HST with Clustering Log (goal: 148 to 160lbs)

Hello again to everyone. Looks like it's been about 2 months since my last post, but I haven't been totally inactive. Had a few health things pop up after Thanksgiving, then I was traveling for over 2 weeks during Christmas, just a nightmare. In the meantime to stay active I was doing some p90x bodyweight-type workouts, some treadmill, just whatever I could muster. Things have finally stabilized, and I'm ready to return to my program.

So, lo and behold, this morning I weighed in at 154 lbs. Hard to remember the last time I was +/- 3 lbs beyond that number. My plan is a 3 days/week, A/B split, primarily upper body exercises with squats and deadlifts alternating. Maybe throw a leg curl in there.

Two sets per exercise. I'll start with weights around my current 10-12 rep max. Increase the weights every workout in the first set. Drop the weight for the second set if necessary aiming to get into a hypertrophy range of 8-12 reps. Squats/deadlifts I may do 3x5. Don't like the form deterioration that accompanies high rep squats/deads. We'll see how that goes.

Will also be throwing in some light cardio on 3 off-days, full rest on Sunday. And that's that, glad to be back.
 
Wednesday, 1/18/12 - BW 154
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- Not a bad workout, definitely lost some strength (edit: not that I have any to begin with!), hopefully I get it back soon.
- Squatting felt particularly pathetic, but I did run over 3 miles on Tuesday. I know I worked, quite painful DOMS today.
--------------------
Workout time: 51 minutes

FL Bench
115 x 15,11

Pullups
BW x 10,8

BB Press
80 x 11, 70 x 10

Freemotion Cable Chest Flyes (supinated elbows)
35 x 11,10

One-arm DB Row
40 x 15,15

Cable Side Laterals
7.5 x 13,13,7

BB Back Squat
135 x 5,5,5

FM Cable Shrugs
130 x 15,12
 
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Friday, 1/20/12 - BW 153.2
--------------------
- Wanted to do incline BB bench, but the one incline bench at the gym was occupied. Did incline DB instead rather than wait 15 minutes.
- Felt a little wiped by the time I got to deadlifts. Wondering if I'd be better served doing a 4-day split with 1 day dedicated to deadlift, 1 to squat...and then maybe just a few accessory exercises.
--------------------
Workout time: 52 minutes

Incline DB Bench
40 x 15,15

Pullups
BW x 11,8

BB Press
85 x 9, 70 x 9

Freemotion Cable Chest Flyes (supinated elbows)
35 x 12,11

V-Bar Cable Row
50 x 15,13

Cable Side Laterals
7.5 x 15,10,11

Deadlift
165 x 5,5,5

Tricep Pushdown
35 x 15,12,11
 
Monday, 1/23/12 - BW 154.6
--------------------
- Moved the order around a bit to do squats earlier in the workout. Took a 5-minute break after squats and finished the workout. This was much more tolerable. Barely squatting anything though and it feels heavy.
- Also switched from cables to dumbbells on side laterals and shrugs. Will stick with that going forward.
- In all of my sets I'm allowing 2 mini-breaks of 5 seconds before continuing with the reps.
--------------------
Workout time: 1 hr 5 minutes

FL Bench
120 x 15,10

Pullups
BW+5 x 10,8

BB Press
90 x 8, 70 x 10

BB Back Squat
145 x 5,5,5

Freemotion Cable Chest Flyes (supinated elbows)
40 x 13, 35 x 9

One-arm DB Row
45 x 15,15

DB Shrugs
50 x 15,15

DB Side Laterals
10 x 15,15

BB Bicep Curls
45 x 15,12,12
 
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Hey iwealth - could you explain the approach a bit? Is it a circuit-like workout to get the blood moving, or are you doing the sets with decent rest times? So sorry to hear about the health issues around the holidays - hope that's all behind you now.
 
Hey Tim, everything is behind me. Glad to hear you are feeling better as well and getting back into things.

