Heavy Mug Sucks
Heavy mug sucks are mug sucks performed as a strength discipline. This was the first modality I experimented with after many years of lifestyle mug sucks.
Ultimately, I lost interest in these after I discovered that I wasn’t really getting stronger. I’m not sure how mug sucks work biomechanically, but I believe that significant physiological adaptation isn’t possible. Mug sucks don’t use muscles in the same way as conventional lifts like squats, deadlifts, or bench presses. Improvements come from technique rather than tissue adaptations.
Because heavy mug sucks cause bruising (it’s like cupping or getting a hickey), training them is socially inconvenient. After hitting 12.5lb for a 1RM, I was satisfied with my explorations and moved onto functional mug sucks, which are more nuanced and more enjoyable, albiet less impressive.
Repping out 5lbs
Some endurance mug sucks. I usually did these for 5lbx5x5. There is a real question of what the value is of a set of 5 vs an extended duration mug suck, given that the primary driver seems to be the body and not the mouth (which is just isometrically maintaining suction). I maintain that 5 reps are still more valuable than a max duration suck, because a rep trains the body to move while the mouth maintains suction, which better sets you up for functional mug sucks later.
10lb 1RM
A heavy one rep max of 10lbs. Getting the angle of the head relative to the weights is absolutely crucial here. You could probably lift even more if you had a mug with the handle on the bottom, eliminating the awkward angle, but that would no longer be a mug suck in my opinion.