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)
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)
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.