Andrewgen_Receptors' Metcon for Muscle Log

Training Logs T Nation Plan Logs
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@Tim_Patterson @Jared_Maggard @Christian_Thibaudeau
Continuing from my regular log
Got the okay to continue with 5/3/1 base in addition to Metcon for Muscle plan; currently on M1W4D1 (deload).
New Training Maxes ™ will be halfway between M1’s TM’s and the calculated new TM’s according to Week 3’s max effort lifts. New TM’s as follows…
Deadlift: 495lb
Bench: 295lb
OHP: 185lb
Squat: 380lb

Stats:
Weight: 224.8lb (weighed this morning)
Height: 5’9"
Age: 28
Arms: 17.25" (cold)
Waist at Navel: 37"
Thighs: 26.25" (cold)

Training: 12-13 years
Goal: leaning out while increasing strength/athleticism/muscle as much as possible.
Latest physique pic: (taken 7/27/22)

Will be following the Pulse Feast during this challenge

Need to edit later with measurements

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Carrying over from old log:

8/8/22
MetCon for Muscle P1W1D1 (Phase, Week, Day)

W1 Push Exercise Sets/Reps Load Effort 1RM Weight Week 1
A Above-Shoulder 2-Dumbbell Walk 1 x 2 min. Light Met2 45lb
B1 Standing Barbell Press 2 x 5 reps 70-75% Res 210 147
B2 Dumbbell Lateral Raise 2 x 10-15 reps Medium Full 17.5x12
B3 Overhead Dumbbell Carry 2 x 1 min. Light Met1 45lb
Rest 4 min. or less
C1 Bench Press 2 x 5 reps 65-70% Res 315 220.5
C2 Push-up or Dip 2 x 10-15 reps BW Full Dip, 10
C3 Bear Crawl (walking on all fours) 2 x 1 min. BW Met1
Rest 4 min. or less
D Dip Top Position Iso. Hold 1 x 2 min. BW Hold 1m, 30s, 15s, 15s
Rest 4 min. or less
E Dumbbell Bench Press Loaded Stretch 1 x 2 min. XLight Hold 15lb

Finished in 45m 26s could have shaved off a few minutes but was struggling to get things set up for this.

  • 5/3/1 base (deload week)
    Deadlift
    1x5x225
    1x5x275
    1x5x315

@Christian_Thibaudeau can I add in some low-impact WODs on days off if I have the extra work capacity?

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The pulse fast looks interesting. What are you doing instead of Mag-10? Protein?

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I’m using Metabolic Drive for the pulses. 2 scoops per pulse, 2 pulses per day

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No.

I don’t even know how to explain myself other than to say that it’s dumb and will ruin the program.

Just because you are capable of doing it, or rather have what it takes to withstand the workout, doesn’t mean that it will lead to positive adaptations.

WODs, even low-impact ones (whatever that means) will cause a lot of central fatigue and will negatively impact the rest of the program.

Now, I don’t know you so it’s hard for me to make a call on your motivation to add more stuff in (I already told you that you could keep your main 5/3/1 lift in). It could either be:

  1. Stimulus addiction. A find that a lot of people are more interested in “training” than “getting results”. And are always looking to do more even if it actually halts their progression. And that’s fine but not in this group. I designed a plan and we sent you a supplement to maximize PROGRESS not indulge someone’s desire to do more work.

  2. The honest belief that doing more will lead to faster results. This is quite common to. And to an extent, doing more yields better results. But there is a point where adding more stimulus in doesn’t significantly contributes to more or faster adaptations. And there is a point where doing more lead to worse results even without feeling dead (i.e. you might think you are recovering but you are still worsening)

  3. The need to feel proud of yourself or impress others. This is actually quite common among those who don’t (yet) have the body or performance that they think is worthy if admiration. So they try to show everyone, and themselves, how hardcore they are by all the work they can handle. This is strictly an ego or insecurity thing.

Worse case that I might accept is that you do 3 sets instead of 2 on the complexes. BUT only after having done the program as written for a week. And only if you honestly believe that you’d get better results. Which will RARELY be the case.

Focus on doing what’s written harder and better rather than doing more.

Now listen, it’s your workout. You can do what you want. Maybe following a strict, unique plan, is not enough for you. But in that case, let me know because I won’t waste my time coaching someone who is uncoachable.

