Master in Central Florida Novice log

[LarryLohkamp]

The wife browbeat me into going to the doctor yesterday. I don't have the flu. It is most likely random sinus allergy combined with over training. I've been feeling tired and unrecovered for a while. For the last week or so I've been dreading going under the bar on training day. I was finding it hard to sleep on my side after training day because my arms were so sore. The aborted training on Friday has given me an extra day of recovery and I I am looking forward to seeing if I can get that 267.5# dead lift done.

I was working out how to program myself for HLM, but now I think I can get a bit more out of my NLP if I can get the stress down a little. I am going to implement some extension ideas from Michael Wolf.

• Reduce volume on the light squat day by doing 5X2 at 90%, instead of 5X3 at 95%
• Reduce dead lift frequency from every other day to once per week
• Change dead lift from 5X1 to 3X2

I hope to get 2 or 3 more weeks before I need to figure out the HLM bussiness.

[LarryLohkamp]

Monday 1/29/18 Week 18-1

Weight 150.6



Squat –195X5X2
Light squat day

Press – 75.5X5X3
Finally got 75 pounds down.

Dead Lift – 254X5X1
This was supposed to be 267.5X3X2. With 3 days off I felt pretty good. It didn’t come off the floor. I pulled and nothing happened. I pulled again and gave up. What an epic failure. I took 5% off the bar to see if I could salvage something. The 254 worked. So where to go from here? The last 3 DLs have been horridly heavy, 260, 262.5, and 265. On all three my legs were shaking and my knees were knocking with a bare millisecond lock out and barely controlled drop.


Today’s Volume = 9983#

[Oldster]

I'm not even a little surprised over your doctor visit, baithog. You're taking five days between deadlift sessions and during that time also squatting.

I learned a couple decades ago about recovery because I found myself in the same boat as you. I overtrained to the point where I'm not only embarrassed to report it, but it was much more serious than I'll admit in public. That was when I was about half the age you are now. It is very real.

One of the biggest lessons I learned about the deadlift is less is truly more. Once I learned the big fellows--the top dogs--take 14 days between heavy deadlift sessions, I figured I would give it a try. Since then I've never looked back. 14 days between heavy dead sessions, no matter what. So much progress will be made you will be shocked should you try it. Not only is overtraining hindering your deadlift progress, but it will affect everything, even outside the weightroom.

Hope you start feeling better soon!

[LarryLohkamp]

Wednesday 1/31/18 Week 18-2

Weight 149.2

Squat –200X5,4,4
Failed the last rep on sets 2 and 3.

Bench Press – 114X5X3
Still going up!

Close Grip Bench – 65X11X2, 65X14X1
These will hopefully strengthen my triceps in support of my weak press.

Chins – 4,4,3,3
Ran outa gas. I was really hoping to get 20 total. Maybe next time.

Curls – 30X15X3
I have some slight hope that these will help my chins get up.


Today’s Tonnage = 10,815#

With the fail on the Dead Lift, and now the second fail on the Squat, combined with general soreness and fatigue, I think I am at the end of the Novice phase. I might be able to eke out a few more pounds with resets, but it is probably not worth it. I will stay on this through Friday, but expect to move to something like HLM. The presses will stay with LP as they are still moving up slowly.

[LarryLohkamp]

Friday 2/2/18 Week 18-3

Weight 151 17.4%BF
I have gained 9# since I started, of that 6# is lean muscle.

I am off the reservation. I managed to push myself into over training and it has taken a while to get rested up. I will be switching to HLM for Squat and Dead Lift. The Press and Bench will stay on NLP until they fail again. I had to back off squat to 200# and DL to 254# in order to get the 5X3 and 5X1 completed.

Squat –200X5X3
It took a whole week of back off sets for this to feel more normal.

Press – 77X5X3
I think the close grip bench is helping to keep these going. I want to get to at least 80# before I consider HLM.

Barbell Row – 140X3X5
I missed a couple of reps, but I consider it a success. I will switch these to HLM, too.

Curls – 35X12X3
I added these in to help with my chins.

Tonnage = 7,515#

[LarryLohkamp]

Monday 2/5/18 Week 19-1

Weight 152.2

Squat –205X5X3
This felt easier than it has for some time, even though it is a 5# increase from Friday.

