Cardio and Running for Muscle and Strength

 Some people seem adamantly against running as a form of exercise for the sake of increasing your cardio health. Yes, there are alternatives to things in life, but running is difficult, and a good challenge. Because it has taken me so long to adapt to running there were times I thought that some people's body's are more built for running (which I'm sure is true). But nonetheless, you are human, and should be able to do what other humans do.

A program I found to start running from scratch is called C25K (Couch to 5K). It took me 5 years to complete this beginner runner's program. I would get shin splints, ankle pain, and knee pain. And it would affect my ability to lift weights, so I kept abandoning the idea of training cardio.

 

Last year when the Pandemic started in 2020 and the gyms closed, I decided to focus on push-ups, pull-ups, yoga, and running. The weather was very hot to be running outside, but I did it anyway, and the gyms opened up for a few weeks. I joined a gym and started running on a treadmill in air conditioning. The gyms closed again, and I knew I'd have to run outside in the heat, and I stopped running again for 2 months. The gyms reopened for another 3 weeks, and I started running again, and I was using all of the machines at the gym, and I was desperately trying to do anything to lose weight. Once the gyms closed for that third time, I continued running outdoors - even when it became cold (40s and 50s F).

The trick to completing this program was to get enough recovery. The program tells you to do 3 runs a week, and the whole program is 9 weeks. For me, at around week 4, I started only doing a run once a week, and I successfully completed every run thereafter. I'm currently on Week 9, Day 2, which is to run for 30 minutes straight. I've done this once now, I've ran 28 minutes about 4 times, I ran 25 minutes about 4 times, so I finally hit a goal I set 10 years ago in 2011. I wanted to be able to run for 20 minutes, and then push for 30 minutes, and I'm at the 30 minute mark now.

The cardio has really aided me in the gym. I don't get tired as easily at the gym which is very important. Before I do a heavy lift, the way I brace myself, and breathe, is aided by the increased cardio and lung capacity. My body feels lighter. It conditions your knees, ankles, and feet a bit, and it gets circulate blood flow, which helps recovery.

I'm not sure how I'll progress in running from where I am currently because all of my runs have been 20-30 minutes, and I like that brief amount of time. I don't know that I want to run for longer periods, and I don't know that I want to run faster either. And I'm not sure I'd want to just repeat the same 30 minute every week, but if I did do that - it would be worth it for the benefits. I'll probably push for 40 minutes, and perhaps a full hour.

One last thing I want to mention is that when trying to tackle this running program, I was using just a treadmill, and when my ankles or knees hurt, I would tape them, and this would get me through running sessions, but the pain of my ankles and knees only increased as my running became longer. So it was important for me to not use tape to aid my ankles and knees so that they could be conditioned, and I also think that running outdoors is superior to a treadmill. It's a more natural running technique outdoors, and it's nice having a change of scenery. It's bizarre to be in a gym, on a treadmill, and having people stare at you for half an hour, or people shuffling by your treadmill very slowly. It just feels like there's so many distractions on the inside of a gym. It's like sensory overload, and you have to try and block it all out, whereas running outdoors feels more peaceful.

And my commitment to running forced me to clean up my diet, and quickly. I felt like overeating food bloated me, and made running more difficult. And eating leaner and lighter foods makes sense when you need your digestion to not bother you. It's like it's easy to consume too much food and become overweight if you're just sitting down a lot of the time, whereas an athlete needs to eat a certain diet to remain athletic.

I think that's why so many people eat foods with poor nutrition. They don't have a need or a reason for their body to be maximally operating. If you're going to fend for your life, and you're able to train for a year before this happens, the way you exercise and eat will be very different than if you have an office job, and you don't exercise. In the latter scenario, I know at least for myself, that you just reach for high caloric foods so that you can just eat something quickly and get on with your life. I'm sure people don't cook their own food for the same reason. They don't see why they're need a higher performing body, and they don't want to waste their time.

Lifting Routine For Muscle and Strength

 Due to the pandemic of March 2020, I, like many people, had to take a break from the gym for months since they were closed across the country. Getting back into lifting consistently can take the body a while to condition. So I had been just showing up, and doing full body routines. This worked well, but the higher I increased the poundage of the weights, the less my body was able to handle recovery. It took a number of months to get to that stage, which is why you never stop training in the first place. It was really the same as getting injured and being unable to lift for months.

Once I realized my recovery was inadequate, and that my diet, supplements, and sleep are on point, I decided to start programming my workouts again. Two routines I've liked using over the years are 5/3/1 and GZCL, which are similar to each other. GZCL is a variation of 5/3/1. It has higher percentages that you train with, so that you're lifting heavier weight than base 5/3/1. It can be hard to determine how much volume you should have in a routine. Over the years, I've been injured many times through too much volume, and of course too much weight can also cause injury.

I've probably ran GZCL routine longer than anything else. And I think it's good, but it doesn't have enough volume prescribed, but that's kind of the point that it's not supposed to be your entire routine. I feel like I preserved strength, but held back too much during GZCL. So the routine I've chosen to do is 5/3/1 the full deal, which I'll explain. Below is the main chart which determines how much weight your lift. The percentage being based off your training PR, which is 10% of your actual PR.

