The Journey Of A Lifetime: MikeWines' Relentless Pursuit

[The Solution]

I didn't say your advice wasn't needed or helpful, it's just your idea of "encouragement" left me discouraged and depressed most times...

Thats because you were "Narrow" Minded and thought that increasing your calories was a fat gain problem.
When in reality you were not considering your health or the big picture.
Thats why you felt depressed because you did not want to get out of your "Comfort" Zone.
Sometimes the best decisions are the hardest decisions.

[ThousandEyes]

You're probably closer to me than you think. Especially if you could bang out a clean 290x12

[MikeWines]

Snowed in so did a little writing this morning before walking over to the gym (time to bust out the dog sled )...

Creatine Monohydrate: Do You Actually Know WHY You're Taking It?

[Crucifist]

Snowed in so did a little writing this morning before walking over to the gym (time to bust out the dog sled )...

Creatine Monohydrate: Do You Actually Know WHY You're Taking It?

Your best bit yet, honestly. Most people don't understand the whys and hows of creatine, and a bunch of people just have the wrong idea about it entirely.

[MikeWines]

Daily Reads:
1. Creatine Monohydrate: Do You Actually Know WHY You're Taking It?

2. 3 Habits to Make You a Better Lifter

Upper - W1D1
(Pause:Eccentric:Isometric:Concentric)
RED=PR

Decline DB Bench
45x10
60x8
75x3
75x3
75x3
80x3
80x3
80x3

Chinup
BWx8,8,5,5,5,5

HK Landmine Press - Plate Weight
25x10
25x10
25x10

CS DB Row
60x8
60x8
50x10

A1. HK 1 Arm Cable Row
80x8
65x10
65x12

A2. Banded Lateral Raises
Red Thick Bandx15,15,15

Fat Gripz DB Curl with Supination
20sx12,12,12,12

Thoughts
-This is so frustrating, I'm doing everything I can to assist my recovery (cold showers, contrast therapy, foam rolling, stretching, daily 20 min naps, 9+hours of sleep/night, lots of food, etc.) and yet my CNS is STILL fatigued from monday's session and I felt like my lifts were weak and lacking today. Is my intensity on the AMRAP sets just too high and I'm not leaving enough in the tank? My upper back and spinal erectors still feel like they got put through a meat grinder...

PWO - Chocolate Coconut Oil Oats with Bananas and Cheerios Honey Nut Medley - 200c/35f/70p

Your best bit yet, honestly. Most people don't understand the whys and hows of creatine, and a bunch of people just have the wrong idea about it entirely.

Really? I figured it would be one of the least read ones since most people could care less about the science, they just want the results regardless of the mechanism. Thanks Crucifist.

[Crucifist]

[B][U]Daily Reads:

Really? I figured it would be one of the least read ones since most people could care less about the science, they just want the results regardless of the mechanism. Thanks Crucifist.

Well, you know I'm a bit of a recreational reader myself when it comes to the science. Besides, anyone who's ever written anything about fitness gives plenty of attention to results. It's a select few who bother to explain to their readers why and how the results came about. All lifters should at least have an understanding the basic cliffs of why things work, in my opinion. It's analogous to understanding the workings of a car. Yeah, you can get through life knowing nothing more than how to drive one, but if you know a little bit about what's under the hood there's less risk that you'll get taken advantage of by some shady mechanic looking to squeeze a few extra nickels out of you.

[The Solution]

Then reduce volume. Period.. if your feeling tired and run down then you need less period. Come on mike use your head your a smart guy but think about your body and listen to it.

now i know your big fiber eating guy, what do you think of Layne's last interview?

http://iifym.com/iifym-layne-norton-interview/

"However, many people also become extreme with fiber and say ‘well if some is good then a crap load must be great!’ Not so fast, taking fiber too high will not give you further linear increases in metabolic rate and it can cause malabsorption, gas, bloating, and constipation! I recommend no more than 60g fiber per day"

[MikeWines]

Well, you know I'm a bit of a recreational reader myself when it comes to the science. Besides, anyone who's ever written anything about fitness gives plenty of attention to results. It's a select few who bother to explain to their readers why and how the results came about. All lifters should at least have an understanding the basic cliffs of why things work, in my opinion. It's analogous to understanding the workings of a car. Yeah, you can get through life knowing nothing more than how to drive one, but if you know a little bit about what's under the hood there's less risk that you'll get taken advantage of by some shady mechanic looking to squeeze a few extra nickels out of you.

On a roll today, currently working on a second article - "Why Are My Hamstrings Always Tight?...Hint: You Don't Need to Stretch Them."

