Styles Develops

Day 160 of 365 - Front Squat

Scott Styles — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 10 minutes at level 10, stop below 115bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Front Squats to Box - 5 x BW, 45, 90, 105, 115lbs;
DO Axle Deadlifts - 1 x 161lbs, 205lbs, 225lbs PR

Notes
I am run down. I reduced intensity and volume, hopefully preserving my cycle.

It is nice to get a PR on the axle. The 2" rolling handle at April's grip contest starts at 120lbs, for reps with one hand. I might actually get it up.

Day 159 of 365 - Bench Press

Scott Styles — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 5 minutes > 160bpm, cool down to < 130bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Bench Press - 5 x 45, 80, 90; 10 x 105lbs
Bent One Arm Rows - 5 x 10/10 x 24k
KB Clean and Press - 5 x 10 x 16k's

Notes
Walked 4 hours yesterday. I did everything anyway. GAhhh!

Day 157 of 365 - Deadlift

Scott Styles — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 5 minutes > 160bpm, cool down to < 130bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Deadlift - 5 x 132, 180, 205; 6 x 235lbs
Overhead Squat - 5 x BW, Hollow Bar, 45; 5 x 5 x 65lbs
Ab Wheel - 5 x 8 x Partial Reps
Thin Pinch - 5 x 5/5 x 63lbs

Notes
Deadlifts were pretty tough. I finished yesterday's session hard, and it took a lot out of my core.

Time for whisky!

Day 156 of 365 - Overhead Press

Scott Styles — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 5 minutes > 160bpm, cool down to < 130bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Overhead Press - 5 x 45, 70, 80; 8 x 90lbs
Turkish Get Ups - 5 x 2/2 x 16k
Renegade Rows - 5 x 5/5 x 20k
Grippers - 5 x 5/5 x #1

Notes
I slept too little. I really wanted to quit, but I got my reps anyway.

Day 154 of 365 - January in Review

Scott Styles — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Progress against my goals in January was excellent. With very few unexpected demands on my time, I was able to grind away.

1. Lifting - I continue on 5 3 1, just finishing my second cycle. I am making all my reps and hitting all my workouts. I am getting stronger and feel positive. I signed up for a grip contest at the end of April, which should keep me on track for 3 more cycles of 5 3 1. Bench press is finally fitting into my workouts after years of shoulder problems, and I am even managing to overhead squat, with weight. The regular mobility work has my body working much better than I imagined it could. I may need to back off on increasing the intensity of my warm ups. I'll hold at level 14 on the elliptical for Feb. My program does lack specificity for some of my goals, but I think with strength in the tank, that won't matter.

2. Eat on $4 a day - My spending was out of control. I have been doing the grocery shopping for the house every week, and I am horrible about making impulse purchases. If I see something new or delicious, it goes in the cart. Doing most of my grocery shopping at Aldi did help limit the financial damage some. However, I got into Scotch and now have 5 mid-range bottles, which set me back a couple hundred bucks. I did prepare my first ever avocado, which cuts the cost of having guacamole in about half, and makes it something I can get at Aldi. I also learned to prepare a mango and a kiwi, which increases my flexibility when buying fruit. My food expenses were waaay too high for January though, so I am going to limit my personal food budget to $35 a week in Feb. Given the food stockpile my impulse purchases have already created, this should be trivial.

3. Become competitive pool - The pool table remains covered. My intention for this goal was to be more social. I am finding it better to invest time with the people I already know, rather than trying to build relationships with complete strangers, that likely share only one of my lesser interests.

4. Maintain my home - Great progress here. We closed on the refinance, got the fireplace setup, finished cleaning out our unused stuff, and my wife even made a new painting for the master bathroom. The next step is to get our attic inspected and start building a relationship with a handyman. The fact is, I will not do the home maintenance myself. Even calling someone to talk about it seems like a dreadful task.

5. Excel as a quality engineer - I am keeping up with the additional developer. I got buy in on some operational changes, that once complete, will free up at least a day a month for me. The team agrees we need a build server, which is key to getting traction with test automation in a value added way. I suspect the fast feedback it provides will also support automated monitoring of unhandled system exceptions. I am almost done with the Agile Testing book. I might have one more work related book to read, about personal kanban, but then it will be nothing but heads down implementation. The security scanner is being a little cranky, but hopefully we'll make up by the end of Feb.

Overall life is going very well. I know peaks are usually followed by valleys, but I hope it stays this good for a while!