Here's a run-down of the approach:

1) 3/day week weight training, some light cardio and core work on 2-3 of the off days
2) Alternating workouts squat/deadlift, db row/v-bar row, fl bench/inc bench, and isolation bicep/tricep. Everything else is the same.
3) 2 sets per exercise (maybe 3 for arm isolation...curious to see if they'd respond to higher volume since they've never responded to anything else)
4) Maximum 15 reps in a set, try to increase weight in 1st set every workout regardless of rep count. I say "try" because certain exercises like BB press, side laterals, etc., will require me to repeat weights since I won't be micro-loading.
5) Keep 2nd set in hypertrophy rep range (8-12), so either keep same weight from 1st set if possible, or reduce if necessary
6) Exception is squat/deadlift which will be done 3x5 for as long as possible. But I will do less than 5 reps when I get to that point. I fear form degradation that comes with high-rep deads/squats.
6) 120-150 seconds between sets, 3-4 minutes between exercises.
7) Allow two 5-second mini-breaks within the sets (except squat/deadlift) - for instance, if I'm gassed after 8 pullups, I'll hang for 5 seconds, try to do 1-2 more, hang for 5 seconds, maybe squeeze out another one. I always did like clustering.

To answer your specific question, no it's not a circuit to get the blood flowing. Back in mid-October this got me to the following lifts in a relatively short period of time:

Bench 145x7
Deadlift 210x8
Squat 185x3, 205x1

I had to stop abruptly and take an extended SD due to a family matter. Then I ramped back up for a month until Thanksgiving to a 135x11 bench, 170x15 deadlift. Not enough time to test much weight squatting. But these were also big improvements over even the previous cycle. It was after Thanksgiving that I had some health issues pop up, and shortly thereafter I was traveling for 2 weeks during Christmas...just a big mess. Moral of the story is this approach seems to be working better than anything I've done in the past.

Thought I overdid it a bit yesterday, but I slept like a baby last night and I feel great today. Leads me to believe my volume is appropriate.
 
Wednesday, 1/25/12 - BW 154.6
--------------------
- Had an uncomfortable moment during the overhead press. Nothing like a very brief momentary hyper-extended lower back to remind you how important it is to stay FOCUSED on the lift at hand. Did not increase the weight this workout, but tried to push an extra rep and it was ugly. Nothing too bad though, I was able to move on to deadlifts immediately afterward. I may be a little sore tomorrow but disaster was averted. Lesson learned.
--------------------
Workout time: 1:06

Incline BB Bench
115 x 12,9

Pullups
BW+10 x 8, BW+5 x 9

BB Press
90 x 8, 75 x 9

Deadlift
175 x 5,5,5

Freemotion Cable Chest Flyes (supinated elbows)
40 x 12, 35 x 13

V-Bar Cable Row
55 x 15,14

DB Shrugs
55 x 15,15

DB Side Laterals
12.5 x 14,11

Tricep Pushdown
40 x 15,15,15
 
Friday, 1/27/12 - BW 155.2
--------------------
- Did not increase the weight on overhead press, but I squeezed out an extra rep. Will up it next workout.
- Had no pain from that little hiccup with Wednesday's overhead press back hyperextension. So that's good.
- So far so good all around.
--------------------
Workout time: 1 hr 6 minutes

FL Bench
125 x 13,10

Pullups
BW+12.5 x 8, BW+5 x 9

BB Press
90 x 9, 75 x 9

BB Back Squat
155 x 5,5,5

Freemotion Cable Chest Flyes (supinated elbows)
40 x 15,13

One-arm DB Row
55 x 15,15

DB Shrugs
60 x 13,12

DB Side Laterals
12.5 x 15,11

BB Bicep Curls
50 x 15,12,9
 
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Monday, 1/30/12 - BW 156
--------------------
- Overhead BB press just feels weak, and I beginning to hate the exercise.

- I warmup before benching to start sessions and then again before deadlifting. Today I did 4-5 sets of 135x3, then 155x3, then 165x1 or something of that nature. By the time I got to the work sets my lower back felt fried. I finished 3 sets of 185x5, but I'll be shocked if my lower back isn't on fire tomorrow. Might have to lessen the warmups, OR the overhead press is doing a number on my lower back during the previous exercise.

- DB shrugs ... hard for me to tell how much weight is too much weight. Seems my range of motion declines but I can still "shrug" the weight. I may lay off on the weight here and really focus on getting a deep shrug. Traps are supposed to respond to everything, right?

