Yesterday
Load of handstands
Today
Cgbp
Warmup
90kg x 2
100kg x 1
105kg x 1
110kg x 1
105kg x 2
100kg x 3,3,4
Very good benching - 110kg went much faster than I expected it to after the RPEs I’ve been hitting on 5x5s in the 90s. I think after another 6 weeks of this high frequency stuff I might even be on track for another close grip PR, and that’s without all the gear, on a dodgy bench.
OHP
4 warmups superset with facepulls for 10-20
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 2 x 1
60kg x 5
Ss/ (working sets) Full rom laterals (Lu Xia-something style)
2.5s x 5 x 10ish
Ohp felt off relative to benching. Was aiming for 70kg doubles and a stronger rep out at 60kg. Blame triceps fatigue.
BRAH pause squat
5 warmups superset with ring inversion to lowering through tuck back lever
140kg x 1
150kg x 1
160kg x 1 - RPE 9.5 - this is now a confident everyday weight, even though today was a pretty fatigued session and it went up slow it was smooth.
Stop pausing
150kg x 2
140kg x 5 x 3
Ss/ (working sets) Explosive pullups - pull to
9 x 3
Ss/ (working sets) Wall handstands
9 x 5s - working on keeping head through and feet together, with the wall for stability
Going to start adding in non paused squats more regularly. Still aiming for a 180kg paused triple but I’ll have to hit that without the pause first. It’ll let me get used to more bar weight on my back.
Form is improving - knee cave is disappearing, and my focus on getting my chest up out of the hole first is paying off.
Dips
BW x 10
12kg med ball between legs x 8
BW x 15
5 breaths
BW x 5
4 breaths
BW x 4
3 breaths
BW x 3
2 breaths
BW x 2
1 breath
BW x 1
Ss/ Barbell curls
40kg x 2 x 12
40kg x 12
5 breaths
40kg x 5
Etc. down to 1 breath/rep
Argh.
Top quality morning session. Only thing that didn’t feel good was ohp but the squats and bench made up for that then I got a nice arm pump.
1 Like
Weekend off completely. Little bit of r and r.
Since while I’m here I’m sleeping 8 hours plus a night, resting and relaxing a lot, and getting a semi adequate diet in I’m biting the bullet and starting to train Bulgarian style. I’ve wanted to for a while and a lot of my training has been geared towards high frequency in the past.
So it’s:
- 5 days a week for the next 6 weeks, weekends off due to gym being closed (maybe some light gymnastics or conditioning).
- Squat variation to a DM
- Bench variation to a DM.
- Generally back offs for both (occasionally with a different squat or press variation).
- Deads 2-3 times a week at very low intensities (no rep less than a second long) occasionally a 2-3 rep DM (again, no grinding).
- Warmup sets superset with explosive, shoulder health, or gymnastics exercises.
- A back exercise.
- Minimal other assistance, except on days followed by a rest days.
- Deloads built in every 3-4 weeks.
When I’m back in England I’ll add a few extra sessions and work in more variations but for now I’m still focusing on high bar and close grip. Towards the end of this 6 week cycle I’ll add comp style lifts more frequently.
Conservative approach for now. RPEs low on the DMs. Very similar really to what I’ve been doing in Tonga already but lower volume and higher average intensity.
BRAH squats
5 warmups superset with shins to bar for 5s
DMs
130kg x 1
140kg x 1
150kg x 1
160kg x 1 - RPE 8
Cgbp
5 warmups superset with facepulls for 20s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
105kg x 1 - RPE 8
Back offs - 3 count pause
100kg x 2 x 2
90kg x 2 x 3
BRAH pause squat
4 warmups superset with pullups for 5s
Back offs
140kg x 3 x 3
Ss/ Chins
BW x 3 x 6
Solid start to this training style. Will push the DMs a little but keep back offs the same for this week. On both lifts I used a relatively high percentage of my DM. Also need to manage back off volume well - I originally planned 5 x 3 on the pause squats before realising that would probably kick my ass for tomorrow. No rush to do loads.
