2/28/2013

This was...educational.

Warmup - As yesterday

Squat -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135, 185, 225, 275
1x 315 (x2), 335 (x9), 345 (x2)
Spent a VERY long time trying to iron out form defects with 335. Right now my main notes are to really emphasize the technical aspects of the negative, sit more down than back, and really drive properly out of the hole. From what I can tell, all of the strength I've lost over the last 2 weeks is entirely technical and I haven't actually gotten any weaker.
Also, I'm going to try to hit 275 for 5 every day now while warming up.

Bench -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135, 165
1x 185, 195 (x2), 200 (x2), 205
200s were acceptable, 205 not as much. Really need to emphasize technique here, as with the squat. The other issue here is that my left shoulder is now complaining - it feels like there's a slight break at the AC joint. I'll get Jim to feel around that area for anything that could be causing it and go see Roghair if the problem persists

Deadlift -
5x 135 (x5), 185 (x3), 225
1x 280 (x13)
Not sure that the 135 sets are doing me a whole lot of good; the weight's so light that the bar just swings out when it hits my knees, and I don't really get any additional warmth from doing it. Frustrating.
All mixed and few fast.

Lat Pulldowns:
65lbs for 5, 5, 5, 4
Giving up once the lat activation dies.

Diesel #3 for 12/12/8/15s

2/27/2013

It was ridiculously hard to get myself into the gym today - we're talking near-suicidal levels of self-loathing and other such bullshit. That sort of bullshit is why - even at times like this when I'm stable again - I really dislike being me.

Warmup - Skipped the rolling this time. Didn't see any change in performance, so I'll probably nix it unless a major issue comes up. Might do it at lunch in future.

Squat -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135, 185, 225
3x 275, 315, 295, 295
Need to start getting video again. My quads were the weak link on the 295s.
The only difference between today and yesterday is that today is the day after yesterday and last night I had a pint of gelato after I trained. I am currently eating a pint of gelato. More news on this story as it develops.

Bench -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135
Annoying sensations in the origin of my left biceps tendon. Not sure if this is a technical issue or my shoulders dying.

2-Board -
3x 165, 185
1x 205, 215, 225, 230
Probably should have tripled 205, skipped 215 and 230, and just done 3 singles at 225.
My right forearm is acting up a bit.

Deadlift -
5x 135 (x5), 185 (x3), 225
1x 275 (x11)
Mixed after the first single. These were slower than I'd've liked.

GHR -
5, 5, 3
Noticed that pushing my hips through is putting me in posterior pelvic tilt. I'm not sure if this is a good thing.
Maybe I should email Cressey or something.

2 runs of Diesel #2 with 7.5lbs and a mini band. Need to get a micro for the external rotations.

2/26/2013

Some aspect of my programming is interfering with my squat, and I'm not sure what it is. Fortunately, I consider this a continuous experiment (which I expect will conclude/stabilize some time late in the summer) in what works best for me progress-wise, and am not quite as concerned about progressing as I used to. It's funny how much my attitude has changed since I started doing this.

Warmup

Squat -

5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135, 185, 225

3x 275

1x 315 (x5)

I'm trying to identify what's changed since the 355 stuff.

The total number of squat sets over 90% has been consistent at 5, so unless benching heavy taxes my overall recovery capacity, the 5 singles thing is probably fine.

My old front squat days were always for 3 triples (and the one time I did 4 was a mistake, according to my log).

I was doing 3x10 GHRs so it's probably not that, though I'm probably going to drop to 3x5 for now and start working on REALLY getting them working.

Stuff that's changed:

1) I took time off

2) I started benching every day

3) I started deadlifting every day

I'm guessing those are in reverse order as far as likelihood goes. For #3 the weight may also be a factor, but again, all should become clear in the long run (especially after the meet - I have no idea what my numbers are actually going to look like).

