(Long long irrelevant post. I recommend skipping it.)
Goals, again
Like a stone skipping across the water, I keep coming back to “goals”.
I’m fortunate to live in a place where there are a decent amount of people in shape. But as someone who’s always been skinny – I guess I even felt that way when I was among runners in track and cross-country – I really still have a drive to “fit in” with people who are, well, not skinny. It’s kind of dumb, but it’s still a real thing.
I don’t think I’ll want to feel like “the biggest guy in the room”, but I certainly don’t want to be the skinniest any more.
On the other hand, I’m happy enough with my “functional” abilities. Carrying both my kids around on my shoulders (at the same time) isn’t even something my body notices any more. Not that I’m actually trying to channel Milo and the Bull, but I do basically want to preserve that skill for as long as possible.
I mean, there was that one dad busting out tons of pullups at the playground… I’m fine, he can have that.
Mostly it’s just a “size” thing. I naturally have skinny limbs, like the generations of my family that came before me. One cousin is an exception, now, but he’s been lifting for over a decade.
Ok, personal insecurities are covered now.
Pressing
I’m a weak presser, of any sort. So I want to get better with that. People who are good pressers are (naturally) bigger than me. Getting better at pressing will probably make me bigger, too.
My goal of “axle clean and press 230 x 8”, I reasoned to be doable when I get an axle strict press of 240. My barbell press is better than my axle, so let’s say a barbell strict press of 250 is a good goal.
Translating that into Sheiko-ish training, that means get my working triples in the 175-185 pound range. Long ways to go, but that “sounds” more achievable. If I can increase my maxes without having to actually train at my maxes, that seems better. Every time I work too heavy, I’ve had a lot more wrist/elbow/shoulder pain (surprise!). So, if I can avoid the pain and get stronger, that’s better.
Deadlifting
I’m less motivated to get my deadlift up, because 1) deadlifts made very little body shape changes in the past, and 2) it’s a relative strength. I do still have a long ways to go to reach “18-inch deadlift 540 x 10” but this is more of a “follow the plan” kind of thing, rather than the fire that I have around pressing.
Based on sketchy calculations, 540 x 10 is 720 x 1. In theory, an 18" deadlift is easier than from the floor. [With a deadlift suit] Rauno lifted 476 kg off the ground and 540 kg off 18". 88% is as good a proportion as any. So, for me, that would be at least 635 lbs from the floor.
Or, again, in Sheiko-land, working weight triples of 445-475.
The Strengthlifting competitions seem like good checkpoints on the path to that goal. If I actually wanted to be competitive there (in middleweight masters), I’d need to be pressing at least 210 and deadlifting 575. With another 5 years of intelligent injury-free training it seems achievable.
That covers the strength side of things.
Power Clean (and front squats)
I don’t give this much mental priority, but if I’m going to clean and press 230 for reps on an axle, I better be able to clean a lot. My theory is that if I can get my rotating-barbell clean up enough, I can use that same technique on an axle. And being able to do that well will require I can handle a decent amount of weight in a correct front rack. So I need to get front squats up.
I’ve been watching some Chinese olympic lifters doing cleans, and it’s just so impressive that I want to do it like them too. There’s the real motivation.
Physique
Unfortunately, getting better at those won’t “fix” the skinny arms. Pressing probably isn’t enough for shoulder size. For “size” I can just do bodybuilding stuff. I don’t need to be strong with this stuff so I’ll just need a mindset switch.
(Again, lol) But if I take Kazuya as a goal, and myself as the starting point, priority needs to be placed on deltoids first, triceps, biceps, and chest. By volume, his deltoids seem as large as his pecs.
Other things like his back and obliques are probably covered well enough by deadlifting and pressing, so won’t need special attention.
Calvert has said you don’t need to work on your triceps if you do enough pressing. Except he also said you need to work on your triceps long head if you also want big arms (since it doesn’t get hit by pressing). Barbell and alternating kettlebell curls were his preferred biceps exercises. And reverse curls and wrist roller for forearms.
For chest, he puts his main importance on “increasing the size of the rib box” with pullovers. But also dumbbell flies.
For shoulders, leaning side presses, alternating kettlebell presses, raises. And, of course, standing barbell presses.
And then of course there’s generations upon generations of “new” arm, shoulder, chest training. New exercises, new methods. Plenty to draw on.
All together
- Build up my press, deadlift, front squat, power clean
- Compete regularly (annually?) in Strengthlifting to force myself to keep getting better at those
- Train deltoids, arms and chest using bodybuilding movements, in the most injury-limiting methods possible
- Gain bodyweight, targeting a lean 175. I’ll define that specifically as “can see 4 abs clearly without flexing”. (I’m not actually that lean right now.)
Current plan
- Press and deadlift, using my current random Sheiko-ish submax triples approach. At some point volume may need to go up. Don’t do it too early.
- Assistance work is hand-to-hand KB swings, situp progression, forward bends (for now), one-arm rows
- Power clean and front squats, train these together as a complex, but maybe use the same methods as above, once I get technique down. Maybe somewhat higher reps, like 5s.
- Bodyweight, use my normal good diet + milk to target 2-10 pounds a month (and on a shorter timeframe, target ~2.3 pounds weight gain from morning to evening)
- Deltoids, 3x a week, use side presses (3-6) and/or alternating presses (12-24), and high-rep raises (15+)
- Biceps, 3x a week, use barbell/axle curls with Calvert’s progression (6-10), unless wrist pain becomes a problem again; consider other options when that happens
- Triceps, 3x a week, all of the presses + rear barbell raises + something else? Overhead (Gironda) cable extensions? Pushdowns? French press? Floor press? I’ll need to do some reading.
- Chest, 3x a week. Flies on a foam roller. Two birds with one stone: chest + thoracic mobility
- Jefferson squats. And, probably, the other squats too. I still need legs.
Some stretching and mobility work as needed. Still need work on my shoulders, and my hamstrings. (Windmills + hangs.) And front rack position.
