Return of the King

BossArky

Thursday November 22nd: Deadlift Hypertrophy Block Day 3 of 3

Deadlift
70kg - 1x8
120kg - 1x3
140kg +16kg chains - 1x10 ... PR & 2 reps over planned top set
---
Chin Up (parallel grip)
1x10
---
GHR
bodyweight - 4x10

GHR Situps
3x10
---
Ab Wheel
1x10
---
Calve Raise
3x15
---
45 Degree Back Raise
bodyweight - 3x10
---

Hit a 10 rep Deadlift PR with 140kg +16kg chains. Was planning 8 reps but kept going. Felt alright.

The rest was light assistance. Included GHR Situps as getting tired of Ab Wheel.

BossArky

Sunday November 25th: Squat Hypertrophy Block - Day 6 of 6

Front Squat
20kg - 1x5
50kg - 1x3
70kg - 1x8 ... top 8 rep target set and probably a PR
50kg - 2x8

GHR
3x8

Ab Wheel
3x15
---
Squat Quad Killer (steep decline)
bodyweight - 3x15

Calves (flat)
3x15
---

Front Squats up to 8 reps on 70kg was good. Think that is an 8 rep PR. Could really feel it in the upper back. Quads feeling quite strong, particularly on the drop sets.

Got through the rest of the assistance quickly enough and skipped Hack Squat totally as was hungry and wanted to eat.

Bodyweight ~80.9kg on empty stomach first thing in morning. As usual - need to get weight.

BossArky

Monday November 26th: Bench Hypertrophy Block 2 - Day 6 of 6

DB Bench (flat)
8kg per arm - 1x8
12kg per arm - 1x8
22kg per arm - 3x8
---
Close Grip Bench (paused)
60kg - 1x8
85kg - 1x8
60kg - 2x8
---
DB Shoulder Press (standing)
12kg per arm - 3x8

DB Curl
12kg per arm - 3x8
---
Lateral Raise (standing)
6kg per arm - 3x8

Rev Fly (standing)
6kg per arm - 3x8
---

Final day of second monthly block of bodybuilding. Looking forward to getting back to heavier powerlifting training.

BossArky

Wednesday November 28th: Deload

Squat
20kg - 1x8
40kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5

Military Press
20kg - 1x8
40kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x1
40kg - 1x5
---
SLD
40kg - 3x5
---
Bench Press
40kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x15 as couldn't be bothered with 3x5
---

Quick deload to get body moving.

BossArky

Friday Nov 30th: Squat Day 1 of 12

Squat
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 3x9

Ab Wheel
3x10
---
GHR
3x10
---
Calves
bodyweight - 3x10
---

First day of new cycle. Starting conservative with aggressive jumps of 15kg per day.

BossArky

Saturday Dec 1st: Bench Day 1 of 12

Barbell Row
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
90kg - 6x6

Bench
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
90kg - 6x6
---

Started aggressively with higher weights than usual.

BossArky

Tuesday Dec 4th: Bench Day 2 of 12 & Deadlift Day 1 of 6

Rev Fly
4kg per arm - 7x10

Bench Press
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
80kg - 1x1
95kg - 6x5 ... right front delt tie in a bit tender from last days benching
---
Deadlift
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 3x8

Chin Ups (parallel grip)
3x8
---

Squeezed Bench and Deadlift into one day. Got it done.

BossArky

Friday Dec 7th: Squat Day 3 of 12 & Bench Day 3 of 12

Squat
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 1x3
130kg - 3x5 ... handy enough
---
Bench Press
100kg - 6x4

Rev Fly
4kg per arm - 3x10
---
Barbell Row
60kg - 3x10
---
RDL
60kg - 3x10
---

Combined Squat and Bench days as quite busy.

Drinking 2 liters of full fat milk as often as possible daily for the last while for weight gain.

Noticed in the gym mirror I'm looking chunkier than usual which is good. Trained at commercial gym.

Bench pad was so spongy it was like Benching off a water mattress. Weird feeling of instability.

