Arms 2

Good day today. A little uneventful

Started with a nice walk. Once summer ends, I am going to have both wednesday and saturday as steady-state cardio at a pretty low intensity, for 20 mins each, but for now I have wednesday as fairly high intensity, and I'm keeping saturday REALLY low. So just a nice walk to get moving and warm. Then, onto arms. Started with incline bench after a long warmup. Decided to go really light today, doing 95 lbs for sets of 10 on the 2 mins. This turned out to be far too light, I did 8 sets of 10 without much effort at all. Still, I just wanted to feel out the movement. I am definitely going to keep in these bench variations on my arms days, so I am essentially benching 4 days a week. Frequency might be what I need.

Next, curls. Used just a straight bar (45 lbs) for sets of 10, but this time I did them on the minute. Actually got a pretty nice pump, although heavier would have been better... I'm still trying to find ways around using heavy weight. Still, I think 10 more lbs would have been good here.

Finally, did a mini arms metcon. Loaded up an axle with 10 lb plates (probably weighed around 55 lbs total. Then, on the 2 minutes, did 10 pushups, 10 curls with the axle, and 10 skullcrushers. this was a great little wod. Pushups first really made the skullcrushers later hard, and the axle curls hit the biceps really well. This definitely got me sweating and gave me a nice pump.

Overall, nice little day. Again still working out the kinks, but now I know what movements I need to hit heavier, what rest intervals work, etc etc. I'm happy to be through the first week! I'm a bit sore, but I think I will adjust quickly. I am excited to keep losing weight, to start to hit some heavier lifts, to continue adjusting form and workouts so that I am a lean, efficient, lifting machine. It's gonna be a fun summer of training! Lets keep at it.

Press 155 x 5

Today was a good day. Not great, but good.

Started with press, although warmup was a little slow today. I have a big old knot/pulled muscle in my back that is bugging me. Not a big deal, but it doesn't feel good and made warming up a pain. Anyways, hit 65 for a couple warmup sets (because it was on the bar) then 95, then on to work sets - 115 x 5, 135 x 5, and finally 155 x 5. Again, as with bench it just didn't feel as easy as I would have liked, but that is okay. It was still a very solid 5, with reps in the tank no question.

After, dropped back to 135 x 5 long paused reps, and then 115 x 5 long paused reps on the 3 mins. Tried to focus on staying tight at the bottom.

This guy has a sick physique

Next, moderate weight rows. Chose 155 for this, and rowed it for 4 sets of 12 on the 2 minutes. These were pretty tough - not insane, but I was pretty damn tired out by the end. I think I'd rather do slightly less reps with more weight next week, maybe 165 for 4 x 10 on the 2 mins.

Then, bench. Threw 165 on the bar with no warmup, and got to it. I started with touch n go sets of 7, going on the 2 mins. Got 4 sets of 7, and then on my final set I got 6. This actually felt great! jumping straight to 165 with no warmup was no problem. Touch n go felt awesome, really felt my chest working and it exhausted my bench muscles in a way pause stuff just doesn't do. 7 was a great choice of reps - no problem at the start, but got damn tough by sets 4 and 5. I don't know what I feel like doing next week. Maybe less reps, more sets.

Finally, light bodybuilding stuff went okay. I had some technical difficulties. Tried loading up the dumbells, took like 7 or 8 mins to do that, but the clips for them are pretty shitty and so then I had to unload them and load up the curl bar, and in the end it was just a little too much rest. I ended up throwing tend on the curl bar and doing 3 rounds of 20+ curls, 10 + lateral raises, and 20+ skullcrushers with a short rest between rounds. Weight just didn't feel heavy enough for curls and skullcrushers, though, and really tough on the lateral raises. got a bit of a pump, but just didn't feel like a satisfactory end to my session. I need to hop right on the BB stuff after bench, to ride to coattails of my bench pump.

Anyways, good workout overall. Excited for arms tomorrow, and a nice rest sunday. Hopefully my back will start to loosen up soon. I am really hammering it, with rows every upper day and lots of pulls every lower day, it doesn't get a rest. But that's okay, it is a huge focus this summer. I just need to adjust. Lets keep at it.

Squat 115 x 30

Today was my first foray into high-rep squatting in quite a while. Started easy, and felt pretty good. We will see what happens as time goes on.

Took a nice long warmup, especially cause I'm extra tight from running yesterday. Ended with two sets, 10 and 5, with the bar on squats. Then, loaded up 115. I would say the set was slightly easier than I thought it would be. I picked 115 as a started weight cause it's super light for me, and I predicted that 30 reps might suck pretty hard, so I'd better start with real easy weight. It really wasn't until rep 25 that it started to become truly unpleasant, however, and even then it was pretty easy to rip through the last 5 reps. Kept the bar high as I could, my positions as good as possible, and really it was about 27-28 beautiful high quality reps. Got a nice leg pump. I expect the next two weeks will be similar, decidedly harder than this week but not miserable. I think the middle 3, starting with 185 x 25, are going to be the truly miserable workouts. I'm excited! Gonna make these wheels grow.

