Strength Training for Singles 2014: Eight-Week Workout Cycle III

Bare Lee

Barefooters
Jul 25, 2011
6,103
6,617
113
Saint Paul
---------------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.

Texas adapted 2.jpg

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.
 
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--- assessment of last cycle ---
i think i achieved some success last cycle. i did more-or-less regular weight sessions, survived the 50-mile run, and put in place a very shallow and shaky foundation for future efforts. when i started doing some math on the general guidelines for lift ratios, i was happily surprised by my rough balance (although pullups seem to be the revolutionary vanguard of my exercises while squats still lag behind).

the particular plan i employed was to do a limited number of exercises, slowly but inexorably crank up the weight, and force myself to rest between sets. while this "worked", it also took forever to get through the workouts. when on travel, i was forced to work with what was available in the hotel which then ended up being denser, "full body" style, and more frequent workouts with dumbbells and pullups. that resulted in modest performance gains in pullups and much larger confidence gains when doing them.

--- goals and strategy ---
the goals for this cycle are to:

i. continue developing the foundation
ii. make some very modest gains
iii. emphasize the squats
iv. broaden the set of exercises
v. maintain and/or intensify the running now that the 50-mile run is drifting into the past (oh yes: winter time).

to accomplish these, i want to switch to a higher density and higher frequency plan that seems to fit my mental and physical proclivities better (i.e., determine if that is so...). this will hopefully accommodate adding a couple new exercises into the mix. and i want to try doing all the exercises every time (at perhaps slightly lower volume than before). i will still keep the individual exercises separate rather than super-setting or interleaving.

pullups will get "pulled" from the stock workout and be done independently throughout the day since i installed a home-brew pullup station on my "office" doorway. i think i will also try to do them with a little weight in a backpack as much as possible.

stock workout:
squats: 1x6 warmup, 4x6 working (start at 90lbs)
cable-1-arm-bent-over-rows: 3x7 (start at 35lbs)
press: 1x6 warmup, 3x6 working (start at 65lbs)
deadlift: 1x6 warmup, 3x6 working (start at 175lbs)
machine chest press: 1x6 warmup, 3x6 working (start at #11; leverage is 7/6 so each pin is worth 8.6lbs)

repetition comparison: the old workout plan was basically 2x5 warmup, 5x5 working sets for 2 exercises. so (2+5)*5*2 = 70 repetitions per workout. with rests, this would take between 40 minutes and an hour depending on the particular exercises and interruptions. the new plan has (1+4)*6*1 + 3*7 + (1+3)*6*3 = 30 + 21 + 72 = 123 repetitions per workout. hmmm... that's 123/70 = 76% more than before. as sets, old = (2 + 5)*2 = 14sets; new = (1+4) + 3 + (1+3)*3 = 20sets which is only 43% more. i guess i'm counting on significantly shorter rests, economies of scale by packing more repetitions into the sets so i can reduce the number of rest events, and going relatively lightly and quickly on the new exercises (rows & faux-bench). or maybe if it is too time consuming, i can drop a set off of the two new ones and/or reassess the overall intensity after a week or two.

i'll try to stick to the plan and see whether i like the ridiculous repetition or whether the structure drives me batty.

(note: of course, my bar is like 13.8 lbs instead of 15, but i'm counting it as 15 to make the arithmetic easy. so all my barbell weights are actually at least 1.2lbs lower than stated.)


--- week 1: november 30-december 6 ---
sunday: (47 minutes)
pullups throughout day: 28 with 10lbs; mostly in sets of 4
squats: 1x6 at 70lbs, 4x6 at 90lbs
cable-1-arm-bent-over-rows: 1x7 at 45lbs, 2x7 at 35lbs
press: 1x6 at 55lbs, 3x6 at 65lbs
deadlift: 1x6 115lbs, 3x6 at 170lbs
machine chest press: 1x6 at #8 (~68lbs), 3x6 at #11 (~94lbs)

monday: (47 minutes)
pullups throughout day: 41 with 10lbs; mostly in sets of 6
squats: 1x6 at 70lbs, 4x6 at 90lbs
cable row thingees: 3x7 at 35lbs
press: 1x6 at 55lbs, 1x7 and 2x6 at 65lbs (got distracted and forgot to stop)
deadlift: 1x6 at 115lbs, 3x6 at 170lbs
chest: 1x6 at #8, 3x6 at #11

tuesday: (15 minutes)
pretending to do a light day (and let this stupid weak spot on my foot heal)
pullups throughout day: 60 with no extra weight; mostly in sets of 6
machine lever-based "mid row": 1x6 at #11, 3x6 at #16
chest press: ?x6 at #10/11/12/12

