Helton's Log

[DCR]

Seated DB Overhead Press
Skipped. Need a sub since these bother my shoulders.

In your starting position, are your arms out to your sides with hands pronated, in front of you with hands supinated Arnold style, or somewhere in between/else?

[JohnHelton]

Seated DB Overhead Press
Skipped. Need a sub since these bother my shoulders.

In your starting position, are your arms out to your sides with hands pronated, in front of you with hands supinated Arnold style, or somewhere in between/else?

Totally pronated.

[DCR]

Seated DB Overhead Press
Skipped. Need a sub since these bother my shoulders.

In your starting position, are your arms out to your sides with hands pronated, in front of you with hands supinated Arnold style, or somewhere in between/else?

Totally pronated.

I didn’t want to assume, but I figured. My shoulders won’t tolerate that either. Arnolds, on the other hand, feel great. Currently I’m using an arms 45 degrees from my torso, neutral-ish start, to pronated at the top. Like Arnolds sans the first third of the movement. Same good feeling, more weight for my ego.

[JohnHelton]

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Bench Press
230 x 2
245 x 2
255 x 2 @ 7.5 (e1RM = 290)
230 x 2 x 6
Total RTS stress index = 2.9

Bench felt good. Strength is returning. I cut this short, skipping accessory lifts, as I was just a little tired.

[slowmotion]

Nice work! How is the hand?

[JohnHelton]

Nice work! How is the hand?

Thanks, Jan. The hand feels pretty good. It is pain free, and I am slowly getting the flexibility in my index finger back. I can almost curl that finger enough that it touches the bar.

[slowmotion]

Nice work! How is the hand?

Thanks, Jan. The hand feels pretty good. It is pain free, and I am slowly getting the flexibility in my index finger back. I can almost curl that finger enough that it touches the bar.

That's good to hear. You'll get there!

[JohnHelton]

Saturday, January 20, 2024
BW: 201.7 (weighted avg.)
Waist: 35.4"
Time to cut.

Deadlift
385 x 2
405 x 2
425 x 2 @ 6.5 (e1RM = 502)
385 x 2

Bench Press
170 x 10 x 3

Leg Extensions
95 x 15
80 x 15
70 x 15

Seated Leg Curls
95 x 12
80 x 15
80 x 12

Face Pulls
90 x 15
100 x 15
110 x 15

EZ Bar Curls
60 x 15
60 x 10
50 x 13

7 day running total - 13.5 mi

Deload next week. I am pretty happy with this first cycle. I will be sticking with this format next cycle. However, I am going to start cutting. I don't think it will help my lifting, but it will help my running and physique.

[JohnHelton]

Thursday, January 25, 2024
BW: 201.8

Deload

Squat
275 x 3 x 3

Bench Press
205 x 3 x 3

Super easy. Just dropping fatigue, maintaining strength, and avoiding DOMS.

[JohnHelton]

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Squat
300 x 4
330 x 4
365 x 4
385 x 4 @ 6.5 (e1RM = 220/486)
350 x 4 x 2
I let the weight float up today, trying to find 4@7 (81%) as my top set. This felt really good. It looks like my squat strength is all the way back. Hopefully, it will be going up from here.



Incline Bench Press
150 x 10, 10, 8

Lat Pull Down
110 x 15
120 x 12
110 x 11

Cable Tricep Extensions
70 x 15, 15, 10

[KarlM]

Squats looked freaking great! Nice to see you hitting big numbers again

[JohnHelton]

Squats looked freaking great! Nice to see you hitting big numbers again

Thanks, Karl. They felt really good.

[JohnHelton]

Thursday, Feb 1, 2024

Bench Press
225 x 4
240 x 4
260 x 4 @ 8 (e1RM = 311)
225 x 4 x 5
I let the weight float up again to find a true @8 RPE on the top set. Good place to start this mesocycle.

Leg Extensions
95 x 10 x 3

Leg Curls
95 x 10 x 3

Cable Flies
60 x 15
55 x 15
50 x 12

Cable Rows
100 x 15
110 x 15
120 x 12

DB Lateral Raises
20 x 13 x 2
15 x 14

[cole]

Looks like your strong as hell, like always

[JohnHelton]

Looks like your strong as hell, like always

Thanks, Cole. It has been fun getting some momentum.

