I decided to take some measurements this morning on a whim. My last entry for this data is from June 2021. I also checked my strength on the big four from that time. It looks like not much has changed. I guess I’ll call that a win considering how much less I train these days. I’ve also managed to cut 6 out 7 pounds since school started… finally!
(I measure in cm for some reason.)
Fartlek Runs
Run/Walk
30 sec/30 sec
20/20
10
Rest 2 minutes
Repeat for three total rounds
I remember a certain few saucy posts from you in my log about mixing imperial and metric, but I will now take the high road and make no mention of it whatsoever.
SQUAT
255 x 10 for top set.
Tried low bar squatting and it might be a good change for me. I did 240 x 8 last week for my top set (I was a bit fatigued, too).
HANG POWER CLEAN
265 x 1, 1 for top set
PULL-UPS
9, 9, 9, 8
OHP
130 x 7 for top set
DB INCLINE
65 x 10, 8, 6
REV DB FLY
25 x 15, 15
WARM-UP
Jump Rope x 200
LOW BAR SQUAT
120 x 5
170 x 5
200 x 5 x 3 sets
DEADLIFT
235 x 3
275 x 3
325 x 3
365 x 2
415 x 1
445 x 1
480 x 3 (not as pretty as usual)
BENCH
120 x 5
170 x 5
195 x 3
215 x 10
My e1RM has been 286 for my last two workouts. I haven’t benched 275 in a while so I’ll take that as a win.
SEATED WIDE CABLE ROW
160 x 18, 6, 6, 5
SEATED DB OHP
50 x 10, 9, 7
Notes
I played basketball last night and it definitely played a part today. I was happy to hit 480 for three even if I cheated a bit. I’d like to use less momentum but it wasn’t there today. Now I’m off to see if I can build a chest supported row machine out of my scrap wood.
SQUAT
235 x 16
HANG POWER CLEAN
185 x 2
195 x 2
205 x 2
215 x 2 x 3 sets
OHP
120 x 10
PULL-UPS
3 x 9
DB INCLINE
65 x 10, 8, 6
REV DB FLY
25 x 15 x 2
Wasn’t planning to lift today. I was going to do it tomorrow, but I was asked to play in a basketball league and the game is at noon. If I play basketball, I won’t really want to lift. I definitely wouldn’t hit my top sets the way I could today so I did a short workout before church.
LOW BAR SQUAT
120 x 5
200 x 5 x 3 sets
DEADLIFT
235 x 3
275 x 3
325 x 3
365 x 2
415 x 1
455 x 1
495 x 1 beltless PR
525 x 1 PR
BENCH PRESS
120 x 5
150 x 5
175 x 5
200 x 15
SEATED WIDE CABLE ROW
170 x 16+6+6
Today’s Highlights
Nice work, man! beautiful pulls. But you better keep going; I’m closing the gap!
I’m thinking it might be time to go back to volume, but I’ll use heavier weights this time.
If I go with Wendler’s Advanced 5/3/1 and a 90% TM, it would look like this:
5 x 5 @ 335 (75%)
5 x 3 @ 385 (85%)
5 x 1 @ 425 (95%)
If I decide to keep pushing the weights, then I might do this:
5 x 5 @ 390
5 x 3 @ 415
5 x 1 @ 450
That’s still using a 90% TM of 450, but following a max load chart from the NSCA. I know Wendler always likes to start light and build up, but I don’t really want to go three weeks without picking up something heavy. My body will lose some efficiency at picking up heavy things and that’ll result in being weaker. I might choose to build up to a 500 lb pull and then do the volume work.
One reason things are going so well now is that I’ve become accustomed to max effort and heavy weights. I don’t want to lose that.
@studhammer I’ve been away from the forums for awhile and still don’t spend much time browsing like I used to do. I’m hoping your experience might be able to help me.
I’ll be 38 soon, and my body has some miles on it. I subluxed both patellas when I was younger and it wrecked my knees. The backs of my patellas look like someone took a cheese grader to them. The cartilage on my femur took some damage. And worst of all, my right patella isn’t tracking properly which will lead to bone on bone.
To add to the knees, I broke my left ankle in 2013 and have developed bone spurs that restrict my range of motion. If I have surgery, the doc is going to fix my spaghetti like ligaments and I’ll be on the shelf for months. I really don’t want to do that until I have to. Smart people in the healthcare world have told me arthritis is probably in my future for the ankle as well as the knees.
This brings me to my random thoughts - HGH. Since the US is dumb and HGH is mostly illegal, there isn’t a lot of science backed data about the benefits of HGH. I’m wondering if it could help repair my joints and give me more time before I’m looking at knee replacements. The fat loss and other reasons T-Nation members use it would be an added bonus.
So what do you think? Would it help me? If so, what kind of dose and duration of use would I be looking at? Would it be a one time cycle or would it be something I cycle on and off of? Or would it be continuous like TRT?
Again, I’m looking to undo some joint damage, not prepare for a bodybuilding show.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and time!
I was invited to play in a basketball league and I accepted. I missed a dunk early in the game and I blame it on fatigue from deadlifts. I also need to improve my vertical. If I keep playing, it’ll come back. I lift so I can do athletic things. Well, Saturday deadlifts seem to interfere with basketball performance. That means I need to think my training schedule.
It might be time to go back to an upper/lower split. It’s not like I don’t have the time. My kids get mad if I pick them up from school before 4:30 so I have over an hour to kill after school. I don’t think I’ll add any exercises or volume; I’ll just split the workouts. That should mean I’ll some short workouts this week.
Sorry, not sorry. 
Hey Brother,
I think that our body starts to produce less and less of the hormones needed as we age. With that in mind, I do think that a lot of us can benefit from exogenous hormone supplementation if we don’t get too crazy. I’ve been on HGH pretty steadily for the last 3 or 4 years and, at 57, I like to think its been pretty beneficial for me. Personally, I take 3 iu/day. I’ve taken as much as 5iu/day for a 4 month cycle but that get’s pretty expensive and, in my case, the water retention was high for about 2 months. Regarding your original question, I was on HGH during my last shoulder surgery and I really believe it helped me heal and grow stronger than if I had been without.
There is also BPC 157 to consider. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that it helps heal injuries. If you’re not aware of BPC 157, its a peptide derived from something in our bodies called Body Protective Compound. You might look at that as well, its not much different in cost than HGH.
Hope that helps you
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I looked into the BPC-157 a couple years ago after my second shoulder surgery. Back then, I was still in law enforcement so the risk of HGH was too high. My jurisdiction has beef l been looking for reasons to prosecute cops - even for stuff average Joe wouldn’t get charged with. They’ve already arrested two officers, put them all over the media, and then dropped the charges. On one case, there was never evidence to arrest the guy. On the other, they had the wrong guy. But the damage was done.
I’m in a new career now so I’m feeling a bit more adventurous. If I recall correctly, BPC-157 is typically injected at the site of the injury, right? I read your thread about the basics of HGH use and saw that you inject your upper arm. If one is a site treatment and the other treats the whole body, then I would benefit from HGH. I have at least four joints I’m worried about. 
Time to split these workouts up and prep my legs for basketball.
LOW BAR SQUAT
135 x 5
195 x 3
220 x 3
250 x 13
HANG POWER CLEAN
185 x 2
205 x 2
225 x 2 x 4 sets
4 Rounds
Correct, not sure if its true. Seems like any injectable would be systemic but… anyway I think at least a 4 month cycle of GHG is worth a try. It may cost a few bucks but if you find a good source with reasonable prices, it should be do-able.
It was bound to happen - an injury. I strained by left bicep yesterday and it’s tough to do any pulling work. I’m not sure how bad it is yet. I’m a bit worried because I feel it all the way up to the origin (official term for where the top of the muscle attaches to the bone). That could mean tendon damage. The only good thing is that I’m right handed and have never really had issues with the left shoulder.
SEATED OHP
70 x 10
100 x 3
115 x 3
130 x 9
PULL UPS
8 and nope
SEATED WIDE CABLE ROW
170 x 3 and nope
REV DB FLY
30 x 10 x 3 sets
PUSH-UPS
30
10
8
I did a workout with my class today to get some cardio done. On the football field, run to the 10 yard line and back. Run to the 20 and back, 30 and back and so on until I ran to the other end zone and back. Did 10 reps of whatever exercises I wanted each time I reached the starting point.
DEADLIFT
Decided to try to show my students how to properly do a 5/3/1 workout. It’s 1’s week so it was 5/3/1+. This was not a great idea because my 1+ set made my biceps strain worse. But I’m an alpha male in a high school weight room so I couldn’t stop for a little pain. 
225 x 5
335 x 5
385 x 3
425 x 11 —> this is a PR of some sort. The e1RM for this set is 580. I think I could have done at least one more rep, but my arm hurt. My goal was 8 reps, then 10, and then a bonus rep.
That’s all for now. I usually do some 3 x 5 @ 75% on squats, but that set was brutal.
Hell yeah dude.
This forum is solely responsible for me finding my favorite lift. I didn’t deadlift prior to the 600 lb deadlift thread. I got curious so I gave it a shot and pulled 450 on a friendly deadlift bar.
I also remember a 405 deadlift challenge. EMOM do 1 rep of 405 for 20 minutes and then do max reps. I think I did like three or six singles and I was done. I’ve come a long way since then.
I struggle to be involved in the forum like I used to be, but this place deserves all the credit for my strength achievements. I turn 38 tomorrow, and I’ve never been stronger.
