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No, but I often work in an office:
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Strength in Interesting Places
- Thread starter JauntyAngle
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Reasons to be cheerful
Not that I need any- I am usually cheerful. But here are some workout related things that make me happy:
1. The back and rib problems I've had for the last 5-6 weeks seem to be behind me now. Well, the ribs are definitely 100% healed, back I will reserve judgment for just a few more days, but so far it looks good.
2. While resting my back and ribs, I was able to finally break through whatever barrier was holding my benching back. I finally broke through whatever was holding me back at 80kg, am now sitting at around , and I feel I will continue to make more progress.
3. I've lost some weight.
4. I have a new programme to look forward to- the Bill Star 5x5 (Madcow version), which looks like it will be insanely fun.
I'll leave it to MIDMO to provide non-workout-related reasons to be cheerful.
Not that I need any- I am usually cheerful. But here are some workout related things that make me happy:
1. The back and rib problems I've had for the last 5-6 weeks seem to be behind me now. Well, the ribs are definitely 100% healed, back I will reserve judgment for just a few more days, but so far it looks good.
2. While resting my back and ribs, I was able to finally break through whatever barrier was holding my benching back. I finally broke through whatever was holding me back at 80kg, am now sitting at around , and I feel I will continue to make more progress.
3. I've lost some weight.
4. I have a new programme to look forward to- the Bill Star 5x5 (Madcow version), which looks like it will be insanely fun.
I'll leave it to MIDMO to provide non-workout-related reasons to be cheerful.
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Right, about tbe Bill Starr 5x5. Here is my current projection according to the system, using the spreadsheet I downloaded:
This is just the Monday workout, but that is the main information you need.
Basically, I do this Monday. Wednesday is an easy day (that has press instead of bench and deadlifts instead of clean/row). Friday, instead of the fith set that is written here, it's a triple with 2.5% of the weight written for the fifth set. So the fifth set, it's 2 reps less than you did on Monday, but a little heavier. Then Monday, you do the same weight for 5 as you did on Friday.
It's set up so you take about 4 weeks to get up to the point where you are doing your current 5RM on the fifth rep on Monday. I plan to use this to practice pause squats and pause bench.
I have to say, I don't actually believe this is possible. I don't think I'll be benching 108kg and squatting 128kg after 12 weeks on the programme. But I will give it a go.
One last thing... haven't decided whether to do cleans or barbell rows.
This is just the Monday workout, but that is the main information you need.
Basically, I do this Monday. Wednesday is an easy day (that has press instead of bench and deadlifts instead of clean/row). Friday, instead of the fith set that is written here, it's a triple with 2.5% of the weight written for the fifth set. So the fifth set, it's 2 reps less than you did on Monday, but a little heavier. Then Monday, you do the same weight for 5 as you did on Friday.
It's set up so you take about 4 weeks to get up to the point where you are doing your current 5RM on the fifth rep on Monday. I plan to use this to practice pause squats and pause bench.
I have to say, I don't actually believe this is possible. I don't think I'll be benching 108kg and squatting 128kg after 12 weeks on the programme. But I will give it a go.
One last thing... haven't decided whether to do cleans or barbell rows.
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I'm doing a very similar version and going in to week 5. I have hit everything so far without problem. I was pretty skeptical but it working very well for me. I even had to readjust the deadlifts after pulling 405 a few days back.
Here google doc of what I'm doing
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AqkzMdxZus65dDBIajdFbk1WdWlrWUo0cm1vVnNwdEE&hl=en&authkey=CKHyx8sD#gid=0
Here google doc of what I'm doing
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AqkzMdxZus65dDBIajdFbk1WdWlrWUo0cm1vVnNwdEE&hl=en&authkey=CKHyx8sD#gid=0
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Cool! I will definitely have to track your log. Glad to hear you're hitting all the weight increases. Hopefully it will work for me, too.
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Two nights without much sleep and too much alcohol, so yet another half-assed workout.
Squats
Still working back from injury, so did warmups and then some light doubles and triples.
80kgx3, 82.5kgx3, 85kgx2, 87.5kgx2, 80kgx3
All paused. Back straightness good, pushing out knees okay. Weight on heels okay. Took video and found that I was only getting to parallel. The problem seems to be that I am leaning too far forward and it is making it harder to go deep. I need to hold back a little. Doubtless I will get a bit deeper once my flexibility comes back a bit.
Bench
Hmmm....
85kg: x4, x5, x1, x3.
75kg (paused): x7
The x4 was me being lazy. I could have got the last rep. The 'x1' because a Sudanese guy came in and started talking to me. He couldn't quite believe that someone could bench 85kg so asked me to demonstrate. I was only about 2 minutes into my break, so I only did one. The x3 was probably the result of alcohol and lack of sleep. At the end I tried to 'rep out' with paused benches. I enjoyed that.
Rows
For some reason I always mess around with rows and mess up my sets and reps.
60kg: x5
70kg: x5, x5, x5
Enjoyed these. 70kg is just heavy enough so that I have to concentrate on them. Feel it more in my legs than in my arms.
* * *
No cardio, no extra exercises except some leg raises (abs) between the bench presses. Felt much more like a normal workout. Only one more normal workout day left here in Juba. But I may squeeze in a bit of extra squat form practice.
Squats
Still working back from injury, so did warmups and then some light doubles and triples.
80kgx3, 82.5kgx3, 85kgx2, 87.5kgx2, 80kgx3
All paused. Back straightness good, pushing out knees okay. Weight on heels okay. Took video and found that I was only getting to parallel. The problem seems to be that I am leaning too far forward and it is making it harder to go deep. I need to hold back a little. Doubtless I will get a bit deeper once my flexibility comes back a bit.
Bench
Hmmm....
85kg: x4, x5, x1, x3.
75kg (paused): x7
The x4 was me being lazy. I could have got the last rep. The 'x1' because a Sudanese guy came in and started talking to me. He couldn't quite believe that someone could bench 85kg so asked me to demonstrate. I was only about 2 minutes into my break, so I only did one. The x3 was probably the result of alcohol and lack of sleep. At the end I tried to 'rep out' with paused benches. I enjoyed that.
Rows
For some reason I always mess around with rows and mess up my sets and reps.
60kg: x5
70kg: x5, x5, x5
Enjoyed these. 70kg is just heavy enough so that I have to concentrate on them. Feel it more in my legs than in my arms.
* * *
No cardio, no extra exercises except some leg raises (abs) between the bench presses. Felt much more like a normal workout. Only one more normal workout day left here in Juba. But I may squeeze in a bit of extra squat form practice.
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Row appreciation pic
Mmmmmm... rows.
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Row appreciation pic
Sweet baby jesus.
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What's this? This almost looked a bit like a real workout!
The recovery from injury continues:
Squats
Still easing back in...
Warmup xsome.
80kgx5, 82.5kgx5.
Less back angle, paused. As a result, depth was much better. Didn't take pictures/video, though.
Press
52.5kgx5, 55kgx5, 52.5kgx3
I really strained to get the 55kgx5, but this was definitely full range of motion, whereas last time at this weight I reckon I was cheating on quite a few of the reps. So I'm calling it a 5RM. Burned out and couldn't get the 5 on the last set. Never mind. This is a sort of progress. Next press workout I should be able to get sets across at 55kg.
Deadlift
Warmup xsome
100kgx3, 110kgx3
Again, easing back in. I love my new setup- it lets me get into the deadlift position with the bar right against my shins, my back straight, my chest up and my hips in what feels like a good position. These didn't feel heavy. Just nice.
Awesomeness Practice
Barbell curls 35kg: x10, x10, x10
It was getting too much like a real workout.
* * * *
My back has been a bit uncomfortable, but in a totally different way from before. Probably just a result of getting back into deadlifts and squatting. Still, overall, a big improvement.
Headed back to Chiang Mai on Thursday, arrive Friday. I will use this opportunity to get back to main workouts on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Although I will probably resume 'Operation: Diploma in Swole-ology' and go back to my daily regimen of lots of dips and chins.
Not quite ready to change to Bill Starr 5x5. Just want to spend a few more weeks or a month trying to do SS as it written (or more or less). My gym in Chiang Mai has a power rack and I can micro-load courtesy of the .75kg collars. It would be nice to get where, frankly, I thought I would be a couple of months ago- bench closing in on 90kg, press on 60kg, squat over 120kg.
The recovery from injury continues:
Squats
Still easing back in...
Warmup xsome.
80kgx5, 82.5kgx5.
Less back angle, paused. As a result, depth was much better. Didn't take pictures/video, though.
Press
52.5kgx5, 55kgx5, 52.5kgx3
I really strained to get the 55kgx5, but this was definitely full range of motion, whereas last time at this weight I reckon I was cheating on quite a few of the reps. So I'm calling it a 5RM. Burned out and couldn't get the 5 on the last set. Never mind. This is a sort of progress. Next press workout I should be able to get sets across at 55kg.
Deadlift
Warmup xsome
100kgx3, 110kgx3
Again, easing back in. I love my new setup- it lets me get into the deadlift position with the bar right against my shins, my back straight, my chest up and my hips in what feels like a good position. These didn't feel heavy. Just nice.
Awesomeness Practice
Barbell curls 35kg: x10, x10, x10
It was getting too much like a real workout.
* * * *
My back has been a bit uncomfortable, but in a totally different way from before. Probably just a result of getting back into deadlifts and squatting. Still, overall, a big improvement.
Headed back to Chiang Mai on Thursday, arrive Friday. I will use this opportunity to get back to main workouts on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Although I will probably resume 'Operation: Diploma in Swole-ology' and go back to my daily regimen of lots of dips and chins.
Not quite ready to change to Bill Starr 5x5. Just want to spend a few more weeks or a month trying to do SS as it written (or more or less). My gym in Chiang Mai has a power rack and I can micro-load courtesy of the .75kg collars. It would be nice to get where, frankly, I thought I would be a couple of months ago- bench closing in on 90kg, press on 60kg, squat over 120kg.
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Some interesting places
Today I went up to the Headquarters of the Sudan People's Liberation Army, the resistance force that fought with the (Northern) Sudanese for about thirty years, and then became the armed forces of Southern Sudan after the peace agreement. I couldn't take any pictures there, obviousy, and even taking pictures elsewhere is chancy as the government still has a war mentality and is very sensitive about cameras. Anyway, I took a few pictures from the car, on the road out to the base. Not so arty as my Afghanistan pics, but anyway, here are the outskirts of Juba:
Today I went up to the Headquarters of the Sudan People's Liberation Army, the resistance force that fought with the (Northern) Sudanese for about thirty years, and then became the armed forces of Southern Sudan after the peace agreement. I couldn't take any pictures there, obviousy, and even taking pictures elsewhere is chancy as the government still has a war mentality and is very sensitive about cameras. Anyway, I took a few pictures from the car, on the road out to the base. Not so arty as my Afghanistan pics, but anyway, here are the outskirts of Juba:
Justice 4 All
Brown Belt
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Cool pics.
I bet they wouldn't mind some rain down there...
I bet they wouldn't mind some rain down there...
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Cool pics.
I bet they wouldn't mind some rain down there...
Cheers, guys.
dinpappa
Purple Belt
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Wow man, you`ve been all over? Tell me, how do you get to work out while in Sudan? hehe 
What was your job again? seems really interesting! But damn you, now i have TOTO`s Africa playing in my head !
It's gonna take a lot to take me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never have
What was your job again? seems really interesting! But damn you, now i have TOTO`s Africa playing in my head !
It's gonna take a lot to take me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never have
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Wow man, you`ve been all over? Tell me, how do you get to work out while in Sudan? hehe
What was your job again? seems really interesting! But damn you, now i have TOTO`s Africa playing in my head !
It's gonna take a lot to take me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never have
Sorry- I never meant to inflict TOTO on anyone.
My job is a bit hard to describe. I guess I am like a management consultant, but I work with the governments of poor countries instead of private companies. And the workouts were good luck- the hotel they checked me into the first time turned out to be the only hotel or guesthouse in Juba with an Olympic bar. Also happened to have a decent amount of weight (about 140kg).
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We would have missed eachother- my first visit was December. But I don't work in security/defense so we probably wouldn't have met even if we had crossed.
