July 29, 2015 – Week 9, Day 2

Dynamic Warm-ups

12” Log Cleans
90x5
125x5
155x3
185x3
215x3
245x3
245x3
245x3

Hatfield Overload Squats
170x5
170x5
260x3
260x3
350x1
350x1
440x1
530x3
530x3
530x3

Farmer’s Walk
205xpick
275xpick
275x60’ in 12.25 seconds
275x60’ in 11.67 seconds
275x60’ in 13.56 seconds

Sandbag Carry and Load Over Bar (49”) (turns at 20’)
220x3x40’
220x3x40’
220x3x40’

38 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: It continues. Still feeling yesterday’s workout. I was sweating just eating breakfast haha. Normally this workout starts at Max Fitness (which is like 5 minutes from work) but with the increased event work, it doesn’t make sense to do it there for now. Got to the Y and got started. Log cleans were first. Not a heavy weight but definitely a noticeable weight. I know from past workouts that this could be tougher than it looked on paper with lat soreness from previous workouts. The weight felt fine. One of the things I tried was doing a touch and go style on the clean, having the log kiss the bumper plates and going rather than deloading it completely between reps. Constant tension seemed to work well but I don’t know if I will be quite ready for contest weight for this method with my current strength. Other than getting a little off balance on the second rep of the last set, these were good, efficient lifts. Then it was hatfields. A little weird doing these at the Y after taking such a long break. Bar is a little different from the one at Max. Really not much to say on these as it is weight I know I can do. Plate jumps up to the work sets. Stance was a bit more comfortable as I didn’t have to worry about fitting on a platform. I was dripping sweat even after these two lifts but I need to do more stuff. Headed home for more events. It took me a bit longer than I had hoped to get things setup for farmer’s so I did just two pick-ups for warm-ups. I was very worried after the last one with how insanely heavy and tough it felt. I can do this weight but with the high humidity and my profuse sweat on these powder coated handles, it was going to be tough. Thankfully, none of the picks were anywhere near as bad as the last warm-up. First set went well but I knew I could go faster. About half a second faster on the second run. On the last one, I thought I had chalked my hands enough but I guess not as a big pool of sweat formed in my right palm and my grip started to falter in that hand about a third of the way down the course. Caused me to slow down big time but I made it no drops. Reviewing past runs with these handles and this weight, I’m a little over a second and a half slower than my best. But that wasn’t after heavy squats haha. Sandbag work was just awful. I felt good with the initial listed event on the entry form but then the distances got doubled and I internally started screaming and vomiting. Screvomiting if you will. Took a sandbag out of the big bag and put in some weights to get to the planned workout weights. Lowered my light yoke as low as it could and still be locked in all three spots (49”) and go to work. I had the yoke turned sideways and the bag to the right of it. Picked it up, ran (more like awkwardly stumbled while the Benny Hill music played) 20’, turned, ran back 20’ and plopped it over the bar from the left side. I then reversed the course to get back to the bag on the right and do it again. The platform will be only 38” and I barely have to extend to put it over 11” above that. I imagine it will be a bit easier with all the bags starting upright since I can knock them over into my hands. I seriously fumbled about trying to get a grip on the bag on the second rep of the first run. I was about ready to puke bending over to pick up the thing by the last set. Heat coming off of me by the end was causing my glasses to fog up. I don’t think I stopped sweating until about an hour after I was done. It was finally done and I ended up having to do a ton of stretching.

July 28, 2015 – Week 9, Day 1

Dynamic Warm-ups

12” Log Jerks
90x5
90x5
120x3
120x3
150x3
150x3
180x1
210x1
240x1
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x2
255x1

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses
130x3/3
150x1/1
170x3/3
170x3/3
170x3/3

Parallel Bar Dips
bwx5
bw+45x3
bw+90x1
bw+135x8
bw+135x9

Band Pull A-parts
LBx12
LBx12
LBx12
LBx12

12” Log Seated Overhead Lockouts (6” ROM)
180x3
230x1
265x3
265x3
265x9 PR+2 reps

Band Scapular Retractions
SB+(2)AB+(2)LBx12
SB+(2)AB+(2)LBx12
SB+(2)AB+(2)LBx12

32 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Second half of Nationals begins in earnest. Log work was first. I will be sick of the log by the end of this haha. Return of the doubles with very short rest until I couldn’t do any more. With my work capacity, this takes a while haha. When I did this weight and scheme last cycle, I got 12 doubles. I got 16 this time. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that much with how crap my knees and midsection felt with just the empty log. If I judged how I’d do by how the warm-ups went, I would almost never workout haha. I really had no idea how many sets I had done and my hands were getting so sweaty that it was hard to even keep a solid grip on the log handles. It mercifully ended when I could only get a single on set 17. Circus dumbbell work after that. With all the log pressing, I wasn’t expecting much here. I did a second warm-up weight just to make sure I was ready. The method of having the bell land on my front deltoid for my right side won’t work for heavier weights. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy these felt. I didn’t want to trust myself honestly and I set the bell down after every rep on the first set with my right. I went for it all in on the left side and did the following sets without letting go of the dumbbell. Usually I have grip issues due to sweat but I think I paralyzed them with adrenaline or something haha. Dips are still hard but not on the magnitude of what was going on last heavy weeks. First set went well but I didn’t have much left on the second. I didn’t attempt another rep as I knew I couldn’t get it. I kept the band tension the same on pull aparts. Probably won’t increase this tension as sometimes it is too easy but if I grip it a little differently, it becomes a lot harder. Log lockout work after that. I used the tiered rack like I did on deload week. I think I did a little better on the first two sets than I did two weeks ago. Still felt way tougher than I would have liked. Not sure where the reserve strength came for the max rep set and I added two reps to my best. Added another band to the scap retractions. Made a big difference in tension; way more than I was expecting. This might be the most I put on this exercise. Good bit of stretching and then home. This is going to be tough cycle haha.