Stability governs mobility. Gonna be a good one, give me a few hours. Content is gonna be rolling out soon.

Then reduce volume. Period.. if your feeling tired and run down then you need less period. Come on mike use your head your a smart guy but think about your body and listen to it.

now i know your big fiber eating guy, what do you think of Layne's last interview?

http://iifym.com/iifym-layne-norton-interview/

"However, many people also become extreme with fiber and say ‘well if some is good then a crap load must be great!’ Not so fast, taking fiber too high will not give you further linear increases in metabolic rate and it can cause malabsorption, gas, bloating, and constipation! I recommend no more than 60g fiber per day"

..."I recommend no more than 60g fiber per day, and maybe up to 80g per day if your carb intake is super high (over 500g per day)."

Didn't think my volume was that high atm but will do.

I don't go over 60g anymore, 50-60g is my limit right now. I've read a good bit on the topic on Lyle's site and there were many on there who in the 80-90g range. never again...

[The Solution]

many in the nutrition section get upward to 100g.
Just waiting for it to backfire.

[MikeWines]

2nd article of the day, this snow is really making me quite productive...

"My Low Back Hurts and My Hamstrings Are Always Tight - What Should I Do?"

many in the nutrition section get upward to 100g.
Just waiting for it to backfire.

Seriously? Why? That's just foolish. I learned the hard way, extremes are never the answer...

[sonnydfrizzy]

2nd article of the day, this snow is really making me quite productive...

"My Low Back Hurts and My Hamstrings Are Always Tight - What Should I Do?"



Seriously? Why? That's just foolish. I learned the hard way, extremes are never the answer...

WOW that article needs to be stickied ^^^^^ someone call a mod seriously. I have been doing your mobility work and warmups mike, but now I know WHY I do them and it makes perfect sense. That article is great; clear, concise, and very intelligently written.

You have a bright career ahead of you mike.

And to chime in with what the solution said, I think even you have to admit that you tell countless amounts of people that volume and extra work =\= size. Looking at your workouts, you do have a lot of volume, even though it isn't necessarily all "compounds," just in the nature of us training and trying to better ourselves, even on the isolation movements we push ourselves incredibly hard and that contributes a LOT to fatigue (mostly mental in my instance).

Maybe your CNS is recovering, but mentally feeling that you have to grind through every workout and see more reps added or more weight added to the bar can be detrimental to making gains.. So what if you do not add reps/weight/sets to a workout? You still pushed yourself and bettered yourself. And I do not believe that one bad workout means you did not induce hypertrophy.. Any workout, even if you did not hit the reps or weight you wanted (considering effort is the same) will stimulate growth.

Keep up the good work Mike

[MikeWines]

Snowed in so did a little writing this morning before walking over to the gym (time to bust out the dog sled )...

Creatine Monohydrate: Do You Actually Know WHY You're Taking It?

2nd article of the day, this snow is really making me quite productive...

"My Low Back Hurts and My Hamstrings Are Always Tight - What Should I Do?"

New page action.

WOW that article needs to be stickied ^^^^^ someone call a mod seriously. I have been doing your mobility work and warmups mike, but now I know WHY I do them and it makes perfect sense. That article is great; clear, concise, and very intelligently written.

You have a bright career ahead of you mike.

And to chime in with what the solution said, I think even you have to admit that you tell countless amounts of people that volume and extra work =\= size. Looking at your workouts, you do have a lot of volume, even though it isn't necessarily all "compounds," just in the nature of us training and trying to better ourselves, even on the isolation movements we push ourselves incredibly hard and that contributes a LOT to fatigue (mostly mental in my instance).

Maybe your CNS is recovering, but mentally feeling that you have to grind through every workout and see more reps added or more weight added to the bar can be detrimental to making gains.. So what if you do not add reps/weight/sets to a workout? You still pushed yourself and bettered yourself. And I do not believe that one bad workout means you did not induce hypertrophy.. Any workout, even if you did not hit the reps or weight you wanted (considering effort is the same) will stimulate growth.

Keep up the good work Mike

I posted it over in the injury prevention section so hopefully some folks will see it so that it can help them out. Just trying my best to help others understand their bodies and how they work to feel and move better.

I think your post is a good one though about the volume. I actually tried to reduce it this session and put most of my efforts into the compounds and then just make the isolation more pump work but I think I may still need to rethink things. Today was exactly what you mentioned though, no PRs, just another day...

