So I thought I’d hit the 531 Beach Body Challenge. Old log is here: https://forums.t-nation.com/t/look-like-perform-like-log
Today was like so:
Squats - 5x120kg, 5x135kg, 5x160kg.
OHP - 8x60kg, 5x80kg, 4x90kg, 3x95kg, 3x100kg.
Hang cleans - total 50 with 50kg bar in two sets
Fat bar curls - oh. used a 33lb corebag for want of anything else. 40 reps, then another 20.
Other stuff: 4x10 bodyweight pullups
Paul Carter chest workout: DB bench press, 8x26kg, 15x24kg, 25x22kg.
This feels good.
Good luck with it mate, you’ve started with a decent squat 
Back in for a “Wednesday” on Monday (maybe next week I should follow M/W/F for simplicity’s sake?).
Some guy tied up the rack doing 70kg squat-ettes for ages so…stretched and did the deadlifts first. I mean you’ve camped on the most important piece of equipment in here and the one there’s only one of. Why not…train?
5x 120kg, 5x 130kg, 5x 140kg. OK. That last set was some work.
Dumbbell rows, 100reps. Did this with humiliatingly tiny 10kg dbs as I’ve never trained them before. Only now remembered it’s 100reps per arm. Feels, as this was harder than I expected. Maybe bodybuilders aren’t that weak after all?
Rack still occupied so I did 3x10 pullups. Felt the impact of the DB rows a bit.
Rack at last available. Squats. 10x 120kg, 8x 130kg, 6x 140kg, 2x 150kg, 7x 160kg. I like that a lot.
OHPs. The bible says: load 70%, i.e. 80kg, and get 50 reps. Started out doing sets of 10 reps. After 3 sets I started doing sets of 5. After 2 of those, did sets of 4. Then did a final pair of reps to get the 50.
Damn hell that was some work. Beginning to see why “challenge” and indeed “beach body” is in the name of the program…
A Friday on a Wednesday. I got into the gym and the rack was available, so went straight to squats and presses so as to be efficient.
Squats went: 70%/120kg for at least 15 reps. I got 20. I feel like a boss…a boss with sore glutes and quads.
Press went: 70%/80kg x 5, 80%/90kg x 5, 90%/100kg x 5. This last one was tough as hell but at least it impressed the guy working through pressing 40kg.
Hang cleans went: 10x 40kg, 10x 50kg, 5x 60kg, 3x 70kg, 2x 75kg, 1x 80kg. Then 3x5 70kg. Close to the edge here.
I couldn’t find a rope and didn’t feel like hanging myself from a towel, so did pull-ups - 5x10 but the last two sets were pretty desperate.
Did a Carter DB press workout with 8x26, 15x24, 25x22kg pairs of dbs.
This makes me feel like a strongbad but thank god it’s a 3x weekly program.
Took ballet class on Thursday and Sunday (if you’re not familiar with this log…you will be).
Today, though, is Monday week two. This is a deload week of sorts, so:
Squats, 65%/75%/85%: 5x110kg, 5x135kg, 5x145kg.
OHP, work up to 90%: 10x60kg, 5x80kg, 3x85kg, 1x90, 1x95, 3x100kg.
Hang cleans: realised I kind of curled on Friday last, and also I now have a TM for this. 70% turns out to be 52kg, I rounded up to 55. Got 50 in two sets.
Fat curls: found a bigger 44lb corebag and went for it…I think I got 53 in two sets, looked to see if anyone was doing pullups, went back for another 15.
People camped on all the benches and racks so skipped assistance.
Squats: 120kg x 12, 130 x 10, 140 x 8, 150 x 6, 160 x 8 > note the progress
Pull ups: 2 x 10 > these felt strong
OHP: 80kg x 50 reps. Did 3x10, then 1x8, 2x5, 1x5 to catch any reps I might have missed. weirdly the last few 5 rep sets felt great?
Pull ups: 2 x 10 > as did these
Deadlift: 100kg x5, 125kg x5, 135kg x5
Dumbbell row: 2x12kg, “100 reps per arm”. Did 50 reps each unilaterally, 25 together, the rest in some sort of mess of unilaterals. Got there in the end.
