TCam's Log - The Road to Elite

Training Logs
1741

CHIMERA

CYCLE 2 - WEEK 6
FRIDAY EVENING - UPPER HYPERTROPHY

A1 | 30 Deg Incline Open Trap Bar Bench
4x8x200 - RPEs 7,8,8,9

A2 | Cable Facepull
4x12x50

B1 | Seal Row w/ Open Trap Bar
2x8x215
2x12x165

B2 | Cable Triceps Pushdown
3x12x70

Paused Incline Deficit Push-Ups
3x10xBW - Plyo boxes for super depth

Cable Incline Curl
3x12/12x25

Standard upper hypertrophy-focused day here. Again, tension is the primary goal on this day, so the bench sets were highly controlled on the eccentric. Last couple of sets required more leg drive, but overall target was hit. Some right pec discomfort to keep an eye on for the upcoming bench day though.

SATURDAY MORNING - LOWER HYPERTROPHY

Deficit RDL w/ Bands (+120) - Belt/Straps
6, 8, 8, 8 x 315+120 - Dbl monster minis

Deficit Bulgarian Split Squat
3x6/6xBW+100 - DB held on same side as working leg

Cable Seated Leg Extension
12/12x50
10/10x70
11/11x70 - Failure reached

Incline Leg Raise
3x12xBW

Low back is still very fatigued from the deadlifts on Wednesday, so I definitely overshot my capacity on that day. Iā€™m still testing the order of lower body lifts in the 14-day cycle I have. Today could have been squat focused instead (it would have been the Hatfield squats from last Sunday) and this day would be next Saturday/Sunday. Itā€™s a decision between coming into this workout and deadlifting with a fatigued low back or fatiguing my quads 3-4 days before the next primary squat day.

SATURDAY EVENING - MODERATE CONDITIONING

Running
Time Intervals - 8 Rounds x 3:00 run / 1:30 walk
0.37-0.39 mi per run
7:49/mi average pace
Metrics
3.07 mi total in 24 min work, 583 cal, 161 avg HR, 175 max HR

Iā€™ve been doing almost entirely distance-based work up until this workout. This was much, much more enjoyable to me. Knowing how long to keep going and not worrying about how far I get is a lot easier to mentally deal with. I had no idea how far I was getting per round until I looked at the data afterwards, I just kept on pace aiming for 7:30-8:00/mi. The 2:1 work to rest was basically perfect to maintain the same performance throughout.

Based on HR, this was a threshold/anerobic endurance session. I do need to get some more pure aerobic endurance sessions in, because itā€™s certainly my weakness.

SUNDAY - LAWN MOW

Yes it counts! :joy: 2.08 miles in 1 hr 5 min, 536 cal, avg HR 116, max HR 139

WEEK REVIEW

This weekā€™s scheme felt like a much better flow for my focus/enjoyment and recovery/performance. The only question is about the secondary lower day mentioned above. Otherwise it seems like I finally have the thing in working order after 14 weeks. But weā€™ll see if anything changes that.

1742

CHIMERA

CYCLE 2 - WEEK 7
MONDAY MORNING - LIGHT CONDITIONING

Air Bike
30 min LISS
Metrics
17.0 mi, 328/306 cal (Bike/Watch), 126 avg HR, 144 max HR

Took a good 10-11 minutes and more effort to get my HR above 120 bpm for this, hence the +1 mile over the usual distance. Could be from any number of variables, but it could also be a sign of improvement in cardio capacity.

MONDAY EVENING - PRIMARY UPPER

Paused Bench
3x315
3x345
3x3x315 - 3 ct eccentric + 3 ct pause

Cable Low Row - Strict + Power
14 + 6 x 140
2 x 12 + 8 x 140

A1 Dead Stop Lying Barbell Triceps Extension w/ Chains (+60)
3x15x45+60 - Myo-rep matches

A2 Power KB Curl
10/10x35
10/10x44

A3 Incline DB Curl
2x10x25s

DB Lateral Raise
20 + 10 + 10 + 10 x 25s - 30 sec rests

Bench wasnā€™t feeling amazing, even though the top triple was still 10 lbs over the last strength upper day. The pecs were just feeling iffy throughout. But I wasnā€™t getting enough signs to not still get some hard sets in. So I went with the harder variation to reduce the volume with the 3 ct ecc/pause.

