These must be brutal lol. I’ve got them in my program now but it’s only like 60kg for high reps.
Not really, they are actually the easiest thing in the whole workout. Hatfield squats are unbelievably brutal, especially for higher reps. First of all the SSB pads are pushing down on my chest and making it hard to breathe and my hands can’t push the bar up, and on top of that for the last few reps I’m straining through the full ROM. I got a major pump where the base of my neck and upper back join, and today my abs and calves are sore as hell.
I have been doing snatch grip RDLs on and off for a long time so they don’t really seem like a huge deal to me, I can do almost the same weight as with regular RDLs. Of course I’m fatigued at the end of this workout so I’m not using any crazy weights, I think I did something around 400 for 6 or 8 reps before. If you find these to be way harder than regular RDLs then it is a sign that your upper back and lats are weak.
Are you still doing the 3 day Sheiko program or what?
im off the 3 Day U80kg. Lessons learnt and applied. New program is like really similar like based on the Sheiko one.
Thursday, May 24 - Bench assistance day
Close grip floor press
265x10, 9, 8 - could have probably done another two on the first two sets, one on the last set
Military press
185x10x2 sets - could have done another two on the first set and decided to match it, not sure if I could have done another rep
Push ups - neutral grip, on dumbbells, with super mini band
13, 10
Skull crusher
85x15x3 sets
Face pulls
super mini band x25x4 - stood further back and barely finished the 3rd set, moved a bit closer and barely finished the last one. Hard to judge band tension, what can I do.
Everything so far has been more weight for at least the same reps and in some cases more reps too, things are going well. I’m gradually getting leaner too, although bodyweight is approximately the same (high 240s)
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In other news, I ordered a pair of Titan Signature Gold knee wraps (2.5m) and they arrived today. I decided against the Titanium wraps after doing some investigation, apparently they have a lot of stopping power and are very stretchy and that is not quite what I’m going for.
I saw a bunch of good reviews on the Sig. Golds, Jay Nera (who happens to live in Ottawa, but I don’t know him) actually compared them against the red Slingshots saying that the Slingshots are more about stopping power and better for wide stance squatters while the Sig. Golds give a lot of rebound. Bryce Krawczyk also has a video talking about knee wraps, he was specifically responding to a question from a guy looking to use them to overload his squat. Bryce recommends these if you are going to wrap yourself since they are not very stretchy and you will be able to get some rebound without wrapping them too tight.
I seem to have the ability to wrap my knees so tight that my feet go numb and I want to scream, so I can probably get a lot out of them . There were also some comments here and there saying that they have a lot of stopping power and are only suitable for elite lifters and so on, however the Australian Titan site actually has a thing that shows softness vs. stiffness and rebound vs. stopping power for their wraps and these are supposed to be the most rebound of all. Then I saw a video of some little girl squatting in Signature Golds so I figured I can make them work for sure.
So I tried wrapping my knees just to see how it goes and how I can wrap them, depending on how many revolutions I can get I have to adjust my wrap technique. These have a fair amount of stretch but the thing is that they are so stiff that you have to pull real hard to actually stretch them, the complete opposite of the Pioneer Guardians. I was only able to get 6 revolution out of them vs. 9 with the Guardians and 7 with the slingshots. I might be able to get 7, but I wouldn’t count on it. The good thing is that while I wrapped them fairly tight they didn’t hurt like the Guardians did on Tuesday and there was no pinching, they aren’t particularly uncomfortable to put on. Of course I didn’t actually squat in them yet, so I will see how it goes next Tuesday.
This knee wrap business is not as straightforward as I thought, plus there seems to be a lack of good information out there. There are some reviews of multiple wraps here and there but it mostly only applies to the way that one guy felt about them. The best advice I have gotten is to try a few pairs and see what I like and what works best. You guys better hope I never get into equipped lifting or I will never shut up about my problems.
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Friday, May 25 - Light squat/deadlift day
1-1/4 squat - transformer bar in back squat position
305x2x6 sets - 45 sec. rest
Deadlift
405x10 - kind of easy, could definitely do 3 more reps
Deficit deadlift (yes, sumo)
365x10, 10, 8 - could have done another 3 on the first set, two on the second, and two on the last. I would have done 9 on the last set but grinding deadlifts often causes more fatigue than it’s worth.
