Assessment of Cycle II
Well, I got used to the early morning schedule, but then I had a few getting-back-into-shape niggles that kept me from sticking to it for any length of time. Frustrating.
Goals for Cycle III.
1.) Establish the high-frequency, first-thing-in-the-morning routine and get my squat back up to a 300 1RM.
2.) Lose 10 pounds, from 245 to 235.
3.) Figure out some form or combination of conditioning/endurance training that's more satisfying than just biking the same route by the river all the time.
---------------Week 1: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.04.24
Monday, 16.04.25
AM
Lifting
SQ: 2/2/3 @ 210
OHP: 3/3/3 @ 105
RDL: 3/3/3 @ 135
P RW: 3/3/3 @ 135
BP: 6-8 x 2 @ 95
PU: 3/3/3 @ -25 assist
Slept in Saturday, then went on nice bike ride with the family in the evening, after shopping for a new bike for my wife and upgrading the saddle and grips on my daughter's bike in the afternoon. So happy we're moving into more active outings as a family. But having slept in till 7am, I missed going to the gym, so I won't make it in 12 times for April. Oh well.
Sunday, slept in till 7am again, and talked myself out of going to the gym. Spent the whole day grading student essays. Yeech. Should've gone to the gym to counteract sitting all day like that.
Today I woke up before 4am and it was easy to motivate for the gym. I still have a bit of a kink in my right hip area but it's slowly working itself out. I'm starting to set loads again for the six lifts. 210 felt good for the squat, so I halved it for the OHP. I'll find some time today to work out the other lifts' loads using the Iron Ratio, and then begin microloading some time later this week if I can maintain some consistency. I might start by increasing the squat loads by 2 pounds every time and see how that goes.
Tuesday, 16.04.26
Wednesday, 16.04.27
Thursday, 16.04.28
Friday, 16.04.29
Saturday, 16.04.30
---------------Week 2: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.05.01
Monday, 16.05.02
Tuesday, 16.05.03
AM
Lifting
Just primed everything. This week I'll try to work up the Iron Ratios with a 3RM Squat of 210:
DL: 241
SQ: 210
BP: 158
OHP: 105
P RW: 131
PD: 158
The numbers don't mean too much, and are already skewed. This morning, for example, I did a 135 row and a 205 pullup, but kept the squat relatively light at 185, just to make sure I don't mess anything up until I'm back in relatively decent lifting shape, which could take several weeks. The main thing is to get the Squat back up to a reasonable load and then microload from there.
Wednesday, 16.05.04
Thursday, 16.05.05
Friday, 16.05.06
AM
Lifting
SQ: 2/2 @ 185
OHP: 3/3/3 @ 95
PU: 3/3/3 @ -25 assist
OK, worked out twice in one week. Today I'm back thinking about a full-body split, but going in every day. Squat, OHP, PU one day, (R)DL, BP, Row the other. More frequency, less intensity might suit my current doldroms best. Then I need to plot out a 30-minute bike route I can ride before or afterwards. I wonder if I can get my 10-mile route to and fro the river down to 30-40 minutes. That plus three lifts would be a great daily routine. Easy yet complete. OK, getting ahead of myself, let's just focus on doing something over the weekend.
Saturday, 16.05.07
---------------Week 3: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.05.08
Monday, 16.05.09
Tuesday, 16.05.10
Wednesday, 16.05.11
Thursday, 16.05.12
Friday, 16.05.13
Saturday, 16.05.14
---------------Week 4: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.05.15
Monday, 16.05.16
Tuesday, 16.05.17
Wednesday, 16.05.18
AM
Bike commute
3.5 mi
Lifting
Squat: 3/3/3 x 185
OHP: 3/3/3 x 95
Pullup: 3/3/3 -25 assist
Just primed. Moral victory just showing up. I think the plan is do alternate Squat/Press/Pullup with Deadlift/Bench/Row. I'll bike-commute to the gym, and then when things start to feel settled, start expanding the length of the bike ride to include a portion down by the river, which is close to the gym. Felt good to hit the weights first thing.
PM
Bike commute
1 mi
Thursday, 16.05.19
AM
Lifting
RDL: 3/3/3 @ 185
P Rw: 3/3/3 @ 135
BP: 10/10 @ 95
Just primed again. Trying to establish the Squat/Press/Pullup to Deadlift/Bench/Row alternation. Trying to pat myself on the back just for showing up. Just need a week or two of priming and then I can start pushing things a bit.
