Music makes this a lot easier - I'm expanding my EDM playlist.
30 mins at 3-3:30 per 500m, followed by 1 minute at sub-2:00.
I'm going to try adding 5 minutes per session up to an hour and doing a 500 for time at the end (or possibly doing 2x28min+500m). Focusing heavily on technique, so I look a bit weird, but whatever.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Some Programming Thoughts
I'm going to stick with my approximate current layout until my next meet - the movements may change a bit, but the overall program won't until I know how well it's working for my dead. I've got periodic checks on my squat and bench progress, so I can manipulate those a little more freely.
Reading the JTS manuals has given me some ideas that I'm going to apply. A few notes:
1) I got bonus confirmation of Floor Press being a tricep movement and pause work being useful off the chest.
2) A lot of very strong raw deadlifters like various types of deficit pulls. Brandon Lilly in particular mentioned squat stance deficit work as a good way to improve glute and low back strength.
3) Dan Green really loves front squats
From that, I'm thinking:
1) Alternate RDLs with Squat-Stance Deficit Pulls
2) Stick with the current bench cycle, everything there looks fairly solid for now
3) Try out high bar squatting for a few cycles and see how it goes
I may have to integrate some technical deadlifting work at some point, but for the time being I want to focus entirely on just getting the lift stronger.
I don't plan to gain any weight until after the meet; my training after that will include some more aesthetic focus (shrugs and curling, mostly - my traps and biceps seem to be lagging). This may have me competing at 132, which would be interesting.
New future ideas (possibly for upcoming cycles, since I'm actively tracking squat and bench progress):
1) If CG Bench work pans out well, try sticking it between bench movements - ie. CG, 2-Board, CG, 1-Board, CG, Bench. If I only do triples this should only add one week the cycle (4 otherwise). This probably applies to whatever lift seems to work out best for my bench, though; I could see it happening with board presses, for instance. One extra week in the cycle also facilitates a 9-week submax run, which could be appealing if the squat cycle goes well.
2) Consider hitting triples exclusively for max-effort work (maybe still a single on 2-board).
3) Spend a while just doing 5x5 heavy squats or front squats on Squat Day, or possibly a period of 5x5, then 3x3-5 (reps*sets), then a peaking period with just singles. Alternating the two might work fairly well (for a 9-week cycle, go 5x5/5x5*2, 3x5/3x5*2, then take a new squat PR). This actually appeals pretty heavily.
4) In the same vein, I could do that with Bench and any suitable "builder" movement (right now I'm thinking it'll be close grip, but whatever).
5) More emphasis on overhead work might help out my bench, though I might just be saying that because Deng has ridiculously awesome delts and outpresses me.
#2 looks interesting, but I'll have to wait until the end of this squat cycle to see - I should be done with my cut by then, and if I can hit 355 I'll give it another cycle and see if it works twice. Bench-wise the same applies with 225; if it doesn't pan out, I'll either drop ME work completely and switch to the squat cycle (if that works), or try something more volume-based like #4 and just dedicate Fridays to building my Press.
Reading the JTS manuals has given me some ideas that I'm going to apply. A few notes:
1) I got bonus confirmation of Floor Press being a tricep movement and pause work being useful off the chest.
2) A lot of very strong raw deadlifters like various types of deficit pulls. Brandon Lilly in particular mentioned squat stance deficit work as a good way to improve glute and low back strength.
3) Dan Green really loves front squats
From that, I'm thinking:
1) Alternate RDLs with Squat-Stance Deficit Pulls
2) Stick with the current bench cycle, everything there looks fairly solid for now
3) Try out high bar squatting for a few cycles and see how it goes
I may have to integrate some technical deadlifting work at some point, but for the time being I want to focus entirely on just getting the lift stronger.
I don't plan to gain any weight until after the meet; my training after that will include some more aesthetic focus (shrugs and curling, mostly - my traps and biceps seem to be lagging). This may have me competing at 132, which would be interesting.
New future ideas (possibly for upcoming cycles, since I'm actively tracking squat and bench progress):
1) If CG Bench work pans out well, try sticking it between bench movements - ie. CG, 2-Board, CG, 1-Board, CG, Bench. If I only do triples this should only add one week the cycle (4 otherwise). This probably applies to whatever lift seems to work out best for my bench, though; I could see it happening with board presses, for instance. One extra week in the cycle also facilitates a 9-week submax run, which could be appealing if the squat cycle goes well.
2) Consider hitting triples exclusively for max-effort work (maybe still a single on 2-board).
3) Spend a while just doing 5x5 heavy squats or front squats on Squat Day, or possibly a period of 5x5, then 3x3-5 (reps*sets), then a peaking period with just singles. Alternating the two might work fairly well (for a 9-week cycle, go 5x5/5x5*2, 3x5/3x5*2, then take a new squat PR). This actually appeals pretty heavily.
4) In the same vein, I could do that with Bench and any suitable "builder" movement (right now I'm thinking it'll be close grip, but whatever).
5) More emphasis on overhead work might help out my bench, though I might just be saying that because Deng has ridiculously awesome delts and outpresses me.
#2 looks interesting, but I'll have to wait until the end of this squat cycle to see - I should be done with my cut by then, and if I can hit 355 I'll give it another cycle and see if it works twice. Bench-wise the same applies with 225; if it doesn't pan out, I'll either drop ME work completely and switch to the squat cycle (if that works), or try something more volume-based like #4 and just dedicate Fridays to building my Press.
2013-07-30 ME Bench
I'm making a pledge not to waste time anymore. My rest periods are more than enough time to chat, and staying late hurts the rest of my life.
Warmup - Comprehensive (sans lower body rolling)
CG Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
155x3
175x1
185x1
195x1
200x1
I would have liked 210. I'll take this, though.
Dumbbell Bench -
65x6x5
Very happy with this one, though I suspect that the twenty-minute break after my ME work made it a little easier. Might have been 7 on the last set.
Pulldown -
125x8x5
Longer rests here, but still good. I've stopped deloading the weight between reps - it keeps the tension in my lats and lets me get more per set.
Rear Delt Fly -
15x15x5
ADB Curl -
20x10
EZ Curl -
25x20x4
On Costis' advice. I used the heavier EZ Bar; he actually recommended the light one, so I may switch to that.
Since I'm cutting right now I'll focus on strength and go for something more in the 8-rep range.
Monday, July 29, 2013
2013-07-29 Diet and Erg
Switched fully to the IF as discussed in the last post. Today I'm doing two scoops in 400mL every hour to get the protein in.
Erged for half an hour (10-5-5-5-5). I'll take my headphones next time; it's supposed to be a pretty relaxed workout, so I'm focused mostly on technique and trying not to stop. This may do some good things for my mid back, actually - I'm certainly feeling it there.
Erged for half an hour (10-5-5-5-5). I'll take my headphones next time; it's supposed to be a pretty relaxed workout, so I'm focused mostly on technique and trying not to stop. This may do some good things for my mid back, actually - I'm certainly feeling it there.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Diet Update - Hammering Out Details
Since I'm almost out of protein powder, and (as far as we know) Yohimbine only works on an empty stomach, I'm switching back to straight IF for the remainder of this cut. I'll compress the protein shakes to the end of the day until I run out.
I'm skipping the ECA stack because of some recent Alan Aragon reading - looks like for someone with properly-set macros, it'll probably amount to maybe an extra quarter-pound per week. Yohimbine doesn't play nice with ephedrine and adds something I can't get from diet alone, so that stays in and ephedrine stays at the door.
I'll be training in the evenings, so I'm looking at a slightly lighter yohimbine dose on waking and then boosters throughout the day. I originally thought 10g on waking and then 7.5 every 3 hours after that, but now I'm looking at 10 on waking and 2.5 every hour. If I'm waking up at 8:30 and eating around 7 (training at 8), that's 35mg per day (just over twice the bolus dose for someone my size) - I figure I can safely start there and bring it up as I get used to it.
I'm also going to start adding in more cardio - once I'm fasting, I'll be cooking actual meals in the evenings and can start buying groceries in advance. I'll start out just walking to Andronicos/Safeway in the mornings, but once I have a bike I'll try hitting Berkeley Bowl (should be an easy ride - at regular pace it'll actually be faster than the walks). I want to keep this very low-intensity, since (as Aragon constantly points out) fasted cardio has negative effects on lean mass.
I'm going to refine the carb refeeds somewhat based on Lyle McDonald's work - some notes on that:
1) The liver stores about 100g glycogen; muscles store roughly 10g/kg or 4.5g/lb. For me that pegs things around 650g total (assuming slightly sub-10% bodyfat and 160lbs). Due to the liver limitations, (0.5*Sucrose + 1*Fructose) should (ideally) stay under 100g.
2) Synthesis goes fastest following training and tapers off from there. The first meal should come as soon as possible.
3) Outside of the training "window," timing/distribution doesn't seem to matter. The best layout will probably involve a higher-fat and higher-fiber meal shortly before bed to slow release.
4) High-GI carbs do seem to work better overall.
5) A pre-training meal with moderate carbs should improve synthesis by increasing circulating insulin levels.
6) Fat gain stays negligible as long as fat intake stays low (Lyle quotes 88g from a paper and recommends 60-70g for someone 140-160lbs).
Lyle's recommended macro breakdown falls at 70/15/15 C/P/F by lean body mass, which seems pretty reasonable. Right now that's 720/153/68 in the first 24 hours; dropping carbs to 500 doesn't offer much of a change, but it's nice to know I've got a fairly serious buffer.
Based on that, my refeed plan is to wake up, take a full 15g of yohimbine, and have a lowish-fat, moderate-carb, high-protein breakfast about two hours later. An hour or so after that, train and immediately follow with a high-carb, lowish-fat, high-protein meal (min. 100g carbs), followed by at least 3-4 similar meals throughout the rest of the day. I'll be avoiding fruit here - this should help to keep fructose content down, and fruit itself is very filling and gets in the way of other foods that I should be consuming in greater bulk. I can handle the fruit side on other days. The same applies to salad, and for similar reasons. I want this to be satisfying, not unpleasant (which is what the current one's shaping up to be, thanks almost entirely to overdoing fruit and leafy vege).
For starches I'm looking mostly at potatoes (and other roots) and rice, though I'll still allow wheat.
The fat refeed won't involve any shakes - there will be fiber, but for the most part it'll just be two unlimited meals of fatty meat on the bone with some leaves to aid with digestion. This one's very nice and very simple.
Regular days will be a bit more limited. For the upcoming week, I'll just concentrate the shakes into less water and consume more quickly. On lifting days that'll probably just be one scoop at a time; I don't need to worry about frequency so much as just making sure I take in at least six scoops (some of which can go with the meat meal). For nonlifting days, it's at least 9 scoops, which might take some more work to imbibe but shouldn't be a huge problem.
---
Once I run out of powder, this switches over 100% to cooked meals. The macros here don't change much - on erg days it's at least 150g protein worth of lean meat with some allowance for fat and very low carbs, plus a small amount of fruit post-workout for liver health (probably berries - again, small). For lifting days, it's the same, just frontloaded so I'm full when I head to the gym. They'll have a higher fat allowance, but the goal's still 150g+ protein spread across two meals totaling around 1500kcal; chicken thighs actually won't be good for this. These days will include greens to keep things going.
I'll hammer out more specifics later, but I'm still getting over crippling abdominal pain from eating too many plants so that'll probably have to wait until next time I'm at Costco.
EDIT: I'm also going to resume contrast showering and stop turning on the heating system - cold exposure activates non-shivering thermogenesis and thereby increases fat utilization. The morning walks should help with this, though that's not happening tomorrow because tonight I'm going to be up until six.
I'm skipping the ECA stack because of some recent Alan Aragon reading - looks like for someone with properly-set macros, it'll probably amount to maybe an extra quarter-pound per week. Yohimbine doesn't play nice with ephedrine and adds something I can't get from diet alone, so that stays in and ephedrine stays at the door.
I'll be training in the evenings, so I'm looking at a slightly lighter yohimbine dose on waking and then boosters throughout the day. I originally thought 10g on waking and then 7.5 every 3 hours after that, but now I'm looking at 10 on waking and 2.5 every hour. If I'm waking up at 8:30 and eating around 7 (training at 8), that's 35mg per day (just over twice the bolus dose for someone my size) - I figure I can safely start there and bring it up as I get used to it.
I'm also going to start adding in more cardio - once I'm fasting, I'll be cooking actual meals in the evenings and can start buying groceries in advance. I'll start out just walking to Andronicos/Safeway in the mornings, but once I have a bike I'll try hitting Berkeley Bowl (should be an easy ride - at regular pace it'll actually be faster than the walks). I want to keep this very low-intensity, since (as Aragon constantly points out) fasted cardio has negative effects on lean mass.
I'm going to refine the carb refeeds somewhat based on Lyle McDonald's work - some notes on that:
1) The liver stores about 100g glycogen; muscles store roughly 10g/kg or 4.5g/lb. For me that pegs things around 650g total (assuming slightly sub-10% bodyfat and 160lbs). Due to the liver limitations, (0.5*Sucrose + 1*Fructose) should (ideally) stay under 100g.
2) Synthesis goes fastest following training and tapers off from there. The first meal should come as soon as possible.
3) Outside of the training "window," timing/distribution doesn't seem to matter. The best layout will probably involve a higher-fat and higher-fiber meal shortly before bed to slow release.
4) High-GI carbs do seem to work better overall.
5) A pre-training meal with moderate carbs should improve synthesis by increasing circulating insulin levels.
6) Fat gain stays negligible as long as fat intake stays low (Lyle quotes 88g from a paper and recommends 60-70g for someone 140-160lbs).
Lyle's recommended macro breakdown falls at 70/15/15 C/P/F by lean body mass, which seems pretty reasonable. Right now that's 720/153/68 in the first 24 hours; dropping carbs to 500 doesn't offer much of a change, but it's nice to know I've got a fairly serious buffer.
Based on that, my refeed plan is to wake up, take a full 15g of yohimbine, and have a lowish-fat, moderate-carb, high-protein breakfast about two hours later. An hour or so after that, train and immediately follow with a high-carb, lowish-fat, high-protein meal (min. 100g carbs), followed by at least 3-4 similar meals throughout the rest of the day. I'll be avoiding fruit here - this should help to keep fructose content down, and fruit itself is very filling and gets in the way of other foods that I should be consuming in greater bulk. I can handle the fruit side on other days. The same applies to salad, and for similar reasons. I want this to be satisfying, not unpleasant (which is what the current one's shaping up to be, thanks almost entirely to overdoing fruit and leafy vege).
For starches I'm looking mostly at potatoes (and other roots) and rice, though I'll still allow wheat.
The fat refeed won't involve any shakes - there will be fiber, but for the most part it'll just be two unlimited meals of fatty meat on the bone with some leaves to aid with digestion. This one's very nice and very simple.
Regular days will be a bit more limited. For the upcoming week, I'll just concentrate the shakes into less water and consume more quickly. On lifting days that'll probably just be one scoop at a time; I don't need to worry about frequency so much as just making sure I take in at least six scoops (some of which can go with the meat meal). For nonlifting days, it's at least 9 scoops, which might take some more work to imbibe but shouldn't be a huge problem.
---
Once I run out of powder, this switches over 100% to cooked meals. The macros here don't change much - on erg days it's at least 150g protein worth of lean meat with some allowance for fat and very low carbs, plus a small amount of fruit post-workout for liver health (probably berries - again, small). For lifting days, it's the same, just frontloaded so I'm full when I head to the gym. They'll have a higher fat allowance, but the goal's still 150g+ protein spread across two meals totaling around 1500kcal; chicken thighs actually won't be good for this. These days will include greens to keep things going.
I'll hammer out more specifics later, but I'm still getting over crippling abdominal pain from eating too many plants so that'll probably have to wait until next time I'm at Costco.
EDIT: I'm also going to resume contrast showering and stop turning on the heating system - cold exposure activates non-shivering thermogenesis and thereby increases fat utilization. The morning walks should help with this, though that's not happening tomorrow because tonight I'm going to be up until six.
2013-07-28 Deadlift
I need to talk less, and not install a dishwasher next Saturday.
Warmup - All but the glute bridges
Deadlift -
135x10
185x10
225x10
275x5 (hook, 4.375")
335x6+3 (straps, 4.375")
335x1 to rerack (hook, 4.375")
I blamed the straps at first, but then noticed my grip sucking on everything else and remembered what I did for most of yesterday.
Next week should be better.
DB Row -
35x10x5
Playing with technique - shoulder blade flares if I emphasize the mid-back, stays flat if I focus on lat recruitment - worth remembering for bench days. I'd like to see if I can keep it flat on the mid-back emphasis, though. Right side is getting stronger.
RDL -
225x10, 8, 9, 8, 7
First two were hook, last three were strapped. I wonder what would happen if I mixed the two.
Still focusing on technique for these - organized spine, screw feet into the floor, keep lats engaged, hips back/knees constant, engage glutes. Happy to be at 225, though.
Rollout -
10x5
Lots of iffier reps and partials here, but I'll settle as long as I keep improving.
Band BTN Pulldown - 12x2xMini
Band Pullapart - 12x2xMini
Band External Rotation - 12x2xMicro
Some chance I'll need to switch to the light over the mini for the first two, actually.
Warmup - All but the glute bridges
Deadlift -
135x10
185x10
225x10
275x5 (hook, 4.375")
335x6+3 (straps, 4.375")
335x1 to rerack (hook, 4.375")
I blamed the straps at first, but then noticed my grip sucking on everything else and remembered what I did for most of yesterday.
Next week should be better.
DB Row -
35x10x5
Playing with technique - shoulder blade flares if I emphasize the mid-back, stays flat if I focus on lat recruitment - worth remembering for bench days. I'd like to see if I can keep it flat on the mid-back emphasis, though. Right side is getting stronger.
RDL -
225x10, 8, 9, 8, 7
First two were hook, last three were strapped. I wonder what would happen if I mixed the two.
Still focusing on technique for these - organized spine, screw feet into the floor, keep lats engaged, hips back/knees constant, engage glutes. Happy to be at 225, though.
Rollout -
10x5
Lots of iffier reps and partials here, but I'll settle as long as I keep improving.
Band BTN Pulldown - 12x2xMini
Band Pullapart - 12x2xMini
Band External Rotation - 12x2xMicro
Some chance I'll need to switch to the light over the mini for the first two, actually.
Burgers (Planning)
I'll be doing another burger night soon, so I'm working up the basic ideas for methods and ingredients. Here's what I've got so far:
1) Keep the meat in the fridge, and freeze the grinder before use.
2) Hand-mincing may actually work better than grinding.
3) The optimal mix probably involves some combination of sirloin, short rib, brisket, and oxtail. Possibly include some suet if I have any lying around.
3b) Sirloin wants to be at least 30% for texture. I'll probably start with 3:2:2:2 and go from there. Short rib's texture can help out the sirloin so I can probably up the brisket without much worry.
3c) Emphasize quality and pick out stuff that's nicely marbled. Apparently grass-fed actually might beat out grain here, but at the prices they charge that's not happening on a $5 cover.
3d) Brisket needs to be ground/chopped very fine. Short rib (and any other chuck bits) maybe not as much, unsure about oxtail and sirloin.
3e) Heston likes to salt some of the meat in advance of grinding it so it binds things better. I'll experiment with this (especially with some ground chuck eye). I'll try an hour in advance first and look into 6 depending on how it compares.
4) Handle the meat as little as possible. I plan to spread it onto plates and use a metal spatula to section off and weigh the portions, then put them on foil and shape them from the side instead of hand-forming full patties. I'll be doing a test run of this first, though.
5) Start with 6oz portions and go from there. This means I'll need to dimple the middle of each patty and make them all a bit wider than the buns
5b) OR try to reconcile the handling thing with balling them up and smashing them onto the griddle with a heavy spatula, since this maximizes the browning area.
5c) Also note that you can get away with coarser/less even work with thicker patties, since they're going to be heavier anyway.
6) Experiment with some bun recipes. I'll start with this one:
The Spotted Pig's Hamburger Buns | Serious Eats : Recipes
7) Experiment with herbs, caramelized onion extract, and tomato concentrate, but try to integrate these into the grinding process to minimize handling. Kenji likes anchovies, marmite, and dashi to boost the umami, so I might as well try with those. Mushrooms (perhaps oven-roasted) may also work here to boost the umami.
8) Flip frequently for faster cooking. This requires a good spatula.
