Yes we are definitely going to chat about this come mid-year… Glad you’re enjoying it and getting a lot out of it.
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I’m getting some DOMs and mental toughness out of it at the very least!
I’ve confessed before that I might enjoy writing programs more than I actually like executing them, but here’s an idea for my comeback. I’m probably an idiot but it’s my combination of 5/3/1 and Best Damn. 5/3/1 has a rest/pause challenge where you do the traditional reps and then do a rest/pause set with the first set’s weight (65, 70, or 75%). The program only has two lifting days a week and doesn’t do rest/pause for squats and deads because “it’s dangerous”. I don’t understand how rest/pause is any more dangerous than the widowmaker sets that the program uses instead.
Anyway, Best Damn has heavy sets of rest/pause or clusters in it. You do 2-3 sets of 4-6 reps and then an all out rest/pause set or you can do clusters. So why not do the 5/3/1 weights and then treat the plus set as a rest/pause set? It doesn’t seem like I’m stretching things too far for either program.
I’m also doing a separate six week power clean program that I like much better than 5/3/1 power cleans. It’s percentage based and uses heavier clean pulls on a second day of the week.
Like I said, I’m probably an idiot, but here’s the potential plan…
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With rest-pauses you have to set up and start a set three times instead of one and as you get tired it can become hazardous for guys with less experience - a dude who has trained for a year or two will almost certainly pull with a rounded back and fold over when squatting if they are fatigued
With widowmakers the possibility is still there, but it’s smaller as the set is continuous and there are fewer points of absolute failure
It probably depends on the weight used and the person. If it’s something that is more like their 10RM then there will be a lot of pauses between reps on the last 10. For the rest/pause sets I’ve seen a couple different approaches. Jim said to take 15 deep breaths. CT’s program says to rest for 15-20 seconds.
I hadn’t thought of the walk out for squats. The other thing about the rest/pause sets is that you go until you think the next rep is questionable. You shouldn’t actually fail. With my experience I feel confident that I know when to call it quits. Heck, I probably sell myself short.
I like the idea of doing my PR set on deadlifts and then pulling a few more reps after a couple of deep breaths. Like I said, I might be an idiot and scrap some or all of this once I actually get a chance to put it into practice…which is still a few months away.
EDIT I’ll also be using 225-275 lbs for my squat sets. I imagine when you’re using 3 plates or more then it changes things a bit.
1.10.18 Day 22 of Recovery
Woke at 218.2 lbs. I finally got a decent night’s sleep! I think I only woke up once or twice.
Yesterday’s Nutrition
3350 calories, 371g carbs, 84g fat, 199g protein.
But in that case you are still able to get another rep - with rest pause you go until you can’t so it’s a bit different
Of course rest pause sets shouldn’t be treated like breathing squats where there’s a minute break between reps
Jim’s program is the 5/3/1 Rest-pause if I understood correctly?
That one uses the DC scheme which calls for 15 deep breaths (which comes to about 22 seconds)
It’s good because you don’t need a timer for that
That’s true, a more experienced guy can get away with mixing things up a bit
I’ve done this in the past - usually you are fatigued as hell from the first set and the rest becomes a bit questionable
But you could try it; it may work for you if you do it right
I might be able to do this on deadlifts but not much else since I lift alone. And I’ll be adopting CT’s version of it which says to stop if you feel like the next rep is going to be iffy.
That is correct. It’s in the back of the Beyond book. I’ve never done a widowmaker set so I can’t relate to the length of time it might take. When I read 15 deep breaths I imagine myself gasping for air 15 times which leads me to pass out lol
I think there’s going to be a bit of trial and error. If the PR set goes for 10-15 reps then I should be able to do a couple more rounds of 2-3 reps after a short rest. If the PR set tops out at 5 then hopefully I’ll be able to get a single—almost like a cluster set at that point. If the PR set stops prior to 5 reps then I’ve done it wrong (according to Jim). Either way the goal is to push myself to failure. If this works out then I’ll only do it for two cycles (6 weeks) and then I’ll probably do 3-6 weeks of 5’s PRO or I’ll stop at doing only the prescribed 5/3/1 reps.
Fortunately I have some time to sit and think about what I’ve laid out and change my mind. This is like my fourth program consideration since I went on the DL. The goal is still to bulk which I think will lead to my strength goals. I’m disappointed with my strength progress so I’ve told myself that I’m doing 5/3/1 next year no matter what. Once I had surgery I decided to try CT’s Best Damn 2.0 program and I’m loving it. The intensification techniques are pushing me further than I’ve been going on my own and I think it’s a really good thing. I also have a nice full body 5/3/1 program typed up that I was doing up until surgery. Oh, and most recently I took a peak at The Daily Dose program referenced in ActivitiesGuy’s log.
Doing CT’s program has me considering running it until June but I said I was going to to 5/3/1 so the above is my abomination of both programs lol
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BDWP2.0 W3 D3
Warm-up
Recumbent Elliptical-----that’s what the new contraption is called. I had to look it up on their website.
15 minutes Level 3 while interacting on the Flame Free Confession thread.
Rehab and Stretching
Smith SL Squat (R leg) (R/P)
15 x 10
35 x 6
65 x 6
65 x 9-3-3-3
Smith OHP (R/P)
65 x 10
105 x 6
125 x 6
145 x 7-3-2-2
OH Rope Extension (mTor)
80 x 10
90 x 10
110 x 10 + 20 sec stretch
Machine Pec Dec (myo reps)
120 x 12
140 x 10
160 x 12-3-3-3-3-2
I’ve changed my rest to 10 seconds on the myo reps. CT stated in his forum that the rest should be 3-5 breaths between each “mini set”. Rather than do that I just set a timer for 10 seconds and grab the bar or whatever when it goes off so I’m probably close to 15 seconds between sets.
Recumbent Elliptical
30 minutes level 4 while messing around in the Flame Free Confession thread again. Thanks guys!
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1.11.18 Day 23 of Recovery
Woke at 217.8 lbs.
Ate more and burned more yesterday… looks like burning slightly won.
Yesterday’s Nutrition
3225 calories, 307g carbs, 117g fat, 240g protein.
I mentioned this in another log but I got a Fitbit for Christmas and love that little thing. I know the calorie tracking isn’t accurate but it’s a guide. I tend to figure out my baseline through trial and error and it’s probably 3000 to 3100 calories per day right now. The Fitbit is pretty close to that so I’m going to choose to trust it. Case and point: yesterday I was hungry AF and the Fitbit estimated that I burned 3518 calories. I am also the lightest I’ve been in a very long time today.
I may have mentioned this or played with it but I’m re-committing to gaining weight. 240 lbs is the first goal. Unfortunately it’s going to take a long time. I need to lay out some short term goals to help me along the way. If I gain 1.5 lbs per month then it’s going to take almost 15 months to achieve this…
Goal #1: Weigh 222 consistently by March 1.
Goal #2: Weigh 226 consistently by June 1.
Goal #3: Weigh 228 consistently by August 1.
Writing this out sucks. I could weigh 228 in two weeks! This is going to be the toughest “bulk” I’ve ever attempted due to it’s incredibly slow pace. Here we go…
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Working on my new six pack tonight @littlesleeper @FlatsFarmer
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5% meat between the two of you. Good Luck, vegans!
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Are our brainwaves synchronized or something? I just slammed down a meatball marinara from Subway an hour or so ago. So delicious.
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Haha, well the coupon pack that just came in the mail was a definite enticer. 2nd sub for 99cents.
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I had my 10 ounces of sirloin earlier in the day.
That actually makes it worth the money then! I was all about Subway back when they had $5 foot longs but they’ve lost me with this $6+ crap. Their sandwiches aren’t that good. I’ll go to Mr Goodcent’s or Jimmy John’s now.
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1.12.18 Day 24 of Recovery
Woke at 218.2 lbs so it looks likes the four cinnamon rolls were .10 lbs each LOL
Yesterday’s Nutrition
3203 calories, 378g carbs, 102g fat, 202g protein.
BDWP2.0 W3 D4
Recumbent Elliptical
15 minutes L3
Neutral Pull-Ups (R/P)
10, 6, 7-3-2-2
My right arm/shoulder were not right during these.
Lying Leg Curl (R leg) (myo)
70 x 8
60 x 8
60 x 9-3-3-2
Seated DB Shrug (myo)
115’s x 10
115’s x 10
115’s x 15-3-3-3-5-5-5
These are tough to max out. Grip fails before traps. Can’t decide if I should keep struggling with grip to improve that or just use straps.
Machine Row (mTor)
110 x 10
140 x 10
170 x 10 + 20 sec stretch
Machine Row (mTor)
65 x 10
75 x 10
85 x 10 + 20 sec stretch
These hurt a little.
Post-Op Doctor’s Visit
I had my follow up today and met with the nurse. She took me through the pictures of my surgery and explained everything. The head of my femur had a bump near the neck and the cartilage was beat all to hell. They shaved that down and removed some cartilage. The labrum was frayed and looked a bit rough so they removed a little bit of that. The tear wasn’t what I expected. It was in the middle of the tissue. I pictured it as being on the edge. There was just a line like someone cut it. They anchored that to my pelvis and pulled it back together and down.
I’m released to be normal again. I can walk but I still have to avoid going past 90 degree hip flexion. I also have to avoid external rotation. I won’t be running or jumping until around the 3 month mark which is fine. But I also won’t be lifting. I have another follow up in 8 weeks. From here on out I’m basically at the mercy of my physical therapist. She will give me permission to add things to my training. I’ll start out by begging to do some leg extensions and leg curls since they’re not going to add weight to my hip directly. I think I can still get some good work in with the slow eccentrics (even though they’re painful).
For now I’m happy to be walking (with permission) again.
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Surprised nobody jumped on the low hanging fruit here but, “probably” I thought we long ago determined that we’re all a bunch of idiots!
Hot Damn!! @Frank_C might not be back in the saddle yet but he’s putting on his chaps!
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Now THAT is one hell of an analogy!
How are you feeling?
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Its great you can walk again man!
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