RB's Training Log: road to 700#

[rbtrout]

I'll start this without the data to fill in. I'll fill it in later (my journal is at home).
Current bests on the big 3 (as of 2/13/09) -
Squats, pl syle, 615
Deads - 655
Bench - 325

Goals for 2009
Squats - 700+
Deads - 700+
Bench - 400 (I hope, I hope)

I'm 6' tall. My current bw is 260. I'd really rather lose a few to the 245 range (242 class (?)) and keep my strength, but having already trimmed my intake down by about 3500 per week, I initially lost down to 255 from 265, but have put 5 pounds back on......and my eating is still the same. Go figure. But, weight is really the least of my worries as long as I don't surpass 260-265.

I started 2008 by venturing more into pl training and have gone full-blown that direction for 2009. My benching lags due to a double-jointed left shoulder that "goes out without me" causing me to have to start all over on my benching.

I'll try to keep this updated and current.

[Cron22]

unreal...class of your own in this world...hopefully the joints don't give you too much trouble...unreal numbers man...unreal...wow

C-ron

[rere]

Good numbers.
Will you specialse in a lift as in squats for more poundage or deadlift?
What assistance exercises do you do to help the big three?
What does it feel like to Squat 615lbs?


You can tell me to piss off if i am asking too much questions

[rbtrout]

I'll be listing my entire workouts for the last 5 weeks or so, since I started doing pl training completely. That way you'll see what exercises I've been doing. As far as 1 exercise over the others, that's easy - squats. My deads come along much more slowly than my squats have been and my benching sucks.
What does it feel like to squat 615? Stepping back from the hooks is no easy task because the plates hit the sides of the rack and make me wobble a bit. Keeping my form is what I concentrate on. Going down, of course isn't too hard, but then you hit the bottom and try to "explode" out of the hole......that's when the fun really starts. If I have a sticking point, it's at the bottom and for the one fleet split-second I wonder, "can I really do this?". Then straining so hard that I feel like I'll shoot a testicle across the room and/or burst a blood vessel or two while on the way up are the next feelings. Then re-racking the bar and stepping out from under it, I'd better have a grip on the rack and a bench close by so I can sit down. Occasionally, re-rack and run for the john to puke. Then sitting on the bench for 5+ minutes with my head down to get blood back into it and letting my pulse get down to a more respectible level is next. After that, it's like F'in A, I JUST DID THAT!

[Buffalo150]

RB-

"Occasionally, re-rack and run for the john to puke. Then sitting on the bench for 5+ minutes with my head down to get blood back into it and letting my pulse get down to a more respectible level is next. After that, it's like F'in A, I JUST DID THAT!"

Now that's worth looking forward to...

And as to a 400 lbs Bench "sucking"...I aspire to "suck"...

Will follow the log and hope to emulate.

-Bflo

[Mehdi]

Looking forward to this. What kind of program are you following?

Jim Slade start a log too

[Dogfish]

...Then straining so hard that I feel like I'll shoot a testicle across the room and/or burst a blood vessel or two while on the way...

Damn..!

I am in awe of your lifts, sir. I hope you share more of your experiences.

Best of luck on accomplishing your goals.

[rbtrout]

Right now, I'm using an EliteFTS program, but thinking of changing it up a bit. I was going to try it until the last week of March and then try for some PRs, but I don't feel things coming along (squats really) as they should. Maybe I'll try for a really heavy squat session and see how it goes. Maybe I'm doing better than I think.

[rbtrout]

Started EliteFTS basic 4 day program. As written, the program calls for Sunday, Monday, Wednesday & Friday. I can't do weekends, so I put Sunday on Monday. It goes ME legs, ME bench, DE/RE legs and DE/RE bench. ME = max effort, de = dynamic effort and re = repetition.

I maxed on my bench in late(?) November, the next week "pop goes the shoulder" and I spent December rehabbing it. January, 2009 is a new year. Many of the exercises I've never done before, so I start light and try them out.

EDIT - now that I've posted several. The list is exercise first, then the 3X6-8 or 5,5,3,3,1,1,1,1 is what the program calls for and the 3 series of numbers are the weights/reps I actually did.

Week 1 -
Monday ME leg day
Good mornings 5,5,3,3,1,1,1,1 135/135/225/225/245/265
Reverse Hypers 3X6-8 25#/8 45#/6/6
Pull throughs 3X15 50/13/13/13/12
Decline wtd. Situps 3X15-20 bw/15/13/10/8

Tuesday ME bench day
Floor press 5,5,3,3,1,1,1,1 135/135/185/185/205/225/235
Tricep Pushdowns 3X12 200/3X12
SOHP 3X12 95/12X4
Bent rows (Yates style) 3X15 135/3X13

Thursday DE leg day
Box Squats 8X2 315
Deads 8X1 275/4 295/4
Good mornings 3X6-8 135/8
was supposed to do more but ran out of time.

Friday DE bench day
Bench Press 8X2 225
CGBP 3X5 185 free wt.
Seated DB press 3X12 40/15/13 35/12/12
Lat Pulldowns 3X12 165

[rbtrout]

Week 2 -
Monday ME squat day
Squats 5,5,3,3,1,1,1,1 135/225/315/405/495/585/605/615** New PR
Reverse Hypers 3X6-8 25/8 45/8/6
Pull throughs 3X15 40/16/15 45/15/15
Decline wtd. Situps 3X15-20 bw/15/13/10/8

Tuesday ME bench day
Rack Lockouts 5,5,3,3,1,1,1,1 135/225/275/315/365/365/385
Tricep Pushdowns 3X12 200/3X12
Front laterals 3X12 Too much shoulder pain
Bent rows (Yates) 3X15 135/3X13 shoulder bothering me

Thursday DE squat day
Box Squats 8X2-3 325/2/2/2 275/2/2/2/2/2
Deads 8X1 315/8 singles
Good mornings 3X6-8 145/8 155/6/6
was supposed to do more, but ran out of time

Friday DE bench day
had to skip. Got to bed around 11:30 pm, so getting up at 3:30 am is out of the question.

[rbtrout]

Week 3 -
Monday ME squat day
Rack Deads 5,5,3,3,1,1,1,1 315/5/5 365/3 405/3 585/1/1 635/1/1
Hypers 3X6-8 45/8/8/8
DB knee raises 3X15 20/10/10 40/10/10
Decline wtd. Situps 3X15-20 bw/12/10 25/6
when I do rack deads first, I can't lift as much. As the second exercise (even after heavy squats) I can lift better.

Tuesday ME bench day
Incline Bench press 5,5,3,3,1,1,1,1 95/8/5 135/5/3 1853 205/1/1/1
CGBP 3X12 135/15/13/12
decline db 3X12 75/8 85/7 100/4
shoulder hurting, had to take it easy and cut it short.

Thursday DE squat day
Box Squats 8X2-3 335/2/2/2/2/2/1/1
Deads 8X1 335/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1
Good mornings 3X6-8 155/6/6/6
DB hip raises 3X15 45/10/10/10

Friday DE bench day
Bench Press 8X3 235/2/2/2/2 shoulder pop, I'm done benching.
CGBP 3X5 185 free wt.
Seated DB press 3X12 40/15/13 35/12/12
Lat Pulldowns 3X12 165
Worked through the shoulder pain, but probably shouldn't have.

[lovestolift]

You are a beast, sir. An absolute beast. I will be watching your progress with rapt interest.

[rbtrout]

Week 4
Monday ME squat day
Good mornings 5,5,3,3,1,1,1,1 135/185/225/245/265/275
Pull throughs 3X6-8 75/8 90/8 120/8
Wide sumo deads 3X15 135/15/12/12/8

Tuesday ME bench day
Floor press 5,5,3,3,1,1,1,1 185/185/205/215/225/225/235/235
Skull Crushers 3X10-15 85/10 95/8 105/6
Bent rows (Yates) 3X8-12 155/12/12/10
Seated DB cleans 3X15 30/10/8/8 These were a bear at the end of a workout.

Thursday RE squat day - reps on squats
Box squats - reps 8X2-3 225/15 225/20
Deads 8X1 345/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1
Good mornings 3X6-8 165/7/7/6 - slow reps 3-5 seconds
DB leg Raises 3X15 70/10/10 80/8

Friday DE bench day
Bench Press 8X3 235/2/2/2/2/2/2/2
Rack lockouts 3X5 275/8 315/8 365/8
Seated DB press 3X12 50/11/10/8
Face pulls 3X12 50/12/12/12

[rbtrout]

Week 5
Monday ME squat day
Rack deads 5,5,3,3,1,1,1,1 315/5 405/5 495/3 585/2 675/1 735/1
Pull throughs 3X6-8 100/10 130/8 150/8
Hypers 3X15 25/12/12/11
Situps 2 25/20
Weighted Crunches 2 130/12/12

Tuesday ME bench day
Rack Lockouts 5,5,3,3,1,1,1,1 135/8 225/5 315/5 365/3 385/3 395/3 405/3 425/1/1
Triceps pushdowns 3X6-8 240/8/8/6
Seated DB cleans 3X12 30/12/8/8
DB bent rows 3X15 65/13/13/12
I've never even attempted to unrack more than 350 or so until the last time I did lockouts and this time.

Thursday DE squat day
Box Squats 8X2-3 340/2/2/2/1/1/1
Deads 8X1 365/2/2/1/1/1/1
SLDL 3X6-8 135/8 too lite 185/8 235/7
DB leg lifts 3X15 85/10/10/10

Friday DE bench day
Bench Press 8X1-3 245/2/2/2/1/1/1/1
CGBP 2X6-8 185/6/6
Bradford press 2X6-8 95/6/6
Seated DB press 3X12 40/12/12/12
Lat Pulldowns 3X12 180/12/12/10


That's it for now. I'll do week 6 (this last week) tomorrow.

[rbtrout]

Here's this weeks lifting.
Monday ME squat day
GMs 5,5,3,3,1,1,1,1 225/5/5 250/3/3 275/1/1 295/1/1
Pull throughs 3X6-8 150/8/8/8
Sumo deads 3X10-12 155/10/10/10

Tuesday ME bench day
2 Board press 5,5,3,3,1,1,1,1 185/5/5 225/3/3 245/2/2 255/1/1 Never done before. Good training tool
JM Press 2X6-8 95/8 115/8 never done these before, very different
Tricep Pushdowns 2X6-8 240/8/8 have to figure out how to get more weight

Thursday DE squat day
Banded squats 8X2-3 135/10 225/6/6 315/5/5 405/2/1 never used bands, this was different, but good training tool
Rack deads 8X1 405/5 495/5 585/3/2 675/1 745/1 765/1 745 & 765 both PRs

Friday DE bench day
Bench Press - ultra wide grip pl style 8X1-3 2 sets at 185 - shoulders screamed on these no more
Speed sets 135/15 185/8/8
BP - 1/2 way down pause & explode 185/8/8/8/8
JM Press 2X6-8 135/8/8
Behind head tri ext. 2X6-8 85/8 100/8 - 4 second reps
Face pulls 3X10-12 100/11/10 70/10 - 4 second reps used seated
Lat Pulldowns superset with 2X10-12 180/10/10 210/8
stiff arm pulldowns 75/10/10 75/8

After 6 weeks of training like this, my limited training time 45-50 minutes is limiting what I can do. Very little ab work, which I need to do and I can't finish the work every day. I'm thinking of combining what I did for the last several months of last year with this routine. Last year I basically did Monday, squats; Tuesday, accessory pull work (maybe some rack deads); Thursday, deads, and other pull work; Friday chest & push work. Of course, this is possibly why my bench/push suffered, as well, only hit it once a week. I'm not sure, yet, on how I want to proceed.
I might see if I can change my work hours to start at 8 am instead of 7:30, that would give me the extra 30 minutes I need to finish everything at the gym.