Return of the King

BossArky

Wednesday November 16th: Max Effort Bench

Indian Clubs
shoulder & squat warm up
---
Bench Press (against double light bands, medium grip)
20kg - 2x5
40kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x3
70kg - 1x1
80kg - 1x1
85kg - 1x took it down but paused at chest as spotter wandered off
85kg - 1x1 with spotter assistance
---
Football Bar 21s (I didn't make that up)
bar (10kg?) +40kg - 7 narrow, 7 medium, 7 wide ... back to back only pausing to quickly rack and bring grip out. Chest on fire after this
---
Chest Supported Row (overhand grip)
frame + 40kg - 4x10 ... last set was getting to a max out, but got it
---
Rolling Tricep Extension
10kg per arm - 4x10
---
H Raise (shrug, M, ext.rotate)
10kg per arm - 2x8 ... I suck at the coordination on these
--
Torsonator
10kg - 3x15 ... violent cardio, like wrestling an anaconda. Fun
---

4 of us ran through those ^^ back to back. Nice & quick.

BossArky

Friday November 18th: Dynamic Effort Squat

Warm Up
Foam Rolling
Leg Swings
---
Squat
60kg - 3x5 ... with belt. No pain. Test 1 passed
---
Deadlift
60kg - 3x5 ... with belt. No pain. Test 2 passed
---
Box Squat (Cambered Bar, against medium blue bands)
bar + bands - 10x2 ... no belt. That's 10 sets of 2. Good
---
Deadlift
60kg - 10 singles ... with belt. No pain
---
Glute Ham Raise
3x12 ... very last rep was a struggle. The rest were ok
---
Abs (Kettble Bell circles out in front, arms straight, standing)
16kg - 1x8 ... too heavy
12kg - 2x8
---

Quite pleased that I can squat and deadlift 60kg - 3x5 ok with no lower back pain. Wanted to check this first before getting into box squats.

Kept the box squats to just the bar against bands. Form was good. Managed to sit back into them.

GHR was easy until last rep.

Abs were tough.

Main thing --> very happy to have squat & deadlift pain free. It's been over 2 months (sept 8th) since I injured myself. After the inital sets I seemed to loosen up more.

BossArky

Sunday November 20th:

Bench Press (against doubled light red bands)
20kg - 1x8
40kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x3 ... supposed to be 8. Took a few mins scratching my head after this aborted set before I figured out why it felt like 95+kg. I was on a different bench and had doubled the bands due to where the connectors were, so way too much tension
40kg - 3x8

One Arm DB Row (each rep dead stop on ground)
32.5kg - 3x8
---
Box Squat (Safety Bar) ... assume bar = 20kg
20kg - 1x5
30kg - 1x5
40kg - 3x5 ... focus on sitting back with v.wide stance

BB Curl
40kg - 3x8
---

Quick one tonight getting in the dynamic bench and practising box squatting alone.

BossArky

Monday November 21st: Max Effort Squat

Squat ... easing back into normal squat
60kg - 1x5
70kg - 1x5
80kg - 1x5
90kg - 1x5 ... felt fine. A bit wobbly which is to be expected after ~2 months off
---
Good Morning (cambered bar) ... this is the ME Squat exercise for today
20kg - 1x5
40kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
70kg - 2x5 ... all without belt except for last set. Should probably stick to 60kg and focus on getting more out of it
---
Squat Max Reps in 45 Seconds (Safety Squat Bar)
60kg - 1x20
---
Lat Pull Down (V-Handle)
Setting 16 (80kg?) - 4x10 ... first 3 sets were strict. Fourth was at max out and had to swing a bit
---
Glute Ham Raise
bodyweight - 1x12 ... too easy, so added weight next set
bodyweight +10kg chain around neck - 1x4, dumped chain and got 8 more to make 12
bodyweight +10kg chain around neck - 1x6, dumped chain and got 6 more to make 12
---
Reverse Hyper
160kg (means nothing - if it's too light it dosen't swing properly) - 3x8 ... partial ROM & focusing on keeping legs straight. Still learning this
---
Abs (Kettle Bell Circles)
12kg - 3x10
---

That was good. Happy to be squatting. Assistance is all going well. Just need to build back up Squats & Deads over the coming couple of months.

