Lol's New HST Log

Russ: I think he did a Korte 3 x 3 or something similar. Don't remember him doing a Smolov. Haven't seen TR around these parts lately. Hope he's well.

Thurs 06/08/09

Day off apart from:

Standing Calf-Raises: 10, 10, 9 x 147.5kg (325lb) - no MR today, just some regular sets.

Hyper-extended Sit-ups: 15 x bw - across bench.
 
<div>
(Lol @ Aug. 07 2009,8:19)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Russ: I think he did a Korte 3 x 3 or something similar. Don't remember him doing a Smolov. Haven't seen TR around these parts lately. Hope he's well.

Thurs 06/08/09

Day off apart from:

Standing Calf-Raises: 10, 10, 9 x 147.5kg (325lb) - no MR today, just some regular sets.

Hyper-extended Sit-ups: 15 x bw - across bench.</div>
OOPS, you're right it was 3x3...
smile.gif
 
Thurs 06/08/09

Tonight I plan to do this for squats as the last intro w/o before I start the Smolov Base Mesocycle on Monday:

Lunges, bw squats and shoulder dislocates for warm-ups.

Low-bar Squat: 3P x 100kg (220lb), 3P x 112.5kg (247.5lb), 4P x 130kg (286lb), 3 x 145kg (319lb), 2 x 5 x 137.5kg (302.5lb) - P = paused reps

Bench: 15 push-ups, 10 x 60kg; 15, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3 (MR) x 70kg (154lb)

Slightly over-egged the first set with 70, so the next set of 5 was a bit grindy by the 5th rep. All the triples were a blast.

EZ-bar Pendlay Rows: 10 x 61kg (135lb), 10 x 91kg (200lb), 3 x 5 x 101kg (222lb)

Well, I made it through the final intro squat session before I start the Smolov Base Mesocycle on Monday. The triple with 145 was pretty tough. This will be an interesting experiment.

I just realised that I forgot to raise the foot of the bench to make the slight decline. That would explain the extra bit of AC joint 'twinginess'. Oh well, it'll be interesting to see if it's any more sore tomorrow.
 
Howdy sir, I am planning on experimenting with higher frequency, submaximal training myself in my next training block. It's something I've never really done before, rather curious as to the result, so will be looking forward to reading your log
smile.gif


P.S. Don't explode yourself.
 
<div>
(mikeynov @ Aug. 08 2009,1:59)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">P.S. Don't explode yourself.</div>
Yeah, I know!
biggrin.gif


I may bother to take some vids of some of my Smolov sessions, particularly those where I'm pushing into PR territory. If I should happen to explode it may be captured for posterity.
 
Sun 09/08/07

Last night I went to a fantastic beach for a barbie. Ended up doing some sprints on the wet sand which I realise now was a bad idea. Also, lower-back was still toasted from last Friday's squats and rows.

Starting the Smolov Base Mesocycle tonight as I am away next weekend. I'm going to squat tonight, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I'll probably stick with that schedule as it'll allow me to keep weekends free for the remainder of the summer/autumn.

All numbers based on a current 1RM of 160kg (which is a bit down on my all-time PR - but I was around 25lb heavier then).

Present bodyweight: 196lb

Smolov Squat Base Mesocycle Week 1 : 1st Workout

Sun:  4 x 9 x 70%
Tue:  5 x 7 x 75%
Thur: 7 x 5 x 80%
Fri:  10 x 3 x 85%

Low-bar Squat:  4 x 9 x 112.5kg (248lb) - Last set was pretty hard. Next week will be fun!

Bench: 15 push-ups, 5 x 60kg; 15, 5, 5, 5, 3, 3 (MR) x 75kg (165lb) - better than last time +11lb

Chins: 3 x 10 x bw+5kg - all good strict sets. Left forearm was a bit 'twingy' because of something I did in the week but it's not likely to get worse and it's not near my elbow.

