Also, why is it that, as of right now, my knees feel more achy on back squats than front squats? Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Probably just because there's more force on your knees doing back squats because the weight is heavier. For most people upper back is more of a limit than leg strength on fronts
Squat Bar x Lots 60 x 5 80 x 3 95 x 5 x 5 [pretty easy]
Barbell Row 65 x 8, 8, 8 [going to keep pushing up weight until I'm doing 6s, then stick with it until it's 10s, I think]
Bench Press Bar x 8 40 x 5 62.5 x 5 72.5 x 5 80 x 4 [this was meant to be 5, but the 4th was enough of a grind that I didn't anticipate getting the 5th. Bench is one lift to really suffer on the cut, and, from what I've read, that's very much normal]
DB Incline 22 x 14, 11, 8 [good progress here, though]
EZ Bar Curl 35 x 10, 9, 8
Tricep Pressdown [used two of those loose handles rather than a rope or bar and quite liked it] 11.25 x 15 21.25 x 7 13.75 x 13 [just fiddling around to get a pump, with both bis and tris pumped arms looked kinda dope]
Treadmill - 3.8mph [forgot to wear watch so just basing the numbers on the treadmill readings] 10 mins @ 6% - Avg HR ~131bpm 10 mins @ 6.5% - Avg HR ~133bpm 10 mins @ 7% - Avg HR ~134bpm
Notes
Another good workout, not really much to say. Quads quite sore, I think probably due to the 300m intervals. Lats/upper back still sore from Sunday, so I didn't throw in a second back movement today.
That's the first cycle of full body 5s pro 5/3/1 done now. I'll run a second with lower body TMs upped by 5kg and uppers by 2.5kg and reassess at the end of that.
Had some cookies/crisps as a snack + mini refeed this afternoon. Not out of hunger, but a conscious decision b/c I don't want to lose more than like 2% of my bodyweight/week [i.e. want to end this week no lower than like 73.8]
Morning BW: 74.7kg [I am apparently the world's greatest dieter, wtf]
Workout
Jog to park -- 0.87mi in 7:43 [i.e. 8:54 pace] -- Avg HR 141 [nice!]
3 x 15-20m sprints [has been mildly rainy, so track was a bit damp]
Jumping -- 7 max SVJs, then 7 one or two step RVJs, then 1 shitty SVJ -- These were fucking great. Got like 2+ inches higher on everything than previously. Consistent good SVJs. Felt awesome.
Tempo Intervals 3 x (100+200+300) @ 19s, 39s, 63s
Notes
Jog felt good. Jumps felt great.
Weight is dropping fast. Waist is dropping correspondingly, and strength + fitness + mood is holding. I'm almost never hungry. As such, I'm not really worried, but it's still something to note.
Watched this live this morning, was amazing. Adola was super impressive, yeah, though Bekele's drop off was disappointing. I wonder what happened to Kipsang at 30km?
A pity that it rained, could have been even better.
Morning BW: 75.1kg [happy with this after a rest day, could easily have mismanaged that] Waist @ navel : 32.25"
Workout
6-8 max SVJs, a few after warming up then a couple between each rest period of the lightest DL sets. Felt okay
Deadlift 70 x 5, 5 90 x 3 110 x 5 122.5 x 5 137.5 x 5 [kind of hard, could have had 6 or 7 total I think, though]
OHP Bar x 5 35 x 5 47.5 x 5, 5, 5 45 x 5, 5
Wide Grip Pullups BW x 10, 10, 10, 10, 7 [5 x 10 might be on that table next week! The first two sets were very easy]
Dips BW x 21, 17, 11 [I think I gave myself an exertion headache locking out the 11th rep of that last set, oof]
Reverse Curls 20 x 12, 12, 10 [only had the wrist folding on the last couple of reps of the last set]
Treadmill - 3.8mph 20 mins @ 5.5% -- Avg HR 135 10 mins @ 6% -- Avg HR 135
Notes
Solid workout. Dropping leg accessories for now since my legs have been feeling perpetually pretty tired. Lots of walking + they rarely get a full rest day, so it seems the sensible thing.
Was really breathing quite hard during the pullups and dips.
I realised that when I first used the Navy BF% calculator I used waist at 1" above navel instead of waist at navel. Estimating that my waist was ~.75" wider at the navel (that's about the difference now), I recalculated the BF% I began the cut at (~21-22%). Oof, I was a fatty, haha. The same calculator puts me at 16% now with only ~.5kg lean mass loss, which seems like good going. Obviously there are some confounding factors here: (a) the calculator is not going to be totally accurate, but a ~3.25" loss of waist at navel so far is grand and (b) not all lean mass is muscle, so it going down a little with weight loss doesn't imply muscle loss.
Morning BW: 75.5kg [using navy calc+mirror I think I will probably have to aim to get down to ~72-73 for my appearance goals, that's fine. Should still be done end of October before the true bulking weather sets in]
Workout
Run to park - .83mi in 8:00 [i.e. 9:42 pace] -- AVG Hr - 139 BPM [got stuck at a light for like 30 seconds at the start so this is just the split after the light]
Sprint 3 x 15m
Jumping for 20mins, mostly SJVs then some 1-3 step RVJs. Was odd, the SVJs felt good, but I don't think I was touching that high on the board compared to average. IDK.
Tempo Sprints
5 x 200m @ 39s [50m walk b/w reps] 100m walk 6 x 100m @ 19s [50m walk b/w reps]
Notes
Somehow able to enjoy the slow run pace into the park today, but still want to be able to run much faster with <150 HR.
The 200 meter repeats were hard -- I mean the pace was not hard, but it's just a lot more distance in one go than I'm used to. And the rest in time terms is ~1:1, whereas I'm used to ~2:1 for the 100s. Still, if the watch is to be trusted, HR averaged around 150 through that part of the workout, with jumps up to the low 160s.
So guys i got an olympic ezcurl bar for a gift and im not going to do any curls (obviously hehehe) but i found a wicked way to do back extensions with the bar. After my worksets with 2x25kg plates held to the chest and while wearing a 10kg vest i took off the vest and put the same 25kg plates on the ez curl bar then got into position and then rolled the bar into my elbows (think zercher squats) and then tried to do back extensions. Wow! Shit was sooo hard and my hamstrings felt it hard. I only managed like 4 reps i think. Also rom was harder to achieve. It's a game changer, now i can load this exercise more, having being stuck at 2 plates and vest for ages
Morning BW: 76.2kg [I ate overall not that much yesterday but a lot at dinner for New Year celebration, so I think this means my morning weight is above the usual "true" weight, but w/e still in range of what I want]
Workout
SJVs x 5 -- felt good, would have done more but was anxious about losing the squat rack, haha. will look for something to jump at in future.
Squats Bar x Lots 40 x 5 65 x 5 85 x 5 97.5 x 5 107.5 x 5 [definitely filmed this set and sunk the last couple of reps + felt solid + set up was rly good, but my phone is being fucky and losing picture/videos so I don't have one, blarg]
Bench 50 x 5 60 x 3 72.5 x 5, 5, 5 [bar speed slowing down a bit on last one, though I could probably have hit 5x5, no need to push it] 70 x 5, 5
Chinups +15 x 6 x 6 [RPE 9 and 9.5 on last two sets]
Narrow+NG Cable Row 54 x 14, 13
Standing DB OHP 16 x 14, 11
Preacher Curls 25 x 11, 9 20 x 15
Treadmill -- 3.8mph 15 mins @ 5.5% 9 mins @ 6% 6 mins @ 6.5%
Notes
Elbow a bit clicky after a couple of bench sets. Even though I am warm from squats I should still start from the bar when I move on to bench, basic obvious stuff I shouldn't forget. Continued to feel a bit clicky during the chinups -- I should move back to NG, but I don't like any of the NG bars at this gym, the grip is all way too narrow, blarg. We'll see.
Watch was being weird, too. Would only say that my HR was ~95 the whole time until I turned it off and on again and it was fine, so I don't have proper measurements except for the last 10 mins of treadmill, which were in the low-mid 130s.
Waist at navel was 32.5/32.75" depending on how exactly I measured it. So that's .75-1" off in the last two weeks. Upper back and legs are looking lean, torso lagging behind, which is, I suppose, what is usual.
Not sure if I'm going to do any training today. Might take a rest and let my legs catch up, then they'll be fresh enough that I can get some proper SVJs in before lifting tomorrow. Then it's running Friday, rest again Saturday because I've got an all day thing.
Succumbed to the desire to never do nothing and went to do a treadmill walk. I kind of like them. I don't feel fit enough to enjoy a slow run yet and walking outside in my neighbourhood can be a chore (crossing streets endlessly, lots of people, cars, etc.) so w/e.
Workout
Treadmill -- all 3.8mph 10 mins @ 5.5% - Avg 109 / Max 122 10 mins @ 6% - Avg 119 / Max 126 10 mins @ 7% - Avg 129 / Max 138 5 mins @ 7.5% - Avg 133 / Max 141 5 mins @ 8% - Avg 139 / Max 145
Treadmill 10 mins @ 5%/3.8mph [avg HR - 118; max 137] -- that 118 avg seems wrong?? maybe the watch got fucky b/c of sweat or something 10 mins @ 5.5%/3.8mph [avg HR - 132; max 139] 5 mins @ 6%/3.8mph [avg HR - 134; max 140]
Notes
Still quite sore from those split squats I think. New stimulus wrecked me. Just felt like a bit of a weak day, so I cut short the volume, but still got a decent amount of work in, I think. Not really a surprise that those will start hitting me at this stage of the cut. Just a few weeks to go.
Shall see how tomorrow is and maybe take a rest from anything intense.
it's funny, a month or so ago, the "lowest" I got was 48's..
twins! I had some 38/39s while lying in bed this morning. Still very rarely get under 50 any time after getting out of bed.
haha nice!!
interesting though .. so, if you get up and move around for a while, then go and sit down/relax, it's just consistently more elevated? I imagine it'll improve. My HR seems to drop back down if I sit down/relax. The only times i've measured RHR in bed, were manually but I never get a full reading, pulse does feel very low upon waking up. Though sometimes it's actually elevated. I've woken up, after more than enough sleep, with my pulse pretty high; almost as if my body is trying to get me to wakeup already.
Sounds like the beauty of having wrist based HR measurement. I have to go put on my chest strap lmfao.
Imagine walking around low 40's probably feel ridiculously heathy.. lol.
peace!
I just don't think I ever get as relaxed as when I'm lying down in bed in the morning. Now that I think about it I do get mid 40s sometimes when sitting and reading at a desk for a while, though.