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

It's hemorrhoid-makin' time!

Fear not, I have not been so hobbled.

I am merely being "cheeky" about one of the all but inevitable side effects of Serious Squatting.

In my most recent post I noted that I am relieving myself of accelerated bulking, and am seeking to build on the plateau to which Mass Made Simple has brought me these past six weeks. The workout below is one I shall be using for the foreseeable future, with some tweaks, which I'll explain presently. Meanwhile, if you needed any proof that I am not giving up on bulking--I do still have until March 18!--be aware that after Mass tonight, I got a large fries and two 1/2 lb. burgers from Wendy's. (They were amazingly good. [As filling as they were, by the time I finished writing this post, I was hungry again. Oatmeal-apple-and-protein time!]) For the next week I shall be putting special effort into hydrating.

As for my workout today....

Saturday, 7 March 2014
235 lbs (?), 60+ min.

Warm-up

(I)
DBP: 2-3-5, 5-3-3 # 235, 225 lbs
CX: 8-6-4 # 115, 125, 135 lbs (CL/MP/FSQ)

(II)
PU: 10, 8, 6 # bdw*
*(I admit to cheating with a little body English. Naughty, naughty.)   
SQ: 10, 6, 3 # 225, 275, 315 lbs
(In a throwback to my old circuit-style of training, I alternated between pullup and squat sets, though next time I'll move pullups to part III.)

(III)
db-P: 10, 10, 6 # 65, 70, 75 lbs

+ + +

- Despite a twinge in my knee yesterday, I had a great workout today. KB motions generate very peculiar angles and stresses, so squatting did not aggravate the joint in the same way.

- Sure enough, I prefer the decline bench press. With the db presses at the end, here's to hoping that my pecs are actually sore for once! I made sure to lower the dumbbells closer to my sternum than my collarbone, so that the eccentric tension was more in my pectorals than my anterior deltoids.

- The complex felt great, though I would like to be clearer about my clean technique.

- I've neglected grip training for too long, so it was nice to feel my forearms "fried" a bit today due to the pullups.

- As mentioned, the sudden jump in weight on my squat left we with a certain "tingling" in my nether regions after I got home, but I will simply have to increase my fiber intake (Fruit! Kale! Oatmeal!) and focus on stabilizing my abdominals and lumbar better than ever as the weight goes up. What ruined me a few years ago when I attempted the "Squats and Milk" bulking routine, was the combination of internal stress and the amount of time I had to defecate and wipe my bum because of all the eating I was doing. There was just too much going on downstairs, and I hated feeling so full all the time, so I bailed on "SMR" about halfway through. This time bulking, however, a very high quality protein supplement allowed me to eat less food matter, which required less digestion, which produced less etc., and my bum has thanked me.

I did not even really "think" about my squat progression. I just threw the plates on, knowing that being able to do over 20 squats at over 200 lbs had equipped me to go significantly heavy for fewer reps. When I finished, another fellow gave me the thumbs up and remarked, "No belt? No knee wraps?" At that point we had a nice conversation, in which I mostly gave him some pointers and encouragement. If nothing else, I did my job by enlightening him to the much ignored good of goblet squats and overhead squats (on a Smith machine, if need be).

As mentioned above, I shall persist in this routine for a while, although next time I shall replace the complex with the deadlift, do dips instead of the DBP, and do front instead of back squats.** As such, this routine is so similar to my old Even Keel routine that I might as well call it that. (Welcome back, old friend!) I'm genuinely curious what I shall be able to "pull off" on the deadlift. It's been a while, and having neglected formal grip training for a season will, I suspect, be a limiting factor. Given the perhaps uniquely intense demands which deadlifts put on the CNS, I am considering a further guard against overzealous burnout by replacing the DL with a SDL on Even-Keel-B days if I feel overtaxed.

As for the progression on this Even-Keel-A workout, I will not increase weight until I can complete all the desired reps. (No duh, right?) I respond much better to quasi-bodybuilding high volume than to powerlifting intensity, so I will use reps rather than poundage as my index. For example, since I dropped down to 225 on my second set of DBP, next time I will try for as many reps as I can manage at 235, and only once I can do two legitimate sets of 2-3-5 at 235 will I add any weight (5 lbs) for the next workout. It follows that I will "reward" myself by adding 5 lbs to my complex and squat (the latter which I first envisioned as a 10-6-2 progression, but I couldn't resist that final, third squat).

