7/19: Programless Squat

Squat:
45x5
95x1
135x1
185x1
225x2
275x1
305x1
315x1
325x1
335x1 PR
315x1

Trap bar deadlift:
170x5
260x3
350x3
440x3
470x1 PR
470x2 PR
350x10

I wore my weightlifting shoes on the trap bar deadlifts for the first time. I couldn't really tell a difference but I guess I don't do them that often. PRs came easily enough so maybe they made a positive difference.

I also noticed that I haven't logged any back or core work in a while. I've been doing some horizontal and vertical pulling at least twice a week along with GHRs and ab work. I don't really track the weights or reps on these lifts but have been noticing steady progress on everything besides pullups, which have been stagnant since before I started lifting. Actually, given that I've gone from 160# to 215# in the last 18 months I guess I've made some progress, just not in the form of increased reps.

7/21: Programless Bench

Bench:
45x5
95x5
135x10
165x6
185x5
210x2
230x1 paused PR
255x1 slingshot
265x1 slingshot PR
225x4 close grip slingshot

Incline dumbbell press:
60x12x2
60x15 with slingshot

Lying triceps extension:
65x15
65x12

Cable flyes:
20x20
22.5x15

Dumbbell benching with the slingshot was surprisingly awesome. There was absolutely no stress at the bottom of the lift and I felt much more tension in my chest throughout.

7/22: Programless Deadlift

Deadlift: sumo
135x5 hip circle
135x2
225x3 hip circle
225x2
315x1
365x1
405x3
435x1
455x1
475x1
405x5
225x5x3 double pause, conventional
225x5 snatch grip

7/24: Programless Bench

Bench:
45x5
95x5
135x5
165x5
185x5x2 long pause last rep
185x8 long pause last rep

SSB squat: narrow stance
60x5
150x5
200x5
240x5x3

Kettlebell press: unilateral, weight in kilos
16x8
16x10x2

Lying triceps extension:
65x12x3

Lateral raises:
15x15x3

7/26: Programless Squat

Squat:
45x5
135x3
185x2
225x3
255x1
285x1
305x1
315x1x2
275x5x2
275x4
225x1x5 6-7 second pauses

Hack squat: weight per side
45x5
90x5 with oly shoes
90x5x2 better without oly shoes

Leg press: weight per side
90x10
90x10 better with oly shoes
180x10x2

7/28: Programless Bench

Bench:
45x5
95x5
135x5
185x3
210x3
225x3x3 slingshot, various grips

Floor press: various grips
45x5
135x7
155x7
175x5x3

Overhead press:
45x8
65x8
85x6
105x5x2

Lying triceps extension:
60x15
75x10x3

Low cable flyes:
15x15x2
20x12

Lateral raises:
15x15
25x8
20x10
15x12

7/29: Programless Deadlift

Deadlift: sumo
135x3
225x2
315x1
365x1
405x2
435x1
455x2
475x1
405x5
225x5 double pause
225x5 pause below knee
225x5 snatch grip

SSB squat: narrow stance
60x5
150x5
200x5
240x5x3
260x3
280x2

Walking lunges:
35x15x2

7/31: Programless Bench

Bench: with oly shoes
45x10
95x5
135x5
165x5
185x3
185x2
205x1
225x2
225x5 slingshot
245x3 slingshot
225x3 closegrip slingshot
185x4 closegrip
185x4 closegrip slingshot

SSB squat: narrow/medium stance
60x5
150x5
200x5
240x5
260x6 PR
280x5 PR
290x5 PR
300x3 PR

Incline dumbbell press: slight incline
40x10
75x10
75x10 slingshot

Lying triceps extension:
65x15
95x4 too heavy
75x12

Low cable flyes:
17.5x15x2

8/2: Programless Squat

Squat:
45x5
95x3
135x2
185x2
225x2
255x1
285x1
305x1
315x1
295x2
275x2

Squat felt like crap today so I switched to SSB which always feels glorious.