July 26, 2015 – Week 8, Day 4

Dynamic Warm-ups

Paused Front Squats (2 second pauses)
No Pauses
45x10
95x5
95x5
135x3
135x3
185x1
185x1
Added Pauses
225x1
225x1
225x1
225x1
225x1
225x1

14” Trap Bar Deadlifts
170x5
170x5
260x3
260x3
350x1
405x1
455x3
455x3
455x3

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
115x3
115x3
165x6
165x6

Close Neutral Grip Sternum Pull-ups
bwx5
bwx5
bwx5

Ab Wheel
bwx6
bwx6
bwx6

35 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Last of the deload. Things to get interesting this coming week I feel. Knees felt like crap warming up on front squats. The weight was easy; I believe I likened it to a pillow resting on my clavicles. One more single than last deload. trap bar pulls next. A bit higher RPE than usual for a deload week with the top sets. Definitely feeling the body taking the strain. Still not trying to do these in an agitated state. Gms with the ssb were next. I did two light sets to make sure I was ready. It was a light weight but I wanted to be sure. Easy effort but still feeling them in my lower back muscles at the base of my spine. A bit hard to do deload for the sternum pull-ups. Have to pull hard and fast to get up there. Power was definitely waning by the end of the last set. Abs started to get sore from these too haha. Ab wheel after that and then a ton of stretching.

July 24, 2015 – Week 8, Day 3

Dynamic Warm-ups

Seated Dumbbell Presses
20’sx10
40’sx5
40’sx5
55’sx3
55’sx3
70’sx5
70’sx5

Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses
45x10
95x5
95x5
135x3
135x3
185x1
185x1
225x5
225x5

Incline Close Grip Spoto Presses
45x5
45x5
95x3
95x3
145x1
145x1
200x3
200x3

Neutral Grip Pull-ups
bwx6
bwx6
bwx6

33 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Probably the shortest of the deload workouts. Deep tissue massage the day before so still feeling that haha. I definitely need rest as I intermittently fell asleep during the massage haha. Go to the Y pretty quick from work. Seated dumbbell presses were alright. Even the light weight just doesn’t feel right to me but it works my shoulders and triceps well. May not feel super easy but it moved quite well. Benching after that. Light weight but I wanted to do some more warm-up sets rather than jump right to the two work sets. My left side of my lower back was a bit tender from the massage but not really anything to hinder my pressing. Much like the dumbbell presses before; I tried to keep constant tension on the shoulders and triceps. My usual incline bench was in use so I went upstairs. The bar is almost behind my head at the top so it made racking and unracking the weight a bit of a pain (not to mention getting off the bench). Similar to bench, I did the incline work with more warm-ups than I really needed. Other than the uncomfortable setup, good reps. Finally pull-ups. Just can’t keep myself from swaying when I pull with conviction so I had to slow myself down each time it happened. Deload week so no biggie. Had to do a lot of stretching for my hamstrings.

July 22, 2015 – Week 8, Day 2

Dynamic Warm-ups

Hatfield Overload Squats
135x5
135x5
225x3
225x3
315x1
365x1
405x1
455x3
455x3
455x3

Sandbag Carry Medleys
250x40’/250x40’/250x40’
250x40’/250x40’/250x40’
250x40’/250x40’/250x40’

Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlifts
185x6
185x6

29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Definitely need this week. Yesterday I was very tempted to call it a day after the dips when I forgot my bands and today I felt on the verge of sleep with an hour and half left at my shift at work. Got to do work. Only three exercises this session. Same as last deload session for the hatfield squats but one extra set. Even with no excitement and belt, this felt very close to speed work. I was a little slower on the second set. Third set was better but my right knee started to complain. No obvious aches and pains like last time so maybe that is good. No dead squats, wouldn’t make sense on a deload week. Home for event work. Temptation to lie on the floor and eat grilled chicken was very strong at this point. Best option for the event work was carrying stuff. Unlike last time, I didn’t know any Nationals events so I couldn’t excuse myself from more sandbag work. Last time, I did my light keg for 40’, go 20’ down, and back to get the keg for another 40’ twice for a total of three carries a set. Sandbag is so much harder and I should have just done two carries in a set but no, it felt too easy after the first run. That was stupid as the pick-up for the sandbag after the initial run were way worse and tougher. Got to fluff the bag for a solid grip. I noticed immediately that I would need to think on what would be the best approach to getting the other bags during the actual event, because going to the other side eats up too much time. Going to have to think on whether picking it up and during around or picking it up facing sideways will be the best option. Not something I’m going to concern myself with now though. Between sets, my active rest was me sweating and breathing hard haha. Finished up with light rdls with the snatch grip. Hardest thing was my grip on the first set as I usually just strap up due to the hand pressure but this is so light it doesn’t make sense to do it. Hands were used to it for the second set so it felt a lot easier. Stretched for a bit and ate a lot of grilled chicken breasts. Deep tissue massage tomorrow.

