From Boxer to Beefcake

FTA69

Cycle 3 Week 3 Session 2

''Tis fierce close out I'm sweating mad. Poor enough today to be honest, squat is giving me trouble and I don't know will I be able to break through the barrier I hit last time.

Squat
47.5kg x 5
57.5kg x 5
70kg x 3
87.5kg x 5
100kg x 3
110kg x 1 (+5)

I mean it's not terrible but I just didn't feel totally steady under the bar, I was trying high bar but it kept slipping down into the low bar position as I descended and I spent a lot of time trying to keep her solid as much as actually trying to squat. Six reps isn't too bad, I would have liked seven but hopefully next time.

BBB Deadlift
65kg 5x10 I might increase this next cycle.

Hamstring Curl
52kg 5x10

Made a big jump here but no real problems.

Neutral grip chins +5kg
1x10 2x9

I'm using a choke chain dog leash to hold the plates which are as good as anything else. The extra weight only seems to make a difference toward the very end of the set. I think I'll switch all my pull-ups to weighted and see how I get on.

Mr. CooL ICE

FTA69 wrote: »

I mean it's not terrible but I just didn't feel totally steady under the bar, I was trying high bar but it kept slipping down into the low bar position as I descended and I spent a lot of time trying to keep her solid as much as actually trying to squat.

That's weird. I never had that problem doing HB.

What kind of a top do you wear? Is it cotton?

coffee_cake

Upper back and elbows tight?

FTA69

, I was wearing a cotton Levi's tshirt but maybe I just wasn't bracing enough? It only ever happens when I get to the heavier weights

Alf Veedersane

Bar might be just below where it needs to be and/or as bluewolf said.

Dtp1979

FTA69 wrote: »

, I was wearing a cotton Levi's tshirt but maybe I just wasn't bracing enough? It only ever happens when I get to the heavier weights

Maybe it's your body's way of telling you that it prefers low bar

FTA69

Cycle 3 Week 3 Session 3

Lifted my highest ever weight here on the press so everything past this from now on will be a PR; really happy. I woke up and my shoulder was stiff and a bit aching from sleeping on it but spent a good lot of time on mobility and felt ok going into the rack.

Press
20kg x 5
27.5kg x 5
32.5kg x 3
40kg x 5
47.5kg x 3
52.5kg x 1 (+5) PR

I maybe had another one or two here but due to my shoulder bother in the morning and horrendous form last week I said I'd cap it here. Great stuff.

BBB Bench Press
45kg 5x10

Increased the weight here again. #YOLO #gohardorgohome #fitfam #upthera #bustedshoulder #picturesofsalads

(Gawk)

Pulls and Chins x 63

Wendler advocated a mix of weighted pulls but also volume with just bodyweight so said I'd keep this day all about the bodyweight. Achieved the above figures with sets of 8 as opposed to crawling to it with sets of 4 which is a huge improvement.

Alf Veedersane

A couple of different things I did to get stronger at pull ups, outside of straight pull ups, was changing tempo, adding weights for smaller sets amd building up and doing them for time, ie as many in 6 minutes (usually meant balancing reps per set to stave off fatiguing too early).

Not that you need to change what you're doing...but just a couple of things you could try sometime for craic

FTA69

"I'm Eoin McLove. I can have you killed!"

Cycle 3 Week 3 Session 4

So another cycle down, deadlift was handy today. Back and shoulder feeling capable and steady, no progressive destruction of my rotator cuff anyway as I've been banging away nearly seven months now without catastrophe.

Deadlift
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
85kg x 3
105kg x 5
120kg x 3
132.5kg x 1 (+5)

Capped it at six even though I'd one or two left in the tank because I was going at the squats hard. I still need to be aware of turning a rep into a RDL and getting properly into position between each rep. Slow down in other words. Aside from that I'm happy. I need to get a proper leather belt though, do they make a huge difference?

Squat BBB
52.5kg 5x10

I enjoyed this, went as deep as I could on every squat and I'm bate after it. I need to increase weight here again next cycle.

Curlz 5x10

On to a nice deload now for myself, I feel like I could just jump into the cycle straight away but I also know I'll crash two weeks in.

FTA69

Cycle 3 Week 4 Session 1 Deload

Ah the joys of deloading, twenty minute session and wore a pair of jeans.

Dumbell Bench Press x 44kg 3x5

Wide grip fat grip pull ups x 6
Chin ups x 10

Machine Row x 50kg 2x10

FTA69

Cycle 3 Week 4 Sessions 2-3 Deload

Squat
65kg 3x5

Deadlift
80kg 3x5

Pull-ups
1x10

Smashed at work so will have to condense sessions.

FTA69

"And the language! You wouldn't hear it out of a docker!"
"Ah you would now in fairness Ted, dockers use terribly bad language altogether."

Cycle 4 Week 1 Session 1

Back to business today. My mam was over for the weekend and was slammed with work all week leading to little sleep and a lot of stress. The deload came at the right time definitely. Happy as a ham now with today though.

