WEEK #3: Weekly Schedule

Monday = Bench Press

Tuesday = OFF

Wednesday = Squats + Deadlift

Thursday = OFF

Friday = Bench Press

Saturday = Squats + Deadlift

Sunday = OFF

My current training program is setup into three training microcycles consisting of an 8-rep workout, 6-rep workout, and 4-rep workout. Microcycle #1 establishes the baseline. Then in microcycle #2 I add 10 lbs to the weights lifted in microcycle #1. And finally in microcycle #3 I add 5 lbs to the weights lifted in microcycle #2. The three microcycles = one mesocycle.

This week I finish up microcycle #2.

Monday 9/19/17: Bench Press Focus (8 REPS/6 REPS/4 REPS)

Bench Press

255 X 6 @ 7RPE

275 X 6 @ 8 RPE

295 X 6 @ 9 RPE (TOP SET)

275 X 6 (BACK OFF SET)

255 X 6 BACK OFF SET)

DB Shoulder Press

60’s X 8, 8, 8 

I haven’t done DB Shoulder Press in a while and just felt like doing them today.

Bent Over DB Row

80’s X 8, 8, 8

Barbell Curl

75 X 12

85 X 12

95 X 12

VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM TODAY’S WORKOUT: https://www.instagram.com/p/BZMKLnNgpB2/?taken-by=derekcharlebois

Tuesdau 9/20/17: REST DAY

I woke up feeling super tired and worn out so I opted to take a rest day today.

Wednesday 9/21/17: Squat + Deadlift (8 REPS/6 REPS/4 REPS)

Squats

345 X 6, 6, 6

Squats are starting to feel decent. I’m getting used to this new squat depth and technique.

Deadlift

435 X 6, 6, 6

Deadlifts are starting to feel really easy. I am not used to doing reps on deadlifts, so it took a couple weeks to get into my groove doing them for reps. I still prefer doing submaximal singles though.

Glute-Ham Raise Super-Setted with GHR Sit-Up

BW X 12, 12, 12

VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM TODAY’S WORKOUT:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZRdvB5Ab2e/?taken-by=derekcharlebois

Thursday 9/22/17: Bench Press Focus (8 REPS/6 REPS/4 REPS)

Bench Press

275 X 4 @ 7 RPE

295 X 4 @ 8 RPE

315 X 4 @ 9 RPE 

Bench felt GREAT today! I was feeling pretty fried after the top set with 315 so I didn’t do any back down sets.

Close Grip Bench Press

275 X 4, 4, 4

Seated Military Press

155 X 8, 8, 8

I’m digging these seated military presses right now. I feel I will be able to progress a lot more with these compared to standing military press.

Bent Over Row

185 X 8, 8, 8

DB Spider Curl

20 X 12, 12, 12

Like I mentioned last week, the goal here is working the muscle through a full range of motion, including both flexion and supination. I have found that when I include a supinating bicep exercise in my program I have less elbow pain.

VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM TODAY’S WORKOUT:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZTr8o5AC9R/?taken-by=derekcharlebois

Friday 9/23/17: Rest Day

Saturday 9/24/17: Squat + Deadlift (8 REPS/6 REPS/4 REPS)

Squat

365 X 4, 4, 4

NO KNEE PAIN! Today was the first squat session in a long time where I didn’t have any knee pain. If squats continue to feel this good I can start pushing some heavier weight soon.

Deadlift

455 X 4, 4, 4

Hip Thrust

225 X 8, 8, 8

I’ve been kind of sporadic with what accessory exercises I do and when I do them, moreso with upper body than lower body. But hip thrusts are one exercise I really want to focus on.

VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM TODAY’S WORKOUT:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZZLJUyggo1/?taken-by=derekcharlebois

9/25/17 = OFF DAY

I feel that training 4 days per week is the sweet spot for me. I do like the occasional 5^th workout, but overall I prefer 4 days per week.

VIDEO RECAP

PERIODIZATION 101 VIDEO

WEEK #2: Weekly Schedule

Monday = Bench Press

Tuesday = Squats + Deadlift

Wednesday = OFF

Thursday = Bench Press

Friday = Squats + Deadlift

Saturday = Back + Biceps

Sunday = OFF

As I mentioned in previous videos, my current training program is setup into three training microcycles consisting of an 8-rep workout, 6-rep workout, and 4-rep workout. Microcycle #1 establishes the baseline. Then in microcycle #2 I add 10 lbs to the weights lifted in microcycle #1. And finally in microcycle #3 I add 5 lbs to the weights lifted in microcycle #2. The three microcycles = one mesocycle.

