Theuofh's Training Log

Training Training Logs
101

9/6/08 Experimenting…

I put on a lot of fat coming off my diet. Really, the last 3 weeks were experimenting with the anabolic diet and the weekend carb ups definitely halted progress. Then I just fucked off over labor day weekend and binged pretty much. So the last 3-4 weeks of my diet, weren’t really a diet.

I’m going to get down to 10% eventually, but I am going to take about a couple of months and experiment w/ my nutrition.

My new goal is to experiment w/ kcal and cho intake, to see how it relates to recovery and gym performance i.e. if I am getting stronger, weaker, or maintaining performance wise. Also to see how it affects overall bodyweight and body composition.

I’m going to start w/ a carb cycling approach, pretty much <50 g carbs non training days, and Surge and pwo carbs training days, w/ maybe some oats for breakfast or pre workout. I’ll let this ride for a couple weeks to a month at about 3500-3000 kcal training-non training days. I expect to maintain weight on this, with some strength increases. I might even be a little leaner at the end of it.

After that month, I should have a good baseline diet going, w/ low to moderate carb consumption and a maintenance level kcals. I’m pretty endomorphic I think, I can put on muscle rather easily, but also fat, but that could just be related to my poor dietary habits in the past. I’m not putting too much stock into body types.

From there I will either cut carbs and diet down to 10%, or up carbs and kcals and try to get stronger and a little bigger until I reach my initial strength goals. What I do will be determined by my results and how well I stick to this plan.

Everything that goes into my mouth will be logged, first in fitday, then on paper so I have a quick reference to analyze.

I need to take some body measurements, although I would rather not do it, it is somewhat important to measure progress.

(Edit: Scratch the above. I’m going to finish cutting, starting at 2400 kcal a day, adding cardio, cutting kcals, adding intensity, cutting kcals, etc. until I am at 10%. I’m not going to be satisfied until I am there, so I’m just going to get it over with. No more flip-flopping, no more experimenting, just low carb and low kcal until I am lean. Then I will experiment.)

102

9/7/08 Rest

9/8/08 Lift

Warm Up:
5 min airdyne
20+10x3 rounds bw squat+push up
DROM/Light Stretch

P. Snatch + OH Squat (from hang):
95x1+3, 2, 1+3
Snatch (from floor):
155x some singles, 3,3,3,3,3,3 (1 min rest)
…Hard time finding the groove

Back Squat+Push Ups/Towel Pull Ups:
WU-135x8,165x6,185x4,205x3,225x3 (minimal rest)
Work-235x3x10+20/5 (10lb PR)
…alternated between 5 towel pull ups or 20 push ups after squat sets. Smoked this, felt too easy.

DB Retraction x15
DB Protraction x15
Sleeper Stretch x15sec
x 3 rounds w/ 40 lb db
…shoulder rehab

Notes:
Eating recently definitely helped. My 3x10 went up 10 lbs and felt easy. Wasn’t breathing incredibly hard and alternating pull ups with push ups was easier than just doing one. Looking back on my previous dieting, I cut kcals too fast (1800-2000) and worked out too hard (1:30-2:15 workouts including 20-30 min incline walking at times). I’m starting slow, and increasing intensity as I get a baseline going.

Regular pullups hurt my shoulder, pretty badly, but towel pull ups are fine. I have a dr’s appointment tomorrow and will see if he can recommend somebody to look at it. Doing some rehab work until it feels better.

103

You mentioned in a previous point that your DLs have bad form. What exactly feels/looks wrong?

104

Really when I am lowering it, just getting used to breaking my hips back and getting the bar passed my knees before I bend my knees. I noticed a couple times I would lower with pretty bad back flexion. Of course I knew this from looking at the mirror as I was lowering which is stupid in itself.

[Edit: Now that I think of it, I am comfortable getting my hips back and getting it down to my knees. It is the last knee bend part where I have trouble. I’ll drop my chest instead of breaking my knees with chest up]

I also am not too comfortable in the starting position. I really don’t know how low to put my hips and still keep my chest up. I’ve done it before where I have pretty much squatted the weight up with chest really upright and hips low, and other times with hips too high chest not up enough and can’t maintain a neutral spine.

Its the lift I haven’t done really at all so I don’t know what it is supposed to ‘feel like’. That said, Saturday is now squat cleans followed by deadlifts on my calendar, so I am going to practice them until I get the feel down. I’ve also been reading starting strength before bed and I’ve been meaning to check out cressey’s deadlift articles again. It really justs needs some practice.

105

9/9/08 Rest/Recovery

…Had to work late, due to dr’s appointment this afternoon. Tomorrow is metcon hard and Thursday is lift. I’ve been neglecting my recovery and I really do feel better when I do it.

