12/3 Saturday
BA Deadlift Program w3
PR set.
370lbs, 4 reps - rep PR. Previous was 1 rep.
370 is all the weight i have at home.
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Congrats
Not for long
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Time to hang kettlebells on the end
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And i have taped dumbbells to the bar before! But to be fair i wanted to use less than my 1rm and try to get a few reps this time.
I do n3ed more iron though.
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12/5/22 Monday
I’m back, physically. Still a lingering annoying cough, but I have my energy and drive and work capacity back. Whew!
Bench press 5/3/1 w3:
5x155, 3x175, 7x195. Happy enough with that, maybe it’s a rep PR. Had a spotter, and went for the 8th rep and failed it.
Assistance: Incline bench, 145lb, 8, 8, 6.
Barbell rows, 6x10x135 superset with the above. Go heavier next time.
Dips, +20lb, 3x8
Ab rollouts, 3x8, superset with the above.
Pec deck, alternating with reverse flyes (same machine). Unfamiliar with this machine, so felt weird and awkward but I’m sure I put some stress on my pecs.
Biceps and triceps using free weights. Had the privelege of doing curls with 50lb DBs. Funny that’s something I used to be quite proud of back 10 years ago when I couldn’t/didn’t squat. Nowadays it’s just a goof.
Rope pushdowns and then reverse close grip pulllups.
All that upper body stuff can be kinda fun!
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Some notes to self before the chaos of Monday begins:
Friday morning before dawn we’re leaving on another family trip to the Florida entertainment-industrial-complex. It’s going to be “fun”. It will also preclude training for a few days and make decent eating difficult. I do intend to hit a grocery store the first night and get SOME kind of decent food to a) eat for hotel dinners and b) bring into the park on subsequent days, but good luck…
I think we come back late Monday night. So not too many missed days.
Was also thinking with the way my lifts are structured, I could re-arrange my training week and keep the same work, but possibly be more efficient? Like this:
Monday: Bench 5/3/1, squat assistance 1, press assistance 1.
Wednesday: Bench assistance 1, Squat 5/3/1, press assistance 2.
Friday: Bench assisstance 2, Squat assistance 2, Press 5/3/1.
And of course the rowing/pullups stay paired with the bench and press work.
It’s not that different from what I’m doing, just that I might be “fresher” for everything… Nice to know there are options.
And another note, the T-ransformation is coming up soon and I think it would be good to lean out. I’m happy to wait for 1/1 to start, but it would be nice to lose the love handles and have decently visible abs. I also think regular jogging and more conditioning would be healthy.
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Is there a reason why on Monday you put the 531 stuff first but on the other days you put it after the assistance work ? Just curious, because for me I would always do my 531 movement at the start and then move on to the stuff.
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Maybe i would. Was just spitballing. I pit them that way to replicate the order im currently doing them during the week - bench monday, squat wed, press fri.
The bench squat press order seemed good to me, but having every session starting with bench seemed like you were doing that for a reason.
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Wasn’t really. But, starting the week with bench day as im currently doing is kinda fun. It really makes it a focus. I have nearly always started with squats and its a nice break.
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12/7 Wednesday pearl harbor day
Leg curls first. Didn’t seem to make a difference
Squat 5/3/1 c3w2 5s pro
200, 230, 260
3x8x185
Sldl 3x10x225
Bpas 6x10
Leg curls and extensions
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Work’s been busy so hadn’t had a chance to comment on yesterday’s workout. Far from @sveng 's famous soliloquies after each session (or interlude), but I do like to write how I feel each time and any notes that future me should care about. So, regarding yesterday:
Again, squats felt like the gravity had been turned up. In fairness, it’s possible that’s just because I’ve - in a very short period - dramatically increased my squat working weight. Pretty sure 245 was a 3RM or 2RM just a couple years ago.
Work capacity/conditioning still hasn’t come back since the flu. I’m going to have to “go before I’m ready” and force it to return, because I’m now sweating after a few sets of squats and, as per below, too wiped out to exert much more afterward.
The 3x8x185 were also MUCH too hard.
