It was good to have Abide back in the fold. Everyone else is welcome to contribute as well, either with a log, or in comments, if they are doing some combination of strength training and running and/or other types of aerobic/conditioning work, whether barefoot or with footwear (preferably minimalist).
Assessment of last cycle. The ramping protocol was a success. The extended warmup/work sets especially helped my shoulders; I was able to do the Push-Pull split consecutive days without my shoulders getting cranky, as had happened in previous attempts at the split. However, mentally, the Push-Pull split did get a bit tiring. It’s just hard to motivate to lift everyday. Plus having to schedule six workouts a week opens up more chances to get interrupted.
Ramping also helped get back into the swing of things gradually, both mentally and physically, when I had to take off more than a day or two.
I didn’t make much progress on the Overhead Press. I don’t know why it’s become such a stubborn lift. I’m almost tempted to let the other lifts move ahead until they stall out, and then focus on bringing up the Overhead Press at that time. Or tweak the Iron Ratio so that the Overhead Press is 45% of the Squat, rather than 50%, or 60% of the Bench Press, rather than 66.7% (both are within the range of standard ratios given on the interweb ST sites). But for the time being, I’m going to stay pat with a strict Iron Ratio and keep trying to bring the Overhead Press up. Perhaps doing all six lifts at a time would help boost the lift more synergistically with the others.
The attempt at morning lifting was sporadic at best, and I didn’t give myself a chance to adapt, but the few times I did try it, I managed OK, but got incredibly drowsy after lunch. Morning walks by themselves don’t seem to have the same effect. Lifting right before dinner still feels best, and sets me up well for falling asleep later, but it’s also a time slot prone to interruptions. Different metabolic systems seem to favor exercising them at different times of the day.
The conditioning component was a no-show again, but the daily walks were fairly consistent most weeks. It also seems like a morning walk sets up or primes my body better for afternoon lifting than no morning walk. Metabolically speaking, it’s like a mild boost makes it easier for a bigger boost later on. But it’s hard to say for sure if the sequence of different metabolic exertions is really significant without more time at it.
Goals for this cycle. The goals are essentially the same as in the last cycle, but I'm going to make three changes to last cycle's programming in order to train all three metabolic systems better (phosphagen = strength training [Resistance]; glycolytic = conditioning/HIIT [Intermittence]; oxidative = aerobic [Persistence]), and provide a little greater flexibility:
1. Go from an Every-Day (ED) Push-Pull split to an Every-Other-Day (EOD) Full-body workout.
2. Get rid of the Max 1+ set and simplify the ramping system.
3. Try to get in a separate conditioning session, alternating it with either the morning walks or afternoon lifting.
(4. Give up on morning lifting, which isn't really a change because I never really got it going in the first place.)
Last cycle my lifting was almost consistent enough to prove to myself that the ED Push-Pull split can work for me physically, but I think I will nonetheless try going back to an EOD whole body protocol for this cycle. That’s what has always worked for me in the past. It’s just that it has become harder to motivate for six lifts at a time, but I think that is still easier than motivating to do three lifts every day, six days a week, and it’s much easier to schedule three rather than six sessions around interruptions. And if one day I only have time for three lifts, I can do a split and do the other three the next day, skip a day, and do a full six-lift session after that, still getting in three sessions for each lift during the week. With the EOD schedule I have 2-3 days' buffer built in. Some examples:
This is in keeping with last cycle's tenet that progress follows consistency, which in turn follows flexibility (flexibility > consistency > progress). So having a coherent yet flexibility program is key, and EOD is more flexible than ED.
The greater hormonal boost of doing six lifts in one session may also be more beneficial than spreading it out over two sessions, hard to say.
I will continue with the first training block loads of last cycle and try to reduce the time in between sets. If need be, I may deload again just to establish the longer workouts and decrease their total time. It would be nice to do all six lifts in under an hour. Also, EOD lifting gives me more options for getting in a conditioning component on alternate days. Finally, it may be better to give the muscles, tendons, and ligaments 47 hours to recover rather than 23, although I didn’t feel like I was accumulating fatigue during the few weeks in which I got in most of the sessions.
So the Push-Pull split is out for the time being, that's the first change. The second change is getting rid of the Max 1+ set, and tweak the rest of the ramping program accordingly. This is because in practice I found the Max 1+ workset to be unnecessary. Once the Target workset becomes comfortable, I can just move on to the next training block by adding 2.5 pounds to the new Overhead Press Target workset, and work on getting up to three comfortable reps there, which is the same as beginning to work on reps in the old training block's Max 1+ workset. So I save a step. And I also found that when I could do three reps comfortably in the Target set, I could already get in at least two reps in the Max 1+ set. So the trigger for moving on is decided more by effort level than number of reps. Alternatively, I could try to get the Target set up to five reps before moving on, but I like keeping everything three reps, for simplicity. The main thing is to keep the guiding principle of getting up to a given number of comfortable reps in a training block's last workset before moving on to the next training block, whether it's called the Max 1+ or Target workset. I think this is true for any 'for reps' protocol, and Abide's discussion of trying a 'for reps' variation of the 5x5 program helped me realize this.
This change has the added benefit of eliminating one workset, from five to four. I found that changing small plates for five worksets (3 Ramps, Target and Max 1+) after my big-plate warmups got a little tedious, and I would often cut out one of the ramp sets, especially on the bigger lifts, where I would often go up in 10-pound increments, for simplicity's sake. I also found the difference between the last Ramp set and the Target set to feel a bit trivial at times. With these two factors in mind, I'm going to make the increments in between Target and Ramp worksets slightly larger, but also more regular. To do this, I'll simply go up in five-pound increments for the Overhead Press ramps, ten-pound increments for the other upper-body lifts and the Squat, and fifteen-pound increments for the Deadlift ramps, rather than using percentages to calculate their loads. Finally, I've added back in the projected 1RM for each lift in the chart. I kind of like knowing what the 1RM would be if I were to actually attempt one, although I still have no intention of doing so.
I’m still not completely sold on Wendler’s 5/3/1 suggestion that only one heavy workset is enough for progress, but my last Ramp workset and the Target workset are still pretty close. If I feel I need another quality set, I'll just repeat the Target workset, or make the Target workset a Max 3+ set. In this way, I would essentially be doing a version of the “Hard Triples” 3x3 program. On low-energy days, I will continue to just make the third ramp set my last set and tell myself that I got in a lite 3x3 workout.
So the overall plan is to continue with the morning dog walks, and alternate between lifting and some kind of conditioning and/or further aerobic exercise, like a bike ride, in the afternoon, or just rest. I think it may work better to give each Metabolic component its own session, for scheduling but also for motivating to focus on just one thing. Last cycle I was always too lazy to do the conditioning right after the morning walk or the afternoon lifting.
So a dedicated conditioning session 1-3 times a week will be the third change for this cycle. This may also make it easier to motivate to go out and get the sled out of the shed. I think conditioning may be the most effective metabolic modality for promoting weight loss, so I really need to try harder to work it in. I could also try harder to work in the mobility component, either as a separate session, or as part of the conditioning session, especially if I adopted a more ‘active stretching’ approach.
On the other hand, I would say a minimal concurrent program for me would be EOD lifting and walking, which is probably enough to maintain basic fitness, but not enough time or variety for complete fitness, or substantial weight loss. So I’ll try to be fairly strict about maintaining a basic/minimal fitness regime, but try to elevate to a more complete/maximal one—daily morning walks and EOD lifting and conditioning and mobility in the afternoon--if possible:
Let the next experiment begin! It does seem like I'm getting closer to something that will work long-term. We'll see . . .
---------------Week 1: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.06.20
MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog.
