Please state your goals in order of importance.
no, it’s not meant to be easy lol
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Question is always what is the point. In your work it might be only about how fast you can go for 90 seconds. If that is the case forget the mile.
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For my job it sounds be best to train the phosphocreatine system since it’s what you use in a fight (typically). But in addition to that I’d like to have a better aerobic base. The running will continue but I’m not sure how I’ll approach it.
I’m sitting here finishing breakfast and thinking about this. It’s usually lifting first, conditioning second but I’ve been considering adopting seasonal training with different training goals. Summer is good for track workouts since my wife is home.
To be continued…
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##7.1.17
Woke at 221.4 lbs.
Yesterday’s Nutrition
2895 calories, 186g carbs, 136g fat, 227g protein.
I failed to take enough food to work again. I spent my lunch at the gym instead of going home or buying some extra food. I ate 4 TBSP of peanut butter before bed but didn’t really want to force down 1000 calories and then go to sleep.
Back to my training evaluation…
Still not sure what I’m going to do. Until I decide I’ll continue to run the program that I’m one week into. I hit up ActivitiesGuy to get some input from him. I’m wanting to do something that has very minimal work with weights. If I’m going to put more effort into running/conditioning then I can’t continue to lift at the same intensity.
I’m actually considering 5/3/1 Training Maximally with Jokers or PR Sets… just like I’m doing now. But that would be it. I’m considering three days a week with a push/pull split so it’d take two weeks to go through everything twice. The only change from what I’m doing now would be three days vs four and no supplemental/bodybuilding work. My main goal is still improving my strength and I figure if I keep my strength up and improve then my muscle mass should hang around. ActivitiesGuy is proof that a minimal approach can still work.
But then there’s my paranoia about not doing enough and shrinking back into a skinny guy. Every time I’ve stopped lifting for any period of time (due to injury or other adult things like a big home project) I lose weight/muscle in a hurry. I get it back but only after going back to my usual high volume/high intensity training.
I’m leaning towards running a trial of this minimal approach. I guess it could be my summer season of training. Track workouts will be like last week–150’s, 100’s, stadium stairs, etc. I guess it might be more like a conditioning phase with supplemental lifting instead of my usual emphasis on lifting with a little bit of conditioning after the fact… when there’s time.
##Today’s Training
Seated OHP
45 x 10
95 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 3
130 x 1
140 x 1
150 x 1
160 x 1 x 3
And a couple hours later…
Superset:
Lateral DB Raise
20’s x 10
15’s x 10
15’s x 10
Standing DB Military
40’s x 10
40’s x 10
I remembered as I was smoking my shoulders (or at least trying to) that I’m switching my workouts and will be doing pushing again on Monday instead of pulling so I skipped the third set of DB Military. I also pretty much only felt this in my traps and nothing in my delts. My traps are sore from Snatch Grip High Pulls.
Im also curious about the goals. I understand the importance of cardiovascular training, but does it translate better than what @bustedwheel said in needing to go all out for 90 seconds in your job. If becoming better at sprinting or fighting or pushing, etc for short bursts would benefit you better, then why not do that? Obviously we would all want to be able to run a ~5 minute mile, deadlift and squat 700, bench 405, overhead press 3 plates, dunk with arm to spare, kick any professional fighters ass, etc all at the same time, but for the majority of us it’s not likely. I know you already know this, but it’s best to simplify your goals to what is going to benefit you most in short and long term ideals.
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As I discussed with @littlesleeper earlier this week, my list of goals tends to get too long in terms of training. Some training goals have overlap such as hypertrophy and strength but some fight each other like high level conditioning with strength AND hypertrophy. And then there are the days/weeks where I realize I can’t continue to spend 2 hrs a day in the gym so I start wondering how to pull off a bare minimum approach.
Being that it’s summer time I think I’m going to drop all of my assistance/supplemental work to give myself time and energy to actually run. I enjoy the sprint intervals and they’re applicable to what I might need at work. My wife suggested lengthening my intervals to improve my endurance such as longer fartlek intervals. I’d still do my work hard, rest/recover style of training but increase the overall duration of the workout. I think that could work. And even though I don’t really desire to run a 6 minute mile I still like the idea of the 400m workout suggested by @bustedwheel so I could still see myself doing that.
