Hangar 18: The Journal of Bassist-Dude

[Bassist-Dude]

ME Lower:

Tried out the giant cambered bar today, and quite enjoyed it. The swing at the bottom surprised me, but I got used to it pretty quick.

GCB Box Squats: - box, no pads
45lbs x5
95lbs x5
135lbs x3
185lbs x3
225lbs x1
245lbs x1
255lbs x1
265lbs x1 - I feel like I had more in me, but I rested a bit long on the box on my last rep, so I decided to call it there. Will definitely go heavier next time.

SSB Pause Squats: - 1-2 second pause
80lbs x5
150lbs x5
170lbs x6
180lbs x6
190lbs x6

Sled Drags:
2x20 steps - 2 plates
6x20 steps - 3 plates

GHR: - aiming for rep goal of 35
15 + 10 + 10 + 5 = 40

DB Side Bends:
40lbs 2x12/side

[Bassist-Dude]

ME Upper:

Cool workout today, learned a few things that I've got to plan for and work on, such as changing my arch in the bench (move from lumbar to thoracic arching), working on bar placement when unracking it (left it too far toward the head a couple times, should be brought lower), and keeping the shoulders tucked down and back on chin-ups (they tend to shoot up and forward at the top).
Also did chained board presses for the first time today, which was legit. All my bench assistance work is a good 40-50lbs more than my actual bench comes out as, which is a bit strange. Hopefully I can sort it out and start having my bench numbers shoot up.

Board Press: - 2 chains/side, 2 board
45lbs x20, x15 - normal grip
45lbs x5 - close grip
95lbs x5 - close
135lbs x5 - medium
+ chains and board, normal/wide grip from here out
135lbs x1
155lbs x1
175lbs x1 - +80lbs in chains = 255lbs at the top
195lbs x miss --- lost my groove just slightly at the sticking point, enough for the elbows to cave and send the bar toward my head
195lbs x miss --- stapled after a weird pop/shift sensation in my left shoulder, unracked the bar too high as well

Incline DB Press:
45lbs x6
55lbs 4x8
25lbs 2x20

DB Rows:
55lbs x8
75lbs 3x10 --- form got a bit iffy on the last sets/reps

Assisted Chins:
green band x3
orange band 3x3 --- had trouble keeping the shoulders down, will have to work on this

Tricep Push-Downs: - straight bar, reverse grip
10lbs x25
20lbs x25
30lbs 2x25 + 2x20 band pull-aparts.

[Bassist-Dude]

DE Lower:

Solid workout today, deadlifts in particular are feeling better than they ever have before, which is awesome.

SSB Box Squat: - 3 pads, orange bands
80lbs x5
130lbs x5
+ bands
80lbs x3
130lbs x3
160lbs x1
170lbs 12x2 - 1 minute rest

Deadlifts: - conventional, 1 pad deficit
135lbs x5
185lbs x3
225lbs x2
250lbs 6x1

High Bar Squat:
135lbs x3
185lbs x3
215lbs 3x5

Reverse Hypers + Standing Rope Abs: - super-set
90lbs + 50lbs - 3x12

[Bassist-Dude]

DE Upper:

Left my training log at the gym over the weekend, so this is an older one. Solid workout though, and I remember the speed bench work was starting to feel pretty good toward the last sets.

Bench: - 1 chain/side
45lbs x10/grip
95lbs x5/grip
+chains
45lbs x3/grip
95lbs x3/grip
115lbs 3x3 - close grip
120lbs 3x3 - medium grip
125lbs 3x3 - wide grip

Military Press: - fat bar
70lbs x8
90lbs x8
100lbs 3x8

Assisted Pull-ups:
green band 5x5

Seated Machine Rows:
120lbs 5x12

Band Face-pulls:
red band, 4x12

Hammer Curls + Tricep Push Down:
25lbs / 30lbs - 3x10/15

-----------------------------------------------

ME Upper:

Massive PR today. Skipped last ME Lower day because I had an exam (which are now finally done with!), and have been sleeping much better recently, so the combination of rest and stress relief was brilliant. 95lbs and 135lbs on close grip felt super light, so I decided to see just how far I could go, and ended up with 225lbs for my final set. 15lbs more than my regular bench!

