Fri 4/30/21 - Full Body (Bench)

Garage Gym

(Bench)95x8,115x6,125x5,150x4,160x8,170x8,175x8,8,8

(FrontSquat)75x5,95x4,105x10,110x10,120x10,110x10

(LowDBInc)70x13,60x10,8

63 mins

Started with bench for 8reps @RPE6,7,8x3. Left shoulder/pec still troublesome and nothing felt "good", but I got through the WO at prescribed weights and nothing "hurt". Top sets felt easier on RPE scale than last week for same weight/reps, but 3 sets instead of 2.  Next were front squats for 10reps @RPE 7,8,9 -5% 1x10.  Top set was targeted for 115, but they were feeling good so I did 120. It was @RPE9.  Finished up with low DB incline for 70%AMRAP +63% 2x12.  My top set was 1 more rep than last week, back-off sets are always a struggle here. Back offs should be 65# (I don't have 65#DB's), but even with 60's I can't get sets of 12. Not sure I could with 50's for 2 sets either. Solid WO.

Nutrition/Weight:

186.2

Thu 4/29/21 - Cardio

 Brisk walk 60 mins with Salem

Wed 4/28/21 - Full Body (Squat)

Garage Gym

(Squat)75x8,95x5,125x3,140x8,150x8,160x8,8,8

(Incline)115x8,125x8,130x8,8,8

(RDL)135x12,165x12,195x12,12

58 mins

Started with squat for 8 reps @RPE 6,7,8x3. Hit these just about right with last set being a bit over target RPE. Next was incline for 8 reps @RPE6,7,8x3. My left pec/shoulder is still giving me problems, so top sets here were probaly @RPE7 on purpose. Last set was 2ct paused reps, which felt better. Finished up with RDL's getting a little heavier than last week. These bother my pec/shoulder a bit too.

Nutrition/Weight:

186.6

Tue 4/27/21 - GPP + Knee Ability

Garage Gym

(KOT)2mins

(InvertRow)15,14,12

(Tibialis)20,20,18

(StepUp)2x25

(TriExt)2x15

(Curl)25x12,12

(RevNordic)2x15

(Crunch)3x12

(Cardio)35

30 + 35 = 65 mins

GPP and Knee Ability today. I tried doing a pullup and whatever is bothering my left shoulder/pec is also making it nearly impossible to do pullups. I did 1 pullup and I had significant pain in left rear delt and up my arm in my tricep. Really strange. Inverted rows seemed fine. I did crunches for the first time in a long time and liked the burn in my abs that I don't really get from planks.

Nutrition/Weight:

187.2

Mon 4/26/21 - Run

 22 min run

25 c/d walk w/ Salem

Sun 5/25/21 - Full Body (Deadlift)

Garage Gym

(Deadlift)135x8,185x6,225x3,245x8,255x8,265x8,8

(PinBench)95x8,125x5,135x8,145x8,150x8,8

(DBShldr)35x12,30x12,12

49 mins

Started with deadlift for 8 reps @RPE 6,7,8x2. Top sets rated @PRE7-8 but bothered my left pec. Next was pin bench. WO called for sets of 10 @RPE 7,8,9, but I'm doing 8's @RPE 6,7,8x2, staying away from RPE9's, at least until the pec is healed. Today my top sets were @PRE 7.5-8, then @9.  This was lighter than last week, but harder. Finished up with shoulder press.  I went lighter, but also didn't use a back rest which makes it more challenging. Solide WO, but hoping my pec will come along quickly.

Nutrition/Weight:

186.4

Fri 4/23/21 - Full Body (Bench)

Garage Gym

(Bench)95x8,125x5,155x8,165x8,175x8,8

(FrontSquat)barx10,75x5,95x10,100x10,110x10,10

(LowDBInc)70x12,60x10,9

52 mins

Bench was 8 reps @RPE 6,7,8x2. Warming up my left pec felt fine. My top sets @RPE8 were projected at 171#, so I did 175#. First set was @RPE8, 2nd set was @PRE9, a bit of an overshoot. I should've just done 170# for my top sets, especially while my left pec/shoulder is still healing up. Next were front squats for 10 reps @RPE6,7,8x2. The WO actually called for 10@7,8,9-5%+1x10, but I don't want to be hitting RPE9's consistently on squats.  Hence, the modification. My top sets were probably REP 7's, but sets of 10 had me gassed. Cardio and muscle endurance is not there.  Finished up with low DB incline for 70%AMRAP + 63% 2x12.  My first set was with 70#DB's and the first couple of reps felt like shit, didn't think I'd make it to 7-8 reps, but I hit a groove and they felt really good and very little left shoulder/pec discomfort.  The back off sets at 60#'s I couldn't get 12 reps, and I'm not sure if I would've dropped to 50#'s that I would have gotten them either. 60#DB's felt light at first, but I just hit a wall both back off sets.  Solid WO.

