Lol's New HST Log

LOL

i just finished reading an article in the nov. issue of outside magazine about mark twight and his gym jones set-up (the guys behind the 300 w/os). if i remember correctly you have been really finding cross-fit type training interesting. gym jones appears to be a form of cross-fit (which is something twight was into for a while) but mark has some issues with cross-fits emphasis/limitations etc etc.

anyway, its an interesting article for anyone interested in that style of w/o. not sure if outside mag. can be found in the UK.
 
Sounds interesting BlueJ. I'll look out for a copy.

As far as CrossFit goes, I'd love to be able to record a time for the recently-devised King Kong WOD but sadly I don't yet have the strength and skill to make a 255 clean for a single, let alone a triple. Not even sure I could still manage a 450 DL in my present shrunken state.
 
i wont actually claim to know much about whats current with crossfit. i kinda tuned them out a while ago. we used to do sort of a crossfit type w/o (before anyone knew about crossfit) when i was working fire with the forest service, alot of higher rep low rest conditioning stuff. it was good for ripping folks from OK off season shape into all-around good shape quite quickly in a brief w/o format.

honestly, i really didnt have an opinion one way or another when they became more public but i have to admit ive been "turned off" more recently. i still think its quite effective as long as your goals and what those type w/os can do are in sync. a lot of the info i read a few yrs back was just plain silly........stuff about crossfitters being the best athletes at every sport----simultanously. too much bravado and cultishness for me, but thats just me

good luck
 
What I've done is taken a few of the WODs that appeal to me the most and used them for HIIT type cardio sessions. I'm really not into the brutal lengthy metcon stuff though. I like the WODs that can be done in 5 mins or less. It's always a bit of 'fun' to try to beat your previous best time. A Fran is pretty cool.

Today I did some one-arm db snatches with a 31kg db alternating arms every 10 reps, Tabata style. Four sets with each arm had my heart pounding away nicely. I'd much rather do a few different exercises like that than go for a jog.
 
as someone who's made the leap from strength training to athletic training, I can vouche for the fact that certain aspects of fitness get completely neglected when doing strictly lifting and some static cardio.

IMHO, if you're a young buck, you don't really miss out on too much by being a pure lifter, but once you hit middle age, regaining somce athleticism is what can really make you feel like you've turned back the hands of time on the 'ol clock.

I am convinced that having a balanced approach is probably best. Now, if you'd have asked me that question a year ago, I would have said "strength train or die". Opinions/goals/motivations chage, I guess
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Another thing to consider, too...there's precious few of us around here who stick around for long durations. The propensity to get bored & quit is quite apparent from the faces you see dropping out of sight. The guys who have stuck around all have had their training evolve over the years to include new/different things to keep it motivated...except Colby, I guess, whose single-minded dedication to his goal is remarkable and unflailing.

Sorry, Lol, didn't mean to hijack, just in a contemplative mood this morning!
 
Hey Slapz, glad you're still popping in to say "Hi." Some good thoughts.

As I'm now approaching middle age (ha!), I'm definitely going to try to keep some level of fitness going in more domains than just strength and power. A certain amount of metcon is probably a good idea but I'm not going to go overboard; as long as I can run and row (in a real boat) a mile reasonably quickly I'll be happy with that. I really want to pick up my gymnastic ability which will mean improving my core strength a great deal along with my balance. 'Skinning the cat' is easy now but I still can't hold a front lever; a back lever is also really hard still. Losing a bit more fat (esp. off my legs) will no doubt help and so I'm going to keep cutting until I hit 186.

As you may have read in my log over the past few months, I've dropped some strength during my cut but I'm hoping I can regain it (without gaining back all the fat I've lost) once my cals are over maintenance again. I'm hoping that muscle memory and some careful macro control will help with partitioning. We'll see...
 
Sat 08/11/08

Sat 01/11/08 p.m.

10th Week UD2: Heavy Day

Squats: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 110kg, 1 x 130kg, 5 x 140kg (308lb), 4 x 3 x 140kg (308lb)

Dropped to 3s after first set of 5 with 140kg. Just wanted to stay well away from failure. 3s are great with what is now close to my 5RM load.

Dips: 10 x bw, 5 x bw+10kg, 5 x bw+25kg, 2 x bw+35kg, 3 x 5 x 45.5kg (100lb) + 5 negs on last set, 20 x bw+25kg (55lb)

Skipped bench to give my AC joints a break.

Parallel-grip Chins: 10 x bw, 5 x bw+10kg, 1 x 5 x bw+20kg, 5 x 3 x bw+20kg

Really strict on the 3s. Back fried.

EZ-bar Pull-overs: 10 x 31kg, 10 x 41kg, 3 x 6 x 46kg (101lb)

EZ-bar Curls: 10, 5 x 51kg (112lb) - pretty close to failure on first set of 10. Don't think I would have made 11 reps.
 
<div>
(Lol @ Nov. 09 2008,8:36)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Hey Slapz, glad you're still popping in to say &quot;Hi.&quot; Some good thoughts.

