Peter's MMA & Weight Training log discussion

[Jungledoc]

Hey, Peter. Would mind emailing me a copy of the spreadsheet you use for your PRs? Without data, or with if more convenient. I just want to see how you do it. I'm thinking of doing something similar. Thanks.

[pdellorto]

Hey, Peter. Would mind emailing me a copy of the spreadsheet you use for your PRs? Without data, or with if more convenient. I just want to see how you do it. I'm thinking of doing something similar. Thanks.

Sure. I'll send it with data, I mean, it's all in my logs anyway.

I'm warning you though, it's a mess. I put it together years ago to track everything I ever did, so it's got lifts I haven't done in 8 years, changes in weight notation, etc. Use it as a guide if you want but I wouldn't just clear it and use it. I'm just too lazy to do a new one.

[Jungledoc]

Thanks. That's just what I was intending to do.

I've been reading my logs from 2 years ago. Pretty funny what I put in sometimes. The recurring themes are also funny--whining about my bench press, in particular. It's good to see that some things have improved!

[pdellorto]

Yeah, I whine about my bench. But I remember stalling at 62.5 kg for triples. I couldn't get 65 for 5 if my life depended on it. 65 kg is 143.3 pounds, which is a warmup weight now. Heh.

But I still whine about my sucky bench press.

[Jungledoc]

Learned how to properly take a head kick. Finally.

Somehow this just doesn't make any sense to me! I just know that there's a joke here somewhere, but I just can't come up with it.

[pdellorto]

There is actual technique involved in taking one - you parry it with a bent arm and leaning a bit, so the impact is spread across across your arm and dispersed into your body. If you don't take it correctly, much of the force hits your head and you get dizzy or knocked out.

So seriously, I was saying "Could you do that head kick again?" to my coach and then trying to stop it to get the technique down.

[stuward]

The best way to take a head kick is to not get into a situation where it might happen. All the power to you Pete but I hate pain.

[ApolytonGP]

Do you like boxing more or wrestling more.

I was a decent HS wrestler and loved it, really, practice and meets. Then in college, I had mandatory boxing in PE class and it was kind of miserable. The workouts were ok. But at the end of class, you'd have to do 1-3 rounds of fighting and I wasn't that great and it's a lot worse to get punched than to get pinned...and the coaches were always pushing for blood (to prevent shamming).

[pdellorto]

I prefer grappling over striking these days, because of the potential for injury training hard. I won my first match by KO with a knee strike, so it's not like I can't strike. I just had so few grappling skills early on that when I'd be taken down, I'd lose. Now it's the reverse - I'm perfectly happy to go to the ground and start working.

[pdellorto]

So I finished the 3 heavy weeks of my 8th cycle of 5/3/1. When I started I used my never-exceeded PR of 1 x 300 for my calculations. Yesterday, 4/10/10, I pulled 5 x 300. That's a 10 pound PR for 5 reps, and is +4 reps on my record for 300.

I'm very satisfied with my progress on 5/3/1.

But I'm going to take a cycle off, I think. I am starting a short but hard diet for a while. I'm going to cut body fat and then at the end of the diet I'm going to do a true weight cut, so I can see what weight class I can get into for MMA/submission grappling. I'm doing it now for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it's a good chance to try this without an actual comp on the line.

My plan is to do a higher rep workout on my Saturdays, mostly for endurance. I want to take a break from 2x a week of heavy leg work for the extent of this diet. I'm not 100% certain what I'll do yet, but it'll probably be higher-rep DLs, rows, pushups, band work, etc. meant to test my endurance. I know I'll be training heavy enough at DeFranco's to maintain strength and muscle, and this will both help me burn some fat and give me a break from constant heavy work.

We'll see how this all works out over the next few weeks.

[KPj]

Pete, I knew you would nail 300. 5 reps! Nice work. Well done.

KPj

[pdellorto]

Pete, I knew you would nail 300. 5 reps! Nice work. Well done.

KPj

Thanks, I appreciate it. I actually thought about that when I went to do it - KPj won't be so impressed with a triple, I better damn well get 5.

I wish I'd gotten more, because I've done 3-4 singles at 300 in a single workout over 18 months ago. But really, 5 x 300 is nice and I'm very close to pulling 320 - 3 plates!

Hopefully this cycle "off" will just build me up for the next one. We'll see. But I can't argue with how well 5/3/1 worked for me. I've gotten:

5 x 300
8 x 285
12 x 280
16 x 250
...and 5 x 10 x 190 with a minute rest between them.

That's a solid range of work right there, instead of staying stuck at 1 x 300 trying to just back off it and run back up to it by 5s and 3s.

I'm curious to see how well 5/3/1 works for you when you get deep enough in to be at your old 1RMs!

[KPj]

I'm curious to see how well 5/3/1 works for you when you get deep enough in to be at your old 1RMs!

I'm getting close to them. However, I'm starting to feel like I won't be doing it justice. Due to my schedule, my workout, diet, sleep, etc, are all over the place. I might even take the hit on a red mark this week in an effort to 'save myself' for bench on Saturday/tomorrow. Probably won't be able to resist, though, and I'll end up deadlifting tonight, after squatting yesterday, then bench tomorrow, and pull ups on sunday (yeah that's a strange split but there's some bizarre reasoning for it).

I'm hoping things will calm down a little after a few weeks giving me some good training time before getting to my old PR's. Despite the schedule, I'm consistently hitting minimum reps or more though. My squat feels good. It's worth it just for the squat progress.

KPj

[pdellorto]

I might even take the hit on a red mark this week in an effort to 'save myself' for bench on Saturday/tomorrow.

No way, go in and just get the reps.

Even if you can't do the 1RM reps justice, just getting them is fine. Instead of your old 1RM being, well, a 1RM, think of how fun it will be to say "This is my old 1RM, but it's been a hell week, I'll just go do my goal 1 rep and go home and go hard next time." Just the idea of your 1RM becoming an easy single whenever you want it should be pretty awesome. I feel that way with 300 now - it was my limit, and I couldn't do a double if you paid me, and now a double isn't even half of a set for me. :)

I'm hoping things will calm down a little after a few weeks giving me some good training time before getting to my old PR's. Despite the schedule, I'm consistently hitting minimum reps or more though. My squat feels good. It's worth it just for the squat progress.

That's how I feel about it. Even if only one thing goes up, you're improving the one important to you while holding steady on the others. Plus you're getting in solid rep work, which can only help when you focus on the other exercises more.

[KPj]

Yeah, you're right. I'll just deadlift. I sort of told myself that I would just go in and do some easy going assistance stuff and be fresh for bench but i'll just struggle through. I'll drink another few pints of milk and i'll be sorted!

I'll keep you posted, too. It gets really interesting next cycle.

KPj