Man, to be honest I’m a tad repulsed by any part of sweet potato that’s not covered in brown sugar, butter, & nuts. Haha.
I’m sure you’ll have that 475 front soon! & the big 5-0-0 will fall soon after. Think you’re iffy back was workin’ on your subconscious?
.
You barbarian, you.
@littlesleeper - Yeah I do the same, sort of. I only eat them cause I know they’re good for me to be honest.
@TX_iron - Thanks man, It’s gonna take some time but I fucking love front squatting. Best lift ever. I would have to say I failed it out of lack of training it for nearly a year. Since I’m so PTC dominant when I back squat (even the higher bar style I use), I can’t get my quads to work for shit. In turn, coming back to front squats and given the quad demand needed for them, It’s not a complete shock I got owned by 475. Thoracic spine held but my baby legs wouldn’t work. Also 500 was/is a lifetime goal for front squats. We shall see how things unveil.
Less barbarian, more carb deprived, haha.
Well, at least you got the visible abs man. I need the layer because it gets oh so cold here in north carolina…
3/17/16 - Okay, now my right trap is jacked up. I felt it on warm ups with 315, and I’m sure it’s from stupid front squats. It just feels really tight and hurts a dull ache when I rise my right shoulder to ear. Making extra sure to squeeze the bar slowly off the floor and not tense up needlessly in the upper back.
Close Stance Sumo (all sets hook grip)
135x5,5,5
225x3
315x3 trap feeling funky
bunch of “stretching” but mostly stuff that kind of takes the traps to a full relaxed state to just assuage the muscle of aggravation.
belt on (loose)
405x3
455x3 small jump cause meh, feelin good though.
505x1 hamstring feels fine, trap feeling okay. Also had two 25’s on each side (from 455) and so the weight is a bit less dispersed.
505x5 felt great, could have hit 10 which says a lot for hook grip and close stance.
1 sec Paused Deads (close stance, looser belt, 1 inch off the floor)
405x7 on the last rep my left hamstring felt funny. Not pain or discomfort, it was just…strange.
405x7
405x5 accidentally forgot to pause these, BUT did them double overhand.
405x7 double over, AND paused. Holy crap this was hard!
Hip Thrusts
135x20
135x20
135x25
135x25
Knees to Elbows
x6
x8
x8
Windmills
x20
x20
x20
x20
DB Side Bend
x15
x15
x15
Just recently got over some funky trap issue too! Lower left, and I think it was from heavy chins, which I’ve ditched from my routine for now. good luck with that man and good pulling.
@I_AM - Oh lawdy, spare our traps! Never fails to make me grin/grimace when I get these weird twinges and nicks in random ass places doing random ass things. I felt the weirdest sensation in my lat once doing hanging leg raises. Always figured it’d undermine me when I was doing pull ups or something, but you know…
Anyway, thanks for the good word man.
3/19/16 - Relaxed day of bench today. Was going to hit 315 for 10 but I realized I had no reason to test that anymore since I already hit 400.
Bench Press
45x8,8
135x5
225x3
275x2
225x30 PR by at least 3 reps.
Z Press
135x5
185x2
205x3
205x3 ugly, 1 min rest was not enough here lol
205x3
205x3
Close Grip Incline (Axle, hands about 8 inches apart)
125x5
125x5
180x20 had 1 more in the tank but I would’ve had to raise my butt thus resulting in the bench capsizing.
Twisting Horizontal Row (band)
x15
x15
x15
x15
3/21/16
Beltless Pause Squats (high bar ish, 1 second pause)
135x5,5
225x3
275x1
330x1
380x1
425x1
425x1 hit the rack on the walk out which fucked me up but the rep was much easier than the 1st set.
425x1 best one so far. Staying very upright. Descending by knee bend and not dropping the hips. Driving through the center of the foot and with the quads.
425x1 solid
425x1 no oly squat here, just good morning 
forgot to cue on the way down
425x1 much better, revised form.
Form breakdown in latter sets, assuming the weight is executable, seems to be a case of not just physical fatigue but the minds coping process in having to maintain rigid form while being tired KNOWING that your weak link is being exploited with a heavy weight on the back. I was stupid, wanting to just good morning the weight and not have to stay upright and drive with my quads. Definitely made up for that awful 5th set with a cleaner 6th.
