Back is tight as fk today. Spent a fair bit of yesterday day playing with the kids which often involves being on the floor playing games or building LEGO. Woke up still as today. I think it’s mostly just general muscle tightness but it is still sore very low down from last weeks twinge in the gym.
If it doesn’t loosen up this week I’ll go and see my osteo and get her to put her magic hands on me !!!
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Monday 15th July - Intensity block week 3
Squat
Bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 3 belt on
105 x 3 belt on
122.5 x 4 RPE 9 (270 lbs)
122.5 x 4 RPE 9
122.5 x 4 RPE 9 better set
122.5 x 4 RPE 9 felt a bit dizzy after this one
122.5 x 4 RPE 9
These felt a lot heavier tonight. Depth was questionable !! Still ok though !!
Bench
Bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 3
92.5 x 6 RPE 8 (204 lbs)
92.5 x 6 RPE 8
92.5 x 6 RPE 9 paused last rep
92.5 x 6 RPE 9
92.5 x 6 RPE 10
No pause just repped them out. Better than last week.!
Bulgarian
17.5kg x 7 x 5 sets - quads throbbing
DB bench
32.5kg x 7 x 4 sets (used 35kgs)
SS Db Row
32.5kg x 10 x 4 sets (used 35kgs)
Did these with 35kg as both sets of 32.5 were being used. Still moved pretty smooth, only 6 on last set but just cause I didn’t rest long enough.
Hard session tonight, squats didn’t feel as strong as last week but then benched moved better. Weird !!
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I’m really digging your setup Simo, I might do something similar later.
I’ll do this phase I’m doing now, then the strength block and start next year with something similar as the one you’re doing.
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That’s the joys of lifting, sometimes shit feels hard and other stuff feels easier. Great effort though Simo.
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Thanks mate. I’m happy to share the set up with you. If you want it then just message me or send me your email and I’ll send it.
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Thanks bloke. Those sessions where you don’t feel great but push through are the ones I think of as the sessions where I actually get stronger ! In reality it’s probably not true.’
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Was feeling a little beat up today so decided to soak in a hot bath tonight. It was so bloody good. Feeling so relaxed now. 
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Thursday 18th July week 3
Bench
Bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 3
90 x 3
100 x 3 RPE 9 (220 lbs)
100 x 3 RPE 9.5
100 x 3 RPE 9 better set
100 x 3 RPE 9.5
100 x 3 RPE 10 good paused on this set especially on last one
All with a slight pause. Pretty happy still need more leg drive and more tightness.
Squat
Bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 5
Belt on
102.5 x 8 x 3 sets RPE- 7, 7, 8 (225 lbs)
Breathing hard after these but they were good reps
Bent row
80 x 8 x 4 sets
Shorter rest on these moved well.
Pull ups
3 sets - 6, 3, 3
SS
Hanging leg raise
10 x 3 sets
Did this as one big set No rest between. Arms and grip was cooked.
Good session tonight, benched moved well and squats were solid. I had a lot of tightness in my glutes and hips today so wasn’t expecting squats to be nice. The warm ups were a little creaky but that loosened me up and the sets were good. Happy boy.!
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I would pair the pull ups with Ab wheel, grib becomes limiting factor pretty quick.
Awesome bench and Squat session mate.
In about a month or so I’ll try the program made by the dude I that made the seminar I did. It looks a bit like the one you’re doing.
It’s 8 weeks of 6 - 8 reps and then 8 weeks of a peak.
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I was happy with making grip the limiting factor, back was already pumped from the rows and I was rushed for time so just kept going. The Thursday night session I do whilst my daughter is at karate for 90 mins. I like to get done quick enough to still watch the last 15 mins of her sparring class.
If you have been give a program then deff give it a whirl. The programs I follow are not very sexy and I don’t try for PRs every week or crazy big amrap sets. But they seem to be working, I keep getting stronger so I’m not complaining.
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You summed up why they work
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Yer @MarkKO sometimes it’s hard to read other people programs and see them going for and hitting PRs often. But I’m happy to just do what I’m told and hit the sets and reps week in week out. My coach actually comments often how good my consistency has been which is pretty motivating.
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I’m the opposite, I see people hitting PRs and whatnot and I just go why, the fuck you do that for? Wait till you peak!
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You are wise beyond your years young grasshopper
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Glad I can help keep you calm since you don’t see tray in my log!
Most of us don’t compete and, therefore, don’t peak. We just have days where we feel good and try to smash something. A lot of us have tried maxing after finishing a program but I don’t think we’ve run a proper peak. I never have.
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Read or watched something that said ab wheel was great pre exercise for pull ups cause it primes muscles for executing the pull up, greasing the groove kind of thing.
Depends on your goal, yes for a powerlifter, that might be very true, but for us mortals who lift weights to become bigger and stronger, the sciences says to go to failure or very close to failure and work in the 8 - 20 rep zone.
We all have different goals and we all use different roads to get there.
Oh, don’t get me wrong. AMRAP and AFSAP is shit we do, and for pump work we often go close to failure too. It builds mass. Arguably every set of pullups I do is just about to failure.
But when people go, fuck it, I’m maxing out I shake my head.
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But, but… Max Effort Day is my favourite!
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And that’s part of the program for conjugate Sleepy.
I get @MarkKO here.
When somebody is running a said program and is supposed to do 3 x 10 and then out of nowhere just tries to hit a 1RM.
So your max effort days is good.
If Mark in the middle of his hypertrophy based program or his fatigue building hits a 1RM it would probably fuck his peak to the next competition.
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