Deadlift - 135, 175, 215, 255 (for 5)
Then 3 singles at 305. First one was done relaxed; meh speed, meh difficulty. Second one was still hook-gripped but done harder; decent speed and fairly easy. Third was full competition setup. Easy and fast.
Also did a 135 Press single before the deads, then a much easier one right afterward. It's funny how I forgot how much of a problem it is if you set up "relaxed."
Monday, April 30, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Log - 4/25/2012
I'm pretty sure my switch back to "3 per week" rather than "Every other day" will pay off now. Not deloading for about another two weeks, though.
Warmup
Deadlift: 135x5, 185x5, 225x1, 275x1, 315x1 (mixed)
5x5 - 245lbs
I actually had to stop and reset for the last few of these. My grip is giving out (this is a recovery issue and not a strength one; I was hitting easy sets of 10 at 225 as an accessory about a month ago).
Bench: 45x5, 95x1, 145x1
5x5 - 115lbs
I'm losing the abdominal bracing from pilates. I'm blaming fatigue for this one too, though I suspect I could be doing more to regain it.
Chin Up Holds:
7s, 5s, 3s, 3s, 3s
Blast straps; easier on the joints, harder on the movement.
I have progress pics now, but they're on my girlfriend's camera and I don't know how to get them off.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Dietary Update
Well, that didn't take long.
I'm currently sitting (or, rather, sliding) around 180lbs with pretty respectable sustained weight loss. However, due to a variety of factors, I'm switching from the straight up Apex Predator approach as Jamie writes it into the "actually fasting" equivalent.
I have a few reasons for doing this:
1) Convenience. Drinking a tasty 500mL protein shake is a hell of a lot easier than going out and actually making food, but it's considerably more annoying than not consuming anything at all, especially given that I'm somewhat limited in how often I can go to make more. This is a relatively weak reason, but it certainly played into my thought process on this.
2) Expense. In fairness, I doubt this will actually save me a whole lot of money, but protein powder - while cheap - gets a little pricier when you're buying 15lbs of it each month. I know I haven't actually hit the month mark yet, but I'm a nerd and do budget calculations in my spare time, so piss off.
3) Gas. This could be avoided if I switched back to straight Whey Protein Isolate rather than using the Concentrate that ON sells, and it's not a huge factor, but I actually get gas now. I haven't had gas in a fairly long time (pretty much since I cut out all pasteurized dairy).
4) I was planning to do it eventually anyway (partly for the above reasons and partly because I seem to have acquired a small amount of my girlfriend's dislike of casein...and partly for the below reasons, I suppose) and figure that I might as well use the period right as my classes end but shortly before my finals start to do it.
5) I recently found myself inundated in (relatively) famous and respected people jumping on board and saying it's at least decent, probably because of a recent study demonstrating that while there's no difference in mass lost between IF and Caloric Restriction protocols, the IF one actually does do a better job of preserving lean mass. These famous people then enlightened me about a metric asston of other benefits, notably including longer life, clinically-verified improvements in insulin sensitivity, and better cognition (though I should note that the last one seems somewhat conditional - John Berardi noticed that his creative thinking seemed pretty inhibited during the fasting window, at least on the daily IF protocol he tried [see Leangains, Warrior Diet]).
So, the plan is essentially the same as it was before, only now I'm nixing the protein shakes and presumably making up the difference with more meat. For those who care about specifics, the layout will probably be roughly:
Sunday - Fast. Possibly small dinner, depending on how much this day winds up sucking
Monday - Medium/Large "lunch" and massive dinner. (8-hour window) (TRAIN)
Tuesday - Massive dinner
Wednesday - Small "lunch" and massive dinner. (8-hour window) (TRAIN)
Thursday - Medium, lower-fat dinner
Friday - Small "lunch" and massive dinner (8-hour window)
Saturday - Textbook Rampage day, but with only an 8-hour total eating window (TRAIN)
Training on Saturday will take place before the Rampage window. Once my bodyfat's down to single digits, I'll add a "Lunch" to Sunday and Tuesday. I may take all fasting-related restrictions off on Saturday, depending on how I feel.
So yeah, it's basically textbook Predator Diet, just sans all protein shakes and with more specific windows imposed for eating. The actual windows will probably wind up being more like 6 hours because I'm a busy man, but whatever.
I will provide progress pictures today.
