200, 300, 400, 500 - A quest for greatness
- Thread starter mikeynov
- Start date
I trained at the gym I used to work at again today, same deal as last time with my former coworker, Chuck. I went there today as a birthday present of sorts (Chuck's birthday is tomorrow), and I'm glad I did, the session went quite well.
Squats - low bar, oly shoes, loose-ish belt
I've been doing predominantly high bar for a bit now, but decided to try low bar again. I had a hypothesis that part of the reason it felt so awkward going back to low bar a week or two back was probably because I went from high bar in oly shoes to low bar in flat shoes - i.e. I was a lot more bent over.
So I figured going low bar in oly shoes was a much more subtle transition, and, sure enough, I felt quite strong.
I wound up going all the way up to 315 for a single, which did not feel too terrible, so decided to embrace greatness and attempted 335, which I JUST made. New all time PR for this style of squat (i.e. ~shoulder width stance, versus very wide/sumo).
Press - oly shoes, strict
Despite not having done this in a while, I followed Chuck's lead here. He wound up going up to 155 for 3, a weight I've never exceeded 2 reps on, but I was damned if he was going to beat me in this, so I matched him. Another all time PR.
Chins
After the high due to the previous two lifts, this exercise went bizarrely easily.
I wound up warming up to me + 135 for a single, which felt easy. Then me + 145 for a single, also not bad.
Finally, I attempted, and succeeded at, me + 155 for a single. This is just over 320 lbs at a clothed bodyweight of 165+. All time PR by a lot, even a relative PR (i.e. I've never done a strict chin with that much around my waist).
This was an excellent way to end the day, and we celebrated afterwards with some deliciously fatty pizza.
Squats - low bar, oly shoes, loose-ish belt
I've been doing predominantly high bar for a bit now, but decided to try low bar again. I had a hypothesis that part of the reason it felt so awkward going back to low bar a week or two back was probably because I went from high bar in oly shoes to low bar in flat shoes - i.e. I was a lot more bent over.
So I figured going low bar in oly shoes was a much more subtle transition, and, sure enough, I felt quite strong.
I wound up going all the way up to 315 for a single, which did not feel too terrible, so decided to embrace greatness and attempted 335, which I JUST made. New all time PR for this style of squat (i.e. ~shoulder width stance, versus very wide/sumo).
Press - oly shoes, strict
Despite not having done this in a while, I followed Chuck's lead here. He wound up going up to 155 for 3, a weight I've never exceeded 2 reps on, but I was damned if he was going to beat me in this, so I matched him. Another all time PR.
Chins
After the high due to the previous two lifts, this exercise went bizarrely easily.
I wound up warming up to me + 135 for a single, which felt easy. Then me + 145 for a single, also not bad.
Finally, I attempted, and succeeded at, me + 155 for a single. This is just over 320 lbs at a clothed bodyweight of 165+. All time PR by a lot, even a relative PR (i.e. I've never done a strict chin with that much around my waist).
This was an excellent way to end the day, and we celebrated afterwards with some deliciously fatty pizza.
Mikey, your chins are insane! Have you attempted one-arm pull-ups yet? Apparently, the rule of thumb is that you need to be able to do 33 dead-hang pull-ups to get a single-arm pull-up. As you are so close to lifting 2 x bw I would assume that you might be able to get at least one.
<div>
(Lol @ Mar. 28 2009,8:01)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Mikey, your chins are insane! Have you attempted one-armed pull-ups yet? Apparently, the rule of thumb is that you need to be able to do 33 dead-hang pull-ups to get a single-arm pull-up. As you are so close to lifting 2 x bw I would assume that you might be able to get at least one.</div>
I've tried doing a one arm pullup a time or two from a dead hang, but never got more than like halfway up or so, from memory. In fairness, it's been quite a while since I've tried.
As far as I can tell, though, it seems like a one arm chin is going to be even more difficult than double arm chinning me + my own bodyweight, in that one limb is supporting all of your weight, but your balance is also a bit compromised.
I would like to specialize in one armed chins at some point, as I figure with my chinning aptitude I probably have the potential to do this. And seriously, how ******* cool would it be to walk into some random gym, casually put a single arm up to the bar, and start cranking out some chins? Ninja.
