"Conditioning" Week 4. Upper Body

BW - 203

Deadlift -
135X5, 5
185X3
225X3
275X3
295X3

BB Rows - 175X8, 8, 8, 7

Chins - BWX12, 6, 5, 5, 5 (33 total)

Band - Pull-aparts superset with 'flyes' - somesetsXsomereps

PBN -
BarX10
55X10
65X10, 8

Rope Extensions - X20, 20, 15, 15

BB Curls - BarX35, 25, 20, 20 (100 total)

With all the little injuries, this has become less of a conditioning phase and more of a 2XWeekly-Lifting-Plus-Diet Phase.  The lesson here seems to really be, "if you get an injury that interferes with the plan, don't do the plan minus the stuff you're too injured to do, rather come up with a new plan." Because I really feel like I haven't gotten as much work in the last few weeks of trying to work around injuries with the original plan as I would have if I'd just drafted a whole new plan that incorporated the injuries.

Put the Deadlifting I was supposed to do on Squat day here.  All the reps were fast, and I was really using it as a warm-up for Rowing.

175X8 is a Rep PR on Rows.  Chining also feeling stronger.  203X12 is probably my biggest chin set since sometime last year.

Decided to completely cut out benching for a while as I try to figure out this shoulder issue.  But I'll try to cobble together work on the pressing muscles that don't aggravate it.  So I super-set pull-aparts with band flyes.  I tentatively tried some standing PBN, and almost 24 hours later my shoulder doesn't feel any worse than it did before, which is comforting.  Obviously some triceps extensions as I'm still not going near dips.

Threw in some curls because biceps.

5/3/1 Full-Body: Cycle 3. Week 3. Squat

Friday Training

Band 2-arm biceps curls - 5 sets of 10
super-set with
Band Pull-aparts - 5 sets of 20

Saturday Training

AM Fasted Stready State - 20 minutes

LRB Diet - Day 42

BW - 198

Hypers - 5 sets of 15

Squat -
BarX10
95X8
135, 170X5
195X3
220X6

Pendlay Rows -
BarX15
110X3
150X3
135X15

SL High-Pulls -
135, 145, 155, 165, 165X5

Dips -
BW, BW, +25, +25, +35, +35X5

Not a bad session.  220X6 on squats is a PR with my new, deeper form.  Felt like it, too.  A little worried that all the Pause Squatting is now making regular squatting feel awkward.  That would suck, because pause squatting is what got me comfortable with full depth on regular squats to begin with, but regular squats just feel strange with the quick turnaround at the bottom now.

135X15 is an all-around PR on Pendlays

High-pulls felt a little heavier today with the same weight as last session.  Hitting PR's on the previous 2 movements may have contributed, lol.

Getting re-acclimated to doing dips weighted.  Next session, I should try to bang out 10 reps with 25, and then at least 8 with 35.  If I do that, I should be able to quickly move to just using a full 45 plate for sets of 5.

Skipped abs again because I suck.

5/3/1 Full-Body: Cycle 2. Week 3.Incline Sprints

LRB Diet - Day 24

Incline Sprints - 20 minutes

Band Pull-aparts - 5 sets of 20
superset with
Band Biceps Curls - 5 sets of 20

Got some bad news about an old friend on this day, and just didn't feel the long walk out to the hill for hill-sprints.  Went to a stretch of side-walk that's on a steady incline a couple of blocks away and ran full-out sprints for 20 minutes.  Legs and feet are still sore 2 days later.  Followed up with some band work before I hit the shower.

Weekend Training

Friday:
Jump Squats - bodyweight; 10 sets of 3

Lunges - bodyweight; 10 sets of 3 each leg

Band RDLs - doubled band under feet; 3 sets of 20

Incline Sprints - 30 yards; 20 minutes

Saturday:
Push-up Progression -
BWX10
Doubled-BandX5
"Reverse Grip"X15
Doubled-BandX6
BWX20
super-set with
Band Pull-Aparts - 5 sets; 165 total reps

Band Medley -
Front Raises; Cross-overs, Upright Rows, Reverse Curls AMRAP

Working around my low-back strain (almost healed), and my heavy rehearsal and performance schedule.  I think I'm good to get back in the gym for at least an upper-body dominant session, but I'm not rushing because I need to be 100% when my new show opens in 2 weeks.  So I'm adhering very closely to the shake diet and getting in a lot of light band work and some conditioning to help make sure I don't erase my gains while I'm out of the gym.