ActivitiesGuy Log III: StrongFirst Kettlebells & Deadlifts

In 531, very rarely do you go past 87% of your actual 1RM and tend to stay in 85-95 of a 90%.

I’m not saying programs never go into ranges above 87, but most strength work has to be done between 80 and 90 at least 80 % of the time for any real strength gains to happen

“Progress past 87%” /=/ “Spends most time training above 87%”

I don’t think this is really rocket science, and you’re basically splitting hairs over semantics. Train most of the time in the 80-87% range, once in a while go into the 90-95% range, once in a great while go for >100% to set a new 1RM.

1 Like

That’s the new concept to me. I know it’s not new but I haven’t really seen anyone emphasize that range. I’ve run a lot of programs that pass through that zone but seem to spend equal time above that range.

I’ve just recently started checking out your log and thought that statement by CT screamed “that’s what ActivitiesGuy had been doing!”

I like your training and will be emulating some of your Deadlift stuff. I think a high volume of moderate loads feels better on my body than a low volume of heavy loads.

Monday 4/17

Front Squat

3x135
3x165
3x195
3x225

Back Squat

1x255
1x285
1x315
1x345
1x345
1x345
1x345
1x345
3x315
3x255
3x255
3x255
3x255
1x255

Tuesday 4/18

2-Mile Run (20 Minutes)

@ActivitiesGuy have you considered instead of squat and deadlift just focusing on a power clean press? I have always wondered what would result in just getting strong in a full body movement like that.

Wednesday 4/19

Back Squat

5x135
5x165
5x195
1x225
1x255
1x285
1x315
1x345

Front Squat

5x135
5x165
1x195
1x225
1x255
1x285
1x285
1x225
1x225

It’s the warm-up.

Much jealous jealous.

That was 6 years ago.

Thursday 4/20

Back Squat

3x135
3x165
3x195
3x225
3x255
3x285
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315

Awesome log man…

1 Like

Friday 4/21

Deadlift

1x135
1x135
1x225
1x225
1x315
1x315
1x405
1x455
1x495
1x495
1x495
1x495
1x495
1x495
1x495
1x495

Eight singles at 495 is a volume PR for the weight (i.e. I’ve never done that many reps at 495 in one workout). If I’d felt better, I might have gone for a new 1RM, but I didn’t really have any zip on the first rep at 495, so I decided to stay there and grind out a bunch of singles at that weight.

2 Likes

How much do you feel good for now man? 8 singles at 495 is some strong shit

I’ll let you know for sure in a couple weeks, but I’m pretty sure that if I rested up a little bit and came into a workout fully fresh and ready to roll, I’d hit 545 pretty easily. Maybe even 565.

3 Likes

Ima hold you to that brotha

2 Likes

Saturday 4/22

10-Mile Run (98 Minutes)

Wife joined me for this one today. That makes three straight weeks with a 10-miler, so I’m getting more comfortable that this is an every-week distance now, much like 495 is an every-workout pull in the deadlift.

2 Likes

Sunday 4/23

Back Squat

3x135
3x165
3x195
1x225
1x255
1x285
1x315
1x325
1x335
1x345
1x365 (PR)
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315

Something of a breakthrough today. On tired legs (one day after running 10 miles and two days after deadlifting eight singles at 495), I set a new squat PR, albeit a small one, and then cruised through ten easy singles at 315. Bizarrely, I was almost happier about the last few singles with 315 than I was the PR; this was the first time since I started squatting again this year that I felt complete ownership of 315. Every rep was a perfect sequence of “unrack, set your feet, brace, breathe, down and back up.”

7 Likes

Strong stuff going down in here

1 Like

Solid work, and a great mental PR

1 Like

Monday 4/24

Back Squat

3x135
3x165
3x195
1x225
1x255
1x285
1x315
1x325
1x335
1x345

Front Squat

3x135
3x165
3x195
1x225
1x255
1x285