ME Upper Body

ME Pull-ups
1x3 BW
2x3 10lbs
1x3 20lbs
1x3 25lbs
3x3 35lbs

Supplemental:
2x15 inverted row (BW)

Superset:
3x8 2x50lbs DB bench
3x8 2x30lbs DB overhead press

Elbow flexion:
3x8 2x30lbs DB curls
---

Skipped traps since they felt like they got a decent enough workout yesterday with the RDLs. I've been feeling pretty crappy all week. Like.. weak, all week. I know that my body hasn't been recovering too well from the pull-ups, so this should be interesting. If my lats weren't sore, I maybe could've gone up to 45.. This much pulling is going to be baaad. Good thing I'm not trying to increase the weight this cycle.

DE Lower Body + Parkour

Lower body warm-up

Power cleans:
1x8 empty bar (hang cleans)
2x3 65lbs
2x3 95lbs
8x3 115lbs

Unilateral:
3x8 2x40lbs BSS

Posterior chain:
3x8 185lbs RDLs
---

The Parkour session was good. The newbs have potential. They just need to condition a bit more and get an awareness of their own bodies. So it'll be nice to see when they get around to that point. I still feel a bit sluggish, slow, and sloppy but it may be due to my soreness overall. I'm also probably still getting used to digesting carbs again.. but I ate too much today. Tomorrow will have to be scaled back a bit.

DE Upper Body/Energy Systems Development

Clapping pull-ups:
3x3 BW (no-clap)
8x3 BW (with clap)

Push-Pull Superset:
3x8 115lbs Bench press
3x8 120lbs Seated cable row

Deltoid Triad Tripleset:
3x8 2x15lbs YTWs

Elbow Flexion:
3x8 30lbs Hammer curls

Grip:
85lbs Suitcase DL iso-holds for max time, each hand, left hand twice
---

ESD - Pyramid Complex A - 85lbs BB for all

1 upright row
2 hang clean
3 Zercher squat
4 rack pull
5 Back squat

5 upright row
4 hang clean
3 Zercher
2 rack pull
1 Back squat
---

I thought to start using complexes after learning about them, understanding their usefulness as an ESD thing with the high-intensity, and also realising that it can be used to condition not only the energy system aerobically, but anaerobically. As stated previously, my muscular stamina is pretty much craptastic. I found it a good way to add volume to my workout as a finisher since I'm often left with this feeling of wanting to do more, but the loading is light enough that it's not really overkill. All the same, since there's no rest, it taxes you quite a bit. Okay... I rested a little. No lie there. And I chose a lighter volume method this week.. If I ever feel up to it, I might try 8s all the way through. ...Maybe 5s first.

ME Lower Body

Lower body warm-up

ME Box squats (1" above parallel):
1x10 empty bar
1x5 135lbs
1x5 185lbs
1x5 225lbs
1x5 255lbs
1x5 265lbs
1x5 275lbs
3x5 285lbs

Unilateral:
3x6 135lbs bulgarian split-squats, each leg

Posterior chain:
3x8 GHR

Weighted abs

ME Upper Body

ME Incline Bench:
1x8 empty bar
1x8 65lbs
1x5 95lbs
1x5 115lbs
1x5 135lbs
3x5 145lbs

Supplemental:
3x8 2x35lbs JM press

Superset:
3x10 90lbs T-bar row
3x10 22.5lbs cable scarecrows

Traps:
3x10 185lbs BTB shrugs

Elbow fexion:
3x8 50lbs strict curls

Weighted abs

Speed Day, Lower Body+Parkour

Lower body warm-up

Explosive squats w/mini-bands:
1x8 empty bar
2x3 95lbs
2x3 135lbs
6x3 155lbs
6x3 175lbs

Unilateral:
3x10 135lbs Split-squats w/mini-bands

Posterior chain:
3x8 165lbs Rack pulls
---

I didn't really go up in weight other than the squats because I had the bands double-choked on a lower part of the rack, so I didn't know how much extra tension was there, but it was enough. Not much to report here.

The Parkour session was okay. I was in a pretty sour mood the whole time, so I may or may not have insulted trevor and SJ a few times throughout the evening. In addition to this, there wasn't a whole lot of training going on. Just a few one-off things here and there.. precisely the kind of thing I like to avoid, but meh. I was lazy today, it was rainy, and the longer runs didn't really catch on too well.

DE Upper Body/Energy Systems Development

Upper body warm-up

Ballistic bench press:
1x8 empty bar (not ballistic)
2x3 95lbs
3x3 115lbs
6x3 125lbs (with rest-pause)
6x3 125lbs (without rest-pause)

Push-pull Superset:
3x10 dips
1x10 pull-ups
1x8 pull-ups
1x6 pull-ups

Deltoid Triad (2x22.5lbs all):
3x8 rear delt flies
3x8 lateral raises
3x8 front raises

Elbow flexion:
3x8 50lbs Strict curl
---

ESD:
10:00 HIIT on stationary bike

ME Lower Body

Lower body warm-up

ME Deadlifts:
1x5 135lbs
1x3 185lbs
1x3 225lbs
1x1 275lbs
1x1 295lbs (false-grip started here)
1x1 305lbs
5x1 325lbs

