Rewind to 10th Grade

Training Training Logs
41

FUCK this challenge, fuck you Nutty, and fuck me for doing this.

Holy shit, this workout kicked my ass. I really didn’t think it’d be this hard.

I did 5x5 DL’s w/ 185lbs, ss: w/ 10 situps on a GHD. That wasn’t really hard at all.

Then 4x8 front squats w/ 95lbs, ss: w/ RDL’s with same bar, same weight. The RDL’s wouldn’t have been hard but the squats before hand gassed me.

The end…man this part pushed me. 4x12 walking lunges (I couldn’t do 15, haha, and I didn’t even add any weight!) ss: w/ 15 back extensions.

Those lunges had my legs cramping up like crazy, and after the back Extensions I had pretty much collapse on the floor dreading the timer going off. My legs will be shaking uncontrollably my heart felt like it was about to pound out of my chest and I’m using the voice narrator to type this because my hands don’t want to work… This sucks but they keep it up I think the results were pretty awesome

1 Like
42

This is the first time in a long time I’ve ever been starving after a workout. To be fair, it is 11:30am here, and I haven’t eaten since 8:30pm last night (I usually don’t eat very early in the day), but I wasn’t really hungry until after the workout, and then it hit me hard. Ate 5 eggs with a big scoop of cottage cheese, some cold chicken, some PB toast, some raspberries, and a bunch of milk and water. Just grabbed what I saw, haha.

Now it’s time for a 20 min. nap and a shower before class.

1 Like
43

Sounds like you’ll be improving your conditioning very rapidly. :slightly_smiling_face:

44

It sure looks that way. I’m interested to see how I feel after the upper body days, but the as long as I do a bunch of squats and/or lunges, I will be spending some time on the floor gasping, I’m sure.

But really, that’s probably what I need, and it’s what I think I want, the most. Being big and strong is cool and certainly helpful, but not necessary. Being in shape and having a healthy heart/lungs will provide long lasting benefits.

1 Like
45

I’m going to “officially” log that workout. Make it easier to find/read.

Nutty’s Beginner Program

W1D1:

DEADLIFTS:

5x5 w/ 185lbs ss: w/ 10 situps

FRONT SQUATS & RDL’S:

4x8 w/ 95lbs ss: w/ 4x12 w/ 95lbs

WALKING LUNGES & BACK EXTENSIONS:

4x12 ss: w/ 4x15

Notes:

• I was running short on time so I didn’t warm up, but felt plenty warmed up after the deadlifts. Have mentioned before, but I personally don’t feel like I get much out of warmups. Maybe I’m young and healthy enough.

• Felt like my RDL form wasn’t awesome - too much lower back, not enough hamstrings. I think the squats before tired me out too much and I wasn’t ready for them. Oh well, shouldn’t be a problem after much longer.

• Lunges were definitely the hardest part. Need to work on adding 3 reps each set, and adding some weight eventually. My legs were shaking and numb after these, and upon finishing I collapsed in a sweaty pile for several minutes just trying to recover. Felt really good though, just to have completed it. After a big meal, quick nap, and a shower I felt incredible. I bike everywhere, and I had to bike to school and was in so much pain, haha. I bet getting out of bed tomorrow will be tough.

• Really want my conditioning to improve, and I think if I stick with this it will. Something I’ve noticed is that I struggle to do bodyweight movements after lifting weights. So these lunges after the deadlifts and squats, pushups and dips after benching, etc. I think a good marker on if I’m improving (besides using heavier weights) is how I feel about those - if I’m not totally gassed when it comes to the end and it’s time for the BW stuff.

1 Like
46

Did this workout yesterday, logging today.

(Btw, I messed up and did the bench workout instead of the press workout. Doesn’t really matter though.)

W1D2 - THU. 09/06/2019

BENCH PRESS:

5x6 w/ 95lbs ss: w/ 10 inverted rows

LATERAL RAISES & DUMBBELL SEAL ROWS:

4x12 w/ 10lbs ss: w/ 4x12 w/ 15lbs

4 sets of: pushups/curls/pull-aparts

NOTES:

I don’t like benching. I tried it with a swiss bar, didn’t feel right. Went back to the straight bar, still didn’t feel right. 95lbs wasn’t that heavy, but I just cannot find a way that feels good. My left shoulder’s always popping (no pain) and my right shoulder that I had surgery on last year has a little bit of pain. I’m not writing it off yet; I know a lot of people have dealt with much worse issues and gotten bigger and stronger. I don’t know what’s up.

