Rebirth of the Juggernaut: Brute Force and Ignorance (Part 1)

Training Training Logs
222

It’s not a popular opinion to have, haha. Lotta folks wanna believe in something more, that there is life beyond this, that their actions matter, that they will have an impact, but ultimately I find that limiting.

If you decide to go reading in that direction, I’d consider starting with Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morals. Some of his works are a little tough to jump into, but that one stays pretty true to the course for a while. You could always pick up a selection of his works too. Camus was tough for me to get through, even though it had some cool ideas in it.

Always happy to entertain more discussion on the matter. This log doesn’t just have to be about lifting, and in fact, the topic you’re bringing up is pretty central to the theme of this log. Coming back and pushing forward toward a meaningless future.

223

dagill2 wrote
The only conclusion I’ve reached is that success can only be measured as a function of your own goals, and yet that answer still doesn’t sit too comfortably with me.
in what way do you not find it comfortable

my training goals are my own ,hard to measure or articulate to others

as far as meaningless future
my future is every day when i come home and my wife is still here
my future is every sunday when i see my grand kids
my future is when i talk to my sons and they have decent jobs ,and they are doing right
so i pretty much dont see a meaningless future

224

Your future sounds like the present, haha. That’s exactly what I’m getting at. In 1,000 years, everyone I know and love will be dead and gone, and my memory won’t exist, and I’m ok with that BECAUSE I have this moment.

225

In 1,000 years, everyone I know and love will be dead and gone

I have lost enough family and friends already ,that i am at peace with my place

how ever some people piss me off so i am not totally at peace

226

Sam: Don’t sweat it. Peace is overrated, haha.

Prowler workout part 2

12x50’

Notes: Just wanted to redeem my morning workout. Did low handles up and high handles down. Real ass-kicker, the terrain has definitely changed. On the plus side, my gorilla tape repair job held up well on the prowler, and it’ll be a good temp fix until I get some resolution. Also, I needed to burn off this cheat meal.

Cheat meal: Jack in the Box, 2 Monster Tacos, Small Curl Fries, Jack’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich and Ultimate Cheeseburger (minus 1 full set of buns between the two sandwiches).

What’s amazing is how not sick and ready for more food I was after that meal. JITB was a big part of my childhood, and I was just tripping down memory lane the whole time.

227

Seated axle press
5xAxle
5x75
5x115
5x145
5x165
5x185
19x145 (rest pause)

Notes: Small right side neck tweak, but otherwise a solid pressing day.

Dips
77-13-10
45-20-12-13-10

Notes: My ROM is a joke on these, but it’s blowing up my chest something fierce. Triceps still getting some love too.

Axle curls
1x100

Band pull aparts
1x100

D-ring lat pulldowns 110
12x15

Notes: Originally planned to do half a workout of pulldowns and half rows, but really figured out something solid on these that I wanted to keep trying. Instead of pulling straight down, I pull the handles out to the side as well as down. Very significant stimulus that way.

General notes: Woke up at 189.8. No significant weight gain from cheat meal. In PT news, got cleared to start performing kettlebell swings with a deep squat and some pretty advanced step ups. Might actually be able to train the healing leg soon. Performed an accidentally lunge the other night when I was getting up from off my good knee, and didn’t have any issues. Minus some slight pain in the outer edge of the kneecap, things are going very well.

228

I used to do pull-ups on rings the same way, makes such a difference. worked so well I stopped doing them.

229

Neanderthals

lifted when i was younger {no internet} other interests took over big break of time started lifting again
that said
based on your article
we had no programs you grab the barbell did various lifts no real ryhme or reason tried to go heavier always foreced reps ,negatives , when you were no longer sore do it again
when i started again found {internet} alot of information on lifting ,confusing as hell
3 sets of 8 who the hell does just 3 sets anything
in beginers thread no one asks about stretch marks on shoulders and biceps???
does everybody know how not to get them???
some site’s and people spoke of the old ways
other sites tend to beat down the old ways
spreading fear of the old ways
i talk to alot of people who have never lifted before and find alot of them are held back by fear
fear of getting hurt
fear of getting fat
fear of getting to big{not kidding hear that alot}
fear of doing the wrong thing
any way great article as always

230

hope you dont mind the rants
been reading this site for awhile some terms i have seen that people discuss that i had not heard before
stalling, weight or rep you havent hit yet
deload, i try it again next week
now that i am older and broke down
deload ,i cut back a little

231

Sam: I don’t mind the rants at all, always happy to have your perspective. My lifting experience was the same as yours: football coach in high school taught us the basics, and then we were just let loose. Testosterone took over, we all competed with each other to see who was the strongest on every movement, we overworked, overate, slept too much, and got bigger and stronger somehow. Meanwhile, I actually had someone tell me the other day that playing sports would be a waste of time for someone wanting to get bigger and stronger, and that it’d be better for them to start with Starting Strength from day 1.

Your points on fear are spot on. So many of the new trainees are absolutely terrified of making ANY mistakes, so they choose to do nothing in order to be “safe”. I imagine after getting participation trophies for so long, the idea that you could not be rewarded for the smallest efforts is terrifying. We actually see it in my job now: kids show up at 18, get told they did something wrong and break down crying because it’s the first time anyone has ever told them that and they don’t know how to handle it.

Just different times.

Grippers

All dropsets

5x#2.5
5x#2
5x#1
5xTrainer

10x#2
10x#1
10xTrainer

25x#1
25xTrainer

50xTrainer

Notes: Really liked this workout. Forearms are swollen something fierce. Still not making a lot of progress on the 2.5 with the right hand (had to do an assisted rep for rep 5), but I finally closed it with the left hand with zero assists. Very pleased with that.

General notes: Woke up at 189.6. Feel like I’ve really turned a corner on my rehab. Knee feels stable, I was able to accidentally sprint a few steps yesterday, stairs aren’t a problem, ROM is good, and I’m starting to feel strong again. I’m going to start bugging my PT techs about certain movements like GHRs and whatever else I might be able to get away with.

232

I saw the whole dialog over on fittit about “the first 12 months”. That was pretty crazy how that was received.

This whole beginner/intermediate/advanced thing really is toxic to people’s way of thinking. I’d seen you mention it, but it was just weird to see that in action.

As for myself, so far this year is going pretty well. The near-daily ROM squat progression wasn’t quite sustainable, at least not while also trying to keep that light/medium/heavy cycle with the farmers walks. But after a week of “recovery”, I was able to pick up where it left off. It’s neat how the body does that.

The progression is going a bit slower than I originally thought it would, but it’s working. It’d probably go a bit smoother if I had the chain setup like you have, but there’s an entirely different set of merits by having the weight as a pendulum. I don’t think any two reps have ever been exactly the same; sometimes one side is off, sometimes the other, sometimes things get “off” mid rep, and you just have to learn to stabilize a dynamic load while moving with it. So, I’m getting stronger, my balance is improving, and my appetite is back, so that’s cool.

Really glad to hear your knee is still on the up-and-up.

233

LoRez: That topic was nuts, haha. I was genuinely shocked by the responses, as I would’ve killed for something like that when I first started off. 12 month plan, no thinking required, and still a bunch of kids got pissed off because they had to read 2 books to be set for life. I pretty much only hang out at reddit for blogger fuel, and now that my work’s firewall is blocking it, I’ll be there a lot less, haha.

It’s great that your figuring this stuff out as you go, and I think your squat set-up is pretty baller for some brute strength development. Sounds like you got a lot of positives going your way, and a plan moving forward. Not a whole lot more you could ask for.

And thanks for the kind words about my knee. Always appreciate the support.

Single legged SSB Box Squat Dropset
10x245+chains
10x205+chains
10x155+chains
10x115+chains
10xBar+chains

Notes: Still moving along well with this movement. I can feel the left leg taking over a little, but I’m still keeping control on it as much as I can.

Left leg standing lunge
1x50

Notes: I’m training my left leg again. I had more in me, but gotta play this smart. Technically not authorized to do this yet, but PT says that, as long as it doesn’t hurt, I can do it, so there you go.

KB swing 45lbs
4x5

superset in a circuit w/

Neck harness 60lbs
1x25
3x20

Notes: Took the KB swings light, but focused on the glute contraction. Great to be hitting some real moves again.

Blast strap fallout hold
3:00

Notes: Much better than the past few sessions. No squirming, kept my hands forward the whole time. Tons of pain in the abs.

Reverse hyper 5lbs
1x100

234

Axle bench press
5xAxle
5x75
5x115
5x165
5x200
5x230
13x260
20x200

Notes: Milestone; first bench workout since the surgery where I was able to get both heels on the floor under my hips. Prior to this, my left foot was always straight out. Still not using much leg drive, just to be safe, but it’s a huge mobility PR. Warm-ups were feeling fast today.

Dips (upright)
1x35
1x25
1x25-10-5

Notes: Was feeling beat down around this point in the workout. Got a bit of a heat wave, and it was making me feel pretty nauseous.

