Squat felt better today, thank you Chris Duffin.

Scrolling on Facebook, Dr. Mike Israetel started some discussion about a squat technique that didn’t make sense to him (something about “crunching” to build a more stable core… something like that, and on the surface no it doesn’t make sense. Chris Duffin chimed in (if you don’t know who he did, Google it… but in short, a man that can squat 4x bodyweight @ 220 knows something about squatting). Duffint linked to a few of his videos:

and

and frankly, having just looked at his list of videos to find the above two, I think I know what I’m going to be watching over the next some days.

These were really cool. I tried the “compacting torso” thing while watching the video and thought wow, that really does feel better, more effective. So today I put it into practice. Now, I still have a ways to go to really get it right, but first impressions are quite positive and better than anything I’ve tried before.

The other thing was his notes about hand positioning. Now I’ve wandered around on this because I’ve heard so many approaches to hand positioning in the squat, and some are directly opposing… like some say to use the arms to drive up (like trying to press the bar off your back) to help with the overall drive out of the hole. Makes sense, but in trying it it never really worked for me… kinda drove me back down plus there wasn’t much for torso tightness (maybe I just don’t have the timing of the technique down tho). Others talked about spacing, like trying to get the hands really narrow, which indeed creates this great pad/shelf on which to rest the bar, but I never felt like it got me tight, just squished and hurt my elbows after enough times. But Chris gives a great cue: to grab the bar and try to bend it down across your back, like you’re trying to lat pulldown. I tried that and whoa… what a diff. Now in the past I looked at “pull the bar down” approaches but dismissed them out of hand because it felt like that was just adding more downward pressure, which of course isn’t what I want. But here, that cue PLUS the compacting of the torso really worked well and wow, my whole upper body felt so solid, so locked, so rigid… it was quite awesome!

That said, I do need more practice at the technique… I totally sucked at it today for sure. But I can see the potential and am going to keep it up.

The other thing was I started to wear a belt again. I can’t find the article now (updated: found it), but it was again from scrolling on Facebook and it made me rethink a bit of how I use the belt… especially how tight I cinch it up. I tried putting it at a position where I could still get a good deep breath but still have some back-pressure from it against my torso. In the past I’d really tighten it up to ensure I got the back pressure, but in return I couldn’t get a full belly breath. I may still play with the exact hole I use, but certainly today it was looser than I’d ever use it in the past and it still felt really good. I’m not sure it’ll put tons of pounds on my squat, but I can say the 285 and the 5x5x200 work sets went nice and explosive. Everything felt VERY good.

So I can’t say if it’s all because of the Duffin technique cues, the belt, or what… but whatever it all was, it all added up into something good. I’m happy with it. I’m going to keep working on Duffin’s technique tips, and keep wearing the belt because well… why not. The beltless stuff was good while I did it, but if I’m going to think about competition and such well, I might as well get back on the belt. I cannot see how using a belt, when appropriate, will be a bad thing for me… it was good exploration, so let’s try going back on it and see where things go.

Based upon Paul Carter’s Basebuilding

• Squats (model 1)
  • bar x 5
  • bar x 5
  • 165 x 5
  • 190 x 4
  • 225 x 3
  • 250 x 2
  • 285 x 1
  • 200 x 5
  • 200 x 5
  • 200 x 5
  • 200 x 5
  • 200 x 5
• Stiff-Legged Deadlift
  • 205 x 8
  • 205 x 8
  • 205 x 8
  • 205 x 8
  • 205 x 8
• Leg Press
  • 135 x 12
  • 135 x 12
  • 135 x 12
  • 135 x 12
• Standing Calf Raises
  • 65 x 10
  • 65 x 10
  • 65 x 10
  • 65 x 10
  • 65 x 10

Not a -10% day, but not a great day either.

I think it’s a simple thing: diet. I’m not progressing in the gym because the diet just doesn’t support it. But that makes sense — the diet is aiming to lose fat, not build muscle nor strength. So that I’m feeling plateaued, that I’m not really going anywhere in the gym… it all stands to reason.

Especially now because the diet is rather depleting. My carbs are cut pretty low, and in fact just took another mild cut to them. It’s all proving to work out ok because the fat loss is certain (weighed 227 yesterday, 226 today). Goal is 225 by this coming Sunday, which should be do-able.

But yeah… today just felt… bleah. I have no gas. Not only are my weekends very deprived food-wise, but then I did a lot of unexpected moving and hauling of furniture all weekend long, so that added to my caloric expenditure for sure. All good, but just didn’t lend to the gym today.

I did start to think that if things continue to be level or even regress, gym-wise, that I may lower my poundages. That’s part of why I chose Base Building as the program to follow while on the diet, because it has good allowance for such regulation. But I also thought that say on Benching, I might first fall back to model 1 and see how that does for me instead.

Don’t know. Will take it as it comes.

Based upon Paul Carter’s Basebuilding

• Bench Press (model 2)
  • bar x 5
  • bar x 5
  • 120 x 5
  • 140 x 4
  • 165 x 3
  • 180 x 2
  • 205 x 1
  • 225 x 1
  • 205 x 5
  • 205 x 5
  • 205 x 5
  • 180 x 5
  • 180 x 5
  • 180 x 5
  • 145 x 15 (AMRAP)
• Dips
  • BW x 6
  • BW x 5
  • BW x 4
  • BW x 4
• DB Incline Press (350 Method)
  • 40e x 19
  • 40e x 14
  • 40e x 11
• Polquin Flies
  • 15e x 15
  • 15e x 12
  • 15e x 12

The following is me just thinking out loud about my lifting. You’ve been warned. 🙂

The Defattening Project remains my focus. I’m closing in on 225 lb (from a 265 lb start). I can tell from how I look that I’m not where I want to be. And while I originally targeted 215 lb, I knew that was a somewhat arbitrary guess of a target number. At this point I am thinking it may go 205, but well… let’s get to 215 first and I’m sure I can make a better determination.

Regardless of the specific number, I’m close enough to the goal that I’m thinking what I want to do afterwards. Honestly I’m not totally sure, because I waffle between wanting to get big and get strong. I have recently started thinking I’m going to want to get big because I’m going to look in the mirror and see this “small” guy and will want to fill my frame back out. But I also think it might be good for me to ease back in and get my strength back. So while I’ve been lifting in a Paul Carter Base Building style during the Defattening, I do think that will go on the backburner. That once I can start eating upwards again, that I’ll probably do a Strong-15 cycle.

Now, I was thinking that I’d do a Strong-15 Short Cycle, to try to just jump back in and see where things lie. But thinking about it now, I think that would be a mistake. That would be good if I was in an already upwards Base Building cycle, but I’m not — I’ll be coming off some massive deprivation, and my body will probably need some fair time to adjust. So I think it would be wise for me to adopt a full Strong-15 cycle to get back into it.

I started to think about doing it LRB-365 style, doing it “man-maker template” style (day 1: squat/deadlift, day 2: bench, day 3: back/biceps), and that every 3 weeks as the main lifts go up then assistance work goes down. I think that sort of system will allow me to adapt and get back into the groove.

So then, what weights.

That is one that really kicks me. And I’m just not sure.

My first thought was to look at what I’ve been doing with Base Building, look at the values I’m using then do the reverse math to figure what my 1RM should be (in theory), then make that my goals for the Strong-15 cycle. But… when I do the numbers, I’m not sure what to make of it.

Just before I started The Defattening (August 2014), I had come off a Strong-15 cycle and set all-time PR’s of squat: 325 lb, bench 250 lb, deadlift 445 lb. If I look at the numbers I’m using today and then figure what the 100% would be, which of course is an EDM/working-max so that’s probably 90% of a true 1RM, that puts my bench around 265 lb and squat at 370 lb (I don’t know deadlift as I haven’t done conventional in a while due to knees and such). But look at that. 370 squat? SRSLY?

Now I cannot deny that my strength has gone up, despite the diet. Sure it’s going up rather slowly all things considered. Like my first run had my bench using 240 as 1RM, 225 as EDM, I worked up to a single at 190, and trying to do 5×8 @ 170 was tough. But now I’m using an EDM of 240, working up to a single at 225, then doing 3×5@205 followed by 3×5@180 followed by 145 AMRAP (16 in the latest session). So yeah, I could see with belt and wrist wraps and everything being right, I could hit 265.

And look at squat. 1RM was 325 with EDM of 292.5. I’m still following the same Base Building model (#1) and started by working up to a single at 250 and 5×5@175. Now it’s a single at 285 and 5×5@200. And this is all beltless (usually just knee sleeves); tho my 1RM is with a belt. I could maybe see maybe 350-360 as a new max, but 370? You’ve got to be kidding me. That just seems WAY too far out there relative to the work I’m doing. But, maybe I’m wrong… or just unsure of myself. 🙂

So, I don’t know. Writing it all out right now, I think what might be wise would be to look at the percentages I’m using now and just try to use similar percentages and figure out what feels more “reasonable” to do. But hey… if I kick ass with things, if the AMRAP sessions work, if the pause squats work well, great. I don’t expect this first Strong-15 post-Defattening to be awesome, just to get me back into the groove. If I feel there’s more left in the tank, then who knows… when I test, maybe I’ll just go for it and see what shakes out. Start conservative, plan conservative, get the body back in the groove, and go from there.

We’ll see. It’s still months away, because Defattening remains the priority and focus. But I can’t help but thinking about it because well… the light at the end of the tunnel may still be just a twinkle in the distance, but at least I can see it now. 🙂

 

More chin-ups, always good. 🙂

So ok, it’s still just 6 chins in a row, but hey… it’s more than before.

This was actually a pretty good back session. I dropped the weight on the BB rows because well, I really want to crank on the chins, which takes enough out of me, so prior weight on rows was getting more about the movement than the muscle. Dropping the weight, I had a much higher quality run of sets. In fact, all the back work today was really good and at the end of it felt really worked in my back muscles. I need more back sessions like this. More and more I find that back work is best when it’s in that 8-12 range, but even then not so heavy as to be more about moving from point A to point B… really need to ensure the back muscles are engaged and I’m working the muscle, not the movement. It’s hard to always think that way, since so much of my other work is about the movement, so just more things to work on.

Based upon Paul Carter’s Basebuilding

Chins

• BW x 6
• BW x 4
• BW x 3
• BW x 2
• BW x 2

BB Rows

• 135 x 8
• 135 x 8
• 135 x 8
• 135 x 8
• 135 x 8

BB Shrugs

• 205 x 12
• 205 x 12
• 205 x 12
• 205 x 12
• 205 x 12

Wide, Neutral-grip Lat Pulldowns

• 130 x 10
• 130 x 10
• 130 x 10
• 130 x 10

Hammer Curls

• 30e x 10
• 30e x 10
• 30e x 10

BB Bar Curls (350-Method)

• 45 x 15
• 45 x 12
• 45 x 12

I keep thinking I should up the Press amounts, then I do it and realize I’m where I need to be.

The work-up weights are just nothing… I can do much more. But then I hit the rep sets and they are where I should be given percentages and whatever else in Carter’s Big-15 template. So, just keep it where it is.

All in all tho, things are feeling alright here. I look back and think that things are normalizing, that I’m feeling right and good… but when a few days later you feel better, you can look back and realize that a few days ago you weren’t as good as you thought you were. That said, I think I’m on the tapering end of a parabolic curve here, as the day-to-day changes aren’t as stark.

Speaking of that, my weight is been a little stable the past few weeks. It’s up and down, it fluxes during the week, but my semi-weekly checkin points are generally flat with just a slight downward. Given the past couple weeks, given how I’ve been eating, how I’ve been watching the weight go up/down, I think my body is still realigning itself and normalizing. It’s been 2 months on this cycle, and Nick @ RP and I have spoken about another 1-month maintenance. I’m not ready to do it yet, but it may be like a deload — that you don’t WANT to do it, but it’s good for you and you should. We’ll see.

Anyways, back to the weight-room… the one thing that has nagged at me and I realized today I should do something about is the triceps work. I’ve been hanging on to doing the close-grips 350-method because of templates, but it’s really not the way I should do it. I’ve been wanting to do a heavier exercise first, then rep out afterwards. Like with biceps I do some heaver hammer curls for 3×8-15 then finish with BB curls 350-method. I should do the same here, close-grips for 3×8-15 and pressdowns 350-method. So… didn’d do that today, but will next week.

Based upon Paul Carter’s Basebuilding

Press

• bar x 5
• bar x 5
• 60 x 5
• 75 x 4
• 90 x 3
• 110 x 2
• 125 x 1
• 110 x 13 (AMRAP)
• 110 x 6 (50%)

Upright Rows

• 80 x 10
• 80 x 10
• 80 x 10
• 80 x 10
• 80 x 10

Polquin-style Side Laterals

• 15e x 12
• 15e x 12
• 15e x 12

Face Pulls

• 75 x 12
• 75 x 12
• 75 x 12
• 75 x 12
• 75 x 12

Close-Grip Bench Press (350 Method)

• 115 x 25
• 115 x 15
• 115 x 10

Triceps Pressdowns

• 60 x 15
• 60 x 12
• 60 x 8

Ooof…. I’m drained.

This session was still very draining, not as bad at last week’s session, but I was still pretty tapped out by the end of the session. It’s not strength, it’s gas in the tank.