My current goal for pullups is three sets of 10 "good" reps. I'm not interested in adding extrinsic weight until I can do three sets of at least 15 reps at bodyweight. As the rest of my body continues to grow due to the other exercises, this is no small challenge.

Lastly, my current goal for the dumbbell press is three sets of 10 at 65, 70, and 75 lbs, at which point I'll shoot for the same rep-scheme at 70, 70, and 75 lbs, until I eventually can do three sets of 10 at 75 lbs. After that, I shall start the cycle again scaled up by 5 lbs.

Say it with me now: Double Progression Is Your Best Friend--And All The Programming You Really Need.***

Well, that, plus confidence, patience, humility, and rest.

Stay tuned.

• ** Here's a summary of what I have in mind for the next several weeks: 

• EVEN KEEL "A" Warm-up & Stretch (I) DBP: 2-3-5, 2-3-5 # (II) CX: 8-6-4 # (III) [F]SQ: 10, 6, 2 # (IV) PU: # bdw db-P: 10, 10, 10 #

  EVEN KEEL "B" Warm-up & Stretch (I) Dips: # bdw (II) DL: 6, 4, 2 # (III) FSQ: 10, 6, 2 # (IV) Chin-ups: # bdw db-P: 10, 10, 10 #

• *** My "Double Progression" axiom is to be taken in a minimal sense. There is a vast array of progression methods, so I do not mean to say that double progression is all you would ever need (or want), only that, if you want to avoid complexities and overthinking, Double Progression is totally sufficient for making gains (all hail The "KISS" Principle). I am also aware that Jim "5/3/1" Wendler poo-poo's the triplet-style programming that I've shown above, and that Dan John highly praises the 5/3/1 program, so I really do want to get into it at some point. For now, though, I want to stick with a regimen that I know works for me, isn't as mentally distracting during Lent, and that I can do while (hypothetically) reading Wendler's book before diving into his program on the fly (which was my mistake with Mass Made Simple).

Mass Made Simple - Days 5 and 6

Monday, 3 February 2014   
225 lbs, 60 min
 
Warm-up
-
BP : 2-3-5 x 3 @ 195 lbs
One/arm press : 2-3-5 x 2 @ 50 lbs
Bat wings : 5 x 5 sec @ 65 lbs
Bird-dog : 20 sec, 20 sec x 2 (tighter form)
-
Complex : 5 x 3 @ 105 lbs
-
SQ : 30 x 3 @ 105, 115, 125 lbs

A very "mental" workout. I took a nap which lasted longer than I had intended, so I was not fully "amped" when I got to the gym. I also avoided drinking a sports drink, Red Bull, coffee, etc. By the end of the workout, I was soaked and had little spontaneous "drive"; I muscled through.

Bench press was a little more challenging than last time, but by the third set I was sufficiently warmed up. I used to do more of a powerlifter stance, but I prefer the flatter bodybuilder posture. Either way, it's all about tight traps, perpendicular forearms, and a tight grip.

After the workout, when I was reviewing Mass Made Simple, it dawned on me that I have been doing one-arm presses wrong so far. They had become a little too easy lately, but instead of switching hands every rep-set (2/2, 3/3, 5/5), I should complete a whole set for one arm (2-3-5) and then switch to the next.

I like bat wings. I think in a few weeks, heavy bat wings will be a favorite. In contrast, I honestly don't "feel" the point of bird dogs, so I may replace them with planking, do one set between other upper-body exercises, or get rid of them altogether, and do more planking and core work on my recharge day.

The complex was not as challenging this time, but breaking through the press barrier takes time. At least this time the I felt no "hitch" in my shoulder when resetting the hang clean.

Finally, the squat--PISSED! I wanted to squat 135 lbs, which is what Dan John scheduled, but I had mistakenly written 125 lbs.