BossArky

Monday Dec 10th: Squat Day 4 of 12

Squat
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 1x3
125kg - 1x1
145kg - 3x3 ... super slippy commercial gym bar causing hands to slide out towards plates.
40kg x20, x15, x10

Calf Raise
40kg x20, x15, x10
---
Ab Wheel (barbell)
3x10

Lunges
3x10
---

Loaded up 145kg and got three triples as planned. Looked ugly AF. The issue wasn't the weight, but the super slipply commercial gym bar. Could barely keep it on my back and hands were sliding all over the place out towards rings causing loosening of upper back throughout. Got it done & realized how spoilt I am with my own top class equipment.

BossArky

Friday Dec 13th: Bench Day 4 of 12 & Deadlift Day 2 of 6

Deadlift
70kg - 1x5
120kg - 3x8
---
Bench Press
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
85kg - 1x1
95kg - 1x1
105kg - 6x3
---
Seated Machine Row (parallel grip)
20kg per arm - 6x8
---
DB Shoulder Press
12kg per arm - 3x8

DB Curl
12kg per arm - 3x10
---

Combined Deadlifts and Bench to save a day. Was planning to train yesterday but totally KO'd for 12 hours straight after work/food.

BossArky

Friday Dec 14th: Squat Day 5 of 12

Squat
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
90kg - 1x3
105kg - 3x9

Ab Wheel (barbell)
3x10
---
45 Degree Back Raise
3x10

Leg Curl
3x10
---

Sneaked in some Squats after work and before some later evening conference calls.

BossArky

Saturday Dec 15th: Bench Day 5 of 12

Bench Press
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
80kg - 1x1
95kg - 6x6

Seated Machine Row (overhand grip)
10kg per arm - 1x10
20kg per arm - 1x10
40kg per arm - 4x10
---
DB Pec Fly
4kg per arm - 3x10

DB Lat Fly
4kg per arm - 3x10
---
Barbell Curl
20kg per arm - 3x10
---
Chin Ups (palms to face)
1x10
---

Good. Trained around 1pm after a lazy morning. Milk, food and xmas shopping afterwards.

BossArky

Monday Dec 17th: Squat Day 6 of 12

Squat
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 1x3
120kg - 3x7

Ab Wheel (barbell)
3x10
---
Barbell Lunge
20kg on back - 3x10 per leg

45 Degree Back Raise
3x10
---

Got through Squats 120kg 3x7 quickly enough. Coming down with a bit of a cold and couldn't sleep after the above until around 3:30am.

Found out there is chalk box sitting by one of the Oly platforms which was helpful for grip on slippy bar.

BossArky

Tuesday Dec 18th: Bench Day 6 of 12 - Day 6 of 12.

Barbell Row
60kg - 3x10 .. various grips
---
Bench Press
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
80kg - 1x3
90kg - 1x1
100kg - 6x5

Pull Ups
6x5
---
DB Curl
14kg per arm - 3x10

DB Shoulder Press
14kg per arm - 3x10
---
DB Pec Fly
6kg per arm - 3x10

DB Fly
6kg per arm - 3x10
---

Very easy Bench 100kg 6x5kg. Have been drinking lots of milk, stuffed myself with carbs in the hour before gym and the bloat was real. Came out of the gym twice the size vs entering.

Saw some hilarious stuff tonight:
- guy using the rack to execute 30kg Barbell Rows. Asked him politely if he'd think about rowing that massive weight off the floor instead of out of the rack so I could use it. He said no... so I loaded up 60kg and Barbell Rowed 3x10 off the floor beside him to show him how its done. Its not like he was a total weed and should have been well able for it, so he was just being awkward.

- one guy spotting another on the bench by straddling him crotch to crotch. Top guy barbell rowing the 120kg whilst bottom guy squealed. They both had about 60kg of it. I was thinking it would have made a good feature on gymfailnation

- dude in the rack beside me was Squatting. I hear some weird noise. Looked around and he had toppled over. I think that whilst at the bottom of one rep the weight plates had touched a separate loaded barbell either resting on the groud or in the rack. Saw him in slow motion with a funny look on his face toplling backwards.

- just before my last set of Bench 100kg 6x5 I was sitting on the bench with arms resting over bar. One of the trainers/gym workers came over and with a voice of awe asked if I was really going to seated press 100kg. Hehe. I explained it was bench and I was just resting in between sets. Lol.

Mike9832

Unreal progress man

What weight are you at now and when u started ?

