Limie Messes with Texas

[LimieJosh]

Ok, the post server crash restoration of this log

For the beginning of 2012 I transitioned into a 4 day/week variant of the Texas Method using a modified of the Woojus Geeshman model from Practical Programming.

http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=28434

Monday
Bench 5X5 (alternate with Press)
DE press3X8 (1 min rest) (alternate with bench)
Pull ups for volume (10-12 X 3)

Tue
Sqt 5X5
Clean 15 singles performed on the minute
Abs

Thurs
Press 5 X 1
Bench 5 X 1
Triceps 10X3

Fri
Sqt 5X1
Dead 5 X 1
Weighted Chins 5 X 3
Abs

I maxed out prior to Christmas, but then had about 2 weeks away, so in transitioning I took an extra week of reacclimation to gradually build up volume and ramp up to the my previous 5X3 work weights, but the program in its full glory starts from this first post.

[LimieJosh]

Mon, Jan 9th
Bench 225 X 5 X 5
Good sets with all reps performed with the same sort of velocity. Only required 3-4 mins between sets

DE Press 110 X 3 X 8
This seemed like a good weight so don’t go up yet until I get a sense of how stressful this program is in terms of recovery.

Body weight Pull Ups X 10 X 3
These were easy until the 25th rep when all of a sudden my bis completely died. The last 5 reps were a real grind.

Overall, a good start

Tue, Jan 10th
Sqt 275 X 5 X 4* and finally 5 X 1
Easy weight, but suffered some serious dizziness on the 5th rep of the 3rd set and again on the 4th.

Clean175 X 1 X 12, 185X1 and 190 X 1 X2 (15 total reps)
I went and bought a granola bar and ate it while waiting ten mins or so to do cleans. My head cleared and so I completed the 5th set of squats without incident after my last clean

Thurs, Jan 12th
OHP162.5X 5

Bench 250 X 5 (surprisingly difficult)

Trcipes – lying EZ bar 75X10, 80X10, 85 X 4 (sore elbow)

Fri, Jan 13th
Sqt 320 X5

Dead 325 X 5
I have decided to do these firday sessions at a different gym. It’s a bit more of a drive, but they still have the round plates, and my god does that make the dead easier, both in terms of maintaining good form and effort

Chin 50X5 (surprisingly difficult as recently did pull ups for 5X3 at 65lbs)
Pull up 50X 5 (even more difficult)
Chin 50X 5
This represents a decent drop off in performance compared to before Christmas. It is unlikely to be simply be the effect of being out fo the gym as none of the other lifts tanked. It could be that a straight bar is harder for me compared to the angled bar I usually use, but it could simply be the effect of deadlifting prior. Regardless, this gives me a base to build from.

[LimieJosh]

Mon, Jan 16th
My Do Wins arrived on Friday so today was my first session in them.

Press 150 X 5X5 easy, unbelted
Starting all reps from the bottom now as I think I fail in heavy attempts by not getting under the bar quickly enough and I think this approach will help.

DE Bench 180 X 3 X 4 and 185 X 3X 4 (8 sets total)
Good weight

Pull ups X 12, 12, 10 (last one with straps)
Approach- go up in weight if last set is at least ten reps

Initial thought opn the shoes = awesome. WTF didn’t I break down and trade in my chucks sooner. Very much looking forward to squatting in them tomorrow.

Tue, Jan 17th
Sqt 285 X 5 X 5
Shoes were great. They helped me a lot keeping my knees from shooting forward and coming out of the hole properly. Easy weight.

Clean 180 X 1 X 12, 185 X 1, 190X1, 195X1
The heel made the initial pull feel strange. I’m not sure I like it, but if I’m honest other than feeling strange the only problem was dealing with a high being pulled higher than I’m used to. That’s not a bad problem. I think I just have to recalibrate what feels normal

Thurs, Jan 19th
Surprisingly sore in the pecs from Monday’s session. There are a couple of possible explanations, but the most likely is too aggressive loading of the DE bench. I worked up to sets at 185 previously and they seemed fine, but the cumulative volume was probably a bit too much. I will back off to sets across at 180 next time

Press 165 X 5 easy

Bench 252.5 X 4 See above

Tricpes cable press downs on last but one weight (87.5) X 10, 10, 15 @ 2mins

Fri, Jan 20th
Sqt 330 X 5

Dead 350X 3
Shoes felt fine.

Chins 52.5 X 5 X 3
Used a slightly narrower grip (arms perpendicular to bar in full hang) and it was easier.

