Nice numbers on the DL. On your way to the 500 in a few weeks.
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Thanks mday. I’m working towards it for sure.
Really? Geez, don’t you people have LIVES?
[quote]
How has your body been feeling?
mday[/quote]
You’ll need to ask my wife about that one…
Kidding aside, thanks for the encouragement. Structurally sound, operationally - need some reprogramming in the shoulder and right leg. Soldog and BunZilla have given me some good rehab exercises for the former and I’m still feeling out the latter. Reduced volume and frequency is helping recovery a lot. t’ain’t the Westside strategy, but this program is working for me so far.
[quote]ecogenx wrote:
you bastard! your deadlift is getting huge. Now I’m gonna have to try and catch up to you. Great work. Also, your pullup weights are impressive.[/quote]
Now if those things only translated to a bigger bench - say, like yours - the planets would orbit smoothly for me. Sadly, Venus has fallen into the Sun.
You have native ability. Shouldn’t be too hard for you to pass me.
[quote]1Geech wrote:
So you have caught the high-rep squat bug, have you? Gesundheit! Great work on those DLs: I like your problem-solving approach.[/quote]
Thanks Geech, but I can’t take credit for it. I have a coach working in my corner of late. The alternating high rep stuff + partials was his idea. He’s been politely telling me for about a year that I was doing too much volume when I was posting on the Westside PLing thread in the Strength Sports forum.
When he formally agreed to coach me, I started to do what he told me to - mostly because he’s got a 600/500/700 lifting completely raw and drug free…and I don’t. There are bigger benchers, squatters and deadlifters out there, but I don’t know them.
I don’t LIKE high rep squats and deads. Always pussed out at 12 in the past, but coach says do a bunch and 15 seems reachable. So I do them.
See? I haven’t anywhere near your discipline. Someone has to tell me to do what’s necessary
[quote]skidmark wrote:
I don’t LIKE high rep squats and deads. Always pussed out at 12 in the past, but coach says do a bunch and 15 seems reachable. So I do them.
[/quote]
So what are we to look for this session next come-round: more than 15 reps at this weight, or more weight and 15 again (I am guessing the latter)? Remember, Burnsey will be watching you!
The first few sessions I did not like them either, physically or psychologically. But after a few times, I got the hang of it. One thing I discovered is that pausing too long for breath between reps seems to let the lactic acid build up more than when I do the +10 reps as fast as possible. Don’t know if that makes physiological sense.
[quote]1Geech wrote:
skidmark wrote:
I don’t LIKE high rep squats and deads. Always pussed out at 12 in the past, but coach says do a bunch and 15 seems reachable. So I do them.
So what are we to look for this session next come-round: more than 15 reps at this weight, or more weight and 15 again (I am guessing the latter)? Remember, Burnsey will be watching you!
The first few sessions I did not like them either, physically or psychologically. But after a few times, I got the hang of it. One thing I discovered is that pausing too long for breath between reps seems to let the lactic acid build up more than when I do the +10 reps as fast as possible.
[/quote]
You know me so well already! More weight for me, of course. In my head I’m not doing 15. I do 1,2,3,4,5,1,2,3,4,5,1,2,1,2,1. I should try counting backwards…
If I ever get 15@315 I’ll be getting somewhere then. These seem like babyweights after the partials and I’m a little frustrated that they seem so heavy, but given where I was 6 months ago (flat on my back and unable to lift my foot) I think this is actually just fine.
[quote]skidmark wrote:
Benefits of Fish Oil(which we all know) http://ezinearticles.com/?7-Fish-Oil-Benefits-Proven-by-Research&id=415032
In addition to omega-3 oils and essential oils, fish oil provides a surplus of Vitamin D which is needed for just about every important hormonal process in your body. The FDA guidelines on the RDA are so ridiculously low (400 IU) its a wonder we don’t all have thyroid and pituitary problems. You can dose up to 12000 to 25000 IU before Vit-D becomes toxic. 3000-5000 IU is a good level to be at. The improvement in immune function is by itself amazing.
Both Chondroitin and MSM are ways of getting sulfur into the body and thence into the cells.
