April Mathis Training Log

[April Mathis]

Yeah, thanks. Not training today. Need a few days off. Also don't have anything to drive so I can only get a ride 2 days each week right now. I can take a bus and walk otherwise, but I need a little time off anyways the next week. After that I might. Sunday I will just do a little assistance stuff. My back is still really sore and my knees also from the accident so I'm not gonna squat or deadlift. I wasn't planning to anyways this week.

[April Mathis]

01/16/2012 Deload Week - Assistance Work

Lat Pulldowns behind head
100x10x3sets

Lat Pulldowns wide-grip
150x10
180x10
200x10

High Cable Rows (paused reps)
100x10x3sets

Seated Shrug Machine
225x20x3sets

EZ Bar Curls
70x8
120x8
170x6x2sets
Drop Set: 120x10/ 70x10

Weighted Decline Situps (weight at arms' reach above head)
BW+25x10
BW+35x8x2sets

Light day. I will do a bunch of different assistance stuff on one day later this week. Taking the rest of the week off otherwise.

[April Mathis]

01/19/2012 Deload Week - Assistance Work

Seated Barbell Shoulder Press (starting from shoulders)
barxsome
95x8
135x8
185x8
225x4
245x2

Flat DB Press
40sx50x2sets

Face Pulls
75x15x3sets each side

Rope Triceps Pushdowns
60x15x4sets

R/C- 4sets

First time in a long time doing some shoulder pressing with a bar. It went ok. At least it didn't hurt since I didn't bench this week. That's it till Sunday. Thinking about doing something heavy between 500-600 straight weight for reps on squats.

[GazzyG]

Looking forward to seeing the squats.

How you feeling after the crash now?

[April Mathis]

Looking forward to seeing the squats.

How you feeling after the crash now?

Ok. Needed a week off/light anyways. I'll probably start training now this next week for the meet I want to do in 12 weeks from this Saturday.

[Brian Hopper]

What meet are you doing?

[April Mathis]

What meet are you doing?

I want to do the women's pro-am in Cincinnati being held by Laura Phelps.

[Brian Hopper]

That's cool.

[NickAus]

April, you mentioned you did not really have a spare $15-$20 to spend on petrol to get to your next meet.....

I would really like you to write me up how you built your rows up so heavy and a general program to follow to get my piss poor rows up where they should be.
Any tips included would be great.

Please let me know if you could do that and ill pay you to paypal.

Thank you.

[NickAus]

BTW I have a day dedicated to upper back.

[mastermonster]

April, haven't found lead on a truck yet. Tim said they don't keep and deal their trade ins. Have you found anything yet? I'll keep an ear out if you haven't.

[April Mathis]

April, you mentioned you did not really have a spare $15-$20 to spend on petrol to get to your next meet.....

I would really like you to write me up how you built your rows up so heavy and a general program to follow to get my piss poor rows up where they should be.
Any tips included would be great.

Please let me know if you could do that and ill pay you to paypal.

Thank you.

I was talking about going to train with Buddy. My next meet will cost at least $200 in fuel to go to, lol. That's why I'm not sure if I will be able to go by then, even though I want to. It is in Cincinnati, Ohio. I live in Kennesaw, Georgia. If you look on a map you can see how far that is.

I can do that though. Give me a day or 2.

[April Mathis]

April, haven't found lead on a truck yet. Tim said they don't keep and deal their trade ins. Have you found anything yet? I'll keep an ear out if you haven't.

Yeah I did. I actually put a down payment on a truck yesterday. Although I have to pay it off before I can drive it, which sucks I don't have anything to drive for at least another week.

[NickAus]

Ok great.

[April Mathis]

Ok great.

I actually will finish that for you tomorrow evening. It takes me a while to look back through stuff and everything.

[April Mathis]

01/22/2012 Heavy Squat

Squat
barxsome
145x5
235x3
325x3
415x3 loose belt
505x3
555x3 tighter belt/loose knee wraps
325x10 no belt or wraps

Leg Press (paused reps)
315x15
405x15
495x15

Weighted Decline Situps (weight behind head)
BW+25x8,7,6

Hip Abductors/Adductors
Large mini bandx15x2sets each per side

I was thinking of either doing 5s or going up another 50lbs. for 3s on the squats, but it felt kind of heavy and not great today, so I thought 555 was a good place to stop. I probably should have picked a bit heavier down set because 10 reps was way too easy with 325. This was a good place to start training for the meet though.

[Brian Hopper]

Good start April!!!

[April Mathis]

01/26/2012 Bench

Bench Press
barxsome
135x8
225x5
275x5
315x5
365x3
1-board
385x2 paused
2-board
405x2 paused
3-board
425x2 paused
full-range drop set
315x8/225x6/135x8

Rope Triceps Pushdowns
60x12x3sets

PecDec (paused reps)
90x10
120x10
150x8

Everything felt good. Didn't go super heavy. Could have done another rep or 2 on all the heavy sets, but wanted to get more work in today instead so I wouldn't burn out with 365 or 385 before finishing. The good thing about after a week off of benching my shoulders don't hurt, although I'm sure it won't be the same by next week again.

[Brian Hopper]

Solid bench training!!!

[April Mathis]

Thanks Brian.

01/27/2012 Back/Biceps (light day)

Lat Pulldowns behind head
100x10x4sets

Lat Pulldowns wide-grip
150x10x4sets

Straight-arm Pulldowns
50x10x4sets

DB Concentration Curls
30x10x5sets each arm

Rear Delt Band Pullaparts
Mini bandx20x5sets

Just an easy day. I think I may be training 2-3 days a week for awhile soon. I'm going to have some more work to do if things work out. I'm probably gonna start doing my back work on Tuesday instead. I may lift twice - once in the late morning and once in the evening - on days I do train though.

[NickAus]

Training is looking good April!!

Thank you very much for taking the time to write out the upper back work for me, looking forward to reading up.

My personal email is brownsonnick@yahoo.com.au

Thanks again!!

[April Mathis]

Training is looking good April!!

Thank you very much for taking the time to write out the upper back work for me, looking forward to reading up.

My personal email is brownsonnick@yahoo.com.au

Thanks again!!

I sent you a email.

[April Mathis]

01/29/2012 Light Squat/ Heavy Deadlift

Squat (all sets no belt and deep)
barxsome
145x5
235x5
325x5
375x5x3sets

Deadlift w/Trap Bar
250x3
450x2
540x2 PR loose belt
630xmiss twice
630x1 PR by 20lbs.

Abs on lat pulldown
80x15
100x15
120x15
140x15

Hip Abductors/Adductors
Big mini bandx15x2sets each per side

Side Bends
95x10x3sets each side

Good day. The misses with the trap bar were due to technique. The bar kept pulling me forward on my toes. The last set I moved my grip forward on the bar and my feet forward and that made the difference. Probably still would not have had 5lbs. more than this either way. It was definitely a max rep.

[Brian Hopper]

Nice pulling! How do you like using the trap bar? I've done farmer deads before with Weech and they are similar. They messed my shoulder up a little.

[April Mathis]

Nice pulling! How do you like using the trap bar? I've done farmer deads before with Weech and they are similar. They messed my shoulder up a little.

Thanks. I like it because I can pull more, lol. I would never do them heavy for reps though. Every rep feels like it sucks and unlike a regular deadlift it is hard to start the lift, so it always feels like a slow grinding lift. I've tried a deadlift with some type of farmers implement before and those are extremely easy compared to a trap bar.

Also, you have to use at least one or two 100lbs. plates on each side. Otherwise you will run out of space on the bar. And grabbing the bar close to the front and standing forward of the middle seems to be better at least for me. It made a difference enough to finish the last rep that was otherwise 10-15lbs. off. One of my training partners said it can make a 50lbs. difference for him if he stands and holds it right from the start compared to otherwise. I think because the weight likes to shift too far forward otherwise.