Deadlift Day - Cycle 13

Deadlift Day
Cycle 13

Overall Impression:

so....i had 2 plans for deadlifts. option A and option B. Option A was maxing out. note: this doesnt mean setting a new PR. it just means lifting something which i can TODAY for 1 rep and then doing a small bunch of singles around 90% of my max. Option B was doing a small bunch of doubles. it all depended on how i felt upon walking into the gym. i felt like doing Option B today. i dont regret it

The Workout:

Deadlifts
- 315 lbs x 2 reps x 5 sets
- 185 lbs x 6 reps
wow....this was hard as hell...i used the chalk from APT and i didnt need wrist wraps at all!!! im so happy about that...all i used was an over-under grip..but thats cool i guess...

Unilateral Box Squats
- 10 reps x 2 sets

Hyperextensions
- 10 reps x 2 sets
- Static Hold @ 1 minute

Ab Work
- Overhead Plate Side Bends superset with Plate Side Bends = 10 lbs x 10 reps x 2 sets and 45 lbs x 10 reps x 2 sets respectively.

Grip Work
- Barbell Curls = 65 lbs x 6 reps x 5 sets
yes, teh beach work

Bench Press Day - Cycle 12

Bench Press Day
Cycle 12

Overall Impression:

so guys...i apologize for neglecting my journal off late so much. i have 5-6 vids which i will post next....they cover all the vids of this week.

i hope everyone is having a good weekend or planning to

The Workout:

Seated Unilateral Dumbbell Shoulder Press
- 55 lbs x 7 reps x 2 sets
pretty hard

Pull-ups
- 5 reps x 5 sets = 25 reps @ 2 minute Rest Intervals
my weight has increased so that could explain why this is getting more difficult.

Dips and Bent Arm Pull-overs Superset
- 7 reps x 3 sets and 45 lbs x 10 reps x 3 sets respectively
nice!

Ab Work
- Circuit Training 2 Circuits
2 exercises: Hanging Leg Raises 10 reps and Overhead Plate Side Bends 10 lbs x 10 reps

Shoulder Prehab Work
- Protractions using Push-up plus

Squat Day - Cycle 12

Squat Day
Cycle 12

Overall Impression:

so....went in and did squats yesterday...i was in a hurry and i didnt want to workout...but i think this was a good workout though.

The Workout:

Box Squats
- 225 lbs x 3 reps x 3 sets
i focussed really really hard on the negative and sitting down slowly, keeping my feet wides spread out on the floor and keeping my glutes tight when i am on the box. took some getting used to. i have a vid. will post later..

Front Squats
- 95 lbs x 6 reps
- 135 lbs x 6 reps x 2 sets
this was ****ing difficult on my shoulders....i dont want to do this exercise again....im thinking of just doing regular back squats for more reps instead...

Regular Romanian Deadlifts without lockout
- 95 lbs x 15 reps x 3 sets
the goal here was to do RDL's but not lockout at the top. this will hopefully help build some strength and endurance which should carry over to my deadlifts...

Ab Work
skipped

Grip Work
skipped

Shoulder Prehab Work
- Push-up plus

Military Press Day - Cycle 12

Military Press Day
Cycle 12

Overall Impression:

my weight has been a steady 172 lbs over the last 5 days. im happy

on a new note: APT finally sent me some awesome gear. wrist wraps - 24" wrist wraps...one was a red blood line and the other pair is a convict i think..not sure...i also got tons of chalk with that so bye bye grip problems on deadlifts

The Workout:

Standing Barbell Military Press
- bar x 4 reps x 3 sets
- 95 lbs x 3 reps
- 115 lbs x 2 reps
- 120 lbs x 1 rep
- 140 lbs x 2 reps x 5 sets
- 125 lbs x 7 reps
I dunno why but this felt really heavy to me today. the warm-ups felt like as if the bar was too slow, my sets with 140 were all slow as hell though ROM and form was top notch....it was just slow...weird.

