The Grind...

Training Over 35 Lifter
841

A few years ago, when I was first getting my head around this whole “eat big to get big thing”, a coach whom I respect very much was graciously giving me free advice about how to dial in my eating. He advised me to really pack it in around the workout window. He said the body had a huge capacity to take in fast-absorbing nutrients around that time period and to definitely scarf down a full liter of protein/sugar before thw owrkout and one during. He then went on to add, “I’d even recommend you drink a third, but most people can’t take it”.

I thought I was pretty hard core. So I gave it a try. AFter chugging my third wokrout drink I was ready to throw up. I spent almost the entire morning deep breathing and mentally focusing in order to keep the damned drinks down.

Here we are, several years, and several POUNDS, later… I still have to force myself to drink that third shake. Today I was once again on the cusp of puking.

DELOAD MONDAY
1a Front squat - 3x8x185
1b barbell hack squat - 3x12x135 (for speed!)
2a snatch grip deficit deadlift - 3x6x225
2b barbell hip thrust - 3x7x155
2c ham curls - 3x10x110
3 skwatz - 1x30x135

WHOAH! I realize the weights aren’t all that impressive here, but this high rep stuff is brutal. Especially with not much rest. And my coach is givign me a bit of grief because I’m not reporting any mild DOMS. Apprently that means I’m not really giving it my all.

So… what? I’ve been loafing up to now? ARRRRRRRGH!!!

Am I getting stronger? The rep and set ranges change significantly every single workout, which makes it tough for me to gauge whether I’m getting stronger or not. Am I getting bigger? Well My belly is definitely gaining. I honestly can’t tell if I’m getting more muscular.

I confess, I’m always befuddled and intimidated by you guys who can accurately gauge your progress from day to day. I just CAN’T! I’ve always been a crappy judge of my own improvements, even when I’m really looking, even if I’ve made some. I don’t see it. So whether or not this 15 lb gain is good weight or bad, I’ll only know for sure when we diet away all this fat.

Here’s to another training block down. I can’t wait to see what horrid unpleasantness my coach has in store for me in December!

842

Re monitoring/assessing progress: Have you considered taking weekly photos? I’m currently doing a 12-week training cycle with Shelby Starnes (via the interwebs), and he has me send photos every week. Photos are always taken at the same time of day, against the same white background, and with a flash to minimize shadows. They are not flattering, but they are helpful.

843

If it’s any consolation Kent, I’ve had problems just like that. Example: am I gaining or not? It all depends on the mood I’m in. If I feel lousy, I look in the mirror and see a blob of fat. The next day I look and see Dorian Yates. I hate mirrors.

So I go for the powerlifting route . . . if the weight’s going up, I’m gaining. But - hi reps? Lo reps? If I shake and get the weight up with awful form, am I stronger than 6 perfect reps of a lower weight? The body is so variable!

And if your eating makes you want to barf, perhaps you could ask your coach if you might be allergic to something you’re eating. Once I cleaned up my eating, I could do squats right after eating and not feel any nausea at all.

Kent . . . go back to your very first post on this log and look at the picture of that trim, muscular guy. You are NOT a loafer.

844

[quote]Canada_K wrote:

And my coach is givign me a bit of grief because I’m not reporting any mild DOMS. [/quote]

What’s your secret? I can barely squat to do my business today…

845

Proper nutrition pre and post workout is important. I always do a big protein drink with some form of carbs post workout. Sometimes I’ll pour the protein drink over a bowl of cheerios or life cereal. One pro who used to train at my old gym ate a can of tuna-dry out of the can-preworkout, then ate a whole box of fruit loops with milk and protein post work out. The gym was huge, ripped and no doubt on serious “supplements”. If you wanna grow you gotta eat.

846

Dude many lifters will tell you that high rep stuff is the devil and those beautiful one rep PRs are heaven, I would be one of em…so fuck yeah that high rep stuff is brutal way to shine through!

oh and that Kai Greene stuff is awesome but a little bit ghey, just a little (kidding dont kill me!)

847

[quote]Canada_K wrote:
A few years ago, when I was first getting my head around this whole “eat big to get big thing”, a coach whom I respect very much was graciously giving me free advice about how to dial in my eating. He advised me to really pack it in around the workout window. He said the body had a huge capacity to take in fast-absorbing nutrients around that time period and to definitely scarf down a full liter of protein/sugar before thw owrkout and one during. He then went on to add, “I’d even recommend you drink a third, but most people can’t take it”.

I thought I was pretty hard core. So I gave it a try. AFter chugging my third wokrout drink I was ready to throw up. I spent almost the entire morning deep breathing and mentally focusing in order to keep the damned drinks down.

Here we are, several years, and several POUNDS, later… I still have to force myself to drink that third shake. Today I was once again on the cusp of puking.

DELOAD MONDAY
1a Front squat - 3x8x185
1b barbell hack squat - 3x12x135 (for speed!)
2a snatch grip deficit deadlift - 3x6x225
2b barbell hip thrust - 3x7x155
2c ham curls - 3x10x110
3 skwatz - 1x30x135

WHOAH! I realize the weights aren’t all that impressive here, but this high rep stuff is brutal. Especially with not much rest. And my coach is givign me a bit of grief because I’m not reporting any mild DOMS. Apprently that means I’m not really giving it my all.

