---------------Statement of Goals---------------
In this, our third eight-week workout cycle, our small gym of virtual lifting partners--Abide, Broad Arrow, Lee, and occasionally Sid--will continue to train with the goal of increasing the loads of our singles in a handful of key lifts. Anyone else is welcome to join.
I was quite happy with my results in the last cycle, in which workouts were reduced to six lifts based on the six essential force/direction pairings:
↓Push: Squat
→Push: Bench Press
↑Push: Overhead Press
↑Pull: Deadlift
←Pull: Bentover Row
↓Pull: Pullups / Pulldowns
Occasionally I added in some assistance exercises, but the protocol was to try to get in a minimum of 10 repetitions for all six lifts each workout three times a week. By the end of the cycle, I settled on two sets of five reps as my base set/rep scheme. For shorthand, this could be called the 625 protocol. The five-rep sets were set at approximately 80% of my maximum single, as tested in the first cycle, and then adjusted during the second cycle as strength or technique improved.
In this third cycle, I will continue to follow this protocol, with the goal of adding 10 pounds to each of my five-rep sets, which, based on the results of the last cycle, are as follows:
Squat---------------220 > 230 / 100 > 105kg
Bench Press-------210 > 220 / 95 > 100kg
Overhead Press---120 > 130 / 54 > 59kg
Deadlift------------300 > 310 / 136 > 140kg
Row----------------210 > 220 / 95 > 100kg
Pulldown----------190 > 200 / 86 > 91kg
This projects to the following improvements in the maximum singles:
Squat----------------275 > 285 / 125 > 129kg
Bench Press--------265 > 275 / 120 > 125kg
Overhead Press----150 > 160 / 68 > 73kg
Deadlift-------------375 > 385 / 170 > 175kg
Row-----------------265 > 275 / 120 > 125kg
Pulldown-----------240 > 250 / 109 > 113kg
I did not test my singles at the end of Cycle II, since two of the lifts, the Squat and the Deadlift, had only recently been rehabbed. So these 1RM numbers are somewhat tenuous and rely on the assumption that my five-rep max continues to be approximately 80% of my max single. It could be, however, that my ability to perform a 1RM has atrophied from lack of practice, or that my 5RM has become a higher percentage of my 1RM, in which case the projected 1RM weight should be lower.
In any case, I will probably wait until the end of this cycle to test my singles in the performance lifts: Deadlift, Squat, Bench Press, and Overhead Press. But it might also be nice to test them mid-cycle, or if my 5RM weight increases in one of the lifts. I'm not sure if I will try to test my single in Pullups or Rows, or simply maintain them as higher rep lifts.
There is a good chance I will make greater improvement in my squat, and if I am able to increase the weight of my pulldowns, I may begin to work pullups into my routine.
Running-wise, I will probably mainly run on the non-lifting days, with the simple goal of improving my pace in the 3-6 mile, or 5-10 kilometer range. Right now it's over 10mm. I would like to get it below 9mm, which is where I was 18 months ago. I don't think I will attempt any longer runs until spring.
I would also like to lose at least 10 pounds, with the ultimate goal of getting down to 210-220, from my current 250, standing at a little under 6'2".
---------------Week 1: Cycle III---------------
14.11.30--12.06
Sunday - 11.30
PM
Mobility and Stretching
I was going to go for a run, but then my brother told me he'd soon be back with the kids, so I got in about 30 minutes of mobility and stretching. Man, did it feel good to get in an extended session. In addition to my standbys, like furniture glide stretches, shoulder mobility, and leg mobility and rolling, I tried a few new things, including the Thoracic Bridge stretch (http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_30_second_mobility_cure), and foam rolling my arm and rib and arm pit area. My shoulder really liked that. I got inspired after seeing all of Abide's yoga sessions in the last cycle, and reading up on some mobility/stability stuff:
http://graycook.com/?p=35"
http://bretcontreras.com/december-research-round-foam-rolling-edition/?utm_source=getresponse&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bretcontreras&utm_content=9 Best Deadlift Tips, Exciting New Foam Rolling Research, What to Do When an Exercise is Causing Pain or Injury, and 10 Things I'm Thankful For
The Gray Cook stuff helped make sense of why scapular retraction is so key for upper body lifts. The Bret summary showed the importance of stretching/flexibility (muscle & tendon) work done together with mobility (joint) work.
So add "increased mobility and flexibility" as another goal for this cycle:
1) increased strength (10 lbs on the main lifts);
2) increased pace 30-60 seconds per mile faster;
3) decreased weight (10 pounds); and
4) increased mobility & flexibility (do the splits?).
Monday - 12.01
PM
Flexibility & Mobility
10-15 minutes
Lifting
DL: 3/3/4 x 305 (138kg)
OHP: 2 x 5 x 120 (54kg)
SQ: 2 x 5 x 220 (100kg)
BP: 5/4 x 215 (98kg)
1-DB Row: 2 x 5 x 105 (48kg)
NPD: 3 x 190 (86kg), 5/7 x 170 (77kg)
My new bar's slightly smaller diameter and finer knurling felt great on the Deadlifts. The old shorty bar weighs 40 pounds, and the new one 35, so I thought, what the hay, mis' well put on three 45s on each side, instead of monkeying with a bunch of small plates to get the weight exact at 300. 305 felt a little heavy, so I just did 3/3/4, but I probably could've done 2 x 5 with a little more warm-up.
The Press felt solid and the second set of 120 was fine. So hopefully that's progress.
The new bar doesn't work for Squats because I put my chinup bar back on the power rack, and the handles butt out just enough to hit the plates when the bar's racked for squats. So I got out the old bar, but in between sets, I realized I could use my lock-jaw collars as spacers. So next time, I'll either take the chinup bar down, or try the collar-as-spacer idea. Or just use the old bar for squats, since it gives me a few more inches of grip-width. I like the idea of a slightly narrower grip though, as it really provides a clear and easy-to-locate platform for the bar in between my traps and delts, and it's good for shoulder mobility to have to scrunch things up like that.
The Squats themselves went fine, and I was able to attain a little extra depth on the second set. Probably time already to bump up the weight, but I'll working on squeezing a little more depth below parallel for the rest of this week I think.
The Bench Press, like the Deadlift, suggested going five pounds heavier with the new bar, and just putting two 45s on either side, rather than monkeying with smaller plates. So I got a new 5RM PR on that to start off the new cycle. The second set was kinda hard though, and I didn't feel like struggling on the last rep, so I left it at 4 reps.
The Rows and Pulldowns felt good at the end of the workout, although I had to bring the Pulldown weight down, as 190 felt heavy after going hard on the previous five lifts. I think putting the upper body pulls at the end of the workout is going to work out, though, as it's then easy to segue into assistance lifts if I have time.
Total workout time was about 50 minutes at a fairly leisurely pace--about 10 minutes for each of the big lifts, which need warm up sets, but only 5 each for the rows and pulldowns. I was running a little late, so I didn't do any assistance or ab stuff, but I think it will be easier to start getting that in if I can stick to the same base routine every time and move along efficiently.
Another thing I like about the new workout order is that I can just keep my belt on for the first three lifts, and then take it off for the rest of the workout.