As I'm now approaching middle age (ha!), I'm definitely going to try to keep some level of fitness going in more domains than just strength and power. A certain amount of metcon is probably a good idea but I'm not going to go overboard; as long as I can run and row (in a real boat) a mile reasonably quickly I'll be happy with that. I really want to pick up my gymnastic ability which will mean improving my core strength a great deal along with my balance. Skinning the cat is easy now but I still can't hold a front lever; a back lever is also really hard still. Losing a bit more fat (esp. off my legs) will no doubt help and so I'm going to keep cutting until I hit 186.

As you may have read in my log over the past few months, I've dropped some strength during my cut but I'm hoping I can regain it (without gaining back all the fat I've lost) once my cals are over maintenance again. I'm hoping that muscle memory and some careful macro control will help with partitioning. We'll see...</div>
Gymnastics? Now there's a no bull$hit way to regain lost athleticism, not to mention flexibility!

It may be the dialect, but what are &quot;levers&quot;? Are you talking about some kind of apparatus?

In any event, you have the right mindset....reach your goal, then set another one. It is the only way to have long-term success in this game
smile.gif
 
Mon 10/11/08

11th Week UD2: Light Depletion Day 1

5 mins on exercise bike

Front Squats: 2 x 15 x 60kg, 1 x 15 x 70kg, 1 x 15 x 80kg (176lb), 1 x 10 x 90kg (198lb)

Hips feeling okay again.

10 mins on bike

Single-leg Standing Calf Raises: 5 x 10 x bw+25kg

I do these in my rack, standing on my calf raise block. I keep my balance by lightly holding the pull-up bar above. I can do negs by pressing up on the bar from the top position. This works brilliantly. I can easily switch to both legs once fatigued for a burn set.

EZ-bar Presses: 15 x 31kg (68lb), 15 x 41kg (90lb), 3 x 15 x 46kg (101lb)

AC joints have cheered up a bit after a weekend without benching.

5 mins on bike.

====================

@Slapz: These pics show the positions you have to hold for each lever. I'm attempting to do them with rings rather than a fixed bar but you can learn to do them with both.

This is the back lever which is a bit easier:

leverbackf.jpg



This is the front lever which is brutally hard (for me anyway):

leverfrontf.jpg


Having lighter legs will help so I want to get as much fat off them as possible by the end of December.
 
Tue 11/11/08

11th Week UD2: Light Depletion Day 2

5 mins on exercise bike

Dips: 25 x bw, 15, 13, 13 x bw+25kg, 25 x bw

Kipping Pull-ups: 2 x 25 x bw

SA DB Rows: 15 x 46kg (101lb) per side.

Shrugs: 30 x 60kg (132lb), 25 x 90kg (198lb)

EZ-bar Curls: 15, 10 x 46kg (101lb)

EZ-bar Skullz: 12 x 46kg (101lb) - tris already fried

Ring work.

10 mins on bike

=======================

Okay, here's a pic (as promised TR) that I took the other day. It's a bit rubbish; I had to rest my camera on the newel post in my hallway and use a timer so I could get it to take a pic without the flash messing things up. I had to guess where to stand. It worked well enough for something to be going along with.

It's very obvious that I still have a way to go to get some decent definition but dropping another 5 or 6 pounds of fat should make a noticeable difference from this point on. I've just punched the fourth new hole in my belt since I started this cut!

10th-week-UD2.jpg
 
Holy crap, you are looking like a beast. Cutting down has definitely worked out very well for you. Your whole upper body looks really defined and huge even though you've gone so far under 200. Pecs, delts, biceps and lats all really stand out. No homo, but I am impressed.
 
Hey thanks Totz. I really hope I can make a fair bit more progress in the fat loss department without dropping much more lean mass. I'd like to get some decent definition in my legs but it seems a long way off still. I really don't want to carry on cutting into the new year.

No lifting today but did an hour's worth of SS cardio today on the exercise bike. Felt quite drained afterwards which I put down to the low carbs.
 
Thurs 13/11/08

BW: 188lb - Hmmm. A 3lb drop in one week. Hopefully, a fair bit of that was fluid as I've done a load more cardio this week thanks to the stationary bike that's now in my front room in front of the telly. I'm sure I'll put a few pounds back on following the carb-up tonight and tomorrow.

11th Week UD2: Tension workout

Back Squats: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 90kg, 10 x 110kg (242lb), 2 x 10 x 120kg (264lb)

Front Squats: 2 x 120kg (264lb) - Thought I'd try a double and got it this time!

Bench: 10 x 60kg, 8, 8, 6 x 90kg (198lb) - Oh dear. Crash and burn time. First 5 of each set felt fine but then my motor packed in!

Parallel-grip Chins: 10 x bw, 2 x 10 x bw+10kg (22lb)

EZ-bar Rows: 10, 12, 10 x 81kg (178lb) - last set was a bit sloppy

EZ-bar Press: 10 x 51kg, 8 x 61kg (134lb), 10 x 51kg (112lb), - what I thought was 41kg was 51kg so I upped the load to what I thought was 51kg but it was actually 61kg! I was cheesed until I realised. Eight reps with 61kg ain't that bad for me especially at this stage in my cut.