July 21, 2015 – Week 8, Day 1

Dynamic Warm-ups

Barbell Push Presses
45x10
75x5
105x5
135x3
165x3
195x1
225x1
225x1
225x1
225x1
225x1
225x1

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses
130x5/5
130x5/5
130x5/5

Parallel Bar Dips
bwx6
bw+45x6
bw+45x6

Band Pull A-parts
MMB+mMBx12
MMB+mMBx12
MMB+mMBx12
MMB+mMBx12

12” Log Seated Overhead Lockouts (6” ROM)
100x3
150x3
200x6
200x6

Band Scapular Retractions
SB+ABx12
SB+ABx12
SB+ABx12

31 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Deload is here again. It will be the halfway point after this week. Push pressing to start things off. As the almost normal occurrence on the deload week, knees were achy warming up. Weight was definitely there, making its presence known. Just because it feels heavy, doesn’t mean it is. Six singles with short rests. Didn’t need to use much leg drive to shove the weight up to lockout. Whole upper back and neck tightened up something fierce on the first single but didn’t keep my from lifting. Just a lot snap, crackles and popping haha. As it has been confirmed for part of an event at Nationals, I continued with the circus dumbbell work. One more set than last deload week and I added a rep for each side for each set. I tried to do these fast and get a continuous set going. By the second and third set, I was aiming for the front of the bell to land on my deltoid so that it was steady and then propelling it up. Dips after that. Shoulders were tight and triceps felt heavy and my humerus bones felt warm. Some swaying on the first set and I caught myself halfway before correcting it on the second. Had a slight break as I had forgotten my bands at home. Using less tension but the two bands wrapped around my hands as opposed to just one was a bit rougher on the skin on my hands. It got easier each set. Lockouts were done in the tiered squat rack. I was glad it came out to just the right height as the power rack was in use. Weight felt good, I make have been subconsciously pushing out in front as there isn’t anything to keep the weight from falling if I missed. Band scap work went well, each set I felt more and more of my back muscles working. Decent bit of stretching to finish things off.

July 19, 2015 – Week 7, Day 4

Dynamic Warm-ups

Paused Front Squats (2 second pauses)
No Pauses
45x10
95x5
95x5
145x3
145x3
195x1
195x1
Added Pauses
245x2
245x2
245x2
245x2
245x2
245x2

14” Trap Bar Deadlifts
170x5
170x5
280x3
280x3
370x1
370x1
480x1
550x1
600x1
640x1

2” Platform Deadlifts
135x5
225x3
315x1
365x1
405x1
455x5

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
155x3
205x3
250x6
250x6

Close Neutral Grip Sternum Pull-ups
bwx8
bwx7
bwx5

Ab Wheel
bwx6
bwx6
bwx6

26 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Saturday was a catch up on sleep day, getting 13 hours of z’s. Events for Nats posted so it will be interesting what will be in store this second half of the training. Last heavy workout before the second deload. Already got a massage session scheduled. Heat advisory for today and I broke a sweat just going from the house to my car. Front squat was fast and strong as usual. Best this weight has felt and definitely speed work by this point. Trap bar deadlifts were up next. My usual warm-up into the work sets. Like two weeks ago, it was three heavy singles. I was 10lbs too light on the first single due to not being able to math today. It felt slow off the floor so I knew this was going to be rough. Second one went up a bit better. I added a little more weight than planned for the top single to make up for the misload on the first single. This lift took forever. If I wasn’t 100% into the session, it probably would have been a miss with how slow it crawled up to lockout. It is the most I’ve done on the tarp bar from this height so it is progress. Pulls from the platform were a little bit tougher this time. Only aiming for one more rep from last week. I had to mess around with my stance a little as my lockout was feeling off, like my legs were too close together or something. Not my best but still solid reps. Felt a lot of tightness in my shoulders and chest from doing these double overhand. With straps, I could probably do double the reps if need be. Not sure how just a little bit of weight can make this much of a difference on the gms. Just felt them from my lower back down. Very tight and these were hard on my midsection to keep stable. Sure I could round and let my stomach be soft but that would do what I need these to do (though it works well for stone training). Sternum pull-ups were mercifully cut down to just three sets. I got pull up fast to get my sternum up high enough. Only have so much of that power and it doesn’t recover to quickly with short rests haha. Ab wheel and a little stretching to end the day.