Tuesday - 12.02
PM
Flexibility & Mobility
10 minutes stretching
Running
3.5 miles, Franklin-Marshall Bridges circuit. 22F/9F windchill, fartleks in my Sockwas, light flurries. The Fartleks aren't really that much faster than my aerobic pace, but on one of the last sections I did get down closer to 8mm pace. Felt great to open it up a bit.
Wednesday - 12.03
PM
Lifting
Deadlift: 2 x 5 x 265 (120kg)
OH Press: 2 x 5 x 90 (41kg)
Squat: 2 x 5 x 175 (79kg)
Behind-the-Head Press: 5 x 35 (16)
Assisted Dips: 3 x 2 x BW+Green Band (=150lb/68kg?)
Assisted Pullups: 3 x 5 x BW+Green Band (=150lb/68kg?)
2-DB Row: 2 x 5 x 120 (2*60) (54kg)
Farmer's Walk: 100 ft x 120 (2*60) (54kg)
Hyperextension: 2 x 10 x BW
After Tuesday's exchange with Abide about the relative merits of going light, I decided to try a light workout. Plus I had only slept 3 hours the night before, so I wasn't feeling very energetic by late afternoon.
Even at lighter weights, the main exercises felt somewhat challenging due to my tired state. The Behind-the-neck Presses worked well light as a mobility exercise, like in that one video I posted a few weeks ago. I decided to start working in Dips and Pullups with band assistance, as a way to prime the body for eventual unassisted Dips and Pullups. My shoulders seemed to handle the dips fine, and I liked the stretch. Pullups are really quite a different exercises from Pulldowns. Need to get at them more. The grip on the Farmer's Walk wasn't quite as challenging as in past attempts since I hadn't done heavy deadlifts beforehand.
All-in-all, I liked the workout quite a bit. It's especially nice having a workout that doesn't take a lot of mental energy. Every exercise felt easy and I didn't require much rest in between. I think I could make this a pure assistance workout, subbing OH Squat and Front Squats for the Back Squat, or Good Mornings and Band Deadlifts for the Deadlifts, Dips and Pullovers for Bench Press, and so on.
So Monday & Friday would be the 625 protocol at decent intensities, and Wednesday would be a high volume of assistance exercises done at relatively light weights. Something to consider.
Thursday - 12.04
PM
Flexibility & Mobility
25-30 minutes. Got a call from my mom's nurse, had a long discussion, ran out of time for my run, so spent the remaining time I had before picking up the kids stretching, massaging, and doing mobility stuff. Felt great afterwards!
Friday - 12.05
AM
Running
1-mi run-commute. 30F/22F windchill. The snow had melted enough that most of the sidewalks were clear, so I got in my first barefoot run in a while.
PM
1-mi run-commute. 31 F, no windchill
Lifting
Deadlift: 3/3/4 x 325 (147kg)
OH Press: 3/5 x x 120 (54kg), 5 x 115 (52kg)
Squat: 3/3/4 x 235 (107kg)
Bench Press: 2 x 3 x 225 (102kg), 4 x 215 (98kg)
Inverted Row: 5 x BW
Neutral Pulldown 23"-width: 3 x 170 (77kg)
Neutral Pulldown 14"-width: 3 x 190 (86kg)
Supine Pulldown 14"-width: 2 x 4 x 190 (86kg)
Neutral Pulldown 23"-width: 5 x 170 (77kg)
Cable Row: 10 x 170 (77kg)
I decided to try a 3/3/4 protocol on my big lifts. Felt great to go more intense than I have been doing lately, although it definitely fries the CNS a bit, or puts one 'on the nerve' as Thibaudeau says. This was the first time since my knee/hammie strain that I've done the Deadlift and Squat heavy like that. The gap between those lifts remains constant at 90 pounds. I want to narrow it down to 80 pounds sometime while building up to a 400 DL and 320 SQ 1RM.
The OHP felt a little heavy. Seems like I can only manage 2x5x120 once a week. I tried a 17.4-inch width on the last set, didn't like it. 19-20 inches feels about right for the OHP and Deadlift.
I knew I wasn't going to make the last set of my Bench Press, so I took 10 pounds off, to bring it down to my five-rep weight. So 3/3/4 x 225 will be a little short-term goal.
Almost stalled out on my last Squat rep, which is a little scary, but it felt good to do those heavy. I really like how the Rogue shorty bar feels on squats. With the scrunched up shoulder blades, the bar position between the delts and traps becomes automatic, and when that feels right, I gain a lot of confidence. Then it's just a matter of maintaining balance and pulling down on the bar a little bit, nothing much else to think about.
I tried a set of Inverted Rows, but I decided it will be best to wait for my t-grip bar with a neutral grip to arrive. Just feels wrong with a pronated grip.
I experimented a bit with grip width and type on the Pulldowns, inspired by Friday's Pullup discussion. I tried my new 14" handle attachment I got for Cable Rows, but it felt too narrow for Pulldowns. But I think 17-19" will be fine for pullups.
I was running out of time and energy when I got to the Cable Rows, so I just did a quick set of 10 at reduced weight.
Overall, a great workout. I should probably do triples once a week on the big lifts, similar to Abide's plan. I think my ability to do heavy triples, and probably heavy singles as well, has atrophied over the last two months, even as I've gotten stronger. It's a slight different neural demand I think. I also like three sets a little better than two. Seems kind of a shame to just do two sets after spending time warming up on the big lifts. So maybe Mon: 3x5 medium; Wed 2x5 light + assistance; and Fri 3/3/4 heavy . . . ?
Saturday - 12.06
early PM
Running
6 mi, 32F/31F windchill. Fairgrounds back-n-forth on Underwood Street. Boring but nice to be bare.
---------------Week 2: Cycle III---------------
14.12.07--12.13
Sunday - 12.07
Zilch
Monday - 12.08
Running
AM
1-mi run-commute, 34F/28F windchill
PM
1-mi run-commute, 32F/17F windchill
Lifting
Deadlift: 3/2 x 295
OH Press: 5 x 115/115/115/110
Squat: 5 x 125
Bench Press: 5 x 125
Pullup: 2x5xBW+Green Band
I spent the first half-hour moving the Neutral Grip Pullup handles over to the right side. This involves taking the top post of the Power Rack off first. I just eyeballed the measurements, but did well except on the last hole, which I drilled maybe a sixteenth to an eighth inch lower than the others. No biggie; the garage door opens fully again, and the handles still seem pretty sturdy, so the operation was a success.
But now I was rushed for time, and I was pretty keyed to try a higher volume day, as per the Texas Method, which I had read up a bit on earlier in the day. The idea was to do my 'lifts of emphasis' -- the Deadlift, OH Press, and Squat -- at 3-4 sets, and maybe the upper body pulls as well.
I didn't take enough time to stretch and warm-up on the Deadlift, and maybe I was a little tight from leaning over to drill, so on the third rep of my first work set I felt a little pull in my right, upper hip/glute area. I've done this before, usually while moving when out-of-shape. I tried to stretch it out, and tried two more reps, but it wouldn't unknot itself. So I called it a day on the deadlift.
The high-volume OH Press went well, but I had to lower the last set by five pounds.
On the Squat, my mildly pulled muscle still bothered me, so I quit after a set of 125.
