M96C19T1 Deadlifts @ 96% 233 kgs x 5 + 3 Cluster Set & Overhead Press 93 kgs x 2, 91 kgs x 1 Drop Set

29 Sep 2017 M96C19T1    

DEADLIFT & OVERHEAD PRESS Main Event

Eric Troy’s changes to my warm-ups have made a world of a difference. I was dialed in and I have ZERO complaints about lack of leg drive. Everything was firing on all cylinders and that is why I went absolutely balls to the wall with this workout. This is the last week of this progression protocol because I have absolutely milked it for all it’s worth. I absolutely killed it on Deadifts leaving nothing in the tank. I also improvised on Overhead Presses and did a heavy dropset single to test the waters despite all the soreness from last night’s Uni OHPs and Chained Dips.

Warm-ups:

Pin Back Squats: 65 kgs x 3 reps, 105 x 3 & 125 x 2

SSB Good Mornings: 75 x 5, 115 x 3, 125 x 3 & 145 x 3

Deadlifts: 200 x 2, 212,5 x 1 & 222,5 x 2

Deadlifts:

Eric Troy’s “Not that kind of Density” Progression @ 96%

233 x 5 PR + 3 Cluster

233 x 3 Cluster

V = 11

Summary:

Week 1: (4 + 1) + (3 + 2) @ 13 min rest

Week 2: (5 + 3) + 3 @ 13 min rest

Overhead Press:

93 x 2 @ 100%, 91 x 1 @ 97.8% Dropset

75 x 5 + 5 = 10 Rest-Paused

70 x 5 + 5 = 10 RP

65 x 6 + 6 = 12 RP

60 x 5 + 5 + 3 = 13 RP (+1)

M96C18T5 Unilateral Overhead Press 37,5 kgs x 3+2 reps & Chained Dips 28,5 x 5

28 Sep 2017 M96C18T5  

BENCH PRESS Assistance

I took a leap of faith by training this close to DL day but I needed to break this habit of skipping/postponing workouts. Overall this was a good session but doing Chained Dips and Unilateral Overhead Presses in the same session is really demanding on my shoulders and triceps. I will need to shuffle some stuff around or change the training parameters. I went big on both lifts because I skipped this workout last week and I wanted to play catch-up but from next week I will alternate emphasis on each of these.

DB Rows:

35 kgs x 12 reps x 2 sets

High to Low Band Rows:

No. 3 x 10 x 2

Total Weekly Back Volume = 141 + 100 + 60 + 44 = 345

Unilateral Overhead Press:

22,5 x 10

27,5 x 7

32,5 x 5

35 x 3

37,5 x 3 + 2

V = 30

Chained Dips:

8,5 x 10

28,5 x 5 x 2

8,5 x 10 x 2

V = 40

Rope Pull-ups:

BW x 5 x 2

M96C18T4 Pin Squats 125kgsx7reps 145x3 & Anderson Squats 165kgs

26 Sep 2017 M96C18T4  

SQUAT Day

I began today’s workout with firing up my back to avoid any tweaks during Pin Squats. There is still some phantom pain in my right Quad from the injury but it is more of less healed up and I am attacking this from multiple angles. I have introduced free squats (Front) on another training day to get that full stretch at the bottom and so from next workout onwards I am going to begin stacking up the weights on Pin Squats to surpass my old benchmarks. Depth-wise I cannot go lower on this exercise and I am pounding out volume like never before so it is time to increase the intensity bit by bit without compromising too much on volume. I did some PURE Anderson Squats today which are basically bottom-up squats and they were very exciting. There is some finesse required in setting up correctly – getting under the bar but after that it boils down to pure brute strength. I am going to keep after these because I think I can get to something big.

