Herbison's Training Log

[Sean Herbison]

Very cool to watch you learn and apply this stuff, dude. Hope you're doing well.

Good luck.

Thanks. A lot of what you've written or shared has been helpful.

It's been awhile, but I read your logs from the beginning and IIRC, you've done a few LPs. This one looks like it's going quick and rather well. How do you know when to start doing something more intermediate and what are you planning on to make a smooth transition?

Basically the same as for any other novice coming to the end of his LP. Obviously I'm just regaining lost ground, so I won't bother with resets, but I'll keep taking jumps until adding 5 lbs (2.5 for press) doesn't work anymore, or is forcing me to hit @10 every time.

I'll firm up my plans as I get closer, but as I mentioned before, I'll probably do something like The Bridge and then hire a coach. I tend to do better when I can separate being a coach and being an athlete. I'm not objective enough with myself.

[VikingCellist]

Basically the same as for any other novice coming to the end of his LP. Obviously I'm just regaining lost ground, so I won't bother with resets, but I'll keep taking jumps until adding 5 lbs (2.5 for press) doesn't work anymore, or is forcing me to hit @10 every time.

I'll firm up my plans as I get closer, but as I mentioned before, I'll probably do something like The Bridge and then hire a coach. I tend to do better when I can separate being a coach and being an athlete. I'm not objective enough with myself.

I'm keeping an eye on your log of course, but I hope you don’t mind my picking your brain about the late novice stage. It was tricky for me and I see the recommendations in the book constantly discussed. I notice that other than shortening the novice stage from 3 to 9 months down to 2 months or less, 1) "one day on, two days off" never comes up, 2) deadlift variations are introduced to increase frequency 3) intermediate programming (variation, accessory, frequency, volume) is introduced to maintain progress on pressing rather than multiple resets, back-offs or 3x3.

So, with pulling, I notice you’ve been doing chins and DL every workout instead of alternating and from your last log entry, you favor adding a more specific light deadlift variation (SLDL 2x5) over alternating with power cleans. I understand that at a certain intensity, deadlifting every workout becomes unsustainable from a recovery standpoint. Would you teach most of your willing and able novices power cleans to reap what benefit they could? What are your feelings about barbell rows for a novice?

From what I gather, a light day for squats is pretty standard for advanced novices. Do you like paused squats for that workout?

What are your thoughts on adjusting frequency and volume to maintain progress on pressing exercises when they start stalling before the deadlift and squat? Do you just add a couple sets or go full intermediate, ie. add assistance, variants and new rep ranges?

[Sean Herbison]

After pretending that Wednesday didn't happen, here's Friday. In today's lesson, we learn the relationship between gain and noise, and why you can't just make things brighter and have the same quality.



There have been power issues around here recently, and Pfalzwerke had to turn off my power for a couple hours. Hence the deadlifts in the dark. Also, unfortunately, Youtube won't let me put Ra-Ra-Rasputin as my background music. It's a sad day indeed.

Friday, 24 November

Comp Squat: 405x5x3
T&G Bench: 270x5x3
Comp Deadlift: 430x5x1
Chinup: BWx7, 7, 6

Overall: As has been pointed out by better coaches and athletes than myself, any stress will affect your training, not just stress from training itself. Since I got to Germany, I have not had a fun time with cars, and for the last two weeks I've been worried this third car was also going to break. The exciting conclusion to that story is that the wheel was loose, and somehow three separate mechanics missed that. More importantly, the stress was messing with me pretty heavily, but is now fixed, which makes me feel a lot better.

Squat: Not real happy with these, but between the aforementioned stress and the mental hiccup of getting back to four plates, I guess I can tolerate them. I did break out my recently arrived little friend, though, to help me stop getting in my own head so much. Man, I'd forgotten how strong those things are. Also, I'm probably good on medical tape for a while.

Bench: Squats really, really pissed off my elbows. Even though a naproxen did help noticeably, the bottom position still hurt a lot, and I ended up relying on a bounce from my chest more than I should have. Other than that, I'm quite happy with how bench is progressing.

