Texas bro, it's okay to live but not okay to run in. San Diego is where the runners frolick in the clouds.

5/20 PM
Front squat 5x3 145 (rpe3)
RDL 3x6 180 (rpe7)
Unilateral leg curl 3x6 (rpe9)
Hammer incline bench 10,10, 9F @180 (rpe10)
AthleanX 3point sup db row 3x6 @75s (rpe8)
Pulldowns 1 set + myo sets (rpe10)

Girlfriend wanted to workout so I obliged with a double. Normally I wouldn't do shorter intervals in the morning and then lift weights same day but whatever, those intervals are so easy, I am sure it's fine.

Someone PMd about how I juggle lifting and running. They said that they are wrecked after easy running in the AM and it affects their lifting in the afternoon. So that's why I logged my RPE today.

You can really put upperbody anywhere. And as you can see by the RPE, you can really put lowerbody just about anywhere. Here my knee was feeling a little wonky and thus you see the EVgonnaEV RPE on the front squats.

But in general my preference is always to put light running before lifting. I really can't tell if there are any negatives, especially if the running is in the AM. I mean how would any runner know unless they hit rpe9+ on lowerbody? With these jellydicker RPEs there is no way running before hand affects lifting.

But I refuse to mess with protein synthesis and recovery AFTER lifting. Aesthetics are my precious, I won't run until there is some time difference. Could be 12 hours if it's light upperbody but heavy legs could be 36 hours. But yo, I rarely train heavy legs during peak running season.

Also after lifting, I always have elevated heart rate. This is absolutely real, I have seen it every single time. So it is clearly impacting my heart based training in cardio. But whatevers, I still do it sometimes.

That's gotta be awful though, to combine cardio with a real powerlifting program like SS. Major pass on that. Powerlifting is for folks who want to look like Fred Flinstone, two major lowebody lifts done multiple times per week. Doesnt jive with running.

5/21 W6D4 Easy Interval Method
1 easy mile
6x1000m @9.1mph w/800m recovery at 5:10 each
.75 mile cooldown
8 miles total 1:05:55

Gf needed to get her nails done and it's in the same plaza as the gym. I am a little bit sore from yesterday so I was ready to adjust down the intensity since I originally planned to take the day off.

Nope. Amazing run. Excellent recovery heart rate. And in the last interval I really felt the meaning of the Easy Interval Method. I was cruising at 9.1mph and it was so smooth and relaxed. My legs where like wheels on a locomotive. The fattie next machine over kept scoping out my form and my screen and I know exactly what he was wondering. "What the fack? so smooth and he is hardly breathing at 9.1mph"

That's the easy interval method for you. Get real efficient at higher speeds.

Would you recommend easy interval method over 80/20 for beginners? And by beginners I mean me.

Well Klaaas said its good for everyone from beginners to pros. So it's really a preference thing. Some people, no matter what shape they are in, they just want to run fast!! If that's the case, then the easy interval method would be nice.

Traditional 80/20 is a mixture of mostly slow with some fast. While maffetone is even more slow.

I gain and enjoy on all three. But here is the thing. My avg heart rate is about the same for all three methods!!!!! My avg heart rate is always somewhere from 70% to 78%. So this is basically telling me that all solid running programs are very similar. So do what you prefer.

I don't know if you ever tried out Run/Walk but that would be a little similar to easy interval. 1000m fast with 800m jog recovery very slow. A beginner would start with 3 or 4 of those intervals. Peak at maximum 85-88% of max heart rate. And then recover to 120-125.

But in general, I would say the book is somewhat advanced. I would say only do it if you are obsessed with faster running. Somebody like floppy, who refuses to run slow.

Seriously though, keep carrying the fire for all of us fallen 40 something bros who have given in to the olds.

As an aside I was looking through some old family pics circa 2006-2007 when I was doing the SS inspired weight gain thing (with the rest for the forum) and I was so fat and pudgy it is truly amazing. And I thought what I was doing was a good idea. WTF. I mean, I got that 4 wheel squat and that is something I will be showing my grandkids in 30 years (although I doubt they will give a F), but was it really worth it? Meh.

IIRC you were at a pretty reasonable BW for that squat. You weren't lean, but I don't think most non-locos would have described you as fat.

Loco has gone over this ad naseum. I was at a reasonable BW to squat (relatively) heavy, because fat and fake BLM are actually conducive to squatting for mechanical reasons. But at the end of the day I was still a 165 skinny fat in a 30 pound fake LBM and fat suit.

Now I am a pencil neck 165 lb skinny fat DNEL, and to be honest despite being in my 40s I feel so much physically better now than I did then. No knee pain, no back pain, and I can actually run and jump and play sports with my kids, which no way I would be able to do at 195 lbs lifting heavy a couple times/week.

I do kinda miss having an ass though. No one was ever mistaking me for an NFL RB, but when I was at 190+ lbs there was something there, and now there isn't. It is what it is.

Yeah, I more or less agree with most of that. Part of the problem is the loco hyperbole. If sure if you could get him to break character for a second even he would agree that all 30lbs wasn't fake LBM. Some small portion of it was real.

All I was saying is that if you're 195 and about loco's height (IIRC), you're not really "fat", the way most people use the word in everyday conversation. And certainly not fat compared to most 4 plate squatters.

This NoGod character gets it, that's for sure. Couldn't have said it better myself.

5/23
AM W6D5 Easy Interval Method
Moderate endurance run 10k 46:11
Avg heart rate 134

Watch still works perfect. This run had 5x100m up to 13mph and 1 minute surges to 9.1mph. I didn't even keep track of the surges, but it's obvious how many of them there were. I only need a new watch because the battery on this won't last me for a marathon. I got my siblings Garmins but I think I need to stick to Polar.



