Platypus lifts/reads

[platypus]

I have never been able to tolerate the protein shakes. They always fuck with my digestion.

Recently I started doing liquid egg whites from Costco. Per gram of protein they are not expensive. I have a huge iced coffee in the morning. I do 1/4 black iced coffee, 1/2 liquid egg whites, then 1/4 or less whole milk.

The egg whites have almost no taste. Easy mix with coffee.

Of note, they’re cheap at Costco, but not as cheap at a regular grocery store. Definitely go to a warehouse club type store to buy them if you decide to go hard.

Between the egg whites and a microwaved chicken patty it is easy to hit 50g protein. And only 2-3 minutes prep time.

I like that strategy! I've been doing cold brew coffee anyway instead of my French press just because it's so much quicker in the mornings (and seemingly, a lot more caffeinated). Liquid egg whites would be an easy add.

I live in cow country, so the nearest Costco is a 2 hour drive. I do have a friend with a membership, so maybe I could stock up next time we go to the city.

I could also adopt the strategy that many of the lifters I know here use, and slonk raw farm eggs in the morning. I've tried but find the experience rather unpleasant. I am a citydweller at heart.

[MailmanMuscle]

Are you making protein shakes from powder, or buying ready to drinks? If the former, what liquid are you mixing it with?

I make the shakes from powder, right now it's Trophix chocolate supreme. I mix it with water. My real mistake was buying three bags of the same kind; when I start running low I'll mix a few different brands and flavors.

Ideally the shakes are a temporary measure. I'm doing just one or two actual meals each day right now while I shed some fat, and using the shakes to keep my protein intake high. As I get leaner I'll start replacing shakes with actual food.

3 bags is a heck of a commitment. I almost always stick with vanilla because IMO they tend to be harder to mess up flavor wise, but occasionally I’ll be adventurous. Plus water is absolutely my least favorite liquid to mix it with. 99% of the time it’s milk of some fat %, depending on how many calories I’m trying to get. To your point about swapping out the shakes, I’m planning on replacing my one daily shake at some point during this cut that I’m on with solid food. Shakes don’t help me with hunger, so once managing that becomes an issue, I’ll start chewing the calories that I’ve been drinking.

[platypus]

1/25/24 - dynamic effort upper Kroc row

DE bench	160x3x10
Press	140x5 130x5x2
	80x10, 8, 7
DB hammer curl	30x15 rest-pause

Notes:
- For the last couple years now, I've been lifting in the early morning, but some things came up and I had to do this workout in the late afternoon. I assumed this would be much easier, but I made some crucial mistakes.
First, the only meal I had in my belly, besides the shakes, was lunch.
Second, I ate out for lunch instead of packing my own. In other places, this would not be a problem, but I'm living too far into the Northern half of these United States. Folks here have an ethnoreligious obligation to cook without the use of any spice whatsoever, lest their Puritan ancestors crawl back from Hades to hang them for witchcraft. After a few shakes and a spiceless hunk of meat and broccoli, my body had pretty much zero electrolytes.
I hit my numbers, but the whole time I was wondering why I felt half-dead until I realized the problem.
Upon returning to my apartment, I chugged the offbrand Kroger version of gatorade powder and immediately returned into the world of the living, before making myself a dinner doused in Tony Chachere's.


1/26/24 - dynamic effort lower

DE squat	290x2x10
DE deadlift	300x2x5
KB swing	53x58 in 2:00

3 bags is a heck of a commitment. I almost always stick with vanilla because IMO they tend to be harder to mess up flavor wise, but occasionally I’ll be adventurous. Plus water is absolutely my least favorite liquid to mix it with. 99% of the time it’s milk of some fat %, depending on how many calories I’m trying to get. To your point about swapping out the shakes, I’m planning on replacing my one daily shake at some point during this cut that I’m on with solid food. Shakes don’t help me with hunger, so once managing that becomes an issue, I’ll start chewing the calories that I’ve been drinking.

That's a good point about hunger management - right now I'm just keeping myself busy enough to not not notice but I know eventually the hunger will be too pervasive.

[platypus]

1/29/24 - max effort upper

Competition bench	45x5 135x5 185x3 205x1 225x1 235x1 200x2
Chinup	BWx1, 6, 5, 3
Seated DB press	50x13RP
LTE	102.5x14 97.5x9 92.5x11

Notes:
- That's a +4lb lifetime PR on bench. I'm just 30lbs behind my little brother now.
- I notice that most of the bench variations I've done have been lighter than competition bench, and the heavy weight was unsteady in my hands despite doing 1rms each week. I think I'll start doing some higher pin benching.

[DanCR]

- That's a +4lb lifetime PR on bench.

Sweet - big start to the week!

[platypus]

1/30/24 - max effort lower ]

Squat	135x5x2 225x5 305x1 360x4
High bar #10 pin squat	275x5
RDL	235x5x3
Swing	53x60 in 2:00

Notes:
- After squatting 355x6 last time, I was hoping for 360x6, but the Fates did not have it ordained for today.
- In better news, I am down another beltloop. That's two down so far this year.

Reading
- For the Bond series, I am now on From Russia With Love and enjoying it.
- In French, I am reading Arsène Lupin, gentleman-cambrioleur by Maurice Leblanc. It's a thriller about a jewel thief, and it checks a lot of boxes for me: there's a whole series, they're not hard to find in the US because they're out of copyright and the text is online, the writing style is not at all difficult to follow, and the story is captivating.

[platypus]

2/1/24 - dynamic effort upper Aussie pullup

DE bench	145x3x10
Press	142.5x5 132.5x5x2
	BWx8, x5x2
DB hammer curl	30x18 rest-pause

Notes:
- Watched Groundhog Day with some friends last night and made ribs in the crock pot. Out of the package, I just peeled off the film, doused the ribs in my favorite spices, and tossed them in the crockpot on high for about 4.5 hours. It's the second time I've made them this way (the first time was on low for about 6 hours). It's so much better than any oven ribs I've attempted. They come out so tender that sometimes when you grab a rib the bone slides out and the meat just stays on the plate.
It's just too easy. Only 5 minutes of prep, no utensils needed, very few dishes, and a welcome change from my usual ground pork and scrambled eggs.

[hector]

St Louis pork ribs? Or beef ribs?

I do St. Louis pork ribs often. So delicious and about $3/lb. Beef ribs seem to be more work.

[platypus]

St Louis pork ribs? Or beef ribs?

I do St. Louis pork ribs often. So delicious and about $3/lb. Beef ribs seem to be more work.

Pork baby back ribs. I'm not sure what kind I cooked the first time, but I'm pretty sure they were pork as well. I actually didn't look at this package either until you asked

[platypus]

2/3/24 - dynamic effort lower

DE squat	255x2x10
DE deadlift	265x2x5
HKR	2.5x5x2
KB swing	53x62 in 2:00

2/5/24 - max effort upper

#10 pin bench	45x5 135x5 185x3 225x1 245x1 195x7
Chinup	BWx1, 7, 5, 3
Seated DB press	55x12RP
LTE	105x14 100x12 95x8

2/6/24 - max effort lower

Deadlift	135x5x2 225x5 315x1 405x1 425x1 315x5
High bar #10 pin squat	275x5x2, x4
Burpee	BWx? in 90 seconds

Notes:
- Unfortunately, the max effort rotation is not working terribly well for my training partner. He'll either way undershoot his 1rm, or miss horribly. I think this may have been too big of a jump from our more conventional Texas Method split.
I think programmed singles across will be better, perhaps in a Texas Method running it out sort of deal, like:
Tuesday week 1:
Squat: 5 singles at 90%
RDL: 3x5

Tuesday week 2
Deadlift: 3 singles at 90%
Pin squat: 3x5

Then add 5lbs until it starts to seem like a bad idea. I think this could work just fine for me for squats, but I'm not certain about deadlifts. It's been almost a year since I've PRed my deadlift in any rep range. I suspect it's been an issue of burnout. We'll see what happens.

[platypus]

2/8/24 - dynamic effort upper

DE bench	155x3x10
Press	145x5 135x5x2
Aussie pullup	BWx9, x6, x5
DB hammer curl	35x10 rest-pause

Notes:
- Bench was getting a little slow in the last few sets. I've been doing a set every 90 seconds.


2/9/24 - dynamic effort lower

DE squat	275x4x5
DE deadlift	285x2x5
HKR	5x5x2
Burpee	BWx22 in 90sec

Notes:
- There was only one empty rack, so my lifting partner and I had to share. This precluded our planned 10x2 squats at 90 second intervals, so we just doubled the reps, halved the sets, and doubled the intervals: 5 sets of 4 every 3 mins.
I actually liked this way better than 10x2. We didn't feel rushed, bar speed appeared just as good, volume remained the same, and density was slightly improved.
We'll probably continue to do DE work this way. I'm reminded that Louie started having guys do 5x5 for DE squats. It is strange how quickly my conjugate method is starting to look like the Texas Method.

[platypus]

2/12/24 - max effort upper

Close grib bench	45x5 95x5 135x5 185x2 205x1 215x1 175x8
Chinup	BWx1, 8, 5, 4
Seated DB press	60x10RP
LTE	107.5x17RP
Band pullapart	BLUEx46RP

Notes:
- I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've done seated presses with 60lbs for any number of reps.
- I decided to do rest-pause for LTE's too, since it seems to be working quite well for dumbbell pressing and curling.
- Also very pleased with the chinup progress, though this is probably more attributable to weight loss than to programming.
- All in all, training and dieting is going beautifully well, and I am quite pleased. Last year, I was beginning to really dread training, despite making some decent progress. At the moment, I'm excited to go the gym. I am also on the last page of my paper training log that I started in November of 2020.

[DanCR]

- I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've done seated presses with 60lbs for any number of reps.

Nice! Over 50s I have a very hard time getting them up and into position without starting standing and swinging them up, then sitting down. Problem is, I tend to fuck my back up that way. It's been on my mind because I'm currently hitting Arnolds with 50s and so this is about to become a problem again shortly.

- I decided to do rest-pause for LTE's too, since it seems to be working quite well for dumbbell pressing and curling.

DoggCrapp / rest pause / Mentzer / etc. epidemic in the logs right now. Dig it.

I am also on the last page of my paper training log that I started in November of 2020.

Man, I used to love that feeling and even the trip to CVS to get a brand new notebook.

"This time my form will be perfect for every rep of every set on every page!" lolz.

ETA: Saw your post in Sean's log re: that T-Nation article on Broz. Hilarious that Contreras pursued / wrote that in 2011, given where he's at now.

[platypus]

2/13/24 - not quite max effort lower

Squat	135x5 225x5 315x1 375x1x5
#2 rack pull	325x8@6
HBB GHR	BWx3x3
Rear lunge	44s x 40 in 5 mins

Notes:
- First time successfully doing GHRs. The HBB means hands behind back, because I couldn't put them behind my head and manage to do a GHR. I decided to try them after stumbling across this tutorial from Matt Reynolds. His explanation of knee position was very helpful, on previous attempts I've put my knees on top of the pad and failed miserably.

[platypus]

- I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've done seated presses with 60lbs for any number of reps.

Nice! Over 50s I have a very hard time getting them up and into position without starting standing and swinging them up, then sitting down. Problem is, I tend to fuck my back up that way. It's been on my mind because I'm currently hitting Arnolds with 50s and so this is about to become a problem again shortly.

That's exactly how I did it too, thankfully no back pain though.

DoggCrapp / rest pause / Mentzer / etc. epidemic in the logs right now. Dig it.

I got the general idea from DoggCrapp, though I'm actually not intentionally failing any reps - usually, I know when the next rep will be a failure and simply rack the dumbbells.

I actually think Mentzer was competely off his rocker. I've read Heavy Duty, and the recommendations make no sense to me. He claims it takes two weeks to recover from a set of bicep curls and that you should never eat more than 100g of protein in a day. That sort of thing. It seems like a recipe for no progress.

DC and Blood & Guts make a lot more sense to me as far as HIT goes.

Man, I used to love that feeling and even the trip to CVS to get a brand new notebook.

"This time my form will be perfect for every rep of every set on every page!" lolz.

ETA: Saw your post in Sean's log re: that T-Nation article on Broz. Hilarious that Contreras pursued / wrote that in 2011, given where he's at now.

Exactly! With each new log, I tell myself: "Everything I write in here will make sense. There will be clear progress. I will use consistent notation. Everything will go well." I always turn out to be mistaken.

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

@platypus I agree about Mentzer. My current vision is that most of his writings/opinions are not lifting advice, but rather the result of some sort of stimulant-induced mania. Rest pause/DC training is awesome though.

@DCR I progressed my DB shoulder press to the 70lbs DBs and in the process I found that the best strategy (for me) was to start standing as you described, but not to swing the torso and or curl the DBs up, rather to perfom a hang clean (i.e you're using mostly your leg strength by jumping, and the rest of the body is just staying rigid). This way I can get the heavy DBs up without any problems/discomfort. It may help your situation.

[DanCR]

@platypus I agree about Mentzer. My current vision is that most of his writings/opinions are not lifting advice, but rather the result of some sort of stimulant-induced mania. Rest pause/DC training is awesome though.

@DCR I progressed my DB shoulder press to the 70lbs DBs and in the process I found that the best strategy (for me) was to start standing as you described, but not to swing the torso and or curl the DBs up, rather to perfom a hang clean (i.e you're using mostly your leg strength by jumping, and the rest of the body is just staying rigid). This way I can get the heavy DBs up without any problems/discomfort. It may help your situation.

I agree with you both re: Mentzer. It would be great if the first name out of anyone's mouth regarding high intensity training would be Yates, and not Mentzer. Let's make it happen.

Cheeki, thanks for the advice on the DBs. Will likely need it shortly.

[EricK]

When I used to do seated DB press, I'd sit down with the dumbbells in front of my knees so they would rest on each knee in the sitting position. Then I'd lift each leg along with my arm to raise the dumbbell up into position. I thought that worked really well.

[DanCR]

When I used to do seated DB press, I'd sit down with the dumbbells in front of my knees so they would rest on each knee in the sitting position. Then I'd lift each leg along with my arm to raise the dumbbell up into position. I thought that worked really well.

That's what I do currently / generally - sadly my ability to make it work ends at the 55s... or the 50s on a bad day. I guess another option to tackle the problem would be to strengthen the power of my knee lifts haha.

At my NY spot, there's a step up device that permits setting the platform really high (I have no idea who can step / jump that high), so you can just place the DBs on it and pick them right up into position when you're ready. Spoiled me badly.

[platypus]

2/15/24 - dynamic effort upper

DE bench	165x5x5
Press	147.5x5 135x7
Aussie pullup	BWx10, x7, x5
DB hammer curl	35x12 rest-pause

Notes:
- Instead of 10x3 on a 90 second clock, opted for 5x5 on a 3 minute clock for DE work. The last two reps of the last two sets were a little slow, so I'll plan to repeat this three week wave until every rep is fast.
- Tomorrow, I will have trained 6 weeks in a row without a deload week. Last year, I was only managing 5 weeks at a time, and I'm debating in my head whether to take a preemptive deload or keep going until fatigue catches up with me.
- I'll have to attempt a few methods for setting up my seated dumbbell presses and report back.