3x3          3x5          5/3/1        3x5, deload
Week 1   Week 2    Week 3    Week 4
70% x 3   65% x 5   75% x  5  40% x 5
80% x 3   75% x 5   85% x  3  50% x 5
90% x 3+ 85% x 5+ 95% x 1+ 60% x 5

There are 4 types of sets you do in this routine for each lift that's programmed. Firstly are the warm-up sets (50%). Secondly are the actual work sets, which you see above in the chart. The last set in the work sets, you do as many reps as possible. Thirdly are the Joker sets. These are sets that are 5-10lb heavier than your last work set and with the same amount of reps or less. You can do an unlimited amount of Joker sets, and these sets define the program. Fourthly, are a trio of drop sets.

I think there's a lot of brilliance to those 4 types of sets. The warm-up set is only prescribed as one set. This means you're not wasting energy and time on too much warm-up, which I have been guilty of. The work sets are the most important - they must be done. The Joker sets allow to you lift as heavy as you want every workout, meaning you don't need to use too high of a PR for the entire program if you don't use your actual PR. Lastly, the Drop sets force you to not completely drain yourself on the Joker sets. The Drop sets are no joke. And I like leaving exercises with clean reps opposed to struggling and being close to injury.

Although the Joker and Drop sets aren't necessary - if you skip them, 5/3/1 will have extremely slow moving progression. The Joker sets allow you to readjust the PR you're using as well if you find yourself doing too many Joker sets. A downside of this routine could be that you get too obsessed with breaking PRs, and the Joker sets injure you.

Another problem with any 5/3/1 variation could be if you program it on two lifts that use a body part on you that has prior injuries. I'm currently running it on:

• Hack Squat (475 Training PR)
• Lat Pulldown (180 Training PR)
• Barbell Row (250 Training PR)
• Sitting Cable Row (180 Training PR)
• Kroc Rows (100 Training PR)
  

I'm on the first week, and it's gone very well. I've done 4 out of the 5 above. I was happy to find that the cable exercises worked on 5/3/1 too. I know Kroc Rows are pretty odd to run with it, but I'll find out tomorrow how it goes, and I'll report back.

End of 2020 Update

This may have been the most difficult year for fitness enthusiasts due to gyms closing because of the international Covid-19 pandemic. I have been training consistently though since June in people's garages with dumbbells, cables, machines, and barbells.

 

I've learned quit a lot lately. I was in my best shape 8 years ago in 2012, and I've been trying to get back that state, but I think I've had too many contradicting goals. For example, I've been chasing a heavy 1rm deadlift most of my lifting career. And that can be poison to many of your other lifts, and even your body. My diet for the past 8 years has been moderately healthy. I had been trying to bulk mostly and not cut. But no matter how much food I consumed, I never got past 205lb, and to even stay past 200lb was difficult. I think my body is more naturally around 180lb. I'm 5'9. I guess there's some naivety on my behalf, thinking I could just keep getting larger, but I think that would require chemical assistance. And I never went down that path.

I started a new relationship with a girl 2 years ago, and my diet switched from moderately healthy to unhealthy, which was a first in my life, so it was a bit of fun. The scale still didn't put me past 200lb, but I could tell visually that my body composition had changed for the worse with bodyfat increasing. Time to time I tried cooking very healthy dinners for my friends, and they were disgusted, and wouldn't eat the food because they too had unhealthy diets. I noticed my alcohol consumption had gone up, I had even started drinking soda on a weekly basis, which was something I hadn't done in about 21 years.

I decided my stomach fat had to go, so I cut soda and lowered alcohol consumption, and I saw minor results. It's only recently that I've adapted a healthy diet. At first I made healthier and healthier choices at fast food places until I stopped going there entirely. I purposely consume low calorie foods, and I look at the sugar, carb, and protein content of anything I'm going to purchase or eat. I stopped drinking Starbucks entirely to reduce calories and sugar I was getting from their milk. I eliminated cheese from diet, and I had been consuming lots of cheese with every meal, and I don't even like cheese that much. It was just that my friends enjoyed cheese, and I cook every day.

I think an important step in getting locked into my diet was consistent cardio. If you don't run miles each week, and haven't for a while, you may want to try it. For me, I noticed fat on my body jiggling and moving as I was running. It was hindering my running technique. My diet has become stricter, my workouts have become more focused, and I'm dialing in the things that'll make everything work even better. My meat consumption has been too low, and I've just sworn off red meat, so I'm back to eating a pound of turkey meat every day.

Current diet is oats in the morning with defrosted berries, for lunch 1lb of turkey, for dinner ramen, chicken, vegetables, and egg. If I want a snack, it's bananas, strawberries, oranges, apples, veggies, or a peanut butter sandwich on sourdough. Obviously the ramen is the only unhealthy culprit in my diet, but I'm OK with that for now. I'm not really sure about how healthy the peanut butter and jelly is. The jelly is 0g sugar (it has sucralose) and my peanut butter is sunflower seed butter. I also use apple butter for jelly.

 

This diet for a month or so had me drop from 200lb+ to 180lb. I wouldn't say it was difficult. It was just the decision to stop eating sweets, and there's obviously a lot more cooking to be done. The 20lb off isn't that noticeable, which goes to show I probably have less muscle mass than I've once had. But I on a steady consistent path of progress. And this isn't my diet for new years; it's my intended lifestyle for the unseeable future.

My next post will be more about the actual exercises I've been doing.

