Hell yeah dude: that’s awesome! Really happy to hear there was success with that method. It’s just stupidly simple, yet people don’t seem to want to try it. Awesome that it worked out.
A Machoke tattoo would be pretty baller as well. My Mrs has given me something of a soft greenlight on getting more ink once the pandemic is over, so I’ve got that to look forward to myself.
AM WORKOUT (0645, 0500 natural wake up)
Juarez Valley Front Squats 235lbs w/5 six-count burpees between sets
9
1
8
2
7
3
6
4
5
Time: 16:10
Transition immediately to 5 rounds of
10 chins
4 standing ab wheels
10 dips (25 band pushdowns after final set)
8 bodyweight reverse hypers
50 band pull aparts
SSB squat stripset
20x185
16x135
16xBar
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
30 GHRs
10 neck bridges each way
Notes: This moved surprisingly well. I say that, because yesterday, at work, I had literally the worst hamstring cramp of my life. I got up from my chair to walk across the room to shred some papers, and halfway there my left hamstring locked up and would NOT let go. It was like being shot by a sniper. I grabbed onto a nearby desk and just seethed with agony and profanity for about 8 solid minutes trying to figure out ANY way to get it to unlock. I legit thought we’d have to call in my replacement and get me to a hospital, and also wondered if anyone had ever died from a muscle cramp before. This definitely ranked in my top 3 of pain, trailing slightly behind tearing my cornea and having my pain meds wear off after my ACL reconstruction while the bone was still healing around the anchors. To keep this going, I wondered if I cramped so hard I tore the muscle, and thought I’d be done with my 10 mile race coming up.
So needless to say, being able to do this workout was pretty awesome. I’m watching my hydration levels, but I guess BBB Beefcake got to have a little revenge on me.
Are you using the SSB for your JV Front Squats, or loading up an additional bar for the stripset after you’ve completed the front squats?
My hamstrings started to hurt after reading this. This sounds horrible.
I Juarez Valleyed a PT client yesterday
Which was nice
@littlesleeper I’m using a straight bar (Rogue Echo) for the front squats and then getting under the SSB for the burnout. I LIKE SSB front squats a lot, but I’ve observed that I get stronger when I use a straight bar. Forces me to keep my posture.
And that cramp was NUTS, haha.
@ChongLordUno Love hearing stuff like that! How’d it go? As disappointed as I was in the Jailhouse Strong book, I gotta say that the Juarez Valley protocol made it completely worth it. It’s why I end up reading so much: if I can walk away with ONE good idea, it was worth it.
AM WORKOUT 2 (1000)
3 mile treadmill run at 6.6 mph (9 min mile)
Notes: Just wanted to get in one last run before the race to keep things flowing. Treadmill felt nice on my body.
He looked like a burst couch at the end @T3hPwnisher my man
He kept waxing on about HIT training and I was like
“Let me fucking show you some HIT training”
He then proceeded to insist that HIT had rest periods 
I love when they try to argue. It’s cute
Aye man I agree with taking away any nuggets from a book, regardless of quality. One nugget can be priceless man.
@ChongLordUno That’s fantastic. At least ONCE during that workout I’ll catch myself saying “Oh f**k me”. That’s the sign of effective conditioning, haha.
Alright, lets do some planning and prep for the next training phase. Tomorrow I do the final workout of BBB Beefcake and will be doing a write-up in my blog this weekend for it, but in sum it was a positive experience and a good build up, but definitely not the hardest I’ve ever trained before. I think it’s prepped me well for what’s coming around the bend, and the huge conditioning PRs have been a good sign. I run a 10 mile race on Saturday, and I’m SUPPOSED to deload for a week, but I somehow don’t see that happening.
CONDITIONING FOR MONOLITH
I’m going to go with Jim’s suggestion of prowler between The first squat workout and the deadlift workout and weighted vest between the deadlift and second squat workout. After the final squat workout, I’m going to go with the Juarez Valley front squat workout. For one: I sold my airdyne when I moved, and I’m not interested in getting another one. I feel like Juarez Valley will meet the intent, as it’s always been about getting restorative bloodflow into the legs after squat workouts.
I’m not going to retire my WODs. They’ll find places in the program as well I’m sure. I’ve done BtM before and did it by the book: now I have time to run it stupidly.
NUTRITION FOR MONOLITH
COULD I do a dozen eggs and 1.5lbs of meat a day again? Absolutely. I could do it Mountain Dog style too, with organic cage free eggs and grassfed beef. But honestly, I don’t think the juice is worth the squeeze at this point. I’ve been there and done that and it worked, but I imagine that’s going to push too far into the extreme and negatively impact my health markers, even IF it’s all good foods. Whole eggs will still feature, beef will still feature, but not to the quantities directed. Still Deep Mountaining it, and will ride that for the foreseeable future.
TRAINING
Giant sets are absolutely happening again. When I first ran BtM about 5 years ago, the prospect was daunting, but looking at it now and knowing my capabilities, I honestly think it’s going to be pretty easy. If I have some pep left in me, I’ll get in some extra assistance work. Daily work will continue as well.
