ExRx.net

This week is deload in the normal rotation of my 5/3/1. Next week I should be starting a new cycle, but it's vacation. I'm not going anywhere in particular, just around home (there isn't much of anywhere to go without planning an extensive and expensive trip), but I can't be sure of when I'll be able to lift (I'm married, you know). So I'm going to postpone the start of a new cycle until the following week.

So here's my idea. I'm asking my friends here on the forum to help me plan my training. Please suggest at least 1 upper-body and at least 1 lower-body exercise that you don't think I'd do ordinarily. I'll choose (yeah, I get the final say) 6 from each category and try to get them in during the week.

My "ordinary" lifts are: BB bench, DB bench, BB press, DB press, chins, pull-ups, DB rows, seated cable rows, face-pulls, back squats, split squats, deadlift, sumo deadlift, good morning, GHR, power cleans, planks and TRX fall-outs. So I'd like suggestions that aren't listed. If it's an unusual lift, please help me with a You Tube clip to show me how to do it. I'll do each lift as heavy as I feel comfortable after trying it light a few times.

Zercher Squats (Lower Body)

DB Lateral raises (Upper Body)

I like zercher squats and the db lateral raises because I don't think any exercise really hits the lateral heads that well - and I'm wondering if you'd like the aesthetic and possible strength improvements that would come with it! :P

Barbell Bent-over Rows performed at a roughly 45-degree angle with a shoulder-width grip. Barbell travels from top of knees to waist and back brushing the tops of your quads the whole way.

Hmmm... Lets see

UpperBody: concentration curls

Lowerbody: BB curls in the squat rack


I know these are very foreign lifts for you, let me see if I can find a youtubz for you, particularly the ones in the rack...



EDIT: all I can find is vids of people squatting in the curl rack...

Hmm, Grab an axe and go chop a tree for one of the many folks you help.

Grab a backpack, fill it with stones or whatever and climb a hill.

Borrow a canoe and take that wife of yours out on the water.

Fight off a rabid tree kangaroo.

Truly take a week off.

"Upper" - Dumbbell Snatch

Lower - TRX jackknifes

***

I'd have said Zercher Squats too but someone beat me to them.

I'm joking about the horse lift but you could try lifting heavy found objects. Rocks and logs are always good. Barrels or kegs, full or partailly full would be fun. Partially full are actually harder. Carry it as far as you can.

Hey, these are great ideas. Hoose, unfortunately, there's no water worthy of a canoe in the highlands. The folk here don't make or use them anyway. Otherwise I'd take my wife canoeing in a heartbeat. We canoed on Lake Louise in Banff National Park in Alberta on our honeymoon (cue violin music).

Stu, the odd objects is a great idea. There is a rock next to the gym that looks like it would be challenging, but not injurious. One of the guys just built a plyo jump platform that is too high for me to jump onto, but I could put that rock on it for reps.

I may even add some concentration curls and some squat rack curls as finishers.

Keep the ideas coming.

How much does a horse weigh, anyway?

Depends on the horse - draft, work or racing.

Grab the big rock.

Do three sets of clean and press to technical failure.

Mark off a 60 ft course and carry the rock down and drag something heavy (sled, tire) back as fast as you can. Do five sets of this. If your not exhausted after this than the weights were too light.

World's Strongest Man needs a representative from PNG. You might need to start training now.

Seriously tho, try that workout.

Andy (Boulton) Bennett, PNG's Strongest Man!!

OK Doc. It's a deload week and time to experiment without overloading. Good time to pick up the snatch. Why not cover all 3 bases (push-pull and squat)with a fun complex/learning drill. 3 power snatches from either the floor or at least mid shin + 3 push presses from behind neck + 3 overhead squats. If the OHS is too much, just try 3 PSn + 3 Back squat / Behind neck pushpresses. Keep the weights moderate and just have some fun with it. For the aux work, just string together some DB moves like snatches or high pulls, rows, curls, 1 arm see saw presses for higher reps following your main training.
Tim

TimD beat me to it, I was gonna suggest Overhead Squats -- http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Oly ... Squat.html -- a buddy of mine was telling me how "just the bar" tore him up (sore core muscles he never knew he had) -- I'm looking forward to trying them out next week just for fun.

Lol indeed!

This (and Jason's) comments make me feel obligated to say how strong most Papua New Guineans are just from their daily life. When one of our Toyota Land Cruisers had a tire break through a rotten log of a make-shift bridge, one of our friends happened along. He lifted the corner of the car high enough so that someone could slip a new log under the tire, then strolled on his way. Now that I think of it, dozens of examples of their strength come to mind. So maybe I'm PNG's strongest over-50 white guy. Maybe, but probably not!

I have thought about staging a strong man contest for the students here on a holiday. Their idea of a good celebration is dividing into teams and having basketball, volleyball, soccer or touch rugby tournaments, so I thought I'd offer alternatives. My worry is that if any of them hurt themselves I'd be in big trouble with the administration here, especially since we're short-staffed now!