TCam's Log - The Road to Elite

Training Training Logs
1621

FORTITUDE

Week 24 - Day 3 - Lower

Sumo Deadlift w/ Belt/Straps:
1x495 - Last beltless
1x585
1x635 - Harder than I wanted it to be, but it’s the most I’ve pulled in a while
2x5x495 - Paused

Hack Squat:
3x8x320 - Volume PR at this weight

3" Deficit SLDL - Slow Eccentric/Straps/Beltless:
2x10x225

Off-Bench Crunch:
15xBW
12xBW+25 - Ab cramps as usual lol

This was one of those days where I felt a lot of pop during warm-ups, but it didn’t transfer fully to the higher intensities. Just wanted to see where I was at for a current 1RM and I found it in 635. Going to keep pushing for conventional and squats and see how sumo responds. Still just playing around with things though.

Week 24 - Day 4 - Upper

Paused Lat Pulldown - Semi-Supinated:
15x120
12x160
3x8x180

Smith Machine BW JM Press:
3x12 - Slow eccentric

Cable Lateral Raise:
3x12-15x35-45

Triceps Pushdown:
15x130
2x15x150

Barbell Forearm Roller:
3 rounds x Ext/Flx x 60 lbs

Might have missed something, I don’t remember specifics from this one. No externally weighted pressing due to the shoulders still. I’ll probably go another week with that and see how I’m feeling.

1 Like
1622

FORTITUDE

Week 25 - Day 1 - Lower

Squat w/ Belt:
3x5x405 - Left hip not cooperating today made these harder than I wanted them to be

Bulgarian Split Squat - Slow Eccentric/Paused:
2x8/8xBW+50

Machine Single Leg Pushdown:
15/15x130
10/10x180

Stretching for left hip and deep squat sitting

Felt like I was getting pushed around by the weight today. I could feel myself shifting to the right in the hole and losing any power output as a result. The rest was just focused on that. Going to continue putting more energy towards improving my control/mobility on both sides. Also time to make sure I’m not falling into the powerlifting trap again too and get back to more versatility training.

1 Like
1623

FORTITUDE

Week 25 - Day 2 - Upper

A1 | Single-Arm KB Side-Swing to OHP:
3x10/10x45

A2 | KB Decline Push-Up:
3x15

Single-Arm DB Row:
2x12/12x125

B1 | Lying Cable Lat Row:
15x100
2x12x125

B2 | Lying Cable Triceps Extension:
2x12x75

Cable Fly:
2x15x60

Machine Preacher Curl:
2 x 20 sec isometric w/ 100 + 8x70

Another not super structured upper body day for Thanksgiving. KB stuff felt pretty good, but it was light. I have no idea what some of the KB exercises are named, as some of them I’m just making up even though they probably already exist or I’ve seen them via Instagram with no naming convention attached.

1 Like
1624

FORTITUDE + A Free Coaching Blog, Apparently

Week 25 - Day 3 - Lower

Conventional Deadlift w/ Stiff Bar - Belt/Straps:
6x455
2x6x495
2x8x405 - RDL

KB Reverse Lunge:
8/8x45s
2x8/8x70s - My ass is so sore from these lol

Offset KB Squat:
2x15/15x70

Machine Standing Leg Curl:
15/15x40
8/8x70
2x10/10x50 - Myo-rep match on 2nd set

Machine Calf Raise:
3x8x80

I’ve been focusing a lot of effort towards quad-biased squat patterns, so I’m going to start incorporating more glute-biased ones like the reverse lunge. It killed me.