The SLDL made me want to puke. It’s weird. I can’t identify where my limit is on these - my hamstrings can take more. My glutes simply don’t get involved (they never do). But every rep I just want to set the bar down and quit, yet I’m totally capable of getting the next rep - and the next. Maybe it’s again, a conditioning issue. A lot of poundage moving really fast, and my CV/lungs just can’t keep up?
Because I really felt nauseous after the squats and SLDL. Pre-flu I’d have been pushing the sled after this, and just absolutely “couldn’t” do it. Opted for some corny isolation movements instead.
(The BPAs were between the squats, obviously not referring to those).
AND THEN in the locker room, I felt SO BAD, I realized that the feeling in my stomach was similar to the feeling of losing a friend or suffering some kind of mental anguish. And in turn, the sick feeling put me into a melancholy state. Normally being sad makes your stomach feel bad, didn’t realize it could work the other way around.
Anyway that’s all TMI and TLDR so whatever. It was just strange and worth noting.
Edit to also add, 36 hours later and i am SORE. it hurts to sit or stand or walk. Which seems strange.
Leaving tomorrow for a family trip which I’ll do my best to enjoy. I’ll miss: Friday’s press day, Saturday’s deadlift training, Monday’s bench day. No big deal.
I may also reset my squat 5/3/1 back to week 1 when I get back, because the week 3 weights might crush my dehydrated self after several days of theme parks.
I’m going to start running a bit in January. Will take a bunch of easy 1-milers. Then in Feb I’ll make it easy 2-milers. I expect that to have an impact on my spare tire and be good for the T-ransformation.
OK this took to long. Back to work.
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Vacation happened. I survived, made good choices but still lost a couple pounds. Didn’t eat and had minimal sugary snax (mostly finishing the kids’ ice cream… mostly). I think we did 6-8 miles per day for 3 days. On the first night I got to a grocery store and while there wasn’t much food I could bring into the park, due to perishability, every morning and night I was able to load up on eggs, muscle milk, egg whites, greek yogurt, and sausage. Wife thought I was ridiculous slamming food like my life depended on it. But we both lost weight on the trip so now I don’t look so dumb after all hahaha!
I’m back in time for squat day, and based on how hard w1 and w2 were, I reset to w1. It was still too hard, I feel like I’m just beat up from all the illness, vacation, life stress, tiny wrists, etc.
Squat 5s pro c3w1 again
185, 215, 245 x 5
3x8x185 (That should have been therapeutic. It was not. it was hard.)
SLDL or RDL: 3x10x225.
Sled push: 3 rounds. Effing wiped.
Also, 7x10 BPAs in between. Leg curls before squats, which I still haven’t seen the benefit of but whatever. Massive set of leg extensions, and calf raises after.
Even a set on the weird glute machine but I don’t think it stimulated anything.
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Thursday, December 15. Bonus gym trip, Stopped off on the way to work for a 30 minute pump session. Pecs and biceps mostly. Was fun. Unfortunately it cost me dearly because it put me behind some of the worst traffic I have encountered on my commute.
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Friday 12/16. 9 days to Christmas!
Press 5/3/1 c1? w3 after a week away.
5x95, 3x110, 3x125 - what a disappointment. I got 3x135 just a few weeks ago. And I just haven’t been the same since the flu. Also I had no brace on this set. And afterward my lower back felt off… I’ll try tightening my belt. TBH I think weight has come off, and while that may be good and bad, mass moves mass. But also my work capacity went to sh-t and other things, as regular readers are aware.
BTN press - 3x8x95lb. Much happier with that, was VERY hard at the end!
Pullups - MUCH happier with these! All pullup sets were supersetted in between press and BTN press.
Regular (double overhand shoulder width) pullups:
5x+0, 5x+25, 7x+45 probably a PR and pretty badass. TBH rep 7 was kinda crappy but I’m counting it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone at my gym do these and I know people were watching… haha.
Vanity set: 2.8 reps at +70lbs. Can’t remember if the PR is 2 or 3, but I was dang close to 3 reps here.
