Just looking to log progress, training notes, and have some form of accountability. People are watching gotta get my ass in gear. I’ll update the log once a week because i have a long commute to and from work, and time is usually pretty sparse during the week.
Notes-
For the past 5 weeks been running Alan’s Dad Program, and i am enjoying the added volume. I have really been doing my best to get my rest periods under control (3 min minimum) by using a timer and have my sessions down to 1-1.25 hours. This week onward I will be upping my GPP with some form of LSS or HIIT 2-3 times a week with daily step goals, i am fairly sedentary through the day. Currently weigh in at 215lbs with a 41inch waist. Shooting for 200-205lbs by June.
Currently dealing with several injuries:
Sprained left ankle since feb. Hurt my ankle because my feet are flat and i am prone to injuring that foot (this is a yearly thing now that i think about it). I was not prepared for a long hike and over did the stress to my left foot. Noticeable swelling and pain when walking on the medial side. Swelling seems to be really local as my feet look the same except in that particular spot. I was taking pain meds for the past 6 weeks and have stopped since I was developing bowel issues aka constipation and ibuprofen can cause constipation i think. Pain is a lot more manageable now but i am having to reduce intensity on deadlift and deadlift in squat shoes for added ankle support. No flares of pain while squatting.
Right elbow pain (from squatting need to stop flaring elbows) pain had dissipated a few weeks ago but i have dropped my cue of elbows tight when squatting will implement again soon.
Pain in my right hamstring when squatting. This injury is new and at first i thought it was my glute, since at the bottom of the squat my butt feels like it hurts. During this week i have noticed tenderness in my hamstring just below the butt and dissipates into the hamstring. Sometimes i do shift weight at the bottom of the squat and that could be a contributing factor.
Log for the week:
D1 - Squat and Bench 6 reps @ RPE 7, 8, 9 follow by 18 reps at 70% e1rm; Pin press at chin 30reps over 6 min
D2- Deadlift 6 reps @ RPE 7, 8, 9 follow by 18 reps at 70% e1rm; SPOTO BP 8 reps @ RPE 7, 8, 9, 7, 7; Tempo Squat 303 30 reps over 6 min
D3 - Pause HB Squat & Board BP 8 reps @ RPE 7, 8, 9, 7, 7; Seated Press 30 reps over 6 min
D4 - SLDL & Incline Bench 8 reps @ RPE 7, 8, 9, 7, 7; BB row 30 reps 6 min.
E1RM Squat - 389; Bench 297; Deadlift 530
GPP - stationary bike
4 min @ RPE 8 3 min rest 4 rounds,
2 * 30 min @ RPE 6
5 min ab wheel
Week 6 was a low stress week so most session would last around 40min. Which was nice for the added time i got for the day. Over all a nice week were i definitely felt less in a hurry and less stress for the training week, I would rate the week at RPE 5.5. I did switch my D3 and D4 around mostly because i wasn’t sure how my ankle would feel post SLDL, i will talk about this more in my injury section, and I was going to be doing a lot of walking over the weekend, planning for my wedding later this year and visiting the last bit of vendors. The other scheduling issue i had was a party Friday night, which is usually my last training day, so i moved that day to Saturday morning. Training in the morning was different but not too bad, I did feel a bit sluggish at first but once i got moving my fatigue dissipated. Current weight is 214lbs with a 40.75 inch waist, not much of a drop but it was nice to see my numbers go down.
Injuries.
Ankle has improved, Tuesdays deadlift session was a little jarring and i was limping a bit Wednesday, but for my Thursdays SLDL session my ankle felt great. I have been walking fine over this weekend which is a bit surprising because the weight and volume of my SLDL session was higher than my deadlift session. I am still deadlifting in squat shoes for added ankle support.
Elbow pain has almost completely gone away, i guess i needed to write about it and get my head to focus in on the issue. I will still update on my elbow in the coming weeks.
Like the elbow focusing in on the issue seemed to help a lot. My hamstring is no longer hurting and all signs of pain have dissipated.
Tweaked my right wrist while pressing, the out side portion was tender and sore, but after a good nights rest the tenderness has since gone away.
Log of the week:
D1 - Squat and Bench 6 reps @ RPE 7, 8, 9; Pin press at chin 30reps over 6 min
D2- Deadlift 6 reps @ RPE 7, 8, 9; SPOTO BP 8 reps @ RPE 7, 8, 9; Tempo Squat 303 25 reps over 6 min
D3 - Pause HB Squat & Board BP 8 reps @ RPE 7, 8, 9; Seated Press 30 reps over 6 min
D4 - SLDL & Incline Bench 8 reps @ RPE 7, 8, 9; BB row 30 reps 6 min.
E1RM Squat - 389; Bench 297; Deadlift 525
GPP - stationary bike
20 sec @ RPE 8 1.67 min rest 9 rounds,
4 * 30 min @ RPE 6
no abs
Week 7 Really good week overall i felt good about the work outs and had no trouble with scheduling my workouts. Current weight 214 with a 40.5inch waist. Since i haven’t mentioned before, I comp squat beltless because the belt will pinch my skin and makes squating harder. I will continue to squat beltless till my waist measurement is down so i can use a belt more comfortable.
Injuries.
Ankle was doing really well, my deadlift was up to where it normally is in terms of weight and RPE, however; my fridays deficit deadlift session ended up showing me i need to stick with the extra support for my shoes. I deadlifted in flats on D4 of training and my ankle was killing me all day saturday. Took pain meds to help with theswelling, pain, and discomfort.
