Squats
345 x 5
390 x 3
435 x 1

Dumbbell push press
80 x 3, 3
100 x 3
110 x 5, 4 (left side)
Harder to keep balance on my left. Part of that is the dumbbell I'm using, but awkwardness is a good thing here.

SSB squats
305 x 10, 10

Wide bench press
35 x 73, 40, 50
Pec rehab. Trying to get a chest pump.

Fun little punch-the-clock workout.

Friend had to cancel the trip for personal reasons, so I'm back to training Tuesday as usual. Holding off a deload until comp week.

Bench press
Up to 185
Pec tendons hurt really bad.

Incline bench
Up to 225
Same deal. Called it quits here.

Went back down in the yard 10 minutes later and messed around with some dumbbell push presses. Felt great. Gonna make these my staple. Plan on maxing them out tomorrow with squats for one crazy training sessions before two days of rest on my trip.

Hill sprints 3x and then the usual 10 minute jog afterwards. Having fun with cooking today. Tonight's dinner are low-carb portobella mushroom pizzas: http://www.muscleandfitness.com/nutrition/healthy-recipes/portobello-pizzas

Not cheat day tomorrow. I'm leaving Sunday night to spend two days with a friend up north and want a splurge day then.

Map pulls (5)
485 x 3, 3, 0
405 x 15
Well, an improvement over 0, but that's not saying much. The narrow stance is helping, though. Ending the exercise on little victories by shooting for rep PRs with 405.

SSB squats
335 x 3 x 5

Fasted walk today. Scale isn't working. Hopefully it's just out of batteries. Not doing anything for Christmas Eve but I'm looking forward to my first ever Christmas lifting session tomorrow thanks to my home gym. Had a good kabob dinner last night with extended family visiting. Played a host of Dreamcast games with my cousins and I'm pretty sure Soul Calibur counts as some type of training.

Yesterday:

Overhead press
222 x 1, 2
First time pressing heavy overhead since my injury. We'll see what happens next week when I retry.

Close-grip bench press
245 x 5 x 10
Ugh, pec tendons are really hurting. Almost didn't do this but they felt a little better after the first set.

Weighted chin-ups
70 x 5 x 10

Dumbbell push press
80 x 1, 5
Fooled around with this. Was hard at first because the weight plate dug into my shoulder unlike what a thicker dumbbell would do but after a set I got the hang of it and repped it out pretty easily. 90 next week. Pleased with this after taking the bench sets close to failure several times.

Squats
320 x 3
365 x 3
410 x 3

SSB squats
305 x 10, 8, 8

Bench press
270 x 5
310 x 3
345 x 1
Everything felt heavy today. X3 was hard, only hit 345 because of my disproportionate fast-twitch strength. Probably from benching three times this week. Pec tendons hurt, too.

Overhead press
155 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Was way of this but I survived.

Lying dumbbell rows
150 x 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

Kettlebell preacher curls
50 x 7, 7, 5

Band pull-aparts

I notice that Untamed Strength is having a free open gym session this Saturday. Would really benefit me to go and get some actual practice in if it wasn't far.

Mat pulls (5)
485 x 0, 0, 0
405 x 13
Psychologically could not pull the trigger. Gonna reset back to 9. Played around with my form, viewing deadlift tutorials by Emevas and powerlifting to win, and found a teaser of success with a very narrow stance and more precise foot alignment with the bar. Not enough to break mental barriers but that will come with refreshed brainpower another day keeping what I learned about technique in mind. I had tried narrow for a day last year and it didn't help/felt wrong, but today things seemed to click with achieving better leg drive.

SSB squats
330 x 3 x 5

Fooled around with some light high pulls and cleans between squat sets. Don't need to worry about wrist flexibility like normal-bar Olympic lifts, thankfully. Not gonna fret about going continental, either; 225 or even 250 if I don't make weight is comfortable weight for me.

Tried to overhead press. Stopped at 165 because it didn't feel right. Maybe I could have gone the whole way without reinjury but maybe not, and I'm not keen on another inactive week when I can bench fine now.

Incline bench
200 x 10, 10, 10

Close-grip bench
250 x 8, 8, 8

Dumbbell rows
150 x 5 x 8
130 x 10
> Done right out in the pouring rain. Didn't give a fuck.

Curls

Squats
300 x 5
345 x 5
390 x 5

SSB squats
305 x 3 x 8

Deadlifts
375 x 2
> Neck wasn't feeling it, had to stop.

I'm back! Neck still has some pain but I have mobility again. Still need to be careful and I've learned my lesson about overhead pressing until I'm completely better.

No noticeable upper-body strength loss in my week off. May have gained some fat weight from increased carbs and liberal eating, though I'm always solid on protein intake. Will weigh myself tomorrow.

Bench press:
255 x 3
290 x 3
325 x 3

Close-grip bench:
245 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 9

Weighted chins:
70 x 5 x 12
No weight: 25

6.5 minutes of curls, rear delts, external rotations

Worsened my injury when warming up with 65 pounds for overhead pressing. Going to up my calorie intake now because it could be a while before I'm able to train.

Attempted overhead pressing today. Couldn't really get past warm-ups, but this is the first day when I've noticed improvement in mobility. Will try again tomorrow. There seems to be nerve damage with lost sensation on the right side of my neck.

Sunday

Squats
305 x 5

This was all I could manage due to my neck. 345 wasn't happening.

This was on Saturday.

Bench press
235 x 5
270 x 5
310 x 5

Overhead press
155 x 10, 10, 10
> Tweaked neck/lower trap very badly. This is practically happening every month. Be strict about doing neck exercises.

Lying dumbbell rows
150 x 10, 10, 8, 9

Couldn't physically finish the rest so did some light stuff.

Band pressdowns, slow chin-ups, curls

One hour walk in the pouring rain yesterday. Got soaked and had to put away my wireless headset to protect it, so no podcasts. Goddamn, this stuff is boring on its own!

Mat pulls (5)
485 x 2, 2, 0

At a bit of a loss. I trained hungry again, but this discrepancy still seems crazy. Going to fill up and try one more set in the evening, plus squats.

Trained in rain and mud again. Miserably enjoying it in a mental exercise type of way, especially after listening to WWI combatants living in sopping wet trenches for months at a time from my history podcasts.

Overhead press
162 x 5
182 x 5
207 x 5
> 5 week is always the toughest, probably more because my fast-twitch makeup has always been disproportionately good at the 1-3 rep range. Struggled to get the 5th.

Close-grip bench:
242 x 5 x 10

Weighted chins:
70 x 6 x 12
> Rain and mud kept me from getting a good grip so I landed my feet between every rep and increased the volume to compensate. Healthier on my pec tendons anyway.

8 minutes of rear delts, external rotators, curls

Deload

Squats
180 x 5
225 x 5
270 x 5

SSB squats
215 x 2 x 8
220 x 8

Deadlifts
285 x 8

One downside of having an outdoor gym...training in this.

Deload

Bench press
145 x 5
180 x 5
215 x 5

Overhead press
105 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Lying dumbbell rows
100 x 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

Mat pulls (6)
485 x 7
> Form fell apart and was using mostly back. Trained hungry and just felt like I had no gas. It's good for a bad day, though.

Deload

SSB squats
240 x 3 x 5

Had a nice Persian dinner with family last night so for Thanksgiving I'm just training and killing Nazis with some Russian players on Day of Defeat. It's novel to have my own gym to train in on holidays.

Deload

Overhead press
102 x 5
122 x 5
147 x 5

Close-grip bench press
162 x 10, 10, 10, 10 ,10

Weighted chin-ups
70 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
No weight
10

Squats
335 x 5
380 x 3
425 x 1
405 x 3
> Did both second week and third week. Pretty good. Injured quads have forced me to use more posterior chain and it's actually making me a much better squatter. As a result, they're starting to feel a little better too.

SSB squats
300 x 8, 8, 8

Deadlifts
370 x 8

My dinner tonight was unexpectedly carby so I took an hour and a half to enjoy a walk afterwards. Spent my Saturday night strolling through the woods listening to a history podcast about WW1.

Bench press
270 x 5
305 x 3
340 x 2
> Matched my all-time best while 20 lbs lighter. Felt so light that I almost went for a third.

Overhead press
152 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Lying dumbbell rows
150 x 8, 8, 8, 10, 10
130 x 12
> Found a use for my lighter bar by loading it as a counterweight to hold on to. I'm an idiot for not doing this before. Should give my torso a break from all the twisting and heal my sides up.

8 minutes curls and rear delts

Mat pulls (7)
485 x 10
> Getting really good with the hip hinge. Shoulders still shift forward though. It's really hard to stop that. It doesn't make a difference now but it fucks with me when I get to the floor, although since I didn't film any of my last cycle I'm probably doing it less by being so conscious of it. Hopefully I'm good with the form I have, but I'll keep working on it.