By this time I was losing my enthusiasm for the workout, so I just did a quick, low-weight bench press and finished by christening my new pullup handles with 2x5, assisted by the Green Bands. In the future, I'll try to graduate to the Blue Band and mix in pulldowns at the same time.
So the first high-volume attempt was a disaster, but the OH Press felt pretty good at a slightly lower weight for more sets, so I'll give it another try next week, or maybe Wednesday. The basic idea would be to do Monday high volume, moderate intensity, Wednesday low volume, low intensity, and Friday low volume, high intensity.
I'll try to stretch and massage this minor pull out in time for a run this afternoon.
Tuesday - 12.09
Zilch.
Wednesday - 12.10
PM
Lifting
Bench Press: 5 x 180
Squat: 3 x 125
2-DB Arnold Press: 2 x 5 x 50
2-DB Bench Press: 2 x 5 x 50
Pullup: 2 x 5 x Green Band; 2 x 3 x Blue Band.
I only slept 4 hours the night before, then I spent 20 minutes taking off the j-clip saddles and putting bolts back on, with some hard plastic tubing cut in two-inch lengths for spacers, and some rubber wrapped around that.
So once again I was pressed for time. I decided to start off with the Bench Press. Wednesday is supposed to be 'recovery' day, so I just did one set, to prime me for Friday's intensity day.
My back felt fine warming up on the squat at 35lbs and 85lbs, but then on the third rep at 125 lbs, I felt a painful twinge. Shit. Looks like those are out for the rest of the week at least.
Since I was messing around with bolts for bar saddles, I decided I should set the height for the bar when doing dumbbell presses with my power hooks, so that I could tighten the nuts with a wrench and then finally put all the tools away that I'd been using over the last week or two.
Those felt pretty good. I tried the Arnold Press for the OHP, and did the Dumbbell Bench Press super light, just focusing on form, retracting my scapulae, and arching my back.
The Pullups went well, although it would be nice if I could get my head up those last few inches over the height of the handles. I think I found a solution with these: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049EBAKM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I just need to drill a few holes to mount my bar really high, then hang the handles off of those. Eh, get out the tools again.
Anyway, the Green Band helps too much, but with the Blue Band, there's just enough resistance to generate momentum at the bottom of the movement, but after that, it feels like it's mostly me, so I would say the band is mostly assisting with about 20-30 pounds of fat.
Another crummy workout, but at least I got something in. I wanted to do a bunch more assistance exercises, but I did like having a workout without a real specific agenda. I guess "recovery day" could just as well be called "fucking around day."
Thursday - 12.11
AM
Running
3.5 mi, Franklin Marshall bridge circuit. 26F/21F windchill.
Finally got my lazy ass down to the river for a first-thing-in-the-morning run. Felt great, but my hip/glute really acted up, and I had to walk and stop to stretch several times, which was harsh in the sub-freezing temps.
Still, very glad I made it down. I might give the daily 5K another go, with the proviso that I can walk whenever I feel like it. I'll listen to my field recordings, so I can justify the extra time, and I'll bring my Sockwas so I can walk without worry.
Friday - 12.12
Running
Decided to give my sore butt complete rest.
Flexibility & Mobility
15-20 minutes, massaging right butt cheek with softball, sitting on it and moving around, seems to help the best. The pressure was painful, but hopefully therapeutic.
PM
Lifting - Intensity Day
Bench Press: 2 x 5 x 215
OH Press: 5 x 105/115/110
1-DB Row: 4 x 3 x 120, 2 x 5 x 120
Assisted Pullups: 5 x Gr (170), 3 x 3 x Blue (190), 2 x 5 x Green (170)
Pulldowns: 5 x 170
First Texas-style Intensity Day was a bit tepid due to absence of Deadlift and Squat. According to Rippetoe, one should strive to add weight each week to both the Intensity Day and the Volume Day set-rep schemes. This seems ridiculous. I can't possibly progress that rapidly. Instead, I will use the 5RMs on Intensity Day as the benchmark. When those starts to feel easy, I'll try to add to the weight on Volume Day sets, as well as the other rep counts on Intensity Day. Right now I think I'll only vary the rep counts on Intensity Day for the Squat, Deadlift and Bench Press, which I'll space out like this:
Week 1: 5RM
Week 2: 3RM
Week 3: 5RM
Week 4: 2RM
Week 5: 5RM
Week 6: 3RM
Week 7: 5RM
Week 8: 1RM
So at the end of the cycle I will test out my 1RM for each of the big lifts. Here's the weekly routine modified even further, to include a Density Day (the lifts in boldface are the ones I'll do my best to get in) and the four rep counts to be used on Intensity day for all six main lifts.
Anyway, in Friday's session my Bench felt solid but challenging at 215, so I will maintain this weight until it starts to feel easier.
OH Press I don't know how to handle. I would like to treat it like one of the big lifts, but it doesn't seem amenable to lower rep counts, so maybe I'll treat it more like an upper body pull and just vary between slightly different weights at five reps? Or maybe between 3 and 5 reps. I'll keep experimenting until I settle on a weekly pattern I like.
It seemed kind of pointless to do the 1-DB Row at three reps, even with heavier weight. Either I need to increase the weight further, or just do them at five reps but vary the weight throughout the week, as I'm thinking of doing with the OHP.
The assisted Pullups went very well with the new rotating handles. I attached them to the ends of the the handles I attached to the Power Rack. They lower me enough that I can get a full ROM at the top now, without hitting my head on the ceiling, but with my knees still off the floor at the bottom of the movement. I figure Pullups assisted by the Green Band feel like Pulldowns at 170, good for five reps, while Pullups assisted by the lighter Blue Band feel more like Pulldowns at 190, good for three reps. So I'll consider those weights to be more or less the true weight I pulling up from the bottom of the movement, and then somewhere in the middle it shifts to being close to my body weight of 250. By the time I'm pulling my head up over the level of the handles, the band is barely stretching, so maybe just a few pounds of resistance.
I wanted to then blast away at 3-4 sets of pulldowns, with different grips, but my son was hanging out with me and getting impatient to go pick up his sister. So just did one set and showered up.
Saturday - 12.13
AM
Running
Decided to give my sore hip/butt one more day of rest.
Flexibility & Mobility
15-20 minutes.
---------------Week 3: Cycle III---------------
14.12.14--12.20
Sunday - 12.14
Late AM
Flexibility & Mobility
10 minutes stretching.
Running
6mi. 44F. Mostly walking, some running on moist surfaces in foggy weather. Glute/Hip didn't act up.
Monday - 12.15
AM
Running
1 mi run-commute. 45F/41F windchill. Moist surfaces, ran about a third of the way. Glute/Hip didn't act up, but I still have a slight niggle there. I think I'll avoid squats and deadlifts for another week while bringing the running up, and see if the latter doesn't help loosen things up a bit.
PM
1 mi run-commute. Upper 40s. Moist surfaces, ran more than half the way I think. Glute/Hip didn't act up, but I still have a slight niggle there.
Lifting
Bench Press: 2 x 5 x 200
OH Press: 4 x 5 x 110
1DB Row: 3 x 5/5 x 105
Pullups: 2 x 5 x Green Band
First official Volume Day with the fully worked out, Texas-inspired chart. But it didn't feel very good without the Squats and Deadlifts, and then my wife interrupted me towards the end to help her use the new Pressure Cooker for the first time. This involved me reading the instructions and telling her what they said. I intended to really blast away on the Pullups and Pulldowns and maybe get in some more rows, to take advantage of the time voided by the lower body lifts, which I won't be able to do until this annoying pull heals up. It's just a dull ache, and I've been trying to massage and stretch it away, but I know from prior times this has happened that it can be pretty stubborn. One time I think it lasted three weeks. It's frustrating because I had thought that by developing strength in the squat and deadlift, I had bullet-proofed myself against this sort of thing. In the past, it had only happened when I was out-of-shape, moving house or some random heavy object.
Anyway, the OH Press felt pretty good at 110 for four sets. I'm trying to get a feel for how a volume approach might work. It's intriguing. More and more, I'm agreeing with Abide that upper body pulls should be higher reps, either in a set or at higher total reps, that is, at high volume throughout a workout or weekly routine. Then the performance lifts can vary between high volume on Monday and more intensity or performance on Friday. It doesn't really make sense to vary the upper body pulls too much, since they aren't really performance lifts. If they were, they would be more amenable to working at lower rep counts, but three seems about the limit for them. Either I can do three, or I can't do any, then a little lighter, I can do five, then after that, it gets too boring to more reps so I never go too light. So I think it makes sense to keep the upper body pulls' sets and reps fairly constant across workouts, just vary between 3x3 and 3x5, but maybe add extra sets with grip variations on Friday, since the performance lifts' sets will be fewer and/or shorter:
Monday
High Volume, Moderate Intensity: Power Clean, Squats, OH Press
Moderate Volume, Moderate Intensity: Bench Press, Rows, Pull-ups/-downs
Wednesday
Low Volume, Low Intensity + Assistance: Deadlifts, Squats, Bench Press, OH Press
Moderate Volume, Moderate Intensity: Rows, Pull-ups/-downs
Friday
Moderate Volume, High Intensity: Deadlifts, Squats, Bench Press, OH Press
High Volume, Moderate Intensity: Rows, Pull-ups/-downs
Tuesday - 12.16
PM
Flexibility & Mobility
15-20 minutes.
Running
3.5 mi, Franklin-Marshall Bridge Circuit, around 30F but a fair amount of windchill. The path was covered by snow again, after melting completely over the weekend thaw. I walked most of it, seemed to do my hip/glute good.
Wednesday - 12.17
Bench Press: 2 x 5 x 175
OH Press: 2 x 5 x 100
Squat: 2 x 5 x 125
Deadlift: 2 x 5 x 125
Dips: 2 x 5 x Green Band
N. Pullups: 2 x 5 x Green Band
Had to take care of some stuff when I first got home, so a little rushed for time again, didn't get to do all the density I had planned on doing, so it was mostly a recovery workout. My sore hip/glute felt almost 100% after the walk the day before and more stretching/massaging, so I tried light squats and deadlifts, and that went fine. So I guess next time I'll try them with a little more weight. Even done light, the squats and deadlifts make the workout feel a lot more complete. I don't know if I could ever go back to body part/area splits, but I could see in the future alternating bottom-middle-top lifts every other day and doing more sets and reps, or higher intensity. Like a Squat-Bench-Pullup/Deadlift-Row-OH Press alternation.
Tried BB Rows with my new swivel handles, to get a neutral grip, but I dunno, I just don't like BB Rows too much. Seems like too much is taken away by having to support the torso with the lower back. 1DB Rows, Cable Rows, and Inverted Rows seem superior. I should've tried inverted rows with the swivel handles instead. Maybe next time . . .
Thursday - 12.18
AM
Flexibility & Mobility
15 minutes
PM
Running
Started out on a nice late afternoon run down by the river in decreasing daylight, when I got a call from my wife telling me our son had a fever and was refusing to swallow his medicine, so I turned around after less than a half a mile, got back in the car and bought some suppositories at the Pharmacy. So maybe 3/4 mi? Felt good whatever it was.
Friday - 12.19
Flexibility & Mobility
15 minutes
Had to take a nap with our recovering son, so no st.
Saturday - 12.20
Stuff came up, no mid-morning run. Gotta start doing it first-thing again, it's the only way. Earlier, I put the finishing touches on my stretching contraption, so
Flexibility & Mobility
15 minutes
---------------Week 4: Cycle III---------------
14.12.21--12.27
Sunday - 12.21
Flexibility & Mobility
15 minutes
Was going to go for a run/walk, but it was raining just about freezing, and then about mid morning I started getting my son's mild flu bug.
Monday - 12.22
My whole body felt a little achy, so I drove to my office, but then locked myself out while washing my coffee filter and cup. So I walked/ran home in my t-shirt, tracer pants, and cheap sandals, got my extra set of keys, and then walked/ran back with a jacket, cap, and Sockwas. It was 38F, but wet surfaces. Felt good to run a bit, though, despite feeling under the weather. Locking myself out could be a sign to get back to the first-thing-in-the-morning running.
Tuesday - 12.23
Wednesday - 12.24
Thursday - 12.25
Friday - 12.26
Saturday - 12.27
Snow-shoveling.
---------------Week 5: Cycle III---------------
14.12.28--15.01.03
Sunday - 12.28
PM
Sled-pulling.
Monday - 12.29
PM
Stretching & Mobility
Straddle-Rack.
Strength Training--Volume
DL: 3 x 5 x 175
OHP: 4 x 5 x 85
SQ: 2 x 5 x 125
BP: 2 x 5 x 175
After more than a week off from st, I decided I was recovered enough from my mild flu bug to get back at it. I have a few lingering symptoms, and my energy levels are still only at about to 85-90%, so I kept everything light, which was also good because I wasn't sure where I was with my mild hip/glute pull. I had stopped feeling it sometime during the 10 days off. On the last rep of my second set of squats, I felt what might be a little niggle just above the spot of the pull, in my lower right back, so I stopped just in case. Too bad, I really missed my squats, and had wanted to do 4-5 sets of five reps as part of my "volume" day. At least I can do them again. I'll keep the squats and deadlifts light throughout this week at least to make sure everything's fully recovered. Workouts just don't feel right without squats and deadlifts, so better light and cautious than risk aggravating the pull. I have to admit, I'm getting better at rehab. Now if I can just get better at hab so that I can avoid rehab altogether.
With the New Year in sight, I'm thinking I might switch my priorities from strength gains to fat loss. I'm going to cut calories a bit and hope I can still maintain sufficient nutrition for progress in the weights, but I'm really get tired of carrying around this extra 30 pounds or so, so I'm going to focus on that a bit more. Start up the daily 5K too if I can.
Tuesday - 12.30
Wednesday - 12.31
Thursday - 01.01
Friday - 01.02
Saturday - 01.03
Cycle aborted. New cycle starts Jan. 4th, 2015
---------------Cycle III Gains---------------
Squat---------------220 > 220* / 100 > 100kg
Bench Press-------210 > 215 / 95 > 98kg
Overhead Press---120 > 120 / 54 > 54kg
Deadlift------------300 > 300 / 136 > 136kg
Row----------------210 > 210 / 95 > 95kg
Pulldown----------190 > 190 / 86 > 86kg
I will change the second number of the pair as soon as an increase has been made. However, I will probably wait until the end of the cycle to post my 1RM results.
In this, our third eight-week workout cycle, our small gym of virtual lifting partners--Abide, Broad Arrow, Lee, and occasionally Sid--will continue to train with the goal of increasing the loads of our singles in a handful of key lifts. Anyone else is welcome to join.
I was quite happy with my results in the last cycle, in which workouts were reduced to six lifts based on the six essential force/direction pairings:
↓Push: Squat
→Push: Bench Press
↑Push: Overhead Press
↑Pull: Deadlift
←Pull: Bentover Row
↓Pull: Pullups / Pulldowns
Occasionally I added in some assistance exercises, but the protocol was to try to get in a minimum of 10 repetitions for all six lifts each workout three times a week. By the end of the cycle, I settled on two sets of five reps as my base set/rep scheme. For shorthand, this could be called the 625 protocol. The five-rep sets were set at approximately 80% of my maximum single, as tested in the first cycle, and then adjusted during the second cycle as strength or technique improved.
In this third cycle, I will continue to follow this protocol, with the goal of adding 10 pounds to each of my five-rep sets, which, based on the results of the last cycle, are as follows:
Squat---------------220 > 230 / 100 > 105kg
Bench Press-------210 > 220 / 95 > 100kg
Overhead Press---120 > 130 / 54 > 59kg
Deadlift------------300 > 310 / 136 > 140kg
Row----------------210 > 220 / 95 > 100kg
Pulldown----------190 > 200 / 86 > 91kg
This projects to the following improvements in the maximum singles:
Squat----------------275 > 285 / 125 > 129kg
Bench Press--------265 > 275 / 120 > 125kg
Overhead Press----150 > 160 / 68 > 73kg
Deadlift-------------375 > 385 / 170 > 175kg
Row-----------------265 > 275 / 120 > 125kg
Pulldown-----------240 > 250 / 109 > 113kg
I did not test my singles at the end of Cycle II, since two of the lifts, the Squat and the Deadlift, had only recently been rehabbed. So these 1RM numbers are somewhat tenuous and rely on the assumption that my five-rep max continues to be approximately 80% of my max single. It could be, however, that my ability to perform a 1RM has atrophied from lack of practice, or that my 5RM has become a higher percentage of my 1RM, in which case the projected 1RM weight should be lower.
In any case, I will probably wait until the end of this cycle to test my singles in the performance lifts: Deadlift, Squat, Bench Press, and Overhead Press. But it might also be nice to test them mid-cycle, or if my 5RM weight increases in one of the lifts. I'm not sure if I will try to test my single in Pullups or Rows, or simply maintain them as higher rep lifts.
There is a good chance I will make greater improvement in my squat, and if I am able to increase the weight of my pulldowns, I may begin to work pullups into my routine.
Running-wise, I will probably mainly run on the non-lifting days, with the simple goal of improving my pace in the 3-6 mile, or 5-10 kilometer range. Right now it's over 10mm. I would like to get it below 9mm, which is where I was 18 months ago. I don't think I will attempt any longer runs until spring.
I would also like to lose at least 10 pounds, with the ultimate goal of getting down to 210-220, from my current 250, standing at a little under 6'2".
---------------Week 1: Cycle III---------------
14.11.30--12.06
Sunday - 11.30
PM
Mobility and Stretching
I was going to go for a run, but then my brother told me he'd soon be back with the kids, so I got in about 30 minutes of mobility and stretching. Man, did it feel good to get in an extended session. In addition to my standbys, like furniture glide stretches, shoulder mobility, and leg mobility and rolling, I tried a few new things, including the Thoracic Bridge stretch (http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_30_second_mobility_cure), and foam rolling my arm and rib and arm pit area. My shoulder really liked that. I got inspired after seeing all of Abide's yoga sessions in the last cycle, and reading up on some mobility/stability stuff:
http://graycook.com/?p=35"
http://bretcontreras.com/december-research-round-foam-rolling-edition/?utm_source=getresponse&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bretcontreras&utm_content=9 Best Deadlift Tips, Exciting New Foam Rolling Research, What to Do When an Exercise is Causing Pain or Injury, and 10 Things I'm Thankful For
The Gray Cook stuff helped make sense of why scapular retraction is so key for upper body lifts. The Bret summary showed the importance of stretching/flexibility (muscle & tendon) work done together with mobility (joint) work.
So add "increased mobility and flexibility" as another goal for this cycle:
1) increased strength (10 lbs on the main lifts);
2) increased pace 30-60 seconds per mile faster;
3) decreased weight (10 pounds); and
4) increased mobility & flexibility (do the splits?).
Monday - 12.01
PM
Flexibility & Mobility
10-15 minutes
Lifting
DL: 3/3/4 x 305 (138kg)
OHP: 2 x 5 x 120 (54kg)
SQ: 2 x 5 x 220 (100kg)
BP: 5/4 x 215 (98kg)
1-DB Row: 2 x 5 x 105 (48kg)
NPD: 3 x 190 (86kg), 5/7 x 170 (77kg)
My new bar's slightly smaller diameter and finer knurling felt great on the Deadlifts. The old shorty bar weighs 40 pounds, and the new one 35, so I thought, what the hay, mis' well put on three 45s on each side, instead of monkeying with a bunch of small plates to get the weight exact at 300. 305 felt a little heavy, so I just did 3/3/4, but I probably could've done 2 x 5 with a little more warm-up.
The Press felt solid and the second set of 120 was fine. So hopefully that's progress.
The new bar doesn't work for Squats because I put my chinup bar back on the power rack, and the handles butt out just enough to hit the plates when the bar's racked for squats. So I got out the old bar, but in between sets, I realized I could use my lock-jaw collars as spacers. So next time, I'll either take the chinup bar down, or try the collar-as-spacer idea. Or just use the old bar for squats, since it gives me a few more inches of grip-width. I like the idea of a slightly narrower grip though, as it really provides a clear and easy-to-locate platform for the bar in between my traps and delts, and it's good for shoulder mobility to have to scrunch things up like that.
The Squats themselves went fine, and I was able to attain a little extra depth on the second set. Probably time already to bump up the weight, but I'll working on squeezing a little more depth below parallel for the rest of this week I think.
The Bench Press, like the Deadlift, suggested going five pounds heavier with the new bar, and just putting two 45s on either side, rather than monkeying with smaller plates. So I got a new 5RM PR on that to start off the new cycle. The second set was kinda hard though, and I didn't feel like struggling on the last rep, so I left it at 4 reps.
The Rows and Pulldowns felt good at the end of the workout, although I had to bring the Pulldown weight down, as 190 felt heavy after going hard on the previous five lifts. I think putting the upper body pulls at the end of the workout is going to work out, though, as it's then easy to segue into assistance lifts if I have time.
Total workout time was about 50 minutes at a fairly leisurely pace--about 10 minutes for each of the big lifts, which need warm up sets, but only 5 each for the rows and pulldowns. I was running a little late, so I didn't do any assistance or ab stuff, but I think it will be easier to start getting that in if I can stick to the same base routine every time and move along efficiently.
Another thing I like about the new workout order is that I can just keep my belt on for the first three lifts, and then take it off for the rest of the workout.