Will take all the day 3 presses from the floor. May do the same with the day 1 presses. Buffalo bar for squats. Contemplating rotating bars on the deadlift again like I did with BBB Beefcake. Limiting factor there is that it’d have to take my axle away from benching to deadlift with it. I DO have 2 axles, so I guess I could just use the lesser one for benching on that one particular week.
TRAINING MAXES
I ended BBB Beefcake with the following training maxes
Squat: 455
Bench: 295
Deadlift: 535
Press: 200
I managed to hit the appropriate 5s pro topset with all of those maxes, but with many of them it was a struggle. Doing them for 3-5 sets will be quite an ask, and though the point of the program is to get me to reach, there’s reasonable and unreasonable reaches. I’m thinking of walking the maxes back to start so I can build past them at the end. I think taking everything back a cycle will do the trick. 10lbs off the squat and deadlift maxes and 5lbs off the press and bench.
I’m excited to take this on again. Full body training 3x a week and lots of conditioning: it’s a change, which is nice.
Looking forward to seeing how this shakes out for you.
Smart move. I’m planning to do this when I head into my next training block for this exact reason. Wave progression has been shown to work for years and years, doesn’t make sense it would stop working now.
Thanks man. And absolutely true. I’ve made use of Jim’s “5 forward/3 back” for a LONG time and saw some solid results from that. I may end up doing the same if this turns out to be too much, but still trying to walk that razor’s edge of challenging enough to force me to rise to the occasion while not being impossible.
This was your problem, should have just rolled over there
You still planning to superset the whole session as per last run? Excited to see how this one goes for you with the new strength, body weight and WODs.
@simo74 Carpet is my downfall: makes rolling the chair like a prowler workout, haha.
@oldbeancam Giant sets even, haha. I think I’ll be able to get it done even faster than before, or with some more work added in. Appreciate having you following along.
BBB BEEFCAKE Week 6, Workout 4 (final workout of program)
AM WORKOUT (0645, 0530 wake up via alarm)
CIRCUITS (chin-bench) plate change rest between sets
Chins (underhand)
100 total reps
Axle bench press
5xAxle
5x136
5x226
5x251
5x281
SUPERSETS (bench-row) 2:00 between sets
Axle bench press 226
5x10
DB row 90s
5x10
90 DB bench dropset w/12 deep breath rest pause
(Upright) 1x5
(5) 1x4
(4) 1x4
(3) 1x4
(2) 1x6
(1) 1x5
BW dips w/10 breath rest pause 8-9-8-8-8-9
25 band pushdowns
Poundstone curls
157xAxle
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
30 GHRs
10 neck bridges each way
Notes: Program is done. Review posted soon, but in all this was a success. That topset of 280 was a big one, and gives me a slight pause about BtM. I’ve got a month to get 275 for 3x5, which may be in the cards, or I may take the TM down. Still got time to tell. Things were strong, and I made sure to really focus on technique. The DB presses took a dive, but that’s to be expected. I was technically supposed to do 220 for 5x10, but the meathead in me wouldn’t let that happen. 225 for 5x10 is always a great milestone for me.
First, a breakfast photo
Bottom right is a crepini egg wrap with half an avocado and 2 cage free organic eggs mixed with 2.25 ounces of grassfed piedmontese steak tips that I folded into a breakfast taco with some fat free cheddar. The mug is a combination of cashew and almond milk (ran out of cashew milk), and the left is 2 stalks of celery cut in half with some nuts and more spread along with a slice of keto friendly toast with organic no salt added sunbutter. I found out I like it more than the stuff with salt: how cool. And, of course, an energy drink.
End of program physique shots
Damn! Shredded to the bone! Great work brother!
damn, Pwn - its incredible that you are able to get so jacked on nut butter and celery!
srsly tho - incredible discipline
I know man. It’s rage inducing
Disgusting. Did a set of 100 a week or two ago and my biceps were sore for 3 days. Might add 5 reps each time I do these until I can’t any more.
well, at least he won’t be winning the t- ransformation. THere’s no fat to lose and the camera would explode if he added any more muscle. No picture, no evidence 
Im looking forward to the review…and that breakfast looks great!
@davemccright Thanks dude! Amazingly, this was with putting on some bodyfat.
@Edgy Practically vegetarian, haha. Although I AM eating way less meat than I used to.
@ChongLordUno Channel it into the berserker dude!
@heretolog They are awesome. I like 1 rep a week myself. 5 will get crazy QUICK.
@bigdaddi It was fantastic. Review coming very soon: going to post it in the 5/3/1 section (EDIT: Here it is My Review Of BBB Beefcake )
PM WORKOUT (1500)
50 band pull aparts
Tabata KB workouts (1 armed snatches for the 20 second intervals, 1 armed swings for the 10 seconds)
40 minute 80lb weighted vest walk
Notes: Just finishing up the day. Got the race on Saturday: have to avoid the temptation to blow my brains out with conditioning the day before. Will still get in the daily work and maybe something light as well, but have to be smart-ish.
Oh yeah, also, got the best form of feedback from the Mrs. “You’ve been looking bigger recently”.
You don’t need scales, a mirror, or bodyfat calipers when you got that.
