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Thread: BWare's Novice Training Log

  1. #101
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    9/13 Session 17-4

    A volume-oriented day.

    Bench Press

    Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
    95 x 5

    Working sets: 135 x 5 x 5

    Deadlift

    Warm-ups: 135 x 5
    185 x 5
    225 x 5

    Working sets: 275 x 5 x 3

    I may try to add some assistance exercises to these volume days next week; for now, the additional rowing ergo training is enough extra work to really push my recovery capabilities. On water practice tomorrow and Sunday, and coach has some ergo work for the weekend, too. BTW, I noticed that I was wearing my lifting belt one notch tighter today than last week; we'll have to see what's up on Sunday when I do my weekly measurements. I don't think I'm losing weight, but maybe the rowing is working on tightening up the belly.

  2. #102
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    Got a few posts from the weekend that need to be recorded.

    Saturday 9/14 - AM rowing; lots of technique drills as Coach is trying to get both of the novice 8's up to snuff in prep for October's head races. We call ourselves the "varsity" boat and the division between the two groups seems to be getting bigger. We're still friends and all, but in practice and afterwards, looking at their downcast expressions and clenched jaws, you can tell some of them are not happy to be on the "weak" boat.

    9/14 - PM rowing machine ergo homework. 4 sessions of 15 minute intervals at a 20 s/m rate with 3 to 5 minute rests. Objective is to increase stamina and rowing efficiency using the average 500 m split time as metric.

    Sunday 9/15 - AM rowing; technique drills to warm-up and emphasize the catch aspect of the rowing motion, then we played the "leap-frog" game with the other boat -- they'd row ahead until Coach told us to row, then we'd pull in front and then slow to let them leap past us. As the "varsity" boat, our mission was to catch them no matter how far the Coach felt he wanted to give them a head start. Our first leap was supposed to be a 10 minute haul at a 26 s/m rate, but we passed the others at the 8th minute so went early to paddle pressure. Coach had both boats stop, spent some minutes haranguing them about what he was observing, and then re-started the exercise. This time, he let them get about 200 meters ahead, and then let us go. We accelerated from paddle pressure to a 26 then to a 28 just because we could and caught them at about 6 minutes. We still have our boat balance and set issues, but when we are in stride and in our power mode, even the less-than-perfect set has become something we can deal with.

    PM - the wife and I met some friends for a long hike in Rock Creek Part (DC), and I had to forego the evening rowing machine ergo homework. I'll have to make that up tomorrow.

    Measurements were truncated, but I got some numbers for the week:

    Spot weight - 191.4, week avg 191.7 (up 0.6 from last); this completed a 9-in-a-row run on the same side of the average line process shift, giving me a new long-term average of 191.2 (up 0.4 from last).

    Lean - 171.3; Fat - 19.9 for a BF% of about 10.4%. The lean mass process had a nice run going until last week (7 in a row), but last week's drop terminated that run. If it had kept up, there would have been another process shift for that metric this week to go with the total weight shift. I believe the major problem was not enough protein intake two weeks ago, and only started to recover this week.

    All other measures are still within normal variation limits, although I did manage to observe a continued reduction of my waist girth - my belly is flattening out as I burn more fat, while my lower back width had increased with the Starting Strength program.

  3. #103
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    9/16 Session 18-1, Heavy Squat

    It's the only lift I'm doing today, since I have a lot of rowing machine ergo work to do afterwards.

    Squat --

    Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
    135 x 5
    185 x 5
    225 x 3
    275 x 1

    Working sets: 315 x 3 x 5; I think this was my end-of-September goal for the squat. Went very well dropping to 3 rep sets, but keeping the total volume unchanged. Going for 320 next time.