Update 10/2020

 Continuing on with improving bench press, I've been actively doing the push-up program on this site. And I've reached weeks deep into the program that I hadn't reached before. I'm having an easier time recovering because I allow for many more days between push-up workouts. I'm currently on week 29, which has 850 push-ups, and ultimately the goal is to get to 1000.

 

Pandemic crisis has prevented gym access over 3 months for me. It is similar to an injury layoff. I'm working on developing a stronger and larger base layer. And after that I'll be back into advanced programming.

Deadlifting 530lb

 In January of this year 2020, I deadlifted 530lb for a new personal record. My last post here mentioned deadlifted 495lb for two singles, and although that was a great feat of strength, my hips were felt a bit awful for months afterwards. And it took me a long time to realize the cause of the hip pain, and I believe it was from doing heavy deadlifts without a belt. I wasn't using the belt until like 470lb+ and more recently I started wearing the belt at 405lb+, and even more recently at 315lb+.

 

A belt is a safe piece of gear, but it does limit mobility, and breathing is a bit different. I think I wanted to strengthen my core, and I was under the impression a core that can withstand heavy deadlifts is a stronger core than one that requires a belt. But even though it didn't feel like I needed a belt with heavy weight, and there wasn't really immediate pain, there was a longer term numbness that settled in, which thankfully is gone right now, but it did last for months.

 

I was very happy with my 530lb lift. It was never really a goal. I just knew I had untapped strength in me on deadlifts, and after hitting 530lb, my plan was to slow down on deadlifting, and not do anything near 500lb for some time. I wanted to focus on bench pressing more, and the more focused you are on one given lift, all of the other lifts will suffer. So during my post 530lb pull, the months afterwards I made incredible progress on bench pressing. Prior to that I was getting chest pain from benching heavy, and to remedy that, I increased my total reps as well as doing 20 reps per set - including with heavy weights. My best was 255lb for 12 reps, 2 sets. It was on a decline bench, and I've since moved so I no longer have a decline bench.

I'll update more on what I've been doing hopefully in the next few days.

The Road To Deadlifting 495lb

It took me about 7 years to get to Deadlifting 495lb, and I want to hash over what allowed me to pull that amount of weight. This is not a story of steroids, or just an easy progression, which is why I think it could be helpful for other people, and show them what is possible.

When I started Deadlifting, the heaviest I got to was 320lb, and it was for 11 reps with wrist straps. I wasn’t Deadlifting from the ground though so it was probably more of a Rack Lift. I believe I was using a bench press bench. And I’m not quite sure why I decided to do that, but I think it just seemed more approachable, and required less flexibility and mobility than a Deadlift from the ground. I quickly thereafter switch to pulling from the ground. And I tried very hard to maintain good form, and peaked at 245lb for 9 reps.

At this point I deloaded to keep technique sharp, and decided to try and get more volume and linearly progress so I did 8 reps of 210lb and kept going up in weight by 5lb each session. About 6 months later I was Deadlifting 385lb for 8 reps. And after that I deloaded again, and this time did 2 sets of 8 starting with 200lb and made it to 375lb of 2 sets of 8. I think sometimes you get tired of lifting what’s heavy for yourself contextually. So I started doing lower weight again, but one day tried 405lb for a single and was successful. I would mess around doing lighter weights for a few sessions, and pull a 1 rep max until I got to 450lb through linear progress, and deloaded, and ramped back up to 465lb. After that my next best feat was 5 reps of 405lb.

My deadlifting progress basically evaporated after that. I went on to do 405lb for about 10 singles one day, and I think it killed me. I also recall Deadlifting 420lb on two separate occasions and having back pain afterwards. All of my deadlifts were done with wrist straps, and I think that was a fundamental error. Another error was feeling so strong that I would jump too much in progression. I attempted to pull 495lb two times prior to my successful pull, and both of those times left me with lingering injuries that kept me out of the weight room.

The last 495lb that was unsuccessful actually kept me injured for 2 years. My body completely came out of shape. I don’t have any terms for the injuries. But I had and still have 2 bad wrists, 2 bad elbows, 1 bad ankle, and my knees usually hold up, but can be tender sometimes during deadlifts. I also kept reinjuring rib muscles, usually in the back, and usually from squats.

I had to learn how to lift with these injuries, and how to not get injured so frequently. From the weight lifting site Rogue, I bought Voodoo Flossing bands that I’d wrap around my wrists. It worked OK, but sometimes they’d come too loose during a lift, and it would flare up an injury quick. I also couldn’t go to the gym 6 days a week any more. I could do a workout, but my wrists and elbows would require days to recover. So I didn’t have the choice of doing a body part split. It had to be everything I do in one work-out for that week. I was doing 1 or 2 workouts a week because of this.

I switched to using tape on my wrists, and I found this to work much better as it wouldn’t come as loose as the voodoo flossing (12ft rubber bands). And I experimented with different types of tape, and realized there was a huge difference in some tapes versus others as far as adhesion, structural support, and how easy it comes off or not, and how much it’s affected by water or sweat.

I settled on a tape I very much so liked, but after a few orders of 30 rolls or so, they stopped selling them, and it really left me lost. One of the most popular tapes and easiest to buy just wasn’t strong enough. I continue to buy that type though because I found that I like to have a strong tape that’s more expensive generally for the initial wrap of the wrists and elbows, and then use the cheaper, less effective tape atop it, which does add more support.

