5/3/1 Round 2: Bench Press 3RM

Day before: LifeFitness Elliptical, Hill Profile Level 7, 45 Minutes

Tonight:
Flat Bench Press: 75x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x3, 155x2, 175x3, 185x3, 195x4 (Rep Out Set).

Incline Bench Press: 145x10, 8, 8, 8, 7 reps. Upped the weight 10 pounds from last week. Hopefully, in 2 weeks time, I'll be doing 5 sets of 10 with this weight then I will up it to 155.

Assisted Chinups (Light Band): 5, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 reps.

Hammer ISO High Rows: 72.5x15x3

Hammer Curls: 30x10x5

Trap Bar Shrugs: 156x10x5

5/3/1 Round 2: Squat 5RM

Parallel Box Squat: 95x5, 125x5, 155x5, 185x3, 215x2, 225x5, 245x5, 255x5

Parallel Box Squat: 185x10x3. I tried a 4th set but was so spent that I practically dive bombed to the box.

LifeFitness Treadmill: Hill Profile Level 7, 30 Minutes, 3.8 miles per hour.

5/3/1 Round 2: DB Shoulder Press 5RM

Day Before:
LifeFitness Elliptical: Hill Profile, Level 7, 45 Minutes

Today:
DB Shoulder Press: 25x5, 30x5, 40x5, 45x3, 55x2, 60x5, 60x5, 65x6

Assisted Dips: 60 lbs of assistance for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 reps

Assisted Pullups (Light Bands): 6 sets of 3 reps

Hammer ISO Rows: 95x10x5

Behind The Back Shrugs: 135x10x5

DB Hammer Curls: 25x10x5

Rowing Machine (Aerobics): 20 minutes

5/3/1 Round 2: Deadlift 5RM

Conventional Deadlift: 115x5, 145x5, 175x5, 205x3, 240x2, 255x5, 270x5, 290x6

Leg Curls: 135x7, 6, 5, 4, 4 reps. This machine that I use only has 15 lbs increments.

Arched Back Good Morning: 145xtotal fail. Just didn't have it. Will have to figure something out I guess:

LifeFitness Treadmill: Hill Profile Level 7, 30 Minutes, 3.8 miles per hour.

5/3/1 Round 2: Bench Press 5RM

Flat Bench Press: 75x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x3, 155x2, 165x5, 175x5, 185x5 (Rep Out Set)

Incline Bench Press: 135x10x5

Assisted Chinups (Light Bands): 6 sets of 4 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows: 85x10x5

Hammer Curls: 30x10x5

Trap Bar Shrugs: 146x10x5

Just Aerobics

LifeFitness Elliptical: Hill Profile, Level 6, 45 Minutes

5/3/1: Round 1 Squat Deload

Early Morning:
LifeFitness Elliptical: Hill Profile, Level 6, 45 Minutes

Afternoon:
Parallel Box Squat: 95x5, 125x5, 155x5, 175x5

12" Front Box Squat: 145x10x5

Assisted GHR (Light Bands): 11, 10, 9, 8, 7 reps.

5/3/1: Round 1 DB Shoulder Press Deload

DB Shoulder Press: 25x5, 30x5, 35x5, 45x5

Assisted Dips: 75 lbs of assistance for 5 sets of 10

Assisted Pullups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 reps

Hammer ISO Rows: 95x10x5

Behind The Back Shrugs: 135x10x5

DB Hammer Curls: 25x10x5

5/3/1: Round 1 Deadlift Deload

Conventional Deadlift: 115x5, 145x5, 175x5, 205x5

Leg Curls: 120x10x5

Arched Back Good Morning: 145x10x5. After this, my back still felt solid but I stopped the workout after the calf raises. I'll bring the ab work back next week.

Hammer Calf Press: 220x10x3, 220x8x2

5/3/1: Round 1 Bench Deload

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Flat Bench Press: 65x5, 85x5, 105x5, 125x5

Incline Bench Press: 135x10x5. Struggled the last two sets but I gutted them out.

Hammer ISO High Rows: 85x10x5

Assisted Chinups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 11, 8, 6, 6, 6 reps

Trap Bar Shrugs: 146x10x5

Preacher Curls: 55x10x5. I got the reps but I was reaching deep to finish each set. Next time, I think hammer curls on the days I do chinups might be a better choice.

5/3/1 Last 2 days

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

May 15th:
DB Shoulder Press: 25x5, 30x5, 35x5, 45x3, 50x2, 55x5, 60x3, 70x3 (Rep Out Set)

Assisted Dips: 75 lbs of assistance for 5 sets of 10

Assisted Pullups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 reps

Hammer ISO Rows: 95x10x5

Behind The Back Shrugs: 135x10x5

DB Hammer Curls: 25x10x5

May 16th:
Parallel Box Squat: 55x5, 75x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 205x2, 225x5, 255x3, 285x1(Rep Out Set). Felt pretty good this morning but decided, just in case, to just go for the single. Did a little more of a warmup and was able to do one clean single . . . . . I passed on trying anything more. Left the gym fresh, no pain anywhere. Deload week will be great.

5/3/1: Deadlift 1RM

Since I had a half assed workout last weekend, and I felt great yesterday, I worked up to a 310 triple, then went to the 325 target and did that twice anyways. And after the cooldown, I went home with a smile:)

Today: LifeFitness Elliptical: Hill Profile, Level 5, 45 Minutes

5/3/1: Bench Press 1RM

LifeFitness Elliptical: Hill Profile, Level 5, 45 Minutes

Flat Bench Press: 65x5, 85x5, 105x5, 125x3, 145x2, 155x5, 175x3, 195x3 (Rep Out Set)

Incline Bench Press: 135x10x4, 135x7.

Assisted Chinups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 12, 10, 8, 6, 6 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows: 85x10x5

Trap Bar Shrugs: 146x10x5

Preacher Curls: 55x10x5

Switcheroo

My deadlift workout felt hard again . . . . Fuck!?! On the 3RM day for 5/3/1, I was supposed to rep out with 290 in the end. I struggled to lift it just once. I just walked out of the gym, kinda bummed. Pissed, more like. Didn't do anything else.

A few hours later, it occured to me that maybe I was running into the same problem I once had with the squat/front squat: Since last year I had thrown so much work into deficit deadlifts that my regular deadlift suffered. So now, I could launch the weight better but after I get it off the floor, my lower back engages too soon because the weight is way heavy a few inches off the floor. I also felt as if my lower back was not recovering fast enough and came to the conclusion that with deadlifts one day, good mornings the next leg day, and being in body armor a lot, an overtrained lower back was a foregone conclusion.

I took some days off, and went to work rescheduling my workout. Good mornings will now be an assistance movement on deadlift day, front squats on squat day. On the 1RM squat and deadlift day, just this once, I'm not doing the assistance movements - - - to buy me some extra recovery time - - - but will bring them back on the deload week.

Let's see if this works.

5/3/1: Wave 1 Workout 5

(All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets):

Flat Bench Press: 65x5, 85x5, 105x5, 125x3, 145x2, 165x3, 175x3, 185x5 (Rep Out Set)

Incline Bench Press: 125x10x5. Did not have to rest/pause this at all this time.

Hammer ISO High Rows: 42.5x5, 55x5, 70x5, 85x3, 97.5x2, 105x5, 112.5x5, 120x6 (Rep Out Set). An experiment for me. While the 5 sets of 10 is working for me, I'm thinking of applying the 5/3/1 to the rows simply for extra strength to back up my bench and deadlift. Or, I may just use the reps to calculate a new max to do the 5x10.

Hammer ISO Rows: 112.5x3, 120x3, 135x5 (Rep Out Set). This was so that, in case I use the 5/3/1, I could be caught up. Next upper body day, I will do a 5-rep day with the regular rows and the 3 reps with the high rows.

Trap Bar Shrugs: 146x10x5

Preacher Curls: 55x10x2, 55x9+1, 55x7+3, 55+7+3. Getting better, and this even after all the heavy rowing.

5/3/1: Wave 1 Workout 4

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Parallel Box Squat: 90x5, 120x5, 145x5, 175x3, 205x2, 220x5, 235x5, 250x5 (Rep Out Set)

Leg Curls: 120x10x5

Arched Back Good Morning: 145x10x5

Hanging Leg Raises:6, 6, 5, 5, 4 reps

Hammer Calf Press: 210x10x5

5/3/1: Wave 1 Workout 3

DB Shoulder Press: 25x5, 30x5, 35x5, 45x3, 50x2, 55x5, 60x5, 60x7 (Rep Out Set)

Assisted Dips: 75 lbs of assistance for 5 sets of 10

Assisted Chinups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows: 75x10x5

Behind The Back Shrugs: 120x10x5

DB Hammer Curls: 25x10x5

The last 3 exercises I kept the same from last week, but the 1st 3 exercises showed either improvements in number of reps or weight handled. So I'm a happy camper;)

5/3/1: Wave 1 Workout 2

I went into the gym at 12:15 AM this morning since I couldn't sleep or get motivated enough to go in sooner. My workout plan also changed: I switched over to conventional deadlift, no deficit. This was so I could get reacquainted with the movement, and I also feared that having done less weight at a deficit for so long would kill me when switching back since only the bottom would be overloaded. Since I didn't know where I was conventional-wise, I just did 5 rep sets until I couldn't anymore, working up to a 310 lbs 5RM (135x5, 170x5, 205x5, 240x5, 275x5, 310x5, 345x0). In retrospect, I should have stuck to my original plan: work off of a 395 projected max (355 training max). The logic being aside from my indicators pointing to a 395 max, my logs show that when I do squats/DL, every inch of deficit is a 10 lbs drop - - - so a 355 4" deficit deadlift would be about 395 conventional deadlift. It would have looked like this: 145x5, 180x5, 215x3, 250x2, 265x5, 285x5, 300 AMRAP. This wiped me out, and I found that I was right: fast off the floor now but slow after the midpoint.

