Spytech’s Intense Workout Log

After not doing any pressing for the last few months I decided to stick to my plan and start rehabbing my shoulder this week. Just some light benching today. Everything was easy, but it felt good and that is all that matters. No aches and pains or anything weird. I probably won’t go much heavier (if at all) than this for a while, though. I think my back was more fatigued from benching than my chest and shoulders were, but I was surprised at the general non-rustiness of the bench movement today. Also, I pressed my 88lb kb last night with my right arm and didn’t have any pain, which is great, but that’s as hard as I will push my shoulder for a while. After benching I did some light to moderate face pulls, and some moderate single-arm pulldowns.

As far as treatments have been going, I am down to seeing the doc just once this week. Last few sessions have been very painful - really hardcore deep tissue/trigger point therapy with ultrasound. My right shoulder has a general achiness to it from the treatments still, but I can tell it feels good and strong otherwise. No occipitalis or collarbone issues anymore.

Bench Press (medium grip):
45x20x4
135x12x2
155x12x1
175x12x1
195x12x1
205x12x1
215x12x1
235x12x1

CG Bench:
135x12x2
155x12x1
175x12x2

Single-arm Kneeling Pulldowns:
60x12x1
70x12x1
80x12x1
90x12x1
100x12x1
110x12x1
150x12x1

Rope Face Pulls:
50x20x1
60x20x1
70x20x1
80x20x1
90x20x1
100x20x1

Single-arm Pushdowns:
80x20x1

OH BB Extensions:
45x20x1
65x20x1
85x20x1

+ stretching + yoga (60min)

Duration: 120 minutes

Nice deload workout before thanksgiving.

ATG Squats:
135×12x1
225×30x1

Lying Ham Curls:
50×20x3

45-degree Hypers:
bw x20×3

Leg Extensions:
210×20x3

Standing Cable Adduction:
50×20x3

Standing Cable Curls:
110×20x5

Rope Face Pulls:
50×20x5

One-arm Pushdowns:
50×20x1

Tricep Ladders:
bw x20×6

One-arm Kneeling Lat Pulldowns:
50×20x3

+ stretching + power yoga (75min)

Duration: 115 minutes

Well it’s been a while since I did any KB work, so I felt like starting this deload week with some swings. 360 reps with the 53 in 12 minutes - very nice considering the layoff from kb work. That is also a best for total reps in 12 min with the 53. I recovered within a minute of my last set, so cardio still seems to be where I left it at a few weeks ago.

Swings - 12-minutes continuous - 53lb bell used - 360 total reps:
40reps, 30 seconds rest x9

+ stretching

Duration: 15 minutes

Yeah, so I really don’t know what to say about today’s workout except that it was flippin’ sweet. I woke up with sore legs (from Yoga Wednesday night I think), didn’t feel very rested, but I wanted to do ATG squats again. I was planning on doing light speed squats with a wide stance, but that seemed too boring. Warmups through 405 felt heavy and tight, but I figured I’d do a single with 455 just to do something heavy. 455 felt heavy, but I decided to give 495 a go. That would be the heaviest I’ve gone since I did 485 for a tough single in early August almost 4 months ago. I got really pumped up/psyched for 495 and totally annihilated it for 5 strong reps despite just squatting with intensity on Monday. I could have hit 3 more reps, I think. This was only 10lbs under my all time ATG squat PR…so I’m going to dominate when I go for something heavier after being fresh and rested to go. Low bar is feeling wonderful. Very natural now. After the 495 PR I did 225 for a really cake 20 repper. Strict Good Mornings finished my hams off in a good way.

ATG Squats (low bar):
135x12x1
225x12x1
315x1x1
405x1x1
455x1x1
495x5x1 (PR)
225x20x1

Strict Good Mornings:
135x12x5

Standing Cable Crunches w/ Ab Strap:
108x12x5

+ stretching

Duration: 55 minutes

Decent upper workout tonight. I did some light face pulls to get my upper back a little workout, as well as a set of high rep shrugs. Those felt fine. Light neutral grip db presses felt good. Afterwards I did a decent amount of planks and pushups in yoga and the shoulder still felt good through those. It’s stiff feeling, but there wasn’t any real discomfort. Last night I pressed my 70lb kb with my right arm and I didn’t have any pain, but I don’t plan on regularly pressing that for a while yet. Just really light stuff for the next few weeks in regards to presses.