Next, front squats. Pretty easy, although definitely less so after the high reps haha. I might need to take a nice big break between these two movements as they both get heavier. I did them on the 2 minutes - that might prove to be a bit ambitious as time goes on, but I want to push myself on these, and I can always make it 3 mins later on if I feel the need to. hit 170 x 3, 195 x 3, then 220 x 3 x 3. Pretty easy, a little slow and a touch forward on a couple reps but overall not bad.

Finally, heavy speed deads went well. Again, did them on the 2 mins. hit 245 x 2 and 315 x 1 as a warmup, then went to 365 for 5 singles on the 2 mins. Definitely weren't too slow off the floor, which was my primary concern. The two things that I feel I really need to focus on - despite a more precise setup, still make the "bring the shins to the bar + pull" part as fast and as smooth as possible, and secondly, pull back! With the hook grip, the weight seems to want to take me forward more than it ever did with an alternated grip, so I need to be careful to start with my hips low enough, shins far forward, and then pull the weight back the whole movement. While it took a couple reps to get the hang of these things, overall the 5 pulls were pretty fast and easy, and got better as I went along. I just need to really focus on perfecting this new technique, and simply pulling as fast as I can. If I can get up to 415 x 8 singles, on the 2 mins, with great technique and good speed, I think I will be set up to PR at this meet no problem, and set up to smash weights next semester on my journey to 565.

So, great workout. In other news, I am leaning out SO quickly. I know it is just the beginning, and weight loss is always crazy fast now, but I swear I am visibly leaner in 3 days. I look like I have lost 4-5 lbs at least. I need to make sure I keep eating plenty at dinner, just to make sure I don't drop weight TOO quickly, or lose strength. However, I think that in 4-5 weeks I will really start to like the way I look, and hopefully by the end of this 9 week cycle, I will be pretty fucking shredded. I'm so pumped to look awesome, and then spend next year just trying to pack even more muscle onto my frame while upping my lifts AND staying lean. Speaking of which, here is a natty guy I found on Tnation who has truly inspired me. I was starting to doubt that I could possibly be a lean, badass looking 242 at my height without steroids. However, I found this guy - my height, 235, and built like a brick shithouse. I know he's natty too, because after this photo he started using and now weights 315 hahaha. But anyways, gonna keep looking at this pic for inspiration - I CAN attain my goal of being the 242 world record holder, and look fucking awesome while I'm at it. Lets keep lifting.

Running + arms

Great workout today

Cheetah spirit

Started with running. As it is week 1, I kept the running nice and easy. Warmed up, set my timer for 12 minutes, and picked a route that was nice and flat. It went very well. I took it pretty easy, ran probably a little over a mile in the 12 minutes. Wasn't particularly easy, but not too hard. Got a bit of a stitch, but I think that's just because I'm not used to the breathing yet. Overall, the goal is just to keep my heart rate up for 12 mins, so distance doesn't really matter. I will probably try and make it a little bit further the next time around, however, just to push myself a bit. I'm thinking I'll keep the route the same until I hit 15 mins, then maybe change the route to include some light hills, etc.

Next up, arms. Started with close grip bench, going on the 3 minutes. Hit 75 x 20 or so, 95 x 15, 115 x 12, 135 x 12, then 145 x 12, 6, 6. Again, pressing really gets tough with the limited rest haha. Got a nice tricep pump, however, which is the real point.

Curls were next, again on the 3 minutes. Hit a warmup set with a pair of tens, then threw on another pair of tens and curled it for 15, 12, 12 really focusing on squeezing the muscle. Got a nasty pump, which felt good.

Finally, rested 5 mins or so then did a mini wod, 15 curls/15 skullcrushers with a pair of tens on the curl bar, 3 rounds as fast as possible. This was nasty for my biceps, but easy on the triceps till the very end. I think I need to have slightly different reps on this - maybe bump the weight up, and do 10/15 or something of the sort. Oh also, measured my arms after the pump, and they were 16.5. On the way up!

Overall, got a great pump. Running is tough right now, but I think I will adjust pretty quickly. Getting excited to see some progress as far as leanness goes. It's very strange for me to be training largely for aesthetics, focusing on arms, high rep low-rest stuff, running, leaning out, etc. But it's also fun to work on something totally different from my normal training for a while. Lets keep at it.

Bench: 195 x 5

Good workout today. Interesting and productive.



Started with 5/3/1 bench. Did a nice long warmup, then got to work - still working on my setup. Today, I pretty much kept everything the same as usual, except with an added focus on my feet and trying not to let them turn out too far. Hit the bar, then 95, then 135, and got down to my work sets. Hit 155 x 5 and it felt alright. same with 175 x 5. Neither was great, but both were solid. Weight seemed to be moving a little slower, but more controlled than normal, which might be a good thing. Loaded up 195 and hit it for a very solid 5. If I'm being honest, it wasn't as easy as I might have hoped, and the 5th rep had a little more "recoil" (loosening then squeezing tight to blast it off the chest) than I might have liked. But I definitely had reps in the tank, though whether it was 1 or 3 I do not know. Need to remember, however, that my focus is on getting in great shape, not on size this summer. While I am sure I will maintain and even gain strength, it's okay that every day isn't easy as I want it to be - just so long as I make all my sets and reps with good form.

