The Pursuit of Mythical Gains

Training Training Logs
202

07-1-2016

CONDITIONING

Stretch, squats for warmup.

Pushup Sprints 5x10 yards
Falling sprints 5x10
Back Pedal drill 5x10
Sprints 10x20

With the amount of time I spend on the bike I normally don’t worry about conditioning. But, I had a bit of a cheat day yesterday, went to Freeport on a boat and indulged in Gumbo and calamari, I haven’t been riding as much since I’m not working, I woke up at 194 today, and my daughter wanted to do some speed and agility work for soccer, so I took her up to the park and worked out with her. It felt good!

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203

Okay, so I had my body measured today by a guy that knows what he’s doing with an expensive calipers and here’s my question. Does this look like 18%?

I know it really doesn’t matter, that it’s more about trends rather than the actual number, but I’m trying to get a read on my own calipers and scale.

204

Body fat is confusing. If you wanna get huge don’t be worried to eat in a caloric surplus and sleep a little more lol. Conditioning will hurt your gains

205

I need razor sharp abs Bro!

I’m always on the fence with this, eat and grow, or cut and have abs. I’ve finally resolved to eat at maintenance and see if I can add some LBM without getting fat, but it’s not an ironclad kind of resolve. And, 18% freaks me out.

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206

So not my experience. Nor Paul Carter’s if I remember correctly.

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207

7-2-2016
C2W2D1,2

OHP
10X@45, 5@65
5@85
5@100
7@110
15@85 - FSL

DL
5@135
5@195
5@215
2X5@135

CGBP 5X10@85, Chins 5x10, Hypers 5x11, Bicycle crunches with vacuums 5x15, TPD’s 5x11@45, Curls 5x14@50, BPA’s

Met with my coach and got the Sumo thing sorted out. It’s much easier to get my back set properly for me in sumo. My hips were a little low, otherwise it was all good. 215 felt good, could have probably gone to 235 but want to take it slow with the back deal.

Subbed CGBP for dips to alleviate the AC joint issue.

Other than the 18% body fat reading, it was a good session. He explained the formulas extrapolating on general populations and at my age they figure a lot more visceral fat. If I was 25, with the same measurements, it would have been 13.5%, which is exactly what my scale and hand held tell me. He also said that there was a plus or minus 5 error margin, and that visually, he felt fourteen was a better estimate.

He also offered to get me a Dexa and a hydrostatic displacement measurement at a local university, which I might do in October, after another three months of training.

Really glad to have the dead lift thing sorted out and to feel somewhat pain free. Looking forward to lifting again.

Today was my last day of combining days. I’ll take tomorrow off and bench press on Monday, squat on Wednesday, etc…It works out so my week of vacation is a deload and that makes me happy.

I love it when a plan comes together.

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208

07-4-2016
C2W2D3

BP
10@45, 5@85
3@125
3@140
10@160 RPE 7
10@135 (FSL, capped at 10)
BPA’S 100, DBBP, 5X15@25, KROCS 5X15@35, TPD’S 5X15@45, CURLS, 5X15@50, PD, 5X15@40, CRUNCHES 4X25, VACUUMS 4X3@10

Good workout. I’m trying to run some sort of progression on my accessories, bumping my reps until I hit 15, then bumping the weight and dropping the reps to 10, but I seem to be getting stronger faster than my progression. I felt I could hit fifteen on all of them today, so I did. Next time I will bump the weights and decide whether to go 10 or more.

Capped the AMRAP and the FSL at 10 today because of lingering pain in my right AC joint. I’m considering doing something different next cycle because I feel like the weights are pretty low. 5’s Pro maybe, or maybe just BBB. I have a few weeks to sort it out.

I kind of feel like I want to get back on the LP train but slow it down a little. I’ve been reading PPST and there are some ideas for SS for older lifters and when you stall that I was unaware of when I ran it. I’m in a bit of a hurry to get to two plates on my BP, three on my squat, four on my DL, but I know going too fast is a bad idea, so I just have to figure it out.

Happy 4th everybody.

209

Why not FSL with multiple sets?

210

Thinking about it, but thinking more along the lines of replicating some type of LP, which I feel like 5’s Pro would do. But, it will be my third cycle and the weights will start getting heavier I know. I like the idea of FSL in 5’s and 3’s week and then Joker sets in my 1’s week - lower volume makes working in heavy singles easier. I’m learning from my LP experience that I like to feel the weight before getting into working sets, something Andy Baker wrote about on his website, and that Joker sets will do.

I just have to keep playing around with it. I realize today that instead of doing all of that accessory work yesterday, I should have done more work on my main lift - a few more FSL’s maybe. Instead, I wasted some of my energy effing around on the beach curls and stuff (but I am going to be spending a great deal of the time on the beach this Summer). Today is squats so I will focus on that instead of the accessories.

Maybe.

211

07-5-2016
C2W2D4

SQ
5@45, 5@85, 3@135
3@175
3@200
10@225 RPE 9
10@205 RPE 9
10@185 RPE 8

Face Pulls between sets, 5x15@35

DL
5x10@135

Decided to do some back off sets instead of FSL’s to add some volume. Figured I would do DL’s instead of extensions and curls because it’s more functional, helps with my technique, and I wanted to. I got a good pump even though the reps were pretty easy.

212

Fair enough. I base my decision on whether to do joker sets or not on how my plus set felt. If it felt great, I do joker sets usually working up in 22 lbs (squat and DL) or 11 lbs (press and bench) increments. I’ll shoot for the minimum daily rep target at first, then move to singles. After my joker sets are done, then I do my FSL sets.

