FatButWeak

Sober today, Rip. Been fighting covid symptoms since Aug 13. Hospitalized from Aug 27 thru Sep 1. Lost from 10-15 pounds of bodyweight. No real signs or symptoms left other than I'm stuck with an oxygen cannula as my lungs try to recover.

As soon as possible I will be doing AB linear progression to build myself back. Zero fears or worries there.

6’4”, 260; competition bests of 465, 370, and 550. I eat lots of red meat and I prefer Irish whiskey over fancy American bourbons.

Any advice on the lung shit? I do not want to overdo it and accidentally fuck myself or make myself weaker.

Mark Rippetoe

Have you considered taking some ivermectin, just for the hell of it?

FatButWeak

Yes. I took the ivermectin, HCQ , antibiotic, zinc, d3 protocol prior to shitting the bed. Unfortunately, the whole family got it and I deferred full ivermectin dosage to the rest of my family, all of whom recovered in 4-5 days sans complications. I am in the process of getting more Ivermectin so we can all be ready for next time.

At this point my lungs are so fucked that I cannot really walk 150 yards without becoming winded and crashing my O2 levels.

I did hear that the asthma drug clenbuterol (illegal in the US, legal elsewhere) is promising for covid lung recovery, but it was just a podcast dicta. It would be nice if someone with knowledge of clenbuterol and 2 working balls would comment consecutively on it. Something other than “omg illegal steroids will kill you”. Clenbuterol is not a steroid. And I have plenty.

But yes. I'm getting more Ivermectin. To be sure. Thanks for that, by the way. You were months and months ahead. Although it was never really a dirty little secret.

Mark Rippetoe

I think you immediately start back training, and keep your reps down to doubles. Obviously no conditioning.

FatButWeak

Doubles. Okay. Same number of sets so that volume stays up? Or reduce volume too?

Mark Rippetoe

Start at lower numbers and go up from there. Like always.

Frank_B

Just curious: In this odd circumstance where conditioning is clearly deteriorated and strength may or may not be AS DETERIORATED, why wouldn’t conditioning for a short time be more advantageous? I fully understand that a guy who can squat 405 for 5x5 is conditioned… but a guy who can’t walk 150 yards isn’t.

From personal experience, I would agree that cardiovascular conditioning generally takes about 3-4 weeks to fully adapt. Why not take 3-4 weeks to be able to walk, say, a half mile, before returning to training? After all, if he lost half his strength in the hospital, he should still be squatting and deadlifting more than the untrained population, which can presumably walk a half mile without the same difficulties.

Mark Rippetoe

How do you propose that Fat do a conditioning workout when his resting O2sat is 89%?

Frank_B

Honestly, I was thinking of something not dissimilar from SS, but instead of adding 5 pounds to his lifts, maybe he adds 5% to his walk for a month.

I also want to point out that I’m assuming his baseline strength (per the numbers he posted) are still relevant to his overall strength - although perhaps somewhat inhibited by his illness. COVID-19 ridden, he’s still probably (2x) stronger than an untrained individual, yet an untrained individual can probably outpace him walking a dog.

Mark Rippetoe

He gets a conditioning effect and stronger from his lifts. He gets only conditioning from his walking. His lungs will heal over time. He's not out of shape -- he's recovering from pneumonia.

biggah_traps

I've just gotten a pair of micro plates that are supposed to be 0.625 kg each to allow me to make 1.25 kg or c.2.5 lb jumps. They are actually < 0.5 kg each, so my jumps on e.g. OHP will go:

• 52.5 kg
• <53.5 kg
• 55 kg
• <56 kg
• 57.5 kg etc

So a <2 lb jump one session, followed by a >3 lb jump the next. Is this something to be concerned about at all, or is this close enough to linear progression that it'll work pretty much just as well?

Mark Rippetoe

If you paid for 0.625 plates and they are 0.5, make sure your scale is correct and send the goddamn things back. You can make do with them, but they are not what you paid for.

biggah_traps

Can you recommend a good supplier for more exact microplates? What do you use to load 2.5 lbs?

ChrisBuck93

I use the exact same way of microloading (actually I paid for 0,5 kg plates) and it works quite well. Guess the plates in my gym are not 100% accurate anyway.

Oso Rojo

https://www.microgainz.com/ I took mine to work to measure on the calibrated scan, they were insanely accurate!

Mike Longnecker

Micro gainz. Made in America. Good stuff.