BossArky

Wednesday November 23rd: Max Effort Bench

Bench Press (against 2x17kg chains)
20kg - 1x5 ... no chains
40kg - 1x5 ... no chains
60kg (+ chains) - 1x5
70kg (+ chains) - 1x5
80kg (+ chains) - 2x2 ... needed spotter assistance on 2nd rep of each set
---
Bench Press (for reps to failure)
80kg - 1x7 ... expected more
---
T-Bar Row ... doesn't feel right for me. Crap ROM with big plates. Felt it in my hamstrings wide stance rather than back
bar +40kg - 1x8
bar +60kg - 1x8
bar +80kg - 1x0 ... couldn't set up right and didn't want to do myself an injury
bar +60kg - 1x8
---
Tricep Pushdown
??? - 3x12
---
Torsonator
15kg - 2x20 ... hard
---
Lateral Raise
10kg per arm - 3x10
---
Chin Ups (for reps to failure)
13 ... so close to 14 but won't claim it
---

Feeling annoyed. Back still not 100%. Shouldn't have tried good mornings 2 days ago for ME Squat. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels at the moment, cannot squat or deadlift properly... and following this WestSide template which training partners just seems like a bunch of random stuff each time.

No idea where my strength is at the moment. My previous periodized cycle from Melbourne training days was meticioulsly planned so I knew exactly what I'd be lifting each session. Here in Perth I'm fumbling around in the dark not knowing what is coming up until I get to the gym. When I'm 100% I need to get back in control. Enjoying doing some of these new exercises at the moment, but it's maintainence rather than progress I feel. Grrrr.

BossArky

Monday November 28th: Heavy Bench & Squat, Light Deadlift

Bench
40kg – 1x8
50kg – 1x5
60kg – 1x5
62.5kg – 3x8

BB Curl
30kg – 3x8
---
DB Bench
30kg per arm – 3x8

EZ Lying Tricep
28.5kg – 3x8

Deadlift
60kg – 3x8 ... with belt. ok
---
Squat
60kg – 3x8 ... with belt. Bringing grip in each set
---

I have decided to go back to training alone on my tried and trusted two day a week program. It works and I know exactly what I'm gonna be lifting for each cycle.

Deadlift with belt was ok. Squat with normal grip (ring finger on ring) caused a bit of strain on lower back at bottom so I took it in (little finger on ring). This reduced the strain a bit. On last set I took grip in more (extended thumb length from smooth) and this more or less eliminated the back strain and made me feel as if I was sitting bolt upright at the bottom of the squat. Now I know the difference between high bar & low bar.

Got through the lot in about 1 hr, which means more family time. Win win.

BossArky

Thursday December 1st: Heavy Deadlift, Light Bench & Squat

Close Grip Bench
20kg - 1x8
30kg - 1x5
40kg - 1x5
45kg - 3x8

Lying Twist
bodyweight - 3x5
---
Deadlift (with belt)
60kg - 1x8
65kg - 3x8
---
Squat (with belt)
40kg - 1x8
50kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
70kg - 3x8
---
Glute Ham Raise (+chains)
3x10 ... first 4 reps of each set were bodyweight +10kg chain around neck, last 6 reps of each set dumped chains and just bodyweight

Chin Ups
bodyweight - 3x10 ... simple. Thought the bar would snap off the wall with the speed I was busting these out
---
Anti Rotation DB Abs (band)
8kg - 2x8 per side
---

Eye of the Tiger kicked in as I wanted into the gym... so knew it would be a good night. Deads and Squats increased just 5kg and 10kg respectively. Still high bar squatting. Keeping knees out on very last set made that the best set. Little bit of strain on lower back. Will see tomorrow when cooled down how things feel.

Over this cycle I'm gonna work the GHR up so that I'm doing the full set with the chains around neck.

Enjoyed that.

BossArky

Saturday December 3rd:

Swimming
100m fc
100m bs
---

Did some quick outdoor lane swimming at a pretty cool complex in Perth, then took BabyArky for a splash about in the kiddy pool.

BossArky

Sunday December 5th:

Bike 20km
---

Evening cycle by the river. Got up some nice speed on the purpose built cycleways. Great city views. Reminds me of my Strasbourg cycling days.

