KarlM: It's all about the log.

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KarlM
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KarlM: It's all about the log.

#1

Post by KarlM » Wed Sep 20, 2017 11:03 am

About me: 43 year old male, 193 lbs, 5'9''. Body fat around 25% (via bio-impedance as well as looking at pics). I started lifting heavy (as opposed to the P90X stuff I did prior to running SS) a little over a year ago and put on about 23 lbs over that time. I guess about half that was muscle, the other half fat. Other noteworthy athletic interests are Judo (I'm a shodan but I haven't trained in a few years) and climbing. In fact, I train at my climbing gym. Chalk is by definition allowed.

Current 1RMs (fairly recent):
Squat - 350 lbs
Deadlift - 425 lbs
Bench - 255 lbs
OHP - 175 lbs
Weighted Chin-ups - 274 lbs (body weight + added weight; body weight taken at gym immediately before attempt and includes clothes, shoes and harness)

After several months of repeatedly tweaking my back due to what was almost certainly a combination of shitty technique and stupid programming (too heavy too often because apparently I'm an ego lifter) I went on Andy Baker's GGW program and am currently in week 5. This is a HLM program with three workouts per week. Things are going well so far, but they haven't gotten too heavy yet so we will see...

My notation is weight (in American) x reps x sets and I'll only list the work sets.

9/19/17 (week 5, workout 1)
Body weight - not measured

Chin-ups, BW x 10 x 2, BW x 8 (did these while waiting for a squat rack).

Low Bar Back Squat (Heavy, 80%)
280 x 5 x 4, about 6 min rest between sets. Shouldn't have eaten Mexican food just prior to squatting...

OHP (M, 75%)
130 x 5 x 3, 4 min rest, still feel too easy. Maybe do some sort of tempo lift for medium OHP to make it more challenging?

Deadlift (M, 70%)
300 x 5 x 3, 5 min rest. Maybe pull from a deficit to make medium DL a bit harder?

I'm still struggling with how easy things feel. The intensity is about to get harder (especially weeks 7-9) so I probably just need to check the ego at the gym door.
Last edited by KarlM on Thu Sep 21, 2017 8:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#2

Post by cwd » Wed Sep 20, 2017 3:51 pm

5x3 deadlifts after 5x4 squats? That's a lot of volume. Probably good it's not that heavy, right?

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#3

Post by KarlM » Wed Sep 20, 2017 4:43 pm

Yes, of course you're right :)

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#4

Post by KarlM » Fri Sep 22, 2017 9:42 am

9-21-17 (week 5, workout 2)
Effective Weight = 203 lbs (body weight plus harness plus chain; for weighted chin-ups)

Paused Squat (L, 70%)
245 X 5 X 2, rest 5 mins. Paused each rep 1-2 sec.

Bench (H, 80%)
205 x 5 x 4, not much to say. Felt easy.

Weighted Chin-ups (H, 80%)
223 X 5 X 4, Chin well above the bar on all reps. No kipping. Weight includes EW + added weight.

Drop set DB Bro Curls
30s X 12, 25s X 8, 20s X 8, 15s X 8. No rest between sets, just trying to get some blood in the biceps after the weighted chins.

Paused squats have definitely helped with my knee cave (valgus) during heavy-ish squats. The cue "shove your knees out hard" didn't work for me because I took it too literally and would go for a maximal, 1 RM knee-shove-out attempt each time. With the pause squat, I have time to collect my thoughts and simply keep my knees over my toes. Turns out all those hip external rotators and abductors don't need to be engaged in all out war to keep the knees over the toes, they just need to know what they are doing.

The GGW program typically calls for barbell rows but I've chosen to do weighted chin-ups my first time through the program because I didn't want any extra stress on the low back given that I was already going to deadlift more than I had in the past. Given my back tweak history, that seemed a prudent approach. Besides, in the FAQ Andy says it's fine to substitute chins for rows, so I'm not modifying anything.

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#5

Post by Allentown » Mon Sep 25, 2017 5:22 am

Interestingly (or not), my current back issue is aggravated by chins, but not by BB rows, provided I keep them fairly strict. So confusing.

