2016 Log

100.2

DL rows with belt, versa’s; 5 x10-120. Spur of the moment change that I was thinking about overnight. Slack-pulling into a standing row to help me get used to my new positioning. Mostly very good, I do need to focus on getting back behind the bar and practice makes perfect.

Hanging leg raises; 5 x15-bw. Minor DOMS from yesterday but they counter my historical tendency towards anterior pelvic tilt very effectively.

3ct bench, index on the rings; 5 x10-75. No need for a load bump this week. Possibly next week.
Giant set.

Seal rows, volume, gorilla grip; 3 x15-70.
Push-ups full ROM, pause explosive; 3 x15-bw.
SG shrugs; 3 x12-170.
Sit-ups with plate behind head; 3 x12-bw+10kg.
Giant set.

Loved this split and will continue with it. Started a few minutes slow but still wrapped up in time.

Bodyweight chin-ups moving to GPP tomorrow, will see how that pans out and evaluate from there.


Daily walks
2 x20min
 
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99.8

Step-ups, quad focus; 2 x25-bw. Modest occlusion effect of the static positioning took hold here. 4 x20-bw.
Chin-ups; 6 x11-bw.
Overhead band extensions, red band per hand; 6 x20
Banded abs, green band; 6 x20. Found an ‘OK’ position on these towards the end, focusing on tractioning the hip with straight legs and torso moving forwards, rather than through a strict hinge.
Giant set.

Took about 15-20min it’s longer than it should have, due to fitness, some fatigue, and fuckarounditis.

Daily walks
1 x20min
1 x40min
 
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100.7

High activity and NEET

Bumping up protein and total calories via increased chicken breast portions. Modest total of 40-80gms macro per day. Should still assist satiety and general energy.
 
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100.7 a bit more energy today to start with in the sense of feeling less hungry but had pretty bloody ordinary sleep, kept waking up every 30-40mins for some reason. I suppose I’ll see how things go.

Hanging legs raises; 1 x10.

DL, close V stance, seated-row cue, max single then back off sets; 10-70. 5-120, 170. 3 x1-220. 1 -240, 250. I overthink his stuff but based on the #s and what feels natural, this is just the better stance for me. 250 moved really well, 260 I spent too much time setting up and didn’t really budge. Fatigue from yesterday is a massive factor too.

FPDL back offs; 3 x4-200kg. Right now my weakness is right after the break and continuing the bar moving quickly, so this feels like a solid choice.

CB squats; 5-70. 2-120. 1-150, 170. 150 was legit, 170 was cut high as I lost my confidence a bit and didn’t trust the bounce out or the grind up, I suppose. All good, enough to build on.

CB GMs; 1 x6-120, 140, 140.
Hanging leg raises; 3 x15-bw.
Supersetted.

Set the j-hooks a hole too low but otherwise it was a great combo.

Weighted step-ups, full ROM; 3 x10-30kg vest.
Weighted planks; 2 x30s-30kg vest.
Supersetted.

Smashed it and 10mins of efficiency to be saved throughout.


Daily walks
2 x30min
 
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100.1

Weighted chin-ups; 1 x10-bw. 5 x6-bw+25kg. Tired and the last rep ok each has room to improve but a volume bump so a win.

Hanging leg raises; 6 x15-bw. I’ll push the per set volume on lower days to 20 reps, I think, and scale back to 12 or so for upper days then build up as I adapt.

Bench, index on rings, max then back-offs; 1 x10-70. 1 x5-100. 1-120@RIR2. 3 x5-100@RIR2-3. Definitely had 125 in the tank, a really solid day.
Giant set.

SG shrugs with belt and versa’s; 3 x6-200kg@RIR3-4. Belt to assist in not cheating via better torso stabilisation. Load bump next week.

Axle press; 3 x6-50kg. Felt good, need to suss out my preferred grip width still.

Sit-ups with plate behind head; 3 x15-bw+10kg. I’m setting my hips a bit further back/longer legs and it feels a lot more comfortable and effective.
Giant set.