BossArky

Monday December 5th: Heavy Bench & Squat, Light Deadlift

Bench
40kg – 1x6
50kg – 1x5
60kg – 1x3
70kg – 3x6

BB Curl
35kg – 3x6
---
DB Bench
32.5kg per arm – 3x6
---
EZ Lying Tricep
28.5kg – 3x10

Deadlift
60kg - 1x6
65kg – 3x6 ... with belt
---
Squat ... with belt. Highbar. Narrow grip
60kg – 1x6
70kg – 1x5
80kg – 1x3
82.5kg – 3x6
---

Slowly slowly ... getting back into deadlift & squat :pac:

BossArky

Wednesday December 7th:

Swimming
500m - alternating fc & bs every 50 metres
---

Got up at 5:15am to do that.

BossArky

Thursday December 1st: Heavy Deadlift, Light Bench & Squat

Close Grip Bench
20kg - 1x6
50kg - 3x6

Lying Twist
bodyweight - 3x5
---
Glute Ham Raise (+chains doubled around neck)
3x12 ... first 5 reps of each set were bodyweight +10kg chain around neck, last 7 reps of each set dumped chains and just bodyweight

Chin Ups
bodyweight +10kg - 3x6 ... easy
---
Stir the Pot
3x[6 left, 6 right]

Reverse Hyper
120kg - 3x~6-8
---
Anti Rotation DB Abs (band)
8kg - 3x8 per side

Military Press
40kg - 3x8
---

Aborted deadlift after loading the bar to 60kg and getting into position. Back not feeling good after Monday. Not going to squat or deadlift until the new year.

Going to sub in reverse hyper and military press instead on Thurdsays. Both felt fine tonight. Core flopped around during press. Adding more ab work.

BossArky

Saturday December 10th:

Bike
56km Perth to Freo roundtrip
---

Stopped off for a pizza and a beer in Freo. Installed a nice iphone app "strava" for tracking rides. Pretty cool.

BossArky

Sunday December 11th:

Bike 2.7km
---
Kayak 1 hour
---

Perth is beautiful for outdoor activities.

BossArky

Monday December 5th: Heavy Bench & Squat, Light Deadlift

Bench
60kg – 1x6
65kg – 1x5
70kg – 1x3
75kg – 3x6

BB Curl
40kg – 3x6
---
DB Bench
35kg per arm – 1x6, 1x4
32.5kg per arm – 1x6 ... drop set
---
KB Lying Tricep
12kg per arm – 3x8
---
Step Up (low box)
20kg per arm - 3x10 per leg
---
Lat Pulldown (v handle)
setting 17 (85kg) - 3x8 ... heavy but managed all
---
Military Press (ring finger on ring)
30kg - 3x10
---
Stir the Pot
1x[6 left, 6 right]
---

BossArky

Thursday December 15th: Heavy Deadlift, Light Bench & Squat

Close Grip Bench
40kg - 1x6
60kg - 3x6

Stir the Pot
3x[6 left, 6 right]
---
Glute Ham Raise (+chains doubled around neck)
2x12 ... bodyweight + 10kg chains for first 6 reps of each, then bodyweight
1x12 ... bodyweight

Chin Ups
bodyweight +15kg - 3x6 ... pb?
---
Rope for Core (from flat on back to standing up straight)
x5 ish
---
Plank
3x1 minute, with 30 sec break between each ... had a bit of a rest around middle of last minute before finishing off

Military Press (ring finger on ring)
20kg - 1x5
35kg - 1x5
45kg - 3x8

Step Up (low box, barbell)
45kg - 1x5 per leg
65kg - 2x5 per leg
---

GHR feeling too easy with chains so dumped them on last set and fiddled about with frame settings. 3rd set had the footrest way higher than kneepad. Still easy (obviously without chains - but just proving something to myself). I've either gotten really strong on this in the past months or else the mechanics of this one are different to my old Melbourne steed. Will be interesting to see how my deadlift goes when I get back to it in the new year.

Chins pb for bodyweight +15kg 3x6. Previous best was +15kg 3x5 I think.

Step Ups with barbell on back (vs dbs in hands) is cool. 65kg single leg equates to 130kg squat, as just using one leg at a time to get up. Box is low enough which dosen't equate to full squat depth, but still looks like an exercise I'll stick with for legs for the moment.

Lost a bit of weight in the past months due to cardio increase/milk decrease. Was just under 82.5kg yesterday.

