Just. Don't. Suck (Part 1)

I am slow off the floor as well. Deficits are supposed to help. They are working for me.
CT explains it in this

https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/915-workout-program?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=article3732

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Thanks @MarkKO.

@ChickenLittle I know deficits or snatch grip deadlifts are in my future if I want to improve. That seems to be the solution when your sticking point is off the floor. Do you feel the deficits in your hamstrings more? Just curious if that also addresses MarkKO’s point.

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@Frank_C Awesome log man!

I had a question for you. I saw in sleeper’s log you mentioned that your wife is a vegan.

My soon to be in 12 weeks is also a vegan.

Do you cook for her? Any recipes or tips or anything I should try?

Any tips on marrying a vegan in general lol

I’ll cook for her occasionally but we actually eat different meals most of the time. I usually meal prep and just eat that food even when I’m home and could have cooked something else.

Learn about incomplete proteins and how to combine the foods to create complete proteins. Easy example is beans and rice.

I now eat tofu, tempeh, and quinoa. We usually fry the tofu in a skillet with coconut oil. Season to taste. We’ll occasionally crumble it like ground beef and mix it with beans, rice, etc like a taco bowl.

There are plenty of recipes out there. Look them up and surprise her occasionally. I probably eat healthier now because we have a steady supply of fruits and veggies now.

My favorite meal that I made for my wife is butternut squash filled with quinoa, beans, corn, and cheese. I cut the squash in half and hollowed it out like a bowl. I cooked and mix everything and then put the quinoa and stuff in the squash, covered with shredded cheese and baked. It was delicious.

As long as you don’t force your meals on each other then you will get along just fine.

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@Frank_C personally I prefer snatch grip but either option will teach you to get into a better starting position.

Monday 4.10.17 (Push–Intermediate)—I’m still trying to figure out how to refer to this workout…

Well for the second week in a row I have at least one kid at home with a fever. Last night it was both kids; today it’s my daughter. Poor girl is burning up. That means no YMCA Kid Zone for me so I’m stuck at home. I didn’t plan on doing today’s workout at home; I’d like to use some different things like dumbbells and a couple machines but shit happens.

Hang Clean 10x2 w/ 135lbs…working on the catch of an actual clean instead of power cleans

Front Squat
185x5, 195x4, 205x3, 215x2, 225x1

Incline Bench
165x5, 175x4, 185x3, 195x2, 205x1

Seated Shoulder Press
125x5, 135x4, 145x3, 155x2, 165x1

I’m not listening to Dr. Rusin and CT’s instructions on shoulder work… According to their recent joint authored article only 25% of you shoulder training should be actual pressing… I’ll have to work on that.

Today finishes up my six workouts for “week one” but I’m a bit behind due to missing Thursday and Friday last week. Luckily I’m doing a push/pull split so it doesn’t matter much. As mentioned in my initial post(s) I’m playing with CT’s wave loading. I think 5/4/3/2/1 is my favorite scheme and I might stick with this for awhile instead of doing 3/2/1 waves on days 1&2, 7/5/3 waves on days 3&4, and 5/4/3/2/1 on days 5&6. It’s not the best for strength or size (according to CT’s article) but I’m putting my money on the psychological aspect of training and going with what I enjoy.

Once my son takes another nap I’ll head back to the basement for some conditioning work.


Afternoon Cardio Session

15 Minutes EMOM
Power Clean x 2 (I use this term loosely here)
Front Squat x 2
Push Press x 2

Moved my stuff outside because I can’t do an overhead press while standing in my basement…plus it was a gorgeous 68 degrees.

After this I came back inside to find my daughter putting her shoes one. Poor thing wanted to come “do exercises” with me outside. Told her I was done and she looked pretty sad so we went to the basement and did some abs together.

45lb plate crunch 3 x 12
Hanging leg raise 2 x 8

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That sounds good. Thanks for the advice man!

Yes I feel it in my hamstrings more. For me it is how I set up. A friend helped me understand where I was going wrong. I try to get my hips too low to start with. That makes my ass come up too quick from the get go. As long as you maintain your back angle don’t worry too much about getting your hips low at the start. You have some long legs and may need to adjust until find the sweet spot. My speed off the floor has improved significantly. Not that it’s great now, but it’s a helluva lot better than it was. @bulldog9899 has chart that shows position for your body type. Maybe he can throw it up for you.

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Just tag through this. This is nearly identical to The Complete Power Look Program that CT published about a year after 915. The only difference is that he starts week 1 with 5x3 and you hit 5x6 on week 4 and he picks the assistance work instead of giving options.

Have you done either of these? I’ve run The Complete Power Look three times and it kicks my ass. Good program but it has a tendency to hurt my shoulders by the end with all the heavy pressing.

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Watch this for deads. Imo it’s one of the best for deads. After watch this I learned how to almost fall back and stand up simultaneously. I used to lift high hip like you, and like richard hawthorne does, but after doing it like jay, my deads went through the roof compared

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No I haven’t, but I should. I just like where he explains the assisstance exercises. (What to do for what.) If I ever learn how to power clean I might.

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Thank you!

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04.11.17 (Pull–Strength)

Power Clean
5x2 w/ 225lbs. It was supposed to be 260lbs but I’ve decided to drop the weight and try to work out some mechanical issues.

Clean Pulls
5x2 w/ 300lbs

Pull-Ups
2x10, 10-3-3 (double rest/pause)

Single-Arm Barbel Row
115x3, 120x2, 125x1, 120x3, 125x2, 130x1, 125x3, 130x2. 135x3

Incline Reverse Fly
3x8 w/ 3 sec eccentric…10 lb plates

Straight Bar Curl
2x6, 10-3-2 (double rest/pause) w/ 95lbs

And to top the day off I FINALLY made it back to the Y for noon basketball. I was fortunate today and got to play 5 or 6 straight games. Now I hurt all over and feel absolutely smoked.

Some highlights from noon ball…I shot 4 for 8 or 9 on 3-pointers (usually don’t shoot outside). I had a nice two-handed dunk on a back cut and an even better one handed put-back on a missed jumper… and got blocked attempting to dunk over a guy who is taller, can jump higher, and is 10 years younger than me. Had to try :laughing:

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Is there any resource to relate the lengths of your arms and torso to? I don’t have the slightest clue whether they would be considered short or long!

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I’m sure I’m in good company here but I often find myself having the eternal debate: should I bulk or cut? When I say bulk I mean try to add muscle mass in a smart way–not just binge eating at buffets (although I’d love that). And when I say cut, well, that’s a bit more obvious–do I want to see my abs better?

Back in 2003-2006 I bulked up to about 240 and maintained it until September of 2006 when I discovered The Abs Diet. I read the book and followed the program/methods to the letter. The results? Well it lived up to its name and I had my first ever 6 pack. I went from 240 at about 13% body fat to 225 at 11ish% body fat in a month. I’ve had a hard time looking back since then. I love seeing my abs… even though most of the time it’s only first thing in the morning when I’m dehydrated.

Once again I find myself wondering which approach to follow… In addition to that I’m wondering if I’ve ever been on point with my nutrition in regards to strength training. Jim Wendler says to eat a lot when doing his program and you’ll get nice and strong. However, Jim doesn’t appear to have seen his abs since childhood. The former power lifter is not the physique I desire. I’m pretty sure the physique I desire is only attainable with some pharmaceutical help. So I still struggle to accept reality and do the best I can with my genetics.

All right, I’ll try to get back on track here… basically I’m wondering how the rest of you eat. Not so much the details but total calories and the macros. It’d also be helpful if you shared your height and weight and even body fat or your estimate if you care to be so generous.

Thanks in advance to any and all who respond. For the record I’m currently hovering between 220-225lbs and have the best of intentions to check my body fat this week. I’d guess I’m somewhere in the 12-14% range??? And as I’ve shared before I’m about 6’5" (probably 6’ 4 & 3/4" but that’s a mouthful). I currently eat 3000 calories a day with 40%C, 30%F, 30%P.

Every time I try to bulk I just seem to increase my body fat. I do circumference measurements and the only things changing are waist and abdominal measurements…so I’ve given up on bulking. But I’d like to get stronger but I wonder if my maintenance diet is holding me back…?

@MarkKO @T3hPwnisher @littlesleeper @bulldog9899 @Reed @EyeDentist @Basement_Gainz @ActivitiesGuy

I think most people are just saying that unless you’re a crazy high level Olympic lifter, a 300 lb clean should mean a pretty big deadlift. At least with folks like me with poor/relatively unpracticed form.

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Ive seen a few articles before regarding that very thing,but at the moment it escapes me where. I will see if i cant find them. Basically it deals with ratios comparing over all height compared to Torso length and arm length. Found it…

Your torso is measured from the bony prominence on the side of your thigh at the top (greater trochanter for all the anatomy geeks) to the top of your head vertically.
Your arm is measured from the bony part of the top of your shoulder (proxy for the head of the humerus) to the middle finger with your arm held out straight.
Your height is taken barefoot standing up against a wall.
Now that you’ve taken your measurements and have done your calculations, you can use the following table to find out if your arms and torso are short, average, or long.

Table 1: Torso and arm lengths expressed as proportions of height

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I’m currently eating 2,100-2,300 calories and it sucks. Although, I’m trying to get to sub 10%bf and I’m in Keto, so my real weight is probably 215-218. My macros are 75%F, 20%P, 5%C.

Ha, I just tell people 6’4" cause I don’t want the hassle of defending somewhere between there at 6’5". My DL says 6’5" though.

I’ve never had abs and was a bulky 275lbs 16 months ago. Ultimate goal would to be a leanish 245lbs.

This is exactly my problem. I just gave in and decided to bulk and ended up regretting it, to an extent. My problem was that I didn’t take as much dedication or precision to my diet as I do now, while cutting. Come June 1, I’ll monitor my diet like I am now, albeit with more food and carbs!

I’d love to pipe in here and give you some helpful tips, but to be honest nutrition is not my strong suit.

To start, I’m a tad shorter than you…at 5’9". I weigh in at ~205lbs (most I’ve been is 217lbs, and haven’t been less than 200lbs in a couple years).

I “clean bulk” around 3000cals making sure I hit my 200g protein per day. If it is a tough workout day (squats/DL), my macros shift more towards carbs, if it is a rest day/easier day (OHP, Bench focus), my macros typically result in more protein and fat. I will often bulk until my 4-pack starts becoming a 2-pack. I’ve never got to the point where I can’t see my top 2 abs at all.

Then for cutting I keep my cals around or just below the 2500cal mark. First 3 months of cutting this year I did the same approach above (kind of a carb cycling type approach, but not really tracking) and just cleaned up my food choices. All carbs were potatoes or rice. Meat was leaner cuts of meat and fish. Up the water intake to curb any snack cravings through the day. I’m currently doing the ‘healthy eating challenge’ from NEVERsate. Basically a Keto/Green Faces type diet, so no direct carbs. First week sucked, and now I feel great. I’m only in week 3 at the moment, but I did this last year for a month and dropped ~8lbs (not saying this was all fat).

So ya, take that chunk of information for what it’s worth (maybe very little?).