[S.O.Interceptor]

Wednesday 02-15-2012

Deadlift:
155 x5
205 x3
245 x1
272.5 x5
310 x3
347.5 x3

These were decent. Every rep at 347.5 was horribly slow but solid. I wanted 3 and got them. I'm happy about this because I struggled so much with 337.5 last cycle. My hands have been holding me back real bad lately. Not really a lack of strength, because I pulled 375 quick and easy a while back. But they hate doing reps. I can only hold around 310 without using a hook grip or a mixed grip. But lately my hands have hurt so bad deadlifting that the hook is almost unbearable. And I can not stand using amixed grip, so I guess I've got to just grin and bear it.


Deadlift Boring but Big:
180 -10x5

This was awesome. I hammered out sets of 10 quickly and while it definitely sucked, I did it.


Power Cleans:
135 -5x2

I got tired of rows and started really missing power cleans lately, so I swapped them. Maybe not the best idea after 70 reps of deadlift, but oh well. I started over at 135 because I hadn't done a rep in 2 months. I planned a 5x3 but it didn't happen. Set 1 sucked. I was sloppy, shaky, and musta been doing a slight arm row because I strained my elbow. But set 2 was good. I got into my grove, got my jump and shrug working, got my feet to do their job, caught it upright and strong, and was happy with them. Unfortunately all of that concentration and effort blew my load and I was hammered afterward. Everything from my quads, to hams, to low back, to shoulders was work out, so I called it a day. But PCs shall return again next week.

[S.O.Interceptor]

Thursday 02-16-2012

BADASS BENCH BONANZA!!!!!!


Bench:
45- 20x2
95 x5
135 x5
162.5 x5
185 x3
207.5 x6 REP PR
225 x1 -ACTUAL PR

These went AWESOME!!! 162.5 and 185 were a little sluggish, but I got fired up and wanted 5 reps at 207.5, but willing to accept 4. I got 6 good clean reps and may have been able to continue. Then after a couple of minutes I got wild hair to try for 225. 225 felt heavy in the wrist, but it went down smoothly, a nice crisp touch-and-go with no bounce, and I drove it fast off the chest. It went up so fast and easy that I actually let out all of my air and started laughing I was so surprised. If I had known how that was going to go, I would've gone for more. Oh well, I'm happy!!!


Dumbbell Bench:
50s -10x5

Bench Boring but Big w/ Fat Gripz:
107.5- 10x5

Both of these were brutal after the main bench workout, but I got every rep. It was a good day!

[S.O.Interceptor]

Monday 02-20-2012

It was not a good day in the gym. My sleep and nutrition was thrown way off this weekend. I was sore and tired starting out during the warmups and it didn't get easier. My kids were also running around playing in my gym area and I was helping my wife with her workout between sets which did not help my focus or keep me fired up.

Squat:
45 -5x3
95 x5
135 x5
160 x3
180 x1
200 x5
230 x5
260 x6

This was horrible. Warmups felt like working sets and working sets felt impossible. I wanted at least 7 reps at 260 but barely got 6, and some of them were beyond ugly.


Squat Boring but Big:
152.5 -10, 8, 6, 6, 4

These were horrible. I was so winded and worn out after my work sets that I could barely finish 1 set.

I guess I should've taken my de-load week this week.

[BCR]

2 bench PRs in one day??!!

Thats a great feeling. Way to kill it!

[S.O.Interceptor]

Tuesday 02-21-2012

I should have cancelled my lift today. I woke up with a horribly sore and stiff neck. I don't know if it's just a muscle sprain or a pinched nerve. I had a pinched nerve a little over a year ago that felt just like this and it wrecked me. I had to go to a chiropractor just to function. I hope it's just muscle. Either way, today probably just made it worse, but I'm too bullheaded and stubborn to cancel, especially when I've got the house to myself and I've wanted to lift something heavy all day.

Press:
45 -10x2
65 x5
90 x3
110 x5
127.5 x5
145 x7

These were not fun. Warmups - 127.5 were moderately painful but liveable. And while I was cranking 145 I could stand it. I got 5 consecutive reps and 2 from a pause. It wasn't bad. Earlier in the day I wanted 8 but as the day went on I knew 5 would be a victory and 7 would be a miracle. I got my miracle.

Dumbbell Press:
45s - 4x1

4 reps. That's it. I couldn't handle it. After my heavy sets my neck was screaming at me. I struggled through 4 reps and threw down my dumbbells and stomped off. Now I have to hope this passes soon.

