I guess today would be a -10% day

Based upon Paul Carter’s Base Building – Mass cycle

• Squat – working max: 295
  • BW x 10
  • BW x 10
  • bar x 5
  • bar x 5
  • 120 x 5
  • 150 x 4
  • 175 x 3
  • 225 x 2
  • 250 x 1
  • 215 x 10
  • 215 x 5
• Stiff Leg Deadlift
  • 205 x 8
  • 205 x 4
• Walking Lunge
  • BW x 10 each leg
  • BW x 10 each leg
  • BW x 10 each leg
• Seated Calf Raises
  • 25 x 5 — for… I don’t know how many sets. See below.

If I had to classify today, I’d have to put it into the -10% column. I’m pooped. Since I changed my employment position, I’ve not gotten much sleep. I sleep maybe 4-5 hours, wake up because I need to go to the bathroom, then cannot get back to bed because my brain starts going. I think the job situation allows me more freedom, but is also bringing a little more stress and worry. I’ll adapt and figure things out in time. But meantime, I’m not getting enough rest.

Compounding it, yesterday I didn’t get much sleep at all, then woke up and dealt with a picnic table all day. Drove up to Michele’s uncle’s house (about 2 hours away), loaded it up, hauled it back, stained and assembled it. It’s a nice table, but it was just a lot of labor. Spending 4-5 hours yesterday “bent over” to stain it really took a toll on my lower back and glutes. But at least the lack of sleep coupled with that work made me sleep like a rock for about 8.5 hours. Huzzah! Maybe that’s what I needed to help me kick my rhythms to where they need to be — blessing in disguise.

That said, the session wasn’t horrible. It was my first using adjusted squat numbers per Paul Carter’s percentages (Big-15 style). I kept the tempo up, basically changing plates then squatting again — little rest. That 250 didn’t go up like a rocket (first indication it was a -10% day). And the 215 reps? Holy geez…. last week I was doing 185 for reps, and today 215 for almost the same number of reps. That felt good, but oye… that, plus yesterday, took a bunch out of me.

I did my first set of stiff-legs and barely made it to 8. I started feeling dizzy, and I mentally checked out… thus the 4 reps on the second set. I just did not want to risk passing out while lifting and totally psyched myself out. I figured given my recovery situation it wasn’t best to push it too crazy. Skipped the leg presses and just did walking lunges. I want to do some one-legged work to help my ankle situation. I settled on walking lunges because I think that will also help me emphasize some posture improvements too…. plus it’s less boring to walk than to just work “in place”.

After that, seated-calf raises because again, my ankle. This was interesting tho. I did NOT want to go heavy because it was more about getting the most from the movement for my ankle. I just put 25# on for a cursory weight. I would settle into the bottom position… maybe a good 5 seconds, really letting things settle in and stretch. I can tell I have some shortened mobility in my left ankle due to things, so I just let the stretch settle in — hurt a little bit (like “bad way” hurt), so I didn’t push it but did try to improve. I’d slowly raise up, hold for a couple seconds, then lower, stretch, and repeat. I could only manage about 5 reps each time because the pads resting on my lower thighs started cutting off circulation enough that my pumped/burning quads got upset with me. 😉 So I’d get about 5 reps, then rest a few seconds to let the blood flow in my thighs again, then do it again. I have no idea how many sets and reps I did. It didn’t exhaust me at all, but it did feel good for my ankle and that’s more of what I need right now.

I also had an epiphany regarding “base building”. I’ll write on that separately.

So, not an awesome day, but not too bad. I got the main work in, and what I really needed with acessories (ankle) I got. So, life goes on. And hopefully sleep will improve.

Based upon Paul Carter’s LRB-365 and Base Building

• Squat
  • BW x 10
  • BW x 10
  • bar x 5
  • bar x 5
  • 135 x 5
  • 185 x 3
  • 225 x 1
  • 265 x 1
  • 295 x 1

That’s all I did. Work my way up to determine a good every-day-max. I had been doing 285 and it felt a little struggle last week, but this week… I just felt good. Perhaps the lesser work, but I think it’s also in part due to the belt. See, I’ve been lifting belt-less for many months but recently started using it again on my heavier sets. I’m remembering how to use it, and finding that gee… I haven’t been getting as full-body-tight as I should be getting. Today’s big cues were “body tight” and “speed”. I made sure my grip on the bar was white-knuckle, that my upper body was tight too. The belt really helps with that feedback, more than I realized. Then I made sure I went down fast (not an uncontrolled drop, no bounce at the bottom), but that it wasn’t a slow lowering… get down, then power back up. I think between the tight and speed, that helped me get the 295 easily. I consider that good. I do feel I could have pushed harder and ground out a higher 1RM — I think 305 was in me for a grinder. But this isn’t about a grinder, it’s about an EDM. The 295 felt good enough to call it quits.

