Strength in Interesting Places

[JauntyAngle]

The Programme I Am Going To Do In Juba

So I suppose am back on SS. Well, technically it is SS using the Stronglifts set of exercises. I'll start doing deadlifts again, but next workout I will do Rows again, because I don't want to do deadlift on the same day as press (since there will also be some power cleans on that day). So Wednesday (A Day) will be Squat/Press/BOR, Friday (B Day)will be Squat/Bench/Deadlift, and so on, rinse and repeat. Ab work and conditioning work both days, barbell curls on B day if I can be bothered. Oh, go on, let's write it properly

Day A: Squat, Press, Barbell Row, Ab Work, Treadmill
Day B: Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Bicep Curls (if can be bothered), Ab Work, Treadmill

Main workout days are Sunday, Wednesday, Friday. Wednesday will be an 'A' Day.

Will do cardio 3/4 other days per week, and some stand pushups and ab work if I can be bothered.

I am aware that with all the cardio and assistance work, it might hamper progression. Also, as I am following 'the diet' this is going to make it even harder. But as I mentioned before, my objectives are really just to get back more or less to where I was before with squat and deadlift, but with better technique, and maybe make some small progression in the bench and press. If I can do that while losing a bit of weight and getting cardio back, that is great.

 

[JauntyAngle]

Random philosopholopholizing

While posting in Knight Templar's "Goodybe, Mr. Bench" thread (in which he was kind of brutally flamed) I realized something pretty grim. Over 4+ months of training, my relative strength in the Bench has decreased.

Before SS: 3RM max 77.5kg, bodyweight 75kg = 1.03*BW
After 4 months SS: 3RM max 85kg, bodyweight 89kg = 0.96*BW

It would be even worse without operation 'dip-loma in swole-ology', as that probably added 4-5kg to my 3RM. I have only one word for this: fuck.

Think I will make another tweak to my programme for Juba, so that I always bench twice a week and press once (bench Sunday and Friday, Press Wednesday). Not so worried about my press for now, as it has increased significantly more than my bodyweight. I'll write up the whole programme later. Got to go to work now.

 

[Voodooloco]

You've put on some solid mass since starting! Congrats bud, I didn't know you held your own log. I will definitely keep with this man! Keep up the good work.

 

[JauntyAngle]

You've put on some solid mass since starting! Congrats bud, I didn't know you held your own log. I will definitely keep with this man! Keep up the good work.

When you're 37, mass is the one thing that comes easily! I'm hoping that proper strength gains will come some time soon.

Appreciate you dropping in, though.

 

[JauntyAngle]

Got bitten by mosquitoes twice this morning, despite sleeping under a net. Juba is malarial as fuck (if you'll forgive the technical terminolgy). My team leader got it first day he was here, pretty much. George Clooney got it when he was here a few weeks ago, too! It's everywhere. If I got one headache/temperature, I am off to the clinic to get checked. Then if I have it, it's ACT therapy for 2 days, which means eating pills that make you feel roughly as bad as when you have malaria. But then you're okay again. Anyway, fingers crossed.

Right, workout:

Yoga

5 sun salutations, then tried to do the standing sequence. Pretty damn rusty. First jump back (in a standing forward bend, touch your toes, put your weight on your palms and then jump back into the plank) my back went 'kee-wonk' (yes, really). Feels like I un-clicked whatever I clicked a couple of weeks back. Will confirm more tomorrow in the day after, when I will be either bouncing off the walls, or crippled. With malaria.

Cardio

Treadmills broken. Did the bike for 30 mins, but too easy, even going as fast I could. I enjoyed it though- mild exercise while listening to music.

Other Stuff

Some random ab work (machine crunches, plank, the bicycle exercise), and 3x15 pushups with the pushup stands. The pushups feel much smoother and easier than they ever have done. Just a teeny bit tough on the last few of the second and third set. Since my work capacity on presses sucks ass, I should try to get this up higher. Work up to doing 5x20 over the next few sessions. Want to get a bit more muscular endurance without hurting recovery.

 

[JauntyAngle]

More random philosopholopholizing

Okay, tweaking the programme for more benching. I'm going to try to add some volume to the bench as well- I feel my bench is too low to be worrying about recovery. Going to go back to deadlifting once per week, Practical Programming style. I just like it. Do barbell rows twice a week instead. So...

Wednesday: Squat (3x5), Bench (4x5), Barbell Row (3x5)
Friday: Squat (3x5), Press (3x5), Deadlift (5x1), Barbell Curls (if I can be bothered) (4x10)
Sunday: Squat (3x5), Bench (4x5), Barbell Row (3x5)

For bench, if I can't make all 5 reps in the set, I will do extra singles and doubles to make up the missed volume.

Cardio and ab work 6 days a week. 1 complete rest day.

I will try my utmost to do this just while I am here in Juba (4 weeks). Try not to change it any more- this is a good beginners programme. May fart around a bit more once I am home, but I will make a decision to commit to a proper programme, and start it when I go back to Afghanistan.

 

[squatsquatsquat]

Hope you don't have malaria dude! And that's a good idea with the extra volume on the bench. I'd just be careful to make sure your form is very good and you keep up with the barbell rows so shit doesn't get too out of whack. Hope it works out!

 

[MIDMOBOX]

Not too sure... I don't know a lot of the Pokemon past the first 150.

Well I don't believe its an actaul pokemon but more a representation of the character
Misty in an eposide where she returns to Cerulean City and presents a water show with her sisters the gym leaders there.

 

[Voodooloco]

Yoga was the secret to my old high schools football(American) teams success. And hope you don't get malaria!!

 

[JauntyAngle]

Hope you don't have malaria dude! And that's a good idea with the extra volume on the bench. I'd just be careful to make sure your form is very good and you keep up with the barbell rows so shit doesn't get too out of whack. Hope it works out!

Me too- re: bench volume and malaria. I feel quite confident that I'll make some improvements like this at last. My bench was starting to go up anyway as a result of all the dips I did before. But this will work better. I hear you on the need for good form and barbell rows for balance.

 

[JauntyAngle]

Well I don't believe its an actaul pokemon but more a representation of the character
Misty in an eposide where she returns to Cerulean City and presents a water show with her sisters the gym leaders there.

Ah, yeah, I remember that episode. That's a good test of my poke-knowledge, one that I failed completely.

My daughter has about 350 episodes on an external HD I gave her... probably I should borrow this time and buff up on my poke-episodes.

 

[JauntyAngle]

Yoga was the secret to my old high schools football(American) teams success. And hope you don't get malaria!!

Yoga FTW! I used to be really pretty good at it, having been practicing on and off for 8 years, and for 4-5 years practicing fairly diligently. I had a very very good teacher, too. I've not been doing it very much at all lately, but want to get back to doing it maybe twice a week to keep my hips and shoulders flexible, and my knees healthy.

Also, not getting malaria FTW!

 

[JauntyAngle]

Private JauntyAngle reporting!

1) No malaria, yet. Yay. But still early days.

2) Did 30 mins on the bike, on a higher setting (harder today) and 25 crunches with 10kg weight added with the weighted crunch machine. No time for a proper workout today.

 

[MIDMOBOX]

Space saved for biking apreciation photos


well there wasn't a whole lot of biking shots out there. So I went with this

 

[JauntyAngle]

Space saved for expressing appreciation of biking appreciation pics.

 

[Voodooloco]

Space saved for biking apreciation photos


well there wasn't a whole lot of biking shots out there. So I went with this

 

[JauntyAngle]

Squats

82.5kg x5, x5, x7 or 8, x1

Asked the girl supervising the gym to take a video of my last set... she missed the first few reps so I decided to do a few extra. They were okay, but the depth was just clearly parallel, not all the way down. So I did one extra one just to practice getting right down. Right now there are too many things throwing me off- it is combining the lumbar arch with the back angle that goes with the low bar back squat. I will go upto 85kg next time as these were pretty easy, but I really need to get the form right.

Bench

82.5kg x5, x5, x5, x5

I' did 82.5kg for 5 reps last week, but it was one set, not four sets across. So that was probably my best ever benching. But it was a bit ragged. A couple of them I just missed touchIing my chest, and the bar path was not the most smooth or straight. In sets two and three, the chest elevation was gone by the last rep or two. I will repeat this weight next time, make sure the technique is better efore I progress to 85kg.

BOR

57.5kg: x5, x5, x5

Very easy. The hard thing is that, since I haven't figured out breathing, I am just keeping my air for all 5 reps. I feel a little short of air after the reps. Curious to know when this is going to get tough.

* * * *

No other exercises today as I got home late and had to meet friends.

At the end, a small middle-aged Indian lady asked me to show her some exercise to strengthen her back and shoulders. I tried to show her how to deadlift as it is simpler than the squat. She got the basic technique really easy, but kept turning it into an upright row/shrug at the end. I guess I am not cut out to be an elite strength coach. Of middle-aged Indian ladies.

 

[Justice 4 All]

How is Snorlax a middle weight?
That's gotta be the fattest ass, biggest pokemon out there.

 

[JauntyAngle]

How is Snorlax a middle weight?
That's gotta be the fattest ass, biggest pokemon out there.

It's a little-known fact that Snorlax is a massive Antony Johnson type weight-cutter who defies medical science in order to fight at the lowest possible weight class. The other fighters in my sig, like Onyx and Charizard, are Fedor-types who are two badass to cut weight, and just like to fight heavyweigts even though they are much bigger.

 

[JauntyAngle]

I think I may have to face up to the fact that my back needs more rest before I start doing squats again. What I find is that there is no issue when I am walking, sleeping or even doing squats. But after sitting in a chair for a while it is a bit stiff. I can work out the stiffness in a few minutes, but doing squats makes it quite a lot stiffer, and it takes a lot longer to work out. It was gradually getting better, but going back to squatting has made it worse again.

*Sigh*

And the last set of squats was so easy strength-wise... I am pretty sure I would have got back over 100kg in no time.

So I hearby give myself a 2 week complete rest from all squats... even work sets and bodyweight squats. I'll see on the 10th if the issue is better. Probably, I will know because there will be no stiffness after sitting in a chair. If there is no stiffness then, I will do squat warmups only for one week. Same with deadlifts.

Hope that I can still do barbell row!