Random health and exercise thoughts

Re: Breakfast. If you can stomach it, just break a few eggs, stir them up and drink 'em raw. That's what I do since I am too lazy to cook in the morning. If not, you can microwave the eggs for a minute or so, stirring after 45 secs.

I've been trying to bulk up the last 2 months or so with decent results, gaining about 6-7lbs to 152lbs (at 5' 8&quot. Going on a trip at the end of June, so started to work on the glamour muscles from my usual squat-dead-shoulder-bench routine but am finding them horrendously boring.

Also planning to do some cutting about 7-10 days prior to leaving on the trip with a bunch of HIIT, maybe hot yoga, and absolutely no junk food, beer or liquor.

The point which I want to add for daily exercise is:
Crunch in Bed:Before we get out of bed in the morning, do 10 stomach crunches while lying on the mattress evenly. Increasing daily until you get a 100 even think ever get there? Try it. You may set the clock to wake up 15 minutes earlier, a small price to pay for the flat stomach.

Spent tonight thinking hard on starting up Wendler's 5/3/1 after my next plateau. Any thoughts on it?

I like the programmed deload weeks.

I like the way lifts are expressed in terms of one's 1RM. It gives me more confidence that mathematically I should be able to perform as opposed to throwing on 5 lbs and hoping I'm ok 5x5.

I feel I have had some recent success the past month and two things are to thank for it:

1) Weighted chins, inverted rows, pullups, pushups.
2) Throwing up heavier weights on my third workout each week and doing 3x3.

Wendler's has higher volume assistance work for endurance (which I feel I lack), fewer heavy ass sets and fewer heavy ass reps (3x5, 3x3, and 1x5 / 1x3 / 1x1).

Originally Posted by db_ggmm

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Spent tonight thinking hard on starting up Wendler's 5/3/1 after my next plateau. Any thoughts on it?

I like the programmed deload weeks.

I like the way lifts are expressed in terms of one's 1RM. It gives me more confidence that mathematically I should be able to perform as opposed to throwing on 5 lbs and hoping I'm ok 5x5.

I feel I have had some recent success the past month and two things are to thank for it:

1) Weighted chins, inverted rows, pullups, pushups.
2) Throwing up heavier weights on my third workout each week and doing 3x3.

Wendler's has higher volume assistance work for endurance (which I feel I lack), fewer heavy ass sets and fewer heavy ass reps (3x5, 3x3, and 1x5 / 1x3 / 1x1).

what are your lifts at now, and what program are you following currently?

If you are young and a beginner, don't start wendler. I've done a few months of it, but as a stand alone lifting program I don't think its enough volume. I like the Texas Method a lot as something to start after finishing the SS protocol.

I was supposed to go for PR's today but quit after my warm up sets. Felt stiff, sore and weak.

Originally Posted by db_ggmm

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Spent tonight thinking hard on starting up Wendler's 5/3/1 after my next plateau. Any thoughts on it?

I like the programmed deload weeks.

I like the way lifts are expressed in terms of one's 1RM. It gives me more confidence that mathematically I should be able to perform as opposed to throwing on 5 lbs and hoping I'm ok 5x5.

I feel I have had some recent success the past month and two things are to thank for it:

1) Weighted chins, inverted rows, pullups, pushups.
2) Throwing up heavier weights on my third workout each week and doing 3x3.

Wendler's has higher volume assistance work for endurance (which I feel I lack), fewer heavy ass sets and fewer heavy ass reps (3x5, 3x3, and 1x5 / 1x3 / 1x1).

I'm just wrapping up my second cycle. Its been a real nice change of pace from the 5x5. I made the switch when my 5x5 progress started to stall. I don't think it would hurt to give it a shot. It does help to have an accurate 1rm for the key lifts -- if you're overly conservative (like I was) the first cycle may not be challenging enough.

everyone in the gym is saying how big and lean i look but i am only 213, the lightest i've been since i am 18. funny how that works

Originally Posted by bbaquiran

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what are your lifts at now, and what program are you following currently?

I've been doing Stronglifts 5x5 for about one year now which is a Starting Strength variant. I have actually had some recent success with it, so I don't want to rock the boat. I have a 5x5 BW front squat and hope to have a 5x5 BW bench by the end of summer. I just switched back to high bar back squats and am not sure how far I will be able to take them before I plateau again.

I have just hit "novice" according to:
http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLi...hStandards.htm

Originally Posted by jaydc7

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If you are young and a beginner, don't start wendler. I've done a few months of it, but as a stand alone lifting program I don't think its enough volume. I like the Texas Method a lot as something to start after finishing the SS protocol.

Well, I'm not that young. The only reason I would not call myself a beginner is that I plateau a lot. I would say anyone who squats less than 1.5 bw and benches less than bw is a beginner and that's still me, but that is a bit arbitrary. A 50 yr old who begins training for the first time might be intermediate at a bw squat.

I just looked at the Texas Method real quick and it looks very similar to 5/3/1. I wasn't worried about volume with 5/3/1 - there is the Boring But Big option which has an awful lot of volume...

Originally Posted by db_ggmm

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I've been doing Stronglifts 5x5 for about one year now which is a Starting Strength variant. I have actually had some recent success with it, so I don't want to rock the boat. I have a 5x5 BW front squat and hope to have a 5x5 BW bench by the end of summer. I just switched back to high bar back squats and am not sure how far I will be able to take them before I plateau again.

I have just hit "novice" according to:
http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLi...hStandards.htm


Well, I'm not that young. The only reason I would not call myself a beginner is that I plateau a lot. I would say anyone who squats less than 1.5 bw and benches less than bw is a beginner and that's still me, but that is a bit arbitrary. A 50 yr old who begins training for the first time might be intermediate at a bw squat.

Have you tried dropping the volume to SS 3x5?

You may want to ask questions over at the SS forum.

I just looked at the Texas Method real quick and it looks very similar to 5/3/1. I wasn't worried about volume with 5/3/1 - there is the Boring But Big option which has an awful lot of volume...

Click to expand...

In TM the intensity for each lift is cycled across three workouts over two weeks (over one week for squats). PRs should come every third workout. In 5/3/1 it's cycled over a month.

For you beginners, how NOT to use the treadmill.

Originally Posted by bbaquiran

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Have you tried dropping the volume to SS 3x5?

I've dropped the volume on my 3rd day work out as per 'why's suggestion to 3x3 and been using the smaller sets to move a heavier weight. I do like doing this - it gets me accustomed to heavier stuff - and I really think it's working, too.

Originally Posted by bbaquiran

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You may want to ask questions over at the SS forum.

I haven't really browsed that forum before, but I have a lot of time at work to browse and read the web, so I'll destroy it late next week.

Originally Posted by bbaquiran

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In TM the intensity for each lift is cycled across three workouts over two weeks (over one week for squats). PRs should come every third workout. In 5/3/1 it's cycled over a month.

I'm ok with 3 vs 4 week PR's. I assume I won't get weaker on Wendler and the extra volume in the summer could perhaps be my cardio. But I am probably not going to **** with changing my program right now. The 3x3 Fridays thing seems to be really working out for me, as well as weighted versions of body weight exercises.

Originally Posted by Cary Grant

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For you beginners, how NOT to use the treadmill.

This gif cuts off too early. After the tumble, he puts his elbow back on the treadmill and gets whipped around again. You can see the beginning of it on this one.

Here's another good one:

Originally Posted by thekunk07

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everyone in the gym is saying how big and lean i look but i am only 213, the lightest i've been since i am 18. funny how that works

Yup- definition = "bigger" in most peoples eyes.

Originally Posted by Nil

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This gif cuts off too early. After the tumble, he puts his elbow back on the treadmill and gets whipped around again. You can see the beginning of it on this one.

But LOL at the flying flip-flops