If you’re interested in a unique take, I’d attempt the “Feast and Famine” approach that Jamie Lewis prescribes and I make use of. 2 week protein sparing modified fast and then 4 weeks of training the fuel. You could easily use the Velocity Diet for those 2 weeks. In this case, it’s less about fat loss (though that WILL occur with the fasting) and more about priming the body FOR that feasting portion. I find that constantly slamming the body with nutrition eventually forces it to just adapt and no longer really get the full benefit of it, but consistently putting it into a depleted state allows it to really maximize the nutrition when it comes. Similar to the “post show rebound” bodybuilders talk about.
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Work for today:
Some Plyo hops
Superset:
Chins: 7, 7, 7, 7, 7
Bench: 205x5, 205x5, 205x5, 205x4. 205x4
Db Inc bench: 75x12, 60x12, 60x12
Db row (NS): 95x11, 95x11, 95x11
Cable curl: 35x14,13,12
Reverse pec deck: 70x15, 70x15, 70x15
Conditioning: Meat Eater II
10 kb swings 20kg
10 burpees
60 second test
10 rounds: 18:47
Notes:
- bench felt heavy as hell today. My body just really, really hates bench. Will try this weight again next week and re-evaluate if I miss it again. Small part of me is considering just saying goodbye to bench completely and moving to either incline bench or CGBP entirely.
- chins felt good, though I think I pulled my lat on my 3rd rep of the first set. Could still use it fine, but it was achey.
- db Inc actually felt really good, which was somewhat reassuring. Given my press and db movements, I don’t think my pressing strength is that bad, I think my shoulder just doesn’t jive with flat bench.
- conditioning was brutal. Cutting running down to 2x per week, with at least 1 of those times one of the aerobic sessions from TB. So one more WOD type only workout to finish the week, this fit the bill for this week. Could have maybe used a bit more weight on the kb. Been a while since I did a burpee. Surprise surprise, they still are terrible and I don’t know why I do this to myself.
Side note, but anyone got any advice for finding a track that I can just go to? I don’t know of any 400m tracks outside of public schools, and I don’t think they want some sweaty adult hanging out where all the kids are lol. Trying to add some legit sprint workouts back in, a track would definitely be helpful
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I’ve looked into this before actually, right when you started your Jamie Lewis training kick. I like the idea, currently have it tabled to my “try when not onboard a ship” pile.
I actually have some pretty strict rules I’ve learned for myself when it comes to nutrition with my job. I find that I can maintain a pretty steep calorie deficit for a long time without much issue, slight performance as expected but overall I do alright. I can similarly say that I can dig deep into the sleep deprivation side of the house, and some good food + caffeine will get me going enough to make decent progress. BUT, I found when running velocity diet that the combination of sleep deprivation AND a limiting diet really starts to put me into some messed up headspaces, on top of pretty rapidly degrading gym performance. I can do a deficit with this schedule, but it’s gotta be slight, and I still need fats and at least 100g of carbs, or lethargy sets in pretty rapidly. Think it’s probably a “burning the candle at both ends” kind of deal.
BUT, I rotate out in about a year, so maybe then!
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Great review man! I saw that you made a thread on it recently and wanted to read it when I had some time. Luckily it was posted here too. Excellent work getting through a mentally daunting program! I’m not much of a runner myself so I know how hard it can be to “settle in” for the haul so to speak.
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Work for today:
Drop box jump; 6x3
Squat: 45x10, 135x5, 225x3, 245x5, 285x5, 320x11 (PR), 245x5, 245x5, 245x5, 245x5
Leg press: 540x11, 540x11, 540x11, 540x12
Bar on back 45 back raise: 50x12, 50x12, 50x9
Ab wheel: 16, 16, 16
Neck work: 10ish minutes while waiting for a treadmill to open.
Conditioning: 20 min Fobbit intervals
5.4mph
53lb kb
40lb db
Notes:
- remember when I went on my rant about being able to chase multiple goals at once? Well, I still believe it, so do me the rare internet courtesy of reading with some nuance. I think you can chase multiple goals, full stop. BUT, I do think I benefit from having a PRIMARY goal and then subsequent secondary. For the last 8 weeks, my PRIMARY was running, and my running skyrocketed. My secondary was strength, and guess what, my strength still progressed, but not as much as my running did. It was still a goal, but not the main at that time. Well, I am happy with my running ability (for now), so that is being regulated to secondary. My PRIMARY focus right now is hitting 405 on squat, while also chipping away at my secondary Jan 1st goals.
- totally subject to change, but after Jan 31st, if I’ve hit all my goals, I think my next big push might be a massive overhead press. Because it’s awesome.
- happy with this PR. Came into the gym after two days or less than 3 hours sleep, shoddy diet (I will find the asshole who hate my food I brought to work, and I will hurt them). Last two reps were proof that a strong enough lower back can power through any lift, but god dammit I hit it lol.
- putting the bar on my back like I was squatting made back raises MUCH more difficult, but also a complete pain to get into/out of position. Completely blew up my lower back through.
- that completely pumped lower back was fun while running. Damn.
- honestly, I feel like squats build my lower back and hip strength. Legs are built from leg press and lunges, but I really don’t get much quad from squats. I mean it’s obviously working, but my prime movers are my posterior chain. So I can and will continue to blast my quads to help my squat, but I think my key to progress really comes from building a bulletproof midsection.
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Amazing!
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Jesus!
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I love this! Get after it. THIS is how physical transformation happens
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Work for today:
Overhead med ball throws: 3x3
Superset:
Pullup: 5, +12.5x5, +17.5x5, +22.5x5, +22.5x4, 7
Press: 115x5, 130x5, 145x12 (PR?), 115x8, 115x8, 115x8
Paused CGBP: 135+chainsx6, 135+chainsx6, 135+chainsx6, 135+chainsx6, 135+chainsx6
Kroc rows: 110x22
Superset:
Face pull: 4 sets
Overhead cable ext: 57.5x15, 57.5x15, 57.5x15
Conditioning: Meat Eater: 10 rounds
100m sprint
20 kb swings (24kg)
60 seconds rest
Notes:
- happy with press. Wanted to push it today, and found I really had some strength in the tank. Definitely a tougher pressing set than I’ve tried in a whole, but the work I’ve been doing definitely has me in a good place. Fairly certain this is a PR. Also, i can’t help but think it’s somewhat absurd how garbage my bench is given my overhead pressing strength. I’m not bitter at all…
- pull-ups we’re tough today, combination of being a bit bloated and using a dip belt at the gym that had an ABSURDLY long chain, so the weight was almost touching the ground during these, lots of added difficulty due to the weight swinging around.
- everything else moved well, pretty pain free day which was a big win.
- you know how a lot of coaches talk about removing overhead pressing from training and seeing if it actually changes delt size? I’ve done the opposite, removed lat raises and most direct shoulder training whatsoever, just a ton of face pulls and overhead press, and I don’t think my delts have ever been larger.
- conditioning was TERRIBLE. Did this on a manual treadmill, which I think added to the suck. Been a LONG time since I’ve done a true sprint, and my lungs and hamstrings were GASSED. The kb swings just kept the suck rolling. Forearms absolutely pumped from the swings, grip challenge with the sweaty hands. Oddly, my left wrist started hurting pretty bad during this, the joint felt like it was trying to pop out of place. Didn’t stop the workout of anything, but was some surprise pain.
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Fantastic work, well done on getting work done and clearly making great progress strength wise whilst doing base building, like you said you’ve definitely been able to do more than one goal at once!
Sounds terrible!
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Join the club lol. I’m convinced at this point that they just don’t correlate.
145 for 12 is a great set, too. You’ll probably end up beating me to 225.
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Work for today:
Box jumps: many
Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 295x5, 335x5, 385x5, 295x5, 295x5, 295x5
Squat: 275x8, 275x8, 275x8
Kb front rack lunge: 26x10, 26x10, 26x10
Superset:
GHR: 13, 13, 13
GHR sit-ups: 13, 13, 13
Notes:
- my quads were uniquely sore from those 100m sprints. Didn’t expect that, but it’s intense.
- adjusted around the GHR a bit, put the foot pads a little higher and closer to the knee pad. Definitely made them much more challenging
-went into this extremely sleep deprived, just could not find any energy. The weights moved fine, strength wasn’t missing or anything, but I was legit starting to nod off In between some of these sets. It’s time for sleep.
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@alex_uk lol, it was terrible! I’m a pretty firm believer that your results in the gym and the mirror reflect more what you did a few weeks prior rather than what you did yesterday, so I think I was able to rely on that strength base I had to keep my momentum going on lifts while running base building. Still, feels nice to hit the weights more and not do so much LISS.
@creative_name but Wendler promised a strong OHP was the key to improving my bench? Have I been lied to? Lol, overhead is cooler anyway. 225 strict overhead has been in my head for a long time, might make a hard push after I get my 405 squat
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The key is gaining weight lolololol.
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Work for today:
Superset;
Chins: 10, 8, 8, 8, 5
Bench: 185x5, 205x5, 220x5, 185x9, 165x11
Seated DB press: 40x10, 50x10, 60x10, 65x8, 50x11
Chest support db rows: 45x12, 45x12, 45x12, 45x12
Superset:
Pec deck: 90x15, 90x15, 90x15
Reverse pec deck: 70x15, 70x15, 70x15
Cable curl: 35x15, 35x15, 35x15
Conditioning: endurance session:
40 min run, 5.5 mph
Notes:
- still feeling fatigued. New schedule is wearing is down pretty hard, only a few weeks left though.
- wanted to push chins a bit, glad I did. Very happy with how these went.
- again changing bench programming. New plan: walk in, work up to something heavy, do a few backoff sets. Revolutionary shit right there.
- am I doing db shoulder press after bench because I saw Dan Green do it? Yes. I further questions. Going down to where my hands are at my ears, arms a bit below parallel. If I do db down to touching shoulders, it hurts my shoulder and I feel like the bottom 2 inches limits the rest of the movement. Sorry Dr.mike.
- trying to give my back a rest today, been feeling extra tight. Think it’s my rack on the ship, but I just feel a constant pressure in my mid back.
- cut conditioning a little short, not due to effort, but having some stomach concerns. AKA, at minute 39:30, i thought “hmm, I feel like I may need to use the restroom” and then at 40:17, it became “you have exactly the 11.2 seconds to sprint from the treadmill to the stall before you have to find a new gym” still, session felt good before this. Think I’ll keep my endurance sessions as runs if I’m only doing them once every other week.
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Work for today;
Superset;
Fat bar pull-ups; 5, +12.5x5, +22.5x5, +27.5x5 (PR), +22.5x5, 9
Press: 120x5, 140x5 (forgot it was 3s week), 155x3+ (9, matches a PR but at lighter bodyweight), 120x8, 120x8,
Paused CGBP: 135+chainsx6, 135+chainsx6, 135+chainsx6, 135+chainsx6, 135+chainsx6
Kroc row: 110x23
Superset: 3 rounds
Overhead tricep ext
Face pull
Kb hammer curl: 18x10, 18x10, 18x8+a lot no pause
Conditioning: 3 mile run: 24:11 (PR)
Notes:
- swapped my press and squat day, pulled my quad at work. Giving it a day to stop throbbing at me. Not sure how I did it, but it’s surprisingly tender.
- happy with Press, matching a PR is always good, especially since this is a lift I’ve been neglecting a bit. Happier with the pull-ups, felt great today.
- Kroc rows just take the wind out of me. Not long term, but my heart is racing by the end of the set. Think it’s something to do with braced breathing while bent over.
- kb hammer curls were stolen from @T3hPwnisher , and these are gnarly. Definite grip challenge, and it was VERY apparent that I’m right handed. One second pause at the top had my wrists shaking. Definitely keeping in rotation, though honestly more of forearm/grip work than bicep.
- very happy with my run. Felt like life had sandbagged my conditioning a tad this last week, and I was apprehensive running with my quad. It was fairly limiting during the run, I couldn’t kick my back leg up like usual, so I was left taking shorter choppier steps. Didn’t care, told myself PR or ER today, and got the job done with honestly a bit more on the tank. Next run, sub 24 without question. I honestly thought it would be a long time until I was hitting these numbers, even more surprising that I’m doing it at 215-220 without any knee pain. K Black now ranks with Wendler, John, Bryant, and Alsruhe I’m terms of the go to coaches I reference when lost.
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You know, out of any lift I personally think bench press is one of the weirdest one in terms of strength progress and how variable it is tbh
It’s so wildly different for everyone, I’ve seen guys with long arms be monster benchers and short stubby guys sucking at it, both light in bw and also really heavy it’s never consistent lol, at least from what I’ve seen at the gyms I’ve gone to
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I honestly think it has something to do with muscle insertions and chest genetics.
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@KonsuTheTraveller I’m gonna print this off and read it to myself as I cry myself to sleep at night lol.
Remember me saying I was eating to support training? Todays example:
1.2lbs of New York strip, 6 sunny side up eggs, and 3 yeast bread rolls with butter. This is my lunch/dinner after working a long day, crushing my lift, and running a PR 3 mile run with a gimpy leg.
Boys gotta eat lol
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I’m just going to assume your veggies are on a different plate. 
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