all posts post new thread

Always Be Smashing

So... today, I totally won an argument on the internet! I reached out from the keyboard, and touched the souls of my opposition. At least, that's what I'm going to keep telling myself.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about... well, good on you, you are likely happier for it. But, I will say this: I subscribe to the idea that the soul is not given, but earned through difficult contemplation, rather than repetition of dogma. Engagement with your fellow man is often the most significant driver of contemplation, if you actually engage.

When your values are challenged, you have three fundamental possible responses: retreat, rage or engage. Only one of those roads leads to progress.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled smashing.
 
I decided on Wednesday that I just needed a day off - not light lifts, no mobility, nothing. So of course, I felt amazing the next day. Really need to schedule more time off for myself, it works


06/11 06:30

Trifecta
Shoulder sequence

06/11 16:30

Cossack shoulder dislocates 2x8
KB snatch 10x5 36
SQT 3x3 305#
KB press 7x2 36
Pullups 7x2 25#
Grip circuit x3

HRP 3x16
LTK 3x5
SL calf raise 3x8
EOD stretching sequence x1

EDIT: fixed squat reps
 
Last edited:
WhatWouldHulkDo said:
I decided on Wednesday that I just needed a day off - not light lifts, no mobility, nothing. So of course, I felt amazing the next day. Really need to schedule more time off for myself, it works
Click to expand...
I am seriously thinking about going fully variable with everything I am doing other other than the weekly 5x5 presses and the morning recharge. Right now I am currently rolling the dice for volume of both runs and Q&D but on the scheduled days. What if I let the schedule be determined by the dice too? Somedays do a lot. Most-days in between. Some days just take off. I am sure I would actually get more days off this way.
 
Tim Randolph said:
I am seriously thinking about going fully variable with everything I am doing other other than the weekly 5x5 presses and the morning recharge. Right now I am currently rolling the dice for volume of both runs and Q&D but on the scheduled days. What if I let the schedule be determined by the dice too? Somedays do a lot. Most-days in between. Some days just take off. I am sure I would actually get more days off this way.
Click to expand...

Ha, interesting idea - let fate dictate days off. You could do something where you skewed the statistics a little based on what happened last time. If yesterday was a light day, make it more likely that today will be a heavy day. If yesterday was a heavy day, make it more likely that today is a rest day. The "don't repeat the day before" idea already does a little of that.

The whole random training idea really adds some aspect of "excitement", almost, to training, since you're never 100% sure what you're going to do. I suspect, though, that it's really best suited to conditioning pursuits. It makes a lot of sense for things like Q&D or A&A training - I wonder if it might even be a reasonable approach to LED running volume. But, I suspect that for max strength, there needs to be more of a progressive overload planning - starting "easy", ramping gradually towards the limits, and backing down and doing it again. So, like you said, keep the presses on a more fixed schedule.
 
I wonder if Tour de France riders and similar athletes train according to chance, or if they train based upon recovery? :cool:
 
offwidth said:
I wonder if Tour de France riders and similar athletes train according to chance, or if they train based upon recovery? :cool:
Click to expand...

Well, sure - randomization probably isn't a great approach to building towards a competition.

But, what about as base building? I kind of think A&A as base building with a kettlebell (power base, rather than cardiac capacity), and that's definitely got a component of variability, though it's not quite "by the dice". Seems like the concept might work in other base building domains.
 
Yeah... I really can't disagree with a certain amount of randomness built into training. (It is how the universe works after all...) But at the same time one has to be recovered enough for a training session to be effective and provide benefit.
 
offwidth said:
Yeah... I really can't disagree with a certain amount of randomness built into training. (It is how the universe works after all...) But at the same time one has to be recovered enough for a training session to be effective and provide benefit.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this is the trick - putting the right bounds on the randomization to match recovery. The heavy/high-volume days have to be hard enough to spur some change. The light/low-volume days have to be easy enough to recover. The delta-20 principle seems to be a StrongFirst favorite on that. Pavel's old "how to get to sinister" article laid out some interesting ways to plot it:

www.strongfirst.com

From Simple to Sinister: Waving Volume on S&S | StrongFirst

The "From Simple to Sinister" program takes the original Simple & Sinister and applies proven Soviet techniques of waving volume. Here's how to do it.
www.strongfirst.com

I've wondered before if one could apply this to base building. Pick a target monthly volume, then break it up over weeks and days in a pseudo-random fashion. Definitely a more "controlled randomness" in that case, but it could be used as a template.
 
WhatWouldHulkDo said:
Yeah, this is the trick - putting the right bounds on the randomization to match recovery.
Click to expand...

Yes. And we won't sacrifice recovery in any way, we will have to assume the worst case of randomness "luck", ie to have the level of difficulty adapted for hypothetical 100%, let's say, 3 times a week. There we go. It won't happen every week, therefore the progress obtained will be most probably slower, than it could be.
Monthly (or weekly, or per cycle) volume as a target is a nice idea. I use weekly volumes. Concerning each particular day, I never know what I'm exactly capable of in advance. Only after warm-up I can understand how heavy my "heavy" day can be, or how light the "light day". This is my randomness, and my training days and weeks are never same. So non-controlled randomness is not a really good option, in my opinion, for development process. It can serve you in a slow stable way, but not when you are climbing a mountain.