Close Grip Bench: - blue pad
45lbs x20
95lbs x10
135lbs x3
155lbs x1 --- full ROM PR
+ blue pad
175lbs x1
195lbs x1
205lbs x1
215lbs x1
225lbs x1 --- huge PR!

DB Bench: - Pause
45lbs 4x10

Assisted Pull-ups:
green band 5x5

DB Rows: - dead stop on floor
55lbs 3x10/side

Tricep Push-downs + Face-Pulls:
Red band for each
1 x 15/10
3 x 15/15

[Bassist-Dude]

DE Lower:

Started a new cycle with the giant cambered bar for banded box squats and lowered the box a few inches, felt really good, so I'll have to remember this combo for the future. Deadlift singles were a bit slow, so I'm probably gonna back off on them for a little while, they might not work so well with the squats, will take some experimenting to find out.

Box GCB Squats: - small box, orange bands
45lbs x10
95lbs x8
+bands
45lbs x5
95lbs x3
135lbs x3
160lbs 12x2

Deadlifts: - conventional, 1 pad deficit
135lbs x5
185lbs x3
225lbs x2
265lbs 2x1
225lbs 4x1

GHR:
bodyweight, 20+15+10 (45 total, Rep goal was 40)

Pull-Throughs ssw/ Standing Rope Abs:
50lbs x10/12
70lbs/50lbs 4x8/12

[Bassist-Dude]

ME Lower

It's been a while since I've been able to go for ME Lower day, and even longer since I've tested my deadlift, so I figured I'd go for it today and see what happened. As it turns out, I matched my old PR (315lbs) with significantly less effort than I remember it being, and got another 10lbs on top of that! I feel like I had at least another 10lbs in me, but form was starting to get iffy, and I had figured out enough from the two top sets to plan what I'll be working on.

Deadlift: - conventional
135lbs x5
185lbs x3
225lbs x1
255lbs x1
275lbs x1
295lbs x1
315lbs x1
325lbs x1 --- PR!

Squat: - free, low bar
45lbs x10
135lbs x5
185lbs x5
225lbs x5

Glute Bridges: - slight hold at top
bw x8
25lbs x8
45lbs x8
95lbs 3x8

Calf Raises:
100lbs x20
120lbs 3x20

Plank Clusters: - 4x15s with 1-4 second breaks
five sets

Scapular Retractions: - hanging from pull-up bar
bodyweight 2x10

[Bassist-Dude]

ME Upper:

On Monday I gave myself an early Christmas present with a 10lbs deadlift PR, today I gave myself an even better post-Christmas present with a 15lbs bench PR, and finally broke the 2 plate barrier! Felt absolutely fantastic, and totally smoked the rep (as far as PRs go), stoked to keep adding pounds now.

Bench:
45lbs x20
95lbs x5
135lbs x5
165lbs x1
185lbs x1
205lbs x1
225lbs x1
--- dropped weight and did some pause work ---
135lbs x3
155lbs 5x3

Incline DB Bench: - 20* incline, pause
35lbs x10
40lbs 3x10

Kneeling Lat Pull-down:
70lbs x10
90lbs x8
110lbs 5x5 -- had a sticking point on the 5th rep of sets 1-3, couldn't get it more than an inch within touching my chest, this stopped on the 4th and 5th sets.

DB Rows: - dead stop on floor
55lbs 3x10/side

Face-Pulls:
40lbs 4x12

Band Pull-Aparts:
red band, 3x10

[Bassist-Dude]

DE Lower:

Pretty solid workout, kept it on the shorter/easier side of things because I had a band practice right after. Something seems to be up with my right lumbar/SI area when doing stuff that involves a lot of low back or glute work. Will have to get it checked out.

Box GCB Squats: - small box, orange bands
45lbs x10
95lbs x5
135lbs x5
+bands
95lbs x3
135lbs x1
165lbs 12x2

Good Mornings:
45lbs x10
95lbs x8
135lbs 5x5

Farmer's Walks ss/w KB Swings:
2 laps + 10 swings x3
2 24kg KBs + 1 24kg KB

Back Extensions - focusing on glutes
bw x10
20lbs 2x10

------------------------------------------------

DE Upper:

A weird pain in my neck/collar bone area has developed, and it was significant enough to cut benching short and stop any pressing for the day. Will definitely have to get it looked at, because I've just gotten on a roll with my pressing work. On the upside, back work went really well today. I won't include any of the pressing work I did before calling it, because I'll likely be using the same weights again once the issue is resolved.