EDIT: Oh, and carb-free liquor is allowed. I think I mentioned this previously, and the "I drink like twice a year" thing still applies, but I figure I should throw that out there.
EDIT 2: From rereading Lewis's material, I've suspect that my first Monday "lunch" may be rather on the large side. We'll see how this goes.
I'm currently sitting (or, rather, sliding) around 180lbs with pretty respectable sustained weight loss. However, due to a variety of factors, I'm switching from the straight up Apex Predator approach as Jamie writes it into the "actually fasting" equivalent.
I have a few reasons for doing this:
1) Convenience. Drinking a tasty 500mL protein shake is a hell of a lot easier than going out and actually making food, but it's considerably more annoying than not consuming anything at all, especially given that I'm somewhat limited in how often I can go to make more. This is a relatively weak reason, but it certainly played into my thought process on this.
2) Expense. In fairness, I doubt this will actually save me a whole lot of money, but protein powder - while cheap - gets a little pricier when you're buying 15lbs of it each month. I know I haven't actually hit the month mark yet, but I'm a nerd and do budget calculations in my spare time, so piss off.
3) Gas. This could be avoided if I switched back to straight Whey Protein Isolate rather than using the Concentrate that ON sells, and it's not a huge factor, but I actually get gas now. I haven't had gas in a fairly long time (pretty much since I cut out all pasteurized dairy).
4) I was planning to do it eventually anyway (partly for the above reasons and partly because I seem to have acquired a small amount of my girlfriend's dislike of casein...and partly for the below reasons, I suppose) and figure that I might as well use the period right as my classes end but shortly before my finals start to do it.
5) I recently found myself inundated in (relatively) famous and respected people jumping on board and saying it's at least decent, probably because of a recent study demonstrating that while there's no difference in mass lost between IF and Caloric Restriction protocols, the IF one actually does do a better job of preserving lean mass. These famous people then enlightened me about a metric asston of other benefits, notably including longer life, clinically-verified improvements in insulin sensitivity, and better cognition (though I should note that the last one seems somewhat conditional - John Berardi noticed that his creative thinking seemed pretty inhibited during the fasting window, at least on the daily IF protocol he tried [see Leangains, Warrior Diet]).
So, the plan is essentially the same as it was before, only now I'm nixing the protein shakes and presumably making up the difference with more meat. For those who care about specifics, the layout will probably be roughly:
Sunday - Fast. Possibly small dinner, depending on how much this day winds up sucking
Monday - Medium/Large "lunch" and massive dinner. (8-hour window) (TRAIN)
Tuesday - Massive dinner
Wednesday - Small "lunch" and massive dinner. (8-hour window) (TRAIN)
Thursday - Medium, lower-fat dinner
Friday - Small "lunch" and massive dinner (8-hour window)
Saturday - Textbook Rampage day, but with only an 8-hour total eating window (TRAIN)
Training on Saturday will take place before the Rampage window. Once my bodyfat's down to single digits, I'll add a "Lunch" to Sunday and Tuesday. I may take all fasting-related restrictions off on Saturday, depending on how I feel.
So yeah, it's basically textbook Predator Diet, just sans all protein shakes and with more specific windows imposed for eating. The actual windows will probably wind up being more like 6 hours because I'm a busy man, but whatever.
I will provide progress pictures today.
EDIT: Oh, and carb-free liquor is allowed. I think I mentioned this previously, and the "I drink like twice a year" thing still applies, but I figure I should throw that out there.
EDIT 2: From rereading Lewis's material, I've suspect that my first Monday "lunch" may be rather on the large side. We'll see how this goes.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Log - 4/23/2012
Added Yohimbine HCl to the stack. The stimulant effects were very, very apparent.
Warmup - Added Overhead Squat (set up with BTN Push Jerk)
Squat: 45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 185x1, 225x1, 275x1
5x5 - 205lbs
Paused the 225 and 275 reps, along with a few from the main sets.
Fatigue was noticeably lower than last time, though the Yohimbine+Caffeine throughout the day may have had something to do with that.
Press: 45x5, 95x1, 135x1
5x5 - 85lbs
Yeah, I'm just going to stick to 115 for the next few singles. I'll murder 135 later.
Blast Strap Chin Holds:
15s, 12s, 10s, 10s, 10s
Got distracted teaching someone how to Deadlift; I have a hard time resisting that temptation, especially if when people actively seek my advice.
