Sat/sun. Almost had a couple drops on farmers but made it through. Deficit deads felt amazing, easily could hit 5 reps on my last set. Just need to figure out how to make non deficits feel this good
Welcome! Pretty happy with getting a little over bodyweight with farmers. Iād say my grip is still fairly weak but I learned how to get the handles stuck on my calluses so thatās gotta count for something.
Iām itching to get back to the heavy stuff but it is nice to see progress with higher rep ranges. Last time I hit a squat pr I was doing 275 for sets of 8. Sets of 11 at 275 isnāt the end of the world so hopefully it translates well in a couple months
So 365 is my conventional dl prā¦today I pulled it for a set of 4. Think Iām finally dialing in the technique, havenāt pulled a conventional pr in like 15 months. Also tried out banded lat pull downs, awkward for a short guy to set up but it took a lot out of my bis so Iāll stick with them.
Legs:
Squat 2x5x135 5x185 5x225 11x265 4x11x275
Hip thrust 16x235 5x16x305
leg press 16x320 5x16x410
Leg extension myo reps (30s rest) 130lbs [24+11+8+5]
Push:
Incline bench press 2x5x135 5x8x185
DtS 5x15
Standing ab roll 5x8
Seriously considering deloading after this week and getting back to the heavy stuff. Originally planned on going another 2 weeks but I think 8 out of 10 weeks is close enough and Iām itching for some new PRs. Also, 5x12x275 is pretty close to the limit for me on high rep squats so some 5s sound nice.
Tri press down drop set [21x140 12x120 10x100 8x80 ]
Pull:
Morning
Deadlift 5x135 2x5x225 2x3x275 3x315 3x335 3x365 1x365 3x2x365 (no chalk allowed at this gym, knurling is worn on all the bars, super frustrating)
Leg lifts 7x15
Iāll continue for next week but not sure about the one after. Slept 10+ hours the last 2 days which is usually a sign that Iām starting to overreach a bit and donāt want to dig myself too deep in the hole. Weāll see how I feel at the end of next week.
Switched out GHR myo reps for straight sets, too much lower back involvement with myo reps. Quads have been in a constant state of light soreness, I kinda use them 4 days a week so they donāt get much full rest. Itās nice to know theyāre working, will have to throw in high rep training more frequently because I think I respond well to it
Lower:
Ssb squat 2x5x135 5x185 6x12x225
Deficit deadlift 5x135 5x225 3x275 3x315 5x4x335
Reverse hyper 4x15x90
GHR 3x15
Upper
Log overhead press 2x8x81 6x131 5x7x141
Weighted pronated grip pull ups 2x8 6x8x45
DtS 6x15
Standing ab roll 6x8
farmers walk 1x50āx115 1x50āx165 4x50āx205 (2 drops on 3rd set)
Swiss bar bench 5x135 5x185 4x10x205
Incline dbell press 4x10x80
Barbell row 4x10x135
Push ups myo reps (30s rest) [50+20+15+15]
Hammer curl drop set 40x14 30x8 20x12
So I pulled my conventional dl pr for 5x3 todayā¦ Ready to bump that up 40+ lbs. Right knee a little tired after legs Tuesday, think itās some very mild tendinitis. Canāt be surprised with the volume Iāve been building up. Deloading next week for sure.
Well I think my subpar grip on farmers is as good a sign as any for a deload and a week off of caffeine, going to do a darkhorse inspired phase coming up. Itās going to be way different from the original program though so I donāt think it even qualifies as a modified darkhorse.
