Blut Wump - Korte 3x3

[blut wump]

ATF Squat: 30x10 for 2 sets, 50x8, 60x5, 80x3, 100x2, 102.5 x 5 for 7 sets

thats a fair bit of volume there. how do you feel after that?

Certainly well enough to continue with the rest of the workout and to bump the weights again today. I've mentioned in other posts that 100x5x5 had been my day1 squat in week3 of my last run of the madcow 5x5. I looked at my week4 from that run and it was a mess: I did 2 sets of 5 at 105Kg followed by three sets back at 100 and they were all with a belt. I also did less warmup volume back on the 5x5. I'll be bumping to 105Kg today and expecting at least six sets. I also don't have doms to speak of from that last workout.

If someone had told me that I'd be hitting 105 by the end of the third week three weeks ago I probably wouldn't have believed them, much as I'd have liked to. I'm obviously enjoying the benefits of the last run of the 5x5 and I'm acclimatizing to to the general volume of this program. I'm glad Super Rice posted when he did else I would have cruised through this week at 100Kg and trepidatiously bumped to 105 for the whole of next week.

Am I overtraining? I hope so since that's the intent of the dual-factor approach. I'm also finding that getting to the end of the workout is started to consume an effort of will. This, to me, is a sign of loading happening.

I've also been meaning to mention for a few days that I started on my all-out supplement stack of Creatine, Tribulus, ZMA, HMB, Glutamine last Sunday to help me through these last two weeks of loading. I take multi-vits/minerals and ginseng pretty much all the time anyway with occasional breaks on the ginseng.

 

[blut wump]

Week 3 Day 3
I bumped all of the weights today by another 2.5Kg. First the bad news: I only did four sets at the new weight of 105Kg on Squats. The good news?: I bumped to 107.5Kg for the other three sets.

During those last three sets my left 'teardrop muscle' was telling me it was time to stop. With stretching I held it at bay but eventually listened to it and moved on to Bench. I think maybe the poor muscle was just suffering ongoing fatigue. It feels fine today.

Bench was ok and definitely not over-easy. I struggled to lock out more than once. On a few of the sets I found myself bringing the weight down to the nipple-line and sometimes even a shade higher on the chest. I was finding it easier to lower the weight to a higher spot on my chest.

I was gasping again by the time I got to Deadlift. A few sips of dextrose and I was moving along, though. I stopped when I did since I was getting that same over-use feeling on the right side of my lower back and into my right glute.

I finished off with the usual hamstring stretches and Needsize's abs 5x5. Total time of just over 1.5 hours. Slept almost 10 hours, which is good. I'm appalled at how long I'm spending on warmups except Deadlift warmups which I'm doing slightly fewer reps on these days since I reckon most of everything is already warmed up by then and it saves a few ergs of energy.

All weights in Kilos
Bench: N - Narrow, S - Shoulder width, W - Wide

ATF Squat: 20x10, 30x10, 50x8, 60x5, 80x3, 100x2, 105 x 5 for 4 sets, 107.5 x 5 for 3 sets
Bench: 20x10NW, 40x8SW, 60x5W, 80x3S, 90x2N, 95 x 6 for 7 sets WNSNWSW
Deadlift: 60x8, 80x5, 100x3, 120x2, 130 x 5 for 7 sets

 

[blut wump]

Glanced through them, seem like good reads. Thanks.

(don't know if I like the possibility of my bench going down, though )

I just took another read through the Wade Hanna article on the Korte 3x3. One of the first things I noticed is that he had the Bench down as 5 reps during the volume phase. He was short-changing his sets by a significant percentage if he was doing only 5 reps instead of 6.

http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/hanna12.htm

 

[blut wump]

I've been noticing that my belt has been getting ever more loose as I've been getting dressed and I decided to weigh myself this morning.

When I started the Korte I weighed 117.4Kg, down from 122.8Kg three or four weeks prior. I'm back up to 118.8Kg but my waist has dropped by around 1-1.5 inches (~3cm). That's assuming my belt hasn't stretched over the past three weeks

Conversions:
117.4Kg - 258lbs
118.8Kg - 261lbs
122.8Kg - 270lbs

I'm wasting away.

