March 16, 2015 Upper

• Bench Press (pinkies on knurling): 225*3 245*2 255*3 255*3
• BB Rows: 185*3 205*3 225*3 235*2 
• Push Press: 185*1 205*1 225*1 240*1 250*1(!!)
• Sternum Pullups: 25*3 25*3 25*3
• DB Farmer's Walks: 105*91 105*94

Back to class after spring break, I'm a bit tired today, circadian rhythm has to adjust to a shift of about 90 minutes in wake-up time.  I'll be fine within a day or two.  I got 250 on Push Press, which I'm happy with. I barely got 240, but figured I might as well go for 250 anyway, and I nailed it. SO happy. My all-time record is 255.  Rest of session I just wanted to really hammer out some weighted pullups, and do some farmers walks. Wasn't sure I was progressing on the farmer's walks, then I saw that the last time I did them with 105 I got 67 steps.  So yeah, definitely improving.  

February 17, 2015 Upper Body

• Bench Press (Pinkies on knurling): 225*3
• Bench Press (Pinkies on knurling) Cluster Set: 250*1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1
• BB Rows: 225*3 245*3 245*3
• Push Press: 185*1 205*1 225*1 235*1
• Sternum Pullups: 8, 6, 5
• Battling Rope - Rope Slam SuperSet: 40*10 50*10

Continuing with the narrower grip bench press, wanted to get some more heavy reps in just to get used to it faster. I didn't lose nearly as much weight on the bar as I thought I would moving my grip in.  I think I could cross 300 lbs again within a couple weeks.  Also, push press weight is going back up.  

February 3, 2015 Upper Body

• Bench Press: 22583 245*3 265*2 285*1 305*1
• BB Rows: 185*3 225*3 250*3
• Push Press: 185*3 205*3 225*1
• DB Farmers: 75*100 75*80

Good times, still over 300 on benching, bb rows are progressing with good form. Back to push pressing as well, went really well!  

January 22, 2015 Upper Body

• Incline Bench Press: 225*1 245*1 265*1 275*1
• BB Rows: 225*3 250*2 275*3
• Seated Press: 175*1 185*1 195*1 205*X
• 1.5 Pullups: 6, 4

Not bad, rowing went well with good form still.  Missed 205 here by a bit. 

December 2, 2014 Upper Body

• Bench Press, no arch, paused reps: 225*1 250*1 260*1 275*1
• Sternum Pullups: 6,5,4
• Push Press: 225*1 235*1
• BB Rows: 225*3 245*2 255*2
• Reverse Flyes: 30*3 30*2

Good times, I think I'll test my max on benching next week.  Felt pretty drained here actually, just one of those days.  BB Rows were done with really tight form, absolutely no English on it. 

October 2, 2014 Upper

• Incline Bench Press: 185*5 205*3 225*1 245*1
• Pullups: 60*2 60*2 60*2
• Seated Press: 135*3 155*2 155*3
• BB Rows: 225*3 250*2
• Suitcase Carries: 60*30 60*30

Good session, upped the suitcase carry weight here as I get better at them.  

September 22, 2014 Upper

• Bench Press (paused reps, no arch): 225*2 250*1 265*1 
• BB Rows:225*3 235*3 245*1
• Push Press: 225*1 235*1
• Sternum Pullups: 6, 5
• DB Reverse Laterals: 30*5

That food poisoning or whatever really took a lot out of me. It's been about a week and I still feel flat. It's getting better, but I have no pop still.  I think I need to do a refeed for a week or so and see how that goes. 

August 19, 2014 Upper Body

• Guillotine Press: 185*3 225*2 225*2 225*1
• BB Rows: 225*4 250*3 265*2
• Push Press: 225*1 240*1
• Sternum Pullups: 6,5,5
• Suitcase Carries: 50*45 50*45
• DB Reverse Laterals: 15*10

Guillotine presses...holy crap.  Been on my list of things I wanted to try for a while...I wasn't sure it would make a huge difference.  It does. Here's a picture from a T-Nation article: 

Basically you're lowering the bar to your throat, with your feet off the floor and your ankles crossed. Here's a video of Lee Hayward doing it.  His feet are on the ground, I just prefer them up to ratchet up the intensity of the exercise. 

 

Rest of session went great! 

August 12, 2014 Upper

• Bench Press: 250*1 275*1 290*1 300*1
• BB Rows: 225*2 245*1 255*1
• Push Press: 225*1 235*1
• Sternum Pullups: 7, 6, 6
• Suitcase Carries: 45*50 45*50

Still pushing 300 at about 194 lbs. 300 was actually easier than 290.  I really like sternum pullups, I need to do them more, although I prefer heavy regular pullups. Some would argue that any pullup should be a sternum pullup. 

August 5, 2014 Upper

• Bench Press (No Arch / Paused): 225*1 250*1 250*1 250*1 250*1 
• Sternum Pullups: 6, 6, 5
• Push Press: 225*1 - tired
• BB Rows: 225*3 245*2 
• Wide-Stance Anti-Rotational Chops: 70*6 80*6

Good session, I like sternum pullups quite a bit actually, really feel them in my mid back muscles more. 

August 1, 2014 Lower/Upper

• Deadlift (deload): 315*1,1,1,1,1
• Incline Bench Press: 225*2 245*1 255*1
• Hanging Power Snatch: 135*3 145*1 150*1
• BB Rows: 225*2 245*1 255*1

Very happy with progress on BB Rows.  Really working on form and keeping from hitching my back.  I'm very happy with how quickly I've put weight back on these since I stripped it off and corrected my form.  Makes me think I should take a look at other movements I do so I can correct any form errors. 

July 25, 2014 Upper (Evening Workout)

• Incline Bench: 225*1 245*1 255*1
• Barbell Rows: 185*3 205*3 225*2 250*2
• Standing Press: 135*3 150*3 160*2
• Pullups: 75*2 75*1 75*1
• Suitcase Carries: 50*50 50*50

Again felt a bit flat, probably from the 2 a days.  But not a bad session.  Good to mix pullups back in. I notice if I don't let my scaps get pulled out of position at the bottom then my left elbow is fine and doesn't feel tight when I do these. 

July 17, 2014 Upper

• BB Rows: 185*5 205*4 225*3 245*1
• DB Reverse Laterals: 25*6 35*3
• Suitcase Carries: 45*60 45*60

Was pretty tired here, just wanted to do some lat/back stuff, let the shoulder rest after dodgeball yesterday. Was still a tad bit sore, hopefully this last bit of rest gets it all the way back to  normal

June 27, 2014 Lower / Upper

• Deadlift: 405*2 435*2 455*2
• BB Rows: 225*2 225*2 225*2 225*2
• HPS: 135*3 145*2 150*2 160*1
• Incline Bench: 225*2 245*1 255*1
• Suitcase Carries: 40*75

Had something to do yesterday so I couldn't go workout, fit in a sort of double session here.  Felt good.  As I've noted before, flat benching & Squatting seem to go together well for me.  So does deadlifting & bb rowing/incline benching.   In fact, look at the HPS numbers....did them as a 3rd set and got a double at 150, then a single at 160!  Some day I may go to 3 weighted workouts per week; doing one of each of those types of workouts, and then rotating the 2nd one so that I double up on a session one week, then double up on the other the next. 

June 23, 2014 Upper

• Bench Press (No Arch): 225*3 250*1
• BB Rows: 190*4 210*4 230*2 240*1 250*1
• Push Press: 205*1 225*2
• Pendlay Rows: 135*4 180*4 190*4 210*2
• DB Reverse Laterals: 15*8 20*5

Trying to rest right shoulder a bit here, it's realllly close to being back to normal, it's hard for me to rest it though, I hate taking time off if something isn't completely destroyed. Even push press I took it easy with.  

June 12, 2014 UPper

• BB Rows: 185*4 205*3 225*2 245*1
• BB Incline: 225*3 245*1 255*1
• Seated Press: 135*5 155*4 175*2 185*1
• Cable Rows: 170*4 180*3 190*3
• Waiter Walks: 30*60 steps

REALLY precise form on rows. Very happy I got 245.  Rest of session went good; threw in waiter walks for suitcase carries this week just to mix it up. 185 on seated press, happy with that as well. I'm very pleased with my strength levels during this cut, I don't feel like I've lost much, if any strength. 

Jun 5, 2014 Upper Body

• BB Rows: 185*5 185*5 185*5 205*5 225*4
• Incline Bench: 225*3 235*3 245*1
• Pullups: 65*2 65*2 65*2
• Seated Press: 135*3 160*3 180*2ish
• Cable Reverse Laterals: 30*4 20*6
• Suitcase Carries: 40*75 40*75

Good sesh.  Focused on the form with the rows, went well.  Noticing my traps/mid back are much larger this cut, glad all the mid-back work I'm doing is paying off. Also adding weight back on pullups here. So far so good. 

May 26, 2014 Upper Body

• Bench Press (No arch): 225*1 245*3 265*2 285*1 295*nope
• BB Rows: 185*3 205*3 215*3
• Seated Press: 135*3 155*3 175*3
• T-Bar Rows: 145*3 155*3 165*2
• Landmine Laterals: 45*7

Good times, surprised I got 285 with no arch on the benching.  Strength holding up good.  212 still for weight. 

May 15, 2014 Upper

• Seated Press: 95*4 115*4 135*4 155*3 175*1
• Pullups: 65*3 65*2 65*2
• Incline DB Bench: 70*5 85*5 100*4
• BB Rows: 135*5 165*5 185*5 205*3
• DB Reverse Laterals: 15*9
• Suitcase Carries: 30*50 30*50 

Easing back into things with the pullups, also threw in DB bench instead to take it easier on my shoulder. BB work doesn't actively cause it pain, but it may be slowing down the recovery.  Also, on suitcase carries I wanted to focus on form. I find that sometimes I hold my torso perfectly, but my hips are skewed to compensate, which is not what you want. 

April 28, 2014 Upper Body

• Bench Press: 225*3 250*3 265*3 275*2 290*1 300*1 305*1
• BB Rows: 185*3 205*3 225*2
• Push Press: 185*2 205*1 225*1
• Face-Pulls: 40*8 60*4
• Unilateral Cable Reverse Laterals: 30*4 - r. shoulder

Cut is going well, not really losing any strength at all.  Right shoulder is feeling better, still not 100% , took it easy on the push presses. Tried to work around the shoulder where I could.  Was talking to someone, they said it actually sounds like a pec minor issue.  Also, benching went well. Went back to using an arch after doing it completely flat the last few weeks, definitely felt a power bump. yaaaay.