July 17, 2015 – Week 7, Day 3

Dynamic Warm-ups

Seated Dumbbell Presses
20’sx10
40’sx5
40’sx5
60’sx3
60’sx3
80’sx1
90’sx5
90’sx5
90’sx9

Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x3
265x1
305x1
305x4
305x7

Incline Close Grip Spoto Presses
45x10
95x5
145x3
195x1
245x3
270x2
285x1

Neutral Grip Pull-ups
bw+20x10
bw+20x8
bw+20x6

34 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Got to the gym pretty quick from work but alas, other people be lifting. Seated dumbbell presses again. Three working sets again. A rematch against the 90lbers. I did the same warm-ups as last time but with a bit heavier single. The half bench I prefer was in use so I had to use a different bench that threw me off a little on shouldering the dumbbells. Weight felt slow and heavy on the first two sets and I felt they were near max efforts. I managed a solid effort on the last set so that was good. Benching was next. Left side of my neck was tight from the last set of dumbbell work. No spot need for the first two sets as with this weight they were a sure thing. Felt alright but looked really fast on film. That guy from last week was there and I figured I’d rather die under the bar than let him “help” again. Luckily, someone I knew came in and I got a spot for the max rep set. First four felt good but I got ugly reps for the last two and stalled trying in vain to get one more. Incline spoto stuff followed. Minimal warm-ups needed. First set was perfect and also did great with the second set. Each rep was hitting the same spot and powering through. I felt the same with the last one but I must have pumped the brakes as it stalled halfway up and I did a little squirm to get it moving again. I felt good for more if I hadn’t got stuck. Upstairs for pull-ups. More weight, same reps. I was able to stop the swaying fairly early on in the first set. Starting to notice my hands settling with the increased weight of the movement. A good deal of stretching followed by three more recovery burritos. I think they are getting sick of seeing me there this week haha.

July 15, 2015 – Week 7, Day 2

Dynamic Warm-ups

Hatfield Overload Squats
155x5
155x5
245x3
245x3
335x1
335x1
425x1
515x1
600x2
465x2
465x2
465x2
465x2

Safety Squat Bar Dead Squats (3” above parallel)
300x1
330x1
365x1
380x1

Carry Medleys (sandbag/husafel stone/keg)
250x80’/240x80’/240x80’
250x80’/240x80’/240x80’
250x80’/240x80’/240x80’

Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlifts (straps)
150x3
200x3
240x3
290x6
290x6

29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Left side of my upper back still kind of sore. Slightly worried that squatting with the ssb would aggravate it. Luckily that was not the case. Unracking the weight felt off, like I felt I had to get on the balls of my feet to get it off the pins (I figured it out during the speed sets). I went with big jumps Plate jumps up to the top double. Felt heavy and slow but the reps felt strong. Only a little bit more than last week but it felt better. Just under my best single on this lift and I felt good for at least another two reps. Speed sets after that; increased the weight and dropped on of the sets. Speed felt good on the first set but not so good on the second. I figured out that I was a few inches too far back so that was why the unracks felt off and I fixed that for the last two sets. Knees were pretty darn achy. Dead squats were next. Four singles again but increased the weight a bit for the last two. Honestly, not much difference from last week other than my abs and knees not complaining so much. I know I’m good for a bit more if the need arises. Had a bit of a break between lifting a Max Fitness and stuff back home. Commute was delayed as the main road I use to get home from the city was closed for a charity run and then I had to move a car to get the implements out. Same medley, increased the distance by 5’ for each leg again. No mistakes this time. I don’t know if I’ve gotten used to the workload or if I’ve gotten used to the warm weather but I’m not soaking through as many shirts during training haha. I felt solid on all the runs. Hamstrings were on fire by the last leg of each medley. As per usual, my time improved each set. Not much difference between the second and third set time wise. I did notice my breathing. I wasn’t gasping after the first run (I was after the other two haha) and I managed to slow down my breathing on the last leg of the last set so that I wasn’t hyperventilating. Never done it before so it was pretty cool to do it. Then into the garage for snatch grip romanian deadlifts. I wasn’t as beat as I usually am and these went quite well. No issues on my hamstrings and lower back (though I am knocking my bits at lockouts if I’m not careful haha). Stretched a little and got 3 more recovery burritos. Honestly, this could become a nine burrito week.

July 14, 2015 – Week 7, Day 1

 Dynamic Warm-ups

Barbell Push Presses
45x10
75x5
105x5
135x3
165x3
195x1
225x1
255x1
285x1
285x1
285x1
285x1
285x1
285x1
285x1
285x1

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses
130x3/3
182x2/2
182x2/2
182x2/2

Parallel Bar Dips
bwx5
bw+35x3
bw+70x2
bw+105x1
bw+140x7
bw+140x7

Band Pull A-parts
LBx12
LBx12
LBx12
LBx12

12” Log Seated Overhead Lockouts (6” ROM)
140x3
190x3
230x1
265x4
265x4
265x7 PR+15lbs & 1 rep