Deloaded BB Rows:

65 kgs x 5 reps x 4 sets

High to Low Band Rows:

No. 3 x 10 x 2

Low to High Band Rows:

No. 3 x 10 x 2

Back Volume = 60

Pin Back Squats @ 9^th Pins:

125 x 7 x 2

145 x 3 x 2

Anderson Back Squats @ 11^th Pins:

125 x 2

145 x 2

165 x 1 PR

Preacher Curls:

12,5 x 5 x 2

10 x 8 x 2

7,5 x 12 x 2

Tricep Band Pressdowns:

No. 1 x 20 x 6

M96C18T3 Chained Bench Press 75 kgs + 51c x 2 & BP 105 x 7

25 Sep 2017 M96C18T3  

BENCH PRESS Main Event

I made a major error with my progression today. Every single set on Chained Bench Press is a PR set. I can’t believe I misread last session’s numbers this badly but I botched it hard and now I am not sure if this kind of immense progress is sustainable. I guess we will have to see what happens next time this workout rolls around. I should have suspected something was off when the first set felt tough. But, I am very happy and I will be happier if I can keep plugging forwards next session. This new thing I am doing with pairing weighted Rows with Banded Rows is really exhausting.

Chained Bench Press +51 kgs:

60 kgs x 3 reps x 2 sets

62,5 x 3

65 x 3

70 x 3 PR

72,5 x 2 PR

Bench Press Repetition Effort:

105 x 7 PR

105 x 5 no legs

105 x 5 no legs

105 x 2 + 1 no legs

BB Rows:

85 x 7 x 2

75 x 8 x 2

High to Low Band Rows:

No. 2 x 20 x 2

Low to High Band Rows:

No. 2 x 15 x 2

Back Volume = 100

EZ Skullcrushers:

40 x 6 x 2

35 x 8 x 2

25 x (12 + 3) x 2

Tricep Band Pressdowns:

No. 1 x 15 x 6

Rope Pull-ups:

BW x 5 x 2

Rolling Thunder:

60 x 1 second

57,5 x 1

55 x 4

55 x 5

52,5 x 5

50 x 10

V = 26s

M96C18T2 Weighted Pullups +25kgs & Front Squat Recovery 60x3

23 Sep 2017 M96C18T2  

BACK & SQUAT Training

I got a good quick workout done and getting to the bottom of the Front Squats without the pins was a super challenge. In another couple of weeks I will be versatile with the movement. The only issue is that since I haven’t squatted deep in a long time both quads are sore and the lack of practice has created odd behaviors like badly aligned feet, etc. I will rectify these problems over the next couple of weeks.

Weighted Pull-ups:

25 kgs x 2 reps x 3 sets

High to Low Rows:

No. 2 x 20 x 3

Pull-ups:

BW x 5 x 3

Low to High Rows:

No. 2 x 20 x 3

Back Volume = 66 + 75 = 141

Front Squats:

20 x 3

40 x 3

60 x 3 x 3

Hammer Curls:

20 x 6 x 2

10 x 10 x 2

7,5 x 15 + 5

M96C18T1 Deadlifts 233 kgs x 4 reps PR & Overhead Press 93 x 2

22 Sep 2017 M96C18T1    

DEADLIFT & OVERHEAD PRESS Main Event

So my mentor Eric Troy has this intensive intensity based program called the Singles Scene in which the trainee works upwards of 90% of their max for singles and the volume forms a high / medium / very high / low wave over a 4 weeks span. Today’s workout was like Singles Scene on steroids because I got 10 solid reps with 96% of my max. This probably won’t shake my 1RM at the moment but it is a big improvement on my workload capacity. After I finish this density progression I will be doing a rotation of 3 weeks of Good Mornings and 3 weeks of Deadlifts and I am looking forward to this because intensity GMs really help me stay stable on the DL.

Warm-ups:

Jump Deadlifts: BW x 2 reps x 4 sets

SSB Good Mornings: Warm-up to 135 kgs @ 84.4% of Benchmark

Deadlifts done along with GM: 75 to 222,5

Deadlifts:

Eric Troy’s “Not that kind of Density” Progression @ 96%

233 x 4PR + 1 Cluster

233 x 3 + 2 Cluster

V = 10

Summary:

Week 1: (4 PR + 1) + (3 + 2) @ 13 min rest

Overhead Press:

