Dan's log

[elVarouza]

01/27/18 Saturday

Raw deadlift:
135x10x3
225x5
315x2
405x1
455x1
495x1 @ 9
505x1 @ 9.5
Notes: It's probably been a year or more since I've pulled over 500 raw. Maybe even 2 years. This was not easy. Do I officially get 100lbs out of a suit now? lol. Definitely an off day. Felt really tired all day. I'm not worried about it. Even my 405 warmup, which is usually my last raw warmup before I'd put a suit on, felt heavy today.

Block pulls (+4.5"):
405x3
455x3
475x5x2 @ 9 each
Notes: Also felt way heavier than it should have.

Good mornings:
135x?
225x?
275x5
295x5
Notes: Thought about pulling the bar down into my shoulders more to stop it from spinning up. Felt okay but still not convinced I'm not doing these exceptionally well.

Hammer grip chins:
BWx3
+25lbs x3
+45lbs x5x2

DB rows (chainsaws):
90x8x2

Single leg hamstring curl machine:
100x8x2

Bodyweight this morning was 233.8. I suck at gaining weight. Hasn't moved for months. I'll go pound some milk now.

[elVarouza]

01/29/18 Monday

Bench:
44x15x3
132x10x2
187x4
231x3

Shirt (8 wraps):
319x4
363x2 @ 7
363x2 @ 7.5
352x2 @ 6.5
Notes: Had the shirt sleeves tightened again. Felt like I was misgrooving all the reps today. Couldn't really get in the zone. First set I was distracted by my spotter like, not spotting me. The second set at 363 I touched too low on both reps and got off the bubble. People were also talking about their homework while I was setting up so that was great for concentration. Dropped the weight for the 3rd set and it felt a little better. First rep was meh but remembered to pull my shoulder blades back for the second and it moved faster. Might be tucking my elbows too much or something.

Pin press (1/2 ROM):
265x5x2 @ 5.5 each
275x5 @ 5.5
285x5x2 @ 6 each
Notes: Went max width grip here. Felt way easier than last time I did these.

Chest press:
70x8 @ 6.5
70x8 @ 7
60x8 @ 6

JM press:
105x8x3

Arnold DB press:
45x8x3

Stir the pot abs:
BWx8x3

[elVarouza]

01/31/18 Wednesday

Squat:
45x10x2
135x10
225x5
315x2
405x1

Straps down squat:
495x2 @ 6
495x2 @ 6.5
495x2 @ 6.5 or 7
Notes: I only got video of the first set because the gym was really crowded and I didn't know anyone there. Felt uneasy leaving my phone out in a crowd of ppl. Looked easy enough but you can see people almost laughably walking right in front of my face. Guy in the green stopped directly in front of me during the first rep lol. Anyway, it felt mostly okay. Belt was feeling tighter today (hopefully that means I'm gaining weight) and it made it harder to hit depth.

Reverse band squat:
315x3
405x3
495x5 @ 6.5
495x5 @ 6.5-7
475x5x3 @ 6
Notes: I felt the bar speed starting to drop on the second set of 495 so dropped it back. Bands were stretched pretty high up on the rack and probably taking off 100lbs at the top and 160 at the bottom. My hip wasn't feeling great and was preventing me from hitting good depth. Right side was locking up.

SSB Bulgarian SS: Walked all over the building trying to find a smith machine to do these on but they were all in use. Tried doing them with DBs but it felt more like a balance exercise than a leg exercise. Had an unexpected late meeting with my advisor and was running low on time so said screw it. I should've done single-leg leg press but didn't think of it at the time.

Leg extension:
100x15x5

GHR:
BWx15x5
Notes: Legs were cramping up so I shortened the ROM a little to get through them.

Ab wheel:
BWx15x5
Notes: Did these at home because I had to leave the gym.

[elVarouza]

02/02/18 Friday

Bench:
45x15x3
135x10x2
Pin press 1/2 ROM:
185x5
235x3
Bench daddy pin press 1/2 ROM:
275x2
315x5x2 @ 6.5 each
305x5x3 @ 6 each
Notes: Felt a little harder than the last time I did these but everything felt harder this week. Last time I did 315 @ 5.5-6.5 for 4 sets but this week it felt slower so I backed off to 305.

Spoto press (+bands):
155x8 @ 6
155x8 @ 6.5
145x8 @ 6
Notes: Used doubled minis.

