When you workout for long enough, there are times where you “forget” stuff you know works.
It’s often related to what you haven’t done in awhile or moreso what you haven’t had access to in awhile.
For example ;
I’ve long neglected squats, and have long known how real world applicable high reps done with enough weight make you.
I’d forgotten what high rep front squats felt like.
I’d forgotten what high rep overhead squats felt like.
It doesn’t have to be a regular back squat.
You can train any movement in whatever rep range you desire.
Think about olys for a second.
It’s accepted to do high rep kettlebell movements, but the weightlifting movements and variants on a barbell are for some reason not to be done.
The barbell is more blue collar in america than the kettlebell.
Maybe in russia they’re fairly ubiquitous and just found lying around, but here they cost a pretty penny.
(not that one relatively heavy kettlebell shouldn’t be acquired and put to use cleaning til the cows come home)
In america though, you’ve no excuse to not own a 300lb weight set.
Reality is that one could set you up for life, no gym dues or gym commutes ever required again, though you might have to purchase a higher quality bar at some point (look for good tensile strength at a low cost – or just get a texas power bar following the buy nice don’t buy twice principle).
I practically have forgotten the leg press.
It’s been a year and a half since I’ve had access to one, and about four and a half since I’ve had access to one able to be loaded up.
The high rep benefits of the squat, most of them are there with high rep leg press, but the leg press is much easier mentally.
This can make it better for leg growth than the squat, you just don’t have to dig as deep as when putting a bar on your back for truly challenging 15s, 20s, 50s, 100 reps forces you to go.
You can push the leg press to 75 reps, be seeing stars, hobble to your next exercise, and be ready to do that again pretty quickly – not anguish mentally, stressed out in fear of your next squat session.
Both approaches have their pros and cons, both have their place.
I really find benefit in the overhead squat for high reps.
Wicked light is acceptable, the empty bar.
Weighted too is acceptable.
I’ve gotten to about 20×135 overhead before, and say all amateur weightlifters should ride their first or final power snatch into an amrap.
You might not be able to do that.
If so drop the weight some, and rep that.
If you can leave a barbell loaded to a nice curl and overhead squat weight, side bend too (I love them – it’s an addiction – and don’t forget one arm snatch), that can be your light high frequency bar.
The smith machine is actually real good for going dumb and getting some brute force into you.
All three powerlifts can be done in one, and you approach it not as “the bar path is wonky”, but “I will be one with the machine”, lock into place (moreso than you can with a barbell), and just strain in that line against dead weight.
Being locked in you can actually apply force in a direction the barbell would never allow.
The smith machine may get you to a 405+ lb bench faster than benching free weight.
You just amrap the shit out of a bunch of sets (like 10-15×15-30 at ~200-220lbs benching – yes).
Then just squat in it for moderate reps (heavy – eventually you’ll tip the machine – yes – no joke, tip the machine), and pull in it for amazingly high tension low reps (light to moderate, but damn near failing over from how much your muscles are firing – see being locked in applying force in a direction the barbell would never allow).
Ground to overhead, in bunches, practically exclusively is how I put on an upper back.
Lots of military presses was the best thing I ever found for my shoulders.
More biceps = more pullups.
Get strong at curling, do lots of ugly olys, and you’ll probably be decent at pullups.
Add weight to pullups as often as possible. Even 3s at bw+2½lbs is worthwhile, and six months later doing amraps of 20+ at bw+20-30, moderate/training effort/fairly easy 3×8 at bw+45 leaving a bunch in the tank, heck two years later I hit 9 pullups weighing 290lbs.
That’s likely correlated to the strongest curling I’ve ever done.
12x115lbs recently, with PRs very frequently, like every second day frequently.
Use what you have access to in this moment…
You just gotta lift.
Persistence & Tenacity