Lesson of the Week: Part of doing those reverse lunges was that I didn’t use hand support, I was holding two KBs. Sometimes having more stability is good for pure force output and emphasizing mechanical tension for hypertrophy, but having loaded unstable movements is good for balance, proprioception, and general athleticism. It’s a continuum of stability and load. Here’s an example:

Applying the Constraint Theory to Progression of the Split Squat:

The continuum of stability and load has two options:

  1. Stable/Unloaded, Unstable/Unloaded, Stable/Loaded, Unstable/Loaded
  2. Stable/Unloaded, Stable/Loaded, Unstable/Unloaded, Unstable/Loaded

The two at the beginning and end are always the same. The two in the middle swap places. Deciding between the options is based on the constraint theory. Basically: Which issue is the individual presenting with that is primarily keeping them from being able to properly transition from Stable/Unloaded to Unstable/Loaded? Focus on that skill/quality first.

1. Constraint: Poor Balance and Proprioception

In this case, the focus should initially be on enhancing stability and proprioception. The exercise progression might look like this:

  1. Hand-Assist BW Split Squat: Start with the basic movement pattern while using hand-assistance to focus on developing the movement pattern and requisite mobility without the added complexity of load or balance/proprioception demands.
  2. BW Split Squat: Once the individual is comfortable with the movement and can maintain balance, remove the hand-assist to challenge and further develop balance and proprioception.
  3. Hand-Assist Loaded Split Squat: Reintroduce hand-assistance for stability while adding load, allowing the individual to adapt to the additional challenge of weight in a more controlled setting.
  4. Loaded Split Squat: Finally, remove the hand-assist and perform the exercise with added weight, challenging both balance and strength in the most advanced variation.

2. Constraint: Poor Strength and/or Mobility

For individuals with limited strength, the focus is on gradually building muscle strength before introducing more complex or unstable movements.

  1. Hand-Assist BW Split Squat: Again, start with the basic movement pattern while using hand-assistance to focus on developing the movement pattern and requisite mobility without the added complexity of load or balance/proprioception demands.
  2. Hand-Assist Loaded Split Squat: Introduce a manageable load while maintaining hand-assistance. This step allows the individual to build strength in a stable environment. This also allows them to improve mobility through joint end-ROM resisted activity in a stable environment.
  3. BW Split Squat: Remove the hand-assist. Although this increases the stability challenge, the absence of added weight keeps the strength demand moderate. They’ve already developed enough strength to do this without an issue now.
  4. Loaded Split Squat: Once the individual has built up enough strength, add weight to the split squat. This is the final progression and requires both strength and balance.

In both scenarios, the key is to progress in a way that respects and addresses the individual’s primary constraint, whether it’s balance/proprioception or strength/mobility. This approach ensures a safer and more effective development.

The problem often lies with lifters, trainers, coaches, physical therapists, etc. that don’t understand the edges of this continuum. Just because there is a benefit to unstable movements doesn’t mean you need to maximize instability. Bosu ball squats with bands and external perturbations reduce the ability to produce any meaningful force, for instance. A simple unassisted split squat or reverse lunge is plenty unstable for a static exercise to provide the benefits of challenging both balance/proprioception and strength/mobility.

It’s important to note that the process is not rigid in its use. You can move back and forth between the 2 middle options as needed until sufficient balance and strength are attained. You can also revisit previous steps with added volume/frequency/intensity modifiers.

3 Likes
1625

FORTITUDE

Week 25 - Day 4 - Upper

A1 | Machine Dip - Plate Loaded:
8x230
10x230
2x10x270

A2 | HS Iso-Row:
10x270
2x8x360
8x360 + 8x270 + 7x180 - Drop set

B1 | Alternating Curls in Alternating Chunks:
5+5+5+5x30s - Per side, supinated curls
8+6+4x45s - Per side, pinwheel curls
5+5+5x30s - Per side, supinated curls
8+6+4x45s - Per side, pinwheel curls

B2 | Push-Ups - Hand-Release at Bottom and Top, Controlled Catch and Eccentric:
4x15xBW

Seated DB Lateral Raise:
12 + 8 x 20s - Tension ROM only + Normal ROM
10 + 10 x 20s - Same deal

Barbell Forearm Roller:
3 rounds x Ext/Flx x 70 lbs - Another 10 lbs up. Getting harder for sure.