Barbell row
I kind of messed up here, last week it went 12, 11, 10, 9 with 5lbs. less. I forgot that I was supposed to do 12 on the first set so I did this:
305x10x3 sets, 305xAMRAP: 14 reps
The first 3 sets were not easy but I definitely could have done more reps. The way I do this is sort of cheat-ish, but I don’t go to the point of using my legs to drive the weight up and I make sure the bar touches my waist. I’m kind of surprised I got 14 on the last set, in total I did 2 reps more than last week with 5lbs more. Things are looking good.
Overhand hold - smooth and thick power bar
285x15sec.x2
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I expected high rep deadlifts to be harder than they are. I started with 385 which is about 70% of my deadlift PR (which wasn’t an all out max). Maybe it’s because those Hatfield squats are so brutal that everything else seems easy, I’m not sure. Either way, I’m going to stick with the plan because it looks like it’s working.
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Monday, May 28 - Main bench day
Bench press - first rep paused
285x10 - could probably do two more reps
Wide grip bench - paused
270x10, 9, 8 - two reps left in each set
Close grip incline
200x10, 10, 9 - 2-3 more on the first, 1-2 on the next two
Dumbbell flys w/ super mini band
35’s x15, 12, 10 - for some reason I always fatigue fast on these, I guess my pecs can’t take any more
Chin ups - supinated
BW+10x10x4 sets - this was easier than I expected
It looks like I’m basically making linear gains right now, which sounds kind of crazy since I’m nowhere near a beginner. I suppose that is the result of doing high reps after a peaking phase when I haven’t done high reps for a real long time. I’m debating on how long I should keep this going because there are a few meets coming up in the fall and ideally I want about 3 months to work with some heavier weights, I also don’t want to cut this high rep phase short because it looks like it’s going to pay off.
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What do you mean?
What indicators are showing this?
Look at the weights and reps at the beginning of this block and what I’m doing now. I’m matching or adding reps each week and adding weight to everything (except flys because 5lbs. is like 15%).
I was expecting reps to drop off to 8’s or 9’s by now, I’m still doing 10’s for at least the first set of everything and it hasn’t gotten significantly harder with the added weight.
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Sounds like you found a sweet spot in the weights, programming, nutrition, and recovery for you right now.
Went back and looked. Damn son!
Mostly it’s because the high reps are a different stimulus, leading up to the last meet I was doing mostly singles and doubles. Also I know what I’m doing so nutrition, recovery, and selecting the right weights is going to happen one way or another.
Look up the JTS video on phase potentiation. They say it only accounts for a small percentage of gains but if you are always doing similar stuff and get stuck in a plateau then it can be the thing to restart progress. Rather than jumping from one program to another it makes a lot more sense to change up volume, intensity, and exercise selection.
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Tuesday, May 28 - Main squat day
Squat w/ wraps (Titan Signature Gold)
455x5 - could probably do 7, didn’t really strain at all. This is the first time squatting in these wraps, they definitely make the best first impression of all the wraps I have tried (which isn’t many, but still). Lots of rebound, if I can speed up the last 1/3 of my descent then I will get even more. They don’t bind up like the red Slingshots, it’s more like the tension gradually builds as you descend. Not too uncomfortable either. Depth wasn’t great on this set, mostly about borderline, but that is largely because I don’t know what depth feels like in these, another two inches and I’m good. I just need to keep practicing and I will get used to them soon.
Hatfield squat
435x10, 8, 7 - same reps, more weight. Could have done more reps on each set, lung capacity seems to have improved and I also got stronger but I’m just matching reps for now. I will start making bigger jumps in weight from week to week pretty soon, try to get something like 500x6.
Paused SSB squat - no belt
290x8, 7 - everything feels easier this week so I did one more rep than before (with more weight too) on the second set, I felt tired after that though.
Snatch grip RDL
345x10x3
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Thursday, May 31 - Bench assistance day
Close grip floor press
270x10, 8, 7 - could have squeezed out one more on the first set, maybe two on the next two sets. Reps are starting to drop off and I feel less energetic, I think deloading next week as originally planned is a good idea. I was killing it on Monday and Tuesday but those Tuesday squat sessions are brutal, the fatigue is catching up. I slept well and didn’t work yesterday either so there is no other reason to be running out of gas. I have never had any good results from overreaching, maybe increasing work capacity but my work capacity is not limiting my ability to train and get stronger so it’s not worth pushing it for another week.
Military press
190x10, 9 - had another two in me for the first set, probably just one on the second. This is about equal to last week, just 5lbs more.
