Assessment of last cycle: Well, finally gave the ED Push-Pull split three times a week a half-decent chance, but failed completely in implementing any kind of consistent aerobic and/or conditioning regimen.
Plan for this cycle: Continue to build up consistency and resistance with the ED Push-Pull split, and work in some kind of aerobic or conditioning component, either in the morning or after the lifting in the afternoon.
AM aerobic work would mostly be taking a longer cycling route to work in the morning, 3-8 miles, instead of the shortest route, which is one mile. PM conditioning/aerobic work would be either HIIT or slow and steady on the Airdyne (Push days) and Rower (Pull days), or Sled Pushes and Pulls.
The Push-Pull lifting split will continue to be based on my six main bilateral, compound-joint lifts: the five barbell lifts (Squat, Bench Press, Overhead Press, Deadlift, Row) plus Pulldown/Chinups.
Push: Squat, Bench Press, Overhead Press.
Pull: Deadlift, Pendlay Row, Pulldowns/Chinups.
If I get ambitious I may also work in one or two assistance lifts each workout:
Push: Dips, Dumbbell Presses, Overhead Squat, Pullover.
Pull: Stiff-legged Deadlifts, Dumbbell or Cable Rows, Power Clean, Landmine Twist.
I will start the cycle progressively microloading one pound per split from a 3RM @ 225 pounds base for the Squat. That should bring me close to a 3RM-Squat @ 250 pounds (8 weeks x 3 splits = 24 pounds) by the end of the cycle, possibly more if I skip a few one-pound increment increases.
Each Row represents four weeks, three splits each week, each split shaded or unshaded. The first number in a lift's column is the 1RM, and the second is either the 3RM (for lower body) or 5RM (for upper body). The top three lifts are Push, the bottom three are Pull.
(I have a spread sheet starting at 45 [empty bar] for a Squat 3RM and finishing a little over 405 [four plates] for a Squat 1RM, adding one-pound to each split's 1RM. That's five complete Excel pages. I've been using this system for a while now, so I went ahead and laminated the five sheets and keep them by gear. I don't really need the first two sheets, but I figure if my family ever starts lifting with me, they could come in handy.)
So an idealized weekly routine would look like this:
Monday: AM cycling; PM Push (SQ/BP/OP) + Airdyne HIIT or Sled Pushes
Tuesday: AM cycling; PM Pull (DL/RW/PD) + Rower HIIT or Sled Pulls
Wednesday: AM cycling; PM Push (SQ/BP/OP) + Airdyne HIIT or Sled Pushes
Thursday: AM cycling; PM Pull (DL/RW/PD) + Rower HIIT or Sled Pulls
Friday: AM cycling; PM Push (SQ/BP/OP) + Airdyne HIIT or Sled Pushes
Saturday: AM cycling; PM Pull (DL/RW/PD) + Rower HIIT or Sled Pulls
Sunday: longer bike ride?
---------------Week 1: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.10.06
Monday, 19.10.07
Lifting: Push
BP: 3 x 5 @ 160
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 225
OP: 3 x 5 @ 105
Aerobic
1 mi walk to son's school and back.
Tuesday, 19.10.08
Spent the workout hour doing winterizing stuff, taking advantage of probably the last nice weather of the season.
Wednesday, 19.10.09
2 mi bike commute. The once again spent the workout hour doing winterizing stuff, taking advantage of probably the last nice weather of the season.
Thursday, 19.10.10
Lifting: Push
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 226
OP: 3 x 5 @ 107
BP: 3 x 5 @ 161
Ah, back on the microloading bandwagon. I really like the mental aspect of it. If the increases are only one pound or less, I know for sure how it's going to feel as I approach the bar.
Friday, 19.10.11
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 262
Saturday, 19.10.12
---------------Week 2: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.10.13
Aerobic
1 mi bike commute
Monday, 19.10.14
Lifting: Push
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
Mistimed events and didn't have enough time left even for my squats before my son's first team meeting for hockey. So I got in a set at 185 to prime things for the next day.
