Samuel Clark, Intermediate Training Log

[SClark08]

Monday, 2-Jan 2017
Weight -- Time: 1020 (00:55)

Warmup: band rotator cuffx100, hipsx80

Pull-up: BWx5, 25x3, 45x2, 70x7x2
Superset w/ Clean & Press 45x5, 135x4, 185x3, 205x2, 185x6x2

Front Squat 225x4, 275x3, 330x5, 335x5, 340x5

Seated DB Press 70x8, 75x8,8
Bent DB Lateral 40x10,10,10


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[SClark08]

Tuesday, 3-Jan 2017
Weight: 218lbs, Time: 1020 (00:50)

Warmup: band rotator cuffx100

Barbell Row 45x10, 135x5, 185x4, 205x3, 225 8x3

Superset w/Incline Bench 45x10, 135x5, 185x4, 205x3, 225 8x2

DB Row 105 3x10
Superset w/ DB Bench 85 3x10

Barbell Curl 95 4x8 (90 next time)
Superset w/Overhead DB Ext 110 4x10

*BB Curl got sloppy on the last set. I'll drop back to 90 next time but keep the rep progression moving along.


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[SClark08]

Thursday, 5-Jan 2017
Weight: 219lbs, Time: 1200 (01:10)

Warmup: band rotator cuff x100, hips x100

Squat 45x10, 135x5, 225x4, 315x3, 405x2, 475x1, 495x1, 515x1, 535x4 RPE10

Paused Squat 445 3 sets of 2

Pull up 70 7 sets of 2, 1 set of 3
Superset w/ Clean & Press 190 7x2, 1x3

Seated DB Press 75x8,8,9
Bent DB Lateral 40x10,10,11

Notes: I had planned on making a 10 lb jump from two weeks ago (515x5), instead I mis counted the weight and did 535x4. The bar was slightly bent (from my previous training sessions) and had significant whip - in the video you can see my shoulders/chest bounce as well as the weight shift onto my heels at the top/toes come up a hair.

Video: Squats 5-Jan 2017 - YouTube

[SClark08]

Friday, 6-Jan 2017
Weight: 219lbs, Time: 1045 (00:45)

Warmup: band rotator cuff x100

Barbell Row 45x10, 135x5, 185x4, 205x3, 225 7x3, 1x4

Superset w/ incline 225 7x2, 1x3

DE Deadlift 375 10x1 /30-sec

BB Curl 90x8,8,8,9+
Superset w/ OH DB Ext 110x10,10,10,11+


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[SClark08]

Monday, 9-Jan 2017
Weight: 218.25lbs, Time: 1230 (01:10)

Warmup: band rotator cuff x100, hips x100
Squat 45x10, 135x5, 225x4, belt: 315x3, 405x2, 455x1, 495x1, work sets: 425x5, 440x5, 450x5, 460x5, 470x5
Pullup: 70 6x2, 2x3
Superset w/ Clean & Press 190 6x2, 2x3
Seat DB Press 75x8,9,9,4*
Rear Laterals --

Notes: I rushed the piss out of this session (rest between press/pullup rounds was 60 seconds versus 90-120, squat rest was capped at 3 minutes versus 3-5); had I not been pressed for time I would have Pressed first, squatted second, then made time for my two accessory movements. I'll repeat the accessory work tomorrow at the end of the incline/back session - I missed my forecasted second set of 9 because - due to order of sequence - I put two pressing exercises back to back with minimal rest (60 seconds max between sets). Squat went okay - I needed to slow down, finish taking my air/brace and then squat. I got really good feedback via my ankles that I was not applying enough hip torque during some of my reps; I was able to correc this on the final three sets.

Overview of this program:
I am in the second week of this hybrid program; the template is the Texas Method 4-day split routine (a volume day for upper and lower as well as a max effort), however, I have been stagnant on my incline and my overhead pressing and I wanted to incorporate more pulling; so I am using Doug Hepburn's 8x2/8x3 scheme twice weekly for each pressing movement in a superset that uses the opposite motion (i.e. barbell row for incline bench, pullup for overhead press, etc.). On ME day 1 I do either a DE or ME squat, and on ME day 2 I alternate DE with ME (staggered with ME squatting of course) in either week A or week B. I also alternate ME pulling exercises - using a rack pull in ME A (1x2-3, plus a backoff set or 3-5) and a floor pull in ME B (1x3-5, plus a backoff set of 5-8 or 8-10) - this deadlifting schedule came from Justin Lascek's 'Texas Method Advanced" ebook (70sbig.com). My squat is by far the most unique aspect of this bastardized TM Split Routine. Volume Day A is a 5x5 low bar squat. This started as an ascending 5x5 to reaclimate to the volume, then a 5x5 across for as long as I was making progress, then 5x5 ascending to garner more progress, now its 5x5A = ascending, 5x5B = sets across. Volume B is always 3x5 Front Squats with a similar progression as the 5x5 A/B relationship. Intensity days are ID-A = 10-12x2 banded squats (50% 1RM bar weight + 65lb bands), ID-B is a 5RM (at the moment). I also warmup EVERY squat session to a daily 1RM - some days 495 feels heavy, other days I work up to 535 (in the case of last friday, I was supppsed to do 515x5 but mis-counted the plates and somehow managed 535x4 - grind at 4). A month of squatting looks like this:

