20 Rep Squats

20 rep squats are really, really hard.  I've been slowly and steadily increasing my weight for these, starting at 135lbs a little over a month ago, and hitting 175lbs on Sunday.  My eventual goal is to get to 225 for 20 reps.  While not far-fetched, I don't think I'm going to be hitting this any time soon.  I think it's going to take a few months before I can even attempt such a feat.  

Just doing 175lbs was a grueling effort.  Afterwards, I was so worn out that I couldn't really do anything else.  I tried seated military press (because I couldn't do shoulders on Friday), and did manage to do 3 sets.  But I was exhausted.  Went home, and had to lay down for a few minutes before eating anything.

Today, my legs are a train wreck.  All sorts of crazy sore, on every aspect of my legs.  Quads, hammies, glutes, hips.  I'm happy I hit 175, but I'm thinking next time I'm only going up to 180.  Keep trying 5 pound increases until I can get to 200 lbs.  

Here are the sets:

1/29/12 - Sunday

Squats - 1 set

135x8 (warmup)

135x5 (warmup)

175x20

Seated Military Press - 3 sets

95x5 (warmup)

105x5

115x4

115x4

For shoulders, no pain in my back because I was sitting.  Again, I made sure to bring the weight to my chest before raising it up again.  I could tell I was beat up from the squats.  I probably waited 10 minutes before even trying the press.

Next training session is set for Wednesday.

Back Problems when Pressing

As the title suggests, my session on Friday involved some pain in my back.  It was a chest/shoulders day, and everything started well.  I made progress on bench press, getting 2 sets of 5 reps at 185.  I was feeling great, pumped up and ready to hit shoulders.  I should have stayed with the military press.  Instead, I stood up in the squat rack and did clean and press together.

Warm ups were okay, but during my first set I felt some sharp, shooting pains in the middle of my back.  Not lower back, but a little under my shoulder blades.  I took a few minutes rest, and tried to do a 2nd set.  No good dood.  First rep I felt the same pain, just worse.  I obviously stopped pressing, did a few cable and skull crusher sets for triceps, and then headed home.

It was a disappointing finish to great start of my training session.  Here are my sets.

P.S.  -  Just a note for myself, that my forearms were still crazy sore from my deadlifting session on Tuesday.

1/27/12 - Friday
Bench Press - 3 sets
95x8 (warmup)
135x6 (warmup)
185x5
185x5
175x6

Clean and Press - 2 sets
95x5 (warmup)
115x4
115x1 (back pains, stopped)

Skull Crushers - 2 sets
70x8
70x8

Rope Cable Pull Down - 2 sets
120x4 (too heavy)
110x8

I'm pleased with my progress on bench.  After Friday's session, I know I have 200 pounds in my future.

Moving Forward with Deadlifts

You may remember that last week I backed off on deadlifts a bit.  I've read so many opinions on weight training, that I can't even tell if my lighter workout was me being lazy, or a smart approach to the lift.  Either way, I backed off and lightened the load last week, for better or for worse.  

This week, I increased the poundage back up to 315, but only stayed there for 1 set.  As usual, I felt like my back was able to handle the weight, but my grip was slipping.  I managed 4 reps.  On the 5th, I tried to switch my grip, but it was almost as if switching the grip disrupted my focus.  I ended up not even trying the 5th rep.

I'm positive my back can handle higher weights.  I don't want to use straps or anything.  I wonder if it's worth it for me to stay at 315 until my hands can realistically handle it before increasing the weight to 325.  It probably is.

Here are my sets.

1/25/12 - Tuesday

Deadlifts - 3 sets

135x8 (warmup)

225x5 (warmup)

265x3 (warmup)

315x4

295x5

275x6

Shrug Machine - 4 sets

180x10

230x8

270x8

180x10

Bicep Preacher Curls, straight barbell - 2 sets

80x4

70x8

The shrug machine was the only thing available at the time for me to shrug.  The gym is still packed with most of the new years resolution crowd, and there wasn't any room anywhere.  I also realized curling with the straight bar is much harder than using the bent bar.  And finally, my forearms and even wrists feel incredibly sore today.

Slowly upping the weight on Bench, upping my form on Press

Saturday was a standard "Bench and Shoulders" day at the gym.  I started out with bench, and did ascending triples until I got up to 185.   I definitely left some in the tank for these.  Maybe next week I'll do ascending quadruples or something stupid.  I want to get more reps at the higher weights, so that when I finally move back up to 195 again, I'll be able to get more than 3 or 4 reps maximum.  I'm taking my time, because I really want to break the 200 barrier.

Shoulders were a whole nother ball game.  I did the seated military barbell press again, but I tried something a little different.  Normally when I press, I bring the weight down to about my lips, and press it back up.  I realized that if I bring that weight down to my chest, I'll gain a whole 4 inches of range to my press.  It would involve more musculature, and do more for me.  Kind of getting more bang for my buck. I had to lower the weight slightly, but I think in a month I'll be back where I want to be.  With more muscle.

1/21/12 - Saturday
Bench Press - 4 sets
95x8 (warmup)
135x6 (warmup)
165x3
175x3
185x3
155x9

Military Press - 3 sets
45x8 (warmup)
95x5 (warmup)
115x4
105x5
105x5

Tricep Rope Cables - 3 sets
110x8
110x7
110x7

Couldn't go to the gym yesterday, I worked too late to get there.  Tonight I'm going no matter what.  It's deadlift time.

Finding Time for 20 Rep Squats

Life has been busy for me lately.  As some of you know, my wife and I are looking for a house.  Between that whole process, plus some heavy stuff going on at work, my time has been really limited. I've been working late, stressed out, and not eating as well as I usually do.

Monday and Tuesday were late nights at the office, no chance to get into the gym.  After another late night on Wednesday, I was exhausted and in a dilemma.  There was a good chance I'd be working late again on Thursday, and I didn't want to chance missing 4 days in a row (Mon-Thurs).  But at the same time, I was tired, and dinner was literally being put on the table when I got home.

I decided that I could tough it out, that I wasn't really that tired, and to just go.  I'm really glad I did.  I nailed 20 rep squats at 165lbs, and did a few power clean sets.  I felt great when I got home.  More focused, relaxed, and I slept better last night than I have in a while.  It reminded me why the hell I train in the first place.

My wife also captured a video of me squatting.  It's a good thing too, because you can tell my form isn't good.  The bar is in a "high bar" position (at the top of my traps), but I lean way too far forward when I come down, and I almost rock the weight up and down throughout the rep (you can see the weights spinning).  As a result, I can't get quite low enough with my squat, and it puts way too much stress on my lower back.  I know it does, because my back is always sore after I squat.  It's a simple correction that would really help me.  Here's the video, followed my the sets.

1/18/12 - Wednesday
Squats - 1 set
135x5 (warmup)
135x8 (warmup)
165x20

Power Cleans - 4 sets
95x5 (warmup)
135x5
145x4
145x2
135x4

Some notes:

Squats - Next week, I'll try and work on form, keeping the weight where it is. I'll go 20 reps again, but work on keeping my back (and chest) in the correct position.   I could also attempt to lower the bar on my back, and do correct low bar squatting instead.

Cleans - There was a big guy next to me doing cleans in the other squat rack.  He put me to shame, ending with a 5 rep set of 225 hang cleans.  It was good to watch him.  He was obviously experienced with them, he was doing them with excellent form, and nailing them easily.  Watching myself in the mirror, it made me realize how poor my own form is, and how I have such a lack of "explosion" getting the weight up off the floor.  My movement was like slow motion compared to this guy.  I need to work on really pulling the weight up with more power, and getting under the bar faster.

A bunch of stuff

Talk about frustrating.  I typed up a whole post last night, and before I could publish, the computer froze and I lost it.  It was a pretty good one too, at least by my boring standards.  Now I don't have the energy to try and recreate my masterpiece, so I'm just gonna keep it short and sweet.  Kinda.

I made it to the gym on both Friday and Sunday last week.  Neither were great.  My workout on Friday consisted of me being a pansy and having a tough time of bench press.  I did less reps with the same weight as last week.  I don't know if it was a lack of focus or what, but it sucked.  Next, I couldn't get in the squat rack to do the overhead press, so I did seated military press instead.  It was easier than standing.  Here are the sets from Friday.

Since it's Tuesday, I'll admit that I can't exactly remember military press, and if I really did 10 reps at 115.  It was either 10 or 8, and I nailed them without too much trouble.

1/13/12 Friday
Bench Press - 3 sets
95x8 (warmup)
135x6 (warmup)
175x6
165x8
165x7

Seated Military Press - 3 sets
45x10 (warmup)
105x10 cake
115x10
115x10

Then, Sunday I did deadlifts, barbell rows, and 2 quick bicep sets.  This was even worse.  I blame it all on Skyrim.  All I did all weekend (aside from looking at a few houses) was play Skyrim.  I played for hours and hours and hours.  And then played more.  I missed sleep, I missed meals...it was ridiculous.  And then I hit some glitch where I lost of bunch of progress...ugh.  How can you blame me though, I'm running around slaying dragons!

I'll bet you dragon meat has plenty of protein

So, I had no motivation on Sunday, and the last thing I wanted to do was train.  I guess you could say I pulled myself together enough to get into the gym.  Barely.  I decided that because last week, I couldn't get 5 reps at 315, I'd dial it back and do 285 instead. Kind of like still work my back, but not overdo it.  This way, next time I can try to increase my PR.  (in other words, I was pretty much just bullshitting myself.)  Maybe it'll work.  But I'll be frank:  I was lazy as hell on Sunday.

Here are my sets.

1/15/12 - Sunday
Deadlifts - 3 sets
135x8 (warmup)
225x5 (warmup)
285x3
285x3
285x3

Barbell Rows - 3 sets
135x8 (warmup)
165x5
165x5
165x5

Dumbbell Bicep Curls - 2 sets
40x7
40x6

And then I hightailed it out of there.  Went home, ate some dinner/lunch, and played Skyrim for another 7 hours.

Squats, RDL's and Cleans - Oh my!

Yesterday was round 2 of the squatting, cleaning and RDL'ing all on the same day.  I realized near the end that it might be a bit much for a single session at the gym.  I want to stick with it though, because it WILL improve my conditioning.

I did 1 set of 20 rep squats again.  Upped the weight by 20lbs, to 155.  It wasn't CAKE, but it was easier than I thought.  I'm upping it again next week.  The goal is to eventually be doing 225 for 20 grueling reps.

Here are my sets.

1/10/12 - Tuesday
Squats - 1 set of 20 reps
95x10 (warmup)
135x5 (warmup)
155x20

Power Cleans - 4 sets
95x5 (warmup)
135x3
145x3
155x2
155x2

RDL's - 2 sets
135x8
135x8

As I said above the squats weren't that bad.  Of course, my legs were linguini afterwards, and they're already destroyed this morning.  I can't wait to do this again next week.

The cleans were again a mixed bag.  I decided to go for pure power cleans, as I enjoy the "explosion" pulling the weight up off the floor.  My form still leaves a lot to be desired.  Oh, and I failed just as many reps as I hit at 155.

RDL's are weird.  Weight-wise, they're the "easiest" of all these lifts.  The problem is that I'm trying so hard to keep my form correct.  I'm concentrating on keeping my legs straight, but knees unlocked.  I'm concentrating on trying to keep my hips back.  And I'm concentrating on keeping my back straight, chest puffed out.  And after a session of hard squatting and cleaning, my focus is beginning to waver.  I feel like most of my mental energy is going towards keeping my form good, and I'm not concentrating on the exercise itself.  I dunno if that even makes sense.  It's tough to put it to words.

And lastly, I've begun upping my whole milk intake.  Why?  Because I'm not gaining any fucking weight.  I'm a solid 163.  Which means over the past 3 weeks I've gained...0 pounds.  I think that it's obvious I'm not getting enough calories, irregardless of their source.  It's winter, and my body can afford to gain another 7 pounds before the spring hits.

Keeping Pace - Deadlifts

Did deadlifts on Saturday.  Kept pace and did a few sets with 315 lbs.  My grip was failing me though.  It was a weird combo of the bar feeling slippery, and my forearms still feeling a tiny bit sore from doing rows, lat pull downs and bi's a few days earlier.

After the first 2 sets, I just couldn't hold the weight in my hands.  I felt that my back could handle the load, but my hands couldn't.  I stopped trying for reps and instead did singles on the minute for 4 minutes.

1/7/12 - Saturday

Deadlifts - 2 sets, and 4 "single reps per minute"

135x8 (warmup)

225x5 (warmup)

275x3 (warmup)

315x3

315x2

315x1

315x1

315x1

315x1

Bench Press - 2 very light sets

95x10

95x10

Dumbbell Bicep Curls - 2 sets

30x8 (warmup)

40x8

40x7

I was dissapointed in my grip, but was happy that I hit the singles.  I ended up doing more reps this way anyway.  All in all, I'm glad I kept pace despite the grip troubles.  Next time I'll try to get a little more recovery in between so I can maybe even up the weight to 325.  Hopefully.

The bicep work was really just me being unsure of what I could do next, and just dicking around with bi's to pass the time until my wife was done with her squatting routine.  (20 reps again).   My forearms were really feeling the pressure at that point.

And finally, I did the bench because my chest was ridiculously sore.  Sometimes doing really light work on the sore muscle group kind of works the soreness out of the area.  It really helped, I felt much better afterwards. 

Probably won't be training today.  Back is sore, grips are sore, and while it's feeling better, my chest is still a tiny bit sore.  That doesn't leave me much.  I think I may just take today off and resume on Tuesday with a sampling of Squats, Cleans and RDL's.  Today I'll focus on working out my digestive tract. 

Bench and Shoulder cycle has begun!

Trained bench and shoulders yesterday evening after work.  It was a pretty basic workout, at a little bit lighter weights and more reps.  I want to stay at this for a few weeks, slowly building myself back up to higher weight again.

I worked out at about 75 - 80% of my 1 RM, going from anywhere from 7-9 reps.  To figure this out, I googled a site to calculate my 1RM (google 1 rep max calculator).  After plugging in 195 for 4 reps on bench, and 125 for 4 reps on shoulders, I found the following:

1 Rep Max

Bench 1RM - ~210lbs
Overhead Shoulder Press 1RM ~132lbs

With this, I figured out an approximate 75-80%.

Bench ~165
Sh Press ~100

Ok.  So now after all this math I finally went to the fucking gym and worked out at about those poundages, and tried to do each set with keeping about 1 rep in the tank.  I think it worked out pretty well.

Remember, my goal (in bench, for example) is to work out at these poundages, and slowly increase the weight/reps over the next 3 or so weeks to bring me back to about 95% of where I was working out before (approx 185lbs for bench).  Then I slowly get back to 195, what I was lifting previously.  The last phase is to push above and beyond 195.  Even if I can only get an additional 5-10lbs on the bar at this weight, it'll be a good improvement.  Same idea goes for shoulder press.

As for deadlift and squat, I'm making no changes thus far in my programming.  I'm still making positive progress in these lifts.  Maybe not so much in squat, but I'm taking this one step at a time.

Here are my sets last night..

1/5/12 - Thursday
Bench Press - 3 sets
95x9 (warmup)
135x6 (warmup)
175x7
165x9
165x7

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 3 sets
25s x 8 (warmup)
45s x 10
50s x 8
50s x 7

Afterwards, I tried to do skull crushers, but damn.  My triceps were annihilated once again, just from doubling up on bench and shoulder press.  Seriously, they were bulging and tight as hell.  They're already sore today.