wednesday: (32 minutes; decided to do a lighter day for two reasons. over-exhuberence on the pullups may have created a slight discomfort in an abdominal muscle. and tomorrow is the tournament for the volleyball league where we lose every game. so the theory was to do everything at the "warmup" weight, do the same number of total repetitions, but try to pack them into as few sets as possible. because it doesn't make any sense.)
pullups throughout day: 29 with 13lbs (1 of those was +35lbs) mostly in sets of 4
squats: 75lbs for 15reps/10/7
cable thingees: 3x7 at #3
press: 55lbs for 12reps/12
deadlift: 115lbs for 16reps/8
chest press: #9 for 15reps/9

thursday: (40min; volleyball was a bust and we got destroyed, so might as well work out in hopes of a better future)
pullups throughout day: 30 (no extra weight)
squats: 1x6 at 70lbs, 4x6 at 90lbs
cable-1-arm-bent-over-rows: 1x7 at 45lbs, 2x7 at 30lbs
press: 1x6 at 55lbs, 3x6 at 65lbs
deadlift: 1x6 115lbs, 3x6 at 170lbs
machine chest press: 1x6 at #8 (~68lbs), 3x6 at #11 (~94lbs)


--- week 2: december 7-13 ---
sunday: (44 minutes)
no pullups
did "BodyPump" group fitness class with my sweetie for an hour
squats: 1x6 at 65lbs, 4x6 at 95lbs
cable thingees: 3x7 at #3
press: 1x6 at 55lbs, 3x6 at 70lbs
deadlift: 1x6 at 115lbs, 3x6 at 175lbs
machine chest press: 1x6 at #8, 1x6 at #12, 2x6 at #11

monday: (42 minutes)
pullups throughout day: 22 (no extra weight)
squats: 1x6 at 70lbs, 3x6 at 95lbs, 1x6 at 100lbs
cable thingees: 3x7 at #3.5
press: 1x6 at 55lbs, 3x6 at 70lbs
deadlift: 1x6 at 125lbs, 3x6 at 175lbs
chest: 1x6 at #8, 1x6 at #11.5, 2x6 at #11

tuesday: (17 minutes)
pullups throughout day: 58 (+10lbs; finally felt some sort of fatigue or soreness in biceps, so decided to call it quits)

due to lingering soreness from BodyPump, decided to focus on only non-sore region of the body...

deadlifts:
5 at 115lbs
5 at 165lbs
2 each at 175/185/195/205/215/225lbs

wednesday: (39 minutes)
pullups throughout day: 100 (no extra weight; mostly sets of 5 or 6)
squats: 1x6 at 70lbs, 2x6 at 95lbs, 2x6 at 100lbs
cable thingees: 3x7 at #3
press: 1x6 at 55lbs, 3x6 at 65lbs
deadlift: 1x6 at 125lbs, 3x6 at 165lbs
chest: 1x6 at #8, 3x6 at #10

thursday: (43 minutes)
pullups throughout day: 0
squats: 1x6 at 75lbs, 1x6 at 95lbs, 3x6 at 105lbs
cable thingees: 3x7 at #3
press: 1x6 at 55lbs, 3x6 at 60lbs
deadlift: 1x6 at 125lbs, 3x6 at 180lbs
chest: 1x6 at #8, 1x6 at #10, 2x6 at #11

--- week 3: december 14-20 ---
sunday: (46 minutes)
pullups throughout day: 34 (+26lbs; mostly sets of 2 or 3)
squats: 1x6 at 75lbs, 1x6 at 100lbs, 3x6 at 105lbs
cable thingees: 3x7 at #3.5
press: 1x6 at 55lbs, 3x6 at 70lbs
deadlift: 1x6 at 125lbs, 3x6 at 180lbs
chest: 1x6 at #9, 3x6 at #11.5

monday: (1 hour 18 minutes; with my sweetie)
pullups throughout day: 69 (+0lbs; mostly sets of 5 or 6)
squats: 1x6 at 75lbs, 1x6 at 100lbs, 3x6 at 105lbs
cable thingees: 3x7 at #3
press: 1x6 at 55lbs, 3x6 at 70lbs
deadlift: 1x6 at 125lbs, 3x6 at 180lbs
chest: 1x6 at #9, 2x6 at #11, 1x6 at #12

tuesday: (29 minutes)
pullups throughout day: 55 (+10lbs; mostly sets of 4 or 5)
silly squat day like the silly deadlift day last week

all these were done with my upright back and booty to the floor style
5 at 65/85lbs
3 at 95/100lbs
2 each at 105/110/115/120/125/130/135/140

then some partial range with much higher weight just to remind the body where it is going (in like a decade or something...)
5 at 180lbs (a little less than half range)
5 at 230lbs (1/3 range)

wednesday: (46 minutes)
pullups throughout day: 15 (+0lbs)
squats: 1x6 at 80lbs, 2x6 at 105lbs, 2x6 at 110lbs
cable thingees: 3x7 at #3
press: 1x6 at 60lbs, 3x6 at 70lbs
deadlift: 1x6 at 135lbs, 3x6 at 185lbs
chest: 1x6 at #9, 2x6 at #11, 1x6 at #12

thursday: (46 minutes)
pullups throughout day: 1 (+0lbs)
squats: 1x6 at 80lbs, 2x6 at 105lbs, 2x6 at 110lbs
cable thingees: 3x7 at #3
press: 1x6 at 60lbs, 3x6 at 70lbs
deadlift: 1x6 at 135lbs, 3x6 at 190lbs
chest: 1x6 at #9, 2x6 at #12, 1x4.5 at #12

--- week 4: december 21-27 ---
sunday: (49 minutes)
pullups throughout day: 0
squats: 1x6 at 80lbs, 1x6 at 105lbs, 2x6 at 110lbs, 1x6 at 115lbs
cable thingees: 3x7 at #3
press: 1x6 at 60lbs, 2x6 at 75lbs, 1x6 at 70lbs
deadlift: 1x7 at 135lbs (can't count), 3x6 at 190lbs (easier to count when it's heavier)
chest: 1x6 at #9, 3x6 at #12

monday: (45 minutes normal workout, 54 total)
pullups throughout day: 72 (+0lbs; sets of 5-7)
squats: 1x6 at 80lbs, 3x6 at 110lbs, 1x6 at 115lbs
cable thingees: 1x8 at #3, 2x7 at #3.3
press: 1x6 at 60/75/70/65lbs
deadlift: 1x6 at 135lbs, 3x6 at 190lbs
chest: 1x6 at #9/12/11/10
squats again (because i couldn't go running today): 1x3 at 115lbs, 1x8 at 85/65/75lbs

the presses weren't feeling it for some reason today, so i had to dial back the weights from set to set. i'm not sure why. everything else felt pretty solid, though.

tuesday:
pullups throughout day: 59 (+0lbs; sets of 5-7; using thicker "bar")

i had a good idea while running today which led to a very productive afternoon (and now evening) writing up stuff i have been putting off for a couple months. thus, why not actually take a rest day?

wednesday: (44 minutes)
pullups throughout day: 46 (+0lbs)
squats: 1x6 at 85lbs, 3x6 at 110lbs, 1x6 at 115lbs
cable thingees: 3x7 at #3
press: 1x6 at 60lbs, 3x6 at 70lbs
deadlift: 1x6 at 135lbs, 3x6 at 190lbs
chest: 1x6 at #9, 1x6 at #12, 2x6 at #11

--- week 5: december 28-january 3 ---
sunday: pullups throughout day: 10 (+0lbs)

monday: (43 minutes)
pullups throughout day: 43 (+0lbs)
squats: 1x6 at 85lbs, 2x6 at 95lbs, 2x6 at 105lbs
cable thingees: 3x7 at #3
press: 1x6 at 60lbs, 2x6 at 65lbs, 1x6 at 70lbs
deadlift: 1x6 at 135lbs, 2x6 at 165lbs, 1x6 at 175lbs
chest: 1x6 at #9, 3x6 at #11

tuesday: (46 minutes; playing uno with a kid between sets)
pullups throughout day: 31 (+0lbs)
squats: 1x6 at 85lbs, 1x6 at 95lbs, 2x6 at 105lbs, 1x6 at 110lbs
barbell rows (trying new exercise): 1x6 at 85lbs, 2x6 at 65lbs
press: 1x6 at 60lbs, 3x6 at 70lbs
deadlift: 1x6 at 135lbs, 1x6 at 165lbs, 2x6 at 175lbs
chest: 1x6 at #9, 2x6 at #11 (called away)

wednesday: 24 pullups +0lbs

thursday: (figured i might as well fool around and assess since we'll be starting over momentarily)
squat (warmup): 1x6 at 80lbs
press: 1x6 at 60lbs, 1x2 at 70lbs, 1x2 at 80lbs, 1x2 at 90lbs
deadlift: 1x6 at 135lbs, 1x3 at 185lbs, 1x2 at 205lbs, 1x2 at 230lbs, 1x1 at 235lbs
chest: 1x6 at #9, 1x3 at #12, 1x3 at #13, 1x1 at #14
squats (again): 2x6 at 95lbs

[asdf: easy search code to find the bottom so i can hit edit without having to scroll-scroll-scroll]
 
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One simple goal this next cycle which is to basically make it through the holidays without losing anything, well maybe some weight. I am going to shift focuses starting next year to incorporate a little more mountain biking into the weekly cycles. Here is the plan, I am going to stick with these exact weights and try to cruise through the workouts. Each week I increase my max by 2.5% and then calculated down based on the EXRX 3rm and 5rm guidelines.

capture1.jpg




---------------Week 1: Cycle III---------------
14.11.30--12.06
Sunday - 11.30
24k MTB - 1:18

Monday - 12.01
Lunch Yoga
PM Bike Commute 17.4k - 36:38

Tuesday - 12.02
Run Commute 17.4k - 1:54
Bike Commute 17.4k - 40:44

Wednesday - 12.03
DL - 2 x 5 x 120kgs
Bench - 2 x 5 x 95kgs
Squat - 5 x 2 x 90kgs
Press - 2 x 5 x 55kgs
Inverted rows - 3 x 6 x BW
Pull ups reg - 2 x 5 x BW
Ab rollouts - 2 x 8 x BW
Farmers - 1 x 80 x 85kgs

Bike Commute 17.4k - 39:50
Bike Commute 17.4k - 37:06

Thursday - 12.04
DL - 2 x 5 x 120kgs
Bench - 2 x 5 x 90kgs
Squat - 5 x 2 x 90kgs
Press - 2 x 5 x 55kgs
KB rows - 2 x 10 x 32kgs
Pull ups neu - 2 x 5 x 5kgs
Ab rollouts - 2 x 8 x BW

Friday - 12.05
Bike Commute 17.4k - 38:47
Yoga
Bike Commute 17.4k - 38:57

---------------Week 2: Cycle III---------------
14.12.07--12.13

Monday - 12.08
DL - 2 x 5 x 120kgs
Bench - 2 x 5 x 90kgs
Press - 2 x 5 x 55kgs
Inv rows - 2 x 5 x BW
Farmers - 1 x 80 x 85kgs

Bike Commute 17.4k - 38:22
Yoga
Bike Commute 17.4k - 40:26


Tuesday - 12.09
DL - 2 x 5 x 120kgs
Bench - 2 x 5 x 95kgs
Squat - 5 x 2 x 90kgs
Press - 2 x 5 x 55kgs
Inverted rows - 2 x 6 x BW
Pull ups reg - 2 x 5 x 5kgs
Farmers - 1 x 80 x 85kgs

Bike Commute 17.4k - 38:24
Yoga
Bike Commute 17.4k - 40:22

Wednesday - 12.10
Rest


Thursday - 12.11
Run Commute 17.4k - 1.58
Bike Commute 17.4k - 44:17


Friday - 12.12
Rest
Saturday - 12.13

DL - 2 x 5 x 120kgs
Bench - 2 x 5 x 95kgs
Squat - 5 x 2 x 90kgs
Press - 2 x 5 x 55kgs
Inverted rows - 2 x 6 x BW
Pull ups reg - 2 x 5 x 5kgs
Farmers - 1 x 80 x 85kgs


---------------Week 3: Cycle III---------------

14.12.14--12.20
Sunday - 12.14
Rest
Monday - 12.15
DL - 3 x 3 x 295lbs
Bench - 3 x 3 x 225lbs
Squat - 5 x 2 x 205lbs
Press - 2 x 5 x 130lbs
DB rows - 2 x 10 x 75lbs
Pull ups neu - 2 x 6

Tuesday - 12.16


Wednesday - 12.17

DL - 2 x 5 x 225lbs
Bench - 2 x 5 x 205lbs
Squat - 5 x 2 x 205lbs
Press - 2 x 5 x 130lbs
DB rows - 2 x 10 x 75lbs
Pull ups neu - 2 x 6


Thursday - 12.18


Friday - 12.19
DL - 2 x 5 x 275lbs
Bench - 2 x 5 x 205lbs
Squat - 5 x 2 x 205lbs
Press - 2 x 5 x 130lbs
DB rows - 2 x 10 x 75lbs
Pull ups neu - 2 x 6


Saturday - 12.20

---------------Week 4: Cycle III---------------

14.12.21--12.27
Sunday - 12.21
Monday - 12.22

DL - 5 x 2 x 315lbs
Bench - 2 x 5 x 215lbs
Squat - 5 x 2 x 205lbs
Press - 2 x 5 x 130lbs
Pull ups neu - 5 x 6
Farmers 50 & 85lb DB's




Tuesday - 12.23


Wednesday - 12.24
DL - 2 x 5 x 295lbs
Bench - 2 x 5 x 215lbs
Squat - 5 x 2 x 205lbs
Press - 2 x 5 x 130lbs
DB rows - 2 x 10 x 75lbs
Pull ups neu - 2 x 6


Thursday - 12.25
Friday - 12.26
Saturday - 12.27
3 mile trail run

---------------Week 5: Cycle III---------------
14.12.28--15.01.03
Sunday - 12.28
Monday - 12.29
Tuesday - 12.30
Wednesday - 12.31
Thursday - 01.01
Friday - 01.02
Saturday - 01.03

---------------Week 6: Cycle III---------------
15.01.03--01.10
Sunday - 01.04
Monday - 01.05
Tuesday - 01.06
Wednesday - 01.07
Thursday - 01.08
Friday - 01.09
Saturday - 01.10

---------------Week 7: Cycle III---------------
15.01.11--01.17
Sunday - 01.11
Monday - 01.12
Tuesday - 01.13
Wednesday - 01.14
Thursday - 01.15
Friday - 01.16
Saturday - 01.17

---------------Week 8: Cycle III---------------
15.01.18--01.24
Sunday - 01.18
Monday - 01.19
Tuesday - 01.20
Wednesday - 01.21
Thursday - 01.22
Friday - 01.23
Saturday - 01.24
 
BA you should track the amount of pull ups, I am curious to see how well greasing the groove works. You are up to 11 pull-ups right now right?

indeed. i have a little clicker hanging off my desk there so that when i do a few, i can bump up the counter and not lose track. my best in PE testing in high school was 12 my first quarter of freshman year (i think i would do like 8 pullups before going to bed every night). that would be a couple years before the standard hormone changes. :) lately, my best is 10.

i am trying to move to weighted pullups since unweighted seem to be going fine. i think on saturday i did about 71, mostly in sets of 6. it would be neat to be able to do pullups with the equivalent of a small child hanging off of me or something. anyways, we'll see what happens.
 
The plans look good fellas, and there's a good degree of similarity, so we'll be able to compare notes as to frequency, density, intensity, etc. Here's to our success!

Abide, based on the percentage projections, your plan puts you at around a 400-pound 1Rm deadlift by the end of eight weeks, right? Good luck! But have you dropped rows and pullups? Or are you just not counting them as performance lifts?

BTW, the Rogue C-70 bar finally came today after a delivery scew-up on Friday. Will be testing the shorty out shortly, although it's already easy to see the difference in quality--feels like a finely crafted guitar or gun.
 
so far so good, all two days of it... i had been feeling a tiny bit of something in my left elbow. i thought it might have something to do with the high volume of pullups, so at gymnastics today, i asked my kids' "hall of fame" coach if pullups could mess with your elbow. he was like, "nope, never heard of that. maybe your shoulders, but not even that. pullups are such a great full body exercise and they should only make your elbows stronger and healthier. if i were to recommend exercises, first is pullups; then pushups. after that: squats. and if we really want to add a fourth exercise: situps." so i was like, "you know, the pullups hit the abs, so how about pullups in an L-hang?" and he grinned and replied, "well, now, you're just trying to make it hard...." :)

on another fun note, i dug out a literal note that i ran across a couple months ago. way back in the day 12 years ago, my friend and i used to work out together crammed into his tiny bedroom. once or twice we tried to take measurements under the theory we might be able to track if our "bodybuilding" was making any progress. apparently, i only checked up many years later since i had my wife measure me this evening. happily, i am almost exactly the same weight (these days my weight can swing by about 8 pounds in the extreme over 24 hours depending on the timing of eating, drinking, pit stops, running, and the inaccuracies of the weighing instrument) with all the measurements coming out very close. i think my massive muscular chest might not be quite as massive, but all the others were within the margin of error. my sense is that now i have (if it were possible) an even lower bodyfat than before (?2% instead of 3%). i'm not really sure what the measurements mean, but it was at least entertaining to check.

ok, i do know *one* thing that it means: i have serious work to do if i want to catch up to my wife. i mean, her guns are visibly and demonstrably bigger than mine. as are her "baby cows". she was telling me about how hard her biceps get worked out at her class. you know: with the giant 5-lb handheld weights. it's not fair! i'm doing pile of pullups with weighted backpacks! i can curl 80lbs! and i have little pinto-bean sized motors. actually, it's totally fair as long as she doesn't leave me. :)
 
so far so good, all two days of it... i had been feeling a tiny bit of something in my left elbow. i thought it might have something to do with the high volume of pullups, so at gymnastics today, i asked my kids' "hall of fame" coach if pullups could mess with your elbow. he was like, "nope, never heard of that. maybe your shoulders, but not even that. pullups are such a great full body exercise and they should only make your elbows stronger and healthier. if i were to recommend exercises, first is pullups; then pushups. after that: squats. and if we really want to add a fourth exercise: situps." so i was like, "you know, the pullups hit the abs, so how about pullups in an L-hang?" and he grinned and replied, "well, now, you're just trying to make it hard...." :)

on another fun note, i dug out a literal note that i ran across a couple months ago. way back in the day 12 years ago, my friend and i used to work out together crammed into his tiny bedroom. once or twice we tried to take measurements under the theory we might be able to track if our "bodybuilding" was making any progress. apparently, i only checked up many years later since i had my wife measure me this evening. happily, i am almost exactly the same weight (these days my weight can swing by about 8 pounds in the extreme over 24 hours depending on the timing of eating, drinking, pit stops, running, and the inaccuracies of the weighing instrument) with all the measurements coming out very close. i think my massive muscular chest might not be quite as massive, but all the others were within the margin of error. my sense is that now i have (if it were possible) an even lower bodyfat than before (?2% instead of 3%). i'm not really sure what the measurements mean, but it was at least entertaining to check.

ok, i do know *one* thing that it means: i have serious work to do if i want to catch up to my wife. i mean, her guns are visibly and demonstrably bigger than mine. as are her "baby cows". she was telling me about how hard her biceps get worked out at her class. you know: with the giant 5-lb handheld weights. it's not fair! i'm doing pile of pullups with weighted backpacks! i can curl 80lbs! and i have little pinto-bean sized motors. actually, it's totally fair as long as she doesn't leave me. :)
I'm not hall of fame anything, but pullups and rows work the biceps, the biceps tendons tie in at the elbow, so I don't see why pullups might not be the culprit, especially given the fact that your elbow tendonitis is coincident with your recent increase in pullups.

Another possibility: I got elbow tendonitis back when I used to row on a Concept II rower three times a week, about 30 minutes each time. My solution was to rig up the handle to a neutral grip, that did the trick. So maybe you should alternate pullup grips?

Pics of your wife please . . .
 
Pics of your wife please . . .

i ain't sharing! :) it did bring a prolonged smile to her face to realize her physical superiority, though. she tried to console me that i'm "strong" or something, but it didn't work. :)

i think the elbow thing isn't tendonitis, but rather some teensy-weensy muscle that goes in a cross-wise direction. i recall that at some point after starting running, there was a similar itty-bitty muscle in one knee that had to get trained it (where itty-bitty means like less than 1mm across). my appeal to authority was mainly to set my mind at ease that it is likely to be a transient issue rather than a chronic, incurable one.
 
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The gear talk must be rubbing off on me. I splurged and spent $10 of my hard earned money for a pair of weight lifting gloves this weekend. The gloves were very comfortable and pillowy. Sure, sure, there's probably a Barehand Lifters Society out there that believes that barehand lifting is best. However, I think that the gloves helped.

After all, just as modern artificial track surfaces necessitate the wearing of shoes (or loss of a lot of skin), perhaps weights are similar. After all, weight equipment hardly resembles natural challenges. If I were working out with nature-made items, perhaps the gloves would be a hindrance?

Maybe I should take Sock Doc's approach? :D
http://trailrunnernation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/sockdoc.jpg
http://sock-doc.com/2011/07/movnat/
 
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Abide, based on the percentage projections, your plan puts you at around a 400-pound 1Rm deadlift by the end of eight weeks, right? Good luck! But have you dropped rows and pullups? Or are you just not counting them as performance lifts?

Well I started with my 165 current max and just increased it 2.5% per week. I'm not hitting maxes and only using 85% of 87% basically.

If I follow that progression it will be in 8 weeks for a 1RM but I am only gonna test it next month. I really think I may only get 170-175 by the end of the year.

I am going to wave this pattern for a couple of cycles I think, so next cycle I will increase my starting max 10-20kgs depending on how the last weeks went. But my calculated 1RM at the end of 8 weeks will be 200kgs

I'll try to put up an excel file so it makes more sense.

So bar is better than the body solid version?
 
i ain't sharing! :) it did bring a prolonged smile to her face to realize her physical superiority, though. she tried to console me that i'm "strong" or something, but it didn't work. :)

i think the elbow thing isn't tendonitis, but rather some teensy-weensy muscle that goes in a cross-wise direction. i recall that at some point after starting running, there was a similar itty-bitty muscle in one knee that had to get trained it (where itty-bitty means like less than 1mm across). my appeal to authority was mainly to set my mind at ease that it is likely to be a transient issue rather than a chronic, incurable one.
I was just kidding of course, in the spirit of gym rat banter.

Good luck with the elbow, I was just throwin' my two cents in case it helps.

The gear talk must be rubbing off on me. I splurged and spent $10 of my hard earned money for a pair of weight lifting gloves this weekend. The gloves were very comfortable and pillowy. Sure, sure, there's probably a Barehand Lifters Society out there that believes that barehand lifting is best. However, I think that the gloves helped.

After all, just as modern artificial track surfaces necessitate the wearing of shoes (or loss of a lot of skin), perhaps weights are similar. After all, weight equipment hardly resembles natural challenges. If I were working out with nature-made items, perhaps the gloves would be a hindrance?

