2018! New Year, New Thread! PART 3: Still trying to achieve Super Saiyan!

[sooby]

3/5/1 - SST
Cycle 1 - Week 2 - Day 4 - Lower B
Weight - 186.8 lbs

Main Lift - Deadlift

247.5 lbs x 5 (beltless/strapless)
285 lbs x 5 (strapless)
322.5 lbs x 5 @6

Assistance Lift - Squat

155 lbs x 10 (beltless)
190 lbs x 10 (beltless)
220 lbs x 10
220 lbs x 10
220 lbs x 10

Supplemental Lifts

Neutral Grip Pullup - 25 lbs x 3/3/3
Back Extension - 80 lbs x 11/11/11
Leg Extension - 155 lbs x 11/11/11
Face Pulls - 50 lbs x 15/15/15/15

Additional NOTES: Even though this doesn't look like a lot of volume, man I've almost never felt so dead tired in my life. The 5x10 squats really sucked the life out of me. Just felt super fatigued after it all. I think it may be partially due to me having an exam next week so I'm not completely focused, and had 1 or 2 bad nights of sleep, IDK. But I haven't really changed much of anything so it seemed kinda strange that I would feel so tired. Think I might need a deload after 3 weeks which is pretty sad. But I am taking holidays from work to study for my exam, but also partially to get some more sleep and clear my mind. Hopefully the workouts should feel better by then.

[sooby]

3/5/1 - SST
Cycle 1 - Week 3 - Day 1 - Upper A
Weight - 187 lbs

Main Lift - Paused Bench Press

152.5 lbs x 5
172.5 lbs x 3
195 lbs x 5 @7.5
205 lbs x 2 @7
205 lbs x 2 @7.5

Assistance Lift - Paused Overhead Press

85 lbs x 5
95 lbs x 5
107.5 lbs x 5
107.5 lbs x 5
107.5 lbs x 5
(all beltless)

Supplemental Lifts

Pullups - BW - 8/8/8
DB Rows - 55 lbs x 10/10/10/10/10
DB Shoulder Press - 45 lbs x 10/10/10/10
EZ-Bar Curl - 47.5 lbs x 16/4/4/4/4/4
Face Pull - 50 lbs x 15/15/15/15

Additional NOTES: Workout felt really good, a good amount of volume. Bench press moved pretty good, surprised I was able to handle this volume really well. I have an exam on Thursday and it will mark my last day on this bulk. Now that the exam will be over, I will concentrate on cutting. I've made the mistake of cutting for too long on so low calories so it's only going to be a 10 week cut rather than 16 weeks. And will probably have a maintenance week in between so its really only 9 weeks. Not looking to be shredded or anything, just want to get rid of excess fat as quickly as possible and focus more on building muscle. Longer bulks followed by somewhat aggressive and shorter cuts I think are the way to go for me. Hopefully I can maintain most of my strength if not all, it's the goal here. The goal is also to lose 10-15 lbs. The ideal weight around 170-175 lbs, I'm around 186-187 right now.

[sooby]

3/5/1 - SST
Cycle 1 - Week 3 - Day 2 - Lower A
Weight - 187 lbs


Main Lift - Squats

235 lbs x 5
267.5 lbs x 5 (oops meant to do 3 reps
300 lbs x 4 @7
315 lbs @7.5
315 lbs @8.5

Assistance Lift - Deficit Deadlifts

145 lbs x 6 (paused deadlift)
145 lbs x 6 (paused deadlift)
285 lbs x 5
285 lbs x 5
285 lbs x 5

Supplemental Lifts

Neutral Grip Pullups - 25 lbs x 3/3/3/3/3
Leg Curls - 95 lbs x 12/12/14
Back Extensions - 80 lbs x 12/12/12
Face Pulls - 50 lbs x 15/15/15/15

Additional NOTES: A somewhat good of a bounce-back squat session. Today they felt okay, still not the best but was slightly content with how it moved. 300 x 4 moved okay but could be better. 315 moved okay but that one could be better as well. Slowly getting into that squat groove I guess. But I think I lack the psychological and physical adaptations of handling heavier weights so more practice is only going to help that. However, that last joker set of 315 was slower than I wanted it to be, oh well, can't really complain about this session overall. Hips and back were feeling a bit jacked up too.