I’m hoping bettering my technique and getting my shoulders and upper back stronger will help out. We’ll see. I wouldn’t mind dropping it but literally all of the future programs I want to do have it as a main lift. I read some stuff by Paul Carter saying to stop pinning the shoulder blades down and back (I think). I tried that, didn’t like it. Tried kinda pinning them, just not super tight, it felt better. I’m not really sure what he meant, and I’m also not really sure what I’m doing, haha. Oh well.

• Lateral raises were too light. Have been working on feeling my delts so that my traps don’t take over, and I think I was doing good in that regard, but I should go heavier. Probably just 15lbs instead of 10. The last set wasn’t even hard to complete.

• I chose Seal rows because 1). Nutty just listed “Rows” and I doubted it really mattered and 2). I was already doing DB work (lateral raises) so I figured I’d stay with that for ease and 3). I feel like I can feel my lats working best with these compared to standard DB rows. I think I admire quads, lats, and traps the most, in terms of size, so I obviously want big lats. Everything I’m reading (maybe it’s all the reading that’s causing my issues) says the MMC and that type of stuff is essential for lat work, so while I could go heavier and “bigger” with a DB row, I think I can feel a Seal row best.

But I again chose too light of weight. I have no idea why I chose 15lbs. Writing it out makes it sound ridiculously light. Will go heavier - probably at least 25, 30lbs or so. I did try Paul Carter’s tip of pulling my elbows to my hips, rather than straight up, and could definitely feel my lats wayyy more that way, so that was good.

• I did hands-elevated pushups because I can do more that way. I figured I’d go high reps with my hands up, and just work my way down, rather than go hands-on-the-floor and low reps and work my way up in reps. I preferred it this way - I got a much better pump this way. I really liked this combo - with all 3 movements pretty much my entire upper body - arms, chest, upper back, were all super pumped up. Gotta love that feeling.

• This definitely wasn’t as hard as the first workout. I enjoyed it, and can see myself progressing well with it, but I needed to go heavier for that second set of movements, and I didn’t have the same feeling of complete exhaustion and hunger as I did after the first one. That’s to be expected - lateral raises and curls won’t be the same as squats, deadlifts, and lunges. It was good though.

Squats tomorrow!

1 Like
47

Bench Press
Why are you so in love with this? Do you want to compete? If not, then switch to dumbbells and elevate the bench to the first notch. Trust me. Your shoulders will thank me.

Lateral Raises
Do you have access to cables? If not cables, then bands? This breaks the mold of the rep scheme but sometimes you need to go all out to find that MMC in the delts. The traps are supposed to help elevate the scapula and that happens naturally when you do a lateral raise. Go to failure and then do partials until you can’t do anymore. You’ll light up the medial delt on the partials. Cables allow you to isolate better because there’s tension during the whole movement. If you have bands then just do the triple droplet - DBs + bands > DBs only > band only.

Rows
Do you think your back will be small if you can row two-and-a-half plates for reps? MMC is great for some things, but don’t get caught up in the minor details. Rows are a compound movement. Use good form but try to move big weights. Get stronger and you will surely get bigger.

48

I’m not, haha. I don’t like it. And no, not in powerlifting (I mean, I’d try it once, but I don’t care to make a habit out of it). It’s just that I often would start a program when I got into lifting, and end up making so many changes that it wasn’t even the same program by the time I finished altering it. This specific program I’m on right now has some wiggle room, but BBB, BtM, Deep Water, all have benching as an main lift. I don’t feel like I can do those programs, remove one of the 4 main lifts, and call it the same program or expect the same results. It’s not that I care to bench press, it’s that I feel like I should if I run these programs. I also don’t want to be the teenager saying he already can’t bench cause of his shoulders. Same as how I wouldn’t want to say I can’t squat because of my knees, or deadlift because of my back. I know some people’s structure and everything just makes them illsuited for a lift, but I’m young and fairly healthy. I didn’t want to give myself those excuses. Maybe I should though - if it ends up being better in the long run, than it’ll have definitely been worth it.

I do feel better with a close grip bench, however…I’m gonna play around with that and see if I can find a way that it feels ok. If not, I’ll switch to DB’s. I thought I’d read that the closer your hands are to your feet, the easier it is on your shoulders. So decline is better than flat, is better than incline, is better than overhead. I have no idea how true that is, but you’d recommend a (DB) incline? Over flat?

