A new beginning in 2015

[doughnutgut]

I personally do hope that this convo between you two does not end up in pm. But in here as that was a fantastic bit of reading there by Adamsz.

I await the next installment.

Also know who I am going to rattle in the near future once I am back on track.

[fittofattofit]

Sorry guys to take so long to respond and up-date. I've been very busy at work and was on call over the weekend so around 80 hours put in at the front line in the last 7 days .... been feeling wiped!

I think that is key. Adam's idea looks pretty good but I would stress that on both types of deadlift days you do a ton of "automatic" volume with the lighter weights. Just get more and more pulls over the bar, even if they're light. You need more of those automatic pulls so that you can just walk up to the heavier bar and do the same.

Thanks Austin ... I know in my heart that that's what I've got to do ... working at deads up to 150kg seems to be OK at the moment so if I can build up strength and reps at 150kg and make the pulls automatic then hopefully I can turn my mind off

I like the warmup with single leg dl's

Good to see you got 1 x 160kg dl's before the mf

Those SLDLs were really good for activating the glutes and erectors
I should really be pulling regular 180kg singles and doubles like I was last year

Thanks for the response!!!

Good luck ... you're motivated so you'll be as strong as you were before but probably training with better form because you'll be conscious of keeping your movements tight

Just browsing the logs and I came across yours. I'm floored by your dedication, man. It really puts things into perspective. Here I am moaning about my torn meniscus/rectus femoris among other things, and you're trucking through several rehabs with determination.

Keep at it! Positively inspirational.

Thanks for the kind comments. Whenever I feel that I've got a raw deal I just have to look around me and see others coping. In the end, every set-back offers opportunities. Rehabbing your legs gives you an opportunity to focus on building up the back or bis or getting a new bench PR
Good luck with your training and rehab

That's got to be the most snow In NZ in at least 10 years. 140cm + is very solid for them! Hope that keeps up for you

And they even got some big dumps in AUS! NZ will only be for about 5 days but things are looking very good there. The big ski plans are in January and February though ... hopefully 3 weeks in North America

I'd take at least a week off of squats and then test the waters with a lighter weight to start with. You don't wanna do any damage mate. Does JP crack up when you have these mindfu**s? Or does he cry? : p 160 sounds like a good weight for you, why don't you just get in position and pull it? Ok, that's my terrible input done : p Wish i could help more.

Thanks Michael ... I've kept away from squats for a week now and I'm planning on staying away totally for at least another week before easing back into them. I'm rolling and stretching and if the TFL/ITB is still groaning I might even wait the full 4 weeks before squatting again .... the big downside would be the wicked DOMS though on the first day back
JP looks at me and just shakes his head when I have the mindfcuks ... he does look like he's about to cry though
160kg is an easy weight and it has been for well over 5 years ... that's what is so frustrating. When I do just 'grip and rip' anything up to 180 'flies' up

Base building strength on squats points to 5x5 IMO, whether that's Texas Method, or Madcows. Texas Method is more your thing judging by the multiple sets of 130 you bash out.

I'll have to look at TM. Thanks Michael!

Insane volume on your FST7 day! Is this something new you are incorporating?

Thanks Nadeem ... I’ve been doing FST-7 every now and then but only recently decided to push the volume. I like the feel of it ... you get a great pump and I get genuine upper body DOMS (which have been pretty rare for me) and I look a lot bigger in the mirror so I’m hoping to do a session like that once per week.

This article is a good explanation and has a sample template:

https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/es...nsity-training

That's great John .... 'Escalating Density Training'!
I like the ideas

Hey Andrew, just cruising by to see how you were doing and it looks like you're still hitting it hard (with no new significant injuries!!). Still have the same old shoulder but am still lifting albeit at a very reduced level. I've actually gotten into running over the past 6 months and am going to shoot for a marathon this fall. Down from 215# to 180#!

Thanks Kevin .... it's great to see that you're still around! I was actually thinking about you the other day and wondering how your shoulders were getting on. I assume that with the drop in weights you've still been knocking out some killer volume and at 180 and marathoning you'd be cut to pieces
I suppose the best thing that can be said about marathoning is at lest it won't load up your shoulders





Just to keep up-to-date with the training logs because this is where I record all of my activity:

Wednesday 8th July 2015

Bench

Bench Press ... Macenko Week 6 Day 1 repeat
8 x 50kg (110lbs) 60%
6 x 60kg (132lbs) 75%
4 x 67.5kg (149lbs) 85%
2 x 72.5kg (160lbs) 90%
2 x 72.5kg (160lbs) 90%
2 x 72.5kg (160lbs) 90%
2 x 72.5kg (160lbs) 90%
2 x 72.5kg (160lbs) 90%
2 x 72.5kg (160lbs) 90%
3+3 x 67.5kg (149lbs) 85% AMRAP
6 x 65kg (143lbs) 80% AMRAP

EZ bar drag curls
10 x 30kg (66lbs)
10 x 30kg (66lbs)
10 x 30kg (66lbs)
10 x 30kg (66lbs)
10 x 30kg (66lbs)

40 minutes

This was before all the discussion from Zack. Whatever with the Macenko, it's a strength programme looking at adding weight to your bench but it's not helping me get past my bench issues which really relate to the RC injuries and the way join which I automatically guard my shoulders when I'm pressing. IMO I go very slow and find it very difficult to generate any power with my press. I need to work through a wider variety of rep ranges and speeds to get some better neural patterning happening.



Thursday 9th July 2015

Pre-hab session

6 circuits of:
Cable woodchops
Single leg cable deadlifts
Roller board single leg jack-knives and push-ups
Log clean and press
Double handed cable straight-arm lat pull-downs
Single handed Pallov presses

35 minutes

[fittofattofit]

Flyes seem to really work. Must be something about the slower movement. How bout real slow negatives? My chest is still sore from doing that.

I don't think I could do real slow negatives with a bar without a spotter ... I could just picture myself failing at the bottom every time. Could do it with the hammer strength machine though. Flyes are a keeper

those are a bish. I would have thought you would be doing those constantly . Man I gotta try and help you out a little bit like adamsz. I can't compete with what he wrote so fuk it lol. I am gonna try to think of a way to help you squat and dead though without those mindfuks.

