GAINZZZ: We Should All Emulate The Immaculately Healthy TRUMP And Make Serum Cholesterol Our Crying Little Bitch

I have to thank Commenter (I forget who) for recommending the Greyskull LP workout plan. If anyone cares, it's described in a video review here. (He also has a website with a text review but people are saying they're getting malicious site warnings there. But the YouTube review should be safe.)

I know the name might seem dumb but apparently it was started at the Greyskull Barbell Club, so there you go. Plus I think the name is pretty awesome.

I moved off the 5x5 program. I was miserable and making little gains. I listened to this podcast with Rippetoe, and Rippetoe said that for trainees over 40 years old, the weight isn't a major problem, but higher volumes of weightlifting can be a big problem.

I'm only 29 -- well, almost 29 -- as most of you know. However, I lift at a 45 year old level. I'm an Advanced Lifter.

So I switched off 5x5 -- 75 heavy squats per week was just not something I could handle. 45 per week, I seem to be handling.

Pretty much since I went to the Rippetoe 3x5 program, with the Greyskull modification of doing As Many Reps as Possible for the last set.

I'm not really doing Greyskull's program -- I'm doing the Rippetoe program with barbell rows replacing power cleans -- but I really do love the AMRAP finish on each set.

That's the big gadget in Greyskull -- the last set isn't set at five reps, but As Many Reps As Possible, or AMRAP. Actually, I think of it as AMGRAP, As Many Good Reps as Possible, because shit reps aren't reps and can get you hurt.

This is good for the trainee's psychology. It used to really bother me when I was supposed to go up in weight, but then failed at that weight. The Greyskull rule is that you do AMGRAP in your last set, and if and only if you get to seven or more, you add weight your next session, and if you don't get seven or more, you don't add more weight next session -- you just stay at the same weight and try to increase the reps on the last set.

So you go in to your next session knowing whether you can/should add weight -- or not. As you don't add weight when you failed to get seven or more reps on the last set of your last session, you fail at hitting your planned weight less.

One can say, "But your only not failing because you're not trying to add that extra weight," which is true, however: There's not a lot to be gained at trying a weight you'll fail at -- I think the downsides of frustration and chances of injury are larger than the upsides of pushing yourself at a weight you're maybe not ready for quite yet -- and the Greyskull system tells you, with fair accuracy, whether you will hit that next increase in weight at your next session or not.

Also, even when you don't add weight, you're still going for a personal record in reps at that weight. If your last session you only got five reps on the last set at a given weight, sure, in the next session, you're still at that same weight, but now you're trying to up the final set reps to seven or more.

It's still some new goal to shoot for, even if it is at the same weight as last time. It still feels like you're making progress, even if you haven't upped the weight since last time.

And you're not really at a total stall, even if you're at the same weight, if you're at least increasing volume with that weight. You're still upping one parameter.

They guy has a book about it on Amazon, and I might buy it (it's called Greyskull LP by Johnny Villain, I think), despite it being $30. I figure, eh, it feels like a little widget that's worth $30 of my money. Even though I got the gist of it from people's descriptions, meh, maybe i'll shoot him some cash.

Oh, one more thing I've been doing for a few weeks -- finishing most sessions with a farmer's walk. It builds traps and improves posture by working the muscles of the upper back, as your back muscles can then hold you straighter without you having to order them to tighten up, as well as building forearms and biceps -- and core, and glutes, and calves.

Plus it's a semi-cardio exercise.

I don't like cardio much but I like the farmer's walk's pseudo-cardio. Not full-on cardio, but you will get out of breath carrying heavy weight for hundred yards or so.

I think that's the sort of thing anyone can do, even as a pure novice, just starting out with some small amount of weight -- ten or twelve pounds in each hand, maybe, and then building up from there.

For anyone who looks down on walking as too easy (even though it's not easy, if you're walking at a racing pace), walking with weight might butch it up enough to make you feel like it's real exercise. I think fast walking is real exercise anyway, but certainly, walking around with 50 or 60 pounds in each hand is definitely real exercise. (Real strongmen do this with maybe 180 pounds or more in each hand.)

So: What are yo GAINNZZZZ?

In Trump's America, we must all make GAINZZZ, so that we will prove ourselves Worthy in the Years of Blood and Fire.

And does anyone have any other suggestions for me? Man, that Greyskull one was a winner. Many thanks!

posted by Ace at 04:10 PM

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