Shoulder box:
10x7 / 7.5x8
7.5x15 @ death
5x15x3
Notes: Did the accessories out of order based on the availability of machines and cable stacks. So, yeah those are 5lb DBs. This was really hard. Started with the 10s and hit a wall after 7 reps. Finished the set (barely) with the 7.5s. Tried a set with the 7.5s and got through it taking a break every 2 reps after doing 8 or so. Went down to the 5's and it was still hard. Don't know why I suck so much at these. Need to find the pink DBs or something. Could do these without holding anything in my hands and it'd probably still be hard lol.

Chest press:
110x15x5

Triceps overhead extension:
100x12
70x15
60x15x3
Notes: 100x12 was to failure on the first set. 70 was near failure so I dropped down to 60. I did the version where you lean forward and pull the cable over your head instead of standing up straight. I've found before if I do the standing up straight version I unintentionally cheat with my legs/hips.

Cable hammer curls:
60x15x2
70x15x3

[elVarouza]

02/03/18 Saturday

Deadlift:
155x10x3
Deadlift (+4"):
220x5
308x2
407x1
Equipped deadlift (+4"):
407x1
497x1
547x2 @ 6.5
547x2 @ 6
547x2 6.5
Notes: Found out that the blocks I had been using at the CU Rec actually added up to about 5 5/8", not 4.5" as I had thought. Oops. I can still do block pulls there but they'll be about 3 3/4", which is fine. The block here was just about 4", either 1/4" higher or lower, I don't remember. These felt eh, okay. On the third set I didn't feel like I was in a great position and readjusted for the second rep, which felt better. Wore the suit legs as low as I could while still getting the straps up. I had to have help getting them on and off. In the past I've worn it higher to where I could get them myself.

Conventional RDL:
330x5 @ 5.5
330x5 @ 6
330x5 @ 5.5
341x5x2 @ 6 each
Notes: Looks pretty fast on camera but I kept the weight around here. It felt like if I did more weight for the same number of reps my knees would start coming forward and negate the point of the exercise. It really doesn't look like I'm going down too far but I'm trying to keep my shins vertical and that's the end of my hamstring flexibility. Is it bad that I can't touch my toes?

Good morning:
45x8
135x5
225x8x3
Notes: Again, that's the limit of my hamstring flexibility with my shins vertical.

Lat pulldowns:
100x8x3 @ 5-5.5

Seated row:
90x15x5

Hamstring curl machine:
"8"x15x5

[elVarouza]

02/05/18 Monday

Shirted bench (4 wrap):
345x2 @ 6
355x2 @ 6.5
355x2 @ 6-6.5
Notes: Felt really good today. With last week benching 352x2 @ 6.5 to an 8 wrap I was expecting around 340-345 to be a 6.5 to the 4 wraps, but everything felt better. Felt like my arch was a little better. I was surprised to hear my spotter say “press” since I thought I had a way to go but the bar definitely touched the wraps. I was focusing on staying patient with the weight and staying ‘centered’ under the bar -- that was my way of thinking of keeping my elbows in line with the bar.

Pin press (+ bands, ⅔ ROM):
185x5x2 @ 6 each
205x5 @ 7
(205 or maybe 195?)x5x2 @ 6.5-7
Notes: Used doubled minis. I need to be better at writing all these weights down when I’m at the gym. I don’t remember if I dropped to 195 for the final two sets or if I stayed at 205 and tried to focus on moving it faster. I want to say I stuck at 205 but I’m not 100% certain. Anyway, these felt maybe just a touch harder than the last time I did these (week 6) where I did 205x5 @ 6.5 but that’s okay. Looking back at week 6 I used a closer grip (went max width here today) and I think bringing up my max grip stuff, as much as my pec can stand, will be great for my competition bench.

Chest press machine:
180x8 @ 6
185x8 @ 7
175x8 @ 6.5

Neutral grip pushdowns:
120x8x3

Rainbow press:
45x8 @ 5?
55x8 @ 7
50x8x2
Notes: First time ever doing these. “45” and “55” are 1 plate on the bar and 1 plate + 10lbs, respectively. I counted one rep as going from shoulder to shoulder.

