Only One More Week of Cluster Training Left!

Today’s Workout Log

Warm-up

25 minutes of dynamic stretching and soft-tissue work

Workout

Cluster (Do one “miniset” of 1 rep, rest 10 seconds, repeat for a total of 5 “minisets,” and that’s ONE cluster. Rest 3 minutes and begin next cluster.)

Incline Bench Press – 145 pounds – Sets: 5 Clusters (25 total reps)

Cluster (Do one “miniset” of 2 reps, rest 10 seconds, repeat for a total of 5 “minisets,” and that’s ONE cluster. Rest 3 minutes and begin next cluster.)

Pull-ups – Bodyweight – Sets: 5 Clusters (45/50 total reps)

SuperSet (Do one set of each exercise back-to-back, rest 2 minutes, repeat)

Dumbbell Bench Presses – 45-pound Dumbbells – Sets: 6/6/6
Head-Supported Dumbbell Rows – 35-pound Dumbbells – Sets: 6/6/6

SuperSet (Do one set of each exercise back-to-back, rest 2 minutes, repeat)

Side-Lying External Rotation – 7.5-pound Dumbbells – Sets: 12/12/11
Standing Zottman Curls – 20-pound Dumbbells – Sets: 10/10

Cool-down

Dead Hang – 62 seconds

Workout Journal Notes

Today was a double-edge sword of sorts, since I knew what to expect this week.

I knew there was a heaping double-serving of cluster training on the menu, but also, this was the last set of clusters for the week.

Like yesterday, my second-week clusters went a lot smoother, but definitely not any easier!

I managed to get through all of the Incline Bench Presses, though I may have been 5-10 pounds too conservative after last week’s downgrade-fest.

Then, for pull-ups, I can’t exactly reduce “bodyweight,” but I managed to complete 45 of the 50 total reps.

That’s a lot of pull-ups, even if they are so spaced out. I’m sure that’s one of the concepts behind clusters, because I wouldn’t normally be able to knock out 45 pull-ups in straight sets.

As usual, the rest of the workout went great, because it’s always such a relief to have clusters in the rear-view mirror.

And another bit of good news regarding those downright dirty cluster bombs: Apparently, the author of “Maximum Strength,” Eric Cressey, realizes just how brutal they are, because the four most orgasmic letters I’ve ever seen occupy the cluster column in the final week of Phase 2… O-M-I-T!

That means, I’ve only got two more cluster workouts next week, and that’s it for this phase. Start the count down and the chant of “nah nah nah nah hey hey hey GOODBYE!”

Seriously though, part of me really does enjoy the brutal intensity of them, just not a very big part.

Tomorrow I’ll be hitting the park for some more HIIT sprints, and I may increase the distance again, running lengthwise, which is about 80-100 yards.