Band Scapular Retractions
SB+(2)AB+LBx12
SB+(2)AB+LBx12
SB+(2)AB+LBx12

30 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: At this point, a deload week is starting to sound outstanding. The issues with my lower back muscles seems to be almost gone but now the wandering pain seems to have moved to my upper back and scapula area. I say wandering in that it feels like the lower back thing moved from one side to the other and the upper back stuff has done the same. Whatever, it is a mild annoyance at best and then deload and deep tissue massage this coming week after this hard one. Hopefully events will be posted for Nationals shortly. Power rack was in use at the start so I had to do most of my warm-ups on push presses in the short rack. Short rest and eight singles. I made certain I didn’t lose track of sets this time haha. Unlike last week, lockouts were a bit tougher. The weight felt pretty good on my shoulders taking the bar out of the rack but I seemed to hesitate with getting into a good pressing stance. First two felt good and I noticed the slowdown after that. I managed to get more hip drive into the last two sets. Circus dumbbell followed. I was running behind from having to artificially slowdown the workout waiting for the power rack. I had been juggling three ideas for circus dumbbell work but ended up going with the planned doubles. I had more trouble than usual with my left side and I think that had to do with the wandering pain (it had switched from right to left at this point). Not all reps were perfect reps but the power is definitely there. On the second rep of the second set with my right, I almost launched the dumbbell out my hand due to sweat so I had to catch it with my other hand haha. Getting the feeling I’m at the boundaries of my limits on the dips at this point. I feel powerful on the first few reps but they are a lie as I struggle mightily on the reps after the first three or four. As I mentioned last time, I kept the band tension the same on pull aparts. Good idea as my shoulders were twitching immediately after the first set. I didn’t have the appropriate respect for the weight on lockouts. I felt I had crushed it last session but the increase was substantial, especially with concentric work. I adapted quickly and had a good showing. Scap work with the bands to finish. I’m tempted to increase the tension with how well they went this time but it may be for the best to keep it this way so that the main focus continues to be on the big things. Stretched and got three recovery burritos.

July 12, 2015 – Week 6, Day 4

Dynamic Warm-ups

Paused Front Squats (2 second pauses)
No Pauses
45x10
95x5
95x5
145x3
145x3
195x1
195x1
Added Pauses
245x2
245x2
245x2
245x2
245x2
245x2

14” Trap Bar Deadlifts
170x5
170x5
280x3
280x3
370x1
370x1
480x1
555x1
555x5
555x3

2” Platform Deadlifts
135x5
225x3
315x1
365x1
405x1
455x4

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
155x3
205x3
245x6
245x6

Close Neutral Grip Sternum Pull-ups
bwx7
bwx7
bwx7
bwx7
bwx7

Ab Wheel
bwx6
bwx6
bwx6

26 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Whatever wandering pain I got bouncing around my midsection is still present. Just doing what I can to alleviate the discomfort. Unless things got worse, I wasn’t going to stop lifting. On the front squats, I had some discomfort with just the bar, but since it didn’t get any worse with more weight, that was that. Speed felt good on these and it should since these are more or less warm-ups at this point. Some sets I held my breath to see how that effected the reps and tightness. trap bar pulls followed. Big jumps to prep. I was anxious about these as this was going to be the most weight lifted for the workout and the most likely to trigger something in my back. Luckily, I reached the threshold where my brain just said screw it and lift. Robot like reps; not easy but I didn’t feel I was fatiguing too much and could have kept going. Platform pulls went a bit better this time. Not speed work but still speedy lifting. Lots more reps there if needed. Gms went well. These tend to put a lot of stress on my lower back so I was pleasantly surprised that these didn’t irritate me. Reps felt controlled and solid. Those darn sternum pull-ups were next. I can now say with certainty that they are what made my upper abs so sore last time. Increasing each set by a rep was just cruel. Ab wheel wasn’t bad. Didn’t need to do a boatload of stretching this session.

July 10, 2015 – Week 6, Day 3

Dynamic Warm-ups

Seated Dumbbell Presses
20’sx10
40’sx5
40’sx5
60’sx3
60’sx3
75’sx1
85’sx7
85’sx7
85’sx13 PR+5lbs & 1 rep

Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses
45x10
95x5
145x5
195x3
245x3
300x1
300x4
300x8

