Well, I’m glad you enjoy reading my log. Yours is proving to be a positive addition too, especially how you’re figuring things out from first principles. You’d be surprised how few people do that.
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Finally on antibiotics. Yesterday was rough. Still felt and feel completely fine, but I don’t deal too well with constant pain for more than a day or two. I was irritable as shit by the time I came home, but felt better by bed time.
Benching later today. Should be good.
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AWESOME!!! I’m happy to hear you got meds and will be good soon.
Yes, it’s nice to not be in that much pain. Plus a day off tomorrow to squat.
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Antibiotics are amazing. It’s only when my throat stopped hurting that realised how much it hurt. I’d been walking around at an 8/10 for three days. Still get tired faster than I normally would though.
This morning weighed in at 215.5 lbs, so pretty much 10 lbs down in 10 weeks. That, along with having to move my belt lever in a bit makes me think I’m on the right track.
Yesterday’s training:
Bench press
3x209 lbs, 6ish RPE - using a different setup to arch, quicker and works well.
3x236 lbs, 7 RPE
4x264 lbs, 10 RPE - tried for a fifth and failed. Again.
Against all wisdom decided to go up in singles. Tue logic was to figure out if my inability to get that fifth rep at 264 has any correlation with heavier singles.
1x286 lbs, 9-10 RPE - paused at the bottom
1x297 lbs, 10 RPE - somehow fucked up the descent and basically dropped and bounced it off my chest. Despite losing tension at the bottom got it up with relative ease.
0x302.5 lbs - descent was fine, pressed too early and failed at my sticking point.
3x7x209 lbs, 7-8 RPE
While it was stupid to work up like this at this time, I now know that my recomp has cost me maybe 5 lbs on the bench, if that. The one time I hit 302 lbs for a grindy touch and go I was edging 230 lbs. I’ve got until October to get that 302 lbs, so I’m reasonably confident.
Couldn’t be bothered to post the videos. I probably should have, full disclosure and all that. Next time.
I will, however, start benching after press next cycle just to add some volume.
Supersetted incline press/DB rows
7x154 lbs/15x80 lbs - was shocked at not being able to get more on the incline. Glad I dropped row weight to 80 lbs, I find I feel it as much as 100 lbs but I can maintain stricter technique.
2x10x132 lbs/2x15x80 lbs
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Finally, a day off. Tired, but well on the mend.
Today’s training
Squat
3x341 lbs, just under 6 RPE - bar speed felt very slow, bar also felt heavier than I’d like
3x390 lbs, 7 RPE - still feeling slow and heavier than normal
8x440 lbs, 9-10 RPE - horrible, horrible set. Pretty much every rep after three felt more like a final rep. From the first rep onwards felt so slow it isn’t funny. Glad I moved my grip in a hand’s width each side to get extra tight. This set hurt my soul.
5x6x341 lbs, 7 to 7-8 RPE - higher bar, close stance and Oly shoes. Also all about an inch high - so sue me, these are for quad development.
10 push-ups after each squat set
Oly shoes hack squat
3x12x264 lbs pretty much rest pause sets. Focused on feeling my quads.
SSB good mornings
3x10x220 lbs
Did some hammer curls between good morning sets: 3x10x30 lbs - my elbows have been fine but this week I had a twinge here and there which I’m going to nip in the bud. I think I’ll add in curled once or twice a week from now.
Felt kind of happy by the end. Gym was empty, so took my virgin selfie.
This was post hack squat. I need bigger legs.
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Maybe too fast? Pay attention to your lifts! This is great progress, and it feels good, I know, but a pound a week might be costing you some strength. Just be careful.
Legs look good Brah - feel free to do some calf work - just saying.
Don’t we all?
Good point, but pretty much everything is going up bar bench so I’m not hugely worried. A pound a week seems decently slow.
That and bicep work is on the radar. Next week I’ll trial calves on bench and press day with biceps on DL and squat day.
Well said.
Sat down and played around with ways to incorporate biceps and calves into my training gasp
My rationale is that assistance work is not just for weak points, but for balance. Just because biceps and calves work are bro exercises doesn’t mean they are body parts that should be ignored - if they’re lagging, it’s probably a good idea to bring them up for balance and possibly even injury prevention. Of course, doing this shouldn’t eclipse more important work, but no harm doing it if you can fit it in, right?
So, I figured the best way to add them in would be to stick them between sets. That way, they don’t add time - which is in limited supply right now. The best I could come up with was doing curls in between FSL sets for DL and squat; and calves between FSL sets for press and bench.
That means I’ll get six to 10 sets of each per week, with each trained twice a week. That’s decent I think, given that’s the most room I’m prepared to give them. It also still lets me do pull aparts, fat man pull-ups and push-ups between sets, just a few less.
It should look like this (in an ideal world; it’ll usually end up looking about 85% like this):
While Wendler frequently makes fun of Bodybuilders, I’m pretty sure he said that you should train like one - with an eye to symmetry, to provide balance and prevent injury. At least that’s how I justify 5x10 sets of curls twice a week. I was going to suggest hammer curls to help develop the forearms/grip, but I see you already have them in your spread.
Nothing you can do but to give it a rip and see what happens.
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He did, and it’s on that principle that I’m basing this change.
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Week 3 - 531 week
I’m going to start by noting this cycle has not been the best. Press and squat have been moving well, which is awesome. Bench has pretty much not moved - expected giving I’m losing weight even if it’s mostly bodyfat. I’m glad it hasn’t really gone down, but I’ve missed more lifts than I’m happy with. That’s mostly been my fault. Deadlift has been off, though. The only week where it went well was 5s week - apart from that, since 531 last week cycle I’ve been only just going past the minimum reps. I guess this is me approaching a stall.
Today’s training
Deadlift
5x423 lbs, 6 RPE - conventional because I thought I’d try it and because my left hip and knee were feeling a bit strained from sumo pulling. Didn’t feel good. Felt foreign.
3x478 lbs, 6 RPE - sumo and felt very good. Easier than the 3s set usually feels on 531 week.
0x533 lbs - sumo, got to my knees and lost it. Looking art he video, I’m not sure why. I know was nervous setting up. Also know doubted I could get my target of three to four.
1x533 lbs, 9 RPE - conventional, maybe I could have gotten 550 lbs but not more
Decided that since I was failing to get my DLs, I’d do it in style.
0x600 lbs - conventional, maybe got an inch off the floor
Set up for my FSL sets and just gave up. I knew I wasn’t picking anything more up today.
3x10 fat-man pull ups throughout the DL sets.
Press
5x137 lbs, under 6 RPE
3x154 lbs, 6ish RPE - wore my 10 mm belt loosely
6x176 lbs, 9 RPE - 10 mm belt loose again. Apparently I just wasn’t up to deadlifting today.
35 pull aparts after each set.
Video coming soon.
3x7x137 lbs, 7-8 RPE
20x88 lbs calf raises after each set
Supersetted 148 lbs bench press/132 lbs Fat Gripz lat pulldowns
3x10/12
I like the Fat Gripz
3x10x30 lbs hammer curls
How many cycles have you done? Have you reset yet?
Have you tried micro-loading? Or, are you figuring no movement based on lack of PR’s?
Auto regulation - keeps you healthy.
Wendler - be patient. You seem to have it in proper perspective.
@The_Myth thus is cycle five, so hardly surprising this is starting to happen. I’ll see how DL behaves nest cycle.
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Did some more thinking about DL. Looking back over the last eight months or so it does look like my DL tends to suffer if I pull weekly using heavier loads. I’m going to use the deload week coming up to decide what I want to do.
I’m going to try running part one of the strength phase from Beyond for DL next cycle: week one will be 3s week, week two will be 5s week and week three stays as 531 week. The thing I like about it is that there are no plus sets, and in weeks one and three you work up to a single at your TM. I think that should improve my ability to recover from pulling.
Also, realistically I think I have to accept that for the first time I may have lost a bit off my max deadlift. My TM next cycle will be 572 lbs; my actual max is 583 lbs, and based on my performance this week I’m doubtful how I’ll go hitting 572 lbs in two weeks time. Gotta be confident, and I’ll probably pull sumo except for the TM singles.
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Yesterday’s training
Bench press
5x214 lbs, 6 RPE
3x247 lbs, 8 RPE
3x275 lbs, 9 RPE
Joker set
1x291 lbs, 10 RPE
Added a joker set to feel a heavier weight, but just my training max. Felt good.
Tried pulling the bar apart instead if bending it. Seems to work.
3x35 pull aparts during the set breaks
5x5x214 lbs, 7-8 RPE
5x20x88 lbs calf raises between bench sets
Supersetted dips/80 lbs DB rows
3x10/15
100 leg to leg jump rope after each set
First properly good session since getting sick.
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Today’s training
Squat
Warm ups felt very good, although my knees felt oddly sore. Calf raises maybe?
5x363 lbs, under 6 RPE - not tight enough though.
3x412 lbs, 6 RPE - tighter, but felt slow
6x462 lbs, 9-10 RPE - felt heavy, kind of slow but also completely fine. Moved my hands in about 6 inches which made it much easier to keep tight. Elbows seemed OK with it, but I’ll keep this for my heavy sets.
15 push-ups after each set.
3x7x363 lbs narrow stance Oly shoe squats, 8 RPE across. Almost had an accident on set one missing the right hook on the monolift. Didn’t do five sets because I wanted to be nice to my knees. No idea if I was high or to depth, and I’m not fussed.
12x25 lbs hammer curls after each set, someone was using the 30 lbs dumbbells
3x12x264 lbs hack squats, still in Oly shoes
12x25 lbs hammer curls after each set
No time for SSB good mornings so draped pretty much every chain I could find over my neck (I think around 66 lbs in total) and did an AMRAP set of 45 degree back raises: 20 reps. Fried my lower back and hams. I may replace SSB good mornings with these next cycle.
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Hey man, I just came over to check out your log since you comment on a lot of my stuff. I’m commenting because I had no idea what kettlebell sport was until I read your first post. I guess its not a popular event here in the US … But in any case that is very cool and I’m sure helped you develop a shit ton of speed strength and work capacity before you found your way to powerlifting.
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