End of the Road (Part Deux)

So, my last post on here I basically detailed that I was putting a wrap on my StrongLifts 5x5 routine (for now). I actually continued doing 5x5's for just deadlifting and benching for another week and a half or so, but I decided to pull the plug on the deadlift portion for now too because...well, I'm really tired of my groin and hip hurting, and it only makes sense that squats and deadlifts aggravate it. So, what started as the full 5 exercise program is down to 1: bench press. This is ok because I'm still progressing there without injuring myself. I accept the little groin/hip tweak as part of the deal when you get into a strength-building routine. You're trying to push yourself to get stronger. You're approaching your physical limits and boundaries. When the weights get heavy, your form breaks down and gets sloppier. Obviously, you want to practice as good of form as possible all the time, but that's just kind of what happens. I once heard or read the phrase it wouldn't be your max if it wasn't ugly.

But all that sort of segways into what I really wanted to get into, which is to go off onto a little tangent about my bench press progression. As I mentioned before, part of why I started this blog back up is to get stuff off my mind that I can't really bounce off of anyone else. When I tried telling my wife that I was excited that I was able to complete 5 sets of 5 at 210 lb. with only 2-3 minutes rest between sets, her response was is that good? She wanted to listen. She tried. She gets an A for effort. But she doesn't have much of frame of reference for what is heavy for me.

Additionally, she's not a numbers nerd/stat geek like me. I get more excited tracking her running or lifting stats than she does. She goes more off feel. (She felt good running, or feels stronger lifting heavier, etc.) I'm data driven. I want to see the numbers. I started keeping a notebook of what I lifted 6-8 years ago, which eventually progressed into an app on my phone that tracks everything. I didn't know what I was doing and wasn't progressing how I wanted, but, hey, I was tracking it!

So, when I can lift 5 more pounds, do 1 more rep, or 1 more set, it's a big deal to me. Especially on the bench. I suffer from this condition...I think it's called nochestitis. It's a common problem in men that can't bench worth a damn. I recognize that everyone's bodies and genetics are slightly different. That's not to make excuses for myself, but some people can do cardio and planks until the cows come home and will never have abs...while others can eat a full pizza a day and have an 8 pack. I barely do shoulders anymore, but I think I will always have decent shoulder definition for a guy my size. But I will always have to fight and claw for every pound more I can bench or millimeter added of chest size. That's nochestitis for ya.

That's how my 1 rep max has progressed over the last 4 years or so. Not much to see for 3 years, but this past year has been productive. And I feel like another data point at 245 lb. should be near on the horizon. Now, that probably seems pathetic to a lot of people, but that's huge for me. There's a 3 year stretch in there where my bench stayed completely stagnant. My next 5x5 bench routine is scheduled to progress to 215 lb. I've never done a set of 5 reps of 215 in my life, but based on yesterday I may not have 5 sets of 5, but I know I can bang out 1-2 sets at that weight. That's huge for nochestitis Patient Zero over here.

End of the Road

Sooooo, that didn't take long.

After singing the praises of Stronglifts 5x5 in my last post, today I've decided to put Stronglifts to bed (for now). I have nothing bad to say about the program. It's easy to follow. You feel like you're accomplishing something every training session (as opposed to wandering mindlessly between exercises). And it produced results i.e. strength gains.

You can theoretically do Stronglifts forever (although if it were actually possible to add 5 pounds to every exercise for every workout, we'd all be squatting 700 lb. and benching 5-hunksi), but the initial program is 3 workouts a week for 12 weeks. By my math, that's 36 workouts. Well, I got to 34, and unfortunately it's time to call it quits for me.

Why? Well, 1 of the very few downsides to Stronglifts is that the user is only privy to the basic program with the free version of the app. The app advertises different set and rep ranges to break through plateaus as well as different assistant exercises to go with the 5 mainstays, but that's only when you upgrade to the paid yearly subscription. It's not expensive by any means, and I'm sure you could find a bootleg Excel calculation online somewhere that gives you the paid program, but that was the 1st time I ever did a meh when contemplating the Stronglifts program.

