Finally got to the gym for some GPP work.

1xStarted out with some jump rope for a just a few minutes to warm up.

1xThen did some step ups to the front and to the side for a a while. Didn't really count how many or really for how long. Took some rest here and there and kept going. Maybe 15-20minutes at most.

1xFinished off with some pull throughs for a little while.

1x Soaked it up in the hot tub.

Week4/Day1 DE Bench

Bench 60% 1RM
8x3@155

High Pin Presses
1x3@185, 225, 235

DB Incline Press
3x10@65

HS Iso-Lateral Row
3x10@90 each side

Tri-Pushdown with Rope
4x12@40

Standing DB Hammer Curls
3x10@45

B/W 181.2

I figured this three week mini-cycle will be a good time to do some DL work. Next week I'll be gone on vacation and wont be working out. So, This week some really good deep stretching DL work now and the week after vacation and then finish off the third week from pins. I don't have a good platform to work off using both conventional and sumo style so I used 25lbs plates instead of 35or45lbs plates. That should give me the offset that I want.

Week4/Day2 ME SQ/DL

DL with a 2-3" offset Alternating Conv. and Sumo style

1x1@95, 145, 175, 195, 225, 245, 275, 295, 315 Conv.
1x1@95, 145, 175, 195, 225, 245, 275, 295, 315 Sumo

Skipped the GHR, hams were done.

Hypers
3x8@70 with 3-5s pause on top

Hanging Leg Raises
4x15

Seated Calf Raises
5x8@95

B/W 182.4

Firewood and Kindling... I got a bunch of funny looks today bringing in the boards. I had a few comments that I must be really cold to be carrying around my own firewood and kindling.

Week4/Day3 ME Bench

3 Board Press
1x3@bar, 95, 135, 165, 205, 225, 235, 245
1x2@255
1x?1?@265 (spotter)
1x?miss?@275 (spotter)


--I didn't mark anything as a PR as this is my first time doing this but it is the first time ever going above 255 or hitting 245 for 3 and 255 for 2. The last two sets kind of pissed me off and I have no idea how much help I got or if I even really needed it. I got a spotter and on the first set he held on to the bar the entire time. I pushed up the 265 way to easy so I asked if he helped and he said not at all. I didn't believe him. So, I asked him not to hold on to the bar the entire time on the next set but as soon as the bar started to slow down on the way up he grabbed on again and he said he just nudged it a very little but that was it. I said thanks and that was it. In my head I'm thinking "YOU FU*KING A$#". Next time I get a spotter I'll tell them not to touch the bar until it is on my chest and I'm not breathing. --


Pull ups
5x5

DB Front Raises
3x8@30

Lying Tri Ext.
3x12@20

B/W184.2

good spotters are hard to come by bro.

Reading your experience reminds me of when I was shooting for a PR in the shirt. My best was 405 and I went for 410, my training partner was at the head position.

I launched it up and was about 1/2" from lock out and it was hanging, there is not a single doubt in my mind that i had the lift but my partner grabbed it and immediately said "YOU WOULD HAVE HAD IT".

I flipped. "What the FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" I screamed at him.

The thing is...it's tough enough setting PR's. Breaking those personal records on maximum effort day is important. Helps you psychologically to overcome those barriers. For me, having 4 plates on each side was a major barrier, I acted entirely different in preperation whenever it was weight like that, instead of just looking at it as another lift.

Anyhow, I generally just tell the spotters not to touch it until I say "grab it" or unless the weight is coming DOWN when it's supposed to be going UP.

Almost turned into an ME day...
Got my new belt and knee wraps yesterday. I did some arm and grip work last night trying to bend the weight belt enough to break it in. I successfully broke my arms in and the belt is still super stiff.

Week4/Day4
Parallel Box Squat 60% 1RM
8x2@195

2" above Parallel Box Squat
1x1@295 Belt only
1x1@315 Belt with wraps
1x2@365 (PR PR)


I just couldn't help it. I had to try out the new belt and knee wraps. I put the bench on some plates to raise it just above parallel and didn't really plan on even going to 90% of my max. I just wanted to feel the new toys. After I easily got 315 I went ahead and with out thinking put on 25lbs on both sides. Then I paused and said opps I didn't mean to put those on. Then said screw it, I'm going for it. I got down paused and pushed up and thought damn I can do that again and did it! I don't know if it was the new equipment or the adrenaline rushing through me because I was excited about getting the new equipment but damn that felt good.



