2016 Log

Upper GPP

104.8

CG vertical pull; 5 x10-bw.
Push-ups; 5 x10-bw.
Supersetted. 10min.


CG vertical pull; 5 x10-bw.
OHP; 5 x10-40kg.
Supersetted. 15min. I got a bit lazy on the density and need to get this to 10min range.


Band pressdowns; 3 x25-green band.
BB curls; 3 x10-40.
Supersetted.


Close supine grip felt good so I went with that for most sets on the vertical pulls.

Reminder to self - add neck extensions to either Friday or Saturday session.

Daily walks
1 x90min
 
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Max effort lower

105.2 big salt and food volume day yesterday, macros only slightly higher. Was active for the whole day so not overly fussed.

5min walk
Step ups; 1 x10-bw.
Hypers; 1 x10-bw.
Sit-ups; 1 x10-bw.


DL to max; 1 x5-70. 1 x1-120, 170, 220, 240, 260, 270. Needed two attempts. I was driving too much through my knees and not hips, which I sorted out for the 2nd @270. Feeling some residual fatigue from all the activity that probably needs some rest more so than calories.
Back offs, 4x4@75%max; 4 x4-205.


SSB squat, close stance, oly shoes, to max; 1 x5-82. 1 x1-132, 162. Probably had 5-10 more in there. I think I need SSB GMs back in, just to keep a stimulus of bar-on-back that doesn’t impact the left knee.


SG BB hypers, 50deg, #6; 4 x6-115.
Sit-ups, plate behind head; 4 x7-bw+25.
Supersetted.


GPP step ups to high box with vest; 6 x10-bw+10kg. These were done at a good clip, and had to discipline myself to stop here and move on with the day. More sets when I have a more efficient workout next week.

Note to self - wide stance belt squats seem to be the aggravating factor for right hip especially, will cull them this week.


Left a lot of time on the table today, could’ve shaved 15mins off.

Daily walks
1 x30min
1 x15min
 
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Max effort upper

104.8


Seal rows; 1 x10-70. 2 x6-100. Not really feeling these in the back and want this particular slot to be strength focused more than volume. Possibly keep them in somewhere else at higher rep-range.

Gorilla rows, DL stance; 4 x6-120. It will probably be 2-3 weeks for me to know whether I have the axial&hip recovery capacity for this or not.

CG bench to max; 1 x10-70. 1 x1-90, 100, 110, 115. The rep was fast enough, with only minor feedback from last week’s strain on the left pec. No need to push it though.
Backoffs; 2 x4-100. Leaving some reps in the tank.

Sit-ups, plate behind head; 3 x20-bw. 4 x20-bw+5kg. Doing these through full hip ROM to straight legs and back. Feels great.
Giant set.


Weighted CG chin-ups; 3 x6-bw+20kg. All lats with the ‘chest-up’ cue. Not driving with arms at all and only breaking 90-degrees on upwards momentum.
Back offs cont.; 3 x4-100.
Supersetted.


Seated deadlifts; 1 x4-220 hook, 2 x4-220 versa’s.
JM press; 3 x10-50. Still figuring out the form here.
Supersetted.


GPP WG pull-ups; 8 x6-bw.


Neck extensions; 2 x25-25kg.
Band pressdowns; 2 x25-green band.
Supersetted.


Daily walks
1 x30min
1 x15min
 
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Arm day

104.5


BB curls; 3 x15-30.
Skullcrushers; 3 x12-30.
Supersetted.


DB curls; 3 x8-15.
Band pressdowns; 3 x20-green band.
Supersetted.


Reverse curls; 2 x15-30
Overhead band extensions; 2 x30-red band per hand.
 
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Volume lower


105.3 big gut clearance a bit after weighing in.

Arms and elbows feeling ‘ok’, however I’m definitely feeling the impact of doing standing rows on Tuesday, so will consider a revert back to seal rows next week and maybe just leave them at a slightly higher rep range, possibly do vertical pulling again as the primary back exercise. Will think on it.


5min walk
Step ups; 1 x10-bw.
Hypers; 1 x10-bw.
Sit-ups; 1 x10-bw.


DL to max; 1 x5-70. 1 x1-120, 170, 220, 240, 260, 270. 260 was a bit doggish, 270 I focused on bending the bar and it moves really well. Possibly had 280.
Back offs, 4x4@75%max; 4 x4-205.


Clustered SSB squat triples; 1 x5-82. 5 x3-137. Not my best or fastest work. Plenty of room to improve. I may need to reconsider a wider stance and just focusing more on maintaining torso. Will think further on it.


SG BB hypers , #6 50deg, volume; 1 x13, 14, 14 - 100.
Sit-ups, plate behind head; 1 x13, 14, 14 - bw+15kg.
Supersetted.


Gorilla rows; 3 x6-120. I didn’t have the energy for higher reps, but I will soon enough. Accidentally bumped the floor on one rep in the 2nd set, going too low, but everything more or less feels fine.


GPP Step-ups, high box + all mats; 5 x10-bw. Smashed the VMOs in particular on these. Part of the quads puzzle solved.


A really good session, one of those where it’s just about pushing through and getting the work done.


Daily walks
3 x15min


Lunch
45 degree nordics, 35 degrees #2, 4 x10-bw.
 
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Volume lower and GPP lower


104.9 had a pretty poor nights sleep and feel like shit.


Seal rows; 1 x10-70. 5 x10-80.
CG bench; 1 x10-70. 5 x10-80.
Sit-ups, plate behind head; 1 x20-bw. 1 x15-bw+10kg. 3 x25-bw.
Giant set.


Upright axle rows; 3 x15-50. Felt fine.

WG pull-ups; 2 x15, 1 x10-bw. Right shoulder still iffy from sleeping position. I wonder if bringing back regular dead hangs in this position might help. Possibly also better to do the raw with a shoulder width grip and leave WG to once per week.

JM press; 3 x10-40. These feel best with a focused, ‘mind muscle’ approach to keep emphasis on the triceps and not the delts.
Giant set.


Seated deadlifts; 3 x12-180. These were good and challenge capacity and bracing as much as anything, which are both areas of improvement for me.

Overhead band extensions; 3 x30-red band per hand.
Supersetted.


GPP Zercher squats, oly shoes; 6 x10-40. These feel really good, both more time efficient than split squats and don’t seem to compromise the left knee as much within a GPP context. Drove knees forward and hips down.


Daily walks
1 x30min
 
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Upper GPP


104.3 feeling a bit stiff and my right shoulder is really shitty after sleeping on it too much this past week. Trying to get into habit if of sleeping flat on my back, but that will take some time.


GPP CG chin-ups; 5 x13-bw.
GPP Push-ups; 5 x13-bw.
Supersetted.


GPP 45-V chin-ups; 5 x13-bw.
OHP; 5 x10-42.5.
Supersetted.


Band hammer curls; 2 x20-green band, approx. failure.
Band pressdowns; 2 x20-green band, approx. failure.
Supersetted.


Daily walks
1 x45min
1 x15min
 
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Rest day

104.9

General end of week thoughts;

Need to figure out if any sort of WG pull-up is viable at the moment. Inverted rows might be however.

Going to try swapping hypers on Monday for Good Morning.

Arm day is leaving my elbows too beat up.

Front squats for GPP lower on Friday and then maybe split squats on Thursday instead of two days of step-ups, and keep my variation over the week on the higher side.


Daily walks
1 x30min
 
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Max effort upper

104.6

5min walk
Step ups; 1 x10-bw.
Hypers; 1 x10-bw.
Sit-ups; 1 x10-bw.


DL to max; 1 x5-70. 1 x1-120, 170, 220, 240, 260, 280. Everything was moving like shit and then I remembered to drive with hips again, and not my knees, and 280 damn near flew compared to the rest.

Back offs, 4x4@75% max; 3 x3-220. Lazy to adjust plates to 210, so did this instead.


SSB squat to max; 1 x5-82. 1 x1-132, 162. I tried a wider stance, still driving knees out and forward and once I remembered my ‘balance’ cue, it felt pretty good. Will persist with it.


SSB GM; 3 x6-132. Starting light and plenty RIR.
Sit-ups, plate behind head: 3 x6-bw+25kg.
Supersetted.


BB rows, heavy; 1 x4-170. Nope. 2 x4-150. My left bicep felt like it wasn’t too far away from tearing to pieces after the first set. Fine on the lighter weight. I eased off the pace just to ensure everything was fine, pretty sure it is.


Step ups with vest, oly shoes, to high box + max mats; 3 x10-bw+10kg vest. Called it there.


Really happy overall. Add in 1-2 sets of step-ups more and I think I can sit back on this session for a while.


Daily walks
1 x30min
 
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Max effort upper


104.6


Weighted CG chin-ups; 1 x10-bw. 4 x6-bw+20kg. Looking down and leading with the chest kept the reps free from discomfort and niggles. I’m really starting to form the view that vertical pulls need to be about lats, horizontal about the upper back, and at least for me, confusing the two forms leads to unnecessary minor injuries/inflammation.

Hanging leg raises; 4 x10-bw.

CG bench to max; 1 x10-70. 1 x1-100, 110, 120. Butt came off the bench slightly. It might not have if I had a tighter setup, so something to work on there so far as general technique goes. Having more open/free scapula continues to feel good.
Back offs; 1 x5-100, RIR2-3.
Giant set.
Lil miss woke up here about an hour or so early, so adjusted the rest to get as much done as I could.


GPP style WG pull-ups; 5 x10-bw.
GPP style push-ups; 5 x10-bw.
Supersetted. This could be 8-10 sets in time, with very modest weight added via the vest, perhaps.


Seated deadlifts; 3 x4-220, versa’s. Put a different setup together in the interests of time. The seat wasn’t as stable, won’t use it again.
Band pressdowns; 3 x20-green band.
Supersetted.


Neck extensions; 1 x25-25kg.
Overhead band extensions; 1 x30-red band per hand.
Supersetted.


A very good session, especially when taking into account the interruption and being cut short. Probably lost 15mins and cut short by another 15-20, so lots of room to add in work.

Might struggle to get walking today given the stormy forecast but no biggie.


Daily walks
High NEAT, no structured walks
 
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Volume lower

104.9 loaded up on the carbs yesterday. Slept fairly well the last few days but feeling a bit generally fatigued from activity levels. Nothing too prohibitive though.

5min walk
Step ups; 1 x10-bw.
Hypers; 1 x10-bw.
Sit-ups; 1 x10-bw.


DL to max; 1 x5-70. 1 x1-120, 170, 220, 240, 260, 280. Got it on the second attempt. On the first I tried a more dynamic slack pull, which didn’t really break. On the second I just held the slack for a moment longer until the hips kicked in and the floor moved away. More in the tank if I’m rested. I allowed just a little too much release of position when lowering it, and don’t think I’ve inured myself, just left erector/QL is giving me an early warning not to do it again.

Back offs, 4x4@75%max; 3 x4-210.
SLDL; 1 x4-210. Did this to see where it’s at, and it felt easier than the regular DLs. I suspect because I did them straight feet and gave my abducting muscles a break.

SSB squat, semi-wide, ATG; 1 x5-82. 2 x10-102. Init
Planned a 3x10, but time available and conditioning for high rep squats weren’t on my side. Something to improve upon next week.


Axle hypers, 50deg, #6; 2 x15-100. Did the second set on #8 setting, thinking it was #7 and the pad is just a fraction too high on the hips though and doesn’t allow sufficient rotation of the pelvis. Third set on #7 felt ok, but maybe I should just stick with SG and #6, play it safe etc. now that I’m on a roll. Seems the smart thing to do.
Sit-ups, plate behind head; 3 x15-bw+15kg.
Supersetted.


BB rows; 3 x10-120. The lower back is feeling generally, ‘activated’, after the hyper height experimentation, so I will stick with SG &#6 setting for sure.


GPP Step-ups, oly shoes, high box max mats; 4 x10-bw. Struggling at this stage. Will make a point to get a minimum of 6 and make sure they’re GPP-esque when time permits.


Daily walks
2 x15min
1 x30min

Afternoon
45 deg nordics; 3 x12-bw. Need to tweak the setup likely but otherwise continuing to see the benefits of these.
 
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Upper volume and lower GPP

104.9


Seal rows, volume; 5 x10-80.

Buffalo CG bench, pinkies on knurling; 5 x10-74.5

Alternating hanging leg raises; 3 x10 per side. These felt nice on the abs and hip flexors but the hanging position was irritating the right shoulder socket, so I stopped at three sets.
Giant set.


Axle bar upright rows; 3 x15-50. Continuing to feel great with the closer grip.

T-bar rows; 3 x15-50. It’ll take a session or two to find my groove. Meadows rows feel like they perform poorly across time:stimulus:fatigue, and I want to focus on rear delts and upper back here, lats getting smashed tomorrow during Upper GPP.

JM press; 3 x13-42. Felt great with the buffalo bar due to no shaft-spin and thicker bar.
Giant set.


Seated deadlifts; 3 x180-12. I progressed the grip to middle and then SG by third set. The second set I was a tad too bouncy and loose, which made the lower back a bit sparkly, but seems ok. Applied far greater control on the third.
Band pressdowns; 3 x20-green band.
Supersetted.


GPP Buffalo Zercher squats, oly shoes; 6 x10-42. REALLY likes the buffalo bar for these. Sits better in the elbow crease and doesn’t spin. Bring thicker reduces the comfort issues that can inflame or frustrate the joint too.


Neck extensions, volume; 2 x40-20kg.



Daily walks
1 x30min
1 x15min
 
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Upper GPP

105.5 big salt and fiber day yesterday. Expect I will drop to mid 104s overnight once the bloat passes. Lower back is a bit overdone from not being controlled enough on that 2nd seated deadlift set. Should be fine, but it’s a warning to stay focused.


GPP CG chin-ups, versa’s; 5 x15-bw. Chest up cue.
GPP push-ups; 5 x15-bw.
Supersetted.


GPP WG pull-ups, thumbless gorilla grip; 4 x10-bw. Focusing on controlling the descent and not letting the lats fully stretch to the extreme at the bottom, as I seem to lose shoulder integrity there.
GPP OHP; 4 x10-42.5
Supersetted.


Axle bar curls; 2 x6-50. Irritated the inner right elbow again. Reverse curls might be preferable for now.
Band pressdowns; 2 x20-green band.
Supersetted.


Good pace today. All the vertical pulling felt strong. My cues and technique are in a good place, continuing to remember to look down or slightly forward but not up.


Daily walks
1 x45min + 5 x40 red band pressdowns, cushioned around neck
1 x30min
 
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Max effort lower


105.4 scale kept jumping between this and 105.1. The mirror seems to be holding steady as a guide, and I do need the extra gains to continue. Just being mindful of the rate, however. Will try to be more diligent with the walking to maintain control over fat gain.


5min walk
Step ups; 1 x10-bw.
Hypers; 1 x10-bw.
Sit-ups; 1 x10-bw.


DL to max; 1 x5-70. 1 x1-120, 170, 220, 240, 260, 280. Heels almost touching and 90-deg angle split. 280 moved really well. Took a token tug at 300 but it didn’t budge and my heart wasn’t in it. Will make sure to aim for 290 first.

Back offs, 3x3->4x4@75% max; 3 x4-220. Practicing a very slightly dynamic slack pull to try and let my upper body act as the counterbalance, as wel as utilise it’s strength.


Buffalo squat to max, flat shoes; 1 x5-72. 1 x1-122, 162. I misjudged where I needed the safeties and had them too low. Realised this on the descent and it fucked with my head a bit. Lesson learned. Strength is almost back to where it was earlier this year when squat volume was higher.


Buffalo GMs; 2 x6-132. These felt really awkward and weak. I may just replace them with squat back offs and see if my knee can handle that twice a week.
Sit-ups, plate behind head; 2 x15-bw+15kg. Higher reps and slightly less weight has felt a lot better lately.
Supersetted.


BB rows, heavy, versa’s; 3 x6-150.


GPP Step-ups with vest, high box with max mats; 2 x10-bw+10kg.
GPP Hypers, volume; 2 x25-bw+10kg. #4 then #3 setting. #3 felt best for hamstrings.

Supersetted. This was an awesome combo and if not for cutting things short due to early family wake ups, I’d look to do 4-5 supersets.


Daily walks
2 x30min
1 x10min


End of day
Did a pump set of 25 hyper reps holding a 15kg plate, but not sure it does anything.

Followed it with a beltless 220 single (bar already loaded), which moves fine other than skin-friction.

I think I’ll go back to SG hypers on todays slot, and probably add in more over the nordics, maybe at a lower pad height for hamstring emphasis.
 
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Max effort upper


104.9


Weighted CG chin-ups, belt; 1 x10-bw. 5 x7-bw+20.

CG buffalo bench: 1 x10-72. 1 x1-112, 114.5. Good touch and pause, happy with this for the bar and coming out of the minor strain to left pec.
Backoffs; 3 x92-6.

Sit-ups, plate behind head; 1 x15-bw. 2 x15-bw+15kg.
Giant set.


Seated deadlifts; 3 x6-220. Up to 240 next week. These are just too easy again.
Buffalo JM press; 3 x6-52.
Supersetted.


Weighted WG pull-ups, belt; 3 x10-bw+10kg.
Weighted dips, belt; 3 x7-bw+10kg.
Supersetted. Did the first set of each with the vest and it felt fucking terrible due to interference with the upper body movement. Will save it for step ups, weighted walks and weighted lunges.


Neck extensions; 1 x30-25kg.
Reverse curls, buffalo bar: 1 x15-32. Shit movement using the bent bar.
Band pressdowns; 1 x30-green band.
Giant set.


Cut 20mins short by more early rising but heaps of room to work with when done to full length. Forearms and biceps are a weakness to be brought up.


Daily walks
2 x30min


End of day
Lu raises; 3 x25-5kg per hand.
 
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Lower volume;


105.3 have definitely gained some mass in recent weeks. Maybe a tad too much fluff, but I know where I can make some calorie cuts to level back down a little.

5min walk
Step ups; 1 x10-bw.
Hypers; 1 x10-bw.
Sit-ups; 1 x10-bw.


DL to max; 1 x5-70. 1 x1-120, 170, 220, 250, 270. 290 broke twice but just wasn’t quite there. Monday though.
Back offs, cluster singles; 12 x1-220. Pivoted to clusters due to time.


SSB squats, widowmaker se, beltless; 1 x5-82. 1 x20-102. Upper back and core were screaming but should adapt fairly quickly. Legs still had something left to offer. Load bump next week.


BB hypers, #6, 50deg; 4 x10-120. I went to #7 setting for the 4th set and it felt really good, just have to make sure my feet are high up against the roller pads and hips on top of their pad.
Sit-ups, plate behind head; 4 x15-bw+15kg.
Supersetted.


BB rows, strict; 3 x10-120.


GPP Step ups, high box plus mats; 4 x10-bw.


A really good session. I’ll probably keep the cluster/rest-pause set for DLs, and be disciplined in not letting the load creep past 75%. One massive squat set, hopefully to failure, should be fun to track.

15-20mins of spare time when not interrupted and in better shape.

Went back to basic GPP step ups as they seem to hit quads more.


Daily walks
GPP step ups; 1 x15-bw. 9 x10-bw. Need to push these closer to failure.

1 x20min
 
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