Chebass88 gets stronger day by day.

[ud2o]

Ha! Thanks. I think I need to get a hype man for my training.

Yeeeeeeahhhhhhhhh Boyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

I'd like to apply for this, as it is likely the only way I could possibly be of any assistance to you in gym-related matters.

[Chebass88]

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

What is the best thing to do after 6 hours on a plane and a few hours sitting in a car, in traffic? Deadlifts.

Deadlift: 245x5, 335x3, 425x1, (475x3)x6, (475x1)x2

Rows: (245x7)x2, (245x8)x2

Pullups, Wide grip: 10 total

Time: ~75 minutes
BW: 259.4 lb

Ah, the commercial gym. What a fun place to be. These lifts weren't as nice as I would have liked them, but I got them done. I was able to talk weightlifting with a girl who was squatting in the rack while I lifted on the outside. It was encouraging to see someone squatting more than bodyweight, with solid depth. The best part of all of it was overhearing a stereotypical bro (with highly exaggerated invisible lat syndrome) explaining to a second bro how to bench to really get big shoulders and lats. Fascinating.

And what kind of fucking bonehead does an unspotted decline bench with two wheels AND CLIPS? The Bro. That's who.

[Chebass88]

Jet lagged DLs.

Sounds like you had a fun time. At least the chatting part.

Definitely. The hotel is right next to the gym too, so I didn't have to hurry due to sharing a rental car.

And I am reminded this morning that I am in full possession of some back musculature (in George Takei voice). Presses & curls should be fun this afternoon, after a day at the test site, climbing all over some machinery.

[Chebass88]

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Once again, our humble gym observer ventures into the world of the bro.

Press: 135x5, 155x3, 175x1, 195x2,3,2,2, 205x2, (195x2)x3, 155x11; PR - 11RM

Curls: 135x2, 115x5,7,7,5,5, 100x12, 100x10; PR - 12RM

Time: 60 minutes
BW: 260.4 lb

Lots of notes tonight.
1. I knew I'd have an S-ton of fatigue from last night's session, but it is a scheduling problem. Tomorrow (Thursday) is another long day at the test site followed by a couple hour car ride. Friday is another day in an airplane. It was either train today or miss presses & curls this week (and we can't have that!). I put the iPod on & got to enjoy Zappa and Bill Chase. Oh yeah!

2. I didn't want to do a density block tonight, so I made sure I got some decent curling volume in. At the end, I treated myself to a bro-fest. I curled one of the prefab barbells in front of the mirror. I even rolled my sleeves up to make sure I could observe the greatness. A new PR - 12RM. Solid.

3. A note on PRs. In my spreadsheet where I track all my lifts, I keep track of all my PRs as 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, and 20 rep maxes. I train six lifts per week. This means I have FORTY-EIGHT opportunities to set a new PR each week. How awesome is that? Even if a session isn't going all that well, and the work sets feel like garbage, setting a new 12RM gets the mind back on track and is very invigorating. After all, why do we do this if we aren't interested in lifting MORE than we did before?

4. Last night, I described some stereotypical bros and their conversation. I didn't mention what they were doing, but you can probably guess. They were benching. Oh yeah! They were doing all of the requisite bro bench variations - partner assist, legs in the air, suicide grip, etc. I walked in tonight, and observed the same bros, wearing the same clothes as last night, doing the same exercises as last night, with the same weight on the bar (varying between 135 & 145). Fascinating. The only logical conclusion is that they never left. What am I doing screwing around with 7.5 minute density blocks for? The 24-hour density block is where it's at. Take note, fellow meatheads.

And now for the benediction:
Go ye forth into all the world, and pick things up and put them down.

[Chebass88]

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Back home & in the garage.

DLSBS*: 135x10, 225x20, 255x20 (to 18" box) (Deadlift stance box squats)

RDLs: 135x10, 225x10, 275x10,12,12; (clean grip, with straps)

Roman Chair sit-ups: 6, 15, 20

Time: 85 minutes (see notes)
BW: NM (likely >260 due to eating like an asshole while on travel…)

I thought I'd try something different today. I did deadlift stance box squats (George Leeman recommends these in a video with Mark Bell & Silent Mike). I used an 18" box. I'm used to doing a below-parallel squat, so this took some getting used to. I also started lighter on RDLs since I'm not particularly good at these. Just for fun, I threw in some roman chair sit-ups. I got a RC / back extension bench from a guy at work a couple years ago, in exchange for a breakfast sandwich. It is okay - especially if I put my hundred pound plates on the bottom to hold it down. Time was super long for the relatively low amount of work done due to watching Youtube videos.

