Makes sense.
One thing I’m not sure about though is, in the article about beefcake he seems to suggest using 5/3/1 sets instead of 5’s PRO, and also to push for pr’s on the last set. Would it be sensible to use beefcake with 5’s PRO in your opinion?
That is not what I got from the article.
Your main work must be proportional to your supplemental work. In the case of BBB, the supplemental work is hard (as in a lot of volume is done with a “big” movement.) Because of this, the main work (main sets of the program) must be done in a limited manner. In general, all we are doing is trying to maintain the heavy weights and using the volume of BBB to raise strength.
That sounds like 5s pro to me.
Yes you’re right. I wrote that without double checking and apparently I remembered reading something else. I’m probably mistaken with some other version of the program. Sorry for wasting your time there.
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No sweat dude; always happy to chat.
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I’ve been dabbling with a few things from BBB just to see how they are before I start. The 5x10 sets at 50% were also a joke (toughness wise, I think just because my lifts are so low making my TM low) so when I did do them I just used paused reps to make it more challenging. From following your journal now I’m learning about the beefcake version. I may look into that.
What should I do if I don’t have fractional plates? The smallest increment at my gym are 2.5kg plates. The problem is that the 5% differences in weight as perscribed by the program is 2.5kg or less based on the weights I’m using. What should I do?
2.5 kg is close enough, you’ll be good using that.
Ok but the 5kg jumps mess with the percentages. For example, my week 1 and 2 weights are technically the same since I can only do 5 kg jumps with 2.5kg plates. What should I do?
Sorry if I’m getting annoying
By the way, my AP scores come out in 9 days…
No worries and best of luck with your score.
I have the same problem with percentages top. Approximate and try and stay as close as possible to the theoretical number. What matters is the upward trend of progression over time, not a weight used in a single session.
Thanks!
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Press
44.6 kg x 5
50.5 kg x 3
57 kg x 4
44.6 kg x 5 x 5
Seated Lateral Raise 3 sets
Rope pushdown 3 sets
Bad workout. I used a different rack for my press and it might have contributed to the poor performance I had. I wanted to get 6-7 reps on my pr set but it felt super heavy from the very first one and the 4th was a grinder. On top of that, on some reps even in the previous set I felt a piercing pain in my right shoulder (I don’t know for sure but maybe it was tendon impingement?) on the very last inch at the lockout, and my back was also hurting during the harder sets.
Now I have a strong pain in my right upper trap area when I try to touch my neck with my chin or when I turn my head to the right. If I touch the area with my hand I don’t feel anything so maybe it’s not muscular pain. I feel like an idiot because this only happens because I’m not focused enough with my form and bracing and I fuck things up.
Anyway I think the best call is to lower my TM for the press, especially knowing that I’ll soon be doing BBB beefcake. I want to make sure the weights are manageable.
Also @T3hPwnisher what do you think would be the best way to transition out of the diet? As to the end of this week I’ll complete my second anchor cycle and I wanted to run a deload (although I don’t really feel super rundown, but I’ve trained 6 weeks in a row so it would be time to), and I’m unsure what to do with my calories, whether to stay at a deficit of increase them. Also maybe I could re-test my maxes?
Also if anyone has an opinion about what I could do for my right trap pain, any advice is welcome.
My approach is always eat to support training, rather than the other way around. Start your training now and see if you need to eat more to recover. If so, do it. If not, keep pushing the training until you do.
Deadlift
112 kg x 5
125 kg x 3
140 kg x 8
147 kg x 3
154.5 kg x 3
162 kg x 3 (356 lb x 3–lifetime pr!)
112 kg x 3 x 3
Lat pulldown 2 muscle rounds
Chest supported row 2 sets
Last joker
So, I’m very happy with this joker. My Deadlift is now officially closer to 200 kg than to 100 kg. This was one of the hardest attempt I’d ever done. The bar literally felt immovable when I started pulling, and my perception was that the reps were taking super long, although looking at the video the speed appears to be normal.