Bench -

5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135

3x 155

1x 175, 185, 195, 200, 205 (x2)

The first 205 was pretty rushed (racing to get finished before Costas set up to pull on the other end of the cage). The 2nd was a lot like my recent 355 squats - constant minor form deviations that I fixed almost immediately. It's good enough that I'm going to keep going for it; I'm thinking 165-185-205 in future.

Deadlift -

3x 135, 185, 225

1x 280 (x9)

Going to start doing the Wild Iron warmup for these as well - 5x5x135, 3x5x185, 1x5x225. Let's see how THAT damages my squat.

Pulldowns -

65x 5 (x5)

Can't strap up for these - it kills the lat recruitment because I can't bend the bar in.

In exchange, I'm switching to 5s. My grip can't take 10s and I usually lose the activation by the end of each set either way, so at least this way I can focus on it properly.

DB Protraction - 3x15x10lb

DB Retraction - 3x15x10lb

Sleeper Stretch - 3x15s

I'm also going to try switching GHRs to 5s as well, though probably sticking with 3 sets there.

2/25/2013

This was a good day, albeit kinda long because spent a lot of time talking to Jon Lim about form (and how vacuous the notion of "good form" often is).

Warmup

Front Squat -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135, 185
3x 227.5 (x5)
Very pleased with this. I'm intentionally taking my back squat stance with these now. Also putting my ring finger on the rings.
I think I pulled my left rhomboid, but that should get better over time.

Bench -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135

1-Board -
3x 167.5, 180 (x3), 185 (x2)
Got a handle on 185 this time. I think the difference is primarily in my setup - I'm getting a better arch now. Part of the help is setting my traps on the bench a bit lower and then using my legs to drive them higher and get my butt down.

Deadlift -
3x 135, 185, 225
1x 275 (x7)
Getting better at remembering to mix thoracic flexion at the bottom with lat activation during the pull.

GHR -
10, 8, 5
REALLY trying to drive my hips through.

Then couch stretch for 1 minute per position and hamstrings for a bit. It no longer seems necessary to hold couch for 2 straight minutes, though I should probably do it anyway.

Forgot to do curls.

2/22/2013 - Belated update

Had a hilarious evening after this, but it did distract me from actually writing anything.

Front Squat -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135, 185
3x 225, 225, 225

Bench -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135

1-Board -
3x 155, 175
2x 185
3x 185
2x 185 (3F)
Lesson learned.
...or was this 195? I don't remember.

Deadlift -
3x 135, 185, 225
1x 275 (x3)
Last rep was mixed grip.

2/23/2013

Getting real tired of Eric getting confrontational whenever I correct him on technical points.

Warmup

Squat -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135, 185, 225
3x 275
1x 315
Tired. Taking tomorrow off. Will probably try to just put on the 6/week thing until the meet and then experiment more afterwards.

Bench -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135
3x 155
1x 175, 185, 195, 205
Yay, PR.

Deadlift -
3x 135, 185, 225
1x 275 (x5)
Feeling a bit better.

Pulldowns -
10x 65, 65, 65

2/21/2013

I think we'll call this one "slow, deep, and hard." On an unrelated note, Type O Negative aren't very good.

Warmup - As usual

Bench -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x5), 135
3x 155
1x 175, 185, 185, 185
Last 185 was good, but in a "that's the end" sort of way. Decided to bench first because I got in at about 4:30 and wouldn't have been able to use a worthwhile bench otherwise.
Really need to focus on technical development here. The warmups are helping a bit here but there are a lot of subtleties that come up at higher loads and - unlike with the squat - I don't have particularly good body awareness here. I think I have a similar issue with upper back placement on the deadlift so I suspect that I just never cared enough about my upper half to develop it.

Squat -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135, 185, 225
3x 275
1x 315, 315, 320, 325
Working on reclaiming my form. 325 was terrible - hit the rack on the way out and reset without stepping back, but already ruined. 315#2 and 320 were both good - remembering not to sit back as much.

