Did you flex when measuring biceps and other muscles? You look bigger than I’m picturing with the measurements
Nope. Everything is relaxed and first thing in the morning. I’m between 6’4" and 6’5" tall so everything is pretty spread out.
Relaxed that seems pretty big. I thought everybody would flex (cold) to measure biceps and other muscles
I never flexed back when I started so I just keep doing it relaxed to keep the comparisons valid. Most muscles don’t really change when flexed vs relaxed anyway (mostly just the biceps).
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still a good session JM
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I’ve done the deadlift portion of that session for five days in a row and I love it. I’ll do it again tomorrow and then I get to use a bit more weight on Friday.
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five in a row, damn that sounds like a fun time ahahah
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I’m actually supposed to deadlift five out of seven days each week but I’ve cut out the rest days so far. I’m using 75% for most of the workouts but every 7th session is heavier. Workout 7 is 80%. #14 is 85%. #21 is 90%. #28 goes back to 82%. #35 is 87% and #42 is 92%. I’m supposed to max out about a week after that.
I’m anticipating another shoulder surgery this year. I’m not sure if I’ll finish all 6-7 weeks of this but cutting out the rest days might help.
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1.2.20
Daily Dose Day #6
ELLIPTICAL
20 min Interval, L7/14, 2.07 miles
LATERAL LUNGE ON SLIDER
2 x 15ea w/ bodyweight
For hip health!
UNDERHAND BENT OVER ROW
135 x 10
145 x 10
155 x 10
165 x 8
175 x 6
185 x 4
195 x 4
@jpmason1985, here is my rep scheme. I didn’t expect to hit 155 for 10 but it felt good so I just rolled with it.
MACHINE PULL DOWN
90 x 10
110 x 10
130 x 10
150 x 10
170 x 10
This machine does not fit me. The seat is too low and there’s nowhere to put my feet/legs. It also hurt my shoulder at the end so it’s out. I think I’m good with an angled pull (just like my pressing) so I’ll have to be careful with technique.
REV CABLE FLY 21s
20 x 10#/10T/10B x 2 sets
DEADLIFT
135 x 1
225 x 3
275 x 2
335 x 1 x 5 sets
The platforms were taken for 30 minutes so I did everything else. They were still taken when i was done so I just set up in some open floor space. As soon as I hit my working weight, both platforms became open. 
EXERCISE BIKE
Level 10 while browsing the forum. 15 minutes. 3.94 miles.
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1.3.20
As many of you know, I often rant and brainstorm on here. I recently saw a meme or post or whatever you want to call it but can’t find it to share. It said something along the lines of " I hate it when I hear a woman say she doesn’t want to lift because she will get bulky. Do you know how hard I’ve worked to look this average?" There’s a little more to it but that’s the main take-home point for me. I feel like I have spent hours in the gym every week for over a decade and really haven’t changed much at all. Sure I gain weight and lose weight but it seems that the only thing changing is my level of body fat. I’m not upset by this; it’s just reality.
Once again I’ve been forced to change my training and remove certain things from my programming. The very things that I want to make a priority are off-limits. This has caused my motivation and give-a-damn to suffer a bit. Oddly enough, my new training approach is quite enjoyable. I really like the short sessions and it’s nice to not be tied down to any one thing other than deadlifts (which I love). In case you haven’t noticed, I’m doing the daily dose program and pretty much winging everything else.
This brings me to the main point of today’s rant (and this isn’t a new question or topic). Is it really necessary to do a lot of work to maintain or even build a tiny amount of muscle? I’m beginning to suspect that maintaining muscle mass as I age might be easier than I think. And let’s be real, maintenance is probably the only thing that’s attainable in my position.
I look at a lot of strong people’s training logs on here and I’ve noticed something that appears in most of them. They tend to follow the 5-3-1 type of training with a dedicated squat, deadlift, bench, and press day. Notice that there isn’t a dedicated back day. They seem to sprinkle in some rowing and pull-ups with their pressing but it doesn’t seem to be a priority and they aren’t doing six different exercises for the lats and rhomboids. And yet, despite this lack of volume and intensity (compared to a bodybuilder’s approach), they seem to have muscular and thick backs. So that raises the age old question of what’s actually necessary to build a muscular physique. How much work do I actually need to do? Well, I think the answer for me has two parts - I can probably get away with less for some body parts and need to keep doing the same or a little more for others. I don’t have to train everything the same! (And that’s a glorious realization).
