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Full Workout Logs - Starting 12/7/2014
Routine B of Two by Two Training Plan
Weeks 1-6 of 11
These workout logs are continued from Full Workout Logs: Starting 11/17/2014 - Part B of Two by Two Training Plan - Weeks 1-2 (False Start).
Starting Over and Possible Contest
I took the rest of last week off to be sure I was fully recovered. It was a good thing I planned on doing so as health problems would have kept me from working out on a couple of days anyway. And I hadn’t taken more than three days off in a row in almost 1-1/2 years, so I needed a break. But here’s praying no such problems will divert me as I get back into training.
With taking the week off, I am basically starting this routine over, so am writing off the first two weeks as being a “false start” and starting my weeks count over again with Week 1. Also, rather than referring to the two halves of my training plan as “Parts,” I will call them “Routines.” Thus my first week back will be Routine B – Week 1.
For my new Weeks 1-2, I’ll do the “back-off” workouts that I should have done initially. I’ll drop the weights 5-10%, making these workouts moderately hard but not very hard like my normal workouts. That will give me a physical and psychological break. By the latter I mean I won’t need to get psyched up, which is important as I cannot sustain that intensity for the entire remainder of this routine; but then I will gradually work back into it.
God-willing, I am thinking of entering a powerlifting contest at the end of this routine. There are four contests in my area I can choose from, with three different federations, from February 21 to March 14, 2015. Even with starting over, I should have from 10-13 training weeks, depending on which I enter. That should be enough time to prepare. I will decide which to enter later, once I see how my training is going and get further details on the contests.
Age: 53.
Height: 5'1".
Bodyweight, body fat, and lean body mass: See each week.
Note: Body fat percent and LBM are being measured with a Sequoia Fitness: Warrior Digital Body Mass Caliper.
If you need
one, it is available from Amazon.
Gear as indicated; if not indicated, then completely raw (no supportive gear).
Warm-ups are in brackets. All weights are in pounds. Format: pounds/reps.
Workout times include set-up, warm-up, lifting, stretching, and clean-up.
Week 1 (Week A)
Bodyweight: 120.6 pounds.
Body fat: 11.2%, 13.5 pounds
Lean body mass: 107.1 pounds.
My weight was down 2.8 pounds to 118.0 on Sunday, after my week off. I lost weight due to the loss of appetite I always experience when I’m not lifting. But it was up 2.6 pounds to 120.6 by Wednesday, which is the day I always use for recording my weight here. This was after working out on Sunday and Monday and getting my appetite back. The rapid weight fluctuation was probably due to losing and regaining glycogen, which was probably the reason why I felt lackadaisical for my workouts on Sunday and Monday, but much better by Wednesday’s workout.
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Bench Assistance
Sunday – 12/7/14
Gear: Crain Redline wrist wraps; Nike Sneakers.
Incline Bench [Dumbbells: 10s/20; Barbell: 45/10, 75/6, add wraps: 100/3] 110/8, 115/6, 120/4
Lats: [Pulldowns (underhand): 45/10, 70/6, 90/3] Chin-ups: add wraps: bwt./8, 2.5/6, 5/4
Reverse Curls: [Curl Bar: 35/10, Barbell: 45/6] 50/10, 52/8, 55/6
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:15
After a week off, I thought I’d feel great for this workout, but I felt lackadaisical. And I’m still not sure what to do on this day. I think I’ll start doing overhead presses instead of inclines. I don’t particularly like inclines, and it is a pain moving my flat bench out of my power rack and my FID benches into it to do them. But presses are easy to set up for and are a very good exercise, and there ae some who think it helps the bench press. See, for instance, this YouTube video.
However, I do not understand his comments about not being able to get a full ROM with dumbbells, as I can get an even fuller ROM with them than with a barbell. So I will be doing dumbbell presses Week A and barbell presses Week B.
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Squats
Monday – 12/8/14
Gear: Crain: squat shoes, power belt, Genesis wrist wraps; APT heavy knee sleeves.
Low Squats: [regular: 45/20, low: 115/10, 135/6, add belt & wraps: 155/3] 175/6, 185/4, 195/2
Partial Squats: [135/10, 185/6, add belt & wraps: 225/3] 250/6, 262/4, 275/2
Bicycle Abs: 15, 15
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:05
I still felt a little lackadaisical, but still a good workout.