1 Like
High bar
5 warmups superset with explosive pullups for 3s
DMs
132.5kg x 1
142.5kg x 1
152.5kg x 1
162.5kg x 1 - RPE 8
Cgbp
5 warmups superset with facepulls for 20s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
107.5kg x 1 - RPE 8
Comp bench
Back offs - 3 count pause
100kg x 2 x 2
90kg x 2 x 3
Pulls
4 warmups superset with overhead squat empty bar for 5s - focus on depth and balance
170kg x 8 x 1 - short rest periods.
Focus is on tightness off the floor without sacrificing an aggressive start. Multiple singles because I can rep deads for days once I get a rhythm going - setting up perfectly with straight arms on the first rep is the goal.
Low bar - paused
4 warmups superset with pullups for 5s
Back offs
140kg x 3 x 3
Ss/ Chins
BW x 3 x 7
Good DMs, threw in the comp lifts for back off sets and had some fun making the same weights as yesterday feel light.
My selection of high bar and close grip as main lifts was for a few reasons.
- I knew I’d be lifting less than normal without gear or diet or cooling British weather, so I chose lifts I do less often track less, amd value less. That way I wasn’t disheartened that a low bar 200kg felt harder than I’d like.
- they both address weak points in my comp lifts (maintaining upright torso and lockout).
- the lighter loads that they require feels better on my body with high frequency training, especially while I’m adapting to it.
In the long term if I like how this style works out I’ll periodise through exercise selection and equipment use. For example maxing on beltless high bar for a week or two before throwing on a belt or moving the bar down an inch. Anything that will let me load the bar up a bit more than the last week’s average whilst building on the weaknesses the previous lift selection helped out.
When I’m nearer a comp or scheduled max out I’ll include competition style lifts with full equipment with high frequency. In the meantime I’ll use them for light back offs a couple of times a week just to keep my eye in.
High bar
5 warmups superset with ring inversions lowering through tuck back lever for 3s
DMs
132.5kg x 1
145kg x 1
155kg x 1
165kg x 1 - RPE 8.5 - looks smooth and fast on video but felt a bit of a struggle so will reign in for the next two days. I’ll be hitting 170 soon but all this work in the 160s is still worthwhile and rushing will likely end up pushing me back.
Back offs - superset with wall handstands
152.5kg x 1
Paused
142.5kg x 3 x 2
Cgbp
4 warmups superset with full rom laterals 2.5s for 10s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
107.5kg x 1 - RPE 7.5
110kg x 1 - RPE 8.5 - similar thoughts to today’s squat max. Will be in PR territory soon but no rush.
Back offs - 3 count pause, superset with tuck back lever holds
100kg x 2 x 1
Feet up
90kg x 3
OHP
3 warmups superset with tuck back lever holds
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
62.5kg x 2,2,3
DB curls and rear delt raises
Some x 3 x easy 15s
Little concerned that I’m overdoing volume. Will just hit the maxes and get out tomorrow to take the weekly average down. Friday is a bigger session as I’m off for the weekend.
High bar
Warmup - no supersets
DMs
140kg x 1
150kg x 1
160kg x 1
170kg x 1 - RPE 8.5
Cgbp
Warmup - no supersets
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
110kg x 1 - RPE 8.5
So having said that I would reign the intensity in a bit, today I went to the gym in the afternoon instead of first thing in the am, and everything just felt better. 5kg more on squat than yesterday and no increase in RPE. That’s pretty typical for me, I’m generally stronger later in the day.
Morning sessions with additional volume in the warmups will continue to be the norm, so long as I progress that way.
High bar
5 warmups superset with explosive pullups for 3s
DMs
135kg x 1
145kg x 1
155kg x 1
165kg x 1 - RPE 8.5
Low bar
Back offs superset with wall handstands
Paused
155kg x 1
145kg x 3 x 3
Cgbp
5 warmups superset with facepulls for 20s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
107.5kg x 1 - RPE 8.5
Back off
100kg x 4 - RPE 8.5
Comp bench
Back offs - 3 count pause
100kg x 2 x 2
Pulls
4 warmups superset with overhead squat empty bar for 5s
170kg x 1
190kg x 3 - fully stand and reset each rep - RPE 8. Great tightness. Tiny hip flexor spasm on first rep.
