Notes: Hand still hurts, but it's just a bruise and I will get over it. I really wanted to get in a Thursday bench session, and then I decided to do a single top set, which ended up being 315x3. That felt surprisingly good and my bench has really picked up in the last week. I'm probably just about where I need to be in order to hit ~350 in competition (when I hit 325 at the last meet, I had done 300x3 for my last top-set triple), and I still have over three weeks of training left, so the majority of my progress is likely still yet to come. I will take a single in two and a half weeks and I'm hoping that single ends up being 350+; usually with the recomp and the rest week, I can expect a bit more, so anything over 350 would be gravy.
I'm still working on the numbers and the next couple of weeks will tell me more, but things are falling into place. My bench has always been a safe bet and I know about where I stand on it going into every meet, so the more I can push it, the more I can safely assume as part of my sub-total with a near-max-yet-guaranteed second attempt.
Chris Anderson Anabolic Furnace
Posts : 3023 Join date : 2011-11-02 Age : 31 Location : The City of Iowa
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:54 pm
How many weeks are you in with dat dere?
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Fri Jan 09, 2015 6:21 pm
Chris Anderson wrote:
How many weeks are you in with dat dere?
I started a little bit a month ago, but the real thing began two weeks ago. Over the last few days I've really started to notice a big increase in my strength, as well as the sides (i.e. nodding off at work and feeling my back basically pulsing due to the lower-back pumps). The real-deal dat dere goes up a little more starting tomorrow but after that, it'll be the same from there until the meet, or for four more weeks.
Chris Anderson Anabolic Furnace
Posts : 3023 Join date : 2011-11-02 Age : 31 Location : The City of Iowa
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Fri Jan 09, 2015 7:46 pm
The timing makes sense, then.
KevinAlvy Elite
Posts : 2446 Join date : 2011-10-30
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Fri Jan 09, 2015 7:54 pm
das
it
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:03 pm
Chris Anderson wrote:
The timing makes sense, then.
Yeah, I was seeing decent bench gains, but all of a sudden I went from 290x3 and missing the fourth rep to 315x3 in like a week and a half. The jump up was really surprising.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:15 pm
KevinAlvy wrote:
das it
Thanks brah.
Bodyweight was 161 this morning, so I've added about six pounds total in water weight. As of right now, I'm about as heavy as I was going into last year's RUM, maybe still a pound or two lighter. Most of the water retention should be out of the way at this point, considering how long I've been taking it, but this will also probably be one of the less fun weight cuts in my life.
SSchwartsenator Admin
Posts : 511 Join date : 2014-02-12 Age : 32 Location : Curlin' in yo squat rack
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:21 pm
Keosawa wrote:
but this will also probably be one of the less fun weight cuts in my life.
Stay safe and godspeed OP
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:47 pm
SSchwartsenator wrote:
Keosawa wrote:
but this will also probably be one of the less fun weight cuts in my life.
Stay safe and godspeed OP
For now, it's fine. I knew there would be some weight gain, which is why I got my weight down before I started. As long as I don't end up over 165, I'll be alright. This current weight would be perfect if I stay here.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Sat Jan 10, 2015 7:47 pm
Squat 420x4x2 420x8
Paused Bench Press w/ reactive slingshot 365x1
Notes: I didn't feel great for the first two sets of 420 (smoke weed errday) but woke up for the third. I'm recovering but still a little beat up and considering my hand hurts--though much less than a week ago--I am just going to take Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday off before coming back in to train on Wednesday. I'll feel better and perform better with a little rest, and then I will push hard up until the meet. It's the right time and the best thing for me. I feel like I have another gear and can just absolutely kill it on these squat and bench sessions if I allow myself more time to recover.
This will also work well with my schedule. I got a new job running group personal training classes at a gym in the area. I start in mid-February and teach the 5am, 6am, 5pm, and 6pm classes; in the meanwhile, I'm going to be watching morning classes at another gym to get a sense for it, and that will start on Monday. I don't know how long the training will run or what my schedule will look like for the next three weeks (until I take the week off for RUM), but I'll be there for a bit before I head downtown for work at 8am, and it'll make for a longer day. The break is probably coming at a good time while I get my work situation figured out.
I haven't said much publicly about it out of respect for my current employer, though we have spoken about the career change. I'm very fortunate for the opportunity and am looking forward to the challenge. Online programming is a go and things are coming together. There's a lot of turnover in my life at the moment, but it isn't detracting from the training.
Otherwise, this session went great. For perspective, 425 is my all-time best unwrapped squat max. 420x8 also just about equals my wrapped rep-maxes in that range. And the 365-lb. slingshot bench is something like a 10-15 lb. PR, and it felt like I had a lot left--my hand is definitely holding me back though, so it's time to give it a bit more rest and really ice the shit out of it.
SSchwartsenator Admin
Posts : 511 Join date : 2014-02-12 Age : 32 Location : Curlin' in yo squat rack
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Sat Jan 10, 2015 8:45 pm
That's a whole lot of changing external stimuli (and that's not even including the wedding). Fortunately, it's after RUM. Hope you can keep yourself grounded and your training on track when you start making all those changes. If anybody can do it it's you mang. Don't be afraid to have some days where you can step back and do something you enjoy (aside from lifting) to relax.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Sat Jan 10, 2015 9:31 pm
SSchwartsenator wrote:
That's a whole lot of changing external stimuli (and that's not even including the wedding). Fortunately, it's after RUM. Hope you can keep yourself grounded and your training on track when you start making all those changes. If anybody can do it it's you mang. Don't be afraid to have some days where you can step back and do something you enjoy (aside from lifting) to relax.
Thanks mate. I haven't said much about it but it has been a very stressful last couple of months for us. I'm just going to work hard with everything and do the best to juggle it over the coming weeks. This has obviously been a more hectic period of my life than I would have liked it to be, but I've still been able to make plenty of time for training.
Thankfully, I only really have three weeks left; after that, I'll have the week of RUM mostly off, and I'll be able to focus on cutting weight and working on programming from home. I just have to make it to the beginning of February, lol.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Fri Jan 16, 2015 4:02 pm
Okay, I've missed some training days, so let me catch up with each of the lifts:
Squat: Earlier this week, I went in to do escalating triples and to start to push the exertion a bit with higher-intensity work. I ended up at 430x3, 440x3, and 450x3, and 450 felt pretty easy. For some reason, I just didn't feel stable with the bar I was using and wasted a lot of energy just trying to keep my balance. This morning, I came in for my second session and did 455x4 and 470x2. Now that I have a baseline for higher-intensity exertion caps, I can start to push the limits a bit. 470 is +20 on my best unwrapped single and I'm going to be taking my heaviest one in two weeks, which hopefully will be ~500.
Bench Press: After smooshing my hand, my bench training has been real minimal. I came back for a session yesterday and finished up with 320x2 and a single at 330. The strength is going up but the lack of total work has meant I haven't made a big leap in strength yet. Hopefully two good weeks of training will push my numbers a bit. 330 wasn't a max single, but I would have been hard pressed to hit much over 340, and I'd like to be at 350+ for the competition.
Deadlift: For my first session, I took two doubles on 590 with reverse minis. The minis took off 40 lbs. at the bottom and very little at the top, and this was a clear improvement over my last heavy doubles session from the previous macro. I don't think my deadlift has improved anywhere near as much as my squat, but I have two more sessions, then a long deload (which I will most certainly benefit from). For the next reverse-band session, I'd like to see at least a 30-lb. increase from the work done the previous training cycle, and considering I was only managing 610x1x6 with bands that took off close to 90 lbs. more than the minis at the bottom, that should be workable. This one is hard to predict but it's also the lift that peaks the most from a long deload and a big pre-comp feeding frenzy.
SSchwartsenator Admin
Posts : 511 Join date : 2014-02-12 Age : 32 Location : Curlin' in yo squat rack
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Fri Jan 16, 2015 8:25 pm
Are you worried about the hand at all? Shouldn't bruising be healed by now?
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:09 pm
SSchwartsenator wrote:
Are you worried about the hand at all? Shouldn't bruising be healed by now?
Nah. The bruising's gone, I held my deadlifts fine, and the pain on bench at this point is very tolerable. Moving forward, it'll be business as usual. I was definitely worried about a week ago, when it looked and felt awful, but at the rate it's felt better, I'm good to go.
KevinAlvy Elite
Posts : 2446 Join date : 2011-10-30
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Wed Jan 21, 2015 9:02 pm
Keosawa wrote:
ya rly
op pls
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Wed Jan 21, 2015 9:55 pm
KevinAlvy wrote:
Keosawa wrote:
ya rly
op pls
Okay, gotta get the last couple of days in:
Did some deadlifts, up to a 680-lb. reverse-band pull. On my last session of the last cycle, I finished at 640, so that's +40 and I've got one more session on Saturday to pull something a bit bigger.
Also did some benchy, 290x5x4 and 290x6, focusing on strict technique and a decent pause. These felt really easy and I'm going to be running the following progression:
1/22: 305x3x5 (five sets of three) 1/26: 285x7x5 1/28: 300x5x3 (three sets of five), 315x3x2 (two sets of three) 1/31: 330x1, 350x1, 350+x1 (if applicable)
At that point, I'll be all wrapped up for my bench.
GFou Class II
Posts : 398 Join date : 2011-11-02
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Wed Jan 21, 2015 10:57 pm
Bench is looking awesome from that last video...
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Thu Jan 22, 2015 7:19 am
GFou wrote:
Bench is looking awesome from that last video...
Thanks bud. I lost a little momentum when my frequency dropped, but it should really start to click over the next several sessions. So far, it's going pretty well.
Chris Anderson Anabolic Furnace
Posts : 3023 Join date : 2011-11-02 Age : 31 Location : The City of Iowa
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Thu Jan 22, 2015 7:53 am
Is working up to anything over 350 necessary? What has been your heaviest bench set this cycle? I feel anything too close to a max carries a lot more potential risk than benefit.
Chris Anderson Anabolic Furnace
Posts : 3023 Join date : 2011-11-02 Age : 31 Location : The City of Iowa
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Thu Jan 22, 2015 7:54 am
Also, your deadlift makes me sad. Mostly because it will be at least 50lb heavier than mine.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:18 pm
Chris Anderson wrote:
Is working up to anything over 350 necessary? What has been your heaviest bench set this cycle? I feel anything too close to a max carries a lot more potential risk than benefit.
Probably not; I'm guessing I won't take the + sets for squat and bench press. I'm mostly just looking to gauge second-attempt weights. If those feel about right, I'll call it there.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:20 pm
Chris Anderson wrote:
Also, your deadlift makes me sad. Mostly because it will be at least 50lb heavier than mine.
lol, of the three lifts, I'm most in the dark on my deadlift. I really have no idea where it'll be. So, I wouldn't bank on that.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: Kyle's New Training Log Thu Jan 22, 2015 11:52 pm
Squats up to 480x2
Notes: I hit my max double for the day and am happy with the result, though I wish it didn't feel quite so hard. Still, I should be in position for ~500 for a final single next weekend, and hopefully I can inch that number forward at RUM. In a perfect world I could attempt something like 474-501 and 330-352 for first and second attempts on squat and bench, and try to inch those numbers up with conservative thirds, giving me 617 or less for a second deadlift attempt and a WR total. But, to justify that, I'm going to have to hit 500 and 350 pretty clean next weekend. We'll see.