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AB's Keeling Over Reeling Through Exhaustion

anotherbutters

anotherbutters

New member
So I've decided to do the Korte. Yes, I know it's completely over the top for what I need right now. I know there are simpler ways for me to make progress. But, it's just one of those things that I want to try. Working out should be fun, right? (Ask me again in week 4 ;)).

For those that don't know me, I'm 34, 180lb, I've only been lifting for probably a year in total with a 6 month layoff in the middle. My squat's still below my old max, so I'm hoping the extra volume of the Korte will get me back up to that and beyond. My bench has always been crap, so I'm hoping to improve upon that by a nice margin too. And I haven't yet been able to break 3 plates for deads for reps yet, so that's another goal - to get me clear of 3 plates.

In the Korte, you're supposed to add an amount to your squat, bench and dead 1RM's to get your new projected 1RM's. You then do 58-64% of that new maximum for reps in the first 4 weeks to load up. Since this program is designed for competing powerlifters, which I'm not, I'm going to use the above as a guideline and play the weights by ear, trying to load up in 4 weeks without over- or under-doing it. I'm assuming that with the weights being light in absolute terms, the toll won't be as great on me with these percentages as it would on a powerlifter, so I'm expecting to have to increase the weights by a fair margin. I'm going to start off 'by the book' anyway.

I've guessed my current 1RM's and guessed a new projected max. Here are the numbers (all weights in kg):

............. 1RM ... new 1RM ..... 58% .... 60% .... 62% .... 64%
Squat: ... 100 ........ 115 ........ 67 ....... 69 ....... 71 ...... 74
Bench: .... 77 .......... 82 ........ 48 ....... 49 ....... 51 ...... 53
Dead: .... 140 ........ 150 ........ 87 ....... 90 ....... 93 ...... 96

(In pounds, the new 1RM figures are squat 253, bench 180, dead 330)

Wish me luck. I expect lots of heckling in the sidelines :)
-----------

Week 1, Day 1

All weights in kg, (WxSxR)

Squat: 67 x 6 x 5, Bench: 48 x 6 x 6 (WSNWSN), Dead: 87 x 6 x 5 ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)

Squats were easy, as was bench. I sometimes feel my old back injury after arching my back in the bench and when I started deadlifting, I wondered whether I was done for already. The first set was heavier than expected, but they got easier as I got used to deadlifting on a Monday (it's just not right).

I nearly forgot about the WSN bit. I wonder why Korte never used to bench facing East.

An easy workout. Bring it on :chomp:

EDIT: I forgot to add, I'm only using the Korte for the loading phase. The deload/intensity phase will probably be using triples. I haven't thought that far ahead yet.
 
The squat and deads are 6 sets of 5?

Congrats on biting the bullet. If it was easy then use more weight or do more sets. At this stage more sets, later on you'll be getting hassled to bump the weight.

I'd also suggest picking a day to do extra on one of the three lifts. For example, if you choose Monday for squats day then do more squats sets than on the other days.
 
Yeah, 6 sets of 5. I still haven't sat down and read your old journal (or Jim's), nor had the time to read the main Korte page. I'm not sure if that was 'correct', but one set here or there won't make any difference at present.

I was thinking of increasing the sets this week with the same weights, then seeing how I felt at the weekend. Then I can choose next week's weights.

Thanks SC. This won't be completely by the book as I'm not planning on going down to doubles and singles after week 4, but the first 4 weeks should be fairly standard.
 
At least you have the hardest part out of the way: coming up with a journal title for "Korte". ;)

As always, I'll be following along...
 
Awesome! Looking forward to following this beast. It'll be interesting to see how it affects you, kinda' like a guinea pig. LoL

Good luck. Your first SF journal was one of the reasons I started running Sf myself. I don't think I'll follow you down the korte path just yet though. LoL
 
Protobuilder said:
It'll be interesting to see how it affects you, kinda' like a guinea pig. LoL
Click to expand...
Heh...

AB, will you continue doing GPP/running on your off days as you were with the 5x5? Or wait and see how you respond to the higher volume before adding that stuff, perhaps?
 
Cynical Simian said:
At least you have the hardest part out of the way: coming up with a journal title for "Korte". ;)
Click to expand...
You're not kidding - that one was a week in the making with still no ideas, then I drove past a place called Keele on the motorway and :light:

The GPP/running petered out a while ago. To be honest, I don't have much spare time in the evenings after lifting (spend too much time on here!) and I'm always busy at the weekends, so it's nice to relax on the two off days. I've no plans to add them back in again at present.
 
Good luck to you. Besides the physical part, I remember mentally I had all kinds of negativity when I got through 4 sets of squats and realized I had 3 or 4 sets to go. And then bench. And then deadlift.

B-dawg did a nice job of noting his mental state during the course of the program, IIRC.
 
Korte, Week 1, Day 2

I've had a little "I'm not used to this" kind of soreness in my adductors since Monday's workout, but nothing else to report. My squat form hasn't changed at all, so I don't know why they were singled out.

I wrote down 34 mins for Monday's workout, which seemed right at the time, but today's was 44 mins and didn't seem any longer. That includes my usual 10 mins of core work before I start. I've been starting most sets on the minute mark, so very little recovery time as the weights feel light. In fact, I did three sets of bench in a row (NSW), just to see if I could and it wasn't too difficult. I'm hoping for a glimmer of fatigue after Friday's workout, but I'm already thinking the weights are too light. I flew through this workout.

I expected deads to be heavier than expected again (is that possible? ;)) and they were. They weren't heavy, just heavier than expected and got easier after the 2nd set again.

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

W1 D1: Squat: 67 x 6 x 5 reps, Bench: 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN), Dead: 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
TODAY: Squat: 67 x 7 x 5 reps, Bench: 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN), Dead: 87 x 7 x 5 reps

I'm going to bulk during this. I already feel like I'm going to get some really good gains from all this extra volume. I'm loving it so far.
 
It's good to see you adding sets. I think I did 8/8/8 at the end of the first week so consider it normal. The weights get a shade heavier next week. You've gotten me thinking about another Korte now.

I seem to recall gaining weight and losing waist during the volume phase.
 
You were wasting away at 260lb
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5248666&postcount=54

I was testing the water in the first workout as I had no idea how I'd feel by the end of all the deadlifts, but I was ok. I'm ok now too and don't expect any soreness or tiredness tomorrow either. I'm contemplating adding a little on Friday, maybe only 1kg, and going to 8 sets. I'm also thinking of increasing next week's weights by more than I'm supposed to, but I should probably start off with the planned increase on Monday (and back to 5/6 reps) and save further increases until Wednesday, based on how Monday went.

I feel like the weights are too low, but I know fatigue will creep up on me at some point and I'm in this for 4 weeks. I also realise Korte based the percentages on equipped lifts, so I've started too low if you take that into account too.

For reference (I should have put this in the 1st post, but I can't edit it now), here are your and Jim's Kortes:

BW's Korte: http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=416909
Jim's Korte: http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=426105
 
anotherbutters, have you read my experiences with the korte?

i only squatted ~105kg for 5 when i first did it last summer.

i found that it did absolutely nothing for bench, a small increase in deadlift, and an enormous increase in backsquatting, as i went to squatting 125 x 5. not bad for a month's work (the next month of unloading and maxing didn't work out as planned for me..).
 
Wow 34 and 44 minutes - you really zipped through the workout. I must've made it harder than I thought, not enough ESM :p
 
super_rice said:
anotherbutters, have you read my experiences with the korte?

i only squatted ~105kg for 5 when i first did it last summer.

i found that it did absolutely nothing for bench, a small increase in deadlift, and an enormous increase in backsquatting, as i went to squatting 125 x 5. not bad for a month's work (the next month of unloading and maxing didn't work out as planned for me..).
Click to expand...
No I haven't. If you/someone could post a link, that'd be much appreciated, thanks.

It's interesting that your bench and dead didn't really move. I'm trying to get back to my own squat max of 105kg for 5 and beyond, but I naturally thought the Korte would be good for helping my bench and dead too. I'm a bit curious as to why training relatively low intensities for volume is supposed to help powerlifters increase their 1 rep maxes. Maybe there's more carryover at that level. I dunno.

Jim, I just started reading your Korte and noticed you found squats a bit of a challenge from the outset. My squats are a walk in the park and my bench is even easier. I feel like I could do them all night at that weight. I get a sweat going on deads, but they're not what you'd call hard. I need to bump the weights.
 
This all sounds very familiar. I think you've come into this better conditioned than I did and so are finding it even easier.

If a workout feels good then bump something the following workout, sets or weights. I recall holding my bench back while bumping deads and squats once or twice. During the later weeks of your volume run you should bump in anticipation of feeling good.

Super Rice's best suggestion to me was to give your body no chance to adapt to the pace. Just keep the increases reasonable since once you've bumped the weight you can't go back. Just keep balancing weight and volume as you go.

It's been a while but I recall reading a lot of articles where 55% - 65% weights are used for volume training. It was always confusing, though, since 75% ish used to be the norm. It was never clear whether they were accounting for lifting gear or ever-improved neural efficiency.

