Superset:
A1 | Farmers Walk:
2x2x25 yards @ 155 per hand
A2 | Front Loaded Step-Ups:
3x8/8 @ BW+52
I wanted to start changing it up with this workout and it went really well. I’m having some back pain that I need to get rid of and make sure I get it stronger, so that’s what a lot of this was aimed at.
The speed pulls felt really good once I got my belt on. 120 lbs in chain is a lot, but I was able to handle it well. More chain makes me feel like I’m having to explode through the lockout. RDLs did the same thing and I was able to actually use my hamstrings for once.
Squatting on deadlift day and vice versa is something I’m doing until the meet too to increase my frequency in the movements. I’m usually fucking terrible at front squatting, but I feel stronger now with them. The 3x8 @ 225 was really good for me. I usually can’t get past 5 reps above 225 before I fold over. But, I really want to get the front squat up a lot before the meet to see if it helps.
Fucking farmers walks are terrible. Need to do more of them.
Motivation: 4/4
Nutrition: 2/4 (Didn’t backload. Just ate carbs throughout the day after training)
Explosiveness: 4/4
Discipline: 4/4
Planks w/ Chains (On two benches so chains were completely off the ground):
1xPyramid: Add 1 chain (20 lbs) every 15 seconds up to 3 chains (60 lbs), then remove them every 15 seconds. Time: 1:30
1xPyramid: Same but add every 10 seconds up to 4 chains (80 lbs), then remove every 10 seconds. Time: 1:20
Movin’ on up!
Both sets of 2x2x295+90 were really tough because I had a hard time staying tight. But I really wanted to get at least 2x305+90 today, and that was actually easier than the previous sets. I killed it really and I think I could have gotten 2x315+90, but I wanted to get a decent single on close grip.
And obviously close grip went really well too. I got 385 pretty easily, but 395 was more of a struggle. My girlfriend told me it was the slowest bench rep she’s ever seen me complete. It didn’t feel all that terrible honestly, but it was definitely slow. My ass raised of the bench too, but I’m not discounting the PR because of that.
The planks were some of the most difficult core work I’ve ever done. I’ll keep them in the rotation for sure.
This went surprisingly well considering my back has been hurting a lot when I do certain things. Mostly when I’m sitting down, if I extend my left leg, my back lights up and even more so when I lower my head at the same time. Not sure what that means, but I think it has to do with my hamstrings. Same pain when I do a basic standing hamstring stretch. Only on the left side.
With that being said, I didn’t have any pain whatsoever during the squats tonight. I smoked the speed squats and the 5s after weren’t that bad either. So my strength is still there, I think I just need to work on hamstring flexibility and lower back strength. Just hope I can go into the meet feeling fine.
RDLs were pretty tough, but they all moved well and I think my form held up well.
x.ross93: Yeah definitely. I feel stronger than ever. I’m not currently trying to add mass, but I could see how you could easily gain weight on this program if it was a goal.
Wave 2 - Week 3 - Body Day
Close Grip Bench:
Bar
2x5 @ 135
5 @ 225
5 @ 275
2x6 and 2x5 @ 315 (Volume PR. Wraps)
I wanted to get some extra bench work in today instead of doing DB bench as my main lift. Close grip went really well. I kept it 1-2 reps shy of failure because I didn’t have a spotter, but I got some good work in regardless. My competition grip PR at 315 is 7, so this was great for close grip.
My back is still hurting when I try to stretch it, but I was able to get into a good arch for bench and it hasn’t affected my lifting at all. Hopefully tomorrow morning’s rep deadlift session won’t be the first to be affected.
My back couldn’t handle deadlifting today at all really. The 455 was ugly so it was pointless to go on and injure myself more. I’m planning on taking this next week off and go to a chiropractor to see if I can get this shit handled ASAP.
This was very disheartening, but it is what it is and I need to fix it.
Important: I have a chiropractic appointment for this Wednesday evening. The chiropractor is an ex powerlifter, so I shouldn’t feel like he’s judging me for having hurt my back while squatting. lol. So far, my back/hip feels good resting it from lifting but only when I’m moving around. Sitting at a desk all day continues to suck a dick.
