Week 8: Shoulders + Arms

Today was a bit of a free day, since I generally want to target my deltoids, biceps and triceps, as well as work on any part of my upper body that will translate into either squatting, benching, or deadlifting. Last week we attempted some farmer's walks, which went over so-so. So we replaced it with standing shrugs (holding a shrug for 30seconds), which seemed to be doing something since my traps, forearms, and even core felt tight afterwards.

I can't believe this week is wrapping up the 2/3rd mark of the program! The last third (weeks 9-12) will see one less rep per set, so I'll be lifting even more weight for 2, hopefully. Anyways, here is today's breakdown:

Dumbbell shoulder press:

• 60 x 10
• 75 x 10
• 85 x 9
• 95 x 5 (wanted to see if I could get 95, knew it wouldn't be 10, but that's the heaviest I've lifted yet)

Dumbbell side delt/ front delt/ rear delt raise:

• 30 x 10/10/10
• 30 x 10/10/10
• 30 x 10/3, 25 x 7/10 (had to decrease weights)

Machine paused shrugs:

• 3 plates a side x 30 seconds
• 3 plates a side x 30 seconds
• 3 plates a side x 30 seconds

Superset: Machine rope bicep curl/ machine tricep push:

• 60 x 10/ 70 x 15
• 60 x 10/ 70 x 15
• 60 x 10/ 70 x 15

Close grip pullups:

• 15
• 10
• 10

Abs:

• 110 x 20
• 90 x 15

Supplements + Diet update

I've been meaning to write a quick anecdote on how I have been able to add and maintain weight throughout this program, and now that I've been asked the question, I'll take the time to do it.

One can sum up my dietary habits into three big changes, none of which were that difficult to set into motion:

1. Taking my multivitamin and fish oil once a day, every day
2. Cooking in bulk, and portioning out my meals using tupperware or ziploc baggies throughout the week
3. Creating a massive proteing/gainer shake to consume after my workout

1. Taking my multivitamin and fish oil once a day, every day


Buying from Bodybuilding.com is hands down the best way to acquire your supplements, for many reasons. Aside from the lowest prices online (which is lower than you'd find at brick-and-mortar stores), they offer you up to 3 free samples on protein, pre-workouts, fish oils, or other niche supplements. The shipping is standard, yet because of their distribution in Jacksonville, it usually arrives within 1-2 days of ordering, so if you can stick it out for a 48 hours, this is the way to go.  I have never used fish oil or multivitamins before starting this program, but from the reviews, it seemed like a staple from all ranges of athletes. I can't say I feel a major difference, but I don't feel sore and I've been making steady gains so they may be working..

2. Cooking in bulk, and portioning out my meals using tupperware or ziploc baggies throughout the week


It's cheaper than buying lunch (which I still occasionally do if I want some Pollo Tropical or Del Taco), it's an easy way to track your macro nutrients, and it's usually pretty tasty. I have made some variation of the same meal for the past 3 or 4 weeks, but it always contains rice, chicken, and vegetables.  In the picture I am showing what I ate today: yogurt, chicken fried rice, del taco (love the coupons), a liter of chocolate milk.. and then I'm ready for my workout. After I drink the milk, I refill the liter a couple times with water.  Once I finish my workout and have my shake, I eat a medium sized dinner, usually pasta.


3. Creating a massive proteing/gainer shake to consume after my workout


I highly, highly recommend Muscle Juice as a protein powder to those who have a high metabolism, or to those who are trying to gain weight. It does have high amounts of cholesterol (though remember, dietary cholesterol doesn't equal body cholesterol).. but it is loaded with carbs, L-amino acids, protein, fat, and over 1000 calories per full serving. I usually create a monster shake with 2-3 cups of milk(300cal), 1/2 serving of Muscle Juice (500 cal), 1 banana, 1 scoop peanut butter, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 cup frozen berries.

My caloric intake is not nearly up to where it should be (probably about 1000 calories less), but it's more than I've normally eaten as well, which has made a big difference in my recovery and progress.

