Theuofh's Training Log

[theuofh]

[u] 5/26/09 Tuesday: 5x5 Week 3 Day 2 [/u]

Warm Up:
Jump Rope + Dislocates
Leg Swings
OH Squat
Presses + Ring Traction
Samson Stretch

M. Snatch + H. M. Snatch + 3 OHS:
65x1x2
95x1x2
115x1x2
135x Miss from Hang

M. Snatch + OHS:
135x1x5 + 5 full snatches

Rack Jerks:
135x3
165x3
185xmisses
155x1x10

No idea what is going on w/ this. 185 felt heavy just holding it. Drilled form and technique light.

Comments:
Shitty day yesterday for recovery. Squatted heavy, then didn’t eat anything but a couple scoops of Surge post workout, an energy drink, and a couple beers, until around 9 pm, at which time I had a digiorno, some soft batch cookies, and two little containers of ice cream. Didn’t sleep well either and I felt like crap all day today. I did get some of my bookcase/cabinet thing started, which was a fun project.

Hence, I took it easy today. It was hot and from hayfever or whatever it may be, I was a sweaty, sneezy mess by the end of this.

Deadlift tomorrow.

[theuofh]

[u]5/27/09 Wednesday: 5x5 Week 3 Day 3 [/u]

Warm Up:
Usual

P. Snatch:
Some
135x3x4

Back started to get tight, so I stopped early. This was a lighter weight and after I got my form down these were super fast and felt pretty good.

Deadlift:
135x5
225x5
265x5
315x5
355x5

Mixed grip on last set only. Stop to reset breath after each rep, while keeping grip on bar. I’m going to keep going after 10lbs/week for the next 6 or so weeks, which will put me at 405x5, if all goes well.

Front Squat + Chin Ups:
145x5+8
180x5+8
220x5+8x3
Short Rest

First 3 sets of pull ups were done on smith machine. After that I let the big guy take it for shrugs, and moved to the neutral grip and had to start breaking up the 8 into 4-2-2. Front squat weight still felt light but I was running out of gas due to pushing the pace.

DB Incline Bench + Back Ext.
20 pushups
70+BWx8+15x4
Short Rest

Almost hit failure @ 8 on the third set, so I gave myself a couple minutes to recharge for the 4th and last. Need to start weighting the back extensions.

Face Pulls:
A bunch for reps/endurance/burn…
30lbx20 was the last set I think.

Comments:
3 days in a row definitely catches up. Felt good last Wednesday, but shitty today in terms of energy. Got through it better than I thought I would, and skipped abs which I had planned due to noticeably soreness in my abs on the c2 rower when warming up. I’m blaming lcak of energy on jet lag from no work monday and eating a bunch of junk carbs over the past couple days.

I’m going back to grad school if I haven’t mentioned it in here yet. Just one class a quarter as my current situation of sitting in the same windowless office, staring at the computer for 9 hours a day, is starting to get old. It will either be after work, which will mess w/ my training a bit, or in the afternoon. I would prefer the afternoons as I can still train and get out of the office for a bit.

Oneirogens have been working. I had a lucid dream on Saturday and one last night. I need to start working my meditation as I get lucid then lose it pretty quickly due to rapid changing dream conditions.

I ordered some Alpha Male too, hopefully to help get me through these next 6 weeks, and also because I am fond of morning wood.

[theuofh]

[u]5/28/09 Thursday: 5x5 Week 3 Day 4 [/u]

Recovery:
Foam Roll

Sleeper Stretch
Trap Stretch (Front,Left, and Right)
Pec Minor Stretch
A Couple Different Shoulder Stretches
Dislocates
Cobra Stretch
Calve Stretch
PNF Hamstring Crank Stretch
Quad Death Stretch

Comments:
Should meditate, but I have started doing it before bed after reading for a bit. Simply meditate sitting, then lay down and try to take it right into sleep and dream. Been pretty unsuccessful so far, but I think I have a ways to go before I can ‘consciously’ fall asleep.

