Heavy metal Olympic routine

[ebon00]

Push/legs - Friday 02/07/03

Incline press
65kg 3
70kg 3
72.5kg 3
75kg 3
70kg 3

Dips
B 10
B 10
B 8

Overhead extension/pushdown
22.5kg 8/5
22.5kg 7/4

Front squat
60kg 6
70kg 6
80kg 5

Squats
70kg 10
70kg 10

Stiff leg deadlifts
80kg 8
90kg 8

Pullthroughs
30kg 6
30kg 6

Standing calf raises
40kg 17
100kg 6
40kg 11
100kg 5

Slept so poorly I was glad to even get out of bed this morning. Decent workout considering that. Doing well on the front squats, might be able to go all out soon.

[ebon00]

Back - Monday 02/10/03

Snatch grip high pull
60kg 4
65kg 4
70kg 4
72.5kg 3
75kg 3

Clean grip high pull
60kg 4
65kg 4
70kg 3
72.5kg 3
75kg 3

Block power clean
60kg 5
65kg 5
70kg 3

Overhead shrug
40kg 20
60kg 8

Snatch grip deadlift
80kg 8
90kg 7
100kg 5

Barbell curl
40kg 9

Incline hammer curl (prone)
10kg 10


I just can't seem to get past 70kg for 3 in the power clean, my lower back gives out. Sucks. It was hella hard to control 60kg on the overhead shrug too. Other than that it was an OK workout. Time to eat...

[ebon00]

Push/legs - 02/11/03

Bench press
70kg 3
75kg 3
77.5kg 3
80kg 3
82.5kg 2

Push press
55kg 4
55kg 3
55kg 3

Cable crossover
35kg 9

Cuban rotation
4kg 10
4kg 10

Lunges
40kg 6
45kg 6
50kg 6

Front squat
70kg 6
80kg 5
90kg 3

Stiff deadlifts
60kg 15
60kg 13

Seated leg curl
50kg 10
55kg 7
57.5kg 6

Seated calf raise
30kg 18
70kg 9
30kg 14
70kg 8

Decent workout. Lunges took so much out of me that the front squats were murder. Didn't anticipate that. Getting my workload up to respectable levels. Time for a day of rest... I can use it.

[ebon00]

Pull workout - Thursday 02/13/03

Wide grip pullups
B 7
B 6
B 5

Medium grip pullups
B 6
B 5
B 5

Power snatch from hang
40kg 3
42.5kg 3
45kg 3
45kg 3
47.5kg 3

Shrugs
110kg 12
120kg 10
130kg 8

Good mornings
30kg 8
40kg 8
45kg 8

Preacher curl
30kg 9
30kg 7
30kg 7

Incline prone hammer curl
10kg 9
10kg 8


Great workout!! Was up a rep on 5 of 6 sets of pullups. I usually have to sqeueeze out a one-rep increase over two weeks so this is unusual stuff. Have to increase weight on the shrugs, my reps are getting too high. Grip still holds so I'm going to 140kg (315lbs) next week.

[StevenD]

Originally posted by ebon00
Grip still holds so I'm going to 140kg (315lbs) next week.

That is what I'm looking for in my grip. I want to be able to lift significant amounts of weight without straps, etc.

Btw, good job.

[ebon00]

Well, I do use chalk but I hate straps (and gloves) since they have so many drawback. The only real advice I can offer is to try to crush the bar every time you do pulling exercises (it actually works on pushing exercises as well but has a different effect).

[ebon00]

Push/legs - Friday 02/14/03

Incline press
70kg 3
72.5kg 3
75kg 3
75kg 2
70kg 3

Dips
B 10 (3 sets)

Overhead extension/pushdown
22.5kg 8/5
22.5kg 8/4

Front squat
80kg 5
80kg 5

Squat
80kg 8
80kg 7

Lying leg curl
25kg 12
30kg 10
35kg 9

Standing calf raise
40kg 16
100kg 7
40kg 11
100kg 5


The leg part of this workout sucked donkeys. I had trouble with the rack on the front squat and it seems like my lower back is overtrained (probably an effect of following the heavy Monday back workout with stiff leg deadlifts on Tuesday) so my reps on the back squat sucked too. To be honest, they were looooow reps (Arthur Jones would have liked them) but I can do better than that. One more week then it's time to downshift a little to recuperate properly.

