Higher Reps. Week 6. Bench

BW - 208

Bench -
BarX20
95X5
135X4
155X3
185X2
195X2, 2, 2, 2

CG Bench, no leg drive - 165X5, 5, 5, 5

Flat-back bench, no leg drive - 135X11, 6, 7

DB Press - 35sX15, 12, 10, 10

Dips -
BW+45X6
BW+45X5 / BWX15 (drop-set)
BWX15
super-set with
DB Curls - 30sX12, 12, 10

Ab Wheel - X15, 12, 10

Pretty good session.  All the benching genrally felt good.

DB Pressing felt stronger today.

I guess I've never done dips with a 45 before.  Didn't even occur to me when I was doing them.  So...Rep PRs there.

Trying to get back on the ab wagon.

Higher Reps. Week 3. Bench

BW - 210

Bench -
BarX20
95X5
135X4
155X3
185X2
205X1

CG Bench - 165X8, 5, 3

Incline - 115X13, 9, 7

DB OHP - 35sX10, 12, 10, 7

Dips - BWX17, 15, 9, 10
super-set with
DB Curls - 30sX15, 12, 10, 10

Ab Wheel - X14, 14, 10

Felt tired and weak all afternoon.  All the barbell benching sucked accordingly.

Did the DB pressing sitting on the edge of a flat bench.  Lack of stability made a surprising difference, and my upper-back even started to cramp a little.  Not the point, so I'll go back to an upright bench next time.

Gonna throw some light biceps in with Dips on this day going forward and see how that plays out.

Higher Rep. Week 2. Bench

BW - 209

Bench -
BarX20
95X5
135X4
155X3
185X2
195X1

Close-grip, no leg drive - 165X8, 5, 4

Incline - 115X15, 10, 8

DB OHP - 35sX12, 12, 12, 10

Dips -
BW+25X7
BW+25X5 / BWX6 (drop-set)
BWX12

Ab Wheel - X12, 12, 12

I'm tightening up my set-up on bench even more, and it hurts like hell but I can push hard with my legs without my butt coming off the bench.  Finally.  Not sure that if felt any stronger, though...

I moved my grip in to almost the smooth for the back-off sets, and used the same set up but did NOT use any leg drive.  Trying to focus on making the primary movers do all the work.

Incline has been nosediving a bit, so I backed the weight way off in order to facilitate more reps.  We'll see how that goes.

Last week I got a baseline for DB OHP, so now I can move forward on trying to push reps with the 35's.

Everything to this point in the session represented a sharp increase in total volume over past weeks, and so it's no surprise that the weighted dips went into the toilet a bit.  Strength still seemed okay on the final, BW-only set.

Accessory +Biceps. Week 1.

BW - 208

Machine Pullovers -
warm-up set
work sets X12, 8 (straight-weight; same as previous session)

Chin-Ups (underhand) - BWX6, 4, 4 (paused at top and bottom)

Pulldowns (medium, neutral-grip) - X16, 13, 15

Reverse-grip, ez-bar, preacher curls -
20X15
30X10, 9, 9, 8

DB Curls - 35sX10, 10, 10, 10

all curls super-set with
Rope Extensions - X20, 20, 22, 18, 15, 15, 15, 16, 16

Ab Wheel - X10, 12

Solid session.  Back to a biceps focus for a few weeks.  Brachialis and triceps are really sore from this, two days later.

Running behind schedule and had to cut the ab work short.

Phase 1. Week 15. Bench

BW - 209

Bench -
BarX20
95X5
135X4
155X3
185X2
215X2
165X10, 6

Incline - 135X9, 4, 5

Dips -
BW+25X12
BW+25X5 / BWX5 (drop-set)
BWX12

Ab Wheel - X12, 12, 12

Okay session.  Still 1 rep shy of my goal for 215, and the 2nd rep was an ugly, butt-lifting mess.  I wasn't happy last week that I just did two singles and moved on, and realized that if I get stuck at low-reps on a programmed work-set, I need to add an additional, lighter set to get some more volume in.  Thus the 165 sets.  165X10 is actually only a couple reps off of a PR with that weight, and that feels kind of nice after straining with the 215.

Inclines were okay, and Dips are still feeling strong.

Phase 2. Week 5. Accessory

BW - 209

Machine Pullovers -
Warm-up set
Work-sets X 14, 8 (straight-weight; same weight as last week)

Chins (overhand) - BWX5, 4, 3 (paused at top and bottom)

Pulldowns (underhand) - X15, 10, 10 (straight-weight; same weight as last week)

Machine Flyes -
Warm-up set
Work-sets X20, 10 (straight-weight; same weight as last week)

DB Bench (elbows out; neutral grip ) - 50sX15, 11, 10

Rope Extensions - X20, 15, 15, 15, 15 (straight-weight; same weight as last week)

Ab Wheel - X12, 12, 12

Okay session.  Some movements felt stronger than others with no apparent pattern.  I pushed the pec work an extra week, and I think that's about right.  One week as a "get-to-know-you" and then 4 weeks of solid work.  I'll switch back to biceps next week, do that for 5 weeks, then I'm thinking I should hit some calves.  However, by the time the next 5 weeks are up, it'll be conditioning/fat-loss season and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to tweak my programming for that yet.

