Grip training + AYCE = WINNING!

Grip training
30 min., 225 lbs.
MOOD: felt groggy and a bit cranky when I got home; spent some time puttering in the garage and eventually felt ready

warm-up: space mace, ghetto gripper, stretching, Chin Na movements (10 min.)

CoC #1.5 - 6 closes

CoC #2 - LH 1 near-close, RH 1 close
[I squeezed so hard on my first LH attempt that at the release I got dizzy enough to have to brace myself on my heavy bag. Fun times!]

CoC #2 - LH 1 near-close, RH 1 close

CoC #2 - LH 1 body-English close, RH 1 close

CoC #1.5 iso-squeeze - LH/RH 15 sec./15 sec.
[used a piece of a thin metal rule to detect when the ends separated]

1.5" pinch block @ 24 lbs. - LH 47 sec., RH 55 sec.
1.5" pinch block @ 24 lbs. - LH 50 sec., RH 50 sec.
[This last set reminded me how grip training is intensely, perhaps uniquely, "mental" in its intensity. I could almost feel myself willing my fingers to clamp harder near the end of my first RH pinch. Then I did the same for my second LH pinch, yet, significantly, let my mind wander during my last RH pinch.]

+ + +

And then, boys and girls, I did a Bad Thing: I gave into the urge to SQUAT MOAR and drove up to the gym for a set of FSQ.

FSQ: 8, 6, 3, 3, 3, 2 @ 145, 195, 215, 235, 255, 275 lbs.

+ + + 

Hooray: I believe those two reps at 275 are a new PR for me.

I'm pretty certain that I could front squat 285, which was the figure I estimated was 90% of my back squat. Once I achieve that FSQ, I will reintegrate SQ into my regimen.

All such certainties aside, however, I am willing to wait until I actually FSQ a couple reps at 285 before bringing back the SQ, and even when I do so, I'll be opting for a high-bar, narrowish-stance, Olympicky SQ instead of the low bar powerlifting SQ. FSQ helps your liftoff on the DL, and my Kelso Shurg Rush program is intended to augment the back-extension phase.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

This FSQ set was a perfect example of the benefit I got from Perryman's Squat Every Day. Just as some fellows tell their wives that they're headed to the store for some milk, I rather spontaneously told my wife, "I'm going to go squat, be back soon." I went in my Birkenstocks, shorts, a T-shirt and a sweatshirt, bee-lined for the squat rack, and got the whole set done in about 20 minutes. Before my very last rep, I took a long moment to collect my thoughts, assess my abilities, and then drove down for what turned out to be a second PR. ("How you feel is a lie.") Admittedly, I thought I was about to tip forward halfway up, but I pulled through, let out a small bark at the top, racked the bar, and stepped away, saying, "Well, wasn't that something?"

Felt. Totally. Awesome!

Speaking of "feeleens," I had some DOMS today in my thighs, and was of a mind to take it easy, but I keep coming back to the mysterious and too little known truth that it's extremely difficult to (really) "overtrain" squats.

Tomorrow is a Shurg Rush, and I will be throwing in a set of HSQ or ZSQ. Stay tuned.

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

P.S. 

Almost forgot. I made my workout cards today, so I'm just as curious as you are what my Even Keel 1A workout is for next week. I've already got this week's 1B programmed. 

P.P.S. 

My first dino-db is complete! Turns out, lubricating the container actually makes it harder to extract the dried cement, since it forms a moisture lock with the plastic. It's about 34 lbs. and the handle ended up being a little longer than I wanted. The measurement I had taken of the first side of cement, and used for the second portion, was too high: once the water evaporated, the concrete itself finished "shorter away" from my intended handle width. Oh well. I laid the first half of my next, 60+ lbs dino-db today, which was a nifty wrist warm-up for my grip session, to boot. 

The new half is darker until residual moisture and silicone lubricant are gone. If you want to make one of these for yourself, here's a little heads-up: when setting the second half, you need to drill a small hole in the handle so that air in the pipe can escape and allow the fresh cement to fill the pipe. Oh, also, you should tap all around the bucket to get as many air bubbles out of the cement to the surface. Happily enough, this procedure splashed some of the cement onto the handle, which gives an otherwise smooth pipe some nice grit.

Even Keel notes... (and why I can't entirely forsake AYCE...)

[Below I have struck out some of my falsely projected figures from yesterday.] 

Even Keel 1A
70 min. (incl. warm-up), 225 lbs. 

MOOD: felt excited and pretty focused; I'd like to get done closer to an hour next time around, though, since today I was feeling out the new regimen; plus I met a fairly cool, knowledgeable guy #bromance

FSQ: 5x5 @ 265 225, 215 lbs
 
db BP: 5, 5, 5, 5, 8 @ 90, 85 lbs 

SDL: 6, 4, 2 3 @ 215, 225, 235 lbs
 
PU: reps x 3 12, 9, 6
 
db MP: 12, 9, 6 @ 60, 65, 70 55, 50, 50 lbs
 
spider curl: 12, 9, 6 @ 50, 60, 70 lbs   

+ + +

Okay, yeah: dumbbells are harder. When I asked for a spot on my last set of bench presses today, I started to explain that I'm used to a barbell and dumbbells... "are way more work," the guy finished for me. I chuckled. "Kuh-RAY-zee!" I used to incorporate dumbbells more in the past, I guess, but over the past few months I got transfixed by the barbell. Don't get me wrong, the barbell is still awesome, and irreplaceable for some key lifts, but I can tell that this shift to dumbbells will be good for me. 

As for my projections on the FSQ, I had forgotten that my previous performances around 265 lbs were done in triples or doubles. Anything over a triple is virtually a different lift. My AYCE triples had me doing a total of maybe 18 reps, whereas a 5x5 requires 25 reps, so I quickly realized that I'm going to need some time to bounce back from going stale last week and taking some days off. Indeed, I couldn't help but feeling that I'm going to want to maintain daily squats--once you go AYCE, you never go back!--, even if that's all I do at the gym, even for only ten minutes, on off days. 