Maybe I should take Sock Doc's approach? :D
http://trailrunnernation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/sockdoc.jpg
http://sock-doc.com/2011/07/movnat/

Don't mean to be a buzz kill, and I would enjoy enabling others' gear whorism as a means of distracting from mine, but Rippetoe notes that gloves destabilize the grip and make lifting harder because they add to the diameter of the bar. I've never seen a pic or video of a serious lifter using gloves. Maybe Cindy Crawford or Richard Simmons? In any case, I do think the same issue of greater proprioception involved in barefoot running applies to barehanded lifting. But if they work for you, that's great.

I've been using my belt, but only after becoming convinced by arguments that it will actually strengthen the abdominals. I still stick to the idea of gear minimalism whenever possible.

The Sock Doc is a bit fadish, and his physique is ordinary. I think it took him a while to realize that socks weren't barefoot, when he tried to jump on the BFR bandwagon, but by then the moniker had stuck.

The whole idea of free weights is to provide a means to safely lift more weight than you would normally be able to lift in most day-to-day activities, so that you can become stronger and consequently lift more weight in day-to-day activities. Like all training, you break things down into their fundamental components so you can train them in isolation, then you reintegrate them in practice or performance at a higher level of fitness or ability. This basic, tried-and-true point is completely lost on all the functional fitness gurus. It's like a music teacher telling students they never need to practice their scales. Just play natural melodies!

That said, MovNat looks like fun. I might set something like that up in my yard at some point. I've been thinking about a climbing rope in particular.

Each week I increase my max by 2.5% and then calculated down based on the EXRX 3rm and 5rm guidelines.
Speaking of orderly increases, I was doing some daydreaming on possibly being able to add 10 pounds to my big lifts each cycle. That would put me at a 400 DL, 320 Squat, and a 280 Bench Press sometime late spring or mid-summer. That's a 1000-pound powerlifter combo. A new goal, and possible contest throw-down: Wanna see who can get to 1000lbs first? Of course, we'd do it with safe technique, no equipment help, no exaggerated stances, arches, or grips, and in the same spirit of friendly, low-key competition. Kind of a healthy version of a powerlifting competition.

In any case, I think I'll start keeping track of totals for those three big lifts at the end of each cycle, once I start testing their 1RMs again. The goal for this cycle would be something like a 370 deadlift, a 280 squat, and a 260 bench press, as a possibly more realistic estimate than my 5RM 80% projections, which puts me at 910 lbs total. If I can add 30 to my deadlift, 40 to my squat and 20 to my bench press, I should be able to do 1000 by the end of the fifth or sixth cycle, May 16th or July 11th.
 
Abide, based on the percentage projections, your plan puts you at around a 400-pound 1Rm deadlift by the end of eight weeks, right? Good luck! But have you dropped rows and pullups? Or are you just not counting them as performance lifts?

Well I started with my 165 current max and just increased it 2.5% per week. I'm not hitting maxes and only using 85% of 87% basically.

If I follow that progression it will be in 8 weeks for a 1RM but I am only gonna test it next month. I really think I may only get 170-175 by the end of the year.

I am going to wave this pattern for a couple of cycles I think, so next cycle I will increase my starting max 10-20kgs depending on how the last weeks went. But my calculated 1RM at the end of 8 weeks will be 200kgs

I'll try to put up an excel file so it makes more sense.

So bar is better than the body solid version?
Seems ambitious to add that much weight each week, but I guess you start each cycle a lower than your actual maxes, right? It's interesting, after going light on Saturday, I did pretty well yesterday. So maybe I can just alternate easy and heavy workouts as a simple sort of wave, something we've discussed before, I think.

Maybe I could try Monday-Friday -- heavy, Wednesday light c/ assistance or heavy bag.

Or Monday medium c/ assistance, Wednesday heavy, Friday light c/ heavy bag . . .

You're doing that over the entire cycle, right? With the middle of the cycle approximating the true maxes you had at the end of the prior cycle, but hopefully by the middle of the current cycle they feel more like medium effort?

Cycle n = light:n, medium:n, heavy:n
Cycle n+1 = light:n+1 (= medium:n) >> medium:n+1 (= heavy:n) >> heavy:n+1
Cycle n+2 = light:n+2 (= medium:n+1) >> medium:n+2 (= heavy:n+1) >> heavy:n+2

Yeah, the bar is a lot better. It just reeks quality. Was it worth the extra money? Definitely yes if you're just going to buy one bar. But if you already have the body solid bar, I don't know if it's really worth the upgrade. It's probably more mental than physical. Having a great, quality bar helps motivate me. Just like an upgrade to the rubber Olympic grip plates has a better aesthetic appeal than the old standard metal plates, even if the weight lifted is the same. Also having a less cluttered workout space with rubber mats is probably making me stronger, just because I enjoy the workouts more now, and so will do them more consistently and with greater enthusiasm. It feels more like a workout space now and less like a garage crowded with equipment. If I had more space, I would probably look into getting a good quality, full-length Olympic bar in the future, but I'm liking the compactness of the shorty bars more and more. I guess I like being near the plates.

