ME Upper Body

Woke up this morning with a bad cough, which is what I get for dragging a sled in the cold without a coat. Didn't have to work today because of Martin Luther King Day and my son wanted to go practice basketball with his friend, so off I went at 11: 45 - - - no rush.

Flat Bench Press w/One Pair of Chains: 55x3, 75x3, 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 195x1. The 175 triple was smooth and the 195 was, too. Just not fast enough to go for a 195 double.

Close Grip Bench Press w/One Pair of Chains: 125x10, 125x9

Superset:
T-Bar Row: 80x3, 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 160x1 (1RM), 95x12x4.
DB Lateral Raises: 9 sets repped out with 6 lbs. Top set was 16 reps and low set was 9 reps.

Nautilus Nitro Front Pulldown: 105x12x4.

EZ Bar Curls: 80x6x5.

I was gonna do snatch grip deadlifts, 270x6x5, but after yesterday I just didn't feel it in me. So for 30 minutes I just played Around the World. My shot has become really effortless, so much so that I have to adjust it or I'll overshoot it. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking of the deadlifts and measurement on Friday and whether I should bag it or not. I decided to go for it but only up to a 3rm, and just take my time to get there. I felt as if the previous plan might be too much.

Snatch Grip Deadlift: 165x3, 195x3, 225x3, 255x3, 295x3, 325x4. That last set had me stoked: I hit a 4RM with 275 on December 20th, so this was big for me. And my grip was like glue. My wheels are turning and I'm very seriously thinking of gunning for a 400 lbs snatch grip DL before I leave for Djibouti. That's 5 weeks, if my body lets me.

ME Lower Body

Since there were things I did not do last leg workout, I made up for it today.

14" SSB Box Squat:
Set 1: Bar only (75 lbs, 155 at the top, about 115 at the bottom) for 5 reps
Set 2: 105 lbs (185 at the top, 145 at the bottom) for 5 reps
Set 3: 135 lbs (215 at the top, 175 at the bottom) for 5 reps
Set 4: 165 lbs (245 at the top, 205 at the bottom) for 5 reps
Set 5: 195 lbs (275 at the top, 235 at the bottom) for 5 reps
Set 6: 205 lbs (305 at the top, 265 at the bottom) for 0 reps. I just didn't have anything left to lift it.

Triset:
Trap Bar Shrug: Barx5, 74x5, 94x5, 114x5, 144x5, 164x5, 184x4 (Calculated a max of 204 using Brzycki's formula to compute a 204 max, then multiplied it by .6 for the next 4 sets), 124x10x4

Calf Raises: 11 sets for a rep max

GHR: 11 sets of 10 first with no bands assistance, then purple bands for assistance, then purple plus monster mini, then average (green) band for assistance.

Forward Sled Drags: 65 lbs for 6 trips

Backward Sled Drags: 65 lbs for 6 trips

RE Upper Body

I weighed myself yesterday morning at 234 lbs. When you consider that the Navy allows a maximum weight of about 192-196 lbs for someone my height, you wonder why I even bother to measure it.

Last time, I tried to drop 10 lbs in 24 hours to get down to the 229 where I easily make measurement and gave up too much for the effort and barely made measurement. So my goal was a much easier 5 lbs drop. Even with all the deadlifting and squatting and repetition work that I have been doing plus the elliptical, my weight is dropping gradually but I am starting to lean out and get thicker. I'm hoping that on Friday, the day I measure, I can come in at 233 before I drop anything.

My last week and I'm pouring it on, then I'll take it easy for three days before the PRT on the 29th.

Friday: Lunchtime:
Cybex ArcTrainer Elliptical: Level 6 Cardio, 30 minutes. Next week, it will be Level 7.

Evening (All notation: weight x reps x sets):
Incline Bench Press: 125x12, 11, 10, 9 reps

Nautilus Front Pulldown: 155x3, 165x3, 175x3, 155x3x3.

