Friday, November 04, 2022

Squatober 2022

Juggled off days, took a little longer to finish than 30 days because of some family stuff. Probably a good thing, as I recall feeling beat up doing 5/2s in years past. I think I'm better off doing 3/1,2/1 or something like that.

A few doubles of the same workout this year, the workout variety was stale late in the program. There was a see-saw day, a 21 to party day, and only one day of front squats.
Most notably, slow eccentrics and paused squats worked early magic.
 
I didn't feel strong last year (after losing a whole month to Covidpneumonia, I was still bouncing back in October) and was just glad to complete the program then. This year, after 9 months of walking lunges, hip thrusters and extensions, with some squatting all year, I felt stronger. The slow eccentrics and pauses really gave me confidence. My bracing felt solid this year too, like my core wasn't flimsy and working against me.
Still don't have the top end that I would like, I only got 320 on PR day (missed at 330). However, my 75%-85% reps all felt good and doable throughout. In years past, they didn't. They felt heavy then, this year not so much. I'll take it.

Nutrition for the month:
2800 cals/day was goal, 2757 was actual. 
Fat: 117g/day, Carb 185/day, Protein 234 which is a win. 

A good month.

Monday, October 03, 2022

Velocity 2022 - 6 Week August and Sprintember.

Caught on T-Nation that Dan John was going to run this V-diet (version 4.0) 15 years after doing it as v1.0. I did this back in 2011, so only 11 years ago for me - one of the first cyclic programs I attempted as I started tracking macros. 

The first itineration only had a solid meal once a week; this 4.0 version lets one have a solid meal once daily.

The main points for 4.0:

1. Protein Pulses: You consume four fortified fat-burning protein-pulsing shakes daily as the core of the plan, one at breakfast, lunch, midday, and bedtime.

2. Healthy Solid Meal: You have a daily healthy whole-food evening meal.

3. Critical Supplements: You also take two other caffeine-free supplements; one that provides omega-3 fatty acids (Flameout) and an ingredient that inhibits fat storage (Micellar Curcumin). Superfood is optional and supplies whole-food extracts of berries, fruits, vegetables, and greens.

4. Cold-Water Pulses: You drink eight 8-ounce glasses of cold water to help the body function optimally for fat loss and muscle gain.

5. Power Walks and Activities: You go on one power walk a day and opt for a more physical life where ever possible (taking the stairs, parking farther away, packing groceries, etc.).

6. Mindful Eating: You’re taught mindful eating techniques that make your food taste better and reduce and eliminate cravings.

7. Recovery Sleep and Rest: You’re encouraged to sleep nine hours or longer each night for optimal hormone regulation and accelerated body-composition changes.

8 and 9 involve having them coach you (no exercise plan with this, there was one with 3.0) and keeping a dietary log.

I consumed protein (not the T-Nation product, just Costco Gold Isolate) 3x/day instead of 4x, which got me to an average of 250g/day, took vitamins, drank cold water but not on the clock, Rucked 6x/week in the AM (see below), got over 8 hours/day of sleep, did my own HT program by feel, and logged my diet. So I was much closer to following this program to the letter than I was in 2011 when what I did was really bastardized.

It broke down like this:

Duration: 

Half of August and all of September, 6 weeks.

Exercise:

Ruck just about every weekday morning, weekends into Crunch for early AM lifts.

36 rucks, 6/week. Took a few hikes on the weekends: Day to Freeman Creek grove, Weekend to Forks of the Kern and a Weekend to end it to George Lake. The morning ruck started with about 30 water bottles in the ruck; after a while I stopped added bottles because they no longer fit in the pack. Finally weighed the pack in the final week: 65 lbs.

Lift was mostly all HT, with basic 40 for main lifts. Frequency was really high; 30 workouts in 6 weeks = 5x/week. Many days, these were PM on top of AM rucking.

During Sprintember, sprinted after AM ruck just about every third day - all simple 60 walkbacks in the street - 9 sessions, just over 2x/week.

Cals and Macros:

Ate an average of 2419 cals/day, with a mental stopping point of 2000/day. With an average of 809 cals/day for exercise, the total was 1610.

Breakdown was 35% fat, 22% carb and 43% protein, with an average of 257g protein/day, and 128g carbs. I've come a long way in my ability to keep with my macros.

I didn't do it to lose weight, or I would have eaten fewer calories per day (a true 2000/day prior to exercise subtractions, rather than 2400); this cycle was more of a recomp with really high training frequency, and a focus to keep my macros clean.

Measurements:




As you can see by the grid, measurements didn't really move all that much. One expects about .5" off the waist each week of this, and it moved 1.5" in the first 4 weeks. If I cut calories more, say, by 400/day true calories, it probably would have shrunk the waist size more. Everything else remained basically static. 

I didn't take any befores or afters, but I can see that I did lose some subcutaneous fat, and gained some muscle to compensate - thus the static measurements. If I really wanted to cut fat and lose weight, I would 

• Train more heavily and less frequently (4x week instead of 6x)

• Fewer calories/day (2000 true calories instead of 2419, no accounting for cals lost in exercise)

• Eat as cleanly as I did this cycle.

I usually end these recaps with what I'll do next (and then never do it). But I anticipate cycling this again in November after Squatober, and again in January (after Deadcember), and again in March (after a Pump City), and my hope would be to lose 4 or 5 lbs each round. 228 down to 224 down to 220 down to 215, and just alternate a power building 4 week cycle with a 4 week Velocity/Leangains cycle, until I'm about 210 or 10% body fat. Hold the body weight during the power cycles, and lose during the cuts.

Closing out this cycle with a hike to George lake, I was on the trail thinking about how I handled a pack and long pulls up slopes when I weighed 40 lbs less, and was doing math in my head about how to weigh 205 or so again. It's important, and I really should give it a try.

Friday, October 29, 2021

Squatober 2021.

 Well, this ain't the first rodeo. Same things as previous years still apply: 

- It's a lot of squatting, which I'm still not confident about, and in which I still don't feel like I have a lot of top end

- It's a lot of pressing, especially benching; more than I'm accustomed to, and not as much antagonistic pulling (so I worked in a couple of bonus pulling days to compensate)

- Macros and sleeping were good, did all workouts as Rx'ed, felt great, and felt sore 

- It's great powerbuilding programming at the right price

- Lots of farmer's walking was good for the core this year, forgot that these were so legit

Didn't PR or anything (some of that's thanks to covid all through July and the major setback that that was to all things muscular), but I felt solid in my form, depth, and didn't experience knee pain or glute insertion pain as I have for the last couple of years. 

On PR party day, I had an easy 305, and couldn't get 315 up out of the hole. Not what I want, but what is reality for me. I feel like I'm in a place where I have a basis for continuing strength here though. Deadlift has come along in the past couple of years, and I feel like the tide is rising. Just have to consciously put more weight on the bar than feels comfortable. On heavy days, I still had a sense of creeping dread that I would fail. But the bar was going up, and form was spot on this year — something that wasn't as true in the past as it was this go around. It's still a wonder that I can bench the same weight I'm squatting with ease and without hesitation, but the squat is always with trepidation and without confidence.

Gained 5lbs, but lost a half inch off of the waist. Felt throughout the month that the quads and boot were more solid, and true enough, gained most there. Knee gained the most, I really wish I had access to a leg extension machine.

Like I said, gained 5lbs, on 2734 cals/day average, and was using the creatine. Helped with recovery. 212g protein a day, 186g carb, 130 fat. 443 cals/day for workouts, which was the highest average for the year (I don't usually go for an hour lifting).

Another great month of solid programming. Good for my comeback from Covid weakness, good for my squat confidence.

Friday, April 02, 2021

CFFB - DL and Pulls & Float Month Assessment - 210402

Buy in
3x lunge/ypulls/rollouts 

Mains

DL 276/325/2x355/325/275

Weighted pull up +35 3x3 / iso dB press 7@54


Cash out 

Bag work 8 mins


This is a day late to end the 4 week breather between 8 week cuts to begin this year. Doing the mashup of the CFFB 3x5 double main movements with an LP each week to the weights used; felt good. Adding in Buy ins and Finishers (thought a lot about which ones to use for this) was good mental exercise. I'll continue the structure of the format for as long as it lasts - 4 on/3 off through beginning of summer. 

To recap the last 4 weeks, I was doing IF most days with just ozonated water, coffee and BCAAs until noon, and on/off schedule just happened to fall into a 4/1, 3/1, 2/1, 1/1, 2/1, 3/1, 4/1 breakdown. Cool looking on the calendar, came out to basically 2/1. 

