Thu. 7/8/21 - Bench/Upper #1
The plan is to have 2 basic templates for bench/upper and 2 basic templates for squat/lower at Planet Fitness, with deadlift split between the two. I’ll do something else on my visits to Gold’s, but I’m sure it will consist of competition squat, plus bench press and/or deadlift. The goal is to train 3 times per week.
Even with being off on Monday for the July 4 observance, I have worked 34 hours already since Tuesday. Fortunately, the overtime assignments I’ve been doing this week have been mostly apartment buildings, so my mileage is down a bit. I’ve hiked 22.1 miles Tuesday-Thursday. I haven’t weighed myself since Sunday (204.4 lbs then), but my appetite has been good, and I’m going through milk pretty fast.
Weights listed on Smith machine exercises are plates only. The + represents whatever the bar weighs (probably 20 lbs).
Smith Machine Bench Press
bar/6, 8
50+/10
100+/8
150+/6 - remembered to add elbow sleeves; should have had them on from the beginning
200+/4
Rest-pause set, 220+ lbs: 4, 2, 2, 2 @10 RPE on the last round - wore mouth guard
My idea was to get at least 10 reps with a weight that I thought I could get 5 reps with, but not go to absolute failure until the last round. From the start of the first rep to the end of the 10th, it took 2:50. The first 2 rest periods were 20–30 seconds. The last one was about 45 seconds.
Smith Machine High Incline Press - 1st notch down from vertical, grip just outside shoulder width
bar/8
70+/8
100+/8
Rest-pause-drop set: 140+/5, 120+/4, 90+/4 - wore mouth guard
I wasn’t sure what I had in mind with these. ;) I was experimenting a bit. I think these are worth doing again, at least for a few more weeks.
Smith Machine Barbell Row
bar/8, 8
90+/10 - thumbless grip, and my strained right middle finger (bowling injury!?!) didn’t like it
140+/10 - full grip, and that finger thought this was worse
180+/6 - started using Versa Gripps
205+/6 - started wearing mouth guard; stopped the set when I thought I’d have to get too sloppy to keep getting reps
180+/10 same standard as the previous set
Smith Machine Rack Pull - set the stoppers so the bar rested just below my kneecap
180+/8 - still wearing Versa Gripps
270+/8
320+/8 - wore mouth guard; not sure about RPE… probably @9
After seeing John Meadows do these about a month ago with an actual barbell in a real rack, and explain how to get the lats involved, I started trying these. I really like them. The entire back gets hammered the way he demonstrated the lift. Plus, since I’m in PF and can’t drop the weights, I have to do a controlled negative on each rep. I’m sure the rep target will drop to 6 soon enough.
Done in 50 minutes
Sat. 7/10/21 - Squat/Lower #1
Weighed 207.6 lbs on Saturday morning. Gaining 3 lbs in a week seems like a lot. Maybe something quirky. I’ll check again tomorrow morning.
Instead of getting talked into working overtime this weekend, I hung out with my wife before she went out of town for work, went to brunch at my mother’s for one of my brother’s birthday, and went to a Ring of Honor wrestling pay per view show. I also went to the gym.
Weights listed on Smith machine exercises are plates only. The + represents whatever the bar weighs (probably 20 lbs).
Hammer Strength Abdominal Crunch Machine
20/10, 10
30/10, 10, 10
Seated Leg Curl
40/15
40/10 left, 10 right
55/10 left, 10 right
130/12 @9 RPE
left leg struggled noticeably more than the right on the unilateral sets
Smith Machine Squat
bar/6
90+/6
180+/6
230+/5
280+/5
325+/5
360+/5 - added belt and wrist wraps
380+/5 - added mouth guard; felt like @9 RPE, watched it later and it looked like @8
Smith Machine RDL - took advantage of the machine and started each rep from the top with a negative
90+/8
180+/8 - added Versa Gripps
270+/8 + extra negative at the end - added belt; after the 2nd rep, I decided this was the last set, so I did the extra negative to finish
Leg Extension
60/10
60/12 left, 12 right
75/10 left, 10 right
155/11 @10 RPE - couldn’t do full ROM anymore
Done in 1 hour 16 minutes. Considering that I made 2 locker room trips, put knee sleeves on and changed shoes, that’s not bad.
Tue. 7/13 - Bench/Upper #2
Quote:
Originally Posted by
K.Diesel
Weighed 207.6 lbs on Saturday morning. Gaining 3 lbs in a week seems like a lot. Maybe something quirky. I’ll check again tomorrow morning.
I weighed 209.2 lbs this morning. As my comments in the last log entry should indicate, that’s not what I was expecting. I’ll wait until Thursday morning to weigh myself again.
Today, it was humid with an air temperature that peaked around 93-95 Fahrenheit. I worked 10 hours. That included 8.4 miles of hiking between my route, and overtime on part of another one. Then I went home and cut my grass, plus weeded a rose bush. I went to the gym after that. Fortunately for me, this was my bench/upper #2 day, which means mostly Hammer Strength machines. They take less time and don’t require loading and unloading, which is exactly what I needed after what I’d done before I got there.
Hammer Strength Chest Press - weights listed are per side
20/20 - first 5 reps were getting seat position right
50/10
80/8
rest-pause-drop: 105/9 + 90/5 + 70/7 all @10 RPE - used mouth guard
Last time I did this machine (6/29), I topped out at 100/8 + 80/5 + 65/7. I’ll take it.
Hammer Strength Row - weights listed are per side
20/15
50/12
80/8
Did the work sets unilaterally: 100/15 left @10 RPE; 100/15 right @9 RPE - used Versa Gripps, mouth guard
Hammer Strength Shoulder Press - weights listed are per side
30/10
70/10
rest-pause: 100/11 + 3 1/2, both @10 RPE - used mouth guard
Cable Pulldown - medium/wide overhand grip
55/15
120/10
rest-pause-drop: 200/9 + 160/10, both @10 RPE
Cable Pressdown - used V handle
This was like a reverse rest-pause-drop, so rest-pause-add? Rest periods were 30 seconds or less.