One of the deadlifting injuries with 495lb left my left wrist pretty mangled. And I could no longer use wrist wraps because it caused so much pain. That was the beginning of pulling with bare hands, and is something I should have been doing long ago. I got into doing more deadlift variations to keep my volume up, and made very steady slow progress. For a few years I ran 5/3/1 program, which is admittedly slow progress, and eventually I switched to the GZCL method, which is a variation of 5/3/1. And did that a few years. More recently though I abandoned all programs for Deadlifting, and just went back to linear progress.  This went on for maybe a year. Each Deadlift workout, I did 32 reps with weights above 200lb. I found when the weights got too heavy, it was becoming a chore, and I was closer to injury, so I deloaded when it felt right.

It had been some time since I tried a one rep max, and this time around decided to do two singles of my heaviest weight. I believe I started this method because the squat racks were often taken, so I figured I’d compensate by working up to two heavy singles. It may have started at around 420lb as the heavy weight, and I just went up 5lb about every 2 weeks. So that’s about 30 weeks of getting to 495lb. I could tell the progression felt right, and I was feeling strong. And only recently did I start wearing a weight lifting belt as I did 5 years ago. I think I started wearing it with 470lb. I did one rep traditional stance, and the other sumo stance.

And the was just not much of a struggle as it was in the past those first two times I tried 495lb. I remember badly hitching the weight both times. Whereas this time and for two singles, they were clean lifts, and It’s great because my one rep max is obviously heavier. I remember some lifters saying they don’t’ do one rep maxes, and that you can if you choose to, only do 8 rep maxes, or 5 rep maxes with your heaviest weight, and never go heavier.

So looking back at my progress despite the injuries, I’d say what allowed me to lift 495lb for two singles for the first time was programming in volume (total amount of reps). I think I got to caught up in programming with 5/3/1 and GZCL and forgot about the power of linear progression. If you do advance in heavy weights too quickly, I’ve heard that your body doesn’t adapt fast enough (tissue, tendons, bone, muscle, and fascia).

I don’t really know where I go from here since that was a goal for 7 years. I know I can do 500lb for two singles, but I’m not sure how high I want to keep going for right now. Having unsuccessful lifts can really deteriorate motivation and confidence. According to exrx.net Deadlifting Standards for my weight of about 200lb, the Elite status is 565lb, and that sounds like a far away journey. I definitely don’t think it’s impossible.

Building Muscle with Smart Programming, Recommended Lifting Accessories, and Advice on Diet along with Extra Prescribed Calisthenics and Breathing Exercises.

I like to lift weights to build muscle and to build strength, and to sustain a healthy body. Much of my knowledge came from Powerlifters, and thus I've given a great status to the Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift. And I've probably honored those lifts to a fault. I don't compete, but I do plan to if I get my Deadlift to a solid 500lb or 600lb. I think it's a great mistake to frequently perform the same lifts in the same manner. Powerlifters recommend playing with speed, acceleration, and range of motion. They'll also prescribe single joint exercises for maintenance like biceps curls or triceps work. It's easy to ignore all of the extra accessory work, and to ignore using bands and chains or changing range of motion.

When you stay so static as described above - there will be clear cut weak points that you're simply not going to improve on by doing the same thing. You might look strong and be strong with the main three lifts, but I guarantee you can look better and be stronger with an assortment of lifts depending on your body type, experience, and goals.

Scroll to the bottom of the post to see the routine I'm doing. For:

• Weighted Pull-ups, I recommend a dip belt. Specifically the Iron Mind De Rigueur Dip Belt. I purchased it six years ago. It's rated to hold 1,000lb, and has never failed me. It holds weight plates. I've done +135lb many times with it.
• Bench Press, I recommend The SlingShot by Mark Bell. This device protects the elbows, wrists, shoulders, and pecs from injury. You should still know and use good technique though, which I describe as elbows pinned to your sides, scapulae pinched together, and back arched.
• Deadlifts, I recommend wrist straps. My favorite have been Iron Mind Strong-Enough Lifting Straps. I used them five years straight with good success, but I tried a different type of straps, and had a severe wrist injury.

Some notes on the wrist straps for deadlifting - I've heard many people claim that wrist straps reduce grip strength, and it's true to some extent, but you can also do many things with the wrist straps that you can't do without them. For example, if your hands hurt to much to deadlift or rack pull, and you're waiting very long periods for your hands to recover - you probably want to switch to wrist straps to save time, and to get in more total volume.

If your hands hurt, you will lose mental confidence and it will sap your physical strength. The wrist straps prevent your hands from fatiguing. You may want to add chalk in to prevent hand fatigue. I have also found that if your hands are relatively larger than smaller, you may find barbells to be rather skinny, and you might find relief in your joints, wrists, and elbows if you were able to use a thicker barbell. Well, when you wrap the wrist straps around the barbell, you are thickening the diameter, and thus it hits the forearms differently, and the rest of the body.

If you've ever tried working out 6 days a week, you may quickly run into hand fatigue and hand pain. The wrist straps will prevent that to a great extent.

Also to note that if you're not using straps, you may switch to a mixed grip once your hands give out, but the lat muscles and biceps work very differently depending on the direction the palm is facing. If the palm is facing the bar, you will undoubtedly use more biceps and less lat than an overhand grip, and straps allow for an overhand grip even once your tired.

