Concurrent Strength & Endurance Training 2017: Cycle II

Bare Lee

Barefooters
Jul 25, 2011
6,103
6,617
113
Saint Paul
Results from Cycle I: More or less re-established a lifting routine, which seems to serve as the foundation for exercise now in my post-running reality. Before, I always gave equal weight, so to speak, to weights and running, and they seemed to motivate one another. I'm learning how to make lifting the main motivator, and what seems to work is a simplified but daily routine of three lifts done in about 20-30 minutes, organized in alternating push and pull days. So I've given up on my traditional EOD split between lifting and running/cycling (which was the original inspiration for participating in these threads with Abide, and then BA).

Also, I was surprised at how easy it was to get back up to about 85% of where I was at the end of 2015, even though I was super cautious in getting there. It only took about four weeks. I kept thinking it was time to microload, but then I'd add another five or ten pounds and found I was still OK up until about 3 x 240 on the Squat. I'll have to keep this in mind if I allow myself to fall off the lifting bandwagon again in the future. Just have to remind myself that it's not that hard to regain most of my gains.

The Squat seems to be the slowest lift to catch up, which jibes with my 2015 (or was it 2014?) protocol of letting the Squat be the limiting factor, especially for the Deadlift. The theory behind it is that the Squat promotes the greatest overall strength, mass development, and mobility in the hips and knees. Tying all the other lifts to the Squat using my Iron Ratio has thus far successfully prevented me from injuring myself again. It sometimes feels like I'm going too slow on the other lifts, especially the upper body presses, but my shoulders have also remained injury-free for quite some time now, knock on wood. For me anyway, the Squat truly is the king/queen of lifts.

Ambitions for Cycle II: Flesh out the routine with more consistency, sled and aerobic work, and mobility, bringing the workouts up to about an hour a day. Also make one last effort at establishing an early morning schedule. Hopefully there'll be some weight loss as well, as a happy consequence, rather than as a specific goal, of this fuller, more consistent routine. I think the priorities are as follows

Consistency > microloading > early morning > assistance > sled work > bike commuting > mobility > weight loss.

So first I'll just focus on being consistent. Once I got that, start microloading and then make an attempt at working out first thing every morning. Then integrate a little assistance work, then sled work, and so on. I think it's important for me to only have one real goal at a time, otherwise it's a bit overwhelming in my current fragile mental state.

Here's the proposed Push/Pull split with one weekly aerobic session:

Push Workout
Main Lifts: Squat, Overhead Press, Bench Press
Assistance: Landmine Twist or Dumbbell Press
Sled: Push

Pull Workout
Main Lifts: Deadlift, Pendley Row, Pullups
Assistance: One-hand Dumbell Row
Sled: Rope Pull

Aerobic
Daily bike commuting & weekly bike ride, maybe some rowing from time to time. On the days I don't bike-commute, like if it's raining or snowing, I'll try to compensate by doing hill sprints. I've never minded running in all conditions, but I prefer not to cycle when conditions are yucky.

---------------Week 1: Cycle II---------------


Here's the template for Week One:

17.02.26.Cycle.02.Week.01.jpg

These spreadsheets take a little time to set up, but once one week is done, all the following weeks fill in automatically unless the Base Unit (BU) is changed. The specific loads are determined using the BU x a lift's iron ratio x rep percentage.

So, if the BU = 66.5, as it is for this week, the 1RM for the Squat is 266, because the Squat = four base units, according to the Iron Ratio. Then if I do three reps, I'll take 90% of the 1RM, since

1 rep = 100% of 1RM,
2 reps = 95% of 1RM,
3 reps = 90% of 1RM,
5 reps = 85% of 1RM,
7 reps = 80% of 1RM, and
10 reps = 75% of 1RM.

So it's a pretty easy system, based solely on my Iron Ratio and generally agreed-upon rep percentages. My Iron Ratio, again, is:

Deadlift = 4.6 x BU
Squat = 4 x BU
Bench Press = 3 x BU
Pullup = 3 x BU (this is just an estimate)
Pendley Row = 2.5 x BU
Overhead Press = 2 x BU

Some experts' ratios place the Deadlift at 5, and I think this is probably more accurate, but I've found reducing the Deadlift's ratio to the other lifts, especially the Squat, has helped prevent me from hurting myself again, even though I most probably could do more.

Anyway, these simple formulas are inscribed in the spreadsheet's cells. With copy and paste, I can project loads well into the future, under the faulty assumption that my rate of increase will remain constant. When the rate inevitably slows down, all I need to do is adjust the amount of weight that is added to the base unit for each subsequent Push/Pull pair. Right now it's set at one half pound per pair, which translates into one and a half pounds per week, given three push/pull pair workouts per week. For the Squat (BU x 4) that's nearly six pounds per week--not sustainable in the long run, but one to two pounds per week should be, once I get back up to a three-plate 1RM or so, which will hopefully be sometime this cycle. I should recover my 1RM PRs in the other lifts as well this cycle if I can maintain a super consistent routine. Then Cycle III will be the time to smash them.

Sunday, 17.02.26
Mid Am, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Push, BU = 66.5 lbs
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 240 lbs

Just enough time to get some squats in. Last rep of third set felt challenging, just the way it's supposed to.

Monday, 17.02.27
Late Afternoon, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Pull, BU = 66.5 lbs
DL: 3 x 3 @ 275 lbs
Rw: 3 x 3 @ 150 lbs
CU: 3 x 3 @ -40 lbs assist

Got to the gym a little after 4pm, and it was the fullest I've seen it, and the first time it's had a fresh gym sweat smell. Don't mind wear my skimpy socks anymore.

Everything felt easy but the last rep of the Chin-ups was a bit of a challenge. I realized I've been writing "Pullup" but what I actually do on the assist machine are Chin-ups, so "CU" will be the initialism from now on.

That's four days in a row now that I've gone to gym I think. The consistency is starting to come, and it's already engendering better sleep. This week's goal will be to see if I can adapt to doing three lifts a day without a day off for recovery. I'm pretty sure it'll be fine. My workouts only last 20-30 minutes. Then next week I'll try to focus on the early morning schedule, but I think I'll start microloading before then. Probably start tomorrow. Then around Week Three or sooner, start to do the assistance and sled work. By mid-March or so it should be consistently warm enough to start bike-commuting as well. So hopefully the full program will be implemented by mid-cycle.

Tuesday, 17.02.28
Mid Afternoon, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Push, BU = 67 lbs
SQ: 3/3/2 @ 241 lbs
OP: 3 x 3 @ 121 lbs
BP: 3 x 3 @ 185 lbs

And so the microloading begins in earnest. Felt a little hypoglycemic on the last Squat set, having eaten lunch just a little bit beforehand, so I stopped at two reps. Presses continue to feel too easy, waiting for the Squat to catch up. I couldn't be bothered looking for four 10-pound plates for the Bench Press, so rounded up to 185.

After the workout I had to move a heavy L-shaped desk made out of particle board. I got an immediate pump in my lats. Then I walked barefoot to pick up my kids at school, so a 0.8-mile walk both ways, lower 40s. Bedtime my whole body felt nicely worn out and I feel asleep immediately. Oh yes, definitely doing the right thing again.

Wednesday, 17.03.01
Took a day off. Probably didn't need to.

Thursday, 17.03.02
Mid Afternoon, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Pull, BU = 67 lbs
DL: 3 x 3 @ 277 lbs
Rw: 3 x 3 @ 151 lbs
CU: 3 x 3 @ -40 lbs assist
1DB Rw: 3 x 3 @ 100

Back felt a little sore from sitting. Everything felt solid though. Chin-up felt a little easier, might have to take off five pounds of assistance soon. Getting to know the gym faces at different workout times.

Friday, 17.03.03
Mid Morning, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Push, BU = 67.5 lbs
SQ: 2/2/3/3 @ 243 lbs

Felt a little heavy. Maybe I need more warm-up. Or I was distracted by stuff coming up, which also led to cutting the workout short. I dunno. Might have to slow down the microloading's rate of increase. It's frustrating though, because the other lifts seem to want a little more resistance.

Saturday, 17.03.04
Mid morning, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Pull, BU = 67.5 lbs
DL: 2/2/3 @ 279 lbs
Rw: 3 x 3 @ 152 lbs
CU: 3 x 3 @ -35 lbs assist (215lbs)
1DB Rw: 3 x 3 @ 100

Didn't focus on the first rep of my DL workset, felt a little crunch up by my right hip. Considered stopping, but I was able to work through it with greater concentration and stricter form. I can't let the fact that my non-squat lifts are waiting for the squat to catch up allow me to use sloppy form. Gotta take everything as serious as a 1RM PR. Took five pounds off the Chin-up assist. That was just a little too much but should be OK in another Pull workout or two. 100 lbs is the max they have for dumbbells, so I may have to add reps to the one-hand dumbbell row instead of weight.

---------------Week 2: Cycle II---------------

Sunday, 17.03.05

Monday, 17.03.06

Tuesday, 17.03.07

Wednesday, 17.03.08

Thursday, 17.03.09

Friday, 17.03.10

Saturday, 17.03.11


---------------Week 3: Cycle II---------------

Sunday, 17.03.12

Monday, 17.03.13

Tuesday, 17.03.14

Wednesday, 17.03.15

Thursday, 17.03.16
Early Am, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Push, priming
SQ: 3/3/2 @ 185 lbs
OP: 3 x 3 @ 95 lbs
BP: 3 x 3 @ 135 lbs

I set my smart phone's alarm for 5am and gave this particular alarm time the name "Work Out Asshole." That musta worked its way into my dream consciousness, as I ended up waking up a little after 4am, but tried to get back to sleep until 5, to no avail. I left the house with a rare determination to get in a workout. Once there, I found it pretty easy to motivate, although my back was a little sore from assembling an Ikea loftbeddesk combo for my daughter's new room the afternoon prior. I decided just to go for the participation trophy, and kept the loads lite. But the third set of the squats started to feel good, so next time I'll try warming up a bit more than I normally do later in the day, or simply ride my bike to the gym, probably the best warm-up. Temps will start to warm up again today, so no excuses.

For the time being I think I will throw all my mental resources into establishing the early morning routine once and for all. So a week or two without worrying about loads or progressive overload, although that might come easier than I think. I really believe that my best chance at consistency is the early morning workout, so it'll be worth it if I miss a few weeks of gainz but gain that habit.

Friday, 17.03.17

Saturday, 17.03.18
Worked on my daughter's room. Lots of stair work and some large doll houses and a dresser.

---------------Week 4: Cycle II---------------

Sunday, 17.03.19
Drove to Rochester to check out a nursing program for my wife. I was going to hit the gym first thing, but then talked myself into eating breakfast at my office first. Then our house had a power outage so I had to hurry home at 8am. One more instance demonstrating the necessity of working out first thing.

Monday, 17.03.20
Early Am, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Push, priming
SQ: 2 x 3 @ 225 lbs
OP: 3 x 3 @ 95 lbs
BP: 10 x 45 lbs

Told my family about my "Work Out Asshole" alarm set for 5am. They endorsed the idea. I woke up at 4:40am. Once again, I set my sights low, shooting just for a participation trophy. But I was able to get the squat up to 225. I blew off the third set so that I'm not too sore. I don't want to have any excuses for not coming in Tuesday. On the bench my right shoulder felt a little crunchy, so I just do empty bar reps in order to prime it for next time.

The general idea is to baby myself until the early morning routine becomes routine, even if it takes forever. It's far more important for the workouts to be consistently mediocre than sporadically solid, but I'm hopeful the period of adaptation won't last too long.

Get well soon Abide. My guitarist has the same thing. Sounds like the flu is really bad this year.

Tuesday, 17.03.21
Mid-afternoon, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Pull, BU = 63 lbs
DL: 3 x 2 @ 275 lbs
Rw: 3 x 3 @ 150 lbs
CU: 3 x 3 @ -40 lbs assist
1DB Rw: 3/3/5 @ 100 R&L

I think I'll go with Abide's idea and make the DLs just two reps, at 95% 1RM. The deadlift really requires perfect form and concentration, so I prefer a little heavier with fewer reps.

Got a good pump on the One-hand Dumbell Rows, so went for five reps on the last set. Then I walked into the room where they have a punching bag. I did a few lefthand jabs, then a one-two combo and hurt my right wrist. Dumb. I hope it feels better tomorrow. Right now it feels like it's going to hurt too much to lift for a few days. Gettin' old . . .

Wednesday, 17.03.22

Thursday, 17.03.23

Friday, 17.03.24
Mid Afternoon, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Push, priming
SQ: 3/3 @ 185 lbs
OP: 3/3 @ 45 lbs

My right wrist is feeling a little better everyday. Still hurt a little just holding the bar in place for the squats, however, and 45 lbs seemed like about the limit for the overhead press. It might take another week or two before the wrist can support full loads. I'll try to make this an opportunity for getting in first thing more consistently, now that I have an excuse not to worry about loads too much.

Saturday, 17.03.25
A couple of miles biking around the neighborhood with the kids. My wrist didn't like it that much, but it was tolerable.

---------------Week 5: Cycle II---------------

With my wrist injury preventing me from doing normal loads, I'll try to make this week's focus (1) working out first thing and (2) finally implementing my full program, albeit at very lite loads:

Push .............................................Pull

Squat 2/3/3/5/5 .................................Deadlift 2/2/2/2/2
Overhead Press: 3/3/3 .........................Pendlay Row: 3/3/3
Bench Press: 3/3/3 .............................Chinups: 3/3/3

Dip/Landmine Twist: 5/5+ ......................One-hand Dumbbell Row: 5/5+
Sled: Push x 3 ...................................Sled: Rope Pull x 3
Medicine Ball: Vertical Toss ....................Rowing Machine: Intervals

Mobility: Upper Body .............................Mobility: Lower Body
Bike Commute ...................................Bike Commute

Not sure what my Mobility program will look like, but I'd like to incorporate some 'active' stretching stuff, so that I'm getting in some conditioning as well. Also, it's possible I might adopt something more like Abide's protocol and do the upper body presses and pulls in the five-rep range, not sure . . .

Sunday, 17.03.26

Monday, 17.03.27
Mid Afternoon, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Push, priming
SQ: 3/3 @ 185 lbs
OP: 6-7 @ 45 lbs

Went in with jeans, felt tight just as I reached proper squat depth, so I guess it's my first geared squat. Right wrist still tender but getting better every day.

