Ken's Journal Discussion

[KenDowns]

How is going from your warm up sets to your attempt? I suspect it wouldn't exactly be ideal, and you could be standing around waiting to be called, not wanting to do too much, but not wanting to cool down.

My trainer, who was there the entire time (he had 3 of us in the meet), advised to go extremely light on warm-ups. Turns out a warm-up lasts a long time. And you don't want to waste an ounce of energy on a warmup that could go to the main lift.

You know when your turn is going to be. Once they started, I was about 10th or so and they call four names every time, "Joe Bleaugh is up, Howard I. Gno is on deck, Felicity Flowers is in the hole and Donald Duck is 4th out." So you hear your name 3 times before you're on, and most of us were lined up bobbing up and down, hopping around, full of energy.

Also, my trainer suggested the following attempt progression: 1st attempt is what you can do for an easy triple. In effect this becomes your last warmup. 2nd attempt is your best 1RM recently or very close to it, 3rd attempt you go nuts.

I'm going through a process of over thinking, as you can probably tell. Nervously excited. Still trying to decide training for it, was going to stick with a classic linear basic/boring approach but i'm still over complicating things. I'll have my moment of clarity soon, i'm sure.KPj

Well ya gotta work off the energy somehow, why not by overthinking?

For training I did whatever my trainer said, which as I said was a few weeks of 5s, a few weeks of triples, then lots of heavy singles. I did in fact set two PRs, so I think he just might have known what he was talking about.

[KPj]

Thanks again for the info.

Also, my trainer suggested the following attempt progression: 1st attempt is what you can do for an easy triple. In effect this becomes your last warmup. 2nd attempt is your best 1RM recently or very close to it, 3rd attempt you go nuts.

I was actually going to play it even safer than this, would like at least the squat opener to be a lift I could get for 3 reps whilst loaded with the cold after no sleep and not much food. Not that i'm paranoid. Really don't want to miss the opener!

KPj

[KenDowns]

I was actually going to play it even safer than this, would like at least the squat opener to be a lift I could get for 3 reps whilst loaded with the cold after no sleep and not much food. Not that i'm paranoid. Really don't want to miss the opener!KPj

Yeah I don't think you can go wrong being conservative on the first lift. Then once you nail it you find yourself saying, "hey it's no heavier here than in the gym!" and you go nuts.

But doing that first one light is a great way to get past the nervousness.

[KenDowns]

NEW TOPIC

After reading Andy's comments on Athletic Body in Balance, and noticing an increasing tightness in my right hip flexor, I decided to rethink things a bit. This has been made easier by my apparently permanent cold/sore-throat illness which began exactly on the first day of my 11 days off and has kept me out of the gym the entire time.

In November I began my "Dan John Groupie" workout, which I kept up for 7 weeks, which really means that on a particular day my workout is:

- Main lift
- Variant of main lift as primary accessory
- Some type of drag/pull/carry accessory
- Maybe a body-part accessory, mostly lats

Having been through shoulder issues I know that the best thing to do is stop moving weight with the trouble spot, work through all the various advice you get on corrective actions, and learn what works. That means no squats for a few weeks (gasp!). Deads don't seem to be a problem, its only squats. So I can be that typical lifter we all make fun of who goes in and benches every day. All of this assumes I ever feel better and actually go back to the gym.

I'm also going to try 3 days/week for a few cycles. I've done 4 days/week for over a year and have never had a problem that I know of related to lack of recovery. But you never know until you try things, so I'm going to go for a few cycles at 3 days and compare.

[KenDowns]

Here is my progress on my attempt at a very shallow linear progression.

The basic idea is to do ramped sets with a fixed increment, with the top set being doable with high confidence in the first week. This is your baseline.

Week 1: increment all sets except top (for squats I do 5#)
Week 2: increment all sets except top again
Week 3: increment top set
Week 4: increment top set again. This sets you at a new baseline

SQUAT
Date    Cycle   Set    Set    Set    Top    Single  Backoff
============================================================
1/22/13 base    185/3  215/3  245/3  275/3  295/1   205/6,6 
1/29/13 c1w1    190/3  220/3  250/3  275/3  295/1   215/3   could not maintain form on backoffs
2/ 5/13 c1w2    195/3  222/3  255/3  275/3  295/1   255  10 singles about 1 minute rest between
2/12/13 c1w3    195/3  225/3  255/3  280/3  300/1   270 10 singles about 1 minute rest between
2/19/13 c1w4    195/3  225/3  255/3  285/3  305/1  
2/26/13 ----  Travel
3/05/13 c1w5    195/3  225/3  255/3  285/3  305/1    Repeat of what I did just before travelling
3/05/13 c1w6    195/3  225/3  255/3  290/3  310/1    OK I'm done with these triples, time for something new



Press
Date    Cycle   Set    Set    Set    Top    Single  Backoff
============================================================
1/27/13 base    115/4  120/4  125/4  130/3          Volume: 95/10,10,9
2/ 3/13 base    115/4  120/4  125/4  130/4          10 Singles at 130, went very well
2/10/13 ????    117/4  122/4  127/4  132/4  PR!     10 Singles at 135
2/17/13 ????    115/4  120/4  125/4  135/4  PR!     5 Doubles at 115, 1-1/2 reps
2/24/13  ---- travel ----
3/ 3/13  ---- travel ----  
3/10/13 ????    115/4  120/4  125/4  135/5  PR!  Followed up with 145/1  Holy cow!
3/17/13 ---- travel ----
3/24/13 ????    125/3  130/3  135/3  140/3  PR!  Followed up with 145/1  then speed work

[KenDowns]

I admit it. I have no idea what works and what does not. I have added 10 pounds to my Press 3RM in two months, including 3 missed weeks for travel. I think it's just technique.

[KenDowns]

Having a great week.

Bench: 210 triple, first triple PR since comp in November
Bench: 215 double, another PR same day. Couldn't be stopped.

[KenDowns]

This is my MILESTONES post.

Date           Milestone
=============  ====================================================
April 13 2013  OHP more than I could bench when I started lifting
               At 160# bw I could bench 150# in Aug of 2010
               Today did OHP 151.5

[KenDowns]

Background

Missed at least four months - no workouts at all June, July, August, September.

Did two cycles of 5/3/1 Oct-Nov and restored my plateaus. Not sure if that's good or bad.

Now I want to incorporate speed work, the one method I have never given a fair shake.

Black and White
There is only one black-and-white idea I'm using: no isolation or single-joint movements. I just don't think they've ever done anything for me.

All other ideas in the program are tendencies or emphases - such as more intensity but not the extreme of no volume at all.

The Ideas

ECTOMORPH: if an ectomorph is naturally skinny and has long arms and legs then I am an ectomorph.

ECTOMORPH STRATEGY: favor intensity over volume. Too be honest I've never done huge amounts of volume, so in the future I have to give it a fair shake, but not for now.

ECTOMORPH STRATEGY: favor back work. Probably the heaviest emphasis in this program.

ECTOMORPH STRATEGY: short workouts, or rather few moves. This program has 3 moves per day (I don't count situps)

FIND YOUR KROC ROW: Farmer's Walks seem to do wonders for my press. Trap Bar seems to work wonders for leg drive and concentration.

SITUPS: If I don't do these my hip flexors get very tight. These seem to cure that completely, so I always do them on lower body days.

UPPER BODY ACCESSORIES: Long ago my trainer advised doing press accessories on bench day and vice versa.

Westside Template

Will follow the Westside template for a four week cycle and size up. This means 4 days:

Day 1: Lower body max effort, accessories emphasize volume 3x8
Day 2: Upper body max effort, accessories emphasize volume 3x8
Day 3: Lower body speed 8x2, accessories emphasize intensity 3x3-4
Day 4: Upper body speed 8x2, accessories emphasize intensity 3x3-4

The max effort days are Saturday and Sunday so I can grab my son to spot me on squat and bench

Lower Body Lifts and Accessories

- Deficit Deadlift: I can lock out anything I can get off the floor, so as long as that is true getting stronger off the floor is good
- Regular Deadlift
- Regular Squat
- Trap Bar Deadlift: Seems to really improve my leg drive

So the four weeks are of max effort lift and main accessory are:

Week 1: Deadlift, Front Squat
Week 2: Squat, Trap Bar
Week 3: Deficit Deadlift, Squat
Week 4: Trap Bar, Deficit Deadlift (volume for this is a set of 5, intensity will be sets of 3)

Then its situps and farmers walks. Then the long walk from the garage into the house.

Upper Body Lifts and Accessories

This is simpler, as I will alternate bench one week and press the other.

Press Accessories: Press itself (on bench weeks), db shoulder press, narrow pushups

Bench Accessories: DB Bench Press only. Don't think I've run the full race with this one yet.

Then on Press weeks its either single arm rows or barbell rows, and on bench weeks its either pullups or pulldowns

Benching For Ectomorphs with Pectum Excavatum
So I'm a skinny guy with a narrow chest, and with pectum excavatum to boot.

This means if use a mid-width grip and lower the bar to my nipples it's a disaster and always has been. I've finally decided that "just trying harder to get it right" will never work. At the bottom my shoulders are in extreme flexion and I lose all tightness and have no elastic energy to burst out with.

I've been scratching a 225 bench for 3 years, and actually made 225 once. Something has to change.

I've tried two adjustments that in my 7 weeks back brought me right up to my best plateau, so I will keep with them, and see if the speed work can get me above that plateau once and for all.

ADJUSTMENT 1: Lower bar to bottom rib. Lots of guys like me, with pectum excavatum, have flared lower ribs, meaning that when we're on the bench the lowest rib is the highest point, and gives the shortest range of motion. My trainer actually figured this out earlier in the year, but my attendance was falling apart and we never got to follow it up.

ADJUSTMENT 2: Wide grip. I'm going to experiment here, possibly going to the legal limit for competition.

When these two are put together, my shoulder is in far less flexion at the bottom, and I can feel the elastic energy in the pecs that all of those experts keep telling me about. Now they say that wide grip is bad for your shoulders, but that extreme flexion is also bad for my shoulders so I want to find out what happens if I try it for a few cycles.