It's Not Over Until I Win - Matty's Battle Log

[shaar]

FOUND YOU~ & subbed!

 

Ugh that is some nasty car damage, glad the offender didn't just peace out and leave you with a giant ugly dent.

[matty_mcfly]

FOUND YOU~ & subbed!

Ugh that is some nasty car damage, glad the offender didn't just peace out and leave you with a giant ugly dent.

The car wasn't really too drivable. But thankfully she seemed like a pretty stand up person who just made a mistake and wanted to take responsibility for it.

[matty_mcfly]

11/12 - Wednesday Morning

915 Deadlift Day

(C1: P3: W7)

 

So as bad as last week was, this week has been great.  The weight is moving up fast and my form has been feeling great the past 2 days.

 

Deadlift

training max: 295#

(3x2 @ 100%)

 

1x5 @ 135#

1x5 @ 185#

1x3 @ 225#

1x1 @ 275#

3x2 @ 295# DOH & 2 belted

Deads were awesome today.  I don't know what changed between last week and this week, but its working.  Made an effort to take the slack out of the bar as Rooks mentioned and still trying to get the lats in the game as EE mentioned. I tried a new setup this morning.  Decided to be a bit less static and kind of crank myself down to the bar.  Helped get my hips a bit lower and take the aforementioned slack out of the bar. 

  

Sumo Deadlift

3x3 @ 295#

My grip felt great here.  Tried mixed grip, but DOH just felt so much smoother and easier.  The set up was pretty good.  Still getting used to how wide my legs should be and how pointed out my toes are.  But these moved pretty easily, much like the conventional pulls.

 

Deadlift with Chains

1x2 @ 269# (225# of bar weight)

These were rough and had to skip the last two sets, my lower back was fried.

[matty_mcfly]

11/13 - Thursday Morning

"Do You Even Lift BRAH" Day

 

Ab Rollouts: 1x20

Hanging Leg Raises: 1x20

Roman Chair Sit-ups: 1x20

DB Bench: 1x10 @ 55#; 65#

Dumbbell Row: 1x10 @ 55#; 65#

Standing Arnold Press: 1x10 @ 35#; 40#

DB Side Raises: 2x10 @ 25#

Reverse Pec Deck/Delt Flyes: 2x10 @ 55#

Machine Fly: 2x10 @ 100#

Cable Straight Arm Pulldown:1x10 @ 30#

DB Curls: 1x10 @ 30#

 

I need to start eating before these workouts.  I usually do all my heavy compound lifts fasted and never get sick or nauseous.  However, with these I haven't been able to finish due to feeling faint.  If a pack of poptarts can actually last, I may use those for a quick preworkout to get something in my stomach.

[matty_mcfly]

11/14 - Friday Morning
915 Squat Strength/Bench Technique Day
(C1: P3:W7)

 

Yet another awesome day.  Maybe its been all mental and knowing I was going in to hit my previous maxes for a double and that had me more amped up, but this week has been great.

Squat
training max: 250#
(3x2 @ 100%)

1x5 @ 45#
1x5 @ 135#
1x5 @ 185#
1x3 @ 225#

3x2 @ 250#
Between bench, squat and deads.  This is the least impressive.  My current max for this lift is the furthest away from my all time max compared to the other two.  Still tweaking my foot position, but these went well.

Paused Squat
3x3 @ 205#

Squats with Chains

3x2 @ 249# (205# bar weight + chains)

Could have definitely gone heavier with these.  Felt good.

 

Bench
1x5 @ 45#
1x5 @ 115#
1x5 @ 135#
5x2 @ 170#

[matty_mcfly]

11/17 - Monday Morning

915 Bench Strength Day

(C1: P3: W8)

Bench

training max: 205#

(3x2 @ 105%)

1x5 @ 45#

1x5 @ 95#

1x5 @ 135#

1x3 @ 185#

3x2 @ 215#

Felt really good. First work set went up pretty easy. But decided to get a spotter for the 2nd and 3rd set. Second set he was just there, on the last rep of the last set he helped just a tad. Overall, really happy with bench today.

Roll of Shame Glory (Bench Press with Chains)

1x0 @ 229# (185# bar weight + 44# chains)

1x0 @ 219# (175# bar weight + 44# chains)

That's right TWO rolls of shame this morning on this one. Unlike last week, I didn't do these right after my regular bench. Not really sure why, I instead did the 3 sets of decline bench then came to these. Bad idea, wasn't even close on either rep and got some concerned looks from 2 other lifters until they realized I was fine. Need to make sure that I do my overload work before other assistance lifts.

