200, 300, 400, 500 - A quest for greatness

First day of a new lifting cycle.  I'm starting everything a bit submaximally (though not ridiculously so) such that in ~3-4 weeks I will be hitting PR's.

Heavy Bench, Rows

Bench

Warmed up to 215 for 5 sets of 5 reps, first reps paused.  Man, after a week of low volume, this was pretty tiring.

Seated Cable Rows

172.5 for 5 sets of 5 reps paired with the bench above (i.e. 1 minute rest between bouncing back and forth).

Dips

Me + 45 lbs for 3 sets of 10.

Pullups (wide grip, emphasis on chest up/lat pull)

3 sets of 10 with bodyweight.
 
Alright, based on squat performance today (a lot harder than it should have been), I'm seeing the same pattern that seems to happen to me at the start of every new cycle (i.e. I rapidly detrain, neurologically speaking).

The logic I described as SST in the beginning of my log works far better than anything I've tried, to date, in order to combat this.  What it requires is higher frequency practice of the core lifts (~2-3 times per week) and starting submaximally, so that's exactly what I'm going to do.

5 sets of 5 is a good time, but STARTING with it out of the gate is going to burn me out.  Instead, I'll start back at 3 sets of 5, hit the main lifts twice a week for the first few weeks, and then potentially transition to higher volume AFTER I've recovered my neural magic.

Lower Body

Squats

Warmed up to 245 for 3 sets of 5, then back down to 225 for 2 sets of 5.  The 3 sets of 245 for 5 were definitely harder than they should have been.  Not put a gun to my head hard, but things just felt awkward/heavy/sluggish.  My original thought was to back down the weights and continue the 5 sets of 5, but as I thought about it, it seemed silly in that I know of a much faster way to regain my strength.

So, I'll repeat 245 for 3 sets of 5 next time and take it from there.

Bottom Half Leg Press

4 plates per side for 2 sets of 15 reps.  Harder than expected, too.  Feel the burn.
 
<div>
(mikeynov @ Jan. 26 2009,4:53)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Alright, based on squat performance today (a lot harder than it should have been), I'm seeing the same pattern that seems to happen to me at the start of every new cycle (i.e. I rapidly detrain, neurologically speaking).

...

 The 3 sets of 245 for 5 were definitely harder than they should have been.  Not put a gun to my head hard, but things just felt awkward/heavy/sluggish.  </div>
I find that Brian's predicted Strategic Deconditioning works all too well. After a layoff the weights seem unusually difficult and fatiguing.

It takes me several workouts before the weights are simply &quot;heavy&quot; again.
 
Better today. A bit of caffeine before the workout never hurts...

Upper Body

Bench

Warmed up to 217.5 for 3 sets of 5, first reps paused. Noticeably easier than last time.

Chins

3 sets of me + 70 for 5 reps.

Press

3 sets of 95 for 10 reps.

Pullups

Pullups (chest high) - A set of 10 with bodyweight.

Pullups (behind the neck, though done in a station where there's space in the middle such that you don't have to do anything weird with your head) - A set of me x 8. It's interesting how much weaker I am at pure shoulder adduction vs. extension.

Lat Pulldowns (neutral, medium-wide grip) - again with a shoulder adduction dominant variant, I managed 130 for a set of 10.
 
Also better today...caffeine might help.

Lower Body

Squats Punishment - flat shoes + loose belt on work sets

Warmed back up to 245, but this time I did 3 sets of 6 instead of 5. For punishment.

Weirdly, these were easier than the sets of 5 were last time, and noticeably less hip shifty/GM-y, too. Go figure.

Deadlifts - beltless wonder

Warmed up to 315 for 3 sets of 5. First set I alternated grip every rep. This felt very odd.

Second set I went left over, right under, last set the opposite.

Weirdly, set 3 might have been the easiest.

Calf Raises in Nautilus Nitro Leg Press

300 x 10/15.
 
So, my lifting plan got totally abandoned today. Instead of sticking with light stuff, I lifted with an old coworker, who somehow goaded me into PR performances on squats and bench.

Full Body

Squats - flat shoes + light belt on work sets

Went all the way up to 275 for 3 sets of 5. All time record for sets across (previous best = 2 sets).

Bench

Warmed up to 225 for 5 sets of 5 reps, first reps paused. I've wanted to hit 225 for 5 sets of 5 for a long time. Glad I finally got there!

Last rep of the last set was the only one that was a real grinder. I embraced my own greatness and prevailed, though.

Chins

I did these way later, at home, without the influence of awesome caffeine.

I managed 2 sets of 5 with me + 92.5 (last rep on set #2 was pretty borderline), and one set of 4. I think this matches a previous PR (2 sets of 5 with 92.5), though I don't think I attempted a third set at that time.

Very weirdly, the squats and bench in particular were two of the goals I had for this whole lifting cycle. Which I did at the start of week 2 instead of like a month from now. What to do from here...
 
