Pendlay rows have always been uncomfortable for me. I’m probably setting up wrong. I prefer regular barbell rows with a healthy amount of “body English” if I need to do barbell rows. Dumbbell rows are my favorite lat exercise.
Reverse flys, band pull aparts, face pulls… 3 of my top 8 favorite exercises honestly.
When I first got into the lifting game I quickly realized that everyone has a big chest, delts, and arms. I decided I’d focus on my back and legs. They’re not impressive by any means but they’re not neglected either. I’ve always made it a point to do more back work than chest.
This time around I’m doing hang snatch grip high pulls. I figure it’s still a pull so I’ll be fine.
Snatch grip high pulls fry my traps. You’re going to look like Bane from that one Batman movie
Awesome Lava
PR’s are raining all over TN right now.
Snatch grip works the traps really hard, especially if you’re really trying to hold it at top position for a second and holding back on lowering phase. I love them.
I’ve just fount BB rows to be awesome and some I think could help me with my DL.
On another note I think lowering the 6x2 days to 70 or 75% could be good. Then when the 5x5-4x4-3x3-2x2 days comes you could do the 5x2-4x2-3x2-2x2 with 80%.
I’m going with this program or SGSS. Mixing in some DH giants in the mix.
Don’t worry man, a lot of people are reading and rooting for you. It seems like “success” in life and meeting your goals can be solved with a simple method: front load your pain. It’s hard and not at all sexy or enjoyable, but it works.
Want to be big, strong, smart, and able to provide for your loved ones? That’s gonna take lifting hard for multiple years, reading books, and working hard in your job. Not to say that you have to be a masochist. You’ve got to enjoy the present moment, but it’s amazing what some hard work now will do later on.
You seem to be doing everything right, so the entire purpose of this post is to encourage you to keep on the right path for YOU. It might not be fun right now, but it will be very fun when you can look back on your life and say: “Thanks past me.” Every hour you work and every weight you lift builds you up and improves future you. Give gifts to future you and give both thanks and forgiveness to past you.
It seems you have enough support on here to have been proven wrong in this regard. Tremendous amounts of respect for managing to inch toward your goals given you holding down two jobs. Stay strong!
@muskratlifts @Voxel thanks guys. Sometimes I try to go on a short tangent and then it turns into a full-blown rant. Things just keep popping into my head, and I figure TN is cheaper than a therapist so I just throw it down on my log occasionally. I also know some people on the internet aren’t here for the interpersonal connection type stuff, but it makes me feel good knowing there’s people like you guys in my log hahaha
Front-loading the pain is (I agree) one of the most effective strategies in having a happier life, I agree. That goes for procrastinating with homework and projects in school for sure lol. Most people don’t seem to get that, but through trial and error (and advice from people like you guys) I’ve seen that that’s the best way to do it. Thank you both for your encouraging words, it means a lot to me
(Yesterday’s workout) 8 August 2018 - OHP Testing Bodyweight: 217lbs (accidental bulk)
OHP 45x10,
95x5
135x3
155x1
175x1
190x0 (got it to my forehead but couldn’t lock out)
180x1 (a 5lb lifetime PR… not much but alright)
So looks like @losthog has me beat in the OHP game. Props bro. Shit ain’t easy!!
So now, I finally have all my numbers figured out for my cycles (all my 80%s):
Squat: 340lbs
Bench: 245lbs
Deadlift: 380lbs
OHP: 145lbs
Not too shabby. Definitely not where I want to be, but I have confidence that this program combined with a decent bulk will help get me to my goals that I have posted in the log title.
For my 6x2 miniature deload days, I’ll be doing this:
Squat: 325lbs
Bench: 230lbs
Deadlift: 355lbs
OHP: 135lbs
I’ll probably do EMOM for these lighter weights ala @mortdk’s favorite style. It’ll be nice because then these sets will take less than 10 minutes including warmups and loading the bar. So I’ll have my main lift which will probably take 30-40 minutes, then EMOM for 6-8 minutes, then another half hour or so for assistance. Speaking of assistance…
Lower Body Days
Good Mornings
Leg Press/Smith Machine (for quads)
Glute Iso work
Upper Body Days
Floor Press
Pin Press (or a similar variation… we don’t have tall enough racks for me to do pin press)
Tricep Iso work
On both days I’ll be forcing myself to do 1-2 back exercises and core exercises. Cannot neglect those two areas. I’ll get injured again and hate myself forever if I do.
I’m pretty busy this week–going away party for one of my friends tomorrow, a bachelor party on Friday, and a birthday party on Saturday–but I’ll try to sneak a few lifts in. I’d like to start with a deadlift day followed by a bench day.
Let the gains begin!!
Crush it!
How am I OHP more than you…I’ll take it!
My maxes…
Dead: 465
Bench: 275
Squat: let’s say 375 I test Friday
OHP: 185
hahaha! Admittedly, I thought I was going to OHP a lot more than I did just based on my bench. Apparently my body has not come up with a way to make that bench strength carry over to OHP strength.
