Return to strength update: "para-workout" edition

January 13, 2019
130-160 bpm for 40 min. 

I refer to supplemental workouts like as "para-workouts." I suppose it might also count as "greasing the groove." Either way, I always enjoy tying shrug work and farmer carries into my larger workout regimen. I'm keeping my neck warm tonight, for fear of neck kinks tomorrow.

ski-step machine:
12 min.

shrug circuit: 
1) farmer carry - 60# dbs x 100, 105, 110 steps
2) Kelso shrug - 135# x 12, 12, 12
3) stiff leg DL - 135# x 12, 12, 12
4) bench shrug - 185# x 12, 12, 12

New HIT regimen - Basic Week 2

Wednesday, 14 January 2015 
HIT Basic Week 2.2 
38 minutes, 224 lbs. 

warm-up: elliptical machine, stretching

leg curl: 90 lbs x 16c

leg extension: 90 x 15e

leg press: 200 x 19e

db pullover: 80 x 12e

db BP: 70 x 12e

T-row: 130 x 2 / 115 x 9c

db MP: 35 x 13e

bb curl: 70 x 11e

db tricep extension: 50 x 14e

farmer carry: 80 x 80 steps (left hand), 82 steps (right hand)

standing calf raise: 240 x 13e

+ + +

The "e" and "c" in the above notes refers to when I "failed": c refers to the concentric phase, in which I could no longer overcome the resistance, and e refers to the eccentric phase, in which I could no longer control the resistance "on the way down" (as it were). Also, failing on "e" means that the concentric phase involved a spotter or body English.

I took an average of a minute of rest between each exercise, which made each effort a little less ragged (compared to last time).

I enjoyed the 2c/4e cadence of this workout and the T-row was a nice change.

On Friday I will add a two-handed farmer carry after the unilateral carries. It's such a great exercise. I would love to work in some "trap days" but I don't want to undermine my progress by giving short shrift to rest.

Fitness update - June 2014 (hitting a wall, shrugging it off, rage in the ga-rage, getting a grip)

Wednesday, 4 June 2014 
Shurg rush 
55 min., 225 lb.

warm-up

FSQ: 10, 5* @ 145, 195 lb.
[Okay, so... you CAN overtrain on squats. My dead squats on Monday must have challenged me more than I realized. I took Tuesday off, but when I got into the gym on Wednesday, I felt "weak" right away on squats. As I sank into the hole on rep 6 at 195 lb., I felt something between my vastus medialis and vastus intermedius "give" in my right leg and I lost all power. When whatever-it-was "gave", I felt a distinct popping sensation and what felt like a hollow marble. It was not a searing, tearing pain and I have not lost any mobility. The leg was still load bearing, just very tender and achey. By Thursday I was even able to jog lightly, so I'm not really worried about this setback. I simply strained under-recovered muscles, and they let me know it. Admittedly, I was pretty distracted and demoralized for the rest of my workout, but I led myself through it. After a week of three PR's in a row, it might have been wise to light(er) this week, but what do I know!?]

hypers: 15, 15, 12, 12 @ bdw, 10, 25, 35 lb.

Kelso shrug: 12, 12, 10, 10 @ 195, 215, 225, 235 lb.

bench shrug: 12, 12, 12 @ 225, 245, 275 lb.

pullover: 15, 15, 12, 12 @ 50, 60, 70, 80 lb.

snatch shrug: 10, 10, 10 @ 215, 225, 235 lb.

[Compared to my last two Shurg Rushes, I used lighter weight for more reps. I think I'm interested in trying a few weeks of high-volume, high "pump" weightlifting, and I didn't want to risk taxing my neck again just a couple weeks outside of a strain.]

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

Thursday, 5 June 2014 
Garage fitness
35 min., 225 lb.