Week 8: Legs

In an effort to work on technique, I implemented several pieces of advice received from last week before going into squats:

1. Reduced 3 sets of warm ups to 2, to avoid excessive lifting before the working sets
2. Reduced lift by about 30 to 40 lbs, to readjust balance
3. Brought out a dumbbell to serve as a stool for touch-and-go squats, to increase depth
4. Avoided the knee turns as I came out of the hole

My form can still use work, though I think another limiting factor is my underdeveloped hamstrings and core strength.  We switched the accessory exercises today to focus on stabilizing and mobility, by doing long stride lunges and glute raises. I may throw in another leg exercise in a few days on Back day.

The results were obviously less impressive numbers than before, but it's better to readjust now than continue to struggle with broken form. Here is the breakdown:

Barbell squats:

• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 245 x 3
• 295 x 3
• 335 x 3
• 335 x 1 (tried a narrower stance, and failed)
• 315 x 3

Machine glute raise

• 150 x 10
• 150 x 15
• 150 x 15

Dumbbell Long stride lunges:

• 35 x 10
• 40 x 10
• 45 x 10

Abs:

75 crunches

Final thoughts: I feel like the problem with trying to fix any of the three big lifts is that the other two, and the rest of my workout is compromised. I think the only really effective way to fix my squats is to work on them three days a week, but I can't do that without decreasing my focus on the other muscle groups. I'll slip some more leg work into my routine, I just hope it doesn't drag the workouts on too long.

Week 8: Chest

Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope everyone used the extended weekend to their advantage. Whether it was to be with family and friends, to reflect on lives lost or lives still living, to set new challenges or conquer old ones.. for the purposes of this blog, the long holiday gave my body an additional day of rest, which was put to good use today as I upped the ante and increased my lifts.

As I plan to add accessory work to my squats and deadlifts, I still see no wall on my chest routine, so until then it's same old, same old. I did read up on a complaint someone was having about not seeing improvement after several months of lifting, and the consensus was there was too much warm up volume.. so I tweaked my typical 3 set warmup and decreased it to 2 sets. I don't know if that had anything to do with my improvement, but it didn't hurt. Here is the breakdown for today:

Barbell flat bench:

• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 245 x 3
• 295 x 3
• 325 x 2, 1 assisted
• 325 x 2, 1 assisted
• 275 x 6 (huge finish)

Barbell incline bench:

• 195 x 10
• 195 x 8
• 195 x 8
• 185 x 8 (just not feeling it like I should have.. incline is awful)

Pushups:

• 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Abs:

• 30 x 90
• 31 x 110

Week 7: Back

Welp, today was one of those days.. I had been dreading this, but eventually it had to happen; my routine has surpassed my lifting ability.. the back program I'm following was definitely not tuned to be realistic (well over 100lb increase in 10 weeks), and frankly I'm surprised I was able to stick with it for this long.

So getting back to what I was alluding to in the last post, the one thing that has become obvious to me in the last week (as I start to see a plateau in progress), is the need for more accessory work in order to aid my big-three lifts. I had asked r/fitness for a form check on my squats, and the main feedback was to deload and work on depth, and work on hamstrings and glutes. As far as my deadlifts go, lower back extensions, pull ups, and face pulls can serve as the assistance to strengthen my upper body.  With five more weeks of this 'program', I feel like without changing much the extra attention to supplement these lifts will be a good move.

Here is the breakdown:

Barbell deadlift:

• 135 x 10
• 225 x 8
• 315 x 5
• 455 x FAIL
• 455 x FAIL
• 455 x FAIL
• 415 x 1 (thank goodness)
• 375 x 3
• 375 x 3
• 375 x 3
• 375 x 3
• 375 x 2

Wide grip pull ups:

• 3 sets of 10

Abs machine:

• 50
• 30

Week 7: Chest pt. 2

As the inverse of Chest pt. 1, I find it not as exciting to power through incline bench first, though it also means a higher rep count for flat bench. This workout was a little stagnant, with numbers close to what I was doing three or four weeks ago. Not too exciting, but slight progress nonetheless.