DB SLDL
3x10@80

DB Side bends
3x10@80

Hanging Leg Raises
4x15

Seated Calf Raises
5x8@90

B/W 183.2

Nice job on the box squats. I've found that squatting is mental. A lot of people are afraid of failing since you have hundreds of pounds on your back. It's a little intimidating. That's why I love the power rack, just set the pins and if you fail fuck it, lower it back down and no harm done.

Thanks will. They felt great and I can't wait for my next ME Squat. But for the next week I'll be headed off for South Florida on vacation. Then when I get back I'll hit it hard on some more deadlifts.

It actually felt great to get back from vacation. I couldn't wait to get back into the gym. I love my wife, she said next time we take vacation we have to plan on going to the gym and I totally agree. I didn't think she would want that as we were doing so much and on vacation. I might post some pictures. I didn't know how this mornings workout was going to be since I was up from 3:30am yesterday morning until 12:40am this morning and had to get up at 5:30am this morning to workout. But I couldn't take another day off and I kept waking up after 4am hoping it was time to go to the gym.

Week5/Day1

DE Bench
Bench 52% 1 RM ( I just wanted to go as fast as possible today)
8x3@135 (got a little overzealous a few times and did maybe 5-6 reps here and there)

Accessory:
High Pin Press
1x3@205, 235, 255 PR!! (Not a ME day but hit a PR anyway)

Assistance:
DB incline Bench
4x10@70

H.S. Isolateral Row
4x10@90/arm

Rope Tricep Pull downs
4x12@60

Seated DB curls
4x10@35

B/W 185!!!! (I ATE like there was no tomorrow the entire trip)

Raging Headache... Having a headache and doing the DL is not a good combination. I about passed out several times today. It didn't take long until I would be pulling up and the top of my head would feel like it was ripping open and exposing my skull. Once I got into some heavier weights it felt like my skull was also cracking open and my brains were starting to get pushed through the cracks. After every set it my head would pound like one of those asian guys beating the crap out of those drums. It was pure agony today. I need sleep and rest and I'm not going to be getting it any time soon. I couldn't let this stop me though and I kept thinking that I have to get to 400lbs I have to get to 400lbs... over and over again I would be thinking this to the beats of the drums in my head.

Week5/Day2

ME SQ/DL
DL with 2-3" offset (using nothing bigger than 25lbs plates on the bar. Alternate between sumo and conventional)
Sumo 1x1@95, 125, 145, 175, 195, 225, 245, 295, 325 PR, 345 PR PR!!!
Conv. 1x1@95, 125, 145, 175, 195, 225, 245, 295, 325 PR, miss

Assistance
GHR
4x8

Hypers (I wasn't counting as my head was under a nuclear attack)
3xas many as possible@70 with 4s pause on top

Hanging Leg raises
3x15

Seated Calf Raises
3x10@90

B/W who knows, I was so exhausted and out of it this morning and didn't weight myself

Heaviest Day EVER!!!....

Week5/Day3

ME Bench
3board Press
1x3@bar,105,135,165,185,205,225,245
1x2,miss@265 PR for 2 solid ones no spotter!!!
1x1miss@275 Had it almost up then it started coming down, racked it on lower hooks

Decided to skip the frustration of a spotter and to roll the bar off the boards and bang on the pins if I get stuck on the bottom.

Assistance

Pull-ups
6x5

DB Front Raises
4x10@30

DB Tri Extensions
4x10@35

Standing Ab pull downs
4x15@65

B/W: 187.8!!! PR This is the heaviest I have ever been in my ENTIRE life!!!

Here's the last 4 months weight change:

I keep thinking about that miss at 275lbs. I should have had it. I thought I would get it going into it too. I felt good coming off the 265 for 2. I keep thinking about what happened and I can only come up with that I lost focus. With all the chaos going on this week it's been hard to focus. Just pisses me off that I didn't get it. I have one more week to get it.

