Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can do what others can’t.
| About my advanced lifting/nutrition program. I started in June of 2024 and have added very good mass and strength gains. My current 1RMs are listed in the tables below. My dad has built a free weight home gym, and we’ve set the following 1RM revised goals for my “big four” lifts to; 250lb bench press, 375lb high back squat, 315lb snatch deadlift and 205lb military press. Hopefully these goals will be attained, and they will be my final high school 1RMs in July of 2026. My lift cycle is 6 weeks, there are four workouts per week (two heavy and two lite) and on week 7, I take a new “one rep max” or 1RM for my “big four” lifts: 1) High Back Squat. 2) Bench Press. 3) Snatch Deadlift. 4) Military Press. Percentages of the new 1RM are calculated so I know how much weight to add to the barbell for the proper resistance training in the next cycle. There are a couple of small accessory workouts during week 7 as well, but mostly it’s a rest week after 1RM day, then, the next cycle begins the following week. Nutrition wise, I supplement normal whole food meals with multi-vitamins, whey protein (morning and pre-post lifting) and casein protein before sleep. I strive to intake 190grams of protein per day. |
“Big four” 1RM progress log.
| LIFT | 05JUN24 Start Cycle #1 1RM. | 22JUL24 Cycle #2 1RM. | 09SEP24 Cycle #3 1RM. | 27OCT24 Cycle #4 1RM. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Back Squat | 190 | 205 | 215 | 225 |
| Bench Press | 130 | 135 | 140 | 150 |
| Snatch Deadlift | 145 | 165 | 180 | 200 |
| Military Press | 90 | 95 | 100 | 105 |
| LIFT | 16DEC24 Cycle #5 1RM. | 03FEB25 Cycle #6 1RM. | 17MAR25 Cycle #7 1RM. | 24MAR-20MAY25 Track season maintenance. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Back Squat | 260 | 285 | 295 | *********** |
| Bench Press | 160 | 165 | 175 | *********** |
| Snatch Deadlift | 215 | 235 | 245 | *********** |
| Military Press | 110 | 120 | 125 | *********** |
| LIFT | 02JUN-22AUG25 Football camp training maintenance. | 06OCT25 Cycle #8 1RM. | 24NOV25 Cycle #9 1RM. | 12JAN26 Cycle #10 1RM. |
| High Back Squat | ********************* | 305 | 315 | 325 |
| Bench Press | ********************* | 180 | 190 | 200 |
| Snatch Deadlift | ********************* | 255 | 265 | 275 |
| Military Press | ********************* | 135 | 145 | 150 |
| LIFT | 02MAR26 Cycle #11 1RM. | 20APR26 Cycle #12 1RM. | 08JUN26 Cycle #13 1RM. | 27JUL26 Cycle #14 Final HS 1RM. |
| High Back Squat | ||||
| Bench Press | ||||
| Snatch Deadlift | ||||
| Military Press |
Pre-lift warm-up & stretching.
| About my pre-lift warm-up and stretching routine. 1. Warm-up #1. 2-minute run in place. 2. Stretch. [10 Minutes] –Neck Push. (10 right to left, then 10 front to back, apply force to strengthen neck muscles.) –Latissimus Dorsi Pull. (Right arm over head & pull with left, 5,000 count, then, repeat opposite.) –Tri-cep, Shoulder & Lat Pull. (Right arm over chest & pull with left, 5,000 count, then, repeat opposite.) –Rotator Cuff (windmills). (10 forward, then 10 reverse.) –Torso Twist. (10 twists right to left.) –Torso Bend. (10 bends right to left.) –Hamstring Dip. (Right foot over left, left leg straight, grab left toe [no bouncing], 5,000 count, then, repeat opposite.) –Quadriceps Pull. (Stand on left foot, raise right foot behind you, grab toe & pull, 5,000 count, then, repeat opposite.) –Groin Push (butterfly). (Sit, bring feet together into crotch, lower head toward feet & push knees down w/elbows 5,000 count.) –Groin & Hamstring Push (hurdler). (Sit, extend left foot w/toe up, place right foot to the rear & form a 90 degree “chicken wing”, put left side of chest to knee & hold left foot with left hand [no bouncing], 5,000 count, then, repeat opposite.) –Trunk Mobility (scorpion). (Lay face down, arms 90 degrees out & palms down, bring right leg over the left leg & touch left hand with right foot [while keeping right shoulder down] 5,000 count, then, repeat opposite.) 3. Warm-up #2 —plyometrics. (I do these as fast & as explosive as is possible, see the video.) Jump Chin-ups (16), Lateral Bounds (16), V Leg-ups (16), Squat Jump (16), Jumping Jacks (16). |
Heavy day training.
| About my heavy day routine: After warm-up and stretching, all of my exercises utilize a barbell & plates & I start by working my “big four” lifts: 1) High Back Squat. 2) Bench Press. 3) Snatch Deadlift. 4) Military Press. I work 4 sets with the following minimum reps & percentages: 7/60%, 7/70%, 5/80%, 7/70% for each exercise. –Sets 1 & 2 are warm-ups & are locked in at 7reps. –Set 3 requires me to hit the minimum 5reps. Once I’m good with that, I can then max out at 9 reps in this set. –-Set 4 has a few options: –can be 7reps minimum with 9reps max. –can be a burn set that progresses upward during the lifting-cycle from 7reps to muscle failure. –can be locked in at 7reps. –can be deleted or deferred. ***If I fail; >For squat, I just set the bar down on the safety rack due to having only one spotter. >For bench, I do a few negatives with my spotter or just set the bar down on the safety rack. >For deadlift, I just return the bar to the floor. >For military, I just lower the bar back down to my upper chest & rack the bar. Finally, there are two accessory lift circuits: —Circuit #1– Muscle Snatch, Calf Raise & Plate Twist. —Circuit #2– Straight Leg Deadlift, Shoulder Shrug & Bicep Curl. Mostly, these aux lifts are implemented to enhance the “big four” lifts as well as work individual muscle groups with greater attention. [Note: I only do one set of muscle snatches at 60% of my military press 1RM because I can’t drop the bar on our floor & lowering heavier weight from overhead puts too much stress on my rotator cuffs.] |
Lite day training.
| About my lite day routine: After warm-up and stretching, I do a series of accessory exercises & dumbbell lifts. Here, I’m trying to improve balance & core control as well as challenge a few muscle groups for growth. I work 2 sets, and depending on the exercise, the number of reps varies from 7 to failure. The percentage of weight resistance varies as well during DB & leg curls, but generally stays around 50% to 60% of an estimated 1RM. —Circuit #1- DB Snatch & Jerk, DB Tri-cep Extensions, Quadricep Extensions & Crunches. —Circuit #2- DB Split-Squat, DB Bent Row, Hamstring Curl & Push-ups. |