Return of the King

BossArky

Saturday May 8th: Bench day 10 of 12

Band Pull Apart (light grey band)
3x20

Face Pull (unilateral - 2 light grey bands)
3x20
---
Bench (paused)
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
95kg - 6x5 ... fine
---
Neck Training ... (no added weight)
Face Up Flexion - 3x10
Face Up Rotation - 3x10
Face Down Extension - 3x10
Face Down Rotation - 3x10
---
DB Curl
4kg per arm - 1x10
8kg per arm - 1x10
12kg per arm - 1x10

DB Overhead Press
4kg per arm - 1x10
8kg per arm - 1x10
12kg per arm - 1x10
---
Shin Blaster (Single Leg, V handle, Fat Gripz)
chain +0.5kg - 1x20 per leg
chain +1kg - 1x20 per leg
chain +2.5kg - 1x20 per leg
---

Bench 95kg 6x5 plus assistance.

BossArky

Monday May 10th: Lower day 25 of ?

45DBR
3x10
---
Squat
60kg - 1x5
**add belt**
100kg - 1x3
130kg - 3x5

Ab Roll Out (on knees)
3x10

Neck Flex
Extension: +5kg 3x10
Curl: +5kg 3x10
---
Paused Deadlift
115kg - 3x5 ... beltless & double overhand
---

Squat 130kg 3x5. Felt alright. Warmed up with 45DBR 3x10 before Squats and it seemed to work well this way. Felt ready for the Squat worksets.

Stretched out ankles before Squat by resting in the bottom of calf raise position whilst heel off step. Have been stretching calfs a lot recently.

Paused Deadlift 115kg 3x5 beltless & double overhand. Getting heavier nicely but still fine.

Rest of the stuff usual assistance: Abs & Neck.

BossArky

Tuesday May 11th: Bench day 11 of 12

Band Pull Apart (light grey band)
3x20

Face Pull (unilateral - 2 light grey bands)
3x20
---
Bench (paused)
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 6x4 ... handy
---
Neck Training ... (no added weight)
Face Up Flexion - 3x10
Face Up Rotation - 3x10
Face Down Extension - 3x10
Face Down Rotation - 3x10
---
Barbell Curl
20kg - 3x10

DB Overhead Press
12kg per arm - 3x10
---
Shin Blaster (Single Leg, V handle, Fat Gripz, Rope Handle, 1 Gangsta Wrap)
chain +0.5kg - 1x20 per leg
chain +2.5kg - 1x20 per leg
chain +3.0kg - 1x20 per leg
---

That was good. Bench 100kg 6x4 handy enough. Probably first time in warm up jumping straight from 60kg to worksets on 100kg.

Messed about with Shin Blaster setup at the end. Found out that if I add both a rope handle and one gangsta wrap to the mix it helps hold the weight steady. Nice burn as the reps increase.

BossArky

Friday May 14th: Lower day 26 of ?

GHR
3x10

Ab Roll Out (on knees)
3x10
---
Squat
60kg - 1x5
**add belt**
100kg - 1x3
135kg - 3x5
---
Paused Deadlift
120kg - 3x5 ... beltless & double overhand

Neck Flex
Extension: +5kg 3x10
Curl: +5kg 3x10
---

Warmed up with GHR and Abs up front to see if that helped save time (i.e. get heart rate up and some mobility). Helped a bit.

Squat 135kg 3x5. Heaviest I've went in a while on 3x5.

Paused Deadlift 120kg 3x5. Fine. Getting harder to hold onto double overhand so had to regrip each rep.

Dtp1979

BossArky wrote: »

Friday May 14th: Lower day 26 of ?

GHR
3x10

Ab Roll Out (on knees)
3x10
---
Squat
60kg - 1x5
**add belt**
100kg - 1x3
135kg - 3x5
---
Paused Deadlift
120kg - 3x5 ... beltless & double overhand

Neck Flex
Extension: +5kg 3x10
Curl: +5kg 3x10
---

Warmed up with GHR and Abs up front to see if that helped save time (i.e. get heart rate up and some mobility). Helped a bit.