Not to mention that wanting to add WODs to a workout already designed to improve work capacity is both redundant and insulting to me. It’s like saying that my program is not good enough for you.

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This is me. I’ve gotten past the point where I train 6x per week and (finally) now stick to 4 days a week. The only adaptations I would be have been hoping for was additional calories burned.

Frankly, I’m bad at a lot of Crossfit standard movements so the amount of weight I can actually use for these WODs is embarrassingly light. When I say “low impact” i meant that they are taxing cardio but produce little soreness and haven’t had any impact on my regular training thus far.

Had I known this would be insulting to you, I wouldn’t have asked - sincerely, I apologize for any offense I caused by this.

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I completely understand you. I was like that for a long time. Ironically, all the athletes and clients I was training (including pros and high-level amateur athletes) were training 4 or even 3 days a week while I thought that I could handle more “because I know a lot”

But the athletes I was training were all progressing a boatload faster than me!

You’d be surprised at how little some of the high-level athletes I worked with, trained.

For example, a member of the national bobsleigh team would lift 3 days a week and do, at the most, 6-9 total work sets per workout. Not per exercise, per workout.

And he squatted 585lbs, front squatted 465lbs, power cleaned 345lbs at a bodyweight of less than 190, lean.

A female powerlifter that I program for is a world record holder in the squat (265kg at a bodyweight of 67kg) lifts every 4th day during contest prep!!!

Training will create central fatigue. Now, central fatigue is NOT to be confused with “feeling tired”. You can feel like a million bucks and suffer from central fatigue.

Central fatigue refers to when the nervous system’s excitatory drive to the muscles is weaker.

And by sending a weaker signal to the muscles, your capacity to recruit fast-twitch fibers and make them fire faster is significantly decreased. This will make any training session done in that state a lot less effective because if those fast-twitch fibers are the ones with the growth potential. If you can’t recruit them as well any potential gain in size, strength and power are decreased by a lot.

So you could still be able to “do the workout” but the result is very little, if any progression.

Now, by adding WODs (counterintuitively, endurance/resistance/conditioning work creates more central fatigue than strength work) you might be burning more calories but you make the next day’s workout less effective.

Not to mention that “burning more calories” by training more also leads, in this case, to more cortisol levels. Over the mid/long term, chronically elevated cortisol levels can make it harder to lose fat by lowering metabolic rate (chronic cortisol elevation decreases the conversion of the T4 thyroid hormone to the T3 one, which results in a slower metabolic rate). So that strategy can backfire.

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8/10/22 - AM Base 5/3/1:** M1W4D2 (deload)

Bench
5x120
5x150
5x180
OHP
5x80
5x95
5x115

Weight: 223.8lb
Sleep: 5.5 hrs
Food: (yesterday)
-Cal 1656
-P 226g
-C 102g
-F 34g

Recovery:
68 taps/10s

Metcon for Muscle P1W1D2 to follow

@throwawayfitness tagging my OG follower/spirit animal because new log.

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By the way, the two athletes that I worked with that train the most, and I’m talking 6 hours a day, were two Crossfit girls who were actually not super lean.

Don’t get me wrong, both were super athletic looking (one competed at the Game the other one at Regionals) but they were not really lean. But their work capacity was shocking.

Perfect examples of a super high workload leading to metabolic adaptations.

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The more I learn, the less I seem to know. Knowing when ‘too much’ is too much still escapes me a bit.

I have a fitness tracker watch that I bought specifically to monitor stuff like this; it tracks “Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Recovery” as I sleep by recording heart rate, heart rate variation (HRV), breathing rate, and quality of sleep metrics. Do you find that Heart Rate Variability or perhaps the “Tap Test” or grip-strength are worthwhile methods of gaging recovery (or any other method)?

I’ve been reading up on CrossFit as I’m still a total CrossFit newbie, and I’ve been seeing incredible training session durations in my reading.

Thank you for the insight you provide, as always.

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HRV or recovery apps using it do not work for nervous system recovery. They are mostly applicable for endurance training.

For example, the female powerlifter I mentioned used to use the Whoop app (which uses HRV) she once did a monster workout where she ramped up to a 2RM on the squat, then did 5 x 2 @ 90% of that 2RM, the did the same for bench, rested for a few hours then did the same for deadlift.

The next day she felt like a train ran her over and felt almost depressed. Yet the Whoop showed her at 92% recovered!

For central fatigue the tap test is good. Grip strength test and a vertical jump also work.

