Bench Day - C5W1. 06-06-2013

Bench
5x140
5x165
9x186
Last Cycle: 11 Reps, Difference: -2

So it looks like my pressing movements may be taking a hit due to my cut. During these sets, my leg drive felt real solid and I was nice and tight, but I think I did a ****ty job of tucking my elbows. Time to re-watch SYTYCB

Kroc Rows
21x100 (both arms)


Dumbbell OHP
1x10x35 (both arms)

Started feeling some sharp pain in my right deltoid muscle. The pain was barely noticeable, but I figured it's better safe than sorry so called it quits early.

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So I had some shoulder pain today. I think there's two possible reasons for this:

1 - Not enough elbow tuck during bench
2 - Recently incorporating shoulder dislocations into my daily stretching routines.


I think #2 is most likely the cause. I'm trying to fix my APT using tips found in this article: http://stronglifts.com/lordosis-why-...how-to-fix-it/

I'm using a broomstick for the shoulder dislocations and not a resistance band. My shoulders felt a tad "sore" this morning while doing them and I figured it was just part of the stretch since my shoulders have been tight and tense lately. I'll probably stop doing these for a bit.

Squat Day - C5W1. 06-07-2013


Squat
5x245
5x286
7x320
Last Cycle: 7 reps, Difference: 0

Squats were feeling real smooth today and I'm happy with these results because it seems like I'm retaining my strength. The belt felt a little awkward today and somewhat constricting. I think I had it positioned too high and tight. I also have some bruises on my obliques from the belt. I'm in a weird spot where one belt notch is somewhat loose but the next one is pretty tight. I'm sure I'll get used to it


Lunges
3x10x50xleg


Leg Curls
5x15x35

Press Day - C5W2. 06-10-2013

Press
3x110
3x125
5x140
Last Cycle: 4 reps, Difference: +1

These felt solid as hell from my first warmup set. I felt more comfortable with the belt today and it helped me keep my core a little more solid. I also had a straighter bar path this week, which makes a huge difference (one of my press flaws is sometimes letting the bar fall forward). It almost feels like the bar is traveling behind me, but it's probably just my conception.

Chinups
50 reps across 9 sets.

This was a nice bounce back from last week's debacle. Tied my PR of 9.


Dips
9, 7

My right shoulder started hurting during these (dull pain in deltoid area), so I stopped. I was having one of my best days on dips as well. I'll try dips again next week but may need to cut them out if they continue to bother my shoulder. This is the first time I've experienced pain.

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Some of this good performance may be attributed to consuming more carbs than normal over the weekend. My weight also went up +1 pounds so it could be that I filled up my glycogen stores. This week may end up being break-even weight loss wise.

Deadlift Day - C5W2. 06-11-2013


Deadlift
3x270
3x311
5x350
Last Week: 3 Reps, Difference: +2

My form felt a lot better today. I focused on getting my chest up, and then getting it up some more. I also read a cool cue from KidColin which is to try to pull your shoulder blades into your back pockets. I definitely felt my lats engage more than normal and these hammered my quads. Videos are below.


Hanging Leg Raises
5x8

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Here's some vids of my final 2 sets for deadlifts. Unfortunately, some dude had to squat so I had to sacrifice my good camera position for a poorer one on my heavy set. Looks like my hips may be raising a tad too fast. Any thoughts?

Bench Day - C4W2. 06-14-2013

Bench
3x155
3x176
6x196
Last Cycle: 6 Reps, Difference: 0

Pretty happy with these results. Elbow tuck was better.


Kroc Rows
23x100 per hand

new PR


Pullups
4, 4, 2, 2

I opted to not do dumbbell OHP because my shoulders have been a little sore. I decided to do some pullups for the first time in months. Previously, I was lucky to get 1 pullup, so this is a huge improvement.

Squat Day - C5W2. 06-15-2013

Got incredibly ****faced last night and was still a little drunk while lifting today. Hurt my performance but not too much.

Squat
3x265
3x301
4x340
Last Week: 5 Reps, Difference: -1

Not the worst result given my condition. Decided to leave out the assistance today.

Press Day - C5W3. 06-17-2013

Press
5x120
3x135
0x150 (fail)
1x132
Last Cycle: 0 Reps, Difference: 0

****KKKKKKK! So disappointing to work hard all month and miss the new PR two cycles in a row. It would have been impressive if I gained strength here while being on a cut, so it's not horribly discouraging. I'll be dropping my Training Max 10% next cycle - from 155 to 140.


Chinups
50 reps across 8 sets. New PR

Dips
9

Right shoulder felt a little sore (anterior deltoid), so I quit early. Probably won't be doing dips for awhile.

Deadlift Day - C5W3. 06-18-2013


Deadlift
5x291
3x330
2x370
Last Week: 1 Rep, Difference: +1

Not the best day. My form never really felt locked in, and it took some time for my left hamstring to get loose (it was tight and crampy for a bit). I was going for 3 reps at the end but the bar was stapled to the floor on rep 3. Still, I'm more than happy with an improvement over last cycle.

Hanging Leg Raises
5x10

It's awesome how far I've come with these in the past few months.

Pushups
5x10

Went a little wider with my hand placement each set. I wanted to add some extra assistance today since I've cut out good mornings.

------------------------------

Might bump up my training max for DL next cycle. Not sure...

Was really sick yesterday and did not eat much, but today's workout went well.

Bench Day - C5W3. 06-20-2013

Bench
5x165
3x186
3x205
Last Cycle: 3 Reps, Difference:0

This time next cycle I should be putting up reps @ bodyweight

Pullups
4, 4, 4, 2


Kroc Rows
23x100 per hand

My left lat was pretty sore today, I think I slept on it funny. It made these a little tougher

Squat Day - C5W3. 06-21-2013


Squat
5x286
3x320
2x360
Last Week: 1 Rep, Difference: +1

Hell yeah

Lunges
3x10x50 per leg


Leg Curls
3x15x35

Been feeling ****ty so went a little lighter on assistance than normal. Also been getting major DOMs from these assistance exercises so I may be pushing too hard.
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Here's my 2x360 set. I'm pretty happy with how it looks but theres 3 things I think I can improve. 1) My unrack is unstable. 2) My lower back seems overextended. 3) My chest could be kept higher, especially in the hole.

Deload Week.


Press Day - C5W4. 06-24-2013
5x66
5x86
5x93


Deadlift Day - C5W4. 06-25-2013
5x154
5x198
5x235


Bench Day - C5W4. 06-27-2013
5x90
5x110
5x130


Squat Day - C5W4. 06-27-2013
5x154
5x198
5x220


End of Cycle 5.




Weight loss is going good, cut a little too hard this past week (-3 pounds). My diet was pretty ****ty.

Press Day - C6W1. 06-29-2013

Press
5x95
5x105
7x120

Felt weak today. I cut a little too hard this week and have been doing alot of boozing, so that didn't help. I'm having a fun summer, which is worth dealing with the occasional slip up.

Chinups
51 reps across 8 sets.

Deadlift Day - C6W1. 07-01-2013

Deadlift
5x254
5x291
9x330
Last Cycle: 9 reps, Difference: 0

My warmups were awful. My back wasn't set enough and my left knee buckled a bit. I put things together when it mattered though, and was able to bust out 9 reps on my work set with solid form. I didn't feel as strong as last cycle, but my results say otherwise.

Hanging Leg Raises
5x10

Really felt these in the abs today


Push ups
5x10

Did these with the following hand positions: diamond, close, neutral, wide, diamond

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Been taking "The Stick" to my calves lately and holy ****. I had a ton of adhesions there that I was missing with the lax ball. It's nice being able to walk > 1.5 miles without having my leg go numb below the knee.

Bench Day - C6W1. 07-02-2013

Bench
5x140
5x165
10x176
Last Cycle: 9x186

I ****ed this up and only put 176 on the bar when it should have been 10 pounds heavier. Given my results, it looks like I may have lost some strength. I probably could have got 11 reps but didn't go for it. Anyway, my mental lapse here was a huge bummer. Hopefully this won't hurt me too much.

Started getting some pain in my right deltoid again. This time it was sharp. I haven't had any pain in this area since I stopped doing dips a few weeks ago, so let's hope it's a minor thing.


Pullups
5, 5, 5, 5, 3.

HUGE improvement in my pullup results. There was a cost to my success, however...


Kroc Rows
16x100 (both arms)

Since I did Krocs after pullups, they took a big hit (I think I got 23 last time). Whatever, though. I think I prefer doing pullups first.

It's hot out there.

Squat Day - C6W1. 07-06-2013


Squat
5x245
5x286
7x320
Last Cycle: 7 reps, Difference: 0

I'm happy with the results. The squats didn't feel that great today, but still about average. My belt is in a weird spot where the tightest I can fit into is also a little loose, so I'm not sure it's even helping me at all.

Barbell Ab Wheel Rollouts
3x10

---------------

Went light on the assistance today because it was so goddamn hot I could barely think straight. My lower back has been sore lately, and I'm not sure why. I'm gonna spend the rest of the day lying down and icing my back.

Also, I hit my cutting goal of 205lbs, weighing it at an average weight of 204.9 this week.

I still want to trim down, so I'm shooting for 195 now.

Press Day - C6W2. 07-08-2013

Press
3x100
3x115
7x130

These were waaaay better than last week (7x120). Form was real solid except for my last rep. On the last rep my lower back caved a bit and my hips wavered from side to side. I think I need to focus on a more vertical bar path because if the bar gets too far forward I tend to lose spinal stability.


Chinups
51 reps across 8 sets.

Same as last week. One or two reps were cheaty/close. So no improvement here, but keeping it at 8 sets is cool because it means I do each chin-up grip exactly twice.

Deadlift Day - C6W2. 07-09-2013

Deadlift
3x250 (should have been 270)
3x310
6x350
Last Cycle: 5 Reps, Difference: +1

Form was way better than last week. I was locked in today. It's funny how much the warmup form carries over to the work sets. Focus on starting strong if you want to end strong.

I'm continuing to improve my deadlift on this cut, so I should really just stop being a pussy and up the weights next cycle

Hanging Leg Raises
5x10

These are getting brutal as I continue to figure out how to activate my abs more.

Push-ups
5x10

Hand Positioning: Diamond, Neutral, Diamond, Neutral, Diamond

DL progress on a cut, you're crazy.

Bench Day - C6W2. 07-11-2013

Bench
3x155
3x176
6x196
Last Cycle: 6 Reps, Difference: 0

These went well. Looks like I didn't lose any strength, something I was afraid of after last week.

Pullups
5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3 (30 total)

Got 7 more reps than last week. Probably could have done more but figured this was enough.


Kroc Rows
20x100 per hand

Much better performance than last week

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I've had good days lately, but I'm sore as ****. I've been lazy about foam rolling and pretty much the entirety of my left leg is sore, from my hip flexors to my calves.

Squat Day - C6W2. 07-12-2013

Good day.

Squat
3x265
3x301
5x340
Last Week: 4 Reps, Difference: +1

Widened my stance a little bit and that helped. Overall, these felt real good. The improvement over last cycle is deceiving because 2 cycles ago I also hit 5x340. Still haven't lost any strength


Ab Wheel Rollouts
5x10

Lunges
5x10x50 per leg

Bad day today. Lots of boozing this weekend. Whatever though - gotta have dat fun and the cut is bringing in the ladies.


Press Day - C6W3. 07-15-2013

Press
5x105
3x120
4x135

Wanted 5 or 6 here. O well. Really need to work on keeping my back more stable as I definitely put my low back in a bad position on the first rep.

Chinups
51 reps across 9 sets.

Past 2 weeks I did 51 reps over 8 sets, so this was a step back. My rest periods were a little shorter, but not by a whole lot. I'm not concerned.



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I want a sport, and while PL competitions are intriguing, I'm not gung-ho about them. So I decided I'm going to get into rock climbing. I'll be setting up my first instructional lesson this weekend and it will last 3 hours. They'll teach me about the knots I need to know and basic beginner technique. My goal is to climb every weekend and within the next year complete a respectable outdoor climb. I'll soon be logging my climbing in here as well.

Deadlift Day - C6W3. 07-16-2013


Deadlift
5x291
3x330
3x370
Last Week: 2 Reps, Difference: +1

Hell yes. Still getting stronger. It took me awhile to get a feel for the bar and my 5r and 3r sets felt a little awkward, but I busted out a huge set when I needed it. I'll be bumping my deads up next cycle


Hanging Leg Raises
5x10


Pushups
4x10
1x16

Used a diamond hand positioning for all sets.


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Bench Day - C6W3. 07-18-2013

Bench
5x165
3x186
3x205
Last Cycle: 3 Reps, Difference: 0

Woooohoooo!! I finally hit a bodyweight bench (average weight this week is 201.4 lbs). I wasn't that happy with my form (vid below), and could have done a better job supporting the weight with my shoulders and a better job at producing some leg drive.

Pullups
52 reps across 10 sets.

Hmm... Out of nowhere I've become awesome at pull-ups. I'm almost as strong at them as I am chinups (definitely better endurance). I couldn't even do 1 pullup a few months ago. I think it's a combination of losing weight and kroc rows.

Kroc Rows
20x100 per hand


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Squat Day - C6W3. 07-19-2013


Squat
5x286
3x320
2x360
Last Week: 2 Reps, Difference: 0

These felt good. I was hoping for 3 reps but whatever.


No assistance today, haven't got alot of sleep the past 2 nights.