Glute Ham Raises Are Already Getting Much Easier

Today’s Workout Log

Warm-up

30 minutes of dynamic stretching and soft-tissue work

Workout

Front Squats – 95 pounds – Sets: 6/6/6/6 (2-minute rest between each)
Knee-Height Deadlifts from Rack – 135 pounds – Sets: 6/6/6/6 (2-minute rest between each)
Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats – 25-pound Dumbbells – Sets: 6/6/6 (90-second rest between each)

SuperSet (Do the two exercises back to back, rest 90 seconds, then repeat)

Glue-Ham Raises (Heavily Assisted) – Bodyweight – Sets: 9/6/5
Hanging Leg Raises – Bodyweight – Sets: 14/8/6

Cool-down

Dead Hang (elongates spine) – 48 seconds

Workout Journal Notes

Thankfully, my feet recovered quickly from all of yesterday’s pounding, and I didn’t even have any blisters, which I thought might have made squats a little uncomfortable today.

In fact, my legs felt great, considering it had only been about 14 hours since last night’s HIIT/speed camp work.

I’m still finding my form and limit on some of the new exercises, so Front Squats and Knee-Height Deadlifts were pretty easy, and I’ll be increasing both by 20 pounds next week.

One surprise was how much I improved on Glute-Ham Raises on only my second attempt of ever doing them.

I knew I would improve quickly, since, at first, just the movement itself was very awkward.

It’s not the most relaxing thing in the world to hurl your face toward the ground, while hoping your hamstrings can bring you back up.

I’m still at the point where I need a big push-off from the ground, and I’d like a more controlled descent, but I’m already feeling much more comfortable with the move and expect to keep improving rapidly.

25-pound dumbbells were just about right for Split Squats, because I was definitely feeling the burn on that third set, so I’ll only be increasing those by 10 pounds (5 pounds for each dumbbell).

Tomorrow will mark my first completed week of “Maximum Strength,” and I’ll only have 15 more to go!