 

[Jim Ouini]

I just took another read through the Wade Hanna article on the Korte 3x3. One of the first things I noticed is that he had the Bench down as 5 reps during the volume phase. He was short-changing his sets by a significant percentage if he was doing only 5 reps instead of 6.

http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/hanna12.htm

Just thinking out loud (well not really I have to get excel open)...1 rep x 6 sets x 3 workouts per week x 400 (? didn't see his bench #'s) = 7200lbs

Weekly load = 6 reps x 6 sets x 3 workouts x 400 = 43200lbs

So ~17% less...wow that one rep really adds up. Lesson learned I guess is get your reps in prep/volume phase...

Reminds me that MC2 kept saying to make sure you choose your weights wisely and back off if you have to so you don't miss any reps in the volume phase.

Also, congrats on stretching your belt

 

[blut wump]

Indeed, it's a huge difference. Also if you look at the 1RM calcultors, the difference between the weight you can bench for 5 reps as against 6 reps is only about 3% or 4%. By dropping that single rep, his workload is down by around an eighth.

I know when I'm doing the bench sets I get to three and think 'no problems' and then remember that I'm having to hit six rather than the usual five reps. That extra rep is unpleasant and I'm sure that's the one I'd drop given the choice.

It's kind of gratifying to look at the weights lifted all summed in that way. The idea that I'm benching or squatting over half a ton per set is uplifting.

 

[blut wump]

Week 4 Day 1

Well, I'm not sure whether this was a good workout. My bench collapsed utterly today. Not onto me, just metaphorically.

I bumped all the weights by another 2.5Kg. Squats seemed to be going well until I failed to rise on the last rep of the fourth set. I didn't even get any warning. Luckily I was working-in with someone so they could save me. I did the next three sets without any hitch.

The Bench was another matter. I reached my working sets and knew it wasn't going to go well. They just felt heavy as had the warmups. On the second and fourth sets I only got 5 reps. I didn't try for a sixth since there was no point. I took 2.5Kg off and got 3 reps. I removed another 5Kg and got 3 reps twice. After the Deadlift I went back to the Bench and did some more but I was pretty spent by then.

Deadlifts were fine. Running on almost empty but fine. The workout took almost 2 hours and I didn't bother with abs. I've little doubt that I'm getting into loading now. This week is going to be fun. I intend to bump Squat and Deadlift again.

Given that Squats actually went well aside from that single lapse half-way through and the Deadlift was fine, I probably have to think it was a good workout but the tatters of my erstwhile Bench are troubling. However, I absolutely and utterly could not have done the Squat part of this workout four months ago.


All weights in Kilos
Bench: N - Narrow, S - Shoulder width, W - Wide

ATF Squat: 20x10, 30x10, 50x8, 60x5, 80x3, 100x2, 110 x 5 for 7 sets - failed on fourth set
Bench: 20x10NW, 40x8SW, 60x5W, 80x3S, 90x2N, 97.5x6W, x5N, x6S, x5W, 95x3N, 90x3SW
Deadlift: 60x8, 80x5, 100x3, 120x2, 130x1, 135 x 5 for 7 sets
Bench Part2: 80x6W, 95x6S, x4N - might have gotten more but I had a wobble and my enthusiasm and focus ran out.

Edit:
A slight amendment to the statement that I bumped the weights by 2.5Kg. I bumped the deads by 5Kg from Friday. The Squats were kind of bumped 5Kg, too, since I only did 3 sets on Friday at 107.5Kg.

 

[Jim Ouini]

So waddya think, is the bench ~64% of your new projected max? Seems like you're timing it just about right though since this is the last week of prep phase.

And then next week the new Blut monster hatches...

 

[blut wump]

Thank you for your kind words.

My projected 64% was 90Kg which was ages ago. I actually stepped right over it when I went from week2 to week3.

I don't really know what happened to the Bench. I know I find it hard to hit Bench straight after Squats but that's what all of those warmup sets are for. I'm sure I could come up with pseudo-reasons from the last 24 hours but Deads were fine and Squats were fine except for the minor glitch half way through.

It's at times like this that one misses madcow popping in with a reasonable explanation besides that I'm too weak or lazy to push the weight up.

As you say, almost time to pupate and come out as a Blutterfly.

 

[Jim Ouini]

LOL @ Blutterfly. I was thinking more like Mothra.

Anyway, you got me all hyped up about Korte again