Salahudin Shazlee ALPS

[Salahudin]

Starting from this Saturday I am going to log my morning weight to guilt myself into compliance
Saturday April 13: 86.0kg

[KyleSchuant]

What's your height, O Conquerer? And age and previous injuries and all that stuff. What are you after here, apart from The Strong?

[Salahudin]

My good man my height is the same as yours, 178cm, fortunately no previous injuries, 23 years old, my Herculean all time prs are squat 105kg, deadlift 110kg, bench 66.5kg, press 42.5kg.

My goals are to hopefully achieve the standards you spoke of 90's front squat, 100 snatch grip deadlift and 40's press.

To be honest I am only really into lifting to prevent back pain and general degradation which comes from life and especially striking and grappling. Also eventually looking swole say in 3 years would be nice.

I used to fight at 64kg so my immediate plan is too run my weight loss with my current diet alongside ALPS, hopefully to about 70kg, so I can actually be kinda fast again.

It's actually quite funny that my technique is leagues ahead compared to before, but due to my Asgard approved weight gain I would get demolished by my old self due to gassing out after 3 minutes.

I do think that sensible weight gain over a longer period of time would not have as much of a detrimental effect as this time, but hey you live and you learn

Anyways how's everything with you @KyleSchuant

[KyleSchuant]

70kg would be rather lanky and in fact on the lower end of healthy bodyweight, alright if all you were doing was running, but with some fighting happening closer to 80 than 70 would be right. And of course, 70kg would not be swole at all. Get under 80kg and see how you're going there.

You are correct about the weight gain and gassing out. The quicker the weight gain, the more of it will be fat. And the SS aversion to cardio other than waddling to the buffet is wrong-headed.

What's your day's food look like? Any dietary restrictions?

[Salahudin]

Foods good, no dietary restriction only caveat is that my body tends to respond better to natural foods than say protein powders as in better digestion, less acne etc.

My current diet is as follows:

Breakfast
4 egg ommelate + 2 toast

Lunch
Cup of pasta+ tin of tuna+ veggies+ pasta sauce

Dinner
Mutton steak+ veggies+mashed potato

Calories add up to around 2100-2200 calories and about 140 grams of protein not the best. I could switch the steak with chicken breast maybe although I would need to find a better way to Cook it for taste

[KyleSchuant]

That seems a decent start point. I'd add in a snack of a cup of yoghurt with a couple of pieces of fruit.

Given your previous lifts and bodyweight, you can double the rate of progression on FSQ and OHP until you hit FSQ60 and OHP35. You don't have to, of course, no harm done either way.

[Salahudin]

Awesome will do thank you

[Salahudin]

Front Squat
26.5kg:3,3,3,3,3
Press 1.0
26.5kg:5,5,5
Snatch Grip Deadlift
50kg:5,5,5

[Salahudin]

Current weight:85.8kg
Pretty darn exhausted from chucking furniture to the dump all day, will train tomorrow, I promise

[KyleSchuant]

Go train. Your lifts are at a level where you should be able to do them on three hours' sleep and no breakfast.

The rule is: unless you have a fever or anything involuntarily coming out either end, go train. If you need to you go lighter, for example you have a cough and are supposed to front squat 75kg, okay you do 50kg, so what, at least you're practising the movement. Then you work back up at a rate depending on what was wrong with you. But you always at least go in and do the movements.

If you only lift when everything's perfect your training won't last long.

[Salahudin]

As promised

Front squat
29 kg:3,3,3,3,3
Press 1.0
29 kg:5,5,5
Snatch Grip Deadlift
52.5 kg:5,5,5

Snatch Grip Deadlift form I'm a bit unsure about so I have started a thread in the technique and form section as can be seen in the link below

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2665

Any and all advice is much appreciated

[Salahudin]

@KyleSchuant for chinups are you attempting to hit the target in a limited amount of sets i.e 3 or as many sets as it takes. And for farmers walks is a specific distance in metres i.e 20 metres. Thanks

[KyleSchuant]

The snatch-grip deadlift is more "sit back" than conventional. You will find the bar drift forward on the way down, so it's "sit back" for the setup, and think of "heels" on the way down.

Chinups you get the target number regardless of how many sets it takes. Do singles, doesn't matter. You're aiming for quality, not quantity. The SS advice to do 3 sets to failure is poor advice; we don't do sets to failure with squat or press, why chinups? What if the person can only do 1? In barbell exercises, we progress with load, but when you can't do many chinups, you progress with reps.

For farmer's walks we use our way driveway, which is 20 metres up, and 20 metres back, five laps in all. Many gyms nowadays will have a prowler/sled track of about this distance. But so long as it's over 5m or so the distance doesn't matter much. If it's a longer distance you'll use lighter weights, a shorter distance you'll be able to handle heavier. Just keep it a more or less consistent distance and progress the load. You want to be able to do a complete lap without putting the handles or dumbbells down. If you have to put them down, that's fine - but you don't progress the load until you can do all 5 laps as singles. That is, pick it up, walk the distance and back, put it down, rest, repeat four more times. If you had to stop halfway the weight stays the same next time.

[Salahudin]

Awesome thank you @KyleSchuant

[Salahudin]

Front Squat
32.5kg: 3,3,3,3,3
Chinups
Target 5
1st set: 5
Farmers walk
17.5 kg both hands ✓
17.5 kg both hands ✓
17.5 kg both hands ✓
17.5 kg both hands ✓
17.5 kg both hands ✓

Front squat jump was meant to be 31.5kg , but as I was away from home base and forgot my microplates I thought 32.5 kg why not, although hope to be better prepared next time, surprised by how easy chinups were, and the farmers walks were different as I have never done weighted carries before.

@KyleSchuant what purpose do weighted carries serve, just curious as I did enjoy them and for snatch Grip deadlifts should straps be used. Thanks really enjoying ALPS so far, thanks for the recommendation

[KyleSchuant]

Farmers walks are moving planks, strengthening your trunk to protect against lower back injuries. They also strengthen your grip, as do chinups.

Straps are for a weak grip. Don't use straps, strengthen your grip. By means of.... do you see how it ties together?

[Salahudin]

@KyleSchuant ah I see
Clever

[KyleSchuant]

I'd like to see a video of your chinups. Most guys cut the range of motion short. We want them to go from full dead-hang with a pause, to chest to the bar with a pause.

[Salahudin]

@KyleSchuant yes sir next time I will record and send a link

Thanks again

[Salahudin]

Saturday morning weight: 85.4kg