My sleep has been slightly messed up since moving, but last night I fell asleep at about 8 PM and woke up after 6 AM today. I'm going to hit the gym earlier today so that I can get to bed earlier. I'll also drink a sports drink, a Red Bull, and a serving of protein before the workout. I'm going heavier tonight, damn it. Squat more or don't squat.

As for tonight....

DAY 6 
Thursday, 6 February 2014   
225 lbs, >60 min
[I revised the results in red after the workout.]
 
Warm-up
-
BP : 2-3-5-10, 2-3-5, 2-3-5 @ 195 lbs
One/arm press : 2-3-5 x 3 @ 50, 45, 45 lbs
Bat wings : 5 x 5 sec @ 65 lbs
[Bird-dog : 20 sec, 20 sec x 2 (tighter form)?]
-
Complex : 5 x 5 @ 95, 110, 110, 110, 100 lbs
-
SQ : 10, 10, 30 [up-to-50] x 3 @ 135 lbs
[Up-to-50 means I can do the remaining 30 in one go, or break them up into chunks, as long as do a total of 50 squats.]

While I normally avoid chit-chat, I had a few social encounters tonight, which contributed to my workout running longer than usual. I asked a trainer some nutrition questions, and met a fellow parishioner. I also took a little more rest between complex sets, to make the most of each one.One guy doing deadlifts with his friends saw me doing a complex (specifically the hang clean to front squat portion) and I overhead him say, "Now that's damn impressive." Perhaps it is. But I want to go heavier. Now that I've discovered them, I don't think I'll ever take complexes out of my standard routines. 

Tonight was the first night I felt "big." Not BIG, mind you, but it was the first time in maybe a year that I saw myself in a mirror, and realized that calling me a "big guy" would be a very natural response from, say, a bystander or colleague. To use a social metaphor, I was probably a "lower-upper" on the size chain. There was one guy who was more cut than me, but I think I had him in terms of power.

Anyway.

It was nice to go heavier on squats--but I want to go heavy!! Having just taken a glance at the upcoming workouts, I intend to go heavier than Dan John advises on most sets, though I will stick to his rep counts.

It was wonderful to be done with the gym and home by the time I usually head out. No more night workouts, if I can help it.

As for my weight, moving in has made me out of sync with my cooking the last few days, but tonight I made a pot of brown rice, baked fish fillets, veggies, lentils, and chicken strips. I hope to be 228 by Monday.

Fitness update - April 2013

Thursday, 4 April 2013
30 min., 215 lbs. 

speed bag – 3 min. x 3
kb swings – 30, 35, 40
pull-ups – 5, 8, 11
dips – 5, 8, 11

[I lost a lot of time dealing with the tire-made heavy-bag––I'm still working on how to hang it––and trying to eradicate the stench that's been coming from two giant dead rats that my neighbor tossed in his back yard next to my garage. I used gasoline, fire, and then bleach. Win!]


Friday, 5 April 2013
25 min., 215 lbs.  

warm-up: mace drills ––> 5–10 min.

speed bag – one round for as long as I could keep up cadence ––> 5'26"
[Actually, I could have gone longer, but I was distracted by the pain in my right hand. I had an intense speed bag session yesterday, and the bones feel a bit bruised. So I'll be icing my hands, or at least my right hand, laying off the speed bag for a while, and maybe not even filming my progress video this weekend.]

kb swings: 20, 20

kb shotput swing: 10/10, 10/10

kb hoist and shove: 10/10, 10/10

[I also did some raking under the back tree to make the ground more level. Getting ready to hang my tire-made heavy bag...! I've already got two friends "on board" for training at my "gym laboratory" once or twice a week this summer, and on the way home from Home Depot today I saw a guy running backwards in the street and I immediately knew, "This guy needs to train with me." His name is James and he lives maybe a mile away. We exchanged numbers and hope to hang out when he gets back from a visit home to Michigan in a couple weeks. He's got a degree in sports science, also motivates/trains his wife, and is way more cut than I am heheh!

