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

Just a few musings:

Re 1): Don't you think that losing top-end performance (for multi-rep sets) is an inevitable consequence if you stay away from failure training for a bit? I'm not sure it means much (if anything) as far as actual hypertrophy/size is concerned. How do you think it affects 1RM? I suspect that a 1RM resulting from a lot of failure training might well be a little higher than a 1RM resulting from a program where failure was mainly avoided (ie. like HST). However, I also suspect that you can get top-end performance back pretty quickly if you go back to more failure based training. That's been my experience anyway.

I also wonder if the technique of warming up to a heavier single than the working load could improve neural drive for the work sets because rate coding has been pushed higher for the single? (I don't think you've been doing this recently. Yay or nay?) This would seemingly prepare the neuromuscular system for higher output during a subsequent multi-rep set (making the work sets seem relatively 'light'). How effective it turns out to be might depend on how close to a 1RM the heavy single was. If it was too close to a 1RM attempt that might actually hurt a follow-up work-set because of a high amount of neural fatigue.
 
Your musings seem pretty logical, imho.  That said, I like having top end performance "grooved" more easily.

I wound up high bar squatting a bit in the basement, recording a set or two because I've had no video feedback on what it looks like.

Two videos...

High Bar Squat @ 225 (warmup, no belt).

High Bar Squat @ 280, belt.

Feedback welcome.  I actually think they look pretty good, not to toot my own horn, definitely less GM-y tendencies than low bar squats.  Looks prettier for what it is, I think.
 
Another deload day. Things went much better - whatever I lost by practicing another form of squat and/or staying away from failure was regained in all of like a session.

Lifts included a 275 x 5 low bar squat (still felt heavy and GM-y, but whatever), 320 x 5 deadlift (no belt, practicing extra good form in terms of maintaining arch), 225 x 6 bench, and me + 90 x 6 chins.
 
New week, new lifting cycle. I had a talk with myself, and decided to do exactly what I want to do - minimalist SST routine and some gymnastics work while I eat ~maintenance.

Inspiration for SST is primarily to get my high bar back squat up as fast as possible, and I don't know a way to get it higher faster than the logic detailed on the very first page of this log. Some gymnastics work because I've been wanting to do this ever since I got Somner's book for Christmas.

My weight actually dropped ~5 lbs last week, I am going to rectify that by eating plenty 8)

Squats - oly shoes, high bar, loose belt on work sets

Warmed up to 230 for 3 sets of 5. After deloading, it was "hard" in a way muscularly, but I didn't need much rest between sets. Felt pretty good. For multiple sets, basically anything I'll do at this point will qualify as an "all time PR."

Bench

Warmed up to 217.5 for 3 sets of 5, first reps paused. A little harder than expected, but not bad.

Chins

3 sets of me + 70 for 5 reps.

Gymnastics Progressions

Goal = 60 cumulative seconds for each movement in as few sets as possible, never pushing into form breakdown.

Frog Stands (planche progression): 2 sets of 15 seconds once I sort of got the hang of the balance, then a single set of 30 seconds.

L-Sit (tucked knees, flat back) on dip stand: 4 sets of 15 seconds.

Front Lever (tucked knees, flat back): 4 sets of 15 seconds.
 
I watched both your prior squat vid and the most recent, Mike. I'd agree - form looked good, and not at all GMy. I'm jealous as anything of your setup!
 
Hey Mikey, is this the book by Sommer that you got?

http://gymnasticbodies.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=52

Chapter 10 and the three appendices sound interesting.

Assuming it is the book you have, how does Sommer's take on strength training mesh with what you know? Does he have anything to say about muscle building science as applied to gymnastics?

The squats in your two vids look good to me. Can you keep your form like that for all reps for a heavy set of 5?
 
<div>
(ratty @ Mar. 16 2009,5:04)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">What does GM-y mean?</div>
Good Morning-y

Some of us have a tendency to do more of a glorified good morning than a squat as the loads go up. Wacth Mike's vids and you'll see what a squat posture should reflect on the way out of the hole.
 
<div>
(Lol @ Mar. 16 2009,6:30)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Hey Mikey, is this the book by Sommer that you got?

http://gymnasticbodies.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=52

Chapter 10 and the three appendices sound interesting.