Bench Press – 116X5X3

Close Grip Bench – 70X8X3
Going to leave this at +5# for now. It feels way o easy

Chins – 5, 2
Arms felt all wrung out and tingly after the bench session.

Tonnage = 7,965#

[LarryLohkamp]

Wednesday 2/7/18 Week 19-2

Weight 153
Up 11 pounds from when I started in September. Lean body mass increase has been 7 pounds. I got a caliper to compare to my electro scale and they are surprisingly close together.

Squat –174X5X1
Light squat day.

Press – 78.5
Failed the first work set rep.

Incline Bench – 70X5X3
Incline bench is going to replace the press until I get coaching to fix the 2.0 bullshit.

Dead Lift – 260X5X1

Curls - 40X8X3

Tonnage = 4680#

I should have switched to intermediate sooner. My arms and legs are sore, but I am nowhere near as hammered after training as I was. Pulling the last possible increase out of NLP can take all the fun out of getting stronger.

[LarryLohkamp]

Friday 2/9/18 Week 19-3

Weight 151.4

Squat –195X5X2
Medium squat day.

Bench – 118X5X3

Close Grip Bench – 70X10X3

Barbell Row – 115X3X5
My form was really screwed up, so I backed off to get that fixed.

Tonnage = 7710#
This week HLM – 7965, 4680, 7710
This is a nice reset from the 10K+ that I was doing on NLP. It will get higher over time, but I intend to enjoy not having to take a nap after training to recover.

[LarryLohkamp]

Monday 2/12/18 Week 20-1

Weight 150.8

Felt achy this morning but trained anyway… never a good idea.

Squat –210X5X2, 210X4X1
Almost back to where I failed last time. This time it’s a bit more serious. A third of the way up on the last rep there was a loud pop and a stabbing pain in my right, outer quad just above the knee. It was really loud, sorta like breaking a piece of quarter round. I immediately leaned forward and dropped the bar on the safeties, then sat back onto the floor. After a bit of poking and prodding, I got myself up. It hurt, but not as much as I was expecting. It’s been 6 hours now. It doesn’t hurt just sitting around, but hurts quite a bit to walk. I’ll go into the walk in clinic tomorrow. They actually have someone there that does sports injuries. I doubt I will be squatting, pulling, or rowing for a while.

Bench – 120X5X1, 120X3X1
Fortunately I don’t need my knees to press. It still didn’t go too well. I should think that at my advanced age, that I’d listen to my body when it wants to take it easy… but no I gotta be stupid and train anyway.

Close Grip Bench – 75X8X4

Chins – 4,4,4,4,4 = 20
Totally not thinking I dropped off the bar onto my feet. The pain was epic. I eased myself down onto my left leg for the rest of the sets.

Tonnage = 7710#

[LarryLohkamp]

Friday 2/16/18 Week 20-2&3

Weight 150.6 18%BF 33.25” Waist

The injury is most probably to vastis lateralis muscle or the iliotibial tract. I took an extra arthritis pill Monday afternoon and got through the night. The next morning I took some naproxen sodium and did some walking. I expected a lot more pain, based on the loudness of the popping noise.. I now think that the sound was just an abnormally loud joint pop.

Wednesday training.:
I decided to try starting the Star Rehab on the squat.

Squat –75X5X5
I worked up to 75# from the empty bar with some discomfort.

Press – 77X4,5,4,5
Fortunately I don’t need my knees to press. The 4-rep sets were substantially slower than the 5-rep ones. Too much time dithering around with 2.0 sucks up energy. Forgetting about the flex and just pushing the bar up saves enough gas for the last rep.

Dead Lift – 225X5X1
I tried 245# but my right thigh complained. I dropped back to 225# and did my 5.

Curl – 40X10X3

Tonnage = 5585#

Thursday Training:
I don’t normally do strength on Thursday, but wanted to get some work done on the thigh.

Squat – 80X10X3

Friday Training:

Squat – 80X5X4

Bench – 120X5X3
Finally got all 3 sets of 5.

Close Grip Bench – 70X12X3

Barbell Row – 114X3X5

Tonnage = 8045