9) Try using the same technique as the roasts - cook to the desired doneness in the oven at a low temperature, then annihilate at max in the pan to build the crust.
10) Eventually work out something on the cheese. Everyone seems to like making your own American-style cheese using sodium citrate, and Comte seems fairly popular for the flavor base. Kenji has his own trick here, which might be worth a look.
10b) Maybe use a mandolin to cut slices of conventional cheese for the time being.
11) Play around with condiments, but note that you can still get slices from the tomatoes used to make any concentrate. Play with onion slicing approaches, but Kenji likes pole-to-pole (versus orbital or chopped) for balance.
I'm looking forward to going pure IF partly because it'll let me play around with these - I can buy, section, and flash-freeze large batches of the cuts and then refine the recipes almost day by day if I want to.
Also, much as I hate straight up blogging, I've noticed that as I lose weight from my face, my cheekbones start looking more and more German.
1) Keep the meat in the fridge, and freeze the grinder before use.
2) Hand-mincing may actually work better than grinding.
3) The optimal mix probably involves some combination of sirloin, short rib, brisket, and oxtail. Possibly include some suet if I have any lying around.
3b) Sirloin wants to be at least 30% for texture. I'll probably start with 3:2:2:2 and go from there. Short rib's texture can help out the sirloin so I can probably up the brisket without much worry.
3c) Emphasize quality and pick out stuff that's nicely marbled. Apparently grass-fed actually might beat out grain here, but at the prices they charge that's not happening on a $5 cover.
3d) Brisket needs to be ground/chopped very fine. Short rib (and any other chuck bits) maybe not as much, unsure about oxtail and sirloin.
3e) Heston likes to salt some of the meat in advance of grinding it so it binds things better. I'll experiment with this (especially with some ground chuck eye). I'll try an hour in advance first and look into 6 depending on how it compares.
4) Handle the meat as little as possible. I plan to spread it onto plates and use a metal spatula to section off and weigh the portions, then put them on foil and shape them from the side instead of hand-forming full patties. I'll be doing a test run of this first, though.
5) Start with 6oz portions and go from there. This means I'll need to dimple the middle of each patty and make them all a bit wider than the buns
5b) OR try to reconcile the handling thing with balling them up and smashing them onto the griddle with a heavy spatula, since this maximizes the browning area.
5c) Also note that you can get away with coarser/less even work with thicker patties, since they're going to be heavier anyway.
6) Experiment with some bun recipes. I'll start with this one:
The Spotted Pig's Hamburger Buns | Serious Eats : Recipes
7) Experiment with herbs, caramelized onion extract, and tomato concentrate, but try to integrate these into the grinding process to minimize handling. Kenji likes anchovies, marmite, and dashi to boost the umami, so I might as well try with those. Mushrooms (perhaps oven-roasted) may also work here to boost the umami.
8) Flip frequently for faster cooking. This requires a good spatula.
9) Try using the same technique as the roasts - cook to the desired doneness in the oven at a low temperature, then annihilate at max in the pan to build the crust.
10) Eventually work out something on the cheese. Everyone seems to like making your own American-style cheese using sodium citrate, and Comte seems fairly popular for the flavor base. Kenji has his own trick here, which might be worth a look.
10b) Maybe use a mandolin to cut slices of conventional cheese for the time being.
11) Play around with condiments, but note that you can still get slices from the tomatoes used to make any concentrate. Play with onion slicing approaches, but Kenji likes pole-to-pole (versus orbital or chopped) for balance.
I'm looking forward to going pure IF partly because it'll let me play around with these - I can buy, section, and flash-freeze large batches of the cuts and then refine the recipes almost day by day if I want to.
Also, much as I hate straight up blogging, I've noticed that as I lose weight from my face, my cheekbones start looking more and more German.
Friday, July 26, 2013
2013-07-26 SE Bench
Warm-up - upper back
Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
160x4x5
Not as solid.
Press -
45x5x3
80x5x2
120x4, 3 (4f), 3, 3, 3 (4f)
Murder on my abs after yesterday.
Face Pull -
20x10x5
Went home.
Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
160x4x5
Not as solid.
Press -
45x5x3
80x5x2
120x4, 3 (4f), 3, 3, 3 (4f)
Murder on my abs after yesterday.
Face Pull -
20x10x5
Went home.
2013-07-25 Squat Day
I need to get better at cutting conversations short.
Warmup - Fairly comprehensive
Squat -
95x5x2
135x5
185x5
225x3
250x4x5
Actually pretty easy, though I still want to get my Romaleos. Did notice that my bar position seems to be rising.
DB Row -
35x10x5
Still trying to get the right side to work.
GHR -
5x5
I can't tell if my form's slipping or if I'm getting a lot better.
Rollouts -
10, 10, 10, 8 (9F), 4 (5F) + 6 partials
PUR - 12x2
DBR - 25x12x2
DBP - 25x12x2
PIR - 12x2
All held for a 4-count per rep (varied counting speeds).
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
2013-07-24 ME Bench
Warmup - Comprehensive upper body
CG Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
155x3
165x3
175x3
185x3
190x3
195x1.5
Spot on 195 was really bad, but I'm still pretty happy with 190. Next week I'll have more energy for attempting 210.
DB Bench -
65x6, 6, 5, 6, 5
Dropped some DBs and broke the mirror here. I feel bad.
Pulldown -
125x8x5
These were with rest-pausing and generous ROM.
I should mention that I haven't had solid food since Sunday (except some tortilla chips yesterday for sampling hot sauce).
Delt Fly -
12.5x12x5
Fairly fast sets, but good. Try 15s next week.
Curl -
20x10x3
6+4 for the last one.
CG Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
155x3
165x3
175x3
185x3
190x3
195x1.5
Spot on 195 was really bad, but I'm still pretty happy with 190. Next week I'll have more energy for attempting 210.
DB Bench -
65x6, 6, 5, 6, 5
Dropped some DBs and broke the mirror here. I feel bad.
Pulldown -
125x8x5
These were with rest-pausing and generous ROM.
I should mention that I haven't had solid food since Sunday (except some tortilla chips yesterday for sampling hot sauce).
Delt Fly -
12.5x12x5
Fairly fast sets, but good. Try 15s next week.
Curl -
20x10x3
6+4 for the last one.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
2013-07-23 Deadlift Day
Won an argument with a strong-willed staff member (and started working on making friends with him). That was nice.
Warmup - Comprehensive (sans rolling on lower body)
Deadlift -
135x10
185x10
225x10
275x5 hook, 3 plates
335x12+6 straps, 3 plates
DB Row -
35x10x5
I might be getting the feeling back, but I'm not sure.
RDL -
220x10x5 straps
Getting harder. 225 next week.
Rollout -
10, 10, 10, 7 (8f), 10 partials
That was embarrassing.
Very late so I skipped prehab. I'm a bad person who could do his prehab at home.
And will.
Warmup - Comprehensive (sans rolling on lower body)
Deadlift -
135x10
185x10
225x10
275x5 hook, 3 plates
335x12+6 straps, 3 plates
DB Row -
35x10x5
I might be getting the feeling back, but I'm not sure.
RDL -
220x10x5 straps
Getting harder. 225 next week.
Rollout -
10, 10, 10, 7 (8f), 10 partials
That was embarrassing.
Very late so I skipped prehab. I'm a bad person who could do his prehab at home.
And will.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Orange-Glazed Sous Vide Duck Breast with Honey-Balsamic Sauce, Caramelized Endive, and Sauteed Apples
Quite the mouthful right there. Plating instructions included.
For the duck:
2 Duck Breasts, boneless, skin-on
Fresh Thyme
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Salt the duck on both sides. Press thyme stalks into both sides and refrigerate overnight, uncovered.
Set water bath to 132F. Score the duck skin in a crosshatch, making sure not to pierce through to the flesh. Rub the flesh side down with pepper, then lightly salt both sides. Vacuum seal in separate bags and place in water bath.
Remove and thoroughly dry. Prepare the glaze.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Place breasts in, skin-side down, and leave to render for 5 minutes. Remove breasts and increase to high heat. Start apples and endives while the pan heats.
Sear the duck on both sides to crisp the skin. Remove, brush with glaze, and broil or blowtorch on high for 10-15 seconds to caramelize. Remove and tent with foil; reduce pan heat to medium to start the sauce.
For the glaze:
2tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1tbsp Honey
Orange Zest
Add balsamic vinegar and honey to a double boiler and mix on medium heat until integrated. Zest in orange to taste and reduce to a syrup, whisking constantly and removing from heat to chill periodically. Once the cooled syrup is thick but still liquid, remove from heat and set aside.
For the endives:
4 Belgian Endives, small
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Add a thin coat of olive oil to a separate pan and heat on med-high until the oil starts to shimmer.
Slice the endives lengthwise; lightly salt, and place cut-side down in the pan for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, flip, and leave to soften for another 3-5. Lightly pepper and remove.
For the apples:
2 Granny Smith Apples
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Fresh Sage
Fresh Thyme
Add a thin coat of olive oil to a separate pan and heat on med-high until the oil starts to shimmer.
Quarter and core the apple, then slice into wedges. Lightly salt and sautee 1 minute. Add thyme leaves, lightly pepper, sautee another minute, then add sage, sautee another minute, and remove from heat. Plate apples immediately; discard the sage.
For the sauce:
Shallots
Red Wine
Balsamic Vinegar
Chicken, Duck, or Poulty Stock
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Optionally (untested):
Toasted Coriander Seeds, coarsely ground
Star Anise
Finely mince shallot, add to duck pan, and leave to soften 1-2 minutes. Deglaze with wine, add stock (and herbs, if desired), and reduce by 3/4. Strain through a fine sieve and reserve the shallots. Add balsamic vinegar and any unused glaze and reduce, whisking constantly, until thick. Salt and pepper to taste.
Per Plate:
Make a crescent with half of the apple slices, overlapping on plate. Thinly layer half of the shallots on top.
Slice duck at an angle to make thin strips. Place on top of apples, overlapping, mimicking the original shape. Spoon sauce over the duck in a single line.
Place half of the endives on plate, cut side down, fanned out away from the duck. Spoon additional sauce in lines between the shafts.
Afterthoughts (written in above):
1) The glaze thickens up very, very heavily once you turn the heat off. It's probably best done in a double boiler with some ice water off to the side so you can quickly cool the mix down and see how it's doing. This stuff requires some very, very close attention.
