Okay, I return. To anyone who didn’t read the last log, I’m finishing off my architecture degree in Bangkok this year, and I go to a sports complex with a rusty old weight room, but also a sweet Oly lifting room with all sorts of goodies.
My travels over the last five weeks were nothing short of incredible, but for now, it’s business time. Here’s my tentative game plan:
Sunday: DL + legs
Monday: Off
Tuesday: OH + grip
Wednesday: HP + calves
Thursday: Bench + grip
Friday: Off
Saturday: Row + calves
Working off a Layers template as of yet undecided, likely to vary every few weeks anyway. I haven’t ascertained what row will fit with Layers, probably none, but 2x a week SGHP really fucked my hands up last round and caused unwanted time off. I have two pressing days, two pulling days, and then obviously deadlifts. Here’s the idea: As I am apparently a masochist, snatch grip deads from a deficit will be performed, for max ROM and leg muscle recruitment. I fully expect to work with something like half my DL numbers at first. I will then supplement in direct quad work. Truth be told, I miss deadlifting and it’s my program, so that’s that.
Additional work will be kept to a minimum, performing perhaps dips, T bars, some curls, whatever sounds good and fits with the day’s work. Looking for volume on those pesky forearms and calves so they will be punished hard and frequently.
Now, off to do work. Here’s hoping the political demonstrations don’t block me out of the sports complex where I lift!
My gym is shut down due to protests, and the two I looked at today cost way more than their worth. I guess it’s down to the school gym (when that reopens), and hoping my normal one reopens soon.
Since Bangkok is partially crippled and my gym is temporarily closed (clashes lead to deaths there on Dec 26) I decided, hey, seeing as all I have for a kitchen is a microwave and I spend a good 5-7 minutes a day standing in front of it, I’ll do calf raises every other second whenever it is running.
Up on the odd second, hold for one, down. Burns like a motherfucker when I am heating water for 90 seconds. I even had some soreness yesterday. It aint much of a workout but it’s easily over 100 reps a day so it beats doing nothing for now.
The guards at the gym told me today that it’ll reopen on Feb 15, so I lost a solid month but there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
All the daily calf raises in front of the microwave are working. I adapted to the first challenge quickly, now I’m up to one rep a second for 10 seconds, then one rep every 2 seconds for 10 seconds, for 90 total seconds. I’ve learned in no uncertain terms that you can train calves right up to failure with nothing but bodyweight and 90 seconds.
The gym is open again and all is right in the world.
OHP
Ramped to 50 kg.
Hit a sad amount of singles at 45 and the 40 kg, 8 total.
Haven’t trained this in almost a year. Felt good despite being weak.
Front plate raises - all the way overhead.
10x10kg
6x15 (3) kg with slow eccentric - got slower and slower with each set, eventually I was just pressing the plate overhead and dropping it as slow as possible.
8x10kg with same extreme slowness
Hit some wrist flexion/extensions with a 1m steel bar and peaced out.
Snatch grip deficit deadlift - a new kind of beast from an old favorite. Found THE maximum deficit I could create, the bar was just on top of my feet. Took an exaggeratedly wide grip. This move opened my eyes to a whole new world of pain coming in my future. Parts I didn’t know I had started quivering after just one warm up set. You know what that means: loads of gains to be had.
I only worked with 60kg just to get a feel for the move, and what kind of DOMS I’m going to get from it. Even from that weight my upper hamstrings are like “wtf did you do to us?” only a few hours later. Next week though, it’s on. Burned through about 6 sets of 6-8. It felt great all over, upper traps to behind my knees was lit up the whole way.
Rounded her off with some leg press and calf raises. I’m finna implement some Bruno-esque leg brutality in these sessions, just wanted to keep it to one new move per day. I’m gonna be a waddling mess as is…
I’m gonna rearrange a little bit. I had 2 back days consecutively by no accident, but lumping all that delt-heavy work together is too much.
Sun - OHP + grip
Mon - off
Tues - Row + calves
Weds - High pull + grip
Thur - Bench + calves
Fri - off
Sat - Snatch grip deficit deadlift + legs
I will not tolerate skinny forearms and calves anymore. They will be pounded into submission. Luckily my calves actually grow.
2 days of different attack on the traps in a row…then a third on Saturday…bring me that yoke.
First honest ramp to a 1rm - 57 kg. That’s really good for me, my highest number ever was an ugly 125lb when I was training OHP frequently last year, and I just walked in and beat it.
10 singles at 50 kg
Stuck the barbell in the corner for landmine presses. I see why they are getting attention lately, this move kicks ass.
15 x 10kg
10 x 15 kg
8 x 15 kg
10 x 10 kg
Had to do some forearm work here instead of afterward because my delts were too lit up for plate raises at this point. Found a brutal way to hit static holds with the steel rod I’ve been using.
Plate raises - 10kg x AMAP, 3 second negatives. Shoulders of fire after that.
Sup bro, hope your dodging the lady boys out there! Which bench layer program did you use from thibs? I’m going to reset 531 for all other lifts try somethng new for bench.
Well, when I picked up on the Layers stuff, I started with what turned out to be a monster template that, later on, I read CT mention he only recommends doing very infrequently hahaha. It got me from somewhere around 200lbs to 231 (105 kg) in about 3.5 months doing one day of flat and one day of decline per week, with a LOT of dips and then some direct tricep work to polish it off.
I cycled weekly through ramping to a 1, 2 and 3 rm.
Did clusters off 90% of the daily max
Then did countdown sets, 5,4,3,2,1 with (I think) 60-70%. Dig up my other log for exact numbers.
I did that for EVERYTHING and my numbers rocketed up for months on end. I think I set a PR in like 25 consecutive workouts.
This time, I’ll probably run that again if/when my progress slows. I’m trying the density approach or whatever he called it, same ramping scheme but focusing on breaking rep counts or reps for time with high weights (80-90%). IME, I have to believe any variation is highly effective.
Well, I had a very weird day. This experiment is getting cut short. In light of ongoing political turmoil, which led to a random bombing of innocent bystanders in an area I have to frequent to get to class, my university back home is pulling the plug on my stay abroad.
I will very gladly be picking back up at the bad ass school gym I left behind last May, just as soon as I can, so there’s a plus to everything. I think I might be back in the USA as early as next week.
Anyway, my head was reeling for hours after getting that news. I went in and blew off some steam by pulling some big ass rows and back movements, didn’t even keep track, but I bet I’ll be sore tomorrow.
[quote]mutantcolors wrote:
Well, I had a very weird day. This experiment is getting cut short. In light of ongoing political turmoil, which led to a random bombing of innocent bystanders in an area I have to frequent to get to class, my university back home is pulling the plug on my stay abroad.
I will very gladly be picking back up at the bad ass school gym I left behind last May, just as soon as I can, so there’s a plus to everything. I think I might be back in the USA as early as next week.
Anyway, my head was reeling for hours after getting that news. I went in and blew off some steam by pulling some big ass rows and back movements, didn’t even keep track, but I bet I’ll be sore tomorrow.[/quote]
Sorry to hear that.
How’s that going to affect the completion of your program?
Not at all from what we have discussed, I may very well do all my classes remotely. The internet is amazing and I’ll be done in May one way or the other.
This was directly in front of where I buy groceries. I walk through the building across the street at 17sec on my way to class.