Why did I go to Home Depot, you ask? I try to limit myself to one DIY project a month, if it costs me money, so this month I decided to make a mace. I made one in Taiwan, and I've been missing it lately. My mace in Taiwan was about 3' of 1/2" steel pipe, a cap to stop the weights, and some rubber gaskets and a U-bolt to lock the weights up at the top. My new mace is much more ambitious: 3' of 1.5" steel pipe for the weight plates, a bushing to join a 1' long handle of 3/4" pipe, a cap for the top and a U-bolt to lock down the weights. I added a modest 6 lbs. of plates to the head, but, honestly, the mace by itself, even without weights, is quite a challenge after a hiatus, so for now I may just use it as a massive Indian club. For a shorter homemade mace bell, I could try this awesome DIY method. Here's another ingeniously simple method for a homemade mace bell/gada. ;p

Tomorrow I will be back in the gym. I originally wanted to cancel my membership, but they talked me into a 25% lower monthly fee and I'm staying. I figure I need a gym for 1) squatting, 2) deadlifting, 3) db shrugs, flyes, and presses (the Big Three, basically), and 4) farmer walking. Otherwise, I'll stick with my kettlebell, mace, boxing, jump rope, medicine ball, bodyweight conditioning.] 

Fitness notes…

Saturday, 25.6.11
Pullups: 14, 14, 14
2" bar bench: 15/15 [neutral/wide], 16, 12 @ 50kg, 55kg, 60kg
2" db standing curl: 15, 12, 10 @ 14kg, 18kg, 22kg
db tricep press: 15, 12, 10 @ 12kg, 16kg, 18kg
2" bar front squat: 15, 12, 10 @ 50kg, 55kg, 60kg

Sunday, 26.6.11
swim: 2200m
[200m breast & back, 1500m crawl, 500m breast]

Monday, 27.6.11
Jump rope & striding: 800 skips, 10 min. striding, 750 skips, 5 min. striding
[Striding is power-walking slowed by the presence of one's gf.]

Tuesday, 28.6.11
Jumping jacks / jump rope: 50/100, 100/50
Gut wrench: 32 x 3 @ 12kg
Drawing water: 16/16 x 3 @ 12kg
Grapple up: 16/16 x 3 @ 12kg
Ab wheel: 20 x 3
Neck iso's: 30 x 3 [all 4 angles]

Wednesday, 29.6.11
Swim: [40 minutes of… aquatic motion… I was teaching my gf how to swim]
Gut wrench: 30 x 3 @ 14kg
Drawing water: 15/15 x 3 @ 14kg
Grapple up: 15/15 x 3 @ 14kg
Ab wheel: 12 x 3
Neck iso's: 30 x 3 [all 4 angles]
Crushing grip:
Heavy 150: 10 closes, 5 closes
CoC #1.5: 10 closes
CoC #2: 4 reps [1 close r.h.]
CoC #1.5: 20 sec. overcrush r.h., 20 sec. overcrush l.h. [l.h. came open last few seconds]
Heavy 150 (without using pinky): 2 closes
CoC #1.5 (without using pinky): 1 close

+ + +

The crush training on Wednesday was interwoven with sets of core drills. Frankly, I was stunned by my grip performance tonight. I was diffident about training grip tonight and was therefore shocked, indeed, confused, by how well I did. 10 closes for both hands on the CoC #1.5! Yes, I also closed the CoC #2 with my right hand, but I want to do so with more authority before saying I've really done so. After some persuading (against buying, mind you!), my gf agreed that she will wait until I can close the #2 with both hands before she buys the #2.5 for me. I can only surmise two factors for my success: 1) I have been using my flail at random times and the motion ("greasing the groove"?) may be the right kind of therapy for my forearms; 2) I did some solid overcrush training (also spontaneously) last week with my "naked" red crushers (i.e. with the rubber bands removed) and that seems to have boosted my grip. I think the wider grip of the handles helps my pinky, which is the weak spot especially on my left hand. Despite having done a good deal with the crushers tonight, I feel no pain or stiffness. Just confidence! If only other crush maniacs knew how beneficial swimming and jump rope is for crushing, haha!

Recent doings…

I've been well out of the loop, I know, but this is mainly because I've picked up some new extra classes and have moved into a larger apartment. What I should have posted in the past week or two is roughly (from memory) the following:

6 June 2011
Warmup: gryo ball, flail
Midi Red gripper: 10, 9
Heavy Grips 150: 9, 8
CoC #1.5: 8, 8 (l.h. 4 closes? r.h. 8)
CoC #2: 8, 6 (l.h. 3 closes? r.h. 4 closes?)