(Lol @ Mar. 28 2009,8:01)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Mikey, your chins are insane! Have you attempted one-armed pull-ups yet? Apparently, the rule of thumb is that you need to be able to do 33 dead-hang pull-ups to get a single-arm pull-up. As you are so close to lifting 2 x bw I would assume that you might be able to get at least one.</div>
I've tried doing a one arm pullup a time or two from a dead hang, but never got more than like halfway up or so, from memory. In fairness, it's been quite a while since I've tried.
As far as I can tell, though, it seems like a one arm chin is going to be even more difficult than double arm chinning me + my own bodyweight, in that one limb is supporting all of your weight, but your balance is also a bit compromised.
I would like to specialize in one armed chins at some point, as I figure with my chinning aptitude I probably have the potential to do this. And seriously, how ******* cool would it be to walk into some random gym, casually put a single arm up to the bar, and start cranking out some chins? Ninja.
I am transitioning to the 5/3/1 format as of this week, but to make things marginally less awkward, I'm going to have two weeks in a row of the "5," with the first week being slightly lighter.
Bench Day
Bench - first reps paused
185 x 5, 195 x 5, 205 x 10
Pulldowns
130 x 15, 9, 6
Dips
Me x 20, 10
Nautilus Nitro Compound Row
125 x 12, 10, 8.
Bench Day
Bench - first reps paused
185 x 5, 195 x 5, 205 x 10
Pulldowns
130 x 15, 9, 6
Dips
Me x 20, 10
Nautilus Nitro Compound Row
125 x 12, 10, 8.
<div>
(mikeynov @ Mar. 29 2009,1:11)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">As far as I can tell, though, it seems like a one arm chin is going to be even more difficult than double arm chinning me + my own bodyweight, in that one limb is supporting all of your weight, but your balance is also a bit compromised.
I would like to specialize in one armed chins at some point, as I figure with my chinning aptitude I probably have the potential to do this. And seriously, how ******* cool would it be to walk into some random gym, casually put a single arm up to the bar, and start cranking out some chins? Ninja.</div>
Yeah, that's what I would have thought. One thing though: It's often the case that single-arm rows can be performed with a load greater than half the equivalent used for regular rows. Sure, the action is different and maybe that's the real reason, but I've often wondered if being able to focus on just one side of the body allows a few more motor units to be fired/better recruitment? In which case, it'd be good to know how you get on if you give a single-arm chin a shot next time you train.
Of course, walking into the gym, casually putting a single arm up to the bar, and then failing to crank out a single chin might just be too non-ninja to bear!
(mikeynov @ Mar. 29 2009,1:11)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">As far as I can tell, though, it seems like a one arm chin is going to be even more difficult than double arm chinning me + my own bodyweight, in that one limb is supporting all of your weight, but your balance is also a bit compromised.
I would like to specialize in one armed chins at some point, as I figure with my chinning aptitude I probably have the potential to do this. And seriously, how ******* cool would it be to walk into some random gym, casually put a single arm up to the bar, and start cranking out some chins? Ninja.</div>
Yeah, that's what I would have thought. One thing though: It's often the case that single-arm rows can be performed with a load greater than half the equivalent used for regular rows. Sure, the action is different and maybe that's the real reason, but I've often wondered if being able to focus on just one side of the body allows a few more motor units to be fired/better recruitment? In which case, it'd be good to know how you get on if you give a single-arm chin a shot next time you train.
Of course, walking into the gym, casually putting a single arm up to the bar, and then failing to crank out a single chin might just be too non-ninja to bear!
<div>
(leegee38 @ Apr. 01 2009,9:24)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">As you transition to the Wendler approach are you taking any measurements to see how the hypertrophy part of this last cycle worked, Mikey?</div>
Hmm, the last two weeks I just did an HST-ish ramp-up for sets of 5, culminating in testing some RM's on saturday. My initial intention was to carry this through all the way for a full strength cycle, but given how well I did on Saturday, I figured I'd just hop on the 5/3/1 bandwagon now.
As to hypertrophy gain on previous programs, the only thing I've kept track of is my weight, no before/after measurements, sadly. At the start of this log (back in August, after summer dieting), I was in the low 150's, and am presently at ~165-170. I peaked higher than this all bloated up a few months back, but I've been eating more of a "baseline," paleo-esque diet recently, so am not holding onto as much water weight.
