LRB 365: LRB Split. Week 2. Squat - Light

BW - 194

Front Squats -
BarX10
85X5
95X5
105X5
115X4
125X3, 3
135X8 (Rep PR)

Leg Extensions - X33, 30, 25, 24

Lunges - BWX24, 22, 22, 22

Adductor Machine - X27, 20, 24, 20

135X8 is a Rep PR on Fronts, projects to a new 1RM, and I left reps in the tank.  The program calls for 5, 4, 3, 3, 3 to a top triple.  What I wanted to do for the cycle is hit a 3 Rep PR that also projects an increased 1RM on the last session.  Initially, I determined what that set would need to be (155X3), and programmed back to work up to it.  However, since this is more of a body-building day, I decided to hit the last set for reps, 531 style, and ended up with an all-around PR.  I'm going to keep the same weights that I've programmed, but keep going for rep maxes if I feel good like I did today. 

I kept the same weight as last time for extensions, and just got more reps.  I might up the weight slightly next time.

Adductor machine was occupied, so I did lunges next.  I played around with  my form to try to shift the emphasis from where it had been (my glutes) to my quads.  I kept my upright posture, but stepped out just far enough that my heel could stay on the ground at the bottom of the lunge.  This seemed to work well, and we'll see if I have any glute soreness again.

Jumped on the adductor machine after this and upped the weight from last time.  Had to drop it back down after the 2nd set, though.  Want to make sure I'm getting quality reps.

I programmed for sit-ups this day, but I was way short of time and had to bolt.  Same old story.

LRB 365: LRB Split. Week 2. Press - Light

BW - 196

DB Press - 20sX25, 20, 17

Incline -
85X10 (fuck)
65X18, 15

Rear-delt flyes - 15sX26, 23, 18, 16, 15

Bench Dips - BWX30, 20, 16, 15, 13

My best friend was in town this weekend, and this training session paid the price of the late nights and partying.

DB Presses were fine, but I was sweating like crazy after the first set.

Incline was real crap-tastic.  I've done 125 for 10 once before, and 105 for 10 on several occasions.  This 85 was supposed to be shooting for 20, so that sucked.  To be fair, my shoulders were pre-exhausted from the DBs and this particular bench is steeper than most.  But still.  Crappy.

Delt flyes happened.

Bench dips were supposed to be on the heavy pressing day, but it wasn't convenient to do them at my away gym during that session.  I will just try to get them on one session or another.  I think 30 is probably a PR.

LRB 365: LRB Split. Week 1. Back - Light

BW - 195

RDL -
95X10
135X8
185X6
205X5, 5, 8

Pull-downs - X25, 20, 20, 20, 20 (to a top set)

BW Hypers - 4 sets of 15

Machine Curls - X25, 25, 25 (to a top set)

Hanging Leg Raises - BWX5, 6, 7, 6, 5

205X8 is a Rep PR on RDLs.  Gonna push the weight and the reps on these.  Looking for a 5 rep PR by the end of the cycle.

With pull-downs I focused on holding each rep at my chest for a beat on the early sets, and making sure the bar touched my chest on the top sets.

Hypers were really burning.  Trying to keep my glutes relaxed, and keep as much of the tension on my erectors as I can.

Gonna use the biceps machine on the light back day for the cycle.  Just to see.

I'm adding ab work to two of the light days on this cycle.  I have to get in the habit of keeping that as an integral part of my programming if I want to get stronger there.  On these leg raises, I brought my feet to the bar on every rep, and tried to resist the descent.

LRB 365: LRB Split. Week 1. Squat - Heavy

BW - 193

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
155X4
185X3
195X2
205X1
215X1
225X1

Front Squat -
85X10
95X10
105X10
115X10

Machine Leg Press - X10, 10, 10, 14 (to a Top Set)

Alternating Lunges - BWX30, 26, 24, 22

I'd been looking forward to the first leg day of this split for a few weeks now, and I'm not disappointed.