SSB squat:
60x5
150x2
200x1
240x1
270x1
290x2
310x2 PR
320x1 PR
330x1 PR
290x5

Unilateral leg press: with oly shoes
90x10
180x10
225x8

Hack squat: weight per side
45x10
90x5
115x5x2

8/4: Programless Bench

Bench:
45x5
95x5
135x5
165x3
185x3
205x2
205x5 slingshot
225x5 slingshot

Floor press:
45x5
135x5
155x5
185x5
210x2
225x1 PR
225x4 slingshot
245x1 slingshot
255x2 slingshot
225x6 slingshot

Kettlebell press: unilateral, weight in kilos
18x10x2

Lying triceps extension:
65x15
75x12x2

Lateral raises:
15x15
20x12
25x10

Low cable flyes:
17.5x15
20x15
22.5x12

8/5: Programless Deadlift

Deadlift: conventional
135x5
135x3 sumo
225x2
225x2 sumo
315x1
315x3 sumo
365x1
365x1 sumo
405x3 beltless PR
405x2 sumo beltless PR
455x1 PR
455x1 sumo
405x3
405x5 sumo

SSB squat: narrow stance
60x5
150x5
200x5
240x5x3

8/7: Programless Bench

Bench:
45x5
95x5
135x3
155x1
185x1
205x1
225x2
235x1 paused PR
250x1 PR
250x1 slingshot
270xf slingshot

Floor press:
45x5
135x5
155x5
185x5
205x3
230x1 PR
230x3 slingshot
240x2 slingshot
250x2 slingshot
225x5 slingshot

Low cable flyes:
17.5x15x3

8/9: Programless Squat

Squat:
45x5
95x5
135x1
185x1
225x1
255x1
275x5
300x1
315x1
325x1
275x5x2

Hack squat:
45x5
90x5x2
90x7

8/14: New Gym Exploration

Chest supported row:
45x15x2
90x12

Seated cable row: weight per individual handle
50x15
85x12x2

Bench: super low bench, will not use again
45x10
95x5
135x5
155x3
185x3x2
135x12 close grip

Seated dips: machine, weight per side
45x10x3

Flat dumbbell bench:
65x12x2

Lying triceps extension: approximate weights on fixed barbell
60x15
70x12x2

Rack pulls: second lowest pin, maybe 2-3 inches off of the ground
135x5
225x5
315x3

SSB squat: without oly shoes
60x5
150x5x2

This bar is way heavier than the SSB I've been using, and feels heavier than then the 80 pound trap bar I was using. Luckily, this gym isn't ******ed and actually has a scale so I'll weigh it next time and find out for sure.

I was really worried about finding a new gym that was even comparable to the university gym I've been using but was pleasantly surprised when I walked into this gym. Although this gym only has two power racks compared to the 8 I'm used to, it more than makes up for it with all of the specialty bars (ssb, cambered, football, swiss, and probably others) and strongman implements (axles, logs, farmers walk handles) and allowance of chalk. I'll probably do a few more unprogrammed sessions then hop back on the cube in a week or so once I'm more settled in. I'm also going to be surfing at least 3-4 times a week so I'm going to have to see how my shoulders react. I'm expecting to drop 10-15 pounds pretty quickly due to a huge increase in activity along with a cleaner diet (I want to be able to able to hit 4000 calories but I'm not sure if such a thing is even possibru while living with my parents) but I'd be happier if the weight comes off a lot slower. I'm currently 215 at ~18-20 percent.

8 racks, jesus. My gym has 1, and its not even very nice.

8/16: Programless Squat

Squat:
45x5
135x5
185x3
225x2
265x1
275x1x2
295x1
305x3
315x3
325x1
315x3
275x5x2

Trap bar deadlift:
170x5
260x5
350x5
400x3
450x3

Hack squat:
45x5
90x5x2

Chest supported row:
45x15
90x10

Seated cable row: weight per individual handle
85x10
85x12

Today was my first workout with my new inzer belt (10mm single prong) and it was pretty awesome (besides the cuts it left me). All my squats felt easier than usual despite skipping the majority of my warmup and using the crappy bent bar that was already in the cage.