PM
Front squat 4x4 150
RDL 2x6 195
RFESS 2x6 50s

Probably my best week of training all time! 36 miles and two upperbodies and two lowerbodies. It went so well I actually looked up on Google "can you release too many endorphins from exercise?"

5/24 Upperbody
Incline bench 175x7, 165x9, 160x11
Db side lateral 4x8 25s
AthleanX 3pt DB sup Row 75x6, 70x9, 65x12
AthleanX pulldown 1 set w myo reps
Ab wheel

So yesterday I got 16 reps of front squat with 150lbs. And today I get 27 reps of incline bench heavier than bodyweight. Erryday is upperbody day even if you enduring.

5/25 W7D1 Easy Interval Method
1 mile warmup 8:57
6x1000m @9.2mph w/800m jog recovery in 5:00
.75 mile cooldown
Total 8 miles in 1:05:33

I know my watch is right because RPE and heart rate match. But now I believe my treadmill has lost a step or partially blown out the motor. These numbers are ridiculous.



Look how my heart rate dive bombs to 120 after each interval. But I am not jogging anymore, the recoveries are at 6mph (which is considered running pace).

Last interval I had to cruise to 9.5mph and I still didn't break marathon avg heart rate. Ridiculous.



My goal interval pace is 3:48 for 1000m and that last one above is 3:56. Too many gains. I will be taking my sisters peloton for a spin on Thursday and will confirm if my treadmill has gone bad.

Also, in person races are back. And I am eyeballing a mile race, 5k, or 10k. The race will give me a better idea where I am at and give me peace of mind on my training paces.

5/26 W7D2 Easy Interval Method
1 mile warmup
5x400m +7x200m
.75 mile cooldown
6 miles 54:03

Dumpster grease fire. I couldn't recover very well, usually hit 120 and here I was struggling getting back to 130. You see the heart rate getting worse and worse as I start overheating.



The recovery keeps deteriorating and deteriorating. 72F dew point the culprit and no fan. Some random hot gym. I would quit running if it always felt like this. This was not enjoyable. Two unenjoyable workouts the last 6 months, both with dew points above 70F.

1/27 W7D3 Easy Interval Method
1 mile warmup
6x1000m w800m jog recovery
.75 mile cooldown

Took the peloton for a spin and it was about to be a dumpster grease fire. Way too humid. Sweating profusely. Heart elevated. Adjusted recoveries to moar time and girlfriend got me tall glass of ice water midway.
Recovered quite a bit and makes me want to experiment with drinking liquids during high sweat sessions. Lost about 4 minutes here from my A+ session on my home treadmill.

1/29 Hybrid session
Hammer incline bench rpe10
Meadows Row rpe8
Unilateral horizontal leg press rpe8
Split squats rpe4

W7D4 Easy Interval Method
.5 mile warmup
15x200m from 11mph to 13mph
.75 Mike cooldown
5 miles 43:00

This was a good session. Was able to combine both and feel great even in terrible humidity conditions. This a promising session, the key was light split squats that basically function as muscle activation. 200m repeats felt strong and fast and at 13mph felt like my lowerbody was actually doing something.

Really liked the session because it's a way to try and salvage the week in terrible conditions. Was not able to salvage it this time because 16 hour work day on Sunday. But it was a valiant effort.

Maybe a couple of two a days this week to see if I can catch up by doing 6 running sessions this week. This is why I don't believe in Deloads, life happens and that's a deload. I am deloaded with 1.5 lifting sessions and only 25 miles of running.

Wait, so you're saying drinking water when you are exercising and sweating profusely helps? Tell me more.

In case it's not clear, that was a troll. Sorry, I couldn't help it.

i totally agree with this.

Sure I’ll bite on this one lol.

You’ll deload one way or another, whether it’s life or your body, planning them just helps make sure the latter isn’t as likely.

Also, if you never feel like you need a deload, how certain can you be you’re possibly pushing the training to a high enough degree. Like what does week 8 of a training block look like that satisfies principles of overload and/or progression?

Don't know, but deloading is fake. I am sure somebody might be able to pull one scientific study done on pros where it showed some benefit.

But there is definitely zero science that jellydickers like us should ever deload. Our problem is always not enough reps, not enough mileage, not enough meters rowed.

the point is, for keen amateurs like most of us...life gets in the way almost always one way or another...we get sick, we get busy at work, we get a minor injury, we go on holiday...whatever whatever.

life creates enough deloads for us already, so scheduling other deloads in actually means we're not training enough.

I think deloads are important. Recently, though, mine have come as Feel Wrath suggests they come for many. I simply couldn't train as often and/or as hard here and there due to travel or other reasons.

I have had it where I'm uninterrupted for a few months and take an actual, structured deload, but my deloads are more often than not of the unavoidable nature. Fortunately, I can typically plan ahead for these times.

6/1 AM W8D1 Easy Interval Method
moderate endurance run 6 miles 46:46
avg heart rate 138
Polar running index 64

PM
Incline DB bench 2x8 80s
DB sidelateral 4x8 25s
Front squat 4x4 155
RDL 3x5 195
1 arm cable row 4x8


Not great but not bad since it was 70F with 62 dew point. Definitely lost 5-10% so I might be back to 70 polar running index in good conditions.

6/3
Weighted Chins 3x5 @bw+35
1 arm banded rows 3x18

W8D2 Easy interval method
.5 mile warmup
8x400m w/400m jog recovery
.75 mile cooldown

400m repeats starting at 5k race pace and finishing with 1 mile goal pace (12mph).