MarkKO's Training Log

Training Training Logs
2645

Had a look through my videos from this morning. Looks like I pushed depth a little too far on some of the last five or so sets - which I actually remember thinking at the time. Explains why my lower back is complaining a little, although it’s better than before.

On the plus side, there’s not a new issue to worry about and is something that fixes itself within a day or two. I think because I’ve been only just hitting depth the last few weeks without consciously thinking it today I pushed depth here and there.

Interesting the difference an inch or so makes in just a few reps, especially when I’m also not bracing as well as I should and descending a little carelessly.

Man, squatting in the early morning is not my jam. It’s the lift I need to be most switched on for and I need to be awake for another hour at least to get there.

1 Like
2646

That’s fair enough. I have just had so much fun giving these different Deadlift variations a run that I’m trying to share the vibe around! Haha

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2647

I do wonder how long that could maintain hamstring/glute strength. Since those are really only getting hit on the squat (5 cleans with a weight you can press isn’t going to do much for those), just adding in some BW GHRs or something simple like that would seem prudent.

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2648

My squat has always relied on my hams and glutes a lot. Plus BB rows stress my hams and glutes a bunch.

2649

I’ve found that glute bridges aka hip thrusts without weight with a good focus on glute contraction help my back. I was playing around with different variations one day that my back was especially angry and found a new trick. Everything is the same as a normal glute bridge but I put my feet together and let my knees drop to the sides like I’m doing the butterfly stretch. Do the bridges from this position. Made my low back pain almost disappear immediately.

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2650

Those sound very similar to BC’s frog pumps! Which, as your experience supports, do a better job of forcing the glutes to activate mechanically

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2651

I have to confess i was laying on my bed reading this during the middle of the day, And i tried it out.
I probably looked ridiculous

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2652

Woke at 184.4 lbs, and I’d say there’s a slight but noticeable improvement in look. Back feel much more normal too.

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2653

Did calipers with Jeremy today. Abs up 0.5 mm, suprailiac (I think) up one, everything else the same (including lower back) or lower (including subscapular) than before. Last measurements total sum was 73 mm, today’s 61 mm so movement continues in the right direction. One week left at 2400 cal/day, then post comp up to 2500 cal/day via a tablespoon of peanut butter at bedtime.

Also have a water cut strategy from Jeremy that’s he’s used successfully himself and MAJOR bonus he offered to wrap my knees. We’re meeting next week so he knows how I like them wrapped.

3 Likes
2654

Today’s training

Lazy lifter plus shoulders

CGBP

TM is 225 lbs

Work up from bar in 22 lbs x3-6 to 60%, neutral grip pull-ups between sets (6, 6, 5, 6, 5, 5) which felt really good.

3x159 lbs, under 6 RPE
3x187 lbs, 6 RPE
1x209 lbs, under 6 RPE
5x225 lbs, 9 RPE - could probably have gotten six but saw no point in pushing for its own sake at this point in time
3x8x159 lbs, under 6, 6-7 and 8-9 RPE, short rests

Dips against doubled and double choked light bands to failure then bodyweight to failure
8/5, 11/4

That’ll be that for those for a while, next cycle I’ll definitely move to bodyweight with a slow eccentric.

DB rows
Work up in 10s from 40 lbs in 20 lbs jumps
40, 60, 80, 100, 120
Add straps
10x140 lbs

Grip still tired from wrapping my knees, especially the right hand. Back tired too so didn’t push for a rep PR

Paul Carter lat pull-downs
3x15x66 lbs - dropped weight resulted in better contraction

Bis/tris giant set
Seated strict incline curls with controlled eccentric 3x20x20 lbs - last set rest/pause and pure agony
Long rope tricep pushdowns, four second paused reps 1/6/11 3x15x44 lbs - triceps pretty much dead by now
60 second rests

Incline treadmill walk, 15 minutes at 15 degree incline at 5 km/hr

6 Likes
2655

One of my protein shake maker’s lines actually makes a passable hot chocolate on plain old boiling water.

The line I have in my cupboard quite patently does not. It tastes fine overall as a hot chocolate, but the overall experience is one of scalding my tongue while drinking quite weakly chocolate flavoured hot water in which absolutely flavourless ground beef is floating. Oh, and then at the bottom there’s some sand. It tastes vaguely chocolatey.

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2656

Here are the week’s highlights

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2657

Blasphemy.

Also still on point and getting better every day as usual, Mark! What the fuck is a plateau? Not something you get. :wink:

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2658

Woke at 186.3 lbs, maybe a very slight bloat around the lower abs but looking almost identical to yesterday.

Last night was a family birthday. I did have some cake but was very restrained and to the best of my knowledge was within budget. I did, however, eat a LOT of veggies throughout the day, which is where I’m thinking the weight is coming from.

2659

I’m enjoying it while it lasts…

2660

Yeah, I wish shit like this lasted. It’s amazing when it does though. Just gotta be smart, and hope nothing pops up in life.

2661

Being obsessive about everything training relates helps. I’m ALWAYS second guessing and mulling over what I’m doing and looking to find fault.

For instance, with my scale weight starting to creep up again, I’m going over and over my diet in my head looking for mistakes or oversights. That’s even with having taken into consideration that I’m deliberately trying to gradually readjust to non-deficit patterns AND with Jeremy assuring me that everything’s going well and I’m on track to increase calories post meet.

I do it less with training now because I feel like I’ve made some progress is knowing what I need to do so I need to think a fair bit less.

2 Likes
2662

Calf work on the stairs

1x100 toes neutral with 1 second eccentric, pause at full stretch, explode up and squeeze - took about 10 minutes and actually got me sweating a bit

Later

5x20/leg working on constant tension, so no full stretch or squeeze - absolute fucking agony

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2663

Are you worried about your weight because you are right around the cut off for your PL weight class? Eventually you are going to have to get heavier to get stronger and won’t make the 180 class. Does this matter to you?

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2664

No, not in the slightest. I’m within an easy cut of 181 lbs (I usually take anything under 10 lbs over as doable).

Plus I’m absolutely aware that I need (and want) to add muscle. It’s more a matter of adjusting my thinking from the past year focussing on losing fat; and trusting that a) I’ve got my diet dialled in well enough that I’m not going to get fat again and b) my body will be inclined to add muscle if I give it the chance.

Mostly I got it into my head that it would take a much longer time to see anything other than stability, except I think I mentioned before that it’s been almost three months of Phase II (resetting my body to being leaner) - which I lose sight of periodically. Three months is not that short a period of time.

Hell, if I’m sitting around 190 lbs in six months and as lean as I am now I’ll be over the moon.

6 Likes