Atlas13 Burning the Boats

Training Logs
2725

I’m not your coach but it looks like when you get to around 355 you end up using almost like a low bar pattern (way more posterior chain) to get out of the hole. Like at 335 it still looks pretty high bar in the sense of “vertical torso, lots of quads”. Then at 355 or so, you get more “bent over” and use something more resembling low bar

With that quote, I cannot tell if you realize that or not but just thought to throw it out there

It’s still a epic squat!

2 Likes
2726

Nice job on that PR!

2 Likes
2727

12apr25: cycle 3 week 4 day

CGBP:

205x6 RPE 8

205x6 RPE 8.5

205x6 RPE 9

Deadlift:

135x5

225x3

315x2

365x1

405x1

455x1

475x1

Tricep rope pushdown

55x12

55x12

55x12

Face pulls

Notes:

  • CGBP moved well, felt strong
  • Happy with deads. Had a little more in the tank at 475, not a ton but probably 485, maybe 495. My 495 pull like 8 months ago was with straps on a deadlift bar, this was mixed grip stiff bar, and about 10lbs lighter BW, so I’ll take it

Busy day, owe everyone responses later!

12 Likes
2728

14Apr25: beefcake coaching

Squat:

325x6 RPE 7

325x6 RPE 7

Sumo deadlift: DE

135x5

225x2

225x2

225x2

225x2

225x2

Dimmel deadlift:

225x20

225x20

Heels elevated harfield:

205x10-5

GHR:

12

12

Barbell row:

185x10 RPE 8

185x10 RPE 8

GHR sit-up:

15

15

Notes:

  • running off of coaches orders, not any specific program, just doing what he tells me lol.
  • I’m tired. This is a lot of bit lifts.
10 Likes
2729

More notes:

  • Squats felt good. The first rep at 325 feels tough, but the 6th feels about the same as the first, so the set really isn’t that bad. Think I’ve got 325x10 in the tank if I wanted to push the reps.
  • Never done sumo from the floor before. Using 50%…. But idk what my max is. Conventional? Around 500, so less sumo. Figured 225 was roughly 50%. Felt pretty decent. The strength curve feels like the opposite of conventional, interesting to toy with.
  • Dimmel deadlifts AFTER squat and sumo is just cruel. My glutes were smoked even with the lighter weight.
  • The Hatfields need some cleaning up. I’ve got an actual slant board in the mail, should be here next week.
  • Haven’t done GHR in a minute, they felt good.

@throwawayfitness @simo74 @Hugo_Fillion @KonsuTheTraveller thanks! It was a pretty fun day for me

@freshyfresh man, you absolutely nailed it. Coach actually kind of liked that I did it, because he said it showed him some weaknesses that I’ve compensated for well enough that they don’t show up until I try something stupid like this lol. I’m definitely a low bar guy, but it’s fun to pretend sometimes

12 Likes
2730

Depending on how you pull sumo is either going to be freakishly fast off the floor with an almost impossible lockout or its going to feel grindy off the floor with a powerful lockout- The technique involved in how you setup creates a much more apparent weak point compared to conventional, in my opinion. Sumo is really something you can’t “muscle” through if that makes sense (doesn’t mean impossible, though).

I’ll stop here before giving a paragraph’s worth of unsolicited advice lol

3 Likes
2731

15Apr25:

DE bench:

135x5

135x5

135x5

135x5

135x5

135x5

Seated db press:

55x12 RPE 7

55x12 RPE 8

Dips:

10 RPE 8

10 RPE 8

Incline Tate press:

30x15 RPE 8

30x15 RPE 8

Face Pull:

50x20

50x17

Pushdown:

15+2 red: 20+

15+2 red: 20+

EZ bar curl:

70x12 RPE 9

70x12 RPE 9

Standing crunch:

60x15 RPE 8

60x15 RPE 8

Notes:

  • first time doing DE bench in I don’t even know how long. Maybe college? Using about 50% here, felt pretty good, bar speed was quick.
  • Used DBs instead of machine for overhead, because my garage gym is nice, but it’s not THAT nice lol.
  • First time doing dips in a hot minute. First rep felt like my shoulder was about to rip straight from the socket, but it got gradually better afterwards lol.
  • Incline Tate press is an odd movement and I need practice

Alrighty, so some updates.

