Thursday, June 6 - Bench assistance day - deload
Close grip floor press
270x3x2
Military press
180x7x2
Neutral grip DB pushups
+super mini band x6x2
Floor pause tricep extension
135x5x2
Duffin upright row
25x10x2
Barbell curl
80x12x2
Friday, June 7 - Light squat/main deadlift day - deload
1 1/4 squat - transformer bar
315x2x6
Deficit Deadlift (sumo)
425x3x2
Snatch grip rack pull
405x5x2
Dumbbell row
110x8x2
Monday, June 10 - Main bench day
Wider grip bench
335x5 - paused - could still do another rep, maybe 2
295x5x5+ - t&g - 3 min. breaks - got 6 on the last one, not sure if 7 would have made it
Dips
bw +25x12, 8, 6
Incline DB Flys
50s x14, 9, 7
Band pushdowns
light band over 2 bars x15, 7 - triceps died so changed band setup, over 1 bar x6 - I don’t know if I was cheating more before or what but my triceps are done.
Neutral grip chin-ups
bw +15x11, 8, 5 - lats and biceps ran out of gas on the last set
God damn! That does not sound fun at all lol.
No, it’s not. Every time I pause at the bottom I’m like “what the fuck am I doing down here?”, it’s way worse than any normal type of pause squat. I’m going to stop doing them with a pause as of tomorrow, partly because I hate that shit but also because it looks like I’m about to stall out on those. I was doing all my heavy squatting in knee wraps before this last block of training (I was training for a meet) so I figured a little extra focus on the bottom of the squat might pay off but I think that’s enough for now.
Tuesday, June 11 - Main squat day
SSB squat
425x5 - wasn’t as easy as I wanted it to be but I could still do at least one more rep. 440 next week.
Hatfield squat - no pause
525x6x3 sets - not as bad as with the pause but still bad. Everything else feels easy in comparison.
Sumo RDL w/band around waist
255x15x3
Bulgarian split squat
115x10x2
I felt sick by the end, high humidity plus Hatfield squats is a recipe for puking
Thursday, June 13 - Bench assistance day
Close grip floor press
300x7, 6
Military press
200x11, 9, 6
Neutral DB pushups
bw+light band x11, 8, 7
Floor pause tricep extension
150x9, 7
Duffin upright row
25x20, 15, 12
Barbell curl
90x19, 15, 10
Friday, June 14 - Light squat/main deadlift day
Pause squat - transformer bar 1.5D (back squat-ish)
315x2x6 - 45 sec. rest - these feel very strong out of the hole, I think those paused Hatfield squats are paying off
Deficit deadlift (sumo)
485x6, 3 - First set was pretty much max effort, probably would have been easier if the bar wasn’t so far from my shins when I went to pull the 3rd and 5th reps. I don’t really analyze the situation when I’m pulling reps, I just go for the next one and it isn’t until it’s off the ground that I realize my start position was fucked up. Could have squeezed out a couple more reps on the 2nd set but that was enough for today, I still have more stuff to do.
Snatch grip rack pull
465x10, 8
Dumbbell row
125x15, 8, 7 - I really strained to match reps from 2 weeks ago on the first set and I paid for it on the next 2. Right arm still feels stronger than the left.
Monday, June 17 - Main bench day
Wider grip bench
340x5 - paused - last rep was slow, probably can’t get another rep but I could still lift more for 5
300x5x5+ - t&g - 3 min. rest - 6 reps on last set
Dips
bx+30x12, 9
I cut a set from most of the assistance lifts in light of Paul Carter’s recommendations and the recent study from Barbalho. Looks like more volume can mean less gains, so there is just no use.
Incline DB flys
50’sx15, 10
Band pushdowns
light band over 2 bars x16, 10
Neutral grip chin-ups
bw+15x12, 9, 6
Tuesday, June 18 - Main squat day
SSB squat
440x4 - It felt like a 5th rep was going to be an all-out grind so I cut it at 4. Looking at the video I’m sure I could have done another rep, but whatever. This must be some kind of PR.
Hatfield squat
540x6, 5 - I already planned to cut this down to 2 sets because this shit was killing me, and a 6th rep on that 2nd set would have probably killed me too. On the last rep of the first set it basically turned into a good morning, even with my arms assisting the movement my quads gave out. The more I do these the more I hate them, but it looks like I’m getting stronger so I guess its worth the suffering.
Sumo RDL w/band around waist
265x15x3
Bulgarian split squat
125x10x2
I didn’t feel like puking this time, I think that 3rd set of Hatfield squats is the puke inducer.
It’s interesting because I can see this being highly personal, but too many people use far too many sets and exercises. Once I cut down to doing a few exercises for assistance for 2 sets, my main movements got stronger. Glad to see it’s working for other people as well
In this recent study the groups that did 5 and 10 sets each did better than the groups that did 15 and 20. It looks like there really is a limit to how much volume is beneficial, it’s going to vary from person to person but somewhere in that range (5-10) is going to be optimal for the majority of people.
Thursday, June 20 - Bench assistance day
Close grip floor press
305x6, 6 - wasn’t sure about a 7th rep on the first set, 2nd set was RPE10. Not bad I guess.
Military press
205x9, 8 - I wanted at least 10 on the first set, I did 200x11 last week. Maybe all the grinding before this did it.
Neutral grip DB pushups
+light band x14, 10
Floor pause tricep extension
155x8, 7
Duffin upright row
30x16, 12, 10
Barbell curl
90x22, 16, 11
Friday, June 21 - Light squat/main deadlift day
Pause squat - transformer bar 1.5d
315x2x6 - 45 sec. rest - these felt good and fast
Deficit deadlift (sumo)
500x4, 1
This didn’t go as planned. I was going for 6 and would have settled for 5 but likely would have failed another rep, this just wasn’t my day. Next set I pulled one rep and it was hard, like RPE 8, so I just stopped there, the first set took what little energy I had. I’m not sure if I have a bit of a cold or allergies, or maybe both, right now the weather is going back and forth between hot/sunny and cold/rainy and a bunch of people are sick. I haven’t been feeling too great all week although lifting was still going alright, just today took a turn for the worse. I was on a roll and basically making linear progress for a bit but it seems to have come to an abrupt end.
Snatch grip rack pull
480x9 - I was only planning to do one set on this, and I’m glad for that. After those shitty deadlifts I just want this to end.
Dumbbell row
130x14, 11, 7
Hopefully I’m back to normal by Monday, I don’t know what my problem is but I just feel a bit lethargic and it’s starting to show in my lifts. I’m not overreached from training, it’s only the 2nd week since the deload.
Monday, June 24 - Main bench day
Wider grip bench
345x4 - paused - failed 5 - 4 was kind of hard but there was the possibility of another rep which would have been another PR. This was alright still.
305x5x5 - t&g - no extra reps on the last set, a hard 5. I’m going to have to change things up in the next block because I’m starting to stall a bit, progress was good for a while but I’m nearing the end of this road.
Dips
bw+35x11, 9
Incline DB flys
55’s x13, not sure if 9 or 10 on the 2nd set, I didn’t write it down right away and then couldn’t remember, but whatever.
Band pushdowns
light band over 2 bars x17, 10
Neutral grip chin ups
bw+20x12, 9, 6
I feel better than I did on Friday, but I don’t feel as energetic and aggressive as I could be. I will see how this week goes, I might deload next week. I would go for longer between deloads if I can but there is no point if energy and performance is down.
Tuesday, June 25 - Main squat day
SSB squat
450x3 - I regret not going for the 4th rep because it was there for sure, the 3rd felt a little bit hard and I was like “shit, this is going to be hard, rack it!”. But still, looking at my training logs from when I last did SSB squats as a main lift my rep PRs were 435x3 and 450x2, here I have another rep in the tank for sure plus I feel a little burnt out. So that sounds like progress to me.
Also, that 450x2 was a few weeks before 500x1, which goes to show how much I suck at doing reps vs. singles. If I can do 450x3 with a rep in the tank I could probably manage 525-550 if I was fresher.
Hatfield squat
555x5x2 sets - hard but not near death experience hard, glad to cut it down to 5 reps.
Sumo RDL with band around waist
275x15x3 - These are killing my glutes, I can’t even sit down between sets
Bulgarian split squat
135x10x2
So I get the feeling that I am starting to overreach for real, I had a bit of a cold last week which didn’t help and Friday’s deadlifts sucked but I feel like I could use a deload. It’s like I just don’t have that drive to strain through heavy lifts like usual, although I don’t feel like complete shit yet.
I get the feeling that pushing assistance work harder than usual (as per Paul Carter’s hypertrophy recommendations) is not working in my favor, basically you can only strain on so many reps before your body doesn’t want to strain anymore. Seeing as dumbbell flys and chin ups are not competition lifts I would be better off saving my energy for shit that actually counts. If 2 sets to failure is equal (or even slightly better) to 3 sets at RPE8-9 I would rather do the latter if it means better progress on S-B-D/variations. I usually tend to push assistance stuff pretty hard but lately I started trying to squeeze out another rep or two, maybe it’s better for hypertrophy but that’s not my main objective here.
So the plan is to deload and then switch to more of an intensity focus, triples for top sets and CAT work, no more Hatfield squats (I won’t miss them), some changes to assistance work here and there.
Thursday, June 27 - Bench assistance day
Close grip floor press
310x6, 5 - this was good. I can remember when 310x6 was a bench PR.
Military press
210x8, 7 - not what I was hoping for, but looking at my training log I did 205x8 and 210x7 back in February so at least I’m making some kind of progress. The reps just seem to drop off fast once I’m over 200lbs for some reason, same thing happened back then. The two floor press sets were hard so that would affect performance here for sure, at least I’m moving in the right direction.
Neutral DB pushups
+light band x15, 11
Floor pause tricep extension
160x9, 7
Duffin upright row
30x21, 15, 12
Barbell curl
95x20, 15, 10
I actually feel pretty good today, and I wasn’t really too tired after Tuesday’s workout either. I thought I was starting to overreach, mostly because I didn’t get any new PRs this week plus Friday sucked, but now I’m thinking it had more to do with catching a cold last week. I’m starting to have second thoughts about deloading next week, but we will see.
Friday, June 28 - Light squat/terrible deadlift day
My glutes are all cramped up mostly the left side. Explanation will follow.
Pause squat - transformer bar 1.5d
315x2x6 - 45 sec. rest - These actually went alright. My glutes ache a bit when I unrack the bar but once I get into position it feels OK and the pause actually feels great, the exact stretch that they need it seems. I didn’t know how far I would get and sometimes once I warm up my aches and pains fade away, I would say on the doubles with 315 I felt about 90% normal.
Deficit deadlift - this was where things fell apart, or just didn’t go anywhere
The goal: 510x5x2 sets
The reality: started with 135x5, glutes felt achy. Next 225 for a couple reps and it felt terrible, like my left glute was going to tear or something. I didn’t want to stop there so I rested a few minutes and tried again, pulled one rep and it felt even worse.
I thought of doing some chin ups or something since they wouldn’t involve my hips, but aside from my motivation being completely gone I started thinking that could lead to more issues like lats cramping or who knows what so I just said fuck it and quit.
So the story here is that on Tuesday my glutes felt extra pumped up from the RDLs, my back was a little tight but no more than usual after a lower body workout. I used to have issues with my back cramping up later in the day after lower body workouts but that hasn’t been an issue for a while, I used to lay down with my feet up for a few minutes which seemed to make a big difference but I haven’t done that lately but it wasn’t an issue recently so I have been slacking on that. However, on Tuesday my lower back and hips did feel a bit cramped up by the end of the day, I figured I would feel better in the morning.