Strict BB Curls:
45×12x1
65×12x1
85×12x1
105×10x1
125×10x1
145×8x1
125×10x1
105×10x1

Strict BB Curls (narrow grip):
85×12x4

Strict BB Curls (wide grip):
85×12x4

Reverse BB Curls:
65×20x3

Rope Pushdowns:
60×20x3
100×20x1

Straight-bar Pushdowns:
80×12x2

V-bar Pushdowns:
100×12x1
120×12x1
150×12x1

Reverse Single-arm Pushdowns:
50×12x3

Single-arm Flat DB Extensions:
30×12x3

Neutral Grip Flat DB Press:
40×20x3

Rope Face Pulls:
60×20x2
70×20x1
80×20x1
90×20x1
100×20x2

DB Shrugs:
55×50 

+ stretching + power yoga (60min)

Duration: 110 minutes

This session had me a bit nervous today for a few reasons. First, I did my first yoga class since I started the shoulder treatments last night. It was a great hot yoga class, but it was brutal on my legs with lots of crescent lunges, chair holds, etc. My hams and glutes are pretty sore today (shoulder is good though). Second, I would be going ‘heavy’ for the first time on ATG squats using the low bar position. Third, I’ve been off creatine for a month now and I’ve been waiting for the fabled ’strength drop’. It certainly gave me a boost when I started using it a few years ago, so I wasn’t sure how today’s strength would feel.

In the end, all the nerves were for naught. The soreness didn’t hamper my lifting at all and I destroyed all of my squats. I hit 6 with my ’single’ target, and probably had 3-4 left in the tank at least. I like how six sounds though, so I stopped there. The low bar position is feeling pretty natural now. I dig the nice red line the bar leaves across my back now, instead of one bloody knot at the top of my neck where the bar would rub my c4/c5 vertebrae. After squats I did some intense step ups. I carried the bar low on these as well for more time under the bar to get used to it. Very nice. Abs were strong.

ATG Squats (low bar):
135×12x1
225×10x1
315×5x1
355×5x1
405×3x1
455×6x1 (PR)

BB Step Ups:
225×10x1
325×10x1 (PR)
225×10x2
225×20x1 (PR)

Decline Situps (arms stretched over head):
bw x12×2

Decline Leg Raises with Hip Lift:
bw x12×2

Hanging Leg Raises:
bw x12×1

Side Bends with Cable:
108 x12×2

+ stretching

Duration: 90 minutes

Despite the workout being ‘another arm day’ it was still good. Better than Monday’s workout, at least. Did most of the same exercises - gave preacher curls a bit of a go today. The strained occipitalis is feeling really well and I barely felt it today during preachers (it pulled alot on Monday doing less weight). Everything else was very light and strict with a slow tempo.

Treatment was good today. More ultrasound on my tricep and shoulder. Only two treatments next week, and probably just one the week after that - my back is doing very well thanks to the orthotics and repeated adjustments. It didn’t really need any work today. Shoulder is feeling the best it has in months. I decided I will rest it again next week (just an arm day on Wednesday) then start rehabbing it after that.

Preacher Curls:
25x12x1
75x12x1
95x6x1
115x6x1
135x6x1
115x12x1
95x12x1
75x12x1

BB Curls:
45x12x1
95x12x2

Reverse BB Curls:
45x20x2

Preacher DB Curl:
30x12x4

Lying DB Extension:
25x12x1
30x12x1
35x12x1

Rope Pushdowns:
50x12x1
70x12x1
100x12x1
120x12x1
150x12x1

Reverse Pushdowns:
50x12x1
70x12x1
100x12x1
120x12x2

OH BB Extensions:
45x30x1

+ stretching

Duration: 40 minutes

I was looking forward to this workout all week, especially since Monday was such a boring, no-intensity workout. I have come up with a good routine (for me) to follow with wide-stance squatting taking the place of deadlifts, while focusing on atg squats with the 3-5-1. Week 1 - wide squats (12 doubles) against light bands, week 2 (10 doubles) against heavy bands, week 3 (8 doubles) against the strong bands. I will keep bar weight consistent to just maintain a solid wide-stance squatting base while the atg squat poundages go up each cycle.