I am on the verge of a program recomposition to address some accessory work that has become apparent this week. More on that later, here is the breakdown:

Barbell incline bench:

• 115 x 10
• 115 x 10
• 115 x 10
• 185 x 5 (accidentally repped 5 instead of 3)
• 245 x 1, 2 assisted
• 235 x 3
• 235 x 3
• 235 x 3
• 245 x 1, 2 assisted

Barbell flat bench:

• 225 x 10
• 245 x 8
• 245 x 9 (so close to 10!)
• 245 x 8
• 245 x 7

Pushups

• 45 consecutive pushups

Final thoughts: I have already changed my back routine to a more aggressive program, and have looked into smolov jr cycles for benching. The probably outcome is going to be a hybrid that takes advantage of my 2-day chest routine each week, with more than the tedious routine I have used the past 7 weeeks. I will update the blog when I decide what to do next week.

Week 7: Shoulder + Arms

Today we took liberties with our list of exercises, mainly because of a bit of advice I had read earlier this week on increasing forearm strength, in an effort to improve grip for deadlifts. Among the countless isolation exercises to choose from, the farmer's walk was touted repeatedly as a great full body workout with an emphasis on grip development. So we implemented that in today's workout, which had a varied response. I liked the pump it gave my arms; as I clenched my hands I could really feel the blood pumping out of my skin. I took a reality check, though, as I had to stop and reset my hands several times throughout the estimated fifty meter walk. The rest of the day felt a lot like meandering around the weight room with no focus, but I'm ok with that being shoulder/arm/rest day.

Breakdown below:

Seated dumbbell shoulder press:

• 60 x 10
• 75 x 10
• 85 x 10
• 90 x 8 (not sure if a personal best, but definitely impressed that I could nail these)

Farmer's walk:

• 90 x 50m
• 105 x 50m (paused at 35m)
• 105 x 50m (paused at 25m, 35m)

Machine tricep pushdown:

• 10 x 10
• 11 x 10
• 12 x 10

Barbell bicep curl:

• 75 x 10
• 75 x 10
• 75 x 10

Week 7: Legs

Another grueling day of legs, with some questionable form on the squats, but it got done! I had a feeling I would be out of juice if I kept the heavy sets for last, so I scooted them up to 3rd and 4th set, which helped me crank them out (I really don't think I had an ounce of energy left for five minutes after the 4th set).  My breathing was a big problem, but you be the judge about whether or not I got below parallel. My legs were not ready for the bashing they received afterwards on leg press either, but I'm glad we decided to increase the load another 50lb each set.. Well on my way to the 4 plate squat.

In other news, I have definitely hit my target body weight of 200lb, as evidenced by my latest Publix weigh-in. I am having doubts about whether or not I should continue to bulk, and I think the plan is to bulk throughout the rest of this program, and then attempt a mild cut, while maintaining my lifts. We shall see.. anyways, here is the breakdown for today:

Barbell squat:

• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 295 x 3
• 335 x 3
• 375 x 3 +10lb from last week
• 375 x 3
• 335 x 6 (5th set til failure, which I think will help build muscle during recovery)

Machine leg press:

• 315 x 10
• 455 x 10
• 545 x 10
• 635 x 10
• 725 x 10 (insanely heavy, but not impossible)

Machine leg curl:

• 130 x 10
• 130 x 10
• 130 x 10

Abs:

30 leg ups

Final thoughts: The slight modifications made in lifting (bumping the heavies from 4th/5th set to 3rd/4th set, creating a til-failure set, switching up abs) should give my body the variance it needs without getting off track. I am using the three warm up sets to really hammer down form improvements, and I think as long as I correct my breathing (read: actually breathe) and tighten up my core, I have 405 in the bag..

Week 7: Chest

Today marks another strong start in my progress following the modified powerlifting routine on week 7 of 12. I came up a little short last Friday in my chest lifts, but with a steady diet throughout the day today, and two days of rest, I was able to perform, benching 315 for 3 solid reps, and throwing 105lb dumbbells up on incline for 7 reps. I know the point of this 12 week workout was to hit 3 plates, but looking at my 345 max as it stands now, I really am hoping to bust past 350 and settle on anywhere from 355-365 for one.