SLDL into shrug
140kg x 2 x 5
OHP
Bar x 20
30kg x 15
40kg x 10
50kg x 10
40kg x 15
Ss/ Chins
BW x 7,7,7,7,10
Laterals, facepulls, curls
Some x some
Week summary.
Average BW: 91.4kg. Only just found the gym’s scales today and took an afternoon weight on a full stomach. Down about 1.5kg since last month. I’d been guessing I’ve been losing weight since coming here just based on general appearance. It’s not affecting my strength so for now I’ll maintain my diet and see if there’s still downward trend next week.
Average DMs:
High bar (no gear) (5 sessions): 164.5kg
Close grip (5 sessions): 108kg
Other lifts:
Deadlifts: one volume session at 77%, one easy triple at 86%.
Upper body pulls feeling good, small amount of forearm irritation.
Gymnastics struggling to progress past tucked back lever, requires stronger lats. Working on it. Handstands feeling pretty stable but I’ve consciously dropped volume and frequency to ensure my shoulders have a chance to adapt to the frequent heavy bench.
Overhead press bit weaker than I’d like but gotta account for accumulating triceps and delt fatigue from benching with none of the benefit of practicing it as frequently as bench. Same applies to comp bench and squat.
1 Like
BW 92.4kg
High bar
5 warmups superset with med ball overhead toss 12kg for 3s
DMs
135kg x 1
145kg x 1
155kg x 1
165kg x 1 - RPE 8
170kg x 1 - RPE 9 - knew this was a bit of a reach based on how previous sets felt. Still smooth and clean, just slower. I only need to average 165kg this week to improve on last week so reign it in Max.
Front squat
Back offs - superset with shins to bar for 5s
100kg x 2
120kg x 3 x 2
Cgbp
4 warmups superset with chins for 5s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
110kg x 1 - RPE 8.5
Back offs - superset with chins +12kg for 3s
100kg x 2 x 2
Feet up
80kg x 2 x 3
Pulls
4 warmups superset with facepulls for 20s
175kg x 8 x 1
Klokov press into overhead squat - 1 press per squat
Bar x 3
30kg x 3
40kg x 3
50kg x 2 x 2
BW 92.1kg
High bar
5 warmups superset with explosive pullups for 3s
DMs
135kg x 1
145kg x 1
155kg x 1
165kg x 1 - RPE 9
Cgbp
5 warmups superset with facepulls for 20s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
110kg x 1 - RPE 9
Dicky tummy today and pressed for time so did the two DMs and got out in under 50 minutes. Both lifts suffered a bit from pushing yesterday and inadequate rest.
BW 92kg
Also yesterday I did some handstands at the beach in the afternoon under the amused eyes of a trampolinist.
Front squat
4 warmups superset with ring inversions lowering through tuck back lever for 3s
DMs
120kg x 1
127.5kg x 1
135kg x 1 - RPE 8
Low bar - was meant to do these yesterday but time
“Back offs”
135kg x 1
145kg x 1
155kg x 1
165kg x 1
All RPE <8
Front squats
Back offs - superset with wall handstands
Paused
120kg x 3 x 2
Cgbp
5 warmups superset with full rom laterals 2.5s for 15s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
107.5kg x 1 - RPE 8 - went for an easy weight after the squat volume and reaching quite hard the past few sessions. It moved nearly as easily as I wanted it to.