The biggest hurdle I’m facing with programming is figuring out how to get in a decent conditioning workout on Friday or Saturday since I work. The track isn’t open until 6:30 and I have to be at work at 7:00. I really don’t want to run on the asphalt roads around my house. And the biggest problem is that my wife really likes to train early in the morning before I leave for work. The obvious solution is to wait until the evening but I hate taking away from what little time I have with the family and it’s usually pretty damn hot by then.
Maybe I’ll see if I can sneak away from work early on Friday and hit the track on the way home. It’s across the street from my station and open til 5:30pm. I could be home by 5:40 at the latest which isn’t so bad.
Might try this soon (I’d start Monday but I’m golfing and have no idea if I’ll do any training afterwards):
Monday–run
Tuesday–deadlift
Wednesday–run
Thursday–bench
Friday–run
Saturday–deadlift variation
Sunday–rest
Monday–run
Tuesday–OHP/Incline
Wednesday–run
Thursday–deadlift
Friday–run
Saturday–Bench
Sunday–rest
and so on.
Squats are out until my hip is completely pain free. I decided to increase my running intensity to try to make up for it. That’s pretty much what started this whole thought process.
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##7.2.17
Woke at 221.4 lbs again which was surprising considering my dinner.
Yesterday’s Nutrition
4123 calories, 497g carbs, 149g fat, 201g protein.
So dinner was Mexcian food. I had 4.5 servings of whole grain Tostitos Scoops because I never eat chips. We had homemade salsa and guacamole as well. Instead of using a tortilla like everyone else for tacos and burritos I made a plate of nachos. I assumed the salt and 1400 calorie dinner would at the very least cause some bloating this morning. It did from an aesthetics standpoint but my weight was a surprise.
No training today. Golf tomorrow so I’m not sure what I’ll end up accomplishing in terms of working out. I doubt I’ll feel much like running but I might be able to force myself to lift in the basement. I also might be able to talk myself into running because I’m pretty sure the track will be closed on the 4th.
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##7.3.17
Woke at 222.2 lbs.
Yesterday’s Nutrition
4043 calories, 390g carbs, 152g fat, 187g protein.
Played a round of golf this morning using a cart. I had 1 cup of oatmeal with a banana for breakfast. I drank 5 Bud Lights on the back 9. Once we got home I finally ate some good food and then took a nap. I woke up and went to the track.
##Training
Running on the track
800m dynamic warm-up
5 x 100m sprints 15 sec or less w/ 1 min rest
Rest 5 minutes
5 x 100m sprints 15 sec or less w/ 1 min rest
I think I threw my back and hip out of alignment on the range before we teed off. Either that or it just made me realize I’m still out of alignment. I felt pain in my left hip and tightness in my QL. It didn’t bother me much after I got warmed up.
I thought my left quad cramped high near my hip during my 1st 100m sprint. I kept running and it didn’t get any worse. I now suspect that I strained it but it’s very mild. I think I out of alignment and it affected everything. Not sure how to proceed from here. I was hoping my hip was done being a problem.
The next adjustment is to remove deadlifts and anything that stresses my lower back since the QL is part of the hip problem. I really don’t want to do that.
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QL and hip problems suck. I have found that suitcase carries are good for QL rehab.
And good on you for working out after drinking beer (even though it was “light beer”). Thats something I could never do.
tweet
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Bud Light isn’t a light alcohol beer, it’s a light calorie beer (from memory). It’s actually super tasty. I only ever had 1 from a mate that come back from the states and I really enjoyed it!
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Thanks for the info.
I will have to try it. My favorite beer at the moment is “Ozujsko”.
tweet
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Bud Light is anabolic water. I have a buddy who went a few months of mixing Jack3d in bud light. Best gains he ever had.
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E.g. This is an $8 pitcher of Bud Light (ignore the pitcher label) I’m currently drinking. I can feel my T levels rising.
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@Irishman92 @thebird @lil.greggy
First, you all made me laugh - - thanks for that!
Bud Light has close to 100 calories and it’s supposed to be 6.0% alcohol from the liquor store and 3.2% from gas stations and grocery stores (different types of liquor licenses). Either way I felt a little bit of a buzz from 5 on an empty stomach during the back 9.
My goal for the day was to get my workout in so I forced it. The track is closed today so I didn’t have the choice of putting it off.
I don’t think there are any studies on alcohol as a pre-workout so there’s no telling how it affects me. However, there are plenty of Jersey Shore type people who drink like a fish at night and train hung over and still manage a better than average physique.
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Wait, what?
It depends on where you buy it for what alcohol content it has? Every Bud Light I’ve ever consumed has been 4.2%, including the 24 consumed this Canada Day long weekend!