1743

CHIMERA

CYCLE 2 - WEEK 7
WEDNESDAY EVENING - PRIMARY LOWER

Squat w/ Belt/Flats
3x405
3x435
3x455
2x5x405

Beltless Conventional Deadlift
3x6x405

Metcon - 4 Rounds for Time
A1 | Weighted Vertical Jump
8xBW+25
A2 | KB Swing
12x115
A3 | Incline Leg Raise
12xBW
A4 | Air Bike
1 Mile - About 90 sec each
Done in 20:57

Turns out doing a 1 mile sprint for the last exercise in a metcon is very difficult. Average HR was 150 bpm and got up to 172 bpm lol. Squats were decent and got a relatively heavy set in and form held up to a higher RPE. Unfortunately :point_down:

THURSDAY MORNING - TRACK WORK + HAMSTRING INJURY

Running - Varied
400m warm-up
2 x 100m at 0:21 and 0:16
800m at 3:08
2 x 300m at 1:02 and 1:01
1 x 200m at 0:36, then 1x50m (starting last 200m) with left hamstring strain
Metrics
520 cal, 144 avg HR, 178 max HR

Big sad. No indication that anything was going to happen here. Everything was done around 70-80% effort and actually felt pretty smooth. No idea on the grade of the strain yet, since it just happened. Itā€™s more medial, so either semimembranosus or semitendinosus, and lower 1/3 of the thigh.

Oh well. Time to rehab it and work around it. Itā€™s already super tight and painful to extend the knee fully within the hour after it happening. Running will be very slow or simply taken out for a couple of weeks. Deadlifts are definitely not happening for a month or two. Squats and bench it is!

1744

CHIMERA

Traveled to Atlanta for the weekend the day after the hamstring injury and just took it easy. Some light isometrics and bodyweight hip hinging for rehab.

CYCLE 2 - WEEK 8
MONDAY EVENING

Feet Up Paused Bench
3, 6, 3, 6, 3, 6, 3 x 275

A1 Incline Lat Pulldown
2x12x110

A2 Single Arm KB Sots Press
2x10/10x35 - One set with torso rotation, one set static

B1 Seated Triceps Pushdown
2x12x70

B2 DB Concentration Curl
2x15/15x25

Pretty low key session here. Alternating rep scheme for bench just to focus on both power and a little bit of hypertrophy. KB Sots presses were fun. I did the barbell variety a few weeks ago and my shoulder(s) werenā€™t ready for it. Iā€™d like to get good at them just for the hip and spine mobility/control aspect, along with the added benefit of the shoulder stimulus.

1745

CHIMERA

CYCLE 2 - WEEK 8
WEDNESDAY EVENING

A1 | SSB Squat w/ Belt/Oly Shoes
5x5x330

A2 | Off-Box Crunch
15, 12, 12

KB Bulgarian Split Squat w/ Uneven Load
3x10/10x106 (62+44)

Metcon - 3 Rounds for Time
B1 | Inverted Row
15xBW
B2 | Cossack Squat
8/8x62
B3 | Cable Heel Dig
12/12x70 - Cable loaded hip hinging for hamstring rehab mostly
B4 | Air Bike
20 cal - About 50-53 sec each
Done in 22:55

The metcon was very hard today for some reason. 1 full round off what Iā€™ve been doing and it still took a little longer. Felt like puking a couple of times. Maybe just the upper + lower aspect of it got things weird.

All the preceding stuff was fine. No hamstring issues with any of this, as expected. I havenā€™t felt any pain in a couple of days, so Iā€™m going to pick up the intensity on rehab. Should be jogging sooner than I originally expected.

