Strength
Deads: 60, 100kg x 5, 120, 140, 160, 180kg x 1, 190kg X F, F
S/s
Ab rollout: 5 x 5 sets
Volume:
Deads: 145kg x 2 x 10 sets EMOM
Finisher:
Gorilla rows: 27.5kg x 5
Stepping lunges: 27.5kg x 10
LLP: some seconds
AMRoundsAP in 10 mins - 3 just.
Couple of things to note, 180kg felt very easy, very smooth, very pleased with that, it is technically a joint PR (goal of this session is 95% or a PR). I was very pleased with just how easy it felt, zero struggle, zero grind, slightly slow off the floor but honestly 145kg felt harder and slower afterwards. I can only surmise that going into PR territory got into my head, both times I got it off the floor but almost immediately ditched it because my lower back/brace felt off, but I can’t help but think that’s my psychology limiter.
After that I was a lot less pleased. Nearly ditched the session there, I had some excuses already worked out, but I pushed that aside and did the work. I did pick the lowest % and reps but after trying 145 for the first set I was glad, but I actually did 145kg x 4 set 9 and skipped set 10.
When you lay on the floor, on your back with your feet up, Use the floor under your lowest ribs to get a feel for where your lowest ribs are. Learn how to feel and control and not overarch your lower back without rounding it.
Then, later when you’re preparing to deadlift you can control your lower back and your bracing. And “feel” where your back is as you bend over and hinge up.
People also do “Crocodile Breathing,” face down, sometimes with small weights on the back to learn to expand, feel and control the low back.
Strength
Ohp: 20, 40kg x 5, 50, 60, 70kg x 2
S/s
KB uppercuts: 16kg x 5 x 5 sets
Volume
Ohp: 52.5kg x 4 x 10 sets EMOM
Finisher:
Bottom up KB press: 16kg x 7/7, 6/6, 5/5, 4/4, 3/3 - 2m 55s Beat last time by 1 second.
Pleased with the main sets 70kg was smooth and comfortable, as it ought to be, glad to see I’m retaining lost ground.
Volume was spot on. Finisher I switched out for the next sessions (and will do this intended one next ohp session) this is a much quicker finisher and I’m squeezing this in between meetings - my lunch break!
Farmers: 60kg per hand 65ft up drop turn and back x 10 sets
First 7 done EMOM, then my lungs broke (like sharp pain and coughing broke) took 3 mins, did 8, then 2 mins between 8 & 9 and 9 & 10.
Wide grip pull-ups: 4 x 10 sets EMOM
Teddy bear squats: 50kg x 6 x 4 sets
Bit of a crap fest this morning, not sure if it was because: I went too heavy, this was supposed to be light and the extra weight and extra distance might have contributed, or the air temperature was just above freezing and my lungs didn’t approve, or it’s first thing in the morning and I’m pretty sleep deprived, or I’ve been fighting a virus for a couple of weeks and one of my team came down with Covid earlier this week (after I’d spent the day sat next to them) so I could have the lurg. Or a mixture of all of it.
I thought I’d carry on after the farmers indoors and the gym (stations not garage) had the heating on so that was disgusting and didn’t resolve the lung issue, pull-ups are basically recovery work between the hard work, the teddy bear squats were too hard for me to recover from and my form was dreadful, my knees were on fire so I shut it down before I injured myself. Disappointed but it was the right decision, first time I’ve not fully completed a session, feeling pretty drained today.
Strength
SSB front squat: 60, 80, 100, 120, 130kg X 3
S/s
Hollow rocks: 12 x 5 sets
Volume
SSB front squat: 85kg x 5 x 10 sets EMOM
Finisher - not needed.
These sessions are supposed to be around 30-45 minutes, this is Brian time, his work capacity means he can go from part a to b to c with little rest, this works okish for me on bench and ohp, deads less so and squats, well I don’t think I could stand properly after that last volume set for at least 10 minutes, between lungs and legs I’ve got a long way to go. Disgusting stuff as always.
I cut the finisher, it was Bulgarians I tried unweighted but I could barely do an unweighted single, holding the rack, I’m pretty confident that I didn’t need any finishing, and I gave my all to both the strength and volume, the finisher would have brought nothing to the table, mission accomplished. I guess I probably did the main work and the volume within the 30 - 45 mins window but actually standing and stopping sweating maybe 1 hour +.
That’ll be a SSB front squat PR both volume and top set, top set was a real fight, first rep was smooth, second fell forward and required a lot of back involvement to wrestle up, the 3rd rep I wanted to keep tight and upright so absolutely crushed my larynx.
I feel like a deload is probably needed, I haven’t come across a “life” deload recently, or maybe I’ve become better at squeezing this in. I’ll keep ruminating on possibly intentionally deloading.
Haha, I’m glad to hear it, I definitely couldn’t have done it, genuinely couldn’t even Hatfield it with just bw by that point…
Despite that I’m now recovered enough to have forgotten the agony and be only left with the nagging sense of work left undone, my quads were and are fried, but my glutes would have got something out of it!
Strength
Bench: 60, 80, 100, 110kg x 2, 122.5kg x 1 + F
S/s
Dragon flag: 6 x 5 sets
Volume
Bench: 90kg x 4 x 10 EMOM
Finisher
Odd min: 1 arm chest supported DB row: 27.5kg x 8 e/s
Even min: 1 arm inc DB bench: 27.5kg x 8 e/s
Top set fail was technique not strength, went out of the grove and lost it forward. Volume was fine, slightly annoyed my shoulders, feel like my trap somehow did a lot of work now.
Finisher sucked, as always.
Happy with how that went considering it was first thing, fasted.
Two days since I last trained, work is mental busy, alongside the on call fire stuff going busy 3 calls last night - got about 3 hours of sleep in and I’m off to a fire training event Fri - Mon, there’s a gym there and I’m taking kit but I think it’s just a hotel gym and spa, I’ll see how I feel but might be the life deload I’d been considering. Might just get some light work, or no work and swim/sauna/steam. We’ll see how I feel.
Lower back is grumpy, assuming fighting the front squats has upset it, shame it’s been solid for a little while.
On the long drive back from training, had a blast and didn’t hit the gym once, it was a county club and I expected it to be crap, but they had a decent free weight area, but honestly the training was intense and I was wasted by the end of each day, took the most hot wears of the whole team, so got baked and gave 100% to each scenario even when I wasn’t wearing.
Got teasy (very out of character for me and no one else saw it) on the final scenario of the first day, got stuck in BA dragging a full size and weight dummy around…then having to put a full body (petzl avao) harness on the thing, it was ridiculous, but took a breath, had a word with myself and got it done, just exhaustion.
Great weekend, not exactly a deload, but hopefully by Wednesday I’ll be back and ready to go!
Strength
Deficit deads: 60, 100, 120, 140, 160kg x 3
S/s
Field goal sit ups: 10 x 5 sets
Volume:
Deficit deads: 100kg X 5 x 10 sets
Assistance finisher:
Skipped
Good session to come back to, scheduled as a light session and I kept it that way, I could potentially have pushed another set on the strength work and gone to 170kg, but my lower back is cranky after far, far to long cramped up in a minibus, so took the sensible choice and called it at 160kg which was decent but not an all out effort. That made the volume work light but 50 reps in 10 mins definitely had an impact, my glutes are absolutely smoked and my lower back is maxed out, not injured just that’s all the load I want to put through it today, so called it on the finisher, don’t see the value of it for today.
Weight is hovering around 205/206 which is good, I’m still able to see abs, so I’m happy to push onwards to 210, which should hopefully be there within the next 6-8 weeks then I’ll probably hold that for a while.
Strength:
Ohp: 20, 40, 50kg x 5, 60kg x 2, 70kg x 1, 75kg X f, f, f + 1 push press with worlds slowest lockout
S/s russian twists: 10kg x 4 sets
Volume:
Ohp: 55kg x 3 x 10 sets - done in 6.5 mins due to needing to pick up the kids
Bit frustrated with the top set, first rep got out in front of me but I stubbornly tried to grind it out and move myself in under it, didn’t work, rps 10! Then just beating myself up for no reason after that, then push pressed it, but it was so stupidly slow for a weight that’s easy for a PP, just showed how fatigued I’d made myself by that point.
There were also two push pressed in the mix in the volume work, only necessary because I was taking 30 seconds break, stormed through it.
Felt strong tonight, the 75kg should have been there fairly easy, a lot of work stress and probably underate as well, nevermind.
Offset carries: 50kg farmer handle and 16kg overhead: 50m drop, switch arms, return x 10 EMOM
Chin ups: 5 x 10 sets EMOM
Sandbag loads: 50kg x 6 x 10 EMOM
Almost didn’t do this, not really up for it, but looked at the schedule and not training tomorrow or the day after so thought I’d better get it in.
Day 38, 7 more sessions to go, will have to think what comes next, tempted by something like Mountain of Crapp, but think I’d struggle time wise. Half tempted to run 45M again, but change up the accessory work to be a bit more bodybuilding and focus on arms for two days and chest for two days, because I feel like they’re a little neglected at the moment.
Assistance finisher
Front foot elevated split squat: 10kg DBs x 5e/s x 10 sets EMOM
Top set was good, still got more in the tank I reckon:
160kg:
150kg:
Probably don’t win internet police (@Cyrrex) pause approval, but it feels like a decent pause and definitely takes the immediate stretch reflex out of play.
Volume was disgusting as always, not helped by needing to use the belt so pressure was massive, breathing minimal and pauses further exacerbated that. My head tried to get me to quit multiple times, I didn’t, pleased with that.
Volume was just supposed to be easy light pump, but because it was light I was focused on form and realised I cheat by using the back foot way too much so switched it to reverse lunges off a step (same movement pattern but my rear leg only makes contact briefly to touch depth) made this also disgusting, and sweaty, so very, very sweaty.