Deadlift -
3x 135, 185, 225
1x 275 (x15)
Oh jesus.
My upper back and grip were both shot from yesterday, so warming up for this was just ridiculously unpleasant. When I got into the actual sets it was ok, but I suspect that squatting and deadlifting back to back wasn't the best idea I've ever had.

GHR -
10, 10, 5
Still need to focus on technical aspects here. The trick (as I've probably already mentioned) is to drive your hips through after each rep and then try to hold that for the entire movement. Doing this with a pause between eccentric and concentric is also probably important.
I love how even with the easiest version of this I can make things impossibly hard.

Skipped prehab because I did the one that's now set for today yesterday. Resumes on Saturday. Also skipped stretching because I'm in a bit of a rush.

Fuckarounditis. I have it.

Although it's all with secondary stuff so I'm not too concerned.

So, Lunches:
3x Strict push-ups, strict pistols (stick with left for a while), strict chins
3x10 Plank, Bird-Dog, Stomach Vacuum
1min/pos couch stretch, hamstring stretch, "leaning" calf stretch

Mains:

Monday - Front squat to 1-3 heavy triples, 1-board to 1-3 heavy triples, Deadlift 9x1 @ 75%, pulldowns, curls

Tuesday - Back squat to 3-5 heavy singles, bench to 3-5 heavy singles, Deadlift 11x1 @ 75%, GHR, rehab

Wednesday - Back squat to 1-3 heavy triples*, 2-board to 3-5 heavy singles**, Deadlift 13x1 @ 75%, pulldowns, rehab

Thursday - Back squat to 3-5 heavy singles, bench to 3-5 heavy singles, Deadlift 15x1 @ 75%, GHR, rehab

Friday - Front squat to 1-3 heavy triples, 1-board to 1-3 heavy triples, Deadlift 3x1 @ 75%

Saturday - Back squat to 3-5 heavy singles, bench to 3-5 heavy singles, Deadlift 5x1 @ 75%, pulldowns, rehab

Sunday - Back squat to 3-5 heavy singles, bench to 3-5 moderate singles***, Deadlift 7x1 @ 75%, GHR, rehab

*This may turn into front or back squat to triples; I'm not sure.
**This may turn into triples.
***I'm not entirely sure how to treat this.

The changes in layout are basically to emphasize keeping things down on Friday (less to recover from so drinking isn't an issue) and Saturday (above plus reducing total workload to compensate for any hangover). Saturday and Sunday might get switched here (with Squat going down to moderate singles as well), though GHR doesn't belong on a day after I'll have been drinking.

2/20/2013

Still recovering. I'm not sure if I'll continue taking squat triples on Wednesdays. I have, however, decided to go with 1-board triples on Monday and Friday to help hit my weak points and 2-board singles on Wednesday to get used to heavier weights and build up lockout.

Warmup - Usual, though I'm reducing the reps on unilateral bridges and adding some bilateral at the end

Squat -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135, 185, 225
3x 275
1x 315, 315, 315, 315
Still feeling fairly shitty.

Bench -
5x 45 (x5), 95 (x3), 135

2-Board -
3x 155, 175, 195
1x 215, 225
Shoulder's a bit of a limiter here. Definitely not doing 225 again for a bit.

Deadlift -
3x 135, 185, 225
1x 275 (x11)
Approaching these using the daily practice thing - 75% for singles increasing over the week (3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13; 15) with 1-2 minutes between (going with 1 minute), then add 5lbs each week and retest every month. In this case the retest will be at the meet.
I need to stop holding these at the end of the last rep (unless my grip seems fine tomorrow, in which case I'll keep doing it).

Pulldowns -
10, 7, 4 - 65lbs
Strapped in for the latter two sets. I've decided to stop going after I can no longer feel the lat recruitment.