Phase 2. Week 4. Accessory.

BW - 211

Machine Pullovers -
Warm-up set
Work Sets X13, 8 (straight-weight; same weight as last week)

Chins (overhand) - BWX4, 3, 2 (paused at top and bottom)

Pulldowns (underhand) - X15, 11, 9 (straight-weight; same weight as last week)

Machine Flyes -
Warm-up set
Work Sets X15, 10 (straight-weight; same weight as last week)

DB Bench (neutral grip; elbows out) - 50sX18, 12, 9

Rope Pushdowns - X20, 15, 15, 15, 15 (straight-weight; same weight as last week)

Ab Wheel - X12, 12, 12

Felt weak today, but managed to push everything to or past the same volume per movement as last week.

Have to decide whether this will have been the last week of chest focus on this day.  I originally set up the Accessory day to be:  1) Lats, 2) bodypart 'X' on a 4 week rotation, 3) Abs.  Awhile back, I also added in Light Triceps to help with my bench.  This was the 4th week of pec focus, but I'm thinking I'll go with it for another week or two until I've got my 225 bench in the books.  4 weeks may not be ideal anyway.  I did biceps previously while I was settling into this format, and that went on for 8 weeks, but that seems to long.  The plan has also been to alternate biceps in every other cycle since there is not other direct biceps work in the program.  So, once I finish with pecs I'll go back to that.  I think.

Phase 1. Week 12. Bench

BW - 211

Bench -
BarX25
115X5
135X4
155X3
185X2
205X4, 3

Cambered Bench - 135X10, 5, 5

Incline Bench - 135X10, 7, 5

Dips -
BW+25X11
BW+25X5/BWX5 (Drop-set)
BWX10

Ab Wheel - X12, 12, 12

Great session.  205X4 is a Rep PR on bench and my phase goal for this weight, so I can move up next week.  Benching was strong this week, and I possibly could have gotten a 5th rep.  But I'm glad I was able to almost match it on my 2nd set instead.

As I noted above, my benching was strong this week, and this 135X10 on cambered bench came out of NOWHERE.  The other 2 sets fell back to earth, though.  Obviously, a big all-around PR.

Moved back to the shallower incline, and got some good reps in.

Added some weight to the dips.  Didn't want to labor on with low reps on every set, though, so I did a drop-set on the 2nd, and then backed off to body-weight for the third.  236 (BW+25)X11 is an all-around PR.

Upped the reps a bit on the ab wheel.

Phase 2. Week 3. Accessory

BW - 210

Machine Pullovers -
Warm-up set
Works Sets X12, 8 (straight-weight; increased over last week)

Chin-ups (overhand) - BWX4, 2, 3 (paused at top and bottom)

Pulldowns (underhand) - X13, 10, 8 (straight-weight; increased over last week)

Machine Flyes -
Warm-up set
Work Sets X13, 8 (straight-weight; increased over last week)

DB Bench (neutral grip; elbows out) - 50sX15, 12, 10

Rope Extensions - X25, 15, 15, 15, 12 (straight-weight; increased over last week)

Ab Wheel - X10, 10, 10

Phase 1. Week 11. Bench

BW - 209

Bench -
BarX20
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X2
205X3, 2

Incline (steep) - 95X15, 12, 10

Dips - BWX15, 12, 12

Ab Wheel - X10, 10, 10

205X3 is a Rep PR, and my first time benching 200 or more.  This is only one rep shy of my phase goal for this weight.  Hope to hit that next week.

Cambered bar was in use, so I went straight to Incline.  I used the steeper bench today, dropped the weight a touch and pushed the reps way up.

May want to start adding weight to dips again.

Phase 2. Week 2. Accessory

BW - 210

Machine Pullovers -
Warm-up set
Work Sets X14, 9 (straight-weight, same as last week)

Chins (overhand) - BWX4, 3, 3 (paused at top and bottom)

Pulldowns (underhand) - X15, 10/10/12/8 (same weight as last week, drop-set on last set)

Machine Flyes -
Warm-up set
Work Sets X20, 12 (straight-weight, same as last week)

DB Bench (neutral grip, elbows out) - 50sX15, 10, 8

Rope pushdowns - X25, 20, 15, 15, 12

Ab Wheel - X10, 10, 10

Good session.

Phase 1. Week 10. Bench

BW - 210

Bench -
BarX20
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X2
195X6, 3

Cambered Bench - 135X6, 6, 5

Press - 95X5, 5, 5

Dips - BWX15, 10, 9

Ab Wheel - X10, 10, 10

195X6 is a Rep PR, and my phase goal for this weight so I can move up next week.  Actually, every rep was  Rep PR because I've never benched 195 before.  Awesome to be moving into new territory.

