Cargotruck - Destination: Stronger

[Cargotruck]

Finished SS last week. Here's my old log that documents the final 5 weeks of NLP.

Male, height 180cm / 5'11", age 25 years. I currently weigh 86kg / 190lbs.

Best lifts on SS:
Squat: 135kg / 298lbs 3x5
Bench press: 98.5kg / 217lbs 3x5 - I weighed 75kg / 165lbs at the time and stopped benching
Deadlift: 145kg / 320lbs 1x5
Overhead press: 62.5kg / 138lbs 2x5, 4

I performed dips in place of bench press during the last 4 months of my 6 month NLP because I thought benching was causing me elbow and shoulder problems, but just before moving on to intermediate programming, I managed to realize that low bar squats were the actual source of the problem. This is why I will do high bar squats from now on, and why my bench will probably see pretty good progress for a while.

I'm currently studying to become an English teacher here in Finland, eat right around 4000 calories a day with 200/500/130 macros (not intending, it just tends to go that way), and sleep an average of 9 hours a day just because I can at the moment. I like trucks.

This is my self designed program for the foreseeable future, and it's inspired by the heavy/light template except that it's full body rather than upper/lower:

Monday (Volume Day A)
Overhead press: 5x5 @ 80% of next planned ID
Deadlift: 5x5 @ 80% of next planned ID
Dips: 4 sets with bodyweight

Wednesday (Volume Day B)
Squat: 5x5 @ 80% of next planned ID
Bench press: 5x5 @ 80% of next planned ID
Pull ups: 4 sets with bodyweight

Friday (Intensity Day A)
Overhead press: 2x3 / 3x2 / 5x1
Deadlift: 2x3 / 3x2 / 5x1
Chest supported machine row: 4x8

Saturday (Intensity Day B)
Squat: 2x3 / 3x2 / 5x1
Bench press: 2x3 / 3x2 / 5x1
Barbell curl: 4x12

I cycle between the intensity day rep ranges (sets x reps format) not weekly, but based on my capability, trying to milk them out for as long as possible every time. Volume days are supposed to stay moderate in terms of exertion, hence the percentages.

[Cargotruck]

Here's the first week setting the baseline:

Monday 12.2
Overhead press: 52.5kg / 116lbs 5x5
Deadlift: 115kg / 253lbs 5x5
Pull ups: 86kg / 190lbs bw 3x8, 1x6

Wednesday 14.2
Squat: 100kg / 220lbs 5x5
Bench press: 80kg / 176lbs 5x5
Dips: 86kg / 190lbs bw 3x12, 1x9

Friday 16.2
Overhead press: 65kg / 143lbs 2x3
Deadlift: 145kg / 320lbs 2x3
Chest supported machine row: 50kg / 110lbs 4x10

Saturday 17.2
Squat: 125kg / 275lbs 2x3
Bench press: 100kg / 220lbs 2x3
Barbell curl: 25kg / 55lbs 4x12

OHP intensity day was very tough and my heels lifted off the floor on half the reps, so I'll have to focus on avoiding it next time. Going to microload this from the get go.

Squat and deadlift felt just about right - tough but not form-breaking.

Bench felt so easy that I forgot to use leg drive. I'll keep increasing this by 2.5kg / 5.5lbs weekly for some time along with squat and DL.

[Bliss]

Was following your log and subscribing to this one now.

Damn, dat volume day(s) though!!

[Cargotruck]

Was following your log and subscribing to this one now.

Damn, dat volume day(s) though!!

Nice to hear! Shoutouts to Russia.

And yeah, while the percentage-based approach keeps the volume days fine in terms of weight when I'm doing 2x3 on the intensity days (around 70-75% 1RM on VD), once I switch to 5 singles on ID then the lower body 5x5s will get very tough. I may actually die on deadlifts.

[Cargotruck]

Been feeling my SI joint(s) after Monday's deadlifts and Wednesday's squats, and after that I took a long hard think on what my priorities really are. At the end of my novice phase I was looking forward to intermediate programming to get some variety into my exercises to slowly remove all the chronic aches and pains and to minimize injury, as well as to focus more on the upper body after squatting thrice a week for half a year.

But, in the end, I ended up going with a self-designed program that has twice a week "competition" squats and deadlifts in the form of high volume and high intensity, and doesn't really leave the kind of room that I wanted for upper body volume. I just wanted to try something new and gave in to that, which I even admitted in a topic I made about the program, though I also did say that I'll keep heavy/light or HLM at the back of my mind if things get tough.

Fortunately, I came back to my senses this early on - I'm switching to an HLM template. The elbow pain I had for 4 months from low bar squats and frequent weighted chins that prevented me from benching for that entire time went away in a week when I switched to high bar squats and removed weighted chins. I'm very excited to bench again, and this small change and the immediate reward really gives me further appreciation for listening to one's body - hence me removing the excessive squat and deadlift volume. As such, I'm going for a lot of pressing and upper back work, and a decent/sufficient amount of quality lower body work, all with lifts that don't repeat twice in the same week.

I'll put considerable effort into not changing things too much or too frequently, which is something I tend to do too easily when there's no concrete need for that. Here's the idea:

Workout A
Squat: 1x1-3, 5x5 @ 80% of first set
Close grip bench press: 4x8
Pull ups: 4 sets with bodyweight
Dips: 4 sets with bodyweight

Workout B
Bench press: 1x1-3, 5x5 @ 80% of first set
Front squat: 3x5
Barbell row: 4x8
Barbell curl: 4x12

Workout C
Overhead press: 1x1-3, 5x5 @ 80% of first set
Deadlift: 1x1-3, 3x5 @ 80% of first set
Chin ups: 4 sets with bodyweight
DB bench press: 4x10

I'll also try to get used to autoregulation in the subtle sense that I'm working out every other day (hence A/B/C, not Mon/Wed/Fri), but take an extra day of rest when I genuinely feel like I need one. Most often this will probably be between C and A.

Anyway here's this week's log:

Monday 19.2
Overhead press: 52.5kg / 116lbs 5x5
Deadlift: 117.5kg / 259lbs 5x5
Dips: 87.5kg / 193lbs bw 3x12, 1x9

Wednesday 21.2
Squat: 102.5kg / 226lbs 5x5
Bench press: 82.5kg / 182lbs 5x5
Pull ups: 87.5kg / 193lbs bw 2x8, 1x7, 1x4

Because I decided to switch to HLM before this week's intensity workouts and my lower back was flared up, I used these past few days as an opportunity to rest. Will start the new program tomorrow, Sunday.

[Cargotruck]

Sunday 25.2
Bench press: 102.5kg / 226lbs 1x3, 82.5kg / 182lbs 5x5
Front squat: 82.5kg / 182lbs 3x5
Barbell row: 60kg / 132lbs 4x8
Barbell curl: 25kg / 55lbs 3x12

Tuesday 27.2
Overhead press: 66kg / 145lbs 1x3, 52.5kg / 116lbs 5x5
Deadlift: 147.5kg / 325lbs 1x3, 117.5kg / 259lbs 5x5
DB bench press: 25+25kg / 55+55lbs 4x10
Chin ups: 87kg / 192lbs bw 1x10, 1x7, 1x6, 1x4

Thursday 1.3
Squat: 127.5kg / 281lbs 1x3, 102.5kg / 226lbs 5x5
Close grip bench press: 80kg / 176lbs 3x5
Pull ups: 87.5kg / 193lbs bw 2x8, 1x6, 1x5
Dips: 87.5kg / 193lbs bw 1x15, 1x12, 1x8, 1x7

Switching to high bar squat fixed my elbow like I said, but it didn't fix my shoulder completely. I got a bit too excited and considerably upped my pressing volume but now I'm feeling my rotator cuff tendonitis again, so I'll have to adjust things down a little bit. This is how I always function - once things feel good for a few workouts I go apeshit with the total workload thinking I've become invincible.

That said, the overhead press triple went up easy this time and heels stayed 100% planted on the ground. Bench was easy as well, squat was pretty challenging and deadlift felt about the same as it did the previous week.

I'll reduce my pressing volume from this previous week. I'll essentially remove the DB bench and dips, and change CG bench to incline DB bench. Also focusing all chinning/pull ups onto one day to give the elbow a further break. Things will get tough regardless of the volume reductions once I get to heavy singles on the big 4. The volume that's being reduced is among the "easy volume".

[Cargotruck]

Saturday 3.3
Bench press: 105kg / 231lbs 1x3, 85kg / 187lbs 5x5
Front squat: 85kg / 187lbs 3x5
Barbell row: 62.5kg / 138lbs 4x8

Monday 5.3
Overhead press: 67.5kg / 149lbs 1x3, 55kg / 121lbs 5x5
Deadlift: 150kg / 331lbs 1x3, 120kg / 264lbs 3x5
Barbell curl: 30kg / 66lbs 3x12, 1x8

Bench still feels like paper despite the 2.5kg increases and there's no shoulder or elbow pain. OHP feels relatively light too, doing bench again likely considerably helps to push it up. Deadlift felt about the same as 145kg and 147.5kg which tells me this program is working. Might be able to keep up the triples for longer than I originally anticipated.

[Cargotruck]

Wednesday 7.3
Squat: 130kg / 287lbs 1x3, 105kg / 231lbs 5x5
Incline DB press: 26s / 57s 2x8, 28.5s / 63s 1x8, 1x14
Chin ups: 88kg / 194lbs bw 1x10, 1x8, 2x6

Friday 9.3
Bench press: 107.5kg / 237lbs 1x3, 85kg / 187lbs 5x5
Front squat: 87.5kg / 193lbs 3x5
Barbell row: 65kg / 143lbs 4x8
Barbell curl: 35kg / 77lbs 3x8

Sunday 10.3
Overhead press: 68.5kg / 151lbs 1x3, 55kg / 121lbs 5x5
Romanian deadlift: 100kg / 220lbs 1x5, 105kg / 231lbs 1x5, 110kg / 242lbs 1x5
Barbell curl: 36kg / 79lbs 4x8
Lying triceps extension: 30kg / 66lbs 2x10, 35kg / 77lbs 1x10

Legs were hella tired this week, going to take 2 days off now because the fatigue has been building up. Everything is moving up nicely and rep speed is staying roughly the same, and the triples and/or bench press seems to really be helping my OHP move up. It was stalling badly at the end of SSLP. Bench isn't quite as easy anymore, but technique still feels solid and I'm not in any danger of misses despite the hefty increases. Will start the microloads after it gets genuinely tough however.

In general, the one maximal triple and then 5x5 at a percentage of that which is challenging but allows controlled eccentrics and perfect technique to be practiced seems to be working really well. Recommend so far, but I'll have to see what happens when the triple changes into a double and then a single. 80% of a max triple is way easier than 80% of a max single.

I'm going to start treating chin ups and rows like main lifts so I'll be using the same 1x1-3, 5x5 @ 80% of top set approach on them. I'll move chins to workout B after the bench press and swap the rows to workout A.

Here's what the plan looks like now after the swap and after I realized I can't do a bench variation every workout:

Monday
Squat: 1x1-3, 3x5 @ 80% of top set
Barbell row: 1x1-3, 5x5 @ 80% of top set
Incline DB press: 4x8-10
DB curl: 3x10-12

Wednesday
Bench press: 1x1-3, 5x5 @ 80% of top set
Chin ups: 1x1-3, 5x5 @ 80% of top set
Front squat: 3x5
Cable curl: 3x12-15

Friday
Overhead press: 1x1-3, 5x5 @ 80% of top set
Deadlift: 1x1-3, 3x5 @ 80% of top set / Romanian deadlift: 3x5
Barbell curl: 4x8
Lying triceps extension: 3x10

(note that it may not always be Mon/Wed/Fri)

I'm also alternating DLs with RLDs due to lower back aggravation from too much DLing. Again, doing my very best to keep the program exactly like this unless major problems occur from a specific exercise. The changes I've made so far bar the chin up and barbell row programming mods are from my shoulder fighting back on horizontal pressing and my lower back flaring up from too much lower body volume. I'll now ignore every impulse to make further "whim modifications". The 4th slot accessory stuff will be kept open for adjustments though.

[Cargotruck]

Wednesday 14.3
Squat: 132.5kg 1x2, 105kg 3x5
Incline DB press: 30+30kg 4x8
Chest supported row: 55kg 4x8
DB curl: 15+15kg 2x10, 12.5+12.5kg 1x12

Friday 16.3
Bench press: 110kg 1x3, 87.5kg 5x5
Chin ups: 89kg+20kg 1x3, 89kg 5x5
Front squat: 90kg 3x5
Cable curl: 24kg 3x15

Sunday 18.3
Overhead press: 70kg 1x3, 55kg 5x5
Deadlift: 155kg 1x2, 125kg 3x5
Barbell curl: 37.5kg 4x8
Lying triceps extension: 35kg 3x10

Squats felt incredibly heavy compared to last week, and deadlifts also dropped to two reps. Might have been able to complete a third deadlift rep with a massive grind, but didn't want to risk it. Will have to figure out if the squats were that way due to bad technique, too much volume, too much intensity or something else.

Bench press and OHP are also getting heavier but I got the reps, although my butt came off the bench on the third rep of bench press and the bar started going down halfway through due to bringing the bar too far back and losing balance completely (happened on the second rep as well). Still fought it up though. Even hit the fucking rack on the way up. I won't microload the bench yet though, I'd rather move on to two reps because that's already happening on squats and deads anyway. It looks like my OHP and bench sticking points will end up being roughly halfway through the movements. Hopefully lying triceps extensions will help once they become heavier, otherwise I may have to start considering something more effective for the tris.

Chins felt good because I started out a bit conservative. Could've had another 2.5-5 kilos there probably. Couldn't do barbell rows this week so I did the chest supported machine in their place.

[Cargotruck]

Did a small GPP workout today and will probably make it a habit once a week to build up muscle endurance on the side. Reps are dropping pretty rapidly with the use of 30-60 second rest periods.

Monday 19.3
Chin ups: 31 in 7min
Push ups: 93 in 7min
Ab rollout: 64 in 7min