
245 x3
255 x3

Explosive Plyo Squats x3
Abs x3

8/8

Squat:
Barx10, 10
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x1
245x1
265x1
285x1 (belt)
295x1
245x3x3

Push Press:
Barx10, 10
65x5
95x3, 3
115x1
125x1
135x1
140x1 (belt)
145x1
150x1
155x1
160xF, F, 1
165xF, F, 1
170x1 PR
145x3x3

Rows
Curls
Abs

Another day where I just dragged myself to the gym. Legs and shoulders were stiff when I woke up this morning, so extra warming up was needed. 295 on squat felt ok, but not powerful enough to warrant going up. The sets at 245 were supe explosive though, which was nice.

As for the push press, I had like minimal energy going after squats. I almost failed 150, and instead of backing off I got super pissed and decided I was making a PR today come hell or high water. It turns out that my timing was a little off with some of the weights, and once I got the arms & legs working together everything went much better. 170 is an all-time PR, which is weaksauce, but progress.

Luke 8-6-11 bodybuild

Shoulder Raises (front, side, 45, bent over)

5's x 10 per angle x 4

superset with weighted pull ups

BW + 25 x 10

BW + 50 x 8

BW + 50 x 8

BW + 50 x 11 PR couldn't get 12th rep from a dead hang

Concentration Curls

45's x 5 x 3 per arm

8/7

Session #20 of daily squats

Squat:
Barx10
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x1
245x1
265x1
285x1 (belt)
295x1
245x3x3

Bench:
Barx10
95x8
135x5
165x3
185x1
205x1
215x1
225x1
235x1
240x1
200x3x3

Rows
Curls
Abs

Another zombie session, but strength is coming along. It would be ideal if I could get to a point of squatting 315+ every day by the end of summer, but we'll see about that one. I figured out what was wrong with my bench, and it turned out to be a hand positioning issue. When my thumb is running almost parallel to the bar, the elbow/wrist/shoulder position is much more powerful.

2011 CA State games of America

242 Teen Class (19 years old)
Weighed in at 235 lbs.... I was consistently weighing in at 245+ but I got Strep throat a week ago, that combined with dehydration I weighed in light.

Squat-
Very Rushed Warmup, and I was really nervous. After rules briefing I had about 15 minutes to be ready on the platform for my opener, this turned a usual 45 minute process into 15...
545lbs 3 White Lights, felt strong
584lbs 3 White Lights, no grind still felt good
601 Failed a few inches above Parallel, I was just tired at this point, I lost tightness and my knees came in.

Bench-
Warmups felt strong
352lbs 3 Whites Unnecessarily hard, there was still unpulled slack in my shirt.
374lbs 3 Whites easier than opener
385lbs 3 Whites Easiest Attempt, totally left some in the tank

Deadlift-
Warmups felt average
545 3 whites, meh
584 Fail, I went out there cold and not syched, I was exhausted by this point in the meet, squat and bench killed me
584lbs 2 Whites, thanks to Vit's brothers slap.

Though I felt i could have done better, 7/9 in my first geared meet isn't bad It was a great experience and I had a ton of fun but I feel like I got run over by a truck.... Seeing as my squat suit straps are super loose I'm getting them taken in about 2 inches. This makes me very anxious to start training in gear.. I'll be in Europe for the next 2 weeks but when I come back all eyes are on 670/450/630 At Collegiates. Thank you everyone that made this happen =]

2011 CA State Games of America

198 Junior/Open

Weigh in: 194.7 lbs

Squat

418.75 lbs -3 whites

440.75 -3 whites

457.25 -3 whites (39 lb meet PR)

I hit the hole a lot faster on the last attempt and it felt much better than 440. Probably left a few lbs on the platform, but regardless I was very satisfied with this. Thank you Dave for some excellent knee wraps.

Bench

281 lbs -3 whites

303 -2 whites 1 red (head came up) (50 lb meet PR)

330 -no lift, 2 reds 1 white (double dipped the bar and my head came up)

To be honest, all three of these lifts were pretty filthy as everyone who was there will attest to. Head came off the bench on all three of them and I touched pretty low too. I was very happy to actually be able to grind out 330 despite not getting the lift passed.

Deadlift

429 lbs -3 whites

462.75 -3 whites (22 lb meet PR)

501 -no lift, failed 2 inches above the knees

First two attempts were pretty easy and the plan was to try 485, which I probably could have gotten, but Dave and Misael insisted that I try 501 and I'm glad I did because there really was no reason not to. It was awesome having the whole team there to get psyched for me as well. I really would have liked to hit 501 but now there's no doubt in my mind that I'll exceed it at the next meet.

Total: 1223 lbs (115 lb meet PR)

This was definitely my best meet performance ever. First meet at 198, but I felt much better and more confident than I did at 181. I definitely have some form issues to address on all three lifts, mostly bench. But for now I really just look forward to continuing training. Thank you to all of the people who came to support the competitors. I had a great time spending the weekend with you.