At the end of my workout I noticed something interesting that leads to me to believe that I might get a chance to witness some pretty heavy deadlifts:



In case that name isn't familiar to you:

8/18: Programless Bench

Bench: now featuring a bench of comfortable height
45x10
95x10
135x10
165x5
185x5x3 long paused all reps
135x10x2 close grip

I used a thicker bar than usual that may or may not have been heavier. I didn't care enough to weigh it and it actually felt pretty comfortable in my hands.

Log press: I think log weighs 75, I'll weigh it eventually to verify
75x8
115x5
125x5
125x7
125x8

The last two sets had a little bit of leg drive. I felt zero strain on my shoulders or anywhere else with this exercise, something I've never been able to say about presses before. Its possible that this was only a 45 pound log, in which case the lack of strain would be due to me pressing jellydick weights.

Lying triceps extension:
70x12x3

This is using a fixed barbell of unknown weight with two tens and a 7.5 per side. The bar seems thin and light so I guessed 15 pounds. I probably won't ever verify this since idgaf about the weights I use on my accessory lifts.

Seated dips:
45x10
65x10
75x8

My shoulders are still rolling forward more than they should but significantly less than they do with normal dips. I'll give this exercise a few more tries after doing some more mobility work on my internal rotators before giving it up completely.

Chest supported row: neutral grip
45x10
90x10
115x8

Reverse cable fly: unilateral
10x12
15x10
10x12

Face pulls:
50x10x2

Cable curls:
57.5x10x2


I'm going to start back up on the Cube tomorrow. I've basically been following it on my programless sessions, but instead of a body day I've been doing a second bench day and I've been ignoring the prescribed rep ranges and volume. I'll probably still ignore the prescribe rep ranges, but I'll definitely be going back to an overhead press focused body day on Sundays. I've also been going to the beach and swimming everyday and will start surfing in the next day or two. I've actually been successfully eating 3750-4250 calories a day and this is without any desserts or icecream (which accounted for 800+ calories a day for the past year) but my weight still seems to be dropping too quickly. Hopefully its just water/glycogen but if not I'm going to be pissed as hell when I weigh in back under 200 next month. If this happens I'll switch to whole milk and possibly reacquire icecream.

8/19: Cube W1 Deadlift Reps

Deadlift: sumo
135x3
135x3 conventional
225x3
225x2 conventional
315x2
315x1 conventional
365x1x2
365x1 conventional
405x3
435x2
405x3

Rack pulls: 3-4 inches off of ground, sumo
135x3
135x2 conventional
225x2
225x1 conventional
315x1
315x1 conventional
405x1
405x1x2 conventional
455x1x2
475x1

All my pulls felt pretty great today. I struggled to get down to the bar with my belt on the conventional pulls but had no trouble with sumo. The rack pulls also felt great but the bar was thick and grip became a slight issue with 475. Next time I'm planning on lifting heavy I'll definitely make sure to grab a slimmer bar.

SSB squat:
60x5
150x5
200x5x2
220x5

These were the most difficult SSB squats I've ever done. I'm not sure if its the way this bar sits on my back, the placement of the handles, or the weight of the bar. It's probably a combination of the three because this **** was seriously heavy with less than 2 plates on the bar.

GHR:
bwx10x2

This GHR is much more difficult than the one at my old gym. The one at my old gym had the rolling pad **** that made the lift almost too easy. I'll probably start adding bands to this in a few weeks but I want to spend a little more time getting used to the machine.

8/21: Cube W1 Heavy Bench

Bench:
45x5
95x10
135x10
165x5
185x3
205x2x3 long pause
185x10
135x10 close grip

I was going to try 185x10x4 but my lower back started cramping mildly at the end of the first set. I guess next time I do higher rep work I shouldn't tuck my feet as far back. Also, I failed to adjust the rack height on the bench so it was an inch or two above where I would have liked it. I struggled to unrack the bar, but other than that all my presses felt very solid.