Something in the press stance or sit-ups snapped/cracked a QL (I assume anyway) into place on the right lower back between sets and it felt amazingly free and loose afterwards.

Daily walks
2 x30min

Lots of Captains of Crush holds
 
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Rest day

99.9

Daily walks
2 x20min
1 x30min

Gentler pace on these, just to keep exercise happening and general walking benefits.
 
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Volume lower

100.1

Banded crunches; 1x20-green band.

2” deficit DL, medium V stance; 10-70, 120. 4 x10-170. All but the last 6 reps with hook, then versa’s for sweaty hands.

Experimented with each of the high hips back-dominant, the pull-in with hip drop technique and MikeT/Kokalaev ‘clean’ style. All had their pluses, not sure which I like more or will translate into Monday’s loads better. High hips and back just felt a bit stronger and ‘poppier’ at this load overall though.

SSB pause squat; 5-82. 4 x10-92. I wanted to pussy out of doing the 4th set so badly.

SSB GMs; 1 x10-82, 92, 102, 102. I didn’t quite find the groove until 102. My cue to remember is lean forward rather than hips back, because I’m aiming at hamstrings and back more than glutes. DL rather than squat accessory. I decided that I prefer hypers for heavy work. Safer to fit into my workout time than heavy GMs and let me target the lower back with more confidence.

Hanging leg raises; 4 x16-bw.
Supersetted.

Belt squat, knees forward; 1 x15-100. I need a way to add 1-2inches of ROM for better positioning above the apparatus.
Band crunches; 2 x20-green band. Nailed the setup so these were awesome today. I’m trying to hold a brief 1count pause at the bottom to ensure it’s not a momentum circle jerk.

Extra carbs coming back in on the two volume days, post workout. 20gms or so. I’m going to aim to sit in the 99-101 ballpark depending on the day of the week and pause the rate of cut for now. Mentally and physiologically, there’s only so long one can operate that way before it’s unhealthy. I’ll also be more moderate with Saturday re-feeds/cheat meals.


Daily walks
2 x30min
 
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Upper volume

99.5

Chin-ups, volume; 5 x12-bw. Definitely better off keeping these here, my elbows didn’t appreciate things mid-week after the GPP trial.

Banded crunches; 5 x20-green band.

3ct bench, index on rings; 5 x10-77.5.
Giant set.

SG shrugs, versa’s, volume; 2 x16-170. More reps to be had here per set. Aim for 20s next week. Belt is unnecessary for this session.

Push-ups, pause explosive; 3 x16-bw. Still not feeling awesome on the left shoulder. Maybe go back to diamond style and experiment with hand angles.

Super WG pull-ups, full reset between reps, chest to bar cue; 3 x20-bw. I think I prefer neutral WG rather than pronated, for shoulder considerations.

Sit-ups, plate behind head; 2 x15-bw+10kg. Couldn’t quite find the groove on these. Segued into a reverse hinge banded crunch, which felt awesome; 2 x20-green band.
Giant set.

Neck extensions, volume; 1 x40-20kg.


Daily walks
2 x30min

Evening GPP

Inverted rows; 4 x20-bw, 10min.
 
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GPP

100.2

Platz belt squats, volume; 1 x30-75kg.
SSB platz squats; 1 x20-42kg.

Both were ‘ok’ for quads but didn’t do much for heart rate and still felt too much loading on the back.


Step-ups, quad ROM; 2 x20-bw.
Reverse curls; 3 x10-40kg.
Overhead extensions; 3 x25-red band per hand.
Hanging leg raise; 3 x16-bw.
Giant set.


Once again I’m starting to feel like more and more sleep is going to help me against these GPP sessions, if I can just keep my walking up a bit. Probably won’t continue the sessions beyond today.

Daily walks
3 x20min
 
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Rest day

100.2

Daily walks
2 x20min


Had some extra calories today, just need the pick up.
 
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Lower heavy

100.5

Banded crunches; 1 x20-green band.