Kneeling PD:
70lbs x10
90lbs x8
110lbs 5x5

T-Bar Rows:
45lbs x12
95lbs x12
115lbs 3x12, 1x18-20

DB Curls:
17.5lbs/side 3x10

Band Pull Aparts:
5x20 - red band

[Bassist-Dude]

ME Lower:

Best way to finish off the year is with a solid PR, so that's what I went ahead and did! Worked up to one really good rep of 310lbs in the squat variation I used, which was only 5lbs less than my regular squat max, and I feel I could've had another 10lbs or so if I really wanted to push it.
Also found that I use my quads a ton in the very beginning of my deadlift, as I couldn't pull nearly as much after the max effort lift, which definitely fried my quads.

SSB Box Squat: - low box, narrow stance
80lbs x5
130lbs x3
170lbs x3
200lbs x1
240lbs x1
260lbs x1
290lbs x1
300lbs x1
310lbs x1

Deadlift: - conventional
135lbs x6
185lbs x3
225lbs 2x5

GHR: - rep goal of 50
20+15+15

Calf Raises:
100lbs 3x20

[Bassist-Dude]

ME Upper:

Neck problem is still in the way of max effort pressing movements, but oddly enough, it didn't bother me on (very slight) incline DB presses. If worst comes to worst and I can't flat bench for a while, I can work around it using DBs and whatever else I can get away with. It's a bit of a bummer though, cause my pressing strength is feeling really good at the moment.

Swiss Bar Press: - narrow grip
70lbs 3x10/grip
120lbs x3
140lbs x3
160lbs x1

DB Incline Press: - 20*
20lbs x10
45lbs x6
65lbs 2x5
45lbs 5x8 - slight pause at the bottom, controlled eccentric/concentric

Kneeling Lat Pull-down:
70lbs x10
90lbs x8
110lbs 5x5 -- no problems with ROM, time to bump up the weight

DB Rows: - w/ fat gripz
35lbs x10/side
55lbs 3x10/side

Rope Push-Down + Face Pulls:
30lbs / 50lbs - 3x25/12

DB Curls: - seated
17.5lbs/side 3x12

--------------------------------------------------------

DE Lower:

Birthday workout! Turned 20 today, and celebrated by finishing up my current DE squat cycle

GCB Box Squats: - small box, orange bands
45lbs x10
95lbs x5
145lbs x5
+bands
95lbs x3
145lbs x1
175lbs 12x2

Hex Bar Deadlifts: - 1 mat deficit, bottom grip
135lbs x5
185lbs x5
225lbs 3x5

Lying Ham Curls: - squeeze at the top
30lbs x12
50lbs x12
60lbs 2x12

Hip Extensions: - focus on glute contraction
bw x12
+10lbs x10
+17.5lbs x10
+20lbs x10

[Bassist-Dude]

ME Lower:

Trained really late today and was starving (first day back at school + small lunch = bad idea), but I just cranked the tunes and hit a massive 40lbs front box squat pr. Also went heavier and harder with my assistance work, as i've been slacking a little bit too much on my lower body assistance.

Front Box Squat: - 1 pad
45lbs x8
95lbs x3
135lbs x3
185lbs x3
205lbs x1
225lbs x1
245lbs x1
265lbs x1
275lbs x1

Rack Pulls: - 2nd hole
135lbs x5
185lbs x3
225lbs x3
255lbs 3x3

Walking Lunges: - 22.4kg kettlebells, 1/hand
roughly 50lbs 3x6/leg

GHRs:
red band, 2x8 + 1x7

Hanging Leg Raises: - knees bent
2x10

[Bassist-Dude]

ME Upper:

Showed a friend from school around the gym today, and had a pretty sick workout on top of that. Was finally able to bench again, as the pain in my neck seems to have disappeared for the moment (though I'm still going to try and book time with a physio or chiro guy), and I hit 220lbs with the fat-bar, not bad for 2 weeks without any proper barbell bench work!

