CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

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CheekiBreekiFitness
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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#61

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Tue Jan 17, 2023 5:01 am

SnakePlissken wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 4:55 am
CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:15 am
SnakePlissken wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 6:04 am You're really on the ball. Also eating 200g of protein a day sounds hard as shit. I typically get in about 150g a day and weigh 210 lb right now.
Eating lots of meat, eggs and cottage cheese make it quite ok for me. But of course that's assuming that you like those ingredients. Out of curiosity, what does a typical day of eating look like for you ?
Breakfast:
Bowl of oatmeal and a cup of trail mix: ~700 Cal

1st Lunch:
Double decker PB sandwich, a protein bar, and a banana (with an apple sometimes): ~850 Cal

2nd Lunch:
My meal prep (which I actually weighed out this week)
6oz of ham
400g sweet potato
1.25 cups of stuffing
~1200 Cal
(usually this meal is about 1k-1200 Cal)

Dinner:
What I call "Breakfast for Dinner"
4 large eggs
3 strips of bacon
12oz of Brussel sprouts, Cauliflower, Broccoli or mixed vegetables
~650 Cal

Adds up to about 3400 Cal for the day. The 2nd Lunch is bigger than normal. My usual meal preps are roughly 800-1k Cal and always feature a meat protein and usually a lot of vegetables. The extra Calories usually come from me making toast or drinking beer when it's just me and the dog on the couch after work.

This is a typical work day meal (what I'll have most of the week except dinner will change if I make something more complex for fun. This week I made homemade bread and bought swiss cheese so I can have toasted Ham and Swiss sandwiches for dinner as an option too).
I see. If getting more protein in is a concern you could maybe try to add a protein shake or some cottage cheese to the first two meals, as those meals seem to be mostly carbs and fats (I'm assuming that protein bars give you about 30g of protein a piece, and that trail mix is mostly carbs from the fruits and fats from the nuts, but I might be mistaken). Also both meals are quite rich in fiber so that maybe they blunt your appetite a little for the last two meals of the day.

To ease the burden of planning, I tend to simply plan each meal by first finding something that would yield 50g of protein, and then add a bunch of things I enjoy to it, then hitting 200g protein a day becomes almost automatic.

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#62

Post by SnakePlissken » Tue Jan 17, 2023 5:09 am

CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 5:01 am
SnakePlissken wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 4:55 am
CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:15 am
SnakePlissken wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 6:04 am You're really on the ball. Also eating 200g of protein a day sounds hard as shit. I typically get in about 150g a day and weigh 210 lb right now.
Eating lots of meat, eggs and cottage cheese make it quite ok for me. But of course that's assuming that you like those ingredients. Out of curiosity, what does a typical day of eating look like for you ?
Breakfast:
Bowl of oatmeal and a cup of trail mix: ~700 Cal

1st Lunch:
Double decker PB sandwich, a protein bar, and a banana (with an apple sometimes): ~850 Cal

2nd Lunch:
My meal prep (which I actually weighed out this week)
6oz of ham
400g sweet potato
1.25 cups of stuffing
~1200 Cal
(usually this meal is about 1k-1200 Cal)

Dinner:
What I call "Breakfast for Dinner"
4 large eggs
3 strips of bacon
12oz of Brussel sprouts, Cauliflower, Broccoli or mixed vegetables
~650 Cal

Adds up to about 3400 Cal for the day. The 2nd Lunch is bigger than normal. My usual meal preps are roughly 800-1k Cal and always feature a meat protein and usually a lot of vegetables. The extra Calories usually come from me making toast or drinking beer when it's just me and the dog on the couch after work.

This is a typical work day meal (what I'll have most of the week except dinner will change if I make something more complex for fun. This week I made homemade bread and bought swiss cheese so I can have toasted Ham and Swiss sandwiches for dinner as an option too).
I see. If getting more protein in is a concern you could maybe try to add a protein shake or some cottage cheese to the first two meals, as those meals seem to be mostly carbs and fats (I'm assuming that protein bars give you about 30g of protein a piece, and that trail mix is mostly carbs from the fruits and fats from the nuts, but I might be mistaken). Also both meals are quite rich in fiber so that maybe they blunt your appetite a little for the last two meals of the day.

To ease the burden of planning, I tend to simply plan each meal by first finding something that would yield 50g of protein, and then add a bunch of things I enjoy to it, then hitting 200g protein a day becomes almost automatic.
The protein intake isn't a concern for me. I've put on a lot of muscle doing this Bench specialization program lately so I think my body is fine. My original comment was just stating like holy shit, that's a lot of protein for someone that weighs less than I do :lol: no offense.

