Thanks! Yep, ive been confident i had them in me for a while, but sticking with the program gives you a chance to test every 4 or 7 weeks.
Looking forward to the next 3 weeks, which have me spending lots of time at TM (531 jargon for pretty heavy) on squat, press, and power clean, but a little less squat volume at the lighter weights.
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Mate, if I were you I would literally run TM for a bunch of months.
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Would you remind me where to find that template, or what it consists of?
Your log is a daily succession of PRs wrought by Training Maximally, isn’t it?
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Well I don’t know about “daily succession of PRs”, but most of my best lifts from the past year have all come from TM style lifting. The scheme looks like the following…
As with all 531, your max starts out at about 90% of your true max. But in all honesty, if you are pushing yourself, you will soon be much closer to 100%. Anyway, assuming a lift that has a training max of 165, it would look like this:
40% 3-5 reps (65 kilo)
50% 3-5 reps (82.5 kilo)
60% 3-5 reps (100 kilo)
70% 1-3 reps (115 kilo)
80% 1-3 reps (132.5 kilo)
90% 1 rep (150 kilo)
100% 1 rep (165 kilo)
(If it says 3 to 5 reps, don’t be a pussy and just do 3 unless you feel like complete shit)
Jokers or PR sets if you want to push it. This is controversial. Some say to never do them. I say, if you want to improve, you kind of have to do them some times. How will you ever hit 170 if you don’t try to put it on the bar?
Backoff sets: 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps at 70%. So using the above numbers, that would be at least 3 sets of 5 reps at 115, but honestly this is not working hard enough. Pushing the backoff sets is where the money is.
I use BBB sometimes to get a running start when on the gain train, but TM has been my favorite version overall.
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Thanks @Cyrrex !
Bookmarked and will get back to this.
So is this basically one lift per day? And if you squatted per TM on Monday, would you squat any more until next monday?
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Yeah, one main lift per day. I tend to work on a five day lifting week, so if I squatted on Monday, I would normally hit it again on Saturday.
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Sounds like this would have registered high on the RPS scale. Nice work.
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Monday, August 22
The morning star anchor week 1 day 1
The Anchor has lower volume for the 3 core lifts, most of the work is done at TM. Each day, one of the lifts is light, 5x5xFSL, the other 2 are at TM. Today’s light work is the squat.
Warm up Swings with a 60lb DB, fire hydrants
Twenty jumps I really don’t like the jumps, and I’m annoyed that the anchor calls for 20. LOL.
Power cleans: topset was 4 at 185 and failed the 5th rep. Got this for 6 last Friday. But there were other factors at play today.
Super set 3x10 BPAs
Squat: 5x5 at 180
Super set AB roll out from knees 5x5
Strict press: 5x2 at 130, E2MOM This was just right. Very hard, but able to get all the reps.
Super set Pullups, 5x2
That’s the core work done, plus BPAs and some core and pull work. But the program calls for 50-100 reps each of push, pull, and SL/Core, so had to stick it out:
BTN press, 2x10 super light
5 rounds:
-Bench press 5x155
-5 BSS, BW
-10 lat pulldowns
Hammer strength incline press and hammer strength chest-supported row, 20 reps each I think
All in all I got the volume work in, but it wasn’t very satisfying, was just racing against the clock and it felt like garbage volume. Which may be good, maybe that’s JWs intent, but I think I can do a better job selecting and planning the volume work. Will put some thought into this.
One option is to always plan to do a separate session at the office consisting of:
5 rounds,
-5 BSS
-5 Pushups
-5 Pullups
Which would get 25 reps into each category. Proportionally, that would put more load on the pull; so the gym work could lightly load the pull, and more heavily load the push and possibly single leg/core. It would reduce the gym time requirement which is important, I think.
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Wednesday 8/24/22
The Morning Star Anchor W1D2
Warmups
20 box jumps
Power Cleans: 5x2x185
SS BPAs
Squat: top set of 4x275 - rep PR (see why below)
Press: 5x5x85
50 BPAs, 25 pullups, 60 pressing movements, 50 knee raises (I think) outside of the core lifts.
Will do 25 each pullups, pushups, BSS at my office and be well within the prescribed volume range.
