M. Phelps, Awesome Log, Great Job!

[MPhelps]

So I'm finally starting a log. I'm probably the last one here doing it, so it's going to be pretty amazing stuff.

Male, 43, 5'6.5", currently 158 lbs down from a high of 207 earlier this year. The permabulk was not going well, and my lifts were going backwards. So I've been cutting since May of this year.

Started lifting the barbell in 2014 after doing bro stuff all of my life. When I was a young guy, nobody squatted, everyone did machines and dumbbells and that's it. The 32mm cheap bar remained in the bench where it belonged.

I got to Stronglifts via the bodybuilding.com forums. I did that until 5x5 was starting to stall, then I unfortunately got into the starting strength quagmire about a month into my LP. I would say the only good thing about switching was learning to power clean.

My LP stats between Stronglifts and SS are:
SQ 135x5x5-->320x5x3
Bench 115x5x5-->205x5x3
DL 155x5-->320x5
Press 75x5x5-->135x5x3
Power Clean suckfest to maybe 115

I switched to 531 after doing the advanced novice BS for 2 weeks, where I switched the days and ended up failing at the same weight my LP failed at. I must have subconsciously knew that SS was hand-wavy BS because after trying to wade through the dumpster fire known as Practical Programming I saw something simple and possibly doable with 531. Did 531 for about 8 months and hit a few 1RMs which weren't any better than the e1RMs from SS, so maybe not much better, but it certainly wasn't terrible. I got really big (at the time I thought was muscular, but now I realize it certainly wasn't), up to a high of around 230.

After 531 got stale, I tried 4 day TM with the higher volume pressing for about 6 weeks and it actually helped my bench and press to 1RMs of 220 bench and 162.5 press. Squat and DL predictably did nothing and didn't come close to my 1RMs.

During this whole time I was thinking about trying Olympic weightlifting (from here out known as "Oly". Kidding that term is awful and hopefully is dead outside of crossfit. I'll just call it weightlifting, as opposed to powerlifting, strengthlifting, nerdlifting).

So since 9/2015 I've been exclusively weightlifting. I have little ambition to lift in a meet, and since the nearest meet to me since 2015 when I started was about a 2.5 hour drive, I haven't pursued it. If there was one within 1.5 hours of here, I might reconsider. I also have no intention of taking a weekend off from my son to go lift and come in 8th place in the 73 M40 category in a local meet.

I've tried just about every type of free program out there, from Squat erry day, Bulgarian for Americans (lift way past what you should for the day, once a day without drugs), Russian style programming for Americans (do a few sets of every variation possible for 8 weeks and then fuck up a taper, again without drugs), and a couple of times trying one of Andy Baker's laughable HLM weightlifting programs from PPST3 (bench 5x5 and snatch and deadlift and press 5x5 don't work in one week).

My best lifts ever in American since I have pound plates and converting to kg's is pretentious:
Snatch 173.5 @197 lbs
Clean and Jerk 225@197 lbs
Squat (high bar of course) 395@195 lbs
Front Squat 335@195 lbs
Push Press 185@195 lbs


I'm now doing a masters 3 day a week program I got for free from Catalyst Athletics. It's got a good amount of volume and has worked with me adjusting to my lower bodyweight. Lately I've been more into hiking and cycling than lifting, and this program doesn't seem to wreck my recovery. The weights I'm currently lifting are laughably low, but I feel like I need to start over, re-learn my leverages and work up slowly. My technique is way better than it ever was, and now that I'm completely over SS, I don't feel like I need to drive my dick into the ground every training session and try to lift more every session. Sweet smell of easy.

TL;DR

I lost a bunch of weight, become a soyboy as our best bud DR would say, and now I'm doing a 3 day a week program from Catalyst Athletics. I'm focusing on technique and allowing the snatch (my least good lift) to drive progress. I'm basing all my lift ratios off of snatch. So in other words, the recommended percentage of snatch to back squat is 64%, so I divide my snatch by .64 and get my back squat numbers.

All weights are in pounds since my oversized crossfit plates are in pounds.
Singles across are listed as weightx1x5, if I only do one single at a weight I just list the weight with no numbers following it.
I may throw an RPE for heavy singles in the lifts. It's based on RTS's weightlifting chart which uses weight rather than number of reps.

Saturday 10/06/18
Bodyweight in AM 157.8

Max testing day from last cycle:
Snatch-45x1x5, 65x1x5, 75, 80,85,90,95,100,105,110- last single, walked in forward a bit, around an @8.5
CJ-75x1x5, 95, 105, 115, 125, 132.5, 137.5-felt heavy, but solid.
Planks 2x45 seconds superset with reverse hypers 2x15

God I'm weak, but if I meaure the proportions of best lifts when I was 207 to now, it's not really much of a difference in weight.

Update August 2019: quit Olympic lifting months ago. Now doing 2 days a week of 531 FSL 5x5 for bench and press, with power cleans and box squats for deadlift and squat assistance.

October 2019. Current situation, permanent deload with front squats, bench, RDL and inverted rows using 531 deload percentages. I'll add weight every 6 weeks. Don't care about the actual weight on the bar, as long as it's not too heavy or too light.

Focusing on cross country skiing, and hiking and mountain biking off-season.

[Wilhelm]

Very cool, @MPhelps \o/

Nice to have another oly weightlifting log onsite.

Good lifting to you.

[MPhelps]

Thanks Wilhelm!

Monday October 8, 2018.

Snatch 45x5, 73.5x3x2, 79x3x2

Snatch pull 84x3, 84x7, 84x5 misread first set as a three so I went deep into hypertrophy anti strength territory on set 2 to make up

Front squat 101.5x3x3

Yeah, stupid light and microlading, but I want to keep weight close to prescribed percentages, so I round up .5 lb.
Hopefully within a few months I'll be lifting records...
...American
...women's master 50-55 year old
...45 weight class.

Right now I'm fine with it.

[MPhelps]

Wednesday October 10, 2018

Bodyweight:157.6

Halting snatch deadlift+hang snatch 73.5x(1+1)x5
Snatch deadlift 105x5x3
Muscle snatch+Snatch balance+overhead squat 70x(1+1+1)x5
Push press+jerk 80x(1+1)x3

[MPhelps]

Friday October 12, 2018

Bodyweight 158

Clean and jerk 92x(3+1)x2, 99x(3+1)x2

Clean pull 105x5x3

Squat 127.5x5x3

It feels weird writing such crazy low weights. Keeping my faith in the process. I seem to have stalled a bit on weight loss. Hitting about 2600 cals a day. May be reaching my maintenance cals. Oh well, no rush to lose any more weight.

[MPhelps]

This is tedious.

Monday October 15, 2018

Snatch 79x3x2, 84x2x2
Snatch pull 90x4x3
Front Squat 109x3x3
Planks and reverse hypers 2 sets

[MPhelps]

Wednesday October 17, 2018

Halting clean deadlift+hang clean 92x(1+1)×5
Clean deadlift 131.5x5x3
Snatch balance 73.5x2x3
Jerk 105x2x5

[MPhelps]

Friday October 19, 2018

Clean and jerk 99x(3+1)×2, 105×(2+1)×2
Clean pull 112x4x3
Squat 132.5x5x3

[MPhelps]

Monday October 21, 2018

Snatch 79x3x2, 84x2, 89, 94.5
Snatch pull 94.5x3x3
Front squat 109x3, 116x3, 109x3

Someday these weights may be in kgs, even though I'll still log in pounds, so multiply by 2.2...

[MPhelps]

Wednesday October 24, 2018

Halting snatch deadlift+hang snatch 79x(1+1)×3
Snatch deadlift 110.5x4x3
Snatch balance+OHS 84x(1+1)×3
Push press+jerk 85.5x(1+1)×3

[MPhelps]

Friday October 26, 2018

Bodyweight: 156

Clean+jerk 99×(3+1)×2, 105×(2+1), 112×(2+1), 118
Clean pull 118x3x3
Squat 136x5x3

Spent about 2.5 hours in the woods this afternoon, all off-trail with about 35 lb pack. Ridiculous blowdown mixed with cliffs. Got a nice bruise right where the bar touches on my shin. Not a good choice, shoud've went somwhere else, you know with a trail Luckily the weights I'm lifting are ridiculously low or I'd be hurting.

[MPhelps]

Monday October 29, 2018

Snatch 79x3, 84x2, 89.5, 94.5, 99
Snatch pull 99x3x3
Front squat 109x3, 116x2, 123.5x2

Wednesday October 31, 2018

Rushed through this between hiking and trick or treating. Hiked 5 miles, 1900 vertical.

Clean deadlift+hang clean 99x(1+1)×3
Clean deadlift 138x4x3
Overhead squat 90x2x3
Push press+jerk 92x(1+1)×3

[MPhelps]

November 2, 2018

Clean+jerk 99×(3+1), 105×(2+1), 112, 118, 125
Clean pull 125x3x3
Squat 136x5, 145x5, 136x3

[broseph]

In on log with Tim & Eric themed title.

[MPhelps]

In on log with Tim & Eric themed title.

You'll be very bored, but thanks for coming by. I still watch that shit every day. Even though it's 10 years old now.

Monday November 5, 2018

Snatch 79x2, 84x2, 89.5x1x3
Snatch pull 94.5x2x3
Front squat 116x2, 123.5, 130.5

[MPhelps]

Wednesday November 7, 2018

Power snatch 73.5x2x5
Power clean+split jerk 92x2x5
Snatch balance 84x1x3

Kind of rushed this a bit. Didn't warm up the cleans or snatch balanced at all. I power snatch balanced the first one and almost lost the second one forward, which is totally not the point of assistance exercises with balance in the title, so I did a warm up set with 65x3, then did 3 good reps.

[broseph]

In on log with Tim & Eric themed title.

You'll be very bored, but thanks for coming by. I still watch that shit every day. Even though it's 10 years old now.

Most logs are pretty boring except for occasional PR’s, experimentation, and complaining.

My job involves occasionally going in for brief periods in the middle of the night. Tim and Eric stuff is my go to to unwind a bit before going back to bed.

[MPhelps]

Friday November 9, 2018

Clean+jerk 99x2, 105x2, 112x1x3
Clean pull 118x2x3
Squat 145x2x3

[MPhelps]

Monday November 12, 2018

Snatch 73.5, 79, 84x1x2
Clean and jerk 92, 99, 105x2
Front squat 101.5x3, 109x2, 116

Wednesday November 15, 2018

Snatch 63, 68, 74, 63x1x3
CJ 79, 85.5, 92, 79x1x3

Skied 6 miles (Nordic) beforehand. It's nice to have snow this skiable this early.

[MPhelps]

Erased my fucking post. Oh well short version lifting 2 days in a row ain't working.

Saturday 11 17
Sn cj warmups

Sunday 11 18 testing. Bodyweight 151.6 after a 2 day water cut.

Snatch 45x1x5, 65x1x2, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 107.5, 115

CJ 85x1x2, 95, 105, 115, 125, 135, 144

Went pretty well. CJ felt pretty light.

Monday 11 19

Snatch shitshow. I missed 2 of these which makes no sense other than I must be tired from having to lift 2 days in a row. Plus I rushed through it after work while making dinner at the same time. As expected, the lifting sucked and I overcooked dinner. Oh well, it all comes out the same on the other end. I'll be sore and sitting on the shitter tomorrow regardless if lifting went well and dinner turned out right.

45x3, 77x3x2, 82.5x3x2.

Snatch pull 88x5x3
Front squat 105x3x3