Benching 100kg for reps is very impressive

You were doing 50kg for reps when u started years ago, that's a serious increase

BossArky

Thursday Dec 20th: Deadlift Day 3 of 6

Deadlift
70kg - 1x5
120kg - 1x3
140kg - 3x8
---
45 Degree Back Raise
3x10

Leg Ext
5x10 ascending weight
---

Finished off week 3 of 6 successfully by getting in the above Deadlifts.

Down with the sickness and taking many antibiotics and medicines but got it done. Felt good afterwards.

BossArky

Mike9832 wrote: »

Unreal progress man

What weight are you at now and when u started ?

Benching 100kg for reps is very impressive

You were doing 50kg for reps when u started years ago, that's a serious increase

Thanks for the ego boost

This morning I was ~81kg or so. Trying to get back to ~85kg bodyweight - but that is difficult due to work demands (sometimes hard to eat) and lots of cardio that I do by default because I like it (e.g. swimming twice a day most days and a fair bit of walking).

When I started messing about with weights I was probably less than 70kg in the year or two before this log began 11 years ago. That was back in the days when I did a lot of triathlons.

To make progress on bench I found the following helpful:
- lots of volume (twice a week benching, 6 sets each day)
- lots of back work (e.g. barbell rows)
- overload (e.g. slinghsot... which I haven't done myself in a while tbh).

BossArky

Monday Dec 24th: Squat Day 7 of 12

Squat
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 1x3
120kg - 1x2
135kg - 3x5

Ab Wheel (barbell)
3x5
---
GHR
3x8
---
Quad Killer (feet together, heels elevated)
bodyweight - 3x8
---

Squats felt rough & affected next days bench.

Weighted myself and was around 83kg first thing in morning after bathroom on two occasions in past couple of days. Weight gain going well.

BossArky

Tuesday Dec 25th: Bench Day 7 of 12

Face Pulls / Pull Parts (band)
~6x10

Bench Press
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
80kg - 1x3
95kg - 1x1
105kg - 6x4 ... felt heavy tbh
---
Barbell Curl
20kg - 3x10 ... as elbows sore from Bench
---

Bench felt heavy. Blaming the 5 days of antibiotics. Got through it.

BossArky

Thursday Dec 27th: Squat Day 8 of 12

Squat
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 1x3
130kg - 1x1 ... easy
150kg - 0x0 :pac: of planned 3x3. Unracked first rep and left it on pins at bottom
---
Front Squat
60kg - 1x10 ... PR
40kg - 1x10
---
Ab Wheel (barbell)
1x10
---
GHR
1x10
---
Lunge
bodyweight - 1x10 per leg
---
Calf Raise
bodyweight - 1x10
---

Squat warm ups were feeling fine up to 130kg for last single. Then went for planned 150kg 3x3 and just left it on the pins at the bottom of first rep. Just not there after recent days coughing and spluttering. Probably could have tried harder or reset and taken it again. Was rushing a few things and busy elsewhere so just left it.

Finished off with a potpourri of various other lower assistance for variety.

Thinking I should vary my Squat program a bit.

BossArky

Friday Dec 28th: Bench Day 8 of 12

Face Pulls / Pull Parts (band)
~3x10
---
Barbell Row
60kg - 8x8

Bench Press
20kg - 1x10
60kg - 1x5
80kg - 1x3
90kg - 1x1
100kg - 1x1
110kg - 6x3 ... heavy enough but got through it fine
---
DB Curl
12kg per arm - 3x10

DB Shoulder Press
12kg per arm - 3x10
---
DB Lat Raise
4kg per arm - 3x10
---
DB Pec Fly
4kg per arm - 3x10
---

Guess who's back (after yesterdays terrible Squatting)? :cool:

Before the above, I was thinking of abandoning the entire cycle and going like 30kg lighter today on Bench to just have a deload and rethink before starting afresh in the new year. The Deadlifts from 1.5 weeks ago flattened my CNS and I wasn't sure if I'd recuperate.

Decided to stick with the prescribed 110kg 6x3 Bench and got it after using the Barbell Rows first in the superset as a nice warm up.

May drop the Squat intensity for the last 4 Squat days.... or may go #YOLO.