8/6

Squat:
Barx10
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x1
245x1
265x1
275x1 (belt)
295x1
305x1
315x1
325xF
265x3x3

Push Press:
Barx8
95x5
115x3
125x1
135x1 (belt)
140x1
145x1
150x1
155x1
160xF
135x3x3

Rows 5x5
Curls
Abs

Felt like lifting instead of taking a day off, so I went to le squat racks. Squatting felt really good up until I failed with 325. 315 was fast and felt at about an 8.5 RPE, but with 325 my hips came up too soon out of the hole. All signs of progress though. Push pressing was kinda lame again. Hopefully it will improve with time and frequent practice. Bodyweight is maintaining a pretty constant 222-224lbs.

Holy Moly

8/5

Squat:
Barx10
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x1
245x1
265x1 (belt)
275x1
285x1
295x1
305x1
255x3x3

Bench:
Barx15
95x8
135x5
165x3
185x1
195x1
205x1
215x1
225x1
235x1
195x3x3

Kind of a strange day. Was in the lab this morning, and had like zero energy when I got out. Grabbed a candy bar and got in the squat rack, and all my reps felt strong & steady. On 305 I stalled in the middle of the rep, but fought through it.

For bench, my shoulders felt awesome with all the overhead work that I've been doing. Real stable on the bench too. The only problem now are my triceps and my groove. There's a certain path in my bench that makes the weights feel like nothing, and I will occasionally hit it just right. 225 today was in that groove, and it felt like 165. 235 was out of the groove and it felt like crap.

8/4

Squat:
Barx10
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x1
235x1
245x1
255x1
265x1
275x1
225x3x3

Standing Press:
Barx10
65x5
85x3
95x1
105x1 (Daily Min)
110x1
115x1
120xf, f (couldnt get it past mouth level)
95x3x3

Forgot exactly how weak I am at strict pressing. Strength was back down to daily minimum again, mainly because today is one of my lab days. 8-12 with no food in me = slightly weaker. The good news is that squatting upright is almost a completely natural movement after 3 weeks of constant practice.

Luke 8-3-11 Bench Ed Coan wk 7

Sorry Greg, I can't miss a bench workout

Bench

200 x 5 @ 9

205 x 5 @ 10+ (5 pound PR) The last rep wasn't really a grinder, but it slowed down midway. I've learned to push my elbows through to extend arms while forcing my shoulders into the bench. This brings the lockout an inch or 2 lower and helps a lot. I was supposed to hit 201 x 5 x 2, but since I was feeling good I went for 205. It's nice to hit a bench PR finally.

Close Grip Bench

170 x 5 @ 10-

175 x 5 @ 9+ (ties a very old PR)

was supposed to be 175 x 5 x 2, but I struggled last week with 170

Incline Bench

160 x 5 @ 10

160 x 5 @ 9+

Close Grip Lat Pulldown

200 x 5

220 x 5

240 x 5

250 x 5

Biceps

Weigh In: 159 lbs (with clothes and shoes) 156-157?

Also I biked 12 miles today for work

8/2 & 3

8/2

Nothing much to report here. Just hit a bunch more sets at 230ish on squat and 135 on push press, working on form and explosion.

8/3

Felt much much stronger today, so it was back to maxing

Squat:
Barx10
95x5
135x3, 3
185x3
225x1
235x1
245x1
255x1
265x1
275x1 (belt)
285x1
295x1
305x1
315x1 PR for high-bar squat
255x3x3

Push Press:
Barx5
95x3
105x3
115x1
125x1
135x1
140x1
145x1
150x1
155x1
160xf
135x3x3

After a few days of lighter technique work, my squat felt much better. 315 eclipses my former high-bar squat PR of 285. Kept upright throughout the squat too - no tacoing. Push pressing was kinda meh b/c the legs were tired. Abs, biceps, and shoulder work were done afterwards as usual.

Light Pre Meet Stuff

Squat

95 x 4, 4, 4

Bench

Bar x 18, 18, 18

Deadlift

135 x 4, 3, 3

Did a bunch of stretching afterwards.

It's been 7 days since my last real training session. I miss training a lot already. I even had a dream about doing heavy squats last night. How sad is that?

8/1

Squat:
Barx10
95x8
135x5
185x3
230x1x15

Bench:
Barx10
95x8
135x5
165x3
185x1
205x1x10

Biceps

A nice training session. I'm getting the hang of the high bar position, and it seems like I have 100% better squat form with it. I actually complete the lift with my quads, hams, and glutes (instead of my lower back). Going beltless with the high bar is one hell of an ab workout too.

I have decided on a "thumb's length from the smooth" grip for my bench. I can't grind very well with this grip, but it is a lot more explosive off the chest than my wider grip. Additionally, I have been experiencing zero elbow pain (even though I am pressing 6-7 days/week), and I attribute this to doing diligent biceps work. Food for thought.