Forthright Training Log

[Forthright]

Day 10

Bw: 207.4# Guess I didn't eat as much as I thought.

230# Clean-Pulls: 12 Singles

230# Power-Shrugs: 3 x 10

72# Pull-Ups: 5 x 3

Hanging Leg Raises: 3 x 5, 1 x 4

Cpt. Of Crush 1.5: 3 x 8/Hand

The speed pulls were better than last time.

I actually started the first set of power shrugs with my last speed pull. The pulls and shrugs were bothering my elbows.

The pull-ups were good. The 1st set was the worst and the next 4 sets were all good (Chin got real high on a lot of reps). Never cared about bodyweight pull-ups like I do now. I thought they helped my technique for the weighted pull-ups today.

It may have been better to do the pull-ups before the shrugs. I care about the pull-ups more and my elbows are better if I leave them alone after the shrugs.

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Day 11 Light

Bw: 209: Always way exactly 209 after eating brats for dinner

Press
120# x 5 x 3

Squat
210# x 2 x 5

35# Strict DB Curl: 1 x 10/ Side, 5 Minute rest, 1 x 8/ Side, 2 Minute Rest, 1 x 8/Side

Bodyweight Squats: 1 x 40ish
Push-Ups: 1 x 20

The presses were good. They were actually a lot better than the last time I pressed on a light day.

I think I learned that I need to lean over more for the squats. I want to stay upright but the bar is on my rear delts so I have to get over that. I leaned over more today. My lower back felt better and my hamstrings were working harder.

The curls felt a lot stronger. They are getting better every week. I probably should have taken a longer rest after the 2nd set because this is assistance and a light day.

Bw Squats are great. I went fast but stayed at the bottom of each rep for a second or two

I pushed myself a little for the push-ups but I know I had more in me. I remember maxing out at 20 not too long ago.

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Day 12 Intensity

Bw: 210#

Bw Pull-Ups: 1 x 10

Squat (Low-Bar)
135# x 5
225# x 3
275# x 1
315# x 1

Bench-Press
135# x 5
175# x 4
215# x 1
225# x 3

Dead-Lift
225# x 5
315# x 3
410# x 5!!!

Assistance

A) Weighted Dips (Deep)- 72#: 2 x 3, Added 2.5#, 74.5#: 2 x 3, Took off the 2.5#, 72#: 1 x 3
B) 15# Pistol Squats (Deep): 5 x 3

88# Decline sit-ups: 3 x 3, Short rests (2 minutes after set 1, 3 Minutes after set 2)

Captin of Crush Trainer (Speed Reps): 3 x 3



This week, I learned that I need to accept that the bar is on my shoulders. I can't stay upright like this is high-bar so I embraced the lean. I wish I had gone deeper on the 315# single. I hit depth for sure but it really hits the hips less when you stay near parallel. I could have gone deeper but I just didn't.

Got a solid tripple at 225# for the bench-press. It was not hard either so I have room to build.

I decided that I needed to do some warm up sets for the dead-lift because I maxed out with a single at 410# last week and it left my lower back feeling off for a few days. I built back up to 410# and busted out a set of five. I wasn't sure I could do one rep without lower back pain so every single rep was a blessing. I would have been happy with a double but my back didn't budge a bit until lockout at rep 5. No back pain what so ever.

Then I alternated dips and pistols squats. The second set of dips felt real easy so I added 2.5#. I thought that I was good for another set of three after the fourth set but I took off the 2.5# to be sure. I acutally had to stuggle a little to get three on that last set but it could have just been a bad set.

Grabbed an extra 5# for the pistol squats this week and had no problem. None of that fake shit either where you lower the weight as you stand up.

Then I got off the 40Kg sit-ups with a kettlebell. I only had one bad rep with some lower back pain and that was rep 1 of set 2. All other reps were impressive to me anyway.

Finished up with some explosive Cpt. of crush trainer reps. I was late and needed to get out of there but I did 3 x 3.

Now it's time for the biggest thing that has happened to my training. I'm going to rest.