12" Front Box Squat: 145x10x2, 145x8x2, 145x7. This wiped the floor with me. Maybe it was just late or the deadlifts drained me. Or I need to get used to doing this for volume.

Hammer Calf Presses: 210x10x5

Assisted GHR (Light Bands): 11, 10, 9, 8, 7 reps. Now, THAT'S what I wanted, more reps and sets with over 10 reps. Each wave, the bands will get lighter: monster minis in Wave 2 and back to bodyweight for Wave 3.

After this, I gave up on the ab work and walked back to my room. Actually, crawl was more like it. I was out of breath AND sleepy, it was 1:30 AM, and I had to get up in 3 hours.

5/3/1: Wave 1 Workout 1

(All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets):

Flat Bench Press: 65x5, 85x5, 105x5, 125x3, 145x2, 155x5, 165x5, 175x6 (Rep Out Set)

Incline Bench Press: 125x10x2, 125x9+1, 125x7+3, 125x6+3+1

Assisted Chinups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 8, 7, 6, 5, 5 reps

Hammer ISO Rows: 85x10x5

Trap Bar Shrugs: 126x10x5

Preacher Curls: 55x10x2, 55x9, 55x8, 55x7

Lower Body Workout/Squat Test

Since I will be back squatting again for the next 12 weeks and haven't squatted outside of a Smith Machine in a long time, I decided to test with box squats instead of doing deadlifts, and I dropped the good mornings for today.

I looked back at my old workouts and at the Virtual Meets that I've done and had some concerns. I remember the 340 squat attempt that I lost at the bottom in September 2007; I also remembered having a hard time holding the weight on my back because I had done a whole cycle of training with a Safety Squat Bar. I remember the front squat cycle where I ended up with a 275 front squat but my back squat stayed put at 315 because I had totally abandoned it during that time.

My worries up until today, ergo, was holding a weight on my back, doing a walkout, staying balanced, what I could lift outside of the Smith. Hell, I was incredibly curious as to whether I could back squat well at all!?!

14" Box Squat (1-second pause): starting at 105 lbs, I did triples in increments of 30 lbs until I could no longer hit a triple - - - I hit a 2RM at 285 lbs. I then attempted a 315 lbs squat to the box: My legs were rock solid upon racking the weight, the bar was solid on my back, the walkout was good, I had a tight arch and full control all the way to the box. But at the bottom, I couldn't lift it. And I noticed something else: When I racked the 315, I lost my air and had to get it back before descending. Overall, I was happy: I have a 30-lbs carryover to regular squats from the box so I'm looking at about a 320-325 lbs squat. The arched back good mornings and front squats will stay as assistance movements, I think these movements have helped me and don't want to lose what I've worked for so far. I will also throw in weighted ab work.

Leg Curls: 120x10x3, 120x9, 120x8. The leg curl machine is set in 15 lbs increments and I could already do 12+ reps with 105 lbs so I had to move up to 120 lbs. So after each wave of 5/3/1, I will increase the weight to the next setting and just rep out.

Hammer Calf Press: 200x10x5

5/3/1 Uncoupled

Now that I have a walkie talkie, and can be reached anywhere on base, and do not have to be tethered to my squad as much for every move I make, I started doing independent upper/lower body days again. I also started following the 5/3/1 template for assistance work, 5 sets of 10 reps, which should help me get more solid and lean.

As of Monday, I have twelve weeks until the Virtual Meet. I will start over again with the 5/3/1 with different maxes and lifts and the addition of the deload week so that's 3 waves I can get done. My last weight session will be July 5th. No, I won't do openers: I will just guess wisely. My goal is to come in at 200 lbs but we'll see: between flying in to Finland from Africa and the ride to Vaasa, my eating and sleeping cycle might keep me from that. No matter what, it should be fun.

Yesterday, we trained at the US Embassy in Djibouti, practicing "taking it back" from an enemy. A lot of the practices/drills are, essentially, my cardio. In the past, I've done 1 hour walks with body armor but this is a step above that: double that time, add an M16 and lots of ammo and a Kevlar helmet, and runs/jogs/sprints in defensive positions in the heat and you have a ballbuster. Which is why if I'm asked what kind of shape I'm in I will answer that it's better than it was a month or so ago, but it depends on the task. It can only get better, I keep telling myself.

I'm eating very smart these days though, because my sleep schedule is kind of screwed up, 3 meals a day is about the best that it gets. I dropped a lot of the soda and junk, and that's one of the other reasons why I'm getting leaner. I do the best that I can with what I've got, sometimes I would rather sleep than eat.

Now, here's today's workout. The assistance work tired me out.

DB Shoulder Press: 20x5, 30x5, 35x5, 40x3, 50x2, 50x3, 60x3, 60x4 (Rep Out Set)

Assisted Dips: 90lbs of assistance for 5 sets of 10

Assisted Chinups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows: 75x10x5

Behind The Back Shrugs: 120x10x5

DB Hammer Curls: 25x10x5

5/3/1:Round 1 Workout 3

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

12" Front Box Squat: 65x5, 90x5, 110x5, 130x3, 155x2, 165x3, 185x3, 195x6 (Rep Out Set)

Leg Curls: 150x5, 150x4, 150x3x4

Arched Back Good Morning: Worked up to 205x1

Flat Bench Press: 60x5, 80x5, 100x5, 120x3, 140x2, 150x3, 170x3, 180x5 (Rep Out Set)

Assisted Pullups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 8, 7, 7, 6, 5, 5 reps

Barbell Curls: 100x1x6.

Hammer Calf Press: 230x8x5

Jim Wendler's 5/3/1: Round 1 Workout 2

4" Deficit Deadlift: 135x5, 165x5, 195x3, 225x2, 240x5, 255x5, 270x6 (Rep Out Set)

GHR: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 reps

Hammer Calf Press: 170x12x4

DB Shoulder Presses: 20x5, 30x5, 35x5, 40x3, 45x2, 50x5, 55x5, 60x5 (Rep Out Set)

Hammer ISO Rows: 115x6x5

Barbell Curls: 90x6x5

Conditioning Work

Yesterday I spent about 3 hours in body armor, including a 1.5 hour stretch. Not by my own intention, either, but for work. Very tough, especially with the humidity rising in Djibouti. Today, I went to the soccer/football field and ran/walked 8 laps (ran one, walked one, 8 times) at about 4PM.

Jim Wendler's 5/3/1: Round 1 Workout 1

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Tested 1RM Maxes as of Last Week:
12" Front Box Squat: 235
4" Deficit Deadlift: 345
Flat bench press: 215
DB Shoulder press: 70

Training Maxes for First Round of 5/3/1:
12" Front Box Squat: 215
4" Deficit Deadlift: 315
Flat bench press: 195
DB Shoulder press: 65

Workout:
12" Front Box Squat: 65x5, 90x5, 110x5, 130x3, 155x2, 165x5, 175x5, 185x7 (Rep Out Set)

Leg Curls: 105x12x3

Arched Back Good Morning: 135x12x3

Flat Bench Press: 60x5, 80x5, 100x5, 120x3, 140x2, 150x5, 160x5, 170x7 (Rep Out Set)

Assisted Pullups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 6 sets of 6

Hammer Curls: 45x4+2, 40x6x4. The aim was 45x6x5, but the pullups took it out of my arms so I dropped down to 40 lbs DBs.

Hammer Calf Press: 280x4x6

2 Days a Week

I've decided to start doing weights twice a week, there's just no way I can do 4 days a week. In a 6 day span, I have to run two of the other days and do not have time to hit the weights, and they do not have but a chinup bar and 65, 70 lbs dumbbells in the compound. There are two days where I am on 1-hour recall and can put 1.5 hours into a workout; the other two days I am on 5-minute recall and can't even leave the compound. And I'm in a vest a lot on those 2 days, more than when I PT'd in a vest, plus wearing a helmet, carrying an M16 and ammo.

I've cut my workouts in half, then fused two of them together: one day is Deadlift/Shoulder Presses, the other is Front Squat/Bench Press. The assistance work will be the most essential: Back, biceps, hamstrings, lower back. I'm gonna try Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program for the duration, since I don't want to constantly switch out lifts and wanted to try something new. Once I come off of this security detail on June 1st, I will be back to 4 days a week and more exercises until July 6, then relax until the Virtual Meet.