3 way shoulder raise 20lbs
3x12

NG chins (various grips)
14x25

General notes: Woke up at 189.6. Workout really took a lot out of me today. Seems to happen a lot on this one, and it’s most likely a result of not taking it seriously since it’s “just bench”.

235

Seated chain suspended buffalo bar good mornings
5xBar
5x100
5x140
5x190
5x230
3x280
3x320
1x370 (PR by default)
5x320 (1 rep PR)

Notes: Great day for seated good mornings. Stars were aligned. Lower back felt bulletproof, and things moved smooth. The 370 rep felt like old times; saw stars, got dizzy, almost collapsed, took a big breath and went for another. Crashed into the chains, but was able to get another rep on the set of 320 for another PR in the workout.

Axle deadlifts 60lbs
1x150

Notes: First deadlift workout since surgery. My PT today reversed a prior decision and said KB swings were too ballistic, but DLs were ok. My eyes lit up like Christmas. Still have to go light, but there are always more reps to be had. Fun new factor to deal with: with one quad now significantly larger than the other, the bar pinwheels outward at the top of the rep. Technique was still pretty solid with so little practice.

Blast strap fallouts
1x85

Neck harness 45lbs
45-20-20

Reverse hyper 10lbs
1x100

General notes: Woke up at 188.8. As noted above, my PT techs are kinda fighting with each other on my rehab, so I get schizophrenic advice. Still, the general consensus is that I’m improving, just how far I can push myself comes into question.

Used my new Why Our Way straps for the axle deads. They work great, well worth it.

782×359 481 KB

I’m coming back.

236

150 reps in one set? I couldn’t think of any exercise where I could do 150 reps. Unless we count walking as a strength exercise. Your conditioning seems to be in check :smiley:

237

Yup yup, 1 set, resting at the top of the rep. I appreciate the kind words man. It’s been a good period of time to get good at super high reps. Really, after about 50, it’s more a mental game than a physical one. Different counting schemes, small victories along the way, all sorts of tricks involved to get through them. My lower back and glutes were on fire after it was done, so that was nice. Legs got all banged up too, haha.

I’m going to be excited when I can actually put some weight on the bar. Still a ways to go I’m sure, but at least I got something.

238

I once did sandbag deadlifts with about the same weight for about 50 reps and thought I have to die. Might start doing stuff like this after my competition again for conditioning and mental toughness.

239

Keep in mind, I’m only doing this because I can’t do anything else. If I had the choice, instead of 150 reps of something light, I’d be doing squat dropsets. I think those are honestly some of the most effective ways to chase after those two goals.

This one just one example of the many varieties of stupid squat workouts I had done in the past.

Believe me, as soon as I can, I’m dropping the 150 reppers and going back to this, haha.

240

1: Wtf?!
2: Great use of the rack as a tool to stop you from falling
3: I would probably piss my pants from excitement just stepping in to your garage, especially knowing that all those shiny object belong to me.
4: On a more serious note, you mentioned that you train early in the morning before work. How are you able to function after stuff like this? Lately I have had the problem that I am dead tired after my workouts. I mean I literally feel like I need to sleep a whole day to return to normal function again. Since I have been feeling pretty shitty the last one or two weeks this might partially be because I am becoming sick. But when I see this I seriously wonder how the hell you are able to go to work and manage your life afterwards.

241

On points 1-3: Much thanks. The gym is a definite labor of love. Made a few additions since then, but still probably never be fully satisfied, haha.

As for point 4: This was back when I’d have one Saturday afternoon workout a week, and this was it. It was a heavy deadlift/high rep squat workout, and as a result I was really able to let the throttle out and push my limits. After this workout, I’d spend like 20 minutes laying on the floor and the rest of the day pretty zoned out.

That said, I’ve had to get rid of that training time, and I’ve been able to still keep pretty high intensity in my morning workouts. I’m a big fan of the “adapt or die” mentality, and I apply it to pretty much anything. I believe that you can make the body do some pretty crazy things if you give it no other choice, as ultimately it tends to pick life over death. It eventually proved me wrong when my ACL snapped, haha, but still, in a lot of cases, if you just keep beating your body with a stimulus, it’ll eventually learn how to live with it.

I DO drink an energy drink once a day, usually pretty close after my workout, and I wake up early enough that I have an hour or so between when the workout starts and when I arrive at work, which gives me time to adjust, but for the most part I know that I want to train and I have to go to work, and I just keep doing both.