It doesn't seem like proximity to failure is that important for hypertrophy. You could just do 6 sets of 5 at the same weight instead of 3 sets of 10 and halve the rest intervals so it takes the same length of time. Low rep sets are easier to maintain good form, and are less mentally taxing. And all the muscle seems to care about is cumulative load.

Interesting. I guess this is why cyclist get such massive legs.

Intensity matters too. Cycling includes bursts of high intensity followed by longer lower intensity stretches. Compared to something like running a marathon or doing bodyweight squats all day

3/13 - 160p/267c/48f = 2,169 calories

First week of cut is over:

Average daily intake: 2,220 calories
Expected TDEE: 2,900 calories
Expected weight loss: -1.36lbs

I’ve figured out my new weekly routine, it’ll start tomorrow.

Today’s session

BB rows 3 sets
DB RDLs 3 sets
Hammer row 3 sets
Back raises 3 sets
Lat Pulldowns 3 sets
Cable rear delt flys 3 sets
Ez bar curls 4 sets
Bent over DB rear delt raises 3 sets

Brooooootastic

3/14 - 2,163 calories
3/15 - 2,225 calories
3/16 - 2,722 calories
3/17 - 2,451 calories

Diet Continues to go very well. Hunger not an issue as of yet probably consuming slightly too many grams of protein and fat but nothing ridiculous.

Definitely have some ongoing golfers elbow. It’s bothersome but doesn’t seem to be interfering with training or climbing. Annoyed me on first set of chins today but went away. Even still I’m going to try to remove exercises that cause any pain in the area.

Upper

Chins 9,9,8,8xBW 2:30 rest
Press 4x8x85 2:30 rest
TBar Rows 3x9x90
Seated DB press 14,10,8x35s
Lat Pulldowns 11,10,9x105
Side raises 4x20
EZ bar curls 4 sets

Main issue right now is social/work challenges are making training and diet harder than they should be. Hangboarding and climbing going fine. Been a little run down but got 9 hours of sleep last night and felt much better today.

3/18 - 2,233 calories
3/19 - 2,168 calories

More work obligations past couple days and another Thursday. Couldn’t train/climb yesterday but with my elbow issue lingering I’m not too torn up about it.

Upper
Paused bench 11,11,8x115 (2:00 rest)
1 arm hammer row 3x12
Cable flys 3 sets
Band supported chins 3x8
—big squeeze/hold at the top, saw these and thought I’d try em. Meh
Paused Incline DB bench 11,11,8x40s
Side raises 4 sets
Rear delt flys 3 sets
Hammer curls 3 sets

Once again after first couple work sets my elbow felt much better. However it was not having it during ez bar curls. I really don’t want to take an extended amount of time off to get it to 100%.

3/20 - 2,366 calories

Diet week 2
Average calorie intake: 2,332
Expected TDEE: 2,900
Projected weightloss: 1.13 (2.49 overall)

Lower Day

RDLs 4 sets 4x12x45s
Leg press 4 sets 3x12x230, 12x210
Cable crunch 4 sets
Cable Pull through 3x8
Leg raises 3x10
Calf Raises 3x8
Lunges 3x24

3/21 - 2,053 calories

Hangboard 20mm edge
BW+10x7sec
BW+20x7sec
BW+25x5sec
BW+15x7sec

Random forearm antagonist work. Light climbing 1hr.

3/22 - 2,254 calories

Wide grip chins 7,7,7,6xBW
Paused Bench 10,9,8x120
Pec dec 3x12
TBar Row 4x11x85
Seated DB press 15,12,8x30s
EZ bar curls 3 sets
DB Side raises 4 sets
Hammer curls 4 sets

3/23 - 2,694 calories
3/24 - 2,435 calories

3/23

Climbing gym 3 hours

Flashed a couple new V4-V6 graded problems. They’re like V2 and V3- respectively. I will say with tHe hangboarding I’ve done my finger are for sure stronger but my fear is I need to let the tendons catch up. I had some dull pain in the fingers during this session because I was working on a couple crimpy V5ish problems for a bit.

Legs

Leg press 4x12x180
Cable crunch 4 sets
Walking lunges 3x30
Calf raises 5 sets
Leg raises 2 sets
Leg extensions 3 sets

My hamstrings are simply not recovering between workouts. I think it’s because even in lifts where I’m targeting my quads I have poor mobility and weak quads and am using my hamstrings too much causing too much volume. On this leg press I found a better foot position which made me feel them more in my quads.

3/24 Upper

Wide grip chins 3x7xBW
Press 8,8,8,6x90
TBar 3x12x60
Incline Smith Bench 10,10,8x115
Lat Pulldowns 3x10
DB side raises 4 sets
Curls 5 sets
Rear delt flys 4 sets

3/25 - 2,203 calories

Climbing gym 2 hours

Hangboard 20mm 6x10sec w/2min rest
One arm hangs 4x7sec w/60sec rest
PVC Wrist roller 3x2 +10lbs
Wrist curls 2 sets
Tension block randomness

Climbed light one hour, nothing harder than V2.

Half crimp position certainly improving.

How are the people who grade routes in your gym so inaccurate lol? My gym can be a tiny bit soft compared to the hardest I've gone to, but I've never climbed a V5 problem that was close to a V2 or even V3 lol

One gym I went to did have the problem of different people setting the routes vs. those who graded them

Idk the gym just sets super soft at times. The V4-V6 category right now has problems I’d rate V2/V3 and others I’d say are solid 6’s. They just have a tendency to set a couple soft in each grade which I don’t mind because it gets me trying harder colored problems. But yea you’ll see people doing this V2 thing and saying they climbed a V6 and it shouldn’t annoy me but kinda does.

3/26 - 2,129 calories

Upper

Paused bench 10,10,10,8x115
One arm Hammer Row 4x8x80
Paused incline DB 10,10,8x40s
Band supported chins 3x9
Seated DB press 12,12,8x30s
Side raises 3 sets
Ez curls 3 sets
Face pulls 3 sets
DB curls 3 sets

That would annoy me too. Perhaps I'd remind myself that V6 isn't that amazing anyway so who cares. I think it's even worse the higher the grade gets, like imagine working like a fiend to send V10 one day and then see someone send a V7 and call themself a V10 climber lol

No work out today due to work obligations but wanted to track my nutrition.

3/27 - 2,203 calories

Diet week 3
Average calorie intake: 2,278
Expected TDEE: 2,900
Projected weightloss: 1.24 (3.73 overall)

3/28 - 2,106 calories

Climbing gym 90min

20mm Hangboard
4x7sec BW+20
3x15sec 1-arm hangs
3x2 Wrist roller +10lb

Light climbing, flashed a few newly set V3-V4. Wouldn’t rate any of them above V2.

3/29 - 2,220 calories

Upper

Bench 11,11,10x115
Wide grip Chins 4x7xBW
Pec dec 3x10
TBar Rows 4x12x70
Seated DB press
Rear delt cable flys 4 sets
Side DB raises 3 sets
DB concentration curls 4 sets
BB upright rows 3 sets

My arms are tiny like a baby now. Teach me how to curl, bro

This video is long for youtube, but is really cool. The Lattice Training guys put Magnus Midtbo through a series of test designed to asses his the physical capacity. I think y'all will dig it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS9OGHe16R4

Here were the highlights for me:

- How bicep strength contributes to someone's ability to do a one arm pull-up. Apparently straight arm strength is helpful as well. This is mentioned a bit later than the linked time. https://youtu.be/wS9OGHe16R4?t=656

- Lattice often sees that the strongest pulling arm has slightly weaker finger strength the but strongest shoulder strength. Their conclusion is that shoulder strength has a more positive influence on finger strength than pulling strength. https://youtu.be/wS9OGHe16R4?t=920

-This comes up a couple of times, but there is no substitute for the ability to try hard and suffer. It is talked about a bit more in the discussion of his results. https://youtu.be/wS9OGHe16R4?t=1380

-Nice explanation of buffering capacity and recovery rate: https://youtu.be/wS9OGHe16R4?t=1726

-Discussion of Magnus's profile: https://youtu.be/wS9OGHe16R4?t=2104

3/30 - Climbing gym 3 hours

Best session in while. Worked and finished a climb in both the V5-V7 grade and V6-V8 grade. I’d rate them V5- and V5 respectively. Both had tensiony moves on crimps throughout. The first one I thought looked super hard but I’m doing a much better job on crimps lately and was pumped after getting it on my ~4th go.

This is why I think my gym grades soft. Check out the 14:10 mark and watch Jake and Nikken climb this route. What do you think your gyms would grade it?

Watched this last night and learned so much. Biggest takeaway (and working point) for me is how big an impact scapular/shoulder strength contributes to finger strength. Magnus always tries so damn hard and I know the lattice guys (or could be McLeod) recommend heavy deadlifting as a way to train the body to try at 95%+ load.

Tiny but strong biceps are the way to go for climbing. But I kinda wanna look good shirtless so I’m throwing them in. My left elbow definitely doesn’t like a lot of the variations though.

3/30 - 2,695 calories

Lower

Back extensions 3x10
Kneeling cable crunch 4x12
Leg press 4x12x190
Calves 5x10
BB Lunges 3x20x30
Leg extensions 1x22

3/31 - 149.5 bodyweight

Last 7 days Feb rolling average: 155.1
Last 7 days March rolling average 151.4

March daily calorie average: 2,405

Estimated TDEE: 2,825
April daily calorie goal: 2,325

Diet has gone well, started 3/7 and averaged 2,291/day. Typical days look like 320c/150p/45f right now without hunger or energy issues. I could have pushed it further and done a true mini cut but wanted to take a slightly longer approach. I’m going to take this at least 8 weeks total so I’ll reasses at the end of April.

3/31 - 2,390 calories

Upper

Wide grip chins 3x7xBw
Press 3x8x90
Close grip Pulldowns 3x12x90
Paused Smith Incline bench 14,12,10,8x115
Seated cable row 3 sets
Seated DB press 14,10,8x30s
EZ bar curls 3x16xBar+10
DB side raises 3x21x12s
Bent over DB raises 3x18x10s
Alternating DB curls 3 sets
Straight bar upright rows 3 sets

That’s how you bro.

I get your point but that's probably not a V3/4, lol. I guess I'd need a closer look but it definitely looked hard. I don't think guys who boulder V12 or whatever and don't care about numbers are necessarily the best source for actual grades. I guess it doesn't really matter either way, no one's getting any medals for these sends lol

This magnus video should be good. i added back a little deadlifting last week but I'm not sold. Pretty sure I'm gonna blow up into a massive bodybuilder instantly