Thanks, Cider-dad. I purposefully deviated somewhat from the program a couple times to get extra practice on press since my bench was already too big for my squat. I imagine my proportions (shoulders the width of a small truck for a small guy like me) will always mean my upper-body lifts are more impressive, plus I've been dickin around with handstands and stuff for 20 years now.
Friday, May 16, 6:00am - 7:30 --
Squeets
310 x 5reps x 3 -- I thought about a 10# jump to 315, but I was only going to do it if everything in warmups felt perfect. I felt good, but not quite perfect, and arithmetic over a summer's-worth of LP being what it is, I stuck with +5#. I'm finding that I widen my stance more as the weight goes up, so I probably need to just go a bit wider right from the start. Will video as soon as my training partners can work out the logistics to get back to training with me.
Banch Priss
285 x 5,6,6 -- First set felt so damn sloppy that I did 6 for the last two sets to convince myself I still have some 5# jumps left in me. As you can see in the video of my last set below, I've developed a problem with a slow right side. I just haven't practiced this movement enough in the last 12 years, basically where I was at weight-wise when I was 17!
Didleft
335 x 5reps -- Again, playing mind games. To convince myself that Monday's miss at 325# was a fluke, I jumped 10# to get to where I would have been if I hadn't missed. Went up easier than any set in the last two weeks. Maybe another week or two before I alternate with weighted chins.
I'm doing 240sec rests before all worksets now, which gives me time to do a few light oly lifts in between. Right now I'm sticking with 95#, which is the smallest weight I can properly front rack, and it doesn't seem to interfere with worksets at all. Once I'm not deadlifting every day, I'll start to move that up slowly, but I'll avoid any heavy Oly until I'm ready to put in light/medium days (it's medium days, right?) in the advanced novice phase.
Last edited by Itchysoles; 06-16-2017 at 12:52 PM.
Evenin' Sesh
Rings to bottom of ribs pullups -- 12, 10, 9
CoC #2 3reps per hand alternating, then 2 more after about 30 seconds. #2.5 in the next couple months?
CoC #1 a bunch
Macros
721C / 221F / 338P
Decided to track a day of eating more closely. Over 6000 calories was about what I had estimated. The protein was higher than my estimate because I had only been tracking the mostly protein things in my head, not all the incidental protein that MyFitnessPal app added up. I doubled up on the fruit and veggie protein shake this morning, but I may not continue that since it makes it hard to eat any breakfast after my morning session. Lots of energy on this diet, but felt a wee bit of heartburn for the first time today after two weeks at about this rate.
That's set of bench was nice. Way to crunch that last extra rep.
After finishing PPST3 last night, my biggest take-away was that I have wasted a lot of random volume training over the years (even before CrossFat). The first great insight of SS is that a fairly low volume, high intensity (heavy fives) linear progression can last a lot longer and be a lot more efficient way to build strength that goes far beyond even your above-average gym-bro strength. But beyond that, it seems to me that even those who legitimately require an intermediate program are making them too complex and too high volume to efficiently build strength. When I do run out the LP, I'll probably try the Olympic weightlifting HLM or Texas Method detailed.
This morning felt pretty shitty due to another night of sleep interrupted by allergies and an unavoidable late night, but thanks to lots of good eating and a couple good nights of rest before that, the prescribed weights did not actually feel especially heavy. Hands felt beat up on deads, stretching into full depth on squats felt more creaky, everything moved kind of slow, but no workset reps were ever in danger of stopping.
BW: 196#
Squatties
315# x 5reps x 3 (+5#) -- almost jumped straight to 320 out of superstition.
Presh
175# x 5reps x 3 (+5#) -- Wasn't getting as much out of the hip rock, may have compensated with a little more lean-back
Didleft
345# x 5reps (+10#) -- Still feeling pretty great. As usual when I don't sleep well, hook grip beats up the hands, dropped hook for the last 2 reps
Yester' Eve':
CoC #2 - 5 per hand, some partial + negative
3 x 10 tits to rings
Forearms felt more blasted than usual. Will drop pullups and CoC on deadlift days if it starts to affect weight I can handle. I'm pretty sure it had more to do with sleep the night before. The other thing affecting recovery is my 20k per day bike commute; that hasn't seemed to prevent 5# jumps so far, if it does, I'll have to adjust somehow--probably just quit my job and go for gainzzz 24/7.
Now get back to eating and drinking milk, folks!
Last edited by Itchysoles; 06-20-2017 at 11:15 AM.
My experience with bike commuting is that, so long as we aren't talking San Francisco type hills, is that your boast adjusts to it pretty quickly. I've been doing regular 8-10 mile round trip commutes for a quite awhile. Granted, I take a fairly casual pace with the exception of crossing intersections. It's no more strenuous than going for a stroll. I have one steep hill on the way home and I have come to use it as an evaluation method for the state of leg recovery.
BW: 198#, most of the gainz are to my ass
Sukwats
320# 5reps x 3 -- vid of last set below. Feeling awkward as hell, I think because my leverages are changing after gaining 13# in the last few weeks; makes form a moving target. Depth feels really high; do you think pausing at the bottom would help me get depth? Obv need to straighten those wrists out a bit and keep stretching further into that LB position.
Bentsch Press
290# 5reps x 3 -- felt better than 285# last week. Moved slow, but kept bar much more level
Didlift
355# 5reps -- hook x 4; double OH on last rep. App suggests I start alternating with pullups now, will start that next Wednesday.
--
1 set of 13 tits to rings at home
CoC #2 - 5 reps per had alternating. last 3 on LH partials plus slow negative.
Does not look right. Will review all the Rip-squat vids before Fryday's sesh.
"If you drop your elbows [and bend wrists] when coming up out of a squat, that is almost always associated with thoracic flexion." -Rip
Nailed it, coach. Seems my bar (lower) and elbow positioning (higher and closer) are what I need to fix first.
Last edited by Itchysoles; 06-22-2017 at 01:48 PM.