CapN_Tommy_Sunshine

Just a super quick update to let everyone know I am still alive and kicking. Been really busy and stressed out, with end of season winter depression going on too. Haven't been sleeping well at all. To add to everything, they let 15 people in my department at work go yesterday. Needless to say, that has upset me a bit. I've worked with a few of them for 10+ years. I'm safe for now, but I do think it may be time to update my resume. I have hit all of my scheduled workouts. Some good, some meh. I'll post them later when I get more time. Heading to bed, hopefully to sleep.

Ah, stupid hectic week last week with not too much sleeping. I did get all the scheduled training sessions in. So far so good on that front. I weighed in yesterday morning. I may be down a pound or two, or it may be normal fluctuation. I will need to continue to monitor this situation to determine what actually happened. So, the workouts. 2/26 Squat 55x5 95x5 140x3 150x5 175x5 195x6 115x3x10 2/28 Press 45x5 50x5 55x3 65x3 75x3 85x7 50x5x10 Snatch Grip High Pulls 50x5 85x5x5 Bro Curls 55x12 55x9 55x7 3/1 Deadlift 135x5 150x5 180x3 210x3 240x3 270x5 240x5x3 (didn't feel up to do sets of ten, but definitely needed some more rep work, so 5 triples at the second set weight seemed like a good idea). So, feeling good about these sessions. Hoping to sleep better this week. I think a lot of it was stress from month end deadlines at work. Bench tomorrow. Squats either Wednesday or Thursday.

Well, my cat continues to be confounding for the vet. This time his blood sugar was a bit too high again, so still need to give him his shots twice a day. We upped it a bit, so hopefully we have gotten the sweet spot. So, it may be somewhat difficult for me to meet up, since I have to be around to give him his shot. I can do something after 6:30ish in the evenings, or I have to be home by then.

Time to log the first official workout of the challenge. Bench press, 5 week. 45 x 5 75 x 5 95 x 5 115 x 3 125 x 5 145 x 5 160 x 6 I think I had more in me for the + set, but I think I set up wrong, and it was throwing me off a bit at the end of the set. BBB: 95 x 5 x 10 Bent over rows 45 x 10 75 x 5 x 10 Bro-curls 55 x 10 55 x 6 I've been doing two sets AMRAP of curls, just to finish off the workout. Just a little pump. Squats either tomorrow or Thursday, but I think Wednesday fits my schedule better.

MIR!!!!!!! We definitely have to do something. I haven't been able to go out much lately, as my cat is a diabetic now, and I have to keep him on his shot schedule. However, there are signs that he may no longer be a diabetic. I may find out this week at his next vet appointment. For some reason, cats who develop diabetes just stop being diabetic sometimes. My vet told me he just read a study in the last 6 months or so, and it was a huge meta-analysis of diabetic cats, and they came to the conclusion that no one knows why they do this. Probably just another way to be difficult. Cats. Whacha gonna do? Anyway, either way I need to do something in the near future. This winter has been killing me mentally. I'm at the "It's hard to stay positive and happy" stage of winter.

Well, the first challenge of the year didn't go too well for me. I started out pretty good, but then I got sick and lost a week because of that. This week extended into a second week. One good thing that came out of it was that I realized how tight my back had been during my routine that I was following. I like the Hepburn workout that I was on, but I realized that deadlifting or squatting every workout four times a week was just a bit too much for an older guy with known back issues. So, I decided to do what I said I wasn't going to do, and I changed my program to my very close second choice. I switched to 5/3/1. I ran a couple of weeks (the 5 and 3 weeks) to get a feel for doing reps over 2 or 3 again. It had been a really long time since I did sets of 5 or more on deadlifts and squats, so that was an eye opener. My conditioning is crap right now. I decided that I need to work on that, so I am going to use the Warrior's favorite form of cardio, anything over 5 reps. I am planning on running boring but big for at least a few cycles, with added back work on the pressing days. I started on Saturday, and so far I have done the 5 weeks for press and deadlift. Presses are kind of low, as I haven't done them in a while. I can only do them seated due to low ceilings in my basement. Deadlifts are a bit low, but that is what Wendler says to do. The BBB sets weren't too bad, but I was definitely feeling the last couple of sets, and I was pretty sore yesterday. Yesterday was a rest day, and I am benching when I get home from work. So challenge goals. 1. Stick to the program: I have a spreadsheet. I will do what it says to do on the day it says to do it. 2. Time to start cutting: I have been guilty of doing a bit too much of the second half of "Lift Big, Eat Big", so I need to get that under control. I am currently at about 260, and I want to be in the 220s by the end of the year. This shouldn't be a problem, as it is a nice slow cut. 3. ??? I can't think of anything else right now.