Felt nicely sore after Saturday's full-body workout, the walk helped work it out.
Note: after Saturday's workout and my exchange with Abide on Friday, I've made several changes to the program for this cycle (v. supra).
Monday, 21.06.21
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.5 mile walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis. Went through the fields but didn't have time for the woods.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
BP: 3 @ 135/145/155/165
OP: 3 @ 95/100/105/110
SQ: 3 @ 195/205/215/225
PD: 3 @ 135/145/155/165
DL: 3 @ 225/245/265/275
RW: 3 @ 135/145/155/165
Tuesday, 21.06.22
AFTERNOON
-Intermittence-
20 minutes:
4 x [4 mins Rowing, L-Int / 1 min Airdyne, M-Int]
Wednesday, 21.06.23
EARLY AFTERNOON
-Persistence-
2.5 mi walk around Lake Nokomis with dog.
My daughter was invited to paddleboard with friends, so I ran a few errands and then walked around the lake. Mild chipseal got a little hot at times, but otherwise was a good sole massage.
Thursday, 21.06.24
MORNING
-Persistence-
3 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis. Went through fields and woods. I should call this walk the "Surfaces" walk, because it covers just about every imaginable surface--concrete sidewalks, gravel, grass, chipseal, compacted trail, asphalt.
Friday, 21.06.25
EARLY AFTERNOON
-Persistence-
About 2 mi walk in most of the woods, and then sidewalk back with dog. Walked over lots of twigs and natural debris. Almost felt like a real hike.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 95/100/105/110/110
Hmmn, with the two-a-day routine, I sometimes find myself primed after a morning walk, but other times a bit tight. Maybe when I walk first thing in the morning, I should do a little stretching around lunchtime, or perhaps even do some empty bar Press and Squats if possible, to loosen things up. Also, doing two Target worksets felt good, will have to experiment with that some more, at least for my weaker lifts, maybe just the Press, Squat, and Pulldowns.
Saturday, 21.06.26
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 95/100/105/110
BP: 3 @ 135/145/155/165
SQ: 3 @ 185
---------------Week 2: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.06.27
MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog.
Knees started to feel sore on top of the first hill. I thought about heading back home, but I did a squat and held the position for a few seconds and that seemed to work it out. After several hundred feet, the knees were good to go. I'm still laughing at the two orthos who told me that, with my knees, I would have to give up squats and deadlifts, in addition to running. Luckily, the third ortho told me otherwise, that squats had kept my knees otherwise strong and healthy and possibly gave me a few extra years of running until the degenerative meniscus issue caught up to me.
AFTERNOON
-Intermittence-
Rowing: 5 x [1 min L-Int / 1 min M-Int] = 10 minutes
Finally got back on a machine. Wasn't too bad. I liked the one minute Low, one minute Medium Intensity alteration. Could be the way to go. Next time I'll try to try it on the Airdyne, or a combination of Rower and Airdyne.
Monday, 21.06.28
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.1 mile abbreviated "Woods, Fields, and Campus" walk with dog after dropping son off late at tennis. Hmnn, feels like my pace was a bit up. I should look for my old Garmin wristband.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 95/100/105/110/110
SQ: 3 @ 185/205/215/225
BP: 3 @ 135/145/155/165
-Intermittence-
Airdyne: 2 x [1 min L-Int / 1 min M-Int] = 4 minutes
Well, well, I seem to be finding myself doing a push-pull split as much as a full body. Doesn't really matter. I guess I have several options on any given day, and if that helps me be more flexible > consistent, so be it.
I am experimenting a bit with dropping a ramp and adding a target set. Could be the way to go. Would've tried another target set on the squat, but back felt a little tight on the last set. Really have to get after mobility a bit more.
Also, it didn't suck to do some conditioning after the lifting, so when I do a push-pull split, whether out of necessity or choice, I can place the conditioning in any of the three time slots I can work in a workout, even if briefly: morning, after my walk. Midday, before lunch; and after lifting in the afternoon, before dinner.
Otherwise, on the days I do a full body lifting session, I can just do the conditioning on the alternate day, as planned.
Also, finally, read some articles about NMP--'neural morning priming': https://wrightfithealth.blogspot.com/2016/04/neural-morning-primer.html
I guess early morning conditioning after a walk, and then some mobility, might work as my version of NMP. We'll see . . .
I definitely feel like I'm gaining a little momentum again. Hope it lasts . . . .
Tuesday, 21.06.29
MORNING
-Persistence-
1.8 mile walk with dog and daughter after dropping son off at tennis. My daughter critiqued every house we walked by. Charming. All that SIMS work is paying off. 121 ft total gain.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/145/155/165/165
DL: 3 @ 225/245/265/275
RW: 3 @ 135/145/155/165
-Intermittence-
Rowing: 1 x [1 min L-Int / 1 min M-Int]; 1 x [1 min L-Int / 1 min H-Int] = 4 minutes
Wednesday, 21.06.30
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.9 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis. Walked through the big open grass field in front of the campus while the unleashed dog ran circles around me. Then through the woods, then through the neighborhood hitting some of the bigger hills before returning to pick up my son. 207ft total gain.
Thursday, 21.07.01
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.2 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis, up and down mostly gentle grades. 157ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/95/100/105/110/110
SQ: 3 @ 175/195/205/215/225
BP: 3 @ 115/135/145/155/165
I tried adding another ramp set 20 pounds below the first one. Trying to make the jump between warmup sets and worksets a little more regular. The other three ramp sets still go up in five-pound increments for the Press, ten-pound increments for the other upper body lifts and the Squat, and fifteen pound increments for the Deadlift. Might tweak it a bit more, but I re-read some Thibaudeau on ramping and was reminded that if the jump between sets is too great, it can have an inhibitory effect rather than a potentiating one. The whole thing would look like this:
Friday, 21.07.02
MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 161ft
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 125/145/155/165/175
DL: 3 @ 225/245/265/275/285
Getting a little impatient with the lack of progress now that I'm somewhat consistent. So I tried adding 10 pounds to my first two pulls (before time ran out). The greater resistance felt better. So now I'm thinking of lowering the ratio of the Overhead Press below 2 units, so that it's more like 60% of the bench instead of 66% (2:3). Trying to bring up the Overhead Press while stalling the other lifts doesn't seem to be working that well. Maybe I should just accept a lower ratio, one that is still within the consensus range of internet fitness trainers/bloggers (55-70% of BP), and bring up the other lifts. Perhaps getting stronger on the other lifts will provide a better platform for bringing up the OP, which, after all, besides being my weakest lift, is actually also the lightest lift, so it's probably not doing much to bring up the others. I'm missing in particular my previous focus on the Squat. That always just feels like the centerpiece.
Saturday, 21.07.03
Well, after lifting the pulls just a little heavier yesterday, I seemed to have slept better. The more I think about it, the less it makes sense to base progress on the Overhead Press, since its progress doesn't carry over that much to the other lifts. In contrast, I've always found that a strong squat seems to fortify the other lifts. So just two weeks into this cycle, I'm already thinking of altering my approach.
First, I'm going to try tweaking the Iron Ratio, in order to (1) deload the Overhead Press a bit in relation to the other lifts, and then (2) bring up the Squat a bit in relation to the remaining lifts. It'll now be closer to Thibaudeau's ratios:
"Reference Lift: Back Squat
Bench Press: 75% of back squat
Powerlifting Deadlift: 120% of back squat
Military Press (strict): 45% of back squat"
From: https://www.t-nation.com/training/know-your-ratios-destroy-weaknesses
This contrasts to my more exacting Iron Ratio of 2:3:4:5, which renders 125% of Back Squat for the Deadlift, and 50% of Back Squat for the Overhead Press.
However, in order to reach eventual 3RM plate goals of
135 Overhead Press
225 Bench Press, Row, Pulldown
315 Squat
365 Deadlift
I'll tweak Thibaudeau's ratios further, rendering:
Reference Lift: Back Squat
Bench Press: 71% of back squat
Powerlifting Deadlift: 115% of back squat
Military Press (strict): 43% of back squat
Which means I have some work to do on the Squat, but I think it will be fairly easy to bring the other lifts up. Training blocks will still be based on 2.5-pound increments for the Overhead Press, but the expectation is that a heavier Squat will be the limiting factor, instead of the OP.
Second, I don't think I'll make full-body workouts the base any longer. Rather, I'll just fluctuate between the Push-Pull split and the Full-body, depending on time, mood, recovery, etc. On days in which I follow a Push-Pull split, I'll try to do some HIIT on the Airdyne for Push days, and HIIT on the rower for Pull days. If I do a Full-body workout, I'll try to do sled or machine work on the off day.
NOON
-Persistence-
1 mi walk with kids and dog, going over 4th of July race route. My son's going to run the two-mile option.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
SQ: 2 @ 185/205/215/225/235/245
OP: 3 @ 65/85/95/100/105/105
I started just trying to see about where my true squat 3RM load was, but only did two-rep sets to stay on the safe side. I found 235 to be surprisingly solid so I added on another ten pounds. That too felt pretty solid but a little challenging so I stopped the exploratory session there. According to my new ratios, a 245-lb Squat renders a 105-lb Overhead Press, so that's what I did. It felt much better than the 110 loads I had been doing, so perhaps there's something to my new ratios besides the fact that they will eventually lead to neat plate goals. I didn't do the Bench Press as I want to recover well from these two days of increasing loads, but it should fall into place soon, and it seems like I should be able to get up to a 255-lb 3RM Squat by the end of this cycle, if not sooner.
A heavier squat also seems to enforce better technique, and the increase in required concentration helps with overall motivation. I guess when only one lift is really a challenge, it takes some of the fun and motivation away. So the Press-centric approach has probably ended. I should've probably given up on it sooner, but until I began to lift more consistently, it was hard to tell if it was really working or not.
Next time I will probably try for the 107.5-lb OP and 250-lb Squat in the first training block of the new chart.
---------------Week 3: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.07.04
LATE MORNING
-Persistence-
1.5 mi to my neighborhood's Fourth of July parade head, then down its main street with my son on his patriotic moped, then back home from parade terminus at park after hanging out a bit with other parents. Got some barefoot comments during the parade. 59ft
Monday, 21.07.05
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.3 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis, up and down mostly gentle grades. 164ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 130/150/160/170/180
DL: 2 @ 225/245/260/275/290
RW: 3 @ 130/150/160/170/180
Everything felt pretty good.
Tuesday, 21.07.06
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 65/85/95/100/110/110
SQ: 2 @ 205/225/235/245/255
Cool. Got the OP back to where it should be, and the Squat up to its new corresponding load. Now I have to get the DL and Squat up to three comfortable reps, and work the Bench back in. Then I'll have already completed the second training block of the new configuration.
I was sore from Monday's Pull workout (it made me sleep really well), but I'm learning to work through the soreness again. I think for a while, perhaps, I might have become overly cautious, or too concerned about being an "older lifter." The ramping seems to be taking care of the doubts and concerns, along with greater consistency, which gives me a better idea of exactly what is going on. It still might be best to schedule a conditioning day in between each Push-Pull split, but I'm going to ride the new wave of motivation and try to lift as often as I can while it lasts.
Missed the morning walk due to rain. It's not so much the rain I mind, but dealing with a wet dog afterwards. But my soles also needed a day off after several days of walking and standing on hot surfaces.
Wednesday, 21.07.07
EARLY AFTERNOON
-Persistence-
1 mi walk with kids and dog to store and back.
EARLY EVENING
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 2 @ 225/245/265/275/285/295
Kind of an off day. Still, the lifting was OK.
Thursday, 21.07.08
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.2 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis, up and down mostly gentle grades. 157ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/95/100/105/110/110
SQ: 2 @ 205/225/235/245/255
BP: 3 @ 135/155/165
Didn't have time to do the last two worksets of the BP, but it was good to practice the movement. I find with the heavier squat, I'm going deeper, so that's good.
Friday, 21.07.09
Saturday, 21.07.10
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 2 @ 230/250/265/280/295
RW: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
-Intermittence-
Rowing: 5 x [1 min L-Int / 1 min M-Int] = 10 minutes
---------------Week 4: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.07.11
MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 161ft
Monday, 21.07.12
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.3 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis, up and down mostly gentle grades. 161ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
BP: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
OP: 3 @ 75/95/100/105/110
SQ: 2 @ 205/225/235/245/255
Tuesday, 21.07.13
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.5 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis, this time more of a loop hitting three of the neighborhood's bigger hills and few more gradual ones. 197ft.
A family friend brought food over, we got to talking, and I didn't work out.
Wednesday, 21.07.14
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.5 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis, Once again I did the loop hitting three of the neighborhood's bigger hills and few more gradual ones. 197ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 2 @ 230/250/265; 3 @ 280/295
Decided to stop babying myself and did three full reps on the last two sets of the Deadlift. I'll try to do the same for the Squat next workout. Then start to try harder to get 10 minutes of HIIT in more consistently for the second half of this cycle, and maybe add one more target set for each lift. Hopefully, by the next cycle, I'll be ready for the next training block.
So far, I'm averaging about six days per week walking, four lifting, and just a day and a half conditioning. Would like to get the lifting average closer to five days per week, and the condition to at least three or four.
Thursday, 21.07.15
MORNING
-Persistence-
1.7 mi walk with dog around Como Lake. Guy asked if it hurt my feet. I said no, he said they must be tough. I told him the human body is very adaptable.
AFTERNOON
Ran out of time for lifting before son's last baseball game of the season, way over on the other side of town.
Friday, 21.07.16
MORNING
-Persistence-
3 mi walk with dog around Lake Phalen after I dropped of family member at a medical appointment nearby. A couple walked barefoot ahead of me about half the way, before putting their footwear back on. And the dog's retractable leash broke halfway through the walk. In the parking lot, the man remarked on how well-trained my dog must be to have kept by my side even without the leash. I think she was just hot and tired, but yah, I was also surprised. We got lucky with that dog. Funny the man never mentioned the whole barefoot thing.
Finally got around to downloading a free tracking app for my phone: Gaia GPS. It did a good job once I realized I had to turn off my phone's auto-lock.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 65/85/95/100/110/110
SQ: 3 @ 205/225/235/245/255; 2@255
OK, got the new Squat load up to three reps, and almost completed two target sets. Felt a little something in my back though, on the second rep of the second set, so shut it down.
Saturday, 21.07.17
NOON
-Persistence-
2.4 mi walk with dog, new route hitting the neighborhood's four biggest hills. 233ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185; 2 @ 185
SLDL: 3 @ 185
Didn't quite make the second set of three reps for the Pulldown, then on my second warmup Stiff-legged Deadlift set @ 185, I felt a little something in my mid back, so I shut it down. I think it just needed to stretch and warmup a bit more, but why take risks?
If I mark each kind of Metabolic workout as '1' for each day done, and then divide the total by either six days or seven days, then I get the following percentages and number of days for the first half of this cycle.
Percentage of 6 days
Walk ST HIIT
96% 71% 21%
Percentage of 7 days
Walk ST HIIT
82% 61% 18%
Days per week
Walk ST HIIT
5.75 4.25 1.25
So I'm averaging about six days a week for walking, four days a week for lifting, but only a little more than a day per week of conditioning. I'll try to improve a bit for the second half of the cycle.