Cambered benching felt a smidge stronger today, but I hate this goddamn exercise.  My legs shake like crazy coming off the chest, and every rep is hard to lock-out.

The good incline bench was occupied today, so I did some OHP.

A 211BWX15 on dips is actually an all-around PR.  Not even looking for that coming in today.  Nice.

3X10 on the Ab Wheel felt really easy today.  If it feels like that on Saturday, I'll push the reps up a touch next week.

Phase 2. Week 1. Accessory

BW - 208

Machine Pullovers -
warm-up set
work sets X12, 8 (straight-weight; increased over last week)

Chin-ups (overhand) - BWX4, 3, 3 (paused at bottom)

Pulldowns (underhand) -
warm-up set
work sets X12, 8 (straight-weight)

Machine Flyes - X15, 8 (straight-weight)

DB Bench (neutral grip) - 50sX15, 10, 8

Rope Pushdowns - X18, 15, 15, 12, 12 (straight-weight)

Ab Wheel - X10, 10, 10

Forgot how much harder over-hand chins can be.

Moving on to some pec work for this phase.  It took me some time to figure out exactly how I wanted to structure the programming for this 4th day, but, now that I have, the phases probably won't last more than 4-6 weeks.

 Today was more of a feeling out day.  Trying out the pec machine to get a feel for the right weight for a machine I've never used and a movement I haven't done in a long time.  Similarly, wasn't sure how the DB benching would be following the flyes.  Using a neutral grip and keeping my elbows out a bit, and really letting the DBs "sink" at the bottom.  All to try and work the pecs, primarily.  I expect the weight and/or reps will be pushed much further on both movements next week.

All this was done in under 45 minutes.

Phase 1. Week 9. Bench

BW - 212

Bench -
BarX10
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2

185X8, 4

Cambered Bench - 135X6, 6, 4

Incline - 135X5, 5, 6

Dips - BWX14, 10, 8

Ab Wheel - X10, 10, 10

I felt like today was gonna be the day and it was.  185X8 is an all-around PR, and my phase goal for this weight.  Finally get to move up next week.

I must have just been on today or something, because the cambered bar was moving a lot faster as well, and even the 14 reps on dips at 212 is an all-around PR.

Phase 1. Week 8. Accessory

BW - 207

Machine Pullovers -
Warm-up set
Work SetsX14, 8 (straight-weight)

Chins (close, v-grip) - BWX6, 4, 3 (paused at bottom)

Pulldowns (close, netural) - X14, 10, 7 (straight-weight)

Hammer Curls - 25sX18, 12, 12
Preacher Curls - 40ishX14, 12, 10
all curls super-set with
Rope Pushdowns - X22, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20 (straight-weight)

Ab Wheel - X10, 10, 10

Felt a touch stronger on everything this week.  Didn't up the weight on anything, but pushed the reps farther on almost every set over last week's numbers.

Phase 1. Week 8. Bench

BW - 208

Bench -
BarX20
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2

185X7, 4

Cambered Bench - 135X5, 5, 5

Incline Bench - 135X8, 5, 5

Dips - BWX10, 8, 7

Ab Wheel - X10, 10, 10

Still couldn't get 8 reps with 185 which is my phase goal for this weight.  4 reps on the back-off set is more than I've gotten previously, so at least I increased the overall volume.

Cambered Bench still tapping out at 5 reps, dammit.

Pushed the first set of inclines, but the other two were slow.

My bench lockout felt a bit more stable today.  Don't know if that's to do with the triceps work I added on Saturday, but to be on the safe side I'm adding BW dips onto this day as well.  Probably should have from the beginning if I'm being honest, but I didn't want to over-fill the day.

Phase 1. Week 6. Accessory

BW - 207

Machine Pullovers - 

1 warm-up set

2 work sets X12, 8 (straight-weight)

Chins (close, v-grip) - BWX6, 4, 3 (paused at bottom)

Pulldowns (close, neutral) - X12, 10, 8 (straight-weight)

Hammer Curls (X-Body) - 25sX15, 12, 12

Preacher Curls - 40ishX8, 10, 8

Ab Wheel - X15, 12, 10

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 6. Arms

BW - 206

BB Curls - 50ishX10, 10, 10, 10, 12
super-set with
BB French Press - 50ishX10, 10, 10, 10, 11

Ab Wheel - X10, 10

Couldn't find a free fucking pad anywhere in the gym, and doing the ab wheel on my bare knees was brutal. 

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 5. Arms

BW - 204 (work gym)

DB Hammer Curls - 30s, 25s, 20s, 15sX20 each

Rope Extensions - X20, 20, 20, 12, 13 (straight weight)

Ab Wheel - X15, 15, 10

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 5. Arms

BW - 204

BB Curls - 40ishX20, 20, 20, 20, 15
super-set with
BB French Press - 40ishX20, 20, 20, 10, 14

Ab Wheel - X15, 15, 12, 10

Just tired today.