I kept the reps at 3 on the FSL sets because my entire posterior chain was smoked after the pr set and 3 grueling jokers. This had me think about the program I’ll soon undertake, BBB beefcake, which would have had me do 5 sets of 10 with that weight. Of course I won’t be doing a pr set and jokers on BBB, but the thought of doing so many reps with that weight had me wonder whether maybe it would be too heavy.
@T3hPwnisher do you think that I could benefit from recalculating my theoretical maxes based on the pr sets of this cycle and set my TM’s at 85% of those, like Jim Wendler advises when on BBB? I’m thinking that maybe I could find myself not being able to complete the sets if my TM is too high. I know I literally said the opposite the other day but I’m basing myself on the feedback I get week to week. Or maybe I should keep it like this and gut out the training, eat a ton, and see if by the end of the first cycle these “heavy” weights get lighter to me? I value your opinion on this because you are quite honestly an insane beast lol and one of the things I learned from you is that sometimes the answer when things are hard is to just power trough them and work hard as fuck and suck when you need to.
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Before you were saying it was going to be too light, haha.
Use the right TM for you. That is what I did with BtM.
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Yeah I know man haha, that’s what I thought, until I did my first set of 5 today and I thought, “maaan! Am I supposed to be doing 5 sets of 10 with this weight during the next cycle?!”
This is the issue haha, I’m trying to figure out which one it is.
A good rule of thumb I go by is, if a workout/program doesn’t scare me in some way, it probably won’t be effective.
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I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me man! Haha
Got the memo. I won’t decrease my TM.
Can you hit 5 solid reps with your TM?
Those jokers flew up by the way man, you’ve got more in your tank.
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Bench
67 kg x 5
76 kg x 3
85 kg x 6
87 kg x 3
92 kg x 1
94.5 kg x 1
67 kg x 3 x 5
Chest Press Machine 75 kg x 15, 75-60-45 kg double dropset
Hammer curl 1 x double dropset
The second and third jokers were a train wreck. I wanted to hit 3 reps at 92 kg but as soon as the bar started coming down after the first rep I lost tension and retraction and I failed the second rep. Still, I wanted to try 94.5 kg because I thought I could’ve done it. And I did manage to get one rep, but it was an awful one—as soon as I lowered the bar and started the concentric my elbows flew out of the path and (at least it felt like that) flared out. I grinded out the rep and technically it was valid, but still not what I expected.
I keep finding that my technique for the bench goes down the toilet when the weight gets heavy. I lose focus and tightness and I can only think of trying to push, but I end up losing proper positioning. My approach to the bench needs to be different than say, that of my Deadlift. For the latter, I can push the weight and gut out reps and be fine. But for the bench? If I wanna bench 225 lb, my best bet is probably to get to benching 200 x 15 at least. I need to keep the weights manageable or I’ll fuck myself.
I’m finding out during this week and I’ll base my TM for the cycles to come around that. For the press? Doesn’t look like so. Deadlift—seems like I can handle around 44 lbs above my TM. The bench is a close call: I’ll probably keep the same TM as I have used this cycle for my first run of BBB beefcake. The squat, we’ll find out tomorrow.
Squat
95.6 kg x 5
108 kg x 3
122 kg x 6
127 kg x 2
132 kg x 2
137 kg x 1 (300 lb squat—first time ever!)
Leg press 2 sets
So, my squat strength has likely been dropping lately (namely, during the last 6 weeks). I hate how I barely got 6 reps at 268 whereas a couple of months ago I got 10 reps at 260, with likely a better technique.
My rep with 300 lb was a grinder: I literally got stuck for a second at the mid point and thought I wasn’t gonna make it, but I pushed through. I will keep the TM the same for the next cycle, as I need to use manageable (not easy) weights or I’ll fold like paper under the bar.
Now I just need to decide what what to do for my deload week. Part of me wants to not go to the gym at all, or go only once and do assistance movements, mainly to give my joints a break and hopefully let my left wrist heal fully, and do some walking everyday or every other day.
Part of me is scared to lose proficiency at the lifts not doing them for a whole week, making me weaker (or slightly “untrained”) when I begin BBB beefcake. I wouldn’t wanna lose “sharpness in my teeth.” What do guys think is better?
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