So, I did another skipping rope session. i aimed for the first 9 minutes non stop and then the balance of what i can get in intervals for 20 minutes. I am annoyed with myself for giving up at 7:39, but still went the balance of time.
I also today got another practice session in of muay thai kicks. I found a web video that basically explains it and bought on sunday a pair of cheap second hand hockey shin guards. I use my weight bench standards as my victim. So far I can get a good hit in that might move the bench despite hundreds of pounds of anchoring, I just need to get better balance, particularly with the retrieve motion of my leg.
I also realize that I want my legs to recover, and it is a good idea for learning purposes to split the sessions up over a few days a week. That and I don’t know if my upstairs neighbour notices the racket it makes. Time will tell. Strangely enough it hasn’t ruined my hamstring.
DB one arm rows 45lbs X left10,right10 X 10,10 X 10,10
sort of pleased today. I kick off a new cycle with the same rep achievement for deads 10lbs heavier. Still, my grip gave out before i was otherwise exhausted and I will have to make sure I use straps from now on. So in reality I am lifting well, just short of potential.
Rows I will keep at the same weight for more reps next time before raising.
Despite going to bed motivated to hit at least 9 reps, hopefully 10, on bench, I felt a low energy day just setting things up this morning. I will not harshly judge myself by ‘you are only as good as your latest achievement’ and look at it that I am reasonably strong and might impress myself next time, or even tomorrow with squats.
DB hammer curls 2 X 30lbs X Left 10, right 10 X 10,10 X 6,6
I don’t know what to make of today. I did better than last cycle week 1, but am badly off from the second and third weeks. I knew I was at my limit at 7 lifts for squats. Should I be content that I did 2 more than 5?
My diet might be a little imperfect these last few days. I tend to be lazy about planning it well, although I still think I eat well. yesteday I steamed some collard greens and presume that counts as good leafy greens for the day.
Yesterday I mistakenly set up 195lbs for bench, I should have used 190lbs, although I doubt I would have lifted another rep.
Saturday’s work is going to bode significantly as to whether I continue with wendler, also whether I make good progress on Sunday with deadlifts next.
Almost a good day, it is mitigated. I had a slight headache Wednesday and thursday that I at first attributed to a food recall. I found out it is a different batch than I ate, so I also had to admit a tiny bit of throat irritation. Nothing huge, and maybe why I am only marginally better than last week 1, in cycle 1. that achievement calculates to a 1 rep max of 160lbs, today 160.8. really, if I had had a microplated weight at 121lbs then I might have done the same reps and been where I am now. Should I take on on paper improvement when I can get one?
Yesterday I skipped rope. I got the first 9 minutes almost non stop like I planned, and then the balance in intervals of 20 minutes. The rope caught on my toes 5 times during the initial period, and even though I didn’t lose more than 10 seconds off my time I think I sort of give up and allow myself to do it. So, a pure 9 minutes next time, then again I was a bit off with the headache so maybe I will feel like 10 minutes.
Tomorrow I deadlift and I will have straps ready for something of an achievement.
DB one arm rows 45lbs X Left10, right10 X 10, 10 X 12,9
I reached the second working set with this yesterday, but stopped for fear of my hamstring. I had felt good about the ham on Friday, so I mindlessly tried some impromptu flying knees at the open air and slightly tweaked it. all Saturday I felt it and felt as a discretionary thing to stop on Sunday.
Overnight it markedly improved, so I cautiously warmed up. During the rope skipping the rope caught on my left toes twice, causing the rope to whip against the hamstring that caused worrisome pain. I just thought to continue as far as I could. I am therefore pleased I reached the main set and actually improved with the same reps, 15lbs heavier over last week. Sometimes one has to believe in themselves. I used straps, and debated going for a ninth rep, but knew I barely stood erect with the 8th and I had improved without buggering my hamstring so I left it.