9 June 2011
Warmup: flail, gyro ball
1" wrist roller:
2" wrist roller:
Wrist levering:
4x4 pinch block:
1x4 pinch block:

10 June 2011
Sling rows: 15, 15
Kettlebag curls: 12 @ 9kg
Kettlebag-sledgehammer curls: 12, 10 @ 12kg
Pushups: 50, 50

11 June 2011
Kettlebag sledgehammer curls: 12, 12 @ 12kg
Pushups: 50, 50
Kettlebag delt flyes and press: 5/5/5, 5/5/5 @ 9kg
Tricep extensions: two chest-expander coils

14 June 2011
Swimming:
35 mins, 800m: 100m breaststroke, 100m legs only, 100m freestyle, 300m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 100m freestyle
[It wasn't until about 350m that my old training came back: hands slice in high and close to the head, torwue the hips and shoulders, stretch each stroke. By the end, I had remembered to count how many strokes I took per 50m: 42, 41, 39, 38. A good progression! I need to get my cardio back up to snuff. How I love swimming!]

Grip training:
Warmup: Midi Red gripper (10 closes), gyro ball
Heavy Grips 150: 9 reps (l.h. 6 closes? r.h. 9 closes)
CoC #1.5: 9 (r.h. 7 closes? l.h. 4 closes?)
CoC #2: 1, 1 (ø closes)
Heavy Grips 150: 9
[I finally determined tonight a major factor in the disparity between my right and left hands: the design of the crushers favors the right hand! To wit, in the right hand, the spring inserted into the handle in the thenar-phalanx joint is nearly a centimeter from the flesh. By contrast, when the gripper is "flipped" into the left hand, the thenar spring is only a couple millimeters from the flesh.

I have discovered the handicap in this, namely, that the closer the origin handle is to the palm of the hand, the less leverage that hand has. This is because, as the fingers closer towards the palm, the sooner they "run into" the palm, the less power, indeed, the less geometric space they have to crush inwardly. Those extra millimeters in the right hand give the right fingers the essential extra geometric leverage to crush, a space lacking in the left hand. Indeed, this is why setting the gripper correctly is so important. The thenar handle is placed towards the center of the palm precisely to increase the leverage of the fingers to close to that handle. A gripper casually set too far back in my right hand will make that hand as weak as my left hand.

The upshot is that I think I have taken to training my left hand with the gripper (at least a heavy gripper) upside down. This puts the thenar spring farther from the flesh and gives it a "right hand feel." To wit, whilst writing this note, I ran into my training room and did a few upside reps for my left hand (Heavy Grips 150 x 4, CoC #1.5 x 2, CoC #2 x 1), just to see how it felt. And it felt stronger, considering I was already tapped out from a proper grip session a couple hours before.

Oh, and, incidentally, if you're psychotic, or me, you'll notice a difference between June 14's grip training and the previous crush training is that I did fewer reps for warmups so I'd have "more left" for the heavy grip training.]

I've also done some random drills while watching movies: chest expander curls, shrugs, bowshots, tricep extensions, etc. But, frankly, due to a very unpleasant case of eczema in the thigh-groin region (!), I've basically been unable to do serious lower-body training. Which is immensely frustrating and irritating. That's what finally got me back into the pool, and I invested in a book of 30 tickets to keep my feet to the fire, as it were (a little sunken capital is good for rationality).

Brainstorming my next cycle regimen…

Based on remarks at this webpage:

Modern bodybuilding has been saturated with the BODY PART SPLIT SYSTEM. Day One is Legs, Day Two is back, Day Three is Arms, and so on. This splitting is not the best way to train for maximum strength and size. Your body, as a system, needs days of rest. You don't need 22 sets for back and 18 sets for chest, and so on..with all sorts of multiangle exercises to make progress. In fact just the opposite is true. You need 6 to 8 basic, hard exercises, done in good form, performed every few days, for 15 to 20 some total sets. Some of you may not believe this type of training works. I challenge you to prove me wrong. Train this way for 6 months and (if you are resting and eating) you will experience gains like never before.

I propose the following as a rough guide for a basic-exercise regimen to commence in May:

Squat 4 sets legs Pullups 4 sets back/arms Bench press 4 sets chest Snatch deadlift 3 sets back/legs Military press 3 sets arms Preacher bench curls 4 sets arms Cable pushdowns or Pullovers with press 4 sets

CIRCUIT A: Monday

6. 12. 18. Squat 10, 8, 6 @ 85kg, 95kg, 105kg, 115kg

1. 7. 13. Pullup 10+, 10+, 10+

5. 11. 17. Bench curl 12, 10, 8 @ 30kg, 32.5kg, 35kg, 40kg

3. 9. 15. Snatch DL 10, 8, 6

2. 8. 14. Bench press 10, 8, 6 @ 70kg, 72.5kg, 77.5kg, 82.5kg

4. 10. 16. Military press 10, 8, 6

CIRCUIT B: Thursday

1. 7. 13. Squat 10, 8, 6 @

2. 8. 14. Incline bench press 10, 8, 6

6. 12. 18. Hyper-supinated DB curl 12, 9, 6

4. 10. 16. Pushowns/Pullovers 12, 9, 6 @

3. 9. 15. Lever bench row 10, 8, 6 @

5. 11. 17. Deadlift 10, 8, 6 @

AEROBIC, ABS, GRIP: Wednesday

AEROBIC, BODYWEIGHT: Friday or Saturday or Sunday

Workout regimen - March 2011

TUESDAY 2. MARCH 2011
"A1": Quads and Biceps
45 mins, 97kg

(I was pressed for time but determined to exercise, knowing that travel time to the gym would drain my time for a good workout and that, in turn, a poor workout would worsen my mood. So I did a lot of KB swings and cleans and curls, DB curls and squats, Hindu squats, and thick-grip bungee-cord curls (over- and underhand). A good sweat and my quads were nicely sore today!)

WEDNESDAY 3. MARCH 2011
A2: Pecs and Calves
45 mins, 97kg

WARMUP: squats, bench, calve raises, stretching

CIRCUIT:

Seated calf raise: 45, 42, 39 @ 40kg, 50kg, 60kg

Squat: 10, 8, 6 @ 80kg, 85kg, 95kg
[My quads needed more of a challenge than I gave them yesterday.]

Bench press: 8, 7, 7* @ 80kg, 85kg, 90kg
[Lighter weight but I felt a great pump. I worked out quickly today, so I didn't want to use weight so heavy I couldn't do it on my own. I got a spot on the 3rd set, but he only helped on the last 2 reps, encouraging me to do an extra 7th rep. High five!]

CIRCUIT:

Incline bench press: 8, 7*, 7* @ 65kg, 70kg, 72.5kg
[Definitely a bit drained after the bench press, had a spot on 2nd and 3rd sets. First spotter knew what he was doing: he only helped on my last 2 reps, when I asked for and clearly needed the assist. The second guy--the guy who uses power straps on almost every exercise!--was all over my bar, even pushing it towards my waist the first couple reps and seriously jocking my focus. He assisted too much, but at least I did 7 reps and felt a decent enough pump. Beware of posers!]

Standing calf raise: 36, 36, 36 @ 75kg

CIRCUIT:

Dumbbell flye: 12, 9, 6 @ 18kg, 22kg, 26kg

One-leg calf hop: 30/30, 50/30, 50/30
[I improvised these, since I wanted a 3rd calf exercise to go with my flyes. Just balance on one leg and then hop side to side over a line (in my case, up one inch onto a platform), focusing on using the balls of the feet to balance, rather than the whole footsole. A nice dynamic exercise. I did extra reps for my apparently weaker right calf.]

ABS: Planking: 1 min, 1 min

+ + +
I'm shooting for an A3 workout tomorrow. It's been a while since I deadlifted!

•
FRIDAY 4. MARCH 2011
A3: Hams and Back
50+ mins, 97kg

WARMUP: spin bike, deadlifts, pullups, calisthenics

CIRCUIT:

Deadlift: 10, 8, 6, 4 @ 100kg, 110kg, 115kg, 130kg

Good mornings: 10, 8, 6 @ 40kg, 60kg, 80kg
[I think I'm wrong about the weights here, not sure.]

CIRCUIT:

Stiff-leg deadlift: 12, 9, 6 @ 75kg, 85kg, 95kg

Lever pull row: 12, 9, 6 @ 90kg, 100kg, 110kg

CIRCUIT:

Leg curls: 10, 8, 6 @ 35kg, 40kg, 45kg
[Oh my quads were sore when I lied on the pads! Had some great "gym rat" grunts on the latter sets!]

Barbell row: 10, 8, 6 @ 70kg, 80kg, 90kg

•

Gym regimen - November 2010

A4: Tris, Shoulders, Traps: 45 mins
92kg, BMI 26.5

Warmup: Stretching, extensions, presses, etc.

Military press (barbell, standing): 10, 8, 6 @ 40kg, 45kg, 50kg

Upright row (barbell): 10, 8, 6 @ 40kg, 45kg, 50kg

Kowtow rear-delt flye (per hand): 10, 8, 8 @ 10kg, 14kg, 18kg

Elbows-out extension (per hand): 10, 8, 6 @ 18kg, 22kg, 26kg

Standing French press (EZ barbell): 10, 8, 6* @ 25kg, 35kg, 40kg
[5th rep of the 3rd set was a body-cheat on the way up and the 6th rep was a negative.]

Cable pulldown: 10, 8, 6 @ 25kg, 30kg, 35kg

Shrugs (barbell): 12, 9, 6 @ 90kg, 100kg, 110kg

+ + +
This was a funny workout. Although I had already said I would forgo A4 this week, since my Saturday seemed too busy, by the time dinner was over with my friends, I "couldn't take it anymore," and excused myself: "I'll be back in about an hour. I'm 'itchy'." They were cool with it. So I got to the gym, rolled up my cargo pants, took off my shirt and worked out in my wife beater. Hoorah! I went a little light this time but did the sets more quickly, so it was a good pump by the end. I just couldn't stand not working my tris and delts, especially seeing as I won't be able to do A4 next Friday (due to the conference in Taipei).

Gym regimen - November 2010

A3: Back and Hamstrings (THURSDAY): 50 mins
Circuit
93kg, BMI 27

Warmup: ski machine, stretching, calisthenics

Leg curl: 14, 11, 8 @ 40kg, 45kg, 50kg

Stiff-leg deadlift: 12, 9, 6 @ 70kg, 80kg, 90kg

Deadlift: 12, 9, 6, 12 @ 90kg, 100kg, 110kg, 70kg

Lat pulldown: 15, 12, 9 @ 75kg, 85kg, 90kg

Lever bench row: 10/4, 8/4, 6/4 @ 80kg, 90kg, 100kg

One-arm dumbbell row: 14, 11, 8 @ 22kg, 26kg, 32kg

Abs: Cable bend-downs: 40, 36, 30 @ 30kg, 35kg, 40kg

+ + +
Tired, tired, tired. It was probably a combination of how hard I worked my back last week and the fact that I haven't gotten enough sleep each night for a few days, but this workout was another "mental workout." Just had to slog through, rep by rep, kilo by kilo. Granted, I'm not lifting light weight to begin with, but it's definitely time for a weekend "recharge."

I was once again struck by how lame many guys' form is: half-reps, even quarter reps. It's as unseemly to me as people half-chewing and then slurping down their food is to others. I've got a very busy Friday (today) ahead of me, so I'll have to do my tricep/shoulder/trap workout on Saturday. Then, next Friday I'm attending (and presenting at) an educational conference in Taipei so I'll have Friday and the weekend off.

Hoorah.

[UPDATE:

Scratch the Saturday (today) workout. I got a sudden case of gastritis Friday, saw a doc, left work early and slept about 11 hours last night. "Rest, and the rest shall take care of itself." Plus, I've got some tutoring and social commitments today. Riveting stuff, I know.]

Gym regimen - November 2010

A2: Chest and Calves (TUESDAY): 50 mins
Non-circuit
92kg, BMI 26.5

Warmup: calisthenics, stretching, tri extensions

NON-CIRCUIT:

Bench press: 10, 8, 5 @ 75kg, 80kg, 85kg
[Still couldn't manage the last 6-rep set without a partial crushing, but I felt very solid on all these. Getting there.]

