CFB's Log

[CFB]

After CrossFitting for about two years I switched last November the focus to strength training. During the last five months I followed a "classic" TM-Template, so three full body workouts per week (Volume Day, Recovery Day, Intensity Day). I made some decent progress, my Squat for example went up from 5x120kg to 5x167.5kg which is almost by 50kg in five months. However, other things didn't develop as desired, mainly the upper body lifts didn't move in the right direction. Recovery also became more and more an issue. So I decided to switch to another, still TM-inspired template (TM/5,3,1 hybrid, 4 days per week). Before I start posting my trainings, here a few stats:

Age: 40
Location: Bern, Switzerland
Bodyweight: 95kg (used to be 85kg 5 months ago, so the 6-pack is gone, thanks to tons of finest Swiss Cheese;-)
Height: 180cm
Squat: 1x175kg
Bench: 1x133.5kg
Press: 1x80kg
Deadlift: 1x210kg

Main Goal: Bring the Squat up to 200kg @ a bodyweight of 100kg max!

[CFB]

First day using the new template:
Bench 5x5x110kg
Press 3x10x55kg
Pull-ups 3x12
Hammer Curls 3x12x20kg
Dumbbell Triceps Ext. 3x12x12.5kg (from chest to side)

[CFB]

Volume upper body was actually yesterday. Volume lower body today. I was stupid last night as I did in addition to the volume training a heavy metcon, don't ask me why (10/9/8/....1 reps of Kettlebell Snatches 32kg l/r, between rounds 200m sprint with Kettlebell). So my legs were pretty sore...

Squat 5x5x145kg
Speed Deadlifts 15x1x100kg
Good Mornings (first time I did this exercise): up to 5x70kg

[CFB]

So here is the actual template, heavily inspired by the one I found in sking's log (which is a great log in my opinion):

Monday (volume upper body)
Bench 5x5
Press 3x10
Pull-ups/Chin-ups 3xmax reps
Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 3x12
Hammer Curls 3x12

Tuesday (volume lower body)
Squat 5x5
Speed Deadlifts 15x1 (one rep every 30 seconds)
Good Mornings 5rm

Thursday (intensity upper body)
Bench 5/3/1
Press or Push Press (some heavy singles)
Incline Bench 3x10
Dips 3x10

Friday (intensity lower body)
Squat 5/3/1
Deadlift 5/3/1
Power Clean 5x3

On Wednesday and Saturday/Sunday one hour mobility/soft tissue work. Not sure yet how and when to implement conditioning sessions. I would like to do one or two conditionings per week. Has anyone experience with this kind of template and how to program in conditionings?

[CFB]

One hour mobility and soft tissue work (foam rolling, work with lacrosse ball, stick, etc.). Always feels great afterwards. This stuff works wonders. I used to have some lower back pain from time to time. Not anymore, so it's well invested time. I will now set the targets for tomorrow's intensity workout (Benchpress). The minimum has to be 5x113.5kg, the target will be 8x113.5kg which would result in a theoretical 1rm of 144kg.

[CFB]

Good session today. First intensity workout using the new template. I'm much better recovered and had plenty of energy to attack the upper body parts and to harvest 3 new PR's.

Warm-up: 500m row, dynamic stretching, mobility work

Bench: 5x20kg (5x44lbs), 5x40kg (5x88lbs), 3x60kg (3x132lbs), 3x80kg (3x176lbs), 1x100kg (1x220lbs), 8x113.5kg (8x250lbs) (PR). Left approximately 2 reps in the tank.

Press: 1x20kg (1x44lbs), 1x40kg (1x88lbs), 1x60kg (1x132lbs), 1x70kg (1x154lbs), 1x83kg (1x182.5lbs) (PR). Went pretty easy. I guess something like 1x85kg (1x187lbs) will be realistic within a few weeks.

Incline Dumbbell Press: 8x30kg (8x66lbs), 8x40kg (8x88lbs), 8x40kg (8x88lbs). Next time all three sets with the 40s.

Dips: 3xbw+20kg (44lbs), 3xbw+32kg (70lbs), 3xbw+44kg (97lbs) (PR), 8xbw+20kg (44lbs) (backoff set)

Double Ab Wheel (from knees): 3x12

[CFB]

In order to put some "social pressure" on me, I'm posting my goals in the main lifts per 31st October 2012 (this would then be 1 year of strength training on TM):

Squat: 440lbs (now 385lbs)

Bench: 320lbs (now 294lbs)

Deadlift: 520lbs (now 465lbs)

Press: 200lbs (now 182lbs)

bw: 220lbs (now 208lbs)

According to my spread sheet it should be possible to reach those goals. However, reality is usually another bitch and tougher to handle than MS Excel.

[CFB]

Today I truly hate myself. I had to pay the price for the Monday night madness doing a heavy CrossFit MetCon (110 Kettlebell Snatches with the 32kg bell and carrying the bell around the block ten times) in addition to the TM volume training for the upper body. During the whole week my hamstrings and traps felt like toast. This conditioning also had a negative impact on recovery. So it was not very surprising that the deads felt like shit today. I was lucky to get at least the minimum number of reps (5) that I had to pull. The take away point from this experience: CrossFit Conditionings and a big time strength program don't get along, they hate each other like the devil and holy water. Never ever again will I do such a stupid thing just out of a "warrior mood".

So todays workout was:
Warm-up: 100 double unders, dynamic stretching, mobility work
Squat: some warm-up sets, then 10x147.5kg (left 2 reps in the tank). PR.
Deads: some warm-up sets, then 5x180kg (the bare minimum ... last week I could easily do a single @ 210kg, so 180kg should have been easy for say 8 reps ...)
Power Cleans: not motivated anymore, did just some light sets with focus on speed and technique (5x3x60kg) and left ..

[CFB]

The split set-ups really takes away a lot of pressure. For this week I will probably switch back the power cleans to the lower body volume day, as is makes not a lot of sense to me to do power cleans after heavy squats and deadlifts on lower body intensity day.

Warm-up: 100 double unders, 60 abmat sit-ups, dynamic stretching and mobility work
Bench: 5x5x111kg. Easy and fast.
Press: 3x10x56kg. Very very tough just after benching. The first six, seven reps are no problem, but then it really gets tough.
Chin-ups: 13, 13, 10
Hammer Curls: 3x12x22.5kg
Triceps Extensions (Dumbbell, to the side): 3x12x15kg

[CFB]

A few take aways from today's session. Never ever will I use a medball for measuring the squat depth again. As I don't have a regular training partner I'm using a medball from time to time as a feedback device for measuring the depth of the squats. However, once I take the ball away things get somewhat strange (for example going way too low). So I guess it's better to just do the squats and to videotape from time to time a sequence and then to adjust accordingly. As for the squat I have to tell me always the same three things: 1. commit to depth, 2. go down fast (even when the weight is heavy), 3. drive through hips on the way up. Having this mental picture in mind, the squats usually come easily.

Warm-up: 500m row, dynamic stretching, mobility work
Power Cleans: 5x3x75kg. Easy.
Squat: 5x5x146kg. Easy. Going slowly up again.
Good Mornings: up to 5x75kg. Still learning the movement.
Ab wheels from knees with 5kg plate on back: 3x12