The 2nd reason is that I accomplished what I set out to do. I had previously completed a program that helped me set new personal bests on the bench. I wanted to do the same thing with squatting. Stronglifts did that. My previous 1 rep max squat was 270 lb. On the 34th Stronglifts workout, I repped 285 lb. 5 times (for 1 set at least). So, mission accomplished. When I was looking at squat strength programs, I wasn't originally considering a program that focused on other areas as well. But when I found Stronglifts, I said, What the heck? Why not?

Finally, it just got to the point where I had to consider competing interests. My left groin/hip have been killing me the last 2 weeks or so. I'm not sure if squatting heavy is what caused the soreness, but I don't think it's helped me recover any faster either. I've kind of tried to baby it and scale back the frequency of my squatting, but the injury still seems to be lingering. With that being said, it's probably best to shut it down for a couple of weeks, and let everything heal for real. Squatting heavy is fun, but so is playing basketball without worrying that you're going to pull your groin every layup attempt or being able to chase the kids around the yard without an ice pack afterwards.

I do think I will pick the Stronglifts program back up at some point (or maybe start the program off from scratch), but I think it's time to try something else for a bit. Stronglifts definitely got me through an entire summer where some days I would rather be anywhere else but in my sweatbox of a garage gym. I would have liked to do 2 more workouts just to get to that nice clean 36 number, but what am I trying to prove at this point? I think I'm nearing (or already at) my squat plateau as is. I'm going to continue a modified 5x5 program for deadlifts and bench for a couple of more weeks just because I haven't really approached my limits there yet, but otherwise that will be a wrap. Good program though, and I would recommend it to anyone who's training routine has gotten a little stale and is trying to gain strength.

If I Knew Then What I Know Now: Stronglifts 5x5

It's cliché to say, but, man...if only I could combine some of the wisdom I've acquired in my early to mid 30's back to when I was 21 or 22. Those kinds of thoughts are magnified when you're talking about gaining muscle and strength, when an average male peaks in terms of strength gains somewhere between 18 and 22. Maybe some of the pitfalls I've encountered through the years couldn't have been avoided. I'm extremely stubborn, I don't like to ask for help, and I like to figure things out on my own. Over time, I gained more knowledge in this area mostly "by osmosis" I guess: an article here, a tip from a (much stronger) friend there. But eventually, whatever slight progress and gains I was making would stop, and I would plateau.

Finally around this time last year, I gave in (in a way). I googled "how to increase your max bench." I sifted through some things that were mostly garbage, but I also came across several programs and routines that offered step-by-step instructions showing how to get from point A to point B. The reason I decided on 1 particular program (more on that program at some point down the road) was because it was so formulaic. It specified how many times a week you trained chest, how many weeks the program lasted, and calculated the weight of every set based on some predetermined parameters. And what do you know? After 6 weeks (that was the program length), my max bench press increased. So impressed was I that I repeated the whole program again based on my newly established 1 rep max, and, shocker...it worked again. What a novel concept: there might be people on this planet who actually know more about something than me...so, use them!

And so began my love for this formulaic kind of workout approach. These programs may not be for everyone, but I've found they are perfect for me. Because every workout is laid out ahead of time, it takes out the guess work of what exercises you're doing a particular day. I tend to be in and out of the gym much faster now then before because there is less thought involved and less wasted time as a result. You can also do these types of workouts completely on your own because that printout or that app on your phone is your personal trainer or workout buddy. Some people find they do better working out with someone. I enjoy the company every once in a while, but in general I like working out in a quiet empty gym. Maybe that makes me a psychopath, but that's what works for me. The formulaic workout program also appeases the nerdy, math-loving, science-experimenty part of me. Calculate x, follow steps a, b, c, and d, and get result y. And from my experience, the programs I've tried actually give you positive results.

