Critter

18 December 2012 Morning Weight: 190 lbs Jog intervals (6'/1') for 21', 1.9 mi Abs cable crunches 37.5 lbs, 3x8 oblique cable crunches 37.5 lbs, 1x8

He seems to have been an exceptional athlete. Definitely an outlier. I read that he had a 10" wrist circumference. Talk about winning the genetic lottery!

16 December 2012 Stretching 4' Abs cable crunches 35 lbs, 3x8 oblique cable crunches 35 lbs, 1x8

*goes to read link* Edit: Link has failed me! I'll just type it in.

That's extremely impressive. Thanks for mentioning him. I never heard of him before. I googled, but what I found said he was a strongman and a "wrestler". Was he a gymnast too? If he was, then I'm shocked. Because with his weight distribution I'd think he'd have a hell of a time trying to do anything like wendeswings, kovacs, whipbacks, etc. I'm not saying he couldn't - if he was strong enough it's entirely possible - I'm just saying with the way his mass was distributed, if he did do things like that, seriously, I'll be happily shocked and have a new role model.

Oh yes. Agreed. Zorch is also right that extra mass can be a performance liability for some sports/activities. In my experience with gymnastics for example, while not an endurance sport, I learned pretty quickly that being bottom heavy put me at a serious disadvantage. That's a sport where you want as much strength as possible, but with your mass along your body "lever" to be closer to your hands. So basically, mass in the shoulder girth and a compact lower body. The exact opposite of me.

I wouldn't know. But I am curious, why do you think that?

He didn't build his musculature through endurance events, running, and playing pickup games of basketball though. The physique he has now and the ultra-distance athletics that he's doing are being performed atop a foundation of 15+ years of bodybuilding resistance training.

14 December 2012 Jog 10', 1 mi Stretching 8' Abs cable crunches 32.5 lbs, 3x8 oblique cable crunches 32.5 lbs, 1x8 Two weeks without lifting down, 3-4 more weeks to go. I almost have full range of motion back in my shoulder. I take that as a good sign.

If that's the only time you're having the pain, and the leg press doesn't bother you at all, then my first suspicion would be your form. Any chance you can throw up a video of your squats and deadlifts?

That really depends on what you mean by your knees sucking. Do you have an injury?

Yes, especially if you've drunk a lot or eaten food with higher water content. I lose anywhere from 1-3 lbs overnight.

12 December 2012 Morning Weight: 191 lbs Jog intervals (4'/1') for 15', 1.3 mi Stretching 10' Abs cable crunches 30 lbs, 3x8 I miss lifting already. Today I resisted the urge to deadlift my couch. Was reading some comments on conditioning from Rip that I haven't seen in his books. Got the idea of putting quotes/training tips I like here in my log, for easy reference. Quotes Links One way to make my own prowler sled

Seems fine to me. I don't aim to drink any particular amount, and I don't force myself to drink when I'm not thirsty. But a little quick math shows I drink about 2-3 L (roughly 70-100 oz) of water a day. Add in the water content of the 5-8 cups of veggies I eat too, and I'm probably taking in over 100 oz of H2O daily.

From your log I can see you're deadlifting under 200 lbs right now. I think you'd be better served by doing fewer sets and progressively increasing the weight. Since you mentioned Rip, I'd suggest trying his program. Increases of just 5 lbs on SS would bring up your x5 rep deadlifting by 30 lbs in a month.