Alex_uk: 40 years in the making

[alex_uk]

Week 3 day 3

Conditioning: playing rugby (kicking, passing and running) in park with dog and son.

Gs1:
Broad jumps: 5 X 4 sets
Front squat: 60, 80, 100, 110kg X 3
Cable crunch: 40kg X 10 X 4 sets
6 count Burpees: 5 X 4 sets

Gs2:
Broad jumps: 3 X 3 sets
Front squat: 90kg X 8, 4+4, 4+4 (rest pause)
Cable crunch: 40kg X 10 X 3
Burpees (not 6c): 5 X 3 sets

Legs completely gone by top set of 3s, disappointed, thought I’d be good for more, I must be fairly technically proficient at back squat it particularly poor at front squat the disparity is clear. By first set of gs2 my quads are ruined and I’ve been battling to keep the bar up, more hugging it that holding it. Had to rest pause to get volume work done - I very nearly dropped to 60kg for final two sets but then @ChongLordUno popped into my head and I went to the dark place, forcing myself back under the bar, I won.

Emoms:
Deads: 60kg with blue bands X 3 X 10 sets

Bi pump accessories:
dB curl left, dB curl right, hammer curl left, hammer curl right, rest 75 secs:
10kg: 15/12, 13/10, 10/8
7.5kg: 15/8

BB curls: 40kg X 5 X 3 sets

Painful session for both my quads and collar bones. Probably worth noting that I’m down to 200lbs - thought I’d lose some chub and lean up for summer, which is mostly a bad plan when you’re training so little and still eating poorly (I cleaned up a bit but not enough), I’m not as lean as I’d want and look not much less fat, like the worse kind of dieting, but not I’m here I feel like I need to actually get lean otherwise I’ll try and get back to 210 and just be a fatter version of before haha.

[dagill2]

@alex_uk

Legs completely gone by top set of 3s, disappointed, thought I’d be good for more, I must be fairly technically proficient at back squat it particularly poor at front squat the disparity is clear

That looks like a similar disparity to @Koestrizer so you’re in good company.

[ChongLordUno]

@alex_uk mate I love the fact I’m in your head helping you crack out reps

Keep going brother

[alex_uk]

Totally skim read that half asleep and read it as you were helping a crack head out. Re-read it, yes definitely needed a hard mental shove to get it done…now I feel like a crack head on a come down everything hurts, only difference is I’m not looking forward to my next fix.

@dagill2

That looks like a similar disparity to @Koestrizer so you’re in good company.

Yes true, he’s also rubbish at front squatting. Can decide if it just means I need to do more front squats or never touch them again, think keeping them in regular rotation for a couple of months will tell, but also they suck and I have an adversion to stuff that sucks. (Need to get over that).

[Koestrizer]

@alex_uk

Yes true, he’s also rubbish at front squatting.

That’s true. I would absolutely not touch them again if I wasn’t forced to.

[alex_uk]

Haha, your coach obviously sees value in them, have you noticed any improvement in other areas other than front squat itself? (Or in your case not even in the front squat itself )

[Koestrizer]

Well I guess they have helped my overheads? That was the intention anyway but I am not 100% on that.

[T3hPwnisher]

Front squats are one of the big secrets for whole body hypertrophy.

And I have no idea WHY that is the case. I just know that EVERY time I work them into my programming as part of an extra workout, I see my best growth.

[alex_uk]

@Koestrizer

helped my overheads

That from core stability? Given your recent over head work I’d say it’s working!

@T3hPwnisher

Front squats are one of the big secrets for whole body hypertrophy

Aw don’t tell me that I want excuses not to do hard things not reasons why I should!

Fine I’ll major in them for a while.

[T3hPwnisher]

@alex_uk

Fine I’ll major in them for a while

See, I DON’T think that’s the answer. I feel like focusing on it doesn’t have the same effect. Instead, I just add a miniworkout with front squats as the focus. For me right now, it’s my Juarez Valley workout, but I also did a Xeno Squat workout during another mass gain phase. 20 minutes of HARD work once a week, but not a whole dedicated training block around them.