93 x 1 @ 100%

93 x 2 @ 100%

75 x 5 + 5 = 10 Rest-Paused

70 x 5 + 5 = 10 RP

65 x 7 + 5 = 12 RP

60 x 8 + 4 = 12 RP

M96C17T4 Anderson Back Squats 155 kgs

20 Sep 2017 M96C17T4  

SQUAT Training

I did this workout back to back with Bench Press. This is what happens when I take too many days off: workouts get squished and then I have to balance recovery. Last week I did something similar and I did my full Squat workout as a result of which I was incredible sore for Deadlifts. I cannot afford that this week so instead of focusing on volume I reduced it and increased the weights. I can’t go below Level 9 on the Pins so I am going to begin doing Front Squats on the day after Deadlifts with light weight working back up to see how strong my quad is. Ideally I shouldn’t be doing 2 variations at this stage because it just muddies the water (too many variables) but the emphasis is to hit depth and I can’t hit depth without a heavier load than the bar on Back Squats so I have no choice BUT to use Front Squats to progress on depth. I will keep the volume something light like 5 x 5 and pyramid up the weight using small jumps and I’ll add to it over the next few weeks. Let’s see how this goes.

DB Rows:

35 kgs x 12 reps x 5 sets

High to Low Band Rows:

No. 3 x 10 x 3

Low to High Band Rows:

No. 3 x 10 x 3

Total Back Volume = 74 + 120 + 120 = 314

Anderson Back Squats @ 9^th Pins:

125 x 6

135 x 3

145 x 2

155 x 1 @ 86.8%

M96C17T3 Bench Press Pin Press 126,5 kgs & Yuvraj DL 235 kgs

20 Sep 2017 M96C17T3  

BENCH PRESS Main Event

I took a few days off from training. I wasn’t well plus I decided this was a good time to be lazy so here we are fresh off 3 days R&R. Today’s workout went very smoothly and despite not having trained anything prior to this, there was no shoulder discomfort or bicep pain and all PRs went off without a hitch. I got some good volume in and I have modified the DB Press work to be chest intensive because for a RAW lifter like me the bottom part of the Bench is a make-or-break type deal.

No. 1 Banded Bench Press Pin Press:

85 kgs x 5 reps

87,5 x 3

90 x 3

91,5 x 3

92,5 x 3

93,5 x 3 PR

Bench Press Pin Press:

100 x 2

110 x 2

118 x 2 PR @ 93.3%

126,5 x 1 PR @ 100%

115 x 2 @ 90.9%

3 Circuits

BP PP:

105 x 1

One Arm Flat DB Press:

20 x 10

High to Low Band Rows:

No. 2 x 20

3 Circuits

One Arm Flat DB Press:

20 x 10

Low to High Band Rows:

No. 2 x 20

Rope Pull-ups:

BW x 5 x 2 sets

Rolling Thunder:

60 x 3 seconds

57,5 x 1

55 x 5 x 2

52,5 x 7

50 x 5

V = 26s

Volume Count:

BP = 32

Chest = 60

Back = 120

M96C17T2 Technique Anderson Back Squats & Barbell Rows 110 kgs

16 Sep 2017 M96C17T2  

BACK Training

This was a good quick workout. I got some squats in just to beat the soreness that has developed in my legs. One bonus outcome of Technique Squats was good stability in my core for heavy BB Rows. The emphasis was on volume and getting the blood flowing. I used a supine grip on the lighter sets because it changes the movement a bit and I shifted to a pronated grip for the heavy sets which are very few. Good workout.

Technique Anderson Back Squats:

75 kgs x 2 reps x 3 sets @ 42%

BB Rows:

65 x 8 + 4

75 x 8 + 4

85 x 7 + 3

95 x 6 + 4

105 x 3 + 2

110 x 3 PR + 2

85 x 10

75 x 10

V = 74

Hammer Curls:

20 x 5 x 2

10 x 10 x 2

7,5 x 15 x 2 

M96C17T1 Good Mornings 185 kgs PR & Overhead Press 93kgs x2reps

15 Sep 2017 M96C17T1  

DEADLIFT & OVERHEAD PRESS Main Event

I’ve had a bad allergic reaction and I was feeling very ill for the last couple of days. Sitting around wasn’t really helping me get any better so I decided to get off my butt and get a solid workout in. I was supposed to begin the next wave of Eric Troy’s Density Progression with 96% on Deadlifts but I wasn’t feeling it so I decided to do some Good Mornings instead and I set some new Benchmarks. Overhead Press went smoothly with another successful double @ 100% 93 kgs.

