Grip session PLUS

[See update at bottom...] 

Crush training
27 min., 225 lbs.

Warm-up (10 min.) - gyro ball, Chin-Na drills, stretching

Ghetto Gripper* - 10 closes

CoC #1.5 - 6 closes

CoC #2 -
1 near-close L, 1 close R
1 near-close L, 1 close R

CoC #1.5 - 10 closes

Ghetto Trainer - 20 closes

[...deal with babies...relocate to garage...] 

Hand balancing - 5 min.
one-arm db snatch - 5/5, 5/5 @ 35 lbs.
one-arm kb swing - 80 @ 35 lbs. [switched hands every ten swings]
one-arm db snatch - 5/5, 5/5 @ 35 lbs.
one-arm kb swing - 80 @ 35 lbs. [ditto]
[^ 15 min.]

+ + +

Yesterday I began assembling my first dino-bells. I call them dino-bells in honor of Brooks Kubik's Dinosaur Training. I will make a 30 lb. and 60 lb. dino-db with a 5" grip width, and a 125 lb. dino-bar with about 4' of grip width. I am using 2" electrical conduit, plastic buckets, and Sakrete. I forgot to spray silicone lubricant into the bucket when I set the first 15 lb. "plate" yesterday, so it will either come off with some help from a rubber mallet, or my 30 lb. dino-db will have both ends covered in white plastic, and I'll have to invest in a third bucket. I'm giving each batch at least a day and a half before I mess with it, so hopefully I can set up the other half of the 30 lb. dino db tomorrow.**  

At The Home Depot, when I asked the plumbing helper to cut the conduit into shorter segments, he said, "That grip's too thick, it's too hard to handle." I explained that that's the entire point of making such devices, but as I learned long ago, thick bar and "rough" training is counterintuitive almost anywhere you go. 

--------------------

* Yesterday I got a spring clamp for a dollar at The Home Depot. I gave my Heavy Grips 150 to a friend when I left Taiwan, so I need something again for warm-up reps. The Ghetto Gripper feels like the Captains of Crush Point Five, I reckon. If I need it to be tougher, of course, I'll just wrap rubber bands around the pincers, like I did with an alligator clamp back in Taiwan.

** UPDATE 20 April 2014 - The rubber mallet worked like a charm. This half currently weighs a little more than 18 lbs, but once I cut off the excess bar and (perhaps) grind down the inner edge of the concrete so it won't cut my forearm [I'll probably just wear large wrist bands], it should weigh about 18 lbs. So by the end of the project, the dino db will weigh at least 35 lbs, with a total cost of about $5 and a couple hours of puttering. 

Brainstorming, thanks to Dan John…

A "three-way" split idea. Not a three-day split, mind you, since proper rest might require three days between workouts, etc. Listen to your body, not a calendar. Rest between workouts until adequately recovered.

%s mentioned below are based on 1RM (known or estimated). EXERCISE : WEIGHT x REPS

Warmups much as Dan John describes them in the first paragraph here.

I came up with the following pretty much off the top of my head, based on what I think are the best "all-around", "essential" strength and conditioning movements for the moderately seriously "fitness-minded" person.

Core principles include: "K.I.S.S.", "Less is more", "It's all about Push-Pull", "specificity", and "double progression".

KEY POINT: These are not circuits, though circuits are my wont. As such, each set would provide enough intensity to make gains but also require a limited enough volume, not haunted by the specter of numerous follow-up, accessory exercises, as to allow for maximal focus and effort each time around. Note that he first two sets on Monday are basically just warmup sets, so its effectively a "one-set" workout, despite its formally triplicate structure. As Clarence Bass puts it:

Monday: 30% x 15, 70% x 8, 90% x 3 (or failure) 
SQ - PUSH
BP - PUSH
DL - PULL

Wednesday: 30% x 5, 40% x 5, 50% x 5, 60% x 5, 70% x 5
Overhead Squat - PUSH
CJ - PULL-PUSH
SDL - PULL

Friday: 30% x 12, 50% x 12, 70% x 6 (or failure) 
FSQ - PUSH 
IBP - PUSH
weighted PU - PULL

Purely guesstimating, for me this would look roughly like so:

Monday: 30% x 15, 70% x 8, 90% x 3 (or failure) 
SQ - 50 x 15, 90 x 8, 125 x 3 
BP - 35 x 15, 70 x 8, 95 x 3
DL - 50 x 15, 105 x 8, 135 x 3

Wednesday: 30% x 5, 40% x 5, 50% x 5, 60% x 5, 70% x 5
OSQ - 30 x 5, 40 x 5, 45 x 5, 55 x 5, 65 x 5
CJ - 25 x 5, 30 x 5, 35 x 5, 42 x 5, 50 x 5 
SDL - 45 x 5, 55 x 5, 70 x 5, 85 x 5, 100 x 5

Friday: 30% x 12, 50% x 12, 70% x 6 (or failure) 
FSQ - 35 x 12, 55 x 12, 80 x 6
IBP - 30 x 12, 45 x 12, 65 x 6 
weighted PU - bdw + 5 x 12, bdw + 7.5 x 12, bdw + 10 x 6 

If you bothered to parse all that, it would actually be three uniquely grueling workouts, all under 45 minutes, I wager. The extra time can be filled with focused stretching, aerobic work, or hobby movements.

Monday would build power.

Wednesday would build stamina, speed, core, neuromuscular coordination, mental focus, and better technique.

Friday would augment both Monday and Wednesday, without demanding too much after two such arduous workouts.

Off-days could be given to focused abcore training, grip training, yoga, swimming, sprinting, walking, track and field drills, Tabata sessions, whatever.  (Incidentally, I think the best exercises for the Tabata method are thrusters, burpees, jumping pullups, and what I call jumpie-pullups [viz. start in a deep knee bend position, jump up into a pullups, descend into knee bend squat, repeat].)

I'm really eager to try this out.

I've been told the 5 x 5 is best for beginners and serious powerlifters, though even that latter benefit has been contested by a muscle-head friend of mine, so my goal is to complete at least a month of the Quick Mass regimen, then switch back to my Even Keel regimen for six weeks, and then try the above, if my gym is suitable for Olympic lifts.

Gym regimen - March 2012

Friday, 2 March 2012
Even Keel 1 (Circuit A)
<60 min, 96kg

WARM UP
Ski machine: 8 min.
Stretching, etc.

SQ: 9, 6, 3 @ 100kg, 115kg, 130kg

BP: 9, 6, 4 @ 75kg, 85kg, 90kg

SDL: 7, 4, 4 @ 110kg, 117.5kg, 125kg

PU: 12, 10*, 5** @ bdw, bdw + 7.5kg, bdw + 20kg

Press: 9, 6, 5 @ 38kg, 45.5kg, 52kg

Seated “plank” cable curl: 10, 8, 10 @ 27kg, 36kg, 45kg

“COOL DOWN”
db IBP: 10, 6, 6* @ 36kg, 40.5kg, 45kg


* * *

Tonight was an extemely “mental” workout. The A Circuit of my Even Keel regimen is simply more grueling than the B Circuit. I was nervous many times during the day––partially because I was imaging for the workout, partially because my wife feels she's ready to pop… hello, newborn! When I got to the gym, I felt totally uninpsired. I just did not want to workout. But I checked my data again from my previous A workout, ate some mouthfuls of honey, drank some water, and got on the ski machine, my mewling dread be damned.

It was also annoying that the students from the Phys. Ed. College powerlifting team were there again. So I had to work in on the SQ. There was also a huge guy doing DL, so I had to work in on that. And of course there was the “pec bouncer” (as I call him) on the BP, so I had to work in on that, too. C'est la vie, I know, I'm just saying it didn't boost my mental game.

I guess I knew, in a psychosomatic, pre-verbal way, that my SQ was going to be a new plateau for me, at least in this new season of weightlifting. And it was an epoch. For the first time in a long time, I can feel a little stiffness in my lower cervical spine, from the weight of the bar, and I could feel the ache of my legs after each set of SQ. Not pain, mind you, just a good threshing of the body.

A not insignificant mental deterrent was the fact that the students were squatting more than I was, albeit not always ass-to-grass (ATG). So I had to block out the carpings of my ego, state my weight, and just get under the bar to do what I knew I had to do for my own goals. An interesting aspect of this mind game, however, is that the students all used knee wraps, which I perhaps only tonight realized are to be wrapped so tightly that one cannot really bend one's knees while walking. According to this article, wraps can add as much as 10% to your SQ, so it was hearteaning to know I went “raw”––no wraps, no bands, and ATG on every rep.

