Darwin's Training Log

Training Training Logs
241

[quote]lordstorm88 wrote:
theres no way you’ll be able to do 3*5 and then a triple a double and a single(supposing that those are supposed to be max? like the single is to be 1RM or more)

personally from what ive heard from most that go for strength its more about frequency and intensity than volume.

if you want to devote workouts “more” to certain lifts you’d be better off doing rippetoe but a bit altered… for example:

1st day
back squats
bench

2nd day
deadlift
overhead press
front squats

3rd day
bench
back squats

that way you have lower and upper body every day of the week and you devote one day to each of the lifts

you have to find what works for you though concerning frequency, intensity and volume.[/quote]

The 3x5 would be more of a warmup, per se, and then on to the rest. I did that today, and it felt like it was hitting the money.

My primary concern was concentrating on one of the lifts each day, and then adding auxiliary exercises to the mix. I picked the auxiliaries from Thibs’ design a program articles.

I was under the impression that building strength was about the low reps, which is what I tried to achieve with the set styles. The triple and double wouldn’t be maxes, but the single would be. Again, I could be misunderstanding what I’ve been reading, so thank you for pointing out what you see.

Out of curiosity, what is the difference between doing squat/bench and doing squat/dead ? I’ve seen it listed both ways in different programs.

Again, thanks for the input! I will be tweaking the program this weekend, hopefully with the helpful input of these forums.

242

Bad day at the gym. I rushed out of my house this morning and forgot my bag o’ food, so I’ve been subsisting on peanuts and trail mix, and am low on energy.

Ugh. I tried and tried, though. But, so little energy was crippling my form, so I called it quits before I hurt myself.

Squat: 235x5 (best)
Bench: 135x5 (best)
BB Row: 135x5 (best)
Dips: 5 , 3

And that’s where I stopped. Not too mention, everything was a bit slimy - it’s been so hot and humid here today that everything is sticky. Ugh.

Here’s to a better day on Wednesday!

243

if wednesday is a bad day too i say deload or take a day off. couple or 3 months ago i simply thought i was doing something wrong when in fact after a few days my lifts just kept going down and i got sick eventually. it probably was overtraining.

the reason i said to do lifts twice is cause you are still at a pretty early stage so theres no reason to wait a week between each squat/deadlift/bench session.

244

[quote]darwin420 wrote:
WEEK 10: 6/6/2008

Last Day of Rippetoes! sniff

I kinda did some interesting sets, mainly because I just wanted to push myself today, and I have the weekend to recover before starting my new program.

LIFTS: (I’m just going to list what I did)

BACK SQUAT:
135x5
155x5
225x3
230x2
235x2
250x1 ← PR!!!

MILPRESS:
45x5
65x5
95x4
95x3
95x1

BB ROW:
95x5
105x3
110x1
135x5
135x5
135x3

DIPS:
BWx8
BWx6

INCLINE SITUPS:
BW+45 3x8

HYPERS:
BW+45 3x8

I was sweating like a pig. I know I’m going to be sore. I feel freakin’ AWESOME!

I guess the thought of actually competing has broken some psychological barriers, because I was pushing weight that I didn’t think I could do. Simply amazing.

Hopefully I’ll have my new program posted soon. I’m probably going to start a new thread, too, in honor of my new goal. :)[/quote]

Looking good Darwin. I might actually give Rippeotoes a shot after getting done with my little Smolov experiment after seeing the great progress you’ve made on it. Plus it would compliment Smolovs in the respect that it would be a backoff in terms of overall volume.

245

[quote]lordstorm88 wrote:
if wednesday is a bad day too i say deload or take a day off. couple or 3 months ago i simply thought i was doing something wrong when in fact after a few days my lifts just kept going down and i got sick eventually. it probably was overtraining.

the reason i said to do lifts twice is cause you are still at a pretty early stage so theres no reason to wait a week between each squat/deadlift/bench session.[/quote]

I agree, althought I did just take a week off not too long ago. :slight_smile: We’ll see if the bad day was just because of lack of proper food yesterday (man, I feel stupid for that, lol).

So, under your advice, I would keep the ABA BAB plan, but do:

A:
Back Squat
Bench

B:
Deadlift
Front Squat

A:
Bench
Back Squat

Should I add BB Rows for workout A, and Milpress for workout B? I think that might be the best idea for total development (at this stage at least).

I’ve been thinking that I’m jumping the gun on doing the contest in August, and should just hit up November for fun. That will give me a chance to build up my numbers - maybe I can hit the 200/300/400 by then. Hmm… new goal? :slight_smile:

246

[quote]BigKDawg wrote:
Looking good Darwin. I might actually give Rippeotoes a shot after getting done with my little Smolov experiment after seeing the great progress you’ve made on it. Plus it would compliment Smolovs in the respect that it would be a backoff in terms of overall volume.[/quote]

Smolov? Not sure I’m familiar with that one.