So… what? I’ve been loafing up to now? ARRRRRRRGH!!!

Am I getting stronger? The rep and set ranges change significantly every single workout, which makes it tough for me to gauge whether I’m getting stronger or not. Am I getting bigger? Well My belly is definitely gaining. I honestly can’t tell if I’m getting more muscular.

I confess, I’m always befuddled and intimidated by you guys who can accurately gauge your progress from day to day. I just CAN’T! I’ve always been a crappy judge of my own improvements, even when I’m really looking, even if I’ve made some. I don’t see it. So whether or not this 15 lb gain is good weight or bad, I’ll only know for sure when we diet away all this fat.

Here’s to another training block down. I can’t wait to see what horrid unpleasantness my coach has in store for me in December![/quote]

research studies have shown DOMs is related to novelty…

848

What a morning.

I’ve been awake for a mere 90 minutes. I’m sitting here, forcing down my third workout drink of this WAY TOO EARLY morning… deep breathing, concentrating real hard, trying not to throw up.

breathe in…

breathe out…

omigodmoigodmoigod

BREATHE

BREATHE

breathe

phew

849

Keep it up. Eating is definitely part of your training and it sounds like it’s the hardest part of it. As far as progress goes, have your coach track that for you so that you’re only worried about eating and training.

I dunno about DOMS. I don’t get DOMS that often and I think it’s simply because of the frequency of work. But I definitely get them from time to time when I mix things up.

james

850

[quote]atypical1 wrote:
I dunno about DOMS. I don’t get DOMS that often and I think it’s simply because of the frequency of work. But I definitely get them from time to time when I mix things up.
[/quote]

x2

I only get DOMS after a layoff or if I up the poundage by a stupid amount.

All that forcing down of shakes sounds horrible. I don’t think I could put myself through that. Respect.

851

Keep up the good work it will all payoff.

852

Yesterday’s SUPER-FUN leg workout included the following joyful superset:

1a - Front squats
1b - back squats w/ same weight AMRAP
1c - bodyweight sissy squats

Holy sheep s##t, what a wake-up. On the plus side, I have that pleasantly “beaten up” feeling in the quads. It’s going to be a good day.

I got couple of rude reality checks yesterday:

  1. My body told me I’ve been burning the candle at both ends and I crashed. Mid-afternoon I felt barfy and light-headed. I went home and slept for 4 straight hours and then had no trouble sleeping come evening. It’s time to find a way to get more sleep.

  2. I just found out my coach, who is one of the founding fathers over at Precision Nutrition, reads my log over there. Which means he’s been privy to a whole boatload of whining and bitching that I had no intention of sharing with him. CRAP!

More later.

P.S. Todd, Please bear in mind I haven’t told the PN folks I’m competing when you post over there.

853

Damn, that is one heck of a superset. That takes a lot of fortitude to do that.

Sleep is definitely important. How many hours are you getting now?

You’ve got a coach over at PN? I’ve got a log there but haven’t posted in forever. I get a lot more from this place for training advice although the nutrition advice there is great (as you would expect).

james

854

That superset looks like a lot of fun for you. On the other hand it looks like a thing to be avoided at all costs for me.

855

That is one serious superset, dude.

856


Monday I got so nauseous and sick at work I left early and went home… where I slept for a solid 4 hours. I literally burned myself out. I’m training at super high impact and if I don’t sleep I’ll fail. Tuesday night I slept a full 8 hours and the next days’ workout was amazing, and my mood was high as a kite. Go figure.

I’ve crafted a couple of new rules for myself.

  1. pre-planning is not an excuse to mentally check out
  2. checking out = failure
  3. lack of sleep = lack of planning
  4. lack of planning = failure

And a quick progress photo. Note the fancy positioning to hide my fat gut from the camera.

857

Looking solid buddy.

You don’t seem to be holding fat anywhere (outside of your belly I assume). If you go by Poliquin’s BioSig, that’s a cortisol area. Maybe destressing is required. :slight_smile:

Or “Relora” before bed.

858

Looking solid buddy.

You don’t seem to be holding fat anywhere (outside of your belly I assume). If you go by Poliquin’s BioSig, that’s a cortisol area. Maybe destressing is required. :slight_smile:

Or “Relora” before bed.

859

[quote]Canada_K wrote:
Monday I got so nauseous and sick at work I left early and went home… where I slept for a solid 4 hours. I literally burned myself out. I’m training at super high impact and if I don’t sleep I’ll fail. Tuesday night I slept a full 8 hours and the next days’ workout was amazing, and my mood was high as a kite. Go figure.

I’ve crafted a couple of new rules for myself.

  1. pre-planning is not an excuse to mentally check out
  2. checking out = failure
  3. lack of sleep = lack of planning
  4. lack of planning = failure

You have the right perspective. It’s all on you. Keep at it.

And a quick progress photo. Note the fancy positioning to hide my fat gut from the camera.

[/quote]

860

Sleep, man! Get that good, nourishing sleep!

If you’re hiding belly fat, you did an amazing job. That waist is sure trim compared to my blubbery love handles.

So Ddot, what do you know about Relora?