I’ve been training with weights regularly since April 2008, starting with the Starting Strength program for a year, then did the original 5/3/1 program. Then from 2010-2012 focused on weightlifting (snatch and clean and jerk) till my son was born. I kind of stopped training, wasn’t in the right headspace, till 2014 when I joined a CrossFit gym to do more weightlifting.
I wasn’t coached past 2015, but I still did weightlifting on my own till 2019, when I restarted training primarily for general strength using 5/3/1. I continued 5/3/1 till just last week (Jan 2022) where I decided to test my 1RM and try my hand at the Montana method.
This is the 12 session Montana method I’ll be attempting.
Notes:
- first session ever for Montana method
- I was slightly aggressive with the volume, given that the sets maintained a similar velocity for the reps (no sudden high drop in volume)
- I also prefixed the squat with the snatch. I find that snatch helps warmup my squat. It also gives me a hint on how much intensity to push on the squat, given how high a weight I can snatch without psyching myself up. Since today I got to 185 lbs which is 95% of my highest snatch, I decided to push the volume for the squat (40 reps where the min/max is 32/45). Reduced reps per set once the last rep felt slower.
- Having said much about the snatch, I admit it is an indulgence since I enjoy when I casually max on it, and am limiting using it maybe once every 3 or 4 squat sessions. I feel I it’s intended usage (warmup for snatch and proxy for volume) can be compromised if used often.
- Bench press felt ok, and I reduced reps once the last rep felt slow
- Chin-ups we’re ok, I’m not used to doing AMRAPs so I held back a bit. Will try to push next time.
I absolutely think stuff like snatches or overhead squats are a good warmup for squats. I can't snatch for shit so I just so overhead squats with band or broomstick.
- bench felt great. Fast and strong
- Top set of deadlift was an ok speed, but considering a fast warmup was pretty good
- Back off deadlifts at 290 lbs were fast and strong
- My first time doing AMRAP pushups so I’ll get better as the session go by
- I’m a relative noob at curls so more to come
- May take a 72 hour inter-session rest as my lower back feels tired
MarkKO wrote: ↑Sun Feb 06, 2022 6:49 pm
I absolutely think stuff like snatches or overhead squats are a good warmup for squats. I can't snatch for shit so I just so overhead squats with band or broomstick.
Yeah it’s been a nice little discovery. I did them more regularly 2019 and 2020 and initially I found no benefit. Once I learnt to brace properly in the squat in 2021, and used the snatch more sparingly, it was like a light switch. The snatch prepares my bracing and my ankles and thighs feel activated, and I can get to my squat working weights faster.
Notes
- bench press went well but I totally misread the maximum reps per set in session 3, so I made up for it by doing sets of 4 near the end. No big loss of speed so a win
- Squat felt achy during warmup but felt better midway during my squats. The 3rd rep kept getting slightly slower until the 6 set, then I switched to 2 reps
- Very surprised I felt good to do the max volume for squat. Reps at 255 felt fast. Hope I don’t regret it.
- I tried doing a t bar row with my adjustable bench and barbell, but it felt awkward. I’ll go with bent-over rows off the floor next time
Press (lbs) with 7 min density
- 135 x1
- 115 x7;4;3;3;3;2;2;2 (85 % of single)
Barbell Curls 50 lbs x8;8;8 (4+ reps in reserve)
Notes:
- The bench felt surprisingly easy at the top end of the volume range, even on the last set. Glad I picked my reps right
- Deadlift felt ok but speed was consistent. Just stayed in the middle of the range for volume for this
- I cold pressed my 135 lbs single of the press with no warmup. I’ve done this weight for 8 reps in the recent past but more importantly this used to be a 1RM like 2 years ago.
- The density set was a challenge. The sets always capped off with a grind. Not sure if that’s expected so I’ll ask.
- I need to improve picking weights for curls. The 3 x8 was heavier than any barbell curl I’ve done in the past year and it felt fast in all reps.
Notes:
- the 205 bench felt heavy at the top set, the back off sets at 185 felt light after the first set. Very typical of me
- Every set after the 3rd set for bench I’d aim for two fast reps and ended up with 3 because I felt fast
- For the squat, warmup felt like crap but 265 sets felt better after the first set
- The triples for 265 were originally going to be doubles till 16 but I felt I could do triples were the last rep was just around the 20% velocity drop.
- I stuck to low-middle range for the squat reps since I felt the onset of low back pain without any actual pain. It was like I felt I was on the verge of pain but not there.
- I didn’t have low back pain after the sets were done. But I know from previous experience that mornings aren’t the best for heavy squat volumes without a lengthy warmup. However I still felt good with heavy squats with the program parameters set, and felt I could do a few more sets of doubles. So this program is making me doubt my previous intuition about “morning squat volume bad”
- For the pull-ups I ended up doing 2 sets then got a phone call for 10 mins then did 4 sets. Hence the bump back into 7 reps.
Notes
- The bench press was nice and fast today and I was able to keep rep cadence fast. Near the top range for volume
- Deadlifts on the other hand felt a little slow on the worksets. I managed to complete nine doubles and was hoping it would end, even with 2 min rests
- Push-up and curls assistance is getting more accurate for me. More reps for pushups than session 2.
Barbell row (lbs)
115 x8;8;8 (2-3 reps in reserve)
Notes:
- today was the first day where the bench did not feel as snappy as usual. The top single felt slow.
- It wasn’t till the 2nd backoff set at 180 lbs that bench reps felt snappy again. Maybe a bad warmup?
- The squat warmup to the top single felt ok, the top single felt surprisingly heavy. Maybe I didn’t prep well enough my bracing.
- The volume sets for the squat felt great. I noticed on the last set of 7 that I filmed the reps got slightly slower past rep 4, but stayed the same speed of rep 5.
- In both lifts I went to the near top of the max number of reps. I probably could reduce the reps per set for squat to equal the max number the next time I run this cycle.
- Intra-set fatigue was minimal on bench. Was more noticeable on the last set of volume squats.
- Barbell row was fast and strong