Barbell Rows
- 135 lbs x 6 reps x 2 sets
- 95 lbs x 10 reps x 3 sets
I dont like barbell rows at all..they feel unnatural as hell. im gonna go back to doing dumbbell rows but im gonna do those rows on an incline bench. i wonder if i could do a chest supported row...i wish my gym was equipped with that.

Low Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
- 60 lbs x 12 reps
- 65 lbs x 6 reps
- 75 lbs x 3 reps
- 45 lbs x 10 reps
this was mighty difficult....i was tired by the time i hit these and i really wasnt in the mood...im gonna play around with these and the row work for some time...

Facepulls
- 70 lbs x 8 reps x 2 sets

Ab Work
- Overhead Plate Side Bends = 10 lbs x 8 reps x 1 set
boring...

Deadlift Day - Cycle 12

Deadlift Day
Cycle 12

Overall Impression:

so knee pain left the body yesterday morning. my schedule this week is kinda messed up. because of spring break plus the injury i sustained (it wasnt an injury..i just overley stretched my ligaments of my right knee) i have skipped my squat and bench workouts. i worked out today on deadlifts and then come monday i will do my military press workout. come the following week i will be back on schedule 100%. i havent been eating enough food though....all ive been eating is a lot of protein through shakes and some chicken (ive been having 300 grams of protein odd) and a lot of pizzas...yuck. im sick of pizza.

so im in Dallas right now and i went with some of my friends to the LA Fitness gym and i worked out...bumped into some guys from GetBig forums...i didnt know them (i dont belong to those boards) but they were deadlifting right next to me with 635+. speed work with 585 or so...pretty awesome to watch.

The Workout:

Deadlifts
- 285 lbs x 3 reps x 3 sets
lowered the intensity and took it easy. used an over-over grip on all sets. im happy my grip sustained this so well

Unilateral Box Squats
- 10 reps x 2 sets
i did these on a regular bench. focused on controlling the negative and did not allow my glutes to relax when i was on the box.

Cable Pull Throughs
- 80 lbs x 10 reps x 3 sets

Ab Work
- some machine work

Grip Work
- EZ Bar Curls w/ 70 lbs x 6 reps x 3 sets

Military Press Day - Cycle 11

Military Press Day
Cycle 11

Overall Impression:

nice workout i think

The Workout:

Standing Barbell Military Press
- bar x 4 reps x 3 sets
- 95 lbs x 3 reps
- 115 lbs x 2 reps
- 135 lbs x 3 reps
- 140 lbs x 3 reps
- 145 lbs x 3 reps
- 150 lbs x 2 reps
- 155 lbs x 1 rep x 2 sets
- 135 lbs x 3 reps
all rest intervals were 3-4 minutes. this is quality volume training. 135, 140 and 145 were pretty easy. on 150, at midpoint i just gave way. on 155, the first time i think i kinda used some leg drive. so i did another set. the second set was ball breaking. i got stuck at midpoint for what seemed like eternity and i must've kept all my muscles so tight that my right knee area started hurting badly like how it sometimes does when i squat really heavy for many many sets. it hurt just left of the knee cap area. a kinda dull pain. this isnt new to me...ive felt this a lot when i was on the texas method. ill apply some balm to it later on...nonetheless, i think from the last time i did quality work my strength has improved greatly. im happy.

EDT Training @ 15 minute Time Block
- Dumbbell Rows @ 75 lbs = 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 +5 = 25 reps
- Dumbbell Press @ 65 lbs = 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 25 reps
ive been doing this for the last 7 weeks...im trying to see if its worth doing something different...maybe 4 sets of pyramiding weights and reps...12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps perhaps....i dunno...EDT type thing has worked well for me so far...i was also damn tired after military presses so i think ill just stick to EDT for a couple more training sessions.

Facepulls
- 70 lbs x 10 reps x 2 sets

Ab Work
- Lat Pull Down Sit-Ups = 70 lbs x 8 reps x 2 sets

Deadlift Day - Cycle 11

Deadlift Day
Cycle 11

Overall Impression:

felt kinda good today. workout was pretty good IMO. got everything that needed to be done, done.

on an off topic: i saw "never back down" on friday. kinda stupid movie but sort of entertaining. i saw "doomsday" yesterday. yuck. what a shitty shitty movie.

