MarkKO's Training Log

Training Training Logs
902

Tired again, but slept well which made a difference.

Note: new bench press grip is pinkie finger a finger’s width inside the ring, with arch but heels on the ground (I may experiment with my Oly shoes for this).

Today’s training

Agile 8

SGDL

2 neutral grip pull-ups between first three sets. Fine, but not as easy as last week. Definitely tired.

5x275 lbs, under 6 RPE but feeling heavier than I’d like
5x324 lbs, 6 RPE, still feeling heavy
8x368 lbs, 8-9 RPE, abs felt pumped AF, back, hams and glutes worked overtime

Oly shoes go on for paused front squats. I had planned to pyramid up to 308 lbs but decided to stick with 264 lbs.

4x2x264 lbs

Decided to have some balls and try 286 lbs

2x286 lbs

I’ll probably start using 286 lbs next cycle. I might play with front squats during deload and just work up to a top single for funsies.

Around about now a bloke who I chat to when he trains came in and I helped him out with bench. Apparently I’m still treading the fine line into stupidity because I simply couldn’t resist the temptation to have a crack with the new grip.

5x220 lbs, comp-ish pause, 7-8 RPE

This wasn’t enough for me.

5x242 lbs, same pauses, 8-9 RPE

For one, it felt great to bench. For two, the grip and setup felt very good and my shoulder didn’t hurt. I’m beyond pleased given there was no work up.

I’ll keep going with the DB bench this cycle as it looks like it hasn’t made me weaker but I’ll go back to BB bench at least for bench day next cycle. Might keep DB bench on press day though, just to be safe.

I do need to watch the ego though, and stick to the plan. So far I’ve been lucky with the questionable decisions this week, but I won’t push it. If DB bench feels good on Thursday I’ll hit some jokers but I’ll be sensible about it.

5x20x132 lbs Fat Gripz BB shrugs

2 Likes
903

@MarkKO -I’m back and trying to catch up on your log!!! Happy to see your doing well :slight_smile:

1 Like
904

Good you’re back @countrygirl2016 I’m boxing along, can’t complain.

Getting excited to bench in a few weeks. I want three plates. I think that’ll open the floodgates for.me.

1 Like
905

Note on day two of 2500 calories. So far, eaten almost exactly the same as yesterday. Suddenly got starving when I came home from training but that’s about it, and I could eat immediately. As the day progresses, noticed I wanted dinner but that was about the extent of my hunger. Last snack still to go. I want that too, but I could wait a fair while for it. Luckily I’ll get it in about 40 minutes.

906

One day I’ll run a conjugate cycle just to see how it feels. I was thinking about it driving in to work, especially how as far as I understand it’s a system, not a program, like 531.

For example, I figured for me I’d do paused squats and bench as DE mostly, and maybe some low box squats for DL. For ME I’d probably do a lot of floor presses, Spoto presses and very close and very wide grip; while for squat I’d do regular stance box squats at various heights as well as some SSB variations and good mornings, and rely on that to drive my DL as well with only occasional heavy pulls. Them I’d use my RE work to hammer my weak points.

3 Likes
907

I’ve noticed that when I’m one large deficit; it is better to divide my meals evenly and time it according to activities. Sure I get hungry last hour before the meal, but once eat it hunger vanishes. I workout at evening, so my time goes like this:

07:00 AM → Breakfast
01:00 PM → Lunch at the office
06:00 PM → Lunch 2 / pre-workout
11:00 PM → Dinner / Post-Workout
12:00 AM → bed snack

The exception is the bed snack, currently it consists mainly of 170g of skimmed yogurt and 7 pieces of nuts (Cashew, peanuts, etc.)

Following such timing kills the hunger and helps me during my cut.

2 Likes
908

I can see how that works for a large deficit @hanymamdouh but mine is very modest. For my lean mass, its maintenance.

909

I know that eating to maintenance is harder than eating for deficit. I can’t understand why but I struggle to eat for maintenance and always feel hungry.

910

This is pretty wide, no? Ive been benching with my entire hand inside the rings. I think my arms are just that much stronger than my lats and delts so it helps me get my tri’s involved as early as possible. Thats my hypothesis anyway, though I feel my weak points are always changing.

911

What happened to the hookgrip? Or are you only using them for your regular grip deadlifts haha!

912

@max13 I should have said, pinkie finger one finger width inside the rings.

913

Not using them at all. The pain in my thumb is too distracting.

914

I don’t blame you haha, I never got used to them until I started doing the Olympic lifts, you pretty much have to use hookgrip on them.

915

Agreed. I can use it for cleans and high pulls because the weights I use are so low. Above 220 lbs, no way.

916

Actually… It’s just the initial adaption, I’ve no issue doing my heavier pulls with hookgrip now. That being said, I feel straps work totally fine so long as you work your grip in other ways.

1 Like
917

Sorry, forgot about this. I’ll give my input on your diet even though it doesn’t really seem like you need it:

I think this is a great plan. LOTS of room here to reduce calories further if need be.

For working out your fat, the way I do it is just to eat the same meat every day (which for my broke ass is ground turkey thigh and ground beef - if I was cutting it’d be all turkey breast), work out the fat content of said meat and add olive oil to take it up to where you need it to be if you’re a little short. A tbsp of olive oil is 14g of fat. Also makes it easy to reduce your fats if need be.

1 Like
918

How do you pull double overhand? It feels so unnatural to deadlift double overhand now.

1 Like
919

It sounds like deer does in the US. Is it common to eat kangaroo in your part of Australia? I heard that the locals don’t really like it, and it’s more of a tourist thing.

1 Like
920

Not Mark but what do you mean? Are you too used to using mixed grip?

921

Yeah, that’s pretty much it. I am used to creating tightness, pulling out slack, setting up, etc specifically for a mixed grip deadlift with my left arm being supinated.