@T3hPwnisher - I feel like this is one of those questions you’d mention in your blog, but since you’ve run all of the future programs I’d like to at some point, what’s your view of the bench? I know you’re not a powerlifter but I assume you feel like it helps your overhead strength. If I stopped barbell benching would you try to find a different overhead movement to replace it? Just bench with DB’s? Is there really any way to replace it, or would it become something completely different?

I lift at home, so no cables, but I do have bands. I work at the Y though, so I can go if I need cables, I just prefer to lift at home. Easier for me. I did feel my delts working, so I really do think if I’d just gone a little heavier I’d have been more pleased with it. I’ll try it out again and check out the bands though.

No…:roll_eyes::rofl:. I tried doing some rows today after I was done with my workout, and I do like barbell rows. I don’t “feel” my lats as much, but obviously if I’m lifting 200lbs they’ve gotta be helping as much as they do to lift 15-45lbs, or whatever I’d have ended up using in the first place. I’ll make the switch.

Finished my 2nd lower body workout. It was hell, but awesome. Will log later.

1 Like
49

It’s worth noting that I’m not a powerlifter NOW but that I was one before I became a strongman, and, in turn, it formed the foundation of how I got strong. In turn, the bench holds a significant role in my training because of the amount of time I’ve spent training it and getting good at it, and it carries over well into my overhead work as it strengthens all of my pressing muscles. However, it’s similar to how, if you come into strongman with a weightlifting background, you will most likely make good use of snatches or cleans in your training while, if you don’t have that background, you’ll go do something else. All of that is a longwinded way to say that, for ME, benching plays a big role in getting big and strong, but for others, it’s not that important.

Now, THAT said, I’d still go with some sort of barbell type movement than dumbbells for the benching in 5/3/1 or Deep Water. Slight incline bench, slight incline with a swiss bar, incline close grip, board press, floor press, etc etc. Try to find something that works. Don’t be afraid to play around with technique as well. If it looks stupid but it works, it’s not stupid. The form I use for benching now is way different than what I did when I was powerlifting, but it works well for me.

3 Likes
50

Oh yeah, I forgot.

Thanks a lot. That’s helpful. I’d completely forgotten about floor presses, and I’ve never tried board presses. I’ll play around with some different movements in the near future and see what works. Also will mess around with form and see how I feel.

51

Still been training, just haven’t gotten around to logging them when I do get on here to post.

Workouts are definitely getting easier, conditioning wise. Not to the point where I’m not progressing anymore, but to the point where I’m getting used to it and not dying after my lunges and stuff. Weight is moving up slowly, but that’s fine, exactly what’s supposed to happen.

Life…is tough. Got a lot on my plate right now. Full-time school, 3 jobs, family issues. It’s getting to be a strain. Well, has been a strain but it’s getting to be a lot. I’ve made some decisions.

I feel like I’m at a point now where I need a break. I’m stretching myself too thin. I started counseling yesterday, and came to some realizations. I’m quitting two of my four paper routes in 4 weeks, quitting my job cleaning a bar in 2 weeks, and cutting back on my hours at the Y for October. That’s basically it. It means I’ll make pretty much no money, but I’m already feeling relieved about it. Like I feel at peace with the decisions and feel a lot happier.

I can’t control what my family/home/personal life is like. There’s always going to be drama and crazy stuff going on, and I have no control over that.

I am in college now. I have plans for further schooling after my bachelor’s, and this needs to be my #1 priority for the next several years. I can’t do my best at it if I’m always exhausted and stressed, and too busy to dedicate much time to it.

I still want to work, and will still be doing a little bit, but I need to let go of my desire to make as much money as possible. Money’s good, and necessary, but I can work all I want when I get a career. Until then, school’s my job. I need to stick to that.

So that’s pretty much it. I am excited to begin counseling - I really liked my counselor and she has a lot of experience with the areas I need help in. I also feel a lot better about having to work less. I don’t dislike to work, but I figure right now is probably the best time I’ll ever have to not work much, so I might as well take advantage of it and work on my physical and mental health. That’s more important than making money. I’ve been waking up at 4am since I was 12 years old, so it’ll feel real nice to wake up at like 6 or something, haha.

Anyway, that’s it. Just decided to make my mental health a much bigger priority and I’m happy about it. Gonna start making more of a plan for my diet as well, and I’m sure the extra rest will only benefit my training!

2 Likes
52

Those all sound like good decisions. If the money aspect bothers you then find a job that makes more in the same amount of time. The cash of a server or bartender is hard to beat when you’re in college. My wife did that and loved it. She actually misses it sometimes because it was mindless work.

