This is the last day i train in 2018. Im breaking down mentally (physically...totally ok) and need a short break.
January 3rd ill be back at it with a vengence.
Since we are already here, i may try some shit i read about in a tight slacks of dezso ban article. We shall see.
All i know is im depressed, tired, and angry. Not sustainable. To be fair, i did not feel this way on the wisconsin method (possibly because the volume was too low to fail to recover from).
Workout
Chinup 55x5, 30x6, 5x8
Lets review morning activities
- up at 830
- anime
- sleepybutnotangryhungover.jpeg
- grab peanut butter, honey, a spoon, and soda water. Breakfast
- 12p, so slow
- gym
Workout
Dips 90x5, 60x6, 30x12
-- i like these for slightly higher reps than singles. The first set was hard af
Cable rows
-- need to find more back friendly options for push day pull accessory
Kb swing 6 rounds 20/10
Feel much better overall. Not sure where this doom and gloom is coming from. Dropping most carbs until i level out.
Sex drive: instant then gonezo
Mood/confidence: b+
A note about the sex drive. This is not to say it's absent 99% of the time, its more a boolean factor. When it's on, holy fuck it's on. Most of the time, it's just not.
Rewinding a few years, i slept with someone i shouldnt have out of the blue. The moment we started making out, i was so turned on it hurt.
I still think the porn free life is healthy and worth continuing, but i do not expect my dormant sex drive to suddenly be 18 again unless im actively sleeping with someone.
Workout
Chinup
52.5x5
27.5x7
2.5x8
--Still easy
Hammer curls
Kb swings
Shoulders
Neck
Im dragging copious amounts of ass (although less than the past few days). Gonna back off on the squats at home to see if that helps.
A large factor here could be that my diet for the past 2 weeks was very carb heavy. Slowly shifting back towards keto-ish (high fat, medium protein, vegetables except around workouts or the odd carb dose).
Sex drive: nada
Mood and confidence: fine
Workout
Btnpp 225x1, felt a little heavy but moved quickly
205x3,2
185x8
Conditioning was hardddddd
We are dropping carbs (except veges) until this fog leaves. I was describing what i feel to my buddy yesterday. Funny that he feels it in the same places.
With porn, carbs, whatever. I feel:
- my voice gets higher
- less confident
- more introverted
- a tight jaw
- more easily bothered or angered
- tension like someone is lightly choking me on the V coming around my neck
Porn free: 2 days. Woof. That's all?
Sex drive: 0. It will come back with a vengence, but the reliance on porn needs to fade
Mood/confidence: shit
Not sure if im doing too much in the gym or if im just generally burnt out (or column 3, are my weekend activities burning into my week).
Workout
Chin from rings
50x5
25x6
Bwx8
--turning hands to get some extra bicep action
Hspu, only 8 reps
Went to a new gym today because the old one is under construction. Something great that happened was i was surrounded by people stronger than me. Holy crap that was nice.
I attempted to do snatch rack pulls, but that is still not on the menu. Overall weak day today.
We are back off porn. Read something on r/pornfree i really liked. It's worth mentioning again...saying i do not look at porn is an attribute. My name is Aaron, i am 5ft 11, and i do not look at porn. State it like a fact, repeat often. As stated in a previous thread, this is not a rail against masturbation. This is a fight against constant dopamine release. Every time im able to abstain, life just gets better. Im in better moods, my outlook is more positive, i treat my friends better, and i kill it harder at work. This is who i need to become.
Workout
Ohp 165x1, daily min was rough today
Ohp isometric 10 sets x 6 seconds
Two things happened right after an overhead 255 this week.
1. Porn
2. Failed attempts past my daily mins
Today in particular was disappointing. I hit my daily min easily. It was heavy without really slowing down. My instinct was to stop. My actions were to put another 10lbs on. Annnnd i failed. Im pushing for more dopamine release via sex and prs, and it's not healthy. Back to basics tomorrow.
Workout
Ohp 165x1, 175xfail
Ohp 135x4,2
Ohp 115x14
Bw rows
Tricep pushdowns
Kb swing, 53lbs, 4 rounds
Rear delts
Maybe it's been a long week, maybe it's because i hit a grindish pr yesterday, maybe it's Maybeline (Got'em). I am dragging ass mentally and physically. I even look worse. Wowwwwwweewowwwwww.
All good. Annoying but temporary. I may take a day off if i still feel shitty tomorrow.
Sex drive/mood/confidence: poop
Workout: poop
Wide grip ring pullup
75x1, 45x3, 10x8
Hspu mech dropset
Curls
Depth jumps 4 rounds
Rear delts
Got amazing sleep, woke up ready for love.
Sex drive/confidence/mood: a+
Workout
Btnpp 255x1 PR!!!!!
--225 is my daily min, 245 felt easy af, 255 got a little scary
Btnpp 205x3, 195x3
Ring bw pullups
Tricep pushdowns
Box jumps 5 rounds
Stretch
Thoughts for today
Although increased shoulder/tricep strength and size fed into today, im guessing plyometrics played a good deal more. Jump power ftw!
I feel 85% more human than yesterday, but i damn near puked near my last set of chinups. Some developments:
- heavier backoff sets (and more of them) may be worth exploring as opposed to 1 heavy and 1 light backoff
- when feeling shitty or more tired than the G man on day 7, some conditioning is better than no conditioning. Meaning, drop the rounds from 5 to 2 or 3
Workout
Chinup 110x1, not bad
Chinup 55x3x3, felt great
Hspu drop set, 15 reps on hspu
Ez bar curls 85x13, 55x21
Depth jumps, 2 rounds
-- love these. They felt awkward though
Rear delts
No time to stretch today.
Reread matthew perrymans book, squat every day, last week to see if i could gain additional tidbits about what im trying to accomplish.
The piece that rang true to me this time is 'individual workouts mean nothing.' My largest derailment on programs ive written (or naturally enhanced) is my interest dries up the moment the gains train does. This may happen for several reasons unrelated to the gym. Poor sleep, work stress, and (lets be honest) an occasional rock and roll lifestyle.
It usually goes like this
- The gains in reps or weight stop for 2 weeks
- small grief, acceptance, change movements
- new movement is weaker than it ever has been. Continues to get worse. Wtf.jpeg
- switch to another movement or reset weight entirely. Same shit happens
- get tired during work hours. Cant sleep. Classic. Start emotional eating, get fatter than when i started. Question my judgement
- change program. Ooooo i like this!
- repeat
High frequency means that stalled progress on a workout means absolute dick. There is no end goal of tapering (i.e. periodization, the answer to fatigue management), just work. The prs will come, and they will come without breaking the bank.
Fun little bonus.
No words. Can express. How bad i feel right now. Great weekend. Greeeeaaatttt weekend. But omfg kill me.
Party in your 20s:
My i think i need some water and a nap
Party in your 30s:
What do i have to do with minimal effort to hari kari? Im gonna shove vitamin c and tumeric down my throat cause i think thatll help oh god the goggles they do nothinggggggggg.
Workout
Ohp 165x1
Ohp 135x6
Ohp 105x16
Ring bw pullups
Tri extensions bw drop set
Kb swing 3 rounds lol
Stretch
Hit my daily min easily and called it quits. My backoff sets were interesting, as i gained easy reps on both (great sign, especially since im dying).
Noticed my arms are looking sexy af this weekend. Also noticed that im not really getting leaner atm. Dial in the junk time. I have further to go than i think.
Still greatly enjoying no discipline mode. No reason at all to change this up. The ability to choose an exercise based on equipment availability in my tiny gym is money.
Very much a punch the clock workout. Felt good, enjoyed it, but nothing spectacular. Best things to note:
- reengaged neck training now that my cyst is donezo. Last week, inverting myself was way too painful
- box jumps for conditioning are moneyyyyyy. I may try depth jumps in the next few days as well
Workout
Chin 105x1
Chin 50x4
Chin 25x7
Zercher shrugs 135x3x10
--fun, but bothered my neck until i did my headstands
H curls 40x12, cable curls 95x???
Hspu drop set
Box jumps 4 rounds
Stretch
Im loving this to be honest. Im definitely more sore due to the increased volume, but that's not really holding me back. It's so weird that this exact same methodology is something i railed against 8 years ago. Something along the lines of you cant confuse muscles yadda yadda. I mean, yes, you can't. But there is something to be said for switching to similar movements and overuse. I feel like im less likely to get bent up because ive been doing the same movement for 2 weeks straight.
How are we doing this?
- main movement
Decide before or at the gym. I know im going to do a push or pull day when i arrive, but the actual movement may change based on equipment availability. This is money because im not dependent on anything being free to start.
Top set is a daily min. Sometimes push it further, sometimes not
Backoff sets are 1-3x3-8 and 1-3x6-20. Dont overthink this, just get in some work with solid form
- alternate movement
On pull days, do hspu > clap pu > pu > decline pu
On pull days, do some sort of curl
On push days, do some sort of triceps
- conditioning
!!!Change what you do daily as well! Movement, methodology, etc. The goal is to sweat and be gasping for breath.
- rear delts
2 sets, one heavy partial, one light af
- stretch
I do quads, hips, hamstrings and glutes, chest
I feel amazing today. Everything is turned on full. Im gonna kill it today. Im so glad i got that cyst drained yesterday. The ability to not be in pain is so so nice.