As for the barbell, I am choosing to use the thicker, powerlifting bar on everything but cleans and snatches, since there is only one (Olympic) bar at my gym with properly rolling sleeves. Gotta Get Grip. I used chalk on some SDL and PU, but over time I'm hoping to compensate with sheer grip strength. 

Speaking of grip, I'm curious to see if, due to today's exertion, my grip session tomorrow is not spectacular. Stay tuned. 

Possibly --> 

FSQ: 6, 4, 3, 3, 3 
Grip warmup
CoC #1.5 
CoC #2 
CoC #2 
CoC #1.5 
plate pinch
farmer carry 

AYCE notes... (And sun!)

Went to a very enriching Mass Saturday evening. Holy Week is upon us.

Sunday morning we headed out to the beach to hang out and eat BBQ with my brother and his family. I loved being at the beach again. It was Elina's second time, and she took to it like... a fish to water? Alex was intimidated by the waves, but he'll learn quickly (or it's the plank!). I swam, tossed kids, and did some hand walking on the beach.

Granted, all this frolicking resulted in a lower back kink and some sore wrists. I had trained grip-crushing Saturday afternoon and was puttering making pinch blocks and a DIY (very rudimentary) version of the Titan's Telegraph Key Saturday night, at a savings of close to $100 (I'll post a video soon). I believe that my open-palm thumb trainer achieves the same effect at a tiny fraction of the market price.* (How do you patent a lever, anyway?)

By this morning, however, my back felt great and I actually ended up in the gym. All day I felt zapped, and even considered taking tomorrow off. Although "how you feel is a lie," how you perform is not. Auto-regulation means putting in the time, but not sacrificing quality performance on the altar of a fixed numerical scheme. I'm exhausted and will sleep after finishing this post, to wit:

AYCE Press 
50 min., 227 lbs.
MOOD/MISC.: sluggish, dizzy (?), distracted by the larger than usual number of dudes at the gym; how I long to be able to train at home; warmups were included as opening reps in the following exercises

db bench press: 5x5 @ 80 lbs.
[Felt slight impingement in right wrist. Same as on my FSQ a couple weeks ago, and during my CoC drills Saturday afternoon.]

FSQ: 5x5 @ 215 lbs.

MP (belt): 5x5 @ 125 lbs.

"The Bench Shrug": 12, 12, 12, @ 185 lbs.
[Right wrist felt weak, hard to keep fist straight upward.] 

+ + + 

My copy of Kelso's Shrug Book should arrive tomorrow, but I've already decided to incorporate shrugs as an assistance "finisher" in all workouts on my current program. Seeing as it's Holy Week, I'll take it a bit easier this week, and will take Friday off from work.

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

* Apropos DIY gym equipment, this evening I bought the key components that I believe I need to make something that achieves much the same effect as Joe Kinney's Secret Weapon. Assembly (no welding!) won't happen till next week, at the earliest, so I'll have to wait until then to see if it works like I'm envisioning my design should. Even then, I will not rush into using it. All I hear is that it's "painful," "unpleasant," "intense," and so on. I learned the hard way about three years ago that one must not overdo it with grip training. Still, if I can save $200 and achieve the same effect--more power to me.

At the same time, there's an interesting, albeit contentious at times, discussion on this thread about the ethics of "hacking" elite training equipment. I can see the problem if I were to use Kinney's own design specs without giving him royalties, but I think anyone is in his rights to produce a similar device for his own training goals. I'm not looking to sell my little device; what I'm using is readily available at almost any hardware store. (Indeed, though I did not see this page until posting this update, the design should give you a rough idea of what I've got in mind.) As I get closer to achieving my grip goals--merely closing CoC #3 for reps, by the way--I will be perfectly happy to pay for the actual Kinney device, if its specs provide the competitive difference needed for success. Meanwhile, ghetto works if ghetto can git'er done. I think Randall Strossen strikes the right balance here. It's no small irony, Strossen notes elsewhere, that Kinney's own training depended on "hacking" various Iron Mind products. Share and share alike, say I, while giving credit where it's due. 

AYCE notes... (The plot thickens)

Friday, 11 April 2014 
43 min., 227 lbs. 
MOOD: felt very fun, felt energized, wore pants and hoodie 

Warm-up (3 min.) - movements, stretching

FSQ: 7, 5, 3, 3, 3, 2 @ 135, 155, 205, 225, 245, 265 lbs.

CLP: 5, 5, 5 @ 115, 125, 135 lbs.

HSN (hang snatch): 5, 4, 3* @ 115, 125, 135 lbs.
[Rule of thumb: if you're not sure that you're being explosive enough on Oly lifts, then you're not being explosive enough, especially compared to this beast. Not only did I not pull myself under the bar, at least not once I passed 115 lbs., but I also didn't really drop into a squat. Plus, my feet were kind of all over the place, rather like a flying squirrel. The * indicates that I only pulled off the last rep of the final set. Humble pie is quite tasty! Still, it was a fun lift.]

PNF: 5 min.

+ + + 

I've learned this much:

- Squatting every day is not only not impossible, but almost a given for strength and power athletes. 

- I believe in majoring on The Big Three (SQ, DL, BP) and using everything else for adding volume (esp. for myofibrillar synthesis), honing technique, and training assistance lifts for The Big Three. 

- I enjoy "hobby strength training" (i.e. neck, grip, hand balancing, tires-and-sledge-hammers, plyometrics, boxing, kettlebell, keg conditioning, mace, etc.) too much to commit my entire week to "mainstream" weightlifting.  

- The above axioms have been percolating in this blog for years; my constant fiddling with my regimen--without, I maintain, trying "a whole new program" every week or two--is my attempt to articulate and synthesize them. 

My biggest discovery of late is that Matt Perryman is correct that avoiding "overtraining" is more often than not an excuse to settle for mediocrity. I would, however, restate Perryman's thesis to read, "squat in every workout." Perryman himself admits in the introduction to Squat Every Day that the title is not meant to be taken literally; even three days a week of heavy squatting would just barely qualify as "squatting every day," as he uses the phrase.

