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.]

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?)

That was fun... (UPDATE)

I'm back from my "free day" workout. It turned out to be exactly the workout I was hoping for. I didn't train lackadaisically, but I also didn't feel rushed in the least. It's nice to know that a workout I thunk up pretty much spontaneously turned out to fit my intensity and time parameters like a glove. That shows me that I've accrued enough instincts to know what ingredients should go into a solid workout. This is not a boast, mind you, but rather a reminder, to myself: Confidence, Persistence, Patience, Humility. The key is to stick with what works... and to keep on sticking:

A natural-law argument for the virtue of weightlifting? HT to Elliott H. via Elliot B.

Since I'm sure you're dying to know, here's what I did:

17 March, 2014
"Carpe Ferrum" workout
230 lbs., < 60 min.

Overhead Squat:
8 @ 45 lbs.
8 @ 95 lbs.
7 @ 115 lbs.

[I had to get out from under the bar on rep 8 of the last set. Interestingly (right?), I set the bar from a hang clean, rather than from a back squat. I didn't use the Smith machine, but it is an option, "if you must."]

Farmer walk:
30 sec. @ 90 lbs. x 3

FSQ:
135, 145, 155, 165, 175, 185, 195, 205, 215, 225 lbs. x 3

[The idea here was to do triplets until my form started to deteriorate. In my earlier post about this workout, I said that I can front-squat about 65% of my back-squat, but apparently that was a low calculation. I based it on the fact that I most recently back-squatted 315 lbs x 4, and a few days later front-squatted 205 x 4. But, as I mentioned in my notes about that latter workout, I was feeling fatigued, and, what's more, ended a tough workout with FSQ. I was pleased, but not "stoked", to realize that I capped off a set of 30 front squats at 225 lbs. My guess is that I could crank out four good FSQ at 250 lbs. or so, which means I can actually front-squat about 80% of my back squat. Granted, if I went for a four-rep max on the back squat, I could probably do 350 lbs. or more, so the ratios are still pretty tentative. (I just don't like 1RM's for some reason.) In any case, I will continue with FSQ until I can do 90% of my 315x4 back squat (285 lbs. x 4). In udda woids, a ways to go!]

EZ-bar curls:
8, 8, 8 @ 70, 80, 90 lbs.

db pullovers:
10, 10, 10 @ 50, 60, 70 lbs.

+ + +

Today wasn't too intense, and I have a feeling that I'll be back in the gym for Even Keel B on Wednesday. Fun times. Now I'm going to drink it up for St. Patrick's Day with a range of fine micro-brews, and, despite a twinge in my conscience, some obligatory Guinness.

Gym regimen - November 2012

Friday, 9 November 2012
Even Keel "B" 
60 min., 219 lbs. (98kg)

Warm-up 
motions, stretching, imaging (I used a bar this time, instead of a mop handle. Cool feeling.)

Circuit 1
FSQ - 9, 6, 4, 10 @ 165lbs, 185lbs, 205lbs, 135lbs
Dips - 11, 11, 11, 12 (-40lbs assist)
DL -  9, 6, 6, 6 @ 225lbs, 255lbs, 300lbs, 245lbs

Circuit 2
Flye-away - 8, 8, 9* @ 130lbs (Really 9 reps? I guess I had a good rest for the last set!)
Pulldown - 9, 9, 8 @ 190lbs, 200lbs, 210lbs
Supine cable curl - 10, 10, 9 @ 120lbs, 130lbs, 140lbs

Finish 
N/A

+  +  +

The election depressed me and I didn't sleep enough some days this week, plus I had eaten an early lunch without an afternoon coffee, so I was feeling weak for this workout. I went down in weight on FSQ and DL compared to last week, though I believe I could have done more on DL. I once again forgot to bring my notes from the previous workout, so I was flying blind.  On the other hand, I went up in weight on every other exercise and added nearly a pound of body weight. Happily, I found a slightly wider dip stand and felt a really good pump on the flyeaway.

