Found my way back...

[BrotherIron]

Well... the governor issued a stay at home order but my gym is staying open and so I'm not missing any training sessions. I'll have shortened sessions due to only getting 40min to train but I'll take it.

WAVE COVID WK4 DAY1
OHP/ DEADLIFT

Z-Press~ bar x many, 95x5, 135x5, 150x5, 150x5, 165x4, f.drop 135x3
Sumo Deadlift off 3" block~ 135x3, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 365x3, 405x5, 405x3, 405x3, 405x5
Hang Side Lat/ Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown~ 35x8/50x10, 35x8/60x10, 40x8/70x8, 40x8/70x8
​

 

[BrotherIron]

Thankfully a friend of mine was working at the gym today so she didn't harrass me to get done quick. I got an hour to train. Since I squatted semi heavy and didn't have my spotter, I made sure to take a full 4min rest between working sets. And I trained alone I broke out an old pair of power pants (which fit correctly when I was 275) and wore them during my squat session. They were snug around the legs but not tight and extremely loose around the midsection which I expected since I'm only 245 now. Still they gave me a bit of support.

I was shocked I was able to bench with a regular bar today (haven't done that in over 16months). I brought my axle home and I didn't want to drag it with me. I did take my 75lbs chain back. I was able to bench with a regular bar with zero shoulder pain which was fan'****ing'tastic. I floss my right elbow before I left for and iI think that helped a bunch. I'll floss it again in a bit.

So overall not a bad day. Tomorrow, I'll pull my speed sled I have a home and Sunday it's speed deads & pause squats.

WAVE Covid WK 4 DAY 2
SQUAT/ BENCH

Squat~ 145x3, 235x3, 285x3, 325x1, 375x1, 415x1, 455x1, 485x1, 515x1, r.band 545x1
CGBP +75lbs chain~ bar+C x many, 95+Cx7, 135+Cx5, 160+Cx5, 180+Cx5, 200+Cx5, 200+Cx5
GHR/ Face Pull~ BWx10/ Red Mini x20,BWx10/ Red Mini x20, BWx10/ Red Mini x20​

 

[BrotherIron]

Only got around 45min today in the gym but I'll be honest... I'm still feeling blessed to be able to hit the gym. Had to warm up outside and I prefer to do that so it doesn't cut into my training time. I lose enough just getting my stuff from the back and setting up.

I decided to have a bit of fun today with my speed work. I broke out the elitefts short orange bands and still threw 1 large chain set to the bar. The total added weight is around 135lbs so you the bar weight + additional weight would give you the total weight lifted. I normally perform speed work with triples but my squat day on Friday took it out of me. That's also why I dropped my last set on pause squats and opted to put in a fatigue drop instead.

WAVE CoVid WK4 DAY3
DEADLIFT/ SQUAT

Speed Deads +orange short band +45lbs chain~ 135+C+Bx2, 225+C+Bx2, 225+C+Bx2, 245+C+Bx2, 245+C+Bx2, 245+C+Bx2, 245+C+Bx2,​

275+C+Bx2, 275+C+Bx2, 275+C+Bx2, 275+C+Bx2, 275+C+Bx2​

Pause Back Squat (3 sec)~ 135x3, 185x3, 225x3, 275x3, 305x3, 335x3, f.drop 305x6​

WideGrip Pulldown/ Incline Biceps Curl~ 100x12/30x8, 120x10/30x8, 130x10/30x8, 130x8​

 

[BrotherIron]

Well FUCK!!!! My gym was closed. It looks like I'm going to train at home for a month until everything opens back up.

 

[BrotherIron]

Backyard training... this week is active recovery. I went light and also worked to see worked and what didn't. I'm hoping the gym will back back open in a month. I will have a training partner for my deadlift day and he's bringing a bar with 2, 45's and 2, 25's so I should have 345lbs bar weight for deadlift and then I have 95lbs chain as well as bands so as long as he shows up I should be good for my deadlift day.

The other person who was supposed to get some things acted like a lil bitch, even though I said I would train with him he can **** off.

WAVE YARD WK SETUP
SQUAT/ BENCH

Landmine Squat~ 45x15, 70x15, 90x15, x15
Landmine Floor Press+Chain~ 25+Cx10, +Cx10, +Cx10
Walking Lunge~ BWx10, x12, x12
Good Morning w/ Band~ x12, x12
Biceps Cur/ Rolling Triceps Ext. w/ Axle~ bar+C x10/ x14, x10/ x14, x10/ x14, x12/ x16​

 

[GRIM]

Damn yeah mine been closed for weeke already. It sucks!

 

[BrotherIron]

Thankfully, my gym will reopen tomorrow so I only really missed a couple weeks. I consider myself lucky. I still have equipment at my work so if they close them back down, I can go and train there.

 

[BrotherIron]

Not bad as days go... still trying movements and seeing if the work or not. This day was mostly movements I normally do and was familiar with. A good way to end active recovery to begin next week going full force.

For inventory I now have: trap bar, 45lbs bar, 25lbs axle, 2 45's, 4 35's, 2 25's plates, 25lbs DB, speed sled, and 100lbs chain & short long bands.

