MarkKO's Training Log

Training Training Logs
9396

Now, just anecdotally (or not, occasionally I butcher my own language) I have a terrible track record of completing the hypertrophy phase. Let’s look back, shall we?

Round one, mid 2018 after my first meet on Team Panora: completed, but tweaked my SI joint in week four or five. How I tweak, you ask? Getting my shorts on.

Round two, early 2019: hurt my back coming into and during the meet (same SI shit, this time the perpetrator was turning around while seated), made it through two weeks before backing off because my legs started tingling. Fixed that, made it around halfway and got the invite to nationals so cut it short

Round 3, mid/late 2019: all I remember is missing a bunch of days, mostly deadlift ones. Pretty sure I technically completed it by doing all weeks but that’s stretching the definition of completed quite a bit. This was the lead up to my first head exlodey episode and getting the sleep apnea diagnosis. I was arguably at that stage very unwell, and simply didn’t realise it.

Round 4, early 2020: made it to the end of week one before hurting my left bicep, necessitating some changes. Then managed to get halfway through week three only to get a bug and due to the situation not go to the gym so when I do the bodyweight day tomorrow I’ll take it as a week three completed. Barring things shutting down, this may be my second best run yet.

1 Like
9397

I’m waiting on Mrs KO to finish getting her lashes done (that’s a thing. They use glue. It’s fucked). She said, leave at 1930 to pick her up. I left 1920. Got there at 1935. It is now 2035. Still no sign.

The moral here, if my wife tells you to collect her at a certain time, bring a book.

Also, all these dudes basically building a home gym for the lockdown got me thinking. First thought, I should get one as soon as I can. Second thought, that won’t be for a while. I have a rack already, which is awesome. This is the extra I would need though:

Power bar that can hold well over 500 lbs reliably for a long time
Squat bar, which sounds precious as hell until you have my elbows and then it’s pretty much essential. I still have no idea what I can do to.get under a power bar without hurting myself
Flat bench
550 lbs of plates - I’m not bragging here, for deadlifts every three to six weeks working weight will be around the 525-550 mark
Collars

So yeah, I should probably start thinking about slowly accumulating plates. Not, like, now, but keeping an eye on Gumtree (Aussie Craigslist with fewer serial killers) and getting what I can.

I mean, dumbbells would be cool but the majority of DB stuff I can mimic with a barbell. The above setup would tide me over for a year at least, and if I stretched the plates to 600 lbs, probably closer to five.

3 Likes
9398

Just a curious reader. How are your hypertrophy phases interleaved with everything else? I tried finding it again, but couldn’t, of a write-out of a training year by I think Dave Tate. But if I’ve picked up anything from Wendler and some other books seems to be, two blocks of hypertrophy, one block of higher intensity. You seem to have that many hypertrophy phases though?

9399

Its a sign. POWA 4 LIFE!!! :smiley:

Good to hear you dont have the scary virus!!

2 Likes
9400

Way simpler. We do a six week progressive overload phase after every meet. Then we do regular accumulation training (five week mesocycles with waved loading) until five weeks before meet day, when we peak.

The phrase hypertrophy phase is somewhat misleading to be honest. The difference between that phase and our regular training is that the loads for each lift aren’t waved and we add weight weekly; and the set/rep scheme is all the same every week (2x10, then 2x10 supplemental). The way we approach assistance is identical between phases.

The goal of that six weeks is to add some mass and give our bodies a break because the weights are low.

My experience has been that it is, in fact, a particularly hard six weeks in the gym although this time around the first session that was hard was this Tuesday during bench - when I was getting sick. The other sessions have all been relatively easy. My guess is that this time around is the first time I’ve been recovering properly because now I actually sleep instead of chocking every two minutes.

9401

Meant to ask this a while ago but is that because you can grip wider or is there something else I am not seeing. I’ve noticed the bigger I get, the more uncomfortable straight bar squats become.

9402

Got it in one. I can get myself under a power bar but gripping it puts a stupid degree of strain on my elbows no matter what I do with my wrists.

1 Like
9403

For me it’s mostly hard on the wrists and sometimes biceps

1 Like
9404

I’ve yet to have too much trouble with wrist/elbow/shoulder pain while squatting, though admittedly with a 3.5 plate max I’m not squatting particularly heavy. Biceps, though - they’re a real bitch sometimes after a higher-rep set.

1 Like
9405

You tried gripping the bar using a talon grip?

1 Like
9406

I’m with you. 3.5 plates is my PR. Maybe it’s because I do high bar and do very little with my arms to control the bar.

1 Like
9407

I switched to low bar from high bar and it went well for me, but the talon grip was the biggest gamechanger.

Funny how it works out, though; we’re both tall and presumably have long legs (I’m a 36" inseam) but I found low bar much better for me.

2 Likes
9408

My joints are a bit lax. If I even set up for low bar it feels like my arms are going to come loose at the shoulder if I put any weight on them.

1 Like
9409

Most likely something to do with shoulder mobility. My shoulders are kind of stiff too, but I do some band dislocations between my first few warmup sets and that helps a lot. You might need something more.

1 Like
9410

Woke at 259.7 lbs, looking a bit less bloated. Feeling a bit better too.

9411

Something more and then some @chris_ottawa. My shoulders aren’t particularly stiff as far as I can tell, so I don’t know what would help. I used to do dislocates, and they made my shoulders and pecs nice and loose to get under but that did nothing to help my elbows.

9412

I really don’t know what exactly needs to be done, but a lack of mobility in one joint will force extra movement in another, which in this case would be your elbows.

1 Like
9413

Wow getting ripped now Mark​:muscle::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

2 Likes
9414

Todays training brought to you by the outdoor gym across the road #natureboy #woooooo

Two giant sets pull aparts and facepulls

Pushups
50 in 2x13, 2x12 - one set less than before

Diamond pushups
25 in 7, 3x6 - one set less than before

Dips
50 in
4x4, longer rest
4x4, longer rest
4x4, longer rest
6, 5, 4, 3

Which is four sets less than before. Bicep held up fine, turns out keeping more upright is the key. Depth was probably iffy again but fuck it

Bench dips
50 in 2x13, 2x12 - one set less than before

Pullups
35 in
2x3, 2, longer rest
2x3, 2, longer rest
2x3, 2, longer rest
5, 3x2

One set less than before. Did them all close neutral grip because wide overhand hurt my bicep close to the delt/pec tie in or whatever the shit it’s called

Air squats
80 in 30, 2x25 - one set less than before

Lying leg raises
50 in 2x15, 20 - one set less than before

All up an hour. Rests between exercises and the longer rests were all around three minutes of me walking around the five or so square metre outdoor gym. That may well be the fastest I’ve done this day.

7 Likes
9415

Where can I get dis “outdoor” gym