Eric's Training Logs

[dfreric]

4/25/18

Press: 175x5x3 (No real issues. Trying to learn the double pump to see if I can't keep this movement ratcheting upward as I hit some peaks here soon again.)

Squat: 340x5x3 (I think I'm getting better at these. I need to keep making sure I bend far enough over, which is tough. I put my thumbs back on top of the bar as well. What I'm finding is that if I do my benching and pressing first, I have more shoulder flexibility given the fact that my shoulders are warmed up--I'm a genius, I know--and can thus more easily get tight under the bar in a squat. This, in turn, prevents my elbows from hurting.

Deadlift: 375x5x1 (Not much to say. They were deadlifts. I was glad when they were finished.)

[dfreric]

4/27/18

Bench: 277.5x5x3 (This felt easy, which is nice. I should be able to get into the 300s before hitting a plateau... I think. The key has been the golfer's elbow. It's no longer swelling up since I'm putting my presses first.)

Squat: 350x5x3 (Almost lost one over the toes, but I eked it back up.)

Barbell Rows: 235x5x3

Chins: 0x0x0 (Will have to do tonight. A man's gotta work--as in go to work and earn money--to pay for this gym equipment.)

[dfreric]

4/30/18

A sleepless night. Up at 2am for no good reason, unable to get back to sleep. At 4am, I decided to train because, why the hell not?

Press: 177.5x5x3 (Not an issue. These feel a lot better than the first time I hit this number. My body is less fatigued, and, again, I'm doing them first and without golfer's elbow. I still can't quite figure out the double pump, not that it's necessary yet. I mostly feel like I'm making inappropriate gestures with my hips to an unappreciative audience--my dog.)

Squat: 360x5x3 (Really working on bending over and driving the knees out at the same time. I'm getting better, but I have to focus on the back bend especially.)

Deadlift: 385x5x1 (I didn't have the energy on the precious 3 hours of sleep I took in to mix or hook grip it. I just used straps. The barbell went up. And down. And up. And... you get the point.)

[dfreric]

5/2/18

Bench: 282.5x5x3

Squat: 370x5x3 (When I hit the proper bar path and don't get too much on my heels, these feel pretty darned good. Fast bar and no real issues. I just gotta concentrate on that initial back bend with the knees moving to their spot.)

Chins: (Bodyweight--too much) 6x5x3 (I realized today that I originally started doing barbell rows mainly to put movement into my lower back on non-deadlift days. Since I tend toward the lift being lesser than a chin and since I've been lagging on chins because of rows, I'm dropping the rows. My lower back is strong enough to keep with my deadlifting weight. Now the rows just fatigue it. I'm also going to try to learn cleans since I have my own rack and barbell and can practice without looking like a sad old man in front of my students. Besides, I think cleans will be helpful for jiujitsu since I like to play an explosive game. It's going to take a while, however, to get my forearms flexible enough to rack properly, which is what killed me last time around. I'm not willing to hurt my wrist again.)

[dfreric]

5/4/18

Press: 180x5x3 (My technique really sucked today. There were presses that went up really easy, when I had everything in sync, especially a tight butt--just like all members of In-sync. Then there were ones that absolutely sucked and that I struggled to get up. I noticed a loose caboose on these. I believe "prison shower" will become my self-coached cue for presses.)

Squat: 380x5x3 (Not too tough, but I'm going to push myself to only hit a 5 lb jump as I move toward my previous PRs again. I think I need to hit 390x5x3 to beat it. I'd love to get into the 420s on LP, which I'm thinking is possible based on my bar speed.)

Deadlifts: 390x5x1 (Mix grip and belt. I took my time between the lifts, maybe 15 seconds as I reset. I'm not sure whether the belt actually helps on these or merely pinches my belly.)

[dfreric]

5/7/18

I officially turned 38 on May 5, and after a weekend of multiple pizzas, bourbons, and really bad dad jokes, which my children still laugh at, I'm back in PR territory on squats, no doubt thanks to the extra mass accumulated on Friday and Saturday. My wife also told me with a rather large grin that I looked like an "old-ass man under the bar" I told her she should talk to some of my compatriots in this forum, and that, with their inspiration, she'll see she’s still got another 35 years (keep my fingers crossed, there) of lifting to do with me.

Bench: 285x5x3 (I got the first set up without issue. The second set flared up my golfer's elbow bad, and I audibly yelped, causing my wife to ask if the dog was okay. I managed to finish it off and was more careful on my third set. If I put the bar carefully in the proper spot of my hand, right over the wrist--you know, where we're supposed to--and twist my arm in just slightly, I don't feel the golfer's elbow. I did that for my third set and hit with a little grind on my final rep.)

Squat: 390x5x3 (I feel some accumulated fatigue building again, and had to grind these slightly. I'm taking Horn's advice and moving to a light day squat for Wednesdays. Any thoughts on how to program deadlifts in this scenario from anyone? Should I do a light DL on Monday with a heavy squat with a heavy Wednesday, none on Friday? I'll likely just stick with the every other for now. Or, you know, I can look at Starting Strength or Practical Programming.... I'll do that.)

Chins: (Bodyweight--significant birthday accumulation, likely 267 or so) 7x5x5 (Still got my best chins despite the weekend of revelry.)

After a good workout, I'm feeling like a new 38-year-old, knowing that I can make it through the 363 days I have left at this age--with 5475 days until my first child moves out, allowing me to get sweet, sweet sleep again... maybe. Either way, I'm going to be paying attention to calories a bit more now. I'd like to be at 240, and I think 250 is very achievable. Also, my wife just fun of me because I was counting my years as 355 days. I believe the valsalva cut off a little too much blood flow to the brain this time....

[dfreric]

5/9/18

I feel like a dump today. I believe that systemic fatigue is beginning to take over again. Given the fact that this is happening around the same numbers as last time is telling me that I’m near the end of LP.

Press: 182.5x5x3 (I’m back in PR territory, here. I hit these relatively easily. "Easy," however, would be an overstatement, hence the “relative.” I had an "easier" time with these than I did with 180 last time around. The reasons, however, are simple. I think I got my grip right—I was surprisingly too narrow before—and I kept my behind tight throughout the movement. It was still absolutely difficult. Also, my elbow just throbs. Fun fact: throbbing elbows suck.)

Squats: 350x5x3 (These were light day—10% off my pr—squats, and these felt like a friggin’ bulldozer on my back. They were way tougher than the 390lbs on Monday. This must be what Texas Method constantly feels like.)

Deadlifts: 405x5x1 (Yep. I felt these and had to grind them out. Because of the way I was feeling, I decided to use straps. I did forget the belt, which likely would have helped slightly. We’ll see how long l can keep this up. My mitigated hope is to hit 405x5x3 on squat, which takes me through next Friday, and 425x5x3 or so on deadlifts, which would take me through the same.)

[dfreric]

5/11/18

A decent training session, although, alas, I affirm once more that I'm indeed coming to the end of LP. One of the questions I'm facing is whether I'll continue to milk LP based on intensity or jump into an HLM, higher volume program after this coming Friday, which is when I'm projecting my fatigue will have sufficiently kicked my ass. I've purchased Baker's Garage gym Warrior, which describes my situation perfectly so long as the war I wage pertains to the steak in front of my desirous stomach. I'm leaning toward the latter, a large part of which pertains to the fact that I'm not a strength athlete per se, at least not in any competetive sense, and I have a deep desire to more fully re-immerse myself into the sweaty armpits and crotches of other men, aka, jiujitsu. Tough question, I know. It's also the golfer's elbow. My shoulders are getting a bit more flexible for the squat as I implement the Horn squat stretch, but I still can't get my hands nearly close enough to actually make a difference in form, meaning I have to move my hands extra wide right right now to prevent acute pain as I lift. Lighter weights don't hurt the elbow as much on the squat as I squeeze them into a better position, and they also force a certain amount of stretching on top of the Horn stretches. In other words, moving on from LP may actually give me the chance to improve my squat form since my PRs are dependent on too wide of a squat grip, which likely exacerbates the elbow issue long-term.