[sooby]

3/5/1 - SST
Cycle 1 - Week 3 - Day 3 - Upper B
Weight - 187.6 lbs

Main Lift - Paused OHP

95 lbs x 5
107.5 lbs x 3
120 lbs x 5
127.5 lbs x 3 @6
127.5 lbs x 3 @6.5

Assistance Lift - Paused Bench

135 lbs x 5
155 lbs x 5
175 lbs x 5
175 lbs x 5
175 lbs x 5

Supplemental Lifts

Lat Pulldown - 110 lbs x 12/12/12
Tough.

DB Incline Press - 55 lbs x 10/10/10/14
Wide Cable Row - 100 lbs x 8/8/8/8/10
Face Pull - 50 lbs x 15/15/15/15
EZ-Bar Curl - 47.5 lbs x 16/4/4/4/4/4

Additional NOTES: Very good session overall, overhead press felt really good which is the main thing tbh

[sooby]

3/5/1 - SST
Cycle 1 - Week 3 - Day 4 - Lower B
Weight - nope

Main Lift - Deadlift

285 lbs x 5
322.5 lbs x 3
360 lbs x 5 @7.5 Volume PR!
380 lbs x 1 @8???

Assistance Lift - Squat

205 lbs x 5
235 lbs x 5
267.5 lbs x 5
267.5 lbs x 5
267.5 lbs x 5

Supplemental Lifts

Neutral Grip Pullup - 25 lbs x 3/3/3/3/3
Back Extensions - 85 lbs x 12/12/12
Leg Extensions - 155 lbs x 12/12/13
Face Pulls - 50 lbs x 15/15/15/15

Additional NOTES: I haven't went this heavy on deadlifts in a very long time, think it's been more than 2 years since I've attempted 380. But man they felt so heavy lol, I guess as expected. I could definitely feel a lot of tension on my whole entire body pulling 360 for 5 reps. I really wanted to get 380 lbs x 3 to set another PR but man it felt like RPE 10 even tho on camera it was probably RPE 8. I might have hesitated a bit though. But I feel like I just need to get used to the grinding feeling of heavier weights, but I'll take the PR at 360 lbs for sure. It's a practice thing I feel and I can have 405 very soon with some extra work, not necessarily any muscle gains. But man, after that single, my back felt shot lol ... don't think it was bad form, maybe a case of not being used to it.

[sooby]

Forgot to give some other note too. The DL session was supposed to be done on Wednesday but I had an exam on Thursday so that's why I did it on Friday so it kinda fuked up my schedule ... oh well. Been honestly feeling kind of demotivated to go to the gym and after three weeks I'm not really enjoying this program for multiple reasons and it probably doesn't align fully with my goals after some introspection.

One of my goals is to really push into heavier weights, I don't think this program really has enough volume in the 80-90% range to fulfill that so as a consequence I've been feeling a lot of DOMs and don't think I will develop the necessary adaptations to said weight. Another thing is too that I think it has too many "light" sets, pretty much something I would consider warm-ups that I don't feel contribute much and don't maximize my time in the gym. Another thing which honestly sounds lame as fuk is that I actually hate changing around the damn weights so much lol.

I know overall all these excuses sound lame af and that I should probably give it some extra time, but if I'm not feeling it and I'm not confident in it I don't see a reason to continue further. It probably wouldn't work anyways if I wasn't 100% in it mentally.

[sooby]

So I guess the question is what program am I going to run??

Well, it's not necessarily a specific program but it's more of a template.

Going to use the GZCL method here for my lifts

http://swoleateveryheight.blogspot.c...lified_13.html

Cliffs of Program:

- Upper/Lower 4 days a week in a 4 week cycle
- Main lifts are Paused Bench/Deadlift/Paused OHP/Squats at around 80-90% intensity
- Basic Linear Periodization (increasing intensity and decreasing volume)
- Assistance lifts are Paused OHP/Squats/Paused Bench/Deficit deadlifts at around 65-75% intensity for volume
- Supplemental lifts are basically just isolations
- Still same structure as 531, just different volumes and intensities
- 4th week is an AMRAP which will determine progression
- If feeling good, will AMRAP last set of main lifts

I've kept it a lot simpler this time. Subbed out some isolations. I've lowered my squat and my DL max to really hammer in practice while not pushing things too quickly.