Squats are all strong.  The way I programmed the Strong-15 for this cycle was to hit the same top single, 245, at the end, that I've been hitting occasionally on the last two cycles.  I want to feel like I own 245 so that when 255 and 265 come along, weights I've shakily done before, I will feel more confident than ever with them.  My thought right now is to hit 275 again at the end of the upcoming strength cycle.  That would be 10 lbs. more than what I hit at the beginning of this program, and match my all time 1 Rep attempt.  Would love to smoke that.  It will all depend on how I'm feeling at the end of this cycle, but I won't program any higher than that.

115X10 on Fronts is a Rep PR.  Having trouble keeping the bar from rolling forward on the heaviest sets.

Regular leg press was mucho ocupado, so I had to settle for the machine leg press.  Whatever, it's all body-building.

Lunges were pretty brutal after all of the above.  I rest/paused sets 2-4.  I really feel my glutes today, and I think that's because of the way I do lunges.  Keeping an upright torso and shin i.e. not leaning forward or allowing my knee to travel forward very much.  Something about that must shift to my glutes, because they're often sore the day after higher-rep lunges.

LRB 365: LRB Split. Week 1. Press - Heavy

BW - 197

Press -
BarX10
65X5
85X5
95X5, 5
105X5

Bench -
95X5
105X4
125X3
135X2, 2
145X1
155X1

Upright Rows - 85X10, 10, 10, 10, 10

V-Bar Pushdowns - X35, 30, 18, 15, 12

Forgot shorts, and had to work out in jeans.  The confusion caused me to forget my mobility and stretching warm-ups until I was half-way through my Press sets.  Ha.

Press felt good.  My goal for this cycle is 125X5, or 10 more pounds a week.  That would be a PR.  Could be ambitious, but since Bench isn't getting pushed as hard, gotta shoot for assistance PRs.

Bench was fine.  155 is well below my Every Day Max, so I focused on getting tight and moving it fast.

Upright Rows were solid.  If I can hit either 105 for multiple sets of 10, or for more than 10 reps in one set by the end of the cycle, that will be a PR.  Again, that's adding 10 lbs. a week.

I want to do bench dips for my triceps assistance on this day, but there wasn't a good/free spot in the gym to set up for these, so I opted for push-downs.  However, I almost exclusively do rope push-downs, so I thought I would switch that up anyway.  Will the grip matter?  Will I be able to do bench dips next time?  Will I vacillate uncertainly between different movements every week?  Who cares.  It's triceps assistance.  Just get some work in.

LRB 365: Off-Week Training. Back

BW - 190

GMs -
BarX8
95X8
115X8
135X8, 8

 Wide-grip pulldowns - X20, 20, 16 (to a top set)

Hypers - BWX18, 16

Machine Curls - X28, 11/5 (to a top, drop-set)

Hanging Leg-Raises - 5X5

Good-Mornings are a new movement to me.  Felt it in my back yesterday, but feel it in my hamstrings today.  Interesting.

LRB 365: Off-Week Training. Legs

BW - 193

Front Squat -
BarX10
65X8
95X5
105X4
115X3
125X3, 3

Leg Press -
2ppsX10
2.5ppsX10
3ppsX10

Leg Extensions - X26, 20, 20

Adductor Machine - X34, 26, 25

Continuing to get back in the saddle with some movements I haven't done in awhile, or am unfamiliar with.  Front Squats were fine, even strong feeling through a smooth ROM.  The top 2-3 weights felt like work weight, but the the top triples were still smooth as could be.

I checked my logs, and I haven't done a leg press since April 2011, and it looks like I did it a grand total of 7 times.  Actually, now that I think back, I don't think that was a proper leg press, but rather one of those machines where you sit in the slidy chair and push away from the pad.  Whatever.  Worked up to 3 plates per side.  I'll probably stick with that as goal weight again for the 1st week of the upcoming LRB Split, and then look to move on from there.

I don't even have a log of having done a leg extension.  I know I did them some in high-school, and again in my mid-20s.  I just picked a weight and went for max reps on each set.

Definitely never done the Adductor machine before.  Nothing really to note about it.