Anyway, I'm settling in here to watch a funrun at the Korte. It's looking great so far.
 
Korte, Week 1, Day 3

Thanks for the tips. I bumped all the weights today. I wasn't sure whether to drop back to 6 sets, but stuck with 7. I keep writing "EASY" next to the sets in my paper journal and found myself doing the same today. I was losing my grip on the 5th set of deads and grabbed some chalk and all of a sudden deads were easy again. I worked up a bit of a sweat again on deads, but 15 mins after finishing and a quick shower, my heart rate was back to normal and I'd stopped sweating. Fresh as a daisy :)

On the whole, this first week hasn't been the big increase in workload that I expected, so I guess my conditioning is relatively good from pushing myself on the SF5x5. Again, I felt as though I could have done twice as many sets today. I'm going to bump the weights again on Monday. Maybe just squats and bench, then bump deads on Wednesday, so that I'm always increasing something. I know it's only week 2 next week, but at this rate I'll be in week 4 wondering when it's going to start getting hard (famous last words... ;)).

I'm hovering around 180lbs, so I've just switched to whole milk. God I love milk :) I probably drink just under a gallon a day, half of which is now whole.

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

W1 D1: Squat: 67 x 6 x 5 reps, Bench: 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN ), Dead: 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: Squat: 67 x 7 x 5 reps, Bench: 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN), Dead: 87 x 7 x 5 reps
TODAY: Squat: 69 x 7 x 5 reps, Bench: 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN), Dead: 90 x 7 x 5 reps ... (152lb/110lb/198lb)
 
I was going to post this in a new thread, but I think I've answered my own question, so I'm posting it here to get confirmation :)

My quetion was: "What's the purpose of the loading phase - just to load up with volume, or to allow you to push intensity AND volume, safe in the knowledge that you'll be managing the fatigue in the deload?".

I'm basically wondering whether I should be pushing intensity as much as I can, so long as I can still get the volume in, or should I let intensity take a bit of a back seat and just get the volume in with modest increases in intensity? I'm wondering whether I ought to aim for my current 5RM's for 6-8 sets on the final day of loading.

Thinking about it, I think you should increase intensity as much as you can, so long as you don't burn out before the end of the loading phase, i.e. you need to spend a certain amount of time in a loaded state, not just load up over a couple of weeks.

I'm probably just stating the bleeding obvious ;). My focus has been on getting the volume in, but I hadn't thought about pushing the intensity really hard.
 
I view loading as something unfortunate that happens that gets in the way of your workouts and forces you to take a break. Similar to muscles getting ftigued or pumped during a set or, better, your CNS running out of nerve bundles to fire. It's the next level of fatigue and you have to stop and take a breather. Looking at it as being a level higher, consider your loading phase as a single set and then you take a breather and dive in on another set.

Hardly any of us here is an elite lifter and, as such, we have a lot of potential for growth with the correct workload. Just as someone fresh can run Rippetoe's A and B workouts and add to his 5RM session by session, we can gain slightly from workout to workout with appropriate stimulus. A lot of studies have indicated that weights around the 70% mark can work very well for advanced lifters. Given that most PLs lift with gear, Korte somehow ended up with his percentages. I know that I was stronger by the end of the volume phase than prior to it and consider my recent 5x5, assisted though it was. I only ran volume work.

On the question of "how much volume?", I guess Prilepin's table fits reasonably in there somewhere. Other than that I'd just say keep adding to the bar slowly and steadily whenever you can do it and still get the work in. I think I ended up viewing 7 sets as my norm but you'll find your own figure in or just outside your comfort level. Eventually, the loading hits and you push yourself to the end.

When Jim finished his loading phase all three of his lifts ended up at 71% intensity. Mine varied between 71% and 76%. I calculated them in Jim's thread somewhere. Those numbers might serve as a guideline and yours may end up different.

I hope there's some info in this rambling. :)
 
blut wump said:
I view loading as something unfortunate that happens that gets in the way of your workouts and forces you to take a break.
Click to expand...
Thanks. That was exactly the viewpoint I was interested in. So you're saying the emphasis is on the workouts (pushing intensity), rather than on getting loaded? I can explain better now that I've started looking at the tonnage (all weights in kg):

Code: 
SQUAT			BENCH			DEAD			TONNAGE
Weight	Sets	Reps	Weight	Sets	Reps	Weight	Sets	Reps	
									
Progress so far:									
67	6	5	48	6	6	87	6	5	6348
67	7	5	48	7	6	87	7	5	7406
69	7	5	50	7	6	90	7	5	7665
									
Projected maxes (64% of projected 1RM):			
74	6	5	53	6	6	96	6	5	7008
74	7	5	53	7	6	96	7	5	8176
74	8	5	53	8	6	96	8	5	9344 *
74	9	5	53	9	6	96	9	5	10512

Highest maxes (just under current 5RM, or 78% - 83% of projected 1RM):
90	6	5	70	6	6	125	6	5	8970
90	7	5	70	7	6	125	7	5	10465 **
90	8	5	70	8	6	125	8	5	11960

(As a slight aside, the first thing I noticed from my progress so far, is that adding a set makes far more difference than adding a little to the bar).

The 'Projected maxes' are from my initial calculation of week 4's weights, with a varying number of sets. The row highlighted * indicates what I expect Korte would have you do on W4D3, so I know I ought to be somewhere above that, since I'm not a powerlifter using equipment.

The 'Highest maxes' are what I think I might be able to acheive if I get stronger and more conditioned over the remaining 3 weeks of loading. They're a shade under my current 5RMs.

So, the interesting thing to note is that if I were to stick to Korte's percentages but do more volume than he suggests (because I'm not a competing powerlifter), I might do 9 sets on W4D3, which is a tonnage of 10512kg (that sounds heavy :p). Alternatively, if I follow a route where I increase intensity and reduce the sets accordingly, I could do 7 sets near to my current 5RM and get a similar tonnage of 10465kg (marked **) .

Now that I have some numbers, my question becomes easier to understand - should I stick to Korte with high volume, moderate intensity (*) or switch to moderate volume, high intensity (**)? You and Jim took the middle ground with final intensities of 71% to 76%.

As I've stated before, I get the feeling that whilst high volume will give you a much better work capacity, there will be less carryover to a 1RM than training high intensity. From your quote above, if loading is a side-effect that has to be managed, it sounds like you're erring on the side of high intensity, which seems sensible to me.
 
Total workload at appropriate intensities would be closer to my thoughts. I can't recall whether I ever tried to analyze the Korte with Prilepin's table in mind but it could be appropriate. Do a Google if you've forgotten about Prilepin and his table.

There is carryover to a 1RM but you have to spend time working the neural efficiency side to take advantage of it which is the purpose of the intensity phase. It's one of the problems of periodized training: you end up working for muscle adaptation or concentrating more on neural adaptation. One suffers while working the other which led to conjugate training.

In the consideration of total workload, adding or losing a rep can make a huge difference to workload. I think Wade Hanna when he ran the Korte, it's on the deepsquatter site, missed a rep from the bench sets. The difference to workload was huge. The Korte keeps reps-per-set constant so that leaves total sets as your dial for manipulating volume.

Since you've probably become unaccustomed to the volume used here, you may find your volume-phase progress to be beyond expectations and figures approaching 85% may be possible. I think you'll burn out before you get there but could be wrong. Either way, just keep adding sets or weight as you see fit, always holding in mind that, with the weight, at least, there's no stepping back.

There's also my earlier suggestion of adding some extra for one of the exercises on given days of the week. Deads on Mon, Bench on Wed, Squats on Fri, for example.

It's probably reasonably personal how to balance intensity and volume but when you're deep into loading it can be very hard to keep grinding those sets out. It's interesting to see your analysis and you have at least one avid viewer.
 
More spreadsheet fun. I've added a delta column at the end to show the increase in tonnage from one workout to the next, which helped spread the increases more evenly. The total tonnage on both plans is almost identical (1000 tons :worried: ), which raises another interesting question - is tonnage all that matters?

The second workout just 'looks' harder because of the higher weights. Would the higher weights hit the CNS harder, independently of fatigue?