(All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets):

April 7:
Flat Bench Press (215): 125x12x3
Assisted Chinups (Light Bands): 6 sets of 3
Hammer ISO High Rows (125p): 75x12x3
Standing DB Front Raises: 20x3x6
Overhead Shrugs (175): 95x15x3
Hammer Curls (45p): 25x12x3

April 10:
4" Deficit Deadlift: 135x5, 170x5, 205x3, 240x2, 275x1, 305x1, 325x1, 345x1
GHR: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 reps
Hammer Calf Press: 270x6x5
DB Shoulder Presses: 35x5, 40x5, 45x5, 50x5, 55x5, 60x3
Hammer ISO Rows: 80x12x3
Barbell Curls: 60x12x3

This Past Week

This past week, I started standing security watches for the next few weeks, so I will be keeping my training up as best I can but it will either be shortened on some days, lenghtened when I have a chunk of time large enough, or improvised when I can't get to a gym at all.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Tuesday, March 31:
4" Deficit Deadlift: 135x5, 165x5, 195x3, 225x2, 245x3, 265x3, 285x3, 310x3.
Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 8
GHR: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 reps. I cannot seem to break this plateau, will have to bring out the bands.
Pallof Press Isometric Holds: 15 lbs x 30 seconds x 5 reps
Hammer Calf Press: 160x25x2

Thursday, April 2:
Assisted Dips: Worked up to 178 (BWT after 45 lbs of assist) for a 5RM
Hammer ISO Rows: 55x25x2
Assisted Pullups (Light band): 6 sets of 3
Standing DB Laterals: 15x5x5
Barbell Curls: 40x25x2
Behind The Back Shrugs: 150x5x5

Sunday, April 5:
12" Front Box Squat (235): worked up to 195x3x6. I had enough energy to complete the squats in good form, even with a one-second pause.
Leg Curls: 75x25x2
Arched Back GM: Worked up to 175x3, 195x3, 205x3, 225x2 (2RM). Will have to make up the 25 rep sets for this and the front squats this week, not enough time.

RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Flat Bench Press (215): 85x25x2

Assisted Chinups (Light Bands): 6 sets of 3

Hammer ISO High Rows (125p): 50x25x2

Standing DB Front Raises: 15x7x5

Overhead Shrugs (175): 155x5x5

Hammer Curls (45p): 20x20+5, 20x18+7

Abs Class at 6:30 PM, followed by a 40 minute walk in body armor with Marissa and Daniel (actually Daniel, the only Marine in the group, ran sans armor just to show us up)

RE Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

12" Front Box Squat: Worked up to 195x1, 215x1, 225x1, 235x1. Decided to incorporate the box to correct some form issues I was having (namely, sitting down too much/not sitting back enough). My front squats last cycle were all ass-to-grass, so I switched up to less depth so that I could handle more weight.

Leg Curls: 150x3x6

Arched Back Good Morning: 195x3x6

Assisted Pistols (Average Bands): 5 sets of 8

Hanging Leg Raises: 5 sets to failure

DB Side Raises: 70x5x5

ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Assisted Dip Machine: measured my weight on the scale at 226 (clothed/right after lunch), then worked up to 196 lbs single (30 lbs of assistance). Not where I want to be, but I shouold be back to near bodyweight in a couple of weeks.

Assisted Pullups (Light Band): 6 sets of 2

Hammer ISO Rows: 125x3x6

Behind the Back Shrugs: 105x10x6

Standing DB Laterals: 10x10x6. Supersetted with the Hammer Rows.

Barbell Curls: 95x3x6. Supersetted with the shrugs.

ME Lower body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

4" Deficit Deadlift: 135x5, 165x5, 195x3, 225x2, 245x5, 265x5, 285x5. My original plan was to end at 275x5 but the 265 felt easy enough that 285 seemed a sure thing. One thing was that I nearly lost my grip on the last rep with 285. Maybe, the workout from yesterday killed my grip. I also know the truth: it's a longer pull and I will have to learn to hold on for dear life!!!

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 8

GHR: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 reps.

Pallof Press Isometric Holds: 15 lbs x 30 seconds x 5 reps

Hammer Calf Press: 270x3x6

Two a Days

Since I missed last week's RE Lower Body day, I did it today along with my RE Upper Body day. I ran early in the morning, as usual. At 10AM, I went in and did the Flat Bench Press, first working up 175x1, 195x1, 215x1, then doing 190 for 5 sets of 3.

I did the rest of the workout from 2:30PM to 4:50PM. Nothing after that, I was spent but in a much better way than Friday;)

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Front Squat (205): 125x10x4

Assisted Chinups (Light Band): 6 sets of 3

Arched Back Good Morning (205): 125x10x4

Superset:
Hammer ISO High Rows (125p): 115x3x6
Standing DB Front Raises: 10x10x6

Overhead Shrugs (175): 105x10x4

Triset:
Seated Calf Raises (95): 70x8x4, 60x10x4
Hammer Curls: 40x3x6
Leg Curls: 105x10x6

ME Upper Body

Thursday, I ran for two miles in the morning.

Friday started out the same. Then I did this workout right after my morning run:

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Incline Bench Press (205): Worked up to 185x1, 205x1, 195x1

Overhead Shrugs (175): worked up to a 175 1RM.

Assisted Pullups (Average Band): 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 reps.

Hammer ISO Rows (140): worked up to a 140 single, then 85x10x4

Incline DB Lateral Raises: 10x7x5

Barbell Curls: 60x10x5. Supersetted with the lateral raises.

Then I ran drills and sprints and did mobility work on the soccer field at around 3PM. That should have been it. But I found myself at 8PM playing volleyball with my friends for 3+ hours. I spent my last hour running on fumes, and the weekend sleeping it off. I felt wiped out and beat up and craving McDonalds!!!

ME Lower Body

Parallel Box Squat: 85x5, 115x5, 145x5, 175x3. 205x2 235x1, 255x1, 275x1, 295x1 (slow and steady). 305x1 (Grinder). The original plan was to stop at the 295 single but I felt lucky. And after a 4 minute rest, I was.

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 8. Light (Purple) bands next week.

GHR: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 reps

Seated Calf Raises: 80x5x5, 50x15x3. Since I've been blowing these off, I played make up.

RE Upper Body

Yesterday:

2 Mile Run in 17:46. And that was with a minute of walking because I was getting owned - - - Navy people only have to run 1.5 miles tops (except maybe your special operations guys) so I've had some adjustment to make. So, I'm improving.

Today we could either do a 5K run event or our own thing. So since I blew off my regularly scheduled workout yesterday to go to a fancy fish restaurant (La Paillote, really tasty . . . who knew?!?), I did said workout this morning. The workout went great, and I also added intervals today to start getting myself lean again and to improve my run time.

Flat Bench Press (195): 125x10x4

Assisted Chinups (Average Band): 11, 10, 9, 8, 7 reps. An improvement, and my last week of chinups with the average bands. Next week, I switch to the purple bands.

Overhead Shrugs: worked up to a 185 lbs single

Hammer ISO High Rows (110p): 65x10x4

Incline Front Raises: 10x7x5

Hammer Curls: 25x10x5

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 3 intervals of 1 minute at 9.5 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.8 MPH

RE Lower Body

Just walked this morning, no running. Then we spent our morning training at the US Embassy, practicing taking it back from a siege by outside forces. Part of it reminded me of: 1) Games I played as a kid in railroad yards in New Jersey and 2) that song by Peter Gabriel called "Games Without Frontiers." Of course, this was all serious business.

After that, I just wanted to take it easy. So I upped the intensity a bit and cut the workout short. I really should be more disciplined and just stick with the plan, but no harm done.

Front Squat (205): worked up to a 205 lbs single.

Arched Back Good Morning (205): 105x15x3

Leg Curls: 105x8x5

Seated Calf Raises: 70x8x5

ME Upper Body

The day before, I had napped plenty. These days, after 1PM, the rest of the time is mine (That will change when training is over and I start standing security watches). So why was I wiped out when I woke up for Army PT at 5AM? I just can't get used to this, especially seeing how I'm such a bear in the morning.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Incline Bench Press: 150x8x4

Trap Bar Shrugs (196b): worked up to a 186 lbs 3RM. If the number seems weird, I weighed the bar at 76 lbs on the scale. It's thicker than the average Trap Bar, almost Fat Bar-like.

Assisted Pullups (Average Band): 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 reps. Maybe, if I hadn't killed my traps first, I might have been able to do a little more.

Hammer ISO Rows (125b): 95x8x4

Incline DB Lateral Raises: 15x4x5

Barbell Curls: 70x8x5. Supersetted with the lateral raises.

ME Lower Body

Parallel Box Squat: Worked up 225x5, 245x5, 255x5.

GHR: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 reps

Hammer Calf Press: 220x8x4

RE Upper Body

Went to sleep late last night (1:30 AM), and woke up at 5:30 AM to go running with the Army (2.0 miles). I was so sleepy that I caught myself a few times catnapping in between sets. Still a good workout, will go to bed early today.

Flat Bench Press (195): 115x12x4

Incline Front Raises: 15x4x5

Assisted Chinups (Average Band): 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows (110p): 85x8x4

Hammer Curls: 30x8x4

DB Shrugs (72p): 65x2x12. Did these in between sets of chins, rows, and curls.

Test

My legs are just about healed up, but I kept it simple today by doing only one lift just for testing purposes.

Deficit Deadlift off 4" Block: Worked up to a 315 single and a 345 miss (barely broke the floor buut that was it).

ME Upper Body

Instead of running, we went to the gym and did our own thing at 5:30 AM.

Incline Bench Press: worked up to 165x3, 185x3, 175x3

Wide lat Pulldowns: Forgot the bands. Worked up to 105x5, 120x4, 135x1, 105x5x3

Hammer ISO Rows (125b): 65x15x3

Incline DB Raises: 10x10x5

DB Shrugs: 60x4x7

Barbell Curls: 50x15x3

Ouch!!!