For diet, it's never been more clear to me that vegetables are the healthiest food and the best fuel for workouts and clean energy. Fruits are loaded with sugar, and people will say that the sugar in fruits is good for you because it's slower digesting due to the fiber in fruits, but if you try to eat every morning one apple, one orange, and one banana. You might find all the sugar hurting your teeth, and it's because there's 42 grams of sugar in those three fruits versus drinking one can of coke that has 39 grams of sugar. Compare this to three servings of broccoli, and you'll have a little more fiber, significantly more protein, and half the calories compared to the fruit.

I recommend not going carb crazy. If you want to eat pasta, use vegetable noodles. There's never going to be a need for an entire bowl of carbs. 37.5% Fat, 37.5% Protein, 25% Carbs might be a good ratio. I generally just keep in mind 33% for all three, but will ditch the carbs before anything else. I mostly consume greek yogurt, sushi, fried chicken (small amounts), vegetables, and grilled meat patties. I advise against microwavable preserved frozen foods. And I advise to eat smaller meals, and not binge eating to avoid digestion issues and stomach bloating.

For liquids I recommend coconut water, cold brew coffee, and g2 low calorie Gatorade. Water and tea are other daily drinks I recommend. As for alcohol in the active athlete's life, I recommend avoiding Champagne, wine, and beer. These will only slow you down. A clear hard alcohol such as Vodka will have the least amount of slow-down on the body compared to the rest. Darker hard alcohols will often have more sugars.

Two forms of calisthenics I recommend are Yoga and Muscle Control. I have two forms of yoga I'll do - either the 27 poses that you can find on these yoga mats - or Vivastra Kama Yoga (nsfw). I've done both of them for 5 years on and off. I mostly do the mat, but will do the other twice a week or so - perhaps on weekends. Muscle Control is largely misunderstood. Max Sick, a lifter from the early 1900s, was born a weak frail boy, and educated himself on body anesthesiology and muscle anatomy. He devised a set of poses, which if performed regularly, enhances the mind-to-muscle connection for easier and faster muscle contractions that will also make you look more toned, it will enhance digestion, improve posture, promote bloodflow, and will ultimately put your body under your control to a farther degree than which it currently is. Here's a link to Max's book.

So I recommend doing the yoga (27 poses) in the morning pre or post shower, and later in the day before dinner. Muscle Control can be done after the yoga either once or twice a day. By doing this every day, the body becomes conditioned to perform it every day. I notice my metabolism speeding up, and all muscles head to toe becoming more chiseled. Advanced muscle control involves contracting each muscle individually in both the stretched and contracted state as well as relaxing the muscle in both the stretched and contracted state.

As for breathing, I highly Recommend Bas Ruten's O2 Trainer. I like using it during yoga and muscle control.

I mentioned the GZCL lifting method last post, and that method continues into this new routine I've assembled.

WK1	85%		3 sets of 5 reps		15 total reps
WK2	90%		4 sets of 3 reps		12 total reps
WK3	87.5, 92.5., 97.5%		1 set of 3	2 sets of 2	3 sets of 1
WK4	90, 95, 100%		1 set of 3	1 set of 2	1 set of 1+

Above is the formula for the GZCL method that grants you periodization and has you peaking on the 4th week in terms of strength. And below is the first month of my new routine:

First are the Training PRs, which you need to calculate each weeks weight intensity. So for WK1 Pull-Ups, it's .85 multiplied by 100 to determine how much weight for 3 sets of 5. The answer is 85lb.

100	195		405	250	250	290
PULL-UP	BENCHPRESS		RACK PULL	STIFF LEG	ROMANIAN	TRAP DL

8/10/2017	Workout A
Thursday	Bench 165lb WK 1, 3 sets of 5
	Pull-Ups 85lb WK1, 3 sets of 5
	Stiff-Leg Deadlift 215lb WK1, 3 sets of 5
	Trap-Bar Deadlift 245lb WK1, 3 sets of 5
8/12/2017	Workout B
Sunday	Romaian Deadlift 215lb WK1, 3 sets of 5
	Shrug 170lb WK1, 3 sets of 5
	Rack Pull 345lb WK1, 3 sets of 5
	Rack Pull in back 345lb WK1, 3 sets of 5
8/17/2017	Workout C
Thursday	Pull-Ups 90lb WK2, 4 sets of 3
	Trap-Bar Deadlift 260lb WK2, 4 sets of 3
	Stiff-Leg Deadlift 225lb WK2, 4 sets of 3
	Bench 175lb WK 2, 4 sets of 3
8/19/2017	Workout D
Sunday	Romaian Deadlift 225lb WK2, 4 sets of 3
	Rack Pull 365lb WK2, 4 sets of 3
	Rack Pull in back 365lb WK2, 4 sets of 3
8/24/2017	Workout E
Thursday	Pull-Ups 90lb WK3, 1 set of 3, 95lb 2 sets of 2, 100lb 3 sets of 1
	Trap-Bar Deadlift 255lb WK3, 1 set of 3, 270lb 2 sets of 2, 285lb 3 sets of 1
	Stiff-Leg Deadlift 220lb WK3, 1 set of 3, 230lb 2 sets of 2, 245lb 3 sets of 1
	Bench 170lb WK3, 1 set of 3, 180lb 2 sets of 2, 190lb 3 sets of 1
8/27/2017	Workout F
Sunday	Romaian Deadlift 220lb WK3, 1 set of 3, 230lb 2 sets of 2, 245lb 3 sets of 1
	Rack Pull 365lb 220lb WK3, 1 set of 3, 375lb 2 sets of 2, 395lb 3 sets of 1
	Rack Pull in back 365lb 220lb WK3, 1 set of 3, 375lb 2 sets of 2, 395lb 3 sets of 1
8/31/2017	Workout G
Thursday	Pull-Ups 90lb WK4, 1 set of 3, 95lb 1 set of 2, 100lb 1 set of 3
	Trap-Bar Deadlift 260lb WK4, 1 set of 3, 275lb 1 set of 2, 290lb 1 set of 3
	Stiff-Leg Deadlift 225lb WK4, 1 set of 3, 240lb 1 set of 2, 250lb 1 set of 3
	Bench 170lb WK4, 1 set of 3, 180lb 2 set of 2, 190lb 1 set of 3
9/3/2017	Workout H
Sunday	Romaian Deadlift 225lb WK4, 1 set of 3, 240lb 1 set of 2, 250lb 1 set of 3
	Rack Pull 365lb WK4, 1 set of 3, 385lb 1 set of 2, 405lb 3 sets of 1
	Rack Pull in back 365lb WK4, 1 set of 3, 385lb 1 set of 2, 405lb 3 sets of 1

2017 The Weight Lifting Routine I Recommend

I was very consistent on following weight lifting programs the first four years I had taken up lifting. After that period, I hit some injuries, and as I would return to lifting, I would frequently get injured, and it led to a lack of conditioning, strength, and muscle. It became apparent that my body wasn't ready for a weight lifting routine. So I got into the habit of sticking to a routine that was primarily low weight, high volume, medium frequency. This was helpful for rebuilding the foundation of my body so that I wouldn't get injured. I started lifting heavier, but for some reason didn't choose a program, and instead I lifted the amount of weight that I felt my body could handle on that given day.

That may sound like a good idea (lift what you can for that day), but I'll demonstrate why it's not a good idea. The reason I stuck on a program (I rotated through many different ones) when I had started lifting is that I heard many warnings from veteran lifters, strength trainers, and bodybuilders that when you show up to the gym without a plan, you're setting yourself up for failure, and a term that can go along with that methodology is fuck-around-itis - which won't get you anywhere - you might maintain but you won't progress.

In the world of fitness and exercise, the mind will give out before the body. That's why you don't want the mind to be the arbiter of how much weight and how many reps or sets, and how often you show up at the gym. Humans work well with structure and patterns, whereas an open slate with no paved roads has less chance of producing fruitful results regardless of how liberating it may feel.

The weight lifting routine I recommend is GZCL. I've mentioned it on this blog before, but I don't think I described it well enough. Firstly, its author (not me) prefers it to be known as a Method and not a Routine. This means that there's leeway to be had here-and-there to better suit the individual.

I want to lay this out simply in case whoever's reading doesn't have experience with routines. I will establish what you need to do in order to generate your own GZCL method lifting program for yourself with appropriate amounts of weight, reps, sets, and frequency. Volume, Frequency, and Intensity are the three governors of any lifting program. In order to prioritize any of those 3, you must deprioritize one of the other 3. For example, High Intensity necessitates Low Volume and Low Frequency. Or for example, High Volume necessitates Low Intensity with Frequency being about Medium. So to do High Volume, High Intensity, and High Frequency is not an option.

Lifting programs firstly begin starting with a person's PR numbers (personal records). The closer you dial in your PR number, the more efficient the program will be, and the less time you'll waste finding your actual PRs or your actual strength.

For example, say a lifter named John has these for the following PRs - Squat - 300lb, Bench Press - 200lb, Deadlift - 400lb. Lifting routines will have you take out a calculator and find out for example 65% of your PR. I'll even point out how this is done on a calculator to be thorough - to find out the 300lb squat's 65%, do the following, type in calculator 300, hit multiply button, .65 (note the decimal place), hit enter and the answer is 195, so if the program called for doing 65% of your Squat, and you Squat 300lb, you would squat 195lb for x amount of reps and sets.

You can see now that all that makes a weight lifting program is the percentages, which are designed to allow for your body to experience periodization. This term is important. It means that you cannot simply lift +5-10lb on every lift every time you go to the gym. This type of progression works for beginners, but eventually drops off, you'll no longer gain strength or size. Periodization is the acknowledgement of this linear drop-off, and instead of being linear, instead it uses a pattern which will span weeks to months depending on when you want your body to peak. Weight lifters don't try to break records on any given day - instead they chart out a program, and hit their peak on competition week. This is also what fighters do in fight preparation, and many other sports athletes.

The GZCL Method that I use which is suited to me is what I'll share here now. The author of this Method can be found here. Spanning 4 weeks, I have GZCL programmed for the Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift. I do all three lifts on the same day with only 1 workout per week (you can do additional training for secondary lifts).