Hows your weekend going man?

Yeah ... as well as programming for gains I need cues to get over the mindfcuks. Any ideas are welcome
And the weekend was sh!te .... 10 hours each of Saturday and Sunday so made it pretty much 70 hours at the coal-face for the week .... wrecked me

I completely understand these mindfcuks that you have...happens to me too and it sux cuz you KNOW you can get it...just need some smelling salts or something lol.

I am completely surprised at how much intensity you lift with and also the volume you lift with.

Great work as always Andrew and you have a ton of advice on how to program in the future if youre looking for a change. Good stuff.

Thanks Musid ... it's funny how just adding 5lbs can get the mindfcuks happening.
I'm looking forwards to applying some of the great advice!

I personally do hope that this convo between you two does not end up in pm. But in here as that was a fantastic bit of reading there by Adamsz.

I await the next installment.

Also know who I am going to rattle in the near future once I am back on track.

No it hasn't ended Leigh! I've just been incommunicado while I've been flat out at work so I've had no time to log or check out every one else's logs. I'll be making up for that next week

So when given the option having to wait two hours to test for my full license, or a 5 min wait to renew my greens, guess what i chose?

Hint: It's the same colour as that smiley hehe ^___^V

And just when I thought I was wrong about Asian drivers

It's good to see you still lurking Rally .... I'm keeping up-to-date with your lifting and your travels and I'm always impressed!




3 more home sessions on the way!

[fittofattofit]

Thank you very much for all the input Zack ... this is pure gold and super worthy of a page bump
Time for me to give a considered response and explain what I've been doing

Alright Andrew I’ve been giving some thought to your programming. First thing I’m gonna do it have a discussion about your bench press programming. If I have some time later on I’ll try and extrapolate on the same principles as related to your squat and deadlift, but for now, here’s this:

Bench Press

My hypothesis is that for your skill level, the Macenko program might not be the best suited for your individual needs, and that a program with a higher number of lifts and lower average intensity range might benefit you better due to the increased technique practice at the lower intensity ranges (as I’ve stated numerous times, the same thing could probably be said for your DL programming as well, IMO ).

Looking back recently It looks like your best bench press is 72.5kg x 2 reps. Using the Weight x reps x 0.333 + weight 1RM calculator this puts you at about a 77kg 1RM.

Looking at the bench-only Ukranian IPF lifter classification chart (unfortunately they only have one for bench press, not one for just squats or just deadlifts as well), this puts you at about a class II junior lifter for both the 74kg and 83kg weight classes:



Couple quick notes about the chart: it is the only USAPL/IPF RAW drug-free lifter classification chart that is currently available, at least in English (they have one for the total as well, which I'll link at the bottom of the post). I think since it is for drug-free lifters it gives a better representation over other powerlifting federations lifter charts for having more realistic numbers, IMO. One missing variable, however, is it does not include the sub-masters and masters categories for older lifters such as yourself unfortunately.

Now I know this classification is pretty low, but it’s obviously not your fault because of the numerous upper body injuries you’ve sustained throughout your long lifting career, particularly on your shoulders. (on a more positive note, I’ve worked out that you’re about a Class I lifter in the 74kg and 83kg weight classes using your best total of 432kgs, or about a Class II lifter with a more conservative 402kg total based on your recently stated estimated DL max of 160kg, so that’s a nice contrast to your bench-only classification!)

As you probably know, I am a huge fan of Sheiko programming methodologies. I’ve been running them on my bench press for years with slow, steady gains, and I even took one mesocycle from my last DL program my coach made for me and broke it down in excel and surprisingly enough it actually fell into the sheiko recommended training parameters (recommended number of lifts, recommended average intensity) as well, which I think further reinforces in my mind that this methodology is effective.

For a class II junior lifter that basically puts you in the “beginner” category in terms of your bench press (don’t hate me!)

Sheiko recommends 700 total number of lifts per month for the squat, bench press, and deadlift for a beginner:



Now I know the 700 number for total NOL is including all 3 powerlifts, so this bit of information will become more useful later on when I tie this all in with your squat/DL programming, should I get around to it

Next let’s examine how you’ve been training the bench press using the Macenko’s program:

week one NOL (number of lifts): 78
week two NOL: 58 not including AMRAP sets
week three NOL: 58 not including AMRAP sets
week four NOL: 52 not including AMRAP sets

Month One Total NOL: 246 not including AMRAP sets

Looking back at your first month on Macenkos for your AMRAP sets:

Wk2D1: 5, Wk2D2: 5 + 7 (17 total AMRAP reps)
Wk3D1: 4, Wk3D2: 5 + 5 (14 total AMRAP reps)
Wk4D1: 1 + 1 + 1, Wk4D2: 4 + 5 (12 total AMRAP reps)

= 43 AMRAP reps. Add that to the month one total and you get 289 total number of lifts on the bench press for the first month of training on Macenkos.

Now let’s compare that NOL to the bench press portion of the Sheiko Beginner Program (332) and the Sheiko Intermediate Small Load Program (342). The Macenkos averages a lower NOL compared to these two programs, however that doesn’t take into account the next important variable:

Intensity.

Unfortunately I’m not very efficient at Excel spreadsheet formulas, so I have no way to calculate the average intensity of your bench press sets across the month on Macenkos without spending hours manually entering every single weight/rep/set for an entire month, which would take way too long. My guess, however, is that it would be higher on average than the sheiko beginner program or the sheiko intermediate small load program due to the fact that there are many sets in the 80-90% range, whereas the the average intensity for the Sheiko Beginner program for bench press is 68%, and 67.7% for the Sheiko Intermediate Small Load program.

If I have been following your training log closely enough, it seems that you often have to repeat days on the Macenko program due to not getting the desired # of reps on the AMRAP days, no?

My hypothesis is that for your skill level, the Macenko program might not be the best suited for your individual needs, and that a program with a higher number of lifts and lower average intensity range might benefit you better due to the increased technique practice at the lower intensity ranges.

If you’re interested in maybe trying something out like the Sheiko Beginner program for your bench press let me know and I can point you in the right direction (you do train bench 3x/week on it which might be problematic for your shoulders, however at the lower average intensity ranges it might be just fine - only way to find out would be to test it out). I just think that the Macenkos might not be the best tailored for your individual situation, and it might be worth considering an alternative.