[Forthright]

Texas Method Week 4

Day 13 Volume

Bw: 208.4#

Bw Pull-Ups: 10

Press
95# x 1 x 5
125# x 1 x 1
152.5# x 8 x 3

Squat
135# x 1 x 5
225# x 1 x 3
290# x 8 x 3

305# Hip-Thrusts: 9, 8, 8 (Only used 2 minute rests for the hip-thrusts)

35# Single-Leg Dead-lift
1st DL set was all messed up up cause I couldn't balance. About 5 reps/ side with some reps I could not stay balanced inbetween
2nd DL set was 6/ side. Put my non-working leg down at lock out each rep so I could balance

Presses were difficult but the last set was good. Shelf was good, gotta open the chest up.

#1 most common thing I do wrong with squats is not packing the shoulders. Everything else was good.

First 2 sets of the hip-thrusts were easy. Actually may have failed the final rep of the 3rd set. Hips got neutral but no hyper extension I think


Thought that the 10th pull-up was easier this time.

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Day 14

Bw: 209.2#

230# Clean-Pulls: 12 Singles

74.5# Pull-Ups: 5 x 3

235# Power-Shrugs: 10, 8, 10

Cpt. of Crush 1.5: 8, 4

Clean-pulls were great. I was getting them to my upper-stomach

Pull-ups went really good too. Optimized the position I pulled from

Hope the shrugs were good. I basically just do the top of a clean pull for reps.

Grip was weaker than last week. Could have been tired already.

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Day 15 Light

Bw: 208.8# (How do you loose weight on cake?)

Squat
210# x 2 x 5

Bench-Press
135# x 2 x 5

37# Db Curl: 10/ Side, 3 Minute Rest, 8/ Side

Bw Squats: 50ish Reps

Push-Ups: 23 Reps

135# Bench-press: 5 Reps (The 3rd set of five I forgot to do earlier)

Squats went good

Bench-presses did not feel good for the first two sets. I forgot that you do three sets but I never took the weight off of the bar so I just did a 3rd set at the end. The last set felt better than the first two. Changed the position of the bar in my hand.

Had to push myself with the left hand curls so I called it a day after two sets

I could probably do 100 bw squats at this point.

Proud of the push-ups. I had more in me so I know I am getting better. 23rd rep was barely slower than the 1st if at all.

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Day 16 Intensity

Bw: 211#

Bw Pull-Ups: 12 Reps (Pushed it though)

Press
95# x 1 x 5
125# x 1 x 3
160# x 1 x 1
172.5# x 1 x 1
175# x 2 x 1

Squat (Low-Bar)
135# x 1 x 5
225# x 1 x 3
275# x 1 x 2
320# x 2 x 1

Dead-lift
225# x 1 x 5
315# x 1 x 3
415# x 1 x 5

Deep Dips/ Pistol-Squat
Dips: 75# x 5 x 3
Pistol: 15# x 5 x 3/ leg

Hanging Leg Raise
Straight 1 x 3
Front Lever ( Not completly straight and can't hold it): 2 x 1
Straight: 1 x 5
90 degree knee bend: 6 or 7

I didn't want to add any more weight to the presses or squats but I was actually strong enough to add 5# onto my previous maxes and get an extra single with each

Dips felt really good. I didn't really stick at all. I wasn't able to push myslef past a certain point with the weighted dips in the past. As I thought, my chest needed more strength and my arms may have needed to work harder. Either way, I think that the bench-press is going to help me match and then surpass my old dip PRs.

Pistols were a little tuff. Glad I stuck with 15#

My dead-lift is actually coming back to me. 415# x 5 was the Pr I hit right before 425# x 5 so this makes me happy. Also, todays 5th rep was easier than last weeks.

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Texas Method Week 5

Day 17 Volume

Bw: 210.4#

Bw: Pull-Ups: 8 Reps

Squat
225# x 1 x 3
290# x 5 x 5

Bench-Press
135# x 1 x 5
195# x 5 x 5

305# Hip-Thrust: 10 Reps, 9 Reps, 8 Reps (2 Minute rests)
24Kg Kettlebell Single Leg Romanian DL: 2 x 5/ Leg (3 Minute rests, Non working leg stays off the ground)

The decision to switch my squats from 8 x 3 to 5 x 5 occured right after the 3rd rep of the 1st set. I knew it was there and it was so easy. In the end, it was a little too much because I had a bad 4th set. I strained my lower back on the 5th rep. It didn't feel sore until later so I went for the 5th set. The 5th set was actually better than the 4th set. My lower back felt pressure durring the 5th rep but it did not move at all. I think it probably rounded a little on the final rep of the 4th set. I wonder if something was wrong with the 4th set because it was odd that the 5th set was so much better. I felt like every rep was hard durring the 4th set but the 5th was normal again. The bar could have been too high because the entire thing reminded me of high bar squatting in retrospect.