Squat 135kg 3x5. Heaviest I've went in a while on 3x5.

Paused Deadlift 120kg 3x5. Fine. Getting harder to hold onto double overhand so had to regrip each rep.

John meadows is a big fan of firing up the hamstrings before squatting

BossArky

Saturday May 15th: Bench day 12 of 12

Band Pull Apart (light grey band)
3x10

Face Pull (unilateral - 2 light grey bands)
3x10
---
Bench (paused)
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
80kg - 1x3
95kg - 1x1
105kg - 6x3 ... alrighty
---
Neck Training ... (no added weight)
Face Up Flexion - 3x10
Face Up Rotation - 3x10
Face Down Extension - 3x10
Face Down Rotation - 3x10

Shin Blaster (Single Leg, V handle, Fat Gripz, 1 Gangsta Wrap)
chain +0.5kg - 1x30 per leg
chain +1.5kg - 1x30 per leg
chain +2.5kg - 1x30 per leg
---
DB Curl
~3kg - 3x10

DB Overhead Press
4kg per arm - 3x10
---

Bench 105kg 6x3 successfully to end the cycle.

Very sore with DOMS from yesterday. Lower back in ribbons. Happy to get this cycle over with to deload / rest / recover.

Dtp1979

I find when I do ab wheel and GHR in the one session that my lower back is sore the following day

BossArky

Tuesday May 18th: Deload

Calf Raise
3x20

One Arm Band Row (heavy red)
3x20 per side
---
Press Ups
3x20

Squat (just bodyweight)
3x20
---

Wow - the quad pump from those bodyweight Squats was intense.

BossArky

Thursday May 20th: Lower day 1 of 8

Calf Raise (heels hanging off step)
3x20

45DBR
3x15
---
Squat
20kg - 1x5
50kg - 1x5
70kg - 3x12 ... worksets

Ab Roll Out (on knees)
3x10
---
Neck Flex
Extension: +5kg 1x10, +10kg 1x10, +5kg 1x10
Curl: +5kg 3x10

Big Block Deadlift (standing on red plate & using fat gripz)
60kg - 3x5 ... beltless & double overhand
---

New 4 week cycle started today. Typically I train in 6 week cycles - but this new one is going to be 4 weeks to mix things up. This means I'll Squat/Deadlift twice a week and Bench 3 days a week. Never Benched three days a week before so this will be be interesting.

Squat cycle will go something like this to peak 5kg higher than last cycle.
Day 1: 70kg - 3x12
Day 2: 80kg - 3x11
Day 3: 90kg - 3x10
Day 4: 100kg - 3x9
Day 5: 110kg - 3x8
Day 6: 120kg - 3x7
Day 7: 130kg - 3x6
Day 8: 140kg - 3x5

Bench will go something like this:
Day 1: 85kg - 6x6
Day 2: 90kg - 6x5
Day 3: 95kg - 6x4
Day 4: 100kg - 6x3
Day 5: 90kg - 6x6
Day 6: 95kg - 6x5
Day 7: 100kg - 6x4
Day 8: 105kg - 6x3
Day 9: 95kg - 6x6
Day 10: 100kg - 6x5
Day 11: 105kg - 6x4
Day 12: 110kg - 6x3

Deadlift will increase in a sensible linear fashion & may include various Deadlift versions for variety: Fat Gripz, Paused, Big Blocks, etc. Aim is to have Deadlift finish higher than last cycle (which is lighter than what I can Deadlift typically... but just taking a few cycles to combine Squat/Deadlift on one day - hence the softly softly approach).