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#6

Post by KarlM » Mon Sep 25, 2017 8:13 am

Allentown, yeah, that's a head scratcher. I hope your back issue heals up soon. Seems like its been trolling you for awhile.

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#7

Post by KarlM » Mon Sep 25, 2017 8:40 am

9/23/17 (week 5, workout 3)
BW not measured
rested about 5 min between each set

Squat (M, 75%)
Squatted in flats today rather than my oly shoes. Pretty sure I like flats better.
265 X 5 X 3

OHP (H, 80%)
165 X 1 (took a heavy single prior to my rep work, maybe @8?)
140 X 5 X 4

Deadlift (H, 80%)
340 X 5

I've given my Olympic lifting shoes a good run now, but it's clear I like squatting in flats better. I never really got the hang of not pitching forward, shifting the weight onto my toes when squatting in heeled shoes. In flats it's definitely better. Regarding OHP, GGW does not call for any heavy singles prior to the rep work. I cheated and wanted to see how something heavy-ish felt since I've been handling only lighter weights for a while now. I am inexperienced with RPE, so not sure what that single was really at. It might have been an @7. Definitely had more in me, but whether it was 2 or 3 more is not clear. Deadlift felt good. Back feels strong like soldier.

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#8

Post by Bliss » Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:23 pm

KarlM wrote:....
Weighted Chin-ups - 274 lbs (body weight + added weight; body weight taken at gym immediately before attempt and includes clothes, shoes and harness)
:ugeek: so there are others.....

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#9

Post by KarlM » Tue Sep 26, 2017 1:58 pm

Bliss wrote:
KarlM wrote:....
Weighted Chin-ups - 274 lbs (body weight + added weight; body weight taken at gym immediately before attempt and includes clothes, shoes and harness)
:ugeek: so there are others.....
I like weighted chins because they are easy to program to increase 1 RM strength and it is easy to test that strength without cheating the rep. That's hard with barbell rows. It's hard to know if you're cheating the row. So far I haven't experienced any elbow issues but the weight really isn't all that heavy. Yet.

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#10

Post by Bliss » Tue Sep 26, 2017 2:32 pm

Damn internet!!

What i meant is finally finding that I'm not the only one anal about chins given how weird it is to meticulously track and adjust barbell weights, consider the effects of uneven plates etc... and then totally disregard variations in bw from food, drink and clothes!!

PS. I went as far as weighing the dip belt and the jumper i occasionally wear to include in the calculation. (Also may or may not be adding tiny microloading chains to get within 0.25 kg) :oops:

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#11

Post by KarlM » Tue Sep 26, 2017 2:39 pm

Bliss wrote:Damn internet!!

What i meant is finally finding that I'm not the only one anal about chins given how weird it is to meticulously track and adjust barbell weights, consider the effects of uneven plates etc... and then totally disregard variations in bw from food, drink and clothes!!

PS. I went as far as weighing the dip belt and the jumper i occasionally wear to include in the calculation. (Also may or may not be adding tiny microloading chains to get within 0.25 kg) :oops:
Well, your level of anal certainly surpasses mine if you do indeed microload your chins :)

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#12

Post by KarlM » Wed Sep 27, 2017 9:00 am

9/26/17 (Week 6, workout 1)
BW not measured (I really need to weight myself in the morning regularly...)

Squat (H, 85%)
Squatted in flats again.
300 X 4 X 4, felt good, 5 to 7 min rest between sets

OHP (M, 80%)
140 X 4 X 4, also felt good, 4 min rest

Deadlift (M, 75%)
320 X 4 X 3, back felt strong. These felt really easy. 5 min rest.

DB Rows, 70s X 12, 12, 10 (2 min rest)

Dropped my son off at football, went to gym, got work done, picked son up, drove home, ate the spaghetti and meatballs my lovely wife made for us :)

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#13

Post by KarlM » Tue Oct 03, 2017 2:15 pm

Updating log for last two sessions:
9/28/17 (Week 6, workout 2)

Pause Squat (L, 75% of regular squat)
also, never indicated that all squats are done with a belt
265 X 4 X 2, paused 1-2 seconds. I was quite pleased with this, as 265 used to feel pretty damn heavy. Pausing this weight wasn't really that bad, so that means I'm making progress. Rest time was 5 min.