SSB Good Mornings:

Warm-ups

155 kgs x 3 reps

165 x 3

170 x 3

175 x 3 PR

185 x 1 PR x 2 sets

155 x 5

Overhead Press:

93 x 2 @ 100%

75 x 5 + 5 = 10 Rest-Paused

70 x 5 + 5 = 10 RP

65 x 6 + 6 = 12 RP

60 x 6 + 6 = 12 RP 

M96C16T4 Anderson Back Squats 125 kgs x 6 reps @ 9th Pins

13 Sep 2017 M96C16T4  

SQUAT Day

Before I list some changes I am making to my training template I want to talk about my Quad. My injured Right Quad is healing well and Eric’s plan of dropping the depth on Squats is panning out beautifully. 9^th Pins are my regular barometer and doing 125 kgs for 6 reps is a PR for me. During my warm-ups I realized I was using a lopsided stance with my right foot being ahead of my left (subconsciously) but I corrected that right away and the flow was good. I postponed this workout by a day and now I am flirting dangerously close to DL day so I didn’t make this workout too long and I cut out Speed Deadifts.

My new training template (tentatively) is going to be:

Day 1: DL + OHP Main Event

Day 2: BP Main Event

Day 3: SQ + Back

Day 4: BP / OHP Assistance

Anderson Back Squats @ 70%:

125 kgs x 6 reps x 3 sets @ 9^th Pins

125 x 6 @ 10^th Pins

High to Low Band Rows:

No. 3 x 10 x 3

Low to High Band Rows:

No 3 x 10 x 3

Total Back Volume = 160 + 85 + 60 = 305

M96C16T3 Chained Dips 8,5 kgs x 11 reps

11 Sep 2017 M96C16T3  

BENCH PRESS Assistance

Just some time ago my shoulders used to be in so much agony from Dips and now with a boat load of practice under my belt they feel so damn good! I am going to switch things up on Dips, though. Come next week I will be adding 1-2 heavy sets just to get that flow going. The Repetition Effort stuff will remain the same. I am also going to remove DB Presses from this day. They do absolutely nothing for me with these training parameters so I am going to move them to BP Main Event day. Instead of DB Press work I will do some Banded Push-ups or something – I have to look into this. Maybe nothing is required and it doesn’t need to be “replaced”.  

5 Supersets

Chained Dips:

8,5 kgs x 10 reps x 3 sets

8,5 x 11 x 2

DB Rows:

30 x 11

5 Supersets

Flat DB Press:

20 x 16

Pull-ups:

BW x 6

Back Volume = 55 + 30 = 85

Tricep Band Pressdowns:

No. 1 x 20 x 6

Rolling Thunder:

60 x 1 second

57,5 x 2

55 x 5 x 2

52,5 x 5

50 x 7

V = 25s

M96C16T2 Unilateral Overhead Press 37,5 kgs x 4 + 2 reps w/ Yuvraj DL 226x2

10 Sep 2017 M96C16T2  

OVERHEAD PRESS Assistance

I made some good progress on Uni OHP. 37,5 kgs is really killing me and I think next week I will attempt to hit a 5 rep set with it. My right arm is weaker than my left so this is the troublesome part. I have added in more arm work because I know I need to pack on some size for Bench Press.  

Unilateral Overhead Press:

22,5 kgs x 10 reps

27,5 x 7

32,5 x 5

35 x 4

37,5 x 4 + 2

30 x 6

20 x 10 x 2 sets

V = 58 (+1)

High to Low Band Rows:

No. 2 x 20 x 4

Low to High Band Rows:

No. 2 x 20 x 4

V = 160

Bicep & Tricep Supersets

Preacher Curls:

10 x 8 x 3

7,5 x 12 x 3

5 x 16 x 3

V = 108

Tricep Skullcrushers:

35 x 6 x 3

30 x 8 x 3

25 x 12 x 3

V = 78

Rope Pull-ups:

BW x 5 x 2

M96C16T1 Deadlifts 226 kgs x 13 CLUSTER SET (6 + 3 + 2 + 2) reps

08 Sep 2017 M96C16T1    

DEADLIFT Main Event

I absolutely killed myself with Deadlifts today. Taking 93% of my max for 12 Clustered Reps was brutal. I told Coach Eric Troy last week that I had 7 reps in me (at one go) and all 12 in a cluster. He told me not to get desperate because this is very advanced aggressive progression. I messed up my breathing and hit 6 reps in the first mini-set and that just made me force my anxiety into a corner and beat it to death with a gigantic cluster set. Next week I will move up to 96%. After today’s 12-repper I spent 30+ minutes lying in a heap on the floor like a beached whale because too many muscles were randomly twitching and I was out of breath. Not bad for an asthma patient haha!