---------------Week 5: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.07.18
EVENING
-Persistence-
1 mi walk with dog, wife, and son. The dog pulled our son a good deal of the way on his skateboard.
Monday, 21.07.19
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.7 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis. Basically the same route as last Wednesday but with a little extra decline/incline.
I used my phone's Gaia GPS app again. It says I went 0.1 mile further than Google Maps does. But it failed to track cumulative elevation gain. Instead, it just gave the differential of 69ft., which should be zero since I stopped at the same place I started. Google, on the other hand, credited me with 240ft cumulative gain.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/95/100/105/110; 5@105/100
SQ: 3 @ 205/225/235/245/255
BP: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
Tried a few "back-off" sets for the Overhead Press. Might be something to consider:
https://www.elitefts.com/education/training/max-out-back-off-a-simple-protocol-for-size-and-strength
The last two Ramp sets for all lifts are close to 85% and 80% of their 1RM, so ideally, as back-off sets, I'd do five and seven reps, respectively. But I could just keep everything three reps, lower the intensity a bit and just get in a little more volume. Just repeating the last Ramp set as a single back-off set brings the total volume (four ramp sets + target set + back-off set) up to about the equivalent of doing the Target set 5x3 straight sets across (including last warmup set). Alternatively, if I repeat all the ramp sets as back off sets, then the total volume is roughly equivalent to doing the Target set 5x5 straight sets across (including last warmup set).
I'm pretty happy with the overall intensity of the workouts, so perhaps to progress faster I should add in a bit more volume with one or two back-off sets at 3 to 5 reps. I don't want to so much that it interferes with my ability to recover, which in turn would reduce frequency. I'm still going with the prescription for older lifters to focus more on frequency than intensity, with volume somewhere in the balance.
Back felt fine on the Squats. Began wondering what an Upper/Lower Split would be like. Maybe next cycle . . . .
-Intermittence-
Rowing: 5 x [30 sec L-Int / 30 sec M-Int] = 5 minutes
Tuesday, 21.07.20
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/145/155/165/175/185/175/165
SLDL: 3 @ 135
RW: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
SLDL: 3 @ 185
DL: 2 @ 225/235/245
I tried back-off sets for the Pulldowns, and they felt pretty good, almost got a 'pump.' Then, in light of Saturday's slight twinge while warming up for the Deadlifts, I put the Rows in the middle of the lift sequence instead of at the end, where they usually are, in order to get my back good and warmed up before the Deads. Back felt fine ramping up the DL, but I capped it at 245 just to be safe. Putting the Rows in the middle is also convenient because its ramp and target sets fit in between and include the Stiff-legged Deadlift warm-up sets, so no need to change plates. It also kinda makes sense to go from lightest to heaviest lift, for the Push split too, in order to gradually activate the body. On the other hand, and as I used to do, going from heaviest to lightest makes use of the greater energy stores at the outset of the workout.
If I get to doing a few back-off sets for all lifts, then each split may start to feel like a pretty full workout in and of itself. Maybe that's what I've been missing.
Wednesday, 21.07.21
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.7 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis. The same route as Monday. 240ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/95/100/105/110/105/100
Son's dental appointment lasted much longer than expected. So just did the Overhead Press. The back-off sets felt good, maybe I should do the last one for reps.
Probably won't lift tomorrow, as I have to fast for my colonoscopy Friday morning.
Thursday, 21.07.22
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.7 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis. The same route as Monday & Tuesday. 240ft.
Friday, 21.07.23
Saturday, 21.07.24
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/145/155/165/175/185/175/165
Still feeling a little dehydrated after Friday and watching my son's tennis tournament today. So just did the Pulldowns.
---------------Week 6: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.07.25
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
DL: 2 @ 235/255/270; 1 @ 285/300
Decided to tweak my chart a bit so that Squat increases are always five pounds per training block, then decided to see what the Deadlift Target set load in the next block feels like, at 300lbs. I'm still a little bit off from Friday, and I forgot to take my blood pressure meds until mid-day, so just did a single rep for the last ramp and target sets. Still, felt OK. So I guess I'll move to the new training block across all lifts, and try to get comfortable with it for the rest of the cycle.
Monday, 21.07.26
MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 161 ft.
Ran errands all afternoon, had to make dinner as soon as I got home. And I was really psyched to lift. Oh well.
Cool to see Abide will be lifting with his 12-year-old. And glad to hear the back issue is clearing up.
Tuesday, 21.07.27
Wednesday, 21.07.28
EARLY EVENING
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
RW: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 3 @ 235/255/275
Hmmn, lifting on an empty stomach in the evening wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. And I was able to reduce the time in between sets, so that's good. Still, didn't do a full load on the Deadlift, just to be safe.
Thursday, 21.07.29
LATE MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 177 ft. I took an alley that added 16 feet of elevation.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/95/100/105/110/112.5/105
I developed a strange pain in my mid back during the afternoon. I really should've stretched after my walk earlier. Got to make that automatic, right after everything is warmed up, but tight from the limited range of motion. So I just did the Overhead Press. Put it up another two and a half pounds. The new standard. Our air quality is supposed to be bad tomorrow, so I might skip the walk and just lift and do machines.
Friday, 21.07.30
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
SQ: 2 @ 210/230/240/250/260
BP: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
Saturday, 21.07.31
Dammit, now they are saying the air quality will be poor until Tuesday, and people with cardiovascular conditions like high blood pressure should avoid exerting themselves outside. Oh well, I guess I'll try to just focus on lifting and machines till then, and hope our AC is doing an adequate job filtering.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 2 @ 235/255/270/285/300
RW: 3 @ 185
Skipped the Row's ramp sets as time ran out.
---------------Week 7: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.08.01
AFTERNOON
Resistance
OP: 3 @ 75/97.5/102.5
Felt a straining in my left shoulder, so shut it down.
EVENING
Persistence
1.2 walk with dog and daughter. Air quality was pretty good.
Monday, 21.08.02
LATE MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 177 ft
LATE AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/97.5/102.5/107.5/112.5/107.5/102.5
SQ: 2 @ 210/230/240/250/260
Tuesday, 21.08.03
LATE AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
BP: 3 @ 135/155
Friend brought over some food, we got to talking, workout canceled.
Wednesday, 21.08.04
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
RW: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 2 @ 235/255/275/285/300
Just about ready for three reps on the DL. Was primed for conditioning, but have to run across town at the last minute. Man, I'm really getting behind on my walks.
Thursday, 21.08.05
NOON
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 177 ft
Man, acorns are falling early.
Family stuff came up for the afternoon lifting.
Friday, 21.08.06
NOON
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 177 ft
Took family member to the hospital in the PM
Saturday, 21.08.07
---------------Week 8: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.08.08
Monday, 21.08.09
MORNING
-Persistence-
1 mi "Two Hills" walk with dog. 36ft
Tuesday, 21.08.10
AFTERNOON
Resistance
BP: 8-10 @ empty bar
My right shoulder felt out of whack, and it was getting late anyway . . .
EVENING
Persistence
1.6 walk with dog and daughter.
Wednesday, 21.08.11
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
BP: 3 @ 135/145/155/165/175; 2 @185/190
Thursday, 21.08.12
MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 177 ft
EARLY EVENING
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/95/105/110/115/110/105
Friday, 21.08.13
Saturday, 21.08.14
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 140/150/160/170/180
RW: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 2 @ 235/255/275/285/300
-Intermittence-
Rowing: 2 x [30 sec L-Int / 30 sec M-Int] = 2 minutes
And that's a wrap.