(leegee38 @ Apr. 01 2009,9:24)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">As you transition to the Wendler approach are you taking any measurements to see how the hypertrophy part of this last cycle worked, Mikey?</div>
Hmm, the last two weeks I just did an HST-ish ramp-up for sets of 5, culminating in testing some RM's on saturday. My initial intention was to carry this through all the way for a full strength cycle, but given how well I did on Saturday, I figured I'd just hop on the 5/3/1 bandwagon now.
As to hypertrophy gain on previous programs, the only thing I've kept track of is my weight, no before/after measurements, sadly. At the start of this log (back in August, after summer dieting), I was in the low 150's, and am presently at ~165-170. I peaked higher than this all bloated up a few months back, but I've been eating more of a "baseline," paleo-esque diet recently, so am not holding onto as much water weight.
<div>
(Lol @ Apr. 01 2009,5:09)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Are you taking creatine right now Mikey? I've been off it for a few weeks as I decided I wanted to see whether or not I could tell the difference. I'm planning on doing without it for a few 5/3/1 cycles and then deciding whether it's worth ordering some more.</div>
Yah, I'm taking the 'tine, I basically have non-stop for near a decade now, at least around lifting. I treat it like another vitamin or something.
Whether or not it boosts performance, there is some research that creatine supplementation might have some weird/interest health benefits, including on cognitive performance IIRC, so I'm inclined to take it indefinitely. Particularly since it's dirt cheap for creatine monohydrate.
(Lol @ Apr. 01 2009,5:09)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Are you taking creatine right now Mikey? I've been off it for a few weeks as I decided I wanted to see whether or not I could tell the difference. I'm planning on doing without it for a few 5/3/1 cycles and then deciding whether it's worth ordering some more.</div>
Yah, I'm taking the 'tine, I basically have non-stop for near a decade now, at least around lifting. I treat it like another vitamin or something.
Whether or not it boosts performance, there is some research that creatine supplementation might have some weird/interest health benefits, including on cognitive performance IIRC, so I'm inclined to take it indefinitely. Particularly since it's dirt cheap for creatine monohydrate.
Reasonably solid lifting day. I got nauseous/tired at one point due to the deadlifts/squats, though...
Deadlift - 5/3/1
Deadlift - flat shoes + belt + straps on work set
Warmed up to 315 in double overhand, then a set of 320 for 10 reps belted (not very tight) and strapped up. I thought about what lol said in my log, treating the descent as an RDL where you bend your knees once the bar clears them, and I felt about as tight/strict as I ever have on this set. I terminated the set just when maintaining back extension was going to start being an issue, I probably could have managed another couple of reps if I wanted to go to true failure, but form would have been slightly compromised...
Halting Squats - oly shoes + band on work sets
So, I decided today that I'm going to name the "bottom half squats" I sometimes do as "halting squats." Halting deadlifts, as per Rippetoe's description, describe deadlifts where you only go halfway up. Same logic here, I also eliminate the bounce/stretch reflex on purpose. Remember...you heard it here first!
I warmed up to 155 x 12, 10, and 8 reps.
The next two exercises I did with very short rests between sets, simply because it doesn't feel so bad doing so in the context of very isolation-y stuff.
Leg Extensions - Nautilus Nitro
80 x 15, 10, and 5 reps with ~30-45 seconds between mini-sets.
Calf Raises - Nautilus Nitro Leg Press
280 x 15, 8, and 7 reps with ~30-45 seconds between mini-sets.
Deadlift - 5/3/1
Deadlift - flat shoes + belt + straps on work set
Warmed up to 315 in double overhand, then a set of 320 for 10 reps belted (not very tight) and strapped up. I thought about what lol said in my log, treating the descent as an RDL where you bend your knees once the bar clears them, and I felt about as tight/strict as I ever have on this set. I terminated the set just when maintaining back extension was going to start being an issue, I probably could have managed another couple of reps if I wanted to go to true failure, but form would have been slightly compromised...
Halting Squats - oly shoes + band on work sets
So, I decided today that I'm going to name the "bottom half squats" I sometimes do as "halting squats." Halting deadlifts, as per Rippetoe's description, describe deadlifts where you only go halfway up. Same logic here, I also eliminate the bounce/stretch reflex on purpose. Remember...you heard it here first!
I warmed up to 155 x 12, 10, and 8 reps.
The next two exercises I did with very short rests between sets, simply because it doesn't feel so bad doing so in the context of very isolation-y stuff.
Leg Extensions - Nautilus Nitro
80 x 15, 10, and 5 reps with ~30-45 seconds between mini-sets.