Back offs - superset with facepulls for 20s
Feet up
100kg x 2 x 1
90kg x 3
Bench
Speed work - tng, every 30 seconds
60kg x 10 x 3
Pulls
5 warmups superset with overhead squat empty bar for 5s
170kg x 1
190kg x 1
200kg x 1
210kg x 1 - RPE too damn high
OHP
3 warmups superset with chins for 8s
50kg x 3
60kg x 3 x 3
Ss/ V bar cable row
Ascending weight x 15,15,15,10
Workout length approx 1 hour 45 mins
BW 92.6kg
High bar
5 warmups superset with wall handstands
DMs
132.5kg x 1
142.5kg x 1
152.5kg x 1
162.5kg x 1 - RPE 7.5
167.5kg x 1- RPE 8
Back offs - superset with chins for 5s
155kg x 2
Paused
145kg x 2 x 2
Cgbp
4 warmups superset with facepulls for 20s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
110kg x 1 - RPE 8
Back offs - superset with full ROM laterals 5s for 10s
Feet up
100kg x 1
90kg x 3 x 3
Semi tuck front lever - near maximal holds. Circa 5 seconds at best. Lats are fried.
Ss/ Wall handstands
Working on kicking up the perfect amount so that I barely tap the wall whilst keeping that whole tight body unit I’m aiming for.
Just went back and forth between bar and floor for 10 minutes.
Bar overhead work - OH squats, Sots press (snatch btn, a few clean from front)
Bar x 3 x some
Ss/ Facepulls
3 x 20
Pretty sure I Sots pressed 40kg from the front once. No chance of thats right now. The bar is possible but it’s right at the limit of my rom and nearly takes me off balance.
Workout length approx 1 hour 30.
I cannot wait until I have access to a belt and sleeves again. Not that I need them now, squats are feeling great, but I reckon that little extra tightness from the belt and the speed out of the hole sleeves give will have me leaving each session feeling like an absolute machine.
BW 92.2kg
High bar
5 warmups superset with explosive pullups for 3s
DMs
137.5kg x 1
147.5kg x 1
155kg x 1
160kg x 1 - RPE 8.5
Low bar
Back offs superset with wall handstands
Paused
155kg x 2
145kg x 2 x 3
Cgbp
5 warmups superset with facepulls for 20s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
107.5kg x 1 - RPE 8
Back offs
100kg x 2 x 3
Comp bench
Back offs
100kg x 2 x 3
90kg x 5
Pulls
4 warmups superset with overhead squat empty bar for 5s
175kg x 10 x 1
OHP
4 warmups superset with chins for 5s
60kg x 5
Dips
3 x 10
Ss/ Hammer curls
Some x 3 x some
Session length: long
All the fatigue caught up today, I felt like a total zombie. Empty bar felt heavy when I lifted it into the rack. Got stuff done. I have a weekend to recover. Actually felt a bit better as the session went on.
Week summary.
Average BW: 92.26kg
Average DMs:
High bar (no gear) (4 sessions): 165.6kg
Close grip (5 sessions): 109kg
Front squat (1 session): 135kg
Other lifts:
Deadlifts: two volume sessions at 80%, one heavy session which I pushed a little too hard for a single at 95%.
Chins and pullups good, am nearly pulling myself high enough for a muscle up on the first reps of the explosive pullups sets.
Gymnastics still struggling because lats are tired from traditional pulling but I’m still hammering them. Handstands feeling good with the increased frequency.
Comp lifts still feeling a little awkward because they’re getting such little volume. Will see how they feel next week because to be fair everything felt a bit rough today.
Likely heading away to a smaller (gym free) island on Wednesday for a few days so will be working on bodyweight stuff then. In the mean time I’m shooting for two sessions a day on Monday and Tuesday and hopefully a morning session on Wednesday. More heavy reps in the first session so that that work was done while I’m feeling fresh.
BW 92.4kg
AM session
High bar - paused
5 warmups superset with explosive pullups for 3s
DMs
130kg x 1
140kg x 1
150kg x 1
160kg x 1 @ 8.5
160kg x 1 @ 8.5
160kg x 1 @ 9
Back off
150kg x 2 @ 8.5
CGBP
4 warmups superset with chins for 6s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
110kg x 1 @ 8.5 - slight misgroove
110kg x 1 @ 8 - solid. This feels like a doubles weight now. I’ll see if I can hit it for two at <9 before trying heavier singles. Still only have to average 109kg a week so not rushing.
Back off
100kg x 3 @ 8.5
Comp bench
60kg x 5
80kg x 3
90kg x 3
100kg x 3 x 3 @ 8,8,8
Longer than expected session because I was taking my time between the heavier sets, partly so I still had energy for the afternoon.