T-Bar Row: 145x3, 150x3, 145x3x4. I'm improving slower on this lift than the pulldowns, so next time this will be first then the pulldowns second.

DB Lateral Raises: 5xrepoutx6. Top set was 18 reps with a 12 rep low.

Incline Situps: 6 sets repped out. Top set was 20 reps with a 14 rep low. I think all the snatch grip deads have helped this, oddly enough. Did these while waiting for the deadlift platform.

Snatch Grips Deadlift: 185x10x2, 185x12, 185x11, 185x8. Could not find 2.5 lbs plates, so I lifted 185 instead. First two sets should have been 12 reps but I thought it was 10 reps, and I tried to make it up somewhat. My forearms were gone on the last set.

EZ Bar Curls: 60x12x3

Test: 14" SSB Box Squat w/80 lbs of Chain (ME/RE Setup)

Lunchtime:
Cybex ArcTrainer Elliptical: Level 6 Cardio for 30 minutes

Evening:
Since I am training for muscle and strength, not for speed, I will differentiate the setups. In a speed setup, I set the chain so that all of it is on the floor at the bottom position of the squat. In a setup for strength or Repetition, half of it is still on the bar at the bottom. This of course means I have to squat with more control since it is completely off the floor at the top and I don't want it to swing. It also means that the negative is taking something out of you towards the bottom and the change as you rise is tougher. Thus, you will see a notation for the bar weight, top weight, and bottom weight. The effect is very noticeable:

Set 1: Bar only (75 lbs, 155 at the top, about 115 at the bottom) for 3 reps
Set 2: 105 lbs (185 at the top, 145 at the bottom) for 3 reps
Set 3: 135 lbs (215 at the top, 175 at the bottom) for 3 reps
Set 4: 165 lbs (245 at the top, 205 at the bottom) for 3 reps
Set 5: 195 lbs (275 at the top, 235 at the bottom) for 3 reps
Set 6: 225 lbs (305 at the top, 265 at the bottom) for 3 reps
Set 7: 255 lbs (335 at the top, 295 at the bottom) for 0 reps (Couldn't rise with it, spent)
Set 8: 255 lbs (No chain) for 1 rep: felt super light (Probably since more muscle was still firing just to stabilize everything as if the chain was still connected), almost like half of what was on the bar.
Set 9: 285 lbs (No Chain) for 1 rep: Felt good but I was spent, and that's where I stopped.

Using Brzycki's formula for the 6th set (265 from the bottom) gives me a 280 max. About 5 lbs off from actual with no chain, even with 4 attempts above 94%.

ME Upper Body

Flat Bench Press: 95x5, 115x5, 140x5, 165x5, 185x4. Bitchin'!!! Two more reps than last week.

CG Bench Press: 125x10x2.

Nautilus Front Pulldown: 105x10x4

T-Bar Row: 100x10x4

Snatch Grip Deadlift: 165x15x3.

Barbell Curls: 40x18, 40x15x2

RE Upper Body

Lunchtime:
Free Squats: 115x15, 125x15, 135x15, 145x15, 155x14

Evening:
Incline Bench Press w/One Pair of Chains: 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 185x1 (Test)

Incline Bench (No chains):185x2, 115x15, 115x10x2

T-Bar Row: 85x15x3

Nautilus Nitro Front Pulldown: 90x15x3

DB Lateral Raises: 12x7, 12x6x2, 12x5.

My back was a bit sore, so I'm saving the deads for another day.

Squat Test Gone Bad

I've been tossing around the idea of a just doing rep work with regular squats with no box so instead of my normal lunchtime aerobic workout like I've been doing, I just tested on raw squats.

Free Squats: 95x3 (I had a belt I borrowed from the gym and it blew out!!! Old, cause I didn't get that big over the holidays.), 125x5, 155x5, 185x3, 215x3, 245x1, 275x1, 305x1, 325x0 (Got to the bottom and the weights started sliding off the right side, I'm trying to keep from killing my back and letting the bar whip out and hurt someone. A closer inspection of the mess reveals that the slide on collars WERE on, but were defective and slid off.), 325x0 (My load was blown).

