9/16 (Legs) & Cycle Change
Excellent Leg session this morning. Progressions taken across everything except for my Cuffed Laterals, which have stalled for 3 rotations in a row so they will be replaced. Not sure with what yet.
Weight jumped up a little bit from yesterday's food additions so I will run similar macros today and see how weight responds tomorrow. If it holds I'll more than likely make that diet change permanent, just to get things moving in the direction I want them to.
Second pin of the cycle going in today, which will now be 350 mg Test instead of 300. I'll make a more detailed post below.
Full Session:
Standing Cuffed Lateral 1x12*
Seated Calf Raise (shortened focus) 1x15
Standing Calf Raise (lengthened focus) 1x15+1
Adductor 1x19
Lying Ham Curl 1x13
Leg Extension 1x14
Pivot Leg Press 1x15
Reverse Banded Hack Squats w/ pauses 1x12
Cycle Update
I've decided to up my cycle from 300 mg Test to 350. My reasoning for running 300 again was because I felt like I could do better the second time around with that dose than the first time, but I feel like I can take the lessons I learned from that first one and apply them to this second cycle and maybe eek a little more growth out. I will be interested to see how things differ with just a 50 mg increase.
9/17 & 9/18 Recap
9/17 (Rest Day)
Rest Day today. Ran to the store and got some groceries and then came home and made some content before heading to work. Got home a little later than normal from work as I was training a new hire. Watched some YouTube before calling it a night, another boring Rest Day!
9/18 (Push)
Saturday morning Push session today! Really solid session overall, progressions taken across everything. I decided to skip the Shoulder Press again today and do an extra set of the Incline Press, this will more than likely be the norm going forward.
Considering adding 1 set of Lat work to Push sessions just to bump up Lat frequency a little bit! I will probably experiment with it in the coming weeks and see how everything goes. The focus on this training block is still very much "Legs" so I don't want to get too carried away with adding things to Upper Body sessions, but this is something I think I can get away with.
Full Session:
FreeMotion Cable Fly w/ Foam Roller (shortened focus) 1x15
LifeFitness Incline Press 1x10, 1x5
Flex Leverage Flat Press 1x9
Weighted Dips 1x9.5
Lying Cuffed Lateral 1x13 (short), 1x15, 1x13 (length)
Rear Delt T Bar Row 1x13 (short), 1x15
LifeFitness Pec Dec Fly (lengthened focus) 1x16
S/A Tricep Rope Extension 1x14 (short)
S/A Overhead Tricep Rope Extension 1x8 (length)
9/19 (Legs)
Sunday morning Leg session! Progressions on everything so it doesn't get any better than that. Going to sit on the couch and watch football the rest of the day and eat 🙂
I added another set of Adductor, which is something I've been wanting to do for a while. I will assess how I can recover and progress from this and if I can consistently recover from it I will keep it in permanently.
Full Session:
High Cable Curl 1x15(L)/16(R)
Standing Calf Raise (shortened focus) 1x13+1
Seated Calf Raise (lengthened focus) 1x16+1
Adductor 1x15 (short), 1x28
Seated Ham Curl 1x17
Paused RDL 1x10
Leg Extension 1x21
Banded Leg Press 1x12+1
9/20 & 9/21 Recap
9/20 (Rest Day)
Rest Day today, worked the morning shift at work and then came home and created some content, prepped food and then relaxed by watching the Yankees game. Fairly simple and boring Rest Day as always.
9/21 (Pull)
Kicked the shit out of Pull this morning. Progressions taken across everything and execution improvements across the board. Things have been flying in this session and I'm eager to keep that going! I'm predicting that by the next time I come around to this session the Test should have kicked in a little more and I'll be able to push my progressions a little harder.
Going to get some things done at work now and then head home and relax before Legs tomorrow.
Full Session:
S/A Cable Pulldown 1x11+1 (short), 1x13
S/A FreeMotion Low Row 1x10(L)/11(R), 1x11(L)/12(R) (length)
Upper Back Pulldown 1x13+1 (short)
Incline DB Row 1x11, 1x14 (length)
Plate Loaded Shrug 1x12+1 (short), 1x16
Facing In Cable Curl 1x13 (short)
S/A Cable Curl 1x13(L)/14(R)
S/A Cable Hammer Curl 1x13 (length)
2x Rope Cambered Tricep Extension 1x16
9/22 (Legs)
Got a great Leg session in this morning despite not 100% wanting to be there. Ended up taking progressions on everything and had a really productive session.