Took creatine for the last month, and put back on 9 lbs (212 to 221) but BF% stayed at 12. Added back an inch at the neck, 1.5 at the chest, 2 at the hip, and .5 at the thigh and waist. I was worried about eating like a pig and just going right back to old measurements, so only a half inch back on the waist was in line with my objectives here. During the cut, ate 2326 cals/day (2147 after exercise deduction) and 2577 (2238 after exercise) so only 200/day more (and only 50 more after exercise) with means I ate not as little as I might've during the cut, and I also trained harder during this last month (179 cals/day vs 349 cals/day). Protein was 209 g/day, up 19 g/day, but carbs were up 60.

Creatine makes a big difference. I don't feel larger but just yesterday all the welders at the shop were saying that I was huge. Not really my goal but I think it's where adding a little more muscle without adding fat makes people look noteworthy. I didn't eat enough to add 9 lbs this month, so it's water in the muscle bellies via the creatine.


9.5-1 hours - 2100/0630. 49+8 minutes total, PE: 7. 24 hours. 221/12.

Sunday, March 28, 2021

HT Pulling - 210328

8! Wide grip BW chins / 9! OHP @105

4x5/x12s

Pendlay @185 / Dyno push ups
 

4x11

Side laterals/rear laterals 30-32s/Meadows

3x10/9/8

Ez in T/C/DB curl w30


HT day, what a good feeling. No buy in or cash out, just thinking shoulder work today.


7.5 hours - 2300/0630. 59 minutes total, PE: 7. 24 hours. 220/12.

Saturday, March 27, 2021

CFFB Squat & Bench Press - 210327

Buy in - 3 rds
Good Mornings @95 - FtB - Muscle Snatch @105

Mains
Squat 135,185, 4x5 @235
Bench 4x5 @235, 2 @275

Finisher 4 rds x10+
RDL 185 - Hip - OHS @48

Opening up the shoulders, still. Squat wants some love. There is a mental or physical block there.

9 hours - 2130/0630. 72 minutes total, PE: 7. 24 hours. 220/12.

Friday, March 26, 2021

CFFB Power Cleans and Chins - 210326

Not posting all of these sessions, just keeping up enough posts to keep FutureMe in the know - that this little patch of between-the-cuts is functioning. Added back 300 cals/day to 2500ish, and taking Creatine, up 6 lbs. Feeling tired all the time but the numbers are going up on all the lifts.

Mains

Pwr Clean @145/165//170//

4x3/4/4/3 Weighted Chin +30


4x10-7

Side Laterals

Trap shrug @275


Finisher 4 rds x10s, 1:30 RI

Shrug/Ez out/hammers


9-1 hours - 2130/0630. 51 minutes total, PE: 6. 48 hours. 219/13.

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

CFFB Pulls & Trap Deads - 210324

Buy in 4 rds 
Muscle snatches @100

Main 2+ RI

4x4 Weighted pull up +30

4x6/7/8/9 Trap dead 275

Finisher 4 rds x10s, 1:30 RI

RDL 185 - Hip ez - OHS @43


Still opening up the shoulders. Programming in more Y-pulls. But the OH Squats aren't hurting like they were. Bar only, I know.


9-1 hours - 2130/0630. 55 minutes total, PE: 8 late, early 7. 24 hours. 218/13.

Thursday, March 18, 2021

CFFB Front Squat / W Chins - 210318

Buy in:

3 rounds 

Back lunges/Rollouts 


1x5 @ 135/3x5 Front squat @155


4 weighted Chins / trap shrugs


Finisher: 

4 hip/light RDL 10's @165


Just getting out there, keeping in step with the 4 day/week CFFB schedule, but not logging all of it. Today was supposed to be OHP instead of the Chins, I just spaced it. Taking everything easy still on that right hamstring-glute insertion, which still feels strained from Squatober.


8 -1 hours - 2130/0530. 53 minutes total, PE: 7. 48 hours.  

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Easy A - 210316

Buy in :
3 rounds 
Kb swings x15/cleans x4

3 weighted Chins /OHS light/KtE


4 Meadows @170/iso OHP @54


3 Iso C/trap dead shrug


9.5 -2 hours - 2130/700.  minutes total, PE: 8. 24 hours. 218/13.