The Workout:

Deadlifts
- free hand squats and side lunges x 8 reps each
- 135 lbs x 2 reps
- 185 lbs x 2 reps
- 225 lbs x 1 rep
- 275 lbs x 1 rep
- 315 lbs x 1 rep x 5 sets
- 185 lbs x 11 reps
felt pretty good. my problem with 315 is that i cant clear it with an over-over grip. my new goal is to be able to do this with an over-over grip. i did not used straps on the first 2 sets. sets 3+ i used wrist straps. APT all the way

Bulgarian Squats
- 50 lbs x 7 reps x 2 sets

Hyperextensions
- BW x 8 reps x 2 sets
- Static Hold for 1 minute
the static hold was painful as i tried my very best to squeeze my glutes.

Ab Work
- Superset of Hanging Leg Raises and Overhead Plate Sidebends for 10 reps x 2 sets and 10 lbs x 10 reps x 2 sets respectively

Grip Work
- Dumbbell Static Holds w/ 70 lbs for 45 seconds x 2 sets
- EZ Bar Curls w/ 70 lbs x 6 reps x 2 sets

Bench Press Day - Cycle 10

Bench Press Day
Cycle 10

Overall Impression:

spring break begins as of tomorrow (today was last day of classes)!!! on a side note: i hate bench press workouts

The Workout:

Bench Press
- 185 lbs x 2 reps
I'm doing this exercise after over a month. it felt so weird and strange to me....it wasnt too good on my shoulders either. its ok though. im gonna be doing bench presses for sets of 10 (probably 2x10) from next time. i just want to do this lift so as not to forget how to do it. if it were up to me id just do away with this...

Pull-ups
- 5 reps x 5 sets = 25 reps @ 2 minute Rest Intervals
this was pretty hard. next time im going to do 5 sets of 3 reps with some weight. i just want to see how this goes. its not possible to constantly improve on pull-ups so im not too die-hard about this. as long as i dont become too weak on these its ok. but i reckon my pull-ups are suffering a bit because of the shitty diet ive had today....ive barely eaten any food today.

Seated Unilateral Dumbbell Shoulder Press and Hammer Grip Pull-ups Superset
- 55 lbs x 5 reps x 2 sets and 6 reps x 2 sets respectively @ 2 minute rest intervals
i think the bench press messed me up on my uni presses. its ok. next time ill take 50 and do 10 reps and set a new PR.

Dips and Bent Arm Pull-overs Superset
- 6 reps x 3 sets and 45 lbs x 7 reps x 3 sets respectively
i hope my triceps get huge soon. haha

Ab Work
- Circuit Training 2 Circuits
3 exercises: Hanging Leg Raises 10 reps, Overhead Plate Side Bends 10 lbs x 10 reps and Front Plate Squats 25 lbs x 6 reps

Shoulder Prehab Work
- Dip Shrugs

Squat Day - Cycle 10

Squat Day
Cycle 10

Overall Impression:

spring break is next week....im spending first 5 days with my gf here in san antonio so ill be working out but then im in Dallas for the rest of the time so y'all wont see any updates till i come back.

The Workout:

Squats
- 255 lbs x 2 reps x 4 sets @ 3 minute rest intervals
- 185 lbs x 12 reps @ 4 minute break after last 245 set
255 felt like i ton on my back wtf...and 185 was tough too. good thing is that im using a slightly wider stance and im focussing on my "hips" a lot. but it was weird. why was 255 so damn difficult?

Unilateral Romanian Deadlifts
65 lbs x 6 reps x 2 sets

Regular Romanian Deadlifts
135 lbs x 10 reps x 1 set
light

Ab Work
- Hanging Leg Raises superset with Overhead Plate Side Bends = 10 reps x 2 sets and 25 lbs x 10 reps x 2 sets respectively
I love ab work...