Sex drive: super high
Mood/confidence: likewise
Workout
Inc dumbbell bench (30deg)
100x1
70x14,16
Ring bw pullups
Triceps bw ext
Kb swings 5 rounds
Resr delts 35x20, 5x72
Stretch
Only got my top set for 1. The rep was solid, but a second would have been a grinder. Next week ill retry for 2 reps. Its not much now, but ive never been able to incline that much. Given that this is my gyms top dumbbell, ill work on reps here.
Going to a dermatologist today to look at the cyst in my ear. Fuck this thing. Whenever i do handstand pushups, pressure runs to the infected area and it hurtsssssss.
Sex drive: annoyingly high. Woke up with a boner at 5a that i refused to take care of.
Boner: fine bitch, youre not sleeping. WAHHHHHHH sex dreams sex dreams sex deams WAHHHHHHH
Still feel fine, but wtf.
Mood/confidence: a+
Workout
Chinup on rings
1x1 100, easy, set as daily min
1x1 110, wtf barely
2x3 50
1x8 25
1x5 25
Hspu mech dropset (14 reps on hspu)
Ez bar curls, 3 sets to failure
Hiit 4 rounds, dumbbell rdl
I really wanted to do hack deadlifts or pendlay rows today, but decided against it (happy about this decision). Anything that puts a lot of shear force on my back is out of bounds. Im still feeling great with rdl, ring pullups (weighted and unweighted), and cable rows as my main non press options. Eventually, i want to migrate in oly pulls again so my traps and back really pop. Long term, i would like to get back to front squats as well, but thats not a close target.
Couldnt sleep last night, so gym occurred tonight instead of this morning. It definitely felt weird to break my cycle. Also my roommage got so used to me leaving in the morning that she the same sang full volume from the moment she got up until the moment she left (lots of alexa, can you play that again).
Felt pretty good to lift at night again, but the gym was a fucking zoo.
I really enjoy the lack of discipline this week. Im still focussed every session (after all, ive got 1 movement), but i feel strong on everything.
Sex drive: back to nothing, but this is fine
Mood/confidence: a+
Workout
Dips 115x1, 55x11,5, 25x22,11
Bw tricep extensions
Kb swings 40lbs, 5rounds
Rear delts
-- i like one set of partials (30 to 50 lbsx30) followed by one light (5 lbs x 70)
Stretch
I was most of the way into doing rdls, then decided to do sdls instead. Brilliant! Dont do that again. Rdls are there for a reason...they are a recovery agent. Sdls are not. Also, you hate them. You hate them!!!! Wtf is wrong with you? If we go back to pulls, they will be heavy rows and oly lifts. End of story.
Sex drive/mood/whatever: fuck you
Workout
Sdl 335x3, why??? Easy but why?
Rdl 245x6
Rdl 185x21
Ring pullups bw only
Hspu > clap pu > pu > knee pu
-- got 20 hspu!
Rear delt work
Today felt friggin great! It def helped that i didnt eat a large dominoes poison flat the night before.
I may be a little more careful with how often i do neck work. Not sure if im doing more harm than good.
Workout
Btnpp 225x1
--this is a safe daily min. I could have kept pushing for a higher single
Btnpp 185x4,9
Btnpp 145x10
Ring chinups 70x3, 25x10, 10x8
Tricep pushdowns (cables)
Kb swings (5 rounds of 40/20, 40lbs)
Rear delts
Stretches
Ohhh this feels great! No rules! This is as formatted as we get.
- hit a daily min 1rm-3rm
- heavy backoff sets 1-3x3-6
- light backoff sets 1-3x8-20
- super set everything with ring pullups
- on non press days: hspu > clap pu > pu > knee pu
- arm pump everyday (mix up movements)
- conditioning or cardio depending on time
- neck work
- rear delts and stretches
This takes about 40min unless cardio is in the mix. Usually i finish my main movement and pullups in 20min.
That being said, i feel wretched today. Yesterday was filled to the brim with shit i had given up. Post going out (which, i was sober when i left):
- large pizza
- porn
The silver lining here is i feel awful. Straight up terrible. Nervous, slow, inflammed, tired, shy, introverted, you fucking name it. Within a day, the inflammation i caused will be gone and done with. Then we can get back to progress.
Workout
Rdl 345x2, too heavy for a daily min
Rdl 275x3,3, still too heavy for backoff
Rdl 185x18,10, perfect
I felt like mixing things up a bit. I can tell ive been jonesing to explore other rep ranges, methodologies, etc, but i get bored af 2 days in when i see the rigged progression i need to follow.
Ok...week 1 we do 8x3. Week 2 we try to add one more reppppppp. Gross. You mean i dont get to try this again for a week? What happens if i fail? That week is gonezo. How many weeks do i stick to this until i reach 3x8? Do i want to kill myself before or after reaching that goal?
The straw that broke rhe camels back was a top set of 140x2 banded ohp yesterday. Ya, that was fucking hard. Ya, i enjoy the bands (although i have no idea how heavy the top range of motion is). But the idea of that being it feels wrong.
Today we went more the route of matthew perryman (see: squat every day) than the wisconsin method. Instead of hitting a max all out single, i hit a difficult single with about 5 to 10 lbs left in the tank. Follow this by some backoff sets. Ez. Auto regulated, easy to follow, and i canswap out movements daily as needed.
The only things that arent changing are ring pullups. Those are great, and my back is looking sexy af despite the absence of heavy pulls.
Workout
Ohp daily min 165x1
Ohp 135x4,4
Ohp 105x12,10
No surprises today. Banded overhead press is fucking hard! Lost a rep from yesterday as the weight increased, but i barely got 135x3 yesterday.
Only other comment is i want to avoid weighted chinups everyday. It feels better to do 1 weighted day, 2 bw days. My shoulders will thank me.
Sex drive/mood/confidence: meh
Workout
Pink banded ohp 140x2
I want to elaborate on my post from this morning. Every time i get injured, i return stronger. This is not because the injured area reinforces itself (quite the opposite), it's because injuries force you to address what you have been successfully ignoring.
This may be soft tissue work, major muscle imbalances, tight muscles, a bad god damn diet.
Every injury has forced me to find a new way of working out the same muscles. While i may not get stronger in the recovery phase, im priming the pump to explode once the injury is healed.
This being said, i would not wish any of these injuries on my worst enemy. If i could return to age 26 before a herniated disc when i was able to throw 270 around like it owed me money, you bet your ass i would.
Be careful, lift with aggression, but know that injury opens as many doors as it closes.
Every god damn time i take a detour from wisconsin, i bail 2 days in. Why? Usually cause the progression scheme is fucking boring as fuck.
This time is was for 2 reasons:
- boring as fuck
- i feel tirrred and beaten up holy shit man
This makes me feel like when i was lifting 5 times a week with similarish volume. I was getting strong, but jesus i was tired all the time. I guess you can just call that under recovered? Ive got better sleep and diet habits now...but its the same result.
The idea of daily exercise cycles whole adding reps sounds great, until you look at a 5 week mesocycle. Holy fuck that is boring. I like wisconsin because it is scary, and useful, and strangely easy to recover from. If i cant strength, condition, and stretch in the same week without dying then wtf am i doing?
Sex drive/mood/confidence: booooooo
Workout
Pendlay row 185x8x3
Go suck an egg
Mixing things up again. Getting a little too close to injury on a daily basis, so working on adding reps instead of weight for the next few weeks. Worst case scenario, gains. Oh noes!
Sex drive: non existent. Tried to force it last night. stopped myself and damn glad i did.
Mood/confidence: about 3.50
Workout
ohp 135x8x3
Ring pullups
Hspu > clap pu > pu > knee pu
Bw tricep mech dropset
Conditioning box jumps
- 4 rounds
- 40s on/20s off
Rear delts
Stretches
I like what Jamie Lewis said back in 2009: i could not love a newborn baby more than i love shrugs.
I havent been able to do shrugs pain free since my injury, and today is no different. I did a few sets then quit the more my back screamed. Its not even pain!!! I can feel the muscles around my back locking up to protect the original injury.
Post workout i did a ton of stretching and conditioning. I feel fine. But the damage has been done.
Workout
Shrugs 405x5x3
-- rack pull with an explosive shrug and hold. Easy as hell, but not great rigjt moew.
Super weird. Month 1 dragged by (in a very positive way) but month 2 shot forth like a bat out of hell. High frequency training stopped being novel, now it's just kind of what I do. I go to bed early, I wake up early, I lift, I condition, I stretch, and u go to work. Once I'm home, I complete as many small tasks as possible before I don a sleep mask and ptfo. It has been a transformative 2 fucking months my freeeeends.
Thoughts on lifting
- daily lifting has different rules per lift
- some movements prefer higher reps over lower reps
- switching a topped out movement for a similar movement helps to build momentum without inducing staleness
- daily stretching and rear delt work is non negotiable
- conditioning can be added in (almost) every day to encourage health, fat loss, and make up for lack of volume. For reference, one of my favorite standbys was always 10x3 of power cleans. Not needed anymore
Thoughts on life
- the no fap community has some points when it comes to avoiding a constant stream of feel good drugs into your body. Without being dogmatic, the same approach can be applied to substances, social media, and food. That being said, complete abstinence from pleasure is not really that healthy either
- looking back and forward, I can identify goals as big changes and little changes
Little changes:
- one change
- can be made in isolation or in parallel with other little changes
Examples:
I am not a person who posts negative news, thoughts, or feelings on social media
I do not drink soda
I do not watch pornography
Big changes:
- two or more little changes that work synergistically
- typically involve lifestyle changes
I go to sleep before 11, wake up at 630, and lift before work
Said f it and Jackied last night. It was terrible and I immediately regretting it (no pornogg, but whatevs). I was woken up at 4a with an angry cruise missile asking for round 2. This is what happens when I dont follow my own damn writing. Follow your sex drive, dont force it.
