Mattjp's Training Log

Friday, 26 October

Weighed in at 215.4 today for the final full day of this program.

Workout

Warmup
200 pullaparts
100 dislocates
Flexible Five

Main Giant Set
5x Yates row @ 60kg
5x bench @ 60kg
30s flutter kicks

3x Yates row @ 67.5kg
3x bench @ 67.5kg
30s flutter kicks

1x Yates row @ 75kg
2x bench @ 75kg (PR)
30s flutter kicks
This is the most disappointing PR I’ve ever hit. Only ever managed this weight for a single before so this is nice, but I was hoping for 3-4 based on how well bench has been going over the past few weeks. Still, my bad bench days are better than some of my old good bench days now so not the worst. Really feel my bench is lagging, though.

Bench widowmaker: 55x20

Assistance Giant Set
Four rounds:
5x incline DB bench w/25s
5x seated machine rows w/30kg each arm
20x lat pullovers

Metcon
400m bike/row
20 lat pulldowns
400m bike/row
20 chest presses
200m bike/row
10 lat pulldowns
And so on and so forth

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Next program?

tweet

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I’m going to round out the year with Spinal Tap, spend a couple of weeks over Christmas just generally lifting and moving and whatnot and then see where I’m at for 2019.

Will need to get some implements and make some arrangements for competition training as well.

Speculatively, I imagine I’ll run something like 5/3/1 for Strongman with conditioning/events for a few cycles, with a conveniently-timed deload week during the half-term (partner is a teacher) and Easter holidays. Then I have 10-11 weeks for proper competition prep which will probably mean another personalised program from @Alpha.

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Nice work. A PR is a sign of growth at the end of the day. Maybe not where you wanted to be, but growth!

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Yeah it’s all good, just had higher expectations. Bench is always really fickle for me. Maybe that’s why strongman appeals; I don’t have to do it then!

Saturday, 27 October

Down to 214.8 today.

I’m on my phone so no beautifully-formatted update today, but I did grip training and a bunch of curls today.

I also bought a neck harness and did some neck reps. Looked an absolute lunatic.

Monday, 29 October

Up to 216.6 today for the first deload workout.

Essentially it’s a 12m EMOM with triples at 50% of your max, then a short bout of conditioning.

I’ll be using a hotel gym for bench/squat workouts this week, which means I’ll be doing light DB bench and goblet squats in place of the main barbell movements.

Workout

Warmup
Flexible Five
200 pullaparts
100 dislocates

Strength
12m EMOM: 3x deadlifts @ 80kg

Conditioning
3m on/1m off for a whole mess of different exercises.

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Tuesday, 30 October

Down to 216.0 today. Another deload workout; why can’t each day be a deload?

Workout

Warmup
Flexible Five
200 pullaparts
100 dislocates

Strength
EMOM for 12m: 3x press @ 25kg
I was using the little fixed BB for these which meant I had room to do them standing and they felt good. Obviously it’s only 25kg but standing press felt very strong. I think I have a one-plate press in me very soon.

Conditioning
Several rounds of BB cleans and burpees

2019 Strongman Training

After deload week I have my testing, then the 10k trail run that I am in no way ready for, and then I have around 4-5 weeks before Christmas. I’ll round off the year with Spinal Tap to get a lot of volume under the bar and hopefully continue the momentum I’ve built.

Come 2019 I’m going to start the 5/3/1 for Strongman program, except I’ll keep back squats in place of front squats. They’ll contribute better towards overall strength and I have no stone events in my comp. I’ll probably also throw some benching in somewhere because I am bad at it and I should be better.

I’ll join a second gym (well, PAYG I think) so that I can go there for my press day on Mondays and do standing press properly. Then I’ll be at my regular gym on Tuesdays/Thursdays for deadlifts/squats and then on Saturday mornings I can (hopefully driving) head to the Crossfit gym just outside of town and use all their myriad of implements for events practice.

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Wednesday, 31 October

215.4 today. Had an early flight to Dublin and then a few hours waiting around before a train to Belfast.

Decided I had no excuse not to fit in some conditioning as I had a suitcase with some workout clothes in it. Girlfriend was not happy about it haha. I’ve been reading some of Alpha’s old logs though and know travel isn’t an excuse to skimp.

Wound up getting a €10 day pass to a gym and buying a towel from Penney’s then had about 25 mins there to do some stuff.

Workout

Four rounds:
6x KB swings each hand
1x Turkish getup

12/10/8/6 reps with 30kg BB:
SLDL/row/clean/press

Tabata: rowing machine

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Thursday, 1 November

No weigh-in today as I’m in a hotel. It has a surprisingly good gym (for a hotel) with dumbbells up to 25kg and a cable machine up to 200lbs.

Workout

Warm-up
Flexible Five
Some light DB shoulder stuff
Then I noticed they had bands so I did 100 pullaparts and 50 dislocates.

Strength
EMOM for 12m: DB goblet squats @ 25kg

Conditioning
As many rounds as possible in 12m: burpees into press-ups into sit-ups into star jumps.

I only got 24 but I came straight from a hotel breakfast so I was fighting vomit the whole time. The waffle was a mistake but I couldn’t resist the novelty value. I can hit 40 doing this on a good day for sure.

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I’ve stayed at exactly 1 hotel that had a quality gym in it. It was such a pleasant surprise that I crammed two full body workouts into a 12 hour period just to make use of it while I could.

