Program Update

Going to alternate accessory movements to save time.

Press -> Dip/Chin with 1 minute between switches
Dead -> something/45-Deg, 1 minute (something will probably be a shrug or...iono...)
Bench -> BS Pushup/BS Inverted Row, 1 minute
Squat -> Front Squat/GHR, 1 minute

Doing inverted rows to save time on setup and help to promote shoulder health; not sure if I'll try weighting them.

2011-12-21 Dead 5s

Warmup

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225
5x 265, 305, 345
Would have gone for more at 345 but was having some low back issues. It was unilateral so I assume it's a QL issue, and I'm not sure if it's from not arching my back enough or arching too hard - I'm guessing the former but I don't know.

GHR: 3x10, 10lbs
Need to build up my conditioning so I can do these with shorter rests.

45-Deg Back Raise: 3x10, 55lbs
Oh dear christ do I need to build up my conditioning

Rollout: 1x5
Couldn't get full ROM and my shoulders don't appear to have gotten used to the position yet, so I called it a day after one set.

2011-12-20 Press 5s

Start of 5/3/1. Using starting "1" RMs of 135 Press, 225 Bench, 350 Squat, 405 Dead

5-Press Day:

Regular warmup

Press: 45, 45, 65
5x 85, 105
8x 115
Sick and no creatine. And not eating enough. Seriously thought I'd have this for like twice that, but w/e.
Did a couple of chins after the 85 set. Will do more in future. Need to restructure my training log or something. Argh.

Dips:
BW - 5, 5, 4 (5F)
I think I just found the thing I need to do to make my bench go up. Score.

Chins:
Like 2
Then 3x5 of assisted pull-ups at -70lbs

Rollouts:
4x5

In and out in about an hour, pretty nice.
Will work on the chins etc.

2011-11-26 Intensity and Switch

Intensity Day:

Warmup - as usual

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 185, 225, 275, 315
365lbs - 1
405lbs - 2 (3F)
It is what it is.
---
5/3/1 starts next week. Not sure what day layout I'll use, but the plan is currently:

Press, Dips, Chins, Rollouts, Prehab
Dead, Kroc Row, 45d Hyper, Farmer Holds, Prehab
Bench, Blast Strap Pushup, DB Row, Pallof Press (gay resisted rotation ab exercise), Prehab
Squat, Front Squat, GHR, Rollouts, Prehab

Probably do Bench Squat Press Dead, put the Farmer Holds on Bench Day, and do rollouts on Dead day. Two days of conditioning per week, probably the day after Squat and the day after Dead. I'll start with sled drags and get more creative as I figure shit out.

Based on the video I'm inclined to think I should do GMs in place of Front Squats, too. Might do Box Squats in place of Free Squats for a bit so I can get the hang of sitting back with a neutral neck.

Backlog

Volume Day:

Squat - 8x2 at 345, easy but very Rippetoe-esque form due to a combination of really forcing the neck packing and being stuck wearing glasses.
DB Row 3x8ea, 70lbs
Rollouts 3x6
Dieselcrew Shoulder Rehab stuff, not noting here because it's in my log
---
Recovery Day: Skipped DL day to do Chem. E. homework

Squat - 2x3 at 225, focusing on form
Assisted Pullup - 3x8 at 75, 80, 80; it is embarrassing how bad I (still) am at these
Squat - ~10x2-3 at 135, focusing on form. Getting better at avoiding the Rippetoe issue despite looking down. Had an unfortunate run-in with a Korean guy who takes his religion too seriously and wouldn't stop talking about it, which was...distracting.
IIRC I skipped most of the rehab and just did the pull-up retractions. I'm trying to find stuff that hurts and do that, mostly out of laziness.
---
Skipped lifting today because I woke up late and didn't eat enough. Going for 405x3 tomorrow, and taking a cue from a recent T-Nation article by not allowing myself to get worked up about it. There's time to get excited when I'm in the gym.

Switching to 5/3/1 on Monday. Will post the details of what I'm doing before I re-suspend myself.

Brief Hiatus

Took the week off to focus on exams. Changing priorities in general - starting 5/3/1 either next week or the week after, depending on how much work I get done over the weekend. I'd like to do a last week of TM so I can shoot for a 405x3 squat, but I've realized over the last 2-3 weeks that powerlifting's going to have to stay on the backburner for a while if I want to get the grades and recommendations I want to get. I'll still be competing, though.

2011-11-11 Intensity and Equipment

Warmup (including 45 and 65lb overhead squats)

Squat: 65, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 315, 360 (for 1)
400lbs - 2 (3F), 1
I've got all sorts of excuses for this one. My favorites:
I've been eating pretty terribly for the last few days and had almost nothing to eat today prior to this
All of the new ab work has totally fucked up my core and I had really terrible force transfer to the bar

I'm also still not there mentally and want to know wtf happened after the last time I was able to really transform.

Floorcrusher:
3x5 - 85lbs
Easy enough.

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275, 315, 365, 405 (for 1)
440lbs - 0
No idea what happened here.
315 was fucking effortless, at least.

Rollouts:
3x3
Didn't want to risk tearing something

Incline DB Retraction - 3x10, 15lbs
Prone Y - 3x10, weightless, thumb down
Prone Internal Rotation - 3x10. 2.5lbs on the first set, open palm on the other two.

And uh...so, yesterday...

A Texas Power Bar arrived on my doorstep while I was at work

...which is odd, since I cancelled my order two weeks ago and got my $332.95 refund a couple of days after that

2011-11-09 Recovery

Warmup - As usual, plus OH Squat of 65 after the 45

Front Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185
3x3 - 235lbs
Easy enough.

Assisted Pull-Up:
3x8 - 80lbs assistance
Easy enough.

Rollout:
3x6
Working up here. I intend to have it at 5x10 with 1 minute rests or something before I start adding weight.

Pull-Up Retraction: 3x10
Overhead Shrug: 3x10, empty bar
Push-Up Plus: 3x10 (sans the actual push-up part)
Posterior Capsule Stretch: 3x6ea

And one set of prone internal rotations. Giving my subscapularis a bit of a rest and seeing how that goes.

2011-11-08 Speed

Warmup - Usual

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275
275lbs - 10x1
Still working on back position.
Probably took longer on these than I should have (mostly breaks between the later warmups).

GHR:
3x8 - 15lbs on face
Increasing next time.

45-Degree Hyper:
3x8 - 80lb DB on chest
Decided that it might be prudent to just slaughter my hamstrings on Tuesdays
Might not be wise, we'll see how it pans out. I consider this partly "Core" stuff as well, though I may take the weight down a bit so I can work on maintaining spinal position.

Farmer Hold:
2x2ea - 80lb, 30sec
2x2ea - 80lb, 30sec
1 Minute between the two.
Grip was screaming at the end of this.

DB Cuban Rotation: 3x10, 10lbs
Band ER: 3x10, mini
Band Pullapart: 3x10, mini
Band Disloc: 3x10, mini
Band BTN Press: 3x10, mini

No PIRs today, more because I forgot to take the band in and had to do it all at home than anything else.

2011-11-07 Volume

(took the last 2 off due to hip, and last Tuesday due to work)

Warmup - Usual

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 315
5x3 - 345lbs
Not great, but still finished without any real risk of missing reps.

Floorcrusher:
3x5 - 82.5lbs

DB Row:
3x8ea - 70lbs
Getting slightly better

Rollout:
3x5
The nerve entrapment issue seems to be causing some pain on these. It got better as I did more sets.

DB Protraction - 3x10, 15lbs (really focused on scapular retraction and depression here, which made it feel a lot more like a good bench rep)
DB Retraction - 3x10, 15lbs
Posterior Cap Stretch - 3x~10. Right side now has a lot more ROM than left, lol. Will start doing both (or trying to).
Prone Internal Rotation - 3x10, 5sec hold. Last few on the last set had the muscle actually cramping, which is a good sign.

Went in feeling dejected, non-motivated, etc. - basically wanting to quit. After lifting and talking with other serious guys I feel a lot better.

So uh

Yeah

Turns out lifting literally makes me happy no matter how terrible my diet and day in general have been

Also, I was craving steak on the way out so I think I'm probably going to rethink the carb-up approach. Maybe just eat more fruit or something, iono.

2011-10-31 Volume

Warmup - As usual. 3 sets of overhead squats, may start advancing the weight slightly (45-55-65 or something).

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 1x315
345lbs - 5x3
Went down to triples this week. Figured I might as well just try to build up momentum, especially since I haven't eaten any carbs so far today. Getting up at 6 means I'll have time to make some onions before class in future, though.
Not too hard. Sensation in my quads also wasn't really there, though I'm guessing that's more a result of the rep range than anything in my diet.
I think my stance may be slightly crooked.

Floorcrusher:
80lbs - 3x5
Actual 80lbs, done with the lighter EZ-Bar.

DB Row:
3x8ea - 70lbs
Moving GHR to Tuesday.
I'm probably going to wave the weights up and down to help my right side catch up. The activation and strength differences were pretty significant.
So yeah, increasing by 5lbs each week until it seems like my right side is flagging seriously and then resetting to 70, I guess. Maybe 65 if it bottoms out too quickly.
Fuck my right side.

No ab work because I forgot the wheel

DB Retraction - 3x10, 15lbs
DB Protraction - 3x10, 15lbs
Posterior Capsule Stretch - 3x10, 3sec
Prone Internal Rotation - 3x10, barehand

ROM's still improving.

2011-10-28 Intensity

Warmup (including overhead squats)

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 315
355lbs - 1
395lbs - 2, 1, 1
Got in a good mental state for 395, roared, started to set up, and one of the four guys in front of me jumped up and started doing pull-ups.
...without going into the complete details of how much I wonder about the survival instincts of a 130lb guy who willingly gets in front of a 200lb guy setting up under a 400lb barbell having made the kind of noise one would normally attribute to an enraged bear, and glossing over the part where I basically just cussed him out until he dropped down and got out of the way*, my mental state was mildly fucked up and while I could probably have taken it for at least 3 in one set, I only did 2.
Went for a single about 10 minutes later, which was REALLY easy and probably should have been another double, if not a triple. Seriously, it was fucking perfect.
Went for another one about 10 minutes after that, which was terrible and ugly and shit.

*Not exactly a glowing reflection on the maturity of powerlifters.

Floorcrusher:
82.5lbs - 3x5
The Oly-looking bar weighs 25lbs, the others weight about 20. Wish I could use the Oly one every time, but oh well.

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275, 315, 365
435lbs - 2
Wasn't mentally there for this, probably due to my having been in the gym for about 3 hours by the time I went for it.
440 for 1 next time. With ammonia, and less talking.

Incline DB Retraction - 3x10, 10lbs
Prone "Y" - 3x10 (did the latter 2 with thumbs pointed down, which made it a LOT harder)
Prone Internal Rotation - 1x10 w/ 2.5lbs, 2x10 with bare hands. My range of motion has improved a lot - I've got 30-45 degrees now.

Program

Just read this:
http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/training-articles/5-tips-for-the-raw-squat/

Considering modifications...

First one is a dramatic increase in ab work (Rollouts Monday and Friday, Farmer Holds on Tuesday)
Another thing I've been considering is doing GHR between my Volume Squats and Volume Bench/Press, since my quads feel like hell after I squat and there's no way in fuck I can do either movement properly until the cessation of that sensation. This MAY be the result of not eating enough carbs - I may try carbing up this Sunday and seeing how Monday feels.

