Bring on TM

- Bench: 100/220 x 5/5/4
- EZ Curl: 40/88 x 10/10/10
- Pendlay Row: 65/143 x 8/8
- Sumo Deadlift: 142.5/314 x 6
- Core work between lifts
- Conditioning: “13 Down” Kettlebell (53lb) Swing/ Burpee Ladder in 8:18
- Neck Harness 16/35x35x4

It has become pretty apparent that continual resets and AMRAP sets are no longer driving progress on my bench (and to a lesser extent my press). Therefore next week I will move both my press and bench to the Texas Method.

Oh and Mitch is a mastodon. Watch out for his 400lb squat this Friday in The Gains Factory.

Getting it done

- Press: 68/150 x 5/5/6
- Weighted Pull Up: 20.5/45 x 5/5/5 & BW x 10
- Pushdown: 4x10
- Prowler loaded with four plates – 20m x 12 in 10:00
- Core work between lifts
- Neck Harness 16/35x35x4

Today was the first day training with Mitch in The Dungeon (aka The Gains Factory). Lifting with someone equally as serious and determined is just so superior to lifting alone.

I have decided to start the 5 day ibuprofen protocol and I will be looking to resume squatting on Friday. I have also decided to squat just once a week and follow some kind of 4-6, 8-12 rep/set scheme and see if that is a bit easier on my knee.

Current bodyweight: 83.5kg/184lbs. 16 more pounds to freedom.

Something different

I figured that seeing as though I won't be squatting on Monday, I would do something different and go for an 1.5 hour mountain bike ride with my dad. This one incline nearly fucking killed me.


Talk about leg swole.

Rolling with the punches

- Bench: 99/218 x 5/5/6
- Dumbbell Curl: 32/70 x 15/14
- Dip: BW x 10/10/10
- EZ Tricep Extension: 30/66 x 15/15
- Prowler - loaded with 4 plates – 20m x 10 in 10:00
- Core work between lifts
- Neck Harness 16/35x35x4

So I have decided to stop squatting until my tendonitis goes away. In the meantime I will try to push a heavier prowler instead; weather permitting. Then I will probably look at box squatting/learning to squat with more vertical shins.

Trashed my triceps today. Bench felt solid. I might even hit a PR before my next reset. Mitch arrives in the country tomorrow. Watch out for 3 weeks of big lifting and even bigger eating.

Decisions

- Press: 67/148 x 5/5/6
- Weighted Pull Up: 20/44 x 5/5/5 & BW x 10
- Sumo Deadlift: 140/308 x 6
- Core work between lifts
- Conditioning: “13 Down” Kettlebell (53lb) Swing/ Burpee Ladder in 8:14.
- Neck Harness 16/35x35x4

I have some decisions to make. The tendonitis/patellofemoral pain syndrome in my left knee is reaching a point where it is painful to walk up and down stairs in the days following a squat session. I am quite happy to work through it, but it’s pretty obvious that this will only lead to long term damage and potentially prevent me from doing a lot more than just squatting.

I then need to decide if I simply want to lay off squats until the inflammation in my knee goes away and return to squatting as normal, or if I should either learn to squat with more vertical shins or start box squatting. Then once my knee is better I can throw in some front squats (I figure the significantly lighter load will not aggravate my knee) along with the box squats. Or should I continue squatting with my current form and just reduce the frequency to once a week?

I am also considering switching to 5/3/1 for all of my lifts. I have run 5/3/1 before with very little success, but I believe this was due to following the 3 day template (not enough frequency) as opposed to the 4 day template. 5/3/1 would allow me to incorporate more swollertophy work and hopefully allow me to continue getting stronger, albeit slower. I just don’t know how much more strength I can gain on a linear progression without packing on a bunch of fat. In any case it would only be maybe another 10-20 lbs for all of my lifts (except for my weak deadlift which should follow an LP for a while to come) which would necessitate several resets anyway. So why not 5/3/1? I figure Texas Method isn’t really a viable option if I’m not squatting normally or if I am squatting with reduced loads.

A Lack of Sleep

- Bench: 98/216 x 5/5/6

- Squat: 152.5/336 x 5/5/5 (PR)

- EZ Curl: 45/99 x 10, 40/88 x 12

- Pushdown: 4x10

- Core work between lifts

- Neck Harness: 16/35x30x4 

Another session on the back of a poor night’s sleep. By the time I finally got to sleep it was 3am and then I was up at 8am to get to another day of my practicum – will be glad when that shit is over. Increased stress levels and a lack of sleep definitely aren’t conducive to growing. 

I am very disappointed with my bench, but I guess I just have to roll with it. 

Squats were pretty solid. As you can see in the video above, the 5^th rep on the final set nearly just about fucking buried me. I think I lost a bit of tension or didn’t quite get enough bounce. 

Current bodyweight: 83kg/183lbs. 17 more pounds to freedom.

A Retraction

I would like to retract the statement I made in the previous post concerning SV.

John went out of his way to rectify the situation by giving me a call this morning to apologise for what was all a typical instance of internet miscommunication. We both made some errors in judgement and I think we have both learnt from this experience as a result. A lot of people wouldn’t have taken the time to personally call and resolve the situation, but John did and I would like to thank him for that and I would like to apologise for my role in what should have been a non-event. 

John is a genuinely good guy and I will continue to support SV. 

I will continue running this blog alongside my SV log.

Leaving SV & My New Log

- Press: 66/145 x 5/5/7

- Squat: 150/330 x 5/5/5 (PR) 

- Weighted Pull Up: 15.5/34 x 8/8

- EZ Tricep Extension: 32.5/71 x 15/15

- Core work between lifts

- Neck Harness: 16/35x30x4

Not a bad session today considering it was done on a combination of 5 hours sleep and relationship turmoil. I used some knee wraps for the first time to see if they might alleviate the pain in my right knee, but they didn't seem to help much. I will probably just stick to my TK knee sleeves in the future. 

A note on why I left SV:

As much as I appreciated all of the help that SV and its owner have given me and countless others since its inception, I cannot tacitly condone the censorship that has been occurring on the site - unbeknownst to many of its members. Over the last 7 months I have supported SV with both my hard earned dollars and through my participation on the forum. However stifling constructive discussion in order to protect a brand name is not something I want to be a part of.