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Thread: Ground Hog workout

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
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    Colorado Springs
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    Default Ground Hog workout

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    For the next 4 months or so I'll be living in ground hog day... working 7x12 and doing my best to sleep and workout when I can. I have also restarted my linear progression (after switching too early to intermediate) and came up with the following cycle based on a 9 day "week".
    Basically I thought I'd just try to do something different that might get me a little bit more work on everything overall. Whether I continue will depend on how well it seems to be working in terms of recovery, progress, etc.
    Using the typical SS templates for A and B workouts with some minor modifications (noted) here's what I have planned (Power Cleans on B day):

    Day 1: Workout A (with Deadlifts)
    Day 2: Rest
    Day 3: Workout B
    Day 4: Rest
    Day 5: Workout A (no Deadlifts, Practice Power Clean or PC assistance?)
    Day 6: Rest
    Day 7: Workout B (is squatting 4x in 9 days too much?)
    Day 8: Rest
    Day 9: Rest

    I plan to start working in Weighted Situps, Chins and Pullups pretty soon.
    Any recommended tweaks? My power cleans are weak so I'm going to try to give them more time... would it be helpful to throw in some assistance exercise for PC's (day 5), or better to just practice them for form on that day?
    I've thought about using Day 7 to try to learn some more assistance exercises but I don't know which would be the most helpful or if I'll have the energy. Right now the novice progression is kicking my butt pretty good. Also thought about just making day 7 something completely different... but I don't know what exactly.

    BW = 195lbs @ 5' 11"
    (sets x reps x lbs)
    Squats 3x5x260
    Bench 3x5x185
    Deads 1x5x275
    Press 3x5x112.5
    PC 3x3x125

    [EDIT] also hope to post a video of my power cleans... I'll have to see how well bringing a video camera goes over here... but at least they allow chalk[/EDIT]
    [EDIT] also occurred to me that I might want to front squat on day 5 if full back squats are too much... isn't that also considered a PC assistance exercise? [/EDIT]
    Last edited by ColoWayno; 04-02-2010 at 03:48 AM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Iowa
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    6,041

    Default

    Working out every other day instead of 3x/week is fine. 3x/week is recommended only because people usually work with a 7 day week. Using a 9 day "week" where you work out 4x is perfectly acceptable. And see how you feel on day 5 about deadlifts. You might be able to get away with it at this point. And here's what I did for a while with good results when I was working out irregularly and couldn't get away with that: DL, Clean, Clean, DL, Clean, Clean... My cleans got good. Real good. You might want to consider something like that. It mucks up the period of your "week", but I'm sure you can remember it.

    But I don't think squatting 4x will be a problem for you. If it is, throw a "light" or "medium" day in the middle or do front squats, but a lot of people don't find much use for front squats at this point unless they have OLY dreams.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Colorado Springs
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    Default

    Thanks gzt. I actually did a little math (average workouts per day) and my little program comes out almost the same as a regular SS 3x per week schedule... I think I'll try it for a while ... maybe having longer weeks will make the months fly by faster.

    I'm trying to get 9 hours of sleep on nights when I don't work out. When I workout I'll be lucky to have time for 7.5 - 8 hrs. Just means I can't watch a lot of TV shows on my laptop.

    4/9 = .444
    3/7 = .429

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Colorado Springs
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    Default

    Just finished my last workout of the first 9 day "Week". I ended up putting dead lifts in the last workout instead of the first (since I hadn't quite fully hatched my plan and didn't dead lift on the first day).
    Set several PRs in Squats, and Press, as well as a PR in bench press.

    I need these next two days off because my ass has been kicked. All good pain except for the pain in my neck and shoulder... dealt with that before.

    Since I restarted linear progression (in 6 workouts) squats have gone from 3x5x240lbs, to 3x5x275lbs. Press has gone from 3x5x112.5 to 3x5x120. Bench from 3x5x180 to 3x5x190.

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