In terms of training I’ve taken a full two weeks off, then the last couple of days I’ve done quite a high volume of pistols, ring dips and ring inverted rows (I got rings for Christmas). It doesn’t seem like I’ve lost any strength or size, though I’ve been having brutal DOMS. I’m surprised by the level of glute-DOMS I have, purely from pistols.
Today I did the 365-rep workout suggested in that thread by Chris Colucci.
Double Kettlebell Swings
2x20kg: 9 sets of 10 Between the legs.
2x20kg: 10 sets of 10 Outside the legs - miscalculated and did an extra set
Kettlebell Row
20kg: 5 sets of 20
10kg: 3 sets of 25
Ring Dips - my new love
BW: 3-3-3 I do these with a slow tempo and find them difficult but get an incredible contraction, it feels like a normal dip combined with a decline fly.
[quote]furo wrote: Ring Dips - my new love
BW: 3-3-3 I do these with a slow tempo and find them difficult but get an incredible contraction, it feels like a normal dip combined with a decline fly.
[/quote]
As long as you’re not doing them like a crossfitter and tearing literally everything in your shoulder and bicep lol.
[quote]furo wrote: Ring Dips - my new love
BW: 3-3-3 I do these with a slow tempo and find them difficult but get an incredible contraction, it feels like a normal dip combined with a decline fly.
[/quote]
As long as you’re not doing them like a crossfitter and tearing literally everything in your shoulder and bicep lol.[/quote]
Haha hopefully I’m not doing those things. Though I have a bad habit of not warming up for bodyweight exercises, even if it is something I can only do for 3 reps.
I see from your log that you dip a lot. Is it mainly parallel bar dips you do? What do you like about them? And have you ever had any problems with them?
[quote]furo wrote:
I see from your log that you dip a lot. Is it mainly parallel bar dips you do? What do you like about them? And have you ever had any problems with them?[/quote]
Yeah they’re just parallel bars. I like them because people who are strong said I should like them, but also because especially at the end of a set if you fight all the way to full lockout the tricep engagement is unparalleled in my experience. Never had any problems with them, but I don’t get crazy with depth on them either. I let my upper arm hit about parallel; I don’t sink way down like some people do.
[quote]furo wrote:
I see from your log that you dip a lot. Is it mainly parallel bar dips you do? What do you like about them? And have you ever had any problems with them?[/quote]
Yeah they’re just parallel bars. I like them because people who are strong said I should like them, but also because especially at the end of a set if you fight all the way to full lockout the tricep engagement is unparalleled in my experience. Never had any problems with them, but I don’t get crazy with depth on them either. I let my upper arm hit about parallel; I don’t sink way down like some people do.[/quote]
Thanks csulli. That’s a good idea about just going to parallel, I’ve been going below parallel but I will try that. Have you ever tried ring dips? I feel like adding instability to an exercise can be really hit or miss, and often makes the exercise less effective because it is harder to load, but in this situation improves it. I dunno.
I was hoping for some advice from you good folks for a future routine.
I really like training with a bare-bones minimalist approach and I recently re-watched an Elliot Hulse video on what he considers the 4 essential exercises (front squats, deadlifts, dips and chins). The only change I’d make would be to replace deadlifts with swings, because I prefer them.
I’d run it long-term and cycle between 10x3, 5x5 and 4x8 on the front squats, dips and chins. For swings I’d do higher reps.
What are people’s thoughts and criticisms?
EDIT: I should have said, I was thinking of running it as whole-body days 3x a week (all 4 exercises each session).
EDIT EDIT: Another quick question - is it best to cycle through the rep schemes with all exercises at the same time, or do them differently? In other words, should I do 10x3 for dips, squats and chins at first, or should I do 4x8 on one, 10x3 on another and 5x5 on another. The reason I ask is because doing 10x3 on 3 exercises will take ages whereas 4x8 will be very quick. Thanks!
[quote]furo wrote:
I see from your log that you dip a lot. Is it mainly parallel bar dips you do? What do you like about them? And have you ever had any problems with them?[/quote]
Yeah they’re just parallel bars. I like them because people who are strong said I should like them, but also because especially at the end of a set if you fight all the way to full lockout the tricep engagement is unparalleled in my experience. Never had any problems with them, but I don’t get crazy with depth on them either. I let my upper arm hit about parallel; I don’t sink way down like some people do.[/quote]
Thanks csulli. That’s a good idea about just going to parallel, I’ve been going below parallel but I will try that. Have you ever tried ring dips? I feel like adding instability to an exercise can be really hit or miss, and often makes the exercise less effective because it is harder to load, but in this situation improves it. I dunno.
[/quote]
There’s really no need to go below parallel especially once you start messing with really heavy weight.