Friday, 16.05.20
Saturday, 16.05.21
---------------Week 5: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.05.22
AM
Lifting
Squat: 2/2/2 x 185
OHP: 3/3/3 x 95
Pullup: 3/3/3 -25 assist
Just primed everything again. Wimped out on biking to the gym. Dunno why. Sloth.
I really like the 3-lifts, ED concept though, just have to put it into practice. Three lifts first thing in the morning is a lot more mentally manageable than six lifts first thing, plus I finish before I have a chance to get really hungry.
Monday, 16.05.23
AM
Lifting
RDL: 3/3/3 @ 225
P Rw: 3/3/3 @ 135
BP: 20-30 @ 45
Well, my expectations are finally low enough that I'm happy just making it to the gym, so that helps remove the mental block. Just go and eventually I'll feel the need to increase the loads, but just go.
Tuesday, 16.05.24
Wednesday, 16.05.25
Thursday, 16.05.26
Friday, 16.05.27
Saturday, 16.05.28
---------------Week 6: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.05.29
Bike commute
2 miles
Monday, 16.05.30
Tuesday, 16.05.31
Bike commute
2 miles
Wednesday, 16.06.01
Thursday, 16.06.02
Friday, 16.06.03
Bike commute
2 miles
Saturday, 16.06.04
---------------Week 7: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.06.05
Bike commute
1 mile
Biking
8 miles
Monday, 16.06.06
Bike commute
1 mile
Tuesday, 16.06.07
AM
Biking
10.16 miles
Lifting
SQ: 2/2 @ 185
OHP: 5 @ 95
PU: 3 @ -25 assist
Just Primed. Felt OK after the bike ride. The new protocol is to bike and lift everyday. First day went OK. I'll build up intensity in both as I adapt. First week's mission is just to avoid hurting myself.
Bike commute
1.57 mile
PM
Bike commute
1 mile
Wednesday, 16.06.08
AM
Lifting
RDL: 3/3 @ 225
P Rw: 3/3 @ 135
BP: 10-15 @ 45
Just primed. Only thing that matters is consistency, and moving into more intense workouts very slowly, to avoid any mishaps. Thought about running a hill first, but maybe next time. So a possible routine would be:
Day 1
Cycling
SQ/OHP/PU
Day 2
Cycling and/or hills
RDL/RW/BP
I'm really liking just three lifts per workout though. It will be interesting to see if it works with more serious loads on a consistent EOD basis.
Thursday, 16.06.09
Jammed Wednesday night, drank a few afterwards and forgot to drink water, woke up a bit rough, used that as an excuse. Dumb.
Friday, 16.06.10
Mid-morning
Lifting
SQ: 2/3/2 @ 225
OHP: 3/3/3 @115
PU: 3 @ -25 assist
Went up to 225 on the squat, my form was a little off on the second set, going for 3reps, kind of biphasic. I guess I'll stick with these weights until it gets easy, then start microloading. So based on my ratios I'll start with:
RDL: 259/260
SQ: 225
BP: 169/170
OHP 113/115
RW: 141/140
PU: -25
The first numbers are the exact loads, based on percentages of the squat load, the second rounded up or down. Once 3/3/3@225 for the squat feels fine, I'll add a pound each workout and adjust the other lifts accordingly, using the Iron Ratio and fractional plates. The Pullup doesn't really work for microloading, because it's a lot stronger, at about my squat load, but I don't think it would be able to keep up with my squat once I re-establish it, so I'll just leave it be for the time being. The goal for the Pullup will be simply to get it at BW, then either add reps or weight. I'm still at 245 BW, so with a -25lbs assist, I'm pulling up 220 lbs right now. Essentially, if I lost my belly, I could already do 3-5 pullups unassisted.
Felt funny to go in during the day, around 10:45am. It's unstaffed until noon, so I didn't have to worry about anyone saying anything about my bare feet. I'm starting to feel less self-conscious about working out with other people around. I worked out alone so long I kind of became insular. The hardest thing is to resist giving out unsolicited advice to the obvious newbies. More generally, it's strange how no one even acknowledges each other's presence. Feels very white.
Saturday, 16.06.11
---------------Week 8: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.06.12
Monday, 16.06.13
Tuesday, 16.06.14
Wednesday, 16.06.15
Thursday, 16.06.16
Friday, 16.06.17
Spent all afternoon removing a hard, maple stump from the middle of a deck with a combination of chain saw, circular saw, and sledge hammer. It was around 90 and it took two days to recover from. Crap, I'm so out of shape.