Assessment of last cycle. The ramping protocol was a success. The extended warmup/work sets especially helped my shoulders; I was able to do the Push-Pull split consecutive days without my shoulders getting cranky, as had happened in previous attempts at the split. However, mentally, the Push-Pull split did get a bit tiring. It’s just hard to motivate to lift everyday. Plus having to schedule six workouts a week opens up more chances to get interrupted.
Ramping also helped get back into the swing of things gradually, both mentally and physically, when I had to take off more than a day or two.
I didn’t make much progress on the Overhead Press. I don’t know why it’s become such a stubborn lift. I’m almost tempted to let the other lifts move ahead until they stall out, and then focus on bringing up the Overhead Press at that time. Or tweak the Iron Ratio so that the Overhead Press is 45% of the Squat, rather than 50%, or 60% of the Bench Press, rather than 66.7% (both are within the range of standard ratios given on the interweb ST sites). But for the time being, I’m going to stay pat with a strict Iron Ratio and keep trying to bring the Overhead Press up. Perhaps doing all six lifts at a time would help boost the lift more synergistically with the others.
The attempt at morning lifting was sporadic at best, and I didn’t give myself a chance to adapt, but the few times I did try it, I managed OK, but got incredibly drowsy after lunch. Morning walks by themselves don’t seem to have the same effect. Lifting right before dinner still feels best, and sets me up well for falling asleep later, but it’s also a time slot prone to interruptions. Different metabolic systems seem to favor exercising them at different times of the day.
The conditioning component was a no-show again, but the daily walks were fairly consistent most weeks. It also seems like a morning walk sets up or primes my body better for afternoon lifting than no morning walk. Metabolically speaking, it’s like a mild boost makes it easier for a bigger boost later on. But it’s hard to say for sure if the sequence of different metabolic exertions is really significant without more time at it.
Goals for this cycle. The goals are essentially the same as in the last cycle, but I'm going to make three changes to last cycle's programming in order to train all three metabolic systems better (phosphagen = strength training [Resistance]; glycolytic = conditioning/HIIT [Intermittence]; oxidative = aerobic [Persistence]), and provide a little greater flexibility:
1. Go from an Every-Day (ED) Push-Pull split to an Every-Other-Day (EOD) Full-body workout.
2. Get rid of the Max 1+ set and simplify the ramping system.
3. Try to get in a separate conditioning session, alternating it with either the morning walks or afternoon lifting.
(4. Give up on morning lifting, which isn't really a change because I never really got it going in the first place.)
Last cycle my lifting was almost consistent enough to prove to myself that the ED Push-Pull split can work for me physically, but I think I will nonetheless try going back to an EOD whole body protocol for this cycle. That’s what has always worked for me in the past. It’s just that it has become harder to motivate for six lifts at a time, but I think that is still easier than motivating to do three lifts every day, six days a week, and it’s much easier to schedule three rather than six sessions around interruptions. And if one day I only have time for three lifts, I can do a split and do the other three the next day, skip a day, and do a full six-lift session after that, still getting in three sessions for each lift during the week. With the EOD schedule I have 2-3 days' buffer built in. Some examples:
This is in keeping with last cycle's tenet that progress follows consistency, which in turn follows flexibility (flexibility > consistency > progress). So having a coherent yet flexibility program is key, and EOD is more flexible than ED.
The greater hormonal boost of doing six lifts in one session may also be more beneficial than spreading it out over two sessions, hard to say.
I will continue with the first training block loads of last cycle and try to reduce the time in between sets. If need be, I may deload again just to establish the longer workouts and decrease their total time. It would be nice to do all six lifts in under an hour. Also, EOD lifting gives me more options for getting in a conditioning component on alternate days. Finally, it may be better to give the muscles, tendons, and ligaments 47 hours to recover rather than 23, although I didn’t feel like I was accumulating fatigue during the few weeks in which I got in most of the sessions.
So the Push-Pull split is out for the time being, that's the first change. The second change is getting rid of the Max 1+ set, and tweak the rest of the ramping program accordingly. This is because in practice I found the Max 1+ workset to be unnecessary. Once the Target workset becomes comfortable, I can just move on to the next training block by adding 2.5 pounds to the new Overhead Press Target workset, and work on getting up to three comfortable reps there, which is the same as beginning to work on reps in the old training block's Max 1+ workset. So I save a step. And I also found that when I could do three reps comfortably in the Target set, I could already get in at least two reps in the Max 1+ set. So the trigger for moving on is decided more by effort level than number of reps. Alternatively, I could try to get the Target set up to five reps before moving on, but I like keeping everything three reps, for simplicity. The main thing is to keep the guiding principle of getting up to a given number of comfortable reps in a training block's last workset before moving on to the next training block, whether it's called the Max 1+ or Target workset. I think this is true for any 'for reps' protocol, and Abide's discussion of trying a 'for reps' variation of the 5x5 program helped me realize this.
This change has the added benefit of eliminating one workset, from five to four. I found that changing small plates for five worksets (3 Ramps, Target and Max 1+) after my big-plate warmups got a little tedious, and I would often cut out one of the ramp sets, especially on the bigger lifts, where I would often go up in 10-pound increments, for simplicity's sake. I also found the difference between the last Ramp set and the Target set to feel a bit trivial at times. With these two factors in mind, I'm going to make the increments in between Target and Ramp worksets slightly larger, but also more regular. To do this, I'll simply go up in five-pound increments for the Overhead Press ramps, ten-pound increments for the other upper-body lifts and the Squat, and fifteen-pound increments for the Deadlift ramps, rather than using percentages to calculate their loads. Finally, I've added back in the projected 1RM for each lift in the chart. I kind of like knowing what the 1RM would be if I were to actually attempt one, although I still have no intention of doing so.
I’m still not completely sold on Wendler’s 5/3/1 suggestion that only one heavy workset is enough for progress, but my last Ramp workset and the Target workset are still pretty close. If I feel I need another quality set, I'll just repeat the Target workset, or make the Target workset a Max 3+ set. In this way, I would essentially be doing a version of the “Hard Triples” 3x3 program. On low-energy days, I will continue to just make the third ramp set my last set and tell myself that I got in a lite 3x3 workout.
So the overall plan is to continue with the morning dog walks, and alternate between lifting and some kind of conditioning and/or further aerobic exercise, like a bike ride, in the afternoon, or just rest. I think it may work better to give each Metabolic component its own session, for scheduling but also for motivating to focus on just one thing. Last cycle I was always too lazy to do the conditioning right after the morning walk or the afternoon lifting.
So a dedicated conditioning session 1-3 times a week will be the third change for this cycle. This may also make it easier to motivate to go out and get the sled out of the shed. I think conditioning may be the most effective metabolic modality for promoting weight loss, so I really need to try harder to work it in. I could also try harder to work in the mobility component, either as a separate session, or as part of the conditioning session, especially if I adopted a more ‘active stretching’ approach.
On the other hand, I would say a minimal concurrent program for me would be EOD lifting and walking, which is probably enough to maintain basic fitness, but not enough time or variety for complete fitness, or substantial weight loss. So I’ll try to be fairly strict about maintaining a basic/minimal fitness regime, but try to elevate to a more complete/maximal one—daily morning walks and EOD lifting and conditioning and mobility in the afternoon--if possible:
Let the next experiment begin! It does seem like I'm getting closer to something that will work long-term. We'll see . . .
---------------Week 1: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.06.20
MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog.
Felt nicely sore after Saturday's full-body workout, the walk helped work it out.
Note: after Saturday's workout and my exchange with Abide on Friday, I've made several changes to the program for this cycle (v. supra).