Bench (H, 85%)
220 X 4 X 4, 5 min rest.

Weighted Chin-ups (H, 85%)
234.5 X 4 X 4

DB Curls, 25s X 20, 10, 10 (~30sec rest). Goal is to pump up biceps after chins.

Session felt really good, especially the paused squats. Since I was doing 75% of my regular squat, I was concerned it might be too much intensity for a light day if I paused it, but it didn't feel too stressful. Happy with that. For this cycle, I'm benching once a week and overhead pressing twice per week. My bench certainly isn't losing any strength doing this.
****
9/30/17 (Week 6, workout 3)
This was done on the road at Atlanta Barbell. Wife had a conference in Atlanta so I tagged along and took the opportunity to schedule a coaching session with Niki Simms for the two of us. This is the second time I've received coaching from Niki and she's great, and it was the first time for my wife, who has been lifting on and off for about a year. Niki identified some technical issues with my wife's lifts while I kept my mouth shut and listened ;) The best thing about a session like this is that active cueing (by someone who knows what they are doing) fixes technical issues faster than probably anything else. Helped tremendously with my squat and deadlift, and my wife had a great time getting advice from a female non-husband...

Squat (M, 80%)
280 X 4 X 4, Cues from Niki: chin down to help with rocking onto toes at bottom, lead with hips out of hole and drive straight up, not back out of hole.

OHP (H, 85%)
150 X 4 X 4, Cues: get as tight as possible, then get even tighter. OHP was somewhat inconsistent. Some reps were pretty quick while others looked a little grindy. Need consistent tightness, rep after rep.

Deadlift (H, 85%)
360 X 4, Cues: when doing reps, need to roll bar back closer to my shins after first rep. I was letting it get too far forward as the set progresses.

Great session, and Niki is a great coach. Atlanta Barbell is a great facility that I wish was present in lovely San Diego.

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#14

Post by KarlM » Wed Oct 04, 2017 3:09 pm

10/3/17, Week 7 workout 1
BW = 198.8 lbs. Whoa there fatty! Time to cut back on the icecream.

Squat (H, 80%)
280 X 6 X 4. Five to 8 min rest between sets. Definitely a tonnage PR. Again, program seems to be working. These were exhausting, but I definitely had more reps in the tank for all sets. Today (which is the day after as I log last night's workout) I'm sore (not bad) for the first time in a long time. Quads and glutes are sore :) Adductors are not, and those are the ones that usually get sore when getting sore happens (from squatting at least).

Left gym to pick son up from football practice. Dropped him off then returned to the gym to do...

OHP (M, 75%)
130 X 6 X 3, 4 min rest. Weight feels easy. However, in my attempt to get tighter I set my Valsalva, unracked the bar, stepped back, squeezed my glutes and quads, did the first press and then experienced some tunnel vision. It's hard to hold my breath during OHP without getting a bit dizzy. Doesn't happen with squats or Deadlifts.

Deadlift (M, 70%)
300 X 6 X 3, 5 min rest. Easy peasy. I felt technical. I don't know if I in fact was since I didn't get any video. I'll try to get some video.

GGW gets hard weeks 7-9. Bring it!

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#15

Post by KarlM » Mon Oct 09, 2017 11:06 am

Last two sessions:
10/5/17, Week 7, WO 2
Pause Squat (L, 70%)
245 X 6 X 2, 6 min rest. Paused for about 1 count. Left bicep/elbow suddenly started hurting a little. A dull pain.

Bench (H, 80%)
205 X 6 X 4. First three sets felt like @7. If @7 is valid, e1RM would be ~266 lbs. So it appears I'm on track for a PR, although that estimate comes from an estimated 9 RM, so there will be a lot of uncertainty. Left bicep was bugging me from squats so I did light hammer curls between these sets (with a slow eccentric). Did sets of 15 reps with 20 lbs DB. These immediately reduced the pain, but it would come back during the bench. It didn't affect my workout but it was there.

Based on my bicep pain, I decided to swap my weighted chins with Saturday's 1 arm DB rows.
DB Rows
60 lbs X 12 X 3
***
10/7/17, Week 7 WO 3
Decided to start with weighted chins since I swapped them with DB rows last workout. This was a mistake, but it wasn't really a big deal. They tired me out for OHP, and it felt heavier than normal.

Weighted Chin-ups (H, 80%)
Effective Weight = 205 lbs
220 X 6 X 4, about 5 min rest. Left bicep felt ok. Could still feel some inflammation, and did some hammer curls to attenuate it. Works like a charm.

OHP (H, 80%)
140 X 6 X 4, about 6 min rest

Deadlift (H, 80%)
340 X 6

Had to leave gym to watch my son's football game before I got to the squats. Came back in the evening and finished them.

Squat (M, 75%)
265 X 6 X 3. About 6 min rest, and did hammer curls to mitigate left bicep pain. Hopefully it won't be too bad for Tuesday's heavy squat workout.

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#16

Post by KarlM » Thu Oct 12, 2017 3:05 pm

10/10/17, Week 8, WO 1
Pressed for time this workout.

Squat (H, 80%)
300 X 5 X 4, felt pretty good. Here's set 4 (the same video I posted in the technique section).

Manveer said that set looked like @7-7.5

*edit: I forgot to talk about my left elbow pain. Tried the thumb around grip for the fist time (with wrists in extension) and felt absolutely no left elbow/bicep pain. None whatsoever. So much for thumbless grips, and it looks like I'm in the market for some wrist wraps.

OHP (M, 80%)
140 X 5 X 3. Technique was not up to snuff on first set. Bar got too far forward. Sets 2 and 3 were better, and the bar moved much quicker as a result.

Had to skip deadlift to scoop son from football practice.
***
10/11/17 (makeup session)

Deadlift (M, 75%)
320 X 5 X 3, these felt easy. Hook grip is the bomb.

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#17

Post by d0uevenlift » Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:42 pm

You didn't like squatting in flats?

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#18

Post by KarlM » Fri Oct 13, 2017 8:37 am

d0uevenlift wrote: Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:42 pm You didn't like squatting in flats?
Yeah, I've been inconsistent with this. I'm pretty sure I do like flats better. However, I decided I should finish this first cycle of GGW as I started it and see if I can improve my technique as much as possible before switching. I'll probably do the next cycle in flats.

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#19

Post by KarlM » Fri Oct 13, 2017 9:47 am

10/12/17, Week 8, WO 2
Pause Squat (L, 75%, 1 count pause)
265 X 5 X 2, 6 min rest. No video, but I tried to pin my elbows to my sides. So many cues to keep track of during squat!

Bench (H, 85%)
220 X 5 X 4. Bar path felt inconsistent. Need to get video. 6 min rest.

Weighted Chin-ups (H, 85%)
EW = 202
232 X 5 X 4, 5 min rest

Hammer Curls
30s X 12 X 3 (3.5 min rest, slowish eccentric)

I'm going to do hammer curls to try to help with the tendency for my left bicep to flare up. This workout it wasn't bad at all but I could feel it a bit on bench. Felt nothing during squat (yay thumbs around grip). Interestingly, once I got going with the chins, the niggle went away entirely.

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Re: KarlM: It's all about the log.

#20

Post by KarlM » Tue Oct 17, 2017 11:19 am

10/14/17, Week 8, WO 3
Squat (M, 80%)
280 X 5 X 3

OHP (H, 85%)
150 X 5 X 4. Technique was inconsistent. First two sets were @10 due to technique, third set felt @9, final set felt like a true @10.

Deadlift (H, 85%)
360 X 5. Felt good. Certainly had reps in the tank but don't know the RPE. Need to pay attention to bar speed (and get video).

Skipped DB rows to go pendant shopping with wife :)

10/16/17, assistance work make up session, DB Rows, 75lbs X 12, 12, 10

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