Very nice introspection on your training brother! I feel like that’s really vital to the best gains possible, thinking back on how each season went, what went right, what should be done differently next time. You’re killing it man!
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Work for today:
Incline bench: 205x7-4-2
Seated BTN press: 115x7-5-4
CGBP: 185x7-4-2
Neutral grip chins: 8-5-3
Db row: 115x9, 95x12
Notes to follow
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Alrighty, notes.
- change of plans. Abandoning juggernautAI. Not because I don’t believe in it. I do, and I will certainly be coming back to it in the future. The program works, plain and simple.
- that being said, the program also takes forever. 4x a week, lifting is easily 90minutes a session, with some longer, and the mobility beforehand. Couple that with the fact that while it works, it’s pretty damn boring, and I was itching for a change.
- putting a pause in the weight loss. Sitting around 207, and pretty happy there. If I drop some more, great, but not the goal. Works gotten insane, the sleep deprivation is getting to honestly just hazardous levels, a lot of the officers have resorted to taking an Uber home after some of our shifts because we just physically can’t keep up with 36 hours constant work every 4th day. I’m running my body ragged. My heart rate is increasing, blood pressure going up, skins looking a little off. Same with all my coworkers. Now is not the time to deprive my body of nutrients.
- further compounding my sleep issues, I have started dating again. And it is going…. Amazingly. I guess I’m a more eligible guy than I thought. Had a date Friday and Sunday, have another one lined up for thurs, fri, and sat. Or I’m not working out or working, I’m pretty much out with some pretty lady. Life is good lol. But this is also part of the reason for the weight loss pause. I’m sure as hell not going to turn down a night out so I can eat healthy lol. If I look good enough to interest the gals I have been, I look as good as I’ll ever need to lol.
- wanting something new. Something that was a far cry from the massive amount of submax volume that was juggernautai, something a little more muscle building focused than pure powerlifting training, and something that I could do in a bit less time.
And then I thought, Fuck it, I’ve always wanted to run Doggcrapp. Total opposite of what I’ve been doing, which I think will be a good shock to the system lol. High intensity, bodybuilding focused, including the weighted stretching because why not.
First workout was today. Did a decent job picking weights for my rest pause, happy there. In and out in 45 minutes. Happy there
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Work for today: Doggcrap B1
EZ bar curl: 75x11-5-4
Reverse curl: 50x13
Standing calf machine: 50x11 (this surprisingly sucked)
Front squat: 215x8, Widowmaker: 165x17
Db RDL: 75x8-5-3
Notes:
- maybe DC works, maybe not, but damn it’s fun
- biceps felt like they were going to explode during my RP set, in a good way lol
- front squats moved better than ever, though I feel lm limited by upper back more than quads. Still, for not having done these for months, that’s a decent top set.
- if anyone is curious what death feels like,I highly recommend high rep front squats. I haven’t been choked like that since I went on a date with that goth chick
- extreme stretching is surprisingly painful
- those calf raises? Terrible. Doing them the way DC says; the set takes forever and the stretch is so painful. I don’t even give a damn about calves, I just think if I do a program I need to give it a fair shake before I swap stuff.
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Now this really did make me laugh
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Work for today: Doggcrapp A2
Db bench: 75x11-6-5
Press: 135x10-3-2
JM press: 120x11-4-4
Lat pulldown: 175x10-5-4
Deadlift: 425x6 (PR), 365x2 (blacked tf out)
Notes:
- man this is fun. Honestly, very reminiscent of the meathead football days of just trying to murder myself on every lift, and I love it
- did this after 40 hours awake, and only slept 4 hours prior. At some point; I may just stop sleeping all together. Doesn’t seem to affect my numbers anymore, but maybe that’s just my body being permanently is a state of fatigue
- db bench felt great, should of gone a little heavier, but know for next time.
- VERY happy with press. Was notably fatigued going into it, and still hit a VERY clean 135x10, and that’s with not really doing press I’m a decent whole. Shoulders feeling strong. (Though my right shoulder was pissed at me today for some reason)
- JM press is going to have a learning curve, currently feeling it more in my elbows than my triceps. Need to work on it.
- pretty pumped that I hit a deadlift PR at the END of a workout while running off of few calories and no sleep. The ugly strength is coming along nicely
- me blacking out is 100% punishment from the lifting gods for my hubris. I had literally just finished typing how I didn’t need any sleep, and then proceeded to almost faceplant while deadlifting a weight I use as part of my warmups lol.