This was a good upper body day finally. Machine dips let me get some harder pressing effort in despite not having a normal main lift like a bench press. No shoulder issues during any of this today.

1 Like
1626

FORTITUDE

Week 26 - Day 1 - Lower

Squat w/ Belt:
2x2x425 - Left hip giving me shit still

Beltless Hatfield Squat:
3x8x340 - More a hip mobility exercise than anything, really forcing the position and not shifting to the right

Leg Curl:
3x10x100

Frustrating day with the hip again. A lot of the times when it’s uncomfortable, I can get it loosened up or at least not be pushed around as much by it. But today I was not able to do that and the force production was just not there from the hip. Going keep with the Copenhagens later this week and push for more left hip IR / right hip ER stuff, along with unilateral squat variations.

1627

Fortitude

Week 26 - Day 2 - Upper

Low Incline Paused Bench:
4x8x225 - First time benching in a couple of weeks, still not great on the shoulders, but better

Dips:
4x15xBW

A1 | Cable Incline Curls:
15x35
12x50
8x70
6x70 + 8x50 - Drop set

A2 | Cable Crossover Lateral Raise:
3x12-15x35

Chest-Supported DB Rear Delt Swing + Rear Delt Fly:
15x40s + 10x25s
12x55s + 8x25s

Barbell Forearm Roller:
2 rounds x Ext/Flx x 80 lbs - Another 10 lbs up. Biggest KB in the gym. Wasn’t going to make a third round. Now to decide how I want to progress these to get that 3 round

Some shoulder discomfort for a couple of days following this, but not as much as before. Bench was the thing that bothered them more than dips immediately upon starting. Dips actually felt pretty good. I do think that continuing to ensure I have BW exercises that aren’t necessarily pushed on intensity like dips and push-ups are going to be bread and butter shoulder health things.

Week 26 - Day 3 - Lower

Conventional Deadlift w/ Belt/Straps:
5x3x495 - About 2 mins between sets

A1 | Bent Over Power Rows - Beltless/Straps:
10x225
2x10x275 - This is a deadlift supplement, as it’s effectively an RDL with a row, note below

A2 | KB Reverse Lunge:
2x8/8x70s

Copenhagen Adductor Plank:
3x8/8xBW - Did these with a higher position than usual (using a barbell and pad in a rack instead of a bench) and it felt a lot better surprisingly

Deadlifts didn’t feel especially great today, so I stuck with more of a technical RPE 7-8. Felt hard, but probably had another 2-3 reps at the same technique.

Lesson of the Week:

If you’re on Instagram (and probably TikTok, idk) there are a ton of coaches currently that are specifically hypertrophy experts. Long-muscle length biases both in training volume focus and angle of pull, controlled eccentrics, and 0-4 reps from concentric failure = Best hypertrophy, essentially.

Getting caught up in the hypertrophy expert ideas just because they’re the biggest personalities doesn’t mean there aren’t several other ways to train and reasons for doing so. A bent-over “cheat” row or power row with a quick eccentric and immediate catch and row with hip involvement still helps with general resilience and athleticism of the low back, mid-back, shoulders, hips, and hamstrings. It’s not the best exercise for hypertrophy, but it’s more athletic than most things in the bodybuilding or powerlifting realm. Things like this build versatility.

You don’t have to become a “jack of all trades and master of none” just because there’s a meme about Crossfit about it. There are about 6 primary physical qualities with dozens of subqualities, in my opinion (power, control, endurance, strength, hypertrophy, and versatility). If you’re a one-track mind athlete, only meme-ing about in powerlifting or bodybuilding and never straying from your path, you essentially only get the 1-2 good qualities from that idea. You lose a lot from not periodically reaching into the other qualities, while maintaining your primary focus.

This works for years for a lot of people. You can get strong or jacked with a one track mind. The problem is, once you’ve reached a height of your 1-2 good qualities, there’s nothing else to gain from doing only those things. The other missing qualities just show up more, because your constraint in longevity and further progress becomes the other qualities.

