2 Week Experiment

adpowah

adpowah

Active Member
So I recently moved back to HST after primarily focusing on SST for about half a year. The first cycle is over 5/8s done and going great. I plan on continuing HST well into January, but I have a little situation. Right at the end of this cycle I am leaving for two weeks to go on a volunteer work trip where I will be doing manual labor and will not have access to a gym (I won't have time either). Then I will be back for two weeks and then leave again for a vacation (again no gym, no time). Then when I get back it will be business as usual.

So, I am trying to think of what to do for that two week block regarding lifting. Here's some of my ideas:
  • Daily max: Work up to a heavy single, do back off of 5x3@80% of the single. Probably cycle 1-2 lifts per session. Do whatever feels the freshest that day.
  • 2 week HST: Week 1-Mon 15s, Wed and Fri 10s. Week 2-Mon and Wed 5s, Fri 2s.
  • Sprints: I dunno, find a beginner sprint program and give it a shot.
  • Screw around: Just go in, lift something or whatever.
  • Do nothing: Attempt a 6 week SD (not srs).
Anyways any opinions/suggestions would be appreciated.

tl/dr version:
HST is going great, leaving for 2 weeks (no gym), back for 2 weeks (yes gym), leaving for 2 weeks (no gym), back to HST.
 
Do either daily max, or 2 weeks of 5's.

Having said that, dail max with 5x3@80% is insane for someone at your level. Go 1x3@80-90% of the daily max for that day.
 
Figured I would update you guys with what I did on this 2 week experiment.

I ended up deciding to just deadlift for the time I was back. I leave this Friday so Wednesday was my last chance to workout. Something came up on Sunday and Monday so I called it good at last Friday. My intent starting out was really work on my form and identify any weaknesses in the movement. As the lifts went by I realized I should have been recording myself the entire time but I ended up only capturing the last two sessions.

From the videos I took, I did notice that I hitch at the knees when the weight starts getting a bit heavy. So I worked on keeping my shins more vertical and added some dimmel deadlifts (except I didn't fully lock out, just above to below the knee and repeat) to improve that aspect of the motion. These adjustments made my last session much smoother than the previous. (When I get home I will post the videos if I can figure out how to string them together) Anyways I ended up hitting a 10lb pr, I feel I could have continued with this for a while and maybe gotten another 10-15lbs over the course of a month.
Deadlift.jpg
 
adpowah said:
Working up to 410 in the blue tank, then 415 in the black
Click to expand...

Comments and questions;

- Add in RDLs or properly performed Good Mornings. The hitching is due to your hip hinge; aka you don't have one. I would probably advocate RDLs over Good Mornings as you don't seem to have an issue with your break, it's knee clearance.

- If you can, practice using hook grip and/or lift with straps for double overhand. It is entirely different to lifting with over/under and in my opinion is a vast preferable option. I can now do 210kg for triple with hook grip and that's with only 6 weeks or so, no chalk and a bar with very gentle knurling.

- Wouldn't hate to see plenty of chin ups thrown in there.

- Fire those hips thru and hump the damn bar.

- Have you been watching George Leeman's belt placement videos lately ... ? Compare to your profile picture; vastly different. Personally, I find that just under the nipple is a bit too high and that it doesn't assist in keeping my IAP as high and tight as a 'middle' placement would be. But having said that, I have the prototype barrel chest (giant rib cage).
 
Thanks for the feedback @Jester, your contributions are definitely helping me towards the 500 milestone.

-I definitely agree on the RDLs. Moving my shins to more parallel definitely helped with the hip hinge but I have a ways to go there.

-I feel I can pull hook as well as mixed, the problem is that hook takes me a few seconds more to get into position and for this experiment I wanted to eliminate as many variables as possible. I've run with straps before but noticed grip strength degradation pretty quickly and I can't seem to use the straps well enough that it emulates a normal grip. So I find my movement changes a bit too much and I lose some carryover when I go strapless.

-Agreed I've really been increasing my back work in general. At the start of the previous cycle of HST I could manage about 8 pull ups, at then end I went for 12 and I took my 1rm to BW (190ish) + 65lbs. I need to keep working it up and plan to incorporate it fairly heavily into my next round of HST.

-I thought my hip thrust at the top was one of the stronger portions of my movement. I'm not opposed to doing glute bridges or whatever if you have some suggestions.

-Yeah, particularly these two:
)

I had used a much lower belt placement for a while and as I focused on my squat in DUP my mechanics started to blend (which ultimately hurt my deadlift progression), further using similar belt placement really caused a lot of pinching that I worried might be causing me to lose position. At this point I'm not sold on the belt placement but it helps me fire my lats into the movement. I feel that my belt placement will be a continually evolving issue.
 
adpowah said:
Thanks for the feedback @Jester, your contributions are definitely helping me towards the 500 milestone.

-I definitely agree on the RDLs. Moving my shins to more parallel definitely helped with the hip hinge but I have a ways to go there.

-I feel I can pull hook as well as mixed, the problem is that hook takes me a few seconds more to get into position and for this experiment I wanted to eliminate as many variables as possible. I've run with straps before but noticed grip strength degradation pretty quickly and I can't seem to use the straps well enough that it emulates a normal grip. So I find my movement changes a bit too much and I lose some carryover when I go strapless.

Versaa Gripps would be my recommendation if that's a viable financial option for you.

-Agreed I've really been increasing my back work in general. At the start of the previous cycle of HST I could manage about 8 pull ups, at then end I went for 12 and I took my 1rm to BW (190ish) + 65lbs. I need to keep working it up and plan to incorporate it fairly heavily into my next round of HST.

-I thought my hip thrust at the top was one of the stronger portions of my movement. I'm not opposed to doing glute bridges or whatever if you have some suggestions.

It is definitely one of the stronge components, but just remember to keep pushing them through fast.

-Yeah, particularly these two:
)

I had used a much lower belt placement for a while and as I focused on my squat in DUP my mechanics started to blend (which ultimately hurt my deadlift progression), further using similar belt placement really caused a lot of pinching that I worried might be causing me to lose position. At this point I'm not sold on the belt placement but it helps me fire my lats into the movement. I feel that my belt placement will be a continually evolving issue.
Click to expand...

My thoughts are that it's probably ideal a bit lower (say bottom of the belt at the top/tip of the bellybutton, or thereabout).

George's "breaking a stick" logic is misplaced, because a stick doesn't have 13 sets of ribs and a giant airbag supporting one half of it. IMO it works for him because;

a) He's a giant. 6'5 or whatever and 340lbs +, and although his body is relative to itself (limb proportions etc.), the bar is ALWAYS at the same height.

b) Because of that, he can't do it lower or else to reach the bar requires cat-back at his height - ala KK.
 
adpowah said:
Thanks for the feedback @Jester, your contributions are definitely helping me towards the 500 milestone.

-I definitely agree on the RDLs. Moving my shins to more parallel definitely helped with the hip hinge but I have a ways to go there.

-I feel I can pull hook as well as mixed, the problem is that hook takes me a few seconds more to get into position and for this experiment I wanted to eliminate as many variables as possible. I've run with straps before but noticed grip strength degradation pretty quickly and I can't seem to use the straps well enough that it emulates a normal grip. So I find my movement changes a bit too much and I lose some carryover when I go strapless.

-Agreed I've really been increasing my back work in general. At the start of the previous cycle of HST I could manage about 8 pull ups, at then end I went for 12 and I took my 1rm to BW (190ish) + 65lbs. I need to keep working it up and plan to incorporate it fairly heavily into my next round of HST.

-I thought my hip thrust at the top was one of the stronger portions of my movement. I'm not opposed to doing glute bridges or whatever if you have some suggestions.

-Yeah, particularly these two:
)

I had used a much lower belt placement for a while and as I focused on my squat in DUP my mechanics started to blend (which ultimately hurt my deadlift progression), further using similar belt placement really caused a lot of pinching that I worried might be causing me to lose position. At this point I'm not sold on the belt placement but it helps me fire my lats into the movement. I feel that my belt placement will be a continually evolving issue.
Click to expand...


A final thought on this; go through all of Mike Tuchscherer's photos and videos. He probably has it in the middle of his torso (not spine), I'd say an inch or two lower than George Leeman would recommend and that's probably about right.
 
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