Tuesday, 19.10.15
Lifting: Push
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 227
OP: 3 x 5 @ 107
BP: 3 x 5 @ 162
Wednesday, 19.10.16
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 265
Thursday, 19.10.17
Lifting: Push
BP: 3 x 5 @ 165
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 229
OP: 3 x 5 @ 108
I'm going to push a bit to align with the end of the third week of the second row of push/pull splits in my chart, by the end of the third week in this log, so that I can end up with a 249 3RM Squat at the end of this cycle, and 260 by the end of the year (the end of the four-week Cycle VII).
Friday, 19.10.18
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 265
Aerobic
2 mi walking
Saturday, 19.10.19
Other team didn't show at my son's last soccer game, so it was kids versus parents. Holy crap, am I out of shape!
---------------Week 3: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.10.20
Lifting: Push
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 230
OP: 3 x 5 @ 108
Sore from the soccer game, the weights felt heavy.
Monday, 19.10.21
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 267
PD: 3 x 5 @ 165
Started late, then the whole family joined in, so didn't get to the rows.
Tuesday, 19.10.22
Lifting: Push
BP: 3 x 5 @ 165
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 231
Once again, started late, and had my son join in. I kind of like the two-lift, one lower-body push/pull and alternating upper-body push/pull lift, approach I've been forced to adopt when I don't have enough time. I wonder if it could work long-term. Over two weeks each upper body lift would still be performed four times, while the lower body (really, full body) lifts would performed six:
Push: SQ + OP
Pull: DL + PD
Push: SQ + BP
Pull: DL + RW
Push: SQ + OP
Pull: DL + PD
Push: SQ + BP
Pull: DL + RW
Push: SQ + OP
Pull: DL + PD
Push: SQ + BP
Pull: DL + RW
Wednesday, 19.10.23
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 275
RW: 3 x 5 @ 155
PD: 3 x 5 @ 165
Finally got in all three Pull lifts. Yes, that feels best.
Rounded up plates instead of microloading. I'm kinda making a push to get to a 240 Squat 3RM by the beginning of Week 5, and so will skip about five pounds of microloading this week and next. Then, getting back on the microloading bandwagon, I'll follow my chart and try to add one pound per workout split to the Squat 1RM. If I don't stall out or need to slow the rate of increase, I should reach my former Squat, Deadlift, and Overhead Press maxes by the end of Cycle I next year--around the end of February. Pushing on, I should reach my long-held goals of a 405-pound Deadlift 1RM and a 350-pound Squat 1RM by the middle of Cycle III. I doubt I will actually test the 1RMs, but that's what the projection from the 3RMs will be.
Thursday, 19.10.24
My knees felt a little sore, not sure if the ED lifting is sustainable.
Friday, 19.10.25
1 mi walking. Felt a little nauseous after eating an overripe banana, so didn't lift.
Saturday, 19.10.26
Lifting: Push
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
Felt tired, so just did the minimum for the squats, just to "grease the groove" a bit.
---------------Week 4: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.10.27
Lifting: Pull
DL: 1/2/2/3 @ 275
PD: 3/5/5 @ 165
Had a couple of glasses of wine while carving pumpkins with the kids, then decided to get a workout in as they drifted off to another activity. A little rough, but I'm glad I got it in.
Monday, 19.10.28
Lifting: Push
BP: 3 x 5 @ 165
SQ: 3 @ 225/235/235
Tuesday, 19.10.29
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 277
RW: 3 x 5 @ 155
PD: 3 x 5 @ 165
Opps, DL was supposed to be 272 not 277. Microloading can be confusing sometimes . . .
Wednesday, 19.10.30
Lifting: Push
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 236
OP: 3 x 5 @ 111
Definitely in the realm of decent Squat resistances now. I will have to work harder to make sure I start with enough time to get in all three lifts. The Presses are still there, but they would start to fall behind with further neglect. This time I was still able to do the Overhead Press after a ten-day layoff, but after 115 or 120 5RM, I don't think this will be possible without a more consistent application.
