Deckard studies the Skeleton King

[Grumble]

16 minutes ago, JustCallMeAmber said:

This is both beautiful and terrifying. Thank you for giving name to the dark motes that occasionally cloud my vision

The Change Demon is particularly insidious that way.

[Deckard Gainz]

The weekend was a disappointment for me. I had a big party that spanned Friday through Monday. I think everyone had a good time, and so did I, but I got out of control with alcohol a few times and am a little embarassed about my behavior in general. I'm tempted to not post about that but I'm here for accountability and to face things that are uncomfortable so there it is. I've always been kind of a fun, happy-go-lucky, silly dude and a fun drunk, but I'm just getting too old to get as out-of-hand as I do sometimes, especially when I'm expected to perform hosting duties. I need to be a lot more careful about alcohol consumption because I don't have nearly the tolerance I used to. Anyway, I'm going to add a drinking-related goal to this challenge to help keep myself on track. No drinking more than 1 "drink" (defined as ~1.5oz of alcohol) per hour under any circumstance.

 

I'm having a minor surgery next week Tuesday that isn't a huge deal but I'm not supposed to perform any kind of strenuous exercise for a week. This is right off the back of my vacation out of the country during which I also didn't do much exercise besides walking. Being away from home for 12 out of the last 17 days has put me very far behind on yard work and chores, including all our gardening work. I'm thinking I'll try to squeeze that all in this week instead of going to the gym, since I'm not sure what I'll be physically capable of next week. This will also allow me some room to feel a little more comfortable with being "lazy"/recovering next week.

 

This is a bit of a stretch, but if I count chores and yardwork as cardio, I am technically still writing and performing all my own programming right? I may even try to swing some actual conditioning depending on how long everything takes. I will still have 2 weeks of the challenge to get back in the gym and try some variations, so I should still be able to make reasonable attempts at all my goals while also optimizing my activity around various life events.

[Deckard Gainz]

I haven't updated in almost two weeks, so I suppose I should do that. The challenge is going... not well. It's been a hectic month or so, so here's where I make a checklist of all the stuff that's happened in the past 4 weeks and assess what I should realistically expect out of myself with all this stuff happening. In the last 4 weeks, I have:

• Traveled to two countries halfway around the world
• Got engaged (yay!)
• Dealt with 2 weeks' worth of spring overgrowth from being away
• Planned and hosted a 3-day-long party over Memorial Day weekend for 20+ people
• Went plant shopping*
• Weeded, filled, fenced, mulched, and planted 128 sq ft of raised garden beds
• Tore up another 30ish square feet of overgrown flower beds completely full of 3+ ft tall weeds and salvaging bulbs (replanting in progress)
• Underwent a minor elective surgery (insurance paid $0 because INSURANCE IS A SCAM)
• Dealt with a backed up floor drain

* This probably doesn't seem like a big deal but I consider it to be, because I hate shopping and am not very good at it.

 

Anyway, a lot of it has been fun stuff but just in general it's been... a lot. I have only been to the gym a handful of times, part of it was being recommended against strenuous exercise for at least a week, but the rest was definitely just me slacking. I should be good to go back by tomorrow or Wednesday. I have not tracked food whatsoever, and I literally don't even remember any of my other goals off the top of my head, nor do I remember when this challenge started or ends.

 

Not a great showing, but I'm still alive and should still be able to motivate myself to get back on track pretty soon here. Maybe that should be the goal for the rest of this challenge is just to get back to normal/good behavior. Most of the craziness is behind me for at least a few weeks, and there be demons here...

[Harriet]

1 hour ago, Deckard Gainz said:

I haven't updated in almost two weeks, so I suppose I should do that. The challenge is going... not well.

Congratulations on your engagement! This seems like a lot of stuff, especially travelling and surgery. 

 

1 hour ago, Deckard Gainz said:

I literally don't even remember any of my other goals off the top of my head, nor do I remember when this challenge started or ends.

It started in the year 1734 BCE, and ends in another three hundred and fourteen years. Your goal was to ensure eternal life by uncovering the secrets of necromancy and turning yourself into a skeleton king, I think. Though I don't know why you wouldn't go with a lich or vampire. I mean, some of the things life (or unlife) has to offer are just more easily enjoyed with muscle, skin, and other organs. Like cuddling kittens, lifting weights, and devouring your enemies in a red wine braise. 

[Deckard Gainz]

On 6/10/2019 at 2:42 PM, Harriet said:

Congratulations on your engagement! This seems like a lot of stuff, especially travelling and surgery. 

 

Thank you! I knew it would be a lot. Part of the challenge was to have some semblence of personal order during all this chaos, but it just hasn't worked out that way. I tried!

 

On 6/10/2019 at 2:42 PM, Harriet said:

Your goal was to ensure eternal life by uncovering the secrets of necromancy and turning yourself into a skeleton king, I think. Though I don't know why you wouldn't go with a lich or vampire. I mean, some of the things life (or unlife) has to offer are just more easily enjoyed with muscle, skin, and other organs.

 

Oh no, the Skeleton King is purely a subject for study. If I did get to choose, I would probably go with vampire, especially the vampires from Blade. Let's just say, I am partial to the temptations of the flesh. But if I didn't get to choose, I would most likely end up most similarly to a draugr (undead Viking). But reading through everyone's threads, it seems like I'm not the only one that's lost track of how long this challenge has been going on.

 

But onto more relevant news...

 

I have to post about my first day back in the gym in over two weeks!!!

 

I went in with the plan to take it easy, and for the most part, I did! It didn't matter; I'm sore anyway.

 

Squats: 1x8 & 2x6 @ 315 (~75%) 2.5m rest
Sumo deadlift: 3x5 @ 315 (~75% of conventional)
BSS 3x10 per side
Planks 1x1m - 2x 45sec

 

And that's it! I was in and out in 45 minutes. And I tried a BRAND NEW variation: sumo deadlift!

I don't think it's really for me, but I might need to give it a few more chances. For one, it seems to greatly exacerbate my lower back issues. I had my mental cues to prevent back extension, but I don't think I tucked my butt in enough? Back/butt/shoulder positions didn't seem to click until my last set, by which time my back was already pretty sore. Knees and feet are still mostly a mystery. Oh, and my damn hands and wrist kept slamming into my legs. I had to take my Fitbit off, and I even had to switch to a thumbless grip mid-set to keep from tearing my own thumbs off. Switching grip mid-DL is risky biz.

This is why I don't really enjoy bothering with variations very much, and why I'm pushing myself to try and figure some new things out. It's obnoxious, but it just gives you more options in the long run. That said, I can't imagine a scenario where sumo deadlift would help me with any shortcomings... maybe knee/hip mobility? You don't really work mobility on power lifts, right?...  I think I'll try deficits next; that seems a little more practical for my needs. I may or may not give sumo a few more chances first.

 

 

[Harriet]

22 hours ago, Deckard Gainz said:

 But if I didn't get to choose, I would most likely end up most similarly to a draugr (undead Viking).

OMG can I be a resurrected dragon? I would eat delicious, crunchy adventurers. 

 

22 hours ago, Deckard Gainz said:

And that's it! I was in and out in 45 minutes. And I tried a BRAND NEW variation: sumo deadlift!

I don't think it's really for me, but I might need to give it a few more chances. For one, it seems to greatly exacerbate my lower back issues. I had my mental cues to prevent back extension, but I don't think I tucked my butt in enough? Back/butt/shoulder positions didn't seem to click until my last set, by which time my back was already pretty sore. Knees and feet are still mostly a mystery. Oh, and my damn hands and wrist kept slamming into my legs. I had to take my Fitbit off, and I even had to switch to a thumbless grip mid-set to keep from tearing my own thumbs off. Switching grip mid-DL is risky biz.

This is why I don't really enjoy bothering with variations very much, and why I'm pushing myself to try and figure some new things out. It's obnoxious, but it just gives you more options in the long run. That said, I can't imagine a scenario where sumo deadlift would help me with any shortcomings... maybe knee/hip mobility? You don't really work mobility on power lifts, right?...  I think I'll try deficits next; that seems a little more practical for my needs. I may or may not give sumo a few more chances first.

 

When I tried the sumo deadlift I did something unpleasant to my adductor which took a few days to feel better. I like to keep things simple and I need a good reason to try a new lift. 

[Deckard Gainz]

2 hours ago, Harriet said:

I like to keep things simple and I need a good reason to try a new lift. 

 

I get this. I did virtually 0 variations/accessories for like a year plus. I'm trying to expand my horizons. I consider exposing myself to new tools for the toolbelt to be a good reason. Part of the process is figuring out what these variations could be useful for. For sumo, I don't really have an answer. It just seems like trying to cheat by reducing your ROM  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Don't @ me.

 

It's way more fun to post about workouts than about failing to work out, so let's keep it rolling. 

 

Back 2 the Gym: Day 2

Bench press @ 220 (88%)
3x4 1x3 2m rest

 

OHP @ 130 (80%)
2x5 1x4 1x2 2m rest

 

DB row @ 60s
3x10

 

DB skullcrushers neutral grip @ 25s
1x8 2x6

 

DB curl
3x10

 

I definitely did not mean to come back and immediately crush 4 sets @ 88% 1rm but I accidentally loaded 35s instead of 25s. Those sets are comparable to where I was at when I was plateauing on 5x5 @ 225 so it's a decent indicator that I haven't lost much strength in the past month of sparse workouts: good!

 

OHP still sucks. ✓

 

I deloaded my DB rows a bit to focus on keeping shoulders straight and ONLY working lats. The ROM was much more limited than what I had been doing (moving my entire shoulder socket up and down) so they went much faster and felt tighter. One of these days I will figure out how to do some kind of row well. Some day.

 

I don't normally do BP and OHP on the same day but I don't think I'll get back to the gym until next week so I wanted to work everything at least once before letting the DOMs simmer for a few days.

 

Oh and then I went home and ate four (!!!) pulled pork sandwiches and a caprese salad and a cookie because I forgot how hungry lifting makes me!! Hopefully my small lunch salads are small enough to counter the hungry beast that comes out after a few consecutive days at the gym. RIP deficit.

 

Here's the schedule for the rest of the week:

• Friend's film screening tonight after work
• Work Friday
• Wedding Friday night
• Saturday morning yardwork
• Saturday afternoon helping a friend with landscaping project
• Saturday night wedding #2
• Sunday: .... profit?

Hope I don't die. Catch you on the flipside.

[JessFit]

Yay for being back in the gym! I'm not sure how sumo DLs work either, they're perpetually confusing to me. Conventional just feels smoother. 

[Scaly Freak]

10 minutes ago, JessFit said:

Yay for being back in the gym! I'm not sure how sumo DLs work either, they're perpetually confusing to me. Conventional just feels smoother. 

 

I've been watching live streams of the Powerlifting Worlds Championship this week, and it's fascinating for me to watch and try to figure out why some lifters choose to do a sumo deadlift, and other lifters do a conventional. So far, the only pattern I've been able to find is... none. It's almost like it's a matter of personal preference or something

[Deckard Gainz]

17 hours ago, JessFit said:

Yay for being back in the gym! I'm not sure how sumo DLs work either, they're perpetually confusing to me. Conventional just feels smoother. 

 

16 hours ago, scalyfreak said:

I've been watching live streams of the Powerlifting Worlds Championship this week, and it's fascinating for me to watch and try to figure out why some lifters choose to do a sumo deadlift, and other lifters do a conventional. So far, the only pattern I've been able to find is... none. It's almost like it's a matter of personal preference or something

 

When I was checking out some videos on the subject, one suggestion was "this might be better for people with long legs" which completely makes sense. Legs closer together means your butt sticks out more and your back is at a more horizontal-leaning angle. If your legs are long, your bottom is way out behind you. Sumo stance means your butt stays closer to the bar and your back starts and finishes closer to vertical.

 

I on the other hand have short legs and a long torso, so my long ass back has to be almost perpendicular to the ground for the entire lift in sumo. This feels pretty awkward compared to the "normal" feeling I get from conventional because even in a conventional stance my short levers aren't forcing my butt out as far and therefore not forcing my back to be at a dramatic angle.

 

That's just the feeling I got from one video and noodling on the subject a bit so I'm not sure how technically correct any of that is. If anyone wants to jump in and correct me, be my guest.

 

I don't really have an update for Thursday. I went out to support my friends that made a (really damn good) short film in 48 hours for this competition. I ate a cheeseburger and went out for a margarita or 2 after the screening. I didn't get enough sleep, but as has been the theme for most of this challenge, the name of the game is mostly survival for the next few days as I go to weddings and perform some hard labor in my and other peoples' yards. The Christian god rests on Sundays, but the Allfather never rests. Skål!!

[Scaly Freak]

2 hours ago, Deckard Gainz said:

When I was checking out some videos on the subject, one suggestion was "this might be better for people with long legs" which completely makes sense. Legs closer together means your butt sticks out more and your back is at a more horizontal-leaning angle. If your legs are long, your bottom is way out behind you. Sumo stance means your butt stays closer to the bar and your back starts and finishes closer to vertical. 

 

That makes perfect sense to me. What threw my off was that some of the taller lifters used a conventional stance, and several of the shorter ones used a sumo stance.

 

I gave up on trying to understand it and went back to being awed and inspired by the seriously impressive mental fortitude it must take to step onto one of the largest lifting stages in the world and attempt a new 1RM PR for the third time in a row... these people are legitimate badasses, all of them, regardless of where they place in the tournament.

[Deckard Gainz]

55 minutes ago, scalyfreak said:

I gave up on trying to understand it

 

The issue here is that we're dealing with human beings, and human beings are rarely consistently rational and predictable. I think it's less about overall height/length and more about proportions. Regardless, I could talk about torque and levers all day but some people just like doing things certain ways, even if it's not what's supposed to be "optimal" for a given body type. So it goes.

[Scaly Freak]

40 minutes ago, Deckard Gainz said:

 

The issue here is that we're dealing with human beings, and human beings are rarely consistently rational and predictable. I think it's less about overall height/length and more about proportions.

 

Yes, probably, on the latter. And absolutely yes on the former.

 

People are strange.

[Mike Wazowski]

Love love LOVE sumo deads. But I'm also a weirdo powerlifter by coming from a dance background - the turnout at the hips was a given for me, and my adductors are naturally a strong point that I constantly want to strengthen so they ticked the right boxes for me (and the more upright back angle seemed gentler on a perpetually tight low back). But that was when I lifted, and I fully recognize that my reasons for liking them are super me-specific.

[Stronkey Kong]

Congrats on the engagement!

 

I watched a youtube video a few years ago about choosing sumo or conventional based on body type. They had some measurments you're supposed to take but basically:

 

If your arms are short relative to your torso, and/or your legs are long relative to your torso ---> sumo

long arms, and/or short legs ---> conventional

 

Then there are people like me with long arms and legs (or short arms and short legs) that the only thing that matters is preference. The only thing that optimizes though is reducing the range of motion. As for building/training different muscle groups that too is up to you.

[Scaly Freak]

1 hour ago, Curl Brogo said:

If your arms are short relative to your torso, and/or your legs are long relative to your torso ---> sumo

long arms, and/or short legs ---> conventional

 

What if I'm one of each?

 

1 hour ago, Curl Brogo said:

Then there are people like me with long arms and legs (or short arms and short legs) that the only thing that matters is preference.

 

Oh. Never mind.  

[JessFit]

On 6/14/2019 at 1:06 PM, Mike Wazowski said:

Love love LOVE sumo deads. But I'm also a weirdo powerlifter by coming from a dance background - the turnout at the hips was a given for me, and my adductors are naturally a strong point that I constantly want to strengthen so they ticked the right boxes for me (and the more upright back angle seemed gentler on a perpetually tight low back). But that was when I lifted, and I fully recognize that my reasons for liking them are super me-specific.

I am also a weirdo powerlifter coming from a dance background, and after 25 years of dance classes, I'm told that my hip are too flexible to properly sumo. I tend to get stuck in the hole in sumo. I actually practically cut back on mobility work, yoga, and dance before a big meet because it is super common for my hips to refuse to work properly and then I get stuck in the hole on squats and deads. I do pull and squat with a 45 degree angle turn out with conventional lifts. 

[Deckard Gainz]

I made it through the weekend! Friday kind of sucked, but my fiance enjoyed the wedding so I'll just count that as taking one for the team. 

 

Saturday was difficult but satisfying. In addition to taking two full truckloads of brush and old furniture to the dump, I also cut down and dug up a gigantic old weed bush, for lack of a better term, and a few smaller ones too. I had them all cut down and out of the ground by myself in about an hour. I was sweating balls but my friends that had taken the first trip to the dump to unload were pretty impressed that I had finished by the time they got back. My friend whose house it was, was super appreciative. He was originally going to wait to do that until a different day and have to rent a truck again, and I was like "nahhh we've got 2 hours before the dump closes. We can do this!" And we did. I was also grateful that the 2nd "wedding" we had to go to was mostly just a housewarming party. We didn't have to dress up or drive out to some remote location, it was very casual, and a nice way to relax after a long day of yard work. I think I hit my Fitbit calorie goal by 5pm, which is the 2nd fastest I've ever hit it besides a different day when I did 3-4 hours of yardwork last July in like 95 degree heat.

Sunday I got to be pretty lazy, which was necessary. I still mowed the grass, folded some laundry, and did some odds and ends tasks that made the day not completely worthless. Still, I didn't sleep too well over the weekend and I should have made some of that up Sunday night but I didn't.

 

Yesterday (Monday) I was back to the gym. It looked like this:

 

Deadlift @ 315 (~75%)
1x8 1x7 1x6 2x5 ~5 second hold at the end

OHP @ 115 (~70%) - 2x7 2x5

Leg press - 4x10 @ 630

DB Bench press
1x10 @ 50s
1x10 @ 60s
1x8 @ 60s
1x5 @ 60s

Good mornings - 3x10 @ 135

Decline pushups - 1x10, 1x8, 1x5

DB lat raises @ 10s - 2x10, 1x5

 

Back still hurt, either from sumos last week or from digging in the ground on Saturday. Overall effort was kind of mediocre, probably due to lack of sleep and no pre-workout. I'm taking today off and I'll be back to it on Wednesday, so hopefully not too sore by then. 

[Deckard Gainz]

It's been a bit of a rough week, for no reason in particular. Both Tuesday and Wednesday nights, I grilled for dinner. Tuesday I grilled burgers and bell peppers, Wednesday I grilled NY strips and some chicken legs to eat on Thurs. Often, I like to have a drink when I'm outside with the dogs and grilling and just enjoying life. The problem is, after that, I like to have another drink, and maybe another after that.

 

On Wednesday, I was still too sore to go back to the gym, but drinking on Tuesday very likely contributed to poor recovery. I did manage to go Thursday (yesterday), but drinks Wednesday night definitely decreased the quality of my workout, and I changed my plan around a bit as a result of it.

 

• Squats @ 300 (~70%) - 1x10 1x9 1x8 1x6 1x5
• Bench press @ 165 (~65%) - 1x10 3x8 1x6
• Farmers walks 2 sets of about 100ft with 50lb DBs
• assisted pullups 2 sets of 7
• curls 3x12 @ 25lb DBs

 

I've made a couple decisions. One is that I'm going to get more serious about curbing alcohol intake. I was feeling sorry for myself Thursday morning and googling the effects of alcohol on exercise and weight loss and folks, it's really bad. I knew it was, but I think I needed a reminder of what my goals are and just how bad alcohol is for them. I think my next challenge will have to feature a major goal along these lines.

 

My second decision has been to switch gears from a primary fat loss goal to a primarily strength/size-building goal. I'm already (probably) eating too much, either that or my metabolism is fucked, because I'm not losing weight, and I don't think I'm getting much stronger. Either one or the other should be happening. Eating less hasn't worked, so let's try eating more. I'm going to supplement my diet with some protein before bed and see if that helps with protein synthesis. I'm thinking about just trying to track protein and see how that goes, since tracking everything has been a complete failure for the past few months.

 

And since the challenge is ending, I'll do a little recap.

 

Goal: Consistently write out my own programming and adhere to it for the duration of the challenge and hopefully beyond. 

 

This actually went fairly well and I'm pretty confident I have enough experience now to basically wing it if I want to, though I do have ambitions to write out something more long term that incorporates block periodization.

 

Goal: Throughout the challenge, learn and perform 1 new major lift variation for each main lift (OHP,DL,BP,Sq) and 1 new accessory for each muscle group (back, hams, quads, shoulders, chest, core).

 

Well, I tried sumo deadlift and farmers walks. It's not all the muscle groups, but it's not nothing either. After talking about it, this may not be necessary until I can better target specific deficiencies and build accessories around them. I probably won't benefit as much from arbitarily trying a bunch of stuff as I originally anticipated.

 

Goal: Track calories, improve accuracy by measuring.

 

I did very little tracking and zero measuring. Fail.

 

Goal: No more than 1 drink (~1.5oz alcohol) per hour under any circumstance.

 

Added late, still failed. So it goes.

[Harriet]

1 hour ago, Deckard Gainz said:

I've made a couple decisions. One is that I'm going to get more serious about curbing alcohol intake.