Today’s workout went very well. I had scheduled at 6x2 @ 245+90, but decided to do more sets and keep it lighter in order to make sure I was moving the weights as fast as possible. I think it worked out well because it was flying.
I realized I hadn’t actually done any competition grip bench in months without chains or a pause, so I decided to do that as my second exercise. I wanted to work up to a 3x3 and my goal was 345, since my PR for a non-fatigued triple is 365. So I consider this a PR.
Avoiding my lower back, the only horizontal row I could do was chest supported, so I just did a bunch of volume there.
Motivation: 4/4
Nutrition: 4/4 (Stopped backloading for now to get more calories in. I’m more concerned about recovering than making weight)
Explosiveness: 4/4
Discipline: 4/4
Chobbs: Will do, man! Anything you are curious about, let me know and I’ll answer as best I can.
Wave 3 - Week 1 - Body Day
Close Grip Bench:
Bar
2x5 @ 135
2x5 @ 225
5 @ 275
4x6 @ 315 (PR! Wraps)
Superset:
A1 | Pull-Ups (Pronated):
5x6
A2 | Band Triceps Pushdown:
3x25 @ 2 Minis
Lat Pulldown (Neutral. Lean back):
3x10 @ “150”
BB Reverse Curl/Curl:
2x15/15
Back injury update:
-I went to the chiropractor last night and he told me that he thinks it’s just a moderate sprain/strain of the spinal erector group and that I should be fine in 2-3 weeks and he seemed confident that I could still do the meet. So that’s good news. He also adjusted me, used a TENS unit, and gave me a few stretches and prescription for icing and such.
-This morning I woke up feeling much better than I did yesterday, but still in a lot of pain in certain positions. The pain is very odd and has been moving to different positions each of the last few days. Tuesday was back and upper glute, yesterday was upper glute and upper hamstring, and today was upper hamstring and calf. Shit the fuck?
Anyway, I’m basically not going to squat or deadlift for at least a week longer and then I’ll see how I feel with partials before moving back to full ROM.
Today’s workout went really well. The 4x6 was a big PR over last week. The rest went well too, but it wasn’t anything special.
Not much to say about this. Just tried to avoid hip hinging.
Went to the chiro again on Friday and he wants me to get an x-ray to make sure I don’t have any disc issues. My foot has been feeling like it’s constantly about to fall asleep for a few days now, so obviously there’s some nerve issue. But, I’m still improving a little bit each day it seems, so I’m okay.
Good session. The 295+50 got better with each set, so I’m glad I went for the 6th rep for the PR. I didn’t realize at the time that the 2x355 was also a PR because of pausing the first rep. It moved like a PR though (grinder on the 2nd), so I’m glad to know it was one. Decided to skip the other paused bench and do push-ups because of the rep work I also did on Thursday last week.
Chiro update: Got my xray done and I have no disc damage or issues. Some posterior compression between L5 and the sacrum, but it isn’t a concern apparently. The hole were nerves come out looks a little small though, so it may be hitting there. Basically, we’re still not sure, but I’m also still getting better each day.
Decline Sit-Ups:
12 @ BW
2x10/10 @ BW+Doubled Mini (Offset to left/right)
2x12 @ BW
Band Glute …Kickbacks?:
2x15/15 @ Doubled Mini
Well almost all of the constant aching was gone today. My foot is still tingly and I have pain when do hamstring stretches, but I gained some flexibility and felt like I could do some lower body work. I didn’t feel weak, but I did have some glute pain. Now I know it’s definitely more of a glute injury than a back injury. The weights did all move very easily though, so I’m happy with that. Now I have a muscle in mind to fill with blood and stretch and hopefully I can keep it recovering and have some semblance of lower body training prior to the meet.
A lot of this comes down to how I feel tomorrow though. If I’m regress, I’ll probably continue to not squat/deadlift for a bit.