Saturday, 16.06.18
Well, I got used to the early morning schedule, but then I had a few getting-back-into-shape niggles that kept me from sticking to it for any length of time. Frustrating.
Goals for Cycle III.
1.) Establish the high-frequency, first-thing-in-the-morning routine and get my squat back up to a 300 1RM.
2.) Lose 10 pounds, from 245 to 235.
3.) Figure out some form or combination of conditioning/endurance training that's more satisfying than just biking the same route by the river all the time.
---------------Week 1: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.04.24
Monday, 16.04.25
AM
Lifting
SQ: 2/2/3 @ 210
OHP: 3/3/3 @ 105
RDL: 3/3/3 @ 135
P RW: 3/3/3 @ 135
BP: 6-8 x 2 @ 95
PU: 3/3/3 @ -25 assist
Slept in Saturday, then went on nice bike ride with the family in the evening, after shopping for a new bike for my wife and upgrading the saddle and grips on my daughter's bike in the afternoon. So happy we're moving into more active outings as a family. But having slept in till 7am, I missed going to the gym, so I won't make it in 12 times for April. Oh well.
Sunday, slept in till 7am again, and talked myself out of going to the gym. Spent the whole day grading student essays. Yeech. Should've gone to the gym to counteract sitting all day like that.
Today I woke up before 4am and it was easy to motivate for the gym. I still have a bit of a kink in my right hip area but it's slowly working itself out. I'm starting to set loads again for the six lifts. 210 felt good for the squat, so I halved it for the OHP. I'll find some time today to work out the other lifts' loads using the Iron Ratio, and then begin microloading some time later this week if I can maintain some consistency. I might start by increasing the squat loads by 2 pounds every time and see how that goes.
Tuesday, 16.04.26
Wednesday, 16.04.27
Thursday, 16.04.28
Friday, 16.04.29
Saturday, 16.04.30
---------------Week 2: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.05.01
Monday, 16.05.02
Tuesday, 16.05.03
AM
Lifting
Just primed everything. This week I'll try to work up the Iron Ratios with a 3RM Squat of 210:
DL: 241
SQ: 210
BP: 158
OHP: 105
P RW: 131
PD: 158
The numbers don't mean too much, and are already skewed. This morning, for example, I did a 135 row and a 205 pullup, but kept the squat relatively light at 185, just to make sure I don't mess anything up until I'm back in relatively decent lifting shape, which could take several weeks. The main thing is to get the Squat back up to a reasonable load and then microload from there.
Wednesday, 16.05.04
Thursday, 16.05.05
Friday, 16.05.06
AM
Lifting
SQ: 2/2 @ 185
OHP: 3/3/3 @ 95
PU: 3/3/3 @ -25 assist
OK, worked out twice in one week. Today I'm back thinking about a full-body split, but going in every day. Squat, OHP, PU one day, (R)DL, BP, Row the other. More frequency, less intensity might suit my current doldroms best. Then I need to plot out a 30-minute bike route I can ride before or afterwards. I wonder if I can get my 10-mile route to and fro the river down to 30-40 minutes. That plus three lifts would be a great daily routine. Easy yet complete. OK, getting ahead of myself, let's just focus on doing something over the weekend.
Saturday, 16.05.07
---------------Week 3: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.05.08
Monday, 16.05.09
Tuesday, 16.05.10
Wednesday, 16.05.11
Thursday, 16.05.12
Friday, 16.05.13
Saturday, 16.05.14
---------------Week 4: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.05.15
Monday, 16.05.16
Tuesday, 16.05.17
Wednesday, 16.05.18
AM
Bike commute
3.5 mi
Lifting
Squat: 3/3/3 x 185
OHP: 3/3/3 x 95
Pullup: 3/3/3 -25 assist
Just primed. Moral victory just showing up. I think the plan is do alternate Squat/Press/Pullup with Deadlift/Bench/Row. I'll bike-commute to the gym, and then when things start to feel settled, start expanding the length of the bike ride to include a portion down by the river, which is close to the gym. Felt good to hit the weights first thing.
PM
Bike commute
1 mi
Thursday, 16.05.19
AM
Lifting
RDL: 3/3/3 @ 185
P Rw: 3/3/3 @ 135
BP: 10/10 @ 95
Just primed again. Trying to establish the Squat/Press/Pullup to Deadlift/Bench/Row alternation. Trying to pat myself on the back just for showing up. Just need a week or two of priming and then I can start pushing things a bit.
