Thunderhead's Training Log

[Chad R. Thundercock]

New year, new program, new goals.

Just felt like posting my log on the internet again so I can get some feedback from fellow lifters here. So far, my spreadsheet program hasn't offered any useful constructive criticism on my progress, so...yeah.

The premise of this log is pretty simple: pick things up, put them down, count the calories, adhere to the macros, sleep, get stronger. Lather, rinse, repeat. Ad nauseam.

Stats (as of 1/17/2016):

Name: Thunderhead/Thunderkopf
Age: 27
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 210-215 lbs.

PR Maxes:
355/475/555 Bench/HB Squat/Deadlift
OHP: 225
Front squat: 425
Push Press: 255
Clean/Snatch/Clean&Jerk: 265/195/225ish...can't really remember

Current goals:

Lose bodyfat and get shredded (7-8%)
Get stronger - hit 500 on the squat, 600 on deads, and 405 on bench

The program I'm doing right now is Jamie Lewis's (of Chaos and Pain) Destroy The Opposition: Advanced Deadlift Specialist Routine.

Here's a screenshot of my past training days (including today):

Diet

I'm still intermittently fasting. I eat one huge meal a day, usually spaced between 20-28 hours. I keep my calories between 2300-3200 calories, depending on the intensity of the training. I eat more on the day before my heavy squat and deadlift days, and a little less before my heavy OHP/bench/pull days. I consume at least 180-200 g of protein and the rest of the macros is free-for-all, as long as it's under the caloric limit for that day.

My preworkout consists of 10-15 grams of BCAA (USP Labs), 25 mg of ephedrine (Bronkaid), and 300-400 mg of caffeine (Rockstar Zero/Monster Ultra Zero/Walgreen's Stay Awake pills). Does nicotine count as a supplement? Fuck it. American Spirit Black. I train on an empty stomach.

Here's a list of the rest of the supplements I'm taking at the moment:

NatureMade Vitamin D3 - 6000 - 10000 IU
ON Opti-Men Multivitamin or Orange Triad
Primaforce Yohimbine - occasionally taken, especially before doing cardio. This shit really makes your dick hard.
ON Pro Complex Protein
Dymatize Elite Casein

Vitamin Shoppe L-Theanine - nootropic
plnt (Vitamin Shoppe) - nootropic
Vitamin Shoppe Bacopa - nootropic

Wakalert Modafinil - rarely taken. Half a pill if I'm feeling extra sluggish

Sheer Strength Labs Sheer Testosterone - natural testosterone booster. It's got zinc, magnesium, vitamin d, d-aspartic acid, fadogia agrestis, fenugreek, gingko biloba, and eurycoma longifolia.

Motrin - on hand

Gears and equipments

Adidas Adipower weightlifting shoes - main
Nike Romaleos 2 weightlifting shoes - backup
Rehband XL Knee Sleeves
Harbinger Straps
My lucky green Crosshit shirt by Elgintensity - because Crossfit fucking sucks hairy balls, and I like to express my displeasure of this shitshow of a "sport" everywhere I go.

Some generic block of chalk from a Chinese manufacturer - I store it in a Ziploc container.

The following equipments are rarely used but are worth mentioning

Inzer Lever Belt - reserved for maxes and new PRs
Inzer Wrist Wraps
Inzer Knee Wraps (yellow) - I'll probably use this if my knee gets injured

 

[btwrestler119]

Welcome back, looking forward to some big lifts.

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

Good to see you again, friend. Thank you.

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

Hmm...I fucked up. I repeated what I did in the first week in my second week. So basically, I did Day 1's workout on Day 8 instead of the actual workout on the spreadsheet. Bear with me; this my first time on this program. I'll finish this week with the same layout and pick up where I left off next Monday.

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

1/18/2016
Monday

Heavy Bench/Light OHP Day

My goal for today was to hit 3 x 3 with 285 on the bench and then autoregulate down from there as I had done last week with 275.

Surprisingly, the 285 felt light so I decided to test my limit on my 3RM.

Bench

Warmup
1 x 5 with bar, 135, 185
1 x 3 with 225
1 x 1 with 275

Main sets

3 x 3 with 285 - light, no struggle
3 x 3 with 295 - didn't feel bad at all, so I moved up to 315
1 x 3 with 315 - the first rep felt shockingly light. To be honest, I expected to hit only a single or a double, if I was lucky enough. I strained my lower back on that last rep, however, so I had to stop.

Massaged my lower back for 10 minutes...

OHP
3 x 8 with 135

Front Squat
2 x 15 with 135 - wasn't part of the plan, I was messing around

DB Shrugs
1 x 20 with 100
1 x 15 with 95

DB OHP

1 x 8 with 65, 55

 

[Flash_Monsta]

Welcome back, bruh. Good luck.