Neutral grip dumbbell pushups
light band X 8, 8 - the light band is about 50% stronger than the super mini, I didn’t expect it to make that much of a difference though. It surprised me on the first set, the second one was basically all out.
Skull crusher
90x15x3 sets - same sets/reps, more weight
Face pulls
super mini with a knot X25x4
I put a knot in the band to increase resistance a bit, there isn’t much else I can do.
So the plan is to finish this week (deadlifts tomorrow) and then deload next week, drop volume by 50% and intensity by about 10%. Then start back with the same thing but start ramping up the weights so I’m doing sets of 5-8 on compound lifts by the 4th week. The next block I will stop fucking around with these little bitch weights and start lifting heavy again. I don’t have a meet planned but there are a few between October and December that are not too far away, I want to do another meet by the end of the year.
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Friday June 1 - Light squat/deadlift day
1-1/4 squat - transformer bar in back squat position
305x2x6 sets, 45 sec. rest
Deadlift
415x10 - felt like I had another two good reps in me, maybe could have even done more but I don’t feel too energetic the last couple days and I’m cutting it at 10 anyway.
Deficit DL
375x10, 10, 8 - 2-3 more on the first, 1-2 on the second, probably 2 on the last. So far same reps as last week but 10lbs more, sort of felt like it took a bit more effort but it’s probably more in my head than anything and deloading next week will fix that.
Barbell row
310x12, 12, 11, 10 - somehow these felt easier than expected. Trying to keep form reasonable too.
Overhand hold - thick/smooth/stiff bar
290x15 sec.x2 - this felt harder than before. Supposedly reduced grip strength is a sign of CNS fatigue, I think there is something to that. I could try to push it again next week but I’m sure that I will feel like total shit by the end of the week and it won’t help in the long run either.
I think I’m going to sign up for a CPF/WPC meet in October in Longueil, Quebec (outside Montreal). Cheap motels, no membership fees, about a 2 hour drive. The other options in the fall look like the are mostly around Toronto, the drive will be at least double and hotels/motels are at least double the price too. I’m cheap and lazy so I will go with the easiest and cheapest option unless there is something else to gain from the others and it doesn’t appear that there is.
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Monday, June 4 - Main bench day - deload
Bench - 1st rep paused
260x5
Wide grip bench - paused
245x7x2
Close grip incline
180x7x2
Dumbbell flys w/ mini band
35’s x9x2
Chin ups - supinated
bw x7x3
Nothing exciting here.
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Tuesday, June 5 - Main squat day - deload
Squat w/ wraps
410x3
Hatfield squat
395x6x2
Paused SSB squat - beltless
265x7
Snatch grip RDL
315x8x2
Thursday, June 7 - Bench accessory day - deload
Close grip floor press
245x6x2
Military press
175x5x2
Pushups - on dumbbells, neutral grip, with super mini band
x8
Skull crusher
80x8x3
Face pulls
super mini bandx25x2
………………………………………………………………
Friday - Light squat/deadlift day - deload
1-1/4 squat - transformer bar in back squat position
305x2x6 sets - 45 sec. rest
Deadlift
375x5 - hook gripped this because I haven’t been hook gripping anything except warmups, a set of 5 is manageable
Deficit deadlift
340x7x2
Barbell row
280x7x3
Skipped the overhand holds because light grip work sounds completely pointless. I’m looking forward to next week, deloads seem to be necessary to avoid burning out but they are not very exciting.
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Monday, June 11 - Main bench day
Bench press - 1st rep paused
290x9 - failed 10th rep, had my mind set on 10 and the 9th was a bit slow but still thought I could get 10. I got stuck and let it down on the pins, not worth an all-out struggle and I likely would have failed anyway. I guess endurance is down after the deload or something, I wouldn’t really call it strength because 10’s are basically cardio.
Wide grip bench - paused
270x10, 8, 7 - could do another 1-2 reps on each set, seems like I fatigued quick though
Close grip incline
205x10, 9, 8 - another 1-2 reps again
Dumbell flys w/ super mini band
35’s x15, 10, 9 - didn’t match reps from two weeks ago, whatever
Chin ups - supinated
bw+15x 10, 10, 9, 7 - letting the reps drop off rather than doing partial reps and that kind of crap.
Maybe if performance in high rep ranges is the objective then I need to deload differently. I’m not really concerned though, I’m going to move the weights up faster in this block and a month from now it will mostly be sets of 3-5.