Fast forward, I feel wretched. Mostly from poor sleep (thanks peen), partly from major indigestion from dinner, partly from the black cloud of conversation at dinner.
Workout
Dips 80x7
--felt more stable than yesterday but I had no go to me. This weekend is going to be an orla do shitshow, so I dont see this getting better before next week
Ring pullups bw only (easier when doing dips)
-- doing these weighted has had a major beneficial effect on bw chins
Band rear delts 1x60
-- something different today. Band followed a path that was similar to a reverse pec dec. I like this, variety and angles are great for hypertrophy and shoulder health
Stretches
Lifting went well. But I'm nauseous instead of hungry? Super weird.
Didnt get to take a shower because I forgot my towel. Thanks for that towelie.
Conditioning was hard af today. My actual condition level is getting better and better, but my ass and hamstrings gave out hard. This is a good thing! I'll take tomorrow off so they can recover. Ideally, I'll find another form of conditioning I can do.
Sex drive: not there. It comes in spurts tbh. Day 1 of no masturbation left me with a boner that could have gone back in time and stabbed Hitler. Days 2 and 3 have intermiddent bonzars, but more test fire than anything. I want to reiterate, I am NOT doing no fap (see subreddit r/nofap). I think indefinite resistance is doing more harm than good. However! I think there is value to avoiding the constant dopamine release that is super easy to obtain (see: social media, porn, constant jacking). Like most fun and destructive things, the first second and third relapses really have no consequence. This is good and bad. Like a sparse cheat meal, your work is not getting undone. It's a habit that pushes me back into where I lived. Fortunately, this part is easy. Porn and me are donezo.
Mood/confidence: not great, but only because of the nausea
Workout
Dips bw+75x8
--not too easy, but mostly because I havent done them in a while. Plan here is to ramp the weight up until I hit a hard single (may be 2 weeks?). Goal is bw+140x1
Cable rows one arm 170x10
-- these felt great! Cool little learning moment here. Vertical pulls on rings have a giant carryover to horizontal pulls. The only reason I didnt v pull today was some bro was occupying the Smith area
Kettlebell swings
- 40lbs
- 4 rounds 40s on/20s off, really didnt make it
- trying to swing the bell higher to force a more powerful contraction
I tossed between dips or floor presses today. Went with floor presses. I have chosen...poorly.
Dips were my first choice, but I bailed due to also using my dip belt for chins. Verdict...I dont like horizontal pressing man. It feels weird, and I hate it, and it feels weird. And, I hate it.
Fuck you h pressing. Fuck you.
I feel like I want to get better at horizontal presses because every lifter worth their salt can bench 315. Also, the bench offers some major benefits to anterior delts and triceps. Nothing that cant be obtained with a vertical press, but the loads on horizontal presses are significantly higher for a fraction of the risk. Gahhhhhhhh.
Before I go right back to v pressing (which was making my neck feel meh) I may try close grip floor presses, or go right to higher rep dips. Tomorrow will tell.
Sex drive: over 9000
--quick note here. I want to be clear, I'm not going no fap. Masturbation is normal and needed. However, what I want to practice is restraint. Life has ALWAYS been better when I follow my sex drive instead of forcing my sex drive (looking at you pornogg).
Mood/confidence: awesome
Workout
Floor press 245x1
--235 was fast af, 245 was a grinder. Lame.
Weighted ring chins 45x3x3
Kettlebell swings
--i already feel myself getting leaner, these are crazy
Bw tricep mech dropset
Rear delts
Stretches
I had a dream about partial front squats. No. Lie. I read a new chaos and pain article about surviving the robot apocalypse then realized how easily I'm going to die if anything bad ever happens. Then I had a dream about partial front squats. Also zombies and death and robots. Also also a post apocalyptic physics class where lessons were taught live via a life or death struggle in a thunderdome.
My neck felt a little weird this morning. I felt like a movement that pulls my traps down would be useful.
...workout
Partial front squats
- 465 x10 x 2
- 10second hold at the top of ever rep (holy fuck)
- blue band added tension
Weighted chinups 35x3x3, then bw only
Kettlebell swings
- 40lbs
- 4 rounds of 40s on/20s off
Swings were way harder today because my glutes where already torched.
Feeling great today!
Sex drive: nothing. Finding it best to avoid forcing this. The moment i add porn into the mix, things tend to go badly (i.e. worse energy during the day, sometimes wired at night)
Mood/confidence: A+. I was ready to crush shit today.
Workout
Ohp 170x1
-- aggression and (to be honest) a back arch made this happen. Goal for this cycle is 180
Ring pullup, 1 set of 25lbsx3, then bw
-- chinups used to be my bread and butter. I would love to get to where 90x3 was a doable set again.
Kettlebell swings 40lbsx4 rounds
- 40s on, 20s off
- way easier than yesterday
Bw tricep extension dropset (5sets)
-- these BURN baby jesus
Band hammer curls (light today)
Rear delt raises 1x68
Stretches
Note: im going to do neck work at home.
Will have to reevaluate daily lower body work. Strength and soreness wise, im totally fine. Injury wise, it's still a problem.
This weekend was filled with a few questions on what im doing. Saw myself in the mirror post coitus and thought, she is in wayyyyyy better shape than me. Immediately my brain went to thoughts of heading back to naturally enhanced (alpha destiny program) or medium volume oly lifting. Both options are fun, but they fuck up the rhythm ive got going, and they came with their own weaknesses. Also...i really dig the shoulder hypertrophy and lack of trap impingement from daily exercise. The missing key (besides a better diet, this is still #1) is conditioning work.
The long long ago, two thousand and fifteeeeeeeeeeeeeen (waynes world fx).
I was in stellar shape. The reason was a little bit of everything, but the best additive were kettlebell swings. Comparing me from an 80s pub crawl and dragoncon 2 months later...i looked leaner, was stronger, felt faster, moved better, got less injured, and (most importantly) workouts were easier with the largee gas tank conditioning grants.
Kettlebell swings take anywhere from 4 to 8 minutes, and honestly i could do them every day without eating into recovery.
Im kind of dying after 4 rounds post lift. Im going to keep the same weight and rounds for longer (usually i increase 1 or the other every time i lift) for a bit until its easy.
Workout
Ohp 165x1, 170xfail
--the strength is there for 170, but i approached it all wrong. Didnt rest enough between sets, didnt get aggressive, didnt get tight. Tomorrow im going to murder it.
Kettlebell swing
- 4 rounds
- 40lbs
- 40s on, 20s off
Lateral and rear delt raises
-- ive started to pepper in one set of heavy medial delt swings for 10 to 20 reps before rear delt raise. For jesus
Bw tricep extensions
-- big discovery here. Mechanical drops set is possible if i raise the bar after each set. This is fucking great
Band biceps
Stretches
Lower back feels a little squirrely today. I was still able to deadlift for the first time since my injury, but it was scarrrrry. I may move to upper only and give this imflammation some time to heal.
I def need to add in dance practice to my day. Besides just being a fun ass way to get some conditioning, i feel like it helps the healing process.
Sex drive: not here
Mood/confidence: medium
Diet has not been great over thanksgiving, so that may account for a lot of the poor feels.
Workout
Sdl 315x8
I TOLD YOU. YOU ALL LAUGHED AT ME. YOU ALL LAUGHED. BUT I TOLD YOU ID BE BACK TO ONE MOVEMENT IN LESS THAN A WEEK. NEIGH. LESS THAN A DAY. A DAYYYYYYY.
What can i say...the simplicity of one movement breeds focus and intensity. Im not thinking about how sore ill be tomorrow for the next movement. Im thinking about how many reps and lbs i can add.
Another note. Im enjoying slightly higher rep work than sticking with singles. Mayhaps i can work this into other movements as well. Others (looking at you push presses and push jerks) are a pain with reps.
Sex drive: there?
Mood/confidence: got some sleep. A+
Workout
Rdl 325x8
Hspu > clap pu > pu
Band arm work
Power laterals and strict rear delt
Stretching
Mix of a few things went wrong here.
1. Push press the day after shrugs. Bad call. Nothing felt sore, but every weight felt heavy and slow.
2. No coffee. Boooooooo
3. I kinda miss Wisconsins approach to volume
The goal of Dan Johns method is more general fitness than it is specific. I want to see if this next month brings both strength and hypertrophy to the mix. I am 100% sure im going to get bored in week 2 when i see my numbers continue on their current path. Whatever, today was bad.
Workout
Push press 165x5, for real. 185x3, da fuck
What happened to my 235x1??? This is bullshit.
Today felt great but was tough. First heavy and dynamic movement since i felt better. Back is a tiny bit inflammed, but not terrible.
Mood/confidence/sex drive: a+
Workout (top sets only)
Power Shrugs 500x5, 405x8, 315x20
Hspu > clap pu > pu
Notes on shrugs
- behind the back is safer, but may be better for slow and controlled. I really cant get range of motion when the bar is behind me
- sumo from the front sucks. Immediate warning signs all over
- conventional from the front felt the best of all worlds
In atl this week. Not really feeling writing atm. Go suck an egg brain.
Sex drive: super high
Mood: bleck
Confidence: ok. Got some aggression together for top set, but otherwise not great.
