Definitely agree I don’t need to be specializing on squats. Doing it anyway. I have to make up for neglecting them for the last several months. And I simply need to work through the discipline to get out there and do it. As long as I don’t injure myself, I can’t see it being a bad thing. Might not be a good thing, but definitely not a bad thing.
Food:
I have no idea on protein or calories. I cooked up 5 lbs of chicken leg quarters as Chicken Adobo. I ate at least 4 pounds.
I also had 1/2 pound of cheese. A couple cheese sticks then most of a bag of shredded cheddar.
Protein powder is gone. (Had the last 25 or 30g today.)
Otherwise, um, I’m out of food. My ground beef hit that point where it turned brown. I cooked some up last night, but didn’t trust it so I threw it out.
I’ll need to go shopping tomorrow. They didn’t do a good job of clearing the apartment complex today, so I might just have to walk. One of these days I might actually get a 4WD/AWD vehicle. For now, rear-wheel-drive sports car. Lol. Which means… hiking through the snow.
Like, literally, I ran out of plates. Time to buy more 45s.
Legs felt bad at the end of the full squats. It got worse as it went on… and my whole legs. I didn’t even try a single after I just fell into the hole on 235, just set up pins for 1/2 squats. Then those felt pretty bad. Good once I got off the bottom, but a lot of work to get off the bottom.
And then the 1/4 squats just kept going and going and going and… yeah.
Gotta say, 315 felt heavy the other day. Really not that heavy compared to 437. Those didn’t even require any psyching up, they were just go out there and do it squats. Couldn’t hold it at the top for long, but didn’t really try.
No wonder my toes were chilled by the end, even with the upgraded socks.
I didn’t really notice the cold; I was too focused on the squats. The discipline is starting to kick in again.
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On a related note, I did some research into Bulgarian methods, both applied to Olympic lifting and as applied to the powerlifts. There seem to be a number of people who swear by daily or near-daily heavy max training. What surprised me was how close some of these were to the layer system ideas.
For squats, there’s the Squat Nemesis Program, which consists of the “Squat Nemesis Workout” done with Back and Front squats. Day after day after day, with a deload week when needed.
Pretty simple stuff.
Ramp to 3RM, continue to 2RM, continue to 1RM.
Drop to 70% of that, do 3 reps. Add a bit of weight, do another 3. Do at least 3 sets, adding weight when you can. Stop when you can’t get all 3 reps.
Glad yesterday built my confidence up, because today stripped it away.
Squats
Ramping:
bar, 95, 135 – lots of time getting deep and holding it
135, 155, 175, 195, 205, 215, 225 x 2
235 x 1, miss (this was supposed to be for 2)
240, 245 x 1
Work Set:
220 x 3 clusters
220 x 1 + 215 x 3 clusters (stripped the bar after the first)
215 x 1.5 (not thinking too straight, and not wanting to dump the bar, I put my hands on the safety bars and assisted myself)
Ow. Everything hurts.
Spent more time reading up on Broz and Nemesis and Bulgarian training and the Modified Bulgarian thread here and a few logs. Somewhere along the lines, I read about just warming up by using the bar and some light weight to just work on positions.
I’m working on pushing my squat deeper. I think what I used to think as parallel wasn’t quite parallel… so now that I’m aware of it, I think the numbers “suffered” a bit, simply because I’m going lower. It also means I’m moving a bit more toward a true olympic squat with zero back involvement. Not sure that’s a good or bad thing.
Since I’ve now got it in my head that I’ll probably be doing some variant of a squat-every-day program, 5-6 days a week, I’m really not too concerned about timing of when to tweak form. Squatting to max every day has actually been a good thing since I’m starting to feel pretty comfortable already with the weights.
Tomorrow I only ramp to 80% of 255 – so, 205 – and call it a day. Bench after.
(FWIW, now that I’m done writing this up, things don’t hurt so much. Abadjiev has a term for it… “adaptation pain”. As opposed to real pain like what I feel in my shoulders.)
I was stuck at home until today, so I pretty much emptied my fridge. Ended up ordering pizza last night.
Watching my weight, I was gaining a pretty steady .2lbs a day (lol) for the first three days of the week to 151… then it dropped off to 148 on Thursday and climbed again on Friday.
I bought a gallon of milk on the way into work today, and finished it in a couple hours. Only 2 trips to the restroom drinking an entire gallon of liquid. I didn’t realize I was that dehydrated – nor did I realize how much I relied on milk for hydration, not just calories/protein.
Just something I probably need to keep aware of… that if I’m not drinking milk, I need to make sure I’m getting a good amount of water otherwise.
Good news is, after drinking a gallon of milk, I’m still really hungry. It’s nice to have some appetite again.
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Other notes:
I’ve got some pain on the back inside of my shoulder blades; the edge toward the spine. I have a feeling this is tendon/ligament pain from the heavier weights on my back. It’ll probably be fine in another day or two, but just noting it here for reference.
I added Vitamin D3 back into my diet on Thursday.
I’m adding a shot a day of Fish Oil back into it today.
Practicing depth, stretching, paying attention to patellar tracking, etc.
35lb kettlebell x a few (goblet squats)
45 x a few
95 x a few
135 x a few
Ramping
155, 175, 185, 195, 205 x 2
Those were all far below parallel. They were also really easy. Never thought I’d ever say 80% was “really easy”, but it was.
I’m thinking about getting oly shoes though, at least if I’m going to be squatting this much like this. My knees do some weird stuff below parallel. I’ll give it some time first. I’ve been squatting barefoot in the summer, sock-footed in the winter.
As stupid as it sounds, I kind of want to do some work sets and stuff. This didn’t feel like anywhere near enough work. However… if a deload today and rest day tomorrow help with getting stronger/better for next week, I’ll take advantage of that.
Meanwhile, I’m starting to love squats.
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And in totally bizarre news, I drove through a parking lot last night and ended up with someone’s metal car bumper stuck under my car, buried in the snow. Had to jack my car up on a main road in the dark to get it out. Fortunately I had a flashlight and was dressed for the weather.
I’m not sure of the scope of the damage yet, bodywork on my bumper cover I’m sure, and possible damage to the front left corner of the car – brakes, alignment, steering assembly. The car seems to drive pretty well, but I’ve got an insurance claim in and an inspection on Monday.
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Last news: I’m still trying to wrap my head around how different different coffees are. I’d gotten used to drinking Costa Rican, and occasionally had an Ethiopan Harrar or Yirgacheffe. When I was in Portland, I had plenty of different coffees – the Papau New Guinea were some of the most “different” coffees. And then today I had a Burundi, which is even more different. She described it as being somewhat sweet, with an undertone of green pepper. And… that’s a pretty accurate description.
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Done talking. Bench press later, maybe. Not really in the mood, and moving around my bench is a pain in the ass.
I was looking through my log, from early on, and I saw this:
“These are calculations for my “ideal” proportions based on my wrist size:
Wrist 6.00
Chest 39.00 (38.5)
Hips 33.15 (36.75)
Waist 27.30 (30)
Thigh 20.67 (22.5)
Neck 14.43 (14.5)
Upper Arm 14.04 (12)
Calf 13.26 (13.5)
Forearm 11.31 (10.5)
Shoulders 44.17 (44.75)”
My actual measurements, as of this morning, are in parentheses.
Upper arm, forearm and chest still need work, and waist could be leaner… but somehow I reached or exceeded the rest of them. Kinda surprised.
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On the other hand, comparing current numbers to last time I measured, it seems very clear I need some dedicated arm work. And whatever I’ve done for my chest and back… isn’t really working that well. As stupid as it sounds, I think I made more progress with my chest measurement just doing squats. I don’t have dates written down on this notepad, but it looks like my chest went from 36.5 to 38 over the time of the 20 rep squats. (I was also doing dips.)
My goals now are strength-related – e.g., the BULKING thread. Build up the strength, then move back to physique goals.
But I guess I could add on some curls and extensions/skullcrushers.
Ramping:
Bar, 95, 135, 155, 175, 195 x 3
205, 215, 225, 235, 240, 245, 250, 255, 260 x 2 (PR, was 255 1RM, 245 2RM)
265, 267 x 1; 270 x 0 (12lb PR, was 255 1RM)
Work Sets:
245 x 5 x 1
Total Load:
8412
Nemesis Number (load / 1RM):
31.76
Per Nick Horton:
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I bought some knee straps, since I learned that my kneecap isn’t supposed to pop side to side as my legs bend and extend. Patellar tracking issue it seems. Knee straps are cinched tight to hold my kneecap basically in the right spot, so that it learns.
I’m a bit sore after this workout, but in different places now.
I didn’t realize squats could be so different… I’ve been working on a more olympic-style squat, rather than the powerlifter style. Keeping my back vertical.
My upper back has been rounding some toward the heavier sets. Ok, they’re all heavy, but toward the 1RM reps. Not sure if I need to do anything other than watch my form on the work sets and let it all sort itself out.
I’m pretty happy with the 12lb PR. Was hoping for more, but that’s after just one week. Another week or two, then a deload week, and we’ll see where that leaves me.
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I couldn’t avoid the gym yesterday. Screwed around with some curls and extensions, and did a few overhead presses with the bar, then bar + 5s. Didn’t seem to bother my shoulders with a certain bar path. When I’m done with this 3 weeks squatting experiment, I might add these in.
Also, the Nemesis programs are interesting. They have several “intensifier” approaches. One seems very “bodybuilding friendly”. I’m thinking about using it.
Ramp to 1RM, then starting at 50%, ramp to 7RM. That’s it. Might be good for rows, bench, and OHP.
I didn’t realize you were so small. It seems like you have more clarity and direction in how you wish to proceed which is good. Seriously all you need is work, work, work, eat, eat, eat, sleep, sleep, sleep, grow, grow, grow. Give the basics their due and they’ll reciprocate with strength.
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
I didn’t realize you were so small. It seems like you have more clarity and direction in how you wish to proceed which is good. Seriously all you need is work, work, work, eat, eat, eat, sleep, sleep, sleep, grow, grow, grow. Give the basics their due and they’ll reciprocate with strength.[/quote]
Small measurement wise? Bodyweight wise? Max wise? Not that it matters. Just wondering which “small” you meant.
Basic plan at this point is get my squat to 2x bodyweight, no holds barred.
Then, maintain the squat, and get my press up to 1x bodyweight.
Then, maintain the squat and press, and get my bench to 1.5x bodyweight.
Then go from there.
If that requires assistance exercises, then it requires assistance exercises. But if I can do it with pure specificity, intensity and volume, then I’ll do that.
Meanwhile, add 5-10% to bodyweight and hold it. I’m partially there, was at 148 a few weeks ago (and for the last 12+ weeks before then), and sitting at 152 this morning. Planning on holding somewhere in the 160 to 165 range, but I’m not there yet. I’ll see when I get there.
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
I didn’t realize you were so small. It seems like you have more clarity and direction in how you wish to proceed which is good. Seriously all you need is work, work, work, eat, eat, eat, sleep, sleep, sleep, grow, grow, grow. Give the basics their due and they’ll reciprocate with strength.[/quote]
Small measurement wise? Bodyweight wise? Max wise? Not that it matters. Just wondering which “small” you meant.
[/quote]
Based on seeing your measurements. I thought you were a bit bigger than that. It explains your strength level.
[quote]
Basic plan at this point is get my squat to 2x bodyweight, no holds barred.
Then, maintain the squat, and get my press up to 1x bodyweight.
Then, maintain the squat and press, and get my bench to 1.5x bodyweight.
Then go from there.
If that requires assistance exercises, then it requires assistance exercises. But if I can do it with pure specificity, intensity and volume, then I’ll do that.
Meanwhile, add 5-10% to bodyweight and hold it. I’m partially there, was at 148 a few weeks ago (and for the last 12+ weeks before then), and sitting at 152 this morning. Planning on holding somewhere in the 160 to 165 range, but I’m not there yet. I’ll see when I get there.[/quote]
There’s no valid reason that you can’t do all these things at the same time barring your health. You’re still new. You have a lot to gain. You don’t need to specialize or compartmentalize your training. Just get stronger all over to the extent that your health allows.
[quote]AnytimeJake wrote:
Dbol, and pop tarts will fix all size problems to bad your not a cheater ![/quote]
And give you calf/back pumps from hell…still worth it lol
Here’s a fun post (sarcasm). I’ve tried gaining some bodyweight.
Lots of food and lots of milk. In the last 9 days, I’ve had 6 or 7 gallons of milk, 5lbs of chicken, 5lbs of beef, a pound or so of cheese, a pound of pasta… and that’s just of the food I bought and cooked. A few restaurant and fast food meals too. (1900 calories at IHOP, around the same at Fridays, and one or two 900 calorie Taco Bell visits). Also a few gas station protein shakes, just trying to figure out what the RTD drinks taste like … and they all taste awful. The Monster ones are the best.
Bodyweights from last week:
149.3, 149.5, 150.0, 147.9, 148.2, 151.2, 150.6
This week:
152.6, 148.2 (today)
I mixed up some beta-alanine with creatine last night, drank it… and 30-45 minutes later, lost everything in my stomach. I’ll say that was my fault, not having done that before.
But I’m not sure I’m really absorbing my food, really. It seems to all just be going to my gut, but nothing is extracted from it.
Whenever I squat early on Saturday mornings and I don’t wanna puke my breakfast out Monster’s RTD is my drink of choice
Edit: We gotta get your weight problems figured out
[quote]chobbs wrote:
Edit: We gotta get your weight problems figured out[/quote]
Yeah, yeah we do.
I’ve been able to squat to max every day (sure, for a week, but still). I’ve been able to train every weekday in the past, and sometimes one or both weekend days. I have the discipline to do that training-wise.
So, one of the things I’ve always taken for granted elsewhere, but never really applied to training: when things are hard to understand, remove as many variables as possible.
I’m going to apply that to both my training and diet.
Milk has been a staple of my diet, even a gallon of milk almost every day.
So…
Weekdays: 1 gallon of whole milk + 1 pound of ground beef. That’s going to be the base of my diet.
I could have done more at both pin 7 and 8, but I got bored, and was in 90%+ territory anyway
My squats are almost now full olympic squats. Fairly upright, and ATG.
I used knee straps today too. I think my knee tracking is improving some. I think I’m going to start wearing these around the house and maybe even at work.
Toward 240 or so, my right quad started hurting toward my hip on the top, not inside or outside. I did a little bit of low-intensity short-duration stretching, but didn’t really get it. However, like last time, when I started moving into the heavy pin weights, the pain started going away… it’s like with heavy weights, my body just learned to instantly fix itself. I don’t understand.
to bad your not a cheater !