I did learn my lesson though. If it hurts tomorrow, I'm cancelling the rest of the week and repeating next week.

Originally Posted by BCR

2 bench PRs in one day??!!

Thats a great feeling. Way to kill it!

It was an amazing feeling. It had been a long time coming.

[Eyescream]

It must be pinched whatever day. I pinched something major around my shoulder blade last night sleeping and aggravated it today pressing,

So now nothing I do is comfortable.

[S.O.Interceptor]

So I cancelled the rest of the week earlier this week. I decided to just repeat last week, next week.

But today I got bored and irritated with feeling weak and useless. So I did a short lightweight lift to see how the neck was.

Squat:
45 -5x2
95 x2
135 x2
185 x2
225 x1
250 -1x2

These went alright. Maybe it was the abbreviated warmup, or the fact I only rested enough to change the weight in between, but these felt unbelievably heavy and slow. I may be in trouble come Monday. I felt exhausted after each rep of 250 and am wondering how I will manage 5+ reps at 260.

Press:
135 x1

This felt fine. No problems with the neck pressing today.

Dumbbell Press:
45s x5

These too. The neck felt fine.

Overall I feel okay and I think the neck will be ready to go Monday. I just hope the rest of me will.

Originally Posted by Eyescream

It must be pinched whatever day. I pinched something major around my shoulder blade last night sleeping and aggravated it today pressing,

So now nothing I do is comfortable.

That's how I've been all week. I cancelled the rest of this week's workout Wednesday morning, but I'm stubborn, as you can tell from the above.

[S.O.Interceptor]

Monday 02-27-2012

A damn good day in the gym!!!!


Squat:
45 -5x3
95 x5
135 x5
160 x3
180 x1
200 x5
230 x5
260 x7

These were awesome!!! I was really concerned after last Monday and this past Saturday, but I felt great today. I was determined to beat last weeks mediocre 6. I got 7 good, deep, reps, that looked and felt great.



Squat Boring but Big:
152.5 - 10, 10, 8, 6, 6

These were a slow death as usual.

Front Squat:
152.5 -1x2

I did this on the spur of the moment just because it had been a while. I did 1 rep and it felt better than a front squat has ever felt for me. I had always had trouble getting to depth, rocking forward on my toes, etc. Today was picture perfect. Then I did it again to confirm how it felt, with video to support it.

[BCR]

Out of curiousity, how much rest do you take between your BbB squats and deads sets?

I take 2 mins.

[S.O.Interceptor]

Originally Posted by BCR

Out of curiousity, how much rest do you take between your BbB squats and deads sets?

I take 2 mins.

I take 3 minuttes between squats and deadlifts 99% of the time. Occasionally if my workout went quickly I will extend that to 5 minutes to get more out of the BbB, but I want in and out of the gym asap and rarely ever do it. 2 minutes between press and bench all the time.

[S.O.Interceptor]

Tuesday 02-28-2012


Press:
45 -10x2
65 x5
90 x3
110 x5
127.5 x5
145 x8

I found some old knee sleeves today and decided to try them as elbow sleeves. I have been wanting elbow sleeves lately to hopefully help with a slight elbow tendonitis I have. I tried the sleeves and they helped the elbows but I guess they were too tight because it constricted my bicep and caused pain. Last year I tore the bicep and bicep tendon and for the first time since I returned from injury, my left shoulder/bicep hurt. Elbow felt warm and good, but I had to ditch the sleeves. Maybe if I get a set of dedicated elbow sleeves that fit better I'll get better results.

Anyway, I got 8 strong reps, which was what I was hoping for last week. It went much better this week. Rep #8 was better than #7 last week.


Dumbbell Press:
45s -10, 10, 5, 7, 7

By the time I got to these my shoulder/bicep were not feeling 100%. I struggled through 1 sets of 10, but on the 3rd set I had to drop it after 5. I rested about 5 minutes, the shoulder felt better, and I got 2 sets of 7 solid reps.


Press Boring but Big w/ Fat Gripz:
85 -10x5

These were much better. I'm not sure why, but I got all 50 of these and had no pain, just the usual muscle fatigue.

I'm hoping this isn't an ongoing issue.

[S.O.Interceptor]

Wednesday 02-29-2012

Leap Day Deadlifting!


Deadlift:
135 x5
185 x3
215 x1
247.5 x5
280 x5
317.5 x8
405 -FAIL

The working sets went great! I hammered out 8 solid reps, which was my goal. And for some reason I decided to try 405 just for kicks. Unfortunately my back was worn out and wasn't having it. It stopped at the top of my knees and began its trip back to the floor. Oh well, I'm still pleased with the way the workout went.