My hamstrings are so sore right now from that Sunday leg session and Monday sprint session that I took two days off and their still really sore. I'm talking about my whole backside except for the calves. So I did an abbreviated session with parallel box squats just to do something . . . . anything.

Parallel Box Squat: worked up to a 255 triple. I had no pop, but the stretch felt good afterwards:

Hammer Calf Press: 150x15x3

Week 2: RE Upper Body

My morning today began at 5:30AM: that's when I started training with the Army for security forces. I ran about 1.5 miles, then did almost the same thing for Indian Runs, then sprints and suicides and cariocas. Of course, there was also calisthenics. At 7, we were done with PT.

Then after safety instruction with the M16 rifle, I went in at around 11:00 AM to do weights.

Flat Bench Press (195b): 100x15x3

Incline Front Raises: 10x8x5

Assisted Chinups (Average Band): 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows: 55x15x3

DB Shrugs: 55x6x5

Hammer Curls: 20x15x3

Felt super tired and since we couldn't go to the range to shoot, we were done for the day. By 2PM I was asleep fpr a 3 hour siesta.

RE Lower Body

Arched Back Good Morning (205): Since I haven't done this movement in a long time, I went ahead and tested on it and just abbreviated the day's workout to make up for it. Starting with an empty bar, I worked up to a 195 lbs double and a 205 lbs single.

Front Squats (205): 105x15x3

Leg Curls (145): 75x15x3. After the arched back good mornings, the leg curls left my legs shaking and burning.

Seated Calf Raises (95): 80x5x5

Update

First off, my trip to Finland has been approved so barring something unforeseen coming up, All I need is the plane tickets (sometime May orr June).

Starting Monday, I begin training to augment security forces here in Africa for the next 3-4 months. Which means a lot of running to get me up to Army standards, a lot of shooting, and a lot of time spent in full body armor, weapons, and gear in the heat. On top of that, I will still be training for the meet. I might not even recognize myself when all of this is over. This means having to be efficient with my time, an adjustment in diet, maybe an adjustment in workout schedule since my hours will vary. It will be a challenge, but I'm up to it. No matter what shape I'm in in July, I'm still planning to go.

ME Upper Body

Incline Bench Press: worked up to 155x5, 175x4, 165x5

Assisted Pullups (Average Band): 5 sets of 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 reps.

Hammer ISO Rows (125b): 107.5x5x5

Incline DB Raises: 15x4x5

DB Shrugs: 50x8x5

Barbell Curls: 80x5x5

ME Lower Body

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

10" Low Box Squat: Worked up to a hard 225 5RM

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 7 reps

45-degree Hyper: 5 sets of 12 reps

GHR: 30 reps (8, 7, 6, 5, 4 reps)

Decline Twisting Situps: 5 sets of 12 reps

Hammer Calf Press (285b): 250x5x5

RE Upper Body

After much experimentation and some days off due to soreness, I'm ready to get down to brass tacks.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Abs Class

Flat Bench Press (195b): 165x5x5

Assisted Chinups (Average Bands): sets of 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows (110b): 95x5x5

Incline DB Front Raises: 10x10x4

DB Shrugs (72b): 45x10x4

Hammer Curls (40): 25x10x4

ME Upper Body

After a long layoff, the hardest part is just getting started again. Today, at 12: 01 AM, I finally got back into the gym. In the future, I probably should never take a layoff this long. 2 weeks tops, maybe. I'm up to 220 lbs, and I'm weak all over the place. On the plus side, my rib was fine the whole session, so I think it's fully healed. Psychologically, it felt great to be touching the iron again.

The Virtual Meet is in 21 weeks, enough for seven 3-week waves. My request has been approved by my chain of command and I should have flight information in a week or two. Barring something way out of the blue, the trip is a go.

Training wise, I may do something like what I did last time which was like Westside for Skinny Bastards III but with no speedwork. Like what worked for my squat, I will stick with the flat bench press on repetition day for the 21 weeks, and use everything else for maximum effort days. I'll stick with the deep front squat and arched back good morning for 21 weeks on repetition day, and switch between DL/box squat variations for maximum effort days. Accessory work will be just about the same but instead of doing a bicep movement on both days, one of those days will be for triceps to push my bench up. Aerobics, I will figure out: I do now that my goal weight for the Virtual Meet is 200 lbs flat.

Flat Bench Press (195b): worked up to a 185 lbs 3RM

DB Shoulder Press (65b): 45x8, 45x7

Assisted Pullups (Average Band): 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 reps

Hammer ISO Row (Elbows In)(127b): worked up to a 110 lbs 6RM

DB Shrugs: (72b) worked up to a 70 lbs 2RM

Barbell Curls (95): 80x5x5

To make the workouts easier to decipher, especially on rep days, I will soon do like I used to and put the 1RM in parentheses after the lift. If it is an actual 1RM, it will appear as is. If it was calculated using Brzycki's formula ( weight lifted/[.0278 x number of reps at that weight] minus 1.0278), it will appear with an "b" after the number.

The lifts that stay the same for the 21 weeks use a planned progression (see Excel spreadsheet above) so those maxes will show up in parentheses with a "p". As you can see from the attached spreadsheet formula [ =(A3+10)*0.9] for the 4th week, the max used to calculate week 4 is 10 lbs bigger than it was at the beginning, and 10 pounds are added around every 4th week or so. For dumbbell lifts, it is a 5 lbs planned progression. For me, this is easier than always having to test a lift, especially since ME days do that for the main lift.

Project:Virtualmeet

It's been a while, but I'm back.

I'll be back in the gym on February 9. Aside from the laziness after 16 days of vacation to the United States in December, I broke a rib in a scrimmage game while I was home so I've been letting that heal. Broke it in a scrimmage game of basketball.

So, about the title . . . . .

One of the nice things the military does for people recalled for what I'm doing is Rest & Recuperation (R&R) Leave, where they pay to send you ANYWHERE in the world when you are on one year orders. You just pay for everything else, and the leave gets charged - - - up to 15 days. Now, I could always go any place in the States on my own dime but for my second year in Africa, I've decided to take full advantage and go somewhere else I haven't been yet. . . . .

Finland.

For those of you who frequent Tsampa.org or Virtualmeet.net, you know who Kris is. I learned about him around 2001 or 2002, when I was trying to find Prilepin's Table using Google and one of the links it spit out was the Prilepin Bench Program on his site. Aside from having done a few of the virtual meets (highly recommended), we have corresponded here and there. Well, you may also know from going to his websites that he has an outdoor gym on an island (Vaasa), and has always wanted to do a gathering of some of the powerlifting bloggers who have done some of the virtual meets, partly to do a meet and also a convention. So I contacted Kris in January and asked him if he would be willing to host me for a while, and maybe show me around, for the Virtual Meet in July 2009. Kris thought it was a splendid idea, and sent me all the information I needed to file my request. It's now being routed up my chain of command and, hopefully, it will be a go. Thanks, Kris.

For me, it would be the chance of a lifetime. Finland is pretty damn far from Washington State (heck, it's pretty damn far from Djibouti) so it is not something I can always do a whim. Of course, I get to meet Kris and Sana and family, people I've read about on the blogosphere, but I also get to hang out and lift with him and do a Virtual Meet, too (Christian Burger, Virtualmeet.net site moderator from Austria, also plans on being there). I may even get to see Sweden and Estonia, and would be more than glad to lend a hand in the judging.

And of course, I'm gonna blog about it. I finally got myself a speedy laptop, and my digicam is on its way here. All I have to do now is prepare for it.

And Now I Know . . . .

. . . . . . I truly am burned out.

I am still toast after Thursday's workout. Not nearly as sore but just beat up. With that and about 2 weeks of inconsistency, I'm pulling the plug on this cycle. I will still walk in the mornings and do Abs Class 2-3 times a weeek, and I started doing the Elliptical in the afternoons. But no weights. Better to stop, than be stopped.

Did I hit my weightlifting goals? Small "no" but big "yes". Did not test my numbers and with no deload would have not hit them. The one thing I never planned for was a deload leading up to a test week. But looking back, I got stronger and better and more balanced structurally. From April or whenever I first started doing the lift, to December, these were some of the improvements:

1.) Reverse DB Lunges w/Front Foot Elevated: from 50x5 to 100x5
2.) Can now do 1 Clean Pistol, nice and low
3.) Went from not being able to do a pullup to 7 pullups and 1 pullup wearing 32 pounds of body armor.
4.) Hammer ISO High Rows: 90x5x3 to 95x15x3
5.) Hammer ISO Rows (Elbows In): 65x15x3 to 95x15x3
6.) Bulgarian Split Squat w/Front Foot Elevated: 40x5x4 to 110x5x5
7.) Incline Bench Press: 95x10 to 135x13 and from 185 (3rm) to 195x2x12
8.) From Deadlift off 2" Block of 345 to Deadlift off 4" Block of 365.
9.) Smith Machine Box Squat: 285 max to 285x4x6 to 290x2x12
10) Can now barbell curl 115, old PR was 100

And most importantly, I did this while dropping about 32 pounds tops. And I didn't have to diet too hard to do it. As of this morning, I was 209 pounds which was about 3 pounds more than my lowest weight this cycle of 206. I might get close to that before I go home on Monday but even if I don’t, I have come a long way and I get to also walk away with ideas for next year.

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

Didn't do the long walk yesterday, but me and a friend took a long walk at night on the runners trail. Very quiet and relaxing, and no snakes or or desert foxes jumped out of the bushes.