This leads me to Stronglifts 5x5. After increasing my 1 rep max on the bench 15 pounds in like 6 months (after increasing it like 5 pounds in the previous 6 years), I found that my squatting had become pretty stagnant as well. At first I thought about just modifying the bench program that I had been doing for squats, but after a little digging I found Stronglifts. The general ideas behind Stronglifts 5x5 is almost numbingly simple. It focuses on the 5 big compound movements (squatting, bench pressing, bent-over rowing, deadlifting, and overhead pressing). You do 3 workouts a week alternating between squat, bench, and row and squat, overhead press, and deadlift, 5 sets of 5 reps for everything, and the weight for each exercise goes up 5 pounds each workout.

The weights for each exercise start painfully light at the onset of the program, but going up 5 pounds for each exercise makes things heavy in a hurry (especially for squats). I'm 11 weeks in, and my last workout included a 5x5 of what my 1 rep max was prior to beginning Stronglifts. The other great part about Stronglifts is that you record and can track your progress all in 1 handy-dandy app on your phone. If you fail an exercise at a certain weight a certain number of times, there is even programming in the app that drops the weight down automatically.

At this point, I'm not sure how long I will continue it (until I stop seeing gains I guess??). I'm starting to struggle going up in weight on the overheard press. Based on past experience, I know I will be at my 5 rep max on the bench press in a couple of weeks too. The squatting is getting more difficult, but I'm in uncharted territory at this point. But even if I never improve my max on any of the other 4 exercises as a result of this program, I feel like I already accomplished my goal because I was just looking to improve my squat numbers anyway. If this sounds like some unpaid advertising for Stronglifts, well, it kind of is. It's worked for me thus far, and I'm happy with the results. If you're interested in building strength check out the link above or search for Stronglifts 5x5 in your app store.

Back Again

Wow...it's been nearly 4 years since my last post. (I can't believe I have 265 of 'em on here. I'm not nearly interesting enough to have 265 posts.) A lot has changed. I have 3 (THREE!) kids running around at home now. A professional Washington sports franchise won a championship (hockey, but still...). And...well maybe not that much else has changed!

Why the return? In short, I have no friends anymore. No, no! I'm not saying that in a pathetic please-feel-bad-for-me way. And no, I don't actually have zero friends, but you get the idea. That's just sort of what happens. Married, 3 kids, don't get out much...it's not a complaint, it's just life.

Basically, even at the age of 33 I still need somewhere to release my semi-coherent ramblings on sports, fitness, and whatever other stupid thing pops into my head once in a while. I love my wife, but I am too humane to subject her to too much of my nonsense at any one time. My kids are still too young. If I had a dog, I would probably just scream things at it every once in a while. "You can't switch a big out on Steph Curry at the top of the key, Dusty!" (Dusty seems like a good imaginary dog name.)

So, I'm here. We'll see how long this lasts. My last post was 4 days before my middle kid, Jordan was born. Writing mostly nonsensical things that no one ever read (except for me) didn't seem all that important at the time. But I think writing those nonsensical things that no one ever read made me a little bit more sane.

Potomac Drainage Baisin Indigenous Persons: New Season, Same Old Feeling

The PDBIP kicked off the 2014 season with a thud yesterday. Facing the league's worst team from last season, Washington scored 1st but watched Houston score the game's final 17 points. If I go in paragraph form, I would probably drone on and on forever about the dreck that is my boyhead team, but hopefully bullet form will keep this more brief. Some observations from yesterday...

1. You have to let RG3 be RG3 at least a little bit. I'm all for making Griffin more of a pocket passer and protecting him from big hits, but if you don't let him use his legs at least a smidge then you might as well start Kirk Cousins (or anyone else). I didn't have a problem with RG3 dinking and dunking his way down the field, as some people did. It was working, especially when the Texans' corners were giving DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon a huge cushion almost every play. But the "fake" read-option hand-offs, the boot legs, and other play action fakes aren't nearly as effective when Griffin never tucks the ball and runs ever. And Griffin got pounded from the pocket all day anyway, so you might as well let him get hit while running down the field, ball in hand once in a while too. (Which leads to my next point...)

