Assessment of last cycle. The overall consistency for the first half of the cycle was OK, then the lifting fell by the wayside when my wife was taken by cancer towards the end of the fourth week. Now taking care of my health is more important that ever, for the kids. Here are the stats. Over the full cycle, I averaged about five and a half days per week for walking, but just three days a week for lifting, and a half day per week for conditioning. Goals for this cycle. I will try to prioritize weight loss and heart health as much as possible, which means getting consistent with all three metabolic modalities above all else. I’ve never been much of a dieter, but towards the end of last cycle I experimented a bit with ‘time-restricted dieting,’ which is just limiting one’s nutritional intake to a 8-10 hour window. I appear to have lost five pounds this way. I will try to continue with some version of that, but it will be a loose version—i.e., I won’t freak out if I have a late dinner. I will also try to make a greater effort to get in the conditioning work, either by running up some of the hills on my walk, getting better about hopping on one of my machines after lifting, or finally doing some sled work. From what I’ve read, higher intensity conditioning is the best metabolic modality for weight loss. It should also aid in getting the blood pressure down. For the lifting, I’ll continue with the Ramp-to-Target protocol, with four ramp sets and one target set. I may try to increase the volume by either doing two backoff sets or more sets at target weight. I’ll stick with the ratios I adopted over the last cycle or so: 43% of Back Squat = Overhead Press 71% of Back Squat = Bench Press/Pulldown/Pendlay Row 100% = Back Squat 115% of Back Squat = Deadlift These tweaks will lead to these eventual 3RM plate goals (and their projected 1RMs): Overhead Press: 3RM x 135 (bar + two 45s) = 1RM x 150 Bench Press, Row, Pulldown: 3 RM x 225 (bar + four 45s) = 1RM x 250 Squat: 3RM x 315 (bar + six 45s) = 1RM x 350 Deadlift: 3RM x 365 (bar + six 45s & two 25s) = 1RM x 405 Training is organized into blocks with each block defined by a five-pound increase in the Squat. The first training block starts with a Squat load of 260, so it will take twelve training blocks to reach my goals. As such, the Overhead Press will gain 25 pounds, the Bench Press, Pulldown, and Pendlay Rows will gain 40 pounds, the Squat will gain 55, and the Deadlift 65. Should be doable. These plate goals also project to a 1000-pound powerlifting total (Bench + Squat + Deadlift). I won’t progress to the next training block until everything feels comfortable and, just as importantly, I’m able to get through the sets reasonably quickly. Ideally, it would be nice to get in two, 4-week training blocks per cycle, but at least one should be practicable. I’m going to start off with everything a little bit lite, to make sure I get all the sets in, and get them in efficiently, and just go up a ramp each split or two for the couple of weeks until I hit the first training block’s targets. I may even try timing the time between sets to keep things humming along, but that would probably be too much trouble. Also, for this cycle, I’m going to put on hold the idea of spreading out the workouts through the day, and try to do everything together, late morning, when I have a decent block of time available. This will be the major tweak attempt for this cycle. It’s also a good time slot for season-neutral regularity, as it’s not too hot at that time during the summer, and not too cold during the winter. I think making the start time non-negotiable will help with the consistency. It certainly has for my older brother, who’s never been out of shape in his life. And, in any case, lately I’ve been feeling the urge to lift earlier in the day, for no apparent reason. Conversely, at the end of the afternoon, which used to be my favorite time to