PLAN A – 73% projected 1RM (BW/Jim's percentages)
Code: 
SQUAT			BENCH			DEAD			TONNAGE	DELTA
Weight	Sets	Reps	Weight	Sets	Reps	Weight	Sets	Reps		
67	6	5	48	6	6	87	6	5	6348	
67	7	5	48	7	6	87	7	5	7406	1058
69	7	5	50	7	6	90	7	5	7665	259
71	7	5	52	7	6	92	7	5	7889	224
71	8	5	53	7	6	94	7	5	8356	467
73	8	5	54	7	6	96	7	5	8548	192
73	8	5	55	8	6	98	7	5	8990	442
75	8	5	56	8	6	100	7	5	9188	198
77	8	5	57	8	6	102	7	5	9386	198
79	8	5	58	8	6	104	7	5	9584	198
81	8	5	59	8	6	107	8	5	10352	768
84	8	5	60	8	6	110	8	5	10640	288
TOTAL									104352


PLAN B – 78% - 83% projected 1RM
Code: 
SQUAT			BENCH			DEAD			TONNAGE	DELTA
Weight	Sets	Reps	Weight	Sets	Reps	Weight	Sets	Reps		
67	6	5	48	6	6	87	6	5	6348	
67	7	5	48	7	6	87	7	5	7406	1058
69	7	5	50	7	6	90	7	5	7665	259
71	7	5	53	7	6	94	7	5	8001	336
73	7	5	55	7	6	98	7	5	8295	294
75	7	5	58	7	6	102	7	5	8631	336
77	7	5	60	7	6	106	7	5	8925	294
80	7	5	62	7	6	110	7	5	9254	329
82	7	5	64	7	6	114	7	5	9548	294
85	7	5	66	7	6	118	7	5	9877	329
87	7	5	68	7	6	123	7	5	10206	329
90	7	5	70	7	6	125	7	5	10465	259
TOTAL									104621


------
EDIT: our messages 'crossed in the post'.
blut wump said:
It's interesting to see your analysis and you have at least one avid viewer.
Click to expand...
I'll take quality over quantity any day ;). Thanks again for your comments. I don't want to appear to be overthinking this with the spreadsheets, but I do think they're useful for comparing different scenarios, even if I end up doing something slightly different due to how things unfold in reality.
 
I think the only way you can hope to be able to grind out 30-35 reps at 83% intensity over the three exercises in a single workout is if it's no longer your 83% intensity figure by the time you get there. Prilepin indicates optimal total reps in the 80-90 percent range to be between 10 and 20.

It might be worth aiming that far but it's difficult to say at this stage not knowing how you'll progress. You can try for it and hold steady when the going gets tough. The problem arises that the going may get tough too soon and then the program will be broken as you'll be buried.
 
That's a very good point. I already have thoughts of running two of these back to back with a deload in the middle, rather than an intensity phase, which would give me the opportunity to load more optimally in the second round.

I think the sensible choice is to follow Plan A next week and then see where I stand. I could still increase the intensity afterwards if I wanted. Like you say, if I increase it now, I can't go back.

These weights seem easy sat here on my sofa on a lazy Sunday afternoon :)
 
AB, some thoughts.....

% of 1rm during loading would depend greatly on the level of lifter you are. Weights lifted are relative and not NECESSARILY indicative of one's status as beginner/intermediate/advanced. The most accurate guage to measure a lifter's 'level' is the rate at which they progress and how much planning they require to make progress.

For beginner-intermediate lifters, progress can be make with anywhere from zero to moderate planning, and mostly loading/building fatigue occurs as more or less a by-product of just adding weight to the bar and working with increasingly heavier weights. The advanced lifter, who needs very long-term planning to make continued progress (think guys who would be ecstatic with a 5lb increase in 1RM after a 9 week training cycle), uses lower %'s of a 1RM and manipulates workload through more volume, this builds the fatigue for them because just adding weight to the bar will either be not possible, blow them out after 2 workouts, or both. An example of this is kind of like doing 20 total reps a week at 75%, then increasing the total reps a week until they reach, say, 40, then backing off the total reps, but raising the weight.

The Korte is probably geared for the advanced lifter who needs to manipulate workload more to make progress, but I think it can be tailored to an individual's specific loading needs.

If I were you, I would use your judgement, you can most likely use a heavier load to build the fatigue at this point, as I think you've got lots of untapped potential yet. Do I think you need spreadsheets at this point and long-term planning to this degree? No, most likely not, however, it will be a great experience for you and you'll learn a lot about your body.

I wish I could give you a more 'definitive answer', but it doesn't really exist, if I were you, I would just aim to up workload more by using heavier weights, because that would be the most logical approach and be the best bet to maximize your gains (at your level,don't shortchange yourself, you should expect greater gains than a guy who has been training for over 20 years).

Basically, I agree with Blut Wump. If you have room to play with what you're going to do and experiment a little, it just means that you don't require long-term planning, and would be better suited to make the most gains by increasing workload with weight.
 
Another thing I just want to stress with regard to the level of lifter and potential progress is that age isn't a factor (obviously age can change one's recovery needs, but that is about as far as it goes)....I feel the need to mention this to you AB, because I see in the beginning of the journal you say 34 with only a year or so of lifting experience, and I remember you mentioning age in other posts, and while I forget the specifics, you didn't exactly think of yourself as a Spring chicken. That works to your advantage, though, as the aches and pains of lifting are more related to 'mileage on the body' than the age of the body.
 
Hey AB,

I think if you skim through my old journal (linked from my current one) you'll be able to find some of my experiences from the Korte 3x3.

Biggt is right regarding the level of programming this is, as especially when an athlete is a beginner, one of the major things that is different is work capacity. I found that as I progressed through the workouts, I felt stronger every time, despite small aches and pains as I got toward week 3. In fact, I did 8-9 sets of 5 backsquats with a 2 second pause in the hole up till week 2. I credit this recovery ability to the fact that I was more green then, and my recovery ability was experiencing the newbie gains as well.

This became apparent when I had seemed to "peak" strength wise after the 6th week. I pulled 375lbs DL in the sixth week (though I felt like a trainwreck in the fifth week) for a single, and was not able to repeat in the following weeks. Again, this was because I was (and still am) a beginner, and I believe I recovered much faster than a more experienced athlete that would also use more weight.
 
Wow, there's some serious work going on in here. I"ll have to read later when my brain is on.

In the meantime, I"ll offer my best advice, given the above comments: work hard, add weight to the bar, and eat. LoL
 
biggt - thanks man, that helps. I particularly liked your comments on a lifter's age - I hadn't thought about it from a 'mileage on the body' point of view. Makes sense.

I didn't want to appear to be over-analysing things with the spreadsheets. I was running through a couple of different scenarios, which raised a question that I didn't know the answer to. From madcow's analogy of teaching a man to fish, I feel like I'm out on my first fishing trip and it's not until you go out on your own for the first time that you realise what you do and don't know.

Thanks super_rice - I obviously wasn't that observant when I started reading your journal (or I've forgotten what I read already, due to my 'old' age) ;)
 
Now I'm feeling like Methuselah, I'm 49 in just over another month. When I was in my early-to-mid 30s I weighed around 215 and was probably at my best ever as a balance of strength and fitness. I was more into martial arts than lifting back then but had energy for both along with quite a bit of cycling.

As I approached 30 I'd been in another lengthy layoff and felt old, really old, a "life's over" type of old. Pushing yourself hard is a rejuvenating process so long as things don't break. Never blame any failing on chronological age: it'll only serve to convince yourself that you're old, whatever your age, and that's bad. At any stage, you are what you are and should be striving to improve, as we here all are.
 
I should probably add a few more smileys when I talk about my age. I don't think of myself as old and a lot of my comments are a bit tongue in cheek. 34 certainly isn't over the hill. Hell, I'm in my prime ;)
 
super_rice, I skimmed through the old journal you link to, but it contains two runs of the DF5x5. No mention of the Korte. I did find this funny however :) :
Phaded said:
40 oz steak holy fuck man
Click to expand...
Tom Treutlein said:
If you don't count calories, then I doubt you measure how many oz. of steak you eat. ;) Not calling you a liar, but 40 oz. does sound like a lot. 2.5 lbs. of steak? Jesus haha, if you can do that man, then that's awesome.
Click to expand...
super_rice said:
there's no bone in it? it's just meat. i dunno, i just go in there and ask them for a steak that is easy to chew and big. usually when i do this i'm not paying for it :)
Click to expand...
 
Korte: Week 2, Day 1

My erectors felt a little sore when I started squatting, but it went away after a couple of sets. Squats were fine - no problem, although I got a bit of a sweat on. Bench was easy again. I've noticed that my target 1RM for bench is only 6% higher than my current 1RM (squat is 15% higher, deads are only 7% higher), so I think I'm shortchanging myself as they're always easy. I'll have to bump them a little more than planned to bring them in sync with how hard squats and deads are.

The first set of deads had me a bit worried, at the thought of increasing them for the next 8 workouts, but I settled into them and they got easier. I added chalk on the 4th set, which made a massive difference. It was like someone had taken 20kg off and the final sets just flew up. Confidence restored.

I did my usual 10 mins of core work before squats and the whole workout still only took 47 mins, although I was pushing myself a bit to see how I'd fare at a fair clip. A lot of the sets were 60 seconds apart, even the last 3 sets of deads. I know I don't need to do this, but it's nice to know I've a lot in reserve.

My bodyweight was up to 182.0lb this morning for the first time.

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
TODAY: ... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps ... (156lb/114lb/202lb)
 
Good workout, just checkin' in :)

BTW IIRC I ended up ~70%1RM (projected I think) at the end of volume for all my lifts.
 
Korte: Week 2, Day 2

I bought myself a pair of Adidas Ironworks oly shoes and used them for the first time today. My old Nike Airmax are about 2 years old and falling to bits, so they're a bit better than what I'm used to :). The new shoes are nice and solid with much better grip on the rubber matting, but I'll probably notice the difference more when I'm doing higher weights rather than all this volume. I took them off for the final set of deads and noticed the difference in height. Or rmaybe it was the angle. Either way, I think I prefer deading in barefeet.