This week I finish up microcycle #1 and then start microcycle #2.

9/11/17: Bench Press Focus

(Microcycle #1 8 REPS/6 REPS/4 REPS) 

Bench Press

265 X 4 @ 7RPE

285 X 4 @ 8 RPE

305 X 4 @ 9 RPE

As I was progressing through the warm up and build up sets, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to hit my goal of 305 for 4 reps, but 305 moved very well today. I could have for sure gotten it for 5 reps (though 5^th rep would have been a grinder).

Close Grip Bench Press

265 X 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 

For my close grip bench grip width, I have been starting with my index fingers right where the knurling transitions to the smooth part of the bar in the middle and then each set widening my width a little.

Seal Row with Cambered Bar

135 X 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 

I have never done seal rows consistently, but I am going to program them as one of my main back movements due to the ability to decrease stress on the lower back. Using a cambered bar increases the ROM possible and makes this exercise harder (if you pull the bar all the way to the bench) compared to using a straight bar.

Flat DB Press (Feet up to take away leg drive)

100’s X 12, 10, 8

VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM TODAY’S WORKOUT: https://www.instagram.com/p/BY6KFuMguXk/?taken-by=derekcharlebois

9/12/17: Squat + Deadlift

(Microcycle #1 8 REPS/6 REPS/4 REPS)

Squats

355 X 4, 4, 4

I am experimenting with not squatting as deep as I normally do. I normally squat WELL BELOW parallel and I am working to stop just below parallel. I am hoping this may decrease the stress on my lower back and knees. Today’s squats felt solid. My knee still isn’t 100% but gradually getting there.

Deadlifts

445 X 4, 4, 4

I’m starting to get into a better rhythm doing reps on deadlifts, specifically with taking breaths and bracing my core.

Glute-Ham Raise and GHR Sit-Up

Bodyweight X 12, 12, 12 (on each)

Donkey Calf Raise

3 X 12

VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM TODAY’S WORKOUT:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BY8uUTCgKnn/?taken-by=derekcharlebois

9/13/17: OFF DAY

9/14/17: Bench Press Focus

(Microcycle #2 8 REPS/6 REPS/4 REPS)

Bench Press

235 X 8 @ 7 RPE

255 X 8 @ 8 RPE

275 X 8 @ 9 RPE

Close Grip Bench Press

235 X 8, 8, 8

Seated Military Press

145 X 8, 8, 8

I decided to swap out standing military press for seated military press to limit potential lower back extension and decrease stress on my lower back. Check out the video from today to see how I set this up.

Bent Over Row

185 X 8, 8, 8

DB Concentration Curl

20 X 12, 12, 12

With concentration curls (Arnold style) I am focusing on working the muscle through a full range of motion, including both flexion and supination. I have found that when I include a supinating bicep exercise in my program I have less elbow pain.

VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM TODAY’S WORKOUT:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZB6TLwA00F/?taken-by=derekcharlebois

9/15/17: Squat + Deadlift

(Microcycle #2 8 REPS/6 REPS/4 REPS)

Squat

325 X 8, 8, 8 

For this second from through of the 8/6/4 rep progressive I am adding knee sleeves back in. I will continue training beltless until the third 8/6/4 rep progressive starting the week of 9/25.

Deadlift

425 X 8, 8, 8

Single Leg Leg Press

70 X 12

90 X 12

110 X 12

One thing I always slack on is unilateral leg work, so I am trying to make sure to include some each week. For the single leg leg press, I like to use the seated leg press as it allows me to take my leg through full extension and flexion:

VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM TODAY’S WORKOUT:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZEjyowgtoV/?taken-by=derekcharlebois

9/16/17 & 9/17/17 = OFF DAYS

VIDEO RECAP

As I mentioned in the last training video, I decided to take last week completely off of training to give my body some rest and recovery time. My main goal moving forward is to stay INJURY FREE while gaining strength.

Weekly Schedule

Monday = Bench Press

Tuesday = Squats + Deadlift

Wednesday = OFF

Thursday = Bench Press

Friday = Squats + Deadlift

Saturday = Back + Biceps

Sunday = OFF

I decided to pair squats and deadlifts together instead of continuing with the squat + bench press setup I was doing previously to limit the number of days my lower back/knee are heavily stressed.