  • The Mrs moved in, and it’s great, but I’ve been having way too much fun as an essential newlywed. Bonding and fun have been great, but totally impeded on training (and logging). And ya know, I’m okay with that. I’ve got fitness goals, but also family goals ya know?
  • BUT, the Mrs is going back to work. Which is good for her, because she is going stir crazy in the house, and good for me, because she has command PT 3x a week, which means she gets up early those days, which means she isn’t telling me to come back to bed in the morning for… ahem… alternate cardio.
  • So, actually doing some damn conditioning again.
  • With how crazy life has been, I’ve determined I am utterly incapable of programming my own conditioning. If it’s someone else’s plan, I can stick to it. If it’s my own, then I’m only cheating on myself, and that guys a bum anyway, so I don’t feel bad about it.
  • Conditioning has never been better than when following the advice from Tactical Barbell, so hopping back onto black protocol, and just relying on that for my conditioning goals. It’s gotten me pretty damn close to my overall goals before, and that’s when I WASNT trying for those goals, so the workouts weren’t as tailored as I’m gonna make em.

Other random thoughts:

  • wife hit 135x7 on back squat today, her first time squatting a plate. Was proud of her, she was excited for it.
  • Coaching her has been interesting. She’s a total trooper, and excited to lift, but man, it can be tough to get a gage of where she is at. For example, she was doing barbell hip thrust. 3x10 at 145. I asked her how they felt, and she said it was heavy but she could manage it. Okay, cool. Last set looked strong, so I asked her to do as many as she could on her final set. She did 145 for 30 freaking reps before I cut her off. Today she hit 205 for 21. She had so much strength in the tank, but the idea of straining in lifting is just new enough to her that her idea of a “working set” isn’t reflective of what she can really do, but damn can she put some intensity into a set if I tell her to do as many as she can.
  • She can’t press to save her life. I think it’s an overhead mobility issue. She can’t press bench 100x7 pretty clean, but 55lbs for 5 on press takes everything she has. She also wants to add weight on press, despite definitely not hitting good reps, so it’s a lesson in patience to have her hit the same weight again and again, focusing on making the reps cleaner.
  • It’s funny that you can tell she has done a decade of military calisthenics and rucking. Anything close to a push-up, lunge, any hip exercise, she crushes. But overhead? Or any type of upper body pulling? Never done it, just completely new to her. Trying to get some extra volume in on those areas.
15 Likes
2732

@KonsuTheTraveller rant away my friend, could use all the sumo advice I can get

2 Likes
2733

There’s a few basic things i’ve found over the years that helped- I’ll link a couple videos as well because I don’t explain shit well lol.

Sumo foot placement is a little bit closer to shins (not right up against it but close), it’ll put your knees almost over your toes, your shoulders might end up slightly over the bar, which is where the quad engagement comes from. You want to push your hips out.

Should probably angle your toes out a little bit too, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone use a forward toe position when pulling sumo, you’re already using so much quads that I feel like it’d be detrimental not to do this and engage as much of the supporting musculature as possible.

Another good pointer is that the more vertical you can get your torso, the better. Less distance you need to lockout. This is unlike conventional where you’re going to have to use all your extensors to help you. This is also a reason that its easier on the low back.

The whippier bar you can use (Like a Woman’s Bar, Loading plates to the end, deadlift bar etc…), the more upright you can be- which is why practicing slack pulls on sumo would carry over more (which I personally found doesn’t really matter much with conventional pulls).

When you find your groove, you’ll know.

2 Likes
2734

@KonsuTheTraveller dude, that’s awesome, thanks for taking the time to share all that. Right now I’m definitely trying to conventional pull from a sumo stance, if that makes any sense. Using my quads like that is gonna take some getting used to, but I’m pumped to try it!