Close Grip Decline Bench

3x3 @ 185#

1x12 @ 135#

Felt good. Positioning still feels weird, but really enjoy these. Want to move these to a different phase so that I have the extra volume with these.

Squats

Skipped...smh

[matty_mcfly]

11/18 - Tuesday Morning

915 Deadlift Day

(C1: P3: W8)

 

So last week's theme could have been "ALL I DO IS WIN WIN WIN...NO MATTER WHAT" or "I'M ON A LOSING STRIKE, I'M ON A WINNING STREAK". So far this week "I'm staring at the interstate bar screaming at myself 'I WANNA GET BETTER'.

 

Deadlift

training max: 295#

(3x2 @ 105%)

 

1x5 @ 135#

1x5 @ 185#

1x5 @ 225#

1x3 @ 275#

3x2 @ 310# (REP PR?!?)

Conventional pulls were feeling great today.  The first set I pulled beltless and it went up SO easy.  I was shocked.  315# is my old max, so I guess that 310 for 2 reps is a new PR for me,  its been awhile since I've hit a PR that it feels pretty awesome.  The 2nd set I threw a belt on and switched the mixed grip, bar speed slowed down but still good.  3rd set was ugly, my hips shot up WAY too fast and mixed grip felt weird so I went DOH.

  

Sumo Deadlift

2x3 @ 225#

1x10 @ 225# (Rep PR)

DA FUQ!? This is where the above theme comes in.  Yesterday and today I hit the main lift with no problem but the assistance work kicks my ass.  Sumo was just NOT there today.  310# moved for one rep, but it was an ugly grinder.  Got pissed, so I punished myself with 10 @ 225, which I guess is another PR.

 

Deadlift with Chains

skipped due to needing more rest between sets on the main lift

[Hazard]

315# is my old max, so I guess that 310 for 2 reps is a new PR for me,  its been awhile since I've hit a PR that it feels pretty awesome.

 

Congrats!!

[matty_mcfly]

Congrats!!

Thank you thank you. Hopefully several more are to follow in the next 2 weeks

[matty_mcfly]

Took today off.  The kid has been sick the past few days and because I refuse to not give him kisses, I woke up with a bit of a cold and sore throat.  Added to some back tightness after those PR breaking deads, I thought it was a great idea to just sleep in. Tomorrow is the bro day and I may fuck with some drop sets and/or rest pause sets for all dem gainz.

 

Since I don't have a real post today,  Thought I'd ask anyone who's reading this out there about their favorite fitness YouTubers.  I've been a huge fan of Brandon Campbell of Campbell Fitness and recently have been enjoying Bart Kwan from Barbell Brigade.  What about you guys?

[El Exorcisto]

I'm not big on watching YouTubers any more, but if you haven't checked out Chaos and Pain then you really should. It's very NSFW and keep your kid away too... maybe the wife if she's squeamish at all.

[matty_mcfly]

11/20 - Thursday Morning

"Do You Even Lift BRAH" Day

 

Ab Rollouts: 1x20

Hanging Leg Raises: 1x20

Roman Chair Sit-ups: 1x20

DB Pullover: 1x10 @ 35#; 1x12 @ 50#

Dips: 1x8; 1x10

Cable Straight Arm Pulldown: 2x10 @ 30#

Reverse Grip Pulldown: 1x10 @ 70#; 80#

Seated Arnold Press: 1x15 @ 35#; 1x10 @ 25#; 1x8 @ 20# (Drop set)

DB Side Raises: 1x14; 1x8 @ 25#

Reverse Pec Deck/Delt Flyes: 2x12 @ 40#

EZ Bar Curls: 2x10 @ 40#; 1x10 @ 40# close grip

Machine Triceps Extensions: 2x10 @ 50#

[matty_mcfly]

11/21 - Friday Morning
915 Squat Strength/Bench Technique Day
(C1: P3:W8)

 

Today was soooo nice.  I wasn't rushed as I had planned on going into work late today.  Squats felt solid and strong.  The chains were great.  And bench felt solid and smooth.

Squat
training max: 250#
(3x2 @ 105%)

1x5 @ 45#
1x5 @ 135#
1x5 @ 185#
1x3 @ 225#

3x2 @ 265#
Nothing too impressive here.

 

Squats with Chains

1x2 @ 269# (225# bar weight + chains)

2x2 @ 279# (235# bar weight + chains)

These have been fun to play with.  I hope to have a little higher volume with the chain squats next cycle.