Situps a drop off, but that is fine with improved dead work.
rows I improved on with the left, I am just unsure if the right should stall raising the weight.
terrible day today. Even though incline isn’t bad, it occurs to me I am being over ambitious with bench. I started cycle 1 with a bench max of 225lbs, but find that untypical of my past performance so I was calculating based on about 235lbs. I suppose this shows. Also, last week I accidentally used 5lbs heavier than I planned.
I realize bench press isn’t the be all and end all of strength, but I look for guidance as to where I should go with it from here.
Bent arm pullovers are going to be done tomorrow because of back work yesterday.
Db hammer curls 2 X 30lbs x Left10,right10 X 10,10 X 10,10
Great day today. Squats are up 3 reps over last week, and 10lbs and 1 rep above last week 2. I did have a slight headache last week, so maybe it shows. For next week I will attempt 240 / 9 * 9.5 which is 253lbs that I will round up to 255lbs for plate selection.
Assistance is good, heavier for situps.
Edit. For the upcoming shoulder press on Saturday, I will attempt 130lbs and see if I can get 10 reps. Last week 2 I got 7 reps at 135lbs, but with new ideas from the powerlifting forum I think I am wiser with this.
Great day today. 2 steps back and 10 steps forward. Last week I got 125 lbs x 9 and so today is definite improvement. Last week 2 I was using 135lbs, but only got 7, so there again it is good.
thursday I skipped rope and nailed my first 10 minutes non stop, no catching on my toes. then another 10 minutes in intervals of what I could get. Next time I will still keep the initial skip at 10, and see if I can cut down gradually over time the rest periods after until I can make it a solid 20 minutes.
Yesterday I was practicing muay thai kicks without a proper warmup and with a too dynamic stretch of the left hamstring. I over did it and am tentative about deadlifting tomorrow, I will play it by ear at the time.
I attempted to deadlift in the morning but stopped after 1 rep of the second set. I thought that I wasn’t wise to drive towards a final main set.
Last night I went to sleep ridiculously early and woke up still too early and tried to doze in. The hamstring was not feeling really well and during the second warmup set I thought the bar felt heavy, I knew it wasn’t a high energy day, and again I knew not to try towards a last set.
it has been killing me since. I had the vain hope of possibly doing it tomorrow, but that buggers up the schedule a bit, and maybe it will still be counterproductive anyway. So, I will bench tomorrow, hopefully productively squat Wednesday and finish my week 3 on Sunday when it would have been the start of the deload week.
Nothing lost? I am curious if anyone agrees with this plan.
Well, I will call this a good day. while short of anywhere near a recent times best, i took a leap past last week. My assistance is also an improvement, up weight for next time. I pushed bench to very almost failure, so i saw no need to fail.
Pullovers are not great, but I think my shoulders just aren’t designed for it, so whatever, I did a little bit anyway.
My hamstring overnight improved. No analgesic so far today. i just need to go easy on it today and cautiously warmup for squats tomorrow, and go as far as I dare under the circumstances when I get to it.
Db hammer curls 2 X 32.5lbs X left10, right10 X 10,10 X 6,6
Great day today. My hamstring felt a bit off deep in the muscle, so I felt a little hesitant to do this, but knew I had already set deadlifts off until next Sunday. I then thought that a warmup as far as I felt I could go would be therapeutic, so I cautiously began. Although I had a forward lean on the 8th rep last set I am very pleased I out did last cycle by 1, and that is a much needed psychological victory for me. Really, my one rep max calculates slightly lower than 240lbs X 10 reps last week, so I have to put things in perspective. I am gunning for real achievement next deadlift session, i just need to take care of my hamstring.
situps are about ready to increase, and I already moved up with hammer curls.
I awoke this morning with a tiny bit of a frog in my throat, so I gurgled with mouthwash. I actually had it a bit thursday, I went to a live show and maybe that explains it as having the crowd effect give me something. I didn’t skip rope these last two days, and I will not do so either soon, as I think I will let it rest away.