Workout
Ohp 145x5, 120x8,x6
Pullup, a bunch
It was cool to see that handstand pushups have been helping to maintain my base. Rear delt work def helps, but more from a health pov.
Big thing im noticing is that removing daily forearm work (a la the sidewinder grip tool) has a large detrimental affect on damn nesr everything. Specific for ohp, my base feels less solid without the added forearm girth (or at least swelling).
Branching out a bit over the next few weeks (i may have written about this previously). Im in the mood for getting in a higher exercise selection while still lifting daily.
Note: This is NOT the wisconsin method.
Heading back to dan john's one lift a day program for the next month. I tried this a few weeks back, and immediately backed off when my back decided to go tits up post high pulls.
What this looks like is:
Week 1 7x5
Week 2 6x3
Week 3 1x5, 1x3, 1x2
For week 1 movements, I'm working up to a top set by set 3 or 4. The remaining sets are backoff sets (about 80% of the top set).
Sun: rdl
Mon: ohp
Tues: sdl or rdl
Wed: push press
Thurs: rdl
Fri: power shrugs behind the back
Sat: btnpp
Workout
Rdl 315x5, 255x8, 255x6
Acc
Pullups ss with rdl
Rear delt raises
Band arm work
Stretches
Daily pullups has been feeling pretty fine so far. Originally this was a measure to get around not being able to do other back work (due to my lower back injury), but it has morphed into a fun side quest that gives a ton and demands very little.
Sets are super setted with my main movement of the day, never done to failure, performed on rings, and grips vary set to set.
Ive noticed a wider, more defined back. Arm size has not leveled up that much, but im not doing nearly enough volume to warrant that. In Chad Waturberys article describing his summer of pullups, he describes doing 100+ daily. Im barely scratching 40 daily. While i am pushing the reps every day, its not been that vital to me to increase that daily load by spending more time in the gym or burning sets out.
It will be interesting to see where i can take this once i get to day 100+. To be continued.
Feeling super sluggish today holy shit. This entire week has been difficult. Am i still paying for last weekend? If so wtf cmon man.
Sex drive: comes and goes
Confidence: low. More talking about aggression and desire to push myself
Mood: great. Still in good spirits.
Workout
Rdl 265x8
--still feels good if not frustratingly hard
Ring pullups
Extended rom hspu > hspu > inc pu > clapping pushup > pushup
--obviously got less reps overall here. I kinda like this as a variant, and i really like clapping pushups as a segway into pushups (instead of pushups into knee pushups).
In my future i see power cleans and behind the back power shrugs.
Had dinner with an old friend last night, and lifting injuries were high on the menu (as they usually are with this friendship, along with poop, pussy, lifting, finance, and dogs).
When i told him i would continue to eschew lower body work, he asked me what i was doing prior to hurting again, as well as what i chose to stretch my quads. When i brought up jefferson deads and (gasp) front squats, he asked me to try something different.
Given how complex quads are and how quad dominant we usually are, returning to lower body with a quad focus may not be the best idea. Also, stretching your quads is not a one angle dealeo; choose multiple stretches to actually relieve how tight they are. Mother fucking alphadestiny was right (he espouses a high focus on posterior chain strength and hypertrophy work compared to quad, something like 80/20).
Fast forward to today. I woke up with a knot in my lower back. Fuckme.jpeg. i absolutely planned on going back to dips, but that sounds...boring.
Workout
Rdl 225x8
--starting light. Noticed i felt the weight a lot less the heavier i got, but none of this was actually uncomfortable.
Ring pullups
Hspu > inc pu > pu > knee pushup
--got 16 hspu today! Thats a solid fucking PR
Neck harness x1x30 with 45lbs
--still easy. Cant wait until im repping 90lbs. This feels right to keep it to every lther day. Looking back at old pictures (even when i was at my biggest), my neck was always kind of thin compared to my traps and shoulders. I honestly never noticed. Guess thats another win for alphadestiny.
Glute bridge 2x20
Rear delt band holds x2min
I felt thw glute bridges way more post rdl. Love it.
Stretches were almost entirely quad focussed. I feel like a tank right now. Mega.
It's been a fun ride so far. Just wanted to drop some thoughts along the way. Some of these may be repeats, but its worth growing the list.
Physique changes
Not huge from a hypertrophy perspective, but this was more or less expected. What i did not expect is that ive been getting progressively leaner over time. Leeway with my diet has been extremely high, although a day or 2 of poor choices is immediately noticeable (but goes away just as fast).
My shoulders, back, and arms have seen the most growth. Not surprising considering im hitting them everyday derrrrr. My ass and legs have atrophied a ton. It sucks. I look forward to the day when i can hit heavy squats and deads again.
Soreness and joint health
Sometimes my shoulders feel a bit beat up, but this goes away the moment i start lifting. Im a heavy supporter of daily stretching/mobility if you are getting into this. I believe it has made this process possible.
Mental health
This is my fav part. I cant tell you how much energy ive wasted on writing and tweaking programs. This shit takes those decisions out of your hands entirely. Sets and reps? Not a thing. You decide whether to go for a single or rep max. The movements are already chosen. Fail? Choose something else. Feel beat up? Try working antagonists for a day (a la my rando volume pull days).
Lifting has gone from something i planned for to something i just do before work.
Lower body and back are on fire again. So, back to rehab for lower and strength on upper. I did OHP today, but honestly i may take a detour to weighted dips to get some horizontal-ish pressing in (while also building some muscle in the process).
Sex drive: annoyingly high. Woke up at 530 during a sex dream that felt suuuuper real.
Mood: meh. Im still in a sleep debt from the weekend.
Confidence: super high
Workout
Ohp 160x1
--really helps to get some aggression up before this
Ring pullups
Band triceps and leg curls
Rear delt raises
Headstands
Back isnt feeling bad, but its squirrely enough to make me switch to front squats. Because my issue was caused by imbalances, maybe it's unwise to focus on a movement that specifically targets one side of the body (jefferson deads).
Feeling a little nauseous this morning. Peed out my butt a little. I will chock that up to the sunday night pizza and poor life choices this weekend.
Workout
Front squat 265x1 (hard af)
Front squat holds 405x3x10s
Ring pullups
-- feeling better and better
Tri and bi band work
Rear delt band iso holds 2min per shoulder
I feel there has been a recent push on the internet to expose rear delt training. Its tough, because its not sexy.
Training your rear delts will eventually give you the 3d look their promotional material pushes, but their main value is they act as a key to larger shoulders (as opposed to a main driver).
When you press (any angle), all 3 heads are going to take a part in the action. There's just no other way. If you imagine your mid and rear delts are sipping on long islands yelling MUSH MUSH while your front delts cry the weight up, you are sick. Fuck you. Sick. That's not entirely the case though. Your anterior (front) delts are the powerhouses of pressing while your mid and rear delts primarily stabilize the weight. They are getting their hands dirty, but the rest of the contributing stabilizers and movers - traps, upper back, glutes, quads, abs, anterior delts - are way stronger and firmly take the pressing reigns.
This tells us a few things:
1. Training rear delts is important in the same way that training your back is important. A one sided muscle balance (anterior versus posterior) is eventually going to cause pain and/or injury.
A similar comparison would be shin splints for runners. One part of the lower leg is overdeveloped, so intense pain is felt on the shin due to the muscle pulling tight again its antagonist (and no muscle on the other end to pull back).
2. Training your rear delts needs to be felt
Light weights apply here.
Because rear delts play stabilizers, their incidence of actually contracting is very low. Use low weights to actively engage your rear delts in a contraction to build them. They are a small ass muscle, you do not need a lot of weight to make a difference here.
Using too much weight will activate the same response as heavy pressing. Your rear delts will stabilize the movement, but your traps and upper back will get greedy and move the weight. Congrats, you just turned a great rear delt movement into a shitty trap exercise.
There are cheating and partial rear delt movements that should be thrown in the mix as well, but the majority of your rear delt work should be light and leave you with a distinct muscle pump.
Back continues to feel good after jefferson deads. Still taking the weight very easy. If i start to regress at all, i have 0 problem going back to all overhead work.
Sex drive: meh, but its been a party weekend. Libido is the first thing to go when booze is in the picture.
Mood/confidence: medium? I dunno, hung over a bit man. Shhhh shh shh shh shhh
Workout
Jefferson dead (left leg) 335x1
--still super easy
Ring pullups ~30 reps, starting to feel really great
(Mechanical dropset)
Hspux13
Inc pushupx18
Pushupx7
Knee pushupx6
Stretching, band arm work
Neck harness 40lbsx30
note:
I know this looks like a lot, but it's really not. I always leave the gym feeling awesome, and this only takes about 30min
After hitting a 245 push jerk, i really have a few options.
- continue to work on overhead presses in a cycle (tempting)
- see if i can start lifting my lower body again
I did a small lower body test today with jefferson deads to see whether my body revolts. So far, so great.
Workout
Jefferson dead 315x1 (left leg only)
Ring pullups
Mechanical dropset hspu > incline pushup > pushup > knees pushup
--this is a fun way to get some easy upper body volume in. The goal here is to maintain my upper body gains while the heavy work is performed on the lower
Band arm work
Band shoulder isometric hold 2min per arm (maybe use this sparingly)
Im forcing myself to get out of the house and move my ass a little before bed. The fact that my friends are living it up at EDC Orlando fills me, with DETERMINATION.
Ok there neck harness. You dont suck, im just not using you right. This cheap pos works great for neck extension and retraction, but awful for lateral movement.
Sex drive/mood/confidence: great!!!
Noticed my appetite is also in high gear. Im getting leaner, but not really more muscular. This is fine by me.
Workout
Btnpp 245x1 huggeeeeeee and easy
--shoulders feel great
Front squat hold 385x3x10s
Shoulder raises and isometrics
Brain dump
These shootings are killing me man. We live in statistically the safest period of time ever. Why am i always looking over my shoulder? Why do i have a moment of panic when im dancing in the front of of a band? I was in Vegas last year when some asshole decided to unload death from a high vantage point into a crowd. I wasnt there because i was jet lagged. Im alive because i was tired. I was woken up by frantic text messages asking if i was ok by friends and family. They knew where i would have been if i was at that concert.
By the same token, this isnt a black and white issue. Gun control does need to be enforced, but not at the level of the legislation that is proposed. Taking away guns does not take away violence.
Whenever a massacre like this goes down, i remember watching my friend Joe play a civilization type game when we were in middle school. He was trying to quell a riot that had set the city on fire. I asked how many people he had to stop. He looked at me like i was stupid. Its just one guy. It only takes one guy.
What the fuck is wrong with us? Something has got to give, and i fear that we are too far up our own asses to have a conversation that is nonpartisan.
Workout
Who fucking cares. It happened.
Before we get into this, fuck my neck harness. Fuck my neck harness. Fuck my neck harness. Dont buy cheap they said. Youll regret it they said. Fine, you so wise internet. My harness works great for working the back of the neck, mediocre for the front, and absolute shit at side to side. My head literally fell through the harness, jerking my injury prone neck to one side. Fuck you fuck you fuck you that sucked.
I cant tell whether the wonkiness i feel is due to that or behind the neck push press (which at best is kind of dangerous to my neck).
Sex drive: huge. Woke up at 3 with a boner that could sail across the pacific
Mood/confidence: likewise, huge
Workout
Btnpp 235x1, eaasssssyyyyyyyyyyyy
Ring pullup, getting really difficult (still tough on shoulders, higher reps are not possible). Taking a break and moving to rows
Band work with tris, bis, and hams
Bw glute bridges (money)
Neck harness fuck you fuck you fuck you
Rear delt raises
My shoulders are freaking out. They were dead yesterday post lifting, and they are desd right now. During the actual lifts themselves, however, they feel fantastic.
Here is how today went. Btnpp on all
Empty bar x 10, killllll me
95 x 5, whyyyy is this so heavy
135 x 3, so heavy. Maybe i should stop
185 x 1, strangely ok. Maybe 1 more set
205 x 1, holy fuck that was easy. Ill stop here and save some for tomorrow
--the song 'the spirit comes on.' Boner intensifies
225 x 1, eeeeaaaassssyyyyyyy
I 100% have 10 to 20lbs left before this even gets hard.
The remaining workout (ring pullups, rear delt raises) all felt kind of rough. My shoulders have been put through the ringer.
I also did a static hold behind my back, but i think ill stick to the front rack.
1. Im weaker there
2. It will carry over to the back
3. The rear rack hurts already tired shoulders
What i really cant tell is whether my shoulders are in danger or if they're just sore. If they feel shitty coming into tomorrow, i may do a restorative volume pull workout. We shall see. Itachi did nothing wrong.
Today was a mixed bag. My shoulders are still sore af from my weekend volume day, but the strength was there for some heinous shit. Likewise, my lats copped out on me for ring pullups. Super super low volume on both today.
Sex drive: over 9000
Mood/confidence: ditto
Workout
Push press 230x1, why the fuck not
Pullups, like, 15?
Static front rack hold 315x10s
I like the idea of ending a workout with an isometric hold. Get my body used to carrying way more weight than im actually pressing may prove useful in the future. Or not. Whatever it's fun.
Acc
Glute bridges
Tricep pushdown banded
Banded leg curls
Had a hell of a time this morning. My mind is with women and not lifting. I was able to get my head right for a decent top set, but fuck me that wasnt cool.
Fully recovered from hulaween. Back is feeling great from high volume ass and hamstring work.
Sex drive: too high. Too high
Mood/confidence: ditto
Workout
Push press: 220x1
--maybe stop ohp warmup a little lighter. 155x1 was a little slow
Ring pullup: 30 reps? Didnt count
Acc
- tricep banded pushdown x 2 sets
- banded leg curl x 2 sets
- banded curls x 1 set
- bw glute bridge x 2 sets
- neck harness x 1 set in each direction 35lbs
- rear delt raises ss stretching
Overall great tonic day. My shoulders and chest are still sore af from volume day yesterday. My lats, conversely, are totally fine. Ill chock that up to daily pullups overridding the strain from cable rows.
Next volume day, ill find another back friendly row to add in.
Minnnnddddd dumpppo
I hate Atlanta and everyone that looks like Atlanta. Maybe it's because i had my heart broken there. Maybe it's because i lived there for 27 years. I don't know. I'm not a doctor.
What i do know is i thought i had an anger problem which necessitated therapy. Turns out i just really, really didnt like my city. Like a bad relaltionship, its difficult to see the problems in any direction other than in reverse. Its not normal to hate where you live. Its not nornal to feel stuck in a loop every weekend.
Ive started to feel the same itch from St Petersburg. I by no means hate where i live, but this land of vacation may come with an expiration. I found a new crew of my favorite people once. I can do it again. The best part about leaving is you dont lose the people you leave behind. The best ones stay in touch and grow with you remotely.
I went off the rails a ton today, and it felt lovely. 1 to 2 days a week of higher volume isnt going to kill me.
Workout
Note: all sets have 30s rest
Inc db bench 60x15, 50x20,15, 45x20,12
Floor press 185x7, 165x15, 155x20,12
Glute bridge 5x15
Seated row (with 2 blue bands) 125x20, 13, 110x15, 95x15, 80x10
Shrug behind back 185x4x25
Pinch grip 35lbsx5x30s
Rotational abs x5x15
For the past 2 years, ive been fucking about with brain drugs and nootropics. Modafinil, brain candy, focus factor, whateverthefuck chaos and pain sells. Ive been around the block. I can safetly say that these things are not for me.
Every time i hop on, a cycle occurs:
- days 1 to 3: I am immortal. Everything is so easy socially and professionally. The holy grail is real and its called X
- days 4 to 7: this is weird. Im getting the same performance without the same high that comes with it. The time where im down feels pretty bad though
- day 7+: i need the same dose to function. Sleep is not always guaranteed. Fun on the weekends is impossible unless i dose up, and even then i find no joy in anything. Kill me.
Ive read plenty of testimonials stating the exact opposite. Good on them man. Its just not something im interested in subsiding on.
And we are back baby.
Still injured, so no lower body work except rehab. Think of this as an extended alpha destiny home workout that starts with a heavy pressing single.
Sex drive: uncomfortably high
Mood: meh. still tired from hulaween
Confidence: pretty great
Workout
Push press 215x1
--difficult af. I have more in me, but not today. Goal for this round is 230x1
Ring pullups:
- super set with vertical presses
- stop 1 to 2 before failure
- switch grips each set
Tricep pushdowns
Band leg curls
Glute bridges
Rear delt raises
INot being able to train my legs and back is a fucking bummer man. I may have to accept that my injury isnt going to get better the longer i lift the way i prefer to. It's time for a change.
As with earlier this week, high frequency is still in. I cant justify things like snatch high pulls, as my back is locked the fuck up.
Here we go:
Overhead press 1x1
Ring pullups
Rear delts
Stretch
Pullups will not be performed to failure. Low rest intervals used. Lets fucking do this.
Workout
Push press 205x1, easy
Ring pullups 40 reps, 30s rest, no failure
Giant mechanical drop set:
- handstand pushups
- incline pushups
- pushups
- knee pushups
Rear delts
Stretch
Total ants: 1,000,000
Total pullups: 40
I greatly overestimated how many pullups i was capable of. Ill increase the volume
The only thing that matters in life is people and music
~shayna erickson
Im going to be repeating this a ton. It embodies our tribes drive and philosophy to a T.
Today is my first day back to work after one of the best weekends of my life. Unlike most post festival blues, im 100% ready for the transition. Im excited, renewed, and reborn.
Workout (one lift man)
Overhead press
115x5
125x5
135x5 (hard)
140x2 (almost passed out. Bad bar path and breathing)
120x5
125x5
130x5
28min total
Rear delt raises x5 sets with 5lbs
Stretching the fuck out of my hips
The gap in time was due to an epic weekend at the Hulaween music festival. Ive had better weekends, but i really cant remember when.
Back to lifting, im gonna mix things up slightly for this next month. If this feels right, fuck ya. If not, wisconsin it is.
Dan johns: one lift a day
I still enjoy daily lifting a fuckton. That isnt changing. I would like to add some more volume and variety without adding more time to each workout. Enter Dan Johns article on performing one lift a day.
With roots back in early oly lifting, the program is exactly what ir sounds like. One lift a day, 30 to 45min, change load and volume week to week.
Dan john suggests lifting 5 days per week. We shall see how we do on 7.
Week 1 load: 7x5, wave loaded
Set 1, increase weight
Set 2, increase weight
Set 3, increase weight
Set 4, increase weight, near or at max.for the day
Set 5, decrease weight
Set 6, increase weight
Set 7: increase weight. At or above set 4
Week 2 load: 6x3
Same pattern as week 1. Decrease weight after set 3
Week 3 load: 1x5, 1x3, 1x2
Week 4: off
Sunday: snatch high pulls
Monday: overhead press
Tuesday: front squats
Wednesday: push press
Thursday: power cleans
Friday: chinup
Saturday: floor press
Shoulder is much much better today, but my back is being a dick hole. Cannot fucking wait until lower body and heavy back work is back in the mix.
Still experimenting with other movements until i can figure something out that works.
When i lift with my lower body, it doesnt hurt, but i can tell the connections that are usually steel bars are hanging on by a thread. Laaaaaaaaaaameeeeee.
Sex drive: nada, but who cares, hulaweeeeeeen time baby!
Mood/confidence: sky high
Workout
Ohp 170x1
--could have gone better. Still pretty slow, but i flat out failed this yesterday. This next cycle may be all overhead work, as i find it way more fun and rewarding than horizontal presses
Back ext: mehhhhhhh no. Did some hip thrusts instead. Will retry when im back
Shoulder is not injured, but inflamed as hell. Floor pressing felt easy, but was not the best use of my time.
To circumvent next time...
- do higher reps on dips
- more prehab work for shoulders
Nothing is fucked. This time at hulaween will be a good rest.
Workout
Ohp 165x1, difficult
Back ext 100x10
It needs to be said. Im not doing the same version of the Wisconsin method as Eric Bugenhagen and Dairyland Strength.
This doesnt mean my version is better (fuck man, they are literally 3x stronger than me), but it is a version i find interesting and easy to keep to while making progress.
Program goals
Morning: build strength
Night: build conditioning, lose fat
Mutually exclusive. Although there is some crossover on both daily phases, they are kept as distinct as possible.
In terms of muscle growth, this is allocated to the morning portion as a secondary goal. Ive seen growth in the muscles im working at a high frequency, and a retention or slight loss in muscles i do not touch directly. This is normal and expected. Your eventual muscle, volume, and exercise selection will be huge over time, but extremely low daily.
Morning Program
30min lifting, 10min recovery
Lifting
Choose 2 lifts, work up to a max set for both
- A max set can be any number of reps, but err on the side of the heavy single
- Max sets can change the number of reps daily in order to continue progress
- Some movements (see: upper body pulls) generally do better with reps of 3 or greater
- Switch movements when you fail to make progress
- Backoff sets are optional, but i dont do them
Use resistance bands for an arm pump
- tricep extensions and hammer curls are normal fare
- 1 full set total per movement, but dropset the resistance by removing a band from the pack when you cannot complete a rep
Recovery
- 1 set of neck work. Plate curls or wrestler bridges
- rear delt raises. Goal here is reps and feeling your rear delts activate, not weight lifted
- static and stretch hips, hamstrings, quads, calves, adductors, triceps, back, and shoulders
Night Program
Bfr training for legs 5min
Dance practice 10min
Bfr training
Tighten straps over legs near your pelvis
3 sets, 20s rest
Perform pistol squats (i do them assisted because too weak to do otherwise at the moment). Do not reach failure.
1 set
Standing hamstring curls. To failure.
3 sets, 20s rest
Bodyweight squats
Take the straps off, enjoy the pump. Swagger.
Dance practice
The goal here is to move. Trying new moves or freestyle, it doesnt matter. Just do it.
Dancing is what makes me feel alive. Other methods of classical conditioning bore the fuck out of me. Choose what makes you feel alive and attack it.
Stomach is all sorts of fucked up post California and Vegas. My poo, once a glorious mound of vitamins and minerals in spirit, looks like a car accident after a nuclear spill.
I need vegetables asap.
Tried to reincorporate snatch high pulls this morning so my traps pop a little for my Halloween costumes, but im not ready yet. There is still way too much inflammation to consider this an option. On the bright side, i had a brain fart on the way to the gym this morning. Why not incorporate a movement ive never really loaded heavy before that was a key player in rehabbing my back years ago. Fucking brilllllliant.
Sex drive: not too shabby. Noticing all the butts
Mood: poor, but mostly due to poor diet and sleep
Confidence: super
Workout
Floor press 255x1
--this was a hard rep, but everything leading up to it was incredibly stable. Also, this is 5lbs under my old max. Great sign. Depending on how i feel tomorrow (my triceps were smoked going into this) i may try for 260 or drop down to 205 for reps
Back extenstion bw+100x8
--perfect! Although i maxed out the dumbbells on day 1. So im gonna bring my adjustable dumbbells from home
My buddy Josh and i periodically have this conversation, as its always a moving target. Top 5 live music shows and why. 123go.
5. The Revivalists
Age: 28
Company: a bunch of dudes who would become my best friends
Venue: some shitty bar in St Petersburg
I walked into this show blind (kind of a recurring theme) with a bunch of dudes i barely knew. The Revivalists start poorly, they always do, but 10min in i was hooked. I was floored by their folky new orleans jazz. Im not sure whether it was the shitty bar or vaguely empty crowd, but the band took risks i have never seen them take since (including a not so entirely friendly guitar vs slide guitar battle).
Ive since seen the revivialists at least 20 times. Theyre always amazing, but ill be damned if im not chasing the dragon of that first night.
4. Caribou
Age: 30
Company: solo
Venue: Bonnarroo 2015, Other stage
Not too much to say here. I feel like i dreamt the set to be honest. I broke away from my crew to see a band i once saw in my early 20s (like number 5, in a shit bar).
They are good on their album, bur great live. I would see them again in a heartbeat.
3. LCD Soundsystem
Age: 31
Company: the entire tribe calles fest roster
Venue: Bonnarroo 2016, What stage
There were 5 years building up to this set. I neglected to see LCDs last show in 2011 under the guise of saving money (i had just seen them in 2010, it felt excessive at the time). Years of regret were shed off at once.
2. The Flaming Lips
Age: 23
Company: nick 'the yellow dart' Hoffpauer
Venue: the echo project festival
This was my first real music festival. Nick won tickets and took me as his plus 1. I really owe him a lot for this experience.
As we drove in, i panic ate pot brownies thinking security would care. I came up hard as The Flaming Lips started, and the lead singer rolled into the crowd in a giant hamster ball. The concert started with a gust of confetti blasted into the crowd, and my heart soared. If you have not experienced these men live, get on it. The vibe is 'its everybodys birthday.'
'Yeah yeah yeah yeah' both started and ended with a slow acoustic sing along 'with all of your power, what would you do' in a show of emotion i have not seen replicated since.
1. Peelander-Z
Age: 25
Company: bunch of frat bros
Venue: the drunken unicorn, atlanta
Lets get this out of the way. Peelander-Z has terrible music. They are awful. I am embaressed to have their CD in my car, and pray no one asks what the heck is this bright yellow thing (proceed to turn on 'ninja high school' before i can stop them).
Yet i would bring anyone to one of their shows. It is not a musical event, it is a bizarre experience that happens to have music.
During their show you will see:
- aggressive punk rock by people dressed like power rangers
- if there are obstacles to be jumped from or ceilings low enough to hang from, some pretty stupid stunts that can end badly really fast
- human bowling
- the band relocating their instruments to the center of the room to jam out
- the band handing their instruments to randoms in the crowd so they can fuck off and force the entire audience to limbo
Peelander-z demands your interaction and your love. Even the hardest heart will sound like a neckbeard otaku by the nights end.
I only ask this. Do not look them up. Do not listen to their music. Do not watch their music videos. Just go.
They are fun, unpredictable, and sparsely play. Subsequent concerts are always fun, but your first is going to be your best.
Got to sleep late last night and ate in and out before bed. Translation: shit recovery.
Got an early morning workout in before i headed to LAX. This is likely the last day of dips for me; tomorrow morning we are hitting floor press as heavy as possible (goal of 265).
Sex drive: bonerrrrrrrrrssssss
Mood/confidence: pretty damn good. Diet plays such a strong part here
Aside:
Lower body Bfr training (blood flow restriction) training at night has been a mainstay, but a way i can ramp up the intensity. Instead of doing straight sets of bw squats, starting with pistols really ramps up the intensity.
So...
- leg curls 1-2 sets per leg. 15s rest
- pistols 1-3 sets per leg. 30s rest
- bw squats 3 sets, 15s rest
The pummmmp man
Workout
Chin 60x6. Not bad all things considered
Dips 100x2. Every set leading up to this felt awful. Peace out dips
Found an anytine fitness gym to lift in this morning before my friends wedding.
The first big training gap will be next wed to mon when im off at hulaween, so im gonna enjoy the remaining few days i have.
Sex drive: pretty nice
Mood/confidence: way better than yesterday afternoon. I ate a shitty subway sandwich and literally felt my entire body rebuke me. My neck felt inflamed, my stomach felt bloated, i was tired and irritable. Fuck you subway. Fuck you jared.
Workout
Chinup 95x3, eeaasssyyy
Dips 130x1, hard af. 5 more lbs before i match my best PR
Supplementation
1. Tumeric with black pepper extract
Costco brand. Cheap and amazing. Get on this shit. Its a better pain reliever than any pain med in my cabinet. When i could barely move a month ago from a back injury, tumeric took me from bed ridden to break dancing. Im not joking, get on this now.
Black pepper extract increases the absorption of tumeric (usually poor) by 2000%. Do not get tumeric in isolation. Ot does nothing.
Another benefit ive noticed is considerably less brain fog during the day. As a dude who usually depends on caffeine and has experimented with various nootropics, tumeric blows them out of the water.
I take the recommended daily dose 2x a day. Once upon waking, once before bed.
$16 for a 30 day supply
2. Super enzymes
Find a brand that works for you and have at it. Ive noticed considerably less bloating and intestinal distress when incorporating this supplement.
I take 1 to 2 pills upon waking and before bed.
$24 for a 60 to 90 day supply
3. Creatine monohydrate
Super cheap. You will notice a difference in muscle size, power output, and number of reps you can perform. Nonessential, but there isnt really a reason why you shouldnt take this.
Take 5 grams 6x a day for a week, then 5g a day every day after
$24 for a 6 month supply. For real yo.
4. NAC sustain
This one is a little weird. I dont feeeel my body directly improving from this guy. The behind the curtains action is your body is instructed to manufacture more glutothione, a master antioxidant. Ridiculously good for your health.
The only time i can feel this working is before a night of drinking. Pop 2 NAC before you go out, and any hangover you may have had is reduced from oh god oh god just kill me to im kind of sleepy still. Everything has a limit though. Drink too much, and this wont do shit.
Take 1 pill a day, unless you are going out to drink. In which case 2 to 3 will do.
$24 for a 3 month supply
Diet
I think ill have more leeway when i can do lower body and oly movements again, but daily training does not allow you to outtrain bad decisions.
I dont look horrible by any means, and 1 to 2 days of poor eating gets reset after another 2 days of good habits, but i can visibly see my progress stall.
Right meow, my fav diet is:
- small amount of carbs in the morning pre training
Usually a bowl of cherries, dried figs, or the like.
- 2 large meals through the rest of the day. Typically at 3p and 9p
No reason for this. Its just more convenient to not eat when im working. If i get ravenous before 3p, i eat. No dogma here.
All meals are heavy on proteins and fats, but vegetables are a mainstay. This is NOT keto in any way, just what i found works for my energy
Cardio and conditioning
Not much to say here. Conditioning is definitely needed to stay in shape. Low volume, high intensity workouts are great for strength, but your gas tank needs love too.
Find something you can do a few times a week and hit it hard.
I missed yesterdays workout deliberately. The energy and desire was there, but i needed the morning to prep for ze big work presentation.
Today, i have all the time in the world before my drive to California. Having my dip belt was a godsend, and allowed me to continue on my same pathway from last week.
Sex drive: 0
Mood/confidence: ultra instinct
Power level: over 9000. Everything feels solid and powerful
Workout
Chin 50x5, pretty bad, but not too worried. Their equipment was shit (the handles rotated...why), and i know i have way more in me
Dips 75x9. Again, not worried.
Rear delt work
Neck work
--new thing im trying here. When i cant do strict neck curls anymore, using my hands to cheat the reps works great
The lack of ability to do anything lower body besides bodyweight accessory has been annoying, but otherwise im loving this.
Major finds:
- on days when the strength may not be there, rep PRs are a boon
- know when to dump a movement. Dont feel bad about failing, this is going to happen
- sometimes, switching a movement after hitting a major goal is more beneficial than trying and failing
- daily stretching is mandatory
- mix up tension for minor accessory work
- daily rear delt work is fun af
What is going on at my gym??? The number of hot people (men and women) has exploded. Are they ringers? Is this the normal 7a crowd, and im just now seeing the hotness?
Unfortunately, the rise of hot people has been met with a proportional increase of dude bro's deadlifting in the squat rack. Why do you do this? You arent doing a rack pull, and you don't need the safety the rack provides. Youve just requisitioned two vital resources in a small gym. I will eat your fucking children Chad (or Hunter, or Kyyyyyle, or Tucker). Not kill. Eat. I will go full on demon king picollo, spin a wheel on your childs birthday, and eat whatever organ the wheel lands on. And dont you worry, i will continue to make bank JUST so i can afford the worlds finest healthcare. Surgeons will follow your son like Crocodile followed Mike Tyson. Waiting, waiting, fixing, waiting. Dont. Deadlift. In. The. Rack. Rack pulls are ok though.
Sex drive: nothin man. Again, not worried, just annoyed. Its not like boners have quit their job, im just not interested in chasing anyone. Its weird to be surrounded by the poon hounds that are my friends sometimes. It sounds exhausting.
Mood/confidence: good, although getting up and moving is notably harder than last week. Reliance back on keto during the day helps, but i really need to add veges back in as a staple instead of a side
Workout
Chin bw+90x3
--mas difficult today. May back off tomorrow for a rep PR
Dip bw+120x1
--so the top set itself was easy and smooth, but getting there was haaaarrdddd. I think the rep PR kinda burned me out yesterday without destroying my ceiling. The biggest bifferemce i found is that i do NOT feel like tricep and bicep accessory post main lifts if the day before was reps instead of a single
Switched things up today after failing to increase my row rep pr and almost failing to get a 120lb dip yesterday.
Im pleasantly surprised with the results here.
Sex drive: nothin
Mood: sour
Confidence: medium?????
I'm none too worried about how i feel at the moment. Coming off of a week of huge stress, bad sleep, and poor diet has some downwind effects. Placing things back in gear this week.
Workout
Chinup bw+85x3, eaasssyyyyy
Dips bw+75x12
--the dips are a major win. I have not gone forna pressing PR since I started this mess, and right out of the gate ive almost beaten my old best (80x10) that i spent weeks building towards. Not going to say this was easy, it wasnt. I nesrly passed out on rep 8 and needed to hang for a second and breath.
Rear delts 12.5lbs x31,x21,x10,1x60second hold
--adding a time to the hold instead of 'as long as possible' is the right call. Can focus on progression instead of nothing.
Bicep and tricep band work
Stretching, special emphasis on front splits
Today was rough. Missed a PR on seated rows after having a great rep PR yesterday. I still leveled up on dips, but it was hard af.
I can chock this up to poor sleep last night and an overall poor lifestyle this weekend. Ill hit the same movements one more time tomorrow to see where i stand.
Sex drive: boner central, but no actual drive. Weird.
Confidence/mood: pretty crappy, but...poor sleep. Buzz off hoser
Workout
Seated row 200x21, worst one yet
Dips bw+120 x1
--this is my old best from a long time ago. The fact that it doesnt scare me anymore is lovely, but this rep was hard.
The blonde that looks like a cylon was there this morning. So hot. Possibly fake hair. Ill blow raspberries in her general direction to see if it moves.
Second weekend in a row where i lifted hung over and made easy pr's. This is not a humble brag, more so its nice to have less volatility in training (usually a night out means im fuuucked for days).
Workout
Seated row 200x28, +2 reps from yesterday. Up 6 reps from friday
Dips 115x1 easssssyyyyyyyy
--all time record is 135. Lets kick its ass
My first experiment with high frequency training was back in late 2016. Within 2 weeks of starting, i hit my first 315 front squat and 500 deadlift; two lifts i had casually accepted were out of my reach.
So if it was so great, why did i stop? Couple of reasons.
1. Vanity
Up until my month long experiment with high frequency, i had been training for dragoncon. This meant a fuckton of oly lifts, squats, and upprr body volume about 4x a week. I looked pretty damn good going into dragoncon, and to see some of those hard earned muscular gains disappear (although translated to strength) was difficult mentally.
2. (The big one) going to the gym everyday after work meant my life felt like a chain between work and the gym
It didnt matter that my workouts were only 22min on average. When you take into account driving to the gym, changing, and waiting for required equipment, you are looking at a 1.5hr investment. I wasnt getting home until 9p most nights.
Anything social after work was out of the question. In short. My life for auir.
Why did i come back?
At some point, the idea of vanity dies. Dont get me wrong, 0 part of me has abandoned 17in arms, but my need to be strong is paramount at the moment.
Most of all, repeat after me: no one gives a shit about your physique. Your perception of how big or small or cut or fat you are is vastly different than the person next to you. Your current work in progress is someone elses goal.
The volume i do feels important instead of routine. Autoregulation is a great weight off my mind, and a solid solution for base nature of tweaking the hell out of a program (which was happening damn near every week regardless of whether things were going well or not).
Ive found that daily high rep work for shoulders and arms is both doable, recoverable, and effective. Ya, my daily volume is still small, but my weekly volume vastly outclasses what i ever acconplished with higher volume workouts.
Every day i walk away from training feeling like a tank instead of too tired to stand.
As for scheduling, this has worked better than i could have dreamed. When my workouts took an hour, i was up at 530 to caffinate and go. It straight up ruined my day at the opportunity cost of getting a workout in. Introducing shorter high frequency workouts means a bedtime of 1030 (sometimes 930 or 10) and a wake time of 630. I feel healthier because of this change, and havent really needed coffee post workout to sustain myself at work. Socially, im still able to go out during the week and be in bed without fucking this schedule up.
Im only about a month in, but this has been a great experience.
https://open.spotify.com/track/77BAdEE2DDdMlobG86ZV5x?si=-NZtX-d9RyGq7QXehubI1A
Artist: beatangers
Song: my game
Cant listen to this while lifting anymore. I keep imagining an escalating high end sex party with super senior citizens.
The party gets sloppy as fuck. Doing bumps of vyvanse and viagra off of crusty nipples. Some peeps hanging back and eating the catered country kitchen buffet. New offerings of tatted up seniors that look like dhalsim get carried in by lesser seniors. the party stops as their king arrives, then they descend on him and devour every wrinkle.
The 'ooooh's' in the song are mixed with extreme close up O faces. You cant tell where hips begin and fake hips end.
I love this song.
No fate but what we make
Workout
Row 200x26
Dips bw+110x1
The wave of disappointment from my job fuckup is over. Finding i generally sleep better if i complete tiny tasks before bed. Can be anything really. Cut nails. Clean bathroom. Call mom. Whatever.