2) Crisping the duck up is probably a job for the broiler or a blowtorch; the glaze burns so quickly that you can't do a proper pan sauce if the skin side touches the pan. I'm actually inclined to brown both sides, then add the glaze and quickly blast with heat to caramelize.
3) Sage doesn't need to be crisped; it perfumes the apples nicely but won't crisp up under those conditions. There's enough going on with this dish as it is.
4) Endives are fragile and difficult to plate.
I'm not sold on having this much going on with the dish; next time I'll slice the duck thinner (original version was 6-8 slices, in future I'll aim for at least twice that) and try eating the meat and the apple together on the same fork.
Afterthoughts (written in above):
1) The glaze thickens up very, very heavily once you turn the heat off. It's probably best done in a double boiler with some ice water off to the side so you can quickly cool the mix down and see how it's doing. This stuff requires some very, very close attention.
2) Crisping the duck up is probably a job for the broiler or a blowtorch; the glaze burns so quickly that you can't do a proper pan sauce if the skin side touches the pan. I'm actually inclined to brown both sides, then add the glaze and quickly blast with heat to caramelize.
3) Sage doesn't need to be crisped; it perfumes the apples nicely but won't crisp up under those conditions. There's enough going on with this dish as it is.
4) Endives are fragile and difficult to plate.
I'm not sold on having this much going on with the dish; next time I'll slice the duck thinner (original version was 6-8 slices, in future I'll aim for at least twice that) and try eating the meat and the apple together on the same fork.
2013-07-20 SE Bench
Warmup - Comprehensive
Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
155x4x5
3rd set was by far the best. As usual, the quality of the reps goes up as I cue myself harder.
Working on getting stance wider to help keep my hips down.
Press -
45x5x3
80x5x2
115x5, 5, 5, 5, 4
Lost low back position towards the end of the last few sets.
I'll save fixing that until 120.
Pulldown -
130x5
125x7x4
Losing range of motion on these. We'll see how it goes next week.
Left early for other obligations.
Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
155x4x5
3rd set was by far the best. As usual, the quality of the reps goes up as I cue myself harder.
Working on getting stance wider to help keep my hips down.
Press -
45x5x3
80x5x2
115x5, 5, 5, 5, 4
Lost low back position towards the end of the last few sets.
I'll save fixing that until 120.
Pulldown -
130x5
125x7x4
Losing range of motion on these. We'll see how it goes next week.
Left early for other obligations.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
2013-06-19 Squat Day
Warmup - Comprehensive, including pec stretch
OHS -
45x5
95x5
Squat -
135x5
185x5
240x4x5
Making some technical corrections, but mostly just need to work on the inflammation thing. Lots of stretching in the mornings, as the current plan.
DB Row -
30x10x5
Working hard to get the right side to activate properly. Still can't figure out what's up.
GHR -
5x5
Difficult to do these while maintaining posture.
Rollout -
10, 8, 6, 5+Half, Bunch of Halves
Doing these with proper posture is difficult
Pullup Retr: 10x2
DB Prot: 20x10x2 (double on right)
DB Retr: 20x10x2 (double on right)
PIR: 10x2
Frustrating
OHS -
45x5
95x5
Squat -
135x5
185x5
240x4x5
Making some technical corrections, but mostly just need to work on the inflammation thing. Lots of stretching in the mornings, as the current plan.
DB Row -
30x10x5
Working hard to get the right side to activate properly. Still can't figure out what's up.
GHR -
5x5
Difficult to do these while maintaining posture.
Rollout -
10, 8, 6, 5+Half, Bunch of Halves
Doing these with proper posture is difficult
Pullup Retr: 10x2
DB Prot: 20x10x2 (double on right)
DB Retr: 20x10x2 (double on right)
PIR: 10x2
Frustrating
Thursday, July 18, 2013
2013-07-17 Deload Deadlift
Oh sweet jesus. I'm very, very tired.
Warmup - Just shoulders (no rolling etc.)
Deadlift -
135x6
185x5
225x1x6
Focused on speed pulling and technique. I got it down for the last one, but everything before that was pretty bad. I think the speed pulls on Squat day idea might actually have some merit just for technique work. I'm not going to do it this cycle (I've got plenty of time to work this out), but it's a major thought.
Rollout -
10x3
I think these went well, but I don't trust my kinesthesia right now so I don't know.
DB Row -
35x10x3
Now here's a discovery.
I don't know if I noticed this before, but through some combination of weakness, smallness, and inactivation, my right side mid-back essentially cannot pull through on this. I don't really want to run back to PTI (I feel as though that chapter's come to a close, though I'll do it if I absolutely have to) for Jim's help here, but I also don't know how to handle this myself and am no longer willing to drop the money on RSF massage work.
I guess the real solution is to find a friend who'll do the work pro bono or in exchange for food, but yeah.
Anyway, it looks like unilateral rowing is going to be really important, so I'm cutting out barbell rows entirely for this cycle. Seated Cable Rows stay in because I need some way to mimic the back position of the bench press, so I guess Barbell Rowing is out for a while.
Kroc Rows may have to go down to strict DB work if I can't fix this.
Warmup - Just shoulders (no rolling etc.)
Deadlift -
135x6
185x5
225x1x6
Focused on speed pulling and technique. I got it down for the last one, but everything before that was pretty bad. I think the speed pulls on Squat day idea might actually have some merit just for technique work. I'm not going to do it this cycle (I've got plenty of time to work this out), but it's a major thought.
Rollout -
10x3
I think these went well, but I don't trust my kinesthesia right now so I don't know.
DB Row -
35x10x3
Now here's a discovery.
I don't know if I noticed this before, but through some combination of weakness, smallness, and inactivation, my right side mid-back essentially cannot pull through on this. I don't really want to run back to PTI (I feel as though that chapter's come to a close, though I'll do it if I absolutely have to) for Jim's help here, but I also don't know how to handle this myself and am no longer willing to drop the money on RSF massage work.
I guess the real solution is to find a friend who'll do the work pro bono or in exchange for food, but yeah.
Anyway, it looks like unilateral rowing is going to be really important, so I'm cutting out barbell rows entirely for this cycle. Seated Cable Rows stay in because I need some way to mimic the back position of the bench press, so I guess Barbell Rowing is out for a while.
Kroc Rows may have to go down to strict DB work if I can't fix this.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Roast Rack of Lamb with Herb Marinade
I haven't decided on the sides for this yet. I did this with regular lamb racks at a dinner party, and it was a huge hit; now I'm trying with goat for a date on one of my low-carb days. I didn't have any specific sides at the party, but for tomorrow I'm thinking I'll use a simple Mediterranean salad, and possibly a red wine reduction from the pan juices.. Olives are fair play, so I may add a bit of Heston's tapenade for a bonus. I did this for a dinner party and it was a huge hit
Ingredients:
1 Rack Lamb (not Frenched), roughly 2lbs
2tbsp finely-minced Rosemary
1tbsp finely-minced Thyme
2tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Black Peppercorns
Prepare the lamb by removing the membranes from the underside with a paring knife. I suggest carefully sliding the knife under the membrane on the bonus, pulling up, and removing that first, then repeating more carefully with the thicker membrane on the meat. You can trim it up a bit, but work as slowly as you have to to avoid removing any meat.
Score the skin and fat in a diamond pattern, using a very sharp knife. You want to break the skin and cut into the fat, but not cut all the way through to the meat (and definitely not into the meat).
Rub the entire rack with salt and leave to dry brine in the fridge for at least 6 hours; preferably overnight.
Grind the peppercorns into a bowl (adjust to your liking). Add the olive oil, rosemary, and thyme, and hand-mix until integrated. Rub all over the lamb and return it to the fridge to marinade overnight.
N.B. - You'll want to put some kind of collection vessel under the meat here. You want as much air circulation around it as possible (so ideally just put it a fridge rack), but the olive oil will drip out of the marinade and make a mess if you're not very careful.
Preheat oven to roast at 135-140F, and cook the lamb (still coated in the marinade) uncovered until the center reaches 130F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove to the side to rest; tent with foil if desired.
To finish, scrape off the marinade and either:
1) Heat a skillet on high until it reaches a maximum temperature. Sear the top and sides of the lamb (in that order).
2) Heat the oven to roast at max (leave it for ten minutes past normal preheating to ensure maximum temperature), and roast the lamb uncovered for 5-10 minutes until thoroughly browned.
Make a pan sauce if desired.
Ingredients:
1 Rack Lamb (not Frenched), roughly 2lbs
2tbsp finely-minced Rosemary
1tbsp finely-minced Thyme
2tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Black Peppercorns
Prepare the lamb by removing the membranes from the underside with a paring knife. I suggest carefully sliding the knife under the membrane on the bonus, pulling up, and removing that first, then repeating more carefully with the thicker membrane on the meat. You can trim it up a bit, but work as slowly as you have to to avoid removing any meat.
Score the skin and fat in a diamond pattern, using a very sharp knife. You want to break the skin and cut into the fat, but not cut all the way through to the meat (and definitely not into the meat).
Rub the entire rack with salt and leave to dry brine in the fridge for at least 6 hours; preferably overnight.
Grind the peppercorns into a bowl (adjust to your liking). Add the olive oil, rosemary, and thyme, and hand-mix until integrated. Rub all over the lamb and return it to the fridge to marinade overnight.
N.B. - You'll want to put some kind of collection vessel under the meat here. You want as much air circulation around it as possible (so ideally just put it a fridge rack), but the olive oil will drip out of the marinade and make a mess if you're not very careful.
Preheat oven to roast at 135-140F, and cook the lamb (still coated in the marinade) uncovered until the center reaches 130F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove to the side to rest; tent with foil if desired.
To finish, scrape off the marinade and either:
1) Heat a skillet on high until it reaches a maximum temperature. Sear the top and sides of the lamb (in that order).
2) Heat the oven to roast at max (leave it for ten minutes past normal preheating to ensure maximum temperature), and roast the lamb uncovered for 5-10 minutes until thoroughly browned.
Make a pan sauce if desired.
Program Revisions and Explanation
The template's the same, just a few exercise and conceptual changes. The Squat Cycle might be a temporary thing, or it might wind up working really well and getting copied to the bench as well. Depends how it goes.
Thursday - Squat
Squat Cycle (see below)
Barbell Row
Glute-Ham Raise
Ab Work
Pullup Retraction, DB Retraction, DB Protraction, Prone Internal Rotation
Friday - SE Bench
Bench Cycle (see below)
Press/CG Bench 5x5
Pulldown
Seated Cable Row
Curls
Sunday - Deadlift
Deadlift ROM Cycle (see below)
Kroc Row
Romanian Deadlift
Ab Work
BTN Band Pulldown, Band Pullapart, Band External Rotation, Face Pull
Tuesday - ME Bench
CG Bench, 2-Board, 1-Board, Bench
Dumbbell Bench/Blast Strap Pushup
Pulldown
Seated DB Clean/Rear Delt Fly
Curls
For squat day, I'll be actually squatting, and switched the barbell rows and glute-ham raises. That's partly to give some recovery time between leg-heavy movements, and partly so I don't have to go back to the annex after GHRs.
I did some reading today and heard a lot about Floor Press basically being a lockout exercise, and looking back this actually does agree with my experience - while DB Floor does seem to get my pecs involved, I've seen a really strong correlation between barbell floor pressing and failing off the chest. That's better than failing at lockout, but I have a feeling my other pressing movements cover that pretty nicely. I want to see how CG Bench goes, and I don't want to have to add in more movements to get my extra rowing (versus just subbing, which is what I've done here). Seated Cable Rows are one of Cressey's favorites for shoulder health, so I'll stick with those for a cycle and see what happens.
Deadlift day doesn't need much justification, since the only change is that I'm now getting in a ton of upper back volume via the Kroc Rows. Barbell Rows don't agree with my shoulder and I want to see how these go; the worst that can happen is I wind up moving the rear delt work over to SE Bench and doing more barbell rows here. I put the Kroc Rows here rather than Squat Day because I want to concentrate the volume in one place and take the other day as something of a break.
CG Bench is in the max effort cycle for the reasons above. I've taken it out of the supplemental movement because I didn't want to drop blast strap push-ups, and figure that if I really want DB Floor back in I can just do it in place of DB Bench. I'll keep 6s for the dumbbells and 10+ for the push-ups for now; once the push-ups get easier I'll add the micro band (increasing from there).
I've standardized rehab on the two lower days. Right now I'm including a shitton of curls because my biceps are embarrassing, but eventually I'll drop those to just SE Day and shuffle things around a bit so I'm only doing 3 Rehab movements per day (probably PUR+BBOHS+PUP on Dead day, DBRe+DBPr+PIR on ME Bench, and BTNBPD+BPA+BER on Squat. Probably keep Face Pulls in with the band work but whatever).
SE Bench and Squat Cycles (Rep*Set*%):
Week 1: 4x5x70%
Week 2: 4x5x72.5%
Week 3: 4x5x75%
Week 4: 3x7x77.5%
Week 5: 3x7x80%
Week 6: 2x10x82.5%
Week 7: 2x10x85%
Week 8: 3x4x72.5% (Bench), 1x18x87.5% (Squat)
Week 9: Break (Bench), 3x4x72.5% (Squat)
(Then retest squat max)
I figure that the stress of pulling a bunch of deads from the floor during week 8 makes it silly to try for a new squat max 4 days later, so I added in a heavier day to fill the squat void, set the deload the following week, and moved the max test to the first day of the following cycle to see what will happen. If it works out well I'll try the same thing with Bench and (basically) just start the cycle from Week 2 instead. The entire deadlift cycle is basically just built around body stress, so I'm not concerned about inhibiting it with heavy squatting.
Deadlift Cycle (based on Mats):
Week 1: 8 mats (2x25+2xMat)
Week 2: 7 mats (2x25+1xMat)
Week 3: 6 mats (2x25)
Week 4: 5 mats (1x25+2xMat)
Week 5: 4 mats (1x25+1xMat)
Week 6: 3 mats (1x25)
Week 7: 2 mats (2xMat, possibly get a solid 1.25in)
Week 8: From Floor
Week 9: Speed Pulls
Each mat here is 0.625" (5/8"), so the cycle starts from 5 inches and slowly works down.
With 9-week cycles, I can get in 5 cycles per year plus 1 serious meet. If I fiddle around and up it to 10-week cycles, that goes down to 4 cycles per year with 2 meets guaranteed, which looks a bit neater. That extra week will just add an extra mat for the deads (possibly advantageous) and extend the squat and bench cycles a bit (e.g. making the experimental squat one viable full-time). I don't know how I'd handle only having one extra benching week - probably either a deload or hitting an extra bench (or close-grip) triple between board presses.
Other ideas that spring to mind:
1) Add some speed pulls on squat day and/or some form of squat or squat accessory (e.g. Pistol/Lunge) on dead day. This is one of those "It's not broken..." areas - the only big changes I've made for this cycle are in the upper body supplemental work, and I'd like to stick with one real change at a time.
2) Make a huge change to the upper body layout by turning SE Bench into Press day (so Press first, and do it every week), replacing ME work with the current bench cycle, and filling in the gaps by either doubling the days per week in the cycle or just changing the accessory work around (presumably CG Bench/DBB on Bench day and BSPU/DB Floor for Press). This would actually help a lot with editing cycle lengths.
3) Pending how #2 works, trying some similar addition to the cycle on Dead day.
4) Integrate pullthroughs somewhere - probably as an alternate to RDLs or GHRs (not sure which; it hits the back more like an RDL, but I like RDLs and think the pullthrough more closely mimics my squat stance-wise...there's a lot that goes in here and I don't want to think about it right now). This is one that I'm almost certainly going to do at some point, possibly during the coming cycle (since it's not a huge change).
5) Possibly sub DB Floor in for DB Bench. I don't know if this is a good idea for strength off the chest, but it could help with shoulder issues.
6) Move Cubans over to SE/Press day and do the rowing on ME Day. This would open up some space for alternative rowing variations (handy if I ever get access to a Chest-Supported Row again).
So, that's the big spiel. Let's see how the next 8 weeks go.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
2013-07-16 Deload SE Bench
Warmup - Comprehensive, sans rumble rolling
Press -
45x5x3
80x5x2
115x3x5
Last set was a lot easier; I think I got the hang of bracing again.
DB Floor -
55x10, 10, 10, 10, 8
I'd be repeating it next anyway.
That said, this is probably getting shuffled over to ME Day. Come to think of it, I may try dropping full-range DB Bench entirely and following the old Westside practice of high-volume work after the ME pressing.
Pulldown -
125x6x5
Aim for 7x5 next time.
Press -
45x5x3
80x5x2
115x3x5
Last set was a lot easier; I think I got the hang of bracing again.
DB Floor -
55x10, 10, 10, 10, 8
I'd be repeating it next anyway.
That said, this is probably getting shuffled over to ME Day. Come to think of it, I may try dropping full-range DB Bench entirely and following the old Westside practice of high-volume work after the ME pressing.
Pulldown -
125x6x5
Aim for 7x5 next time.
Monday, July 15, 2013
2013-07-15 Squat Max Testing
Warmup - Comprehensive rolling, glute bridge x10, shoulder warmup, overhead squat
Squat -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
185x5
225x5
250x1
275x1
285x1
295x1
305x1
315x1
325x1
330x1
335x1
340x1
345x1
I had some mild back issues earlier on, and my technique changed a bit towards the end (more changes on the way, once I get my Romaleo IIs), but this was a very pleasant surprise.
Had some musical help but whatever.
GHR -
5x6
Lots of fun.
Barbell Row -
135x6x2
And then I left.
Squat -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
185x5
225x5
250x1
275x1
285x1
295x1
305x1
315x1
325x1
330x1
335x1
340x1
345x1
I had some mild back issues earlier on, and my technique changed a bit towards the end (more changes on the way, once I get my Romaleo IIs), but this was a very pleasant surprise.
Had some musical help but whatever.
GHR -
5x6
Lots of fun.
Barbell Row -
135x6x2
And then I left.
Orange Roast Duck (Take 1)
Made this yesterday; it had some issues.
Remove wishbone and score skin
Separate the duck skin from the flesh, as much as possible (breasts and thighs)
Salt both on and under the skin, leave in the fridge to air-dry for at least one night
Stuff with halved oranges and halved garlic heads, with thyme under the skin
Roast at 150C until the breast reads 135, then remove to rest briefly
Make a glaze with 3 parts balsamic vinegar to 1 part honey, plus some pepper and orange zest; reduce to a thick syrup, add a dash more balsamic and some red wine vinegar, then brush the duck down
Roast again at max to brown.
---
Problems:
1) Pierced the skin while trying to separate it off, since I scored in advance
2) The fat didn't render out, rendering the breast very hard to eat
3) Thighs still somewhat dry, apparently
4) Burned somewhat
Potential changes:
1) Separate the skin before any scoring (also, the Chinese trick of inflating under the skin might be worth a serious look). I didn't want to score it, but after the breast problem I'd rather not deal with it again. That said, scoring from beneath?
1a) N.B. - Try the boil-blanch cycle thing to compact the skin again.
2) It collapsed somewhat in the fridge; I have a suspicion that stuffing it a night in advance might help to perfume it - maybe a few hours of pure drying, then stuff to preserve structure?
3) Glaze was excellent, but I have a feeling I should brown the skin before applying it, then "brulee." This seems like a situation that might call for a blowtorch.
4) Rendering out the fat:
The glaze might cover up any evidence of scoring, but this one didn't render out even with the scoring
Roasting upside down with scoring could help.
Try higher temperatures to render the fat out and then drop temp to maintain medium rare?
Once I've got the general technique down I think the rest is basically just up to flavoring choices.
All told, I definitely need to refine my roasting technique somewhat - a long slow roast definitely helps out, but it's not a panacea.
I also need to work on butchery; the hip joints on this one got a tad slaughtered.
EDIT: I have a feeling that a lot of this applies equally to chicken. Not actually sure about stuffing chicken with citrus anymore, but other than that...(hm, maybe make a moirpoix in advance, puree, and put under the skin?)
Remove wishbone and score skin
Separate the duck skin from the flesh, as much as possible (breasts and thighs)
Salt both on and under the skin, leave in the fridge to air-dry for at least one night
Stuff with halved oranges and halved garlic heads, with thyme under the skin
Roast at 150C until the breast reads 135, then remove to rest briefly
Make a glaze with 3 parts balsamic vinegar to 1 part honey, plus some pepper and orange zest; reduce to a thick syrup, add a dash more balsamic and some red wine vinegar, then brush the duck down
Roast again at max to brown.
---
Problems:
1) Pierced the skin while trying to separate it off, since I scored in advance
2) The fat didn't render out, rendering the breast very hard to eat
3) Thighs still somewhat dry, apparently
4) Burned somewhat
Potential changes:
1) Separate the skin before any scoring (also, the Chinese trick of inflating under the skin might be worth a serious look). I didn't want to score it, but after the breast problem I'd rather not deal with it again. That said, scoring from beneath?
1a) N.B. - Try the boil-blanch cycle thing to compact the skin again.
2) It collapsed somewhat in the fridge; I have a suspicion that stuffing it a night in advance might help to perfume it - maybe a few hours of pure drying, then stuff to preserve structure?
3) Glaze was excellent, but I have a feeling I should brown the skin before applying it, then "brulee." This seems like a situation that might call for a blowtorch.
4) Rendering out the fat:
The glaze might cover up any evidence of scoring, but this one didn't render out even with the scoring
Roasting upside down with scoring could help.
Try higher temperatures to render the fat out and then drop temp to maintain medium rare?
Once I've got the general technique down I think the rest is basically just up to flavoring choices.
All told, I definitely need to refine my roasting technique somewhat - a long slow roast definitely helps out, but it's not a panacea.
I also need to work on butchery; the hip joints on this one got a tad slaughtered.
EDIT: I have a feeling that a lot of this applies equally to chicken. Not actually sure about stuffing chicken with citrus anymore, but other than that...(hm, maybe make a moirpoix in advance, puree, and put under the skin?)
Saturday, July 13, 2013
2013-07-13 ME Bench
Forgot to warm my shoulders up. This made a huge difference and I need to not do it again.
Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
155x5
175x3
185x1
195x1
205x1
215x1
220x1
225x0, 0
Switched to happy music after 205. It made a nice difference.
Not as much as I'd hoped, but considering I've dropped 10lbs of bodyweight in the last half of the cycle I'd say I'm doing fairly well.
Used Oly shoes here. I think it helped, though I'll need to change my form.
The big thing I noticed here is that I'm back to being weak off the chest.
CG Bench -
150x6, 6, 6, 4, 4
Working on keeping my elbows in.
Pulldowns -
120x 10, 7, 5, 5, 5+neg+1
Works for me. Starting to lose the shoulder blade position later on, though.
Rear Delt Flyes -
12.5x15x5
With rest-pausing. Had a bonus rep or two on the last set.
Alt. DB Curl -
25x10, 5+3, 4+1+2+1+1+1+neg
That last one took about four minutes.
Thoughts:
I want to include more rowing regardless
I'm weak off the chest, so the issue's basically chest and delts now. Triceps need some attention but not emphasis.
I'm thinking replace CG Bench with Blast-Strap Push-Ups, remove the high-volume pressing movement from SE Upper, and add some more back work in there.
Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
155x5
175x3
185x1
195x1
205x1
215x1
220x1
225x0, 0
Switched to happy music after 205. It made a nice difference.
Not as much as I'd hoped, but considering I've dropped 10lbs of bodyweight in the last half of the cycle I'd say I'm doing fairly well.
Used Oly shoes here. I think it helped, though I'll need to change my form.
The big thing I noticed here is that I'm back to being weak off the chest.
CG Bench -
150x6, 6, 6, 4, 4
Working on keeping my elbows in.
Pulldowns -
120x 10, 7, 5, 5, 5+neg+1
Works for me. Starting to lose the shoulder blade position later on, though.
Rear Delt Flyes -
12.5x15x5
With rest-pausing. Had a bonus rep or two on the last set.
Alt. DB Curl -
25x10, 5+3, 4+1+2+1+1+1+neg
That last one took about four minutes.
Thoughts:
I want to include more rowing regardless
I'm weak off the chest, so the issue's basically chest and delts now. Triceps need some attention but not emphasis.
I'm thinking replace CG Bench with Blast-Strap Push-Ups, remove the high-volume pressing movement from SE Upper, and add some more back work in there.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
2013-07-11 - Deadlift
Warmup - Shoulders with ball, Diesel, overhead squat
Deadlift -
135x10
185x10
225x10
275x2+3 (DOH+Hook) (2 Plates)
315x10+3 + 4+1 (Straps) (2 Plates)
I'm getting new straps.
RDL -
215x10x5
Hooked the first set, strapped the rest.
Barbell Row -
135x6x5
Working on these gradually. I'll up the weight when I can hit 8x5 properly.
Rollout -
10, 10, 7, 5, 3
Going until I hit 10 reps, 1 minute, or seriously lose position.
Corner Pec Stretch - 3x60sec, 10 sec PNF 10 sec relax, Deng pushing on shoulders
Deadlift -
135x10
185x10
225x10
275x2+3 (DOH+Hook) (2 Plates)
315x10+3 + 4+1 (Straps) (2 Plates)
I'm getting new straps.
RDL -
215x10x5
Hooked the first set, strapped the rest.
Barbell Row -
135x6x5
Working on these gradually. I'll up the weight when I can hit 8x5 properly.
Rollout -
10, 10, 7, 5, 3
Going until I hit 10 reps, 1 minute, or seriously lose position.
Corner Pec Stretch - 3x60sec, 10 sec PNF 10 sec relax, Deng pushing on shoulders
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Brief Interlude
Diet's fairly stable and I'm down to about 160. My goal's 159 on Saturday morning, though I'll cheat all-out (versus just a mild carb refeed, or possibly just a fat refeed) if I fall below 160.
I've picked up some Yohimbine HCl (throwback to last year); apparently it's only really effective fasted, so the plan's to take it first thing in the morning, push the whey shake back an hour, and cut back slightly on the protein (dropping calories in the process). If anyone's actually reading this, the justification's fairly concise:
1) Fat cells have two fat loss-related receptors, B-1 and A-2.
2) B-1 receptors increase fat loss, A-2 receptors reduce fat loss.
3) B-1 receptors are basically stable, A-2 increase as you lose weight.
4) Yohimbine blocks A-2 and thereby facilitates fat loss (study-backed).
5) "Stubborn" fat areas tend to display more A-2 than others.
As far as I know, nobody's identified why it only increases fat loss in fasted subjects - presumably the actual increase comes from norepinephrine having fewer places to leave the bloodstream, and the effect dies down once the body's gotten used to the higher norepi levels. Thing is, the fasted thing shouldn't make a difference there, which suggests that yohimbine can't bind the A-2 receptor when insulin's around. Off of that, I'm waiting an hour for my whey shake starting when the stuff arrives.
Other points recently came up:
1) For the yohimbine issue specifically, since it's active only when there's no insulin around, it probably works even better on full intermittent fasting - take it on waking and then again a few hours later (or 3 hours after the big meal and then a few hours after that). Might want to drop the dose, but the only reason I haven't considered switching to this is that I've already dropped tons of money on protein powder.
2) You only need around 0.8-0.9g protein per pound of bodyweight to preserve lean mass on a calorie deficit. This probably isn't as relevant to me (with my PSMF approach, the higher protein dose probably serves to prevent the rest of the protein from being used for fuel, since I'm not consuming any other source of calories), but it might be worth remembering for the next time I want to lose weight.
I suspect my plan for maintaining will actually ease back to an IF approach with various refeeds, probably running multiple 2-3 doses of yohimbine per day (7.5-10g each). I don't know how long it'll take to get back, I just know it's time to start taking yohimbine again.
I'll also look into horny goat weed, though this one will involve some more personal experimentation. Rat studies using doses equivalent to ~13mg/kg/day (basically 1g for me) showed a very significant testosterone increase; the mechanism isn't known, but could be replicable in humans. There's no human backing for this, but the NOW Foods caps would let me test that for around $50/mo, so if I go in and get some comprehensive blood panels done I can test that out. There's also a much more expensive option with pure Icariin, but I'd rather try the cheaper one first.
EDIT: New note: Starting after my ME Squat (Monday), I'm going to start doing the stomach vacuum at least 3 times per day (for multiple breaths each, obviously).
I've picked up some Yohimbine HCl (throwback to last year); apparently it's only really effective fasted, so the plan's to take it first thing in the morning, push the whey shake back an hour, and cut back slightly on the protein (dropping calories in the process). If anyone's actually reading this, the justification's fairly concise:
1) Fat cells have two fat loss-related receptors, B-1 and A-2.
2) B-1 receptors increase fat loss, A-2 receptors reduce fat loss.
3) B-1 receptors are basically stable, A-2 increase as you lose weight.
4) Yohimbine blocks A-2 and thereby facilitates fat loss (study-backed).
5) "Stubborn" fat areas tend to display more A-2 than others.
As far as I know, nobody's identified why it only increases fat loss in fasted subjects - presumably the actual increase comes from norepinephrine having fewer places to leave the bloodstream, and the effect dies down once the body's gotten used to the higher norepi levels. Thing is, the fasted thing shouldn't make a difference there, which suggests that yohimbine can't bind the A-2 receptor when insulin's around. Off of that, I'm waiting an hour for my whey shake starting when the stuff arrives.
Other points recently came up:
1) For the yohimbine issue specifically, since it's active only when there's no insulin around, it probably works even better on full intermittent fasting - take it on waking and then again a few hours later (or 3 hours after the big meal and then a few hours after that). Might want to drop the dose, but the only reason I haven't considered switching to this is that I've already dropped tons of money on protein powder.
2) You only need around 0.8-0.9g protein per pound of bodyweight to preserve lean mass on a calorie deficit. This probably isn't as relevant to me (with my PSMF approach, the higher protein dose probably serves to prevent the rest of the protein from being used for fuel, since I'm not consuming any other source of calories), but it might be worth remembering for the next time I want to lose weight.
I suspect my plan for maintaining will actually ease back to an IF approach with various refeeds, probably running multiple 2-3 doses of yohimbine per day (7.5-10g each). I don't know how long it'll take to get back, I just know it's time to start taking yohimbine again.
I'll also look into horny goat weed, though this one will involve some more personal experimentation. Rat studies using doses equivalent to ~13mg/kg/day (basically 1g for me) showed a very significant testosterone increase; the mechanism isn't known, but could be replicable in humans. There's no human backing for this, but the NOW Foods caps would let me test that for around $50/mo, so if I go in and get some comprehensive blood panels done I can test that out. There's also a much more expensive option with pure Icariin, but I'd rather try the cheaper one first.
EDIT: New note: Starting after my ME Squat (Monday), I'm going to start doing the stomach vacuum at least 3 times per day (for multiple breaths each, obviously).
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
2013-07-09 SE Bench
Pretty good day overall.
Warmup - Extensive lacrosse ball on and around shoulders, gemini, overhead squats (5x45), Diesel
Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
145x3x4
Working on getting tighter. It made a pretty nice difference. Still harder than I'd like, but that's always been true for deloads.
Floor -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
160x5x5
Awesome finish. Press 115 next week (albeit for reduced reps).
DB Floor -
55x10, 10, 10, 9, 6-7
Repeating next week. Triceps are still the weak link.
Pulldown -
115x10, 7, 6, 5, 5 (w/ negative)
120 next week. I'll try cutting the first set reps to 5 if I can't get 5 on the last set - I'm fine repeating weights on these. I'm also not that far off from bodyweight, which is a nice milestone.
I plan to try for the full stack before I stop these altogether, though.
---
N.B. for Diet note:
Cheat days only go all-out if I hit my weight goals for by that day (e.g. sub-160 for this week, preferably for two consecutive days). Otherwise, small refeed but otherwise normal.
Fortunately, carbs don't require aging, so I can still buy a decent bird.
Warmup - Extensive lacrosse ball on and around shoulders, gemini, overhead squats (5x45), Diesel
Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
145x3x4
Working on getting tighter. It made a pretty nice difference. Still harder than I'd like, but that's always been true for deloads.
Floor -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
160x5x5
Awesome finish. Press 115 next week (albeit for reduced reps).
DB Floor -
55x10, 10, 10, 9, 6-7
Repeating next week. Triceps are still the weak link.
Pulldown -
115x10, 7, 6, 5, 5 (w/ negative)
120 next week. I'll try cutting the first set reps to 5 if I can't get 5 on the last set - I'm fine repeating weights on these. I'm also not that far off from bodyweight, which is a nice milestone.
I plan to try for the full stack before I stop these altogether, though.
---
N.B. for Diet note:
Cheat days only go all-out if I hit my weight goals for by that day (e.g. sub-160 for this week, preferably for two consecutive days). Otherwise, small refeed but otherwise normal.
Fortunately, carbs don't require aging, so I can still buy a decent bird.
Monday, July 8, 2013
2013-07-07 SE Lower
Also refeed day. Opened with the old BCC recipe from below (Maitake instead of Chanterelle), went on with a stuffed pork chop since Mark never called to cook together, then followed up lifting with 2 bananas and Beef and Tomatoes over Pan-Fried Noodle from Daimo. That last one is very good and fairly cheap (10.90). $20 total - nice, given that the rest of the week works out to about $5 after shakes.
Warmup - Fullbody rolling (some calf emphasis), gemini, shoulders
Overhead Squat -
45x5x3
70x5x2
95x5
Fairly hard. I think I'm going to prioritize getting some decent Oly shoes; the grip alone should make a huge difference.
GHR -
5, 5, 5, 5, 3
4th set should have cut at 4.
These get a lot harder with an organized spine.
Barbell Row -
135x5x5
Working on loosening up the pec minor et al to see if it helps with the shoulder stuff.
Front Squat Hold -
285x 30, 30, 30, 22, 28
I figured out a good setup here (face into the rack and just look at my phone to time).
I'm going to experiment with straps and mobilizing here.
Plate Halo -
25x10ea
Retiring this; now it hurts both elbows. I'll figure out another rehab thing.
---
Programming update:
I only lost ~2lbs this week; I've decided to up the overall thermic effect by coming in on my off-days and repeating the previous day's lifts with lighter weights (skipping or replacing hard stuff like GHRs).
I'm also going to see how bad the imbalances are, remedy them, and do more soft tissue work.
Warmup - Fullbody rolling (some calf emphasis), gemini, shoulders
Overhead Squat -
45x5x3
70x5x2
95x5
Fairly hard. I think I'm going to prioritize getting some decent Oly shoes; the grip alone should make a huge difference.
GHR -
5, 5, 5, 5, 3
4th set should have cut at 4.
These get a lot harder with an organized spine.
Barbell Row -
135x5x5
Working on loosening up the pec minor et al to see if it helps with the shoulder stuff.
Front Squat Hold -
285x 30, 30, 30, 22, 28
I figured out a good setup here (face into the rack and just look at my phone to time).
I'm going to experiment with straps and mobilizing here.
Plate Halo -
25x10ea
Retiring this; now it hurts both elbows. I'll figure out another rehab thing.
---
Programming update:
I only lost ~2lbs this week; I've decided to up the overall thermic effect by coming in on my off-days and repeating the previous day's lifts with lighter weights (skipping or replacing hard stuff like GHRs).
I'm also going to see how bad the imbalances are, remedy them, and do more soft tissue work.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Revised Stuffed Pork Chop Recipe
Ingredients:
1 Rib-Cut Pork Chop (preferably 0.75-1in thick)
1 sprig rosemary
1 good braeburn apple
1 tbsp finely-chopped ginger
Several whole Maiitake mushrooms (dried and reconstituted - save the stock)
Several finely-chopped Maiitake mushrooms (dried and reconstituted - save the stock)
Sweet Marsala Wine
1 Shallot
Unsalted Butter
Salt
Pepper
1) Trim the foot off of the chop, coursely chopping and saving the waste. Hollow out the inside using a sharp knife, entering through the area you just cleared.
2) Quarter and core the apple. Peel two quarters and finely chop one.
3) Mix together the apple, chopped mushrooms, and ginger. Add salt and pepper to taste and spoon into the cavity of the chop, pushing down to spread it around.
4) Either sous vide at 130. Remove and pat dry if necessary. Salt and pepper both sides.
5) Heat a thick-bottom pan on very high until smoking. Add butter and chop, flipping every 5-15 seconds until nicely browned. Turn heat down to medium-high and fry the remaining pork left over from step 1. Reserve. Puree the second peeled quarter of the apple. Turn heat down to medium.
6) Finely chop the shallot and cook in the same pan until softened. Add the apple and cook for another minute, then turn heat up to high and deglaze with 1-2 cups Marsala. Reduce 2/3 and add mushroom stock. Reduce until thick, then strain the sauce into another pan and reserve the apple-shallot mixture. Reduce further if necessary.
7) Slice the other half of the apple into thick wedges. Season with salt and pepper, then pan-roast in butter on medium heat (in the same pan if desired).
Serve the chop on top of the apple-shallot mixture, with the extra pork, apples, and sauce on the side.
---
Notes for improvement:
1) Look up more stuffing recipes. I cooked the pork loin stuffing before using it; should probably do the same here.
2) Reduce the temperature in the sous vide. This chop was well-done; I want more of a medium-rare. Might be worth stuffing after it's come to temperature, or something.
3) Don't use butter as the cooking fat; it burns at those temperatures and seems to discolor the sauce. Lard will probably work.
This is one of the better things I've made recently, though.
Friday, July 5, 2013
2013-06-05 ME Bench
Trained with a newer friend today; not sure if it was me having lower energy levels or him not being that motivational of a training partner, but this wasn't that great.
Warmup - Shoulders and upper back
Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
160x5
185x3
195x3
205x2
I can tell I was out of it today because I couldn't actually identify exactly went wrong with 205; I flared really hard on the second one, but I'm not sure where the failure actually happened.
Next week's ME Day falls on a refeed so things should go better. 215 (no regression) at a minimum, possibly 220, 225 at a stretch.
CG Bench -
145x6x5
Flaring harder on the last set.
Pulldowns -
110x10, 8, 7, 6, 5
Doing well.
Delt Flyes -
12x12x3
Prone Y - 3x12x3
PIR - 0x12x3
Five second holds. Oh jesus.
Warmup - Shoulders and upper back
Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
160x5
185x3
195x3
205x2
I can tell I was out of it today because I couldn't actually identify exactly went wrong with 205; I flared really hard on the second one, but I'm not sure where the failure actually happened.
Next week's ME Day falls on a refeed so things should go better. 215 (no regression) at a minimum, possibly 220, 225 at a stretch.
CG Bench -
145x6x5
Flaring harder on the last set.
Pulldowns -
110x10, 8, 7, 6, 5
Doing well.
Delt Flyes -
12x12x3
Prone Y - 3x12x3
PIR - 0x12x3
Five second holds. Oh jesus.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
2013-06-03 Deadlift Day
Warmup - Shoulders
Deadlift -
135x10
185x10
225x10
275x5 (hook) (2 plates, 1 mat)
315x10+6 (straps) (2 plates, 1 mat)
315x1 (hook; walked back into rack)
I'm sick, dropping weight, and not sleeping well. This was pretty successful.
RDL -
210x10x5
Hook gripped the last few reps of the first set, then strapped the rest. 2-3 minute rests, though I got distracted a lot so those got extended.
Barbell Row -
135x8, 5x4
I'm still working on getting technique down for these. I'm reviewing my old articles (and trimming a lot of them out) and noticed a Cressey bit on stretching the pec minor (and realized that that's what Sean was doing at the end of each massage session - explains a bit).
Here I focused on retracting my scapulae before starting the pull (lats activated for the whole movement). I got video for the last set and it looks like I'm still in bad shape there.
Still can't find my ab wheel so no rollouts today. Neglected prehab to go home.
I may put some speed deads in on Squat day (right now I'll use the Overhead Squats as a warmup, but once I start actually squatting that may change).
I remain unsure about actually staying at the RSF once the semester starts. A full year of alumnus membership runs $600; for that I could easily get everything I'd need to set up and train in my parking space.
Oh, and a (hopefully final) dietary update:
Every Day: Whey shake on waking, full-scoop standard shake immediately before bed
PSMF Days: 200mL every hour on the hour starting one hour after waking and ending an hour before bed.
Keto Days: 200mL every hour on the hour starting one hour after waking and ending an hour before pre-training meal. Meal of 350g chicken thighs (700 on high-cal day). Full scoop standard shake 1 hour after training, then resume the 200mL thing until 1 hour before bed.
Refeed Days: Low-carb meals every 1-2 hours after the whey shake until training. ~150g carb, low-fat meal post-training, followed by ~50g carb, mid-fat meals for the rest of the day. Subject to further work since I've yet to actually do one of these.
I need to iron out the actual calorie content of the beef ribs. Apparently all of the USDA info ignores bones (which makes sense, though I've noticed that for steaks and chicken thighs the bones are always ~10% of the total raw mass).
Deadlift -
135x10
185x10
225x10
275x5 (hook) (2 plates, 1 mat)
315x10+6 (straps) (2 plates, 1 mat)
315x1 (hook; walked back into rack)
I'm sick, dropping weight, and not sleeping well. This was pretty successful.
RDL -
210x10x5
Hook gripped the last few reps of the first set, then strapped the rest. 2-3 minute rests, though I got distracted a lot so those got extended.
Barbell Row -
135x8, 5x4
I'm still working on getting technique down for these. I'm reviewing my old articles (and trimming a lot of them out) and noticed a Cressey bit on stretching the pec minor (and realized that that's what Sean was doing at the end of each massage session - explains a bit).
Here I focused on retracting my scapulae before starting the pull (lats activated for the whole movement). I got video for the last set and it looks like I'm still in bad shape there.
Still can't find my ab wheel so no rollouts today. Neglected prehab to go home.
I may put some speed deads in on Squat day (right now I'll use the Overhead Squats as a warmup, but once I start actually squatting that may change).
I remain unsure about actually staying at the RSF once the semester starts. A full year of alumnus membership runs $600; for that I could easily get everything I'd need to set up and train in my parking space.
Oh, and a (hopefully final) dietary update:
Every Day: Whey shake on waking, full-scoop standard shake immediately before bed
PSMF Days: 200mL every hour on the hour starting one hour after waking and ending an hour before bed.
Keto Days: 200mL every hour on the hour starting one hour after waking and ending an hour before pre-training meal. Meal of 350g chicken thighs (700 on high-cal day). Full scoop standard shake 1 hour after training, then resume the 200mL thing until 1 hour before bed.
Refeed Days: Low-carb meals every 1-2 hours after the whey shake until training. ~150g carb, low-fat meal post-training, followed by ~50g carb, mid-fat meals for the rest of the day. Subject to further work since I've yet to actually do one of these.
I need to iron out the actual calorie content of the beef ribs. Apparently all of the USDA info ignores bones (which makes sense, though I've noticed that for steaks and chicken thighs the bones are always ~10% of the total raw mass).
Monday, July 1, 2013
2013-07-01 SE Upper
I need to not come in on Mondays.
Warmup - Shoulders
Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
170x2x9
Keeping my entire body tight makes a massive difference here. There are technical things about bar path as well, but a huge part just comes down to tension.
Floor Press -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
160x5, 5, 4, 3.5, 4.5
Set 4 hit the hooks; there's a chance I could have locked it out otherwise.
#5 had my right arm flare out, after which I was fucked.
Most of the difficulty here actually comes from keeping my right shoulder locked in.
DB Floor -
55x10, 9, 7, 6, 6
Going for the 9th on set 2 was a bad idea.
Lat pulldown out of order.
Warmup - Shoulders
Bench -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
170x2x9
Keeping my entire body tight makes a massive difference here. There are technical things about bar path as well, but a huge part just comes down to tension.
Floor Press -
45x5x3
95x5x2
135x5
160x5, 5, 4, 3.5, 4.5
Set 4 hit the hooks; there's a chance I could have locked it out otherwise.
#5 had my right arm flare out, after which I was fucked.
Most of the difficulty here actually comes from keeping my right shoulder locked in.
DB Floor -
55x10, 9, 7, 6, 6
Going for the 9th on set 2 was a bad idea.
Lat pulldown out of order.
Further Dietary Ideas
This is getting more and more refined. I like that.
MAJOR EDIT:
I went back and re-referenced Lewis's guidelines for APD (similar concept) and realized what I've probably been doing wrong: His initial (and even middle) approaches involve only one solid meal per day (with the exception of carb and fat refeed days). I think I'll actually adopt his approach straight up (albeit with some berries for liver health). This kinda shatters my weekly expenses, actually.
Looking at the calorie intake for my training days, I'm coming to the conclusion that beef ribs should probably be more part of a higher-calorie fat-heavier day than the regular post-workout meal. For now I've arrived at (with days to be shuffled around in 3 weeks when I deload):
Every day - Whey shake with creatine on waking, plus multivitamin and glucosamine. 150g protein from standard shakes throughout the day (right now that means 2 of them, though I may reduce the protein amount and up it to 3 to help deal with hunger issues).
Tuesday (Deadlift) - Chicken thighs before, thighs or ribs after
Wednesday (PSMF) - Add an additional 75-100g protein from shakes
Thursday (ME Bench) - Chicken thighs before
Friday (PSMF) - Add an additional 75-100g protein from shakes
Saturday (Squat) - Chicken thighs before
Sunday (morning SE Bench) - low-carb before, 3-hour high-carb window after, solid meals for rest
This week things are a bit weird because the days are offset and I'm getting pizza Wednesday evening (hopefully post-workout), but the overall point stands. I'm going to do some weighing to check, but right now my impression is that 2x chicken thighs is actually more calories than the beef ribs. The point (overall) is calorie cycling, but taken to a greater extreme because of my goals.
Deload week, I'll shuffle things around to reach:
Sunday (morning Deadlift) - light low-carb breakfast, high-carb low-fat meal pwo, med-carb for rest of day (50g/meal)
Monday (PSMF) - Add 75-100g of shakes
Tuesday (ME Bench) - Thighs before, Ribs after
Wednesday (PSMF) - Add 75-100g of shakes
Thursday (Squat) - Thighs before, 2x Thighs after
Friday (SE Bench) - Thighs before, Thighs after
Saturday (PSMF) - Add 75-100g of shakes
Interestingly, this actually averages to around 3000kcal/day. We'll have to see how weight loss goes over the next week - if I don't drop at least 4lbs (so wake up next Monday under 160) I'll probably have to drop things. This is subject to measurements today on the chicken thighs - I'm going to filet them, weigh them before putting them in the oven, and line the pan with foil so I can pour the grease out and measure how much fat they lose. The rest of the weight difference should be water, so I'll know the entire profile and be able to calculate the actual post-cooking content via the packaging. This also lets me integrate the marinade into the measurements (track how much mass gets added and calculate nutrition from there, since that should also only lose fat and water - I'll probably have to squeeze the remainder to get out any grease it soaks up, but if I'm going to do this I might as well be comprehensive). I'll do the same with the ribs.
Once I'm down where I want to be I'll start experimenting with different stuff. My thinking right now (same training schedule) is:
Sunday - Unchanged
Monday - Thighs instead of shakes
Tuesday - Unchanged (thighs before, ribs after)
Wednesday - Thighs instead of shakes
Thursday - lighter refeed post-workout
Friday - Unchanged
I'm also going to add morning activity (similar to what I had earlier in the semester) - 20-minute walk to warm up, then stretching, and then finally shower. That one's a little open to manipulation carb-wise given what I've read from Aragon, but either way the intake will be on the low side.
(Also meditating for at least ten minutes, because meditating)
MAJOR EDIT:
I went back and re-referenced Lewis's guidelines for APD (similar concept) and realized what I've probably been doing wrong: His initial (and even middle) approaches involve only one solid meal per day (with the exception of carb and fat refeed days). I think I'll actually adopt his approach straight up (albeit with some berries for liver health). This kinda shatters my weekly expenses, actually.
Looking at the calorie intake for my training days, I'm coming to the conclusion that beef ribs should probably be more part of a higher-calorie fat-heavier day than the regular post-workout meal. For now I've arrived at (with days to be shuffled around in 3 weeks when I deload):
Every day - Whey shake with creatine on waking, plus multivitamin and glucosamine. 150g protein from standard shakes throughout the day (right now that means 2 of them, though I may reduce the protein amount and up it to 3 to help deal with hunger issues).
Tuesday (Deadlift) - Chicken thighs before, thighs or ribs after
Wednesday (PSMF) - Add an additional 75-100g protein from shakes
Thursday (ME Bench) - Chicken thighs before
Friday (PSMF) - Add an additional 75-100g protein from shakes
Saturday (Squat) - Chicken thighs before
Sunday (morning SE Bench) - low-carb before, 3-hour high-carb window after, solid meals for rest
This week things are a bit weird because the days are offset and I'm getting pizza Wednesday evening (hopefully post-workout), but the overall point stands. I'm going to do some weighing to check, but right now my impression is that 2x chicken thighs is actually more calories than the beef ribs. The point (overall) is calorie cycling, but taken to a greater extreme because of my goals.
Deload week, I'll shuffle things around to reach:
Sunday (morning Deadlift) - light low-carb breakfast, high-carb low-fat meal pwo, med-carb for rest of day (50g/meal)
Monday (PSMF) - Add 75-100g of shakes
Tuesday (ME Bench) - Thighs before, Ribs after
Wednesday (PSMF) - Add 75-100g of shakes
Thursday (Squat) - Thighs before, 2x Thighs after
Friday (SE Bench) - Thighs before, Thighs after
Saturday (PSMF) - Add 75-100g of shakes
Interestingly, this actually averages to around 3000kcal/day. We'll have to see how weight loss goes over the next week - if I don't drop at least 4lbs (so wake up next Monday under 160) I'll probably have to drop things. This is subject to measurements today on the chicken thighs - I'm going to filet them, weigh them before putting them in the oven, and line the pan with foil so I can pour the grease out and measure how much fat they lose. The rest of the weight difference should be water, so I'll know the entire profile and be able to calculate the actual post-cooking content via the packaging. This also lets me integrate the marinade into the measurements (track how much mass gets added and calculate nutrition from there, since that should also only lose fat and water - I'll probably have to squeeze the remainder to get out any grease it soaks up, but if I'm going to do this I might as well be comprehensive). I'll do the same with the ribs.
Once I'm down where I want to be I'll start experimenting with different stuff. My thinking right now (same training schedule) is:
Sunday - Unchanged
Monday - Thighs instead of shakes
Tuesday - Unchanged (thighs before, ribs after)
Wednesday - Thighs instead of shakes
Thursday - lighter refeed post-workout
Friday - Unchanged
I'm also going to add morning activity (similar to what I had earlier in the semester) - 20-minute walk to warm up, then stretching, and then finally shower. That one's a little open to manipulation carb-wise given what I've read from Aragon, but either way the intake will be on the low side.
(Also meditating for at least ten minutes, because meditating)
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