Exodus Strength

BW: 195.9 lbs (2630 cals maintenance)

Deadlift: Beltless/DOH/2 min rests

255x5 x3 sets

High Bar Paused Squats: Beltless/2 min rest

170x9 (@9)
170x8 (@9)

LP Incline Paused Bench: Beltless/2 min rest

150x10 (@9)
150x9 (@9.5)

EZ SFP: LP Stretch pauses/90s rest

60 x14 (@9.5)
60 x13 (@10)

EZ Arm Curls: Stretch pauses/90s rest

60 x14 (@9)
60 x12 (@9.5)


***53 mins total

BW: 196.9 lbs (2630 cals)

Low Bar Squat: Beltless/2 min Rests

265x3 x4 sets

Bench: Beltless/control TnG/2 min Rests

185x3 x5 sets

SLDL: Cobras/2 min rest

245 x8,7 (@9.5)

Oly SFP: Length Partials w pauses/90s rests

90x6 x3 sets (@10)

Oly Arm Curls: Stretch Pauses/90s rests

90x6 x3 sets (@10)


***57 mins total
-SLDLs didn’t feel right today. Couldn’t feel it in my hammies when I normally can. Guessing weight is too heavy to keep form.

how is eating 2600 cal/day? do you feel good or always hungry and grumpy?

cole wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 2:48 pm how is eating 2600 cal/day? do you feel good or always hungry and grumpy?

It’s not bad actually. I spent a few months eating 2000 per day to get down to my current weight. That wasn’t fun. 2600 feels gluttonous now in comparison.

BW: 197.4 lbs (2630 cals)

Seated BB Paused Overhead Press: Beltless/2 min rests

110 x9 (@9)
110 x8 (@9.5)
110 x6 (@9)

LP Paused Bench: Length Partials/Beltless/2 min rest

160 x10 (@9)
160 x9 (@10)

Weighted Chins: Negs w dead hang pauses/90s rests

BW+35 lbs x5 (@9)
BW+35 lbs x5 (@11)
BW+35 lbs x4 (@11)

BB Bent Face Pulls (SS) BB High Upright Rows: Cobras/90s rest

55 x12+12 (@9)
55 x12+10 (@9.5)

Incline Seated DB Curls: Stretch Pauses/90s rest

28’s x10 (@9)
28’s x7 (@10)


***60 mins total
-Got the idea for (@11) from Eric Helms. I’m using it to symbolize a final rep not being full ROM (so failure) with a negative still attached to it. That way it’s more accurate for progression tracking.

BW: 196.5 lbs (2630 cals)

Deadlift: Beltless/DOH/2 min rests

295x3 x3

High Bar Paused Squats: Beltless/2 min rest

175 x7 (@8)
175 x7 (@8.5)

LP Incline Paused Bench: Beltless/2 min rest

155 x9 (@9.5)
155 x8 (@9.5)

EZ SFP: LP Stretched Pauses/90s rest

65 x12 (@11)
65 x10 (@10)

EZ Arm Curls: Stretch Pauses/90s rest

65 x12 (@9)
65 x10 (@9.5)


***56 mins total
-my kids were fighting lots so things took longer. Went a bit easier on squats today. Don’t want my quads fried for squat singles on Monday. Still got a good enough stimulus with roughly 2 RIR that stairs afterwards were shaky. Think I might be starting to notice some hypertrophy in most muscle groups but still early to tell for sure.

BW: 197.0 lbs (2630 cals maintenance)

Low Bar Squat:

285 x1
325 x1
355 x1 @8.5

305x1 x4 sets (Beltless/60s rests)

Comp Bench: Beltless/Paused

205 x1
225 x1
245 x1 @9.5

200x1 x5 sets (Beltless/Paused/60s rests)

Oly SFP: LP stretch pauses/90s rest)

92.5 x6 (@9)
92.5 x6 (@10)

Oly Arm Curls: stretch pauses/90s rest)

92.5 x6 (@9)
92.5 x6 (@9.5)


***51 mins
-skipped SLDLs to save my hams/back for deadlift singles later this week. Dropped a set of accessories too. Gonna deload next week. The bodybuilding-esque training has built up some fatigue.

nice squat single matt, getting back up there. 4 wheels in a couple months

Thanks @cole it’s been frustrating with the weight loss and the forced layoff over winter. No idea what my potential at this lower BW is now. I’m guessing my “closer to failure” training is hindering some of the strength gains but I like the hypertrophy I’m seeing so I’ll stick with it.

BW: 196.4 (2630 cals maintenance)

Seated BB Paused Overhead Press: Beltless/2 min rests

110 x10 (@9)
110 x8 (@9)
110 x7 (@9.5)

LP Paused Bench: Beltless/2 min rest/flared elbows

165 x9 (@10)
165 x7 (@11)

Chins: Cobra Grips/Dead hang pauses/90s rests

BW x10 (@9.5)
BW x6 (@10)
BW x5 (@10)

BB Bent Face Pulls (SS) BB High Upright Rows: Cobras/90s rest

60 x10+8 (@9)
60 x10+8 (@9.5)

Incline Seated DB Curls: Stretch Pauses/90s Rest

28’s x11 (@10)
28’s x8 (@11)


***57 mins total
-kids were fighting again. Probably added 10 mins to session. Not sure if I’m liking incline curls anymore. Thinking of going back to regular seated curls. We’ll see. Definitely deloading next week though. I can feel the fatigue difference. Probably training too close to failure too often.

MattimusMaximus wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 1:17 pmNot sure if I’m liking incline curls anymore.

They have the desired effect but they’re a cunt. I’ve been doing them on and off for 25 years and every damn time I start with 20s, work up to the 35s over a few weeks, and then move on because progressing them gets nearly impossible. (Or I find myself doing stupid shit like using the 40s for uselessly low reps to feel better.) Geoffrey Verity Schofield, whose arms are enormous, has talked about it taking him multiple years just to, say, double his reps on a given weight with them.

@DCR I’m definitely noticing I’ll be going along smoothly and then out of nowhere I’m already at or near failure. Not even sure I’m getting that great of a stretch at the bottom. I thinking cueing chest up gets a bit of a better lengthened stretch. Nothing seems to target my biceps better than good ‘ol barbell or EZ bar curls. I wish I had a cable machine so I could get some nice resistance at the bottom.

Seems like there can be a lot of little cues for those bodybuildy movements. I know I got used to instinctively moving the most "efficient" way with the big lifts and have found the little stuff to be the polar opposite.

Pinning the elbows to the bench or chest gets the best stretch for me.

BW: 197.4 lbs (2630 cals)

Deadlift: Beltless

345
375
405 @9.5

335x1 x3 sets (Beltless/DOH/60s rests)

High Bar Paused Squats: Beltless/2 min rest

175 x8 (@8.5)
175 x8 (@9.5)

LP Incline Paused Bench: Beltless/2 min rest

155 x10 (@10)
155 x9 (@11)

EZ SFP: LP stretch pauses/90s rest

70 x10 (@9)
70 x8 (@10)

EZ Arm Curls: Stretch pauses/90s rest

70 x10 (@8.5)
70 x8 (@10)


***58 mins total
-great pump everywhere. Doubt I’ll need a serious deload. Maybe more of an active recovery next week for a session or 2 next week. Now that I’m not chasing 1RM as much I’ll probably be more reactive in my deloads vs planning anything.

@broseph yeah the cues have massively changed where I’m feeling the muscles being stretched. I’d never flared my elbows for benching before and it feels great on the pecs using these lighter weights.

BW: 197.3 lbs (2630 cals maintenance)

***Deload

Squat: Beltless/2 mins rest

225x5 x2 sets

Bench: Beltless/Control TnG/2 min rests

150x5 x3 sets

SLDL: Cobra Grips

205 x10 (@8) rep PR

Oly SFP: LP Stretch pauses

95 x7 (@9) rep PR

Oly Arm Curls: Stretch Pause resets

95 x6 (@9) rep PR


***32 mins total
-easy session. Still felt a pump.

BW: 197.4 lbs (2630 cals maintenance)

Seated BB Paused Overhead Press: Beltless/2 min Rests

110 x10 (@9)
110 x8 (@9.5)
110 x7 (@10)

LP Paused Bench: Beltless/2 min rest

165 x10 (@10)
165 x8 (@12)

Chins: Neutral Grip/dead hang pauses

BW x5 (@easy)


***20 mins total
-things just didn’t feel right today. More stress this week. Thought I’d be recovered after a lower volume sesh the other day but I was wrong. I’ll probably just skip Friday entirely now. Hopefully I’ll be recovered for Monday.

BW: 197.5 lbs (2680 cals +50)

Squat: Beltless/2 min Rests

235x5 x4 sets

Bench: Beltless/control TnG/2 min Rests

155x5 x5

SLDL: Beltless/cobras/2 min rest

205 x8 (@7)
205 x8 (@8.5)

Oly SFP: LP stretch pauses/90s rest

95 x6 (@9)
95 x6 (@10)

Oly Arm Curls: stretch pause resets/90s rest

95 x6 (@9)
95 x6 (@10)


***57 mins total
-had a battle with 2 spiders in the basement gym. I won. Squats and bench felt good. SLDLs did not (can’t get a good groove lately to feel it in the hammies). Realize now I’m not shooting my hips back enough like an RDL. No wonder I had a lower back pump instead. Accessory arms felt like a slog. Probably reduce the weights for curls and extensions next week.

BW: 198 lbs (2680 cals)

Seated BB Paused Overhead Press: 2 min rests

110 x10 (@9)
110 x8 (@10)
100 x7 (@10)

LP Paused Bench: 2 min rest

165 x10 (@10)
165 x7 (@9.5)

Chins: dead hang pauses

BW x8 (@9)
BW x6 (@9)

BB Bent Face Pull (SS) BB High Upright Row:

60 x12+10 (@9) PR

Incline Seated DB Curls: stretch pauses/90s rest

28’s x12 (@10) PR
28’s x7 (@10)


***46 mins total
-recovery is still an issue. Performance in pressing/benching stalled out. Triceps seems like the limiting factor as they felt starved of energy/sore. I’m more sore all over this week than usual too. I’ll reduce some weights next week. Frustrated.
Looking forward to starting creatine supplementation again in the next few months. I haven’t had any since November and I always feel a massive difference.

It sounds like calorie restrictions are holding back your strength gains. Obviously you know that. Since your goals are being lean right now, I wouldn't be too upset about stalled progress. You are a 500 squatter, no one can take that away!

Thanks @cole , I think focusing too much on the numbers has creeped back in. Hypertrophy specific training is a bit boring honestly. I miss being strong lol. Pouring over hypertrophy articles lately trying to make sense of all the data noise. I think I’m training too close to failure too often honestly. I just don’t have good recovery for that. Seriously considering going back to my old tried and true routine with some minor adjustments for some hypertrophy.