Saturday, March 29, 2008

Scaling back

The sore quad has definitely affected my sleep. Weight: 178.5 lbs. Its possible I have a tear and will schedule a visit to the doctor to confirm what I already know. Given how slow my recovery is so far I will be told to stay off the leg and in particular no KB work for several weeks or more. This being the case I will be focusing on some BW work. In particular, Fighter Push-ups, Fighter Pull-ups and Power Wheel work. My endurance work will resume when the leg heals.

All exercises follow the Fighter Pull-up Program Rep Scheme:

BW 8,7,6,5,5 Fighter Push-ups @ 75 seconds rest between rungs

BW 5,4,3,2,2 5RM Fighter Pull-up Program (Day 2) @ 2 min rest between rungs

BW 6,5,4,3,3 Power Wheel Roll-out, 3 sec Hold, & Back on knees @ 3 min rest between rungs

The 1st set of five pull-ups was rough and subsequent sets were much easier. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't admit I don't know where 6 pull-ups is going to come from in 4 days but that is exactly how I felt when I hit my 4RM. I already have a back up plan just in case I get stuck on 5RM. Not surprising, its a recommendation by Pavel to work a large number of one and two rep sets: 1,2,1,2,1,2 ... Do this a couple days and then get back to the program.

The Power Wheel work is quite challenging. My upper abs really get an intense workout after the roll-outs. I haven't done two days back to back with the wheel yet so tomorrow will be interesting.


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Diet and Nutrition Log

Breakfast:
1 bowl of Kitchari with sweet potato, Toor Dal and Green Gram Curry
2 cups of coffee with tbs of 1/2 and 1/2
2 dates

Morning Snack:
2 small handfuls of roasted almonds
4 oz Kefir

Lunch:
1 large bowl of chicken fried rice
1 bowl of Sichuan shrimp with vegies
1 large naval orange
2 small handfuls of roasted almonds

Afternoon snack:
3 handfuls of roasted almonds
1 handful of dried cranberries
1 large sesame cracker

Dinner:
1 large bowl of chicken fried rice with Gugarati beans and sweet potato
1 piece of apple pie
1 scoop of ice cream
2 handful of roasted almonds
2 elephant ear pastries

My appetite always increases when I can't do my KB training. Most of it is psychological as I try and substitute food for the void associated with no KBs.

3 comments:

Aaron Friday said...

Doesn't surprise me that Pavel recommends switching things up for a brief respite. You gotta keep your body somewhat confused to keep making gains. Being "fresh" helps a lot, too.

If you are going to do 1s and 2s, keep them as explosive as you can manage and go nowhere near failure. Do one pullup like a total badass, and then get about your business.

If you're still stuck at 5 after a couple weeks of this, take a break.

Growth happens in spurts, and you're not going to continue to make gains by pounding away without a break. If pullups aren't doing it for you for whatever reason, take a break and focus on a different thing for a few weeks. Hit a few PRs in swings, snatches or something else, and then come back to pullups.

Franklin said...

Hi Aaron,

Excellent words of wisdom. What immediately comes to mind is "Wavy is what wavy does." as the Forest Gump of S&C Training might put it. Life is not linear so why should training be.

I went to the TSC site and checked out your most recent results .. YOU ARE ONLY 155 lbs and can do all that! Very scary strong dude!

You already had my attention before this, now you REALLY do! And I'm quite humbled by your generosity .. thanks so much for stopping by.

Aaron Friday said...

Should be better this time. I "feel" bigger than last time, but should weigh in about the same but post better numbers. Lighter guys than me are still kicking my ass.

There's a lot of good info out there, but no formula that suits everyone. When you're not hitting PRs, just chill out and focus on something else. Find the spark and go with it. Life is huge, and your spirit is limitless.

Unlike Forrest Gump, I had only one bad leg from an early age and am becoming mildly retarded as a personal choice rather than a genetic defect, LOL!

As far as I'm concerned, if you are self-motivated, you can ditch every single program you know about and go on your own. Get the books and DVDs for foundational knowledge and workout ideas, but follow your passion and construct your own progressions.

Every time I hit a meaningful PR was when I got a hair up my ass and just went for it, even if it took weeks or months of work. That's mind and body working together, and it's strong. Someone else's program never worked for me.