Not drinking during the week has worked well for me. I made the decision to do this quite recently--less than a year ago. It has been really useful. I have been able to notice how alcohol affects my sleep. And since my lifting workouts are pretty hard, I'm strongly motivated not to drink on the nights before them. Also, I just don't think about alcohol anymore on ordinary weeknights--I don't feel like I need it for entertainment, pleasure, or to wind down because I'm mostly out of the habit of drinking it at home. 

 

I can't add anything helpful about weight loss or gain. I feel like my brain (the swolebellum, as we have established) decides how heavy it wants me to be, and sends irresistible orders to the rest of me to eat the things, or not eat the things. I seem to have used up my finite store of willingness to diet, and I just have no idea how others do it long-term. Well, good luck with your weight & strength gainz. 

 

Did you learn about programming from reading bits and pieces on the internet? Or were there specific books or more in-depth resources that you rely on? 

[Deckard Gainz]

2 hours ago, Harriet said:

Not drinking during the week has worked well for me

 

It works well for me too when I can manage to pull it off. Then again, I never established an official rule for myself or anything, which is probably what I need to do.

 

2 hours ago, Harriet said:

I feel like my brain (the swolebellum, as we have established) decides how heavy it wants me to be, and sends irresistible orders to the rest of me to eat the things, or not eat the things.

 

This is more or less the case with me too. I had some success with low carb, just because it's physically difficult to fill myself with enough protein and fat to break past a deficit (especially when working out 4 days a week religiously), but eating as low carb as I was is difficult to maintain over the long term. I'm still eating less carbs than your average American, even probably your average physically fit American, but it's probably enough to increase total calories and total time spent on anabolic processes. And workouts are constantly being interrupted or rescheduled to work around social events, many of which include drinking and eating unhealthilty... This time last year is when I ramped up from 215lbs back up to 240, which is the weight I was when I started taking this stuff seriously, and when I first joined NF - August 2017. By no coincidence, that's the upper limit of weight I'm hovering at right now in spite of all the actions I've tried to take. My coworker swears I look like I've at least recomped a little since starting my job in February, but I don't see it, and the scale doesn't either.

 

2 hours ago, Harriet said:

Did you learn about programming from reading bits and pieces on the internet? Or were there specific books or more in-depth resources that you rely on? 

 

I reference the same Stronger by Science articles that you do, and rely on the knowledge and experience of the same fellow nerds that you do too. Confidence, not knowledge, is the limiting factor for writing your own programming. Confidence comes with experience, and I guess some matter of unquantifiable chutzpah of which everyone has differing amounts. The only actual in-depth (e)book I have on the subject is the juggernaut book, but the content is mostly about coaching not programming.

[Harriet]

10 hours ago, Deckard Gainz said:

My coworker swears I look like I've at least recomped a little since starting my job in February, but I don't see it, and the scale doesn't either.

Do you have any photos from back then? Maybe they're right about the recomp. The scale wouldn't tell you even if it did know. And the mirror is highly susceptible to the psychology of the user, unfortunately. 

 

10 hours ago, Deckard Gainz said:

I reference the same Stronger by Science articles that you do, and rely on the knowledge and experience of the same fellow nerds that you do too. Confidence, not knowledge, is the limiting factor for writing your own programming. Confidence comes with experience, and I guess some matter of unquantifiable chutzpah of which everyone has differing amounts. The only actual in-depth (e)book I have on the subject is the juggernaut book, but the content is mostly about coaching not programming.

Maybe we are slowly becoming experts! Maybe one day we'll be grizzled old nerdfitness veterans dispensing programming advice to youngsters. I'll take a look at the juggernaut book, thanks. 

[Blocky]

My recent go to for information is the Barbell Medicine crew. Smart guys and no bullshit. Both dudes have 600lbs+ squats and deads at 200lbs-ish bodyweight. Similar approach to Greg Nuckols for training stuffs. With a bit of googling, you should be able to track down thier beginner and intermediate programs (these prgrams are not PL specific... just strength specific - lots of OHP and rows in addition to the usual).

[Deckard Gainz]

@Blocky I follow a lot of Alan Thrall's stuff specifically, and I know @Harriet has mentioned him in passing as well. I think we still all overlap quite a bit on material. I have not read as many articles on their site though, mostly just Youtube stuff. 

 

And again, not much of their programming has anything new, different, or special about it, because it's all based on the same science. I watched Thrall's programming tips and it was basically the same structure as juggernaut with higher %s (probably because it was more PL and less sport athlete specific). And both of those concepts overlap with the general rules laid out in various SbS articles as well.