Tuesday 2/27/18
Jumps/Throws
4x5 Rotational Throw with 12lb Medicine Ball
Lifting
Swiss Bar Bench Press
135x5
155x5
175x11
130x5x5
Bulgarian Split Squat
70 KB x 5x10
DB SLDL
70 KB per hand x 5x12
Band Pull aparts
Red mini band 5x20
*Finished in 43 minutes
Comments
Felt amazing this day. Must have talked with a friend for at least 5-7 min straight and still finished in good time.
Hit another PR, giving me a higher estimated 1RM than last week.
I changed the goblet squats up because my knees were still hurting. I instead did Bulgarian Split Squats. I thought this was aggravate my knee, but it didn’t. I focused on working the motion with the hip and pushing push the heels instead of letting my knee travel.
Before lifting, I attended a mobility class. I never realized a hamstring stretch would help my back so much. Maybe that’s the final thing I have to work on. Previously it was the piriformis.
2 Likes
Hey man, good job sticking to this program. It broke me off about halfway through and I’ve been in and out of countries training. What results have you got from this? I skimmed through and saw you got stronger, changed some exercises here and there. Overall what are the pros and cons?
Thanks!
Overall what are the pros and cons?
Cons: Depending on when you read my log, you may have seen I started developing some tendinitis from squatting. I always thought my form was pretty solid, minus some upper back looseness. This is ok though, because I was intending to box squat anyway, right after. Essentially I just missed two weeks, but you could argue those were the most important two weeks for the realization of strength. I also wish my pull up numbers improved, but they didn’t. Maybe I did have to do DB rows instead of doing actual pull ups, idk. I also wish I’d lose some weight, but that didn’t happen despite working my butt off; Wendler did say his athletes still lost weight despite eating to get strong. My weight remained stagnant for a really long time, so I realized I also needed to eat more. I ate more and instantly gained like 10 lbs. Maybe I over did it.
Pros: Obviously conditioning is up, but I’d like to test my erg time again. Just stronger overall. I’ve done a lot of volume on the juggernaut method, but they weren’t at this high of an intensity. My upper back tightness definitely improved (despite still being a little weak); I think this improved mainly because of such high volume heavyish goblet squats. I’ve gotten compliments on my upper body from a few people, and most people who haven’t seen me in a few weeks/months definitely notice an increase in size overall.
1 Like
Thursday 3/1/18
Video of the Day
Jumps/Throws
No throws… tired…
Lifting
Trap Bar DL
265x5
295x5 (Belted)
335x14 (Belted)
265x5x5
Dips
5x10
Chin Ups
5x5
Band Pull Aparts
None… tired…
*Finished in 45 minutes
Comments
Definitely wasn’t feeling so hot today. I don’t usually sleep much, but today was particularly bad. Still did ok, I ended up hit 13 reps at 335 for my deadlift, but there were definitely some long pauses in between some reps. I feel like I learn a little bit every time I lift. Now I’m realizing that I should not worry about how upright my starting position is; I feel better if my back is at more of an angle, even if the pull is a long ranger of motion, as long as my back remains straight; in the video, I tried being kind of upright, but my upper back tends to start in a rounded position.
2 Likes
Sunday 3/4/18
SSB Box Squat 255x7 [Part 1]
(phone decided to split the videos, probably because I was running out of space on my phone)
SSB Box Squat 255x7 [Part 2]
SSB Box Squat 175x5x5
Continued with box squats. Form is still a little shaky, but I think I started nailing it down, at least on my last set. Last week I ended up hitting 245x6; today I hit 255x7. After that, I decided to do 175x5x5. Throughout my whole session, I definitely noticed my knees kept shifting forward, but I think on my last set of my 5x5, I got my form down a little better, and I think I will be pretty good next week. If my warm up sets feel good, I might try a 1RM attempt.
1 Like
Tuesday 3/6/18
Video of the Day
Jumps/Throws
4x5 Rotational Throw with 12lb Medicine Ball
Lifting
Swiss Bar Bench Press
145x5
165x5
185x11
145x5x5
Bulgarian Split Squat
70 KB x 5x10
DB SLDL
70 KB per hand x 5x12
Band Pull aparts
Red mini band 5x20
*Finished in 43 minutes
Comments
Pressing feels great. Hit another PR. What a great way to end the program (last bench day). I ended hitting 185 for 11; last week I hit 175x11 and the week before that, hit 165x12. I think I’ve made great progress. This puts my estimated max for this lift at ~253lbs. My tested 1rm when I started this program was 215lbs. How nutty is that? Expecting a huge 1rm PR next week when I test.
1 Like
Friday 3/9/18
Video of the Day
Lifting
Trap Bar DL
275x5
315x5 (Belted)
355x10 (Belted)
275x10 (Belted)
Comments
I was supposed to deadlift yesterday, but the night before we got hit pretty hard with snow. Shoveling our house, plus another house left me pretty tired. I figured there was no reason to lift the next day, so I did today instead. I change up my form as per last post, and it felt pretty good. But, still, I felt pretty weak, just like last week. And I thought it was a little odd to have 2 bad DL days in a row, but I’m just realizing that it’s probably because I haven’t been squatting the past 2 weeks, at least not free squats. So my leg strength probably isnt there.
With my adjusted form, i felt a back pump like I used to when I straight bar deadlifted. I never felt this way, and the weight felt a lot slower, but I noticed my upper back rounding significantly less. Overall, the lift felt a lot more stable, despite being a little slower, and I think I like it. With some long pauses, I hit 355x10, which gives me an estimated 1RM of 473. This is not realistic for me, but I am hoping to hit at least 445 when I test next week, which would be a 30lb PR, hopefully cleaner then my first 415 when I tested in November.
Anyway, I just wanted to get the workout in. Gym closes a little early on Fridays and I felt asleep prior because I was so exhausted. I skipped all the assistance work, and managed to do one set of 10 before I left.
I think overall I had success in this program. This was my final workout of Krypteia, and I’ll be testing next week. I’ll update you guys then and that’l be the end.
3 Likes
Very strong numbers! Well done
1 Like
Sunday 3/11/18
Video of the Day
Lifting
Swiss Bar Bench Press
210x1
220x1
230x1
240x1
245x1
250x1
255x1 (40lb PR)
Comments
Fucking hyped today. Normally on Sundays, I squat, but, but last week, I deadlifted on Friday (usually Thursday), and my back was still feeling it. Decided to bench instead.
+40lb PR!
The thing with the Swiss Bar is that it’s unstable, and the groove is different than a normal straight bar. It’s hard to realize if something is a sticking point, how much weight you could go up, etc, because it’s hard to tell if it’s a technique flaw, or an actual weakness.
In November, my tested 1RM was 215. I thought for sure that was my max because it went up so slow (no video). Today, if you watch my video at 2:46, 245lbs was a struggle (spotter did not touch it). Wasn’t sure if it was a misgroove bc of technique, or misgroove because I was weak at the point in the lift. I decided to still go for 250 just because fuck it, and that went up 10x easier than 245. I didn’t think this would go up. Kept going, and 255 felt just as easy as 250. I already stayed 30 min past closing and didn’t want to make the owner wait for me any longer. But I think I had another 5 lbs in me, at least.
Really happy.
2 Likes
Final posts updating my maxes
Monday 3/12/18
Since I’ve had knee pain, I’ve been box squatting the past 2 sessions, using a SSB. I’m slowly getting the hang of it. My knees still come forward a bit under heavy weight, but I’m slowly getting better at them.
I started hitting 305. Was a little rough, but I knew I just simply didn’t push right, and knew I had a lot more in me:
Proceeded to 315, and that was much smoother:
Little tough at 325:
And much tougher at 335:
Had more in me, but the gym was closing. I’ve learn that people talk shit on the box squat for no apparent reason. I believe your box squat will generally be lower than your free squat, especially if you’ve never box squatted. You have no stretch reflex. You’re pushing out instead of up. I feel it pretty tough on the posterior. Your knees can’t go forward.
2 Likes
Great numbers man, your work paid off!!
Are you starting a conjugated method soon ?
1 Like
Thanks! I actually just started this past Sunday. I’m only doing two days a week and mainly looking to maintain strength and hoping to lose 25-30lbs by November. Last year I started dieting in the beginning of May and went from 220 to 200 in October. I maintained my squat and dl strength, but my bench fell (initially estimated 1rm 260 to 240, but got it back up to 250; still 10lbs under previous estimated 1rm)
I’m not sure I’ll keep a tnation training log. I might. I created an ig training log account, but again, not sure if I’ll keep it updated. I do like taking the videos and watching my form. I feel that’s so crucial for conjugate in identifying weaknesses. If you’re interested: Kyle Eng (@kyleeng.liftingthings) • Instagram photos and videos
1 Like
Cool man enjoy it and good luck for the dieting !
I don’t really use Instagram but keep us updated with the progress and your thoughts on conjugate 2x a week for our sport.
