#drizzt

[Big john]

:pfft: :pfft: :pfft: :pfft: Mean avatar bro

[drizzt]

8)

[drizzt]

23.08.11 - Conditioning

102 today - but that was with shoes, hoody etc on. Without that I think I'm slightly over 100. Been on 99 for most of the past week on the home scales.

• Squats (sets, reps, weights)
  bar
  1 x 6 @ 60kg
  1 x 6 @ 80kg
  1 x 6 @ 100kg
  1 x 6 @ 120kg
  3 x 10 @ 130kg
  
• Bench
  bar
  1 x 6 @ 60kg
  3 x 10 @ 80kg
  
• Power Cleans
  3 x 8 @ bar
  
• Dips
  3 x 8 @ bw

Comments

• Easing back into it today after a pretty rough sickness. Felt pretty good barring a lingering cough that gets caught in the chest every so often.
  For the next couple of weeks of conditioning, I'll be doing the 5x5 program, just with weights that are slightly less than the first week for a few sets of 8-10. The idea is to hit the ground running and the first week of 5s should be a piece of piss.
  Squats actually felt really good... well, for the first set at 130 anyway. Muscles getting sore quickly, and laziness - or just a lack of conditioning - made the final 2 sets harder than they should've been. Still, no belt or anything, first squat session for a week, so happy to come in from what has been a fairly large break from "real" squatting and knock out a few sets of 10, completely raw at this weight.
  Bench was much the same, just need to get back into the groove. That's what these conditioning weeks are for.
  Nothing much else to say!

Back in on Thurs.

[drizzt]

25.08.11 - Conditioning

100.2 today. Very sore from Tuesday's workout! One of those days where each time you get up from the desk, you have to walk verrrrry slowly the first 10 meters, just to get the initial "limping" phase out of the way :pfft:

• Squats (sets, reps, weights)
  bar
  1 x 10 @ 60kg
  1 x 6 @ 80kg
  1 x 5 @ 100kg
  
• Push Press
  3 x 10 @ 40kg
  
• Deadlift
  bar (deadlift stretches)
  1 x 5 @ 70kg
  1 x 5 @ 100kg
  1 x 5 @ 120kg
  1 x 5 @ 140kg
  
• Chins
  3 x 6 @ bw

Comments

• Squats felt powerful, but like the last time I came into squats with this sort of soreness, it started straying from DOMS and "verging on injury soreness" in a couple of areas (adductors, knee, and lower back in particular), so I pulled up sooner than I had hoped.
  Deads were much the same, although I didn't want to go much higher on these today. The lower back was quite sore and with the major leg DOMS thrown into the mix, I was finding it hard to crouch to the bar like I usually would. So ended up pretty much stiff-legging all of the reps
  Feel better for having gone in anyway. All weights are pretty light this week, good to get the DOMS out of the way now...

[runveerun]

Welcome back Drizzt how was Vegas?

[mike27]

thx drizzt

jumped training cycles?

i was doing hypertrophy for a good 3-4months. then did sheiko 29,test 1rms and then did sheiko #32, which was too much volume for me ill admit.

now im doing a basic 4day calorie decifit for while. 5more weeks is planned, maybe longer if needed.

I thought smolov would be great to increase my squat and add in

chest,back,bi,tri,shoulders,core after the squats each prescribed session?

i plan on doing sheiko 29 again after smolov, then 29,32 togther.

what are some other templates/programs that you would reccomend for me?

thanks a lot in advance

[crazyfacials]

random question bro, are you going to tech-ed? I had a ticket for yesterday's techfest but being behind in assignments I couldn't make it

[drizzt]

Welcome back Drizzt how was Vegas?

Freakin awesome! They've got lots of chucks there, whenever I saw a sparkly pair I thought "Vee would love this!" - took a couple of photos of some shoe stores, I'll post up at some point for ya 8)

But yep, it has given me a bit of a travel bug, I'm already looking at the next destination(s) :grin:

[drizzt]

thx drizzt

jumped training cycles?

i was doing hypertrophy for a good 3-4months. then did sheiko 29,test 1rms and then did sheiko #32, which was too much volume for me ill admit.

now im doing a basic 4day calorie decifit for while. 5more weeks is planned, maybe longer if needed.