17APR25:

DE pause squat:

225x2

225x2

225x2

225x2

225x2

Deadlift:

440x1 RPE 7

440x1 RPE 7

440x1 RPE 7

Stiff leg deadlift:

225x10 RPE 7

225x12 RPE 8

ATG split squat (5 pavers)

35x15 RPE 8

35x15 RPE 9

Copenhagen dips:

10 RPE 10

10 RPE 10

Neutral grip pulldowns:

145x14 RPE 9

145x13 RPE 9

Spread eagle sit-up:

15

15

Notes:

  • no box to squat on, so did paused squats. Felt fast, felt strong, bar was flying off my traps at the top of the reps.
  • Deadlifts felt good, first time trying the power bar on deadlifts, didn’t really notice a difference. Also, idk how to judge RPE on singles lol. This was a “I’m working, but not dying” weight, which seemed a 7 to me.
  • I have never really tried stiff leg deadlifts, and when I have it was beltless and slow for rehab stuff. My lower back was PUMPED
  • Copenhagen dips. What kind of sick joke is this. Who the hell can actually do these? I hit 10, but they were dead stop lol. This is comically difficult. Don’t ask me anything about form, it’s not good haha. (Side note: my wife has taken to calling this exercise “hoochiedaddies”)
  • Pulldowns were Jerry rigged a bit to get the neutral handle, but it worked well.
  • Wow, spread eagle sit-ups just SMOKED my adductors, they felt so tight that is was difficult to lay back.
10 Likes
2735

Of course man, we all want to see one another succeed. Sumo isn’t really about muscling it up. You just want to be in the most efficient starting position and move the least amount of distance.

4 Likes
2736

18APR25
Bench:
205x8 RPE 8
205x8 RPE 8

Incline JM press:
95x15 RPE 8
115x12 RPE 9

NG DB Floor Press
65x12 RPE 9
65x12 RPE 9

Scap plane front raise:
15x12 RPE 9
15x12 RPE 9

Db side lying rear delt raise:
15x10 RPE 10
10x16 RPE 9

Incline db curl:
25x12
25x12

Standing cable hip flexor raise:
25x15
25x15

Seated cable row:
110x20 RPE 8

Conditioning: partner WOD (notes below)

Notes:

  • bench felt good, had a few reps in the tank each set but still felt like I was working hard, weight didn’t feel too heavy.
  • First time doing incline JM, think it felt pretty good. Undershot my first set, assumed I’d be weaker than I was.
  • I had comical difficulty getting those first set of DBs into position to floor press lol
  • Lying db side laterals were WAY tougher than expected, had to really drop weight to hit reps.
  • For the hip raises…. I can only say that I tried my best lol. Not a stunning display of athleticism here.

Alright, to explain the conditioning:

First things first, I wanted to do a conditioning workout with the Mrs. I like the idea of doing a “WOD” on Saturdays together… but as luck would have it, we have family friends visiting tomorrow, so the first week we planned to do it, our Saturday is booked starting at like 8am. BUT, we both also had half days at work for Good Friday, so we just pushed the WOD forward.

We have a rower, some KBs, and as of Wednesday a sled. So I set up a circuit on the street in front of my house.

Partner 1:
40 yard sled push
Side skip 40 yards back
10 kb cleans each arm
Side skip 40 yards back to sled
40 yard sled drag back to starting point
20kb swings

Partner 2:
LISS rowing while the other partner goes. Not a true rest, but easy enough to let heart rate lower a bit.

Partner 2 hits the sled as soon as partner 1 finishes kb swings. One round is done after both partners do the sled circuit. Go for 5 rounds without stopping.

I freaking loved this. Was a blast, my heart was racing by the end of the sled stuff, and the rower was perfect for staying moving while not gassing myself out. Definitely keeping this in rotation.

13 Likes
2737

21APR25

Squat:

355x4 RPE 8

355x4 RPE 8

DE Sumo deadlift:

245x2

245x2

245x2

245x2

245x2

Dimmel Deadlifts:

245x20

245x18

Slant board Hatfield:

205x12 RPE 8

205x12 RPE 9

GHR:

10 RPE 9

10 RPE9

Barbell row:

190x10 RPE 8

190x10 RPE 8

GHR sit-up:

15

15

Notes;

  • squats did not feel good. Not sure why, but when I got to my top set, I just felt like I had no strength. Focused on foot pressure, pushing the big toe out, heel in. Still ended up getting some knee cave. Warmups felt decent, and I hit 355x6 just a few weeks ago, not sure the deal here. Granted that was a higher RPE, but still. Expected this to feel better, little frustrated with myself here.
  • Sumo felt decent. The weight jump was definitely noticeable, and I have to focus to think “sumo” and not “wide as fuck conventional” lol
  • Dimmel deadlifts. Fuck em. (Said very lovingly). I tried to focus on “catch and explode.” Looking at the video, I think I look a little silly lol, but maybe it’s an improvement.
  • Slant board came in, felt great on the Hatfields. Kicked my ass having the SSB on my back that long lol.
  • Changed some settings on my GHR, felt significantly harder than last week, but also more tension on the hammies, so I think it’s for the best. Lot of pressure on my knees though, kinda painful.