Today, I took the 1.25 hour walk in the morning. In the evening, I had a brainstorm. I haven't been doing any high intensity stuff because I'm bordering on burnout. So I do the long walk at night, too, with a twist: on the way down I stop at the gym and do my workout, then finish the walk as a cool down. which felt great and was doable.

Abs Class

Smith Machine Box Squats (slightly below parallel): 185x15x3. Was supposed to do 175 lbs for 3 sets of 15 but felt like adding 10 more pounds. Walked away with a very uncomfortable pump.

Hammer Machine Calf Presses: 185x15x3. Same deal as the squats. One set was toes out, one was toes in, one was neutral.

Leg Curls: 90x15x3. My hammies were pumped to the point of cramping.

Was supposed to do assisted pistols but my legs were so exhausted that I could only do two instead of the usual 10 so I called it a night and went walking.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Have been walking at 6 AM every morning for an hour and 15 minutes, no body armor.

Evening:
Hammer ISO Shoulder Press: Worked up to a 100 lbs 4 RM.

Hammer ISO Super Incline Press: 70x8x4. Only adjustment was to raise the seat to bring the bars more in line with my mid chest. Couldn't lift as much, but it hit my chest a little differently.

Assisted Wide Pullups (Monster Mini Band): sets of 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 3 reps

Hammer ISO Rows (Elbows In): 95x15x3

Barbell Curls: 65x12+3, 65x9+6, 65x3+3+3+3+3. Based the weight off of a 115 max but all my back work taxed my biceps beforehand. Each pause was 10 seconds long.

Barbell Shrugs: 115x15x3

Skipped the aerobics. Felt really beat, didn't want to push too much harder. The workout went a little better than I hoped.

Burnout

Today was to be my ME Bench Day. But when I was working up to a 5 RM on the close grip bench press, I just didn't have it. 205 for a 5 rm was my goal: I hit a 210 max just over a month ago but even 115 felt heavy and slow. I walked out kinda bummed but reminded myself that I had just come off a very demanding bench session just a week before and a week of 12 sets of 2 in a lot of movements. After just over 20 weeks of lifting heavy stuff, I think it's time to deload. I still have a front squat goal I want to hit, too. What to do?

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

Walked for 45 minutes at 6AM.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Lunchtime:
Deficit Deadlift off 4" Box: 145x5, 180x5, 215x3, 250x2, 285x1, 330x1, 345x1, 365x1. Hit my mark with very good form. Everything fell into place.

Evening:
Bulgarian Split Squat w/Front Foot Elevated: 110x5x5

Leg Curls: 150x2x12

Seated Calf Raises: 110x2x12

Leg Raises/Decline Twisting Situps: 5 sets to failure

45 minute walk in body armor.

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

Walked in the morning at 6AM for 45 minutes, no vest.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Lunchtime:
Assisted Dip Machine (Weight=BWT-Assistance): 99x10, 139x8, 179x6, 209x4x6
Rear Delt Machine: 130x4x7

Evening:
Abs Class.

Assisted Chinups (Monster Mini Band): Failure at 7, 6, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows: 137.5x2x12. This was unbelievably hard, especially after the chinups.

Incline Lateral Raises (Rest Paused): 10x14+6, 10x12+4+4, 10x10+4+4+2

Hammer Curls: 35x10x4.

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute at 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.8 MPH

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

Been feeling sick the past few days, like a mild cold. So either the new folks arriving from the United States brought something with them (a few people in the offices have been sick, too) or the heavy stuff is catching up to me. I've been sleeping too much and eating too little. So even though I was about half and half, I went in on Saturday instead of Friday. I was so half and half I went in late to ger it done: 1AM on Sunday. I did cut out most of the accessory work, however, to play it safe.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Smith Machine Box Squats: 290x2x12

Hammer Calf Presses: 290x2x12

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

I slept in most of the day, got up at around 2ish, walked for an hour and a half (no body armor), then went to the galley and pigged out on turkey and other grub. Then after a 3 hour nap brought on by the turkey/sugar coma, I woke up at 10PM and went to the gym. Maybe it was the nap or the eats but I had a ton of energy to spare. Got a lot done. It's now 3:18AM and I just called my wife and kid, and my mom in New Jersey to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving.

And that reminds me, Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Incline Bench Press: 195x2x12.

Hammer ISO Super Incline Press: 60x10x4

Assisted Wide Pullups (Monster Mini Bands): Failure at 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3 reps

Hammer ISO Rows (Elbows In): 155x2x12

Rear Delt Machine: 115x6x5

Barbell Curls: 95x4, 95x3, 95x3, 95x2, 95x2

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

Walked for 45 minutes at 6AM.

Lunchtime:
Deficit Deadlift off 4" Box: 135x3, 170x3, 205x3, 240x3, 275x3, 305x3, 335x3. Hit my goal weight, a few things fell into place . Kept my toes pointed forward, had the strength, got the glutes engaged a little sooner. This movement is still rounding my back a little more than I'd like, so good mornings or RDLs will be in my future. Next week, I will go for the 365 single.

Evening:
Bulgarian Split Squat w/Front Foot Elevated: 70x10x4

Leg Curls: 60x30x2

Seated Calf Raises: 42.5x30x2

Leg Raises/Decline Twisting Situps: 5 sets to failure

45 minute walk in body armor. Had no legs for running, maybe I should have done intervals on the elliptical instead.

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

Walked in the morning at 6AM for 45 minutes, no vest.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Lunchtime:
Assisted Dip Machine (Weight=BWT-Assistance): worked up to a 203 lbs 6 RM (calculated to about 235 1RM), then did 173x10x4

Evening:
Abs Class. New teacher was a Nazi. Or it's been a while, because it sucked.

Assisted Chinups (Monster Mini Band): Failure at 7, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, 1 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows: 55x30x2

Rear Delt Machine: 100x10x4

Incline Lateral Raises (Rest Paused): 8x25x2. Most continuous reps of any set was 19.

Hammer Curls: 30x12x4.

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute at 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.8 MPH

30 Days

30 Days until I go home. 30 days until I get away from Africa for a while and enjoy sushi and real wine and beer.

And 30 days to lose 10 pounds.

Today, I dropped below 210 for the first time in almost two months (209) - - - I had let myself gain some weight, some muscle and some fat. The Abs Diet may have been just what I needed. Shame I didn't do it sooner. Now, I am taking up the challenge put up by Alwyn Cosgrove in his article about losing 10 months in a month.

Today I walked in the vest for a long walk. The plan is to keep my weight training days the same. Hell, the next 4 weeks are gonna push me to my limit. So I'm gonna do the metabolic circuit like he proposes, but instead will use bodyweight stuff and calisthenics interspersed with sprints ans other running drills (side shuffles, cariocas, suicides) for the 3 days that I don't lift. I will, however, do 16 minutes of intervals after the lifting. Not too much but enough for a response.

I will be walking every morning before work at 6AM, except for Sunday. That's my day to sleep in. Sunday will be a metabolic circuit and a long vest walk. My weigh in day will be Saturday mornings, since I walk past the gym on the way back to my living unit.

Stay tuned.

Abs Class is back again, so I'll be doing that on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday at 6:30PM.

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Since the weight for the squats was going to be light, I did all the accessory work first to make the squats harder. As if they weren't going to be hard, eh?!?

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 11

GHR: 5 sets of 7

Hammer Calf Presses: 120x30x2

Leg Raises/Decline Twisting Situps Superset: 5 sets to failure

Smith Machine Box Squats: 120x30x2. I barely got the 30 reps on the first set, and on the second set I had to stop after the 24th rep and catch my breath for 15 seconds before I got the other 6. I could barely walk afterwards. And to think, it doesn't get any easier in the coming weeks: 290x2x12, 95x50x1, 140x25x2, 330x1x15.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Lunchtime:
Incline Bench Press: 190x3x7. The original goal was 7 sets of 4. That changed after the first set when my fourth rep attempt would not go up. Next week is supposed to be 12 sets of 2, and I'll probably do that with 195.

Evening:
Hammer ISO Super Incline Press: 55x12x4

Assisted Wide Pullups (Monster Mini Bands): Failure at 6, 6, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2 reps.

Hammer ISO Rows (Elbows In): 65x30x2. Actually, I barely got the 30 on the first set. On the second set I got 16 reps, rested 10 seconds, the ground out the remaining 14 reps.

Rear Delt Machine: 85x10x4

Barbell Curls: 90x6, 90x4, 90x3, 90x2, 90x1

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

Deficit Deadlift off 4" Box: 145x5, 175x5, 205x5, 235x5, 265x5, 295x5, 320x3. Not too bad but the extra 2" made today's session tough. Strained my inner thigh on the 1st set, but by pointing my toes forward and focusing more, it didn't affect me much.

Bulgarian Split Squat w/Front Foot Elevated: Skipped it due to the strained inner thigh.

Leg Curls: 75x20x3

Seated Calf Raises: 55x20x3

Leg Raises/Decline Twisting Situps: 5 sets to failure

Since I didn't do the split squats, I took the 1.25 hour walk in the body armor instead.

WSFSB III: Re Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Assisted Dip Machine (Weight=BWT-Assistance): worked up to a 213 lbs 4 RM (calculated to about 222 1RM), then did 128x15x3

Assisted Chinups (Monster Mini Band): Failure at 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 2 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows: 70x20x3

Rear Delt Machine: 70x12x4

Incline Lateral Raises (Rest Paused): 8x30x2. Most continuous reps of any set was 19.

