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44kg MP White Whale (Mass Made Simple)

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When I was running I hadn't been introduced to HR methods yet. I trained at specific paces which were calculated based on, at the time, recent race times. I think at that time I wouldn't have been patient enough to hold back and maintain MAF HR.

I've included my HR traces in the log over the last few weeks to help track and visualize progress. Are you currently doing any aerobic or 'anti-glycolytic' conditioning with kettlebells?
I was doing the Bjj swing and getup protocol, then I ran a block of 044. Currently running a Neupert program (you don’t know squat). Just dipping my toes into doubles, long way of saying, not currently.
 
I was doing the Bjj swing and getup protocol, then I ran a block of 044. Currently running a Neupert program (you don’t know squat). Just dipping my toes into doubles, long way of saying, not currently.
9 weeks of fun! Are you doing the 2.0 version?
 
Saturday 5/14/2022
BW: --
  • Pull-up: Plan Strong Custom Program - Week 6 / Session 4: NL=21, ARI=85.99%
  • Press: Plan Strong 501G - Week 6 / Session 4: NL=28, ARI=71.79%
I did this session at 6:00 AM. We had a 16th birthday party for my son and this was the only possible time to get the work in. Took a fair amount of discipline to get this done. Not much chance for recovery from the Friday session less than 12 hours prior. Birthday party eating is not particularly aligned with my nutritional goals...

Sunday 5/15/2022
BW: --
  • Walk: 45 minutes at park
  • SMR: rumble roller on standard areas...
  • Eating: fasted until about lunchtime.
 
Monday 5/16/2022
BW: 179.8

  • Snatch: Timeless Snatch: Week 32 / Episode 91. Finally made it to 10 sets of 10 = 100 reps with 26 kg. 8:46:00
  • 1652786623939.png
  • Pull-up: Plan Strong Custom Program: Week 7 / Session 1. NL=51, ARI=82.23%. No issues. These took a very long time. Session with the presses took 1 hour 30 minutes. This tested my discipline. So many sets and a 30 minute break in the middle.
  • Press: Plan Strong 501G: Week 7 / Session 1. NL=42, ARI=74.29%. Definitely the right shoulder has a mild injury. Left side feels fantastic. Right side is grinding with very mild pain, but the difference in pressing ability is now pronounced.
  • Eat: 3,000 Cal - 50% Carbs - 30% Protein - 20% Fat - fell short here. Just missed the after training shake. Finished training basically at diner time and failed to make it up before bed.
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Tuesday 5/17/2022
BW: 179.2

Rest Day
  • Park Walk at lunchtime
  • Son's 16th birthday - nutrition / macros were not the focus today... Chicken wings and bbq corn chips.
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  • Feeling a little down about what seems like a lack of progress on this plan for what has been a significant investment in time and energy. Time will tell. Test day approaches. Also a slight injury to my right shoulder which I think happened on Friday of week 5. I pushed my luck with 3x 40 kg singles and went too hard. Trying to keep things on track for this week and a taper and test next week in week 8. Need to decide on next program and if I'm going to build back the OAOLPU and elite recertify in the fall.
 
Wednesday 5/18/2022
BW: 180.8

Today's training plan....
  • Snatch - timeless snatch protocol week 32 / session 92. 10 sets of 10 swings with 36 kg. Complete in 7:15. HR was low and power was high.
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  • Press - Plan Strong 501G. Week 7, Day 2: NL=29, ARI=72.07%. Easy work which I needed. Shoulder seems to recovering. Hard to say without any reps on the 36 or 40. Friday will give me a better idea with reps on both.
  • Pull-ups - Plan Strong Custom Program. Week 7 Day 2: NL=20, ARI= 80.45%. Pull-ups felt great today.
  • Eat - 3,000 Cal - 50% Carbs - 30% Protein - 20% Fat. Missed the mark on carbs. Should have taken care of those after the session, but missed the boat.
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Thursday 5/19/2022
BW: 180.8

  • Walk - 1 loop at park during lunch
  • P3 - Phase 1/ Level 4: 15-20 reps each
  • Eat - 3,000 Cal - 50% Carbs - 30% Protein - 20% Fat. Not the best nutrition today....
  • 1653046466715.png
 
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Friday 5/20/2022
BW: 179.2
  • Snatch - Timeless snatch protocol week 32 / session 93. 10 sets of 10 snatches 26 kg. Recover to HR 140 before next set. Completed in 8:30. HR monitor malfunctioned so I don't have a good HR trace to add here. I think I need to wet the electrodes better? Will check battery before next session.
  • Press - Plan Strong 501G - Week 7 Day 3. NL=13, ARI=75.38% - These were fine. Right shoulder definitely feeling better with each session. No issues with the 40 kg singles. Loaded cleans done with 'cheat clean'.
  • Pull-up - Plan Strong Custom Program - Week 7 Day 3. NL=7, ARI=85.55%. Easy work.
  • Eat - 3,000 Cal - 50% Carbs - 30% Protein - 20% Fat.
 
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Monday 5/23/2022
BW: 178.2
  • Snatch - Timeless snatch protocol week 33 / session 94. 10 sets of 10 snatches 26 kg. Recover to HR 140 before next set. 8:45 today.
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  • Press - Plan Strong 501G - Week 8 Day 1. Test week! Significant Taper this week. NL=20, ARI=74.50%. Felt, just ok.
  • Pull-up - Plan Strong Custom Program - Week 8 Day 1. More taper here too. NL=23, ARI=81.11%. No problems
  • Eat - 3,000 Cal - 50% Carbs - 30% Protein - 20% Fat. Busy today. Fell off on the nutrition a bit.
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Tuesday 5/24/2022
BW: 179.0

Today's training plan..

Rest Day..
  • Short walk
  • Easy Get-ups
  • P3
  • SRM
  • Eat - 3,000 Cal - 50% Carbs - 30% Protein - 20% Fat.
 
Wednesday 5/25/2022
BW:180.2
Taper before test
Snatch - Taper no swings.

Press - Plan Strong 501G - Week 8 / Day 2: NL=13 ARI=72.31%
Pull-up - Plan Strong Custom Program - Week 8 / Day 2: NL=12 ARI=79.92%

Thursday 5/26/2022
BW:177.8
Rest Day


Friday 5/27/2022
BW:178.2

Test Day...

No Snatches before the testing

Plan Strong 501G Press Test: 40 kg x 1@ solid single with good tempo. Did not require 100% effort. Not even close to pressing 44kg. Possibly less close than when I started this plan. I followed this plan with 100% compliance. Every session, every rep, every rest, every 30+ minute break exactly as prescribed.

Pull-up Test: +40 kg pull-up. This was a lifetime PR. At the start of this 8-week plan my 1RM was 32 kg. Previous PR was +36kg, but at a lighter BW. Clear progress was made on this plan. I was feeling exceptionally strong in the warm-up and on the Wednesday taper session. The +36kg pull-up was surprisingly easy so I went for the +40kg and got it.
 
Wednesday 5/25/2022
BW:180.2
Taper before test
Snatch - Taper no swings.

Press - Plan Strong 501G - Week 8 / Day 2: NL=13 ARI=72.31%
Pull-up - Plan Strong Custom Program - Week 8 / Day 2: NL=12 ARI=79.92%

Thursday 5/26/2022
BW:177.8
Rest Day


Friday 5/27/2022
BW:178.2

Test Day...

No Snatches before the testing

Plan Strong 501G Press Test: 40 kg x 1@ solid single with good tempo. Did not require 100% effort. Not even close to pressing 44kg. Possibly less close than when I started this plan. I followed this plan with 100% compliance. Every session, every rep, every rest, every 30+ minute break exactly as prescribed.

Pull-up Test: +40 kg pull-up. This was a lifetime PR. At the start of this 8-week plan my 1RM was 32 kg. Previous PR was +36kg, but at a lighter BW. Clear progress was made on this plan. I was feeling exceptionally strong in the warm-up and on the Wednesday taper session. The +36kg pull-up was surprisingly easy so I went for the +40kg and got it.
Nice work! Sorry the press plan didn’t turn out as you were hoping.
 
Nice work! Sorry the press plan didn’t turn out as you were hoping.
Thanks. I consider it a success if I complete a plan with 100% compliance. I had been pressing pretty hard (pun intended) since early October so I was pretty far into the diminishing returns zone. I learned a lot on this plan. I think the next Plan Strong I will run for pressing will have lower volume and higher ARI%. Got to dial it in!
 
What is ARI%?
ARI= Average Relative Intensity.

Example: say your 1RM is 40 kg and your session consists of the following 43 lifts:
24kgx5 = 120kg
28kgx10 = 280kg
32kgx18 = 576kg
36kgx8 = 288kg
40kgx2 = 80kg

So your average rep = (120+280+576+288+80)kg / 43 lifts = 31.26kg average

Divide that average rep mass by your 1RM to get the session's ARI = 31.26/40 = 78.14%

With the Plan Strong system programs are developed base on a total number of lifts (NL) and a target ARI for 4 week programming block. The volume and number of lifts are varied separately over the 4 weeks (so intensity and volume are decoupled). The number of lifts in various % of your rep max are distributed based on personal experience on the higher percentage side and with the rest of the percentage categories being assigned the number of lifts required to hit the plan's target ARI...

So based on the number of lifts you assign to your 4 week block, the target ARI and the number of lifts you assign at >90% of your 1RM you can end up with very different looking programs. On top of that there are a large number of ways (variants) that can be used to distribute the total volume of lifts and the volume of higher percentage ARI lifts over the 4 week blocks. There are additional considerations for the number of reps you assign to a set, number of lifts you can assign to a given session, number of session per week, etc.

All this is to say that it's a process to get these plans dialed in based on how you respond as an individual and based on what you have been doing in terms of volume and intensity in the month before one of these plans is run. At this point for me it's trail and error.

Hope this makes sense!
 
Next Program will be Dan Jon's Mass Made Simple. I've been stalking this program for over a year and the time is right to give it a shot. I will be running this program with my 16 year old son. I'm using this as an "off-season" program as a break from pull-up and MP focused programs. I will use this time as a break from snatching and swings as well. I like (on paper) many aspects of this program and I'm excited to see how it plays out over the next 6 weeks. Ideally I would add 5 or so quality pounds to my frame - targeting 185.

For the nutrition piece, rather than try to track macros and hit targets, I'm going to have a more relaxed approach and just eat like a maniac, but in accordance with Dan Jon's guidance ... "eat like an adult". Gradually introducing the weekly food tweaks included in the program will be challenging for me (challenging to not adapt them all at once). I will be taking the following initial steps for week No. 1.
  • Adding a morning meal before I leave the house for work
  • Swapping out mid-morning PB toast for a PB&J and an apple
  • Doubling my vegetable intake
  • Consistently having a shake after work on non-training days and immediately after training sessions


Monday 5/30/2022
BW: 178.4
Week 1
Training Day 1 of 14
Mostly a break-in type session.

Comprehensive warm-up is very different that what I have been doing.

Finding appropriate weights and getting accustomed to for the following:
  • Bench-press - I worked up to 185 over seven sets of 5. I will use 165 for my "comfortable set of 5". Shoulder on the right side not happy about benching...
  • Batwings - settled on 2x 20kg. This may prove to be too heavy, but the 16's were too light.
  • Kettlebell Military Press - settled on 28kg. Was surprised at how challenging there were after the benching.. 28 felt like a 36.
  • Bird-dogs - nothing new for me here.
  • Barbell Complex - started with the empty bar as prescribed then moved to 75 and then 95 for the last set. Easy work.
  • High Rep Squats - set of 30 back squats with 95 pounds was amazingly difficult.