250lb	185lb	440	lb
SQUAT	BENCHPRESS	DEADLIFT	training max

WK1	85%		3 sets of 5 reps		15 total reps
WK2	90%		4 sets of 3 reps		12 total reps
WK3	87.5, 92.5., 97.5%		1 set of 3	2 sets of 2	3 sets of 1
WK4	90, 95, 100%		1 set of 3	1 set of 2	1 set of 1+

	Workout A
5/18/2017	Squat 210lb WK 1, 3 sets of 5
	Bench 155lb WK 1, 3 sets of 5
	Dead 375lb WK1, 7 sets of 2, plus 1
	Workout B
5/25/2017	Squat 225lb WK 2, 4 sets of 3
	Bench 165lb WK 2, 4 sets of 3
	Dead 395lb WK 2, 6 sets of 2
	Workout C
6/1/2017	Squat 220lb WK 3, 1 set of 3, 230*2*2, 245*1*3
	Bench 160lb WK 3, 1 set of 3, 170*2*2,180*1*3
	Dead 385lb WK 3, 1 set of 3, 405*2*2, 430*1*3
	Workout D
6/8/2017	Squat 225lb WK 4, 1 set of 3, 235*2, 250*1+
	Bench 165lb WK 4, 1 set of 3, 175*2, 185*1+
	Dead 395lb WK 4, 1 set of 3, 420*2, 440*1+

Progression Guide for WK4 -			0= repeat
			1= repeat
			2= +5lb
			3= +10lb
			4= +15lb
			5 =+15lb

You can see that it's a 4 week cycle. If you wanted, you could modify it into an 8 week cycle or 12 week cycle. Although extending it very far might require additional tweaks to the program/pattern. It's important to keep track of your progress. For example, if you overestimate your PRs, you could end up injured for weeks by being too destructive on your body. Likewise, if you underestimate your PR, you'll at least have consistency of exercise, but you would be spinning your wheels a bit, and leaving the uncharted waters of higher strength and more muscle mass until you get closer to your actual PRs.

On the 4th week, the intensity is ramped up to 100%, and for as many reps as possible. If you do 2 reps of your 100%, you add +5lb to your PR - so if you had a 300lb Squat, and did 2 reps on Week 4, you'd up it to 305lb for the cycle.

Speaking of being destructive to the body, if you commit fully to a weight lifting program/routine, which you should be, and start experiencing joint pains, shoulders aching, knees aching, etc. or heavy muscle soreness that's not going away, you may be experiencing 'overreaching'. This is the subtle more minor version of being overtrained. It's a common misnomer to assume you're overtrained when the going gets tough, but being truly overtrained is a state where you're already suffering from the consequences, and have lost strength. Lifting weights is basically about overreaching consistently. By introducing a high workload to your body, the body must become stronger to handle the new more demanding workload.

And so, when you're feeling beat up, don't assume you're overtrained, and instead attempt to do what I would call 'rehabbing'. This is where the multitude of devices and techniques come into play to help the body recover faster - this includes foam rolling, yoga, stretching, the six Tibetan Rites, and/or whatever else you do to recover, which can also include consuming more calories, acquiring more sleep, and drinking more water.

You can run this weight lifting routine or method on any lift, but I advise against doing it with too low of a weight because the percentages will be too close to each other (things like 85%-90% could be the same weight number). So in that instance, I would modify the percentages to have more variation. And lastly I advise against doing this method with too many lifts at the same time. For example, I've attempted doing this with bench press and an overhead press, and found the two to be too conflicting, and my shoulders couldn't recover fast enough. Good luck, and stay on a program.

Building Muscle With High Volume and Low Weight

I have been absent from writing due to being injured for seven months. It sure is a long time. And I've learned a great deal since then, and would like to share that knowledge.


I'm going to introduce a lifting routine, or more specifically a way to calculate and refine this workout for yourself. There is a set number of reps and set, and the targeted weight is programmed via 1 rep max.

I've experienced increaed triceps mass from this workout, abs have came in nicely, and core is very strong, shoulders are popping, pecs are full, upper forearms swole, and quads are bigger than ever.

I've written a lot of workout routines, and the reason I came up with this routine is that I was experiencing injuries, and of course wanted to continue lifting, and to push the boundary of training in a safer fashion by raising volume, increasing frequency, and decreasing intensity (amount of weight). The results are good hypertrophy (muscle building), fast metabolism, core strength, and mobility.

I've been lifting for just shy of 7 years, and the deeper you go, the more complex the workout routine must be to see results. For example a beginner can just build a routine based of linear progression of adding 5/10lb indefinitely until failure (charted out for 1-3 months).

There are not many lifts in this routine, as I prefer barbell powerlifting. It is based around the three main lifts: bench press, squat, and deadlift.

There are two or three workouts per week with a day of rest between days.

Squat: 4 sets of 15 reps at 15%, 25%, 30%, 35% of 1 rep max.
Bench Press: 4 sets of 15 reps at 15%, 25%, 30%, 35% of 1 rep max.
Deadlift: 16 sets of 1 rep at 15%, 25%, 30%, 35% of 1 rep max. (switch between traditional/sumo every 2 sets).

That's pretty much it. The following days of that workout, just raise the percentages by 5%, and on the 3rd workout raise it an additional 5%. You can play with percentage numbers - for example 17.5%, 27.5%, 32.5%, 37.5%. Or add a fifth set if you try the workout, and feel like more volume is possible without fatigue.

It's very effective to lift lower weights for high volume. If you are doing 60-75 reps of bench press three times a week. That's 180-225 reps a week. It will build muscle guaranteed despite the weight seeming very low. The numbers I used for my 1 rep max are 300 for squat, 225 for bench press, 465 for deadlift. None of these are my absolute highest 1 rep max, but I believe in having a 1 rep max that you use for calculating a routine (sometimes referred to as a training 1 rep max) to be a weight I feel I can hit on any given day, and does require special periodization (weeks ramping up the weight in a special pattern to peak at a certain time a month later) to achieve, where I may miss the weight, and it requires great mental focus - that to me is beyond a 1 rep max.