So the next morning my glute hurt like hell, I rolled them with a lacrosse ball and they relaxed a bit but my back was a bit sore, seemed like my hip flexors had tightened up. Didn’t seem like a big deal though. Yesterday my glutes felt a little sore but more like DOMS, the main issue was my left hip flexor (psoas I assume) but by the end of the day it was feeling better, I was counting on feeling normal in the morning. This morning my back and hip flexors feel totally fine but instead the upper portion of my left glute is cramped up and hurts, the right is a little bit achy but not half as bad.
It hurt to bend forward in front of the sink to brush my teeth this morning so being able to squat sounds like an accomplishment. I tried rolling my glutes with a lacrosse ball but it didn’t help at all. There’s not much else I can do. It’s funny because last week I thought I was starting to overreach (I had a cold that fucked me up a bit) but now I feel well recovered and instead my glutes are fucked.
I had something like this happen to me in the winter, I was having some adductor issues and I did a bunch of mobility work which resulted in my glutes cramping up and aborting a deadlift session. It seems like that time wasn’t as bad because both sides were equally tight and I was able to pull more than 225 despite it being shit.
My explanation for what is going on is that when one muscle gets tight and cramped up the antagonist muscle tightens up in response, in order to balance out the tension to some degree. So the glutes are antagonist to the hip flexors, I went to bed with my left hip flexors tight and cramped up but while I slept they relaxed and the left glute cramped up instead.
Right now I’m not certain of my next move, in terms of recovery I feel pretty fresh and I basically skipped a workout today so if I feel good on Monday and my glutes are back to normal (which I assume they will be) then I can go for another week of hard training as originally planned. This mesocycle has been kind of fucked up, bench and squat are alright but I only got one good deadlift workout in, I was on a roll for a while but things just fell apart. Who knows, maybe next week will be a big deadlift PR.
I usually have this with my glutes sometimes on deadlits. Feel recovered, no signs of glute problems, but as soon as I start deadlifting, im like, wtf, my glutes just dont wanna work and it kind feels like there over working and cramping up.
For hyper work I usually go ham on like the 3rd/last working set because yea that will catch up to you.
What is your Salt and Potassium intake like? Its a long shot and it isnt going to solve chronically over reaching* but I used to have bad cramps until I started supplementing with Salt-Lite. Its 60% potassium 40% sodium (the ideal ratio, no idea if that was on purpose or just lucky coincidence).
*This isnt a shot its just what your program calls for right now.
Sick butt and hamstring pump you say? I am going to try these.
I was experimenting with what Paul Carter has been recommending. It seems like it works, I look like I have gained some muscle lately. But yeah, I’m more concerned about increasing my lifts so if that’s going to interfere then it’s not worth it.
I hear that magnesium can help with cramping too. I don’t really know what my magnesium or potassium intake is but I get enough sodium, the thing is that right now it’s hot here so I have been drinking more water than usual and sweating a lot so that could have flushed out some minerals, maybe some potassium and magnesium would help.
I searched salt-lite and all I see is lite salt, which isn’t a supplement but something you put in food, it has mostly potassium. Is that the same thing? I guy I knew had high blood pressure was using that before he ended up dead.
I don’t normally have cramping issues per se, the thing is that I train in the morning and start work at noon and I’m on my feet all day. So if my back is stiff it can get stiffer by the end of the day, but I haven’t had a problem with that until now (and it’s 100% glutes at the moment). I think it’s because I just beat up my glutes more than usual on Tuesday, this is not normal at all.
I have had on and off issues with my left hip for a while, my hip flexors use to give me problems and recently something was up with my adductors, it has been alright lately but I think that has something to do with the left side being the main problem right now.
I’m doing them with a band around my waist anchored behind me, it forces you to push your hips forward and use more glutes. It’s kind of like a hip thrust but standing, there is some hamstring involvement but mostly glutes. I got these from Duffin/Kabuki, although the standard version is not sumo.