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Full Workout Logs: Starting 6/3/2015 – Two by Two Plan (Variation C); Routine B, Weeks 1-6 of 12
These workout logs are continued from Full Workout Logs: Starting 4/19/2015 – Two by Two Plan (Variation C); Routine A, Weeks 7-12 of 12.
Age: 54.
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.
God-willing, my next contest will be IPA Nationals, November 21, 2015. For details, see under “My Health/ Next Contest/ Goals” near the end of the contest report for my recent contest: IPA Pennsylvania State Powerlifting Championships - 2015.
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.
See also my Cardio Logs - May through August 2015.
Introduction
Having finished Routine A of my three part training plan, it is now time to start Routine B. For it, I will be doing powerlift look-alike lifts *instead of* the actual powerlifts during both training weeks throughout the 12 week routine. As always, the first two weeks will be “back-off” weeks, for which I will be using about 10% less weight than normal, thus making the workouts only somewhat hard as compared to my normal very hard intensity. God-willing, I will then gradually increase the weights and intensity throughout the routine.
The basic workout design, sets x reps, and other variables will be the same as for Routine A, with one exception. My Bench Assistance workouts are taking a little too long. To fix that, I am moving my rotator cuff work to the mornings after I hit my heavy bag. I am accommodating it there by slightly decreasing my heavy bag time. That will shorten my BA workouts by a few minutes, just enough to keep them from being overly long. And by cutting off a few minutes from my heavy bag time, it shouldn’t be too much then either. I will thus not be indicating rotator cuff work in these logs, but I will include details about it in my current Cardio Log.
Week 1 of 12 (Week A)
Bodyweight: 121.0 pounds.
Body fat: 11.7%, 14.2 pounds.
Lean body mass: 106.8 pounds.
Waist: 31-1/2”.
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Bench Assistance
Wednesday – 6/3/15
Gear: Crain power belt, Redline wrist wraps.
Shoes: Adidas: AdiPower lifting shoes.
Dumbbell Incline Benches [10s/15, 17s/9, 22s/7, and gear: 27s/5], 32s/8, 35s/6, 37s/4
Dips: [bwt./9, 7.5/7, add wrist wraps: 15/5] 20/8, 25/6, 30/4
Chin-ups: [bwt./6, bwt./6] add wrist wraps: 1.25/8, 3.75/6, 6.25/4
Curl Bar Reverse Curls: [35/9, 45/7] 50/10, 52/8, 55/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:38
An easy workout, just what I wanted for the first workout of my new routine. Looking at my videos from my last routine, I wasn’t going down quite as much as I’d like on dips, so I moved my dip bars up one hole (2”) in my power rack. I thus lowered the weight a little extra for this workout.
Videos:
For the first two weeks of this routine I will be recording the top set of each
exercise as a separate video. This way I can post them on the
Weightlifting Exercises Videos section of
my fitness website. The purpose of the section is to show the proper performance
of various exercises, and with these being “new” exercises, I want to have
videos of them for it.
Chin-ups
For these, I moved my phone up to the next drawer handle up
on the cabinet I am taping it to, but that still did not give a very good view.
I guess if I want to record pull-ups/ chins-ups I will need to use my old phone
location.
Music: “Petra Praise”
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Squats
Thursday – 6/4/15
Gear: Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps; APT heavy knee sleeves.
Shoes: Crain Power Squat Shoes.
Extra Low Squats: [45/15, 125/9, 150/7, 175/5, add gear: 195/3] 215/6, 225/4, 235/2
Reverse Band Squats (average #4, green bands choked around the top of my power rack, set so there is very little tension at the top of the lift):
[add bands: 185/9, 205/7, 225/5, add gear: 245/3] 265/6, 280/4, 295/2
Speed RB Squats: 205/8, 215/6, 225/4
Sit-ups: [--/9; 7.5/7] 12.5/10, 13.75/8, 15/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:47*
I was really dragging for this workout after yet another sleepless night. It thus was harder and took longer than it should have. Also adding to the workout time was setting up the bands. This was the first time I did RB squats in ages, and I was setting things up a bit differently, so it took a while to figure things out. I also had no idea how much weight to use, but I got it about right for the RB squats, but maybe a little too heavy for the speed RB squats. But now that I know what I am doing, hopefully this workout will go better next time.
Videos:
Extra Low Squats
Music:
The Best of Morgan Cryer – “What Sin?’
Saturday Nite Lite – 8/14/86
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Benches
Sunday – 6/7/15
Gear: Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.
Shoes: Adidas AdiPower lifting shoes.