Tuesday, 17.03.28
Mid Afternoon, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Push,
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 225 lbs
OP: 3 x 3 @ 95 lbs

Found the Rehband wrist braces/supports I bought a few years ago. Don't know why I didn't think of it earlier. I put one on my right wrist. Definitely helps although it gets too hot if worn for extended periods. Anyway, it gave me the courage to try a decent Squat load with two plates, and the wrist handled it fine. So I'm back in business, squat-wise at least. The Overhead Press didn't feel too bad, but I still need to be a little cautious there, and the wrist didn't like empty bar bench pressing at all, so that's out for a while longer. That's OK, my bench will always be able to catch up to whatever I'm doing in the other lifts. The main thing is I've been cleared to work up my squat again. My squat is always going to be my weakest lift so I could profit from just focusing on that for a while.

Wednesday, 17.03.29
Mid-afternoon, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Pull, BU = 62.5 lbs
DL: 3 x 2 @ 275 lbs
Rw: 3 x 3 @ 135 lbs
CU: 3 x 3 @ -40 lbs assist

Wrist didn't feel too bad on the pulls, so that's a relief. I was going to do dumbbell rows with my left hand only, but my right wrist hurt while supporting it on the bench, so I shut it down. So far, that's just two lifts--the bench press, and the one-hand dumbbell row--that are too painful to do with this sprain, so very acceptable. Even if it takes a few months for the wrist to fully recover, I know I can get my bench up to where it needs to be very quickly. Meanwhile, the squat push continues . . .

I'm liking Abide's idea of keeping the Deadlift reps low. I feel like I can bang out two reps with near-perfect form pretty easily. When I hurt myself in 2014 (2013?) it was on the fourth or fifth rep, when fatigue was starting to set in and my form probably got a little off. Not sure if I should follow Abide's protocol of making the upper body lifts a little higher rep, like five. I definitely like the mental ease of just doing three reps, and the recovery from low reps is minimal.

Thursday, 17.03.30
Mid Afternoon, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Push, BU = 66.5 lbs
SQ: 3 @ 225, 3/2/3 @ 240 lbs
OP: 2 x 3 @ 120 lbs

I was going to try 3 reps at 225, then 2 reps at 240, then 3 reps at 225 again, then two sets of 5 reps at 115, but when I got to 240 I could feel the third rep was there, so I did three instead of two and decided just to do two more sets of three at that load. On the second set I forgot to lock my belt, which distracted me for the third rep, but then the third set was fine. So, so much for the more complicated scheme. I may just stick to 3 x 3. It sure is easy that way and 240 is already a good base for microloading.

On the Overhead Press the load felt light but my right wrist complained a bit, despite having the Rehband brace on, so I knocked it off at two sets. I'm still focusing on getting the squat up so no need to tax the wrist and potentially slow the healing process down a bit. I'm sure the presses will be there when I need them, once my squat is a bit stronger and my wrist is fully healed.

Friday, 17.03.31
Mid-afternoon, Anytime Fitness

Lifting -- Pull, BU = 66.5 lbs
DL: 3 x 2 @ 290 lbs
Rw: 3 x 3 @ 150 lbs
CU: 3 x 3 @ -40 lbs assist

Everything felt pretty easy, hopefully the squat progress will start to accelerate so that I can push the other lifts a bit more. My wrist still hurts a little bit, but doesn't interfere. I guess it's time to start microloading again . . .

This cycle is flying by without much progress, or participation from others. Hopefully I can put together a solid last three weeks, and get up to around a three-plate deadlift double. Then sometime in Cycle III, I'll PR on my squat, then start PR-ing again on the other lifts in Cycle IV. After that, it's the great unknown.

Saturday, 17.04.01
At least a mile walking barefoot in the neighborhood getting ice cream with the kids and chatting with kids' friends' parents. Beautiful spring day.

---------------Week 6: Cycle II---------------

Sunday, 17.04.02
Mid Morning, Anytime Fitness: April workout 1

Lifting -- Push, BU = 67 lbs
SQ: 3 @ 225, 3 x 3 @ 241

I found from the last Push workout that's it's useful to do full reps on the warmup set before the worksets, so that's what I did, 3 @ 225. Worksets felt perfect, just the right amount of resistance. And so the microloading begins again in earnest. I was a little pressed for time so I didn't do the Overhead Press, giving the wrist more time off.

Monday, 17.04.03
Slept poorly, spent the time working on the night's jamming tune: Wes Montgomery's "Four on Six."

Tuesday, 17.04.04
Mid-afternoon, Anytime Fitness: April workout 2

Lifting -- Pull, BU = 67 lbs
DL: 3 x 2 @ 293 lbs
Rw: 3 x 3 @ 151 lbs
CU: 3 x 3 @ -40 lbs assist

Felt like I made a slight improvement in my Chinup form. I'll have to check it out next time. My head was ending up well above the bars.

Wednesday, 17.04.05
Mid Afternoon, Anytime Fitness: April workout 3

Lifting -- Push, BU = 67.5 lbs
SQ: 2 @ 225, 3 x 3 @ 243

Decided to continue resting the wrist a bit, just did squats. Load felt perfect.

Finally met a friendly fellow gym goer. We didn't say anything really, just acknowledged each other's presence, then I said good-bye when I left.

Thursday, 17.04.06
Mid-afternoon, Anytime Fitness: April workout 4

Lifting -- Pull, BU = 67.5 lbs
DL: 3 x 3 @ 295 lbs
Rw: 3 x 3 @ 155 lbs
CU: 3 x 3 @ -40 lbs assist

After the first or second set of deadlifts I realized I was doing three reps instead of the planned two. That put the Iron Ratio for Deadlifts at about 4.9 instead of 4.6, given the base unit of 67.5 lbs. Hmnn, not sure how I feel about that.

Friday, 17.04.07
Mid Afternoon, Anytime Fitness: April workout 5

Lifting -- Push, BU = 68 lbs
SQ: 1 @ 225, 3 x 3 @ 245

So much for doing a full warmup set at 225. Anyway, back up to 245, my max so far since getting back at it in 2017. I've been hovering around this load for a month or more I think.

Saturday, 17.04.08
Slept in till 10am, felt great!

---------------Week 7: Cycle II---------------

Sunday, 17.04.09
Mid-morning, Anytime Fitness: April workout 6

Lifting -- Pull, BU = 68 lbs
DL: 3 x 2 @ 305 lbs
Rw: 3 x 3 @ 165 lbs
CU: 3 x 3 @ -40 lbs assist

Given my surprise at how relatively easy it was to do three reps at 295 last Thursday, which is about 4.9 x the base unit, I decided to see what using a ratio of 5:1 for the Deadlift would feel like. That put my 1RM at 240, close to my old 1RM PR of 265, and my 3RM at 306 lbs. I didn't bother with my fractional plates so I went with 305. Hmnn, felt a little heavy so I just did two reps. Felt a little lower back strain on the third rep, but I recovered within an hour or two later. Not sure what to do now. The safest would be to reduce the ratio again, to 4.9 or 4.8 but it's kind of nice to be over 300 finally, and now three plates are calling my name. Plus a 5:1 ratio would align all four of my main Rippetoe/Wendler lifts (OP : BP : SQ : DL) in a nice, even 2:3:4:5 ratio. So tempting. It would also mean, however, throwing out the concept of using squats as a limiter/driver for the other lifts. Now my deadlifts would be driving progress as well. But that could lead to a stronger back, which is probably the main goal anyway. Just have to make sure I'm not increasing my injury risk . . .