Anyway, the setup I was considering last time worked very well, and I'll be using it in the future.
Marching + Extensions:
5x5ea
Need to advance this again.
Warmup - Added Overhead Squat (set up with BTN Push Jerk)
Squat: 45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 185x1, 225x1, 275x1
5x5 - 205lbs
Paused the 225 and 275 reps, along with a few from the main sets.
Fatigue was noticeably lower than last time, though the Yohimbine+Caffeine throughout the day may have had something to do with that.
Press: 45x5, 95x1, 135x1
5x5 - 85lbs
Yeah, I'm just going to stick to 115 for the next few singles. I'll murder 135 later.
Blast Strap Chin Holds:
15s, 12s, 10s, 10s, 10s
Got distracted teaching someone how to Deadlift; I have a hard time resisting that temptation, especially if when people actively seek my advice.
Anyway, the setup I was considering last time worked very well, and I'll be using it in the future.
Marching + Extensions:
5x5ea
Need to advance this again.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Log - 4/21/2012
Fatigue is starting to set in; I may actually take an extra rest day this week (i.e. not just go every other day the way I have been - part of that's a matter of convenience, but still).
Warmup
Deadlift - 135x5, 185x5, 225x1, 275x1, 315x0.5, 1
5x5 - 240lbs
Got 315 past my knees double-overhand, then put it back down and immediately pulled an easy single mixed.
Grip was giving out on the 240 sets too (this is part of my indication that I need to take some extra rest, honestly).
Bench: 45x5, 95x1, 145x1
5x5 - 110lbs
These are getting easier, which leads me to believe that I'm not activating my abs properly.
Some mild shoulder discomfort on a few sets; the issue appears to be related to tightness.
Chin Holds:
5s, 10s, 10s, 10s, 10s
Doing reps to get up now.
I'm going to set up the Blast Straps to do these in future; they should be ok if I set them up the way I have been but then thread them through the adjustable pull-up handles at the back of the rack. I was getting sufficient elbow and shoulder discomfort today that I think the switch will be a good idea.
I then left and ate three pounds of icecream in about ten minutes.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Log - 4/19/2012
I was unbelievably tired going into this - which is odd, because I actually caught up on sleep somewhat last night.
Warmup
Squat: 45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 185x1, 225x1, 275x1 (paused in hole)
5x5 - 200lbs
As usual, the work sets got better as they went. That said, this was a lot harder than it should have been - not even weight-wise, I was just so fucking exhausted for some reason.
Press: 45x5, 95x1
5x5 - 80lbs
Increasing the single weight next time. I'll probably do 135, just for kicks.
Chins:
5 10-second holds (getting easier)
1 pretty excellent full rep
Wanted to try doing these without a fixed wrist angle, but it the blast straps are too long to work. I'm thinking I'll make some PVC rings with short straps and hook them up to the "you set the width" rotating handles already on there.
Face Pulls:
3x10
Ropes are too short, so these aggravate my wrists somewhat. I'm guessing I'll just deal with this, or possibly switch to inverted rows.
Suped-Up Marching:
5x 4ea
Basically the same as marching, but extending at the hip and knee of one leg for each inhale and flexing back on the exhale. Dramatically harder.
Once classes finish I will probably post some analyses of some "Nuggets of Wisdom" I recently unearthed on Reddit. Foreshadowing: The first thing I look at will come up wanting. Severely, severely wanting.
Warmup
Squat: 45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 185x1, 225x1, 275x1 (paused in hole)
5x5 - 200lbs
As usual, the work sets got better as they went. That said, this was a lot harder than it should have been - not even weight-wise, I was just so fucking exhausted for some reason.
Press: 45x5, 95x1
5x5 - 80lbs
Increasing the single weight next time. I'll probably do 135, just for kicks.
Chins:
5 10-second holds (getting easier)
1 pretty excellent full rep
Wanted to try doing these without a fixed wrist angle, but it the blast straps are too long to work. I'm thinking I'll make some PVC rings with short straps and hook them up to the "you set the width" rotating handles already on there.
Face Pulls:
3x10
Ropes are too short, so these aggravate my wrists somewhat. I'm guessing I'll just deal with this, or possibly switch to inverted rows.
Suped-Up Marching:
5x 4ea
Basically the same as marching, but extending at the hip and knee of one leg for each inhale and flexing back on the exhale. Dramatically harder.
Once classes finish I will probably post some analyses of some "Nuggets of Wisdom" I recently unearthed on Reddit. Foreshadowing: The first thing I look at will come up wanting. Severely, severely wanting.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Log - 4/17/2012
Diet update: Started mixing Whey and Casein together for shakes. The shakes aren't particularly palatable (though they're certainly tastier than the plain whey ones), but are "good enough," as they don't make me retch and become tolerable with salt. I doubt this will have a huge effect on my results, but the expense increase isn't anything noteworthy.
Today's training went well, especially considering that I only got 3 hours of sleep last night.
Warmup - omitted bridges and GHRs due to the risk of someone else stealing my equipment
Deadlift: 135x5, 185x5, 225x1, 275x1, 315x1 (alternated)
5x5 - 235lbs
I'm not sure that I could have taken 315 double overhand either way, but I believe that some of the bars at the RSF are getting "loose" and rotate too easily relative to the collars. I'm also fairly sure that the one I was using today was somewhat smoother than the ones in the Annex, presumably because people are scared to go in the Annex thanks to people like me (when I'm lifting heavy, at least - I can't imagine anyone being scared off by the weights I'm currently using). Most of these sets were done with about two minutes' rest; it seems I can probably continue doing this without much issue, and suspect that it will enhance my weight loss somewhat.
I'm starting to get the hang of the eccentric for touch and go - both sides now contact the floor at about the same time.
Bench: 45x5, 95x1, 135x1
5x5 - 105lbs
Hilarious.
Chin-Up Holds:
3x 5-8s
I appear to have developed a significant trigger point in my upper back.
I also need to stop neglecting my ab work and shoulder prehab.
Today's training went well, especially considering that I only got 3 hours of sleep last night.
Warmup - omitted bridges and GHRs due to the risk of someone else stealing my equipment
Deadlift: 135x5, 185x5, 225x1, 275x1, 315x1 (alternated)
5x5 - 235lbs
I'm not sure that I could have taken 315 double overhand either way, but I believe that some of the bars at the RSF are getting "loose" and rotate too easily relative to the collars. I'm also fairly sure that the one I was using today was somewhat smoother than the ones in the Annex, presumably because people are scared to go in the Annex thanks to people like me (when I'm lifting heavy, at least - I can't imagine anyone being scared off by the weights I'm currently using). Most of these sets were done with about two minutes' rest; it seems I can probably continue doing this without much issue, and suspect that it will enhance my weight loss somewhat.
I'm starting to get the hang of the eccentric for touch and go - both sides now contact the floor at about the same time.
Bench: 45x5, 95x1, 135x1
5x5 - 105lbs
Hilarious.
Chin-Up Holds:
3x 5-8s
I appear to have developed a significant trigger point in my upper back.
I also need to stop neglecting my ab work and shoulder prehab.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Log - 4/15/2012
I spent today walking around in a rather annoying haze and wishing for sleep.
I need to remember to keep my caffeine intake relatively steady, and get some yohimbine.
Rolling, Bridges, Glute-Hams, Back Activation, Hamstring Stretch
Squat: 45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 185x1, 225x1, 275x1
5x5 - 195lbs
Keeping a rigid torso position makes a huge difference here.
It's funny how tightness remains the name of the game, but becomes a lot harder now that I can't just let my low back take over for everything else.
Press: 45x5, 95x1
5x5 - 75lbs
Still ridiculously easy.
Chin-Up Holds:
15s, 15s, 10s, 10s, 10s
The later sets were a little sketchy, but still tolerable.
Time constraints and helping a friend with his deadlift got in the way of ab work. Distractions are for the weak, and I do not intend to fall to them in the future.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Log - 4/13/2012
First refeed (Rampage) day today. I'm stuck on the same kind of schedule that I use...well, virtually every day, so rather than moderate-carb low-fat food (e.g. Jamie's low-carb tortillas with lean ground beef) I just went with adding 40g of maltodextrin to each of my shakes. I'm not sure how strongly that played into my brief period of drowsiness earlier this afternoon.
I'm about to go and consume outrageous quantities of food on someone else's dollar, so I'll cut the chatter there and just get right into the Iron part.
Warmup - Standard rolling, upper back warmup, bridge, GHR
Deadlift: 135x5, 185x5, 225x1, 275x1, 315x1
5x5 - 230lbs
Managed 315 with a double-overhand grip without too much trouble. The singles should take it from "Doable" to "Easy" - one thing I'm liking about this approach.
The other big thing I'm liking about it is that it makes light weights feel even lighter. 230lbs was so easy that my form probably broke down a bit. I'm getting better at touch-and-go, though, so that's a plus. I need to work on keeping my upper back rounded forward somewhat (and, as a result, setting up with the bar even closer to my shins).
I did several of these without breathing, by the way.
Bench: 45x5, 95x1, 135x1
5x5 - 100lbs
Doing strict, well-executed reps with your ribcage locked down is unbelievably tiring.
Pull-Up Holds:
5x10s
No abdominal work today; was already behind the clock for PT. Turned out I was actually VERY behind the clock and had missed my appointment, though Allen had (as usual) scheduled an extra one with someone else right afterward without telling me. The second appointment was (as usual) extremely useful - and (again, as usual) I'm going to have some more appointments with that therapist. This time it was a PT Assistant focused on getting rid of trigger points (hence the priority on seeing him again - some of them I can get myself, but there are a lot of nooks and crannies around the shoulder joint that I can't release on my own).
I'm about to go and consume outrageous quantities of food on someone else's dollar, so I'll cut the chatter there and just get right into the Iron part.
Warmup - Standard rolling, upper back warmup, bridge, GHR
Deadlift: 135x5, 185x5, 225x1, 275x1, 315x1
5x5 - 230lbs
Managed 315 with a double-overhand grip without too much trouble. The singles should take it from "Doable" to "Easy" - one thing I'm liking about this approach.
The other big thing I'm liking about it is that it makes light weights feel even lighter. 230lbs was so easy that my form probably broke down a bit. I'm getting better at touch-and-go, though, so that's a plus. I need to work on keeping my upper back rounded forward somewhat (and, as a result, setting up with the bar even closer to my shins).
I did several of these without breathing, by the way.
Bench: 45x5, 95x1, 135x1
5x5 - 100lbs
Doing strict, well-executed reps with your ribcage locked down is unbelievably tiring.
Pull-Up Holds:
5x10s
No abdominal work today; was already behind the clock for PT. Turned out I was actually VERY behind the clock and had missed my appointment, though Allen had (as usual) scheduled an extra one with someone else right afterward without telling me. The second appointment was (as usual) extremely useful - and (again, as usual) I'm going to have some more appointments with that therapist. This time it was a PT Assistant focused on getting rid of trigger points (hence the priority on seeing him again - some of them I can get myself, but there are a lot of nooks and crannies around the shoulder joint that I can't release on my own).
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Log - 4/8/2012
The awesomeness has died down somewhat, but the weights are ludicrously light right now so it didn't matter. I also still managed to get more amped than usual, which is promising (someday I will write something about the placebo effect and why people need to shut up about it, but for now I'll just go with "and anyone who says that it might not be because of [badass reason here] can go fuck themselves.")
Warmup: Foam rolling (lateral on the IT band), lacrosse balls for upper back (paused between rips). Supine bridge, GHR, banded GM stretch. Standard shoulder warmup.
Oly Squat: 45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 185x1, 225x1, 275x1
5x5 - 190lbs
Essentially no rest between warmup sets. The single was pretty easy, though technique can always get better.
The work sets (and there may have been six of them) took longer than they had to - old coworker wanted to know how I got so much smaller.
Press: 45x5, 70x5, 95x1
4x5 - 70lbs
Yeah, fucked up with the warmup. Oh well.
Chins: Holds in perfect top position
1x15s, 4x10s
Did a rep after the last hold. Was a bad idea.
Abs: "Marching"
5x2ea - 5 breaths
This is an exercise my physical therapist forces me to do. It's dramatically harder than it should be, so you can bet your ass that I'm going to keep doing it until it's easy.
For a mental image: Lie down, knees at 90 degrees, feet flat on floor. Take breath into belly, then exhale and pull navel to spine. Raise first leg to 90 degrees of hip flexion, than second leg. Breaths should be pushed "back" - if you did it standing, your shoulders wouldn't rise significantly.
And now, ribs.
Warmup: Foam rolling (lateral on the IT band), lacrosse balls for upper back (paused between rips). Supine bridge, GHR, banded GM stretch. Standard shoulder warmup.
Oly Squat: 45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 185x1, 225x1, 275x1
5x5 - 190lbs
Essentially no rest between warmup sets. The single was pretty easy, though technique can always get better.
The work sets (and there may have been six of them) took longer than they had to - old coworker wanted to know how I got so much smaller.
Press: 45x5, 70x5, 95x1
4x5 - 70lbs
Yeah, fucked up with the warmup. Oh well.
Chins: Holds in perfect top position
1x15s, 4x10s
Did a rep after the last hold. Was a bad idea.
Abs: "Marching"
5x2ea - 5 breaths
This is an exercise my physical therapist forces me to do. It's dramatically harder than it should be, so you can bet your ass that I'm going to keep doing it until it's easy.
For a mental image: Lie down, knees at 90 degrees, feet flat on floor. Take breath into belly, then exhale and pull navel to spine. Raise first leg to 90 degrees of hip flexion, than second leg. Breaths should be pushed "back" - if you did it standing, your shoulders wouldn't rise significantly.
And now, ribs.
Dietary Bullshit: Current Standing
I'm going to preface this entry by saying that I woke up this morning (or "this noon," since my girlfriend and I didn't get out of bed until about twelve - I blame this on her) feeling ready to murder a train. If you find this statement objectionable, feel free to tell me why, as you clearly know something I don't about both murder and trains.
The background on this is pretty simple: Since I kicked off my introductory "keto run" on Monday, I just had my first straight-up (modified) fasting day yesterday, and it sucked. Reading through Jamie's article on the early phase of the diet (particularly if you're fat, which I currently am, albeit not too visibly), I was mildly confused by his comment that your Sunday lift will be awesome - even with some extra solids, it didn't seem as though the day after a fast would be the best day to go smash some weights.
Well...that confusion has (partly) vanished now. Once I got out of bed I felt murderously awesome and was very mildly tempted to just go to the gym and squat my ridiculously light weights for the easiest 5x5 since my third week on the Texas Method. I still don't understand the mechanism behind this, but I'm a believer. That said, my scientist brain is already identifying alternative reasons - maybe it's just that I've only now hit ketosis and rebounded back into awesomeness, maybe I just slept more last night, maybe the kettlebell swings I did on a whim before I went to sleep have changed something...but what the fuck do I care (right now, at least), I feel amazing and want to go lift shit.
Dietary Bullshit: Skippable History
Since I created this blog partly because I wanted to cover this while it was still fresh in my mind (and not on the other one), I figure some context is in order. Feel free to move ahead - the next entry will be more relevant.
Back in 11th grade, when I got off my ass and finally started lifting things, I spent about six months on Mauro DiPasquale's Anabolic Diet. This was a terrible choice for a financially-restricted stick-shaped high schooler, as it resulted in my gaining a grand total of about 10lbs in a period when I probably could have packed on about 50 (I added something like 20 in the first month off), but I've missed something about that period. The general idea was that by keeping carbohydrate intake low during the week and then refeeding on the weekends, you can optimize a crapton of endocrine factors that I didn't entirely understand then and have forgotten about now, with the ultimate effect of putting your testosterone through the roof and enhancing your lifts. I didn't feel the latter one, but I DID spontaneously go through the "complete asshole" phase of puberty during that year and see a dramatic increase in my sex drive. I suspect the lack of truly immense lifting improvement had something to do with my living on about 2,000 calories per day and training like a complete pussy for most of it.
Once I got to college, I could whatever I wanted, but I was still poor and followed something approximating the "See Food" approach for most of my freshman year. Once I'd moved out of the dorms and gotten a job, that evolved into something more paleolithic, with a corresponding improvement in my mood from the lack of gluten consumption. For the last eight months, I've mixed that with (very simple) carb cycling to help manage fat gain/loss, but then I hit a small hurdle: Lab work. Working in a lab (now two labs) and actually dedicating to it isn't conducive to cooking three meals per day, and since I'm a cheap asshole with some restrictive food prohibitions, it's pretty inconvenient to eat out. I'd been introduced to Jamie Lewis a few weeks before the job picked up, and after my first "accidental fasting day" decided to just go all-in and try the Predator Diet. That was about a week ago (the actual switch started Monday). A recap/overview of basic reasons for my choice:
1) For all but one day per week, this approach has you consuming nothing but low-carb protein shakes for most of the day (pretty handy when your job sticks you in a sterile environment for 8 hours per day) and then gorging on meat in the evenings (pretty handy for a guy who, y'know, loves meat). It's technically "semi-gorging," though - after a certain point in a carb-free meal, your brain throws in the towel and you suddenly need an incredible level of willpower to take another bite.