This is how it went down today:

Barbell flat bench:

• 135 x 10
• 145 x 10
• 145 x 10
• 245 x 3
• 295 x 3
• 315 x 3 1 rep more than last week
• 315 x 2
• 275 x 4 (wanted to deload and crank out a few)

Dumbbell incline bench:

• 70 x 10
• 80 x 10
• 90 x 10
• 100 x 9 (with help on the 9th, unfortunately)
• 105 x 7

Pushup routine (on bosu half-ball, wide spaced, diamond spaced)

5/5/5

6/6/6

5/5/5

5/5/5

5/5/5

Cardio:

ran/walked 2 miles

Final thoughts: My cardio has deteriorated quite a bit these last 5 weeks, but what I lack in endurance I am aggressively gaining in power, and I am pretty ok with that.

Week 6: Chest pt.2

Today was pretty standard fare, although I admit I felt a little weaker throughout the entire workout. I hadn't done chest in over a week since I skipped Monday, but if anything I figured that would have given my chest more rest. Apparently not. The only thing I can figure is that I had to settle for Wendy's for lunch today, which is nothing compared to the chicken, turkey burger, and veggies that I'd been eating the rest of the week.

Unfortunately, Fernando was out of town today (another possible reason for my lack of strength?) so there is no video, but it was not as impressive a feat as last week's, so you aren't missing out. Here's the breakdown:

Barbell flat bench:

• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 245 x 3
• 285 x 3
• 305 x 3
• 315 x 2 (felt very weak on these)
• 315 x 1, 2 assisted

Dumbbell incline bench:

• 65 x 10
• 75 x 10
• 85 x 10
• 95 x 9
• 95 x 7

Machine peck fly:

• 165 x 10
• 180 x 10
• 210 x 9 (+1 rep from last week)

Final thoughts: Hopefully not a sign of plateau, but I really wasn't handling today's workout with the same fervor as last week. I think it's too soon to start making program-changing decisions, so after another week, I'll see whether I need to rotate in some smolov jr. cycles or even de-rack and work on stamina..

Week 6: Back

This week we switched the second chest day with back, since Fernando is going to be out of town tomorrow and really wanted to try out his new straps.. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited too. I had missed last week's Back Day, and was a little nervous about picking up the workout where I left off (coan-phillipi).


This regimen is extremely aggressive, so instead of 'skipping' last week, I proceeded from last week's numbers, which was still a 20lb leap from the week before (which, if you remember, took about all I had to hit the two reps).  Armed with two new straps, however, I destroyed the 415lb deadlift, and despite the first shaky rep, regained balance and mustered up my second. I am amazed at the difference my lifts have experienced by closely tracking progress and diet. I am still 80lb shy of my goal, but if the next six weeks are anything like the first (+50lb increase in deadlifts).. hm.. I will have to figure something out.

Here is the breakdown:

Barbell deadlift:

• 135 x 10
• 225 x 8
• 315 x 6
• 415 x 2
• 345 x 3
• 345 x 3
• 345 x 3
• 345 x 3
• 345 x 3
• 345 x 3

Circuit (Straight leg deadlift/ Dumbbell upright row/ Barbell good morning)

• 235 x 8/ 40 x 8/ 80 x 8
• 235 x 8/ 40 x 8/ 80 x 8
• 235 x 8/ 40 x 8/ 80 x 8 (went down in upright row and good mornings, with much less rest)

Week 6: Shoulder + Arms

Today I decided to follow up on my self-suggestion from last week and do some standing rear shoulder press, and realized it wasn't such a great idea. I am normally pretty careful about avoiding injury, especially when lifting, so this exercise will probably be either modified or never used again. The entire back of my neck was rubbed raw, and I was hitting some sensitive vertebrae by the end of my set. If anything, it gave me even more appreciation for Mariusz..