I've noticed that my sleep and digestion have taken a small hit lately. That, combined with the fact that I'm experiencing a few nagging aches and pains and my drive to train has come down recently, leads me to believe that a Deload is on the horizon. It's been about 7 weeks since I last Deloaded so that lines up with my usual timeframe between Deloads. I will continue to see how things play out over the next few days and then make a decision based off that feedback.
Full Session:
DB Lateral 1x16 + partials
Seated Calf Raise (shortened focus) 1x15+1
Standing Calf Raise (lengthened focus) 1x15
Adductor 1x22
Lying Ham Curl 1x17 (paused reps)
Leg Extension 1x15+1 (paused reps)
Pivot Leg Press 1x16
Reverse Banded Hack w/ Pauses 1x12
9/23 & 9/24 Recap
9/23 (Rest Day)
Rest Day today, ran some errands this morning then came home and made some content. Went to work and then went to Carissa's moms house and got my hair cut after work. Another boring rest day!
9/24 (Push)
My Pec/Bicep tendon wasn't feeling great while going through my warmups so I was pretty scared to Press in all honesty. I did quite a few more warmup sets than I normally do just to make sure I was safe.
Piggybacking off yesterday's post, I'm going to play out tomorrow's session as normal and then begin a Deload starting Sunday. If things don't feel great during tomorrow's Leg session I will auto-regulate it to Deload volume mid-session and begin the Deload a day early. Whatever happens, happens.
I've had a really great block of training and with that comes a lot of fatigue. The process is simple:
Push hard, accumulate fatigue > clear that fatigue > repeat
Full Session:
Magnum Pec Dec (shortened focus) 1x15+1
StarTrac Incline Press 1x8.5, 1x11
StarTrac Flat Press 1x10
BB Floor Press 1x8
Magnum Pec Dec (lengthend focus) 1x17
Cybex Lateral 1x15 (short)
Reverse Pec Dec 1x14 (short), 1x14.5
Standing Cuffed Lateral 1x14, 1x11 (length)
S/A Cuffed Tricep Extension 1x13 (short)
S/A Overhead Cuffed Tricep Extension 1x15 (length)
9/25 & 9/26 Recap
9/25 (Legs)
Legs today was an absolute grind, perfect way to end this past training block! Deload phase will start tomorrow and will go as following:
Sun: Off
Mon: Pull (Deload volume)
Tue: Off
Wed: Legs (Deload volume)
Thu: Off
Fri: Push (Deload volume)
Sat: Off
Sun: Re-assess
Full Session:
High Cable Curl 1x16(L)/17(R)
Standing Calf Raise (shortened focus) 1x13+1
Seated Calf Raise (lengthened focus) 1x16+1
Adductor 1x15 (paused reps), Skipped 2nd set
Seated Ham Curl 1x14 (paused reps)
Paused RDL 1x10
Leg Extension 1x17
Banded Leg Press 1x13
9/26 & 9/27 Recap
9/26 (Rest Day)
Had an awesome rest day and great kick off to the Deload! Today was Sunday so I slept in till 8:30 (which is pretty late for me). Carissa and I went to a new spot for breakfast called the Hen House which has all local, organic food. It was a really cute spot with great food, we'll definitely be going back! Then we came home and watched the Bears game, which sucked lol, and then I watched the Yankees game last night before heading to bed. Really nice mentally and physically relaxing day!
9/27 (Pull - Deload)
First Deload session ticked off. Got in and out pretty quickly and got the job done. I don't particularly enjoy these Deload sessions that much so my goal is just to get in and get them done and over with. Rest Day tomorrow which I'd like to use to catch up on sleep!
Full Session:
Low Cable Row 1x15
S/A Cable Pulldown 1x10
Hammer High Row 1x16
Upper Back Pulldown 1x12
Plate Loaded Shrug 1x16
EZ Bar Curl 1x12
Cross Body Cuffed Tricep Extension 1x13
9/28 & 9/29 Recap
9/28 (Rest Day)
Rest Day today, slept in until 8:30 which is pretty late for me! Got about 10 and a half hours of sleep last night so I felt pretty good today. Had a pretty relaxed morning at home before going to work and training our new hire. Came home and watched the Yankees game before going to bed.