Usually it goes one of two ways, either I fall right asleep and fail miserably at meditating, or I succeed at meditating to the point where I am between sleep and awake, and have a hard time actually falling asleep.

Squat tomorrow and I think I will do some power clean single at 225, then grind through the rest of it as it as the programming isn’t really any fun after squats.

[theuofh]

[u]5/29/09 Friday: 5x5 Week 3 Day 5 [/u]

Warm Up:
3x300m row
Knees OH to V Sit
Quad Death Stretch
OH Squat and Pushups
Leg Swings

Power Clean:
Some
225x1x6 PR

Not too bad. Have never power cleaned 225, so I’m counting it as a PR. I got more in me.

Back Squat:
145x5
185x5
220x5
255x5
296x3
225x8

Easy. Found my form again, where I can sit back w/ my back angled but still tight, might be called the groove because thats what it feels like. Before I was pushing my hips back at the expense of maybe some lower back tightness and losing some energy forward a bit in a slight good morning.

Press:
70x5
85x5
105x5
121x5
142x3
115x8

Got em all. Had a couple more in the tank and added 7 pounds to the 8 rep finisher.

BB Row:
135x5x2
165x5
185x5
215x3
155x8

Might be short changing myself on these, as I haven’t really struggled w/ them yet, and perhaps I started w/ a sandbagged 3 rm.

Comments:
Short workout again. Oly session, some form of sprints, and abs tomorrow, which will continue until I notice lack of recovery and inability to lift the prescribed weights.

I’m starving, but the weights felt light today, which is good.

I got some chains to use as microplates. 6 links of 5/16" chain w/ an aluminum clip is 1lb2oz pair weighed on the food scale. I’m calling it 1 lb even. I had the percentages rounded to the nearest 5, w/ some weeks jumping 5 lbs and some 10 lbs. I’m going back to original %'s and jumping 7-8 lbs a week for the big lifts.

Theres been 2 serious guys in the gym lately too, training powerlifting, pretty much squat, dead, and bench w/ some assistance work. I am considering starting to bench w/ them as I really have been neglecting the lift. I wasn’t worried about it when I was benching more than I squat, but now it is just becoming a weak point that should be addressed.

[theuofh]

[u]5/30/2009 Saturday: 5x5 Week 3 Day 6 [/u]

Warm Up:
Jump Rope
Calve/Hamstring Stretch
Goblet Squat Sit and Bounce
OH Squat
Light Presses
Some other stuff…
Pretty Extensive today…

M. Snatch + OHS + H. M. Snatch + OHS
65x2
85x2
95x2

M. Snatch + OHS + Snatch
115x1x2
135x1x2

Snatch:
135x3
145x2
155x1x2+1miss
160x1
165x1
170x1 ugly + 2 misses
160x 2 misses, 2 good, 1 miss, 4 good

Lost focus after 170. Was good working up, working on my setup, w/ ankles vertical, back more vertical, and eyes forward. Got lazy at 170 and started missing. Came back down and was still lazy. Sat down for a couple minutes, got refocused, and finally started making soem lifts.

C+J:
160x3
185x2
195x2
205x1
215x2 w/ missed jerks

Rack Jerks:
185x1
185x5
195x1
205x miss

Jerk is still giving me trouble. After this 5x5, I’ll probably run the mikes gym or performance menu programming for 6 weeks and hopefully start making some progress on these lifts.

Comments:
Skipped abs and conditioning. Perhaps I will do some kb snatches and roll outs this evening, otherwise I’m going to finish my construction project.

Shitty workout, but I don’t want to push my luck as I am progressing in my power clean, squat, deadlift, and press, which should carry over to my oly lifts when I start working them.

[theuofh]

1/2" MDF was definitely the wrong choice for this project, but I think it will work. I need to add some backing or some form of bracing on the back to help keep it square. Then I’ll put a couple coats of paint on it and move it under the tv.

I would like to do it all over again w/ different wood, but I think things will be alright unless somebody has a few too many and tries to stand on it.