WhatWouldHulkDo said:
Pavel's old "how to get to sinister" article laid out some interesting ways to plot it:
Click to expand...
I re-read it two days ago. Random reasonably, but it still very structured. Very good waving applied in weekly and monthly perspectives. First month very much 5-3-1, second more wavy, third step load. Each last week of the month is easy load.
 
Last edited:
06/13 16:30

Trifecta
Shoulder sequence
KB1HS 10x5 48
SQT 3x3 305#
KB press 8x2 36
Pullups 8x2 25#
Grip circuit x3

Spent the morning outside watching kids' softball, and getting toasted by the sun. Definitely drains the energy.

But, finally feeling solid enough to dance with the beast a little - encouraging.

EOD stretching sequence x1

EDIT: Fixed squat reps
 
Last edited:
06/14 10:30

Trifecta
Shoulder sequence
104min outdoor run 8.6m
- Ave HR 140, max 168

Well, 8+ miles is cool. But much harder than I would like. HR profile was nice and flat until about 70 minutes, then it started up and never came down. A little bit of a bad feedback loop - I could feel my HR getting out control, and I think that pushed my pace up trying to get the run over with. Such a mental game. Plus, it was near 90 degrees outside.

HRP 2x16
LTK 2x5
SL calf raise 2x8
EOD stretching sequence x1
 
06/15 07:00

Really tough to get moving this morning.

Trifecta
Shoulder sequence
TGU 3x1 32,36,40

Felt the fatigue from Sunday's run in the TGUs today- tough to make a good leg sweep.

So... tonight was our first night of baseball practice for my son's team. And, to commemorate the occasion, my son blew chunks in the middle of practice, which in the age of COVID means I am obligated to take him home. In the end,it wasn't anything serious - just ate a snack too close to practice.

All told... just no time for training tonight. Real world creeping in.
 
Another day where I just couldn't get moving in the morning.

06/16 12:00

Trifecta
Shoulder sequence

06/16 16:30

Cossack shoulder dislocates 2x8
DL 1x5 365#
SQT 3x5 255#
KB press 2x3 36
Pullups 2x3 25#
Grip circuit x3

Realized today that during squats, when my legs get tired, I raise my hips slightly early and turn it into a little bit of a good morning. I did that who knows how often back when I used to squat a lot, and never realized what I was feeling. Now that recognize it, I can stop it. Could it be that I've acquired some level of... wisdom? ?

HRP 3x16
LTK 3x5
SL calf raise 3x8
EOD stretching sequence x1
 
06/17 06:30

Trifecta
Shoulder sequence
42min treadmill run/walk 3.0m

Feeling generally low energy, so opted for a short run.

Volleyball in the evening. You read right- volleyball is back! We were rusty (and slow, and old), but it felt good to be out on the sand again. I felt like I was hitting and blocking fairly well - power burpees are good stuff.
 
WhatWouldHulkDo said:
06/17 06:30

Trifecta
Shoulder sequence
42min treadmill run/walk 3.0m

Feeling generally low energy, so opted for a short run.

Volleyball in the evening. You read right- volleyball is back! We were rusty (and slow, and old), but it felt good to be out on the sand again. I felt like I was hitting and blocking fairly well - power burpees are good stuff.
Click to expand...
Any covid precautions required for the Volleyball?
 
offwidth said:
Any covid precautions required for the Volleyball?
Click to expand...

Plenty. No spectators in the building at all, players only. Reduced number of teams in the league so they can keep the overall building occupancy low. No player-to-player contact (high fives). No showers - I brought a lot of sand home with me on my feet. No outside balls, and they disinfect the house balls between matches. Masks on any time you're not playing.

It's certainly a risk. But they're doing a reasonable job of trying to make it so, if/when there's a spread, the scope is limited, and they can contact trace.

The karate dojo has been able to reopen with similar restrictions. But of course, at the same time softball and baseball leagues for the kids have been able to restart, so I haven't had the time to take advantage.
 
WhatWouldHulkDo said:
The karate dojo has been able to reopen with similar restrictions. But of course, at the same time softball and baseball leagues for the kids have been able to restart, so I haven't had the time to take advantage.
Click to expand...
WhatWouldHulkDo said:
No player-to-player contact (high fives).
Click to expand...
I fear this will threaten my sons wrestling season coming this November....
however I have my fingers crossed that we have "herd immunity" by then and the club can wrestle. might be a long shot but I'm hopeful.
 
Strong Rick said:
I fear this will threaten my sons wrestling season coming this November....
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm skeptical of contact sports being able to start up before there's a vaccine. Karate is strictly no-contact for the time being. For my kids, I'm guessing no basketball in the winter.

But who knows... if we luck out and there's not another flare up between now and winter, they could just as easily keep gradually loosening the restrictions month over month.

Maybe we'll just be required to wrestle / shoot hoops outdoors. ?
 
Up too late with volleyball last night, so I slept in.

06/18 17:30

Trifecta
Shoulder sequence
KB snatch 10x5 36, 2x5 40
SQT 3x5 255#
KB press 3x3 36
Pullups 3x3 25#
Grip circuit x3

Wrist injuries suck. It's been a month or so now, and it's improved a lot, but it still barks at me sometimes, and I can just tell it's going to be like that for another month or two. I tried out some snatches with the 40 today to decide if the wrist is really still hurt, or if it's just going to be annoying for a while. Snatches were solid, so seems like the second case.

Squats felt easy - lots more energy on no-DL days. Presses were a little tough. Nursing a little lat soreness, so I've been laying off GTG work.

EOD stretching sequence x1
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom