Easy Muscle A Results

Week 8, which was the final week of Easy Muscle Schedule A, went fine. I was able to do 7 sets on the 7-rep day, which is a good improvement from only managing 5 sets due to needing so much rest time between sets

The circumference of my arms increased back to around 13", which was their size before I went down with COVID.

Results from IsoMax testing under the 1-rep Max protocol from The Ultimate Isometrics Manual, compared to 1-rep Max tests in September 2024:

• Zercher Lunge - 78.93, up from 71.53
• Overhead Press - 120.867, up from 107.53
• Curl - 91.2. Tested reverse curl instead of curl back in Sept.

I typically do 1-rep Max protocol tests at the start of an IsoMax 6x6 training block, so some of the strength gain were from 6x6 training. Double Kettlebell Clean + Press only training did not result in a loss of leg strength, which is a typical concern expressed by people who have not done it before, let alone tested leg strength before and after.

As expected of double C+P only training, the biggest strength gain was in the overhead press. I did not get anywhere close to 120 lbs. during the previous 6x6 block, so a lot of the gains came from the Easy Muscle A block. Adding muscle mass helped, but frequent practice of the movement has been known to increase strength as well.

I then tested my C+P rep max with a 20kg KB. I thought about testing with double 20kg KBs but I didn't feel confident in my double clean technique with these heavier KBs. I was able to do 3 reps with the left arm. I did 3 with the right arm, then put the KB down, since my double C+P performance is only as good as my left arm's performance. I had feared I wouldn't be able to press the 20kg at all, so I was feeling pretty good about being able to press it for 3 reps with each arm, and that gave me the confidence to try a double clean with the 20kgs. After taking a minute or two to rest, I attempted a double clean and immediately failed to land both KBs in the rack. I then took another break, shaking my body in Fast And Loose style, then attempted another double clean, just time landing both KBs in the rack. I did one more double clean to build confidence, before putting the KBs away.

I then tested my snatch rep max with a 16kg KB. The Maximorum Master program recommends a 10 rep max weight for the snatch sessions. I did 10 with my left arm then put it down. I could have done 1 or 2 more reps but I was satisfied with the 16kg as the weight of choice for the snatch sessions. I then did 10 reps with the right arm just to check.

My next training block will be a 6x6 IsoMax block focusing on strength, trying a modified 6x6 protocol that steals the triple wave concept from Giant X1. Instead of waving reps, I'll be waving the load. I'm very confident that at the end of this block, I will have gained the strength to C+P double 20kg KBs for 5 reps. Maximorum Master recommends a 5-rep max load for the double KB sessions.

For the next training block after 6x6 IsoMax, which as usual I'd been pondering Easy Muscle B vs. Maximorum Master. Both programs recommend a 5 rep max weight.

Pros in favor of Easy Muscle B are the 8-week duration vs. the 12-week duraction of Maximorum Master and the opportunities to practice chin-ups and dips with eventual progression to weighted versions of those movements. OTOH, watching Geoff Neupert's video on chin-ups and pondering it afterwards got me thinking that another multi-week training block with lots of pull-ups might set back my elbow health even more. When I did Easy Muscle B earlier this year, I chose pull-ups as my calisthenic pulling exercise although the manual actually recommends chin-ups, because my elbows felt uncomfortable when I attempted a chin-up. During the 8 weeks of Easy Muscle B, my elbows felt fine. I used the spiraling force technique taught in this Red Delta Project video, which has a bonus of increasing bicep activation. My forearms however started getting more and more sore from the goblet squats with the 24kg KB in bottoms up position. It was after completiion fo the Easy Muscle B block that I noticed elbow pain when I attempted a bicep curl on my chest expander. I'd blamed the bottoms-up KB goblet squat for the elbow pain, but according to Neupert, all those pull-ups, with of course the palms in pronation, may have built up less tolerance for supinated pulling too. Thus it may not be worth spending more time on pull-ups without regaining pain-free chin-ups. But if I can't do pain-free chin-ups yet, then attempting Easy Muscle B won't make any sense.

Thus, I'm leaning towards Maximorum Master, which is an all-KB, no calisthenics program. As Neupert suggested in his video, I'll practice chin-ups on rings, starting with sets of 2 reps, on the days I practice the double C+P, probably in the afternoons. At present, starting the chin-up with a neutral grip at the bottom, and pulling the rings into supinated grip at the top, feels fine.