Movements and Training “True” Maxes (i.e. conservative estimates):
Manta Ray Squat: 365
Dips (including bodyweight): 270
Power Clean to Push Press: 185
Training Maxes
Manta Ray Squat: 310
Dips (including bodyweight): 230
Power Clean to Push Press: 155
Tentative 12ish Week Layout
Cycle 1
Work up to TM for PR set, but don’t go all out. This way, I have more energy left for more volume on down sets.
Cycle 2
Go all out for the PR set. Downsets done by feel for the day but erring on the low side.
For the past half year I’ve been experimenting with some different things involving lifting, but now I need something more structured to keep me more honest and accountable. Having someone follow a log only helps with that. Thanks again.
I was worried that the power clean to push press would be too upper body dominant because my push press is only about 80% of my power clean, but it seems to work my lower body just as well because of the leg drive of the push press. I’m sticking with that.
If you don’t see me recording assistance lifts, it’s because it’s highly variable and depends on what’s aching and how crazy my shifts have been with my physically demanding job. Mostly, it’s just some work to help increase work capacity, work on some niggles and pains, and help flesh out some of the areas the main work just gloss over.
Actually… now that I remember, I do better doing the volume work on a main lift before doing the heavy work. It makes it harder, so I have to work up to the PR whether it’s an RPE or true PR after having done the volume. Then if I try to work up fresh, I’m stronger and I progress faster without my body breaking down as much.
Anyway, today’s training session, don’t have my manta rays yet, lost the old one:
High Bar Squat
barx10
135x5
185x5
225x5x5
275x3
330x2 RPE 9-10
If I’m going to do it this way, I need to lower the training max.
Also, fuck it! This is the “I do what I want!!!” log now.
Okay, I’m still going to base my program off of very broad 5/3/1 principles. Pretty much the same broad principles of any strength/athletic program.
The more I think about doing this, the more bored and depressed I feel about it. I’ve become addicted to the heavy weights and PR’s of Westside type training methods. I’m going to stick with something like that.
Major Points:
2 big lifts each training day or 1 whole body lift with more assistance: an upper and lower
one lift is a modified ME and the other a dynamic/rep
stick with big heavy movements for the two main ones
Lower ME’s
Manta Ray Squat
High Bar Above Parallel Box Squat
Front Squat
Upper ME’s
Standing Arms 90 Degrees Pin Presses
Tricep Focused Dips
Floor Press
Whole Body ME’s
Power Clean to Push Press
Power Snatch
Hang Clean to Press
Lower RE
Oly Squat
Leg Press
Good Morning
Upper RE
Weighted Push Ups
DB Incline Press
DB press
Whole Body RE: Keep these for very high reps for work after main whole body work instead of regular conditioning
Dumbbell Clean and Push Press
1 Arm DB Snatch
Thrusters
This Week For Example:
Thursday (today):
Tricep Focused Dip
work up to RPE 8-9 triple, take 90% and do 5x2
Leg Press
4x8, challenging, but not deathly
Friday
Hang Clean to Press
work up to RPE 8-9 triple, take 90% and do 5x2
1 Arm Dumbbell Snatches (done as a metabolic finisher)
After having done a few sessions and getting a feel for how Oly’s work for me, I feel pretty confident about how I want to set things up. I’ll consider the Oly’s my explosive and heavy back movement with additional bennies and costs.
With this setup, I’ll be able to effectively run a couple sessions back to back days if necessary and still do pretty well.
Definitions:
Heavy- any kind of work involving loads 85% or more
Light- not really light, just work done with big free weight movements 60-80%
Heavy Upper w/ leg presses and something else unimportant I forgot:
Dips
-worked up to 265x3 RPE 8.5 (including bw); back off sets with 235x5x3
Leg Presses
-got a pretty good pump and burn
Heavy Whole Body:
Power Snatch
-165x3 RPE 9; back off sets 135x5x3
DB Incline BP
-good pump and burn
Band Leg ext. superset w/ Band Leg Curl
-good pump and burn
Heavy Lower/ Light Upper/ BB Back:
Manta Ray Slightly High Box Squat
Never Did these before, I think they’ll be great for developing explosive knee drive from how they went
-315x3 RPE 8.5; back off sets 285x4x3
Standing Strict Press
-115x4x5 with 45-60s rest intervals
Cable Rows w/ Close Neutral Grip Attachment Using Form that Makes it a Vertical/Horizontal Pull Hybrid
-50lbx3x12 60s rest
Heavy work:
-Take things up to 85-90%ish to an RPE 8-9
-Do back off sets 90% of what I worked up to
Lighter Work:
-60 to 70% using reps/sets loosely following prilepin’s table
-or speed work following something resembling a lactic acid training wave ala Westside
BB Work
-Crank up the volume and chase the pump (3x12, 4x8, 6x6, even higher reps for isolation, etc)
–Intensification–
ME Work:
-90 to 100% of max at an RPE 9-10
-may or may not do back off sets, but they will be 85% or more of a predicted max if done
Light or DE work:
-use heavier bands or chains for any DE work, keep the straight weight the same
-70 to 80% for work based off of Prilepin’s table
BB Work
-Lower end of hypertrophy range (3x8, 4x6, 5x5, etc)