Andy Workout Journal

[andyhandel69]

hey guys i thought i would start a log here. I am from Australia and am 23 years old. Im 5"9 and around 220 lbs. My goal is to get the Australian raw bench press record soon. Best raw bench to date is 380lbs which was a few months ago. Am planning to hit 400lbs in training in a few weeks.

I workout 3 times a week with one day being bench day, another being bench assistance and the third being squat and deadlift and abs... will post last few workouts later...

[andyhandel69]

Last Squat/ DL day

1)Pin Pulls from below the knee
Bar x 10
117 x 5
205 x 5
271 x 3
359 x 3
469 x 8

2) Parallel Box Squat
Bar x 10
117 x 5
205 x 5
271 x 3
315 x 3
375 x 10

3) pullups wide grip (like low reps for these otherwise i fatigue too fast)
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5

4) Bit of abs at the end
Ball crunch 2 sets of 20
Leg Raises 2 sets of 10

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Last Bench Day - all raw

1) Floor Press
Bar x 20
117 x 10
161 x 5
205 x 5
249 x 5
331 x 7

2) 3 board - (first time in months - just wanted to get a feel for it again)
352 x 1
372 x 1
419 x 1

3) Bradford Press
128 x 10
128 x 10

4) Light Incline dbell press
cant remember the weight, wasnt anything worth mentioning... 4 sets of 10...

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10th August - Bench Assistance

1) Dips
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10

2) Inverted Rows with feet on box (so at top of row body is parallel to ground)
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10

3)side laterals
25lbs x 20
25lbs x 20
25lbs x 20
25lbs x 20

4) band pullaparts
medium band x 20
medium band x 20
medium band x 20
medium band x 20

5) Light Barbell Curls
75lbs x 10
75lbs x 10
75lbs x 10
75lbs x 10

6) Band Tricep pushdowns with towel
medium band x 20
medium band x 20
medium band x 20
medium band x 20

[andyhandel69]

squat/ deadlift day 2moro..........

[andyhandel69]

Squat / Deadlift day

Deadlift
Bar x 10
117 x 5
205 x 5
271 x 2
359 x 1
447 x 1 (89% of max)... just wanted to see how fast it would be... wasnt too bad

Box Squat to Parallel box
Bar x 10
117 x 5
205 x 5
271 x 2
359 x 1
403 x 1
491 x 0(98% of max)........ had some trouble with the walk out... never got feet in the right position
491 x 1 PR

Pull ups (wide grip)
BW x 6
BW x 6
BW x 6
BW x 5
BW x 5

Decline abs
3 easy sets of 10

Workout went ok...... Deadlift at 90% wasnt too bad... wanted it a little faster... and for the squat the second attempt at 491 came up pretty easy its just i didnt sit right down onto the box as i would of liked... bench day coming up next...

[andyhandel69]

Bench Day

1) Floor Press
Bar x 20
117 x 10
161 x 5
205 x 5
293 x 15 PR

2) Bench Press (with Mark Bells Sling Shot - first time trying it)
117 x 5
220 x 38 (.. had a few more reps in the tank but the last few kept hitting the rack so i stopped after 38).... Also i think my best reps with 220 (no sling shot) is around 30 so it was great to get some extra reps...

3) Bradford Press
128 x 20
128 x 16

4) Dumbell Bench
ended up skipping these as i was just dead by this point... had jacked pre workout and really didnt drink any water with it which ended up making me feel like puking...so called it a day after the bradford presses... overall workout went ok...

[andyhandel69]

Quick bench assistance workout as didn't have much time

Sling shot bench (speed Bench)
Up to top set of 230x30


Dumbells row no straps
I think 95s x 2 sets of 10

Side laterals
25s x 2 sets of 20

Pullaparts lying down
2 sets of 20

Dumbells curls
25s x 2 sets of 20

Bench dips
Bw x 2 sets 20

Quick workout today. Everything very light just wanted to get some work in..

[andyhandel69]

Squat and Deadlift Day

short for time again... so only had time for doing the main lifts...

Deadlift
Bar x 10
117 x 5
205 x 5
271 x 2
359 x 1
458 x 1 (92% of max)... again wasnt too bad... was nice and smooth.. will try for around 95% next week just to see where things are, then go back to reps after that...