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Benches
Wednesday – 12/10/14
Gear: Nike sneakers; Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.
Decline Benches: [45/20, 80/10, 110/6, add belt & wraps: 127/6] 142/6, 150/4, 157/2
Dumbbell Benches: [30s/10, 37s/6, add belt & wraps: 45s/3] 50s/8, 52s/6, 55s/4
Barbell Rows: [45/10, 55/6, 65/3] 70/8, 75/6, 80/4
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:22
Declines are worth moving my benches around for, as it is a much better movement to help an arched bench press than inclines. But coupling them with DB benches (which also take time to set up in my home gym), makes for a longer but effective workout.
That said, I felt much more enthused for this workout, and it went as planned. I’m using the opportunity of these back-off workouts to experiment on my form on benches, coming up on my toes and arching more. It felt good on DB benches, but I’ll see how it feels on regular benches next week before deciding whether to stick with it or not.
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Deadlifts
Thursday – 12/11/14
Gear: Nike wrestling shoes; Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.
Platform Deadlifts (sumo): [45/20, 135/10, 185/6, add belt & wraps: 235/3] 260/6, 275/4, 290/2
Stiff Leg Deadlift (conv.): [135/10, 165/6, add wraps: 195/3] 215/6, 225/4, 235/2
Dip Bar Leg Raises: [0/10] 3s/10, 3s/10
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:15
A good workout. My platform for the PDLs consists of four planks nailed together, ¾” x 10” x 4’, thus it is 3” high. This is my favorite sumo DL assistance exercises, as I find getting the bar off of the floor to be the hardest part of a sumo DL, which PDLs help with. But they are tough; I feel like I’m pulling forever.
Week 2 (Week B)
Bodyweight: 120.6 pounds.
Body fat: 10.9%, 13.1 pounds
Lean body mass: 107.5 pounds.
In the month since I started measuring my body fat again, my bodyweight has gone from 120.2 to 120.6 pounds. But my fat % has dropped from 12.3% to 10.9%. That means my body fat has dropped from 14.8 to 13.1 pounds, and my LBM has increased from 105.5 to 107.5 pounds. In my God-given Foods Eating Plan book I explain why just weighing yourself is not enough to see what is happening in your body. Body fat is far more important, and this shows it. Gaining less than half a pound in a month is insignificant, but gaining two pounds of muscle is significant. I just wish I had started measuring body fat sooner, when I was still trying to gain weight.
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Bench Assistance
Sunday – 12/14/14
Seated Presses [DBs: 10s/20, Barbell: 45/10, 55/6, 65/3], 70/6, 75/4, 80/2
Lats: [Pulldowns (overhand grip): 45/10, 70/6, 90/3] Dip Bar Pull-ups: bwt./8, 2.5/6*, 5/4*
Curl Bar Curls [35/10, 40/6] 45/10, 47/8, 50/6
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:13
I did standing presses in Routine A, so for this Routine B I am doing them seated. I am training them like a fourth powerlift, using a belt and wraps and doing lower reps. I think I will get the best carryover to benches that way.
Doing pull-ups on my dip bars is tough. I did not go up all the way on the last couple of reps for the last two sets, so I will repeat those weights until I get it right.
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Squats
Monday – 12/15/14
Gear: Crain: squat shoes, power belt, 2.5 meter Genesis knee wraps (1), Genesis wrist wraps.
Squats: [45/20, 135/10, 180/6, add belt & wraps: 225/3] 245/6, 257/4, 270/2
Step-ups (on squat box): [45/10, 55/6] 65/8, 70/5, 75/6, 80/4
Sit-ups: [bwt/10, 7.5/6] 12.5/10, 13.75/8, 15/6
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:19
Squats felt much better this time. I’m getting the hang of wrapping again, and I sunk all of the reps.
In my “false start” workouts, I did dumbbell calves second, but I did step-ups here instead, as I prefer to do compound rather than isolation exercises; and I have found step-ups to work the calves rather well. But I’m still not sure how to count the reps and how many reps to do. I counted the reps here: step up with right foot, step up left foot; step down with right foot, step down with left foot, rep one. Step up with left foot, step up with right foot; step down with left foot, step down with right foot, rep two. Previously, I counted all of that as one rep. But I was doing so much stepping it was more of a cardio workout than a lifting exercise. But with this counting method, the reps were too little, so I will increase them next time.
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Benches
Wednesday – 12/17/14
Gear: Nike sneakers; Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.
Benches: [45/20, 75/10, 100/6, add belt & wraps: 122/3] 137/6, 145/4, 152/2
Dips: [bwt./10, 5/6, add wraps: 10/3] 15/8, 20/6, 25/4
DB Rows (elbows in): [30/10, 37/6, 45/3] 50/8, 52/6, 55/4
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:18
I tried benching with my feet up on my toes on the warm-ups sets, but I did not like it. It did not seem to help my strength level; I felt unstable, and it didn’t seem to enable me to arch much more than with my feet flat. But most of all, I could feel stress in my quads and low back. My fear is that benching on my toes will hinder my deadlift, especially at a contest. With practice, I might get the hang of it, but I don’t want to risk hindering my best lift to add a few pounds to my worst lift. So I will stick with what I’ve been doing; bench with my feet flat on the floor, so I did that for my work sets, and they went as planned.
In my “false start” workouts, I did DB flyes to rehab my problematic left pec. But as stated above; I prefer to do compound exercises, so I did dips instead, as they work the pecs just as well. In fact, it was on dips that I tweaked my pec in Routine A, but I’m going lighter now so as not to aggravate it, but I’m going a little deeper to really work the pec, until the upper arms are just below parallel.
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Deadlifts
Thursday – 12/18/14
Gear: Nike wrestling shoes; Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.
Deadlifts (sumo): [45/20, 135/10, 185/6, 225/3, add belt & wraps: 260/1] 290/6, 305/4, 320/2
Good Mornings (legs bent, wide stance): [45/10, 65/6, 85/3] 95/8, 100/6, 105/4
Side Bends: [10/10; 20/6] 27/10, 30/8, 32/6
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:20
I had another sleepless night before this workout due to an allergy exposure, this time to raw milk. The backstory is rather involved, so I will just say here that I am done experimenting. I will stick with ON Natural Whey and Natural Casein that I know works for me and that I am not allergic to. For further details, see the “Experiments on Protein Intake” update at the end of Natural Whey and Natural Casein.
I had my written in my workout log for the next to last warm-up set to do 220/3 and to add the belt and wraps. But I didn’t want to bother with all of the change, so I put two plates on, and I didn’t think that was heavy enough to bother with a belt and wraps yet, so I didn’t put them on. During the set I felt a twinge of pain in my lower back. I know it’s nothing, just stress getting to me and a very old problem rearing its ugly head. But I could have avoided having to deal with it by doing what I had originally planned and knew I should do. For what I am talking about here, see my article Overcoming Back Pain.
In my “false start” workouts, I did leg curls to rehab my problematic right hamstring. But again, I prefer compound exercises, and I tweaked my hamstring the last time I did leg curls; and since leg curls really do not help the DL, they are not worth it, so I am doing GMs instead. But I need to be very careful on them as it was on GMs that I first injured my hamstring many years ago. But I was trying to go too heavy then, so I went lighter here. Since I’m doing SLDLs with a conventional stance in Week A, I’m doing the GMs with a wide stance here, using the same foot spacing as for my sumo DLs. I’ll then reverse those stances in my next routine.
Since this was my last back-off workout, I wasn’t bothered too much by not sleeping and the twinge of pain, so things went as planned. But here’s praying I can avoid such problems as I get back into very hard training next week. I just need to stick with what I know works and that I need to do.
Week 3 (Week A)
Bodyweight: 120.4 pounds.
Body fat: 10.6%, 12.8 pounds
Lean body mass: 107.6 pounds.
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Bench Assistance
Sunday – 12/21/14
Gear: New Balance Sneakers; Crain Redline wrist wraps.
Standing DB Presses: [5s/20; 10s/10, 15s/6, add wraps: 20s/3] 25s/8, 26.5s/6, 27.5s/4
Lats: [Pulldowns (underhand): 45/10, 70/6, 90/3] Chin-ups: add wraps: 2.5./8, 5/6, 7.5/4
Reverse Curls: [Curl Bar: 35/10, Barbell: 45/6] 52.5/10, 55/8, 57.5/6
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:03
I’m doing seated BB presses Week 2, so I will be doing standing DB presses this week. Then for my next routine, I’ll switch which is done seated and which is done standing. That said, the DB presses felt good, so I think doing some form of presses each week will work out well.
