2/29/12

Cycle 1, week 4

Bench press
warmup
145 * 5
155 * 5
170 * 5

Incline DB
100 * 15, 15

Flys
20s * 15, 15

Dips BW * 15, 15

Tricep extensions
100 * 15, 15

Decline bench
115 * 15, 15

2/27/12

Cycle 1, Week 4

Squats (deload)
warmup
145 * 5
155 * 5
170 * 5
115 * 15, 15

Leg press
270 * 15, 15

Leg extension
95 * 15, 15

Leg curl
95 * 15, 15

Oblique machine
75 * 15, 15

Crunch machine
125 * 25, 25

2/25/12

Cycle 1, Week 3

Overhead press
warmup
100 * 5
115 * 3
130 * 1
140 * 1 (!)

Upright row
65 * 10, 10, 10, 10

DB shoulder press
40s * 10, 10, 10, 12

EZ bar curl
70 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Lateral raise
20s * 10, 10, 10, 10

Hammer curl
35s * 10, 10, 10, 8

Reverse fly
15s * 10, 10, 10, 10

Happy with the PR on OHP. Going to use 140 for the next cycle. Next week is a deload week; I'm sure my lower back will be happy after yesterday's big PR.

2/24/12

Cycle 1, Week 3

Deadlifts
warmup
200 * 5
225 * 3
250 * 1
275 * 1 (!)
300 * 1 (!)

Chins
BW * 8, 7, 7, 6

Deadlifts
135 * 10, 10, 10

Bent over row
135 * 10, 10, 10, 9

Pullups
110 * 10, 10, 10, 10

DB row
65s * 10, 10, 10, 10

Seated row
90 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Big PR on deads today. After hitting 275, I was pretty sure I had plenty more in me. It slowed quite a bit around knee level, then went up smooth after that. I'm going to use 300 as my 1RM next cycle.

2/22/12

Cycle 1, Week 3

Bench press
warmup
180 * 5
205 * 3
230 * 1
250 * 1 (!)

Incline bench press
115 * 12, 12, 12, 12

Dips
+25 * 8, 8, 8, 8

Flys
30s * 11, 11, 11, 11

Tricep extension
140 * 11, 11, 11, 11

Decline bench
135 * 10, 10, 10, 7

I probably could have gone 255, maybe even 260. Shoulda, coulda, woulda... I'll be using 250 as my 1RM next cycle.

2/20/12

Cycle 1, Week 3

Squats (75/85/95%)
warmup
180 * 5
205 * 3
230 * 1
250 * 1 (!)
260 * 1 (!)

Hack squats
90 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Leg press
320 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Leg extension
105 * 12, 12, 12, 12

Leg curl
105 * 12, 12, 12, 12

Twisted crunches * 15, 15

Calf press
300 * 15, 12

Very happy with squats today. I think I could have easily grabbed 270, but I wanted to end on a high note. I'll be using 260 as my 1RM for squats next cycle.

2/18/12

Cycle 1, Week 2, Day 4

OHP
warmup
110 * 3
115 * 3
120 * 3 + 7 (!)

Upright row
55 * 10, 10, 10, 10

DB shoulder press
40s * 10, 10, 10, 10

Preacher curl
70 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Lateral raise
20s * 10, 10, 10, 10

Hammer curl
35s * 10, 10, 10, 10

Reverse fly
15s * 10, 10, 10, 10

Front raise
45 * 10, 10

Looking forward to maxing out next week. 8-)

2/17/12

Cycle 1, Week 2, Day 3

Deadlifts (80/85/90%)
warmup
210 * 3
225 * 3
240 * 3 + 3

GMs
95 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Chins
BW * 8, 7, 7, 7

Bent over rows
135 * 10, 10, 9, 8

Pulldowns
110 * 10, 10, 10, 10

DB rows
65s * 10, 10, 10, 10

Seated row
90 * 10, 10, 10, 10

2/15/12

Cycle 1, Week 2, Workout 2

Weight: 199

Bench press (80/85/90%)
warmup
190 * 3
205 * 3
215 * 3 + 4

Inc DB press
60s * 12, 10, 10, 8

Flys
30s * 10, 10, 10, 10

Dips
BW * 12, 12, 10, 10

Tricep extensions
140 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Shrugs
225 * 10, 10, 10, 10

2/13/12

Cycle 1, Week 2, Day 1

Squat day. Went good; very happy with how easy the reps went up.

Squats (80/85/90%)
warmup
190 * 3
205 * 3
215 * 3

Hack squats
90 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Leg press
320 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Leg extension
105 * 12, 12, 12, 12

Hamstring curls
105 * 12, 12, 12, 12

Knee raises * 15, 15, 15

So far, squat day is the only day that is not making me sore. I am taking that as a sign that I need a touch more volume. Next week, I may put in another set or two of squats at 50%; can't get enough squat practice. 8-)

2/11/12

Cycle 1, Week 1, Day 4

OHP day.

OHP
warmup
100 * 5
110 * 5
115 * 5 + 6

Upright row
45 * 10, 10, 10, 10

DB shoulder press
40s * 10, 10, 10, 10

EZ bar curl
80 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Lat raise
20s * 10, 10, 9, 8

Hammer curl
35s * 10, 8, 8, 8

Reverse flys
15s * 10, 10, 10, 10

I am really enjoying this routine. I can definitely tell that I'm not used to the volume, as I've been fairly sore this week, and usually I have very little DOMS.

Next week is the 3s, which are done at 80, 85, and 90%.

My birthday

I told myself that today I would upload pictures to show my progress. So, without further adieu...

Here I was on August 23rd, at 247.6 pounds. (I had lost 13 pounds at this point...)

Here I am just a few minutes ago, at 199.4...

(Yeah, I know...it's one of those pics. Trust me, had someone else been here to take it, I wouldn't have resorted to the cell-phone-in-the-mirror thing.)
Overall, I'm very happy with my progress. I've come a long way from the couch potato me from a year ago. Now comes the fun part; putting the weight back on. 8-)

2/9/12

Cycle 1, Week 1, Day 3

Weight:
199.0

Deadlift day.

Deadlift (75/80/85%)
warmup
200 * 5
210 * 5
225 * 5 + 3

Bent over rows
135 * 10, 10, 10, 8

Good mornings
95 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Chins
BW * 8, 7, 6, 5

Pulldowns
130 * 10, 8, 7, 6

DB rows
65 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Seated row
105 * 10, 10, 10, 10

2/8/12

Cycle 1, Week 1, Day 2

Weight:
199.6

Today was bench day. All the reps went up pretty smooth, though I wish I could've squeezed one more out on the last set. Maybe next time.

Bench (75/80/85%)
warmup
180 * 5
190 * 5
205 * 5 + 3

DB press
150 * 10, 6
130 * 8, 6 (do 120 next time; this was a bit much)

Flys
30s * 10, 10, 10, 10

Dips
BW * 10, 10, 10, 10

Tricep extensions
140 * 10, 10, 10, 7

Shrugs
135 * 10
225 * 10, 10, 10, 10

2/6/12

 Cycle 1, week 1, workout 1

Ok, so a little preamble. I'm already loving this new routine. Going in to the gym with a single workout in mind is awesome. Today was squats, and I knew I'd be hitting squats hard, and doing some squat assistance exercises; and the assistance exercises are pretty flexible. It looks like I'll get the same volume, just on different days than I did before.

So, for those that care and didn't read, week 1's workouts consist of three sets of 5 @ 75%, 80%, and 85% of your 1RM.

The last set of the main lift, you are supposed to go all out (except on the deload week), so I'll list any extra reps I do as well.

Squats
warmup
180 * 5
190 * 5
205 * 5 + 4

Hack squats
90 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Leg press
270 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Leg extensions
95 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Leg curls
95 * 10, 10, 10, 10

Knee raises * 15, 15, 15

HCT-12 recap

Here are the brief results of using a slightly modified HCT-12 routine over the last 4 months.

Squat 6RM went up about 20 pounds, from 185 to 205.
Bench press 6RM went up about 5 pounds, from 210 to 215.
Deadlift 1RM went up about 20 pounds, from 245 to 265.
Overhead press 6RM went up about 10 pounds, from 110 to 120.

These don't seem like big numbers, but I'm pretty happy with them. I think the big thing with the deadlift was just practice and form. Squats, in my opinion, are really difficult to improve while losing weight.

Over the course of the next several months, the new program will have me getting much closer to my 1RM every 4 weeks, so my progress will be a little easier to judge. I like the auto-regulation in HCT-12, but the structured approach of 5/3/1 really appeals to me. Getting up to 95% of my 1RM every four weeks will really allow me to judge the weights I've been using, so that I can plan the next cycle. I'm going to start with relatively conservative numbers on my first run, and adjust according to how they feel.

My workout logs should get a bit shorter, as I'm going to stop logging my warmup sets. I feel like I've got a pretty good handle on they type of warmup that works well for me, so recording it in detail seems like a waste. Instead, I'm going to try to keep a little bit more detail about things that are worth mentioning; like how I was feeling that day, which weights need to go up, which things I need to work on, etc.

Monday will be my first day on 5/3/1, and I'm stoked about it.
Just FYI, the figures I'm using for my 1RM for the first cycle:
Bench: 240
Squat: 240
Deadlift: 265
Overhead press: 135

2/4/12

Weight:
200.4

Deadlifts
135 * 6
185 * 3
205 * 3
225 * 2
245 * 1
265 * 1 (!)

Good mornings
45 * 10
95 * 10, 8, 6

Twisted crunches
15, 15

EZ bar curls
60 * 6
80 * 6
100 * 6, 6
110 * 4
70 * 10

Hammer curls
40s * 8
35s * 8
30s * 10

Shrugs
135 * 10
225 * 6
275 * 6
295 * 6, 6
225 * 10

2/3/12

Weight:
200.2

Incline DB
80 * 10
120 * 6
150 * 10, 8, 6
110 * 10

Chest supported row
35 * 10
45 * 6
70 * 6, 6, 6
45 * 10

DB shoulder press
60 * 6
90 * 6
110 * 6, 6, 5

Pullups
100 * 10
BW * 6, 5, 5, 4

Dips
BW * 6
+45 * 6, 4, 3, 2
BW * 10

Pec deck
80 * 10
110 * 6
100 * 6

Rev pec deck
60 * 10
90 * 6
80 * 6

New routine

Now that my weight loss has begun to taper off, I'm ready to start seeing my lifting numbers go up. To help with that, I'm going to start Wendler's 5/3/1 routine next week. I'm choosing this routine for a couple of reasons. First, it has a deload week built in, which my elbows and wrists will be happy about. Also, it is focused on increasing your 1RM in all the core lifts (deadlifts, squats, bench press, and overhead press) every four weeks. You can read more about the program here.

Although this is more of a powerlifting routine, I have set up the assistance exercises with a bodybuilding emphasis like outlined in the article. This should give me plenty of volume, with the major focus being on the main lift of the day.

I'll be sticking with this routine for at least 4-6 months so that I can gauge my progress. If I'm able to consistently increase, then I'll stick with it until I stall.

This weekend, I'll post a short recap of my results with HCT-12.

2/2/12

Weight:
199.8

Squats
45 * 10
95 * 6
135 * 6
185 * 6
205 * 6, 3, 2
185 * 6
135 * 10

Rack pull
135 * 6
185 * 6

Cable pull-throughs
40 * 10
80 * 10

Leg press
180 * 10
270 * 10, 10
180 * 10

Shrugs
135 * 10
225 * 6
295 * 6, 6, 6
225 * 12

Twisted crunches * 15
Knee raises * 15