Standing Calf-Raises: 20, 10, 5, 5, 5, 5+20 pulses (MR) x 110kg (242lb) - Lighter day for these but pushed the reps up for the first activation set.
 
I think my recent change in form for bench may be working. This morning I had very little left AC joint pain. It's still sore but it's the best it's been in ages, so yesterday's session didn't cause a problem. This is very good news. It may be the high-rep, low-load work that's helping as much as my slight form change. I'll only know that when I push the loads up a bit. I'm not in a rush though. Slow and steady wins the day (I hope).
smile.gif
 
True, Quad. I forgot all about the fish oil!
smile.gif
Maybe it's finally starting to help. I'm on between 20-30g/day, depending on how many times I remember to take it.

Not much in the way of DOMS after yesterday's squats, which I take as a good thing.
 
<div>
(RUSS @ Aug. 07 2009,4:44)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"><div>
(Lol @ Aug. 07 2009,8:19)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Russ: I think he did a Korte 3 x 3 or something similar. Don't remember him doing a Smolov. Haven't seen TR around these parts lately. Hope he's well.
</div>
OOPS, you're right it was 3x3...
smile.gif
</div>
Yup, I did Korte's 3x3 program and was much helped by it.

I've considered Smolov, but the siren call of Dante's Inferno was not sufficient to overcome my common sense...

I was out of the gym for four months, from March to July, while the doctors dithered. Eventually it was decided that my hernia has not been re-injured. Rather the discomfort I'm suffering is a result of scar tissue. So it's okay for me to resume my lifting.

The good doctor said to me: &quot;You're 64 years old. How much weight do you need to lift?&quot;

I was gracious enough not to respond...

I've been working out for about a month now, but I've been leery about starting a new log until I was sure I could keep with it.

Look for me in the training log section before long.
 
Tues 11/08/09

Hey TR, thanks for dropping by. Glad to hear that you haven't re-herniated and can resume your lifting. I saw my doc again today to rebook my hernai op. Got to see the surgeon again first and will ask if I can have ProGrip mesh fitted. It seems like it's the best option for me seeing I want to carry on lifting heavy stuff.

British fireworks championships in my hometown last night so I had to do a short workout as all the kids wanted to go. So just did my squats; didn't hang about either.

Smolov Squat Base Mesocycle Week 1 : 2nd Workout

Sun:  4 x 9 x 70%
Tue:  5 x 7 x 75%
Thur: 7 x 5 x 80%
Fri:  10 x 3 x 85%

Shoulder dislocates and lunges for general warmup.

Low-bar Squat:  10 x 60kg, 1 x 110kg, 5 x 7 x 120kg (264lb)

Definitely some accumulated fatigue hanging around from Sunday. I expected this to feel pretty straightforward but by the fifth set it wasn't. That was partly because I had to get through them reasonably quickly. Think I'll need a bit more rest between sets for the next squat session.

Anyway, it was a very cool fireworks display, if you like that sort of thing - the kids all loved it. I was so tired during the last team's display that I actually dropped off to sleep a couple of times!
 
Lol, I am not really sure if this program is feasible while &quot;unassisted&quot; and without being some sort of genetic freak.
Only reading this makes me need a week's rest:

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Mon:   3 x 70%, 3 x 80%, 2 x 5 x 90%, 3 x 4 x 95%</div>

Nevertheless I wish you the best of luck.
 
Wed 12/08/09

electric: yeah, it does seem scary as hell. I think it's only going to be possible if your 1RM is higher than you think at that point. So, although you think you are doing 3 x 4 x 95% 1RM. In actuality you may well be doing 3 x 4 x ~90% of your current, untested 1RM. That's doable but it's surely going to be ridiculously hard.

I discovered that the ozone-like chemical smell that I detect after a brutal set of squats is more than likely ammonia, from the raised levels in my blood. I was reading Lyle's Protein Book and came across a description of this phenomenon. I suspect I'm going to be smelling a lot of ammonia in the weeks to come.