Alf Veedersane

I presune its just because you don't do front squat all that often that 60x10 is a PR!

Bit of variation might be an idea. Think of all those PRs-by-default!

BossArky

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

I presune its just because you don't do front squat all that often that 60x10 is a PR!

Bit of variation might be an idea. Think of all those PRs-by-default!

I don't Front Squat much alright. No space to fit them in when Benching twice a week, Squatting twice a week and Deadlifting once. When I do add them I cannot load them heavy enough to have much stress on the Quads. In the market for a SSB so I can load heavier. Will see if I can pick one up in the coming months.

BossArky

Sunday Dec 30th: Deadlift Day 4 of 6

Deadlift
70kg - 1x5
120kg - 1x3
160kg - 2x6
70kg - 3x6 ... fat gripz

GHR
3x10
---
Ab Wheel
3x10
---
45 Degree Back Raise
3x10

Calf Raise
3x10
---

Deadlifting 160kg 2x6 was fine. All time PR for 6s is 165kg. Will attempt 170kg for 6s next session.

BossArky

Tuesday January 1st: 2019 Goals

Weighed in at 83.5kg first thing out of bed after bathroom.

Goals for 2019:
- Bodweight to 90kg (from current 83.5kg)
- Squat to 180kg (from current 165kg comp / 170kg home)
- Bench to 140kg (from current 120kg comp / 125kg home)
- Deadlift to 220kg (from current 200kg)

BossArky

Wednesday January 2nd: Squat Day 9 of 12 & Bench Day 9 of 12

Squat
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 1x3
110kg - 3x9

Ab Wheel
3x5
---
Bench Press
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
80kg - 1x1
95kg - 6x4
---
DB Curl
12kg per arm - 3x5

DB Shoulder Press
12kg per arm - 3x5
---

Crammed both Squat and Bench into one day for the laugh. Also swam a few hours before this and then directly afterwards.

Was on auto-pilot and Bench was feeling easy after sweaty Squats. Looked at the whiteboard and realized that instead of loading 100kg for Bench sets I had accidently done it with 95kg. This was after 4 of the planned 6 sets were complete. Just called it quits as couldn't be bothered going over old ground I did a couple weeks ago to finish off sets 5 and 6. Shame as I was well able for 5kg heavier.

Dtp1979

BossArky wrote: »

Tuesday January 1st: 2019 Goals

Weighed in at 83.5kg first thing out of bed after bathroom.

Goals for 2019:
- Bodweight to 90kg (from current 83.5kg)
- Squat to 180kg (from current 165kg comp / 170kg home)
- Bench to 140kg (from current 120kg comp / 125kg home)
- Deadlift to 220kg (from current 200kg)

Jesus that’s a huge jump on bench. What do you plan on doing to reach that?

BossArky

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Jesus that’s a huge jump on bench. What do you plan on doing to reach that?

Refer to the first goal: getting bodyweight up by 6 to 7kg

BossArky

Sunday January 6th: Squat Day 10 of 12 & Bench Day 10 of 12

Squat
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 1x3
125kg - 2x7

Ab Wheel
3x5
---
Bench Press
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
80kg - 1x1
95kg - 1x1
105kg - 4x5 ... failed last rep on last set after a 10 second struggle
---
DB Curl
12kg per arm - 3x5

DB Shoulder Press
12kg per arm - 3x5
---

Quite happy. 4 intercontinental flights, long work weeks and a couple of bouts of sickness and this training cycle is still poughing onwards. Hectic month but made it work.

Squat 125kg 2x7. Cut the third set as had to double up and train both Squat and Bench on same day. Also its the last 2 weeks of cycle so recovery is key.

Likewise on Bench - opted for 4 sets instead of usual 6. Last rep of Bench 105kg 4x5 - I was so certain I had it as all the preceding sets were easy. Was so sweaty from Squats and super confident. Probably should have concentrated on a tighter setup. Bar slowed and fought it for about 10 seconds. Got the left side plate caught somehow on rack and how to sneak out from under it before it came crashing down on safetys. Funny video.

Dtp1979

BossArky wrote: »

Refer to the first goal: getting bodyweight up by 6 to 7kg

You reckon that’d give you a 20kg jump on your bench press though?