The Danish Viking: back to 531: Road to 2-3-4 Plates

Training Training Logs
622

Today’s training

Rise of the Viking 5/3/1
C4W1D2

Warmup: jump rope, agile 8, some stretches, lazy lifter, band stuff.

Frontsquat – backsquat
5 – 3 @30, 40, 50, 3 – 3 60 kg
front squat 3x60 kg

Squat
5 x 70 kg
5 x 80 kg
3 x 5 @ 90 kg Belt on last set

set 1 3x90 kg
set 2 5x90 kg
set 3 5x90 kg belt on

Overload Squat walkout
1 @ 120 kg – 265 lbs 10 seconds No belt

Squat Back off no belt

2 x 5 @ 70

Giant set with all squat sets.
3 box jump – squat – 8 band straight arm pull down

SGDL + Sumo/squat stance
6 x 2 + 2 @ 85 kg

SS
Planche 15 second

Pull up
6 x 5 @ BW
SS
12 situps

Workout took 1 hour 10 minutes
A bit down on power today, but it was a good day.
Giant sets like Alpha prescribes. Was kind of good, but sweat was pouring.
Squat cues ala Alpha, squeeze butt before decent and not pushing butt back.

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623

Looks like you are feeling better? Nice workout!

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Giant sets feel awesome don’t they…

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woke at 81,5 kg - 179,7 lbs
about 3000 calories yesterday
Had a bit of extra chocolate and stuff after dinner :slight_smile:

@littlelee yup much better no fever, but still a bit meh.

@losthog Giant sets have my legs really sore today, must have been the boxjumps, but I kind of like them. Going for the Darkhorse program at some time this year.

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626

They just make me feel alive, younger more able to move and get after it.

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627

Today’s training

Rise of the Viking 5/3/1
C4W1D3

Warmup: Jump rope, stretch, yoga stuff, kneeling bottom up KB press, band work.

Metcon 5 rounds of

SGHP 5x40 kg – pushup x5 – jump robe x20 – BPA x10

SGHP
5x50, 3x60, 2x65, 1x70 kg

Giant set BB row 35 kg x6 //band obligue crunch (all bench sets)
Bench Press
5 x 62,5 kg all paused
5 x 70 kg all paused
3 x 5 @ 77,5 kg first rep paused

Overload unrack for 10 sec
1 @ 107,5 kg

Back off
2 x 5 @ 62,5 kg 2 count pause at chest

OHP EMOM set.
6 x 2 @ 42,5 kg

Giant set 3 rounds
Push up x10
DB curl 10 @ 8 kg
Lat raise 8 @ 5 kg db hanging from band.

Done in just under an hour
Still not totally fresh. So no PR sets, but 3 sets at topweight + 2 sets at FSL
@losthog Giant sets is the way, yeah it breaks the sweat and doesn’t tax that much.

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628

Woke at 81 kg - 178,6 lbs
yesterday 2700 calories.

I’ve been thinking hard about what to do now.
I’m a true believer in Jim’s way of thinking and don’t want to stray too far away from the path.

I’ve had these programs in my mind:

1: Stay with Jim: building the monolith/1000 % awesome
2: Russian cycle ala @lava2007
3: CT’s guaranteed strength
4: @Alpha s Darkhorse

I’ve tried the metcon of Alpha, I’ve tried the giant sets too and I like it.

The fact that he uses set of 5, 3 and 1 sound familiar his doing volume work after sounds familiar.
New thing is he does dynamic work, which I’ve done for the last month or so and liked it.

So it might be a no brainer to pick the Darkhorse. But I like the russian cycle and CT’s work looks good.

DAMN IT there’s also Sheiko :slight_smile:
Well 1 or two month to decide.

I’ll tie the old running shoes and head out for a little jog. Still damn sore after squat the other day.

EDIT: Done, todays training:

2,5 km jogging 13 min 38 sec.
Should probably run a bit more often. Last time running was a month ago april 13 :slight_smile:

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Why not pick a goal, and then go with whatever approach is most likely to work best in achieving it?

Sorry, I’m terrible with these things. I’m goal oriented when I pick an approach. Even though it can get boring, I don’t see myself going off Greg’s system because it works better than anything else I’ve done or seen.

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I do have a goal: “I want to be stronger” lol.
More specific 2-3-4 plates.
But I do get what you say, because I’m chasing a two headed monster, I don’t want to gain to much fat, and when I’m eating in a surplus it all ends up on the belly.

Each of the programs offers the getting stronger part in some way.
Jims work I know: slow linear progression, but I would like a change in pace.
The russian cycle: work up from 2x6 to 6x6 with a weight then taper down 5x5-4x4-3x3-2x2-1x1 with a dynamic day in as well.
CT’s work is linear progression starting at high rep and ending with 1 reps.
And finally Alphas work which is a ME lift on a variation followed by dynamic work on the opposite main lift.

So they all promise me 100+ pounds for every lift in a few weeks. Aaaand I know it won’t happen.

What makes me like Alphas work right know is that he works in giant sets and have a metcon to start every session of with.
It fits another main issue, I still want to be able to run down the crooks.

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This is the appeal to me for darkhorse is the mobility component that adds “real world functional strength”. I’ll never be an eliete power lifter at my age, but I do have goals. Those goals would be even better if when I reach them I’m not an immobile brute that struggles to move, bend, etc.

The only concern I have about dark horse is that I’m not sure I’ll be able to push hard each workout and not over do it… I tend to go for broke every time I get a free reign to lift heavy and that could be devastating. If I try to under perform to stay safe I could end up waisting a training cycle. Not really though because I would learn a new aspect of lifting in general. So it’s a win win either way…

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Burning those extra calories should help when you’re in a caloric surplus. I’m looking forward to the dark horse stuff, it seems pretty legit

Are you going to work out every other day?

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I’m not familiar with Alpha’s program, but I’ve run 5/3/1 and CT’s stuff. The program I’m currently running is one dimensional (kind of): get bigger and stronger. Conditioning is not part of the program. I’ve seen other programs written by CT where he limits or excludes conditioning because the goal, the one and only goal, is size and/or strength.

I started noticing the trend so I asked him about it in the forum. He’s not against conditioning during the programs, but one has to add it very slowly to make sure it doesn’t interfere with recovery.

If you want/need to improve your conditioning then CT’s programs aren’t the right method. I think you could prioritize conditioning and running for a bit to bring it up and then bring it down to maintenance while running CT’s stuff. Your body would be used to the conditioning work by then.

I’m really enjoying my current program. I feel a bit lethargic this week so I’ve lost a bit of motivation but I’m hoping it’s a fluke (too much sitting around, bad sleep, maybe my body is fighting off a minor cold or something). If I continue to feel worn out or it gets worse then I’ll change my mind soon, but for now I’m happy with the training. It’s even tempting to reset and start it again when I finish. I’m not nearly as excited to try my CrossFit experiment as I was a month ago.

I’m not doing much for conditioning. I need to bring it up but I’ve decided to prioritize lifting. When I finish up I’ll switch it up to a strength maintenance phase while I push my conditioning.

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making nice progress dude. Also you got a sick bike!

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That’s the beauty of it, you push one set for 5, 3 or 1 on an exercise that’s not the main but a variation. It should only be the 1 rep max that should be really taxing, the 5 an 3 reps are not as taxing for the cns. Then you hit an amrap set for the variation, the rest is not taxing. So one all out set, should be manageable.

absolutely, should keep the fat of and the muscles on.

@Frank_C Jim actually advocates for conditioning these days, but that’s off the speak here.
I’m not going for improving my conditioning, mostly it’s about maintaining and not pushing that.
As stated CT’s program has me triggered as well.
Alpha has you doing a 10 minute metcon at the start of the day, a circuit of different exercises that has the blood flowing in the upper or lower body, it breaks sweat and brings up the heartbeat, nothing more. Then it has you doing giant sets eg: BB row, Bench, ab crunch rest. The focus is the bench.
And motivation comes and goes, It’ll come back, you have other stuff on your mind as well, the health care program for the department and probably other stuff to.

@Kniebuigkoning Thanks man, welcome to the log, if it the first time around.
And I like my little ride a lot, runs like a charm.

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When I think of MetCon I think of CrossFit style, gasping on the floor type sessions. I wouldn’t do that before my lifting but I suppose there are other versions of it.

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It is as intense as you make it. Alpha is a beast but he had to start somewhere…I use it as a slight step up from a basic warm up and really get the blood flowing then I set up for the lift and get a drink then bam…

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I’ve linked it before, but here it comes in my log as well.

Big J you should look at this program when you start your officers at something, I think it’s rather cool, the more I think of it the more I like it.

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639

Woke at 81 kg – 178,6 lbs
Yesterday 2600 calories.

Today’s training

Rise of the Viking 5/3/1

C4W1D4 The kroc deadlifts

This workout left me drenched in sweat, heartpumping and with the words of Springsteen introducing the E-Street band the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, hard-rocking, booty-shaking, love-making, earth-quaking, Viagra-taking, justifying, death-defying work of @Alpha

Warmup: jump rope, yogastuff, stretches, band work took maybe 5 minutes.

Dynamic warmup ala Alpha 2 rounds of bear crawl, gator walk, burpee broad jumps, 40 jump ropes.

1 (should have been two) complex round of Bar x 8 DL, BB row, Hang Clean, front squat, strict press, back squat, push press.
Blood was flowing and I was ready, sweating already.

Powerclean to pushpress (more activation)

3 x 42,5, 47,5, 52,5 kg, 57,5 kg 2 x 62,5 kg

Deadlift Kroc program

Warm up

Conv DL + Sumo/squat stance
everything as giant set 3 x KB sving 24 kg / DL / plank 20 second

3 + 3 70 kg Double overhand
3 + 3 90 kg
3 + 3 110 kg
3 + 1 120 kg hook grip
1 @ 127,5 kg Hook
Working sets
5 @ 135 kg 297 lbs straps
5 @ 135 kg straps belt on
5 @ 135 kg mixed + belt
5 @ 142,5 kg mixed + belt

Giant set of

Squat a 1 count pause in the hole
6x3 @ 60, 70, 80, 70, 60, 60 kg everyf***** set felt so great.

Chins
5x5 BW 1x8 BW

DB incline bench press
3 x 8 @ 32,5 kg

Done in 1 hour 10 minutes.

Deadlifts were so heavy today. The last two reps on every set was grinded. But they were all the same.

Squats were awesome today.

This was a very awesome and good workout, but I was just about ready to die when I finished.

This kind of giant set and dynamic warmup is amazing.

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Strong deadlifts man!

I love pause squats. Squats as in front squats. Love as in really hate but see the benefit!

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Thanks Irish they were tough today.
This was the first time in a long time squats felt tight and strong.

1 Like