[Sean Herbison]

Disclaimer before I answer any of these questions. My honest best answer would be: ask Andy Baker. Overall he's probably a better coach than me, and when it comes to programming, he certainly is. I just do not have his (Or Rip's, Jordan's, etc.) experience. That said, you asked me, so I'll give it a shot.

I notice that other than shortening the novice stage from 3 to 9 months down to 2 months or less

Personally, I've never seen anyone go near 9 months of a useful LP. In general, for the people I've seen take it 5+ months, there are so many resets they'd be better off just going to intermediate programming.

1) "one day on, two days off" never comes up

Again, these are general recommendations, and there may be exceptions, but I don't think lowering the weekly volume to maintain the same type of progression is useful for most people. For older folks it might be a good idea, but that would be case by case. Also, that doesn't work for most people's schedules, hence the weekly layout in the first place.

2) deadlift variations are introduced to increase frequency

Yeah. So far as I know, there's nothing special about deadlifts compared to the other lifts, despite hearing about them being taxing on the CNS and whatnot. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but even if it's true, it's probably true of any heavy, slow lift. That said, for many people (myself included) the lower back is a hotspot for pain. (Side note: I wonder how much of that is simply because we as a society expect it to be?) So, especially when combined with LBBS, it seems easy to push it a bit too far, so less stressful variations can be useful.

3) intermediate programming (variation, accessory, frequency, volume) is introduced to maintain progress on pressing rather than multiple resets, back-offs or 3x3.

There are multiple ways to do this, and I'm not sure which is the best, though I'm sure it varies based on the person. But yes, generally your lifts won't all plateau at the same time. Although if they're ending at wildly different times, you've likely messed something up (weight jumps, probably) before hitting the plateau.

So, with pulling, I notice you’ve been doing chins and DL every workout instead of alternating

There are multiple factors there. For one, I'm not doing an initial LP, I'm just using it to get back closer to where I should be. There are a lot of similarities between the two, but a few differences as well. For another, I really didn't start heavy on deadlifts, as I'm trying to switch to hook grip for good, and I've failed at that in the past. Even now, 95 lbs up from where I started deadlifts, my pain tolerance on my thumbs is a bigger factor than how much my legs and back can move. And finally, despite my elbow pain yesterday, I do think chinups are generally helpful in that area, and should be included as a regular lift, though probably not with a ton of volume in this context.

and from your last log entry, you favor adding a more specific light deadlift variation (SLDL 2x5) over alternating with power cleans. I understand that at a certain intensity, deadlifting every workout becomes unsustainable from a recovery standpoint.

I didn't add the SLDLs for a programming goal, I added them because squats (and stress) made my back very sore, and I didn't want to push it with deadlifts. But I did still want to move through the ROM, so I had to put something in there.

As to deadlifting every session, I don't think it's necessarily unsustainable any more than squatting is. Keeping in mind the caveats above (lower back stress, mostly), I think it's mostly a question of priorities. In SS, squats are the priority, for what I think are decent reasons. But if you were to focus on deadlifts instead, and planned an intelligent, not super-high intensity program, I think you probably could deadlift every session. But anyway, I'm getting away from the gist of the question and into vague programming territory.

Would you teach most of your willing and able novices power cleans to reap what benefit they could?

Assuming they're not too old and/or beat up, not a complete motor idiot, and willing to learn, then yes. Actually, even if they are a motor idiot, I'd still try to teach them, but I might not have that person do them as part of their training. They do require a certain technical proficiency to be useful, and you can't just slow down to focus like you can in, for example, the squat.

What are your feelings about barbell rows for a novice?

I haven't worked that out yet, really. Honestly, I haven't worked out what I think about rows in general. One of the downfalls of never really doing them much.

From what I gather, a light day for squats is pretty standard for advanced novices. Do you like paused squats for that workout?

For novices still working on their squat technique? No. I like the standard squat, done lighter. For others, sure. It can help with tightness at the bottom, and some people just like variations anyway.

