Metabolic Triad Training, 2021: Cycle III

Wow, 185 would be a monster Press. Using the Iron Ratio, it would project to a 370 Squat and well over 400 pounds for the DL. I know according to the consensus strength standards, a basic goal is to Overhead Press one's (muscular) bodyweight, but still, it's such a stubborn lift for me, it's hard to see that happening. I would have to be twice as strong as I am now, basically.

Well, our dog finally got spayed this morning, so I'll be without my walking companion for 7-10 days. This might be a good time to try running up some of my hills, leash-free. But yah, I can see in the mountains how hiking and running would be closer to effort level than on smoother, much shorter, and usually much more gradual neighborhood inclines. It's also interesting how I only walk really briskly with some kind of footwear. So much for my barefooter self-image . . .

Man, the everyday lifting is working out pretty well. I think the ramping really helps with some of the shoulder soreness I've felt in past attempts at a Push-Pull split. Still, it's hard to motivate to lift on a nearly daily basis. When I begin, I get to the bar and think, "what, again?" Probably harder mentally than doing six rather than three lifts per session. Plus I kind of miss the 'pump' of a six-lift session, so I dunno, once again, I'm tempted to program-shift before I've really given a program a try. But it would open up more scheduling possibilities, like doing sled and machine conditioning every other day (EOD), or the occasional bike ride, while still trying to get in the morning walk no matter what. Overall, it's been hard to shake what's worked so well for me in the past, EOD lifting and aerobic. Maybe I just need to deload a bit more to make the six lifts easy for a week or two. . . . deloading has definitely helped install the ramping protocol. Wendler was right, but it's counterintuitive and difficult to accept, but yah, start light, work on getting right whatever you're doing wrong or trying for the first time, and then, and only then, start to increase loads.

 

I'm thinking of imitating you and working in some power cleans (light ones for me) from time to time, just for the full-body motion and explosiveness, without any real goals. I could also do the same for Landmine Press and One-hand Dumbbell Rows. Maybe do one of those after each workout, light, for reps.

For Loaded Carries, I'm still a bit hesitant because of my knees, but the few times I tried them 5-7 years ago, they seemed like a great finisher. My knees seem happiest when the loading is either light, like walking, or low-rep, like the way I do Squats.

Yah, I think there is something about being flexible enough to make use of higher-energy days, but also back off on lower-energy ones. My formalist mind sometimes gets trapped in numbers too much, but my Ramps and Max 1+ sets help me increase or decrease a workout's volume and intensity while still staying within my program parameters and without having to think to much.

Yah, for fitness, it might be better to put on some minimalist shoes and walk a bit faster, but I also include the tactile feedback and sensations of barefooting as part of my overall fitness and health. It's kind of like a massage, and I think that stimulating all the nerve endings in the foot might also have some cognitive/psychological benefit.

But yah, I think we're both the type that needs some kind of goal, no matter how humble, to help motivate.

And the cycle has been a success! I will try to get the next cycle's thread up and running in a bit. It's been great re-establishing some dialogue, and it really helps stay motivated and accountable.

 

Cool, yah, I've thought about trying that kind of programming for reps at some point. But I guess my current Ramp to Max 1+ program could count as a variation of the 5x5 approach (https://www.davedraper.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/18827/), insofar as my three Ramps sets, Target workset, and Max 1+ set, add up to five sets overall. And it has the same idea of increasing load when all the reps are able to be completed comfortably. So it will be interesting in the next cycle to compare notes on these variations of a rep-centered approach.