Tired, just flat out exhausted. I actually thought of not going in the gym this morning but figured the stress relief of picking up some weights and exhausting myself even further outweighed the pure agony of trying to wake up so early.

Week5/Day4

DE SQ/DL
Parallel Box Squats
10x2@205


SLDL
4x10@95

DB Side Bends
3x10@80

Hanging Leg Raises
4x15

Seated Calf Raises
5x8@110

B/W 186.2

4 Days of GPP and counting

Moving in the winter sucks. Started moving last Thursday some stuff from the old house to the new one. Saturday was really the big day though to get the rest of everything out. Out of the past 6 moves in 6 years that has been the worse. Nothing like hauling shit in "The ice storm of the century" as the news puts it. Sleet, rain, ice, snow, wind... you name it and we moved through it. No U-haul or anything just one truck and a car to pack stuff up in them and drive back and forth between houses. Luckly they are both in town and not to far from each other.

Sunday was moving boxing upstairs, downstairs, to the garage and back again. Still have more of that to do for probably the next few days. I'm not sure how well my ME days will be this week. My back, shoulders, hams, gluts, and quads are just killing me. I have a really sharp pain in my right shoulder too.

Don't know how I got up the morning but I did.

Week6/Day 1
DE Bench

Flat Bench
8x3@135

DB incline Benhc
4x10@70

HS Iso-lateral Row
4x10@90

Tri Rope Pulldowns
4x10@90

Rope Hammer Curls
4x10@110

B/W no idea, the scale is packed somewhere.

Getting my ass kicked... I feel like I'm getting overtrained with this move. Went and got appliances last night and installed them. Didn't install the dishwasher yet as there are no hookups or place for it yet. I'll be building a cabinet to go around it and have to run electric and water to it. Still got it though and put it in the basement for now.

1x1@ Refrigerator

1x1@ Dishwasher

1x1@ Washmachine

1x1@ Dryer

1x1@ Oven

Almost didn't make it to the gym today. I probably shouldn't have. But I thought to myself I have one year to get my lifts up and that's it before I compete. I just went in and did the ME work and skipped all assistance work as I think I've been getting plenty of that the past 5 days. For the Rack Pulls the pins were around mid-shin, would have liked them a little higher but the next hooks on the POS "Power Rack" or what ever it is would put the pins just above knee height.

Week6/Day2 ME SQ/DL

DL Rack Pulls

I started with the bar and worked up. Pulled mostly conventional but threw in some sumo's for good measure. I did a lot of workup sets but didn't record them as I just didn't feel like it today. I just wanted to concentrate on pulling and forget absolutely everything else. I do remember the higher weights though and here it goes.

1x1@315 conv.
1x1@315 sumo
1x1@345, 365 conv
1x1@365 sumo
1x1@375 conv.
1xmiss@405 conv and sumo (Conv. didn't move but on sumo I may have gotten it up about an inch or two)
1x1@365 conv.

B/W 184.6

GRAB BIG CHUNKS OF IRON AND FORGET EVERYTHING ELSE!!!!

Again, I was thinking of not going into the gym again today. I turned the alarm off and just layed there in bed for a while feeling all my muscle still in pain. I finally got out of bed and figured I'd do the same today as I did on my last ME SQ/DL day and concentrate on the ME work and forget everything else.

Week6/Day3 ME Bench

3board Press
1x3@bar, 95, 115, 135, 165, 185, 205, 225

1x2,miss@255 (This really felt freaking heavy and almost quit here and go back down in weight)

1x2@275 PR!!!!!!!! (I got pissed at myself for even thinking about going down in weight and being a pansy for not going or even hitting a previous PR. The first rep actually felt lighter then the 255 so I went for a second rep. and got it!!)

1x1@285 PR PR!!!!!! (FUCK EM ALL!!! I was so pumped up about the previous PR !!!)

1xmiss@305 (Just had to feel what 300lbs felt like and I can feel it in my reach)


B/W 183.8 I am really haven't been eating the best the past two days. GET IN MY BELLY!!!! I need to eat more the rest of the week.