Tuesday - 12.02
PM
Flexibility & Mobility
10 minutes stretching
Running
3.5 miles, Franklin-Marshall Bridges circuit. 22F/9F windchill, fartleks in my Sockwas, light flurries. The Fartleks aren't really that much faster than my aerobic pace, but on one of the last sections I did get down closer to 8mm pace. Felt great to open it up a bit.
Wednesday - 12.03
PM
Lifting
Deadlift: 2 x 5 x 265 (120kg)
OH Press: 2 x 5 x 90 (41kg)
Squat: 2 x 5 x 175 (79kg)
Behind-the-Head Press: 5 x 35 (16)
Assisted Dips: 3 x 2 x BW+Green Band (=150lb/68kg?)
Assisted Pullups: 3 x 5 x BW+Green Band (=150lb/68kg?)
2-DB Row: 2 x 5 x 120 (2*60) (54kg)
Farmer's Walk: 100 ft x 120 (2*60) (54kg)
Hyperextension: 2 x 10 x BW
After Tuesday's exchange with Abide about the relative merits of going light, I decided to try a light workout. Plus I had only slept 3 hours the night before, so I wasn't feeling very energetic by late afternoon.
Even at lighter weights, the main exercises felt somewhat challenging due to my tired state. The Behind-the-neck Presses worked well light as a mobility exercise, like in that one video I posted a few weeks ago. I decided to start working in Dips and Pullups with band assistance, as a way to prime the body for eventual unassisted Dips and Pullups. My shoulders seemed to handle the dips fine, and I liked the stretch. Pullups are really quite a different exercises from Pulldowns. Need to get at them more. The grip on the Farmer's Walk wasn't quite as challenging as in past attempts since I hadn't done heavy deadlifts beforehand.
All-in-all, I liked the workout quite a bit. It's especially nice having a workout that doesn't take a lot of mental energy. Every exercise felt easy and I didn't require much rest in between. I think I could make this a pure assistance workout, subbing OH Squat and Front Squats for the Back Squat, or Good Mornings and Band Deadlifts for the Deadlifts, Dips and Pullovers for Bench Press, and so on.
So Monday & Friday would be the 625 protocol at decent intensities, and Wednesday would be a high volume of assistance exercises done at relatively light weights. Something to consider.
Thursday - 12.04
PM
Flexibility & Mobility
25-30 minutes. Got a call from my mom's nurse, had a long discussion, ran out of time for my run, so spent the remaining time I had before picking up the kids stretching, massaging, and doing mobility stuff. Felt great afterwards!
Friday - 12.05
AM
Running
1-mi run-commute. 30F/22F windchill. The snow had melted enough that most of the sidewalks were clear, so I got in my first barefoot run in a while.
PM
1-mi run-commute. 31 F, no windchill
Lifting
Deadlift: 3/3/4 x 325 (147kg)
OH Press: 3/5 x x 120 (54kg), 5 x 115 (52kg)
Squat: 3/3/4 x 235 (107kg)
Bench Press: 2 x 3 x 225 (102kg), 4 x 215 (98kg)
Inverted Row: 5 x BW
Neutral Pulldown 23"-width: 3 x 170 (77kg)
Neutral Pulldown 14"-width: 3 x 190 (86kg)
Supine Pulldown 14"-width: 2 x 4 x 190 (86kg)
Neutral Pulldown 23"-width: 5 x 170 (77kg)
Cable Row: 10 x 170 (77kg)
I decided to try a 3/3/4 protocol on my big lifts. Felt great to go more intense than I have been doing lately, although it definitely fries the CNS a bit, or puts one 'on the nerve' as Thibaudeau says. This was the first time since my knee/hammie strain that I've done the Deadlift and Squat heavy like that. The gap between those lifts remains constant at 90 pounds. I want to narrow it down to 80 pounds sometime while building up to a 400 DL and 320 SQ 1RM.
The OHP felt a little heavy. Seems like I can only manage 2x5x120 once a week. I tried a 17.4-inch width on the last set, didn't like it. 19-20 inches feels about right for the OHP and Deadlift.
I knew I wasn't going to make the last set of my Bench Press, so I took 10 pounds off, to bring it down to my five-rep weight. So 3/3/4 x 225 will be a little short-term goal.
Almost stalled out on my last Squat rep, which is a little scary, but it felt good to do those heavy. I really like how the Rogue shorty bar feels on squats. With the scrunched up shoulder blades, the bar position between the delts and traps becomes automatic, and when that feels right, I gain a lot of confidence. Then it's just a matter of maintaining balance and pulling down on the bar a little bit, nothing much else to think about.
I tried a set of Inverted Rows, but I decided it will be best to wait for my t-grip bar with a neutral grip to arrive. Just feels wrong with a pronated grip.
I experimented a bit with grip width and type on the Pulldowns, inspired by Friday's Pullup discussion. I tried my new 14" handle attachment I got for Cable Rows, but it felt too narrow for Pulldowns. But I think 17-19" will be fine for pullups.
I was running out of time and energy when I got to the Cable Rows, so I just did a quick set of 10 at reduced weight.
Overall, a great workout. I should probably do triples once a week on the big lifts, similar to Abide's plan. I think my ability to do heavy triples, and probably heavy singles as well, has atrophied over the last two months, even as I've gotten stronger. It's a slight different neural demand I think. I also like three sets a little better than two. Seems kind of a shame to just do two sets after spending time warming up on the big lifts. So maybe Mon: 3x5 medium; Wed 2x5 light + assistance; and Fri 3/3/4 heavy . . . ?
Saturday - 12.06
early PM
Running
6 mi, 32F/31F windchill. Fairgrounds back-n-forth on Underwood Street. Boring but nice to be bare.
---------------Week 2: Cycle III---------------
14.12.07--12.13
Sunday - 12.07
Zilch
Monday - 12.08
Running
AM
1-mi run-commute, 34F/28F windchill
PM
1-mi run-commute, 32F/17F windchill
Lifting
Deadlift: 3/2 x 295
OH Press: 5 x 115/115/115/110
Squat: 5 x 125
Bench Press: 5 x 125
Pullup: 2x5xBW+Green Band
I spent the first half-hour moving the Neutral Grip Pullup handles over to the right side. This involves taking the top post of the Power Rack off first. I just eyeballed the measurements, but did well except on the last hole, which I drilled maybe a sixteenth to an eighth inch lower than the others. No biggie; the garage door opens fully again, and the handles still seem pretty sturdy, so the operation was a success.
But now I was rushed for time, and I was pretty keyed to try a higher volume day, as per the Texas Method, which I had read up a bit on earlier in the day. The idea was to do my 'lifts of emphasis' -- the Deadlift, OH Press, and Squat -- at 3-4 sets, and maybe the upper body pulls as well.
I didn't take enough time to stretch and warm-up on the Deadlift, and maybe I was a little tight from leaning over to drill, so on the third rep of my first work set I felt a little pull in my right, upper hip/glute area. I've done this before, usually while moving when out-of-shape. I tried to stretch it out, and tried two more reps, but it wouldn't unknot itself. So I called it a day on the deadlift.
The high-volume OH Press went well, but I had to lower the last set by five pounds.
On the Squat, my mildly pulled muscle still bothered me, so I quit after a set of 125.