Grip Work
- Barbell Curls = 65 lbs x 6 reps x 2 sets

Shoulder Prehab Work
- Dip Shrugs

Military Press Day - Cycle 10

Military Press Day
Cycle 10

Overall Impression:

weighed in at 170 again. today was a sort of alright workout. im not too happy though. kinda disappointed, actually.

The Workout:

Standing Barbell Military Press
- bar x 5 reps x 2 sets
- 95 lbs x 3 reps
- 125 lbs x 2 reps
- 135 lbs x 1 rep
- 145 lbs x 1 rep
- 155 lbs x 1 rep
- 165 lbs x 0 fail
- 165 lbs x 0 fail
- 135 lbs x 5 reps
Ok, so I rested for 3-5 minutes between each set. between the two attempts at 165, i rested for 5 minutes. i felt awesome on the warm-ups. the bar practically felt weightless up even till 155. i just threw the weight up. my elbows were ahead of the bar - everything! but then, 165 got stuck at midpoint and i wasnt able to press it out. on the second attempt, i kinda push-pressed it but then stopped midway because i realized its bad form and the weight got stuck again fuck.

EDT Training @ 15 minute Time Block
- Dumbbell Rows @ 70 lbs = 10 + 10 + 9 + 8 + 8 + 10 = 55 reps (+7 from last time)
- Dumbbell Press @ 60 lbs = 10 + 10 + 9 + 7 + 6 + 7 = 49 reps (+7 from last time)
this really made me almost puke

Facepulls
- 70 lbs x 12 reps x 2 sets

Ab Work
- Hanging Leg Raises superset with Front Plate Squats = 12 reps x 2 sets and 25 lbs x 12 reps x 2 sets respectively

Deadlift Day - Cycle 10

Deadlift Day
Cycle 10

Overall Impression:

ok so today's workout....i weighed in at 170 again...my hams and glutes and abs were sore as hell. i have no clue why. last workout i got massive cramps on both my hams so i was limping for most of yesterday and friday.

The Workout:

Deadlifts
- free hand squats and side lunges x 8 reps each
- 135 lbs x 2 reps
- 185 lbs x 2 reps
- 225 lbs x 1 rep
- 275 lbs x 1 rep
- 295 lbs x 1 rep
- 315 lbs x 1 rep
- 335 lbs x 1 rep
- 365 lbs x fail
- 315 lbs x 1 rep
- 295 lbs x 1 rep x 3 sets
i have videos of 315 and 335...rest interval was 3-4 minutes. nothing short of 3 minutes at all.

Bulgarian Squats
skipped

Cable Pull Throughs
- 70 lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets

Glute Ham Raises
- BW x 4 reps x 2 sets
light and easy

Ab Work
- Superset of Hanging Leg Raises and Front Plate Squats for 8 reps x 2 sets and 25 lbs x 8 reps x 2 sets respectively
worked up quite a sweat with this...

Grip Work
- Hammer Curls = 45 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set

Bench Press Day - Cycle 9

Bench Press Day
Cycle 9

Overall Impression:

last day of deload. i skipped my wednesday squat day. i had a lot of stuff to do...so i decided to do my squats today. from next week onwards the program's gonna have a slight twist. lets hope i continue to get stronger bit by bit. i weghed in at 171 lbs today...this is weird as hell..

The Workout:

Squats
- 225 lbs x 7 reps x 2 sets
woosh....tiring as hell

Seated Unilateral Dumbbell Shoulder Press
- 35 lbs x 18 reps x 2 sets
this REALLY killed me....i wish i had taken 30's instead...would've been an easy 20 lol

Pull-ups
- 5 reps x 2 sets
boring

Ab Work
- Hanging Leg Raises and Front Plate Squats superset = BW x 8 reps x 2 sets and 25 lbs x 6 reps x 2 sets respectively

Military Press Day - Cycle 9

Military Press Day
Cycle 9

Overall Impression:

deload week...

i weighed myself in today. 180 lbs. wow.....actually: HOW??

so now im worried...if i weigh 180 (but this is after ive eaten a SHITLOAD of food today plus more than a gallon of water), and i have an Overhead Press of 160, then 160 is only 89% of my BW which sucks because being at 170 and pressing 160 is far more impressive shit

good news is that the new weight which i have gained isnt bad...i look good...kinda "swollen" up but i dont feel "bloated"....i feel fine...