SSB squats
320 x 5, 5, 5

SSB holds
510 x 20, 15, 20

Trained in the rain but it didn't affect anything.

Weighed 211 yesterday.

Overhead press
180 x 5
205 x 3
230 x 1

Close-grip bench press
240 x 5 x 10

Weighted chin-ups
70 x 5 x 10
Floor contact: 15

Curls and rear-delts for 6 minutes

Forgot to record mat pulls, 485x9 off of 8 mats and then 315x3x5 SSB squats.

Squats
290 x 3
335 x 5
380 x 7

SSB squats
297 x 8, 8
305 x 8

Deadlifts
365 x 8

Planks
25, 25, 25, 15

Quads felt like glass at first and I was about to call it quits after tweaking my back at 335, but something made me try anyway. 380 ended up feeling lighter than 335, and my quads felt fine with the wide stance (not sure if I went even wider than before because I was already going wide). Might need a longer warm-up.
Back hurts but it's one of those things that'll be better in a day or two, no big deal. Was still good for deadlifts without a belt.

Bench press
250 x 3
285 x 3
320 x 4
> Happy to be this strong while cutting. If only my lower body was the same, haha.

Overhead press
150 x 5 x 10

Lying dumbbell rows
150 x 9, 9, 8, 8
130 x 8, 8

6 minutes of rear delts and biceps

Overhead press
170 x 3
295 x 3
220 x 3

Close-grip bench press
237 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Weighted chin-ups
70 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Weightless
20

Band pull-aparts
50

Curls

Squatted 385x4 on Saturday. Quads were sore again. Try again next time.

Spent the last three days with my girlfriend who was visiting. Had a blast and ate lots of food. Tomorrow starts the hard work again.

Bench press
235 x 5
270 x 5
305 x 5

Overhead press
150 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 9

Lying dumbbell rows
150 x 8, 8, 8, 8, 8,
130 x 9

Curls

Everything felt heavy today, but maintaining is still very satisfactory considering how much weight I've lost.

Forgot to mention I used the 70 lb backpack yesterday to do assisted neck crunches.

Sprinted 3 times on Heart Attack Hill and went for a 10-minute walk afterwards.

Weighed 213 this morning. Now is when I'm first starting to think "Wow, I'm pretty light."

Mat pulls (9)
485 x 11
Even though my technique failed at the floor it's clear my back has gotten much stronger from last cycle. This felt stupid light. Still side pain from my rowing injury if I twist but it's slowly healing.

SSB squats
315 x 3 x 5
Quads hurt like hell if I don't go wide, keep that in mind. Really don't want to be stuck with box squats for a year again.

SSB holds
510 x 20, 15

Planks
25, 25, 25

Overhead press
160 x 5
180 x 5
205 x 5
> Struggled on the last rep.

Close-grip bench press
235 x 5 x 10

Weighted chin-ups
70 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Weightless
20

Rear-delts and curls for 5 minutes

Deload

Squats
175 x 5
220 x 5
265 x 5
> Quads are hurting from three weeks of pause squats, aggravating that old injury. Started going wider and they felt better. Don't go ATG.

212 x 3 x 10
> Forgot to use the SSB.

Deadlifts
275 x 8

Some more form checking. Slight leaning forward as I lift the bar up but it's getting better and my shoulders don't go over the bar. Would probably help to think about jumping backwards with my feet. Also, I went Super Saiyan, which helped.

Deload

Bench press
140 x 5
175 x 5
210 x 5

Overhead press
100 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Bent-over dumbbell rows
100 x 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

Chin-ups
10

Saved cheat day for Halloween. Now I'm bloated and carbed up on butcher shop sandwiches and Americone Dream ice cream. This is the first year in awhile that I didn't do anything but I had just as much fun playing online games with the girlfriend instead.

Now that's a party.

Been raining and my stuff is getting wet. The tarp covering my bars keeps blowing off. Need to figure out better forms of shelter, like storing my bars under the patio in the corner.

Deload

Deadlifts
315 x 5

SSB squats
240 x 5, 5, 5

Deload

Overhead press
95 x 5
120 x 5
145 x 5

Close-grip bench press
160 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Weighted chin-ups
65 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Chin-ups
10

Squats

412 x 3

> Meant to do 415 but accidentally used a 2.5 on one end.

SSB squats
297 x 3 x 10

Deadlifts:
365 x 8
> 245 is too light, need some heavier weight to practice keeping back with.

Forgot to record deadlift day, 475x1. Having a serious problem of not being able to lean back, so I'm practically doing a Romanian deadlift.

Bench press
265 x 5
300 x 3
335 x 2

Dumbbell rows
150 x 8, 8, 8

Overhead press
147 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Weighted chin-ups
65 x 10, 10
Without weight:
20

Behind-the-neck pull-aparts
50

Kurls

Weighed 215.2 today. Have lost 2 and a half pounds in two weeks, which is exactly what I want. Didn't even count my calories or macros,  who knew that was possible.

Overhead press:
180 x 5
202 x 3
227 x 2
> Great progress.

Weighted chin-ups:
65 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Close-grip bench press:
235 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 9

Chin-ups (no floor contact):
20
> I was impressed by this until I remembered how much weight I've lost.

Curls to failure

Skipped my cheat day today, just didn't feel junk food cravings like I usually do.

Fasted walk in the morning. Knees are feeling a little beat up.

Squats:
305 x 3
350 x 3
395 x 3
> Legs felt sore. I was getting a ton of leg drive yesterday with rows, I should configure the set-up.

SSB squats
295 x 3 x 10

Deadlifts:
245 x 25
> Really concentrated on keeping behind the bar and falling back.

Bench press:
245 x 3
280 x 3
315 x 4
• Warm-ups felt heavy and ultimate set felt light. Anytime warming up feels like a ton of bricks I take it as a good sign. Seriously, 280 made me wonder if I'd even get 315 twice.

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
130 x 8, 8
140 x 8, 8, 8
•No floor contact, I want to do more tension-maintaining for my lats.

Overhead press:
145 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Chin-ups:
35

Behind-the-neck band pull-aparts:
50

Kettlebell curls
50 x 5

7 minute cooldown jog

Able to fit in size 34 pants now very comfortably. I like how my picture-taking a decade ago was superior because the prevalence of using point-and-shoot cameras instead of phones allowed for a non-mirror, timer shot. Progress!

Mat pulls (2):
475 x 3, 1
> Filmed my last rep out of suspicion that I'm not getting leg drive like I should. Thankfully nobody reads this to see my goofy faces, haha.

Starting position:


Once I actually start to pull up:


Bar starts to come off the ground:



It appears that I'm not keeping my core and glutes tight enough to power the bar up with leg drive, causing excessive hip ascension before the bar has even moved. Much more importantly, though, I'm not falling back with the weight, instead letting the bar pull me forward. My shoulders start aligned and then move out in front as the bar languishes back.

Just going to accept my losses this cycle and move to the floor next week. Since I've done this for two weeks I still got 8 reps at this height in total.

SSB squats:
310 x 3 x 5
> Last rep paused.

SSB holds:
470 x 15, 20 secs
> This felt really light.

Overhead press:
165 x 3
190 x 3
215 x 3

Weighted chin-ups:
60 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Close-grip bench press:
232 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Chin-ups:
15

Curls for the gurls

Squats:
285 x 5
330 x 5
370 x 6
• I was right to remove the sleeves. Training without them and doing pause squats is changing my course for the better.

SSB squats:
290 x 10, 10, 8

Deadlifts:
245 x 25

Planks:
3 x 25 secs

Ran hills yesterday with a short jog after.

Bench press:
230 x 5
265 x 5
300 x 6
> Last rep was extremely hard-fought.

Overhead press:
142 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Lying dumbbell rows:
150 x 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

Chin-ups:
35

Behind-the-neck band pull-aparts:
50

Kettlebell curls:
Biceps were tired so I'd do one rep every minute or so up to 4 each side.

Weighed 217.8 this morning. 20 lbs lost since July.

Mat pulls (2):
475 x 3, 1
> Disappointing after my strong streak, will try this depth one more time next week before I move to the floor.

First rep felt strong and then my back would suddenly feel weak.

Even coming from a deload, I wonder if doing SSB pause squats beltless, heavy dumbbell rows bent over, and having poor posture is preventing me from recovering. If I twist to the side I still feel a dull soreness on the sides of my back (not obliques but nearer the lumbar) that I've had ever since those 190 lb dumbbell rows two weeks ago.

Or I could just be a weak fuck.

SSB squats:
310 x 5, 5, 5
> Last reps paused.

SSB holds:
470 x 15, 15

Hungry hour-long walk in the afternoon and about 8 minutes of DDP yoga and a little foam rollig tonight. Back is starting to hurt from sitting again, watch out for that.

Overhead press:
157 x 5
180 x 5
202 x 5
> Did my annual trap/neck strain on the middle set, so annoying. Didn't let it affect my work effort, which was easy. Warm-ups felt heavy, heavy sets felt light.