- Despite the whining, I'm really enjoying this workout and I'd like to say I'm seeing good results. Would like to crack 160 lbs by mid-March. Then a 4-week cut/maintenance phase before I get married in late April :cool: Would rather not have a puffy carb-face for that event.
--------------------
Workout time: 1:05

Incline BB Bench
120 x 10,8

Pullups
BW+12.5 x 10, BW+7.5 x 9

BB Press
95 x 6, 75 x 10

Deadlift
185 x 5,5,5

Freemotion Cable Chest Flyes (supinated elbows)
40 x 15,11

V-Bar Cable Row
60 x 12,10

DB Shrugs
65 x 13,13

DB Side Laterals
15 x 13,10

Tricep Pushdown
47.5 x 15,15,10
 
Wednesday, 2/1/12 - BW no weigh in
--------------------
- Took a step backward today with squats. After watching video after video of proper form, I concluded my form still sucks. Don't think I've been squatting deep enough. My weakest point in the lift seems to be about 25% of the way up. Even at 145lbs especially the last set of 5 reps, I struggled. Knees want to creep in, legs don't want to straighten, I find I'm trying to look up as if that is going to elevate me. I may keep it at 145 lbs until I master that weight. Frankly I don't care about leg hypertrophy, and if I could AVOID glute hypertrophy that'd be great. My shoulders are about as wide as my hips it seems anyway, not a great look.

- Used the trap bar today for shrugs. I sort of like it but my hands seem far apart. Not sure how much that bar weighs. Research says 50-55 lbs. I'll go with 50 lbs for calculations.

- 15 lbs DB side laterals feel a little rough on my left shoulder. Small amount of pain, moderate amount of snap, crackle, pop type feeling. Probably not ideal. May go back to cables on that exercise.

- The workout seems long, but I spend nearly 20 minutes on squats alone with the warmup sets.
--------------------
Workout time: 1 hr 10 minutes

FL Bench
130 x 13,9

Pullups
BW+15 x 8,6

BB Press
95 x 6, 80 x 9

BB Back Squat
145 x 5,5,5

Freemotion Cable Chest Flyes (supinated elbows)
45 x 13,10

One-arm DB Row
60 x 12,12

Trap Bar Shrugs
140 x 15,15

DB Side Laterals
15 x 12,11

BB Bicep Curls
55 x 15, 11, 10
 
Friday, 2/3/12 - BW 156.8
--------------------
- Back to DB shrugs and took some weight off. I think less weight and better quality reps is the way to go there.

- Back to cable flyes. Much easier on the shoulders for whatever reason. Still doesn't feel great though. Maybe I'm just thoroughly burned out by the end of the workout.
--------------------
Workout time: 1:16

Incline BB Bench
125 x 10, 115 x 9

Pullups
BW+15 x 9,7

BB Press
95 x 7, 80 x 9

Deadlift
195 x 5,5,5

Freemotion Cable Chest Flyes (supinated elbows)
45 x 15,13

V-Bar Cable Row
65 x 12,9

DB Shrugs
55 x 15,14

Cable Side Laterals
10 x 10,6

Tricep Pushdown
55 x 15,13,10
 
Monday, 2/6/12, Week #4, Workout #9 - BW 156.2
--------------------
- Upped my carb intake to over 100 grams 30 minutes pre-workout and immediately post-workout. And I switched from grains to white rice which seems to be a bit easier on my digestive system. So its about 40g of carbs (rice) before, 30g of carbs (Gatorade) during, and another 40g of carbs (rice) after. The workout felt much better than previous workouts. Maybe the diet, maybe placebo.

- Added 5 lbs to squat, kept strict form. Will try another 5 lbs next time. Going to take this slowly.

- In the future, will probably add a 3rd set to main compound exercises if reps fall below 15 total. That happened with shoulder presses today.
--------------------
Workout time: 1 hr 6 minutes

FL Bench
135 x 12,8

Pullups
BW+17.5 x 8, BW+10 x 8

BB Press
100 x 5, 80 x 9

BB Back Squat
150 x 5,5,5

Freemotion Cable Chest Flyes (supinated elbows)
45 x 15,9

One-arm DB Row
65 x 9,11

DB Shrugs
55 x 15,14

Cable Side Laterals
10 x 8, 7.5 x 13

BB Bicep Curls
60 x 14,9,8
 
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Wednesday, 2/8/12, Week #4, Workout #10 - BW 156.2
--------------------
- Confused by V-bar rows...only 10 reps @ 70 lbs when I can do one-arm DB row 10 reps @ 65 lbs? Is that normal?