I bought Rehband knee sleeves. Squatting in them today was totally different. Depth was deep as hell. 275 is still heavy but I sense good things ahead. These sleeves are annoying, have to take my shoes off before and after and they are stiff enough that I’m not going to wear them during other lifts. But man my knees felt great.
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From what I understand, Wendler’s goal with those 50-100 rep volume simply is to get people to do work. So something like this works fine for the pull- 25 total rows, 75 band pull-apart.
They shouldn’t feel hard.
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Thats what I do mate. I only wear them for the top sets on squats. So my first few warm up sets are without, then I have to take my shoes off and out the sleeves on and my shoes back on. Do my heavier warm ups and working sets and the take them off again. It really doesn’t take that long and after a while you will feel like it is a little ritual to put the on, like you are turning the switch and ready to squat heavy.
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Friday 8/26
Morning Star Anchor w1d3
Warmup
No jumps
Power clean: 5x5@120 First time in the whole program that its called for FSL on cleans. Refreshing!
BPA 5x10 SuperSet
Squat: 275 for 2, 3, 3, 2 ten total The knee sleeves make a big difference, but I think they change the mechanics of the squat a bit. I need some practice in them at lower weight to get used to them. I filmed the sets of 3 and saw that my knees straightened early and I good-morninged it.
Press: worked up to 3@130. Rep 4 got stuck just above my head.
I owe pretty much all the assistance still - counting the BPAs I still need a full session of pushes and single-leg/core. Will get it this afternoon, but had to get to work for now.
Edit:
Later, 5 rounds during chores:
-10 pushups
-10 bss
-2 pullups
-5 knee raises
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Glad to see Morningstar working for you so well mate. I had a similar experience, it worked so well, and so easily, i stopped doing it.
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Yeah I’m really liking the simplicity! How long did you run it for, and did you do the Anchor programming as well?
I feel like the template would apply well to a variety of lifts. Front squats, bench press… Deadlift using the same template as power cleans (lower volume than the other lifts).
I did a couple of cycles of the Leader, i don’t think i ever did the Anchor, but i’m not sure.
I love fancy programming, but perform much better just doing basic, simple stuff consistently.
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Getting some reps on the new knee sleeves this morning.
EMOM front squats 135lb:
1,2,3…9,8,7…1.
Twas brutal, had all 4 kids with mickey mouse on for the baby right behind me and it was utter chaos.
Then a 1 mile walk with the whole family, carrying the 100lb bag for the first and last leg of the walk.
(Dropped bag off at the bridge and picked it back up on the way back).
Edit: That was around 9:00 am. By 4:00 PM I was starting to feel DOMS, now it’s later and it’s gettting bad!
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DOMS has me wiped out! I squat 3x/week so im really surprised that 91 front squats have done this much damage.
Front rack area is sore too, but the quad pain… oh man.
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At least you know the training did the job. LOL
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8/29 monday
Morning star anchor w2d1
Warmup
20 jumps
Power Cleans top set 4x185
Squat 5x5x195 went great
Press 130: 3,3,2,2
BPAs 50
Ab pike thingys 5x10
Btn press and incline machine, 50 total reps
A few heavy 1-arm rows
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8/31 Wednesday
Morning Star Anchor W2D2
Warmup
20 jumps
Power cleans: 5x2x185, E2MOM
SS band pullaparts and band rows; 50 total
Squats: Worked up to 5x275 rep PR
Which my former-powerlifter acquaintance at the gym, who has watched my form and given lots of helpful advice over the past few months, moved quickly and were all at or below parallel. Major progress there.
Press: 5x5x95
Pullups: 5x5
Knee raises: 5x5
Bench press: 5x10x135, focus on squeezing a penny between my shoulderblades.
BSS: 5x6+
Squeezing the shoulder blades during bench was a recommendation from the same guy. I guess I’ve never really done it. Benching was hard, despite the low weight, because all my concentration was going to my scapular retractors (whatever those are called). Definitely out of my comfort zone, but probably will increase my bench if I can drill it in well enough.
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