That said, I'm also considering switching Rows and GHR (Rows on Monday and GHR Tuesday to give my lats some more recovery time). Iono. Depends partly on whether or not my Texas Power Bar has shipped by tomorrow; if it hasn't I may just cancel the order and keep going in on Tuesdays.

Also, find the easter egg.

2011-10-26 Recovery

Warmup (sans bridges and GHR)

Overhead Squat:
3x3 - 45lbs
This actually seems to do good things for mobilizing the nerve that's causing my problems. Will continue doing these as a warmup.

Front Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185
3x3 - 232.5lbs
Depth was a bit dodgy on some of these but still way below parallel.
Big hamstrings make depth a little problematic when squatting with a close stance.

Pull-Up Retractions: 3x10
Prone Internal Rotation: 3x10, 3second holds, 2.5lbs in hand

2011-10-24 Volume

Warmup

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 2x315 (singles)
345lbs - 5x4
Set 3 I managed to get two good reps with a packed neck
The others were all either terrible reps or non-neutral neck
Guh

Floorcrusher -
3x5 - "85lbs"
The oly-looking bar definitely weighs more than the others. I'll use the smaller ones in future.
First 2 were with the heavy one.

GHR:
15lbs - 8, 8, 7
Not sure if I should repeat this
The last couple of reps on the 3rd set were pretty gnarly

2011-10-21 Intensity

Warmup

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 315
355lbs - 1
390lbs - 3 (4F)
These were done with extremely poor form. I need to eat more.
At least I'm getting the hang of the head back cue.

Floorcrusher:
82.5lbs - 3x5

Deadlift: 150, 185, 225, 275, 315, 375
425lbs - 1
No chalk
The 375 set may have done something very mild to my right shoulder; 425 felt ok, though I couldn't lock that one out due to the grip issues resulting from a lack of chalk. Otherwise fine; resuming deads.

Pull-Up Retraction - 3x10
Overhead Shrug - 45lbs, 3x10
Push-Up Plus - 3x10
Posterior Capsule Stretch - 3x10 (right only)
Prone Internal Rotation - 2.5lbs, 3x10 (right only)

2011-10-19 Recovery

Warmup - Usual

Front Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185
230lbs - 3x3
I'm actually somewhat tempted to take this down to an easier level, though I say this despite hitting the 3rd set really easily just by holding my breath and maintaining a neutral neck.

DB Cuban Rotation - 12.5lbs, 3x10
Band ER - Mini band, 3x10
Band PA - Mini band, 3x10
Band BTN "Press" - Mini band, 3x10
Prone Internal Rotation - 2.5lbs, 3x10 (3 second hold)

2011-10-17 Volume

Warmup

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
335lbs - 5x5
Neutral neck made this a hell of a lot harder. So did not having eaten any real quantities of carbohydrate today.

Floorcrusher:
3x5 - 80lbs

2011-10-14 Intensity

Warmup - usual, plus the new "Penis" mobe

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 315
350lbs - 1
385lbs - 4
Working on neutral neck. It's pretty difficult/distracting and may have screwed me up somewhat here. The lack of carbs may be a problem as well. Need to eat more so I stop losing weight, lol - I'm down to ~207.
Not sure if I'll continue volume as though I'm looking at 5s on Fridays. I don't want to change the program (which is a hilarious contrast to the old me).
Also, the mobe they told me to do at PTI works really well. Did it before squatting and had a fairly reasonable time with 45, to the extent that I didn't even bother taking it twice.

Floorcrusher:
3x5 - 77.5lbs
Much easier

Heavy Unrack:
455
455, and walked out for a few seconds
500
315 (not actually heavy)

Squat:
135x1

Just dicking around.

2011-10-12 Recovery

Warmup

Squat: 2x45, 95
"Oh wait."

Front Squat: 135, 155, 185
227.5lbs - 3x3
Going to go back and check the heaviest weight I used for these on Westside. This may have been heavier than I should be going. >.>

DB Cuban Rotations: 3x12, 7.5lbs
Band External Rotation: 3x12, Mini Band
Band Pull-Aparts: 3x12, Mini Band
Band BTN "Press: 2x12, Mini Band (forgot to do first one)
Prone Internal Rotation: 3x12, 5 second hold, right side only

2011-10-10 Volume

(first one on a virtually carb-free dietary approach, though I definitely need to get more meat because I was hungry going into this)

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
335lbs - 5x5
Can't tell if this was harder than last week at the beginning.
Was pretty tame by the end tbqh. I think part of the issue was mental.
I assume that my body not being used to making glycogen the long way probably didn't help.

Floorcrusher:
77.5lbs - 5x5
Shorter rest times this time
Making a point of keeping my wrists extended.

GHR:
+12.5lbs - 3x8
Form was off somewhat on the last few. Will increase by 1.25lbs next time instead of 2.5.

Rehab -
Upcoming.
DB Protractions - 3x12, 10lbs
DB Retractions - 3x12, 10lbs
Posterior Capsule Stretch - 3x15 oscillations
Prone Internal Rotation - 3x12, 5-second holds w/ no weight

Done as a circuit.

Not sure if I should bother doing my left shoulder.

2011-10-07 Intensity

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 315
380lbs - 1
My quads were hating me by the time I finished 315
Not surprising given that I have eaten like absolute shit for the last 7 days
Rep was deep, though

Floorcrusher:
75lbs - 3x5
Doing the Rippetoe thing and starting with my elbows "north" of my head helps to take the strain off of the medial tendon, lol.
Guessing it's because it helps to stop me from going into wrist flexion.

Prone Internal Rotation:
+2.5lbs - 3x5, 3 second holds on each rep
My right and left sides feel so fucking different when I depress my scapula

Trying a Lalonde-esque Paleo thing for the next month or so; more variety of meat, add in some different vegetables, etc.. The vege part's going to be hard for me because I like to just whip something up on a pan or in the oven, put it on a plate, and go. Doing shit like slicing up bell peppers or whatever will be a new experience.

2011-10-05 Recovery-ish

Only lifted because I needed to do something to avoid dozing off

Warmup - Rolled

Front Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185
2x3 - 225
Easy enough

Prone Internal Rotations -
4 sets of about 6 reps each, various length holds
Used the athletic boxes and just propped my arm up on towels

2011-10-03 Volume

Warmup

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
5x5 - 335lbs
Took it down slightly
This was actually harder than I thought it would be
Nowhere near as hard as 337.5lbs was last week, admittedly, but the lower weight meant I could force myself to maintain better technique, which made a lot of the reps artificially harder as I forced myself to use my quads
Considering buying some straps and doing medium front squats on Wednesdays or something

Floorcrushers:
3x5 - 75lbs
Assuming the EZ Curl bar weighs 25lbs
First set was hard as fuck, but the rest were pretty easy. I probably just needed to rest more after the squats
Kinda overdid it on the rest times here, too
Not sure how I'll approach this progression-wise.

Prone Internal Rotations:
3x8 - 2.5lbs
5 second hold on each rep
Need to go reread the article on these

GHR:
3x8 - 10lbs on face
Much harder than last week

2011-09-30 Intensity

Warmup

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
2x 315lbs
1x 350lbs
4x 380lbs (5F)
Cuing might have helped here instead of just yelling "Up!" (grr @ spotters - they did a better job last week, but oh well). It's possible I could have made it if I'd just kept pushing but oh well.

2011-09-28 Recovery

Warmup

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185
2x5 - 255lbs
Mother fuck
This is not supposed to cause that feeling in my quads

Bench: 45, 95, 135
1x4 - 155lbs
Right humerus came out of the socket for a second on the 4th rep. Decided to rack it and not push it any further.
I'm going to stop Benching and Pressing for the time being and just do Squats, Deads, and the dieselcrew shoulder rehab circuit. That plus 100 band pull-aparts on training days will hopefully set that entire area to rest and let me get my lats back into the bench.

Pull-Ups:
-65lbs - 8
-80lbs - 8
First set didn't get the activation, second aggravated my shoulder.

2011-09-26 Volume

Warmup

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
337.5lbs - 5x5
Needed a yell on the last rep of the last set.
Or rather, found a yell to be called for and helpful.
I think this has reached "hard" levels now, though only just.
Still going around 6-7 minutes' rest, though. Not sure if I should extend the rests now or wait until it gets REALLY tough.

Press: 45, 95
135lbs - 5x5
Need to talk to the PT about the cramp I get on the back of my left shoulder in the rack position here.
Other than that, easy enough.

GHR:
3x8 - +10lbs
Easy as fuck

Face Pulls:
3x10 - 20lbs
Held each rep for a second. Took a 1-2 second breather before the last rep, then held that 3 seconds.

2011-09-23 Intensity

Warmup

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
332.5lbs - 3
355lbs - 1
375lbs - 5
Nice and psyched up for the 5 set
4th rep was slow and all of them were at least somewhat GMed
Epic roar before 5th
Epic roar at end of 5th
Epic roar after rerack
Many people applauding, lol.

Bench: 45, 95, 135, 185
205lbs - 1
225lbs - 5
Paused
Mother fuck
This should not have been as hard as it was
That said, I credit a lot of it to not being in the same place mentally as the squats; for those I basically just blasted straight from 45 to 275. Here I took too much downtime and wasn't as focused.

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275, 315, 365
430lbs - 1
Wasn't here mentally
Thinking I'll gauge things mentally from week to week. If I get 3, add 10lbs, do as many reps as I'm comfortable with. If it's >3, add 5lbs next week; hopefully that'll have me fully recovered and getting 3. Iono.

2011-09-21 Recovery

Recovery Day, on 3 hours sleep and 150mg Caffeine:

Warmup - Usual

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185
250lbs - 5, 5
These were a lot easier than usual but felt just as bad.

Press: 45, 95
110lbs - 5, 5
These, conversely, felt excellent.

Assisted Pull-Ups:
-70lbs - 8, 8
-75lbs - 8, 8
-80lbs - 8

2011-09-20 Speed

Warmup

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225
10x1x275
Wasn't really getting my upper back into play here as much as last week. Guessing this has something to do with all the scapular activation stuff I've been doing.

DB Row:
3x8ea - 80lbs
Managed to get stuff engaged on the last set. Not as much as I'd like but still better than the previous two, lol.

Farmer Hold:
2x(2ea x 30s) - 85lbs
Grip workout from hell.

Muscle Snatch:
10x45
Then I remembered that I don't do this today.

2011-09-19 Volume

Warmup

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 315(x1)
332.5lbs - 5x5
Fairly hard towards the end but w/e, I'm used to it. Rachel couldn't come today, but I plan to get video on Friday.
Worked on trying to keep an upright torso. Seemed to make progress. May have cut depth a tad; not sure if I should be worrying about this given that I squat waaay past parallel but w/e.

Bench: 45, 95, 135
180lbs - 5
185lbs - 5
190lbs - 5
195lbs - 5
200lbs - 5
Working on getting my right side to activate again. It's very slow going.
The more I work on activating it the less stable that side feels on the bench, too. I'm guessing it's because I'm becoming more and more cognizant of how the area's moving but it's still bloody annoying.

GHR:
3x8 - 5lb plate on face
I tuck my chin on these so it's more like "perpendicular to neck" but w/e.

Face Pull:
3x12 - 20lbs

May start doing the 100 pullaparts per day again.