By this time I was losing my enthusiasm for the workout, so I just did a quick, low-weight bench press and finished by christening my new pullup handles with 2x5, assisted by the Green Bands. In the future, I'll try to graduate to the Blue Band and mix in pulldowns at the same time.
So the first high-volume attempt was a disaster, but the OH Press felt pretty good at a slightly lower weight for more sets, so I'll give it another try next week, or maybe Wednesday. The basic idea would be to do Monday high volume, moderate intensity, Wednesday low volume, low intensity, and Friday low volume, high intensity.
I'll try to stretch and massage this minor pull out in time for a run this afternoon.
Tuesday - 12.09
Zilch.
Wednesday - 12.10
PM
Lifting
Bench Press: 5 x 180
Squat: 3 x 125
2-DB Arnold Press: 2 x 5 x 50
2-DB Bench Press: 2 x 5 x 50
Pullup: 2 x 5 x Green Band; 2 x 3 x Blue Band.
I only slept 4 hours the night before, then I spent 20 minutes taking off the j-clip saddles and putting bolts back on, with some hard plastic tubing cut in two-inch lengths for spacers, and some rubber wrapped around that.
So once again I was pressed for time. I decided to start off with the Bench Press. Wednesday is supposed to be 'recovery' day, so I just did one set, to prime me for Friday's intensity day.
My back felt fine warming up on the squat at 35lbs and 85lbs, but then on the third rep at 125 lbs, I felt a painful twinge. Shit. Looks like those are out for the rest of the week at least.
Since I was messing around with bolts for bar saddles, I decided I should set the height for the bar when doing dumbbell presses with my power hooks, so that I could tighten the nuts with a wrench and then finally put all the tools away that I'd been using over the last week or two.
Those felt pretty good. I tried the Arnold Press for the OHP, and did the Dumbbell Bench Press super light, just focusing on form, retracting my scapulae, and arching my back.
The Pullups went well, although it would be nice if I could get my head up those last few inches over the height of the handles. I think I found a solution with these: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049EBAKM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I just need to drill a few holes to mount my bar really high, then hang the handles off of those. Eh, get out the tools again.
Anyway, the Green Band helps too much, but with the Blue Band, there's just enough resistance to generate momentum at the bottom of the movement, but after that, it feels like it's mostly me, so I would say the band is mostly assisting with about 20-30 pounds of fat.
Another crummy workout, but at least I got something in. I wanted to do a bunch more assistance exercises, but I did like having a workout without a real specific agenda. I guess "recovery day" could just as well be called "fucking around day."
Thursday - 12.11
AM
Running
3.5 mi, Franklin Marshall bridge circuit. 26F/21F windchill.
Finally got my lazy ass down to the river for a first-thing-in-the-morning run. Felt great, but my hip/glute really acted up, and I had to walk and stop to stretch several times, which was harsh in the sub-freezing temps.
Still, very glad I made it down. I might give the daily 5K another go, with the proviso that I can walk whenever I feel like it. I'll listen to my field recordings, so I can justify the extra time, and I'll bring my Sockwas so I can walk without worry.
Friday - 12.12
Running
Decided to give my sore butt complete rest.
Flexibility & Mobility
15-20 minutes, massaging right butt cheek with softball, sitting on it and moving around, seems to help the best. The pressure was painful, but hopefully therapeutic.
PM
Lifting - Intensity Day
Bench Press: 2 x 5 x 215
OH Press: 5 x 105/115/110
1-DB Row: 4 x 3 x 120, 2 x 5 x 120
Assisted Pullups: 5 x Gr (170), 3 x 3 x Blue (190), 2 x 5 x Green (170)
Pulldowns: 5 x 170
First Texas-style Intensity Day was a bit tepid due to absence of Deadlift and Squat. According to Rippetoe, one should strive to add weight each week to both the Intensity Day and the Volume Day set-rep schemes. This seems ridiculous. I can't possibly progress that rapidly. Instead, I will use the 5RMs on Intensity Day as the benchmark. When those starts to feel easy, I'll try to add to the weight on Volume Day sets, as well as the other rep counts on Intensity Day. Right now I think I'll only vary the rep counts on Intensity Day for the Squat, Deadlift and Bench Press, which I'll space out like this:
Week 1: 5RM
Week 2: 3RM
Week 3: 5RM
Week 4: 2RM
Week 5: 5RM
Week 6: 3RM
Week 7: 5RM
Week 8: 1RM
So at the end of the cycle I will test out my 1RM for each of the big lifts. Here's the weekly routine modified even further, to include a Density Day (the lifts in boldface are the ones I'll do my best to get in) and the four rep counts to be used on Intensity day for all six main lifts.
Anyway, in Friday's session my Bench felt solid but challenging at 215, so I will maintain this weight until it starts to feel easier.
OH Press I don't know how to handle. I would like to treat it like one of the big lifts, but it doesn't seem amenable to lower rep counts, so maybe I'll treat it more like an upper body pull and just vary between slightly different weights at five reps? Or maybe between 3 and 5 reps. I'll keep experimenting until I settle on a weekly pattern I like.
It seemed kind of pointless to do the 1-DB Row at three reps, even with heavier weight. Either I need to increase the weight further, or just do them at five reps but vary the weight throughout the week, as I'm thinking of doing with the OHP.
The assisted Pullups went very well with the new rotating handles. I attached them to the ends of the the handles I attached to the Power Rack. They lower me enough that I can get a full ROM at the top now, without hitting my head on the ceiling, but with my knees still off the floor at the bottom of the movement. I figure Pullups assisted by the Green Band feel like Pulldowns at 170, good for five reps, while Pullups assisted by the lighter Blue Band feel more like Pulldowns at 190, good for three reps. So I'll consider those weights to be more or less the true weight I pulling up from the bottom of the movement, and then somewhere in the middle it shifts to being close to my body weight of 250. By the time I'm pulling my head up over the level of the handles, the band is barely stretching, so maybe just a few pounds of resistance.
I wanted to then blast away at 3-4 sets of pulldowns, with different grips, but my son was hanging out with me and getting impatient to go pick up his sister. So just did one set and showered up.
Saturday - 12.13
AM
Running
Decided to give my sore hip/butt one more day of rest.
Flexibility & Mobility
15-20 minutes.
---------------Week 3: Cycle III---------------
14.12.14--12.20
Sunday - 12.14
Late AM
Flexibility & Mobility
10 minutes stretching.
Running
6mi. 44F. Mostly walking, some running on moist surfaces in foggy weather. Glute/Hip didn't act up.
Monday - 12.15
AM
Running
1 mi run-commute. 45F/41F windchill. Moist surfaces, ran about a third of the way. Glute/Hip didn't act up, but I still have a slight niggle there. I think I'll avoid squats and deadlifts for another week while bringing the running up, and see if the latter doesn't help loosen things up a bit.
PM
1 mi run-commute. Upper 40s. Moist surfaces, ran more than half the way I think. Glute/Hip didn't act up, but I still have a slight niggle there.