[sooby]

Deload
Week 1 - Day 1 - Upper Body
Weight - 187.6 lbs

Paused Bench - 185 lbs x 5/5
Felt pretty good, a good combination of heavy while moving fast.

Paused OHP - 105 lbs x 5/5
Felt pretty good.

Neutral-Grip Curls - 50 lbs x 12/12
No idea how much the curl bar weighs but I'll assume 20 lbs. I actually really like these.

Machine Low Row - 40 lbs x 10/10
Subbed DB Rows for these, definitely felt different but good at the same time. I don't normally use hammer machines but this seems doable for me.

[Jamitupa]

Nice setup man, kill it

[sooby]

Nice setup man, kill it

aye thanks

[sooby]

Deload
Week 1 - Day 2 - Full Body
Weight - nope

Deadlifts - 315 lbs x 5/5
Trying to get used to without straps ... even mixed grip with chalk my hands kept slipping like crazy

Squats - 235 lbs x 5/5
Did these beltless, felt light on my back which is a positive sign.

Paused Bench - 155 lbs x 5/5
Light and good overall.

[ardee2124]

Good idea dude. Regular 5/3/1 doesn't have enough volume for the main lifts, point blank.

Heard good things about GZCL... Look into his Jacked and Tan 2.0 program, lays out very simple and straightforward percentages and progression schemes.

[sooby]

Good idea dude. Regular 5/3/1 doesn't have enough volume for the main lifts, point blank.

Heard good things about GZCL... Look into his Jacked and Tan 2.0 program, lays out very simple and straightforward percentages and progression schemes.

J&T2.0 looks pretty good, it'll definitely be something I consider running after this version

[sooby]

Deload
Week 1 - Day 3 - Full Body
Weight - 188.0 lbs


Squats - 265 lbs x 5/5
Felt okay

Paused OHP - 115 lbs x 5/5
Decent.

Deadlifts - 275 lbs x 3/5
Lost my chalk lol so the bar kept slipping from my hand even with mixed grip. So put on straps for the last set

Additional NOTES: Did some cardio after, will start new program on Friday.

[sooby]

GZCL Method
Cycle 1 - Week 1 - Day 1 - Upper A
Weight - 188.4 lbs

Main Lift - Paused Bench Press

192.5 lbs x 3
192.5 lbs x 3
192.5 lbs x 3
192.5 lbs x 3 @6
192.5 lbs x 7 @8.5

Assistance Lift - Paused OHP

102.5 lbs x 6
102.5 lbs x 6
102.5 lbs x 6
102.5 lbs x 6
102.5 lbs x 6
(all beltless)

Supplemental Lifts

Pullups - BW x 7/7/7
Machine Low Row - 45 lbs x 10/22'
DB Shoulder Press - 50 lbs x 10/13
NG BB Curl - 50 lbs x 10/10/17

Additional NOTES: Already loving this program and it's just the first day. No BS, Just keeping things relatively simple here. The triples on bench moved better than I thought they would and felt really good. Even the AMRAP wasn't too bad either. Definitely going to have to up the weight alot on the machine rows lol. I'm actually proud I can rep 50s on DB Shoulder press with nearly full ROM. I honestly couldn't imagine how I would run 531 on a cut without killing myself, this program I feel is better and I will be able to stick to it more. It's really time to push my bench into more work in the 200s, even if it is low reps but that will come soon enough. Also just started on my cut today. Not really feeling the effects but obviously still the first day. Did catch a bit of a cold though but I don't think that impacted anything at all.

[sooby]

GZCL Method
Cycle 1 - Week 1 - Day 2 - Lower A
Weight - 186.8 lbs

Main Lift - Deadlift

340 lbs x 3
340 lbs x 3
340 lbs x 3
340 lbs x 3
340 lbs x 8 @7? Volume PR!

