Deadlifts
160kg: 4 - mixed grip
175kg: 3 - belt on
190kg: 2
160kg: 5x2 - EMOM
Press
50kg: 5 - belt on
60kg: 5
70kg: 4
80kg: F
Bodyweight: 98.4kg
Solid session today. Inspired by @TheWolfMan I decided to try some EMOM deadlifts to get some extra volume in, and they felt good/terrible lol. The 80kg press was extremely close.
I’m settled in at my new place now and it’s pretty cool, very beautiful area. I forgot my scales, hence the lack of bodyweight measurement today and for the next little while.
This run felt so much better than any of my previous runs in terms of my knees and calves - if my next run feels this good I will increase the frequency. I’m not interested in getting good at running, but I really want to not suck lol. If I can build up to 3x 2-3 mile runs per week without hurting myself that would be pretty sweet.
Patience is key. I started running again last summer after a prolonged break (about 3 years). I started with 1 run per week, just 2-3 miles, then upped it to 2 days per week, etc…it looks like a really long slow buildup, but you can do something (roughly) like this:
Without question, the biggest problem people who are “trying to get into running” have is they try to run too fast. Think “easy jog” or “trot” the whole time at first; if you’re out of breath, you’re running too fast. You should be able to speak in complete sentences almost the whole time, unless you’re running up a nasty hill. It might feel laughably slow. But a lot of people who think that “running sucks” only think that because every time they go out for a run, they basically run a race. Learn to take it easy, and you will build the mileage a little bit easier.
I’ve actually been training the way you suggest - since 1st of Jan I’ve run once per week and I think I’ll increase to twice per week next week. I’ve also been increasing my distances in very small (0.2-0.4mile) increments, and running at an easy pace. My knees and calves really quickly let me know if I’ve overdone things, so I play my running way more conservatively than my lifting (which isn’t exactly hardcore lol).
It’s funny how similarly we’re training these days - deadlifts, kettlebells and running. I’m always about a year behind you - looking forward to trying out some chains in 2018 haha!
Deadlifts
140kg: 2 - mixed grip
160kg: 1 - belt on
180kg: 1
190kg: 1
200kg: 1
Row Machine
65: 4x10
Press
60kg: 3x5
EZ Bar Curl
20kg: 20-15-10
Fantastic news - I checked out the local gym here and it was much better than I expected! It had 2 barbells with a matted area for deadlifts, dumbbells up to 40kg and a pull-up bar along with an assortment of machines. Unfortunately there were no racks so I had to clean the barbell for presses and I won’t be able to back squat or bench press. I couldn’t justify paying two gym memberships so I’ve actually cancelled my previous gym membership - it was a much better gym, but I’ll be able to get to this one much more consistently.
My lower back felt extremely fatigued today, but I got 200kg again. This has definitely become a bad day lift now, which is awesome. I actually think improvements in your worst day lifts are much more rewarding than improvements in peaked total PRs.
This is pretty much why a couple of years ago I started Power Cleaning my first rep of Presses. Yeah I workout in a gym where there are 2 racks but seemed like every Press day for me is 2 other people’s leg / squat day. Got into the habit of hiding in a corner near a plate tree and doing my pressing. Stuck with it since then!
God I’m so jealous. If I want to deadlift, I have to wait until all the ‘gym bros’ are looking the other way, then steal a bar from a bench press station. And I’ve never had to shift fewer than two curl racks to make enough floor space.
It actually feels really good! Initially I was a bit disappointed, but you can’t really complain about having to lift a weight so that you can lift weights lol. I think I’ll start doing front squats this way too - my quads are certainly weak enough for it to be challenging!
Lol don’t be too jealous! This gym only has enough space for two people to train with free weights at the same time, and only 220kg worth of plates (for an EZ bar, two regular barbells and a smith machine). So I forsee a lot of time spent waiting around!
The endorphins/feeling you get after a decent run is addicting. I would like to run more myself, but Im waiting until my back is sorted out.
Im not been an ass, but Im not sure if I agree with ActivitiesGuys advice on running very slowly. I suppose that would be the better way to approach things initially, but have you considered running shorter distances at a greater speed. For example 400m repeats.
Nothing made me feel as lean and as invincible as 400m repeats. I would program it like this: 5-10 minute jog to “warm-up”, dynamic mobility running drills (such as ,A-skips, B-skips, running backwards etc), and then would do 4-5 repeats of timed 400m runs.
Thanks a lot for your input man. I need to be quite careful with my running, so I’m going to stick with basic low frequency jogging for at least the next month or two. Having said that, once I’ve built up to baseline conditioning level I would definitely be keen to start doing sprint repeats - they sound like they’d be extremely effective!
This has been a decent week. I did two gym sessions, both based on the deadlift and overhead press, one run and one kettlebell conditioning session. My running seems to be improving nicely, but I don’t want to overdo anything so I’m going to continue to progress it very gradually. I think I’ll aim for 2 miles next week, but then I’ll just stick with that distance for the following few weeks.
Although I’ve now joined a local gym and will be able to train more frequently I’m going to keep my basic routine the same as I originally planned - I’ll have one dedicated barbell day where I deadlift using the Henrique’s routine, and then I’ll have the option to add further gym sessions as time allows. I need to make things as flexible as possible and don’t want to get tied to a more rigid programme with all the traveling and on-calls I am doing. So my basic routine will be: one barbell day, one kettlebell day and one run, with extra barbell or kettlebell work as I can manage (but no extra running).
This has been the first week of my T-ransformation that I’ve put effort into my diet - I’m easing into this and taking things slowly, so my only change so far has been to cut out crap and focus on proper foods. I’ll continue this approach next week and then for week 5 I think I’ll transition to a stricter paleo-type diet.
CoC Grippers
1: 5x5
T: 4x25 Not all reps fully closed
Good session today - a significant improvement in my kettlebell time, and some solid assistance work. My shoulders, especially my left, have felt off since my last pressing workout so I didn’t do any push movements. I used to have a lot of trouble with shoulder pain when pressing, so I’m going to restrict these to once per week from now on.
With the first five pistol squats I paused at the bottom and at parallel again, which makes them much harder. With my hamstrings resting on my calves the movement is actually initiated by the contracting muscles pushing into each other as they tense if that makes sense, so pausing at parallel really kills all momentum.
I think that once I complete this Henrique’s deadlift cycle I’m going to drop my max and run it again with no belt and double overhand only. It will do me good to work with lighter weights and I’m definitely beginning to develop an upper back imbalance with my mixed grip. Alternatively I might start using straps for my top set.
You don’t switch hands on each set? Or is that not the done thing? I can imagine that left hand over/right hand under is a different ‘skill’ to right hand over/ left hand under. (I’ve never used a mixed grip, so pardon my ignorance)
It is a done thing, I just find it a bit awkward to do it the other way round and my training is usually based around working up to one top set rather than straight sets. I should force myself to do it though!
Deadlifts
140kg: 2
160kg: 2 - mixed grip
170kg: 2 - belt on
185kg: 2
195kg: 2
Band Curls
Blue: 5x20
Kettlebell Rows (Two-Handed)
40kg: 2x30
CoC Grippers
T: 4x25
I did the deadlifts in my lunch break, but the timing was so tight that I only got 12 minutes of actual gym time lol (including warming up and putting everything away). I absolutely cranked through my work sets, and I’m really happy with how they went. It’s all getting pretty heavy! I did the pump stuff when I got back to my accommodation - I was originally planning on doing some swings, but just didn’t feel like it. I think I’ll go for a 2 mile run tomorrow, then I’ll need to hit some presses later in the week.
A great session today. I focused on “packing” my shoulders during the swings as I think my shoulder positioning is contributing to my neck pain. My neck has certainly felt better than usual since, but during the sets I got a huge pump in my biceps for some reason. I experimented with one-handed 40kg swings which I haven’t done in years, and got 10 reps with each hand, which was a pleasant surprise (although they weren’t particularly crisp). 2.1 miles is a log PR - I was limited by my calves as usual, otherwise I felt good for at least another mile.
Pull-Ups (Fat Bar, Regular Grip)
BW: 5x5 Supersetted with bench press
Press
40kg: 5
50kg: 5
60kg: 5 - wrist wraps, belt on
Bodyweight: 97.8kg
I felt pretty shot today, especially my lower body, but I had to get some upper body work in. Everything felt very meh. I weighed myself today and I’ve lost the holiday weight I gained, but haven’t progressed beyond that.
My neck felt stiff when I woke today, maybe I slept funny or maybe the shoulder “packing” didn’t work. My lower back and hips all feel tight and my calves are very sore from yesterday’s run. I’m going to take a rest day tomorrow and then I’m going to hit a big whole body gym session on Sunday.
I’m maintaining my upper body size and strength, while making good improvements in my conditioning and lower body strength. My big weakness right now is diet, and I have to say I’m not hugely motivated with it. I’m going to continue my slow steady approach, gradually transitioning to a paleo diet.