Here is the breakdown for my least favorite lifting day:

Standing rear shoulder press:

• 95 x 10
• 145 x 10
• 185 x 5 (ouch)

Standing shoulder press:

• 135 x 10
• 135 x 9

Dumbbell side/ front/ rear delt raise:

• 25 x 10/ 10/ 10
• 25 x 10/ 10/ 10
• 25 x 10/ 10/ 10

Seated dumbbell bicep curls:

• 40 x 10
• 40 x 10
• 40 x 10

Machine rope tricep pushdown:

• 100 x 10
• 110 x 10
• 140 x 10

Abs:

75 crunches

Week 6: Legs

This post is coming after a weekend trip to New York where my family visited for my sister's graduation. On the one hand, I enjoyed good eats, fun times, and got to play tourist for the weekend. On the other, I missed last week's back day and this week's first chest day (bummer). Ah well, I will have to carry on forward from here.

Today's lifts were the expected progression in my squat, which seems to be going pretty well. Legs are getting stronger, and if I could just hurry the workout up a little bit more, I'd really be on the right track with some calisthenic conditioning.. here is the breakdown:

Barbell squats:

• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 295 x 3
• 315 x 3
• 345 x 3 belted
• 365 x 3 belted +10lb from last week
• 365 x 3 belted

Machine leg press (assuming 45lb carriage):

• 315 x 10
• 405 x 10
• 495 x 10
• 585 x 10
• 675 x 10

Machine leg curl:

• 115 x 10
• 115 x 10
• 115 x 10

Abs:

75 crunches

Final thoughts: not much to report here. I have changed my grip on squats to let it rest a little higher up than I had it before, since it was bothering my wrists. I'll continue making adjustments.

Week 5: Chest pt. 2

This week saw a lot of personal records get crushed, and this workout was no different. I personally was opposed to starting with flat bench first, and will go back to alternating between 1 day of flat/incline, and the next incline/flat, or vice versa.

I'm starting to hear the speculations about whether I'm on steroids or not, but I would be lying if I said I'm eating as much as I'm supposed to. Flirting very close to the 200lb mark, and I have no doubt within another week I will be past it.

Here's the breakdown:

Barbell flat bench:

• 95 x 10
• 145 x 10
• 145 x 10
• 245 x 3
• 285 x 3
• 305 x 3
• 315 x 2 (so close on my 3rd rep!)
• 315 x 2

Barbell incline bench:

• 185 x 10
• 185 x 10
• 185 x 8
• 185 x 9
• 162.5 x 10 (Fernando put a 2.5lb on the side instead of a 5lb.. going to KILL HIM)

Machine peck fly:

• 165 x 10
• 180 x 10
• 210 x 8 +15lb from last week

Final thoughts: chest is by far the strongest it's ever been.. can't say enough great things about this program. Must eat more.

Week 5: Shoulders + Arms

As has become the custom with these workouts, I went pretty light today in order to give my body rest for the next two lifting days. One thing I have noticed is that yesterday and today I felt a lot more sore, and haven't quite been able to pin point the cause. I haven't been as consistent with my protein shakes, which contain amino acids that may help with recovery.. or it may be the increase in load and my body not bouncing back quite as easily as before. Either way, I was glad to go somewhat heavy while giving my legs and chest a rest.

Here's how it went:

Dumbbell seated shoulder press:

• 55 x 8
• 70 x 8
• 80 x 8

Dumbbell side/ front/ rear delt raise:

• 25 x 10/ 10/ 10
• 25 x 10/ 10/ 10
• 25 x 10/ 10/ 10

EZ bar preacher curl

• 40 x 15
• 40 x 15
• 40 x 15

Machine triceps rope pushdown:

• 100 x 15
• 110 x 15
• 120 x 15

Abs:

75 crunches

Final thoughts: I was watching some Mariusz Pudzianowski vids, and I really like what he does for standing shoulder press. I'll consider throwing this in for next week's workout.

Week 5: Legs

Phase 2 of this twelve week program takes place weeks 5-8, and though it is by and large the exact same routine, one slight tweak makes all the difference, especially in the case of leg day. The working set changes from 5 sets of 4 reps, to 5 sets of 3, which I happily accept on my mission to increase the load by ten pounds a week.