Incline bench press: 10, 8, 6 @ 65kg, 70kg, 75kg

Incline/Prone cable flye: 10, 8, 6 @ 18kg, 27kg, 32kg

CIRCUIT:

Pullover: 20, 15, 12 @ 18kg, 22kg, 26kg

Seated calf raise (alternating angles): 15/15/15, 12/12/12 @ 60kg, 50kg
Standing calf raise (alternating angles): 12/12/12 @ 36kg + bdw.
[bdw. means bodyweight!]

Ski machine: 3 min, 3 min, 2 min
[My left foot is feeling better every week.]

Cooldown:
Cable pulldowns (for abs): 36, 36, 30 @ 30kg, 35kg, 40kg

+ + +
While dressing after my workout today, I was pondering once more why so few guys do the squat. A "hardcore BB voice" in my head said, "So, so-and-so doesn't do the squat? F--- him!" And it dawned on me that perhaps some of my love for weightlifting is based on my broader love for athletics, which in turn makes me appreciate the reality of "rites of passage" in human experience. Meaning: while I could stick to Nautilus machines and Hammer Strength machines, and still get very strong and big, I realize there is something elemental in putting myself through The Squat, The Bench, and The Deadlift. Granted, perhaps, the 'ultimate' goal of BB is to look good, win competitions, etc., yet I choose to focus on the nobler goals of absorbing and respecting a tradition of athletics on its own merits. I weightlift in order to be privileged, so to speak, to do The Big Three, not simply to "stay fit," or "get stronger." The Big Three are rites of passage into the discipline and humility which pervade BB. Hence, for me not to do The Big Three (barring injuries) is not to do BB, but, rather, simply to go to a gym like so many others. I have chosen to do The Big Three not simply because "they work," bur rather because they are of the essence of the sport I am pursuing. So if a guy is bigger than but doesn't do The Big Three, that's fine. My inner BB-voice might still say, "Eff 'im," though.

Gym regimen - November 2010

A1: Quads and Biceps (MONDAY): 50 mins
92kg, BMI 26.5

Warmup: Ski machine, stretching, lunges, leg extensions

Leg extension: 15, 12, 9 @ 40kg, 50kg, 55kg

Walking lunges: 16, 12, 12 @ 15kg, 20kg, 25kg
[These are nice because they are isolateral. I just held a plate on my torso and did lunges across the room and back.]

Squat: 12, 9, 7, 10 @ 85kg, 95kg, 105kg, 70kg
[Was feeling a bit fatigued after my cold this weekend and need to break back into things after three days off. Good form tonight. Technically heavier than last workout, set by set. I'll go for 100kg maybe next week.]

EZ Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35kg, 45kg, 50kg

Incline dumbbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 14kg, 18kg, 20kg
[Felt stronger on these than last week. Good pump!]

Hammer barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35kg, 40kg, 45kg

Cooldown:
Plate curl: 15, 15 @ 15kg, 20kg
[Hands at "9 and 3 o'clock" for 5 reps, then at "10 and 2 o'clock" for 5 reps, and finally at "12 o'clock" for 5 reps.]

+++
I mentioned to a friend of mine last week that in the four months that I've been at Central Power, I have a recollection of seeing maybe only three other guys do squats. Not tooting my own horn, but it seems increasingly clear to me that the squat is a line in the sand––and most people are happy to stay on "that side" of it. I actually didn't dread the squat tonight. I relished the anticipation! I think going heavier on the leg extensions and trying lunges for the first to "pre-exhaust" my quads did take something out of me for the squat. Then again, 110kg last week was very ambitious and I am happy with small but steady incremental gains.

Biceps felt good. My long heads felt ready to snap off on H-bar curls tonight!

Getting there, folks, getting there. Stay tuned.

This blog...

I started bodybuilding in mid-June 2010 and have kept a workout log at my main blog, FCA, until now. I have however been persuaded to post my BB log on a separate blog. This blog. I'm too lazy to transplant my numerous previous entries at FCA, but anyone interested can find them in the "Bodybuilding" tab there. Stay tuned.