Cut and Heal: my HST journal

[Cynical Simian]

Sarcasm obviously doesn't work without smilies

Heh, obviously...I thought you were equating the belt "popping" off with "slipping off".

 

[Guinness5.0]

Everybody's a comedian

Pretty funny actually . But seriously, I'm fairly happy witht the cutting part- it's happening slowly but it IS happening. That's enough for me as I've intended to cut before but it's never lasted more than a week.

 

[Guinness5.0]

5 rep phase - workout 3 of 6

FRIDAY

Another tough one of course, but not nearly as bad as anticipated.

Squat warmup to 335x5x3
-I nutted up and just hammered 'em out. It's all mental with me - mind over matter. My form was better than ever. I switched back to my boots and it helped. I don't know why I can't just find something and stick with it. I think some Oly shoes would be a great xmas gift....

Standing OHP warmup to 155x5x3

BB rows warmup to 195x5x3

Pullups BWx6, BWx5
-these are hard and don't seem to improve much

Bench press 225x5x3
-Couldn't get a dip belt and I don't think my backpack is up to an 80 pound db. I was thinking I'd use 265 but after OHP'ing and rowing bench was rough.

I had intended to do snatch grip pulls but I ran out of time. I'll make myself feel better and call it a mini deload

 

[blut wump]

I'm a little confused (but trying to get bigger)

Is your notation Weight x Sets x Reps or Weight x Reps x Sets? I thought almost everyone here used WxSxR but, since this is the 5-rep phase, I thought I'd better ask.

I just noticed your comment on the PCs above. I guess that answers it. Welcome to Backwardsville: inhabitants 3 (+ all of Russia)

This is looking pretty brutal now. Five compound exercises in a session. I guess at three sets each it's only 15 sets, which is the same as the 5x5 volume phase days. I reckon your warmups will be pushing the volume up, though, beyond a typical 5x5 workout.

 

[Guinness5.0]

BW-

It just makes more sense to me to do WeightxRepsxSets - I move the weight 5 times so I follow the weight w/ the # of times I lifted it in the set, then follow that w/ the # of sets.

Yeah the workload is getting up there. I did an "active recovery" session today as my hips are yelling at me. I did squats 135x10x3. It got the blood flowing and felt good.
EDIT: something I've been meaning to bring up is the idea of mini-waves of workload in an HST program - the workload jumps and falls (3 times the way I'm doing it) so that fatigue doesn't seem to set in as deeply as the DF 5x5 before it dissipates. I'm curious as to how this would've turned out if I had been hypercaloric throughout. Gee, probably would've resulted in some hypertrophy . Maybe I'll try that approach if/when I feel the need to "GFH" /ripstone

BTW I'm thinking another 5x5 run is in the works, with a couple minor tweaks (though not near as many as my last lumbar-crippling fiasco )

 

[Guinness5.0]

5 rep phase - workout 4 of 6

MONDAY

Awesome workout. Awesome

Squat warmup to 345x5x3
-I thnk I had an epiphany on friday. These were great and if I get 365 for all 3 sets this friday it will mark some very decent progress over the last few months. I've said it before and I'll say it again - so much of this, for me in particular I think, is mental. BTW I'm going beltless for now.

Standing OHP 165x5, x4, x5
-I was so jacked up from how great squats were that I rushed set two

BB rows warmup to 215x5x3
-gettin' TOUGH quickly

Pullups BWx6x2

Bench 235x5x3

Deadlifts 225x5, 315x4, 365x1 (planned on stopping here but I fuggin' RIPPED it off the ground) 405xfail (supinated hand wouldn't hold it - the rows/pullups are hell on my grip) 405x3 (strapped)
-100% mental. I think my dead is primed for a big jump. I can't wait to run 5x5 again and see what happens.

I don't think I shot myself in the foot by deading somewhat heavy but we'll see....

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

Try a double-overhand grip for deadlifts. Use a hook grip, if you need to. Just a suggestion. I love it.

How's the progress coming along?

 

[Guinness5.0]

Try a double-overhand grip for deadlifts. Use a hook grip, if you need to. Just a suggestion. I love it.

How's the progress coming along?

I overhand 'til I can't anymore, then I use mixed which to this point has not been a limiting factor. Then I busted out the straps b/c I could tell that 405 was gonna be my bitch today, fatigued hands be damned!

I've been meaning to experiment with the hook grip.

I'm assuming you mean weight/fat loss by 'progress'. My gut's at just a tiny bit over 39", so the fat is coming off at a slow but deliberate pace.

Oh and my weight hasn't budged in a couple weeks - it's almost always right at 240 when I wake up. I'm starting to see my physique taking shape in some areas, like my delt/pec tie-ins. Good stuff. Also, I've been toying around with the notion of running my next 5x5 'assisted' while cutting. That should be sick.

 

[blut wump]

This is looking impressive. Your comments put me in mind of the latter stages of a loading phase, what's the plan for next week? It seems that your body is recompositioning.

Given the nature of the hook grip, such that it effectively works as an organic, living strap, is there really any point to preferring it over straps? In a meet where you can't use straps then it'll make the difference but does a hook grip do anything for your gripping ability that would recommend using it in preference to straps for development?

 

[Guinness5.0]

This is looking impressive. Your comments put me in mind of the latter stages of a loading phase, what's the plan for next week?

Kongrats on the krowns. Shall I address you as Sir Wumpsalot?

Anywho, the plan for now is a mini-cycle (3-4 weeks) to bridge to my next 5x5 run (sounds like juicerspeak ). I wanna try and improve on some lifts and take a bit of a break on the backsquat emphasis just to 'refresh' myself. Probably something like MWF w/ two frontsquat sessions, one backsquat session, some benching, sumo deads, powercleans, maybe some stuff I've never done like suspended GMs/squats, etc. Basically just to gear up a bit for a really hard DF 5x5 run to which I hope to add tren/test/winny if I can get some financial matters in line (the gym I'm at now is dripping with juice - I could probably comparison shop and haggle for a deal ).