MarkKO's Training Log

Someone gets skinny, shows an ab or four and next thing ya know, Boom! shirt comes off…typical bodybuilder :roll_eyes: haha looking good, good pulls.

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If it helps I felt kind if silly, but got sick of my shirt getting tangled in the buckle.

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Woke at 188.5 lbs, looking kind of dry again.

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Wanted to share another Aussie PLer I reckon is world class, Wayne Howlett squatting 770 lbs for doubles weighing just under 264 lbs.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXfNkC6BTo0/

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I may have had something of a lightbulb moment.

Why not train DL twice a week? Yes, I know, I’ve often said I don’t like the idea. Except, that was mostly based on my experience before I figured out how to use TMs. What would it hurt to train DL twice a week if I wasn’t stupid about it? Also, I feel like my squat assistance isn’t quite working as well as the other days. Why? Because it’s the one that keeps changing the most.

Think about it: DL day has pretty much stayed the same with DL, squats, lower back; bench day goes bench, press, rows; CGBP goes dips, rows. Squat day is the one I’ve changed things the most, with some kind of single leg work being the only constant while I try to add something to hit hams/glutes/back.

It’s got to be worth a try, at any rate. Plus, I’m really not happy with how much my back development is lagging. I row plenty, with various loads and reps and both horizontal and vertical pulls. Ditto upper back with pull aparts etc. Yet, it’s still pretty puny. Maybe the overall stress of DL is what’s missing.

This is also a good time to try it, because it’s week one and I haven’t squatted yet. Remains to decide what DL to do. Keeping in mind I’m looking at back development AND easing into a second DL day I think SGDL may be a very good place to start. I’ll look at it exactly as any other assistance, so in the 25-50 rep window, and I’ll run it after squat and before single leg. So this cycle:

Squat, briefs
Below parallel box squat, briefs
SGDL
Single leg

For SGDL, I figure 220 lbs for 3x10 wouldn’t be a bad place to start. If it feels too light, I’ll go up.

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You’re an animal mate

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I mean sure, I’m hairy…

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I do SGDL after my squat. Think it drives my DL well and my squat too.
I did it 3 sets of 5 last couple of cycles, just startet week one. Today is Squat, i’ll go for 3 sets of 10 this cycle.
Maybe even do it like the SST 3x10 w1, 886 w2, 3x5 w3.

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@mortdk I used to do SGDL after squatting years ago, usually 5x2 or 10x1. It’ll be interesting to see if adding a DL variation after squat works now.

I’ll definitely keep the reps higher though. What I think I’ll do is do them a bit like Amit Sapir’s Olympic DL, with an explosion onto my toes and a shrug at the top almost like the start of a snatch pull. That way, ideally, I’ll get a lot out of lighter weights which won’t tax my recovery.

I’m hoping it’ll pan out that this works, because I will then have a fairly standard base to work Training Maximally around indefinitely:

Press day one
Press variation
Opposite plane press variation
Bilateral horizontal pull
Vertical pull

DL day
DL
Squat variation
Lower back

Press day two
Press variation
Dip variation
Unilateral horizontal pull
Vertical pull

Squat day
Squat
DL variation
Single leg

I think, combined with the Training Maximally system for progression, there’s not a lot I’d need to ever change beyond variations. I didn’t include the bis, tris, abs, calves and shoulder work I do at the end because that’s mostly prehab and bringing weak points up - so it’ll be a lot more changeable and vary hugely depending on what’s going on.

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Long shift (14 hours), been hungry most of the day. Caved at dinner and had a mini refeed: two macadamia cookies and two Snickers (around 1500 cal). Felt much better for it, and that puts me around 450 grams of carbs for the day with 135 grams fat. So not terrible, especially the carbs. Be interesting to see if I look fuller tomorrow.

Yes, I know, lapse in discipline. So sue me.

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I will sir😉, i expect 1 million to be paid in cash plss.

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You could very well be on to something here.