1746

CHIMERA

Some catch-up: I donā€™t remember details of the last couple of workouts from last week. Neglected to write them down. But I did a bench day with a variation Iā€™ve never done: Bridge presses. Not on the floor, but on a bench. Itā€™s the same setup and position as a normal bench, except only the shoulders have a bench under them and everything else is free-floating. Have to maintain constant leg drive to stay in position. Did 4x6x275 and it felt better than earlier in the week with normal bench. The next workout I just did a 3:00 on / 1:30 slow x 5 rounds air bike session that was very hard, along with some KB RDLs for hamstring rehab.

Still considering myself in the second cycle until I feel like the hamstring is good to go and then Iā€™ll start a new full cycle.

CYCLE 2 - WEEK 9
MONDAY EVENING - PRIMARY UPPER

A1 Bench w Bands - Dbl Monster Minis (+85)
3x185+85
7x3x225+85

A2 DB Curls
5x15x25s

B1 Seated Cable Upper Back Row - Low Angle / Wide Grip
3x12x125

B2 Ring Push-Ups
3x12xBW - Feet on 16ā€ box for small decline

Cable High-Angle Rear Delt Fly
3x8/8x30 - Heavy as shit with my setup

I didnā€™t realize until I was writing this that I did normal mini bands last time and not monster minis. It thought it felt a bit heavier, but it wasnā€™t too bad. So thatā€™s good.

Going to attempt some easy running Tuesday evening and see how the hamstring is feeling.

1747

CHIMERA

CATCH-UP

Running that day above didnā€™t go well. Hamstring was okay, but I ended up straining my right calf. I think it was left over from sprinting the day I strained the hamstring, since I felt something iffy but it didnā€™t actually strain. When I ran for the first time after that day, the calf was sore, but I thought it was just the usual muscular endurance fatigue because it started after about a mile. I stopped and stretched and walked for about 6-7 minutes and figured I would do a low effort run back. Literally within like 20 steps, it strained.

So, honestly, motivation dipped pretty hard. I havenā€™t done cardio in a couple of weeks, including the bike. Iā€™ve been rehabbing the calf and itā€™s been stubborn, but the hamstring feels fine. Iā€™ve still lifted but I havenā€™t bothered logging because it doesnā€™t feel like Iā€™m following a system to record.

But thatā€™s enough bitching. Iā€™ll be getting back into the swing of everything soon.

THIS WEEK SO FAR

Main Lifts:
Feet Up Close Grip Paused Bench: 3x6x275
Beltless Hatfield Bulgarian Split Squat: Up to 8/8x305 for a PR

These Hatfield Bulgarians are brutal. Quads, adductors, and glutes are all getting wrecked by them. I need to be careful with them and repeat workouts until theyā€™re not killing my recovery as much, because I have a feeling the novelty of them would allow me to progress them faster than I could recover from them and still do other things. That being said, Iā€™d love to use these as a pseudo-main lift and get them up over 400 lbs.

1748

CHIMERA

Week X - Day 3 - Upper Body

A1 | High Incline Close Grip Press - 70 Deg
5x5x185

A2 | Dead-Stop DB Seal Row
5x8/8x100

B1 | Cable Lateral / Y Raise
10x30
12x30
8x30

B2 | Cable Triceps Pushdown + Band
3x12x30+Dbl Mini

C1 | Cable Incline Curl
12x20
2x8x30

C2 | Cable Rear Delt Fly
2x10/10x15

D1 | DB Curl
12 + 5 + 3 + 2 + 1 x 25 - Sets completed per arm and no rest other than the opposite armā€™s time working

D2 | Calf Raise
15/15 + 15 x BW+44 - Unilateral straight-knee + bilateral bent knee
12/12 + 15 x BW+44 - Same deal

Good workout here. First time discovering these DB seal rows with stacking my plyo boxes. Not a true seal row, since my feet are on the ground. But my torso is fully supported by the boxes and I focus on keeping it there to maximize the actual rowing effort.
Marking these Week X until I start back on the hybrid programming.