Incline Close Grip Spoto Presses
45x10
95x5
145x3
195x1
245x3
265x2
280x1

Neutral Grip Pull-ups
bw+15x10
bw+15x8
bw+15x6

32 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Between this workout and the last, my lower back started hurting. Not sure why as the amount of work I put on it would not equal the hurt I’m feeling. Bugging the crap out of me and I took some ibuprofen to try and keep it manageable. If doing stuff isn’t causing the pain or making it worse, I’ll trudge forward. Session started off with seated dumbbell presses. Did an additional warm-up set to try and make it feel more normal. Three working sets with the weight I topped off at last week. First set felt slow but looked pretty darn good on film. Second set was slightly better. I don’t know what happened on the final set for max reps but just went to work. I didn’t expect to get past ten reps with how I felt and how last week went so color me surprised. Weight down for benching this week. There weren’t any spotters available until I had already sat on the bench for second set but I had the certainty that I’d get the lifts with no problem. There was someone there for the max rep set but honestly, I perhaps could have done just as well without him. Kept trying to grab the bar any time I struggled when I specifically said not to before the set. Each rep felt machine like in that they felt the same but I had the same power. Only ran into technique issues on the max rep set as my lower back and glutes were pretty tight and I had to move my legs to make them happy. Caused me to lose some tightness and caused that ugly last rep for sure. Not at my best but darn close so progress. Incline spoto stuff followed. I had expected a need for more warm-up sets but after my first two, I just felt as ready as I was going to be and took bigger jumps to the working weight. I knew these lifts were well within my abilities. It is nice that my usual sticking point is more of a lapse in momentum and less of a dead zone as it has been in the past. Still, not easy stuff. I got the bar too far down on my chest on the first rep of the second set so that threw me off a little. Pull-ups followed with a little more weight. I did have to slow down the reps at the end of each set to keep from swaying too much. Essentially had to stop into a dead hang and then get the rest. Other than the lower back having this wandering pain, it was a good session. Hopefully a day off to rest will do my lower back muscles some good.

July 8, 2015 – Week 6, Day 2

Dynamic Warm-ups

Hatfield Overload Squats
155x5
155x5
245x3
245x3
335x1
335x1
425x1
515x1
595x2
455x2
455x2
455x2
455x2
455x2

Safety Squat Bar Dead Squats (3” above parallel)
300x1
330x1
355x1
370x1

Carry Medleys (sandbag/husafel stone/keg)
250x75’/240x75’/240x75’
250x75’/240x75’/240x75’
250x75’/240x75’/240x75’

Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlifts (straps)
140x3
190x3
240x3
280x6
280x6

39 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Going into this workout, upperbody was tired and right knee was achy and sore from the push presses. Abs not so sore but present. Usually, the lighter warm-ups on hatfield squats fee good but not really the case this time. I went with big jumps again as it seemed to work well last time. My last warm-up felt unreasonable so I knew that I’d need to be on my game with the double so that it didn’t kill me. Quite a bit harder than last week but still not at my limit. Just really hard on my thoracic skeletal musculature. It is the most I’ve done for a double but I won’t count it as a PR until I’ve doubled my previous 1rm. Speed sets after that; added one more set. No issues with unracking the weights for the speed sets. Just dealing with some slowing down near the end. I may have had a little bit more of a forward lean on the squats this session. Dead squats after that. Only four progressively heavier singles this time. Nothing too taxing though it is hard to get tight from this position. Knees and abs did not appreciate having to get under the bar. Raining off and on with intense heat and sun during the breaks. Faked me out twice and I had thought I wouldn’t be able to do medley work. I increased the distance by 5’ for each leg again. My fear of slipping did come true as I dropped the sandbag about 10’ away on my first attempt from getting a bad grip on it. Just pretending it didn’t happen and it was just a warm-up haha. I improved each set by about a second each time. Then into the garage for snatch grip romanian deadlifts. Pouring sweat and just felt the heat coming off my body getting down to the bar. After the other stuff, these are harder than they should be. I made sure to keep my upper back flexed on the work sets and I feel my form was better. So glad when this was done. Stretched forever and then ate.

July 7, 2015 – Week 6, Day 1

Dynamic Warm-ups

Barbell Push Presses
45x10
85x5
115x5
145x3
175x3
205x1
235x1
270x1
270x1
270x1
270x1
270x1
270x1
270x1
270x1
270x1
270x1
270x1

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses
130x2/2
180x2/2
180x2/2
180x2/2

Parallel Bar Dips
bwx5
bw+45x3
bw+90x1
bw+135x7
bw+135x8

Band Pull A-parts
LBx12
LBx12
LBx12
LBx12

12” Log Seated Overhead Lockouts (6” ROM)
180x2
180x2
250x4
250x4
250x9 PR+3 rep

Band Scapular Retractions
SB+(2)AB+LBx12
SB+(2)AB+LBx12
SB+(2)AB+LBx12

32 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Getting close to the halfway point of this Nationals prep. The only thing that really felt sore was my upper abs. Not sure if it was from heavy tarp bar work or those goofy sternum pull-ups but I had to be conservative with my chuckles during the day. Push presses this time were not a death march but still a lot of work. Feeling the stress on my wrists and shoulders and lower back on these; even on warm-ups. Lockout felt strong and the weight pretty much “floated” to completion. Work up to the working weight and then do ten singles with short rests. I ended up doing eleven singles as I lost track around set seven or eight and I didn’t want to shortchange myself. Circus dumbbell next, I only had to do one warm-up set to feel ready for the heavy stuff. Doubles again but I definitely didn’t try and push it each set like last week to do them faster each set. Partly due to sore abs and super sweaty hands but also due to missing the second rep of the first set on my right side with a suspect rep afterwards. Second set felt the best out of all the sets. Dips continue to get tougher. Felt some of my vertebrae “pop” on the first working set a few reps in. Lost a bit of tightness when that happened. Coupled with sweaty palms, I’m doing my best to prolong the set and get the reps. On the second set, I almost passed out from holding my breath to stay stable. At least it is good to be back up to this kind of weight on dips. I think I will stay at this tension for pull aparts for some time as it is pretty rough on the shoulders. Similar idea to how I was just using bodyweight for ghrs last cycle. I knew that lockouts would go better this time. It usually takes a session or two with lockout/concentric work for me to get it down pat. Wasn’t quite there on the first set but I made the second look easy and hit a three PR on the last set. Scap work with the bands to finish. The first set always feels so easy but it gets plenty difficult by the end. I may keep this tension as is like I plan with pull aparts.

