Yeah, things are going well, probably due to the fact that I'm inadvertently dirty bulking. In general my DL has had poor results on Sheiko programs compared to squat and bench.

Sunday 21 July 2019 Training
Sheiko #31 W3D3, pound plates

Comp. Bench (1'-2'): 95x5, 115x4, 125x3, 135x3, 145x3 x6 sets

Squat w/belt (2'-3'): 135x5, 185x5, 205x3, 225x3, 240x3 x2 sets, 255x2 x3 sets, LS @8, 240x3 x3 sets

Comp. Bench (2'): 95x5, 115x5 x2 sets, 125x5 x5 sets
DB Hammer Curl: 20s x10 x6 sets

Goodmorning (1.5'): 135x5, 155x5, 185x5 x3 sets
DB Fly: 20s x10 x5 sets

T=117' @7

***

Volume was pretty nuts today but I had a fairly easy time with it. Probably could have gone with higher numbers across the board but it was an unfamiliar gym and I'm maxing out next week so I felt it best to be conservative.

I squatted with crossfit plates because that's what was nearby. Pretty goofy when 255 looks like 600 pounds. I think I'm gonna make another run at addressing my squat depth during the next training cycle, probably by doing some deep squats with lighter loads in addition to my main work. I can squat deeper than this, it's just that crappy things happen like my knee hurting more, losing my balance forward, and my knees shooting back. I probably also need to be rotating my hips outward more, but whatevs. Not gonna nit over stuff until after this block is over.

Looks pretty solid to me.

Those big ass plates make you look like Mighty Mouse
doing squats.

Keep up the grind!

I actually like this set-up. Smoke a set, then do one that's kind of hard, back off, do another hard one...finish with one that by that point is difficult but not crushing. Will try it myself in the near future.

I think it is a decent way to deload. It had a distinct peaking effect for my subsequent workouts. Sample size of one though.

Thanks bro.

Wednesday 24 July 2019 Training
Sheiko #31 W4D1, pound plates

Squat w/belt (2'-3'): 185x4, 205x3, 225x3, 245x2, 260 @7, 275 @8, 275 @7.5, 275 @8, 245x2 x2 sets

Comp. Bench (1'-2'): 95x5, 115x4, 125x3, 135x3, 145x3 x2 sets, 155x2 @7, 165x2 [PR] @9, 155x2 @7.5

Dip (1.5'): x8 x5 sets
GHR Back Extension: x10 x5 sets

Leg Press (1.5'): 2.5p x5, 3p x5, 3.5p x5 x3 sets
DB Fly: 20s x10 x5 sets

T=97' @7

***

Good day. Getting some nice momentum going with max out day approaching. My knees felt great going into squats and depth came easier. The first top single was kind of meh, but the other two were easier and cleaner than 275 has ever been. I ripped my boxers on the last one, so they were probably deeper than usual.

Bench also went surprisingly well. I decided to start getting used to the rack since I'll be maxing out next week and I don't want to risk getting a bro spot from a random. The day called for four 85% doubles (180 training max, 176 is my PR) but I decided to grab a low hanging PR double that I was certain was there without a ton of effort.

Thursday 25 July 2019

60' casual walk on hilly road


Friday 26 July 2019 Training
Sheiko #31 W4D2, pound plates

Comp. Bench (1'-2'): 95x5, 115x4, 125x3, 135x3, 145x2, 160, 165, 170 @8.5, 185 (eccentric+pause only), 145x2 x2 sets

Deadlift (2'-3'): 135x3, 185x3, 225x3 x2 sets, 245x2, 275x2, 295 @7.5, 305 @8.5

Leg Press (1.5'): 2p x6, 3p x6, 3.5p x6 x3 sets
DB Fly: 20s x10 x5 sets

T=76' @6

***

Bench and deadlift both felt a bit weak today, but that's probably expected given that volume has trended pretty high lately. The next two workouts will be a bit of a taper, and I'll test maxes this time next week.

Instead of doing another 170 single on bench, I decided to try an eccentric rep. I figure it's better for my 1RM attempt next week if it's a weight I've at least unracked before. 185 is 9 pounds more than I've ever benched, and it wasn't too bad to unrack. I'm guessing it's about a 50/50 chance that I'd have hit that weight if I'd tried, but my hope is that with the taper I'll be able to bench 185 next week.

Sunday 28 July 2019 Training
Sheiko #31 W4D3, pound plates

Squat w/belt (1'-2'): 135x5, 185x4, 205x3, 225x3, 240x3 x5 sets

Comp. Bench (1'-2'): 95x5, 115x5, 135x4 x5 sets
Lat Pulldown: 85x10 x5 sets

Squat w/belt (2.5'): 185x5, 210x5 x4 sets

Dips (1.5'): x8 x4 sets

T=75' @7

***

Really hate training late in the day. This one was a real slog compared to what it should have been. I skipped some assistance work just to gtfo. Today was the last volume day in the block. Next workout is active recovery, then maxing out on the weekend.

In relevant news, I'm gonna be working for my BIL starting tomorrow. It's manual labor, installing windows and doors primarily. Gotta figure out how best to schedule training around it, as it's gonna be 7a-6p Monday through Friday and as I said, I hate training late. Probably gonna switch to a 4-day routine, putting my most important stuff on Saturday/Sunday and some assistance/gpp focused days on Tuesday/Wednesday. That way I can move those days around if work goes late or its a road job.

On the bright side, this is gonna dovetail nicely with my plan to cut weight beginning next week. Best shape of my life by October?

Did you move back to USA#1?

For the time being. Not sure for how long.

Have you considered in lifting at a meet? I suspect there are probably some small local ones around. Not something that you can really do in Cambodia (I assume), and given how much work you've put it, it might be a fun little thing to do while you have a chance.

Not really had a chance to think about it. I like powerlifting training but ive always treated more like a means than an end. And yeah, no meets in Cambodia. Maybe I'll sign up for one after I cut. Being able to total like 850 at 140lb wouldn't be competitive at all, but would feel like an accomplishment, especially if it were official. I might have to join a trash fed that doesnt harshly judge squat depth, though.

Yeah, you're not really doing it to win. Just as something to prep for, a little pressure, and judging to make it 'official'.

Wednesday 31 July 2019 Training
Sheiko #32 W1D1, pound plates

Squat w/belt (1.5'): 135x5, 185x3, 205x3 x2 sets, 225x2 x3 sets

Comp. Bench (1'-2'): 95x5, 115x3, 125x3 x2 sets, 135x2 x3 sets
Lat Pulldown: 85x10 x5 sets

Some Planks.

T=55' @3

***

It hasn't been an active week for training, but there's been a lot of physical activity outside the gym. Been working with my BIL and also helping my sister with a sudden house move. The program calls for maxing out the day after tomorrow but it will have to wait until Saturday when I am off. It's probably for the best as I am still pretty weak and sore.

For Saturday I'm shooting for 305/185/325, with current PRs being 297/176/314. The bench goal is probably the most ambitious. I got a scale and surprising only gained about a kilo since I landed a month ago. I weighed 151.2 yesterday morning after a week of unmitigated eating. This cut is gonna be much easier than I initially thought.

Sunday 4 August 2019 Training
Sheiko #32 W1D2, pound plates

Squat w/belt: 280 @7.5, 295 @8.5, 305 @10 [PR+8]

Comp. Bench: 160 @8, 175 @9.5, 180f

Deadlift: 305 @7, 320 @10 [PR+7, PR+19 total], 325f

Bodyweight - 152.0

***

So, it wasn't exactly ideal conditions under which to test. I had to move the session forward by a day due to a needing to work on Saturday to finish a job. I'm coming off of 3 straight days working which amounts to 5-8 hours of GPP work per day. I felt pretty good this morning though so I thought I'd take a shot at it.

Squats went very well. 305 was pretty much exactly what I wanted. I'm not thrilled with the depth but after careful review it's no less deep than my opener was and it just underlines how depth is something I need to begin prioritizing more for all of my reps. It's probably the same depth standard as the 135kg that I hit, at about 4kg heavier + moving much faster.

Bench was not good. I wanted to bench 185 but 175 moved so slow that I thought to just go for a 4 pound PR at 180. It's pretty obvious by now that my bench preparedness decays at a much faster rate than my other lifts. The extra day off plus the program tapering off way too much on that lift probably was unoptimal for getting peak performance. I think I should have been hitting a relatively heavy single every session leading up to this. It's been a very long time and a lot of bench reps without a PR, but I think I made gains and it was just bad programming toward the end.

Deadlift looked like it was going to go very well based on 305. I think I'm going to blame a poorly calibrated plate on this one. I loaded an off-brand plate on the 320 attempt and I think it weighed down one side by a few pounds. Also I think I need to be gripping and ripping a bit more like the 305 instead of staying bent over for too long. I think 330 or 335 could have been there if my technique had been better.

Oh well. It's the second time doing a mock meet and I think I enjoy testing maxes like this. I totalled exactly 800 pounds. Hopefully I can improve on that in 2019 but first we're gonna cut, at least to 140.

Solid PR's. The squat depth actually looked pretty alright to me. The deadlift looked really asymmetrical to me, although I'm not sure how much of that is the camera angle. Having any kind of 'twisting' on your back during a deadlift seems like a recipe for a bad time.

Yea I think you we’re having the same issues on 305 but the load on 320 just exposed it more.

Tough to do 3, maybe 4 9.5 RPE+ lifts in one session, strong stuff and 800lb total is no joke!

Solid. I think you actually may have a bit more in your squat. At no point in that rep did I think you might fail it.

Thanks. I don't think there was any twisting. I either gripped the bar off-center or the bar wasn't balanced. Maybe because of my anthropometry I should be gripping slightly off center. I didn't notice the issue on 305. Fact of the matter is that 305 might have been a 4-5 rep max at that bar speed, so 320 should have been smoked. I think there are a lot of unrealized gains on bench and deadlift.

800lb is kind of a joke for a male lifting for 4 years, but thanks!

It's possible. Due to my tendency to cut depth on max singles, I'd rather not push squat RPE too much higher than this. I also haven't failed a squat rep in like 2 years and I'd like to keep that winning streak alive. I'm probably not going to attempt 315 until I have 325 in me. I'm also probably not going to squat 310 ever .


***

So the cut started yesterday. I'm going to begin logging macros daily starting with today (will provide logs the next day). I'll do that for two weeks just to get into a groove and then go back to the weekly logs that may be familiar to the OGs of this thread. That's what I did in order to drop from 170 to 123 once upon a time. If it can be done once, it can be done again. Things are semi-stabilizing for me now and I have a very physical job. Once I adjust to that I'm going to sprinkle in some conditioning work. The only obstacle is to dodge all of the pure garbage that is readily available for human consumption in this land of opportunity.

Nice work man.

Nice job dude. Btw, 750lbs @ 128lb bw would be 300 wilks! Doesn't matter, I really admire your determination, consistency, and thoughtful training.

But I'm a little bummed we haven't gotten together to lift yet since you're back in town. Let's make it happen!

Ty

Ive thought about that and I wanted to get this testing day behind me along with some other things before we meet up. Basically I've been slammed every day since I got here and things are just beginning to settle down. I haven't even had a chance to visit my best friend in Knoxville yet. I'll hit you up soon.

Wednesday 7 Aug 2019 Training

Squat w/belt (3'-4'): 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 240x5 @7.5

Comp. Bench (2'-3'): 95x5, 125x5, 135x5, 140x5 @9 bleh
Lat Pulldown: 85x10 x4 sets

DB Fly(1'): 20s x10 x4 sets
GHR Back Raise: x10 x4 sets

T=55' @5

***

Training after a work day sucks. Squat strength was about where I wanted, but bench sucked again. Also, I suck at 5s. I still haven't decided on a program for Saturday.

6.8 macros: 2047cal, 156p, 113f, 94c

7.8 macros: 1939cal, 134p, 72f, 191c

Friday 9 Aug 2019 Training
8-Week Skinny Strong W1D1

Squat w/belt (3'-4'): 135x5, 185x5, 215x5, 230x5, 245x4 @8, 230x5 @7

Comp. Bench (2'-3'): 95x5, 125x5, 135x5, 140x5 x3 sets, LS @8
Facepull: x15 x5 sets

Dips (1'-2'): x8 x5 sets
GHR Back Raise: x10 x5 sets

T=73' @7
W=149.8 lb

***

Yup, suck at 5s. I bitched out on the 5th rep of 245. I also had some fake pain in my left lower back that probably assisted in that. Bench was a lot better than last session, though.

8.8 macros: 2183cal, 153p, 95f, 129c

9.8 macros: 2339cal, 176p, 112f, 140c

I got America'd pretty hard these last two days. I made what seemed like sensible food choices at restaurants on two occasions and got boned by absurd calorie density. Yesterday I went to a cafeteria-style Mexican grill and got a chicken quesadilla with black beans. It was something that I'm accustomed to spending around 800 calories on. I'm guessing the cheese alone was at least 600, judging from the large fist-sized amount she put on it. I put down a total of 1350, but it could have been even more.

Then today I went to KFC with my family and ordered what seemed like a fairly low calorie option: 4 chicken strips with no sides. KFC website says each strip is 260, which is astonishing considering Chick-Fil-A's entire 4 strips entree is only 470. They just pack so much oil into every item, it's no wonder people here are fat.

I guess on the bright side I got decent protein numbers in.

Saturday 10 Aug 2019 Training
8-Week Skinny Strong W1D2

Deadlift (3'-4'): 135x5, 225x5, 245x5, 275x5 x2 sets @ 8, 8.5

Overhead Press (2'-3'): 45x5, 65x5, 75x5, 85x5 x2 sets @ 8, 8.5
Lat Pulldown: 85x10 x4 sets

Leg Press (1'-2'): 225x8, 275x8, 315x8 x3 sets
DB Fly: x10 x5 sets

T=58' @7
W=149.6 lb

***

Against my judgment, I included the overhead press. As expected, I am very weak at them. Deadlifts were fine, and I think 275x5 matches my 5 rep PR from ages ago when I did fives. I made surprisingly good time for a deadlift day.

Pfft come on you chose super donk meals at both places. You can easily eat for sub 600 calories at just about every fast food joint. Maybe don’t buy deep fried foods or some protein wrapped in carbs and cheese lol.

Getting “America’d” when you came here at like 22-25% bf having lived abroad for a while reads like something out of MLYLT’s log.