strong pulling mate, however it goes up that is a lot of extra weight. All jokes a side though it would be better if you can not pull your knees up and use that little boost. I try to have the weights right up between my thighs and then have my legs bent so my feet are behind me. This takes away the impulse to use the legs.
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Yeah it’s amazing how much of the pullup comes from the legs.
I used a foot-supported assisted-pullup machine and was amazed - I had to keep my body perfectly straight, no leg drive at all, and as a result they were super hard even with tons of assist.
The end goal of weighted pullups in this case is performance on the Spartan race - rope climbs and monkey bars etc - so I’m not against a cheaty movement. I guess if it were meant to be a lat hypertrophy thing I’d need to watch the form.
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Even for hypertrophy some movement is ok especially if you are overloading with weight or more reps, as long you get a full stretch at the bottom and contraction at the top there is still gainz to be had.
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RIP Carl Weathers…
And dude, you’re looking massive! Great work.
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That means so much, esp coming from you. Thanks dude.
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2/23/2024 Friday
Kong-ish week 7 day 3, upper body push.
Abs and glutes to start with. Including some BW BSS.
DB Bench Press, flat. top set 5 with 80s.
DB Bench Press, slight incline.
Seated cable rows.
Cable delts and rotator cuff.
BTN press.
Cable pec flyes.
Pullups (not many).
Lost track of everything I did, but lots of triceps, some biceps, enough pec, and delts.
Going camping all weekend as soon as I finish work today. Very excited.
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Camping weekend was a bust.
Cold, rainy, and worst of all, severe winds. Broke my canopy and my tent, ripped another family’s tent and kept knocking down the 3rd family’s.
The 2nd night was forecast to be wose than the first so we bailed before sundown on the second night.
Kids had a blast regardless.
Highlight for me was boogie boarding in the intense surf, and a little bit of ocean kayaking in it.
It was hard work with the high choppy waves and string winds, but rewarding.
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2/26/2024 Monday
“Kong-ish” week 8, final week because I’m ready for a change, leg day.
Hit the road at my usual time, got stuck behind a freeway shutdown, took 70 MINUTES to get to the gym. Absolutely sucked. Decided during the long, frustrating drive to just hit squats and then 5x10 BSS, so I could do the most important work, and then get to work at a decent time, albeit later than normal.
Squats, 12-8-5 135-185-225. These, by the way, sucked; it never gets easier; my body just hates doing it. Keeping the same weight week after week thinking that eventually it won’t crush me, but my spine and knees feel like they’re made of glass. Every time. Next week I’ll shift focus back to powerlifting and squats will get the attention they deserve.
BSS, 5x10. BW, +25, +35, then 2 sets in the smith machine with 50lb loaded.
A couple sets of cable delts on the way out.
Shit.
Next day edit to add:
Though minimal, this worked. Glutes are sore, unlike last Monday’s session.
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2/28/2024 Wednesday
Kong-ish week 8, day 2, upper body pull focus
Serious DOMS from yesterday’s abbreviated leg session. Funny how the bare minimum gave me more stimulus than a full-on leg session would have, because I was forced to do the hard stuff and only the hard stuff.
Started with Glute Pull-throughs on a cable. Never done these before, kinda weird on the crotch area. We’ll see if I feel anything from them tomorrow.
Seated, chest-supported, plate-loaded rows. Heavy.
Plate-loaded landmine-ish rows. Heavy.
Lying, chest-supported, plate-loaded rows. Heavy.
Pullups, BW, 3x3.
Bench press, 3x8x135.
Delts. 1 set on the cable, then someone took it; 3 sets lateral raises; 3 sets of BTN (all this was superset between rows and bench)
Biceps and triceps with ez-bars and then on machines.
A good session. I felt pretty jacked.
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3/1/2024 Friday
Kong-ish Week 8 day 3 - Last day of this!
Upper body push focus.
BSS, 3x10 (0,30,30lb)
Bench Press 12-8-5-12, 135-155-175-155
Slight incline DB bench press, 3x8
Weighted pullups, 3x5, 0,1chain,2chainz
superset with
Strict press, 3x8, 65,85,85
Cable pecs
Cable delts
Pec flye and rear delt flye machine, 1 set each
Cable triceps and biceps to the pain
Arms were pumped up like baloons
Shoulder rotations (internal and external) on an elbow-height cable
That about summarizes it.
Felt really good walking out in a loose dress shirt and still feeling like I look big.
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The past 8 weeks were the first time I took “bodybuilding” seriously, and set aside concerns about how much I can lift in the big compounds. I feel that it was good for my joints, good for my overall muscle mass, good for my confidence, and other things. Wife has been complimenting me, and apparently her friend said something yesterday… So yeah this was GOOD.
BUT I miss strong lifting. My body rebels against squatting. If I squat once a week, I am never able to add weight the next week. My body despises it. My knees and spine feel like glass. Always have. So I feel determined, perhaps despite better judgment, to overcome that and beat my body into submission and squat more.
I typically get some kind of injury, usually shoulder-related, when i work on the press. And I have a nagging right shoulder injury which has been at bay during this lighter 8 weeks. I know its still there and it may resurface when I start pressing real weight over my head. But I’m going to try.
I expect the first week to be a non-programmed, “primer” on powerlifts again. 2-3 sets on each lift, every session, 3x/week. For one or two weeks. Then start on a program to increase the big 4. And probably big 5, with weighted pullups, because they are my strong suit.
One thing that still bothers me: I really focused on glutes this past 8 weeks, doing glute-focused leg days on Monday and adding a few sets of glutes every weds and fri. However, I don’t feel like my glutes have grown. I think lack of a butt is part of why I suck at squatting, but squatting doesn’t grow my butt or even make it sore. what to do, what to do…
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Have you had a coach look at your squat and give you help. Could be worth getting it looked at and learning to squat all over again.
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Rob, i sorta did. When i was dedicated to reaching a 315lb squat, i asked a former competitive powerlifter at my gym for help. He did. I reset my squat weights really low, did a lot of reps, and eventually climbed up to 315. He’s in the background of at least one of my squat videos from that time lol.
But. There is a massive dude who works at my gym. I cant pay for coaching but i bet he’d give me some feedback on squat form if i ask.
Im pretty sure i showed a video to you and @wiseman83 last year and his response was “technique is fine, you just need to be stronger”.
Ill grab a video Monday and let you guys chime in!
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Have you been doing any adductor work? “Bad Girls” have been getting me caked up.
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I remember this.
Once a week is horrible for me, too. So bad. With once a week, you need a bit of volume/intensity to progress. I’d do it…then not be able to walk for 4-5 days. Sometimes it would make training other things difficult to impossible in those first couple days.
Yuck. Not fun. Don’t care for it.
I like much higher frequencies, lower session volumes. 3-4x per week exposures.
After we see your next video for technical purposes, you Could look at lower session volumes with High frequency. Every second day is nice with 2-3 sets each session. Varying in intensity also is a good idea. Might be 3x3 one day, 2x6 another day, 1x8-10 another day. Can be as simple as that. Staying 2-3 reps away from failure on any given day.
Of you just get silly like I am currently and squat every damn day. 
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Not to pry, but have you ever thought there is a physiological reason squatting? I had a history of squat trouble. Finally, in my 40s, I was diagnosed with caudal regression syndrome and stenosis. That explained my squatting issue. I am not saying you should not squat, just make sure you are not dealing with something you should be aware of.
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Thanks, everyone!
@Andrewgen_Receptors great point. That machine was broken last time I went to use it at my gym, but I’ll check again. “Caked up” huh? That’s a new one on me.
@wiseman83 Absolutely I’ll be going to 3x/week for squatting, have definitely learned that 1x doesn’t work. Will reconvene after the video.
Also, I have a 50lb KB at home so could maybe start doing a few sets of goblet squats on off days, just to groove the movement pattern? IDK.
@Friedrich I’ve never heard of those conditions and will google them shortly, I guess. I definitely think there are some things “wrong with me” that make me have to work 2x or 3x as hard as anyone else in the gym for basic results that come naturally to nearly everyone else.
However to the extent possible I’m going to keep the effort high and prove to myself and my stupid body that there is no choice but to adapt.
As an example of this, right before starting my recent 8-week BB block, I squatted 100 reps of 225lb in a session - IIRC going 2 or 3 reps EMOM until I hit 100 total reps.
The spirit is willing and the flesh can get the f- out of the way.
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I am not insinuating you have what I have. Caudal regression syndrome comes 1 in 100,000. Rare, except if you have it. I just mean be careful, though a 100 rep workout using 225 lbs. squatting is impressive. Though my thighs hurt for you. Keep up the good work.
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I just googled caudal regression and… im sorry man. That must be awful.
Thank you. I was fortunate in some ways, my spine is “off” and I have no tail bone, mis-shapen hip, etc. but You wouldn’t know it. “Mine”, as observed by the sports medicine doctor who diagnosed it, affects my internal organs more so, one kidney, a funky shaped liver, and from the stomach down. I had a colostomy until I was three.
The oddity always seemed, I was strong muscle wise, but there always seemed to be a gap between my lower body and upper body. Well I was about 50 when that doctor actually MRIed me.
I do not mean, nor have not meant to hijack your log. Keep safe, but keep at it!
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