Boring But Bulking - a 5/3/1 log

Training Logs
1

Here are my 5RM’s, along with the calculated 1RM (the standard formula is actually pretty accurate for me, at least in regards to the Front Squat which I maxed out almost textbook not so long ago) and then the Wendler training max ™ which is 90% of that 1RM:

Squat: 95kg/111kg/100kg
Bench: 65kg/76kg/68kg
Deadlift: 140kg/163kg/147kg
Military Press: 51kg/59kg/54kg

I’m running 5/3/1 EXACTLY as written and not trying to pull a fast one by increasing my training max higher than Wendler suggests, or adding any unnecessary exercises, etc , etc. Having bought a copy of both 5/3/1 and Beyond 5/3/1 and reading them at every opportunity in the past week, I’ve hit upon a revelation about my own training - namely, that the only person that matters when training is yourself. You are only up against yourself and nobody else, the only person you need to better is yourself, and the only way you can do that is with self belief and perseverance.

Along with the standard 5/3/1, I’m running BBB (the variation where you run the other lift 5x10 rather than the same lift following your 5/3/1 work, eg if I’m doing Bench 5/3/1, I’ll be doing Military Press for 5x10 BBB) because I want some damn muscle gainz! Any assistance work outside of this is solely what Wendler puts as standard or the suggested substitutes (because I am currently only capable of performing 2 chinups on a good day…)

As suggested by the title I’m bulking. I’m sitting at 185.5cm (6ft1 for you imperialists) and about 84kg (185 lbs). I’ve been trying this for a while, but it’s not really worked. I have gained a couple of kilos apparently in the past couple of months, but this has been really slow and could really just be anomalous. My physical appearance hasn’t really changed. Last week was a hell of a week of indiscretion. In an experiment to see if I could actually force myself to gain weight, I ate a signficant surplus on most days including 2 days at 7000 calories… that was tough, enjoyable, but tough and emotionally impactful). My weekly average was roughly 5200 calories. Today the scale showed what I’ve come to expect with water weight gains. It was completely unnecessary to do what I did last week, so I’ve now opted upon a more doable strategy:

~4000 calories a day and at least 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight. Hypothetically, this should ensure a gain of about 2lbs per month… If I’m doing everything right. I may have to tweak it from time to time, but I’m certainly not an undereater (having previously been in excess of 310lbs at one stage). My goal is to reach 200lbs and then evaluate where I need to go from there. I eat an incredibly boring diet, day in, day out, which consists of almost entirely stereotypically “clean foods”. I don’t eat meat or chicken because I have no taste for it and my consumption of fish is pretty minimal too. I do eat eggs and dairy, and they account for around a third of my daily protein intake. Should I eat more? We’ll see soon enough…

I used to take videos for posterity reasons every workout, but it’s incredibly time consuming editing and uploading to YouTube, so I’m only going to do it if I REALLY need advice on form or want to display a particularly awesome lift.

Glad to be aboard on the 5/3/1 journey.

2

Cycle 1 5x5 Week:
Monday 28th April 2014

Military Press Day

5/3/1 Military Press

Bar x 10
25kg x 5
30kg x 5
35kg x 3

35kg x 5
45kg x 5
50kg x 5

Comments: I didn’t get more than 5 reps for the PR set… Why? Because the calculator I used to work out my numbers isn’t able to process the fact my 5RM for MP is 51kg and not 50… Therefore I started too high… Is it the end of the world?! No, it just means I’ve got to re-calculate it as 50kg and move on. I should have been pressing 45kg for 5 in my last set and going for a PR rep record. Not to worry, this stuff happens!

BBB Bench Press

Bar x 5

35kg x 10
35kg x 10
35kg x 10
35kg x 10
35kg x 10

Comments: Easy? Yes, but humbling. With the lower weight I really had a chance to focus on my form and not worry about having to press greater weight of my chest. Bench is one of my weak points, but I think this greater amount of volume is going to do wonders for developing the lift for me.

Lat Pulldowns

50kg x 10
50kg x 10
50kg x 10
50kg x 10
50kg x 10

Comments: Doing these in place of chin ups because assisted chin ups are awkward and I can build the strength necessary to actually do them unassisted more productively via the LPD. I assume an underhand chin up grip for these. Why am I starting at 50kg, because that’s what I calculated as my 10RM for chinups in the hypothetical scenario of weighing 50kg with my current strength. It seemed pretty accurate, maybe a bit lighter, but better light than too heavy. Also, it was a bit glitchy at first, I wasn’t planted under enough so I wasn’t getting the full ROM for the first 2 or 3 sets. I sorted that out on the fourth. It’s not an issue in the grand scheme of things I guess, I’ve learned my lesson. Lyle’s article on the LPD, especially the part about focusing on pulling with the shoulders rather than the arms was really helpful.

