Name: Playbook - Nick Symmonds - Day 12
Uploaded: 2023-05-15T20:11:16.269Z
Duration: 30 min
Description: Day 12

Christian Mendoza

Awet

This week has been busy😅 but everything is feeling good and healthy!

Jalen Barrios

Lauren Orlik

By far one of the most challenging ones yet, ended up hitting a pr of 10lbs but had to fight for it on the last rep

Ricky Gonzalez

Gnarly workout.
Started 5lbs over 80% because 225 is so much easier than 220. The reps are as follows. It felt great and. I was shocked to get within 5lbs of my max (pause reaping most of my way up the ladder, also a 15lb pause rep max). I definitely felt stronger than I was 2 weeks ago and I look forward to finally breaking 275 with this program.
1. 225
2. 225
3. 225
4. 230
5. 235
6. 240
7. 245
8. 245
9. 250
10. 255
11. 260 Last Pause Rep
12. 265
13. 265
14. 270
15. Fail 275

Jack

I LOVED this workout!!! I ended up hitting my lrevious max of 195 for 3 reps! I can not WAIT to see how much stronger I am in 2 weeks.

The logging only had 12 sets and I couldn’t change it to 15

Kevin

LOVED THIS WORKOUT!! Started at 165lbs, added 5lbs per set. Reached 225lbs (10lbs above my starting 1RM)!! Sadly I feel like I could have added an extra 5 or 10lbs, if it wasn’t for the back pain I’ve had over the last two days. Still super proud of myself 💪🏼

After I did 1 set of 225, I went back down to 200 to finish the workout! I am so proud of myself

David Lester

Just finished my workout.  Started with 180lbs for 3 sets, 190lbs for 3 sets, 200lbs for 3 sets, 210lbs for 3 sets, and I did 1 set of 225. 225lbs was my max but i couldn't put more weight on the bar. That's okay. I got 18 days more to get maxed. I am glad to see  everyone is getting PR's. It pays to get fit!

Was bummed that I did not see a max increase today, but will keep grinding it out and see what happens!

Shane Caver

Let’s Go New Personal Record. I started at 115 pounds, Today I hit 130! Here was how I built:95,95,95,100,100,100,105,105,105,110,110,115,120,125,130. Great Job everyone, stay strong!

Noah 

I started this challenge at 235lb max bench which I’ve been proud of but wanted to hit 275 by the end of the year. 250lb was my goal by the end of this challenge. Today I managed to hit 255lb. It was an emotional moment for me. I hope you all have your own personal successes today too.

Andrew

20lb max increase baby!!!! From 235lb to 255lb! Considering the 255 was on my 13th set, I’m going to assume my max is a bit higher fully rested. Still managed a 245lb paused rep on my 15th set, which is still a 10lb increase AND with a pause!
Numbers for the lifts were 190,195,205,210,215,220,225,230,235,240,245,250,255,245,245,
Going to adjust numbers moving forward to my new max to keep the progress going for the next couple weeks! I’m more motivated than ever to hit 300 again!!

Tyler Bottorff

Very challenging workout! Started at 215 and worked my way up to 280 lbs! 15 pounds higher than my previous one rep max!

Alan

Felt great, I was surprised how easy my 1 rep max moved today

Day 12: 15x1, start at 80% and build slowly

Day 12 Bench Press

Day 12

Rohan

Andy

Excited to start, my 1RM is 275, and I would be excited to hit 295-315 from this program!!

START HERE 🦬💪 WELCOME TO THE CHALLENGE! STARTS April 1st

Hit my goal for march of 155lb curious to see if 175-185 can happen this month

Carlos Lemus

Had my husband next to me just out of frame but was there if I needed him! Def needed when I failed out! 95lb max! Let’s go!

Haven’t benched heavy in a while. I’ve been doing a lot more dumbbell work for the last few months. So the stability was shaky. I didn’t want to over work so I’m starting at a controlled 275

Submitting Before/After: How to find your one rep max!

Looking forward to further challenges as well!

I’m excited to engage with everyone. I’m in school for kinesiology so seeing everyone’s progress is going to be a great experience

Very excited to see the progress I make from this challenge!

