Workouts continue to impress. You’re one stubborn guy (in a good way) lol
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@vlifter83 Thanks man! You’re spot on. I’m not going to let things get in my way of my goals, haha.
PM WORKOUT
23 ABCs in 5 minute w/24 kg bells
Notes:
- Got that 23rd one in right at the very end. Hamstring is still slowing me down a touch but I was feeling strong and able through this. Got 16 unbroken before setting the bells down. Tang Soo Do was a pretty light workout, but got me moving. Left shoulder still bugs me moving at certain angles.
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Amen to that
Just seen this man
Looks good man. Will get on it once I’ve got my conditioning back up to scratch
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@ChongLordUno You’re on that “body by Nietzsche” plan right now dude: exciting to see what sort of terrifying creature you turn into from this.
Slept until 0700, got up and got in 30 GHRs and 25 burpees over bar fasted.
Had a busy day and did this again
3 rounds of:
- 5 minutes of ABCs (24 in first round, 3 EMOM in second, 2-3-2-4-2 in final)
- TABEARTA (3-2-3-1-3-2-3 first 2 rounds, 8x2 final round)
Notes:
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My hamstring is really doing well now. Still some pain, still some tightness, but I was moving fluid through this. Meant I could push harder. Looking at 52 ABCs and 50 Bears, so 102 complexes in under 30 minutes. That’s pretty damn awesome. And now I’m wondering if that means I can do 100 ABCs in around that time…
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The difference between having the gallon of milk a day vs not when running Super Squats is, with the latter, I constantly feel like I’ve been hit by a bomb. It’s survivable, sure, but the milk definitely makes things more viable.
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Slept off and on until about 0540, hit a fasted workout of tabata burpee chins w/bear complex between rounds.
Crazy day, got home, before dinner did
5 minutes of ABCs (24 total)
TABEARTA (3 per round for all but round 6, which was 1)
When you go full send on that workout, 1 round will do you in.
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Not sure if you’ve alluded to it in prior entries but how is the TRT going?
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@aholding88 Hey man, I’ve been dropping small updates here and there but it’s all been positive. I was unhealthy for so long that I’m starting to remember what healthy felt like. I was basically “surviving” for 2 years, and now I’m living.
AM WORKOUT (0333 natural wake up)
SUPER SQUATS Workout 13
Axle clean and press press away/band pull apart superset (1 min rest)
3x10x161/50 total reps
Weighted dips/axle rows superset (1 min rest)
3x12x90/2x15x218
Breathing Squats/Pull overs
25x315/20x20lbs
For those watching at home, yes, I literally headbutted the bar after the 25th rep. No, it was NOT on purpose.
Axle SLDLs
15x273
Poundstone curls
160xAxle
25 pushdowns
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
ASSISTANCE/CONDITIONING
30 GHRs
20 standing ab wheels
40x90 reverse hyper
30 DKB clean each rep and strict press w/24kg bells
Time: 3:19
Notes:
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Hamstring is at the point where it’s only in pain while I’m moving, and even then it’s typically at the bottom range of a squat. Definitely moving in a great direction, but I still have to be careful. I was getting speedy on some of those squat reps, and I could feel it starting to twinge and loosen up a little. The temptation to move fast is, of course, there, because I want to be DONE with those goddamn squats. Still double wrapping, but getting looser and looser with it.
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I still am not prepared for the wild “exponential fatigue” effect of these squats. Between rep 24 and 25 I aged 100 years. I felt fine on rep 24, went for 25 and it was like getting hit with a bomb. I actually good morning’d the squat out of nowhere. We’re really finding the bottom here.
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The squat set itself is interesting. Unlike the first time I ran the program, there’s no fear or anxiety. There’s not really anger either. I honestly feel like it’s more like resignation, but that term has a bit too much negativity to it. I feel like someone who is accepting their fate of execution with dignity: denying the blindfold, no last words: this is the fate I earned. I feel like a part of that is how much my lungs aren’t what hold me back here: it’s my body. And not even my muscles but just my connective tissue. It’s just a game to make sure it all stays in place for the set.
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Still a big fan of how all the other movements continue to get stronger through out.
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SUPER SQUATS RAMBLING
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I’m too excited about the write-up that’s going to come from this run of Super Squats. It was such a valuable learning experience, and reading the book before starting was invaluable, because it reminded me of so many great ideas that have existed for decades! Going beyond 20 reps has been such a different way to make this program awful, and I feel like it just compliments things so well. Just by nature of my injury I ended up doing 2 weeks of going up 5lbs a workout before resetting the weight to the start and then going up one REP a workout, and both progression models seem to work out pretty well. I feel like there’s something to doing this intentional. Perhaps running the program for 3 weeks where you go up 5lbs per workout, then reset and push max reps. Another approach would be do 1 week going up 5 reps per workout, then hold that weight for the next week and go up a rep per workout and keep alternating that way. A way to slow down the weight increases while still making things suck. You might even do 10lb jumps during the weight increase weeks to compensate for the “down time”. Another option would be 6 weeks one way, 6 weeks the other, with a program in the middle of course.
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And then there’s alternate MOVEMENTS to include in there. I’ve demonstrated that, at least ONE workout of “Super Good Mornings” is viable. It’d be interesting to see what a full cycle would be like. I also know that the book talks about hip belt squats, and from there the trap bar is a very logical transition. And then we can combine that all with the above. What about a week of good mornings where we progress weights, next week we take that top weight of good mornings and make it a squat week where we’re chasing after max reps, and then next week is a trap bar week? Are we making conjugate Super Squats? It’s a bit like Dogg Crapp, which, actually, would ALSO work just dandy here: change between 3 movements every workout.
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I’ve also entertained the idea of being cute and having a theme of “Paul Kelso Super Squats”. Use the trap bar for presses, rows, trap bar lifts and SLDLs. I’m literally thinking AS I write this and I realize I just came up with a (potentially) INCREDIBLY effective hypertrophy program with ONE piece of equipment and NO rack. Just think of how space economic that is. Biggest issue would be getting the trap bar in place for pressing without a rack, but that circus act CAN happen. And using radar chest pulls, you don’t need a bench and dumbbell to get the pull over effect.
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All THIS said, I REALLY don’t think the SSB meets intent here at all. I feel like a BIG part of the “success” of this program Is having that bar just absolutely CRUSH you for all it’s worth and you just survive for as long as possible. The SSB is too comfortable AND it allows you to stand there and take the pressure off of you by pushing it back or pulling it forward as needed. You are ON the clock when it’s a barbell crushing you, and even with the trap bar with straps, you’re still standing there having it pull your shoulders out of the socket. Don’t ask me about the belt squat: I have no idea how that’s supposed to work.
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I DO have to avoid for falling into the trap of making Super Squats the answer to everything. I have to appreciate that this laser focused program was effective BECAUSE I came into it with SO much accumulated volume. In that regard, I plan to do a write-up at some point of Super Squats and Deep Water being yin and yang. Both absolutely crazy, but SO different in their insanity, making them ideal pairings. 3 days a week of 1x20 vs 1 day a week of 10x10. Of course, the kind of dude that is just plain ALWAYS running Super Squats and Deep Water back to back is too crazy even for me. At some point there would need to be some sort of OTHER side of balance, which would probably be a great time for a lighter 5/3/1 program, the 10K swing challenge, or something else just plain wildly different.
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I also need to get Mass Made Simple knocked out at some point in my life.
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Are you done this time round or are there still a few more sessions to go ?
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You know the answer to that, haha
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I was sure I did but then second guessed myself…LOL. It is morning here and I need another coffee.
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PM WORKOUT
22 ABCs in 5 minutes w/24kg bells
I notice, after a Super Squats workout…I am absolutely nuked and these suck.
Also, allow me to apologize for all the evil and irresponsible workouts I’ve been posting here.
They will only get worse.
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Love watching your mad scientist mind at work.
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@kdjohn I genuinely appreciate you saying that. Sometimes I feel like I’m just screaming into the ether, and it can get a bit too solipsistic even for me. It’s good to know it’s being appreciated. My brain is CONSTANTLY swimming with “bad ideas” like this, haha. It’s good to get them down.
Although, apparently, these days I’m more Dr. Evil than mad scientist…
Haha!
AM WORKOUT (0438 natural wake up) FASTED
- 5 minutes of ABCs w/24 kg bells (19 total)
- TABEARTA (think it went 3-2-2-1-3-2-3)
- 5 minutes of EMOM ABCs (3 per round)
- TABEARTA (think it went 2-2-1-3-1-2-1-3)
- 5 minutes of EMOM ABCs (3 per round)
- 10 bears in 2 minutes
Notes:
- Ok, I’m thinking of calling this “Teddy Grahams”
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Seriously: ABCs and Bears: what else could it be? And Teddy Grahams probably go great with PBJs and a glass of milk.
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In general, this has been a solid “go to” workout when I’m not feeling creative. I’m finding where I can push to really get the most out of it. That first run of ABCs was rough coming in fasted first thing upon waking, but it got me where I needed to go. My hamstring is right at about 95%. Still annoying pain here and there, but I’m very functional.
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I have a late night scheduled for work, so this might have to count toward my daily ABCs and bears as well. I’m at peace with that.
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+10000 Pwn points for using the old box art
The chocolate chip ones were the best!
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@tlgains Thanks man. In truth, I had no idea there was new box art, haha. I just picked cinnamon because it’s baller.
AM WORKOUT (0340 wake up via alarm)
SUPER SQUATS Workout 14
(3) Incline DB bench/weighted chin superset (1 min rest)
2x12x100s/2x15x22.5 (12 unbroken in first set)
1x11x100s
BtN Press/band pull apart superset
3x10x125/50 total
Breathing squats/pullovers
26x315/20x20lbs
Attempt to reinvent numbering system, as I forgot all human forms of it around rep 22
Kroc rows
21x115
Axle shrugs against strong short bands
1x30
Reverse hypers
54x180
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
ASSISTANCE/CONDITIONING
Ran a small circuit where I’d do 20 KB swings w/40kg bell and then some daily work. Spent 8 minutes doing it, got something like 6 sets of swings done in that time.
30 GHRs
Notes:
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Squats were MUCH smoother than they’ve been. Hamstring is really feeling solid, and I could move much faster without feeling any buckling or warning signs. Still some slight pain, so I’m keeping it smart with the knee wraps, but even then I’m wearing them looser than before. I have to not get stupid and let these good signs result in me pushing WAY too hard too soon, but I’m enjoying the benefits it’s bringing.
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Hey Super Squatters: imagine getting to rep 13 and thinking “ok: halfway there”. That happened today. What a terrible thing to think. That said, it was really a race against my hands going numb for the most part, but that does add an element of excitement. Once again: in between the second to last rep and the final rep a whole lifetime passes. It’s crazy how hard the fatigue hits there.
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Always cool to be moving triple digits on DB benching. Just seeing all sorts of growth.
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My left shoulder is still buggy. It’s good for pressing but not chinning. I got it done today, but it’s tough to move now. I imagine holding the bar in the squat position for so long doesn’t help.
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My abs are finally starting to vanish after a very dedicated campaign to kill them. It took a while, and growth is still pretty evenly spread.
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On the treatment front, a significant milestone happened the other day. I legit thought I had PTSD for a while, primarily because I would literally jump if I heard a loud noise. Pots clanging in the kitchen, biscuit containers opening up, but the WORSE was when my kid would drop their metal waterbottle on the floor. It would trigger a fight or flight instinct and I’d just get furious over the situation. The other day, I was picking my kid up from school, they dropped their water bottle, and I instinctively got upset over it, but realized that I was just doing that out of habit: I wasn’t actually upset, it wasn’t nearly as loud as usual, and I wasn’t strung out and on edge. That’s pretty wild.
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The first time I hit this was one of the best in lifting.
Keep up the good work. 3 digits DB press is much more meaningful at your bodyweight compared to mine.
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Thanks man! I’ve been “here” before, but circumstances are always changing and I’ve learned to celebrate the victories in context as a result. Very much appreciate that sentiment.