Some more info:

http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty....per.pdf

Flat Bench: (w/u - 15 pushups); 5 x 60kg; 10, 5, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3 (MR) x 80kg (176lb)

Starting to feel harder now. This is where the real test for my AC joint health begins.

Hyper-extended Sit-ups: 20 x bw, 10 x bw+5kg, 3 x 10 x bw+10kg - across bench. Weight held on chest, arms folded.

I didn't do anything to put pressure on my hernia but I did ensure that I exhaled on sitting up so as to reduce intrathoracic pressure. Seemed to be fine.
 
13/08/09

Left AC joint was not great after yesterday's bench so I'm going to stick at 80kg for a few sessions and see if it settles down again.

Hips are starting to feel a little stiff. Hope the fish oil helps prevent it getting worse.

Smolov Squat Base Mesocycle Week 1 : 3rd Workout

Sun:  4 x 9 x 70%
Tue:  5 x 7 x 75%
Thur: 7 x 5 x 80%
Fri:  10 x 3 x 85%

Shoulder dislocates and lunges for general warmup.

Low-bar Squat:
5 x 60kg
3 x 80kg
2 x 110kg
7 x 5 x 127.5kg (280lb)

Hmmm... These were harder than I hoped they would be. I really didn't want to build up any more fatigue than necessary so I allowed three full minutes between sets; it took me about a half-an-hour to get through it all. And this is still only week 1! I think I'll manage tomorrow's 10 x 3 session but next week's sessions (10kg heavier for all sets) seem like a tall order right now. Maybe if I could sleep the whole weekend, only coming up for air at mealtimes, I might recover enough.  
smile.gif
 Not much chance of that.

I think I ought to get hold of some creatine this weekend if poss. I've been off it for some months now but I think I'm going to need all the help I can get to have half-a-chance of getting through this cycle.

Parallel-grip Chins: 10, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1 (MR) x bw+10kg

Chins: 10 x bw - all reps paused at full extension.

Alternate DB Curls: 15 x 21kg (46lb) - just for a bit of light refreshment

Roll on tomorrow's 10 x 3...
 
Thought I'd add a few more notes about yesterday's squatting:

It's interesting how doing a lot of sets across causes you to have to focus more on form. Even though the sets are short (5 reps), I am getting a lot more practice at getting the groove just right. This becomes more important as fatigue starts to build; where every small variation away from the ideal groove makes the movement noticeably more difficult.

I think my biggest problem comes from occasionally allowing my hammies to relax a little in the hole, allowing myself to drop too low which in turn forces my lower-back out of extension a bit. This happened on about two reps yesterday during set 5. (I think I remember MikeyNov mentioning this too?)

I really focussed on ham and low-back tightness for the last two sets and they all went much better.

For one set (set 4, I think) I got a few twinges in my right knee. With three sets still to go, that was a bit unnerving - my knees are normally never a problem. After the set I did a few bw squats with varying foot placements (spacing and angle) but I didn't get it happen again and I didn't get any more twinges during the last three sets. (No knee soreness today either.)

Looking ahead to the next couple of weeks and taking Friday's 10 x 3 sessions as an example, the numbers pan out like this:

Week 2: 10 x 3 x 145kg (320lb) - this is 85% 1RM +10kg which is just over 90% 1RM. Hmm.

Week 3: 10 x 3 x 150kg (330lb) - this is 85% 1RM +15kg which is ~94% 1RM. Well, I'd better be stronger by this time or I'm going to get buried!

With fatigue continuing to accumulate, I'm wondering how anybody can get through this. But I know they do and I have read that after the second week the body starts to acclimatise to the volume. We'll see.
 