FAQ! Must Watch

I’m kinda nervous on the progress part. I’ve been working out for 6 1/2 years and my all time best is 315. So I don’t expect to add 50lbs because I’m at the part where 5lbs=100lbs haha

One rep max is 265 right now. Would like to hit 315 after the month

Just completed my 1 rep max. It came out to be 225

BIGGER Bench Challenge: What to expect 💪

Stephen

So I had a chaotic week and it prevented me from starting on the actual start date. So rough start but we have a goal to achieve!

It was a challenge. Good start to the program!

Day 1

100 push ups sucks, broke it up 10x10. Just got the app so started the challenge late but for my personal growth I’m still going after it. My beginning bench max was 265. Let’s go!!

Logan

Had to do an aerial class today, but was able to get about half of the push-ups done throughout the day. Excited for tomorrow!

Have to skip to accommodate for traveling over the weekend. Will have a day of total rest between lifts 2 &.3 however.
Knocking out lift #2 right now!

Day 2

Completed 4/4/23

Started first two sets with 205lbs, then increase weight to 225lbs for the last sets. Last set had to take a break in between reps, but made sure to complete! 

Looking forward to stronger results!

Definitely got harder at the end, but focusing on reacting to the bar as if it was my one and only set was very helpful.

Time to complete was 32 minutes. Pretty nice workout. Wasn’t as hard as I would have thought, but I think lift number 3 will deliver on the difficulty! Looking forward to it!

Day 3

Recovery day…much needed. Been working the rest of the body with the challenge so todays rest will be nice.

Did half the push ups so I could still teach trapeze! Excited for day 5!

Took the rest day! Will try the 100 push-ups next time.

Day 4

Day 5

Enjoyed my long day with my husband walking around a theme park for some low intensity cardio! :D

No pushups for me, but did some squats and lightweight shoulder stuff

Day 6

Good rest day for my arms and chest. Still did a 5 mile mountain hike with a weighted vest. Loving this challenge though!

Awesome
Am a bit behind but I'll catch up fast

Day 7

Felt good! 2-3 minute rest in between sets is well needed!

Definitely rough, I had to do a split sit in the middle because I was losing form, so I did two sets of 60, 6 on my third set at 60, then 4 at 50, and sets 4-6 at 50. Most likely burnout was due to my earlier workout of the day or the class I taught. A little disappointed in myself but I’ll hit it hard tomorrow

Day 8

Competed in a bouldering league tonight. Back was fresh and performance reflected this.

Did legs today to give body recovery from yesterday!

Day 9

Completed all the way through! Last 2 sets were tough!

Weight was moving good! Better than expected. I decided to move up to 85%

Day 10

(yesterday) Aerial and some cardio (3.5 miles). Excited to get back to it today.

For these I did close grip to strengthen the triceps for bench

Rest day! It was awesome! Ready to go tomorrow

Day 11

Finally decided to take a full rest for better recovery.

Well did these yesterday, but forgot to start the workout on here….
4 sets of push-ups with 25 reps

Set count is dropping gradually! Hoping for 3 sets by the end of next week.

Day 13

Can’t complain about another rest day, I noticed when I take a 2 test my body feels better recovered for the next bench session

My rest day consistent of aerial yesterday but excited for next week.

Day 14

Felt strong today! Did higher than 65% but that means my strength went up

Highs and lows. This felt pretty easy but high rep hypertrophy is exposing my vertical imbalances.
The lift get easy, I will chalk that up to the program working!

Day 15

I00 over the course of the day, plus a Triometrics workout. Excited for tomorrow.

I have been taking the time to rest push muscles for every rest day. I’m rested regularly for push-ups and as a powerlifter I am a big believer in total and thorough rest.

3 mile light run, stretching and 100 push ups 😬

Day 16

Holy cow that was a workout! I’ve upped the weight to challenge myself a little more and it worked, that’s for sure. Ended up doing all 8 sets with 205lb, which is 80% of my max from the singles and 87.5% of my starting max! Stronger and stronger day by day!!

My 80% definitely feels lighter and my endurance feels like it has shot up, feeling stronger this week!

Day 17

Leg day and a trapeze class! Resting for the big presses coming up!

100 Push ups, 3x12 deads, 3x12 squats, 3x12 rows. Super excited and scared for tomorrow’s insane routine 😳

Day 18

I really enjoyed this workout. 10X2 @245.
Was tough the whole way through.

Day 19

In honor of the Bison, did a solid short run (it’s been a while), and some push ups.

