Fabadab: Your Guess is as Good as Mine

Training Training Logs
161

On that last point, if I can start squatting and deadlifting as normal again soon I’m not sure if I’ll stick to this current routine or just treat it as a break and go back to something Neversate-related. I’m honestly tempted to go back to the conjugate program as it worked so well (but maybe tweak it to bring in some of that conditioning I need) or otherwise the Darkhorse program.

Either way I think the trick will be to keep leg training strictly to every other session to avoid overdoing it on the knees again. I realise that’s not what I’m doing right now but as the leg volume + intensity are lower than I was doing before, I figure the increased frequency isn’t an issue in the short term.

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162

18/06

  • Seated high inc DB OHP - 15 @ 3s, 10 @ 8s, 13s, 12+4.5+3 @ 18s, 10ish lateral swings @ 18s
    (RP)

  • Slight dec. bench - 12 @ bar, 8 @ 30, 40, 50, 9+4+2 @ 60
    (RP)

  • KB lying triceps exts - 15 @ 12, 12 @ 16, 12+6+4 @ 20
    (RP)

  • Rope cable face pulls - 25? @ 5

  • Pistol box squats (L/R) - 10 concentric, eccentric, full ROM (bench), 2 holes
    (30s between legs)

A pretty good session overall. Extra reps on DB OHP and bench compared to 2 weeks ago (managed to actually get the 3rd RP set on the bench), and increased weight on the KB triceps extensions.

Also tested out the right leg on the pistol box squats and that seemed to go OK. Started by doing concentric-only, then eccentric-only, then both. Also did a set with increased ROM using the safeties of my rack. Right knee definitely felt less stable and there was a kind of pressure, rather than pain, but oddly it was right on top of the knee cap whereas when I hurt it a few weeks back it was down the inside of the leg that it was hurting.

Hopefully this means I can get back to regular squatting and deadlifting pretty soon. Rethinking the last post I made about going back to conjugate programming, and I’m actually wondering if I should give 5/3/1 another crack - my thinking being the submaximal weights might be a little kinder on the joints, especially while trying to lose weight, and it’s fairly straightforward to manipulate from one cycle to the next if I want to add more conditioning or cycle in variations etc. The Krypteia Redux has caught my eye as a pretty simple setup that might be good to start with.

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163

21/06

  • BB rows - 20 @ bar, 10 @ 30, 8 @ 40, 50, 60, 70, 6ish @ 80, 12ish, 8ish @ 60
    (60s rest on top sets)

  • Lat pulldown - 10 @ 20, 30, 40, 50, 9+4+2.5 @ 55
    (RP)

  • Seated inc DB curls - 10 @ 3s, 8s, 9+4.5+3 @ 10.5s
    (RP)

  • Hanging knee raises (full ROM) - 10, 8, 6
    (60s rest)

  • Split-stance KB deadlift (L/R) - 10 @ 12, 16, 20, 24 ea leg
    (30s rest between legs)

Pretty good session all in all. Was pretty hot today and I felt it as soon as I went in the garage, but either it didn’t affect me all that much or it was cooling down quite quickly throughout the workout.

Did more on BB rows than 2 weeks ago which is good (1 rep + 1 set heavier, and heavier on the back-off sets). Used straps from 60+ to try and help keep focus on my back but I do feel like once the weight gets heavier it’s hard to really squeeze like I can on lighter weights. Becomes more of a full-body strength exercise really.

Only managed the same total reps on the RP sets of lat pulldown and curls compared to last time, but I feel like I did improve both - in the case of the lat pulldown I got more reps on the first set (but then tailed off more at the end), and on the curls I got an extra half rep in the middle. I’m calling it a win all the same! Also got one rep extra on the hanging knee raises but these are still absolutely killer.

Managed the KB deadlifts with both legs this time, and didn’t really feel any issues on the right leg. If anything it felt more stable than the left which is odd.

I think next week I’ll try squatting and deadlifting ‘properly’, building up the weight to see what I can handle, and if it feels OK I’ll dive into a new program off the back of that. If it still feels a bit off then I’ll carry on with the current routine for a bit longer and so just work in the movements as when I feel able until it feels more solid.