Next, backoff sets, on the 3 mins. Hit 175 for 5 with a long ass pause. Pretty slow but also solid. Then, hit 155 for 5 with long pauses (probably 3-5 seconds each). Felt good.

Next, heavy rows for 3 sets. I picked 185 as a started weight for these, and I think that was a good choice. Basically, I strapped up and did a yates row type pull, with a little body language, on the 3 mins for 3 sets of 10. Pretty good workout, definitely felt it in my lats and upper back, even after just the first set. I'm thinking maybe I will stick with 185 for another week of two at least, although eventually I will probably push up heavier even if I have to drop reps, just for the sake of change.

Next, touch n go strict press with 135 was funny. Knocked the rest down to doing a set every 2 mins. I decided to start with 3 sets to failure. First set was great, hit a pretty easy set of 11, decided not to go for 12 cause I probably wouldn't have gotten it, but I was happy with 11. The next set I barely got 5, however, and the final set I got 2 - managed to blast 3 to a pint where I don't think I have EVER failed a press before, and failed haha. My strength is SERIOUSLY hurt when I limit the rest on these, which is interesting and good to know. Next week, I will definitely be more conservative with my number of reps, and push for more sets - perhaps I'll try for a 5 x 5 just to feel that out, and push the last set/do more sets if I think it's too easy.

Finally, light rows. Chose 95 for this, went every 2 mins, supinated, and did 5 sets of 12. I wish I had gone a little heavier with these. By the end of the 5 sets it was quite a bit harder, but I was using really strict form, and the first 3 sets I didn't feel like I was working hard enough. definitely not a waste of time, but I think I would rather go 115 ish, use a little body language, and maybe even do 5 x 10 or something. But hey, live and learn.

Overall, good workout. Again, still working the kinks out a tiny bit, but I think next tuesday will be a lot smoother, AND I still got a great workout. The focus on back stuff, while weird, will be really good for me I think, and I am excited to see how my pressing progressing with this new technique of using touch n go, pause, AND long pause. Tomorrow, running and arms. Lets keep at it.

Squat 300 x 5

Today was a good first day back. Fast paced and fun.

Started with squats. Did a nice long warmup, then got right to it; bar for 10, 135 x 5, 5, then to my work sets - 230 x 5 felt a little bit heavy, but not problems. 265 x 5 felt lighter, but my form definitely wasn't perfect - I think it is partly that I am just returning to squatting, and partly that I was using the slightly shittier rack today. Anyways, loaded up 300, tried to rest enough, then hit it. Form wasn't perfect, definitely got a little bit forward on a rep or 2 and a little soft out of the hole as well, but despite not being perfect, it was a very easy 5, which is the point.

Next up, threw on the timer and hit my 2 paused back-off sets. First, 265 x 3, very tough reps. Then, on the 3-minutes, hit 230 for a set of 5, again fairly tough. Really hitting a long pause on these.

Next, speed deadlifts with 275 - 12 reps on the minute. Hook grip definintely felt okay, and form was good on these. I am working on a slight tweak - while the "grip it and rip it" was working for me, it also results in more sloppiness and is harder to do with the hook grip. I think the solution is to try and keep ALL the same energy and viciousness, but with a slightly more calculated and precise setup. So, today I was practicing pulling into that perfect start position and then just ripping it. Went really well, weight moved very fast, although there is a slight tendency to get forward. My one worry is that I may be slow off the floor like this .... but todays reps were FAST. Won't know till thursday how heavy weight feels. But I'm feeling very positive.

Finally, snatch grip deads. Did these on the 2 - minutes, so really short rest. 5 sets of 9 at 155. Definitely got my heart pumping, got me breathing hard and sweating. Got a nice leg pump. 155 was super light, though. These are definitely going to get me in shape, or kill me haha. But I think they will be really good for overall fitness and leg and back size.

So overall, good day. Not too hard, but with some slight bumps due to the fact that it IS my first workout back. I'm excited to hit upper body tomorrow, and excited to smooth out those bumps so that I can just focus on pushing hard, losing fat, and getting in great shape. Lets keep at it.

Quick Arms Day

Had a nice little workout today.

Started with a nice long warmup. Still trying to work out some of the kinks from not having lifted for so long. Then, moved on to incline dumbell bench. Actually felt decent. Hit 20's for 20, 35's for 15, then 45's for 15, 15, 15. I don;t love these, but as I've said before incline work (especially dumbells) seems to be something many big benchers have in common. So, I'm gonna keep at it.

Next, hit a superset of curls/skullcrushers with a moderate amount of weight. did 15/15 for 3 rounds without rest, got a nice little pump.

Finally, setup the bar with slightly less weight and hit it for 3 sets of slower, controlled curls with a nice squeeze.

Nothing crazy, just a nice little pump. I'm excited to get to work on monday! Lets enjoy these last two rest days, and prepare for a new phase in my lifting career! Lets keep at it.