How did you like sumo pulls? I feel like it makes it more like a squat in terms of which muscles are doing the work. My body doesn’t exactly love squats; therefore, it doesn’t love sumo. I feel pretty good pulling conventional. I think it’s the one lift that my leverages don’t work against me.
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@Frank_C Sumo is difficult for me. I really have to work to get open enough to get down and set. Once I get in there and tight it just sort of pops off the floor. If I can break it from the floor it is going to come up. I might have left 10-20lbs behind on my max triple today. It being the first day, first time ever doing the movement I thought it best to strain some but don’t break anything.
My inner legs are sore today. Doms will be bad tomorrow I suspect.
I like conventional. It feels good. I am glad I stepped outside my comfort zone to learn some new lifts.
Last night my boy and I were talking about what today would be like. Almost the feeling of the night before Christmas and Santa was coming.
Oh the leg press weight was supposed to be for single leg reps. That was not happening today…
I figure with your desire to jump from this to that in training, conjugate training would suit your natural lifting style. Cycle a lift every week or 2 no more than 3 weeks on a lift and do another variation.
Maybe not this program, but this style of training would be good for you brother.
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Looking solid there Big Hog. Good luck with the new program mate.
What’s the reason for the sumo pulls? I used to pull sumo years ago, then switched to conventional.
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The sumo is a variation. This program uses variations to bring up the main lifts coupled with dynamic speed work. I just picked sumo to use as a variation. I like conventional better. It’s(conventional) not as technical and I think it fits my long frame better. I’m working on bringing my hip strength up. I’m also switching up my squat stance to wide stance which should reenforce the grow or get strong signals to the hips and inner thighs.
In short it’s just the variation I choose for this conjugate training method I’m trying out.
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Ah, I was just wondering the thinking behind it. I didn’t mind sumo, actually got fairly strong at it, then switched to conventional, can’t remember why though, haha
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I have found sumo training very effective in helping my squat. They are much harder for me then conventional (at 5 feet tall, not sure why that is), but I am stronger in hips/glutes. I changed my squat form to narrow though, and I find I have less hip pain now!
Good luck on new program!
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@littlelee awesome information! Thanks for that. I’ll look to see how it carries over into the main lifts!
@I_Luc I could have done deficit conventional, block pulls, or paused I guess. This was so drastically different in my mind it was just an opportunity to branch out a bit in my lifting experiences and knowledge.
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As good a reason as any!
If and when I ever run this or similar I think I’d pick deficit deads just because I’m weak off the floor. Well, I’m weak everywhere, but I’m weaker there…
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Wide-stance variations are usually harder on the hips for whatever reason. When pulling conventional, my lower back (erectors) frequently got terribly sore, after most sessions. Pulling sumo was much more comfortable, but then I injured my SI joint pulling too heavy. It’s interesting, because I had the same experience as you Lee. I deadlifted conventional a few times after my injury and it felt pretty much normal, and I brought my squat stance in just a touch and there’s no discomfort. Sumo squats and deadlifts still bother me though. I suppose it’s because the force that would normally be produced by the lower back in a hinge (some low-bar squats and conventional deads) is being produced by the hips, which is a harder force to produce for most people who lift weights. At least that’s how it seems to me.
And Hog, how big is your boy? He looks like he has a pretty big frame that he can pack some muscle onto. The back double biceps pose shows me that he’s not a small kid, but he has the potential to be a very large man. It’ll be cool to see how much stronger the both of you get on Dark Horse!
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@lava2007 - I totally get where you are coming from. It seems everytime I pull sumo my lower back/SI joint is fatigued. I am more of a “back” lifter, so I do sumo to bring up weakness. Same goes for squatting, my hips just are not that strong, changing up the stance helped both with hip pain and leg drive. Some people use leg drive/hips more, some people use the back. Guess it’s all in how you feel.
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5/30/18— Darkhorse W1D2
In:7 Out:8
Metcon:
Band warmup
Battle ropes
Bear crawl 20 yds
Single arm KB snatch (10lb) x10
Arm swings
ME
ZPress:
Giant set pull-upsx5/ / plank (:10)/ med slam x 10
45x10
SS
65x5
85x5
95x3
115x3
135x1
155x1 (blacked out at lockout and dropped the weight in my lap).
Max: 145
V:
115x10,
115x5x2
DE:
bench w/ red short bands +40-50 per side
65x3 10 min emom
Accessory:
Banded (red) push-ups on low boxes big stretch at bottom
3x10
Band straight lat pulldowns: grey
10x3
DB press low incline w red band:
30s 10x3
Low cable row +green band
120 10x3
May have gone too light on the accessory work didn’t hit triceps or biceps only 30 reps on light week. May need to change reps to 100 reps with super light weight on this day.
So on the z press. It works the core super hard. A good bracing teacher. I was straining 155 and got right to lockout on a grinder. I blacked out and the weight was returning to the ground. I had time to think where do I land this…hope the safety pins are higher than my legs…they were. Set my max at 145 for this lift. I’ve never had a blackout moment straining a weight before. Interesting feeling. One minute your grinding, bracing, in an instant it is headed the other direction and like wtf.
Felt recovered enough coming into this one. The dynamic bench went well. I was going 85 plus the bands but it wasn’t moving fast enough. Checked the pride and ego and dropped to 65 +bands (70-90lbs).
Enjoying this. I hope it is working…I think it is.
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Nice work man. Seeing these posts come up is getting me excited to try it this fall.
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Don’t 
it’s f****** hard, and leaves you absolutely finished.
At least I am
On the other hand, I can’t wait to see where it gets me.
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This program is a lot of fun for me right now.
I think I’m recovering faster too. I’m getting less volume which is a good thing.
We (my son and I) were talking about when we get back to the regular lifts they should explode up. If not right after this program shortly after. Getting away from them as main lifts for 9 weeks should deactivate the growth potential for them.
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@chaoshander. I thought I would introduce you to my log brother…
Right on man! Not going to lie, paused deadlift day was today. And I broke my promise on the accessories. I was in straight survival on my last giant set. My volume sets were complete will power, and my dynamic squats were just… just sad, really. I finished them, but they were poor.
But you definitely hit the nail on the head with the recovery. I always feel great the next day, which is unfamiliar to me.
I’ll be watching closely, and striving for those accessories.
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Not sure if this link is allowed or not (they don’t sell supps); but fitting to this convo.
https://www.baconandbarbells.co/products/thundersuck-black-white-1
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Only Back in Black is played out!
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6/1/18– SSB give me squat or give me death
Warm-up/ metcon:
Band stuff
Prowler, mt climbers, lunges w twist, jump rope
ME: SSB wide to box
giant set: Box jump/ / toe to bar/ alpha twist
70x10 (bar weight)
120x5 start SS
160x5
180x5
220x5
250x5
270x5 (rep pr)
290x5 (wow this was tough)
V: SSB wide to box (had to drop toe to bar)
250x4 (couldn’t move this trashed from top set)
210x10 (Hatfield squats last 4)
210 x12 (Hatfield)
210x6 (all me).
DE: DL +red short (+25-40 ish)
185 bar 10x3 EMOM
RDL:
185x10x3
Land mine towel row:
PLatex 10
2 plx10
2.25 pl x 10 (v handle grip trashed)
2.25 x 10
Russian twist: .25 plate. 3 x30
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Box squats are hard.
Try sitting back more and very gently sitting on the box. Think vertical shins, vertical back. To get off the box, drive your hips through hard, push your knees out and try not to let your knees move forward.
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