What are your thoughts on adjusting frequency and volume to maintain progress on pressing exercises when they start stalling before the deadlift and squat? Do you just add a couple sets or go full intermediate, ie. add assistance, variants and new rep ranges?

Depends on the person, but generally I'd go to intermediate programming for the lifts that need it, and keep LPing the rest. There are limits to that, but in general it works well.

Hopefully that answers your questions.

[Sean Herbison]

I'm getting a new camera (hint: it can do 4K60 or 1080p240), a tripod, and the studio lights that Brandon Campbell uses (Home Gym Lighting video), but I'm not sure how much any of that will help if I can't get my head in frame (squat set 1) or set the camera at least roughly parallel to the ground. Actually, a tripod should help with that second issue. Cool. Here's today's video.



I've been busy (*cough*playingshadowofwar*cough*greatgame*cough), so I haven't been doing as much as I should on learning new video editing stuff.

Sunday, 26 November

Comp Squat: 345x5x2
Press: 180x3x5
Comp Deadlift: 450x5x1
Chinup: BWx2x10

Squat: I was undecided about whether I should introduce light days or go one more week without, but my elbows decided it for me. It's a bit annoying, as it seems to stick around for a while once it's here, but I'll work around it.

Press: Speaking of working around it, I threw my Rehbands on around my elbows for press. They're obviously not sized right, and they change the angles a little bit, but they helped me get through presses anyway. Also, I switched to five sets of three. Is that ideal? Maybe, maybe not. But it's simple, and I can keep adding weight this way. Plus, it lets me hold the bar for a shorter period at one time, which is nice on my elbows at the moment. Also, once again I managed to forgot to shrug most of these. Dang it.

Deadlift: These were okay. I need to stop myself from reverting back to my old hook grip set up, which feels more secure at the start, but puts more pressure on my thumb in an unhelpful way. Formwise, I had a bit too much shifting in between reps, but nothing terrible. I mostly need to stop that so that I don't shift my grip and think about my thumbs at the start of each rep.

Chinup: Kept the same volume, but spread it out into manageable chunks for my elbows. They hurt at first, but around set seven my elbows really started to feel better. To be fair, this could just have been because more time had elapsed since squats and presses, but I tend to think the chinups played their part.

[Sean Herbison]

No video of bench today, otherwise pretty standard. I'd welcome some critiques on squats, if anyone has something to point out. I know what I think of them, but it's good to have other input.



I did pick up a GoPro Hero 6 Black after work, but I haven't unboxed it yet. It'll be another week or so before I get the memory card for it, but I might mess around with it before then.

Tuesday, 28 November

Comp Squat: 410x5x3
T&G Bench: 135x10x3
Comp Deadlift: 470x5x1
Chinup: BWx2x10

Squat: Still some bad reps, but much better than Friday.

Bench: Unfortunately, I did still end up with achy elbows after the second and third sets of squats. I didn't want to totally can bench, so I just lowered the weight down and did slow, controlled reps. I felt strong enough for 280, but I couldn't really handle the bottom couple inches. Elbow pain can be annoyingly hard to get rid of, but it seems to be getting better overall, so I didn't want to push it too much.

Deadlift: I was pretty happy with the pulls overall, but the grip for reps is brutal. I don't actually mind the pressure so much, but at the bottom of each rep when I set it down, my thumbs burn like they're on fire. Maybe I just need to set it down without taking pressure off my thumbs.

[VikingCellist]

Hey Sean, you're looking strong. Hope you're having fun with the camera. Looks like you were getting a little frustrated with some knee cave on those squats, but I've seen you fix that up before. I know you eat up the internet information faster than anyone, but Mike T did a video on "What is squishing?" or something like that. Did you see it? Also, there was a recent PC post in Andy's forum that made me think of you:

Andy said: "I certainly think that for some very naturally explosive athletes (like my client Bradley - throws shot at OU) cleans and snatches are tremendously important and are extremely useful for improving the deadlift. But the cleans and snatches didn't make him explosive. His DNA made him explosive and that made cleans and snatches valuable for him as a legit training tool. I think it's the inverse of how we used to think about this. Same reason he can use DE Squatting and Pressing effectively as opposed to more traditional volume protocols. DE didn't make him explosive, but being naturally explosive makes DE more useful as a training tool."

