My Excuse to Eat Log

OK - I’m still lifting. Kinda. I just got sick of writing about it.

Spent most of the Fall switching back and forth between mobility weeks with some heavier stuff. Not heavy mind you. Just heavier. Mobility/rehab/muscular endurance trick made me feel a lot better and I managed to run a marathon a couple weeks ago. Lifting since January was done solely to support the marathon training.

Right now I’m trying to get to the gym five days a week. Three “heavy” days and two mobility days. On even heavy days, front squats and supported rows. On odd, DLs and MPs. I started the weight embarrassingly light and only add 5-10 pounds a week in order to give my body/joints time to switch gears. I’ll run this till my joints get cranky or I stop being able to add weight consistently.

4/27

Mobility warm up
4 x barbell complex @ 95 warm up
8x3 Front Squat (135, 155, 165x5)
5x10 Chest Supported Row @ 100
Shoulder P/rehabery . . .

Thanks for checking in.

welcome back- nice training and congrats on the marathon

4/28
45 min run

4/29
Warm UP
4x barbell complex @ 95

8x3 DLs (135, 185, 205(6))
5x8 MP @ 40
3x20 BW Chins

4/30

45 min mobility circuit - HR pegged between 130 - 140

4/31

BB Complex Warm Up

8x3 Front Squats (135, 155, 175(6))

5x10 BB Rows @135

Shoulder stuff . . .

4/2
45 min mobility

5/8

45 Mobility circuit - HR130-140

5/9

4xBB Complex Up to 95

8x3 Deadlifts 135, 185 225 (6)

5x10 Standing DB Press @40

3x12 BW Chins

Notes
Family commitments knocked me out of the box last week - I think I DL’ed once - but the first two workouts back were rough. Makes me think I’m going to need all the mobility work once I get into heavier weight.

Finally at a point where my back feels better after deadlifting than before.

After running 60-70 miles a week since January, it strange being done a workout in 45 minutes.

[quote]kmcnyc wrote:
welcome back- nice training and congrats on the marathon[/quote]

Thanks Kevin. I just checked out your log. It’s very impressive.

5/11

4 x BB Complex Warm Up

8x3 Front Squats (135, 155, 185(6))

5x8 Supported Rows @180

Shoulder stuff . . .

5/12

Mobility Stuff 45 min

5/13

BB Complex Warm Up - 10 min

9x3 Deadlifts 135, 185, 225, 245(6)

5x10 Standing BD Mil Press @ 40

3x12 BW Chins

Beer

4 x BB Complex Warm Up

8x3 Front Squats (135, 155, 175 195(6))

3x8 Back Squat @ 195

5x8 Supported Rows @160

Shoulder stuff . . .

Notes:
Went for a long surf on Saturday and needed a couple days off to recover. Feels like I’m a day behind.

Had some good luck holding my stomach brace till I took a couple steps away from the bar. Seems to protect my back some. I think I knew this but had to relearn/remember it. . .

Endurance base is fading out but I’m still pretty comfortable where I am. Not sure its popular in these here parts but I feel a lot better when my resting heart rate floats around 50-55. Will have to do some more maintenance work soon.

5/18

Mobility Stuff 45 min

5/19

BB Complex Warm Up - 10 min

9x3 Deadlifts 135, 185, 225, 275(6)

5x10 Standing DB Mil Press @ 45

3x12 BW Chins

Notes -
Weighed in at a whopping 173 pounds today on the gym scale that’s usually 6-8 pounds heavy. Awesome.

5/21

6 x BB Complex Warm Up

8x3 Front Squats (135, 185, 205(6))

3x8 Back Squat @ 205

5x10 Supported Rows @160

Shoulder stuff . . .

Notes -

I think the 205s were a PR on the front squat . . .but I’ve never really worked them consistently before.

Feels like I’m falling into a pretty good workout rhythm. Strength is still going up and my joints haven’ started to complain.

5/25

BB Complex Warm Up - 10 min

10x3 Deadlifts 135, 135, 225, 275, 295(6)

5x10 Standing DB Mil Press @ 50

Shoulder Stuff

Notes:

For the deads, the bar felt really heavy in my hands but I felt strong through the hamstringgs and glutes, and hardly any pressure on my lower back. That was a good set for me but it just felt . . . weird.

Forgot to do the chins today.

5/25
45 min run

5/26
6 x BB Complex Warm Up

8x3 Front Squats (135, 185, 205, 215(6))

5x10 Supported Rows @160

and out . . . .

Notes:
My mid-afternoon fade turned into a full blown tank. Went to the gym cranky and pissed off for no particular reason. Wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to lift or not. Ended up doing most of what was on the schedule but left before I started snapping at the harmless idiots who populate the gym. Thankfully the mood broke on the way home.