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

Flash! Good to see you again, brother.

 

[Deleted member 382931]

Welcome back, the C&P stuff is cool, I'm curious how you fare with it.
How is your gym doing?

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

Kotov, always a pleasure. The gym folded late last year, but I wasn't too disheartened by it. I made some friends, had some great training sessions, broke some PR's, and at least I have the right to brag that I once owned a warehouse gym (not that I really do or have done so). I packed all my stuff and moved back down to San Diego to work as a welder again.

In hindsight, if I had another shot at opening a gym again, I would first sell my soul to the devil and attend Mike Chang's School of Fitness Marketing. GOD DAMN IT, I DON'T CARE. I LOVE MONEY!

1/19/2016
Tuesday

Heavy Pull/Medium Deadlift Day

Today's training session was a real grinder. My lower back got a pounding worse than Valentina Nappi's cornhole on any given day...hour...microsecond. I hobbled my way out of the gym like an old man - which is okay, because I'm on the right path, given my curmudgeonly ways.

High Pulls

70 kg x 2 x 1
90 kg x 2 x 1
100 kg x 2 x 1
120 kg x 4 x 1 - the last set sucked. The bar didn't go as high to my liking.

2 inch deficit deadlifts

315 lbs x 3 x 5
315 lbs x 1 x 6

Reverse Hypers

3 x 10 with 90 lbs

GHR

BW x 1 x 10
BW x 1 x 8

Pullups

BW x 1 x 15
BW x 1 x 10
BW x 1 x 8
BW x 1 x 6

Face Pulls

50 x 2 x 20

Cable Crunches

50 x 2 x 20

 

[Viskovitz]

Welcome back, Thunder!

What came of your triathlon goals?

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

Hey! What's up, Viskovitz!

I was planning to do a short sprint length triathlon June last year, but my shoulders got wrecked from training jiujitsu, lifting, and swimming. So I had to stop training altogether for about a month. It was just too much. I still want to do one eventually, some time this year hopefully. It's on my bucket list. For now, I'm just focusing on my strength goals.

How are the squats and cycling coming along?

 

[Viskovitz]

Hey! What's up, Viskovitz!

I was planning to do a short sprint length triathlon June last year, but my shoulders got wrecked from training jiujitsu, lifting, and swimming. So I had to stop training altogether for about a month. It was just too much. I still want to do one eventually, some time this year hopefully. It's on my bucket list. For now, I'm just focusing on my strength goals.

How are the squats and cycling coming along?

Back injury kept me from doing much lifting through summer, so i focused on the bike and had great routes. Started lifting in October, taking it easy and progressing slowly, but now I'm back where I was strength wise, even a little stronger and much leaner.

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

Back injury kept me from doing much lifting through summer, so i focused on the bike and had great routes. Started lifting in October, taking it easy and progressing slowly, but now I'm back where I was strength wise, even a little stronger and much leaner.

That's good to hear, hombre. Keep it up!

1/20/2016
Wednesday

Light Squat/Medium OHP Day

HB and Front Squats

Warmup sets

1 x 8 with bar
1 x 6 with 135
1 x 6 with 135 - front squatted
1 x 6 with 185

Main sets

2 x 8 with 245 - I paused on the first four reps and then blasted through the last four as quickly as possible



1 x 8 with 225 - same as above, but front squatted this time



OHP

Warmed up with 135 x 1 x 5

2 x 5 with 165
1 x 4 with 165 - missed the last rep, autoregulated down
1 x 5 with 145

Close Grip BP

1 x 15, 12, 10 with 145

DB Shrugs

1 x 25 with 100
1 x 15 with 90

DB OHP (AMRAP)

1 x 15, 12, 10 with 40

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

Took a week off from work. I'm visiting my friend in Vegas tonight. I'll play some poker, some blackjack, and get some reading done. So that concludes my first week of training. Tomorrow is optional day; I may or may not train depending on my feelz.

Here's my projected outlook for week 2. Just the bare bones. Nothing is set in stone; I may have to autoregulate. I planned it out in advance so I won't make the mistake of repeating week one's schedule again:

Wubba lubba dub dub!

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

I'm in Las Vegas right now - staying with a friend in Henderson, to be exact. Really nice area. I used to live here 8 years ago when I was attending UNLV. Gold's Gym on Flamingo Rd. was where I took powerlifting more seriously as a hobby... That's where I learned how to perform the Oly movements and the front squat by a very special individual to whom I owe a huge debt of gratitude: Jon Broz.