DB Hammer Curls

10kg x 10
10kg x 9
10kg x 10

Comments: Humbling again, and surprisingly hard. Whilst 3x10 is what I expected I’d get, I didn’t quite manage it. Form gets a bit sloppy on the last three reps, but I was trying my best, I did feel maybe a slight imbalance, it seemed like my left arm is stronger than my right arm. I’ll keep at this shamefully low weight for now until I can do the full 3x10 and satisfactory.

BW Dips

x 10
x 8
x 8

Comments: Again I was going for 3x10. I’ll take a set of 10 and two sets of 8 though as I’ve never managed 28 total reps of Dips before. I really pushed myself on these today and I’m proud of that. I went narrower with my grip too, felt it best to focus more on hitting the triceps rather than chest as I’d already blitzed that with some high volume benching.

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed today, I felt like I had worked and even though training legs was missing, I suspect I’ll get used to it in time, particularly since I’m chosen to do my cardio (or conditioning as Wendler refers to it) following the lower body workout days (recovery reasons mainly) which will be pretty hard going. I’ll let you all know how I get on with it tommorow!

3

Not feeling the ab wheel (we don’t have one of these, so I improvised using a barbell - roll outs), is there anything else I could be doing for abs on lower days? Its hitting my lower back and that’s not a good thing… Today was a major let down on that front. The good news is I totally nailed 5x10 Back Squat BBB style AFTER heavy (my TM means It’s still pretty heavy!) deadlifting. I’m very chuffed with myself.

I have never tried hanging leg raises, but I suspect I’ll only be able to manage the bent knee ones for now. I will persevere with them, but the roll out needs to go!

Any suggestions kind people?

4

Cycle 1 5x5 Week:
Tuesday 29th April 2014

Deadlift Day

5/3/1 Deadlift

40kg x 5
60kg x 5
75kg x 5
90kg x 3

100kg x 5
115kg x 5
125kg x 5 (8)

Comments: Deadlift has come on, I was fatiguing due to the higher intensity in the warmup sets and the fact I am now doing 3 ramped sets instead of one top set. I’ll be honest and admit that whilst I intended to go for 6 reps, a certain individual decided it would be acceptable to cross my path on the platform whilst I was lifting and put me off. I took two minutes to cool down and pulled the 125kg for an additional 3 reps. I know that’s not part of that deal as such, but I knew I could get more and if it wasn’t for that distraction, I would have. Right leg felt a bit funky on the 125kg, maybe a balance thing, but it didn’t stop me getting the weight up. I have to also say that my back is a hell of a lot straighter, which is a promising sign that my kyphosis is getting better.

BBB Squat

Bar x 5
30kg x 5

50kg x 10
50kg x 10
50kg x 10
50kg x 10
50kg x 10

Comments: Another humbling experience, but incredibly fatiguing also. I loved it though! Couple of things, As an Olympic High Bar Squatter, I’ve always had a slight, but annoying enough “knee cave” on the last part of the ascent where my quads engage. I’ve noticed this seems to be common with high bar squatters - like John North from Cal Strength. It’s not caused me any issues so far, or impinged my knee joints, but I decided to try and fix it today. By set four I made a concious effort to fix it by simply keeping my knees pushed out through the rep. Definitely more glute engagement via this manner. I dunno, I’ll try it for my heavy squats on Friday and see if it deters my heavy efforts.

Forward Roll Outs

x10
x10
x7
x8

Comments: My gym doesn’t have an ab wheel, so I decided to try the best approximation of the movement I could - the barbell roll out. This was disastrous, mainly because it was hitting my lower back rather than my abs, I chose to cut it short rather than risk hurting myself. It’s an exercise I have difficulty executing properly and to be honest, I’d rather not do it. That poses the question, what can I substitute instead? Many friends go on about the merits of planks and weighted planks, but then, they aren’t dynamic movements. I shall have to give this some thought, maybe ask Jim Wendler himself.

Conditioning

20 minutes of treadmill fast walk/running intervals

Conclusion:

I also thoroughly enjoyed today’s workout, even if there were a couple of hiccups. I suppose I have to take onboard the fact that its only my first week of 5/3/1 and things don’t always go to plan. The important thing is to keep trying and keep moving forward, regardless of the pace. I’m caught up in the idea that since I’m bulking, if I have a less than stellar workout or miss reps or don’t have perfect form, that I’m not going to get the gainz! I need to eliminate this train of thought and start embracing the bigger picture.

5

DOMS today, I love it! BBB Squat is killer, I’m apprehensively (but really looking forward to it too!) awaiting the Deadlift!

6

Make sure your back is straight and not sagging on ab wheel, whenever it feel it in my back I haven’t kept my back straight.

7

I find the ab wheel is too brutal after OHP or even the next day with pain thru my shoulders.

So instead I will slip in reverse crunches (on decline bench), situps, hanging leg raises, etc.

(Oh yes and I’m in).

8

Cycle 1 5x5 Week:
Thursday 1st May 2014

Bench Press Day

5/3/1 Bench Press

Bar x 10
30kg x 5
35kg x 5
45kg x 3

45kg x 5
55kg x 5
60kg x 8

Comments: Considerably better performance than previously!

BBB Military Press

Bar x 5

30kg x 10
30kg x 10
30kg x 10
30kg x 10
30kg x 10

Comments: Throughly enjoyed, MP is one of my favourite exercises and doing it for sets of 10 with 2 minute rests was awesome!

DB Rows

15kg x 10
15kg x 10
15kg x 10
15kg x 10
15kg x 10

Comments: Hard to tell, I asked the opinion of folks in the gym and they were all like “yeah, you look fine”. I could proably handle more than 15kg, but I decided to start light for all the reasons Jim Wendler suggests in 5/3/1. Here’s (- YouTube) a couple of sets for the intrigued amongst you.

Yes, I have thoracic kyphosis, and no amount of additional mobility work is going to fix it (although improving my posture day to day is helping), as people seem to be obsessed with recommending. I’ve chosen to be somebody who lifts heavy and looks like that’s what they do, not a postural yogi therapist!

DB Curls

10kg x 10
10kg x 10
10kg x 10

Comments: I think 10kg is personally a bit too heavy. I know that sounds pathetic, but my form wasn’t all that great and it really should have been. I know my ultra light weight on curls is due to the fact my upper body strength is lacking and because I’m not really developed in the arms and have never bothered with curls before. Still, if I can’t lift heavier with good form, what’s the point in trying? Hypertrophy will still occur at a lighter weight and as I get stronger and it gets easier, I’ll simply increase the weight? What’s the consensus, drop to 8kg for this variant? I’ll let the video (- YouTube) do the talking.

BW Dips

x 8
x 9
x 7
x 6

Comments: Hard going today, I decided to focus on staying tight and not having my legs sway around. I know that doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, but I hate how it looks. I was also working narrower again for the sake of hitting triceps more. I guess I could hypothesise all day as to why I didn’t get a perfect 3x10 (if that’s even a thing outside of Rippetoe esque programming), but it’s still 30 reps regardless, a whole 30 reps I haven’t been able to do until this week.

Face Pulls

30kg x 10
30kg x 10
30kg x 10

Comments: Felt good, honestly a great way to end an upper body session. It’s like a bizarre form of myofascial release for the scapulas.

Conclusion:

I attended an MMA session in the evening that included some cardiovascular drills, ground grappling and sparring. Not for the faint of heart. For the sake of recovery (and because I’m bulking) I decided to eat an extra 1000 calories today… I hate myself, because the workout today doesn’t really justify it, but I need to get stronger and add musculature (84.4kg on the scale today). My Macros were:

C: 700g (and 104g of Fiber, gotta love Oats)
P: 272g
F: 117g

Feedback I’m seeking?

  • How did the rows look, given I’ve never done them until today, is the weight alright as a starting point?

  • Should I drop 2kg from the run-of-the-mill curls when I do them and focus on form? Will this be a deterrent to hypertrophy?

9

5x10 Deadlift? Challenging but very rewarding. Definitive sense of achievement, although it’s just going to get harder and harder :wink:

10

Cycle 1 5x5 Week:
Friday 2nd May 2014

Squat Day

5/3/1 Squat

Bar x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 3

65kg x 5
75kg x 5
85kg x 7

Comments: Definitely challenging. A bit slower than normal getting my psyche on for that last rep, and I had this thought in the back of my mind going “oh hey, it wasn’t even on the last rep, far too wonky, not perfect”. I’m not sure about the rest periods, typically I aim for around 4-5 minutes for heavy sets. For the PR set here, It was around 10 minutes because I was sharing the platform. I don’t like that, even though there is nothing really to suggest (I believe Jim states something along the lines of : “It doesn’t matter, as long as you do it”) that any rest interval is optimal. At least in what I’ve read.

I don’t really know why I continue to squat high bar, if I knew how to switch over to low bar I would (any suggestions?!), as it may be more suited to my anthropomorphic features. With high bar, you can’t lift as much and if you’re like me, you’ll have a slight (but my legs are still stable, I’ve not suffered one impingement yet) “cave” on the ascent. I’ve just learned to do it that way… Upon watching a video of this session backwards, I’m cringing and wondering how long it’s truly going to take for me to make these fucking squats pretty!

I suppose I think too much about the minor details and then it makes me doubt my reasons for doing 5/3/1 at this stage of my lifting experience (~1 year in), even though aggressive LP was just destroying me and make my training experiences seem like a chore, and that so many people here are saying that I’m perfectly suited for 5/3/1 (including Mr Wendler himself).

Here’s a video of my 5/3/1 sets for anybody to take a look at: - YouTube

BBB Deadlift

50kg x 5

70kg x 10
70kg x 10
70kg x 10
70kg x 10
70kg x 10

Comments: Brutal, but not as deadly as one might imagine. What I can say is they were well worth it. Thoroughly enjoyed it, The high rep stuff is really giving me a chance to focus on form and develop my technique.

Here’s a video of a couple of the sets: - YouTube

Hanging Leg Raise

x 10
x 10
x 10
x 10
x 10

Comments: Never done them before, so I opted for the knee raise variant as described here (http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/HipFlexors/BWHangingLegRaise.html). The first couple of sets had a bit of swing to them, I focused on stability on my last couple of sets and even though I felt it in the abdominal area, it wasn’t nearly as impactful as what you get from forward roll outs. Still, I suspect these have an important place in the workout, otherwise Jim wouldn’t have bothered including them. My plan is to keep doing them until I’m strong enough to do the straight leg raise variant.

Here’s a video featuring my first or second set and my final set: - YouTube

Conditioning

  • 20 Minutes of Treadmill Intervals (fast walk, smallest incline and running flat at 12.2kph)
  • 6 mile outdoor cycle

Conclusion:

I enjoyed my first week of 5/3/1 with BBB. It’s the first time I’ve felt eager to go and train in the hours leading up to a session in weeks! As I’ve posted elsewhere on T Nation, I’m having doubts (spurned on by others, particularly the “LP milkers” internet camp) about my choice of programming, especially now that I’ve chosen to finally try and gain some weight after spending the best part of 15 months losing (I cut from 304lbs), and maintaining/slowly losing between that timeframe and now. People are often quoted as saying that LP requires a significant caloric surplus, one that I’m attempting currently, but I’d rather use that surplus so it enables hypertrophy gains ALONG with strength gains, rather than just focusing purely on getting stronger in the fastest amount of time possible.

I dunno, I’ve committed though!

Thoughts?

11

Wow, you talk more than I do :wink:

I also wanted to say that I very much agree with this statement:

My form improved significantly once I spent a lot of time putting lots of volume in. In my case, it was endless sets of triples, but the same idea in principle.

Best of luck.

12

[quote]LoRez wrote:
Wow, you talk more than I do :wink:

I also wanted to say that I very much agree with this statement:

My form improved significantly once I spent a lot of time putting lots of volume in. In my case, it was endless sets of triples, but the same idea in principle.

Best of luck.[/quote]

Thanks for the reply!

Yeah, definitely noticing myself becoming more aware of form and technique with higher volume. I ignored that element of training for the most part thus far, I simply wanted to keep progressing in load strength and didn’t care that it was ripping me apart from not just a physical, but an emotional perspective.

I may come across as a pussy to some, but consider, I’ve no athletic background, I was sedentary and obese for most of my life until Summer 2012 when I decided to change that. I don’t avoid doing exercises, I get off my ass and go to the gym, session after session, week after week, regardless. Maybe I’m not designed to compete in powerlifting, maybe I’m not designed to be anything but a runner who eats like a bird, but fuck design!

A friend said to me recently when he opposed of my decision to do some curls at the end of my main workout “God gave you long dangly arms…”. My response was, “Then why did God give me the ability to do curls?!”

13

Cycle 1 3’s Week:
Monday 5th May 2014

Military Press Day

5/3/1 Military Press

Bar x 10
25kg x 5
30kg x 5
35kg x 3

40kg x 3
45kg x 3
50kg x 5 (and 1 cheat, so technically… a NEW PR!!!)

Comments: Felt good, wanted to try out the mythical Joker Sets following a PR. Loaded 52.5kg onto the bar and got it up 4 times (I am aware now that you should only do the amount of reps relative to that week… I’m still learning). I then went for 55kg and managed 2 reps. I stopped there. That’s still more than I’ve ever pressed before!

You can see my session here: - YouTube

BBB Bench Press

Bar x 5

35kg x 10
35kg x 10
35kg x 10
35kg x 10
35kg x 10

Comments: Love/Hate with the Bench Press continues, took a few minutes to get comfortable with setting up before I started the BBB sets. Humbling as always, still enjoy 5x10.

Lat Pulldowns

55kg x 10
55kg x 10
55kg x 10
55kg x 10
55kg x 10

Comments: Up 5kg from last week, felt fine. I then returned to the S&C room following 5x10 of these and…

Unassisted Full ROM Chin ups

x3 (new PB)
x2
x2

Comments: For the first time in my life, I managed 3 chinups!! The Lat Pulldown may suck, but it’s definitely doing something!

DB Hammer Curls

10kg x 10
8kg x 8
9kg x 9

Comments: I’m finding these annoying, I experimented with lowering the weight. 8kg felt too light, 9kg seemed just right, but form felt like an issue. I’m not sure whether this curl variant is actually benefiting me as I feel I’m not hitting the biceps enough or doing them with decent enough form. I’m seriously considering just dropping DB curls and working solely with a BB when doing them.

Any comments? Here’s how I’m doing them: - YouTube

BW Dips

x 9
x 6
x 4
x 6
x 5

Comments: Wasn’t exactly 3x10… Didn’t go quite to plan, but then I’ve never done more than sets equalling a total of 20 reps for dips up until this point… I have to take that into account, along with the fact I’m also gaining weight (or trying to do). The point is, I got my 30 reps, does it really matter if I do them in 3 sets of 10 or 1x9 and 4 sets of 4-6 reps?

Thoughts kind people?

(I’ll put the log up for today’s Deadlift session later)

14

I think you need to do some reading on the military press. Try to keep the bar as much above/behind you as possible… you’re lifting with your shoulders rounded forward (scapular protraction, technically). Keeping your shoulders pulled back and your elbows more out to the side will keep you more upright as the weights get heavy. I wish I could think of a good article on form, but I know there’s several on this site.

Great work on the PR(s).

15

[quote]LoRez wrote:
I think you need to do some reading on the military press. Try to keep the bar as much above/behind you as possible… you’re lifting with your shoulders rounded forward (scapular protraction, technically).[/quote]

Yeah, my shoulders have a tendancy to naturally round forward with the kyphosis condition, but correcting it doesn’t sound too hard to do, particularly when you get as depressed about having poor form as I do.

I’ve always been slightly unsure about how best to do it. I was originally pushed into assuming as wide a grip as possible and doing it Oly style, I’ve seen videos where guys have their elbows perfectly straight out and not out to the sides too!

Tell you what, I’m heading back to the gym tonight for some cardio and empty bar work (putting this in has been key to developing my technique, callisthenics for a lifter, if you like?) I’ll take a video or two for comparison.

Thanks man! If only it was perfect form though :frowning:

16

Really, there’s a lot of options. Ultimately it depends on your goals. If your goal is strength in the military press (upright torso), whatever approach gets the bar up is the right one. If it’s to just get the bar overhead, regardless of torso positioning, then you have the Olympic style press with the double-backbend. If you’re using it to build deltoid and trap size, then the form changes yet again.

The quote I pasted got lost somehow. This was from some article on this site. I’d say this is probably the most important commonality between the styles, regardless of elbow positioning, grip, etc.

17

[quote]LoRez wrote:
Really, there’s a lot of options. Ultimately it depends on your goals. If your goal is strength in the military press (upright torso), whatever approach gets the bar up is the right one. If it’s to just get the bar overhead, regardless of torso positioning, then you have the Olympic style press with the double-backbend. If you’re using it to build deltoid and trap size, then the form changes yet again.[/quote]

I do it mainly for strength, and as a Bench Press synergist.

[quote]The quote I pasted got lost somehow. This was from some article on this site. I’d say this is probably the most important commonality between the styles, regardless of elbow positioning, grip, etc.