Hey, Chobbs, I think the original is only available in ebook form and it looks like they’re sold out of 365Strong (that has the Cube Kingpin method in it, which is what I’m doing) in hard copy. http://www.store.jtsstrength.com/hard-copy-books/
Yesterday - Wave 3 - Week 2 - Body Day
Incline DB Bench:
20 @ 25s
10 @ 50s
5x10 @ 80s
1.5 Board Press:
Bar
5 @ 135
5 @ 225
5 @ 275
2x8 and 1x6 @ 315 (Wraps. PR. Regular bench PR is 7 @ 315)
Planks:
3 rounds of 30 secs on, 10 secs off
4 rounds of 20 secs on, 10 secs off
This was a decent workout, nothing special though. The incline DB bench was harder than I expected, but it makes sense since I haven’t done any incline pressing in probably a year. The board press went really well reps-wise, though it does screw with my groove since I have a hard time mimicing my regular bench form when I’m aiming for something above it.
My glutes and quads were sore as hell from the squatting. So pathetic. I don’t think I’ve regressed on the injury though, so that’s good. Need to keep with the icing and stretching/foam rolling.
Trap Bar Deadlift (Full ROM):
Bar
2x5 @ 135
2x5 @ 225
5x5 @ 315
Sit-Ups on GHR:
10 @ BW
10 @ BW+25
4x10 @ BW+45
Glute Bridge w/ Short Mini Around Knees:
3x20
KB Goblet Squat:
3x15 @ 32kg
This went pretty well, I guess. It’s hard to measure anything other than pain level. The pin squats felt okay, but the weight felt heavy due to the lack of squatting over the past few weeks. Also, having to slow down in the middle to set it down on the pins is hard for someone that usually basically dive-bombs squats. No glute or back pain during these though, since I didn’t have much of a ROM.
The trap bar deadlift was very easy surprisingly. This may become a staple over the next few weeks just so that I can get some weight on the bar without having to bend over.
5 weeks is not a long time. I’m hoping I can squat heavy to depth before the meet or I might be fucked.
Still hitting PRs on bench, so I’m very happy with this. Triples at 355 went really well. The first set was a little all over the place, but I corrected it on the second set and made it look easy.
Close grip was really tough on the second rep of both sets, but I was able to grind it out.
I also squatted the bar a few times and my glute and back felt fine. Hopefully in the next week I’ll be able to get back into it to peak a little bit.
Due to the snow fucking Alabama in the ass, I was stuck at work Tuesday when I was supposed to do my lower body day, then there was no chance of getting to the gym Wednesday either. So I was going to just do my body day, but my shoulder ended up feeling like shit for some reason. So I cut the DB presses short and made it a lower day.
The squats and deadlifts felt great and I had no pain during either. As long as my form can hold up, I think I’ll be alright. I’m very relieved about it and I think I can get back to it for the next four weeks before the meet.
My next session will be another lower day to get back on schedule. I’ll probably full squat (not above 405 unless incredibly easy), trap bar deadlift (495), and maybe some straight bar deadlift as well. The straight bar worries me most because of having to bend over.
Hey awesome log! Been a longtime lurker on this site and finally decided to join. I came across your log after doing some research on the Cube method, and it looks like you’ve been pretty successful with it so far. Would you recommend it to someone who has a good amount of years under their belt but tends to recover a bit on the slow side? For instance I’ve tried programs like 5/3/1 but found I got beat up pretty bad from heavy squats and deads in the same week. And thanks for logging all this, I’m definitely gonna follow!
Hey, IronBehemoth, thanks for checkin out the log. I would definitely recommend the Cube for most people. The recovery thing depends on what you mean by beat up. Like muscular or CNS? Because I think it’s great for the CNS, but if you happen to have rep squat and heavy deadlift or vice versa in the same week, it may be rough on the muscles. But for the most part, I never feel too beat up to do any of the workouts. There’s a big difference between the Cube and the Cube Kingpin though, since you do 3 variations of the main lift each day on the Kingpin. I like it though.
This felt okay during the workout, but now I’m in more pain than I have been recently when I get into the wrong positions. So that’s discouraging. I’m not sure if it’s the deadlifts or the squats that are doing it, so I think I’ll cut out the heavy deadlift and just squat.
The trap bar deadlifts felt great until 455 and it got slow. Not sure if that’s because I’m not used to trap bar or if I’m just not able to get past the injury. Squats were the same way kind of. The 405 felt heavy and my hips shot up, but the 315 was as explosive as it has ever been.
Clearly I’m not sure what to think about this workout or the injury. The weights moved were a milestone, but the felt so shitty it’s hard to be happy about it. Hopefully I can get some decent strength back before the meet.