This is what I'll make my training out of for the next however long until my gym reopens. A bonus is a friend who I'll train with happens to have another bar and 2 45's, 2 25's. So that gives me 465lbs bar weight plus the chains plus the bands so my deadlifts should not really get far behind and I'm happy for that.

WAVE YARD WK SET-UP DAY3
DEALIDT/ OHP

Conv. Deadlift~ 135x3, 225x3, 275x10, 325x10
Landmine OHP (1-Arm, Standing)~ 25x10, 50x10, x10
RDL +Chain~ 185+Cx10, +Cx10, +Cx10
Landmine Row~ 50x10, x10, x10
Lateral Raise~ 25x12, x12​

 

[BrotherIron]

Well, the governor has stated in a press conference that ALL gyms can open on Friday and mine will be opening on the 24th a 9am.


I had a program written out that I wanted to switch to but will require more than 30min time to perform. My gym is allowing 24hour access again so time shouldn't be a problem. Because of this I'll be performing another active recovery week since I'm switching layouts.

I was doing this:
DAY1 OHP/ DEADLIFT
DAY2 SQUAT/ BENCH
DAY3 DEADLIFT/ SQUAT

I'm going to change it to this:
DAY1 OHP/ SQUAT
DAY2 DEADLIFT/ BENCH
DAY 3 SQUAT/ OHP

The first wave will be:

WEDNESDAY - OHP/ SQUAT Variation/ Assistance
Z-Press w/ Football bar
Paused Back Squat
Side Lateral/ Rear Delt
Walking Lunge
BentOver Row

FRIDAY - DEADLIFT/ BENCH Variation/ Assistance
Conv. Deadlift
Bench w/ Axle +chain (semi close grip)
Sumo Dead +red mini band
Cable Pull-Through
Biceps Curl/ Triceps Ext.

SUNDAY - SQUAT/ OHP Variation/ Assistance
Back Squat
Machine OHP 1-Arm +red mini
Standing Good Morning/ Squat Combo
GHR
Straight Arm Pulldown/ FacePull

I'll pull my sled 2-3x a week. Slowly I'll be incorporating my SM conditioning back in.

 

[BrotherIron]

Had to train at my job since the gyms don't open till tomorrow. I would have preferred to train on Wed but I had a lab report and worked on my org chem exam..

WAVE1 WK1 DAY1
ACTIVE RECOVERY
OHP/ SQUAT

Landmine OHP 1-Arm (seated)~ bar x many, 25x10, 50x8, 50x8
Landmine Squat~ 45x10, 90x10, 115x10, 115x10
BentOver Row~ 135x12, 135x12
Hanging Side Lat./ Face Pull~ 25x12/ Red min x15, 25x12/ Red min x15​

Standing Leg Curl~ Red mini x15, Red mini x15​

 

[Thor]

Looking good brother, still kicking ass!!!

 

[BrotherIron]

Thanks! I'm trying to get through finals and then I can refocus my attention on my lifting. These 2 weeks have been brutal with papers, lab reports, quizzes, exams, presentations, etc. The professors are acting like I have more free time when in reality I have less. I've had to fire some employees to stay afloat (and keep my job) so more work on my end.

 

[BrotherIron]

Excited to get back in the gym but it would appear quite a few new people have joined which makes it congested. I didn't get to bench b/c I didn't want to wait for the group of 4 to be done so opted for floor presses.

WAVE1 WEEK1 DAY2
ACTIVE RECOVERY
DEADLIFT/ BENCH

Conv. Deadlift~ 135x3, 225x3, 275x10, 325x10
Floor Press~ bar x many, 95x10, 135x10, x10, x10
Sumo Deadlift~ 135x5, 225x5, x5
Landmine Row~ 25x15, 50x12, x12, x12
Biceps Curl/ ReverseGrip Pulldown~ 25x15/ 60x15, 30x12/ 80x15, 30x12/ 80x15​

Easy day of training. Took my Org Chem Lab final. Have my Ecology Lab Final this evening. I ****ing hate online classes but with CoVid, all schools are now online and they're talking about making this way possibly even in the fall. Quick in and out...

WAVE1 WK1 DAY3
SQUAT/ OHP

Squat~ 145x3, 195x3, 235x3, 275x10, 325x10​

OHP Machine (1-arm) +mini band~ 25+Bx10, 45+Bx10, 65+Bx10, 65+Bx10​

Squat/ GM Combo~ 135x5, 135x5, 135x5​

GHR~ BWx8, x8​

Straight Arm Pulldown/ Face Pull~ 70x10/ Mini band x15, 70x10/ Mini band x15​

 

[BrotherIron]

Changed my training layout...