    Under "normal" circumstances, I would have done some close-grip presses and chin-ups today with the squats, but I elected to do the rowing coach's homework instead. Involved doing 4 rounds of 15 minutes at a 20 s/m rate; not a bad training for endurance, and the stroke rate was slow enough that it didn't feel like too difficult, but I was sweating pretty good when done. The metric is the average 500 meter split-time, as a measure of rowing efficiency (a shorter split means a better rowing technique), and it's clear I have to continue to work on refining the efficiency at this rate.

    Tomorrow's session is scheduled to be a heavy press and heavy deadlift, and I'd originally wanted to add a round of dips as an assistance exercise, but there's more rowing ergo work to do, so I think I'll do that in lieu of the assistance. As we get away from the weekend on-water training sessions, I'll be able to distribute these ergo sessions better through the week and add my assistance exercises back in.

  4. #104
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    9/17 Session 18-2, Heavy Press and Deadlift

    Opened with a 15 minute rowing ergo session at 20 s/m. Pretty decent performance, and will complete the coach's ergo homework tomorrow.

    Press --

    Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
    75 x 3

    Working sets: 119 x 3 x 5; solid form and will go to 120 next time. I'd been at 120 before, got a strike (failed to complete) there, and then went on vacation, so this is now recovered from the re-set and progressed back up to my challenge level. This 120 is also my "end-of-September" target so next week should accomplish that goal.

    Deadlift --

    Warm-ups: 135 x 5
    185 x 5
    225 x 5
    275 x 3

    Working set: 315 x 5; wooo-hooo! I got it. I'd been at this weight before, too, and had made attempts over 3 days, but struck out. Re-set following vacation, and now having progressed back up to the challenge weight, I managed to do the reps in good form and without much in the way of a grind. Plus 5 next time for new PR territory. BTW, my e-o-S target is 345, but I'd be very greedy in terms of increment jumps to make it. I'll get close, though.

    9/18 is a "rest" day from lifting, but I still have some of the week's ergo rowing work to complete. I expect to be able to start adding assistance exercises back in to the training on 9/19, but we'll see how that goes; 9/19 would be primarily a volume lift day.

  5. #105
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    9/18 - Not a lifting day, but I can't really call it a "rest" day, either. I finished out week 1's home rowing ergo assignment, and it was quite tiring. This Sunday's measurement record is going to be a real test of how well my recovery (eating, sleeping, resting) is handling the stress of working out - I know my cals-intake is up a bit so far this week, but my daily weigh-ins are not showing a whole lot of variation. I might be burning too much or not replacing sufficiently. But we'll see come Sunday ...

  6. #106
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    9/19 Session 18-3 (volume for squats, intensity for bench)

    Opened with a 20-minute rowing ergo exercise at a 20 s/m rate. Part of my "homework" from the novice head coach for the week-nights, since we only get on the water on the weekends now.

    Squat (light) --

    Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
    135 x 5
    185 x 5
    225 x 3

    Working sets: 275 x 5 x 5; no problems.

    Bench (intensity) --

    Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
    95 x 5
    135 x 3

    Working sets: 159 x 5 x 3; I'd been up in this weight range before, but not very strongly, struggling with good form and leg drive. I watched a Sullivan video where he talked about getting the shoulder blades really pinched tight and down in back on the bench, and not "punching" the ceiling on the lift. Since then, my form and lift has improved a lot. Plus 1 to get to 160 next time.

    BB Row (assistance for pulling) --

    Warm-ups: 95 x 5

    Working sets: 160 x 5 x 3.

  7. #107
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    9/23 - delayed entries from the weekend --

    Saturday AM rowing: Good technique drills. Biggest change was, since there were not enough novices showing up to load 2 of the 8's, coach elected to take out one 8 and one 4, and I was given a seat in the 4. First time in such a small light-weight racing boat, and it was very clear from the first moment that it was much more sensitive to technique and body control than being in the 8. I was sitting in seat 2 (port side bow) and spent much of the session using my body to try to compensate for the extremely bad technique of the girl sitting up in stroke (seat 4). She's strong and has good pacing, but tends to drive her shoulders down to get more length prior to driving the legs. And that was just not good, not at all - we almost rolled the boat when she got her blade stuck in the water early and too deep. By the end of the session, all 4 of us and our coxswain were terribly tense and mentally tired. LOL! Well, I wasn't all that tense - I just didn't feel like taking a swim in that dirty water.

    In the afternoon, my wife and I took the dog for a 4+ mile walk, so I had plenty of activity for a non-lifting day.

    Sunday AM rowing: Getting ready for the head race in the first weekend of October, which unfortunately I am going to miss. But I was back in an 8, and coach asked me to take the stroke. Well, it's been a while, and I was working very hard to keep my technique nice and stable, but we spent a lot of time listing to port. On looking over the video, it was clear that my side's rowers were maybe a little over-powering compared to starboard side, and starboard side's blade heights were all over the place, so we had a terrible boat balance/set. Covered about 6 miles though, with race-speed rates for the most part, and got a ton of endurance rowing.

    Sunday's measurements, again, not completely in line with my standard practice, due to the early morning row and then going to breakfast. But here's what I recorded:

    Total weight: (spot) 190.4; (week avg) 191.3 (down 0.4); (long-term avg) 191.1 (down 0.1) -- FIRST TIME this has gone down in quite a long while. CRITICAL OBS.

    LBM: (spot) 169.1 (down 1.8): (long-term avg) 171.2 (down 0.1)

    Fat: (long-term avg) 19.9 for a BF% of 10.4.

    This drop in LBM is big enough to trigger a signal of a possible process shift, but was not confirmed by a matching change in the moving range. I will wait until next Sunday's numbers to see if I should make this a measured change, and if so, it was a big change downward. The key message for me is that the rowing work, especially the off-water ergo training, is consuming more of my food than I expected. I am boosting my calorie intake to 3000, most of it to be dedicated to protein, and we'll see how the body responds through the week.

    Also, I want to see if my lifting is affected, which I will find out this evening when I do my heavy squat session. I'll be going for an all-time new high weight, 320#.

  8. #108
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    9/23 Session 19-1

    20 minutes rowing ergo (the "golf scores" routine)

    Squat (heavy) --

    Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
    135 x 5
    185 x 5
    225 x 3
    275 x 1

    Working sets: 320 x 5 x 3 (note I reverted to standard NLP of 5 reps per set; I was feeling that last week's intensity was not quite where it should be at 3 rep sets); this seemed rather easy - my form and depth were good and no problem at all handling the weight; plus 5 next time, and I'll try to continue at 5 rep-sets.

    Dips (pressing assist) -- 8 x 3

    BB Row (pulling assist) --

    Warm-ups: 95 x 5
    135 x 5

    Working sets: 165 x 5 x 3

    So the extra rowing ergo work didn't seem to affect this lift, and the rowing was a fairly low-intensity routine. I'll be doing some rather endurance-related rowing tomorrow, but that will be after lifting, so it should not affect the session.
    Last edited by Bruce Ware; 09-23-2019 at 05:38 PM. Reason: extra narrative

  9. #109
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    9/24 Session 19-2

    Bench Press (heavy) --

    Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
    95 x 5
    135 x 3

    Working sets: 160 x 5 x 3; no problem with form or control; plus 2.5 next time.

    Floor Press (press assist) --

    Working sets: 145 x 5 x 3

    Deadlift (heavy) --

    Warm-ups: 135 x 5
    185 x 5
    225 x 5
    275 x 3

    Working set: 320 x 5; good solid lift with a bit of a grind on last rep; plus 5 next time.

    No ergo rowing tonight; I'll use my non-lifting "rest day" (tomorrow) to do some of that homework.

  10. #110
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    starting strength coach development program
    9/25 Rowing (ergo)

    2 x 20 minute sessions aiming for a stroke rate of 20 s/m. I set a goal to better my last average 500 meter split time (2 minutes, 27.4 seconds), and both rounds managed to be a little better than that, a 2:21 and a 2:25.

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