July 5, 2015 – Week 5, Day 4

Dynamic Warm-ups

Paused Front Squats (2 second pauses)
No Pauses
45x10
95x5
95x5
145x3
145x3
195x1
195x1
Added Pauses
245x2
245x2
245x2
245x2
245x2
245x2

14” Trap Bar Deadlifts
170x5
170x5
280x3
280x3
370x1
370x1
480x1
560x1
590x1
620x1

2” Platform Deadlifts
155x5
245x3
335x1
440x5

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
155x3
195x3
235x6
235x6

Close Neutral Grip Sternum Pull-ups
bwx6
bwx6
bwx6
bwx6
bwx6

Ab Wheel
bwx6
bwx6
bwx6

33 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Holidays always cause complications. Lifted at Iron Haven though my GPS wanted me to lift in the middle of a corn field for some reason. Got a reminder on the good and bad of training with partners. Front squats were done out of a monolift. Other than missing the rack on the first work set, these went well. Fourth and sixth set I think were the best but consistent throughout. Brought my mega trap bar to the gym as I wasn’t sure there would be one and if there was, it may not be the same specs and hold enough weight. Big jumps as per usual at this point and then three increasingly heavier singles. No way was I missing any of these lifts. Any time I get worried about the weight on this, I just tell myself I’ve done more with farmer’s handles and the doubts pass. Not an all-out effort to move the top single so I still got another gear I can tap into if need be. Lull in the workout at this point as I had to wait to use equipment. Eventually, I just did the warm-ups as I was starting to cool down too much. It was not a controlled rage for the work set on platform pulls and it showed when I missed the first lift when I went for the grip and rip style and had to regrip. Still doing quite well on these, just not super-duper speed pulling. Ssb gms were done out of the monolift as well but perhaps a little low for the unrack. Definitely noticing them on my hamstrings and lower back. Trying my best to keep rigid and fighting the urge to round. Sternum pull-ups are the devil. It would be easy if they were just normal pull-ups. Really don’t have strength in that range of motion so I did maybe three solid reps out of the whole affair. The way I see, it even if I failed, I was still doing good back and biceps work. Ab wheel is not fun without a nice foam pad for my knees. Stretched and called it a day.

July 3, 2015 – Week 5, Day 3

Dynamic Warm-ups

Seated Dumbbell Presses
20’sx10
40’sx5
40’sx5
60’sx3
60’sx3
80’sx8
85’sx8
90’sx6

Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses
45x10
95x5
145x5
195x3
245x3
285x1
330x1
330x2
330x3

Incline Close Grip Spoto Presses
45x5
45x5
95x3
95x3
145x1
145x1
185x1
225x3
245x3
265x3

Neutral Grip Pull-ups
bw+10x10
bw+10x8
bw+10x6

33 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Little odd with this one. Off work due to holiday tomorrow. Late nights most of this week from the long workouts so I was trying to get some much needed sleep. Try to get even more tomorrow. Session started off with seated dumbbell presses for a top set of eight reps. Usually, this is an exercise done later in the workout when I’m already warm so it was a bit tricky to figure out warming up and not overdoing it. Shoulders still beat to crap from all the push presses on Tuesday. My first set felt much tougher than I expected so I had to lower my expectations quite a bit. Reps looked fast on video but they felt slow. Next set was tougher but I didn’t think that I’d fail on the last set for eight. Every rep felt tough and I stalled after the fifth rep. Quite a bit under my best but the same could be said for the benching. On to benching. Initially, I had no worries with the workload but with the poor showing on seated presses, so inkling of doubt crept in. This week, aim was 1, then 2 and then AMAP. Trying to get my legs in earlier. Made my warm-ups similar to how I do the front squats. Weight moved well on the first two sets. Final set started out good but I got a slight cramp in my right leg locking out the second rep so I lost a lot of tightness going for the third. Really ugly rep. Incline close grip work followed. Spoto presses are something I’ve never done so I had to do a few more sets than normal to get the movement down and gauge what I could hit for a three rep max. I was able to go quite a bit heavier than I thought I would. Form was definitely crap for the heaviest set. Pull-ups followed. Dropped reps and added weight. No issues with my biceps so happy about that. Managed to do more reps with my back as opposed to my arms. Had to do a good deal of stretching before calling it a day.