Hey Mike, yeah I didn't mean anything bad by it - just seemed you went from a standard kinda routine, to Sheiko for a cycle, then off Sheiko to another standard routine (to cut down?), now looking to move to Smolov. Not saying it's bad, just didn't appear to me as though you had tried to give something a good shot.

I thought smolov would be great to increase my squat and add in

chest,back,bi,tri,shoulders,core after the squats each prescribed session?

You'd think so - but the reality is often different! After the squat sessions, usually I just wanted to sleep :pfft: We did agile 8 and shoulder warmups before each visit to the squat rack, and just warmups + squats would set us back an hour or so. Some sessions would run up to 1.5hours (there was two of us though) - and then add your assistance onto that.

But you're on the right track, it'll depend on what kind of workload you can handle, and everybody is different. We managed to run a low template bench prog alongside Smolov, my TP did really well and his bench went up a good 5-7.5kg. Mine stayed about the same :pfft: I'd definitely reccommend some sort of assistance alongside the squats though.

i plan on doing sheiko 29 again after smolov, then 29,32 togther.

what are some other templates/programs that you would reccomend for me?

thanks a lot in advance

What attracted me to Smolov (and templates of this intensity) is that they're hard, and they get results. It sounds hardcore on paper, but the reality is it takes lots of random soreness and long sessions to finish I'm past the "newbie" gains that guys like yourself can still expect, so I'm going for these difficult templates because that's where I get my good gains... and I love the intensity :rockout:

The reason I'm trying to deter you from it, is you don't need to resort to something like this just yet. You can take a (comparatively easier) template such as a beginners-intermediate 5x5, and get the same kind of gains that I got from Smolov. And then do Smolov later on (when things start to stall) and get the good gains again.

As for what I'd reccommend - if you really want a taste of Smolov, do the "Junior" template. It is still tough, but will give you a taste of what you can expect from the full Smolov ride. Run them back to back if you want, as it's only a 3-week template.

Aside from that, 5 x 5 is always good - I'll be using an advanced template for the next 13 weeks or so, working in a couple of assistance days around it.

Otherwise, why not just ride a few Sheiko cycles out? The Dave Bates RV 12-13 weeker is a good one, I got decent gains from that (although my squat didn't respond well, hence resorting to Smolov!)

But look, if you're set on Smolov, then give it a whirl, and best of luck with it Just stick to the template and let it do it's thing.

Either way man look forward to what you do, and let me know if you have any other questions.

[drizzt]

random question bro, are you going to tech-ed? I had a ticket for yesterday's techfest but being behind in assignments I couldn't make it

Would've loved to, but I'm not in Auckland :cry:

[mike27]

thanks drizzt, all good points! i switched to cal decifit to drop some BF before i get back into a clean bulk with sheiko,5x5. (ill leave smolov untill later on)

yeah sheiko gave me great results in strength!! personally i just want to be lean and start fresh on #29 and run a few rounds on that, in prep for a lift comp this time next year or so

yeah ill be starting agile 8,simple 6 and foam rollering/stretching soon too.

i do like the 'template' programs as they show u exatly what weight,reps etc to do and you can make progress thru the weeks of training as long as you stick with it :nod:

cheers

[runveerun]

Welcome back Drizzt how was Vegas?

Freakin awesome! They've got lots of chucks there, whenever I saw a sparkly pair I thought "Vee would love this!" - took a couple of photos of some shoe stores, I'll post up at some point for ya 8)

But yep, it has given me a bit of a travel bug, I'm already looking at the next destination(s) :grin:

OOoo I'd love to see pics of more sparkly chucks! 8)

Travel bug is contagious I got bit once and didn't come back to NZ for 11 years - I only went to go OS for 3 months :shock:

[drizzt]

OOoo I'd love to see pics of more sparkly chucks! 8)

Travel bug is contagious I got bit once and didn't come back to NZ for 11 years - I only went to go OS for 3 months :shock:

Sweet will chuck em up next time I have the camera connected 8)

Haha I'm not planning on going that long, but then, those things are never really planned are they :shifty:

27.08.2011 - More conditioning

99.5 today.