It's funny, given (age-adjusted) genetic potential, there seems to be a range of 50-100 pounds where the resistance is enough for a good workout, but still manageable without a whole lot of thought to programming or extra mental effort. For the Squat 1RM, it seems to be about 250 to 350 pounds or maybe less. Once my Squat 1RM gets over 315, I suspect I may have to rethink things, although optimally I would keep microloading up to about 350 1RM (= 315-pound 3RM) before I would have to rethink my altra basic six-lift routine. I've never progressed past a 315 1RM Squat, so I don't really know what the threshold is. I guess if I can keep up my routine with my current consistency (knock on wood), I will find out sometime in Cycle II of next year.
There's also the open question of how much loading my knees can take. I know up to 225 or so my knees don't complain and actually improve over no-squatting. At some point I may have to revert to a six-lift workout in order to give the joints a full 47-hour rest and recovery.
Thursday, 19.10.31
Aerobic
1-2 miles trick or treating.
Friday, 19.11.01
Aerobic
Rowing, 20 mins lite.
Saturday, 19.11.02
---------------Week 5: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.11.03
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 275
RW: 3 x 5 @ 156
PD: 5 @ 100, 1 @ 170
Middle of my back felt a little tight after the Deadlifts and Rows, so I bailed on the Pulldown worksets.
Aerobic
Rowing, 10 mins lite.
Monday, 19.11.04
Lifting: Push
BP: 3 x 5 @ 169
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 238
OP: 3/4/5 @ 112
Everything felt solid, but I realized on the Overhead Press that I'm in the range now when I really can't skip one of the upper body lifts for more than one session without it potentially falling behind. As noted a week ago, there seems to be certain ranges for me, based on the Squat 3RM and its Iron Ratio equivalents for the other lifts:
Squat 3RM
(45 + 25 each side) 185-225 (two 45s each side) [40-pound increase] = Establishing the base, making sure all the joints are primed, but going up in five- or ten-pound increments until I reach:
(two 45s each side) 225-275 (two 45s + 25 each side) [50-pound increase] = useful resistance, solid worksets. In this range I begin microloading but any load in this range is probably adequate for strictly fitness purposes, and the heavier loads enforce good technique. I could easily just sit tight somewhere in this range and forgo any further strength gains, and focus my attention on other fitness modalities.
(two 45s + 25 each side) 275-315 (three 45s each side) [40-pound increase] = above average strength, still microloading, but possibly with a slower rate of increase, we'll see. Requires more mental effort/concentration. I think my previous max was a 300-pound 2RM Squat in 2015, which translates to a 315 1RM. So anything above that will be unchartered territory, for the Squat anyway. In other words:
(three 45s each side) 315-365 (three 45s + 25 each side) [50-pound increase] = bonus! At this point I may have to vary my programming instead of simply progressing with the six barbell lifts protocol.
(three 45s + 25 each side) 365-405 (four 45s each side) [40-pound increase] = Probably not possible, given my time and motivation and age-adjusted genetic potential, but you never know . . .
Tuesday, 19.11.05
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 276
RW: 3 x 5 @ 157
PD: 3 x 5 @ 170
Wednesday, 19.11.06
Aerobic
Rowing: 15 min lite
Airdyne: 15 min lite
Finally decided to see what an all-indoor aerobic workout would be like. Kinda sucks. But with some music or a podcast, the time goes by quicker.
Thursday, 19.11.07
Lifting: Full Body
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
OP: 3/4/5 @ 95
PD: 3 x 5 @ 120
BP: 3 x 5 @ 135
DL: 3 x 3 @ 225
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
Thought I'd give a Full Body session a try, so I reduced all the lifts to their base loads to make sure I'd make it all the way through. I dunno, I like the Push-Pull split, but I'm just not sure I'm up for lifting virtually every day, although my knees seem to be tolerating it. I don't think it suits my mental makeup. Better to really focus one day and then take a day to recharge, not just physically, but motivationally too. I'm a monophasic guy I guess.
