Just came here to brag

[tiny&mighty]

Yesterday was a big day. I turned 40 and completed the last workout of my NLP, which ends as follows:

Squat: 5 sets of 3 at 200 lbs
Bench: 5 sets of 3 at 120 lbs
Press (strict): 3 sets of 5 at 81 lbs
Deadlift: 2 sets of 3 at 220 lbs
No change in BW (122-123 lbs)

Yesterday afternoon, I attended a meeting that dragged on later than expected, which pushed my workout about 1.5 hours to the right. And I was not in the best mood to train. Normally, I would probably have postponed this workout to the next day. But I am looking forward to my new training schedule starting this weekend, so I trained anyway but skipped the light squats to expedite things a bit.

Press went surprisingly well given how grindy it has been lately. My wrists are probably more bent than they should be, but this has not caused problems, even with my 13 years old Bible cyst. Can't wait until it's ripe enough to smash it away again (using this tool, as always! Yet I might try my Bella bar for the press to see if the smaller circumference of the bar helps me maintain a more neutral wrist position. If I try that I will have to be careful about getting the correct load... With all the micro-loading I have been doing, consistency in equipment is paramount (hence the green tape on the plates I am using).

The deadlift was a bit odd. My back felt somewhat twitchy during the lighter warm up sets, but this went away as the weight increased. I recorded all my sets from the side to keep an eye on my back angle. It looks good until I hit the work sets. Then it looks better on the first set than on the second, and the first rep or two are much better than the third one. I am tempted to conclude that some level of form deterioration is to be expected when performing my heaviest deadlift ever for the very first time. I will keep working on this and monitor the situation, but I doubt a reset is warranted at this time.

Deadlift grip. Obviously, I use a mixed grip on my work sets, alternating the supinated hand between the two sets. I supinate my left (weaker) hand on the first set, and the right (stronger) hand on the second. Yesterday, the bar started to slip out of my supinated left hand during the third rep of the first set. This is the second occurrence of this happening. I will stick with this until my grip actually fails, then supinate the right hand on both sets, and then turn to straps. The hook grip is not an option: 1) my fingers are not long enough, even with the Bella bar, and 2) even if they were, the arthritis I am currently experiencing in my thumbs would make this intolerable.

I started my NLP almost a year ago, with a 55 lbs squat, a 65 lbs deadlift, and a bench and press of 50 lbs. I could probably have started with higher numbers on the squat and deadlift, but my training motto is “petit train va loin”, literally “little train goes far”, which is somewhat equivalent to “slow and steady wins the race”. From my perspective, patience is a must with this program.

I listened to Robert Santana’s podcasts on the end of the NLP and more advanced programming, and it seems to confirm my decision to make this transition. During my NLP, I have done a few resets and each time this has resulted in further regression. This might have something to do with the fact that my lifts are very light compared to what you guys are doing. All I know is that I have not had much success with resets for the purpose of getting unstuck. For me, a better strategy seems to avoid getting stuck at all costs, hence my decision to shift to a four-day split at this point.

For the squat, I am torn between those two options:

1. Do my first intensity workout 200 lbs and add 1 lb per week until my deadlift is further ahead; or
2. Reset the squat by 10% to increase the gap with the deadlift and work through some form issues.

I am tempted to go with Option 1 and switch to Option 2 if needed. What do you guys think?

Volume deadlift is a temporary thing (hence the 5 lbs jumps) that I am unlikely to stretch beyond a few weeks unless it proves to be miraculous. I will give it my best shot, see how it goes and reassess. I just feel that I need some additional practice at the moment.

For the starting weight of my volume sessions, I am probably being too conservative… The book calls of 80-90% of a 5 RM, but I do not have this data about myself. I just know there is no way I can do 5 X 5 at 90% of my squat PR. Even 80% sounds like a stretch. Starting at 75% seems reasonable, and I can always bump it up with higher increments if needed.

One of the reasons why I am adamant about giving 5 X 5 a shot is that I am hoping this experience will help me build more confidence when attacking the third rep of a heavy triple. Though I am definitely open to switching volume days to 8 sets of 3 at some point, I think I could benefit from spending more time under the bar during a given set. Future will tell whether I am completely out to lunch about this.

With the upper body lifts, I could probably start my volume days at 90% of my current PRs, but this would leave me with very little room for progress. Also, using percentages seems kind of pointless when increasing load by 1 lb jump per session. Somewhat arbitrarily, 70 lbs for the press and 100 lbs for the bench seems like a reasonable place to start, with some potential for incremental progress over time. Again, I can always expedite my progression with bigger jumps in due time.

I have also reconsidered the sequence of my workouts based on the following considerations:

• Doing intensity deadlift and volume squat seems like too much work for one training session.
• Pressing frequency should be higher, not lower.
• Training sessions that are the most important, taxing and time consuming should occur during the weekend when I have more control on the external factors that influence my training.
• The least important session (intensity bench and volume deadlift) should occur at the end of the work week when I am the most likely to have a bad day in the gym.

	Sat		Sun	Tues/Wed	Wed/Thurs
Intensity	Squat?		Deadlift	Press	Bench
Sets X reps	2 X 3		2 X 3	15 reps in X sets	2 X 3
Start at:	200 lbs	180	220 lbs	82 lbs	121 lbs
Increase by:	1 lb	2.5 lbs	2.5 lbs	1 lbs	1 lb
Volume	Press		Bench	Squat	Deadlift
Sets X reps	5 X 5		5 X 5	5 X 5	3 X 5
Start at:	70 lbs		100 lbs	150 lbs	150 lbs
Increase by:	1 lb		1 lbs	2.5 lbs	5 lbs

Though my husband appears to have big plans to celebrate my birthday this weekend, my intent is to get started right away tomorrow. I need to find a cool title for my next log…

[Bill Anders]

Yesterday was a big day. I turned 40 and completed the last workout of my NLP

Congratulations on both! Enjoy that milestone. You're clearly not letting it be an excuse, as so many others do.

That's a fun one to think back on for me. I was in Iraq at the time, so I did the sensible thing and ran 40(+) miles, since running had been in my blood since my teens.

This might have something to do with the fact that my lifts are very light compared to what you guys are doing.

Absolutely, your lifts are very light compared to us. But relatively, as a percentage of your bodyweight, you are just as strong, if not stronger, than many of us.

For me, a better strategy seems to avoid getting stuck at all costs

I think that's true for all of us. Some of us are just more stubborn than others.

For the squat, I am torn between those two options

Revisit the "Setting Up the HLM Program" section of BBRx (pp255-6) even if you aren't doing HLM. You'll see the transition from NLP to HLM has the last week of the NLP example at 250x5x3 on Friday, then the first Heavy session on Monday being 250x5 (and that's it). Then the following week you go 250x5x3, then the third week 250x5x4-5, then finally add weight the fourth week at 255x5x4-5. That gives you your reset and allows for a bit of recovery while building up to that important squat 5x5.

During those weeks, you'll continue to add your 5lbs to your deadlift, so that will increase the separation a bit. Be very careful with your idea of volume days for the deadlift. Neither Texas Method nor HLM go for multiple sets across (e.g., 150x3x5) and for good reason. As you start adding your volume sets in the squats, your lower back and hips are going to get taxed quite heavily. Deadlift sets across will multiply that stress in what will quickly become a very negative way; it will be the first lift to fail, and fail hard. Here would be another great time to embrace petit train va loin.

For the starting weight of my volume sessions, I am probably being too conservative… The book calls of 80-90% of a 5 RM, but I do not have this data about myself. I just know there is no way I can do 5 X 5 at 90% of my squat PR. Even 80% sounds like a stretch. Starting at 75% seems reasonable, and I can always bump it up with higher increments if needed.

One of the reasons why I am adamant about giving 5 X 5 a shot is that I am hoping this experience will help me build more confidence when attacking the third rep of a heavy triple. Though I am definitely open to switching volume days to 8 sets of 3 at some point, I think I could benefit from spending more time under the bar during a given set. Future will tell whether I am completely out to lunch about this.

Again, review the transition section of BBRx. What's more important right now is that you maintain the intensity while slowly adding the volume. If you reset 25% now so that you can immediately jump in 5x5, you will lose hard-won strength.

• Doing intensity deadlift and volume squat seems like too much work for one training session. Agreed.
• Pressing frequency should be higher, not lower. Agreed
• Training sessions that are the most important, taxing and time consuming should occur during the weekend when I have more control on the external factors that influence my training. No input
• The least important session (intensity bench and volume deadlift) should occur at the end of the work week when I am the most likely to have a bad day in the gym. Sounds like you are giving yourself permission to not succeed. Also, see comment above about volume DL

Though my husband appears to have big plans to celebrate my birthday this weekend, my intent is to get started right away tomorrow. I need to find a cool title for my next log…

Enjoy a celebratory weekend with your husband. The weights aren't going anywhere, and you just may benefit from a bit of a breather. Have fun!!

[David Hooper]

Congrats on the end! Sounds like we're all invading "Room 154" (the intermediate logs) at the same time.

You didn't mention cleans or snatches. Sorry if I lost a thread here, but are they out for now?

If you're moving to intermediate, you can also consider assistance exercises. Instead of a volume deadlift day (and if you're not going to do cleans), you could do things like rack pulls, halting deadlifts, or even chins. I like the idea of alternating between rack pulls and haltings (i.e., rack pulls one week, haltings the next, etc.). It covers the range of motion of the deadlift but cuts the stress way down. You wouldn't have to worry about volume either. Also, since it'd be on the day of highest risk of "a bad day at the gym", you'd lose out on less than the other lifts if it happens to fail.

Though my husband appears to have big plans to celebrate my birthday this weekend, my intent is to get started right away tomorrow. I need to find a cool title for my next log…

The most important thing!

[tiny&mighty]

Revisit the "Setting Up the HLM Program" section of BBRx (pp255-6) even if you aren't doing HLM.

This is very good advice, thank you! I do own BBRx, but have not read it cover to cover yet. In my defense, I have only been 40 for one day!

Be very careful with your idea of volume days for the deadlift.

Instead of a volume deadlift day (and if you're not going to do cleans), you could do things like rack pulls, halting deadlifts, or even chins.

You know what, I might just stick with chins while I adapt to this new program. They still need some love, and I do not think I am quite ready to try rack pulls and halting deadlifts (I might be a pussy, after all). On another note, I recently listened to a SS podcast where chins were said to drive a bigger press. Definitely a selling point for me!

You didn't mention cleans or snatches.

Out for now. I am currently dealing with lower leg issues that do not respond well to high-impact stuff. I think there are 3 contributing factors:
1) For the winter, we had to make a temporary platform in the basement because the garage is too cold. The temporary platform is harder on my joints, and there is not much I can do about it for now. Fixing the garage issue will be top priority when spring comes.
2) I have bilateral bunions, which causes the arches to collapse under load, which in turns pulls on the posterior tibialis tendon, causing very painful, debilitating shin splints (which is why I gave up running, though I enjoy it too). I do have very aggressive custom-made orthotics, but they do not work well in my lifting shoes, which already have above-average arch support. The combination of both basically puts me out of balance... So I use OTC orthotics (Vasyli + Dananberg) in my lifting shoes, and that works so far, except for jumps.
3) Lately, I have been experiencing bilateral pain below the medial malleolus. Since it behaves like arthritis, I assume it is arthritis. Probably just another thing I will have to get used to, but just in case it is not, I try not to trigger it with jumps.

Enjoy a celebratory weekend with your husband. The weights aren't going anywhere, and you just may benefit from a bit of a breather. Have fun!!

Sounds wise! It will give me a bit more time to come up with the most important thing!

[Bill Anders]

Haha. I recommend BBRx to everyone, regardless of age, especially for the way they lay out the different phases and transitions in training. Couple that book with PP and it explains most everything. Then the key is to figure out how to incorporate that into your training plan, because it's rarely exactly as written in the book (unlike the NLP).

Enjoy your weekend thinking about the most important things - this milestone; being able to spend this milestone with Bernard; dreaming up the title; and figuring out your way ahead.

[David Hooper]

You know what, I might just stick with chins while I adapt to this new program.

Probably the most beneficial idea, tbh.

So far as rack pulls and haltings, you certainly don't need to add them. It doesn't sound like you have a weak point that's stalling the deads, or that you're not recovering between deadlift sessions. If you ever want/need to later, though, they're just not that big of a deal. Despite the Really Big Deal that all the gym bros make of rack pulls, they're designed to be a less stressful thing to do instead of deadlifts.

Curious about the orthotics and if they add "squish". I've never used orthotics [/I]::knocks on wood::[/I] so my only frame of reference are those gel-filled Dr. Scholls things that everybody squeezes in the pharmacy aisle.

Thanks for the very detailed description of the bunions, etc. I'm always interested to hear how people train through things. If you don't mind me asking, has lifting had any affect on your RA, either good or bad?

[tiny&mighty]

Still going through BBRx… This is gold! I wish I had read it before.

Orthotics – custom-made orthotics are typically designed with a shoe in mind. The set I have were intended for my Asics Nimbus shoes, which I wear when I run (though I do not run at the moment). The Nimbus is a very high cushioning shoe, typically worn by heavier runners. So my custom-made orthotics are very rigid by design. The issue for lifting is that the arch is too high when they go into my lifting shoes, which places my feet into subtle but noticeable supination, and significantly affects my balance when lifting.

The Vasyli + Dananberg have more squish to them, but the set I use for lifting is the first pair I bought in 2013. The squish is long gone but the arch support is almost perfect in my lifting shoes.

When I first started having to “deal” with my bunions (about 15 years ago), I did so by always wearing the same shoes with their own set of custom-made orthotics. But the condition further deteriorated over time as if my feet were becoming less and less resilient. I got to a point where I could not tolerate any barefoot walking. I then started to “challenge” my feet with different types of shoes and orthotics, which is how I came across the Vasyli + Dananberg.

Coincidence or not, bunion pain has not awakened me in the middle of the night since 2016. I remain very vulnerable to shin splints when doing high impact activities – which is why I gave up running (and Olympic lifts for the time being), but overall, I would describe the issue as manageable and well under control.

I have been offered surgery in the past, but I would rather keep dealing with a familiar problem that remains manageable than risk having new problems of unknown proportions. I have always had bunions, though I did not find out until age 25, when I first saw a physiotherapist to deal with ankle and shin pain. When she asked how long I had had those “bumps”, I had no clue what she was talking about. In my family, pretty much everybody’s feet look just like mine. The difference is that I am the only one who is physically active. Had I always been sedentary, I doubt I would ever have had to “deal” with the fact that I have bunions. And I could not care less about how my feet look.

At age 40, I have never had never had surgery, been hospitalized, or experienced what I would consider a serious illness or injury. Unlike most of my male colleagues, I do not have back or knee issues. Though I have my aches and pains, I am pretty darn lucky overall. So, for as long as the bunion problems are manageable, I would rather not alter the structure of my feet and risk tampering with something else up the kinetic chain.

For the RA, I think training has improved my condition, but it could be a coincidence since it has been only one year. Even visually, it is obvious that the inflammation is much milder in the affected joints. Their range of motion is less reduced during flares, and I am able to loosen them up much, much faster. Also, while some deformity had started to develop in many of my fingers, it has not further progressed since last December. Over the past year, another huge improvement is that I have not had one of those very sudden, aggressive, long-lasting flares that I have experienced in the past (the most recent was in early November of 2020).

Another benefit of SS for RA is that it helps keep disability at bay. For example, I recently had to do my annual PT test. One of the tasks of the test is the sandbag lift: “30 consecutive lifts of a 20 kg sandbag from the floor above a height of 1.0 m. The member alternates between left and right sandbags separated by 1.25 m.”

This year, I had a very easy time completing this task.
1)The improvement of my grip strength made grabbing the sandbags easier, even with the acute pain caused by the pinching and twisting motions involved.
2) The lifting part was super easy. 30 sandbag squats felt like a piece of cake after having squatted 165 lbs for 15 reps two days prior.
3) The conditioning provided by strength training enabled me to keep a quick pace throughout.
With an 80% effort (I needed to save some juice for the rest of the test), I did the task in 54 seconds rather than in around 90 seconds. So I spared myself over 35 seconds of acute pain, while performing better than 95% of male peers my age. That is the biggest improvement. Even with (now milder) RA, I am more capable than most RA-free people.

[David Hooper]

Much appreciated. The Mrs. has Sjögren's and I'm trying to find info on AI and strength training. If she ever shows interest I want to be sure I know what I'm talking about.

[Bill Anders]

Still going through BBRx… This is gold! I wish I had read it before.

That book truly is gold. It's the one I grab the most, especially when it comes to programming. Sully has a different approach to programming than Andy Baker, since his clientele has a different focus. And since hypertrophy has never been an interest of mine, I think that's why it resonates so well.

At age 40, I have never had never had surgery, been hospitalized, or experienced what I would consider a serious illness or injury. Unlike most of my male colleagues, I do not have back or knee issues. Though I have my aches and pains, I am pretty darn lucky overall.

I'm right there with you. I'll continue to knock on wood.

For the RA, I think training has improved my condition, but it could be a coincidence since it has been only one year. Even visually, it is obvious that the inflammation is much milder in the affected joints. Their range of motion is less reduced during flares, and I am able to loosen them up much, much faster. Also, while some deformity had started to develop in many of my fingers, it has not further progressed since last December. Over the past year, another huge improvement is that I have not had one of those very sudden, aggressive, long-lasting flares that I have experienced in the past (the most recent was in early November of 2020).

Another benefit of SS for RA is that it helps keep disability at bay. For example, I recently had to do my annual PT test. One of the tasks of the test is the sandbag lift: “30 consecutive lifts of a 20 kg sandbag from the floor above a height of 1.0 m. The member alternates between left and right sandbags separated by 1.25 m.”

This year, I had a very easy time completing this task.
1)The improvement of my grip strength made grabbing the sandbags easier, even with the acute pain caused by the pinching and twisting motions involved.
2) The lifting part was super easy. 30 sandbag squats felt like a piece of cake after having squatted 165 lbs for 15 reps two days prior.
3) The conditioning provided by strength training enabled me to keep a quick pace throughout.
With an 80% effort (I needed to save some juice for the rest of the test), I did the task in 54 seconds rather than in around 90 seconds. So I spared myself over 35 seconds of acute pain, while performing better than 95% of male peers my age. That is the biggest improvement. Even with (now milder) RA, I am more capable than most RA-free people.

Congratulations all around!!!

For your Heavy Deadlifts, have you considered straps yet? I can't recall. When I saw a SSC earlier this autumn, one thing that he asked was "what do you want more, strong hips and back or strong fingers?" I had already been leaning towards straps after talks with Hooper about them and having even ordered the material to make them before my sessions with the SSC, but my answer solidified it for me.

Keep at it!

[tiny&mighty]

For your Heavy Deadlifts, have you considered straps yet? I can't recall. When I saw a SSC earlier this autumn, one thing that he asked was "what do you want more, strong hips and back or strong fingers?" I had already been leaning towards straps after talks with Hooper about them and having even ordered the material to make them before my sessions with the SSC, but my answer solidified it for me.

Keep at it!

I will use straps the minute I fail a rep. I even tried them yesterday, just to see.

Long story short, I did not train this weekend. My husband had much bigger plans than I had anticipated. I was expecting a fancy dinner somewhere, but he had organized a surprise party at my friend's nearby, and with my family and other friends present. They all live 3 hours away, so this was quite a big deal. They ended up spending the weekend.

So yesterday I ended up trying the workout I would have done on Sunday (volume bench, intensity deadlift). The bench went well, with 5 X 5 at 106 lbs (next intensity day minus 15 lbs, amounting to 88%).

Deadlift did not go so well. I worked from home yesterday to avoid commuting in nasty weather. I usually prefer to work from the office, especially on training days. I end moving more during the day and being less stiff when starting my training session. Also, maybe 3 days of rest since my last deadlift session was not enough. We will never know.

I lifted the thing for two triples of 222.5 lbs, but my back rounded quite a bit, more so than on Thursday at 220 lbs, and than during the previous deadlift session at 217.5 lbs (27 November). Maybe I just had a bad deadlift day, but I definitely need to keep an eye on that.

After my sets, I tried a single with the straps to see if it did anything to help with the back angle. This lift looked like my other first reps, so it seems unlikely that my grip is what is killing my form at this point. Next time I might try to do one set with the straps and one without to get a better comparison. I just found that the setup is much trickier when using the straps. I also found the double overhand grip with the straps much more painful on my joints. The alternate grip seems to do a better job at distributing the load on my fingers. Still, this is worth further exploring. To be honest though, my current goal is a 2 X BW deadlift; I doubt a sticker club deadlift is in the cards for me, and I can live with that.