Getting back to tonight’s workout - 8 doubles against the strong (blue) bands. I forgot how ‘heavy’ these bands were, but the squatting kicked ass. Low-bar was feeling really comfortable, and the weight just flew up each set. I was burying these squats way below parallel. Wearing my orthotics during the squatting didn’t seem to hamper anything, and might have actually helped a bit (better spinal/hip support, etc). I am really pleased with how things felt tonight. As long as the wide-stance squats don’t mess with the atg squat progression, this setup should work wonderfully. After squats I did some strong-band-resisted hypers and some abs.

Wide-stance Squats against Strong(blue) bands:
45x12x1
135x12x1
185x5x1
225x3x1
315x2x7
315x6x1

45-degree Hypers:
bw x20x2
+ strong band x12x4 (PR)

Decline Situps (arms stretched over-head):
bw x12x3

Hanging Leg Raises:
bw x12x3

+ stretching

Duration: 60 minutes

Man, curls are LAME. I’m not going to bother trying to remember everything I did tonight, but basically it was just alot of curls and pushdowns. Everything is feeling really good, and treatment today went very well. I think I might switch to squatting M/F with an upper filler day on Wednesdays until things are 100%. Upper days without being able to do anything with real intensity are a total bore.

+ stretching

Duration: 45 minutes

Holy SHIT was today’s treatment painful. Doc targeted my trap, rhomboid, and infraspinatus today with the deep tissue trigger point therapy. This was by far the most painful yet, as everytime he dug into the trap pain shot up my neck into my occipitalis and temple. Not fun, but effective. My shoulder was stronger today than it was Thursday and we are both very pleased with the progress made in just a few days time. I will continue to rest from pressing motions and might just add a yoga class back in next week to get a little bit of mobility work in. Doc tested out my neck with various strength and pressure tests and he thinks that my neck muscles are NOT injured afterall and that they were just tight/overcompensating for the injured trap, occpitalis, and shoulder. After neck adjustments and shoulder work, my neck feels almost 100% and has no pulling sensations, etc. Still some tightness, but it feels great aside from that. My spine didn’t need any adjustments today (good!) and my neck didn’t pop as much. I’ve been sitting with a towel under my left glute when I am at the comp and that seems to be helping, maybe. Doc and I decided we are not going to do orthotics now, but rather some inserts called ‘walk fits’. Temporary orthotics basically. Way cheaper and not as durable, but kind of act as an intermediate step. We agreed this would probably be best for me right now, as I am flat-footed and going right to full-out orthotics might be a bit much at once. After treatment I had some laser therapy on the injured areas. This really feels good!

Moving on to the workout. Today was squat day for 5’s and my first real attempt at switching to low bar (due to the aforementioned spinal compression issue). Initial feeling is NOT BAD! It was definitely awkward at first, and took more concentration to keep a stable ‘rack’, but as the workout wore on I started to get used to it. It is actually feels easier and more comfortable as the bar gets heavier. My back had alot of fatigue (from treatments, adjustments, and Monday’s high volume banded squatting), but 405×5 was still very easy. Judas was right in saying my leverage would improve. Low bar does pull on my neck a bit since it requires so much shoulder pinching, but I didn’t have any real discomfort anywhere. Squatting low bar is going to make my mid-back stronger, I can tell that already. A few more weeks of squatting like this and it should feel second nature. After squats I did some extensions and abs. Trying to keep on being nice to myself!

ATG Squats (low bar):
135x12x1
185x5x1
225x5x1
315x5x1
360x5x1
405x5x1
315x5x1
225x15x1
135x15x1

Leg Extensions:
305x15x5

Hanging Knee/Leg Raises:
bw x15x3

Decline Situps:
bw x15x3

+ stretching

Duration: 50 minutes