Lower:
Ssb squat 2x8x135 5x185 6x13x225
Deficit deadlift 5x135 5x225 3x275 3x315 5x4x335
Reverse hyper 4x15x90
GHR 4x15
Upper
Log overhead press 2x8x81 6x131 5x7x141
Weighted pronated grip pull ups 2x8 6x8x45
DtS 6x15
Standing ab roll 6x8
farmers walk 1x50āx115 1x50āx165 1x50āx185 1x50āx205 (1 drop) 3x50āx185
Swiss bar bench 5x135 5x185 5x10x205
Have a weird pain on the medial side of my knee. Donāt feel it when lifting but if I walk and over exaggerate hip extension Iāll feel it. Kind of a pulling sensation and tender to the touch on medial knee, just below near tibial head, and just above knee. Also feel it if I pull downward on the skin on my shin
Okay, now that Iāve noted that for future reference if it happens again down the road itās time to get into training. Weird deload, not super motivated to lift when I take it easy. Worked out Tues, Wed, Fri, Sun
Legs:
Squat 2x5x135 5x185 5x225 5x245 5x265 2x12x275
Hip thrust 16x235 2x16x305
Push:
Incline bench press 2x5x135 5x155 3x8x185
DtS 3x15
Standing ab roll 3x8
So after not squatting more than 275 for 3 months I hit my pr, 385, for a double. Also tied my push press pr of 225. I thought Iād be weaker getting away from the heavy stuff but apparently I packed on enough muscle to be as strong as ever. Itās going to be a fun strength cycle, will probably put up a pr fairly regularly once the ball gets rolling.
Also re-introduced arm day because Iām a bro, no other reason.
Tuesday (arms)
Push ups 4x20
Band curls 4x20
Face pulls 4x20x95
Overhead tri extension 4x15x95
Ez bar curl 4x10x+50
2 handle tri press down 4x15x90
Ab roll 4x8
Close grip bench 10x135 4x10x185
Reverse dbell fly 5x20x20
Wednesday (lower)
Low bar squat 5x135 5x185 2x5x225 3x275 3x315 3x335 3x365 2x385 3x5x315
Leg raise 7x15
Deadlift EMOM 5x135 5x225 3x275 8x2x315 - form started to give, will have to do something else next week. Short rest deadlifts just donāt work for me
Thursday (upper)
Morning
Push press 2x5x95 2x5x135 3x185 1x205 1x225 0x235 3x3x195
ER 10x15
Ab roll 6x8
Itās kinda scary to think about. I mean Iām so far removed from technique with heavy weight and the feeling of dealing with it yet I hit my squat pr for a double and nearly hit a push press pr
Just getting used to heavy weight again will bring PRs but Iāve also got the benefit of not doing heavy weight for months so the strength adaptations will also bring PRs.
Really happy I got out of my comfort zone and was on the high rep grind for longer than I wanted, can already see it was a more than worthwhile investment
The high rep program I just finished was something I came up with following some basic advice from a podcast I listen to on YouTube called ReviveStronger. They feature a lot of experts in strength sports, mostly bodybuilding, and talk about different theories and research behind diet and programming.
Current program is an extreme bastardization of Brian Alsruheās Darkhorse program, basically just keeping his scheme of rotating through daily 1,3, and 5 rep maxes then plugging in the rest how I see fit.
Gotta say, my high rep phase was a huge success so if this highly modified strength phase goes well I think itāll be safe to say Iāve figured out what works for me
Bastardized programs are the best in my opinion, there hasnāt been a single program Iāve ran that I havnāt tweaked a little (A lot). Dark Horse is no joke, youāre gonna have some huge strength gains man. You have any specific numbers in mind??
Iād like to hit 415 in both the squat and conventional deadlift, currently theyāre 385 and 365. Deadlift is overdue for a pr, I pulled 365 for 5 a few weeks back technique is just inconsistent.
Any pr on bench would be nice so looking for a 10lb pr at 335. Bench is comparatively my best lift but I havenāt felt really good technique wise over the last year or so, not really sure what changed.
200 on the log clean and press would be cool. Iāve hit 200lbs on a 10in log but one of the gyms I workout at recently got a 12in log so thatās what Iām going to train with.
Honestly not really even thinking about the numbers, more excited to see how the progress goes and if I can keep the fatigue management in check. Really Iām most excited to keep testing programs and dialing things in so I know how to prep for my next competition in August.
Itās a big science experiment and Iām geeking out about it
