Day One

[LeafUF]

Originally Posted by BossaGator

I just added these to the bag of tricks I build my workouts out of. Good stuff. IMO another good conjugate exercise to help me increase my max traditional deadlift (along with things like heavy KB swings and good mornings).

Since I am pretty much a deadlift novice I have not really needed additional exercises to see gains. Though I think I am getting to the point where it might be wise to add some, I am just not sure what would be the best additions.

[BossaGator]

Originally Posted by LeafUF

Since I am pretty much a deadlift novice I have not really needed additional exercises to see gains. Though I think I am getting to the point where it might be wise to add some, I am just not sure what would be the best additions.

Here's an article that seems to be pretty good, although I can't vouch for it. In my experience back squats, good mornings, heavy KB swings, and (esp. if you're a novice) even things like back extensions on a GHD can help with the deadlift.

I can't vouch for the scientific validity of anything stated in the link, as I'm no doctor, exercise professional, etc. but at the very least it seems to be a pretty good discussion of the conjugate method for deadlift training. I've become interested because my max deadlift is now over 500# and as a result I can't deadlift near my max very often. So I use conjugate exercises to build my deadlift without deadlifting. Some will call that crazy, but in my experience it's been pretty helpful.

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/ov...g_plateaus.htm

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by BossaGator

Here's an article that seems to be pretty good, although I can't vouch for it. In my experience back squats, good mornings, heavy KB swings, and (esp. if you're a novice) even things like back extensions on a GHD can help with the deadlift.

I can't vouch for the scientific validity of anything stated in the link, as I'm no doctor, exercise professional, etc. but at the very least it seems to be a pretty good discussion of the conjugate method for deadlift training. I've become interested because my max deadlift is now over 500# and as a result I can't deadlift near my max very often. So I use conjugate exercises to build my deadlift without deadlifting. Some will call that crazy, but in my experience it's been pretty helpful.

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/ov...g_plateaus.htm

It's not crazy at all. Some powerlifters lift a constant weight most of the year. And some Oly lifters only do deadlifts a few times a year.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by BossaGator

I just added these to the bag of tricks I build my workouts out of. Good stuff. IMO another good conjugate exercise to help me increase my max traditional deadlift (along with things like heavy KB swings and good mornings).

This is the version of the SLD that I'm doing currently:

http://www.alkavadlo.com/2011/06/the...gged-deadlift/

Obviously, this is more of a mobility exercise with marginal strength involvement. No weights at this time. It's not so much that being stubborn about as it is that: (1) I'm currently fascinated with the notion of mastering my bodyweight and (2) all of the trainees I'm picking up are folks I'm training in home.

[BossaGator]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

This is the version of the SLD that I'm doing currently:

http://www.alkavadlo.com/2011/06/the...gged-deadlift/

Obviously, this is more of a mobility exercise with marginal strength involvement. No weights at this time. It's not so much that being stubborn about as it is that: (1) I'm currently fascinated with the notion of mastering my bodyweight and (2) all of the trainees I'm picking up are folks I'm training in home.

Cool site. In the interest of training my weaknesses I've been focusing a lot more lately on bodyweight and gymnastics exercises, so that site in general looks pretty useful to me. Thanks for the link.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by BossaGator

Cool site. In the interest of training my weaknesses I've been focusing a lot more lately on bodyweight and gymnastics exercises, so that site in general looks pretty useful to me. Thanks for the link.

Al Kavadlo is an awesome guy who's been very helpful to me.

BTW, after doing no-feet inverted rows yesterday, my upper traps are sore as hell.

[BossaGator]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

no-feet inverted rows yesterday

That sounds really painful. Maybe not to some people (e.g. gymnasts) but that's the kind of thing that really kills me at 225 lbs. I can throw a barbell around all day but exercises on bars & rings are hell.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by BossaGator

That sounds really painful. Maybe not to some people (e.g. gymnasts) but that's the kind of thing that really kills me at 225 lbs. I can throw a barbell around all day but exercises on bars & rings are hell.

Part of my motivation is that gymnasts, more than any other, are the athletes I've been most UNABLE to relate to ... because of the way they move their bodies through space. And even still, just being realistic, if I can do nothing more than master a handful of very basic gymnastics movements ... I'll be a happy camper.

[Dreamliner]

Handstand-pushups to 3'' stack of books; pullups! pullups! pullups! and airborne lunges.

Tried something different for my usual backyard heavy bag workout. Instead of doing them in the usual, interval style - five circuits for time - I did them 'rest-based' style.

Rest-based training is when you go until you can't go ... then go again when you can go. Arrestingly simple concept, but fairly brutal. I did get the five circuits in just three tries ... but betcha by golly I was bent-over-hands-on-knees gassed at times. Basically, rest-based training eliminates the tendency to pace one's self. It ensures maximum or near-maximum intensity.

Also, wore a pedometer today and am on pace to get over 14,000 steps.

[BossaGator]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

Rest-based training is when you go until you can't go ... then go again when you can go. Arrestingly simple concept, but fairly brutal. I did get the five circuits in just three tries ... but betcha by golly I was bent-over-hands-on-knees gassed at times. Basically, rest-based training eliminates the tendency to pace one's self. It ensures maximum or near-maximum intensity.

How does that differ from doing a workout for time?

For example, my met-con yesterday was:

4 rounds:
15 kettlebell "taters" @ 50#
15 burpee pullups

(A tater is a russian style swing, flip, catch, into a front/goblet squat)

It was for time, but I didn't keep time. Instead, I just worked until I couldn't, caught a few breaths, and hit it again. This would have been the same strategy I would have used had a clock been running. Is that the same as doing it rest-based? Or does rest-based training allow you to rest longer after exhausting yourself without as much concern for how long you're resting?

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by BossaGator

How does that differ from doing a workout for time?

For example, my met-con yesterday was:

4 rounds:
15 kettlebell "taters" @ 50#
15 burpee pullups

(A tater is a russian style swing, flip, catch, into a front/goblet squat)

It was for time, but I didn't keep time. Instead, I just worked until I couldn't, caught a few breaths, and hit it again. This would have been the same strategy I would have used had a clock been running. Is that the same as doing it rest-based? Or does rest-based training allow you to rest longer after exhausting yourself without as much concern for how long you're resting?

That's a very good question. For example, one of my favorite routines is simply to pair two exercises, say, swings and mountain climbers, and do them 10-9-8 ... 1 for time. But there, the tendency is to rest as little as possible in order to beat last workout's time.

With the rest-based style you rest as long as needed, so as to recover for another bout of maximum effort of a sort which is not possible when you are consciously limiting rest to beat a time. You may, for example, be working extremely hard for 45-60 seconds and then resting for several minutes.

BTW, Irving Jardik and others have argued that this is the most effective way to build in the sort of heart-rate flexibility to acclimate the heart to the sorts of sudden bursts of activity that sometimes kill people.

[BossaGator]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

With the rest-based style you rest as long as needed, so as to recover for another bout of maximum effort of a sort which is not possible when you are consciously limiting rest to beat a time.

Makes sense - good stuff. Yeah, coming off, e.g., a 7-breath break after exhaustion, I'm definitely not in a position to give max effort. Will have to try incorporating this method more often. Generally my workouts are always either for time or for rounds, but in those systems you can really only give max effort once - at the beginning of the workout - because you never rest long enough to recover, only to catch your breath and/or facilitate another X number of reps.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by BossaGator

Makes sense - good stuff. Yeah, coming off, e.g., a 7-breath break after exhaustion, I'm definitely not in a position to give max effort. Will have to try incorporating this method more often. Generally my workouts are always either for time or for rounds, but in those systems you can really only give max effort once - at the beginning of the workout - because you never rest long enough to recover, only to catch your breath and/or facilitate another X number of reps.

By all means, work your way into it. And viewed in another way, it's all pacing as I doubt that I achieved anything close to 100%, although undoubtedly it was greater effort than I typically expend during interval-type work.

[Dreamliner]

Handstand pushups to 2'' stack of books, pullups and airborne lunges. Did these in circuits, little or no rest between exercises or circuits. Got ten circuits in a little more than 14 minutes. That was it. Warmup took almost as long as the workout.

[BossaGator]

Rest day today. Honestly I have a hard time laying low on rest days, but I need them for recovery - especially after yesterday's workout of heavy triples of squat cleans, heavy 5s of dumbbell presses, and chin ups. Tomorrow will be met con day - definitely targeting something with handstand pushups and possibly pistols.

[LeafUF]

I rest anywhere from 1-3 days a week when I am on my routine. Sometimes I live for those days off, other times I get so restless I have go do something.

[Dreamliner]

Same old boring: OAP progressions (about to transition to pure negatives here), no-legs inverted rows (these are brutal) and pistol squat progressions.

Oh, got in better than 16,000 steps today. Yes, that's higher than my average.

[BossaGator]

Got my weekly kettlebell workout in last night. 10,8,6,4,2 of kettlebell complex: Figure 8s, 1-arm high pulls (each side), cleans (each side), thrusters (each side), snatches (each side), woodchoppers (each side). Used a 35# kettlebell.

I was WHOOPED after this, but managed to do some skill work on handstand pushups and L-hangs after I scraped myself off the floor.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by BossaGator

Got my weekly kettlebell workout in last night. 10,8,6,4,2 of kettlebell complex: Figure 8s, 1-arm high pulls (each side), cleans (each side), thrusters (each side), snatches (each side), woodchoppers (each side). Used a 35# kettlebell.

I was WHOOPED after this, but managed to do some skill work on handstand pushups and L-hangs after I scraped myself off the floor.

I personally love those short complexes using diminishing reps (10, 9, 8 ... 1).

And handstand pushups (along with no-legs inverted rows) are rapidly becoming my favorite exercise.

[BossaGator]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

no-legs inverted rows

I going to try these as soon as I find a good place to do them.