The above sets overall were difficult but I could have settled with 10-15lbs more on some of the earlier sets. Strength is there though.
Step Ups (reps per leg)
BW x15
45x15
95x12
115x15
115x12
115x12
drop set
95x15
65x20
Lying Leg Raise
x15
x15
x15
DB Side Bend
x15
x15
x15
3/23/16 - Kind of rushed this workout but it was quality still. Trap is feeling better.
DB Row (no straps 1 minute rest between each arm and each set)
100x20
100x20
100x20 had to drop it by rep 15 on each arm here. Sometimes I have that extra boost to give but today I just hit a wall a bit quicker.
Pull Ups
x10 close
x8 wide grip
x8 wide
x8 close
x8 close
Horizontal Row (band)
x15
x12
x12
x12
x12
Band Pull Apart
x15
x15
x15
x15
3/25/16
Strict Log Press
110x5,3
160x3
200x1
225x5
225x5
225x5
225x5
225x5
Volume PR for sure. I want to hit 245 for sets of 3 soon.
Floor Press
135x8
185x3
225x3
280x13 eh, felt good but wanted 15.
Close Grip Incline (Axle)
125x20
135x20
150x20
125x20
3-way shoulders
x15/15/15
x15/15/15
x15/15/15
3/27/16 - Heavy easter fronts. Toiled madly doing yardwork most of yesterday. I kind of over exerted myself like I tend to doing stuff like this by trying to use all of my deadlifting strength to try to rip a plant(s) out of the ground. Apparently I need to deadlift more in order to do that because I couldn’t get it out :(. Realized It was affecting me today but I mustered some extra guts and pushed forward and got what I wanted to get done.
Front Squat
135x5,5
185x3
225x3
275x2
335x1
365x1
405x2 felt pretty good but I did fall forward on the toes. Got 5 in me with this weight.
405x2
405x2
405x2
405x2 The in between sets were ABHORRENT, but for some reason this last one felt amazing. I almost went for a 3rd. Fuck yeah.
Step ups to 13 inches (reps per leg)
45x22
65x22
95x22
135x22
155x22 wow okay this fucking blew
115x22
I did 22 reps am I revered yet?! I worked with a guy who’s a vet. He used to be a damned alcoholic, loud mouth, no good son of a gun in his youth and when he served. He also saw some fucked up shit, but 25 years later he was completely changed and the cleanest dude you could ever see. We’d always chat about deep shit. He taught me a lot of stuff and I’m happy to know a guy who’s living a success story. Totally not exaggerating either. We worked at his house one day and he had the most insane collection of self-made wooden ornaments among relics of the past and an awesome family. Unfortunately, I also know someone who was enlisted as an infantryman in 2003 in the middle east. The amount of meds he’s on is just fucking terrible to see. It’s a shame some guys just linger in their own predisposition indefinitely. Cliche, but I’m saying it because I learned how to because I never did, but ACKNOWLEDGE and talk with some of these people. Anyway…
Banded Vertical Crunch
x20
x20
x20
x20
x20
DB Side Bend
25x25
25x25
25x25
25x25
3/29/16 - Early workout. Went for an AMRAP set with close stance sumo, just to gauge where the strength is at with this particular stance of pulling. Definitely about equal with regular sumo which is wonderful. Just slower off the floor, but it might just be from the high leg vol work i did last session.
Close Stance Sumo (hook grip all sets)
135x5,5,3
225x3
315x3
belt on
405x1
500x1
545x5 with one more in the tank. First rep attempt slipped away cause of the bar rolling out of my hands.
Hip Thrusts
180x20
180x20
180x20
180x16
drop set
125x20
Circuit: rest 1 minute between each round
Round 1
BW pull ups x15
Single Leg Hip Thrust x15/15
Front Plank x 60s
Round 2
BW pull ups x12
Single Leg Hip Thrust x15/15
Front Plank x 45s
Round 3
BW pull ups x12
Singe Leg Hip Thrust x12/12
Front Plank x45s
Round 4
BW pull ups x10
Single Leg Hip Thrust x12/12
Front Plank x45s
3/31/16 - Volume work on bench. Last time I worked with 275 I did 2 sets of 10 and 2 sets of 8. Killed it today.
Bench Press
45x8,5,5
135x8
185x3
225x3
275x10
275x10
275x10
275x10 did not have a single rep left by the end. worked out well.