For today's workout, squats were about the same as Monday, but I wasn't sweating as much. Bench was harder than expected and a little disappointing, but I'm sure I can still add plenty to it. Deads were ok again and I added chalk after the 3rd set again, which is always a nice boost. I managed to wrap three fingers around my thumb on the hook grip, which made it extremely solid, but I was a bit concerned about putting too much pressure on the joint with my index finger. The nice thing with the Korte is that I'll only have to wait 2 days before experimenting again.

I didn't rush through this workout like I did on Monday, and found myself quietly going through the motions today. This is the first sign of me slowing down, but only slightly. Or it could just be one of those days. Total workout time was about 57 mins including 10 mins of core work. I'm looking forward to Friday already, when I'll bump everything by another 2kg. The real fun should begin on Monday.

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
TODAY: ... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps ... (156lb/119lb/207lb)
 
Looking good. Are you intending to follow Plan A from above?

Are you making any effort to follow Korte's ESM technique of minimal emotional involvement in the lifts? If so, does it make any difference?
 
Plan A is roughly what I'm aiming for, yes, although the figures aren't set in stone. I've already increased bench because it felt too light relative to squats and deads and I plan on doing the same on Friday. I think after next Monday's workout, I'll know whether I need to step everything up a gear to load effectively. Things are still 'comfortable' for now. I'm not sure when things should start to get hard, but I'm guessing around this Friday/next Monday.

I'd forgotten about ESM. I certainly don't feel the need to psych myself up for any of the lifts, so maybe I'm doing it anyway :)
 
Korte: Week 2, Day 3

Bodyweight: 183.4lb - up 3lb from last week and 1lb from 2 days ago. This whole milk stuff is dangerous.

Squats were easy enough today. They still haven't gotten to the 'moderately difficult' stage I was expecting, although I worked up a sweat again today. Bench was easy enough too. Not too easy, but not hard either. Deads were ok again.

No signs of loading yet. I'd still call these workouts somewhere in between easy and moderate. They haven't become a chore to get through yet. I was going to say I need to increase the weight on everything, but that's the plan for every workout from now anyway. After today's workout, I was hoping to be able to gauge how aggressively to increase the weights from now on, but I'm still not sure. I think I need to be more aggressive than the plan A I laid out the other day. I need to push myself, but I also don't want to blow it. I think I need to stop pussyfooting around.

Squats, set 8: http://uploadfile.putfile.com/videos/18016312240.mov
Deads, set 2: http://uploadfile.putfile.com/videos/18016461687.mov

Squats - I've spotted the tuck under at the bottom, but that's about it. Deads - I can't spot that I'm doing anything wrong, other than losing my arch a little at the end. Comments welcome :).

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
TODAY: ... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps ... (161lb/123lb/211lb)
 
You are looking fresh for set 8 of squats. Maybe it's appropriate to do some double-jumps from time to time or even start your sets and consider whether to make a second jump once they're under way.

These next two weeks should be fun.
 
Put some real weight on the bar...you looked like a dorky technical lifter. ;) But seriously, if that form generally carries over to your maximal sets, you're fine.
 
Korte: Week 3, Day 1

Squats were kind of easy again. I keep expecting them to get hard, but they're still comfortable. I'm going to bump them 3kg on Wednesday and see what happens.

Bench was a bit of a struggle for the first time. They weren't too bad on Friday, so I wasn't expecting them to be this hard all of a sudden. On the last couple of sets, the final reps were quite slow, but not in doubt. This isn't even 1 plate :rolleyes:. I might start off at 59kg on Wednesday and jump to 60kg if I'm coping.

Deads were moderately hard today, for the first time. I'll go to 100kg on Wednesday (2 plates).

I had a good skinfull of booze on Saturday night and barely ate anything yesterday as a result. It doesn't appear to have affected this workout, but I regret doing it (the drinking, not the workout :)). I rarely drink these days and when I do, I just don't enjoy it. Damn peer pressure. Next time, I'm saying "no".

Workout time: 54 mins.

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
TODAY: ... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps ... (165lb/128lb/216lb)

EDIT: just looking at the increases since I've started, I've increased my squat by 8kg, bench by 10kg and dead by 11kg. I didn't realise my squat hadn't gone up that much. Must work it harder!
 
You're making it look easy. BTW I just saw your vids and everythings looking solid.

You look bigger than I remember, too. :Chef:
 
Looking at your plan A and plan B templates, your bench is flying. From now onwards, I'd suggest that if you find your squats feeling overly comfortable that a bump mid-workout is in order.

Careful with the bench. The 1Kg bump seems sensible. Also note that although your increments across the three lifts is climbing at the same rate, the percentage changes are much larger on the bench and less on the deads.
 
I've now bumped my bench a couple of times over the planned increase as it felt too easy compared with squats and deads. From yesterday, I think it's more than in line now. I feel like I'm working with such tiny changes though (well, I suppose I am!).

I hadn't thought about percentages for deads - you're probably right. I'll stick to 1kg increases on bench. I'll definitely be pushing squats now, but I'm still a bit cautious about deads. I feel like they'll quickly bury me, but hey, this is the Korte, right? ;)

Thanks Jim - I think I'm becoming more rotund than anything :)
 
Darn i want to see this too ... but somehow i cant use the hotlink. It says i have to go via the main page for the ads. How did you name the videos ? the numbers didnt bring anything up in the search.
 
You're not supposed to be able to save files from putfile.com, but it's fairly easy to work out the direct link to the movie, which you can save. That's what I posted above. Right click and "Save as..." on the links above, then double click the files once they've downloaded.

Alternatively, here are all the vids I've uploaded so far (which you can view on the page but not save):

http://www.putfile.com/anotherbutters
 
Korte: Week 3, Day 2

Awesome workout. This was the kind of workout I've been wanting for a long time. I know it's results over time that matter, but I was panting away today working through my deads and loved every minute of it. I've always thought this is what working out's supposed to be like :)

I bumped squats and deads by 3kg and bench by 1kg, which felt like good choices. Squats were moderately hard for the first time, which is good, but I reckon I can still add plenty more. Bench was easier than Monday - still moderately hard, but no slow reps this time. I just looked at the weights on the bar and thought "this isn't even 1 plate", then just repped them out at a pretty fast pace. Deads were moderately hard too, but not too hard - no straining. I'm loving the hook grip with chalk and I've developed a series of parallel white lines under the inside half of each thumbnail from the stress. My thumbnails have gone flat too :). I did a similar thing to bench with my deads - looked at the 2 plates and thought "I ought to be able to clean this" and deadlifting it became less of a chore :)

Every set was started on the 2 minute mark, so when you include the faffing around switching exercises and the warmups, the total workout time was still only 57 mins. Still no signs of loading - I still look forward to every workout and feel fresh, even though I've only been getting 6-7 hours sleep (I just wake up early).

I'm thinking of a 2kg increase for squats and deads on Friday (1kg bench), then 3kg each workout next week (1-2kg bench), with as much as I can on the Friday. Alternatively, I could carry on at a more moderate pace and add a 5th week, since I feel like I've started lower than I could have.

Workout time: 57 mins.

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D1: .... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps
TODAY: ... 78 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 59 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 101x 7 x 5 reps ... (172lb/130lb/222lb)
 
I think you're getting stronger. You passed your 64% weights at the end of last week and you're still not feeling overly stressed. Keep plugging away.
 
I think so. Bigger too. I happened to catch myself in the mirror after all the benching :rolleyes: and I swear my shoulders were 4" wider. I almost didn't recognise myself ;)

I'm probably responding well to this kind of training because I haven't done it before. I feel like I ought to keep plugging away with moderate increases and carry on loading until I reach the point that I'm obviously loaded and things have stopped going up, rather than going for broke just because I'm coming up to the end of the notional 4 week loading phase. What do you think?
 
I just took a look at my own Korte experience. You're certainly finding it easier than I did but it wasn't until mid-to-late in week 3 that I felt any loading building up. By the end of next week you might yet find yourself running on empty at the end of your workouts.

I think that your suggested approach is probably best in the context of this program. You mentioned yesterday that the workout was noticably harder to complete and I'd agree you should keep adding moderate weight to the bar session on session. There's no good reason to stop just because week 4 ends if the lifts are still climbing. I'm expecting that it will get progressively tougher from here though.
 
Korte: Week 3, Day 3

Thanks for the comments. Right on cue too... I feel like I'm getting loaded :)

I woke up tired this morning after a good 8 hours sleep. I usually feel as though the previous workout was several days ago, but today I could still feel the effects of Wednesday and I could tell it was only 48 hours ago ("what, I have to do that workout again, and more?"). I wasn't looking forward to this workout as much as I usually do and I was glad for the weekend before I even started. The aches and pains have started too.

Squats were moderately hard. The first set had me a little concerned, but I settled into them as per usual. My left ankle 'clicked' into place during squats on Wednesday (it didn't feel out of place in the first place), and it's been sore since, but it didn't hurt during squats today.