Oh, and by the way.  My wife is monster.  She did 2 sets of 20 reps on bench yesterday.  Granted, she only did 65 pounds.... but still.... 2 sets of 20 non-stop reps.  And why would she do such a thing?  As I said, she's a fucking monster.  I wish you could of seen the fire in her eyes yesterday.  Her determination alone puts most of the dudes in the gym to shame, probably including me.

BS Back and Bi day

Monday my legs and groin were still incredibly sore from doing the 20 rep squats on Friday.  I didn't want to hit deadlifts with my quads still that sore.  Instead, I did one of my girly "back and bi's" workouts where I don't really hit any of the "main" lifts.  I even used one of those lat pulldown machines.  Of course, I wasn't sure what weight I could do, and had to experiment to figure it all out.  I still worked out hard, but I wouldn't say it was a good workout.

Here are my sets.

1/2/12 - Monday
1 Hand Dumbbell Rows - 3 sets
65x8 (warmup)
100x7
100x6
100x5 (grip started to slip left hand)

Super Duper Lat Pulldown Machine - 3 sets
90x8 (warmup)
140x8
180x8
180x8

Standing Dumbell Bicep Curl - 3 sets
40s x 7
45s x 4
40s x 7


I wanted to do deadlifts tonight, but my grips are still sore, especially in my forearms.  I may dial it back a bit and do some chest/shoulders for reps at a lighter weight instead.  Then Friday my grips will be better and I can deadlift with no problems.

Happy New Year

It's a couple of days late, but I'd like to wish anyone reading a Happy New Year!  It's official.  The tree is down, at the curb, and the holiday season is finally over.

Unlike on Christmas, I did NOT go to the gym on New Years day.  It was more a day for recovery, from both an intense workout on the 30th and a few drinks on NYE.  I also played so much modern warfare, and so much skyrim over the break... I think my eyes are going to melt out of my head.  My one enemy of training is gaming, especially on the weekends.

Weekdays are easy.  I come home from work, and the first thing I do is get changed and go to the gym.  Weekends, on the other hand are much more complicated.  When I wake up, I do not have it in me to train right away.  I need to fully wake up, have some coffee, etc.  What I end up doing is playing a game for a little while.  And with a game like Skyrim, an hour turns into 2 hours, which turns into 5 hours in the blink of an eye!  Next thing you know it's 2pm and I haven't eaten breakfast yet.  Ridiculous.

Anyway, as I mentioned earlier I went to the gym on Friday, the 30th, and did something different with squats.  I did 1 set of 20 reps at 135, practically touching the floor with my ass on the way down.  And today is what, Tuesday?  I'm still sore in my groin.  From 1 set.  Crazy.  Plus I did some hang cleans, power cleans and some RDL's.  By the end, I was shot.  Here are the sets.

12/30/11 Friday
Squats - 1 set
Bodyweight x 8 (warmup)
135x5 (warmup)
135x20

Power Cleans - 1 set
45x5 (warmup)
95x5 (warmup)
145x8

Hang Cleans - 2 sets
145x2 - I probably made 5 attempts at these, and failed.
135x5

RDLs - 2 sets
135x8
135x8

Now this whole workout needs an explanation.  The 20 rep squat thing is just an experimental thing.  I may do it for a few more weeks, but I plan on eventually going back to heavier weight and lower reps.

As for the cleans...ugh this was disgusting.  I started out trying to get 145 up with hang cleans, but failed miserably.  So instead I switched to power cleans and nailed the 145 pretty easily.  But, I really, REALLY wanted to hit that with hang cleans, so I tried again.   And again, and again, and managed to get 2 extremely sloppy reps up.  So I rested for at least 5 minutes, then I dropped the weight back down to 135 and got it up for 5 times.

The RDL's followed the form that was prescribed on 70's big.  I focused on keeping my knees unlocked, but not bent, kept my back straight/chest out, and didn't touch the floor with the weight.  Keeping good form was more difficult than I expected.

I took the weekend off, and then worked out on Monday.  I'll post the sets up tomorrow.