Keep going back and forwards in my mind but I think I will go with a conjugate-style program, rather than 5/3/1. Darkhorse is the front runner here, but I’ll probably use different variations to what I used in the last program so I’m not fixated on trying to match those efforts. Need to figure out what those variations should be though…

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164

23/06

  • Seated high inc. OHP - 15 @ bar, 8 @ 30, 35, 40, 45, 4.5+X @ 50, (30s rest,) 4.5 + 1 @ 45
    (RP)

  • Ring pushups/flyes - 10 @ mid-thigh, 9 @ knee-high, 8 @ mid-shin, 8+3.5+1.5 @ foot high
    (RP)

  • BB rolling triceps exts - 10 @ bar, 25, 10+3+2 @ 30
    (RP)

  • Split squats (L/R) - 10 @ flat, 1" RFE, 2", 3", 4", +5 plate (goblet style) each leg
    (30s between legs)

Plenty of good things going on here. Managed to go heavier on the OHP than last time, but then still failed on the second RP set and had to drop the weight back down. Seems like this movement is so strict that once the strength goes at the bottom-end of the range I just can’t recover over the 20-30s or so.

One extra rep on the ring pushups/flyes overall, coming from the first set, but almost got an extra one on each of the next 2 sets as well, so that looks like good progress.

The rolling triceps extensions are a bit odd though because I got an extra rep on the first set but then lost out on the next sets so overall reps were only the same as last time around. Strictly following DC rules that would mean dropping this exercise, but I figure there was progress of a sort so I still count that as a win.

Split squats went well - only did the same reps/increments as last time around, but working both legs this time rather than just the left. Right knee seemed to cope OK although there was some soreness/pressure right in the centre of the knee, sort of towards the top of the knee cap. Nothing actually painful though, so things are still moving in the right direction.

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165

24/06

  • Banded chinups - 15? @ 2x red + black bands, 10 @ 2 x red + 1 x black bands, 7.5+3.5+2.5 @ 2 x red bands
    (RP)

  • Straight bar cable rows - 15? @ 10, 10 @ 20, 30, 40, 50, 11ish @ 52.5, 11ish?, 8.5 @ 41.25
    (60s rest on top sets)

  • Rope cable hammer curls - 20 @ 10, 20, 20ish, 11.5 @ 25
    (60s rest)

  • McGil situps (R/L) - 10, 9, 8 ea side
    (60s rest)

SLDL (toes elevated 1") - 10 @ bar, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 10ish @ 55
(60s rest)

Don’t normally do these sessions back-to-back, but I was away over the weekend so wanted to squeeze this in.

Better performance on all exercises than last time out, so that’s a good result. McGill situps are still as awful as always…

Not sure how much I like the SLDLs as a hamstring exercises as by the time I get up to decent weights it feels like my lower is pumped as hell instead. Used straps from 50+ to help out on the grip side of things, particularly after the rope hammer curls.

As an aside, spent a good deal of Saturday night dancing (wedding), which I think made up for the more calorific food I ate over the weekend, and my knees didn’t actually kick up a fuss which is a great result. Seems like whatever the issue was before comes more from having a significant degree of knee bend (like in a squat or lunge), versus just a small bend (like when jumping around).

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166

28/06

ME superset:

  • ME CG floor press (legs out) - 15 @ bar, 5 @ 30, 40, 50, 60, 65, 70, 3 @ 75 (failed on 4th rep)
  • Band pull-aparts - 8 x 6 @ blue/green band
    (90s rest)

Supplemental

  • Pushups - 20, 15
    (3m rest)

Assistance superset 1:

  • One-arm DB rows (L/R) - 14, 12, 11 @ 23 each arm
  • Rope cable face pulls - 11?, 12, 10ish @ 10
    (60s rest)

Assistance superset 2:

  • BTB BB shrugs - 15ish, 12ish, 11ish @ 40
  • DB curls - 14, 15, 10? @ 8s
    (60s rest)

Finally decided that I do want to go back to conjugate-style setup, but I don’t feel confident enough to jump into Darkhorse or similar without messing up the knee again so I’m using WS4SB a template instead for the time-being. Running it three days a week so there’s only one lower day (ME lower) and will using different variations than before, for a 5 or 3-rep ME, to hopefully avoid any overuse issues again. If it goes well I might stick with it, or otherwise probably switch back to something Neversate-based when I feel like I can manage it again.

