EFS Beginners Program: Week 8 DE Squat/DL

Parallel SSB Box Squat DL: 125x2, 155x2, 190x2x10

Speed DL: 220x1x10

Reverse Hyper: 4 sets of 7 with a Monster Mini Band

DB Side Bends: 40x10x3

Slow Leg Lowers: 3 sets of 10

Calf Lifts: 1 sets for each set of squats, to failure

4 more weeks of this, then I could start to get lean for the PRT.

EFS Beginners Program: Week 8 ME Bench

Right shoulder sore, should have known the barbell lunges and good mornings would be trouble. So today's session was short: no pullups, preacher curls, seated DB power cleans. Just close grip benches done to a 1RM and the same exercise done as SE work, since this exercise is very easy on the shoulder for me. About two minues rest in between sets, and all the shoulder work was done first:

External Rotations: Rep Outs with 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 lbs dumbbells
Scapular Wall Slides: 5 sets
Band Pull Aparts: 5 sets of 8
Shoulder Rotations and Band Traction Work

Close Grip Bench Presses: 45x3, 55x3, 75x3, 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3, 175x1, 200x1, 225x1 (5 lbs PR over all time best), 230x0. No pain, no trouble, and I'm fucking stoked. At my best bench of 240, I was able to close grip 220, so 250 is close. I brought down 230 under control and got it up maybe 2 inches but just had nothing left.

Close Grip Bench Press (SE): 135x4x5. Easy. Just used it to make up for everything else, and to rehearse my form.

EFS Beginners Program: Week 8 ME Squat/DL

16" SSB Box Squat: 115x3, 145x3, 175x3, 205x3, 235x3, 265x3, 295x3

Barbell Lunges: Worked up to a 105 lbs 10RM. The whole balancing thing can't be too good for my shoulder.

Arched Back Good Morning: 145x10x3

Weighted Situps: 20x8x3

EFS Beginners Program: Week 8 DE Bench

This workout was the same as last week's.

Sort of.

I did this last week with the 5-board press topping out at 245x3, and once again my shoulder was in pain afterwards. So I stopped everything for the week, even squats and deads and rested the shoulders. This week, I replaced the 5-board press with the 3-board press, and threw in shoulder rehab work. The 3-board was chosen because I'm supposed to do a 1RM on week 10 and deload it the week after, so why not build up to it and use less weight than the 5 board?

Dynamic Bench Press: 55x3, 75x3, 95x3, 115x3, 140x3x8

3-Board Press: 175x3, 200x3, 225x3

Standing DB Military Press (Neutral): 40x10x4

Preacher Curls: tested out to a 80 lbs 1RM. I could do 75x5 normally, so this is proof that I'm better with reps on this than strength.

External Rotations: Rep-outs with 3, 5, 8, 10, and 12 lbs dumbbells.

Band Pull Aparts: 4 sets of 7 with a monster-mini band

Scapular Wall Slides: 4 sets. My shoulders are tight: I could feel them wanting to drift forward. Didn't take long for me to get a pump from this.

EFS Beginners Program: Week 7 DE Squat/DL

SSB Parallel Box Squat: 110x2, 140x2, 170x2x10. This time, I tried to stick to the prescription of a 2-second pause at the bottom. I had a lot of pop today, maybe this is my breakthrough.

Speed Deadlifts: 205x1x10, 255x1, 295x1, 325x1, 365x1. The last three was for test purposes and not part of the program: I had a question to answer for myself. Even though I have been feeling as if I was just spinning my wheels with the speed deads, I had a lot more pop out of the bottom with these today than I've had the past 6 weeks. So, much like the speed squats, I think I have hit that breakthrough moment and should just be patient. My question was answered with the 365: it was slow from the knees only. I now know why weeks 10 and 11 are heavy pin pulls: this is where I focus all my effort on the top and get that back. Will it be enough for my 405 target? We'll see.

Arched Back Good Morning: 145x10x4. Probably should nave have done these, though it went without a hitch. I grew weary of the reverse hyper on the GHR: maybe the GHR made it uncomfortable, or the bands were too strong, or it was never as good as the real thing. So I went back to my old standby, and I'm doing it twice a week using undulating periodization. Maybe this will be a difference maker for my squats and deads.

DB Side Bends: 35x10x2

Slow Leg Lowers: 2 sets of 10

EFS Beginners Program: Week 7 ME Bench

Close Grip Bench Press: 65x3, 85x3, 105x3, 125x3, 145x3, 165x3, 185x3, 205x3.

Band Pullups: 5 sets of 8.

Preacher Curls: 45x15x3

EFS Beginners Program: Week 7 ME Squat/DL

16" SSB Box Squat: Barx3, 105x3, 135x3, 165x3, 195x3, 225x3, 255x3, 285x3. I expected more, but was glad to know that I have to conquer heavy reps if my squat is to go somewhere (I've never tripled 285). I also have to remember that the bar just makes things harder overall.

Arched Back Good Mornings: 125x15x3.

Weighted Decline Situps: 20x10x3

Two Legged Calf Raises: 7 sets of 13

EFS Beginners Program: Week 7 DE Bench

I spent the better part of last week doing shoulder rehab, nothing serious but I learned the hard way that I shouldn't have been doing heavy rack lockouts in a sleepy haze while stiff. I tried some of the band traction stuff that Dave Tate once wrote about along with external/internal rotations and mobility work. So my left shoulder is back and my right one is almost there. I did do some lifting, mostly testing. I tested out at a 205 lbs 5RM and a 225 1RM in the arched back good morning and a 80 lbs 1RM in the decline tricep extension. I did do the ME Bench and DE bench portions of my workout (to a point) and managed a triple with 205 lbs in the close grip bench press.

Today, I am back in the game. I am entering the Naval Base Kitsap Raw Bench Press Comp on July 4th, so the close grip work couldn't have come at a better time. If in 3 weeks I can get my close grip bench press up to 225x3, the 250s may be within striking distance. But, I'm not going to deviate from this program to get there.

DE Bench: 55x3, 75x3, 95x3, 115x3, 140x3x8

5-Board Bench Press: 175x3, 205x3, 235x3

DB Rear Laterals: 8x12x3

Wide Grip Preacher Curls: 65x5x5

EFS Beginners Program: Week 6 DE Squat/DL

All I did today was squats, and they were all done with the Safety Squat Bar for my shoulder's sake. I did not want to push my luck with deadlifts or holding heavy things in my hands. I hope by Monday my shoulder is better.

Parallel Box Squat: 95x2, 115x2, 135x2, 155x2, 175x2, 205x2x8, 235x1, 265x1, 295x1, 315x1. Since I wasn't deadlifting, I added one rep at 100% of my 1RM. 315 felt like a ton: I get to the bottom position and I could not muster the strength to drive my traps into the bar and was nearly bent over (Pins were set). This mad it harder for me launch it out, making for one very excrutiatingly long rep.