Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers

Bigger Stronger Leaner Over 35 Lifter
1

New year, new goals, new thread…my initial thread can be viewed here:

i chose the title because i think of us like this…we are a bunch of hard workers, constantly working, perfecting our trait…our fix is lifting…whereas a tweeker is always looking for their next fix, so are we…i know when i’m in my groove, i sit around thinking about that night’s lifts or the next day’s routine…i get excited when i fill out the new TMs for the next 5/3/1 cycle and i see a number for a lift that i’ve never done, knowing that by the time this next cycle is done, i will have either crushed that set or been humbled by it and have to re-do that set over until i do crush it…so, yeah, that’s my fix…going to guess a lot of us in here are the same, or have had those same thoughts and feelings in our past

anyhow, enough of the mushy stuff

beginning stats:
age: 45 (jan 2015)
ht: 71"
wt: 225#
bf: 24%

my long-term goal is to drop down to between 190-200 pounds…i’d like to have a bf between 15-18%…to accomplish this i’m going to clean up my eating by cutting out all cheat foods except for 1 cheat meal a week…my daily macros will be 163g c/227g p/116g f (25% c/ 35% p/ 40% f) totaling approx 2600 kcals (or less)…i will need to determine if the 163g carbs/day is going to be enough to keep my lifts going up…if not, i’ll adjust accordingly by dropping fat and upping carbs…protein will stay close to 227g/day, every day, Monday through Sunday and everything in between

i will track my food with MFP at: Erikm's Food Diary | MyFitnessPal.com

my short-term/1yr goals are to: 1) be consistentent with lifting (tortoise -v- hare) which will allow me to move between 1 and 1.5 million pounds for “cardio” by doing barbell complexes, namely Cosgrove’s Evil 8; 2) add 240 lbs total to my 4 big lifts doing 5/3/1 for 4 cycles and then switch up to a cycle of linear lifting, such as SS, just to switch things up for a month…rinse and repeat…this is, basically, just adding 5lbs/month to each lift; and, 3) be able to perform the 3x5 sets/reps listed below…having all my lifts be “big plates” would be swell

Lift – Current TM – +5lb / month – Goal
OH Press – 87.2 – 147.5 – 135 @ 3x5
Deadlift – 255 – 315 – 315 @ 3x5
Bench – 127.5 – 187.5 – 185 @ 3x5
Squat – 222.5 – 282.5 – 280 @ 3x5

Tortoise -v- Hare (aka “cardio”):
1.0 - 1.5 MILLION pounds moved for cardio…currently doing Cosgrove’s Evil 8 for cardio using 60lbs…168 * 60 == 10080/ea session…i will accomplish this by doing Cosgrove’s 3x week for 52 weeks (10,080 x 3 == 30240 x 52 == 1.57 million)…as i get stronger, i exepct the working weight to increase; but, for gits and shiggles, i’m just going to calculate my goal based on 60lbs * 168 reps

i am going to Israel in October, so lifting will not happen for approx 1 month…this puts me at 48 weeks…additionally, i figure i’ll lose 3 weeks max due to RL getting in the way…this gives me approx 45 weeks of lifting, which comes out to be 1.36 million pounds of “cardio”

since this is a new year with new goals in this fancy, new thread, i’m going to start with a fresh 5/3/1 cycle starting mon, jan 5, 2015

my main priority in all this is to be consistent with my lifting and go slow and steady…not going to fret over every little thing that gets in the way…just gonna roll with the punches

lastly, i suppose one other goal would be to become more active here…i follow a lot of the threads here and, quite frankly, i am amazed at what i see from you folks…i don’t think i’d have a lot of technical feedback to provide; but, that doesn’t mean i can’t give props where props are due, etc

i will update this initial post as goals are completed

i hope you choose to follow along and provide any insight or a kick in the pants as necessary

Erik–

2

Update 1/5/15
C2,W1,D1 - OHP (5s week)

morning weight: 227.7 – came out of the holidays carrying a couple lbs more than i came into said holidays…not bad, all things considered

OHP:
45 x 10
50 x 5
60 x 3
65 x 5
70 x 5
82.5 x 10

assistance lifts
dumbbell OHP:
20 x 15 x 3

rear triceps kickback - i think that’s what they are called
15 x 15
15 x 20
20 x 10

contemplated overhead dumbbell triceps extensions but after the first set of dumbbell OHP shoulders were too gassed to risk putting anything over my head; so, switched it up to those tricep kickbacks…need to come up with a different assistance lift here…maybe go back to dips…not sure why i changed away from dips but i did

nutrition
macros for heavy lifting day:
2600 kcals
227 prot
163 carb
116 fat

actual macros for today:
2484 kcals
215 prot
171 carb
130 fat

finishing up post-workout nutrition…deal with dinner shortly

Erik–
‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him’ – Psalm 28:7

3

Update 1/6/15
C2, W1, D2 - DL (5s week)

morning weight: 227.1

soooo, last tuesday i was stretching my sides as i got into bed when suddenly something went ‘twang’ in my right side…thought to myself, ‘that can’t be good’…woke up the next day, and i was right…ouch

long story short, i strained a muscle/some muscles…been relaxing them, etc…until tonight

decided to give DL a shot…might end up paying for this one later/tomorrow

the numbers

95 x 10
112.5 x 5
142.5 x 5
170 x 3
185 x 5 x 2*
212 x 5
240 x 5

*not paying attn i mistakenly did the first working set twice tonight, which i think contributed to my last working set being the suck

got to 5 on the final set and knew i was done…the side was none too happy and i could tell i didn’t have anything left…so stupid doing the first working set twice…doh! oh well, such is life

i have 48hrs to rest it before i lift again…might have to shut it down for a week or two rather than push it (further) and really set myself back…slow and steady wins this race

no assistance work tonight

nutrition
macros for heavy lifting day:
2600 kcals
227 prot
163 carb
116 fat

actual macros for today:
2421 kcals
205 prot
170 carb
121 fat

finish up post-workout nutrition then dinner in a few…and an ice pack or two for my side

Erik–
‘In his heart a man plans his course; but the Lord plans his steps’ Prov 16:9

4

couple updates

Update 1/8/2015
C2, W1, D4 - BP (5s week)

main lift
45 x 10
57.5 x 5
70 x 5
85 x 3
92.5 x 5
105 x 5
120 x 9

assistance lifts
dumbbell BP:
25 x 25
25 x 24
25 x 22

kroc rows:
25 x 25 x 3

done and done

Update 1/9/2015
C2, W1, D5 - Squats (5s week)

main lift
45 x 10
97.5 x 5
122.5 x 5
147.5 x 3
160 x 5
185 x 5
210 x 5

just did the bare minimum and called it…i could not stay loose because it was so cold in the garage…i really ought to get a space heater

the strained muscle is still a bit bothersome…OHP and BP didn’t really bother me, squats a little; and, DL definitely did not help any…may have to modify going forward until this heals and not do DL and keep squats by doing higher reps with less weight so as not to strain the muscles much

nutrition been pretty good; but not perfect…work in progress

Erik

5

Update:

Been a crazy start to the new year…last week was dealing with the strained rib muscle…felt it on the deadlifts, and to a lesser extent, on squats

been resting and stretching it out this past week…moved from a 4day split to 2day this week, mainly because the start of the week was so freaking cold and partly because thursday was my 45th birthday and i had plans to eat out

as the week comes to an end, the strained muscle is coming around…had a good week of lifts, hitting PRs in DL, BP and Squats…felt good lifting more than i’ve ever lifted on those lifts…OHP PR was set back in Dec

from here on out, every cycle will see new PRs most 2nd and 3rd weeks

anyhow, the numbers:

1/13: C2, W2, D1/D2 – 3s week

OHP:
45 x 10
50 x 5
60 x 3
70 x 3
77.5 x 3
87.5 x 9

D/L:
95 x 10
112.5 x 5
142.5 x 5
170 x 3
197.5 x 3
227.5 x 3
255 x 7

1/16: C2, W2, D4/D5 — 3s week

BP:
45 x 10
57.5 x 5
70 x 5
85 x 3
100 x 3
112.5 x 3
127.5 x 8

SQ:
97.5 x 5
122.5 x 5
147.5 x 3
172.5 x 3
197.5 x 3
222.5 x 8

hope everybody is doing well and is having a great start to the new year

E–

6

Update:

Another screwed up week with the strained muscle, and the holiday…went to see American Sniper monday so everything got pushed back a day…tuesday got OHP in, but wed is church and i don’t have time to workout…tonight became DL…tomorrow might be BP or saturday/sunday to finish this 1s week/cycle

not in a hurry…not going to get overly frustrated when my lifting schedule gets out of whack due to RL…suck it up, buttercup

anyhow, the numbers

1/20 - 1s week OHP
C2, W3, D1
45 x 10
50 x 5
60 x 3
75 x 5
82.5 x 3
92.5 x 7 - new PR for OHP – that 7th lift seemed like forever-and-a-day to get up…but, i got it up

1/22 - 1s week DL
95 x 10
112.5 x 5
142.5 x 5
170 x 3
212.5 x 5
240 x 3
270 x 6 - new PR for DL – i really wanted 7 but i got 6…i was trying to film it so i think i had that in my head and wasn’t as focused as i should have been…then, i found out i didn’t hit record in the first place…/facepalm

just read about the 10,000 swing kb challenge…thinking of doing that for feb…want to try as many things as i can so that i am able to switch things up and not lose a beat…i do want to get strong but i also want to try new things along the way…SS and 5/3/1 will always be there

i don’t know about the 53lb kb though…i’m going to hit the rec center saturday and see how that feels…first time through the 10,000 swing challenge might have to be at a lesser weight…we’ll see

final note: i think i can finally get into my swing (no pun) now that the holidays are over, and all the misc days off here and there are done for a couple months

E–
‘He has also set eternity in the hears of men’ – Ecclesiastes 3:11

7

Erik, good to see you still training. I think I’m going to do the 10,000 swing challenge for February as well. I plan to use 35lbs. With the weight you’re deadlifting, you should be able to adapt to the 53lber pretty quickly. If your conditioning is poor you could maybe start with 35 or 40lbs if your gym has that, but work yourself into the 53 by the 2nd or 3rd week.

8

[quote]LiftingStrumpet wrote:
Erik, good to see you still training. I think I’m going to do the 10,000 swing challenge for February as well. I plan to use 35lbs. With the weight you’re deadlifting, you should be able to adapt to the 53lber pretty quickly. If your conditioning is poor you could maybe start with 35 or 40lbs if your gym has that, but work yourself into the 53 by the 2nd or 3rd week.[/quote]
Hi, LS

trying to find a 53lb kb right now…i workout at home; so, my gym is rather empty, sans the cage…haha

called the rec center by my house and they 0 kettlebells…was going to test out the weight this morning; but, guess not

trying to find one w/out breaking the bank…the local play it again sports has new one for $90…craigslist is lacking 53lb kettlebells for my area

might have to delay my 10k swing challenge for a bit until i can find something decently priced

thanks for stopping by and your kind words

Erik–

9

Update 1/24/15 – Cardio Barbell Complexes

Cosgrove’s 8
8 * 21 * 60 == 10080

that brings me to 10,080/1,500,000 towards my “cardio goal” for the year

have a great weekend, everybody

Erik–

10

[quote]LiftingStrumpet wrote:
…If your conditioning is poor…[/quote]
if? haha, more like, since

i found a 24kg kb this afternoon…debated going with the 20kg/44lb kb for the first challenge…still might go back and get one

just tried to do 1 set of 100 by doing 10, 15, 25, 50…got 10, 15, 25, 25, 25 with about a minute or more rest between the last 3 stages of the set…total time for the 100 was probably 5-8 min range…multiply that times 5 gives me a pretty brutal-looking workout…HR was up around 180-ish bpm

this is that part where not ever having challenged myself makes me want to settle for the 44lb kb…screw that, this will definitely be a challenge for me; but, i am going to do it, less i kill or maim myself before i complete it

Erik–

11

Update 1/25/15

working my way up to 500 kb swings @ 53lb…yesterday was 100…today was 300…took approx 26min to finish the session

i’m going to try for 500 tomorrow so that i can take tues and wed off to prepare to finish c2/w3 bp and squats this thursday and friday…that’ll wrap up my 2nd cycle of 5/3/1

as gassed from this as any lifting session i’ve done…busting out a good sweat along the way

this feels good

have a blessed day, folks

Erik–

12

[quote]ErikM wrote:

just tried to do 1 set of 100 by doing 10, 15, 25, 50…got 10, 15, 25, 25, 25 with about a minute or more rest between the last 3 stages of the set…total time for the 100 was probably 5-8 min range…multiply that times 5 gives me a pretty brutal-looking workout…HR was up around 180-ish bpm

[/quote]

That was my experience as well the first couple workouts. Had to break up the “50” set. If you look at my log you’ll see I adapted pretty quickly. You’ll get a great training effect no matter what weight you use. Also, you may want to take a couple weeks to work up to the full 500. I’ve been taking almost a full month.

13

[quote]LiftingStrumpet wrote:
That was my experience as well the first couple workouts. Had to break up the “50” set. If you look at my log you’ll see I adapted pretty quickly. You’ll get a great training effect no matter what weight you use. Also, you may want to take a couple weeks to work up to the full 500. I’ve been taking almost a full month.[/quote]
i’m nothing if not ocd-focused on things…i wanted 500 today so i could bag it until next week; and, by golly i got it…took me 58min, including plenty of rest mid-set and between sets, but that body can be tagged and bagged

10, 15, 25, 25, 25
10, 15, 25, 25, 25
10, 15, 25, 25, 25
10, 15, 25, 25, 25
10, 15, 25, 25, 25

wow…that’s like 500 * 52lbs == 26,000lbs or so tossed to and fro

between 150 and 400 seemed like my motivation took a real nose dive…about 375 i started feeling like i had this…400-500, psychologically, felt as good as 1-100 - physically, however, that is another matter

the last 10 i thought my arms were going to come out of the socket and smack me something silly

i can really feel where my grip strength needs major improvement…have to really focus on keeping a tight grip and then stretching out my hands/fingers between sets

so, i’m done with kb swings until next monday…might do a couple sets of something as burners after thurs/friday when i finish up my c2, w3, days 4 and 5 (bp and squats)

between now and then is a lot of rest and a lot of protein…speaking of, ribeye waiting for me in the kitchen

post-workout nutrition then dinner in an hour or so

Erik–
‘Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me’ - Psalm 51:10

14

Update 1/30/15
C2, W3, D4 - 1s week

BP:
45 x 10
57.5 x 5
70 x 5
85 x 3
105 x 5
120 x 3
135 x 3

not a good showing at all…it’s been 2 weeks since last bp and 4 days since last workout…also, i was trying to figure something out with my placement on the bench in relation to the bar…was further back than i normally would be and it just didn’t feel all that great

gives me something to work on…might put the bench out again this weekend and just hit it at a lower weight and figure out the placement

getting ready to start the 10,000 swing kb challenge monday…i got 500 on monday so i know i can do it…question is, how will i feel about it next week at this time

ha

anyhow, hope everybody is doing well

dinner shortly

Erik–
‘Be still and know that I am God’ – Ps 46:10

15

Update 2/2/15

Day 1/20 10,000 Swing KB Challenge

Sets:
10, 15, 25, 25, 25
25, 25, 25, 25
25, 25, 25, 25
25, 25, 25, 25
34, 33, 33

500/10,000 done and done

upped the ante a little after the first set and went with 4x25 for each set instead of the original breakout…the mini-sets of 25 felt pretty good actually…around 20-25 i could feel the burn a little…i realize just how much i have to watch my grip and keep my thumbs over their respective middle finger…doing that helps

i then decided to push myself a little towards 50 swing reps during the last set of 100 reps by going in 1/3, 1/3, 1/3…still took about the same amount of time (5-6min); but, was good to get that little push for the last set of 100

no lying on the floor gassed tonight…gassed but able to stay upright between sets…with tomorrow being back-to-back, we’ll see how long that lasts

think the conditioning is getting a little better…something tells me it has no choice but to get better…with the challenge here and the night on/on/off/on/on, it should be interesting to see how the last 2000 go in march versus this first 2000 this week

post-workout shake then dinner

back at it tomorrow

Erik–

16

Update 2/3/15

Day 2/20
1,000/10,000 swings in the books

50, 50
50, 50*
50, 50*
50, 50*
50, 50*

total time 61min

*somewhere between 251 and 500 i lost count of sets…i’m pretty sure i actually did 550 today…no idea how i lost track, well, outside of not marking them down

but, yeah, pushed it hard today to get the sets of 50 in…gotta admit, the last 10 of 400, 450 and 500, i thought my legs were going to give out on me

took me longer between sets to recover physically…heart rate stayed in the 180s for much of the hour

things to work on would be faster recovery between sets…first 100 was done in 5:45…got lazy with the last 400…sets of 100 were taking over 10min…gotta cut that crap out

post-workout shake then dinner

have a blessed night, everybody

Erik–

17

Update 2/5/15

Day 3/20
1,500/10,000 done in 54min (-7 from Day2)

50, 50
50, 50
50, 50
50, 50
50, 50

straight up 500 tonight…no, allegedly, missed sets this time

feeling better, conditioning-wise

put 4min on timer between sets and cut off 8min or so off previous set…not sure i can cut any more time off recovery than that, yet

post-workout drink then figure out what to do for dinner…hate it when i don’t have it already figured out

be blessed

Erik–
‘For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life’ – John 3:16

18

Update 2/6/15

Day 4/20
2,000/10,000 swings done

50, 50
50, 50
50, 50
50, 50
50, 50

59min

found out i was doing the movement too squat-y and not enough hip bend…so, set the legs, knees slightly bent, tightened core, and did all the work with the hip motion…did get a lot more height in the swings tonight with less effort, i guess is a way to describe it

lower back feels like it just got ran over…and over…not in a bad way/pulled a muscle bad way; but just in a “got a lot of work done” kind of way

really feeling the conditioning coming together…took 4min rests between each 50 but that was mostly cause i was preoccupied with something else…probably could have gotten away with < 4min…that’s a goal, to have rest < 4min

anyhow, recovery drink and then dinner

Erik–
“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” - 2 Corinthians 10:17-18

19

I think kettlebell swinging is more complicated than initially appears. Did someone correct your form?

20

[quote]kpsnap wrote:
I think kettlebell swinging is more complicated than initially appears. Did someone correct your form?[/quote]

i was watching some of the videos from the articles here on T-Nation and noticed they weren’t squatting any, but bending

as i think back to monday and tuesday and thursday, it makes sense that my legs were so fried by the end…i was squatting more than bending…my thrust was coming from the squat coming up than the bend coming forward

i wasn’t going down but a little; but, that little bit was a huge difference…last night felt really good…i wasn’t as dead to the world when i was done