 

Bench
1x5 @ 45#

1x5 @ 95#
1x5 @ 135#
5x2 @ 165#

Pull Ups

5x3

 

Paused Squat
2x3 @ 225#

Couldn't do the last set.  My hips were just too sore for the last set unfortunately.

[matty_mcfly]

Phase 3 RECAP:

 

Phase 3 was short and sweet.  Only 2 weeks compared to the previous 3 week phases.  The volume dropped during this phase, but the "intensity" jumped up.  I was working at my max and above my max during the main lifts this phase.  Felt amazing, I can say that this program HAS worked in getting me stronger.  I was able to hit 3 sets of doubles at what use to be my maxes 8 weeks ago.  As for the assistant lifts, I've really enjoyed playing with accommodating resistance using the chains.  These were completely new.  I've also had a chance to work with decline bench, which was also new for me.  The point of the assistant lifts were to strengthen strong points and make me used to heavier weights through overloaded lifts.

 

The Good - Increased weight.  And the chains!.

The Bad - No bad really to be honest...

Changes - Switch up the assistant lifts.

 

Peak Week(s) Phase 4 PREVIEW:

 

Very simple week.  I work up to a 1RM on all the main lifts.  The goal is for a 15% increase across the board which means...

Bench: "Current" max - 205; Goal - 235-240

Squat: "Current" max - 250; Goal - 290

Deadlift: "Current" max - 295; Goal - 340

 

I'd likely be very happy with just a 10% increase due to not following the program properly, but definitely shooting for the 15%.  This is going to end up being a 2 week phase due to the holidays next week.  The plan is to work up to a single at 95% of the maxes on all the lifts on Monday.  And then take it easy for the rest of the week, may hit the gym but nothing heavy.  Then the following week I will push for the 1RMs and see what happens.

[Kidney bean]

Oh man that looks cool. There's a storm brewing, most definitely.

 

Are your shoulders feeling better these days?

[matty_mcfly]

Oh man that looks cool. There's a storm brewing, most definitely.

Are your shoulders feeling better these days?

My right shoulder is better, my left is still a bit grumpy. Though I'm not too stressed, Monday will just be a couple of singles at 95% then pretty much off for a week which should give me enough time to start feeling better

[shaar]

Dropping in for a high five, your progress is really impressive! I want to lift eventually but am unsure when the gym thing will be able to happen, but in the meantime it's awesome to see others progress and work through their challenges. Looks like you are ready to kill the next phase!!

[matty_mcfly]

Dropping in for a high five, your progress is really impressive! I want to lift eventually but am unsure when the gym thing will be able to happen, but in the meantime it's awesome to see others progress and work through their challenges. Looks like you are ready to kill the next phase!!

Drop in and stay awhile

[Kidney bean]

My right shoulder is better, my left is still a bit grumpy. Though I'm not too stressed, Monday will just be a couple of singles at 95% then pretty much off for a week which should give me enough time to start feeling better

This is purely anecdotal, but my shoulders were a little angry for a few weeks. Aside from working on my bench press a lot, what really helped was trying to change the way I slept. Sleeping on my front/ side and front was a big contributor to my shoulders being irritable.

[matty_mcfly]

Okay, so I'm back again after a semi off week due to visiting family back on the east coast.  Gotta love 12 hour drives.  I did a good deal of squatting and deadlifting.  Tuesday, before we hopped in the car and headed out, I went to the gym to squat, bench deadlift.  The plan was to follow the program, work up to 2 singles at 95% of my maxes, then I decided to follow that up with AMRAP at that 95% then, drop the weight some and do another AMRAP set.  Bench could have went a lot better, but I got out of groove on my third rep and couldn't recover.  There's edited video of all 3 lifts, I just have to put it up here

 

On Sunday, I was a little bored and had some down time, so I headed over to Iron Sport Gym again.  Didn't really know what I wanted to do at all.  I'm testing my maxes later this week so I didn't wanna do too much...BUT it seemed like a waste to be in such an awesome gym and just do curls.  So I did some front squats. Hated, loved and now back to hating them, which means I will be doing them more.  The collarbone started to ache, so I said fuck it and did some squats. 5x5 at 225. And then some deads at 225 as well.  Wanted to keep going but started to feel guilty about ditching the family for the iron.

 

Ok, so since I've reached the end of my program this week, I've been debating on what I wanted to do inbetween the next cycle. I could do a simple deload, take the week completely off and recover, do a bodybuilding split for the week.  None of those really appealed to me so I said fuck it, go hard or go home.  I'm gonna do SmolovJR for my squat, cause my squat is shit and run 5/3/1 for bench, press and maybe deads.  Since both are 3 weeks long I hope they will run well together then I'll jump back into my 2nd cycle of 915.

[matty_mcfly]

So I absolutely hate coming off of a long break from the gym.  It's just so hard to get back into a routine after a week away. Blah!  Hopefully tomorrow morning will be better.  In the mean time, figured I'd drop my vids from last week in here.

 

Squats:

 

Bench:

 

[matty_mcfly]

And deads:

 

[matty_mcfly]

12/05 - Friday Morning
915 Squat & Bench Test Day
(C1: P4:W9)

 

Peak week BITCHES!!!  Awesome!  Well kinda.  I was just pumped to be back in the gym.  I've realized that I get super antsy when I'm away from lifting for too long.  I'm pretty sure that the time off didn't help my progress at all.  But eh.  Gotta remember that all of this isn't a few month goal, but much longer term.

Squat
training max: 250#
PEAK WEEK
1x5 @ 45#
1x5 @ 135#
1x5 @ 185#
1x3 @ 225#

1x1 @ 265#; 275#; 290#

275 and 290 went up pretty well.  Took video and I was happy with what I saw.  290 wasn't pretty but not worrisome.  This is still 25# under my personal best.  I felt like I could have hit 300+, but since I knew I wasn't gonna hit 315, it didn't make sense to push it, so I just kept to the program.

 

Bench

training max: 205#

1x5 @ 45#

1x5 @ 95#

1x5 @ 135#

1x2 @ 185#

2x0 @ 217.5#

VERY disappointing.  I banged out 215# for 3 doubles about 2 weeks ago and today I couldn't hit 217.5 for one.  Extremely pissed off.  I should have used one of my normal benches and just asked for a spot instead of using the bench with the safety pins.  Beating myself up cause its weight I should have moved easily, but not beating myself up too bad because it was obviously just a shitty day for bench.  I might try this test day again tomorrow or Monday to redeem myself.

[matty_mcfly]

12/08 - Monday Morning
915 Deadlift Test Day
(C1: P4)

 

Deadlift
training max: 295#

1x5 @ 135#
1x5 @ 185#
1x3 @ 225#

1x3 @ 275#

1x1 @ 310# (DOH & Belted)

1x1 @ 325# 10lb PR (Mixed & Belted)

1x0 @ 340#

Sumo

1x1 @ 315#

1x0 @ 325#

Went to the gym just not feeling it today at all.  Haven't been getting any sleep and was feeling kind of sick. Pretty much I was making excuses not to do anything of note.  Was debating on skipping testing my maxes and just starting the SmolovJr/531 mix. Decided to try some pulls as I was thinking about them all weekend. 

Hit a 10lb pr. It was a little bit of a grinder, but it went up pretty easily all things considered.  I possibly could have pulled 330 or 335, but the program called for the aggressive 15lb jump, so I went with it. 

315 went up super smooth with the sumo pull.  I think I may have been a bit spent when I went for 325, cause it didn't budge.

[matty_mcfly]

12/05 - Tuesday Morning
915 Bench Test Day
(C1: P4)

 

Bench
training max: 205#

1x5 @ 45#

1x5 @ 95#

1x5 @ 135#

1x3 @ 165#

1x2 @ 185#

1x1 @ 205#

1x1 @ 217.5#

2x0 @ 227.5

Super disappointing.  I really wanted 227.5.  I set up on that same bench with the safety pins, banged out 217.5, then took an attempt at 227.5...failed.  Someone came in to squat and I took that opportunity to change benches and ask for a spot.  Failed again BUT the good news is that I was much tighter and had a better set up on the different bench.  I originally thought the issue was that the bar height was too high, realize that the bad bench is too narrow.  With the wider bench and better setup, I got the bar off of my chest, but about midway thru it lost its groove the same way it did in the video above. Again I really wanted 227.5, but I will leave that for training cycle.

 

Squat

training max: 290lbs

(SmolovJr Day 1)

1x5 @ 45#

1x5 @ 95#

1x5 @ 135#

1x3 @ 185#

1x5 @ 205#

Also disappointing.  The weight wasn't too heavy, but my body was achy. I guess after maxing out on deadlifts yesterday and bench today, my body just wasn't feeling 6 sets of 6 reps at 205 today.  Debating what I want to do for the rest of the week.  Just not sure.

 

Curls - just because...