Beltless DL to max, then clustered back off; 10-70. 5-120, 170 200. 1 -220, 230, 240. Medium V stance. Knees behind the bar for the duration of the pull seems to protect my lumbar from the weakness caused by lever-arms at transfer from knees to hips. Not sure what it says that this is only 10kg behind my belt beyond I need to use the belt better and I’ve been too fatigued going into ME Monday’s generally.

Clustered back off 30-60s; 4 x5-170.

SSB squat to max then clustered back off; 5-82. 1 -132, 142. Nailed depth and the sticking point. Maybe had another 10, definitely another 5, but EV from pushing that is low and back offs are more important at the moment from a time management perspective.

Clustered back off 30-60s; 3 x5-112. Poppy AF.

Fat bar hypers, versa’s, 45deg, #5; 2 x4-110. I’ll work to dropping the versa’s, but the purpose of fat bar is so that I’m not slack pulling the reps.
Hanging leg raises; 2 x17-bw.
Supersetted.

SSB platz squats; 1 x8-82.
Banded crunches, inverted hinge; 1 x20.
Supersetted.

Early wake up by family meant I was cut 1-2 sets short on the last accessory, but otherwise a really good session. 5mins fuckarounditis at most.


Daily walks
3 x30min
 
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Upper heavy

99.7

Weighted chin-ups; 1 x10-bw. 7 x6-bw+25kg.

Larsen bench to max then back-off; 1 x10-70. 3-90. 1 - 100, 110@RIR1. Had another 2.5-5kg in there but this was legit rep in the tank, which is what I like for bench. Form and pause on point too.

Back offs; 4 x5-95.

Banded abs, forward lean; 8 x20-green band.
Giant set.


SG shrugs, belt and versa’s; 3 x8-200.
Sit-ups, plate behind head; 3 x15-bw+10kg.
Supersetted.

Oblique holds in rack; 3 x10s-70kg.
Overhead triceps extensions; 3 x25-red band per hand.
Supersetted.


Notes
Chin-ups oddly felt preferable on the elbows and generally, so pivoted back to them after one set.

Higher belt position covering lower ribs, as yesterday’s beltless pulling makes me think I get nothing much from the lower position due to more contact - caused by weight loss.

Didn’t want to gamble with a standing press and lumbar today.

Obliques are a weakness and the holds feel really good, easy setup and recovery cost too.


Daily walks
2 x20min
1 x30min
 
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Lower volume

99.5

DL, medium V stance, KK positioning, 8x5 30-60s clustered; 10-70, 120. 5-170 hook. 8 x5-175. I don’t know why I thought a 40-rep DL set was a good idea but damn it was fun. More 1st reps than doing 4x10 and it’s shorter amount of time than 4x10 rest periods would require. Made a lot of progress on the leveraged slack pull too.

SSB pause squats, 3-4x10-12; 5-82. 4 x10-97. Not too much to say about these, just trying to work hard and not bitch out.

SSB GM, 3-4x8-12; 4 x10-102.
Hanging leg raises; 4 x17-bw.
Supersetted.

Belt squats, knees forward, 2-3x15-20; 2 x20-100.
Hanging leg raises; 2 x17-bw.
Supersetted.

5-8mins in the tank as I took the foot off the gas slightly towards the end when it became apparent I wouldn’t be cut short for time.

Maybe the most productive volume workout I’ve ever done. Fantastic way to start the day.


Daily walks
1 x40min
1 x20min
 
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Upper volume

99.4

Chin-ups, versa’s; 5 x13-bw.
Banded abs; 5 x25-green band.
3ct pause bench; 5 x10-80.
Giant set.

SG shrugs, cambered bar; 2 x12-170. The setup is a bit shaky. Next week I’ll try to find time to preload my DL bar at a height that doesn’t require me to do a pull first. Loading up the power bar on the pins seemed like a bad idea if I wanted to go heavier. Capped it at two sets, it just didn’t feel safe enough to juggle 170kg about.


Sit-ups with plate behind head; 2 x15-bw+10kg.

Super WG pull-ups, continuous, gorilla grip; 2 x15-bw. Decided to experiment a bit further. Purposely attempting to make these all about the back and just bring the arms along for the ride. More limited ROM than narrower grips due to the angles involved.

