Day One

[BossaGator]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

short complexes using diminishing reps (10, 9, 8 ... 1).

Yeah, I find that there's something encouraging about knowing that each consecutive set has fewer reps. They're incredibly exhausting, but it seems easier to keep going with less rest (which I try to do usually) when you know that the next time through the complex has fewer reps than the last. Especially toward the end, when you can tell yourself that it will only be a few reps of each movement.

I tend to alternate doing KB complexes (or barbell or dumbell complexes, which I do occasionally but less frequently) with minimal rest or with rest as needed between rounds. Minimal rest workouts I usually do with diminishing reps, whereas rest as needed workouts I'll sometimes do as a pyramid or occasionally with an increasing rep scheme.

I'll say one thing for kettlebell complexes. You can take what seems like it's a very small amount of weight when you think about what you can lift in absolute terms, and use it for a KB complex, and it will kick your arse.

[Dreamliner]

On the rows I just find a horizontal bar, pike my legs up and pull. No, I can't get my chest to the bar. I just do the best I can and I get an altogether more wicked contraction, in the midback, than I do with ANY other exercise.

On complexes, I learned through experimentation that you're exactly right. Too heavy weight just changes the dynamic of the exercise. So I go as light as I need to to be able to establish a sustainable, rhythmic motion.

[BossaGator]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

On complexes, I learned through experimentation that you're exactly right. Too heavy weight just changes the dynamic of the exercise. So I go as light as I need to to be able to establish a sustainable, rhythmic motion.

Exactly true. I have 4 KBs at home - a 25#, 35#, 50#, and a 2 pood (~72#). I like the 50 and 72 for workouts with only a single KB movement, swings, and turkish getups (not so much the 72 for TGUs - that's pretty tough). But for complexes I'll pretty much always use the 25 or 35, because otherwise I end up taking so many breaks that the complex isn't really a fluid complex at all, but just sets of various kettlebell movements broken up too often by rest. That kind of defeats the point of a complex, IMO. At the very least, you want to be able to get through each round with no or minimal rest for it to be a "complex" rather than just a bunch of independent movements.

[Dreamliner]

Well, in the context of having established a calorie deficit that had me losing 11 pounds in 21 days, here's how my strength training went:

*Got my first handstand pushup.

*All-time pullups record of 14.

*Ten continuous reps of one-legged squat.

*All-time deadlift in terms of % of bodyweight: 1.9 X BW.

*Progressed from assisted-negative one-armed pushups to negative one-armed pushups (and they don't seem unduly difficult).

Remind me why I'm going off this diet ?

[LeafUF]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

Remind me why I'm going off this diet ?

Because if you keep it up you will eventually look like this

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by LeafUF

Because if you keep it up you will eventually look like this

Yeah, but think how strong I'll be! I'll be doing triple-bodyweight deadlifts!

On a sidenote, notice how Christian Bale's dieting down to emaciation, for The Machinist, broke his metabolism so that he found it impossible to gain slabs of muscle for Batman Begins. Oh, wait, he did gain slabs of muscle for Batman Begins.

[deviation]

Who is ready to rip up the back with me today?

[Dreamliner]

I've been wearing a pedometer the last few days ... and got 18,622 steps today. That's even more fidgety than usual.

[Dreamliner]

I'm considering using the pedometer to LIMIT myself to around 10,000 steps a day. All this walking plus the workouts have got my knees feeling a little creaky.

[Dreamliner]

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: looks like I'm going to land right around 10,000 steps today. Must ... practice ... moderation. Could stand to set an example for my trainees in that regard.

[LeafUF]

I assume you mean in diet not in exercise. A trainee that you had to reign in from overtraining has to be hard to find.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by LeafUF

I assume you mean in diet not in exercise. A trainee that you had to reign in from overtraining has to be hard to find.

Well, you know me. There are the 'less is more' proponents. I'm the 'less than less is more' guy. When I was doing 5-3-1 I was the one doing the More Boring Than Boring But Big template.

I'm after the 95% of the population with more modest (and realistic goals). I'll save the hard experimentation for myself. But I don't want any of my trainees thinking they have to average 15,000 steps a day and eat one meal and one snack a day to have the body of their dreams.

I just spent some time with my trainee, Kristi, tonight. Her "Follow Kristi" segment will become a feature on my blog. She's working out three times a week ... and I've just cut her from five exercises per session to three per session. I envision that her workouts will be 15-20 minutes in duration. Now, I will say that she gets after it.

[StrangeGator]

Couple of questions about handstand pushups;

If I have access to a gym with free weights, benches and machines, is there a point to doing these?

If I can only put 140 pounds over my head, am I going to be able to manipulate my 185 pound body?

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by StrangeGator

Couple of questions about handstand pushups;

If I have access to a gym with free weights, benches and machines, is there a point to doing these?

If I can only put 140 pounds over my head, am I going to be able to manipulate my 185 pound body?

Strange, I PM'd you.

I wouldn't say that HSPU's are superior to weights. I'm just currently hooked on bodyweight exercises. Love the fact that there is no set-up and just relish the challenge of moving my body through space. To be honest, it's a little easier to quantify progress with weights, as you can progress in smaller increments.