Barbell Curls: 70x8x3.

I walked to the front counter and handed the lady the collars and told her what happened. She looked shocked and apologized, and said that she thought that the equipment was inspected that morning. When I got home, I inspected my collars and showed my wife and kid how to do the same. Now I know.

ME Upper Body

Lunchtime:
Cybex ArcTrainer Elliptical: 30 minutes, Cardio setting, Level 5

Evening:
Flat Bench Press w/One pair Chains: 55x3, 75x3, 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 185x2. Will alternate doing these for threes and a week of doing these for fives with no chains.

CG Bench Press w/One pair Chains: 115x10, 8, 6 reps. These were all rep maxes.

Nautilus Nitro Front Pulldown: 120x8x5

T-Bar Row: 115x8x5

Snatch Grip Deadlift: 165x5, 195x5, 225x5, 255x5, 285x5. After all the back work, I had to really work hard for these. On the set of 255, I was lifting with gloves on and the bar started slipping out of my right hand, I lost my concentration for a moment and windmilled slightly causing a right side mid-back pull. On the 285, I used my bare hands and chalk and that went better. I just stopped there: I could have given 295x5 a shot but played it safe.

EZ Bar Curl: 70x8x5

ME Lower Body (Short Version)

Why do 4 workouts in 4 days? I have 5 weeks until I leave for South Carolina to train. 4 weeks until PRT. I might be able to do the Virtual Meet from Djibouti, but we'll see. I don't want to waste any time, I want to stay on track. Even today, when my legs were really sore from not having squatted in a while, when my son and his friend wanted to go to the basketball court I took that as a hint. I just abbreviated it a bit.

Hoist Compound Motion Leg Press: No weight for 20 reps, 50x15, 100x12, 150x10, 200x8, 250x6, 300x5, 350x5, 445x5, 490x5, 535x4

Cybex Leg Curl: worked up to 130x4.

Thank God, tomorrow is a lazy day!!!

RE Upper Body

Incline Bench Press: 75x10, 95x10, 115x10x3

T-Bar Row: 95x10x4

Nautilus Nitro Front Pulldown: 100x10x4

DB Lateral Raises: 12x7, 12x6x2, 12x5.

Snatch Grip Deadlift: 175x10x4.

Biceps Death: 3 sets, descending from 90 lbs to 20 lbs in 10 lbs increments.

The bench and lateral raises were done as rep maxes, everything else was 4 sets of 10. My rep days are done with different rep schemes for most of the main movements. The snatch grip deadlifts went pretty good despite really sore legs from not having squatted in a while. Don't know how tomorrows leg workout is going to happen but I'll think of something.

RE Lower Body

14" SSB Box Squat: Barx10, 100x10, 125x10, 150x10, 175x8. I came so close to 10 on that last one and it just about blew my head off.

Calf Lifts: Failure at 15, 12, 12, 10, 10 reps.

Lateral Step Ups: 15x10x3

DB Side Laterals: 35x15x4

GHR: 40 reps (Sets of 10, 8, 6, 6, 5, 5 reps)

ME Upper Body

Snatch Grip Deadlift: 155x5, 185x5, 225x5, 255x5, 285x5, 315x2 (2RM). The first two sets were done with a double overhand grip, the others with a staggered grip, the last with straps and a double overhand grip.

Flat Bench Press: 55x10, 75x8, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 155x5, 175x4, 165x5x2.

CG Triceps Death: 2 sets with 115 lbs to failure with no boards, 2, 3, 4, and 5 boards (no rest between board changes)

Nautilus Nitro Front Pulldown: Worked up to a 160 lbs single, 135x5x2.

T-Bar Row: Worked up to a 155 lbs single, 130x5x2

Reverse Curl: 50x7x4