Bench was no harder than Wednesday. I felt all manner of creaks and twinges in my back during deads, but nothing serious. I had a sharp pain in my right shoulder/rear delt on about set 3, as though something was going to 'go', but it didn't get any worse so I carried on. I don't 'think' it's anything.

For each exercise, I felt as though I could have lifted a little more today, so I'm not worried about having ramped up too quickly and I think I'll be ok adding weight to the bar next week. It's going to be hard, but I know there's room for more. I just kept starting each set today and surprisingly managing to finish it without it feeling any harder than the last, even the final sets. I probably could have added another couple of sets of each. This isn't to say they're easy - I just seem to recover well between sets. I still managed to start most sets on the 2 minute mark, although I wasn't trying to today.

As an aside, I stopped the creatine a couple of weeks before starting the Korte, because I didn't think it was doing anything. I can't really tell the difference with switching workouts, but I don't miss that foul stuff.

Workout time: 60 mins.

Bodyweight: ~183lb

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D1: .... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D2: .... 78 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 59 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 101 x 7 x 5 reps
TODAY: ... 80 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 60 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 103 x 7 x 5 reps ... (176lb/132lb/227lb)
 
This is definitely better. Game on, AB.

You're still getting a full 8 sets in in about an hour. You're in no danger of not finishing. It's sounding perfect.
 
Korte: Week 4, Day 1

Wow, I made it. I had a busy weekend with little rest and wasn't really looking forward to this workout, but I got through it. Squats were relatively hard today with a couple of slow reps, but only when I thought about my form. A little mind game I've begun playing is to think how easy these weights would be if I wasn't fatigued. It really helps. Think strong, not tired :)

Bench was moderately hard again today, but no reps were in doubt. I've never done narrow grip before this and I seem to find it easier (hands just on the knurling). My normal grip is wide, just inside the rings, and that feels very wide now.

I did my usual core work before the workout, which includes bird-dogs. Whilst stretching my arm out ahead of me, I felt the same tingly, tearing feeling in my right rear delt that I felt during Friday's deads. Not a good sign, so I was dreading deads for fear of injury.

I felt it again warming up for deads (80kg), but I carried on and was ok. I felt it most as I started to lower the weight, even though I keep the bar as close to myself as I can. Anyway, job done - 7 sets of deads and if it wasn't for the concern about my shoulder, I'd say these were the easiest of the three exercises today. I'm getting some nice callouses with the frequency of deads :)

Again, every set was started on the 2 minute mark. I wasn't going to hold myself to that today, but I felt that if I didn't do it, I'd slack off. Every 2 minutes, that was it - head down and lift.

I think I'm echoing something you (BW) said in your Korte, but I'm beginning to feel like lifting weights actually does make one stronger ;)

Workout time: 62 mins.

Bodyweight: ~185lb

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D1: .... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D2: .... 78 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 59 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 101 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D3: .... 80 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 60 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 103 x 7 x 5 reps
TODAY: ... 82 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 61 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 105 x 7 x 5 reps ... (180lb/134lb/232lb)
 
It's sounding really good now and you're making all the right noises for someone on whom the loading effect is slowly encroaching.

Just push yourself through the week. Keep adding weight when you can. Two to go. No mercy. :)
 
It's about time you actually strained on a rep or two ;)

I'm still amazed you're doing all of this in an hr or so. I think my last workout of Korte volume took me 2.5hrs.
 
I could have a 30 minute kip in between each exercise. That should take me up to 2.5hrs ;)

I'm feeling particularly lethargic today with lots of little aches and pains. I can't believe I have to do it all again tomorrow. I did the math in my head for yesterday's tonnage and came to 10 tons. I worked it out with a calculator and it was just shy, but tomorrow's will be just over.
 
Try to get your food in and get enough sleep. It's only loading and it'll go away next week.

I think you've pitched everything pretty perfectly and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of the ordeal regarding your new maxes.

Regarding how come you're still able to get these workouts done in just over an hour, it's probably that this is your first dual-factor run in quite a long while and you're not yet using as much of yourself as Jim would. Look on it as a good thing indicated lots more potential yet untapped. :)
 
blut wump said:
I think you've pitched everything pretty perfectly
Click to expand...
Thanks. I wasn't sure last week, but I have to admit it's looking pretty good, especially for my first run ;)

I've enjoyed the volume phase and I'd like to do more work like that - something like 3 weeks of loading, one deload, then repeat, but played by ear. I also want to switch the exercises slowly over time, e.g. switching Wednesday's deads for rows one month, then one of the bench sessions for overhead press the next month, etc, rather than a wholesale switching of programs from Korte to DF5x5 or whatever.

As for next week, I might load a little more if I'm not right on the limit this Friday. After that, an intensity phase would be interesting, but I feel like I'd miss the volume, even though it'd be nice to find out what my new PRs are. Is there any benefit to peaking, such as better neural efficiency that would help in the next volume phase?

If I peak, I'd probably push each exercise on a different day with triples and do either a ramped 1x5 or a moderately light, flat 5x5 on the other exercises that day.
 
I remember thinking the same, that I might be able to extend the volume phase through into a fifth week. I even recall wondering on the final Friday of the volume phase whether it might be possible. It wasn't until the weekend that I realised how deeply it had hit me. See how you feel.

Regarding peaking, you saw my previous 5x5, assisted though it was. You can run sequences of volume-deload-volume but I feel that pushing hard and straining is part of lifting and that you are short-changing yourself to neglect the neural efficiency side by completely avoiding intensity phases at low reps. They also serve to allow recovery in their own way lest you bury yourself in excess volume and repeated loading.

It works both ways, BTW. Towards the end of an intensity phase you start to think that you'll miss the straining and loathe the idea of returning to boring old tiring volume. Of course, the volume is fun again once you're back into it.

I guess you're running out of days in which to decide how to run post-volume, even if you decide merely to deload for a week.
 
Korte: Week 4, Day 2

I was feeling tired and run down yesterday, so I went to bed about an hour early and got a good night's sleep in. Felt much better today and looked forward to the workout. I found another little aid for my workouts today - I played System of a Down rather than having no music on, and I stormed through this workout. Get this: I added another set of deads and finished the whole workout in 54 mins. Yeah baby! :p

Squats were hard, but not in doubt. I started doing them within the confines of the safety bars this week. Before I started the Korte, I complained of feeling like my legs were just giving up on me before I even got to the straining stage. My legs feel completely different now - a lot more solid and able to keep pushing when the going gets tough. Today's the first day that I'm not confident about lifting more on the next workout. Friday should be interesting. All sets started on the 2 minute mark.

By the time I started benching I was all hyped up and rushed through them. Most sets were only 60 seconds apart, which is a bit silly at this stage of the game. I got to set 7 and stalled on the 5th rep. I didn't think there was any point starting the final rep, but did and by some unfathomable force of nature managed to press it out. Of course I started the final set about 60 seconds later and struggled on the final rep again :rolleyes:. I got it. I think shoulder width has become my strongest grip.

Deads: bring it on. I added an 8th set and still managed to start each set on the 2 minute mark. Deads have become the easiest exercise of the three, so I added 3kg today. I wasn't sure that I got my shoulders back when locking out on a couple of reps, but I think it was more because of sloppy form than from the weight.

The 2 minute mark has become something that I seem to have held onto without really intending to. I guess it's just another training variable, like intensity and volume - something else that can be trained. It hasn't hindered me so far, so I guess I'll carry on whilst I'm not failing.

Looking at the tonnage (84x8x5)+(62x8x6)+(108x8x5)=10656, I'm pleased to announce my first 10 ton workout :)

Workout time: 54 mins :FRlol:

Bodyweight: ~184lb

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D1: .... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D2: .... 78 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 59 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 101 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D3: .... 80 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 60 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 103 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D1: .... 82 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 61 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 105 x 7 x 5 reps
TODAY: ... 84 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 62 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 108 x 8 x 5 reps ... (185lb/136lb/238lb)
 
Congrats on your 10 million gram session.

Have you worked out how you're going to run next week yet? As a fall-back, you could run week 5 just as Korte has it. It's not a bad way to deload. Of course, you'll have to pick some sensible numbers.
 
anotherbutters said:
The 2 minute mark has become something that I seem to have held onto without really intending to. I guess it's just another training variable, like intensity and volume - something else that can be trained. It hasn't hindered me so far, so I guess I'll carry on whilst I'm not failing.
Click to expand...
This is how I've always looked at it. I guess I've probably occasionally missed reps by forcing myself back to the rack to start at the 3-minute mark (my standard straight-sets rest interval) rather than following the "take what you need" approach of madcow/Rippetoe/etc. But if, say, set 4 of 5 felt hard and I waited an extra 2 minutes to begin I'd question whether I was really that much stronger. Bleh, I'm being anal and rambling again...

