Loving the idea of the PBJ. Super simple and effective. Sometimes we get caught up in the complexities and forget that just showing up and doing the damn work is what got us here in the first place.
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@oldbeancam Good to see you dude! And 100%. I probably need to write a PBJ themed post, but itās such a great answer to so many questions. Dan John is always guiding us, haha.
AM WORKOUT (0325 natural wake up) SEMI-FASTED: Half serving of Surge pre-workout, half serving during
5/3/1 FOR HARDGAINERS Week 3, Workout 4
MAIN WORK
Low handle trap bar lift
5x175
5x245
5x365
5x415
5x465
50 band pull aparts
SUPPLEMENTAL/ASSISTANCE
5 rounds of
- 5x366 Axle deadlifts
- 10 chins
- 20 dips
Time: 12:37
Straight into
40x360 reverse hypers
30 standing ab wheels
30 GHRs
25 pushdowns
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
SINGLE LEG/CONDITIONING
Pendlay Death March w/25lb KBs
100 paces per leg
Notes:
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Once again, good to be pulling heavy considering everything my body is going through. I could have pushed a touch further on the topset, but this was good enough to blow out some blood vessels.
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I FLEW through that supplemental work. I was shocked. Definitely shows improvement. If I can get my left arm in a health state, I could really do some damage. The bicep is feeling better, which has allowed me to appreciate how much Iāve junked up the forearm. It aches pretty badly. But on the plus side, the elbow pain is gone. Oh yeah, and my right lat acted up during the heavy deadlifts.
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Deathmarch really fell flat. I went too light, but even then, doing it outside meant I wanted to keep noise down to not wake up the neighborhood, and I was moving too slow to really get anything going. Still chasing the intensity dragon on the end of this workout. Snatches are really the answer: just need to get healthy enough to do them.
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Tang Soo Do later tonight, and I should be able to get in TABEARTA or some swings or something.
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Some thoughts:
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The more I think about it, the more excited I get about the idea of a return to Super Squats. I think Iām finally at a place psychologically where I can run the program without the gallon of milk a day, which was the biggest limiter.
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When I originally ran it, I did an abbreviated approach, with 1 push, squats, pulls overs, and 1 pull. This time around, Iād go a bit more full body. Part of me thinks of blending in some strongman stuff, part of me thinks to run it as to the book as possible.
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Ultimately, I need a change, and a return to basics sounds like a great one. It will keep me from trying to beat myself against previous PRs.
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If I do this, Iād like to focus on squat quality. I know the first time I did it I had plenty of Denver squats. I was still quite new to training.
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Pretty sure Iād stick with the buffalo bar. SSBs allow a bit too much ācheatingā resting at the top.
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Still contemplating how to āmake this mineā. I could do some WODs on the days between the squats, set a weighted vest mileage goal to achieve, ā5000 log viper challengeā, or something else. Iāve also thought about my 4x a week approach and having 1 day be squats and 1 day be trap bar pulls.
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This is still quite a ways away. I have to finish out Hardgainers and then take a 7 week diet break.
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As for Hardgainers: there is zero disputing that it is a solid program. Jim put together something awesome. Having said that, I placed it in the wrong spot for a gaining block. I think Hardgainers is THE program to run before BBB Beefcake and possibly Building the Monolith as well. It has gotten me into fantastic shape and done a great job increasing my appetite. What it lacks is āthe challengeā: something to build up to over those 6 weeks. You can make up your own with the prowler and other work, sure, but itās not pre-built into the program. But that isnāt a flaw: simply an observation, and an indication of why itās a solid preparatory program.
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Yess yess, it is time.
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Given how often I have seen you recommend Supersquats, Iād seriously enjoy watching you run it yourself. I say go for it
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Jeez I donāt check for a week and now you got a vest in the mix lol. Always pushing the limits!!
@simo74 Iāve got you and @tlgains setting the charge and re-lighting the spark as well. You canāt beat a classic.
@atlas13 Appreciate that back up! I keep meaning to come around to your log and comment. My schedule is exploding, but you are absolutely killing it and have demonstrated yourself to be just as much āmore trouble than youāre worthā. Youāre absolutely on my kickball team for Ragnarok.
@jwlake06 Thanks man! Iām SO mad at myself for deciding to try it, haha.
Had some bad thunderstorms this morning. Dog got up at 0540 and wouldnāt go back to sleep, so I took them downstairs and used the time to get in a fasted 2 rounds of PBJs. 3 complexes the first round, 2 complexes the second. I really struck gold with this combo, and itās once again why experimenting is so valuable. I discovered this pairing by running the 10k swing challenge and thinking about what Iād use to fill the gaps, and in doing so landed on what is currently my answer to all questions. How outstanding.
Mrs and I have a date night at a place with some good looking food, and hopefully a nice walk afterwards, if these storms clear. Otherwise, lawn mowing might get moved to tomorrow, so just some chores and bonding.
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New blog post is killer my man
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Pwnisher eats Super Squats for breakfast!
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Iām sure youāve seen/tried them, but Amazon has a rubber band rehab thing for elbows that helped me out a ton
@ChongLordUno Much love dude! Iāve been tapping into my inner ChongLord recently with so many burpee chins. Youāre living proof that just sending intensity and not sweating the details will get you far.
@tlgains With all the peanut butter Iām putting away, itās more like eating Mass Made Simple, haha.
@bjiral Appreciate the thought there dude. Iām aware for sure, but rehab goes against my values.
Mixed it up a little this week
20x135 thruster
20x135 front squat
20x135 squat
20x135 SSB squat
20x135 deadlift
20 burpee chins
Notes:
- The skeleton here is good: just needs some tweaking. Those thrusters are right on the money for the start, and going straight into the front squats after that is fantastic. From there, the squats and SSB squats are a little flat, and the deadlifts were more agonizing on the back vs taxing the whole body. I feel like the right call is to add reps to the squats and weight to the SSB squats, even if that breaks the whole ā135ā thing I got going. Those burpee chins got throw in at the end to break back some intensity, but if I want to be cheeky I could actually throw on a 40lb vest to achieve a 225lb bodyweight.
I ALSO had a thought of being an absolute and total lunatic and 21-15-9 on this some day.
Forearm is the new thing that hurts. Bicep is getting better.
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Haha!! Shoulda called it prehab then, I do em at my desk at work when a phone calls takes too long. No way Iād do it during a workout
Dude, I got a random question.
What size tshirt do you wear? I was having a debate with a buddy about when someone is ābigā enough to make the transition from L to XL. Obviously height and shoulder width can affect a shirt size, not just weight/muscle mass, but Iām looking for examples of real people.
@bjiral Iāve got some Captains of Crush grippers I do the same with. For me, I donāt ever treat pain. I treat dysfunction. If a limb isnāt operating the way itās supposed to, Iāll work to get it recovered again, and if I canāt do it, Iāll get some surgery. But pain? I let pain by pain. And typically Iāll actually lean INTO whatever is causing the pain, because that tends to force healing to happen. I use something Steve Pulcinella referred to as āPaleo rehabā, where basically, we keep imposing the same demands on the body irrespective of pain/injury and it forces itself to adapt and recover because it realizes there are no special treatments or breaks for being lame. Same reason I pretty much never warm-up, donāt do cooldowns, donāt stretch/do mobility, etc. I donāt want my body to become dependent on these protocols: I want it ready to perform.
@jshaving The sad truth is, my XL days are well behind me and I can comfortably fit a medium, but tend to wear larges because I donāt want to be at terms with that. But I went on a date night with the Mrs last week wearing a size medium
Whereas Iām wearing a size large in that most recent video I posted.
But keep in mind: Iām only 5ā9. One of the biggest issues I face is that shirts are designed to assume that, as you get larger, so does your height, so when I wear an XL it fits me like a sun dress. Iām around the mid 180s right now: when I was around 215lbs, I could fit an XL.
Slept until 0645 and got in a nasty workout where I did Tabata burpee chins but, during the 10 seconds of downtime, I did 2 thrusters w/95lbs. That is a keeper: absolutely gassed inside of 4 minutes.
Busy day today. Some lawn mowing may be about it.
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Been a helluva day, managed to get in 90 minutes of lawncare and still got in a TABEARTA workout and 20 standing ab wheels and a total of 50 chins. Parts are healing. Bar is ready for squats tomorrow, and I forgot that Iām somehow competing in my first martial arts tournament in about 2+ decades this weekend, so that means training is going to be compressed again.
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I have no idea how Tang Soo Do works, but you are the quintessential example of the sort of dude you do not want to see in your bracket. Excited to hear how that goes for you.
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@creative_name Very much appreciate that sentiment dude! This is very much āno-contactā stuff, so I donāt have quite the opportunity to be a terror, but my general athleticism has been helpful. Lotta adults are huffing and puffing after the first 30 seconds of sparring, and I figure I can gas folks out easy and make them play my game.