If you find the 4 sets of 15 reps to be difficult cardio-wise, you may need to speed up your reps, or cut the range of motion slightly. It may seem like cheating, but getting solid work in is more important than perfect form and full range of motion. In order to have energy and strength for high volume, I do think near perfect form is required to stay fresh.

I also throw in calf raises, rear delt rows, good mornings, and I plan on adding some shrugs since the deadlift weight is low.

Nutrition advice I'd like to give is to only eat carbs/breads in high fiber and high protein, and to establish consistency with your Monday through Friday lunch habits to be clean and light. I recommend a salad with protein, and one extra piece of protein (grilled/fried chicken good choice).

I highly recommend supplementing probiotics daily (multiple kinds and a high amount). I find aiding digestion is essential for health. I also recommend consuming raw shelled hemp seeds every day. I have yet to find a food with a fuller spectrum of proteins and fats, which satiate the body more than other foods, and can be added to anything because they are extremely small, and only have a subtle nutty taste. They work well with yogurt, salad, and peanut butter.

Cheers.



 

Lifting Weights With Injury Prevention In Mind

The workout routines I've used and prefer bounce between bodybuilding (hypertrophy) and strength training. I found more fun in strength training because you use heavier weights, break records, and your nervous system seems to fire better, allowing you maximum strength more frequently throughout your days. The downside to strength training ironically is that it works, and thus your strength never stops going up, but at some point your body can't handle the stress, and ultimately gets injured.

In strength training I honed my form pretty well in the three main lifts - Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift, but I also elevated their importance too much. I did routines that only had those lifts, and I thought if I put all of my energy into one thing it would improve, but I found too much resistance. Three lifts don't make a workout routine, and won't shape your body that aesthetically.

In my training, I ended up injured through Deadlifts by wearing wrist straps and continuing to pull the weight despite pain or lack of energy. The wrist straps hadn't failed me before - even with twice the weight, but a single set seemed to rip apart my left wrist, and my left elbow, and left ankle. It taught me valuable lessons. For someone who regularly lifts, their body is probably never 100% healed. But if you keep too low a recovery you won't have access to your full strength, and your body will continue to get weaker.

Sometimes the trick to a more recovered body is to just cut days from lifting so that you lift less days. This can fail to work too though if you have injuries popping up despite being well-rested. This is where I was for a bit, working out once a week, but I've learned to bandage myself up more, which has solved many problems, but I can tell that in the future I will need more and more types of bandages for body parts.

My working solution right now is wrist wraps, elbow sleeve, and ankle sleeves. I use athletic tape for the highest knuckle on each finger, and tape on each wrist. The wraps and sleeves provide compression, which seems to keep joints warmer and limits your range of motion to prevent ranges of motion that would injure you. The tape on the fingers is more about preventing pain and enabling my grip to last longer in both the workout, and in workouts that occur days later. I know that when I've done routines with say 6 days of working out, my hands become what I call shredded. They get red, sore to the touch, and I don't feel my grip is there. The tape eliminates all of that - although with 6 workout days a week, I would have to up my hand maintenance by using a balm and a pumice stone.

The ankle sleeves are my newest addition, and oddly I don't feel ankle pain during workouts. The pain is more typically felt at the end of days (rest days as well), and by using the ankle sleeves, that pain has diminished. I think the next thing for me may be knee sleeves, but I'm going to wait until that's a more pressing issue.

I'm almost surprised that my right wrist and right elbow are holding up, but I am using the same cautionary measures on my right wrist that I am with the left. I'm not exactly sure how you would take care of a shoulder in this situation. Perhaps some form of compression (probably something more like the Sling Shot would work more realistically than a standard compression t-shirt with sleeves - good luck trying to take off a tight compression t-shirt - I nearly died once from that at 4am in the ocean). My shoulders do seem to go what I call 'offline' from time to time, but I've been able to prevent that by limiting the total amount of reps on shoulder exercises like bench pressing and overhead pressing, and by using a suitable amount of weight.

Current Training Program - 2015 Success

I've completed my 13th week on GZCL method. My squat has gone up 20lb, and shows no sign of plateauing. My Deadlift has gone up 15lb. The reason it's lower than the squat is that I played around with sumo for a few weeks, and generally didn't take it as seriously as the squats. My Deadlift PR is practically 200lb over my Squat PR, so I find Deadlifts generally easy for myself. The amount of weight I'm lifting is based off a training PR and not my actual PR. This is to ensure progress and keep momentum, and is obviously easier to recover from.

I am doing accessory lifts on odd days throughout the weeks.  I think GZCL works best for my squats. For Deadlifts, I seem to be preserving my strength, but not excelling as much. I am using a lower weight for my training PR b/c I want to avoid any hitching and encourage better technique. I'm more interesting these days in getting reps on weight rather than just doing heavy singles. I found heavy singles ultimately to be extremely punishing on the body and psych (when failing too often), and makes your body more prone to injury.

I find the days in the gym where I am strongest and the lifts take the least effort are the days that the day prior I had good adequate nutrition both macro/total caloric amount-wise. I've been walking 1.5 miles a few days out of the week. I've started doing weighted pull-ups and shrugs again. There's a new row I do with a barbell. It can be seen here.

I think I could be doing more work to better my fitness and body. I think I lack hypertrophy work, more skill work, and machine work. There's always room for improvement.