Monday 9/4/17: Bench Press Focus (8 REPS/6 REPS/4 REPS)

Bench Press

225 X 8 @ 7 RPE

245 X 8 @ 8 RPE

265 X 8 @ 9 RPE

Close Grip Bench Press

225 X 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Flat DB Press

80’s X 12

90’s X 8, 8

Lat-Pulldown

100 X 12, 12, 12, 10, 8

DB Standing Spider Curl

20 X 12, 12, 12

Everything felt GREAT today! I was surprised that bench press felt as strong as it did since I usually feel a little weak after taking a week off.

Tuesday 9/5/17: Squats + Deadlift (8 REPS/6 REPS/4 REPS)

Squats

315 X 8, 8, 8

Sumo Deadlift

405 X 8, 8, 8

You will notice that in my Monday workout my heaviest bench press set was at a 9 RPE while I squats and deadlifts I just did straight sets with a given weight. The reason why I did this is because I’m not trying to push squats and deadlifts to or close to failure. My goal is to slowly add weight each week while my knee and lower back continue to recovery and get to 100%. You will also notice that I am performing reps on deadlifts, which I don’t often do. The reason why is the same as above, to limit the total weight I am lifting to let my injuries heal. I also decided that I am not going to wear a belt or knee sleeves during this training block to ensure I am not masking any underlying injuries/pain.

Hip Thrust

185 X 8, 8, 8

Donkey Calf Raises

3 X 8

Wednesday 9/6/17: REST DAY!

Thursday 9/7/17: Bench Press Focus (8 REPS/6 REPS/4 REPS)

Bench Press

245 X 6

265 X 6

285 X 6 @ 8.5 RPE

I could have gone a tad heavier on bench to have hit a true 9 RPE, but 285 was close.

Close Grip Bench Press

245 X 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

Military Press

95 X 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

Bent Over Row

185 X 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

The weights I lifted on close grip bench, military press, and bent over rows were all submaximal; my goal is to achieve higher volume (sets * reps * weight lifted) right now and I will add weight as this training block progresses.

Friday 9/8/17: Squats + Deadlift (8 REPS/6 REPS/4 REPS)

Squats

335 X 6, 6, 6

Sumo Deadlift

425 X 6, 6, 6

Single Leg Leg Press

3 X 12

Seated Calf Raise

3 X 12

My lower back was pretty sore today, not injury soreness, muscle soreness. As I mentioned above, I normally don’t do reps on deadlifts so the multiple sets of 8 reps lit my lower back up!

Saturday 9/9/17: Back & Biceps

I did not record the exact exercises/sets/reps for this workout as it is an optional where I basically just go in and train. The workout included:

Lat-Pulldowns

Seated Cable Rows

Shrugs

Face-Pulls

Barbell Curls

DB Hammer Curls

Cable Curls

Tricep Pressdowns

Overhead DB Extensions 

Everything was in the 8-12 rep range. I don’t plan on doing this workout every week, but if Saturday comes around and I feel like training I will.

Sunday 9/10/17: Rest Day 

Overall training felt very solid this week. I was using this week to feel things out, but I am confident I can continue to push myself and progress.

WEEKLY VIDEO RECAP

In this video I recap the week and talk about my current nutrition and supplement regimen. 

Weekly Schedule

Monday = Squats + Bench Press

Tuesday = Deadlifts + Back/Biceps

Wednesday = OFF

Thursday = Squats + Bench Press

Friday = Deadlifts + Back/Biceps

Saturday = OFF

Sunday = OFF

Monday 8-21-17: OFF DAY (TRAVEL)

I was out of town all weekend and flew back on Monday, so I decided to take today off and plan to train Tues, Wed, Fri, and Sat this week.

Tuesday 8-22-17: Squat + Bench Press Focus

Squats 3 X 6 @ 75% + 10 lbs

375 X 6, 6, 6

Everything felt fine on squats today, but during my last set, I hit the safety racks on one of the reps, which tweaked my lower back (shifted my pelvis out of place). I didn’t realize this until the next exercise.

Goblet Squats

125lb Kettle Bell X 10, 10

I did the first set of 10 reps and my back felt “off”. When I got towards the end of the second set I realized I did indeed strain my back during squats.

Bench Press 3 X 6 @ 75% + 10 lbs

275 X 6, 6, 6

No issues here except my lower back wasn’t feeling great.

Flat DB Bench Press (Feet on Bench) 3 X 10

100 X 8, 8, 8

Same as bench press; the actual pressing movement felt good but my lower back was iffy.

So in typical Derek-Charlebois-fashion, as soon as one thing starts feeling better (knee) something else starts hurting… What’s funny is right before I hurt my lower back I was talking to one of my clients and I legit said “the good news is my lower back hasn’t bothering me in a while.” Straight up jinxed myself…

Evening update: Lower back is pretty painful right now. I used my Marc Pro on my lower back after the gym and plan to lay on a heating pad this evening. I was able to adjust my pelvis back into place, which is the first step in relieving the pain.

Wednesday 8-23-17: OFF DAY (INJURY)

I woke up feeling about 50% better compared to yesterday, which is very promising. I decided it would be best to take today off to ensure my back continued to get better. I continued to use my Marc Pro, heating pad, and roll my back throughout the day.

Thursday 8-24-17: Deadlift + Back/Biceps

I woke up feeling a bit better than yesterday, but by no means good (my lower back is still tender and sore). I am going to try training and see what I can do.

Conventional Deadlift 3 X 3

495 X 3, 3, 3

To my surprise, my back didn’t hurt AT ALL during conventional deads. I figured I would work up to 315 today, MAYBE 405, but I was able to hit my target weight for the day of 495 lbs. 

Stiff Leg Deadlift 3 X 8

335 X 8, 8, 8

Hip Thrusts 3 X 8

205 X 8, 8, 8

No pain or issues with stiff leg deadlifts of hip thrusts either. I am VERY surprised at this.

Lat-Pulldown

120 X 8, 8, 8

Seated Cable Row

120 X 8, 8, 8

Barbell Curl 3 X 10

85 X 8, 8, 8

Training today might not have been the smartest thing to do, but I didn’t have any pain at all during my workout despite my lower back still feeling stiff and sore. I am optimistic that this injury will only be a minor setback.

Friday 8-25-17: Squats + Bench Press

Squats 3 X 4 @ 80% + 10 lbs

395 X 4, 4

No pain during squats, which again is very surprising. I only did two sets instead of three sets because I didn’t want to chance things with my back.

Bench Press 3 X 4 @ 80% + 10 lbs

295 X 4, 4, 4

Bench Press continues to feel good despite less leg drive today due to my back.

Close Grip Bench Press 3 X 5-8

245 X 6, 6, 6

I opted not to do military press today since I am still dealing with the lower back issue.

Saturday 8-26-17: Deadlift + Back/Biceps

Sumo Deadlift 5 X 5

405 X 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

“Block” Conventional Pulls 3 X 5

405 X 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Bent Over Row 3 X 5-8

225 X 6, 6, 6

My lower back didn’t “hurt” today but it was feeling very fatigued. So despite the injury I had an “ok” week of training.  

Sunday 8/27/17: OFF DAY

I apologize for the lack of detail in this week’s journal entry. It is hard to expand on things when working around and injury and not feeling motivated. I have decided to take next week off training to rest and let by body recover. Check out the video recap for more info.

WEEKLY RECAP VIDEO

As I was sitting on my couch eating breakfast this morning, I noticed that the distal tendon of my tibialis anterior on my left leg (leg with injured knee) looked very taunt and elevated and was also pulling my foot causing it to supinate. I realized that this tight muscle was the underlying culprit to my knee issues. Because my foot was slightly supinated due to the tight tibialis anterior, it caused me to place added stress on my knee during squats and deadlifts.

It makes sense that using the Voodoo Floss Bands relived some tension on my knee because when I wrapped the bands below my knee I was compressing the tight tibialis anterior. So before I went to the gym, I rolled out my tibialis anterior quite a bit. I also decided I was going to try squatting in flat shoes instead of my elevated-heel squat shoes since my foot is slightly supinated (I feel the flat shoe will put less stress on my knee).

Weekly Schedule

Monday = Squats + Bench Press

Tuesday = Deadlifts + Back/Biceps

Wednesday = OFF

Thursday = Squats + Bench Press

Friday = Deadlifts + Back/Biceps

Saturday = OFF

Sunday = OFF

Monday 8-14-17: Squat + Bench Press Focus

Squats 3 X 4 @ 80%

385 X 4, 4

Squatting in the flat shoes felt surprisingly good; I honestly felt stronger than I have felt in a while. I ended up only doing two sets of 4 reps because I didn’t want to push things too much given that my knee WASN’T hurting (didn’t want to irritate it).