[quote]furo wrote:
I see from your log that you dip a lot. Is it mainly parallel bar dips you do? What do you like about them? And have you ever had any problems with them?[/quote]
Yeah they’re just parallel bars. I like them because people who are strong said I should like them, but also because especially at the end of a set if you fight all the way to full lockout the tricep engagement is unparalleled in my experience. Never had any problems with them, but I don’t get crazy with depth on them either. I let my upper arm hit about parallel; I don’t sink way down like some people do.[/quote]
Thanks csulli. That’s a good idea about just going to parallel, I’ve been going below parallel but I will try that. Have you ever tried ring dips? I feel like adding instability to an exercise can be really hit or miss, and often makes the exercise less effective because it is harder to load, but in this situation improves it. I dunno.
[/quote]
There’s really no need to go below parallel especially once you start messing with really heavy weight.[/quote]
I was hoping for some advice from you good folks for a future routine.
I really like training with a bare-bones minimalist approach and I recently re-watched an Elliot Hulse video on what he considers the 4 essential exercises (front squats, deadlifts, dips and chins). The only change I’d make would be to replace deadlifts with swings, because I prefer them.
I’d run it long-term and cycle between 10x3, 5x5 and 4x8 on the front squats, dips and chins. For swings I’d do higher reps.
What are people’s thoughts and criticisms?
EDIT: I should have said, I was thinking of running it as whole-body days 3x a week (all 4 exercises each session).
EDIT EDIT: Another quick question - is it best to cycle through the rep schemes with all exercises at the same time, or do them differently? In other words, should I do 10x3 for dips, squats and chins at first, or should I do 4x8 on one, 10x3 on another and 5x5 on another. The reason I ask is because doing 10x3 on 3 exercises will take ages whereas 4x8 will be very quick. Thanks!
This sounds like a great idea for a program to me. I think it would probably be a good idea to alternate the set/rep scheme between the exercises as you suggest. Dips are my all-time favourite movement. I even feel they work my upper back tremendously during the lowering phase. I’ve never tried ring dips but they seem like they would be considerably harder than parallel bar dips.
I’m not very focused on the aesthetic side of training but if I had to choose an ideal physique, it would be those of the top male Olympic gymnasts. Everyone talks about big bench numbers but, to me, being able to do a motionless iron cross is way more impressive and relevant. There are many stories of male gymnasts who have never touched weights before who, on their first attempt, pull 2.5x bodyweight dead lifts. Advanced bodyweight training definitely seems to have good carryover to other expressions of strength.
[quote]CMdad wrote:
This sounds like a great idea for a program to me. I think it would probably be a good idea to alternate the set/rep scheme between the exercises as you suggest. Dips are my all-time favourite movement. I even feel they work my upper back tremendously during the lowering phase. I’ve never tried ring dips but they seem like they would be considerably harder than parallel bar dips. I’m not very focused on the aesthetic side of training but if I had to choose an ideal physique, it would be those of the top male Olympic gymnasts. Everyone talks about big bench numbers but, to me, being able to do a motionless iron cross is way more impressive and relevant. There are many stories of male gymnasts who have never touched weights before who, on their first attempt, pull 2.5x bodyweight dead lifts. Advanced bodyweight training definitely seems to have good carryover to other expressions of strength.[/quote]
Thanks a lot CMDad! That’s great to hear that you find dips so beneficial, and I completely agree with what you say about male gymnasts.
I’m in two minds about structuring the routine: I could do the option he suggests of dips and deadlifts on one day and front squats and chin-ups on the other day or I could do all four in every session.
As I see it the first option has the advantage of allowing me to keep my intensity high and get a lot of quality volume on my lifts, whereas the second option has the advantage of allowing me to practice the lifts with greater frequency. Which would you go for personally?
Thanks again, and happy new year!
EDIT: I should add that I’ve changed my mind on substituting deadlifts for swings, thanks to advice I got in a thread I made. So I will be doing deadlifts (probably sumo style). I just need to work on my mobility/lower back issues.
Pistol Squats
BW: 4-4-5-5-4 If I go even slightly under parallel on these my right knee makes all sorts of horrible clunks (much more than just crepitus), but going to parallel is absolutely fine.
Kettlebell Swings
28kg: 50-40-30
2014 Training Resolutions
Mandatory:
Fix my lower back issues
60 min 10k run
Hit my 20-rep goals (pistols, chins and dips - switched from bench press)
Additional:
Deadlift 220kg (lower back permitting)
Front Squat 140kg
Get leaner (no fixed value)
Super-Additional:
Bench 140kg
Press 90kg
Squat 180kg I think I have a snowball’s chance on these ones, but all the guys in Rattlehead’s log are racing for them and I want to join in lol.
2013 Training Resolutions
My 2013 resolutions were to crack the pistol squat and the 28kg Turkish get-up, both of which I have achieved.
Haha! It’s great to push each other like this :). We’ll see though, I can imagine myself crashing out of this race catastrophically if I can’t figure out my lower back issues lol.