3 Sec Pause Benches: [Regular: 45/15, 75/9, Pause: 90/7, 105/5, add gear: 120/3] 135/6, 140/4, 145/2
Chain Benches (chain set up weighs 55 pounds, which is included in the indicated weights):
[100/9, 115/7, 130/5, add gear: 145/3] 160/6, 167/4, 175/2
Speed Chain Benches: 120/8, 125/6, 130/4
Barbell Rows: [45/9, 57/7, 67/5] 75/8, 80/6, 85/4
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:41*
For chain squats and deadlifts in my last routine I used two sets of heavy chains for a total of 90 pounds of chain weight, but when I used that much for benches before it seemed to be too much. Thus for this routine I removed one set of the heavy chains. The total weight is thus now only 55 pounds, and that seemed more appropriate for raw benching.
However, removing the second set of chains was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. The problem was; I have C-clamps holding the chains onto the triangle in the middle of the setup, and the threads on the C-clamps were stripped. I really struggled to get the bolts off. It took over 15 minutes and tired me out more than the lifting and really added to my workout time. If I had known it would be that difficult, I would have done it before my workout. But this is why I designed my training plan so that all of my exercises using two chains are in Routine A and one chain in Routine B, so I only have to change the chains between routines. I will get new C-clamps before I put the chains back on for chain squats and deadlifts later this year. Below are Before and After pics of what I am talking about. Click the pic for a larger image.
Videos:
3 Sec Pause Benches
Music: Audio Adrenaline – “Underdog”
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Deadlifts
Monday – 6/8/15
Gear: Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.
Shoes: Nike wrestling shoes.
Conv. Deadlifts: [45/15, 135/9, 185/7, 235/5, add gear: 285/3] 315/6, 330/4, 345/2
Sumo Reverse Band Deadlifts (average #4, green bands choked around the top of my power rack, set so there is very little tension at the top of the lift):
[135/9, add bands: 225/7, 270/5, add gear: 315/3] 345/6, 360/4, 375/2
Speed Sumo RB Deadlifts: 225/8, 235/6, 245/4
Side Bends: [15/9, 22/7] 30/10, 32/8, 35/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:44*
My competitive stance is sumo, so conventional stance deadlifts are an assistance exercise. Ditto my comments about RB squats for RB deadlifts here. My necklace was swinging all over the place during the side bends, so I had to take it off.
That said; despite some difficulties along the way, this training week went about as planned. I picked the weights just about right for most of my work sets, giving me the somewhat hard intensity I wanted for these back-off workouts. A few sets were a little harder than I would have liked. But even then, I was able to get my planned reps without having to get psyched up. And that emotional back-off is as important as the physical back-off, as it gives my CNS a chance to recharge. You can see this difference if you compare this week’s videos with previous videos. Hopefully, I can repeat this pattern for Week 2.
Videos:
Conv. Deadlifts
Music: Kutless – “Sea of Faces”
Week 2 of 12 (Week B)
Bodyweight: 120.8 pounds.
Body fat: 11.3%, 13.7 pounds.
Lean body mass: 107.1 pounds.
Waist: 31-3/4”
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My neurological tics, restless leg syndrome, and unexplained noises in my head were all flaring up this week. I’ve had these problems for decades, and when they flare up, it makes sleep impossible. Doctors have never been able to give an explanation for what causes them, let alone a solution, except for drugs that don’t help and cause negative side effects. But I do know by experience that stress can aggravate them, which I’ve been under this week.
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Bench Assistance
Wednesday – 6/10/15
Gear: Crain power belt, Redline wrist wraps.
Shoes: Nike sneakers.
Barbell Decline Benches: [45/15, 80/9, 95/7, 110/5, add gear: 125/3] 140/6, 147/4, 155/2
Dumbbell Presses (standing): [10s/9, 15s/7, add gear: 20s/5] 22.5s/8, 25s/6, 27.5s/4
Dip Bar Pull-ups: [bwt./6, bwt./4] 0/8, 2.5/5*, 5/4
Preacher Curls: [35/9, 40/7] 45/9*, add wrist wraps: 47/8, 50/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:31
The first two exercises went as planned but not the second two. The dip bar pull-ups were even tougher than I thought they’d be. I thus did not come up far enough on some of the reps and even missed a rep on the second set. I hadn’t done preacher curls in ages, and they were tougher than I had remembered. I thus had to drop the weights I had planned on. Then I forgot to put on my wrist wraps for the first work set, and sure enough, my left wrist began hurting, so I had to stop the set early.
I thus missed a rep on two sets, which I really didn’t want to do this early in a routine. Actually, those sets were still within my planned rep ranges, but I prefer to hit the higher reps in my rep ranges for at least the first four weeks of a routine.
At least moving my rotator cuff work to the mornings after hitting my heavy bag worked in terms of keeping the workout time down for this and last week’s BA workouts, but here’s praying my shoulders don’t end up overtrained as a result.