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congrats
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Hope you didn’t damage that pretty face. LOL
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@throwawayfitness lol, it’s fine. I have fairly low blood pressure anyway, I tend to get a little lightheaded after hard sets if I don’t eat enough. No harm, no foul
@simo74 1) I’m glad my earlier comment got some laughs, I thought it was hysterical and fully expect everyone else to have the same response lol. 2) nah, face is good, still a lady killer 
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Work for today: DC B2
Cable straight bar curl: 65x10-5-4
Pinwheel curl: 30x12
Seated calf raise: 65x10
Lying hamstring curl: 120x10-5-4
Hack squat: 230x8, 140x20
Notes:
- rest pause curls may be my favorite thing ever. Arms just feel like they are about to explode
- calf raises still sadistic, also still don’t care about calves
- hamstring curls felt great, so much blood flow to my legs
- hack squats are weird when I try to go heavy. Bottom half is so damn tough I seriously don’t know if I’ll get the rep, but the weight flies the second half. Very odd strength profile. Also my legs are dead lol. The Widowmaker set had me questioning life choices
This whole day feels pretty easy, until it doesn’t. Biceps and calves get a pump, but it’s not draining. You feel like you get some real work on the hamstring. Then you hit a Widowmaker after a heavy topset, and you feel as if someone took a baseball bat to your quads. I get why he says to do this at the end of the day, I wouldn’t get shit done that was quality after this lol
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Work for today: DC A3
Standing bench: 210x8-3-2
Db press: 60x9-5-4
Swiss bar CGFP: 143x9-5.5-3
MAG narrow chin pulldown: 180x10-6-3
Rack pull: 425x2, 315x20
Notes:
- something I’ve been doing the last few weeks is really pissing off me right shoulder, not sure if it’s all the pressed to failure, or the stretching, but it is not happy.
- I can see how a training partner would help with DC. Failed on the floor presses; thankfully not too hard to crawl my way out of lol.
- back to the angry shoulder. New rule, 100 BPA daily upon waking:
- rack pulls really just start the lift right at my sticking point. Not exactly the overloading I was expecting. I feel high handle trap bar pulls May be a Better option
Random thought.
Read some article that talked about how the only muscles that people looked at were traps, shoulders, and Abs. Something about everyone in Hollywood just being those 3 muscle groups. Saw a few fellas in the gym today, all very athletic guys, but they matched the description, and that’s when I thought “wait, massive traps, developed shoulders, cut abs? You mean CrossFit?”
It’s my favorite training methodology that I never use lol.
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Work for today: conditioning
20 min AMRAP
-95lb Barbell complex: 5deads, rows, high pulll, press, back squat
- 5 burpees
-50ish yard 1 hand 53lb kettlebell farmers carry - 100 jump ropes
Just barely finished 5 rounds.
Did this on the street in front of my place. Hotter than hell outside with a humidity that calls for an ark. Getting in some good vitamin D.
Some updates to follow if I’ve got time
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Work for today: Atlas plan week 1 day 1
Hang power snatch(kg): 40x3, 45x3, 50x3, 55x3, 45x3, 45x3, 45x3
Squat: 45x10, 135x5, 225x3, 235x5, 275x5, 305x5, 235x5, 235x5, 235x5
DB RDL: 60x10, 60x10, 60x10
Hack squat: 180x10, 180x10
Engine work: 5 rounds
10 14lb wall balls
5 renegade row push-ups 45
200 ski erg
Time: 11:25
Notes:
- all will be explained in a big rambling note to follow
- snatches felt good. Could of done a lot heavier, but wanted to keep them feel snappy
- squats felt good! Bringing in the stance is definitely challenging me, but feeling it much more in my quads. My old “sumo squat” has me strong, will definitely revert for a powerlifting comp, but this captures the intent way better.
- conditioning fit the bill. Absolutely dead
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Alrighty, time for some life/training updates.
- I am abandoning DC training. Yes, that was record time for dropping a program. Honestly, my shoulder is not up for it. Taking 2-3 pressing exercises to failure multiple times in a workout is just more than I can ask of a joint I’ve had 2 surgeries on. It is killing me, pain like I haven’t felt in a long time. I can manage it, but I really don’t want to. Juice just isn’t worth the squeeze for me.
