Does my bum look big in this squat rack?

I found the easiest ever way to log here.



Savage.

This was the end to my last squat session. The work sets were front squats with 120kg for an attempted 5x5.

The project continues anyway, haven't worn a belt in a long time and I'm now entering a phase of 5x5/sets of 3 ramping up to doing something decent in competition early next year. Can't wait to stick the bar down low, get a belt and some knee wraps on and see if all this high bar and front squat business has done anything.

Continuing to work on my ab strength, in particular the right side of my trunk which due to (or the cause of depending on what you're having yourself) my wonky hips has been overly stretched and weakened.

I can now do a one legged glute bridge on my left leg, impossible a few months back and am banging out one legged planks (left leg raised, squeezing left glute and engaging right side abs) which were also impossible.

The net result of this is that I seem to be able to deadlift conventional style with no ill effect. Even feel my abs burning under the strain at lockout.

Nice to be using muscles I haven't't ever used before.

My 3x8 bench plan is just going to roll on forever. I'm adding weight and adding some size to my chest so that's all I can ask.

Schedule is a bit messed up with regard to training at the moment as you can see by the dates on the blackboard but the goal now is 1 weekend and 1 midweek session. Bench is done in both (or a variation, maybe shoulders some days), one session is squats and one is deadlifts.

MMMMMMMMMMMMEGAUPDATE

This will be mostly visual and most of it somewhat pointless and some of it completely pointless but this is a summary of the last few months.

I joined flyefit a few weeks back, mostly because there's one literally next door to my job, they're well equipped and VIS VIRES, Hanley, and possibly COH once he attains full supple leopardness, train there.

For starters here are the blackboards, these dried up once I joined the gym but I'll summarize what's going on there.







I messed up one of them so there's some repitition there and there's a full unphotographed board in the shed too but I'm just going to tail off this sentence...

I suppose the main theme of the last few weeks has been addressing my many flaws, making things difficult for myself in order to stimulate my musculature and also my body.

This meant re-examining my squat after possibly the ugliest set I've ever done, I mentioned it in my previous post but here's the video.



The next one is only to demonstrate, as if the shocking squats above weren't sufficient, just how low I am willing to sink in the interests of long term improvement. It's basically a man setting up for a squat for 8 minutes. I put on flat shoes and was trying to adjust bar placement etc. Like the above this is pretty pathetic but I like to be honest about my training here rather than just make it a list of epic winnings.





Moving on. So as you can see I tried reverting to cons which did help stop me falling forward but there can only be depth or cons, not depth and cons, so they had to go too. I then adopted a "behind the traps hi-bar" approach which accomplished a few key things.

• It allowed me to keep a more upright back angle.
• It was a nice hybrid between trap crushing weightlifter style squats and low bar
• They allowed me to preserve my elbows since they aren't being torqued, the bar is fully supported by my shoulders.
• They also allowed me to explore squatting as high as I can, this may sound weird but the majority of my form breakdown comes from my puritanical ultra deep low bar squats which are pointless and smug.
• They also highlighted my ankle mobility issues. Hanely planted that seed with some of his videos on the subject, turns out my ankles are absolutely shocking.

Here are a couple of vids, subsequently I've worked up to multiple beltless sets of 3 and 4 with 200kg with this bar placement as well as a few sets of 240kg doubles with belt and knee wraps and the bar up high like this. All I'm looking for here is a good upright torso.







I dunno where the hell this will leave me come the IPOs in April as far as my squat is concerned. I'm going to drop back into low bar for the last 2-3 weeks of squats for heavy singles wearing all the paraphernalia so we'll see then. If it works I need at least two of you to start bitching behind my back about steroid use.

Deadlift and bench wise there has been much success of late. My policy of training them once a week and making them hard to do with deficits and pauses etc is a revolutionary new design that I'm thinking of releasing in my new e-book, I just need to come up with a German themed name for it. Maybe Neural Strengthening and Deficit Adaptation Programming (NSDAP).







Boom goes the dynamite indeed.

PS. Sorry for not editing the videos down, but in my defence you can skip forward by clicking a fucking button

Running as follows



The calf I made sh1t of dropping the bar a year or so back is plaguing me slightly. I land on my forefoot when I run meaning my calves and achilles act as shock absorbers. The fact that my left one is gnarled with scar tissue means it generally complains for the first km. It hasn't gone on me yet though so... onwards.

Lifting is continuing as well. Heavy low rep sumos and front squats and then a total bro down for my upper body.

Couple of vids.

This was the day after a fairly hot 10k so I was very happy.


This is my best ever front squat. Was grand. Just setting a benchmark really.


I've signed up for the 40km race below through work. Boss is all into his triathlons so work are covering entry and buying the beer afterwards. 21 of us entered, it's all jokey jokey at the moment but needless to say I will destroy my team mates.

Pacing is a b1tch. If you settle in to a slower/faster pace than you wanted to run its hard to change it i find.

I must have a crack at a mile time. Apparently theres this 6/6/6 criteria which means youre elite and your facebook page automatically changes to likes instead of friends.

600lb pull, 600lb squat, 6 minute mile.

Belt and knee wraps on all 3