Programming

Planning to add sled work back in in about 2-3 weeks, once I've got a better handle on everything else. Going by the book there caps it at 12 minutes, which should be roughly 8 trips (more like 6 if I'm dragging with Saarni). Probably going to put it Saturday morning instead of afternoon.

Current Program Draft*:

Volume Day:
5x5 Squat @ Appropriate Weight (currently 90% of next intended Intensity)
5x5 Bench/Press @ Appropriate Weight (currently 90% of previous Intensity)
3x8 GHR
Face Pulls/Scapular Activation (right now I'm doing the SA drill at home throughout the day - may just abandon face pulls until I can recruit my lats properly on the bench, possibly even from then on too)

Assistance Day:
10x1 Deadlift @ Convenient Weight (currently 275 straight weight or 225+100lbs chain). 1 Minute Rest.
3x8ea DB Rows @ Regular Progress
4x30s/side Farmer Hold @ Regular Progress
3x10 Rollouts @ no idea, maybe I'll tape weights to my back or something

Recovery Day:
2x5 Squat @ 75% Monday Weight (should I lower this?)
2x5 Press/Bench @ 75% Monday Weight
5x8 Assisted Pull-Ups @ Slow and Steady with emphasis on form
Cressey Rotator Cuff Thing @ Snail's Pace

REST AND RECOVER. WITH MEAT.

Intensity Day:
1x5 Squat @ 5lbs over previous Friday
1x5 Bench/Press @ 5lbs over previous Friday
1x3 Deadlift @ 5-10lbs over previous Friday, by feel

Considering moving the pull-ups to the end of Intensity Day (possibly/probably changing the set/rep scheme) but not sure.

2011-09-16 Intensity

Warmup

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 327.5
370lbs - 4 (5F)
Seems I was GMing the hell out of these. Need to get Rachel to bring the camera in future.
Rich (Asian guy with excellent intensity) did a good job on the cues for this. When I asked him to yell at me I thought it'd just be the Saarni-style "Up" and occasional major cues, but instead I got a fairly manly voice shouting at me for the entire set, which was pretty nice.
So:
4s?
3s?
Retake this under the assumption that GHRs and not losing focus between sets will help me to fix the issues? (I was in the zone until I left to go pay for more parking time - something I won't do again).

Press: 45, 95, 135
155lbs - 4 (5F)
Rich yelling at me this one too, though it didn't really help. I wasn't in the right mindset for a max set.
Taking breaks between warmups to go help people seems to impacting my performance. I'm going to have to be stricter about how I behave in the gym; letting my desire to be chatty get the better of me is hurting my numbers.

Deadlift: 155, 185, 225, 275, 315, 365 (all for 3)
420lbs - 3
See, for these, given the way my mind was going after the squats and presses (relaxation - not panic/regret/whatever, seems I'm recovering well enough on the TM that that level of stress never comes up), I figured "Meh, go for 415."
Then I did my 315 set and started to reconsider because the weight was flying up.
Then I did my 365 set and decided to go for 420 because that felt the way 315 did a few weeks ago.
A lot of that is technical - focusing on falling back, rounding my back forward without letting my lats relax - but I suspect that the speed pulls and switch to 3s rather than 5s is a major contributor. Not sure if I should go for 7.5lbs as a rule or stick with 10.
---
So, GHRs are definitely in. I'm fairly sure that speed pulls with chains will work as well as/better than straight weight ones, but may experiment with it.

Not sure if I should do anything extra anywhere to help fix the GMing out of the hole on the squat. GHRs should help a lot, mindset should help a lot, and cuing (both internal and external) should help a lot.

Oh, and the squat dump was perfect.

2011-09-14 Recovery

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185
245lbs - 2x5
I have to vigorously dig my knuckles into the flexor mass of my right forearm for a few minutes before squatting now. Good chance I'm just going to ask Jensine to focus entirely on breaking up that area - the right/left disparity is VERY easy to feel (right side has a very loose, pliable "rope;" left has a larger one that honestly seems more like a "cable" than anything else).

Bench: 45, 95
150lbs - 2x5
Need to work on activating my right scapula. I think the difference in lat activation is just a symptom of a much larger problem with the stability around that shoulder.

Assisted Pull-Ups:
5 sets at varying weights that I can't remember because I was using a different assist machine this time and it has trippy-as-fuck weights on it. Increments of like 6 or some shit.

Cressey - Same as last time

2011-09-13 Speed Day

Warmup - As usual

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225
275lbs - 10x1
Worked on rounding my upper back while keeping my lats tight. It chances the movement mechanics a bit.
By which I mean a lot.

DB Row:
80lbs - 3x8ea
Repeating this weight until I can get my right lat into it.
The left one is activating really well and I'm going to ask Jensine to try to get that happening on the right as well.

Farmer Hold:
85lbs - 4x30ea
Did these as 2 pairs of 2 sets each side (ie 30 left, 30 right, 30 left, 30 right, rest). The effect was noticeable.

I think I need to start doing GHRs again. Monday, Wednesday, or Friday?

2011-09-12 Volume

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
327.5lbs - 5x5
Sick, but not enough to dissuade me from lifting.
Took shorter rests for time reasons, which made this harder than it had to be. ~5 minutes between sets, plus the sickness, meant that by the last two sets I had abandoned all pretenses of form and was just fighting to get the reps done. Seems that sitting straight down actually made them even easier, which tells me I've got some major issues with hamstring strength. Not sure what I'll do to work on that (if anything at all, at least for the time being).

Press: 45, 95
122.5lbs - 5
127.5lbs - 5
130lbs - 5
132.5lbs - 5
137.5lbs - 5
Decided to switch my presses over this week instead of next, on the assumption that sickness would probably shaft them anyway and that the effort of doing them heavy 3 times per week was probably impeding my gains elsewhere.
Basing Bench off of a 5RM of 225, Press off of 152.5. The bench may be a slight overestimate since I'll be switching to Paused, and the Press is probably a slight understimate from the sets across, but whatever.

2011-09-09 Intensity

Need to stop talking to people so much. I'm never in the mood for hard work when I hit the deads and it shows.

Warmup

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 315
335lbs - 2
350lbs - 2
365lbs - 5
Some were great, some were ugly. I expect it'll improve next week.

Bench: 45, 3x95, 135, 185
230lbs - 5, 3, 4
I can only engage my left lat.
It's frustrating.
I'm guessing some more massage may help this.

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275, 315, 365 (x2)
410lbs - 3
I'm doing triples but even then this was harder than it should have been.

2011-09-07 Recovery

Warmup

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185
245lbs - 2x5
Bitching time
I don't like recovery day. I can't engage my upper back properly because it's fried from Monday and Tuesday, and I'm just generally tired/temporarily burned out on squats, so 245 for 2x5 requires effort that I don't put in on the other days until I'm up over 300. My form always feels off and it's generally unpleasant.
I get why it's that way and that suffering through this indignity has a strong, positive effect on Friday always feeling great, but it's still pretty annoying.

Press: 45, 95, 135
155lbs - 3, 1, 2
Yeahhhh
Uh
I didn't really sleep last night, which didn't help the squats. I took a nap over the middle of the day, though, so it may not be that
Either way I'll just keep pushing. Bench should stall out in the next 2-3 weeks and then I can switch them both to TM and make sweet, sweet love to my arms.
Yeah, I don't know what happened with that sentence either.

Assisted Pull-Ups:
-80lbs - 3x8
-90lbs - 2x8
Figured I should up the volume here.
Maintaining lat activation for an entire set is pretty hard. I'm fairly sure I'm avoiding excess bicep recruitment, though. I can improve the ratio by squeezing my glutes, which is nice.
Just need to keep at these and eventually I'll be at 5x8 with bodyweight and great lat activation.
"Eventually" here meaning "In like a year."
Hopefully less. >.>

Muscle Snatch - 3x8, 45lbs
L-Lateral Raise - 1x10, 5lbs (use more next time)
45-Deg Raise - 2x8, 5lbs (use more next time)
Lying External - 2x8, 2.5lbs (probably repeat)

2011-09-06 Deads

Warmup

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225
275lbs - 10x1
Yay.
That said, I'm strongly considering picking up a Texas Power Bar and some rubber tiles/pavers so I can just do these on my porch. Focused on pulling back (which I haven't been doing properly recently) and discovered why powerlifters like talcum powder.
Aaaand I don't want to deal with lugging the chains to the gym.

DB Row:
75lbs - 3x8ea
Also be easier to do these with the DB Handle at home.

Dicked around with various things

Static DB Hold:
75lbs, 3 holds each side, 30 seconds each
Also these.

Weighted Planks:
70lbs - 2 holds, 30 seconds each, 30 seconds rest
Shoulder girdle/pec region is too much of a limiting factor here. Switching to rollouts.

Design notes for Tuesday

Speed Pulls - 10, 1 minute apart.
DB Rows - 3x8ea or something
Single-Side Suitcase DL - Probably 3x8 each side
Weighted Plank - 5x30sec, 1min rest

I'm in this hilarious situation of wanting to just get some hypertrophy going in my core because I'm not going to be semi-chubby forever, but I really like filling my shirts out to the extent that I do and suspect that the thickness is helping on my lifts.

Not sure if I should do full-contact twists or something, lol. I want to look like a barrel.

2011-09-05 Volume

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
325lbs - 5x5
Felt a mild twinge after the first set, so I got on the roller, found the trouble spot, and sat there for a few seconds. That was fucking EXCRUCIATING. Guh.
Anyway, other than that these went pretty well. Roughly 6.5 minutes rest.

Bench: 45, 95, 2x135, 185
225lbs - 5, 5, 4, 1
Got Eric to come in and spot me for these. Surprised he agreed, but now I owe him a spot so w/e. I need to hang out with him more.
First set was ok, second set was slightly better, third I got better lat activation but was tired. Fourth was pretty hard because I'd only waited 3 minutes.

Face Pulls:
3x12 - 20lbs
Held most of the reps for a ~half second. Tried adding more weight but it didn't really work out.

2011-09-02 Recovery

Warmup as usual

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185
2x5 - 245lbs
Seems fine.

Press: 45, 95, 135x3
155lbs - 4, 3, 3
Whee

Pull-Ups:
-90lbs - 3x5
-80 next time. This was easy on a level that made it impossible to recruit my lats properly.

2011-08-29 Volume, abbreviated

Warmup as usual

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
325lbs - 2x5
Pulled my left glute min/med/piriformis or something on set 2.

Guessing this has something to do with my QL troubles but it's annoying as fuck

Rehab time

180lbs, 6 trips, 200ft each, alternating with Saarni

Pretty easy

Volume Day has dramatically improved my conditioning, actually. I already knew this - climbing up the hill to get to my condo "the hard way" got dramatically easier a couple of weeks ago despite my not having done anything cardio-intensive in months - but the effect was really visible here. Took 3 trips before I was really feeling anything, and I only stopped after 6 because my quads were complaining.

I'll probably take this up to 10 and then up it 25lbs.

2011-08-26 Intensity

Warmup - As usual. Fuck, so many people in the RSF.

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275; 315x2, 335x3
360lbs - 5
All the weights today felt light. Every one of them just felt abnormally..."non-loady"...whenever I took them out of the rack.
I'm not sure if I'm going to keep going up 5lbs on Intensity or switch to 7.5. Whenever I got up 10 the entire following week sucks, whenever I go up 5 the following week's too easy.
Plus if I do 7.5 here I'll be at 405x5 in 6 weeks instead of 9. Fuck, I love the Texas Method.