Close-grip bench press:
230 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
> Switched the assistance exercise with bench day in an effort to boost my lagging bench press by pressing horizontally twice a week. Felt WAY heavier without having benched maximally beforehand. First two sets were hard, next two were easy, last started easy but got hard and I had to struggle to lockout the final rep.

Weighted chin-ups:
60 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
> Backpack strap broke off. Tried a gym back, couldn't get both arms through the handles and one broke off again. Found a blue Adidas backpack in the closet and put the broken weight-containing backpack inside. Much more comfy than my old pack. Make sure to minimize picking it up by the arm straps, opt for top handle instead.

Chin-ups (no foot contact):
15

Kettlebell preacher curls:
50 x 4

Making an effort to minimize extra volume while cutting. I think I'm finding that high rep light stuff isn't helping if I'm not eating to grow.

Deload

Squats:170 x 5
215 x 5
255 x 5

SSB squats:
210 x 3 x 8

Trained in 95 degree heat outdoors yesterday and today, not too bad though.

Deload

Bench press:
140 x 5
180 x 5
220 x 5

Close-grip bench press:
157 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
100 x 10, 10, 10, 8, 8

Chin-ups:
10

Went hiking with George at Russian Ridge after, an old favorite.

Mat pulls ( 3 ):
475 x 7
• Belt was way loose, barely felt like it did anything. Makes me a little excited about this. I'll tighten it for next week and aim for 8 again, though I'll be happy pulling 7 off the floor ultimately.

SSB pause squats (deload):
220 x 3 x 5

Not too sure about the merit of heavy pulls mixed with my deload week but I don't want to interrupt the cycle and it doesn't seem to be harming recovery.

Fasted walk in the morning with whey dissolving in my mouth. Not going to try to push weight loss too hard on deload weeks, so just walks and no hill sprints.

Deload

Overhead press:
95 x 5
120 x 5
140 x 5

95 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Weighted chin-ups:
60 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
No weight:
10

Squats:
320 x 5
365 x 3
405 x 1, 1, 1
• I've noticed that training with sleeves has made me weak coming out of the hole. SBDs are notorious for their rebound but I though I could avoid this by buying my exact size instead of one smaller like many do intentionally. I can tell they still make a difference, though. Going to save them for meets and for cases of knee pain.

SSB pause squats:
290 x 5, 5, 5
No pause: 10

Deadlifts:
245 x 25

Bench press:
235 x 5
270 x 5
310 x 4
> Maintaining, which isn't bad. It's the strongest I've ever been while losing weight. I can do better, though.

Close-grip bench press:
227 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 12

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
190 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Chin-ups:
36

Decline push-ups:
20, 15

Curls

Mat pulls (4):
475 x 8
> No sign of slowing down.

SSB squats:
150 x 30, 25, 25

SSB holds:
470 x 15, 15 secs

Planks

Neck isn't completely better one week later but I pretty much have full range of motion. What the hell was I doing in my sleep?

Overhead press:
175 x 5
200 x 3
225 x 1

140 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Weighted chin-ups:
60 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Incline skullcrushers:
50 x 12, 10

Preacher curls:
7
Two hands: 15

Band pull-apart:
50, 30

50 minute jog. Knees were a little achy. I don't do jogs more than once a month, anyway.

Did some accessory work that I didn't get around to yesterday.

Deadlifts:
245 x 25

SSB holds:
470 x 10, 20 secs

Squats:
300 x 3
340 x 3
385 x 3
> Experimented with taking my knee sleeves off for the final set because of a suspicion that they give me a bigger pump and hurt my endurance. Bad idea. The mechanics threw me off. Felt like I was falling forward. I am definitely weak, though, sleeves or not.

SSB squats:
280 x 3 x 10

Cut this short to meet up with a friend for the beach. Will do abs and RE deadlifts tonight.

Bench press:
235 x 5
270 x 5
310 x 4
• Very glad to be getting stronger while losing weight. Neck was annoying but I managed.

Close-grip bench press:
225 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
• I've actually never done volume like this with the bench press. When I consider that my bench is more or less 100 lbs over my overhead press this doesn't seem like a lot, but by benching standards it is for me.

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
150 x 9, 9, 9, 8, 8

Chin-ups:
35

Decline push-ups:
25

Preacher curls:
25 x 15

Yesterday (did 3 hill sprints and a jog, by the way) marked 10 years of this training log. I feel completely different as a person, but of course my numbers are nowhere where I would want 10 years of progress to be. I have naturally gravitated to habituating as a lifter, also in part to money, but I miss the martial arts every day. I surprised myself with how much I love grappling and seem to have an instinctive knack for it when I roll, without kissing my own ass too much. It'd be great to find some kind of cheap solution where I can train martial arts once or twice a week, else I'd just settle for lifting twice and focusing on fighting as a phase of my life. But I also want to expand my competitive lifting experience to more than just a power clean meet, too.

In short, I still want to do everything but am realistic about making priorities, respectively. Positive spin: I'm staying hungry.

Seriously fucked up my neck in my sleep. Can't turn my head to the right and I have to keep it tilted to the left like an asshole. Decided to teach it a lesson.

Mat pulls (5):
475 x 8
• Excellent. Made my neck a little bit worse. It was worth it.

SSB squats:
150 x 30, 20, 20

Couldn't do abs because of my neck, funny enough.

Overhead press:
165 x 3
190 x 3
210 x 3
• 7 lb improvement over when I work. Satisfactory considering I'm losing weight. Belt basically was a non-factor here because my waist is smaller but I haven't adjusted the screws yet, so it was pretty loose.

137 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Weighted chin-ups:
55 x 2 x 10
60 x 10, 10, 10

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
100 x 21

Incline skullcrushers:
50 x 13, 13

Kettlebell preacher curls:
50 x 8
Bilateral: 20

Band pull-aparts:
50, 40

70-minute walk early in the morning right after waking. No breakfast, but some whey protein in my mouth to dissolve. I'm convinced that anyone who hates long cardio or walking simply doesn't have good podcasts to listen to.

An example of a meal these days: 5 eggs, quarter slice of whole wheat toast, and a kiwi. Much less carbs than before but nothing crazy strict. It's really nice to not have to buy so much milk anymore.

Squats:
280 x 5
320 x 5
365 x 5
• Big reset, need to start hitting some reps. Some DOMS from high-rep squats on Thursday still.

SSB squats:
275 x 3 x 10

Squat holds:
420 x 15, 15 secs

Planks:
3 x 25

Bench press:
235 x 5
270 x 5
310 x 2, 3
• A holding pattern as I lose weight. Unfortunately, it's not a poundage I'm happy with.

Close-grip bench press:
222 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
150 x 9, 9, 8, 8, 8

Chin-ups :
38

Currently dealing with some kind of stomach virus. Seems mild, training and diet aren't compromised.

Actively intending to lose weight. I've cut out milk except peri-workout and am going lighter on the carbs in general. Nothing too strict yet.

Mat pulls ( 6 ):
475 x 8
> My strength gain is outpacing the removal of mats so that this feels notably easier every week.

SSB squats:
150 x 30, 20, 20

Squat holds:
420 x 10, 10

Did some yoga in the afternoon and a rep each side of Turkish get-ups with 25 lbs. When I was training at a gym I used to appreciate off-days, now I want to lift every single day.

Hour and a half walk all over Los Gatos after.

Feet still have aches but are starting to improve.

Not working this week. Way down to about 219 but I've maintained my pre-work number on this lift.

Overhead press:
155 x 5
175 x 5
200 x 5

135 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Weighted chin-ups:
55 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
No weight:
33

Kb unilateral incline skullcrushers:
50 x 10
25 x 13

KB bilateral curls:
50 x 20

Band pull-aparts:
40

Suffering from plantar fasciitis from wearing crappy boots at work. It's not too bad, just can't be on my feet too much. In the morning it's extremely painful and walking hurts, which is the telltale symptom. Can squat fine, though. Just need to rest up for a while.

Deload

Bench press:
145 x 5
180 x 5
220 x 5

Close-grip bench:
157 x 5 x 10

Dumbbell rows:
100 x 5 x 8

Chin-ups:
10

Mat pulls (7):
475 x 8
> Last time I tried this depth I got 3, but today it really didn't feel very different.

Deload SSB box squats:
240 x 3 x 5

My feet are killing me. If I stick with this job I need new boots ASAP. My $30 ones feel like hell.

I'm missing out on recording entries lately. Did 405x2 squats, felt like I was in shambles and that I needed a deload badly. I'm finding that happens with work. Need to make myself get more than 7 hours of sleep consistently.

Did a deload press day after, 140x5, 95x3x10, and chins 5x10 (holy crap, it's fun how easy these are after training with weighted pull-ups).

Bench press:
235 x 5
270 x 5
310 x 3
> Brutal work week and not quite enough sleep. Everything felt heavy today. Gonna give this cycle another go after a deload.