And you could probably perform an HSPU before you could military press 185 because you're technically not moving your entire bodyweight (maybe 95%) and the range-of-motion (touching head to floor) is equivalent to lowering the bar to top of head. On the flip-side, you are having to balance your body.

[Dreamliner]

Handstand pushups, pullups and barbell deadlifts. The stuffing is coming out of my heavy bag so I'm reduced to bear-hugging and carrying it.

New thing: stupid to have waited this long, but I'm doing a sort of an extended version of my warmup, a mobility circuit, on my off-days as well. Certainly helping the mobility and seems to be helping with the usual aches and pains.

[LeafUF]

Since this seems to be a catch all thread and I dont feel like starting a new one I have started a new eating strategy lately. I am trying to tweak my eating habits to better fit my constantly traveling lifestyle. Currently, it has been like this, eat really well for two weeks while not traveling, then eat like a monster for two weeks while on the road. The problem is that my travels take me to some fun places and I get a decent per diem. Drinks and dinners with co-workers can turn into pretty high calorie affairs. And its fun, so I do not want to give it up.

So, what am I working on, decreasing that eating window. When I am at home I was doing about 12 hours from last bite of food at night to my first meal. I have pushed that to 14 hours. And yesterday I snuck in a 15 hour break. Obviously, this wont allow me to go nuts every night but I figure it will help reduce the damage. I imagine the benefits when I am not traveling will help alleviate the damage done while traveling as well.

Who knows if I keep this up I might be on the Warrior Diet before long. Just got a work up to it.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by LeafUF

Since this seems to be a catch all thread and I dont feel like starting a new one I have started a new eating strategy lately. I am trying to tweak my eating habits to better fit my constantly traveling lifestyle. Currently, it has been like this, eat really well for two weeks while not traveling, then eat like a monster for two weeks while on the road. The problem is that my travels take me to some fun places and I get a decent per diem. Drinks and dinners with co-workers can turn into pretty high calorie affairs. And its fun, so I do not want to give it up.

So, what am I working on, decreasing that eating window. When I am at home I was doing about 12 hours from last bite of food at night to my first meal. I have pushed that to 14 hours. And yesterday I snuck in a 15 hour break. Obviously, this wont allow me to go nuts every night but I figure it will help reduce the damage. I imagine the benefits when I am not traveling will help alleviate the damage done while traveling as well.

Who knows if I keep this up I might be on the Warrior Diet before long. Just got a work up to it.

Restricted Eating Window definitely has its advantages ... provided you eat reflectively when you do eat, as you pointed out. I know a guy who tells me he GAINED weight on the Warrior Diet.

I worked my way down to a 4-5 hour window, but an presently back to 7-8. Others swear by a dinner-to-dinner fast 1-2 times a week. I've tried and profited from both.

FWIW, I encourage my trainees not to despair when they travel and/or eat out a lot. It is possible to stay on track in these situations, provided you program flexibility into your diet. Example: if you go over one day, go under the next.

[Dreamliner]

Refining, winnowing down. Have decided that my priorities are, in order: (1) body composition (2) mobility (3) strength:

(1) Settling in on two meals a day eaten roughly 2pm and 8pm. Fair-sized lunch and substantial dinner which incorporates booze and dessert. Don't really count calories but daily intact probably hovers between 1,500 and 2,000, sufficient to maintain single-digit bodyfat without feeling deprived in any way and eating the foods I enjoy.

(2) Had to be dragged kicking-and-screaming into it, but whereas I've long used a mobility circuit to warm up for my workouts, I'm now doing that same mobility circuit twice a day whether I work out or not. Hence, I've effectively quadrupled my mobility work and it has resulted in greater efficiency of movement and, at least for now, fewer aches and pains.

(3) Have cut back on strength-training. Today, for instance: just one hard set of assisted one-arm pushups and regressed to two sets of standard pushups. One set of no-feet inverted rows and regressed to feet-elevated inverted rows. One hard set of assisted pistol squats and and then two sets of jump-squats. Bang-for-the-buck here. And general activity is more important anyway, wherein I get plenty of walking, having to wear a pedometer to LIMIT my daily steps if anything.

[Dreamliner]

Threw in some new stuff today. In addition to handstand pushups, feet-elevated inverted rows and low-box pistols, I also practiced tuck levers and did some counter-top dips.

Also am working back-bridges, neck-bridging and forearm work into either the warmup or the strength component.

[Dreamliner]

I'm experimenting with an approach that goes a little against-the-grain (can you believe that ?). I'd call it 'low-frequency skill training.' The consensus appears to be that 'skill movements', like the pistol-squat, should be practiced frequently so as to 'groove the neural pattern.' But with my fussy shoulders and knees ... volume is the enemy.

So, I'm doing a four-way, upper-lower split three days a week. I rotate through four 'focus movements' which are bolded:

(A) SUMO DEADLIFT, the one barbell movement I retain, a safe movement for me + assisted pistol-squats

(B) ONE-ARMED PUSHUP PROGRESSIONS + front lever progressions + brief cardio

(C) AIRBORNE LUNGES, increasing range-of-motion by standing on books + glute-ham raises with barbell plate

(D) HANDSTAND PUSHUPS + weighted neutral-grip pullups + brief cardio


That's it, aside from all my walking and a short mobility circuit almost every day. Plus, having lost more weight than I cared to lose, I'm still doing IF, but have added a third meal to my condensed eating window.