Now back to your regularly scheduled program… training program that is! One thing that I didn’t touch on last week is that I am TERRIBLE about scheduling and taking deload weeks for myself. I typically wait way longer than I should to the point where an overuse injury MAKES me deload. I guess that’s because my joints and not my performance is what causes me to need to delaod in the first place LOL. I will give myself a pat on the back for implementing a well-timed deload week last week (which was really only needed because I deviated too much from my program and planned loading progression… opps).
This upcoming week is all about re-establishing my current strength levels to give me a starting point to build upon during the next training block. Ideally, I should be able to lift heavier than I did in the previous training program. At the end of this training block, I will do a comparison of my top lifts from this block compared to last block to see where I am at.
I am going to start discussing a “weekly topic” in each journal entry to give these entries more substance beyond the training program. These weekly topics will be more along the lines of psychological/mental aspects of training and nutrition than science-based, factual topics and will draw from my personal experiences and experiences of my clients (what I’ve learned working with other people).
Weekly Topic
One thing I often struggle with is assigning a negative feeling/value towards a set/workout. What do I mean by this? Once you’ve lifted a weight before, lifting a weight less than that or not being able to lift that weight anymore seems like a failure... failure may be a too extreme of a word, but it definitely has adverse feelings. Using myself as an example, last week I benched 275 for 5 reps. I have benched 275 for more than 5 reps before and have also benched 315+ for 5 reps before, so benching 275 X 5 has an underlying negative feeling of “this isn’t as good as I used to lift”. I don’t feel like I had a “good” workout, even though I lifted the heaviest/best I could right now.
Now obviously the desire to lift heavier and get stronger is the goal of lifting. I am not saying one shouldn’t strive to lift heavier nor am a saying that one shouldn’t use decreased performance as motivation to work harder. But labeling sets or workouts as “bad” creates a negative mindset that can demotivate and frustrate you. Instead of acknowledging the positives of the workout (i.e. you are training in the first place, putting in the work and effort, etc) you are simply demeaning your efforts.
So, I encourage you (and myself) not to put down your efforts and instead try to view your performance as positive even when it may be down. You are still putting in work towards your goals so don’t undermine that effort!
Training: Week of 11/18/19
Monday 11/18/19: Bench Press
Bench Press
275 X 5, 5, 5
Bench felt much better than last week, but I still felt a little weak compared to a few weeks ago. The goal next week will be to complete more than 5 reps with 275, which shouldn’t be a problem.
Military Press
145 X 5, 5, 5
Pendlay Row
185 X 8
195 X 8
205 X 8
Lat-Pulldown
150 X 8
162.5 X 8
175 X 8
Tricep Pressdown
60 X 12, 12, 12
Alternating DB Curl
25’s X 12, 12, 12
For vanity sake, I wouldn’t mind if my biceps got bigger, so I may actually start training them a little more. I haven’t truly focused on making my arms bigger in at least 10 years. I basically just do one bicep exercise at the end of my upper body days. So I might up it to… TWO bicep exercises at the end of my workouts.
Tuesday 11/18/19: Deadlift
Deadlift
545 X 1
565 X 1
585 X 1
605 X 1
625 X 1
645 X 1 (Videos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B5D7uQkjtwz/)
Ok deadlifts are back!
Belt Squat (Sumo Stance)
270 X 8
320 X 8
360 X 8
Reverse Hyper-Extensions
3 sets of 12
Due to talking too much, I was in the gym for way too long today, so I cut my workout short. I plan to perform single leg leg press and lying leg curls in this workout next week.
Wednesday 11/20/19: REST DAY
Just a brief rest day note. I didn’t really feel like training last week, which is partially why I took Monday and Tuesday off. But I actually WANT to train this week and wanted to train today. So that is a good sign :^)
Thursday 11/21/19: Bench Press Accessory
Incline Bench Press
235 X 8
245 X 5, 5
Standing Military Press
95 X 5
115 X 5
135 X 5
Weighted Pull-Ups
BW + 45;bs X 5, 5, 5
DB Row on Incline Bench
85 X 8, 8, 8
Barbell Spider Curl
45 X 12, 12, 12
Friday 11/22/19: Squat
Squat
365 X 5, 5, 5
Stiff Leg Deadlift
365 X 5, 5, 5
Front Loaded Leg Press
600 X 12, 12, 12
Lying Leg Curl
3 sets of 8-12
Saturday 11/23/19: Back + Biceps
I felt like training today so I went in and did a bunch of back and bicep workout: Lat-pulldowns, shrugs, face-pulls, and various curls.
Summary
Overall, everything felt pretty good this week. My previous injuries continue to bother me less and less and I am starting to feel “strong” again. My goal for next week is simply to lift a little heavier than this week AND to view my performance in a positive manner :^)