New maxes:
Bench - 85kg
Squat - 122kg
Press - 57.5kg
Deadlift - 145kg

Bench Press
32.5kg x 5
42.5kg x 5
50kg x 3
55kg x 5
62.5kg x 5
72.5kg x 5 (+4)

Great stuff, rep record at this weight and it wasn't long ago I was struggling to hit five reps on this weight. Huge progress like. Technique was good and shoulder felt steady.

BBB Press
28.5kg 5x10

Hard old graft here; the last two reps in each set took nearly four seconds. A kilo makes a difference doing the old volume. Dunno what Arnie meant about a pump being like an orgasm cos it just felt gammy for me.

Kroc Row
28kg 5x10

Took a bit more rest in between sets here.

Chins +5kg
1x8 2x6

Weighted chins are phupping hard! I think the plate dangling improves form though; no kipping at all and the weight hanging kind of acted as a mental cue to drop straight down, extend arms and pull up.

Dtp1979

Did you physically test your maxes or just calculate them off your rep numbers, or just add the 2.5 and 5 like wendler suggested?

FTA69

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Did you physically test your maxes or just calculate them off your rep numbers, or just add the 2.5 and 5 like wendler suggested?

Just working through my training max based on the progression Wendler advocates yeah. I must do a proper test at some stage though. I'd say they're more or less accurate.

Dtp1979

FTA69 wrote: »

Just working through my training max based on the progression Wendler advocates yeah. I must do a proper test at some stage though. I'd say they're more or less accurate.

I'm gonna do a couple or more cycles before I test. Probably sometime in July

Alf Veedersane

FTA69 wrote: »

Weighted chins are phupping hard! I think the plate dangling improves form though; no kipping at all and the weight hanging kind of acted as a mental cue to drop straight down, extend arms and pull up.

You won't know yourself when you grow a pair, wha'!

FTA69

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

You won't know yourself when you grow a pair, wha'!

Cheeky dog. I'm plus 10kg by default.

FTA69

Cycle 4 Week 1 Session 2

Great run off it today, set a rep PR on the last set and felt strong throughout. Increased the weight on the assistance and also banged out a decent few sets of weighted pull-ups. Very happy all in all but feeling wiped.

Squat
47.5kg x 5
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 3
80kg x 5
92.5kg x 5
102.5kg x 5 (+5)

Banging. Grand deep squats and no bar instability at all. The only thing is I picked up a slight niggle on my inner thigh from my wide stance but no harm. Concentrated a lot on keeping chest out and core braces while sitting back. Rep PR at this weight and eager to tackle the 110kg now next week.

BBB Deadlift
67.5kg 5x10

Upped the weight here, no problems at all and grip was solid.

Leg Curl
54.5kg 5x10

This was really f*ckin hard for once, definitely hitting a weight now that's giving me welly so no more big jumps on that anyway.

Pull-ups +5kg
3x8

I don't know what happened here but found them easier than the chins yesterday? My arms must just have been wrecked from the rows and presses maybe but today was quality. Will up the weight next time.

FTA69

Cycle 4 Week 1 Session 3

I've been absolutely battered with DOMS since Monday; mustn't have done enough during the deload because I'm aching everywhere.

Press
22.5kg x 5
27.5kg x 5
35kg x 3
37.5kg x 5
42.5kg x 5
47.5kg x 5 (+5)

This was grand; form is improving a lot. No leaning back whatsoever and the last few reps didn't feel thrown up like they sometimes do.

BBB Bench Press
45kg 5x10

Handy number, I'll have to increase this next week.

Pulls and Chins x 48

Feeling so much stronger on these and moving way quicker under the bar. I was caught for time so took barely any rest during sets so hit failure too quick but happy out nonetheless.

Still aching everywhere.

FTA69

Cycle 4 Week 1 Session 4

Smashed the granny out of it today. Hit a rep PR at the deadlift and because I didn't have much chalk the grip was sketchy but the strength was there. This is such a great program, month after month improvement and it feels so great to be back in the gym making progress and incrementally getting better while staying injury free.

Deadlift
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 5
87.5kg x 3
95kg x 5
107.5kg x 5
122.5kg x 5 (+3)

Easily another couple in this, I should have sacked up and gone for it.

Squats BBB
55kg 5x10

Yurt.

Bicep Blast Cannons x zillion

FTA69

Cycle 4 Week 2 Session 1

Generally ok today, had some scuttering gobsheen ruin my bench with rubbish spotting and then add insult to injury by giving me rubbish advice but there you go. Bench was static and everything else was standard. Ho hum,

Bench Press
32.5kg x 5
42.5kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
67.5kg x 3
77.5kg x 3 (+3)

Same amount of reps I got the last time, I think I could have gotten one more but a fella I asked to spot me threw me off. Hovering above my face and putting his hands under the bar and all that Jazz. Jesus like. You really do have to be careful who you ask. "Mate you need to raise your back off the bench more". Nope.

Press BBB
28.5kg 5x10

Easier than last time.

Kroc Row
28kg 5x10

Last set was a hoor.

Chins ups +5kg
3x8

Much better than last time, proper hang and all. Delighted with how these are coming along. Time to increase the weight on this as well.

FTA69

Cycle 4 Week 2 Session 2

Today was a mixed bag, did great in the squats but felt absolutely knackered after. The assistance was a slog to get through but on reflection once the main lift went well then everything else is a bonus really.

Squats
47.5kg x 5
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 3
85kg x 3
97.5kg x 3
110kg x 3 (+4)

This was brilliant. The kept everything braced at the top so no bar slippage and the reps came easy enough, I definitely had one more in the tank I think. Absolutely battered after it though, rep PR for this weight anyway.

Deadlift BBB
67.5kg 5x10

This was bloody hard. My grip didn't feel all that strong and my forearms were pumped to the point of pain. Felt drained after the squats.

Leg Curl
52kg 5x10

The increment were missing on the machine so dropped down to 52kg but still had to grit my teeth through the last two sets and took a bit of a wobble getting off when I finished.

Pull-ups +7.5kg
1x8 1x7 1x5

Wrecked.

FTA69

"I'm not doing jack sh*t." - Jim Wendler

Cycle 4 Week 2 Session 3

Balls. Did a monster shift yesterday and thought I'd head in later on the morning. Angry call off my manager in the middle of my third set asking why wasn't I at the team meeting. Told him Jeremy Corbyn would be Prime Minister soon and I wouldn't have to listen to tyrants like him anymore. (Left after main lift just to be safe.)

Press
22.5kg x 5
27.5kg x 5
35kg x 3
40kg x 3
45kg x 3
52.5kg x 3 (+4)

Boom! PR at this weight, got the extra rep out of it. Out the gap.

Dtp1979

FTA69 wrote: »

"I'm not doing jack sh*t." - Jim Webster

Cycle 4 Week 2 Session 3

Balls. Did a monster shift yesterday and thought I'd head in later on the morning. Angry call off my manager in the middle of my third set asking why wasn't I at the team meeting. Told him Jeremy Corbyn would be Prime Minister soon and I wouldn't have to listen to tyrants like him anymore. (Left after main lift just to be safe.)

Press
22.5kg x 5
27.5kg x 5
35kg x 3
40kg x 3
45kg x 3
52.5kg x 3 (+4)

Boom! PR at this weight, got the extra rep out of it. Out the gap.

You could be looking at 65+ when you test

FTA69

Cycle 4 Week 2 Session 4

Pure gammy. Totally disorganised again like; ended up in bed late and rushing the gym before work again. Only got the main lift done. I'm a bit annoyed now ive acuppered two workouts in a row.

Deadlift
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 5
87.5kg x 3
102.5kg x 3
115kg x 3
130kg x 3 (+3)

Felt weak here; just out of bed and no breakfast like. Felt stiff and not in the from for it. Not terrible like.

Neutral chins x 15

FTA69

Cycle 4 Week 3 Session 1

Feckin' stormer of a Session today, PRs all over the gaff. I leave PRs all over the gym like that Turkish fella who sprinkles salt on that YouTube thing.

Bench Press
32.5kg x 5
42.5kg x 5
50kg x 3
62.5kg x 5
72.5kg x 3
80kg x 1 (+4) PR!

Unreal stuff, maybe it was all the healthy steak and beer I necked yesterday but felt strong as a bull today. Had a proper spot (giant Poles never let you down) instead of the usual eejits I end up with and banged this out handy. Delighted.

BBB Press
30kg 5x10

Forgot my micros so jumped to 30 rather than scale down. Not a bother here. Unreal.

Kroc Rows
28kg 5x10

Chin-ups +7.5kg
3x8

By the skin of my teeth but got there in the end. All in all a resounding 'yurt' for today.

Dtp1979

That's not fair. The polish strength obviously rubbed off on you . Great lifting

FTA69

Dtp1979 wrote: »

That's not fair. The polish strength obviously rubbed off on you . Great lifting

We owe that Jim Wendler lad a pint. 115 squat PR attempt now tomorrow. If I could get my deadlift up now I'd be happy.

Dtp1979

FTA69 wrote: »

We owe that Jim Wendler lad a pint. 115 squat PR attempt now tomorrow. If I could get my deadlift up now I'd be happy.

It'll all go up don't worry

FTA69

"Yo f*ck the po-lice, no justice no peace- got me face down in the middle of the street." - Jeremy Corbyn

Handy today, hit my PR on the squat but I can barely walk up the steps to the train this morning.

Squat
47.5kg x 5
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 3
92.5kg x 5
102.5kg x 3
115kg x 1 (+3) PR

I'm happy with this to be honest, the set at 102 felt really bloody heavy so was apprehensive about the last set but still. A few months ago 113.5kg was my 4 rep max but the bar was unsteady, depth was questionable and I was all over the shop. Today was heavy but easily manageable and I feel I can progress from here on in. Had another in the tank deffo.

BBB Deadlift
67.5kg 5x10

Telling ye this is hard work.

Leg Curl
53kg 5x10

Found the increments in the gym so sorted going forward.

Pull-ups
3x10

Caught for time before work so raced through everything, had no time to be faffing about with weighted belts.