[dagill2]

@T3hPwnisher

20 minutes of HARD work once a week, but not a whole dedicated training block around them.

I agree with this 100% it’s hard to say whether I came up with the idea independently or whether I’m plagiarising pwn here, but a second session of “medium” front squats on a different day to my main Squat sessions works well for me.

[alex_uk]

Oh come on now it’s additional hard work! Slave driver!

Keep thinking to get a bar and two plates to leave in my conservatory and throw in some extra regular overhead work, I suppose of I did that I could also drop it to the rack position and do a load of front squats, 20 mins of floor to overhead to front squats would be brutal and building…

[T3hPwnisher]

Could do the Dan John southwood workout

Lessons From Southwood

He talks about dropping the bench, and that’s exactly what you’d do.

[Cyrrex]

@dagill2

@T3hPwnisher

20 minutes of HARD work once a week, but not a whole dedicated training block around them.

I agree with this 100% it’s hard to say whether I came up with the idea independently or whether I’m plagiarising pwn here, but a second session of “medium” front squats on a different day to my main Squat sessions works well for me.

On the one hand, this sounds like an interesting idea and worth considering.

On the other hand, front squats can eat a dick.

It’s a bit of a thinker.

[carlbm]

I can say south wood is something you can add in.

I used to do a south wood complex 2x a week. Same weight for all reps:
8 cleans - 8 front squats - 8 press
Then 6
Then 4.

Its overly simple. BUT it got me fairly well conditioned.

[alex_uk]

Week 3 day

Thanks for the front squat thoughts @T3hPwnisher @dagill2 @carlbm - I prefer @Cyrrex’s comment, but I fear the rest of you are right so I went with a valley of Juarez conditioning start to today’s session

Conditioning:
Front squat: 60kg x 8, 1, 7, 2, 6, 3, 5, 4
Rest: 6 count burpees X 5 X 8 sets

GS1:
Pull ups: bw, 10kg X 3 20kg X 3 X 4 sets
Axle ohp: 28, 41, 51, 61kg X 1, 71kg X f, 66kg X 1
Cable crunch: 40kg X 8 X 6 sets
Sandbag floor to shoulder: 40kg(ISH) X 3 X 6 sets

Gs2:
Pull up: 5 X 3 sets
Axle ohp: 51kg X 8, 5, 5
Cable crunch: 40kg X 8 X 3 sets
Sandbag floor to shoulder: 3 X 3 sets

effsoffs that’s an unforgettable acronym (every forty five seconds on the forty five seconds)
Bench: 70kg & blue bands X 3 X 10 rounds

Accessories:
Oh cable ext: 40kg X 12, 12, 10
S/s
Tri pd: 40kg X 15, 12, 8

Juarez was brutal, great start to the session, did it in 9.5 mins. Legs hurt a little bit already even just from 60kg, the 1-4 reps were so welcome, the Burpees sucked, constant battle to keep the bar I should probably try and do actually front squat grip rather than cross arms.

Ohp top set fail was disappointing and probably mental but I have lost some weight and really am not training frequently enough, so can’t be too annoyed.

Rest of the work was spot on for intensity, rests we’re all 90 secs apart from the effsoffs. Good session.

[carlbm]

@alex_uk

effsoffs

I like this!

[dagill2]

@alex_uk

Juarez was brutal, great start to the session, did it in 9.5 mins

Target to beat. Good work

[T3hPwnisher]

@alex_uk

constant battle to keep the bar I should probably try and do actually front squat grip rather than cross arms.

Overrated: cross arm forever. 9.5 is lighting dude: crazy work. Defintitely ready to up the dose.

[Koestrizer]

Grip very narrow, just outside your shoulders and start with only three fingers. Eventually adding a third. Expect some pain at first.