Videos:
BB
Decline Benches
Dip Bar Pull-ups
You can see in this video how I am pulling to the left.
That is due to my right shoulder still being weaker than the left due to my
bicycle accident 16 year ago.
Music: Randy Stonehill – “Love Beyond Reason”
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Squats
Thursday – 6/11/15
Gear: Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps; APT: heavy knee sleeves.
Shoes: Crain Power Squat Shoes; Adidas Title Run basketball shoes.
3 Sec Pause Squats: [regular: 45/15, 125/9, pause: 150/7, 175/5, add gear: 195/3] 215/6, 225/4, 235/2
Sting Ray (front, close stance) Squats: [70/9, 90/7, 110/5, add gear: 130/3] 145/6, 152/4, 135/8*
Jump Squats: 65/8, 70/6, 75/4
Bicycle Abs (reps to each side): 15, 15
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:40
I describe the 3 Sec Pause Squats as follows on my website: You do a regular squat, but at the bottom you pause for a three count before coming back up. Count the reps while holding the pause: "1001, 1001, 1001 - 1002, 1002, 1002 etc." This exercise helps one get out of the hole and also really pumps up the quads.
But what I noticed most is how winded I got doing them. I guess that 3 sec pause makes for long reps and sets that I am not used to.
On the Sting Ray squats, I wasn’t sure if I should do 6,4,2 or 8,6,4 reps. I opted for the former, but the first two sets felt really heavy. I thus thought increasing the weight for a double would be too much, so instead I decreased it and did 8 reps. Big mistake. That really left me winded, and that winded state persisted through the speed and ab work, and I was really tired afterwards. I think I was right in the first place, but I think the reason the first sets felt so heavy is because I went too light on the warm-ups and then too heavy on the work sets, so I will correct that next time.
Videos:
3 Sec
Pause Squats
If you look closely, you can see me mouthing the above
mentioned rep count in this video.
Music: Newsboys – “Shine the Hits”
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Benches
Sunday – 6/14/15
Gear: Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.
Shoes: Adidas AdiPower lifting shoes.
Close Grip Benches: [45/15, 75/9, 90/7, 105/5, add gear: 120/3] 135/6, 140/4, 145/2
Wide Grip Benches: [75/9, 90/7, 105/5, add gear: 120/3] 135/6, 140/4, 145/2
Push-ups: [regular: 8] Clap: 6, 6, 6
Dumbbell Rows (elbows in): [30/9, 40/7, 50/5] 55/8, 57/6, 60/4
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:36
I wasn’t sure on the order of CGBP and WGBP. The latter is probably the more important exercise for raw benchers like myself, but I went with the above order due to my tender left pec. I figure CGBP will warm the pec up so I’d be less likely to strain it on WGBP. Also, I did CGBPs second in my previous routine, so doing them first here will be a change. My grip on CGBP is one thumb length closer than my normal grip, while my grip on WGBP is one thumb length wider.
That said, this was a good workout with everything for once this week going as planned.
Videos:
CGBPs
Clap
push-ups
For these, I moved my phone down one drawer handle, and
that gave a better view. I should have thought of that before.
Music: “Vide Central: The Essentials Remixes” (a collection CD).
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Deadlifts
Monday – 6/15/15
Gear: Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.
Shoes: Nike wrestling shoes; Adidas Title Run basketball shoes; Nike Sneakers.
Sumo Platform (3” Deficit) Deadlifts: [45/15, 135/9, 180/7, 220/5, add gear: 260/3] 290/6, 305/4, 320/2
Good Mornings (medium stance): [45/9, 65/7, 85/5] 95/8, 100/6, 105/4
Jump Deadlifts: 70/8, 75/6, 80/4
Dumbbell Calves (on 3” high platform): [10/9, 20/7] 25/10, 27/8, 30/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:31
I might change the order of the exercises here, just so I don’t have to change my shoes so often. I’ll explain that in Part Two of my article on footwear. But otherwise, once again, everything went as planned. Thus despite the problems at the start, this was still a good training week, and I feel good to go for getting back into harder training on Wednesday. I thank the LORD for that.
Videos:
Sumo
Platform Deadlifts
One Year Diet Evaluation
I have been keeping track of my diet using my DietPower software program for a full year now, so I thought it would be good to present my numbers for this past year, as it gives me a good average of what my diet is really like. However, during the course of this year I did a little experimenting and made a few modifications to my eating plan, as noted in my Adjusted Values article linked to on the following page, and those changes will only be partially reflected in the evaluation. But still, this is a good overall average. See Diet Evaluation Logs - 2015.
Week 3 of 12 (Week A)
Bodyweight: 120.6 pounds.
Body fat: 11.7%, 14.1 pounds.
Lean body mass: 106.5 pounds.