2. No one could f***ing block JJ Watt. Watt wreaked havoc in the Washington backfield all afternoon. He pressured and hit Griffin, sacked him, tackled Alfred Morris behind the line of scrimmage a few times, recovered a fumble, and even blocked an extra point attempt for Pete's sake. I shouldn't say no one, because I think the Texans kept Watt clear of tackle Trent Williams. But they smartly kept scheming ways to have him work against the Redskins much weaker right side in Tyler Polumbus and Chris Chester. Jay Gruden continously kept dialing up plays where the blocking scheme called for one of them to block Watt 1-on-1, which ensued in Watt wrecking several plays all by himself.

3. How could Washington's special teams be this bad? I admittedly didn't see every play (or even every box score) from every game yesterday...and we've established that Watt is a beast...but did any other team have an extra point blocked yesterday? Or a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown? I'm pretty sure no one else f***ing did. The PDBIP had maybe the worst special teams I'd ever seen last season. Is it possible they will be worse this year?

4. Turnovers were where the game was lost. If you watch enough football coverage, turnovers (and related terms) are mentioned enough to make you numb to the idea. But if you look at win-loss percentages based on who wins the turnover battle over the years, they are pretty staggering. Watching yesterday's game, it actually felt like Washington was dominating. But there were basically 5 game-deciding plays in my humble opinion that all went in favor or Houston: the 2 Washington fumbles inside the red zone, the p***-poor tackling effort by Bacari Rambo on Houston's 2nd touchdown, the blocked punt for a touchdown, and the blocked point after attempt (it could have been game-altering if any of the 4 other plays mentioned didn't happen at least).

5. Washington is completely irrelevant on a national scale. Aside from the issues stemming from the team name, no one cares about the PDBIP. They got what was in effect the last place Fox broadcast team yesterday to cover the game. There was zero mention of anything Washington-related on my hour long drive into work this morning. And there is basically nothing on yesterday's game aside from Clowney's apparent knee injury on ESPN's NFL homepage. What's the one thing worse than being bad? Irrelevant...and Washington has earned a 1st class ticket into sports irrelevancy as of right now.

Kevin Love To Cleveland; LeBron For Exec Of The Year

Kevin Love is coming to the Cleveland Cavaliers...well, the news can't be made official for another few weeks, but what has been speculated ever since LeBron announced his homecoming looks as if it will become a reality once the 30 day no-trade period of signed draft picks is completed.

Much excite!

 

With Cleveland seemingly winning the draft lottery every year since James skipped town, you had to start wondering whether the Cavs could ever take advantage of their good fortune. No one would argue that Kyrie Irving isn't great (when healthy), but last year's #1 pick, Anthony Bennett, looks to be a bust so far. Andrew Wiggins is full of promise, but by no means is he a can't-miss prospect of any kind. But with no chance of Love staying in Minnesota, the Wolves at least got something back (they will get Bennett, Wiggins, and Cleveland's 1st round pick next year as well, although they presumably won't be drafting from the lottery for the foreseeable future given the offseason they've put together.)

For my money, I think it would have been cool to see the Cavs hold onto Wiggins, and see how he developed under James' tutelage. James will be 30 this year, and if Wiggins developed he could have been a bridge to the future in the same way the Celtics thought Len Bias would be for them 30 years ago (tragically, that wasn't the case, but still...). Also, Wiggins' cheap rookie deal could have given the Cavs even more flexibility to grab additional talent next summer.

But I get it...when you have a chance to pair 2 guys who were both in the top 3 in the league in Player Efficiency Rating, you do it. Plus, if you thought the James-Wade-Bosh trio in Miami was too perimeter-focused, James-Irving-Wiggins might have given you an aneurysm. Love is the natural fit for the talents of James and Irving. If you're talking about pure talent, I would take the Heat's Big 3 of the last 4 seasons. But if you want to talk about how each player complements each other, on paper Cleveland's new Big 3 takes the cake.

And speaking of cake, LeBron has apparently cut that s*** out this summer...possibly more on that later.

Can you imagine Love grabbing every defensive rebound and doling out sweet outlet passes to LeBron and Irving? And then if they need to slow it down, Love trailing for a pull-up trey on the secondary break? What about the pick-and-roll possibilities? Irving and James, James and Love, Irving and Love...

The rest of the roster fills out pretty nicely as well, especially compared to the role players Miami threw out there in year 1 of the Big 3 era (Mike Bibby, Joel Anthony, etc...yikes). Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson are up to some stuff. Anderson Varejo still does Anderson Varejo things. And Mike Miller can still fill it up off the bench. And all these guys should be more improved/efficient playing alongside better players.

If you're Cleveland, there are 2 things for you to still worry about. 1st, they have nobody that can protect the rim...like, nobody. They could be an outstanding defensive rebounding team, and they will have to be in order to get it done on D. 2nd, Irving and Love are still spring chickens, but you have to worry a little bit about their health. In fact, even though James has played more NBA seasons than Love and Irving combined, they have both missed more regular season games than LeBron has in their respective careers already.

Still, having said all that, this is a formidable group now. And with Paul George's gruesome injury and uncertainty about the Bulls, the Cavs should be the odds-on favorite to advance out of the East without having played a single game together yet. It's only August, but I already can't wait for basketball season.

Fred Durst-ing It

That’s what Matt from “Two Best Friends Play” refers to rolling as…a reference that goes completely over “Super Best Friend” Liam’s head every time. I can’t say exactly how old the “Best Friends” are, but from what I can gather 3 of the 4 members (Matt, Pat, and Woolie) are around my age. Liam is several years younger, and is thus referred to as the baby. Part of the reason that telling someone to just Fred Durst over or around an object in a video game is funny to the 3 elder Friends is the same reason it’s funny to me: because there is an entire generation of Liams (people younger than me, but not that much younger really) that will have no idea what that means.

Rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin'.

Aside from Rage Against The Machine and a select few other artists, rap-rock/rap-metal bands worth a listen back in the day were few and far between. Thank God that the era of such groups was mercifully short. However, it’s possible that the genre was at least partially responsible for the death of the alternative rock movement that I grew up listening to. By the mid-90’s, rap and hip-hop weren’t just quantities for urban black kids. DMX and Jay-Z albums were seen in just about every 13 year old white kids’ zipper-up CD case that I knew as well. Unfortunately, it seemed like every band that started up around that time had a lead singer that thought he could rap as well…those bands would probably have become alternative rock or grunge rock groups otherwise.

Enter Mr. Durst and Limp Bizkit.

One of the great things about satellite radio is listening to stations that have a devoted genre and time period. SiriusXM’s “Lithium” gives you the general goodness of Nirvana, Rage, and Sublime, but it also allows you to reminisce. I’ve heard the Bizkit twice in the past week on Lithium…“Nookie” and “Break Stuff.” Not once since I’ve been a satellite radio subscriber have 2 songs brought on such confusing feelings. As a 13 year old, both songs would have incited mosh pits among my friends and I (even before I really understand what a nookie was). Now, the old man emotions of F***, I can’t believe I ever used to listen to this garbage juice surface as well. (I did it all for the nookie, so you can take that cookie, and stick it up your ass…now that’s some quality writing.)

If it’s not obvious already, Limp Bizkit was never meant to stand the test of time. For many years, I even held on to Durst’s collab effort with Method Man, “N2gether Now,” including it on every mix CD or playlist I created. After a while, I would skip through Durst’s verses to get to Method. Before long, I would just hit the skip button and move on to the next song until finally I stopped including the song on my iPhone completely. So, while Limp Bizkit may forever by emblematic of that poser era where white kids got home from school, jumped out of their mom’s minivan, went upstairs to their room, put on a backwards hat, and started blasting Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water through their Walkman, at least they will have a soft spot in my heart for nostalgia’s sake. And life will just keep Fred Durst-ing along.