TacticalBarbell.com

Hey guys,

I just finished Base Building. I did only the first 5 weeks, strength first and cut out the last three weeks, as outlined in the book under 'increased strength focus', since my strength is really lagging...

I tested my 1 RMS, they were as follows:
- Squat: 130 kg
- Bench: 100kg
- Deadlift: 150kg

My questions/Issues are the following:

- the squat 1RM 130kg was a very, very difficult rep. I tried it twice, the first time i used a belt, which i otherwise never do, and it threw me off very badly in the bottom and I barely got back up. Then I tried it again without belt and it felt much better, altough I was kind of screwed up because of that first almost failed rep... Do I use 130 as my 1RM or do I go down to 127.5 or 125 to play it safe? I'll be using a 95% training max for the first 6 weeks if that matters...

- I didn't test pullups, because I have a bad case of tendinitis/tennis elbow in my left arm, and nagging golfers elbow in my right arm. Both were mainly caused by pullups in the past (doing too many too fast, and loading them too fast). I'm working with a physical therapist on these problems and I'm doing a whole bunch of stretches/exercises daily to get rid of this. The big three are okay (although deadlifts trigger both elbow issues a bit), but pullups are a definite no-go at the moment. Is it okay to throw in 1 back exercise for a few sets of 10-12 at the end of workouts? I have a cable pulley to do rows with, and I can do dumbbell rows, seal rows, etc... None of those bother my elbows too much. Otherwise I'm scared there would be a serious lack of upper back work to counter all the benching...

- My cluster will be: SQ/BP/Power Clean, SQ/BP/Power Clean, SQ/BP/Deadlift (3 sets), I will be running black protocol with this.

- Until now I've been eating 3000kcal a day. I've been tracking this religiously! Protein intake was well over 1g per lb of BW. My weight went from 101kg to 97-98kg during the 5 weeks of basebuilding. I would like to lose some more fat during my first few OP blocks, and my current 3000 kcal a day seems to work as far as losing weight. Can I stay at this number, or do I need to up the Kcal a bit? Recovery wise I felt fine during base building. I sleep 7-8 hours per night.

- My main goal is to look better (less bodyfat) and to get stronger. I don't really care about getting bigger. Conditioning is not a goal in itself right now, although I've enjoyed it during base building.

Hey guys,


I just finished Base Building. I did only the first 5 weeks, strength first and cut out the last three weeks, as outlined in the book under 'increased strength focus', since my strength is really lagging...

I tested my 1 RMS, they were as follows:
- Squat: 130 kg
- Bench: 100kg
- Deadlift: 150kg

My questions/Issues are the following:

- the squat 1RM 130kg was a very, very difficult rep. I tried it twice, the first time i used a belt, which i otherwise never do, and it threw me off very badly in the bottom and I barely got back up. Then I tried it again without belt and it felt much better, altough I was kind of screwed up because of that first almost failed rep... Do I use 130 as my 1RM or do I go down to 127.5 or 125 to play it safe? I'll be using a 95% training max for the first 6 weeks if that matters...

I would go with a 90% training max for everything. You technically hit a double at 130kg so you could use your 90% off that. Always a good idea not to introduce things prior to testing/competition until you have trained with them,. I always go lighter especially as it sounds like you are carrying some injuries.

- I didn't test pullups, because I have a bad case of tendinitis/tennis elbow in my left arm, and nagging golfers elbow in my right arm. Both were mainly caused by pullups in the past (doing too many too fast, and loading them too fast). I'm working with a physical therapist on these problems and I'm doing a whole bunch of stretches/exercises daily to get rid of this. The big three are okay (although deadlifts trigger both elbow issues a bit), but pullups are a definite no-go at the moment. Is it okay to throw in 1 back exercise for a few sets of 10-12 at the end of workouts? I have a cable pulley to do rows with, and I can do dumbbell rows, seal rows, etc... None of those bother my elbows too much. Otherwise I'm scared there would be a serious lack of upper back work to counter all the benching...

Another option you could try would be KB swings if you have that as an option. You can always do some rows in place of pullups if they are an issue at the moment. Just pick one or two and use them in place of your pullups. You will also cover off in your HIC if you pick a variety of different workouts as you will have to use rows for any pullup based workouts.

- My cluster will be: SQ/BP/Power Clean, SQ/BP/Power Clean, SQ/BP/Deadlift (3 sets), I will be running black protocol with this.

I would be surprised that the cleans don't cause any pain to your elbows? I would think that might be a massive aggravation. You are working with a PT so I am sure they can advise you better than I can over the internet.

- Until now I've been eating 3000kcal a day. I've been tracking this religiously! Protein intake was well over 1g per lb of BW. My weight went from 101kg to 97-98kg during the 5 weeks of basebuilding. I would like to lose some more fat during my first few OP blocks, and my current 3000 kcal a day seems to work as far as losing weight. Can I stay at this number, or do I need to up the Kcal a bit? Recovery wise I felt fine during base building. I sleep 7-8 hours per night.

My calories go up during base building. I am 78kg and I have my fitness pal set at 2750 calories. I do between 7-9 training sessions a week and don't mind carrying a bit of extra weight. I rarely get that high but if 3000 cals is working why change it?

- My main goal is to look better (less bodyfat) and to get stronger. I don't really care about getting bigger. Conditioning is not a goal in itself right now, although I've enjoyed it during base building.

You are in a good position to enjoy your training then. Start on the lighter side with the weights and slowly progress. If your 3000 cals stop working, you can always take a few more off or add in some daily walks as a way to burn off a few easy cals without adding any more intense work. I have tried to answer as much as I can with the info yoiu have provided

I would second the call for using a training max. I've become a big fan of "mastering the weight." That just means you use a weight until it feels easy rather than increasing as fast as you can.

Thanks for the replies guys! I was planning on using a TM anyway... i was going to do the first 12 week block as follows: 6 weeks TM 95%, 6 weeks TM = 1 RM. I was going to pick 125kg on the squat, as I could've done that for a double probably, so that seems safe enough... should i maybe do 6 weeks 90% and 6 weeks 95%?

I always go much lighter personally. For example my true training max 1RM is around 140kg and my 90% week is only about 90 kg at the moment after I came out of base building.

My plan was to slowly build up over the year and make that training max my new 3-5 RM whilst maintaining my BJJ, conditioning and work training load. Strength isn't a massive goal of mine at the moment though and I know how my body responds to improving my 5RM.If I worked up to 3-5 sets of 140kg as my 80-90% week I would probably crack 160-170kg + without it impacting my other training much. I love heavy lifting but heavy 1RMs don't meet any of my goals at the moment. All my strength training is for reasons outside the gym.

You are in a different boat where you can push a bit harder if strength training is your main goal, but the above is a good way too look at long term TB strength training if you pick up any outside hobbies over the coming years or chase the body composition stuff hard at any point.

I really recommend doing the 2 blocks at 90% then progressing. Good luck with it mate. Run it for 8 weeks with the conservative TM. Especially as you mentioned injuries you might be pleasantly surprised what going a bit easier will do overall.

I mean, *whispers* I've never tested my 1RMs while running TB. I've been lifting forever so I have a good feeling for what I could do on a given day, and I read the books and looked at the descriptions of what the difficulty should be. And I just went from there.

Don't overcomplicate things!