Herbison's Training Log

[damufunman]

Is bike like an actual bike, or stationary/airdyne thingy?

[SeanHerbison]

Is bike like an actual bike, or stationary/airdyne thingy?

Echo bike. Though I did finally get the rear tire replaced on my actual bike this weekend, so I'll be doing some of that.

[SeanHerbison]

Oops. realized I missed Saturday's workout.

Saturday, 4 May

Exercise	Weight*Reps*Sets@RPE
Snatch	195*miss, then make 170*12/13
Press	185*1 195*1 165*2*6
Bike	2.88 mi before - 10 min

Snatches felt pretty good. I just need to remember to avoid going back to my default of grip and rip.

[SeanHerbison]

Wednesday, 8 May

Exercise	Weight*Reps*Sets@RPE
Snatch	180*12/14
Snatch High Pull	225*2*5
SGDL	315*3*6
w/CG Bench	225*8*6@6-8 225*8@10 225*6@9.5
Bike	4.55 mi before - 15 min
Cat Snatch	Gizmo*1

Lots of snatch and related pulls today.

[ChrisMcCarthy1979]

Can't you Microload with ankle weights?

I did enjoy the whole "oh, we're doing this again?" Vibe.

[SeanHerbison]

Can't you Microload with ankle weights?

They have vests for walking on a leash. I could probably attach some small weights to those...

I did enjoy the whole "oh, we're doing this again?" Vibe.

Yeah, they're generally pretty chill.

Friday, 10 May

Exercise	Weight*Reps*Sets@RPE
Jerk	155*2 185*2 205*2 225*2 245*2 265*2
Front Squat	275*3*8
Press	155*3*8
DB Shrug	80s*42 70s*34 in 15 min
w/ DB Lateral Raise	15s*63 in 15 min
w/ Cable Curl	80*34 70* 20 in 15 min
Bike	4.62 mi before - 15 min 5.78 mi after- 20 min

Hardest part of the jerks was bringing them back down.

My mid/upper back is pretty trashed. Definitely not completely recovered from Monday. Maybe something to do with high rep sets of front squats. Even on the cable curl, the thing I was feeling most was that part of my back. I need to work on staying more upright in the front squat, but that requires better ankle mobility. My right ankle in particular hasn't ever recovered the range I had before breaking it, and that was over a decade ago.

Hey @Testiclaw, got any recommendations?

Almost done cutting down, too. I realized yesterday that I haven't really been keeping track of how long I've been doing it, and I was thinking maybe 3-4 months. Nope. 7. I've been doing this since October. Probably started ~25%, and now I'm probably sitting ~12%.

[SeanHerbison]

In other news, while I apparently can't match @Platypus on the sheer volume of reading, I have been continuing to manage some nonetheless. Most importantly, I finished Principles by Ray Dalio, and that might have moved up to the second-highest book I'd recommend, behind Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.

Dalio managed to put words to a lot of concepts I've been struggling to make more concrete. The biggest thing was probably how he explained about understanding concepts well enough that you can break them down far enough to make an algorithm that you can then put into a computer. If you do so, you can then have a system that double checks you and is far more consistent about it. If you disagree and want to do something other than what it recommends, that's fine, but you need to understand why; either where you failed to put something necessary/useful into the algorithm, or why you want to proceed despite not seeing anywhere the algorithm missed anything.

While I don't personally like the implementation of it, it seems that's basically what CWS and Blevins are trying to do with the Juggernaut A.I. I think where that fails is that there simply aren't enough variables programmed in to account for inter/intra-person variability, and so it's not very flexible. The only way it really adjusts at the moment is to add or drop a set to a lift.

To be fair, it is in currently in beta, but I don't think even the full release that's coming later this month will warrant the A.I. label, even accounting for the clearly non-literal use of it. Still, I'd like to develop a similar system, if for no other reason to force me to really work out my underlying assumptions, which is a non-trivial advantage of using the ideas Dalio laid out.

But I realize the limitations of this type of system for something as complicated as human adaptations, and I don't think I'd release it as a stand-alone thing unless it was well beyond what the JTS system currently is. And for that, I need a whole lot more experience, and probably more biology courses.

[Testiclaw]

I will take video of the few ankle mobility things I have lifters do for you tomorrow!

[damufunman]

If you can manage finding the position consistently in the bottom of a clean, stance width can reduce able mobility requirements somewhat, but I think will need more hip mobility.

[SeanHerbison]

Monday, 13 May

Exercise	Weight*Reps*Sets@RPE
Press	165*3*9@8-10
Front Squat	255*5@6 275*2*2@7, 7.5 245*5*2@6
CG Bench	245*4*8@6.5-7.5
Bike	4.26 mi before - 15 min 6.22 mi after- 20 min

Whee, more front squats! Almost like they're a good idea when you're training for a weightlifting meet.

Press, for the first time in a long time, went very well. I think I figured something out with my form (keep my chest up), and while I'm still weaker than I was, at least now it's at a level that can be explained by the weight loss and lack of practice.

On an unrelated note, I finished up Sam Harris' Making Sense Podcast. I realize some people don't like him, but he is one of the most articulate and careful thinkers I've ever encountered, and I'm very impressed. He gets attacked by plenty of people, but I haven't seen much by people who (to the best of my knowledge) both understand what he's saying and are arguing in good faith. And holy crap are there a lot of people arguing against him in bad faith. I've never seen someone so often intentionally misquoted and taken out of context.

Anyway, I'm not here to toot his horn. Nope, I'm here to toot Neil deGrasse Tyson's horn. He was on the podcast, and I was a bit frustrated at how he seemed to be missing the point on A.I. However, he later heard the podcast with Eliezer Yudkowsky, realized where he was missing the logic, and actually changed his mind. That is way too rare, and it boosts my opinion of him that he both publicly changed his mind and explained why he did it.

Way to be a good role model, Astrophysics Black Guy.

[SeanHerbison]

Tuesday, 14 May

Exercise	Weight*Reps*Sets@RPE
Clean and Jerk	245*1 265*1 250*1*5
Clean	265*1*4
Ab Wheel	15 in 10 min
w/DB Hammer Curl	30s*66 in 10 min
Bike	1.38 mi before - 5 min 8.60 mi after - 30 min

[iamsmu]

Have you tried alternatives to the ab wheel. I hate that thing. Not because it's painful, but because it's a lower back injury waiting to happen. Hollow body holds and l-sits are so much safer and more difficult. (From someone who still wants a clean standing ab wheel roll out, but won't work towards it.)

[SeanHerbison]

it's a lower back injury waiting to happen.

It's really not. Other ab exercises are fine, and I might add them back at some point, but there's no reason to avoid the ab wheel out of fear of injury.

[iamsmu]

it's a lower back injury waiting to happen.

It's really not. Other ab exercises are fine, and I might add them back at some point, but there's no reason to avoid the ab wheel out of fear of injury.

Whenever I push it on the wheel, going for a more standing version, I end up loosing posterior pelvic tilt and hurt my lower back. Maybe I just try to progress too fast. I dunno. I hate the damn thing. Kneeling it feels like nothing. Standing it's dangerous. In between it's just risky. I tried LPing it, moving out form the wall a bit at a time. Same damn thing.

[SeanHerbison]

Man, I knew I wasn't up to date here, but I didn't realize how far behind I'd fallen. Problem is, I usually catch up on weekends, and my last three weekends have been taken up by:
1) USATF L1 Seminar
2) Max Aita Weightlifting Seminar
3) USAW L1 Seminar

So it's been great for learning, but I'm kind of falling behind on the smaller things.

[ChrisMcCarthy1979]

I'm not jealous of your recent purchases AT ALL...

[SeanHerbison]

I'm not jealous of your recent purchases AT ALL...

I know, right? I've only used the jerk blocks a few times so far, but I'm very glad I got them. I was debating waiting until I actually had a full gym space, but it was a good decision not to.

[SeanHerbison]

Thursday, 16 May

Exercise	Weight*Reps*Sets@RPE
Snatch	180*1 190*miss 190*1 200*1 210*1 215*1 220*miss 220*1 225*1 210*1 195*1 185*1
Snatch High Pull	240*2*5
Safety Bar Squat	300*4@7 270*4*3@6

Thursday, 16 May - Round 2

Exercise	Weight*Reps*Sets@RPE
Clean and Jerk	245*1 265*1*2 175*1*2
Clean	275*1*3
Press	170*2*4
Close-Grip Bench	225*5*2

I put both workouts on the same day due to travelling for the USATF L1 on Friday, but I really should've just gotten up early on Friday, like I normally do anyway, and knocked it out before the flight. I was beat for the second session.


Saturday, 18 May/Sunday, 19 May - USATF L1 Course

I looked into this both because I'm interested in getting back into track and field and because @JordanFeigenbaum has mentioned it as a course worth looking into. I was pleasantly surprised at how much of it was based on solid logic and mechanics. I think there was an undue bias against gaining weight (even muscle mass), particularly for high-school athletes, but even that makes sense when you're looking at it through the lens of someone working with more advanced athletes whose technique is largely set.

There was a good amount of solid biomechanics and bioenergetics. Not as much as I would've liked, since I already have a background understanding of those subjects, but quite good for a level 1 course. I'm planning on attending the level 2 course in Chula Vista, which is event-specific and goes into much more depth. Obviously, I'll be going for the throws, but I would like to eventually go for some of the other events as well. Just need to finish up the exam and actually get my level 1 certification first, then I'll clear it through my supervisors and sign up.

Speaking of track and field, I've got my first meet in just over seven years coming up. My last meet was 2012 NCAA Division 1 West Preliminary Round on 26 May 2012. I threw hammer and got 57.60 m followed by two fouls, and those were the last throws of my collegiate career.



So I guess these will be the first throws of my post-collegiate career. I'm competing in the shot put and discus throw at the Grand Canyon State Games on 29 June, a week after my weightlifting meet.


Whoo!

[ChrisMcCarthy1979]

Pleasing update!

[VinceC]

Awesome picture.