Results matching “Bird”

Christian Thibaudeau takes a very interesting look at the traditional notion of bulking; asking the simple question :

Is bulking up to gain muscle a good idea?

If you've ever wondered whether to bulk-then-cut or simply follow a clean diet with the right amount of each nutrient (all year, that is) then this article is meant for you.

A couple of samples :

You can eat any amount of food you want; you simply can't change your protein synthesis limit naturally. Eating more food than your body can use to build muscle will simply lead to more body fat being gained.

and

you can't bully your body into building muscle by force-feeding it. Adding nutrients and calories will have a positive effect on muscle growth until you reach your saturation point. After that, any additional calories will be stored as body fat.

I think the answer is quite clear - a careful, planned, clean diet.

That was a luxurious 4.5 hours' sleep - at least it would've been if I could stop thinking about the various things I'd be doing today. I probably got 3 hours' total out of that 4.5 (yes, I should've written it down).

Even with a comparitively poor night's slumber I feel quite rested; at least for now. The real test will begin in a few hours when the Spring heat arrives in full. And it most certainly will.

Following nap

Another deep one. I could've easily slept for a few more hours, so tonight's definitely going to be a 4.5 hour stint. Luxury.

With 20 years of weight training beneath his belt (pun intended), Winnipeg's Snowdaddy has come to the simple conclusion :

Lift big or don't bother lifting.

Perfect.

From Zach Even-Esh: The picture says it all. If you're looking for something a bit different, grab a length of thick rope and try this. It's more difficult than it looks.

Another cycle. Yesterday's 9 hour total seems to have definitely swung the argument in favour of having 4.5 hours each night; especially as the 'workout' was nothing more complex than a few sets of shrugs.

So far I haven't been overly concerned at the notion of waking to an alarm, switching it off, rolling over and going back to sleep. There are many ways to combat this (several of which I've tried in the past); perhaps the most simple is to move the alarm slightly out of reach from the bed. If I have to get out of bed just to turn the alarm off, I'm unlikely to jump back in for an additional sleep.

The reason I haven't been terribly worried about the oversleeping is that there's usually a reason for it. Aside from 'the bed was warm and comfortable', almost anything is tolerable - tiredness from stress, physical exertion or heat. Relocating the alarm is a more difficult decision than you might imagine.

Following nap

Unlike last night's extravaganza, 90 minutes proved quite enough. This time I only allowed 10 minutes to get to sleep, and based on my response to the alarm (along the lines of 'yeah, yeah, OK') that was fairly close. Refreshing.

This week seems to have included fewer chin-ups (although a couple of variations did make their presence known) and more rack pulls. Why? Because they're fun.

Thursday
Assorted bodyweight work.

Friday
3-finger chin-up (2 fingers + thumb) 3@bw
Total gym work
Hanging knee raise 2×20@bw
Rack pull (bottom pins, snatch grip) 2×10@60/132, 10@70/154, 10@80/176, 10@90/198

Saturday
Assorted bodyweight work.

Sunday
Hot, dry, smoky and without power. Bushfires nearby. Not the ideal conditions for a workout - it can wait.

Monday
Dimel dealift 4×10@60/132
SLDL 4×10@60/132, 2×10@80/176
Hanging knee raise 4×20@bw

Tuesday
Gorilla chin 10@bw
Rack pull (bottom pins, snatch grip) 10@60/132
Shrug 10@60/132, 10@80/176, 10@100/225, 10@120/264, 10@140/315

Wednesday
1.5 hand chin-up (2nd hand on wrist) 1@bw (incredibly disappointing, need to do more grip work)
Rack pull (3 holes) 2×20@60/132, 2×10@80/176, 2×10@90/198, 2×10@100/225
Suitcase deadlift (each side) 10@30/66
Shrug 10@100/225, 5@120/264

Got a serious training partner? Love the deadlift? Try this [.wmv, 1.1mb].

GetStrength's Steve Thompson discusses one of the simplest - and most effective - ways to set up bands for bench training. He's chosen to use Iron Woody bands, but there really isn't a lot of difference between brands.

Having tried various setups in the rack, I have to admit that I'm more than a little keen to get the bench out (there just isn't space in the current home gym) and try something like this - looks great.


Incidentally, the NZ Bench Press recordholder Reuben Simanu (mentioned in the article) is throwing some serious weight around. Take a look at his training log.

Punch Gym’s Anthony DiLuglio demonstrates [.wmv, 2.5mb] an exercise - The Alternating Kettlebell Clean - that definitely puts a second kettlebell on the shopping list. Even a pair of light bells will get the hips nicely warmed up.

If you've spent any time on Jesse Marunde's site you probably already know Washington strongman Aaron Anderton. His blog details both strongman and powerlifting training - and there's some great lifting in there.

Check it out.