In other news, I have attempted to mass produce my mid day meals, by making a trip to BJ's and stocking up on $30 worth of chicken breasts and frozen veggies. Baked both in the oven with a teriyaki marinade, then zipped them up into portions, eating two bags a day.. It's going to be tricky coming up with some creative ways to change the flavor or trick myself into eating them all before I get sick of the taste.. anyways, here is the breakdown for today's lifts:

Barbell squats:

• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 295 x 3
• 315 x 3
• 335 x 3
• 355 x 3 +10lbs from last week
• 355 x 3

Machine leg press (assuming a 45lb carriage):

• 315 x 10
• 405 x 10
• 495 x 10
• 585 x 10
• 635 x 10 (last 3 assisted)

Machine leg curl:

• 100 x 8
• 100 x 8
• 100 x 8

Abs:

75 crunches

Final thoughts: It has become pretty clear that I have abandoned my cardio, which will probably cause me to stall sooner than I should.. with each of these workouts already taking around 90 minutes, I shirk it to compensate and not be stuck at the gym for over two hours. If anything I will use the weekends I rest as a time to do a quick 20-30 minute circuit, maybe twice a day.

 

Week 5: Chest

Week 5 will be a milestone to remember in this twelve week program, as I have finally broken past my personal best bench press record. Fueled by my success last week with dumbbells on incline press, I was itching to give my 1 rep max a go, and I am so glad I did. Before this week, my personal record was set in 2008, when I benched 325. That was a couple weeks after finally lifting 3 plates and I was on cloud nine. But after several setbacks (mainly quitting lifting for months at a time), I was nowhere near my prime. That all changed this week.

I was determined to break my record, and skipped 325 as I attempted 335. I was solid, composed, and nailed it. That had been my goal for these past 5 weeks! Feeling even more ambitious, I had my partner record my next set, jumping another 10lbs, which I included in this blog post. What I find interesting about all this is that in order to meet other plans, we moved this to a morning workout, from 7:30-8:30am.

This workout strayed from the norm at first, to allot for the 1 rep max, here's what it looked like:

Barbell flat bench:

• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 245 x 1
• 275 x 1
• 315 x 1
• 335 x 1 new personal record!
• 345 x 1 newer personal record!

Dumbbell incline bench:

• 70 x 10
• 80 x 10
• 90 x 10
• 95 x 10 +2 reps from last week
• 95 x 9 +2 reps

Machine peck fly:

• 150 x 10
• 180 x 10
• 195 x 10

Abs:

75 crunches

Final thoughts: This program, while customized to an extent and not followed to the letter, has really brought to light a lot of the problems I was bringing myself in the past. My diet, rep count, and especially compound lifts have benefited tremendously so far.

Week 4: Back

Here it is, the big kahuna of my workout routine. I was a little nervous going into it, and ran into a major problem that may have caused me to become severely depressed, until I realized what was going wrong. I am following a very aggressive routine for improving my deadlifts, and today's lift required a twenty pound increase  from last week's lift. When I attempted it (twice), I could only get the bar up to past my shin before it slipped out of my hand. Before giving up, I thought back to my technique from last week, and tried to figure out what would have caused such a regression in progress. I finally realized it was because I had been strapping in my dominant right hand this time, whereas before I would strap in my weaker left hand. Switched hands, and problem solved. Thank goodness!

This week's progress is especially motivating to me, because once again, after I lifted 395 once, the second rep felt solid. I am busting through new gains, so hopefully my body can adjust and handle these gains at the rate my program has set.. in the meantime, here is the breakdown:

Barbell deadlift:

• 135 x 10
• 225 x 8
• 315 x 6
• 375 x 1 (after failing once at 395, then at 375, switched strapped hand)
• 395 x 2 +20lb from last week
• 320 x 3
• 320 x 3
• 320 x 3
• 320 x 3
• 320 x 3
• 320 x 3
• 320 x 3 (7 sets of 3)

Circuit (Straight leg deadlift/ Dumbbell upright row/ Barbell good morning)

• 235 x 8/ 50 x 8/ 135 x 8
• 235 x 8/ 50 x 8/ 115 x 8
• 235 x 8/ 50 x 8/ 115 x 8

Abs:

75 crunches

Final thoughts: this is the longest routine of the week, hopefully it's worth it. The circuit is brutal on my lower back but I think it really helps develop the lower back and stabilizing muscles to optimize my deadlift.