PM session
Front squat
5 warmups superset with shins to bar for 5s
120kg x 2
130kg x 2 x 2
Paused
120kg x 3 x 2
Good squats, hitting DMs on these again tomorrow.
CGBP
4 warmups superset with facepulls for 20s
90kg x 5 x 5 - keeping tightness made a little tricky by being a sweaty mess.
OHP
3 warmups superset with pullups for 5s
50kg x 4 x 5
60kg x 3 - long pauses
Everything feeling pretty good today.
More of the same and some pulls to come tomorrow morning - hopefully will be back from the beach in time to hit my planned pm session but if it’s not looking like thato I’ll get some gymnastics done there and do more in the morning.
1 Like
AM session
Morning BW 92.4kg
Front squat
5 warmups superset with explosive pullups for 3s
DMs
120kg x 1
130kg x 1
140kg x 1 @ 8 - cut depth at parallel for no good reason
140kg x 1 @ 8.5 - 2 minutes rest and went again
145kg x 1 @ 9.5 - little slippery but didn’t go full Ian Wilson
CGBP
4 warmups superset with ring chins for 6s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
105kg x 2 @ 9 - surprise, I’m a bit fatigued from yesterday! Fine for a heavy double but most days there would be more.
Pulls - pause just below tibial tuberosity
4 warmups superset with shins to rings for 5s
140kg x 3
160kg x 3 - this was gonna be my top working set haha
170kg x 2
180kg x 1
190kg x 1 @ 8
Solid session except bench but pressing muscles got a ton of volume yesterday and it was still heavy enough to get what I want out of it.
About 1 hour 20
Handstands at the beach because I was anticipating missing the evening session.
Ended up having enough time and don’t think I’ll fit a session in before the ferry tomorrow so went for it.
PM session
6pm BW 91.9kg
High bar
5 count pause
4 warmups superset with pullups for 5s
120kg x 2
130kg x 1
140kg x 3 x 1 @ <8
Regular pauses
150kg x 1
160kg x 1 @ 9
No pause
170kg x 1 @ 9 - not the prettiest in terms of knee cave but it was symmetrical and I recovered it well and the rep was fast.
CGBP
Very abbreviated warmup
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
110kg x 1 @ 9 - less acceptable form breakdown
Bodybuilding stuff. DB rows, dips, curls, pushdowns. 3-5 sets of each.
1 hour for this session.
Again, pressing not at its strongest but that’s l expected. I’ve done enough to keep myself ticking over for the next couple of days. I’ll find something to do pullups on over on the other island.
Couple of very well lit pumped pictures with the early stages of a sunburn and a good sheen of sweat going on.
All came together to make me look alright really.
1 Like
Past few days. Wobbly squats @ 120kg (photo taken mid bar dumpage) and a day in the water with humpback whales.
Otherwise been full of cold again, have an annoying cut on the sole of my foot, and wasn’t going out of my way to tire myself out. Lots of snoozing in the sun.
Now doing half an hour’s worth of handstands before heading to a bar for the rugby.
1 Like
Forgot to log yesterday.
Sunday a load of sea kayaking and handstand practice. Tweaked my lat a little bit in the boat but it 's only pestered me on the first few sets of chins since.
Monday
BW 93.5kg - few days off and eaten big the last week
High bar
Paused
5 warmups superset with med ball overhead toss 12kg for 3s
DMs
130kg x 1
140kg x 1
150kg x 1
160kg x 1 @ 8.5
Front squat
Back offs - superset with shins to bar for 5s
100kg x 2
120kg x 3 x 3
Cgbp
4 warmups superset with chins for 5s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
110kg x 1 @ 8
Back offs - superset with chins +12kg for 3s
100kg x 2 x 2
Pulls
4 warmups superset with facepulls for 20s
180kg x 8 x 1
All lifts feeling good despite short break. Only aiming to have an average DM on pause squat of 160kg but think I can push it. May throw in some heavy bench doubles this week, or even pish past 110kg for the first time but again average DM only needs to be 109kh.
I’m going to drop low bar for a while and focus on the high bar with pauses and front squats for a couple of weeks. Deads feeling good so I’m not worried about any loss of posterior chain strength and when I come back to low bar it’ll just be a case of getting form down again, and since it’ll be pretty much my only DM variation for a few months that shouldn’t be a problem.
Today
BW 93.7kg
High bar
Paused
5 warmups superset with explosive pullups for 3s
DMs
132.5kg x 1
142.5kg x 1
152.5kg x 1
162.5kg x 1 @ 8.5
Back offs superset with straight arm pullups for 4s
Stop pausing
150kg x 3 x 2
Cgbp
5 warmups superset with facepulls for 20s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
110kg x 1 @ 8.5
Comp bench
Back offs
100kg x 2 x 3
90kg x 2 x 4
Ss/ Pullups
5,5,5,8
Handstands
3 x some
Ss/ Inverted row on adjacent ropes
3 x 10
Two good sessions, 110kg is very much an everyday weight now.
1 Like
BW 93.3kg
Front squat
4 warmups superset with shins to bar for 3s
DMs
120kg x 1
130kg x 1
140kg x 1 @ 8
150kg x 1 @ 9.5 - beltless PR! Felt good in warmups, went for it, more of a grind than I should be hitting right now but not that much harder than last week’s 145 so encouraging.
High bar
Paused
Back offs - superset with handstands
100kg x 3
120kg x 3
140kg x 2 x 3
Cgbp
4 warmups superset with full rom laterals/ytws 2.5s for 15s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
107.5kg x 1 @ 7.5
112.5kg x 1 @ 8.5 - other than a slight misgroove off my chest this moved really well. So I guess it’s time to work on hitting this clean, which means a perfect 107.5kg+ rep every day. 115kg gearless is coming.
Around about this point I witnessed a Tongan guy bench 180kg (4 plates) for an easy 8 at 112kg. He then worked up to 210kg for a single which was the only set of the day he asked for a spot on and still nailed it.
Powerlifting isn’t big out here, most of the guys are low level ex rugby players, train pretty nonsensically, and have the lifts to match (3 plates on all lifts, full rom on bench, half rom on squats). While a couple of guys have the “gear look” I don’t think steroid culture is that big either. First legitimately impressive lifts I’ve really seen, and he seemed completely unaware of it haha.
Floor press
Back offs - superset with facepulls for 20s
Bar x some
60kg x 5
80kg x 3
90kg x 3
95kg x 3
100kg x 3
Floor press going goodly. Top triple feels on a par if not easier than it would on comp bench.
Pulls
5 warmups superset with overhead squat 30kg for 5s
180kg x 1
190kg x 1
200kg x 1
210kg x 1 @ 8.5 - moved good enough for a double but the bar was full to the tips and the plates fell off. Besides, I’m still working on my set up using sub max singles so it’d be unnecessary. Same weight 2 weeks ago was a 3 second rep, this was 2.3 seconds, and at the end of a much longer session.
1 Like
BW 92.4kg
High bar
Paused
5 warmups superset with wall handstands and tuck back lever holds
DMs
132.5kg x 1
142.5kg x 1
152.5kg x 1
162.5kg x 1 @ 8.5
Back offs - superset with chins +12kg for 4s
145kg x 2 x 2
Cgbp
4 warmups superset with facepulls for 20s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
110kg x 1 - RPE 8
Back offs - superset with chins bw for 6s
Feet up
100kg x 1
90kg x 3 x 3
Energy died at this point but I’d done enough after yesterday’s and before tomorrow’s session.
Got a lift with a local dude to his gym for a the morning. He’s a kiwi ex rugby player who owns a few businesses including a rugby academy. Decent gym, a few specialty bars which I didn’t end up touching but a good atmosphere to get work done in quickly.
No idea on BW.