Considering the biggest driver behind my poor sleep is FUCK NOTHING IS DONE I SUCCKKKKK this is a good pathway.
Sex drive: nothin bruh. Again, situational
Mood/confidence: pretty stellar
Workout
Seated row 200lbsx22 reps (+2 reps from yesterday, likely due to the violent concentrics i added in)
LM press 4plates, 1dime x1
--grrrinder. This was really hard. May have 1 day left in me before we switch to dips
Rear delt raise 12.5x35,25,15,5
--these are feeling great. And hot damn do my shoulders look good pumped up
Tricep and bicep band work
Stretches today added on front splits. This felt GREAT on my back. I felt a stretch right in between my left glute and hamstring (i.e. where things are boned) that i havent before.
I tried opened today with power cleans. Noooooope. They didnt hurt, but it was like watching an alcoholic say hell just have 1 shot of schnapps. Cmon buddy, what are you doing. Kids are watching.
I didnt post yesterday because i made the biggest fuckup of my career on the 9th. Fixable, im prob not getting fired, but it took the piss out of me.
Lower back has been shitty again, so we are shifting to entirely upper body.
Workout
Seated cable row 200x20
--this is the stack, so subsequent days will be used to increase reps
Lm press 4plates 1nickel x1
--wooooo baby
Chinup 1x9, shit set
Rear delt raise 12.5lbs x25, x15, x30
Stretches and neck work
Triceps and biceps are a little beat up, saving for tomorrow
Bulgarian split squats were NOT happening today. Remember how much i said they lit up my glutes? Well apparently they did way too well. Even bodyweight hurt like a mofo. I tried to circle back and only do the right leg, but same dealeo.
Ill retry tomorrow, as ive been enjoying this cycle. If it feels like dogshit, ill switch to a pull type movement (power clean, snatch high pull, t bar row).
Sex drive: even keel man
Mood/confidence: great again. I dunno if gettinf drunk Saturday threw me off or what, but im back to feeling awesome.
Workout
Bulgarian split squat (right): 160x2, 140x3x1
Landmine press 3plates, 1quarter, 1dime x1
--mega easy
Rear delt raise x50,40,30,20,10 with 10lbs
One day of no stretching and im feeling it. Gotcha. High frequency means prehab is mandatory. My body otherwise feels pretty great.
Dancing over the weekend let me know how south my conditioning has gone. Kind of expected but still annoying. Ill ramp up a little night conditioning for the next few weeks or else hulaween is going to bury me.
Sex drive: looking at all the butts, but mostly appreciating and moving on.
Considence/mood: excellent, although i notice a hit from drinking Saturday. I literally felt unstoppable until my first beer on saturday.
Workout
BSS (right) 155x2, 135x10x1
--still way harder than the left leg
Landmine press 3plates 1quarter x1
Stretches
Chinup 1x13
Rear delt raise 10lbs 40,30,20,10
Tricep and bicep band work
--loving these so much. My friend commented this weekend that i looked like an 80s workout video. Solid. Will post a video of Eric Bugenhagen in a separate post
Hung over, doesnt matter. Lifting is feeling routine. Feeling some extreme soreness in both my legs and shoulders, but nothing feels close to injury.
All the things: great
Workout
Bulgarian split squat (left) 185x2, 165x10x1
--eaaaasy
Btnpp 235x1
--easy but scary. Changing to the horizontal press track
Ate all the carbs last night (deliberate). My carb intake for the most part has been in the morning pre lift, but this was a welcome change for the weekend.
Sex drive: pretty decent. Again, situational. It's like nothing is armed and ready until my brain sees something it likes. Then its like WE'RE UNDER HEAVY FIRE. ALL PARATROOPERS OUT. DO YOU WANNA DIE. (Boner paratroopers) sir we are miles from the drop zone. SOLDIER THAT IS ASS AND TITTY ARTILLERY FIRE. JUMP NOW. Foosh (boner misfire fx)!
Mood/confidence: still pretty great
Workout
Bulgarian split squat (right) 155x5x1, 145x5x1
--As expected, my non dominant leg sucked at its first try. No worries here.
Push press 225x1
--this is a mother fuckin PR. Ive gotten this over my head behind the neck, but never in front. This was scary as fuck. Switching to behind the neck for the next cycle
Chinups 1x14
--volatile number of daily reps. I may try mixing up the grip daily as well
Rear delt raises 5lbs x150 reps (50,40,30,20,10 one ark at a time)
Tricep and bicep band work
Neck work
Stretching. Extra attention given to shoulders and triceps
Yesterday kind of blew in retrospect. Yes i felt awesome. Yes my lifts didnt suck too bad for coming off a layoff. But god damn if my back isnt sending all sorts of warning signs post lifting and tennis.
Today i switched things up a little bit and tried bulgaroan split squats for the first time. Couple of thoughts:
- my gyms power racks make it impossible to set up safety, so max effort is not in the cards
- daily max followed by volume feels fine, just fine
- holy fuck my glutes are awake! Killer.
Sex drive: talked to the girl im seeing last night. Got mega horny, then nothing. So, sex drive is there, just selectively there. Im off porn completely, so im really just not being bombarded by titties, and titties are not on the brain
Confidence: aggression was great
Mood: excellent if not a but tired. I got to sleep at 10 and woke up at 4 WIRED. Lame
Workout
Bulgarian split squat (left): 195x1 (difficult)
155x10x1, 1min rest
Push press 220x1. Difficult but 225 is def there tomorrow
Considering how much fuck about time i spent on split squats, i ended here after a small amount of tricep work and stretching.
Biggest victories today is how good my back feels, finding a movement that wakes my glutes up, and knowing how much stronger im going to get on split squats compared to today.
Today was fuckin great! Switched movements across the board and glad i did.
Sex drive: not there
Confidence/energy/mood: great
Today i was able to access some much needed aggression. The change? Fucking metalocalyse soundtrack that's what.
Workout
Zercher squat 315x1 (grinder, but 305 was smooth as buttuh)
Push press 215x1
Shoulder raise 10lbs x55, x20
Tricep and bicep band work
Stretching
Happy i went back to push pressing today. I really didnt milk it last week, leaving a lot on the table. The major difference today was definitely technique driven. Keeping the bar high up on my collar bone made the bar path way easier to stick to.
A good progression here may be
OHP > push press > behind the neck push jerk
Similarly, for horizontal pressing
Landmine press > dips > floor press
Feeling like a fucking tank today. Surprisingly, this did not transfer to lifting. Go figure.
Small modifications to diet and lifting. All of them felt pretty damn good.
Diet changes:
Usually im strict keto during the week. This is not because im trying to establish long term ketosis, but because i generally feel better during the workday when carbs are absent. No post lunch slowdown, and I can push my meals until later in the day.
Change today was starting out with a few carbs preworkout (small bowl of frozen cherries). Felt great going into my workout.
Workout changes:
Squatting before pressing, and making my squat a top double instead of single. This worked really well, and may allow me go stick with a lower body movement longer.
Sex drive: not bad not bad
Confidence/mood/energy: fucking awesome
I was productive as hell last night. Focussing on completing a few small tasks helped me calm the fuck down before bed. Sleep was amazing.
Workout
Front squat 245x1x2
Landmine press 3plates 1quarter x 3
Chinup 1x15
Rear delt raise 10lbs 1x17, 1x25
Tricep and bicep band work dropset
Getting worse across the board. Again, shit sleep after getting in bed by 10 (then struggling until i woke up at 630).
Trying a change tonight by:
- getting a short dance in to wear myself out
- completing a few small tasks so my brain isnt on douche mode
Workout
Landmine press 3plates, 2quarters x2
--like this a ton. Going ro try for more reps tomorrow instead of nore weight
Rear delt raise 10lbs 1x60, 1x20
Front squat 270x1
--awful. Switching out
Tricep and bicep band work
Stretches
Horrible sleep last night. Fuckkk fuck fuck fuck. All things considered, i did ok, but blargh man.
Really need to keep up last weeks trend of leaving my phone alone late night.
Sex drive: aight. Maybe stop force diddling myself eh?
Mood/energy: 5/10
Workout
Push press 205x1
Front squat 275x1 (still hard, but not getting harder than previous days)
Pause front squat 205x2x2
Rear dealt raise 10lbs x 60 reps
Neck work amap
It's only been a week??? What the actual fuck. I feel like ive been doing this for months (i mean that in a very positive way).
Today was not a great lifting day, but last night was filled with junk food, booze, smoking, poor sleep, and avenue q. I may try for another ohp PR tomorrow morning before i switch movements. It would be mega awesome if i could hit a strict 185 overhead on this cycle as well.
Depending on how this goes, i may nix the backoff work entirely. It's super easy, but i dont know whether the slightly increased volume is eating into my recovery for the next day.
Sex drive: better. Still not great, but also still not bothering me. Condidence is HIGH
Mood/energy: very mediocre, but ill chock this up to diet, booze, and sleep deprivation
Body comp: shoulders are popping a little bit. Arms feel fantastic (day long pumps). The weekly volume for both body parts is going to end up being pretty great (800+ weekly reps) so im interested in seeing where this takes me
Workout
Ohp 180xfail
Rear delt raise 10lbs; 1x55, 1x25
--note: i may want to look for other decent rear delt movements as well. This feels great at the moment, but in guessing im going to hit some overuse thresholds after a few weeks
Front squat 270x1
--note: easier than yesterday's 265, but still tough
Bw chinup 1x19, not to failure
Tricep and bicep band work