Waist: 31-1/4”.
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Bench Assistance
Wednesday – 6/17/15
Gear: Crain power belt, Redline wrist wraps.
Shoes: Adidas: AdiPower lifting shoes.
Dumbbell Incline Benches [10s/15, 17s/9, 25s/7, and gear: 30s/5], 35s/8, 37s/6, 40s/6, 42s/4
Dips: [bwt./9, 10/7, add wrist wraps: 20/5] 25/8, 30/6, 35/4
Chin-ups: [bwt./6, bwt./4] add wrist wraps: 2.5/8, 5/6, 7.5/4
Curl Bar Reverse Curls: [35/9, 47/7] 52/10, 55/8, 57/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:44*
Several problems distracted me for this workout, leading to an overly long workout and me being overly tired afterwards.
First, I had an allergic reaction once again to something earlier in the day, and the allergenic state persisted through this workout.
Second, this was supposed to be my first harder workout, but the weights for the DB inclines were too light, even though I increased them from last time, so I did an extra set to get in a little harder work. I’ll increase them that much more next time.
Third, I wanted to record my top sets as one video, but I kept messing up and ended up with four videos once again. I’ll try to get it right next time.
Fourth, I forgot that the CD I had picked for this workout out was very short, just 13 minutes. After playing it twice I switched to the cassette tape I had in my music box from hitting my heavy bag in the morning. But since it over 30 years old, it wasn’t playing very well and cut out on my final set.
Fifth, the squirrely light bulb over my power rack burned out during inclines, so I had to stop and dig out a new one. I thought those things were supposed to last a long time. I’m glad I stocked up on real 75 watt bulbs for my home office. I cannot remember when I last changed it. Also, the squirrely bulbs have a weird glow to them that I can put up with while lifting but not while working on my PC.
However, despite these distractions, I got all of my planned reps and then some, so I thank the LORD for that.
Videos:
Music:
Eager – debut CD
Saturday Nite Lite – 6/1/85
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Squats
Thursday – 6/18/15
Gear: Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps; APT heavy knee sleeves.
Shoes: Crain Power Squat Shoes.
Extra Low Squats: [45/15, 135/9, 160/7, 185/5, add gear: 205/3] 225/6, 237/4, 250/2
Reverse Band Squats (average #4, green bands choked around the top of my power rack, set so there is very little tension at the top of the lift):
[add bands: 185/9, 210/7, 235/5, add gear: 255/3] 275/1+5, 290/4, 305/2
Speed RB Squats: 195/8, 205/6, 215/4
Sit-ups: [--/9; 7.5/7] 13.75/10, 15/8, 16.25/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:51*
This workout started out good, with extra low squats going very well, but then like yesterday I ran into some distractions. First, I messed up writing down my warm-up weights for RB squats and had to recalculate and rewrite them. Then on the first rep of the first work set, the left band slipped, and I really struggled to rerack the bar. Then after fixing the band, I had to walk out again (which is the hardest part), and finish the set. Then even with dropping the weights from last time for speed RB squats, they were still a little heavy, so I didn’t get the explosiveness out of the hole I wanted.
Meanwhile, I was having music problems again. The CD I started with was too soft of music, so I switched to a tape that I thought had Petra’s debut album recorded on one side. But after about 20 minutes, the Petra side went silent. I guess way back in probably the mid-80s when I taped the album, I only taped Side A but not Side B. But I flipped the tape over to Resurrection Band’s DMZ on the other side, and that made for better workout music anyway. It must have been Christmastime when I recorded that album, as after Rez Band ended, there was Stryper’s “He’s the Reason for the Season.” You hear each of these in the video.
Speaking of which, I was getting it right this time recording the top set of each exercise as one video. But the battery died in my Galaxy S5 before I could record sit-ups. I‘ve been having problems with the battery draining much faster than it used to.
These distractions slowed me down. But even without them, I think this workout is going to take longer due to the time it takes to set up and take down the bands. But even with all of this going on, I still got all of my planned reps, so another good workout and thank the LORD once again.
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Father’s Day – 6/21/15
I thought it would work out just right that my monthly planned extra day off would fall on Father’s Day and thus I could attend my family’s get-together without having to miss a workout, but the get-together got canceled, for two reasons.
First, my older nephew’s SO just gave birth to twins, a girl and a boy (Topanga and Tyrese). That is exciting and brings the number of my great-nephews to six and great-nieces to two. But it also means their family could not attend. Below is a pic of the twins. They are so adorable! Click for a larger image.