Lifting
Bench Press: 2 x 5 x 200
OH Press: 4 x 5 x 110
1DB Row: 3 x 5/5 x 105
Pullups: 2 x 5 x Green Band
First official Volume Day with the fully worked out, Texas-inspired chart. But it didn't feel very good without the Squats and Deadlifts, and then my wife interrupted me towards the end to help her use the new Pressure Cooker for the first time. This involved me reading the instructions and telling her what they said. I intended to really blast away on the Pullups and Pulldowns and maybe get in some more rows, to take advantage of the time voided by the lower body lifts, which I won't be able to do until this annoying pull heals up. It's just a dull ache, and I've been trying to massage and stretch it away, but I know from prior times this has happened that it can be pretty stubborn. One time I think it lasted three weeks. It's frustrating because I had thought that by developing strength in the squat and deadlift, I had bullet-proofed myself against this sort of thing. In the past, it had only happened when I was out-of-shape, moving house or some random heavy object.
Anyway, the OH Press felt pretty good at 110 for four sets. I'm trying to get a feel for how a volume approach might work. It's intriguing. More and more, I'm agreeing with Abide that upper body pulls should be higher reps, either in a set or at higher total reps, that is, at high volume throughout a workout or weekly routine. Then the performance lifts can vary between high volume on Monday and more intensity or performance on Friday. It doesn't really make sense to vary the upper body pulls too much, since they aren't really performance lifts. If they were, they would be more amenable to working at lower rep counts, but three seems about the limit for them. Either I can do three, or I can't do any, then a little lighter, I can do five, then after that, it gets too boring to more reps so I never go too light. So I think it makes sense to keep the upper body pulls' sets and reps fairly constant across workouts, just vary between 3x3 and 3x5, but maybe add extra sets with grip variations on Friday, since the performance lifts' sets will be fewer and/or shorter:
Monday
High Volume, Moderate Intensity: Power Clean, Squats, OH Press
Moderate Volume, Moderate Intensity: Bench Press, Rows, Pull-ups/-downs
Wednesday
Low Volume, Low Intensity + Assistance: Deadlifts, Squats, Bench Press, OH Press
Moderate Volume, Moderate Intensity: Rows, Pull-ups/-downs
Friday
Moderate Volume, High Intensity: Deadlifts, Squats, Bench Press, OH Press
High Volume, Moderate Intensity: Rows, Pull-ups/-downs
Tuesday - 12.16
PM
Flexibility & Mobility
15-20 minutes.
Running
3.5 mi, Franklin-Marshall Bridge Circuit, around 30F but a fair amount of windchill. The path was covered by snow again, after melting completely over the weekend thaw. I walked most of it, seemed to do my hip/glute good.
Wednesday - 12.17
Bench Press: 2 x 5 x 175
OH Press: 2 x 5 x 100
Squat: 2 x 5 x 125
Deadlift: 2 x 5 x 125
Dips: 2 x 5 x Green Band
N. Pullups: 2 x 5 x Green Band
Had to take care of some stuff when I first got home, so a little rushed for time again, didn't get to do all the density I had planned on doing, so it was mostly a recovery workout. My sore hip/glute felt almost 100% after the walk the day before and more stretching/massaging, so I tried light squats and deadlifts, and that went fine. So I guess next time I'll try them with a little more weight. Even done light, the squats and deadlifts make the workout feel a lot more complete. I don't know if I could ever go back to body part/area splits, but I could see in the future alternating bottom-middle-top lifts every other day and doing more sets and reps, or higher intensity. Like a Squat-Bench-Pullup/Deadlift-Row-OH Press alternation.
Tried BB Rows with my new swivel handles, to get a neutral grip, but I dunno, I just don't like BB Rows too much. Seems like too much is taken away by having to support the torso with the lower back. 1DB Rows, Cable Rows, and Inverted Rows seem superior. I should've tried inverted rows with the swivel handles instead. Maybe next time . . .
Thursday - 12.18
AM
Flexibility & Mobility
15 minutes
PM
Running
Started out on a nice late afternoon run down by the river in decreasing daylight, when I got a call from my wife telling me our son had a fever and was refusing to swallow his medicine, so I turned around after less than a half a mile, got back in the car and bought some suppositories at the Pharmacy. So maybe 3/4 mi? Felt good whatever it was.
Friday - 12.19
Flexibility & Mobility
15 minutes
Had to take a nap with our recovering son, so no st.
Saturday - 12.20
Stuff came up, no mid-morning run. Gotta start doing it first-thing again, it's the only way. Earlier, I put the finishing touches on my stretching contraption, so
Flexibility & Mobility
15 minutes
---------------Week 4: Cycle III---------------
14.12.21--12.27
Sunday - 12.21
Flexibility & Mobility
15 minutes
Was going to go for a run/walk, but it was raining just about freezing, and then about mid morning I started getting my son's mild flu bug.
Monday - 12.22
My whole body felt a little achy, so I drove to my office, but then locked myself out while washing my coffee filter and cup. So I walked/ran home in my t-shirt, tracer pants, and cheap sandals, got my extra set of keys, and then walked/ran back with a jacket, cap, and Sockwas. It was 38F, but wet surfaces. Felt good to run a bit, though, despite feeling under the weather. Locking myself out could be a sign to get back to the first-thing-in-the-morning running.
Tuesday - 12.23
Wednesday - 12.24
Thursday - 12.25
Friday - 12.26
Saturday - 12.27
Snow-shoveling.
---------------Week 5: Cycle III---------------
14.12.28--15.01.03
Sunday - 12.28
PM
Sled-pulling.
Monday - 12.29
PM
Stretching & Mobility
Straddle-Rack.
Strength Training--Volume
DL: 3 x 5 x 175
OHP: 4 x 5 x 85
SQ: 2 x 5 x 125
BP: 2 x 5 x 175
After more than a week off from st, I decided I was recovered enough from my mild flu bug to get back at it. I have a few lingering symptoms, and my energy levels are still only at about to 85-90%, so I kept everything light, which was also good because I wasn't sure where I was with my mild hip/glute pull. I had stopped feeling it sometime during the 10 days off. On the last rep of my second set of squats, I felt what might be a little niggle just above the spot of the pull, in my lower right back, so I stopped just in case. Too bad, I really missed my squats, and had wanted to do 4-5 sets of five reps as part of my "volume" day. At least I can do them again. I'll keep the squats and deadlifts light throughout this week at least to make sure everything's fully recovered. Workouts just don't feel right without squats and deadlifts, so better light and cautious than risk aggravating the pull. I have to admit, I'm getting better at rehab. Now if I can just get better at hab so that I can avoid rehab altogether.
With the New Year in sight, I'm thinking I might switch my priorities from strength gains to fat loss. I'm going to cut calories a bit and hope I can still maintain sufficient nutrition for progress in the weights, but I'm really get tired of carrying around this extra 30 pounds or so, so I'm going to focus on that a bit more. Start up the daily 5K too if I can.
Tuesday - 12.30
Wednesday - 12.31
Thursday - 01.01
Friday - 01.02
Saturday - 01.03
Cycle aborted. New cycle starts Jan. 4th, 2015
---------------Cycle III Gains---------------
Squat---------------220 > 220* / 100 > 100kg
Bench Press-------210 > 215 / 95 > 98kg
Overhead Press---120 > 120 / 54 > 54kg
Deadlift------------300 > 300 / 136 > 136kg
Row----------------210 > 210 / 95 > 95kg
Pulldown----------190 > 190 / 86 > 86kg
I will change the second number of the pair as soon as an increase has been made. However, I will probably wait until the end of the cycle to post my 1RM results.