Day 153 of 365 - Squat

Scott Styles — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 10 minutes at level 10, stop below 130bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Front Squats to Box - 5 x BW, 50, 65, 75lbs
DO Axle Deadlifts (35lb plates, band on knee) - 5 x 5 x 143lbs
Reverse Lunges - 5 x 5/5 x 8lbs

Notes
Got my work in, easy. Deload week rules.

Day 152 of 365 - Bench Press

Scott Styles — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Bench Press - 5 x 45, 65, 70lbs
Bent Rows - 5 x 8/8 x 16k
KB Clean and Press - 5 x 6 x 16k's

Notes
Benching so light feels a little dumb, but it is the program as calculated based on percentages. I am not messing with what is working.

I skipped the elliptical as I plan on walking in the unseasonably warm weather.

Day 150 of 365 - Deadlift

Scott Styles — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Walk around IKEA for too long
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Deadlift - 5 x 110, 130, 160lbs
Overhead Squat - 5 x BW, Hollow Bar, 45, 45, 45lbs

Notes
Deload week, taking it easy. I will do my best to avoid IKEA in the future.

Day 149 of 365 - Overhead Press

Scott Styles — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 10 minutes at level 10, stop under 130bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Overhead Press - 5 x 45, 50, 60lbs
Renegade Rows - 5 x 4/4 x 16k
Partial Getup - 3 x 2/2 x 12k to just before half kneeling
Grippers 5 x 5/5 x Trainer

Notes
Level 10 on the elliptical was quite easy.

I sat for 12-14 hours yesterday and the day before. My body is tight, so I took it easy on the getups. I don't think my knees would have appreciated the full ROM today.

Day 146 of 365 - Squat

Scott Styles — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 5 minutes over 160bpm, stop under 130bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Front Squats to Box - 5 x BW, 45; 5 x 95; 3 x 110; 3 x 120lbs
DO Axle Deadlifts (35lb plates, band on knee) - 5 x 8 x 143lbs

Notes
Extremely tired today. I got my required reps, but only had it in me for part of the assistance work. The upcoming deload week is a relief.

Day 145 of 365 - Bench Press

Scott Styles — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 5 minutes over 160bpm, stop under 130bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Bench Press - 5 x 45, 90; 3 x 100lbs; 10 x 110lbs
Renegade Rows - 5/5 x 20k
Turkish Getup - 2/2 x 16k

Notes
I had to cut the workout short. I need to rest and take better care of myself. I am working on it now.

Day 143 of 365 - Deadlift

Scott Styles — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 5 minutes over 160bpm, stop under 130bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Deadlifts - 5 x 132, 200; 3 x 225; 3 x 250lbs
Overhead Squats - 5 x BW, Hollow Bar; 45, 45, 55, 65, 65
Ab wheel - 5 x 6 x Partial reps
Thin Pinch - 4 x 5 x 63lbs

Notes
Ate lunch and took a nap before this one. Deadlifts were still sub-par. I am wore out.

The overhead squats are pleasing. After a few sets, I open up enough to use weight on them.

Day 142 of 365 - Overhead Press

Scott Styles — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Foam Roller and brief mobility work with 12k kettlebell

Work
Overhead Press - 5 x 45lbs, 75lbs; 3 x 85lbs; 8 x 95lbs;

Notes
I am short on rest and wanted to play n the snow. I did the bare minimum for this one, then got outside for about an hour.

Day 140 of 365 - Lower

Scott Styles — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 5 minutes over 160bpm, stop under 130bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Front Squats to Box - 5 x BW, 45; 3 x 90, 100; 6 x 115lbs
DO Axle Deadlifts (35lb plates, band on knee) - 5 x 7 x 143lbs
Reverse Lunges - 5 x 8/8 x 8lbs

Notes
Yesterday's workout left my pretty drained. My hear rate was much higher than expected while warming up.

Squats were much easier than I expected. I might actually be getting stronger.

7 felt like a lucky number of reps on the deadlifts. I may have been able to do a little more. I'll try next time.

Looking forward to my rest day tomorrow.

Day 139 of 365 - Upper

Scott Styles — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 5 minutes over 160bpm, stop under 130bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Bench Press - 3 x 45, 80, 95; 10 x 105lbs
One Arm Rows - 5 x 8 x 24k
KB Clean and Press - 5 x 9 x 16k's

Notes
Heart rate is getting up to 171bpm during my warm up, at level 14 on the elliptical. I will hold my warm ups here for awhile, until I have trouble staying over 160bpm.