Overhead extensions; 2 x25-red band per hand.
Giant set.

Oblique holds; 3 x10s per side-70. Added versa’s after first holds as grip and bar shift were limiting things too much. Focus is the obliques here.

Neck extensions; 3 x40-20kg.
Supersetted.

Inverted rows; 3 x20-bw. Versa’s after grip gave out.


Unsure what to do with the 2nd back exercise. Chin-ups and inverted rows are where I want to be, but the latter as secondary rather than tertiary seems preferable based on desirable rep range. More sets of chins and bench maybe the way to go, perhaps.

I may try and rig up a DIY cable&pulley with loading pin for a lat pulldown option, sitting with hips under my DL bar out front.


Daily walks
2 x30min
 
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Heavy lower

100.2

Hanging leg raises;

DL to max, medium V, KK positioning; 10-70. 5-120, 170. 4 x1-220. 1 -240, 250, 260. Wasted a bit of time pushing for this but I wanted it. Once again it was about locking into intent and having confidence in my mid-section. Something for me to keep working on. Felt good to get it.

Back offs, clustered, leveraged slack pull; 4 x4-200. The bar comes up a long way but the trick is getting the hips to a height that doesn’t tilt body position or else I’ll pitch forward and it will never come off the floor. Most reps were pretty good, the last cluster was a bit ordinary for slack pulls.

Buffalo squat to max, 22kg bar weight; 5-72. 3-122. 1-152. The knurl on this bar is pretty shit and with a new hoodie underneath it was sliding everywhere. Maybe had 5kg’s more but the rep was pretty close to a max. Rode the stretch reflex well.

Back offs, clustered; 3 x4-122. Bringing the stance in a bit felt a lot better all around.

Fat bar hypers, 45deg, #5; 3 x4-110. Starting to feel that these are better as a hamstring lift at higher reps and lower load per set. Will add them back in that way.
Hanging leg raises; 3 x20-bw.
Supersetted.

SSB good mornings; 2 x10-72. These have a very reverse hyper-esque feel about them when done at a full ROM. I’m kind of feeling like seated deadlifts might be better on the heavy day though.
Hanging leg raises; 2 x20-bw.
Supersetted.


Solid session. Happy with the 260. Rack pulls next week to re-familiarise heavier loads to my core. I really didn’t feel confident with the bar-grip for the maxing and might bite the bullet and apply some hockey tape for safety reasons.

Generally speaking I’m going to bump the reps per set to 8-10 range for assistance/accessories on this day and then 12-20 range for the volume day, including adding back in the hypers for hammies.

Daily walks
2 x30min
 
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Upper heavy

99.5

Weighted chin-ups; 1 x10-bw. 6x4-bw+30kg.

CG bench, pinkies one inch from rings; 1 x10-70. 1 x3-100. 1 -110. 115 was there, possibly 120 at an eye-popping RPE but no need to chase the dragon today.

Back offs; 4 x5-95. CG still not the greatest feeling ok left shoulder but I mostly found a compatible groove.

Banded abs; 6 x25-green band. Wasted time trying to get cable-pulley setup to work but to no avail. I’ll play around with it in my spare time. Bands are fine but it’s difficult to progress the load and establish consistent positioning session to session.
Giant set.

Chest supported rows; 3 x5-100kg. First set as seal rows but then I slid my hip hinge onto the back end of the bench and feet just touching the floor. Felt ok so I stuck with it. The load was a bit high low, I think 8-10 reps is better to accommodate the setup and cut off body English that doesn’t contribute to strength and hypertrophy. Still not sure if like it enough for the 2nd upper back slot though.

Sit-ups plate behind head, full controlled ROM; 3 x15-bw+10kg.
Banded pressdowns; 3 x25-red band per hand.
Oblique holds, versa’s; 3 x15s per side - 70. Increase the time held next session.
Giant set.

Probably going to do a 2nd vertical pull on this day if I can’t find the right row for it.


Daily walks
2 x20min
 
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