BossArky

Friday May 21st: Bench day 1 of 12

Band Pull Apart (light grey band)
3x20

Face Pull (unilateral - 2 light grey bands)
3x20

Band Row (heavy red)
3x10

Bench (paused)
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
85kg - 6x6 ... worksets. Fine

Neck Training ... (no added weight)
Face Up Flexion - 3x10
Face Up Rotation - 3x10
Face Down Extension - 3x10
Face Down Rotation - 3x10

Shin Blaster (Single Leg, V handle, Fat Gripz, 1 Gangsta Wrap)
+~2kg - 1x20 per leg
+~3kg - 1x20 per leg

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

Bench 85kg 6x6. Sets 1 to 3 superset with pull parts, face pulls and rows. Sets 4 to 6 superset with neck, shins & guns.

BossArky

Sunday May 23rd: Lower day 2 of 8

Calf Raise (heels hanging off step)
3x20

GHR
3x10
---
Squat
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
80kg - 3x11 ... worksets

Ab Roll Out (on knees)
3x10
---
Neck Flex
Extension: +5kg 1x20, +10kg 1x20, +5kg 1x20
Curl: +2.5kg 1x20, +5kg 1x20, +2.5kg 1x20

Big Block Deadlift (standing on red plate)
80kg - 3x5 ... beltless & double overhand
---

Good.

BossArky

Monday May 24th: Bench day 2 of 12

Band Pull Apart (light grey band)
3x20

Face Pull (unilateral - 2 light grey bands)
3x20

Band Row (heavy red)
3x10

Bench (paused)
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
90kg - 6x5 ... worksets. Fine

Neck Training ... (no added weight)
Face Up Flexion - 3x10
Face Up Rotation - 3x10
Face Down Extension - 3x10
Face Down Rotation - 3x10
---

Bench 90kg 6x5. Fine.

Decided to stick with Benching twice a week (vs. 3 times). Hence this Bench cycle will be the usual 6 weeks (vs. 4 weeks). The risk reward ratio doesn't justify three times a week.

new2tri19

Why so much neck training? Never see anyone else do it, maybe boxers .

Dtp1979

new2tri19 wrote: »

Why so much neck training? Never see anyone else do it, maybe boxers .

You’ll see me do it . But not to the extend in this log, yet.

BossArky

new2tri19 wrote: »

Why so much neck training? Never see anyone else do it, maybe boxers .

In no particular order:

• I like F1
• Vague interest in MMA
• Combats tech-neck (phone/laptop neck down)
• Feels nice
• General bullet proofing for life - potentially minimize issues from whiplash if ever unlucky enough to have a car accident
• Gives me something to do between the Big 3 as active recovery
• Quick & easy to do weighted neck amongst Squat/DL when fully warmed up (i.e. it doesn't feel as heavy as if you came into it cold)
• Bodyweight neck on Bench day (the day after SQ/DL) helps get some blood into it and recovery from heavier stuff the day before
• It doesn't take more than 5 mins on any training day. Typically mixed in amongst other bigger exercises when I'd otherwise be staring out the window
• Training variety
• Mobility
• It'll look cool - one day

new2tri19

Lots of benefits , sounds good although you'll never be able to button the top button of a shirt again .
There was a certain swimming drill I used to do in the pool that had you keep your head up , really worked the neck was pretty horrible afterwards the strain , I guess it's not an exercise you want to be doing to max weight or reps just gradually adding it in. Thanks

BossArky

Thursday May 27th: Lower day 3 of 8

Calf Raise (heels hanging off step)
3x20

GHR
3x10
---
Squat
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
90kg - 3x10 ... worksets

Ab Roll Out (on knees)
3x10
---
Neck Flex
Extension: +5kg 1x20, +10kg 1x20, +5kg 1x20
Curl: +2.5kg 1x20, +5kg 1x20, +2.5kg 1x20

Big Block Deadlift (standing on red plate)
90kg - 3x5 ... beltless & double overhand
---

Up late so was a bit of a struggle getting into gym in morning. Got it done.

Squat 90kg 3x10 beltless. Felt alright when I got warmed up.