2) The remaining day is a structured carb refeed with a 3-hour cheat window. This should sound familiar, given that with this piece in place you're basically following the Anabolic Diet with some modified fasting.
3) Jamie Lewis has been doing this for a fairly long time and is an absolute monster, which suggests that it at least CAN be executed with effective results.
Oh, and there's a decent clinical reason that alcohol won't hurt it. I'm not a big drinker, but at least with this I can get a single-malt Scotch without worrying about progress consequences. I doubt this will come up very often, though.
In the Course of Recent Events...
You may be wondering why I've decided to create a separate blog for training purposes. The short answer is "because I can." The longer one has something to do with my having a strange obsession with separating different ideas, and not wanting to bore people interested me as a lifter (yes, all two of you) with details of the rest of my life (or vice versa - again, yes, all [presumably other] two of you). It's possible that one or other of these will pick up traffic at some point, and again, I'd rather stay topical if that happens.
Since I didn't update the other blog since first touring Princeton, I'm going to assume that anyone reading the entire thing neither knows nor wants to know anything about who I am or what I've done in the last four years. This is a helpful assumption, because:
A) Nobody is going to read this
and
B) I don't want to explain any of that
I will give a few mild points, though, the first being that I'm an engineering student, and as such am used to making a lot of helpful assumptions, "momentum is conserved" chief among them. That won't be relevant here, though.
The main one for this blog is that I lift weights, and enjoy doing so. The background for everything I'm likely to say for the next six months is boring, but I'll keep it short:
I've been at this for about five years now. I've used various programs and had some success, but burned out about five months ago after a fairly productive run of a Linear Progression program (essentially the currently-in-vogue Starting Strength, but with more deadlifts and consequently more balls) followed by a murderous run of the Texas Method (essentially the one advertised in all related Rippetoe materials, but with fewer deadlifts, no benching, and consequently only half as many balls). I hit a 405x2 squat at a pretty fat 205lbs, then took about two months off to focus on school. Then I tried 5/3/1, which started out well but didn't agree with my abnormal-labrum-afflicted-but-in-therapy right shoulder and did relatively little to build up my squat and deadlift. As a result, when I lifted in competition last week I was only able to post a 1,003lb total in the 198s (375 Squat, 225 Bench, 400 Deadlift).
Since my shoulder is recovering, I'm losing weight, my squat needs some technical work, and my deadlift sucks, I figured that continuing with 5/3/1 was probably not the best plan. Linear Progression worked last time, benefits from ridiculously low starting weights, and (done at a volume not worth spitting at) should aid in my shoulder rehab, so I figured it was a good bet. The program's pretty simple, so I won't explain it here - if you're actually reading this and don't already know what it looks like, you'll figure it out pretty quickly. If you're reading this a week from when I post it and need a hint: sled dragging and sets of 100 reps of Kettlebell Swings are called "conditioning."
Going back to the "losing weight" thing, I've been underweight for most of my life and finally got up to something respectable around the end of last summer, walking around at 5'8" and 205lbs. Thing was, I was fat. That was fun, and I look forward to being big again (not as fat, but big), but to do that, I figure I should probably get lean. Originally I was just shooting for about 180lbs, but since linear progression will take some time to ramp up, I need some other physical pursuit to follow, so I'm now shooting for 165lbs or ripped as all shit - probably the latter - and maintaining once I've hit that.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Meet Report
That was, uh...weird.
Overslept because my alarm doesn't go off on weekends
Got a speeding ticket on the way up because we were in a hurry
Got there and discovered that the weigh-ins wouldn't close for about an hour
Realized almost immediately upon arrival that I had forgotten my singlet at home
Frantically attempted to procure replacement singlet or get someone to drive mine up, wound up borrowing Saarni's for about 5 minutes until two of the heavyweights offered to let me use their XLs. Seems I fit pretty nicely into an XL, which is...silly.
They completely rearranged a lot of the organizational stuff; flights last time were all lightweights, all middleweights, all heavyweights, whereas this time it went Girls&Bench Only, all Light and Middleweight Raw men, all heavyweight and geared men. Not sure if this actually helped to even stuff out, though it did make things a bit easier for the loaders, so w/e.