You're right about my breakfast though. It's simple for my breakroom at work that's just 1 microwave and a coffee maker. I have to be at work at 7:30am so making eggs and bacon for breakfast is nothing but a dream for me.

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#63

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Tue Jan 17, 2023 6:51 am

SnakePlissken wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 5:09 am
CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 5:01 am
SnakePlissken wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 4:55 am
CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:15 am
SnakePlissken wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 6:04 am You're really on the ball. Also eating 200g of protein a day sounds hard as shit. I typically get in about 150g a day and weigh 210 lb right now.
Eating lots of meat, eggs and cottage cheese make it quite ok for me. But of course that's assuming that you like those ingredients. Out of curiosity, what does a typical day of eating look like for you ?
Breakfast:
Bowl of oatmeal and a cup of trail mix: ~700 Cal

1st Lunch:
Double decker PB sandwich, a protein bar, and a banana (with an apple sometimes): ~850 Cal

2nd Lunch:
My meal prep (which I actually weighed out this week)
6oz of ham
400g sweet potato
1.25 cups of stuffing
~1200 Cal
(usually this meal is about 1k-1200 Cal)

Dinner:
What I call "Breakfast for Dinner"
4 large eggs
3 strips of bacon
12oz of Brussel sprouts, Cauliflower, Broccoli or mixed vegetables
~650 Cal

Adds up to about 3400 Cal for the day. The 2nd Lunch is bigger than normal. My usual meal preps are roughly 800-1k Cal and always feature a meat protein and usually a lot of vegetables. The extra Calories usually come from me making toast or drinking beer when it's just me and the dog on the couch after work.

This is a typical work day meal (what I'll have most of the week except dinner will change if I make something more complex for fun. This week I made homemade bread and bought swiss cheese so I can have toasted Ham and Swiss sandwiches for dinner as an option too).
I see. If getting more protein in is a concern you could maybe try to add a protein shake or some cottage cheese to the first two meals, as those meals seem to be mostly carbs and fats (I'm assuming that protein bars give you about 30g of protein a piece, and that trail mix is mostly carbs from the fruits and fats from the nuts, but I might be mistaken). Also both meals are quite rich in fiber so that maybe they blunt your appetite a little for the last two meals of the day.

To ease the burden of planning, I tend to simply plan each meal by first finding something that would yield 50g of protein, and then add a bunch of things I enjoy to it, then hitting 200g protein a day becomes almost automatic.
The protein intake isn't a concern for me. I've put on a lot of muscle doing this Bench specialization program lately so I think my body is fine. My original comment was just stating like holy shit, that's a lot of protein for someone that weighs less than I do :lol: no offense.

You're right about my breakfast though. It's simple for my breakroom at work that's just 1 microwave and a coffee maker. I have to be at work at 7:30am so making eggs and bacon for breakfast is nothing but a dream for me.
Offense not taken :)

Yeah that's quite a bit of protein, you are right. I only weight around 205 lbs indeed.

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#64

Post by Hardartery » Tue Jan 17, 2023 10:25 am

CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:19 am
Hardartery wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 9:55 pm I eat right around 2k kcal a day, not getting 280 g of protein but I weigh 280 right now, and I've just gone back to running keto for a while. I wish I could get away with 3500 kcal a day, I'm starving at 2k-2200.
Are you eating 2k to maintain or eating 2k to lose some weight ? That sounds small for a 280 lbs man, especially since you're quite strong, so it's not like you do not have muscle to feed.

Anecdotally, I found that the diet strategy that made me the most full was: skipping breakfast + eating almost only meat and fruits. It's just so hard to eat a lot of calories that way, and if you have access to some good fresh fruit is actually enjoyable. Now I understand that you're doing keto so fruits are out, so I guess that strategy would not work in this context.
This is my cut level, which isn't working atm. I briefly was getting away with a maintenance level between 2500 and 3k, but then mandarin season started and so did weight gain. The only thing I added was mandarin oranges (and cut some other calories to balance out). I'm going back to keto for a while, going to try and stay at 2k and maybe a little under some days.