Flat dumbbell bench:
55x15
70x10x2

Log press:
75x5
125x5x2
125x7

Lying triceps extension:
70x10
80x10
90x10

Chest supported row:
90x10 pronated
90x10 neutral

Seated dip:
45x15
70x10

I weighed in under 210 this morning for the first time since the start of my bulk in May. I was up to 230 (bloated as **** though) at the end of June and haven't really made any attempts at cutting. I added back ~300 calories of frozen yogurt to my diet but I might have to go to the store and pick up some breads and cookie. My protein has been at an all time high (300-350 average) with my fats pretty high as well. I'm probably getting 400-500 carbs a day but apparently that's not enough for me to maintain weight with me going to the beach everyday. Prior to moving my activity was limited to basically only training and walking ~1/4 a mile to get food and I was maintaining at 4000 calories so it makes sense that I need to up calories now that I'm more active. The good news is that my strength still seems to be increasing and I might actually have a change at abs this time. With my newly acquired tan (sunburn), my perceived body fat has dropped from 18-20 percent down to 15-17 percent with little if any change in actual body fat.

8/23: Cube W1 Explosive Squat

Squat:
55x10
145x5
195x3
235x2
275x1
285x1
305x2
315x3
285x5
235x1x8 5-7 second pause, beltless

I don't feel like I get any additional benefit out of light weight (60-70%) speed work since I already do all reps as fast as possible. I'm going to focus on pause squats and other squat variations instead on this day.

Cambered bar squat:
45x10
135x10

I just wanted to see how this felt. It felt interesting.

Cambered bar goodmorning:
45x8
95x8
115x8
135x10
155x8

Now this is how goodmornings are supposed to feel! With the comfort that this bar provides I'll now be making goodmornings a true staple in my programming.

Hack squat:
45x8
45x8
45x10

My lower body conditioning is so terrible that all of these sets were the struggle. I think I'm going to move the majority of my lower body assistance work from the 4-6 rep range to the 8-12 rep range and see if I can improve upon that. I would do some high rep squat sets but that **** sucks too much and will be only be used as a last resort.

In other news I learned that benching and surfing do not belong on the same day. I surfed for 30-45 minutes Wednesday afternoon and spent all of Thursday practically incapacitated by neck/shoulder/chest/lat pain. Luckily, I managed to roll/floss/stretch all of that garbage out and had a strong session today. I'm either going to go surfing again today or tomorrow but I'll definitely do some mobility work before and after to try to allow for a successful pressing session on Sunday.

8/24

Cambered bar rows:
45x10
95x10
135x10x2

Isolateral pulldown: unilateral, neutral/supinated grip
45x10x3

I'm really loving the cambered bar. I'll probably never use it for benching as intended, but I definitely see myself using it more often than the SSB I was previously in love with.

Farmers walks: weight per side, distance measured in laps around hallway
75x2
75x3
105x1x2
125x1x2

In case that the above is ambiguous, the last line reads 125 pounds per side for one lap for two sets. A lap is obviously to the end and back, and if I ever only make it to the end I'll label it as .5. The hallway is fairly long but I'm not even going to guess an exact distance. It doesn't matter anyways since this is the only location I'll be doing farmers walks, so tracking my progress should be easy. These felt light everywhere besides my hands and forearms. Next time I'll either use chalk or possibly strap up depending on the goal of the day, but today I picked these up spontaneously and was unprepared.

Seated cable rows: weight per handle
60x10
85x10x2

Straight arm pulldowns: supersetted with above
40x10x3

Seated calf raise:
70x12x3

Standing calf raise:
80x20

Reverse cable flyes: unilateral
10x15x3

Pavlov press:
30x10x3 per side, no rest

Barbell curls:
45x25

I don't think I've ever logged one of these days but I want to start keeping track of how often I'm doing each movement and for how much volume. For the past few months I've been going in every Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday and doing high volume upper back/abs/calves/biceps with the occasional kettletarding with no real plan in mind other than to get lots of blood flow and maybe improve conditioning. I probably won't bother logging the machine rows and ab work but I do want to keep track of my progress with farmers walks and any other conditioning work.

edit: I also spend extra time on mobility work on these days. Mostly banded traction for the hips and shoulder with a solid dose of barbell rolling for the calves.

8/25: Cube W1 Press Day

Bench:
45x10
95x10
135x10
165x10
185x10x2 slingshot

Log press:
75x8
125x7
145x5x2

Axle press: axle weight unknown, I'm calling it 30 for now
30x10
80x10
120x5
140x5x2

Flat dumbbell bench:
65x12 slingshot

Lying triceps extension:
70x10x2

Low cable flyes:
20x10x3

Face pulls:
45x15

I know the Cube doesn't have a dedicated Press day but I'm hoping that by labeling today Press day I'll actually focus on lifting **** over my head instead of going for unprogrammed bench PRs all the time. I also probably won't ever press with a barbell as both the log and axle are way more comfortable and fun. I do use the barbell for overhead shrugs and overhead squats in my warmup though.

8/26: Cube W2 Deadlift

Deadlift: sumo
135x3
135x3 conventional
225x1
225x1 conventional
315x1
315x1 conventional
365x1
405x4
405x1 conventional
455x1
475x1

This was definitely the best 475 has felt. I changed my form a little bit to get into a more upright position and to stop jerking the bar off of the floor and it seemed successful. The weight obviously came off the floor a little bit slower but I was able to accelerate through to the top of the lift with no issue.

Pin pulls: 4th pin, 8-10in high
135x1
315x1
405x1
405x1 conventional
455x1
500x1

Apparently I suck from this position because these felt harder than my pulls from the floor. Having a cage wide enough to fit my sumo stance with room to spare is sweet as hell though.

SSB squat:
60x5
150x5
200x5x4

I still can't believe how difficult this is. Either my old SSB weighed like -20 pounds or this mother****er is over 100. Or maybe I'm just a pussy. All I know is that I'm putting 150 pounds less on the bar and still getting pwned.

My weight seems to have stabilized between 209-210. I haven't been tracking calories but I'm literally eating 5+ largeish meals a day along with 400-600 calories of dessert and tons of snacks throughout the day. I haven't been back surfing, but I have been swimming in the ocean and going for a bike ride everyday.

8/28: Cube W2 Bench Reps

Bench:
55x10
125x10
145x10
165x10
195x8 PR

Flat dumbbell bench:
55x20x2

Axle press:
30x8
80x8
120x5
140x3
160x2 failed third rep midway

Cambered bar box squat: wide stance
45x5
135x5x2
165x5
195x5

It turns out I have no idea how to box squat, especially with a different bar on my back. They felt comfortable though (as 195 pounds should) so I might keep working on them for fun/sumo assistance. I also just realized that I did these in oly shoes, which I think may be inappropriate for such a wide stance.

Tricep pushdowns: straight bar pronated
40x15
50x12
60x10

Tricep pushdowns: straight bar supinated, supersetted with above
45x10
50x10
60x8

Low cable flyes:
25x10x3



I'm not really sure what I should be doing with my elbows, but I'm pretty sure I'm doing it wrong. I'm also not sure about my shin angle (which could have been positive because of the oly shoes) or if I should rock back when I make contact with the box or just explode up immediately.

edit: I also need to stop squatting facing the mirror. I don't have enough discipline to not look around in the mirror when facing it, and its really pissing me off.

8/29

Cambered bar rows:
45x10
95x10
135x10
155x10

Farmers walks: weight per side
75x1
125x1
155x1
125x1

I also did the usual machine and ab work along with a bunch of extra shoulder mobility work.

I'm not sure why I decided to take a leg picture after doing ab work, but I did, so here is my 2 year leg progress: