If you don’t like reading about my lifting, stop now. 🙂

This is me thinking out loud. This is my present line of thinking, and it may change. But with Monday almost upon me, I need some sort of plan. And who knows, I may change it after I try it — maybe a refinement, maybe starting over again. Who knows.

See, there are two key issues at play right now.

1. Fat loss (leaning out)
2. Ankle injury

Ok, there’s a third. I want to explore Paul Carter‘s stuff. Yeah, Cube is still interesting to me, but there’s no question Cube is strictly about powerlifting. Neither of my two key issues right now are conducive to powerlifting. I haven’t abandoned desire to explore Cube, but I need to be in a position where I can try it.

Fat loss remains my key focus right now. I will do this. I want to be lean.

If not for ankle injury, I’d probably follow the “conditioning” template right out of “Lift-Run-Bang 365”. It’s all about high reps, conditioning, fat loss. It’s precisely what I could use. However, the problem with so many things conditioning is — they require your legs and feet, and ankles. *sigh* Things like “walking like a gorilla” or a weighted vest? That’s more stress than I care to put on the injury. That isn’t to say I won’t eventually go here, I just can’t right now.

In fact, I can’t even really squat or deadlift. *double sigh*

When I look at the various ways to lift, actually there isn’t a lot I can do. But when I see what I can do and how it might work? Well, here we go.

The basic idea will come directly out of Paul’s Basebuilding book, the “mass building” phase. No, I’m not necessarily trying to build mass right now, because it’s hard (difficult? impossible?) to build mass without carb intake. However, in mass building you use lots of reps. That’s going to be less stress on my joints, less stress on my body, getting more blood flowing into areas. Plus, since I don’t typically work in those rep ranges, it’s going to help my body and mind get used to that (because I do want mass building to be my focus after I’m leaned out). Plus I am finding higher rep sessions are really tapping me out. If that can lead to more fat burning, great. I’m basically figuring this is going to be a help to me in all ways with my 2 key issues right now.

But I will evaluate as I go along.

Here’s the basic idea. Again, this is based upon the “mass phase” of Basebuilding, with some adjustments for 3 days instead of 4, and my injury.

Monday

Incline Press – 5,4,3,2,1, 1×8-15 + 50%

DB Bench Press – 5×10

Press Behind Neck – 2×8

Seated DB Press – 5×10

Pushdowns – either 5×20 or 100 reps, not sure which

The main purpose of Monday is “push”, so chest, shoulders, triceps. Small volume on the heavy stuff, then lots of volume on the other stuff. I do want the sets to be heavy, for those reps. I don’t want to do 5×10 and that 50th rep feel easy.

The behind the neck presses I’ll try. Paul speaks highly of them, and I’m willing to give it a shot and work my way up. I’m guessing they may be very light for a while, while I get used to the notion and find my groove.

Wednesday

This is going to be a leg day, but with my ankle, I can only do so much. I will however use this as a day to work my way into things, doing things I can’t do at home. So I’ll probably do things like empty-bar squats or maybe 95# on the bar — very light. I’ll put the light bumper plates on and do deadlifts. Things that make my body go through the motions, the full range of motion, but don’t offer lots of stress. Do it for something like 5×20 or whatever my ankle will tolerate.

Then do lots of extensions and curls for high reps. Some hyperextensions would be another way to hit some of those needed muscle groups, but this… since there’s some stress on the ankle for bracing, well, we’ll see.

And probably seated and/or standing calf raises. Very light to no weight here… thinking more rehab than actual building.

As I see what I can do, I’d love to add in some of the stuff Paul talks about on his conditioning program, like lunges or single-leg split squats.

I just want to do something, just very slow and conservative.

Friday

Chins – 5 sets of however many I can do. No bands. If I can’t do one, work on holds at the top and negatives.

Rows – 4×8 – some sort of row. BB rows would be best, but my ankle will dictate. Could be cable rows or db rows… whatever keeps my ankle happy.

Shrugs – 4×20 – again, whatever I have to do to keep my ankle happy (e.g. sit on the end of the bench and hold dumbbells off to the side)

Close-grip pulldowns – 3×8

BB curls – 5×20 or perhaps 100 reps

Supplemental

I plan on walking to/from the gym each time, and walking with more purpose.

I will do my specific ankle rehab exercises on the off days.

And… we’ll see how it goes.