[determined4000]

1 Take some time OFFFFFF!!!
Like as in off!!!
As in no reduced volume, no cardio, no conditioning.
Sit on your still skinny butt for two days. Dead serious. Dont track cals.

Complete WO and DIET break.
When was the last time you took one??????
Then do another 5 days of the reduced volume.

I challenge you.

[determined4000]

time for this again

"Daniel, for reference, when I was recovering from my ED, I took a week completely off of lifting to challenge my mindset towards the gym and help my body recover. No lifting, no cardio, no nothing (besides some foam rolling and stretching). "

[ErikTheElectric]

^ Maybe it's just because mike and I are crazy and don't like resting.

[MikeWines]

1 Take some time OFFFFFF!!!
Like as in off!!!
As in no reduced volume, no cardio, no conditioning.
Sit on your still skinny butt for two days. Dead serious. Dont track cals.

Complete WO and DIET break.
When was the last time you took one??????
Then do another 5 days of the reduced volume.

I challenge you.

So deload...for another week...

O. Goodie.

I feel like I'd just be wasting time?

[sonnydfrizzy]

So deload...for another week...

O. Goodie.

I feel like I'd just be wasting time?

I think D is saying deload from the counting macros and such and just eat what you want and enjoy a few days off from the gym. Don't you want to eat something other than cereal, yogurt, oats, eggs, and chicken and veg?? I bet it would be a nice mental "destressor" for ya Mike. You deserve a little break and so does your body

[MikeWines]

I think D is saying deload from the counting macros and such and just eat what you want and enjoy a few days off from the gym. Don't you want to eat something other than cereal, yogurt, oats, eggs, and chicken and veg?? I bet it would be a nice mental "destressor" for ya Mike. You deserve a little break and so does your body

I don't really bother to count that much whenever I go home, just eat whatever is fixed and roll with it. Probably going to take this weekend off, baseball on friday as well so might take that day off too.

It might have just been a crumby day though? I feel good this morning with lots of energy so I think I'm going to squat. My body can't figure out what it wants.

Testosterone & Cortisol

JF: A lot of people have high cortisol, low testosterone and their hormonal function is all out of whack. Maybe you could talk about how you basically go about addressing that and what are some of the initial steps.

CK: Sure. Yeah, I see people both with high cortisol and low testosterone and with low cortisol and low testosterone and those are just two different aspects of adrenal fatigue. The adrenals are these little walnut-shaped gland that sit on top of the kidneys and they produce adrenal hormones like cortisol and DHEA.
That whole adrenal system is basically … the easiest way to think of it is like our internal batteries and when we’re under a lot of stress, whether that’s emotional or work related stress, psychological stress or whether it’s physical stress from overtraining for example or having some kind of gut infection or any other chronic diseases and other physical stress on the body, that runs down our internal batteries. When that happens, the other hormones in the body will be affected because the adrenal hormones are all basically precursors or raw materials for the sex hormones like testosterone.
In this scenario, for a guy, you get a guy who’s really rundown, maybe they’re really stressed out at work and not sleeping well, maybe they’re overtraining or they’re undertraining is another problem of course and their adrenal hormones get really rundown and then the next thing to go down in that cascade would be their testosterone and they develop all the symptoms and low testosterone so the way to address that is of course to … the very first thing is to dial in on nutrition because one of the key stressors that can cause adrenal fatigue is poor nutrition and you want to make sure that you’re sleeping enough. For most people, that means seven to eight hours of sleep at night that we need to function properly.
Then you want to make sure that you’re doing something to manage stress so whatever that is for you, whether it’s deep relaxation or meditation or yoga or spending time outside, it doesn’t really matter how. It just matters that you do it.
Then you want to make sure that you’re getting the appropriate amount of physical activity. That means not too little and not too much and that can be hard for those of us who like to train because we like the way that feels and we’re accustomed to it and maybe we were even competitive and participating in some kind of a team situation or training for a competition.
One thing I can say from working with a lot of pretty high level athletes is when you get into that place of being in adrenal fatigue and low testosterone, it can be really beneficial over the long term to take it easy for a little while, take a break, make sure you’re getting enough rest and do some of the things that I just mentioned and that will actually allow you to come back and get back to where you want to be more quickly.
I see a lot of people who never give themselves that opportunity and they just stay kind of stuck in that adrenal fatigue hole and just keep digging it deeper and deeper.

Full article: http://jasonferruggia.com/paleo-nutr...chris-kresser/

Dang man...I hope I'm not in this boat but I feel like with my past I probably am...Sucks b/c I feel like I have the energy to go lift but I don't want to keep digging that "hole" deeper and deeper as he states.

[The Solution]

1 Take some time OFFFFFF!!!
Like as in off!!!
As in no reduced volume, no cardio, no conditioning.
Sit on your still skinny butt for two days. Dead serious. Dont track cals.

Complete WO and DIET break.
When was the last time you took one??????
Then do another 5 days of the reduced volume.

I challenge you.

So deload...for another week...

O. Goodie.

You need new glasses

[Nexxus]

Huh what's going on? You're considering deloading more than a week? lol

I don't get the point of that...

If you're gonna deload do it properly and do everything <60% with half the sets keeping same TUT as usual. Otherwise if you can't do that might as well just take a complete week off the gym. TBH I see no difference between actually taking a week completely off and doing a deload...

[sonnydfrizzy]

I think you made a good point above when you said you have good energy today and want to go squat. If you are feeling up to squat, then by all means listen to your body and squat. WHo cares what Jason Ferrugia says in an article?? It is just his opinion. Sometimes Mike, I feel that guys like me and you do TOO MUCH reading and analyzing and it gets to our brain. One week we read we have adrenal fatigue, then the next week we have something else. I think we all could benefit by stopping such an in depth analysis of every single situation and doing so much research and just listening to our bodies. You do not HAVE to lift on a certain schedule because it is "optimal." Yesterday, when you were drained and tired, you could have just taken the day off, rested, and came back and hit that upper session today when you felt more energized. So what if you delayed the session one day or threw off the "optimal" frequency? I have just been doing a lot of thinking lately and it all seems to be that less thinking + more listening (to our bodies) = OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE. Lift because you feel like it not because you have to.

Whatever you are doing is working for you and you are a VERY knowledgeable guy Mike. But I think sometimes you should forget all that information in your head, ignore the articles telling you what you should do, and listen to Mike's body to tell you what to do.

Take this with a grain of salt, and I also do not mean to sound like a hypocrite. I struggle with this stuff as well. Just trying to somehow help

[MikeWines]

Daily Reads:
Working on another article at the moment on "hacking" sleep. Should be up by tonight, I'll hit you guys with the link.

Lower - W1D3
(Pause:Eccentric:Isometric:Concentric)
RED=PR

Seated Leg Curl
Level9x15
Level10x12
Level12x9
Level13x6 + 2 Drops

High Bar Squat
45x5
95x5
135x5
160x5
180x5
135x5
135x5
135x5

Goblet DB RFESS
45x12
45x12
45x12

RDL
185x15
185x15
185x12

A1. 3 Month Position Plate Pullover
10lb x 10,10,10

A2. 3 Month PNF Position
3setsx8/side

Thoughts
-Sleep: 10 hours - Incredibly deep and restful lately, lots of time spent in REM with crazy dreams

-Macros: 440c/100f/210p

-Didn't push things that hard today, just got any easy 5 on my top set of squats and moved on. Depth and form have been feeling fantastic lately and I can tell all of my mobility work is paying off. Gonna take the next 3 days completely off and go out with friends on friday or saturday for a bit of a break. I was also thinking back over the last 12 weeks, most would of had 14 days of reduced training within that amount of time so maybe one week wasn't enough to fully recover. I know that I felt totally different on monday for that session but afterwards I've had that same stale, neurally lacking feeling that I had before the deload. We'll see what some rest and less volume does for me.

PWO - Banana Bread

You need new glasses

So keep running 5/3/1 next week with the prescribed intensity but just less volume on accessory work?

Huh what's going on? You're considering deloading more than a week? lol

I don't get the point of that...

If you're gonna deload do it properly and do everything <60% with half the sets keeping same TUT as usual. Otherwise if you can't do that might as well just take a complete week off the gym. TBH I see no difference between actually taking a week completely off and doing a deload...

I had a great session on monday but after 12 weeks with no deload, I might have needed a bit longer. The deload was done correctly though, 50-60% for 3x5 on main lifts and 1/2 the volume on all accessory work as well.

I think you made a good point above when you said you have good energy today and want to go squat. If you are feeling up to squat, then by all means listen to your body and squat. WHo cares what Jason Ferrugia says in an article?? It is just his opinion. Sometimes Mike, I feel that guys like me and you do TOO MUCH reading and analyzing and it gets to our brain. One week we read we have adrenal fatigue, then the next week we have something else. I think we all could benefit by stopping such an in depth analysis of every single situation and doing so much research and just listening to our bodies. You do not HAVE to lift on a certain schedule because it is "optimal." Yesterday, when you were drained and tired, you could have just taken the day off, rested, and came back and hit that upper session today when you felt more energized. So what if you delayed the session one day or threw off the "optimal" frequency? I have just been doing a lot of thinking lately and it all seems to be that less thinking + more listening (to our bodies) = OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE. Lift because you feel like it not because you have to.

Whatever you are doing is working for you and you are a VERY knowledgeable guy Mike. But I think sometimes you should forget all that information in your head, ignore the articles telling you what you should do, and listen to Mike's body to tell you what to do.

Take this with a grain of salt, and I also do not mean to sound like a hypocrite. I struggle with this stuff as well. Just trying to somehow help

Was just reading this article yesterday and it kept me in check: http://jasonferruggia.com/keep-it-simple-get-jacked/

[The Solution]

So keep running 5/3/1 next week with the prescribed intensity but just less volume on accessory work?
]

Let me post this again

1 Take some time OFFFFFF!!!
Like as in off!!!
As in no reduced volume, no cardio, no conditioning.
Sit on your still skinny butt for two days. Dead serious. Dont track cals.

Complete WO and DIET break.
When was the last time you took one??????
Then do another 5 days of the reduced volume.

I challenge you.

Just listen to your body man.
Why do you place X limit on days, number of reps, and number of sets for exercises or deloads. How about you go by how your body feels and go off of that.

If you need 4-5 total days off take it, listen to your body, see how you feel and adjust. Sometimes you have to take what life throws at you and make lemonade, if your body tells you to take a full week off. take a full week off. Dont let the ED or thoughts of thinking "OMG im losing muscle i am not working out" get to your head or your OCD nature of needing to workout. Life happens, if you feel like you need time off take it.
Simple.

Dont make it complicated remember like i always say "Sometimes the hardest decisions are the best decisions"

[MikeWines]

New article for the day:

Supercharge Your Sleep - Change Your Life

Just listen to your body man.
Why do you place X limit on days, number of reps, and number of sets for exercises or deloads. How about you go by how your body feels and go off of that.

If you need 4-5 total days off take it, listen to your body, see how you feel and adjust. Sometimes you have to take what life throws at you and make lemonade, if your body tells you to take a full week off. take a full week off. Dont let the ED or thoughts of thinking "OMG im losing muscle i am not working out" get to your head or your OCD nature of needing to workout. Life happens, if you feel like you need time off take it.
Simple.

Dont make it complicated remember like i always say "Sometimes the hardest decisions are the best decisions"

I get stuck in thinking in a weekly time frame versus a daily schedule and think "I'll hit upper on monday, lower on wednesday, etc." versus just waking up and thinking "hmm, do I feel good today? Yeah? Alright I'll go lift. No? Ok I'll rest." I've gotten better about listening to my body during the lift but I need to do that outside of the gym as well. I think I've just overtrained myself into a hole right now though so the time off may be more necessary than I think.




EDIT: The pieces are all starting to come together slowly...

http://suppversity.blogspot.com/2012...rthorexia.html
http://suppversity.blogspot.com/2011...-exercise.html

...the lack of sweating in the gym, the exertion headaches (sometimes), that "stale" feeling, the constant fatigue, waking up @ 2am at the same time every night < All of those factors point to chronic overtraining given what I've read from Adel. Dang, guess a week completely off (at minimum) is coming up...

[determined4000]

You need new glasses

that or maybe reading comprehension courses
Bob, you are in teaching, right?

[The Solution]

that or maybe reading comprehension courses
Bob, you are in teaching, right?

Business Education Teacher/Minor Economics.

[MikeWines]

that or maybe reading comprehension courses
Bob, you are in teaching, right?

20/10 crew checking in, I got the memo.

[determined4000]

20/10 crew checking in, I got the memo.

its about keeping the long term in mind
WO now will stunt porgress when you look at it that way

[Anthonyxavcx]

Lol my lawd, do whatever the **** you want to do Mike (no hodgetwin)

[Crucifist]

EDIT: The pieces are all starting to come together slowly...

http://suppversity.blogspot.com/2012...rthorexia.html
http://suppversity.blogspot.com/2011...-exercise.html

...the lack of sweating in the gym, the exertion headaches (sometimes), that "stale" feeling, the constant fatigue, waking up @ 2am at the same time every night < All of those factors point to chronic overtraining given what I've read from Adel. Dang, guess a week completely off (at minimum) is coming up...

There's a quote in my log entry today that I'd like you to bear in mind as you embark. Just think of your rigid mindset as one of those "plateaus."