Zydrunas Press
135x5
155x3
185x5
205x1
225x1
225x2 woah, PR
135x10
135x10
135x8
Close Grip Incline (1 sec pause 4 inch above chest)
85x12
135x10
135x10
135x10
Front Raise
10x15
10x15
10x15
10x15
Side Lateral
x15
x15
x15
x15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN9W2hbHh8I&feature=youtu.be
4/2/16 - Minus crying like a bitch due to allergies, today was great. Eye opener that training a higher bar position with pauses and lack of belt (all the while hammering quad isolation) is the best thing for me. Everything felt insanely light, granted I got winded as fuck toward the end of the top set.
Beltless Pause Squats (high bar-ish)
45x8
135x5,5
225x3
275x3
330x1
365x10 supa easy. Hard toward the end but this is the lighest this weight has ever felt on my back. Funny how peaking linearly and imprudently with 20-rep squats yielded no results other than being over trained and pissed off. Could have done this for 20 out of the blue with a belt. Definitely feeling strong on squats.
Step Ups to 13 inches (reps per leg)
45x8
95x8
135x8
155x8
170x8
drop set
135x10
95x12
Finished the workout with a brutal sled push/tire drag medley. 8 rounds, 1 minute rest between each. 50 foot distances for each way. B R U T A L.
Toe Touches w/ plates
x12
x12
x12
x12
Oblique Crunch
x15
x15
x15
Lying Leg Raise
x12
x12
x12
x12
the reps toward the end definitely sucked but it’s gotten a lot better (staying upright)
4/4/16 - dragged along today. rows felt good but ended up vomiting after the DB work. 20 rep DB rows are fucking hard man, I’ve realized getting better at those is just so hard to do. I have improved on them but mostly in just will power and dealing with the pain.
Bent Over Row
45x8
135x10
185x8
225x6
275x6
315x8
315x10
drop set
275x10
225x10
135x20
DB Row (self supported, no straps)
100x20
100x20
100x20
Pull Ups
x8 wide grip
x8 wide grip
x6 close biceps are spent nothing left
x5 1/2
Horizontal Row
x15
x15
x15
x15
Band Pull Apart
x15
x12
x12
Nice job finding the groove on high bar squat position! Also sick Z press… wtf man. haha.
@TX_iron Thanks man. Yeah, good squats feel fan-fucking-tastic, so it’s good to be enjoying training them.
4/6/16 - Combined my squat and press day since I’ll be in NY for the weekend visiting family.
Log (strict)
110x3,3
160x3
200x2
230x1
245x3
245x3
245x3 did this beltless just to see if I could.
Front Squat
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x10
315x10
315x10 lost my rack position at 9 and had to go cross arm grip.
Amazing quality of volume today on squats. Leg strength is improving but my upper back and well being as a whole was just screaming in despair during the latter sets. Demanding front squat work is always the hardest stuff to conquer, but you come out stronger when you finish.
Step ups to 13 inch (reps per leg)
45x15
65x15
115x12
115x12
115x12
115x12
Pulldown Crunches
x15
x15
x15
x15
Oblique Crunch
x15
x15
x15
x15
DB Side Bend
25x25
25x25
25x25
4/12/16 - Back from visiting family and friends in New York. Had a blast, and so did my body. Probably ate and drank all the wrong shit and took in a whopping total of 60g of protein over the course of 3 days but it’s all good. The car ride really fucked with me. 11 hours to and from. Anyways, back to work.
Supa Close Stance Sumo (all reps hook grip)
135x8,8
225x3,3
315x3
belt on
405x1
455x1
455x6 super easy reps, felt awesome.
455x8 Strength is there besides a throbbing headache.
455x8 first rep was awful. Shook violently. Got all 8 but it was strangely difficult.
Shut it down for obvious reasons. Need to refeed and rehydrate over the week and settle back in. Will be switching to conventional when I feel I’ve tamed my close stance sumo enough.
I also love how I can hook grip with high reps with no issues. It used to kill me but my thumbs had a good dose of man the fuck up.
Pull ups
x10
x12
x12
x10
x10
Hip Thrust/Hamstring Curl SS
135x20/x12
135x20/x12
135x20/x12
135x20/x12
Lying Leg Raise/Side Plank SS
x20/x45s
x15/x60s
x15/x60s