BossArky

Saturday December 17th:

Bike 16km

BossArky

Sunday December 18th: Heavy Bench & Squat, Light Deadlift

Bench
20kg – 1x6
50kg – 1x6
65kg – 1x5
75kg – 1x3
80kg – 3x6 ... easy
---
BB Curl
41kg – 3x6 ... pb for 3x6?
---
DB Bench
35kg per arm – 3x6 ... pb. failed very last rep of third set
---
KB Lying Tricep
12kg per arm – 3x8
---
Step Up (barbell, medium box = exactly at squat depth)
bodweight - 1x5 per leg
20kg - 1x5 per leg
40kg - 3x5 per leg
---
Lat Pulldown (wide pull up grip)
setting 10 (50kg) - 3x10 ... very easy
---
Military Press (ring finger on ring)
30kg - 3x10
---

Happy the 80kg 3x6 bench felt so easy, since last week 5kg lighter felt hard.

Also pleased that DB Bench is going up (35kg - 3x6). Previous best was 35kg - 3x5. Want to get my hands on 40kg dbs for sets of 5 this cycle.

BossArky

Monday December 19th:

Bike 16.5km

BossArky

Wednesday December 21st:

Bike 25.8km

BossArky

Thursday December 22nd: Heavy Deadlift, Light Bench & Squat

Close Grip Bench
20kg - 1x6
40kg - 1x6
60kg - 3x6

Stir the Pot
2x[6 left, 6 right]
1x[10 left, 10 right]
---
Military Press (ring finger on ring)
20kg - 1x5
30kg - 1x5
40kg - 1x3
50kg - 3x6 ... pb

Step Up (low box, barbell)
20kg - 1x5 per leg
30kg - 1x5 per leg
40kg - 1x5 per leg
50kg - 3x5 per leg
---
Chin Ups
bodyweight +16.25kg - 3x6 ... pb

Plank
3x1 minute
---
Leg Curl
40kg - 2x10
50kg - 1x10

Leg Ext
40kg - 1x10
50kg - 2x10
---

BossArky

Sunday January 1st 2012:

Bike 8.3km

BossArky

Monday January 2nd: Heavy Bench & Squat, Light Deadlift

Bench
40kg – 1x6
60kg – 1x5
72.5kg – 1x3
82.5kg – 3x6 ... ok
---
BB Curl
20kg - 1x10
30kg - 3x10
---
Step Up (barbell, medium step)
20kg - 1x5 per leg
30kg - 1x5 per leg
35kg - 3x5 per leg

DB Bench
37.5kg per arm - 1x2f
35kg per arm - 1x4f
32.5kg per arm - 1x6
30kg per arm - 2x6
---
KB Lying Tricep
12kg per arm – 3x8
---
Plank
2x1 minute
---
Military Press (ring finger on ring)
20kg - 1x5
35kg - 1x10
30kg - 1x10
---

BB Bench was fine.

DB Bench: started too heavy and should have reduced weight more on second set.

The medium step is perfect height for step ups. Really feel these in the glutes.

Bodyweight 81.7kg this morning.

BossArky

Below were my fitness goals at the start of 2011. Progress in red.

BossArky wrote: »

Fitness Goals for 2011:

It will be a busy year in other areas of my life, so I'm keeping my fitness goals simple:

• Squat 165kg in competition ... managed 152.5kg in June, then missed a few comps due to moving to Perth and hurting my back. Reckon I was on course for 160kg before injury
• Bench 110kg in competition ... managed 100kg in June
• Deadlift 200kg in competition ... managed 180kg in March, then missed a few comps due to moving to Perth and hurting my back. Reckon I was on course for 187.5kg before injury

Here are my 2012 goals:

• Fix back
• Squat 180kg in competition (or 150kg - 3x5 in training)
• Bench 110kg in competition (or 100kg - 3x5 in training)
• Deadlift 210kg in competition (or 175kg - 3x5 in training)
• Total 500kg in competition
• Military Press 60kg - 3x5 (to aid bench)
• Get from bodyweight 81.7kg to a lean 90kg (vs. GOMAD 90kg in mid 2011)
• Diet: eat a lot, but clean (related to the above)
• Learn to surf

BossArky

Thursday January 6th: Heavy Deadlift, Light Bench & Squat

Close Grip Bench
30kg - 1x5
50kg - 1x3
60kg - 1x2
65kg - 3x5

Lunge Stretch
right & left
---
Glute Ham Raise
3x12

Barbell Step Up (medium step)
20kg - 1x5 per leg
30kg - 1x5 per leg
40kg - 3x5 per leg
---
Static Barbell Lunge
20kg - 1x5 per leg
30kg - 1x5 per leg
40kg - 1x5 per leg
50kg - 1x5 per leg
60kg - 1x5 per leg

Plank
2x1 minute

Pull Up
bodyweight - 3x8
---
Military Press (ring finger on ring)
20kg - 1x5
35kg - 1x3
45kg - 1x2
30kg - 3x10
---

Chest still in bits from Monday & felt generally fatigued in upper body on last warm up Military Press (45kg x2) so went down on last sets instead of up to attempt 52.5kg 3x5.