High bar
Paused
5 warmups superset with explosive pullups for 3s - stupid close to a muscle up
DMs
132.5kg x 1
142.5kg x 1
152.5kg x 1
162.5kg x 1 @ 8
167.5kg x 1 @ 8 - noice. Next week I’m hitting high bar unpaused for most DMs but will still be hitting a heavyish paused single as well and I want to see if I can push those to 170kg. My best high bars have always been 30ish kg higher than my front squat, and after a couple of strong showings on that recently I’m feeling more confident to push the back squat. Don’t think 180kg high bar and beltless has ever gone down. 185kg for the double BW would be something nice to hit before getting the gear and my low bar on.
Front squat
Back offs superset with handstands - went very well
100kg x 2
120kg x 2
130kg x 2
135kg x 2
Cgbp
5 warmups superset with TRX rows for 10s
DMs
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
110kg x 1 - RPE 8.5 - bent bar made stabilising a bit rough
Comp bench
Back offs
90kg x 3
100kg x 2
105kg x 2 x 2 - moved fine but again funky bar. Might even have increased rom a bit.
Pulls - 1-2 inch deficit due to small plates
Pause just off floor
4 warmups superset with alternating KB swings 20kg for 8s (4/arm)
165kg x 8 x 2
Pulls felt good positioning wise but hip flexor was a bit twitchy.
The guys I got a lift with were doing circuit training and finished after 45 minutes so I banged out through last 6 sets of pulls quite quickly and went off to the beach. Overall session took less than an hour, I was almost keeping pace with their rest intervals haha.
Will probably get another session in tomorrow morning if the regular place is open, so I’ll hold off on the week summary post til then.
BW 93.3kg
Front squat
5 warmups superset with explosive pullups for 2s
120kg x 1
130kg x 1
140kg x 1 @ 8.5
High bar
Paused
Back offs superset with more explosive pullups doubles - one of the PTs was trying to muscle up too so we had a back and forth thing going on. I’m now pulling to my sternum routinely so I feel like my explosive pull/kip is coming along well, it’s just the transition I need to work on.
120kg x 1
140kg x 1
150kg x 1
160kg x 1 - moved fine, hip flexor spasmed a little and I wasn’t planning on going up anyway so stopped these here.
CGBP
4 warmups superset with facepulls for 20s
90kg x 1
100kg x 1
107.5kg x 1 @ 8 - reigned in a little, this gives me a weekly average of 110kg which is still an improvement over last week.
Back off
100kg x 2 - wait a minute, that’s not 5
OHP
4 warmups
50kg x 5
60kg x 3,4,5,4
Last set
60kg x 3 - long pauses
Drop
50kg x 4 - loooong pauses
Drop
40kg x 5 - loooooooong pauses
Ss/ Pullups
BW x 4 x 5
12kg x 5 x 3
Last set
12kg x 3
Drop
BW x 7 - very slick set of 10 with the first 3 loaded as well after a ton of volume and at the end of the week. That’s a solid set of pullups for me.
Tate pushdown - pushdowns with a 90° bend at the hip and flared elbows so it’s essentially the same move as a Tate press. Pulling the rope apart at the bottom means that even when the elbows are looked they’re under tension.
Some x 3 x 20
Ss/ Zottman curls
Some x 3 x 10-20
Ss/ Shrugs on bench machine
Some x 3 x 10-15
Bradford pulldown
Some x 2 x 20-30
Ss/ “W” Back extensions
2 x 20
Fatigue kicked in halfway through bench, I reigned my DM in for that and then shifted into some variety stuff. Good pump and felt a lot fresher for it than I did on squats and bench today.
Week summary.
Average BW: 93.24kg
Average DMs:
High bar (no gear, paused) (4 main sessions, one heavy back off): 162.5kg
Close grip (6 sessions): 110kg
Front squat (2 sessions): 145kg
Other lifts:
Deadlifts: two volume sessions at 75% paused deficits and 84%, one heavy session with a solid single at 95%. Shouldn’t push volume work past 85% really but can get other factors like deficits and pauses involved to keep up relative intensity.
BW lifts all good. A muscle up is close. A back lever is not. Handstands consistently able to hold for 3-5 seconds.
Flat pressing variations feeling strongish. Comp bench still not getting focus so feeling a bit awkward but the potential strength is definitely there.
1 Like