The way I look at it joker sets are a treat you earn and never, ever mean you don’t do what you would normally.

213

I like this idea. However, if I’m going to do Joker sets in my 1’s week I feel like I need to at least get five in my AMRAP set to earn joker sets.

In my reading, I’ve read that master’s athletes have trouble with volume but not so much intensity, which I’m trying to figure out, but it seems to be why I prefer Joker sets to FSL. I did the back off sets in squats yesterday and I’m stiff/sore today - not brutally so, but noticeable. Today starts my 1’s week so I’ll see how Joker sets go.

214

Agreed. Have you considered FSL using paused squats and bench? Jim recommends three to five sets of three to five reps. Not high volume, but it’ll be fairly intense.

215

It’s funny you should ask, I had intended to do paused squats yesterday but changed my mind at the last second and did back off sets. I feel like paused squats are going to help me as the weight gets heavier but I haven’t done them before and have no idea what weight to start with so I’m going to wait until my next 5’s week and start at 135 and find my proper weight from there.

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216

7-6-2016
C2W3D1

OHP
10@45, 5@85
5@100
3@115
6@135 (Was supposed to be 125 but I screwed up, PR) RPE 10
1@140
1@145
1@150 (PR) RPE 8
6@115
10@105
10@95
10@85

CGBP 5X10@95
CHINS 5X10

Awesome workout, stoked about the OHP PR. I really struggled with the AMRAP set, took about four days to complete that last rep, and I was disappointed with just six until I figured out I had loaded the bar with 135 instead of 125 (using 25’s instead of jumping up to 45’s, got confused).

I was bummed that I hadn’t earned Joker sets but when I figured out I had screwed up, I decided to do Jokers anyway, and I’m glad I did. I probably should have gone 145, 155 but I was worried about getting the weight. Pretty sure I had 155 in me, 160 if I had gone by tens, but figured I should be patient. But I felt good, so I did some back off sets. I probably shouldn’t have, but I felt strong.

Figured I would add ten pounds to the CGBP and see if I could get 5x10 with the new weight and it was easy. I will add another ten next OHP day.

Did chins with my hands supine for the first time today and it felt good.

I worked out around 5:30 PM today after getting ten hours of sleep last night and having eaten well today. I usually lift fasted in the morning. It seems to make a difference (understatement). I think I have to be fed before lifting moving forward so I have to figure out how to change things up. I think I’m going to change my IF to a 12 hour feeding window and start earlier and lift later. I really like the early morning lifting, but then I would have to eat really early, and quit eating by six. It might work. I’ll figure it out.

One of my intermediate goals is 1,2,3,4 plates on OHP, BP, SQ, DL. I feel good that I have the first one (OHP) solidly. Calculated 1RM on BP and SQ are right at 2 and 3 plates, so they’re in sight. The DL is coming along nicely since I switched to Sumo, and I have hope that my LP on DL will yield good results.

I’m also making some LBM gains.

All in all, feeling pretty effin’ good!

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217

7-7-2016
C2W3D2

DL
5@135, 3@185
5@235
1@245
1@255
Hypers 5x12, HLRs 5x12, TPD’s 5x15@45, Curls 5x14@50

Good workout. I should have taken the day off but I was too excited to see how I would do on DL and I tied my previous PR. I probably could have beat it but I was feeling it in my low back and I’m just a big scaredy cat with respect to getting injured again.

Off tomorrow, Bench Saturday, Squat Sunday, goof off with some bro split hypertophy work on Monday and Tuesday, then off for a few days of R and R in the Poconos where I will deload. Cycle 3 starts on Sunday the 17th, woo hoo!

218

It’s known as being sensible.

219

7-10-2016
C2W3D3

BP
10@45, 5@85, 5@105
5@130
3@150
5@170 Capped RPE 8
1@185 RPE 7
1@200 RPE 8 PR
5@185 RPE 8
5@165 RPE 7
5@135 RPE 5
5@135 Paused RPE 6

DBBP 5x15@30, BPS’s 5x20, KROCS 5X15@40, TPD’s 5X10@50, CURLS, 5X10@55, PecDeck, 5x15@60, Bicycle Crunches 4x20, Vacuums 4x3@10.

Day off yesterday, plenty of sleep and plenty of food, felt good! I was happy with the 200 - it went easy. I had no one to spot on another joker set but I feel like I could have gotten 225 - it can wait. Shoulder hurt but not crippling. It will get an easy week and will hopefully be better after deload. Paused benches felt good, giving me some confidence. All of my reps were controlled today, no bouncing.

Last week I was 188.4 @13.8%. This week I am 188.3 @ 13.8%.

I’m going on vacation so I will be forced to live without my scale - OH NOOOOO!!! And, it’s all you can eat family style.

2 Likes
220

You’ll be fine. Enjoy yourself, let it boost your recovery.

BTW, try doing a bunch of band pull aparts for your shoulder. I’d even say try to pick up a 30ish lbs band before you head off and do 100 pull aparts a day

2 Likes
221

7-13-2016
Deload week

Went to the pathetic resort gym and got my pump on, all 4x10.

Leg curls, leg extensions, DBMP, pull downs, machine BP, cable rows, DB hammer curls, tri press downs, face pulls, and for @Yogi1 and @t79, lateral raises, even though they are useless, lol.

Good work out considering the circumstances. Now, if I could just find a scale…

1 Like