I am still bummed to see how much strength I’ve lost. But between the poor diet plan and then the injury, some loss was inevitable. Still, this is only 20# away from my best of 315, so that’s not bad at all. Frankly if I work this all right (thinking 6 weeks mass building, 9 weeks base building, then the 5 week short-cycle), I don’t see why I shouldn’t get my 20# back… maybe a little more.

Anyways, I’m going to take the rest of this week and all of next week off. I’ve started getting more rest in terms of pure sleep but also the lack of lifting is less stress on my body. I can already feel improvement, especially in my legs and left ankle. I want to focus on as much rest and recovery as possible. If I know what’s good for me, I will still do something at home, like foam roll, stretch, some bodyweight exercises (e.g. deep knee bends, push ups, etc.). But the key is rest.

That’s about what I figured.

Based upon Paul Carter’s LRB-365 and Base Building

• Incline Press
  • 45 x 5
  • 45 x 5
  • 95 x 5
  • 135 x 3
  • 185 x 1
  • 205 x 1
  • 160 x 9
  • 160 x 5
• Dips
  • BW x 5
• Wide, neutral grip pull-ups
  • BW x 1
  • BW x 1
  • BW x 1
  • BW x 1
  • BW x 1

As per my plan, this week is just some testing to ensure I know where my every-day max (EDM) is, so going into the next cycle I can be more proper with my percentages. When I started this program, I just picked numbers and increased in a simple fashion. Now that things are somewhat normal, I want to ensure I’m following Paul’s program more strictly. So I wanted to ensure I had my EDM where it should be.

That said, I was pretty sure of where I ended up. I’ve been hitting 200 for a single the past some weeks, and it’s been fine. I knew I was good for 205, and figured I could grind out 210-215. Given how things went today, I think I’m spot on. Paul’s description of your EDM is the most you can do for a crisp single; once it starts to be a slow grinder, that’s closer to a true 1RM. The 205 was good, and I could tell that if I did more, it’d be grinding. So I’m not too far off in my numbers, and I’m happy with that.

I didn’t expect to do much else today. I’m fried. I’m exhausted and burned out. Hooray stress of life. So I figured to do some dips, but it was strange… went for set #2, lowered myself, then couldn’t go up… something said “hell no, you’re not doing that”. I dismounted and tried again, same thing. It was some sort of pain, felt like a nerve thing. I really don’t know, can’t begin to hypothesize, but I was not going back up. Argh. So whatever… skip it.

And despite my better judgment, I thought to try some pull-ups. The neutral-grip pull-downs have been alright to me, so I thought to try neutral-grip pull-ups. It wasn’t bad. Just 5 singles. The grip is probably shoulder-and-a-half width, neutral, and I am not going all the way down (i.e. letting my scapula roll forward/up/out), but getting as close as I feel comfortable. I am thinking to go with this, even if it’s just a bunch of singles. See where it takes me and if my shoulders can be happier with it.

No training today.

I needed a day off. I’m burned.

Cut short, but there’s a reason.

Based upon Paul Carter’s LRB-365 and Base Building

• Squat
  • BW x 10
  • BW x 10
  • bar x 5
  • bar x 5
  • 165 x 5
  • 195 x 4
  • 225 x 3
  • 255 x 2
  • 285 x 1
  • 185 x 12
  • 185 x 6

Today was a “jack shit” day. I had to be somewhere at 6am, and I just did not have the time for a complete session. So get in, squat, leave. Just as well, given how burned I’m feeling.

The 285 went up alright. A little slow, but I’m remembering how to use a belt. 😉 I’m also trying to follow more of Paul’s protocols and ensuring every rep is getting as much power behind it as possible. I think I’m good for 295 for a single, not sure if much more. If that’s the case, I’ll be happy because my best is 315 and that’s only 20# down… given all the down time I had with the injury, I’m ok with this. I even thought that if I did some 5/3/1 cycles, I could get back there in short order. But I’m not going to do that.

I’m going to stick with my plan. Next week, figure my 1RM’s on incline bench and squat. From there, calculate percentages so I can more strictly follow Paul’s programming. I will stay with the “mass building” approach outlined in his Base Building eBook, use proper percentages, and do that for at least 6 weeks, maybe more. After that, I am going to switch to try Base Building. I ended up reading through numerous Base Building articles on his website and reading some of the FAQ’s there helped clear up some of the things I wasn’t clear on even after reading the book over and over. I think Base Building is going to be good for me, and just what I need. I’m guessing try that for 9 weeks or so, then I might switch over to Strong-15 (a full 9-week cycle, not the Short-15). But all these things are far enough in the future, I may refine and change.

Anyways, today wasn’t much, but it was alright for what it is. I think my numbers are close enough that next week’s testing won’t be all that far off. Then recalc and really dig in.