9/29 (Legs - Deload)
Had a really hard time falling asleep last night and didn't fall asleep until probably 1 am. I got probably 6 hours of sleep if I had to guess. Contemplated skipping this session completely but I felt decent enough to give it a try so I went in and got it done. I'm pretty happy with how I performed today given the circumstances plus the fact it was a Deload session. The goal is to try and go to bed early tonight and catch up on the sleep that I missed, hopefully I don't have any issues sleeping tonight!
Full Session:
Seated Calf Raise (shortened focus) 1x14+1
Standing Calf Raise (lengthened focus) 1x12
Adductor 1x16
Lying Ham Curl 1x17
Leg Extension 1x18
Pivot Leg Press 1x13 w/ 1 RIR
9/30 & 10/1 Recap
9/30 (Rest Day)
Rest Day today. Woke up and ran some errands before coming home and taking a nap before work. Came home from work and went on a walk with Carissa before coming home and doing some stretching/mobility work on my left QL (very tight right now) and then heading to bed.
10/1 (Push - Deload)
Third (and most likely, final) Deload session done! Things felt really good today and my sleep and digestion have improved since the beginning of the week, which tells me that the fatigue is dissipating. I will take tomorrow off for sure and then more than likely resume full volume training on Sunday with Legs B.
Full Session:
Foam Roller Cable Fly 1x13
Incline LifeFitness Press 1x10
Flex Leverage Flat Press 1x9 w/ ~1 RIR
Weighted Dip 1x9
Rear Delt T Bar Row 1x15
Lying Cuffed Lateral 1x17
S/A Overhead Rope Tricep Extension 1x10
10/2 - 10/4 Recap
10/2 (Rest Day)
Rest Day today and also Saturday. I slept in until 9/9:15 or so this morning which is reallyyyy late for me. Carissa and I went and got sushi and then did some shopping before coming home and spending the rest of the day on the couch. Probably the laziest day I've had in a long time but looking back now it was needed.
10/3 (Legs)
First session back at full volume and of course it was Legs B. My lower back has been feeling tight so I decided to forego the pauses on the RDL's and stick to regular reps. I'll more than likely stay here until the back feels good, and even then I may not go back if the result is just an injury. We'll see how it all plays out but for now the reps will be more "traditional".
Yesterday was also my sister's birthday so we went out to eat to celebrate! I got a pizza and Carissa got some pasta with chicken and we split both meals. It was a great night with family!
Full Session:
Seated Cuffed Lateral 1x16
S/A Cable High Curl 1x15
Standing Calf Raise (shortened focus) 1x14
Seated Calf Raise (lengthened focus) 1x16+1
Adductor 1x12 (paused reps)
Seated Ham Curl 1x15 (paused reps)
RDL 1x8
Leg Extension 1x20
Banded Leg Press 1x14
10/5 (Pull)
Great Pull session this morning, I made a setup adjustment to the Cable Pulldowns to put me in a better position to contract the Lat. This cost me a small rep regression but I know it was because of the setup change so it's no sweat off my back.
Right Bicep Tendon feeling pretty good after a mobility/stretching session last night, I'll have to stay on top of this especially with Push coming up in 3 days time.
Full Session:
S/A Cable Pulldown 1x11 (short), 1x12(L)/11(R)
S/A Machine Low Row 1x12, 1x9 (length)
Upper Back Pulldown 1x10 (short)
Incline DB Row 1x13, 1x9 (length)
Plate Loaded Shrug 1x9+1 (short), 1x16
Facing In Cable Curl 1x13 (short)
S/A Cable Curl 1x13(L)/14(R)
S/A Cable Hammer Curl 1x14 (length)
Double Rope Tricep Extension 1x14
10/6 & 10/7 Recap
10/6 (Rest Day)
Rest Day today. Woke up to an all time low Fasted Blood Glucose reading at 79! The Dihydroberberine is definitely working! Ran some errands and came home and made some content before taking a nap prior to work. I'm going to try and make a nap a regular thing on Rest Days as long as my schedule allows it. Went to work then came home and did some stretching/mobility work to stay on top of my lower back and Bicep tendon.
