Grayson's El Niño 2016 / K.I.S.S. log

[foothills_g]

Hello, I am a 37 yo dude in the Sierra Foothills, CA. Certainly a weather fanatic but also a father-to-be in April (it is a Niño). I discovered SS in early 2014 and had a pretty good LP run (log Foothills_G SS Log). I am grateful for getting that baseline and learning the lifts.

Since then I've tried a few different things and set some new PRs. Work causes me to miss training from late August to late November, so consistency has been elusive. My biggest challenge, though, is that whenever I'm fully dedicated to just barbell training I feel my performance in all other activities suffer (snowboarding, mtb, surfing, hiking). During my LP run I'd be wrecked for a week from just one hard day at the mountain, so that just doesn't work. I know that Rip says one should focus on getting strong, then go do whatever else they want to do. That makes sense, but life is short. I'm willing to sacrifice faster gains on the big lifts for the ability to stay quick and have some endurance, and my programming reflects that with lots of emoms/interval efforts. I've read lots of PPSTv3 and used it over the last 2 years, but I recently found Andy B's simple program and it seems like it will fit well and leave some room in the tank for extracurriculars. I'm looking forward to using some new rep schemes, and the best part is that the first cycle (14 weeks) ends when the baby is due, so that'll probably be a good "deload" time....

Stats:
BW 186 (max 195 after SS), 5'11" (almost)
Squat 5rm: 275 June 2014 // 220x5x3 current
Bench 5rm: 225 Feb 2015 // not currently benching
Press 5rm: 140 Feb 2015 // 130x5x3 current
DL 5rm: 365 late 2014 // not sure current
Clean 3rm: 170 Jan 2016 (woohoo)

Goals: make incremental progress, stay stoked, hit consistent PRs in PC and eventually get to PR territory (week 6 I think) in press and DL. Go snowboarding as much as possible until fatherhood.

New program:
Sunday: snowboarding
Monday: rest
Tuesday: KISS squat, static AW
Wednesday: PC training, dynamic PC workout
Thurs: KISS press, thruster workout
Fri: rest
Sat: PC 1rm, SS DL (1 set amrap), see what's left in tank

I'm happy about the program and I've been (over)thinking it for a couple weeks. Has some cool H-L elements. Haven't DL'ed in a while so going linear on that.

Recent sessions (LP ramp up ended today):

1/27
squat 200x5x5 first ever 5x5, felt good, squat has always been my weakest lift so excited for more volume
superset 5x8 knees/elbows, 5x8 dip

1/29
press 130x5x3 felt awesome, 93% of all-time 5rm
3x8 towel chin
EMOM 8': 3 thruster 100#, 5 knees/elbows

today 1/30

Power Clean:
45x3x2, 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 145x1, 155x1, 165x1, 170x1x2 PR

SS DL:
warmup 185x5, 235x3, 255x2
workset 275x9

SLDL:
135x8x2 first time ever, starting light and needs practice, been in lowest flexibility decile since presidential fitness test in 5th grade

3x10x40# kroc row (each arm), 3x10 dip

[Jugrock]

Great to see you back here!

[foothills_g]

1/31 snowboarding. the kind where it's knee-thigh deep and yours are the only tracks. memorable day.

2/2 first day of new program!

K.I.S.S. squat week 1: 5x5 @ 75% of E1RM (280).
warmup: 45x5x2, 105x5, 155x3, 185x2
worksets: 210x5,5,5,5,5 rest 5,5,7,6 min

snatch to heavy double: 45x3x2, 65x3, 85x2, 95x2, 105x2

8' EMOM: 2 snatch 85#, 4 chin

Awesome night. The squats gave me a lot of confidence and I think the first 6 weeks of 5x5 are going to be really rewarding, maybe even convince me to TM when the snow melts. I am pretty sure I could put up closer to 300 for a 1rm, but I set it low so that I could just get the work done and be confident for the next week, which hasn't always been easy for my squat programming. If it feels too easy maybe I'll adjust up but that's for later.

I haven't snatched since last February (1rm 145) so I kept these light and kept the emom easy. They felt really good though. In addition to my weakness for getting hot, sweaty, sore, confused, and tired today, I'm looking to progress the EMOM's long-term too; they're very versatile and I like that you can add weight, reps or minutes to make 'progress'. This one was easy enough that it was really just an 8x2 snatch and 8x4 chin session, but whatever. Also, the snatches are sort of an "L" in an HLM of dead/snatch/clean.

Wanted to do some pressing whether dips or db press but my shoulder/clavicle connection feels funny after dips last Saturday.

Soundtrack: Tame Impala "Currents" for the squats and selections from Mastodon "Blood Mountain" for the snatch and emom

Great to see you back here!

Thanks Jugrock! Even though I followed lots of logs, yours was apparently the only one I set to email me with updates. Every Sunday for like a year and a half that I wasn't on the forum I'd get reminded about a Skinny Guy and his Transformation Looking forward to following your new log especially with you "diversifying" a little.

Joey, HandPlaneSteve if you're reading this I sealed off the last log and started this one with the same name because a) I had like 6 confusing entries of inner monologue and b) some of the phrasing I used wasn't sitting well with me (potentially offensive for no good reason).