<div>
(mikeynov @ Feb. 02 2009,8:38)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">So, my lifting plan got totally abandoned today.  Instead of sticking with light stuff, I lifted with an old coworker, who somehow goaded me into PR performances on squats and bench.</div>
Glad to see you benefited from the 'co-worker effect'. In some it brings out greatness, in others... well, let's just say it caused me to squat with 140kg from cold just to show it could be done. Thankfully, nothing popped. Co-worker effect in action:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=paK1sHWjjjI

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5b5AEs4gdNU

(Of course, the 'hot girl effect' usually blows the 'co-worker effect' away and I expect may have caused the death of at least one lifter.)

That's some great benching Mike. How long are you resting between sets for that?

Solid squatting too yet I can't help but feel that there's more to come. Judging by your other lifts, you should definitely be aiming for 300 for sets of 5 across.
 
<div>
(Lol @ Feb. 02 2009,6:53)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Co-worker effect in action:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=paK1sHWjjjI

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5b5AEs4gdNU</div>
Which is why I always do my squats in the power rack...
sad.gif
 
<div>
(Lol @ Feb. 02 2009,6:53)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"><div>
(mikeynov @ Feb. 02 2009,8:38)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">So, my lifting plan got totally abandoned today.  Instead of sticking with light stuff, I lifted with an old coworker, who somehow goaded me into PR performances on squats and bench.</div>
Glad to see you benefited from the 'co-worker effect'. In some it brings out greatness, in others... well, let's just say it caused me to squat with 140kg from cold just to show it could be done. Thankfully, nothing popped. Co-worker effect in action:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=paK1sHWjjjI

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5b5AEs4gdNU

(Of course, the 'hot girl effect' usually blows the 'co-worker effect' away and I expect may have caused the death of at least one lifter.)

That's some great benching Mike. How long are you resting between sets for that?

Solid squatting too yet I can't help but feel that there's more to come. Judging by your other lifts, you should definitely be aiming for 300 for sets of 5 across.</div>
In a way it was eye opening, i.e. to have somebody else strong to encourage me to lift had an immediate effect on my performance. It's just odd in that I'm going to have to think about my goals for squats and bench for this particular cycle, I'm already at where I wanted to be, to some degree.

For the bench press, I probably rested ~3-5 minutes between sets, at a guess, at least. I remember a quote by Rippetoe telling somebody to wait 5+ minutes between sets to make sure they got in all their sets of 5, and I definitely use that philosophy to make sure I get in all the sets.

300 for sets of 5 in squats would be tits, that is a nice goal. Hmm...
 
<div>
(mikeynov @ Feb. 02 2009,6:37)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">For the bench press, I probably rested ~3-5 minutes between sets, at a guess, at least.   I remember a quote by Rippetoe telling somebody to wait 5+ minutes between sets to make sure they got in all their sets of 5, and I definitely use that philosophy to make sure I get in all the sets.

300 for sets of 5 in squats would be tits, that is a nice goal.  Hmm...</div>
Right. That's what I do. If you'd said 1 minute I was going to go and order some test.
 
<div>
(Lol @ Feb. 02 2009,3:31)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"><div>
(mikeynov @ Feb. 02 2009,6:37)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">For the bench press, I probably rested ~3-5 minutes between sets, at a guess, at least.   I remember a quote by Rippetoe telling somebody to wait 5+ minutes between sets to make sure they got in all their sets of 5, and I definitely use that philosophy to make sure I get in all the sets.

300 for sets of 5 in squats would be tits, that is a nice goal.  Hmm...</div>
Right. That's what I do. If you'd said 1 minute I was going to go and order some test.</div>
Haha, nice.

But yah, I take very liberal breaks between sets. I'd rather take too long than too little, it's the performance I'm primarily concerned with, not generating a burn or whatever the gay.

Hell, for that matter, where applicable, I take liberal pauses between reps. Obviously, in some lifts, this doesn't really help (particularly upper body stuff). But in squats and deads, for example, I take my sweet *** time for sets of 5.
 
Good day.

Heavy Press, Rows

Press - oly shoes + belt on work sets

Warmed all the way up to 135 for 5 sets of 5 reps. This is something else I was planning to do like a month from now, but given the way everything else has felt, I figured I could probably do it already, and was correct.

All time PR for sets across.

Seated Cable Rows

180 for 5 sets of 5 reps.

Bench

195 for 3 sets of 10 reps, first reps paused. Despite not benching for sets of 10 in a couple of weeks, this didn't feel all that bad. I should be able to reach at least 200 for 3 sets of 10 without TOO much trouble, hopefully. 205 for 3 sets of 10 would be pretty tight.

Pullups - chest up style

Me + 5 lbs for 3 sets of 10 reps. Doing this very deliberately I can really feel it strong in my lats/midback.
 
Lower Body - Deadlifts, Light Squats

Deadlifts

Warmed up to 330 for 3 sets of 5. Tiring.

High Bar/Oly Squats - oly shoes, no belt

These felt interesting. Reasonably tiring/difficult doing them AFTER deadlifts, but I don't want to compromise my deadlift strength on my second lower body day.

Anyways, warmed up to 185 for 3 sets of 10 reps.

Calf Raises in Nautilus Nitro Leg Press

310 x 12/12.

Nautilus Nitro Abduction

145 x 15.
 
Heavy Bench, Rows

Bench

Warmed up to 227.5 for 5 sets of 5 reps, first reps paused.  All time PR.

Somewhat like last week, only the last rep of the last set was in doubt.  It was weirdly grindy...it felt like it should have been moving, though was stuck for a couple of seconds at the sticking point.  Got it, though, cause I'm a grinder from way back.

Seated Cable Rows

180 for 4 sets of 6 reps.

Dips

Me + 55 lbs for 3 sets of 10. Last set was pretty brutal.

Pullups (chest up, lat dominant style)

Me + 7.5 lbs for 3 sets of 10 reps.
 
Heavy Squats, Leg Press

Squats - flat shoes + loose belt on work sets

If you've actually been reading my log, you might know that I squatted 275 for 3 sets of 5 last sunday, which was more or less where I already wanted to be.

As such, I really didn't know what to do here, so I decided I'd add 2.5 lbs and try to repeat history.

I managed to get 277.5 for 2 sets of 5, and didn't try for a third.  Because it was ******* heavy/hard.

The first set just felt goofy/awkward.

The second set actually felt better by using a weird combination of Rip's advice and what I notice works best.  I look down on the way down, and at the turn around, look straight ahead again.

But yah, a third will have to be saved for another day. This would still technically qualify as an all time PR (in terms of what I've done repeat sets of 5 with).

Bottom Half Leg Press

4 plates per side for 3 sets of 15 reps.  I have been doing these one notch lower on the seat such that they're a little more quad dominant than usual, and thus harder for me.

Calf Raises in Nautilus Nitro Leg Press

315 x 10/15.

Nautilus Abduction

155 x ~15.   Not sure if this is helping my asymmetry at all, but I have gotten stronger at this, I think.
 
Hey Mike im impressed with your strength and size from your videos..

Ive also seen a before pic of you when you were scrawny..man you have got alot bigger!

i looked like you afew years ago, but i feel my progress has been slow..

What training has worked best for you? hst or different training?
and also how have changes in your diet affected your gains..

im just curious as i grow slowly as i have a small frame and **** hormone levels i guess..

cheers, ratty
 
<div>
(ratty @ Feb. 10 2009,8:09)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Hey Mike im impressed with your strength and size from your videos..

Ive also seen a before pic of you when you were scrawny..man you have got alot bigger!

i looked like you afew years ago, but i feel my progress has been slow..

What training has worked best for you? hst or different training?
and also how have changes in your diet affected your gains..

im just curious as i grow slowly as i have a small frame and **** hormone levels i guess..

cheers, ratty</div>
I dunno, 170 lbs @ 5'9&quot; isn't too jacked, I think I'm still pretty scrawny
smile.gif


Training:

I'd recommend something like HST or a well thought out upper/lower split, honestly. I'm finding lately that the 5-15 rep range is a very good place to base most of your training, I stuck to low reps (1-5) for WAY too long, and minus aspirations in powerlifting, I don't think it's particularly helpful. Sets of 10 are good stuff.

Eating:

I eat in a way that's pretty similar to what Bill Starr describes in his book The Strongest Shall Survive, basically high protein, lots of healthy fat, and an attempt to get most of my carbs from veggies, fruit, and whole milk.

At times I allow more starches in (bagels after training, some bread here and there), but it's a formula I very much like while attempting to gain mass, it seems to keep me from getting overly fat while &quot;bulking.&quot;
 
Man. Today was hard. Really hard. Where's my energy? Am I overreaching? I think so.

Heavy Press, Chins

Press - belt on work sets

I knew I was in trouble on this when the warmups felt slow.

I intended to do 137.5 for 5 sets of 5 reps. I managed this with 135 last time. It was hard, but not ZOAGMS! hard.

My first set of 137.5 for 5 was really hard. The fifth rep was a real grinder. This is the point where I wondered how the **** I was going to do 4 more sets.

By taking ~5 minute rest periods, I somehow managed to get all 5 sets of 5, and this may have been one of the hardest 5 sets of 5 I've ever done. Still, an all time PR, I gotta give myself props for persistence.

Bench

Warmed up to 197.5 for 3 sets of 10, first reps paused. Kinda hard, but all time PR.

Chins

2 sets of me + 90 for 5 reps, one set of me + 45 for 12 reps. The 12 reps is an all time PR.
 
Congratulations Mike, even after the press PR you managed to get PRs in both bench and chins. That's amazing.
 
<div>
(electric @ Feb. 12 2009,8:14)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Congratulations Mike, even after the press PR you managed to get PRs in both bench and chins. That's amazing.</div>
Thank you much, sir!

I think I'm going to have to scale back the volume, though, 5 sets of 5 multiple times a week like this is just grueling.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top