Close-grip bench:
220 x 5 x 10

Dumbbell rows:
150 x 9, 4 x 8

Chin-ups:
32, 10

Decline push-ups:
20, 15

Didn't get to record pressing 205x3 overhead this week. Work has been kicked up a notch and I've been gone from 6:30 to 5:30 lately. Despite using my back a ton I'm keeping on with the mat pulls.

Matt pulls (8):
475 x 8

SSB squats:
290 x 5, 5

Bench press:
235 x 5
270 x 5
310 x 4
> Twice as much as last week. Gotta hand it to patience, consistency, and doing the accessory work.

Close-grip bench press:
220 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
150 x 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

Chin-ups:
31

Behind-the-neck band pull-aparts:
30

Biceps get a lot of hard use at work so I'm only isolating them once a week. I like to double up two heavy brush bags on top of one another and do strongman carries to the truck with them instead of having a partner help me carry just one like is standard. It's brutal and my arms are screaming by the end.

Yesterday in particular was the hardest day I've worked. I'm glad it's not running me into the ground so that I feel shitty on the weekends. Still, I AM doing physical work 7 days a week with my weekends being my most effortful lifting days. I'll be careful about avoiding burnout.

I do recovery seriously and make sure I have relaxation time after work. Even ordered a 20 lb bag of epsom salt for hot baths, like a princess, and my sleep is good, 7-10 hours a night.

Mat pulls (9):
475 x 8
> Nice to have a strong showing after work. I used my back more than usual on the job, too.

SSB squats:
290 x 10, 8, 8

Planks and reverse crunches

Received my SSB today from EliteFTS. It was love at first sight. Can't wait to use it tomorrow.

Yesterday:

Overhead press:
203 x 3
> Same as last week. Had DOMS in my shoulders from benching. Haven't noticed any difference from creatine whatsoever but then again I never have, haha.

130 x 3 x 10

Weighted chins:
50 x 5 x 10

Kettlebell skullcrushers:
50 x 13, 13
25 x 20

Curls:
50 x 30

Squats:
310 x 5
360 x 5
405 x 2

Box squats:
323 x 8
303 x 8, 10

Squat holds:
445 x 10 secs, 15

Deadlifts:
233 x 20

Bench press:
235 x 5
270 x 5
310 x 2
> Feeling very weak lately. Failed a third, my safety bars worked well although since they only extend so far I have to direct the falling bar toward my face, which is harrowing.

Close-grip bench:
217 x 5 x 10

Dumbbell rows:
150 x 3 x 8
100 x 2 x 15

Chin-ups:
30
> Done in one set, though my feet hit the ground between reps.

Have started loading on creatine, hope it helps a little. I've noticed that going to the gym is a greater time investment so I care more about bad days compared to training at home.

Mat pulls,7:
475 x 3
> First time pulling after a work day. The decrease in performance is actually less than when I squat so I'm keeping this here and squats on the weekend. Will just have to get used to it.

Squats:
303 x 8, 5, 5

Goblet squats:
50 x 30

Reverse crunches

Used my SBD knee sleeves and deadlift slippers for the first time. Both were great. The slippers are basically socks with a rubber sole. Since extreme laziness is the aim here it would have been nice to have a stiffer material so I could just slide my feet in hands-free but they're still better than Chucks. The Metal ones look like they're pleather but their sizes seem small and they're $40.

Ordered a safety squat bar from EliteFTS while it was on sale. Also received a 50 lb bag of dextrose and 2 lb container of creatine in the mail. I hope I get under control once the novelty of a steady non-seasonal job wears off, haha.

Overhead press:
155 x 5
175 x 5
203 x 3, 3
> After lifting at work, this is just going to have to be a weak day. I'll try again next week. My shoulders and biceps get the most hammered at work so be sure to do extra tricep work.

127 x 3 x 10

Weighted chin-ups:
50 x 5 x 10

Unilateral kettlebell skullcrushers:
50 x 10
25 x 20
> Done with no rest.

Kettlebell curls:
50 x 25

Deload

Bench press:
220 x 5

Close-grip:
157 x 3 x 10

Chin-ups:
4 x 10

Did a deload press on Tuesday.

Back has been hurting lately so last night I removed the memory foam layer from my bed and it seems to be feeling better today.

Ordered a Texas power bar, SBD knee sleeves, and deadlift slippers.

Mat pulls (8):
475 x 8

Squats:
303 x 10, 9, 8

Good mornings:
173 x 10

Monster mini pressdowns:
70

Curls

Planks:
25, 25, 25, 20, 12

Left wrist has been in pain from work due to weeks of holding the rake wrong when doubling up to clamp leaf piles and muscling it tightly instead of just letting my arms hang loose to move things around. Kind of funny. Doing curls with the 50 lb kettlebell was a stupid idea today, but no pain is lingering now.

Overhead press:
145 x 5
170 x 5
200 x 7

142 x 5 x 10

Pull-ups:
10, 10Weighted:
45 x 6, 8, 10, 10

Row machine:
150 x 15

Decline push-ups:
20, 15

Incline skullcrushers:
40s x 10

Spider curls:
50s x 12, 10, 10

Bent-over lat raises:
20s x 20, 20

Squats:
315 x 3
Legs are just dead. I have a good idea, though. Box squat ROM progression with mats. Just need to buy more mats.

Bench press:
255 x 3
290 x 3
325 x 2
> Much stronger than a week ago.

Close-grip bench press:
215 x 5 x 10
> Only meant to do 3 but I felt too fresh to stop.

Chin-ups:
10
Weighted chin-ups:
25 x 8
45 x 8, 8
50 x 9, 10
> Holy crap, this barely felt any different from bodyweight. I think I'm going to be retarded and order that 150 lb weight vest.

Wide push-ups, curls for the girls, 6 minute cooldown jog

Definitely train both days on the weekends. At first I was worried about doing something physical 7 days a week but this felt like a luxury vacation.

Mat pulls ( 9 ):
475 x 8
> No rest pause this time. Pretty amazing considering how sore my back has been from lifting at work all day, but it's been great. Loading up the huge lumber tarps is like doing Atlas stones. I've stayed late on my own time to help other people with theirs just because it's so fun. Typically it's two people swinging a tarp into the truck/lumber dump but I insist on going solo.

Squats:
303 x 10, 8, 8

Tried to do GHRs with a couch and a barbell, respectively. Both failed miserably. I'm looking at a cool home GHR online that sits on the floor.

Home gym is a lifesaver for training while working. Still need to replace my barbell, gonna pester Play It Again again about it (they keep saying they'll call me to issue the trade-in and then never do, been going on for months now) and if that doesn't work I'll just splurge on a Texas power bar and leave them a scathing review (poor them, huh?).

Have lost 7 lbs because of my job, down to 227. Strength-wise, I got much weaker the first week and am now much stronger on the second (though not at pre-employment levels).

Overhead press:
165 x 3
190 x 3
210 x 2
> The attempted third rep was the closest I've ever come to locking something out but failing.

125 x 3 x 10

Chin-ups:
15, 15, 15, 10

Band pushdowns:
30

Slowly adding more stuff in every week. My body is getting used to the labor.

Squats:
365 x 5
400 x 1

Bench press:
235 x 5
270 x 5
290 x 3

Close-grip bench:
213 x 3 x 10

Chins:
30

Been working hard. First two days were absolutely brutal because of poor sleep (literally got 1 hour on one night), but forcing yourself to wake up at 5:30 and do manual labor will cure any insomnia problems fast and I'm able to sleep early now. When I'm rested it's all pretty easy.

 Trained yesterday. Much weaker but it's expected after a work day. I'd like to eventually wake up at 4 and train before work.

Press:
210 x 1

123 x 3 x 10

Chins:
45

Volume is very low, I'm just going for frequency right now.

Secured a job doing landscaping, starting tomorrow at 6:30. The increase in pay standards is very nice compared to Portland.

Squats:
320 x 5
360 x 5
405 x 2
> Everything felt so heavy. Could be a lack of sleep lately or just not doing enough volume, but tonight isn't the night to add to that since I'm only going to be sleeping 4 or 5 hours.

Squat drop-set:
325, 225, 135, 55 x 10

Been severely sleep-deprived but my girlfriend was visiting for 2 days so it was worth it. Made sure to train for 2 days beforehand and then spent the next 2 showing her around and going to Santa Cruz. My bench press didn't seem to suffer.

Bench press:
235 x 5
270 x 5
310 x 5

Close-grip bench press:
10, 10, 10, 10,

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
178 x 5, 5, 5, 5

Chin-ups:
15, 20

Mat pulls, 9:
475 x 8
> Finally made some weight move on this day. Had to pause after rep 5 because I forgot to put clips on the bar. Ultimately stopped for my back before I needed to start struggling. I'll have to learn how to hitch in the future.

Goblet squats:
50 x 51, 45, 45
> Hard because of soreness from yesterday. This made my upper-back feel it.