Pull-Up Retraction 3x10, BB Overhead Shrug 3x10, Push-Up Plus 3x8, Sleeper Stretch 3x15s

Couch Stretch 2 min per position

Some Thoughts from Broz

I disagree with some of the stuff Broz seems to have going on, but in general I figure that since he's the person who introduced this to the U.S. (at least for the recent wave) it's worth noting his advice.

I'll revisit this in more depth when I have more time to find and digest his stuff, but -
1) Has the lifters do backoff sets somewhat down (10-20kg) for doubles after max singles. Suggests 5x2.

1b)Also emphasizes 1RM squats continuously, which I may take to heart. Haven't decided, since the triples day has generally worked out. Not sure. His opinion on the doubles is that that's what drives you up, so this may be worth looking with more thought if I stall out for an extended period.

2) VERY specifically cautions against trying to max out after a day off. I should note this one (and probably just stop taking days off even after drinking).

3) For 2/day sessions, he recommends squatting in the morning and front squatting in the evening. For his Oly guys the Snatch and C&J come first in the evening; obviously that changes for powerlifting. I'll probably either ask him on this or experiment (mostly emphasizing the latter - that'll happen regardless, so I may as well just use it exclusively, honestly).

4) Don't reduce frequency - like, ever. Even going into a competition, continue to go in, just slash the volume and intensity progressively (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=122395951&p=462087941&viewfull=1#post462087941).

5) Suggests benching only 3x/week, albeit primarily for shoulder health reasons (which can be addressed).

6) Don't just jump into the volume. I guess it worked out for me (probably because I had my triples days and cut myself off at technical rather than absolute maxes)

7) From his stories it seems as though his guys tire out very, very hard during sessions, so it's possible that his approach takes things harder than I'd consider optimal. I can experiment with this more once the pressure's off from other things.

8) Tentatively suggests pulling a max dead 1-2x/month (start at 1 and progress to 2) with daily pull training. This is fairly in line with the deadlift approach I mentioned earlier.

9) On the 2/day note he's up on the idea of benching both times but stopping around 80% in the AM and then pushing for the new PR in the PM (still 3x/week).

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/search.php?searchid=277546113&pp=
^ All of his posts on bodybuilding.com. Obviously there's a hell of a lot more out there.

2/14/2013

Tested my Deadlift max. Thoughts ensue.

Warmup

Deadlift -
3x 135, 185, 225
1x 275, 315, 365
0x 385
The fact that my deadlift max is testing lower than my absolute squat max suggests some issues.

My major hypotheses for today specifically:
1) It's been all of two days since I last squatted maximally so this was a dumb idea to begin with
2) I barely warmed up. I'm not sure where this falls on the mistake scale.
3) I've had fairly shitty sleep this week.
4) Not much carbohydrate in diet recently. This probably didn't do much.
5) My chalk's been ground up shittily fine and probably did more harm than good.

More generally (from a programming perspective):

1) It's possible that only pulling twice per week is generating problems.
2) Since the bar didn't leave the floor, I'm probably lacking in ability to get tight.
3) On the same note, possible issues with quad, grip, and low back strength. That's probably in reverse order, but either way I'm probably going to front squat more.
4) Possible I'm just completely unused to building up/maintaining tension in general
5) I already know my upper back's weak (shitty chins and front squats right now)

General thoughts for programming in the interim:
1) Glute-hams and pulldowns every day may not work. I'll try it either way, but alternating them (probably glute-hams on front squat days and pulldowns on back squat days) may be a better approach.
2) Longer-term, thinking harder on deadlifting more.

2/13/13

Taking it easier today to facilitate deadlift testing tomorrow.

Incidentally, I'll be testing my max deadlift tomorrow.

Warmup - Added in a hold of the bilateral bridge after doing both sides unilateral.

Squat -
5x 45, 45, 45, 45, 45, 95, 95, 95, 135, 185, 225
3x 275
This actually felt pretty shitty.

