Lifting Thread;training for the tattooed warrior.

[kylegrey]

Squat and leave! :D

Yeah it all goes back to the perfect program stuff you mentioned earlier , simple no smoke and mirrors find what works and destroy yourself with "form" in the words of my man @hogg .

[Petri Aspvik]

Yeah. And I find it to be mentally better. Im my moms care taker and spent daily, give or take 18-20 hours with her. Still, the weekly (if it isnt rest week, which I also welcome as a part of training) deadlift etc. session is something that I cant wait. It gives me mental strenght by just imagining it. Go in, warm up, lift and leave. If I was doing 8-12 machines I would kill myself :D

[RoryQ]

Been reading some Pavel Tsatsouline stuff on kettlebells. I think it's his original book in fact - 'Russian Kettlebell Challenge' (I also have 'Enter the kettlebell' which, incidentally, is the better of the two).

Pavel writes (at least, I assume it's really Pavel) in an entertaining way but I can't help but roll my eyes every third line. It's the needless hyberbole he resorts to. Everything is either for mewling girly men or it's a badass russian-approved method that will take the injured and weak and turn them into men hewn of pure iron with eyes that shoot bullets and hands that have AK-47s for fingers. He's advocating some proven and well-regarded training protocols and movements (grease-the-groove, ladders, a lot of well-chosen exercises etc) - why all the spetsnaz-related B.S?

Well, I guess it's both entertaining and has been proven to work for him, so it's a moot point.

Anyway. Seems to me there has been a gradual change in some RKC technique over the years. in the book I was looking at today it seems to me that Pavel is photographed at the bottom of the swing with his 'head up' (his word) and looking directly ahead. He references not looking 'down' because this can lead to the rounding of the back and injury. Nowadays it seems like many are aware of the need to 'pack the neck' to avoid shear force on the neck and more and more I see RKC guys and others trying to maintain a more neutral neck position on their swings - that is, they're not quite looking down but they're not breaking the alignment of the lumbar / thoracic spine and cervical spine the way Pavel seems to in these early photographs.

I guess stylistic changes do come in, taking account of current best practice, in RKC, which is commendable.

Anyway, inspired by all this I did a KB conditioning session at lunchtime for some variety.

Warm-up

-Some super light high volume one-arm swinging to warm-up (12kg KB)

-Halos around the head with the 12kg to warm up the shoulders a little more

-Some wall slides, again for the shoulders

-Scap push-ups, as above

-Some light snatching

For the workout I did a few blocks of seperate 'work'-

-12 minutes of one-arm swings with the heaviest KB in the gym... A 16kg. Simply not heavy enough, but basically I just tried not to stop and make the 'pop' up from the bottom extra explosive. The few times I did put the bell down I jogged for active recovery. A 24kg would have worked better for this but it still got my heart going.

Then rested two minutes and

-Another 12 minutes of single arm snatches with the 16kg. This annoyed me because the limiting factor was simply my palm getting shreddded. An element is possibly slightly dodgy technique on the downward swing, but it's also simply because I'm not doing any snatching anymore and my hands are soft in the wrong places now.

Some more rest and then

-5 sets of 10/10 walking lunges with a 12kg in each hand, superset with single leg RDLs with the 12's. Still too light but screw it.

Finished off 5 minutes of non-stop turkish get-ups with the 16kg, focusing on form and alternating hands. Felt like this was OK weight-wise. I've done TGUs with the 32kg in the past but I think my shoulders would need to work up to that these days.

Some core work to finish- planks.

[Scott R]

Some core work to finish- planks. @RoryQ your whole workout was core work, but love planks aswell

[RoryQ]

I spend so much time sitting at a desk or driving a car these days that I'm super conscious about trying to really nail the idea of a super stiff musculature to support the spine... I Read Stuart McKenzie's 'Ultimate upper back fitness and performance' and while its full of great exercises, the one I love the most is the plank and its variations. Even just using bodyweight you can smoke yourself if you do it right. Chuck weight like plates on your back or side and it changes again..

[Cork]

That's definitely Pavel writing that. If you watch any of his videos, he makes fun of girly men.

[kylegrey]

I found a good article on squatting technique particulary spreading the floor , I will quote some of the memorable pieces as I jotted them down .

- Sit back in the descent "back, back, back" . We sit back like we are looking for the toilet in the dark .We know its there and we will just push back until we find it .

-Just before the "sweet spot" you will feel your legs fall in , thats the cue to push out .It will happen before you need to turn around . Push out at the knees and turn the squat around when you know you've hit depth .

-The "spread the floor "part comes from after you've turned the squat around . How much depends on how far the feet are spread .

- Push back , out and apart .

[Scott R]

@kylegrey thats erotic

[kylegrey]

@kylegrey thats erotic

Ha , ha hindsight is 20/20 vision .I'm chalking it up to the hot weather we're having .

[Cork]

@kylegrey thats erotic

- Push back , out and apart .

My favorite part.

[hogg]

- Push back , out and apart .

My favorite part.

Yep! As I've been working on my squat form, I notice that, especially with a band around my knees, I really feel myself pushing the outer edges of my feet. Really spreading the floor. I hope it all gets burned into my brain so I can do it automatically.

[kylegrey]

@Scott R and @Cork-thanks for the info!

RE: Diet-typical day

Morning:

48 grams whey protein/creatine/banana shake

coffee

11am:

16oz turkey chili

apple

2pm:

oats and flax

330pm:

48 grams whey protein

6pm:

48 grams whey protein/creatine

630pm:

16-18oz broccoli chicken brown rice casserole

*I have been overweight in the past (had a gut), so if I try the "eat everything" advice everyone offers, that is the first place I gain, no matter how much I'm lifting. IDK if I'm genetically predisposed to be overweight (I have alot of family that is), but that seems to be an issue.

Hey Kev ,

Giving your diet more consideration a hard training person like yourself needs a more substantial breakfast . I know it kinda sounds old-fashioned but you need to at least have your eggs in the morning (most guys I know would also have a bowl of oats also ) . Supplements can never replace food , one of the very best pros said " If I only have 20 dollars in my wallet and its a choice between supplements or steak , steak wins " . More than one sponsored athlete sold his endorsed products for food also I think you need more carbs pre-training . Back to the issue of breakfast I have an awesome Paleo pancake concoction that I also rotate with my cooked breakfast , say the word and i'll pass it on .

[RoryQ]

Kyle- a typical day's food for me looks something like this at the moment .... Your comments would be appreciated.

Breakfast: If cooked it'll be 3-4 pieces of bacon, 1-2 eggs and something like 1 piece of potato bread or a banana + apple. If uncooked then probably 30-40g worth of cooked meat (antipasti etc) and a few pieces of fruit and yoghurt. Gone off oatmeal lately but I could revisit that.

Lunch: Large bowl of something like beef chilli with kidney beans, possibly a small amount of rice or similar but mainly protein-heavy.

Dinner: Another fairly protein heavy meal - maybe more chilli or a steak or a couple of homemade burgers and 40-60g worth of carbs in the form of vegetables, rice or whatever.

When I remember I fit in maybe 1-2 30g whey protein supplements on top of that (with water usually versus milk).

[kylegrey]

RoryQ- I get all my protein in the form of food , I'd rather use whole quality sources and not count grams or use protein shakes . For my cooked breakfast option I like 3 whole eggs or I have Pancakes, well worth finding the coconut ingredients for:

Ingredients

2 eggs

2 tablespoons organic coconut oil or butter , melted

3 tablespoons coconut milk or whole milk

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons of sifted organic coconut flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Method.

Blend together the eggs, oil, coconut milk, sugar and salt.

Combine the coconut flour with the baking powder and thoroughly mix into batter.

Batter will be thick, make pancakes about 3 inches in diameter in a hot frying pan.

Can serve with honey or fruit.

Also I think it best to stick to the one main carb source and adjust it accordingly , at the moment I'm on the sweet potato / potato ride , and I think you could also up your carbs .

[Tight-Lines]

Completed my first GORUCK Challenge today. 13 hours, 14 miles with a 40 pound pack carrying all sorts of fucked up things around, walking down Van Ness without socks or shoes, and more push ups and flutter kicks than I can remember. And a few trips into the ocean.

I suggest trying one out when it comes to a city near you. They are going international as well.

[Petri Aspvik]

Anyone ever train with the Reg Park programs?

The Real Arnold Schwarzenegger Beginner Programs

I was thinking of trying (somewhat) after I finish this cycle, this one. Or with the same %

Reg Park and 5x5

5x90 (Warm-up @ 60%)

5x120 (Warm-up @ 80%)

5x150 (3 stabilizer sets)

5x150

5x150

When you can get all your reps of 5 at 150 lbs, you add 5 lbs. So next time your bench it would be:

5x95

5x125

5x155

5x155

5x155

Reg liked to use about 3-5 minutes to rest in between sets.

I was thinking of trying for the fuck of it this one (minus the bench) but it might be just too HC

Reg Park's Three Phase 5x5 Program

Phase One

45-degree back extension 3x10

Back squat 5x5

Bench press 5x5

Deadlift 5x5

Rest 3-5 minutes between the last 3 sets of each exercise.

Maybe not optimal way to traing, but...

[RoryQ]

So it's three 5-rep worksets on the main exercises, precded by two warm-up sets..?

[Petri Aspvik]

T NATION | Reg Park's 5x5 Program

As Park explained it, 5x5 includes two progressively heavier warm-up sets and three sets at the same weight. He suggested increasing weights at approximately the same interval, for example:

Back squat: first set 135x5, second set 185x5, followed by three sets of 225x5.

When you can complete the last 3x5 at a given weight, increase the weight on all five sets 5-10 pounds. Also, he was strongly against training to failure, saying that it encouraged a negative mindset when attempting other heavy, near-maximal lifts.

You are, however, allowed to test for one-rep max at the end of each phase. Park recommends two warm-up sets (1x5 and 1x3), followed by three progressively heavier attempts at a one-rep max. So the max testing day would be: 1x5, 1x3, and 3x1 (for each lift). Take the next four days off from the gym, and then begin the next phase of training.

[kylegrey]

@Petri Aspvik does that mean you plan to train 3 x per week ?

[hogg]

Completed my first GORUCK Challenge today. 13 hours, 14 miles with a 40 pound pack carrying all sorts of fucked up things around, walking down Van Ness without socks or shoes, and more push ups and flutter kicks than I can remember. And a few trips into the ocean.

Congrats! And enjoy your ringworm.

[Tight-Lines]

Congrats! And enjoy your ringworm.

Yay!!!

[RoryQ]

Some conditioning today because my girlfriend insists on making baked lemon cheesecake and I insist on eating three portions rather than just one.

When I do conditioning days I like to pick 3-4 blocks of around 10 minutes solid work, with 4-5 minutes rest between them. In terms of what the work blocks are: In the past what's worked best for me are things like sprint work, carries and drags, kettlebells swings/snatches and short metabolic conditioning type bodyweight/dumbell/barbell circuits (this is one of the few times I will use some of the less badly programmed CrossFit metcons in my workouts - for instance, 'Cindy' ... Or a shorter version, at least).

It might sound like a lot of work, but for me it works well for conditioning purposes twice a week - I usually see myself lean out pretty quickly. Then I get slightly fat again and the cycle begins anew. Ah, the circle of life.

Today I did:-

-6 x 2 minute rounds of bag work / 30 seconds rest between rounds. First three were just hands, second three were '8 limbs'. Not such a heavy block because there's quite a bit of built in rest, but I wanted to ease in.

(rest)

-12 minutes of double kettlebell swings with skipping for active recovery. Reasonably puketastic.

(rest)

-10 minutes of turkish get-ups, alternating sides. Shoulders went quite shaky towards the last 3 minutes so went to half turkish get-ups to avoid any silliness.

And that was it for today. Later in the week I will try to ramp it up a bit more. I've already done my upper body lifting day yesterday, just got to get one more conditioning day and my lower body day in before Sunday and I'm good.

[Petri Aspvik]

@Petri Aspvik does that mean you plan to train 3 x per week ?

I was thinking of two days. One doing squat and deads, then another day doing just squat. Do you think doing the back extensions also is a good idea, or would it be overtraining? Meaning in both days... Maybe extensions and abs on the other?

[kylegrey]

@Petri Aspvik Personally I'd rather see you do two days ( 3 when you can bench) with Squat , Deadlift and Bench or an alternative being on separate days .That is train each muscle once a week lower your number of working sets and cycle your rep range within a traditional format.

[Petri Aspvik]

I really dont like doing longer rep sets. Not in deadlifting atleast. Why do you recommend doing longer reps? I mean, if I di 5x5=25. If I do 3 x 8-12 = 24/27/30/33/36. Different means of course. But I like shorter reps :)