- That being said, some aspects of DC I loved, and will be keeping. Really pushing intensity of accessory work, going to failure on stuff like pulldowns, trying to beat the log book. It’s simple, old school strength work, and I love it. I kept on thinking “man this feels like back in the team weight room” which is honestly the pinnacle of my athletic history. I loved training for football and wrestling.
- I also didn’t like how… unathletic DC training felt. Honestly a similar issue I had with juggernautAI. Great program, and it did a good job increasing my overall strength, but not a lot of real “sports performance” stuff going on. I’ve always considered myself an athlete, and since my college days were over, I haven’t really trained like one consistently, mainly relying on the base I had built up over a lifetime to carry me through any “athletic” activity I was trying to do.
- I justified this to myself a couple ways. One, I wasn’t playing sports anymore. I didn’t “need” to do conditioning work or train for power. Sure I could, but it wasn’t necessary. I leaned into “I should just get brutally strong.” And it’s worked decently. Given the lifts I’ve hit, I’m confident in a 5 plate deadlift, 4 squat, still poverty bench, around 200lb press. Not monster numbers, but pretty damn good for an all natural guy fitting in lifts around my schedule.
- In the last 8 months or so, physique has also played a motivating factor. Found myself single and wanted to do what I could to make myself look good before getting back out there. never really been into bodybuilding, just wasn’t my thing, but I started to find myself worried that I wouldn’t have any luck in the dating pool.
- Well, that was stupid. Started dating again a few months ago, and Jesus Christ I was a more eligible bachelor than I thought. Look, I’m not getting on the stage anytime soon, but I carry my weight well, 34 inch waist, broad shoulders, dress fairly well. Let’s just say that the whole dating scene was far, far more welcoming to me than I expected. Which is good, because caring about looks just drives me a little crazy. I lift to be dangerous, not pretty.
- I need to prioritize nutrition a bit. I’ve been going out a lot, around 3 dates a week for the last few weeks, so my nutrition has been protein shakes, bags of microwave rice and canned chicken, and leftovers from whatever the date was. (Side note, met a pretty sweet gal through all that, going well so far, but I laughed so hard when we were out with her coworkers to grab a bite and she goes “he eats a lot. No, like a lot. I’m pretty sure he had a practice meal before he came here.” I absolutely did. Gotta get that protein.)
So, it’s time for a change.
- I initially considered starting CrossFit, but it’s not really my forte. The class schedule doesn’t work well with my work schedule, I’m not the biggest fan of all the lifts they preach, and I do want a slightly bigger strength emphasis than CrossFit has.
- Looked into a few different training programs that are “cross training”. Gym Jones, Soflete, HWPO, all seemed good but not exactly what I wanted, nor did following any of these allow for the flexibility that my job demands.
- I remembered walking into Neversate up in Maryland and having someone there describe it to me as “strongman CrossFit.” Honestly, I loved that gym. I loved the training. I use to follow @Alpha training log religiously, and still watch every one of his videos. Looking back the past 2 years, the best ive Mentally clicked with training was when i ran his linear program, with giant sets and conditioning work. I want to get back to that, but at this point feel I’m a bit past the linear progression stage.
So, time to create my own program. I sat down and thought about what I wanted to incorporate. Here’s what I got.
- Some OLY lifting. Not real lifts, but hang and power versions like I did back in my athletic days. Also jumps, bounding, skips, maybe some ladders. 10ish minutes
- A focus on barbell work. Bench, squat, deads, press. Plan is 5-3-1, with varied schemes depending on lift. 20min
- 2 notes on the barbell work. One, I’m bringing my stance in on squats. Not narrow, but around shoulder width. The extra wide stance has me strong, but it’s all hips, no legs. I’m going for strong body, not strong squat, so bringing it in a bit. Two, going to be running the trap bar for deadlifts. feel like it’s a better “ugly strength” builder than regular barbell, and I’m already getting a lot of barbell hip hinge with the oly lifts
- Hitting accessories hard, but not like a bodybuilder. Again back to football days, pick a few movements and just go balls to the wall striving to beat the log book. 20-30 min
- Conditioning work. Incorporated into the workout. Not necessarily a WOD, but tying a few accessories into something that will get my heart rate up, and do some hard conditioning now and then on off days. 10-20 minutes
- Not specifically training, but related. Fuck the scale. Fuck counting macros. I’ve been doing this long enough to know what I should and shouldn’t eat. I can look in the mirror and see if things are going well. Moving away from processed foods, they may be convenient but I know that the best macros in the world won’t make them beat some steak and eggs for gains. I’m tired of chasing a scale weight. I’m low 200s now, and pretty happy with it. If I lose weight? Great. If I start looking fat? I’ll tighten it up. But I’ve been focusing on that number for too long, I’m going for performance here. If that goes up, I’m happy. I think there’s been a mental block for me that I need to see the scale go down to make progress. I’m 5’10, 206, with a 34 inch waist. I don’t think fat loss is an emergency anymore.