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I’m not sure how widespread it is, but it’s a thing here in Kansas. 6.0% Bud Light (and every other domestic beer–Coors, Miller, etc) is considered “liquor beer” by the folks that regulate alcohol sales and the appropriate licensing. 3.2% Bud Light is considered “cereal malt beverage” by those good people. The difference is all bout how much money you pay the state and how many hoops you jump through for your licensing. There are many different entertainment and liquor licenses available and they all have different rules such as when they can sell their liquor.
For now grocery stores and gas stations can sell cereal malt beverages but they don’t possess a full blown liquor license. A liquor store can sell everything, but they can’t sell groceries such as ice, soda, limes, etc. Grocery stores are pushing to be allowed to sell everything (they already do that in some states) but the liquor stores are fighting it because they’re afraid it will put them out of business.
Another quirk of cereal malt beverages is that parents can give 3.2% beer to their kids and apparently it’s not illegal.
Other strange rules I’ve stumbled across here in the US is that in Oklahoma they can’t sell their “liquor” beer cold; they only have the weaker stuff in the coolers. You’ll often see a liquor store with two doors. On paper they are two different businesses. If you plan ahead then you can get the stronger stuff and throw it on ice. If you’re impatient and need a cold brew right now then you can get the weaker stuff by going through the other door.
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##7.4.17
Woke at 222.0 lbs.
Did not track food yesterday but I’m guessing I was at or below my usual 3700 calories. I was way under until dinner. We went to a burger pub and I had a half pound burger with bacon, cheese, and bbq sauce in addition to sharing a basket of truffle fries and sweet potato fries that came with my meal. I also didn’t shy away from the various dipping sauces. My favorites were creamy so probably ranch or mayonnaise based.
##Training
Deadlift Another small miracle, the platform was available when I arrived. The gym is only open 7-12 today so ALL the regulars have to fight for space.
135 x 10 + 10 RDL’s
165 x 5 + 5 RDL’s
195 x 5 + 5 RDL’s
235 x 5
275 x 3
315 x 3
365 x 1
405 x 1
455 x 1
405 x 3 touch n go
405 x 3
all sets of deadlifts are now touch n go until the singles (obviously)
Incline Bench
135 x 5
155 x 5
175 x 3
195 x 3
215 x 1
225 x 1 x 5
Pull-Ups
15
8
5-2-2-2 (triple rest/pause)
Reverse Cable Fly
2 x 10 @ 40
superset with
Pulse-Ups
3 x 15
Reverse Cable Fly Delt Emphasis
2 x 10 @ 30
Hammer Grip Cable Press Down
3 x 10 @ 60
superset with
Hammer Grip Cable Curl
3 x 10 @ 50
DB Suitcase Hold (static hold)
3 x 30 sec ea @ 120
Did a pretty stellar job at hitting that minimalist approach! I don’t care. I enjoyed the workout and that’s all that matters. I’ll definitely do less and less as the week goes on and I get busier.
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Wow, that seems ridiculous. Especially the fact that these “cereal malt beverages” can be given to kids. Our “near beer” is 0.5% alc and anyone can purchase/drink these, but I think it would be a tougher to get drunk on those…
##7.5.17
Woke at 225.4 lbs with a lot of bloating from last night.
Training at the track
800m warm-up including 2 x 100m build up runs
Repeat 400 meter runs:
Since I ran an 8:37 mile last week I split it up and tried to hit 2:10 per 400m run with 3:00 test. I set my watch for a 2:10 timer followed by a 3:00 timer.
The workout:
#1–1:33 (3:37 rest)
#2–1:41 (3:28 rest)
#3–1:49 (3:21 rest)
#4–1:49 (3:21 rest)
#5–1:21 (max effort but with a consistent pace, no dying at the end)
I decided to run the last one hard since I set my goal time too high. Next week I’ll set the timer for 1:55 and stick to the 3:00 rest instead of taking extra rest when I finish early. There’s no reason to get ahead of myself and die during a workout.
The down side of all this is that I’ll probably be losing my track workouts by mid August since my wife will be heading back to work. Counting last week I’ll get 7 weeks of track workouts. It seems that about the time I start to see some progress I’ll have to make a choice: 1) sit around all day and wait for my wife to get home so I can go run around 5 pm (which will be close to the hottest part of the day in August) or 2) go back to running on the Y’s indoor track.
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That is some impressive running!
I’m pretty sure 1 x 400m run around 2:30 would finish me off for the day…
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