Bench was easy. I am limiting progress here for the sake of letting my shoulders adjust. They seem to be going along with it.

Clean and presses were near the limits of my work capacity. Given the upcoming grip contest, I made a point to catch each rep in my fingers. The forearm pump was severe. I think this will help me on the 100lb plate hold for time, as well as the wrist developer event. I am not willing to buy either piece of equipment to practice, so this is a decent alternative.

Day 137 of 365 - Lower

Scott Styles — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 5 minutes over 160bpm, stop under 130bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Deadlift - 3 x 45, 132, 185, 210; 6 x 242
Overhead Squats - 5 x BW, Hollow bar; 5 x 5 x 20k; 5 x 50lbs, 55lbs
Ab Wheel - 5 x 5 x Partial Reps with BW
Lots of thin pinch

Notes
My entire day was planned for a nap this afternoon, so I could rest enough to complete my workout. I have been too busy during the last two weeks. Life gets easier as of tonight though.

The workout actually went really well. This was one of the good ones. I credit my extra sleep. Overhead squats felt much, much better today. Something clicked on the second set with the barbell, so I even tried a few sets with added weight. I could have done more, but the 10lb increase is a 20% jump in weight, so I decided to stop.

I did thin pinch, since I committed to the grip contest at the end of April. I'll be able to finish this cycle of 5 3 1, then fit three more in leading up to it. Keeping that schedule relies upon not skipping workouts, but I think I can handle it. The main reason for doing the grip contest is to see everyone again, but it will help keep me lifting as well.

Day 136 of 365 - Upper

Scott Styles — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 5 minutes over 160bpm, stop under 130bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Overhead Press - 5 x 45, 65, 75; 9 x 90
Renegade Rows 5 x 4/4 x 20k
Turkish Getup - 5 x 2/2 x 16k
Grippers

Notes
I need to up the elliptical resistance to 14 for my warm up.

Workout went fine. Might do a grip contest in April.

Day 132 of 365 - Lower

Scott Styles — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Elliptical - 5 minutes > 160bpm, cool down to < 130bpm
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Front Squats - 5 x 45, 85, 95; 6 x 110lbs
DO Axle Deads (25lb plates, band on knee) - 5 x 5 x 133lbs

Notes
Time was limited today. I had to cut accessory work short by skipping reverse lunges and lower reps on the deadlifts.

Day 131 of 365 - Upper

Scott Styles — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Warm Up
Walk around subdivision with wife
Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work
Bench Press - 5 x 45, 75, 90; 10 x 100lbs
One Arm Rows - 5 x 5/5 x 24k
KB Clean and Press - 5 x 8 x 16k's

Notes
Walking is not an ideal warm up, but I like spending time with my wife more than I like warming up perfectly.

Increased the weight on the one arm rows. It was not hard, but I am not in a hurry.

I could have done more reps on the clean and press, but given my recent stress and time contstraints this week, I opted not to push it.

Day 129 of 365 - Lower

Scott Styles — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Warm Up

Elliptical - 15 minutes, 5 over 160bpm, stop at 130bpm

Foam roller and mobility with 12k kettlebell

Work

Deadlift - 5 x 132, 170, 200; 8 x 225lbs

Overhead Squats to Box - 5 x 10 x Hollow Bar

Ab Wheel - 5 x ? x Partial Reps with BW

Notes

1. I need the elliptical at level 13 to get my HR high enough now. Hopefully some of this is improvement in my conditioning and not just increased efficiency using the machine.

2. Deadlifts were hard. 225 should not feel so heavy, but I have had a long 24 hours. We closed on the refinance yesterday, then spent hours buying the fireplace setup today. The hard part is done, but it really sucked. I did not get to lifting until late. It shows.

3. My first set of overhead squats, I went down with 50lbs and barely got back up. Rather than force it, I got out my empty bar and focused on mobility only. I think maybe my ankles were tight? I am still learning this one.

4. I am still feeling out the ab wheel. I need a good way to measure progress. Distance from my knees to the wall (which I can use as a stop) seems ok. The other issue is cheating the exercise. I can hyper extend my lower back or shrug my shoulders towards my neck. Both are terrible for me and both make the movement much easier.

At least I got this one in. I cannot lift on Wednesday or Thursday, so it is really important I stay on schedule this week. The nice part about this program, is there is only one work set that really counts. No matter how tired I am, I can always get up for one set. One set can always be done on nerve.