Friday, 19.11.08
Aerobic
Rowing: 20 min lite
Saturday, 19.11.09
---------------Week 6: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.11.10
Feeling slight head cold and sore throat.
Monday, 19.11.11
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
Felt ok, but no energy. Oh well, perhaps the lite sets will help prime things for Tuesday.
Tuesday, 19.11.12
Lifting
SQ: 3 @ 225
Wednesday, 19.11.13
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 226
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
This bug is super mild but energy-depleting. Nonetheless, I feel like I'm getting back to normal. Will try for a full workout on Friday.
Thursday, 19.11.14
Aerobic
Rowing: 20 min lite
Friday, 19.11.15
Aerobic
2 miles walking around the neighborhood.
Saturday, 19.11.16
---------------Week 7: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.11.17
Monday, 19.11.18
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 230
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
Tuesday, 19.11.19
Aerobic
2 miles walk commute.
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 225
PD: 3 x 5 @ 120
Primed the pulls, I guess I'm recommitting to an EOD alteration between lifting and aerobic. I just don't have the motivation to do more than one fitness component a day.
Wednesday, 19.11.20
Aerobic
2 miles bike commute; 20 minutes rower.
Thursday, 19.11.21
Friday, 19.11.22
Aerobic
Rowing, 20 mins, pushed it a bit for the last few minutes.
Saturday, 19.11.23
Lifting
BP: 3 x 5 @ 165
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 235
---------------Week 8: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.11.24
Monday, 19.11.25
Aerobic
10 mi bike ride
Tuesday, 19.11.26
Wednesday, 19.11.27
Aerobic
Snow shoveling
Thursday, 19.11.28
Lifting
BP: 3 x 5 @ 165
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 235
Friday, 19.11.29
Saturday, 19.11.30
Aerobic
Sled Push: 8 x 150 ft @ 8- & 12-year-old kid loads
Plan for this cycle: Continue to build up consistency and resistance with the ED Push-Pull split, and work in some kind of aerobic or conditioning component, either in the morning or after the lifting in the afternoon.
AM aerobic work would mostly be taking a longer cycling route to work in the morning, 3-8 miles, instead of the shortest route, which is one mile. PM conditioning/aerobic work would be either HIIT or slow and steady on the Airdyne (Push days) and Rower (Pull days), or Sled Pushes and Pulls.
The Push-Pull lifting split will continue to be based on my six main bilateral, compound-joint lifts: the five barbell lifts (Squat, Bench Press, Overhead Press, Deadlift, Row) plus Pulldown/Chinups.
Push: Squat, Bench Press, Overhead Press.
Pull: Deadlift, Pendlay Row, Pulldowns/Chinups.
If I get ambitious I may also work in one or two assistance lifts each workout:
Push: Dips, Dumbbell Presses, Overhead Squat, Pullover.
Pull: Stiff-legged Deadlifts, Dumbbell or Cable Rows, Power Clean, Landmine Twist.
I will start the cycle progressively microloading one pound per split from a 3RM @ 225 pounds base for the Squat. That should bring me close to a 3RM-Squat @ 250 pounds (8 weeks x 3 splits = 24 pounds) by the end of the cycle, possibly more if I skip a few one-pound increment increases.
Each Row represents four weeks, three splits each week, each split shaded or unshaded. The first number in a lift's column is the 1RM, and the second is either the 3RM (for lower body) or 5RM (for upper body). The top three lifts are Push, the bottom three are Pull.
(I have a spread sheet starting at 45 [empty bar] for a Squat 3RM and finishing a little over 405 [four plates] for a Squat 1RM, adding one-pound to each split's 1RM. That's five complete Excel pages. I've been using this system for a while now, so I went ahead and laminated the five sheets and keep them by gear. I don't really need the first two sheets, but I figure if my family ever starts lifting with me, they could come in handy.)
