I think I deloaded at too high a percentage last time. Both me and one of my training partners are stalling like hell. Case in point:
Nutty’s Program
Session 53
DL Warm-up
10@40
8@60
5@80
4@100
3@115
2@120
2@130
1@140
DEADLIFT 3-5 @ 130 (ss: HLR 5x10). Regress
5
5
3
3 (belt required)
0
(Box) Back Squat 8-12 @ 80 (ss: Single leg KB RDL 4x12 @ 16kg/hand)
8
8
10
10
I already miss front squats
GHR (ss: cable crunch 4x10-15)
4x12-15
Nutty’s Program
Session 54
STRICT OH PRESS @ 45kg (ss: 10 kg Chin-ups 10, 10, 10, 8+2, 6+4). Relative progress
6
6
5
4
4
BB INCLINE BENCH PRESS 8-12 @ 50 (ss: BB Row 5x10@75). Progress
10
10
8
8, I think I got more reps but I forgot to note it down. Didn’t get twelves though.
DIPS @ 10kg (ss: Curls 4x12 @ 14kg per hand, BPAs — 4x25)
12
12
12
12, last two sets were not a continuous set
Nutty’s Program
Session 55
BACK SQUAT 5x3-5 (ss: Ab Wheel 5x10).
5x5@110
RDL 4x10-12 @ 100 (ss: BW Bulgarian Split Squat - 4x12). Progress
10
12
12
12
GHR 4x12-15 (ss: Cable Crunches - 4x??? & Abductor Machine 4x12)
Note to self: get better at logging
Good squatting man. I like the Dave Tate hood.
Thanks, with the exception of rep three there I had a really good session. Will repeat the session next week and then bump the weight. You might notice I didn’t chase 115 today. My back is still fucky. I’d rather get some lighter reps in, than loose tightness and get injured.
Squatting with a hoodie is the best. An added bonus is that it is a hoodie, but on a t-shirt.
And I’m guessing you are referring to this video?
@Pinkylifting Do you think that these look good as well? They were relatively pain-free so I’m happy 
I mean pain as in… the bad kind.
Every video I’ve seen of Dave Tate is wearing a hoody. Everytime I’ve seen him squat, the hood goes up. I wish I was cool enough to copy but I overheat like my old Vauxhall Corsa whenever I lift.
Pain free squats are more than most some can hope for ha.
Technique looks solid, good depth and less torso collapse than the last set I saw so an improvement.
Just looking at your second and onwards reps, and i could be wrong, squat angles are always hard to chose but the bar is in the way of your sternum, it still looks like you’re breathing out a little before the rep, like you are trying to tense your abs, rather than brace your abs. The difference being when you brace your abs you should literally not be able to take in any more air, and all that air you do have is being pushing down into your belt.
How tight does your upper back feel during the rep?
When you brace, are you solely pushing out or are you simultaneously tensing them? I’ll be more mindful of the breathing next time, I can’t figure out if I’m doing it myself looking at the video.
I think I can get my upper back a lot tighter. It is one of the things I forget about. My focus have been so much on what my lower body is doing, i.e. spreading the floor and such, that I forget to focus on the thing that actually limits how much weight I’ll move - i.e. the torso.
I can tell because sometimes when I get under the bar I feel like I’m about to squat 50% of what is actually on there (this is when I really manage to dial in my tightness). In a way I’d probably be better served structuring my training in such a way that I’m not hurrying, and can really perfect my set-up.
This is 100% something I’ve noticed as well.
I’m still ‘tensing’ them, but it’s a very, very different feeling to tensing like your flexing your abs in a pose. Best analogy is it’s like your simultaneously trying as hard as you can to take a shit, while tensing your ass as hard as you can to stop it ha, but really your stomach should be as distended as it can be, or you should be trying to, while the belt pushes back in on you. It should feel like you are trying to snap your belt open.
This is why I think the squat is the hardest lift to master technically, there are so many cues to keep in mind. Unfortunately the only solution is to do so many perfect reps that most of them become second nature, then you can focus on the effort ones (i.e the things that you either do ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ like knee path or foot placement, become instinct, leaving you mental capacity to focus on how hard you brace and how tight your back is)
This will make a huge difference, when it comes to technical work, it’s repeated high quality reps that will be where your progress comes from.
I like this cue!
I swear I have some days - a lot of days - where I pass by the gym on the way back home from work and think to myself “I could go in and practie a few reps” but I know that’ll end up being a ramp to a 3RM X)
First though, I’m going to see my comittment through (we are a few that comitted to running a program til year end: A Friendly Challenge - Battling Program ADD)
Haven’t completely thought out how my training will look like thereafter. It’ll be similar but allow me to hone in more keenly on the main lifts, at least for a while.
Maybe, and I’m just tossing things out here because I’m stuck on the thing that I’m working on,
Day 1:
A. Overhead Press 5x4-6, 2-3m rest
B1. Push Press 4x6-8, 60-90s rest
B2. Pull-ups/Chin-ups 4x6-8, 60-90s rest → B1
C. Handstand pushup (just eccentrics for now)
Day 2:
A. Back Squat 5x3-5, 3-4m rest (haha, just writing that out makes me go “hmm, banded walks…?”)
B. Deficit Deadlift 3x6-8, 2-3m rest
C. Pistol Squats 4x10-12 (ss: Abductor Machine 4x10-12)
Day 3:
A. Bench Press 5x4-6, 2-3m rest
B1. Barbell Row 4x6-8, 90s rest
B2. BTN Press 4x10-12, 90s rest → B1
C. Dips 4x10-12, 90-120s rest.
Day 4:
A. Deadlift 5x3-5, 3-4m rest
B. Front Squat 4x6-8, 2-3m rest
C. Walking Lunges 100 reps, no real progression model here…
It doesn’t really have any real rear delt work or ab-work but these are things I can do outside of the gym.
This is where I absolutely need to up my game. Do you feel core work brings any benefit to bracing? And if so, what kind of core work?
Definitely.
Variations I like to hit core hard are SSB squats and high bar squats
Direct work I like is Ab wheels, focusing on holding the motion at the full extension, and getting as long as possible, and hanging Metronomes / wipers. Never seen a formal name for them unfortunately but get your body properly horizontal and they will kill your obliques and transverse
Yea you can hit your abs anywhere, for rear delts I like band pull aparts between bench sets. Does enough for me
I believe I always high bar squat anyway (I’ve never been 100% clear on when high bar becomes low bar).
I’ll definitely work some direct stuff into my next program. Thank you
When you are convinced that the bar is about to slip down your back, unless you actively try to pull it against you, then it’s low bar ha.
Yeah, I definitely high bar. The bar runs along the back of my delts.
For me, high bar sits on my traps, low bar sits below my rear delts. I guess theres a ‘mid bar’ halfway on top of my rear delts but I never use it, not sure why, I think it might sit painfully on a bone there or something but i cant actually remember trying.
To be honest, I put the bar in the place that I’ve always put the bar, long before I realised that low bar or high bar were things.