Current Training

I finished putting together a document outlining my current training and ways that you can manipulate it to meet various goals. If for any reason someone actually reads this blog, I'd love feedback on this.

Current Training

Training 4/27/15

BW: 199

Front squat - 8x3 - 225 all sets
Inverted rows, feet on floor - 2 mins b/w sets - +20 lbs - 22, 15, 13
A. Standing DB military - 4x12 - 60s x2, 55s x2
B. Ab wheel - 3x10

Was hoping to go heavier on front squat, but my hip flexor still feels like shit, so stayed lighter. Probably for the better, as I'm on the tail end of whatever malady I have right now (guessing upper respiratory infection since that's what my son has). Sleep has been hard to come by lately, so definitely need to get to bed earlier.

Training 4/24/15

Rack deadlift from knee - 405x3(x2), 425x3(x2), 455x3(x2)
Dips - +20 lbs - 2 mins b/w sets - 21, 16, 13
A. Yates rows - 4x12 - 155
B. Hanging leg raises - 3x10

Probably pushed the deadlifts harder than I should have, but oh well. Adding more weight to the dips next week will be fun...

Training 4/22/15

A. Weighted neutral-grip pullups - +40x5, +60x5, +60x5
B. Walking lunges - 3x8/leg - 115
A. Wide-grip (pinky on ring) 45 degree incline bench - worked up to 225x3
B. Barbell single-leg RDL - 3x8/leg - 115

Starting to get sick, which sucks fucking balls. I was pretty cashed by the end. Was still happy with the numbers though. One thing about the last few weeks on this program - I've realized just how much I haven't been pushing myself. Alas, all I can do is move forward.

Training 4/20/15

Front squat - 225x3x3, 245x3, 225x3(x2)
Inverted row (feet on floor) - +20 pounds - 2 mins b/w sets - 20, 12, 12
A. Standing DB military - 50s - 4x12
B. Ab wheel - 3x10

Was hoping to push the front squat heavier, but my hip flexor wasn't a fan of that idea. Just need to be aggressive about rolling and stretching it and I think I'll be OK.

Training 4/17/15

Rack deadlift from knees - 315x5, 365x5, 385x5, 405x3, 425x3(x2)
Dips - 2 mins b/w sets - 25, 16, 13
A. Yates row - 4x10 - 135, 155x3
B. Hanging leg raises

Not too bad overall. I think I've been taking in too many kcals this week because I've had hardly any soreness despite all new exercises. It's either the addition of carbs a few times this week, or just too many calories in general. Perhaps a combination. While dips in general I think are fine for the shoulders, I need to stay on top of my shoulder work to keep them from bothering my shoulders, as they were already feeling a little wonky during my pushups in the warmup.

Training 4/15/15

A. Weighted neutral-grip pullups - 3x5 - +40 lbs
B. Walking lunges - 3x8/leg - 95 lbs
A. Wide-grip (pinky on ring) incline bench (45 degrees) - worked up to 205x5
B. Barbell single-leg RDL - 3x8/leg - 95 lbs

Focus was so-so. Otherwise OK session. Hit about the numbers I expected.

Training 4/13/15

Front squat - 185x5, 205x5 (x2), 225x3, 245x3, 225x3
Inverted rows - 2 mins b/w sets - 25, 15, 13
A. Standing DB military - 4x10 - 50s x1, 60s x1, 50s x2
B. Ab wheel - 3x10

A surprisingly solid session despite my concentration being shit. I'm sure the copious amounts of food I ate yesterday helped quite a bit, as the weight felt better than I thought it would. I wouldn't say the 245x3 was "easy," but it wasn't near a max effort, either.

Training 4/10/15

Low-handle trap bar deadlift - 330x3, 350x3, 380x3, 350x3x3, 380x3, 350x3
A. Barbell pushups - +20 lbs x10, +40 lbs x10, +40 lbs x32
B. Chest-supported DB rows - 4x12 - 60s

The name of this blog is an homage to my mediocrity not only in terms of strength, but in general. Everything I've done in life I've topped out at mediocre. And the most frustrating part is that I know what I need to do to (hopefully) upgrade that to "average" in many of those realms, and yet I'm not taking those steps. Which of course only makes it worse. The pain, the frustration, it just compounds upon itself and makes everything that much harder. And then realizing that you're doing it to yourself adds another layer of shit on top. Maybe some day I'll turn it around. Someday. Why not today?

Training 4/8/15

A. Weighted wide-grip pullups - +40x3, +60 - 2x3
B. Goblet RFESS - 75 - 3x6/leg
A. Bench press - worked up to 285x1
B. DB single-leg RDL - 3x6/leg

I was pleasantly surprised with the weight I was able to handle considering the fact that I was up a little before 4 in the morning, added on top of a fair amount of non-training related stress (probably 90% self-induced, admittedly). I think I had 295-300, possibly more, in me for bench, but with no spotter I wasn't going to push it.

Training 4/6/2015

BW - 202
Took a pic and tried sending it to my email, but it didn't work for some reason. It's nothing impressive so I'm not going to try again

Parallel box squat - 8x3 - 295, 315, 275x3, 295x2, 315
A. Feet-elevated barbell inverted row - 10, 10, 22
B. Neutral-grip DB bench press - 4x12 - 80s
Hanging leg raise - 2x10

I'd say this was a low-end 80% session. I moved some decent weights (for me), but just felt tired as fuck and could not concentrate at all. Had a lot on my mind and just could not get focused on what I needed to. Hopefully I can get my head in order moving forward.

Introductory Training Idea

I’ve come up with (what I think) is a very solid general template for a trainee who does little to no resistance training, but wants to get started doing something. It can be done with little to no equipment (a medicine ball would be nice, but is not essential), and can be progressed/regressed/modified in any number of ways, based on the creativity and knowledge of the user. Basically, I came up with it when trying to think of a way that I could start my wife back into doing some training, without having to worry about weights, travelling far to train, or whatever other inconveniences may be in the way. The only thing you need is a decent strip of flat grass, and some decent weather. It can be done in inclement weather certainly, or if weather is prohibitive, can be done with modification inside.

Essentially, I married the framework of the low-intensity days from Dan Pfaff and Charlie Francis into an alternating scheme, in which it is essentially “high-low,” despite not really containing high intensity elements, save for medicine ball throws. You can adjust and add volume over time, to continually raise work capacity. You can utilize “corrective” exercises during the warmups and, over time, after the workouts. And, it can probably be done in under an hour each day, if you’re moving.

In an effort to get work capacity up, I think it could/should be done 6 days per week. Obviously if this is prohibitive, do it as frequently as you can. General setup:

Day 1 – “High”

- Dynamic Warmup, including any correctives necessary

- Dan Pfaff’s rudiment work AND/OR General Strength Circuits (Pfaff/Schexnayder/whatever you can come up with)

- Medicine Ball throws – can be multi-throws, rebounds, single-throws, etc. AND/OR Jumps

**The rudiment, throws, and jumps can all be done in multiple planes of movement, particularly if the athlete has a solid base of training and good posture can be maintained throughout. Posture should always be stressed and demanded. Feel free to switch the MB before the GS work, or even integrate it.

- Cool down, stretch/mobility

Day 2 – “Low”

- Dynamic Warmup, including correctives

- Tempo runs or alternatives – utilize abs/mobility work between reps or sets. Derek Hansen has a great article on tempo alternatives and setups here.

- Finish with a cool down and stretching/mobility work.

Basically alternate those days as many days per week as you have available. I think this setup is great for females or any males that are averse to weight training for whatever reason, or aren’t very strong anyway. By upping their work capacity, you will likely see their relative strength begin to take off, particularly if you are able to utilize the MB throws. It’s also great for people who see running as one of their only methods of fitness, because tempo runs, due to their shorter nature (go as short as you need), allow for better posture and mechanics. As well, body weight training, and even med ball throws, are likely less intimidating than other forms of resistance training. The athlete also runs faster during tempo than they would during a typical jog. I’m in the process of putting it all together with warmups, progressions/regressions, and alternatives, which I will hopefully post soon once I get it all hammered out. While periodization is not necessary for novice trainees, I do think aspects of training should be intelligently progressed and added, and not simply sprinkled in in a scattershot approach. 

Training 4/3/15

Low handle trap bar deadlift - 350 - 6x3
A. Barbell pushups - +20 lbs x10, +40 lbs x10, +40 lbs x30
B. Chest-supported DB rows - 50s - 4x12

Fuck me, that 350 was harder than I thought. Stuck with it for all 6 sets, but was hoping to do a little more. Maybe next week. Pushups went well. Decent 80% session.
I've spoken about Dan John's 80% rule, in which about 80% of your training sessions will be "punch the clock" sessions. These aren't necessarily easy or sessions you sleep through, it just means they aren't anything spectacular, and they aren't terrible. But the point is that you go in, focus, and get the work done. And this is the key. Too often, coaches get convinced that every session needs to be a world-beater to make progress, and that's simply not the case.
It's also important to channel your energy and efforts where they matter. The point of the 80% sessions is that not every day is going to be a PR. You can do that, if you rotate exercises so frequently that you're doing something different every day, but then how to you judge progression? Additionally, too many athletes try to "kill it" in the weight room, when their sport is not a weight room sport. You are an athlete that lifts, not a lifter that plays sports. As Charlie Francis noted, "what are the high intensity elements, and how does everything else support them?" If your sport is not in the weight room, the high intensity elements should rarely take place there. Put your efforts where they should be. Show up, and put in the work.

Training 4/1/15

A. Weighted wide-grip pullups - +20 lbs x5, +30 lbs x7, +40 lbs x5
B. RFESS - 60 - 3x6/leg
A. Bench press - worked up to 265x3
B. Single-leg RDL - 60 - 3x6/leg

Felt like I may have been able to get 275x3 on bench, but I'll leave the best effort for next week.

A few years back, there was a man by the name of Bill Stewart who was the football coach at West Virginia. While there, a story came out about one of his previous coaching stops in which he apparently had given the advice to one of his players to, "never give them a chance to call you a nigger." Setting aside the crudeness, there is a solid point there. There will always be a subset of people who will automatically see a black person in that light, regardless of how they act; or at the very least, they are looking for any inkling to "prove" that that's the case. It's unfortunate, but it's a reality.
Our brains work very much the same way. We have stories we tell ourselves about what we are, what we're capable of, that we're doomed to fail. And we look for confirmation every chance we get. Seth Godin calls this the lizard brain and it's very real. I have no doubt that it fades in time, but you have to fight it every day. It's just looking for that chance to say, "see, I knew you couldn't do it. I knew you would screw it up somehow." But as with anything, awareness is a start. If you don't realize it's there, you can't do anything to fight it. You simply accept it as what it is. Write a new story.