Bolder's Training Log

[DCR]

Anyway, I don't understand how some guys can squat once every other week or twice a month and still make gains on the squats?

Nor I, but then again my neurosis with squatting has kept me from ever trying to reduce frequency and throwing in a variation in between sessions. You'd think given my success doing that with bench that I'd try it elsewhere, but I don't have the same neurosis with benching.

[Bolder]

Anyway, I don't understand how some guys can squat once every other week or twice a month and still make gains on the squats?

Nor I, but then again my neurosis with squatting has kept me from ever trying to reduce frequency and throwing in a variation in between sessions. You'd think given my success doing that with bench that I'd try it elsewhere, but I don't have the same neurosis with benching.

Squats just makes you feel like you're alive and wrestling a bear. The bench press? A good time to nap and daydream.

[Bolder]

14/4/24

Deadlifts, conventional and beltess w/ straps:

165kg x 1
186kg x 0 (failed)
150kg x 3 (mixed-grip)

Lat Pull-Downs:
63kg x 8
63kg x 7

Machine Rows:
75kg x 9
75kg x 8

Preacher Curls:
56kg x 5
56kg x 5
7kg x 12 (neutral grip)
7kg x 12 (neutral grip)

I'm going to try to get 150kg for 5 reps on deadlifts with mixed-grip next time (I didn't really particularly have any high hopes going into this session and was just rather going through the motions. The 186kg budged off the floor, but I couldn't get it past my knees, and I suspect that I have poor mid- and upper-back strength). Simply put, I don't care about the deadlift, but regardless, I'll just keep doing them and see where I'll go with them.

I'm not sure if I want to do them more frequently either; I may just do the 1x Beg deadlift template from Nuckols once I max out on my bench press on Thursday (but may attempt it around Monday to assess or to see if I need to completely change programs sooner). I may shoot for 136kg/300lb'ish on bench press either tomorrow or Thursday. Maybe tomorrow (need to see if I need to change routines soon anyway). Also, since I may attend classes every Tuesday for "graduate school."

[Bolder]

16/4/24

Squats, high-bar and beltless:
140kg x 1 (I wanted to do 165kg, but a lot of the plates were taken and the gym was packed. Almost was odd weights, but it would've been awkward for me to squat down with).

Step-Ups:
10kg x 13
10kg x 13

Single-leg deadlift:
12kg x 8 (only set, was feeling hamstrings cramping up)

Calf raises:
BW x ???

Another bad session. Some of the stuff just put me in a bad mood, lol. Anyway, I'll be busy on Thursday. I'm going to try the bench max tomorrow (136kg/300lb fingers crossed), lol, and probably try to get my 165kg squat back as well. I'm going to workout earlier tomorrow.

I'm not sure if I want to record my bench max either (because I am going to attempt an all-time PR). I just don't want to be like those gym douchebags or gymshark people carrying their cameras or tripods everywhere, telling others to get out of their way or quit starring at them, disturbing everyone, and people recording with their phones or taking pics, kind of bugs me lol (kind of makes me feel like a hypocrite or rather more disgusted with myself). I also don't feel comfortable recording myself (and others...). I recorded some lifts in the earlier part of my log (but deleted those videos, and those were done in my home gym).

Single-leg work is good, but I feel I'm getting my heart more challenged than my muscles... I suppose I may do leg extensions and leg curls next time. Also not gonna consider doing leg presses since leg pressing feels like I'm cheating anyway.

I had hopes of working out later in the day (like almost late night) to fit or get used to my upcoming future schedule, but it also seems like the time when all the powerlifters come out lol. I don't think working out late at night is for me (but maybe I will be forced to in the future under certain circumstances). I think I may try working out in the mornings (however, this is the time when I feel my weakest), midday, or afternoon. However, usually I feel my strongest around the afternoon or later in the day (however that's when it's more packed)... or perhaps as a last ditch effort, just be more patient, and wait till others are done using the other plates. However, the thing is that I prefer to shower earlier in the day, I don't like going to bed with wet hair, and I also prefer having my big protein shake at night versus during the day.

I do have a ghetto home gym, but the thing is, I can't dump the weight on the floor (no power rack, just oly-like squat stands), and also, the weight plates I have at home weigh a lot heavier (so it wouldn't be consistent).

[Bolder]

I'll just say I didn't get the 136kg/300lb on the bench press today. I think my analysis/review of this is that it's probably unlikely to get meaningful strength gains from a four-week block.

I guess I'll go back to the routine I was following early this year (use my old maxes or all-time bests since the training program trains far away from failure) and just try to focus on getting rep PRs instead of going for 1RMs or one rep maxes. Focus more on doing submaximal volume work, exercising, and going through the motions than "training," peaking, and 1RM work.

Back to SBD high-frequency, high-volume, and low-intensity lifting (at least it would be good for my squats and deadlifts, but definitely not for my bench, but I suppose I'll try to do an AMRAP on the last set to push the intensity for bench press). Probably sprinkle in some chin-ups or pull-ups, overhead presses, 45-degree back extensions, , arm work, ..., etc., whenever I feel like, just go light on them and use them as rehab/prehab work if something comes up.

I'll do submaximal work from now on and see where I'll go (I do want to nip one big bench press goal this year, though). If I'm satisfied with some of the estimated one-rep maxes I've built up from the submaximal work, then I'll do a 6- to 8-week peaking/lite-bulgarian esque block (which worked well for my squats and a bit for my deadlifts). My last trump card would be running Smolov Jr. close to the end of the year for the bench press (if my options are exhausted and if I'm desperate, I do want to get that 3+ plate bench).

Starting from tomorrow (I'm going to try to workout earlier too):

[Bolder]

18/4/24

Squats, high-bar and beltess:
127.5kg x 3
127.5kg x 3
127.5kg x 3
127.5kg x 3

Bench Press, touch and go:
100kg x 3
100kg x 3
100kg x 3
100kg x 7


Deadlift, conventional and beltess w/ mixed-grip:
140kg x 3
140kg x 3
140kg x 3
140kg x 3 (+10 second-hold)

Chin-Ups, assisted:
-40kg x 4

Quite exhausted. Squats felt a little grindy, bench press was okay (a little too fatigued) did an AMRAP set on the last set of bench, and deadlifts (did it with mixed-grip, couldn't grip the bar properly, and it was slipping from my hands. I was already dabbling with the thought of using straps because I don't have chalk...). But yeah, I still definitely feel like I have a couple reps left for the squats and deadlifts (perhaps I'm a little weaker than what I put in as my current maxes lol).

[Bolder]

19/4/24

Squats, high-bar and beltess:
135kg x 2
135kg x 2
135kg x 2

Bench Press, touch and go:
105kg x 2
105kg x 2
105kg x 7

Deadlift, conventional and beltess w/ mixed-grip:
147.5kg x 2
147.5kg x 2
147.5kg x 2 (+5 second hold on the last rep and the bar was slipping; would've been useful if I had chalk)

Chin-Ups, assisted:
-40kg x 4

An alright session. Then some elbow rehab. I had a bit of knee and elbow pain, but it wasn't that bad.

[Clearwater47]

I had a bit of knee and elbow pain, but it wasn't that bad.

I feel like this could be an appropriate summation of every session once you've been lifting for a few years, lol.

Solid SBD session! About how long did this take?

[Bolder]

I had a bit of knee and elbow pain, but it wasn't that bad.

I feel like this could be an appropriate summation of every session once you've been lifting for a few years, lol.

Solid SBD session! About how long did this take?

Oh yeah, definitely, lol. There will always be some aches and pains, that's just part of lifting (or living basically).

I think it took 70 something minutes could've finished it under an hour, but gym was a little crowded (but it's all good).

[Bolder]

20/4/24

Squats, high-bar and beltess:
120kg x 4
120kg x 4
120kg x 4
120kg x 4

Bench Press, touch and go:
92.5kg x 4
92.5kg x 4
92.5kg x 4
92.5kg x 10 or more (I think? I lost count)

Deadlift, conventional and beltess w/ mixed-grip:
130kg x 4
130kg x 4
130kg x 4
130kg x 4

Chin-Ups, assisted:
-40kg x 4 (almost got the fifth rep, my goal is to get 6 reps on these, and then bump up the weight.)

Had knee pain, did some wall-sits and hamstring curls (between the squat sets), and that helped a bit. I decided to play around with my grip on squats and I found that when I grip closer, I tend to stay more upright, and have a tighter back shelf, and the squats felt easier (also moving fast but knee pain). I also noticed that when I widen the grip, I tend to round over when I squat up. However, the issue is when I grip closer for squats I tend to get elbow pain (which I'm currently facing with now). I think I'll use wrist wraps tomorrow and see how I go. If it's really that bad, then I may reduce the load for squats perhaps (from 170kg as my e1RM to 100kg as my 1eRM). Keep the RPE low, like a 4 RPE.

However, it's kind of odd for someone like me to get elbow pain from high-bar squats lol, but oh well.

[Bolder]

21/4/24

Squats, high-bar and beltess:
145kg x 1
145kg x 1
145kg x 1


Bench Press, touch and go:
112.5kg x 1
112.5kg x 1
112.5kg x 4

Then did some arm work.

I was going to do deadlifts, but my elbows hurt, and I felt quite tired/fatigued going into the session. It doesn't matter if I grip close or even far on squats; I just get elbow pain, and yesterday I was already facing knee pain. My gym does have a safety-squat bar, but I don't want to succumb to that (and it's a bit of a different movement as well).

It looks like I'm forced to go back to a lower-frequency and more bodybuilding/hypertrophy sort of split (I think a little too much frequency hurts me)... I'm already dabbling with the thought of just specializing in the bench press, overhead press, close-grip bench press, and that's all (but I wouldn't know where to fit in the squats and deadlifts) or perhaps ditch the squats and deadlifts entirely (since increasing my deadlifts depends on increasing my squats). However, I don't want to waste time building back up the numbers. Also, I wouldn't know where I'd place the close-grip bench (since I would need to train it for the other day); perhaps that can be handled later.

Even after the session I thought about doing bench press one day (with chest and back work), overhead press the other day with (delt and forearm work), and closegrip bench another (with tricep and bicep work) with no squat/deadlift/leg training at all lol (or probably find some way to sprinkle in leg work elsewhere but at that stage I wouldn't bother squatting and deadlifting, tbh).

I suppose I should start tomorrow with the split and sort of training I've done before, and perhaps I may as well train later into the day (at night) or whenever (since I'll be taking some coursework for "grad" school). Although usually I prefer to train earlier, but oh well. More night-time training will happen if I ever fully get into the program for grad school and do "research" work.

So maybe back to a push (bench/ohp), off, pull (deadlift), off, legs (squat), off, and repeat split.

For bench: Greg Nuckol's Beg Bench 1x (I need the AMRAP set) and OHP (just a simple linear progression/periodization)
For squats: Greg Nuckol's Beg Squat 1x (just focus on building and doing reps, and lowered my 1RM from 170kg to 145kg)
For deadlifts: Greg Nuckol's Beg Deadlifts 1x (just focus on building and doing reps)

[DCR]

It doesn't matter if I grip close or even far on squats; I just get elbow pain

Remind me - are you using a thumbs around grip? If so, stop. I very much prefer that grip myself but it became untenable.

[Bolder]

It doesn't matter if I grip close or even far on squats; I just get elbow pain

Remind me - are you using a thumbs around grip? If so, stop. I very much prefer that grip myself but it became untenable.

I've tried it for the second set yesterday (anyway, the bar doesn't have center knurling, so it slides everywhere, it also spins a lot, which perhaps could be the culprit (forcing me to grip the bar in unusual ways; and the gym used to have a proper center knurling barbell and good powerlifting benches as well, but they threw it around a couple of years ago...). I just also don't like it detracting from bench press work as well (so squats maybe just be put in the backburner).

But the problem I find with gripping the bar like that is creating more instability. I would say having a proper barbell would definitely make a difference. I remember I spoke to one of the gym staff about how they should bring back the powerlifting equipment (barbells and benches), and they were like, nah, lol.

I've experimented with using wrist wraps as well, but that didn't help (well, yes, it's just somewhat odd for someone who does high-bar squats like me lol).

Regardless, I will heed with your advice (thanks btw) and not wrap my thumbs around the bar for all the sets (for the next session), being that I'll squat every six days or like, almost once a week. Well, I also need the knee to heal a bit (so backing off the loads as well), but the wall sits usually help mask that lol.

[Bolder]

22/4/24

Bench Press, touch and go:
107.5kg x 7
107.5kg x 5
107.5kg x 5
93.5kg x 8
93.5kg x 7
93.5kg x 5

Overhead Press, strict:
30kg x 9
30kg x 6

Then some forearm/elbow work and rehab.

I didn't do tricep work because I did them yesterday.

Overall, it was a weird session. The fatigue crept later into the bench sets, so I couldn't properly complete the last two sets. Just took it light on the OHP, did em' slow and controlled.

Oh yeah, there was another weird moment—well, two of them... as I came into the gym and went to the "powerlifting/weightlifting" section, I was trying to look for a bench. Then there were two girls seemingly occupying two squat racks and two benches, and I was like, maybe they were sharing that one rack and bench. So I went to the other one, and they gave me an angry look and also thought I was some sort of creep? Lol. So I just stood away from them and waited after they were done talking after some long minutes. Then she went to her bf and then he gave me an angry look? Like what...? I just want to workout; I don't care about your gymshark influencer stuff (the only thing on my mind was "if I could snag a bench PR" and that's literally all)... This is just part of the reason why I dread commercial gyms. Like, I'm cool sharing stuff and having relaxed conversations, but just moments like that just bugs me, but eh, whatever...

It also seems like more people bring out their cameras and tripods out at night as well.

Anyway, not much knee pain, but a bit of elbow pain (which did detract some of my bench press performance for today's session along with the fatigue). It's surprising, or rather amazing, how much I feel better without a day of squatting lol. Squats are definitely the culprit for not only giving me knee pain, but also elbow pain too lol.

Should've pushed harder on the OHP, but oh well.

[Bolder]

24/4/24

Deadlifts, conventional and beltess w/ mixed-grip:
150kg x 3 (mixed-grip)
150kg x 5 (straps)

Pull-Ups, Assisted:
42.5kg x 5
20 sec BW hold
42.5kg x 5
20 sec BW hold

Machine Rows:
90kg x 8
90kg x 8

DB Preacher Curls:
7.5kg x 8
7.5kg x 5 (neutral grip)
7.5kg x 6
7.5kg x 3 (neutral grip)

I was trying to go for 10 reps with 150kg (because last time I got 8 reps with it, a few months ago). I suppose next time I should get 140kg for 10 reps or 8 reps. However, the bar was a little slippery, and I wasted too much energy on the first set. I'm just going to use straps until I get some chalk. I suppose it was an okay session overall. Mainly focusing on taking two sets to failure to try to get a bit of hypertrophy gains (doing a low-volume and high-intensity approach for building muscles and trying to make it more specific for strength as well).

I also started classes yesterday. So for this training cycle, I may not do the 6-day cycle (since I'll be a little more busy over these next few weeks); I am just going to hit the bench, squats, and deadlifts all for once a week for 8 weeks, and I see how I go. So basically, I'm just going to be training on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and with the weekends (Saturday and Sunday) off (basically a three day split in a week focusing on the big lifts and then training its surrounding/associated muscles). This may affect my bench press a bit... but hopefully I can eek out 136kg/300lb by the end of the 8-week training cycle (hopefully my microplates can help me along the way, but they sure do feel heavy carrying them around my backpack, lol).

Oh and I hardly have knee and elbow pain at the moment (however, they may flare up when I squat this coming Friday. I just wonder if the elbow pain is gone, but the next bench session should tell me if the elbow pain is there). It's amazing how my body feels healthier after dropping the squat frequency lol.

[Bolder]

26/4/24

Squats, high-bar and beltess:
110kg x 5 (was meant to get over 11 reps)
110kg x 3
110kg x 3
110kg x 3

Leg Extensions
72.5kg x 9
80kg x 9

Leg Curls
80kg x 9
80kg x 9

Calf Raises
102.5kg x 5
102.5kg x 5

No elbow pain, but a bit of knee pain (definitely slowly going away, i.e. dissipating). Didn't push it on the squats and the bar speed was quite slow as well. But an alright session, gonna push it harder next time (depending on how I feel, of course).

[Bolder]

28/4/24

I decided to train today. I was worried about not getting enough volume (especially for the next 8 weeks; I don't want to waste time/effort).

28/4/24

Bench Press, touch and go:
113.5kg x 4
113.5kg x 3
113.5kg x 3
100kg x 6
100kg x 6
100kg x 6

Overhead Press, strict:
52.5kg x 2
50kg x 2
40kg x 8
40kg x 7
40kg x 6

Mystery Tricep Extensions #1:
7.5kg x F
6.25kg x F (used a different set-up)
6.25kg x F (went overhead)

Mystery Tricep Extensions #2:
42.5kg x F
39kg x F (did forearm work between the tricep work)

Bench press was meh today, but I got a good pump from the other lifts and enjoyed doing them. An okay session overall. No elbow and knee pain which is great but a bit of sternum pain? I think it will go away soon.

[MailmanMuscle]

Sternum pain? That doesn’t seem good. Is that something you have felt before?

[Bolder]

Sternum pain? That doesn’t seem good. Is that something you have felt before?

It was a little worse yesterday, but I don't feel much of it today. The pain was coming from my left inner pec (probably from the high-volume and high-intensity bench session), but now it's gone.

[Bolder]

Anyway, a bit of a public service announcement...

I won't be benching this coming Saturday (like every 5 or 6 days, like I used to before). I'm just going to bench press once a week or once every seven days (and likewise with my squats and deadlifts; I'm going to do those lifts once a week as well). So my next bench press session will be on Monday. However, this week I'll only have the deadlift/pull and squat/legs sessions left to complete this week, and then rest up a bit (for the next major bench session next Monday).

So simply, my training from now on will be Monday (Bench & Push - Chest/Shoulders/Triceps), Wednesday (Deadlift & Pull - Back/Biceps), and Friday (Squats & Legs - Quads/Hams/Calves) with Saturday and Sunday off.

Maybe in the future, I'll alternate between squats and deadlifts biweekly and fit in a secondary bench someday.

I can't add 2.5kg or 5lb to my bench press every 2 to 3 weeks anyway (at this stage of my bench press training).

I'll do another slight modification as well, and that is to train the opposite muscles to warm up (so maybe train the pull muscles before training the push muscles, and vice versa). Depending on how I feel, of course, whenever I want, or if I can remember it lol.

Seven more weeks of this training to go and of course, then I'll re-assess. So far, it's pretty good, and my joints/tendons are less achy training in this sort of fashion (which is a good scheme for long-term training and long-term strength gains - muscle too, of course).