Assistance Lift - Squat

232.5 lbs x 6 (beltless)
232.5 lbs x 6
232.5 lbs x 6
232.5 lbs x 6
232.5 lbs x 6

Supplemental Lifts

Neutral Grip Pull-Up - 30 lbs x 3/3/5
Leg Extensions - 160 lbs x 10/10/15
Leg Curls - 100 lbs x 10/10/15
Face Pull - 60 lbs x 12/12/12/12

Additional NOTES: Accidentally deleted the video lol. After going to the PT magically my elbow feels better. A decent Volume PR on Deadlifts as well although it felt heavy initially on the first set. Squats feeling good as well. Also went for a tour and a movement screen at a powerlifting gym that I am debating whether or not to get a membership from. The coach looked at my squat, bench, deadlift and suggested a few things. For squat, mainly increase my ankle dorsiflexion, for bench, bench more in a straight line and for deadlift, bring the shoulders back just slightly. I probably will sign up for it at some point.

[sooby]

been feeling under the weather, really since Friday and felt like chit on Sunday. Still feel like chit right now, but I will likely still go for today's session.

[sooby]

GZCL Method
Cycle 1 - Week 1 - Day 3 - Upper B
Weight - nope

Main Lift - Paused OHP

125 lbs x 3
125 lbs x 3
125 lbs x 3
125 lbs x 3
125 lbs x 9 @9 Volume PR!

Main Lift - Paused Bench

155 lbs x 6
155 lbs x 6
155 lbs x 6
155 lbs x 6
155 lbs x 6

Supplemental Lifts

Lat Pulldown - 110 lbs x 10/10/15
Wide Grip Cable Row - 105 lbs x 8/8
DB Incline Press - 60 lbs x 10/15
NG Barbell Curl - 50 lbs x 10/10/16

Additional NOTES: Was kind of feeling like chit TBH. By the time I finished Paused OHP I just didn't feel like working out lol. The paused bench felt meh, Incline Pressing felt heavy, maybe because of all the pressing volume IDK lol. Wide Grip Cable Rows I just felt lazy. Was overall a meh workout but I was very pleased with OHP though. Probably a PR for the paused version, but for whatever reason I'm not counting it as a PR unless it exceeds the TnG, lesser ROM version I did before.

edit: nah, it actually is a PR, all around lol, never did 125 lbs for 9 and it was RPE 9 at that.

[ECGordyn]

Those are some tough reps, props for pushing them all up.

Probably OHP gassed you for the rest of the workout. It's easy to forget how much that lift taxes your whole body.

[sooby]

Those are some tough reps, props for pushing them all up.

Probably OHP gassed you for the rest of the workout. It's easy to forget how much that lift taxes your whole body.

strangely, I really didn't feel that gassed at all, at least comparatively to all the chit I've done over the months. Just felt like a weird tiredness, lack of energy and lethargy

[sooby]

GZCL Method
Cycle 1 - Week 1 - Day 4 - Lower B
Weight - 187.6 lbs

Main Lift - Squats

282.5 lbs x 3
282.5 lbs x 3
282.5 lbs x 3
282.5 lbs x 3
282.5 lbs x 9 @ 8.5?

Assistance Lift - Deficit Deadlifts

245 lbs x 6
245 lbs x 6
245 lbs x 6
245 lbs x 6
245 lbs x 6
(all beltless)

Supplementary Lifts

Neutral Grip Pull-up - 30 lbs x 3/3/5
Face Pull - 60 lbs x 12/12/12/12
Leg Extensions - 160 lbs x 10/10/10
Leg Curls - 100 lbs x 10/10/10

Additional NOTES: First week in the bag, and it has gone well I would say. I've hit some decent AMRAPs. Squats haven't been feeling great but this was a welcome session. I could have even hit an AMRAP PR with 11 (I think I had that if I pushed it that far) but I want to get myself comfortable with squats again. It still feels a bit weird though but I can't complain about this. Did deficit DLs beltless cuz I was lazy, nothing super difficult although tiring. Forgot to tell you guys that I'm also cutting lol. Some of the squats may be a little high but that might be camera angle, even so, I don't think it would have affected RPE all that much.

[sooby]

GZCL Method
Cycle 1 - Week 2 - Day 1 - Upper A
Weight - 187.2 lbs


Main Lift - Paused Bench

197.5 lbs x 4 @6
197.5 lbs x 4 @6.5
197.5 lbs x 8 @9.5

Assistance Lift - Paused OHP

110 x 8
110 x 8
110 x 8

Supplemental Lifts

Pullups - BW x 8/8/8

DB Shoulder Press - 50 lbs x 10/10/7
Ran out of steam lol

Machine Low Row - 80 lbs x 10/10/21
Neutral Bar Curl - 50 lbs x 11/11/15

Additional NOTES: Even though lesser volume, surprisingly a tough session, probably due to the near failure bench press. OHP was surprisingly difficult as well lol. But this workout was great overall, got good quality volume in.

[sooby]

GZCL Method
Cycle 1 - Week 2 - Day 2 - Lower A
Weight - 187.0 lbs

Main Lift - Deadlift
'
350 lbs x 4 @6.5
350 lbs x 4 @6.5
350 lbs x 5 @7.5

Assistance Lift - Squat

250 lbs x 8
250 lbs x 8
250 lbs x 8

Supplemental Lifts

Neutral Grip Pull-Ups - 30 lbs x 3/3/3/4
Leg Extension - 160 lbs x 11/11/15
Leg Curls - 100 lbs x 11/11/15
Face Pulls - 60 lbs x 12/12/12/12

Additional NOTES: Deadlifts felt heavy! It's always that first rep that is hard to get but the other reps feel a bit less heavy. I guess I am just going to have to accept that from here on out deadlifts are going to feel heavy no matter what. Squats felt sorta heavy too but I think that was mostly my lower back. My quads were easily able to get the weight up. Grueling session surprisingly, but I did alot of good work here.

[sooby]

GZCL Method
Cycle 1 - Week 2 - Day 3 - Upper B
Weight - oops forgot

Main Lift - Paused OHP

127.5 lbs x 4 @6
127.5 lbs x 4 @6
127.5 lbs x 9 @10 Volume PR!

Assistance Lift - Paused Bench

170 lbs x 8 @6.5
170 lbs x 8 @7.5
170 lbs x 8 @8.5

Supplemental Lifts

Lat Pulldowns - 110 lbs x 11/11/13
Incline DB Press - 60 lbs x 10/10/10
Wide Grip Cable Row - 105 lbs x 8/8/10
Neutral Grip Bar Curls - 50 lbs x 11/11/16

Additional NOTES: This session was brutal as hell, but probably because I went to a true RPE 10 on OHP so it made everything else tougher than it should have been. But couldn't resist the urge of setting another PR on OHP for the 2nd time in a row. Last rep looked ugly as hell but I did it. But I think I'll calm it down the next week and maybe only go RPE 7-8 on the last set. After all, the last week AMRAP is what will really determine progression for the next cycle. But man by the time I got to incline DB press my arms were just so damn tired I had trouble kicking the DBs up ... But man it was a good workout.

[sooby]

GZCL Method
Cycle 1 - Week 2 - Day 4 - Lower B
Weight - 186 lbs


Main Lift - Squats

292.5 lbs x 4
292.5 lbs x 4 @6
292.5 lbs x 7 @8

Assistance Lift - Deficit Deadlifts

260 lbs x 8
260 lbs x 8
260 lbs x 8

Supplemental Lifts

Neutral Grip Pull-ups - 30 lbs x 3/3/3/5
Leg Extensions - 160 lbs x 11/11/12
Leg Curls - 100 lbs x 11/11/11
Face Pulls - 60 lbs x 12/12/12/12

Additional NOTES: For some reason this session I just felt tired as fuk, more than usual. Deficit deadlifts felt like hell on my cardio lol. Even waking up this morning I felt very tired. It might be the cut (I haven't reduced my calories that much yet tho) but I think it's just general tiredness that day lol. Other than that, I got all the work done which really the only thing I can hope for. I should probably be trying to get to sleep earlier though it's hard. Since the gym is closed on Friday I'm going to do a workout today although I feel a bit tired. Maybe take it a bit easier here then rest up good. And I'm quite happy with the 7 reps of squats.

[sooby]

GZCL Method
Cycle 1 - Week 3 - Day 1 - Upper A
Weight - 186.6 lbs

Main Lift - Paused Bench

202.5 lbs x 2 @6
202.5 lbs x 2 @6
202.5 lbs x 2 @6.5
202.5 lbs x 2 @6.5
202.5 lbs x 5 @8.5

Assistance Lift - Paused OHP

117.5 lbs x 5 (beltless)
117.5 lbs x 5 (beltless)
117.5 lbs x 5
117.5 lbs x 5

Supplemental Lifts

Pullups - BW x 9/9/6/3
Machine Low Row - 120 lbs x 10/10/10/12
DB Shoulder Press - 50 lbs x 10/10/10/9
Neutral Grip Bar Curls - 50 lbs x 12/12/12

Additional NOTES: Damn this workout was tough lol. Fuk heavy DBs, had trouble kicking them up so I'm probably gonna change the rep scheme. Still really good session overall and things are going according to plan. Week 2 of my cut is over, probably will go for 7-8 weeks.

[sooby]

GZCL Method
Cycle 1 - Week 3 - Day 2 - Lower A
Weight - 186.2 lbs

Main Lift - Deadlift

360 lbs x 2 @6
360 lbs x 2 @6
360 lbs x 2 @6
360 lbs x 2 @6
360 lbs x 4 @8.5

Assistance Lift - Squats

267.5 lbs x 5
267.5 lbs x 5
267.5 lbs x 5
267.5 lbs x 5

Supplemental Lifts

Neutral Grip Pull-ups - 30 lbs x 3/3/3/3/6
Leg Extensions - 160 lbs x 12/12/13
Leg Curls - 100 lbs x 12/12/17
Face Pulls - 60 lbs x 12/12/12/12

Additional NOTES: Damn deadlifts were super hard, I really struggle getting that first rep up the floor but repping it doesn't seem to be a huge problem. Also seems to jack up my hips a little bit which made the squats sorta uncomfortable. However I did get some good volume on the assistance lifts, even got 6 reps on my last set of neutral grip pull-ups. Everything going well thus far.

[sooby]

Sorry guys, had spent a week doing a forced deload from the forums (band camp) so I couldn't update

[sooby]

GZCL Method
Cycle 1 - Week 3 - Day 3 - Upper B
Weight - 186.8 lbs

Main Lift - Paused OHP

132.5 lbs x 2
132.5 lbs x 2
132.5 lbs x 2
132.5 lbs x 2
132.5 lbs x 5 @7.5

Assistance Lift - Paused Bench

180 lbs x 5
180 lbs x 5
180 lbs x 5
180 lbs x 5

Supplemental Lifts

Machine Lat Pulldown - 110 lbs x 12/12/12
Wide Grip Cable Rows - 105 lbs x 8/8/8/11
Incline DB Bench Press - 60 lbs x 10/10/10/10
NG Barbell Curls - 50 lbs x 12/12/15

Additional NOTES: Very good session overall. OHP felt really really good. Got some good bench volume. Think I'm ready to set a big PR next week

[sooby]

GZCL Method
Cycle 1 - Week 3 - Day 4 - Lower B
Weight - 186.8 lbs

Main Lift - Squat

300 lbs x 2 @8
300 lbs x 2 @7.5
300 lbs x 2 @8
300 lbs x 2 @8.5
300 lbs x 3 @9

Assistance Lift - Deficit Deadlift

280 lbs x 5
280 lbs x 5
280 lbs x 5
280 lbs x 5

Supplemental Lifts

NG Pull-ups - 30 lbs x 3/3/3/3/3
Leg Extensions - 160 lbs x 12/12/12
Leg Curls - 100 lbs x 12/12/12
Face Pulls - 60 lbs x 12/12/12/12

Additional NOTES: Absolutely garbage and brutal session. 300 lbs felt heavy af for some reason. However my hips just did not feel comfortable at all
and it felt like I was struggling to hit depth and my hips impingeing. It felt really bad and uncomfortable and based on the video it shows. Wanted a clean 5 reps.
Instead got an ugly 3 reps. Hopefully I can bounce back