Big Block Deadlifts means standing on the red bumper plate and doing the rep - but not touching off ground when you reverse. So, lots of time under tension and a slightly increased ROM as you can go "below" the ground - lol. Back in the day when I trained at a PL club this was suggested to assist lock out - cos of the amount of time under tension, as mentioned, plus the strain on grip and upper back.

Big Block Deadlift is not to be confused with its little bro Little Block Deadlifts (i.e. a standard deficit which works the starting strength with a reset off the ground each time).

BossArky

Friday May 28th: Bench day 3 of 12

Band Pull Apart (light grey band)
6x10

Face Pull (unilateral - 2 light grey bands)
6x10

Bench (paused)
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
95kg - 6x5 ... worksets. Fine
---
DB Pec Fly
4kg per arm - 3x10

Neck Training ... (no added weight)
Face Up Flexion - 3x10
Face Up Rotation - 3x10
Face Down Extension - 3x10
Face Down Rotation - 3x10
---
DB Curl
12kg per arm - 3x10

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

Bench 95kg 6x4 in 15 mins exactly. Quite fast.

Doing pec fly (with head off end of bench) superset with the usual bodyweight neck stuff straight after had a good pre-fatiguing effect to front of neck.

Trained late at night.

BossArky

Thursday May 30th: Lower day 4 of 8

Calf Raise (heels hanging off step)
3x20

GHR
3x10
---
Squat
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
**add belt**
100kg - 3x9 ... worksets

Ab Roll Out (on knees)
3x10
---
Big Block Deadlift (standing on red plate, with belt)
100kg - 3x5 ... double overhand

Neck Flex
Extension: +5kg 1x20, +10kg 1x20, +5kg 1x20
Curl: +5kg 1x20, +2.5kg 2x20
---

Squat & Big Block Deads both 100kg (3x9 & 3x5 respectively). Added Belt for both. Warmed up with tennis ball rolling sole of feet which felt nice. Forgot to do this the past while.

Now that the Big Block Deads are getting a bit heavier you can really feel it in the glutes at the bottom when reversing under tension (i.e. not touching ground).

Dtp1979

Standing on red plate? Are big block deadlifts the same as deficit deadlifts?

BossArky

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Standing on red plate? Are big block deadlifts the same as deficit deadlifts?

Do a normal deadlift... but standing on a fat red bumper for the additional ROM.... but don't let it touch the ground at bottom of rep..... so there is constant tension throughout the set.

You need a nice fat bumper plate (e.g. fat red 25kg bumper)... cos anything thinner (e.g. a thinner 10kg bumper) and you'll accidentally touch the ground when you go into deficit territory.

Dtp1979

BossArky wrote: »

Do a normal deadlift... but standing on a fat red bumper for the additional ROM.... but don't let it touch the ground at bottom of rep..... so there is constant tension throughout the set.

You need a nice fat bumper plate (e.g. fat red 25kg bumper)... cos anything thinner (e.g. a thinner 10kg bumper) and you'll accidentally touch the ground when you go into deficit territory.

So roughly a 40mm deficit Romanian deadlift crossed with traditional deadlift stance

BossArky

Yeah something like that. Just don't touch the floor.

BossArky

Monday May 31st: Bench day 4 of 12

DB Rev Fly
4kg per arm - 6x10

Band Row (unilateral - heavy red)
6x10

Bench (paused)
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 6x3 ... worksets. Good. Done in 50 mins as was taking my time amongst other things
---
DB Curl
12kg per arm - 3x10

DB Press
12kg per arm - 3x10
---
Neck Training ... (no added weight)
Face Up Flexion - 3x10
Face Up Rotation - 3x10
Face Down Extension - 3x10
Face Down Rotation - 3x10
---

Bench 100kg 6x3. Good.

It's always a good day when you have 100kg in your hands.

