2014-03-31 Bench

Warmup, with 7.5lb DBs and some cat-camels

Bench -
45x5
65x5
85x5
105x5
125x5
145x5
165x3
180x5x3
135x13 (12, rerack, reset, 1)
I'm going to do some rolling around my shoulder; it's not feeling too hot right now.
I felt pretty bad on the first set, with that same "dead triceps" feeling I'm used to. My solution was to just tell myself I was being dumb and to push through it anyway, and it worked really well. I didn't really pause some of the reps (at least the very last one), but I got everything and feel pretty solid for next time.
Since I'm heavily mimicking Costis' approach to bench training, I decided to run a drop set and see how it went. I tried keeping a lot of the reps in the mid range and royally fucked up the groove, but mostly pulled things off. I can skip lockout without actually sacrificing range, so I'll just stick with that in future and stay roughly competition-style otherwise.
I wanted 15, but that turned out to be beyond my reach. I might try doing strip sets in future (135, 95, 45).

Pull-Up -
8, 7, 7, 6, 6

2014-03-30 Back and Bicep

Warmup - making a note to try the 7.5lb dumbbells, since this is getting trivial with 5lb plates

Stiff Leg Deadlift -
135x5
185x5
225x8 (Hook Grip)
250x12 (Straps)
275x8 (Straps)
I'm going to work on my hip mobility and get video at some point; I want to make sure I'm staying neutral and not developing "oysters" with these.
Trying to work with the hook grip was a huge pain, so I strapped up, which worked better. I couldn't hit a consistent groove here; clearly something I need to work on. I'm guessing that was my body trying to shift the load to my upper back (kept falling forward).
So, straps and work up. I chatted about that with Costis and discovered that he works up to top sets on everything; it seems like a common enough trend to try out, especially on shit like these. He also usually drops down to do a high-rep set of most things after his heaviest one, which could also be valuable.

Barbell Row -
135x12, 12, 10
Not sure how I'd handle working up on these.
I can actually hit these strict with a flat back for a few reps. Figuring out the technique to use may take a while.

Curl -
22.5x12, 8, 6
Considering doing some sort of curling cycle here where I just murder my biceps with a single HIT-style set on 3 different curl variations. Leeman's suggestion is Heavy -> Volume -> Stretch/Squeeze/Contraction across various angles. Straight up copying him would be something like heavy EZ bar curl -> Hammer curl -> incline curl. Going heavy on the EZ curl sounds like a good idea, not 100% sure on the followup. Maybe EZ -> Hammer Preacher -> Incline with ascending rep ranges.

Banded Neutral HLR -
Green RSF Band for 12, 13, 15
Realized I still need to keep my back away from the pad. Doing these with the band is pretty tough at the top, which is probably a good thing.

Then left.

2014-03-30 Deadlift

Warmup

Deadlift -
135x5
165x5
195x5
225x5
255x5
285x5
320x5
355x5x3
I love that these felt about the same as 335-345.

Pull-Up -
8, 8, 7, 7

I had (or opted) to take the last week off to tour grad schools on the east coast. In light of that, I've rearranged my training somewhat; I'll have a 2-day deload (squat and press) in a few weeks, and otherwise everything's largely reset.

I'm also reworking conditioning; I think I'm going to extend my time in each block and try alternating weeks of the erg and the battle ropes. I'm pretty sure that one of the big things limiting my bench progress is that all of my conditioning hits my lower body (and now my back); the ropes should add something for upper. I'm extending the cycles so things time better with deloads.

2014-03-24 Squat, Conditioning, Legs and Back

Warm-up, plus cat-camel

Squat -
45x5
85x5
125x5
165x5
205x5
245x5
285x3
320x5x3
I felt like shit on the way in (bad sleep, early rise, etc). Then I noticed around 225 that I wasn't noticeably fatigued during or after my sets. 320 wasn't a breeze, and I've got some forward lean to address, but it certainly wasn't impossible.

I had some of my old left hip pain on the later warmups. Quad pain hit when my knees tracked forward on 285, but was generally more tolerable than usual. No comment on knees.

Pullup -
9, 8, 7, 7
Took yohimbine and 200mg caffeine right before the 320 sets. It hit right before these, so they felt like death.
----
Elliptical -
5m @ 7r, 140
10m @ 9r, 185

Erg -
1m @ 3:30
6x (45 @ 1:50 - 2:10, 30 @ recovery)
Switched to 1 drag factor to help spare legs.
----
Low Trap Bar Lift -
135x5
185x5
225x11, 10, 15
Hard. More left hip pain. Weight should go up, yells should be had.

Feeling nauseous around here. Only a bit. Tagart said I was pale as death.

DB Row -
40x20, 15, 12
Clearly needs to be heavy. Need to get sensation in right upper back, too.

DB Preacher Curl -
20x12, 8, 8
Getting a tweak in the right origin.

Jackknife -
13

Neutral HLR -
12
Red RSF Band x10
Band around feet to add resistance without weirding up feet. Need to play with that.

Further programming thoughts

I've realized looking at this that I probably can't hit everything to my satisfaction during the evenings if I only have two workouts across the 4 types of training days. Off of that, I'm thinking I'll handle each day in a more traditional bodybuilding sense and arrange the accessories by bodypart:

Press - Shoulders
Bench - Chest
Deadlift - Back
Squat - Back

Back's in twice because I doubt I'll benefit from a whole lot of extra leg volume. Different runs for each of them (and probably some hamstrings on deadlift day - basically the whole posterior chain). Probably looking at something like:

Dead: SLDL, Barbell Row, Curl, Jackknife
Press: Incline, DB Incline, Side Raise, Landmine Press
Squat: Trap Bar Lift, DB Row, Curl, Jackknife
Bench: Close Grip, DB Swiss, Cable Crossover, Push-Up

Picking lifts here was a bit tricky; the idea's to build up weak points and strengthen movement patterns, but I also want to make sure that the session opens with a "real" lift (i.e. something I'd consider supplemental and not accessory). It's a mildly close contest between Front Squats and Trap Bar Lifts, but I think I'll get some extra from the TBL just because it involves breaking something off the ground. Snatch Grip vs. Stiff-Leg deads is also a hard one, but if I'm already doing the trap bar I figure it's worth hitting my low back and hamstrings here.

These are all on the same rep pattern:
First: 6-10 x3
Second: 8-15 x3
Third: 10-15 x3
Fourth: Discretionary

Let's give it a try.

2014-03-23 Push Press and Accessories

Warmup

Push Press -
45x5
60x5
75x5
90x5
105x5
120x5
130x3
140x5x3
I felt really, really good coming into this one - I've got a strong feeling that the mix of high fatigue Friday, decent sleep both nights since then, caffeine, and actually hitting my macros yesterday set me up pretty well for success. The work sets weren't ridiculously easy, and I kept on knocking out my headphones (gave up wearing them pretty quickly), but I've got plenty of progress left on this one.

Pull-Ups -
10, 9, 7, 7
3 minutes rest. Very happy.

CG Bench -
45x5
95x5
135x9, 7, 6
3 minutes between the heavy sets.
I did these RE and fairly "tension"-style; I'm trying to give myself one rest at the end of the set, but otherwise keep tension in the muscles and focus on my pecs.
Set the goal here at 6-10.

DB Bench -
20x8
40x12, 14, 8
I forgot the RE rule and stopped at 12 (guideline was 8-12) for the first set; guess the weight's just going up next week.
Forgot that I'm supposed to do these on a swiss ball.

Push-Up -
9, 9, 7
Gotta work these up. No rep goal here.

Cable Crossover -
20x20x3
I'm still feeling these out, but my inclination here is to keep the handles high and wide, at least for a "lower" pec emphasis; it seems like going low hits the bulk of the muscle the most.

Face Pull -
5x15x3sec

I did today all in one go; I need to wake up earlier tomorrow to get everything in (again in one go) and then catch a plane. This week is going to be interesting.

Some programming thoughts

Given the frustration involved in decline extensions, I think I actually will try more of the Costis thing. CG Bench -> DB Bench -> Push-Up -> Crossover should wreck basically all of the pressing musculature. If DB Bench keeps aggravating my shoulder I'll drop it and keep running side raises.

Target for CG Bench is somewhere around the 5-8 range, DB 8-12, Push-Ups we'll see, Crossovers 12-20.

2014-03-21 Accessories

Warmup

Pull-Up -
9, 8, 8, 7
3 minute rests.
I tweaked my shoulder during cardio; that got reflected a bit here, at least in physical sensation.

Rear Laterals -
15x15
20x20
22.5x15
Running to a more Costis-type approach here and just playing with heavier stuff.
1 minute rests.

Uni DB Preacher -
25x8x3
Continuous, 6+1+1, 5+1+1+1. These I'm sticking with the 8s thing, at least for now.

I got in late and didn't have much time to do anything afterwards.

I'm going to track my weight pretty closely here so I can get an idea of how my calories need to look; if I start losing faster than 1lb/week, I'll start bumping the carbs back up. My exhaustion here may have just been the aftermath of high yohimbine and caffeine doses, but it still felt pretty grotty.

2014-03-21 Intervals

40m in advance: 200mg caffeine, 15mg Yohimbine HCl

Elliptical -

5m @ 1I, 7R, 130-140bpm

10m @ 1I, 9R, 180-190bpm

~3m to get upstairs and strap into the erg

Erg -

1m @ 3:30

1m @ 1:40-1:50, 1m active rest

1m @ 1:45-1:55, 1m active rest

1m @ 1:45-1:55, 1m active rest

1m @ 1:50-2:05, 1m active rest

1m @ 1:50-2:15, 1m active rest

Unlike the last few times I slowed down and didn't feel satisfied afterwards, this one definitely boiled down to me being a pussy. My legs burned like hell and while I generally stayed below 2:00 for all of the intervals, I'm pretty unhappy about what happened on the last one.

I'm still seeing slight stars.

Oh, and next time it's after maxing on squats, with harder intervals (45/30). I'm looking forward to the shorter sprints, but the disproportionately shorter rests may make it murderous (though I'm not 100% sure there...)

2014-03-21 Deadlift

Warmup, Cat Camel

Deadlift -
135x5
165x5
195x5
225x5
255x5
285x5
315x3
350x5x3
I forgot my long socks and dropped my athletic tape, so today was pretty old school. I didn't sleep too well last night and felt pretty tired going in. Also, this being the morning (and me seeing Al walk in right in front of me and then make a pass through the annex) I did the first few sets on an impromptu platform and controlled the negative on rep 5 of the rest. That last one's probably good from a training effect perspective, though.
The sets were pretty hard (probably from the last few days of fatigue) but doable. I actually suspect that the stuff I do to protect my shins has a straight up ergogenic effect, which is pretty cool.

Long rests left me out of time after this.

More Programming Thoughts

I talked with Costis about his bench, shoulder, and arm programming today; I'm recording it roughly here and then talking about ideas.

He pretty much trains on a Westside-type template; main day goes heavy bench, then generally incline or press, cable crossovers (starting as a "decline" and eventually coming towards flat across a few sets), dumbbells, and then sometimes decline bench. Shoulders opens with Press, then side raises and a rear delt destroyer. Arms runs close grip, heavy barbell curl, then a mix of various other curls and extensions.

Since I'm running two per day now, it's reasonable to actually inject some higher intensity into the evening sessions; since they're for accumulating volume (more bodybuilding style) rather than intensity, they won't be particularly "damaged" by fatigue from conditioning.

The big stuff I'm noticing in Costis' approach:

1) Heavy emphasis on CG bench (actual close-grip - hands inside torso)

2) Rep ranges vary a lot, with most sets basically being RE

3) Crossovers/Flyes

4) Side Raises

5) Rear Delt work

6) Dumbbell flat or incline

(He also likes dips, but slap tear)

The RE aspect is pretty typical for his programming - he goes by feel, not prescription, and the Westside guys have made a good case for that being the way to go with accessory work.

From that I'm strongly considering putting CG Bench in first, taking out the extensions, and doing the whole thing RE.

2014-03-20 PM Accessories

Warmup

DB Bench -
30x10
60x6x3
I had some trouble maintaining shoulder position here; I guess it'll be an ongoing process.

DB Fly -
20x8
27.5x8x2
I had an even harder time here. I also find it kind of frustrating that I only feel the contraction in the very outer edges of my pecs.

Decline NG Extension -
55x8, 7, 6
I did these in the machine room, and it was a pain in the ass. The decline there is adjustable, but steeper and dramatically less "stable"-feeling. I can probably use it again, but getting into and out of position just feels unsafe.

Lateral Raise -
15x8
20x8
22.5x8
These felt pretty normal.

Face Pull - 5x15x3, 3sec
Push-Up - 10, 8, 10
Micro ER - 15x3

Then ball and roller work for pec, infraspinatus, upper ribs.

2014-03-20 Bench, and bench thoughts

Warmup

Bench -
45x5
60x5
75x5
90x5
105x5
120x5
135x5
150x5
165x3
175x5x3
I did these in the Memorial Stadium gym, and it turns out it's probably the best place to bench on campus - the leather actually does an incredible job holding onto my shirt, and the hooks allow for the best unrack I've ever done. It's probably specific to my body and shirt, but I'm not going back, especially since the unrack puts my shoulder in an almost unbreakably solid position.

Pull-Up -
9, 8, 8, 7
Switched to the morning.

I'm starting to put some of my squatting, pressing, and deadlifting intensity into benching (partly by copying the setup ritual), but I still don't "grind" the same way on hard reps. I didn't have that problem back during sophomore year, so I'm going to try building up more volume in the evenings.

I'm cutting the length of the warmup for everything (used to do 8-9 sets; cutting to 7 for now). Prehab's moving completely to the evening for now; I may double it up again as I cut time from the morning.

As I mentioned yesterday, pushing the evenings to more of a distinct bodybuilding-type workout probably makes the most sense, especially for the upper body days. Since I'm looking to up the volume specifically for benching, I'm looking at:

DB Bench 6x3, Flyes 8x3, Extensions 8x3, Side Raises 8x3

For lower, probably try:

Barbell Row 6x3, Ab 8x3, Rear Lateral 8x3, Curl 8x3

Possibly switching to DB rows and moving the barbells to the morning once I'm doing the pull-ups with weight.

Prehab also sees some change:
Upper - Face Pull, External Rotation, Push-Up (3 rounds); banded bilateral shoulder flexion (supple leopard 259-260), rolling for chest, shoulder, infraspinatus, lats, and upper ribs
Lower - Pistol, SLRDL, banded abduction (time.); couch (with rotation in position 2), rolling for lower ribs, hips, quads, hamstrings, and calves

If those prove unsustainable time-wise I'll switch out a bit and do more at home. I'll be doing some of it after conditioning, as well (mostly just to open up the hip and upper back).

2014-03-19 Accessory Work (and some programming notes)

Warmup

Pull-Up -
9, 8, 7, 7
2 minutes' rest for 1-3, 3 for 4. Sticking with 3 in future; ideally I'd like to move this to the morning workout, but that'll take some work on timing for those sets.

Pistol -
8x3
Each set took somewhere in the 2-3 minute range. I think the chucks throw my balance off a bit, but either way it's ludicrously hard for me to stay stable doing these. I'm going to class these as prehab along with the single-leg RDLs and progress them onto a bosu ball once I've got them down continuously with a good arch and good posture (and possibly some weight - hopefully that'll force me to stop keeling to the side).

Curl -
25x8x3
Continuous, 7+1, 6+2 (technically the right side failed, but only just).

Pulldown Ab - 95x8
Leg Raise - 8
Hanging Leg Raise - 7
Leg Raise - 2
I'm still not convinced on how to do these.

And then I ran out of time.

I see a few lessons here, and some insights:
1) I really, really need to keep doing the pistols. Given how easy the physical motion is, that and the single-leg RDLs might be best-placed on off-days as rehab.
2) Best-case scenario, I find a way to get pull-ups in with the main lift each day (presumably by reducing warmup sets) and do the entire evening as a bodybuilding-style accessory workout or something.
3) Until I move the pull-ups, I'm going back to the old version - with warmup and prehab I've got maybe 35 minutes to go through the main exercises, which locks me down at 3 (potentially 4, if I cut rest down a bit). I can experiment with that as it goes, but for now I'll just have to investigate shortening the warmups.

2014-03-19 Squat

Warmup, including cat-camel

Squat -
45x5
75x5
105x5
135x5
165x5
195x5
225x5
255x5
285x3
315x5x3
Rests probably fell somewhere around 5 minutes going in (most of California Love, all of Fight Music, first minute of Til I Collapse), 6 minutes for set 2 (3 minutes each of Til I Collapse and Lose Yourself), 8 minutes for set 3 (last minute of Lose Yourself, all of Fat Lip, all of Thug Revolution, first minute of Til I Collapse).

I actually sort of like this setup; first set's hard, second's harder, third set's comparatively easy.

Face Pull - 5x15x3x3s
Band ER - Micro*15x3

Further Split Thoughts

Let's go into some detail:

As far as I can tell, the main lift basically has to be in the morning. Pre-fatiguing the muscles involved weakens the most important movements; doing them first maximizes the benefit from stimulants without risking them running up against the ones used during conditioning. Conditioning can never happen before the main lift. Mains can technically be done at 1pm on non-conditioning days.

Conditioning shouldn't be done too close to bed; the adrenal effects of serious intervals are really dramatic and make sleeping very, very difficult. Ideally, we want to separate conditioning from any prior training by at least 4 hours (preferably more like 6) to avoid any metabolic conflicts. I finished like two and a half hours ago it's going to take a serious contrast shower to get me to sleep.

Accessory work can basically be done whenever, but since it requires no changes in psychological state and doesn't cause much of an adrenal dump, it can be done at night (possibly quite late at night), though it's still important to eat afterwards.

On the supplement side, the main lifts are probably best done on caffeine, creatine, and ephedrine to maximize CNS activation. Ephedrine synergizes with yohimbine to cause some fairly serious cardiovascular effects; given the longer half-life seen with Bronkaid, taking yohimbine any time after ephedrine is probably a very bad idea. Yohimbine can have a mild effect towards inducing panic attacks, which gets viciously exaggerated during intense exercise. Ephedrine seems to work primarily through appetite suppression, and since that's never going to be an issue for me I'm going to open with yohimbine. If that goes badly for cardio, I'll drop it and gradually add in some ephedrine to see how it goes.

Meal-wise, we want to eat before and immediately after the main lifts, have a gap of at least a few hours before the intervals to avoid blocking the effects of yohimbine, immediately after cardio because why not, and at least before (and preferably after) accessories as well.

Timing-wise, conditioning days are more flexible than the others, because I don't actually have to wake up early the following morning.

From that I'm getting something like:
8am - Breakfast
9:30am - Caffeine, Creatine, Baking Soda
10am - Main Lift
11am - Lunch (meat)
2pm - Lunch (salad)
6pm - Dinner (rolling while the rice cooks)
7pm - Accessories
8pm - Supper (rolling while the rice cooks)
12pm - Bed

8am - Breakfast
9:30am - Caffeine, Creatine, Baking Soda
10am - Main Lift
11am - Lunch
3:30pm - Caffeine, Yohimbine, Baking Soda
4pm - Conditioning
5pm - Dinner (rolling while the rice cooks)
9pm - Accessories
10pm - Supper (rolling while the rice cooks)
2am - Bed

Then walk to the gym for some "technique" erging on off-days, preferably in the evening, before carb intake. I can actually see some benefit to doing two light workouts that day, just to flush muscles with blood and assist with recovery.

The mild caveat here is that I don't know how well I'll be able to train the main lift without some carbs beforehand. Keeping carbs to the evening and emphasizing the post-workout period has some support (lower full-body insulin sensitivity, but some improved partitioning towards muscles, particularly on the conditioning days), and I'd like to stick with that.

Two bonus notes, though:
1) The whole idea behind training this way is to keep the actual activity to 45 minutes per session. That seems to translate roughly into Warmup+Main+Prehab, Conditioning, and Pull-Up+Accessories+Prehab. This potentially opens up some options for extra accessory work (and possibly something more intense). Off of that, I'm going to try:
Upper: Flyes, Lateral Raises, Extensions
Lower: Pistols, Curls, Abs

Ultimately, I may wind up adding or subbing for other stuff; I've had good results with Dumbbell Benching for 6s in the past, and want to start rowing again once my Pec's better (which it might be already). Single-leg RDLs and push-ups both fall into what I'd consider prehab, so I'll integrate those into the circuit.

2014-03-17 Accessories and Conditioning

Accessories:

Pull-Up -
9, 9, 10, 7
The trick seems to be pushing the continuous portion as long as possible, which makes sense. Some of the later reps were questionable on each set, but at the end of the day, I still got close for 10.

Front Raise -
22.5x8
20x8x2
The guys are pushing me towards laterals and rears, and I think I may take them up on that. Honestly, I may add more movements in here - the goal's to keep it to 45 minutes, and even with 5 minutes of rest on the pull-ups that's still very doable.

Decline NG Extension -
50x10x3
Rest-pausing and such here; repeating.

Conditioning:

Elliptical -
5m @ 1I, 7R, "easy" pace
10m @ 1I, 9R, "effort" pace
I did actually get my heart rate up to 160 towards the end of this.

Erg -
5m @ 3:30 pace
1m @ 1:50-1:55, 1m @ active
1m @ 1:45-1:50, 1m @ active
1m @ 1:45-1:50, 1m @ active
1m @ 1:45-1:55, 1m @ active
1m @ 1:50-2:00
I could barely walk after this. I still feel it in my chest.

2014-03-17 Push Press

Warmup

Push Press -
45x5
55x5
65x5
75x5
85x5
95x5
105x5
115x5
125x3
135x5x3
I did these at Memorial Stadium; seeing myself in the mirror was very distracting, and I didn't like the sense of being in a shared space. I might be ok to bench there, though.

Face Pulls / BER:
(2.5x15x3sec / Micro*15)x3

Split Training Thoughts

I went to the Memorial Stadium gym. The benches are lower (17") and slippery, and since the racks face the mirror it's hard to concentrate properly when pressing (and probably will be for squatting). It's very light and "public" in there, too, which makes it harder for me to change gears and really get into lifting mode. I suspect that physically being in the annex adds something there, too. The Stadium also gets DQed on accessories - no tricep bar, no preacher bench, no decline.

That said, they do have a Scifit bike and better ellipticals, which expands my options for cardio. I'll need to try both out before I do any intervals, but it's looking reasonably from that angle.

Schedule-wise, I think I'm fairly set up right now - I can still bench in the stadium, and I'll make things work for deads. Squat and Press I can both do comfortably in the main room at the RSF.

The plan's currently: Wake up at 8, then main lift 10-11, accessories 1-2, and conditioning 6-7 if applicable.

Waking up at 8, we get breakfast, caffeine, creatine, and ephedrine at 8:30, lunch at noon, "dinner" at 2:30, yohimbine and baking soda at 5:30, then supper around 7:30. Ephedrine may get nixed, but if I'm doing this hardcore I may as well actually go hardcore.

For the deloads, I'm looking at reducing the weight rather than volume, knocking off the caffeine and ephedrine, and not listening to music.

Once my tax return comes in, I may add in l-citrulline 8g/day, l-carnitine l-tartrate 6g/day, alpha-gpc 600 mg/day, taurine 6g/day, and possibly beta-alanine (competes with taurine). I may also start throwing in the baking soda throughout the rest of the day, but I'm not keen on how far it'll throw off my sodium/potassium ratio.

EDIT: I'm also considering just not doing the accessory work on conditioning days, or something. To be honest, I'd most like to do accessories at 9 and main at 1 or 7 (depending on conditioning), but I'm worried about the effects on performance.

2014-03-16 Deadlift

Warmup

Deadlift -
135x5
160x5
185x5
210x5
235x5
260x5
285x5
315x3
345x5x3
I'm going to bump the rests up a bit; here I took about five going into set 2 and felt atrocious, then more like 7 for set 3 and felt awesome.
I'm in a fairly bad position breathing-wise, though - I do better if I hold my breath for the whole set, but I also pop blood vessels all over my face and upper chest (maybe). I'll make an appointment to get that checked out, just in case it's an actual sickness.

Pull-Up -
9, 9, 8, 7
The 9s tend to be sketchy, but I won't hit 10 without pushing it.

Ab -
100x8
95x8
90x8
I had a pretty hard time with 100; 95 less so, and 90's a piece of cake. It might be time to brainstorm a new movement here, actually.

Curl -
25x8x3
First set continuous, second with a 3-second rest after the first 6, third with a 3-second after 6 and 10-second after 7. I failed on the right side (hence the 10 seconds); left just mimics the right, including the rest break.

Face Pull -
5x15x3, 3 second holds

Couch Stretch -
2m/position
I tried turning to the left while I did the right side; it seemed to get the painful line of my quad, so I guess my new step here is to rotate my torso towards the "forward" side.

Going to get a massage from Wynnie; my QL was acting up most of the day.

2014-03-14 Deload Bench

Warmup

Bench -
45x5
60x3
75x3
90x3
105x3
120x3
135x3
150x1
170x2x5
I added the music today; these felt considerably better than usual. I am getting some tweaking on the front of my shoulder, though.

Pull-Up -
9, 9. 7, 7
Gradually getting to that 10.

Decline Swiss Extension -
50x8x3
Repeating - this was pretty damn hard, actually.

Front Raise -
22.5x8x3
Also hard. I'm still debating the side raise (or delt destroyer) idea.

Decided against conditioning due it being a deload, my having to submit my Dartmouth essay by 9, and my having case practice scheduled for 8.

2014-03-13 Deload Squat

Warmup

Squat -
45x5
75x3
105x3
135x3
165x3
195x3
225x3
255x3
285x1
310x2x5
I'm going to see how fresh I feel at the start of the next cycle (keeping good track) and then try a weight-based deload in April. I know deloads generally feel pretty crappy, but on a program like this it seems like they should feel less so than on the Texas Method (where you deload mid-week after hitting yourself with a tremendously concentrated training stress on volume day).
My quad's acting up even more than usual. Since I'm on vacation now, I'm going to start really hammering the mobility while I'm at home. I also noticed that the right side has a bit of an abduction deficit.

Pull-Up -
8, 8, 7, 7

Cable Ab -
90x8x3

Curl -
25x8x3
Some rest pausing here (6+2, 5+1+1+1, 6+2) but good.

Face Pull -
5x15x3, 3s

Had to skip mobility due to expired parking.

Possible Program and Diet Revision

I realized earlier today that as of 12am Saturday, I'm basically on holiday. That might come with an asterisk from working at Habitat for Humanity, but it still leaves me very open most days. The guaranteed takeaway there is that I'm going to be sleeping plenty this time around.

From that, I'm considering splitting training up into AM/PM segments (possibly AM/Lunch/PM for Monday and Friday). This has several bonuses (greater elevation of metabolic rate, get to lift with the morning crew, split cardio and lifting up to reduce catabolism, further increases frequency, etc. - hell, the lunch thing would jump it to 12 workouts per week).

I see three drawbacks, though:
1) I'll have to wake up a little earlier, get more warmed up, etc.. This might be difficult at the beginning.
2) I may want to add in some additional carbs in the morning and otherwise revise the diet, which could be annoying. I don't have a huge problem with splitting the carbs up, but editing meals to optimize performance could be annoying. That said, I'm not going to change breakfast unless it really seems to make a difference. Post-training meal might benefit from some carbs, though.
3) Dealing with the staff on deadlift days might be inconvenient, though if that does come up I've got options (move deadlift sessions around, etc.)

Light cardio on my off days would also be useful to speed recovery.

2014-03-12 Deload Push Press

Warmup

Push Press -
45x5
55x3
65x3
75x3
85x3
95x3
105x3
115x1
130x2x5
I walked in for these feeling unusually slow.

Pull-Up -
9, 9, 8, 6
Pretty happy here though. Might have been 7 on the last set.

Front Raise -
20x10x3
22.5.

Decline Swiss Extension -
45x10, 10, 8

I spent a lot of today on the foam rollers, so I skipped the usual mobility work and left to go hang out.

2014-03-10 Deadlift

Warmup

Deadlift -
135x5
160x5
185x5
210x5
235x5
260x5
285x5
310x3
340x5x3
Back to feeling very easy; I did have some caffeine and put the music on fairly well, but anything for speed pulls. Also taped up my calves and thumbs. The last set didn't go as well; I take that as a sign of bad music selection. Still, I'm definitely good through 365 at this rate.

Pull-Up -
8, 7, 7, 5, 5
I didn't feel like pushing it after the lat pull.

Cable Crunch -
90x8x3

DB Preacher -
22.5x8x3
All reps paused and done for speed. I guess we're hitting the 25s next time.

Elliptical -
5m @ 1I/7R, 135rpm
10 @ 1I/8R, 180rpm
I think I'm getting too used to this - my heart rate barely broke 150 on the 180rpm, and going up to 9R felt a bit excessive. Maybe I should just deal with that, I dunno.

Erg -
5m @ 3:30
5x (1m @ >=1:55, 1m active rest)
I'm definitely getting too used to this; unfortunately it's still the only option I've got for full-body cardio. My legs and biceps were the main sufferers today, though, so it might be worth going to the stairmaster for a bit regardless.

Couch - 1m/position
Upper back stuff for right side, LAX Ball

The pulls make me think my body's starting to break down a bit; then again, since the issue apparently keeps moving, it's probably more Broz-esque than a set of truly dangerous growing injuries. I'll see how things go.

2014-03-09 Bench

Warmup

Bench -
45x5
60x5
75x5
90x5
105x5
120x5
135x5
150x3
170x5x3
I moved these very slowly; I'm not sure what was behind that. Several factors tend to coalesce on Sundays, so it's pretty hard to pick out a single issue. My right pec started acting up, too; I'm going to get an appointment with Sean at some point so we can fix it up. The rates have gone up, though, so for now I'll be relying on some informal masseuses.

Pull-Up -
9, 9, 8, 7
I didn't get all the way up on the 2nd nine, but you win by pushing.

Front Raise -
20x10, 10, 8
I've started cheating a bit on these. It's also occurred to me that Costis does laterals and not these, and benches a lot more than I do.

Decline Swiss Extension -
45x8x3
I'll repeat this again. I suspect my triceps are a little more shot after benching.
I also moved my grip down a bit; touching my forehead makes the off-center grip fairly superfluous.

Face Pull -
5x15x3, 3 seconds

Couch Stretch -
1m/position, plus 30 seconds in pos2 for right side
I kept the stretched side's glute contracted for left pos2 and the second run on the right.

Chest with Tennis Ball
Upper Back with Lacrosse Ball

2014-03-07 Squat

Warmup

Squat -
45x5
75x5
105x5
135x5
165x5
195x5
225x5
255x5
285x5
310x5x3
I brought my stance in to deadlift width up until 255; 225 felt off, so I took it out a few inches. I still get the quad pain and knee cave but neither is as bad as it was with my (old) competition stance.
315's a pretty nice milestone, so I'll get video for that one (front and side).

Pull-Up -
8, 8, 7, 7
These are getting more questionable; I'm going to swallow my ego and allow for more sets in future.

Cable Crunch -
95x8
90x8x2
It helps to "chin" a bit to get the weight moving.

DB Preacher -
25x8, 8, 6, 2
Just switched arms for the 2.
I realized while doing these that I've skipped 22.5 completely; I'll go back and hit that.

Elliptical -
5m @ 1I, 7R, 135rpm
10m @ 1I, 9R, 175rpm

Erg -
5.5m @ 3:30
5x (1m @ <2:00, 1m @ active rest)
Next time I'm going to push myself for sub-1:55 on all 5 intervals. As I think I mentioned last time, the downside to good work capacity is that you recover so fast that you feel like you didn't make yourself work hard enough at...well, anything, really.

Face Pull -
5lb*15x3

Couch -
1m/ea

LAXUB

2014-03-06 Push Press

Warmup

Push Press -
45x5
55x5
65x5
75x5
85x5
95x5
105x5
115x5
130x5x3
I forgot that 115 was supposed to be a triple. 130 wasn't as light as it could have been (no yelling or really drastic changes in mental state), but it moved fast. I have a strong feeling I'm good for continuous progress next cycle (135->150).

That said, I did notice that it took me some time and effort to get activated here. I think it's time to just sacrifice my inhibitions and start taking caffeine again; if I get to the gym when I plan to, I should still be able to sleep afterwards.

Pull-Up -
8, 8, 7, 7

Front Raise -
20x8x3
All sets done continuously.

Decline Tricep Bar Extention:
+25x8x3
I "weighed" the bar using the cable setup; I think I'll do it again and compare to various dumbbells, just to be sure. Right now it looks like 20lbs, but I suspect we're getting thrown off by the friction.
Either way, I'm repeating this one next time. The trick seems to be touching the bar to my forehead.

Couch - 2m/ea
Face Pull - 5lb*15*3 (3 second holds)
LAX Ball UB

"Cheated" on diet somewhat this evening with Kettle Corn instead of fish&rice. That drops my carb intake a little, ups the fat, and basically kills the protein for dinner. I followed up with an apple for fullness.

2014-03-05 Deadlift

Warmup

Deadlift -
135x5
160x5
185x5
210x5
235x5
260x5
285x5
310x3
335x5x3
These moved slower than some of the other recent ones; I suspect that conditioning on Friday took a bit more out of me than I'd hoped. I may switch back to alternating machines (do the initial portion on the elliptical use the erg for the intervals) next time; I'm not sure.

Pull-Up -
7, 6, 6, 6, 5

Curl -
25x7, 8, 8
Rest-pausing all over the place here.

Cable Crunch -
90x8x3
I did these on the lat pulldown with one of the wide handles - I sat down facing away from the stack, stood up and grabbed the bar with a supine (chinning) grip, then sat back down, braced my legs, and crunched in while steadying the bar with my arms. It was a pretty good workout.

Couch - 2m/ea. I'm not getting that "hanging on my meat" sensation on the right anymore.
BPA - I honestly don't remember if I did 3 sets here. I think I made a mental note to go back to face pulls, actually.
Upper Back LAX - Lots of work around the scapula. My knots are resilient.

2014-03-03 Bench

Warmup

Bench -
45x5
60x5
75x5
90x5
105x5
120x5
135x5
150x3
165x5x3
I'm going to start pulling the music out here; not because I need the input, but because I need to get in the habit of amping up going into my work sets.
Some of these felt technically questionable, but no real big deal besides that.

Pull-Up -
8, 8, 7, 7

Front Raise -
20x8x3
These felt about as hard as they did last time; I think I'll go for sets of 10 for a bit before jumping to 22.5s.

Decline Swiss Bar Extension -
+0x8x1
+20x8x3
I have no idea how much this bar weighs; ones online run from 15lbs to 30 (supposedly). I'll compare it with the dumbbells to get an idea.
(I guess I could load them up with weight and see where my grip fails, actually)

Cardio: Erg -
5m @ 3:30
10m @ 2:30
5m @ 3:30
4x(90s@1:50-2:05, 90s@active rest)
Drinking and toweling myself off on the erg are both really, really inconvenient. I managed to keep the timer going better this time, but I'm going to ask the Dragon Boat folks if they have any tricks.
I also don't think I pushed myself as hard as I could have here; I opened the first interval at 1:40, but wound up in the 2:00-2:05 range for the last on and got off feeling reasonably unwinded. My legs were giving out a bit more than usual thanks to squatting yesterday, but I still feel like I let myself off the hook for the later intervals. That might just be my cardio exceeding my legs, though.

2014-03-02 Squat

Warmup

Squat -
45x5
75x5
105x5
135x5
165x5
195x5
225x5
255x5
280x5
305x5x3
I took my stance in much closer; my knees still cave, but not as much (and not as painfully). Right now I'm something like 2 inches outside of my deadlift stance; I'm just going to go all the way there in future.

Pull-Up -
9, 8, 8, 6
I paused after every rep for the last set; I was guaranteed 30, so it didn't seem to matter. My lack of scapular control is starting to come out really strongly; I might have to go back to PTI and get Jim to work on some of the bigger trigger points. I really, really don't want to go back there, though.

No rows due to pec thing.
No abs due to a combination of laziness and the pec thing.

Couch Stretch -
2m/1m for the right hip; it doesn't feel like I'm doing anything to this one anymore.
2m/2m for the left hip; this one's still going.

BPA - 75/50/50

Tennis Ball - Some
I lost the lacrosse ball. Tennis doesn't really work for the bad spots.

On Cardio

This will probably wind up being a full-blown essay on cardio for performance and fat loss. As advance warning, four years of pseudo-academia have gotten me used to writing research reports, with citations, quotes, figures, data, and plenty of headings. I don't want to sink that kind of time into this, so the formatting may feel a little off (at least to me).

2014-02-28 Push Press

Warmup

Press -
45x5
55x5
65x5
75x5
85x5
95x5
105x5
115x5? (may have skipped)
125x3
135x2
I went in with different music than usual, but it was time for a change regardless.

Push Press -
125x5x3
It took a few sets before I got the hang of this again, but I think I'm ok now.

Pull-Up -
8, 8, 7, 7

Front Raise -
20x8x3
Getting progressively easier. I'll take this at least once more, though.

DB Preacher -
25x8x3
Did some continuous reps, and rest-paused a bit on set 3. Gradually working back up.

Band Pullapart -
Mini*75, 50, 50

Cardio:
Erg - 5m warmup (3:05 pace), 4x(90@<2:00, 60@off, 30@3:05)
5m rest
Elliptical - 5m@1I, 7R, 140rpm; 10m@1I, 8R, 180rpm; 5m@1I, 7R, 130rpm

The erg is getting to be a pain in the ass here; it shuts down fast after I stop and makes it harder to track time while I get water and towel off, the straps make lift difficult, etc.. It also seems to lose track of time when I do a slow pace; I'm pretty sure I accidentally warmed up for a good bit more than I meant to because it stalled so much. Trying to sort my phone out for music in that position also doesn't work very well (hard to be back in pockets - might be time to just get some bluetooth earbuds).

I wore the Oly shoes for the whole workout today (forgot my chucks). I actually liked the effect on the elliptical, and probably preferred it to chucks on the erg.

I'm torn on how to handle the progression on cardio, see next.