Calf Raises - Nautilus Nitro Leg Press
280 x 15, 8, and 7 reps with ~30-45 seconds between mini-sets.
I repeated the bench today, as planned, for my break-in week. Things went pretty well.
Bench - 5/3/1
Bench - first reps paused
185 x 5
195 x 5
~207.5 x 10 - all time PR
Chins
Me x 13, 9, 8.
DB Seated Shoulder Press
40s x 12, 9, 9
Bodyweight Rows
Me x 9, 7, 7, 7
Bench - 5/3/1
Bench - first reps paused
185 x 5
195 x 5
~207.5 x 10 - all time PR
Chins
Me x 13, 9, 8.
DB Seated Shoulder Press
40s x 12, 9, 9
Bodyweight Rows
Me x 9, 7, 7, 7
<div>
(Lol @ Apr. 03 2009,6:34)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Hey Mikey, did you mean 217.5 x 10? You got 210 x 10 last week.
Good set.</div>
Oops, I went back and looked, that previous entry should have been 205 x 10, not 210 x 10 :-x As such, this time, I added ~2.5 lbs and managed to maintain 10 reps.
Not quite at 217.5 x 10 yet!
(Lol @ Apr. 03 2009,6:34)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Hey Mikey, did you mean 217.5 x 10? You got 210 x 10 last week.
Good set.</div>
Oops, I went back and looked, that previous entry should have been 205 x 10, not 210 x 10 :-x As such, this time, I added ~2.5 lbs and managed to maintain 10 reps.
Not quite at 217.5 x 10 yet!
I wound up at the University of Illinois in Champaign partying with some friends/relatives last night, and had to travel to Indiana for a family party today. Consequently, my eating has been a bit off (though I got to eat some delicious pizza last night!) and I had to work out in the parents basement tonight.
Suboptimal, but workout was okay.
Squats - 5/3/1
Squats - oly shoes + belt on last working set
195 x 5 - with band around knees
225 x 5 - no band
255 x 8 - no band, belt
The last set is an all time PR at that weight, though it was not the prettiest set ever. I have a very, very hard time avoiding GMing the weights towards the end of a set of squats, particularly low bar. I stopped the set at 8 reps when I started having the combination of problems of keeping my back in firm extension and not GMing **** up.
Halting Squats
2 sets of 160 for 10 without a belt and the band around my knees, and a set of 10 at the same weight without shoes.
Semi-interestingly, I felt more symmetric squatting literally barefoot. I'm almost curious to see what would happen if I did work sets like this. Not entirely sure why this would help, but there is the alleged magic of increased proprioception and such when barefoot vs. being in shoes.
Leg Curls
70 x 14, 9, 7.
Suboptimal, but workout was okay.
Squats - 5/3/1
Squats - oly shoes + belt on last working set
195 x 5 - with band around knees
225 x 5 - no band
255 x 8 - no band, belt
The last set is an all time PR at that weight, though it was not the prettiest set ever. I have a very, very hard time avoiding GMing the weights towards the end of a set of squats, particularly low bar. I stopped the set at 8 reps when I started having the combination of problems of keeping my back in firm extension and not GMing **** up.
Halting Squats
2 sets of 160 for 10 without a belt and the band around my knees, and a set of 10 at the same weight without shoes.
Semi-interestingly, I felt more symmetric squatting literally barefoot. I'm almost curious to see what would happen if I did work sets like this. Not entirely sure why this would help, but there is the alleged magic of increased proprioception and such when barefoot vs. being in shoes.
Leg Curls
70 x 14, 9, 7.
To be honest, I am having some second thoughts about this 5/3/1 format for the main lifts. Primarily in that I'm not sure how much I really enjoy pushing my lifts consistently to near-ish failure. I can imagine this feeling pretty taxing over time, with the pressure to set PR's consistently, despite having the option to simply aim for the 5, 3, or 1.
Press
Press - oly shoes + belt on last set
100 x 5
115 x 5
130 x 6
Pulldowns
135 x 14, 9, 7
Dips
Me + 25 x 13, 10, 7
Nautilus Nitro Compound Row
135 x 13, 10, 7.
Press
Press - oly shoes + belt on last set
100 x 5
115 x 5
130 x 6
Pulldowns
135 x 14, 9, 7
Dips
Me + 25 x 13, 10, 7
Nautilus Nitro Compound Row
135 x 13, 10, 7.
Deadlift - 5/3/1
Deadlift - flat shoes + belt on work set
I felt fatigued on my warmup, and it felt very hard just to hold onto the bar with a double overhand grip. I only warmed up to 295 like that, then did 315 and 325 strapped.
Wound up at 325 x 9, which is actually decent, all things considered.
Halting Squats
3 sets of 165 for 10 reps.
Leg Extensions
85 x 15, 8, 7.
Calf Raises on Leg Press
285 x 14, 9, 7.
Deadlift - flat shoes + belt on work set
I felt fatigued on my warmup, and it felt very hard just to hold onto the bar with a double overhand grip. I only warmed up to 295 like that, then did 315 and 325 strapped.
Wound up at 325 x 9, which is actually decent, all things considered.
Halting Squats
3 sets of 165 for 10 reps.
Leg Extensions
85 x 15, 8, 7.
Calf Raises on Leg Press
285 x 14, 9, 7.
A reminder that, on assistance work, I stop sets when things start to grind (i.e. noticeable difference in speed or style of performance from one rep to the next). I will occasionally get closer to failure to accomplish my rep target on the very last set (e.g. 30 total reps with a ~15 RM load).
Bench - 5/3/1
Bench - first reps paused
185 x 5
195 x 5
210 x 10 (all time PR)
Cool deal here, I was pleasantly surprised to get my set of 10 with 210.
Chins
Me + 25 x 11, 6, 6, 6.
I grind a lot faster on these than you'd think, given my top end strength. I could actually push them harder, but it starts to take a lot out of me.
Close-ish Grip Bench
160 x 13, 8, 9.
Hammer Seated Shrugs
1 plate + 25 lbs per side for 13, 10, 7.
Bench - 5/3/1
Bench - first reps paused
185 x 5
195 x 5
210 x 10 (all time PR)
Cool deal here, I was pleasantly surprised to get my set of 10 with 210.
Chins
Me + 25 x 11, 6, 6, 6.
I grind a lot faster on these than you'd think, given my top end strength. I could actually push them harder, but it starts to take a lot out of me.
Close-ish Grip Bench
160 x 13, 8, 9.
Hammer Seated Shrugs
1 plate + 25 lbs per side for 13, 10, 7.
Happy Easter, everyone!
Today's workout was a home one, being Easter and all. My new philosophy with the 5/3/1 is to not really sweat the 5/3/1 itself so much - I will attempt a minimum of the rep prescription, and stop after the first grindy rep for the last set, avoiding failure. Trying to set PR's constantly is simply going to be too taxing, imho.
Squat - 5/3/1
Squat - oly shoes + belt on last work set
210 x 3 - band
240 x 3 - no band
270 x 5 - belt, no band
These honestly felt a little awkward, the last rep of the last set being rather grindy and GM-y. Weirdly, I didn't feel that taxed afterwards, though, as I felt no pressure to hit a PR with the weight.
Halting Squats - no shoes
170 x 10 - band, high bar
170 x 10 - high bar
170 x 10 - band, low bar
I mixed it up here. Interestingly, AFTER going high bar for the first couple of sets, my low bar groove felt good on the last set. I'm considering actually warming up in my normal squats with high bar, then switching to low bar for the work sets for my next squat session. Might be interesting.
Leg Curls
80 x 11, 6, 6, 3.
Today's workout was a home one, being Easter and all. My new philosophy with the 5/3/1 is to not really sweat the 5/3/1 itself so much - I will attempt a minimum of the rep prescription, and stop after the first grindy rep for the last set, avoiding failure. Trying to set PR's constantly is simply going to be too taxing, imho.
Squat - 5/3/1
Squat - oly shoes + belt on last work set
210 x 3 - band
240 x 3 - no band
270 x 5 - belt, no band
These honestly felt a little awkward, the last rep of the last set being rather grindy and GM-y. Weirdly, I didn't feel that taxed afterwards, though, as I felt no pressure to hit a PR with the weight.
Halting Squats - no shoes
170 x 10 - band, high bar
170 x 10 - high bar
170 x 10 - band, low bar
I mixed it up here. Interestingly, AFTER going high bar for the first couple of sets, my low bar groove felt good on the last set. I'm considering actually warming up in my normal squats with high bar, then switching to low bar for the work sets for my next squat session. Might be interesting.
Leg Curls
80 x 11, 6, 6, 3.