2 Likes
1628

FORTITUDE

Week 26 - Day 4 - Upper

Cardio - Stationary Bike:
2 min warm-up x Lvl 5
1 min each at Lvl 8, 14, 17, 14, 17, 14, 17
7 min x Lvl 14
2 min cool down x Lvl 5
Metrics: 5.59 mi, 212 cal (different bike than usual though) - Forgot Oura ring, but was at 155 BPM during last leg

KB OHP:
12x30s
2x12x45s

A1 | Single-Arm Side-Lying Lat Pulldown:
12/12x80
12/12x110
12/12x125

A2 | Seated DB Clean:
2x12x40s

B1 | Lying Triceps Long Head Pushdown (Arms Behind Torso):
3x15x75 - To partials

B2 | Single-Arm Cable Tate Press:
10/10x40
8/8x55
6/6x55

Cable Front Raise:
2x15x25

Single Arm DB Preacher Curl:
12/12x25
10/10x25

Not a ton to note on here. I’m glad to have found a flow to some of these workouts that don’t include a main lift right now.

1 Like
1629

FORTITUDE

Week 27 - Day 1 - Lower

SSB Squat w/ Belt/Flats:
5x340
3x5x390
2x5x340

Leg Press - Paused:
10x360
10x450
2x10x540

Zercher Squish Morning:
3x10x135 - These were just standing Zercher holds allowing myself to collapse at the mid-upper back and then correcting it. No hip movement. Hence the squish.

Half-Kneeling Windmill:
2x10/10x45 - PR, I think

Writing this a couple of days later, my adductors are so fucking sore from squats lol. I really need to get back to alternating the Oly shoes and flats so that I’m not biasing myself towards some current strength and losing out on working the current constraint. Left hip was still not super comfy with these squats, but better than it has been recently at least.

I tell you hwat, paused leg press is really, really hard. I’m not sure if I’ve ever done it, but it seems massively more useful than a normal tempo. The bottom half becomes much more like a normal squat’s strength curve.

Week 27 - Day 2 - Upper

Swiss Bar Paused Bench:
3x12x215 - Shoulders felt fine with this bar, pecs were getting hit hard

DB Pendlay Row:
3x10x110s

Dips:
4x15xBW

Machine Preacher Curls:
15x70
8x90
15x70
8x90 - Myo-Rep Match
15x70 - Myo-Rep Match

A1 | High Facepull-Apart:
3x12-15x80-100 - Using Daisy Chain, high-angled pulldown to forehead, focusing on pulling it apart

A2 | D2 Lateral Raise:
15/15, 12/12, 10/10 x 35

I figured a neutral grip bar would feel better on the shoulders and it did. The limiting factors were just not being used to the balancing act on the hands/wrists and the pecs getting hit harder than they have in weeks. Shoulders feel relatively fine the next day too. So this is an obvious way back into the pressing game.

DB Pendlay rows done strictly seem really good for general upper back strength and control. Much different feeling than a normal DB bent over row because of starting so low.

1630

FORTITUDE

Week 27 - Day 3 - Lower

Started warming up for deadlift and my left adductor felt like it was strained again. Like I mentioned on Day 1, they were bilaterally very sore, but the left stayed sore a day beyond the right. Conventional and sumo both felt dangerous, getting up to easy but painful 315s.

I’ll be honest, this pissed me off a lot and I didn’t do anything but sulk around and do a couple of random things and lightly move the hip/adductor. It ached all day following that session.

Then the next day it did feel like anything happened. On Day 4 I did a couple of sets of goblet squats and KB lateral hip shifts with no issue and a set of 10x225 sumo because the bar was sitting there loaded. I don’t know. I’ll take it carefully this upcoming week and see what’s going on.

Lesson of the Week (to self): Keep switching between flats and Oly shoes even if one feels great. The other one being hard means you’re missing something that gets hit by doing the thing lol.