:lmao: at the System of a Down (although I completely understand the need for background noise). Did the KILL THAT SHIT t-shirt and Amplify02 help too? ;)
 
blut wump said:
Have you worked out how you're going to run next week yet? As a fall-back, you could run week 5 just as Korte has it. It's not a bad way to deload. Of course, you'll have to pick some sensible numbers.
Click to expand...
I think I'll go ahead with an intensity phase once I'm done loading. Thanks for your comments the other day.

One option is to follow Korte, but peaking using triples. I think I'd prefer triples over singles or 5 reps since I haven't peaked them before and I'd want to peak triples before peaking singles. Here's my progress so far, along with a possible week 8. The 60% baseline lifts are higher than 60% because I just know I'll be able to cope.
Code: 
All weights in kg.
SQUAT			BENCH			DEAD			TONNAGE
Weight	Sets	Reps	Weight	Sets	Reps	Weight	Sets	Reps	
									
Progress so far:							
67	6	5	48	6	6	87	6	5	6348
67	7	5	48	7	6	87	7	5	7406
69	7	5	50	7	6	90	7	5	7665
71	7	5	52	7	6	92	7	5	7889
71	8	5	54	7	6	94	7	5	8398
73	8	5	56	7	6	96	7	5	8632
75	8	5	58	8	6	98	7	5	9214
78	8	5	59	8	6	101	7	5	9487
80	8	5	60	8	6	103	7	5	9685
82	8	5	61	8	6	105	7	5	9883
84	8	5	62	8	6	108	8	5	10656
									
Possible week 8:						
115	1	3	58	5	4	100	3	3	2405
75	3	3	82	1	3	100	3	3	1821
75	3	3	58	5	4	150	1	3	2285

The tonnage is slashed, as indended, but I'm worried about a big detraining effect if I do this for 4 weeks. I'll probably finish each workout in 10 minutes :)

I know Prilepin would have you do more, but this is supposed to be an intensity phase, peaking a 3RM. Warmups would be exactly that, not a ramp. Maybe I should employ backoff sets, or maybe I shouldn't mess with it.

I noticed Practical Periodisation has been renamed to Practical Programming. Still due out next month. I wish I had a copy right now.

---
Damn, I've just realised the figures I used for week 8 are my projected 1RM figures, but I'm using them for triples. I'll rework the figures another time. My comments still apply as to whether this is a good idea. Or I could do something completely different. I don't know. I'm warming to the above though.
 
You could ramp down your higher triples over the weeks. In the standard intensity phase, he'd have you doing a couple of singles in the early weeks and single singles later. You could start with three triples dropping to two and then a single triple. Just a suggestion.

You don't yet know how long you're going to take to deload so there's still going to be an big element of playng it by ear. Don't worry about the daunting final figures, you're stronger now than you were. As BiggT commented to me several times as a reminder, moving into new territory is always a bit scary.

One to go. :)
 
Korte: Week 4, Day 3

I've been trying my best to get more sleep and it's definitely helped this week. I felt fresher today, but I could still feel the loading. Well, I thought so. Sometimes I wonder how fatigued I really am. I find it difficult to gauge as it's a new feeling to me. I feel a little slower, but definitely not run down into the ground. From the results of this workout, I'm still not sure.

On the third set of squats my shorts burst open, almost completely in half. They were in tatters with my arse hanging out. Good job I work out at home :) Don't worry, no video today. On Wednesday, I was worried I wouldn't complete today's squats. I did my usual 2 minute start times today, but the 5th set went up slowly and I didn't think the 6th would go up, so I abandoned the 2 minute thing. It worked - the remaining sets were still hard, but not in doubt. It felt like I'd let the brakes off, giving me another aid to help me through the workouts. By the time I'd finished squats, I felt like I'd be able to carry on loading into next week.

Bench had longer rest times too and as a consequence wasn't as hard as Wednesday, which admittedly, was a bit silly with ~1 min rest times. Bench was hard, but managable today.

Deads were a problem. The sharp pain in my right rear delt came back straight away during my warmups (60x5, 80x5, 100x1). On the first real set, the pain got a lot worse on each rep and by the third rep there was a big light in my head saying STOP NOW! I waited 30 seconds and finished the set. The pain was enough that I knew there was an injury there for the taking, but I really didn't want to stop at this stage. I tried set 2, but forgot my chalk and had to pause for 20 secs before finishing it. The pain was still there. I carried on and found the pain was less in some sets. By set 6, I'd figured out that a big arch in my back and a lower start position was what I needed - no pain. In fact, the weight was flying up at that stage. I guess my legs are stronger :) I'm really pleased with how easy these deads feel. 3 plates is in the bag, I know it.

So, I've made it to the end of week 4 and I'm just about injury free. What a ride. I love this program! But, I don't think I'm done loading yet. When I started, I was stuck on 93x5. I want to get 90x8x5 next Wednesday and I think I just might be able to make it.

Workout time: 85 mins

Bodyweight: 184lb

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D1: .... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D2: .... 78 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 59 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 101 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D3: .... 80 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 60 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 103 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D1: .... 82 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 61 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 105 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D2: .... 84 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 62 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 108 x 8 x 5 reps
TODAY: ... 86 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 63 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 111 x 8 x 5 reps ... (189lb/139lb/244lb)
 
Careful with the deadlifting pain. One of the great things of the Korte is the amount of practice you get to work around injuries.

It sounds to me as though you might be able to keep going. Your first couple of weeks didn't seem to be much real stress on you. The third started to be an effort but wasn't too bad. Guage how you feel over the weekend.

Thanks for not posting any video.
 
Korte: Week 5, Day 1 (intensity phase)

After squats, today was a nice, slow, lazy workout. Squats felt heavy and went up slowly, but weren't in doubt. Bench was easy. I'm finding a slightly narrower grip than my old wide grip to be easier, but I varied between the two today. I warmed up carefully with more sets on deads today: 60x5 70x4 80x3 90x2, but felt the shoulder pain on the 60, 80 and 90 weights. The worst was the first rep on 60kg, even though I was being careful. Again, I wasn't sure whether to continue, but did so. The pain didn't get any worse on the top sets and wasn't present on the final triple. It's not an intense pain, but it's worrying. I'm particularly worried about Friday now. I'm even thinking of trying to see the physio before then.

I threw in 7 sets of Needsize crunches today, with a 5 second pause. They were a lot easier than last time I tried them. Do you concentrate on tensing your abs when doing these, because it seems like it's easy to cheat and use your hips to pull you up?

Workout time: 40 mins

Bodyweight: 185lb

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D1: .... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D2: .... 78 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 59 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 101 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D3: .... 80 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 60 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 103 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D1: .... 82 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 61 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 105 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D2: .... 84 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 62 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 108 x 8 x 5 reps
W4 D3: .... 86 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 63 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 111 x 8 x 5 reps
TODAY: ... 92 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (202lb/125lb/231lb)
 
anotherbutters said:
Do you concentrate on tensing your abs when doing these, because it seems like it's easy to cheat and use your hips to pull you up?
Click to expand...
Yep, especially when descending to the hold position. It seems like the hips take over if you lower yourself too quickly. Needsize mentions a few good tips in the thread from which the description in the sticky is taken.

Good luck sorting out the shoulder issue.
 
Korte: Week 5, Day 2

Not much to comment on today. Squats and bench were ok. I started my deadlift warmups at 40kg (trivial) and progressed slowly. Every rep was slow and tentative as I could feel my shoulder waiting to become painful, but I carried on and managed to finish the workout with only a couple of small twinges. It's not fixed and I'm still worried about Friday, but we'll see what happens then. I was trying to keep my shoulders back and stay more upright, which seemed to keep it happy.

I finished with some more Needsize crunches. I can feel my back loading up when I do these, so I only did 4 sets of 5 seconds and stopped. I still start every workout with 7x10 seconds of back bridges, curlups, side bridges and bird dogs. Maybe I just need to practise the NS crunches more.

Bodyweight: 185lb

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D1: .... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D2: .... 78 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 59 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 101 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D3: .... 80 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 60 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 103 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D1: .... 82 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 61 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 105 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D2: .... 84 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 62 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 108 x 8 x 5 reps
W4 D3: .... 86 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 63 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 111 x 8 x 5 reps
W5 D1: .... 92 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (202lb squat)
TODAY: ... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 66 x 3 x 3 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (145lb bench)
 
Korte: Week 5, Day 3

Thankfully, my shoulder's better. Squats and bench were easy. Deads were a little heavy and my form wasn't brilliant, but my shoulder was a lot better today. I was worried it wouldn't stand up to an intensity phase, but I think with another week before I deadlift 'heavy' again, the worst is over. My thumbs are starting to get a little black in the corners from the hook grip. The grip itself is solid enough with chalk and not too uncomfortable.

Quick workout today as I was in a rush to go out with friends. No core work.