[My buddy came over for a workout and we did the following circuits. I set my watch with a repeating 1'05" timer. Halfway through the workout, we realized that my double-end bag had a leak, so it's time to spring for a nicer one. I wore out my first double-end bag, woohoo!]

double end bag - 1 min.
heavy bag - 1 min.
[1 min. rest]
sling pushups & rows - 1 min.
sling dips & curls - 1 min.
[1 min. rest]
jump rope - 1 min.
tire/sledge - 1 min.
[1 min. rest]

REPEAT for 4 cycles

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

Friday, 6 June 2014 
Grip training
30 min., 225 lb.

warm-up - gyro ball, space mace, ghetto grippers

CoC #1.5 - 10 closes

CoC #2 - 0 L, 1 R

CoC #2 - 0 L, 1 R

CoC #1.5 - 7 closes, 2 closes

dino db hold (2", 74 lb) -
60 sec
42 sec
40 sec

[I've lost some ground on my grip strength, but I also trained at night, on a Friday, when I don't eat meat, and eat less in general. Just have to keep on keepin' on....]

Shurg Rush (and, "I've really gone and done it this time!") - 14 May 2014

Wednesday, 14 May 2014 
Shurg Rush 
70 min., 224 lb. 
MOOD: A bit skittish at first, not knowing what I was going to go for on the squat. This workout took longer than usual due to a small amount of chatting with a gym buddy, and then a few minutes giving a trainer some tips on front squatting when she asked me for them!

FSQ: warmup, 8, 6, 4, 3, 3, 1, 1 @ 95, 145, 195, 215, 235, 255, 275, 285 lb.
[Yes, lady and gentleman, I have done it this time: I achieved my goal to front-squat 90% of my back squat. Granted, on a lark last week I did some back squats which edged my SQ up to at least 325 lb, which means I should go for 290 on the FSQ. Nonetheless, the original goal was based on an estimate of 15 lb. While I won't say it was easy, I will say that it wasn't nearly a gutbuster, especially considering how many reps I'd already done. My reward? Back squats tomorrow!] 

hypers: 12, 12, 12 @ + 25, 35, 45 lb.
[Should I do more reps next time, I hold more weight? I'll go for a 12/9/6 rep scheme next time with more weight and see what happens.] 

EZ-bar Kelso shrug: 15, 15, 15 @ 110 lb.
[Annoyed. Using a barbell worked better than dumbbells, but using a 110-lb bar was too light, and using a heavier bar in the dumbbell/bench-seat area is too cumbersome. So, next time, I shall simply take a slightly bent-row posture and shrug a properly loaded barbell. I need at least 135 lb.]

bench shrug: 12, 12, 12 @ 285, 305, 325 lb.
[These were gratifying because I got the bar off the break without a spotter.] 

standing "shrug" shrug*: 12, 9, 9 @ 315, 365, 395 lb.
[A loudmouth at the gym looked at me incredulously when he saw me approaching the machine for a second set, with close to 400 lb. in my sights. That's right, meathead, we don't all have to be beefy to be strong, or loud to be competent.] 

snatch shrug: 9, 8, 8 @ 195, 235, 255 lb.

+ + + 

I replaced dip shrugs for "shrug" shrugs this time, partially because using the gear for dip shrugs is time-consuming, and partially because I want to give my palms a little break. My cleans from the other day gave me a weird periostium bruise/strain on my right hand. I am thinking of doing SQ, chest, biceps, and neck tomorrow, and giving my wrist one more day to rest before I do a  grip workout on Friday. Stay tuned.

* 

Fitness update(s) - 8 May -- 12 May

Thursday, 8 May 2014 
Shurg Rush
60 min., 221 lb. 

HSQ: 12, 10, 8, 6, 3, 3, 3, 2 @ 145, 165, 185, 215, 235, 255, 285, 305 lb.

[I went for three on my last set, but stalled halfway up. That was strangely gratifying. I had really found a weight that matched, and just surpassed, my ability. Until I get stronger, that is.]

hypers: 12, 9, 6 @ + 25, 35, 45 lb.

db Kelso shrug: 12, 9, 6 @ 80, 85, 90 lb.