Glad we have a long weekend coming up

5/28

Today was the day I walked into the locker room and the guy blow drying his nuts decided to say hello. Gotta admit it threw me.

8x Barbell complex: 45, 45, 65, 85, 95, 95, 115, 115

DLS: 135(3), 135(3), 225(3), 225(3), 285(3), 285(3) 305(1), 325(1) 345(1), 365(1), 385(1)

Standing DP Press: 5x10 @45

Swimmers DB Curls: 5x10 35, 40, 45(3)

27 Neutral Grip Chins

Random Thoughts in No Particular Order:

Given where I was a year ago, I’m doing real well physically but I haven’t been consistently satisfied with my training. Part of it is trying to do too many different things (keep the aerobic base and develop general overall strength) but I’m also hitting the wall on my noobie gains. Next block will probably be based on a Bill Star routine. There’s a natural break coming up in my schedule next week so I’ll sort more of it out then.

I have a chance to do some pretty cool adventure racing this fall so the rest of the year in the gym will look like a strength phase through the mid/end of July, a maintenence (maybe bodybuildingish!!) through beginning of September, and then picking up a muscular endurance/prehab phase in the mid/end of November. Means I ought to keep my weight under 170 for now.

I think everything after 305 was a PR for me. Or more correctly, I’m just finding my level with the lift.

There’s a weird procieption thing going on with my DL. Bar feels real heavy in my hands but comfortable through my p-chain. Not sure if it means anything.

Stomping helps.

Also noticed that 285-305 felt tougher than some of the heavier lifts. Like fatigue has accumulated around certain exertion levels. I’ve seen the same thing in running but there’s a different feel to it.

Thanks to the folks who mentioned Prilepin in another thread. I needed to be reminded of a good way to gear my training.

As much as I learned in the last two years about mobility/prehab stuff, I cant shake the feeling my swim coach in college had most of this worked out in 1987.

Hockey trainers are good people to talk to about hips.

Its OK for me to run the day after DL’ing. Not so much after squatting. After squatting I need to do a good mobility workout. The sooner the better.

As much as I can see how a good stregnth program can take care of a lot of physical problems, none of this would have happened for me without a good mobilty/muscular endurance phase.

And of anybody got through this wall of text, thanks for reading.

6/1

Topped my front squat out at 285 . . .then tweaked my back racking the weights. I think the progression was:

135(3), 185(3), 225(1), 245(1), 265(1), 285(1)

Then I went home. Had a little bit left but I didn’t want to risk my back. This has been a good plan for me so I didn’t mind leaving a rep or two in the tank.

Got a vacation coming up so I’ll be back in a week or so with a brand new plan.

Spent last week camping, hiking, and . . . sleeping on the ground. Trying to slot back into work and pick up a training rhythm. I need a couple more mobility days before I think of going heavier.

Aiming to start a Bill Starr variation once I can touch my toes again, hopefully this weekend.

Spent the last month trying to get traction on a new program, but nothing seemed to click. Nothing specific but I just felt wrung out and tired the whole time. With everything else I’m up to (and my inexperience lifting), squatting and deadlifting on the same day took too long to recover from. Feel like I’ve given it enough of a shot to justify moving on.

Back on an 8x3 and feeling a lot better. Its crazy how much my sleep quality improved this week.

Mon 7/11

Mobility Warm Up

Deads 8x3 @ 135,185,245,265(5)

5x
Standing Mil DB Press 10@45
DB Curls 10@40

Pallof Press/shoulder stuff

Farmer walks@ 90 a couple loops around the gym

Wed
BB complex Warm Up

Front Squat 8x3 @ 135,185(3),205(4)

5x
DB Row 10@55
Incline Press 10@55

3x10 Roll Outs / Upper back stuff

Farmer Walks @ 90 a couple times around the gym

Friday 7/15

Mobility Warm Up

Deads 8x3 @

135
185
235
285
285
285
305
305

Mil Press 8x3 @135

Waiter Carries @75 couple times round the gym

Shoulder Work

7/18
BB Warm Up

Front Squats 8x3 @
135
185
185
205
205
205
225
225

Weighted Push Ups 3x12 @ 25 ← might be the first time in years that I did a press without compromising my shoulder . . .

Cable Row 8x3 @ 165

Ab RollOuts 3x10

Got a chance to workout at the local university gym yesterday. It was brotastic!

BB Complex Warm Up

Deads - 8x3 @
135
225
225
275
295
315
315
315

DB MP - 3x10 @ 50

Ab wheel roll outs 3x10

Farmers Carries @ 75 a couple times around the gym.

BB warmup x 6

Front squats 8x3 @
135
185
205
225
225
225
225

Weighted push ups 3x12 @ 25

Db rows 3x12 @ 65

Shoulder stuff

This was a grinder of a workout.
Don’t know if the heat helped or hurt.
Weighed 165 post workout.