[JohnHelton]

I posted these comments here.
https://exodus-strength.com/forum/viewt ... 3127,-Post

Running update. In September I had my mileage up to about 20 mi/week. Then I broke my index finger in October requiring surgery with pins. The pins came out in late November and then we moved to Montana, increasing elevation from 500 ft to almost 5000 ft. It has been slow getting back into the mileage. However, I am finally back to running about an 11:30 pace in Zone 2. That feels almost like running again. I have also transitioned from run/walk to constant running.

I plan to do a half marathon this summer and am using the app from https://runkaizen.com/ to map out the mileage. It is a pretty cool program that will gradually build your training volume in preparation to hit your race goal time. I understand there is some real data science behind it. We'll see. I would love to go faster than 2 hours for the half. If I can get my Zone 2 pace closer to 10 min/min then I think that is a possibility. However, cardio fitness is just like strength. You can't force it. Do the training and it will either be there or it won't.

The other tool that I may start using is my Garmin's daily suggested workout. It is also pretty slick. I have entered my race in June, and it prescribes a daily workout (or rest) given the goal race, fitness, training load, recovery, etc. It is also pretty easy to coordinate with Kaizen, since that program only prescribes a total mileage target for the week.

[JohnHelton]

Tuesday 6 Feb 2024, 10:44

Bench Press (Barbell)
Set 1: 225 lbs × 1 [Warm-up]
Set 2: 250 lbs × 1 [Warm-up]
Set 3: 280 lbs × 1 @ 8.0 (e1RM = 137 kg/303 lb)
Set 4: 235 lbs × 3
Set 5: 235 lbs × 3
Set 6: 235 lbs × 3
Set 7: 235 lbs × 3
Set 8: 235 lbs × 3
Set 9: 235 lbs × 3
Set 10: 235 lbs × 3
Set 11: 235 lbs × 3
Set 12: 235 lbs × 3
I was a little surprised that the top set didn't move faster.

Sumo Deadlift (Barbell)
Set 1: 165 lbs × 5 [Warm-up]
Set 2: 245 lbs × 3 [Warm-up]
Set 3: 315 lbs × 1 [Warm-up]
Set 4: 385 lbs × 1 [Warm-up]
Set 5: 435 lbs × 1 [Warm-up]
Set 6: 475 lbs × 1
Set 7: 515 lbs × 1 @ 8.0 (e1RM = 253 kg/557 lb)
Set 8: 415 lbs × 3
Set 9: 415 lbs × 3
Set 10: 415 lbs × 3
This was my first heavy pull in a long while.



Face Pull (Cable)
Set 1: 115 lbs × 15 @ 7.0
Set 2: 105 lbs × 15 @ 6.0
Set 3: 95 lbs × 15

I cut the accessories a short as this was a long workout.

[cole]

nice pull. looked quick and solid. i like your training style now. lots of sets for practice and volume but staying far away from failure to avoid excessive fatigue. smart

[JohnHelton]

nice pull. looked quick and solid. i like your training style now. lots of sets for practice and volume but staying far away from failure to avoid excessive fatigue. smart

Thanks, Cole.

I watched this DDS video yesterday. It made me think that I need to be clearer in my approach. Am I trying to build strength or size with a particular lift? If strength then lots of sets with low reps and low RPEs with the intensity in the 75%-85% range. If size then fewer sets with higher reps and high RPEs with less intensity. Today was strength for bench and deadlifts, with the face pulls being hypertrophy focused.



I am still trying to figure out how to balance running and lifting. If I was focused on powerlifting, I would try to get my legs bigger and then turn that size into strength. However, those high rep/high RPE sets are tough to combine with running. So much fatigue. I'm starting to think that I will just try to maintain strength or get stronger with the size that I have. With my upper body, I don't have that worry. Thus, I will combine size and strength with some powerbuilding. Just my current thoughts.

[KarlM]

nice pull. looked quick and solid. i like your training style now. lots of sets for practice and volume but staying far away from failure to avoid excessive fatigue. smart

That pull looked too easy to rate! It looks like @JohnHelton gets perfect full body tension pulling slack with his quads. I wonder if he would agree or if there is something else going on.