Spytech’s Intense Workout Log

Good pulling tonight. My green bands must have stretched out more from doing the reverse bands last time, as it only took 165lbs to get the bar to the floor – last time it took 225 and that barely touched. As a result, pulls were a little heavier off the bottom, but I still set a bunch of PRs. Good times. My ass was cramping up too much on sumo sldls so I opted for band curls, which felt good.

Reverse band Deadlifts (green bands, 165lbs off bottom):
225x3x1
315x3x1
405x3x1
495x3x1
585x3x1
675x3x1
765x3x1 (PR)
775x1x1 (PR)
675x1x1
585x1x1
585x2x1
585x1x1

Sumo Reverse Band SLDL (green bands):
495x5x1
405x5x1

Seated Band Hamstring Curls:
green band x12x3 (PR)

Closer CG Pulldowns:
305x5x3 (PR)

Standing Band Adduction:
green band x15x2

Standing Band Knee Raises:
green band x15x2

Strict Standing DB Curls:
45x8x1
50x8x1
55x8x1
60x8x1
50x8x1

+ stretching + power yoga (30min)

Duration: 130 minutes

Good, but tough workout. My allergies have been bothering me all weekend and have left me with a nasty sinus headache that has lasted since Friday afternoon. It’s hard to stay focused on bench with your head pounding, but it didn’t really matter anyways as my pressing felt pretty weak today. My elbows are a little achy, and shoulders were feeling really fatigued from the get-go. Since bench was feeling lame I just hit four singles with varying grips. Incline felt decent, but still not as strong as it usually feels. Pulldowns and pushdowns felt pretty strong.

Warmups – 2 sets of 20 for each movement:
Cuban Rotations
OH Press
CG Bench
Pulldowns
Bench Press

Bench Press:
135x12x1
155x12x1
185x10x1
225x6x1
255x1x1
285x1x1
315x1x1
325x1x1
315x1x2

Incline Bench Press:
225x10x1
255x10x1 (PR)
225x10x1

Seated Incline Cable Pushdowns:
144x10x1
204x10x1
224x10x1 (PR)
229x10x1 (PR)

Wide-grip Pulldowns:
300x10x1 (PR)
240x10x1
228x10x1

Side Laterals:
45x10x2
45x12x1

H-Rolls:
30x15x2

Lat Pullovers:
100x20x1

+ stretching + power yoga (30min)

Duration: 120 minutes

Went for a good hike today up and down one of the local bluffs. Beautiful day for a hike.

Hiking:
~4 miles

+ chocolate brownie afterwards

Duration: 90 minutes

Awesome workout. I basically crawled into the gym today feeling tired, sore, and generally crappy. Warmups were horrid and weak feeling, but as I kept piling weight on the bar things got better and better. Things got so good that I ended up smoking my ATG squat PR twice, finally reaching a longstanding goal in the process with a 500 single. Reaching the goal today is extra-special to me since a year ago today I was released from the hospital for my blood clot issue. It’s ‘funny’ how the days you feel like crap are the days that you really explode and get the big PRs. It’s also ‘funny’ how I only do ATG squats heavy once every 3-4 months, and I set a PR every time despite never training them. I’ll take that, though. I took it easier on accessory work afterwards. The seated band hamstring curls are really great - you can push your knees in/out before every rep to hit your hamstring at different angles. That feels really great.

I also decided to weigh some of the rubber coated plates I use for deadlifting (and most other barbell lifts), and they weigh on average 45.5lbs instead of 45lbs. That may not seem like a lot, but when I used 14 of them for pulling my 685PR it really means I was pulling around 692! A deadlift PR without even pulling, sweet!

Warmups – 1 set of 30 for each movement:
Leg Extensions
Leg Curls
Pulldowns
BB Curls

Olympic (ATG) Squats:
135×10x1
225×3x1
315×3x1
365×1x1
405×1x1
455×1x1
475×1x1 (PR +5lbs)
500×1x1 (PR +30lbs, GOAL MET)

BB Shrugs:
405×10x1
495×10x1
585×10x1
495×10x1
405×20x1

Back Extensions:
200(stack)x15×3

Seated Band Hamstring Curls:
purples x15×1
purples x25×1 (PR)
purples x30×1 (PR)

Strict Standing DB Curls (palms up, no pronating):
40×12x5

+ stretching

Duration: 80 minutes

Decided to do speed work and do rotations instead of heavy pressing so my shoulders can rest a bit. Good workout, but still too hot in the gym.

Warmups – 1 set of 30 for each movement:
Cuban Rotations
OH Press
OH Extensions
Pulldowns
Chest Press

Bench Press (against doubled minis):
145x3x8

External Rotations:
35x10x3

CG Bench:
225x5x1
245x5x1
265x5x1
225x5x1

Straight-arm Wide-grip Lat Pushdowns:
180x10x1
204x10x1
214x10x1 (PR)
224x10x1 (PR)

+ stretching + arc trainer (5 min 30/30 HIIT, 5 min steady state)

Duration: 55 minutes

Pretty nice workout tonight despite it being about 190 degrees in the gym. Absolutely brutal. Deadlifts from this height are ridiculously awkward (for me). Getting the movement started, even on light stuff, feels so odd since the starting point is basically in my transition/sticking point as well. Anyways, hams were feeling a bit fatigued today from last weeks pulling still, but I was pleased with the efforts.  Accessory work was good. I stayed away from DB swings and other wide stance assistance since my glute has been cramping so much lately. It only bothered me a little bit tonight. I will be posting a video later of tonight’s deads.

Warmups – 1 set of 30 for each movement:
Leg Extensions
Leg Curls
Lat Rows
BB Curls

Elevated Deadlifts (weights elevated 5.5″):
135×12x1
225×3x1
315×3x1
405×1x1
495×1x1
585×1x1
675×1x1
710×1x1 (PR)
675×1x1
585×3x1

Conventional SLDL:
495×5x1
405×5x1
315×10x1

Standing Wide-grip Cable Face Pulls:
156×10x1
180×10x1
204×10x1
219×10x1 (PR)
234×10x1 (PR)

Standing Cable Abduction:
40×15x3

Strict Standing DB Curls:
40×8x1
50×8x2
40×10x1
40×15x1

+ stretching + power yoga (30min)

Duration: 140 minutes

Good workout. I was still a bit fatigued from Thursday’s pressing so I just stuck with a handful singles on bench today. Accessory movements were strong. Today also marks the one-year anniversary for being admitted to the hospital for my blood clot.

Warmups – 2 sets of 20 for each movement:
Cuban Rotations
OH Press
Pushdowns
Pulldowns
Pec Flyes

Bench Press:
135×12x1
185×10x1
225×6x1
255×3x1
285×1x1
315×1x4

Decline Bench Press:
225×10x1
255×10x1
285×10x1
225×10x1

Incline DB Press:
100×25x1

Seated Incline Cable Pushdowns:
156×10x1
180×10x1 (PR)
204×10x1 (PR)
219×10x1 (PR)

Standing Single-arm Side Laterals:
45×12x2
70×12x1

H-Rolls:
30×12x2
30×15x1 (PR)

Closer CG Pulldowns:
300×10x1 (PR)
276×10x1
228×10x2

+ stretching + power yoga (30min)

Duration: 100 minutes

Great workout today. Zercher squats were excellent today - felt quite a bit better than the last time I did them two weeks ago. Assistance work was good. Clare and a friend at the gym taped the zerchers for me, so I will have the vid up later once youtube posts it.

Warmups – 2 sets of 30 for each movement:
Leg Extensions
Leg Curls
Lat Rows
BB Curls

Zercher Squats off Pins (bar at 28″ from floor):
135×10x1
225×3x1
315×3x1
405×3x1
455×1x1
505×1x1 (PR)
515×1x1 (PR)

ATG Zercher Squats:
245×16x1 (PR)

Wide-grip BB Rows (very strict, reps paused at the top):
225×5x1
245×5x1
265×5x1
285×5x1

Lying Hamstring Curls:
190×10x2 (PR)
170×5-150×5x1

Standing One-arm DB Hammer Curls:
110×10x1
130×10x1
150×10x1 (PR)

Hammer Chins (letting go and recatching bar at the top of each rep):
bw x15×1

+ stretching

Duration: 110 minutes

Solid workout. Today marks a full month of full rom benching. Despite hitting bench hard on Monday I still felt pretty good today.

Warmups – 1 set of 30 for each movement:
Cuban Rotations
OH Press
OH Extensions
Lat Rows
Bench Press

Bench Press:
135x12x1
185x5x1
215x5x1
255x4x1
270x3x1
290x2x1
310x1x2
290x2x1
270x3x1
255x4x1
240x6x1
220x8x1
205x10x1
185x12x1

CG Pin Presses (hands in the smooth):
245x5x1
295x5x1 (PR)
275x5x1

Seated Overhead DB Presses:
100x5x1
90x5x2

Standing Straight-arm Lat Pushdowns:
156x12x1
180x12x1
209x12x1 (PR)

+ stretching + arc trainer (14min)

Duration: 70 minutes

It was terribly hot in the gym tonight, and I ended up getting some pretty nasty cramps in my right lower glute. Don’t know if the temperature had anything to do with it, but they really sucked. Power wasn’t too great off the floor tonight, probably because this was my 5th straight week of pulling heavy. I will be reorganizing my pulling schedule so it is a bit more ’smart’. Something like floor, elevated partials off boxes (4.5″ or 6″), reverse bands from floor, light sldls, then repeat. That should work pretty well.

Warmups – 1 set of 30 for each movement:
Leg Extensions
Leg Curls
Pulldowns
Hyperextensions

Deadlift:
135×12x1
225×3x1
315×1x1
405×1x1
495×1x1
585×1x1
610×1x3

DB Swings:
70×10x3

Standing Cable Adduction:
144×10x1 (PR)
108×12x2

Closer CG Pulldowns:
300×5x3 (PR)

Incline DB Curls:
45×8x1
45×10x1

Standing Cable Curls:
150×12x3

+ stretching + power yoga (30 min)

Duration: 130 minutes