Floor press went fairly well, but I need to calibrate my expectations for 5-rep MEs. On the penultimate set the 4th rep was tough and then the bar threatened to stop halfway up on the 5th rep. The first few felt fine though so I thought I had another jump in me but as we can see I was wrong…

Idea for the supplemental exercise here is to either hit the weak point after a full ROM ME lift, or otherwise hit the full ROM after a partial ROM ME lift. Hence, here I did floor press for the ME lift so for the pushups I went with a wideish grip and stopped just short of locking out each rep to hammer the lower/middle portion of the movement instead.

I’m also slightly changing the exercise setup for the assistance work so everything will be in superset or giant set format, rather than having stand-alone exercises (for the sake of time and interest).

DB rows were done as ‘low rows’, pulling back towards my hips and really trying to engage the lats. I felt this made sense as it’s paired with an exercise targeting the rear delts and seemed to work well. Grip did start to be a factor in the rows so I might need to use straps in future if doing something similar (at least on the last set or two). Grip work does feature in the RE day on this program, so hopefully that’ll take care of any weakness there in the longer term.

Shrugs were done with a narrowish grip (basicaly shoulder-width), hands behind back and using straps. Paused for a second at the top and bottom, and it’s odd how everything seems fine and smooth on these until suddenly you’re struggling to complete the rep - the strength just seems to die out.

First set of curls was done with both arms together, but then I switched to alternating arms each rep which seemed to make it a tad easier (hence getting more reps in the second set than the first), but also felt a lot more comfortable for the elbow - I use plate-loaded dumbells which are fairly long so I think the issue is when doing both arms at once I have to have my arms/elbows pointed slightly outwards (rather than dead-ahead,) otherwise they’d hit each other, but when alternating I could really tuck the elbows into my sides. Something to remember for next time.

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167

30/06

ME superset:

  • KB swings - 10 @ 12, 2 x 5 @ 16, 2 x 5 @ 20, 4 x 5 @ 24
  • ME sumo deadlift - 5 @ bar, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120
    (90s rest)

Assistance superset 1:

  • RFE split squats (L/R) - 3 x 12 @ 4" elevation + 9.9WV
    (30s rest between legs)

Assistance superset 2:

  • RDL - 10, 8, 7 @ 50
  • Standing cable crunches - 15 @ 10, 15, 12 @ 20
    (60s rest)

Felt like this was a pretty good session - only briefly tried sumo a couple of times in the past, and not worked up to any substantial weight before so hitting 5 @ 120 was pretty decent. I reckon I had another 5-10kgs in me but the movement was feeling a little awkward and I felt like I was starting to get a bit out of shape in the top sets, so I called it there to be on the safe side. Belt went on from 80+ and used straps on the last set because I was having to hold the bar just inside the knurling and I didn’t want grip to become a limiting factor, especially when I had plenty of other bits to worry about on a new movement.

Split squats went OK as well, and right knee didn’t kick up any major fuss which was nice. With only 30s rest between legs I just kept the weight vest on the whole time, but when I took it off at the end of the sets I felt like blood was rushing in my ears and my sinus was slightly blocked (like having a mild cold) - makes me wonder if the vest somewhat cuts off circulation to my head, though there weren’t any issues while it was actually on.

RDLs and cable crunches were fine. Tried to go relatively deep on the RDLs which seemed to work OK and got the legs shaking by the end. Realised I went a bit too light on the cable crunches so I bumped up the weight each set, and only the last one was challenging really.

Don’t think I’ve logged my weight in a while - been stable at 13st 10ish lbs for the past couple of weeks, but did a midweek weigh-in yesterday morning (same time of day etc as normal) and came in at 13st 7lbs! Not sure where the 3lbs went, and I had been surprised last weekend’s weigh-in wasn’t less, so looks like some fluctuations/timing issues going on here. I’ll keep doing 2 weigh-ins per week to try and get a better idea of how things are trending day-to-day.

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168

01/06

  • RE decline pushups (BB @ 0.5 holes) - 28, 19, 13?
    (2m rest)

Assistance superset 1:

  • Lat pulldown - 11, 9, 8 @ 50
  • Lying inc Y raises - 10, 9ish, 7? @ 1.25s
    (60s rest)

Assistance superset 2:

  • Lateral raises - 11is @ 5s, 10ish, 9ish + 10 swings @ 5.5s
  • Bar inverted rows (wideish grip, 7.5 holes) - 10ish, 8ish, 6.5
  • Overhead rope cable triceps exts - 18, 14, 11 @ 15
    (60s rest)

Decent workout. For the pushups the bar was set 1-2 foot above the ground. Once the strength goes on these it’s so hard to get it back.