Nutrition/Weight:

186.8 this morning.  Weight has crept up the last 2 days despite being in a caloric deficit. No biggie, happens all the time.

Thu 4/22/21 - GPP + Knee Ability

Garage Gym

(KOT)2mins

(SealRow)25x12,30x12,35x12,40x12

(Tibialis)17"x20,17,15,14

(DBTri)30x15,12,11

(Curl)20x12,12,12

(SplitSquat12")3x12

(SidePlank)3x45

(DeadHang)80

20min walk

41 + 20 = 61 mins

GPP + a little knee ability work. Started iwth a KOT squat for 2mins. Knees a little cranky today from squats yesterday and they were POPPING loudly. Then I did seal rows working up to a heavy set of 12 w/ 40#, supersetted with tibialis raise. Short rests. Next was lying DB triceps extensions with curls. Then split squats on 12" box with side planks for 45 seconds/side.  Finished with a dead hang, toes touching floor and a walk with Salem.

Nutrition/Weight:

185.6

Wed 4/21/21 - Full Body (Squat)

Garage Gym

(Squat)75x8,95x5,115x4,135x8,145x8,155x8,8

(Incline)95x8,115x3,125x8,130x8,135x8,8

(RDL)135x12,155x12,185x12,12

60 mins

Week 2 Hypertrophy block, started with squat for 8reps @RPE6,7,8x2. Left knee a bit sore warming up, but felt good after a few sets. Top sets at 155#'s were @RPE 8-8.5, then 8.5-9.  Definitely not used to higher rep sets on squats, or anything really.  Next was incline for 8 reps @RPE6,7,8x2.  All working sets felt heavier than I feel like they should, but were w/in RPE range. Top sets were in the RPE 7-8 range, plenty heavy while my left pec/shoulder continues to heal. Finished up with RDLs.  These felt much better than last week, so I bumped up the weight accordingly. Still fairly light, but sets of 12 are still work :)

Nutrition/Weight:

185.4

Tue 4/20/21 - Knee Ability + GPP

Garage Gym

(KOT)2mins

(InvertRow)4x12

(Tibialis)25,12,12,20

(StepUp)20,20,25

(Curl)25x13,20x13,13

(RevNordic)3x15

(SidePlank)30,40,50

(Delt)3x15/10/10

(LyingLegRaise)3x12

56 mins

Knee Ability and GPP day. Warmed up with a DEEP KOT for 2 mins - started normal and got deeper and deeper as the 2 mins progressed. Then I did inverted rows with Tibialis raises @17", then 2 sets at 19" (hard!) and last set at 15".  Then I did step-ups, triceps extensions and curls (mix of regular and hammer curls). Next were reverse Nordics and side planks for 30, 40 & 50 seconds per side.  Finished up with delts (side, front, rear superset) and lying leg rasises for more core work.  Good little workout!

Nutrition/Weight:

186.4

Mon 4/19/21 - Full Body (Deadlift)

 Garage Gym

(Deadlift)135x8,165x8,195x8,225x8,240x8,255x8

(PinBench)95x10,125x10,140x10,145x10,155x10

(DBShldr)45x10,35x10,30x10

40 mins

We were camping at Hanging Rock State Park this weekend and got very little sleep Saturday night so neither Sarah nor I were up for a workout after hiking in the morning, packing up, driving home, unloading car, etc.  Plus, long-time Leesburg friend EJ was in Charlotte and came over for dinner.

Workout Monday morning started with deadlift for 8reps @RPE 7,8.9. Everything in this block starts @RPE 7,8,9, but I'm trying to keep things to 6,7,8 to ease into it a bit. Deadlift felt good, but my left pec/shoulder is still not 100%. Top set was probably @RPE7-8, on the light side, but double overhand grip was slipping a bit. To save time, I supersetted Pin Bench with deadlifts. Pin bench was 10 reps @RPE7,8,9.  These felt good. My sets were @RPE 6,7,9.  Finished up with DB shoulder press for 70%AMRAP + 2x12@63%.  I wasn't sure what weight to start with, but 45#DB's was appropriate. First back off set was at 35# and I couldn't get 12, nor could I at 30#. No muscle stamina at all, especially right after high-rep pin bench.  

Nutrition/Weight:

189.0. Ouch, bloated up over a weekend camping at Hanging Rock State Park.

Sat/Sun 4/17-18/21 - Camping & Hiking at Hanging Rock State Park

 Nice weekend at Hanging Rock State Park.  Great park with nice trails, good overlooks/views for not being in the "mountains", very nice campground and pond for fishing and swimming.