Overhead Presses are coming along splendidly. I noticed today that when I begin each set with the bar resting on my clavicles I am a hell of a lot more stable and the reps flow easily compared to when I am in haste and I keep the bar a few centimeters above my clavicles. Resting the bar on me right from the beginning and hitting that spot every rep keeps my upper back tight.

Warm-ups:

Jump Deadlifts: BW x 2 reps x 4 sets

SSB Good Mornings: Warm-up to 135 kgs @ 84.4% of Benchmark

Deadlifts done along with GM: 75 to 222,5

Deadlifts:

Eric Troy’s “Not that kind of Density” Progression @ 93%

226 x 6 + 3 + 2 +2 Cluster

Summary:

Week 1: 4 PR + 4 + (2 + 2) @ 11 min rest

Week 2: (5 PR + 2) + 3 + 3 @ 13 min rest

Week 3: Off

Week 4: (6 PR + 2) + (3 + 2) @ 13 min rest

Week 5: (6 + 3) + 4 @ 11 min rest

Week 6: (6 + 3 + 2 + 2) @ 3:30 min rest

Overhead Press:

91 x 2 PR @ 97.8%

75 x 6 + 4 = 10 Rest-Paused

70 x 6 + 4 = 10 RP

65 x 8 + 2 = 10 RP

60 x 10 + 2 = 12 RP (+2)

M96C15T5 Bench Press 123 kgs & 118kgsx2reps

06 Sep 2017 M96C15T5  

BENCH PRESS Main Event

Solid work; I am climbing up the ladder one baby step at a time. All the high rep assistance work for chest is paying off because I am feeling much stronger at the bottom of the Bench Press. I know I need to up the volume on direct chest work to keep this forward progress, so I will work towards that in the coming weeks.

No. 2 Banded Bench Press:

85 kgs x 5 reps

87,5 x 4

88,5 x 4

90 x 4

91,5 x 3

92,5 x 2

Bench Press:

107,5 x 3

112,5 x 1 @ 91.5%

118 x 2 @ 95.9% PR

123 x 1 @ 100% PR

105 x 5 no legs

Flat DB Press:

20 x 18 x 2 sets

Giant Sets

Fat Gripz:

95 x 3 seconds

92,5 x 4

90 x 5

87,5 x 5

85 x 3

80 x 10

V = 30s

Hammer Curls:

20 x 6 x 2

10 x 11 x 2

5 x 16 x 2

Tricep Band Pressdowns:

No. 1 x 20 x 6

M96C15T4 Anderson Back Squats & Speed Deadlifts

05 Sep 2017 M96C15T4  

SQUAT Day

I feel the right Quad is healing well and next week I can dabble at the 9^th Pins on Anderson Squats. This is my usual height for ABSQ so I will probably do 1-2 sets before increasing the height back to 10^th pins. This is the most volume I have done on ABSQ, though. I am so used to triples and less that a 6 or 7 rep set feels like a marathon. I threw in some Speed DL as an experiment. The volume and intensity are super low to minimize any backlash.

Anderson Back Squats:

@ 70% @ 10^th Pins

125 kgs x 6 reps x 2 sets

125 x 7 x 2

Pull-ups:

BW x 5 x 5

Total Back Volume = 200 + 57 + 25 = 282

Speed Deadlifts @ 51.4%:

125 x 2 x 4

M96C15T3 Unilateral Overhead Press 37,5 kgs x 4 reps

04 Sep 2017 M96C15T3  

OVERHEAD PRESS Assistance

Despite killing arms yesterday I am happy with the way Uni OHP’s went down. On the 3^rd / 4^th rep with 37,5 kgs I did lose my footing and that threw me off a bit. I probably need to take a wider stance. I am going to progress by adding to the rest-paused reps for as long as I can. I am also going to reduce the weight on DB Rows because with 65 kgs and thereabouts it ceases to be about the pump / muscle and I don’t want that. My deadlifts are heavy enough where I don’t need to do “heavy” rows and I can focus on packing my upper back.

Giant Sets

Unilateral Overhead Press:

22,5 kgs x 10 reps

27,5 x 7

32,5 x 5

35 x 4

37,5 x 4 PR + 1

30 x 6

20 x 10 x 2 sets

V = 57 (+2)

DB Rows:

30 x 10

35 x 7

45 x 5

55 x 4

65 x 4 + 1

35 x 6

25 x 10 x 2

V = 57 (+2)

Rolling Thunder:

60 x 2 seconds

57,5 x 2

55 x 2

55 x 4

52,5 x 5

50 x 5

V = 20s

M96C15T2 Chained Dips 8,5kgsx11reps

03 Sep 2017 M96C15T2  

BENCH PRESS Assistance

I used a new towel (not the fuschia colored one) and I think I am allergic to the fibers because I was having a very hard time breathing and it got so bad that I had to take a shot from my inhaler. The circuits are expected to be challenging but more in a “keep grinding and feel the muscle working” kind of way – not “I can’t breathe I’m going to pass out” kind of way. I think next week I will add in another chest-focused exercise as well as Low to High Band Rows.

Circuit 1: 5 Rounds

Chained Dips:

8,5 kgs x 10 reps x 4 sets

8,5 x 11 PR

Pull-ups:

BW x 5

High to Low Band Rows:

No. 2 x 20

Circuit 2: 5 Rounds

Flat DB Press:

20 x 16

BB Rows:

75 x 10

Pull-ups:

BW x 5

Circuit 3: 6 Rounds

Preacher Curls:

10 x 8 x 2

7,5 x 11 x 2

5 x 16 x 2

EZ Skullcrushers:

25 x 12

Tricep Band Pressdowns:

No. 1 x 20

Volume Count:

Chest = 131

Back = 200

Biceps = 70

Triceps = 192

M96C15T1 Deadlift 226 kgs x 6 reps & Overhead Press 90 kgs x 3 reps

01 Sep 2017 M96C15T1    

DEADLIFT Main Event

I think the problem I’ve been having with my quads not firing is getting ironed out. I took Eric Troy’s plan one step forward and reduced Good Morning warm-up volume and added in Deadlift sets right from 75 kgs. The funny thing is that the DLs made the GMs very easy. I really focused on exploding off the floor with a lot of the DL warm-ups but I am so used to grinding that the force curve is pretty messed up for me – almost like 75 kgs moves as slowly as 226 kgs. Anyway, I had very few failed attempts and even though the warm-ups were a struggle towards the end; the workout went smoothly – enough that I progressed via density.

I wanted to nail 7 reps on the first rumble with 226 kgs but today wasn’t the day. My heart wasn’t in it and then I went and goofed up my breathing. I did the first 3 reps of the 6 rep set in one breath and that threw me off for the remaining reps. I could have done that 7^th rep but my heart wasn’t in it so I got no excuses for missing this opportunity. But next week is my last week with this weight and I intend to go balls to the wall. I expect to pull 7.

Once we get done with Coach Eric’s Density Protocol I am going to be cycling Deadlifts with Good Mornings. 3 weeks of each and there is only one rule: lift heavy. I am excited for this because I am hoping to really push my GMs up to 180+ kgs. SSB GMs have been a boon for me.

I have removed one of my Overhead Press Assistance days and I have added a lot of volume to OHPs in this workout. I am going to try to set some new PRs on triples with OHP for a few weeks.

Warm-ups:

Jump Deadlifts: BW x 2 reps x 3 sets

SSB Good Mornings: Warm-up to 135 kgs @ 84.4% of Benchmark

Deadlifts done along with some of the GM sets: 75 to 222,5

Deadlifts:

Eric Troy’s “Not that kind of Density” Progression @ 93%

226 x 6 + 3 Rest-Pause

226 x 4 RP

Summary:

Week 1: 4 PR + 4 + (2 + 2) @ 11 min rest

Week 2: (5 PR + 2) + 3 + 3 @ 13 min rest

Week 3: Off

Week 4: (6 PR + 2) + (3 + 2) @ 13 min rest

Week 5: (6 + 3) + 4 @ 11 min rest

Overhead Press:

90 x 3 PR @ 96.8%

75 x 5 + 5 = 10 Rest-Paused

70 x 5 + 5 = 10 RP

65 x 7 + 3 = 10 RP

60 x 7 + 3 = 10 RP