10/7 (Legs)
Had a difficult time falling asleep last night so I missed out on about 30-45 minutes of my usual sleep time. Felt a little groggy upon wake so I took some caffeine (200 mg) for the first time in 11 days and got a good pick-me-up out of it.
I have been wanting to add another set of Quad volume to this session for a few weeks now and today seemed like a good day to test it out. I added a set of S/L Leg Extension at the end of the session after the Paused Hacks. If I can recover from this consistently and progress my lifts on both Leg sessions this will be a permanent addition.
Full Session:
Bilateral Bicep Cable Curl 1x14
Seated Calf Raise (shortened focus) 1x15+1
Standing Calf Raise (lengthened focus) 1x15+1
Adductor 1x17
Lying Ham Curl 1x15 (paused reps)
Leg Extension 1x16+1 (paused reps)
Pivot Leg Press 1x14
Paused Reverse Banded Hack Squats 1x10
S/L Leg Extension 1x30*
*This will become a permanent addition to this session pending if I can recover from it and progress all Quad lifts.
10/8 (Push)
Mixed bag of a session today. Both sets of StarTrac Incline regressed, which is the final straw for this movement for me. I've plateaud here for a while and after today's regression that tells me it's time to move on to something else. Not sure what I'll replace the 2 sets with but I have a few ideas I'm tossing around.
I swapped the Weighted Dip from the other Push rotation to this one and replaced the Dip with a Smith Floor Press. The Dip station here is a little different than the one in my other gym so this will take a small learning period.
Had to skip my second set of Pec Dec due to a weird pain in my left shoulder. Probably something I could work through, but I'm not really in the mood to take any risks right now, if ever, actually. Especially with something as minicule as a Pec Dec, it just makes no sense to make to try and take a risk there.
Other than that, everything else went great and progressed in some way, shape, or form. This is a "take 1 step back to take 2 forward" type of deal with the programming adjustments, which is part of the game as much as the successes.
Full Session:
Magnum Pec Dec (shortened focus) 1x13
StarTrac Incline Press 1x8, 1x10
StarTrac Flat Press 1x9
Weighted Dip 1x7
Magnum Pec Dec (lengthened focus) SKIPPED
Cybex Lateral Raise 1x12 (short)
Reverse Pec Dec 1x13 (short), 1x15
Standing Cuffed Lateral 1x15, 1x12 (length)
S/A Cuffed Tricep Extension 1x10 (short)
S/A Overhead Cuffed Tricep Extension 1x14 (length)
10/9 - 10/11 Recap
10/9 (Rest Day)
Rest Day today as well as a full 11 hour shift at work. Day went by pretty quickly as I had a lot of things to do. I was pretty beat after a long day so I came home, relaxed for a bit and then went to bed.
10/10 (Rest Day)
I was originally scheduled to train Legs today but I decided to take an improvised Rest Day instead. I missed out on anywhere from 30-45 minutes of sleep on BOTH Wednesday and Thursday night so I woke up Saturday (10/9) feeling pretty beat. I had a feeling by the end of the night on Saturday that it would be a possibility that I should take the day off on the 10th. I decided after waking up on Sunday that I realistically wasn't going to have a very good session if I forced myself to go, as I didn't even really want to go. I LOVE to train so when I mentally don't feel like training I take that as a warning that I'm fatigued.
I spent the Rest Day extremely well: I got 8.5-9 hours of sleep Sat night into Sunday morning, and then I took an hour nap after Carissa and I got breakfast. Spent the day resting and recovering and eating! Perfectly spent Rest Day and Sunday.
10/11 (Legs)
Holy shit I am so glad I decided to rest yesterday! I woke up this morning after a solid 8.5 hours sleep feeling like a new man. I had to work in the morning so I trained in the afternoon and didn't take any caffeine because I felt so fresh! I had an amazing session and I felt great! Taking yesterday's Rest Day was something I struggled with mentally but seeing how it played out in practice it is something I will be less afraid to do going forward.
Full Session:
Seated Cuffed Lateral 1x16
Standing Calf Raise (shortened focus) 1x15+1
Seated Calf Raise (lengthened focus) 1x16+1
Adductor 1x14 (paused), 1x26.5
Seated Ham Curl 1x13 (paused)
RDL 1x9
Leg Extension 1x18
Banded Leg Press 1x15