VERY little sleep Saturday night. Taryn didn't want to go to bed so we all went to bed around 10pm and she didn't sleep well. Still a great weekend. Weather was cloudy Saturday, beautiful Sunday.

Fri 4/16/21 - Full Body (Bench)

 Garage Gym

(Bench)125x8,145x8,160x8,170x8

(FrontSquat)65x10,85x10,95x10,105x10

(LowDBInc)50x12,60x12,12

38 mins

Day 2 of hypertrophy block and I am NOT used to higher rep work.  Started with bench for 8@RPE 6,7,8. Left shoulder/pec has still been bothering me, but felt pretty good on bench today. I'm trying not to use the 1" spacer this block so I can get used to benching off my chest.  I'd been using the spacer because that extra 1" buffer is a bit easier on my shoulders.  So, I want to get used to it now as I start building back up.  Top set of 170#'s was definitely heavy enough for today @RPE 8.5.  

Today for secondary squat I decided to give front squats a shot because I'd like a movement that is a bit more quad focused. WO was 10@RPE 6,7,8.  Although the bar placement is akward, I really liked them and my knees felt great today.  It was also interesting to be squating with such an upright torso. I couldn't go heavy and I'd like to be able to hold the bar in an olympic style underhand grip, but my flexibility isn't there right now to do it. Finished up with low DB incline.  This was supposed to be 70%AMRAP + 63% 2x12. Because I haven't done these in several months, and because my left pec/shoulder, I didn't want to jump right into heavy DB's so I did a set of 50#, then 2 sets of 60#.  Last set of 12 was @RPE9-10.  Plenty heavy for today. Solid WO in fairly short time.

Nutrition/Weight:

185.6 coming down nicely. Need to be patient and not let weekends be major setbacks.

Thu 4/15/21 - Run

28 min run + 20 c/d walk with Salem

First run in a couple weeks. Took it easy, didn't feel easy. :)

Felt good to get out on a run again.

Wed 4/14/21 - GPP + Knee Ability

Garage Gym

(KOT)2mins

(SealRow)25x15,30x15,35x15,15

(Tibailis)3x20

(TriPushDn)2x15

(Curl)25x12,20x12

(StepUp)3x20

(SidePlank)3x30

(RevNordic)2x12

(Delt)5#x2x15/10/10

(SplitSquat)2x12

(Hang)60sec

52 mins

GPP and knee ability today.  Felt good to do some work besides squat, bench, deadlift today as I'd not done any accessory work in about 2 weeks. Nothing special here, just getting back to some general work, starting volume fairly low (2-3 sets) and will increase this over the block of training to 3-4 sets.

Nutrition/Weight:

186.6

Tue 4/13/21 - Full Body (Squat) - Begin Hypertrophy I - 4th time

 Garage Gym

(Squat)75x8,95x8,115x8,135x8,145x8

(Incline)115x8,125x8,135x8

(RDL)135x12,145x12,155x12

33 mins

Started a hypertrophy block today.  Squat was 8@RPE6,7,8. Legs and knees felt pretty good today.  Incline was 8@RPE6,7,8.  This did NOT feel good. My left shoulder/pec is not well and 135 that should be a warmup weight was not easy.  It doesn't help that I haven't done incline in over 3 months, but my pec needs time to rehab. RDL's were also affected by my pec/shoulder issue. Definitely not used to higher rep work!

Nutrition/Weight:

186.8

Sat 4/10/21 - Full Body - S/B/D Max Effort Test

Garage Gym

(Squat)105x3,135x3,165x2,195x1,215x1,225x1,235x1,245x1

(Bench1Ct)95x6,145x3,165x2,185x2,205x1,220x1

(Deadlift)135x8,185x3,225x3,275x1,315x1,345x1,375x1,385x1

Squat: 245

Bench: 220

Deadlift: 385

TOTAL: 850

78 mins

Max effort test for squat, bench and deadlift. Sqaut felt good today and no issues working up.  225@8, 235@9 and 245@9.5.  Felt good stopping there on squat for a new PR!.  Next was bench and my left shoulder/peck has just been giving me problems on bench, and also deadlift if I irritate it during bench.  Working up felt ok first couple of sets but as soon as I got to 185# my shoulder started bothering me. 205# felt like @RPE8 where the last couple of WO's this felt like a @RPE6.  I went up to 220# hoping it would feel better, but it didn't.  I called it there as my last set for bench. Disappointing since I did 245# just a week ago. We moved on to deadlift and although my left shoulder botherd me, it didn't seem to affect the pull except at the very top when getting shoulders back. I was hoping to better the 375#'s I did 1.5 weeks ago here.  Things were moving well adn I got to 375# and it didn't move as well as last week, but it wasn't my top weight.  I added 10# for 385# and got it @PRE10.  I felt better pulling last week, but still got a 2nd PR today!