AM WORKOUT (0335 wake up via alarm)
5/3/1 FOR HARDGAINERS Week 4, Workout 1 SEMI-FASTED: half serving of Surge beforehand, half serving during
MAIN WORK
Box jumps
1x3
1x4
1x3
Buffalo bar Squats
5xBar
5x195
5x265
5x320
5x365
8x410
ASSISTANCE
- 5 rounds of 7x125 t-bar rows/7x55lb KB clean each rep and press
- 5 rounds of 6x125 t-bar rows/6x55lb KB clean each rep and press
- 4 rounds of 5x125 t-bar rows/5x55lb KB clean each rep and press
90 seconds rest between rounds
SUPPLEMENTAL+ASSISTANCE
Buffalo bar squat
23x320
Straight into
Belt Squat stripset (no rest/lockout)
18x200
Reps of 175, 150, 125, 100, 75, 50, 25 and axle
40x360 reverse hyper
30 standing ab wheels
30 GHRs
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
CONDITIONING
16 rounds of tabata burpee chins while putting plates away between rounds
25 pushdowns
Notes:
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This day tends to be the one Iām most jazzed about on the program, which makes it a good way to start the week. PR squats, the complexes/circuits in the middle, and a widowmaker. I feel like thatās just a solid program in general, and itās a bit faster than some of the other stuff.
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Still trying to find that top end strength. My diet break coming up will be good for that.
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Hitting a widowmaker after that conditioning circuit is a whole other animal. Iām coming in really hurt/gassed, and being able to fight through it is fantastic. Itās also the closest I come to puking during squats.
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Upped the weight on the circuit just a touch and it made a huge difference. Amazing how the little changes add up. In addition, torqued my forearms on the very first clean of the kettlebells, but bicep was feeling healthy through out. Little things.
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I was totally gassed come conditioning time. I knew I wasnāt getting anything productive done after 16 rounds.
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May get in TABEARTA today, but might also be due for a change. My right tricep is not liking things right now, and I imagine so much frequent locking out isnāt helping.
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Started using Metabolic Drive in my post workout shake these past 2 workouts. Excited to see how I respond.
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Got TABEARTA in the PM. Was going to take out the stone, but my forearm and bicep were giving me warning signs. Prowler is loaded up for tomorrow. Weāll see if axle cleans are in my future, otherwise, log will come out.
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Iām like 100 posts from catching up, Christ I love reading this log. Iāve been doing a ton of work on my house and sweating from morning until night and when stuff starts to hurt and my mind tells me to rest, I just read a few posts of this and get after it again. Things stop hurting pretty quick. Something else usually follows though, haha.
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@flappinit Dude, that comment made my night last night. Your opinion is super valuable to me, and hearing that just put my head in the right spot. Thanks for writing it! And yup: that pain will always find a home,haha.
AM WORKOUT (0333 natural wake up)
5/3/1 FOR HARDGAINERS Week 4, Workout 2
MAIN WORK
Axle clean and press away
5xAxle
5x136
5x156
5x176 (out of rack)
5x10 band pull aparts supersetted
SUPPLEMENTAL/ASSISTANCE
10 rounds of
- 5 log vipers w/135
- 5 chins (various grips)
- 10 dips
Time: 19:50
PROWLER
- 1 length w/low handles, come back w/high handles w/50lbs loaded
- 1 length w/low handles, come back w/high handles w/90lbs loaded
- 1 length w/harness, come back w/backwards drag w/140lbs loaded
Time: 19:00
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
Poundstone curls
227xAxle
20 standing ab wheels
40x90 reverse hyper
25 pushdowns
Notes:
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First press workout in quite a while where I walked away without getting hurt in some way, so thatās a blessing. Had to be smarter and decided not to push the axle cleans too hard. I took to doing some explosive rows for a few reps before I did the clean, just to get my body primed to move in that manner. Itās the turn over that does me in, primarily because, with the axle, the turn over is really just man handling the axle into position. Might be a season to take to doing more continentals. But the log was the right call for the metabolic effect I was going for, because I was hurting and sweating on that supplemental circuit. Perhaps Iām due to just do a long cycle of log work and leave the axle for supplemental and conditioning to maintain a feel for it.
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Was good to use a variety of grips on the chins. The bicep is feeling better, while the forearm remains dorked up. Small victories.
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Really like being able to take the low handles so much harder on the prowler. Thatās the work that really transforms you. Iām technically cutting things short on required work there, but Iāll take that 1 minute.
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Poundstones, if nothing else, are proof that my arms are still capable.
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Loaded up for TABEARTA tonight, and benching tomorrow, which is really to say weighted vest burpee chins, because thatās all I really seem to care about there.
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