Having said that, whilst reading McCallum's The Complete Keys to Progress last night, I was faced with the reality that, while the past few weeks of almost daily training have not "done me in," by any means, I do not currently practice a lifestyle which affords me adequate rest on a daily basis to see the benefits of such frequent training. Having a day off, plus a light weekend, is probably something I need, unless I discipline myself to get a full eight or more hours of sleep every night. That would be nice, but for now, between nightly feedings, bathings, prayers, and a rising time of 5:30 AM, it's really hard for this night owl to be asleep by 9:30 PM.

The upshot of all these musings is the following proposal:

Monday & Thursday: FSQ + BP + MP + PNF  

Tuesday & Friday: DL + HSQ + PU + PNF 

Wednesday or Saturday: hobby training [i.e. tongue press, neck bridging, mace, farmer walks, CoC]

Sunday: REST 

[NB: Warm-up: prone & supine scorpions + neck bridging + movements] 

As always, the above exercises can be swapped with other, related lifts. ZSQ or OHS instead of HSQ, guillotine or dips for MP, SDL or CL or SN instead of DL, rows instead of PU, etc.

It's a basic "squat every workout + push/pull" split. (As I've said before, I'm not going to use SQ until I can FSQ 285 lbs x 4.)

I'm not interested in parsing the rep scheme in great detail right now, but, following McCallum, I'll go for something like [UPDATE: Stupid me! Stick with 5x5!]:

a 12, 10, 5x5 scheme for FSQ, SQ, BP; 

a 10, 5, 3x3 scheme for DL; and 

a 12, 10, 5x5 scheme for MP and PU. 

The first two sets will be with light, warmup weight, and the final sets will be at roughly 70%, 80%, 90% 1RM. I will only add weight when I can complete all the reps with clean, slow form. I will start modestly next week and go from there.

Of course...

if I do finally decide to spring for Kelso's Shrug Book and Kubik's Dinosaur Training, ...

revisit and read Strossen's Super Squats in full, ...

and as I keep reading McCallum's Keys, Pavel's Power to the People, Zinchenko's Rough Strength, ...

don't be surprised to see yet more adjustments. [grin]

As long as I keep having fun, staying humble, and making gains, I figure I'm on the right track.

Stay tuned.

AYCE notes...

Wednesday, 9 April 2014 
48 min., 227 lbs.
MOOD: a little distracted, drained feeling 

Warm-up (8 min.) - OHS, movements, stretching

FSQ: 5x5 @ 225 lbs

Guillotine: 14, 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 115, 125, 135, 155, 165 lbs

Pendlay row: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 135, 155, 145, 165 lbs 

PNF: [forgot! did this at home in the evening]

+ + +

My prediction turned out to be correct. Yesterday's workout felt great, and I realized that one reason for that is because I worked out later than I normally do. I try to get to the gym by 3 or 3:30 after work, but yesterday, due to some errands, I started my workout closer to 6. This gave me a couple extra hours of recovery from the previous workout. As for today, I began a little after 3:30, which meant I did a second workout in less than 24 hours. Not a crisis, of course, but it was interesting to feel that adjustment. I only thought of it because Perryman noted the timing issue in Squat Every Day.

Of course, lest I seem too clever by half, another factor in today's less than "amped" workout is that I received some very good news yesterday, and decided to celebrate with some tasty beverages and a documentary. I woke up feeling less rested than usual, but, hey, "how you feel is a lie," and today's workout came out Oh-Kay.

Except for one snag.

A "big guy" (I believe he's a trucker) was using the power rack for seated bb presses, and when I returned to the squat rack for my rows, he introduced himself with a handshake. "Elliot, huh? You must be one of those genius types, right?" (Apparently, genius is mimed by waving your fingers around your forehead and rolling your eyes to the ceiling, mouth agape.) I endured a chat, during which he told me that he sees a lot of "young guys" doing stuff, and he just exhaled and shook his head. I grimaced ever so slightly, since, one, I'm a young(ish) guy, and, two, one of the motions he shook his head at was "bending over to, just, pick up the weight."

Did I mention I was about to do Pendlay rows?

Yeah. Awkward. And annoying.

Then, when I finished my third set, he asked me, "Elliot, why don't you wear a belt?" I said I felt no need, whereupon I then learned "a little secret" about how this fellow had lost three lower vertebral discs in a car accident at the age of 18. Yada yada yada. I told him I've got a belt in my car I've been thinking about bringing in, mainly for military presses. "And that's another thing. I see some guys doing military presses standing up!" Did I mention that I do standing presses?

Thing is, I'm not opposed to a belt, and I guess it's time for me to wear one for my big lifts. At the same time, I know that weak spots only get stronger is you strengthen them, like how the Pendlay row, good mornings, RDL's, back extensions, and the like strengthen the infamous lower back. So now I'm dreading running into this guy when I'm doing verboten maneuvers. A big guy with a big mouth. I appreciate his help, but he's pretty clearly projecting his decades of back problems onto others.

P.S. I think I need to add in some grip training.

P.P.S. To remind myself:

Monday: heavy DL (5x5) + Guillotine (15, 12, 9, 6) + ZSQ (15, 10, 9, 6)
Tuesday: heavy BP (5x5) + HSQ (15, 12, 9, 6) + PU (slow reps)
Wednesday: heavy FSQ (5x5) + dips/guillotine/db press/pullover-press/flye-aways (15, 12, 9, 6) + PU/row (15, 12, 9, 6) 
Thursday: BP (5x4) + SQ (7, 5, 3, 3, 3) + PU/row (slow reps)
Friday: FSQ (7, 5, 3, 3, 3) + CLP (5x4) 

AYCE notes...

[PROJECTED EVENING WORKOUT...]
[UPDATED]

Tuesday, 8 April 2014 
60 min., 227 lbs 

Warm-up (8-9 min.) - movements, stretching 

BP: 5x5 @ 215 205
[Nice and slow. Felt very good. Slightly narrower grip than normal.] 

SQ: 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 4, 2 @ 225 135, 155, 175, 205, 235, 255, 295
[These felt awesome. High-bar, narrow stance, so deep the bar banged the rack a couple times.] 

PU: 10, 8, 4 
[Slow and controlled.] 

PNF- N/A

+ + +

A memorable workout. For the first time in... I don't even know, I said, "I really like the bench press." In the past I guess I had tried to dive into it too zealously with my usual weak chest. Now after several months of torso development (core work, slings, kb, boxing, DBP, etc.), I have the foundation and proper form to use the BP well. It's important on a 5x5 scheme not to be too ambitious. I could have struggled and floundered under 215, but it's important to finish all 25 reps with uncompromised form. Next week I will try for 5x5 at 215, and will not up the weight until I can do 25 "clean" reps. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Today's SQ felt exactly like what I think Perryman is trying to convey. No fireworks, no heroic straining. Just good, solid squats up to what felt like a daily maximum; it felt almost like a business transaction. "Greetings, bar, I'll just be a moment." - "Sounds good, let me know if you need a hand." Done.

Except for the thing that made it memorable. A guy was getting set up on the rack next to me and I asked him what lift he was doing, as he removed the standard bar, leaving the thicker power barbell on the rack. I guess my alerting him to the difference the bar size can make, as well as the form he saw on my part, showed him I was worth asking, "Can you give me some pointers on the squat?" Why, as a matter of fact, I can! He wants to play college ball (or wants to get back into it, I think), and his coach always said he needs to squat deeper. He's got tight hips and ankles, so I gave him some pointers on how to fortify his squat technique. When I finished by explaining how weightlifting is really just a hobby average dudes make of segments of Olympic-lift training, he had a visible epiphany. Long story short, I realize how much I would love being a P.T. and a trainer. Gonna have to see about that.

Granted, the teaching episode delayed my workout, but, as I would soon be reminded, knowledge is only worth something if you can apply it, best of all in the service of others. Specifically, one other memorable feature from today was that, when I went to pick up my mom from her church circle, she was talking with and witnessing to a homeless man, who was shedding his own tears. We're going to see about helping him get some good work boots, so he can become gainfully employed. As if my mom weren't cool enough, on the ride there and back she asked me if squatting would be good for her and then asked me to cook up a basic bodyweight squat routine for her. 

[N.B. The point of this regimen is to GO HEAVY ON THE MAIN LIFT M-W, and supplement with volume on other lifts and days.]

AYCE notes... (We have lift-off!)

[Refer to notes below the "END" break for earlier "paradigms" that I have trained with. I am still tinkering with a cyclical training program, based on Dan John's maxim that "Everything works, for six weeks or so". I am currently loving HIT, but also realize that my own (favorite) Even Keel regimen was in certain key ways a HIT program. -- 25 January 2015] 

Here's a tentative, conceptualized outline of my 6-month regimen for ongoing meta-progress:

I. 
HIT (full-body, one-set workouts, ample rest) 
January 1-February 5
REST 9 days 

II.  
Even Keel (full-body, higher volume workouts, ample rest)
February 15-March 22
REST 9 days 

III. 
Attempts For Personal Bests (SQ, FSQ, DL, Grip/Crush)
April 2-May 7
REST 9 days 

IV. 
Olympic Lifts (cf. bottom of this Dan John article) 
OR 
Mass Made Simple (also thanks to Dan John) 
OR 
5/3/1 
OR 
5x5 
OR 
Bodyweight Power
May 17-June 21
REST 9 days 

---

REPEAT THE ABOVE for another six months 

As always, I just don't know, yet I am intrigued enough to keep tweaking, based on what I do know. Meanwhile, come what may, I want to be able to include:

boxing
rowing
trap workouts

in any long-term regimen.

Hmmmm...

--- END 2015-25-01 ---

[NB: After almost six months out of the gym, as of early November 2014 I am doing a three-day split, designed by Schwarzenegger in his old The Education of a Bodybuilder, in order to regain a solid base. Beginning in 2015, I will start a HIT program (as presented by Ellington Darden), which will last for at least 6 months. After that, I think I will return to my lifetime PR goals. Stay tuned! -- 1 December 2014] 

Monday, 7 April 2014
45 min., 226 lbs

Warm-up (9 min.) - movements, OHS, stretching

DL: 5 x 5 @ 285 lbs

Guillotine: 12, 10, 8 @ 135, 145, 155 lbs

ZSQ: 5 x 5 @ 135

PNF (3-4 min.)

+ + + 

This article from Pavel gave me the break I think I needed. I really like training every day, but I've had difficulty figuring out how to program the lifts over a week. 5 x 5 is tried and true, and as simple as a stone. Along similar lines, this interview with Perryman reminded me about the distinction he makes between volume responders and intensity responders. I'm a volume responder, meaning, I need more reps (i.e. more time under tension). What I was doing the past couple weeks offered a decent amount of intensity, but too little volume. And so, in my never-ending variations-on-a-theme progress:

Monday: heavy DL + Guillotine + ZSQ 
Tuesday: heavy BP + HSQ + PU (reps)
Wednesday: heavy FSQ + IBP + Pendlay row
Thursday: light FSQ + db press + PU 
Friday: light SQ + CLP 

As always, except for the primary "big lifts" on the first three days, and squatting every day, of course, the exercises are subject to change (e.g. Kroc row instead of Pendlay row, or OSQ instead, or DBP, etc.). I could have gone heavier today on some lifts, but I'm going to start modestly, shoot for 5 x 5 ten pounds heavier next week, and just keep at it for a while. Oh, and, that's right: I'm throwing some back squat into the mix again. My upper back needs a break from FSQ's--heck, the bar will make for a nice massage! Still, my primary goal is FSQ 285 x 4 before making (high-bar, narrow-ish stance) SQ my bread and butter again. 

The good news is, this weekend I finally got a clear sense of my overall goals. It's so hard to go into the gym without a goal. "Getting a pump" is too short-sighted. I'm not interested in real powerlifting (triple bdw everything, lifting equipment, etc.), nor in bodybuilding per se. My sport is weightlifting: I want to be good at maneuvering heavy weights in classical, primal movements. As such, the cycle I envision are like so:

4 months of sheer strength training (5x5, 5-3-1, etc.) -- POWER

4 months of calisthenics and bodyweight -- MOBILITY

4 months of bulking and building (Mass Made Simple, HIT, etc.) -- MASS

MASS --> POWER --> MOBILITY

Leaning out before bulking makes bulking more effective --> 

bulking gives me more mass to apply to power training --> 

then I will have power to apply to bodyweight skills and more focused kb drills

 Wash, rinse, repeat. It's been many years since I cold say I trained for a sport. In high school it was rowing and cross country (and a season of wrestling, woohoo!). In college it was road cycling. In Taiwan... I sort of floated from one martial art to another, and mantained "general fitness" (when I wasn't de-maintaining it with lots of food and beer and late nights, woohoo!). I realize now, however, that I need the structure of being an athlete in training, even if only on an amateur scale. Indeed, what better way to live than as a lover? Whichever third of the year I choose to emphasize--and right now it's strength and power--I can view the other cycles as off-season, prehab/rehab, etc.  

It's still a work in progress, of course, but I no longer feel like I'm flying totally blind as a weightlifter... simply bewildered with my eyes wide open. (Now I just need an erg to reignite my ineradicable rower's identity!) Best of all, it's amazing how holy and mellow all this exercise is keeping me.Idle hands, and all that.

"7 But avoid foolish and old wives' fables: and exercise thyself unto godliness. 8 For bodily exercise is profitable to little: but godliness is profitable to all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." -- I Timothy 4

AYCE notes... HI-TECH EDITION!

Friday, 4 April 2014 
44 min., 225 lbs. 

Warm-up (9 min.) - shaking, stretching, OHS

FSQ: 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2 @ 225, 235, 245, 255, 265, 275 lbs.

CL: 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 @ 135, 145, 155, 165, 175, 185 lbs.

Abs (3 min.) - V-sits, Lateral crunches, hip crunches, bird dog

+ + + 

"How you feel is a lie."

I experienced this maxim today.

Today was the end of the third school quarter, so my stress levels were mildly higher than normal (I hate entering and verifying grades). Plus, it's tax season. I got home and felt pretty winded. Thought about taking a nap, but my wife's enthusiasm about some kb and core exercises I showed her, plus a little coffee, plus, really, the unblinking awareness that "I'm going to the gym," all gave me a second wind.

Or did it?

Even as I arrived at the gym, I felt a bit run down.

Meh.

"Gotta get it done."

Despite some aches and pains and the usual inertia, I ended up PR'ing on my FSQ, and felt satisfied for the first time that I'm doing the CL with basically correct form.

In other words, how I felt was a lie.





I'll be taking the weekend fairly easy; it's supposed to rain all weekend, so I might even get some reading done. Honestly, though, I feel a kb session in me, for Saturday, just to blow off some steam and grease the groove. "Healthy addiction," anyone?

Despite all this, I admit I felt a bit lost last night, pondering if I'm really grasping and following Perryman's ideas. I kept (and keep) wondering how to program AYCE better. I really like my... how should I say? Progress? No, it's more like putting on a nicely "broken in" pairs of shoes. I feel comfortable keeping up these daily sessions, don't feel dangerously run down, not at all--in fact, I feel very springy and vibrant. Yet, I still feel like I'm doing it wrong. My instincts have always been to do circuits of 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps, but I know that if I don't keep a tight rein on my accessory exercises after DLing and (F)Sqing, I'll run myself into the ground. At the very least, as Perryman does warn, I need some time to get accustomed to such an increase in frequency; I need time to get, to recall my favorite expression in Perryman's book, "fatigue-hardened".

So, as I was trying to get the big picture of my goals, and not simply turn "Squat Every Day" into a random fetish (which Perryman would completely reject, of course), I tried seeing my year cut up into three phases:

power (low volume, high frequency - "AYCE" from, say, January to April);

bodybuilding (high volume, lower frequency - "Even Keel" from April to August);

and calisthenic/bodyweight/boxing/kettlebell conditioning (high intensity, high frequency - "Met-Con" from August to December)

Obviously, I'm off-track with this idea, as I have been doing bulking, Even Keel, and now AYCE, since January--and summer is looming. "They say that" summer is the time to cut and winter is the time to bulk, so.... Either way, for now, my primary goal is to hit a FSQ of 285 x 4, at which point I'll bring back back SQ (heheh).

Last night I also realized that the DL is too important a lift to marginalize. Be bold! Don't hide behind "overtraining" in order to gild your cravings for the cool shade of mediocrity. Thus, as I continue to explore AYCE, here's the forecast: squatty with a burst of deadlift.

Monday: DL, DBP, abs
Tuesday: HSQ, Guillotine
Wednesday: FSQ, PU, abs
Thursday: FSQ, Dips/MP
Friday: FSQ, CL, abs
weekend: rest, foam roll, stretch, kb, etc.

When I step back and look at my progress over the past 4 years, I realize I'm more interested in strength and power than in "getting ripped" or "looking huge." My goals are more like a powerlifter's than a bodybuilder's, so I need to filter the noise through those standards:

SQ of 405 lbs
DL of 485 lbs
BP of 315 lbs

Wish me luck! Meanwhile, I love being the antithesis of a weekend warrior!

AYCE notes...

Thursday, 3 April 2014 
37 min., 226 lbs. 

Warm-up (7 min.) - stretching, motions

ZSQ: 10, 8, 6, 4 @ 105, 115, 125, 135 lbs. 

HSQ: 10, 8, 6, 4 @ 135, 145, 155, 165 lbs.

Guillotine (Gironda) press: 10, 8, 6, 4 @ 135, 145, 155, 165 lbs.

Underhand db flye: 10, 8, 6, 4 @ 35, 40, 45, 50 lbs.

+ + +

Zercher squats were fun, but the bar wedging into my elbow crook was unpleasant. I smiled at the fact that I finally had a reason to use the bar pad that some people use on the SQ. Forget that pad for squats--build your traps up--but it did help on my arms for the ZSQ.

Hack squats were amazing! Superb quad exercise! I understand why the HSQ is said to help with the DL, too, as it activated lats on the eccentric phase. I would have liked to go heavier, but the whole point of today's workout was to be light and quick, almost like greasing the groove for my power lifts. I decided not to do any rows today, seeing as I DL's yesterday. 

I will try replacing the underhand db flye with underhand cable rows next time, lighter but for more volume. I'll also go for more more volume on the neck press.

Tomorrow I'll replace the DBP with the MP, thus: FSQ (4, 3, 2...), MP (4, 3, 2...), CL (3, 3, 3, 3, 3).

Also, while I'm certainly not looking to get "shredded," I do want to lower my body fat percentage by about 5%. I'll keep throwing in planks and kb swings in the evening. 

Stay tuned.

AYCE notes... (updated)

[4/1/14 - Projections for this workout....]  

Here's what I actually ended up doing:

AYCE Power 
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
50 min, 226 lbs. 

Warm-up (9 min.) - stretching, shaking, OHS

DBP: 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 4* @ 225, 235, 245, 250, 255, 260 lbs. [* My spotter urged me to go past two, but they turned out to be forced/helped reps, anyway. Seeee?!]

FSQ: 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2 @ 235, 245, 250, 255, 260, 265 lbs.

DL: 4, 3, 2, 2, 1* @ 285, 305, 315, 325, 335 lbs. [* With chalk and hook grip.]

+ + + 

A number of factors (from Perryman, Pavel, a buff Catholic dude at the gym, etc.) have combined to show me the advantage of doing a power/auxiliary split, which means that I'll do heavier lifts (BP/DBP, SQ/FSQ, DL/SDL/RDL) every other day, broken up by lighter "dynamically parallel" lifts, or even "just" kb or boxing on days I need a break from the gym. This does not mean I will do the DL every other day, of course! I'm not suicidal. I think doing the DL every fourth workout is a good policy until I discover otherwise. I may sometimes replace the DBP with db presses, flyes, or dips. On auxiliary days I'll do things like HSQ/OSQ/ZSQ/GSQ, CL, rows/PU, and presses.

SMILES: Going heavy on the DL was nice. Once I got home and ate, I nearly drifted off to sleep a few times, but I've got my second wind until bedtime. Also, DBP felt very good; a slightly wider grip works better.

FROWNS: I sometimes had trouble keeping my elbows high and tight on the FSQ.

AYCE notes...

AYCE Posterior
Tuesday, 1 April 2014 
40 min, 225 lbs

[I have no idea what's up with my weight. I've just taken too many inconsistent weighings over the past few months. I guess I should ratchet all my estimates down by 8 lbs. I don't even know. I was over 230 in February, but I drop weight very easily, and the body always tends to its natural functional weight. On the bright side, this means I'm that much closer to cleaning my bodyweight and that much closer to a double-bodyweight back squat! I got pretty close to a double-bodyweight deadlift back in Taiwan, if I did not in fact hit it. And then if I used straps...!] 

Warm-up (6 min.): motions, stretching, shaking

CL: 5, 4, 3, 2, 2 @ 155, 175, 185, 190, 190 lbs

MP: 5, 4, 3, 2, 2 @ 135, 140, 145, 150, 155 lbs

Pendlay row: 5, 4, 3, 2, 2 @ 155, 175, 195, 205, 215 lbs

CLSQSQ: 5 @ 135 lbs

+ + +

Compared to my projections from yesterday, I did one set less volume. I think next time I will do six sets via 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2 reps. "Large and low." I felt a bit distracted when I got started. Maybe I'd had too much coffee and vitamin B. Setting good form on the clean, however, is a great way to get focused. Posterior chain to the rescue! The "CLSQSQ" was something I threw on at the end, for kicks. I really liked the speed of banging out two FSQ after a CL.

SMILES: Felt good to go heavier on the row. I may have gotten a PR for the standing press. Meh.

FROWNS: I still struggled with getting my hips forward quickly enough on the CL. My years of rowing experience are helping me, though, since a clean is basically a vertical rowing stroke. Starting slowly from the floor actually helps (good video, great music). I was annoyed to find that no bar at the gym has freely rotating sleeves. That makes the plates stick and totter at times. I think I'll need to curtail my urge for MOAR WEIGHT in order to focus on speed and tight hip-extension.

AYCE notes... and an epiphany or two...

Monday, 31 March 2014
AYCE Anterior
37 min, 234 lbs

[Rather than devote a separate time just for warming up, I used my "ramp-up" sets as the warm-up for each exercise. I may have been a little too hasty in that regard, but it wasn't really a problem. I'll try some usual stretching and shaking next time.]

DBP:
225 x 1, 2, 2
235 x 2
245 x 2
255 x 2*
[* my spotter was grabby, but I'm sure I could have gotten them without his overzealous pawing]
-
FSQ: 
205 x 4
225 x 2
235 x 2
245 x 2
255 x 2
265 x 2
-
Dip: 14, 12
PU: 10, 10
-
db supinated press: 100 x 10
[I'm not sure what to call this exercise. It's based on the idea of "scooping" to activate the pecs. Like a chicken press, bring the weights low, but then arc them upwards into a squeeze. Sort of a chicken flye, I guess. Very fun.]

+ + + 

Today was a very fruitful workout. Maybe even a sort of milestone. I think I PR'd on my FSQ (though I'm not concerned with a PR: my goal is to get 4 reps at 285 lbs, at which point I'll bring back squats into my routine).

A possible PR was nice, but the real benefit was the two-fold insight I had about AYCE. First, I need to do an upper-body semi-split (anterior/posterior or push/pull). Second, it's called "Squat Every Day", not bench press or row every day! The upper body simply cannot keep up with the rigors which daily leg work is meant to provide. My legs haven't really been sore for a couple weeks. This will not do. Happily enough, then, today I realized the problem: I am basing the intensity of my upper body exercises on the intensity I want for my legs (which is unsustainable), while I'm limiting the volume which my lower body needs based on a reflex for symmetry. Instead, I need to divert more volume to my legs and less to my upper body.