Week 27 - Day 4 - Upper

A1 | DB Incline Bench:
4x6x85s

A2 | Machine Iso Leverage Row:
4x8x140

Push-Up w/ Band:
20xBW+Monster mini
20xBW+Light

B1 | Cardio - Rowing:
6 intervals at 30 sec on / 90 sec off at max resistance - 901 meters done

B2 | Band Single-Arm Triceps Pushdown:
15, 12, 10, 10, 10, 10 x Light band

C1 | DB Incline Curl:
12x25s
8x25s

C2 | DB Hammer Zottman Curl:
2x8x25s

Then some hip and shoulder mobility stuff

Very light pressing today, just trying to easy into it for the shoulders. Push ups and dips continue to feel like the best press variations at the moment.

1631

FORTITUDE

Week 28 - Day 1 - Lower

Beltless Front Squat:
5x225
3x5x275
2x5x225 - Paused

Smith Machine FFE Split Squat:
3x10/10x90

Single-Arm KB Clean - Dead Stop:
2 rounds x 3 sets x 5/5x80 - 30 sec between sets

Wide Stance Belt Squat:
10x90
2x10x180

Hanging Knee Raise - Back Supported:
15, 10, 10 x BW

Well none of this hurt my adductor at all. Confusing, but it is what it is. I’ll still come back into things cautiously. I chose to front squat with Oly shoes just to see if I could get some difficult squatting in and avoid pain. I think I’ll go through another front squat cycle here shortly as my Oly shoes variation and alternate with back squat variation with flats.

1632

FORTITUDE

Week 27 - Day 2 - Upper

Swiss Bar Paused Bench:
3x3x265 - Wanted to do some lower rep speed focused work, but this didn’t really feel great on the pecs today

A1 | Floor JM Press:
4x10x135

A2 | Dips:
4x15xBW - Barely got these by the last 2 sets with the JM prior

Lat Pulldown - Moderate Neutral Grip:
3x8x180

B1 | Cable Standing Lat Pullover - Daisy Chain:
3x12x90

B2 | Cable Pull-Apart - Daisy Chain:
15x60
12x75
15x60

Barbell Curl - Myo-Reps:
35 + 4x10 x 45 - 20-30 sec rests between sets

Not a ton to note here. Just still feeling shitty shoulder things with any open chain pressing. Limiting factor was more so my left pec grabbing with it today, so I figured I wouldn’t push through it for no real benefit. I’ll get back to feeling okay, just gotta be patient and do what I can.

1 Like
1633

FORTITUDE

Week 27 - Day 3 - Lower

Touch-n-Go Sumo Deadlift w/ Belt/Straps:
3x5x495
10x495 - No adductor issues here either

Paused Leg Press:
3x15x495 - Myo-Rep match sets. Roughly 12+3 and 8+4+3 on sets 2 and 3

A1 | SSB Zercher Hold with March:
3x20x160

A2 | High Step Ups with Slow Eccentric:
3x10/10xBW

Went into this somewhat cautiously, but I didn’t feel anything in the adductor. Figured I’d stop at 495 and do some low RPE, but still difficult controlled eccentric/TnG. The set of 10 was hard, but still no issues.

Doing the high step ups to allow more mental focus towards how the hip is moving into a full depth squat pattern with no help from the other leg during the eccentric (as compared to a loaded split squat for instance). The left side is significantly harder to produce force out of the bottom and I need more help from the right leg to get it moving.

I think I have a pretty good pattern of exercises to follow now to get this left hip feeling better though.