…Fuck IKEA.

[theuofh]

[quote]theuofh wrote:
Intersweat wrote:
theuofh wrote:

[Edit: Attempt 1 billion. This was 235 and this is high enough to be a power clean I think, leading me to conclude that I am capable of more if I learn how to get under it. ][/quote]

Stepping through frame by frame that was where I was received 235 and rode it down into a squat clean. I’m not sure where most oly lifters receive heavy cleans, but I’d be willing to say a fair amount lower than that.

Doing power cleans may not be helping me, as they are making me slow on the pull under, and I will be working on that.

[theuofh]

[u]5/31/09 Sunday: 5x5 Week 3 Day 7 [/u]

Recovery:
Foam Roll

Quad Death Stretch
Sleeper Stretch
Light Ham Stretch
Trap Stretch

Comments:
Got a lot of sun today and my back is pretty red. I tan pretty easily, but I may have overdone it. I got a coat of primer, backing, and some bracing on my bookcase. Have to cook some veggies, fold 2 loads of laundry and get some sleep. Only thing I feel like doing is taking a cool shower and sleeping.

[theuofh]

[u]6/1/09 Monday: 5x5 Week 4 Day 1 [/u]

Warm Up:
3x300m rower
m. snatch + ohs
leg swings
samson stretch

Power Clean:
Some
205x3x5

Back Squat:
148x5
185x5
225x5
260x5
296x5

Noticed the sunburn. Squats aren’t the most comfortable thing anyway, so it was a relatively minor difference but it hurt. Last rep was slow.

Press:
70x5
90x5
105x5
125x5
142x5

Rippetoe style w/ breath at top, hold then get a little bounce out of the bottom. Not bad on these and probably had a couple more.

Row:
108x5
135x5
161x5
188x5
215x5

Curls + Delt Raises
Some shoulder warmup
(Ez bar + 25/)+10/ x10+10x3

Reverse Curls:
Ez bar + 5/ x 12
ez bar + 15/ x 10 x 2

Comments:
Going to throw in a couple sets of curls and delt raises monday and friday, Then I’ll do abs heavy wednesday and saturday.

Starting to taking creatine again and L=Leucine. I haven’t been having shakes post workout which is what I put the creatine in and the L-Leucine I just never got in the habit of taking regularly. Some Alpha Male arrived the other day too. I’ll take that through the rest of the program, and get a scoop of creatine in and 4 scoops of L-Leucine/day w/ meals.

1/3 way through and all uphill from here.

The 29th I think was also the 1 year anniversary of my training log, and I should go back and read it through as I think I’ve come along way: back squat from 255x1 to ~300x5, snatch from 155x1 to 175x1, power clean from about 205x1 to 235x1, press not so much, deadlifted 405 and I’m generally more confident, happier, and some other stuff.

[theuofh]

[u]6/2/09 Tuesday: 5x5 Week 4 Day 2 [/u]

Warm Up:
Foam Roll-Legs and T Spine
J. Rope and Dislocates
Calf/Ham Stretch
Shoulder Traction/Upper Back BB Stretch
Leg Swings
Samson Stretch
Calve Squat Stretch
Wrist Circles
OHS and Pullups

Tall Clean + FS + P Jerk:
95xsome
125xsome
135xsome

High Hang Clean + P Jerk:
135x3
145x3
155x3x8 w/ 1 min rest

Tried to pull it low and really try to get under it. Took it to the ground each time and worked on drilling first pull to the hang.

Clean Grip OHS + Ring Push Up w/ Feet Elevated:
95x5+10
115x5+15x4

Pretty nasty movement. I was about 1 thumb knuckle outside of my clean grip and a good two fists inside my usual snatch grip. First it wanted to pull me up on my toes, then it wanted to cut my depth, and then my upper back and shoulders just started screaming. Stopped after 4 rounds to save some for tomorrow.

Comments:
Hot and humid and chalk was pretty much useless as it just got washed off if I put a little or turned into sludge if I used a lot.

Clean grip OHS was pretty humbling. I am going to start doing a calve stretch regimen at work, hopefully 3 times a day. Straight leg then bent knee PNF w/ toes raised against wall x 3 cycles each/leg. My ankle flexiblity isn’t bad, but a little more would go a long way.

Had pizza today at work and I need to bear down on eating clean, as I’ve had 3 cheat things in the past 7 days and it is making crave shit food when usually I could care less.

Looking forward to tomorrow, the most enjoyable workout of the week.

[theuofh]

[u]6/3/09 Wednesday: 5x5 Week 4 Day 3 [/u]

Warm Up:
3x300m Row
Sleeper Stretch
Legs OH to V Sits
Hip w/ Static Shoulder (forget what it is called… laying flat on back take leg and put it at 90/90 and fold it over keeping shoulder flat on ground)
Leg Swings
BB Muscle snatch
Samson Stretch
Pull Up Hang w/ Kip
OH Squat and Push-ups

Power Snatch:
Some
145x2x8

Deadlift:
145x5
225x5
270x5
315x5
360x5 (Mixed Grip)

Front Squat + Chin Ups:
150+BWx5+8
185+BWx5+8
225+BWx5+8x3

10-20 slow breaths rest after each movement. Broke up chins on last two sets, 6+2,4+4.

BB Flat Bench:
115x12
145x8
185x5
205x5
225x5
225x3

Just wanted to see where I was at. Thought I could get 225 for at least 8. I’m going to keep this in the rotation depending on how my shoulder reacts. The new benches the gym got are cool, and they have the hand off rack where it flips forward. I was a hater, but now I’m liking the new setup and I don’t even have to move a big bb bench setup to DL.

Suitcase DL + Back Extensions:
95+25x5/+10x3

Suitcase DL was a weird movement. Try to go too fast and the BB tilts. Did it light and raised the bar on 2 45 lb plates. I’ll push it heavy when I have some feel for the movement.

Knees to Elbows:
BWx8x4
BWx6x2 = 50 total

Notes:
BW is up to about 180, mostly from glycogen I’d say as I had some crap food lately and a shit ton of pizza yesterday. After that passes through my system I think I’ll be back down under 175, unless creatine puts some more water weight on me. Unconcerned w/ it at this point as long as I hit my numbers.

Grad school starts in 2 weeks, which will require some program modification. Its one class Monday and Wednesday from 6-8, and hopefully will be relatively easy to help get back in the swing of academia and some of the more rigorous math of graduate electrical engineering work.

Traps are sore and stiff and just plain neck circles cause my to feel it in my neck and the opposite upper back/trap area.

Oh, and I can write Flameout off w/ a doctors note as a medical expense through this flexible spending plan at work. At 6 caps/a day = ~$720/year that I won’t be taxed for. It looks expensive but I think its well worth it. I’m going to push for massages/soft tissue work as well.

[theuofh]

…Took an update pic the other day and I’ve been forgetting to post it…

[theuofh]

[u]6/4/09 Thursday: 5x5 Week 4 Day 4 [/u]

Recovery:

Foam Roller

• T Spine
• Legs

Static Hangs
Sleeper Stretch

Legs OH to V-Sits
Legs OH
-Close to wall so I could push off and get my knees pretty close to my ears. Probably not the best for my back, but stretched my traps out pretty good

Side Lying Rotation w/ Glenohumeral Internal Rotation
Samson Stretch
Hamstring Stretch w/ Tubing
Modified Hurdle Stretch

Pec Minor Stretch
Shoulder Across Stretch

More Trap Stretches

Comments:
A little stiff but feel good. Foam rolling hurt today all over, when before it wasn’t too bad. Particularly noticed it in the t-spine/IT band which have been fine lately. Shoulder feels good, but knees are starting to ache a bit.

Got ribs in the slow cooker for post workout tomorrow. Going to eat up. Packing a towel and taking a contrast shower tomorrow as well.

After tomorrow on through week 9, deadlift is +10lbs/week, back squat is +7-8 lbs/week, press is +3-4 lbs/wk, and front squat on Wednesdays I’m doing +5lbs/week. Hopefully I’ll make it through all 5 weeks and whenever I think about it, I can feel some adrenaline start to flow through my veins and I get a little anxious. Feels good.

[Intersweat]

To be honest it’s really hard to see improvement from the pics. The original pic is closer and you’re flaring your lats more. I’m sure there is improvement but maybe a side view might show more… What do you feel about the pics?

[theuofh]

I agree and disagree. My body weight is pretty close to exactly the same in both pics, except my back was shaved for the second one. 175lbs in each so not a big difference.

I do notice more growth in my lower lats and t-spine erectors. The differences in the pics makes it hard to notice, but it is there.

The strength differences between the pics is pretty large, however not that large considering I went up to about 190 between those pics and my squat took off then fell back down. Deadlift I have not been doing long enough to figure out what is up w/ it.

I am getting stronger, however there is so much more room for improvement:

1. I have not been monitoring/logging my calories. I do have an idea of what I’ve been eating on a daily basis, but a kcal and macro breakdown would be very helpful for charting body comp changes and performance changes; If I can add 5-10lbs/week to my core lifts @ 3000 kcal a day, that would be very nice to know. Associating that w/ lean body mass and body fat would be good as well, this way I can change my diet according to my goals and essentially break this shit down into a science finely tuned to my unique physiology. I am starting a diet log again, even though it is a major pain in the ass.

2. I am carrying more bodyfat than I would like. I’m guessing ~15%, which puts me under 150lbs LBM, which is pretty pathetic. This is good in a sense, that my strength is increasing w/o a large change in muscle mass and adding muscle mass gains will increase the strength gains immensely. However, that amount of time I have been doing this and still haven’t gotten maintainably lean shows a lack of effort and execution. My body comp goal as of now is 185 at %10. This puts me at about 166 lbs LBM.

Talking to some guys at the gym, the air force has a bodpod that I want to get in and get measured on, to get a detailed sense of where I’m at and how far I have to go. Everything is speculative up to that point, but the point is more muscle, less fat.

3. My main goal as of now is to get my squat to ~2xbw for a set of 5 and my DL to 405 for a set of 5, and my press to 165 for a set of 5. The next 5 weeks of this program will get me there, although looking at it, it is very ambitious, but I have never done a program like this so I don’t know if I will be able to or not.

Everything else is tertiary at this point. My single point of focus is hitting the numbers dictated on my print out.

Ideally, I would like to be dropping ~1lb of bw a week while getting stronger but most know this is not an ideal world and it probably won’t happen. I’m not sure where I will set kcal yet, but it will probably be around 3000 training days and a little under non. If I get fatter, I don’t really give a shit as long as I am hitting my numbers every week. If I get leaner, all the better. If I stall, I eat more and let the chips fall where the may.

4. After this program is over, I’m doing a cut to lean out to an acceptable level in order to a long and productive and slow mass gain cycle, where I will focus on my chest and shoulder aesthetics which I find to be lacking, and more strength/muscle mass gains.

…So in short, I’m getting stronger, but there is a lot more I could be doing to be going where I want to. I need a base first, a particularly solid one, so for the time being, I’m going to continue what I’ve been doing. When my lifts are ‘good’ for my bodyweight, I’ll focus on some more aesthetics.

Thoughts, comments, questions?

[theuofh]

[u]6/5/2009 Friday: 5x5 Week 4 Day 5 [/u]

Warm Up:
3x300m row (1:45/500m pace)
Some other stuff

Power Clean:
215x2x3

Back Squat:
150x5
185x5
225x5
260x5
305x3
225x8

Press:
70x5
90x5
105x5
125x5
145x3
115x8

Row:
135x5x2
160x5
190x5
220x3
185x8

Comments:
Slow workout today and got pretty cold between sets as I was helping coach this guy Kirk on his squat clean.