[foothills_g]

2/3

P Snatch technique with Rip's video in background Mark Rippetoe Teaching Power Snatch from Starting Strength - YouTube
P Clean technique

PC 135x2x5

12' EMOM, a gasser
even: 6 one-arm kb swing (40#db), 6 knees/elbows
odd: 8 burpees

Okay night, almost skipped it due to lack of urgency. Not sure if it's smart to be doing snatches on Tues and Cleans on Weds but I probably won't always be doing snatches.
Looking forward to pressing tonight.

[Agilic]

Sounds like awesome mountain conditions. I used to be big into skiing but haven't found the time in about 5 years. Consider me subscribed to your log and I'm curious to see how 5x5 squats work out for ya.

[foothills_g]

2/4

K.I.S.S. press week 1: 5x5 @ 75% of E1RM (160).
warmup: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x3, 1805x2
worksets: 120x5,5,5,5,6

4x8 towel chins

8x3 thruster 105#

First ever 5x5 press, felt really good. Press is so funny how different each set can feel from the other. Rested 3-4 min between each set. Could have probably hit a 7th rep on last set. Thrusters were supposed to be part of a complex with dips but my shoulder still felt funny on the dips.
Soundtrack was more Mastodon, this time "Leviathan." The album perfectly fit the length of the session -- Parkinson's Law of Metal.

Sounds like awesome mountain conditions. I used to be big into skiing but haven't found the time in about 5 years. Consider me subscribed to your log and I'm curious to see how 5x5 squats work out for ya.

Thanks Agilic -- yeah it's been a great run so far this winter in the Sierra. Looks high and dry for the next couple weeks so maybe some longer training sessions....

[foothills_g]

2/6

PC: 45x3x2, 95xmany, 115x2, 135x2, 145x2, 155x1, 165x1, 175x2,1 PR

SS DL:
Warmup: 185x5, 225x3, 255x2
Workset: 285x9

SLDL: 155x8x2

Quick and efficient. Hopefully I'm correct that a properly executed SLDL engages the abdominal muscles in addition to the hamstrings because I definitely felt it there.

[foothills_g]

2/8 surfing 1.5 hr, hiking 1.5 hr in Big Sur

2/9

BW 187

Squat Week 2
warmup: 45x5x2, 95x4, 135x3, 175x2, 205x1
worksets: 220x5, 215x5x4

I secretly decided yesterday to jump to 220 and adjust the training max accordingly since 210 felt so easy; it didn't go as well as planned, although maybe I just wasn't focused yet. I think I can only have a good day squatting if I mentally prepare two days in advance (which I definitely was not doing while surfing and not eating or sleeping much yesterday). Even if I ever get to a respectable squat number -- which admittedly is not as much of a goal as it used to be -- I think that'll still be true. Other lifts I'd like to see solid progress, squatting I'll set an arbitrary goal of 30-50#/year. So around 300x5 next February -- I'll report back.

Deficit Deadlift
Singles: 135x1x5, 185x1x5

1.5" deficit, first time standing on anything to DL. I hurt my wrist falling over a rock while camping Sunday night, so no snatch today or clean tomorrow (probably). Deadlift-wise I don't feel necessarily slow but more loose off the floor (slow if tight, I guess) so I have been meaning to fit these in somewhere. Seemed like a good spot. I filmed them all and tried to stay tight and quick at the same time, an elusive combo. I did okay, it was more encouraging than the squats, at least.

Chins & Dips
5 supersets of 8 each

Going to start adding weight to dips I think.

Soundtrack: Savages "Silence Yourself" which I blamed for feeling weak on the squat so I forcefully turned off after a few songs, then all of Fugazi, "In on the Killtaker" which got me right. Finished with 10' of Mastodon, already a perennial favorite apparently.

[Agilic]

Snowboarding, surfing, hiking, and squatting all in the same week!?! Not a bad life ya got out Californeeway!

[foothills_g]

2/10

BW 187.5

Wrist still hurt from stumbling over a rock, so no cleans. Why not try...
shrugs
135x3, 185x3, 235x3, 275x3, 305x3x3

Done as singles, pretty much, but in cliques of 3. Made some DIY wrist straps for the last set, I think I'll use these to go heavier if/when I do these again. My squat rack doesn't have pegs low enough, and my saw-horses (this design: Making sawhorses) are slightly lower but not low enough, so I opted for sawhorses and standing on a 3" piece of wood that maybe wasn't wide enough (toe-to-heel-wise). BTW for any non-shrugging Rip acolytes, this video is pretty rad: The Barbell Shrug with Mark Rippetoe - YouTube

miscellany
5x8 knees-to-elbows

"conditioning"
6 rounds of:
6 db snatch 40#
6 burpees
6:02

pretty fun, and over quickly.

soundtrack tonight: more Fugazi, "Repeater", but only the first half or so since I was done in less than 45 min and didn't turn it on until I started cutting nylon for the wrist straps

Snowboarding, surfing, hiking, and squatting all in the same week!?! Not a bad life ya got out Californeeway!

It's a good one! But it hasn't fucking snowed since I started this log; I'll be building a gut on a 4-day TM split and 5000 calories a day before I know it if this keeps up. ALSO I wanted to let you know that I'm pretty sure the 1/week squat experiment is already over. I think I'll add a small intensity set on deadlift day. This after wasting many hours at work down a "squat frequency" search rabbit hole. Wish me luck!