I can’t do it. I’m enjoying my hybrid program.
Strength Work
Everything else is for size and balance (both in appearance and joint health). You’ll see AMRAP sets, rest/pause, drop sets, and any other finisher set I might see (like today). It’s probably the best way I’ve ever trained.
So, as you can see, I can’t change it now.
I know I’m just joking, join the dark dark side and get them string beans to broad beans!
I also like some of the Challenge templates and the idea of doing back to back cycles if you feel able to. But otherwise, I agree.
Truth be told, I’m a recreational bodybuilder. With the exception of deadlifts and power cleans, I don’t care much about strength. I just happen to believe that if I can get my strength to some arbitrary level on incline and OHP that the muscle mass will take care of itself.
I think there’s also a part in him that knows different people will need different accessories to address different weak points to achieve his most recent principle of balance. He and other coaches like Tate and Coan do adhere to it too if I’m not mistaken; bare bone basic main lifts, then individualize what’s needed afterwards to address weaknesses. Hence the numerous templates for ideas. But yeah, everyone’s gotta put food on the table too lol
Your tale of the steakburger reminded me of Gino’s - a mid-Atlantic burger and fried chicken franchise - pretty much defunct now - that served not only precursor to the Big Mac (the “Gino’s Giant”), but also a burger they called the “Sirloiner” that was made with sirloin steak.
We used to go there after karate class on Saturdays when I was growing up in the late 1970s. Memories!
This was essentially my approach pre-quarantine with CT’s HP Mass, working from OHP to high incline to low to flat bench. I added weighted dips to prime the pressing pump, a bit. But still nothing more than triples on the barbell work and sets of six on the dips.
Nice lifting as always J. Even coming back from injury, focusing on PT and looking jacked you are still outlifting me. Quality 
I think we’re closer than you think.
Our total might be close. I’m building up to my heaviest so we’ll have a decent comparison in a couple weeks.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
I would lean towards @Frank_C for pure reasons of genetics, being how tall and burly he is.
I would lean towards @simo74 based on his work ethic and willingness to eat his way to victory.
Go!
Took the easy way out and did a 20 minute interval on the elliptical. There was a video posted by our church yesterday that I wanted to watch so I thought I’d do something constructive while I did that. I’m finishing up some PT stuff now.
Well, my work week was changed this week and I’m currently sitting in my patrol car at the scene of a car crash. I’m supposed to work 2pm - midnight today and 11a - 9pm the next three days.
WARM UP (12:02)
1 neighborhood lap
dynamic drills including build up run and jumps
1 neighborhood lap
PULL UPS
BW x 10, 10, 10+3+3+3
Bodyweight was 232 this morning.
INCLINE
20 push ups
145 x 10
155 x 8
165 x 6
175 x 4
185 x 3
PENDLAY ROW
140 x 10
150 x 8
160 x 6
170 x 4
180 x 4
DB OHP
50 x 10
55 x 8
60 x 6
65 x 4
70 x 4
DB REAR DELT FLY
45 x 15
25 x 20
superset with
DB LAT RAISE
25 x 15
15 x 20
Nice workout. It’s apparent that I can rest/recover after the heavier sets of 2-6 reps and repeat the same performance, but I drop off fast on the higher rep sets. For example, I did 6, 6, 6, 6, 5 with 170 on incline in week nine, but I was barely able to do four with 175 this week. The sets of 10, 8, and 6 just wipe me out. I noticed the same thing on Pendlay Row today. I barely eeked out six reps with 160, but the four reps with 170 felt easy. Not sure if that means I should focus on improving my performance on the higher rep sets or just embrace my traits and make the most of it.
What’s your eating before the workouts look like?
I’m confused by this. Did you preexhaust with push-ups?
It varies. I like to have a little break between the eating and the exercising. Today I had a bunch of coffee (typical for me), a double protein shake, and a nice piece of carrot cake at about 0900. I started my session at 1100.
On a more healthy day, I’ll have a double shake and a bagel around 830-0900 and train around 1100. Some days I’ll do protein pancakes for breakfast but the timing is about the same.
No. I just decided a set of push ups were as good of a warm up as anything else. For some reason, I don’t like putting anything smaller than 45 lb plates on the bar to get started.
I find my endurance is really sensitive to how my carbs before working out
I still eat Starbursts during my lifting sessions if I feel like my energy is dropping. It’s not an energy issue; it’s just me.
When I was doing Best Damn and myo reps, I could repeat the sets of 3 forever. The protocol calls for hitting failure at 12-15 reps, resting 20 sec, then doing sets of 3 with 20 sec rest until you can’t. If you did more than five sets then CT would say that you didn’t go to failure on your first set. Well, I made sure of that and I could still do “too many” sets of 3.
I notice the same thing on rest/pause sets. I could have kept going with the sets of 3 yesterday.
I don’t really mind it because I enjoy heavier sets like that, but I’m undecided on how to proceed. Part of me wants to force myself to do higher rep sets to see if I improve and part of me doesn’t care. If they produce the same results then why worry, right?
I don’t work til 1100 today. I had the time and felt good so I ran.
WARM UP
1 neighborhood lap
Dynamic drills
1 build up run
0.5 miles in 8ish minutes.
FARTLEKS (3 ROUNDS)
Run 20 sec
Jog slow 20 sec
Run 20 sec
Big slow 20 sec
Run 20 sec
Rest 2 minuted
0.91 miles
Total Time (including rest): 19:21
It’s cool and humid this morning. My body loves humid weather. I’m sweating like crazy but I feel pretty good. I even think my legs are adapting…or it could be that legs were done on Friday instead of the day before running.
Exactly right!
That Fartlek stuff looks like exactly the kind of running I would do if I was doing any running. Which I might. Also the name makes me chuckle a little.