Fri 14/08/09

Smolov Squat Base Mesocycle Week 1: 4th workout

Sun: 4 x 9 x 70%
Tue: 5 x 7 x 75%
Thur: 7 x 5 x 80%
Fri: 10 x 3 x 85%

Low-bar Squat: 5 x 60kg (P), 3 x 110kg (P), 10 x 3 x 135kg (298lb) - P= paused

Here's a list of my RPE for each set:

Set 1: 5
Set 2: 5
Set 3: 5
Set 4: 5
Set 5: 6
Set 6: 7
Set 7: 7
Set 8: 8
Set 9: 8
Set 10: 8

This took me just under 30 mins. Although I was feeling pretty stiff at the start I managed to get through the sets without too much difficulty. There were a few reps that were less than ideal and a bit 'GM'y in the last few sets but most were good. No knee twinges.

O-bar Press: 6, 5, 5 x 60kg (132lb) - it's been a long time since I have tried these. Not too uncomfortable on the old left shoulder but not brilliant either.

That'll have to do for this week. I'm off biking tomorrow but will have to take it easy if I am to have any chance of completing next week's workouts.
 
Mon 17/08/07

Fun weekend; plenty of good food but I ended up being a lot more active than anticipated. Also, on Saturday morning I fell off my bike and scuffed myself up a bit. I now have a nicely scraped and bruised knee which will be a joy to squat with this week.

So this is the start of the second week of the Smolov Base Mesocycle.

I'm going to have a bit of a job programming this week's workouts as I am expecting to be away again next weekend which means one less day off between sessions. Following tonight's session, I'm going to squat Tuesday night, Thursday morning and Friday night.

Bodyweight: 199lb (+3lb)

Smolov Squat Base Mesocycle Week 2: Workout 5

Mon:  4 x 9 x 70%+10kg
Wed:  5 x 7 x 75%+10kg
Thur: 7 x 5 x 80%+10kg
Fri:  10 x 3 x 85%+10kg

Low-bar Squat:
10 x 60kg
3 x 110kg
4 x 9 x 122.5kg (270lb)

Got through all four sets without having to break tempo for any reps barring the very last rep of the fourth set, which slowed a little. They were hard sets but I only hit the 'ammonia zone' on the last one. RPE went something like 7, 8, 8, 8-9.

Flat Bench: 10 x 60kg; 12, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1 (MR) x 80kg (176lb) - a couple more reps for the activation set but then I was scuppered for the follow-up sets. Couldn't make more than three reps but with a total of 25 reps they were a blast and I think I was able to maintain pretty good form throughout. Left AC joint is remaining tender but it isn't getting worse (yet).

I also did some bw chins and some hyper-extended sit-ups.

I'm going to stop calf raises until I have completed the Smolov base cycle as I don't want to burn any unnecessary cals.
 
WOW Lol, A Smolov cycle with a hernia. You are truly insane. Well, I wish you luck and will be interested to see how much you put on your squat.
 
Tue 18/ 08/09

Smolov Squat Base Mesocycle Week 2: Workout 6

Mon:  4 x 9 x 70%+10kg
Tue:  5 x 7 x 75%+10kg
Thu: 7 x 5 x 80%+10kg
Fri:  10 x 3 x 85%+10kg

Low-bar Squat:
10 x 60kg
3 x 110kg
5 x 7 x 130kg (286lb) - RPE: 8, 8, 8-9, 9, 9

All sets were hard. Hernia made itself known during the 4th set so I made sure to release some intrathoracic pressure by allowing some breath out during the ascent (which I don't like to do) on all subsequent reps. Hit the 'ammonia zone' following the last set.

It took me a good 30 mins to get through just these five sets. Tired and a little shaky afterwards. Adductors, hams and lower back all fried.

Hyper Sit-ups: 20 x bw+5kg
 
Hey Bax, I approached this Smolov cycle with the proviso that if the old war wound plays up too much I will do the sensible thing. Haven't decided what the sensible thing is yet though.  
wink.gif


I forgot about getting some creatine over the weekend so I'll probably just order some over the web. Hopefully it'll arrive in time for next week.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top