Day 20

Love rest days bc it makes me crave the next day even more

Finally took a complete rest day, stretching for one hour and that’s it. Much needed. 💪🏼 ready for the next workout

Day 21

8x8 finally got me to failure! Feels good having to rack the weight for a second just to finish. Haven’t felt a burnout like that in awhile!

2x8 165lb
2x8 180lb
2x8 190lb
1x8 205lb (failed)
1x8 190lb
Great way to start off the last week!

This was tough, but finished it! 🥇💪🏾💪👏👏🏽

Toasty! After a functional workout, it was tough. Had to split my last 3 sets just to be safe, but got. it. done.

Day 22

Competed in a bouldering league. Tomorrow will be hard.

Open Gym for Trapeze, plus 10x10 push ups. Excited for tomorrow.

Day 23

Last heavy day before the max test and it went perfectly! Completed all sets with pause reps.
10x3 at 230lb pause reps
Considering my starting max was 235lb, I’m almost pushing it for triples!

Maybe I’m in the minority but this workout was hard from start to finish.
10x3 @ 245 was one of the harder bench workouts I’ve ever done. By the end by rest was 5-6 minutes between efforts. Looking forward to the test.

Wasn’t sure on which PR to use for my 90% so started with my OG 1RM and slowly moved up. Ended with that OG 1RM. I’m gonna be soooooore! Love it! 💪🏼

Day 24

Day 25

Definitely going to get as much rest before the big pr

Nice rest day! Noticing I’m not nearly as sore after my workouts which is nice! Did a little bit of skating to get some cardio in.

Day 27

Turns out that I got an intercostal muscle strain from my last workout… have had two rough nights of sleep with stabbing pain every time I take a deep breath. Hoping a couple days of rest will bring everything in shape for the 1RM. Managed 5x5 at 175lb for this workout with minimal discomfort. Time will tell!

Took my time with this one, feeling great and strong!

This must be the deload. Easy workout with pause reps. 
Looking forward to the max. I predict I add between 5-15lbs on my max. Fucking pumped for it!

Day 26

One set, pretty relaxed. Understanding that the point is to keep the Chest muscles ready.

Forgot to record but did my 50 yesterday! Pretty excited to retry my one rep max!

Did all 50, nice little rest day. Shoulder is pretty stiff

Day 28

I must have biffed the schedule because it seems like everyone is already done, but I am very excited to test tomorrow!

I’m actually pretty anxious for tomorrow! I can’t wait to see what I can hit! My bruised rib is back to 95% so I think by tomorrow I’ll be in tip top shape! Let’s kill it!!!

Had a track meet today. I know it probably wasn’t the best thing to do the day before I retest my max but my team needed me. I made sure to rest after the meet and am excited for tomorrow. Great job everyone!

Day 29

I started at 275 and finished at 275 - with much better form. A month ago I bent my back so much my ass left the bench but today I achieved 275 with perfect form and 285 was an inch of two from success. I will try the program again with a heftier diet and I think I will see improvements!

Started at 275 last month and now I did 300. I could definitely push 315 but my spotter didn’t feel comfortable so I played it safe

275lb is the max!!! Very happy with my results. A 40lb increase in just a month…. Wow…. Feels really really good! Thank you Nick for all of the motivation and drive to keep us active during this! Starting a diet in May and the dopamine from completing this month motivates me to complete another month of goals! Thanks again Nick and good luck everyone on your future fitness  journies

Day 30

Said it in the last post, but managed a 275lb bench!

Andrew, if you see this, happy to see we made the same progress!!

Thank you so much for this challenge Nick, I am definitely going to add this program into my arsenal for training. I always learn something new from you! Congrats on your 20lb jump, and congrats to everyone else! You guys all put in the work!

My Results

Thanks for the challenge Nick! Kept me accountable, got me stronger, loved the grind! Looking forward to the next one, if you ever do in challenges up in Alaska I will be there ✊🏽

Big congrats to everyone, it’s awesome seeing all the improvements and solid efforts. And Tyler I did see we tied for massive 40lb increases, congrats dude!

Congrats to everyone who made it this far! I know benching three times a week can be grueling, so props to everyone of us that made it to the finale! Keep up that drive in the gym outside of this challenge!!

Thank You + Announcement

Wow thanks! Happy I could participate and am happy with the results. Congratulations everyone!!!

Wow this is amazing! Thanks Nick I’ll send out a dm shortly! Huge congrats to all the winners, and everyone who went along for the challenge!

Day 12

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