Week 4: Chest pt.2

This was a monster day, filled with personal bests. I am pretty sure it had to do with missing the 'pt.1' Chest day on Monday, so we'll see how this affects my workout next week. I was very impressed with my last sets on flat bench, and I have to assume the incline bench has improved my flat bench, since I've never made gains this fast before.

I will mention again how great this blog has been in regards to tracking my progress. I am on a steady progression, with no stalls as of yet. Here is the breakdown:

Barbell flat bench:

• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 245 x 4
• 285 x 4
• 295 x 4 +10lb from last week, and I repped all four on my own!
• 295 x 4 repped 3, needed help on 4th
• 275 x 5 decided to end with weight I knew I could hit 4, and surprised myself with a 5th rep

Dumbbell incline bench:

• 70 x 10
• 80 x 10
• 90 x 10
• 95 x 8 was hoping to rep out 10, but this was still impressive
• 95 x 7

Machine peck fly:

• 165 x 10
• 180 x 10
• 195 x 10

Abs:

75 crunches

Final thoughts: I love working out flat bench first, but I think that because of my Monday lifts starting on incline, that I am seeing bigger gains here. I won't tweak the program again for another couple of weeks in regards to chest, just to see when I start to stall out..

Week 4: Shoulders + Arms

This was a very quick workout, since I had to wake up and get it done before work (7:30-8:30), and it was just accessory exercises to boot. Unfortunately, I don't have the notes from my lifts, so the information may not be accurate. If I do get the notes, this will be updated:

Standing barbell shoulder raise:

• 95 x 8
• 115 x 8
• 125 x 8

Barbell upright rows:

• 95 x 8
• 155 x 8
• 155 x 8

Dumbbell side/ front/ rear delt raise:

• 25 x 10/ 10/ 10
• 25 x 10/ 10/ 10
• 25 x 10/ 10/ 10

EZ bar preacher curl

• 40 x 15
• 40 x 15

Machine triceps rope pushdown:

• 6 x 12
• 6 x 12

Final thoughts: This was a rushed workout, but I don't mind that, since I think of this as more of a rest day with some shoulder work to prepare for chest day and leg day.. nothing much else to say.

Week 4: Legs

This has been a very busy week, with graduation events, family in town, and general plans all coming up during my typical 'gym time'. I unfortunately missed yesterday's Chest workout, which I felt awful about. So about 20 minutes before we started legs, I did a quick few sets of flat bench, just to activate them somewhat (and to see my estimated 1rm). It went something like this:

Barbell flat bench:

• 135 x 10
• 225 x 6
• 275 x 2
• 295 x 2
• 315 x 2 (failed 2nd rep, but my spotter got it just past the sticking point, and I lifted it the rest)

Not too shabby, but I definitely am gunning for 335 x 1 within the next couple weeks.

Anyways, today's leg workout went well, but I can definitely tell that I am creeping up to my absolute 4rm. The videos will show, I was not coming down as low as I'd like, and I felt pretty compressed. The combination of not enough legwork, and my lack of 3500+ calorie diet is going to be my worst enemies the next 8 weeks.

I was pretty impressed with my ability to leg press today, I don't normally press over six plates a side, so I hope that gives me the muscle breakdown necessary for next week's target of 355lb squats. Here's the breakdown:

Barbell squats:

• 65 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 135 x 10
• 285 x 4 +10lb
• 315 x 4 +10lb
• 335 x 4 +10lb
• 345 x 4 +10lb
• 345 x 4 +10lb

Machine leg press:

• 315 x 10
• 405 x 10
• 495 x 10
• 585 x 10
• 635 x 10

Machine leg curl:

• 100 x 8
• 105 x 8
• 115 x 8

Abs:

75 crunches

Final thoughts: There is not enough time in the week to do all the conditioning I feel like I should be doing in order to optimize my strength gains. This week especially is going to be a struggle to make each day count (let alone make it to the gym). I am a little hopeful that I can keep climbing in my squat gains only because after this week the reps drop to 3.