Carter chest workout: DB bench press, palms in, 2x26kg x 8, 2x24kg x 15, 2x22kg x 25. Think I got 22 reps on the last.
Still surprised how “conditioning-y” these are. You move a lot of air, especially doing the 50x80kg OHP thing.
your ohp strength is crazy. gimme pls
the form gets pretty horrible on that last couple of reps, though. I actually might switch it out for push presses instead. Or I might not start with the monster 10 rep sets…the programme specifies the “malcolm X method”, i.e. any means necessary, to get to 50 reps at 70%, so maybe I shouldn’t spend too much energy early on.
CT’s Look Like a Bodybuilder/Perform Like an Athlete programme has 8x3 of both OHP and push on the pressing days, plus the pull day includes muscle snatches, so you essentially clean and immediately OHP. If I’m any good that might be why:slight_smile:
although if you run that one you definitely want to chuck in some pulling assistance on the press days or you will certainly fuck up your shoulders
Friday on Friday!
Squats: 65% aka 110kg, x22
Press: 75kg x 5, 85kg x 5, 95kg x 5
Hang clean: 40kg x 10, 50kg x 10, 60kg x 8, 70kg x 3, 75kg x 2, 80kg x 1 and turned into a SGHP. Then… 3x5 at 70kg.
Pull ups: delayed due to someone tying it up. Went off to do some bench presses. Got 10 reps of 80kg and failed at 90. Got 40 reps of pull ups
Monday!
Hang cleans at 75%/60kg: 36 reps. I think I cd do better by concentrating on the form a bit?
Curls with the 22kg corebag: 1x50, 1x20, 1x13, 1x7, total 93.
Squats at 75%/85%/95%: 5x130kg, 5x145kg, 5x165kg.
OHPs: 10x60kg, 9x70kg, 6x80kg, 3x90kg, 3x100kg
Extras:
Pull ups, 3x10
Note on this: it took me about 47 minutes in total, including some hanging about waiting for the rack.
Some impressive numbers in here. Keep it up!
Wednesday week 3.
Deadlift, 5x120kg, 5x135kg, 4x150kg and a fail
Squats, 16x120kg, 11x130kg, 8x140kg, another 4x140kg (I forgot to load up more), 3x150kg, 10x160kg
OHPs, 50 reps x 85kg ie 75% : 3x8, 1x6, 3x5, 1x3,1x2
DB Row 2x10kg: 1x50,1x30,2x10 total 100
Elapsed time 47 minutes
I think the high rep pressing is definitely the hardest thing in this. The DBRs have suddenly got easier - presumably because I never used to train them.
I do like the way it keeps demanding MOAR! though
Delayed Friday, week 3
Hang cleans, 20x 40kg, 15x 50kg, 9x 60kg, 4x70kg, 2x80kg, fail at 90. 3x5, 70kg. Note more reps!
Pull ups, 50 reps total. 2x10, 5x5, 1x3, 1x2
Squats at 75%, 130kg, 24 reps
Press, 75/85/95%, 5x75kg, 5x85kg, 2x105kg, backed off to 3x100kg.
The delay, by the way, was because I did something to my back in Thursday night ballet class while having a really good class. Took harder class on Sunday.
This concludes the first three weeks of the program. So far I can report that I’m getting stronger on the lifts I don’t usually do (duh) and getting more heavy reps on the ones I do. Also I think I’m leaner and a bit better conditioned. And I look…a bit more…beach-y? Maybe the delts?
Hang cleans, 70% / 55kg, max reps in 2 sets. 1x40, 1x20 total 60. Up 10.
Pull ups, 3x10
Curls with 22kg corebag, 1x50,1x20,1x40 total 110. Up 17
Squats 5x5 70/80/90%. 5x120, 5x135, 5x155kg.
Press: 15x60kg, 12x70kg, 10x80kg, 4x 90kg, 4x 100kg
Missed a week at MWC. Decided to repeat Monday.
Hang cleans 55kg, 2 sets, 30 each total 60
Many curls, 22kg corebag, 1x60, 1x50, 1x12 total 122
Carter chest w/o with 26/24/22kg. The 26s start to feel light!
Pull ups 3x10
Squats 5x5 120/135/155
Press 20x60, 17x70, 10x80, 4x90, 3x100