How I imagine how it looks when @MarkKO jumps on the pec flye machine
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Like you wouldn’t believe @Irishman92
@khangles I think it’s a lot less, um, dynamic, when I do them.
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Machines offer constant tension too. I don’t know what it is (maybe the balancing?) but I feel much better in terms of muscle activation and joint health on cables and a machines compared to DB’s when it comes to fly’s.
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Strength curve, bro. They have maximum tension at different points in the exercise.
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Woke at 202.4 lbs, looking pretty decent. No bloating I can see
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Woke at 202.6 lbs, looking decent.
Measurements
Shoulders at armpits 130 cm, down 1.5 cm
Chest at nipples, 112 cm, no change
Waist at navel 96.5 cm, down 1 cm
Both thighs 65 cm, up 0.5 cm
Both biceps 36 cm, no change
Kind of underwhelming, but the waistline is moving in the right direction. Kind of makes sense, though, around 10 weeks in and things are slowing down a bit. Shoulders I’m kind of surprised about, but I guess I was holding a ton of water before.
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Where do you measure your thighs? For some reason (years ago) I decided to measure at the largest point which is just below my glutes. It occurred to me (after seeing a picture of my legs) that maybe I should’ve been measuring the mid-point all these years. I think the changes in my quads probably show more as it gets closer to my knee.
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I’ve always wondered that as well.
EDIT: not about Mark’s thighs, specifically, just thighs in general…
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@Frank_C @Yogi1 I’ve been doing at thickest point too. I get what you mean, maybe doesn’t reflect quad growth as well as lower down but I figure measuring at the same place will show something. I might be wrong. It’s been known to happen.
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Little thought popped into my head earlier.
I’m leaning towards the idea that the military press is ‘the upper body deadlift’. It uses a lot of the same muscles, and there is minimal eccentric, at least on the first rep. Plus, for me at any rate, it seems to do pretty well if I progress it with variations. If I crack on with reps and straight sets it seems to seesaw back and forth a bit.
Just a thought, anyway.
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Interesting you’d say that. I’m guessing you know about Pavel Tsastouline(or however you spell it) from your time in KB sport? In Power to the People! he has a strength program built entirely off the Deadlift and Overhead Press, so it seems you came to the same conclusion he did.
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I’m certainly aware of Pavel, but I don’t know much of his programming at all. It certainly appears to be more useful way of using kbs for strength and conditioning than kb sport itself, which is damn near useless for strength.
NO HOMO BRO.
Also apparently t-nation has added awful software that doesn’t let me have short statements.
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It’s fairly interesting, very high frequency usually. Easy Strength, written with Dan John is awesome. Lots of stuff on strength, conditioning, plyos and coaching.
Woke at 203.7 lbs, looking decent. Also, start of night shifts so when I say woke, it’s really two meals and around four hours sleep into the day at around 1630 so 203.7 lbs will do me.
Today’s training
Cable crossovers a bunch at 27 lbs - saw the machine and thought, fuck it, I’ll give it a go instead of machine flyes
DB bench
25 lbs in use, so ditched them
10x45 lbs
8x65 lbs
5x10x85 lbs, under 6, 6-7, 8-9, 9, 9 RPE - fucking finally! Focusing on acceleration really helped the last rep or two to lock out. Up to 90 lbs next week.
BB incline press supersetted with strict barbell rows
Press 2x12x132 lbs, 1x19x132 lbs - definitely going to 143 lbs next week
Rows 3x12x209 lbs - not that much harder than 3x10, so that’s a bonus
Cable crossovers supsersetted with T-bar rows
Crossovers 3x15x22 lbs - definitely nice change from flyes. I’ll stick at this weight another week
Rows 3x15x132 lbs
DB tricep rollovers
3x12x25 lbs - only the last set was murder
Incline treadmill walk 15 minutes at 5 km/hr
All up took an hour and 50 minutes, including helping a buddy with his squats.
Four nights to go.
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Going to start wearing my Christmas shirt to the gym now. 
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Cable crossovers and rolling DB tri’s! The best moves from 2 styles. That’s what Bruce Lee would do!
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Woke at 201 lbs after an almost proper sleep. Looking decent. Some of that’s going to be dehydration but not all, because there is absolutely zero bloating anywhere as well.
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Today’s training
Hot AF today, sweating buckets
90 degree back raises for a bunch
10 cm conventional block pulls, stiff bar, beltless
3x132 lbs, hook
3x220 lbs, hook
3x308 lbs, double overhand
10x3x418, 6 RPE (1-4), 7 RPE (5-8), 7-8 RPE (9 and 10) - took 21 minutes, hook for the first then straps. Hard AF compared to last week and I’m blaming lack of sleep. Definitely felt the difference at the start when I didn’t get in proper position or brace well enough. Still going to go to 440 lbs next week, then definitely swapping to something like sumo block pulls.
Last set
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc3xYwMjP9C/
Squats, beltless
5xbar
5xplate/143 lbs
5x2 plates/231 lbs
2x10x341 lbs, 7 and 8-9 RPE - called it at two sets, wasn’t sure abs would work for a third. Even for the first two I went in aiming to reach five and then see how I felt. Really happy with how squats are feeling, and I think how they’re looking bears that out. I’ll move to 363 lbs next week
Second set
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc30_oTD_qD/
Single leg 90 degree back raises supersetted with GHR sit-ups
Raises 25 left, 25 right with pause at top
Sit-ups 2x15 at bodyweight
All done in an hour and 45 minutes
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Note to self for that six weeks starting in late January before I begin prep proper
Squat followed by conventional beltless isometric DL pins set at bar height when on 10 cm blocks, weeks 1-3 8x2x352 lbs, weeks 4-6 6x3x374 lbs
DL full ROM sumo in briefs, rep scheme stays BUT go 374 lbs weeks 1-3, 396 lbs weeks 4-6, followed by low box SSB squat in briefs, weeks 1-3 5x5x308 lbs, weeks 4-6 6x4x330 lbs
Bench two keep rep scheme but use Lockout (Loaded Lifting Slingshot-a-like I understand I’m getting for Xmas from Mrs KO) and loads are 198 lbs weeks 1-3 and 220 lbs weeks 4-6
That feels right.
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