I’ve been struggling with that for a while. Or I should say dealing with, not really struggling lol. I figure with as much food as I’m eating plus starting the day with my first meal being huge amounts of fiber it was normal.
Normal or not, if it isn’t helping you might as well try and fix it. That being said, if you’re pushing food that hard I’m not sure anything is going to fully correct the problem.
This is one of the reasons why Stan Efferding developed the Vertical Diet. It’s nothing fancy or new, but it works for his clientele, which includes very heavy and strong guys who unsurprisingly burn off a lot of energy. It’s basically a very low FODMAP diet with a good dose of red meat. He recommends easily digestible carbohydrate – white rice – to fuel such high activity levels without wrecking the gut.
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Interesting, I haven’t read about that but a lot of my “good choices” essentially follow that pattern. Lunch today was just under a lb of ground beef, a handful of white rice, bell pepper, and squash topped with salsa and sour cream. Toppings aren’t low fodmap but the bulk is. I’ll have to look into it
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@SvenG Just a little more “food for thought” on all this gut stuff - If the Metamucil and/or other above suggestions don’t do the trick it might be worth giving a probiotic a shot. A strong gut flora and microbiome go a long way. Food sources of probiotics CAN be good be the actual amount of viable living organisms in things like kraut, kefir, yogurt, etc. varies SO much and changes quickly. Exposure to light, temperature changes, and with time the viable quantity of actual “live cultures” decreases. A shelf-stable powdered probiotic is often the best route, if you go that way.
I know you mentioned that you don’t typically consume obvious carbs - but potentially adding some oatmeal (different fiber type than the veggies) could help - I’ve had this work for several of my clients. If staying completely away from carbs is the objective even giving something like flax and/or chia seeds a try might help the situation. The oatmeal + the seeds = super power. You could also consider playing with some resistant starches. (I won’t bore you with all of this here and now - but if/when you’re ready to dig deeper - just holler.)
Definitely keep us posted and I’d be happy to help you troubleshoot this if things don’t improve - it’s the least I can do for you unknowingly allowing me to lurk on your log!
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@wanna_be - Thanks for popping in, dude. Looks like @T3hPwnisher and @heretolog got you up-to-speed on the GI stuff. I’ll just say that, so far, the fiber supplements certainly aren’t hurting. @Bagsy and @QuadQueen added some good ideas re: food sources and probiotics that I’ll be looking into, too. Hope you get your gut sorted—gets to be a drag after awhile!
@T3hPwnisher - Hah! Of course it is. I should’ve known. (You may have even mentioned that somewhere along the way.) That dude’s a powerhouse!
@QuadQueen - Thanks for the information! (It’s nice to have you comment, BTW.) Here, too, I used to supplement with a probiotic, but I dropped it along with so much else awhile back. It may be time to reintroduce that. It’s also been awhile since I’ve had oatmeal, but that seems an easy one to try—my daughter loves it, so it’s already at hand.
Cheers, everyone—thanks again for the input!
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5s PRO, 5x5 FSL - c9w3d2
Monday - 21 February 2022
Workout: Squat, 0850-1000 (70 minutes)
Warm-up
Throws + jumps
Begin: 0907; End: 0959; Duration: 52 minutes
Squat - 135x5, 165x5, 195x5 | 225x5, 255x5, 285x5 | (225x5)x5
Chin-up - BW - 15, 15, 10
HLR - 20, 20, 10
Dip - 75 - 15, 15, 10
BFP - red - 40
Good morning - 115 - 20, 10
Push-up - 40
Assistance totals:
Push - 80 reps
Pull - 80 reps
Single-leg/core - 80 reps
Really wanted to say, “I crushed 1s week squats!” but I guess I didn’t want it badly enough… Basically I just survived 1s week squats. Not only did the top set feel heavy, it just moved really badly: it was slow and the sticking points were odd. That took a lot out of me, so the supplemental felt awful for just 2 plates. Rest of it was fine, though; not much else to say about it, really.
Didn’t say yesterday when I was planning on doing the main lift Widowmakers this week, in part because I hadn’t really decided. But I don’t think 225x20 is what I need today—that’s just more squats on top of today’s less-than-stellar squats. Instead, I think what I did in Week 1 (with the Widowmakers a day later) is more in keeping with my intent: to keep the higher-rep work routine.
Given that, then, all that remains for today is hard conditioning and daily work.
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5s PRO, 5x5 FSL - c9w3d2
Monday - 21 February 2022
Workout: Hard conditioning, 1200-1250 (50 minutes)
In as few rounds as possible, EMOM:
a) Chin-ups/pull-ups (strict, various grips) - minimum 52 total
b) KB swings - 24 kg - minimum 50 total
c) 1-pump burpees - minimum 50 total
Rounds: 15
Sled push - 10x50 yds, 135 + sled = 222 lbs
Time: 11:32
Planning for next-day Widowmakers is the right call: 225x20 would’ve been a disaster today, but I’m deciding now that I’ll crush it tomorrow.
That was a hot mess. Left SI joint started whining loudly during swings, I hit some kind of wall during chins, and my whole body was screaming during the sled push. Took 15 rounds to get through the daily work:
Chins - 11+2, 10+3, 8+3+2, 8+2, 5+2 for 56 total
Swings - 20, 20, 15, 15, 15 for 85 total
Burpees - 13, 13, 13, 13, 13 for 65 total
and I averaged about 70 seconds per trip with the sled. Nothing left to do but put today behind me and come out swinging tomorrow.
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I would t worry about the shitty day on squats happens to all of us. I tend to find bi squat and bench can feel like that. Sometimes it all just feels wrong and there make them harder than they should be. Deadlift I seem to be able to just get through it, maybe it is a more simple movement or that fact that the weights is not crushing you at the start of the rep makes it feel easier 
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@simo74 - Right you are! I want to be good at squats, and some days I am—but today was not one of those days!
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I find with squats that the weight makes such a difference (I know that is bloody obvious). On the last set of 4 at 150 last night they felt and no doubt looked awful. To the point that the last rep was a slow good morning grinder squat and a guy training next to me started to walk over quickly to save me. Turns out I didn’t need a save. But it obviously looked so sketchy he couldn’t help not react.
I dropped the weight to 130 on the last set and he asked me if I wanted a spot. I said no thanks I have dropped the weight. The 4 reps at 130 were like warm ups. Good depth smooth reps, felt great. When you are getting near to max or max with reps squats just get ugly that’s just how it goes.
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I think it’s important to recognise that on these days it’s just about getting the work done and marking that down as a victory
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@aholding88 - Absolutely, mate. Thanks for the reminder—I find it’s easy to lose perspective sometimes.
5s PRO, 5x5 FSL - c9w3d3
Tuesday - 22 February 2022
Workout: Press + squat WM, 0735-0845 + 1245-1255 (70 + 10 minutes)
Warm-up
Throws + jumps
Begin: 0754; End: 0842; Duration: 48 minutes
Press - 70x5, 80x5, 95x5 | 110x5, 125x5, 140x5 | (110x5)x5
Pull-up - BW - 13+2, 13+2, 13+2
Ab wheel - ramp (15) - 30, 20
Decline DB press - 2x50 lbs - 20, 20
BPA - red - (10+5) high + (10+5) mid + (10+5) low
Bulgarian split squat - L/R - 2x20 lbs - 20, 10
Band pushdown - red - 32+8
Squat - 225 - 21 (rep PR)
Assistance totals:
Push - 80 reps
Pull - 90 reps
Single-leg/core - 80 reps
For everything yesterday’s squat top set lacked, I made up for with today’s press: the last rep got stuck for a split second and I think there was an almost imperceptible core wiggle, but overall it was smooth, it was solid, and I was quite happy with it.
Pull-ups were a struggle again today, so I did rest-pause throughout because I was miffed and so accumulated a few extra reps. I’m beginning to think I find them more difficult when they’re early in a workout because I’m not as warmed up as when they come later. Whatever, got 45 reps in with more to come later today, so that’s something.
Squat WM, daily work, and hard conditioning later today, too. Planning to crush the squats around lunchtime, with the rest to follow once the kids are settled after school. It’s supposed to rain all afternoon—and the radar suggests they’re right for once—so we’ll have to see about the sled push. I may have to swap that with tomorrow’s weighted vest walk if the weather doesn’t cooperate.
Edit: I just crushed—and I mean, crushed—the squat WM: 21 solid reps in 1:52 for a new rep PR. Might have even been 22 (I didn’t get a video), but I am 100% sure it wasn’t fewer than 21. It’s raining again and doesn’t look like we’ll get a break, but we’ll just have to see how things play out later this afternoon…
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We’re definitely in the same region of the country.
Are you under-recovering? Seems like you’ve had a few rough days, in various ways. Sleep/Gut/Food all on point? Miffed reps push my deadlift PR sets up by 2-3 every time lol
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Could be, man. Though it’s a pretty big system, so I’m not sure that means much today, haha!
Yeah, things have gone better. But I’m gonna chalk it up to a bad day or two, particularly because I crushed that squat WM a few minutes ago: took it to 21 reps, just because I could!
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Great job on the squat WM set. I love that you may or may not have lost count and done another rep. The brain shuts down after about 15 reps and the rest is always a blur. Your rep strength is really progressing well with this style of training. Who would have thought that practicing something a lot makes you better !!!
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Thanks, brother!
Exactly this! It was rep 15 (or was it 16?) when I became unsure. I hit 14, paused for breath, and hit two more, so I’m pretty sure it was actually rep 16, but I did rep “17” twice just to be sure!
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5s PRO, 5x5 FSL - c9w3d3
Tuesday - 22 February 2022
Workout: Hard conditioning, 1550-1625 (35 minutes)
6 rounds of:
a) 9 alternating DB snatches - L/R - 35 lbs
b) 9 chin-ups/pull-ups (strict, various grips)
Time: 9:37
Sled push - 10x50 yds, 135 + sled = 222 lbs
Time: 9:37
The rain pushed through! Driveway was wet—that probably made it easier—but I had enough traction to push, I did the work, and I got the distance in. The circuit beforehand went well, too: a little less than 2 minutes per round, HR was up, and I got all 9 chin-ups/pull-ups in each round without dropping. Totaled 54 snatches per arm, too, so it was an action-packed 35 minutes.
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5s PRO, 5x5 FSL - c9w3d4
Wednesday - 23 February 2022
Workout: Easy conditioning + calves + press WM, 0745-0915 (90 minutes)
Seated CR - 230 lbs - 30, 20, 10
Bike@120 bpm - 15 minutes
Press - 110 - 15+4, 5
Weighted vest walk - 30 kg - 32 minutes (to/from park)
Fasted.
Well that was miserable. Again.
Actually, the calf raises felt strong today and the bike had me sweating like crazy, so that’s good. But the press WM was atrocious—really it was a “Widowmaker.” Got thorough 10 reps alright, next 2-3 were hard but solid, then reps 14 and 15 started to grind. Failed the first attempt at rep 16 outright: just wouldn’t budge. Okay, rest-pause, so rack it for 15 seconds, try again, but couldn’t even get the remaining 5: failed rep 20—again, just couldn’t move it. Took about a minute to recompose myself, then knocked out 5 reps just because. Yuck. My lower back was screaming throughout all of it. Just terrible.
Depending on when I tackle these Widowmaker sets again, it may be time to jump back to a weight I can press for 20+ solid reps and start working my way up: I only hit 20 reps at the FSL weight back in Week 1 of this cycle (which was 95 lbs). You know, try to get a running start and all that…
Took the route to the park and back. Track is no longer buried in snow, so I can start running up there again if I want to. But I definitely don’t want to, haha. Thinking to mix things up with the conditioning in the cycle of BBB that’s ahead, so I will probably work running back into the rotation, but I haven’t finalized my plan just yet.
Anyway, it’s Wednesday, so jump rope, daily work, and Pwn’s The Last Castle later this afternoon.
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