My girl and I do a thing where we take candid photos of each other. the ones she takes are much nicer than mine but I was looking thick as frick. It’s cool to have those non mirror photos and be like “holy shit I am getting bigger”. Fun little post. Really excited to shoot for a strict press max tomorrow
Strict Press: Barx5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x3, 155x1, 165x1, 175x1
Backdowns: 135:6,5
Machine Dips: 45+25 on the post: 3x10
JM Press: 165x3x8, 1x6
Seal Row: 155x4x6
GHD Situp: 2x11, 1x10
Extension, curl, DB clean circuit: 12lbx1x26, 1x20
Various random grip shit. We loaded up the belt squat with 25s and double, then quad red bands and held stuff
Forearm curls (bar rolls into fingers): 95x4x12
Banded Kettlebell forearm roller races (like the new Cerberus challenge)x a lot
Sandbag throws: 12’:25,30,35 14’:25,30,35 16’:25,30
Notes
Really fun day
The weekly dominoes thing is over. It wrecks my guts really bad now
I ripped these accessories from the westside barbell site. It looks to be the right balance compared to all that shit in that program on the Elitefts site
Shoulder is feeling wonky because I’m back stretching it. Tired of it always being in pain. That’s why BW dips were changed. Didn’t have the stability
Straight bar Conventional Deadlift: 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x3, 315x2x1, 365x1 (strap on), 385x1 (put belt on), 405x1
Backdown- Paused DL: 335x3,2
Heels elevated close squat: 155x3x10 (just testing these out so light)
SSB good morning: 105x3x8 (1 min rest)
RH- 140x3x20
Ab Pulldowns: 70x3x20
Notes:
Finally building a good base. 405 was a peak number 6 months ago so that’s really cool
Youtube comments never fail to make me chuckle. Random shit like “Nice lift for being that small, good form brother”. Brother you are faceless on the internet. Shut the fuck up. Totally a back handed compliment
Some random knee pain. Think it’s related to throwing stoneput in the rain saturday but whatever
Extra work (6/4):
SB throws 12ft: 25,35,50:x3
Sled drag: 90 lbs 5min forward, 5min backward
Facepulls into lat pulldowns: 2xAMRAP
Tons of highland games throwing after
DE Upper (6/5)
DE Strict Press: (95+reds): 12x2
Standing DB OHP: 40x4x8
Lat pulldown: 155x4x8
Skull crusher: 75x3x7,5,5
Hammer curl: 30x3x10
DB Rolling Extension: 30x6+25x6, 25x2x10
SSB Squats: 165+reds(properly set up~80lbs at time total)x12x2
Deadlifts: 225+(green and red =~90lbs at top)x10x1
Sandbag to shoulder: 200x2x1, 220x3x1
GHD AMRAPS: 30,30,21,18 (1 min rest)
Belt squat AMRAP 90lbs: 15,10,15 (1 min rest)
Notes:
Sandbag to shoulder flew! That’s always a fun lift
a buddy told me I’m supposed to put both loops over bar for squats. That shit was hard
I got a video dump to upload later. Taking physics over the summer and I’ve been fucking swamped with the work for class
I got some videos of the highland games throws. I saw my legs and was like “who’s fucking horse is that” always a cool feeling
With the sandbag toss, are you going for height? I’m just wondering if it’s worth it to try and get it as close to the bar as possible. Seems like the the less energy you use, the better… but I guess it also requires a lot of practice, and that extra “fine motor skill” might not be there if the event is toward the end.
generally yes but since I’m not training for a comp with them, just for fun. Sometimes when everyone’s at the gym, we’ll do the higher heights (like 14-16’ with 20-35lb bags) but if it’s during the week, I don’t move it
Exactly what I’m supposed to do! I’ve heard it’s “one big step from under the bar” but with the bags lined up, I just didn’t get close enough.
CGBP: Barx5, 95x5, 135x5, 155x3, 185x1, 205x1, 225x1, 235x1
Back downs: 185x4,3,2 (super controlled drilling bar path)
JM press: 165x2x8
Seal rows: 155x4x4
DB Bench: 45-12,15,26
Notes:
Taking this as a deload week. My grip is shot and stress is high from school. Noticing some irrational mood swings so might be time to deload training stress
I take this initial run as my test for conjugate. So it was 7 weeks without a deload. Going to follow what’s in the book of methods for deloading and stuff. Basically a little test run to feel some stuff out
@T3hPwnisher I got the new version of the book of methods and it’s actually easily readable!
To the above, I’m basing most of my principles off that. I’m thinking I need to run a base phase to get my GPP up and possibly do the RE work instead of DE (still torn on this. DE seems to work well for me)
Should have a write up of the plan in the next week. Lots of stuff to synthesize
Had my first physics exam Friday. I got a 12/15. Last semester before I dropped I got a 7/15 on the exam so it’s progress
Good to hear man! Do you have an old version to compare it against? I never round Louie unreadable so much as not-understandable, haha. In my mind, Max Effort and Dynamic Effort SHOULD be simple, but once the percentages got introduced alongside band tension calculation I realized how out of my depth I was.
I do. I started to read it last year and just got to the point where I put it down. It was more all over the place but I guess it’s kinda like 5/3/1 Forever where if you know more it’s an easier read
Same here. I joined the conjugate club with the 7 day free trial and a bunch of programs have NO band tension for DE work which was interesting. I like the Wendler “Strain and move fast” or the (I forgot where I read it) “DE bands just need to make me accelerate harder”. It’s funny how bands are a part of it but not all of it. Just one of the more complex things
That’s fair. Digestible would have been a better word lol
I’ve never read it, but maybe now is the time. Conjugate always seemed so random and confusing from the outside, and nearly every article I read just seemed to make it even muddier.
With all the bands, chains and constantly swapping out main lifts and accessories, it basically seemed like “program hopping for really strong people”, but equally disordered. Not planned, just a lot of “do what I feel like needs work”.
However, now that I have a background in the Soviet theory, I might finally be able to make sense of it.
Either way, I’m definitely following along to see how this goes for you.
Check out this conjugate guy who uses Slow Eccentrics and/or Pauses on DE lifts for mass. The reps are still low, the bar still goes up fast, but there is more tension on the muscles and more time under load.
And here’s a long one about using short rests, RE and GPP stuff together.
I think dividing between westside and conjugate is important. Westside seems way more chaotic than other conjugate programs that are around. Especially with changing accessory work every week
Yeah I could see that. I think some of that is training for equipped lifting too because of the loads used. Burley Hawk and a couple other guys who do it for raw lifting seem to have more set in stone ways. Like switching accessories every 3-4 weeks or when they become stale, limiting the ME lift pool to like 5-6 variations or not using 1,000lbs of bands for DE.
Hell even the modern westside articles are different from the book of methods but I was listening to a podcast with Louie on it and the host said something about that. Louie replied with something along the lines of “The book isn’t westside, westside is westside” so there’s a bunch of room to alter stuff if you think it’ll work better for you. Alphadestiny has a couple videos on how he altered conjugate for more bodybuilding and then you have the all the cool stuff Matt Wenning does
Deloading through volume. I felt like shit this morning so the 335 looked pretty good but not amazing
First time using the rower. Had to keep adjusting it to find how it would feel good for me
I’m thinking about doing a base building block for conjugate. It’s a series on westsides website but it would be like 8 weeks of upping conditioning, ME becoming 1-3rms, and DE replaced by 5x5 or 6x3 with straight weight. I’m going to give it a shot because I’ve got nothing to lose tbh. Still going to do the keep accessories in for a month