work out, I’ve been finding the motivation starts to wear off by then. Yet to be decided is whether to walk first, then lift and do HIIT, or do the lifting and HIIT first and then walk. Exercise science says it's best to do the lifting first, but since I'm eating breakfast just before the workout(s), it might be better to digest while I walk and then lift. Finally, I'm going to re-configure my home gym a bit to make it more conducive to stretching and what Dan John calls 'groundwork.' And I just installed sanded plywood for a platform inside and outside the squat rack, on top of the horse mats. It feels better than the rubber of the mats, and it's easier to stretch on. I may also put some adhesive weather strips down to keep the plates from rolling around during deadlifts and rows. ---------------Week 1: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.10.10 AFTERNOON Persistence 1.8 mi dog walk along Battle Creek while son practiced flag football nearby. 141 ft. gain. Very nice, hadn't been here since my running days. Will try to do the other half next Sunday. Monday, 21.10.11 NOON Persistence 1.6 mi "Four Hills" walk with dog. 128ft. AFTERNOON Resistance PD: 3 @ 100/120/140/160/170/160/140 RW: 3 @ 135/145/155 SLDL: 3 @ 135/185; DL: 3 @ 225 Intermittence Concept II Rower: 1 x [30 sec @ L-Int; 30 sec @ M-Int] = 1 minute Tuesday, 21.10.12 NOON Persistence 2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 131ft. Wednesday, 21.10.13 MID-MORNING Resistance BP: 3 @ 45/95/135/145/155 OP: 3 @ 45/65/75 SQ: 3 @ 45/95/135 Intermittence Schwinn Airdyne: 1 x [30 sec @ L-Int; 30 sec @ M-Int] = 1 minute Persistence 1.6 mi "Three Hills" walk with dog. 118ft. Kept everything super easy to make sure I got all three modalities in, and got through them quickly. Working on consistency and efficiency above all else, while giving the mid-morning time slot a decent chance to take root. Thursday, 21.10.14 NOON Resistance PD: 3 @ 100/120/140/160 RW: 3 @ 135/145/155/165 SLDL: 3 @ 135/185; DL: 3 @ 225/235/245/255 Intermittence Concept II Rower: 2 x [30 sec @ L-Int; 30 sec @ M-Int] = 2 minutes Persistence 1 mi walk with dog and son. Son was home with a stomach ache, but the short walk seemed to do him some good. Friday, 21.10.15 LATE MORNING Resistance BP: 3 @ 45/95/135/145/165 OP: 3 @ 45/75/95 SQ: 3 @ 45/95/135/185 Intermittence Schwinn Airdyne: 2 x [30 sec @ L-Int; 30 sec @ M-Int] = 2 minutes Persistence 1.6 mi "Four Hills" walk with dog. 128ft. Saturday, 21.10.16 EARLY AFTERNOON Persistence 1.5 mi walk over three of the hills on the "Five Hills" with son and dog on the way to local mom-n-pop shoo. 112ft. ---------------Week 2: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.10.17 AFTERNOON Persistence 2.6 mi dog walk along Battle Creek while son practiced flag football nearby. 66 ft. This is the other half of the creek walk from last Sunday. Next weekend is the playoffs, so one more Battle Creek dog walk, this time in the park from which the creek springs. Monday, 21.10.18 NOON Persistence 1.6 mi "Four Hills" walk with dog. 128ft. AFTERNOON Resistance PD: 3 @ 100/120/140/160/170 RW: 3 @ 135/145/165/175 DL: 3 @ 185/225//255/275 Intermittence Concept II Rower: 3 x [30 sec @ L-Int; 30 sec @ M-Int] = 3 minutes OK, got the pulls up to the third ramp, will hold steady until the pushes catch up. I didn't realize it, but the minutes for the HIIT are following the Ramp order. Tuesday, 21.10.19 LATE MORNING Resistance BP: 3 @ 45/95/135/145/155/165/175 OP: 3 @ 45/65/75/85/95/100 SQ: 3 @ 45/95/135/185/205/225 Felt a little strain in my mid-back on the last Squat set, so shut it down. All the other lifts are at Ramp 3 loads. Squat needs another 20 pounds. Intermittence Schwinn Airdyne: 3 x [30 sec @ L-Int; 30 sec @ M-Int] = 3 minute Wednesday, 21.10.20 Back felt a little kinky again, so I stopped after the second or third pulldown set. Thursday, 21.10.21 NOON Persistence 2 mi "Five