Box Squat 15inch box
Bar x 10
117 x 5
205 x 5
271 x 2
359 x 1
403 x 1
502 x 1(99% of max)... felt good.. PR

That it for today... didnt do any assistance work... next workout is bench day...

[andyhandel69]

Bench Day

Floor Press
Bar x 20
117 x 10
161 x 5
205 x 5
249 x 5
315 x 10 PR... (could of got 11 but just didnt go for it today..)

Bench Press high rep set
warmup 117 x 10
working set 205 x 30

Standing Bradford Press
133 x 20
133 x 16

Dbell floor press (palms in/ elbows in/ paused) - first time doing these! they were hard!
95s x 7
95s x 7
95s x 7

[andyhandel69]

Bench Assistance... pushed the pace with this one.. done in 40-45 mins.. weights are light but rests are pretty short

Superset 1 - Floor JM's and Dbell rows

Floor JMs paused
bar x 20
117 x 8
117 x 8
117 x 8
117 x 8

Dbell row
95s x 10
95s x 10
95s x 10
95s x 10

Superset 2 - side laterals and band pullaparts

Side laterals
27.5s x 22
27.5s x 22
27.5s x 20
27.5s x 20

Band pullaparts lying down
Med band x 22
Med band x 22
Med band x 22
Med band x 22

Superset 3 - Dbell curls and band towel pushdowns

Dbell curls
27.5s x 10
33s x 10
38.5s x 10
44s x 10

Band pushdowns with towel (to make like rope pushdowns)
Med Band x 20
Med Band x 20
Med Band x 20
Med Band x 20

[Coke]

My goal is to get the Australian raw bench press record soon.

No doubt you will do just that, good luck Andy...real nice efforts in here.

[andyhandel69]

thanks! should have the record by the end of the year. I know it doesnt come close to the record over in America but its still something!

[andyhandel69]

Squat and Deadlift Day

Deadlift
Bar x 10
117 x 5
205 x 5
271 x 2
315 x 2
359 x 1
403 x 1
469 x 1 (94% of max)... starting to feel pretty heavy.. but was still nice & smooth..wouldnt say it was fast though

Speed Squats - Reverse Band and 15 inch box
117 x 5
205 x 5
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3... all very easy

Wide Grip Pullups
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5

ABS
crunches on the ball 2 sets of 15
decline abs 2 sets 15

Done...

[andyhandel69]

Bench Day

Floor Press
Bar x 20
117 x 10
161 x 5
205 x 5
249 x 5
315 x 1
359 x 1 (...worked up to light single... was very easy which is good... will be going for 405 in a few weeks)

Bench Press.. first time in ages.. so was a learning day... technique was off.. will have to get it back over next few weeks.. kept hitting the racks etc... next time will be better
117 x 5
205 x 5
293x 12/13........ the 13th one got stuck under the rack n needed help getting it on.. i think i would of got the rep out on my own if it didnt get stuck.. overall set was bad.. no leg drive etc..

Sling Shot speed bench
293 x 3
293 x 3
293 x 3
293 x 3

Standing Behind Neck Press (strict).. first time with these.. pretty hard
139 x 3
139 x 3
117 x 12

Overall wasnt that happy with the workout... oh well

[andyhandel69]

gonna be missing my bench workout on sunday because of fathers day stuff so im going to do a bit of RE bench today to start my assistance workout just to get a bit of extra benching in...

[andyhandel69]

Bench Assistance

Bench Press for reps (did this today cos im missing bench day this weekend)
bar x 20
117 x 10
161 x 5
205 x 5
293 x 14 (had no spotter so left 2 or so in the tank)... much better then a few days ago.. tried a new technique which kept the pressure on the traps much better.. also used stickum which definately helped as i have a problem with sliding off the traps halfway through a set

Bodyweight rows no straps
x 10
x 10
x 10
x 10
x 10

Light upright rows very wide grip
95 x 12
95 x 12
95 x 12
95 x 12

Superset with band pullaparts lying down
25
25
25
25

JM Press on the floor very strict with pause at bottom of each rep
117 x 12
117 x 12
117 x 12
117 x 12

Superset with Barbell curls
117 x 5
117 x 5
117 x 5
73 x 15

Done... good workout... like to keep assistance day generally pretty light with higher reps and volume and strict form and really work each muscle..

