Mike Wazowski: PT, Cutting, and German

[Mike Wazowski]

55 minutes ago, Taddea Zhaan said:

Not to throw too many cooks in the kitchen, but for pulled meat flavor, I'm more a fan of the opposite process. cook, shread, and then broil (yes BROIL, not to be confused with boil) or stir fry the shredded meat to get the sear. 

Good to know! I wasn't thrilled with how the pre-sear turned out (and I assume a lot of the seared texture gets dissolved when poaching) so I'll try something like this next time - it's how I do it for pulled pork.

[Mike Wazowski]

Yesterday: 

• Work focus was totally absent. Did not get enough sleep and as a result could not bring myself to focus for the life of me.
• Went over on calories thanks to a bagel before my PT appointment and a binge of PB and chocolate chips at home - I think this was at least partially related to the same sleep issues noted above.
• Did my German practice
• Had a relaxing-ish PT appointment - we're slowly but surely making progress on my ankles, wrist, and low back tightness / pain, but it looks to be a long road yet.

This morning's lifts:

Squat: 

45 x 5 x 2

95 x 5

135 x 5

185 x 5

200 x 5

225 x 1

245 x 1

260 x 3 x 4

260 x 8 (sadly, 5# shy of a rep PR, but still proud of it on a less-than-optimal lifting day)

Sumo Deadlift:

135 x 5 x 2

165 x 5

185 x 5

200 x 8 x 3 (I think I want to start adding some downsets on Sumo DL and Squat to this workout when I can to pack in a bit more volume and practice on both movements - will experiment next week)

DB BSS: 25 x 12 x 2 (just didn't have more in me this morning)

Abs were skipped for now and I've pretty much stopped doing cardio at my workouts to save energy for dance practices later in the day.

[raptron]

Yeah, cardio seems unnecessary for dance days, but abs are ALWAYS necessary! 

 

I'm an ABSPOTLE AND ALL I PREACH IS CORE. 

[Mad Hatter]

Abs >>> cardio any day!

[Mike Wazowski]

57 minutes ago, raptron said:

Yeah, cardio seems unnecessary for dance days, but abs are ALWAYS necessary! 

 

I'm an ABSPOTLE AND ALL I PREACH IS CORE. 

Haha love it! I will attempt to make up for my lapse tonight - just didn't have the oomph to get on the mat and do core after squats this morning.

 

48 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said:

Abs >>> cardio any day!

And....we know why none of us are scouts, lol.

[CourtnieMarie]

also, get some sleep!

[Jord]

2 hours ago, MikeWazowski said:

 

200 x 8 x 3 (I think I want to start adding some downsets on Sumo DL and Squat to this workout when I can to pack in a bit more volume and practice on both movements - will experiment next week)

 

 

8x3 may not seem like a lot because you see that numero tres, but 24 deadlifts is still alot. That's 1 shy of a 5x5 which is a heckin' lot o' deadliftin' my dude. 

 

But as we say around here, you do you boo. I just wanted to do a little math to point out the rep count. 

 

 

[Mike Wazowski]

23 minutes ago, CourtnieMarie said:

also, get some sleep!

Valid - I think I got about 8 hours last night between going to bed a bit late but also snoozing my alarm like crazy.

 

8 minutes ago, Taddea Zhaan said:

 

8x3 may not seem like a lot because you see that numero tres, but 24 deadlifts is still alot. That's 1 shy of a 5x5 which is a heckin' lot o' deadliftin' my dude. 

 

But as we say around here, you do you boo. I just wanted to do a little math to point out the rep count. 

Fair - it feels low for now though, I think because I'm still ramping up to real working weight on sumo pulls (which theoretically should go higher than conventional at some point given my build? who knows, that still remains to be seen).

[Blocky]

7 hours ago, Taddea Zhaan said:

 

8x3 may not seem like a lot because you see that numero tres, but 24 deadlifts is still alot. That's 1 shy of a 5x5 which is a heckin' lot o' deadliftin' my dude. 

 

But as we say around here, you do you boo. I just wanted to do a little math to point out the rep count. 

 

 

 

7 hours ago, MikeWazowski said:

 

Fair - it feels low for now though, I think because I'm still ramping up to real working weight on sumo pulls (which theoretically should go higher than conventional at some point given my build? who knows, that still remains to be seen).

 

What percentage of a theoretical max are we talking about?

 

If you're around 70-80%, then 24 total lifts is good... more could be bad. If you feel like the percentage is under 70% then you could bump it to 30 total lifts...

 

Google Prilepin's chart (disclaimer: it was formulated for oly lifting but I've found it carries across well to PL too) - it gives you rough numbers of how many lifts you can get away with before you work yourself into the ground based on percentage of 1RM.

 

Also, re: sumo pulls... Even though I squat with my feet touching each side of the power rack, I still can't sumo deadlift very well and I'm not really sure why...

[Mike Wazowski]

14 hours ago, Blocky said:

What percentage of a theoretical max are we talking about?

*shrug* IDK, like 65ish % of training max, so maybe 60% of actual max (assuming conventional = sumo max for me, which is an assumption).

 

Quote

If you're around 70-80%, then 24 total lifts is good... more could be bad. If you feel like the percentage is under 70% then you could bump it to 30 total lifts...

 

Google Prilepin's chart (disclaimer: it was formulated for oly lifting but I've found it carries across well to PL too) - it gives you rough numbers of how many lifts you can get away with before you work yourself into the ground based on percentage of 1RM.

Hmm...I googled it, but I have trouble buying it fully for the lower ends of the chart (<70%) where the reps / set tops out at 6 and the total reps tops out at 30 for my PL / BB purposes.

 

Higher rep sets are a lot more possible for PL / BB work than Oly (no BBer will ever top out his/her reps/set at 6), and I would hazard that because non-Oly lifts are less explosive they're less taxing on the body for higher total rep counts at significantly sub-maximal load.

 

That being said, I checked Prilepin's chart against juggernaut and it looks like the program follows it for 70%+, it's just in the <70% range where it deviates.

 

Now I'm starting to debate just putting my front squats and sumo DL's through the same juggernaut progression as everything else - maybe being a little ridiculous or maybe it's a good idea.

 

Quote

Also, re: sumo pulls... Even though I squat with my feet touching each side of the power rack, I still can't sumo deadlift very well and I'm not really sure why...

I'm not really sure - maybe it's something with the external rotation at the hips for sumo vs. squatting? I just think of sumo pulls as a weighted second position plie and it seems to work out fine (@RedStone you'll enjoy reading that sentence).

 

Yesterday was...a wash. I left work completely emotionally spent - every day has been exhausting since the announcement on Tuesday about layoffs - I know my job is secure but it doesn't make it any less tough coming in and knowing that I have my job thanks to luck, not merit (they shut down a wing of the business). And everyone is on edge which is super draining when you pick up on other people's emotions easily PLUS I'm falling behind on projects.

 

Basically, I didn't do jack yesterday after work other than go to the dance studio for about 45 minutes and eat way too much ramen (the cheap kind) and halo top for dinner. No German practice, no PT stretches, nada. Oh well, I fell down, now it's time to pick myself back up and enjoy the national holiday today (happy veterans' day to all those who served).

[Mad Hatter]

Sorry about the work stress, that sounds really rough.  

[Laghail]

[Mike Wazowski]

On 11/10/2017 at 9:10 AM, Mad Hatter said:

Sorry about the work stress, that sounds really rough.  

Thanks - it'll get better, and I know it, but it'll be a slog for quite a bit first  - but knowing I have friends I can turn to makes a big difference!

 

On 11/10/2017 at 12:44 PM, Laghail said:

One of my college friends showed me that, and I was utterly horrified by the end. But it seems right up your alley for sense of humor!!!

 

Whole lot of nothing the past couple days - helped my coach as a demo dummy for a couple workshops he taught at a local country dance competition (they pull some of their info direct from ballroom, interestingly) and also spent some time watching the competition to cheer on friends I train with (including one of my youth!) and the professional country couple my coach teaches (for ballroom and general dance theory / movement analysis info). 'Twas cool seeing another dance genre's world, but also exhausting being in a chilly ballroom all day for two days straight. Also ended up not eating lunch today aside from a candy bar and a latte, so my dinner has been lengthy and an epic feast (pulled chicken sandwich, carrots and hummus and a protein shake so far, still planning a fruit smoothie and a bowl of cereal to hit approximate calorie and protein targets).

[Mike Wazowski]

Yesterday was...acceptable. Still keeping up with PT, knocked out meal prep for the week (pad thai!) and had a solid dance class, plus helping a friend from the studio prep for a partner tryout he has next weekend by working on some lead/follow basics. Didn't do any German practice, and I've let that one lapse for a couple days now - will make an effort to carve out time this work day to rectify that!

 

This morning's workout: 

OHP

45 x 5 x 5

55 x 5 x 2

60 x 5

70 x 3

80 x 2

85 x 1

90 x 15 (REP PR!!)

Chin-ups: BW x 8, 8, 8, 6, 6

Dips: BW x 9 x 5 (lockout on the very last rep was weak, but still counting it - gonna aim for 10's next week)

DB Row: 35 x 12 x 5

Rope Pushdowns: 80 x 8, 10, 12

DB Lat Raises: 10 x 20 x 3

DB Curls: 25 x 8, 8; 20 x 17 (wanted to do 20's, but both pairs of DB's were already in use during my first two sets and I didn't feel like waiting)

[Deckard Gainz]

On 11/11/2017 at 8:06 PM, MikeWazowski said:

I was utterly horrified by the end. But it seems right up your alley

 

I really relate to this response @Laghail

 

Nice job on those OHP reps! Just thinking about 15 OHP reps makes me sweat.

[raptron]

So many presses.

[Mike Wazowski]

2 hours ago, Deckard Gainz said:

 

I really relate to this response @Laghail

Ikr?

 

2 hours ago, Deckard Gainz said:

Nice job on those OHP reps! Just thinking about 15 OHP reps makes me sweat.

Thanks! It's actually something I find oddly soothing - I think @RedStone talks about hitting a flow state with high rep sets too and I can totally relate.

 

1 hour ago, raptron said:

So many presses.

All the presses! Actually a lower volume day than the past two weeks. God bless rep max testing week.

[Mike Wazowski]

Yesterday - same deal as Sunday, stayed close to compliant with calories (went outside of tolerance on the high end, but woke up feeling starving this morning so I'm guessing I'm still in a deficit). Did my PT, stayed focused for the first ~5-6 hours at work (way better than usual) but then fell off the rails with productivity in the afternoon. 

 

Woke up this morning at my lowest weight (172.2#) in 3 months, seems to be a sign this cut might *actually* be working! Importantly, the reverse diet coming out is going to be important to get right since historically I have managed to lose weight (getting just below 170 a number of times) then immediately shooting back up to my starting weight or just below it. Not. This. Time! (hopefully)

 

Oh and yesterday was a really solid day of dance practice for me - I was exhausted and hungry and didn't want to be there, but I powered through and had an excellent practice running through my choreography for the competition coming up in 2 weeks.

[CourtnieMarie]

nice work on getting closer to your goals! do you have an idea why your weight shoots back up? do you always cut right before winter holidays and then eat all the delicious food  

[Mike Wazowski]

42 minutes ago, CourtnieMarie said:

nice work on getting closer to your goals! do you have an idea why your weight shoots back up? do you always cut right before winter holidays and then eat all the delicious food  

Haha part of it is definitely winter holiday bulk - but I think usually it's complacency once I've started to achieve something rather than really sticking with it. I.e. I get close to my goal weight and then start falling into lazy / indulgent eating habits that got me heavier than I'd like to be in the first place. So I think this time I need to be just as intentional about ramping consumption back up to maintenance as I was in the cutting, instead of my usual approach (and recognize that I will almost always need to cut after Christmas cookie season, and that's OK).

[JustCallMeAmber]

58 minutes ago, CourtnieMarie said:

do you always cut right before winter holidays and then eat all the delicious food

[Mike Wazowski]

Really needed the leg day I got in today.

 

Squats:

45 x 5 x 2

95 x 5 x 2

135 x 5 x 2

160 x 5

190 x 3

225 x 2

240 x 1

255 x 1

270 x 1

285 x 7 (REP and Weight PR!!!!!)

Sumo Deadlifts:

135 x 5 x 2

165 x 5

185 x 5

205 x 8 x 3 (had to mixed grip on the last set, but still chugging along with this linear progression)

Finished with Pilates, where I did 30 of the 40 exercises that'll eventually be in my full routine - the lower ab and TVA engagement felt very good.

 

Oh, and a big win from this workout - my lifting belt that was quite tight last week when I used it felt pretty loose today - maybe even enough to tighten it another notch. I'm unsure how much is the cut and how much is a more toned and engaged TVA, but either way, I'll take it.

[Mad Hatter]

10 hours ago, MikeWazowski said:

So I think this time I need to be just as intentional about ramping consumption back up to maintenance as I was in the cutting, instead of my usual approach

What's your ramping up plan? 

[Mike Wazowski]

Just now, Mad Hatter said:

What's your ramping up plan?

I'm paying a service so I don't have to have a plan - I'll follow the reverse diet protocol from Avatar nutrition, though I'm curious how it'll indicate when I'm ready to get off the reverse diet and switch to maintenance.

 

Which is a lot different from my previous post-diet plan of "all the delicious things you just denied yourself!!!!!" - not recommended if you like lasting results .

[Mad Hatter]

Oh ok, nice. That definitely makes things easier.  

 

And yes, eating ALL THE THINGS is probably not what they'll prescribe.