Training Log: Entry 2682

AM WORKOUT

DARKHORSE-esque PRESS DAY

MAX EFFORT GIANT SETS (chin-press-wheel-boxing)

NG chins
5xBW
5x30
5x55
5x75
5x85
5x90

Axle strict press
5xAxle
5x66
5x136
5x186
5x226
4x226

Standing ab wheel
6x5

Boxing bob-and-weave slipline drill
6x30 seconds

STRENGTH GIANT SETS (row-press-abs-boxing)

DB row off bench 105
3x8

Trap bar press 160
1x12
2x8

Standing ab wheel
3x8

Boxing bob and weave slipline drill
3x30 seconds

ASSISTANCE

Dips
1x40
1x25
1x18
1x23
1x14

DB lateral raises
6 sets with 20lbs
3 sets with 15lbs

Band pull aparts
9 sets

Mini band tricep pressdowns
5 sets

Body Action System boxing workouts
10 minutes of intervals (20 seconds on/10 seconds off)

Notes: 1:30 between all giant sets.  Gonna do some explaining here to make everything make sense.  First thing is that I borked the rep numbers for the strength work: had it in my head that it was sets of 8 on the 5s week, but it's sets of 10.  The positive there is that 8 felt challenging but not like all I had in me, so next time I try this it should work out perfectly.

I cut out the dynamic effort benching due to time constraints.  I may honestly make a habit of it, since I'm only running the program for 1 movement vs the press AND bench.

I've also already altered the program by mixing up my max effort movement and my supplemental movement.  They're supposed to be the same, as that would make sense when it comes to calculating percentages to work with.  I have 2 things going for me here, and one is that, BECAUSE I've been rotating between 3 different press exercises for so long, I'm very familiar with how one translates to the other in terms of percentages.  If I had hit a weight with the axle, I can hit it 1 for 1 with the log, and with the trap bar I have to take off 15lbs.  And the second thing is simply that I've seen so much success with training multiple press implements on the same day I don't want to abandon that yet.  Specifically, I don't want to have a day where I DON'T press the axle, because keeping that "pressing in FRONT of the face" strength/technique is big for me.  The log and trap bar absolutley make me stronger, but it's a little different with the neutral handles.

For the boxing conditioning I was doing at the end of each giant set, it was essentially a slipline drill like this

Except I was using the axle that was in the rack and slipping underneath it.  Not really enough room under those constraints to move forward/backwards, so I was just planted in place and bobbing and weaving quickly.  I started throwing punches at the end of the bob and weave to make it a little more fatiguing, and added more and more to the combinations as time went on and I found my rhythm.

I think next time I'm going to push the ab wheel reps up to 6 between sets on the strength work.  I came in a little short of my usual weekly total on this.  I just tried to match everything today to make it a little easier.

Weighted chins didn't bug my elbows much.  They'll be a little easier when I get back some of the smaller plates I loaned to that high school kid.

Ok, let me explain the assistance work.  I set a timer for 15 minutes, spent the first 2 minutes or so unloading some plates and then spent the rest of the time doing an unbroken workout that went like this

Do a set of dips, then raises, then pull aparts, then pushdowns, then back to pull aparts, then raises, then dips, then back to raises, pull aparts, etc.  It made it so that the middle assistance work got trained more than the ends, which was the goal.  I wanted the dips to fatigue the triceps, then to give the triceps time to recover with the shoulder work before I did the pushdowns, and then have the whole thing happen all over again. I dug this approach as a way to get in a lot of work over that short time.  I may introduce some different assistance work through out the program, but I think this will be my style to allow for a great deal of work.

My initial impressions are positive.  I appreciate how much work I'm getting in on this program, and it makes my drop-off of top level pressing strength easier to swallow when I'm using short rest times.  I did 2 sets of 226 because the first set of 5 was a struggle but not quite max effort stuff, but I didn't feel like I could up the weight.  The set of 4 that followed was honestly easier than the initial set of 5, and were it not for a misgroove on rep 3, I'm confident I could hit it.  Being able to produce that kind of result with only 1.5 minutes of rest with giant sets was very pleasing.

I genuinely didn't feel too wiped out with the shorter rest periods.  It was giving me that Building The Monolith vibe, but I actually rested even less when I ran that.

This program still ran longer than I would have liked for it to do, but I think I wasted some time just figuring out what I was going to do.  I think if I'm diligent on the front end of it by prepping my training space and coming in with a gameplan vs figuring things out as I go, it may time out just about right.  I'm definitely going to give it a full go and see what I can do with it, at least while my nutritional goals have me on the low end.

I'm planning on using something I did when I ran a similar approach with squats: doubling back to the axle for my max effort work.  So with this week being axle for 5s, I'm thinking trap bar for 3s, axle for 1s, log for 5s, axle for 3s, trap bar for 1s, axle for 5s, log for 3s, you get the picture.