Band Pressdown -
20, 10, 10
I was originally planning to do board press here (and may continue to do so) but Eric came early and Garett's coming in tomorrow so I decided not to.
Incidentally, I'm verging on done bothering with Eric at this point. I'm running out of patience for people who aren't communicative, ignore and/or actively fight my advice, and randomly impose on me with no warning. I know various people who fill individual slots in that but he's the only one who pushes all three.

Pull-Up Retraction (pain-free!)
BB Overhead Shrug (bar only)
Pushup Plus (10, 8, 8)
Posterior Capsule Stretch (mildly worried about how fast I've gained on this one)

2/12/2013

Today was a good day.

Lunch:
Pushup/Pistol/Chin - 20/10/1, 15/4/1, 10/5/1
Birddog/Plank/Vacuum - 10/10/1 didn't eat breakfast today and it hurt so I went and got lunch

Evening:

Warmup

Squat -
5x 45, 45, 45, 45, 45, 95, 95, 95, 135, 185, 225
3x 275
1x 315, 330, 345, 355, 355
Today's 355s were technically satisfying. This is my new goal weight for each day. I guess 345 is my daily minimum, but at this point I've found that I can almost always hit my goal weight, so that's basically a daily minimum in itself. I think I'm developing a better intuition for this.

Bench -
5x 45, 45, 45, 45, 45, 95, 95, 95, 135
3x 155
1x 175, 175, 195, 190
First 175 had a shitty handoff (or something - I know I got a shitty handoff at some point). Right side was giving out a bit at 195 so I took it down. I think this was a tricep issue but I'm not sure.

Pulldowns -
10x 65, 65, 65
Probably going to remove the chins from lunch and figure out something else to put there.

GHR -
10x Straight, Straight, Straight
Really focusing on driving my hips through and keeping them there. Looks like I'm not advancing for a bit - the last set got fairly bad.
Fortunately, REALLY driving my hips through and keeping my core braced seems to remove any need for me to keep my chin tucked, so I'm no longer in cervical hyperflexion while doing this.

Cuban Rotation/Band External Rotation/Band Pullapart/Band "Press" - 7.5s/Red/Red/Red
Removing the dislocates from this, probably - going to ask Han tomorrow.

2/11/2013

Front Squat -
5x 45, 45, 45, 45, 45, 95, 95, 95, 135, 185
3x 230, 230, 230
Took my stance out after some of the stancey things yesterday. It's alarming how hard of a time I have hitting any kind of real depth on front squats now.
Videos exist and will be uploaded at some point, as with all the others.

Band Pressdowns -
20, 15, 10

Deads -
3x 135, 185, 225
1x 275 (x10)
Mixed after the 5th.

Neglected to do rehab and stretch.

2/10/2013

No midday stuff today. A lot of things got thrown off for me this weekend and I don't think I'm letting that happen again (i.e. in future, drinks will be had sooner in the day and training will probably happen earlier to compensate).

Warmup - As usual. Working on keeping my hips more level during the bridges.

Squat -
5x 45, 45, 45, 45, 45, 95, 95, 95, 135, 185, 225
3x 275
1x 315, 335, 335, 355
Videos upcoming (for a lot of posts).
Took my stance in some more; I think I'm going to reverse that decision. It made 275 and 315 drastically easier but broke down somewhat at 335. I think I'll start taking my front squat stance out a bit, actually.
(Depending on money, I may also grab a Top Squat and use that on Wednesdays, or something)
For 355, I started to fall forward and fixed it (getting a heavy sensation in my hamstrings, which tells me that I need to do fucktons more glute-hams - just going to do them every day that I'm not doing deads now). Unfortunately, I basically turned off my hips in the process of doing so and wound up with a REALLY weird lockout. The rep itself was probably slower than it needed to be as a result of this, but at least I demonstrated I can get (and then comically exceed) good position under 355 now.

