Muddy's Training Log

[muddy]

Fri 7/3 - Intensity LB

Squats: 5x95, 2x5x135, 5x185, 3x225, 2x275, 1x315, 1x365, 5x385, 2x405
Rack Pull (below knees): 3x135, 3x225, 3x315, 3x405, 1x475

Short session today - have to cook for an event later. Considering LN's suggestions, I've decided to split the intensity day into a LB and UB session on Fri and Sat. For LB, it will tend to be heavy singles, triples or fives, and UB will tend to be a DE day. On occasion I might switch that: DE for LB and a heavy 1,3,or 5 for UB. I'll see how this goes and change if this doesn't seem the right mix.

Also, back hadn't fully recovered from Monday, so I came close to overshooting. Next time I should drop a work set of deads if I am also doing platform DLs. That said, I should have gone for 3x405 instead of 2x405. I think I was just happy to put up 4 wheels twice and racked it. Very irritating.

Zizzy's link on rolling seems to have helped the shoulder; tomorrow will be more telling.

@Mouse: Thanks! Yep, I've read both their logs-- very impressive! Jim's pressing numbers just do not make sense to me; they seem out of this world...

[zizzy80]

Glad your shoulder's doing better!

[muddy]

Sat 7/4 - Intensity UB (dynamic effort)

Bench: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x155, 12x3x170
Dips: 3x10xBW
Pullups: 3x8xBW
DBRows: 3x8x100
Ring Pushups: 3x10xBW
Farmer's Walk: 3 trips x 75meters/trip w/ 1 turn x 120lbs/hand. Times: 50s, 47s, 47s

Feels a bit strange to parade past a neighbor's BBQ doing farmer's walks... oh well.

[pagangoddess]

Feels a bit strange to parade past a neighbor's BBQ doing farmer's walks... oh well.

I understand. There was a time I was doing sprints in the morning. Imagine my neighbors looking out their windows drinking coffee and see me running full speed.

[Barry06GT]

Really nice big numbers. You must get a workout just loading and unloading the bar!

Question: Since you are moving very impressive weight, do you use specific shoes or a belt?


.

[muddy]

Mon 7/6 - Volume LB

Squat: 5x45, 5x95, 5x135, 5x185, 3x225, 3x275, 1x325, 5x5x375
DL: 5x245, 5x335, 3x425
Good mornings: 8x95, 3x8x135
Dumbbell Lunge: 3x5x30lbs each hand
Side Bends: 3x8x105

I think this is the hardest squat workout I've experienced to date. Set 2 felt off, and there were parts of my mind looking for ways to bail on the set. After the set, I was rather angry with myself, and had to take a short mental time out to sort that out. Sets 3 and 4 were much better, but I felt more spent at the end of set 4 than I normally do after the entire volume LB day. Set 5 was all determination to not get through 4 sets to fail on the fifth. Next week should be ... interesting. I feel like this program is really short-changing DL work. Gonna not worry about that for awhile.

@Barry: One day (hopefully sooner rather than later) I hope to be lifting closer to what some of the big lifters on this site are putting up. Talk is cheap, though. Anyway... when I started SL5x5, I read the eBook and every article on this site multiple times, and so I dutifully went out and got some Chuck Taylor hitops. That's gotta almost be a rite of passage, no? Chuck Taylors on with 135lb on one's back, trying to figure out wtf this mysterious "hip drive" is. Anyway, that was me then, and I'm still wearing the Chucks now. Because Rippetoe and others rave so much about "proper" weight lifting shoes, I am sure I will someday soon spend the $100 on a pair, just to see. Given how much time and energy I am putting into this, I might as well. On the belt, I recently started using one. I wear it for any squat or DL that is 90% or more of a 1RM. I did this after listening to elVarouza go on about belts, then going back and re-reading what Rippetoe says in his books and in some of the articles and videos in the crossfit journal. In the end, I rather agree with them: belts are usually misunderstood. I don't think it helps me lift more weight at all-- it is not at all akin to a squat suit or bench shirt. I can take the belt off and still hit the same squat or DL. What it helps me with is when the lift is turning into a real battle, it is a good reminder to keep the core tight. In that sense, it is to me merely a safety device, and not much more than that. Anyway, such are my $0.02 on the topic, for what it is worth (most definitely not even $0.02).

[Barry06GT]

Very impressive squat numbers!
The warm up alone is a tough workout!

The lunge looks interesting. That has got to be rough after a killer squat series.

Thanks for the info. I guess like so many things, it is a personal choice. Each lifter has to try this and that and decide what works for them.

.

[eLvarouza]

Really good numbers there. When did you start lifting?

[muddy]

@eLvarouza: Thanks! Long ways to go to get where I want to be. I started SL5x5 in Q3 last year - kinda started messing around with squats and DLs for the first time in August, but didn't get religion about doing the program and keeping a log until Sept. But before that, I had been in gyms off and on for 15 years, but wasting my time with pointless crap, not really knowing what to do. When I was 15-20 years old, I used to wrestle, and I was always searching for how to get that level of intensity back. Until I found SL (and then crossfit because of SL), I just wasn't getting it. My wife really got into it, and over the last 6 months we've put together a nice garage gym that I feel has been a big help, since otherwise things get busy with work, etc.

[muddy]

Wed 7/8 - Vol UB

BP: 5x45, 5x135, 3x185, 2x225, 3x4x255
Pullups: 10, 10, 8
DB BP: 3x6x90
T-Bar Row: 3x8x180
Pushups: 3x15
L-Sits: 15s, 15s, 12s

Shoulder inching better ever so slowly. I'll have to try again with 255 next time, and I think I'll just start from here and inch upwards. I've never done l-sits at the end of a workout, usually on a skills day when I was pretty fresh. Makes a huge difference apparently. There was a work-related schedule change yesterday which is going to force me back to an 8 day cycle (every other day rest). Oh well, feels absurd to tinker with the plan again, but it can't be helped.

[guru]

Good to read about the shoulder Muddy. Get that 255 next time.

Bummer about the change of plan - but as you say, can't be helped.

You do the T-bar rows on a machine (fixture), or just rest a barbell against a wall & pull it?

[muddy]

Fri 7/10 - Intensity LB

Squat: 5x45, 5x135, 5x185, 3x225, 3x275, 3x315, 3x365, 3x405, 1x435 (PR)
Deadlift: 5x245 3x335 3x425 1x455
Glute Ham Raise: 3x8xBW
DB Lunge: 1x5x40lb in each hand
BB Russian Twist: 3 x 5 reps/side x 45lb

Had planned on stopping at 3x405 on squats, but everything felt good so I tried the 435. I almost tried for more; things are just clicking right now on the squat.

@guru: I do the t-bar rows with a barbell against a wall, and I slip one of those 45 degree wedge handles for a lat pulldown around it to use as a handle. (I work out in our garage gym.) I found the handle for $10 for sale on craigslist. I got the idea to start mixing them in from following Lifting Nerd's log. His and my LB lifts are similar, but his upper body stuff is a lot better. So, time to try what he does.

[zizzy80]

Congrats on the PR! Nice feeling when the squats get on the roll, heh? Great job!

[pagangoddess]

Squat: 5x45, 5x135, 5x185, 3x225, 3x275, 3x315, 3x365, 3x405, 1x435 (PR)

Nice job Muddy!

[muddy]

Sun 7/12 - Vol UB

Bench: LNW, 5x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185, 3x225, 3x5x255
Push Press: 3x135, 3x3x185
Pullup: 10,8,5
DB Bench: 3x5x100
TBar Row: 3x5x225
BB Russian Twist: 3x5x50

I spaced my pushup sets as a second UB push assist. No big deal-- felt like a solid session anyway, in spite of the bad showing on the pullups. Everything else felt solid. LN's suggestion for a warmup (hence LNW) shows the shoulder still has some issues, but I think it can handle starting to work back up again now.

@zizzy & @pg: Thanks!! I really want 5 wheels badly on the squat before year's end. Truth be told, I would like to see if it is possible by end of October. Talk is cheap, though.