1 Like
53

I’ve thought about serving/bartending before, but I’m not old enough to bartend and my days are pretty much booked as far as serving - I’ve got school, homework, and meetings. I could work nights, but one of my main goals is more sleep :rofl: so we’ll see.

1 Like
54

What time does class start? A shift at a good restaurant or sports bar could run from 5pm to midnight. That still allows for decent sleep as long as you’re not signing up for the early classes.

But I guess you did mention sleeping til 6…

55

Right now, my classes start at 8 or 9. That will change from semester to semester, but I like having morning classes. I prefer to be busy at the beginning of the day rather than towards the end. I’ve heard from some “experts” it leads to better productivity too. And I am still up at 3:30 for the next month, after that I’ll still have 2 of my 4 routes. It’ll be December or later before I actually don’t have anything in the mornings.

I could maybe do Sundays though. Typically that’s my “day of rest” but now that the football season is in full swing, some of the sports bars are quite busy Sunday afternoons. Could make some decent cash there.

1 Like
56

You could just plan ahead. You would want to pick a good restaurant that has decently priced food and drink and good turnover. Tipping is based off of the price of the check so you want the food to be affordable but not too cheap. You also want a place with lots of customers. Football isn’t exactly the best time of year for servers because a customer could hold down a table for 3 hours. If you’re behind the bar then it’s a different story.

I always had classes in the first half of the day when I had a choice but I rarely started before 9:30. You can scout the area and find a place that you might like to be a server and make a plan for next semester.

1 Like
57

I’m starting to (once again) develop an interest in the military…

@anon50325502 @flappinit - I know it’s a broad question but what made you decide to join, and I don’t know…what did you get out of it? Would you go back and do it again?

Feel free to tag any other military member, you two were the only ones I could immediately think of.

58

I was a bored college kid who hadn’t yet learned how to really work hard. I never intended to do more than 4 years, and I got in plenty of trouble from being a reckless alcoholic during my time in. I was a stellar field Marine, awarded honor graduate from designated marksman school in Dam Neck, promoted early and quickly. Back in garrison I was a nightmare. I still credit the Corps with showing me all I know about working hard, and making it easy to surpass other employees at my jobs.
But no matter what, I tell everyone to join the Air Force. There’s a reason we called them the Chair Force. Their living quarters are wonderful and their physical standards weren’t insane.

TL;DR, I didn’t join for any heroic reason and I didn’t do anything heroic. Just did my job on my 3 deployments and was a wild guy while stateside.

59

I never considered the military but found myself kind of wishing I had when I hit my mid 20s. I think it’s one of the reasons I got into law enforcement. It has some similarities and the same brotherhood.

If I were you then I’d look at each branch and check the following:

  • career opportunities while you’re in and once you’re out
  • chance of deployed and length of deployments
  • incentives, mostly financial (college tuition or reimbursement and anything else they offer)
  • chance of getting killed

That last one isn’t very heroic but some positions carry more risk than others. I’m also wondering which is more dangerous - being in the military or being a cop. I’m in this for 20-30 years and two cops have been murdered in the last three days and one died in a car crash (nationwide). I could be mistaken but it looks like more cops are killed most years than military personnel. Who would’ve thought that?

60

My friend is doing Air Force ROTC at college, and is really encouraging me to join him. It sounds like a sweet deal - potentially get a lot of school paid for and a monthly stipend, graduate with a high likelihood of a getting a job in the field you want with awesome benefits. I think it’s 4-6 years you owe them, depending on if you’re active duty or reserves. The only reason I didn’t just go straight into that is because I wanted to go to the school in my hometown, and while he might get some of his school paid for by it, I’ve received enough scholarships that I am making $3k a semester. His school is only 2 hours away though, so if I decided to transfer, it wouldn’t be a huge deal.

But Air Force is probably what I’d do. I’d been interested in the Navy, but Air Force does sound like the best, at least in the ways you mentioned.

This is what I’ve thought about, and also why I still consider law enforcement. I don’t know - I have a tendency to romanticize these things, and I don’t want to join because the guys in Lone Survivor just seemed to have a good time fucking around with each other, both on and off the battlefield or something. 1). I probably wouldn’t be in that situation, and 2). I don’t need to join the military to have friends, haha.

I’ll have to check all this out. I did a few years back, when I was more serious about it, but I don’t really remember. I looked at their websites and read a lot of pamphlets, but never actually spoke to people about it.

I could see this being the case when we’re not at war. A cop’s job is the same every day - criminals don’t just go away, but a soldier’s not always at war.

1 Like