I’m looking forward to Friday now. I can’t wait to see a video of you pushing that weight!!!
If one can find a good therapist I’m certain it would be worth the money but this is your log, feel free to write out whatever you want.
Do it Darkhorse style SS the first lift of the day.
Squat and DL do dragonflags, Hanging legraise, situps, planks, any direkt ab work, on Bench and press work the obliques in Brians word 10 situps won’t affect your lift and doing it as part of the main work means it gets done.
Gonna be honest, I’m not a huge fan of supersetting anything with the main lift. I like to do my side planks and bird dogs + some hip/groin stretches and then get after it. I’ll most likely superset my secondary lift with some core stuff to make sure it gets done. 6 sets of extra ab work, 4x per week, will add up to 24 extra core work sets that I haven’t done since I’ve started strength training. No doubt that’ll be a huge benefit.
@Voxel hahaha I was just kidding about the therapist part. I saw a mug once that said “Alcohol: It’s cheaper than therapy!” which may or may not be true, but it was funny. Just kind of making a play on words there 
Yeah you could do it with the secondary lift as well as long as you get it done.
I thought as you, but the Darkhorse proved me wrong, I only rest for 90 seconds but between the main sets I do get a long time not doing the main movement.
I would encourage you to try it out, you could try it for the first couple of weeks were it’s pretty easy.
I love doing stuff between sets that are corrective in nature or otherwise neglected. A while back I added in eccentric only pistol squats between upper-body sets, and now I can do full pistols. Face pulls are also nice to sneak in.
Hey did you forget about me? How do I rep up the rep schemes and %s with this program?
Also work on ankle flexibility man! As far as iknow heels rising could be an issue from poor ankle mobility/flexibility. You for sure had more in the tank though, 445 will be there soon!!
Damn man you’re right. I’ve been meaning to work on that for a while and I just keep forgetting about it… I think having more flexible ankles would help take some stress off my hip flexors somehow which usually get a little uncomfortable when I squat. And hell yeah!! I hope so!
Yeah I’m with you on that. I like being able to superset truly healthy exercises with the Big 3, which are notorious for causing injury and sometimes imbalance after doing them for months or years continuously.
@mortdk I tried doing a little superset action today and it was just not happening. Not really sure why…
Shit. I actually did. Here:
80%
Squat: 325lbs
Bench: 220lbs
Deadlift: 370lbs
OHP: 150lbs
So you can do either 1 or 2 sessions for each lift each week. Right now I’m kind of on an Upper/Lower split with Squats+Deads and Bench+OHP each in the same session.
6x2 80% (325/220/370/150)
6x3 80% (325/220/370/150)
6x2 80% (325/220/370/150)
6x4 80% (325/220/370/150)
6x2 80% (325/220/370/150)
6x5 80% (325/220/370/150)
6x2 80% (325/220/370/150)
6x6 80% (325/220/370/150)
6x2 80% (325/220/370/150)
5x5 83.5% (340/230/390/155)
6x2 80% (325/220/370/150)
4x4 87% (350/240/405/160)
6x2 80% (325/220/370/150)
3x3 91% (370/250/425/165)
6x2 80% (325/220/370/150)
2x2 94% (380/260/435/175)
New Maxes TBD
This program is altered slightly from the vanilla version. you should absolutely still have some reps (1-3) in the tank at the end of each set once the weight gets heavier. This shouldn’t beat us into the ground like the other one did to me.
You can do what I’m probably going to do, which is opt for 70-75% instead of 80% on the 6x2 days. I learned today that doing a straight 80% is definitely a bad idea. Post coming up in a minute.
11 August 2018 - Deads & Squats Bodyweight: 212lbs
Deadlifts:
135x10
225x5
275x5
315x3
(belt on, straps on) 365x3
6x3 385lbs
Squats:
315x2
335x0 (walked out then walked back in)
5 min isometric hammy work
15 min ab work (McGill Curl Ups, bird dogs, side planks, front planks, single leg raises)
Notes
Deadlifts were hard bro. I’m beginning my bulk immediately. Purchased 2 gallons of chocolate milk and some donuts on my way home from the gym tonight. I’m down to 212, time to get up to at least 220 and stoke the fire of gainz. My gains came at an insane pace last fall, partly because newbie gains, partly because I was eating a shit ton of calories. Carbing up, and getting an extra ~80g protein every day from the chocolate milk was huge. I’m glad to be back on that. 445lb skwat…I’M KHEMMIN.
Probably bench day tomorrow. 6x3 245lbs + 6x2 OHP at 145lbs. Shit tons of core and back work because upper body day never hurts my back, and therefore does not force me out of the gym early like squats and deadlifts sometimes do, like today. Oh well. Back to the grind tomorrow! So so so happy to be back on track.
@losthog if you liked the band work I think on the 6x2 deloadish days you could do the 6x2 with bands. I do not have access to bands so I just progressed every week and resettet mid darkhorse.