40/10 + 50/10 + 60/11 @9.5 RPE on last round
Rear Delt Machine
70/12
100/10
100/10 @10 RPE - could barely get 3/4 ROM on the last 3 reps, especially on my left side
Done in 50 minutes.
7/21/21 - Back From The Beach… Squat/Lower #2
Last week, I had a family trip to Ocean City, Maryland from Thursday through Sunday. After training on Tuesday (last entry), I hoped to train again on Wednesday before we left town. That didn’t happen. Side note: I think I have reached a point where I don’t want to train on consecutive days. That’s not the main reason I didn’t train before leaving town, but it’s a reality.
Anyway, I got back to work on Monday. On Tuesday morning, I weighed 207.0 lbs. I finally got back in the gym tonight. I have about 16 weeks to go until the meet.
Weights listed on the Smith Machine and Hammer Leg Press are just the plates. The weight of the bar (estimated 20 lbs) and sled (estimated 118 lbs) are represented by the +
Smith Machine Romanian Deadlift - standing on 1 25 lbs plate (each foot)
Rather than deadlifting the bar up to a standing position at the start of each set, I unracked the bar from a standing position, and started each set with a negative.
bar/10
90+/8
180+/8 - added Versa Gripps here, earlier than normal. Two fingers on my right hand have been injured for almost 3 weeks.
230+/6
280+/1 + 6 - added belt here. Did a rep, felt like I was too far behind the bar, so I racked it and moved up an inch or two
320+/6 @9 RPE - added mouth guard here
270+/8 @8 RPE
Went to locker room, put on knee sleeves and Oly shoes.
Hammer Strength Leg Press - I wish every Planet Fitness had this brand of leg press. Fortunately, my normal one does. These are fairly narrow stance, with feet very low on the sled to maximize quads.
180+/10
360+/8
540+/8 - added mouth guard here
630+/8 @9 RPE
500+/15 @9 RPE - didn’t re-rack until all reps were done, but paused at lockout for an extra breath or two after reps 9 and 12.
Seated Leg Curl
85/12
rest-pause: 135/15 + 7 both @10 RPE - rested maybe 30-40 seconds at the pause. Stopped each portion once I did 2 reps that I could not push through the full ROM.
Decline Sit Up
2 sets of 10, 30 seconds rest between sets
Done in 58 minutes. I’m planning to get my hand checked out after work tomorrow.
Fri. 7/23/21, Bench/Upper #1
Bodyweight update: I weighed 208.6 lbs on Saturday morning (7/24). I have to keep reminding myself that USPA has the old/traditional powerlifting weight classes, so in November I’m competing in the 220 lbs class, not 231.
Since settling in to this bench/upper - squat/lower rotation (2 sessions each), this is the start of my 2nd round with it.
Weights listed on Smith machine exercises are plates only. The + represents whatever the bar weighs (probably 20 lbs).
Smith Machine Bench Press
bar/16
50+/10
100+/8
150+/6
180+/4
210+/2
rest-pause set: 225+/5 + 3 + 2 - added mouth guard here. 30 seconds after first pause, 40 seconds after 2nd pause
Last time, I did 220+/4 + 2 +2 + 2
Decline Close Grip Bench Press - propped the foot of the bench up on a pair of 10 lbs plates
rest-pause set: 180+/7 + 3 - done with mouth guard. 30 seconds pause
High Incline Bench Press
bar/10
70+/8
110+/11 @10 RPE - used mouth guard
Barbell Row
bar/12
90+/12
140+/10
190+/6 - added Versa Gripps here
215+/9 @10 RPE - added mouth guard. Stopped set once I could not hit my stomach with the bar, so I guess that’s technical failure.
200+/11 @10 RPE - same standard as previous set
Hammer Strength Abdominal Crunch
20/15
35/15
50/10
Done in 50 minutes, and 1 minute before the gym closed.
Tue. 7/27/21 - Squat/Lower #1
This session was preceded by an 11 hour work day in which I covered 9.8 miles, and followed by a 10 hour day today in which I covered 10.4 miles.
Weights listed on Smith machine exercises are plates only. The + represents whatever the bar weighs (probably 20 lbs).
Smith Machine Squat
bar/5, 5
90+/5
180+/5
270+/5
320+/5 - started using wrist wraps
365+/5 - started using belt
390+/5 @9 RPE - started using mouth guard
300+/10 - hard to rate RPE. Stopped for 2-3 deep breaths after reps 5 and 7. Had I continued doing that, I could have done more.
Last time I did these, I topped out with 380+/5, with no backoff set.
Leg Extension
90/10
125/10
150/15 @10 RPE - used mouth guard; stopped once I couldn’t extend through full ROM
Seated Leg Curl
40/10
85/10
125/10
145/15 @10 RPE - started using mouth guard; ROM was short on the last rep or two
145/10 @10 RPE - rest was short, but not short enough to consider it a rest-pause set; same deal as last set with ROM
Standing Cable Crunch
20/15
35/20
50/25
I haven’t done these in ages. I did these with my back to the stack. I may try these facing the stack next time.
I haven’t done full Smith machine deadlifts in a while. Next bench session is on Hammer machines, so I may add them. I hope to visit Gold’s either this weekend or next weekend to see where I am with actual barbells right now. I’m not concerned with how much I move them yet. I need to see how well I move them. If I follow that plan for tomorrow and get to Gold’s this weekend, then I’ll squat and bench at Gold’s. We’ll see what happens.