Up to 40kg on Barbell Step Up.

Added Static Lunges. 60kg was heavy. Felt more gassed after these than the step ups. Extra balance allowed heavier weight.

Chin Up bar dissappeared off the wall. Was planning bodyweight + 17.5kg for 3x5. Instead back down to Pull Ups 3x8 with just bodyweight on a slanty bar

Assistance in general needs to go back to maintainence now as benching hits the last 4 heavy weeks of the cycle from next Monday.

Had a really good sleep after the above. The heat in Perth stays throughout the evening and night so often hard to fall asleep.

Bodyweight 81.8kg upon awaking the next morning.

BossArky

Saturday January 7th:

Surfing

First of 4 weekly lessons. Very tiring and frustrating... but I'll keep at it.

BossArky

Monday January 9th: Heavy Bench & Squat, Light Deadlift

Bench
50kg – 1x5
70kg – 1x3
77.5kg – 1x2 ... felt heavy
85kg – 3x5 ... needed spotter help on last rep of each set
---
Step Up (DB, medium step)
bodyweight - 1x5 per leg
20kg per arm - 2x5 per leg

DB Bench
25kg per arm - x10, x8
---
Lunge
bodyweight - 1x5 per leg
20kg per arm - 2x5 per leg
---
BB Curl
30kg - 3x10
---
Torsonator (with wide handle)
bar - 3x10
---

Wasted from surfing on Saturday and doing too much on Thursday last. Lesson learnt. Kept assistance easier tonight to recover.

BossArky

In other news... went to a different physio today as part of my new years resolution to fix my back. Within minutes he had diagnosed a sprained facet joint at L4/L5 in my back. It gets inflamed from minor things, hence why it has been at me intermittently since the original injury on Sept 8th. He twisted, massaged and prodded me in various ways. It was particularly tender on the spot where I had been telling the other physio... who totally missed that. GRRR...

Anyway, happy to finally know what is wrong and hopefully will get it fixed up with this new physio over the next while.

kevpants

BossArky wrote: »

In other news... went to a different physio today as part of my new years resolution to fix my back. Within minutes he had diagnosed a sprained facet joint at L4/L5 in my back. It gets inflamed from minor things, hence why it has been at me intermittently since the original injury on Sept 8th. He twisted, massaged and prodded me in various ways. It was particularly tender on the spot where I had been telling the other physio... who totally missed that. GRRR...

Anyway, happy to finally know what is wrong and hopefully will get it fixed up with this new physio over the next while.

Cool. Feels good to actually know what the hell is wrong with you I find.

BossArky

Thursday January 12th: Heavy Deadlift, Light Bench & Squat

Warm Up

• Press Ups
• Lunges
• Lunge Stretch

---
Close Grip Bench (feet on bench)
20kg - 1x5
45kg - 1x3
55kg - 1x2
65kg - 3x5

Chin Up (parallel grip)
bodyweight - 2x10 ... thought about a 3rd set.. and didn't
---
Glute Ham Raise
4x8 ... a change from 3x12

Barbell Step Up (medium step)
20kg - 1x5 per leg
35kg - 1x5 per leg
45kg - 2x5 per leg ... easier than expected
---
Static Barbell Lunge
30kg - 1x8 per leg
40kg - 1x8 per leg
---
Military Press (ring finger on ring)
30kg - 1x5
40kg - 1x5
50kg - 2x5

Plank
2x1 minute
---

Kept feet on bench during close grip bench to totally remove any strain on lower back. Bench hasn't been giving me issues, but wanna give it the best possible chance of recovery. My arch when benching heavy is decent and sometimes I get cramps/tightness in the mid back after a set of heavy bench.

Reduced some assistance to just 2 heavy sets instead of 3.

Barbell Step Ups with 45kg weren't as heavy as expected. Will keep building these up gradually and see where I get to.

Military Press was fine. I'm enjoying this.

A few lunges at the end too. Not too many thought, as I don't want to be DOMs riddled for surfing on Saturday.