Nah I’m in the fire service (retained fire fighter) - which is why the cardio is non-negotiable!
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First, People tend to be very good at anticipating the impact of events (ie pain from week 5) but grossly overestimate how much it it will actually affect them → excess fear/anxiety
Second, in your case, the “event” requires your active participation, which can lead to expectation effects such that your “fear/anxiety” from expected pain literally makes the workouts harder- even taking physiological measures into consideration!
Third- after the experience- the peak end rule tends to kick in. The overall subjective experience is determined most by the most intense moment and how it ended, even if the peak and end do not reflect most of it.
On the bright side, you’re probably going to look back on BtM with “fond memory” even if it was 10x harder
If all this sounds like common sense, it’s because it is…
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Thanks, that was worthwhile writing - I enjoyed it, and agree. I started reading a book “The magic of thinking big” - it’s cheesy and the logical part of my brain couldn’t help but try and reject the premise (think big, believe and you’ll suceed etc) but in reality I know the mind is so powerful that it shapes the way we see and Interact with everything so I embraced it today, in many various ways, all of which “worked” got more work done and this session was easier and felt good!
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Saw your new avatar. Looking good bubba!
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Thanks @Voxel might not last for too much longer might as well get a picture while I can, belt felt noticably tighter today (it’s actually better now - but it’s a lever and the setting down wasn’t tenable so I’m now at the perfect fatness for this hole!)
Week 2 day 3 - weight dipped back to 208.5ish scales aren’t great so might be that also fluid balance also ran a bleep test last night and even though I finished the day on a peanut butter protein shake (my new favourite easy calories, 60g whey and probably around 60-80g pb, tasty easy 600-750 cal) it obviously wasn’t enough.
Knees did not like the bleep test, next year I’ll take the other option (fire fit test, basically equipment carry, roll out, drag etc) and avoid the hundreds of sharp turns!
Cardio - not really, super casual 2k row, slightly over 10 mins not even out of breath just warm - figured I’d done harder work last night and I’d give me knees a break, prowler might make an appearance next week.
Giant set 1
kB swing - 24kg X 3 X 6 sets
Squat - 60, 80, 105, 125, 137.5kg X 5, 90kg X 20
Chin ups - bw, bw, 10kg X 5 X 5 sets
Ab rolls - 5 X 6 sets
Giant set 2
Press - 30kg X 5 X 10 sets
Shrug - 90kg X 10 X 10 sets
Band pull apart - red X 10 X 10 sets
Might have been 11 sets I wasn’t sure at 3 sets whether it was 3 or 4 so I went on the safe side and counted it was 3. My head wasn’t with it today, need more sleep, tired and feeling a bit fatigued. My knee wasn’t happy but squats didn’t make it any less happy, or any more happy so I carried on regardless.
Well that’s the “easy” week done - the jump from 70kg - 90kg for the 20 rep squat had me check the program and my calculations a couple of times before I did it, went bber style again, got to 11 before I locked very very briefly, then 15 and had a breath then carried on to 20, getting a bit harder there already. 115kg for 20 is going to be so “fun”.
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Fuck that shit
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Barf worthy right there.
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Haha, all part of the program, which is definitely featuring in your year of 531 right @dagill2?
90 wasn’t too bad, but I’m sure the jump to 115 will make this significantly less pleasant, I will point out I started out conservative and went 85%tm not 90% - 90 would have me at 120 and if id hit that 200kg squat it would have been 125, so I might be grateful for that failure in a few weeks time.
The 20 rep squat side of this program was made for you @carlbm!
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20 rep squats are very likely to make an appearance, BtM may or may not.
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If you’re doing a year of 531 and 20 rep squats might as well do BtM!
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You’ve got some big number squats. I will say BtM for me is helping my squats big time. Also my deads which is weird. But I was having issues coming into BtM with depth and flexor tightness and low balled my squat number. I’m thankful I did. I feel stronger than ever squatting the last couple of weeks.
So whats your goal again with deads? You going for reps or do you have a max number is mind.
Yeah man it’s on the agenda. Once I reach 90kg. I want to lean out then go 100% into bulking. BtM is 1st up. I’m looking forward to 1.5lbs of mince a day lol.
I’m interested in putting my numbers into BtM to see what I’d be doing.
How did your fitness test for work go? Aced it?
The only thing worse than 20 reps squats is 21 reps squats.
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BtM is 4 days a week, which probably isn’t happening consistently. I’m also far too porky already, don’t need any all out bulks anytime soon.
That’s great that it’s helping your squats, not surprising though hitting it 2 X per week! The deadlift is a bit more surprising but then driving up squat numbers might help the deads. 531 is always at its core about going lower and having a long slow build up, so you made the right choice starting lower - it’s hard enough even going low!
Not 100% sure on deadlift goal get, I’ll fix it nearer the end of the year, but I’m thinking of setting 250kg as my goal, which is a huge jump in a year (took me around 2 years to get from 180 to 200) but if I set my mind to it and program everything around it, then why not, I’ve seen others achieve similar results.
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I was 250kg dead lift.
On trap bar I got 180x10 and 200x5. But its not translated very well to straight bar.
It’s a fairly big goal man. And I think you’ll get there. It’s as you say - being ready for the long haul.
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That will help you with the chin up aspect of it no end!
Unpleasant things…
Wasn’t bad apart from the knees hurting, probably didn’t help that I turned the final bleep into a sprint race (I might be slightly competitive) - but that’s part of the fun!
BtM is 3 a week lifting (just do the cardio before lifting, makes it easier!) And run a 3 month cut with the goal of bulking for BtM - problems solved!
Yea I had 200x5 on trapbar I think (can’t be bothered to verify by scrolling up haha) and still couldn’t get 210 off the floor - specificity is king unfortunately, variations that work on the same movement patterns work best from what I gather (deficit, pauses and rack/block pulls, progressive ROM, bands chains etc all in the technique you’d do pulls with), unfortunately trap bar just doesn’t quite transfer.
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That’s kind of the plan, yeah. I’m becoming increasingly disgusted with being in such poor “lifting shape” so once this focus on the press is done with I want to be devoting a decent amount of time on basic programming to get myself in decent shape and ready to really make the most of the sexy, funtime programs like BtM or Hardgainers. Lots of beginner prep school and Krypteia Redux and the like.
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