My total for today was 850#.  Had my bench been on par with last week's effort that would've been 875#, but it doesn't matter, today it was 850 and I'm pleased with that.  I never thought I'd be in a position to think 1,000 would be possible.  Now I know it is and I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Sarah had an awesome effort and result today.  She PR'd on all 3 lifts and had some great totals.  She really went for broke, pushed her limits shown by a failed squat and bench on 3rd/last attempts.  I believe her numbers were Squat: 195,  Bench: 135, Deadlift: 230, TOTAL: 560

Overall I'm extremely pleased with progress on the Strength I program. I'm a bit disappointed with bench and my shoulder/pec, but hope I can recover quickly and get back at it.  We'll be switching to a hypertrophy block, and time for some weight loss.  I added about 7-8 pounds over the 13 week strength program, and certainly a lot of that is fat :)

Nutrition/Weight:

188.6

Wed 4/7/21 - Full Body (Squat/Bench/Deadlift - pre-max test)

 Garage Gym

(Squat)125x3,145x3,175x2,195x1,215x1,225x1,200x3

(Bench1Ct)135x3,185x3,205x1,225x1,235x1

(Deadlift)135x8,185x5,225x3,275x1,315x1,335x1

55 mins

Last WO before testing the S/B/D. Started with squat for 1@8, 3@9. Felt pretty good working up.  Top set at 225# moved ok and back offs at 200# were challenging but not grinders. Felt good about them.  My left shoulder/pec has been bothering me so I wasn't sure what to expect on bench. My last WO at Ida Lee I could feel it, but still had a great WO. Today was supposed to be 1@8, 2@9.  I felt good warming up and I moved up quickly to avoid a lot of reps. In hindsight, perhaps I should have done more sets/reps working up and made sure my pec was warmed up well. 205# moved well but didn't snap up like it has been. Next at 225# it was probably already @PRE8. I went to 235# for my top set and it went up @PRE9 but felt a "pull" or something in my left pec. I skipped the double back off set. I moved to deadlifts. The top of the movement, getting shoulders back is painful on my shoulder/pec so I cut things a tad short of vertical. I worked up to something around @RPE7-8ish and called it a day.  I'll see how I recover the next 2 days and hope I can test bench.  Not looking promising at this point.

Nutrition/Weight:

189.0

Mon 4/5/21 - Full Body (Deadlift)

Garage Gym

(Deadlift)135x3,185x3,225x3,315x2,245x1,365x1,375x1,320x3,335x2,2,295x4

(PinBench)135x5,165x3,185x2,205x1,220x1,205x3,190x3,3

(Squat)95x6,125x6,145x6,6

83 mins

Had to adjust schedule coming back from Leesburg on Sunday. Did the workout today (Monday).  Started with deadlift for 1@8, 1@9, 3@9, 2x2@8-9, 4@8. I as worried about my left shoulder, and it was uncomfortable at times, but didn't seem to hamper the weight. I worked up to 375# for a new PR and it felt good. Backoff at 320x3 was solid as were the doubles. The last set of 4 was @RPE7. Everything felt good, shoulder aside. I supersetted pin squats and got through them w/o bothering my shoulder too much. I finished up with sets of 6 on squats. My left hamstring/calf had some tightness, similar to in Leesburg so I skipped the 3rd set at 145#. Just wanted to get some squatting in, nothing heavy. Solid WO. Great pulling today!

Nutrition/Weight:

188.4 

Fri 4/2/21 - Full Body (Bench) - Ida Lee in Leesburg

 Ida Lee Gym

(Bench1Ct)135x5,185x3,205x2,225x1,235x1,245x1,225x2,2,2

(Squat)95x3,115x3,135x3,165x3,185x3,195x3,175x3,3

(WideGripBench)155x6,165x6,175x6,185x6,6,6

83 mins

In Leesburg for Easter and we went to Ida Lee gym. Started with bench for 1@8, 1@9, 3x2@8-9 (89%). Felt good working up. The bench was slick and the j-cups were fixed so that took a little adjustment. Single at 225 felt good, as did 235 for @RPE8. I bumped to 245 for a PR single. Back offs at 225 were solid @RPE8-8.5.  Next was squats. Sarah did pin squats and I did heavy-ish triples. Felt good working up. Tweaked my left hamstring slightly on my first back-off set, but didn't really factor in. Finished up with wide grip bench. Left shoulder started to bark at me on these. Hoping I can just get throught the week for max attempts. Great WO!

Nutrition/Weight:

In Leesburg for Easter, no scale.