I'm still around! Got sick the second half of last week, so no workouts to update. Feeling pretty good today, but still taking it easy. I slept about 18 hours on Saturday, and really needed it. Hoping to get back to lifting on Tuesday.

Well, I had a bit of a rough end to my workweek, and missed my Thursday session. I took up where I left off on Saturday, but didn't get around to logging until now. It was one of those cases where I had been staring at a computer too much at work, so I didn't feel like doing it some more last night. Saturday Deadlift: 275 x 3,3,3,2,2,2,2,2 BroCurl: 65 x 5,5,5,4 Sunday Squat: 205 x 3,3,3,3,2,2,2,2 Bench: 170 x 3,3,3,3,2,2,2,2 A couple of observations on these two sessions. On my 7th set of deadlifts, I lost focus a bit. I don't think I got set up right, and lost a bit of tightness in my core. I was worried that I may have tweaked my back, but fortunately I was mistaken. I took a bit of extra time and got the 8th set, and my back felt fine today. I commented that I was concerned about my squat depth, so I did record a few sets today. I need to put more light bulbs in my basement. Of the four ceiling lights, only one currently works, so it is a bit dark so my recording isn't completely definitive. I am pretty sure I have proper depth, but like I mentioned the recording is really dark, so I may be wrong. If I am not at depth, I am really close. Light bulbs were on my mental shopping list when I went to the grocery store this morning, but I completely spaced on getting them. I'll record at one point in the near future, one I have better lighting.

Yeah, who would have guessed that!

Squats were feeling pretty good today. Everything seemed pretty light. I double-checked the plates to make sure I didn't mess up the math again, and it checked out. This means one of two things. I am either getting better at squatting (hmmm, being consistent with squatting improves the squat. Interesting.) or I am cutting my depth short. I don't think it was the depth, but I am going to record a few of my sets next session to keep myself honest. Squat: 205 x 3,3,3,2,2,2,2,2 Bench: 170 x 3,3,3,2,2,2,2,2 Next session is deadlift day!!

Another option to standard squats could be Zercher squats. Basically do a partial deadlift, then squat down a bit while resting the bar on the top of your thighs. Once in that position, hook your arms under the bar. Squat! Reverse the process. Not sure if this description helps, but there are a lot of tutorials online that are easily Googled.

I like the music challenge. I have had them several times way back in the day before I dropped of the face of the earth for a while. It is one of my goals for the year to get back into doing something with music. Not yet in this challenge, but I am getting that itch to play something again.

The Conan's wheel is one of my favorite events to watch. That's awesome that you are able to train on one. Strongman training is something that is on my radar, but I need to focus on building a base first.

OK, just finished my workout and have enough time to log it before dinner is ready. Deadlifts felt pretty good. Curls were just flying. I was thinking to myself how easy they were today, and wondering why. Well, it turns out that I loaded the bar with two 5 lbs plates instead of two 10s. So, 55 lbs, not 65. Oh well, I'll get it right next time. Deadlifts: 275 x 3,3,2,2,2,2,2,2 Curls; 55 x 5,5,4,4

Hello Michigan Rebels. I've been back for a little while, but I am just now getting back to this post. To remind everyone and also alert all who have joined since I became a hermit temporarily, I am in Inkster (in between Dearborn and Westland, close to the airport), and I work in Ann Arbor. It's been too danged cold this week! Hope you all are staying warm. Once the weather starts getting more predictable, we should plan another meetup.

I switch really early, at 225 lbs. I go by the theory that deadlift isn't a grip exercise for me, and I would rather be consistent with my form across all of my sets. If grip ever truly becomes a limiting factor due to this strategy, I'll add some more specific grip training.

Got my workout finished. It seemed a bit harder than Tuesday's session. I think it is because it has been so bitterly cold this week and all I want to do is hide under blankets eating carbs and watching football. Got through it fine, but the weights weren't flying up like they did Tuesday. Squats: 205 x 3,3,2,2,2,2,2,2 Bench: 170 x 3,3,2,2,2,2,2,2 Deadlift/curl day tomorrow!

OK, workout two of the challenge is complete. Today was deadlift day. I noticed that my upper back was really tight at times during the workout, and I am blaming the cold, cold weather. You people in the chilly climates know the reason. That hunched over into the coat with the head down walking from building to building and to the car. It didn't affect the workout too much, so no problem. I think the high was single digits today. Warming up to just below freezing on Sunday! Deadlifts 275 x 3,2,2,2,2,2,2,2 Bro-Curls 65 x 5,4,4,4 Time to finish eating dinner and get some sleep. Gonna be an ugly, snowy drive to work tomorrow.

Looking back over the past couple of years, I can easily see where I went wrong. 1. Getting in the groove for 6 weeks, which is about long enough for me to get back whatever strength I lost from a layoff, and then not going to the gym for about a month does not give you gains. At most, I was breaking even. 2. When not going to the gym for a month, don't eat the same way you do when you are going regularly. Sure, you will still get gains, but not the good ones. 3. Find a program appropriate to your ability and stick to it for longer than the six previously mentioned weeks. I know there are way too many programs out there, and they all look sexier than the one you are doing, but all the good ones focus on the big lifts first and have some sort of steady progression. It doesn't really matter which one of them you pick (as long as it is appropriate and is one of the good ones), but you have to think long term. Pick something, and don't change it for a year or so (maybe some tweaks on accessory work, but the core has to remain the same). 4. Use an accountability system, such as this very forum. I disappeared for a long time, and without the challenges I found myself aimless at times. I made much better progress (i.e., progress!) when I was an active member back in the day. So basically, I have already decided what I need to do. Consistency is the name of the game for 2015. I have chosen a variation of Doug Hepburn's old routine, and I plan on following it for the rest of the year. I am planning on being a lot more active on the forum, which should help me (and hopefully others) achieve their 2015 goals.

Thanks, Max Power. Good luck to you, as well. I am approaching my gains like good BBQ, slow and low for the win. You cannot rush good BBQ, and you cannot rush the gains. Well, my first official workout of this challenge is in the books. It was my Squat/Bench day. As I mentioned, I am running a routine based on the old Doug Hepburn routine. Today was one triple followed by seven doubles for each movement. I left my workout log in the basement, so I don't have my exact warmup sets. Squat: 205 x 3,2,2,2,2,2,2,2 Bench: 170 x 3,2,2,2,2,2,2,2 It felt really good, and the weights were moving nicely. I think tomorrow is a rest day, as Thursday fits my schedule better this week for the deadlift session. It all depends on how my day goes and what time I get home (it is new comic book night, so who knows how long that could be).

Hello Rebels, I have determined that 2015 is going to be the year of consistency. The last couple of years I have not done so well. I have either dropped out for a couple of weeks or more, or I have switched routines way too often. Hurting myself a few times in there didn't help things either. So, I have declared that this year I will be following a routine based on an old Doug Hepburn routine that is widely available on the internet. I am going to pretty much stick with the big three on this (plus some bro-curls!). I know that I could progress faster at my current strength levels with other programs, but slow steady progress is what I need now. I'm not competing in the near future, and I really need to focus on building my base. Besides, by the end of the year I can add 50-60 pounds on my upper body work sets and 100-120 on lower body (and work sets don't necessarily correspond to true maxes, of course). I have to remind myself to think long term, but remain focused on getting the daily work done. I have arranged it in a push/pull format, and will be doing it four times a week. Push will be squat and bench. Pull will be deadlift and bro-curl. The routine starts with 8 sets of 2 with about 80% of 1RM with two minute rests between sets, and adds a rep each workout until 8 sets of 3 are reached. At that point, add weight and start back on the doubles. For curls I am going a bit higher reps and less sets. This works out to 18 workouts per cycle, or just over a month. I have already done the first two workouts of my current cycle, and today is a rest day. Work set weights are (in pounds) 205 for squat, 170 for bench, and 275 for deadlift. Challenge goal is to be consistent. That is all. Nothing fancy. OK, I need to be a bit more active around here too.

Zercher squats from the floor could be an option, as well.

Reporting in with the final two workouts of the challenge. Saturday 12/20 Deadlift 135 x 5 225 x 3 255 265 x 3 x 3 265 x 3 x 2 Row 45 x 5 65 x 5 85 x 3 x 7 Curl 55 x 3 x 7 Sunday, 12/21 Squat 55 x 5 135 x 3 165 185 x 4 x 3 185 x 2 x 2 Bench 45 x 5 135 x 5 155 x 3 165 x 4 x 3 165 x 2 x 2 135 x 8 135 x 2 x 7

Just added the last of my workouts to the spreadsheet. Not too shabby for a low rep/volume routine, especially considering I started with a tweaked back, and then my cat having health issues.

Busy week, but I have gotten both of my scheduled workouts in. Two more before the end of the challenge. Tuesday Deadlift 135 x 5 225 x 3 245 265 x 2 x 3 265 x 4 x 2 Row 45 x 5 65 x 5 85 x 2 x 7 85 x 6 Curl 55 x 2 x 7 55 x 6 Wednesday Squat 55 x 5 135 x 3 165 185 x 3 x 3 185 x 3 x 2 Bench 45 x 5 135 x 5 155 x 3 165 x 3 x 3 165 x 3 x 2 135 x 3 x 7 Didn't feel really good yesterday, but still got it done. I think I ate something that didn't agree with me or was contaminated with gluten. Tummy was a bit iffy. I took the risk and still did my squats. Still feeling a bit off today, but not like yesterday. I am training the rest muscles today, and hopefully I get to bed early.