Catching up on your log and saw the bench work out. STRONG AS FUCK!
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Thanks, my man! I appreciate that.
Forever BBB - c7w3 - summary
Another decent week: I hit all of my goals, including getting my nutrition back on track. Top sets were heavy again, but not like they were last week. Heavier weights this week, too, so I’ll call that progress. I’m also starting to find my groove on the high-rep supplemental sets—I really like pushing the rep count just to see what I’ve got.
On that note, I technically set rep PRs on the first supplemental set of every lift this week, but that was by default. The Cycle 8 supplemental progression will generate legit PRs, so that’s cool.
My goals for the week ahead are:
- Complete all 4 lifting workouts
- Complete 2 days of hard conditioning
- Complete 5 days of easy conditioning
- Complete 3 days of direct calf work
- Do 52 chin-ups/pull-ups and 50 somethings every day
- Continue to eat properly
I am keeping my TMs the same as last cycle with the intent of mastering those top sets:
Press - 140 lbs
Squat - 285 lbs
Dead - 325 lbs
Bench - 260 lbs
But I’m progressing the BBB supplemental weights instead: it’ll be 3/5/1 with Malcom X at 60/50/70. AFAIK, that’s not actually a scheme that JW outlines, but it’s a step toward FSL supplemental, which is a short-term goal. And at 60/50/70, Week 1 and Week 3 provide opportunities to set new (non-default) PRs this cycle, which will add some extra motivation.
I am sticking with daily pull-ups/chin-ups, but I’m going to try being a bit more chaotic with other daily work: my goal is to do at least 50 reps of some other move or combination of moves—whatever I think will be beneficial in the moment. Lots to choose from: bodyweight stuff, burpees + swings, devil’s presses, snatches, cleans, clean & press, manmakers, etc. And lots of ways to run them: circuits, ladders, ToB, JV, 21-15-9+, Grace, Grace Echo… I’m limited only by my imagination. (But therein lies the problem, haha!)
Anyway, that’s the plan—all that remains is to execute.
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You continue crushing it, I see! Congratulations on 225x5 bench - that’s incredible!
I bet all this progress and conditioning has accompanied a noticeable physical transformation too, eh?
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Thanks, man! I’m still pretty fluffy from the holidays—or maybe from BBB, haha—but overall I’m pleased with where things are and where they’re headed!
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Forever(-ish) BBB - c8w1d1
Sunday - 09 January 2022
Workout: Easy conditioning + calves, 0735-0840 (65 minutes)
Seated CR - 220 lbs - 25, 20, 15
Weighted vest walk - 28 kg - 35 minutes
Fasted. 10 degrees Fahrenheit and windy yesterday morning, now 40 degress and raining today. I decided to let the heavy stuff pass, hence the late start. Still wet and kinda miserable, though.
Jump rope and daily work to follow.
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Forever(-ish) BBB - c8w1d1
Sunday - 09 January 2022
Workout: Extra conditioning, 1155-1230 (35 minutes)
Jump rope tabata - 4x40/10 - 1 round
5 rounds of:
a) 5 thrusters - 95 lbs
b) 5 alternating DB snatches - L/R - 35 lbs
c) 11 chin-ups/pull-ups (strict, various grips)
Time: 13:37
Jump rope tabata - 4x40/10 - 1 round
That was harder than it looks on paper! Wasn’t moving fast, but really focused on solid reps. Chin-ups/pull-ups remain the weak link, but I’m getting better: 11, 8+3, 8+3, 8+3, 3+3+3+3. I dropped after 8 reps in each of rounds 2-4, but in the last round I cycled through all 4 grips, 3 reps each, so I dropped to change my grip.
Anyway, that knocks out 50 reps of “something” and the chins, got my heart rate up, had me huffing and puffing, and left me feeling better than when I started, so we’ll say it was successful.
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Default PR’s still great to hit. Keep at it!
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What’s the fourth grip? I only know of pronated, supinated, and neutral. Unless you mean pronated shoulder-width and pronated wide grips?
Neutral, in the case of my bar, but yes, wide v. narrow.
I don’t use the funny angled ones. But maybe I should…
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Forever(-ish) BBB - c8w1d2
Monday - 10 January 2022
Workout: Squat, 0755-0900 (65 minutes)
Warm-up
Throws + jumps
Begin: 0815; End: 0858; Duration: 43 minutes
Squat - 115x5, 145x5, 175x5 | 200x5, 230x5, 260x5 | 175x40 (rep PR), 175x10
OA row - L/R - 50 - 18, 12
HLR - 20, 20, 20
Dip - 60 - 15, 15
BPA - red - 10 high + 10 mid + 10 low
Push-up - 30
Assistance totals:
Push - 60 reps
Pull - 60 reps
Single-leg/core - 60 reps
Good gracious, what’s wrong with me!?!
So that was 175x40 after only 260x5, whereas last week was 175x31 after 275x5, but c’mon man—40 reps!?! Your head is broken, dude.
Or maybe it’s finally working right, 'cause you just kept going, 5 at a time, breathing deep. Lower back was screaming, lungs were burning, eyes were rolling, head was swimming, but I could’ve stood there all day with that bar on my back. I finally gave in when that right SI joint got tweaky just standing there. But everything from rep 15 forward was an act of pure will.
Honestly, I don’t really remember much else. My notebook says I got it all done, and I’m sure I did, but who cares—I just hit 175x40.
Daily work and easy conditioning to follow this afternoon.
Edit: I was pretty amped after that workout, but it’s worth noting that the 40 reps took about 3:45 to get through. I rested for 3 minutes and then cranked out the remaining 10 reps. Probably could’ve done with only a 2-minute rest, but I didn’t want to push that joint too much harder. All told, the supplemental sets took about 8 minutes, including stripping the bar and racking the weights. As I recall, the top set at 260 was decent, but so far I’m feeling good about keeping the TMs the same for this cycle.
11 Likes
Forever(-ish) BBB - c8w1d2
Monday - 10 January 2022
Workout: Easy conditioning, 1220-1330 (70 minutes)
Descending ladder: 10, 9, …, 2, 1 with 6 chin-ups/pull-ups after each round
a) 1-pump burpees
b) KB swings - 28 kg
Time: 14:48
Weighted vest walk - 28 kg - 35 minutes
Decent afternoon: slow controlled burpees, explosive swings, strong chin-up/pull-ups, and a brisk walk.
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Well this is kinda mental. The set of 10 kinda looks funny after that, but I am assuming you are just making sure to get 50 total.
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This.
Would’ve liked to have all 50 in one shot, but when that SI joint talks, I listen.
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Dude, 40 rep squats. Did you puke? LoL.
Seriously though, damn impressive!
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Damn, Dan John would love this, haha
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@SvenG animal dude. Nice work
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That’s an interesting bar! I’ve never seen one like that before. Thanks for posting the picture!
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@shaneinga, @Bagsy, @dietdrfapper - Thanks, folks! Still panting a lot during those sets, but I’m slowly becoming better at remembering to really breathe deeply—it never ceases to amaze me how there always seems to be one more squat in the tank.
@oldnattychris - A picture’s worth a thousand words, right?
I have a standard straight pull-up bar that, until recently, I used exclusively. But at some point, I tried the wide and narrow neutral grips on the one in the picture that’s attached to my squat rack, and now I like to mix it up—the neutral grip allows me to really focus on my back and lats in a way I find hard to do with supinated/pronated grips on the straight bar.
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Forever(-ish) BBB - c8w1d3
Tuesday - 11 January 2022
Workout: Press, 0800-0900 (60 minutes)
Warm-up
Throws + jumps
Begin: 0816; End: 0856; Duration: 40 minutes
Press - 60x5, 70x5, 85x5 | 100x5, 115x5, 130x5 | 85x(22+6), 85x12, 85x10
Pull-up - BW - 12, 12, 6
Cable crunch - 50 - 30, 30
Incline DB press - 2x60 lbs - 20, 10
BFP - red - 30
Band pushdown - red - 30
Assistance totals:
Push - 60 reps
Pull - 60 reps
Single-leg/core - 60 reps
Not my best pressing day: only 115 felt strong, and I wore out quickly on the supplemental sets. Shoulders were tired throughout all of it, and I could really feel when my triceps began to take over. I called the high-rep sets when they got grindy. (Luckily I didn’t grind on the work sets, they just didn’t feel very powerful.) Took a 3-minute rest between the first and second supplemental sets, then a 2-minute rest between the second and third—about 8 minutes, start to finish.
Hard conditioning and daily work later, but we’ll have to see how much ice is beneath the thin layer of snow out there; it’s in the low teens right now, and we’re already near the high for the day, so I’m not expecting it to really melt off. Tomorrow’s temps are predicted to be well-above freezing, so I may take my chances and flip-flop the conditioning work…
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