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#65

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Fri Jan 20, 2023 6:23 am

Block 2 Week 6

Last week of the block. It's funny how I did not experience a full blown crash (what is supposed to happen based on Mike T's Emerging Strategies lecture), but rather I felt incredibly sore everywhere, and generally felt like my body was telling me that it wants a break. My upper back was continually sore for almost a week, so much that it was disrupting my sleep. Time for a pivot, I guess. For the conditioning, I managed Bromley's level 2 challenge for the burpees (100 burpees in 10 minutes), and didn't feel that it was much harder than the first level. Good for me. Now the level 3 challenge (100 burpees in 5 minutes aka the Greyskull challenge) seems so far away. It'll take some time I don't know.

Average weekly bodyweight: 92.7

DAY 1
Squat 1x157.5@9 4x6x120 15x100
3ct Paused Bench 8x82.5@6 8x87.5@7 6x92.5@8 8x82.5@6
2ct Paused Deadlift (conv) 8x125@6 8x135@7 6x145@9 8x125@6
BW Chins 5,5,5,5,5,5
DB Skullcrusher + Pushdown 12+12,12+12,12+12,12+12,12+12x14+20
DB Curl 60 total reps 14 kgs
Ab Wheel 20,20,20 Leg Raise 20,20,20

DAY 2
Bench 1x117.5@fail 10,10,10,10,8,7x85
DB Press 10,10,10,10x26
BW Chins 5,5,5,5,5,5
BW Dips+Pushdown 10+10,10+10,10+10,10+10,10+10x30
DB Curl 10,10,10,10x16

DAY 3
Deadlift (sumo) 1x197.5@9 4x6x160
Slingshot Bench 8x92.5@6 8x102.5@7 6x112.5@8 8x92.5@6 8x92.5@6
Pin Squat 8,4,4,4,4x105
DB Row 15,7,7,7x36
JM Press 10,5,5,5,5x65
EZ Bar Curl 10,5,5,5,5x40

DAY 4
Press 1x70@8.5 4x6x55 15,11x40
Glute Ham Raise 5x10
Floor Press 8x82.5@6 8x87.5@7 7x92.5@9 8x82.5@6
BW Dips SS Band Pushdown 5x10+10
Preacher Curl Machine 20,10,10,10,10x25
Lateral Raise 10,5,5,5,5x18

CONDITIONING
* Technogym Rower 2000m 9'10''
* 100 burpees 9'45''
* Skip Rope 10'00''
* 62 burpees 5'00''

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#66

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Fri Jan 20, 2023 6:40 am

Overall the block went well, and as in the first block, I made all kinds of gains as demonstrated by the numbers:

BLOCK 1 e1RM RESULTS (Start / Peak / End)
Total: 474/488/479
Squat: 157/164/160
Bench: 119/121/120
Deadlift: 198/203/199

BLOCK 2 e1RM RESULTS (Start / Peak / End)
Total: 491/504/491
Squat: 165/168/165
Bench: 120/125/120
Deadlift: 206/211/206

So over the course of two blocks, I went from a total of 474 to 504 (+30 gain), and from the peak of block 1 to the peak of block 2 I went from 488 to 504 (+16 gain). The bench seems to be the most stubborn. From a visual perspective my triceps seem to have grown, arms are 16 inches, which makes sense since I'm hammering them (my JM press increased, whatever that means). But the bench did not explode I'm still trying to understanding what my bench responds to. It's going to be an interesting challenge.

When looking at the e1RMs graph over time, no clear trend appears, it's like a bunch of random noise. I did get stronger than the last peak, but other than that everything seems pretty chaotic. I don't know there's probably something I'm missing.

Now another thing that appeared to me when looking over the block data, is that I tend to overshoot my 1@8 too frequently, so probably I have to learn how to manage load better. It's very hard for me psychologically to take weight off the bar. It's kind of funny as I was pontificating about this a few pages back and now I'm kind of eating my own medicine. I need to stick to the strategy advocated by RTS:

*** The goal is to be within 0.5 units of the prescribed RPE given.Based on the previous week’s RPE scores:
* Add 1% - 2% to the goal weight if 0.5 under or more.
* Add 0.5% - 1% if target RPE was met.
* Retake the weight if RPE was over by 0.5 RPE.
* Subtract 2% (maybe even a little more) if the RPE was a full point or more higher.

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#67

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Fri Jan 20, 2023 6:53 am

Pivot Block 2 Week 1

For this pivot I just basically designed a 3 day split: like a leg day, a chest and triceps day, and a back day and did a bit of renaissance periodization / bodybuilding type of training. Mostly I'm just having fun in the gym. I'm a closet bodybuilder so high reps and big pumps I like. The combo Leg Press+Sissy Squats felt very stimulative and I was sore as shit the next day. Also I managed 5 sets of 10 with 140kgs on the deadlift in less than 20 minutes (basically boring but big with 70% of e1RM) which was a lot of fun. I feel that the conditioning helps quite a bit. I'm eating at a slight deficit as usual, focusing on replacing breakfast by a protein shake and lots of meat + fruits + vegetables which I enjoy when trying to eat at a deficit.

Also, I recently bought a 75 kgs sandbag because it sounded fun and I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it. I never did strongman stuff (because I'm a weak man) so I'm a bit puzzled. Let's see. Maybe I'll ask the members here.

DAY 1
Leg Curl 14,11,10,8x65
Leg Press SS Sissy Squat 20,12,11,10x220 SS 20,20,20,15xbw
Leg Extension 15,12,10,10x42.5
Calf Raise 17,13,12x180
Preacher Curl Machine 22,12,12x25

DAY 2
Close Grip Bench 11,10,8,8,7x85
Smith Machine Incline Bench (30°) 13,10,8x70
Cable Fly 10,10,10x10
BW Dips 10,10,10
Triceps Pushdown 21x30 15x25 20,20x20

DAY 3
Deadlift 10,10,10,10,10x140
Chins 10,5,5,5,5
Row Machine 10,5,5,5x160
Glute Ham Raise 22,20,15

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#68

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Sun Jan 22, 2023 8:19 am

OK eating at a deficit during January (the month of "galette des rois", aka one of the most addictive drugs ever created by men) is close to impossible. Just ate half a galette.

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#69

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:49 am

Pivot Block 2 Week 2

The pivot is over, was fun, lost a bit of weight (despite the galette des rois frenzy) and dissipated some fatigue so I'm excited to start a new block.

Weekly average weight: 91.5

DAY 1
Lying Leg Curl 10,10,10x40
Beltless Squat 10,10,10,10,10x100
Leg Extensions 19,15,15,12x42.5
Preacher Curl Machine 22,16,12x25

DAY 2
Close Grip Bench 9,9,9,6x85
Smith Machine Incline Bench (30°) 14,11,10x70
Cable Fly 12,12,10x7.5
BW Dips 12,12,10
Triceps Pushdown 24x30 16x25 28x20

DAY 3
Deadlift (conv) 6x140@5 6x150@7 6x160@8 6x140@6.5
Glute Ham Raise 20,15,15
Chinups 8,7,7
Preacher Curl Machine 14,9,6x30

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#70

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Fri Jan 27, 2023 10:04 am

So on Monday I'll be starting a new block which will go as follows. Some rationale behind the choices made here
- in the last two blocks I did mostly 8's and 6's, here I'll be focusing on 5's and backoff work at 80%, more generally this block will feature higher intensity work compared to previous blocks. The average intensity should be around 78% overall I want to know if I respond well to this intensity range, as I'm more of a high rep guy usually (I'm a closet bodybuilder...)
- much less total volume than in previous blocks. Last blocks each week I did over 135 sets (sic !) which was probably excessive, and here I'll only be doing about 80 sets. I want to experiment to see whether or not reducing volume leads to better results. My current life can be stressful (I have a small kid who requires attention) so maybe being more conservative with volume and being more focused on getting stronger might help;
- the programming for bench is very "triceps centric" which I believe is my weak point. Bench is very unresponsive in general so let's see if this works.

Also, some general directions that I'll try to follow when executing the block
- I need to focus on sticking to the prescribed RPE's, as I tend to overshoot everything. Last block especially, the average difference between the prescribed RPE and the actual RPE was about +1 point. Basically I need to learn how to chill out and take weight off the bar.
- I have a tendency to lack focus during my lifts, and I want to try to focus more on technique and being "present". I'll try to film more of my sets in order to make sure the technical focus is there
- I want to rate session RPE and log the amount of time that a session takes. I want to spend a bit less time in the gym.

DAY 1
Squat 1@8 5x3x80%e1RM
Spoto Bench 5@6 5@7 5@8 5@6
Block Pull (conv) 5@6 5@7 5@8 5@6
Biceps 3x10-20
Abs 3x10-20

DAY 2
Bench 1@8 5x3x80%e1RM
Leg Press SS Lunges 3x10-20
Seated Press 5@6 5@7 5@8 5@6
Upper Back 3x10-20
Triceps 3x10-20
Biceps 3x10-20

DAY 3
Deadlift (sumo) 1@8 5x3x80%e1RM
Close Grip Bench 5@6 5@7 5@8 5@6
Pause Squat 5@6 5@7 5@8 5@6
Triceps 3x10-20
Biceps 3x10-20
Calves 3x10-20

DAY 4
Press 1@8 5x3x80%e1RM
Glute Ham Raise 3x10-20
Pin Bench 5@6 5@7 5@8 5@6
Triceps 3x10-20
Biceps 3x10-20
Shoulders 3x10-20

Edit: 1@8 4x4x80%e1RM -> 1@8 5x3x80%e1RM
Last edited by CheekiBreekiFitness on Mon Jan 30, 2023 2:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#71

Post by JohnHelton » Fri Jan 27, 2023 11:55 am

This still looks like a lot of volume to me. I’ve made most of my progress over the years while doing 15 sets of bench, 10 of squat, and 5 of deadlift. Ballpark. I’m doing more now since I’m following Hanley’s low intraset fatigue formula.

You could also do 4x4x80% as 5-6x3x80%. I think that would be as effective or more effective with less stress.

Just my thoughts. Take them or leave them.

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#72

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:38 pm

@JohnHelton thanks a lot for chiming in, your input is very much appreciated ! As for the volume, I brought it down dramatically (by almost 40%) for this block, and if this yields good results I'll bring it down further for the next block as you have suggested. As for your suggestion of replacing the backoff work 4x4@80% with a low fatigue 6x3@80%: I'm going to do this. I was thinking about trying out some low fatigue ideas for a while so this sounds like the perfect occasion.

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#73

Post by JohnHelton » Sat Jan 28, 2023 8:20 am

CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:38 pm @JohnHelton thanks a lot for chiming in, your input is very much appreciated ! As for the volume, I brought it down dramatically (by almost 40%) for this block, and if this yields good results I'll bring it down further for the next block as you have suggested. As for your suggestion of replacing the backoff work 4x4@80% with a low fatigue 6x3@80%: I'm going to do this. I was thinking about trying out some low fatigue ideas for a while so this sounds like the perfect occasion.
Sounds good. The ES approach is great. Everyone responds to different things. You just have to figure out what works for you.

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#74

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Sun Jan 29, 2023 12:04 am

A tangential remark: I noticed that deadlifting is very stimulatory ... to my calves (?). I deadlifted on friday (did 6@6 6@7 6@8 6@6 so nothing too crazy) and now my calves are very sore. I might stop training calves for a while to test out the theory I don't know.

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#75

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Mon Jan 30, 2023 2:23 am

Did the first session today, managed 1x151.5@8.5 5x3x130. I was surprised by how backoff work (even very low RPE) at 80%e1RM feels so much different from backoff work at 70-75%e1RM that I was used to. In general I tried to be more calm and rate RPE's more conservatively, let's hope I manage to stay this way for the rest of the block. We'll see.

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#76

Post by JohnHelton » Mon Jan 30, 2023 5:04 am

CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 2:23 am Did the first session today, managed 1x151.5@8.5 5x3x130. I was surprised by how backoff work (even very low RPE) at 80%e1RM feels so much different from backoff work at 70-75%e1RM that I was used to. In general I tried to be more calm and rate RPE's more conservatively, let's hope I manage to stay this way for the rest of the block. We'll see.
80% will get your attention. Very productive for strength though.

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#77

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Tue Jan 31, 2023 12:01 am

JohnHelton wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 5:04 am
CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 2:23 am Did the first session today, managed 1x151.5@8.5 5x3x130. I was surprised by how backoff work (even very low RPE) at 80%e1RM feels so much different from backoff work at 70-75%e1RM that I was used to. In general I tried to be more calm and rate RPE's more conservatively, let's hope I manage to stay this way for the rest of the block. We'll see.
80% will get your attention. Very productive for strength though.
I'm excited to see those strength gains come :D

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#78

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Fri Feb 03, 2023 1:48 am

Got sick from Tuesday, and lost a lot of strength as a result, huge fatigue, sore everywhere. Tried to bench, could not get 113 kgs off the pins (because I'm an idiot I tried twice), when I have done 117,5@9 last cycle.

I used an idea suggested by @MarkKO which was to drink massive amounts of Gatorade-like beverages (I mixed it with powdered electrolytes bought in a pharmacy), and it seems to have worked like a charm. I feel almost completely recovered by now. This has suggested me a theory that whenever you are feeling healthy you should eat bro food, and whenever you are feeling sick you should eat junk food (mostly because of it's high energy density and lack of fiber).

I think that from here on out, whenever I suspect that I am sick I will lower all target weights by 10% for the day and if I can hit those reduced weights VERY easily then I'll move up. Once again there seems to be a theme of me having to learn how to take weight off the bar. I hate taking weight off the bar (once again because I'm a moron).

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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#79

Post by MarkKO » Fri Feb 03, 2023 2:50 am

CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 1:48 am Got sick from Tuesday, and lost a lot of strength as a result, huge fatigue, sore everywhere. Tried to bench, could not get 113 kgs off the pins (because I'm an idiot I tried twice), when I have done 117,5@9 last cycle.

I used an idea suggested by @MarkKO which was to drink massive amounts of Gatorade-like beverages (I mixed it with powdered electrolytes bought in a pharmacy), and it seems to have worked like a charm. I feel almost completely recovered by now. This has suggested me a theory that whenever you are feeling healthy you should eat bro food, and whenever you are feeling sick you should eat junk food (mostly because of it's high energy density and lack of fiber).

I think that from here on out, whenever I suspect that I am sick I will lower all target weights by 10% for the day and if I can hit those reduced weights VERY easily then I'll move up. Once again there seems to be a theme of me having to learn how to take weight off the bar. I hate taking weight off the bar (once again because I'm a moron).
I'm very glad to hear that it worked so well.

I've found very often when we get sick one of the first things that happens is dehydration. So stuff like gatorade and salty food helps with that.

The one approach I've found helpful comes from an older article Skip Hill wrote on Elite FTS. He has this traffic light system for training when you're sick: if the sickness is above the throat, it's a green light and you can train as normal; if it's in your throat, it's an orange light and you can train but will need to reduce intensity and volume BUT that can push you into red light territory; with red light being sickness anywhere below the throat, when you don't train at all.

It actually works pretty well in practice.

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CheekiBreekiFitness
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Re: CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

#80

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Sun Feb 05, 2023 12:30 am

Block 3 Week 1

A difficult week to start the block, first day was OK, but then I fell sick, lost weight (mostly water) and just generally felt like shit. I was almost recovered for the last session of the week though. I'm not too worried, I'm sure next week will go well, so I'm just sticking to the plan. As said before, from now on, when I'm sick I'll do a 10% reduction in target loads for my top sets and then adjust with RPE. Some positive things:
- I feel that I'm getting better at rating RPEs mostly being more conservative
- I dramatically reduced accessory volume, I can focus better when I do them, and make every set count: lots of myoreps, good technique (I'm trying to emulate those Renaissance Periodization training videos...)
- I managed to get session time down to 90 minutes
As a side note, I am currently experimenting with a personalized way of tracking fatigue (a simple TRAC-like system with a questionnaire I've designed in a spreadsheet, according to how fatigue usually affects me), we'll see in the coming months if it proves useful at all.

Weekly average bodyweight 91.8

DAY 1
Squat 151.5@8.5 5x3x130 e1RM=162
Spoto Bench 5x81@5 5x86@6.5 5x91@8.5 5x81@6 e1RM=111
Block Pull (conv) 5x150@6 5x160@7.5 5x150@7 e1RM=200
Preacher Curl Machine 17,12,8x30
Leg Raise 23,20,18
Time 90' Session RPE 8

DAY 2
Bench 1x100@5 1x113@fail 5x3x90 e1RM=110
Leg Press SS Lunges 10,9,8x240 e1RM=320
Seated Press 5x55@6 5x57.5@7 5x60@8 5x55@7 e1RM=74
Chinups 8,8,7
DB Skullcrushers 20,12,8x16
DB Incline Curl 19,14,13x16
Time 90' Session RPE 7

DAY 3
Deadlift 1x182@7.5 5x3x162 e1RM=202
Close Grip Bench 5x80@6 5x85@7 5x90@8 5x85@7 e1RM=111
Pause Squat 5x95@6 5x105@7 5x110@8 5x105@7 e1RM=136
Triceps Pushdown 26x30 20x25 32x20
EZ Bar Curl 19,13,8x40
Calf Raise 17,13,8x180
Time 105' Session RPE 8

DAY 4
Press 1x67.5@8 5x3x60 e1RM=73
Glute Ham Raise 24,14,12
Pin Bench 5x80@5 5x85@6.5 5x90@7.5 5x90@8 e1RM=113
JM Press 10,7,6x65
Preacher Curl Machine 16,9,7x30
Lateral Raise 10x18 22,20x14
Time 90' Session RPE 8

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