Foam Roll
Static Stretches
-Traps and Shoulders Especially

106

9/10/08 More Rest

…Exhausted. Bed early to catch up on some sleep. Lift tomorrow hard to make up for slacking.

107

9/11/08 Lift

Warm Up:
5 min Air Dyne (60cal)
Grasso-Smith Complex
DROM

Hang Power Clean:
95x5, 115x6,135x5,155x5,175x3

Power Clean (from floor) (1 min rest):
185x3,3,3,2
175x2,2
…I usually just drop it back down to arm’s length then set it down with back flexion. I started lowering like a deadlift.

Back Squat + Push Ups or Pull Ups (1 min rest):
WU- 135x8+10, 165x6+4, 205x4+10, 225x3+4
Work- 245x3x10 alternated with sets of 20 push ups or 5 towel pull ups.
…PR. Had to work for it though. Walked away from the last set of pull ups at 2, and came back to finish. Took an extra minute rest after 5th set.

DB Rows+Single Leg DL (1 min rest):
40lb db+25 lb platesx12+8
60lb db+25 lb platesx8+8,10+10,10+10
…Left arm is quite a bit weaker than right arm. My left side is also my bad shoulder. I’m going to be doing these every workout until there is some better balance. Weaker arm dictates loading/reps.

Decline Sit Ups:
3x25
…Some w/ Twist.

…Solid workout. Had a slight low carb headache afterward, or it just could be from exertion. I’ve been eating ~2400 kcal w/ approximately 130g fat, 50g carbs, 230 g protein daily since Monday. Keep it up until next Saturday then I’m having a cheat day, a whole day. Then moderate weekly carb ups.

108

9/12/08 Rest

…Sore. Probably foam roll and stretch.

109

[quote]theuofh wrote:
Really when I am lowering it, just getting used to breaking my hips back and getting the bar passed my knees before I bend my knees. I noticed a couple times I would lower with pretty bad back flexion. Of course I knew this from looking at the mirror as I was lowering which is stupid in itself.

[Edit: Now that I think of it, I am comfortable getting my hips back and getting it down to my knees. It is the last knee bend part where I have trouble. I’ll drop my chest instead of breaking my knees with chest up]

I also am not too comfortable in the starting position. I really don’t know how low to put my hips and still keep my chest up. I’ve done it before where I have pretty much squatted the weight up with chest really upright and hips low, and other times with hips too high chest not up enough and can’t maintain a neutral spine.

Its the lift I haven’t done really at all so I don’t know what it is supposed to ‘feel like’. That said, Saturday is now squat cleans followed by deadlifts on my calendar, so I am going to practice them until I get the feel down.

I’ve also been reading starting strength before bed and I’ve been meaning to check out cressey’s deadlift articles again. It really justs needs some practice.

[/quote]

This explanation by Mark Rippetoe is one of the best/easiest I’ve seen.

Hope this helps

110

Thanks. I’ll check it out.

I’ve been going over Starting Strength before bed and the other two Practical Programming and Strong Enough I got from Amazon yesterday. I’ve been reading Strong Enough and its a pretty entertaining book.

I’m going tomorrow morning for another practice session.

111

9/14/08 Lift

…Hamstrings are the sorest they have ever been. I tried the modified hurdler stretch and couldn’t even touch my toes. This is a deload workout and I’m going to do a carb up. WW pancakes (cheat), black beans w/ ground bison and salsa, then some sweet potatoe fries w/ dinner.

Warm Up:
5 min air dyne
DROM
Long Static Stretch

Hang P. Clean:
95x10,115x8

Hang Squat Clean:
135x5, 155x5

Squat Clean (1 min rest):
175x3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3

BW Push Ups + 60lb Face Pulls:
3x25+10

Incline Walk:
20 min @ 3mph 12deg plus warm up and cool down

112

9/15/08 Recovery Session

…I don’t know what I did but my hamstrings have never been so sore. It was those 1 leg deadlifts and they always make me sore, but this time it was terrible. Its 3 days later and I still feel it. I need a recovery session.

edit:
power went out from like 6:00 pm to 4:00 am, huge wind storm. The tree outside my window fell on my neighbors car. It ended up about 2 ft away from mine.

10 kb snatches/arm
20 kb swings
x7 rounds

4x10 kb press

113

9/16/08 Getting Some Work In…

Power went out and I couldn’t get any cooking done yesterday. For this reason, I did not go to lift and instead am doing the following, plu s cooking my meals for the week.

Warm Up:
25 bw squats
15 pushups
20 situps
x 3

Recovery:
Foam Roll
KB Arm Bars

3x5 Turkish Get Ups

Hamstring Stretch

…tomorrow is lift.