Bought a three day pass at a gym called Tap Ur Fitness. I was totally blown away by the environment and the equipments they have here. It's one of the best powerlifting gyms I've ever trained at in ages.

1/22/2016
Friday

Heavy deadlift/Heavy Pull/Light OHP

Deads

Warmed up with:

1 x 5 with 135, 185, 225
1 x 3 with 275
1 x 1 with 315, 365

Main sets

6 x 1 with 405 - tore the callus under my left pinky on the last set. Knurling on the bar was really sharp.

Pendlay Rows

No warmup

2 x 4 with 245 - bumped it down to 225
1 x 4 with 225 - grip gave out

OHP

2 x 8, 1 x 6 with 145 - failed at the 7th rep on the last set

DB Shrugs

1 x 20 with 90

Hammer curls

1 x 10 with 45, 40
1 x AMRAP with 35

Very exhausted today. I woke up dehydrated with a nasty calf cramp.

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

1/23/2016
Saturday

Light Squat/Light Pull

Drove all the up way up to the powerlifting gym only to find out that it was closing in 10 minutes. Bummer. So went to EOS Fitness (formerly Gold's Gym) on Stephanie and Wigwam.

Front squats

Warmed up with 1 x 5 with 135, 135, 185

Main sets

2 x 8 with 245
1 x 8 with 225

Didn't feel like doing Pendlay Rows today so I did DB shrugs instead.

DB Shrugs

150 x 3 x 8

Pullups

BW x 12, 10, 8, 6

Hammer curls

1 x 8 with 50, 40
1 x AMRAP with 30

Facepull/Cable crunches (Supersetted)
1 x 15, 10, 10 with 65

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

1/24/2016
Sunday

Late post. I just finished eating with a couple of friends after a workout together. Baked a shepherd's pie for the fellas:

One of my friends, Jason, invited me over to his training grounds, Battle Born (On Sunset and Pecos), which is owned by Dan Stephens.

Heavy bench/Medium OHP

Bench

Warm up sets
1 x 5 with 45, 135, 185
1 x 3 with 225
1 x 1 with 275

Main

315 x 5 x 1 - easy so I moved up
325 x 2 x 1
325 x 1 x 1 - failed, so I moved down to 295

295 x 1 x 3, 2, 1 - pyramided from triples down to singles

OHP

Plan of the day called for 175 x 3 x 5. It was too heavy so I did

155 x 3 x 5

instead.

Close grip BP

155 x 2 x 15

Tricep pushdowns

I did these with a lat pulldown bar because there was no tricep ropes present.

80 x 2 x 15

Stretched my shoulders with a dowel, rotating it back and forth above my head.

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

1/25/2016

Monday

So today was a very special day. I visited Jon Broz's gym, Average Broz's Gym, which is located on S. Las Vegas Blvd. south of the strip.



I walked inside and was immediately greeted by a bald, hulking figure of a beast.

"Hi, I'm just dropping in for a workout." I said.
"Coming from out-of-town?" he asked.
"Yeah, just for a couple of days." I replied.

He extended out his right arm for a handshake. I returned the gesture.

"I'm John," he said.

"I know you, John." I replied with a big, dumb grin.

He squinted his eyes with a puzzled expression.
"Where have I seen you before?"

"Gold's on Flamingo. You and Val taught me how to do the Oly lifts and front squat 8 years ago."

"Oh! That's right, I remember you! What's your name again?"

"It's also John."

"I remember seeing that Asian guy in the back who was powerlifting all the time."

Yep, that was me all right.

Today's program called for light squats and heavy deadlifts. Jesus fucking Christ. I had a heavy deadlift session 3 days ago and wasn't in the mood for another one today.

Front squats

Warm up sets

50 kg x 1 x 5
70 kg x 1 x 5
90 kg x 1 x 5

Main sets

110 kg x 2 x 8 - plan of the day called for 3 x 8 with 245 lbs. 110 kg = 242 lbs. so I chose that weight. Some of the guys training there were complimenting me on the depth and weight of my squats. It was pretty fucking embarrassing and flattering for me at the same time, considering that some of these guys were smaller than me and were C&Jing and snatching weights that I couldn't even touch.

"Broomstick!" said Kyle, a junior football player at UNLV who's training under Broz to supplement his football training. "You can go higher than that!"

Fuck it. I decided to skip deadlifts for the day and max out with singles on the front squat. I know this is going against my program, and will probably fuck up my progress in the long run, but whatever, I'm in Vegas on vacation, and certain exceptions can be made sometimes.

Main sets

130 kg x 1 x 1 - easy

150 kg x 1 x 1 - easy. "Broomstick!" someone yelled again. Could've been Angelo, who, by the way, had one of the most majestic looking mullet I've ever seen in my life. Can't remember.

170 kg x 1 x 1 - failed. Got stuck on the bottom of the lift and bailed out. "Nice bail, John!"

160 kg x 1 x 1 - got it. A little tough on the way up. All the guys were watching me and shouting words of encouragement as I was getting up.

165 kg x 1 x 1 - again, got it. Strained my left lat on the way up.

"Broomstick! Come on! 170!" Shit. "I don't know if I can handle 170 right now. I haven't maxed out like this in a long time." I said.

"Come on. What's the worst that can happen?"

Yeah, he was right. The worst thing that could happen to me is a stupid miss. These guys are used to missing their lifts. I couldn't believe I said that. Now I just made myself look like a pussy.

170 kg x 1 x 1 - failed on the descent. "Nice bail!" said someone again. The camaraderie here is just fucking amazing. This is the kind of environment you can thrive in if you want to keep pushing yourself harder everyday.

Alright, that was it for the front squats for today.

Reverse Hypers

90 lbs. x 3 x 10

Leg curls

80 lbs. x 3 x 10

Pullups

12, 8, 5

So in between the sets of these accessory exercises, I was shooting the shit with the lifters and John. I was picking his brain regarding the "bounce" on the squat, a technique that I've been working on recently. He told me to work on my speed with lightweight - 2 second reps, nothing more than a triple. I've noticed that none of these guys here do more than triples on their lifts.

So that's the end of today's training session. I'm tired as shit, and starving to death right now. I wanted to go to Rollin BBQ on Highland (THE FUCKING BEST BBQ IN LAS VEGAS EVER) but it was already closed. So I'm here, with a proverbial thumb up my ass, wondering what to eat as I'm typing this. Maybe I'll go to Tacos El Gordo on the Strip, but wait...I already have that in San Diego, and I've been to the ones in Tijuana too. But I fucking love quesadilla de adobada...

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

1/26/2016

Tuesday

Heavy OHP/Medium Pull

I went to EOS Fitness on Stephanie again. The place is a hot mess. Numbers on the dumbbells were worn out or scratched, let alone placed in the wrong numbered area of the rack. Gym etiquette is almost non-existent in these commercial gyms.

Front and high bar squats

So this wasn't part of the plan, but I wanted to work on the bounce of the squat that John taught me yesterday.

12 x 3 with 135 - alternated both back and front squat every set. Dropped all the way down til my calves touched my ass. Ass to grass. Everybody was giving me weird looks as I was doing this.

OHP

Warm up

1 x 5 with 135
1 x 3 with 155
1 x 1 with 175

6 x 2 with 185 - bumped it up to 195 after the last set
3 x 2 with 195 - struggled on the last rep so I went back down to 185

2 x 2 with 185 - I just had an epiphany while I was doing this. I arched my back, and noticed a tremendous improvement in the leverage on the lift. It was so easy so I moved back up to 195 again.

3 x 2 with 195 - with the new and improved form. Didn't struggle too hard

P. Rows

185 x 3 x 5

Tricep pulldown

80 x 2 x 10
95 x 1 x 10

EZ bar curls

85 x 1 x 8
65 x 1 x 8
45 x 1 x 8

Cable crunches

95 x 3 x 10

Heading down to LA to see my family. But before I left Vegas, I had to stop by at Rollin Smoke BBQ for some grub:



I can't believe I ate the whole thing.
- Homer Simpson

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

1/27/2016

Wednesday

I'm in Los Angeles right now, visiting my family for a couple of days. I headed down to Torrance to train at Dave's Powerhouse gym on Hawthorne. That hour and a half drive on the 405 S during rush hour was not fun at all.

Heavy squat/Light bench press

HB Squats

Warmup Sets

1 x 3 with bar, 135, 185, 225, 275
1 x 1 with 315, 365

Main sets

1 x 1 with 405
1 x 1 with 425
1 x 1 with 435 - so my plan for tonight was to squat this weight for 10 singles in total, but I couldn't. My right knee was tweaked on the ascent, which is probably due to the fact that I front squatted heavy two days ago.

Went down to 225 to work on my speed

1 x 1 with 225 - yeah, my knee was fucked


Bench

1 x 5 with bar, 135, 185 - warmup
3 x 8 with 245 - main

My knee felt a little better at this point, so I wanted to squeeze in some extra squats with a light weight.

Front squats

135 x 5 x 3 - ATG, 5 second pause

Tricep Pushdowns

150 x 1 x 10
180 x 2 x 10

Pullups

10, 8, 4

Hammer Curls

1 x 8 with 45, 40, 35