Thanks for that. I made a concious effort with some empty bar practice tonight to keep my shoulders retracted. It’s not easy with the whole kyphosis/upper back rounding thing, but it definitely helps to envision your whole body lining up for lockout.

Here are my results from tonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66atfhXirx8

18

Yeah, that definitely looks better for several of those reps. I’d say it’s something to work on while continuing to push the weight up; no need to move to lighter weights just to work on form.

Instead of trying to push your head through (which can put strain on your neck), try to keep your head upright, and push the bar upwards and back. You can move your head back to avoid hitting your chin though… just pull it back instead of tilting.

Your grip width looks fine for now. When you start getting to more challenging weights, you might want to consider bringing it a bit wider so that your forearms are more vertical when the bar’s around the top of your head (as seen from the back view). This will ultimately depend on what works for you and your leverages.

As far as extending with the thoracic spine, I’ve been mostly working on stretching backwards over some 5" PVC wrapped with a yoga mat. Nothing too special, just keep my butt on the ground and stretch backwards a few times. It’s taking time, but it’s helped.

19

I’ve hit my chin and nose several times already, mainly when I’ve just picked up a broom handle and worked on stance!

Part of pushing the head through is that paranoia about reaching the maximum ROM. Many pressers, even guys built like tanks who are lifting serious tonnage don’t lock out for full ROM. I can understand with the weight they are handling, but still, I’d rather lift lighter and get the full ROM than lift heavier and cheat myself of maximally developing the muscle.

Going to try your suggestion for next time (BBB scheduled next for Press, plenty of reps to try it !) about pulling instead of tilting though.

At my current grip, I suppose I’m getting more tricep engagement. I learned this idea from Jason Blaha (back when I knew nothing) of all people, who advocates a narrower grip, seemingly out of personal preference since he does better with closer grip for most pressing and pushing exercises.

Given the lack of opportunities to learn from people in my gym, I’ve had to rely on the internet for form instruction. Mark Rippetoe, from whom I developed my Deadlift technique, is far too experimental on the Press for my liking. I find the Press 2.0 variant far too complex and too much of a learning curve to bother doing (the swingback thing just seems awkward), it’s almost as if he’s trying to merge MP and PP into one movement!

I’m really appreciative of your advice and feedback for the reasons I’ve discussed above, thank you!

[quote]
As far as extending with the thoracic spine, I’ve been mostly working on stretching backwards over some 5" PVC wrapped with a yoga mat. Nothing too special, just keep my butt on the ground and stretch backwards a few times. It’s taking time, but it’s helped.[/quote]

Yeah, I’ve been religiously doing some deep foam rolling as part of my warmup before every workout. I even hit it on off days. The inclusion of facepulls in 5/3/1 is ideal also.

20

Cycle 1 3x Week:
Tuesday 6th May 2014

Deadlift Day

5/3/1 Deadlift

60kg x 5
75kg x 5
90kg x 3

105kg x 3
120kg x 3
135kg x 3

Comments: Wasn’t feeling a PR by the time I got to the final set. I dunno, something just felt a bit off today, the bar felt really heavy and wasn’t staying attached to my shins as I was pulling on the final set. I just got my 3 reps and called it there. Disappointed, but you can’t win them all right? I also have kyphosis of the thoracic spine. It’s purely muscular in nature and not degenerative. In the video below, you are seeing my Deadlift with as straight as I can physically keep my upper back. It’s a pain in the ass, not aesthetically pleasing, and I highly recommend people avoid ever slouching!

BBB Squat

Bar x 5
Bar x 5
50kg x 10
50kg x 10
50kg x 10
50kg x 10
50kg x 10

Comments: Always humbling. Tried it with 2 minute rest intervals - Brutal but a go’er, loved it today. Felt like death afterwards!

Hanging Leg (sorry, knee) raises

x10
x10
x10
x9

Comments: They just don’t feel impactive enough and I’m swinging, even when slowing it right down. I seemingly don’t have enough upper body strength to keep stable. I should have been doing the ab wheel today but I still don’t have one. I guess that’s no excuse, I can try doing barbell roll outs

Conditioning:

  • 3 miles outdoor cycling

  • I also returned to the gym in the evening and performed several sets of high reps with an empty bar, just to work on developing technique on the BP and MP. It’s something I like to do sometimes, it really helps with neuroprogramming.

I also legitimately ate close to 6000 calories yesterday and hate myself for it!

Macros:

Carbs: 817g
Protein: 361g
Fat: 130g
Fiber: 128g