Hammer Curls: 25x15x3.

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

I blew off this workout on Thursday, and was blowing it off yesterday with dread until 11PM when I forced my own hand and gave it a go. It went better than I feared it wouldn't. But the squats reminded me of why I was dreading the workout: 3 sets of 20 was really hard work. After that, the rest of the workout felt like cardio. Especially since it was late and I was cutting the rest periods just so I could take a shower and get to sleep.

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): after warmups, 155x20x3

Barbell Curls: 55x5, 65x5, 75x5, 85x5, 95x5, 105x3, 115x1. I supersetted these with the squats. 115 is an all time PR for me, a long rep but I strained like crazy until I broke the sticking point (1/2 way).

Assisted pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 10

GHR: 5 sets of 7

Hammer Calf Press: 160x20x3

Leg Raises/Twisting Decline Situps Superset: 5 sets to failure.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Walked in my body armor for 45 minutes

Incline Bench Press: 55x5, 75x5, 95x4, 115x3, 135x2, 155x1, 175x6x5.

Hammer ISO Super Incline Press: 50x15x3

Assisted Wide Pullups (Monster Mini Band): Failure at 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4. For the next 3 weeks, no green bands.

Hammer ISO Row (Elbows In): 80x20x3

Rear Delt Machine: 55x15x3

Barbell Curls: Originally, I was gonna do preacher curls, 80 lbs for 4 sets of 8. Am noticing that as the back work gets harder (or I'm burned out on preachers, or both), I can't do reps with a lot of weight on this now. So I switched to barbell curls, loaded the bar up to 100 lbs, and did sets of 3, 3, 2, 1, 0 reps. Because while my arms were too beat for reps, I could do low reps with high weight.

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

Front Squat: 95x5, 115x5, 135x3, 155x3, 175x2, 195x1, 215x1, 235x1, 245x0, 245x0. The lighter sets were not crisp, so I knew I was not recovered from the past few days. The first attempt at 245 went under control but at the bottom I had little pop and I got stuck after the first few inches. Second attempt at 245, I tried to push my glutes back a bit more to use my glutes but I had nothing left. I felt kind of bummed but there will be next time.

Reverse Lunge w/Front Foot Elevated: 100x5x5

GHR: 6 sets of 6. Just didn't have it today.

Seated Calf Press: 95x3x10

Leg Raises/Decline Twisting Situps Superset: 5 sets to failure

Tested rear delt machine to a 100 lbs triple.

Long walk in the body armor: 1.5 hours

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

45 minutes of walking in body armor.

Incline Bench Press: 160x8x4.

Chinups: BWTx3x7. The added bodyweight did not make these any easier. Have to kip a bit. Next 3 weeks, will begin to do rep sets with the monster mini bands only.

Hammer ISO High Rows: 125x3x10. After chinups, these were a struggle.

Incline Lateral Raises: Zilch. Had no shoulders left.

Reverse Curls: 55x10x4

Trap Bar Shrugs: 214x5x5

Today began my six week push before I go home. After a month of inconsistent eating and aerobics, my weight is up to 211. Some of it muscle, some of it not. Need to start sleeping consistently, too.

Felt like my head was in a vice. I think it might have been the malaria medication: I normally never take it at night for just this reason (and because it screws with my sleep).

Started the Abs Diet today, and it's actually pretty good. We'll see what happens. Am experimenting with planning what I'm going to eat in advance and writing it on paper, like I do my workouts.

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

Lunchtime:
Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 135x3, 165x3, 195x3, 235x3, 265x3x10. Yes, 10 sets of 3 reps. I did it, but it bled me dry. Am not looking forward to the evening.

Evening:
Assisted pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 10

Leg Curls: 150x3x10

Hammer Calf Press: 265x3x10

Leg Raises/Twisting Decline Situps Superset: 5 sets to failure. This time, I tried to bring my legs up higher on the leg raises, like a pike. I think this hit the spot: where I could normally do five sets of 8, I failed at 8, 6, 5, 4, and 2 reps.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

2-Board Bench Press (No Leg Drive): 95x5, 120x5, 145x3, 170x2, 195x1, 225x1, 235x3, 245x1. Target reached.

Wide Pullups: BWTx3x7. Hard today. I felt like I was losing it pretty quick as far as my stamina goes. Did get a flu shot today. Hmmmm. . . . . .

Hammer ISO Super Incline Press: 45x20x3

Hammer ISO Row (Elbows In): 140x3x10. God help me, this sucked.

Seated Overhead Shrugs: 175x5x5

Preacher Curls: 70x0. Had neither the shoulders left to support it nor the bicep strength to curl it. SO . . . .

Barbell Curls: Failure at, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 rep followed by a cluster set of 6 reps. All with the same 70 lbs.

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

Lunchtime:
Front Squat: 75x3, 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 195x3, 215x3, 235x2.

Evening:
Reverse Lunge w/Front Foot Elevated: 70x10x4

GHR: Failure at 13, 11, 10, 9, 9 reps.

Seated Calf Press: 55x10x4

Leg Raises/Decline Twisting Situps Superset: 5 sets to failure

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Yesterday:
1.5 hours of walking in body armor.

Today:
Lunchtime:
Incline Bench Press: 145x10x4

Evening:
Chinups: BWTx3x6

Hammer ISO High Rows: 72.5x15x4

Incline Lateral Raises: 15x7+3, 15x7+3, 15x7+3, 15x7+3

Reverse Curls: 50x12x4

Trap Bar Shrugs: 154x10x4

There was no Abs Class tonight and since someone was coming into the office to work on the LAN wiring and I had to watch, no time for aerobics.

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

Lunchtime:Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 95x7, 115x7, 135x7, 155x7, 175x15x4. Was supposed to do 165 lbs but felt like doing more.

Evening:

Assisted pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 10

Leg Curls: 90x15x5. Was supposed to be 4 sets only, just felt like hammering them.

Hammer Calf Press: 180x15x4

Leg Raises/Decline Situps Superset: 5 sets to failure

Walked in body armor for 45 minutes.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Lunchtime:
2-Board Bench Press (No Leg Drive): 75x3, 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 205x3, 230x2, 215x2. Goal was 230x3 but after the second rep I ran out of steam. Like last week, it launched about an inch or so then stalled.

Evening:
Abs Class

Wide Pullups: BWTx3x6.

Hammer ISO Super Incline Press: 35x30x2, 40x25x2. Decided to switch to this movement instead of the pushups. Felt like I need more upper chest work. To make up for not having done it last week, I did last week's work and today's. Will feel miserable tomorrow, I'm sure.

Hammer ISO Row (Elbows In): 82.5x15x4

Preacher Curls: 60x12, 60x9+3. 60x6+3+3, 60x6+3+3

Seated Overhead Shrugs: 135x10x4

Walked outside in body armor for 45 minutes.

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

Lunchtime:
Front Squat: 75x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 155x5, 175x5, 195x5, 215x5.

Evening:
Reverse Lunge w/Front Foot Elevated: 60x15x3

GHR: Failure at 13, 11, 10, 8, 8 reps.

Hammer Calf Press: 82.5x8x5

Leg Raises/Decline Situps Superset: 5 sets to failure

Blast Strap Ab Fallouts (Knees on Mat): Failure at 5, 4, 4, 3.

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Lunchtime:
Incline Bench Press: 125x15, 125x11+4, 125x9+6. It should have been 3 sets of 15 at maybe 50-55% 1RM but I went with 60%, which I could do for one clean set of 15 on the first try, and clustered the other 2 sets.

Evening:
Abs CLass

Chinups: BWTx3x5

Hammer ISO High Rows: 107.5x8x5

Incline Lateral Raises: 10x15, 10x10+5, 10x10+3+2

Trap Bar Shrugs: 134x15x3

Reverse Curls: 45x5x3

30 minutes on the Elliptical

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

Lunchtime:
Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 85x4, 115x4, 145x4, 175x4, 205x4, 235x8x5. This workout was pretty good. A lot of work but easier than expected. I could see why some people squat in boots, they really do feel better.

Evening:
Assisted pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 9

Leg Curls: 120x8x5

Hammer Calf Press: 235x8x5

Leg Raises/Decline Situps Superset: 5 sets to failure

Pallof Press Isometric Holds: 30 x 20 seconds x 3

Walked in body armor for 45 minutes.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Lunchtime:

2-Board Bench Press (No Leg Drive): 75x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 155x5, 175x5, 195x5, 215x4. Almost had that 5th rep but it stalled a few inches after takeoff.

Evening:

Abs Class

Wide Pullups: BWTx3x5. I'm starting now to transition to no band assist for chinups and pullups. My max in a set is 6, so I cut that in half and did 5 sets of that. Week 2 is 6 sets, week 3 is 7 sets.

Pushups (Feet raised 3"): Maxed out at 26 and 13 reps.

Hammer ISO Row (Elbows In): 125x8x5

Preacher Curls: 55x15, 55x8+7, 55x8+4+3

Seated Overhead Shrugs: 105x15x3

Walked outside in body armor for 45 minutes.

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Deficit Deadlifts off 2" Block: 145x5, 180x3, 215x3, 250x2, 285x1, 320x1, 355x1, 365x0.
Bulgarian Split Squats w/Front Foot Elevated: 70x10x4

Leg Curls: 90x12x4

Blast Strap Ab Fallouts (Knees on Mat): Failure at 4, 4, 3, 3.

Seated Calf Raises: 60x12x4

20 minutes on the Elliptical.

