EDITOR’S NOTE: Ever wonder how a world-class coach actually trains? Wonder what it’s like to train as a “mature athlete?” Welcome to the athlete journal of Charles Staley. A big believer in practicing what he preaches, Charles trains and competes just like his clients. Now, every Friday read what Charles has done this week in his workout sessions, and how he feels about it.
Thursday, August 9, 2012, 4:00 PM
This workout was scheduled for yesterday, however I decided to postpone it one day. Was looking to pull 405×10, but it wasn’t quite there today — nonetheless, 7 reps is a PR
Bodyweight: 209.2 lbs
DEADLIFT
Set 1: 135 lbs x 3
Set 2: 135 lbs x 3
Set 3: 135 lbs x 3
Set 4: 225 lbs x 3
Set 5: 275 lbs x 1
Set 6: 315 lbs x 1
Set 7: 360 lbs x 1
Set 8: 405 lbs x 7 (Video below)
Notes: Hamstrings weren’t quite up to the task today, which is unusual.
MILITARY PRESS
Set 1: 45 lbs x 5
Set 2: 95 lbs x 5
Set 3: 115 lbs x 5
Set 4: 115 lbs x 5
Set 5: 115 lbs x 5
Notes: This is a bit of a back-off compared to recent pressing workouts, but I felt the need for a “re-set” on this movement.
CHINS
Set 1: 223.2 lbs x 7
Set 2: 223.2 lbs x 6
Set 3: 223.2 lbs x 6
Set 4: 223.2 lbs x 4
Set 5: 223.2 lbs x 3
Notes: These were done with 14 pounds of external resistance. The goal here is a total of 25 reps any way they can be gotten.
Monday, August 13, 2012, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Bodyweight: 210.8 lbs
SQUAT
Set 1: 45 lbs x 5
Set 2: 95 lbs x 5
Set 3: 135 lbs x 5
Set 4: 185 lbs x 3
Set 5: 225 lbs x 1
Set 6: 250 lbs x 3
Set 7: 290 lbs x 3
Set 8: 325 lbs x 3
Notes: Was hoping for 5 with 325 but I’ll take it. A bit frustrated with the squat lately.
BENCH PRESS
Set 1: 45 lbs x 5
Set 2: 95 lbs x 5
Set 3: 135 lbs x 5
Set 4: 170 lbs x 3
Set 5: 195 lbs x 3
Set 6: 220 lbs x 4
Fairly strong here today
BARBELL HIP THRUST
Set 1: 225 lbs x 10
Wednesday, August 15, 2012, 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM
Bodyweight: 209.4 lbs
POWER CLEAN
Set 1: 65 lbs x 3
Set 2: 65 lbs x 3
Set 3: 95 lbs x 3
Set 4: 115 lbs x 3
Set 5: 135 lbs x 3
Set 6: 155 lbs x 2
Set 7: 175 lbs x 1
Set 8: 195 lbs x 1
Set 9: 215 lbs x 0
Notes: Since I skipped clean and jerks Monday, I decided to at least clean today preceding deads. The 215 miss was due to simply not taking it seriously enough. I opted to move on for fear of the bad mood a second miss might put me in.
DEADLIFT
Set 1: 295 lbs x 5
Set 2: 340 lbs x 5
Set 3: 385 lbs x 5 (Video below)
Notes: The 385 wasn’t too bad – first rep felt great, last rep super tough though.
MILITARY PRESS
Set 1: 45 lbs x 5
Set 2: 95 lbs x 5
Set 3: 115 lbs x 6
Notes: On days when my energy’s not quite there, I often opt to attempt a rep-record with a given weight, rather than my normal sets and reps approach. This allows me to still accomplish something meaningful even though I’m running on limited reserves. The 115×6 here and the 8 reps on chins (below) are both records and an example of this approach.
CHINS
Set 1: 234.4 lbs x 8 (Video below)