Assuming it is the book you have, how does Sommer's take on strength training mesh with what you know? Does he have anything to say about muscle building science as applied to gymnastics?

The squats in your two vids look good to me. Can you keep your form like that for all reps for a heavy set of 5?</div>
Yep, that's the book.

Sommer's take on strength training meshes well with the stuff we know.  In this case, he's using the principles of progressive tension overload by cleverly manipulating your own body in space. That said, his focus is on building strength, with hypertrophy incidental to that, so it's definitely not a manual on how to grow big muscles. He sort of sells it as &quot;functional strength,&quot; i.e. more functional than the apparently non-functional strength you get lifting weights and such, which I think is a little meh, but whatever.

I.e. by adopting progressively leverage-disadvantaged positions, it's possible to build pretty impressive strength.  Same basic principle as exercise progressions which shift focus from one limb to two.

As to maintaining the form in the videos above, yes, it is noticeably easier for me to avoid GMing the weight doing high bar squats, and my sets of 5 seem pretty consistent, at least according to my perception (should get a vid of a set of 5, obviously).
 
Oly Squats - high bar, oly shoes, loose belt on work sets

Warmed up to 235 for 3 sets of 5. Still trying to tighten up the bottom and combat my hip shifty tendencies. I noticed I felt tightest just looking straight ahead, versus Rip's look down cue.

Bench

Warmed up to 3 sets of 220 for 5, first reps paused.

Chins

3 sets of me + 75 for 5 reps.

Deadlifts

Warmed up to 315 with a double overhand grip, then a set of 330 for 5 with straps, no belt.

My work set felt kind of awkward/hard. It's hard for me to make this feel tight/right without going through my start sequence every rep.

Gymnastics Practice

I decided quickly that, instead of 60 cumulative seconds, I think I'll start at 3 hard-ish &quot;sets&quot; per exercise if I'm going to be doing this thrice weekly. I feel like I'd burn out too quick starting that ambitious, particularly on the front levers.

Front lever (knees tucked) - 3 sets of ~10-15 seconds.

L-sit (on the ground, tucked knees, legs slightly raised) - 3 sets of ~15 seconds.

Frog Stands - 3 sets of ~15 seconds.
 
<div>
(Lol @ Mar. 18 2009,4:20)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Is the front lever you are practicing performed holding a chinning bar, facing up, or is it with your hands on the floor, facing down?

Have you got any parallettes or are you doing this stuff on the ground? If you haven't got any, here's a really cheap way to make them:

http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/13_03_Parallettes.pdf</div>
Chinning bar, overhand grip, facing up.

I actually saw myself doing these in the mirror today at the gym where I work, and it looks pretty cool/ninja 8)

I don't have parallettes, btw, as I figure I can't randomly do these ninja feats of strength while drunk/out if I depend on such equipment
tounge.gif
 
Oly Squats

Warmed up to 240 for 3 sets of 5.

First two sets were a little awkward, I did these initially in a squat rack at work that had fixed safety arms.

My last set, I just walked it out of the rack and risked death.  Weirdly, it felt MUCH better without any concerning for accidentally hitting the uprights.  My best/most symmetric set of the three.

Bench

3 sets of me + 222.5 for 5 reps, first reps paused.

Chins

3 sets of me + 80 lbs for 5 reps.

Gymnastics Practice

3 sets each of front levers, l-sits on the floor, and frog stands.
 
<div>
(mikeynov @ Mar. 18 2009,10:15)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I don't have parallettes, btw, as I figure I can't randomly do these ninja feats of strength while drunk/out if I depend on such equipment
tounge.gif
</div>
You never know what you might find!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bOjJ6-1-Iw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7IrGNmCt8Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pudtHIPfvvw

<div>
(mikeynov @ Mar. 20 2009,7:05)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">
Oly Squats

Warmed up to 240 for 3 sets of 5.

First two sets were a little awkward, I did these initially in a squat rack at work that had fixed safety arms.

My last set, I just walked it out of the rack and risked death. Weirdly, it felt MUCH better without any concerning for accidentally hitting the uprights.  My best/most symmetric set of the three.</div>
Ha! Risking death is definitely a good way to get a few dormant motor units fired up!

Interestingly, Dave Tate reckons that training alone runs a poor second to training with a partner. As a PT, what's your take on the whole self-motivation thing when training alone and what do you prefer yourself, training alone or with a partner?
 