Overhead press:
155 x 5
175 x 5
203 x 5
> Weak day.

145 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
> Paradoxically this felt like air.

Chin-ups:
15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15

Kettlebell skullcrushers:
50 x 10, 12
Preacher curls:
50 x 12, 12
Two-hands:
20

Band pull-aparts:
100

Short jog

Deload

Bench press:
145 x 5
180 x 5
215 x 5

Close-grip bench:
157 x 5 x 10

Dumbbell rows:
120 x 5 x 5

Chin-ups:
10

Deload

Goblet squats:50 x 3 x 30

Deload

Overhead press:
90, 115, 140 x 5

100 x 5 x 10

Pull-ups:
5 x 10

Squats:
350 x 5
400 x 3
445 x 1

 Drop-set:
325, 225, 135, 65 x 10

Deadlifts:225 x 20

Bench press:
270 x 5
305 x 3
340 x 2
> First really great session at home. Matched my previous PR but with smoother, easier reps. I had a really weak OHP day so this came out of nowhere.

Chin-ups:
45

Close-grip bench press:
213 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
175 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Decline push-ups:
29
Flat:
15

Chest flyes:
20s x 20, 20
> I use two 10 lb plates held together in each with my wrists bent way back. It's uncomfortable but the weight is light enough to be safe and I figure I'm training wrist flexibility for cleans and front squats.

Kettlebell unilateral preacher curls:
50 x 12, 12, 12
> Still doing these on the couch, haha.

Band pull-aparts:
100

7 minute jog

Forgot to post this from Monday.

Press: 220 x 1

Incline bench press:
145 x 15
123 x 15, 15, 11, 12
33 x 50

Chin-ups:
90

Incline skullcrushers:
103 x 5
85 x 9, 8

Concentration curls:
25 x 20, 20

Goblet squats:
50 x 51, 41, 46

Went to Home Depot and picked up 18 patio pavers for deadlifts. Took a lot of trial-and-error finding the best spot for them. I could not find a part of the dirt in my yard that kept them totally flat and the barbell ended up rolling off each time. Finally I just lifted in the patio. My back has already been feeling bad from driving 200 miles in the past couple of days and continuously moving the equipment from area to area in the yard added to it all, and consequently I couldn't even break 485, then 405 off the mats with a plate underneath (making it a little below the knees, quite high). I'll try again another time.

Got my scale back from a friend. As I suspected, my bar weighs 33 lbs, so I've been adding the weight up correctly. As a side-note, I weigh 231 in the morning with shorts on, 235 mid-day with clothes and food in me.

Squats:
330 x 3
375 x 3
420 x 3

Drop-set:
325, 225, 135, 65 x 10
> Sometimes the first set is harder than it should and I can tell I won't make 3 sets, so I do the rapid-fire route.

Stiff-legged deadlifts:
315 x 10
225 x 15
123 x 30

Planks:
25, 25, 10

Bench press:
250 x 3
285 x 3
320 x 3

Chin-ups:
15 x 2

Close-grip bench press:
210 x 5 x 10

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
100, 150, 170, 170, 170 x 5

Facepulls, push-ups, curls, external rotations

Couldn't deadlift 475 yesterday. My body shut it down when it sense my back wasn't good for the lift.

Did hill sprints today.

Tweaked my neck yesterday while pressing. Need to train it directly somehow because this stopped happening when using a neck machine at the Portland gym.

I find myself really wanting to train on my rest days now that I have my own equipment, whereas before a break from the preparation of driving and contending with other people possibly using up equipment was welcome.

Overhead press:
165 x 3
185 x 3
210 x 3

145 x 3 x 10

Chin-ups:
110

Barbell skullcrushers:
105 x 10, 10, 8

Push-ups, curls, band pull-aparts

First real training session in my yard.

Squats:
305 x 5
350 x 5
400 x 5
> My bar likely weighs 33 lbs, so I compensated 12 lbs exactly with two 5s and pair of wrist weights. Everything felt like air today. Felt good for at least 3 more but didn't want to push my luck with my back. Belted up for every single set, warm-up and otherwise, just to be safe. It 100% made the difference.

322 x 3 x 10

Deadlifts:
225 x 20
> Did this in dirt. Ground was not completely flat but close enough. Quads were dying so this was actually hard.

Back felt great.

Drove to Santa Cruz and picked up a very nice bench for $40. Aside from finding a better way to do chin-ups (although my bag stand isn't too bad) and replacing my barbell I'm pretty much all set with the equipment side of things.

Woke up yesterday with my back much worse. Very debilitating. Today it's better and I was able to do a Tabata circuit of calisthenics and low-weight squats. I basically switched from 50 lb goblet squats, decline push-ups, and chin-ups, done 5 reps each over 10 minutes. I definitely underestimated myself. Even though I was breathing plenty hard the time seemed to speed by and I had a lot left in the tank. Will go for 15 next time. I wasn't exactly rushing to the set-up of each exercise, though, because of my back.

Gave overhead pressing a try today. Made it up to 160 before I called it quits because of my back. Ah well. Might do push-ups and goblet squats tonight, maybe even chin-ups off my punching-bag stand as well.

Discovered that my barbell is 81 inches, the women's standard, and therefore likely weighs 33 pounds. I measured because it felt a tad short to me. A longer bar would be helpful with the squat stand spacing. Tried to return it but they are out so I'll get a call in a couple of weeks. The young female manager who sold them to me in the first place was super nice but some older guy there was terse and rude. "They don't come in specific sizes" or something like that. He was contradicted when she looked up what they can order and confirmed that there was a 7.2-foot one. Wow, I guess it was just a coincidence that's exactly the size I asked about. What an idiot. I now know exactly who the Yelp reviewer was complaining about, haha.

I am using this one in the meantime, no biggie.

First day training at home was a bust, but thankfully it has nothing convincingly to do with my equipment. I was doing squats just fine until my back started to hurt at 350. It's possible that I might be unracking too cautiously. The stands have to be placed pretty far apart because the base actually gets in the way of my stance. It's not a big deal, just have to take an extra step during the walk-out, but I was a little paranoid about tripping. I will try seeing if I can squat within the base without hitting anything, too, but no real concerns here except for needing to remind myself to sit less in daily life.

Real buzzkill today, but I'm stoked about how well the stands worked and actually being able to lift heavy in my backyard. I'll see if I'm good for overhead pressing tomorrow, and then do my squat day with deadlifts the day after.

Squat stands came today. I was actually supposed to squat today but I had a little trouble tightening the bolts without a ratchet. After some trial-and-error throughout the day of mixing and matching pliers and wrenches to do the job best I was able to whip them together in 10 minutes. They are a little wobbly up-top by nature of them being stands (I read about and expected this) but the weight capacity is 750, so I'm not worried.

A different model with less weight allowance had an advantage of holding plates to weigh it down. It should be simple to lay them on the bottom, though, even with my two punching bags.

Last two targets before I'm done are an Iron Gym and a better bench. Since these adjust low enough to bench out of I can save space.

Went out and bought all the weight I need from a Craigslist seller. I have 665 with the bar now.





A few of the 45s are bigger than the rest, especially the ones I bought from the store. Currently using a large mason jar to collect the tears.

 Hill sprints, just 3 tonight. Short jog and walk after.

Picked up 205 lbs of weights, including a barbell, from Play It Again Sports. Came out to about $1 per pound. They only had a pair of 45s, otherwise I'd have bought more. I'm getting this thing started, although I have a lot to do still. My current Weider bench is utterly useless and definitely too small to bench off; the pins can't even accommodate the width of my grip and anytime I lie down on it I hear a tearing sound similar to Velcro from the padding coming off of the base.

What I can do currently: overhead press days except 3 and 1 week.
Next targets: compact squat stands, Iron Gym pull-up bar, 10s 5s and 25s, anymore 45s I can find deals online for.

Hm, I also need to sweep. Think I'm gonna go do that now, haha.

Goblet squats:
50 x 51, 45, 41

Planks:
25, 25, 25, 20, 20

Deadlifts:
345 x 5
390 x 5
450 x 5

RDLs, no floor contact:
315 x 8, 6
> Grip was the limiting factor here despite chalk (went double overhand).

About to head out to Costco. Will do squats and abs later tonight.

Overhead press:
145 x 5
170 x 5
200 x 7

142 x 5 x 10

Pull-ups:
10, 10Weighted:
45 x 6, 8, 10, 10

Row machine:
150 x 15

Decline push-ups:
20, 15

Incline skullcrushers:
40s x 10

Spider curls:
50s x 12, 10, 10

Bent-over lat raises:
20s x 20, 20

Deload

Squats:
185 x 5
230 x 5
275 x 5

225 x 2 x 10

Deadlifts:
210 x 5
260 x 5
315 x 5

Quads felt tired on just 225.