I worked out much of my gloom about the election and my intellectual hobby these days matches my pre-workout theme song, Rage Against the Machine's "Know Your Enemy". We all lose and all err, but only losers stay defeated, only fools remain ignorant. No retreat, no surrender.  Stay tuned.

Fitness notes...

Sunday, 11 March 2012
<60 min., 97kg

Stairs: 20 min. (10 stories up and down)
[I did the Stations of the Cross as I walked. A little fitness with my penance, thank you very much!]

Jump rope: 200 skips x 3

Hula hoop: 2 min. x 3

1" wrist roller: (3 flex wraps @ 13.5kg) x 3
[Extension wraps would be like revving a motorcycle throttle, whereas a flex wrap is like knocking on a door.]

Ab wheel: 15, 15, 15

* * *

Staving off anxiety, my wife and I are, waiting for the baby to be born. Our biblical memorization task for this week is Philippians 4:4-7. To wit, "4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. 6 Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made knowingly to God. 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Fitness notes…

Thursday, 2011.7.7
Swimming:
35 min, 1200m (500m breast & turbine, 700m crawl)


Friday, 2011.7.8
[The following exercises were done around my grip training, since the first set was basically a warmup and I wanted to avoid having other sets drain my grip strength until I was finished with the crushers.]
45 min., 94kg

Crushing grip:
Warmup: gryo ball, flail, stretching

Heavy 150: 12 closes

CoC #1.5: 12 closes r.h., 12 reps l.h.
[only 8 closes l.h.]

CoC #2: 4 reps
[~2 closes r.h., ø closes l.h.]

CoC #1.5: overcrush 30 sec.

Heavy 150: overcrush 45 sec.
[l.h. slippage last ~10 sec.]

Gut wrench: 24, 24, 24, 24 @ 14kg

Drawing water: 12/12, 12/12, 12/12, 12/12 @ 14kg

Ab wheel: 15, 18, 21, 24

Neck harness tug: 30, 30, 35, 35
[all 4 vectors]

Rope skips: 120, 135, 75
[My shins/calves were killing me by the last set! Woe is I!]

+ + +

I will be taking it easy on my wrists, especially my left arm, for the next few days. The last few reps on some sets were really painful (the release, I mean). Some icing, stretching, muscle rub, etc. Next time I train, however, I will go for higher intensity and lower volume. To wit…

a little gyro ball,
10 reps with the Heavy 150,
6 reps with the #1.5,
and then at least 6 all-out efforts on closing and semi-closing the #2.
And then no overcrushing.

The session after that, however, will consist solely of overcrushing and negatives, to wit…

warmup with the Heavy 150,
overcrush the #1.5 close to a minute,
negative (forced close) with the #2,
and a final overcrush with the Heavy 150.

I guess I'm also going to have to lay off the jump rope for a while, and then maybe just do a set of 120 every couple days until my legs get used to it. Meanwhile I will keep swimming three times a week and going for jogs and power walks. I should get back into doing Hindu squats and Hindu pushups, but that's a passing note to self.

I love training my neck, though it is just a hobby exercise. I should mix in bridging like I used to do.

My bout of illness last week and a more conscientious diet has me around 94kg, maybe 95kg, so it's nice to be leaner and have more stamina. I've invested in a bottle of ω-3 fatty acid (fish oil pills) and was given a bag of yeast grains (with vitamin-B supplements), so I'm hoping I expect to feel more chipper in the next months. I've also gotten towards a nearly pescatarian diet and "go vegetarian" every Friday.

I bought a couple more 10lb plates tonight and now I've set up my two db's and my 2" db with a minimum weight (~20kg) which I can just add to without having to sling all the weights back and forth.

I'm looking to try a couple new restaurants tomorrow, Saturday, which is one of my busiest work days. I've been cleaning up my room(s), which is satisfying.

