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Fitness

Great Workouts Don’t Make Good Reality TV (Athlete Journal 105)

The most remarkable thing about my workouts lately is that they’re not at all remarkable.

Written by Charles Staley Last updated on August 29, 2014

As I was pondering what to comment about my training journal entry this week, it suddenly struck me that the most remarkable thing about my workouts lately is that they’re not remarkable.

And that’s how good training should be after all. In fact, everyday success is typically drama-free, which is why real life usually doesn’t make for good TV viewing. Think about something for a moment – what is drama, anyway?

Well, without out looking up the dictionary definition, it seems to me that drama is characterized by excesses and extremes, often in both directions. So if you apply that to training, you’d have frequent huge personal records (PRs) and also frequent disastrous misses, injuries, and so on.

Smart and effective training, on the other hand, is about small, incremental successes that build upon each other over prolonged periods of time. If you’re training properly, there will be few surprises, positive or negative. If you’re training improperly, you’ll have lots of surprises – some positive, but many more negative.

This Week’s Training

So with those thoughts as a backdrop, guess what? Nothing dramatic to report this week. On the high end, I pulled 4×3 with 425lb, benched 3×8 with 95lb dumbbells, and did some back extensions with 160lb. On the low end, I did a tough 350lb squat, which I was a bit disappointed with. But aside from that, I’m just pushing forward week by week, putting in my time, and taking care to stay as safe as possible along the way.

As always, I appreciate your comments and questions. Thanks, and embrace the grind!

Weekly Training Volume: 48,739 lbs (Last Week’s Volume: 47,093 Pounds)

Significant Lifts:

Deadlift 425 (4×3)

Monday, August 18, 2014, 8:00 PM

Bodyweight: 204.2 lbs

Volume: 11,750 lbs

SQUAT

Set 1: 45 lbs × 5

Set 2: 95 lbs × 5

Set 3: 135 lbs × 5

Set 4: 185 lbs × 3

Set 5: 225 lbs × 2

Set 6: 275 lbs × 1

Set 7: 315 lbs × 1

Set 8: 350 lbs × 1

Set 9: 315 lbs × 2 (video of this complete workout with commentary below)

8 18 14 Lower Body Session

BACK EXTENSION

Set 1: 160 lbs × 8

Set 2: 160 lbs × 8

Set 3: 160 lbs × 8

LEG EXTENSION

Set 1: 165 lbs × 8

Set 2: 165 lbs × 8

Set 3: 165 lbs × 8

Wednesday, August 20, 2014, 2:35 PM

Bodyweight: 202.2 lbs

Volume: 8,883 lbs

BENCH PRESS

Set 1: 45 lbs × 5

Set 2: 95 lbs × 5

Set 3: 135 lbs × 5

Set 4: 187.5 lbs × 1

Set 5: 207.5 lbs × 5

Set 6: 207.5 lbs × 5

Set 7: 207.5 lbs × 5

Set 8: 207.5 lbs × 5

CHIN UP

Set 1: 5 reps

SEATED DUMBBELL CURL

Set 1: 60 lbs × 12

Set 2: 60 lbs × 12

Set 3: 60 lbs × 12

Thursday, August 21, 2014, 7:40 PM

Bodyweight: 200.6 lbs

Volume: 13,310 lbs

DEADLIFT

Set 1: 135 lbs × 5

Set 2: 135 lbs × 5

Set 3: 135 lbs × 5

Set 4: 225 lbs × 3

Set 5: 275 lbs × 2

Set 6: 325 lbs × 1

Set 7: 385 lbs × 1

Set 8: 425 lbs × 3

Set 9: 425 lbs × 3

Set 10: 425 lbs × 3

Set 11: 425 lbs × 3

HIGH-BAR SQUAT

Set 1: 45 lbs × 5

Set 2: 95 lbs × 5

Set 3: 135 lbs × 5

Set 4: 185 lbs × 5

Set 5: 225 lbs × 5

Set 6: 275 lbs × 3 (Video of this entire workout including commentary below)

8 21 14 Lower Body Session

Saturday, August 23, 2014, 7:43 AM

Bodyweight: 201.8 lbs

Volume: 14,796 lbs

BENCH PRESS (DUMBBELL)

Set 1: 100 lbs × 15

Set 2: 160 lbs × 10

Set 3: 190 lbs × 8

Set 4: 190 lbs × 8

Set 5: 190 lbs × 8

CHIN UP

Set 1: +25 lbs × 1

Set 2: +25 lbs × 2

Set 3: +25 lbs × 3

Set 4: +25 lbs × 4

Set 5: +25 lbs × 1

Set 6: +25 lbs × 2

Set 7: +25 lbs × 3

Set 8: +25 lbs × 1

Set 9: +25 lbs × 2

Set 10: +25 lbs × 1

BICEP CURL

Set 1: 65 lbs × 10

Set 2: 65 lbs × 10

Set 3: 65 lbs × 10

Set 4: 65 lbs × 10

A big believer in practicing what he preaches, Charles Staley trains and competes just like his clients. Every Friday you can read what Charles has done this week in his workout sessions.

About Charles Staley

Charles Staley's primary interest is providing inspiration and education for older guys looking to reclaim their physicality and vitality. At age 56, Charles is leaner than ever, injury-free, and in lifetime best-shape - a few of his recent bests include a 400-pound squat, a 510-pound deadlift, and a set of 17 chin ups.

Charles Staley's primary interest is providing inspiration and education for older guys looking to reclaim their physicality and vitality. At age 56, Charles is leaner than ever, injury-free, and in lifetime best-shape - a few of his recent bests include a 400-pound squat, a 510-pound deadlift, and a set of 17 chin ups.

Well known in the U.S. and across the world, Charles is recognized as a innovative coach and a thought leader in the field of human performance. His experience, reputation, and self-effacing persona have lead to appearances on NBC’s The TODAY Show and The CBS Early Show, along with numerous radio and podcast appearances. He has penned more than a thousand articles for major publications and online websites in the industry.

Often referred to as a visionary, an iconoclast and a rule-breaker, his methods are leading-edge and ahead of their time, capable of quickly producing serious results.

Charles is not only a thinker, but also a doer: currently, he competes at the national and world level in weightlifting and powerlifting on the master’s circuit and holds three World Championship titles in the sport of raw powerlifting. Find Charles online at Target Focus Fitness, or follow him on his popular Facebook page.

Charles has had a successful online coaching service in place for several years. This is a way people to train under his direct supervision even if they aren’t local to him. If you’re ready to invest in yourself, Charles would love to be on your team!

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