[LimieJosh]

Evidence of how the bar was crashing down onto my delts with the cleans


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[LimieJosh]

Mon, Jan 23rd
Bench 235 X 5 X5
Aggressive jump, but it was justified.

DE Press 110 X 8 X 3
Good weight but go up to 115 next time

Pull ups +5lbs X 10, 10, 10 (last one with straps)
Go for 12s next week


Tue, Jan 24th
Sqt 290 X 5 X 5
First set sometimes feels surprisingly difficult, but the middle 3 sets was cake. I think I need to psychologically prepare for the first work set better

DE Deads 275 X 1 X 12 @ 30 seconds
I had wanted to alternate these with cleans, but this was not good. The more I concentrated on pulling as quickly as possible the more ugly the pull became, often getting away in front of me. I then tried to do a couple of cleans, but struggled with easy weight so these obviously took a lot out of me. With practice I might get better at the speed pull, but I’m not sure the time in between when I’m passing up increasing my clean is is worth it, especially if it taxes my recovery more and fucks with my dead in the mean time. This is on the chopping block.

Abs
hanging leg raises 15X4 @ 30 secs
Plank +25lbs @ 30 secs X 2


Thurs, Jan 26th
OHP 167.5 X5
Bench 252.5 X 5 Probably a 6th in the tank
Tris cable press downs last block in stack X 10, 10, 12 @ 2mins

Fri, Jan 27th
Bad day. I never felt recovered from Tuesday session, not crippling soreness, just still felt on Thursday like I did on wed, and still felt this morning like I did yesterday. It showed in the sqt as even the warm up felt heavy

Sqt 335 X 3 Quit

Dead 360X 5

Chins +55X 5, 5, 4

Abs
Hanging leg raise 15 X 3
WT crunch +25lbs X 13, 11, 14

[LimieJosh]

And now back to real time...

Mon, Jan 30th
OHP 155 X 5 X 5 unbelted

DE Bench 180 X3 X 8
Got so tight on these I started to feel a pump in my low back

Pull ups +5lbs X 12, 11, 8
(31 total reps).

[LimieJosh]

Tue, Jan 31st

After last week's failed experiment with the DE Deads I decided to repeat last weeks squats

Sqts 290 X 5X5

Clean
182.5 X 1X12 on the minute
185 X 1
190 X 1
195 X 1 (15 total reps)

Abs
Hanging leg raise X 15 X 4 @ 30 secs)
Plank +25lbs @ 30 secs X 2

[LimieJosh]

Thurs, Feb 2nd

OHP 170 X 5
I dont have great comparisons, but I'm getting into PR territory for 5s. Looking back through my logs from last year it seems in the spring I failed at 170X5 twice before switching intensity day to 3X3. Also back when I was trying GSLP later in the summer, while at a slightly too fluffy for my liking 209lbs I got my work sets up to 167.5, but never completed more than 1 set of 5 at 170. Now, at a far more solid 204 this didnt feel like a limit set. Long haul progress, but progress none the less.

10 mins of rolling

Bench 255 X 5
225 warm up single felt worryingly heavy, but the work set was cake.

Triceps 10 X 3 @ mins rest.

[LimieJosh]

Fri, Feb 3rd

Sqt 330 X 5
Incorrectly loaded it as it should have been 335. Oh well, but at least it was a successful week and gets me moving forward again after last week's failure.

Dead 370 X 5
I have a lot more strength in my hips than in my lower back. These are easy to complete, but are getting difficult to complete with the back in proper extension

Chins +55lbs X 5 X 3

Abs

[LimieJosh]

Mon, Feb 6th

Bench 240 X 5 X 5
The work itself was not that difficult, and not even the 5th set was close to a limit, but I've now only got a 17.5lb difference between today and intensity day on bench. I must be cautious not to increase too quickly. I think I'll half the jump in two weeks and just try 242.5 and focus on quick rest intervals.

DE Press 115 X 3 X 8

Pull ups +5lbs X 12, 10, 6 (+3, 3)
Normally when I do these high rep sets my first set has a lot left in the tank, the second is a struggle and the I get whatever I can squeeze out of the 3rd, regardless of rest intervals. Today, I could feel my lats pumped even after doing a quick unweighted warm up set of 6, and subsequently struggled with the first set. I knew I wouldnt match, let alone beat, last weeks 31 reps so decided to cut the last set short at 6, and then throw in some triples on 1min rest to finish off and accumulate reps. I am assuming this is just a reflection of volume bench getting into difficult territory.