To be fair, this seems like a good call. Who reads “20 rep squats with your 10RM, three times a week” and goes “fuck me, that sounds like a laugh, sign me up”. That program looks absolutely horrendous, I think I’d rather run Smolov Jnr again.
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It’s an outstanding exercise in existentialism. We say we “want” something, but what we say we want and what we actually want are, often, 2 different things. I am more than certain Dan John has said that before.
“I want to put on muscle as fast as possible. I only want to train 3 days a week, and only an hour per session.”
Sweet, I have JUST the program for you.
“I don’t want to do that”
I’ve been saying this for a while now (and again, I’m not unique in doing so): there is no willpower. We’ll always do what we want. I want to eat the way I eat. It’s because I want the results of eating that way more than I want cheesecake. Some days, cheesecake is actually what I want. But it seems like, the longer my streak of wanting NOT cheesecake, the fewer days I want it. Damndest thing.
Eventually, some trainees will want Super Squats. It’s there for them when they want it.
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Awesomeness.
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Come on mate, I reckon if you were 20 and someone showed you that program your response would be “hold my beer” and you would jump straight in. That persons mindset is very different to yours or mine.
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You might be right, I don’t remember that long ago mate.
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That’s because of all the beer and all the stupid things you did in your 20’s.
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@The_Myth high praise from you my friend.
@simo74 and @dagill2 I’m pretty sure the kid is 18 from what I read. I take into consideration that they don’t have a fully formed pre-frontal cortex at this point. It KILLS me to see such wasted potential. Imagine being given the keys to the kingdom at that age and deciding that you would rather intentionally spin your wheels. It is one of the things I struggle with. Coming up, all we had was “the big guy” at the gym. These days, you can literally ask a 1000lb squatter how to train, and so many kids use this as an opportunity to say “That 1000lb squatter is an idiot because he didn’t read the latest studies”, haha.
AM WORKOUT (0315 wake up via alarm) FASTED
SNAKEHANDLER MASS
17 rounds in 41:45 of
3 front squats w/225
4 log vipers w/135
5 burpee chins
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
20 standing ab wheels
Notes: I got 16 rounds done before the 40 minute mark, which is some manner of PR on this.
I legit got angry with myself for having ever come up with this workout. I’m trying to figure out a way to describe it’s misery. There used to be an expression that Eskimos had 40 words for snow, and I feel like it’s that way when it comes to training misery as well. Tower of Babel is like a riptide: it lures you in and suddenly you’re swimming as hard as you can to escape and not drown. Juarez Valley is like a bucking bronco: you get slammed right from the start and spend the whole time trying to hold on. This is honestly like baking inside an oven. It’s a consistent level of misery applied, but as you continue to endure it, it just keeps accumulating and becoming worse. The intensity never changes, but YOU do.
All this to say that, despite the PRs, I was HURTING through this one today. Related info: I saw in the mirror this morning that I am as lean as I was at my “peak” leanness back whenever it was I took that photo. A few points there
- Cool.
- It took me around 4 weeks to get here after 12 weeks of gaining.
- I am NOT trying to lose weight. All I’ve been doing is taking a break from gaining so that my guts have a chance to rest.
- What THAT means is that it appears I’ve reset my body’s “bodyfat set point” to “stupidly lean”. If I’m NOT eating to gain, this is where it tries to get back to. I do wonder if the introduction of AlphaMale to my life plays a role there.
- I am starting to experience the consequences of such leanness. Careful readers of my log will note I’ve been documenting little niggling tweaks here and there. My back keeps locking up, getting some connective tissue things, etc. The difficulty I’m experiencing in conditioning shows there as well.
I still intend to keep the diet break going for the duration of this training cycle, which is 3 more weeks, but this means I can most likely stop dropping/pulling food out of the rotation.
In that regard, working my 12 now, packed enough food for an army, and it’s sparring week for Tang Soo Do tonight, so lots of activity ahead. Daily work may slide, and that’s more than fine. This workout hits EVERYTHING.
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Your way with words never ceases to amaze me—here, and in your blog. (Not to mention the actual work you do, haha!)
I’ve done ToB and JV workouts, and you’re spot on, of course. Guess I need to get myself a log and try out the Snakehandler some day—you know, just to verify that you aren’t exaggerating.
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Very much appreciated dude! Logs are awesome: even if I didn’t compete, I’d still want one. In the interim, a keg can answer the mail. I’d also think there would be a place for hang muscle snatches. It’s basically about getting a weight overhead via the hips vs the legs, since your legs are already getting slammed with the front squats.
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This is something I think about more often than I’d like, and I have zero sympathy for the people making threads like that and disregarding all advice given to them.
I’d love to go back in time to my late teens/early twenties and start lifting, especially with people telling me exactly what to do and how to succeed.
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100%! It’s why I try to help so much: I live vicariously through these dudes. And you are included in that man! You know SO much more than I did at your point in training, and you’re showing amazing results from it.
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We have talked about TB and JV before and you are spot on with your descriptions of these sessions. The description of this new one leave me in no doubt that I don’t want to go near this. 
I totally understand why an 18 year old may not want to do super squats, heck I have never done it and don’t really have a desire to. But the OP had an opportunity to ask questions of someone who has done it, got great progress from it and has strength and physique that can only dream of. Losing the opportunity to converse with this person and learn. That is the bit I don’t understand.
I have told you my story about when I joined a gym so won’t repeat myself, but it took 6 months before I even spoke to someone. As you say above these kids have access to a wealth of experience and people who are happy to help and they squander it. I have to say it does make me a little mad 
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@simo74 You’re enough of an animal that I know you’ll get after it one day, haha. On the topic of squandering and anger, at one point it’s actually kind of nice that these kids show their true colors, because you learn they are a lost cause EARLY and can quit investing in them. Because really: what are these kids going to DO with size and strength if they get it? Clearly nothing good. They reveal their character and, at one point, you realize you don’t WANT to help them. There have no joke been dudes on here I’ve quit advising NOT because I felt like they couldn’t use the advice but because I didn’t want to be responsible for their success.
AM WORKOUT (0330 wake up via alarm, 4.5 hours of sleep due to time commitments)
SUPERSETS (press-chin)
Log clean and strict press away
3xLog
3x120
3x140
3x160
3x180
3x200
2x225
1x225
Weighted NG chins 80
7x3
GIANT SETS (press or dip-dip-raise-pull) weighted dips odd sets/trap bar even sets
Weighted dips 92.5lbs
3x10
Trap bar press 145
3x10
Dips
6xFailure
DB lateral raise 20lbs
4x11
2x10
Band pull aparts
6x15
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
CONDITIONNG: “TABEARTA”
20 rounds of Bear complexes, 20 seconds on/10 seconds off
20 standing ab wheels
Kroc rows 115
1x18
Notes: Went straight from my 12 yesterday to Tang Soo Do, our sparring night was focused on hitting the wavemasters with “tournament sparring techniques”, so it was a lot of fast footwork and being bouncy and spinny, came home, mrs worked on homework for a few hours while I did some meal prep, crashed, alarm got me up and I got after it.
Felt a bizarre combination of strong but unstable. The muscle is there, but all of my connective tissue is loose. Back was rippling and popping all over on the heaviest topset, and I called it at a double with a follow up single vs going for a true triple. Had a little difficulty with dizziness on the set of 200, but no blackout.
Hit PRs all along the supplemental work. This is going well. The looseness I think speaks to how little time I need on a diet break to reset. I also probably need to take in some carbs and refill some glycogen so that stuff will stick back together. Schedule has been crazy and cheat meals haven’t happened.
Tabearta continues to just be amazingly terrible. As long as I get in 2 per round, I know I’ll be hurting.
Took Friday off of work. Deadlifts in the morning, then getting chores knocked out so that my weekend is free If the weather is good, I’ll be able to take the dog around.
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You just had to didn’t you. You know my mindset very well and this is a sure fire way of making me add this to the list of bad good things to try.
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@simo74 It’s inevitable dude. You and I are of that breed. I gladly call you my brother.
PM WORKOUT (1815)
Tabata KB front squats w/45lb bells
Notes: Another “knocked out while taking out the trash” workout. This is a method I’d gladly sell. Just put a set of bells somewhere in your house that you frequently go through and make it a goal to do this 3 times a week, minimum. Could do some serious damage. I still am caught off guard with how “done” I am after 4 minutes. Holding the rack position really does some magic.
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I am extremely honoured that you think of me like that J and the feeling and respect is 100% mutual. It is very strange that you can meet someone through written word, on the other side of the world, from completely different backgrounds but deep down inside there is something that you understand because it is a part of you also.
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I see you’ve found my Tinder profile.
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@simo74 Absolutely dude! There are quite a few folks here that I totally just “get”, no matter the geographic or cultural difference. Something connects us.
AM WORKOUT (0323 natural wake up)
(2) Texas Deadlift Bar touch and go deadlifts
5x135+chains
5x225+chains
1x315+chaisn
1x385+chains
11+5+5x455+chains (rest pause)
12 rounds EMOM
Odd minute: (3) Deficit deadlift 315lbs
Even minute: SSB squat 205lbs
8-7-6-5-5-4
Axle shrugs against short strong bands
1x37
Followed up immediately w/ 50 band pull aparts, neck work, 40 reverse hypers w/50lbs and 20 standing ab wheels
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
CONDITIONING
10 rounds of
10 KB swings
5 burpee chins
5 dips
Done in 11:40
Notes: Do I know how to take a day off work or what? Once again, the super early deadlifting means VERY good control on the eccentric, which is a nice limitation. I might have had that 12th rep on the topset if my life depended on it, but I knew that, if I DID get it, I’d have nothing left in me for a follow up. Worked out well enough, as I picked up an extra rep on the final rest pause. My shins are torn to hell: my skin is dry and all the log work keeps opening up cuts on them. Made me just slightly gunshy on my pulls.
That EMOM workout is awful. I am so mad at myself for coming up with it. I’m also somehow getting better at it. But once it’s done, so am I.
Circuit was what I needed. Nothing too intense and got in some daily work.
Got Tang Soo Do tonight. Going to spend the day knocking out some chores so I can enjoy the weekend with the family.
Been meaning to note that this is the least “dramatic” ROM progression cycle I’ve had in a LONG time. No real build up, no prep, no psyche up, no meal ritual: just get it done like a normal training day. I think that’s been for the best for me to make this all sustainable. In general, this has been a very successful training cycle. I’ll write it up at some point to make it a “program”.
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Put all your awesome workouts together and the plan will be “pick one 5-6 days and do it”
Title it “This Sh!t Works”
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That’d tie in real well with my “20 sided die” approach, haha. I know a few dudes that have thought to do just that. You raise a good point though: I’ll most likely have to include what I’m doing for conditioning along with the resistance training.
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