Week 1
Volume 1A: Back Squat 5x5 Ascending - 425x5, 435x5, 445x5, 455x5, 465x5 (average weight = 445x5)
Intensity 1A: Dynamic Effort Back Squat 10x2 275 + 135lbs band tension on-the-minute

Week 2
Volume 1B: Front Squat 3x5 Ascending - 315x5, 325x5, 335x5 (average weight = 325)
Intensity 1B: Back Squat 1x5RM - e.g. 515x5

Week 3
Volume 2A: Back Squat 5x5 Across - 445 (average weight from Volume 1A - Volume 3A is ascending again plus 5lbs per set, etc. etc.)
Intensity 2A: Dynamic Effort Back Squat - repeat (not about weight - its all about technique and bar speed)

Week 4
Volume 2B: Front Squat 3x5 Across - 325 (average weight from Volume 1B - same progression as back squat just with two fewer sets)
Intensity 2B: Back Squat 5RM - 520 or 525x5 (based on where my daily 1RM lands, I'll either make a 5 or 10lb gain from the previous 5RM).

This squat 'program' works well and is something I came up with to deal with excess volume from the Texas Method and to incorporate dynamic effort as well as front squats without using three days of squatting per week. To give credit where it is due, the alternating DE and ME squat days came from Justin Lascek's e-books (70sbig.com) and was echoed in Practical Programming for Strength Training Ed3 by Mark Rippetoe and Andy Baker. However the second volume squat day was purely out of vanity to do something different and the banded DE work came from my curiosity of West Side Conjugate. In sum, my squat 'method' is a conglomerate of many styles, tailored to an intermediate lifter that can still make progress on a two-week schedule. Obviously it leaves a lot of room for progress as I jumped from 505x5 to 535x4 in a matter of three weeks - purely by accident. I'll add that I've been achieving this with reduced sleep (my son will be 7 months old on Wedneday). You cannot argue with results. And calories.

[SClark08]

Tuesday, 10-Jan 2016
Weight: 219lbs, Time: 1000 (00:53)

Warmup: band rotator cuff x100
Barbell Row 225 6x3, 2x4
Superset w/ Incline bench 225 6x2, 2x3

Seated DB Press 75x10

DB Row 105 x10,10,11
Superset w/DB Bench 85x10,10,11,10

Bent Lateral 40x10,11,11

Barbell Curl 90x8,8,9,9
Superset w/overhead DB Extension 110x10,10,11,11


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[SClark08]

Thursday, 12-Jan 2017
Weight: 219.5lbs, Time: 1200 (01:15)

Warmup: band rotator cuff x100, hips x100

Pull up 70 5x2, 3x3
Superset w/ clean & press 190 5x2, 3x3

DE band squat (65lb band/side) 275 10x2

Seated DB Press 75 8,9,9,8+2
Bent Lateral 40x10,11,11,11


--break--


Friday, 13-Jan 2017
Weight: 220.5lbs, Time: 1100 (01:10)

Warmup: band rotator cuff x100

Bent row 225 5x3, 3x4
Superset w/incline 225 5x2, 3x3

Rack pull 315,405,495,585x3, 545x5

Hawaiian (power) shrug 455x5,5,5
Hawaiian (strict) shrug 365x15,12

Barbell Curl 90x8,9,9,9
Superset w/OH DB Ext 110 10,11,11,11


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[SClark08]

Monday, 16-Jan 2017
Weight: --, Time: 1030 (01:15)

Warmup: band rotator cuff x100, hips x100

Pull up BWx5, 25x4, 50x3, 70 4x2, 4x3

Superset w/ powerclean & strict press 135x5, 155x4, 175x3, 190 4x2, 4x3

Front Squat 335 3 sets of 5 RPE9,9,9.5

Seated DB Press 75 x9,9,9,8+2
Seated DB Rear Lateral 40 4 sets of 11


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[SClark08]

Tuesday, 17-Jan 2017
Weight: 219.5lbs, Time: 1030 (00:55)

Warmup: band rotator cuff x100

Barbell Row 45x10, 135x8, 185x6, 205x5, 225 4x4, 4x5

Superset w/incline 45x10, 135x8, 185x6, 205x4, 225 4x2, 4x3

DB Row 105x11,11,12
Superset w/ DB Bench 85x11,11,12,12,8

Barbell Curl 90x9,9,9,6+2+2+1
Superset w/OH DB Ext 110x11,11,11,12


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[SClark08]

Thursday, 19-Jan 2017
Weight: 219.5lbs, Time: 1145 (01:15)

Warmup: rotators cuff x100, hips x100

Squat 45x10, 135x5, 225x4, belt 315x3, 405x2, 495x1 RPE8.5, 525x1 RPE9, 545x1 RPE9.5, 535x1,miss***, 525x1 RPE9.5, paused 455 2,2,2

Pull up 70 3x2, 5x3
Superset w/Clean and press 190 3x2, 5x3

DB Press 70x9,9,9,10
Bent Lateral 40x11,11,11,12

Notes: I hadn't had any coffee today and I was off my meal schedule - had to train hungry. Got gassy during my working sets of squat. Whole body felt slow and fatigued. Two weeks ago I had a solid 535x4, I was trying for a set of five this week. The bar was a bit stiffer than the previous max session - perhaps that might be all that was needed here. Press was slow but controlled. All in all a B- session today.


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