• Squats (sets, reps, weights)
  bar
  1 x 10 @ 60kg
  1 x 10 @ 80kg
  1 x 10 @ 100kg
  1 x 8 @ 120kg
  1 x 8 @ 140kg (b)
  1 x 10 @ 100kg
  
• Bench
  1 x 10 @ 60kg
  1 x 8 @ 80kg
  1 x 8 @ 90kg
  
• Turkish Get-ups
  1 x 5/ps @ 10lb
  2 x 5/ps @ 20lb
  
• Band Crunches
  3 x 10(1sec pause) @ green band

Comments

• Squats felt powerful today, still keeping below the starting weight though. Threw on the belt for the 140s just because I haven't done so for a little while. Felt good.
  Bench felt pretty good as well, here's hoping the shoulder troubles are out of the way, as the setup feels really strong right now.
  First go at Turkish Get-ups, I think I was doing them half-right until OB comes up and tells me you need to do the "get-up" bit in reverse (I was just sitting down and adjusting position on the floor). Ah well will learn. Cool exercise!

Probably back in tomorrow for some assistance, should have a TP back next week so some kind of normal routine should resume.

[runveerun]

[*]Turkish Get-ups

1 x 5/ps @ 10lb

2 x 5/ps @ 20lb

They are a cool exercise! What did you do them with? I have seen them with a bar (I think) You must use just about every muscle doing these they look tricky!

[MARS]

Are you doing the Bill Starr Power Routine - http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Bill_Starr_5x5 - or some variation bro? I was going to jump on it after Starting Strength, it looks awesome.

[drizzt]

I'm doing this one - really just a bit of a variation on the 5x5 template, that heads into triples in the latter weeks of the program (which appeals). Couple of guys from my gym have had really good success on it, so thought I'd try my hand at it :nod:

[Big john]

when does 5x5 kick off bro?

[OnlyHuman]

I'm doing this one - really just a bit of a variation on the 5x5 template, that heads into triples in the latter weeks of the program (which appeals). Couple of guys from my gym have had really good success on it, so thought I'd try my hand at it :nod:

I had a quick look. Looks really interesting!

Too advanced for me at this stage, but I like the Madcow version! Indeed it is getting under my skin :pfft:

I like reading your journal, always pick up some good ideas :wink:

[drizzt]

They are a cool exercise! What did you do them with? I have seen them with a bar (I think) You must use just about every muscle doing these they look tricky!

Oo sorry Vee, I missed this one! I used a Dumbbell, as I've only really seen examples of it done with kettlebells so it was the easiest to transfer across. Would be interested to see how one with a barbell looks though!

And yep, they were pretty tough, and I was just using kid weights :pfft:

when does 5x5 kick off bro?

Next week. Would start now, but gotta time the run for Bbro :nod: Will be adding a week or two at the end as it is! :pfft:

I had a quick look. Looks really interesting!

Too advanced for me at this stage, but I like the Madcow version! Indeed it is getting under my skin :pfft:

I like reading your journal, always pick up some good ideas :wink:

Thanks bro! I dunno if it's too advanced for anyone, I think the "advanced" tag comes from the idea that gains are expected to be lower for the amount of work you put in. Whereas the "beginner" templates, yeah you still put in a bit of work, but you expect a lot of gain out of it being a newby. So this is slightly more complicated, for less (expected) reward...

... I still intend to milk what I can out of it, though :grin:

[drizzt]

30.08.11 - Conditioning

101.6 today, boom! That's a good couple kilo in a couple days, thought I was looking a tad leaner but maybe not! :pfft:

• Squats (sets, reps, weights)
  bar
  1 x 8 @ 60kg
  1 x 6 @ 100kg
  1 x 3 @ 120kg
  3 x 8 @ 140kg (b)
  1 x 10 @ 100kg
  
• Bench
  bar
  1 x 10 @ 60kg
  3 x 8 @ 80kg
  
• Power Cleans
  3 x 3 @ 40kg
  
• Dips
  3 x 6 @ +5kg

Comments

• Squats felt crap today - there goes my "when I'm heavier, I squat better" theory! Squats on Saturday @ a bw of 99 felt way better than today @ 101.
  Was always targetting 3 x 8 @ 140 as the top sets today, because it should still be a really easily achievable weight for me, but after the warmups felt a little weak, I was a tad doubtful... so I stuck ACDC "Back in Black" on the stereo - the initial guitar of that song always gets me in the mood to squat :rockout: Nothing quite as badass as walking to a squat rack with that intro playing 8)
  Believe it or not, I was fine from that point on, and the squats felt way better :nod: Good music makes a squat :grin:
  
• Bench is staying light, because as it is I think I'm above my starting week's weights on this :shifty: Same with Powercleans and dips! So just nailing the feel of the exercises with the lighter weights before I'm into the program.
  Powercleans in particular felt really good, feel like I've gotten a lot more powerful on these (even though it was only 40kg :shifty:)

Good workout! Didn't feel like going in beforehand, but came out feeling good.