Fat-bar Bench:
70lbs x10
120lbs x8
160lbs x3
180lbs x1
200lbs x1
220lbs x1
160lbs x11

Incline DB Press: - 20*, pause at the bottom
45lbs x10
50lbs 3x10

Kneeling Pull-Downs:
80lbs x10
100lbs x8
120lbs 5x5

Horizontal Seated Rows:
120lbs 3x20

[Bassist-Dude]

DE Lower:

(forgot to put this in on friday, nothing important to note)

Box Squat: - orange band, 1 mat, straight bar
45lbs x5
135lbs x5
+bands
45lbs x5
95lbs x3
135lbs x3
155lbs x2
175lbs 12x2

Deadlift: - speed pulls, conventional
135lbs x5
185lbs x3
225lbs 6x1

GHR: - rep goal:50
20+20+15 (55)

DB Lunges:
100lbs 2x8/side

Calf Raises:
110lbs 2x20

---------------------------------------------------

DE Upper:

I was able to bench this time around, which is awesome, as my first meet is about 3 weeks away and I'm getting pretty stoked to compete.

Bench: - straight weight
45lbs x10
95lbs x8
135lbs x5
155lbs 8x3

Incline BB Press: - 50*
45lbs x20
95lbs x10
115lbs 3x8
135lbs 1x8

Kneeling PD:
80lbs x10
100lbs x8
120lbs 5x5

T-Bar Row:
45lbs x10
90lbs x10
115lbs x10
125lbs 2x10

DB Flyes/Curls SS:
17.5lbs/20lbs 3x10/12

-----------------------------------------------------

ME Lower:

Followed my instincts after choosing my ME movement for the day, and it totally paid off. Tripled a weight which used to be rather difficult/near max, and definitely would've had more if I hadn't been pulling heavy right before.

Rack Pull: - 2nd hole, old bent rack pull bar
45lbs x5
135lbs x5
225lbs x3
265lbs x1
285lbs x1
305lbs x1
325lbs x1
335lbs x1
345lbs x1
245lbs x10

Squat:
45lbs x10
135lbs x8
185lbs x6
225lbs x3
245lbs x3
265lbs x3
285lbs x3
305lbs x3

Lying Ham Curl + Calf Raise SS:
60lbs/110lbs 4x10/12

Pallof Holds: - red bands
30seconds/side x2

[Bassist-Dude]

ME Upper

First time using the Slingshot today, and it was pretty cool. Took a rep to get used to, but after that it was pretty awesome. I think this'll definitely be a useful tool for me in the future.

Bench: - slingshot
45lbs x20
95lbs x10
135lbs x5
165lbs x3
185lbs x2
205lbs x1
+slingshot
225lbs x1
235lbs x1
245lbs x1
255lbs x1

Pause Bench: - 1-2 second pause
165lbs 5x3

DB Incline Press: - 50*
40lbs/hand 2x20

Chin-ups: - rep goal: 10
3+3+3+1 (10)

Seated Horizontal Row:
100lbs x10
120lbs x10
140lbs 3x10

Push-Down + Cable Curl SS:
30lbs 1x15/15
30lbs 1x15/20

[Bassist-Dude]

Well, I got lazy and haven't added my recent workouts lately, so this post will have quite a few old sessions.

DE Lower:

Box Squat: - low box, 1 mat, orange bands
45lbs x10
135lbs x5
185lbs x3
+bands
95lbs x3
135lbs x3
165lbs x1
185lbs 12x2

Deadlifts:
135lbs x5
185lbs x3
200lbs 6x1

RDL:
135lbs x10
185lbs 3x10

Front Squats: - Low box, 1 mat, paused
45lbs x8
95lbs x8
135lbs 3x8

---------------------------------------------------------------

DE Upper:

