Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, I have many things for which to be thankful - my wonderful family, great friends, health, a mortgage check that doesn't bounce, and a good job that puts food on my family's table.  Among those things, I am also very grateful for a website I frequent, Training Anarchy.

That's inaccurate, however.  The website is merely a forum.  There is no running blog, no list of informative articles or links, no great exercise program that helps cut 30 pounds in 30 days.  Training Anarchy - "TA" to most of us - is merely a shell.  The shell, however, contains the people who are most responsible for rejuvenation in the weight room the past two years.

I learned to love lifting weights in high school, while training for football.  I continued most of college, but never really learned much about program design or proper technique.  I mostly trained my upper body, while running for my legs.  (If you don't know, this is ridiculous concept.)  When I did squat, my form was pretty awful.

By the time 2007 rolled around, I hadn't lifted heavy weights in years.  We joined the Y and I jumped back into the weight room, starting with a program the trainer mapped out for me.  An orthopedist had told me to never squat again, but I cheated and did some body weight work.  I started reading Mens Health, joined the online forums there, and purchased The New Rules of Lifting.

It was a start.

But then I found TA and the people who reside there.  This website, while somewhat diverse, is generally straightforward in its theory of training.  That theory can be summarized as follows:

1.  Lift Heavy Things - When you train, train heavy.  Learn the lifts correctly, and use as much weight as you can for the given lifts, always striving to add weight ot the bar.

2.  Don't Lift "Fancy" - The basic barbell movements will do.  Learn to squat, deadlift, bench, press, and power clean.  Read Starting Strength, and evolve from there.  Do chins and pulls and rolls.  These basic exercises have added mass and strength to lifters for years, and they still should be the foundation of any program.

3.  Lift for Fun - There's nothing wrong with throwing in fun stuff.  Some people like to train biceps.  (For me, they're right behind shoulders in things I really enjoy training.)  There is nothing wrong with curls.  Just don't make them the focus of your training.

4.  Eat Healthy - This is not about following Intermittent Fasting (although I am at the moment), the South Beach Diet, Atkins, or any of the other good and bad diets out there.  It's not about eating clean.  It's about eating healthy, and deep down, we all know what this is.  If you want to lose weight, reduce the calories (and maybe up the protein).  If you want to gain weight, up the calories, even if that means eating more of less-than-ideal foods.  Big Macs can make your squat go up. 

5.  Do Other Things - Some people on TA have complicated cardio plans, but not many.  Some bike, some row, some run, some play a lot of sports.  Just do something other than lifting sometimes.

I've slowly learned these things over the past two years at TA.  I haven't always done them all right - I haven't always followed the eating rules, for instance, but that's my current kick - but slowly I've made these philosophies my own.

Today, I am still 225 pounds (and dropping), but I now have a 300-lb. bench, a 325-lb. squat, and a 480-lb. deadlift.  I can press 175 lbs. over my head.  I am leaner than I have been since I was married, and am closing in on that despite being heavier.  I look dramatically different.  I am more mobile and athletic.  I don't grunt and groan while putting on my socks, or playing with my kids, or doing much of anything else. 

Today, I am strong.  I am healthy.  I can't wait to get to the gym.

And for all of this, I am thankful to my friends at TA.

Log - Sat., 11/20/10

Weight:  225.2 lbs.

That's better!

Workout:

(~3:00 rest)

squat, 225 - 3x5
press, 125 - 3x5
power clean, 155 - 3x5
chin-up, BW - 3x5

Comments:

The deadlift volume on the 10x3 program was killing me.  With RDLs considered, I was doing 60 heavy reps per week.  That was fine last time I did the program and my worksets were 275 for deadlifts and, I believe, 225 for RDLs, but at the weights I can move now, it just wasn't workable.  My back was permanently fried and I felt ground down.  Of course, on a diet, I cannot eat to recover. 

Someone on TA suggested that you should lift for strength, eat for body fat (diet, gain, etc.).  Of course, many people have said very similar things, but I decided to switch things up and see what happens.  So, this is basically a Starting-Strength-inspired program.  I'll increase the weight when I can do all sets with perfect form, but I know there will be a limit to that.  My press can move up right now for sure.  Squats and cleans need a little more work.  The chin-ups needs a good bit, but continue to improve.

Log - Tues., 11/16/10 and Wed., 11/17/10

Tuesday Workout:

boxing

heavy bag work, 6x3:00
speed bag work, 3x3:00

Wednesday Workout:

weights - 10x3 for Fat Loss

deadlift, 370 - 10x3
chin-up, BW - 10x2
front squat, 190 - 3x3, 135 - 7x3*
dip, BW+70 - 3x3, BW+50 - 7x3*

* This workout drained me.  On the front squats, my form was ridiculous on the heavy weight.  It had been bad anyway, so this was a wake-up call to adjust it before a movement pattern became fixed.  As to the dips, I simply guessed too high when selecting an appropriate weight.  I think 275 is just about right.

Log - Mon., 11/15/10

Weight:  229.4 lbs.

Well, that's terribly disappointing.  I don't think the refeed went quite right, and with so much company in town, I cheated a bit, and it cost me more than I thought it would.  Back to strict for awhile.

Workout:

boxing

jumping rope, 3x3:00
heavy bag work, 4x3:00
speed bag work, 3x3:00

Log - Sat., 11/13/10

Workout:

weights - 10x3 for Fat Loss

(all 10x3, :40 rest)

squat, 185 - 10x3
BB row, 185 - 10x3
RDL, 315 - 10x3
Press, 115 - 10x3

walking

20:00, 1.5 incline, 3.2 speed

Log - Wed., 11/10/10

Workout:

running

3.47 miles, ~ 34:00.

Comments:

We're switching my schedule around now so that I get up with the kids, and then train after they go to bed.  It makes the food issues trickier, but I otherwise don't mind at all.  Last night was my first night's training session, and it felt great.  It had been a clear, cold night, but by the time I got out on the quiet neighborhood streets (around 9:00), a fog had rolled in.  The overall effect was dark and spooky, yet fresh and clean - the perfect fall night for a run.  I took it very easy, and just ran for the fun of it, and am glad that I did.

Log - Tues., 11/9/10

Workout:

boxing

jumping rope, 3x3:00
heavy bag work, 4x3:00
speed bag work, 3x3:00

Log - Mon., 11/8/10

Weight:  230.2 lbs.

That's disappointing, but there are too many things in flux to worry about it yet.  I'm going to stick with the plan for a month, and see where we are.

Workout:

weights - 10x3 for Fat Loss

(all :40 rest)
deadlift, 360 - 10x3
chin-up, BW - 10x2
front squat, 185 - 10x3
dips, BW+45 - 10x3

walking
15:00, 1.5 incline, 3.2 speed

Comments:

My body is already adapting to this type of training remarkably well.  Today's workout - with less rest and more intense dips - was easier than last week's.  The dips are still too light, but that's a good problem to have.

Log - Fri., 11/5/10

Workout:

weights - 10x3 for Fat Loss

(all 10x3, :45 rest)
squat, 225
BB row, 175
RDL, 320
press, 130 - 6x3 1x2, 115 - 2x3 1x2

Comments:

I think I need to drop the weight on the squats, which is disappointing.  Form really started breaking down, though, and I don't think that's a good thing.  For the press, I simply need a lighter weight - the exercise always seems to fatigue faster than others, necessitating a lower weight.  I could also do more on the rows - probably 185.

Still, a brutal, brutal workout.

Log - Tues., 11/2/10

Weight:

230.4 lbs. (from Monday morning).

This is the starting point for my fat-loss phase.  I do not have a weight goal.  I don't even have a fat loss goal.  Instead, my goal is to stick to the plan for 12 weeks.  The rest should follow.  Then I reevaluate.  Maybe I'll go more weeks, maybe not.  We'll see how I'm doing.  But right now the goal is just to do it right and trust that results will follow.

Workout:

weights - 10x3 for Fat Loss

(all 10x3, :45 rest)
deadlift, 360
chin-up, BW
front squat, 185
dip, BW

Comments:

I had to do this late at night, so I did not have time to walk afterward.  I hope to usually walk for 20 minutes or so.

The deadlift alone was nearly enough to make me quit.  This whole workout was brutal - very heavy weights for the volume, and with little rest.  I guess that was the goal.  The front squats were particularly tough, as I've never done that much before.  My form really started to break down at the end (leaning forward a bit and using my wrists to support the bar more than I'd like), so this should really improve that lift.

I'll have to experiment with the chins.  The first five sets were fine, but then I hit a few sets of two that weren't even high enough, and then did some jump-assisted.  I'm trying to learn a small kip, without much success yet.  I may consider going to the pulldown station, but we'll see.

The dips were much too light.  I'll try +25 at least next time.