1634

FORTITUDE

Week 27 - Day 4 - Upper

HS Iso-Row - Unilateral, Torso Rotated + Pause:
3x10/10x135 - Described below

Incline DB Row - Upper Back Emphasis:
3x12x80s

Incline Cable Curl:
I forget the specifics, but I did 3 working sets with 2 myo-rep match sets in the 12-15 rep range

A1 | Lying Cable Lateral Raise:
3x10-12x60

A2 | Lying Cable Hammer Curl:
3x10-12x70

KB Complex - 2 Rounds:
1 - KB Swing: 20 x 80
2 - Single Arm KB OHP: 8/8 x 60
3 - Slow Eccentric On-Toes Goblet Squat: 10 x 60
4 - Slow Eccentric Deficit Push-Up: 10 x BW

Cardio - Stationary Bike:
15 minutes x Lvl 10
Oura Metrics: 154 cal, 143 bpm avg HR, 155 bpm max HR
Something in the mid 3-mile range

Haven’t been sleeping well recently, but I can always count on a nice back-focused day to still feel pretty good. For the iso-row: If I’m rowing on the right side first, I pin my left chest/shoulder into the pad and rotate the right torso and shoulder back so that I am reaching across my body. When I row, the forearm nearly drags across my body, while I drive my elbow across and down. There’s a little more right rotation as this happens. Pause at the peak contraction and controlled eccentric as the forearm comes across the body and the scapula reaches into protraction.

This is a good example of finding the path of most resistance to reduce load, but increase the mechanical tension and effort of a set. I think I’ve done 4.5-5 plates on this just hammering through (which I also think is useful for different reasons), but using 3 plates got me a ton of stimulus exactly where I wanted it. It’s a difference between wanting a targeted stimulus for a muscle/group, or more global stimulus for an area/system.

1635

FORTITUDE

Week 28 - Day 1 - Lower

Beltless Squat w/ Flats:
6x4x315 - This was speedy and easy, it was entirely a positioning-fixing day for this

Hack Squat w/ Flats - 5 Ct Eccentric, 1 Ct Pause:
3x8x270

Beltless RDL w/ Straps:
3x8x405

Hanging Knee Raise - Back Supported:
15, 10, 10, 8 x BW

Having my wife look at my squat and getting me positioned under the bar more evenly, along with a couple of cues, seemed to help me more evenly balance load between the two sides. I set up to the left of the middle of the bar, likely due to limited right shoulder ER. It’s not painful to shift to the middle, I just couldn’t feel I was doing that when setting up. I still need to focus on pushing towards the left through my feet/hips and not letting my torso rotate to the right, both of which otherwise always land me in a position of being shifted to the right, but the left side of the bar being lower. Gotta work a ton on cuing and maintaining the left T-spine rotation/extension and then I think the squat will feel much better, because it already seemed more solid today.

I think this is a better pattern than attempting to actively pull the left knee back with my adductors, which likely caused the recent strain(s).

1636

FORTITUDE

Week 28 - Day 1.5 - Cardio

Went in with my wife because she’s working this weekend and needed to get in an extra day early. Did a few things and cardio.

Band Shoulder CARs - Posterior Only:
3x6/6xMicro Mini

KB Overhead Triceps Extension - Arm-Supported, Full Stretch Focus:
2x10/10x15 - This was so hard this way lol

Seated Hamstring Curl:
2 sets then right side started cramping - Really gotta get more adapted to this

Cardio - Stationary Bike:
30 min total = 2 min warm-up + 12 x 2 min intervals at Lvl 10/13 + 2 min cool down
Distance: 9.65 miles (0.7 mi short of my PR in this time frame, but used Lvl 10/12 then)
Oura Ring Data: 153 bpm average HR, 174 bpm max HR, 281 calories

Happy with the cardio accomplished today, despite not beating the distance PR. Next time I do this time allotment, I’ll re-do the 10/12 levels and see if I can beat 9.72 miles. Last time I mostly maintained 90+ rpm the whole time, but today was rough on Level 13 by the mid-way point and I had to slow/speed every 15-30 seconds and by the last interval I had to switch to Level 12 to finish it out. Legs were shot.