Tuesday 5/31/2022
BW: 179.8
Rest Day

Helllllloooooo squat soreness...

Wednesday 6/1/2022
BW: 179.4
Recharge Day

"hair of the dog recharge"
  • 30 minute walk
  • 30 minutes of simple movement, SMR, stretching, P3 phase 1 level 4, prying goblet squats, light kb pressing
Thursday 6/2/2022
BW: 179.6
Week 1
Training Day 2 of 14

This session took me and my son 2 hours to complete. Finished at 7PM and was actually so stimulated that I had trouble eating and falling asleep at 10:30PM.
  • Warm-up:
    • 5 minutes of alternating between jump rope and light two-arm swings
    • SMR with rumble roller
    • Static stretching
    • Prying goblet squats
  • 2 rounds of 2-3-5 sets on the bench. Between 2 and 3 minutes rest b/w sets.
  • 10x 5 second holds on the batwings
  • 2 rounds of 2-3-5 on the KB MP. Limited rest here (<2 min). Completed one arm before the other side. Right shoulder cranky.
  • 2 sets of 10 on the bird-dogs. Alternating sides.
  • 5 rounds on the barbell complex: 75, 95, 115, 115, 115. Considerably more difficult at 115 vs 95
  • 2 sets of 30 rep for the back squats. Again, amazingly difficult. Totally fried.
Friday 6/3/2022
BW: 179.8
Rest Day
 
Sunday 6/5/2022
BW:182.0
Week 1
Training Day 3 of 14

Completed the program as written. Difficult but doable. I'm really enjoying the way my body is responding to this program.

Wednesday 6/8/2022

BW:180.2
Week 2
Training Day 4 of 14

Tested Positive for COVID this morning. Unable to train today. I did the warm-up and some P3 work. Training today would have been a mistake. The plan as of now is to completely skip day 4 and continue by picking up day 5 on Saturday.


Saturday 6/11/2022

BW:180.2
Week 2
Training Day 5 of 14

Able to train today with slight modifications to the training program. Playing it safe to ensure adequate recovery.
  • I reduced the load on the barbell complex from 115 to 95lbs
  • I broke the final set of 30 rep squats into sets of 10
  • I did not attempt the higher weight set of 15 squats
I was pretty beat after completing this session... Right shoulder still providing not so positive feedback.



Tuesday 6/14/2022

BW:179.8
Week 3
Training Day 6 of 14

  • Was feeling exceptionally strong on the Bench sets before I realized I had mistakenly used the starting weight instead of the heavier target weight. I decided to stay with it because it just felt so good.
  • Batwings with the 20ks were fine. Getting a good squeeze.
  • Right shoulder felt better during the KB MP sets. More lat and ulnar extension seem to reduce the irritation.
  • Kept the barbell complex at 95lbs for the 5 rounds. This was more than enough load. Actually got pretty difficult in the 5th round.
  • Birddogs fine with 2 sets of 20 on each side
  • I was pretty fried when I started the high-rep squats. On the last "to 50" series I used 5 sets of 10. That was honestly the best I could do today.
  • Again, I was doing this "I-go-you-go" with my son. It took us almost 3 hours to complete. It didn't seem that long, but when you add it up it's an insane number of fairly demanding sets each requiring at least a short rest.
    • 10 sets of BP (not including 3 warm up sets)
    • 5 rounds of bat wings
    • 9 set of kb MP - and that's a set for each arm. You complete a 2-3-5 ladder on one side before you move to the other arm so time wise its almost like 18 sets (not including 2 warm up sets)
    • 2 sets of 20 birddogs each side - 4 sets
    • 5 rounds of barbell complex
    • Toady's high rep squats amounted to 8 sets including warm up
  • I've been very consistent with the weekly nutrition tweaks. Weight took a dip due to the covid, but I think after today I'll be close to back at the pre-covid weight. Also my wife is giving me good, unsolicited feedback on physique changes.
 
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