Deadlift Boring but Big:
185- 10x3

I was exhausted after 3 sets and called it a day. I skipped the power cleans too. Just too tired.

[S.O.Interceptor]

Thursday 03-01-2012

I had a good comeback today.


Bench:
45 -20x2
95 x5
115 x3
145 x5
167.5 x5
190 x10

These went really well. I got 10 really good reps, and could've gotten more.


Dumbbell Bench:
55s -10, 10, 8, 8, 8

These were rough as hell. I failed for the first time in a while. I guess I wasn't ready to add 5lbs to each side yet. I'll just stay at this weight for a couple of cycles until I own the 55s before moving to 60s.

Bench Boring but Big w/ Fat Gripz:
110 -8, 8, 10, 10, 10

These started badly because I didn't rest enough before starting. I went right from dumbbells to this and I failed sets 1 and 2. Then things smoothed out after I rested a couple of extra minutes between sets 2 and 3.

[S.O.Interceptor]

Monday 03-05-2012

I was a little sore and tired today. Yesterday we all went for a family walk. And me being me, I had to sprint every hill I came to. It was enough to tire out my legs tonight.


Squats:
45 -5x3
95 x5
135 x5
165 x3
185 x1
215 x3
245 x3
277.5 x5

215 was fast and easy. 245 was slower and slightly difficult. And 277.5 was a nightmare. Every rep felt terrible. Even rep #1 felt like a max and I wasn't sure I could get anymore. Somehow I struggled and ground out 5 reps. 3 of them looked good on film, and the last 2 were showing signs of form breakdown, but none of them looked as bad as they felt.


Front Squats:
152.5 x3

These were real good. All 3 reps were deep and I was able to control my back angle really well. I could've done a lot more reps, but knew the BbB would be hard enough as it was.


Squat Boring but Big:
152.5 -10x3

I had to cut this short. I was just too tired to keep it up. By the end of set 3 I was barely grinding them up.

[S.O.Interceptor]

Tuesday 03-06-2012


Press:
45 -10x2
65 x5
90 x3
105 x1
120 x3
135 x3
152.5 x5

These owned me today. My legs were so sore I had no drive at all. Every time I went to tighten up the quads to drive hard, I felt a tear run down my cheek. I did somehow manage to limp my way to adding 1 rep at this weight from January, but I wanted 6.


Dumbbell Press:
45s- 10, 10, 10, 8, 8

I added some reps to these this week, but they still wore me out. I'll be staying at this weight for a while.


Press Boring but Big:
85 -10, 10, 8, 6, 6

I added reps to the dumbbell at the expense of reps of these. I barely got the last set of 6.

[Eyescream]

Your press is bigger than my press, but I'm catching up! I did 135x5x3 today after having to reset completely to nothing after being sick all last summer and fall.

Reading your log I'm becoming more and more convinced that dumbbells are awesome for assistance exercises.

[S.O.Interceptor]

Wednesday 03-07-2012

Deadlift:
135 x5
185 x3
225 x1
262.5 x3
300 x3
337.5 x5 +1

337.5 was ugly and hard as hell. I got 5 decent reps but I wanted 6 and it felt like my thumbs were going to tear off on each rep using the hook grip. After watching the video of the set I got pissed off and went and did 1 more reps as punishment, using a mixed grip for the first time in a very long time. The rep went up well (anger is great fuel) but it felt weird on the shoulder.

Power Cleans:
140 5x3

These started terribly. My form was horrible and I could feel in my shoulders that I was doing some arm pulling. The 3rd set was the best and went up smooth, even tired as hell, because I got my rhythm going well.

Deadlift Boring but Big:
185 -10x3

These were amazing painful. After PCs I felt like hell and decided to cut it down to 3 sets.

Originally Posted by Eyescream

Your press is bigger than my press, but I'm catching up! I did 135x5x3 today after having to reset completely to nothing after being sick all last summer and fall.

Reading your log I'm becoming more and more convinced that dumbbells are awesome for assistance exercises.

Catch me if you can. The gauntlet has been thrown down!!

I honestly believe the "death by dumbbell" I do everyday is what has helped me the most. I will probably be dropping the BbB for the most part and focusing on dumbbells for BbB and then doing some heavier dumbbell singles.

[Eyescream]

Dumbbells are pretty great.

[S.O.Interceptor]

Thursday 03-08-2012

Bench:
45 -20x2
95 x5
135 x3
155 x3
177.5 x3
200 x8

These went alright. I wanted 8, and got them, but barely. #8 was about as rough a grinder as it gets. My arms were still fried from all the pressing on Tuesday.

Dumbbell Bench:
55s -10x5 -2 sets w/ Fat Gripz, 3 w/o

These went well. I finally owned the 55s, even with the Fat Gripz. I won't be upping the weight any time soon, but I was happy to get them.


Bench Boring but Big w/ Fat Gripz:
110 -10x5

These sucked. I finished them, but I felt like death afterward.


I think after next week I'm changing up the program a little. I'm going to cut down the squat BbB down to just 3 sets total, only going to do dumbbell BbB for the bench and press, and only do power cleans after deadlifting.

Hopefully I will have a sled soon to do some conditioning too.

[S.O.Interceptor]

Monday 03-12-2012

A GREAT DAY IN THE GYM!

Squat:
45- 5x3
95 x5
135 x5
170 x3
205 x1
230 x5
262.5 x3
292.5 x2 - PR!!!
315 x1 - And another PR!!!


The daylight saving garbage threw me off real bad. I didn't get any sleep and I was sluggish all day. Then I got tired and sore as hell during warmups. I figured there was no way I would be able to finish my main work sets at all. But I cranked out 1 decent rep and 1 ugly reps at 292.5 for a PR, and then decided I wanted to try 315. I wasn't sure I was being realistic, until I unracked it. It felt light on my back and when I watched the video apparently I even said "Oh ya, I got this mother****er!" right before I took my breath and buried it. What a good feeling to finally make some progress.


Front Squats:
155 x3
175 x1

These were just for fun. And they went really well. Some day I'll try maxing on the front squat.

Hill Sprints:
x10 - 1 weight, 9 unweighted

I pushed my boy in his stroller up the hill after our family walk. He weighs around 40lbs. Then I did 9 more. Hill sprints are awesome, and so is having good enough weather to do some conditioning.


I didn't do any BbB because I didn't want to. From now on, squat days will include some sort of post-squat conditioning, weather permitting. Hopefully in 2 weeks I'll have a sled. Until then, hill sprints are awesome!

[Eyescream]

Daylight savings time is retarded.

[BCR]

Originally Posted by Eyescream

Daylight savings time is retarded.

Agreed.

But new PRs rule!

[S.O.Interceptor]

Tuesday 03-13-2012

PR PRESS DAY!!!!!

Press:
45 -10x2
65 x5
90 x3
115 x1
127.5 x5
145 x3
162.5 x4 Rep PR!!!
185 x1 -1 rep max PR!

My legs felt good going in(which is unusual, I guess those hill sprints helped the post-squat DOMS) and things just fell into place. 162.5 went up cleanly 4 times, and even though I failed rep #5, 4 was a rep PR. My previous 1RM was 165. So I was feeling ballsy and went for 185. It was a slow 10 second grinder that probably took a year off my life expectancy, but it went up cleanly too, making me feel awesome!!


Dumbbell Press:
45s -10x5

I probably should have laid off of these after my main workout, but I wanted to keep feeling awesome, so I ground my way through these. I may not be able to move my arms tomorrow, but it was worth it.

Originally Posted by BCR

But new PRs rule!

Yes they are.

[BCR]

Rock-n-rollin son!

Awesome to hear.

[S.O.Interceptor]

Wednesday 03-14-2012

Deadlift:
135 x5
185 x3
225 x1
250 x1
282.5 x5
317.5 x3
357.5 x3 Rep PR
405 x1 -FAIL

These were all rough and slow, but looked fairly decent. I wanted 3 reps because I only got 3 reps at 347.5 last cycle. So I'm content with this. Then I got greedy and decided to try for 405. I was fired up and ready to rock, but failed at the middle of the knee. It wasn't much of an attempt.


Power Cleans:
140 x5
155 x1

I was tired as hell when it came time for this. I did 1 set and decided to see how much my form would break down on higher weight, and it did, so I called it quits.


Hill Sprints(hill #2):
x6

I decided to try another hill about 1/4 mile away. I jogged down there, looked at it, and figured it wouldn't be much harder than the hill I ran Monday. I was very very wrong. I found that out once I did the first run. I felt it, and then looked down and realized how much longer and more of a grade it was. 6 of these felt like 16 of the other hill. Dry heaves commenced on the way home. It was still awesome!