You might want to look at the effects of zinc, magnesium and manganese supplementation.
zinc improves testosterone manufacture and fertility in men (and gives you some wild dreams when you get too much of it.)
Magnesium is involved in the relaxation phase of muscle contraction and must be balanced with calcium to prevent cramps. It helps with cardiac rhythm and in laying down calcium on the bones.
Manganese (along with zinc) seems to be involved in the creation of collagen (connective tissue) like skin and ligaments. It’s used in trace amounts but seems to have a large effect. It’s found in yams and other tuberous vegetables.
Sorry for the book. Hope that’s helpful.
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Belated thanks for the overview. Good information is key to fine-tuning the diet, and recalling why it is we are doing some things in the first place.
I’m totally mental on the incline presses. I realized after failing at 230 AGAIN after doubling 215, that I’ve never supramaxed the movement. I knew I had the strength for 230 so it had to be a psychout or CNS block. So I did a couple of bar holds and my CNS didn’t freak out on the subsequent 230 attempt. No kick in the head feeling. Should be okay going forward.
[quote]skidmark wrote:
230x0 (!? curse word,cussing and banging on stuff)
265x2 (2 supramax holds)
230x1 (so freakin’ there!)
I’m totally mental on the incline presses. I realized after failing at 230 AGAIN after doubling 215, that I’ve never supramaxed the movement. I knew I had the strength for 230 so it had to be a psychout or CNS block. So I did a couple of bar holds and my CNS didn’t freak out on the subsequent 230 attempt.[/quote]
That’s cool to see that it worked. It wasn’t planned this session; are you going to try it more regularly? Or do you think it might be a more valuable as an irregular ‘shock technique’?
[quote]1Geech wrote:
skidmark wrote:
230x0 (!? curse word,cussing and banging on stuff)
265x2 (2 supramax holds)
230x1 (so freakin’ there!)
I’m totally mental on the incline presses. I realized after failing at 230 AGAIN after doubling 215, that I’ve never supramaxed the movement. I knew I had the strength for 230 so it had to be a psychout or CNS block. So I did a couple of bar holds and my CNS didn’t freak out on the subsequent 230 attempt.
That’s cool to see that it worked. It wasn’t planned this session; are you going to try it more regularly? Or do you think it might be a more valuable as an irregular ‘shock technique’?[/quote]
I was not thinking about what I was doing as I was so focused on finally getting 230. That’ll be the last full ROM incline I do for a while.
According to the plan, I’m supposed to do supramax partials and then follow up with a high rep set using Full ROM. I’ve been picking my sticking points as the place to set the pins. It should carry over to lower down to a certain extent. The high rep sets are to be done with as much speed as possible so that I train the muscles to explode out of the bottom. I’m beginning to see that they also work as conditioning exercise and joint prehab.
I ordered some “Power Hooks” or as it’s said in Cat’s Cradle, “hyoooks,” for my dumbbells. I’m freakin’ weary of spiking myself in the thigh with those spinlock bastards when benching.
In general how many times a week do you workout? Do you have everything mapped out for the next month or longer? just curious how someone with you consistancy and drive does it.
[quote]ecogenx wrote:
In general how many times a week do you workout? Do you have everything mapped out for the next month or longer? just curious how someone with you consistancy and drive does it.[/quote]
I just work out every other day until I get too tired to do it. Then I take an extra day or two off between sessions.
Every session I try to beat the last session’s poundages, reps, or sets in the main movements.
That’s it.
Here’s a breakdown of the cycle:
Day 1: bench pressing
Day 2: shoulders and back
Day 3: Squatting/Deadlifting
I rotate main movements on each day to hold neural adaptation at bay, basically confusing the body so it can’t adapt and stop improving. I don’t always know what I’m going to be doing on an individual day except squatting/DLing because I only have two things I do. Lately I’ve been doing partial movements to a max and then follow that with a high-rep full range exercise.
First time this has happened: Lats are sore from benching yesterday.[/quote]
Nice detail: I had the same thing last week and had already forgotten about it, but surely that is a sign of optimal positioning and pressing. How to repeat it?
It is a good sign. I just hope I can repeat it. Trying to squish my shoulders up and back to make the platform for pushing. 2 years and still trying to get the hang of it…