Just something I was thinking about today. I wanted to cover your DL and Squat as well but I ended up doing hours of research and I'm a bit burnt out for now, so hopefully I'll revisit those topics later tonight or tomorrow should I have time


Here's the 3-lift total chart BTW:



As I previously noted, it looks like you’re about a Class I lifter in the 74kg and 83kg weight classes using your best total of 432kgs, or about a Class II lifter with a more conservative 402kg total based on your recently stated estimated DL max of 160kg, so that’s a nice contrast to your bench-only classification.

To put that in perspective, if I took my best total (184 squat, 172.7 bench, 266 deadlift) I'm rated at CMS for the 120kg weight class which is only a step up from the Class I lifter category. Considering you're literally twice as old as me, I'd say you're doing pretty damn good!

[fittofattofit]

Programming thoughts continued... bringing in deadlifts and maybe squats into the conversation.

Now I know I wrote this out in the last post, but let’s revisit it really quickly:

Lifter Classification

First, let’s start with your maxes:

weight: 174 (79kg)

DL: 160-190kg
SQ: 165kg
bench: 72.5kg x 2 = 77kg estimated 1RM

Total: 402kg - 432kg

Looking at the Ukranian IPF lifter’s classification chart:



a 402kg-432kg total puts you as:

74kg lifter: class I lifter

83kg lifter: Class I or II lifter

So aside from your bench press, let’s say you’re either a class I or II lifter for your squat and deadlift. I think since you’re a bit older and the lifter classification chart doesn’t take into account the sub-masters and masters categories, we should place you as a level II lifter so you’re not trying to overload yourself too early with too much volume (on the other hand, for intensity I think it should be fine to classify you as a class I lifter). I hope this doesn’t come off as disrespectful, I’m just trying to think about what would suit you the best for your individual situation.

Here’s what Sheiko has to say about Class 2 lifters regarding training frequency, volume, and average intensity:



So between 600-750 lifts per month total for the Big 3.




First let’s take your bench press and figure out how the NOL fits into the overall scheme of total NOL/month.

If you’re to continue running the Macenko’s program, let’s just round up and say you’re doing about 300 total NOL on bench per month.

Should you decide to try out the Sheiko beginner program for your bench, that would be 332 total NOL on bench per month, so fairly close to the Macenko number.

Now let’s take the total NOL number from your bench, and subtract it from the 3-lift total recommended monthly NOL’s:

If you stick with Macenkos:

option 1: 750 monthly total NOLs - 300 from bench = 450 total lifts remaining

option 2: 600 monthly total NOLs - 300 from bench = 300 total lifts remaining

If you decide to start using Sheiko for your bench press:

option 1: 750 monthly total - 332 from bench = 418 total lifts remaining

option 2: 600 monthly total - 332 from bench = 268 total lifts remaining

So using these calculations we arrive at somewhere between 268 - 450 total lifts remaining to divide between your squat and deadlift.

Now if you’re going to not squat for say 2-4 weeks, that leaves us kind of in limbo as to how to decide how many total lifts on deads you should be doing per month.

So for the next piece of the puzzle I’m going to look at some of the sheiko programs and how many DLs they have programmed into a 1 month prep block:

Sheiko Beginner Prep Cycle: 116 total NOL for deads

Sheiko Intermediate Small Load Prep Cycle I: 95 total NOL for deads

However, on those 2 prep cycles they have the athlete squatting twice a week and deadlifting only once a week. Let’s say you’re going to be deadlifting 2x/week and not squatting at all for 2-4 weeks. Taking that into account, I think it would be safe to probably double the total NOLs on the deads since you don’t have the accompanying fatigue from doing squats, so long as we adjust the intensity accordingly later on.

So if we double the total NOLs on deads for those we come up with between 190 - 232 total NOL on deads during a month’s training block.

Now let’s add that to the different bench models we’ve come up with:

Macenkos: 300 bench + 190 deads = 490 total NOL or 300 bench + 232 deads = 532 total NOL for the month

Sheiko Bench: 332 bench + 190 deads = 522 total NOL or 332 bench + 232 deads = 564 total NOL for the month

Now looking back at the monthly recommended volume for a class II athlete (600 - 750 total NOL/month), I think these ranges seem pretty inline with the recommendation given that you won’t be squatting if that makes sense.

So now we have a rough guideline of how many deadlifts you will be doing throughout the month, so what’s next? We need to revisit intensity and see how to apply that variable within the broader programming scheme.

Let’s see what Sheiko has to say about intensity:



What really sticks out to me here is this part: Boris analyzed the training load trained of world champions (38) from 1993 to 2013 and found that the greatest increase in strength was achieved with an average relative intensity of 69.5 - 72%. However, this does not mean that all work should be done at 70% of maximum. In training sessions an athlete trains with weights in the range of 50 to 85-90%.

One important thing to note though is that relative intensity range was for world champions, who have likely achieved the highest lifter classifications. Referring back his quote further up, he recommends the intensity loads for a class II lifter to be between 60-65%. For a class I lifter it raises to between 67-69%. So applying this to your situation I would say a good range would be between 60-69% relative intensity.

This is where I think your deadlift programming has been suboptimal and why it has been failing to make progress for awhile. You/your trainer have been doing wayyyy too many sets in the 80%+ intensity range (which I hypothesize is likely raising your average relative intensity on the lift above the recommended 69% threshold), which I think is just accumulating too much stress on you over time and making your progress possibly go backwards as a result.

Now this isn’t to say you should ONLY train in the 60-69% intensity range, and that you should never go above that at all. It all comes down to the RELATIVE intensity and how it fits within the confines of the program.

Let’s take a look at some different ways you can achieve an average intensity in this range.

Example 1:

%RM Reps  Sets
50       5       1
60       5       1
70       4       4

Lifts = 26
Relative Intensity = 64.0%

Example 2:

%RM Reps  Sets
50       5       1
60       4       1
70       3       1
75       3       4

Lifts = 24
Relative Intensity = 66%

Example 3:

%RM Reps  Sets
50       5       1
60      4       1
70       3       1
80       2       4

Lifts = 20
Relative Intensity = 67%

Example 4:

%RM Reps Sets
50       5       1
60       5       1
70       4       4
Lifts = 26
Relative Intensity = 64%


As you can see, there are a multitude of ways you can achieve this relative intensity through different loading schemes. There’s no need to keep the training monotonous when you can apply these different versions throughout the training block to achieve the desired relative intensity.


My brains starting to fart out on me so I think I’m gonna end this specific discussion here.

I hope that by having a conversation about these different key programming variables - total number of lifts, relative intensity - you can start thinking about how you might be able to apply these principles to your own programming.

If you’d like some help maybe coming up with a 1-month training block applying these principles while you don’t squat and let the TFL heal up I’d be happy to help - but be warned I’ve never written anyone’s programming in my life so I have no idea if it would work or not lol.

Anyways, sorry for the long potentially incoherent babble… You may or may not apply this during the next month while JP is away, but regardless I hope this will serve as a valuable programming resource for you to refer back to in the future.

Since you’re not a PLer all this information might mean fuk all to you and you might never implement it, but since you do put a heavy focus on trying to increase your Big 3 I’m hoping you can walk away from this having learned something. I put a lot of time and effort into putting this together, so consider it payback for being basically the only consistent supporter in my workout journal throughout the year

I've been wanting to get back to you and thank you properly for the thought that you've put into this Zack!
It's very interesting and I do see the sense in following a tried and true programming and I've always believed that the key to gaining strength and size is to maintain a consistent volume and progression with the big lifts.

Excuses .... squats and deads
To some extent the failure in my progression on the deads and squats has been that I have not kept up the volume on either in between my sessions with JP. The last 12 months has been very trying for me and I have had low motivation (everything is relative, but usually I'd get up at Sparrow's fart and be itching to get into the gym ... can't be fcuked half the time now), and my diet and sleeping have been poor. OK, sleeping and deloading have never been a strong point for me but my diet has usually been very good

The good thing is that I'm slowly getting back to my old self ... I'm not there yet and it will still be a while but the motivation is creeping back in

Excuses .... bench pressing
This is a hard one ..... I was benching 100kg by the time I was 21 and had built up to 120kg x 5 as my working sets when I got my first RC tear. After that first operation I got back to benching 100kg for singles, then ruptured the other side. With all the subsequent RC tears and operations I don't have a lot of rotator cuff left so that I feel like I am using a huge amount of effort to stabilise the shoulder and don't have much left to generate power for the press. I do need to try something different ... ultimately, if people my weight can build up to a 3pps press with good programming, then, even with fubared shoulders I should be able to get back to 2pps. I've got to stop pussying around

The IPF classification
This is a very interesting set of tables and I'm not at all offended at being labelled a 'beginner'. When I look at my best lifts they were all at a BW ~ 75kg with a best bench of 125kg, squat of 165kg and 190kg deadlift. None of that was at a meet of course and the benching was a few years ago but as a total of 480kg it would have put me at the CMS level. I'm not say that that's something to base my training on now, but it makes me feel that I did OK bumbling along and I had half respectable lifts

Now, for a current programme based on this
I really appreciate the thought about the programming and the way you have crunched the numbers looks good to me. In a way, I hate it that I'm not squatting but I'd like to see if this TFL strain disappears. That being said: having to cut back on the squats gives me an opportunity to work on the benching and the deads

Sheiko Bench: 332 bench + 232 deads = 564 total NOL for the month

^^^^^ this sounds pretty good to me

As for the intensity, aiming for that around or under 70% sounds good as well. It would be interesting to calculate the intensities with my squat and DL training with JP ... I suspect that it may not be as high as you think but I agree that there are way too many near max lifts and way too many fails.
I've actually been putting it into practice the last week and have three more workouts to post up .... playing with some of the Sheiko bench/deadlift templates I found and then a deadlift session today at home with my friend John
I'll do the calculations on those to keep a running total on NOL x intensity

[fittofattofit]

Seeing as how long it's been since you've updated your journal (about 4 days - is this a new record maybe? ), I can only guess you're dying to update with your workouts and respond to the "normal" comments.

I won't take any offense if you don't respond to my comments immediately and go about doing your normal updates, as my two TL;DR posts are going to take a lot of time to digest and I know you don't want to just give a half-ass response knowing you

Carry on as usual and we can pick up the programming discussion, if you so desire, at any point. Also, you mentioned you were without JP for a full month but that was a few days ago - how many days/weeks do you have left without him?

I've still got 24 days JP free and if I can build in a good routine then I can continue to work it around my training by keeping track of the NOL x intensity


It's midnight now but I've got 3 sessions to post

[THErunCMD]

Thanks for the update Andrew, hope to see you continue to build on that motivation. Totally understand that you could be having some problems with all that is going on. I try to use lifting as my rock/therapy but sometimes it's hard.

Looking forward to seeing how you've applied Zack's thoughts to the last few workouts and see what you can do over the next 3 weeks. Do you think JP would be willing to work around this style programming when he gets back?

[fittofattofit]

Saturday 11th July 2015

Deadlifts

Just deadifts
5 x 70kg (154lbs)
5 x 100kg (220lbs) .. 55%
4 x 120kg (264lbs) .. 66%
2 x 140kg (308lbs) .. 77%
2 x 150kg (330lbs) .. 80%
8 x 120kg (264lbs) .. 66%
10 x 105kg (231lbs) .. 58%
NOL 31 x 63% intensity

Bench
5 x 40kg .. 50%
5 x 50kg .. 60%
4 x 56kg .. 70%
4 x 56kg .. 70%
3 x 60kg .. 75%
3 x 60kg .. 75%
2 x 65kg .. 80%
2 x 65kg .. 80%
1 x 68kg .. 85%
1 x 68kg .. 85%
2 x 65kg .. 80%
2 x 65kg .. 80%
3 x 60kg .. 75%
3 x 60kg .. 75%
4 x 56kg .. 70%
6 x 52kg .. 65%
8 x 48kg .. 60%
10 x 44kg .. 55%
12 x 40kg .. 50%
NOL 80 x 62.4% intensity

Session after the day at work. Followed Mag-Ort week 2 using 180kg as the deadlift max and Zack will recognise the benching. Probably not the volume intended though



Tuesday 14th July 2015

164lbs

Benching/Deadlifts

Bench
5 x 40kg .. 50%
5 x 50kg .. 60%
4 x 56kg .. 70%
4 x 56kg .. 70%
3 x 60kg .. 75%
3 x 60kg .. 75%
2 x 65kg .. 80%
2 x 65kg .. 80%
1 x 68kg .. 85%
1 x 68kg .. 85%
2 x 65kg .. 80%
2 x 65kg .. 80%
3 x 60kg .. 75%
3 x 60kg .. 75%
4 x 56kg .. 70%
6 x 52kg .. 65%
8 x 48kg .. 60%
10 x 44kg .. 55%
12 x 40kg .. 50%
NOL 80 x 62.4% intensity

deadifts
5 x 70kg (154lbs)
4 x 90kg (198lbs) .. 50%
4 x 110kg (242lbs) .. 60%
4 x 110kg (242lbs) .. 60%
3 x 130kg (286lbs) .. 70%
3 x 130kg (286lbs) .. 70%
3 x 150kg (330lbs) .. 80%
3 x 150kg (330lbs) .. 80%
3 x 150kg (330lbs) .. 80%
3 x 150kg (330lbs) .. 80%
3 x 150kg (330lbs) .. 80%
NOL 33 x 69.7% intensity




Thursday 16th July 2015

Deadlifts

deadifts
5 x 70kg (154lbs)
5 x 100kg (220lbs) .. 55%
5 x 120kg (264lbs) .. 66%
5 x 130kg (286lbs) .. 71%
5 x 140kg (308lbs) .. 77%
3 x 150kg (330lbs) .. 80%
3 x 160kg (352lbs) .. 88%
MF x 170kg (375lbs)
1 x 165kg (363lbs) .. 91%
1 x 165kg (363lbs) .. 91%
1 x 165kg (363lbs) .. 91%
NOL 29 x 73% intensity

Deadlift Metcon
9 x 130kg (286lbs) .. 71%
7 x 130kg (286lbs) .. 71%
5 x 130kg (286lbs) .. 71%
3 x 130kg (286lbs) .. 71%
NOL 24 x 73% intensity
Alternating with John .. all done in 2:48

Today was a deadlift day with my friend John at home ... for the formal round of deads we alternated sets until we got to the singles. He pulled 170kg ... I MFd, so from there I stuck to singles at 165kg while he pulled 175kg and then 180kg ... all looking very tidy
After that we did a Metcon deadlift copying the one I did with JP last time ... alternating sets of 130kg x 9, 7, 5, 3 so 48 reps between us with a target of under 3 minutes. John's fitter than me so I took a few seconds longer catching my breath but I was pretty happy with the effort and finishing up in 2 minutes 48 seconds. Gives us a target to beat next time


And I know that NOL 117 for deadlifts and 160 for bench after one week is not what was intended

[jeezyreezy]

Loving the bench volume the past couple of days. Must have been pretty easy for you at that intensity??

[GinjaNinja85]

LOL at going over 90% immediately after implementing Sheiko. What are you like

Stay on that upward trend Andrew. The mind drags you down some every now and then when you've had a hit but you'll be whole again soon I'm sure. I find gym bunnies help

[JohnButz]

The Deadlifts & Deadlift Metcon look intense! Have a great weekend Andrew!

[THErunCMD]

couldn't help yourself going for the heavier stuff huh? :P

glad to see some deadlift volume in any case.

[moshvr]

Spare moment for me to drop by and say "hey"

Hope all is going well for you on your end Andrew. Did I see that you've got a ski trip to NZ coming up? Looks like they've been getting slammed

[fittofattofit]

Loving the bench volume the past couple of days. Must have been pretty easy for you at that intensity??

Thanks Jeezy ... that volume and that intensity is pretty easy (very light though ... my heaviest reps in there are about half of what most of you guys bench for working sets
The hardest set was the last one @ 40kg x 12

LOL at going over 90% immediately after implementing Sheiko. What are you like

Stay on that upward trend Andrew. The mind drags you down some every now and then when you've had a hit but you'll be whole again soon I'm sure. I find gym bunnies help :rolleyes :

You know I can't help myself Mike

Unfortunately, the 'bunnies' at my regular gym are built more like polar bears

The Deadlifts & Deadlift Metcon look intense! Have a great weekend Andrew!

Thanks John ... the metcon was fun and it was good to train in with a friend. We cut in after each other's set of deads to finish that all in under 3 minutes

couldn't help yourself going for the heavier stuff huh? : P

glad to see some deadlift volume in any case.

I had to keep pushing it a little ... you know a leopard can't change its spots

Part of the reason, though, is that the working sets at 150kg genuinely aren't that heavy but the moment I go for a single I'm doomed to fail. I put 180kg as my max and it would be maybe 9 months since I pulled that, but I could pull 150kg x 8 or 10 so according to the 1RM calculator I should be good for around 190-200kg

Spare moment for me to drop by and say "hey"

Hope all is going well for you on your end Andrew. Did I see that you've got a ski trip to NZ coming up? Looks like they've been getting slammed

It's great to see that the little one is only a few days away .... some awesome days ahead for you!
Yes NZ is coming up in a few weeks .... going to get a snow fix ahead of the real game in North America in January February

[fittofattofit]

Do more accessories

There are three ways to improve a lift: get stronger, get bigger, technique

You've chosen the last w/ Sheiko due to injury and needing a deload, but the problem is that all your injuries are overuse related and the high NOL will just make that worse - you'll either groove the same patterns that got you injured in the first place (wear and tear), or you'll develop compensations in an effort to grind through for new injuries (facet causing LCL, TFL etc)

e.g. Benching. You don't have RCs meaning chest etc have to work harder, compensate harder and with increased NOL, you increase overuse and injury risk. Instead, why not do more pushups, pullups, rows, direct arm work etc cos a bigger chest will decrease bench ROM, bigger lats and back will protect shoulders, bigger bis will stabilise shoulders, whilest bigger tris will allow you to support more weight. The point is bigger muscle = bigger potential for strength (increased cross sectional area for motor units etc) and better leverages for a safer and more efficient lift

Same deal with squats, Oly shoes, wide stance, SSB, lunges, SS, ham curls, calf raises etc - the different squat variations will let you still train the motion but not the specific pattern that pisses off your TFL etc, bigger quads will balance out all the deadlifting you'll be doing (i.e. all that PC will cause you to pitch forward once you do return back to pain free squatting, a bane for you), bigger hams and calves reduce atg ROM (a lot of your fails come from dive bombing and losing tightness, but bigger hams and calves will allow you to bounce off them, etc)

With deadlifting, moderate sumo and block pulls (or bb shrugs at the least), will give you more variation (e.g. adductors w/ sumo, a weakness for you) whilest the heavy block pulls will desensitise you to the weight you're fearing

Put simply, be more well rounded.

I know, I know ... but you should know that my training is pretty well rounded normally .... lots of horizontal and vertical pulling, lots of single leg and hammie work, and lots of speed work and plyo. On my squat and deadlift days with JP only about a third of the work is the heavy lifts, the rest is accessory work, and I feel that I am a lot stronger and more balanced overall. Because JP is away for a month I'm taking the opportunity to rest that TFL and play around with the benching ... I've made no progress on the benching since I met you in Sydney that time so I'm thinking that I have to try something different. I actually blame my failure to progress on the bench on disordered neural patterning. I'm not thinking of doing a Sheiko programme (I see that for advanced lifters rather than a novice) but I think the concepts of maintaining and tracking volume and intensity on the benching and deadlifting is worthwhile in the same way that tracking cals and macros is. I'm just playing around now which is why it looks very much the same for the last week. I've actually taken the next week off from work to catch up with lawyerly and tax-man things so that's going to give me a bit of extra time in the gym to get in a bit more training variety

As quoted:
Class 2 - 3 training sessions per week.

The athletes continue pursing technique mastery. Special preparatory exercises are used not only to secure technique, but also to increase the strength qualities of lagging muscle groups. Loading is increased from 600 - 750 competitive lifts and special preparatory exercises. The intensity of loads rises to 60-65% in the preparatory periods.


^ Bolded.

The problem with just doing the lifts like in Sheiko and nothing else is you're not Russian - you don't have as wide as a base as they do:


This is why Sheiko ends up being a joint killer for anyone not Russian, they're desk jockeys who got into lifting in adulthood, not as children wrestling bears in Russia it seems. This is why Westside - fat bald white dudes - is conjugate

And when looking at technique dominant programming, Olympic Weightlifting Gold Medals

Russia and Chinese own, whilest the US and Bulgaria have been on the decline. Reason: Chinese and Russian bodybuild in addition to practicing the lifts, the American and Bulgarians don't

*used Olympic lifting cos it's the most technical of technical and all nations program technique first. Even though Sheiko seems minimalist, the majority of Russians don't need that GPP (or accessories) like we do, and they actually do do accessories, it's just never recorded cos it's lifter specific with the templates generalised problems

Don't worry ... I know I'm not strong enough (tendons or muscles) to do a Sheiko programme, but when I look at an objective measure of the volume I do normally on the bench, then it is light on, and since I haven't made any progress doing what I'm doing I should try something else
After all, wasn't Einstein's definition of Insanity 'doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results
As for the deadlifting, I have pushed the nominal volume this week, but that's because I know that I'm stronger than my current max would indicate and I need to regain the density in my lower back/PC that helps keep that facet joint stable.

You know I think that you're one of the most insightful people here, so what do you think I should do for my bench and deads, especially over the next three weeks while I'm taking a break from my JP routine?

Each Sheiko is specific to one of his lifters and their respective problems, stage in training cycle etc so it really is just personal preference when it comes to ordering and choosing one over another. That being said, from personal experience:

39, 29 are prep

39 - 921 total reps, bench focus
29 - 981 reps, dead/bench focus

37, 31 are intermediate

37 - 1110 reps, squat focus
31 - 1136 reps, squat/bench focus

40, 30 are volume monsters

40 - 1220 reps, deads/squats focus
30 - 1257 reps, deads focus, volume squat/bench

32 is the deload and peak, with 543 total reps.

Order accordingly, and by focus i mean intensity. Most usually go 29/37, x for whatever and however long, 32 to deload and retest (He's actually never come out and given recommendations on what to do, and some Sheiko's are apparently made up lol)

This of course, is a great summary, so I had to copy it here

^ This post will self delete in a day's time hehe =^__^=

No kidding Ilya Kuryakin
Ninja posts like still being on your greens ... classic Asian driver

[Sinaku5]

lotsa talk going on here...I like it

[GinjaNinja85]

lotsa talk going on here...I like it

Real sexy talk

[securekey]

Great discussion going on in here. It's always good to get in here and get motivated and learn a little... keep it up

[fittofattofit]

lotsa talk going on here...I like it

Real sexy talk

Great discussion going on in here. It's always good to get in here and get motivated and learn a little... keep it up

Thanks Musid, Michael and SK ... I'm always interested in the theory behind things so it's cool to go into the detail like this. I really value the input from Zack and Rally as well and they both walk-the-walk as well as talk-the-talk . I need to shift things up a gear and start putting a bit more planning into my training and diet and I'm gradually moving into the headspace where I can make this happen




Sunday 19th July 2015

167lbs

Bro session .... FST-7 everything

HS shoulder presses ... FST-7
12 x 15kg/33lbs per side
10 x 15kg/33lbs per side
10 x 15kg/33lbs per side
10 x 15kg/33lbs per side
8 x 15kg/33lbs per side
8 x 15kg/33lbs per side
8 x 15kg/33lbs per side
30 secs rest between sets

Seated cable rows .... FST-7
12 x 70kg (154lbs)
12 x 70kg (154lbs)
12 x 70kg (154lbs)
10 x 70kg (154lbs)
10 x 70kg (154lbs)
10 x 70kg (154lbs)
10 x 70kg (154lbs)
30 secs rest between sets

DB incline flyes ... FST-7
12 x 12.5kg (28lbs)
10 x 12.5kg (28lbs)
10 x 12.5kg (28lbs)
10 x 12.5kg (28lbs)
8 x 12.5kg (28lbs)
8 x 12.5kg (28lbs)
8 x 12.5kg (28lbs)
30 secs rest between sets

Reverse pec deck rear delt flyes ... FST-7
8 x 90lbs
8 x 90lbs
8 x 85lbs
8 x 80lbs
8 x 75lbs
8 x 70lbs
8 x 70lbs
30 secs rest between sets

EZ bar curls ... FST-7 ... occlusion
15 x 25kg (55lbs)
12 x 25kg (55lbs)
12 x 25kg (55lbs)
12 x 25kg (55lbs)
12 x 25kg (55lbs)
12 x 25kg (55lbs)
12 x 25kg (55lbs)
30 secs rest between sets
Tourniquets above the bis/tris

wide grip lat pull-downs ... FST-7
12 x 140lbs
10 x 140lbs
10 x 140lbs
10 x 140lbs
8 x 140lbs
8 x 140lbs
8 x 140lbs
30 secs rest between sets

Calf presses ... horizontal leg press ... FST-7
20 x 240lbs
15 x 240lbs
12 x 240lbs
12 x 240lbs
12 x 240lbs
12 x 240lbs
12 x 240lbs
30 secs rest between sets

Triceps rope press-downs ... FST-7 ... occlusion
20 x 50lbs
20 x 50lbs
20 x 50lbs
20 x 50lbs
20 x 50lbs
20 x 50lbs
20 x 50lbs
30 secs rest between sets
Tourniquets above the bis/tris

UH close grip lat pull-downs ... FST-7
10 x 140lbs
8 x 140lbs
8 x 140lbs
8 x 140lbs
8 x 140lbs
8 x 140lbs
8 x 140lbs
30 secs rest between sets

DB lateral raises
15 x 6lb DBs
15 x 6lb DBs
15 x 6lb DBs
15 x 6lb DBs
15 x 6lb DBs
15 x 6lb DBs
15 x 6lb DBs
30 secs rest between sets
Very, very light but still tough for me

Close grip bench push-ups
10 reps
8 reps
8 reps
7 reps
7 reps
7 reps
5 reps
30 secs rest between sets

80 minutes

Slept in until 1030am then hit the gym for the bro session. All light, all FST-7 and got a great pump. It's 2 weeks since the last bro sesh and I've missed it. I've got a week off coming up so I'm hoping to get a good bit of training in ... I'm thinking deads and benching tomorrow and try to put things into context after the discussions above. Hope you're all having a great weekend guys!

[Sinaku5]

Real sexy talk

Best kinda talk

Andrew - IK Rippetoe's staff is creating a book for programming for lifters 40+ which should be very interesting. I haven't hit that age group yet but I would be curious to understand the recovery aspects of masters level lifters a lil more. I think they expect it done b4 the end of this year. When I get it I'll give u my .02 on it.

[fittofattofit]

5/3/1 + accessories (+ FSL if you want more volume, Joker sets if you're feeling confident but still beat the + set first to build momentum going in and guarantee volume if you do fail)

OR autoregulate with easy single, -20% for volume

e.g. 160 x 1, 128 x straight sets until rep quality/number drops

The easy single will vary day to day, but is designed to highlight weaknesses that you will address in the backdown and accessories, and for PAP (post activation potentiation) purposes - makes the volume sets feel lighter + keeps you familiar with heavy weight

The percentage drop and rep number are up to you, but designed to keep you in check - go too high on both and it'll be hard to repeat on subsequent sets for an early end to the day

Both programs are designed to be max flexible for injury feels - on the days you're feeling stronger, go nuts on the AMRAP/single, on the meh days, just do the prescribed/sandbag single and backdown

Thanks Rally .. that -20% at around 130kg is good ground for me to work at. I know that I can knock out 15 reps AMRAP at that but can repeat good working sets of 10 for volume. I don't intend to go over 160kg for deads for the next month now but I do want to push the volume

@ well rounded individual

You do do a pretty good job of hitting all the planes but think about balancing open and closed chain within those movements, e.g. bench and pushups, pullups and pulldowns, rows and bw rows etc. The reason being it'll strengthen/stabilise your shoulders from both ends of the spectrum, e.g. hands moving towards body (bench, open) and torso moving towards hands (pushups, closed). BOB had success with this when he added in leg press (open, feet towards torso) to his squatting (closed, torso towards feet) to have his squat jump, i.e. would your bench be in a better position today if you had done 30 pushups at the end of every upper day from the start of the year? Tee hee ^___^V

Hmmm .. I still do a lot of closed chain and open chain rowing, so that would be pretty balanced but I have slacked off a lot on my pull-ups to counterbalance the pull-downs. OK ... I'll throw more push-ups in. I'll have to drag my 'perfect push-ups out of the gym bag again.

@ disordered neural patterning

I think it's more your sympathetic system protecting you dude - fight or flight, your back hurts, should we let you lift this 160 deadlift and maybe hurt it more, or stop you in your tracks with a "mindfuk"? With deadlift woes, i reckon overload is best - holding some type of heavy weight in your hands to desensitise like an arachnophobe would hold a spider, whilest that would probably kill you on a bench hence the need for more mass. Unless safe to do so or emergency, your body won't give you full access to strength - e.g. mom lifting a car off baby strength but unable to take the groceries out of the car

One of these days I'll post up a vid of the 'mindfcuk' happening. 160kg feels very light when I pull it and despite knowing this I can still have a MF at 160. Hopefully I'll get a bit of practice over the next few weeks and learn to turn my mind off and just get more automatic again
With the benching I think the biggest physical disability is the absent supraspinatus on the right. The infraspinati and ER don't matter so much but I feel that I've lost a lot of stabilisation on the right and my right tricep seems to work overtime and fatigues quickly. I'm suspecting that in a years' time my benching is going to look pretty much the same as it does today

Hehe guess what i've never done on my greens? Reverse into the same car twice whilest the owner was standing there =^___^=

Ha .... you remember that
Not a moment of gravitas

Best kinda talk

Andrew - IK Rippetoe's staff is creating a book for programming for lifters 40+ which should be very interesting. I haven't hit that age group yet but I would be curious to understand the recovery aspects of masters level lifters a lil more. I think they expect it done b4 the end of this year. When I get it I'll give u my .02 on it.

Thanks Musid .. I don't know that my muscle recovery is that much different form my youth but my joints (knees especially) feel it when I'm pushing the volume
It will be good to see what they think and how they might tweak the programming

[JohnButz]

Excellent Sunday session Andrew! I have seen a little on the occlusion work here and there. What are your thoughts about it overall?

[doughnutgut]

Pretty insightful reading still. I am getting a general idea for the poverty bench of mine by reading this journal.


Interested to see your approach Andrew.


But on the fence to see your thoughts before mine on paper is signed.

[fittofattofit]

Excellent Sunday session Andrew! I have seen a little on the occlusion work here and there. What are your thoughts about it overall?

I think that it's a good idea for deloading the joints while increasing the intensity on the muscle. It certainly helps with the biceps and triceps and I know that a lot of people use it for forearms and quads (using knee wraps or flossing bands). I wouldn't do it for caves because it would probably aggravate my varicose veins
I've got some more detail that I'll post shortly

Pretty insightful reading still. I am getting a general idea for the poverty bench of mine by reading this journal.


Interested to see your approach Andrew.


But on the fence to see your thoughts before mine on paper is signed.

I'll go into a little detail of my thoughts tomorrow. For today I started with the Sheiko beginner bench W1D1 and used the same deadlift schedule that I used last week but I'd be very tempted to do a proper Sheiko workout programme using the Sheiko app ... it actually came through with a default for me when I plugged in the numbers that looked like a hybrid beginner bench with an advanced squatting programme. Pity I'm not really ready to get back into the heavy squats




Monday 20th July 2015

165lbs

Benching/Deadlifts

Sheiko Bench W1D1
5 x 40kg .. 50%
4 x 50kg .. 60%
3 x 56kg .. 70%
3 x 60kg .. 75%
3 x 60kg .. 75%
3 x 60kg .. 75%
3 x 60kg .. 75%
+7 x 60kg
+6 x 60kg
NOL 37 x 71% intensity

deadifts
10 x 70kg (154lbs)
4 x 90kg (198lbs) .. 50%
4 x 110kg (242lbs) .. 60%
4 x 110kg (242lbs) .. 60%
3 x 130kg (286lbs) .. 70%
3 x 130kg (286lbs) .. 70%
3 x 150kg (330lbs) .. 80%
3 x 150kg (330lbs) .. 80%
3 x 150kg (330lbs) .. 80%
3 x 150kg (330lbs) .. 80%
3 x 150kg (330lbs) .. 80%
NOL 33 x 69.7% intensity

I'll go into a little more detail later. Just wanted to get started on the benching and the volume felt way too light so I added two sets with good reps. Deads I stuck with what I did last week. I'm thinking of getting back to some light squatting tomorrow and stretch out that TFL

[Woody-5]

The volume in that bro session is nuts! The upper body must have been pumped to the max! That's a perfect pre-beach workout!

Loving the volume today, especially those DL triples. Manageable weights and pounding the volume hard!

[fittofattofit]

The volume in that bro session is nuts! The upper body must have been pumped to the max! That's a perfect pre-beach workout!

Loving the volume today, especially those DL triples. Manageable weights and pounding the volume hard!

Thanks for dropping in Woody. At the end of that Bro sesh I just wanted to stop and pose in front of the gym mirrors, the pump was so big didn't last long enough for me to get on the prowl though

The volume felt Ok with the deads but I'm still taking forever over my set-up. The approach to the bar is what I really need to work on if I'm going to see some changes in my DLs and unfortunately there was no sign of that improving today

[Sparta11]

Awesome sesh man. Jealous of that deadlift. Your a strong Mofo Andrew.

[jeezyreezy]

That FST-7 work is looking beastly. Most excellent!

[fittofattofit]

Awesome sesh man. Jealous of that deadlift. Your a strong Mofo Andrew.

Thanks Steve ... I was happy with the session although this time last year I repped 180kg/400lbs for a triple so I'm still a long way off that.

That FST-7 work is looking beastly. Most excellent!

Thanks Jeezy .... I've got to keep that upper body work up so I can have guns like yours to show off for our summer




Tuesday 21st July 2015

166lbs

Legs

Horizontal leg press
20 x 160lbs
20 x 200lbs
20 x 240lbs
20 x 280lbs
20 x 320lbs
20 x 360lbs
20 x 370lbs
Full range
Haven't done this for a year

Seated leg extensions ... occlusion
15 x 30kg
12 x 30kg
15 x 25kg
15 x 20kg
15 x 20kg
Tourniquets above the thighs
30 seconds rest between sets

Seated leg curls ... occlusion
15 x 25kg
15 x 20kg
12 x 20kg
12 x 20kg
12 x 20kg
Tourniquets above the thighs
30 seconds rest between sets

Calf presses, leg press machine
20 x 200lbs
20 x 200lbs
15 x 200lbs
14 x 200lbs
12 x 200lbs

Squats
10 x BW
10 x 60kg (132lbs)
10 x 60kg (132lbs)
10 x 60kg (132lbs)
10 x 80kg (176lbs)
10 x 80kg (176lbs)
10 x 80kg (176lbs)
ATG
Stretching out the TFL/ITB

TFL/ITB stretches

70 minutes

It's two weeks since I did any leg work or squats so I figured I'd better start to do something or else I'm going to have the worst ever DOMS when JP gets back
I could still feel the TFL/ITB straining with some warm-up squats so I decided to do some leg presses instead. The horizontal leg press actually lifts the weight vertically so it's a lot heavier than the same weight on the incline leg press, plus I find that it's easier to stop from tilting my pelvis and aggravating the facet joint. Going with a narrower foot placement took the load off the TFL. I did a lot of vigorous stretching between sets
I used the tourniquets on the upper thighs for occlusion training with the extensions and curls ... low weights but the pump was painful.
At the end of the session I did some squats going ATG to stretch out the hips. 80kg felt heavy though ... I'll assess how the TFL/ITB feels tomorrow but I've got no plans to bump the weight on the squats. Rather, I want to make sure that I keep stretching and active so that I can rehab through this thigh strain

[doughnutgut]

Pretty darn solid session Andrew given the strain and length of time without any direct leg work.


80kilo feels heavy because it is.


Try carrying 80kilo worth of shopping across the carpark to the car.


Enjoy the DOMS.