But physically as well, little things like the finer knurling, the knurl marks, the ultra quiet sleeves, and the decreased diameter make the Rogue C-70 a better option than the Body Solid bar. I think the diameter of the Rogue must be close to the diameter of my Standard bar, because it immediately had a sort of familiar comfort to it.
 
Yeah, I don't know what the pros do. Then again, lots of pro athletes wear shoes, too. ;)

I'm sure that the pros have much more awesome gear than I do, but I traded an old cow for these magical gloves, and I'm sure that they are legit. :D

But seriously, with the equipment I'm using, people have complained about the bar diameter for certain Powerblocks and Bowflex, and my pull up station seems a bit narrow in the grip, as well.

If a $10 pair of gloves helps, then I'm all for it. Athletes have all sorts of superstitions. Performance has a large component of psychology as well. I was able to get a better workout yesterday, so I'm satisfied!
 
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Yeah, I don't know what the pros do. Then again, lots of pro athletes wear shoes, too. ;)

I'm sure that the pros have much more awesome gear than I do, but I traded an old cow for these magical gloves, and I'm sure that they are legit. :D

But seriously, with the equipment I'm using, people have complained about the bar diameter for certain Powerblocks and Bowflex, and my pull up station seems a bit narrow in the grip, as well.

If a $10 pair of gloves helps, then I'm all for it. Athletes have all sorts of superstitions. Performance has a large component of psychology as well. I was able to get a better workout yesterday, so I'm satisfied!
Yah, I was just pointing out the potential pitfalls, not ruling gloves out outright, any more than I would rule out or condemn someone who prefers to run in sandals or minimalist shoes. If they work for you, that's all that matters. I'm a little disappointed, however, that you didn't find and post a picture of a powerlifter who uses gloves as a witty retort to my general impression.

For the record, I've used bicycle gloves on my deadlifts a few times when my palm calluses were bothering me, and I think anyone who cycles without gloves is crazy. If you fall, the first thing to hit the pavement is often your hands, and if they buckle due to painful abrasion, the next thing to hit could be your face or head.
 
Come to think of it, the pros do use chalk, but I like to keep my workout room low maintenance, and not have a bunch of chalk everywhere!
Once again Rippetoe:

Chalk "makes your grip more positive and less likely to slide on the bar, and therefore safer and more efficient. It reduces callus formation, making it easier to manage your calluses so that they don't tear."

I started using chalk this last summer, but I only really need it for the deadlifts. I recently moved the deadlifts to the beginning of my workouts, so my hands stay slightly chalked for the rest of the workout. I think Rippetoe is right; chalk helps keep the calluses in good shape.

My wife does complain about the mild mess though, but the garage is my domain.
 
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Used the gloves again. Definitely helpful.

I don't know who this Rippetoe is, but I'm fairly certain that he wears shoes regularly, and hence is not to be trusted.
http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/showthread.php?t=7330
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Equipment

I'm pretty sure that Rippetoe isn't using my personal equipment, and can't comment whether gloves would useful with them. :D
Yah, he recommends squat shoes too.

Don't get too defensive, I was just trying to let you know of the case against. The case for has won out in your case, and that's great.

It's always good to hear both sides. For example, I was against using belts as somehow unnatural or a crutch. But Abide began to open my mind to the possibility, and then I looked into it a bit on my own, and became convinced that belts might have a place in my routine. I'm still not completely sold, but it's an experiment worth trying.

Who is Rippetoe? He's a pretty influential trainer who has written a few very popular (by lifting standards) books. I don't agree with everything he says, but everything he says is worth considering, since his ideas are well-argued and, as Broad Arrow might say, move beyond broscience closer to real science. He has a working knowledge of physics and anatomy and is able to cogently analyze and make recommendations for proper lifting technique. His recommendation for shoes is that they'll help you lift more, right? I would rather develop good ankle mobility, since I don't lift competitively. But his reasoning is solid.

Still, I've rejected his notion of hip drive for low-bar back squats, as it ends up being a sort of good morning squat, as Abide has pointed out. I watched a bunch of other squat videos, and I've decided I like a more monophasic ascent. But pretty much everything else he recommends for squat technique I've come around to though, like a narrow, thumbless grip, and a low bar position.
 
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I used gloves today. The bar was freezing. There is a definite difference though, it felt like the weight was slipping a bit, which I don't feel with chalk.