Stir the pot abs:
BWx8x3

[elVarouza]

02/07/18 Wednesday

Straps down + wraps squat:
535x2 @ 6.5-7
535x2 @ 6.5
535x2 @ 7-7.5
Notes: Had some equipment-related issues that made these a little harder than they should’ve been. 1) I had a new guy wrapping me and not only were the wraps not as tight as usual he was really shearing my kneecaps. I should’ve just self-wrapped; it would’ve been as tight without the kneecap thing. 2) the racks in the CU gym are really hard to walk out of. They’re wider than usual racks and since they’re all heavy-duty and bolted down the rack doesn’t move at all if I accidentally whack it like a combo rack does; it instead wobbles my whole body. There’s about a half-inch clearance on each side between the rack and the plates.
The walkout really threw me off on the first set and I couldn’t get a good setup. I was pretty far off from depth. On the second set I took a bunch of small steps to get it out of the rack. That was probably the best set. On the third set I tried to step straight back as carefully as I could but the setup still didn’t feel great. Nothing was at depth today but at least sets 2 and 3 were close.

Raw squat:
385x5 @ 6
395x5 @ 6.5
405x5x3 @ 6.5-7 each
Notes: Again I did a warmup with 225 and 315 to adjust to raw. Nothing too exciting here. I got a side video of the first set to make sure my depth was at least close and that’s it. The 405 sets felt pretty solid aside from me getting slightly on my toes on a rep or two, probably a result of having the suit on right before.

Bulgarian split squats (smith machine):
70x8 @ hard
60x8x2 @ easier but still meh
Notes: These are for some reason waaay harder on the smith machine here than with the SSB. I started with 70 (a 25 on each side) and it was tough, definitely somewhere beyond the prescribed 5.5-6.5 RPE range. Went down to 60 and it was probably still over the RPE range. I was really huffing and puffing and moving slowly by the end of these sets. This was a long workout. The whole thing took 3-3.5 hours.

Leg extensions:
100x15
110x15x4

Donkey kicks:
110x15x5
Notes: These finally fell on a day when I was at the rec center! I think this is only the 2nd or 3rd time I’ve done them in the 10 weeks since I started.

Ab wheel:
BWx15x5

[elVarouza]

There are some days I'm probably going to miss. Training's been a complete crapshoot for the last month with finishing school and all but it's finally turning the corner. I was fairly sick in there for 5 days or so too but the primary limitation was time. Anyway, here are some updates from the past few weeks:

02/20/18 Tuesday

Shirted bench (8 wrap):
355x2x2 @ RPE still under the weather
Notes: This day I was just starting on the upswing after being sick 4-5 days in a row. Looking at the video they moved okay but I remember having a lot of trouble getting a good breath. Felt like I was hacking up a lung in between each set. I felt pretty off this whole workout, still kind of sick, and couldn’t really focus.


Close grip bench:
225x5x3


JM press:
95x8x2

Arnold DB press:
45x8x2

[elVarouza]

02/27/18 Tuesday

Shirted bench (4 wrap):
355x1x3 @ 5.5-6.5 each
Notes: These all felt good. For some reason benching to chest or 4 wraps feels better than 8 or 16 wraps. I’m like the opposite of everyone else with that and pin work. On sets 1 and 2 the bar really flew but I hit the rack on my left side: set 1 it grazed it, set 2 you can really see it. For the 3rd set I focused on pressing straighter up and less towards my face. On set 3 the bar still moved okay but it didn’t feel as fast throughout; you can see just a tiny slow down at lockout.
It seemed to move faster if I pressed it back over my face so I could think about setting up a little farther away from the rack to compensate. I wasn’t thinking about pushing it back but that felt more “natural” than pressing it straighter up like in the 3rd set. I’ve definitely noticed that even on raw bench my left arm sometimes has a tendency to drift back towards my head. I correct it when I notice it but it’s harder to think about in the shirt.


Reverse grip bench:
205x5
215x5x2
205x5x2
Notes: Went middle finger on the rings.

[elVarouza]

03/01/18 Thursday

Full gear squat:
545x1x3
Notes: First time squatting in a bit. Each set felt better than the last. I was shaking on the first rep but it got better. As a side note (and a reminder to myself) the straps on this suit are pretty loose and I doubt they’re doing much. I need to tighten those up next time I get the chance.

Reverse band squat:
405x5
425x5x4
Notes: Used my green band equivalents. Didn’t feel amazing but definitely moved well enough on video.

Ab wheel:
BWx10x3