Grizzly Adam's Montana Method Log

[GrizzlyAdam]

Hello! I’m Adam. It’s good to be here.

Male, 38, 6’4”, fat, bearded

I've been “training” for about three years. In that time I’ve fluctuated between making progress (mostly on SSLP), losing most of it due to various injuries (and handling them poorly), and program hopping.

PR’s are 415 squat, 525 deadlift, 295 bench, and 185 press. Trying to get stronger while rehabbing my back, also trying to get serious about reducing my waist size.

[GrizzlyAdam]

Monday 12/11
BW: 327

Squat: 45x6x2, 135x6, 185x6, 225x6@6, 240x6@7, 250x6x2@8,8
Bench: 45x10, 135x6, 170x6, 190x6@6, 205x6@7, 220x6x2@7.5,8.5
Row: 135x5, 135x16,5,5,4
DB Curls: 22.5x12x3
DB LTE: 22.5x12x3

[mgil]

Good luck with the recovery from injury!

[GrizzlyAdam]

Good luck with the recovery from injury!

Thank you, sir!

[GrizzlyAdam]

Wednesday 12/13

Bright and early. BW 325

Press: 45x6, 95x6, 120x6 @6, (belt/wraps) 127.5x6 @7, 135x6x2 @8,8 (4 mins rest)
RDL: 135x8, 185x8, 205x8, 225x8x3 (2.5 mins rest)
DBBP: 40x5, 50x10, 60x14@8, x5, x4 (myoreps)
DB curls: 25x12x3 (1 min rest)
Tricep Pushdown: 110x12x3 (1 min rest)

[GrizzlyAdam]

Fri 12/15

Early am workout. Very little sleep. BW 328 (I know fluctuations of 1-5 lbs don’t really mean anything for a dude my size, but they still mess with my head)

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x6, (belt/straps) 300x6@6?, 320x6@6.5, 345x6@7.5, 350x4 - easy, but got weird pain/tightness in sacral region on 3rd and 4th reps, so stopped. Not interested in going back to injury land.

CGBP: (press grip) 45x8, 95x8, 135x8, 177.5x8@6, 187.5@7, 197.5x8@8-9 (looked fast, but felt like a 9), 190x8@9.5, 185x8@same - Overshooting RPE makes a mess out of things, for me anyway. Though I thing part of this was just high volume CGBP and the inevitable triceps fatigue.

Leg Press (2 ct paused): 225x8, 405x16,5,5,5,5,5 (undershot the weight, but at least I got a wicked pump)

Skipped arm work because I ran out of time.

[GrizzlyAdam]

Mon 12/18

6pm session. Didn't weigh myself, partly because I neglected to track food over the weekend, and I just didn't want to know.

Squat: 45x5x2, 135x6, 185x6, 235x6@not sure - but about 1” high on all reps, 245x6@7, 255x6x3@8,8,8

-Depth was better for @7 and @8 sets. Had some tightness in my lower back/sacrum after a couple of sets, but no pain. Working on keeping my chest up on the ascent. Not lifting it, but making sure I don’t bend over more at the bottom. It feels harder, since my back is taking on work that my hips are used to doing, but the bar path is much better (not going forward *as much*). So I’m trusting that I will be stronger in the long run.

Bench: 135x6, 185x6, 205x6@6.5, 210x6@7, 220x6@8.25, 8, 9

-Got more aggressive on the second set at 220, which helped the RPE. But I also irritated my neck/upper trap on that set. Pros and cons! In general I've been trying to slow everything down and work on form, even if it means moving less weight. But that gets frustrating.

Pendlay Row: 135x5, 145x16,5,4

[GrizzlyAdam]

Press: 45x6, 95x6, 115x6@6, (belt/wraps) 125x6@6, 130x6@6.5, 137.5x6@7.5, 140x6x2@8,8

-Adjusted grip a little since the bar was uneven at the top or the first few warmups. Seemed to help. I should have gone straight to 140 for the @8 sets, but 137.5 was my plan, and I’m still learning to adjust on the fly based on RPE.

RDL: (straps) 135x8, 185x8, 210x8, 225x8, 235x8x3

-I’ve done these twice now, and they are awkward as hell. I’ve considered wearing a belt, both for general tightness and because of my recent back trouble. But I know I could do a lot more weight with the belt, and this is supposed to be a lighter movement... Of course, I think I change variations next week anyway, so kind of a moot point for now.

DBBP: 40'sx8, 65'sx14,4,4,3

-Had to use a skinnier bench tonight, which wrecked my back tightness and leg drive. But it’s dumbbell bench, so I guess not a huge deal. As a side note, I'm kind of loving myoreps for these, rows, and leg presses. So much volume so quickly, and they don’t seem to cause a lot of soreness. That said, I can’t imagine doing them for squats or deadlifts. My strength drops off pretty quickly as I get further into a set, and my form just isn’t dialed in enough to hold up under that kind of fatigue.

[GrizzlyAdam]

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x6, 315x6@6, (belt/straps) 335x6@7, 355x6x3@8, 7.5, 8 (4 mins rest)

-DL's felt really good today. No back pain at all, though by the end I definitely felt like my low back had been working. Watching the video, my back moves at the start of pretty much every rep. I don't think it's my lumbar coming out of extension, but something goes on and seeing it makes me nervous.