So an idealized weekly routine would look like this:
Monday: AM cycling; PM Push (SQ/BP/OP) + Airdyne HIIT or Sled Pushes
Tuesday: AM cycling; PM Pull (DL/RW/PD) + Rower HIIT or Sled Pulls
Wednesday: AM cycling; PM Push (SQ/BP/OP) + Airdyne HIIT or Sled Pushes
Thursday: AM cycling; PM Pull (DL/RW/PD) + Rower HIIT or Sled Pulls
Friday: AM cycling; PM Push (SQ/BP/OP) + Airdyne HIIT or Sled Pushes
Saturday: AM cycling; PM Pull (DL/RW/PD) + Rower HIIT or Sled Pulls
Sunday: longer bike ride?
---------------Week 1: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.10.06
Monday, 19.10.07
Lifting: Push
BP: 3 x 5 @ 160
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 225
OP: 3 x 5 @ 105
Aerobic
1 mi walk to son's school and back.
Tuesday, 19.10.08
Spent the workout hour doing winterizing stuff, taking advantage of probably the last nice weather of the season.
Wednesday, 19.10.09
2 mi bike commute. The once again spent the workout hour doing winterizing stuff, taking advantage of probably the last nice weather of the season.
Thursday, 19.10.10
Lifting: Push
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 226
OP: 3 x 5 @ 107
BP: 3 x 5 @ 161
Ah, back on the microloading bandwagon. I really like the mental aspect of it. If the increases are only one pound or less, I know for sure how it's going to feel as I approach the bar.
Friday, 19.10.11
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 262
Saturday, 19.10.12
---------------Week 2: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.10.13
Aerobic
1 mi bike commute
Monday, 19.10.14
Lifting: Push
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
Mistimed events and didn't have enough time left even for my squats before my son's first team meeting for hockey. So I got in a set at 185 to prime things for the next day.
Tuesday, 19.10.15
Lifting: Push
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 227
OP: 3 x 5 @ 107
BP: 3 x 5 @ 162
Wednesday, 19.10.16
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 265
Thursday, 19.10.17
Lifting: Push
BP: 3 x 5 @ 165
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 229
OP: 3 x 5 @ 108
I'm going to push a bit to align with the end of the third week of the second row of push/pull splits in my chart, by the end of the third week in this log, so that I can end up with a 249 3RM Squat at the end of this cycle, and 260 by the end of the year (the end of the four-week Cycle VII).
Friday, 19.10.18
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 265
Aerobic
2 mi walking
Saturday, 19.10.19
Other team didn't show at my son's last soccer game, so it was kids versus parents. Holy crap, am I out of shape!
---------------Week 3: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.10.20
Lifting: Push
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 230
OP: 3 x 5 @ 108
Sore from the soccer game, the weights felt heavy.
Monday, 19.10.21
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 267
PD: 3 x 5 @ 165
Started late, then the whole family joined in, so didn't get to the rows.
Tuesday, 19.10.22
Lifting: Push
BP: 3 x 5 @ 165
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 231
Once again, started late, and had my son join in. I kind of like the two-lift, one lower-body push/pull and alternating upper-body push/pull lift, approach I've been forced to adopt when I don't have enough time. I wonder if it could work long-term. Over two weeks each upper body lift would still be performed four times, while the lower body (really, full body) lifts would performed six:
Push: SQ + OP
Pull: DL + PD
Push: SQ + BP
Pull: DL + RW
Push: SQ + OP
Pull: DL + PD
Push: SQ + BP
Pull: DL + RW
Push: SQ + OP
Pull: DL + PD
Push: SQ + BP
Pull: DL + RW
Wednesday, 19.10.23
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 275
RW: 3 x 5 @ 155
PD: 3 x 5 @ 165
Finally got in all three Pull lifts. Yes, that feels best.