Until very recently I did not do a ton of direct back work. Maybe some lat pulldowns and chinups here and there but very minimal rowing (BB or single arm). I know most people will disagree, but I feel like a lot of my back size has come from deadlifting in all shapes and forms.

One variation that I haven’t done in awhile, but did spur on some good back/lat DOMS was doing banded deadlifts, but with the bands attached out in front trying to pull the bar away from you. You drop the weight significantly and battle the bar to stay over mid foot, and this seems to really light up my lats. I’m almost certain CT has an article on here or his blog about that variation as well that probably describes it better.

I will say though, now that I’ve been training my back directly for a few weeks I think I’ll be blowing my old back out of the water in a few months time.

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I know the variation you’re thinking of. I’ll use it if needed, but I’ll start with plain old sgdl and rack pulls first.

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3x10 for snatch-grip deads?

Jesus, anything over six feels just horrible, let alone 10

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I’ve always liked snatch grip, although admittedly I haven’t done 10s before. Either way, I’ll find out tomorrow.

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Woke at 189 lbs, looking fuller but not softer. So far, so good.

RE back development:

May want to consider some chest supported work for 10-20 rep sets strict. Different stimulus versus all the heavy db rowing you’ve been doing. T-bar or db. Basically, try some strict rowing with your chest supported.

Plus, aren’t you a bodybuilder now? :grin:

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I’ve done them before, and like them. Right now I’m doing strict BB rows and DB rows - and honestly I cannot make a case for subbing out heavy DB rows for ANYTHING because of how awesome they are.

That said, strict BB rows I’ll happily sub out once I get better at them, and chest supported DB would be the replacement. Right now I’m looking at 220 lbs for strict 10s as my target. Once I get that, I’ll sub them out. The edge strict BB rows have over CSRs for me is that they work my glutes, low back and hams too - and isometrically, which is something I don’t do much.

I have high hopes for the additional pull-ups on CGBP day in respect of size, as well as the added DL on squat day.

Tired. AF. New phone has a step counter which says I did 13 km Monday and 10 km yesterday. I call BS, but even having that 11 km over two consecutive days with a 14 hour shift is decent.

Today’s training

Lazy lifter plus shoulders - upper back feeling kind of switched off

Bench press

TM is 225 lbs

Work up from bar in 22 lbs x 3-5 to 60%, 20 pull aparts between sets - took a while to get elbows under wrists

3x154 lbs, under 6 RPE - felt slow but grooved
3x181 lbs, 6 RPE - same
1x203 lbs, 6 RPE - felt heavy, slow but grooved
5x225 lbs, 9-10 RPE - felt heavy, felt slow and fifth rep drifted forward early BUT also felt grooved and completely confident. Go figure. Bench is improving

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXjXUatlPr6/

Incline press 2x8x154 lbs 8 and 8-9 RPE, 1x5x154 lbs 8 RPE

Strict BB row supersetted with single arm DB press
Rows 3x15x154 lbs, sets two and three rest/pause - felt like I was holding position waaaaaay better, upper/middle back AND glutes/hams torched
Press 3x10x45 lbs - I can see hitting these for 50+ lbs soon, pleased

Paul Carter rope lat pulldowns
3x15x77 lbs, short rests

Bis/tris giant set, 60 second rests
BB curls 3x15x50 lbs
BB JM press 3x20x50 lbs

Standing calves dropset 27x300 lbs, 20x200 lbs, 24x100 lbs

Arms destroyed. Realised I got through this faster than usual despite being tired - thanks sugar-free Mother - which partly explains how trashed I feel.

Incline treadmill walk, 15 minutes at 15 degrees/6 km/hour - so much easier than last time

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Tried SGDL with a kind of triple extension and a start of a snatch pull yesterday.
quite light weights at around only 40 % 3x10.
Today they are lightning up my upper back and traps.
They are quite nice, think you’ll enjoy them :slight_smile:
It’s good your bench are moving again

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