Wanted to do W/L raises (think that’s what they’re called) but was struggling to get the positioning right so switched to Y raises instead. Still found these tricky which I think highlights the weakness/poor posture there.

Second superset went fine - went wider grip on the rows as I’d hit lats with the pulldowns already. Switched from just plates to DBs for the lateral raises (easier to hold) which is why the weight changes slightly from the 1st to 2nd + 3rd sets.

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169

Spent a lot of time walking around at the weekend, covered a few miles albeit on pretty flat ground. Did eat a little less ‘healthily’, but I think it more or less balanced out. Weighed in this morning @ 13st 8.4lbs.

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170

05/07

  • Bench - 10 @ bar, 5 @ 30, 40, 48.75, 56.25, 12 @ 63.75, 16+8+6.5 @ 48.75 (RP)

Assistance giant set:

  • Lying leg raises - 12, 10, 10
  • Chinups - 2 x 8 -ves, 7+3ish+1.5 (RP)
  • BB triceps exts - 2 x 8 @ bar, 11+6+5 @ 25 (RP)
    .
  • Squat - 10 @ bar, 5 @ 30, 40, 50, 60, 67.5, 78.75, 88.75, 10 @ 67.5

The astute people following this log will notice this is different from last week’s training, and the usual WS4SB setup that I said I was following, and also the setup I was following before that… and you’d be right!

Took this from the 5/3/1 rest-pause challenge, and I don’t actually think I’ll do this going forwards but it has given me an idea of blending DC and 5/3/1 which I think could work well (don’t tell me you shouldn’t mix programs…)

Bench went off an 85% TM of 75, with nearly max reps on the top set (stopped when things slowed right down, rather than when I was at my absolute max, so probably had another 1, possibly 2, in me if I had to) and then rest-pause for max reps with FSL weight. Took about 1ish minutes rest between top sets, and 2 minutes before the RP set.

Did the assistance as a sort-of giant set, but really I was just rotating through them as I worked out what I was going to do for the chinups and triceps exts - not stopping for a rest between movements but also not rushing. After the last set of leg raises though I did rest a full minute prior to both the chinup and triceps exts RP sets. I know some people on here can knock out chinups/pullups for days but I’ve always found them a challenge so I was pleasantly surprised by the first set of 7.

First time back doing barbell back squats since the knee injury and it seemed to hold up fine. It was obvious I’d not done much squatting for a while though because my adductors felt tight and my quads were weak as anything; noticed I was tipping forwards a bit on the first 2 top sets so I purposely tried to keep more upright on the last one - managed it, but my quads definitely struggled.

Went off an 80% TM of 105, given I hadn’t squatted in quite a while, and think this was a good decision based on the outcome. Might have even been worth going a tad lighter than that. Goal was just to hit 5 on the top set and 10 on the back-off set (despite the fact it’s meant to be a widowmaker), so happy enough to just get those done. Rested for about 1.5 minutes between top sets, and 3 minutes before the FSL set.

I also think it was a good idea to move this to the very end of the workout (a la DC, but different to how the 5/3/1 RP challenge is laid out) because I was done after that.

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171

07/07

  • OHP - 10 @ bar, 5 @ 25, 30, 33.75, 38.75, 43.75, 10+4+4 @ 33.75 (RP)

Assistance giant set:

  • Hanging knee raises - 3 x 10
  • Kroc rows (R/L) - 12/12 @ 13, 10/10 @ 23, 21/19 @ 28
  • BB curls - 8, 8, 10+7+6? @ bar (RP)
    .
  • Deadlifts - 10 @ bar, 5 @ 40, 60, 72.5, 85, 97.5, 8 @ 110, 15 @ 85

Decent session. OHP was tougher than expected, based off of an 85% TM of 51.25, so might need to drop this back a tad more (maybe just to 50). Has been a while since doing ‘regular’ OHP though so this may just be down to stability issues.

Assistance work was fine - similar to last time I just worked round each movement without taking much of a break for the first couple of sets and then took rests before the top sets of rows and curls (1m between sets of rows, and 2m before curls). Curls were still a bit tough after the rows. On the rows I had thought in advance about maybe doing as many as possible and then quickly putting straps on and doing a few more, but as I got up to 20-odd on the first arm I decided against it.

Deadlifts felt OK too, based off of an 85% TM of 130. For the widowmaker I did the reps ‘continuously’ which is to say I did stop on the ground each rep, but only for a second to allow the bar to come to a rest and take a breath, but without losing tension or resetting the position. Seemed to do a good job of keeping focus on legs vs low-back.

Weighed in @ 13st 7lbs on this morning.

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172

Was away for the weekend, hiking up (small) mountains and the like, so plenty of walking in difficult terrain and in hot weather, but probably offset (or even overcompensated) by eating pretty much whatever for 4 days…

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173

12/07

  • Bench (75 TM) - 10 @ bar, 5 @ 30, 40, 48.75, 56.25, 12+4+3 @ 63.75 (19 RP)

  • DB OHP (seated high inc.) - 10 @ 3s, 8 @ 8s, 13s, 11+4.5+3ish @ 18s (18 RP) + 13ish lateral raises @ 2.5s

  • CG pushups (NG handles) - 8 @ BW, 7+3ish+2.5 @ +2.2 WV (10 RP)

  • WG rack chins - 8 @ shoulder-width, WG, 7+3+2.5 @ +2.2 WV (12 RP)

  • D-handle cable rows - 10 @ 20, 30, 9ish @ 40, 12.5 @ 32.5
    (1m rest between top sets)

Having a mini-heatwave here so I thought I may have to skip this session but in the end it didn’t seem quite a hot as expected so I went ahead with it. Still super stuffy and humid in the garage though and I had sweat pouring off me by the time I got to the top sets of bench presses.

Decided to stick with the same TM for bench even though I felt it was a bit light last week - I figure as I’m butchering 5/3/1 enough as it is with this setup, I should at least try to do some parts of it correctly!

DB OHP and pushups were both fine. The latter was done with neutral-grip handles, keeping elbows close to the body and not dropping right down to the floor (going just past right-angles really), to keep the focus on the triceps. Bit tricky here because when you start to fail the risk is you fall flat on your face…

Tried doing rack chins a couple of times in the past but couldn’t find a setup that worked, but this time I did! I think I still need to play with it a little to keep my torso more upright, and also only pull until my forehead comes up to the bar (whereas here I was pulling nearly up to my shoulders on the first set), to keep the focus on my lats and not bring my arms into it too much.

Little disappointed on the cable rows as I’m sure I’ve got up to 50ish on these in recent months, but I’ll put this down to fatigue and just try to build on in next time it comes around.

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174

14/07

  • Meadows row (L/R) - 20 @ bar, 22.5, 25, 20 @ 25 each arm
    (30s between arms)

  • BB curls - 8 @ bar, 22.5, 9+4+3.5 @ 23.75 (16 RP)

  • DB hammer curls w/ fat grips (seated) - 20 @ 3s, 4.25s 18, 10 @ 5.5s
    (1m rest)

  • Squats - 10 @ bar, 5 @ 35, 45, 2 @ 55

First half of the session went well. The Meadows rows felt like they worked better on the left side than the right, but I think that was just down to not getting the positioning quite the same each way. Used straps after the first set to help take arm out of it a bit.

After the curls I messed around a bit with doing leg curls using the cable attachment I have, but just couldn’t find a good way to do it so gave up and moved on to squats.

Since coming back from weekend away my low back has been having issues - really sore and with pain/numbness running into left glute and leg which I’m thinking is a sciatica issue. First couple of squat sets felt OK but then I felt like it was getting aggravated on the set of 55 so shut it down early.

Weighed in at 13st 6.2lbs in the morning.

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175

Away over the weekend. Had some fun times, but slept poorly and then picked up a sickness bug which had me laid out Monday + yesterday, on top of the heatwave we’ve just had here. Not fun! Seem to be over it now thankfully and just trying to get my eating back to normal again.

Weighed in this morning @ 13st 3.8lbs. I expect some of the loss since last week will just be water weight etc. from having less in me after the sickness.

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176

21/07

Bench - 10 @ bar, 5 @ 30, 40, 50, 60, 8 @ 65, 6 @ 70, 5 @ 73.75
(2m rest between top sets)

Flat DB bench - 21, 13? @ 18s
(2m rest)

Superset:

  • Straight bar cable rows - 2 x 15 @ 30, 2 x 15 @ 32.5
  • Straight bar cable triceps pushdowns - 4 x 15 @ 15
    (1m rest)

Superset:

  • DB shrugs (2s pause) - 15, 15 (just), 13.5 @ 18s
  • Lateral raises - 15, 15, 15ish @ 2.5s
    (1m rest)

Complex - 2 rounds, 10 reps each, 40kgs on the bar:

  • Low rack deadlifts
  • BB rows
  • Hang power cleans
  • Back squats
  • Decline pushups
    (90s rest between rounds)

Really great to get back in the gym and pushing myself again! Even in the morning I still felt a tad dodgy and wasn’t sure if I’d need to push the session back another day, but by the afternoon things felt good enough that I thought I could just go for it, and glad I did.

This is from Joe Defranco’s ‘Built Like a Badass’ program - I’ve run this before in a commercial gym, and looked at doing it again at home a while back (maybe at Christmas when I was looking for a new program?) but I skipped over it because I didn’t think I had the necessary equipment to get it done. Since then though I’ve picked up a couple more toys and generally got more inventive/had more practice with setups that I’m happy I can run it ‘properly’.

Bench felt heavy after being ill, but still managed to beat the 4-rep minimum set for the top set. In general I think the weights throughout this session were a tad lighter than I would’ve done previously but I’m still happy with the work I got done.

I had planned to do banded triceps pushdowns to save messing about with changing the weight on the pulley, but in the end it didn’t quite feel right and I figured it was just easier to do the weight change (and the program does call for cable rather than bands anyway).

Shrugs were pretty damn tough, and doing lateral raises straight after lit my traps up like crazy. Not sure how much I like that pairing as I feel like I’m hitting traps more than side delts on the lateral raises, but exercises change frequently on this program so it’s no big deal.

The complex is meant to go: deadlifts > rows > hang cleans > push press> back squat, but due to how my rack is setup I can’t do deadlifts from the floor and also the hang cleans without hitting the safeties, so I dropped them as low as they could go and did a slightly higher deadlift/very low rack pull instead (probably only half a foot above the normal deadlift start height). Push press couldn’t be done because of ceiling height restrictions in the garage, so I just did pushups off the bar (fairly close grip, elbows tucked) at the end of the other movements instead.

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177

24/07

Chinups - 6, 4, 3
(1m rest)

Superset:

  • Straight bar lat pulldown - 25, 20 @ 35
  • DB OHP - 19, 13? @ 8s
    (1m rest)

Superset:

  • Rolling triceps exts - 4 x 8 @ 25
  • DB hammer curls - 4 x 8 @ 8s
    (1m rest)

Core circuit (2 rounds):

  • Toe touches - 2 x 20
  • Bicycles - 2 x 30 total
  • Side plank - 2 x 30s each side
    (1m rest)

Pushups - 50 in 3:16

Decent session. Chinups are meant to be done based on max + a set percentage each week (this week max + 50%), over as many sets as needed. I figure it makes sense to do as many as you can on the last set rather than cutting it short for the sake of it though. Focus was on good, smooth reps, without needing to grind or squirm to get chin to the bar.

Should’ve gone heavier on the lat pulldown - cut this at the specified reps but really my arms were just a bit tired. DB OHP was harder than expected, and this was the right weight for that movement. Meant to be done standing but due to height restrictions in the garage I did them seated on a flat bench instead.

Triceps exts and hammer curls were fine - could probably go a smidgen heavier on both, but arms were suitably pumped by the end of the last set.

Core circuit was a real killer. Toe touches didn’t actually involve touching the toes because with my long legs it’s basically not possible unless I bend them (which then seems to defeat the point). Focus there instead was just reaching straight up to lift upper back off the ground.

Program also calls for 100 pushups as fast as possible for the finisher, but I know that would take forever for me so I cut this to 50. Got through the first 20 all in one go, then a set of 5, and then a load of sets of 3 with a couple of 2s at the end to round off, done with something like 5s gaps to recover.

Weighed in at 13st 3.8lbs again in the morning.

Just a note to say it’s been pretty hot again over the weekend and I got in quite a bit of walking - probably 2-3 hours worth on Saturday, and another 1.5 hours or so on Sunday.

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178

26/07

DB squat jumps - 4 x 6 @ 5s
(1m rest)

Zercher squat - 10 @ bar, 5 @ 40, 50, 60, 6 @ 68.75, 4 @ 73.75
(2m between top sets)

Superset:

  • 45 degree back raises - 15, 15, 13? @ 10
  • Seated plate twists - 3 x 20 @ 5 each way
    (1m rest)

1 mile run - X

Not a great session. the squat jumps felt a bit off at first, but I got into the groove with them about half-way through.

This program has you do either squats or deadlifts for the entirety of it, so I thought zerchers made a good compromise between the two. I was meant to do 8/6/4 on the top sets, but the set of 8 was way harder than expected and I only got the 6, so I adjusted and only did one more set. In the end that was super hard as well and I barely got the 4…

Had to figure out a way to do the back raises over the safeties in the rack - worked fairly well but it was a bit uncomfortable and things went awry on the last set and I couldn’t seem to find the right position again so I just cut it short for the sake of a couple of reps. Seated twists were no issue.

Meant to do a timed 1 mile run at the end as a finisher. As it’s been a while since I’ve run, and I was doing this at the end of the workout rather than when fresh, I figured I’d go at a steady pace rather than trying to push it. I only managed a couple of hundred metres though before feeling pain in my right knee which was fairly sharp and getting worse as I carried on, so it didn’t feel like one of those things you can just run through and will eventually go away. Had to cut it there as a result and just walk home (knee felt OK by the time I got back).

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179

28/07

Banded chest press - 5 @ green band, 3 @ red band, 3 @ red + yellow bands
(1m rest)

Main giant set:

  • Chinups - 8 scap pullups, 3, 4, 5, 5
  • OHP - 10 @ bar, 5 @ 25, 30, 35, 38.75
  • Seated DB cleans - 7, 10, 10 @ 1.25s, 10, 10 @ 2.5s
    (90s rest)

Supplemental superset:

  • Floor press - 10 x 5 @ 45
  • BB rows - 10 x 6 @ 45
    (1m rest)

Assistance circuit (30s work/15s rest):

  • Pushups (bottom-half) - 21, 16, 13
  • KB halos (alt. direction) - 10, 9, 11 @ 12
  • Bent-over reverse flyes - 11, 10, 11 @ 2.5s

Weighed in @ 13st 7lbs in the morning. I thought last week was low due to the sickness, but I’m surprised it’s jumped back up so much (higher than the weigh-in prior to the last one).

Another change of programming, because reasons, which I’ll explain after this.

Don’t have any med balls to throw around so I went for banded chest presses instead. Need to play around with which bands work best for this. I’m wondering if something like a high-hand power snatch would work as well, but I’m not sure I have the space in my garage to so this without hitting stuff.

Main giant set went fine. I’ve been quite conservative with my OHP training max (45) but hopefully that’ll help build it in the longer-run.

Floor press done BBS-style, off a training max of 70. Got up off the floor and rowed it straight after, and then 1 minute rest between sets to keep things moving at a decent pace. Felt like my positioning was a bit off on the warm-ups and first couple of sets, but really seemed to hit a groove after that.

Thought about skipping assistance (and maybe not doing anything extra for the first week while I get into this), but I felt like I had more to give. Messed up the first set of pushups because I misunderstood what the beeps on the app meant, and then saw there was time left so got back down to knock out a few more. I made a rule on the 2nd and 3rd sets that I couldn’t put my knees down which meant I ended up doing some full reps to get to the top to rest. Halos were a bit of a killer going straight after. Used a slight pause and twist of the hands at the top of each rep of the flyes.

Right shoulder felt quite buggy again by the end of all this, so I do need to be careful about the stress I’m putting through it with various movements.

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Commentary on another programming change:

I was thinking about what my goals actually are, and what work is required to get there. After some thinking I came back around to 5/3/1 as ticking all the boxes, albeit I decided to employ a neversate-style setup as above because I found that quite fun.

Key things here are to simply get my head down and get on with the work, and try to be mindful of every rep to actually get the most out of it - particularly in terms of stability and speed as those are things I lack (I think I’ve shown over this year that grinding out reps is something I can already do fairly well).

I’m using opposite lifts for the supplemental work (i.e. bench supplemental on OHP day), as well as variations rather than just repeating the main lifts (i.e. as above doing floor press rather than regular bench press). This is just to keep things interesting for myself, and also because I realised that for me the main lifts are really just indicators of getting overall stronger/bigger; I don’t necessarily want to get really good at doing them, so working other movements that are similar but not the same feels like it should help with this.

I’m thinking of setting up assistance in the above time-based circuit format (although round and work/rest ratios may change), rather than just doing the usual sets x reps, to try and get a blend of conditioning in there as well. Specific movements will change based on what day it is/what’s already been worked/what needs to be worked.

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