Bench:
45lbs x10
95lbs x8
135lbs x5
160lbs 8x3

Incline BB: - 50*
45lbs x10
95lbs x10
115lbs x8
135lbs 3x8

Kneeling PD:
80lbs x10
100lbs x8
120lbs 5x5

T-Bar Rows:
45lbs x12
90lbs x12
115lbs 3x10

Cable Curl + Face-pull SS:
40lbs 3x10/10

--------------------------------------------------

ME Lower:

Deadlift:
135lbs x5
185lbs x3
225lbs x1
260lbs x1
275lbs x1
295lbs x1

Front Squats: - low box
45lbs x10
95lbs x8
135lbs x8
185lbs x5
205lbs 2x3

GHR: - red band
4x8

-------------------------------------------------------------

ME Upper:

Elbows have been bothering me, so I threw on some sleeves and was good to go. Starting to take it easier on training, as my first meet is coming up on the 10th, and I'm getting pretty stoked.

Fat Bar Bench:
70lbs x12
120lbs x10
160lbs x5
185lbs x3
205lbs 3x2

OH Press:
45lbs x10
95lbs x8
115lbs x5
135lbs x5
155lbs x1

Kneeling PD:
80lbs x15
100lbs x8
100lbs x10
120lbs x7
120lbs 2x6

Chest Supported Row:
45lbs x10
70lbs 3x10

Seated Horizontal Row:
140lbs 4x8

Barbell Curls:
45lbs 3x12

[Bassist-Dude]

DE Lower:

Feels pretty cool to be doing speed work with what used to be max or near max weights (when including band tension, anyways). Getting more and more excited to compete and see how much my squat has increased since the last time I maxed properly.

Box Squats: - straight bar, 1 mat, orange bands
45lbs x10
135lbs x5
185lbs x3
+bands
95lbs x3
135lbs x3
175lbs x3
195lbs 12x2

Deadlifts: - conventional
135lbs x5
185lbs x3
195lbs 2x 7 rep clusters, 5-15 sec rest

GHRs:
bw x10
+10lbs 4x8

Pallof Holds:
red bands, 2x30 sec/side

[Bassist-Dude]

DE Upper:

Bench is feeling pretty good right now, which is awesome, as it's never been the smoothest lift for me, despite my favourable leverages.

Bench: - straight weight, pause
45lbs x10
95lbs x8
135lbs x5
155lbs x1
165lbs 8x3 --- Pause 2-3 seconds

Incline BB Press: - 50*
45lbs x10
95lbs x10
135lbs 3x8

Kneeling PD:
80lbs x15
100lbs 5x10

Seated Horizontal Row: - vertical grip
120lbs x6
140lbs x6
150lbs x6
160lbs 2x6

Barbell Curls:
45lbs 4x12

[Bassist-Dude]

ME Lower:

Huge 40lbs box squat PR from this training session, was beyond stoked that I hit it. Gives me lots of thinking to do on what numbers I want to try and reach at the meet, might all depend on how much I can get out of my stretch reflex and how I feel that day.

Video of the PR Squat:



Box Squat: - 1 mat
45lbs x10
135lbs x5
185lbs x3
225lbs x3
255lbs x1
285lbs x1
315lbs x1 --- Old PR
335lbs x1 --- 20lbs PR
345lbs x1 --- 30lbs PR
355lbs x1 --- 40lbs PR!

Good Mornings:
45lbs x10
95lbs x8
145lbs 3x8

DB Split Squats: (weight listed is combined weight between 2 DBs)
bw x8/side
50lbs x6/side
90lbs x7/side

------------------------------------------------------

ME Upper:

Elbows are getting pretty sketchy, particularly the right elbow. I can pull and curl without any problems, but as soon as I start pressing anything, it all goes south. Couldn't even bench the bar without considerable (as in, significant enough not to throw elbow wraps on and ignore) pain. I'm hoping it's just inflammation and will be mostly cleared up by the meet.

Kneeling PD:
50lbs 2x15
80lbs x10
100lbs 3x10
110lbs 2x10

Cable Chest Flyes:
20lbs/side x12
30lbs/side 3x12

Seated Cable Row: - triangle grip
70lbs x15
100lbs x15
130lbs 4x12

T-Bar Rows:
90lbs 4x12

DB RDF:
17.5lbs/side x10
20lbs/side 3x10

BB Curls:
65lbs 5x10