Yes I need to focus on this. Given the fact that this program starts light with low reps there’s no excuse not to have perfect form and good explosiveness on every rep. Hopefully that will set me up for success later on in the program!
Yeah just needs time I think! They’re beginning to grow on me though 
I’m worried, what if I start to actually like them…
Yesterday’s session.
23/06/21
Deadlift 80% 5x3
60kgx5, 75x3
88x3, 3, 3, 3, 3 (these were pretty easy and explosive)
2" deficit DL 4x8 (improvised a platform, some foam mats with a 15kg plate on top. Not the best but it’ll do for these lighter weights. Tough movement this.)
70x8, 8, 8, 8
BB row, torso parallel to floor 4x8 (didn’t get super full ROM but most important thing is just to work the muscles I suppose)
50x8, 8, 8, 8
Optional bonus work:
BB shrugs 50x10, 9, 8
Chins 6, 4, 4 (some suspicious ROMs there though).
General notes:
Nothing to add to the footnotes above, but a few things in terms of general training:
Been thinking about playing around with some more athletic real world training at some point, inspired by the Tactical Life thread here on the forums and the Jailhouse Strong Instagram account. Something to look at after the program maybe.
Would like to work on getting my chin numbers up, I’ve got a good technique now for hitting the muscles but need to improve performance.
Also need to work on arms - they are lagging and I want them to be looking good for when the holidays end haha. Am reluctant to add a bunch of arm specialisation work to the program though - may ask Coach Thib in his subforum what he thinks.
I do like front squats. They are one of my favourite exercises.
I like the power feel. You can come up really quick from the bottom. And it feels like you could throw the bar into space.
FYI good to see you back.
Cheers Carl! Yeah I definitely like low rep front squats - that power and athleticism is a great feel. It’s also a tricky movement with my proportions, so it is very rewarding to get it right.
Okay, been way too long since I updated here. Unfortunately my studies sort of got in the way. HOWEVER, I have some good news, some very good news, and some not-so-good news.
The good news: I kept up my training over the past few weeks despite my studies. I just finished “Phase 1” (week 4) of the program today, and will be moving onwards and upwards onto phase 2. My weight is slowly but surely climbing up - I’m back to where I was at the end of my cut (about 73 kg) and I think the muscle is slowly coming back too. I am still trying to eat clean though - I started getting a little sloppy at the start with chocolates and sweets in the name of mass, but I’ve stopped that now haha.
The very good news: I got my results back for the first half of the year - and everything is looking great. I have just two more important academic things left now - if I can get a good mark in them then I am going to be in a fantastic position. What does this have to do with training? Well, I had to stop lifting for the first several months of the year, and yes, I lost a fair of muscle - but I think that the sacrifice, hard as it was to make, really paid off. Just goes to show that sometimes the real grit is not in forcing yourself to train, but forcing yourself not to train. I have a very different view on training now.
The not-so-good news… the second half of the year is approaching fast, and I might not get time to update the log any more until the holidays begin at the end of the year. On the plus side, those holidays will be completely mine. If I do well now, then I can spend them completely stress-free, doing whatever I want - including lots of training and lots of T Nation forums!
What’s the plan then? I plan to finish the Power Look program. While I stopped training in the first half of the year, and it probably paid off, I think that I was also too quick to cut it out. It’s better to keep it up to some degree if possible because getting back into it is a challenge. Also, I really can’t afford to lose another 15 pounds, lol. I’m thinking early morning sessions - should have a little more time to play with this time round. But still please do forgive me if the log is a little quiet over the next few months! Hopefully this time round I can come out the other side a little bigger and a little better.