I think it'd be cool to see you work with him.

[Sean Herbison]

I know you eat up the internet information faster than anyone, but Mike T did a video on "What is squishing?" or something like that. Did you see it?

Watched it this morning while getting ready to lift. I don't know how Mike T only has about 15k subscribers, considering he puts out so much good info. I guess the videos aren't polished enough to catch people's eyes.

Andy said: "I certainly think that for some very naturally explosive athletes (like my client Bradley - throws shot at OU) cleans and snatches are tremendously important and are extremely useful for improving the deadlift."

I think one of the reasons I'm biased towards keeping power cleans in the program, despite some coaches leaning away from them, is that they worked pretty well for me. We didn't deadlift much as throwers, but we did do a lot of cleans, and I ended up with a 525 deadlift the first time we ever maxed out on them. I probably would've had more, but my grip was giving out, as I hadn't used alternate grip before that.

However, I do have to keep in mind that I'm fairly gifted that way, and I can't necessarily apply my own experiences to others who aren't built the same.

Even so, I'm not training the O lifts at the moment. Both because I'm going to wait to get back to the States to build a platform, and because at the moment I'm focusing on getting my strength back and breaking PRs that will be a year old on Sunday.

I think it'd be cool to see you work with him.

Good call. I'm not sure why I wasn't considering him once I'm done with this LP and some early intermediate stuff. Doesn't really make sense that I'd forget, considering how often I tell people to contact him. Oh well.

[VikingCellist]

Watched it this morning while getting ready to lift. I don't know how Mike T only has about 15k subscribers, considering he puts out so much good info. I guess the videos aren't polished enough to catch people's eyes.

Well there you go, I didn't know about the video, but was referring to this article he did a few days earlier. He could probably pay a PR firm to help get more followers, but it doesn't seem important to him. Getting basic concepts across seems very important to him, but since he discusses them while driving and learning Portuguese (notice the earbud), he's only using a tiny part of his consciousness and not really "performing" for the camera like some of the YT fitness stars.

We didn't deadlift much as throwers, but we did do a lot of cleans, and I ended up with a 525 deadlift the first time we ever maxed out on them. I probably would've had more, but my grip was giving out, as I hadn't used alternate grip before that.

... I do have to keep in mind that I'm fairly gifted that way,...

That's nice for a first max! That sounds very gifted to me.

[Sean Herbison]

Well, that was a lot of work for today's video. I wanted some side by side video to compare footage (Go Pro vs phone), but that meant manually syncing it up for all nine clips.



Picked up my new camera and tested out some 1080p@120fps footage. Obviously doesn't matter if you're uploading to Youtube (capped at 60fps), or if you're watching at full speed without a 120Hz monitor, but it's nice for slowing it down to look at specifics. My new, faster micro SD card came in now as well, so I'll be trying out 4K@60fps tomorrow.

Friday, 1 December

Comp Squat: 415x5x3
Press: 185x3x5
Comp Deadlift: 490x5x1
Chinup: BWx2x11

Squat: Not bad, except the last one, which was crap. I started feeling my right elbow ache around the third rep of the third set, and you can see my trying to adjust my right hand a bit after that. All I ended up doing was applying uneven pressure and twisting a bit on the way up. Even so, my elbows weren't nearly as bad as last time. So I've got that going for me.

Press: A bit better. Not the ridiculous all-over-the-place form I had last time, but not really dialed in either. Some reps are touch and go, others are paused, and still others are somewhere in the middle. I really need to just pick one and stick with it.

Deadlift: I think the weight is starting to outpace my ability to endure hook grip. I'm planning on keeping this LP as simple as I can for the few workouts I've got left, but I may change deadlifts to be a top single with hook grip and then a backoff set with straps. I'm getting so distracted by the grip that it's affecting my ability to keep a flat(ish) back.