I also increased the Iron Ratio for the Row to close to 2.75. The greater resistance felt just right. The row had heretofore felt a little too easy. I still felt a little strain in the lower back from the deadlifts though. Maybe I should do the chin-ups after the deadlifts to give the back a rest, and then return to the rows.

Monday, 17.04.10
Mid Afternoon, Anytime Fitness: April workout 7

Lifting -- Push, BU = 68.5 lbs
SQ: 1 @ 225, 3 x 3 @ 247
OP: 0 @ 123

OK, finally broke the 245 barrier, so I'm microloading in earnest now. 247 felt just like it should--that is, just like 245 of a few days ago. So I'll keep adding a half pound to the base unit and see how long that rate of increase works. Man, I love microloading. I love approaching the bar and knowing the exact intensity I'll need and knowing that I'll be able to finish my sets no problem.

This week I planned on re-introducing the presses, but my right wrist didn't like the overhead press at all. I tried ninety percent of two times the base unit, but I think next time I will start will the empty bar + 10 pounds, and then keep adding five or ten pounds as my wrist tolerates it. I don't want to get too far behind on the presses, so I should at least be priming the movement. The idea would be to slowly add more and more weight until my wrist is healed and can do the normal 2 x BU x 90% = 3 x 3.

Next to my squat rack a personal trainer was training a middle-aged client's squats, not making him go to depth. I almost intervened, but I probably would've just irritated them both. Painful to watch, as the guy had otherwise good form.

Tuesday, 17.04.11
Mid-afternoon, Anytime Fitness: April workout 8

Lifting -- Pull, BU = 68.5 lbs
DL: 3 x 3 @ 295 lbs
Rw: 3/3/3 @ 170/170/165 lbs
CU: 3 x 3 @ -40 lbs assist

I decided to try 4.8 x BU for the Deadlift, which, at 90%, renders 296 lbs. I didn't bother with the fractional plates so 295. That felt just right. So I'll stick with 4.8 instead of 4.6 for a while. That's 20% more than my squat instead of 15% as I had been doing in 2015.

I calculated a strict 2.75% for my Rows, but that felt a little bit heavy, so I took off five pounds for the third set and that felt just right. 165 is a little more than 2.66 times my current BU, so that's the new ratio, instead of 2.5 as I had also been doing in 2015. At 165 I still have to pause, breath out and in, and reset in between reps, but there's no temptation to use any body English or skimp on lat retraction. I could probably go with 2.7, but following Deadlifts it's probably best to go a little too light rather than a little too heavy.

Chinups felt great, perhaps a little too easy. May have to start decreasing the assist again.

Overall, a very satisfying and efficient workout. Wrist didn't bother me at all on any of the pulls.

BTW, I got my first $20 health insurance rebate last week for going to Anytime Fitness 12 times in February. I also got in 12 times in March, and I'm already up to eight times for April. Unfortunately, I'll probably use the money on beer, but perhaps I could count it over on the ribeye leger.

Wednesday, 17.04.12
Noon, Anytime Fitness: April workout 9

Lifting -- Push, BU = 69 lbs
SQ: 1 @ 225, 3 x 3 @ 248 lbs
OP: 3 x 3 @ 65 lbs
BP 3 x 3 @ 45 lbs

Very unmotivated today, head not really into it. I almost lost balance a bit while de-racking the second set of squats, daydreaming. The microloading makes things easy which can also lead to complacency I guess.

Reintroduced the presses at low weight. I'll add little by little to see what my wrist can tolerate. The rate of healing seems to be slowing now that it's 90% functional. I thought it would be fine by now, but looks like it will be tender for at least a few more weeks.

Thursday, 17.04.13
Mid-afternoon, Anytime Fitness: April workout 10

Lifting -- Pull, BU = 69 lbs
DL: 3 x 3 @ 298 lbs
Rw: 3 x 3 @ 165 lbs
CU: 3 x 3 @ -35 lbs assist

I seem to be tolerating everyday lifting just fine. That had been an open question when I first thought of doing the push/pull split. Using the same muscles but alternating pushing one day and pulling another seems to give them enough time for recovery. We'll see if this continues to hold true when the loads get heavier and I re-integrate the upper body presses.

Friday, 17.04.14
Noon, Anytime Fitness: April workout 11

Lifting -- Push, BU = 69.5 lbs
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 250 lbs

Saturday, 17.04.15
About a mile and a half of barefoot walking with the kids and their playdates getting ice cream cones and playing in the park on a beautiful spring day.

Would've made it to the gym except I forgot my wife had to work one day of Easter weekend. Gotta get the garage gym back in order . . .

---------------Week 8: Cycle II---------------

Sunday, 17.04.16
Easter egg hunt kept me from the gym.

Monday, 17.04.17

Tuesday, 17.04.18
Mid-morning, Anytime Fitness: April workout 12

Lifting -- Pull, BU = 69.5 lbs
DL: 3 x 3 @ 300 lbs
Rw: 3 x 3 @ 170 lbs
CU: 3 x 2 @ -40 lbs assist

Young dude next to me was deadlifting four plates (405 lbs) for three reps. Nice. I was happy with 300 lbs. After three days off, it was still there. It would be cool to add a hundred pounds though. Should be possible if I can maintain this consistency over 9-12 months.

I didn't bother with my fractional plates, so I rounded up to 170 for the row, instead of the prescribed 166. It felt good, maybe a little heavy at about 2.72 x BU. For some reason, I would be happier if the Pendlay Row was 2.75 instead of the 2.66 BU I decided upon last week, so I'll try to get it up there over the next few workouts.

Had to leave quickly so just got in two sets of Chinups.

Wednesday, 17.04.19
Mid-afternoon, Anytime Fitness: April workout 13

Lifting -- Push, BU = 70 lbs
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 252 lbs

Wrist continues to improve; the squat grip barely bothered it. But I'll wait until Cycle III before pressing.

Thursday, 17.04.20
Late-afternoon, Anytime Fitness: April workout 14

Lifting -- Pull, BU = 70 lbs
DL: 3 x 3 @ 302 lbs
Rw: 3 x 2 @ 172 lbs
CU: 3 x 2 @ -40 lbs assist

Was a little pushed for time and distracted so I just did two sets for the Rows and Chinups. -40 assist on the Chinups definitely felt a little too easy now, so will switch to -35 in earnest next time.

Friday, 17.04.21

Saturday, 17.04.22
Mid-afternoon, Anytime Fitness: April workout 15

Lifting -- Push, BU = 70.5 lbs

SQ: 3 x 3 @ 254 lbs
 
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Looks good, Bare Lee! I guess I'll post under this thread. I just did two yoga classes this week and one night-time 13-mile bike-ride aside from running. Unfortunately, I did get struck towards the end at very slow speed by a car who didn't see me. Fell over, got one slight black-and-blue spot. Took some time off, but I'm fine. I'll curtail more of my nighttime recreation. Days are fortunately getting longer, and DST is coming. Meanwhile I just began seeing a Physical therapist for my shoulder. I'm 57, so I'm a little concerned that my supraspinator and head-head-of-biceps tendonitis flare-up shouldn't become a full-fledged rotator-cuff injury. I would like to get back to my pull-ups and chin-ups soon. But I'm giving myself this rare chance in my life to work with a real professional Sports and Physical Therapy place I respect. So far they've said my posture isn't nearly as bad as I thought it was, but they definitely saw the shoulder mobility issues.
 
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lee, i am glad to see you working it. keep it up!

i have been limping along: my life has turned into a "no time" zone, so i have not been able to copy things in. i have been able to keep up running two to four times a week and i am walking early in the morning with one of my friends one day a week (so i get like 2+ hours on my feet). the weights have been happening about twice a week because my sundays have been spent chainsawing and splitting firewood from our massive tree that was cut down. the backyard is getting filled up with my silly circular woodpiles. but splitting is all sorts of good arm/hand/back/leg exercise. once that is finished, i'll have a little more time for the barbell and running stuff. on the other hand, i don't feel too bad because much of the point of the weightlifting is to be able to do the real life activities like sawing and splitting wood with ease...
 
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My main priority this cycle and the next cycle is to lose some weight. I jumped up to 205+ over the last couple of weeks then fell flat on my face on the race over the weekend. So 1 pound per week will be the goal. I will shoot for 3k calories a day at first.

Then just plug away, get stronger, get consistent, run a bit more. The next race is a 6k loop EHOH so I will start training to do a 50min 6k with 10 min rest as many times as possible.

Then a couple longer events planned a 3 day 250k trek through belgium. And the King Offa's Dyke Race 300k again in September. Will try to sprinkle some 50k's here and there.

So hopefully by June I can be 185 or less. Think that will help a lot.


---------------Week 2: Cycle II---------------

Sunday, 17.03.05


Monday, 17.03.06

Tuesday, 17.03.07
Press - 5 x 5 @ 50kgs
Low Pulls - 5 x 5 @ 80kgs

Weight 204.4

Wednesday, 17.03.08
Bike Commute - 17.5k

Thursday, 17.03.09
Squats - 5 x 3 @ 40/60/80/85/90
Pull downs - 5 x 10 @ 50kgs

Friday, 17.03.10
Run Commute 18k

Saturday, 17.03.11

Sunday, 17.03.12
Bench - 3 x 3 @ 100kgs
Pull ups - 5 x 5

---------------Week 3: Cycle II---------------
Monday, 17.03.13

Weight - 204.4

DL - 3 x 3 @ 140kgs
Farmers - 400m @ 72kgs

Bike Commute - 35k

Tuesday, 17.03.14
Press - 3 x 5 @ 50/55/60 kgs
Low Pulls - 5 x 5 @ 90kgs

Bike Commute - 35k

Wednesday, 17.03.15
Run Commute - 18k
Bike Commute - 17.5k

Thursday, 17.03.16
Squats - 5 x 3 @ 60/70/80/90/95
Pull downs - 5 x 10 @ 50kgs

Bike Commute - 35k

Kept the squats lower, I pulled my hamstring a few days ago and there is still some instability in the hole. Should be good by next week and then I am going to hit the squats harder.

Well looking back onto this week, its not too bad. I keep thinking they are bad weeks but then get pleasantly surprised. I think I need to adjust my mental state or something.

Weight is moving at all, and my appetite is growing. Need to get more disciplined about that.

Still fighting this ridiculous edition of the flu/cold bug. It's going on 3 weeks now with breathing issues and terrible soreness.

Friday, 17.03.17

Saturday, 17.03.18


---------------Week 4: Cycle II---------------

Sunday, 17.03.19

Monday, 17.03.20

Tuesday, 17.03.21

Wednesday, 17.03.22

Thursday, 17.03.23

Friday, 17.03.24

Saturday, 17.03.25


---------------Week 5: Cycle II---------------

Sunday, 17.03.26

Monday, 17.03.27

Tuesday, 17.03.28

Wednesday, 17.03.29

Thursday, 17.03.30

Friday, 17.03.31

Saturday, 17.04.01

Sunday, 17.04.02
---------------Week 6: Cycle II---------------
Monday, 17.04.03

DL - 3 @ 60/100/120/140kgs then 1 @ 150/170kgs
Curls - 3 x 10 @ 30kgs
Tricep ext - 3 x 10 @ 60kgs

Bike Commute - 35k

Had a decent lifting day for the DL's probably could have gone for 180 but decided to leave it at 170 for now. I think one rep in the heavier DL suits me well as I can get set up and keep the form intact. Once I start speeding through reps my form gets sloppy. Didn't have much energy to do much else hence the curls and extensions.

My mission for this week will be to put together a generic training plan. Running season is starting so intermingling the two needs to happen. I have a 4 day - 250k run planned towards the end of April. I will break it up into 62k days and sleep at hotels, so semi-self supported. Looking forward to getting out in the hills in warmer weather. I signed up for a crazy ass 100 miler in August with a friend. So definitely need to get the weight down and some hills climbed.

Finally past my illness for the most part. 5 weeks later.

Tuesday, 17.04.04
Run commute - 18k

Wow that one was tough, felt heavy and ploddy. I skipped eating this morning and maybe that contributed.

Wednesday, 17.04.05
Press - 5 x 10 @ 20/30/40/42.5/45kgs
Low pulls - 5 x 15 @ 50kgs

Bike Commute - 35k

Went for a little pump, my back is still sore from the DL a couple of days ago. Presses always seem to pressure my lower back too. Maybe I need to add in more abdominal work to stabilize.

Thursday, 17.04.06
Squats - 5 x 3 @ 60/70/80/90/100

Bike Commute - 35k

Friday, 17.04.07
Run Commute - 18k
Bike Commute - 17.5k

Saturday, 17.04.08
Sunday, 17.04.09

DL - 5 x 2 @ 100/120/140/150/170
Pull ups - 3 x 5
Bench - 4 x 5 @ 80/90/95/100

---------------Week 7: Cycle II---------------
Monday, 17.04.10

Pull ups - 5 x 5
Ab rollouts - 3 x 8
Step ups - 3 x 10

Bike commute - 35k

Tuesday, 17.04.11
Run Commute - 18k
Bike Commute - 17.5k

Ok planned the trip in a few weeks, will end up being a 4 day 180k trip through Snowdonia in Wales. I am severely under trained and fat. Hopefully this weekend I can get in some hill training.

Wednesday, 17.04.12
Squats - 3 x 3 @ 90/95/100kgs

Bike Commute - 35k

Thursday, 17.04.13
Run Commute - 18k

Friday, 17.04.14
Bike Commute - 35k

Saturday, 17.04.15
Run - 15k

Sunday, 17.04.16
---------------Week 8: Cycle II---------------
Monday, 17.04.17

Run - 17k

Tuesday, 17.04.18
Bike Commute - 35k

Wednesday, 17.04.19
Bike Commute - 35k

Thursday, 17.04.20
Bike Commute - 35k

Friday, 17.04.21

Saturday, 17.04.22

Wow that went quick. I took the week off from lifting. Feeling a bit out of sorts and under the weather. I'm going to get out there today and try to lift for the next few days before my trip.
 
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Looks good, Bare Lee! I guess I'll post under this thread. I just did two yoga classes this week and one night-time 13-mile bike-ride aside from running. Unfortunately, I did get struck towards the end at very slow speed by a car who didn't see me. Fell over, got one slight black-and-blue spot. Took some time off, but I'm fine. I'll curtail more of my nighttime recreation. Days are fortunately getting longer, and DST is coming. Meanwhile I just began seeing a Physical therapist for my shoulder. I'm 57, so I'm a little concerned that my supraspinator and head-head-of-biceps tendonitis flare-up shouldn't become a full-fledged rotator-cuff injury. I would like to get back to my pull-ups and chin-ups soon. But I'm giving myself this rare chance in my life to work with a real professional Sports and Physical Therapy place I respect. So far they've said my posture isn't nearly as bad as I thought it was, but they definitely saw the shoulder mobility issues.
Thanks, yah, I seem to be back in the swing of things, but I still haven't been able to commit to the first-thing-in-the-morning schedule. I don't know if I'll ever be able to sustain a consistent routine until I pull that off. Yesterday being a prime example of putting off the workout until until it was too late and something came up, like having to quick check the emergency back-up batteries for our pumps as the first thunderstorm of the season approached but then missed us.

Sorry to hear of the brush-up Ira, glad it wasn't serious. Me, I'm always on sidewalks or bike paths whenever possible, which really restricts potential routes, but I just don't trust cars to see me, or behave courteously when they do. Still 95% of the drivers seem OK.

I threw a baseball to my son on Sunday. Talk about shoulder mobility issues! Crap, I could barely throw it 30 feet without feeling a little crunchiness! Have to work in mobility now that the lifting is going OK. What I really need is about an hour of a complete routine: 20-30 minutes lifting, 10-15 minutes conditioning, 10-15 minutes mobility. I may deload ten pounds or so to make it easier to work that stuff in.
 
A bit behind, and out of time. Will try to get this updated over time.

My main priority this cycle and the next cycle is to lose some weight. I jumped up to 205+ over the last couple of weeks then fell flat on my face on the race over the weekend. So 1 pound per week will be the goal. I will shoot for 3k calories a day at first.
I thought you were off on some month-long super-ultra. Glad you're back in the game. Yeah, I'm a lot worse off than you, tired of being overweight, but my squat belt is beginning to feel a bit looser. Probably more recomposition than weight loss but I'll take it.
 
I thought you were off on some month-long super-ultra. Glad you're back in the game. Yeah, I'm a lot worse off than you, tired of being overweight, but my squat belt is beginning to feel a bit looser. Probably more recomposition than weight loss but I'll take it.

Yeah I tried a 250k over the weekend and quit early. Couldnt get my mind in the game to get trained and ready. And I've been enjoying too much of my own home brew and let my weight creep up.

I think I'd be ok with recomp and a higher weight. But I guess I would want that a solid muscle and not this love handle mixture I have going on. I think naturally 190-195 seems to be where I settle with regular exercise. But 180 seems so light for runs...

Well thanks for keeping these logs up you are actually keeping me motivated the last couple of months to build some consistency. My workouts have been crap but at least there is something. Looking forward to getting back into the race with you though!!! I'll put together a plan over the weekend.
 
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Yeah I tried a 250k over the weekend and quit early. Couldnt get my mind in the game to get trained and ready. And I've been enjoying too much of my own home brew and let my weight creep up.

I think I'd be ok with recomp and a higher weight. But I guess I would want that a solid muscle and not this love handle mixture I have going on. I think naturally 190-195 seems to be where I settle with regular exercise. But 180 seems so light for runs...

Well thanks for keeping these logs up you are actually keeping me motivated the last couple of months to build some consistency. My workouts have been crap but at least there is something. Looking forward to getting back into the race with you though!!! I'll put together a plan over the weekend.
I'd be happy with 210, but 195 would be ideal. I miss feeling agile.

Anyway, my thanks to you guys (including Ske) for keeping me in the game all through 2016. Your encouragement really helped. This week I decided to dedicate to working out first thing, the same committment that kept me from lifting with any consistency in 2016. Well, it worked! I didn't lift at all this week, always finding some weak-ass excuse to lift later, then blowing that off with renewed commitment to lift early the next day. And so it goes/went.

I'm going to change things up a bit I think. Since my squat tends to progress slower than my other five main lifts, I'm going to train it in sets of 2/3/3/5/5 reps, or 95%, 90%, 85% of 1RM. I'll bring my 1RM down ten pounds or so to help ease back into things. So adding two more sets, which I'll balance out in the Pull workout with the 1DB Row. Also going to try to really commit to daily sled work. Finally, once things warm again late next week, I'll try to start bike commuting in earnest, then do hill sprints on rainy days. It would be nice to lose 20 pounds before bikini season arrives in June.
 
I'd be happy with 210, but 195 would be ideal. I miss feeling agile.

Anyway, my thanks to you guys (including Ske) for keeping me in the game all through 2016. Your encouragement really helped. This week I decided to dedicate to working out first thing, the same committment that kept me from lifting with any consistency in 2016. Well, it worked! I didn't lift at all this week, always finding some weak-ass excuse to lift later, then blowing that off with renewed commitment to lift early the next day. And so it goes/went.

I'm going to change things up a bit I think. Since my squat tends to progress slower than my other five main lifts, I'm going to train it in sets of 2/3/3/5/5 reps, or 95%, 90%, 85% of 1RM. I'll bring my 1RM down ten pounds or so to help ease back into things. So adding two more sets, which I'll balance out in the Pull workout with the 1DB Row. Also going to try to really commit to daily sled work. Finally, once things warm again late next week, I'll try to start bike commuting in earnest, then do hill sprints on rainy days. It would be nice to lose 20 pounds before bikini season arrives in June.

It's interesting I am struggling more with seeing the workouts through to the finish, i have the motivation to get in the gym but then it wanes fast and I almost always quit a bit early. I think I need to set my expectations a bit lower or maybe just adjust my workouts from 4 times a week to as many as possible. Then the shortness of the session wont be that important. I promised a lifting schedule but again I dont have any interest in following a designated plan right now. Eventually I will get on one I think.

Well its warming up so hopefully the winter doldrums will fade Haha. Its nice having sunshine and biking in the light and having a few hours of light when I get home.

Been cranking away on the beer front. I'm venturing into british styles right now so hopefully will get a good bitter recipe down.

A sled sounds good, would love to imtermix it with farmers and hill sprints. Maybe one day I will get a setup to do all from the garage.
 
It's interesting I am struggling more with seeing the workouts through to the finish, i have the motivation to get in the gym but then it wanes fast and I almost always quit a bit early. I think I need to set my expectations a bit lower or maybe just adjust my workouts from 4 times a week to as many as possible. Then the shortness of the session wont be that important. I promised a lifting schedule but again I dont have any interest in following a designated plan right now. Eventually I will get on one I think.

Well its warming up so hopefully the winter doldrums will fade Haha. Its nice having sunshine and biking in the light and having a few hours of light when I get home.

Been cranking away on the beer front. I'm venturing into british styles right now so hopefully will get a good bitter recipe down.

A sled sounds good, would love to imtermix it with farmers and hill sprints. Maybe one day I will get a setup to do all from the garage.
That's strange. For me, once I get warmed up and get that initial pump, motivation is never a problem. Sometimes it's almost hard leaving but I remind myself that I still need to go slow and think long-term, avoid injury or even excess soreness. Just try to build up the dosage slowly.

Anyway, you're my original inspiration for trying the first-thing schedule. One of my brother's friends, who was our backyard neighbor and is co-owner of Zubaz, used to own gyms. A few years ago I went to his gym at 6am to ask him about some training tips or something, and seeing him at the gym in the cold, dark winter morning reinforced the idea that this could be the way to go. Just get it done with right away so nothing can come up later in the day. I also like how an early workout improves my mood and motivation for the rest of the day. The only problem is getting drowsy 4-5 hours later. When I work out at the end of the day, that drowsiness strikes just as I'm ready for bed. Perfect timing.

I hear you about not really committing to a plan. My only real plan is to do the six main compound/barbell lifts and then get in some conditioning. 3x3 is about as simple as I can make it, but I'm already thinking of making the squat protocol a bit more complex, to spur greater progress.

Anyway, I think at this point, we know what works, within a certain range of options/protocols. I think I will always base my lifting on those six lifts--squat, deadlift, bench press, row, overhead press, chinup--and will probably also always do three sets per lift as a base. Rep range will always be 2/3/5/7. I'm never going to be a high rep guy. And loads are always 90% of what I'm capable of for a given amount of reps, I don't like to train to failure or exhaustion. Then either an EOD full-body or ED push/pull split. That's about it I think.

Man, now that it's getting warmer out, I do miss the sensation of barefoot running on my soles. I think I will make more of a concerted effort to do hills. It's just as good as sled work for conditioning, and will abrade my soles a bit, giving me that great post-run tingling sensation. It would also be cool to do sled work barefoot out on our asphalt street, but I'm not sure how the neighbors would like the grating noise. But yeah, I see hill springs, sled work, and loaded carries all in the same category more or less. What did you do with that sled you made in Arizona?

I'm envious of your beer crafting. Definitely something I would like my wife or daughter to get into . . . I don't think I have much talent for that kind of thing. Two more bass projects in the works though. One is from an Irish company named Emerald, a six-string version of their Balor model. The other is to produce a fully custom six-string, semi-hollowbody fretless bass that incorporates all that I've learned. It will hopefully be my masterwork and get exactly the tone I'm looking for. I'm in a cue with a custom luthier in New Hampshire. Work should begin in about 2-3 months. I'm getting the neck made separate by a carbon graphite company. I really like CG over wood. Much stiffer and the response is amazingly even across the fingerboard. Jamming has been going well by the way. We're just about done with Volume III.

Hey one question for you guys: do you think ab rolls would combine better with my push day or my pull day?
 
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Haven't gotten around to posting, but the last three weeks I haven't done much running, other than my barefoot run to the YMCA when I go to yoga. I"m only taking the shoes off for yoga, so why bother with-'em? But I've been consistently getting to the Y by 5:35 am at least three days a week, doing my Ashtanga workout and meditation from 5:40-6:57am. My buddies Nathan and Joel are also almost invariably there, and our instructor Evan shows up on the dot at 6 every weekday, or sends a substitute. The three of us know each other for the last nine years or more, and those guys, as well as many of the other yogis in the room, are such amazing athletes! I live in the Lincoln Center area of Manhattan, and what some of the local dancers, as well as the bankers who join them, can do with their bodies is always inspirational. I've been in the group, and out of the group, which has shifted from gym to gym around the neighborhood over the years, and my limited flexibility limits me (but makes for quite a grueling workout as I struggle against my own fascia, and also protects me from bending too far). but it's been fun. I've also been concentrating on going to physical therapy twice a week for my shoulders, watching my posture, and learning what my PT recommends to keep me safe. It looks like he feels I really should do all those dumbbell and theraband exercises for the shoulders I avoid, as well as rowing and other exercises to counteract my over-tight pecs. So I've got just one more week of PT, and then it's up to me to strengthen my shoulder musculature and increase the range of motion as best I can in the most all-around way.
 
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This cycle is flying by without much progress, or participation from others. Hopefully I can put together a solid last three weeks, and get up to around a three-plate deadlift double. Then sometime in Cycle III, I'll PR on my squat, then start PR-ing again on the other lifts in Cycle IV. After that, it's the great unknown.

Hey one question for you guys: do you think ab rolls would combine better with my push day or my pull day?

Yeah sorry, been quite busy the last couple of weeks and haven't had much time to post or excercise for that matter. Anyway the season is starting though I need to get my shit together starting today!

Cool your back up there. I'm gonna skip the acclimatization phase and just start pushing a max every day for the lifts.

Ok back to posting on a regular basis.

Oh and I think I would do ab roll outs on pull days', less fatigue that way. Probably doesn't matter much though.
 
Yeah sorry, been quite busy the last couple of weeks and haven't had much time to post or excercise for that matter. Anyway the season is starting though I need to get my shit together starting today!

Cool your back up there. I'm gonna skip the acclimatization phase and just start pushing a max every day for the lifts.

Ok back to posting on a regular basis.

Oh and I think I would do ab roll outs on pull days', less fatigue that way. Probably doesn't matter much though.
Yah, well, I took all of 2016 off, practically. Still don't know how that happened exactly. It feels so good to be lifting again. I guess the time off helped me a little to appreciate the simple act of working out, without worrying as much about programming or goals. I could almost see sitting at the loads I'm currently doing. I don't think I'll increase if it's not relatively easy. That's where the microloading comes in. Still, being over 50, the strength will start diminishing no matter what, so it's tempting to see how much I can load while I still can. Would be awesome to hit a 350-400 squat.

I realized I need to adopt the same attitude towards cardio-vascular conditioning as I did to lifting at the beginning of this year. Essentially, I've got to adopt the empty-bar mentality, just get something, anything in, and then trust that progress will inevitably follow with consistency. Just hard to start from zero, but I'm in terrible shape now after almost two years of no running and perhaps three years since I last ran well. It's funny, my son's best friend in Kindergarten lives on the hill I used to train hills on. His father remembers seeing me. It's the steepest hill in the neighborhood so lots of people use it for training--hikers, skiers, and runners. Anyway, just walking up and down that hill with a few short sprints might be a good way to begin getting some conditioning back. I'm also going to baby myself on the prowler, just do really light loads so I don't huff and puff too much.

Good luck on the 250 at the end of April! Look forward to seeing your new plan. I'm still going to make an effort at the first-thing routine, but for this month, or at least for the remainder of this cycle, I'm going to focus on lifting six times a week no matter what. I'm finding with my more limited post-2016 motivation, I can only really tackle one goal at a time.

Thanks for the opinion on the ab wheel. You can see I'm also being influenced by your approach to deadlifts. 1-2 reps for more sets seems like the way to go there. I really like to make sure my technique is impeccable.
 
Yah, well, I took all of 2016 off, practically. Still don't know how that happened exactly. It feels so good to be lifting again. I guess the time off helped me a little to appreciate the simple act of working out, without worrying as much about programming or goals. I could almost see sitting at the loads I'm currently doing. I don't think I'll increase if it's not relatively easy. That's where the microloading comes in. Still, being over 50, the strength will start diminishing no matter what, so it's tempting to see how much I can load while I still can. Would be awesome to hit a 350-400 squat.

I realized I need to adopt the same attitude towards cardio-vascular conditioning as I did to lifting at the beginning of this year. Essentially, I've got to adopt the empty-bar mentality, just get something, anything in, and then trust that progress will inevitably follow with consistency. Just hard to start from zero, but I'm in terrible shape now after almost two years of no running and perhaps three years since I last ran well. It's funny, my son's best friend in Kindergarten lives on the hill I used to train hills on. His father remembers seeing me. It's the steepest hill in the neighborhood so lots of people use it for training--hikers, skiers, and runners. Anyway, just walking up and down that hill with a few short sprints might be a good way to begin getting some conditioning back. I'm also going to baby myself on the prowler, just do really light loads so I don't huff and puff too much.

Good luck on the 250 at the end of April! Look forward to seeing your new plan. I'm still going to make an effort at the first-thing routine, but for this month, or at least for the remainder of this cycle, I'm going to focus on lifting six times a week no matter what. I'm finding with my more limited post-2016 motivation, I can only really tackle one goal at a time.

Thanks for the opinion on the ab wheel. You can see I'm also being influenced by your approach to deadlifts. 1-2 reps for more sets seems like the way to go there. I really like to make sure my technique is impeccable.

Yeah that's a really fantastic way to think about it, and I often resort to the opposite. If I can't get my planned workout in i tend to just skip it all. Getting one lift in or taking a walk would be better than nothing. I have the same issue with my diet too.

Yeah my back was sore last night. I have been thinking about doing the 2 rep every minute routine again too. I wish I could have a dose of your motivation. I think this week I might also head out to do some hill sprints. Its a simple quick workout that I can do close to home as well.

Thanks about the 250, I was planning on a loop in Belgium, but now with 4 days off I was thinking about heading back out to England or Ireland or Scotland or Wales to do a multi day pub crawl trip. Now where to go... any ideas?
 
Yeah that's a really fantastic way to think about it, and I often resort to the opposite. If I can't get my planned workout in i tend to just skip it all. Getting one lift in or taking a walk would be better than nothing. I have the same issue with my diet too.

Yeah my back was sore last night. I have been thinking about doing the 2 rep every minute routine again too. I wish I could have a dose of your motivation. I think this week I might also head out to do some hill sprints. Its a simple quick workout that I can do close to home as well.

Thanks about the 250, I was planning on a loop in Belgium, but now with 4 days off I was thinking about heading back out to England or Ireland or Scotland or Wales to do a multi day pub crawl trip. Now where to go... any ideas?
Yah, that's what kept me from lifting in 2016. I was still clinging to my 2015 gains and anytime I felt like I couldn't get in a full or intense workout I would just skip it altogether. But the main thing is just to maintain the consistency and trust that it will lead to good things. I've also been a bit slow to realize that substituting running with cycling isn't really going to work for me. Gotta approach conditioning with beginner's mind and find something that fits in better with my motivation and schedule. It's just too boring cycling for exercise in the city. I gotta get better about bike-commuting, but for exercise I think it would be better to drive a short distance out of the city on the weekend and explore new cycling routes there. Maybe it's because of my bicycle travels, but I tend to associate longer cycling distances with exploration.

Don't sweat the lack of motivation, just don't get too far behind. Weights are inherently boring so I think it requires more of a workaday approach, especially in middle-age when the initial thrill of getting strong diminishes (although I still have a few goals). If only one out of three workouts is fun or inspirational, that's still OK. It's amazing how much better I feel the other 23 hours and that alone makes it worth it.

There are so many possibilities in the UK for enjoyable hiking and drinking and I'm not that familiar with most of them so I wouldn't know where to begin. Sorry. Have fun!
 
Yah, that's what kept me from lifting in 2016. I was still clinging to my 2015 gains and anytime I felt like I couldn't get in a full or intense workout I would just skip it altogether. But the main thing is just to maintain the consistency and trust that it will lead to good things. I've also been a bit slow to realize that substituting running with cycling isn't really going to work for me. Gotta approach conditioning with beginner's mind and find something that fits in better with my motivation and schedule. It's just too boring cycling for exercise in the city. I gotta get better about bike-commuting, but for exercise I think it would be better to drive a short distance out of the city on the weekend and explore new cycling routes there. Maybe it's because of my bicycle travels, but I tend to associate longer cycling distances with exploration.

Don't sweat the lack of motivation, just don't get too far behind. Weights are inherently boring so I think it requires more of a workaday approach, especially in middle-age when the initial thrill of getting strong diminishes (although I still have a few goals). If only one out of three workouts is fun or inspirational, that's still OK. It's amazing how much better I feel the other 23 hours and that alone makes it worth it.

There are so many possibilities in the UK for enjoyable hiking and drinking and I'm not that familiar with most of them so I wouldn't know where to begin. Sorry. Have fun!

Yep I'm the same on my road bike, I really like to use it as a source of transportation and not just riding for excercise. A nice long loop sounds good.

I mapped a trip through snowdonia for later this month. I have been wanting to go there for a while and there is a multi day race called the dragonback that takes place on some of the route I stole. So I will be bouncing from pub to pub with a backpack. I also found out the race company for dragonback does another race up in Scotland that i have had my eye on. Until I saw registration is 1600 pounds, forget that.
 
I mapped a trip through snowdonia for later this month. I have been wanting to go there for a while and there is a multi day race called the dragonback that takes place on some of the route I stole. So I will be bouncing from pub to pub with a backpack. I also found out the race company for dragonback does another race up in Scotland that i have had my eye on. Until I saw registration is 1600 pounds, forget that.

You know if you catch the train drunk up Mt.Snowdon it doesn't count as a summit;)
 
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Yep I'm the same on my road bike, I really like to use it as a source of transportation and not just riding for excercise. A nice long loop sounds good.

I mapped a trip through snowdonia for later this month. I have been wanting to go there for a while and there is a multi day race called the dragonback that takes place on some of the route I stole. So I will be bouncing from pub to pub with a backpack. I also found out the race company for dragonback does another race up in Scotland that i have had my eye on. Until I saw registration is 1600 pounds, forget that.
I musta cycled close to that on my way to the ferry to Ireland. Those are nice bite-sized mountains. Nonetheless, the Welsh ascents were enough to make my knees pretty sore on the 10-speed Peugeot I had bought in London through Loot. Then while waiting for the ferry (in Holyhead?) I chatted with a group of cyclists out on a training ride. When I complained about sore knees, the coach told one of the young guys to adjust my seat for me. My knee soreness cleared up after that. Once in Dublin, I also traded in my Peugeot for a Raliegh 'cross-trainer,' a kind of road bike frame with mountain bike components. The extra gears helped with the mountains as well, but then Africa destroyed the wheels and open cassette. Finally I got my third bike, a proper Marin mountain bike, in Capetown. I still have that bike. It's a tank.

Have fun!
 
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