Nick Cox Coaching

There are parts of every prep and/or training week that you love more than others. And vice versa.

This is definitely the vice versa in my prep for

SSB front squats, with no lockout at the top.

In week 1, I was super light for 2 sets and it took me at least 20 minutes to recover. Today it was 140kg (not that heavy I'm guessing) for one set, and you can hear what it took out of me!

Although I hate these sets, I actually also kind of love them- at least in the genius of the programming by . Because these disgusting squats, with their constant tension, are helping prepare me for the constant tension of a truck pull in a couple of weeks time.

That said, I'm really kind of hoping that this will have been the last big set of this prep...but I'm not counting on it!

It's all very well hitting PBs on the stuff you're really good at, but for me, this 340kg deadlift (20kg PB if hit) was the one I really wanted.

Unfortunately, my inability to hitch well meant that I lost a lift that had felt really strong up to well over my knees. A bit of practice on the hitch will go a long way here, I think.

Deadlift is not my strongest lift - but it is my favourite. Despite all the calibrated plates & kit etc., there is just something kind of slightly primeval about it: picking heavy s**t off the floor!

I'm definitely disappointed by today's lift; but I'm not despondent. I know where it didn't go right, my coach () is on it, and I'll come back stronger & better prepared in a few weeks time.

Onwards....

Breakfast!

Breakfast is definitely in my top five favourite meals of the day...

How do you like yours?

The heading might suggest a successful session, but unfortunately that wasn't the case as during this RPE9 set I twinged an existing ab strain (yes I do have them!) which meant any back extension under load was very sore - so I tried to do the right/sensible thing by stopping...live to fight another day.

Such is the way with pushing yourself hard in a variety of ways: but I'm hoping that as age ticks by I'll trust what I would tell anyone else - that the cumulative work, week after week, year after year, is what stands you in stead come comp day, not missing sessions when that's what your (aging) body is telling you to do 🤣

Coach:
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🔥Actions, not intentions, determine destination🔥

It's easy to have big plans and great ideas, but these thoughts alone won't take you where you want to go. In fact, it is your actions alone which will determine where you go & which reveal your true direction.

I don't always want to train, and I certainly don't always want to train alone. But I also know where I want to go, and the fact that a goal is nothing without the work to back it up.

- Week 1 prep higlights

Coming back from holiday & the injury disappointment at the British Masters, the most important thing this week was getting moving, seeing how the biceps were, and being ready to fire into as close to a full week as possible starting tomorrow.

All those boxes are ticked, and some. I can't wait for this prep & being ready to give it my all on the 19th September. I need to listen to my body better as I go, and really trust the process that Cal has laid out.

I'll be documenting the prep for SSM on Tiktok - 'strongmannick' if you want to follow along! 👊

Coach:
Sponsor: @
Gyms: &