In the indefinite time that I'll be staying in CA I've decided to make an outdoor gym in my yard. I plan on cleaning the space over the weekend. Very excited at the prospect of abandoning public gyms.

Also, reading old entries makes me miss the punching bag, and martial arts in general.

Deload

Bench press:
140 x 5
177 x 5
212 x 5

CGBP:
165 x 2 x 10
155 x 3 x 10

Bilateral rows:
80s x 5 x 10

Deload

Goblet squats:
50 x 3 x 30

SLDLs:
50 x 2 minutes

Deload

Overhead press:
90, 115, 137 x 5

97 x 5 x 10

Pull-ups:
5 x 10

I can't tell if deloads just happen to have perfect timing or that it's my body reacting to the lighter weight and letting itself go, but I always feel terrible when I deload and appreciate the light weight. It could also be letting myself do more than usual on my last week.

Squats:
345 x 5
390 x 3
430 x 2
• One more than I expected and I might have been good for a triple. Considering I ended last cycle at 390x1 this was a very productive 3 weeks.

320 x 10, 9, 8

One-legged SLDLs:50 x 9, 9, 5
Two legs: 50 x 40

I'm sore as hell from the calisthenics yesterday and now my back is trashed, as well. Looking forward to the deload.

Bench press:
265 x 5
300 x 3
335 x 2
• Just what I was aiming for, almost back to my lifetime PR of 340x2 (which weirdly enough I did after a week of inactivity and misery due to my cyst). Both reps were smooth and fast, might have been able to eke out a triple.

Bilateral dumbbell rows:
130s x 10, 10
↓
Close-grip bench press:
210 x 10
225 x 10

Gym closed at this time, 8:30 (I thought it was supposed to be 9). Reuben, one of the two huge bodybuilder owners (he's friends with Ray Arde, the IFBB pro), asks me as he's closing up "Are you a powerlifter? You're lifting some heavy weight, man." It was cool to chat him up.

Slightly annoyed at the closing, though, I stopped at a nearby Ross to pick up some push-up handles to do calisthenics at home. No Iron Gym pull-up bar at this one, unfortunately, so I went to my old elementary school instead.

Push-ups:
132

Chins:
86

Then, finally, at home with my kettlebell:

Kettlebell preacher curls:
50 x 10, 10
Both hands: 15
Concentration curls with 25

Band pull-aparts:
70

Very long and hectic session but I know it's the extra effort that I'll benefit from.

Deadlifts:
390 x 5
440 x 3
490 x 1

Goblet squats:
50 x 50, 45, 40

Planks:
25, 25, 25, 20, 20

Overhead press:
172 x 5
197 x 3
217 x 4

140 x 5 x 10

Chin-ups:
10
Weighted pull-ups:
45 x 10, 6
Pull-ups:
3 x 10
>^^^Trying my luck with different stuff. Chins hurt my left hand still. Pulling with weight felt okay but don't want to strain.

Cable rows:
Entire stack x 10, 10

Slow skullcrushers, push-ups, curls, rear-delt flyes

Squats:320 x 3
365 x 3
410 x 3
> Everything is getting a little stronger. Felt strong, no rep was a grinder.

Deadlifts:
405 x 3
465 x 1, 2
> My left hand has been having problems when gripping underhand, first with chin-ups and now deadlifts. I strapped up and tried again, but didn't want to cut it too close with my back, which is still healing. I'm just going to count this as 3.

Squat drop-set:
320, 225, 135, 45 x 10
> Legs felt tired and I knew I couldn't do 3 sets of 10.

RDLs, no floor contact:
135 x 20

Leg curls:
150 x 15

Felt very "fresh" today, even when panting hard. Now at home I don't even feel like I trained.

Bench press:
245 x 3
280 x 3
315 x 4
> Getting a bit stronger. Or my 4-5RM covers a huge span. Either way, I'll take it.

Bilateral dumbbell rows:
130s x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Close-grip bench press:
205 x 10, 10, 10 9

Slow incline dumbbell press:
45s x 15

Decline push-ups:
26, 25, 12

Curls

Band pull-aparts:
75

Kettlebell goblet squats:
50 x 50, 40, 40

Bodyweight:
50

Able to sink deep despite my back.

Hurt my back deadlifting on Monday. Weight felt like air so I'm disappointed I didn't get to try out 465 for reps (got up to 405x3). The night before, I'd been at George's sitting down for 8 hours playing Netrunner, a card game, and my back was still stiff the next day.

Did hill sprints yesterday on my old haunt, Heart Attack Hill. No heart attack unfortunately.

Trained at 24 Hour today because my normal gym has a wack weekend schedule.

Overhead press:
150 x 5
170 x 5
207 x 6
> 135 on warm-up felt shockingly heavy but this came out very strong. It so flies in the face of lifters advising you to gauge how you feel warming-up.

137 x 5 x 10

Chin-ups of various grips:
5 x 10

Ton of bodybuilder-ish accessories with rowing machine, skullcrushers, push-ups, curls, rear-delt raises

Squats:
300 x 5
345 x 5
390 x 6
> 4 more than last time just from a deload.

320 x 10, 8

Deadlifts:
225 x 25
> I know it's only 225 but these were incredibly explosive today. Lots of "pop" off the ground.

Goblet squats:
50 x 50

RDLs:
50 x 55

Planks
3 x 25 seconds

Bench press:
230 x 5
265 x 5
300 x 5
> This didn't improve, and if anything has gotten even worse. Bar feels like it's going through quicksand at the very top so I'll try to concentrate on my triceps, even though it's probably just something cyclical.

It will be interesting to see if my 3 week is as strong as ever, and that I lose a lot of strength in greater rep ranges but remain as explosive as ever with 1-3. It would make sense given my genetics. I have experience coming back from inactivity to beast the 3 and 1 week in the bench press, but almost never the 5, so I'm eager to see a back-to-back comparison.

Oh, and I'm more than okay with 300x5 being a bad day.

Close-grip bench:
205 x 10, 10, 9, 7

Dumbbell rows:
125 x 5 x 10

Slow, wide incline dumbbell press:
45s x 15, 12, 10
> Amazing what you can make difficult if you want it to be.

Bilateral dumbbell Pendlay rows:
135s x 3 x 5

Might do rear-delts and biceps later. Shoulders felt a little achy while bench pressing, but pec-tendons feel fantastic.

Deadlifts:
335 x 5
390 x 5
440 x 5
> Bumper plates make this harder. Weight bounces and I have to reset every rep. But it's more fun.

Squats:
315 x 2 x 10

Second workout at night:

Goblet squats:
50 x 50

Kettlebell RDLs:
50 x 50

Planks and reverse crunches

Overhead press:
150 x 5
170 x 5
195 x 7
> A deload is totally what I needed. Two reps more than last time. In anticipation of this being a bad day I was going to reset everything by 10 lbs but I decided to go by Dan John's advice of changing only one thing at a time. Glad I wasn't afraid to fail (Emevas).

135 x 5 x 10

Chin-ups:
6 x 10

Slow skullcrushers:
40s x 10

Slow spider curls:
40s x 10, 8, 8

Rear-delt raises:
15s x 20

External rotations:
5 x 20

Deload

Bench press:
140 x 5
175 x 5
210 x 5
> New gym has no bench press stations (!) and the power rack was taken so I had to clean the bar up and lie back with it in the dumbbell area. How does a gym owned by an IFBB pro with Arnold posters on the wall have no bench press benches?

Incline bench:
145 x 5 x 10

Dumbbell rows:
80s x 5 x 10

Deload

Goblet squats:
50 x 30, 25, 25

SLDL:
50 lbs for 2 minutes

Yoga later.

Deload

Overhead press:
90, 115, 135 x 5

95 x 5 x 10

Squats:
390x1

Even warming-up with bodyweight my legs felt like lead. Been using my standing desk a lot in addition to walking a ton so I'm almost always on my feet during the days. Time for a deload, and maybe some laziness, haha.

Training at a new gym and it's pretty good. Owned by an actual IFBB pro. I can't stand the j-hooks in the rack, though. It's one attachment of 4 upward hooks and I can't lockout with the bar on my back fully until I finish walking out completely. However, it's quaint, quiet, has a trap bar (and I imagine I'd be able to bring my own bars), a heavy bag area, and $25 a month. Bumper plates as well.

Bench press:
230 x 5
265 x 5
300 x 5
> Strength is down. I wonder if infrequency, while non-consequential for a session or two, is starting to bite after too many times. That, or I'm losing weight from walking so much. Diet has been great, but I drink no milk except for breakfast before training now, in contrast to before.

Incline bench:
190 x 3 x 10

Various rows, push-ups, skullcrushers, and curls

Trained at 24 Hour. This one has no power rack, just squat racks. Don't like using the low benches to bench press.

Been doing a good deal of walking between my time hiking with Stephanie and taking advantage of our season passes to Six Flags.

Deadlifts:
335 x 5
390 x 5
440 x 4, 5
> Belt was too tight at first and my back hurt on the first set of 440. Loosening it up a notch actually felt a little too slack but my back felt better.

Squats:
317 x 3 x 10

Deadlifts:
230 x 25

GHR:
10

Overhead press:
150 x 5
170 x 5
197 x 5
135 x 3 x 10

Called it a day after that. I definitely need to deload.

Hike today up where I used to go here by my house. Went uphill for about 45 minutes at a pretty brisk pace before turning around. Legs are sore from squats but it wasn't a killer trek or anything, despite the fact that I used to be sucking air on this very same spot when I'd go with George years ago.

Squats:
320 x 3
365 x 3
410 x 3
> Last time I failed the minimum and got 2, so I repeated the day and plan on doing the same numbers next cycle. A lack of volume through accessory work has seemed to hurt my squat performance bad but I'm on the upswing.

315 x 3 x 10
> The cure for what ails.

Deadlifts:
225 x 25

Fat Gripz holds:
225

Bench press:
260 x 5
295 x 3
330 x 3

Cable rows:
200 x 15
260 x 10, 10
200 x 15

Incline bench press:
190 x 10, 10, 8, 7, 8

Bilateral umbbell rows:
100s x 10, 10

Curls and rear-delts

Trained at my old Los Gatos gym. They want $100 a month now. Looks like I'll be doing 24 Hour instead.

Been going on hikes. Yesterday I tried to sign up for 24 but it was too expensive because of initiation fees, even though I've already been a member before. I was also dismayed about not all clubs being accessible.

Deadlifts:
380 x 5
430 x 3
480 x 1

Squats:
315 x 10

Deadlifts:
225 x 20

Hurt my back doing squats somehow.

First session since the move. I've lost 5 lbs but not as much strength as I thought I would have. I probably didn't take into account all the physical labor I did packing, despite personal stress and poor diet.

Went to 24 Hour with my friend Stephanie, which I'm probably going to get a membership to again.

Overhead press:
170 x 5
195 x 3
215 x 3

135 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Chin-ups:
10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Incline skullcrushers:
45s x 10

Spider curls:
50s x 3 x 10

Rear-delts

Halfway through my trip. At Grant's Pass in a rest stop, feeling a little bored while I wait for my back to straighten out. They should set up squat racks here, maybe some punching bags as well.

Last day in Oregon. Diet has been poor but I've stocked up on snacks. Definitely lost a lot of weight. Spent around 26 hours packing with minimal sleep.

Spending the beginning of my last weekend with the loved one and trying my best to get my fill of things. I have been neglecting yoga the past several days. Make sure to do it tomorrow (today technically). Also didn't get to rear-delts today so maybe do some band pull-aparts along with that.

Leaving Oregon on Monday. Feeling blue about it.

Bench press:
245 x 3
280 x 3
315 x 4
> DOMS from skullcrushers. Still happy with this, despite failing a 5th. Pec-tendon hurt, but always feels better a minute or two after the heavy sets.

Incline bench:
187 x 5 x 10
> Made my pec feel much better, strangely.

Lying one-hand cable rows:
170 x 5 x 10
200 x 15 (Fat Gripz + straps)
> Wow, I should have just used straps the entire time.

Kettlebell preacher curls, unilateral:
50 x 11, 10, 10

Decline push-ups:
30, 30

Goblet squats:
50 x 3 x 30

A deload, of sorts. Definitely felt harder after the high rep deadlifts.

Deadlifts:
355 x 3
405 x 3
455 x 3
225 x 25

Twinge in my back from warming-up, which is weird because it's been feeling fantastic lately. Oh well, I only just started treating it right so I just need to keep it up as a habit.

Overhead press:
160 x 5
180 x 5
205 x 6

Chin-ups:
10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Incline skullcrushers:
45s x 10, 10, 7
40s x 9, 9
Barbell: 14

Slow dumbbell press:
25s x 25
20s x 30, 25

Lat pulldowns

Spider curls + rear-delt work

Squats:
300 x 5
340 x 5
390 x 5
> Lingering pain in right quad, but the last time this happened coming off of frequent squatting it was able to heal with 5/3/1, so I'm not too worried. Just wanted to hit the number and get the program rolling.

SSB squats:
310 x 8

Deadlifts:
225 x 20

Leg curls:
200 x 10

At home:

One-legged SLDLs with 50 lb kettlebell, reps up to 5

Pistol squats onto couch: 5

Reverse crunches and planks

After all this my quad feels way better and I can't even feel pain anymore.

Workout 2 for the day: a bunch of kettlebell concentration curls, band pull-aparts, kettlebell skullcrushers, and a set of 30 decline push-ups.

My body is reacting positively to the higher volume and normalized frequency. I'm growing stronger and feeling less pec pain, though it's still there when I flat bench. I've also gained 2 pounds.

Bench press:
225 x 5
260 x 5
295 x 7

Barbell rows:
205 x 10, 10, 10

Incline bench press:
185 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Bilateral umbbell rows:
100s x 15, 13, 10

Goblet squats:
50 x 50, 40, 30
> Been awhile since I've done these so I was pleasantly surprised that I can still bust out 50.

Deadlifts:
330 x 5
380 x 5
430 x 5

I've found out that most of my deadlift problems last year came from forgetting how to lean back properly. Doing high reps with 225 helped me realize this. I'd adjust my form by around rep 10 or something and realize how much lighter the weight feels by changing my weight disposition.

I've been deadlifting for 10 years now so I really don't know why that happens, haha.

Squatting every other day has been aggravating my quad injury. It took me a while to realize that it wasn't normal DOMS. Additionally, my pec health is falling apart, although whether that's due to pause pressing or frequency I cannot say. I've decided to just go back to what was working for my wellbeing with 5/3/1.

I have found that contrary to popular dogma really, really long sessions make me stronger like nothing else. I've never gotten stronger than I did lifting 2.5+ hours a day. However, I'm sometimes wasted the rest of the day and it's not sustainable on a productivity level. So I have a kickass idea: I'm going to train twice a day, my "main" time at the gym and extra isolation stuff at home hours later. If need be I can easily skip the home workout and not lose too much, as well.

 Overhead press:
150 x 5
170 x 5
195 x 8
> Not too bad an effort.

145 x 10
135 x 10, 9, 8, 7
> I'm so much weaker with anything volumous. This was literally what I used to do for my deload, except I'd get straight 10s. Rest times were pretty short, though.

Chin-ups:
70

At night:

Preacher curls, unilateral:
50 x 3 x 10

A ton of band pull-aparts

DDP yoga much later.

Counting yoga I essentially trained 3 times today.

Started the "DDP Yoga" program tonight. Just from doing the introductory moves my back feels much better. I will keep this up.

My move is at the end of the month. I'll be getting a 24 Hour membership while on the go. Not sure what I'm going to do with my nars

Jogged/walked today. Only ran for about 5 minutes or so to get past the main road more quickly. I'm keeping my eye out for weight vests on Craigslist to walk with.

I'm all packed up for my move. After I take care of some apartment doings I'll be off.

Squats:
405 x 4, 3, 3
> Quads were sore. As a result the first rep would feel like air and the last two heavy. I'd have liked to do something like 10 sets of triples or something but, alas, time.

Pause bench:
292 x 3 x 5
> The very last rep was more of a rest pause than a controlled one. Not too sure if that fulfills the point of the exercise.

Chins:
4 x 10

Push-ups, rear delts, curls

SSB squats:
330 x 5
> I was originally going to do goblet squats, which have kicked ass for me, but I decided to make this a light squat day ala Madcow since I'm squatting every other day. High rep squats should be done on the first or last training day.

Overhead press:
197 x 4, 5, 5
> Felt heavy. First day of training everything with only one day of rest and everything felt a little sore. Had to rest pause on the last rep to get 5 both times.

Deadlifts:
422 x 3
225 x 20
> Back has been hurting so just did light work.

Squats:
405 x 5, 4, 4

Pause bench press:
290 x 3 x 5

Chin-ups:
5 x 10

Bench press:
225 x 12

Push-ups and curls

Feeling a little stronger. Have been eating more and gained 3 lbs in a few days.

Squats:
405 x 5

Overhead press:
195 x 3 x 5

Chin-ups:
6 x 10
2 x 8

Various assistance work

Pressing especially felt very light, but that's my goal to start with. Full-body is the way to go until I'm in a stable travel situation and have a permanent gym once again.

Did this on Wednesday.

Squats:
405 x 4, 3

Pause bench press:
285 x 3 x 5

Chin-ups:
4 x 10

Push ups

I've lost 6 pounds and am weaker. I'll be better about eating despite stress.

Having a rough night. Quick update, benched only 310x4 last night and am going to attempt to up my calorie intake as a result.

Squats:
360 x 5
405 x 3
455 x 0, 1
> Hit the safety bars and lost my groove completely, didn't even try to stand up. Second attempt was pretty easy. Strength is definitely on a downtrend, but this felt really strong after a week of inactivity and almost no leg volume lately. The 405 felt super heavy and sluggish so I focused on bracing my core more and breathing out harder for the max.

I feel pressure in my tailbone when I squat, but it's not painful. I hope this doesn't somehow encourage cyst growth. I'll continue the measures that have seemed to work for me so far: coconut oil applied dermally, Neosporin, zinc oxide, frequent heat, salt water, and using my standing desk.

Deadlift:
475 x 1
> It's nice to be continuing my 5/3/1 cycle seamlessly. Bar went up fast.

SSB squats:
320 x 2 x 10

Deadlifts:
225 x 20

Kettlebell goblet squats:
50 x 30
> No lockout. Don't feel pressure when it's this light; if I have to ditch heavy squats eventually I can at least do these.

Haven't trained for a week, except for 40 push-ups a few days ago. Yup, that's just about my max. I'm all fast-twitch.

I am better now, but still have to be careful. It's likely that this will reoccur very soon so I expect surgery somewhere down the line.

Bench press:
270 x 5
305 x 3
340 x 2
> Felt much stronger than I expected to. Failed a third but my spotter helped me out (the rack was taken so no safety bars). Very explosive today.

Bilateral dumbbell rows:
100s x 5 x 10-15

Incline bench press:
205 x 10, 8
> Probably going to replace these because there's too much pressure on my tailbone.

Dips:
9
> Felt achy, no good.

Push-ups:
10, 15, 15

Skullcrushers, curls

I'm currently on day 3 (or 4, technically at this time) of dealing with a pilonidal cyst. No infection, thankfully, but the pain is extremely debilitating if I choose not to ignore it (which I would do if it was safe). Cannot sit whatsoever today (driving the 60 seconds to and from my gym involved me basically using leg power to keep my weight off the seat) and no position is comfortable except lying in the bathtub. Trying to curb it with Ibuprofen and heat.

Training has to be completely overhauled. Here's what I did tonight:

Overhead press:
195 x 5
> Had to focus on keeping most of my body completely relaxed and not tense. Shocking how hard this was.

Overhead rack press:
225 x 0, 1
235 x 0
225 x 1
> Just trying to get some decent weight loaded so my shoulders remember they exist. This is a good exercise because the rack does most of the stabilizing.

Chins:
5 x 10

Swiss bar overhead press:
85 x 30, 25, 20

Swiss bar overhead tricep extensions:
35 x 15, 15, 20

Curls:
25s x 25, 20, 15

Decent pump. Training will be like this until I'm better. I'm also going to do a full body routine 3 days a week instead of 5/3/1 since my movements are so limited. If I'm lucky enough to do legs, they will be SSB quarter squats. If that hurts, kettlebell goblets for moderate reps without straining.

Bravo on consistency so far.

Haven't logged an entire week, so here I go.

I'm having major tailbone problems, and my strength is down across the board.

Squats:
335 x 3
380 x 3
430 x 3
> Rep 3 I got stuck on the bottom for 2 seconds, almost had to bail, and then somehow stood back up with it.

That's all, I had pain after this. I might have to change my entire routine except for overhead pressing to accommodate.

Bench press:
320 x 4

Incline bench:
205 x 10, 10, 7

Push-ups

Deadlifts:
450 x 5

Overhead press:
235 x 2

Swiss bar press:
137 x 5 x 10

Squats:
312 x 5
362 x 5
407 x 9
• Legs felt shaky for some reason. Came close to failing.

SSB squat drop-set:
330x10 240x10 150x10 60x10

Deadlifts:
225 x 20
• Really felt it in the glutes by rep 15.

Session time: 70 minutes. Felt exhausted walking out of the gym but because of the wisely-brief workout I recovered pretty fast and feel energized now.

Watched a strongman documentary tonight and it really makes me want to compete, but there's nothing in Portland. I have my eye set on a powerlifting meet in April, though, with my pec health and money situation being good right now, and I've even dug up my decade-old Bullshido account for throwdowns.

Two sessions to log. Not having a phone to use the Blogger app in the gym is making me lazy with this thing.

Bench press:
235 x 5
270 x 5
305 x 6
• Felt fine up until warming-up with 185 and then my triceps suddenly felt really sore. DOMS from pressing with the Swiss bar, no doubt.
• Despite not being fresh enough to PR my form was excellent today. The bar pathway felt smooth, I didn't touch-and-go, and my pecs felt completely pain-free. I trimmed my warm-up by discarding "mobility" stuff like scarecrows and face-pulls, and instead stuck to pressing the bar and doing more arm swings. Some light striking on the bag, too.

Bent-over barbell rows:
225 x 15, 10, 10

Incline bench:
205 x 10, 8, 7, 7

Underhand horizontal lat pulldowns:
220 x 15, 14

Dumbbell press:
35s x 25
15s x 30

Chest flyes:
15s x 30

Curls

Time was much better. Finished in an hour and 20 minutes. Sacrificed reps for shorter rests, hence the incline bench numbers. Huge pump everywhere.

Deadlifts:
425 x 5

SSB squats:
345 x 3 x 5
150 x 30

Neck work

GHR:
20

Overhead press:
172 x 5
197 x 5
227 x 3, 3
• Went in hungry and kept shaking as a result. Worse than a month ago.

Swiss bar overhead press:
135 x 5 x 10
• If I keep tension on my shoulders my pec tendon hurts, so be sure to shelve the bar on chest.

Chins:
6 x 10
• Different form here that feels better on my pecs: pulling in an exaggerated arc toward my stomach rather than literally to the chin/neck./clavicle. ROM is shorter but that may be what I need. Eccentric is gone, as well; I'm dropping down and letting my feet stop me.

Spider curls:
50s x 15

Rear delts and external rotations

Session was under an hour and a half, which is great considering I retried my max set. That was the point of changing assistance work, but I hope the drastic deload won't hurt me, even if it's a harder variant.

Deload

Bench press:
140 x 5
175 x 5
212 x 5

Incline bench:
155 x 4 x 10

Bilateral dumbbell rows:
85s x 5 x 10

Decline push-ups:
20

Curls

Had to really make myself get into the gym today. Just didn't feel like training.

Deload

Goblet squats:
50 x 40, 30, 20

Couch pistols:
5

Light ab work

Deload

Overhead press:
105 x 5
130 x 5
160 x 5

125 x 4 x 10

Chin-ups:
5 x 10

Incline skullcrushers:
45s x 12

Spider curls:
40s x 15

Still feeling the effects of last week. My right bicep was still a little sore from Kroc rows on Thursday, amazingly.

Thursday:

Squats:
350 x 5
400 x 3
445 x 4

Deadlifts:
427 x 2
• Back was just too tired

SSB squats:
325 x 11

GHR:
25

I am beat. Time to deload.

Bench press:
265 x 5
300 x 3
335 x 3
• Pleased with how easy this was. Might have been good for a 4th but it would have been ugly. My previous bench record was 330x3 in 2009 so I'm glad to have surpassed that finally.

Kroc rows:
170 x 25
• Soul-sucking.

Incline bench press:
205 x 10, 10, 10, 10
• Had to rest pause to get this, but at least that meant I pause benched. I don't have much steam left for my assistance lifts on upper-body days. For my next exercise selections I'm going to bring the Swiss bar back.

Bilateral dumbbell rows:
100s x 15, 15, 15, 15

Chest, curls, rear-delts

Did five minute Tabata of various movements like shadowboxing, kicks, mountain-climbers, and kettlebell swings, then a one hour walk at a brisk pace.

SSB squats:
340 x 2 x 5

Deadlifts:
405 x 3
502 x 1
• No belt or straps. I haven't gone straight-edge, but last year my form deteriorated as I let my belted back do more over my legs and hips. Eventually 405 I found almost impossible when raw. My fault, but I need to do this as I learn to fly again.
• Wanted to go up to 535 and beat my PR but I decided instead to work with a training max that I can own every time.

SSB squats:
340 x 5

SSB holds:
600 x 3 x 12 secs
510 x 10 secs

Neck work

SSB squats:
150 x 33

GHR:
20

CoC:
#1 x 10

Push press:
225 x 5
255 x 4
280 x 1, 0, 0
• No lockout again.

Overhead press:
177 x 10, 9, 8, 7

Chin-ups:
6 x 12
15

Overhead holds:
225, 255, 275 x 3-5 seconds
• I think I came up with a kickass exercise here. Basically, I'm isolating the lockout that I wasn't able to achieve. Aside from just practicing stability I'm also hitting abs.

Skull crushers:
55s x 8
25s x 20

Spider curls:
55s x 10
25s x 15

Rear-delts

30 minute jog, then walked home for about 25 minutes.

Squats:
330 x 3
375 x 3
420 x 7

Deadlifts:
422 x 5

Hungry, so that's it. Breakfast was dialed in, but this time I simply didn't eat enough.

Edit:

Goblet squats at night:
50 x 57