MarkKO's training log

[MarkKO]

Made the call to not train the rest of deload week. Yesterday (Thursday) I started feeling run down and that continues today. It's almost expected because I had two straight nights of short sleep. Either way, given It's a deload anyway I decided the smart thing to do was simply no train and make sure I get a couple of good sleeps over the weekend so I come I to block four fresh.

Also, looking very seriously at a meet in June. It would give me block four, five and about half of block six before peaking. I also have to decide whether I go in the raw (no knee wraps) or classic raw division because it's APL. I'm undecided as yet, but given I'll have to walk squats out I might got raw; or nut up and go classic raw. I'll be honest, it'll probably end up being classic raw.

[MarkKO]

Time for the first entry in week 16, or week one of block four.

Monday bench
3x10x204 lbs
9x204 lbs
Incline press 3x12x132 lbs supersetted with seven pullups. It was time to add a rep to them.
Then assistance

Good session. Fresh from deload so I could go full send. Felt like puking from inclines onward and by the time I finished my upper back was so pumped my lips went numb. One of the rare bench days that is on a par with a squat or deadlift day in terms of energy used.



Tuesday squat
3x452 lbs
5x5x353 lbs in 9 minutes and 5 seconds
Low wide stance box squats 2x8x358 lbs
Then assistance

Kept the top triple the same for this block because I don't see a point in adding to it while the 5x5 keeps getting increased. Box squats are really hard. Seems like I fatigued my quads somewhat from benching, which is uncommon for me.

[MarkKO]

Second entry for week 16

Average weight for the week is 219.1 lbs. I'm at the tail end of the diet now, at most another 10 lbs to go and I'll start the weight maintenance phase, which will be interesting. I'm getting a sense even now that impact on performance isn't too far away if I keep dieting so I need to be on the lookout for that.

Thursday press
5x160 lbs
4x8x132 lbs
Dumbbell bench supersetted with 7 chinups
Then assistance

Wider stance is definitely more stable. The load really does seem to be in a sweet spot of achievable on any day but plenty challenging as well.

Friday deadlift
4x2x446 lbs
5x446 lbs for an AMRAP
Deadlift to the knee 2x8x342 lbs
Then assistance



It is what it is, and what it is definitely isn't something to complain about. One of those weeks where there is a massive gulf between how I feel and what I can do in the gym. TL;DR I've been tired, because overtime, but everything went absolutely fine. Possibly I *might* have gotten a couple more reps on the AMRAP if I hadn't been tired but given how cautious I'm being with my back I might not have.

I need to build momentum with deadlifts and string together a block of getting them done every week. The way they have gone the last couple of times strongly indicates that I *can* deadlift without my back shitting itself so it's now getting into the territory of have to build the confidence back.

[MarkKO]

Time for the first weekly entry for week 17, or week two of block four. I should probably come up with a snappier opening to at least raise the hope that the entry will be worth reading.

Had a knot somewhere in my left shoulder since Saturday. Not sure if it's related to the tear site or not.

Monday bench
4x10x204 lbs
Incline press 2x15x132 lbs supersetted with 3x7 pullups. That last seventh rep ain't easy.
Then assistance

I think my chesting up may have left something to be desired (but nothing drastic) in the first set at least. Possibly related to that knot in my shoulder.



Tuesday bow bar squat
4x2x413 lbs
10x413 lbs on the AMRAP which ended up more of a rest/pause set because I got caught up in getting 10 reps. I was going to add weight once I got 10 on the AMRAP, but I'll keep the weight the same until it's 10 without stupid long rests between reps.
High wide stance box squats 3x5x375 lbs
Then assistance



Coming out from under the bar after the second set of box squats my left shoulder complained a bit. Still not sure if it's the knot or related to the healed tear. So I'll just keep a close eye on that area and see what happens.

[MarkKO]

Week 17 part two. Left shoulder is improving, and I'm almost certain it's just a persistent knot somewhere under the scapula that's fucking with everything around it. Which is a good thing, and I've got a Kmart theracane to fix it. Also need to pay attention to some very deep knot or something sitting between my right hip, glute and hamstring.

Average weight for the week is 216.1 lbs, which is big drop. Not sure where that came from, but it seems to have steadied out from early in the tracking period. If that trend continues I'm going to need to consider adding calories.

Thursday press
5x160 lbs
4x8x132 lbs
Assistance I did all as rest/pause sets for a change, the only notable being chin ups for 8/3/3

Friday deadlift
3x490 lbs, with at least one more rep there. That's the first time I've known that for sure to the extent I had to forcefully not try it.
5x5x380 lbs in eight minutes and five seconds, so I get to add 2.5% again next time
Deadlift to the knee 3x6x342 lbs
Then assistance



Used a better fitting belt and that made a huge difference. I'll be pulling the trigger on a new one over the next few weeks. It'll be either an Inzer Forever 13 mm or a Titan Brahma. With lever, because it turns out now my gut isn't so big the lever belt is perfectly comfortable.

[MarkKO]

Small note, the large drop between weekly average weights corresponded to a reasonable decrease in waist circumference as well. This morning I got a 105 cm measure, a full 1.5 cm down from the last measure two weeks ago. Doesn't necessarily mean anything on its own, but still something I'm happy to see. There was also no decrease in chest circumference, but a decrease in neck circumference.

[MarkKO]

Block four, week three first entry incoming.

Monday bench
4x10x209 lbs, with the last set 10 by the skin of my teeth and I'm lucky I didn't mess up my shoulder because I flattened out like a GD pancake
Incline bench 3x8x154 lbs supersetted with pullups, and sevens are finally starting to be a little easier there
Then assistance



I'm going to start wearing my belt to bench because it made things feel much better.

Tuesday squat
3x452 lbs
5x5x364 lbs in nine minutes and two seconds, so I get to add 2.5% again next time
High squat stance box squat 3x6x364 lbs
Then assistance

[MarkKO]

Second entry for week three of block four.

Weekly weight is 216.7, up around 0.7 pounds from last week. This isn't bad, because that was a hell of a drop to get to last week's average. If I steady out around that 216-217 mark over the next few weeks I'm leaning towards call it the end if the diet phase and beginning of maintenance. It would work well, because then I'd have a run of maintenance going into my meet.

Thursday press
5x160 lbs, and I'm certain I could have had six and maybe even seven
11/3/3 at 132 lbs as a rest/pause set because I didn't want to do 4x8.
Then assistance, again all rest/pause. I'm leaning towards making that the new standard for Thursdays.



Friday deadlift
4x2x446 lbs
7x446 lbs for the AMRAP, two more reps than last time
Deadlift to the knee 3x7x342 lbs
Then assistance



So far three weeks in a row deadlifting and not only zero issues but it's starting to feel decent again.

[MarkKO]

Week 19 is rolling along, it's week four of block four and the fatigue is building.

Monday bench
2x10x215 lbs
2x8x215 lbs
Incline bench 3x10x143 lbs supersetted with seven pullups
Then assistance



The last two sets of eight were HARD at the end.

Tuesday squat
4x2x413 lbs
5x413 lbs for the AMRAP because hayfever kicked my butt all day and I was all over the shop
Parallel wide box squats 2x8x375 lbs
Then assistance



Despite fatigue and being dazed by constant sneezing (apparently that's a thing for me now), the squats moved well which I'm very pleased about.

[MarkKO]

Week four of block four is done and I am READY to deload. Not in a bad way at all though. I'm just fatigued, the bar has been moving fine throughout and that's exactly what needs to be happening.

Thursday press
5x160 lbs, had six or seven there again
4x8x132 lbs
Dumbbell bench supersetted with seven chinups
Then assistance

Right shoulder clicked a bunch during the 4x8, but no pain. Weird. Also right shoulder is noticeably weaker on cable lateral raises, as I found out.

Friday deadlift
3x490 lbs
5x5x391 lbs in 9 minutes and 16 seconds, so I get to add weight again
Deadlift to the knee 2x8x330 lbs
Then assistance



Well, the plan was to get four weeks in a row deadlifting and that's exactly what I did. I'm pleased. It's also starting to feel more grooved and I'm pretty sure my back has improved over this block as well. I would guess I'm adapting to the new style reasonably well.

[MarkKO]

Week 20, which is week five of block four and that means deload.

Left shoulder around the trap is still prone to knotting and discomfort, but this seems to have no relation to lifting weights at all. That often makes it feel better. So I'm continuing to cautiously observe it.

Monday bench
5x3x181 lbs
2x7 pullups
Minimal assistance



Tuesday squat
5x3x375 lbs used the squat bar for the first time since my shoulder got hurt, and it held up fine. Groove felt great, better than bow bar. Added wraps for the last two sets because I'll be using them next block and they made it feel like the bar was empty. I obviously don't get 375 lbs out of wraps, but I think it's something decent like 100 lbs.
Minimal assistance



Also managed three proper overhead squats with the empty bar during warmup, and I am inordinately pleased about that.

[MarkKO]

Second entry for week 20.

Average weekly weight went down to a new low, 215.2 lbs after rising for a couple of weeks. I'm still debating whether to start the maintenance phase now or hold off for a bit. It really boils down to whether pushing to 210 lbs is a good idea or not, because right now my performance appears to have suffered absolutely nothing for the diet. I would think I'm nowhere near lean enough for another five pounds to push me over the edge, but I'm also well aware that 210 lbs is very much an arbitrary number I picked because at the start of the diet I made a somewhat educated guess that 210 lbs would mark the line between not being fat and vanity territory where performance goes out of the window. I think all I can really do is keep going as I have been and wait to see what happens. It isn't like I've had to drop calories AT ALL since I started so unless my eyeballing has suddenly started significantly over estimating what I'm eating (which I'm as certain as I can be that it hasn't) I'm still on around 3200 calories day which isn't low at all.

Decided not to deadlift this week to really get a good run at recovery.

Friday press
1x154 lbs
1x176 lbs
1x198 lbs with quite a bit of effort
0x220 lbs with leg drive, failed around halfway
2x8x138 lbs

1x10, 1x8 chinups

Minimal assistance



So much for deload, although realistically it still is very much a deload. I've been wanting to test my press for a while now, and this seemed like the least bad time to do it. Given it's within five pounds of my all time best when I had been training the press with 531 for some six months or more, and now I'm training it as a secondary lift with very conservative and slow progression I'm very pleased. Anecdotally this would put my bench somewhere between 300 and 330 lbs unpeaked, again something I am perfectly happy with at this time.

Also the first time I've ever tried pressing two biscuits, strict or otherwise. Failing a little past halfway doesn't bother me in the least. I would anticipate that whenever I do decide to next test, which will be in a year or so if not more the way I tend to go, I should be within a good shout of getting that 220 lbs with or without leg drive.

[MarkKO]

Kicking off block five, this is week 21. Last full block before I peak.

Monday bench
3x253 lbs, with another two or so in the tank
5x5x181 lbs in seven minutes and seven seconds, so I get to add 2.5% next time
Incline press 2x8x154 lbs
Then assistance including pullups (still on sevens)



Pretty pleased with the triple, just need to watch my extension as the bar touches.

Tuesday squat
Wrapped squat 10x479 lbs in AFSAP for six and four, red Slingshots at seven revolutions
High squat stance box squat 3x5x358 lbs
Then assistance



Considering my rep PR with this is eight set when I weighed around 250 lbs and I haven't gone past 452 lbs for around six months I'm happy with this. I would expect I have shot at getting eight or nine before peaking.

[MarkKO]

It's the end of week one already. That went quick.

Average weight for the week is 214.5 lbs, a slight drop again. I'm taking it as it comes now, if I keep dropping till 210 lbs great; and if I end up hanging around this weight, or somewhere a little over 210 that's fine too.

Thursday press
5x160 lbs
4x8x138 lbs
3x10 dumbell bench supersetted with eight chinups
Then assistance

Hard one this one. Just tired.

Friday deadlift
5x5x402 lbs in nine minutes and 46 seconds, but because there was no top triple I won't increase it. Because squats are heavier now, the week with the squats for an AFSAP has me just doing 5x5 for deads.
Deadlift to the knee 3x5x364 lbs
Then assistance



So I can pull conventional again. At least with lighter weights. That's a very good start. I figured I'd give it a go during warmups because semi sumo felt shitty today, and that paid off. It's possible heavier squats impact semi sumo. Whatever. I'm keeping semi sumo for the DL to knee for sure, as that's pretty obviously helped quite significantly. I'll keep going conventional very carefully going forward.

[MarkKO]

Week two of block five (week 22) is kicking off.

Monday bench
4x2x231 lbs
11x231 lbs on the AMRAP, and clean too so I get to add 2.5% next time. This is good, this is very close to my benching when I was over 250 lbs.
Incline press 3x10x132 lbs
Then assistance, with three sets of seven pullups in there.



Tuesday bow bar squat
5x5x375 lbs in 11 minutes and 13 seconds, so no additional weight yet. Fatigue is definitely building, and given I've been training solidly for around five months I expected this to happen relatively soon.
Parallel squat stance box squat 3x5x353 lbs
Then assistance



Right now I'm pretty optimistic. Cautious, but optimistic. I'm in the place I need to be to peak successfully, so I just need to keep doing what I'm doing.

[MarkKO]

Second entry for week 22, or week two of block five.

Average weight for the week is 214.7 lbs. I'm calling the diet today, last two days I got hungry enough in the evening that I had to eat more and still had sub 214 readings in the morning. So I'm going to increase calories by 200 per day Monday to Friday but stay at 3200 calories per day on the weekends. My benchmark is that my waistline can't increase from what it is now. The main reason I'm calling it and starting maintenance is because my fatigue levels are rising pretty fast - which is normal for this stage of training for me. What I don't think will do me any good is to stay in a calorie deficit, and given I've been consistently dropping weight I can pretty safely conclude I'm in a deficit. Now I just need to find the balance where my intake keeps me at the same waistline and my weight stays within a pound or two of where it is now.

Thursday press
5x160 lbs
4x8x138 lbs
Then assistance including three sets of eight chinups

Friday deadlift
3x501 lbs
5x5x402 lbs
Deadlift to the knee 2x7x364 lbs
Then assistance



I'm very pleased with this. Back held up fine. Bar moved fine. So far still so good.

[MarkKO]

Kicking off week 23, block five week three.

Monday bench
3x254 kbs
5x5x187 lbs in seven minutes and 50 seconds so I get to add weight next time
Incline press 3x10x149 lbs
Then assistance including 3x7 pullups



Tuesday squat
10x479 lbs for AFSAP in seven and three, so improvement from last time. This despite bracing being off and being stressed AF. Win.
High wide stance box squat 2x7x375 lbs
Then assistance

[MarkKO]

Second entry for week 23. Outside training just a draining week, stressed and more tired than I can remember being in a few years.

Average weekly weight is 214.3 lbs. That's the first week of official maintenance, with an extra 200 calories every training day. That's within half a pound of last week's average. If over the next to weeks the trend continues downwards that extra 200 calories will be added to non training days as well. The way it usually goes is I have heavier waking weights on Sunday and Monday, then they start dropping. Overall the trend is, like I said, downward, so that's not an issue. I'm guessing in context of maintenance, that will be workable as well although I'm playing with the idea of keeping my weekend intake around 3200 calories and just adding the extras during the week when I'm much more active.

Thursday press
5x165 lbs
138 lbs for 11, 2, 2 as a rest/pause set
Then all assistance as rest/pause as well, with chinups for 9, 2, 2

Friday deadlift
5x5x413 lbs in eight minutes and 33 seconds, but because there was no top triple I'm not adding weight next.
Deadlift to the knee 3x6x353 lbs
Then assistance



Conventional continues to work, and I'm really surprised how today went given I'm so tired. The deadlifts just moved and my back continues to hold up.

After the meet I'm looking at training mostly semi sumo simply to protect my back and because it seems to have carried over well to my conventional. I'm also looking at doing a block or two with plain old sumo just to see how that works. My logic is that it will make me better at the hard part of semi sumo, which in turn will help my conventional.

[MarkKO]

Week 24, or week four of block four. Deload next week, which im I'm glad about. I think I'm feeling better than last week four though.

Monday bench
4x2x237 lbs
11x237 lbs on the AMRAP, so next time I get to add 2.5% again.
Incline bench 2x12x154 lbs
Then assistance including three sets of seven pullups



I'm very cautiously very optimistic about my bench, this is within a hair of my best. My left shoulder seems to be holding up well, and there certainly doesn't seem to be anything about benching that irritates it.


Tuesday bow bar squat
5x5x375 lbs, this time got it in nine minutes and 21 seconds so I get to add 2.5% next time.
Parallel squat stance box squat 3x5x353 lbs
Then assistance



My new belt and wraps came today, in time for training. After my Pioneer belt started shitting itself after less than three years I decided to go back to Inzer and got a 13 mm lever Forever. I also thought I needed approved wrist wraps for the APL meet so I got a pair of Atomic wrist wraps. For some reason using those two new bits threw me a bit today so I was kind of distracted.

Good belt. Very fucking supportive, to the point I think I got a mite sloppy in my bracing. Need to watch that. The Atomics are also EXTREMELY supportive, more so than the Spud Inc wraps I have. Both are good, but I'll run with the Atomics for a bit at the least to give me a chance to wash my Spuds, which are rank.

I'm very happy with the belt.

[MarkKO]

Second entry for week 24.

Average weight for the week is down to 213 lbs, so I'm going to go from 3400 calories on training days to every day and then reassess after a week. We're going away for the weekend so that will be a factor, but I'm reasonably good and staying on track without it being onerous.

Thursday deadlift
Moved deads to Thursday because Friday I won't work and I don't like squatting or pulling unless I've been on my feet all day. My back just does so much better that way.

5x502 lbs, took a calculated risk. I'm glad I did because my back is at the stage I need to trust it and the work I've done. I'm going to add 2.5% to the top triple next.
5x5x413 lbs in 8 minutes and 54 seconds, so I get to add 2.5% next time.
Semi sumo DL to the knee 3x5x364 lbs
Then assistance



Friday press
5x160 lbs
4x8x138 lbs
Then assistance including three sets of eight chinups.

Lower back is a little stiff and tight today, but nothing alarming. Deload should fix it and I'll lacrosse ball the hell out my hips, glutes and lower lat which is where I'm pretty sure the issue originates from anyway.