[As much as I love dumbbells, I think these will be more effective with a barbell. I'll test it out next time, maybe Wednesday.]

bench shrug: 12, 12, 12 @ 235, 285, 335 lb.

[My spotter on the last set came over and said, "Whoa, that's a lotta weight!" I explained the lift and he grinned, with a glimmer of dawning comprehension. That's three out of three times I've had to gotten to explain my shrug exercises. #GospelOfKelso]

dip shrug: 12, 12, 12, @ + 70, 80, 90 lb.

[Fairly beastly. Me like. A kid came over and watched me on my last set, then asked, "What are those for?" I explained. He nodded, then slowly walked away, with a faint smirk, as if I'd just said my muscles are made of cheese. Clearly a lad still trapped the darkness of Non-Kelsotude.]

snatch shrug: 8, 6, 8* @ 235, 255, 275 lb.

[I realized that I should just deadlift the bar off the ground, in order to be able to use a truly snatch-wide grip without the risk of pinching my fingers on a rack. The last set was fun because, as my grip gave way, I hitched the bar up and grabbed it with a little narrower grip, shrugged again, felt my grip giving way, hitched it one more time into a standard shrug grip, and squeezed out one more rep. Fun times.]

+ + + 

Saturday, 10 May 2014 
Carpe Ferrum workout 
55 min., 220 lb. 
MOOD: I truly felt like crap for this workout. I don't know why, but part of the problem is that a late night out last week and a little family drama recently have left me feeling drained for a few days. Maybe allergies are hitting me hard, too. In any event, I knew I simply had to "punch the clock." An extremely "mental" workout, it nevertheless ended up being quite effective, all things considered.

FSQ: 10, 10, 10 @ 145, 165, 185 lb.

supinating db press: 10, 10, 10, 8 @ 55, 60, 65, 85 lb.

seated db curl: 10, 10, 10, 8 @ 30, 35, 35, 40 lb.

CL: 8, 8, 8 @ 115, 135, 155 lb.

db flye: 10, 10, 10 @ 45, 55, 60 lb.

seated cable row: 10, 10, 10 @ 150, 170, 170 lb.

unilateral cable row: 10/10, 10/10, 10/10 @ 80, 90, 110 lb.

[I did these seated on the floor and used a little torso rotation to maximize the range of motion. Not too shabby.]

+ + + 

Monday, 12 May 2014 
Carpe Ferrum workout
50 min., 224 lb. 

power CL: 6, 5, 4, 2*, 4, 2* @ 135, 155, 175, 185, 175, 185 lb.

[Once my form got sloppy at 185 lb., I ramped it down a bit, but then decided to go for 185 again. On the last set, I failed on a third attempt, and now my right wrist is a little tweaked. Fear not: I'll be fine.]

unilateral db hang jerk (?): 10, 8, 6, 4/6 @ 50, 55, 60, 65 lb.

[Instead of a one-hand snatch, I devised these in order to work my lats, traps, hams, and posterior chain on the pull, and to perform a fluid press to the top. My copy of Kubik's Dinosaur Training arrived today, so I'd like to thank him for inspiring me to try these out. I squeezed out two extra reps at the end to bring my left arm up to speed.]

incline db flye: 12, 10, 8, 7* @ 50, 55, 60, 65 lb.

Grip training ... and then a Shurg Rush - 30 April 2014

Crush grip training
30 min., 224 lbs 
MOOD: felt ready but got easily distracted at times... because I trained in my office and babies were around; all right-hand reps and closes were "with authority" 

warm-up (9 min) - space mace, light grippers, stretching

CoC #1.5 - 6/6 closes
CoC #2 - L 1 close, R 1 close, L near close, R 1 close
CoC #2 (chalk) - L near close, R 1 close, L 1 close, R 1 close
CoC #1.5 iso-hold - L 20 sec, R 25 sec. (used an envelope as gap-release indicator)
CoC #1.5 - L 8 closes, R 8 closes

74-lb dino-db hold - L 33 sec., R 36 sec.
74-lb dino-db hold - L 35 sec, R 37 sec.