A great burden is lifting from my shoulders these days and a cloud of depression from May and June has left me. Onward! To become the man God knows I can be (again)!

Gym regimen - June 2011

[The following notes are a bit of a "slurry", i.e. the numbers are probably off in many details, since I shuffled a lot of plates, some in pounds and some in kilograms, and pipes in two sessions, before and after work, and this was the first time I did a "full-on" Even Keel workout at home.

I have, in fact, chosen to let my gym membership expire. Mainly, I want to save time and money. Having been at the gym the past year has given me great gains in my strength, knowledge, and skill, but it's a basic principle of mine that real strength can always be developed, even without "real" equipment.

Even so, my biggest worries were these:

Without a gym… How can I substitute for heavy squatting? How can I train heavy deadlifts? How can I train my back as heavily? How can I improve my bench press and chest without a real bench?

Well, in order:

Heavy squatting is simulated by doing…

one-leg squats (or intervals or double- and one-leg squats),

heavy lunges,

extremely deep though-slightly-lighter squats,

jumpies,

piggyback squats [squatting with someone holding onto you… and a barbell],

squats with a backpack full of weights on your back,

and even "body-board" presses [I just made those up! Imagine a sheet of sturdy ply wood, or a mesh of lumber, on your feet as you lie on the ground and a friend pies on the board.]

Heavy deadlifting is simulated with…

heavy stiff-leg deadlifts,

prone hamstring curls [lie facedown, have someone, or something very secure, pin your feet to the ground, and then rise up as from a prostrated bow. I sort of just invented that.],

hanging leg curls [hang from a pullup bar and lift a weights chain/bag with your feet],

or prone leg pulls [lie facedown and have someone pull your feet down as your try to keep the soles of your feet parallel to the ground. Again, I may have just invented that.].

Heavy back training comes from…

weighted pullups (!),

heavy bent over rows (one- and two-arm),

deep and explosive leaning sling rows, á la Lifeline slings [you can also wear a backpack with weights inside to add more weight; something pretty much like these loop-handled loading slings are what I use],

face pulls,

heavy shrugs (standard, overhead, Hise shrugs, etc.),

and pullovers.

Heavy benching can be simulated by…

weighted pushups (and pushups with hands/fingers/feet in various positions),

medicine-/sports-ball, sling, and one-arm pushups,

plyo (clapping) pushups,

planching [ha! good luck, schlub!],

handstand pushups,

muscle-ups,

heavy floor presses,

heavy db flyes,

thick barbell benching,

and pullovers-with-press.

I've always known "you don't need a gym to get strong," but I did decide about a year+ ago to see what regular time at a gym would do for me. I am pleased with my results. I will most likely be in a gym again in the future, but for now I want to push myself with more bodyweight and home training. Patience, humility, confidence….]

Wednesday, 1 June 2011

95kg

SESSION 1, 45 mins:

Chest expander flye: 15, 15

[I pinned one handle of each expander under a leg of a bench on which I lie and did some wide-angled flyes.]

db flye: 12, 14, 12 @ 30kg (per arm)

Front squat (2" bar): 15, 12, 12 @ 60–65kg

Romanian db DL: 14, 13, 12 @ 60kg, 64kg

Standing db tricep extension + rear tricep extension: 8/5, 10/6, 10/5 @ 12kg, 10kg, 12kg

Seated db curl: 12, 10, 8 @ 11kg, 14kg, 18kg

Bent-over row: 14, 14, 14 @ 65–70kg

SESSION 2, 30 mins:

Front squat (2" bar): 12, 12 @ 65kg

db flye: 12, 8 @ 32kg, 34kg

Romanian db DL: 14, 14 @ 68kg

Standing db tricep extension + rear tricep extension: 10/5, 10/5 @ 12kg

Seated db curl: 12, 8 @ 19kg, 21kg

Bent-over row: 14, 12, 10 @ 65–70kg

+ + +

Lots of sweat and chalk. I will take tomorrow off and train core and grip (sans crusher!) Friday. Obviously, some of my new home regimen would be safer, and more productive, with a spotter, so I am trying to convince a friend to join me.