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8/10/22 - MetCon for Muscle P1W1D2

5/3/1 lifts done above
Bonus Multiplier: it’s 95 degrees out

W2 Legs Exercise Sets/Reps Load Effort 1RM Weight Week 1
A Prowler Pushing 1 x 2 min. 25% BW Met2 100lb
B1 Squat 2 x 5 reps 70-75% Res 405 303.75
B2 Leg Extension 2 x 10-15 reps Medium Full 100lb 150x10, 100x10
B3 Sled Walking Backward 2 x 1 min. 25% BW Met1 100lb
Rest 4 min. or less
C1 Romanian Deadlift 2 x 5 reps 65-70% Res 225lb
C2 Leg Curl 2 x 10-15 reps Medium Full 100lb 100x12, 100x10
C3 Dumbbell Swing 2 x 1 min. 35% BW Met1 50lb 10x75, 16x50
Rest 4 min. or less
D Goblet Squat 90-degree Iso. Hold 1 x 2 min. Medium Hold 45lb 1m, 30s, 30s
Rest 4 min. or less
E Bulgarian Split Squat Loaded Stretch 1 x 2 min. XLight Hold 10lb 2m

Completed in 46m 14s

  • Sled/prowler weighs 100lbs by itself - Rx says +25%BW to carrier but umm I’ll die so let’s put a pin in that lol.
  • Wasn’t sure I was going to make it back up on that 2nd set of squats, but I surprised myself (again).
  • Started with 150 on Ham Curls and Quad Ext - both had to be lowered significantly, moved to 100lbs.
  • Kettlebell Swing had to be swapped with Dumbbell Swing as it was the next closest alternative I had available (KBs are on the “new goodie” list). Started at 75lbs per 35% BW Rx, had to lower to 50 - lower back wouldn’t have made it through a 2nd round of 75lb swings. @Christian_Thibaudeau if there is another exercise you would rather me do instead of DB Swings to replace KB Swings, let me know.
  • 90 degree Goblet Squat Iso Hold was done with Landmine to save my lower back. My legs could handle it (kind of) but my lower back would have been my limiting factor. (my lower back gets painfully tight after anything ‘high rep’ that is hard on the lower back).

+Decompression via Big Ray (the new goodie)

image
image1000×1000 43.5 KB

Yes, it feels like a sex swing, and no I normally don’t have my feet up in the air. Stop making it weird.

Goodness, I’m so ready for food right meow. Gonna take the furry thing for a 10min NEPA walk and catch some much needed sun while I’m at it.

20220810_191035
20220810_1910351920×2560 910 KB

(She’s yawning - I swear she normally doesn’t look this weird)

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you could do a low position prowler push or sled legs (imagine Frankenstein) walk with a sled

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8/11/22 - Rest (much needed)

Weight: 223.7lb
Sleep: 4.5 hrs (woke up an hour before alarm, couldn’t fall back asleep)
Food: (yesterday)
-Cal 1626
-P 225g
-C 114g
-F 24g

Recovery:
63 taps/10s

Might have to eat a bit more food today - I’m dragging. Could be a result of yesterday’s brutal leg day, or from the 4.5hrs sleep. Who would’ve thought waking up at 0230 would result in someone being tired :man_shrugging:

Will still do some minor active recovery stuff (band pull-aparts, light lateral raises, NEPA walk, stretching, etc) - not logging this stuff though.

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8/12/22 - MetCon for Muscle P1W1D3

No 5/3/1 stuff today

Weight: 225.7lb
Sleep: 6 hrs
Food: (yesterday)
-Cal 2461
-P 249g
-C 186g
-F 76g
Ate some potatoes last night, which were the first ‘carb’ carbs I’d had in a few days… got the carb sweats afterwards. Sounds like I’m building up some much needed insulin sensitivity. Scale weight reflected carb bump.