I’m excited. Overall, this is a returning to my roots. Get in the gym, lift something fast, lift something heavy, get a pump, then build your engine. Is it going to be 2 hour lifting sessions like juggernaurAI? No. And maybe strength will take a little hit initially, but I expect to see some huge benefits in power, agility, and just general readiness.
Let’s get to work
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Hell yeah!
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This was a great post mate. So good to read the self discussion you were having through writing this. I love what you have concluded in terms of your training and how you are going to approach it. Looking forward to seeing where this takes you.
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Love this post.
Put into words what I’ve been trying to work out in my own training (and diet) for a while.
I’ve found a lot of inspiration from Brian too
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Work for today: Atlas week 1 day 2
Superset:
Press: 45x10, 95x5, 105x5, 120x5, 142.5x5, 105x8, 105x8, 105x8
Fat bar Pullup: 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5
Db Inc press: 40x5, 55x5, 75x10, 65x10,
Cable row: 140x10, 140x10, 140x8
EZ bar curl: 75x10, 75x9, 55x16
Anderson Lat raise: 15x10-10-10, 15x10-9-6
Engine work: 5 rounds: 21:52
2 minute air bike
10 40lb db ground to overhead (10 per arm)
180 foot 70lb kb farmers walk
Notes:
- misplaced my top set of press, only supposed to be 140 lol.
- fat bar pull-ups seem kinder on my elbow. Keeping these submax for now, just building volume
- traps are amazingly sore today, those snatches hit harder than expected
- Anderson raises are something I saw Jon Anderson recommend. Basically, seated rear delt fly into seated lat raise into standing lat raise.
- hit accessories fast, total lifting time maybe 50 minutes.
- engine work was killer today. Should have done a little heavier DBs, but it still spiked the hell out of my heart rate. Kb carry was surprisingly hard, I didn’t factor in how much my hands would be sweating, had to set it down a few times the last 2 rounds
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Work for today: Atlas week 1 day 3
Hang power clean (kg): 50x3, 60x3, 70x3, 74x3
Hang squat clean: 50x3, 50x3, 50x3, 50x3
Trap bar deadlift: 150x5, 240x5, 295x5, 340x5, 385x5, 295x5, 295x5, 295x5
Front squat: 45x5; 95x3, 135x3, 175x3, 205x3, 225x3. 245x3
Engine work: 4 rounds, 11:58
10 GHD
3 ring pull-ups
10 lunges (per leg) with 85lb sandbag on back
5 burpees
Notes:
- my form on cleans is awful. Need some work lol. I feel like I could move a LOT more weight if I just had any idea how to do this right lol
- used the kabuki trap bar for deads, I really like it. Very high quality, I’m impressed. Felt a bit heavier than I expected, but I also haven’t touched these in a long time, so getting used to the movement again.
- hitting this fasted first thing in the AM after a duty day, so pretty tired going in. Also still just embarrassingly sore. My upper back is freaking fried. No wonder my traps were huge I’m high school lol.
- doing front squats with a clean grip. Feels unnatural, but I should work on that if I’m gonna be actually doing cleans. Short rest times, really just testing where I’m at today. I’m definitely limited by my front rack more than my legs, think I could hit quite a bit more cross arm. Time to work on that.
- engine work went well, workout was going a bit long so I tied some accessory work into the conditioning aspect, and it worked well. No real rhyme or reason to my engine work, it’s not some plan, just “go sweat and work hard, do it consistently and progress will happen”
- the rings at my gym are super high, so I have to really focus on my jump to reach them lol. There is a shorter set that I’m just a bit too tall for, but the gap between the two is huge. Little thrill each time I go to grab the rings like “man i hope I catch these” lol
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