Elbow feels great and unless i have another episode i wont be mentioning the injury again.
Log of the week
D1 - Squat and Bench 1 rep @ RPE 7; 6 reps @ 70% 1erm for 5 sets; Pin press at shoulder 7 reps @ RPE 6, 7, 8, 8
D2- Deadlift1 rep @ RPE 7; 6 reps @ 70% 1erm for 5 sets; Pin bench 5 reps @ RPE 7, 8, 9, -10% from last set; Tempo Squat 300 7 reps @ RPE 6, 7, 8, 8
D3 - Pause Squat & Floor Press 5 reps @ RPE 7, 8, 9, -10% from last set; Press 7 reps @ RPE 6, 7, 8, 8 D4 - Deficit DL & CG Bench 5 reps @ RPE 7, 8, 9, -10% from last set; DB row7 reps @ RPE 6, 7, 8, 8.
E1RM: Squat 408; Bench 296; Deadlift 570
GPP - Stationary Bike
20 sec @ RPE 8 100sec @ RPE 5 9 rounds
4 min @ RPE 8 3 min @ RPE 6 5 rounds
4*25 min @ RPE 6
Week 8 - Went into week 8 feeling like it was going to be a great week, but did not turn out as well. Ive been dealing with digestive issues and for whatever reason i bloated up a lot this week. My average weight for the week was still 214 but i had weight lows of 211. My next step with that is to cut out whey from my diet which is not ideal but that is next step. By the end of the week i was feeling overwhelmed and distraught from the bloating and ankle pain. I ended up missing a day of lifting but I am feeling a lot more confident going into week 9. Waist still holding at 40.5.
Injuries.
Ankle has been killing me all week, i decided to start wearing ankle braces till my foot is feeling back to normal and isnt looking like a balloon. The braces came in at the end of the week and have seemed to help with minimizing the swelling from moving around all day. I am thinking that i may have stressed the swollen part of my ankle so could be a few more weeks of added support needed.
Back has some discomfort along the sides of the spine, basically that the muscles are tensing when i bend over. No real pain or major discomfort but has been feeling like this the last few days so maybe an injury but not really sure as of now. I am very fortunate when it comes to back injuries because, at least the way i feel, they are very minor at best.
Week 9 – This went really well; I was a little fatigued on D2 but that’s hardly an issue as I was able to do my prescribed volume for the week. The biggest difference for me as I near the end of the Dad program is the extra volume on the 3rd exercise is adding a good 20-30 minutes. Work outs have been taking me around 1.5-1.75 hours. Weight is 213lbs and waist 40in.
Injuries.
Ankle has improved a lot, even when I lift heavy weight, but I do need to have a brace on for now. The ankle brace helps a lot with supporting the swollen part of my foot, and my foot is starting to look more like my other. Swelling has been going down and my levels of pain are also decreasing. Lastly, I hardly limp while walking, used to be I would limp for a bit especially when sitting down for a while.
Back has felt pretty good this last week no real issues
Training has been difficult the last few weeks. Work has been hectic and that has bleed over to my personal time. Missed 2 days on week 11. Weight is going well however 211lbs 40inch waist.
Injuries.
Ankle flared up in week 10 so I am going to stall out the deadlift till i can tolerate more weight. Will definitely drop the intensity and keep the volume consistent in coming weeks.
Really have dialed in my training time and exercise routine. Minimizing my rest periods and getting in and out of the gym with 1.5 hours. Scheduling wise i have to split my 3 day as Mon, Tue, Thurs to make sure i have enough time to spend with family. I am starting my cut to 195, currently at 214. I know it is the holidays but I dont think that will be a problem as i plan on just making the diet work.
This weeks training session has been going really well, I have been able to maintain my 20-25 min per exercise. The hardest part was deadlifts, the load makes the lift taxing, so i will usually take a 5 min break in between sets as opposed to the usual 2-3min. Plan on doing my GPP over the weekend.
Training has been smooth as usual, still find deadlifts taxing, but the coming micro cycle will focus on heavy singles so that might help with my time on deadlifts. GPP went well, i am starting to temper my foot for more intense activity, as my ankle has a tendency to swell. i am starting at 6 rounds of 20 sec sprints. Weight is creeping down and i think ill be able to make it through xmas with some weight loss as opposed to gain. currently at 210lbs.
Making good progress made some adjustments to my exercise selection. Been feeling tired more in the afternoon, my typical work out time, so i have been dropping of the 4th exercise will probably reintroduce mid block to maintain the higher volume. still holding strong at 210 but will be making dietary adjustments to get back into weight loss. GPP planed for the tail end of the week. lastly longer breaks for deadlift have seemed to help with my mid workout fatigue, i think i underestimate how taxing the weight can be because with my squat and bench there is no problem.
Feeling good with progress and maintaining my weight loss thus far, 208. Foot was a little aggravated but ended up being ok. Decided to maintain this block as is, no adding of volume, and will see how i progress. Looking to train calfs a bit and implement more arm and abs training, all that secondary to my main training volume. No GPP, and i don’t feel bad about that! Still trying to maintain a high step count 8000+ steps with more emphasis on non training days 10000+. This is going to be a tough week for training, I am not really seeing a time that i will be able to train for the 3rd session.