Great write up and even greater work! That looks like one hell of a cycle my friend.
Congrats on all the success man, you’ve earned it all! Looking awesome dude.
Happy anniversary!
Looking good – congratulations ![]()
Progression is very noticeable, you improved a lot, physically and mentally? That’s amazing!
Looking good! Nice work. What are you weighing in at these days?
This was so wholesome to read. I’m glad you started logging here this year, and I’m sure many others feel that way. Great work is an understatement, and it shows – huge changes since June. Keep it up! And congrats on your anniversary.
Amazing stuff all around. Congrats on your anniversary.
You look fantastic.
Great progress!
Re: that WM bench, I couldn’t see any cheat-y reps in it. Weight moved up and down 20 time… for the win!
Nice writeup, great stuff in here as always. Pics are a nice result of all the mega hard work put in by yourself. Enjoy that dessert with the missus.
Awesome progress man. It’s crazy I don’t check logs for like 9 days and you have like 50 entries of you killing it lol.
Your progress is very inspiring! Congratulations all around, and also to you and Mrs SvenG on your anniversary!
To quote T3hPwnisher, you look dangerous, so it’s just as well that you’re also a nice guy! ![]()
@anna_5588, @dietdrfapper, @boilerman, @doomyguy, @aldebaran, @antiquity, @Bagsy, @throwawayfitness, @shaneinga, @raven78 - Thank you for your support and for your comments! I really appreciate all of it.
@anna_5588 summed it up best:
I am crushing life right now.
Is that an incredibly conceited statement? Perhaps.
But in a world that seems determined to reduce everyone and everything to the lowest common denominator, I say, “Screw it! We need more conceit.” I so appreciate a community—this community—that recognizes, supports, and thrives on achievement as a laudable goal.
So again, thank you all!
@cstan097, @oldnattychris, and everyone else who checked in with a “like” - The post above is to you as well. Apparently the forum only allows 10 mentions per post.
Also…
@antiquity - Sorry to disappoint, my friend, but I’m not sure about bodyweight just now. I’ve been flirting with the scale again, and I intended to step on yesterday morning, but I got distracted by coffee and totally forgot. And once I remembered, I also realized I’m not quite ready for that just yet. I tend to obsess—e.g., I’ve scrutinized some of those PR/WM videos too much already—so I’m going to stay off the scale for the foreseeable future. I’m content for the first time in a long time, no matter what the number is or what it means about my relative strength ratios.
Maybe I’ll weigh-in for the 2022 T-ransformation Challenge?
If I had to guess, I’d say I’m in the 190s, give or take 10 lbs either way.
Good on you. No need to step on the scale if you are happy where you are, making progress strength wise, looking strong, lean and mean. Even more so if you know mentally it can only take from your peace and happiness.
7WP, TM Test - d2
Monday - 13 December 2021
Workout: Squat + extra conditioning, 0855-0945 (50 minutes)
Warm-up
Throws + jumps
Begin: 0907; End: 0933; Duration: 26 minutes
Squat - 115x5, 145x5, 175x5 | 200x5, 230x5, 260x5, 285x5 (rep PR)
Pull-up - BW - 14, 11
HLR - 20, 20
Standing DB press - 2x35 lbs - 16, 9
Push-up - 25
BPA - red - 10 high + 10 mid + 10 low
50 1-pump burpees + 24-kg KB swings - 2x25, 25-second rest between
Assistance totals:
Push - 50 reps
Pull - 55 reps
Single-leg/core - 40 reps
Target squat TM for next cycle is 285 lbs, so I worked up to that this morning following the TM Test protocol. Everything from 230 up felt heavy and was moving slowly. The top set might have even had some squat-mornings in there—I can sort of feel them in my lower back right now. Maybe just an off day?
Burpees and swings were murderous, too—and more so than usual. Probably another indicator that I’m just a little off this morning.
Anyway, I’ll probably go ahead and use 285 as the TM because I already know I can hit 5 clean reps for all of the Forever BBB percentages over the first 3-week cycle.
Edit: Given what I say in the 14 Dec 2021 press workout below, I’ve modified this entry to reflect the fact that 285x5 is a rep PR.
7WP, TM Test - d3
Tuesday - 14 December 2021
Workout: Press + extra conditioning, 0745-0840 (55 minutes)
Warm-up
Throws + jumps
Begin: 0802; End: 0827; Duration: 25 minutes
Press - 60x5, 70x5, 85x5 | 100x5, 115x5, 130x5, 140x5 (rep PR)
Chin-up - BW - 15, 10
Bulgarian split squat - L/R - 2x20 lbs - 30, 20
Band pushdown - red - 25
BFP - red - 30
Push-up - 25
50 1-pump burpees + 24-kg KB swings - 2x25, 25-second rest between
Assistance totals:
Push - 50 reps
Pull - 55 reps
Single-leg/core - 50 reps
It occurred to me this morning that instead of whining about feeling off yesterday, maybe I should recognize the fact that I’m now working with weights for rep counts that I’ve never done before (and not just with the squat, either).
It’s okay to say a 285-lbs squat is, for me, just plain heavy. So, no, it’s not going to be perfect the first time. Or the second, or maybe even the third… But there’s no denying I’m getting stronger, so it will get better with time and effort.
Right. So today I hit another rep PR with that top set of 140x5. It wasn’t easy, but it moved pretty well and I’m very happy with it. That’ll be my press TM for the first cycle of Forever BBB.
The Bulgarians just killed my lungs and the burpees were still awful today, but the swings felt good—a nice tonic following yesterday’s apparent squat-morning reps!
Not just for you, my friend. It’s just heavy. You and I have similar numbers with our lifts, and it’s the squats that are the most unpredictable and, often, soul-crushing. The upper body lifts, and even the deads, just don’t take the same whole-body-and-soul effort, and are much predictable in how the weight feels. Keep up the consistency and don’t overthink the ebbs and flows.
It’s good to know I’m not the only one who feels this way—you’ve captured my experience here exactly.
Will do!
I was just thinking before I read these last few posts that all squats over about 100 kilo are stupid, they suck, and they are probably pointless. They never become enjoyable, even when they become easier.
A couple of things about squatting that have stuck with me this past year (perhaps because I am old):
Pavel: “Everyone needs to squat, but not everyone needs to squat heavy.” He does a lot of relatively light KB squats and prying squats, where you sit at the bottom and rock or even do KB curls.
Dan John: Something to the effect of “When I back squat I keep the reps at 10 or more”. He was talking about how doing low rep, really heavy back squats were good for adding to his waistline but not giving him an athletic result. He prefers heavier front squats, and back squats in reps of 10. My favorite of his is his Minimalist back squat protocol: do 4-5 sets of 10 increasing weight each time, with only the top set being tough. (ex: 135, 185, 205, 255)
Jim Wendler: Has a fantastic blog post about weight vest training and transitioning from barbell work (he thinks barbell is great, but just not what he needs at this point). He noticed on doing 300 weight vested squat a day: “For me, my legs got in REALLY good ass kicking shape but didn’t get bigger.”
Sorry to derail your Training Log.