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Honest Effort

North Coast Miller said:
I look with helpless resignation at what's left from a quarter pound stick of butter after spreading on only two slices of bread. :(

Yet, anything less and its not worth eating..."what else can I cut out to spare this treat?"
Click to expand...
So its slightly over 50 grams of butter per slice. An example worth of following!
 
Staying the course with auto-regulating Cluster Sets. Feel like I'm beginning to adapt to this approach a bit better.

this morning's session, loaded pushups and mule kicks

Managed 3x3 with the 120 lb bag = about 270lb benchpress, followed by 4x5 with the 90.

Mule kicks finished with 4x5 with 40lb kettlebell (its the only thing I use my kettlebell for anymore!).
 
Am now about 1 month into Cluster Set "experiment" and feel pretty good with the increased daily volume. Some point in the next 2-3 weeks will test against the usual DeLorme approach to see where I have gotten to with straight sets. Am positive there has been an improvement but have no idea how much.

Still holding my diet steady at about 192lbs.

Upright rows and loaded skater squats, finishing with 4x4 120lbs skater and 4x4 90lbs upright rows. Still normally do a "burnout" set afterward - bodyweight for 10 with the skaters and 70lbs for 8 with upright rows.

Starting next week will be including a day of nothing but shoulder cleans with 140-150lbs. These will start from a squat with the bag across my thighs in a double underhook hold. Launch to the shoulder and with control back down to the thighs, repeat on the other side.

The intent is to then use this heavier bag for my loaded PUs (approx 285- 295lbs bench press) and Skater squats (I have no idea what that would equate to in a bilateral squat). This should have a positive effect on ALL my other lifts just by dint of getting comfortable moving a bag that heavy around - the other bags will psychologically feel like floor pillows.
 
Tweaks to schedule:
Next week adding 10lbs to 90lb bag, loading will be 70, 100, 130 & include a day with:
- bearhug carries with 130lb
- shoulder cleans with 130lbs
- hang cleans with 100lbs

Was planning on 140-150 for the heavy bag but after doing a few trial runs realized I need to dial in the heavier mechanics before adding that much more weight. Also going to sub out upright rows with a second day of OHP. Nagging Golfer's elbow and the upright rows are the only exercise I do that still aggravates it.

Today, OHP and Good Mornings. Lower back is feeling a lot better now that I've stopped loading the Good Mornings as heavy.
 
Today's pair, loaded PUs and loaded Mule Kicks.

2x3 with the 130lb bag, approx 280 bench press equivalent / 3x4 with the 100
Mule Kicks 3x4, 5x4 with 45lbs - a very modest but real PR, at full extension that's a lot of resistance and a lot of strain on the support leg as well.

A PR on the PUs. Am very pleased with progress the last two months - am pushing the same or slightly heavier weights at 13lbs less bodyweight from two Summers ago. The combination/cycle between DeLorme and Clusters is a great strategy, and breaking the session in half with 2x the ffrequency also a better feel. The difference in food volume to get to those extra pounds of bodyweight is amazing - I don't even eat lunch anymore, but back then I was cramming 4 meals a day.

Still doing burpees for my warmup - I really need to start jogging again. I keep forgetting that LISS increases blood volume, something I know weight training does not do and HIIT probably not (I need to look into that...).

Feeling as though I am another month out from varying my goals a bit more to include some lower tension conditioning and HIIT. Not sure how much more lifting weight I want to increase with a longish consolidation block. I just need my knee to cooperate as I can't really do much more than I am currently in terms of variety.
 
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OHP and Good Mornings

Topped out with 3x6 using 100lb bag for OHP followed by 8 with the 70lb - 20 second intervals. Middle set was 3x4 with 100lbs.

3x20 Good Mornings with 100lb bag, followed by 30 with the 70 lb bag - these done with very abbreviated ROM. Middle set was 2x20 with 100lbs.

Bicep curls finished with 3x4 and 4x4 using 70lb bag.
 
Rows and quad press. I substituted Sissy Squats for these, being a lot easier on the knees. The bodyweight version went a long way toward fixing whatever was going on with my left knee. Have to get the load good and low on the hips for a good challenge. These being done with the 130lb bag.
 
Pushups and loaded Mule kicks.
Hit 3x2 with the 130lb bag for PUs and 4x4 with the 100, finishing with another 8 using 70lb bag as a drop set
Swapped out my KB for a stack of 10lb plates on the Mule Kicks. 3x5 and 4x5 using 40lbs.
 