The Workout:

Standing Barbell Military Press
- 135 lbs x 3 reps x 3 sets
so quite a lot of things to note:
forgot to wear a belt on set 1 and i kinda strained my lower back on rep 3...but then i stretched for like 3 minutes, put on a belt and knocked out 3 easy. i think more than the belt i got so carried away by the music in my ear i forgot what i was doing...as in, i got lost in the song lol....has this happened to anyone? when you are doing an exercise but your mind goes off to some place else (in my case it was a gorgeous beach in Bali) and then right at the last leg of the lift you snap back to reality and you're like "wow...im handling a lot of weight i better pay attention"?

Hammer Grip Pull-ups
- 3 reps + 4 reps + 5 reps = 12 reps
this was done with a twist. i held each rep at the top for 2 seconds and at the bottom for 2 seconds. on the last rep of each set i held myself up for 15 seconds and i kept my feet extended like i would if i were doing hanging leg raises...my whole body was trembling lol...felt awesome!

Facepulls
did not do

Ab Work
did not do

Deadlift Day - Cycle 9

Deadlift Day
Cycle 9

Overall Impression:

deload week....time to rest

The Workout:

Deadlifts
- 255 lbs x 5 reps
easy

Bulgarian Squats
didnt do

Glute Ham Raises
- BW x 6 reps x 2 sets

Ab Work
- Big 4 Circuit for 12 reps x 2 sets
Big 4 Exercises:
1.) Overhead Side Bends (10 lbs)
2.) Hanging Leg Raises (BW)
3.) Front Plate Squats (25 lbs)
4.) Plate Side Bends (45 lbs)
worked up quite a sweat with this...

Grip Work
- didnt do

Bench Press Day - Cycle 8

Bench Press Day
Cycle 8

Overall Impression:

i really didnt want to go to the gym today but i dragged myself to it and i think today's workout was great!

on another note: next week is gonna be a deload week. the plan is relatively simple.
Deadlift Day = take 250 and do 3-5 reps, do 1 set of bulgarian squats, a little bit of ab work and we're done
Military Press Day = 135 for 3x3 light + a couple of sets of rows and bench press
Squat Day = take my 8RM (225 lbs) and knock out 2 sets of 7 reps and then do some ab work
Bench Press Day = high rep (20+) dumbbell overhead work plus some pull-ups

The Workout:

Pull-ups
- 5 reps x 5 sets = 25 reps @ 2 minute Rest Intervals
this was a lot of fun actually....i dunno why though..it just felt really good

Seated Unilateral Dumbbell Shoulder Press and Hammer Grip Pull-ups Superset
- 50 lbs x 9 reps x 2 sets and 6 reps x 2 sets respectively @ 4 minute rest intervals
big new PR for the uni presses...im glad i took those 4 minutes to rest because no way i would've been able to nail it otherwise....reps were nice and deep. i stop when the dumbbell touched my shoulder. so its almost as if each rep is done from a dead halt at my shoulders. i tried out hammer grip pull-ups after a long time and i think they were pretty good..

Dips and Bent Arm Pull-overs Superset
- 6 reps x 3 sets and 50 lbs x 6 reps x 3 sets respectively

Ab Work
- Overhead Squats
I decided to try these out....ive never done them and i took a video of me doing them (one of my last sets)..i think i actually suck at these but with time i should be better...i hope.

Shoulder Prehab Work
- Internal + External Rotations
- Dumbbell Press Plus
- Push-up Plus
- Overhead Shrugs
Ok, so the thing with the overhead squats was, i held the bar with a pretty narrow grip because my shoulders did not feel comfortable using a wide grip. now, because of this, i got scared for my shoulders and i decided to do some prehab work and i did a couple of sets of high reps (15+) of all the exercises above.