Hills" walk with dog. 128ft. 45F, Winter Challenge is on, albeit in subdued, walking mode. Blew off lifting because there's still a bit of a kink in my back. Another reminder to get serious about stretching/mobility. Friday, 21.10.22 NOON Resistance PD: 3 @ 100/120/140/160/170 RW: 3 @ 135/145/165/175 DL: 3 @ 185/225/ Took it easy on the Deadlifts to make sure my back was OK. It was. Intermittence Concept II Rower: 3 x [30 sec @ L-Int; 30 sec @ M-Int] = 3 minutes EARLY AFTERNOON Persistence 1.6 mi "Four Hills" walk with dog. 128ft. 49F. Saturday, 21.10.23 AFTERNOON Persistence 2.7 mi walk with dog and friend down by the Mississippi River. 50F. ---------------Week 3: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.10.24 AFTERNOON Persistence 1.6 mi dog walk in Battle Creek Park while son practiced flag football before their games. It was a wide mix of surface textures: mild chip-seal, bark chips, pebbles, compacted dirt, tree debris. I ended up in a large section that had been fenced off for a dog park. Didn't know until I suddenly realized all the dogs were unleashed. Our dog loved that. Son's team ended up going undefeated for the season and won the playoffs. Monday, 21.10.25 Tuesday, 21.10.26 NOON Resistance BP: 3 @ 45/95/135/155/165/175 OP: 3 @ 45/95/100 SQ: 3 @ 45/95/135/185 Persistence 1.6 mi "Four Hills" walk with dog. 128ft. 50F Intermittence Schwinn Airdyne: 3 x [30 sec @ L-Int; 30 sec @ M-Int] = 3 minutes Wednesday, 21.10.27 NOON Resistance PD: 3 @ 100/120/140/160/170 RW: 3 @ 135/145/165/175 DL: 3 @ 185/225/255/265 AFTERNOON Persistence 2 mi walk with dog. 187ft. 47F Thursday, 21.10.28 NOON Resistance BP: 3 @ 45/95/135/155/165/175 OP: 3 @ 45/75/95/100 SQ: 3 @ 45/95/135/185/195/205 Back felt fine on the Squats, gaining confidence, but will continue to take it slow. AFTERNOON Persistence 2 mi "New Five Hills" walk with dog. 207ft. 46F Wow, exchanging one hill for another and changing the route a bit added about 80ft of elevation. Friday, 21.10.29 Saturday, 21.10.30 EARLY AFTERNOON Persistence 1.6 mi "Four Hills" walk with dog. 128ft. 50F ---------------Week 4: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.10.31 EVENING Persistence 1-2 miles trick or treating shod with dog. Monday, 21.11.01 AFTERNOON Persistence 2 mi "New Five Hills" walk with dog. 207ft. 39F Tuesday, 21.11.02 NOON Persistence 2 mi "New Five Hills" walk with dog. 207ft. 37F Wednesday, 21.11.03 EARLY MORNING Persistence 1.6 mi "Four Hills" walk with dog. 128ft. 32F Finally got in my walk right after dropping off the kids. Felt pretty good. LATE MORNING Resistance BP: 3 @ 45/95/135/145/155 OP: 3 @ 45/75/95 SQ: 3 @ 45/95/135/185 Trying to stick to a early-morning dog walk/late morning lift & conditioning schedule. Going to take it easy to see if I can make it work. Does seem optimal, schedule-wise, and lifting in the morning isn't such a hard sell if I'm already a little warmed up from the walk. No goal except consistency . . . Thursday, 21.11.04 EARLY MORNING Persistence 1 mi "Two Hills" walk with dog. 50ft. 30F Cut the "Four Hills" walk short as I relearn my barefoot tolerances. Today was the first walk below freezing. Friday, 21.11.05 Saturday, 21.11.06 MORNING Persistence 1.7 mi walk with dog in La Grange Park neighborhood while visiting friends. AFTERNOON Persistence 4.4 mi walk downtown and Milenium Park. ---------------Week 5: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.11.07 AFTERNOON Persistence 2 mi walk from parking garage to end of Navy Pier. Monday, 21.11.08 Tuesday, 21.11.09 LATE MORNING Persistence 2.8 mi "Roman Hills" walk with dog. 48F, 269ft. On Saturday in Chicago I walked a combined 6.1 miles and my knees held up fine. So perhaps I've been too cautious with them. I'm going to try adding a little distance and elevation gain to the daily dog walks. Wednesday, 21.11.10 NOON Persistence 1.6 mi "Four Hills" walk with dog. 144t. 39F Thursday, 21.11.11 MORNING Persistence 2.8 mi "Roman Hills" walk with dog. 269ft. Went shod because it had rained and it was 39F. Probably could've made it OK, but the nice thing about walking shod is my pace picks up a bit. Friday, 21.11.12 MORNING Persistence 2.8 mi "Roman Hills" walk with dog. 269ft. Moist surfaces and windchill down to 28F, so I went shod again and enjoyed the faster pace. Saturday, 21.11.13 LATE MORNING Resistance OP: 3 @ 45/65/75/85/95 SQ: 3 @ 45/95/135/185 NOON Persistence 3.1 mi "New Roman Hills" walk with dog. 280 ft, 34F, 30F WC. I walked shod, should've gone bare, but I do walk faster with footwear. Have to figure out why . . . I think I've convinced myself that the lifting has to come before the walking. Whenever I plan on lifting after I walk, I don't feel up for it after completing the actual walk. And I think that's the order that the exercise 'scientists' recommend: anaerobic --> aerobic. I'm enjoying the longer walks and greater elevation gain though. I might even forgo the time-restricted dieting for a spell and see if I can eat while getting the kids ready for school, and then lift after I drop the second one off, and then go for my walk. Would be nice to get everything out of the way right away, even if I have to lift lighter, and that's probably the least interruptable time slot for a workout. ---------------Week 6: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.11.14 MID-MORNING Resistance PD: 3 @ 100/120/140/160 Felt a little kink in my mid back so avoided the Rows and Deadlifts. The main thing is to habituate to morning lifting for this cycle I think. After 3-4 weeks, if I find I'm still not getting back to heavier resistances, I may have to re-think this approach, but I like the idea of getting everything done at once, close to first-thing in the morning. Persistence 3.1 mi "New Roman Hills" walk with dog. 280 ft, 35F, 28F WC. A light coat of snow, our first of the season, so I went shod again. My knees are feeling just a little bit sore, so I'm wondering if it's the longer walks or the shoes. I think I heel strike more with shoes on, even with semi-minimalist ones like the old Merrells I've been using. Monday, 21.11.15 Tuesday, 21.11.16 LATE MORNING Resistance OP: 3 @ 45/65/75 I got my Pfizer booster shot on Monday, felt slight muscle aches, very slight, but enough to de-motivate me, such is my motivation. Persistence 2 mi walk with dog. 207 ft. Shod. Knees felt just a little soreness, maybe I should switch to Sockwas for a more barefoot-like stride. Wednesday, 21.11.17 MID MORNING Persistence 2 mi walk with dog. 207 ft. Shod. Thursday, 21.11.18 Friday, 21.11.19 Saturday, 21.11.20 Taking some time off to make sure my knee soreness goes away. ---------------Week 7: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.11.21 MID MORNING Persistence 1 mi walk with dog. 95 ft. 34F, 24F WC. I wasn't sure what my tolerances were, but my feet were starting to get a little numb so I cut the walk short. Knees still feel a little bit sore, but I think going barefoot helped. Monday, 21.11.22 AFTERNOON Resistance: Push OP: 3 @ 45/75/75/75 SQ: 3 @ 75/135/135/135 I'm going to try straight sets across for my worksets. I seem to be going backwards with the Ramp Sets. Part of it is motivation and scheduling, but even when I was more consistent with them it seemed hard to make progress. So I'll experiment and see if more volume at the Target Set load helps, or get serious about backoff sets. But I dunno, three sets at Target weight has always worked for me in the past. So maybe I should consider the Ramp Sets really just a more gradual way of warming up? Persistence 1 mi walk with dog. 95 ft. 32F It's good I'm walking short distances to test my temp tolerances, because at the same time I'm allowing my knees to recover from what might be shod-induced soreness from last week. I ordered a new brand of sockwear called "Skinners." I can't find one of my Sockwas. It will