The odd weights are due to the use of 1-1/4 and fractional plates. I really like these small plates, as they allow for appropriate and gradual weight jumps, even when using dumbbells. I have Olympic-sized changeable dumbbell bars for my home gym.
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Squats
Monday – 12/22/14
Gear: Crain: squat shoes, power belt, Genesis wrist wraps; APT heavy knee sleeves.
Low Squats: [regular: 45/20, low: 115/10, 135/6, add belt & wraps: 165/3] 185/6, 195/4, 205/2
Partial Squats: [135/10, 185/6, add belt & wraps: 235/3] 265/6, 277/4, 290/2
Bicycle Abs: 20, 20
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:10
It felt good to get back into training very hard, and this workout went well.
I have found the combo of low squats + partial squats to be very effective. It helped me to break PA State and National Collegiate squat records back in the early 1980s and to be placed on the All-time Ranking Lists for squats in my 40s in the mid-00s. So I am doing this combo now in hopes of breaking the All-time Raw, 50-59, American and World squat records at a contest early next year.
For descriptions of these two exercises, see the following page of my fitness site: Squat Assistance Exercises. Here are videos of me doing these two exercises (not from this workout but from a while ago): Low Squats. Partial Squats.
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Benches
Wednesday – 12/24/14 (Christmas Eve)
Gear: Nike sneakers; Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.
Decline Benches: [45/20, 80/10, 115/6, add belt & wraps: 135/6] 150/6, 157/4, 165/2
Dumbbell Benches: [30s/10, 40s/6, add belt & wraps: 47s/3] 52s/8, 55s/6, 57s/4
Barbell Rows: [45/10, 55/6, 65/3] 75/8, 80/6, 85/4
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:20
A good workout, and then off to make Christmas Eve dinner for my parents. Then Christmas Day will be spent at my brother’s house, all the while thanking the LORD for the birth of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Then it will back to hard training on Friday.
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Deadlifts
Friday – 12/26/14
Gear: Nike wrestling shoes; Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.
Platform Deadlifts (sumo): [45/20, 135/10, 195/6, add belt & wraps: 250/3] 275/6, 290/4, 305/2
Stiff Leg Deadlift (conv.): [135/10, 170/6, add wraps: 205/3] 225/6, 235/4, 245/2
Dip Bar Leg Raises: [0/10] 3s/12, 3s/12, 3s/12
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:10
Christmas moved this workout to Friday, and it went very well.
Week 4 (Week B)
Bodyweight: 120.0 pounds.
Body fat: 10.9%, 13.8 pounds.
Lean body mass: 106.2 pounds.
This is the first time since I starting measuring my body fat % that things went the wrong way. I’m not sure why. I will see what happens next week.
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Bench Assistance
Sunday – 12/28/14
Gear: New Balance Sneakers; Crain Redline wrist wraps.
Seated Presses [DBs: 10s/20, Barbell: 45/10, 55/6, 65/3], 75/6, 80/4, 85/2
Lats: [Pulldowns (overhand grip): 45/10, 70/6, 90/3] Dip Bar Pull-ups: bwt./8, 2.5/6, 5/4
Curl Bar Curls [35/10, 42/6] add wraps: 47/10, 50/8, 52/6
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:12
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Squats
Monday – 12/29/14
Gear: Crain: squat shoes, power belt, 2.5 meter Genesis knee wraps (1), Genesis wrist wraps.
Squats: [45/20, 135/10, 185/6, add belt & wraps: 230/3] 255/6, 267/4, 280/2
Step-ups (on squat box): [45/10, 55/6, 65/3], 75/10, 80/8, 85/6
Sit-ups: [bwt/10, 7.5/6] 13.75/10, 15/8, 16.25/6
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:26
A good workout. I got all my planned reps, and sunk them well. However, my form was off on some of the reps; it was only on the last rep of the day that I felt like I hit it perfectly. Also, I got really winded on the first work set of squats. This all points to not putting on wraps often enough.
Also, I can see how step-ups could be good exercise, but as I get heavier, I felt rather unstable doing them. And the “heavier” is relative, as it is still far from squat weights, so I’m not sure how much they will help squats. I also have to watch my workout time, as I do not want it to get over 1:30.
Given these points, I might be making changes in my routine next week. I need to think and pray about it.
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Benches
Wednesday – 12/31/14
Gear: Nike sneakers; Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.