114

9/17/08 Lift or Slow and Weak

…forgot my log book.

Warm Up:
5 min bike
grasso complex
drom

Snatch:
135x some
…Hard. If I got it up, I wasn’t fast enough to get under it.

Back Squat:
135xsome, 165xsome, 185xsome, 205xsome
225x5,5,5
155x20
…Felt heavy. 155x20 felt relatively easy though surprisingly.

Push Ups:
2x25

…Shitty fucking workout. Just didn’t have it. Could be the carb shift happening again or just a bad day. I don’t know and hope it doesn’t happen Thursday.

115

9/19/08 Rest

116

9/18/08 Lift

Warm Up:
5 min air dyne
drom/grasso

Power Clean (from hang):
135x10, 155x5, 175x3

Power Clean (from floor):
175x1,1
1 min rest 185x3,3,3,3
45 sec rest 185x3,3,3,3 (PR)

Back Squat+Push Up/Towel Pull Up:
WU: 135x8, 165x6+15/5, 205x5+15/5, 225x4+15/4
Work: 245x3x10 + 28/100 (1 min rest)
…Burped up some tuna packed in olive oil but squats easier than last time.

DB Row+1 arm OH DB Press:
20lbsx0+12
45lbsx12+7
60lbs+45lbsx10+7,10+7,10+7

Knees-to-Elbow:
4,4,5,3
…Hurt my shoulder, probably shouldn’t have been pressing.

…Had 2 bowls oatmeal last night due to working late. Almost stopped and picked up fast food. Carb up helped.

…I’m hoping to hit a lot of work set PR’s now. I have a better idea of progression and have fallen into a workout template that seems to be working.

117

9/19/08 Rest

118

9/20/08 Rest

9/21/08 Lift

…Supposed to get an MRI this morning. Went in and the Dr’s office didn’t fax the pre-certification from my insurance company. Long story short, no MRI today.

Warm Up: 20 BW Squats
Grasso-Smith Complex
Reverse Lunge w/ Reach
DROM

load x sets x reps

Full Squat Cleans:
185x6x3 (1 min rest)

Back Squat:
225x3x5 (Untimed Rest)

DB Row:
60x3x12

Y,T,W,L Shoulder Warmup

Back Extension:
BWx3x15

…Terrible workout. Not used to going on Sundays, and back got tight after cleans which ruins my performance. Shoulder started hurting after Y,T,W,L and I didn’t db bench because of it.

PM:
Long Static Stretch… I haven’t been stretching and I feel better when I do it regularly.

119

9/22/08 Conditioning

…I’ve been slacking lately on conditioning and dieting. My buddy is moving to Israel to live w/ a girl he met in India and I’m going up to Cleveland Thursday night to see him off. So this weekend will be some hard drinking and I need to bust my ass for the next 3 days, then get right back to strict dieting.

Foam Roll

Hamstring+Calve+Trap Stretch

Warm Up:
25 bw squat
15 pushups
15 situps
x 3 rounds

3x3/side KB Turkish Getup+OH Squat
(Minimal Rest)

“Vomit Comet” courtesy of gymjones.com
20x 70# Sandbag Thrusters
15x 44# KB Swings
15x Pull Ups
8x Burpees

3 rounds for time (Time = 20:14)

Core:
10/side KB crosschops
15 ab wheel rollouts
x 3 rounds

120

420×560 23.6 KB

…If I knew these would have been on my doorstep when I got back from the gym I would have stopped home, grabbed em, and broke em in.

9/23/08 Lift

Warm Up:
5 min air dyne
drom/grasso

Hang P. Clean:
135x8, 155x5, 175x3

P. Clean from Floor:
185x1,1
185x3x6 (45 sec rest)

Back Squat+Push Ups/Pull Ups:
135x8, 185x5, 225x3
255x3x10 + 20 push ups/5 pull ups/alternating (1 min rest)
…Missed last one of set 9, hit all 3 on set 10. Put the racks on the opposite side of the squat rack so I wasn’t facing the mirror, and it took a little getting used to but much better body awareness then when you are looking at yourself in the mirror. (7/24/08: 255 = 1 rep max so I’m definitely getting stronger.)

1-Leg DL+DB Row:
25lb plates+60lb dbx3x10+10 (1 min rest between exercises)

Dips+Hanging Leg Raises:
18+15, 12+12, 8+8 (1 min rest between sets)

Comments:
My shoulder felt pretty good today. I did a bunch of sandbag thrusters yesterday, with a moderately light sandbag. The trouble was keeping a grip on it and staying in control. My shoulders were burning afterwards and it might be the type of rehab I needed if I had a little muscle tear or something that needed to be worked. I get an MRI Thursday morning, which is good because I think I am losing upper body strength.