Honestly can’t wait to pull three plates 
1 Like
Dude, work up on a Joker set. Just fucking do it, don’t overthink it. It’s there.
1 Like
I probably should, but tbh I don’t see the point in Jokers. They seem far more like a tester than a builder.
That being said, a heavier 5 or 3 isn’t gonna hurt
1 Like
Tuesday 28th of May
Conditioning: Loaded March
Forgot my shoes, great
Warm-Up:
- Rusin Dynamic Warm-Up
Since I had no shoes - and don’t like shattering my feet - I talked to the gym owner about my options for carries. I tried the sandbag but I couldn’t even pick it 
, then settled on marching on the spot with the farmer’s handles.
March with Farmer’s Handles: 10 min EMOM
- Each handle loaded with 20 kg for 15 second March
- Walk up and down gym floor for the rest of the minute
Some pump-y pre-hab work for glute:
- DB Hip Thrust: 15kg x 50 reps, straight into
- Tripod kickbacks on bench: 50 per leg, straight into
- Unloaded Hip Thrust: 50, straight into
- Frog Pumps: 50
All the low back soreness and tightness from bench day was gone, that was great.
Maybe I’ll become an instafit chick…
1 Like
This really depends on how you do it.
Doing max strength stuff is a definite skill, and you need to spend an awful lot of time practicing it. Doing triples or singles with 80-85% of your 1rm should have little impact to your recovery and will let you practice with heavier weights. IIRC, that was the entire point of joker sets. You’re never really going beyond 85% of your true 1rm unless you’re feeling super awesome that day.
2 Likes
That’s a fair point but I’m not really fussed about limit strength either way.
I’d be much more impressed pulling 315 for 10+ in 6 months than 315 for 3 now
Ya, you certainly don’t need to push your max to get stronger.
But at this point I don’t know if pushing rep maxes really work unless you’re actually good at pushing yourself.
For example, I went from doing 375lbx5 to 405lbx3 on the deadlift. That doesn’t work based off % calculators. My conclusion there is that my actual 375lb rep max is closer to 8-9 reps, but I can’t get there because my level of fitness sucks.
I think that’s why I never did well with 5/3/1. I’d be setting PRs pretty well up to cycle four-five… then I’d get close to actual heavy strength and then things wouldn’t go well again.
That’s a pretty fair point. I push hard on my PR sets but still often wish I got 1-2 more reps. At least I know my level of fitness is pretty good so I don’t gas out, usually just let the bar drift and lose it
It took me 6 months to get there but you’re not me. Your recovery and training are on point. It’ll probably take you 3 months if you don’t fuck around in the kitchen or try to keep your abs.
@magick yeah. I was referring to having him pull a triple at 295-300, since he pulls touch-and-go (even though his limit strength for a single may be at 315, he’ll be able to pull an overload triple with 300). “Seeing if it’s there” wasn’t me referring to pulling a heavy single. Triples are generally good for gauging where your 1RM stands, but I haven’t pulled a triple in years so I can’t talk.
1 Like
Awww shucks 
When in doubt, eat nandos
1 Like
Wednesday 29th of May
531: M1m3 Squat
TM: 90kg
Wenning Warm-Up:
- Seated Leg Curls, 25 reps: 25, 35, 40, 45
- High-Wide Leg Press, 25 reps: 1 plate, 2 plates, 3 plates, 3.5 plates
- RKC Planks: 4 x 3 x 10s
Squat:
- 35 x 5
- 45 x 5
- 55 x 3
- 67.5 x 5 belt on
- 77.5 x 3
- 85 x 10
Squats felt very eh. I think the main reason is that I’m used to squatting in front of a mirror (no mirrors in the new gym) so now I was so focused on proprioception that I forgot to actively cue myself to “drive”. I’m pretty sure that’s why they felt slow and just harder than I expected.
Of course, I did also precede this with 100 leg presses.
SSB Split Squats / Good Mornings:
- 20 x 12 / 20 x 15
- 25 x 12 / 25 x 15
- 30 x 10 / 30 x 12
- 35 x 8 / 35 x 12
- 40 x 10 / 40 x 15
Definitely gave myself room to increase on the assistance. To be honest I was gassed and just didn’t have the focus to really push as hard as I should.
Workout in about an hour, I’ll do my chins tonight on my pull up bar
Top Set
Fuck I have such an enormous head
My legs are f*cking trashed. No hill Sprints today
EDIT: did hill Sprints today
Thursday 30th May
Speed: Hill Sprints
Warm-Up:
- Rusin Dynamic Warm-Up
Hill Sprints: 30-40% incline
- 2 x 10 yds ramping intensity
- 1 x 20 yds low intensity
- 6 x 20 yds ME
Still tight in the groin and didn’t feel particularly fast, but it felt good to get this in
A rude awakening
I checked my BIA machine and I literally have not gained any weight, nor muscle, in 3.5 months.
Jesus Christ
At least I know where my gap is: it’s nutrition.
I don’t think I’ve gone a full day in months where I haven’t either:
- skipped a meal
- not eaten my veggies
- cheated and swerved my prepped food for maccas, nandos, GYG and/or chocolates and ice cream etc.
I know that at the least I’ve been hitting my protein goals, the quality of what I’ve been eating is dog shit.
I’m pulling my shit together, because frankly 3 months with literally no change to my body composition is unacceptable, especially since I’m fluffier than I’d like to be regardless of progress.
2 Likes
Friday 31st of May
531: M1 m3 Press
TM: 32.5 kg
Wenning Warm-Up:
- CS DB Row, 25 reps each: 7.5’s, 10’s, 12.5’s, 15’s
- Prone Reverse Flyes: 1.25’s x 4 x 25
- Incline KB Skullcrushers: 4’s x 4 x 25
Rear delts pumped af
Press
- 20 x 3
- 25 x 5
- 27.5 x 3
- 30 x 17 + 5 belt on
No PR, but considering the Wenning Warm Up I ain’t mad
Sprinkled in 6 x 4 chins in there too
SA DB Row / DB Bench
- 10’s x 12 / 10’s x 12
- 12.5’s x 12 / 12.5’s x 12
- 17.5’s x 12 / 17.5’s x 10
- 20’s x 10 / 20’s x 10
- 25’s x 10 / 25’s x 6
Didn’t realise the gym didn’t have 22.5’s, or I would have gone for broke on the 20’s for bench.
Did some YWT holds coz my shoulder were feeling very rounded
1 Like
Monday 3rd of June
531: M1 m3 Deadlift
TM: 115kg
Wenning Warm-Up:
- Seated Ham Curls: 25 x 25, 30 x 25, 35 x 25, 40 x 25
- DB Hip Thrust: 17.5 x 25, 20 x 25, 25 x 25, 30 x 25
- KB Suitcase Carry: 24kg x 4 x 30m
Deadlift / Chins:
- 0 x 0 / 5
- 60 x 5 beltless DOH / 4
- 70 x 3 / 4
- 87.5 x 5 hook grip w belt/ 4
- 97.5 x 3 / 4
- 110 x 15 Big PR / 4
Would not have been able to hold on to the bar without the better knurling on the bars at the new gym
Barbell Rows /Barbell Glute Bridges
- 60 x 8 / 60 x 10
- 62.5 x 6 / 70 x 10
- 65 x 5 / 77.5 x 10
- 70 x 4 / 87.5 x 9
- 75 x 4 Rep PR / 95 x 9 PR
All done in an hour, pretty much to the tee
2 Likes
115 TM but just did a pre-fatigued set of 15 at 110… You got to up that TM Significantly. Great job though man!
2 Likes
TM’s higher than 40% are unacceptable 
1 Like
Well done Mate.
Oh keep the TM, you’re getting stronger right, do NOT change things that work.
You will eventually reach a plateau, but the longer it takes you to get to it the stronger you’ll be.
Keep pushing
1 Like
Tuesday 4th of June
Loaded Carries: Farmer’s Carries
Warm-Up:
- Rusin Dynamic Warm-Up
Farmer’s Carries: Handles + 20kg each
- 10 x 40m, averaging 2:00-3:00 rest
Wednesday 5th of June
531: M1 m3 Bench
TM: 67.5kg
Wenning Warm-Up: 25 reps
- DB Rolling Triceps Extensions: 3’s, 3’s, 5’s, 5’s
- Cable Rows: 15, 20, 25, 30
- Prone Rev. Flyes: Arms only x 4 sets
Got an insane pump in my rear delts. Apparently MMC is a thing
Bench / Chins
- 27.5 x 5 / 5
- 35 x 5 / 5
- 40 x 3 / 4
- 50 x 5 / 4
- 57.5 x 3 / 4
- 65 x 8 Rep PR / 4
Rep PR at that weight, but still a lower E1RM compared to 62.5 x 14 last week. In fairness, I feel exhausted, and I left a couple in the tank this week.
Incline DB Press / Swiss Bar Seal Rows
- 7.5’s x 12 / Bar x 12
- 10’s x 12 / 30 x 12
- 12.5’s x 12 / 35 x 10
- 17.5’s x 10 / 40 x 8
- 20’s x 12 / 45 x 8
Not bad. Got a much better back contraction with the Swiss bar, so I’ll stick to it