Awesome job you fucking animal!
Prep is 24 weeks - kind of perfect, that’s six weeks on top of the 18 I wanted for prep, which I can use as a kind of pre-prep, or even just keep going as I am now for another six weeks after deloading. Either or, both would work. I’m leaning towards six more weeks mass training.
Hell yeah man! That looked smooth too, nice work.
BOOOM that’s awesome, easy and smooth.
Congrats Mark.
Here’s another note to self that really needs hammering home:
Main lift changes depending on what I’m doing. Assistance doesn’t really change. What I’m doing now after my first exercise is what I’ll be doing (bar rotating actual variations) for the foreseeable future
Monday (bench/chest plus horizontal pulling)
Bench variation
Bench/incline variation supersetted with barbell rows
Pec exercise supersetted with T-bar or similar rows
Arms
Tuesday (squat/legs with lower back and abs)
Squat variation
DL variation
Lower back OR legs supersetted with abs
Wednesday (press/shoulders and pulling)
Press variation
Raise supersetted with machine row
Rear delts supersetted with machine pulldown
Arms
Thursday (DL/lower back, legs, abs)
DL variation
Squat variation
Lower back supersetted with abs
Friday (bench/chest, shoulders and pulling)
Bench variation
Press variation supersetted with DB row variation
Raise supersetted with pull-ups
Arms
All I need to really think about is a) what main lift variation to use; b) what set/rep combination I’ll use for that main lift; and c) whether I need to swap any of the assistance exercises out, which will be kind of self determining because they self regulate quite well
Awesome work man
You are such a detailed and scholarly savage. I love it.
Like butter, but better.
@MarkKO How do you manage fatigue with training 5 days in a row, i find after two days of hard training i need a day off to recover. Does it vary from person to person or is it from years of training so you can handle it?
I’m not Mark, but it’s both - you can increase your work capacity by doing more work slowly over time. When I was your age I would get sick if I trained three days in a row, but now I can train for four - five hours daily while in deficit with no problem.
It’s something you can and should work on as more work allows for more food and when you combine a lot of work and food it’s hard to go wrong.
Thanks for that man! I also like the idea of more food
You have to maintain the balance of volume, frequency, and intensity. More sessions = less volume or intensity. The schedule of lifts is also a factor. Upper body days won’t take near as much out of you as deadlifts.
Intensity is also a huge factor in regards to neural fatigue. 5 x 5 @ 70% is a light day compared to working up to a heavy single.
I think it’s an individual thing too. CT’s neurotyping stuff has some merit to it. When I first started training seriously I did a 6 day per week bro split.
Chest/Tris, Back/Shoulders/Bis, Legs, repeat.
I did 3 sets per exercise and 3 exercises per muscle group every day. It never bothered me.
Thanks everyone. It was a good day.
@duketheslaya the loads I’m using training five days a week are a fair bit lower because the reps are higher, plus I’m not pulling off the floor and I think that’s a HUGE factor. It’s also a 3:2 upper:lower ratio and an upper body session won’t ever tax you as much as a lower body one.
Woke at 200.4 lbs, definitely trimmer. Pleased with how quickly things have come back to normal.
If both are utilized to the maximum of their capabilities, yes the lower-body workouts would be harder.
But I have had some workouts involving the upper body that were more difficult to complete than the lower-body workouts.
I get what you mean, buddy. Nothing like your 20 super squats sets. Sends a shiver down my spine.
Today’s training
Pec flye machine a bunch at pin 6
American bar feet up bench press, wide grip (should have specified this before, so far that’s the only grip I’ve used)
10xbar
8x151 lbs
8x195 lbs, 6-7 RPE
6x239 lbs, 8-9 RPE
3x261 lbs, 10 RPE
20x151 lbs, 9-10 RPE
Top set
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bca8jcehyJ6/
Pretty pleased.
Seated DB press supersetted with DB rows
Press 3x12x50 lbs
Rows 3x12x135 lbs, mix of hook and regular grip
Chest supported raises supersetted with pull-ups
Raises 5x10x20 lbs
Pull-ups 5 wide overhand, 5 wide neutral, 5 close neutral, 2x5 very close neutral - all withoit cuffs and elbows fine so there’s another win
PJR pullovers
3 sets to 9 RPE with 60 lbs
Without pushing the pace AT ALL this took around and hour and a half
Concept 2 rower level 5, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100 metres with 60 second rests - next week goal is sin 2.5 minutes per 500 metres
OK, so that was a hell of a good week. As if I even needed more confirmation that submaximal volume work is what I do best with. I may even one day have a respectable bench. Feels like three plates isn’t too far off, and that’ll do as a platform to work from.
Also, got told I was no longer considered one of the safest lifters in the gym - which I’m guessing I’m sort of taking as a compliment? That was about the only detail I was given. So, yeah, apparently living dangerously is what drives progress. Who knew?
TBH, this came from a friend who is very sweet but doesn’t know anywhere near as much as she thinks she does so I’m taking it with a grain of salt. Still, kind of stuck in my mind.
Also, trying to figure out if I just had a glass of coke or coke zero…
I just imagined you front squatting over a candle… Fear motivates PRs?