be too cold to walk bare in a bit, and I don't want to use even minimalist shoes like the Merrells, which seem to allow more of a heel strike, although they also seem to allow a faster pace. Tuesday, 21.11.23 EARLY AFTERNOON Resistance: Pull PD: 3 @ 100/120/140/160 SLDL: 3 @ 135/185/225 Persistence 1.8 mi "New Five Hills" walk with dog. 140ft. 52F, 43F WC Knees felt fine. Looking down, I noticed my soles are almost completely flat when landing. I'll bring the distance back up to 3 miles to see if distance contributed too, or if it was just the Merrells. Wednesday, 21.11.24 LATE MORNING Resistance: Push OP: 3 @ 45/75/75/75 SQ: 3 @ 75/135/135/135 Keeping it light while I let the new/old straight-sets-across protocol take hold and I focus more on consistency. Intermittance: Airdyne About a minute Medium Intensity. Machine needs new batteries. NOON Persistence 2 mi "New Five Hills" walk with dog. 207ft. 46F, 41F WC Thursday, 21.11.25 Friday, 21.11.26 Saturday, 21.11.27 ---------------Week 8: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.11.28 NOON Persistence 2 mi "New Five Hills" walk with dog. 207ft. 34F, 31F WC Monday, 21.11.29 Tuesday, 21.11.30 NOON Resistance: Pull PD: 3 x 3 @ SLDL: 3 x 3 @ 185 RW: 3 x 3 @ 135 PD: 3 @ 100/100/100/120/140 Intermittence Concept II Rower: 3 x [30 sec @ L-Int; 30 sec @ M-Int] = 3 minutes Persistence 2 mi "New Five Hills" walk with dog. 207ft. 45F Wednesday, 21.12.01 NOON Resistance: Push BP 3 @ 45/135/135/135 OP: 3 @ 45/75/85/95/95/95 SQ: 3 @ 75/135/135/135 Still taking it easy, trying to work on consistency. Persistence 1.6 mi Four Hills walk with dog. 128ft. 46F with wet surfaces. Thursday, 21.12.02 Friday, 21.12.03 Persistence 2.4 mi "New Five Hills" walk with dog. 230ft. Doubled back to the store to get my daughter a smoothie. Walked in my new Skinners because the surfaces were wet. They seem a little thicker than the Sockwas, but should be a bit better on snow for that. Saturday, 21.12.04 LATE MORNING Persistence 2 mi "New Five Hills" walk with dog. 207ft. 34F, 26f WC--getting close to my limits for walking. Didn't get in the ST later, so that's a wrap!
Cycle VI Focus: This is going to be a rehab and weight loss cycle. I really want to work on the achilles tendinosis issue I have ben having for the last 3 years. I have been reading some more and some people have success with this by getting their glutes to activate more. And if this doesn't help the achilles it should help with the back issues. The other focus is going to be weight loss, I am going to try some calorie restriction and better eating. I have also dropped the daily beer drinking. Hope fully I can drop down 10 pounds this cycle, I am t 200-205 right now. So I will add in some conditioning, try to run longer more and get more consistent in the weight room. My shoulder issue seems to be on the mend, I can do lighter pulls with no pain now. I will keep them light and at high reps, and then very slowly move the weight up. I may not go for higher weight pulls anymore. I am also going to do more of an increasing weight for the heavy lifts again. The 5x5s are ok but I don't feel like they are a good fit for weight loss and running. I am usually to sore the next day to run. I may look into the 531 plan again for some general weight patterns. ---------------Week 1: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.10.10 Long hike - 3 hours Soccer with the boys PM Lift Squats - 6x5@145 Rows - 3x20@110 Press - 5,5,4,4@115 Ab rollouts - 3x8 Monday, 21.10.11 Tuesday, 21.10.12 Wednesday, 21.10.13 Thursday, 21.10.14 Friday, 21.10.15 Trail run - 1:44 Saturday, 21.10.16 ---------------Week 2: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.10.17 Monday, 21.10.18 Trail run - 2:47 Tuesday, 21.10.19 Wednesday, 21.10.20 AM Lift Glute work Front squats - 5x5@135 Press - 5x5@115 Pull downs - 3x12@110 Low pulls - 3x12@110 Planks Thursday, 21.10.21 Friday, 21.10.22 Trail run - 2:40 Saturday, 21.10.23 AM Lift Glute work Squats - 5@135,135,155,175,195 Bench - 12@135, 5@185,185,205 4@185 Farmers - 3x60m@70 Planks ---------------Week 3: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.10.24 Conditioning 4x PRows - 10@95 Sit ups - 10 KB Swings - 10@50 Sled - 60m@270/1 Glute work Pull throughs - 3x10@90 Hike - 1:50 Monday, 21.10.25 Tuesday, 21.10.26 Walk Wednesday, 21.10.27 AM lift Front Squats - 5x95,115,135,155,160 Press - 5x8@105 Pull downs - 5x8@115 Thursday, 21.10.28 Trail run - 2:28 Friday, 21.10.29 Swim - 50 laps Saturday, 21.10.30 AM lift Squats - 5x95,115,135,155,175 3x195,205 GHD SU - 3x10 Pull downs - 20,16,12@115 Cable knee drives - 3x10@50 Bench - 5x5@185 ---------------Week 4: Cycle VI--------------- Prior week weight average - 202.2 Sunday, 21.10.31 Trail run - 2:30 Monday, 21.11.01 AM Weighted walk - 40 min @ 20lbs. PM Weighted walk - 40 min @ 20lbs. I listened to a podcast and heard about power hiking with weight for training. I think I am going to add this in for 2-3 walks a week in place of running. I am also going to start logging weekly average weight to keep track on the trend, that hopefully goes downward. Tuesday, 21.11.02 Wednesday, 21.11.03 Thursday, 21.11.04 PM lift Squats - 5x95,115,135,155,175 3x195,205,215,220 GHD SU - 3x10 Pull downs - 3x8@130 Bench - 5@185,185,185,195,205 Friday, 21.11.05 AM Weighted Walk - 5k@20 PM Trail run - 1:50 PM Lift Deadlifts - 3@135,155,175 1@195,215,235,255,275,295,305 Tried out some deadlifts the back has been feeling great lately so I figured to try them out again. Was pretty sore the next couple of days so I am going to leave them out and continue with the squats. Saturday, 21.11.06 AM Weighted Walk - 5k @ 20 PM Walk - 5k ---------------Week 5: Cycle VI--------------- Prior week weight average - 203.5 I am chalking up this increase to creatine. I started tracing this week and am trying to keep total calories at 3,000/day Sunday, 21.11.07 Trail run - 2:25 I signed up for another 50k in December, based on the weather here it could either be a snow race or sunny and in the 70s. I am tentatively planning out my race season 11 Dec 2021 - 50k https://humanpotentialrunning.com/sawmill/ 07 May 2021 - 25/50 miler? https://gnarrunners.com/quad-rock-50/ 11 Jun 2021 - 38 mile https://humanpotentialrunning.com/races/south-park-marathon/ 25 Jun 2021 - 50 mile https://humanpotentialrunning.com/cuchara/ qualifier for the divide 100 30 Jul 2021 - 100k https://gnarrunners.com/never-summer-100k/ back up qualifier 26 Aug 2021 - 100 mile https://divide100.com/ Monday, 21.11.08 AM Lifting Front Squats - 5@95,115,125,135,145 3@155,165,175 Press - 5@95,105,110,115,120 3@125 Pull downs - 3x10@130 Cable knee raises - 3x8@50 Weighted Walk - 4k @ 20 Tuesday, 21.11.09 PM Lift Squats - 5@95 3@115,135,145,165,185,195,205,215, 2@225 Bench - 10@135 3@195, 200, 205, 210, 215, 220, 225 Low Pulls - 10@130 5@145 4x5@160 Farmers - 120m@140, 2x60m@140 Planks Wednesday, 21.11.10 Rest Day I am looking into increasing weekly running mileage and keeping my long runs to about 3 hours for the winter. I will need to figure out where to sprinkle in some extra weekly runs though. It will also depend on the achilles issues and if I can keep the pain manageable. The glute stuff actually seems to be helping and the achilles pain is justa minor irritation first thing in the morning. I think I am also adjusting down to 3 rep sets as mentioned by Bare Lee. I like the pure strength of 3 reps in squats and there seems to be no soreness or fatigue the day after. It also allows heavier lifts with better form and less fatigue during the workout. I will likely keep total volume to 30 reps for squats. I am still not sure about the upper body lifts though? Thursday, 21.11.11 Friday, 21.11.12 AM WU Front Squats - 5@95, 115, 135 3@145,155,165,175,185 Press - 5 @95, 105, 110,115,120 3@135 Hip thrusts - 3x10@90 GHD SU - 3x10 Saturday, 21.11.13 ---------------Week 6: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.11.14 AM Squats - 5@95,115,135 3@145,165,185,195,205,215 Bench - 5@135,185,185 3x6@185 Low pulls - 5x10@130 Single arm farmers - 3x60m@70 per arm Monday, 21.11.15 PM Front Squats - 5@95,115,135 3@145,155,165,175 Press - 5@95,115,125, 3@135, 2@140, 1@140 Pull downs - 5@130, 145, 160 Tuesday, 21.11.16 Wednesday, 21.11.17 PM Squats - 5@95,115,135, 155,165 3@185,195,205,215,225 Thursday, 21.11.18 Trail run - 1:34 Friday, 21.11.19 Trail run - 1:51 Hike - 1:27 Saturday, 21.11.20 Walk - 0:48 ---------------Week 7: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.11.21 Walk - 0:34 Monday, 21.11.22 AM Lifts WU squats and pushups Hip Thrusts - 3x5@90 Calf Raises - 3x8@180 Front Squats - 5@135, 3@155,175,185 Press - 10@95, 7@115, 3@135 Low Pulls - 2x8@145 Pulldowns - 12@130, 8@145 Bench - 10@135, 5@185, 5@195 GHD SU - 3x10 Tuesday, 21.11.23 Trail run - 121 min Wednesday, 21.11.24 AM Lifts WU squats and pushups Calf Raises - 8@185, 10@225 Squats - 5@135, 3@185,205,225 1@235 Press - 9@95, 7@115, 6@125, 3@135 Low pulls - 3x10@145 Pulldowns - 3x8@145 Bench - 10@135, 5@185, 5@195, 4@205 Hip Thrusts - 2x5@135 GHD SU - 3x10 Thursday, 21.11.25 Snowboarding Friday, 21.11.26 Walk - 5k Saturday, 21.11.27 Snowboarding again ---------------Week 8: Cycle VI--------------- Sunday, 21.11.28 AM Lifts Hip Thrusts - 3x5@90 WU squats and pushups Calf Raises - 5@225, 5@285, 5@330 Front Squats - 5@135, 3@155,175,185 1@195 Press - 8@105, 5@125, 3@135, 1@155 Low Pulls - 3x8@160 Pulldowns - 3x9@145 Bench - 10@135, 5@185, 5@205, 4@225, 2@235 GHD SU - 3x10 Monday, 21.11.29 3 walks - 40 min each Tuesday, 21.11.30 Sick as a dog, no covid according to the test though. Wednesday, 21.12.01 AM Lifts WU squats and pushups Calf Raises - 5@225, 5@285 Squats - 5@135, 3@185,205,225 1@235 Press - 8@95, 5@115,125,135 Prows - 5@135, 2x5@185 Pulldowns - 3x8@145 Bench - 10@135, 5@185, 5@205, 4@225, 1@235 Hip Thrusts - 3x5@90 GHD SU - 3x10 Afternoon Run - 5k PM Walk - 5k Thursday, 21.12.02 Weighted walk - 5k@20 I will get caught up posting soon, I am really liking this new lifting pattern where I hit everything all in one day. Friday, 21.12.03 AM Lifts WU squats and pushups Calf Raises - 5@225, 5@285, 5@345 Front Squats - 5@135, 3@155,175,195 (that 195 set was tough but manageable) Press - 8@105, 5@125, 4@135, 2@145 Pulldowns - 3x6@160 Bench - 8@135, 5@185, 5@205, 3@225 Hip Thrusts - 3x5@90 Low Pulls - 20@130, 12@130 Planks - 3x30sec Saturday, 21.12.04 Trail run - 1:48 Walk - 0:55
Good luck with the rehab and weight loss! Will be interested in seeing what kind of programming you do for the lifting. I've kind of been stuck with inconsistency, but I think my program is probably a good one. However, I think I do need to add another target set or two, or follow through with the backoff set idea, in order to get the right mix of volume and intensity to make better progress. I feel like I'm just treading water right now.
I am actually just going to do increasing weight sets for most of the lower lifts and keep the uppers at the 5x5 weights. The few sessions on squats have been tough and I definitely have some overall body soreness but nothing localized like the 5x5s. Could be more of a neuromuscular thing than muscle growth? I might transition this next cycle to micro loading although I am not sure if each session I can always maintain the prior week's amounts. There are too many variables going on with training. But yeah I get that general feeling of sitting on a plateau too. I shouldn't complain though as I have not had much back pain and the ankle/achilles issue seems to be going away. Congrats on your son's football success! Both of mine bowed out early unfortunately. I guess that is ok time wise, ski season is starting next weekend. I will definitely miss them having daily practice, although now I will have my PM lifting partners back.
