Nothing was stopping me from going 100% with or without a belt on this day. I just had a gut feeling for the week that this workout needed to be done. Lack of belt didn’t do me any harm tho. Really only beltless deadlifts fuck me up.
Either way, I sorta wanna make it a habit to front squat heavier without a belt. I get a lot of pop from a belt and I really wanna work on stability and leg strength.
4/16/20 - bw 230. Today was light deadlifts and some easy accessory stuff, since my ENTIRE body is experienced absurd doms.
1.5inch Deficit Pause Axle DL (double over)
135x8,5,5
185x3,3
225x3
255x3
315x3
315x3
315x3 felt really good.
Pull Up (wide grip)
x10
x10
x10
Nordic HS Curl (did these with my hips hinged, hits the hamstring harder I feel, especially by tendon and lower/mid)
x8
x8
x8
x8
4/20/20 - I currently have vertigo. I think BPPV. (hope). It was pretty bad 2 days ago, which is why I took so much time off. I nearly crashed driving not long ago, but today it seems to have subsided a bit. I was able to push press without much issue. Only thing is fatigue. My ears are also popping and feeling funky. 
Push Press
135x3,3
185x3,3
225x3,3
275x1
belt on
290x3
290x3
290x3
240x3x3
Seated DB shoulder Press
55x10
55x10
55x10
55x10
Rear Delt Flyes
x15
x15
x15
x15
misloaded push press. was 300. oops.
Quality, wish I could say that !
4/22/20 - vertigo has subsided. I haven’t slept well in a week and I’m feeling very fatigued. Also, I misloaded not only my psuh press top sets (300 instead of 290), but I realized I misloaded the back down sets too. 250 instead of 240. I’m hoping this is just a sleep issue. Anyway, hit FS and farmers pretty hard.
Pause Front Squat to 16" Box
135x8,5
185x3
235x3
275x2
325x2x1
415x4
345x4
330x3
330x3 these felt soooo light
330x3 feel like i found a groove here.
Idea with these is to overload the core, tax the quads/eccentric muscles stabilizers and spare my adductors from getting completely trashed beyond reason from full ROM squats.
Farmers (shitty tiny-radius turn at half)
120/hand x 80’, x80’
170/hand x 80’, x80’
260/hand x 40’
260/hand x 80’
260/hand x 80’ stupid turn
260/hand x 90’ goooooood turn.
Suitcase Carry
90lbs x a lot x 3 sets
4/27/20- This isn’t a workout post, but an update and a log for myself (others who care). After my 3-day vertigo bout subsided, I had a minor tooth ache in my upper-right molar. Unusual for me, as my teeth appear to be fine and there was no indication of a cavity or infection in the tooth. Fast forward one day, and I’m rushing to urgent care screaming in pain from the overwhelming pain in my face - namely my cheekbone/near my eye and my ear.
Doc ruled it as an ear infection and gave me amoxicillin. Every day, I wake up with ZERO pain in the tooth or face. I go about my day normally, and about an hour of being awake, a slow, very subtle pain appears above the molar. This pain builds in the oncoming hours and, punctually, (literally the same time after waking up), the pain climaxes and I am forced to take meds. It’s pretty unbearable. I think it’s a sinus infection causing pain in the molars but who knows. I want to return to training asap but antibiotics make me feel like shit.
Sorry to hear that!
I hope you get better soon!
I am on the same antibiotics currently (for much stupider reasons) and although I am no doctor or medical professional, I would advise you to not train during the time you have to take them.
Usually antibiotics themselves stress the organism and training could push you over the edge.
No milk or calcium heavy food 1-2 hours before and after taking antibiotics, no alcohol, no sports are the general rules. As well as never stopping antibiotics earlier than prescribed.
Interesting thank you for input. I intuitively dropped a lot of vitamins I normally take about 4 days ago and got off creatine last week. I am also eating less calories. Gonna deload and do very light training to keep my body moving.
Hope you push through w/e happened to you as well friend.