[ebon00]

Back - Monday 02/1703

Snatch grip high pull
60kg 4
70kg 4
72.5kg 4
75kg 4
80kg 2

Clean grip high pull
60kg 4
70kg 4
75kg 3
80kg 2
80kg 2

Block power clean
60kg 5
65kg 5
70kg 4 [Who-hoo!! Finally an increase]

Overhead shrug
45kg 18
60kg 10

Snatch grip deadlift
80kg 8
90kg 8
100kg 5

Barbell curl
40kg 10 [slight cheating on last two reps]

Prone hammer curl
10kg 9


Finally and increase on my power clean. Almost made 5 but I wasn't fast enough going under the bar so I dropped it. This is the last week of hard training before taking a week of low-intensity, recovery-oriented workouts to re-energize myself.

[abarlament]

If you don't mind me asking, but what's an overhead shrug like?

[ebon00]

Originally posted by abarlament
If you don't mind me asking, but what's an overhead shrug like?

Check here for a description and a pic showing the form. It's a great trap exercise that not many people do.

[ebon00]

Push/legs - Tuesday 02/18/03

Bench press
70kg 3
75kg 3
77.5kg 3
80kg 3
82.5kg 3

Cable crossover
35kg 10

Push press
50kg 4
55kg 3
55kg 3

Cuban rotations
4kg 10
4kg 10

Lunges
40kg 6
50kg 6
55kg 6

Front squat
60kg 6
70kg 6
80kg 5

Stiff deadlifts
60kg 15
60kg 15

Seated leg curl
50kg 10
55kg 8
57.5kg 7

Seated calf raise
40kg 15
70kg 7
40kg 13
70kg 6


Decent workout. I can feel the previous weeks catching up to me and this workout was considerably longer than last week's (about 15 min). The lower-intensity week will be right on time.

[ebon00]

Back/biceps - Thursday 02/20/03

Wide grip pullups
B 8
B 6
B 5

Medium grip pullups
B 5
B 5
B 4

Power snatch from the hang
40kg 3
45kg 3
47.5kg 3
50kg 2
50kg 1

Shrugs
120kg 10
130kg 8
140kg 5

Preacher curl
32.5kg 8
32.5kg 6
32.5kg 5

Prone hammer curl
10kg 10
10kg 9


This was a crappy workout. Down 1 rep total on the pullups, had a hard time getting the 'snap' on the snatches, and my grip sucked on shrugs... Missed one meal last night (was at the movies) so that might explain things a little. Did some assorted forearm work for good measure.

[ebon00]

Push/legs - Friday 02/21/03

Inlcine press
60kg 3
65kg 3
70kg 3
75kg 3
75kg 3

Dips
B 10 (3 sets)

Overhead ext./pushdown
25kg 7/5
25kg 6/5

Front squat
70kg 6
80kg 5
80kg 5

Squat
80kg 6
80kg 5

Standing calf raise
50kg 14
100kg 8
50kg 11
100kg 5


Another crappy workout. I've obviously been overworking my posterior chain (can't believe I didn't see it earlier) and my leg work has really suffered. Even though I ride my bike a lot and do all my squats weight-lifting style (close-to-medium stance, high bar position, rock bottom) I should be able to do more than this in my sleep. Next week is active recovery... man, do I ever need it.

[ebon00]

Monday 02/24/03

Now it's time for a week of recovery-oriented training. I've been training myself into the ground for the last 6 weeks so now I'll shift to a non-routine for a week. Basically I'll be doing lots of exercises but only one set each and at an intensity way below my max. Today I did the following for one set each:

Stiff-arm pulldown
Pulldown
Seated cable row
Machine pullover
Dumbell pullover
Machine pulldown
Dumbell row
Incline bench row
Dumbell shrugs
Hyperextension
Good morning
Machine hyperextension

I also added some forearm work. That was it. In and out of the gym (including the shower) in about 45 min. Nice change of pace.

[ebon00]

Tuesday 02/25/03

Recovery-fest 2003 continues. Chest and shoulders today. I did one set each of the following:

Incline dumbell press
Incline flyes
Pec-deck
Life Fitness chest press
Cable crossover
Hammer strength isolateral chest press
Cable side lateral
Dumbell overhead press (standing)
"L" laterals
Bent over laterals
Dumbell upright row

These workouts are super-fast. Feels kind of weird not pushing hard after 6 weeks of trying to kill yourself.