SQUAT FOOTAGE 

Bench Press 3 X 4 @ 80%

285 X 4, 4, 4

Bench has been feeling great! I kind of feel like squatting before bench press is making my body more warmed up and ready to bench. Not sure, just a theory.

BENCH PRESS FOOTAGE

DB Goblet Squat (with Hip Circle) 3 X 10

130 X 10, 10, 10

Due to the size of the dumbbell, getting into position wasn’t ideal. In the past, I have worked up to the 150 lb dumbbell but then opted to switch exercises since the dumbbells start getting awkwardly large at that weight.

Flat DB Bench Press (Feet on Bench) 3 X 10

95 X 10, 10, 10

Flat DB press felt SUPER easy today. I cruised through these three sets.

Tuesday 8-15-17: Deadlift + Back/Biceps

Conventional Deadlift 3 X 5

475 X 5, 5, 5

Since sumo deadlifts irritated my knee last week, I am switching to conventional deadlifts for the time being to decrease the stress placed on my knee. I don’t mind conventional deadlifts at all, they are simply a different movement than sumo deadlifts. 

COVENTIONAL DEADLIFT FOOTAGE

Stiff Leg Deadlift 3 X 10

325 X 10, 10, 10

Hip Thrusts 3 X 10

195 X 10, 10, 10

My goal on stiff leg deadlifts and hip thrusts simply to go 10 lbs heavier each week as I decrease the rep range. 

Lat-Pulldown

100 X 10, 10, 10

Seated Cable Row

100 X 10, 10, 10

Barbell Curl 3 X 10

75 X 10, 10, 10

Since conventional deadlifts, stiff leg deadlifts, and hip thrusts are taxing on the lower back, I opted for some easy cable work for back today. 

Wednesday 8-16-17: Rest Day

Rest day! Rest is good for you!

Thursday 8-17-17: Squats + Bench Press 

Squats 3 X 8 @ 70% + 10 lbs

355 X 8, 8, 8 

This was workout #2 using flat shoes and I must say squats are feeling very stable. My knee continues to feel ok, some slight irritation after squats but not much at all.

Bench Press 3 X 8 @ 70% + 10 lbs

255 X 8, 8, 8

Bench press continues to move well without any issues. The only “issue” I faced was tight hip flexors after squatting, but they loosened up by my third warm-up set.

Close Grip Bench Press 3 X 5-8

235 X 8, 8, 8

My goal on all assistance/accessory exercises is to simply go 5-10 lbs heavier than the previous week. 

Standing Military Press 3 X 5-8

105 X 8, 8, 8

As I mentioned last week, my goal on standing military press is not to lift as heavy as possible but rather to lift with the best form possible. The goal is to add 5-10 lbs each week while maintaining proper form throughout every rep.

COMPLETE WORKOUT FOOTAGE

Friday 8-18-17: Deadlift + Back/Biceps

Sumo Deadlift 3 X 5

505 X 5, 5, 5

I decided to try out sumo deads today and see how my knee felt. My knee felt fine so I rolled with sumo deads. As I mentioned in my journal entry last week, I typical perform submaximal singles on deadlifts and don’t do a lot of rep training. I decided to keep the weight lighter and perform reps to decrease the stress on my knee but still allow me to overload deads.

“Block” Conventional Pulls 3 X 5

455 X 5, 5, 5 

I went quite a bit heavier this week (90 lbs) because this movement was feeling good. I’m using this movement to strengthen the muscles of the back and am not concerned with going overly heavy.

SUMO AND BLOCK PULL FOOTAGE

Bent Over Row 3 X 5-8

205 X 8, 8, 8

Glute-Ham Raise/GHR Sit-Up

BW X 12, 12, 12

DB Walking Lunges

35’s X 12, 12 (12 reps each leg)

This is the 4^th time I’ve done lunges in the last month and I honestly don’t mind them now. I have always hated lunges and hated them when I did them a month ago. I am including them in my program to work each leg unilaterally as this is something I often overlooked in the past.

Saturday 8/18/17 & Sunday 8/19/17

I am traveling out of town this weekend but ended up getting a quick upper body workout in with some friends. I just did a bunch of random stuff, nothing specific.  

WEEKLY RECAP VIDEO