It doesn't look like that much but I felt wasted afterwards. Couldn't face doing pull-overs or arm isos.

Quick question for you cardio buffs out there:

For my SS cardio sessions on the bike, I am attempting to keep my heart rate between 115 and 125 bpm for at least half an hour. Is this about right or should I push harder?

It feels pretty comfortable, ie. I'm not having to breath hard like I would after a set of squats. When I finish a session I feel a little shaky and generally tired but that soon passes.
 
<div>
(Lol @ Nov. 11 2008,10:17)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Okay, here's a pic (as promised TR) that I took the other day.</div>
Dag, Lol, you've little bumps on your tummy!  
wow.gif


I am impressed (I don't have abs; I only have an ab).

If you get much more trim, there'll be nothing left but a pair of shoes...
 
15/11/08

11th Week UD2: Heavy workout


This was supposed to be my heavy training day but I really didn't feel like it at all.

I had a go at some bench and some squats and the results speak for themselves...

Bench: 10 x 60kg,  5 x 80kg, 2 x 90kg, 1 x 100kg, 1 x 105kg, 1 x 110kg, 1 x 115kg (253lb), 0 x 120kg (264lb) - Really bummed that I missed the 120kg; stalled half way up.

Then 4, 5, 3, 3 x 100kg (220lb) - First set didn't try for 5th rep but got it on second set. This is horrid. My strength is still dropping off. Arrrrrrrggghhhh!

Squats: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 90kg, 3 x 110kg, 1 x 120kg, 1 x 130kg, 1 x 140kg, 1 x 145kg, 1 x 150kg (330lb), 0 x 160kg (352lb) - miserable man that I am!

Power Shrugs: 20, 15 x 160kg (352lb) + static hold - hook grip for first set, straps for second.

Got to 15 reps on second set and then relaxed my core slightly - bad move; I felt an instant strain in my ribs at the back on both sides. Intercostal muscles I think. Rats! Anyway, I did a fair bit of stretching as I could feel the area stiffening up pretty quickly. I don't think it's anything very bad but I decided not to do any more heavy stuff today.

A few hours later and the area is a bit sore when I breath deeply and when I bend my head forward. I hope it'll heal up pretty fast. I might eat at maintenance for a few days to aid recovery; I'll see how I feel in the morning.

(Update: thankfully, the area is just stiff this morning so no real harm done.)

Left AC joint is pretty sore again so it looks like I'll have to drop bench again this week.

Hey TR, enjoy your single ab. For me at least, cutting equals injury and strength loss.  
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Mon 17/11/08

12th Week UD2: Light Depletion Day 1

Front Squats: 15 x 60kg, 2 x 15 x 80kg (176lb)

SLDLs: 10 x 60kg, 2 x 15 x 110kg (242lb) - hook grip. Back felt fine.

Quickly followed by 5 mins on bike keeping heart rate at ~160 bpm. Sweating like a horse after that.

Single-leg Standing Calf Raises: 5 x 10 x bw+25kg plus some negs

Complete rest from lifting for shoulders.

Some ring work for abs but I had to go carefully with my shoulders.

Total cals for day: 1,878
Fat: 105.2
Carbs: 53.2
Protein: 180.5

Maintenance cals are probably about 2250 right now.

I'm taking in too much fat so my cals are higher than they ought to be for my depletion days. I'm going to have to lower the quantity of nuts, seeds and cheese. I ought to be aiming for around 1600 cals on depletion days.

3-site skinfold measurement using Accumeasure 3000 Calliper:
For age 43, bw 188lb, chest 6mm, abdominal 9mm, thigh 14mm, I get around 10.2% with a lean body mass of ~169lb.

That basically means I lost 1lb of fat and 2lb lean body mass since the last time I took calliper readings. I'll take that with a pinch of salt.

Update: I realised this morning that in the skinfold calc above I had used my body weight from before carbing-up and two days of maintenance eating. So I weighed myself again this morning and bw is currently 192lb giving:

For age 43, bw 192lb, chest 6mm, abdominal 9mm, thigh 14mm == 10.2% bf with a lean body mass of ~172lb.

As far as lean mass retention goes that's more consistent with previous readings.
 
Tue 18/11/08

12th Week UD2: Light Depletion Day 2

Cleans: 10 x 60kg, 6 x 5 x 70kg (154lb) - most of these were squat cleans but a few were power cleans. Pretty draining.

Dips: 25 x bw, 20, 15, 15 x bw+25kg

Push-ups: 3 x 25 x bw

Parallel-grip Chins: 15, 12, 10 x bw

Skipped direct shoulder work again as joints still pretty sore.
 
Wed 19/11/08

12th Week UD2: Light Depletion Day 3!

Just a few things to make up for yesterday.

EZ-bar Pull-overs: 20 x 31kg, 2 x 20 x 36kg (79lb)

SA Bent-over Rows: 15 x 32kg (70lb) - just a quick set to follow pull-overs for a burn

SL Calf Raises: 3 x 10 x bw+25kg - plus some negs after these

EZ-bar Curls: 20 x 31kg, 20 x 36kg, 15 x 41kg (90lb)

Cardio: 30m bike session.
 
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