Planning out my last block of the year after I max in August. I'd like some feedback on the below for my lower body lifts.

I'm running 5/3/1 and plan on running the Leviathan template - but I do it 3/5/1; so a medium week, light week, then heavy week. It's 1-3 reps, working up to a heavy single of my training max for all three weeks. It's 70%/80%/90%/100%.

My goal is to get adequate reps with the two main lifts, technique work on my 2 big lower body lifts and work on some of my issues (leaning forward in the bottom of the squat, issues getting the bar off the floor with DL, etc.), hitting some muscles that low bar squat and conventional deadlift don't target directly, while keeping volume manageable to not overly fatigue myself going into December.

Squat:
3s week: Sets of 3 on working sets; 5x5 of low bar pause squat (80% of the first working set weight), 5x5 of high bar, heel elevated squat (same weight)
5s week: Sets of 2 on working sets; 5x10 of high bar, heel elevated squat (this will be a pretty easy weight, maybe RPE 7 or 8)
1s week: Sets of 1 on working sets; 5x5 of heavy low bar squat (at 85% of TM)

Deadlift:
3s week: Sets of 3 on working sets; 5x5 of conventional DL (70% of TM), 5x5 of stiff leg DL (70% of the first working set weight)
5s week: Sets of 2 on working sets; 5x5 of deficit DL (80% of first working set weight)
1s week: Sets of 1 on working sets; 5x5 of heavy conventional DL (at 85% of TM)

Thoughts?

Are you leaning forward without having your heels elevated on squat too?

Leaning forward can be cause by a myriad of things on squat… I'm just curious if it's consistent with heels flat.

I have been using flat, thin sole Xero shoes for my low bar squats.

Using the heel elevation on high bar to isolate the quads more and to give myself more range and get full ATG depth.

Edit: The issue has actually gotten a lot better since using my knee sleeves - yesterday was the first time I noticed it creeping back, and I think it was a fatigue issue. My lower back was a little tweaked going into the workout, so I'm hoping it's more of a core issue.

Are you only leaning forward on heavy reps or is this somewhat consistent across the board?

Core strength is something to think about and admittedly I need to work on this more - at least in an isolation sense. Sometimes heavy weight is just going to cause you to lean a little more forward and not much you can do.

Bar placement can also impact things, especially on low bar squats. You can also tilt your hips back if your quads are the weaker point. I'd also add how you're controlling the bar on the way down and firing out of the squat too...

Hard to really say but a video might help. Hoosegow may have some thoughts on helping.

It's improved a lot, but I definitely see it come up more when I'm banging out reps and fatigued. I assume a lot of it is from my stronger muscles trying to take over when my quads start to fail, so I've been working in the high bar squats to address the muscle imbalance (assuming there is one).

I haven't done a lot of heavy singles work recently, so that is why I plan to incorporate them in the 3 months leading up to my last max of the year - I want to make sure if I'm having any form issues that I have a weekly chance to iron them out. The last month I'll probably work in static holds at the weights I plan to use for maxing out so I'm adjusted to having the weight on my back.

Huge fan of static holds! I think the majority of the benefit is psychological but familiarize your body with a heavier load without having the stress of actually lifting it full ROM is great.

You might already be working on this in your program but don't sleep on incorporating a heavier paused rep on squats too. I actually warm up with tempo + pause until I get to my working sets. After my final working set I usually do two drops:

1) drop to 85-90% of 1RM (assuming I was squatting heavier than this for working sets) and do 2 or maybe 3 pause squats

2) drop to about 70% of 1RM and do a burnout set (10-15 reps)

The latter is extremely fatiguing and not something I do if I am planning on really pushing myself on Pendulum/Hack and Leg Press Variation.

I haven't worked with paused reps at all, so I'm trying to start at a pretty conservative weight to get an idea for how much of my percentage I should be programming so I don't overdo it.

After a few rounds of it, I have been playing with the idea of doing a 10x2 or 10x3 to give me more "first reps" with a heavier weight for my heavy week, so that might be a good way to work it in.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Huge fan of static holds! I think the majority of the benefit is psychological but familiarize your body with a heavier load without having the stress of actually lifting it full ROM is great.

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This helps me alot too (even though I'm doing half the weight you are). I found my body does stupid sheet (and by stupid, is doing exactly what its design to do, ie, throw heavy weight off you as fast as possible), if it feels "surprised" by how heavy something is.

Great to hear! What was the diagnosis on the shoulder?

I have had a few tweaks and issues with my shoulders, mostly from benching too much without perfecting form and/or neglecting stabilizer muscles in the shoulders. I'm pretty anal now about incorporating external/internal rotations, cuban presses, upside down kettlebell presses, landmine presses, and anything that hits rear delts. Knock on wood, it sure seems like it has helped

I watched a couple of kids max out yesterday and with some pretty impressive weight for their age. Once they tried their max, they all lost every bit of integrity they had in their form and it looked really sloppy. it was mostly a timing issue, something I am really guilty of too on heavy maxes. Your body just sort of freaks out and wants to drive the weight up before you ever really stop with it at the bottom - and it is way worse when its a weight you have never held before.

The isoholds help your brain not panic as much, in my opinion. I also think that incorporating a lot of pause reps on bench helps your body not freak out as much if you have to go with a more controlled eccentric - which is honestly a more productive and safe way to bench anyways.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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I watched a couple of kids max out yesterday and with some pretty impressive weight for their age. Once they tried their max, they all lost every bit of integrity they had in their form and it looked really sloppy. it was mostly a timing issue, something I am really guilty of too on heavy maxes. Your body just sort of freaks out and wants to drive the weight up before you ever really stop with it at the bottom - and it is way worse when its a weight you have never held before.

The isoholds help your brain not panic as much, in my opinion. I also think that incorporating a lot of pause reps on bench helps your body not freak out as much if you have to go with a more controlled eccentric - which is honestly a more productive and safe way to bench anyways.

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Thats exactly it. Its trying to manage the panic. To me, squats are the worst for the panic.

And man, I don't know if its "gymflation" but there are some young guys that are really freakin jacked and strong nowadays.

According to the MRI that was done:

• partial tearing of the subscapularis
• some ac joint arthrosis
• tearing of the posterior / posterosuperior labrum - possible tear around the inferior labrum and proximal middle glenohumeral ligament

405 for 5 today on squats. It was an AMRAP and my goal was 4 and my back felt like crap all morning so I was pumped to get it. Programming called for 402.5 but I wasn't going to let a chance to rep 4 plates go by when I was feeling good.

Goal next week is do my 3x3, then a single of 430 and 455 if I'm feeling really good, then static hold 475 for week 2, static hold 495 week 3, then max out week 4.

Soft target is 455 depending on how next week goes, 495 is my send it goal. Hoping to land somewhere in between.

If I can get 475 I'll be happy, that'll easily have me on pace for 500 by EOY.

CC09LawAg said:

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405 for 5 today on squats. It was an AMRAP and my goal was 4 and my back felt like crap all morning so I was pumped to get it. Programming called for 402.5 but I wasn't going to let a chance to rep 4 plates go by when I was feeling good.

Goal next week is do my 3x3, then a single of 430 and 455 if I'm feeling really good, then static hold 475 for week 2, static hold 495 week 3, then max out week 4.

Soft target is 455 depending on how next week goes, 495 is my send it goal. Hoping to land somewhere in between.

If I can get 475 I'll be happy, that'll easily have me on pace for 500 by EOY.

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Good. Lord.

Congratulations man. This is alot of hard work.

Appreciate it!

A little over 3 years ago I started off Stronglifts with 5 reps of 65. Pretty happy with what I've accomplished so far but still a ways to go.

CC09LawAg said:

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Appreciate it!

A little over 3 years ago I started off Stronglifts with 5 reps of 65. Pretty happy with what I've accomplished so far but still a ways to go.

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You're currently doing a variation of 531, correct? Can you elaborate more specifically on what your template looks like, including additional sets (joker, etc)?

I saw you referencing some of that, but I've only been familiar with the original 531 until recently. Just picked up Beyond 531 and he has a ton of variations he talks about. Just curious what's been working well for you.

In general, I run it 3/5/1 (Medium, Light, Heavy week) instead of 5/3/1. I tried running 5s Pro (3x5 instead of the usual 3x3, 3x5, 5/3/1 scheme) and I don't feel like it worked for me. Doing the 5/3/1 scheme where I go for a rep PR on 3s week and 5/3/1 week has worked much better for me. I do not try to PR on 5s week.

I generally start with a Training Max (TM) of 85% of my most recent tested max. Then every cycle I add 5 pounds for upper body to my TM and 10 pounds to my lower body lifts.

What I've done that has worked best is the Boring But Big (BBB) 5x10 template for my lower body. I use 60% of my TM for 3s week, 50% for 5s week, and 70% for 5/3/1 week. Other templates I have liked have been Pervertor and SVR. But whether by coincidence or not, I seem to have my best runs of improvement when running BBB.

Now, I also eat in a caloric surplus when running BBB and generally gain about 20 pounds doing it (which is about a 10% body weight increase).

This go around, I am doing high bar squat for the 5x10 instead of low bar squat and that has been a big help with the weights getting up there - it keeps my overall volume down. As I continue to push, I'll probably switch out DL with RDL or straight leg too, if I continue doing BBB.

Then I generally follow his accessory advice and program 50 each of push/pull/core - usually by picking 3 exercises where I do a 5x10 each. Some days I skip it if I'm totally gassed, but I usually try to make it a goal to at least do a 3x10 of all of my programmed accessories.

I try to run the 7th Week Protocol deload every 2 to 3 cycles (I am bad about this but trying to do better). I usually aim to do 3 leader templates followed by 1 anchor template if I like the program - if it sucks or if I feel burnt out, 2 leaders and 1 anchor.

I haven't found a good groove yet with my upper body stuff. I keep hitting a wall around 315, so I need to change that up. I have been trying to do 5x Pro and SSL (Second Set Last) 5x5 protocol but think I need to change that up.

Hope that helps some - I am happy to answer any other questions.

If you have the time, Boring But Strong (BBS) is a great one too (10 sets of 5 reps at your FSL weight), especially on upper body days - it gives you 10 sets so you can work in pullups and chin ups in between sets at a manageable amount to reach your goal of 50.

Thanks for all the details man. Good info.

407.5 for 5 on DL today. Wanted 3 but got too hyped and went for it.

That extra effort made me crash out on my 5x10 at 300, but I've been thinking it's time to switch out DL for something else on the 5x10 anyways. The risk/reward and CNS fatigue is getting out of whack for me when the weights get that heavy.

Overall happy with this training block leading up to my August max out.

You seem to be really enjoying the program you're on. Great to see.

Still trucking away on SL after the big deload. Going up 2.5 lbs each time instead of 5 seems to be working great. Time will tell. I've decided no matter what that the next plateau I hit I'm switching to something else. I'm feeling that I've gotten what I needed out of SL, which was to catch the lifting bug (resounding success) and to get stronger. I have a few specific numbers I'm hoping to hit before switching. We'll see.

fav13andac1)c said:

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You seem to be really enjoying the program you're on. Great to see.

Still trucking away on SL after the big deload. Going up 2.5 lbs each time instead of 5 seems to be working great. Time will tell. I've decided no matter what that the next plateau I hit I'm switching to something else. I'm feeling that I've gotten what I needed out of SL, which was to catch the lifting bug (resounding success) and to get stronger. I have a few specific numbers I'm hoping to hit before switching. We'll see.

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Took a lot of trial and error and some ego checks but I feel like I've hit a nice groove.

The problem with taking the training wheels off after Stronglifts is that a lot of the programs start to have more flexibility - which is needed as you start to progress from beginner to intermediate.

The danger there is that you can make the mistake of thinking more work = more results, and that is not always so. And nobody can really tell you what will 100% work for you because it is different for everyone.

The first 1/3 of this year I was really enjoying my program but it totally kicked my ass and ground me down. I got results but was feeling completely thrashed. I think what I'm doing now is a nice balance between pushing myself and maintaining recovery.

While you're working your way up, I'd look into Madcow, Texas Method, and 5/3/1. That way when the time to switch comes you've done your homework and can pick whichever one you feel is the best fit for your style of lifting, time constraints, etc.

That's awesome. Congrats on the dedication!

Wow! You look great! Good work!

CC09LawAg said:

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fav13andac1)c said:

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You seem to be really enjoying the program you're on. Great to see.

Still trucking away on SL after the big deload. Going up 2.5 lbs each time instead of 5 seems to be working great. Time will tell. I've decided no matter what that the next plateau I hit I'm switching to something else. I'm feeling that I've gotten what I needed out of SL, which was to catch the lifting bug (resounding success) and to get stronger. I have a few specific numbers I'm hoping to hit before switching. We'll see.

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Took a lot of trial and error and some ego checks but I feel like I've hit a nice groove.

The problem with taking the training wheels off after Stronglifts is that a lot of the programs start to have more flexibility - which is needed as you start to progress from beginner to intermediate.

The danger there is that you can make the mistake of thinking more work = more results, and that is not always so. And nobody can really tell you what will 100% work for you because it is different for everyone.

The first 1/3 of this year I was really enjoying my program but it totally kicked my ass and ground me down. I got results but was feeling completely thrashed. I think what I'm doing now is a nice balance between pushing myself and maintaining recovery.

While you're working your way up, I'd look into Madcow, Texas Method, and 5/3/1. That way when the time to switch comes you've done your homework and can pick whichever one you feel is the best fit for your style of lifting, time constraints, etc.

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This is an excellent post. The temptation after the Novice progression is to just add a bunch of volume, but, especially if you are older, that' will just grind you to paste and you can't recover.

I don't know what your numbers are, but if you haven't switched to 3x5 do that first. And then maybe switch to Heavy, Light, Medium. Going up 5 lbs a week on your heavy day. On the next workout, take it down 80 percent. On the medium day, maybe about 90 percent of your heavy day (give or take). This works pretty well for older(ish) lifters as a late novice/early intermediate.

Anyway, excellent work!

texasaggie2015 said:

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Just wanted to brag a little….

I've been at it for 6 months now. I couldn't be more happy with the results. Hard work really does pay off.

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You should be bragging! That's excellent work man.

Reverse hyperextensions, anyone do them / done them? Gym we're at now has one, and I'm experimenting with it. I know a lot of people swear by them for lower back strength. I've only use one briefly a couple of times. Watching video's online and reading up on it, I've seen people basically swinging the weight and using a lot of momentum, to pausing at the bottom and top with very little momentum. I've seen people try to bring their legs almost in line with their body, and then others with a much shorter range of motion, more like a 30 - 45 degree angle with the legs at the top of the moment.

What's ideal here? I am guessing it's going to somewhat depend on the individual, as to range of motion?

I had a reverse hyper machine in my garage for a while. I think it's a fantastic movement but ultimately I get rid of it. Just took up way too much floor space and I am just fine not having it.

If I remember correctly, I always felt like it was a movement where you could load a little weight or a lot of weight and it didn't really matter. I would definitely use some momentum going up, but not so much that I would go above parallel so I always kept it under control. I felt like that was potentially be a little harmful for the back.

Thanks man. So maybe I'm asking the obvious (since you got rid of yours), but how beneficial did you find it?

Well it was an impulse buy because I saw a good deal on marketplace and I have recurring back pain, but nothing crazy and it comes and goes. Pretty sure I had that machine for a good six months but I just happened to never really have any back pain during that time. Really hard to say if the hyper prevented the pain from coming back, but I certainly can't confidently say that and I'm glad to have my floor space back.

If I was a member of a gym that had one I would definitely try to work at least a set or two in weekly sense it is so good at targeting the low back

I wish we had one. My new gym has about every machine I can think of but this is not one of them.

I have the Westside Scout Hyper. It has a very small footprint and even folds up.

Yeah if I was gonna get one again it would be this one since you can fold it up and move it.