Second, and on a much more somber note, my 25-year old younger nephew has cancer. “25” and “cancer” should not be used in the same sentence, but he has a very rare cancer that necessitated removing part of his small and large intestines, where they connect together, and he is still recovering, albeit very slowly and with many setbacks. It sounds like they got all of the cancer, but it will be a long road to recovery, and there will always be the risk of the cancer returning. Please keep him in your prayers. His name is Jon, and he gave me permission to tell people about his ordeal, so I am doing so now. In any case, that of course meant he and his family could not attend, hence the canceled get-together. But I did get to spend time with my dad.
That said, I thought it best to still take this day off, so my next workout will be Monday.
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Benches
Monday – 6/22/15
Gear: Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.
Shoes: Adidas AdiPower lifting shoes.
3 Sec Pause Benches: [Regular: 45/15, 75/9, Pause: 95/7, 110/5, add gear: 125/3] 137/6, 145/4, 152/2
Chain Benches (chain set up weighs 55 pounds, which is included in the indicated weights):
[100/9, 120/7, 137/5, add gear: 152/3] 167/6, 175/4, 182/2
Speed Chain Benches: 122/8, 127/6, 132/4
Barbell Rows: [45/9, 57/7, 70/5] 80/8, 85/6, 90/4
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:34
I felt good after my day off and a good night’s sleep. But problems throughout the day led to me starting this workout late and not focusing at the beginning of it. But once I got to my first work set, I got my act together and focused, and this workout then went well and as planned.
Music: “Radioactive Hits” (a collection CD).
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Deadlifts
Wednesday – 6/24/15
Gear: Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.
Shoes: Nike wrestling shoes.
Conv. Deadlifts: [45/15, 135/9, 190/7, 240/5, add gear: 290/3] 320/6, 337/4, 355/2
Sumo Reverse Band Deadlifts (average #4, green bands choked around the top of my power rack, set so there is very little tension at the top of the lift):
[135/9, add bands: 225/7, 270/5, add gear: 315/3] 350/6, 367/4, 385/2
Speed Sumo RB Deadlifts: 230/8, 242/6, 255/4
Side Bends: [15/9, 25/7] 32/10, 35/8, 37/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:51*
A good workout, with everything going as planned, except for the workout taking too long. But again, that is probably due to the time it takes to set up and take down the bands, so there is not much I can do about it.
I tracked down the problem with my phone battery dying quickly; it was the “Video Zip” app I mentioned about before. Not only was it causing the battery to drain very quickly (including while the phone was turned off!), but it was also preventing me from making phone calls. Once I uninstalled it and reset the phone, everything was back to normal. But that means I cannot trim some of the reps of ab work, like the side bends here, until I can find a replacement app I can trust.
Music: “X2005 – 17 Christian Rock Hits” (plus 4 bonus tracks)
Week 4 of 12 (Week B)
Bodyweight: 120.8 pounds.
Body fat: 12.0%, 14.5 pounds.
Lean body mass: 106.3 pounds.
Waist: 31-1/4”
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Bench Assistance
Thursday – 6/25/15
Gear: Crain power belt, Redline wrist wraps.
Shoes: Nike sneakers.
Barbell Decline Benches: [45/15, 80/9, 100/7, 120/5, add gear: 135/3] 147/6, 155/4, 162/2
Dumbbell Presses (standing): [10s/9, 17s/7, add gear: 22s/5] 25s/8, 27s/6, 30s/4
Dip Bar Pull-ups: [bwt./6, bwt./4] 0/8, 2.5/6, 5/4
Preacher Curls: [35/9, 42/7] add wrist wraps: 47/10, 50/8, 52/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:43*
I had a hard time focusing throughout this workout due to still thinking about an article I was working on for my Christian website and newsletter. As a result, I was taking too long between sets and thus the workout took too long. But fortunately, it was a rather easy workout, so despite the lack of focus, I still got all of my planned reps. In fact, next time I will need to increase the weights that much more for three of the four exercises so as to give me a challenging workout. The only exception is the dip bar pull-ups, which once again were very tough.
Music: Mercy – debut CD
Incidentally, the article I was distracted by was my review of the final episode of AD: The Bible Continues. If you watched that miniseries and thought you saw an accurate depiction of first century history, you were severely mislead. It greatly distorted both secular and Biblical history, while inserting a bunch of senseless graphic violence. That is why I wrote a detailed review of each episode and was distracted during this workout, as it really disturbs me to see the truth and the Book I so dearly love being so distorted. My reviews are listed at: The Bible and AD Miniseries.
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Squats
Sunday – 6/28/15
Gear: Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps; APT: heavy knee sleeves.
Shoes: Crain Power Squat Shoes; Adidas Title Run basketball shoes.