The bench-press went really well. No shoulder pain and I know exactly why. Long pauses durring the 2nd set made me think I wasn't going to get through another set of five but the stretch reflex made the 3rd set feel like the weight was too light. I paused all of the reps for the
2nd set, the final set, and all of the 5th reps. The stretch reflex makes a huge difference but I am going to try to pause as much as possible in the future.

Hip-thrusts went good. No failed reps but a tuff final rep. My lower back was bugging me but it was minor and I ignored it.
My back actually was good for the Dls.

This is probably the most I've hurt myself since I started Texas Method and it's not bad. I just want those dam reps so bad that I push too far. It's worse with fives than tripples which is common I think. The fact that my lower back is sore is going to bother me ten x more than the actual pain.

I imagin I can just workout like it never happened and it will get better. The important thing is that I don't make the same mistake next Monday. I need to be willing to rack the bar if I think I don't have it.

[Forthright]

Day 18

Bw: 211.2#

235# Clean-Pulls: 12 Singles
32Kg Kb Swings: 1 x 23

77# Pull-Ups: 8 x 3

235# Power-Shrugs: 10, 10, 10, 8 (First 3 sets were double over-hand, thumbless grip with three minute rests, 4th set was hook grip with a two minute rest before it)

75# Single hand deadlift: 3/ Side
88# Decline Sit-Ups: 4,3,3
5 Front levers ( Can't hold it and I assume they were not straight.)
Some bw calve raises and a short submaximal 88# farmers walk on my toes (Calves)


Took some advil and my back actually felt really good.
Clean-pulls were getting to my upper stomach. They felt heavier than last time forsure.

I did one set of Kb swings until I started to slow down. I dead-lift with my feet pretty close together so I used that stance for the swings. The Kb barely got between my legs but I wanted to assist the Dl. I probably could have done atleast 100 more swings pretty quickly but I just wanted one set.

I just totally forgot that the pull-ups were only supposed to be 5 sets. That was just a mistake. They felt good but the final rep of the last few sets were hard. The first 5 sets were great.

Did some one hand dls with the loading pin I used for pull-ups. It's really grip work but it's still some extra dead-lifting.

The sit-ups were hard this time. My lower back was bothering me. My abs could have been weaker but the Kb could have been higher. Tried some front levers. It seems like there is no fatigue but it's still hard on the abs.

Then I did the calve stuff. It sounds like I did a lot of #### but I also took long rests mostly. I don't feel over trained at all but my grip feels worked. I was craving more swings so I had to fight that.

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Day 19 Light

Bw: 211.6#

120# Press: 3 x 5

215# Squat: 2 x 5

80# Barbell-Curl: 10, 8, 8, 6
45# Barbell-Curl: 18
3 Minute rests for curls

Bw Squats: Atleast 50 but I lost count and stopped trying
Push-Ups: 25

Press is so dialed that there's nothing to say.

I can learn a lot from the light squats though. I know that I don't always make as big a chest as I need to. The big thing I need to fix is that I have to open up my hips. I use my abductors enough to keep my knees from hurting but I don't really use them to their full potential.

I tired doing barbell curls with a wide-grip and with a standard grip. Sets one and three were wide. Sets two and four were standard. I absolutely lifted more weight AND I kept it more strict using the wide grip. The issue was that my wrists were getting twisted and sore. It's going to be real simple. Either my wrists are going to feel sore or they won't. If they don't feel sore then I am going with wide grip. My wrists actually feel real good right now. Almost better than when I started which is odd. Did the higher rep set of curls last in the hopes that it will help me with high rep pull-ups. If my wrist is good then I will stick with wide grip for heavier sets and standard for high reps.