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Friday, 2 November

Still at the hotel so no weigh-in. Had a fancy dinner last night and a more sensible, (added) sugar-free breakfast this morning.

Quick pre-flight workout today then I’m back to the Isle of Man to hang out with Eddie Hall tonight. On Sunday I’m going for a deadlift PR so I hope I can absorb some of his power.

Workout

Warm-up
100 pullaparts
50 dislocates
Flexible Five

Strength
EMOM for 12m: 3x DB bench @ 20kg

Conditioning
Treadmill Tabata sprints. Increase speed .3mph in every rest period. 8m.

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Combined, the men in this picture can deadlift almost 1,500lbs.

Gonna use this picture as a counterargument the next time my girlfriend tells me my legs might get too big.

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Thats not a real thing.

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That’s what I keep saying!

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Sunday, 4 November

Dropped down to 213.8 for some reason today. Yesterday I was 214.3 and had the most inactive recovery day ever. Slept 10 hours, ate a load of food, had a late afternoon nap and slept past the gym closing time, then ate more food.

Paid for it last night though with a not-so-great night of sleep, but felt good this morning for deadlift test day.

Workout

Warmup
200 pullaparts
100 dislocates
Flexible Five
Glute drills

Deadlifts
3x60kg
3x80kg
3x100kg
3x120kg
2x130kg
1x145kg
1x155kg
This felt very good. I’ve hit 160 way back in April but since then have struggled with anything over 150.
1x167.5kg (PR)

This flew up, as deadlift PRs go. Next prescribed weight was 175 but you can’t not go for four plates in this scenario, right?
0x180kg
There may have been a few extra atoms between the plates and the floor on this pull, but it was basically rooted to the ground. Ah well.
0x180kg
I’m nothing if not stubborn. This one might as well have been 500kg. I probably had the 175 in me today, so that’s what I get for modifying a progression. The four-plate dead is there soon though.

Deadlift volume
Three rounds:
140x3 // 10x knee-to-elbows

All in all, another disappointing PR - but still a PR, so I’ll take it.

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Tuesday, 6 November

Weighed in at 213.8 today after a brief spike yesterday. I have horrible spinal erector DOMS.

Workout

Warmup
Flexible Five
200 pullaparts
100 dislocates

Bench Press
8x20kg
5x40kg
3x50kg
3x60kg
2x62.5kg
1x67.5kg
1x72.5kg
This felt great so I was confident going for the PR weights.
0x77.5kg
Not a strength failure but a misgroove off the rack. Left side caught the hook and that fucked me. Annoying to get out of the good vibe but let’s go again.
1x77.5kg (PR)
This didn’t feel as good as I wanted. Guess 80 isn’t happening…
It was here that I realised the left side had an extra 2.5kg plate, explaining the misgroove on the prior rep and the difficulty in this one. So…
1x80kg (PR)
Accidental PRs are best PRs.

Bench volume
Three rounds:
5x67.5kg
10x chest-supported rows

Annoyingly I didn’t record the PR set but I got the first volume set. I think I need to experiment with touching higher on the chest and tucking my arms a little less so that they’re vertical at the bottom.

Also, chalking the bench is a ganechanger.

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Saturday, 10 November

215.6 today. Mixed bag of a workout: hit a squat PR but I’m pretty unhappy with depth/technique all in all.

I’m not planning to compete in powerlifting so I’m not overly concerned about depth, but I do want consistency and efficiency. Going to spend the next few weeks of Spinal Tap playing around with setup, stance and whatnot.

Workout

Warmup
200 pullaparts
100 dislocates
Flexible Five
Glute drills

Squat
5x20kg
5x40kg
3x60kg
3x75kg
3x90kg
2x100kg
1x112.5kg
1x122.5kg
1x127.5kg (PR)
1x130kg (PR)

Squat volume
Three rounds:
3x100kg
30s hollow rocks

Squats to Box
3x60kg
3x70kg
3x80kg
3x90kg
This box happens to get me to just below parallel. It feels pretty low, haha. Think I’ll warm up with these in future to get into the groove before my working sets.

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Sunday, 11 November

Forgot to weigh in today.

Went to a new gym, which is worse than my regular gym but has ceilings more than 7ft from the ground so I can actually do standing press. I’ll be able to go there once a week or so to practice standing OHP.

Workout

Warmup
Flexible Five
200 pullaparts
100 dislocates

Press
Regular standing strict press.
5x20kg
3x30kg
3x40kg
2x42.5kg
1x47.5kg
1x52.5kg
1x55kg
1x57.5kg (PR)
This took literally six seconds to lock out, so I think it’s safe to call it my max. I didn’t have one plate in me today but it’s there pretty soon.

Volume
Three rounds:
5x chinups
5x press @ 45kg

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Monday & Tuesday, 12 & 13 November

Forgot to update yesterday, mostly because I did no training of note.

The 10K trail run thing is this Sunday and I am obviously completely unprepared for it, but it’s not something I’m doing seriously and our group of friends has raised over £1,000 for Cancer Research UK so it’s not a total waste of time.

I’m backing off the lifting this week and just hitting the elliptical for 20-30 minutes of a morning as well as the usual mobility/band work.

Come next Monday I’m ready to get under the bar again. Strongly considering running Brian Alsruhe’s Linear Progression for a few cycles (albeit six weeks instead of 12, so two weeks 4x8, two weeks 5x5, two weeks 10x3) since I want to do an LP but I found the giant sets and built-in conditioning really effective. We’ll see how I feel.

215.8 yesterday, 213.9 today.

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