[Then about an hour later I got to the gym for trap day...] 

Shurg Rush
50 min, 224 lbs 
MOOD: felt stoked and focused, worked quickly but not carelessly 

hypers - 18, 15 + 10 lbs, 12 + 25 lbs, 9 + 45 lbs
Hindu squats - 40

Kelso db shrug - 12, 10, 10 @ 85 lbs
Hindu squats - 40

bench shrug - 12, 10, 12 @ 225, 245, 265 lbs
Hindu squats - 40

dip shrug - 12, 10, 10 @ 70 lbs
Hindu squats - 40

snatch shrug - 6, 8, 8 @ 235, 225, 225 lbs
Hindu squats - 40

rear shrug - 6, 6, 6 @ 275 lbs
Hindu squats - 40

+ + +

At one point, as I did Hindu squats--which I assure you the vast majority of gym rats don't even know about, and probably even fewer would be willing to try--I heard one older gym bro muttering to another older gym bro, "Oh, he's workin' his legs and his back. Heh. Yeah, mumble grumble, etc." Was it about me? I don't know. But as I found myself surrounded by dudes who do uneven straight bar curls in the squat rack, shout about "thowin' them bitches [25 lb dumbbells]", and have as large a torso as their legs are puny... I just had to look to the future. I'm doing what works for me, and it's bound to raise some eyebrows. To wit, I got queried yet again about bench shrugs. I'm happy to share new ideas.

Patience, Humility, Confidence, Persistence... Stay tuned.

P.S. Since I know that my millions of readers are as interested in the minutiae as I am, I should add that the above figures for my grip training indicate a significant step forward--or, if you will, a significant return to where I was in last 2012. I believe that by summer I will have a CoC #2.5 to train with. 

Shurg Rush! - 23 April 2014

[Not a typo; just a nerdy joke. And I'm not even a gamer.]

Shurg Rush
60 min., 226 lbs. 
MOOD: excited, alert, yet calm, with tinges of somatic fatigue; want to sleep early tonight!

ZSQ: 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 3, 3 @ 55, 85, 105, 155, 185, 195, 205 lbs.

hypers: 12, 10, 8 @ bdw, bdw + 10, bdw + 25 lbs
[Since I wasn't trying to work my hammies, I braced my legs at the knee joint.]

"The" Kelso Shrug: 12, 12, 12 @ 90 lbs
[I tried these at 55° and 35°, with over- and underhand grips. Given my bench options, 35° seems a better fit, and I felt the overhand grip more in my lower traps... although Kelso defines "The Kelso Shrug" as an underhand grip focusing more on the lats and lowers traps. Working out these kinks is part of why this workout took an hour; once I get the hang of things, I'm hoping to curtail it to 45 minutes. I would have liked to go a bit heavier, but, along with heeding Kelso's advice to start light until you get familiar with the motions, these shrugs, as with spider curls, are easier to do if a spotter helps get the bar in your hands. I will try it with dumbbells next time. Range of motion, for the win!]

bench shrug: 12, 12, 12 @ 235 lbs.
[spotter for the break -- "Never seen those before!"]

dip shrug: 12, 12, 12 @ bdw + 60 lbs.
[felt awesome]

snatch shrug: 12, 10, 8 @ 205, 225, 245
[My only frustration with these was that, unless I wanted to SDL the bar into a standing position and then shrug, I had to shrug from the lower squat-rack braces. This was fine, except for the fact that it prevented me from taking a truly wide-snatch grip. I was distracted by the fear of pinching my fingers with the bar when I set it down. The widest grip was about an inch outside the outer knurling gap. All the same, two hours after this workout, I can feel that warm stiffness in my neck. I'm curious to see how I feel tomorrow and the next day.]

overhead shrug: 12, 10, 8 @ 165, 185, 205 lbs
[I tried my first set from a squat rack, which was precarious, so I moved over to the power rack, setting the pins in the highest slots. Then I stood the loaded bar up, with straight arms, as if finishing a jerk in slow motion. The key to this, or, really, any, shrug, is the squeeze and hold.]

+ + + 

If you didn't catch on, the idea behind the Shurg Rush is train the entire spinal column from the bottom up.

When I got to the gym, three of the usual high school gym rats were there, and they were still at it when I walked out the door. Ahh, youth.

Only... well... the ringleader was a chunky, middle-aged Bro who had them doing every possible mainstream "pec exercise": incline bench, pec deck, dip machine, flat bench, Nautilus press, etc. Those poor, poor youth--they never squat. Like so many, they're just in it for T-shirt muscles. Pecs and bi's, pecs and bi's, pecs and bi's. (Yes, they even do dips-with-chains-draped-over-the-neck, presumably just in case a sports drink photographer or cologne mogul happens to be in the gym.) Sure, you could argue that today was just their pec day, like it was my trap day, but I see them doing almost literally the exact same workout every time I see them, which is at least twice a week. It's sad, but perhaps over time they'll wake up to the fundamentals.

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.

Hit a wall, going through it

After five consecutive days of training, a weekend of grip training and playing at the beach threw my body "out of whack" (a phrase which for the first time has a personal phenomenological vividness). For the past three days I have done virtually no exercise.* I hit a wall. I needed a break. I needed some space. Even today I was a bit reticent, but the axiom that "how you feel is a lie" was largely borne out once more. Kelso's Shrug Book is more substantial than I expected (i.e. its 94 pages are textbook size and provide numerous photos), and I couldn't wait to apply some of the great things I've read in it so far. A Carpe Ferrum workout was just the sort of rehab-refresher workout I needed.

Carpe Ferrum/Shurg Rush 
60 min., 226 lbs. 

Warm-up: 10 min.

FSQ: 6, 6, 3, 3, 3 @ 165, 185, 205, 235, 255 lbs.

Cable cross shrug: 10, 10, 10 @ 100, 120, 140

DBP: 6, 6, 6, 6, 10, 12 @ 215, 225, 235, 215, 195, 175 lbs.

Bench shrug: 12, 12, 12 @ 215, 225, 235 lbs.

stiff-arm pulldown & dip shrug (or "monkey shrug"):
[I just tried a few of these to get a feel for them. Weighted dip shrugs would be awesome, mega serratus trainer!]

db pullover: 10, 10, 10 @ 55, 60, 65 lbs.

EZ bar spider curl: 6/6, 6/6, 6/6 @ 40, 50, 60 lbs.
[I did the first 6 reps to work the short/inner head, and the next six for the long/outer head.]

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

* Tuesday I did three sets of ab exercises, and Wednesday I did what was basically a diagnostic grip session. I closed the CoC #2 twice, in two separate attempts, with my right hand, but was "this close" three times with my left hand. I perused my past grip notes here and the best I seem to have achieved, in August 2012, was 4 right closes, and 2 (or 3) left closes. Despite this current setback, the good news is that, only a week or two ago I was unable to close the #2 at all, so my old grip foundation is coming back. Still, it will take time, and I daren't rush into tendonitis. 

Interestingly enough, I must thank last night's grip session for galvanizing me to do today's workout. There's something very special about intense grip training. A serious crush attempt, if done right, will have you flexing an entire side of your body, and will often leave you a little dizzy. (To experience this feeling, try doing half a dozen extremely arduous, standing front pec flexes, each time 5 seconds long, with your fists squeezing as hard as possible.) As I learned long ago, and which was a key impetus for my plunge into serious grip training, the brain will not activate full muscular potential if it's not convinced you have solid grip on the resistant object. By extension, therefore, achieving a solid grip on an object will deeply stimulate larger accessory muscles "up the chain." This is why trying to "crush" the bar helps your bench, and even your squat (cf. step 3), and also ties into effective kettlebell clean and jerk.