WAVE1 WK3 DAY1
OHP/ SQUAT
Z-Press~ bar x many, 95x7, 115x7, 135x7, 155x6
Box Squat +red mini (speed)~ 140+Bx2, 190+Bx2, 230+Bx2, 260+Bx2, 260+Bx2, 260+Bx2, 260+Bx2, 260+Bx2, 260+Bx2, 260+Bx2, 260+Bx2
Hanging Side Lat (cable)~ 30x8, 40x8, 50x6, 50x6, f.drop 30x10
StraightBar Pulldown/ Rear Delt (cable)~ 90x12/20x12, 100x12/20x12


Happy with how today went. I lifted on an empty stomach... I know.. I know.. not a good idea but the weight wasn't heavy for me. My back felt good which is why I'm happy. I'm working a split shift at my job opening a building in the AM and then coming back in the evening PM. The AM is only 2 hours and I'm not going to keep doing it. This will be the last week for that shit. I picked up a security job at a landmark club in my city which pays well and is a helluva lot of fun. It's a classy spot so all black clothes and dressed up. The clientele is older (late 30's to upper 50's) which means no fights, spending money, and mature individuals.

WAVE1 WK3 DAY2
DEADLIFT/ BENCH
Conv, Deadlift~ 135x3, 225x3, 275x3, 335x3, 385x3, 385x3, 435x4
Speed Bench w/ axle +80lbs chain~ 75+Cx2, 115+Cx2, 145+Cx2, 145+Cx2, 145+Cx2, 145+Cx2, 145+Cx2, 145+Cx2, 145+Cx2, 145+Cx2, 145+Cx2
30 sec rest
RDL +45lbs chain~ 225+Cx5, 295+Cx3, 315+Cx3, 335+Cx3
T-Bar Row~ 45x10, 85x8, 95x8, 105x8, 105x8
Bicep Curl/ Rolling Tri. Ext/ Reverse Grip Pressdown~ 40x10/35x10/50x12, 45x8/35x10/50x12

 

[BrotherIron]

Didn't make it in on Monday due to some bullshit but got in today and I'll get in tomorrow too. I was able to add chain to my z-presses. Didn't notice the chain weight which is what I want but even though I didn't notice it, there was weight added (3/8" chain set).

WAVE2 WEEK1 DAY1
OHP/ SQUAT
Z-Press + 15lbs chain~ bar+C x many, 95+Cx3, 105+Cx3, 105+Cx3, 105+Cx3, 105+Cx3, 105+Cx3, 105+Cx3, 105+Cx3, 105+Cx3
40 sec rest in btw sets.
Paused Squat +105lbs chain~ 145+Cx3, 195+Cx3, 235+Cx3, 275+Cx5, 305+Cx5, 335+Cx5
Front Raise w/ DB~ 35x7, 40x7, 40x7, 35x7/25x7
WideGrip Pulldown/ Face Pull~ 140x8/ 50x10, 140x8/ 50x10, 140x8/ 50x10

 

[BrotherIron]

My ass and hams are on fire right now. Solid training even though I didn't feel like training today. I manned up, sacked up, and hit what I was supposed to. My sumo pulls were slow (was supposed to be speed work) but I did switch out thr red mini for a green monster mini which means... more band tension. I was also fried from the heavy conventional deads. Elbow and shoulder felt good which is why bench went so well.

WAVE2 WEEK1 DAY2
DEADLIFT/ BENCH
Conv. Deadlift~ 135x3, 225x3, 275x1, 315x1, 365x1, 415x1, 455x1, 485x1, r.band 525x1
Bench w/ Axle +70lbs chain~ 75+Cx5, 115+Cx5, 135+Cx5, 155+Cx7, 175+Cx7, 195+Cx7
Sumo Pulls w/ monster mini~ 135+Bx2, 225+Bx2, 275+Bx2, 315+Bx2, 315+Bx2, 315+Bx2, 315+Bx2, 315+Bx2, 315+Bx2
T-Bar Row~ 50x10, 105x8, 115x8, 125x6, 105x10
JM Press/ KB Biceps Curl/ Cable Single Arm Tate Press~ 95x10/ 35x8/ 40x15, 95x10/ 35x8/ 40x15, 95x10/ 35x6/ 30x15

 

[BrotherIron]

Dropped a bunch of weight... put some back on... hit some solid numbers. Ended the year with a 495x4 Conventional Dead, 555 Low bar Squat. Bench is never anything to talk about since my shoulder keeps getting in the way.

 

[TSizemore]

Dropped a bunch of weight... put some back on... hit some solid numbers. Ended the year with a 495x4 Conventional Dead, 555 Low bar Squat. Bench is never anything to talk about since my shoulder keeps getting in the way.

BrotherIronDamn it I hear you on those Shoulder issues! My shoulders are so bad they affect my squat! 🙁

 

[BrotherIron]

Damn it I hear you on those Shoulder issues! My shoulders are so bad they affect my squat! 🙁

TSizemoreIf you have a gym which allows you store equipment, I'd suggest you purchase a SSB (Safety squat bar) OR a buffalo bar. Titan makes both, which are high quality, at an AMAZING price. I utilize both in my training to keep inching my way back to a 600+ squat.

 

[GoPro]

Hell yeah brother!!!

 

[BrotherIron]

Hell yeah brother!!!

GoProThanks!

Something else which is often overlooked in training is chains. You can use chains for speed, balance/ coordination, and overload work.