[Chebass88]

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Sunday, Fun Day.

Bench: 135x5, 225x5, 275x1, (290x3)x8

Curl: (135x3)x2, 135x4, (135x3)x5, 170xF, 155x2; PR - 2RM

BB Cheat Curl: 170x4 (done immediately following 170xF)

Time: 79 minutes
BW: NM

A decent day overall. I didn't do my presses today like I did the past three weeks. There was quite a bit of layback on the curl PR, but no hip action. I earned the right to increase to 295 on the bench, too. Now to go and deal with the droppings of two very large oak trees in the yard.

[Mahendra]

Howdy! Just stopping by to say I really enjoy your log. Great progress and it's very positive.

One takeaway I'm going to use for myself is setting a small PR every training session. Whether it be on reps or weight, or completing a session quicker.

Cheers!

[Chebass88]

Howdy! Just stopping by to say I really enjoy your log. Great progress and it's very positive.

One takeaway I'm going to use for myself is setting a small PR every training session. Whether it be on reps or weight, or completing a session quicker.

Cheers!

Thanks, Mahendra! I'm glad it is helpful to you.

[Chebass88]

Double post.

In order to not waste a post, I might as well share my training plan for the next eight weeks. My goal is to focus on getting a 605 deadlift. Here is what I intend to do to make it happen.

FRIDAY
DL stance box squats, unbelted, higher reps, either increasing once 20 reps met or adding weight every week and doing as many reps as possible
RDLs - clean grip, with straps, higher rep (~12).
Abs (RC situps, cable crunches, decline situps, etc.)

SATURDAY - Off (yardwork, etc.)

SUNDAY
Bench Press - 8 doubles adding reps until 8 triples
Curls (heavy) - either 8 doubles adding reps until 8 triples (~80%) or heavy singles (~90%).

MONDAY - Off

TUESDAY
Deadlifts - two four week progressions increasing in intensity, i.e., working up to "max" sets of 5, 3, 2, and 1 for each week. Possible backoff sets at ~80% of working weight.
Rows - 4 sets x 8-12 reps
Upper back work - likely seated rows, high rep sets, increasing once 20 reps met. Maybe shrugs.

WEDNESDAY - Off

THURSDAY
Press - 8 doubles adding reps until 8 triples
Curls (Volume) - ~6000lbs at ~65-70% 1RM

Essentially, everything in the program is to drive the deadlift, with the exception of the presses (done so as not to regress in pressing strength). I think it is a reasonable approach. I have to follow the advice I give out in the training & programming forums - go in the gym and try it out. Any PRs are coincidental, but not necessarily planned.

Here are the pros and cons as I see them.
PROS:
- Heavy deadlift volume (YEAH BUDDY!), periodized in a way that ramps up to new 1RMs in weeks 4 & 8.
- Lighter weight exercises on "Squat Day" mean residual fatigue from deadlifts doesn't impact getting some decent work done. I'm interested to see if the DLSBS have an impact.
- I'm only 20lbs away from a major goal (hundies & four wheels per side).
- Decent amount of pressing & curls.

CONS
- possible detraining on the squat. Maybe, maybe not. Over the past few weeks, my squat has been in the toilet anyway. I'm not too concerned, as my lower back & legs will still get a hearty working. We'll see. I still have some big goals for the squat, but likely better to focus on them separately.
- Thanksgiving & at a few days of travel for work. I can shift some days around in order to get the work done in the week.



We'll see how it turns out. The biggest unknown is the impact of accessory lifts for the deadlift, but I'll certainly learn how they work.

[Chebass88]

I'll find out today how many gains were stolen by deciduous trees.

I used the blower on the lawn, and it was super smooth. MUCH better than using a rake. A couple passes with the mower & a mulching blade, and the problem was taken care of. Easy enough to enjoy a nice pipe of MacBaren's Latakia Blend while doing it (and dreaming up new lifting programs).