Thank you for the compliment. I’d like to think that I’m busting my ass, and feedback from you all really helps me gauge my progress. I know I could do better, because I don’t micro-analyze my diet (I eat 5-7 clean meals, get adequate protein, and thats it), and I don’t sleep as much as I should (2 kids, it’s not easy, lol).

I really enjoyed Rippetoes, and I think I’m going to take Lordstorm’s suggestions and modify it. The program, as a whole, has worked wonders for me, and I think using it as a template to tweak would be the best option moving forward.

EDIT: I just found the Smolov Squat program… Holy crap does that look brutal. Maybe I’ll try it one of these days.

247

I’m thinking 4-day regimen, but not sure if that would overtrain me.

“A”
Back Squat
Bench
BB Rows
Chins
Dips
Incline Situps
Hyperextension

“B”
Deadlift
MilPress
Front Squat
Chins
Dips
Incline Situps
Hyper Extension

“C”
Bench
Back Squat
BB Rows
Chins
Dips
Incline Situps
Hyperextension

Week 1:
M - A
Tu - B
Th - C
F - A

Week 2:
M - B
Tu - C
Th - A
F - B

Week 3:
M - C
Tu - A
Th - B
F - C

And so on. I think I’ll be able to handle it without over doing it. The routine will likely force me to eat more, and will probably tire me out so I get more sleep, too, which would be a bonus.

If this works, then I’ll do it until 10 weeks out from the November contest, at which time I’ll switch to that Russian program.

I think it’s quite possible to hit the 225/315/405 split by November, if not sooner. My biggest concern is my bench, but I think this plan will get me there quickly.

248

The smolov is definitely not for us yet.

i have a powerlifter friend who had reached elite level in his weight class and told me that i should get at least 2xBW squat before i do smolov.

plus smolov is for strength so i dont think you’ll need it.

answering your questions though, you can add just about whatever you want. experiment with it and see what works for you. so long as they dont get in the way of progress of the lifts you want to progress on.

249

[quote]lordstorm88 wrote:
The smolov is definitely not for us yet.

i have a powerlifter friend who had reached elite level in his weight class and told me that i should get at least 2xBW squat before i do smolov.

plus smolov is for strength so i dont think you’ll need it.

answering your questions though, you can add just about whatever you want. experiment with it and see what works for you. so long as they dont get in the way of progress of the lifts you want to progress on.[/quote]

Oh, man, I wasn’t saying I would attempt it anytime soon, but I might try it at one point. :slight_smile:

I’m going to try this template and see how it goes. I’ll likely make some adjustments as I get to learn my body more.

One thing I am wondering, is if I should do work sets of 3 or 5 reps for the primary lifts (as lower reps supposedly build more strength). Doing 3 would let me lift more weight, but doing 5 would give me increased volume (since it would be a lower weight). Not sure which would be best at this point.

I’m going to do workout “B” tomorrow, and workout “C” on Friday, then start the 4-day routine on Monday, and see how that goes.

250

Sets of 5 are your best bet. You will not last long on sets of 3 or less. This is under the assumption that you are using 85% or more of your 1 RM.

251

[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:
Sets of 5 are your best bet. You will not last long on sets of 3 or less. This is under the assumption that you are using 85% or more of your 1 RM.[/quote]

Okay. That makes sense, especially since, yes, I was planning on going heavy with my sets.

I plan on testing my 1RM every 4 weeks. Is this an appropriate amount of time to really calculate to get a good idea of my improvement, or should I wait longer before testing again?

Thanks for all the input guys, I really appreciate it! You’re filling in the holes in my knowledge gleaned from articles and my own research. Much appreciated!

252

I think you should really take another look at The Texas Method. Every Friday is some sort of heavy single, double, or triple for each of the exercises (rotated weekly).

253

Of course, I’m not implying what you and lordstorm have outlined is junk either. Think of it as an option to achieve your goals.

254

I’ll look into getting ‘Practical Programming.’ What I saw for an explanation on Bodybuilding.com looked interesting enough.

I think I’m going to try the program Lordstorm and I have hashed out, and see how that takes me. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll switch to Texas Method. Personally, I find my current outlined program more appealing, which means I’ll likely put more intensity into it.

I am in no way discounting your opinion (which I value, btw).

255

That’s the most valid reason to do any program - does it click with you.

If that is your son in your avatar, what is he doing? Rather, what is he lifting?

256

[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:
I think I’m going to try the program Lordstorm and I have hashed out, and see how that takes me. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll switch to Texas Method. Personally, I find my current outlined program more appealing, which means I’ll likely put more intensity into it.

That’s the most valid reason to do any program - does it click with you.

If that is your son in your avatar, what is he doing? Rather, what is he lifting?[/quote]

Agreed. Even though I’d still go to the gym with a sub-enjoyable program, I’d be much more focused with a program I liked.