The 285 went up better than last week, but still feels heavy. The 5×5 started slow, but the 3rd and 4th sets actually went pretty well, stronger than the prior. But I was getting pretty drained by this point, with the 1-minute rest periods feeling way too short and certainly not caught up on my breath.

Then stiff-legs and well… unlike last week when I could only muster 6 reps, here I got 8 reps per set, but mostly because I pushed myself to do so. By set 3 I was tapped, my body doing everything it could to keep me from going again. When I started the 5th set, my mind was telling me to stop, that I had nothing to prove. My body was giving me feedback of being weak, tired, nauseous, everything it could to try to keep me from doing it. Still, I did it. And this just tells you how strong the body’s will to survive and self-preserve is, because that 5th set was my strongest set — just cranked through it and had strength in reserve. The body just wants to preserve itself, preserve its reserves, its stores, its strength, because it doesn’t know what’s ahead. But this is when you know you’ve got it, and you have to push through. No, this is nothing major in life, it’s just lifting weights, but it is what helps you train yourself, your mind, your body, your soul, to press on. It’s what helps you grow stronger, and I’m not just talking muscles here.

That said, after stiff-legs, I was gassed. I modified things a little bit on the leg pressing. Walking home was tough too… just wobbly, nauseous, but yeah… good. I expect next week will be better.

Based upon Paul Carter’s Basebuilding

• Squats (model 1)
  • bar x 5
  • bar x 5
  • 165 x 5
  • 190 x 4
  • 225 x 3
  • 250 x 2
  • 285 x 1
  • 200 x 5
  • 200 x 5
  • 200 x 5
  • 200 x 5
  • 200 x 5
• Stiff-Legged Deadlift
  • 205 x 8
  • 205 x 8
  • 205 x 8
  • 205 x 8
  • 205 x 8
• Leg Press
  • 135 x 10
  • 135 x 10
  • 135 x 10
  • 135 x 10
• Standing Calf Raises
  • 65 x 10
  • 65 x 10
  • 65 x 10
  • 65 x 10
  • 65 x 10

To groove or not to groove… that was the problem.

For whatever reason, benching felt “out of groove”. I didn’t feel like everything was working. The bar path felt constantly off, with sometimes the bar going up, sometimes going back towards the uprights. I don’t know. I was playing around with my feet and the leg drive, but even in that nothing really settled. I am not 100% sure what the deal is, but everything was just “out of groove” today.

That all said, things generally went fine. Not a huge progression over last week, but progress nonetheless. All in all, an alright day.

Based upon Paul Carter’s Basebuilding

• Bench Press (model 2)
  • bar x 5
  • bar x 5
  • 120 x 5
  • 145 x 4
  • 160 x 3
  • 180 x 2
  • 205 x 1
  • 225 x 1
  • 205 x 5
  • 205 x 5
  • 205 x 5
  • 180 x 5
  • 180 x 5
  • 180 x 5
  • 145 x 16 (AMRAP)
• Dips
  • BW x 7
  • BW x 6
  • BW x 6
  • BW x 6
• DB Incline Press (350 Method)
  • 40e x 20
  • 40e x 12
  • 40e x 12
• Polquin Flies
  • 15e x 12
  • 15e x 12
  • 15e x 12

Yeah, I lost something over the past couple weeks, but it’s not much and I know in time I’ll get it back.

A little size, a little strength but all things considered, it’s understandable and the way it goes given circumstances.

Apart from that tho, it was a generally good session. It actually did make me think more about back work and that while sometimes I need heavy, I think sometimes I need to go lighter with more tension, thinking more about muscle and less about movement. Sure, let the chins be as they are… let the rows be as they are. But when I do pulldowns? How can I really be “about the muscle”? Stuff like that.

Anyways, that’s that. Onwards.

Based upon Paul Carter’s Basebuilding

Chins

• BW x 5
• BW x 3
• BW x 3
• BW x 2
• BW x 2

BB Rows

• 145 x 8
• 145 x 8
• 145 x 8
• 145 x 7
• 145 x 6

BB Shrugs

• 205 x 12
• 205 x 12
• 205 x 12
• 205 x 12
• 205 x 12

Wide, Neutral-grip Lat Pulldowns

• 130 x 10
• 130 x 10
• 130 x 10
• 130 x 8

Hammer Curls

• 30e x 10
• 30e x 10
• 30e x 9

BB Bar Curls (350-method)

• 45 x 16
• 45 x 15
• 45 x 12