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Friday, August 14, 2015

Broz Knows

13 August 2015


Knee felt better today (luckily as it was squat day), but my left shoulder/upper back area started to hurt for no particular reason. It's like John Broz says, your body has to hurt somewhere. How you feel is a lie, etc.

Squat 135x5, 225x5, 275x3, 315x5, 345x5, 375 (5+) x 9 reps

Wanted to get 10 reps, but the shoulder discomfort made it hard to rack the bar properly.

Mid-shin block pulls 380 lbs. x 10 singles on the minute

These felt nice and easy, so I ended up doing a few extra.

Glute-ham raise 20 total reps

Bent-over rows, light, 3s x 12

Ab machine 3s x 8-10

I've been hitting pretty high reps on my 5-rep weeks, which feels great but I'm not sure if it's helping me get stronger. I believe in reps for strength and that doing singles in unproductive, but I generally prefer sets of 5, 4 or 3, not 10 and 12. Something I've been thinking about is to cap the 5-week reps to 5 or, say no more than 7, then try to go harder on the secondary lift. So the 5-week would really become heavy week for OH press and pulls with some token bench press and squat work thrown in. Maybe I'll do this, maybe I won't.

Bodyweight has been a dash under 210 all week.

12 comments:

MichiganMethod said...

375x9 on squat, it's a whole different type of strength to hit reps over 5 in my opinion. You've been crushing those 3+ and 5+ last sets.

Are you planning to bulk up this winter or try to maintain where you're at?

Fatman said...

Rational response: maintain where I'm at and try to get lower next summer.

Actual response: bulk up.

The last sets have been going well, although I did start out pretty light. There is definitely something to the Wendler/PC concept of positive reinforcement and building momentum.

I like rep PRs, it's nice to challenge yourself every time you lift (as opposed to my usual boring sets-across grind for 12-16 weeks, then trying for a minuscule 1RM and maybe getting it and maybe not). I'm almost resolved to never max out again and focus on setting rep PRs instead. Almost.

MichiganMethod said...

I've never maxed out before on any lifts. I did bodybuilder routines for a while and then switched to the strength routines. It's really only been pretty recently that I started doing triples. Testing a one-rep max once a month was something that I am looking forward to on 5/3/1 eventually. I've always had to punch numbers into strength standards; and while 250x5 is supposed to mean 290x1, I know they are too different worlds.

I'm sure after a while, you'll go back to going for 1RM's, everything is cyclical.

Fatman said...

Probably.

Although if I look at it rationally, singles only make sense for competitive lifters, and even for them in competition only.

1RM testing is a lot of fun, but I don't really put much stock into it. What if I can bench 250x5 (projected max 290x1), but I only hit 280 when I max out, or exceed expectations and do 300? Could I have done more on a different day, or was this a fluke? I think a heavy triple is the best strength indicator for the average gym-goer.

Anonymous said...

Everyday max out.

http://goheavy.com/forums/olympic/index.cgi/read/483336

Fatman said...

That page doesn't open?

Anonymous said...

goheavy dun ded forever.

Anyway it was something Jon North said.

I am going to tell you how to become a good Olympic weightlifter. I am going to tell you how to make The Pan Am games in two years. I am going to tell you how to be number one in two years, and break recoards in two years. I am going to give you the secret free of charge. Grab a pen and paper and write this down, you wont need alot of paper, mostly just guts, balls, and alot of determination. The weightlifting program goes like this, snatch, clean and jerk, and squat maximum everyday. But you dont want to talk about that, you want to talk about double knee bend, breathing technics, grip width, percentages, and light days. What is a light day? Please someone help me with this! Why even come into the gym, stay home and watch tv while me and my california strength soldiers lift more than your max daily. A light day to me is a sign of weaknes. “If you have to run from a bear, your not going to tell that bear that you need some time to stretch and only run 85%, you are going to run maximum everytime”. -Donnie Shankle. Do you think that California Strength put three of our athletes on the Pan Am team by going light. Do you think I win by training light, haha if you do then your not winning. I am numb to these weights, these kilo’s I kill. This is what going heavy everyday makes you, numb. I dont care whats on the bar anymore, I just lift it. I love pulling on heavy bars. I hate pulling on light bars, what’s the point it’s light. Training like this turns me into a machine, I can go hard anytime, anywhere. I want to point out something I get asked alot, and that is how do you train your body for such heavy loads all the time? How long does the progression stage take? The answer is I dont have an answer, just do it and stop talking. I use the giant chip on my shoulder, and the hunger to be the best, whats yours? “you can bleet like sheep, or be the Shepard”. -Donnie Shankle

California Strength soldier Jon North

Fatman said...

"I am going to tell you how to make The Pan Am games in two years. I am going to tell you how to be number one in two years, and break recoards in two years."

Pity he didn't reveal this tremendous secret to himself.

Anonymous said...

Now he's a bodybuilder and got third place at an NPC show.

Fatman said...

Whoa, guy tripled his muscle mass and lost about half his BF in like 4-5 months. Good for him.

Anonymous said...

Well, not quite, it's been more like a year. He announced getting into BBing training like last year, and when he was training with Travis Mash he got up over 105kg in training and started doing a lot more upper body and bodybuilding stuff with him as Mash comes from a powerlifting background. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni2ReRZnAxI See, 10 months ago still pretty OK size just no definition. Also now has done a 170kg snatch and 200 clean and jerk while training halfway for bodybuilding, but on fairly heavy anabolics (there's a picture of him on instagram with massive bacne.) Also now is on a 2 year doping ban and is unable to compete in weightlifting without his own federation he made for not filing whereabouts with USADA.

But nonetheless, it's neat to have an NPC competitive BBer who can snatch 170kg. Wonder if he'll hop on heavier stuff and get IFBB size and snatch like 220kg on 100iu GH and slin looking like Jay Cutler.

Fatman said...

Interesting. I thought he got on the BB wagon only after getting suspended.