Yah, the lower body lifts often feel like a different approach may be warranted. There's more muscle mass recruited of course, but technique also becomes paramount, to avoid injury, so it's probably not a good idea to do them with much fatigue, as with a 5x5 program. Still, hard to argue with Rip's approach; it works for a lot of people. Yah, there are many variables these days, but consistency is still king. I've just got to nail down a doable schedule and keep to it, no excuses. This morning I went on my dog walk first thing, and that felt pretty good and it's a time slot that's hard to clog with other obligations. And then lifting has to be either right before lunch or right before dinner I think. But the former is much easier to keep open most days. Anyway, going to Chicago this weekend to visit some college friends and get the kids out of town, see a big city. With my wife's illness, we didn't go anywhere this last summer. Just a few day trips to nearby parks. My son began hockey the week after the flag football playoffs, and one of the coaches lives nearby, so he can take him to practices most days. So instead of flag football and soccer practices and games six days out of seven, suddenly I have no obligations around dinner hour or during the day on weekends.
Totally agree that form is paramount, I also go back to the 5x5 program probably works really well if you are just lifting an eating. Kind of the opposite of what I am going for now. Something else that has been surprising about ramping, other than not being sore, is it feels like a better warmup to start low and just add weights. I have been doing a quick 3x10 of air squats and then making 20 pound jumps from 95. I am sweating by the 4th set. Also like you say I am much more able to focus on my form. Hope you had a good trip, is your son playing ice hockey?
I seemed to have settled on the 3-rep set pretty well. It's a pure strength set, but it would probably be good to mix in different rep ranges like I used to do on my 'weekly wave.' But these days the only focus is on consistency and making everything as easy mentally as possible. Still, I've always been intrigued by the idea of doing the lower body lifts three reps and the upper body ones five reps. Might have to try that at some point. Cool that you are trying ramping as well. It certainly is the safest way to lift, but might also be the most effective. It sure helps with my shoulders to get them good and lubed before hitting the target set. It's also an excellent way to get some extra volume. The trip went very well, thanks, good to get out of town and clear the head. Yah, my son is playing hockey. All indoors until the highs are consistently below freezing, like mid-December. He also asked about basketball last week, but registration is closed. He used to do both until the pandemic hit. Football remains his favorite sport though. Those are some awesome-looking races! I'm enviously supportive. Puts my hills walks to shame, but gotta make due with what's available, right? There is talk about going out to Glacier National Park in a couple of summers. The kids should be old enough for some decent hiking, and if my knees continue to hold up well . . .
Yeah they are crazy races but the ones I enjoy with a lot of remote big mountain hikes. I like your idea about ramping 3 reps, I always have kind of liked the 3 rep set too and I am going to reduce the squats from 5s to 3s for the rest of the cycle. I give a little explanation above. I think if I increase the running frequency and volume it will definitely limit any muscle hypertrophy and then I can lift whenever as there is hardly any muscle soreness.
Yah, good points about limited soreness as well with respect to the three-rep set, along with less fatigue while actually doing the lifts, and therefore a better focus on form. Instead of higher-rep sets, I'm supposed to be doing HIIT on the machines for that kind of conditioning work. There fatigue is OK and form isn't as critical, so it's a good match. Good to hear your Achilles and glute issues are clearing up! It's always cool when we can self-diagnose and trouble-shoot. Are you stretching out your toes? I find stretching the posterior chain, including the Achilles, starts at the toes (pulling them towards the shin) all the way through the hammies up to the neck. I sometimes notice my arch feeling stiff after a good barefoot walk, so I gotta get serious about those foot stretches too. My new improved "Roman" dog walk is working out well. It adds 0.8 miles to the "Five Hills" walk but more than doubles the elevation gain. Almost feels like a workout when I get back. Now I just got to get the lifting and machines back on track . . .
Opps I didn't see that you had caught up. Yah, there is something to be said for just doing everything when you have a chance. Then you only have to worry about getting it in three times a week, rather than six like I'm trying to do. Anyway, will post Cycle VII soon. Nice job on the Presses by the way!