Bench -
5x 45, 45, 45, 45, 45, 95, 95, 95, 135
1x 165, 185, 185, 195, 205
So yeah, I can do this now.
Lighter weights are a lot easier, heavier ones not as much. 185 still felt better than it probably did when I stopped going heavy, though.
Trying the holding thing on this as well. I'm not sure how much it's helping.
Need to work on keeping my lats involved. At heavier weights I tend to panic and stop trying to pull the bar apart.

Lat Activation Pulldown -
10x 65, 65, 65
My grip gets tired on these so fucking fast.

GHR -
Straightx 10, 10, 10
Getting very good at these. If Tuesday goes as well I'll switch to Vampire.

EQI Pushup - 3x15s
Prone T - 3x15 with 5lb plates
Plate Halo - 3x15 each way with 25lb plate

Then couch stretch and hamstring stretches, 2min per position.

My left calf no longer responds to stretching, though it's also generally a lot better on glute-hams now.

This totaled around 2.5 hours, which is probably a bad thing. Should ideally be able to get the whole thing done in 2.

2/9/2013

Warmup - Usual

Front Squat -
5x 45, 45, 45, 45, 45, 95, 95, 95, 135, 185
3x 227.5, 227.5, 227.5, 227.5
Worked fairly well

Band Pressdowns:
3xLight
Didn't keep track

Lat Activation Pulldowns:
3x10

I'm no longer considering Eric's training invites my direct responsibility. If they ask for my help they'll get it, but at this point it's distracting from my training and I'm not willing to deal with it. I was not consulted on these invitations and am no longer interested in letting them detract from my own work.

2/7/2013

Lunch - 22/6/1, 13/6/1, 10/6/1; 10/10/1, 10/10/1, 10/10/1

Evening:

Warmup - As usual. Working on keeping my hips level during the bridges.

Squat -
5x 45, 45, 45, 45, 45, 95, 95, 95, 135, 185, 225
3x 275
1x 315, 315, 335, 345, 355
Thigh pain is coming back. Working on it.
Keeping up a rapid clip with the squat warmup is a pain in the ass, mostly because it drains the fuck out of my forearms.
I hit the rack on the way out with 355, and wound up taking a closer stance than usual. I suspect I'd've been satisfied with it if that hadn't happened, but it did, so fuck. Limiting to 345 for now.
Future plan is 315, 330, 345. Possibly 2 attempts at 315.

Bench -
5x 45, 45, 45, 45, 45, 95, 95, 95, 140
Adding 5lbs each time or something. I don't know.
I may just switch back to singles and see how it goes - I'll probably start tapering around 2 weeks out (March 10th) so I've got almost exactly 4 weeks to prep. Thinking my bench should be a focus here.

Lat Activation Pulldown -
10x 65, 65, 65
5x 65
10x 65
I may need to use straps here.
I'm gradually getting the hang of these.

2/6/2013

Lunch - 20/14/10 Pushups, 7/6/5 Pistols (better technique), 3/2/1 Chins; 10, 10, 10 BD, 10, 10, 10 Plank, 2/1/1 Chins

Spent a lot of time in the evening coaching our new guy, Jon. This man has potential (I say, as someone with no qualifications from which to judge such things).

Warmup - Usual

Squat -
5x 45, 45, 45, 45, 45, 95, 95, 95, 135, 185, 225
3x 275, 295, 315, 295
Working on the holding thing.
Rests got fucked up by coaching. Will not happen in future.

Band Pressdowns -
Light - 18, 14, 10

Deadlift -
3x 135, 185, 225
1x 275 (x10)
Grip gave out after 5th. Note to self - left hand pronated in competition.

Chins -
2, 2, 1

Skipped rehab for time.

2/5/2013

Added in the morning walk and stretching session (mild), a pre-lunch work capacity and stretching session (medium), and post-workout stretching (which I haven't done yet).

Lunch -
Pushups - 20, 14, 10
Pistols - 10, 7, 6
Chins - 2, 2, 2
Birddogs - 5ea, 10ea, 10ea (may nix these from this rotation and alternate with the planks)
Planks - 3x10br
Chins - 2, 1, 1

Evening -

Warmup - Shoulders 3x5s, Unilateral Glute Bridge 10x5s per

Squat -
5x 45, 45, 45, 45, 45, 95, 95, 95, 135, 185, 225
3x 275
1x 315, 315, 325, 335
Did the Wild Iron Warmup. It kicked my ass. Incidentally, I intend to keep doing it.
Also held all of the singles for 5 seconds. I'll probably start doing this for the final warmup as well.
All sets were very slow but very technically good. I need to start getting video again to ensure the correctness of that statement.
Stuck to my <=3 min rest thing.

Bench -
5x 45, 45, 45, 45, 45, 95, 95, 95, 135
Back/shoulder went a bit weird on the 95s, and since I couldn't fix it I just stuck with 135. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with how I have to unrack the bar.
Rests sub-3min. This works and I shall keep doing it.

Chins -
2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
Minimal rest.

Lat Activation Pulldowns -
10x 65, 65, 65, 65
Working on really emphasizing lat recruitment and strengthening here.
Hopefully doing these concurrently with lots of chins will work out fairly well.
http://www.t-nation.com/testosterone-magazine-626#pull-up-strength

Diesel stuff - I may need to rotate the days on this so I can do this one at PT. I don't have any bands light enough for Day 2.

2/4/2013

Warmup - 3x5s Shoulder Warmup, 10x5s single leg bridge (per side)

Front Squat -
5x 45, 95, 135, 185
3x 225, 225, 225, 225
Probably shouldn't have gone for the 4th set. Also should have been filming, not sure why I didn't.
Rests 2-3 minutes, generally on the lower end.

Band Pressdown:
Light x 17, 15, 10
I did not think I'd be able to do this.
Again, rests under 3 min.

Deadlift:
1x275 (x10)
Mixed grip for 8-10. This is actually screwing me up technically; I should probably either get some baby powder or switch to mixed a lot sooner.

GHR:
10x Sides, Sides, Sides
These actually got worse for me.

Chins:
3, 2, 2, 2, 1
Got a few sets of 4 in the last few days at home.

Rehab x3:
Protraction - 10lb x 15
Retraction - 10lb x 15
Sleeper Stretch - 15s
Should add in face pulls next time.

Bacon, Corgette, Chanterelle

BCC. Or something.

Reconstitute Chanterelles in lightly-boiling water for at least 20 minutes. Dry, chop. I use about a third of a packet and 2 cups of water and go for a walk while they reconstitute.

Peel zucchini, chop into quarters lengthways, then slice medium. I use 2 small or 1 large, though it's wise to err on the side of more since these suck up the salt from the bacon.

Slice bacon 1-2 times lengthways and then chop medium-fine. I use 1/3lb.

Fry the mushrooms in ~1tbsp of butter over medium heat. After a few minutes, add the zucchini and continue frying. After a few more, add the bacon and turn the heat up. Fry for another 10 minutes, then done.

I'm currently just putting one ingredient in and then adding the next one. Ideally the bacon should be moderately crispy.

More Thoughts on Programming

I do this a lot, particularly on a program that's entirely self-driven. It's fun.

Most significantly:
1) Hold every squat single or triple for 5 seconds before and after the set.
2) Maximum rest of 3 minutes between sets. Probably should work on getting that down.
3) If a weight feels "kind of bad but still permissible," don't progress even if you can get it to feel right.
4) Squat for triples on Wednesdays. If I ever actually manage to train all 7 days I may experiment with triples on Saturdays as well, and possibly experiment with switching out Wednesday to more Front Squats.
5) Going to try experimenting with Deads on Wednesday as well.
6) Pull-ups every day.
7) During workout, dieselcrew shoulder every day.
8) At lunch or during the morning, extra "workouts" involving push-ups, planks, birddogs, and calf, hamstring, and couch stretches.
9) Dieselcrew Shoulder Rehab (MTW, FS), 3-4x12-15. Ease into it.