3 Sec Pause Squats: [regular: 45/15, 135/9, pause: 160/7, 185/5, add gear: 205/3] 225/6, 237/4, 250/2
Sting Ray (front, close stance) Squats: [80/9, 100/7, 120/5, add gear: 135/3] 145/6, 152/4, 160/2
Jump Squats: 70/8, 75/6, 80/4
Bicycle Abs (reps to each side): 18, 18
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:39
I felt terrible and stiff at the start of this workout and was having problems getting down, but I felt better and loosened up by the time I got to my work sets. This workout thus went well, including front squats that gave me fits last time.
Music: Pandora – Decyfer Down Radio
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Benches
Monday – 6/29/15
Gear: Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.
Shoes: Adidas AdiPower lifting shoes.
Close Grip Benches: [45/15, 80/9, 95/7, 110/5, add gear: 125/3] 140/6, 147/4, 155/2
Wide Grip Benches: [80/9, 95/7, 110/5, add gear: 125/3] 140/6, 147/4, 155/2
Push-ups: [regular: 8] Clap: 7, 7, 7
Dumbbell Rows (elbows in): [30/9, 42/7, 52/5] 57/8, 60/6, 62/4
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:32
I felt a little better for this workout, and it went well.
Music: DC Talk – Debut CD
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Deadlifts
Wednesday – 7/1/15
Gear: Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.
Shoes: Nike wrestling shoes; Adidas Title Run basketball shoes; Nike Sneakers.
Sumo Platform (3” Deficit) Deadlifts: [45/15, 135/9, 185/7, 230/5, add gear: 270/3] 300/6, 315/4, 330/2
Jump Deadlifts: 80/8, 85/6, 90/4
Good Mornings (medium stance): [45/9, 70/7, 90/5] 100/8, 105/6, 110/4
Dumbbell Calves (on 3” high platform): [12/9, 22/7] 27/10, 30/8, 32/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:34
Another sleepless night before this workout, but I was able to take a nap and felt okay for it. I then cranked up Rez Band and Petra and put in a good workout. I thank the LORD for that and for a good training week, despite once again some problems.
Music:
Rez Band – “Colours”
Petra – “Beat the System”
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Week 5 of 12 (Week A)
Bodyweight: 120.8 pounds.
Body fat: 12.0%, 14.5 pounds.
Lean body mass: 106.3 pounds.
Waist: 31-1/4”.
______________________________
Bench Assistance
Thursday – 7/2/15
Gear: Crain power belt, Redline wrist wraps.
Shoes: Adidas: AdiPower lifting shoes.
Dumbbell Incline Benches: [10s/15, 20s/9, 27s/7, and gear: 35s/5], 40s/8, 42s/6, 45s/4
Dips: [bwt./9, 15/7, add wrist wraps: 25/5] 30/8, 35/6, 40/4
Chin-ups: [add wrist wraps: bwt./7, 2.5/5] 5/8, 7.5/6, 10/4
Curl Bar Reverse Curls: [35/9, 47/7] 54/10, 56.5/8, 59/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:48*
Yet another sleepless night before this workout, and once again I was having a hard time focusing due to thinking about my latest writing project. This all led to another overly long workout, but at least I still got all of my planned reps, so a good workout nevertheless.
Music:
Daniel Band – “From the Darkness”
First Strike – “Pack of Offense”
Incidentally, the writing project I am working on is a book on the veracity of the Bible. Actually, it will be two books. Now that I’ve gotten into it, there is so much material to cover, it will require two volumes. For details, see Writing Plans.
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Squats
Sunday – 7/5/15
Gear: Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps; APT heavy knee sleeves.
Shoes: Crain Power Squat Shoes.
Extra Low Squats: [45/15, 135/9, 160/7, 185/5, add gear: 210/3] 235/6, 249*/4, 260/2
Reverse Band Squats (average #4, green bands choked around the top of my power rack, set so there is very little tension at the top of the lift):
[add bands: 185/9, 210/7, 235/5, add gear: 260/3] 285/6, 300/4, 315/2
Speed RB Squats: 185/8, 195/6, 205/4
Sit-ups: [--/9; 10/7] 16.25/10, 17.5/8, 18.75/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:56*
I finally got a couple of good nights’ sleep over the weekend, but I still felt “off” at the start of this workout, but better as I got into it, and the workout went very well.
The second work set of extra low squats was a minor misload. Instead of a 1-1/4 on one side, I had a 2-1/2. Not surprisingly, I didn’t notice it until after the set when I was changing the weights for the next set. I then didn’t sink the first rep of that set quite enough, but I sunk the second rep extra low. This is why, if you watch the video, the second rep looks so much harder than the first.
Over the weekend, I reversed a decision I made previously. I will continue to compete raw with wraps rather than with sleeves. I will post more about that decision later. But here, that made the RB squats that much more important for the top end work. I thus really got psyched up for them, and they went very well.
This workout took way too long, but there is not much I can do about that now. But I will make some changes for the next routine that I do this workout.
