Merkin Weaver makes the switch

[Merkin Weaver]

7/3/15

squat
330x3/3/1 oh fuck....
so coming out of the hole on rep 2 last set felt pop pop pop in my left side just above where the top of my belt is. Only hurts when I do a valsalva. Not sure what to make of it. After that I said no more squats today.

god damn ....
squats were felling strong too. I would have had em today if not for this unfortunate event. Something has been nagging me in this spot for some time like a pull or strain. I thought it could be belt related but I don't know. If I press in on the area while doing a valsalva it does not hurt.

the only thing I did different on that rep was shoot my knees out too far. Any ideas on what could have happened and how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

warmed up a bit on bench and said fuck it. Don't want to aggravate this shit any more.

I feel like if I would have been wearing my belt a bit higher this may not have happened.

[JTC_MN]

I follow this log:

Mahendra's - you know what works but are too stupid to follow it - Intermediate Log

He just had an intercostal strain/pull. Maybe pick his brain to see if it is similar. To me it sounds very similar.

[Mahendra]

Hey Merkin

This sounds very similar to what I went through and am currently going through. Coming out of the hole, I felt like my belt jammed into my rib.

I saw my chiropractor and got an X-ray. He said it isn't a fracture but seems to be an intercostal muscle strain.

However, it only hurt me when I'd brace for presses. Squats, I feel minor discomfort but nothing serious. I can deadlift and bench okay.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to get it checked out though, just to cross things off the list.

With regards to belt placement, I was lazy to reset my belt before my last set, and it being a bit too high, I think is what caused this for me.

[Merkin Weaver]

Ya that sounds pretty much exactly what I have going on.

anyways this might just be a rehab week for me with no squats. Maybe on Friday if I feel like its healed up.

7/6/15

bench
220x2/1/2 (rep PR@220)
205x4

pushdowns
150x10/10/10

curls
50x12
60x10/20

[Merkin Weaver]

7/7/15

press
150x3/3/3(rep PR@150)
135X7(rep PR@135)

chins bw x1/1 strain in my side hurt during these so thats all I did

dips
+10 x 8/8/8

curls
60x12/12/20

[Merkin Weaver]

7/9/15

bench
220x2/3/2 (repPR@220)
200x6 (repPR@200)

LTE
60x12/12/12

back ext
+25x12/12/12

curls
60x12/12/12

going to take a crack at 220 on bench one more time before moving to singles
tomorrow I will warm up on squats to see how my side/intercostal/whatever is healing. I may just wait till Monday to go heavy not sure yet.
This has been my upper body bro week ha ha

[Merkin Weaver]

7/10/15

Last day of my recovery week for suspected intercostal strain. Monday will be 10 days off from heavy squats/almost 2 weeks for deads I think. I think this was the right call. Cant afford to fuck myself up and need serious medical intervention. Will reset my squats 5% and see how it goes. Deads I will probably repeat the last weight I did for reps....350 I think.

Press
155x2/2/1 (PR)
140x4 (rep PR@140) i think too lazy to check right now
135x6
Im trying to channel peez on my presses ha ha.

dips
+10 x9/9/9
forward lean on these helps my ROM to get deep enough. Kinda feel it in my shoulder a bit but not really in a bad way.
Woo Hoo added a rep on these!
Im going to go to 12 reps then add 5 lbs

Threw in a couple sets of front squats with just the bar and then 1 set of 5 with 95lbs
I kinda like these. Have a serious issue coming up on the toes though.
I mainly threw in the front squats to see how my side felt with a valsalva and squatting movement. Seemed ok. No pain.

I am giving serious consideration to moving to one lift a day routine Monday-bench, Tuesday-squat, Thursday-press, Friday-deadlift/light squat 70-80 ish %.
want to progress lifts @5lbs per week. Run out my triples that im doing then run out the singles then cycle back to fives. Not sure about good squat assistance though. If anyone reads this and has experience with OLAD please feel free to chime in or even if not chime in on whether this seems like a good plan. Really the only thing that is on LP is my dead at 5lbs a week. Moving to OLAD will not change the frequency that I DL since I do that currently on light squat day(WED)

I have read Scott H's log and he does OLAD but I think he only bumping weight every 3 weeks. I want to be slightly more aggressive with weekly increases if I can manage. Not sure im at a place where I need/want that slow of a progression. Im sure I will be there sooner or later but...I want quickish gains while I can get them.

I suppose I could focus on rep PR's at some point. My last 3x5 was a 300 on squat 200 on bench and 130-135 on press. So I think I have lots of ways to potentally spin this. I think i want to put weight on the bar first though and worry about rep pr's later though

[JTC_MN]

I did OLAD right after LP a while back. It did not go well. I ended up resetting and going back on LP, then to Texas. I would suggest doing something other than OLAD until you're stronger and are confident/consistent with form/technique. A 4-day split on TM is not that terrible in my opinion. Also, Scott H. ran TM for a bit before he started OLAD, IIRC. Maybe he'll chime in with his $.02.

[Merkin Weaver]

I hear ya J. I think the OLADs shown on p 156 of ppst3 could perhaps be less optimal for me at this juncture. The one that has continually intrigued me and that I don't see anybody running is the 6 sets of 3 from p155. I think my mind is made up that this is what im going to follow for a cycle to see how it goes.

Im going to do a 10% deload on squats for sure since I have not squatted in 10 days. Im still worried about my muscle strain. This will put me back in PR territory in 6 weeks if all goes well. I hope to get a 30lb or more PR out of this cycle on this lift.

Bench at least for today is going to be another attempt at 220 3x3 + a back off set or 2. I may keep this at 3x3 for a week or 2 still depending on how I progress.
Dead lift on Friday will be same as my last session for reps 350 ish depending on how my strain is healing.

Power cleans and snatches im going to have to play by ear. I can LP these 2 lifts seeing how I have been neglecting them.

My routine needs some change. Was feeling a bit stale. I like being fresh for my other main lifts not just the squat. I also hope to be able to sneak a little conditioning in at the end of the sessions. Im going to have to keep my rest times reasonable at 5-7 min. I think I can train for this.

[Merkin Weaver]

7/13/15

So im going to give the OLAD template from ppst3 pg 155 a whack for 8-12 weeks and see how it goes. It calls For 6x3 but I may try 3x3 + 2 backoff sets a go. Its working for my presses it could also work for squats as well. Experimenting is key and im up for a change. If this does not work out then well my second intermediate choice is going to be Texas 4 day split of some sort.

The light exercise rep scheme im not altering. It is 6 doubles except for power cleans.

bench
225x3/3/3 (PR)
210x6 (rep PR@210)
205x6

light press 80%ish
120x2/2/2/2/2/2 30 second rests

dips
+10x9/11/9

curls
60x12/12/12