On a subsequent note, I'm starting to pay explicit attention to the rate of perceived exertion in my lifting. I realized that I'm doing it anyways, describing lifts, for instance, as "relatively easy." I figured why not switch to the RPE lingo as a way of projecting more precisely how many reps I had left in the tank? I honestly have no clue whether this has helpful programming effects as the good folks at Barbell Medicine argue. I'm not experienced enough to say. I do think that having a more precise way of talking about the difficulty of my lifts can't hurt in the long run as it give me more data points to conscientiously incorporate into my programming, which I will inevitably screw up. The truth is, I don't necessarily want to use RPEs as anything but descriptors for now because (1) I don't have a coach experienced with them--or really a coach at all--and (2) I fear I'd use it as an excuse not to keep pushing weight up. I know merely pushing weight up does not always create the right amount of stress, but this may be a situation in which certain hard-knocks have to manifest themselves for the sake of calibrating proper subjective responses in terms of RPEs and their usefulness. That is, I want more experience with them. It does seem extremely useful in delineating whether or not I may be getting stronger in a certain set and rep range. If the range simply gets harder instead of "this feels about the same as the last one," it's a good data point to clue one into potential burnout--I'm likely flirting with it right now--and whether the stress applied is actually creating new strength.

Bench: 290x3x5 (I had to bench alone, so I went with five sets of three for precautionary reasons. They started off around RPE 8 and ended around 9.5. I think I could have done three sets of five with a spotter, but the chance is not worth it.)

Squats: 395x5x3 (PR territory again. All RPE 8.5 - 9. The body's getting tired. I'm going to try to squeeze out another week of this and get myself to 405x5x3, after which, as a celebratory gesture, I'll refuse to wear anything but a speedo around home, especially while gardening. Chicks dig massive white thighs. I made a good call on the switch to light squats for Wed. I will be wrecked tomorrow and will have to make a judgment call as to whether to perform light squats on Monday or stick to the once-per-week rule. I'll likely stick with once-per-week for the week or two I have left.)

Chins: Bodyweight, 8x6x5 (I'm getting better at these, but my bodyweight is moving back down slightly as well. I couldn't do any more with good form, although I'm loathe to rate these in terms of RPEs given the variance in the amount of swingage, accidental leg-momentum, etc.)

[dfreric]

5/13/18

I’ve been needing to switch my schedule to a Wed, Fri, Sun schedule, so I can hit BJJ, so I finally made the switch today. I was fairly tired when I started, but it was good training. Based on my fatigue, I believe it’s the last I’d pursue in LP. The fatigue catches up more quickly than I remembered as I thought I could eke a few more sessions out through the coming week. In reality, I don't want to hit the same level of fatigue that I did last time where the accumulation just shut me down and likely got me hurt. Accordingly, I pushed it hard on a couple of lifts for today and won.

Press: 185x3x5 (The fourth set was an RPE 9, the rest RPE 8.5. I think RPE is greatly tied to technical performance on these, more so than other lifts. This and bench are the only two lifts that I’m considering pursuing a little further on LP, especially since I've gotten bench up to 295 for five sets of three.)

Squat: 405x5x3 (Nailed’em and was quite tired. RPE 8.5, 9, 9.5)

Deadlifts: 425x5x1 (RPE 9.5)

[dfreric]

5/16/18

Intermediate Training

I’m still very tired from my Sunday training. Today’s training turned into what seems like a light day might be on an HLM, the light being defined today as very light, somewhere between a 12-17% offset.

Close-grip: 230x5, 245x4, 260x4-- I’m still starting with my pressing variations on account of the elbow. It hurts, albeit it feels much better today. The benches inflamed it, however.

Squat w/belt: 335x5, 340x5, 345x5--I’m still really tired on these. None of them had any pop or felt particularly good. I was very happy to be done squatting.

Rack Pulls: 335x7, 325x7, 340x7--The pulls got successively easier. Maybe I didn’t warm up enough.