Music: “X2006 – 17 Christian Rock Hits” (plus 3 bonus tracks)
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Benches
Monday – 7/6/15
Gear: Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.
Shoes: Adidas AdiPower lifting shoes.
3 Sec Pause Benches: [Regular: 45/15, 75/9, Pause: 95/7, 112/5, add gear: 127/3] 142/6, 150/3*, 157/2
Chain Benches (chain set up weighs 55 pounds, which is included in the indicated weights):
[100/9, 120/7, 137/5, add gear: 155/3] 172/6, 180/4, 187/2
Speed Chain Benches: 125/8, 130/6, 135/4
Barbell Rows: [45/9, 60/7, 75/5] 85/8, 90/6, 95/4
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:35
The curse of the second set struck again on 3 sec pause benches, as I wanted four reps; but the triple was still within my preferred rep range, and the third set went very well. Unfortunately, I forgot to start the video for that set. I thus recorded the top two sets of chain benches, and they both went very well, as did the first set and the rest of this workout. I even got done in a reasonable time.
That is surprising given that I was once again distracted by what I was working on beforehand. This time it was powerlifting! In the late morning I found out the date for my planned next contest was moved up to being too early for me to be ready for it. I thus spent the afternoon looking for a new contest. I find one that I think will work right before this workout, but I have to find out further info on it. I will post details later once I get everything figured out.
Music: Petra – “Not of this World”
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Deadlifts
Wednesday – 7/8/15
Gear: Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.
Shoes: Nike wrestling shoes; New Balance sneakers.
Conv. Deadlifts: [45/15, 135/9, 190/7, 245/5, add gear: 297/3] 330/5, 347/3, 365/1
Sumo Reverse Band Deadlifts (average #4, green bands choked around the top of my power rack, set so there is very little tension at the top of the lift):
[135/9, add bands: 225/7, 275/5, add gear: 325/3] 360/5, 377/3, 395/1
Speed Sumo RB Deadlifts: 235/8, 247/6, 260/4
Side Bends: [15/9, 27/7] 35/10, 37/8, 40/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:50
This workout was the first time this routine I planned on doing the lower reps in my preferred rep ranges for an exercise; this time for the first two exercises. I do this when doing the higher reps the previous time were especially difficult, so to still increase the weight for the next workout, I do the lower reps. Then if I get those reps, the next time I will use the same weights and shoot for the higher reps. If I get them, I will increase the weights and go for the lower reps the next time, etc.
Of course, it is good to hit the lower reps on occasions, especially the final single. That is why sometimes I will increase the weights that much more just so I will only hit the lower reps. And let tell you, there is a big difference between doing a single versus a double. I was really sore after this workout and even the next morning. But it went very well, as did this whole workout week, despite a few difficulties.
Music: “Come Join the Herd” (a collection CD).
Week 6 of 12 (Week B)
Bodyweight: 121.2 pounds.
Other measurements not taken.
______________________________
Bench Assistance
Thursday – 7/9/15
Gear: Crain power belt, Redline wrist wraps.
Shoes: Nike sneakers.
Barbell Decline Benches: [45/15, 85/9, 105/7, 125/5, add gear: 140/3] 155/6, 162/4, 170/2
Dumbbell Presses (standing): [10s/9, 17s/7, add gear: 22s/5] 27.5s/8, 30s/6, 32.5s/4
Dip Bar Pull-ups: [bwt./6, bwt./4] 0/8, 2.5/6, 5/4
Preacher Curls: [35/9, 42/7] add wrist wraps: 50/10, 52/8, 55/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:42
On the first work set of declines, my form was off, and I was having a hard time pausing. But I corrected all of that for the next two sets, and they were relatively easy. The rest of the workout also went well.
Music: Degarmo and Key – “Heat It Up”
______________________________
Squats
Sunday – 7/12/15
Gear: Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps; APT: heavy knee sleeves.
Shoes: Crain Power Squat Shoes; Adidas Title Run basketball shoes.
3 Sec Pause Squats: [regular: 45/15, 135/9, pause: 160/7, 185/5, add gear: 210/3] 235/5, 247/3, 260/1
Partial Squats: [135/9, 170/7, 215/5, add gear: 247/3] 275/6, 290/4, 305/2
Jump Squats: 72/8, 77/6, 82/4
Sit-ups: [5/9; 12.5/7] 17.5/10, 18.75/8, 20/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:50*
I figured out the reason I was having such a hard time sleeping recently; I was eating something I was allergic to. After I eliminated that item from my diet, I slept well for the next week. But then on Saturday I ate something else I was allergic to and that led to another sleepless night before this workout. That is what my life is like. I need to watch everything I eat, especially when I try something new.