[Dontrunwithknives]

Nice squats, do you know what your 1RM is around at the moment? And it's so true that good music can really change your mood :nod:

And nice BW, 101 and pretty lean if I remember correctly. What's your approx BF% at the moment?

[drizzt]

Nice squats, do you know what your 1RM is around at the moment? And it's so true that good music can really change your mood :nod:

And nice BW, 101 and pretty lean if I remember correctly. What's your approx BF% at the moment?

Thanks, and I hit a 240 at the end of last month (Auckland Novice Comp), although after a wee bit of a break since then, I'm a little bit weaker at the mo :pfft:

Ha I wouldn't say I'm pretty lean! Somewhere between fat and lean, probably call myself a "comfortable shape" at the moment :pfft: I had my BF done by some fancy electric method when I was 95kg (just before Smolov), and I was pretty much bang on 15% through that. I've put on +5kg since then, so I'd estimate 17-18ish % currently? (accounting for some muscle gain along with the fat from Smolov)

I carry a lot of weight in my thighs, so after Smolov put some size on the arse and legs, I wasn't at all surprised that the bodyweight went up, although the torso seems to be holding fairly steady from pre-Smolov (because I'm a bit of a weak bastard with the presses ). Maybe a bit thicker in the core from the squatting (and eating )

Nice to meet you the other day bro 8)

[Dontrunwithknives]

Nice squats, do you know what your 1RM is around at the moment? And it's so true that good music can really change your mood :nod:

And nice BW, 101 and pretty lean if I remember correctly. What's your approx BF% at the moment?

Thanks, and I hit a 240 at the end of last month (Auckland Novice Comp), although after a wee bit of a break since then, I'm a little bit weaker at the mo :pfft:

Ha I wouldn't say I'm pretty lean! Somewhere between fat and lean, probably call myself a "comfortable shape" at the moment :pfft: I had my BF done by some fancy electric method when I was 95kg (just before Smolov), and I was pretty much bang on 15% through that. I've put on +5kg since then, so I'd estimate 17-18ish % currently? (accounting for some muscle gain along with the fat from Smolov)

I carry a lot of weight in my thighs, so after Smolov put some size on the arse and legs, I wasn't at all surprised that the bodyweight went up, although the torso seems to be holding fairly steady from pre-Smolov (because I'm a bit of a weak bastard with the presses ). Maybe a bit thicker in the core from the squatting (and eating )

Nice to meet you the other day bro 8)

240 :shock: that's a nice number. Haha maybe 'pretty lean' was bad choice of words but just wanted to get across the point that your BF% didn't look very high.

OB introduced me to a few of the other guys but you were the first person I remembered from the forums :pfft: , seen a lot of your posts around. Good meeting you to, it's interesting to meet people from the forums in person and find out what they are really like.

[runveerun]

Oo sorry Vee, I missed this one! I used a Dumbbell, as I've only really seen examples of it done with kettlebells so it was the easiest to transfer across. Would be interested to see how one with a barbell looks though!

And yep, they were pretty tough, and I was just using kid weights :pfft:

It would be harder for balancing with an olympic bar too hmmmmm I found this:

[drizzt]

240 :shock: that's a nice number. Haha maybe 'pretty lean' was bad choice of words but just wanted to get across the point that your BF% didn't look very high.

OB introduced me to a few of the other guys but you were the first person I remembered from the forums :pfft: , seen a lot of your posts around. Good meeting you to, it's interesting to meet people from the forums in person and find out what they are really like.

Ha well in that case thanks! I try not to look like too much of a fat bugger :pfft:

Yeah there are a few guys (and ladies) from the forums at The House, nice little community we've going there :nod:

Shit, those barbell ones look tough Vee! I'll stick to my DB ones thanks :grin: