Just trying to be consistent

[allPrimes]

Keeping an online log + paper log == the former not being as updated as the latter but what the hell? Let's do it anyway!

A brief history of allPrimes

Fat kid. Tuba. Lots of food. Little exercise. Semi-professional musician. Fat adult. Smoking. Alcohol, drugs, and rock and roll up to about 2001. Then no more drinky or drugs. 2004 quit smoking, took up distance running. Started around 300lbs of mostly lipid stores. Marathons, half marathons, triathlons. Grad school. Dropped to a flabby 175 at my lowest as an adult (2007). Marriage. Blossomed back up to 245. Divorce (2015). Mild depression.

2015, started lifting with SL 5x5. Loved the barbell. Roughly 6 months of of lifting on SL, then 1.5 years of exploring self-programming, Varkashansky, Wendler, and Prilepin. Some friends convinced me to try CrossFit. Ended up enjoying it but quickly realized I really, really missed strength training and trying to run even a mild 5/3/1 side-by-side with CF was nearly impossible. Plus, I never really saw the use of "30 snatches for time" WODs. Three and a half years of Crossfit and I decided that I wanted to do some strength training alongside running, cycling, and other GPP. Here I am.

Now (Dec 2020)

Just started The Bridge from Barbell Medicine. I'm in my second week.

This is my first go-round with any sort of RPE programming and I'm finding it challenging. I'm trying to be realistic with assignation of RPE values but not so much in the if the world was ending, could I have saved the world with two more squats, form be damned? and more in the I had two more reps in me before my form broke down. It would have been a challenge, but I could have held my form together enough to complete two more reps.

I'm still challenged by whether or not I'm accurately identifying RPE. I'm mildly concerned that I'm "not pushing hard enough" in my lifts but at the same time, the variability in my RPE tags is getting smaller, so I feel like I'm getting better. What really concerns me is how much weaker I feel like I've become after having done CF for the past several years. Meh. It'll come back. At a minimum, CF helped me learn that I enjoy weightlifting and its technical aspects.

Goals

1. Be happy
2. Everything else is gravy.

Fitness goals

1. Be strong and, more importantly, continue to get stronger.
2. Remain injury free. I like the idea of training for durability in addition to strength and endurance because I'm not 25 anymore.
3. Maintain weight close to 200-210lbs. This is a relatively arbitrary number but as a former fat kid that spent most of his life staring at the number on the scale, I could be okay with this number if I also looked like and could lift like a beastie. Currently hovering around 215-220.
4. Continue cycling and running and hiking and skiing and doing all the things.
5. Look like a beast.
6. Lift like a beast. Would like to continue all of the above (inclusive) well into my 60s and beyond!
7. Eat, rest, and recover appropriately for all of my goals.

[allPrimes]

I've been on PTO the past few weeks and it's been fantastic. Eating has been on point at 2,500 cals/day with about 200g proten, 200 g carbs and 95 g fat (all approximate) as well as recovery. I've always slept well (aim for 8 hours/night, most often get 7.75hr, waking up feeling refreshed), even when working, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Yesterday's session, deadlifting, 1ct pause bench, and front squats, was challenging, mostly on the front squat front. The deadlifts seemed to sail up, really; my first time deadlifting with a belt and 260 (which I hadn't pulled in a long time) did not seem like an RPE of 8. The benching was just fine but my trunk was just fucking blasted and front squats were, well, hard. Lots of ab work on my most recent GPP day and morning of hard tree skiing had taken its toll.

Anyway, had a lovely 2 mi run this morning (Sunday 3 Jan) and hope to keep the running up when I go back to work tomorrow and get on to my regularly scheduled workout routine.

[allPrimes]

For the past few weeks, I've been on PTO and it's been lovely. Lift when I want (but generally keeping my early AM sessions) and never having to worry about snagging one of the 7 racks at my new (to me) gym. Today, however, I saw a dude "reserve" an extra rack because "my son is shorter and we have to use two racks" while, at the same time, tell another gym goer "no, we'll be using that [second] rack in just a minute." Then, I proceeded to watch The Reserver do some 1/4 rep squats at 275.

Now, I don't know shit and am not afraid to admit it. It's possible that there is a use for 1/4 rep squats that I'm not aware of. Physical therapy? Artificially high weights so he can get used to having it on his back? Beats me. But The Reserver was killing those 1/4 rep squats.

What I do know is that my top working back squat set of 1x5 @ 8 ended up being at 210lbs but didn't feel like an 8. Maybe a 7, to be honest. I'm still having a challenging time with the RPE thing but it's coming. Slowly. Top set of close-grip bench was 155lbs this morning and was also supposed to be at an RPE of 9, but I think I was closer to 7 or 8. I'm beginning to think that I'm undershooting consistently. Time to push myself more?

Also, squatting or deadlifting with the belt is awesome. It's like magic strength or some shit.

Top set today



EDIT: Woah! Wasn't expecting a full on embedded video from instagram here.

[allPrimes]

1:15 on a treadmill at 3.0mph with 3% incline.

[dw]

Since you mention it, I believe Greg Nuckols said that some studies show that quarter squats train vertical jump better than fill squats.

Whether rationality can be surmised in this case, I couldn't say.

[allPrimes]

Since you mention it, I believe Greg Nuckols said that some studies show that quarter squats train vertical jump better than fill squats.

Whether rationality can be surmised in this case, I couldn't say.

I hadn't ever heard that. I'm going to assume his quarter squats were intentional. Still kind of a schmuck for reserving equipment, though. I need to suck it up and buy a rack so I don't have to go to the gym. A boy can dream...

[allPrimes]

2021-01-06

Slept well last night. In bed by 8:45. Up a few times to pee but nothing big. Up with the alarm at 5am. Eating was good too, at 2500 cals with a standard roughly 200g/200g/100g protein, carbs, and fat. Back to work this week. Not thrilled with that, but meh. Gotta do it.

Workout

Pause squats
4 @ 7 - 165lbs
4 @ 8 - 175
4 @ 9 - 195
4 @ 9 - 185

Squats are great. Love 'em. Felt like 195 wasn't quite a 9 but was close. Maybe an 8.5 or so.

Press with belt
5 @ 6 - 95
5 @ 7 - 110
3 x 5 @ 8 - 110, 105, 105

Pressing with a belt is weird. Don't think I'm using the belt correctly here. Using the belt for squats and DL makes sense to me but I think pressing with the belt...I'm just using it wrong. It doesn't seem to give me the same bracing I get when squatting or DLing. I'll read/watch some videos to see WTF I'm doing wrong. Also, my shoulders are all screwy, I think. The first week of this program, I fucked them up doing a not-narrow-enough for close grip bench press and not-wide-enough for regular bench pressing and I'm still recovering from my stupidity. They're feeling better, but not really back to their fucked up "normal" so I'm not really pushing hard for shoulder stuff. Ick.

Barbell rows
8 @ 6 - 95
8 @ 7 - 105
3 x 8 @ 8 - 120, 115, 110

Rows. Blah. Nothing special here. Just work.

---

Had a flat tire at the gym yesterday. Took less than 15 minutes to change it but it sure did suck having to do it in the icy dark. Although I had no issues and had everything I needed, I was surprised that of the 15 or so people that drove by, only one asked if I needed assistance. Montana is changing, yo.

[JohnHelton]

Glad your logging here. We have a Bozeman connection. My oldest is at MSU, and my wife and I just bought some land southeast of town. We plan to build in a few years.

[allPrimes]

Glad your logging here. We have a Bozeman connection. My oldest is at MSU, and my wife and I just bought some land southeast of town. We plan to build in a few years.

Nice! Congrats on the land. Real estate is stupid here these days. I bought a place on the bleeding western edge of city limits a few years ago, April 2019, before COVID blew everything up.

I moved here for grad school at MSU in 2008 and never left. Love it.

[allPrimes]

2021-01-08

Was up from about 2:30-3:15AM for some reason last night. No idea why. Was in bed by 9pm though, so still got some good sleeps in. Wasn't really thrilled with the 5am alarm but got up anyway. Ate too much chocolate last night, but was delicious because dark chocolate.

First week back to work. Not bad. Haven't worked a five-day work week in a few months! Yay PTO!

Workout

Deadlift

5 @ 6 - 245lbs
5 @ 7 - 255
5 @ 8 - 270
5 @ 8 - 255
5 @ 8 - 240

Was originally aiming for a 235 on the first set, recorded it as an even 6. As I was stripping/adding plates for the next set, discovered that the first small plate was 10lb and not a 5lb, so apparently by 6 today was at 245lbs. Wearing the belt pinches my fat when I deadlift. Stupid rolls of fat getting in the way. Top set was again probably not a clean 8, but still, I'm okay with that. I tore up my left hand during a fall on the ice yesterday so some raw skin wasn't helping.

1ct Bench Press

5 @ 6 - 145
5 @ 7 - 150
5 @ 8 - 155
5 @ 8 - 160
5 @ 8 - 150
5 @ 8 - 150

Nothing special here. Videoed myself benching for the first time in like 5ever. Not bad, but could probably use some tweaking. Lifts were okay and I felt like 150 was a good 8. All things considered, I could have done more if there was a spotter but without one, I feel like 150 is a good 8.

Front Squat

Bailed because holy shit my core is toast from deadlifting. I'll revisit these later today in the garage.

--

Friday AM was weird at the gym. Every other day I've been at the gym early early, it's stupid busy. Today? Nope. Fucking quiet as shit. No idea why. Maybe most people don't like waking up at 5am to lift on Fridays?

[mgil]

I kinda like FS before DL as it's something of a good warmup but not too taxing for DL work.

[allPrimes]

I kinda like FS before DL as it's something of a good warmup but not too taxing for DL work.

I need to revisit this for next week! Last week, I was fried during FS after deadlifting. Shoulda seen today coming and just swapped them as you suggest. Learning is good! Regardless, I'll enjoy some cold FS in my garage later this afternoon so I don't totally bail on them.

[mgil]

I kinda like FS before DL as it's something of a good warmup but not too taxing for DL work.

I need to revisit this for next week! Last week, I was fried during FS after deadlifting. Shoulda seen today coming and just swapped them as you suggest. Learning is good! Regardless, I'll enjoy some cold FS in my garage later this afternoon so I don't totally bail on them.

Andy Baker would program a light FS block on the same day as a solid DL block quite often when I was in his group programming. It's one of the few instances where the accessory lift makes sense to put in front of the main lift. I think it's mainly because the stress differential is so large and the FS has a long range of motion that more than covers what is needed for DL.

[allPrimes]

2021-01-11

Slept well on Saturday night, ate well Saturday. Dinner out, but still (mostly) in my normal macros. Hard ski day on Saturday but great snow and a ton of fun. First five day work week I'd had in a while last week, too!

Workout

Squat w/ belt

5 @ 7 - 195
5 @ 8 - 205
5 @ 8 - 215
5 @ 8 - 220
5 @ 8 - 210
5 @ 8 - 210

Finally starting to nail down the RPE thing. Last week, 210 felt a little "light" but this week 220 felt like a solid 8. Might have been able to go a bit heavier but I don't think there's much of a need to have form collapse even a bit for another 5-10 lbs. Regardless, having a 5 rep squat session at 220lbs is pretty cool, I think.

Also ended up spending nearly an hour in the squat rack. I need to speed this shit up. I think I rest too much between sets. Warm-up, working sets, then gtfo, Steve. Stop dicking around.

Close grip BP

4 @ 7 - 135
4 @ 8 - 140
4 @ 9 - 155
4 @ 9 - 160
4 @ 9 - 165

I don't think I really like this close grip bench pressing. It fucks with my shoulders. Then again, it's entirely possible that I'm not doing them right. I read descriptions and I watch videos on doing it right, but my shoulders have never felt as crappy as they have since I started close-grip bench pressing. Not a big fan. Then again, I'm having a session at Ollie's on Thursday with Dan to get some tips on benching form which I'm sure will be helpful. I may bail on CGBP and go to incline or something. Not thrilled with this but still impressed that my numbers are so high. I think that alone is evidence that I'm doing it wrong!

[JohnHelton]

You should have @Testiclaw give you some thoughts on RPE training. I fully endorse his experiments hitting @7s with backoffs. I only like training at >7 RPE with high reps. I definitely don't think the higher intensity with low reps works great for us older guys.

BTW, my daughter has her first day on the slopes at Bridger Bowl today. She just got back in town a week ago, and it took her a little while to get her reservation.

[allPrimes]

2021-01-12

In bed by 9:15 after a nasty, nasty deuce and was up off an on last night for no real reason. Thoughts of flying, what would it feel like to have a tooth removed in a torture situation (why the fuck was this in my head?), and other nonsense thoughts, no "anxiety" but just a mind running. Kept me up for a half hour or so at 2:30pm. Ended up waking up at 4:30 and dozed for 30 minutes before the alarm went off at 5 and I popped up. 2500 cals seems like a good amount for me. Not too much, not too little. I've been able to hit it pretty well with a good balance of macros.

Workout

2ct Pause Squat

4 @ 7 - 170
4 @ 8 - 185
4 @ 9 - 205
4 @ 9 - 205
4 @ 9 - 200

I like squatting. My right foot is dumb, though, and it's taking some work to keep it straight and the heel down. Lots of mobility work in the last few weeks and I can see it getting better, but there's still a way to go. Todays top sets at 205 were real "9" sets for me. The last rep of the second @9 was definitely a grind. Still got it out, though. Made a point of keeping the top weight for the second set, too, to see how it felt. Definite 9 there.

Press with belt

5 @ 6 - 5
5 @ 7 - 110
4 x 5 @ 8 - 120, 120, 115, 110

Meh. Shoulders still feel a bit off but was able to put up 2 sets of 120 today, > than @9, likely. Don't think I'm really doing this lift the way I should be but only the way I was taught, lo these many years ago.

Barbell row

8 @ 6 - 100
8 @ 7 - 110
4 x 8 @ 8 - 120, 120, 120, 120

Nothing special other than making a point of keeping the same weight for all of the last @8 sets. Could definitely feel it in my lats! Grip wasn't going today which felt weird. Good? No idea.

---

You should have @Testiclaw give you some thoughts on RPE training. I fully endorse his experiments hitting @7s with backoffs. I only like training at >7 RPE with high reps. I definitely don't think the higher intensity with low reps works great for us older guys.

BTW, my daughter has her first day on the slopes at Bridger Bowl today. She just got back in town a week ago, and it took her a little while to get her reservation.

We're connecting on Thursday for some benching review and I'll bring it up then. Dude is a wealth of information and happy to share. Me likey.

The reservation system at Bridger has been okay so far. Early in the season it was complete shit. Whatever server they were running just wasn't powerful enough to handle the load. They must have upped the resources to that server because now it's a much smoother process. There's only been two days where I haven't been able to get a reservation (which could be famous last words!) but so far, I'm okay with the whole thing. All we need now is more snow to bury the rocks a bit deeper!

Bridger got about 15" last week. I skied hard on Saturday; the snow was great! Best snow of the season so far. Hopefully she has a good time! I always do.

[allPrimes]

2021-01-13

7 hours of sleep last night. In bed by 9:30, woke up at 4:30. Slept right through, maybe getting up to take a piss. Eating on point yesterday, too. No real big stressors. Work is going smoothly, shoulders feel better (after toasting them a few weeks ago with bad form on CGBP).

GPP Day on The Bridge

3pt dumbbell rows

7min AMRAP at 35lbs.

Will likely go heavier next week. Not even sure if this is the kind of row that I should be doing or if I should focus on machine row, barbell row, upright, etc. Seems like if the program had wanted specificity, they would have included it. Wrote down the total number, but left log in my car...

Skull crushers

5 x 12 @ 45lbs

Picked 45lbs because seemed like a good weight and the rep/set scheme because why not? Note that this isn't really on The Bridge but I likes me my tris, bro.

Dead bugs

Max isometric ab work in 7min. Again, wrote down the total but it's in my car.

Cardio

30 mins on treadmill at 3.5mph and 2.5% incline.

No idea how to do cardio at an RPE @ 6. If the sidewalks weren't so fucking icy around here, I'd get out for a run. Looks like it might only be my neighborhood (because shit snow removal contractor hired by the HOA) so I just need to get off my ass and go for a run, especially considering that temps should be in the 40s today.

---

Shoulders definitely feeling better. If you'll recall (or not, likely), my first week of close grip bench press, I wasn't wide enough for a regular bench press but wasn't narrow enough for close grip and fucked things up. I've been working out those kinks for a few weeks now and things are finally starting to get back to my "normal" level of shoulder weirdness. Also, I feel like my eating has been on point for the past few weeks. 2500 cals is healthy. I'm aiming for ~190g of protein, at least. Carbs and fats whatevs, but I'm really trying to hit my protein goals. So far, I'm liking it.

[Testiclaw]

[mgil]

Nice!

[allPrimes]

2021-01-14

I'm fucking blown away by how the bench set up looks in the video that @Testiclaw posted above. Not sure I've ever actually seen my lats like that before in any video I've taken of any bench press of mine. Ever. Clearly have some bad habits to unlearn. Thanks Dan for making it easy.

Workout

Belted deadlift

*ILWIIMC = In log which is in my car

5 @ 6 - ILWIIMC
5 @ 7 - ILWIIMC
3 x 5 @ 8 - 277lbs, 270, 270

Lots of focus still needed here. I move too fast off the floor and need to patient. Stay tight and press the floor away rather than trying to leap up! There's no need to just get it all up and one speed. Also, be patient when getting up. Keep firing all lower body goodness, and it'll lock out at the top. No reason to shrug the shoulders back. Just keep going, firing, and doing what needs to be done.

1ct bench press

All sets/reps mostly form work

3x5 @ 8 - 63kg/138.6lbs

Form work with Dan. Big changes, but necessary. Lower weights of course with the new set up but wow what a difference! At a minimum, this shit was hard. Motor pathways need to be retrained.

Things to remember: shoulders pinched, lats engage, horizontal leg drive, keep the elbows away from my torso. Much more, of course, and will start regularly videoing my benching.

Front squat

8 @ 6 - ILWIIMC
8 @ 7 - ILWIIMC
3x8 @ 8 - 60kg/132lb

Trunk just toasted from deadlifting but seems okay to drop these weights to maintain good form and keep RPE where it needs to be with the trunk fatigue.

---

Still eating and sleeping well. Feeling really good, to be honest. Some soreness, to be expected, but all in all I feel great. Weighed myself for the first time in bit yesterday morning and right at 100kg.