Rounded up plates instead of microloading. I'm kinda making a push to get to a 240 Squat 3RM by the beginning of Week 5, and so will skip about five pounds of microloading this week and next. Then, getting back on the microloading bandwagon, I'll follow my chart and try to add one pound per workout split to the Squat 1RM. If I don't stall out or need to slow the rate of increase, I should reach my former Squat, Deadlift, and Overhead Press maxes by the end of Cycle I next year--around the end of February. Pushing on, I should reach my long-held goals of a 405-pound Deadlift 1RM and a 350-pound Squat 1RM by the middle of Cycle III. I doubt I will actually test the 1RMs, but that's what the projection from the 3RMs will be.
Thursday, 19.10.24
My knees felt a little sore, not sure if the ED lifting is sustainable.
Friday, 19.10.25
1 mi walking. Felt a little nauseous after eating an overripe banana, so didn't lift.
Saturday, 19.10.26
Lifting: Push
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
Felt tired, so just did the minimum for the squats, just to "grease the groove" a bit.
---------------Week 4: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.10.27
Lifting: Pull
DL: 1/2/2/3 @ 275
PD: 3/5/5 @ 165
Had a couple of glasses of wine while carving pumpkins with the kids, then decided to get a workout in as they drifted off to another activity. A little rough, but I'm glad I got it in.
Monday, 19.10.28
Lifting: Push
BP: 3 x 5 @ 165
SQ: 3 @ 225/235/235
Tuesday, 19.10.29
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 277
RW: 3 x 5 @ 155
PD: 3 x 5 @ 165
Opps, DL was supposed to be 272 not 277. Microloading can be confusing sometimes . . .
Wednesday, 19.10.30
Lifting: Push
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 236
OP: 3 x 5 @ 111
Definitely in the realm of decent Squat resistances now. I will have to work harder to make sure I start with enough time to get in all three lifts. The Presses are still there, but they would start to fall behind with further neglect. This time I was still able to do the Overhead Press after a ten-day layoff, but after 115 or 120 5RM, I don't think this will be possible without a more consistent application.
It's funny, given (age-adjusted) genetic potential, there seems to be a range of 50-100 pounds where the resistance is enough for a good workout, but still manageable without a whole lot of thought to programming or extra mental effort. For the Squat 1RM, it seems to be about 250 to 350 pounds or maybe less. Once my Squat 1RM gets over 315, I suspect I may have to rethink things, although optimally I would keep microloading up to about 350 1RM (= 315-pound 3RM) before I would have to rethink my altra basic six-lift routine. I've never progressed past a 315 1RM Squat, so I don't really know what the threshold is. I guess if I can keep up my routine with my current consistency (knock on wood), I will find out sometime in Cycle II of next year.
There's also the open question of how much loading my knees can take. I know up to 225 or so my knees don't complain and actually improve over no-squatting. At some point I may have to revert to a six-lift workout in order to give the joints a full 47-hour rest and recovery.
Thursday, 19.10.31
Aerobic
1-2 miles trick or treating.
Friday, 19.11.01
Aerobic
Rowing, 20 mins lite.
Saturday, 19.11.02
---------------Week 5: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.11.03
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 275
RW: 3 x 5 @ 156
PD: 5 @ 100, 1 @ 170
Middle of my back felt a little tight after the Deadlifts and Rows, so I bailed on the Pulldown worksets.
Aerobic
Rowing, 10 mins lite.
Monday, 19.11.04
Lifting: Push
BP: 3 x 5 @ 169
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 238
OP: 3/4/5 @ 112
Everything felt solid, but I realized on the Overhead Press that I'm in the range now when I really can't skip one of the upper body lifts for more than one session without it potentially falling behind. As noted a week ago, there seems to be certain ranges for me, based on the Squat 3RM and its Iron Ratio equivalents for the other lifts:
Squat 3RM
(45 + 25 each side) 185-225 (two 45s each side) [40-pound increase] = Establishing the base, making sure all the joints are primed, but going up in five- or ten-pound increments until I reach:
(two 45s each side) 225-275 (two 45s + 25 each side) [50-pound increase] = useful resistance, solid worksets. In this range I begin microloading but any load in this range is probably adequate for strictly fitness purposes, and the heavier loads enforce good technique. I could easily just sit tight somewhere in this range and forgo any further strength gains, and focus my attention on other fitness modalities.
(two 45s + 25 each side) 275-315 (three 45s each side) [40-pound increase] = above average strength, still microloading, but possibly with a slower rate of increase, we'll see. Requires more mental effort/concentration. I think my previous max was a 300-pound 2RM Squat in 2015, which translates to a 315 1RM. So anything above that will be unchartered territory, for the Squat anyway. In other words:
(three 45s each side) 315-365 (three 45s + 25 each side) [50-pound increase] = bonus! At this point I may have to vary my programming instead of simply progressing with the six barbell lifts protocol.
(three 45s + 25 each side) 365-405 (four 45s each side) [40-pound increase] = Probably not possible, given my time and motivation and age-adjusted genetic potential, but you never know . . .
Tuesday, 19.11.05
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 276
RW: 3 x 5 @ 157
PD: 3 x 5 @ 170
Wednesday, 19.11.06
Aerobic
Rowing: 15 min lite
Airdyne: 15 min lite
Finally decided to see what an all-indoor aerobic workout would be like. Kinda sucks. But with some music or a podcast, the time goes by quicker.
Thursday, 19.11.07
Lifting: Full Body
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
OP: 3/4/5 @ 95
PD: 3 x 5 @ 120
BP: 3 x 5 @ 135
DL: 3 x 3 @ 225
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
Thought I'd give a Full Body session a try, so I reduced all the lifts to their base loads to make sure I'd make it all the way through. I dunno, I like the Push-Pull split, but I'm just not sure I'm up for lifting virtually every day, although my knees seem to be tolerating it. I don't think it suits my mental makeup. Better to really focus one day and then take a day to recharge, not just physically, but motivationally too. I'm a monophasic guy I guess.
Friday, 19.11.08
Aerobic
Rowing: 20 min lite
Saturday, 19.11.09
---------------Week 6: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.11.10
Feeling slight head cold and sore throat.
Monday, 19.11.11
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
Felt ok, but no energy. Oh well, perhaps the lite sets will help prime things for Tuesday.
Tuesday, 19.11.12
Lifting
SQ: 3 @ 225
Wednesday, 19.11.13
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 226
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
This bug is super mild but energy-depleting. Nonetheless, I feel like I'm getting back to normal. Will try for a full workout on Friday.
Thursday, 19.11.14
Aerobic
Rowing: 20 min lite
Friday, 19.11.15
Aerobic
2 miles walking around the neighborhood.
Saturday, 19.11.16
---------------Week 7: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.11.17
Monday, 19.11.18
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 230
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
Tuesday, 19.11.19
Aerobic
2 miles walk commute.
Lifting: Pull
DL: 3 x 3 @ 225
PD: 3 x 5 @ 120
Primed the pulls, I guess I'm recommitting to an EOD alteration between lifting and aerobic. I just don't have the motivation to do more than one fitness component a day.
Wednesday, 19.11.20
Aerobic
2 miles bike commute; 20 minutes rower.
Thursday, 19.11.21
Friday, 19.11.22
Aerobic
Rowing, 20 mins, pushed it a bit for the last few minutes.
Saturday, 19.11.23
Lifting
BP: 3 x 5 @ 165
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 235
---------------Week 8: Cycle VI---------------
Sunday, 19.11.24
Monday, 19.11.25
Aerobic
10 mi bike ride
Tuesday, 19.11.26
Wednesday, 19.11.27
Aerobic
Snow shoveling
Thursday, 19.11.28
Lifting
BP: 3 x 5 @ 165
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 235
Friday, 19.11.29
Saturday, 19.11.30
Aerobic
Sled Push: 8 x 150 ft @ 8- & 12-year-old kid loads
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