355 on the deadlifts was one ugly rep, but I had to give 365 a shot. My lower back started to get tired halfway through the sets so I think maybe I was just overtrained on this movement/pulling from the floor. Afterwards, I dropped the weight to 135 and began experimenting with a setup for the reverse band deadlifts that I want to use the next time I deadlift. My first impression is that I will like these better than rack pulls based on feel alone.

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

1 hour walking in Body Armor

Blast Strap Pushups w/Feet Elevated: Failure at 12, 11, 10, 9 reps.

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinups (Monster Mini Bands): 3 sets of 8, 1 set of 7

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinups (Average Bands): 4 sets of 10.

Hammer ISO High Rows: 80x12x4

DB Shoulder Press: 65x4x7

Reverse Curls: 40x20x3

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 175x12x4

Hammer Calf Press: 175x12x4

GHR: Failure at 12, 10, 8, 8, 6 reps.

45 degree Hyperextension: Failure at 13, 12, 11, 10, 9 reps.

Pallof Press Isometric Holds: 25 lbs for 30 seconds for three sets

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 9

20 Minutes on the Elliptical.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Flat Bench Press: 95x5, 115x5, 135x3, 155x2, 185x1, 205x1, 225x1, 215x1. Got my 225 back, and with my feet up to boot. I noticed that while I now have a lot more pop off the chest, I slow down a lot 3-4 inches off the chest. So, time to bring out the boards.

Assisted Really Wide Pullups (Monster Mini Band): Failure at 3, 2, 2, 2, 1 reps.

Assisted Really Wide Pullups (Average Band): 3 sets of 9, 2 sets of 8

Hammer ISO Rows (Elbows In): 90x12x4

DB Shoulder Presses: 60x6x5

Preacher Curls: 50x20, 50x12+5+3, 50x10+4+3+2+1

Behind The Back Shrugs: 120x10x4

20 minutes on the elliptical at Level 10.

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Deficit Deadlifts off 2" Block: 145x3, 180x3, 215x3, 250x3, 285x3, 320x3

Bulgarian Split Squats w/Front Foot Elevated: 50x15x3

Leg Curls: 150x4x6

Blast Strap Ab Fallouts (Knees on Mat): Failure at 4, 3, 3, 3.

Seated Calf Raises: 100x4x6

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

1 hour walking in Body Armor

Blast Strap Pushups w/Feet Elevated: Failure at 12, 11, 10, 8 reps.

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinups (Monster Mini Bands): 4 sets of 7

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinups (Average Bands): 4 sets of 10.

Hammer ISO High Rows: 130x4x6

DB Shoulder Press: 55x8x4

Reverse Curls: 35x25x2

Behind The Back Shrugs: 100x15x3

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

Ab Class

Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 285x4x6. The weights moved slow each set. Afterwards, I felt crushed in every way. I'll blame the volume and the long warmup.

Hammer Calf Press: 285x4x6

GHR: Failure at 11, 9, 7, 5, 3 reps.

45 degree Hyperextension: Failure at 13, 11, 10, 9, 8 reps.

Pallof Press Isometric Holds: 25 lbs for 30 seconds for three sets

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 9

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

I walked for an hour with my body armor on before the workout.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Flat Bench Press: 85x3, 105x3, 125x3, 145x3, 165x3, 185x3, 205x3.

Assisted Really Wide Pullups (Monster Mini Band): Failure at 3, 2, 2, 1, 1 reps.

Assisted Really Wide Pullups (Average Band): 5 sets of 8

Hammer ISO Rows (Elbows In): 150x4x6

DB Shoulder Presses: 45x10x4

Preacher Curls: 45x18+7, 45x14+7+4

Behind The Back Shrugs: 100x15x3

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Deficit Deadlifts off 2" Block: 145x5, 175x5, 205x5, 235x5, 265x5, 295x5, 315x5.

Bulgarian Split Squats w/Front Foot Elevated: 90x5x5

Leg Curls: 135x6x5

Blast Strap Ab Fallouts (Knees on Mat): Failure at 4, 3, 2, 2.

Seated Calf Raises: 82.5x6x5

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

1 hour walking in Body Armor

Blast Strap Pushups w/Feet Elevated: Failure at 11, 10, 9, 8 reps.

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinups (Monster Mini Bands): 4 sets of 6

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinups (Average Bands): 4 sets of 9.

Hammer ISO High Rows: 110x6x5

DB Shoulder Press: 40x12x3

Reverse Curls: 30x30x2

Behind The Back Shrugs: Worked up to 180 lbs 5RM

I Know . . . It's Only one . . .

Finally, after months of working it and trying different methods to do so, I finally achieved my first one legged squat (Pistol). Not a quarter squat pistol, either, but front foot off the ground and well below parallel. Now, to add more, can't sleep on it.

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

Much like last week, I did all the assistance stuff first, then the squats with the planned weight. Unlike last week, however, the weight was a lot heavier and it felt like a ton. Just as well, right?!?

Hammer Calf Press: 245x6x5

GHR: Failure at 11, 9, 7, 5, 3 reps.

45 degree Hyperextension: Failure at 13, 11, 10, 9, 8 reps.

Pallof Press Isometric Holds: 25 lbs for 30 seconds for three sets

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 8

Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 245x6x5

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 5 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

Missed Abs Class, so I walked for an hour with my body armor on before the workout.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Flat Bench Press: 75x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 155x5, 175x5, 195x3, 185x3. My goal was 195x5 but I just didn't have it, 185 would have been a definite. I tried to prove that after the fact, but the moment had come and gone with the 195. A quick note: all my barbell bench pressing since this cycle began has been done with my feet up, to work my bottom end more.

Assisted Really Wide Pullups (Monster Mini Band): Failure at 3, 2, 1, 1, 0 reps.

Assisted Really Wide Pullups (Average Band): 4 sets of 8, 1 set of 7. Ever do a wide grip pulldown with your hands at the bends in the bar? Yes, that wide.

Hammer ISO Rows (Elbows In): 127.5x6x5

DB Shoulder Presses: 35x15x3

Preacher Curls: 40x20+5+5, 40x12+6+4+4+4. I'm using percentages of what I want to lift at the end of this cycle - - - 110 lbs. This gave me a silly pump, almost painful.

Sunday's Weigh In

Went to sleep so late last night . . . . . woke up so late this evening (4PM).

Stopped by the gym before dinner and weighed in at 206. Not 205 but I will take it.

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Front Squats: 80x5, 100x5, 120x5, 140x3, 160x3, 180x2, 205x1, 215x1, 225x1. I took away the box and actually liked it better. Not only did I hit my target of 225 with nothing to spare (giggle), but I did all my reps almost ATG. I don't know if it was all the overhead shrugging I've been doing, but I had a much easier time holding the weight at the top than normal.

Reverse Lunges w/Front Foot Elevated: 50x15x3

Leg Curls: 105x12x3

Blast Strap Ab Fallouts (Knees on Mat): Failure at 4, 3, 2, 1. These suck but if they will help me hold my abs flatter and trim me down then I will do them.

Seated Calf Raises: 55x12x3

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

Blast Strap Pushups w/Feet Elevated: Failure at 11, 9, 8, 8 reps.

Assisted Wide Grip Pullups (Monster Mini Bands): 4 sets of 5

Assisted Wide Grip Pullups (Average Bands): 4 sets of 10.

Hammer ISO Rows (Elbows Out): 85x12x3

Incline DB Laterals: 15x6x5

Barbell Curls: 95x4x7. I didn't even need to rest/pause it.

Smith Machine Overhead Shrug: 150x4x7

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

Started my morning with two PB&J sandwhiches, 3 small bottles of milk, a multivitamin, a B-Complex, 3 bottles of water, and a nice cup of coffee. By 11 AM, I felt great.

At lunch , I stopped by the gym, loaded 210 on the bar, and got my close grip bench PR cold that I should have had yesterday. Yeah, it was that important!!!

Took a nap after dinner, got up at 8 PM, then hit the gym. Gym was busy, and the Smith was being used. I was feeling pretty good and thought of doing a little more weight on the squats than planned. But I know here that leads, so I came up with the better idea of doing all the assistance stuff FIRST, then the squats with the planned weight.

Hammer Calf Press: 165x12x3

GHR: Failure at 10, 8, 6, 4, 3 reps. I felt like doing a full GHR (GHR/back extension in the same motion) was cheating my hamstrings, so back to doing them without the back extension part. Harder, without the momentum, but that 's the point.

45 degree Hyperextension: Failure at 13, 11, 9, 7, 8 reps.

Pallof Press Isometric Holds: worked up to 25 lbs for 30 seconds, then worked my way back down when a second attempt at 25 pounds lasted 15 seconds. I like this movement.

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 7

Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 165x12x3. Smith was still being used so I did them regular. Even with tired legs, they were solid reps.

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body - Pyrrhic Victory?!?

I walked out of the gym this evening at 206 which means after some peeing during the night I may just wake up at the target I set for myself in April: 205. It would come 13 weeks early.

I will start by giving Christian Thibodeau credit. I read that article of his on T-nation and have so far tried two control days of extremely low carbs. So this past Thursday and today, I had a sensible breakfast of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, mozzarella, and mushrooms and a chicken breast. The rest of the meals (4 of them) were protein shakes with a couple of spoons of peanut butter for fat.

That said, no more while on this phase.