Can't remember exact kilo amounts, BUT approximate poundages:
Squat: 315, 340, 375
Bench: 180, 200, 225
Dead: 365, 400, 430 (failed)
Squat and Bench attempts should have been higher. Deads have sucked for me pretty much since I stalled out at 405 for 3x5 last summer, so whatever. The Deadlift Bar is supremely awesome and if I do put together a home gym I'm almost certainly going to get one. Circular plates are amazing and I hate the RSF for getting rid of them now. Urgh.
First squat felt heavy but wound up being almost effortless. Second one I started to lose forward but didn't have much trouble GMing up. Third I very slightly lost forward but caught pretty nicely. For some reason this resulted in me grinning for the second half of the rep and cracking up after I racked it.
Bench opener was hilariously easy. Second was as well (despite my having to pause at the start of my setup to put my straps up). Third felt a lot slower but apparently it went up pretty fast. Going to stick with thumbless CG (or MG, depending on where you define things. Pinkies on rings.).
Deadlift opener wasn't as fast as I'd've liked. I was pretty psyched up for the second attempt since I'd picked it specifically to hit 1000, and couldn't move the 3rd.
Saw some pretty ridiculous squats (mostly Chris Buffington putting up 800 as a 198) and a near-miss on a 750 deadlift from a guy who vaguely resembles Dave Tate. The "Blue Whale" from the Diablo meet was there as a bench-only and failed a ~585 bench at least twice (pretty much exactly as he did at Diablo); it'd be kinda sad, but he also bitched the judges out at least once, so I'm opting for "funny" instead.
Max Aita was there as a handler for a fairly strong (and reasonably attractive) girl in the 165s. Didn't manage to get his autograph before he left, but I'll manage it next time.
Overslept because my alarm doesn't go off on weekends
Got a speeding ticket on the way up because we were in a hurry
Got there and discovered that the weigh-ins wouldn't close for about an hour
Realized almost immediately upon arrival that I had forgotten my singlet at home
Frantically attempted to procure replacement singlet or get someone to drive mine up, wound up borrowing Saarni's for about 5 minutes until two of the heavyweights offered to let me use their XLs. Seems I fit pretty nicely into an XL, which is...silly.
They completely rearranged a lot of the organizational stuff; flights last time were all lightweights, all middleweights, all heavyweights, whereas this time it went Girls&Bench Only, all Light and Middleweight Raw men, all heavyweight and geared men. Not sure if this actually helped to even stuff out, though it did make things a bit easier for the loaders, so w/e.
Can't remember exact kilo amounts, BUT approximate poundages:
Squat: 315, 340, 375
Bench: 180, 200, 225
Dead: 365, 400, 430 (failed)
Squat and Bench attempts should have been higher. Deads have sucked for me pretty much since I stalled out at 405 for 3x5 last summer, so whatever. The Deadlift Bar is supremely awesome and if I do put together a home gym I'm almost certainly going to get one. Circular plates are amazing and I hate the RSF for getting rid of them now. Urgh.
First squat felt heavy but wound up being almost effortless. Second one I started to lose forward but didn't have much trouble GMing up. Third I very slightly lost forward but caught pretty nicely. For some reason this resulted in me grinning for the second half of the rep and cracking up after I racked it.
Bench opener was hilariously easy. Second was as well (despite my having to pause at the start of my setup to put my straps up). Third felt a lot slower but apparently it went up pretty fast. Going to stick with thumbless CG (or MG, depending on where you define things. Pinkies on rings.).
Deadlift opener wasn't as fast as I'd've liked. I was pretty psyched up for the second attempt since I'd picked it specifically to hit 1000, and couldn't move the 3rd.
Saw some pretty ridiculous squats (mostly Chris Buffington putting up 800 as a 198) and a near-miss on a 750 deadlift from a guy who vaguely resembles Dave Tate. The "Blue Whale" from the Diablo meet was there as a bench-only and failed a ~585 bench at least twice (pretty much exactly as he did at Diablo); it'd be kinda sad, but he also bitched the judges out at least once, so I'm opting for "funny" instead.
Max Aita was there as a handler for a fairly strong (and reasonably attractive) girl in the 165s. Didn't manage to get his autograph before he left, but I'll manage it next time.
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