CG Incline Bench: 45x8, 95x8, 135x8, 147.5x8, 150x8x2, 150x9 (3 mins rest)

-Super light, but in the moment (with fried triceps), I really didn't think I had more than about two left in the tank. In retrospect, I think I just need to get better at high reps. And incline.

Leg Press (paused): 225x8, 445x16,5,5,5,5,5 (myoreps)

-Muscles got fatigued - legs were burning - but the weight was never a struggle. What *was* a struggle was that I could barely breathe between the sets. My heart was pounding, and I started to feel dizzy. That may just be a consequence of doing the valsava on every rep on a set of 16. Or maybe I just need to improve my conditioning. I mean, I absolutely need to improve my conditioning. But maybe it would help with these.

[GrizzlyAdam]

Early AM session. Threw the roast in a low oven and headed out to the garage to get in some lifting before the guests arrived. A little chilly out, but not too bad.

Squat: 45x6x2, 135x6, 185x6, 230x6@6, 240x6@7, 250x6x3@8,8,7.5

-Weights down a little from last week, but I've been eating like crap and not sleeping enough. Plus the last squat set was easier, so maybe it just took a while to warm up in the unheated garage.

Bench (1 ct pause): 45x10, 135x6, 185x6, 200x6@6, 210x6@6.5, 225x6@9, 215x6@9, 205x6@8.5

-Doing a single paused rep actually feels better to me than a TNG rep. But pausing every rep for a set of 6 really adds to the overall fatigue. 225 felt great the first few reps, and way too difficult the last couple. Had to drop weight just to hold @9 after that.

Skipped rows. Had to get cooking.

[GrizzlyAdam]

Airdyne - 10 min steady state

[Wilhelm]

Early AM session. Threw the roast in a low oven and headed out to the garage to get in some lifting before the guests arrived. A little chilly out, but not too bad.

Squat: 45x6x2, 135x6, 185x6, 230x6@6, 240x6@7, 250x6x3@8,8,7.5

-Weights down a little from last week, but I've been eating like crap and not sleeping enough. Plus the last squat set was easier, so maybe it just took a while to warm up in the unheated garage.

Bench (1 ct pause): 45x10, 135x6, 185x6, 200x6@6, 210x6@6.5, 225x6@9, 215x6@9, 205x6@8.5

-Doing a single paused rep actually feels better to me than a TNG rep. But pausing every rep for a set of 6 really adds to the overall fatigue. 225 felt great the first few reps, and way too difficult the last couple. Had to drop weight just to hold @9 after that.

Skipped rows. Had to get cooking.

Nice work, Grizz.

I have been doing 2 count paused bench to get ready for my first meet. I started when i deloaded, and after a while adding weight, i shifted from 5s to 4s Just adding more sets of fewer reps for overall increase over time.
I can do 4 reps on one breath, and that helps me keep a lot of my initial tightness for all 4 reps.

I start out with a "heavier" triple, as i'm trying to get up to doing my single PR for a triple.

Just how i've managed the extra fatigue of the paused reps. : )

[GrizzlyAdam]

I have been doing 2 count paused bench to get ready for my first meet. I started when i deloaded, and after a while adding weight, i shifted from 5s to 4s Just adding more sets of fewer reps for overall increase over time.
I can do 4 reps on one breath, and that helps me keep a lot of my initial tightness for all 4 reps.

That's a really great idea. I hadn't thought about how all those little reset breaths leaked tightness. Not sure I could do four paused reps on one breath, but I could get two or three, and work up from there. Thanks, Wilhelm!

[Wilhelm]

Just keep in mind that i'm not very experienced with programming etc...
I basically wanted my paused bench to go up closer to my max as i approach my meet, and the 5s got to be too much as i was adding weight.
Just wanted to share what has worked over a very short time for me. I want to be careful to qualify my "advice" to others.
I have been doing drop sets as well, and may add a third set of sets a further 10lbs down. Those i'd do for more reps and take breaths.


But i have seen people using the more sets of fewer reps approach to spread out the fatigue.

[GrizzlyAdam]

Evening session, in the garage. Twenty degrees, and the knurling on my frozen OPB was pretty painful.

Press (pause at bottom): 45x6, 95x6, 127.5x6@7, (belt/wraps) 135x6x4@8,7.5,8,8.5
-These felt good. Again, a little less weight than last week. But between the holiday and the cold garage, I’ll take it. Puts my E1RM around 175, though I’m pretty certain I could press 185 if I had to. Either way, 24 reps at 135 is good volume.

RDL: 135x8, 225x8@6, 245x8@7.5, 255x8@8-8.5
-I was supposed to do three sets @8, but I called it after one. My lower back was giving me warnings, plus the lights in the garage went out. I took it as a sign.

Airdyne intervals: 10|1:50 x5
-First time doing these. The first two sprints weren’t bad, because I hadn’t figured out how to push it. The last three were really hard for just ten seconds’ effort.

[GrizzlyAdam]

Quick session between a short work day and a trip to the airport (for a trip to Nashville, to see my folks).

Deadlift: 135x6, 225x6, (straps) 315x6, (belt) 335x6@6.5, 355x6x3@7,7,8

-Pulled shoeless today (because I didn’t want to pack my lifting shoes for a weekend trip), and the DL’s felt easier and more secure than last week. I’m not ready to attribute that to shoes, though. It wasn’t a dramatic difference.

Still see some movement in my back on the video, and I felt some tightness in my right lumbar between a couple sets, but I decided to keep going, and just squeeze harder.

IDBBP: 40’sx8, 60’sx8x5 (90 secs rest)

-This was improvised, since I was low on time, and the incline bench press was occupied. These were all @5-6, but I kept rests short and did a bunch of volume.

[GrizzlyAdam]

Happy New Year! It was 14 degrees outside tonight, and not much more in the garage. I rushed training a bit and cut it short, but got some good work in.

Squat: 45x5x2, 135x5, 225x3, 275x1, 290x1@5, 315x1@6.5, 335x1@7.5, 250x6x3@7-8

-E1RM = 365
volume = 20 reps @257.5 avg
tonnage = 5150



I seem to shift slightly to the right as I initiate the ascent on my squats. I don’t feel it, but I see it on video, on a lot of reps. Need to figure out a
way to fix that.


Bench (1 ct pause): 135x5, 185x3, 225x2, 240x1@6.5, 260x1@8, 267.5x1@9.5, 195x6x3@5-6 (90 seconds rest for the backoffs)

-E1RM = 275
volume = 21 reps @203 avg
tonnage = 4277.5



The 267 single was stupid. 260 was harder than I would have liked, and I just threw more weight on. Ah well. On the backoffs, I played around with
doing multiple reps per breath, like @Wilhelm suggested. I was happy with the result, though I could only get two reps per breath. I
feel like I can improve that with work. Having warmer air to breathe will help, too.

[GrizzlyAdam]

Evening session in the garage. Temp was 25 degrees, which almost felt okay.

Press: 45x6, 95x5, 115x3, 135x2, (belt/wraps) 147.5x1, 157.5x1@6, 165x1@7, 172.5x1@7.5, 175x1@8, 135x6x3@8

Rows: 135x8, 155x8, 175x8x2

Notes: Pausing every rep on the press definitely limits what I can do for higher reps. But it’s been much better for my shoulder, so I can live with that.

[GrizzlyAdam]

I was supposed to spend some time on the Airdyne, but I shoveled snow instead. I bought my first house about four months ago, and before that I'd either lived places where snow wasn't an issue, or lived in apartments where they shoveled for you. All that to say, I'm not very good at it. Part is equipment. I need a shovel with a longer handle (I'm 6'4", so I end up stooping a lot) and a bigger bucket (I'm not limited by strength, so moving more snow at once would be helpful). But the biggest problems are (1) it's a lot of fast bending over and standing up, like twisty back extensions, and (2) I don't have a sense yet of the right order to attack things.

Anyway, here's a little outtake from my Christmas bench session. Sound ON.

[Wilhelm]

These work great.
https://www.rakuten.com/shop/unbeatable ... gKU9_D_BwE
My main trick is plowing out a channel(s) to an area(s) i don't need clear, then taking buckets full and sliding them to the end and dumping. It's pretty easy to push it uphill too, so you can work with whatever terrain you have.
As i walk the channel, i'll take a little more.
Just take a little bite and you can deepen the channel with each pass.
The key being you don't really take the shovel off the ground hardly ever.
If it's not sticky wet snow, you can just stop and pull back to empty. Or tip it on its edge without having to actually lift it.
We have a hillside on one side of the house, so clearing a walk and a path to the p[ropane tank is pretty easy as i just push it over the edge.
Take a big bite and slide it back, steer into your channel and walk it to the street or wherever.
No need to even push really hard through stuff once you're sliding along
Just drag it back empty to do it again.
If it's just paths to the bottom of a drive or to outbuildings, same principal.
Take a first bite, and rewalk the path taking more each pass.
The channel, if deep enough, will contain the snow if you want to load two or three bucketsfull in, then push it all along.

You'd find what works for you in short order.
I only use the regular shovel for certain tight spots anymore.

Is your roof steeply pitched? You may want to ask local people about roof rakes. If it's going to be melting and refreezing without sliding off, you can get lots of weight up there even when it doesn't look like it.
Better to clear at least the bulk before a melt/refreeze.
Much easier to rake it when it isn't crusted in ice. Or worse yet, just full on ice at the bottom.
We have a metal roof, so much of the time it will slide off on its own, but depending on conditions, i still need to rake.

If you are ever in the market for a snowblower, a Toro 2 stage 10hp with hardened gears is worth at least a look.
We don't have one, but the hardened gears eliminate the need for shear pins.
That's a grand we don't have to spend though. So if and when my neighbor is no longer around (he does most of the neighborhood with his Kubota tractor) I'll just park at the bottom of our drive and cede the bulk of the drive to the snow.
Then it will be just removing the berm left by the town plow, and making paths as needed.