Considering 3 days of Abs Class, 4 days of weights, 4 days of intervals, and 2-3 days of easy cardio, I don't have the headroom to diet like this. Maybe one control day, but even that sucked. I woke up in the morning poorly recovered. Makes me think that I blinked and let my much better original goal of getting lean and strong be taken over by the one where I just wanted to hit 198 or less. I can eliminate some carbs from individual meals here and there and go low carbs on some days like I've been doing in the past, but not this.

Today I was cranky, irritable, scatterbrained, and running on sheer will.

Abs Class

Close Grip Bench Press: 70x5, 90x5, 110x5, 130x3, 150x2, 170x1, 190x1, 200x1, 210x0, 205x0. Last week, I hit a kinda hard 205. Today, 190 nearly burried me and 200 was like a static rep it was so slow. Even after 5 minutes rest, I couldn't hit any targets. A lesson learned, a bitter pill to swallow.

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinups (Monster Mini Band): Failure at 6, 5, 5, 4 reps

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinups (Average Band): 4 sets of 8 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows: 75x12x3

Seated Overhead Shrug: 140x6x5

Barbell Curls: 85x6x3, 85x5+1, 85x6.

Skipped the intervals. I just didn't have it. I just want to crawl into bed.

Bastardized, So You Won't Have To;)

A lot of people send questions to forums wondering whether they should try something or not, whether it will be effective or not, yada, yada, yada. Essentially, thinking or Internet-ing it to death. I have no problem with a more empirical approach: I read about it or plan it, tweak it, try it for a 6-12 weeks, assess it at the end, save it to Excel (On Tsampa.org, Kris has a very effective PR Spreadsheet you can download that is very effective for that purpose), put it in my toolbox or toss it out. Looking at my blog, one sees that I have almost 4 years of workouts, numbers, injuries, mistakes, PRs, and failures to sort through. I know what works and when because of it.

After success with EliteFTS Beginners Training Manual, the next logical progression for me was the Westside for Skinny Bastards III program. Both programs are very similar: my interest in the WSFSB III stems from my eagerness to get away from speed work for a while: I couldn't break my PRs in the bench or squat doing so, I only got so far. I figured that unless I had more muscle and basic strength first, more speed work was not the answer. For me, this template was a good jumping off point.

With WSFSB III, I kept the basic setup. I looked back at my past training and wants and used that to craft rep setups that would work for me for all the rep work. I wanted more rep proficiency than just sticking to 8-15 reps only.

To start, my goal is to get down to the low 190s while keeping or gaining as much muscle as possible. I weighed in at 207 this morning, down 31 pounds since April so I'm getting there. My back is bigger and wider, shoulders stronger and more pain free, traps thicker, overall everything is more solid.

My second goal is perfomance based. When I started out, I couldn't do a chinup or pull up. Now I could do 6. By the time I go home, I'm gunning for a 265 bench at 198 BWT (My best in training is 245 at 240) and at least 425 for a deficit deadlift. I'm gunning for a 365 squat: I won't be able to test it until I get home so since I've been using front squats as a max effort movement, my goal is 275-285 there (about 75% of my squat).

So, what are the tweaks:

1.) ME work is now 5RM for week 1, 3RM for week 2, and 1 RM for week 3. Who says you can't have it all.

1.) Chinups, Pullups, and Rows: At the time, when I was getting close to doing one I couldn't get close without a lot of kipping (flailing might be more like it). I thought of Prilepin's table for maxes in the 90% range (1-6) and started out with six singles but needed a higher volume of total work. The Monster Mini Band allowed me to do this without kipping, and the Average band let me do more reps afterward. 4 sets of each was a nice sweet spot. This replaced the back/rear delt superset on ME and RE Upper Body days. One of my better experiments. Next year, I will probably keep this setup but drop the mini bands, use bodyweight chins and light bands for the rep sets. Instead of doing a bench variation for 2-3 sets of a rep-out, I'm doing repetition work with rows to back up my chins/pullups, instead.

2.) Squats: improving my squat was a bigger priority than the deadlift. The first thought was to turn speed day into a rep day with the box squats: I wasn't good at all rep ranges and I wanted to change that. So I looked back at Chad Waterbury's programs and the New Rules of Lifting and gathered all the rep schemes I could find - - - 18 of them. I arranged them so that every 4th week, one of the schemes would be heavy and so that all the other ones would build up to something more: 5x5, 3x15, 4x10, 6x3, 2x25, 3x12, 5x6, 6x4, 4x12, 5x8, 4x15, 10x3, 3x20, 2x30, 12x2, 1x50, 2x25, 15x1. Then I set a planned progression: I knew from past training waves that I could put on 15 pounds on a squat in three weeks, so every 4th week, the max I calculate from moves up 15 pounds. The last three workout will be 15 singles at 90% of 365 lbs. Since I didn't want to have to worry about balance and just wanted to push weight up, it's all done on the Smith. When I test at home, I'll tell you if it was worth it.

This setup also solves a problem I had in 2005. Back then, I had done a cycle of nothing but front squats, reaching a PR of 275 but the first test of my regular squat afterwards only yielded 300 lbs - - - a 15 pound loss. Fast forward to 2008 and the end of almost two months doing nothing but single leg work, I was able to do ATG squats and had more control and stopping power but my box squat was a struggle at 275. With this setup now (Front squats every other wave and single leg work each leg day), the RE Squat day will make sure I don't lose the groove of the lift that really matters.

3.) Deadlifts: while I'm not making it a priority, I'd be a fool to give it up. Especially, when it is always a great aid in leaning out. So I made quality a priority. In the past, my heaviest deadlifts were always a bitch to get off the floor. I can't do snatch grip deadlifts here in Djibouti, because all the bars are bench press bars with no knurling at the ends. So I began doing deadlifts off a two inch block, conventional grip. These are proving to be a godsend for two reasons. In testing, it sped up my regular deadlift off the floor and made it easier. And in combination with the RE Squat work, my sumo deadlift has now become the near equal of my conventional deadlift.

4.) Bench Pressing: the RE work so far has proven to be a great help. I have control of the weight at all points, and more confidence. Taking a cue from having used the close grip benches and incline benches for repetitions work to good effect, I am just using 3 movements for ME Bench (in order): Incline Bench Press, Close Grip Bench Press, and Flat Bench Press. The first 3 waves are 5/3/1RM setup, in preparation for a wave load setup of the same movements in the last 9 weeks. No boards, no chains, no bands, no top end work. The RE work is all Blast Straps. We'll see how well simple works for me. The last 4 waves of deficit deadlifts and front squats will follow a similar setup.

5.) The same rep changes being used for box squats is being used for: leg curls, Hammer Strength ISO High Rows and ISO Rows, Seated Calf Raises, and Hammer Calf Presses. There really ain't much in equipment at this gym, and I just wanted to move as much iron as possible for some of the support movements.

6.) If you see a lot of bicep work, it has always been a weakness for me. I'm catching up, though. Same for shoulder pressing and shrugs.

7.) I've dropped using the body armor for aerobic work. When I lost my first bunch of pounds, it was a great help 2-3 times a week. But back then, only one of those days was really heavy and I was doing less work. On this program now, walking for an hour with the vest now leaves me a little TOO beat, sometimes even beat up.

8.) The same problem with the single leg movements. This wave, I was doing both Bulgarian Split Squats and Reverse Lunges plus the two squat days and it was just too much. So, I will use the assisted pistols on RE Lower Body Day after the box squats. On ME Lower Body days, I will use the Reverse Lunge with Front Squats and the Bulgarian Split Squat when doing Deficit Deadlifts.

9.) Calves. Why not? The benefits outweigh the negatives, and they don't take anything out of me. Simple.

10.) I'm working shrugs twice a week, sort of. If I'm deadlifting, I do behind the back shrugs on RE Upper Body day. If I'm front squatting, I use overhead shrugs for both upper body days for different rep schemes: I was going to use the trap bar shrugs for a movement but I've done those, and want to see how well the overhead shrugs work.

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Abs Class

Front Squats: 75x3, 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 205x3. Was just gonna try 195x3 but, beat as hell as I was, 175 was easier than planned so I went for the 205 triple. I think I will go for 225 next week for a single.

Reverse Lunges w/Front Foot Elevated: 50x15x3

Leg Curls: 60x25x2. Ouch!!!

Hanging Leg Raises: 5 sets of 10. I'm starting to feel as if these and the situps are pointless. I do ab class three days a week, so this feels like a rehash. And after showing someone how to do those Pallof Press Isometric Holds that Eric Cressey wrote about in T-nation, I'm thinking of taking up his suggestion to do that, and maybe Ab Fallouts with the Blast Straps, on my leg days instead of leg raises and situps.

Seated Calf Raises: 40x25x2. Ouch!!!

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

Blast Strap Pushups: Failure at 10, 8, 7, 8 reps. Feet were elevated by an aerobic step.

Assisted Wide Grip Pullups (Monster Mini Bands): 4 sets of 5

Assisted Wide Grip Pullups (Average Bands): 4 sets of 10. I almost forgot to mention. Yesterday, on leg day, I tested out at 6 bodyweight chinups andf came close to a 6th on pullups (all with a little bit of kip), so I knew I was in for a breakthrough.

Hammer ISO Rows (Lats): 65x25x2

Incline DB Laterals: 15x6x5

Barbell Curls: 80x8, 80x6+2, 80x4+4, 80x4+2+1+1

Smith Machine Overhead Shrug: 125x8x4, 105x10x4. Made up a day I should have done.

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.