Lest I keep rambling, let me just lay it out:

AYCE Anterior
DBP / db press - 5, 4, 3, 2, 2, 2
FSQ / HSQ / OSQ - 5, 4, 3, 2, 2, 2 
neck press / dip / pullover / db flye / underhand BP - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5   

AYCE Posterior
CLSQ / DL / SDL / RDL / JSQ - 5, 4, 3, 2, 2, 2 
MP / one-arm press -  5, 4, 3, 2, 2
Pendlay row / Rope row / T-row / PU -  5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

(The slashes indicate options I can choose depending on how I feel or what I think needs more work.) 

The simplicity of this program, like Even Keel, but even more so, is among its most attractive features, so I don't want to over-think it. At the same time, I'm experimenting into a new approach to training, so it's enjoyable cutting out excess exercises and going for the essentials with heavy low-rep sets. It's too distracting right now to try to figure out what percentages to use for the above reps. I'm just going by feel these first few weeks--and today felt just about perfect. Nonetheless, I will use a ratcheting principle to guesstimate weights from one workout to the next. It's what Perryman calls your daily minimum: imagine right now what you could do on various lifts if you just walked into the gym and hit them cold. That's your daily minimum, your confidence-boosting warmup-baseline. By the end of the workout, you should have gone heavier than your baseline, of course, so you then use that number as your rule of thumb for a new daily minimum over the ensuing workouts. Mind you, this is different from a mechanistic, highly regimented planned progression scheme. Sometimes you'll simply perform sub-par and punch the clock based on your older baseline--and that's perfectly fine. Why should one bad workout--and they will happen!--derail your progress? Why should you shackle yourself to such a fragile and finicky regimen? Train your body, not a set of numbers. The key is to show up, get the lifts in, and keep developing a "fatigue-hardened" neuromuscular system.

Now, Perryman acknowledges the awkwardness of fitting the DL into a daily regimen like this. I have learned two things about the DL: 1) I go heavy when I do it, and therefore 2) I must not do it twice in too short a time (i.e. once a week is not a bad idea, as it worked out when I was doing Even Keel in Taiwan). I think I will execute the DL every fourth AYCE Posterior workout. I did one last Wednesday and Friday, and will do another tomorrow, so I'll go for the DL on Thursday.

Again, though, what makes high-frequency training counter-intuitive is that it focuses more on consistency than rigid programming. The goal is to develop athletic preparedness, with daily (perhaps sometimes even will-o-the-wisp) attempts for 1RM, so, unless you simply stop training, it's almost impossible to "derail" your program with a bad workout or more. By contrast, highly regimented programs only work like they are supposed to if you "conquer" every workout as prescribed. As Perryman notes, though, we've got to stop seeing the weight as the enemy, and see it simply as a tool for athletic improvement.

AYCE notes...

[The following is a projected workout scheme for tomorrow (Monday). I'll update it with my actual results when I get home tomorrow.] 

Monday, 1 April 2014
All You Can Eat (AYCE) Heavy
min,  lbs

Warm-up (10 min.) - 
-
i) DBP: 260 x 1, 255 x 1, 250 x 1, 245 x ?
-
ii) FSQ: 265 x 1, 260 x 1, 255 x 1, 245 x ?
-
iii) Dip:
iv) Pull-up:

P.S. Taking the weekend off meant that I did a lot of yard work, and messed around with a BOB I got from a relative (including gloves and sand!).

P.S.S. Here's a practical review of a similar product. And here's a few practical tips on usage from the say reviewer.

For my money the best combo is 1) placating hands up high ("whoa, whoa, let's just go easy"), 2) face rake, 3) palm strike to the face, 4) either hand blade to the neck or hammer fist to the face, and then 5) a shin scrape and either knees or front kicks to the torso to finish things off. That's basically Drossos's tips 4 and 5.

One of the best techniques I ever learned was from a former Secret Service agent: keep your hands up high, with your elbows almost at shoulder-level, and your dominant foot back. This allows you to ward off all head strikes, block torso strikes and kicks simply by tucking your waist to bring your elbows down, and keeps your fists primed to deliver hammer blows, palm strikes, and hand blades, as well as giving you leverage for any kicks or knees you want. Truth is, while I've had a few confrontations and did well in my one season of wrestling, I've been in "a real fight." It's not something I want. I abhor violence. At the same time, though, I want to be prepared if the need should arise. So... elbows up, mates!

Meanwhile, these are also good tips from a guy who actually knows what he's talking about.

AYCE Heavy notes...

Thursday, 27March 2014
All You Can Eat (AYCE) Heavy
40 min, 233 lbs

Warm-up (10 min.) - a lot of hopping, shaking, swinging, and stretching 
-
i) DBP: 225 x 5, 245 x 3, 255 x 2
-
ii) FSQ: 195 x 5, 225 x 3, 255 x 2
-
iii) Dip: 12, 11, 10
iv) Pull-up: 11, 9, [5-10 minute discussion with a couple high-school guys who asked me some questions {not counted in workout time shown above}], 10 

Hoo-boy! It's a good thing that "how you feel is a lie," because I feel pretty worked! I'm glad I went "lighter" today than on Tuesday. I spent time at lunch today calculating the 75/85/95% 1RM weights for today's workout 5-3-2 rep-scheme. I think it's a reasonable set-up, but it may turn out to be better to go with a 70/80/90% ratio on a 5-5-5 rep-scheme.

I will almost certainly still hit the gym tomorrow, but if not, I'll do some kettlebell and box jump drills at home. Either way, I'm taking the weekend off. There's a Eucharistic Congress downtown beginning tomorrow evening, and I may be having dinner with my brother's family Saturday.

SMILES: I felt more secure on the DBP. I lurrved feeling my abs go completely rigid for my final FSQ.

FROWNS: Meh. 

As for tomorrow, I'm projecting the following:

AYCE Light Friday, 28 March 2014,   min. 
Warm-up:
-
i) MP: 5, 3, 2 @ 115, 125, 135 lbs
-
ii) CL: 5, 3, 1, 1 @ 145, 165, 185 lbs
-
iii) Gironda neck press: 10, 10, 10, 10 @ 105, 115, 125, 135 lbs 
-
iv) Pendlay row: 5, 3, 2 @ 155, 175, 195 lbs

Wheels within wheels...

I realize I went a little too heavy yesterday and today. No--hardee har-har--this is not because my back or legs are seizing up on me this evening. I just realize how hard it is to be humble in sports, and perhaps especially in weightlifting, and how prevalent the temptation is to go too hard.

Case in point, when I got to the gym today, I saw some older guy today flinging around way too much weight with partial reps and flagrant body English. Granted, something tells me he's going through a midlife crisis, and is overcompensating, since, every time I catch a bit of his chats, he notes how he not only does weights, but also bikes, swims, etc.

Midlife crisis or no, he embodies the bitter pill of athletic progression: It's terribly hard to limit oneself to a modest but effective regimen for a sustained amount of time. This is why Wendler's 5-3-1 program is hated by some gym rats: "It's too simple and too slow!" Maybe I just need to buy the book for myself, run the spreadsheets, and go for it.

Obviously, though, I'm torn. I achieved what I wanted by completing Mass Made Simple. I know Even Keel works for me. I like what I'm reading in Squat Every Day. Yet, I also like the freedom of mixing in other kinds of workouts on a 3-day split with the 5-3-1.

Someone make it stop! 

In any case, for right now I'll just stick with almost daily training along the guidelines I'm learning as I read Squat Every Day. If I don't hit a wall, if I see results, and if Perryman's book doesn't turn me off by the end of it, I'll stick with AYCE till the end of the school year--though don't be surprised if I tweak it down a day or mix in more speed/power days.

Which... of course...

Brings me back to the 5-3-1!

Am I overthinking things?

Probably.

Certainly.

It's what I do.

Am I, however, letting all this thought get in the way of consistent and gainful workouts? No.

On that note, I am soooo happy to report than I think I experienced ZMA heaven last night. I took it by 9 PM, got to bed before 11, and woke up feeling wonderfully refreshed. I even recall having a dream! (Of course, it was about teaching, so maybe it was a nightmare?)

AYCE notes...

AYCE Light
26 March 2014, 50 min. 

Warm-up:
-
i) MP: 5, 3, 1, 11 @ 115, 130, 145, 105 lbs
-
ii) CL: 5, 3, 1, 1 @ 135, 155, 185, 195 lbs
-
iii) Gironda neck press: 10, 10, 10, 10 @ 95, 115, 135, 155 lbs 
-
iv) Pendlay row: 6, 4, 1/1 @ 135, 185, 205 lbs

Today's workout was a little longer than I liked, since, mea culpa, I got caught up in a little chatting. I was also more circumspect with some moves (the press and the clean), as I am still not 100% technically confident (plus, they're hard!). Weirdly, I kept bumping into things today. I went barefoot on the press and the clean. It will be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow. Not that it matters too terribly much, since "how you feel is a lie", because, sometimes, more really is more.

SMILES: I loved the Gironda neck press! Glad I brought it back into the mix. It was nice to do some heavy rows for one. That's the one thing I disliked about Mass Made Simple: very little back work. 

FROWNS: My clean form is dumpy. This was especially clear on the last rep at 195 lbs, when I could almost feel the bar stop around chest height. I simply did not pop my hips forward with enough speed.

I did some foam rolling while watching a documentary tonight. Here's to ZMA, milk, and sleep.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

I finally decided to go beyond the preview pages available via Kindle and purchase Matt Perryman's Squat Every Day. I like what I've read so far and am going to try the approach in conjunction with my Even Keel program. What tipped my hand is that they actually overlap in important ways: big, complex lifts at low volume + some accessory movements.

The only difference is the change in frequency. In the past couple weeks I've felt the urge to hit the gym more frequently; it really is a healthy addiction. So I'll simply limit the workouts to four, instead of five or six, lifts, and mix in some speed/power drills (box jumps, jump rope, medicine ball, bounding, short sprints, boxing, kettlebells, tire flips/rolls, etc.) on days I just don't want to be under the bar. That's a certainty, so I might as well plan around it in advance. Besides, as Perryman notes, the title of his book is not meant to be taken literally. Five, maybe even four, days a week is sufficient.

I am still not sure how to set up my programming as far as intensity goes. My understanding--or at least my working premise--is that I should work up to a 1RM every time I'm under the bar. Although I just tried out the rep scheme today, to get a feel for it, and paid no real attention to percentages of 1RM, 2RM, etc., I will shoot for four sets on "big lifts" scaled to a conservatively low 1RM:

80% x 5, 90% x 3, 100% x 1, 65% x MAX REPS

So, assuming I could 1RM 265 on the FSQ, I would do 215 x 5, 235 x 3, 265 x 1, and then max reps at 175 lbs. I think it would be similar for my DBP.

In any case, what I did today was...

All You Can Eat (AYCE) Heavy
44 min, 233 lbs

Warm-up
-
i) DBP: 225, 235, 245 x 3; 205 x 12
-
ii) FSQ: 225, 235, 245 x 3; 185 x 10
-
iii) Dip: 13, 10, 8
iv) Pull-up: 10, 7, 6

Tomorrow I will try the following:

AYCE Light

i) MP
-
ii) CL
-
iii) Gironda neck press: 
iv) Pendlay row:

As you might be able to tell, this second day is a lighter day. In a way, it's meant to be supplemental to the big lifts on the first day.

SMILES: Going heavier on the FSQ felt great in my quads! I did better on dips than I expected. I think letting my feet hang (knees pressed together), instead of lifting them to my waist, made it easier.

FROWNS: I felt some unusual stiffness/pain in my right wrist on the FSQ. I didn't feel as secure as normal on the DBP. It felt hard to set firmly and tightly on my traps and shoulder blades.