Hence the getting up to 93% of my supposed max HR lol

1637

FORTITUDE

Week 28 - Day 2 - Upper

Paused Bench:
5x5x275 - Intermittent left anterior shoulder pain, but overall better than it’s felt in a few months

Single-Arm Kneeling Cable Low Row:
12/12x70
2x10/10x100

DB Overhead Triceps Extension - Arm-Supported, Full Stretch Focus:
15/15x20
13/13x20

Cable Triceps Pushdown:
15x85
12x100
2x8x115

Barbell Forearm Roller:
3 rounds x Ext/Flx x 80 lbs - PR with the extra round

DB Curl - Myo-Rep Match Sets:
15x35s
10+5x35s
8+4+3x35s

Lying Barbell Wide-Grip Facepull:
15, 12, 10 x 60

Focusing on pulling my chest to the bar on the eccentric more than usual helped with the shoulder pain today. The weight moved well too, these were probably RPE 5 or so. But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to jump into barbell pressing each upper body day. This was a good starting point for it feeling good again though.

1638

FORTITUDE

Week 28 - Day 3 - Lower

Paused Sumo w/ Belt/Straps:
3x495
3x3x545 - Felt heavy, but moved well enough
2x3x495

Paused Leg Press - Myo-Rep Match:
12x540
8+4x540 - Beat the 2x10 from 2 weeks ago

Single Leg Lying Leg Curl:
2x10/10x50 - These were high effort, despite the weight

A1 | High Step Ups with Slow Eccentric:
3x10/10xBW

A2 | Hanging Leg Raise - Back Supported:
3x15xBW - Finally hit 15s across the board, but barely

Isometric High Step Up:
2x5/5 - Barbell on back, underneath J-hooks, at full-depth squat, pushing for 5 sec per rep

Decided to do sumo two weeks in a row, mostly because I did a conventional variation in RDLs earlier this week. So far no negatives, writing this the next day. Performance was pretty good, some hip shifting and didn’t feel like I had the best hip mobility to get horizontally close enough to the bar, but that’s just being out of practice in that position.

Paused leg press continues to be hard as shit. I’d like to get to 3x15x540, so I’ll probably go back down in reps and increase volume to 3x10x540 next time, then 3x12, then shoot for that. Even if they’re myo-rep match sets.

Trying out some isometrics unilaterally to see if I can get the left hip to start cooperating and giving me power output out of deep hip flexion. I may put them before squats and see what I get, in the same way I’ve done for sumo in the past.

1639

FORTITUDE

Week 28 - Day 4 - Upper

Incline DB Bench:
3x12x90s

Rear Delt Fly - Heavy Partials + Light Full ROM:
12x45s + 12x20s
12x55s + 12x20s
10x55s + 10x20s

Leaning Pinwheel Curl:
2x10/10x45

Cable Incline Curl - Myo-Rep Match:
3x15x60 - I don’t remember specifics on the rest pauses

A1 | KB Fly-Press:
2x15x40s

A2 | KB Skullcrusher:
2x15x40s

Pretty normal day here. Tried out some DB pressing and it didn’t feel amazing on the shoulders, but it’s fine. KB fly-press actually felt great on the pecs. I haven’t done a free weight fly variation that feels good (other than chain fly) probably ever.

1 Like
1640

FORTITUDE

Week 29 - Day 1 - Lower

Front Squat w/ Belt/Oly Shoes:
4x275
2x4x315

Paused Squat w/ Belt/Oly Shoes:
3x5x315

Seated Leg Curl:
15x80
12x120
3x10x150

KB Side Bend:
3x10/10x80 - Paused at top/bottom

Machine Calf Raise:
3x12x70

Weak mental day today both in work and the gym. Attributing it to post-Christmas fatigue. I wanted a 4x4 on front squats pretty heavy and figured adding a belt would allow for a pretty solid 315 effort, based on the 5s I did with 275 the other week. I was wrong lol.

First couple of reps per set were okay (other than the crushing feeling that come with front squats) but I wasn’t maintaining my position well enough from there to warrant continuing. This just means I need to stick around 275 for more reps until I earn the control and positioning to handle more.

After those, I just backed down to some easy back squats and then not super high effort accessories. The leg curls were heavier than usual, but far from failure, because I want to improve my capacity to do them without cramping so easily. Hamstrings and abs are gon’ learn this year how to contract like adults.