Bench: 45, 2x95, 135, 185
220lbs - 5, 5, 4
Popped something in the meat of my right hand (similar to what happened when I "tore" my hamstring, at least in feeling) after the first set. Or possibly before.
First two sets were a tad iffy, third one I had a ton of wrist issues and after a fairly hard 4th rep decided not to risk dying on the 5th.

Deadlift: 185, 225, 275, 315, 365
405lbs - 4
Apparently the rounding here was really bad.
I wasn't really motivated at this point, lol.
Thinking I'll go for this again next week. Strongly considering getting the chains for Speed Pulls.
Also need to start doing ab work.

Face Pulls:
2x12 - 20lbs
Held about half of these at the end for ~1 second. Going to keep working on this.

2011-08-23 Recovery

Warmup - as usual

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185
240lbs - 2x5
Meh. Need to work on my arm.

Press: 45, 95, 135x3
155lbs - 3, 2, 1
Barely ate so far today and haven't slept much since Sunday. Not really surprised by this.

Pull-Ups:
Band-assisted with various positions. Got 3x5 TOLERABLE reps but I'd rather have been using the machine. Need to check the schedule for the classes.

Cressey Rotator Cuff Circuit:
Sets of 10. 35lbs, 5lbs, 2.5lbs

2011-08-21 Volume

Warmup: As usual

Squat: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
320lbs - 5x5
I'd say this was medium difficulty. Never really came close to failure, just needed some mental strength on the last 1-2 reps of the last 1-2 sets.

Bench: 2x45, 95, 135, 185
215lbs - 3x5
Easy enough. Getting better at engaging my lats.

DB Row:
75lbs - 3x5ea
Right first, as always.

Face Pulls:
20lbs - 2x12

Need to get a lacrosse ball and do my left infraspinatus; as always, doing external rotation work to keep my shoulders healthy has caused it to develop trigger points and give me pain on the bench.

2011-08-18 Intensity

Warmup - 10 on the Bridges and GHRs, 10lbs on the Diesel

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275; 315x2, 335x2
355lbs - 5
Would have liked a depth call on these but oh well. The first three might have been cut a bit (probably still past IPF legal, knowing me), but the last two were definitely sunk deep. The 4th involved a huge amount of GMing and I almost put it back in the rack, but then went for a 5th and got it. My log now has a caption on this page that reads:
"You are capable of more than you think you are."
Faggy, yeah, but w/e. I'll probably find some means of putting that on the cover of my next one.
Two weeks until I'm getting 5 reps with my last tested 1RM.

Press: 45, 95, 135x3
152.5lbs - 5, 5, 3, 2
2nd set was the best by far.
Fucked up my breathing on the 3rd one (iirc I did 2 reps instead of 3 on the first breath) and decided it'd be unwise to go for a 4th. Definitely had it in me with correct breathing, though, so I waited 5 minutes and did a 4th set. Knew the plateau on this would break eventually.

Deadlift: 152.5, 185, 225, 275, 315, 365x2
400lbs - 5
Had a bit of shoulder weirdness on the 365 set, but 400 had no such problems. 400 honestly wasn't that hard, lol.
Starting to regret taking those 10lb jumps everywhere though, lol. The fact that everything's moving as fast as it is makes me think that that head start would have been a huge asset.

Face Pulls:
2x15 - 20lbs

2011-08-16 Recovery

Warmup

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185
235lbs - 2x5
Meh

Bench: 45, 2x95, 2x135, 175
210lbs - 3x5
Relearning how to engage my lats.

Pull-Ups:
4+1, 4, 4
Assisted w/ 30lbs - 0
Assisted w/ 90lbs - 5
Guess I know what I'm doing for the next...X days...

Muscle Snatch: 35lbs, 3x10
L-Lateral Raise: 5lbs, 1x10
45-Degree Raise: 5lbs, 2x10
Lying External: 2.5lbs, 2x10
Holy fuck my rotator cuff is balls.

2011-08-14 Volume

Warmup - As usual. Going to go back down to the 10lb DBs on the shoulder warmup, though.

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
315lbs - 5x5
Much harder than last week. Was cutting depth (still legal) on most of the sets, only really ironed my form in for the 4th and 5th, etc.. Really need to work on these.

Press: 45, 95, 135
152.5lbs - 3x4
If I don't get 5 reps on Set 1 next time I'm adding some singles at the end.

DB Row:
3x8ea - 70lbs
Dropping the weight on these a bit so I can accumulate more volume and balance out benching. This mostly came up because there's something odd going on in the back of my left shoulder.

Muscle Snatch:
2x10 - 30lbs
Holy shit, this feels REALLY light now.
Started doing Cressey but then decided to go home instead. Apparently I forgot I was going to do that on Wednesdays.

2011-08-10 Intensity

I love how even this takes me two and a half hours.

Squat: 2x45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275; 315x2, 335x2
350lbs - 5
Yay.
Rachel wasn't here so I had no call on depth. I need to work on my setup, though; my grip's been going kinda weird.
5lbs for the rest of it.

Bench: 2x45, 95, 135, 175x3
205lbs - 3x5
Working on lat activation and leg drive.
Completely lost my back tightness on the 2nd set.
Doing TnG for half and paused for the rest, which is kinda funny.

Deadlift: 185, 225, 275, 315, 365x1
395lbs - 5
Wasn't really mentally set for these so they were a bit odd.
Not TOO hard, but still not what I wanted.

Face Pulls:
20lbs - 2x12
Surprisingly unpleasant on the second set.

2011-08-08 Recovery

This was a social outing. Literally 3 hours to do a ~1-hour workout.

Social Part 1: Ran into David on the way in, talked about creatine and Judo for about 10 minutes.

Squats: 45x2, 95, 135, 185
225lbs - 2x5
Need to work on setting up bar placement and holding onto it and stuff. I assume that this is primarily the result of bad shoulder mobility.
Also need to work on the lateral epichondylitis.

Social Part 2: Squats took longer than they should have because I was talking with Eric. About training.

Press: 45, 95, 135
150lbs - 3x3
Meh

Social Part 3: Rested longer than I should have before, during, and after the Press because I was talking to some Asian guys in the next rack. About training. Their form got a lot better as a result.

DB Row:
3x5ea (left first) - 85lbs
Meh

Social Part 4: Spent a while teaching one of the Asian guys how to bench more effectively. And some stuff about TF2 and Starcraft.

2011-08-06 Volume

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 45x2, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275 (2 reps)
305lbs - 5x5
Easy as hell, partly due to my improved squat groove.

Bench: 45, 95, 135, 185 (1 rep)
205lbs - 3x3
Still got the groove in, but I've forgotten how to engage my lats. Rowing should help to fix this, need to start doing it again.

Pull-Ups:
4, 3, 3

2011-08-03 Intensity

FUCK YEAH

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 45x2, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 295 (x2), 315 (x2)
340lbs - 5
Knew it was a good idea, could probably have taken 350 if I'd had the balls.
I will have said balls next week. TO VICTORY!

Press: 45, 95, 135
152.5lbs - 4 (5F), 4, 3
Gurraghaghh. Need to start doing rows again so I can keep my back tight.
Fucked up my trap on the second set. It hurts when I bend my neck back. I'm familiar with this so I'm not worried - probably just a pull and something that'll go away fairly quickly.
Seriously need to take care of this lateral epichondylitis tho.

Deadlift: 152.5, 185, 225, 275, 315
385lbs - 5
I guess I'll do 395 next time.

2011-08-01 Recovery

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 45x2, 95, 135, 185
225lbs - 2x5
Easy.

Floor Press: 45, 95, 135, 185
235lbs - 5, 4, 3
Taught a kid some squatty stuff.

Pull-Ups:
4, 4, 3

2011-07-30 Volume

I've been eating pretty terribly for the last few days, and it showed up on today's Presses.

Warmup - As usual. 12.5lbs for the Dieselcrew.

Squat: 45x2, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275 (x1)
297.5lbs - 5x5
Did the warmups pretty much continuously besides 275.
Rests on the work sets varied from about 5.5 minutes to around 9 minutes. I met a newbie with good form who wanted some help, so we talked training for a bit. Nice to take advantage of the looser protocols, lol.
Getting back into sitting into more of a middle position in the hole rather than having all my weight back. The difference is very, very noticeable and I need to get video to see if it looks wrong.

Press: 45, 95, 135
152.5lbs - 4, 3, 3
Except this time it was a legit "Can't do another one" rather than last time's "I'd've gotten it if I'd just fucking BREATHED correctly."

2011-07-27 Intensity

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 45x2, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, [295, 315]
330lbs - 5
Not easy but not hard. Knowing that I've just got to get 5 reps and it's over helps.
Brackets = fewer reps and longer rests.

Floor Press: 45, 95, 135, 185
235lbs - 4 (5 wtf), 4 (5F), 3
WTF is clarified below.

Deadlift: 225, 315
385lbs - 4
365lbs - 1 (shortly afterward to get it back in the rack)
Resetting these or reducing the reps or something...not sure. I'm mostly just not used to the sensation in my back.

RE: the WTF
Got Rachel to give me a lift on the first set. 5th rep slowed down a lot midway but I still basically had it, so when she moved in (breaking spotter etiquette) I said "don't take it" which she heard as "take it" and grabbed it. Then I said "No!" or something and that flustered her, so she pulled it back and it got caught under the hooks. Then I probably said something else, or something, but either way she let go of it and I had to basically get it halfway down and then throw it off towards my hips, which pissed me off and prompted a loud yell.
So uh

...that happened.

Fortunately I'm used to her going into really depressive moods and shit due to her mild bipolar disorder and whatnot, so it was pretty easy to avoid that going anywhere terrible, but urgh.

Also fortunately the RSF guy who usually spots me was in, and pretty receptive to my giving him the extra instruction of "Don't even move unless I say to grab it...then grab it immediately and get into the rack ASAP."

2011-07-25 Recovery

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 45x2, 95, 135, 185
225lbs - 2x5
How very difficult.

Press: 45, 95, 135 (3 reps)
152.5lbs - 4, 3, 3
We all know what's going to happen on Saturday, don't we. Fun.

Pull-Ups:
BW - 3x4
Had like half an hour between the Presses and these because I was talking to people.

Observed that giving me the chance to talk about training is like giving me cocaine. I was here for 2 hours doing something that should have taken at most ~75 minutes.

2011-07-23 Volume Day (Texas Method)

Warmup - as usual. 12.5s for the Dieselcrew, 9 each on the bridges and GHRs.

Squat: 45x3, 95, 135, 185, 225
265lbs - 1x5
272.5lbs - 1x5
280lbs - 1x5
290lbs - 1x5
297.5lbs - 1x5
My conditioning's gone down the shitter and my form's worse.
Fortunately they went from feeling heavy at 265 to feeling pretty manageable at 297.5.
330lbs on Wednesday.

Floor Press: 45, 95, 135, 185
230lbs - 5, 5, 4 (5F)
Should have known better than to go for the fifth on set 3, but w/e.
Going up next time, whee.

Face Pull:
2x15 - 25lbs
Yay.

Was going to do DB Rows while there, but there's no way to load 97.5lbs onto my handles with the rubberized plates. I'll probably do them tomorrow before sledding.

The longer-term plan

Ok, sorted this out in my head.

