I find them mentally draining in a way that widowmakers aren’t. Particularly on lower body stuff.
I think @Cyrrex is right though (ssshhh, don’t tell him), pushing those BBB sets up towards FSL weights will really pay dividends.
2 Likes
I’d like to run BBB Beefcake, so I’m looking to build toward FSL for the supplemental, just slowly. Given where my TMs are now and how the 5 reps felt last week, I’m thinking of progressing the next several cycles by increasing the supplemental percentages rather than the TMs proper.
Not sure if that makes sense or if it’s what I’ll actually do, but it’s what I’m thinking about at present. Heavier 5x10s are in my future, one way or the other!
2 Likes
Daily band pull aparts and face pulls seems like a pretty good idea. Honestly, seems like a lot of the more experienced people on here have some major daily work, I’m starting to really think I might need to throw it in. Like vitamins, but for lifting lol
3 Likes
Forever BBB - c7w1d3
Tuesday - 21 December 2021
Workout: Press, 0745-0840 (55 minutes)
Warm-up
Throws + jumps
Begin: 0802; End: 0836; Duration: 34 minutes
Press - 60x5, 70x5, 85x5 | 100x5, 115x5, 130x5 | (70x10)x5
Chin-up - BW - 15, 10
Cable crunch - 50 - 25, 20, 15
Incline DB press - 2x60 lbs - 15, 10
BFP - red - 30
Band pushdown - red - 30
Assistance totals:
Push - 55 reps
Pull - 55 reps
Single-leg/core - 60 reps
So, full disclosure: my diet has gone to crap the past three days. I won’t bother with excuses—junk food is a coping mechanism. I’ve got other tools at my disposal, I’ve just not been using them. Need to get back on the horse before the planned off-menu meals through the holiday weekend.
Workout: fasted. (Am I compensating? Probably. Is that smart? No.) Everything moved well today, really happy with how my press is coming along. It felt strong, and I was able to focus on clean, controlled reps throughout. Still need to focus on keeping my core tight, I have a tendency to get loose (even with lighter weights).
Once again cycled assistance between warm-up and main sets, then 5 straight supplemental sets, finished with remaining assistance. Done with 5x10s in about 8 minutes today. Are these weights too light? Probably. But for the first time in a long time, I’m not in a hurry, so I’m planning to see the 50/40/60 through to the end of this cycle. Also means I’ve got eons to rest more between sets as the weights get heavier while still getting the work done in 20 minutes or less.
And, yes, I want to push myself, I don’t want to slack, but let’s face it: I’m still building confidence in my own abilities, and that confidence will do a lot more in the long run than hurrying toward some (semi-)arbitrary goal.
Sled push and daily work later today.
12 Likes
Forever BBB - c7w1d3
Tuesday - 21 December 2021
Workout: Hard conditioning, 1355-1435 (40 minutes)
4 rounds of:
a) 7 devil’s presses - 2x30 lbs
b) 6 chin-ups/pull-ups (strict, various grips)
Time: 6:50
Followed immediately by 4 rounds of:
a) 7 devil’s presses - 2x30 lbs
b) 5 chin-ups/pull-ups (strict, various grips)
Time: 7:55
Weighted vest sled push - 10x50 yds - 28-kg vest, 90 + sled = 177 lbs
Time: 11:42
Today’s daily work was just a variation on a theme, but not quite the same arrangement as Sunday’s or Monday’s work. Wasn’t trying to beat the clock or minimize anything, this was just a way to get the work done. Still got the HR up, still challenging, so, yeah—check the box.
Okay: weighted vest sled push. Probably not a truly original thought (I’m sure JW talks about that somewhere!), but it was my attempt to do something different nonetheless. And it was… Awkward?
I dropped a plate in favor of the 28-kg vest, but all the vest really did was challenge my lower back in a way that I’m not convinced is productive. The uphill was a decent challenge—could feel yesterday’s squats and the sled was pushing back, so I could really get my weight into it—but the downhill was almost silly: basically walking upright with very little resistance, otherwise the vest made things hurt in a this-acutally-hurts-and-isn’t-just-me-being-weak kind of way. I took 15-second rests between rounds, on purpose, during which time I tried to undo the tension in my lower back.
I should probably try this again, maybe even throw that 3rd plate back on the sled to see what happens, before deciding whether this was a bad idea or just plain stupid.
5 Likes
I wrote about this in my e-book as well. With the low handles there is some real value added, as it’s like a big weighted plank the whole time. You can also get something out of it by running back and forth between the sled.
What’s unique with the vest is that it benefits you in terms of moving loads, but can tax you as well. Some strongman competitors would wear weighted vests for truck pulls.
1 Like
Hah! Of course you did. That’s gotta be what planted the seed—thank you!
Given your comments and my experience today, I think my mistake was removing a plate. Next time I’ll keep it, and maybe even add another.
You also have me thinking a suicide drill between trips would turn this into a really bad idea. I keep telling myself my setup isn’t conducive to running “between” things, but in reality I just hate running. (We’ve talked about that before, haha!)
And now, of course, I have to do that, too.
2 Likes
Forever BBB - c7w1d4
Wednesday - 22 December 2021
Workout: Easy conditioning + calves, 0755-0900 (65 minutes)
Seated CR - 210 lbs - 20, 20, 20
Weighted vest walk - 28 kg - 14 minutes (to park)
Easy run - 9 laps, about 1750m - 10:25
Weighted vest walk - 28 kg - 15 minutes (from park)
Fasted (typical, not compensating). Calves have been sore, felt good to smash them again. Pretty cold this morning, but the first run after a week without running is always slower than usual.
Planning on a variation of Pwn’s Faust again this afternoon for daily work. Hopefully I can get through it under a slightly different scheme this time.
8 Likes
Do you have a rope attachment for the sled so can pull it as well as push? The world opens up regarding conditioning work once you have the sled behind you
3 Likes
I don’t—but it has a point of attachment. And now you’ve already got me thinking of several variations involving a pull or drag…
Forever BBB - c7w1d4
Wednesday - 22 December 2021
Workout: Extra conditioning, 1510-1540 (30 minutes)
Jump rope tabata - 4x40/10 - 1 round
Pwn’s tsuaF (Lite)
In as few rounds as possible:
50 chin-ups/pull-ups (strict, various grips)
5 devil’s presses - 2x30 lbs, EMOM
Rounds: 15
Jump rope tabata - 4x40/10 - 1 round
So the idea was to invert my Lite version of Pwn’s Faust: get 50 chin-ups/pull-ups in as few rounds as possible with 5 devil’s presses EMOM. Not sure why I thought that’d be any better than his original version, because really all it did was trade one set of EMOM misery for another…
In fact, it actually took me one additional round, but this time I did the 5 reps every EMOM for all 15 rounds and didn’t drop it to 3, so I feel justified in calling this version “tsuaF (Lite).”
I did suffer through two zero chin-up/pull-up rounds, mostly so I could attempt to breathe. And let me tell you: zero-rep rounds are incredibly demoralizing—you’re not moving forward and the top of that minute comes so, so fast.
But I got through, hit my 50 chins, and ended up with 75 devil’s presses for the day.
8 Likes
Forever BBB - c7w1d5
Thursday - 23 December 2021
Workout: Deadlift, 0830-0935 (65 minutes)
Warm-up
Throws + jumps
Begin: 0850; End: 0931; Duration: 41 minutes
Deadlift - 130x5, 165x5, 195x5 | 230x5, 260x5, 295x5 | (165x10)x5
OA row - L/R - 50 - 15, 10
Ab wheel - ramp (13) - 25, 25
Dip - 60 - 15, 10
BPA - red - 10 high + 10 mid + 10 low
DB lateral raise - 2x10 lbs - 30
Assistance totals:
Push - 55 reps
Pull - 55 reps
Single-leg/core - 50 reps
Kids are on Christmas break, so it was a slow morning—thankful for that. (Still up before 0500, just not pushing to get them out the door.)
Started looking at next week’s 5x10 weights across all the lifts, and began thinking I might have taken “start too light” a little too far: 40% is my first warm-up set this week, and it feels like nothing. But then I went in and the top set felt far too heavy, so now I’m second-guessing everything. It’s obviously not the right time to make a decision, and no decision is actually required. I’ll revisit this on Sunday.
That said, the BBB sets were super easy, so I took the opportunity to really focus on the movement. Those sets took about 7 minutes today.
Decreased the incline on the ab wheel ramp again. Wanted 50 reps across three sets, but got them all in two, so that’s good. Haven’t done lateral raises in forever, and while I could really feel the last 10-12 reps, I got all 30 in one set. Calling those “push” assistance, but I’m not sure that’s right. Also not sure it really matters…
Daily work and a weighted vest walk on the docket for later today.
7 Likes
I like to find ways to make light weight harder in these situations.
You can always use pause reps, or have stupidly short rest times, or use harder implements (deadlift with an axle for example), or take every rep of press from the floor. I’ve even taken it to make it a goal to aim for getting the rep total as fast as possible, so instead of 5x10, just do 50 reps straight.
1 Like
This sounds like a good way to work on sticking points or weak areas of a lift… Pause DLs at mid shin, pause bench 3" off the chest, pause press at eyeballs, pause squats in the hole…
Consider it stolen for my 5’s week BBB stuff.
4 Likes
For sure dude. Be worth considering that, where the sticking point is, the weakness tends to be the area BEFORE that. Were you strong THERE, you’d just blast right through the sticking point. Since you aren’t, you end up getting stuck where you get stuck.
3 Likes
This makes so much sense I almost feel silly for even having contemplated cocking up the template. I particularly “like” the idea of pushing past 20 reps in a single set, just to see how far I can go.
As always, man, thanks for sharing your insight!
2 Likes
Endless wisdom. Thanks dude!
2 Likes
Forever BBB - c7w1d5
Thursday - 23 December 2021
Workout: Easy conditioning, 1305-1410 (65 minutes)
Weighted vest walk - 28 kg - 35 minutes
21-15-9, for time
a) Devil’s press - 2x30 lbs
b) Chin-up/pull-up (strict, various grips)
Time: 12:02
5 devil’s presses - 2x30 lbs
3 chin-ups/pull-ups (strict, various grips)
Wicked headache set in about 1230, which is odd because I rarely get headaches. Schedule demanded I finish up today’s work when I did, so I decided to start with the walk to see if it would help. It did not.
But once I got to the daily work, it didn’t matter anyway: I had no spare cycles to process a headache—everything was dedicated to getting through the work. Somehow I managed to beat Sunday’s time by 52 seconds. I’ll take it.
Chin-ups/pull-ups continue to be the weak link, but that’s part of why I’m doing at least 44 every day. (I did 48 total today, 12 with each grip).
8 Likes
Forever BBB - c7w1d6
Friday - 24 December 2021
Workout: Bench, 0840-0925 (45 minutes)
Warm-up
Throws + jumps
Begin: 0853; End: 0922; Duration: 29 minutes
Bench - 105x5, 130x5, 160x5 | 185x5, 210x5, 235x5 | (130x10)x5
OA row - L/R - 50 - 15, 10
Cable crunch - 50 - 20, 20, 20
Standing DB press - 2x35 lbs - 15, 10
BFP - red - 30
Band pushdown - red - 30
Assistance totals:
Push - 55 reps
Pull - 55 reps
Single-leg/core - 60 reps
Up about 0445 but another slow start to the day. Wish I could’ve got moving more quickly, because the next 48 hours are going to be a whirlwind.
Everything moved super well today, really nothing noteworthy. Supplemental sets took about 6 minutes.
Planning on Pwn’s The Last Castle with my weighted vest and daily work later today. Might try to squeeze in BB curls and tomorrow’s daily work as well, because it’s going to be a struggle just to get in the easy conditioning and calf workout as it is. If things don’t go my way, I guess I’ll have to do some “make-up” work on Sunday or throughout next week or something.
8 Likes
Are you a EE? What specialty?
1 Like