Recovery:
68 taps/10s

W3 Pull Exercise Sets/Reps Load Effort 1RM Weight Week 1
A Farmer’s Walk 1 x 2 min. Light Met2 60x2 60x2
B1 Snatch-Grip High Pull from Hang 2 x 5 reps 70-75% Res 185 185x5, 185x5
B2 Dumbbell Shrug 2 x 10-15 reps Medium Full 75x2 75x2, 75x2
B3 Farmer’s Walk 2 x 1 min. Light Met1 75x2 75x2, 45x2
Rest 4 min. or less
C1 Pendlay Row 2 x 5 reps 65-70% Res 225 225x5, 225x5
C2 Chest-Supported Rear-Delt Raise 2 x 10-15 reps Medium Full 35x2 35x2x10, 35x2x10
C3 Zercher Carry 2 x 1 min. 30% BW Met1 70lb 70lb, 70lb
Rest 4 min. or less
D Chin-up Top Position Iso. Hold 1 x 2 min. BW Hold 30s, 30s, 30s, 15s, 15s
Rest 4 min. or less
E Pull-Up Hang 1 x 2 min. BW Hold 30s, 30s, 30, 30

Completed in 48m 5s

My forearms are beat the hell up yo. Grabbing a rotisserie chicken on the way home and likely leaving behind nothing but a pile of bones… if the bones are lucky enough to not be eaten.

Was kicking myself because I forgot my Surge at home.

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8/13/22 - MetCon for Muscle P1W1D4

No 5/3/1 stuff today

Weight: 224.2lb
Sleep: 8 hrs
Food: (yesterday)
-Cal 2411
-P 274g
-C 67g
-F 118g
Wasn’t joking about that rotisserie chicken - I ate all 1.75lbs of that poor bird, but I stopped before eating the bones lol.

Recovery:
68 taps/10s

W4 Labor Exercise Reps/Time Load 1RM Weight Week 1
30 Minute Time Limit, AMRAP Time
A1 Deadlift 3 reps 60% 1RM 550 330 9
A2 Single Kettlebell Biceps Walk 20 steps 10-20% BW 225 45 9
A3 Dumbbell Clean and Press 5 reps 10-12RM 50x2 9
A4 Dumbbell or Kettlebell Suitcase Carry 10 steps per arm 20% BW 225 45 9

Completed 9 rounds in 29m 40s

I need a new lower back - hit me up if you know of any willing donors.

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Taurine (around 2000mg) pre-workout can help with excessive lower back pumps

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8/13/22 - day 4^
Nutrition not tracked, but I was good - I promise.

8/14/22 - Off
Weight: 223.5lb

Walked around a huge warehouse during a reptile show… never seen so many snakes in one building before in my life. Had fun, lots of walking.
Nutrition not tracked, was a little less good - macros unavailable but likely small deficit or maintenance.

8/15/22

Weight: 225lb
Sleep: ~5.5 hrs, tired
Recovery:
64 taps/10s

5/3/1 M2W1D1
-Bench
5x195
5x225
5+5x255

  • OHP
    5x135
    5x155
    5+1x175

MetCon for Muscle P1W2D1

W1 Push Exercise Sets/Reps Load Effort 1RM Weight Week 1 Week 2
A Above-Shoulder 2-Dumbbell Walk 1 x 2 min. Light Met2 45lb 45x2 45x2
B1 Standing Barbell Press 2 x 5 reps 70-75% Res 210 147 145 145
B2 Dumbbell Lateral Raise 2 x 10-15 reps Medium Full 15 12, 10 12, 12
B3 Overhead Dumbbell Carry 2 x 1 min. Light Met1 45lb 45 45
Rest 4 min. or less
C1 Bench Press 2 x 5 reps 65-70% Res 315 220.5 225 225
C2 Push-up or Dip 2 x 10-15 reps BW Full Dip, 10 15, 10
C3 Bear Crawl (walking on all fours) 2 x 1 min. BW Met1
Rest 4 min. or less
D Dip Top Position Iso. Hold 1 x 2 min. BW Hold 1m, 30s, 15s, 15s 1m, 30s, 20s, 10s
Rest 4 min. or less
E Dumbbell Bench Press Loaded Stretch 1 x 2 min. XLight Hold 15x2 20x2

Completed in 30m 5s (huge improvement over last time).

Long post, had to cover Sat/Sun.
Good training session, wasn’t entirely feeling up to it at first but feel much better now that it’s done. OHP got interesting there for a minute but i did alright.

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Nice to see the performance improvements. Good job so far.

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8/16/22 - Off

Weight: 223.1lb
Sleep: ~6.5 hrs, still tired
Food: (yesterday)
-Cal 1400
-P 144g
-C 79g
-F 61g
Was busy meal prepping for the whole family, didn’t even have time to eat it lol.
Recovery:
68 taps/10s

Have class today, gonna be a late one. Diet will go a bit off track but nothing serious.

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