Grip training…

Sunday, 15 May 2011
20 mins, 97kg

WARMUP:
Gyro ball
Pipe-chain flail
[I made this up last night. Loop a chain around a capped pipe and spin. Numerous variations based on weight and girth of pipe, length and weight of chain, hand position and rotation speed, etc.]
Eagle catcher

CIRCUIT:

Midi red: 10, 8

Heavy red: 8, 6

CoC #1.5: 6, 6
[4 closes r.h., 3 closes l.h.; 3 closes r.h., 2 closes l.h.]

1" wrist roller: 10kg x 3

2" wrist roller: 10kg x 3

2" finger roll: 1kg x 1
[I made this up. Hold both ends of the pipe and roll with fingers. Gotta go light!]

Extensor-flexor levering: 15-15, 15-15 @ 1kg

Plate hold: 1kg x 1 min
[I also improvised this. Hold the plate on the head of the leverage bar. You can rotate, twist, tilt, etc. the bar, but I just held the bar level, which was an awesome pump.]

+++

Had a reality check recently: I've only been working on my #1.5 for two weeks and have only been "seriously training" my grip for a couple months. Ergo, I need to slow down a tad, keep my wits, and forestall injury. I was reading various grip training sites earlier and was struck by how frequently the phrase "after a couple/few months" was used. A couple months, not weeks! I trained my grip quite heavily last Wednesday and my forearms, especially my left hand, were tender for a few days afterward. Life didn't make things better. In one class the following day, for example, two little girls asked me to lift them up, which I did (sucker!), and my forearms were aching for a little afterwards. An hour or two later a coworker asked to see the #1.5. He couldn't close it and wanted to see me do it. So I did (sucker!), once for each hand. Cue forearm aching for a couple hours.

The next night I hung out with some guys at a pool hall and gave a gyroscope "power ball" to one friend as a gift, whereupon a few other guys wanted to play with it. I got into the fun too (sucker!) and after we left one guy swung by to check out my home-gym equipment. Naturally I showed him the grippers and he tried to close the #1.5. He got very close with his right hand but had no chance with his left hand. The upshot is that he asked to see me close it, so I did (sucker!), a couple times for each hand. Cue forearm aching once more! I think it was the hard negatives I have been doing the last few workouts which have overtaxed my tendons. When I get back to crushing, I will "settle" for maximum efforts, even if they're "partials".

Last week my gf surprised me with a CoC #2 as a "Mother's Day gift" she asked me to pick up upon delivery (sucker!). She joked that I would tear it open and try it, but I explained that I'm actually afraid of it. My tendons have been complaining since late last week so last night I soaked my wrists in hot water and then iced them for at least half an hour. I decided to train today so I could take Monday off before training at the gym Tuesday. I lacked a certain confidence today and kept things short. I will ice my wrists again tonight but will not do any crushing at all, apart from what's involved in my normal workout, for a week. Meanwhile I will do plenty of icing and stretching. The week after I will see about a crushing workout, but won't do any hard negatives or extreme stabilizing work. This is good, actually, since I haven't been put in check by an injury for several weeks, even months. Very humbling, which is a path to virtue, too! So it's time to slow my roll and keep focused on prayer and study as I actively recover.

On top of that, the next two weeks I am doing a recovery cycle at higher volume (a 12, 10, 8 rep scheme at 90% of last week's intensity next week and at 95% the week after). I made some solid gains in the past month on my pilot run of the Even Keel regimen, so now it's time to get my endurance back up. Maybe that can be a real cycle: 4 weeks of Even Keel followed by 2 weeks of active recovery and higher volume. I have also taken to jogging again and need to keep at training my core.

Stay tuned.