That being said, I wasn’t sure if I should really cancel today. I have a need in my ego to achieve something. As compared to last cycle’s week 3 I am 1 rep ahead, but calculating a lower 1 rep max as compared to last week. When mitigated for the warmup feeling heavier than it should I am actually doing better, and there my ego is sated.
Assistance is cancelled to allow recovery in more than one sense before deadlifing tomorrow, then deload begins so I have the whole week to recover if needed.
A largely mitigated lousy day. I went to bed early last night and hoped for a long, rejuvenating sleep. After 6 hours I awoke with an outright sore throat and headache. Ah, fuck! I so badly wanted this makeup deadlifting day and this bug is fucking me over. I thought if I can make any progress towards a final heaviest set it will mean something to me, so I cautiously started the warmup and did actually reached the 315lbs, although I stopped 2 reps short of last week 3 in cycle 1 because i didn’t have confidence I would maintain good form beyond that for the sake of my hamstring.
My reasoning was also that I have next the start of the deload week, and I insisted on going out with a bang. What my throat will feel like tomorrow I dread to contemplate.
I of course didn’t really post much of anything last deload week. The lifting last weekend paid off with a horrific sore throat and related symptoms that only today seem to be ready to abate. My next plan is to wait until Saturday to lift, and do shoulder press, then on Sunday deadlift on a regular deload idea. The real lifting can hold out until bench press on Tuesday with the start of a new cycle and I hopefully will be properly eased into it after the weekend.
I am possibly getting over this damn virus, whatever it is. I am hoping to start my deload tomorrow with deadlifts. The time has I suppose neither been recovery nor detrain, and going into deload might be perfect for a comeback schedule. I am hoping so, because I don’t want to drive my self back sick immediately. anyway, no assistance for the time being, just the main thing.
Interestingly, I decided to take a real kick at creatine, when my next cycle starts. I wasted some money on Six Star’s sugary fruit punch product, but I took an older container with some pure creatine monohydrate and mixed it down. I now have good flavour that will last me longer, hopefully to see me to some results. some time ago I did a composite of whey protein powders. I bought Isonatural at 93% protein that was expensive and mixed it down with a concentrate at 72% protein that was on sale, cheaper anyway and had a really strong flavour and it is working out fine.
Rope skipping will have to wait until this coming Friday, I don’t date do the intensity until at least then.
I ran across a paper copy of a 300lbs bench press program. It is designed to take someone with a 250lbs bench and get them up to 300lbs in 12 weeks. It is also on the hard drive of a computer with a faulty motherboard in my closet.
If anyone wants I can post it up as best I can get a spreadsheet to cooperate with formatting in one of these windows, or maybe something else can be done.
[quote]DeadKong wrote:
I ran across a paper copy of a 300lbs bench press program. It is designed to take someone with a 250lbs bench and get them up to 300lbs in 12 weeks. It is also on the hard drive of a computer with a faulty motherboard in my closet.
If anyone wants I can post it up as best I can get a spreadsheet to cooperate with formatting in one of these windows, or maybe something else can be done.[/quote]
I’d be interested in seeing it, especially if it’s based on percentages as opposed to just poundage.
[quote]DeadKong wrote:
I ran across a paper copy of a 300lbs bench press program. It is designed to take someone with a 250lbs bench and get them up to 300lbs in 12 weeks. It is also on the hard drive of a computer with a faulty motherboard in my closet.
If anyone wants I can post it up as best I can get a spreadsheet to cooperate with formatting in one of these windows, or maybe something else can be done.[/quote]
I’d be interested in seeing it, especially if it’s based on percentages as opposed to just poundage.[/quote]
It isn’t exactly a periodized program as such. For example, the first 3 weeks for a given exercise might be 10/8/6/4 in terms of goal reps, it is a pyramid of what you think you can do for that scheme. It does offer a guide as to how to figure out starting weights for bench press.
So, I could reconstruct it from paper onto Escel, and then see if I can copy the cell grids together with the content into a window here, or outright emaii it. I have my doubts I would accomplish the first.