In any case, the “tricks” I use to overcome a sleepless night did not work this time. I was not able to take a nap before this workout, and cranking up the Christian rock did not get me extra psyched up, so I felt terrible and stiff and dragged through this workout. Going in, I wanted the top reps of my rep ranges on pause squats, but had to settle for the lower reps.
I replaced the Sting Ray (front) squats with partial squats for more top-end work. This is important due to my recent decision to compete raw with wraps rather than with sleeves. But the partial squats were a lot harder than I had hoped. That was due in part to being so tired but also due to using a different form on them. When I last did them before my contest on 2/28, I was trying to just tap the bar on the safeties, but most often I was bouncing it. To prevent that, this time I rested the bar on the safeties. I let it come to almost a full stop, but started back up while it was still shimmering just a little. That gave me just enough momentum to get it started. It was hard to get it just right, but when I did, it felt very good.
I exchanged sit-ups from Week A with the bicycle abs I was doing here to shorten that workout a little, but that made this workout take too long with dragging through it. But still, all things considered, not a bad workout.
Video (Sit-ups not recorded)
Music: “The Best of Guardian (1993-1998)”
______________________________
Benches
Monday – 7/13/15
Gear: Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.
Shoes: Adidas AdiPower lifting shoes.
Close Grip Benches: [45/15, 80/9, 100/7, 115/5, add gear: 130/3] 145/5, 152/3, 160/1
Wide Grip Benches: [80/9, 100/7, 115/5, add gear: 130/3] 145/5, 152/3, 160/1
Push-ups: [regular: 8] Clap: 8, 8, 8
Dumbbell Rows (elbows in): [32/9, 45/7, 55/5] 60/8, 62/6, 65/4
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:35
After a good nights’ sleep, I felt much better for this workout. But this time, I was planning on doing the lower reps of my rep ranges on the first two exercises. But note that I made a mistake on my log for Week 4. The top set for both CGBP and WGBP was 155/2. Thus the 160/1 here on both was a mild increase. But that was as planned, as was the rest of this workout.
Music:
JAG: “Fire in the Temple”
“Star Song Rockers” (a collection cassette)
______________________________
Deadlifts
Wednesday – 7/15/15
Gear: Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.
Shoes: Nike wrestling shoes; Adidas Title Run basketball shoes; Nike Sneakers.
Sumo Platform (3” Deficit) Deadlifts: [45/15, 135/9, 185/7, 235/5, add gear: 280/3] 310/5, 325/3, 340/1
Jump Deadlifts: 80/8, 85/6, 90/4
Good Mornings (medium stance): [45/9, 70/7, 95/5] 105/8, 110/6, 115/4
Dumbbell Calves (on 3” high platform): [12/9, 22/7] 30/10, 32/8, 35/6
Stretching: ~5 minutes
Workout time: 1:34
In the afternoon the day before this workout, I had yet another significant allergic reaction and spent the rest of that day and the morning of this workout almost totally paralyzed, feeling terrible, and with no appetite. When I got up, I didn’t think I would be able to do anything this day, let alone work out. But I slowly made my way to my computer and got a good bit of work done. By the late morning, I started feeling better and loosened up, so I did my morning cardio, and it went okay. After lunch, I rested some, got more work done, and then was able to work out. This workout then went surprisingly well and as planned, except I didn’t get the explosiveness I wanted on the jump deadlifts, so I’ll drop the weights on them next time.
It was a rough week, but the LORD pulled me through. I got a lot done on my book on the veracity of the Bible, and my training went rather well. I thank Him for that.
Music:
Barnabas – “Feel the Fire”
Edin Aduhl – “Alibi”
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Video Dieter
All of the videos this week were compressed using Video Dieter on my smart phone. I mentioned about this app before, but I uninstalled it when I was having problems with my phone. I later traced the problems to the other app I was using, Video Zip. I thus uninstalled that app and re-installed Video Dieter. It has been working well, without causing problems.
These workout logs are continued at: Full Workout Logs: Starting 7/17/2015 – Two by Two Plan (Variation C); Routine B, Weeks 7-12 of 12.
Full Workout Logs: Starting 6/3/2015 – Two by Two Plan (Variation C); Routine B, Weeks 1-6 of 12. Copyright © 2015 By Gary F. Zeolla.
Powerlifting and Back Pain
The first book is geared towards the beginner to intermediate powerlifter. It presents sound training, competition, dietary, and supplement advice to aid the reader in starting and progressing in the sport of powerlifting. The second book details how I overcame years of crippling low back and was able to return to the sport of powerlifting.
Starting and Progressing in Powerlifting: A Comprehensive Guide to the World's Strongest Sport
Overcoming Back Pain: A Mind-body Solution (Second Edition)
See also this series on Amazon (#ad).
Powerlifting and Strength Training
Powerlifting and Strength Training:
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