Unilateral:
3x10 165lbs reverse lunges, each leg

Posterior chain:
1x1 195lbs Good morning
1x5 185lbs Good morning
1x7 165lbs Good morning

Weighted abs:
2x4 115lbs Suitcase DLs, each side
2x4 T-bar+90lbs Landmine rotations
---

Okay, I didn't check the accessory loads that I did last week, so for some reason, I thought I had done 185lbs for each. I "deloaded" to 165 for the reverse lunges and did sets of 10. This was relatively easy and I had no clue this was a full 30lbs heavier than last time, not to mention with two extra reps. Props to me? But the Good mornings... LoL. Okay, that was really stupid. My abs were completely fried during these and I kept going down in weight and up in reps, but I was pretty dead by the third set. So utter failure there. And since my abs were fried, the weighted abs didn't really do much for me and I had to make it quite short.

HOWEVER... I'm super happy about pulling 325 today. The grip training this microcycle has helped out immensely, and adding in the inclusion of using the false grip has led to a completely unprecedented PR. Twenty pounds over three weeks, and if I include what my PR was at the end of the last deadlift microcycle, then that's actually a forty pound increase. My technique has cleaned up so much that I'm super confident with this lift, now. I know I'll forget all about it, though, by the time the next DL micro comes around. However, 325lbs at 153lbs is quite a bit over twice my bodyweight. I think I'm well on my way and should be able to get 385/400 by the time I go to my first meet.

ME Upper Body

Upper body warm-up

ME incline bench:
1x8 95lbs
1x5 115lbs
1x5 125lbs
3x5 135lbs

Supplemental:
3x8 2x35lbs JM press

Superset:
3x10 90lbs+T-bar T-bar row
3x8 2x22.5lbs cable pulley scarecrows

Traps:
3x10 185lbs behind-the-back BB shrugs

Grip:
3xmax time 115lbs suitcase deadlift iso-holds, each hand (left hand twice each set)

DE Lower Body + Parkour

Explosive Squats w/ mini-bands:
1x6 empty bar
1x3 135lbs
6x3 155lbs
6x3 165lbs

Unilateral:
3x10 135lbs w/ mini-bands split-squats, each leg

Posterior chain:
3x8 155lbs rack pull
---

The evening started off the first of the McMaster Thursday night sessions. Only Trevor and I showed up! Honestly, this was pretty expected. After a warm-up (basically the same warm-up from the George Mason Thursday meets), I showed Trevor at CNH a single-rail "combo" I had been thinking about. After a few hiccups, both of us got it down pretty well and then struggled to think of something to add. It's just four movements: lazy vault, then a tucked vault back to the starting side, monkey-plant the rail, then hop over/drop, and reverse vault. It's relatively simple, but complex enough to be a struggle for newcomers. The nice thing about it is that it requires a good amount of control over the body and allows me much needed balance practice.

The next thing we did was a longer run at CNH involving actual run time in-between "techniques." While nothing was particularly dense, the transitional stuff was still sloppy for the both of us the first few times. It cleaned up, we added a second half to it, and we ended up with a decent run that takes a bit out of your cardio. Two hours somehow whizzed by, we finished up doing some precisions on the rock garden thing and called it a day.

Overall, it's nice to just be able to work technique again, as well as have the ability to combine speed work and bodily control into this "sport-specific" practice. With all the S&C lately, doing this even just once a week will keep me from slowing down or "losing" anything in the process.

DE Upper Body/Energy Systems Development

Upper body warm-up

Ballistic Bench Press:
1x10 empty bar (non-ballistic warm-up)
2x3 95lbs
6x3 115lbs
6x3 125lbs

Push/Pull Superset:
3x8 dips
3x8 pull-ups*

Deltoid Triad (2x20lbs all)
3x10 rear delt flies
3x10 lateral raises
3x10 front raises

Elbow flexion:
3x8 45lb Strict curl**

Core stability:
3x4 T-bar+45lbs Landmine rotations
2x6 95lbs Suitcase deadlifts

9:00 HIIT bike
---

Pull-ups, last set failed at 5. I didn't up the weight on the Strict curls because last time I did it, I had to cheat the last two reps of each set. This time was much better, but I cheated the last rep. The core stability addition is pretty much awesome and my obliques are pretty fried right now. As far as ESD goes, the HIIT was pretty killer since it's been so long. I also REALLY pushed the "on" intervals more than I ever have before, so that also went into it. Ran out of fire before the last minute. This'll be a slow and gradual thing to get back to my former endurance.

ME Lower Body

Lower body warm-up

ME Deadlifts:
1x5 135lbs
1x4 185lbs
1x3 225lbs
1x1 245lbs
1x1 275lbs
1x1 295lbs
2x1 315lbs*
3x1 275lbs

Grip:
2x15secs 225lbs isometric deadlift holds

Unilateral:
3x8 135lbs reverse lunges, each leg

Posterior chain:
3x8 135lbs good mornings
---

For that beautiful max of 315 (twice! third attempt, grip failed), I had to false grip the bar. I don't think that's illegal, but I'll work on getting my grip strength up to not have to false-grip my max attempts. The iso holds were a tip I got from some guys on the forums of the 100% Raw Powerlifting Federation, the goal being a full 30seconds. Reverse lunges were easy today. Good mornings got a bit tough at the end there.