I appreciate all of your guys’ support despite my infrequent posts. It means a lot to me to log on and see that you guys still care to see how things are going with me 
New update.
I’ve begun a new cycle of SGSS. It’s been good to me so far, although that’s not saying much, seeing as I’ve been at it for only about 2 weeks.
Latest sessions are 2x8s. 235lbs for bench and 325 for squats, both of which are very small volume PRs. They both felt pretty easy, and both of them marked the halfway point for my first microcycle. I have 4x8 235 bench and 4x8 325 squats coming up next. Both of those would be significant volume PRs for me.
I plan on finishing my 8s at 240 for bench and 325 for squats.
240 for 4x8 bench would be a 15lb bench PR for 4x8, and 4x8 325 for squats would be a 10lb PR. At my current pace, both are realistic and most likely will happen with 0 failed reps. My bodyweight has been fluctuating greatly as of late, with lows of 211.0lbs and a high of 219.2lbs about 4 days ago. Today I weighed in just over 215lbs (still weird for me to see the scale hit above 200lbs, even though I’ve been there for over a year…).
I’m looking at starting my 5s at 245/335 and ending them at 260/365. Both of which would be PRs if I hit 4x5.
I made a post on my instagram about this. The hard, but crucial, work comes in the beginning of the cycle. The hard, heavy rep work is what potentiates 1rm strength. Doing 4x8 325 is a massive volume PR for me, and that just potentiates enormous strength for me in the long run.
I also talked today about how the boring, repetitive work is what makes you strong. It’s not about pushing super hard during the 5s and 3s (although you should do that, and it does help), but rather it’s the 12s, 10s, and 8s that make you strong. Anyone can improve their 3rm if they have month to do so. But you gotta have your shit straight and true if you want to increase your 12, 10, or 8rm in 4-6 weeks. That should be everyone’s focus for half the year.
Doing the “boring” stuff is what moves you to where you want to be. Every 3-5 days, depending on your schedule, you should be moving weights that aren’t impressive to you. I’m not impressed when I squat 305 for 4x8. For some people, that’s insane. For others, that’s a blip in their warmup. For me, it’s not impressive, but it’s work. That’s where everyone has got to be. Benching 260 for 4x5 isn’t a lot to some, but to others that’s a life goal. For me, it’s work. The most important thing that any lifter can learn is that the boring work is what produces results.
That may be a little vague. And all 3 of you reading this know what I’m saying. You pick 3-4 very efficient assistance exercises, progressively overload them, along with the main lift, and you will grow. The growth won’t be exponential or quick, but nothing worth having is exponential or quick. That’s why we program in terms of weeks, not minutes or hours. 10, 12, 16, 24 weeks. You need to constantly, consistently, and deliberately manipulate your body to elicit growth.
That brings me to a question that I’ve had for a while, and after this, this post will be over. I’m drunk and have been typing for far too long.
At what point do I switch to something other than progressive linearization? At the moment, linear progressive overload has been great. I would imagine that within the next year, I will be able to squat 365-385 for 8s. What happens after that? What landmark do I reach before I decide to switch to conjugate, or daily undulating periodization? Weekly undulating periodization? How long do my cycles have to be? How much should my weights fluctuate between sessions? These are all things I need to experiment on and figure out for myself. If I can squat 375 for 8s in a year, I’ll be thrilled. Even if I gain 10lbs, I’ll be very happy with that.
Anyways, peace out. I’m right on track with my program right now, and I look forward to sharing some PRs with you men in the coming months.