July 1, 2015 – Week 5, Day 2

Dynamic Warm-ups

Hatfield Overload Squats
155x5
155x5
245x3
245x3
335x1
335x1
425x1
515x1
585x2
455x2
455x2
455x2
455x2

Safety Squat Bar Dead Squats (3” above parallel)
335x1
335x1
335x1
335x1
335x1
335x1

Carry Medleys (sandbag/husafel stone/keg)
250x70’/240x70’/240x70’
250x70’/240x70’/240x70’
250x70’/240x70’/240x70’

Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlifts (straps)
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x6
275x6

34 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Upper body and lower body were just beat from yesterday so I knew that things could be touch and go with some exercises. The show must go on. Lighter warm-ups on hatfield squats felt good in regards to how my leg muscles felt and with bar speed. My knees were a little achy at the start but generally that always goes away once the weights accumulate. I was initially going to do my big plate jumps and then do smaller jumps to the heavy double but the weight was moving so well and the unracks weren’t difficult so it was big jumps all the way. There was some doubts with the double as I walked it out but once I hit the bottom of the first squat, I knew I was going to crush it. Just got to remember that weight is going to feel heavy on these, even when it is speed work. Very happy with how this set went and I feel I could have done at least five is I needed to. I was expecting my sore upper back to make it a struggle. Speed sets followed; less sets, less reps but more weight. Walking the weight out seemed to be the hardest part of these sets. I almost got off balance on the first set because I wasn’t expecting myself to rocket back up so quickly. I think my form got better each set. A bit of rest followed while I set things up for dead squats. A bit of cramped quarters but it worked. On the first set, it was like I forgot everything about concentric lifts and shrugged it up. I got a groove going shortly after that and the weight went up like speed work. A little above parallel (though I’m sure my body is trying to contort itself to make it more haha) so similar to my deadlift stance and a bit harder to recruit the legs. I kept my hands off the bar as it felt better to just try and focus my lower body to lift it that way. Back home for medley work. I increased the distance by 5’ for each leg again. Same concerns (fears) as the last several times I’ve done this and again, they were unfounded as I crushed it. Fatigue makes cowards of us all, just have to block it out (and it usually is 70’s pop songs haha). Only moment I can recall making miscue was getting the husafel stone on the first set as I kind of hesitated with the pick-up. I improved each set and managed to do the last one in under a minute. Then into the garage for snatch grip romanian deadlifts. Strapped up for these as hands were very sweaty and I’m not testing my grip on these. This would normally not be a working weight on this exercise but after the previous exercises, my hamstrings and lower back were ready to go to sleep. Felt these a bit more in the lower back then the banded ones, perhaps since I can’t keep the bar as close since the bar is higher up my thighs. Going to have to give myself a mental cue next time to keep the upper back tighter so that the bar doesn’t wander. Loads of stretching to end the day.

June 30, 2015 – Week 5, Day 1

Dynamic Warm-ups

Barbell Push Presses
45x10
75x5
105x5
135x3
165x3
195x1
225x1
255x3
270x2
290x1
260x3
275x2
295x1
265x3
280x2
300x1
270x3
285x2
305x1
280x3
295x2
315x1
285x2

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses
130x1/1
130x1/1
177x2/2
177x2/2
177x2/2

Parallel Bar Dips
bwx5
bw+50x3
bw+100x1
bw+125x8
bw+125x9

Band Pull A-parts
LBx12
LBx12
LBx12
LBx12

12” Log Seated Overhead Lockouts (6” ROM)
90x1
180x1
230x6
240x6
250x6

Band Scapular Retractions
SB+(2)AB+LBx12
SB+(2)AB+LBx12
SB+(2)AB+LBx12

25 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: The hard work switch is back on and it might be stuck in that position after this one haha. With how deload went, I wasn’t so sure I would be fully rested; at least compared to previous sessions. For the push presses, warm-ups were flying up, which wasn’t the case last week for sure. I had some tightness in my right hip and my right quad did something on my penultimate warm-up single. This session was definitely death by volume. Doing sequences of 3,2,1 and then add weight and repeat until “?”. This took a long time to reach the point of exhaustion. I lost track of where I was on the last sequence I completed and accidentally added more weight than I was supposed to. Some reps felt fantastic while others were struggles because of slight miscues. Doing 32 reps between 78% and 97% of your max sucks. I didn’t feel like doing much else after all that but this was just the start to the workout. Circus dumbbell after these. I had planned to do more singles but after the push presses of death, I went with the least time consuming approach which was the bell with caps on for doubles. This was the best my form felt so far and I got better and more confident with each set, taking shorter rests between, sets, sides and reps. By the end, I did both sides without setting down the dumbbell to get the reps. Dips were tough. Again, it was already late, my body warm and tired so I did a few accumulation sets to prep for the two big sets. Toughest dips have been and I barely got the recommended reps. Pull aparts I used the “wrap it around my wrists” approach. Eliminated the grip and sweat factor and I was able to up the tension substantially. Log lockouts in the rack were interesting. Felt it in my upper chest getting the first rep off the pins. Tried to let the implement settle between reps rather than just bang and go. Everything went well until the last rep of the last set as it felt like my batteries were turned off as that one was a mighty struggle. Used the setup I devised from deload week for band scap work. Like the pull aparts, I was able to do better reps with more tension. Didn’t do a ton of stretching but I know I will be wrecked tomorrow for sure.