Whoa, Pardner--Turn Down the Volume!
I tried to do it again--sneak one past my body. I tried taking my cycle 3 weeks. I tried an introductory week and then tried to get 2 hard weeks under my belt. Didn't work. I definitely am good for 2 weeks cycles only--1 easy/medium week and 1 hard week followed by a back down or change of pace.
Thursday's training session had 110 working reps. I was supposed to lift heavy on Saturday and I would've too, if I hadn't had something that took almost all my emotional energy. (See my post on Vorobyev and RPEs.) I may as well have trained that day, cause I was wiped by that evening. Sunday morning I woke up and felt hit by a truck. Went back to sleep for another couple of hours. Tried to eat lots of carbs to aid in recovery.
Large volumes of work plus my right fibular head locking down again required a change in training directions and loads. I called Dr. Cobb and he gave me a cool exercise to unlock the fibular head but also pointed out that I'm still missing some ROM in my left elbow and that's affecting my squat, particularly my overhead squat. That in turn is producing a weight shift to the right side overloading the right hamstring and locking down that fibular head. So, backing off the overhead squats for about 4 weeks and just working the back squats--then I'll put the front squats and overheads back in.
Sunday, 12.17.06; trained with training partner
A. Power Snatch from below the knee: 65%/2 x10 sets
rested as needed
85kg/2 x10sets
B. Back Squat: 3's, rest 3 minutes
Series: (130kg/3, 140/3, 150/3) x2
Just the right weights for the squats. Bar speed was good as was positioning.
C. Press: 4's, rest 3 minutes
70kg/4 x2; 75/4 x2
56 total reps today--almost exactly half that of Thursday's 110.
Needed to keep it light and faster during this session. Still felt tired afterward. No pizza this weekend--therefore, no large induction of carbs and calories into the system.
Monday, 12.18.06
A. RDLs: 3's; rest 3 minutes
Series: (150kg/3; 160/3; 170/3) x2
170kg was probably a little heavy for this on this particular session. Still feeling tired. Rounded the lower back on my 2nd set of 170kg. Other than that, they all felt good.
B1. Weighted Chins: 3's: 16kg/3 x5sets
B2. Back Squat: 3's: 110kg/3 x 5sets;
No rest between B1 & B2; 3 mins. after B2.
Pinched for time plus left shoulder was bothering me from Sunday's snatch session. Not only that, I think I needed to train supination and extension with extra load.
This training session was perfect though. I left feeling invigorated.
I'm going to England on Friday to visit my parents for Christmas. So, this next 2 week cycle will be more strength driven with longer rest periods. I don't need to induce more stress by compressing my rest periods. The emphasis will be pushing up the back squats: 2 heavy days, each followed by a light day. Heavy days will be "series" using triples.
The big take away again for me over the last 3 weeks is that I must stick with short, 2 week cycles. There's just no way around it.
I tried to do it again--sneak one past my body. I tried taking my cycle 3 weeks. I tried an introductory week and then tried to get 2 hard weeks under my belt. Didn't work. I definitely am good for 2 weeks cycles only--1 easy/medium week and 1 hard week followed by a back down or change of pace.
Thursday's training session had 110 working reps. I was supposed to lift heavy on Saturday and I would've too, if I hadn't had something that took almost all my emotional energy. (See my post on Vorobyev and RPEs.) I may as well have trained that day, cause I was wiped by that evening. Sunday morning I woke up and felt hit by a truck. Went back to sleep for another couple of hours. Tried to eat lots of carbs to aid in recovery.
Large volumes of work plus my right fibular head locking down again required a change in training directions and loads. I called Dr. Cobb and he gave me a cool exercise to unlock the fibular head but also pointed out that I'm still missing some ROM in my left elbow and that's affecting my squat, particularly my overhead squat. That in turn is producing a weight shift to the right side overloading the right hamstring and locking down that fibular head. So, backing off the overhead squats for about 4 weeks and just working the back squats--then I'll put the front squats and overheads back in.
Sunday, 12.17.06; trained with training partner
A. Power Snatch from below the knee: 65%/2 x10 sets
rested as needed
85kg/2 x10sets
B. Back Squat: 3's, rest 3 minutes
Series: (130kg/3, 140/3, 150/3) x2
Just the right weights for the squats. Bar speed was good as was positioning.
C. Press: 4's, rest 3 minutes
70kg/4 x2; 75/4 x2
56 total reps today--almost exactly half that of Thursday's 110.
Needed to keep it light and faster during this session. Still felt tired afterward. No pizza this weekend--therefore, no large induction of carbs and calories into the system.
Monday, 12.18.06
A. RDLs: 3's; rest 3 minutes
Series: (150kg/3; 160/3; 170/3) x2
170kg was probably a little heavy for this on this particular session. Still feeling tired. Rounded the lower back on my 2nd set of 170kg. Other than that, they all felt good.
B1. Weighted Chins: 3's: 16kg/3 x5sets
B2. Back Squat: 3's: 110kg/3 x 5sets;
No rest between B1 & B2; 3 mins. after B2.
Pinched for time plus left shoulder was bothering me from Sunday's snatch session. Not only that, I think I needed to train supination and extension with extra load.
This training session was perfect though. I left feeling invigorated.
I'm going to England on Friday to visit my parents for Christmas. So, this next 2 week cycle will be more strength driven with longer rest periods. I don't need to induce more stress by compressing my rest periods. The emphasis will be pushing up the back squats: 2 heavy days, each followed by a light day. Heavy days will be "series" using triples.
The big take away again for me over the last 3 weeks is that I must stick with short, 2 week cycles. There's just no way around it.
posted by Geoff Neupert at
10:40 AM
3 Comments:
the stronger I got the fewer weeks I could push an exercise, especially if it was intensity driven.I got where I had to change exercises each week or I would go backwards.I'm not surprised.recovery is alwasy the limitig factor and that doesnt tend to improve as we age. not nice to hear but a reality regardless.
sounds like you are getting things squared away though; doing what YOU need to do to make gains, not necessarily what you think you SHOULD do.hard to accept but again a reality.
have fun in england, should be sunny there in january right?
also what kind of stuff did Dr Cobb have you do to unlock the fibula?
Rif, how'd you manage volume with WSB? How's you build YOUR base using that system?
I'd have to explain Dr Cobb's stuff over the phone. Call me and I do my best to tell you.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home