Not a good day.

Based upon Paul Carter’s LRB-365 and Base Building

• Incline Press
  • 45 x 5
  • 45 x 5
  • 110 x 5
  • 130 x 4
  • 150 x 3
  • 180 x 2
  • 200 x 1
  • 155 x 12
  • 155 x 5
• DB Bench Press
  • 60e x 10
  • 60e x 10
  • 60e x 8
• BB Upright Row
  • 60 x 15
  • 60 x 15
  • 60 x 15
• 20 minutes elliptical

Not one of my better days.

First, while I normally do inclines on the dedicated incline bench, today I opted to use one of the portable benches and put it inside the half-rack. Reason is, next week I’m going to try to establish more proper every day maxes on incline bench and squat. I’ll discuss this more below. So I wanted to get myself in the rack and get one run through that to find positioning and so on. I also opted to wear my belt today just to see how it went.

I’m not sure what happened, or rather, why it happened.

When I did the 200, I got that weird lose-off-vision-dizzy feeling again. It was actually kinda scary today, more so than usual. I haven’t experienced this feeling in a LONG time, but it really hit me hard today during the 200 set. Why? I don’t know. Maybe the belt constriction? Maybe I just got my breath wrong? The way the bench and pegs were, it was great because I didn’t have to do a half-press to get started, it was almost perfectly positioned, but yet it was maybe just a hair too far away and having to “shrug up” to unrack was too much? I just don’t know… but it was enough to cause that dizzy/loss problem and it wasn’t good. I did manage to crank out the 1 rep, but still…. unsettling.

I don’t know what it was then, but that was “it” for me. The rep sets were crappy, and I just felt like today needed to become a “jack shit” day. I realized I’ve been running this program for 12 weeks straight. Between that, poor sleep as of late, work/life stress… well, I think my body is run down enough because I am not feeling it. I think it’s time for a deload. But I was planning on that anyways.

I didn’t feel like totally cashing it in tho. I did a few other sets of things, then that was that.

Here’s the longer-term.

I’ve been working Paul’s program here, which is based off his “mass building” template in his “Basebuilding” eBook. I’m fine with continuing this, but I just picked numbers and have been working those same numbers for a while, just to get me back into the groove. I want to find my max on the incline press and squat, then reprogram the template using his percentages and those numbers. I think most everything else is pretty close, or close enough, so I don’t need to do much adjustment, but I do want to do some because when I made some rough guesses and ran the numbers, I’m way off and would rather see how running things more closely to his prescribed program will go.

So this week? I just keep going as normal. If the rest of the week turns into the same sort of “jack shit” then it does. I’m OK with this.

Next week Monday I test my incline press to find my new max. I may or may not do assistance work afterwards, just depends. Wednesday I will test squat. Friday will be off.

Then I take a full week off. My focus will be on rest, getting as much sleep as possible. This will dovetail with some other life things just nicely.

Then I will come back with new numbers, doing this same program tho. I’ll stick with it for at least 6 weeks. After those 6, I’ll see. I may take a week off then do another 6. Just have to see how things go. But I am looking then at transitioning to trying Paul’s basebuilding templates, then after that for about 9-10 weeks doing his Strong-15 short cycle for a little strength peak. After that? Probably back to mass building. We’ll see tho. It’s mostly experimenting and learning at this point.

Based upon Paul Carter’s LRB-365 and Base Building

BB Rows

• 140 x 8
• 140 x 8
• 140 x 8
• 140 x 8
• 140 x 7

Seated Cable Rows

• 95 x 15
• 95 x 15
• 95 x 13

Shrugs

• 155 x 20
• 155 x 20
• 155 x 16
• 155 x 15

Wide, Neutral-grip Pulldowns

• 95 x 15
• 95 x 15
• 95 x 15
• 95 x 15
• 95 x 13

BB Curls

• 30 x 27/12/8 (rest-pause)

Today was an 80% day.

I only got a few hours of sleep too, which didn’t help. But you just get up and keep going. I should be able to rest alright this weekend.

Still trying to focus a lot on being slow and controlled in the movements, really feeling the muscle, letting it work, focus on the negative, etc.. It’s such a different way to lift.

Wow. I haven’t worked this hard in a while.

Based upon Paul Carter’s LRB-365 and Base Building

• Squat
  • BW x 10
  • BW x 10
  • bar x 5
  • bar x 5
  • 155 x 5
  • 185 x 4
  • 215 x 3
  • 245 x 2
  • 275 x 1
  • 185 x 15
  • 185 x 6
• Stiff Leg Deadlift
  • 205 x 8
  • 205 x 8
  • 205 x 6
• Leg Press
  • 160 x 20
  • 160 x 17
  • 160 x 17
  • 160 x 15
• Standing Calf Raises
  • 40 x 12
  • 40 x 12
  • 40 x 12
  • 40 x 12

Wow. Today kicked my ass.