Even though I can’t execute most of my plans, I think I’ve figured out my future training.
- Deadlift every damn day!
- One day of shoulders
- One day of back (see yesterday’s session)
- One day of chest
- One day of legs
That’s it. Legs will be one day a week at best. And it might be minimal like deadlift plus one other exercise. I could also see myself throwing in a leg exercise a couple days a week instead of having a dedicated day.
The goals are simple - Deadlift for strength and build my upper body for show. Build/maintain conditioning with elliptical and bike, and do enough ab work to look good shirtless. The only reason I’ll do any direct leg work is that I’ve learned it’s necessary for my vertical. I’ll consider myself a failure if I can’t dunk when I’m 40 (five years).
The best part about this is that none of my sessions will take longer than 30-40 minutes.
But first, I’ll probably have another shoulder surgery.
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Started sounding like PC then you said deadlift everyday and went off the rails. But I like the new approach. How tall are you? You are heavier than I am anyway, but if you dunk consider me impressed. I’m not even sure I could touch the rim at this point.
6’5" with my shoes on.
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Daily Dose #7
LYING LEG RAISE + PULSE UP
10 before deads, 10 after
DEADLIFT
185 x 5 x 2
235 x 2
275 x 1
325 x 1
360 x 1 x 5 sets
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Can we have a picture with those shoes for reference?
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Good rant, take the thinking out of lifting for awhile and just do what you enjoy.
Keep it simple, bring effort and stay consistent.
Oh and also: 
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My balance isn’t that good.
Maybe someday. I’m not a fan of needles but I think I could get over it. $$$ will always be the biggest factor and we just got to spend $4200 on a new furnace and air conditioner for our rental.
My wife also thinks my son needs a new bed. Apparently a crib (with the side down) isn’t big enough for a 40 lb three year old. He’ll be getting our bed but we still have to buy a new bed and mattress.
By the way, you’re one of the big bastards who seems to barely do any direct back work compared to my old sessions. Your 5th Set sessions look awesome.
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Yeah, more tongue-in-cheek comment than anything. I am not good with needles either, and I’m a cheap bugger.
We have a crib which is apparently 3-in-1, crib, toddler bed, double bed. We will need to purchase a double mattress, but the sides end up being the head/foot boards. Our wee lad is still just sleeping in one of those “Pack and Play” units. Going to set up his crib once we get moved into our new place.
Thanks man! Yeah, my back work RARELY involves more than 1-2 exercises as an afterthought after my main work. Like you said, throwing some rows or chins in the mix seems to have done the trick for me. Who knows, maybe if I did more back work it would be even better? Maybe I have elite back genetics and can get by with deadlifts being 80% of my back work? Certain muscles of mine could definitely use a little more direct work (shoulders come to mind), but overall, I’m content with my physique given that my effort has not been geared towards physique.
I’m all for getting the most bang-for-my-buck out of my workouts, prefer to keep them around 45mins. My squat workout right now is a little longer than I like and find myself dragging my a$$ by the end.
I was just thinking about how I really like this program yesterday, and most of the pros were also true with 5-3-1 (which, as you know, I’m also a big fan of and have seen great progress with). Get to the gym, spend ~50% of your time hitting your main lift, follow it up with a supplemental lift (or mechanically similar movement, as in 5th set), then crack weak points with assistance. Easy to follow, makes sense to me, progression model is modest, and workouts are relatively short.
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1.4.20
Daily Dose Day #8
3 LAP DYNAMIC WARM UP
DEADLIFT
225 x 5
275 x 3
335 x 1 x 5 sets
SQUAT
225 x 5 x 3 sets
SL SQUAT PRESS
270 x 10 ea x 2 sets
ELLIPTICAL
20 min interval, L7/14, 1.95 miles
I must be tired. My HR was high, I was breathing hard, my legs were heavy, and I didn’t go as far as usual. I had to do some self talk to finish today.
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