I’m really digging how my back no longer bothers me after deadlift days. It used to be that I could count on having at least a small tweak after a DL session and that just doesn’t happen anymore. Tired yes, but not painful.
I wonder if the weighted back extensions had anything to do with it? I’ve stopped doing them, so I guess I’ll find out.
I swear it’s like figuring out the theory of relativity. I stopped doing deadlifts for over a year because of a herniated disk and my back felt horrible all the time. Finally, I added very light weight deads back in to my routine and my back has never felt better… 
2026-04-08
Bull Mastiff Macro 2 Week 11 (Base) Day 4 OHP
Standing Strict Press
160 4x4@6.5-7.5
These were smooth. No strain on any rep
160x5@8
Came down funny on the 2nd to last rep which put me out of position for the last rep, which became a fight. I’ll put up 6 next time.
Wide Grip Bench
190x8@7.5 PR
185 3x8@7
JM Press
155 3x8@7
Med Neutral Grip Pulldown
210 3x8@7
Seated DB Hammer Curl
45s 3x12@7-8
DB Arnold Press
65sx8@8 PR
60s 2x8@7
DB Laterals
2x12@6,6
Add reps
Bench and overhead going well. Wish my squat would move like these are.
Next week is hell week.
Motion is lotion, but weight is great.
2026-04-10
Bull Mastiff Macro 2 Week 12 (Base) Day 1 Squat
Low Bar Squat
300x4@7
295 2x4@7.5, 5@8
The power is there in the legs and back, but hips are holding me back. Something at the top of the IT band is pulling hard on the right side. Must add mobility during the week and use the standing desk during work hours.
Paused Good Mornings
225 4x8@8
Quad-focused Split Squat
60 4x8@7
forgot I was supposed to use the 35s
Leg extensions
175 2x12@8
170 2x12@8
Seated Leg Curls
185 4x8@8
Ab Wheel Rollouts (knees)
15x15@8
15x12@8
All in all a good session. Squats are a little frustrating, but I’m still able to add weight and hit the minimum reps on the plus set.
I’ve had to stand to scan for the last few years. When I moved to the OB unit everyone there sits when they scan patients. After about 6 months my hip and knee pain got so bad that it was waking me up at night. It went away within a week or two of standing. It’s amazing how much the human body hates to sit.
Wide stance box squats are pretty decent at making strong hips.
I was using those on my last run-through of this program. They are effective, but I kept pulling my adductors on the wide stance. I’ll bring them back in at some point, but it’s likely to be on another cycle when I can start light and get the joints/connectors used to it.
10-4. I know that one theme that kept being repeated when I was reading and studying Westside and Louie is that he repeated your strengths become your weaknesses and then your weaknesses become your strengths. You bring your strength up high enough where your lifts improve and it reveals a new weakness. Kind of a big puzzle.
Have you ever tried pull throughs? Those might help your adductors.
That’s good idea, Shane. Thank you. I’ll try them today as a recovery movement.
2026-04-12
Bull Mastiff Macro 2 Week 12 (Base) Day 2 Bench
Bench Press
215 3x4@7.5-8.5
210x4@8
210x5@9
Got another set @215 and kept my plus set same as last week, so I’m a bit stronger. Didn’t cover my food requirements as well as I ought, though, or it’d be even more improvement.
Standing BTN Press
110 2x8@7.5-8
115x8@8.5 PR
105 2x8@8
Triceps Pressdown
85x8@7
95x8@8.5
92.5x8@8
90 2x8@8
Extra set on OHP had my triceps a little tired, so a little backtracking there.
Wide Neutral Grip Pulldown
210 3x8@8
Preacher Curl
85 4x12@8
Upright Row
110x8@8
105 3x8@8
DB Rear Lateral
40s 2x12@7, 8
Pec deck was busy and I needed to be somewhere, so I couldn’t wait for it.
Solid session. Not a lot that’s exciting in it, I’ll grow from it for sure.
No surprise there with all the PRs you hit. 
Killing it! 
While I was BTN pressing last night, the guy in the rack next to me was strict pressing. He wasn’t doing a lot of weight and it wasn’t pretty, but you could tell he was giving it everything he had.
I love to see that.
Finally bought that pullup/dip station.
For my son, of course.
Who happens to live with me.
I’m going to dip my brains out, I can tell.
2026-04-14
Bull Mastiff Macro 2 Week 12 (Base) Day 3 Deadlift
Deadlift
430 3x4@8-9 4 rep PR
420x4@8
420x5@9 5 rep PR
High Bar Squat
230x8@7.5
235 3x8@8
Meadows Row
105 4x8@7-8
Skipped Leg curls/extensions and abs because had to do taxes. But I got my mains done.
I’ll do a ludicrous amount of lunges to make up for it.
Strong work on those deads! Congrats on those PR’s!
Very solid PRs there!
This is the hardest week of the base-building phase of the program and I’ve gotten through the phase nearly unscathed. Certainly in better shape than the last macrocycle. Overall workload should drop in the next weeks during the peak phase. I intend to finish this one, unlike last macro.
Excellent job on the PRs!