Other notes:

  • starting with the TB workouts tomorrow morning. I think I’ll take 15 or so minutes and start doing some “daily work,” which won’t really be daily, more like 4x weekly, but still. Focusing on movement and weak point practice. Slant board goblet squats, pull-ups, band Pull aparts… hmm I’ll find some more to add to it lol.
  • some may remember the uneven representation of flags in my gym. I have my 1 college flag and 1 navy flag, compared to my wife’s 3 college flags and 3 army flags. To rectify that situation, I bought this

IMG_7698
IMG_76983024×4032 2.92 MB

I thought that helped even things out. My wife considered it an act of malice, and decided to get her slander. As of today, she now has this hanging in the gym

IMG_7697
IMG_76973024×4032 3.2 MB

Also she got us matching shaker bottles, we have our daily vitamins and Creatine together before we lift lol

IMG_7609
IMG_76093024×4032 2.96 MB

11 Likes
2738

22APR25:

Morning:
30 min incline treadmill walk: 3.3mph, 5 incline

10 rounds:
5 banded pull-ups
5 slant board squats
5 push-ups

Afternoon:

DE bench:

150x5

150x5

150x5

150x5

150x5

150x5

Seated db press:

60x10 RPE 8

65x8 RPE 8

Dip:

+10x9 RPE 8

+10x8 RPE 9

Incline Tate press:

40x12 RPE 8

40x10 RPE 8

Face Pull:

60x15 RPE 9

60x15 RPE 9

Banded pushdown:

15x2red: 35ish reps

15+2res: 28ish reps

EZ bar curl:

70x16 RPE 9

70x13 RPE 9

Standing crunch:

65x15 RPE 8

65x15 RPE 8

Notes:

  • morning workout felt good. Took it easy, because I DID NOT want to get up lol. The “daily work” I did in a little circuit. More about movement than about strength, hence the band for pull-ups
  • bench felt good, felt fast, happy there.
  • Tried keeping the weight a little more forward on db press. Cocked the angle a little bit, put the seat at 80 degrees vice 90. Definitely a lot more front delt tension, strength felt about the same.
  • Dips felt decent. A lot of tension in the shoulders, but less than last week? Dips and I have never been friends lol.
  • Tates felt good. Went a little heavier, focused on control in the bottom range. Triceps were screaming.
9 Likes
2739

AM workout:

Fobbit intervals: 23 min
5.3mph
20 53lb kb swing
20 25lb db ground to overhead

Daily work: 8 rounds
5 banded pull-ups
5 pushups
5 slant board squats

Notes:

  • still love Fobbit intervals
  • Need to start chugging some water right when I wake up, was super dehydrated for this.
  • thinking 8 instead of 10 rounds for daily work, because 10 just takes too long and my mornings are tight lol.
    Also trying not to “work” during the daily work. This is motion, lubricating joints, reinforcing stretched positions, my strength training is later.
10 Likes
2740

24APR25:

DE pause squat:

245x2

245x2

245x2

245x2

245x2

Banded deadlift (blue band)

275x3

315x3

335x3

355x3 RPE 8

Stiff legged deadlift:

275x8 RPE 8

275x8 RPE 8

Copenhagen dips

12

12

Bulgarian Split squat:

35sx12 RPE 9

35sx12 RPE 9

Closer grip lat pulldown:

165x12 RPE 9

165x11 RPE 9

Spread eagle sit ups:

15

15

Notes

  • pause squats felt good. Forgot to pause on my first rep of the second set, was so focused on the rep that I forgot it was supposed to be paused lol. Focusing on the foot pressure, feels good
  • Never done banded deadlifts before. Feels… weird. It seems so light to start, but the lockouts a bitch. My setup also isn’t the best, top set definitely had more band tension on one side than the other. Still, decent work (I think)
  • Stiff leg deadlifts felt brutal. Dead stopping def
  • Balance is not my friend on Bulgarians
  • Doing closer grip on lat pulldowns felt fantastic, really liked this
7 Likes