- Great workout overall. Press and deadlifts particularly strong. 100x6 on overhead press, that's a PR for sure.

- Cable lateral machine occupied, so I did DB side laterals. Eliminated a lot of the shoulder discomfort by extended my arms slightly in front of my body rather than straight out to the sides.
--------------------
Workout time: 1:10

Incline BB Bench
130 x 8, 115 x 10

Pullups
BW+17.5 x 9, BW+12.5 x 8

BB Press
100 x 6, 80 x 10

Deadlift
205 x 5,5,5

Freemotion Cable Chest Flyes (supinated elbows)
50 x 13, 45 x 9

V-Bar Cable Row
70 x 10,7

DB Shrugs
60 x 15,14

DB Side Laterals
12.5 x 15,15

Tricep Pushdown
60 x 10, 57.5 x 11, 55 x 10
 
Are you dipping the side of your body when you do the DB Rows? If so then you’re probably get a lot of assistance from swinging your whole body up. Next time you do DB Rows start with that side of your body angled up and only allow your arm and lats to stretch down, then pull up using only your arm and lats w/o swinging your whole body.

If that’s now what’s happening then I’m at a loss.
 
Thanks grunt. I do tend to keep pretty strict form with DB rows, usually with a flat back versus angled up. Doing those on Friday, so I'll try it angled.

Any idea what sort of weight ratio would be more appropriate for v-bar cable : DB row? If I have a massive imbalance there, then I'll just drop the DB rows and focus solely on the v-bar cable.
 
Friday, 2/10/12, Week #4, Workout #11 - BW 158.8
--------------------
- Weight is up quite a bit, but I think I've overdone the eating. Felt weak and queasy the past 2 days.
- Almost passed on this workout altogether, but just took it easy instead.
- Also going to scrap DB rows from my workout altogether for awhile. Going to stick with V-bar cable rows, very hard to cheat there.
--------------------
Workout time: 45 minutes

FL Bench
140 x 10,8

Pullups
BW+17.5 x 9, BW+15 x 8

BB Press
100 x 6, 80 x 9

BB Back Squat
skipped

Freemotion Cable Chest Flyes (supinated elbows)
50 x 10,8

V-Bar Cable Row
70 x 10,7, 60 x 12

DB Shrugs
50 x 9,8,8

Cable Side Laterals
skipped

BB Bicep Curls
60 x 12,10,8
 
Monday, 2/13/12, Week #5, Workout #12 - BW 155.6
--------------------
- Dropped 3 pounds over the weekend. Saturday was pretty normal eating. Ate some pasta and bread at dinner, and my stomach reacted pretty badly. This happens from time to time, so I'm probably going to make an effort to avoid it. I'll stick with rice and oats instead. On Sunday I cut down on carbs just a bit. Low-moderate carbing is a recipe for rapid weight loss with me.

- Today's workout was very strong. Deadlift was great. If anything it got stronger by the 3rd set. I think I was cheating on the cable flyes...too much shoulder and arm involvement. So I took some weight off and focused solely on contracting my chest to bring the cables together. The pump tells me it worked.

- My left elbow flared up during tricep pushdowns. This is a recurring nagging injury. Probably tendonitis or something. I dropped the weight until the pain was gone and lowered the rest times to make sure I still worked hard.

- I also backed off a bit on the rest-pausing I was doing toward the end of sets. Kept it for pullups, nothing else. It'll result in a few less reps here and there.

- Also added a 3rd set to a few exercises. Press because I only got 3 reps in the first set, flyes because I wanted to test the lighter weight, v-bar row because I have a huge weakness there.
--------------------
Workout time: 1:09

Incline BB Bench
135 x 7, 115 x 9

Pullups
BW+20 x 9, BW+10 x 8

BB Press
105 x 3, 95 x 5, 80 x 10

Deadlift
210 x 5,5,5

Freemotion Cable Chest Flyes (supinated elbows)
35 x 12,6, 25 x 7

V-Bar Cable Row
75 x 8, 65 x 10,11

DB Shrugs
50 x 12,10

DB Side Laterals
12.5 x 15,15

Tricep Pushdown
42.5 x 15,12,10
 
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