<div>
(Lol @ Mar. 20 2009,10:37)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Interestingly, Dave Tate reckons that training alone runs a poor second to training with a partner. As a PT, what's your take on the whole self-motivation thing when training alone and what do you prefer yourself, training alone or with a partner?</div>
I DEFINITELY prefer training with a partner, or at least around people.

I can do training on my own, but I noticed I just feel more energetic/strong around others, even if I don't have a specific training partner. I.e. just lifting in a gym surrounded by people.

This came as a surprise of sorts to me, because I'm actually a very strong, natural introvert, but yah, having others to train with is excellent. The best case scenario is having others to train with who know what they're doing/talking about, who can give you feedback on form/etc.
 
I performed today's workout at home with a friend. We hadn't lifted together for a few years, so it was pretty fun.

Oly Squats - belt on work sets

Warmed up to 245 for 3 sets of 5. I actually tried looking in a mirror and thinking more about pushing my feet, and this combination had the sets feeling harder than they should have, I think. At least in the sense of not being used to it.

Bench

Warmed up to 3 sets of 225 for 5 reps, first reps paused.

Chins

Warmed up to 82.5 for 3 sets of 5 reps.

Gymnastics Practice

I largely skipped this today as I was feeling burnt out from the actual lifting. I also don't think I'm really progressing on the front levers, so I'll have to think about what exercises I really want to do here, or how the hell I'm actually going to spur progress over time.
 
Weird day.  I repeated the squat weight, due to 245 feeling awkward last time, but it really wasn't any better today.  I actually tried &quot;sitting back&quot; more in the high bar squat, and that was...no bueno.

Squats - oly shoes

Warmed up with high bar to 2 sets of 245 for 5.  Looking ahead, thinking mainly about staying upright and balancing on my feet definitely works best for this.

For a third set, I tried low bar.  Noticeably easier.  I think I will have to use it as my standard in the long run.

Bench

Warmed up to 3 sets of 227.5 for 5 reps, first reps paused.  Tough, but managed okay.

Chins

Warmed up to 3 sets of me + 85 lbs for 5 reps.

Deadlifts

Warmed up to 335 for a set of 5 with a belt.  This actually felt quite easy, probably a combination of the (loose) belt and finding a better way of lowering the bar.  Instead of thinking about bending at the knees, I just sit back and keep the bar in contact with me, sets up the next pull a lot easier, though I might be slightly stiff leg-y.  This doesn't trouble me, as it feels quite good.
 
<div>
(mikeynov @ Mar. 26 2009,12:44)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Instead of thinking about bending at the knees, I just sit back and keep the bar in contact with me, sets up the next pull a lot easier, though I might be slightly stiff leg-y.  This doesn't trouble me, as it feels quite good.</div>
I've tried that in the past but have found that if I keep the bar touching my shins all the way to the floor, I'm slightly off balance in terms of the setup for the next rep. I keep the bar in contact with me from floor to full extension, but not on the way down; I separate from the bar as it passes my knees. I'd love to see a vid of you doing this, Mike if for no other reason to see how you shift your weight.
 
As I've always tried to work the eccentric during a set of deads, I had to nail my lowering technique. My approach has always been to bend at the hips first, a la RDL, until the bar passes the knees and then bend at the knees. The bar runs down my legs the whole time. Sounds like what Mikey is doing.

@Tim: If the bar is falling away from your legs as it passes your knees then IMO you are bending at the knees more than necessary.

I don't see how you can be worse off for your next rep if the bar is contacting your shins on the way down (or very close to) seeing that this is where it should be before the next pull and on the way up.
 
Sorry for the hijack, Mike...

I actually did a few reps today just to see if I could discern why I'm off balance by keeping contact on the eccentric portion of the lift. I definitely don't believe my knees are bending too much; I too start the descent by bending at the hips and then bend at the knees as the bar passes. The bar leaves my shins just about at the bottom of my gastrocnemius; maintaining contact all the way to the floor sets me back too much for the start of a next rep - my hips are too far back instead of square. Bear in mind I do my deads sumo-style, so that may be why; I always start a rep with the bar about an inch or so away from my shin, and make contact shortly after the bar leaves the floor.

Hijack complete.
 
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