These types of situations are super fun. Really a test for the creative powers.
@Frank_C I did, haha. Itās why I ended up sticking with seated pressing. Iāve tried standing before, and it got a little too dicey.
@mr.v3lv3t Absolutely. And all I can think about is people bitching about how they canāt train because they donāt have a rack, or a barbell, or some other piece of equipment. Canāt compensate for effort and intensity, but you can for just about anything else.
1 Like
Cool workouts Pwn
101 reps thatās a lot 
@mortdk Much thanks. It was QUITE a burnout. Seemed a little silly to be moving such little weight, but soon it became very much just a mental game of getting through it somehow. Been enjoying getting out of my comfort zone.
2 Likes
Your workouts seems like itās out of everybodyās comfort zone
3 Likes
@mortdk Itās the one thing I got going for me, haha.
PM WORKOUT
SUPERSET
Axle strict press
5xAxle
5x103
3x161
3x181
6x206
12x161
Band pull aparts
6x20
SUPERSET circuit (no rest between sets)
Dips
5x155
5x130
5x105
5x80
5x55
5x30
5xBW
NG chins
8x65
8x55
8x45
8x35
8x25
8x15
8xBW
Notes: Wanted to get in a quick one as I return from vacation. Really pleased with this. I had a 7th rep for that topset of press, but hit the supports of the rack twice with the bumper plate and it threw off my game. Not too far from my all time PR.
Woke up at 195.6. Still going to give it a few days to stabilize. Volunteered to help spot/load at a local powerlifting meet this Friday. Be good to give back.
4 Likes
PM WORKOUT
Buffalo Bar Squats 240
10x10
Notes: Kept the rest times super strict at sub 2 minutes. Actually broke out the timer and everything. The first 5 sets, I was feeling cocky and thought Iād need to push for max reps on set 10, the last 2 sets, I was just trying to survive. It sneaks up on you, and is a different kind of suck. Still got the exertion headache at the end, so glad thatās not changing. Squats felt awesome: deep and fast. Byproduct of lighter weight and time away Iām sure.
Woke up at 194.4.
3 Likes
Hey man, do you have any tips or advice from your time running God is a Beast that you could share? Iām going to give that one a run for my next program.
The mainwork seems to sort itself out well enough. I found the 10x5s lacking in challenge for the most part, so I would usually find some way to keep the weight as prescribed but still find ways to make it seem worthwhile. You can use a more difficult implement (axle on deadlifts, SSB on squats, etc), a more difficult method (pause each rep on the bench and press), or use very short rest times/giant sets to make it taxing.
Gotta just trust the process too. For 5 weeks, youāre going to feel like itās not working, and then on week 6 you hit a PR out of nowhere.
2 Likes
Thanks for the tips man. Iāll keep that in mind when figuring out what to do for the workouts themselves.
@mr.v3lv3t No worries man. Be in touch. The program was a great lesson in strength under fatigue.
AM WORKOUT
GIANT SETS
Axle bench press
5xAxle
5x136
5x186
3x236
3x276
8x301
16x236
DB handle rows 132
7x8
Band pull aparts
5x20
GIANT SETS
Axle incline press 173
3x9
2x8
DB handle rows 132
5x6
Lateral raises 20
5x10
Notes: Broke out the DB row handle after a long while in retirement. For reference, it looks like this
Loaded it with 2 25s and a 10 per side. Gives me a decent amount of ROM and a heavier load. Handle is a touch too thin and bothers my elbows some, may use straps in the future. Otherwise though, it was nice to get a little heavier on the DB rows again.
Benching was adequate. Incline is feeling more natural, although I think Iām jacking something up in my left shoulder. Gonna ride it out and see what happens.
Woke up at 194.8.
2 Likes
Fat grips might be good. Or as you said straps.
1 Like
Yeah, Iām not the biggest fat gripz fan, since they tend to spin on the handle and never make a full seal. Iāve got a thick handle loadable dumbbell that I might break out of retirement, but I just hate loading so many damn plates on it, haha.
2 Likes
PM WORKOUT
Standing ab wheel
3x8
Texas deadlift bar touch and go deadlifts 325lbs
10x10
Notes: PM workout because I woke up at 0440 and my legs felt like they were made of lead. Thought itād get better by the afternoon but it didnāt, so called an audible and did a dry run of what the deadlift day will be like for Deep Water. Iām 20lbs shy of the RX weight, but kept the rest periods short. For 6 sets were 2 minutes, last 4 were 2.5. My left hamstring felt like piano wire, and my right quad buckled whenever I bent my leg, so these were all pretty much straight legged, with the hardest part of each set simply reaching down to grab the bar at the start. Figured out why my right glute always hurts with deads: itās not the eccentric or the concentric, but where I hold the weigh at the top when I rest. Itās all on my right side. Knowing that, I can work to start addressing that.
Woke up at 194.8 this morning. Usual Panda Express cheat meal yesterday. Helped spot/load at a local powerlifting meet yesterday as well. Lasted about 2 hours, decent activity.
4 Likes
PM WORKOUT
45 minutes of lawnwork with 45lb vest.
Woke up at 196.0
1 Like
YESTERDAY ADDITIONAL PM WORKOUT
Prowler high handle/low handle circuit 50ā (no rest between rounds)
3 rounds w/115ish loaded
Notes: Rigged up the prowler with a 35lb bumper per side and then had my kid ride on it while holding the low handles. Kiddo had a blast, and it was fun to get them out training with me. Was hoping itād help with my leg soreness too.
TODAY AM WORKOUT
GIANT SETS
Axle strict press
5xAxle
5x103
5x136
5x171
3x196
4x216
10x171
NG chins
7x10
Band pull aparts
7x20
GIANT SETS
Weighted dips 130lbs
2x8
2x7
1x6
Weighted NG chins 75
5x5
DB curls 35
5x10
Notes: Last heavy 5/3/1 press day for a while. Happy with the 4x215. Consistent numbers on at that weight, but today I just about blacked out at rep 1 and had to regain myself for the rest of the set. Good fight. Dips were difficult and good for overcoming.
Woke up at 196.2.
4 Likes
Generally my answer to everything when people say things are easy. If you get good at the hard stuff, the easy stuff stays easy
4 Likes
@oldbeancam Itās a good approach in many cases. Itās why I like training in the AM, so that Iām better in the PM. On that noteā¦
AM WORKOUT
Buffalo Bar Squats 245
10x10
Bodyweight lunges
3x10
Notes: True 2 minutes rest between sets. Set my alarm for 1 minute 50 seconds so that, by the time I set up under the bar, Iād be at 2 minutes of actual rest. The first set is always the hardest, but after that things were smooth until about set 6, where the initial struggle began, and then sets 8-10 where it was a real ball buster. Got it done, laid down for 5 minutes, looked at the time and realized I had enough time left to do the lunges. Iām getting closer and closer to running the program in full, and once I get back from a business trip next week, I plan to run the full Deep Water program and see what it can do.
Woke up at 196.4. Stomach has been bothering me past few days.
7 Likes
Going to lay out my next block of training, primarily because it keeps circling around in my head and I want to get it down somewhere.
Iāll be running the Deep Water program from Jon Andersenās book, with some very small modifications. Iām going to use an axle for all my pressing, except on incline bench, where Iāll either use a swiss bar or a 9" log depending on how my shoulders feel. Iām thinking I might use an axle for deadlifts on the 10x10 squat day, just to keep it in my rotation. I may also use a SSB on the 10x10 deadlift day for similar reasons. I am going to throw reverse hypers in on the back day in place of the ab work, just to make it an all out back day. On my squat week, my events work will be stones, so that I can get in some more back intensive training. On my deadlift week, my events work will be prowler/sled, so I can get in more leg intensive training. As the winter hits and we get snow, Iāll have to get creative.
All that said, here is how the program will break down.
WEEK 1
Monday
4 sets of pull-ups to failure
4x10 bent over rows
3x10 clean pull
4x10 reverse hyper
Tuesday
10x10 Push press (axle)
3x10 DB lateral raises
5x10 barbell curls
Sit up/back extension 3 sets of 20 each, no rest between sets
Thursday
3x10 Bench press (axle)
3x10 close grip bench press (axle)
3x10 incline bench (swiss bar or log)
3 sets of dips to failure
3 sets of push ups to failure
60 second plank with 20 sit ups, 3 rounds, no rest
Saturday
10x10 buffalo bar squats
3x10 deadlift (axle)
3x10 barbell lunges
3x20 back extension/sit up (no rest between sets
Sunday
Stone of steel
WEEK 2
Monday
4 sets of pull-ups to failure
4x10 bent over rows
3x10 clean pull
4x10 reverse hyper
Tuesday
10x10 Strict press (axle)
3x10 DB lateral raises
5x10 barbell curls
60 second plank with 20 sit ups, 3 rounds, no rest
Thursday
3x10 Bench press (axle)
3x10 close grip bench press (axle)
3x10 incline bench (swiss bar or log)
3 sets of dips to failure
3 sets of push ups to failure
60 second plank with 20 sit ups, 3 rounds, no rest
Saturday
10x10 texas deadlift bar touch and go deadlifts
3x10 squats (SSB or buffalo bar)
3x10 barbell lunges
3x20 sit ups
Sunday
Prowler
Weeks 3 and 4 are identical. Weeks 5 and 6 replace rows with shrugs. Difference is Iām allowed 4 minutes rest between sets on weeks 1-2, 3 minutes on week 3-4, and 2 minutes on weeks 5-6.
Gonna have to learn how to do clean pulls. Theyāll look hideous, but I seriously need to start learning how to be explosive. The next phase of the program has power cleans. I might treat myself to a new barbell, just to get something without center knurling, but weāll see.
Iām thinking of making the 3x10 deads/squats and lunges into a superset, to save time and be awful. Iāll see how viable it is. Not excited about barbell lunges in my garage, but I may just do them in place instead of walk with them.
Going to push calories with this approach and see what it does. Itās very different from anything Iāve done before, but looks like it will suit me. Iāve been prepping for the squats and deads, but havenāt run the whole thing before.
12 Likes
Seems pretty ābodybuilding-esqueā. What is your reason for chosing this program?