Today I'm sledding; I'll go for 10 trips with 180lbs.

I'm switching to Texas Method on Monday; not interested in the SSB and TB idea anymore because of the number of limiting/delaying factors involved. I'll be sledding today and either Friday or Saturday (probably Saturday and going for 10 trips with 4 plates). I'll probably spend some time in the gym every day including today just to work on shoulder rehab; not lifting tomorrow, as Deads were what hurt my shoulder in the first place (first time that's ever happened, actually) and I'm floor pressing on Monday.

I'll assume a starting 5RM of 330.
Bench and Press will be alternated each day as normal until both stall, at which point they'll change to the typical template. Bench is bench specifically - I'm going to keep going on Floor Press until that stalls out and switch back to Bench from there.

General plan for the start:

Monday - Volume Day
Squat 5x5 @ 90% of previous Friday (ramping from 80 to 90 for the first month). Will make use of my 1.25lb plates here.
Bench/Press
DB Row 3x5ea

Tuesday - Conditioning
Sled work until I can get some more plates and better screw clamps, then probably Farmer's Walk.

Wednesday - Light Day
Squat 2x5 @ 75% of Monday's weight
Press/Bench
Pull-Ups 3x5

Thursday - Off

Friday - Intensity Day
Squat 1x5 @ PR
Bench/Press
Deadlift 1x5 @ PR

Saturday - Conditioning
Sled Work, done in the morning.

Sunday - Off

2011-07-13 Sled

180lbs, 6 trips, unknown rest periods, 200ft

Saarni came back for like 3 days and then left again, lol. He'll be back for the end of the summer and then throughout the year.

I like having friends.

Anyway, uh, yeah. Couldn't do 10 trips.

2011-07-12 Squat and Press, and plans

Form's quite different with a belt. Takes some getting used to.

Squat: 45x2, 95, 135, 185, 225; Add Belt; 275
335 - 5, 3, 2
Need to work on keeping the bar back properly. Probably had another rep or two in me for the second sets but falling forward (partly due to the belt...I think...) shut me down a bit.
Waiting for a response on whether or not I can store an SSB and Trap Bar at the RSF. I want my answer sooner rather than later, people...guh.

Press: 45, 95
150lbs - 5, 5, 4
My right shoulder's still weirding up a bit, but it wasn't enough to stop me here.
Whee.

Pull-Ups:
5, 3, 3
Yaaaaay.
Consistent bodyweight ftw.

Weighted Plank:
75lbs - 2x30sec, 30sec rest
Shoulder started complaining after the second one so I finished early.

Face Pull:
20lbs - 2x15

Jeremy suggested I consider a texas method run. At this point I'm more than just considering it.

It's basically either Trap Bar + SSB or Texas Method as far as I'm concerned. 5/3/1 might work out but I'm making pretty phenomenal progress on my Bench and Press right now.

Hell, the Bench and Press parts are why I want the SSB+TBL approach over the TM right now.

...but yeah, I think it's gotten to the stage that setting legit PRs with sets across is beyond me, psychologically if not physically. SSB+TBL gets around that by bringing up weak points and getting a running start on progress; TM does it with the single intensity set.

Also, using the belt properly = my face almost exploded

2011-07-10 Dead and Bench

Deadlift: 185, 225, 275, 315, 365 (this time for a full set of 3)
405 - 4 (5F), 1
425 - 1 for kicks
Belting up initially, then switching movements, ideally to trap bar lift.
Didn't find that the belt helped at all with deads, but w/e. I think my issue here is more technical - I'm used to pulling with an at least approximately straight back and now it's rounding out a bit, which causes the bar to swing out in front of me.
Oh, and I like...iono, partially dislocated my right shoulder on the first 405 set. Nothing serious (I think) and it didn't hurt, but it did feel looser than it should during floor press.

Floor Press: 45, 95, 135, 185
230lbs - 5, 4 (5F), 3
Whee, 5 reps with my old 1RM on another movement.

GHR:
12.5lbs - 10, 9
Last few on each probably had more back in them than I'd like.

Face Pull:
20lbs - 15, 15
No rows today due to rushing and my forgetting to bring the DB.

2011-07-07 Sled

180lbs, 5 trips, 200ft, 50sec between

Completely forgot I'm not lifting tomorrow.

If I'd remembered I probably would have gone for 10. >.>

2011-07-06 Squat and some Program Thoughts

Still very sure the problem is psychological, but at this point I think it'd be better to pull a Bench and switch to something harder at ~30% lower and just work up from there. I'm thinking Box Squat, though if I can work stuff out with the staff I may go for the SSB (starting with 225) and cycle out Deads to a deficit TBL. Probably use SSB Box Squats if that happens.

Squat: 45x2, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
335lbs - 2, 3, 2, 2, 3 (might be getting these in the wrong order, but it was 2x3s and 3x2s)
With some mental forcing I can make myself do another rep after it gets hard, and with some mental cuing I can get myself through that rep (as evidenced by the last triple - I'd've gone for a 4th on set 2, but my knees buckled forward on the 3rd). However, it's gotten to the stage that I'm afraid to fail and thus afraid to push myself, and as much as the Jon who isn't squatting says it's doable, the Jon who is disagrees enough to put it back in the rack.
If I can't do SSB stuff it'll actually probably be Front Squats, possibly with the a Harness...or maybe I'll just do the sensible thing and buy some straps to do the thing that (iirc) BC keeps telling me to do.

Press: 45, 95
150lbs - 5, 2, 3
After the first set I got some weird pain in my left trap and was afraid to push it much further.
...which is a pity, 'cuz I could totally have done 3x5 with this. I love how my Bench and Press are both rocketing up on this while my Dead KINDA stalls and my Squats give me quadphobia.

Pull-Up:
BW - 3, 3, 3
Tired and wanted to leave. And trap hurt. Good lat engagement on set 1, though.

Diet

Switching to maintenance.

I'm going to try cutting exclusively from the high-carb days. First step, only 3 quarts of milk in the mornings.

I suspect that my progress rut is psychological rather than physiological, given that even last week only my squat and dead (both of which were at major milestone points for me) were stalling while my bench and press both went up.

2011-06-29 Dead, Bench, and Programmy

Dead Day

Warmup - Same, but only 8 reps on bridges and ghr

Deadlift: 185, 225, 275; 315, 365 (1 rep only)
405lbs - 5, 3, 3
Lockouts were...somewhat unsatisfactory. I think I'm going to start doing my rows Kroc style.
Loaded it up as 365 with 2 extra 10s each side, made a point of not thinking about the weight, and very consciously calmed myself down whenever I started getting psyched up. I have now learned something very important about psyching yourself up: It doesn't help with 5s. In fact, it probably hurts them.
As far as I can tell the benefits run out after rep 3 and once they do you just run into a brick wall and anything you do after that is going to suck. It's great for forcing yourself to keep going on a 1RM or 3RM and might be useful for a 3x3, but I think my habit of forcing myself to calm down back when I was squatting in the 275 range was surreptitiously improving my numbers. 335 is going to be fun next time.
I also suspect that the "don't use the 45s" trick helped here.
Tore one of my calluses horribly, too. It's the same one that ripped a bit on Friday but now it's actually bleeding seriously.

Floor Press: 45x2, 95, 135, 185
225lbs - 5, 5*, 4 (5F)
*Spotter mistakenly started helping slightly towards the end of the 5th rep; however, it was far enough past my sticking point that I know I would have gotten the rep regardless, so I'm still counting it.
Sweet.
Wonder how high I can take this bitch.

GHR:
2x10x10lbs
May go back to 3 sets given that I'm not doing anything else at the end of these workouts anymore.

(went home to do...)

DB Rows:
95lbs - 5/5, 5/5, 5/5
Switching to Kroc style in future, as state.
Also, screw clamps are fucking awesome.

Program-wise, I'm having another idea - 3x5 but rotate the exercises out somewhat more frequently.

See, this is why I try to avoid thinking about it. A few days ago I was thinking 5-3-1 would probably be a decent choice...mostly because I hadn't thought about 5-3-1 in a while and then read that thread asking about it.

So...yeah, thinking about that bridge after I cross this one.

2011-06-27 Squat and Press

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 45x2, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
335lbs - 5, 1, 2, 1
Had some falling forward on reps 4 and 5; the 5th one was bad enough that it was essentially a max-effort GM and completely annihilated me.
If I'd had people there I might have gone for more reps on set 2, but I was alone and tired etc. and my quads felt dead, so I reracked it. The singles were easy, and even the 2nd rep of the third set was pretty tame.
So:
1) Dropping TF2 completely.
2) Returning program to what it was; GHR on Deadlift day and abs on Squat day. Nothing else.
3) Probably cheating a fair bit while I'm in LA for Anime Expo.
If I can get at least 3x4 next Wednesday I'll go up. If I can't, I'm changing the exercise. Need to go in before then to find out if I can leave shit there.
If I start making solid progress again I'll play around with stuff to see what was causing the problem. I think it's just the same old story about my quads sucking, but I could be wrong.

Press: 45, 95
147.5lbs - 5, 5, 4
The fives were fairly hard (probably due to the squats more than anything else) but meh. Going up!

Pull-Ups:
BW - 4, 4, 3.5
Shoulder prehab must be done.

Diet Updates

High-Carb Days:
Gallon of milk - probably split as a half-gallon in the morning and a half-gallon about 2 hours after training
3 meals of Rice and Mince (1 Cup white rice, 8oz 90% lean ground beef) - at least one after training
Berries (10.5oz Strawberries, 3oz Blackberries) - after morning walk (once I start taking these)
Post-workout shake (45g Dextrose, 45g Maltodextrin, 50g Whey, some salt) - post-workout (duh), not counted towards calorie or macronutrient totals

Med-Carb Days:
Half-gallon of milk - currently doing this in the morning
2 meals of roasted chicken thighs - one before training, one after
Berries (10.5oz strawberries, 3oz Blackberries) - after morning walk (once I start taking these)
Post-workout shake (45g Dextrose, 45g Maltodextrin, 50g Whey, some salt) - post-conditioning, not counted towards calorie or macronutrient totals.

Low-Carb Days:
Half-gallon of milk in morning
2 roasted chicken thigh meals
---
Prospective changes:
If my recovery still seems shit, I may try moving the berries to post-conditioning or taking the walk after the conditioning work on those days.
If I appear to be gaining weight too quickly, I'll start cutting milk from the Low-Carb day and replacing it with nuts or something

Cals total -
Low-Carb and Med-Carb Days: ~4000 (60/30/10 F/P/C) <-Ok, it's not a low-carb day right now. Once my performance is back on track I'll start eliminating milk from low-carb day.
High-Carb Days: ~5400 (30/20/50 F/P/C)

Those are all excluding the post-workout shakes - as far as I can tell, those don't make up for the loss of the calories.

If my performance still seems shit I will ACTUALLY just try going back to what I was doing a week ago (no Post-workout shakes, just milk and solid food) and seeing how that goes.

2011-06-24 Dead and Bench

Warmup - As usual

Deadlift: 185, 225, 275 (DOH); 315, 365 (Mixed)
405lbs - 3, 2, 1
Definitely under-recovering. I'm going to go back to what I was doing before, only now I'll be waking up earlier and having a post-workout shake (which I will not count towards my daily intake of protein, carbs, and calories).
These all looked better than the single from a while back, and I held the last one for around 10 seconds at the end.