[andyhandel69]

Also thought i might add i have just moved my bench grip out a few inches.. i realised my grip wasnt very wide and in powerlifting i dont want to push the bar further then i have to! the lockout seems a bit easier with the new grip which is good because thats where it usually slows down...

[andyhandel69]

Squat/ Deadlift

wasnt really feeling like working out today but did it anyway cos usually once i get started im fine, well today never really got into it at all so didnt go for it on the squat

Box Squat 15 inch box
Bar x 10
117 x 5
205 x 5
271 x 3
315 x 3
381 x 9... NO PR... could of got one but didnt go for it... i think i could of got 11 but for some reason stopped at 9

Speed Deadlift doubles (did sumo today - feels much harder then conventional for me)
117 x 2
205 x 2
271 x 2
315 x 2
359 x 2.. stopped here as speed sucked on this one.. (im not very good at sumo but did it for a change)

Pullups underhand grip (like keepin reps lower but doing more sets)
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5

Abs
crunches on the ball 2 sets of 10
decline situps 2 sets of 10

Done... wasnt very motivated today... i usually do this workout with someone but today was on my own... im usually fine on my own but not today..

[chaddukes]

Welcome. That's a pretty impressive raw bench. Are you following something like 5/3/1?

[andyhandel69]

Welcome. That's a pretty impressive raw bench. Are you following something like 5/3/1?

Thanks. I am using my own variation of 5/3/1 i just do it a bit differently based on how i feel that day. Instead of having a 5,3,1 and then deload week i just pick a weight for the week to work up to, see how many reps i need to move my estimated max up and go for it... Then the next week ill pick a different weight and do the same... So the goal each week is just to move my estimated max up slightly. Its worked great so far this year. Bench max is up 60-70 lbs so far

[andyhandel69]

[andyhandel69]

Bench Assistance

Dips
BW x 15
BW x 15
BW x 15
BW x 15

BW Rows in power rack
BW x 10
BW x 12
BW x 14
BW x 16

Superset 1 - Dumbell upright row
55s x 10
55s x 10
55s x 10
55s x 10

With - band pullaparts lying down
x 30
x 30
x 30
x 30

Superset 2 - EZ barbell curls
Plate per side x 8,8,8
Half plate per side x 20

With - Band pushdowns (medium band)
x 25
x 25
x 25
x 25

[andyhandel69]

Squat and Deadlift Day

**kept volume lower today as want to be fresh for my next workout....

Box Squat 15 inch box
Bar x 10
117 x 5
205 x 5
271 x 2
315 x 2
381 x 10

Speed Deadlift triples
117 x 3
205 x 3
271 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3

Pullups underhand grip
BW x 15

Abs - crunches on the swiss ball 3 sets of 10

cardio - well not really cardio but went on the treadmill for 5 mins to warm down...

Done... next up will be floor pressing 400 raw on the weekend..

[andyhandel69]

Bench Day

Floor Press
bar x 10
117 x 10
161 x 5
205 x 5
293 x 1
315 x 1
340 x 1
359 x 1
399 x 1 (converting from kg.. thats why its such a wierd number).. PR... was easy also.. would guess i have 20 more lbs in me

Sling Shot bench
293 x 3
315 x 3
359 x 3 (left plenty in the tank.. was doing this more for speed work)

High Incline bench
161 x 5 warm up
227 x 9... left a few in the tank.. was sliding down the bench and had to rack it early otherwise i would of ended up to low to re rack!

Light dumbell shoulder press.. wanted to take it easy but still get some work in
55s x 10
55s x 10
55s x 10

Was happy with how easy 399 was on floor press so took rest of the workout a little easier..

[andyhandel69]

taking almost a week off... start new cycle on sunday

[andyhandel69]

here is a video of me benching 400lbs raw.. was my first try at it so ill take it... bodyweight was 220lbs that day...

i know my form could be cleaner but that will come with practice..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N93ab4WM3X8