Bodyweight: 186lb

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D1: .... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D2: .... 78 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 59 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 101 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D3: .... 80 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 60 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 103 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D1: .... 82 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 61 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 105 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D2: .... 84 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 62 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 108 x 8 x 5 reps
W4 D3: .... 86 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 63 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 111 x 8 x 5 reps
W5 D1: .... 92 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (202lb squat)
W5 D2: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 66 x 3 x 3 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (145lb bench)
TODAY: ... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ...................... 120 x 3 x 3 reps ... (264lb dead)
 
Yes, I've been trying to increase my weight slowly, although it goes up quicker some weeks than others. I'm fatter than I want to be, but I've managed to keep the 38.5-39" gut (around the belly button) fairly constant whilst putting on a few pounds. I can see the difference in my traps, shoulders and legs.

I'm not as confident bulking whilst in the intensity phase as the amount of work I'm doing is a lot less, so I'll probably hold this weight for a few weeks and hopefully recomp a little. I have a 3 week holiday booked for October, so I should be able to fit in another volume phase immediately before going away. Again, I'll probably hold this weight, or let myself drift down a little during that. I'm not looking to cut at this stage.

I was thinking of another Korte style volume phase, but with rows instead of Monday and Friday deads. I haven't rowed in a long time.

I keep thinking of cutting about 10-15lbs, then bulking slowly again, but I can't help feeling that I'll lose muscle and when I bulk again, I'll only return to my current level of bodyfat and for it all to be a waste of time. So I'm thinking of slowly bulking until next summer.
 
Sorry if I missed it but do you have 3 x 3 targets in mind?

As far as diet during intensity phase, I dunno, I try to make sure I get a lot of food, seems to help me make my lifts. In fact I'll be starting mine next week and I'm going to add one more oatmeal shake to my diet :Chef:
 
Sorry, I posted it on another forum and forgot to post it here too.

Here are my original figures for the volume phase, with the actual W4D3 workout numbers that I achieved at the end (all weights in kg):

............. 1RM ... new 1RM ..... 58% .... 60% .... 62% .... 64% ... W4D3
Squat: ... 100 ........ 115 ........ 67 ....... 69 ....... 71 ...... 74 ..... 86 (75%)
Bench: .... 77 .......... 82 ........ 48 ....... 49 ....... 51 ...... 53 ..... 63 (77%)
Dead: .... 140 ........ 150 ........ 87 ....... 90 ....... 93 ...... 96 ..... 111 (74%)

Interestingly, the percentages actually reflect how difficult each exercise feels relative to the others (bench hardest, deads easiest). I've managed to go way over the 64% figures, but that's to be expected at my level.

For the peaking phase, instead of using 60% for the baseline workouts, I'll use 70%. Here's a very rough plan for the next few weeks:

.............. (70%) .... 80% .... 85% ..... 90% .... 95% ... 100%
Squat: .... (80) ........ 92 ...... 98 ....... 104 ..... 109 ..... 115
Bench: .... (57) ........ 66 ...... 70 ........ 74 ....... 78 ...... 82
Dead: ..... (105) ...... 120 .... 128 ....... 135 ..... 143 .... 150

I'll start with 3x3 for the heavy sets as BW suggested. I like that idea. Then drop down to 2 sets of 3, then 1 set as it gets hard. After writing the above, I realised I'd plugged in my projected 1RM figures for these 3 rep workouts again. Whatever, that's a rough plan. I've just finished the 80% week (week 5).
 
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Korte: Week 6, Day 1

I walked the squats out and though "hmm, these are a little heavy", but I kept coming back up after every descent. Hard, but not in doubt. I'm doubtful of another 6kg increase next Monday, but I'll worry about that then.

Bench and deads were easy. There was no pain at all from my shoulder and I didn't have to be particularly careful with my form. Looks like I'm in the clear. I guess I should chalk it down to overuse on deads with sloppy form and should be more careful if I ever do that amount of deads again.

I finished the workout with a few double leg lowers, keeping my lower back flat on the floor. I only did one set, but managed 8 reps! I think I'll start doing these after the workouts (in addition to the core work to warm up). The Needsize abs were too stressful to my lower back, but I might try them again after a few weeks of the leg lowers.

Bodyweight: 185lb

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D1: .... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D2: .... 78 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 59 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 101 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D3: .... 80 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 60 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 103 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D1: .... 82 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 61 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 105 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D2: .... 84 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 62 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 108 x 8 x 5 reps
W4 D3: .... 86 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 63 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 111 x 8 x 5 reps
W5 D1: .... 92 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (202lb squat)
W5 D2: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 66 x 3 x 3 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (145lb bench)
W5 D3: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ...................... 120 x 3 x 3 reps ... (264lb dead)
TODAY: ... 98 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (216lb squat)
 
Korte: Week 6, Day 2

I took a day off work today, so I worked out in the morning for a change. Had to wait for an hour or so for my back to return to normal after waking.

Squats were easy, as expected. Bench wasn't as hard as I expected, although I'm still below my 5RM. I'll be above my 5RM next week. I'm just not finding the groove with them though and my form's quite sloppy.

The first set of deads felt a little heavy, but the next two were easy. I don't know why, or whether it's something to be concerned about. Maybe my form's tighter after the first set. I felt a slight twinge in my shoulder on the last warmup set, but nothing in the work sets.

For ab work, I'm bored with the leg lowers already. I did 5x5 leg raises to above my head from a shallow incline bench instead. They were hard, but I'm not necessarily sure they effectively recruit the abs. I'm looking for a way to strengthen them more than with the conditioning work I do like curlups. I might see if I can get one of those ab wheels.

Bodyweight: 186lb

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D1: .... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D2: .... 78 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 59 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 101 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D3: .... 80 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 60 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 103 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D1: .... 82 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 61 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 105 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D2: .... 84 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 62 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 108 x 8 x 5 reps
W4 D3: .... 86 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 63 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 111 x 8 x 5 reps
W5 D1: .... 92 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (202lb squat)
W5 D2: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 66 x 3 x 3 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (145lb bench)
W5 D3: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ...................... 120 x 3 x 3 reps ... (264lb dead)
W6 D1: .... 98 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (216lb squat)
TODAY: ... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 70 x 3 x 3 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (154lb bench)
 
Korte: Week 6, Day 3

I went to a leaving do last night, so I had to work out this morning. I managed to get away with just 2 beers last night, which is good for me as I easily get carried away, but I didn't eat much and got in late. I paced around the house for about an hour before starting this workout. It was so hard to get motivated. I have a heavy day ahead of me doing other chores that I'm not looking forward to.

Squats and bench were easy, as expected. Deads felt heavy. When they get this heavy, I always feel as though I lose a lot of form. As though I'm not able to maintain the arch in my back or something. I can't quite pin it down, but heavy deads are just not something I enjoy or feel I'm any good at. I tried straps for the second set to see if my grip was holding me back, but it made no difference and I did the last set with hook grip again. I just don't have any confidence in my deads.

I've figured out how to do Needsize abs without any back pain. My bench splits about a third of the way along so the seated part remains flat while the back part inclines or declines. That meant when I was declining, my arse was staying flat whilst my back hyperextended. Today, I kept the bench straight, but stood one end on some plates to decline the whole thing. Voila! I tried some decline situps, but couldn't stop my hips dominating, so I started pausing and did Needsize abs instead. 5x5 with no back pain.

Bodyweight: 186lb

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D1: .... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D2: .... 78 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 59 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 101 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D3: .... 80 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 60 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 103 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D1: .... 82 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 61 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 105 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D2: .... 84 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 62 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 108 x 8 x 5 reps
W4 D3: .... 86 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 63 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 111 x 8 x 5 reps
W5 D1: .... 92 x 3 x 3 reps .... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (202lb squat)
W5 D2: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 66 x 3 x 3 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (145lb bench)
W5 D3: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 120 x 3 x 3 reps .. (264lb dead)
W6 D1: .... 98 x 3 x 3 reps .... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (216lb squat)
W6 D2: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 70 x 3 x 3 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (154lb bench)
TODAY: ... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 128 x 3 x 3 reps .. (282lb dead)
 
Good workout. Heavy deads are, well, heavy deads. I wish I could pull heavy and my form was as nice and fast as 135 :chomp:

When I attempt heavy deads I try to especially remember to brace my lower back and stomach, squeeze my glutes hard and push my feet into the floor. Those are my cues. Then I let everything else fall where they may ;)
 
Nice work. It might not have been fun, but you took care of the proverbial business.

The bottom third of my bench can be adjusted to match the decline of the rest. PowerTec must be trying to save a bit of money on the UK versions of their products. ;) Or, more plausibly, the stand-alone utility bench differs slightly from the one that comes with the rack combo.
 
Cynical Simian said:
The bottom third of my bench can be adjusted to match the decline of the rest. PowerTec must be trying to save a bit of money on the UK versions of their products. ;) Or, more plausibly, the stand-alone utility bench differs slightly from the one that comes with the rack combo.
Click to expand...
Or even more plausibly... AB wanders off to look at his bench and realises... :rolleyes: lol. Thanks :)

Thanks for the cues Jim. I'll think about them next week. Come to think of it, I don't think the deads felt as heavy as they have in the past at this weight, although I was only doing triples today. We'll see what happens next week.
 
if you ''cut'' for 12-16 weeks you might find that when you go back into a mass-gaining phase you actually gain more lean tissue and less bodyfat. The more fat you have the more the body wants to add to the pile.

you shouldn't lose muscle cutting if you do it slowly enough and keep your protien high.. lifts might stall out for three months or so, but you could treat it as a prolonged deload.

can you get a video of the deadlifts to see where the form goes when you pull a 3rm?
 
I'm honoured. Thanks for the comments Tweakle.

Isn't is also the case that having some lean mass to start with helps with cutting? I feel like it's a chicken and egg situation for a beginner - you need some muscle before cutting but also need to cut bodyfat before bulking.

I was hoping to get my strength up to a certain point before cutting. I'm barely back to where I was in November because of a layoff. Cutting for 3-4 months now will mean very little strength gains in a year, which is terrible!

I'll take a vid of next Friday's deads.
 
Korte: Week 7, Day 1

I got in from work absolutely drained after lots of digging yesterday (converting a garden into a driveway). I thought about moving this workout to tomorrow, but then I remembered how I surprised myself in the volume phase, being able to carry on when tired. I also have more digging tomorrow :(. I skipped the core warmup and jumped straight into the squats.

I wasn't looking forward to the 105kg squats as it just seemed too high. I checked my notes and it was supposed to be 104kg. Easy :). 2 sets of 3 reps. Very hard, but I did 'em. I virtually stalled on my final rep, but I finally feel like I can strain and I pushed through it. I'm a happy man.

Bench was easy. I found my groove today, just in time for Wednesday's workout.

With deads, I checked where the bar was in my warmups and it was about 4" in front of my shins. I was shocked! Needless to say my form felt much tighter with it running up my shins. However, the shoulder pain came back. Nothing to worry about today, but it might mess up Friday.

I tried some roll-outs with my new toy, the ab wheel. That thing is amazing for hitting the abs. Too amazing - I feel like I've been hit with a bat. I put my toes up against the edge of my platform and rolled out to the join in the mats, which is 42" from my toes, then back again. 42" x 3 x 5 reps.

Bodyweight: 183lb - I lost 2lb after all the work yesterday!

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D1: .... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D2: .... 78 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 59 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 101 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D3: .... 80 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 60 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 103 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D1: .... 82 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 61 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 105 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D2: .... 84 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 62 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 108 x 8 x 5 reps
W4 D3: .... 86 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 63 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 111 x 8 x 5 reps
W5 D1: .... 92 x 3 x 3 reps .... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (202lb squat)
W5 D2: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 66 x 3 x 3 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (145lb bench)
W5 D3: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 120 x 3 x 3 reps .. (264lb dead)
W6 D1: .... 98 x 3 x 3 reps .... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (216lb squat)
W6 D2: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 70 x 3 x 3 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (154lb bench)
W6 D3: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 128 x 3 x 3 reps .. (282lb dead)
TODAY: ... 104 x 2 x 3 reps ... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps .. (229lb squat)
 
anotherbutters said:
I'm honoured. Thanks for the comments Tweakle.

Isn't is also the case that having some lean mass to start with helps with cutting?
Click to expand...


Of course:

1 - You cant carve a pebble

2 - Its one reason(drugs aside) pro bbers and plers, WSM folks can eat so many fing calories without getting "fat"....the more LBM you have the more heat you generate - being lean makes the effect even more promounced
 
extra muscle is more metabolically active, but not to the point that you don't need to do cardio.. I think I read that one lb of lean tissue burns an addition 10-15 cals a day, which really isn't that much.

the main benefit of keeping lean and keeping a good work capacity (with cardio and a good diet) is that it makes it easier to gain lean mass, not fat.

you absolutely do need a certain amount of mass before you go 'cutting' but that's not the same as keeping in a sensible bf% year round.
 
I think the volume phase I've just finished did wonders for my work capacity. I tried adding cardio on the off days prior to that, but I had so little free time that it was just too much for me. I'm still busy, but I ought to get my weekends back soon, so I could add the cardio back in.

I'm going to finish my current training block without changing anything (2.5 weeks). After that, I agree it makes sense to cut at some point. However, after my current training block, I only have 6 weeks before I go on vacation for 3 weeks. I suppose I could cut during that 6 weeks whilst doing an extended volume phase to get me loaded up ready for the holiday.

Being leaner would open up about 90% of my wardrobe that's currently out of bounds ;)
 
Tweakle said:
extra muscle is more metabolically active, but not to the point that you don't need to do cardio.. I think I read that one lb of lean tissue burns an addition 10-15 cals a day, which really isn't that much.

the main benefit of keeping lean and keeping a good work capacity (with cardio and a good diet) is that it makes it easier to gain lean mass, not fat.

you absolutely do need a certain amount of mass before you go 'cutting' but that's not the same as keeping in a sensible bf% year round.
Click to expand...

I agree with the above points.

Also trying to bulk with a higher Bf%(17%+) is very counterproductive as insulin sensitivity goes to shit as bodyfat goes up,especially with no cardio.You dont want to add 3lb of fat for every pound of muscle due to shitty nutrient partitioning.It is often reccomended that an individual gets down to around 10-12% ideally before embraking on a bulk.This level is good because it allows for optimal insulin sensitivity without compromising hormone levels too much as under 8-10% the body gets very wacky hormonally.Most genetically average people should keep in 2-3 short cardio sessions a week to help work capacity/insulin sensitivity.
 
Korte: Week 7, Day 2

Today I managed 2x3 on the bench press at my old 5RM. I tried another set, but failed after 2 reps. I hurt my wrist crawling out from under the bar and was worried about deadlifting, but it was ok. However, my back wasn't feeling too good after arching it when benching. I managed to get through the deads ok though.

I did my usual core work before the workout and another few sets of the ab wheel roll-outs after. I only managed 2 reps at the distance I did on Monday (42") as my abs were still hurting, so I did 2x10 at 32".

Bodyweight: 184lb

All weights in kg, warmups excluded.

................Squat...................Bench...................................Deads...........
W1 D1: .... 67 x 6 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 6 x 6 reps (WSNWSN) ....... 87 x 6 x 5 reps ... (147lb/106lb/191lb)
W1 D2: .... 67 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 48 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 87 x 7 x 5 reps
W1 D3: .... 69 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 50 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 90 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D1: .... 71 x 7 x 5 reps ..... 52 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 92 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D2: .... 71 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 54 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 94 x 7 x 5 reps
W2 D3: .... 73 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 56 x 7 x 6 reps (NSWNSWN) ..... 96 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D1: .... 75 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 58 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 98 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D2: .... 78 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 59 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 101 x 7 x 5 reps
W3 D3: .... 80 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 60 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 103 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D1: .... 82 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 61 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 105 x 7 x 5 reps
W4 D2: .... 84 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 62 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 108 x 8 x 5 reps
W4 D3: .... 86 x 8 x 5 reps ..... 63 x 8 x 6 reps (NSWNSWNS) ... 111 x 8 x 5 reps
W5 D1: .... 92 x 3 x 3 reps .... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (202lb squat)
W5 D2: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 66 x 3 x 3 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (145lb bench)
W5 D3: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 120 x 3 x 3 reps .. (264lb dead)
W6 D1: .... 98 x 3 x 3 reps .... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (216lb squat)
W6 D2: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 70 x 3 x 3 reps ...................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (154lb bench)
W6 D3: .... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 128 x 3 x 3 reps .. (282lb dead)
W7 D1: .... 104 x 2 x 3 reps ... 57 x 5 x 4 reps ....................... 105 x 3 x 3 reps .. (229lb squat)
TODAY: ... 80 x 3 x 3 reps ..... 74 x 2 x 3 (+1x2) reps ........... 105 x 3 x 3 reps ... (163lb bench)
 
Last edited:
Nice job.

The ab rollers are brutally tough. I made one and the first time I tried it, I think I hurt my lower back. LoL And this was after I'd pretty well conditioned my core. They're tough little buggers.

What's on the horizon, AB?
 
Yeah, the ab roller's very tough. I saw a vid of someone going horizontal with one and bringing himself back up again. Insane!

I have a 3 week holiday in October that I need to fit into whatever I do next. If I run the Korte for two more weeks, that'll leave 6 weeks. Tweakle has sowed the seed of cutting in my mind, damn him :), but I feel like I've only just started making progress with my strengh again. It'll be a tough decision to start cutting, but I think it makes sense in the long term.

I have a vague idea of running a loading phase for 6 weeks, but with higher intensity and lower volume than the one I've just done, and replacing deads with rows on Mon and Fri. Something like this:

Mon: squat, bench, row: 5x5
Wed: squat, bench, dead: 5x5
Fri: squat, bench, row: 5x5

Increasing the weight every session, as per the Korte. I'd slowly cut too. That'd leave me loaded as I go on holiday for a long deload, ready to read Practical Programming!
 
anotherbutters said:
I'd slowly cut too. That'd leave me loaded as I go on holiday for a long deload, ready to read Practical Programming!
Click to expand...
Good plan. If you're going to be sitting on a beach reading a lifting book, you need to look the part. :)

Also, you said you failed on rep 3 of the third set in the description but have 3x3 at the bottom. Am I missing something?
 
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