Floor Press: 45, 95x2, 135, 185
220lbs - 5, 4 (5F), 4 (5F), 2
Going up next time.

DB Row:
92.5lbs - 5/5, 5/5, 5/5
Easy enough.

RDL:
205lbs - 10
Might go for 215 next time.

Hack Squat:
205lbs - 3
Not sure what I'm going to do here; I definitely can't do Hack Squats, 'cuz the bar keeps smacking into my hamstrings and getting stuck.

2011-06-23 Sled

160lbs, 200ft, 50sec between, 10 trips

I have officially graduated from the 160lb club. Going up to 180lbs (4 plates! Whee!) next time.

The only truly unpleasant part of this was in my calves (due to fatigue) and the base of my spine (due to tight hips). Quads, hams, glutes, etc. felt nothing, though now that I'm done I do feel a slight unpleasant sensation running into my elbow from my forearm.

2011-06-22 Squat and Press

Warmup - As usual. 9 reps for GHR and Glute Bridges.

Squat: 45x3, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
335lbs - 4, 3, 3
I suspect this was more due to a slight reduction in caloric intake and my getting back into TF2; not enough food for recovery, and another direction in which I'm expending my mental energy, respectively.
If I weigh in lower tomorrow and Friday, I'll go back to a full gallon of milk on training days (today I only had a half-gallon). I'll probably also have a very, very aggressive cheat meal over the weekend. Possibly two (one each day).

Press: 45, 95
147.5lbs - 5, 4, 4
Progress.

Pull-Ups:
BW - 3, 4, 3
Wasn't close enough to the bar, so I couldn't get my lats engaged properly. Need to get a bigger box next time. Managed it a bit better on the second set, at least.
SOME DAY I WILL DO FIVE OF THESE.
Probably while I'm maintaining, lol.

GHR:
8lbs - 10, 10
Decided to do a slight weight PR.
Doing 10lbs next time.

Weighted Plank:
65lbs - 3x30sec, 30sec rest
I'm feeling these more in my chest and arms than in my abs now.
Maybe I should just buy/make some kind of loadable weighted vest and go back to rollouts.

Started using a post-workout shake again.
Need to declog my shower drain so I can consistently contrast shower.

2011-06-21 Farmer's Walk

4 trips, 110lbs each hand, 100ft each way, 10 sec rest when turning around

Need to get more weight

2011-06-20 Deadlift, Bench, and programming

Warmup - As usual.

Deadlift: 185, 225, 275. Mixed grip 315, 365
397.5lbs - 5, 5, 3, 1
Lockout on the 5th rep of set 2 was a tad questionable.
Only have video for sets 3 and 4.
Tried to DOH 315 back into the rack but started too close and got it caught under the hooks. Lulz. I really wish the RSF could get a fucking DL jack.
Going for 405 on Friday.

Floor Press: 45, 95, 135, 185
220lbs - 4, 3, 3
Warmups weren't quite as helpful as I'd've liked; I wasn't paying close attention, methinks. Retaking this on Friday.

DB Rows:
90lbs - 5/5, 5/5, 5/5
Yay. Also appears that 4:40 is the "correct" rest time for these.
I'm considering shortening it a bit so my workouts don't run for quite as long.

Hack Squats:
135lbs - 10

45-Degree Hyper:
80lbs - 10
---
Until I get a trap bar, I'm doing 1 (possibly 2) sets each of Hack Squats and RDLs. I'll probably use the same weight for both.
Picked RDLs because they do a better job of hitting my lower back and 45-degree hypers do; I credit this mostly to the fact that my back seems to have gotten a LOT stronger since the last time I really did 45d, whereas the improvements in hamstring strength probably aren't quite as great.

Right now it seems like my lockout's the biggest problem on deads. Farmer's Walk should fix this.

Dunno when I'll pick up the trap bar. Not sure when I'll buy more plates; I may go out to Play It Again tomorrow so I can get the the 25s, 10s, 5s, and 2.5s (...the lattermost mostly for OCD reasons). Will also look into getting some more GOOD screw clamps, seeing as the thicker ones from Elite are epic and the thinner ones suck balls.

2011-06-18 Sled

160lbs, 200ft trips, ~1 minute between (alternating with Saarni), 7 trips

My calves felt like hell.

2011-06-17 Squat and Press

Skipped Wednesday for time reasons, didn't go yesterday for relationship reasons, decided to push the deads back because my Squat is (relatively) further from my target.

Warmup - Rumble Roller YEAH, moved up to 8 reps on bridges and glutehams. Bodyweight glutehams are now a complete joke.

Squat: 45x2, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
330lbs - 5, 5, 3, 1
I'm going to set up an LL-relevant account for my videos.
I really wish YouTube would do an account purge every so often so people who grabbed good names and then stopped using the site wouldn't wind up denying the rest of us. Argh.
The 10 minutes at the bottom of a full squat really helped open my hips up here and let me hit depth very nicely on the warmups. I'm going to do it and the pain cave again later.
That said, it's now hit the point at which my quads are introducing a sticking point. Sucks - I actually have an easier time if I botch the form and GM it up, lol.

Press: 45, 95
147.5lbs - 4, 3, 3
Lost my balance on one of these, lol.

Pull-Ups:
4, 3, 3
My lat activation is getting better. May actually start going for a 5th on the first set soon (lol).

Weighted Planks:
65lbs - 3x30sec, 1 minute between
Will probably start doing these as a push-up plank or something. Need to go back to the 30-second rest periods.

Face Pulls:
20lbs - 2x15
Holy shit Saarni has a weird way of doing these.
Going to stop doing these on training days and just do them banded after conditioning work.

GHR:
+7.5lbs - 2x10
Repeating this, probably for 3x10.

2011-06-13 Deload Deadlift at Parker

Warmup (all sans GHR)

Deadlift: 185, 225, 275, 315
390 - 3, 1 (2F), 0 (1F)
Was lifting at my HS; the bars are waaay too smooth.

Traplift: 10x225

2011-06-09 Deadlift and Bench

Warmup - as usual

Deadlift: 185, 225, 275, 315
390lbs - 5, 5, 4
I actually think I COULD have had this for 3x5, but the 4th rep on set 3 fell away from me a bit and my grip was giving out. I put it back into the rack as 315 a while later; couldn't double-overhand it, but was able to take it to lockout with mixed grip.
I have to start doing 315 double overhand on warmups starting with the next increase. Yay?

Floor Press: 45, 95, 135, 185
215lbs - 5, 5, 4 (5F)
I think I mentally checked out after #4 on the 3rd set; I took the 5th down too fast and couldn't get it off the floor.
My belly's now big enough that a mild arch on Floor Press has me touching (just barely). Yay! (I say this mostly because it means I'm going to have phenomenally easy bench progress once I switch back).
Need to practice bench form...well, maybe. Dunno.

DB Rows:
87.5lbs - 3x 5/5
Easy on both sides.

GHR:
+5lbs - 3x10
Last few on the final set were questionable, but I'm calling them fine.
Probably won't be able to do these on the deload, damn.

Heavy Walkouts:
365lbs - held for 30sec
405lbs - held for 30sec
I've got a trigger point on my left bicep/brachialis (dunno which) that's making my elbow hurt a bit when I squat. Will try to massage it out in SD.
Otherwise, these were both easier and more comfortable than they have been in the past. Taking my squat grip out to middle fingers on the rings (yay inflexible shoulders? dunno how much of the issue is straight mass).

I need to start walking places so I can climb up the hill outside my house every day again. Or, uh, maybe just take a one-hour walk as incidental exercise every day so I can stop feeling like such a deconditioned fat bastard. Lulz.

2011-06-07 Sled

160lbs, 5 trips, 200ft, approx. 1 minute between

Then 2x100ft backwards with 135lbs
Then 2x100ft with the straps around my ankles with 45lbs
Then 2x100ft backwards with 160lbs

Conditioning with Saarni is awesome. We do the work, sit around for a few minutes chatting, then feel bad for not doing more, do some more, chat, do more, chat, do more.

2011-06-06 Squat and Press

Warmup - as usual

Squat: 45x3, 95, 135, 185, 225x2, 275
325lbs - 5, 5, 3, 1
Might be that I took my grip out again, but these felt weird. Would have had 4 on the final set but I fucked up the third one and was very sure I couldn't get the next.
Was psyched as hell for the first one for some reason. Forced myself to calm down a bit for the remainder.
Did the single so I could go up next time.
Need to remember to do walkouts with 365 and possibly 405 on DL day. Will write a note in my log to remember.
Really need to stretch out my groin more effectively. My left knee is complaining a lot now.

Press: 45, 95
145lbs - 5, 4, 4, 1
Again, did a single 'cuz I want to go up next time. Which I will.
Would have had 5 on the second set but I accidentally stepped out into a much closer stance than usual. Really wasn't all there today for some reason, wtf.

Pull-Ups:
BW - 3, 3, 3
I may switch to Thibeadeu (sp?) Pulldowns (pulldowns with your elbows in ab straps). Or...iono, I kinda want to keep the elbow flexion thing going.

Face Pulls:
20lbs - 2x15

Weighted Plank:
2x60lbs
Will do 3x60 next time. I tweaked one of my shoulders on the face pulls (LMAO) and...yeah.

2011-06-04 Farmer's Walk

4 trips, 200ft (100+100), 110lbs each hand, completely unknowable rest
2 holds, ~20 sec, 110lbs each hand

Did it with Saba today and had to keep stopping to adjust the clamps. 2 of the ones that came with the handles are awesome, 2 suck, and the ones I got from my neighbor back in HS are pretty crap. The good ones go on the "front" side now.

2011-06-04 Deadlift and Bench, plus spitballing

Warmup - as usual, but up to 7 reps on bridges and GHR

Deadlift: 185, 225, 275, 315
382.5lbs - 5, 5*, 4 (5F)
*Poor lockout on the final rep due to grip issues.
I'm calling the 2nd set's 5th rep valid for progression purposes, but I really need to focus on keeping my grip tight. One thing I found to help was making sure my thumb covered some of my fingers and squeezing like hell.
No video; Rachel didn't come and Saba & Saarni didn't bring their phones.
Grip was the only real issue with these, though (at least from feeling). This is most encouraging.

Floor Press: 45, 95, 135
210lbs - 5, 5, 5
Did some stupid shit on the 5th one but otherwise great sets all 'round. Saarni's a wonderful training partner.
Adding 185 to my warmups next time. Woah.
Pretty sure I can get this to at least 225 for it stalls. Shooting for 235 'cuz at that point Bench is going to be fucking air.

DB Rows:
85lbs - 5/5, 5/5, 5/5
Yay.

GHR:
BW - 10
5lbs - 10, 9
Last couple on the 3rd set were ugly as hell (lots of low back recruitment). Retaking for all 3 sets next time.

Planned changes for the future:

In the interest of making one day essentially "light day" with no real grip demands and one day "heavy day" with all grip demands, I'm modifying stuff once I have the trap bar. Gives:

Squat Day:
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Pullup 3x5
GHR 3x10
Plank 3 Holds, 30sec between

Dead Day:
Deadlift 3x5
Bench 3x5
DB Row 3x5ea
Trap Lift 3x10*
Plank 3 Holds, 30sec between**

*May modify downward based on Emevas's suggestions. Haven't decided yet.
**May switch to 45-Degree Hyper 3x10 and move the TBL to the end

2011-06-02 Sled

160lbs, 4 trips, ~1 minute between (longer than with Greg - Saarni's still getting the hang of this), ~200ft per trip

Meh, easy enough.

2011-06-01 Squat and Press

Squat: 45x6, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
320lbs - 5, 5, 4
Somewhat ugly. Quads are definitely my weak spot; I may start doing Hack Squats (which wind up basically being Sissy Squats because of the size of my hamstrings) until I can get a trap bar. Probably going into the RSF tomorrow morning to ask if they're either getting one soon or willing to assume some kind of liability for mine if I buy one and leave it there. If I get one, I'll be doing GHR on Squat days (trying to keep everything grip-intensive on DL day).


Press: 45, 95
142.5lbs - 5, 5, 4
Woah, cool.
Guess I may be able to hit 185 in time for the meet after all.

Pull-Ups:
4, 4, 3
Good lat activation, bad shoulder sensation.

Face Pulls:
3x15 - 20lbs
Pretty hard.

2011-05-31 Farmer's Walk

110lbs each hand, 3x200ft trip* w/ 1 minute rest, followed by a 2x200ft w/ 1 minute rest about half an hour later

*Technically these were more like 2 100ft trips about 5 seconds apart. I'm going to try for the same setup next time, but actually turn instead of just putting the handles down and shaking my forearms out.

Vicious.

Sat around chatting with Saarni for half an hour afterwards and then did another 2. Main reason for the early stop was that I'd slammed them down after the 3rd one and given myself a mild migraine/tension headache (too mild to tell which, guessing tension).

2011-05-30 Deadlift and Bench

Warmup - usual

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275, 315
375lbs - 5, 5, 4
Grip's the main limiter here. Need to bring my back strength up too, but grip was the problem with this one.
Not going to bother with 135 for my first warmup set now. Jacking my hips down and easing tension into the bar in the second stage of my setup pulls it a good inch or two off the ground before I've even started to drive my heels through the floor, so I'll take that as a sign that it's too damn light. Lulz.

Floor Press: 45, 95, 135
205lbs - 5, 5, 4
That's a pretty good sign that my bench has gone up.
I'm going to try to stretch this out to 225 before I switch back, though.

DB Row:
82.5lbs - 3x(5R, 5L)
The 1.25lb plates are very nice.

GHR:
3x10
Stretched calves between sets. Doing fairly well.

2011-05-29 Sled

4x200ft - 160lbs, 1 min rest between

2011-05-28 Squat and Press

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 45x4, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
320lbs - 4, 4, 3
I might have been able to push this out somewhat more.

Press: 45, 95
140lbs - 5, 5, 4
w00t

Pull-Ups:
BW - 5, 4, 4
Yeahhhhhh

Gym closed so no ab work today. Starting that again on Wednesday.

More Vids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A40s3Qg_9s
Dead 345

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3PJ86d5Apk
Squat 300

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuhJ5GzyYGQ
Dead 352.5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFlUJMoRqEE
Squat 315 (5-4-3)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-CPuRR2Ppk
Dead 375 (5-4-3)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNADWRgjYm0
Squat 315

2011-05-18 Squat and Press

Going on vacation and skipping 4 workouts, so I figured I probably shouldn't deload today.

Squat Day: 45x3, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
315lbs - 3x5
Not too hard - definitely a lot easier than last time, on every rep.
My quads hurt like hell, though.

Press: 45, 95
140lbs - 5, 4, 4
Goddammit, one rep shy of moving up. Oh well.

Cut everything else short because I spent a lot of time talking to Saarni and his buddies. Video of 315 upcoming; I slashed the depth a tad on some reps, but they were pretty good squats for the most part.

2011-05-17 Farmer's Walk

110lbs each hand.
Did ~3 trips of ~50ft, then grew some balls and decided to try turning around at the end and walking all the way back. Managed two of those then decided I was done for the day, so +2 of ~100ft.

Need to roll the outsides of my hips.

2011-05-16 Dead and Bench

Warmup - Usual

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275, 315
375lbs - 5, 5, 3 (4F), 1
If I get my hips low enough during setup, the reps are slow but otherwise relatively easy.
My hips started too high on the failed rep.
Got some video upcoming for these, including a recorded message to you guys RE: what to do from here (mostly in terms of accessory work).

Floor Press: 45x2, 95, 135
200lbs - 5, 5, 4
Locked out the 4th one much faster on the right than on the left, so I figured a 5th would probably be a poor choice.
Hoping to get this to upwards of 225 before I switch back to Bench.
First set had a terrible feeling along my right clavicle. Went away after I stretched my shoulder out.

DB Row:
75lbs - 5/5
80lbs - 5/5, 5/5
Switched down to smaller DBs in light of changing the day for the lift. I think I'll rely exclusively on the DB Handle in future and stop using the gym's heavier ones; the thicker handles kill my lat engagement and it's annoying to lug them from room to room.

GHR:
BW - 3x10
See video comments when they come out.
Need to stretch my calves before and during these.
Last few reps were huge grinders, so I'm redoing bodyweight next time.

Face Pull:
3x12 - 10lbs
Seems like something I was doing before but am not doing now was important for getting symmetrical back recruitment on the bench. Assuming it was Face Pulls, at least for now.
Need to up this to at least 15lbs.

2011-05-13 Squat and Press

Warmup - As usual

Squat: 45x2, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
315lbs - 5, 4, 3
Videos upcoming, along with the videos I took before and didn't post.
I'm going to rape this next time; I think the main issue here was exam stress and undereating for the last week. I didn't feel mentally "here" for this one.
My quads felt really terrible at the end, lol.

Press: 45, 95
140lbs - 4, 3, 3

Pull-Ups:
3x5 - Bodyweight
Helped some random kid with his squat before the 3rd set. He completely disregarded all my advice, but w/e.
---
Switching rows to Dead Day, doing them with FatGripz, and switching RDLs to 45-Degree hypers or GMs.

2011-05-11 Dead and Bench

Warmup - As usual

Deadlift - 135, 185, 225, 275, 315
367.5lbs - 5, 5, 4
No video. I expect my back's rounding out somewhat more now, though - we'll see how it looks on 375 (Monday).

Floor Press: 45, 95, 135
195lbs - 3x5
First two liftoffs sucked, third one was perfect. Random Asian skinny possible powerlifter guy is now my friend and can give a good FP liftoff. Weird how that changed in the space of 20 minutes.

Pull-Ups:
BW - 5
BW+2.5lbs - 2x5
I think I may have lost my lat engagement on these. Graaagh.

RDLs:
200lbs - 3x10

2011-05-08 Squat and Press

I'm losing weight. My initial solution to this will be to cut down on the ribs (expensive and hard to eat in bulk) and add another chicken meal each day.

Warmup: As usual

Squat: 45x2, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275
310lbs - 5, 5, 4
I can promise absolutely nothing with regards to depth here, because I was alone and wasn't getting any kind of stretch in my groin on the way down. I credit this to stretching my groin out every 15 minutes or so on Thursday...or possibly every single rep being high. Pretty sure most of the work reps were there, but I can't say for sure.
My quads were the only part that seemed to be close to giving out today; this may be because of sled dragging yesterday (they were certainly a lot more lactic acid-filled than anything else besides my calves), because the reps were high, because I'm not sitting back properly, or because they're actually a limiting factor. If it's the sled work, nothing changes; the middle two I can test as soon as I have a camera again.

Press: 45, 95
137.5lbs - 5, 5, 4
Form wasn't as good as usual, but still tolerable.

DB Rows:
95lbs - 5/5, 5/5, 4/4
Pretty sure my ROM was less than I'd like, but I got great lat engagement so I'm not particularly concerned.

Weighted Plank:
55lbs - 3x30sec, 1 minute between
Took the number of sets down today. I dunno if I'll do a 3, 5, 3, 5-> arrangement or just stick with the 3.

2011-05-07 Sled

147.5lbs - 5 trips, 200ft, alternated with Greg (probably ~40sec rest)

2011-05-06 Dead and Bench

Warmup - As usual, but sans all the squat-related stretching I usually do on DL day

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275, 315
360lbs - 5, 5, 4
Would have liked video on this. Grip appears to be less of a factor; now my back's the main limiter. I'll probably switch RDLs to 45-degree hypers once the Farmer's Walk handles arrive.

Floor Press: 45, 95, 135
190lbs - 3x5
Had a tremendously bad liftoff on all three of these.

Pull-Up:
BW - 3x5

RDL:
195lbs - 3x10
Still having to take time off after the 7th rep to give my grip a second or two to recover.

2011-05-04 Sled Work

147.5lbs - 4 or possibly 5 trips, 200ft, 1 min rest

Can't remember if this was 4 or 5 (obviously). My quads gave out kinda fast, lol.

I'm not really pushing myself with these; it's conditioning work and my conditioning's getting better, so why worry?

2011-05-03 Squat and Press

Due to time constraints I wasn't able to eat all of the rice and mince I made - I think I got about one meal's worth down. Oh well.

Training went epicly and makes up for how weird I felt prior to leaving for the gym.

Squat Day:

Warmup: As usual

Squat: 45x4, 95, 135, 185, 225x2
305lbs - 5, 5, 4
Didn't have anyone to call my depth, but these felt like I hit it.
Wouldn't be surprised if I could get up to 335 for 5s given how well this went.

Press: 45, 95
137.5lbs - 4, 4, 4
I love how I can actually feel my abs engaging to keep my torso straight now.

DB Row:
92.5lbs - 3x5 both
Dunno if I was getting the full ROM on these.

Weighted Plank:
50lbs - 5x30sec, 1 minute rest

Pull-Aparts: Momentarily

2011-05-02 Light Sled

135lbs - 4 trips, 200ft, 60sec rest
Easy, yeah.

2011-05-01 Deload Dead and Floor

Warmup: Usual

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275, 315
3x3 - 352.5lbs
Not very hard.

Floor Press: 45, 95, 135
3x3 - 185lbs
Meh.

Pull-Ups:
3x3 - BW
Meh

RDLs:
3x6 - 190lbs
Wheee

Diet Changes

Starting carb cycling on Monday. Won't be able to tomorrow for scheduling reasons (i.e. I intend to only be awake for around 12 hours).

I've decided to try the following and tweak once I see how it affects me mentally:
Training Days: High-Carb
Morning: Gallon of milk
Somewhat Later: Rice and 1/2lb ground beef (or rough caloric equivalent via chicken, lamb, pork, etc.)
Later Still: See previous, plus fruit (8oz strawberries + 2.25oz blackberries)
Post-Workout: ~1.5lbs chicken with skin (i.e. one package of Costco chicken thighs)

This totals to about 6,000kcal. If necessary I'll tweak it around, probably by adding more "pure" carb sources and reducing the milk. The pre-training portion is roughly 45/20/35 carbs:protein:fat, which is probably decent. Ideally I'd like something closer to 50/20/30, but whatever.
Cost - 3+2+2+1.5+1.5 = ~$10

Conditioning Days: Medium-Carb
Morning: ~1.5lbs chicken with skin
Pre-Conditioning: fruit (see above)
Post-Conditioning: ~0.75lbs of sweet potatoes
Rest of Day: Rack of Ribs (~2.5lbs)

Totals to roughly 4,500kcal. Meat choices subject to tweaking.
Cost: 1.5+1.5+10+X = probably around $15 (X = cost of the sweet potatoes; apparently they're ~$2/lb at Safeway)

Rest Day: Low-Carb
Same as the conditioning day, but sans the sweet potatoes and possibly the fruit. Total of around 4,300kcal. Literally a 70/30 split of Fat:Protein.
Cost: 1.5+10 = ~$12

Cost per week should be around $80. Hopefully, this'll allow me to hit 220 without girlfriend-repelling levels of fat gain. After that, I plan to stay around there until March Madness, compete in the 220s, cheat like a beast for the following week, then reduce my caloric intake in pursuit of visible abs.*

*for BF% goal reasons, not because I care about having visible abs. I figure visible abs is the leanest and thus (hopefully) the potentially-strongest I'm likely to get at 200. I consider them a very acceptable casualty in the very-likely event that I give in to my growing urge to compete in the 220s, which will inevitably grow into a similar urge to go up to the 242s. Doubt I'll find myself yearning for the 275s, though.
---
Conditioning will be sled work Hard/Easy/Hard until I get the Farmer's Walk handles and some more plates, after which it'll be Sled Work after Squat Day and Farmer's Walk after DL day.

2011-04-26 Dead and Bench

Warmup - As usual.

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275 (double overhand), 315
352.5lbs - 5, 5, 4
I keep forgetting to drop my hips properly, so the very base of my low back is complaining here. Rolling it, stretching groin and hamstrings and hip flexors, etc.. It acted up on Sled Drags yesterday.
Also did 2/3 of a rep with 315, double-overhand, to put it back in the rack.

Floor Press: 45x2, 95, 135
185lbs - 3x5
Now I remember why I love floor press so much - no matter how hard it feels, if I gets off the floor, it's guaranteed.
Working on fixing my right shoulder down somewhat - apparently it locks out significantly higher than the left one. Once I've worked that out I'll work on other discrepancies, but that's my #1 right now.

Pull-Ups:
BW - 3x5
Not as easy as last time.

RDLs:
190lbs - 3x10
Rounding my shoulders forward at the bottom and then squeezing hard going into lockout adds an upper back element to this. I'm pretty satisfied.

Held 225 for a few seconds at the end.

2011-04-25 Sled

Sled Dragging:

135lbs - 6 trips, 200ft, 60sec between

Fairly easy; my calves gave out before everything else. I'm not sure how I'm approaching scheduling for this, though I should have some money to buy the Farmer's Walk handles fairly soon. After that it'll be dragging after Squat Day and Farmer's Walk after Dead Day.

2011-04-24 Squat and Press

Warmup - as always

Squat: 45x6, 95, 135, 185, 225
300lbs - 3x5
Form was a tad off here - my weight was shifting forward onto the balls of my feet for most of the reps, and warmups took way too long because I started out with my stance too wide and couldn't figure out why I was unable to hit depth.
May have gotten somewhat psyched up, but it was more of an automatic thing than the forced state I had for the 405 Dead.
Based on this, I think I probably can hit 315+ before I have a legitimate failure, which is nice (320 is the earliest I'm willing to go down to 3x4, though I intend to push 3x5 out for as long as I can). I think having a cheat day yesterday helped - I may go ahead and try the Emevas take on carb cycling, lol (probably summer only).

Press: 45, 95
135lbs - 3x5
After the squats I knew I'd get these. The final rep had a bit more layback than the rest, but w/e.

DB Row:
90lbs - 5/5, 5/5, 5/5
Got better lat engagement on my right side this time, possibly because I've been paying attention to how I move my right arm, keeping my shoulder blade locked down, etc..

Weighted Plank:
45lbs - 5x30sec
30 seconds between. Not sure if I'll switch to 1 minute in future.

2011-04-22 Dead and Bench

Warmup - same as last time

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275
345lbs - 3x5
Grip's becoming a limiting factor here, though it's possible that's a consequence of my not focusing so hard on squeezing the bar. I really, really need to get those Farmer's Walk handles.
It appears that the RSF got a bunch of new student staff - people coming over and telling people they can't go barefoot/open-toed, people using disinfectant spray on the equipment while the gym's still open, etc.. It's possible that disinfectant thing is just a consequence of the management finding out about Saba bleeding all over one of the bars, but still...
Video upcoming (along with squats from last time).

Floor Press: 45, 95, 135
180lbs - 3x5
May have made a poor choice of starting weight here, but oh well.
Video of one of these...ish. It's in two parts because of previously-unknown nuances in Rachel's droid.

Pull-Ups:
BW - 3x5
Doing this one more time and then adding weight. Got my lats to engage, got good ROM, got all the reps, etc..

RDLs:
185lbs - 3x10
These were honestly more Dimel Deadlifts, but...meh, w/e. Still trying to find a movement that'll get my grip, low back, hamstrings, and upper back at the same time (grip's less of a concern once I have the farmer's walk handles). And yes, I know, SSB work.

2011-04-19 Squat and Press

Warmup: Same old. I need to do more groin stretching.

Squat: 45x5, 95, 135, 185, 225
295lbs - 5, 4 (5F), 5
Videos upcoming.
I mentally checked out during the 4th rep of set 2. I was pretty sure I'd fail the 5th (self-fulfilling prophecy, most likely) and indeed I did. Came back 5 minutes later and got it.
To the best of my ability to tell, my depth is legal but questionable. I need to stretch my adductors.

Press: 45, 95
135lbs - 5, 4 (5F), 4
God dammit.

DB Row:
87.5lbs - 3x5R/L
Easier to get my right lat to engage with the smaller handle. I really need to get some microplates.

Weighted Plank:
40lbs - 5x30sec
Hellish

Pullaparts:
Mini - 34, 33, 25, 8

Video Backlog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXheRM_61z0
275 for 5 (from 3/24) (squats)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUs9JP34n9c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8HoIKZFvmI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaN44LxWq_s
322.5 for 3x5 (from 4/2) (deads)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dmy0JY392w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AauKaVKyEMs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DdwfnzkIRs
285 for 5, 5, 4 (from 4/4) (squats)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y2LNRegbV4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGKeuNrkJDg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhW5majBdjU

337.5 for 3x5 (from yesterday)

2011-04-16 Squat and Press

Warmup - rolling, stretching, glute bridges, GHRs, 10lb dieselcrew, more stretching

Squat: 45x6, 95, 135, 185, 225
290lbs - 5, 5, 4
Can't promise on the depth for any of these because I was alone. I'm only really uncertain for the last reps of #1 and 3.
20lbs to go before I tie my best SE Lower weight; 45 until I'm at my best ME Lower triple.
The outside of my right quad is still hurting when I hit depth on the heavier weights; I'm pretty sure this is a trigger point in the most lateral quad muscle or the IT band (can't tell which). Unfortunately, I've got no idea how to stretch these areas. Researching after this post.

Press: 45, 95
135lbs - 3x4
Really shouldn't have gone for the 4th on the 3rd set, as partly evidenced by my almost passing out while holding it for a second at the top. That would have been bad.
I may start going up 5lbs on this, or at least experimenting with the idea - I'm not going to get 5 reps on the first set on anything less than a ~1lb increase, and I'd rather not go that low. I'll test this out with 140, methinks. Failing all else, I can just use 1 of my micro"plate" chains each side to up by 1.25lbs.

DB Row:
85lbs - 5/5, 5/5, 4/5
My right side sucks.

Weighted Plank ("bottom" of plate around halfway down my ass):
30sec - 25, 35, 35, 35, 35
I'll just up it by 5lbs each time.
Going to do 45-degree Hypers on DL days, methinks.

2011-04-06 Dead and Bench

Warmup: Rolling, 5xGlute Bridge, 5xGHR, 10lb Dieselcrew, stretching for hams and groin, hip circles (total 10min)

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275
3x5 - 330lbs
I don't think this is technically a PR yet, but it's damn close. Bigger increase in difficulty last week, but nothing unbearable.
Finally tore a callus...kinda. I'm torn between band-aiding it up (and just hoping it heals without an air pocket underneath it) or carefully cutting/tear it off and then bandaiding it up for longer while the layers regrow. Advice?

Bench: 45x2, 95, 135
205lbs - 5, 4 (5F), 2 (3F)
Switching to Floor Press or Board Press. Haven't decided which, or what weight I'll start at.

Pull-Ups:
5, 5, 4 (5F x3)
Scarily enough, I couldn't do the 5th one on the fourth set. Wow.

Haven't done the bands yet and probably won't at this rate; left them in my car, though I'll have to go down there to get a bandaid...hm...

2011-04-04 Squat and Press

Warmup: Rolling, 5xGlute Bridge, 5xGHR, 10lb Dieselcrew, stretching for hams and groin, Hip Circles (total time ~10min)

Squat: 45x4, 95, 135, 185, 225
285lbs - 5, 5, 4
Somewhat ugly. Videos will be posted soon.
The main issue appears to be my inability to keep a good back angle; I'm not sufficiently vertical most of the time. I got a fairly good angle on my final rep but wound up grinding my right hip flexor. Hopefully this won't be my reintroduction to HF pain whenever I hit depth.

Press: 45, 95
132.5lbs - 5, 5, 4
Slight layback on the last rep of each set, but I got them.
Once I hit ~140 I may switch to Push Press.

DB Row: Right/Left
85lbs - 5/5, 3/5, 4/5
Yay, redoing!

Heavy Walkouts:
315lbs - 10ct
365lbs - 20 seconds, 30 seconds
Yeah.

BPA:
3x20 w/ mini
Will do more soon

Need to start doing ab work again, methinks.

2011-04-03 Random Shit

Rolling and stretching for usual areas + calves
3x5 GHR (bodyweight). Could still walk afterwards.
5x20 Band Pull-Aparts

Going to add Calf Stretches, GHRs (setting 20, probably weightless), and Glute Bridges to my warmup.

2011-04-02 Dead and Bench

Warmup - The usual. Fairly minimal.

Deadlift: 135, 185, 225, 275
322.5lbs - 3x5
Going up by 7.5lbs each on Deads for now. I'll videos of these up in a day or so (possibly rotated).

Bench: 45, 95, 135
205lbs - 4 (5F), 3, 2
I'm giving this movement one more shot before I switch to either 1-Board, 2-Board, or Floor Press. If 1-Board or 2-Board I'll probably just drop 5-10lbs (possibly just keeping on at current weight for two-board). If floor press I'll probably start out at 185.

Pull-Ups:
+10lbs - 3
BW - 2x5
Decided that while I'm gaining weight I won't push increases on these until the previous one feels easy. I'm getting better at them with bodyweight, at least.

Unilateral Farmer's Walk w/ Improvised Handle:
+50lbs - 3x50ft per side
This was agonizing and I want another handle. And ideally really handles.

Band Pull-Aparts:
Mini - 5x20

2011-03-30 Squat and Press

Warmup - Rolling, Light static stretching for hamstrings and groin, bodyweight squats, Dieselcrew warmup with 10lbs (no skiiers)

Squat: 45x4, 95, 135, 185, 225
280lbs - 3x5
Wish I could have had video of these, because they felt fucking horrible. Fairly sure I hit depth on all of them, at least.

Press: 45, 95
132.5lbs - 5, 4 (5F), 3
Really wanted to hit 135 next time, so I went for a 5th on the 2nd set despite knowing it was a bad idea. Lulz.

Intermission to go home due to expired parking

DB Row:
82.5lbs - 3x5ea
...decent.

Band Pull-Aparts:
Mini - 5x20