BTN pullups: Haven’t really trained these, but feels different: 3x8 at bodyweight.
Underhand wide grip, one set of 15 at bodyweight.
Power cleans: 3x135. Was going to do more but two issues combined to prevent this or any further accessory work. First, I attempted 185, and missed the lift. Second, while I was loading the 185, my wife texted that I need to rush home so we can get various members of the family to the doctor.
I and most of the family had flu recently. Now my wife has strep. Yesterday the baby was also diagnosed with strep. Today another kid woke up with sore throat, so he’s on his way to be seen. Meanwhile my wife is WORSE so she may have something else, and needs to go back in. And it’s probably just a matter of tiime until EVERYONE else in the house (there are 6 of us, remember!) have to be seen.
But the main work is done. If possible to do shoulders and triceps at home I will, but it’s honestly not bloody likely.
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Saturday 12/17
Badass deadlift program cycle 2 w1
Deadlift singles from a deficit platform, 20 singles as fast as possible.
Blew out last cycle’s performance, which was 20x255 in 4:00. Today was 20x275 in 3:30, so i kept going to 23x275 in 4:08.
Felt great!
So following on @simo74 's footsteps i picked up the 100lb bag and carried for 6 minutes, going nearly a quarter mile alternating both shoulders and bear hug. Rested 2 minutes at that point, and walked back faster, having 54 seconds to spare when i returned and continued carrying for that time.
First time in several sessions ive felt able to perform.
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A nutrition note. I recently visited the back corner of my local grocery meat section and discovered a section of organ meats! Really cheap stuff, like $2.50/lb for most of it. Beef liver, heart, tongue, cheek, tripe. Not knowing much about any of it I bought a package of each and have been experimenting the last couple days.
Looks like the cheek is easy to make in the slow cooker, excited about that because it’s half the cost of the cheap shoulder roasts I buy when they are on sale. I froze it for now.
The liver cooked easily, I made bacon first and then mixed liver with bacon. Decided to dole a bit of liver/bacon out into each of the next several meals.
The heart, I read, can be cooked like steak. So I did, medium rare, and it was OK but I just felt a little weird. Today I stir-fried a bunch of it with a dose of liver/bacon, a cup of rice, and a carrot sliced thin. It was really good! And, again, it’s basically steak at a fraction of the price.
The tripe, I read, is a bit more difficult. I’m not looking forward to dealing with it and given the other meats I have access to, I probably won’t make Tripe a regular purchase. But I have a pack, frozen for now, guess I’ll give it a try eventually… open to suggestions if anyone has experience. Possibly @QuadQueen .
Didn’t buy the tongue, but I think it cooks like the cheek. Haven’t looked that up yet.
As most of you probably know I also drink liquid egg whites in absurd amounts, and eat a ton of greek yogurt. In an effort to lower my animal fats I found a couple that are very tasty yet low-fat and don’t seem to have too much sugar.
Super happy to have found a way to keep the lean meat coming without spending a fortune. Slow-cooker meals are the best for me, so once I get through everything I bought I’ll probably zero in on the cheek, tongue, and heart for future meat purchases.
TLDR:
Lean animal protein, cheap? Sign me up!
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Well, I’m not gonna lie - I don’t have a ton of experience with offal because I think it tastes kind of, uh, awful. lol
I will do liver sometimes, but I grind it up and mix it with ground beef. You can’t even tell it’s in there!! That liver/bacon mix sounds lucrative too. I’m going to try that sometime.
My grandma used to boil up a cow tongue as a Christmas “treat”. Just boil it, chill it, slice it, stick it on a saltine, sprinkle salt on it, and call it an “appetizer”. I actually don’t remember that being too bad.
I’ve tried most other organ meats at one Paleo conference or another in a past life. I don’t remember any tasting particularly good but do remember almost barfing after sampling some chicken liver pate.
I’m sorry that I’m not super helpful in this area - but if you have any specific requests, I definitely have connections with some people that could be!
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I find all organs delicious by themselves except for kidney, which I am not patient enough to render tolerable.
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I am going to leave this for @Cyrrex
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