yeah I agree. I'm not sure what to think. I think I've read that some upper back rounding is fine (desirable?). idk though

Bad workout today. Drank alot last night and only got 5 hours of sleep. Labor day ****ed with my schedule.


Squat Day - C7W2. 09-07-2013


Squat
3x265
3x301
3x340
Last Week: 5 Reps, Difference: -2

****ing pathetic. Bad day, below average week. I'll get 'em next time.


No assistance.

Press Day - C8W3. 09-09-2013

Press
5x105
3x120
6x135
Last Cycle:4 Reps, Difference: +2

Great, great session. I brought my grip in a little bit and it helped alot. I focused on being as explosive as possible from the bottom. Gotta love these results.

Chinups
2x8xbw
6x7xbw

+1 rep over last time.

yeah your back is def more rounded in reps 3 & 4. also, you gotta fix your head position. You want a neutral spine/double chin, dont look in the mirror.

Deadlift Day - C8W3. 09-10-2013

Deadlift
5x296
3x335
2x375
Last Cycle: 2 reps, Difference: 0

These were my worst deadlifts ever. I'm pretty pissed at myself. I tried packing my neck in like HalfSlant suggested but had trouble keeping my lower back extended. My back was very much bent on my final rep. I took videos but I'm too ashamed to post them. Just a sad performance.


Hanging Leg Raises
5x10

Diamond Pushups
5x15
1x18

Bench Day - C8W3. 09-12-2013

Bench
5x165
3x186
2x205
Last Cycle: 2 Reps, Difference: 0

Came close to banging out 3 reps but stalled out about halfway up. It wasn't for a lack of fight, that's for sure.


Pullups
4x8xbw
3x7xbw
1x8xbw

61 Reps is a new rep PR by 2 reps.


Kroc Rows
18x100 per hand

These Kroc's were pretty weak today. I think I went too slow - my grip gave out on me.

Squat Day - C8W3. 09-13-2013

Squat
5x286
3x320
4x360 PR
Last Cycle: 3 Reps, Difference: +1

That's two cycles in a row where I've set a new PR. Last 2 reps were a grind. I'm bumping my squats up next cycle -- this cut ain't got **** on me! Vids below

Lunges
5x10 per leg


Barbell rollouts
5x10

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

Vid of my 4x360 set

Two notes:
1. I tend to crane my neck up as I begin to descend. I should probably fix that.
2. My depth is questionable. I often go too deep but I think this time I may have cut a few reps slightly short. Not sure if those would get red-lighted in a meet. Thoughts?

Did some climbing with a friend on Saturday (9/14). This was my 2nd time doing this. Since I didn't get certified for top rope climbing I had to stick to bouldering, but I actually prefer bouldering so it's all good.

For those unfamiliar with bouldering, climbs are graded on the "V" scale from V0 --> V16. V0 is slightly more difficult than climbing a ladder - but the difficulty ramps up very quickly.

Started out on some easy V0's and was able to complete those with ease. For the next hour or so I hopped around to a bunch of different V1's. Some were easy, some were hard, some I couldn't complete. I definitely felt myself getting better as the day went on. I probably was able to complete 90% of the V1's.

Then there was a V2 which I attempted and it was difficult because half way up I needed to spring up and almost launch myself to the next hold. I'm thinking with better technique the launch would not be necessary. I attempted this climb 5 times, each time getting a little bit further than the last. On my last attempt, I made it to the top. This was a huge success for me, and now my goal will be to complete more V2's.

Ironically, on my last attempt at the aforementioned V2, I ripped open a huge blister on my pinkie finger. I taped it up and continued to climb but took it pretty easy. It's still quite painful today (there's a gash right where the skin bends), so I'm hoping to be 100% by next Saturday so I can try climbing again. I've been able to deadlift and do pullups with it so long as I'm wearing a bandaid.

My technique definitely sucks, but I suppose the only way to improve is practice. One major flaw is that I tend to press my body square to the wall, whereas I've noticed that the experienced climbers press their hips to the wall and are oriented more sideways.

On the strength side, I'm doing quite fine. My grip strength was fairly elite for a complete beginner like myself, and my friend's grip completely unravelled whereas mine didn't really get tired (Thank you, DL's!). The pullups I've been doing over the past few months definitely carried over as well and helped me get out of some tough jams.

After climbing for a few hours, I demolished a double cheeseburger with bacon. Gotta earn the delicious foods.

Deload Week.

Press Day - C8W4. 08-16-2013
5x60
5x71
5x88


Deadlift Day - C8W4. 08-17-2013
5x159
5x198
5x235


Bench Day - C8W4. 08-19-2013
5x90
5x110
5x130


Squat Day - C8W4. 08-20-2013
5x154
5x198
5x225


End of Cycle 8.

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

Cut still going well.


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


Cycle 9 training maxes:
Press: 140
Deadlift: 390
Bench: 215
Squat: 380 (+5)

Awesome stuff here, keep up the good work.

How tall are you?

Thanks!

I'm 6'0

Press Day - C9W1. 09-23-2013

Press
5x95
5x105
8x120
Last Cycle: 7 Reps, Difference: +1

Felt solid. Bringing my grip in slightly has helped.


Chinups
50 reps across 8 sets.

This looks like a regression but it's not. I realized that I've been getting too obsessed with setting chinup and pullup PRs that I've been sacrificing on my form. I focused on going to a dead hang for each rep, taking a breath, and pulling myself up again. No more shortcuts.

Deadlift Day - C8W1. 09-24-2013

Deadlift
5x255
5x296
8x320

My last set was supposed to be 335. I'm not sure how I ****ed that up. I got in a good workout regardless. My form felt great. Shouldn't be a big deal.

Hanging Leg raises
5x10

Diamond Pushups
4x15
1x17

Bench Day - C9W1. 09-26-2013

Bench
5x140
5x165
7x186
Last Cycle: 7 reps, Difference: 0

Felt good. I need to work on tucking my elbows without bending my wrists.

Pullups
4x7xbw
4x6xbw

52 reps total. Same deal here with chins - I thought I may have bee cheating myself for a bit so I went to dead hang, did a brief pause, and pulled myself back up for each rep.

Kroc Rows
20x100 per hand.

Squat Day - C9W1. 09-27-2013

Squat
5x250
5x286
6x325

Felt pretty good.




Lunges
10x50 per leg

Barbell rollouts
5x10


Did the first 3 sets of lunges/rollouts without a second of rest in between. I almost died. Took my sweet ol' time on the last 2 sets. My cardio needs work.

Had a rough weekend. According to the scale I gained 10 pounds (obviously this isn't truly factual). Ate pizza, alot of wings, alot of chinese food, and consumed tons of booze as usual.

I definitely was feeling sluggish today.

Press Day - C9W2. 09-30-2013

Press
3x100
3x115
7x130
Last Cycle: 5 Reps, Difference: +2

I also hit 7 reps 2 cycles ago (last cycle I was coming off a rough vacation weekend).

Chinups
51 reps across 9 sets.

Pretty weak.

How far are down are you trying to cut? 190 @ 6' has to be getting pretty close right?

HalfSlant - My goal right now is 185lbs at 6'0. I'll then look in the mirror and reevaluate if I want to shoot for 180 or not. Progress from 195 --> 190 has been difficult, so I'm not sure how long I'll truly pursue 185. I want to be able to see some abs. I'm probably ~15% BF now.

When I hit my cutting goal, I'm going to transition to a BBB template and try to slow bulk ~10 lbs over 6 months.


Deadlift Day - C9W2. 10-01-2013

Deadlift
3x275
3x315
3x355
Last Cycle: 4 reps, Difference: -1

These just didn't feel that great today. I don't know what else to say

Hanging Leg raises
5x10

Diamond pushups
1x15

My left shoulder has been bothering me some so I only did one set of pushups.

I did a fasted morning workout today since I have plans after work. I cut my assistance very short. I also had some drinks last night which may have affected my performance.

Bench Day - C9W2. 10-03-2013

Bench
3x155
3x176
3x196
Last Cycle: 4 Reps, Difference: -1

Not my best performance. My left shoulder has been sore - from the front delt to the top of my pec. I also was lifting under different conditions than normal. I'm planning on bouncing back next week.


Pullups
10, 3

Squat Day - C9W2. 10-04-2013

Squat
3x270
3x306
3x345

Wish I got more than 3 reps but it's all good.

Lunges
5x10x50 per leg

Barbell Rollouts
5x10

I did some bouldering with a friend yesterday. I was able to complete 3 different V2's, 2 of which were new from last time. It was pretty nice to see improvement and I'm really digging this sport. My hands need to toughen up though, I ripped open a ton of blisters.


I made a short video of some of my climbs from yesterday. I'm the one in the red shirt.

Press Day - C9W3. 10-07-2013

Press
5x105
3x120
5x135
Last Cycle: 6 Reps, Difference: -1

I'm a little bummed I didn't get 6 but it's all good. I only got 4 two cycles ago.

Chinups
4x7
4x6
3x5
1x4
1x3

Decided to ramp up the volume on my chins. Got in 74 reps and called it a day.

Deadlift Day - C9W3. 10-08-2013

Deadlift
5x296
3x335
2x375
Last Cycle: 2 reps, Difference: 0

These felt alright - 1.97x my bodyweight. Should be hitting 2x BW next cycle!

Hanging Leg Raises
5x10

Diamond Pushups
5x15

Bench
5x165
3x186
2x205
Last Cycle: 2 Reps, Difference: 0

Happy to see my bench not drop.

Pullups
58 reps over 10 sets


Kroc Rows
20x100 per hand

I have plans after work today so I did a morning workout. I tend to get mixed results when lifting first thing in the morning, and today I got the bad side. Also going against me was the fact that I had Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time" stuck in my head for whatever reason. Not a good lifting song

Squat Day - C9W3. 10-11-2013

Squat
5x286
3x325
1x365

I'm happy I didn't fail, but I wish I was able to get more than 1 rep. I should have fought harder on my 2nd rep (video below). On the plus side, this is the heaviest weight I have ever squatted

No assistance today. I'm planning on doing some climbing tomorrow so that can count as my assistance.