For triples days, we're after 3-5 sets above 90%; for Front Squats, the weight's low enough that these should probably sets across. With Back Squats, it may be high enough to warrant a buildup and then some measure of dropping down - but we're still talking about a minimum of 3. The pattern's similar with singles - if I'm back squatting relatively light that day (for whatever reason), maybe push for 5. Otherwise, probably stick with 3.

I dislike not benching and think I should probably start at least benching lightish weights (thinking alternate between 95 and 135) and at least reduce the emphasis on extensions.

This gives us a weekly layout:

MORNING:
A) Walk 20min
B) Couch Stretch 1min/position
C) Hamstring Stretch 1min/leg
D) Calf stretch 1min/leg.

LUNCH: Do chins after every set of everything (including the stretches)
A1) Push-ups 3xF
A2) Pistols 3xF (Left leg first, right leg matches)
A3) Bird-dogs 3x10/side
B) Planks 3x10 breaths
C) Couch Stretch 1min/position
D) Hamstring Stretch 1min/position
E) Calf stretch 1min/position

Monday - Front Squat 3-5x3, Pressing alt, Deadlift 10x1 @ 60%, Chins, GHR, Dieselcrew 1

Tuesday - Squat to a calm technical 1RM and then 2-4 >= 90%, bench 3x5 @ ~70%, Chins, Pulldowns, Dieselcrew 2

Wednesday - Squat to a calm technical 3RM and then 2-4 >= 90%, Pressing alt, Deadlift 10x1 @ 60%, GHR, Chins, GHR, Dieselcrew 3

Thursday - Squat to a calm technical 1RM and then 2-4 >= 90%, bench 3x5 @ ~70%, Chins, Pulldowns

Friday - Front Squat 3-5x3, Pressing alt, Deadlift 10x1 @ 60%, GHR, Chins, Dieselcrew 4

Saturday - Squat to a calm technical 1RM and then 2-4 >= 90%, bench 3x5 @ ~70%, Chins, Pulldowns, Dieselcrew 5

Sunday - Squat to a calm technical 1RM and then 2-4 >= 90%, bench 3x5 @ 70%, Chins, Pulldowns

Ultimately I'd like to refine it to Squat, Press, Pull, Chin, GHR, Prehab. I anticipate that the push-ups and pistols at lunch will reduce performance initially but rehab and conditioning is important and I need to stop being a fatass.

2/2/2013

Didn't train yesterday due to staying up for 32 hours (eventually 36) to write a personal narrative for a summer program app. I have a suspicion the result will be rather odd for the adcoms to read and do not intend to do that again.

Warmup - Shoulders 3x5s, Bridges 10x5s
Note that I'm writing both entries today and didn't think to include the Bridges note here rather than on the last one.

Front Squat -
5x 45, 95, 135, 185
3x 225, 225, 225
Nothing to report here. I think the discomfort I was getting is tightness in my teres; I'm going to start working on this more.

Floorcrusher -
5x 45
3x 65, 75, 75, 75
Going to switch these to 5s.

Pulldown -
10x 65, 65, 65, 65, 65
Closish grip with palms supinated, focusing on scapular movement. Going to start using these in earnest to get my shoulder back into shape to bench again.

GHR -
10, 10, 10
Doing these at least 3 days per week from now on.

Forgot to Deadlift.

1/31/2013

Warmup - Shoulders 3x5s, Bridges 10x5s
May switch to single-leg bridge from now on.

Squat -
5x 45, 95, 135, 185, 225
3x 275
1x 315, 335, 335, 335

Floorcrusher -
5x 35
3x 65, 70, 75
2x 80
Don't really remember this. Hate doing it with polygonal plates, though. Further comments on on 2/2 entry.

Chins:
2, 3, 1

Face Pull:
10x 10, 10, 10

Pulldown:
10x 65, 65