I also felt a bit shaky on the BP, since I went heavier on my first two “run up” sets than I normally do. Getting 4 reps at 90kg on set 3, even with a little spotter help, was good enough for tonight.

The SDL was also frustrating, since I had to block out once more the egotistical urge to lift more than I wanted to, given the fact that “the big guy” was lifting, at one point, perhaps 200kg. Now, he used straps and was doing straight DL, while I was using a snatch grip and only used some chalk on my 3rd set. The SDL realls is humbling. The angle removes about four of your ten fingers from the grip, so it's hard to activate complete exertion for the lift itself. This weakness is based on a neurological reflex which inhibits full motor flexing given an insecure grip on an object (sort of like the”anticipatory” adjustment mechanism discussed in this (PDF) paper). The problem is parallel to squatting in “squishy” shoes or on an unstable surface. Your body just will not “commit” to moving so much weight if basic effector units feel compromised.

Anyway.

I had to re-adjust my grip on my 2nd and 3rd sets, and when I finished, the leader of the powerlifting pack advised me to use his wrist straps. “Next time,” I told him. The problem is not how much can I DL as such, since, if I used straps, I know I could put on another 30kg. The problem, rather, is that I prefer to let my grip catch up with my DL, at least until I get to a truly massive DL.

The basic problem is that I felt out of place tonight. Even using my chalk, I felt skittish, wiping it up as fastidiously as I'd seen the powerlifting kids do so a week before. But I want a gym where chalk is already on the plates, on the bars, on the floor! In due time…!

The press felt very solid, and I think I'm definitely approaching an APR (all-time personal record). … SCANNING… No, scratch that: I see that in April 2011, I finished with 6 reps at 65kg! Sometimes I even surprise myself.

PU were just wacky tonight, and another instance of me facing the urge to alter my parameters in light of what other guys were doing. Two guys, namely, were doing weighted PU, and I felt chummy enough to get into the mix. Of course both of them used straps. One guy, very lean and solid, did an impressive number of close-grip PU at bdw + 20kg. His buddy did partial PU with up to 35kg on the chain! Now, I'm all for pushing to new heights, but at the end of the day, I still believe the most basic test of PU ability is a wide-handle, strap-free PU with full range of motion and only “natural” kipping. By the 3rd set, I could barely do a 5-second negative, much less do a single rep. Still, it was nice to have “the buddy” spot me on my 2nd set and exchange thumbs up all around.

Lastly, I tried a new exercise tonight, perhaps of my own devising. It's basically a cable curl in which you sit on the floor, as if doing a cable row, but the key is to rest a plank of wood on your stomach and your triceps on the plank. This makes it as effective a concentration curl as the preacher bench, but removes that annoying lull at the top, since the cable keeps constant tension on your arms. It was also interesting to note how much space I had to curl into a good squeeze, sometimes curling all the way up to my forehead. This supine cable curl also seems mighty nice.

I threw in the powerset of db IBP just to give my chest, once again, that much more love.

All in all, I had a good workout, and need some days off before going back. Maybe by then I'll have held my daughter!

Gym regimen - February 2012

Wednesday, 8 Feb 2012
Even Keel CIRCUIT A
50 min., 96kg

Squat 9, 6, 3 @ 70kg, 82.5kg, 100kg

Pullup 12, 9, 7 @ bdw, bdw + 5kg, bdw + 5kg

Bench press 9, 6, 3** @ 70kg, 80kg, 90kg
[Major spot for last 2 reps of set 3.]

Snatch DL 8, 6, 4* @ 110kg, 110kg, 120kg
[Used straps for last 2 sets of set 3. They cut like razors, must buy my own!]

Standing military press 9, 6, 4 @ 28kg, 42kg, 48kg

Bench EZ curl 9, 6, 4* @ 23kg, 28kg, 38kg
[Body cheat on rep 4 of set 3 and then a 10-second negative to finish.]

+ + +

Happily enough, the gym (台中美力健身房) was not very crowded when I arrived at 1830. However, the weather was miserable today, so fewer people than usual might have come today. I'll have to see what it's like next week, when the weather, hopefully, is nicer. I asked the owner and he said the busiest time is about 2000, since most people are just getting off work and/or eating dinner at 1830, so it looks like my after-work workout will work out, after all (!).

It's a small gym, which is probably its greatest defect, and I had minute flashes of annoyance as I got familiar with the equipment, navigating the passages, and handling the plates. It's all good: I'll just need to be patient and just improve my transitions. The gym is very well stocked and everyone there seems gym-savvy and courteous.

As I said, tonight's was a diagnostic workout, so, frankly, I was fully prepared to suck. Fortunately, though, I was surprised at how strong I seemed to be, even after half a year out of the gym. Indeed, after my first set of pullups, at least one person applauded and more than a couple time various people chatted openly about my power of gave me vigorous thumbs-up. There was one giant younger fellow there, whom I am fairly certain I trained against years ago in judo. He's an impressive specimen, though I note he worked his chest and abs, with some stair machine, for pretty much the entire duration of my workout, so he must be more of a bodybuilder and he's definitely a gym rat. I ain't got time for all that, alas!

Squatting felt good, and it's awesome to have a proper squat rack! (It was slanted from the wall a bit, though, which made foot placement a little confusing, but I will adjust it next time and hone my own perception, regardless.)

Evidently my rope pullups paid off, since I felt pretty strong on pullups tonight.

The biggest surprise was how strong I felt on the bench. A solid 90kg rep in my last set after half a year away, hooray!

The deadlift is probably my biggest disappointment, mainly because the rack at the gym is narrow and doesn't allow me to put the bar on the floor. This is because there are catch bars fixed about a foot above the floor, so not only can I not put the bar on the floor, but I also can't do a very wide snatch grip, unless, I suppose, I want to crush my fingers. The best solution I see for now is to stand on a couple flat plates to get my feet approximately level with the plates on the bar. As noted above, the straps at 美力 are narrow and really cut into my wrists. I'm afraid the owner won't like me using chalk, either, so I'll have to find a solution in due time. Meanwhile, I'll use my one good strap (no idea where the other went!) and cushion my other wrist with a sweat band.

I stunned a couple people with my standing press, which did feel good, but I've lost a good 10kg from where I left off last year. I like doing strict form, which means heels and toes 90°apart. I may have been overreaching tonight, since I let my lower back go concave a few times.

Finally, I was confused about how much to curl, so I'll have to keep experimenting to find the right weight.

Gym regimen - April 2011

Even-Keel Workout 1
50 mins, 96kg
[I guess summer is melting off my fat! Today was hot but I slogged through. Allegedly, according to my spotter on the bench, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I'm giving Creatine another try.]

WARMUP

CIRCUIT:

Pullup: 16, 15, 14
[Could have had better form on tail end of set 3. And then one day I'll be dead.]

Bench press: 8, 6, 5* @ 75kg, 82.5kg, 90kg
[Felt very solid on these. See additional workout notes below. My chest is coming along.]

Snatch deadlift: 8, 6, 5 @ 100kg, 110kg, 120kg
[A slightly narrower grip, just outside the rings in the knurling worked much better. Frankly, a wider grip brings the bar onto my "junk" at the finish.]

Military press: 10, 8, 6 @ 45kg, 55kg, 65kg
[I was actually taken aback at much more I am able to press nowadays. Ties into my improved bench press.]

Spider curl: 8 + 4, 8 + 3, 4 + 2 @ 35kg, 42.5kg, 47.5kg
[I love these!]

Front squat: 10, 6, 6 @ 70kg, 75kg, 80kg
[These felt much better: hands were placed well and I am sure my knees weren't drifted more than necessary. Dug deep on set 3, for damn sure! A Taiwanese guy walking in stopped to look at me and then smiled at me as I walked away from the rack. Flex some nuts!]

* * *

Post-work workout:

WARMUP

CIRCUIT:

Low lever row: 12, 10, 10 @ 80kg, 90kg, 100kg

Bench press: 10, 8, 10* @ 70kg, 77.5kg, 85kg
[Spotter helped me on last, maybe, 5, probably 4, reps of set 3. Where did that come from!? Game on.]

Spider curl: 8 + 4, 8 + 4, 3 + 3 @ 37.5kg, 41.5kg, 47.5kg

CIRCUIT:

Wrist roller: 6kg, 6kg, 5kg

Wrist curl: 12, 10, 14 @ 5kg, 10kg, 12.5kg

* * *

My grip training arsenal is nearly complete: Captains of Crush #1.5, and then a #2, in the mail in the next 1, to 6, weeks; Adjustable battery–jumper grippers; Wrist flexor bars; Wrist roller; Thick-grip barbell and dumbbell; Eagle catcher; Plates and dumbbells; Severe negative slider-post [kind of like this… but "simpler"… i.e. "ghettoer"];etc.

My body is responding very well to the new regimen: more rest, more intensity, more spontaneous mini-workouts. On my after-work workout I took off my button shirt and trained in my wifebeater… and must say, I looked bigger than last time, and I think I turned a few heads (not gay!). Patience, Humility, Confidence…. Stay tuned.

Gym regimen - April 2011

Sunday, 10 April 2011
40 mins
Skip rope, Ski machine, calf raises, shrugs, pec deck, bench situps, shrugs

Monday, 11 April 2011
40 mins
KB drills, mace drills

Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Even-Keel Workout 1
50 mins, 99kg

WARMUP

CIRCUIT

Pullup: 14, 13, 13

Bench press: 10, 8, 6 @ 70kg, 80kg, 85kg
[Having a longer rest between sets over the circuit gave me the energy to do a soild 6 reps on set 3! I'm just going to be patient with my bench, though I would like to do 11, 9, 7 at the same weight next time, and then go a tad heavier for 10, 7, 4 the time after that, and then build up to 10, 8, 6 and then 11, 9, 7, etc.]

Snatch DL: 10, 8, 6 @ 90kg, 100kg, 110kg
[Should try a narrower grip and go heavier on these next time.]

Military press: 10, 8, 8 @ 40kg, 45kg, 52.5kg

Spider curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35kg, 40kg, 45kg; Standing BB curl: 10 @ 40kg
[Interesting feeling as my pecs and neck flexed to get the weight up. Want to go heavier on these next time. I did that last set of BB curls on a lark, just to shred my biceps a little more.]

Squat 10, 8, 6 @ 90kg, 105kg, 110kg
[Will do 11, 9, 7 next time and then raise the weight, etc., as above. Good breathing. Never felt too strained, just solid and "exerted".]

Gym regimen - March 2011

THURSDAY, 31 March 2011
A3: Back and Hamstrings
60 mins, 98kg

WARMUP

CIRCUIT:

Pullup (with alternated grip): 15, 14, 13

Leg curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 45kg, 50kg, 55kg

CIRCUIT:

Snatch grip DL: 10, 8, 6 @ 100kg, 110kg, 120kg
[Hook grip on rep 6 of set 3.]

Glute extension (per leg): 10, 8, 6 @ 60kg, 70kg, 80kg

CIRCUIT:

Lever bench row: 10, 8, 6 @ 100kg, 110kg, 120kg

Walking lunge (carrying plates): 20, 24, 30 @ 15kg

CIRCUIT:

Oblique cable pulldown: 20, 18, 16 @ 15kg, 20kg, 25kg
[I improvised these all of a sudden, though the idea has been in my mind for a few weeks since I saw a machine that trains the core while standing. I could try them standing next time, I guess, but kneeling felt better. Incredible tricep workout, by the way, caught me off guard!]

Underhand cable pulldown: 10, 8, 6 @ 60kg, 70kg, 80kg
[I just pulled the hell out of these, a lark of a circuit, since I love blasting my back more than anything else. I'm trying to work my biceps and chest twice a week, so these helped with biceps.]

•

An interesting workout tonight, mainly because I tried two new exercises, did some exercises again I haven't tried in many weeks, and then added a fourth circuit as a surprised to myself.

The snatch grip deadlift (SGDL) is a beast of an entirely different color! I calculated that doing a snatch grip versus SGDL immediately knocks me down by 20kg. Not using chalk probably chops off another 10kg. I really like the SGDL. Really felt everything more, in my legs and back. The grip was a little awkward, and I may have been gripping too widely. This article1 contains a method for finding a good grip-width, as well as strong endorsements of SGDL. This article2 also has good tips and is a singular endorsement of SGDL.

I felt very anxious this evening, not sure why, so I was really looking forward to some heavy training. This workout did not disappoint me.