Friday, 16.05.20
Saturday, 16.05.21
---------------Week 5: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.05.22
AM
Lifting
Squat: 2/2/2 x 185
OHP: 3/3/3 x 95
Pullup: 3/3/3 -25 assist
Just primed everything again. Wimped out on biking to the gym. Dunno why. Sloth.
I really like the 3-lifts, ED concept though, just have to put it into practice. Three lifts first thing in the morning is a lot more mentally manageable than six lifts first thing, plus I finish before I have a chance to get really hungry.
Monday, 16.05.23
AM
Lifting
RDL: 3/3/3 @ 225
P Rw: 3/3/3 @ 135
BP: 20-30 @ 45
Well, my expectations are finally low enough that I'm happy just making it to the gym, so that helps remove the mental block. Just go and eventually I'll feel the need to increase the loads, but just go.
Tuesday, 16.05.24
Wednesday, 16.05.25
Thursday, 16.05.26
Friday, 16.05.27
Saturday, 16.05.28
---------------Week 6: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.05.29
Bike commute
2 miles
Monday, 16.05.30
Tuesday, 16.05.31
Bike commute
2 miles
Wednesday, 16.06.01
Thursday, 16.06.02
Friday, 16.06.03
Bike commute
2 miles
Saturday, 16.06.04
---------------Week 7: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.06.05
Bike commute
1 mile
Biking
8 miles
Monday, 16.06.06
Bike commute
1 mile
Tuesday, 16.06.07
AM
Biking
10.16 miles
Lifting
SQ: 2/2 @ 185
OHP: 5 @ 95
PU: 3 @ -25 assist
Just Primed. Felt OK after the bike ride. The new protocol is to bike and lift everyday. First day went OK. I'll build up intensity in both as I adapt. First week's mission is just to avoid hurting myself.
Bike commute
1.57 mile
PM
Bike commute
1 mile
Wednesday, 16.06.08
AM
Lifting
RDL: 3/3 @ 225
P Rw: 3/3 @ 135
BP: 10-15 @ 45
Just primed. Only thing that matters is consistency, and moving into more intense workouts very slowly, to avoid any mishaps. Thought about running a hill first, but maybe next time. So a possible routine would be:
Day 1
Cycling
SQ/OHP/PU
Day 2
Cycling and/or hills
RDL/RW/BP
I'm really liking just three lifts per workout though. It will be interesting to see if it works with more serious loads on a consistent EOD basis.
Thursday, 16.06.09
Jammed Wednesday night, drank a few afterwards and forgot to drink water, woke up a bit rough, used that as an excuse. Dumb.
Friday, 16.06.10
Mid-morning
Lifting
SQ: 2/3/2 @ 225
OHP: 3/3/3 @115
PU: 3 @ -25 assist
Went up to 225 on the squat, my form was a little off on the second set, going for 3reps, kind of biphasic. I guess I'll stick with these weights until it gets easy, then start microloading. So based on my ratios I'll start with:
RDL: 259/260
SQ: 225
BP: 169/170
OHP 113/115
RW: 141/140
PU: -25
The first numbers are the exact loads, based on percentages of the squat load, the second rounded up or down. Once 3/3/3@225 for the squat feels fine, I'll add a pound each workout and adjust the other lifts accordingly, using the Iron Ratio and fractional plates. The Pullup doesn't really work for microloading, because it's a lot stronger, at about my squat load, but I don't think it would be able to keep up with my squat once I re-establish it, so I'll just leave it be for the time being. The goal for the Pullup will be simply to get it at BW, then either add reps or weight. I'm still at 245 BW, so with a -25lbs assist, I'm pulling up 220 lbs right now. Essentially, if I lost my belly, I could already do 3-5 pullups unassisted.
Felt funny to go in during the day, around 10:45am. It's unstaffed until noon, so I didn't have to worry about anyone saying anything about my bare feet. I'm starting to feel less self-conscious about working out with other people around. I worked out alone so long I kind of became insular. The hardest thing is to resist giving out unsolicited advice to the obvious newbies. More generally, it's strange how no one even acknowledges each other's presence. Feels very white.
Saturday, 16.06.11
---------------Week 8: Cycle III---------------
Sunday, 16.06.12
Monday, 16.06.13
Tuesday, 16.06.14
Wednesday, 16.06.15
Thursday, 16.06.16
Friday, 16.06.17
Spent all afternoon removing a hard, maple stump from the middle of a deck with a combination of chain saw, circular saw, and sledge hammer. It was around 90 and it took two days to recover from. Crap, I'm so out of shape.
Saturday, 16.06.18
Last edited: