[Marcus Warner]

Thanks for this guys, much appreciated. Will start with this and go forward.

[Marcus Warner]

That’s fair enough, it is where my thinking is at. I very rarely do more than 14 working sets p/p/l and I am normally battered.

[Marcus Warner]

Question for Luke/Ben/JP

What is your view on the idea that more ‘metabolic’ training is more suited to insulin use?

I have trained in the JP style for a few years now, over the last year I have been using slin. As this has been increased in my protocol (indirectly via Milos, so it’s not too different to Ben) I have started to work in more ‘metabolic’ work (drop sets, widowmakers, 6×4, supersets etc) into the second half of my workouts. I guess I have done this based on the understanding this is a chance to maximise the benefits of the slin more.

I just couldn’t do the giant sets thing, but I thought this would be a decent middle ground.

Be interested to get your take on that….

[Marcus Warner]

Seriously I think this thread is like the dream for me. Thanks for all the information guys.

I have built myself up on training and JP and Luke, I mean in that style, not like them ha.

I am currently on a similar style of protocol to Ben, (incredible progress by the way!). Although I am a lot smaller, it’s very similar.

Don’t really have a question, just enjoying sitting back and reading.

[Marcus Warner]

Makes sense, I have been doing a lot of that but clearly it’s a recruitment issues.

My usual leg session would be structured

Ham Curl variant
Hack or Smith Squat
Leg Press variant
SLDL variant

Then onto to iso exercises….

Will re order and drill recruitment. Thanks

[Marcus Warner]

Hi James!

Those photos were insane, incredible.

Do you ever have an approx. goal stage weight in mind? I know it would never be exact, but I am curious. You are circa 114kg now, so how much do you imagine would come off before the shows?

[Marcus Warner]

Makes sense.

My usual Pull/Push/Legs split is usually 14/15 sets total. So I think my basis was just instead of 2 working sets for 7 movements, just do 7 muscle round sets.

Thanks JP, took on board what you said about the push muscle rounds not really doing anything for you, so think I am going to just shoot for some higher rep maxes on joint friendly stuff tomorrow.

[Marcus Warner]

Great timing as I am about to do a deload week 8 weeks out and going to run some muscle round only sessions rather than take a week off.

A question I had was about ‘joint friendly’ exercises. In that does this become a factor further into prep also with your ‘normal’ sessions leading into prep.

do you reach a stage where joint friendly moves become far more prevalent deep into a prep as a deload becomes less of an option? Or could I repeat a similar muscle round deload say 4 weeks out?

I ask because I am definitely feeling my joints such as my elbows and even a tiny bit in my knees 12-18 months into this type of training. I have progressed my lifts hugely, so loads are far greater, the fact I have gained 10kg of stage weight in that time and I am 34 years old would also play a factor. I suppose it’s something I have never had to consider and with a deload less of an option closer to show day, I thought maybe just making all my movements predominantly joint friendly 4 weeks out (yet still trying to progress them) might be a way to balance this?

[Marcus Warner]

I think all of us who are members on this site and follow all Jordan’s stuff were massively excited to see you guys work together.

This is going to be an awesome addition to the site

[Marcus Warner]

I brought a pretty weak back to an ok back by doing a few things;

Absolutely focus on form, be neurotic in making sure the exercise is working the muscle you intend.

Keep it simple, never shirk the basic lifts, progress those lifts.

Perhaps I am talking out of turn, but f*ck angles etc. In my experience nearly doubling the amount I could barbell row for 8 with good form made my back grow, doing a million different variations to ‘hit all the angles’ gave me the shit back in the first place.

But honestly, perhaps one the biggest things I learned from JP was that in the end most of us don’t have weak body parts per se, we just need more muscle full stop. Until you have an impressive amount of genuine muscle mass, just continue on the simply path of progressive eating/lifting/supplementation. The time to focus on the smaller details of bringing up a lagging bodypart is much more worthwhile when you have that mass. I used to think about to bring this and that up, but the truth is I am a million miles away from having enough muscle full stop.

[Marcus Warner]

Thanks guys, to be fair a few weeks in and my appetite has been strong, so all good.

[Marcus Warner]

My wife confronted me a few years back, while we were having a wider problems and sorting things. It was very much a ‘full disclosure’ moment.

As I have continued to compete I make sure she knows everything I do. For one thing if something was to go wrong, then at least she has the information on the things I am doing, where they are stored (I keep them locked away as I have children) etc.

This overall is a positive – my wife is even far more clued up on how different compounds work and how I respond to them. Like a lot of people, she started believing all gear came a in a bottle with ‘steroids’ written on them.

All that aside, even though I am pretty sure my mother knows, I don’t think I would want to tell her. Not even sure why, but she probably just wouldn’t understand.

Everyone’s situation is different, but in an ideal world at least some of your nearest and dearest knowing would benefit you, even if it’s just in case something goes wrong with your health. I haven’t had a single physical side effect and my health markers have been perfect despite ‘prep’ level use, but my mental wellbeing has suffered plenty. With this in mind my wife is at least aware of why I might be in a certain mind state and can often act a voice of reason when you are all over the shop.

[Marcus Warner]

As James said; you need rotations for squats/deads.

Some things you could;

Put push in between pull/legs.

Definitely rotate deads/rack pulls and BB SLDL and DB SLDL. I find deadlifting once every 7/8 days I can properly push for progression. I am lucky that SLDL’s doesn’t fry my back like others.

Also squats – barbell/hack/v squat/smith squat – while all variations will potentially bring some strain on the lower back, at least it isn’t the same stress.

And lastly – maybe take an extra rest day?

[Marcus Warner]

Thanks Nick, cardio was one option I have been trying so will see how that goes.

[Marcus Warner]

I think Jordan covers it, I believe it’s on the ‘adjusting nutritional phases’ video if my memory serves me right.

I have used them in distinct times

1 – after blowing up after a show. I used get pretty nasty water rebounds from making weight for shows, add in eating some crap and not training for a week at least due to water retention and I would then use a fortnight or so after I felt ok to take off that water. Matt porter has a video on how he uses this and it was the approach I followed. I would basically do double cardio and my diet from 2 weeks out to show day, so pretty harsh, but only for two weeks.

2 – to tidy up after pushing calories for 3 months. I am currently a week into this – basically I am going into a calorie deficit, added in 30 mins of LISS most mornings and will aim lose some bodyfat. This is a gentler mini diet (alongside going back ‘on’ after 14 weeks off), but I will take this up into the end of this month. Before pushing again with my off season, hopefully in a much leaner place. In 2017 I am going to push for three months, then tidy up for 1 month, repeat.

3 – to ‘kick start’ from off season to prep. I used this during my last prep for the British. I had a brief turnaround of 8 weeks between qualifier and starting prep for the British. So 2 weeks before starting my second prep I did hard push on cardio and calorie deficit for those 2 weeks, then returned to my starting diet and cardio for my prep. I found this the least successful as it seemed to just another hard two weeks in a year that ended up being circa 37 weeks of prep!

Not saying these are totally effective or the right way, just some of the ways I have tried them. I would say how hard you mini diet and how long you mini diet are dependant on your timescale and goals.