I will eventually. I cut open both my hands pretty deeply in a can related cooking accident and they were sewed last week. Then yesterday I tore open the bigger of the wounds and had to go to the ER again. But yeah it will fuse together one way or another.
Oh god! Kudos for still getting after it lmao. I saw those frankensquats 
Hopefully it stops soon man.
Amoxy should dry it up within a few days. Take the chance to rest the body and come back stronger next week.
Hey mate, if you feel like it, I’d love some input from you.
Do you have any specific peaking protocols if you want to go for an overhead PR?
I was making a push for 140 kg which I think I actually had the strength for at my last peak but didn’t attempt it. My current PR is 135 kg, so I’m not far off. I have also done 6 singles at 130 kg pretty recently. Now my upper body training came to a stop because I fucked up my hands. I will likely be able to go back at it the week after this next one.
Even though it is a training max and I am far out from competitions, this really means a lot to me and I want to get this damn weight over my head. After I have achieved that, I plan on focusing more on log and axle to be ready for comps.
So without further due: I train upper body twice a week. On the first of two, I do my push presses. I can bench press injury wise, but usually don’t really do, apart from Hicks presses.
I’d be looking to peak anywhere in the next 11-12 weeks.
I have had so much success with that one simple set and rep scheme you gave me years ago, that I thought this might be just the place to turn to.
@Koestrizer can’t say much for peaking aside from linear periodisation and feeling good on the day. One way you can safeguard PR’s is by using AMRAP sets to determine based on coefficient. .
In 2015 or so I did 315 for 4 with RPE 9-9.5 the week before I hit 365 for one. I misgrooved the 4th and it was a hard grinder, but I likely did not have a 5th anyway. This is a bit crude, but, 365/315=1.158
140/1.158= 120.8. Try hitting 120 for 4-5 reps AMRAP on push press. If you can do that you’re probably where you need to be to get 140 for one.
If that applies to me, I was definitely very close already. Before I hit 135 kg I have done a triple @ 127,5 kg.
I think I’ll do a few weeks of top sets like reps at 110 kg, next week 120, 130 and then go for it.
You can break down the same volume amount in different ways too. You can try 4-6 singles with 125-130; sometimes, throwing rest periods to the wayside, and taking as much time as you need to get X amount of singles with a heavy weight.
5/4/20 - Finished my AB’s today and I’m just eager to taper back up to real training. Technically not “real” training as far as heavy weights are concerned, given I’ve opted to sort of reset on lower body work. Gonna still train press normally tho. Bw 235, working on cutting down to high 220s, possibly mid 220s. Feel and perform better all around, tho I’m definitely stronger on squats at 230+.
5/2/20
Deadlifts (axle)
135x10
185x10
225x10
225x10
225x12
Staggered Single Leg RDL (right leg only)
55x8
55x8
55x8
55x8 very tough
Nordic HS curl
x5 upright, x8 hip hinge
x5 upright, x8 hip hinge
x5 upright, x10 hip hinge
Suitcase Carry
100lb DB x a lot x alot
5/4/20
Strict Overhead Press
45x15
65x8,8
95x3
115x3
135x3
155x3
185x3
205x3
235x3
235x3
235x3 pretty easy, called it here
190x3x3, again, really easy, just staying at the cusp of responsible but “heavy”
Axle Block Clean Pulls (18 inch bar height)
135x10
225x5
275x3
325x6 grip was limiting me on final reps
275x5 way better, focusing on staying more forward on balls of my heels
Axle Cleans (off blocks)
135x8
185x3
225x5
225x5
225x8 comfortable, and great quality. Happy.
Standing Tate Press (triceps)
40x8
40x8
55x6
55x6
Spider curl
65x8
65x8
Hammer Curl
40x8
40x8
40x8
Suitcase Carry
55x a lot x a lot
I have done 6 singles with 130 kg in one session. Looking back I kinda regret not going for it when I was pretty much there. Well I’ll get back to it.
Those cleans looked awesome!
Yeah, same boat for me and a 500 FS. I believe I had strength at some point but pussied out.
Go for it soon man, you’ve got it.