Here are this week’s highlights
Not much to say I haven’t already said.
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That’s a crap ton of work posted yesterday.
Do you always squat out of a monolift?
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Two days in one more or less. Not something I make a habit of, but occasionally it’s the only way I can get the work in.
I do use the mono all the time, even when I walk my squats out (which is any time except six to eight weeks out). It lets me grip wider.
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Wow Mark, excellent progress with the weight loss/recomp.
That squat vid really shows a major difference in your waist, chest, etc.
Big results!
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Thanks! So far so good.
I was wondering because the next meet I’m doing may be out of a monolift. I’ve never squatted out of one and was wondering what the key differences are for set up.
The biggest difference I’ve noticed is that balance is different just standing up. For me it means I have to have my feet more forward than when I’m unracking to walk out.
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@ouroboro_s Thought I’d comment as I’ve just done a meet with a monolift for the first time; yes, definitely feet further forward, centre the weight over your feet but keep your hips behind the bar - I found it helped to picture Eric Lilliebridge as I was setting up! Haha 
But yeah, in general I didn’t have a problem with using it after the first go, so I wouldn’t be too concerned about it.
@MarkKO Btw great work so far with the weight loss, keep it up!
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Thanks! I’m really enjoying the process. I never thought I’d get even this far, so I’ve got a real fire under my backside now.
Leader, cycle 3, week 2
Good sleep. At 194.5 lbs on waking. That’s about two weeks very steady, which I’m far from unhappy with. I’ll wait another three weeks or so and see if there’s a drop into the 193s before changing anything. Been keeping an eagle eye on my elbows and while they’re fine, they aren’t as fine as two weeks ago so no more BTN press. Back to the log.
Today’s training
Lazy lifter plus shoulders
Bench press
30 pull aparts between first three warmup sets
5x187 lbs, under 6 RPE
5x214 lbs, 6 RPE
5x242 lbs, 10 RPE - first rep did NOT indicate how much of a fucking grind the fifth would be. I can only put it down to being lighter, so my rep capacity is tanking.
3x8x187 lbs, 6, 7-8, 8-9 RPE but surprisingly good. Really felt the acceleration through my sticking point.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRRo-fVlt1U/
Log press 50 total reps at 121 lbs: 9 strict/5 leg drive, 7/4, 7/5, 7/3/3 jerk-ish
T-bar rows 100 total reps at 110 lbs: 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12
This is probably the least unpleasant way of doing these. I took 90 second breaks between the 13s and two minutes between the 12s. Felt my middle back and traps more this way too.
Supersetted hammer curls/rear delt flyes
Curls at 30 lbs: 13, 13, 13
Flyes at 25 lbs: 25, 25
Cut them short due to running out of time
Stationary bike sprints 10 x 40 sec off/20 sec on at level 13
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Note: particularly hungry yesterday and today, from memory on Saturday a bit as well. Usually that’s a sign I’m about to drop weight, or it could be because I had more refined sugars than usual on Friday and Sunday (not much, just not as little as usual).
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Thanks @halcj1 and @markko re the monolift. In a standard rack the tendency is to push forward into the uprights to get tight. I see this done all the time and it’s particularly exciting when you’re the centre ref and the rack starts to tip up a bit. I generally try to get my hips right under the bar when I unrack so that may have to change a bit.
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Woke up groggy, but I think it’s from too much sleep over the past two or three days. This is an issue I don’t mind having. Weight steady, about 0.3 lbs down so that’s movement in the right direction.
Today’s training
Lazy lifter
Stiff bar DL
7 neutral grip pull-ups between first three warmup sets
5x374 lbs, under 6 RPE, hook grip
5x423 lbs, under 6 RPE, straps - didn’t feel too great because for some reason I wasn’t actually squeezing the bar
5x478 lbs, 9 RPE, mixed grip - the straps have paid off, felt nicely in position. Heavier than I’d have liked it to feel though. Next week will be interesting.
SGDL FSL 3x5x297 lbs, under 6 RPE
SSB squat 50 total reps at 302 lbs: 10 (paused), 10 (paused), 15, 15
Supersetted ab wheel/band tricep pushdowns
Ab wheel 50 total reps: 10, 10 from feet, 30 from knees
100 total reps: 40, 30, 30
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I hadn’t actually realized how much weight you’ve lost until I went back and checked a few of your vids again
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@stronkfak nor had I. Thanks for that.
I’ve been thinking of revisiting that semi sumo by the by, just to see how it feels. Sumo is a no go, I found that out two deloads ago. Seems like once I’m below 100 kg/220 lbs I just don’t have the leverages for it.
I might try semi sumo for the anchor phase because I do remember it being easier on my body for reps. That is assuming I can still use it, but it’s close enough to conventional I might be OK. I’ll see how I feel about it next cycle.
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Strong lifting! The gym you go to looks sick man!
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I wouldn’t change it for much. It’s top three in Canberra for sure. I’d rank it top because of everything it offers. There are two or three other PL/strongman gyms that have maybe a couple more specific implements but nowhere near as much BB equipment (and I’ve come to realise that machines can be very, VERY useful); plus Elite has better opening hours compared to the others.
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Have a free day today so forcing myself to relax and not do much. I’m not always very good at this, but whenever I do manage I feel better for it.
Broke out the laptop and went through my programming past July. Made some small tweaks to Training Maximally, and I’m very happy with it.
Then went in and set out November and December for Full Body, Full Boring. Pretty much what I set out here:
I had to change a couple of things to fit the template, but it’s broadly that.
Then came the TMs. I pitched squat and bench well as far as I can tell, but I decided to drop DL a bit just to be safe; and I dropped SGDL and front squat A TON. My whole rationale behind doing FBFB for a couple of months is giving my body a bit of a break and a bit of a change, so it made no sense to have TMs set any other way than low. This made my ego recoil in horror, of course. I also wondered if my performance/muscle retention would suffer because volume would be reduced. Then I reminded myself not to be an idiot, because squatting and DLing three times a week, pressing once and benching twice with a BB-style back and assistance day on Friday IS NOT EXACTLY LOW VOLUME…
Then of course there are the S/B/D plus sets, so yeah, volume won’t be that low at all and intensity will still be there - but volume and intensity should be reduced sufficiently to let my body take a bit of a breather while maintaining base strength levels and muscularity.
Anyhow, if this year works out well in terms of performance (and I have to bear in mind that I’ll have been dieting for half of it and then establishing a maintenance baseline for the other half when making that assessment) I may well have a year-long template I can use as a broad basis going forward:
Jan-Mar/three months
Leader
April-May/two months
Anchor
June-July/one to two months
Peaking
Meet one
July-October/three to four months
Training Maximally
Meet two
November-December/two months
Full Body, Full Boring with a BB-day on Friday
OK, so I’ve done my programming, washed the dishes, hung out the laundry and made the bed with time to kill before pickup. What better to do than strip down and take pictures of me in budgie smugglers?
@The_Myth @littlesleeper @Yogi1 @BOTSLAYER @Benanything @stronkfak here I am trying to pose in very flattering lighting. I’m quite pleased with the material, if not the posing which caused various popping sounds in my back.
This is a baseline, totally relaxed
This is with questionable posing
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I think this means you are doing it right? hahaha I get it in most of my joints too.
also the progress is with you!!!
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