Thanks. Yes, it’s pretty cool. I’m feeling good so far, even the bicep’s behaving. Still very, very tempted to go back to BB bench and work on closer grip now but I also know what I’ve been doing so far with DB bench is obviously helping things heal.
Actually, I’m kind of beyond just pleased because DL bar or not that’s not just 600 lbs but an actual DL PR. The double at 550 lbs was cool too.
Stuck to the plan and kept the DB bench. Glad I did, it felt pretty good. I like how I don’t arch and have to set my scaps properly, plus I’m getting a feel for bringing the weight to my chest with my lats. I have high hopes for close grip bench.
Today’s training
Agile 8 plus shoulders (including 2x20 theraband pull-downs until further notice)
DB bench press
20 pull aparts with rotation between warm-up sets for a total of three sets
5x75 lbs, under 6 RPE
5x90 lbs, under 7 RPE
10x100 lbs, 9 RPE
5x8x75 lbs, under 6 through to 8 RPE
30x110 lbs calf raises between FSL sets
3x12 dips, these felt easy again. I think I’m going to keep bodyweight until I can knock out 3x20 before adding weight. I’ll keep the 12s this cycle, then move to 12-15 next cycle and work from there.
Kroc rows 23x100 lbs both arms - kind of cheaty because I leant the DB on my wrist as my grip fatigued, but still, no straps.
3x12x308 lbs trap bar shrugs
This is what I’ve been waiting for since I started peaking: setting some squat rep PRs! Squats for reps: nothing quite like it.
Today’s training
Agile 8 plus shoulders
Squat
10 TRX fatman pull-ups between first three warm-up sets (which were all my warm-ups)
5x308 lbs, open belt, under 6 RPE
5x357 lbs, under 6 RPE
15x407 lbs, 9-10 RPE, thought I might pass out after 14
Oly shoes went on, stance went in
5x6x308 lbs
Insane lumbar cramps.
Kept the Oly shoes on
3x15x220 lbs hack squats, experimented with not locking out and just keeping tension with very short ROM
25 bodyweight only 45 degree back raises
Some 88 lbs reverse hypers in the hope my back would forgive me. It didn’t.
Had to use cruise control driving home.
400+ lbs for 15 reps is beastly nice job Mark. You’re fucking strong dude.
Thanks @max13
I guess I do OK on squats. My bench is too weak for me to be properly strong yet. That’s going to change.
I was having a little think and something popped into my head I’d read in a couple of places but hadn’t quite grasped until now: powerlifting isn’t about being strong. It’s about having the biggest squat, bench and deadlift.
So, powerlifters train to that end.
By the way, this isn’t a wrong vs right rant. It’s just me kind of getting my thoughts in order.
Anyway, training. I was looking at my mate Justin’s training. He’s started working with Phil Harrington. This week, it was chain suspended squats 6 inches above parallel. He was hitting 440 lbs, and the dude weighs in around 181. So, he ain’t weak, what with his triple bodyweight deadlift and all. But, there’s stuff in his training I simply don’t get. For example, he almost NEVER squats without wraps. This includes the chain suspended. Like I said, he’s no bad squatter. His gym PR is around 470 lbs around 180. But, I don’t know if he could squat 400 lbs in sleeves. He rarely squats for reps either, except maybe for a week or two post meet. Anyway, that’s just an example. He’s a good friend and I’m not trying to rag on him, it’s just that I know more about his training than I do about other people’s.
After all that, I don’t get where the benefit is. I can see how your comp lifts will go up pretty fast, but then there’s GOT to be a point where you just crumble because your base isn’t big enough.
I shouldn’t be talking I, but it didn’t take me too long to figure out that the base was the most important thing. Maybe eighteen months, then I got beat up and had a shit meet in late 2015 and that brought a lot into focus. All I remember is adding reps around the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016 and that being a game changer. Then 531 opened the floodgates.
I love powerlifting. It’s great. However, I hate training for it. What I love training for is getting stronger and better. Then I don’t need to train for powerlifting. I can just take heavy singles for a few weeks before a meet and be done with it. It’ll take me longer to post a bigger total, but it also means I’ll be able to do cool stuff like squat 500 lbs for reps in sleeves (which will happen in about a year or so I think). Or press my bodyweight for reps. Or do proper pull-ups.
I’m not sure where this is going right now, but I think it’s just me saying I understand what Jim Wendler and Brandon Lilly talk about in their books. I actually love my training when I go in every day gunning for a rep PR. I also like hitting maxes, but only when I decide it’s time, not because I’ve got a meet a few weeks out and I need to know I can hit x weight. That takes the fun out of it.
I can honestly say I am prouder of my 15x407 lbs squat set today than any given lift from or my total at the last meet. I’m proud that I put together a PR total, absolutely, and that I did it under less than perfect circumstances. But that’s all meet day is about for me: testing to see if I can perform on the day. It’s not about strength so much as planning.
I get what you are saying. Phil Harrington is a Westside guy and their training is 100% focused on increasing the squat, bench, and deadlift. Jim and his 5/3/1 philosophy seem to be geared more toward general strength (though it obviously also works for powerlifting). However, the philosophy of Westside and powerlifting-specific training in general basically revolves around the idea that you hammer your weak points and do what works for you to get better. You said it yourself, squatting for reps and just generally establishing a larger volume base allowed your numbers to take off. Thats not the case for everyone, but for you it is. So I don’t think you have to necessarily distinguish between the two. A big part of the Westside philosophy is establishing a very strong GPP base, which involves bringing up a lifter’s general athleticism, conditioning, stamina, ability to recover etc so that he may handle more work through training for a meet. Its all very complicated the deeper you dive in to it but long story short, its all good if it works for you.
@max13 you are dead right. It really does boil down to training as is right for you.
Having a think about my nutrition/body comp progress.
It’s been a month or so since I upped my carbs and lowered my fats, with what are for me excellent results. I’m now pretty steadily sitting around 214 lbs or just below. Looking leaner too, which is the goal. It’s also about five months into my recomp, so probably not a bad time to sit down and reassess.
In my gut (no pun intended) I know it’s time to knock my calories down a bit if I want to keep getting leaner. I’m 12 lbs lighter, give or take and sitting on about 23% bodyfat, so two per cent down. I very rarely get super or any kind of hungry now, and in the last few weeks I’ve noticed I’m actually having to almost force myself to eat at times. Plus, I calculate my maintenance window on scale weight rather than lean mass so I have a pretty big margin of error as I understand it. I don’t expect to really see any significant performance impact bar an initial week of adjustment or so, especially given this cycle is my first of my reset.
I’m currently sitting on 2700 calories/day, trying to keep protein close to 215 grams, fats below 90 grams and the rest carbs (usually ends up 250 grams or so).
What I’m going to do is drop to 2500 calories/day, keep protein at 215-220 grams (860 calories), limit fat to 20% of total calories (500 calories), working out to 55 grams and make up the balance (1140 calories) with 280 grams of carbs.
The only thing that really changes is my fat intake. It’ll be fiddly until I dial in exactly what food works to do that, although basa fillets instead of eggs for breakfast seems like something that will make a big dent. But, like when I started the recomp, over time I got better at hitting my targets so I don’t see how this will be much different. I’ll still be aiming for 55 grams of fat instead of 90 grams or less - so if I miss my target I’ll still very probably be way below 90 grams. I’ll bust my arse to hit 55 grams though.
@Yogi1 @dt79 @The_Myth I would particularly value your input on this.
Interested to read the inputs. Your diet is opposite than mine, so I’m curious to know what others will say.
Also interested how things will go with lower fats, I’ve always stuck to 90-95g of fat per day, although I get through around 3.7k calories a day! Same protein levels as you just a lot more carbs!
I’ve been thinking about trying to slowly recomp though instead of just maintaining, just not sure where to start! Know of any good articles I can read on the subject?
How to Stay Strong When Dieting
This is pretty much what’s been knocking around my head since I read it a few months back.
Today I finally felt like it’s time to start using it.
Thanks bud, I’ll have a read later on when I get chance!
Further to all that I thought I’d have a crack at estimating my maintenance calories based on my lean body mass.
At 215 at 23%, that’s an LBM of about 165 lbs. That would mean my maintenance window was 2310 to 2805 lbs. My new target of 2500 sits pretty comfortably in that window.
A sound plan with a pitfall or two that you have already identified - finding lean protein that does not blow up your fat macros. You can say goodbye to the chicken thighs.
The fish is a good strategy, but you need to be moderate due to mercury issues. Not sure how basa does in that regard, but obs tuna and swordfish can be issues. I think Thibs has addressed the mercury issue in one of his threads about increasing the alkalinity of his body after health issues.
Chicken breast is also good, but gotta find some way to eat it, it’s so dry. Lean red meat is a bit on the expensive side, so…
I’ve found skim milk and egg substitute (egg whites) to be helpful as well.
Overall, I think it’s conservative. If you are getting hungry, consider cycling calories - more on training days, less on recovery days. But, at 2500, you should be alright.
Anyway, good plan, need to keep an eye on the fat because it’s difficult to hit your protein target without busting the fat target.
A little olive oil (or lemon juice works too for a low fat option), coat in smoked paprika and let it sit for 30 mins or so, then dry fry it in a grill pan / on a george foreman… I’ve been cooking mine like this for about a month and eating it twice a day, I’m still not bored of it.
I eat that with potatoes of some kind, generally a jacket spud, or sweet potato chips!
Pro tip on chicken.
I promise the chicken will be 10x more moist and awesome. Obviously if you store for another day it will dry out some but, will still be drastically better than normal cooking. You have to cook it as slow as possible other wise all the juices pour out and that is the last thing want… Unless you just like choking down dry ass chicken.
All great ideas. Thanks guys! I’m also going to take advantage of the local fauna and get back on kangaroo. Very, very lean. Stinks to high heaven when you cook it though. Tastes decent, however.
I was going to ask if you have venison. Very lean red meat.
Didn’t sleep well, but so what? It happens.
Also, note: first day at 2500 calories (20%/55 grams fat, 215 g protein, rest carbs). Hungry but nothing extreme.
Further note: shoulder/bicep is improving but still not 100%. Generally only stiff on waking, comes good after the theraband pull-downs. Then pretty much pain free unless I bench or press, but it calms down nicely within a few hours. Only other pain is if I move my arm across my body. Then the bicep makes itself known. That’s another thing: barring actual training, the shoulder barely hurts any more but outside of training if there’s pain it’s in the bicep. I’m guessing that despite the initial incident being relatively mild in pain, I did more than just overload the bicep. I suspect I strained it quite well, which to me would explain why it’s still mending.
Today’s training
Agile 8 plus shoulders
Press
20 pull aparts with rotation between warm up sets one to three
3x126 lbs, under 6 RPE. Sloppy AF setup
3x143 lbs, under 6 RPE, better setup
10x159 lbs, 10 RPE. Tried for 11 to set a rep PR and failed after a short grind. Hyooooge upper back pump.
Initially decided I hadn’t earned a joker set, but couldn’t let go of the idea. Decided to read the fine line into stupidity.
3x176 lbs, 9 RPE
3x187 lbs, 9 RPE. Rep PR, and felt reasonably smooth.
Looks like my max is still sitting around 203 lbs, so what with my booboo I’m not complaining.
5x7x126 lbs, 7 ending up at 9 RPE
1x40x100 lbs calf raises then 4x30x110 lbs calf raises before each FSL set.
Very short breaks between all those
Supersetted 70 lbs DB bench press/65 lbs DB chest supported rows
3x10/12
Shoulder hurt during bench but bearably. I’m really starting to enjoy DB bench.
Jump rope between sets: 150 leg-to-leg, 10 double unders. First lot unbroken, which surprised me.