I continue to go up in weight and reps, trying to find my place again. I’m getting there tho.

I opted to wear a belt again. I haven’t worn a belt in many many months. I wore it on my 2 and 1 sets, and forgot how tight to pull it. When I was in the hole with the 275, I’m pressing out with my abs and was like “where’s the damn belt?”. It was tight, but not tight enough. One more notch would have done it, and I did that on the 185’s. In most respects, this was a “remembering” effort on using the belt.

That said, I felt wickedly worked after this session. I skipped lunges because I was wiped. Looking back, I probably shouldn’t have, but too late now.

One thing I’m thinking about is what to do next. I’ve been running Paul’s program for about 10 weeks straight, but it’s not been an exhausting 10 weeks since it started out as ankle rehab. I do think I’m finding my weights — like I probably will go up to 285 next week (with belt), but keep the reps at 185. I did play with Paul’s percentages and I’m way off his numbers — mostly because I started out just picking numbers, and have done simple +5 or +10 increases to keep things simple while I found my way back.

So, I think I’ll go another 2 weeks (end of April) and find where my weights should be. Just stay the course, minor changes just to try to settle in. Take a week off. Then come back and start on more formal application of Paul’s protocols. I’m not 100% sure how I’ll do it, but I might do something like another 6 weeks of Big-15-style work, then maybe do 9 weeks of Strong-15. I dunno, we’ll see. Still thinking through stuff, but I think that I can call “rehab” done, and that I should be finding my way back. There’s no question I’m adding muscle mass, which I like. But I do want to get some strength back because I lost a bunch.

Based upon Paul Carter’s LRB-365 and Base Building

• Incline Press
  • 45 x 5
  • 45 x 5
  • 110 x 5
  • 130 x 4
  • 150 x 3
  • 180 x 2
  • 200 x 1
  • 155 x 14
  • 155 x 4
• DB Bench Press
  • 60e x 10
  • 60e x 8
  • 60e x 7
  • 60e x 6
  • 60e x 6
• Behind the Neck Press
  • 90 x 8
  • 90 x 8
  • 90 x 7
• BB Upright Row
  • 55 x 15
  • 55 x 15
  • 55 x 15
  • 55 x 12
  • 55 x 11
• Tricep Punchdowns
  • 70 x 40 (each arm)

A solid enough day.

I did try plowing through the reps… so close to 15. I actually went for a 15th rep but as soon as the bar was on my chest it was evident it was not coming back up. I thought I had it in me, I thought wrong. 🙂 So it was a big heave-fest getting it up. I did get it up, took a bunch of effort, and that took a lot out of me as you can see by the later weights. I was cleanly set to go up to 60’s on the DB bench pressing, but I think I lost a bit due to pushing it too far on the inclines. Oh well, I don’t feel bad about it, but I won’t count the 15th rep.

That all said, I think that all my injuries are fading pretty well. Ankle feels really good, shoulder feels good. I think my chest and back days are both settling in well, and just my squat/leg day needs to still come up some, to find really where my work weight is at. I don’t think I’m too far off from finding it, just not there yet.

I’ve been flipping through Paul’s 3 books working to absorb more of his philosophy. I have started thinking about longer-term plans now, as I emerge from this transition period. Yes, I really like Paul’s stuff. I loved 5/3/1, it really did a lot for me, but I cannot deny I felt more beat-up on the program — it’s a lot of lower-rep heavier lifting. It doesn’t have to be that way, of course, but that’s just me. Still, I love 5/3/1 and recommend it highly because it’s solid and well-rounded (principles, protocols, programs… all levels can use it, it’s just good stuff and it works if you do). It’s been fun switching to Paul’s work tho. Many same philosophies and principles as 5/3/1 (stands to reason, given Jim and Paul are friends and talk often about such matters), but certainly a different approach. And since I’m not in a pure strength-building mode, well… yeah, Paul’s stuff is fun to explore right now.

I’m thinking that once I get my weights where they need to be, I will take a trip on Paul’s specific programs, probably based around his basebuilding approach. I will readjust all my weights to match his programmed percentages, then try the 6 weeks of mass building, 1 off, 6 weeks of mas building, 1 off, then 5 weeks (or whatever it is) of basebuilding, then 1 off, then a “strength peaking cycle”, and well…. just see how it all goes. See how Paul’s protocols work out for me overall.

If nothing else so far I can say, I feel a lot less beat up. I do feel strong, but can’t really comment where my strength lies since 1. I’m not lifting apples to apples compared to what I did before (before it was all flat bench, now it’s all incline bench), 2. I’m still coming back up on things (e.g. squat). I can say I’m getting bigger. It’s quite obvious in the mirror that things are growing (huzzah, traps!). This is all good.