He came in when I was doing my power cleans and what I witnessed was pretty bad, 2 25s pulled from the floor in complete flexion, racking it on his vertical arms. I could have ignored him and I almost did as I didn’t want to be the dude who give people tips when they didn’t ask for it. He seemed like he wanted some help though, so I offered it and told him if I was bothering him I would go back to my workout.

He was receptive, and first I got him pulling off some plates to raise the bar up a little. I was able to get his lower back into decent extension and got him finishing in a semi-functional rack. Everything else still needed a lot of work, and he seemed unable to get his upper back into extension. You could tell lower back extension was something new to him, but he seemed to get the idea of it.

He mentioned he was a crossfitter and doing it for a year and a half. I could only sigh as he was about 6’ and 140 lbs, and judging by the athleticism displayed on his squat cleans, a 95 lb thruster would probably kill him. He did have heart and kept trying, but I hope he gets involved w/ some people who know what they are doing because a year and half of doing something should yield some results, much more than he displayed.

Anyway, I did what I could to get him lifting safer but I couldn’t get him to get his upper back into extension. PTs have a tough job and I did something good for another person today.

[theuofh]

[u]6/6/09: 5x5 Week 4 Day 6 [/u]

Rest:
Skipped Oly day as I put two coats of paint on my bookcase and felt my lower back was slightly under recovered. I think this day is going to be out from here on out, maybe light, followed by a more active sprint/conditioning recovery workout. My days might shift here too as I will have class Monday and Wednesday nights.

So my training week may become:
Sunday-Volume
Monday-Class/Rest/Sled Workout
Tuesday-DL/Front Squat
Wed-Class/Rest
Thursday - Heavy 3s
Friday - Conditioning/Recovery/Sled
Saturday-Rest/HW

… I may put the sled in my car and start doing some push sprints/pulls with rope/pushes with rope at lunch on class days.

Perhaps even a kettlebell conditioning workout. I’ll make sure I change in my office, and walk to the parking lot w/ my shirt off, beating my chest and screaming profanities while staring down anybody unlucky enough to witness the spectacle, and perhaps even challenging them to a fight to the death, either barehanded or with knives.

[Intersweat]

[quote]
Anyway, I did what I could to get him lifting safer but I couldn’t get him to get his upper back into extension. PTs have a tough job and I did something good for another person today. [/quote]

Good for you. I always offer advice but, like yourself, don’t like to push it if the person doesn’t seem receptive. I don’t give too much Oly advice as it’s not my speciality. Feels good to pass on info sometimes though doesn’t it.

[theuofh]

I’m not an expert, really still very much an amateur at this stuff, but I have learned a few things. I keep to myself most of the time in the weightroom, except for the 3-4 guys I see in there regularly and talk to. When I see a new person come in, crucifying a very complicated lift to the point where he may hurt himself, I had to say something.

It did feel good, but I was more frustrated than anything when he left because he still couldn’t keep his chest up.

He said he would be back tomorrow in the gym tomorrow, but we’ll see. If anything, I want him to learn what absolute extension feels like so he can start making some progress. I think bodyweight squats in front of the wall might do the trick.

[theuofh]

[u]6/7/09 Sunday: 5x5 Week 4 Day 7 [/u]

Recovery:

Band Dislocates
Foam Roll
OH Squats to V Sits
Hamstring/Calve Stretch
Quad Stretch

…Short today just trying to get loose.

Comments:
Got drunk last night. Ate some ice cream and slept a lot today. Feel rested and good. I’m not going to worry about a food log, and just eat what I normally do plus 4-6 oz extra meat w/ meals this coming week. I’m also going to cheat once or twice a week and drink beers whenever I feel like it.

The highlights of this week are 305x5 squat monday, tuesday whatever, wednesday dl 370x5, and fri squat 311x3. Press is 145x5 monday and 150x3 friday. More worried about the 305x5 than anything, but I’m confident I’ll get through this week.

I’m also going to order a belt and start wearing it if I stall on my squat and DL.