Benches: [45/20, 80/10, 105/6, add belt & wraps: 130/3] 145/6, 152/3, 160/2
Dips: [bwt./10, 7.5/6, add wraps: 15/3] 20/8, 25/6, 30/4
DB Rows (elbows in): [30/10, 40/6, 47/3] 52/8, 55/6, 57/4
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:21
The benches are a good example of what I mean by “training to almost failure.” On the first set, the fifth rep was very hard, but I just knew I could get a sixth rep, if I put in a maximal effort, so I went for it and got it with that full max effort. On the second set, the third rep was not a max effort, but extremely hard. I knew I would not get a fourth rep, so I did not try it. On the last set, the first rep was very hard, but again, I just knew I could get a second rep, so I went for it and got it. It was a little shy of a full effort, but I knew there was no way I’d get another rep, so I stopped there. So in this workout, the effort on the last rep on each set was something like: 100%, 95%, 98%, with no missed reps. That’s training to almost failure.
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Deadlifts
Thursday – 1/1/15 (Happy New Year!)
Gear: Nike wrestling shoes; Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.
Deadlifts (sumo): [45/20, 135/10, 180/6, add belt & wraps: 225/3, 275/1] 305/6, 320/4, 335/2
Platform (Deficit) Deadlifts (sumo): [135/10, 190/6, add belt & wraps: 245/3] 270/6, 285/4, 300/2
Side Bends: [10/10; 20/6] 30/10, 32/8, 35/6
Stretching: 5-10 minutes
Workout time: 1:21
Deadlifts were a good way to start the New Year, and they went very well.
I’m experimenting with revising my routine some. I moved PDLs to this day after regular DLs. I wanted to see if I could handle two major exercises on the same day. With doing so, I dropped the weights slightly on the PDLs to account for them being the second exercise rather than the first. And with that change, I was able to do both without the workout taking too long or being overly tired afterwards, so I think I will change my routine next week using this format. I will do the actual powerlift first, followed by a look-alike lift in each workout in both training weeks.
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The following logs on my fitness Web site have been completed for the indicated time periods:
Cardio Logs - September through December 2014
Goals for 2015
God-willing, my primary lifting goal for 2015 is to compete in my first contest in almost six years, either on Feb 28 or March 14. Goals for it are to break the All-time, 114/ 123s, 50-59, Raw American records for squat, deadlift and total, and the World record for squat. As the records stand right now, I will need a 290 squat, 365 deadlift, and 780 total. But my goals are: 310/ 170/ 370/ 850.
Then enter a second contest in the fall and go after the World records for deadlift and total. As the records stand right now, I will need a 400 deadlift and 930 total. My lifts goals to reach that total would be 350/ 180/ 400. That squat and total would also improve my placements on the All-time, 114s, Open, Raw ranking lists. Of course, the records could change before either contest, but my lifts goals would still be the same for them.
Otherwise, to finish the book on the sovereignty of God that I am currently working on, then move onto whatever the LORD has in store for me next.
Week 5 (Week A)
Bodyweight: 121.4 pounds.
Body fat: 10.9%, 13.2 pounds.
Lean body mass: 108.2 pounds.
Going in the right direction again.
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Bench Assistance
Sunday – 1/4/15
Gear: New Balance Sneakers; Crain: power belt, Redline wrist wraps.
Standing DB Presses: [7.5s/20; 12s/10, 17s/6, add belt & wraps: 22s/3] 27.5s/8, 29s/6, 30s/4 (or 5)
Lats: [Pulldowns (underhand): 45/10, 70/6; Chin-ups: add wraps: bwt./3] /8, 7.5/6, 10/4
Reverse Curls: [Curl Bar: 35/10, Barbell: 45/6] 54/10, 56.5/8, 59/6
Stretching: 5-10 minutes
Workout time: 1:10
Normally, I take an extra day off after every fourth training week to aid recovery, which would have been this day. But I took a full week off before I started this routine, then the first two weeks were back-off weeks, so I don’t think I need the extra recovery just yet. I will probably wait until after four hard training weeks (which will be after Week 6) to take the day off, unless I feel like I need it before then.
That said, I got stressed out over something shortly before this workout and wasn’t concentrating, so I lost count on the last set of DB presses. But otherwise, a good workout.
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Squats
Monday – 1/5/15
Gear: Crain: squat shoes, power belt, Genesis wrist wraps, 2.5 meter Genesis knee wraps (1) (squats); APT heavy knee sleeves (low squats).
Squats: [45/20, 135/10, 175/6, add belt & wraps: 215/3, 245/1] 267/5, 280/3, 292/1
Low Squats: [regular: 45/20, low: 105/10, 135/6, add belt & wraps: 165/3] 185/6, 195/4, 205/2
Bicycle Abs: 20, 20, 20
Stretching: 5-10 minutes
Workout time: 1:35
I dilly-dallied around during my warm-ups, but it wasn’t until I was wrapping for my final warm-up set that I realized it, when I saw a half an hour had already passed. Then after squats, I took my power bar and safeties out of my power rack, forgetting I had another squat exercise to do, so I had to put them back in. That all made for an overly long workout. I really need to start focusing from my first warm-up set and throughout my whole workout. But at least I got focused for my squat work sets, and those went well. It helped that my newest favorite song came on just as I was getting set for the first set: “I put my faith in You” by Showdown, (a White Metal group).
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Benches
Wednesday – 1/7/15
Gear: Nike sneakers; Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.
Benches: [45/20, 80/10, 105/6, add belt & wraps: 130/3] 145/6, 152/3, 160/2
Dumbbell Benches: [30s/10, 40s/6, add belt & wraps: 50s/3] 55s/8, 57s/6, 60s/4
Barbell Rows: [45/10, 57/6, 67/3] 77/8, 82/6, 87/4
Stretching: 5-10 minutes
Workout time: 1:20
Benches were a repeat of last week: doing 6, 3, 2 with the same weights, still missing the fourth rep on set 2. Also, I wasn’t able to pause most of the reps like I should. There’re several possibilities as to the problem. I will need to think and pray about it, and then make changes as needed.
After this workout, a large order from Bodybuilding.com arrived, with ON Natural Whey and Natural Casein, UN creatine, and two packs of “VitaMinder Fit & Fresh Smart Portion Chill Containers” that I got only because they were on sale. But I’m glad I got them as they are very nice. They have mini ice packs in them, which should keep my snacks cold.
Wednesday night a couple of my health problems flared up, and I could barely sleep. On Thursday I was very tired and feeling dragged out, so I thought it best to take my extra day off, so my next workout will be on Sunday. I probably should have taken this past Sunday off as originally planned. But thank God I didn’t get injured. That has happened a couple of times when I skipped a planned off day.
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Deadlifts
Sunday – 1/11/15
Gear: Nike wrestling shoes; Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.
Deadlifts (sumo): [45/20, 135/10, 190/6, add belt & wraps: 240/3, 290/1] 320/5, 335/3, 350/1
Stiff Leg Deadlift (conv.): [135/10, 175/6, add wraps: 215/3] 235/8, 245/6, 255/4
Dip Bar Leg Raises: [0/10] 3s/15, 3s/15, 3s/15
Stretching: 5-10 minutes
Workout time: 1:20
I’m glad I took the day off, as this was a very good workout. I pulled 350 at my first contest in my 40s, so I am poised to better that for my first contest in my 50s.
Week 6 (Week B)
Bodyweight: 121.0 pounds.
Body fat: 10.9%, 13.2 pounds.
Lean body mass: 107.8 pounds.
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Bench Assistance
Monday – 1/12/15
Gear: Nike Sneakers; Crain: power belt, Redline wrist wraps.
Incline Benches [DBs: 10s/20, Barbell: 45/10, 75/6, add belt & wraps: 105/3], 115/6, 120/4, 125/2
Dips: [bwt./10, 7.5/6, add wraps: 15/3] 20/8, 25/6, 30/4
Lats: [Pulldowns (overhand grip): 45/10, 70/6, 90/3] Dip Bar Pull-ups: bwt./8, 2.5/6, 5/4
Stretching: 5-10 minutes
Workout time: 1:21
I’ve been struggling for weeks as to what to do on Bench Assistance day. But once again, I just needed to listen to myself. I recommend in my powerlifting book to do “non-flat bench assistance;” specifically, declines and presses Week A, then inclines and dips Week B. In this way, the lower and upper pecs and shoulders get worked each workout. In reviewing my workout logs, I can see why I recommend such. When I arrange my Bench Assistance day this way, my bench seems to progress better than with other formats I’ve tried.
To do so will require moving dips from Bench day to Bench Assistance day. I will then substitute 3-second pause benches on Bench day, as I feel I am having problems getting drive off of the chest after a pause. I will also start doing the dips with a pause at the bottom for the same reason.
And let me tell you; pausing at the bottom of dips was tough, as was doing the dip bar pull-ups third rather than second, so for both I repeated the weights I used last time. And even at that, I was not going up far enough on the pull-ups, so I will continue to stick with those weights until I do.
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Squats
Wednesday – 1/14/15
Gear: Crain: squat shoes, power belt, Genesis wrist wraps, 2.5 meter Genesis knee wraps (1) (squats); APT heavy knee sleeves (partial squats).
Squats: [45/20, 135/10, 175/6, add belt & wraps: 215/3, 245/1] 267/6, 280/4, 292/2
Partial Squats: [135/10, 185/6, add belt & wraps: 240/3] 265/6, 277/4, 290/2
Sit-ups: [bwt/10, 7.5/6] 15/10, 16.25/8, 17.5/6
Stretching: 5-10 minutes
Workout time: 1:37
More stress leading to another sleepless night, and then I got woken up by the stupid garbage truck at 4:45 am. But somehow, the LORD pulled me through. My cardio workout went well in the morning; I got a lot done on my book on the sovereignty of God throughout the day, and then this workout went as planned.
Last time, my squat work sets were for 5, 3, 1 reps. This time, using the same weights, I did 6, 4, 2 reps. Next time, I will increase the weights and do 5, 3, 1. Then the next workout after that I will repeat those weights and do 6, 4, 2, etc. Of course, things won’t always work out so perfectly, but that’s the ideal.
I knew the partial squats would be tough as I hadn’t done them in three weeks due to changing my routine, and this was the first time I did them after squats, so I repeated the same weights as last time, and I was pleased I got the planned reps.
However, squat workouts are still taking too long. I went as fast as I could, so with wrapping, I guess that is just how things are going to be. But I was not overly tired afterwards, and the volume is not too great, so I don’t think it will be a problem.
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Benches
Thursday – 1/15/15
Gear: Nike sneakers; Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.
Benches: [45/20, 80/10, 105/6, add belt & wraps: 125/3] 140/6, 147/4, 155/2
3 Second Pause Benches: [75/10, 95/6, add belt & wraps: 112/3] 125/6, 130/4, 135/2
DB Rows (elbows in): [30/10, 40/6, 50/3] 55/8, 57/6, 60/4
Stretching: 5-10 minutes
Workout time: 1:15
I dropped the weights slightly on benches to be sure I got my planned 6, 4, 2 reps and that I was pausing each rep properly. And with that, this workout went as planned. So next time I will increase the weights and do 5, 3, 1.
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Deadlifts
Sunday – 1/18/15
Gear: Nike wrestling shoes; Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.
Deadlifts (sumo): [45/20, 135/10, 190/6, add belt & wraps: 240/3, 290/1] 320/6, 335/4, 350/2
Platform (Deficit) Deadlifts (sumo): [135/10, 185/6, add belt & wraps: 220/3, 250/1] 280/6, 295/4, 310/2
Side Bends: [10/10; 22/6] 32/10, 35/8, 37/6
Stretching: 5-10 minutes
Workout time: 1:25
Ditto my comments about reps on squats for deadlifts here. PDLs went very well also. That is surprising given what happened shortly before this workout.
I went into my kitchen and stepped in a large puddle. “Oh no!” It took a while to figure out where the water was coming from. It was from the water dispenser/ ice maker in the fridge. I had very hard time closing the shut off valve. It was stuck and only had very thin little handles to grasp onto, and then I had lots of water to clean up in the kitchen. As a result, I was already tired before even starting this workout, but I got very psyched up and got all of my planned reps. I will now need to have a repairman come to fix the fridge and a plumber to fix the shut off valve, which will cause more problems. Such is life’s little struggles. All of this happened right after I had made my decision about what contest to enter and made hotel reservations, but more on that later.
These workout logs are continued at: Full Workout Logs: Starting 1/19/2015 - Routine B of Two by Two Training Plan - Weeks 7-11.
Full Workout Logs: Starting 12/7/2014 - Routine B of Two by Two Training Plan - Weeks 1-6. Copyright © 2014-2015 By Gary F. Zeolla.
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