Monday, 21.06.21
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.5 mile walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis. Went through the fields but didn't have time for the woods.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
BP: 3 @ 135/145/155/165
OP: 3 @ 95/100/105/110
SQ: 3 @ 195/205/215/225
PD: 3 @ 135/145/155/165
DL: 3 @ 225/245/265/275
RW: 3 @ 135/145/155/165
Tuesday, 21.06.22
AFTERNOON
-Intermittence-
20 minutes:
4 x [4 mins Rowing, L-Int / 1 min Airdyne, M-Int]
Wednesday, 21.06.23
EARLY AFTERNOON
-Persistence-
2.5 mi walk around Lake Nokomis with dog.
My daughter was invited to paddleboard with friends, so I ran a few errands and then walked around the lake. Mild chipseal got a little hot at times, but otherwise was a good sole massage.
Thursday, 21.06.24
MORNING
-Persistence-
3 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis. Went through fields and woods. I should call this walk the "Surfaces" walk, because it covers just about every imaginable surface--concrete sidewalks, gravel, grass, chipseal, compacted trail, asphalt.
Friday, 21.06.25
EARLY AFTERNOON
-Persistence-
About 2 mi walk in most of the woods, and then sidewalk back with dog. Walked over lots of twigs and natural debris. Almost felt like a real hike.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 95/100/105/110/110
Hmmn, with the two-a-day routine, I sometimes find myself primed after a morning walk, but other times a bit tight. Maybe when I walk first thing in the morning, I should do a little stretching around lunchtime, or perhaps even do some empty bar Press and Squats if possible, to loosen things up. Also, doing two Target worksets felt good, will have to experiment with that some more, at least for my weaker lifts, maybe just the Press, Squat, and Pulldowns.
Saturday, 21.06.26
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 95/100/105/110
BP: 3 @ 135/145/155/165
SQ: 3 @ 185
---------------Week 2: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.06.27
MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog.
Knees started to feel sore on top of the first hill. I thought about heading back home, but I did a squat and held the position for a few seconds and that seemed to work it out. After several hundred feet, the knees were good to go. I'm still laughing at the two orthos who told me that, with my knees, I would have to give up squats and deadlifts, in addition to running. Luckily, the third ortho told me otherwise, that squats had kept my knees otherwise strong and healthy and possibly gave me a few extra years of running until the degenerative meniscus issue caught up to me.
AFTERNOON
-Intermittence-
Rowing: 5 x [1 min L-Int / 1 min M-Int] = 10 minutes
Finally got back on a machine. Wasn't too bad. I liked the one minute Low, one minute Medium Intensity alteration. Could be the way to go. Next time I'll try to try it on the Airdyne, or a combination of Rower and Airdyne.
Monday, 21.06.28
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.1 mile abbreviated "Woods, Fields, and Campus" walk with dog after dropping son off late at tennis. Hmnn, feels like my pace was a bit up. I should look for my old Garmin wristband.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 95/100/105/110/110
SQ: 3 @ 185/205/215/225
BP: 3 @ 135/145/155/165
-Intermittence-
Airdyne: 2 x [1 min L-Int / 1 min M-Int] = 4 minutes
Well, well, I seem to be finding myself doing a push-pull split as much as a full body. Doesn't really matter. I guess I have several options on any given day, and if that helps me be more flexible > consistent, so be it.
I am experimenting a bit with dropping a ramp and adding a target set. Could be the way to go. Would've tried another target set on the squat, but back felt a little tight on the last set. Really have to get after mobility a bit more.
Also, it didn't suck to do some conditioning after the lifting, so when I do a push-pull split, whether out of necessity or choice, I can place the conditioning in any of the three time slots I can work in a workout, even if briefly: morning, after my walk. Midday, before lunch; and after lifting in the afternoon, before dinner.
Otherwise, on the days I do a full body lifting session, I can just do the conditioning on the alternate day, as planned.
Also, finally, read some articles about NMP--'neural morning priming': https://wrightfithealth.blogspot.com/2016/04/neural-morning-primer.html
I guess early morning conditioning after a walk, and then some mobility, might work as my version of NMP. We'll see . . .
I definitely feel like I'm gaining a little momentum again. Hope it lasts . . . .
Tuesday, 21.06.29
MORNING
-Persistence-
1.8 mile walk with dog and daughter after dropping son off at tennis. My daughter critiqued every house we walked by. Charming. All that SIMS work is paying off. 121 ft total gain.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/145/155/165/165
DL: 3 @ 225/245/265/275
RW: 3 @ 135/145/155/165
-Intermittence-
Rowing: 1 x [1 min L-Int / 1 min M-Int]; 1 x [1 min L-Int / 1 min H-Int] = 4 minutes
Wednesday, 21.06.30
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.9 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis. Walked through the big open grass field in front of the campus while the unleashed dog ran circles around me. Then through the woods, then through the neighborhood hitting some of the bigger hills before returning to pick up my son. 207ft total gain.
Thursday, 21.07.01
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.2 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis, up and down mostly gentle grades. 157ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/95/100/105/110/110
SQ: 3 @ 175/195/205/215/225
BP: 3 @ 115/135/145/155/165
I tried adding another ramp set 20 pounds below the first one. Trying to make the jump between warmup sets and worksets a little more regular. The other three ramp sets still go up in five-pound increments for the Press, ten-pound increments for the other upper body lifts and the Squat, and fifteen pound increments for the Deadlift. Might tweak it a bit more, but I re-read some Thibaudeau on ramping and was reminded that if the jump between sets is too great, it can have an inhibitory effect rather than a potentiating one. The whole thing would look like this:
Friday, 21.07.02
MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 161ft
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 125/145/155/165/175
DL: 3 @ 225/245/265/275/285
Getting a little impatient with the lack of progress now that I'm somewhat consistent. So I tried adding 10 pounds to my first two pulls (before time ran out). The greater resistance felt better. So now I'm thinking of lowering the ratio of the Overhead Press below 2 units, so that it's more like 60% of the bench instead of 66% (2:3). Trying to bring up the Overhead Press while stalling the other lifts doesn't seem to be working that well. Maybe I should just accept a lower ratio, one that is still within the consensus range of internet fitness trainers/bloggers (55-70% of BP), and bring up the other lifts. Perhaps getting stronger on the other lifts will provide a better platform for bringing up the OP, which, after all, besides being my weakest lift, is actually also the lightest lift, so it's probably not doing much to bring up the others. I'm missing in particular my previous focus on the Squat. That always just feels like the centerpiece.
Saturday, 21.07.03
Well, after lifting the pulls just a little heavier yesterday, I seemed to have slept better. The more I think about it, the less it makes sense to base progress on the Overhead Press, since its progress doesn't carry over that much to the other lifts. In contrast, I've always found that a strong squat seems to fortify the other lifts. So just two weeks into this cycle, I'm already thinking of altering my approach.
First, I'm going to try tweaking the Iron Ratio, in order to (1) deload the Overhead Press a bit in relation to the other lifts, and then (2) bring up the Squat a bit in relation to the remaining lifts. It'll now be closer to Thibaudeau's ratios:
"Reference Lift: Back Squat
Bench Press: 75% of back squat
Powerlifting Deadlift: 120% of back squat
Military Press (strict): 45% of back squat"
From: https://www.t-nation.com/training/know-your-ratios-destroy-weaknesses
This contrasts to my more exacting Iron Ratio of 2:3:4:5, which renders 125% of Back Squat for the Deadlift, and 50% of Back Squat for the Overhead Press.
However, in order to reach eventual 3RM plate goals of
135 Overhead Press
225 Bench Press, Row, Pulldown
315 Squat
365 Deadlift
I'll tweak Thibaudeau's ratios further, rendering:
Reference Lift: Back Squat
Bench Press: 71% of back squat
Powerlifting Deadlift: 115% of back squat
Military Press (strict): 43% of back squat
Which means I have some work to do on the Squat, but I think it will be fairly easy to bring the other lifts up. Training blocks will still be based on 2.5-pound increments for the Overhead Press, but the expectation is that a heavier Squat will be the limiting factor, instead of the OP.
Second, I don't think I'll make full-body workouts the base any longer. Rather, I'll just fluctuate between the Push-Pull split and the Full-body, depending on time, mood, recovery, etc. On days in which I follow a Push-Pull split, I'll try to do some HIIT on the Airdyne for Push days, and HIIT on the rower for Pull days. If I do a Full-body workout, I'll try to do sled or machine work on the off day.
NOON
-Persistence-
1 mi walk with kids and dog, going over 4th of July race route. My son's going to run the two-mile option.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
SQ: 2 @ 185/205/215/225/235/245
OP: 3 @ 65/85/95/100/105/105
I started just trying to see about where my true squat 3RM load was, but only did two-rep sets to stay on the safe side. I found 235 to be surprisingly solid so I added on another ten pounds. That too felt pretty solid but a little challenging so I stopped the exploratory session there. According to my new ratios, a 245-lb Squat renders a 105-lb Overhead Press, so that's what I did. It felt much better than the 110 loads I had been doing, so perhaps there's something to my new ratios besides the fact that they will eventually lead to neat plate goals. I didn't do the Bench Press as I want to recover well from these two days of increasing loads, but it should fall into place soon, and it seems like I should be able to get up to a 255-lb 3RM Squat by the end of this cycle, if not sooner.
A heavier squat also seems to enforce better technique, and the increase in required concentration helps with overall motivation. I guess when only one lift is really a challenge, it takes some of the fun and motivation away. So the Press-centric approach has probably ended. I should've probably given up on it sooner, but until I began to lift more consistently, it was hard to tell if it was really working or not.
Next time I will probably try for the 107.5-lb OP and 250-lb Squat in the first training block of the new chart.
---------------Week 3: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.07.04
LATE MORNING
-Persistence-
1.5 mi to my neighborhood's Fourth of July parade head, then down its main street with my son on his patriotic moped, then back home from parade terminus at park after hanging out a bit with other parents. Got some barefoot comments during the parade. 59ft
Monday, 21.07.05
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.3 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis, up and down mostly gentle grades. 164ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 130/150/160/170/180
DL: 2 @ 225/245/260/275/290
RW: 3 @ 130/150/160/170/180
Everything felt pretty good.
Tuesday, 21.07.06
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 65/85/95/100/110/110
SQ: 2 @ 205/225/235/245/255
Cool. Got the OP back to where it should be, and the Squat up to its new corresponding load. Now I have to get the DL and Squat up to three comfortable reps, and work the Bench back in. Then I'll have already completed the second training block of the new configuration.
I was sore from Monday's Pull workout (it made me sleep really well), but I'm learning to work through the soreness again. I think for a while, perhaps, I might have become overly cautious, or too concerned about being an "older lifter." The ramping seems to be taking care of the doubts and concerns, along with greater consistency, which gives me a better idea of exactly what is going on. It still might be best to schedule a conditioning day in between each Push-Pull split, but I'm going to ride the new wave of motivation and try to lift as often as I can while it lasts.
Missed the morning walk due to rain. It's not so much the rain I mind, but dealing with a wet dog afterwards. But my soles also needed a day off after several days of walking and standing on hot surfaces.
Wednesday, 21.07.07
EARLY AFTERNOON
-Persistence-
1 mi walk with kids and dog to store and back.
EARLY EVENING
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 2 @ 225/245/265/275/285/295
Kind of an off day. Still, the lifting was OK.
Thursday, 21.07.08
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.2 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis, up and down mostly gentle grades. 157ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/95/100/105/110/110
SQ: 2 @ 205/225/235/245/255
BP: 3 @ 135/155/165
Didn't have time to do the last two worksets of the BP, but it was good to practice the movement. I find with the heavier squat, I'm going deeper, so that's good.
Friday, 21.07.09
Saturday, 21.07.10
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 2 @ 230/250/265/280/295
RW: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
-Intermittence-
Rowing: 5 x [1 min L-Int / 1 min M-Int] = 10 minutes
---------------Week 4: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.07.11
MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 161ft
Monday, 21.07.12
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.3 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis, up and down mostly gentle grades. 161ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
BP: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
OP: 3 @ 75/95/100/105/110
SQ: 2 @ 205/225/235/245/255
Tuesday, 21.07.13
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.5 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis, this time more of a loop hitting three of the neighborhood's bigger hills and few more gradual ones. 197ft.
A family friend brought food over, we got to talking, and I didn't work out.
Wednesday, 21.07.14
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.5 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis, Once again I did the loop hitting three of the neighborhood's bigger hills and few more gradual ones. 197ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 2 @ 230/250/265; 3 @ 280/295
Decided to stop babying myself and did three full reps on the last two sets of the Deadlift. I'll try to do the same for the Squat next workout. Then start to try harder to get 10 minutes of HIIT in more consistently for the second half of this cycle, and maybe add one more target set for each lift. Hopefully, by the next cycle, I'll be ready for the next training block.
So far, I'm averaging about six days per week walking, four lifting, and just a day and a half conditioning. Would like to get the lifting average closer to five days per week, and the condition to at least three or four.
Thursday, 21.07.15
MORNING
-Persistence-
1.7 mi walk with dog around Como Lake. Guy asked if it hurt my feet. I said no, he said they must be tough. I told him the human body is very adaptable.
AFTERNOON
Ran out of time for lifting before son's last baseball game of the season, way over on the other side of town.
Friday, 21.07.16
MORNING
-Persistence-
3 mi walk with dog around Lake Phalen after I dropped of family member at a medical appointment nearby. A couple walked barefoot ahead of me about half the way, before putting their footwear back on. And the dog's retractable leash broke halfway through the walk. In the parking lot, the man remarked on how well-trained my dog must be to have kept by my side even without the leash. I think she was just hot and tired, but yah, I was also surprised. We got lucky with that dog. Funny the man never mentioned the whole barefoot thing.
Finally got around to downloading a free tracking app for my phone: Gaia GPS. It did a good job once I realized I had to turn off my phone's auto-lock.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 65/85/95/100/110/110
SQ: 3 @ 205/225/235/245/255; 2@255
OK, got the new Squat load up to three reps, and almost completed two target sets. Felt a little something in my back though, on the second rep of the second set, so shut it down.
Saturday, 21.07.17
NOON
-Persistence-
2.4 mi walk with dog, new route hitting the neighborhood's four biggest hills. 233ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185; 2 @ 185
SLDL: 3 @ 185
Didn't quite make the second set of three reps for the Pulldown, then on my second warmup Stiff-legged Deadlift set @ 185, I felt a little something in my mid back, so I shut it down. I think it just needed to stretch and warmup a bit more, but why take risks?
If I mark each kind of Metabolic workout as '1' for each day done, and then divide the total by either six days or seven days, then I get the following percentages and number of days for the first half of this cycle.
Percentage of 6 days
Walk ST HIIT
96% 71% 21%
Percentage of 7 days
Walk ST HIIT
82% 61% 18%
Days per week
Walk ST HIIT
5.75 4.25 1.25
So I'm averaging about six days a week for walking, four days a week for lifting, but only a little more than a day per week of conditioning. I'll try to improve a bit for the second half of the cycle.
---------------Week 5: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.07.18
EVENING
-Persistence-
1 mi walk with dog, wife, and son. The dog pulled our son a good deal of the way on his skateboard.
Monday, 21.07.19
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.7 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis. Basically the same route as last Wednesday but with a little extra decline/incline.
I used my phone's Gaia GPS app again. It says I went 0.1 mile further than Google Maps does. But it failed to track cumulative elevation gain. Instead, it just gave the differential of 69ft., which should be zero since I stopped at the same place I started. Google, on the other hand, credited me with 240ft cumulative gain.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/95/100/105/110; 5@105/100
SQ: 3 @ 205/225/235/245/255
BP: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
Tried a few "back-off" sets for the Overhead Press. Might be something to consider:
https://www.elitefts.com/education/training/max-out-back-off-a-simple-protocol-for-size-and-strength
The last two Ramp sets for all lifts are close to 85% and 80% of their 1RM, so ideally, as back-off sets, I'd do five and seven reps, respectively. But I could just keep everything three reps, lower the intensity a bit and just get in a little more volume. Just repeating the last Ramp set as a single back-off set brings the total volume (four ramp sets + target set + back-off set) up to about the equivalent of doing the Target set 5x3 straight sets across (including last warmup set). Alternatively, if I repeat all the ramp sets as back off sets, then the total volume is roughly equivalent to doing the Target set 5x5 straight sets across (including last warmup set).
I'm pretty happy with the overall intensity of the workouts, so perhaps to progress faster I should add in a bit more volume with one or two back-off sets at 3 to 5 reps. I don't want to so much that it interferes with my ability to recover, which in turn would reduce frequency. I'm still going with the prescription for older lifters to focus more on frequency than intensity, with volume somewhere in the balance.
Back felt fine on the Squats. Began wondering what an Upper/Lower Split would be like. Maybe next cycle . . . .
-Intermittence-
Rowing: 5 x [30 sec L-Int / 30 sec M-Int] = 5 minutes
Tuesday, 21.07.20
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/145/155/165/175/185/175/165
SLDL: 3 @ 135
RW: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
SLDL: 3 @ 185
DL: 2 @ 225/235/245
I tried back-off sets for the Pulldowns, and they felt pretty good, almost got a 'pump.' Then, in light of Saturday's slight twinge while warming up for the Deadlifts, I put the Rows in the middle of the lift sequence instead of at the end, where they usually are, in order to get my back good and warmed up before the Deads. Back felt fine ramping up the DL, but I capped it at 245 just to be safe. Putting the Rows in the middle is also convenient because its ramp and target sets fit in between and include the Stiff-legged Deadlift warm-up sets, so no need to change plates. It also kinda makes sense to go from lightest to heaviest lift, for the Push split too, in order to gradually activate the body. On the other hand, and as I used to do, going from heaviest to lightest makes use of the greater energy stores at the outset of the workout.
If I get to doing a few back-off sets for all lifts, then each split may start to feel like a pretty full workout in and of itself. Maybe that's what I've been missing.
Wednesday, 21.07.21
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.7 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis. The same route as Monday. 240ft.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/95/100/105/110/105/100
Son's dental appointment lasted much longer than expected. So just did the Overhead Press. The back-off sets felt good, maybe I should do the last one for reps.
Probably won't lift tomorrow, as I have to fast for my colonoscopy Friday morning.
Thursday, 21.07.22
MORNING
-Persistence-
2.7 mi walk with dog after dropping son off at tennis. The same route as Monday & Tuesday. 240ft.
Friday, 21.07.23
Saturday, 21.07.24
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/145/155/165/175/185/175/165
Still feeling a little dehydrated after Friday and watching my son's tennis tournament today. So just did the Pulldowns.
---------------Week 6: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.07.25
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
DL: 2 @ 235/255/270; 1 @ 285/300
Decided to tweak my chart a bit so that Squat increases are always five pounds per training block, then decided to see what the Deadlift Target set load in the next block feels like, at 300lbs. I'm still a little bit off from Friday, and I forgot to take my blood pressure meds until mid-day, so just did a single rep for the last ramp and target sets. Still, felt OK. So I guess I'll move to the new training block across all lifts, and try to get comfortable with it for the rest of the cycle.
Monday, 21.07.26
MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 161 ft.
Ran errands all afternoon, had to make dinner as soon as I got home. And I was really psyched to lift. Oh well.
Cool to see Abide will be lifting with his 12-year-old. And glad to hear the back issue is clearing up.
Tuesday, 21.07.27
Wednesday, 21.07.28
EARLY EVENING
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
RW: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 3 @ 235/255/275
Hmmn, lifting on an empty stomach in the evening wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. And I was able to reduce the time in between sets, so that's good. Still, didn't do a full load on the Deadlift, just to be safe.
Thursday, 21.07.29
LATE MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 177 ft. I took an alley that added 16 feet of elevation.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/95/100/105/110/112.5/105
I developed a strange pain in my mid back during the afternoon. I really should've stretched after my walk earlier. Got to make that automatic, right after everything is warmed up, but tight from the limited range of motion. So I just did the Overhead Press. Put it up another two and a half pounds. The new standard. Our air quality is supposed to be bad tomorrow, so I might skip the walk and just lift and do machines.
Friday, 21.07.30
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
SQ: 2 @ 210/230/240/250/260
BP: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
Saturday, 21.07.31
Dammit, now they are saying the air quality will be poor until Tuesday, and people with cardiovascular conditions like high blood pressure should avoid exerting themselves outside. Oh well, I guess I'll try to just focus on lifting and machines till then, and hope our AC is doing an adequate job filtering.
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 2 @ 235/255/270/285/300
RW: 3 @ 185
Skipped the Row's ramp sets as time ran out.
---------------Week 7: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.08.01
AFTERNOON
Resistance
OP: 3 @ 75/97.5/102.5
Felt a straining in my left shoulder, so shut it down.
EVENING
Persistence
1.2 walk with dog and daughter. Air quality was pretty good.
Monday, 21.08.02
LATE MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 177 ft
LATE AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/97.5/102.5/107.5/112.5/107.5/102.5
SQ: 2 @ 210/230/240/250/260
Tuesday, 21.08.03
LATE AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
BP: 3 @ 135/155
Friend brought over some food, we got to talking, workout canceled.
Wednesday, 21.08.04
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
RW: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 2 @ 235/255/275/285/300
Just about ready for three reps on the DL. Was primed for conditioning, but have to run across town at the last minute. Man, I'm really getting behind on my walks.
Thursday, 21.08.05
NOON
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 177 ft
Man, acorns are falling early.
Family stuff came up for the afternoon lifting.
Friday, 21.08.06
NOON
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 177 ft
Took family member to the hospital in the PM
Saturday, 21.08.07
---------------Week 8: Cycle IV---------------
Sunday, 21.08.08
Monday, 21.08.09
MORNING
-Persistence-
1 mi "Two Hills" walk with dog. 36ft
Tuesday, 21.08.10
AFTERNOON
Resistance
BP: 8-10 @ empty bar
My right shoulder felt out of whack, and it was getting late anyway . . .
EVENING
Persistence
1.6 walk with dog and daughter.
Wednesday, 21.08.11
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
BP: 3 @ 135/145/155/165/175; 2 @185/190
Thursday, 21.08.12
MORNING
-Persistence-
2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 177 ft
EARLY EVENING
-Resistance-
OP: 3 @ 75/95/105/110/115/110/105
Friday, 21.08.13
Saturday, 21.08.14
AFTERNOON
-Resistance-
PD: 3 @ 140/150/160/170/180
RW: 3 @ 135/155/165/175/185
DL: 2 @ 235/255/275/285/300
-Intermittence-
Rowing: 2 x [30 sec L-Int / 30 sec M-Int] = 2 minutes
And that's a wrap.
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