BossArky

Thursday June 3rd: Lower day 5 of 8

Calf Raise (heels hanging off step)
3x20

45DBR
3x10
---
Squat
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
**add belt**
110kg - 3x8 ... worksets

Ab Roll Out (on knees)
3x10
---
Deadlift
110kg - 3x5 ... double overhand

Neck Flex
Extension: +5kg 1x20, +10kg 1x20, +5kg 1x20
Curl: +5kg 1x20, +2.5kg 2x20
---

Squat 110kg 3x8 - fine.

Deadlifts back to the ground as into 2nd half of cycle. First time doing standard Deads for a few months as took a detour into Paused and Big Block. Refreshed.

BossArky

Saturday June 5th: Bench day 5 of 12

Band Pull Apart (light grey band)
6x10

Face Pull (unilateral - 2 light grey bands)
6x10

Bench (paused)
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
90kg - 6x6 ... worksets. Easy & done in 18 mins including supersets above.
---
Neck Training ... (no added weight)
Face Up Flexion - 3x10
Face Up Rotation - 3x10
Face Down Extension - 3x10
Face Down Rotation - 3x10
---
DB Curl
12kg per arm - 3x10

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

Bench 90kg 6x6 in 18 mins including band pull apart & face pull supersets. Speedy. Nicely pumped after that.

Saw the latest Fast & Furious (#9?) at cinema recently. Key take away: do your neck training. Seriously - go watch it just to check out the size of the neck on both Vin Diesel and John Cena. I was mentally giving them pencil necks to imagine what they would look like without their foreheads going straight into shoulders like Jabba The Hutt. Left the cinema fully motivated.

BossArky

Monday June 7th: Lower day 6 of 8

Calf Raise (heels hanging off step)
3x20

GHR
3x10
---
Squat
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
**add belt**
100kg - 1x3
120kg - 3x7 ... worksets

Ab Roll Out (on knees)
3x10
---
Deadlift
120kg - 3x5 ... double overhand

Neck Flex
Extension: +5kg 1x20, +10kg 1x20, +5kg 1x20
Curl: +5kg 1x20, +2.5kg 2x20
---

Squat 120kg - 3x7. Fine.

BossArky

Wednesday June 9th: Bench day 6 of 12

DB Rev Fly
4kg per arm - 6x10

Band Row (heavy red per arm)
6x10

Bench (paused)
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
80kg - 1x3
95kg - 6x5 ... worksets. Fine & done in 41 mins including supersets above.
---
Neck Training ... (no added weight)
Face Up Flexion - 3x10
Face Up Rotation - 3x10
Face Down Extension - 3x10
Face Down Rotation - 3x10

Barbell Curl
20kg - 3x10
---
DB Press
12kg per arm - 3x10
---

Good.

BossArky

Friday June 11th: Lower day 7 of 8

Calf Raise (heels hanging off step)
3x20

45DBR
3x10
---
Squat
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
**add belt**
100kg - 1x3
130kg - 3x6 ... worksets

Ab Roll Out (on knees)
3x10
---
Deadlift
130kg - 3x5 ... double overhand

Neck Flex
Extension: +5kg 1x20, +10kg 1x20, +5kg 1x20
Curl: +5kg 1x20, +2.5kg 2x20
---

Squat 130kg 3x6.

BossArky

Sunday June 13th: Bench day 8 of 12

Face Pulls (2 grey bands)
3x10

Band Pull Aparts (1 grey band)
3x10

Tricep Extension (grey band, overhead, single arm)
1 band - 3x10 per arm ... before bench
2 bands - 3x10 per arm ... after bench
---
Chin Up (parallel grip)
bodyweight - 6x4

Bench (paused)
20kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 6x4 ... worksets. Alright & done in 49 mins.
---
Neck Training ... (no added weight)
Face Up Flexion - 3x10
Face Up Rotation - 3x10
Face Down Extension - 3x10
Face Down Rotation - 3x10
---
Barbell Curl
20kg - 3x10

DB Fly
4kg per arm - 3x10
---

Bench 100kg 6x4. Fine.

Notable point: First time I've jumped from a Bench warm up set on 60kg straight to worksets on 100kg.