I recently had a great workout at the Dalhousie University gym. It was a welcome change of scenery, as I trained there for about a year and enjoyed returning to see some familiar faces.
My workout began with high-bar squats. I planned for five sets of eight reps at 65% of my one-rep max. However, the reps moved surprisingly fast, and I ended up doing 10 reps on the first set. I recently started using knee sleeves again, which made a significant difference, especially in getting out of the hole.
I finished my lower body session with two sets of 50 walking lunges (25 reps per leg). This involved four trips down and back across the gym. High-rep lower body work can be brutal, and this was no exception.
Next, I moved on to the bench press. This part of the workout was a bit of a rollercoaster. I was aiming for six sets of three reps at 85% of my one-rep max (310 pounds based on a 365-pound max). Initially, I felt good and bumped the weight up to 315. However, it felt unexpectedly heavy, so I dropped back down to 295 for an easy triple. After regaining my confidence, I returned to 315 and completed my planned six sets of three.
To finish the workout, I did four sets of 10 overhead cable triceps extensions. My current training program incorporates powerlifting movements since my back is feeling much better. I dedicate a full day to back and bicep hypertrophy, while for shoulders, triceps, and chest, I supplement the powerlifts with hypertrophy-focused exercises at the end of my workouts.