Today's work: OHP and Good Mornings

Managed 5x5 on my last Cluster Set for OHP with the 100lb bag off the knuckles, followed by 10 reps Drop Set with the 100lb bag - this why I need to take better notes - that is a pretty big increase over my last recorded session.

Good Mornings finished with the 130lb bag and 4x20, another big jump. I tied some rope to the outside handles and was able to get a much better grip and lower the load a little on my back. Much better feeling, but now am really fighting to keep the bag from sliding further down, every soluting creates another problem on a deeper level...
 
One arm rows and those quad presses I demo'd in the earlier video. Have figured out how to get as low as possible with Quad presses - at the bottom, I use a slight traditional squat for the last few inches to get my knees past 90° bend. #x10 Cluster with the 130lb bag my quads were really feeling it, knees were not!

One arm rows managed 4x5 with the 100lb bag plus a set of 10 with the 70lb for a DropSet.

Moved about 20 wheelbarrows of heavy clay content soil over the weekend - my lower back held up great but everything else had me feeling my age...:(
 
Warmup - 5 minutes of burpees with 70lb bag DLs in place of a jump
Loaded Pushups 10 w/70lb bag approx 220lb press
Loaded Mulekicks 30lb 15 reps

Loaded pushups 130lb 3x3 Cluster (a new PR and close to what I was pressing in my 20s)
Loaded Mulekicks 40lb 3x6 Cluster

Loaded Pushups 100lb 4x3 Cluster
Loaded Mulekicks 40lb 3x7 Cluster

Side to side crunches w/20lbs x 20
Curls 70lb 3x3 Cluster
Stretching
Side to side crunches w/20lbs x 25, bodyweight dropset x10
Curls 70lb 3x4 Cluster
 
masa said:
Ouch, just hurts to watch somebody doing them. My knees flare up just to thinking of them.
Click to expand...
The prone version is pretty knee friendly, although it does feel like you're "getting up" after being run over by a truck...You know its bad when you're actually looking forward to the regular kind.
 
Coming back after a few weeks of low intensity/outright rest following a flare-up of degenerative cervical disks and 2 weeks of corticosteroids. A back off week, there will be no finishing set extenders, only straight Cluster. Everything feels pretty good.

Warmup: Burpees with sandbag

Upright rows with single leg Skater Squats
- upright row 70lbs x15
- skater squat 70lbs x 10

- upright row 100lbs Cluster 3x2 @ 30 second intervals
- skater squat 130lbs Cluster 3x3 @ 30 second intervals

- upright row 100lbs Cluster 6x2 @ 30 second intervals
- skater squat 130lbs Cluster 3x4 @ 30 second intervals

Crunches w/ 20lbs 60
Overhead tricep extensions 70lbs Cluster 3x3

Hurdle, Cossack, seated rotation stretches

Crunches w/ 20lbs 80
Overhead tricep extensions 70lbs Cluster 3x4
 
Yesterday
Burpee warmup
OHP 70lbs x 15
Good Mornings 100lbs Cluster 3x20

OHP 100lbs Cluster 3x5
GMs 130lbs Cluster 3 x20

OHP 100lbs Cluster 4x5
GMs 130lbs Cluster 3 x20

Curls 70lbs Cluster 3x3
Crunches
Hurdle, Cossack, seated rotation stretches
Curls 70lbs Cluster 3x4
Crunches

Today
Burpee warmup
One Arm Rows 70lbs x 15
Quad Extension Squat (? from video above) 70lbs x 15

One Arm Rows 100lbs Cluster 3x3
Quad Extension Squat Cluster 130lbs 3x10

One Arm Rows 100lbs Cluster 6x3
Quad Extension Squat Cluster 130lbs 3x10


Tricep extension 70lbs Cluster 3x3
Crunches
Hurdle, Cossack, seated rotation stretches
Tricep extension 70lbs Cluster 3x4
Crunches
 
Almost back to my numbers before degenerative disk flare up - PUs felt a lot stronger.

Burpee warmup 5 minutes

Mule kicks 30lbs 15reps
Pushups 70lbs 10 reps

Mule kicks 40lbs Cluster 3x5
Pushups 130lbs Cluster 3x2

Mule kicks 40lbs Cluster 3x6
Pushups 100lbs Cluster 3x4 Dropset 70lbs x 5

Curls 70lbs Cluster 3x3
Crunches
Hurdle, Cossack, seated rotation stretches
Curls 70lbs Cluster 3x4
Crunches
 
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