1749

CHIMERA

WEEK X - DAY 4 - MIXED

Leg Press - Low/Close Stance + Full Depth to Pauses on Pins
15x360
2x15x410

Lat Pulldown - Semi-Supinated MAG Grip
3x8x190

Running - Treadmill Intervals
0.25 mi walk at 3.5-4.0 mph
8 x 0.25 mi runs + 0.10 mi walks
Walks at 3.3 mph
Runs mph: 5.8, 6.0, 6.3, 6.3, 6.6, 6.6, 7.3, 7.5
All with 1.0 incline
Metrics
40 mins, 2.0 mi running, 3.10 mi total, 158 avg HR, 175 max HR

Went to the gym for the first time since setup the home gym a few months ago. Running was the primary goal, but wanted to get a couple of things in that I donā€™t have at home. My glutes and adductors are still sore as shit from the Hatfield Bulgarians and I had to do the noted foot position to avoid probably injuring myself lol. I was going to do DB RDL but I grabbed the 50s and did a few reps and it felt horrendous. Just more proof of the need to be careful with loading and recovering from the Bulgarians.

I think this may have been the first time Iā€™ve run on a treadmill in the past 15 years, other than once on an Assault treadmill a couple of years ago for a short distance. Turns outā€¦ itā€™s a lot easier than road running lol.

Calf was almost entirely fine until the 7th interval, when it started feeling a very small bit of soreness. Not taking this as full recovery sign, since the loading is so much different on a treadmill. Either way, took the speed very easy for the first half and then bumped it up to about 9:00 and then 8:00 pace.

Iā€™ll have to figure out how I want to use the treadmill in my programming, but it felt really good overall.

1750

CHIMERA

WEEK X - TUESDAY EVENING - PRIMARY UPPER

A1 | Dead-Stop One-Arm DB Seal Row
8/8x90
3x8/8x120

A2 | Open Trap Bar Paused Bench
5x240
2x5x290 - Getting a little rough on the right pec, stopped there, otherwise good sets

B1 | Cable Wide Pec Pullover
10x20
2x10x30

B2 | Cable Rear Delt Fly
3x10x15

C1 | Open Trap Bar Incline Skullover
15x60
12x60

C2 | Cable Lateral Raise
2x12-15x15

My secondary rack / cable station is situated in the garage where thereā€™s a tiny amount of lean to one side. Tiny like a levelā€™s bubble isnā€™t even out of the lines, but is shifted to one side and a DB will slowly roll away. So setting up for bench with it does present a bit of an extra amount of force toward the right pec. Will have to figure out a way to adjust for that on days where my wife needs the primary rack.

Much heavier on the new DB seal row thing today. Good stuff.

WEDNESDAY MORNING - RUNNING

Outdoor Running
1200m in 6:37 + 3 min walk rest
1200m in 6:16 + 3 min walk rest
800m in 4:13 + 3 min walk rest
800m in 4:14 + 3 min walk rest
800m in 4:20 + 3 min walk rest
Metrics
3 mi running total in 25:40, 8:30/mi avg pace, 656 cal, 168 avg HR, 181 max HR

First outdoor run since the calf strain. Did not push for any particular speed, just kept it moderate in muscular effort at least. Only felt the calf for about 20 strides during the next to last run, otherwise it was fine. Some soreness the next day.

HR was way up for this one. Interestingly, the muscular endurance and respiration werenā€™t issues at all. Seems good.

1751

CHIMERA

WEEK X - THURSDAY EVENING - PRIMARY LOWER

Conventional Deadlift w/ Belt/Straps
2x8x405

RDL w/ Belt/Straps
2x8x315

Beltless Squat
2x8x225

A1 | Anterior Plank Dip
2x6xBW - Took away the incline and did it on my two plyo boxes, making it harder

A2 | Side Plank Dip
2x8/8xBW - Easier than anterior since the hip abductors/adductors get involved, but this is going to be my primary frontal plane core exercise over things like side bends

2nd time Iā€™ve deadlifted since the hamstring strain. Did a set of 5 at 405 a couple of weeks ago and it felt heavy as shit. Today was objectively better, but still very hard. I also havenā€™t squatted other than the Bulgarian Hatfields. Wild how fast the low back gets used to not being loaded in a forward bent position. These couple of sets killed the low back and Iā€™m incredibly sore the next day. The squats I did were just to move a bit, obviously no training effect.

Going to need to be careful with ramping back up into both.

1752

CHIMERA

WEEK X - SUNDAY MORNING - LOWER + RUNNING

Hack Squat - Paused / Bottomed Out
4x8x270

Zercher 45 Deg Hyper
2x8xBW+95 + A few reps with just BW

Running - Treadmill Intervals
0.15 mi walk at 3.3 mph
3 x 0.5 mi runs + 0.15 mi walks
3 x 0.25 mi runs + 0.15 mi walks
Walks at 3.0-3.3 mph at 1.0 incline
0.5 mi runs at 6.5-7.5 mph at 1.0 incline
0.25 mi runs at 7.5-8.5 mph at 1.5 incline
Metrics
39 mins, 2.25 mi running, 3.30 mi total, 160 avg HR, 177 max HR, 559 cal

Seated Calf Machine Stretching at Isometrics
Just spent a few minutes doing this

Another mixed day that felt pretty good. Definitely not the format Iā€™ll be doing overall, since I need more lifting volume. The calf was definitely starting to feel it during the running, but no issues and the next day itā€™s not too sore. Not pushing for anything stupid with it, just going to keep it conservative, which will probably be good for my aerobic base.

1753

CHIMERA

WEEK X - TUESDAY EVENING - PRIMARY UPPER

Reverse Band Paused Bench - Rev Minis =12 lbs off top, 25 lbs off bottom
3x315
3x345
3x365
2x5x345

A1 | Supported Single Arm Cable Row
12/12x70
12/12x80
12/12 + 6/6 + 4/4 x 80 - Myo-Reps

A2 | DB Curl
12/12x35
2x10/10x35

B1 | Cable Wide Pec Pullover
2x15x50

B2 | Cable Tate Press
2x15x50

Cable Facepull
30x25

Heaviest bar weight Iā€™ve felt in a long time now. Virtually no shoulder pain (finally), mild discomfort. Going to use this tiny bit of reverse bands more often probably. Just a different feeling than chains, both are great.

Going to hone in on getting things back on a more defined path here shortly. Still not going to ā€œprogramā€ things necessarily, but just finding the best way to achieve principles that work for me for my goals with mixing all of this stuff.

1754

CHIMERA

WEEK X - THURSDAY EVENING

Squat w/ Belt/Flats
3x3x405 - Not hard, but heavy and my back was not enjoying the bottom position
5x315 - Paused, beltless, feeling it out

Cable Reverse Hyper
3x10xBW+50 - Tough

A1 | KB Step-Up
2x15/15xBW+62

A2 | KB Bent Over Rotations
30x22
30x35

A3 | Deep Squat Barbell Side Bend
2x6x45 - Literally sitting in the squat with the bar on the back and laterally flexing or laterally flexing + rotating until one side touches the floor

My lumbar paraspinals are just super reactive while trying to get back into these things, apparently. Incredibly sore the next day after this. Feels like it used to feel when I was doing conventional as my main deadlift and I was pushing it too far. Iā€™ll get it figured out. Itā€™s just odd.

1755

CHIMERA

WEEK X - WEEKEND CATCH-UP

Last 2 workouts were just moving around a bit honestly. Did some chest-supported cable rows, arms, and delts and then a bunch of core and low back work the next day, along with 3x15x135 sumo deadlifts. Back is starting to feel better, but Iā€™m not rushing anything. Iā€™m going to focus a lot on building resilience there as I get back into everything.

WEEK X - MONDAY MORNING - 5K RUN

Outdoor Running
5K / 3.1 mi in 27:46 - PR, shaved off 1:26 since the last attempt :fire:
9:29 + 8:41 + 8:43 miles
Metrics
8:57 avg pace, 653 cal, 170 avg HR, 184 max HR (new PR lol)

Iā€™m not gonna lie, this was fucking brutal. This wasnā€™t a planned 5K attempt. I just wanted to do a longer, slower run to see how the calf would hold up (it was fine).

Mile 1: Started with my wife and she does the first mile slow to warm-up, which kills my quads and had them wanting to cramp for the last 1/4 mile.

Mile 2: Sped up and almost immediately shook the quad issue. By the end of this mile, it was a matter of mindset and wanting to stop.

Mile 3: Set my eyes on a target to not look at my watch until I passed it and told myself Iā€™d decide if I wanted to go for it by then. I ran down an incline and it literally made my heart hurt (?), but just beyond that was my target. Heart was okay on flat ground again. Watch at target: 2.72 miles. Shit, I guess I need to just tough this last 0.38 miles.

The rest of it was just slogging through and trying not to die. My heart rate was at 180+ for over 10 minutes straight by the time I finished. But I got through with the big PR.

The next time I attempt this, I think Iā€™ll try to push the initial pace faster so that Iā€™m not getting the quad issues to start. I just donā€™t know if Iā€™d be able to sustain it from there. Weā€™ll see whenever it happens though.

1756

CHIMERA

WEEK X - TUESDAY EVENING - SECONDARY UPPER

Deficit Weighted Push-Ups
2x10xBW+44
2x15xBW+44

Single-Arm Cable Triceps Pushdown
2x10/10x25

Single-Arm Cable Lat Pullover
2x10/10x25

Cable Rear Delt Fly
2x10/10x25

Wasnā€™t feeling the barbell today, so I went with the push-ups. Pecs were actually very sore from this.

Also, my quads and calves were destroyed by the 5K lol. It felt like I had a huge squat workout for 3 days after.

FRIDAY EVENING - WAIST TRAINING DAY (AKA TRYING TO MAKE MY LOW BACK STOP BEING A BITCH)

A1 | GHR Oblique/QL/Lateral Hyper
3x8/8xBW

A2 | Beltless Trap Bar Deadlift
3x8x255

A3 | GHR Sit-Up
3x10xBW

B1 | Snatch Grip Bent Over Row
4x10x145 - This is almost entirely just for lumbar isometric training

B2 | Half-Kneeling KB Windmill
3x8/8x44

B3 | Cable Leg Curl
15/15x25
2x12/12x45

Cable Seated Hip Abduction - Single-Leg/Lengthened Position
2x10/10x45

Just gonna start training the shit out of my QLs and the rest of my torso really directly until itā€™s all super resilient to work and producing/resisting force every position.

1757

CHIMERA

WEEK X - TUESDAY EVENING - UPPER PRIMARY

15-Degree Low Incline Close Grip Bench
2x8x255
2x6x255

Band-Assisted Pull-Ups / Chin-Ups - Alternating
6, 10, 8 x BW-Mini - Pull-Ups
6, 6, 6 x BW-Mini - Chin-Ups

Cable Triceps Pushdown - Myo-Rep Match
15 x 50
12+3 x 50
10+3+2 x 50

Incline Cable Curl - Myo-Rep Match
12 x 50
10+2 x 50

Band Pec Fly
20xMini - Horizontal
12xMini - High to low

Good workout here. Getting closer to having my programming ready to go into an actual cycle. Interestingly enough, weā€™re going back to themes at the beginning of this log 11 years ago. Hybrid Cube style, baby.

1758

CHIMERA

WEEK X - WEDNESDAY EVENING - SQUAT PRIMARY

SSB Front Squat w/ Belt/Oly Shoes
3x5x290 - Conservative, but back felt fine

Beltless Conventional Dimmel Deadlift w/ Bands
3x8x225+200 - Had no idea what the weight was of quaded mini bands until I measured afterwards lol

A1 | KB Half-Kneeling Windmill
2x8/8x44

A2 | Banded Calf Raise
2x20xBW+100 - Just holding onto doubled mini bands in the rack

Seated Cable Leg Curl
2x12/12x30 - Shortened position

Next day, the back is feeling a little stiff, but not terrible. Seems Iā€™m past the hyperreactive stage. I havenā€™t done Dimmel deadlifts in a long time, but I figured theyā€™d be a good way to get some more force production going, even if itā€™s mostly at the top of the lift. If unfamiliar, theyā€™re were a Westside staple. Simply doing explosive just below the knee to lockout deadlift with pretty rapid transitions and not holding the lockout at all.

Front squats with the Titan SSB felt decent. Might be one of the lifts I hammer for a while.

Training plan is coming together nicely. Iā€™m going to be taking full advantage of home gym life and spread everything over 10 workouts per week. 4 primary lifting-only workouts, 2 accessory lifting workouts, 1 mixed accessory + cardio workout, and 3 cardio-only workout. The goal is to maximize the effort Iā€™m able to give per quality, and that means spreading things out so nothing is left at the tail ends of workouts to be skipped.

Will keep providing more info.

1759

CHIMERA

WEEK X - THURSDAY EVENING - MODERATE CONDITIONING

Outdoor Running - Intervals
Warm-Up - 5 mins x 0.54 miles
Intervals: 5 x 0.5 miles
1 - 3:46 run + 3:15 rest
2 - 3:37 run + 3:38 rest
3 - 4:01 run + 4:34 rest
4 - 3:53 run + 4:27 rest
5 - 3:52 run + Done
Metrics
2.5 miles at 7:38 pace, 3 miles with warm-up in 24:10 total work, 744 cal, 156 avg HR, 190 max HR (another new PR lol)

Idk what progression Iā€™m looking for exactly on the heart rate info, but reaching 190 is pretty damn high and is 5 bpm over the assumed max HR by age (not that that is individually accurate). Iā€™m also getting a quicker spike in HR upon starting to run. According to ChatGPT, my cardiac responsiveness is improving, which is good. But my aerobic efficiency isnā€™t quite there, since I have a hard time keeping my HR down. Iā€™ll have to learn to run slowly at some point, but my Zone 2 work will be in the form of bike work to work on aerobic efficiency.

1760

CHIMERA

WEEK X - SATURDAY AFTERNOON - UPPER SUPPORT

A1 | Standing Pin Overhead Press w/ Chains (+75)
4x6x95+75

A2 | Braced Cable High Row
4x8/8x80

B1 | Ring Push-Up
3x12xBodyweight

B2 | Lateral Raise - Tri-Sets
3x15/15x10 - Cable
3x8-10x5 - Plates, slow concentric + slow eccentric, tension-active ROM only
3x8-10x0 - Arms only, full ROM

C1 | Cable Cross-Body Triceps Extension
2x15/15x20

C2 | Alternating DB Biceps Curl
2x12/12x25

Left shoulder is pretty spicy from the OHP. It wasnā€™t painful during, but right afterwards it wasnā€™t great. Thatā€™s why I did the light lateral raise tri-set. I did my made-up SCSE (ā€œsexyā€) lateral raises a few years ago for a bit and liked them, but stopped because they arenā€™t ā€œevidence basedā€. But I donā€™t give a shit anymore and Iā€™m gonna include them again.

Hot take: Mike Israetel and the evidence based hypertrophy crowd is ushering in the equivalent to Starting Strength for hypertrophy without knowing it. Highly specific and technical form on young lifters, not many gains. Lots of knowledge there, but I think itā€™s missing the balance of ego-lifting and just feeling shit out thatā€™s equally as beneficial. The answer is somewhere in the middle and reaches to either side as needed intermittently. No, a kneeling slightly-cross-body single-arm high angle cable row will not grow your lats better than doing heavy ass seated cable rows. Even if you donā€™t feel it as specifically.