Yes, that is my son. He’s “lifting weights like Daddy.” The object across his back is the seat and bar from his see-saw (which broke). It’s light (although probably kinda heavy for him). I was trying to teach him how to squat, but he ended up doing more of a good morning, lol

257

[quote]darwin420 wrote:
BigKDawg wrote:
Looking good Darwin. I might actually give Rippeotoes a shot after getting done with my little Smolov experiment after seeing the great progress you’ve made on it. Plus it would compliment Smolovs in the respect that it would be a backoff in terms of overall volume.

Smolov? Not sure I’m familiar with that one.

Thank you for the compliment. I’d like to think that I’m busting my ass, and feedback from you all really helps me gauge my progress. I know I could do better, because I don’t micro-analyze my diet (I eat 5-7 clean meals, get adequate protein, and thats it), and I don’t sleep as much as I should (2 kids, it’s not easy, lol).

I really enjoyed Rippetoes, and I think I’m going to take Lordstorm’s suggestions and modify it. The program, as a whole, has worked wonders for me, and I think using it as a template to tweak would be the best option moving forward.

EDIT: I just found the Smolov Squat program… Holy crap does that look brutal. Maybe I’ll try it one of these days.[/quote]

This is just some helpful advice, but I would wait on Smolov for awhile if I were you. The first time I tried it I hurt my back on the 2nd week which is why I emphasize getting your lower back as strong as possible with good mornings and moderate db-kb swings for strength-endurance and possibly consider changing it to every other day instead of 4x weekly.

It is truly a squat specialaztion program where the MAIN focus is on the squat and everything else should be really on maintenance mode (although moderate upper body work is okay provided you know yourself and your ability to recover)to allow for the necessary recovery that this program needs. Right now Im on Week 2 Day 2 with the next WO will be 5 Sets of 7 with 233 lbs. The last WO that I do with it on the 1st phase is gonna be downright brutal (10 Sets of 3 with 275-280, cant exactly say Im looking forward to that ^^)

258

[quote]BigKDawg wrote:
darwin420 wrote:

EDIT: I just found the Smolov Squat program… Holy crap does that look brutal. Maybe I’ll try it one of these days.

This is just some helpful advice, but I would wait on Smolov for awhile if I were you. The first time I tried it I hurt my back on the 2nd week which is why I emphasize getting your lower back as strong as possible with good mornings and moderate db-kb swings for strength-endurance and possibly consider changing it to every other day instead of 4x weekly.

It is truly a squat specialaztion program where the MAIN focus is on the squat and everything else should be really on maintenance mode (although moderate upper body work is okay provided you know yourself and your ability to recover)to allow for the necessary recovery that this program needs. Right now Im on Week 2 Day 2 with the next WO will be 5 Sets of 7 with 233 lbs. The last WO that I do with it on the 1st phase is gonna be downright brutal (10 Sets of 3 with 275-280, cant exactly say Im looking forward to that ^^)
[/quote]

I probably won’t even think about seriously attempting until after my Winter bulk. :slight_smile: I know I’m just not ready for it, but I think I might be ready to attempt it in the Spring. It just looks so… brutal. There’s no other word I can think of to describe it. Then again, if I survive the 9-week Russian powerlifting program, I think I’ll be close to attempting Smolov (like, 6-9 months close, lol).

It’s weird to be planning so far in advance, but I have pretty much my next couple years planned out. I’m going to spend the rest of this year slow bulking (with the additional goal of getting to sub-15% BF) and working on my powerlifts for the November contest. After the contest, I’ll start a serious winter bulk; come the Spring, I want to get myself down to 10% BF (just so I can know what it feels like to look really good, for once in my life). Then I plan on bulking for true size come next fall.

And I have T-Nation to thank for all this! Thank you T-Nation, for teaching me how to kick my own ass! :smiley:

259

nice haha. ive set long term goals too. basically ill be bringing up front squat then deadlift, then back squat, then deadlift, then front squat, deadlift(the idea behind it is that ill be doing some squat first so that bringing the bar in deadlifts to my knees will be easy, thus my back will have a much smaller chance of rounding, and i can focus on doing the actual movement right and strengthening my back) etc. meanwhile ill be doing overhead pressing or variations of it

but once i reach around 250 deadlift 200 back and 175 front squat ill be doing a lot more olympic lifting.

260

I really am focusing on strength for the next year, but after that, I’m after size. Get hyooge, yo! lol. I really want to get to 9-10% BF for next Summer, just to fulfill that vain fantasy in my head. :slight_smile:

My more immediate strength goals are 225/315/405 on bench/squat/dead, for the November contest. I think I can do it, but I’ll have to bust my ass, which isn’t much of a problem. :slight_smile:

An additional goal is to get back into school by next year to get my AA in Nutrition. I also want to get my first PT cert by next fall.