itiswellwithmysoul78
New member
Hi all; originally wrote this as a comment and it was given the approval to be a standalone progress post. I want to take a moment to both brag, but also share, about having returned to the gym (around 3 weeks back) and finding myself pleasantly surprised having lost very little actual strength and actually gained a lot conditioning just due to my workouts due to lockdowns. Now that I'm about 3 weeks back at the gym, I decided to do some conservative 3RM testing, which is kind of what spurred this on as I was pleasantly surprised across the board. So let's dive in.
TL;DR--overall, made upper body, core, and conditioning gains, generally maintained leg strength, lost spinal erector/lower back strength and strength in traps (pulling wise). Did a lot of unilateral work and conditioning. Kept gains.
Now for the full read:
My History and Goals
My goal was mostly to maintain my current strength or at the very least slow the rate of losses during the pandemic shutdown.
My goal prior to COVID was mostly supertotal (SBD + C&J and Snatch) focused with general conditioning (sounds an awful lot like Crossfit), with no real "goal" per say--just always pursuing stronger, better, faster. I've been fortunate to be relatively injury free except for a back injury after slipping on some ice in 2017, and a knee injury in 2018 doing banded barbell squats after a band snapped. This generally made me appreciate well roundedness, so I went from powerlifting to supertotal with general conditioning (metcons, sometimes steady state, etc, really not that dissimilar from crossfit but more focused on what my goals were and how I was feeling that day and obviously not a class setting).
Training wise prior to this I had done a couple (literally maybe 2) years of Crossfit after never having been particularly athletic outside of running really bad 5kms (30 minutes was goal time). Dabbled in powerlifting for a while, then olympic weightlifting. Did all sorts of programs--had a coach, left the coach, had a different coach, left that coach too--never for bad things, just outgrew their programming and I'm someone who has no trouble self-motivating nor do I have glaring technique deficiencies insofar as things can be better, but I also do my own video review, and I enjoy taking courses in fitness fields. So overall, I'd say I'm a fairly competent gym goer--spent time most recently doing my own programming, saw awesome gains, tried other programs as well (5/3/1, Hybrid Performance and its different varieties, a few Catalyst Weightlifting Programs, Building the Monolith, Conjugate, Smolov, etc).
Pre-COVID Stats
This is mostly noticeable in deadlifts (the lift I actually lost strength on, especially off the floor, granted I always sucked at deadlifts--tall, but short arms long torso. Haven't tested a 1RM but 195 for sets of 5 felt brutal whereas previously I could also ways do 225 easily). Complexes of pulls and snatches/cleans take their toll on my traps and I feel them the next day. Coordination on olympic lifts was touch and go--think forgot how to move my knees out of the way of the bar (finally figured it out again) and how to jerk. Overall I have gained major upper body strength, my mobility is so much better (squats, while a bit weaker, my depth is much much better and high bar feels so much better vs. low bar). Core strength is also significantly better--noticeably so which helps a lot with stabilizing weights.
Diet
I'm an equal opportunity eater and loosely track my macros. Basically I just track protein--if I hit my protein intake, everything else is negotiable. I used to track religiously aiming for 40/30/30 p/f/c but now I loosely aim for 1.5g per kilo body weight which winds up being somewhere around 110-115, but I usually aim for like 120. My meals generally are the same each day and have not changed since COVID, the average day is:
Most of my routine consisted of bodyweight stuff and some stuff with 35lb dumbbells since I had them. To be transparent, I had the following equipment at home
This is where my programming for myself and general enjoyment of Crossfit came in handy. Some day I would take a workout I would find online and try it, but mostly I was just programming for myself based on my equipment (I live in a major city and tracks were closed so couldn't just "go for 400m sprint intervals" as my at home workout. I'd structure my workouts so I had
Day 1: 3x1000m run intervals, rest 5 minutes between attempts or 5km trail run or 10K bike ride--if I wanted to make this truly no equipment and winterized I'd sub it for 3x 50 burpees for time
Day 5: 5 rounds of 10 pushups/20 air squats w/ weight vest, rest 5 minutes, 5 rounds 10 pushups/20 air squats no weight vest
For a lot of these movements if they seem too challenging (single leg squats are friggin hard!); they can be modified by doing them to a box or couch, a big part of these is simply coordination and mobility--so even prior to this to learn how to do them I'd do single less eccentric as low as possible and just narrow stance squat back up (slowly reducing weight put on the extended leg on the way back up). Likewise, you don't need to do weighted pushups--the point is to pick a challenging modification for yourself and keep increasing the challenge. During this, where load couldn't be increased, I focused on volume density--so if it took me let's say 10 minutes to do 50 pull-ups or pushups and I did them 5 reps every minute, the following week I'd try to do as many minutes with 6 and so on. Another method is to increase fatigue to the area--so if doing pull-ups again, superset with something like light bicep curls immediately after or seated strict press with band for pushups.
I will also add--don't be afraid to try new things. During this time, while waiting for my pull-up bar, I frequently looked for odd objects to do pull-ups on--had the most success doing them on a set of stairs that like slats? (I think thats what they are called), and also occasionally did them using a soccer field post and towel, and also used bands for rows in my apartment latched onto whatever would hold them (couch, door, standing on them and doing bent over, basically keep improvising). I did on occasion use random bars on scaffolding to many stares, but that's life--in terms of priorities, other peoples opinions of me when outside ranked much lower than my opinion of myself (that hasn't changed)
So what did I learn?
You can become indestructible working out inside your condo--it will take a lot of work, motivation, and creativity...but its doable, and you can get as strong or at least maintain your gym strength off of it. If another round of rona comes, I'm ready for it. This all also made me, for the lack of a better term--more indestructible or "harder to kill" if you will. I can run faster, further, lift heavier for more reps, etc. While I still did lose some strength, I didn't really lose much, and whatever I did lose I think is offset by the fact that I made cardio gains.
What would I change?
I'd do more squats, overhead squats, and more kettlebell swings. The first week barbell squats felt foreign, but I rarely did dumbbell squats despite having access to them--I straight up hated them and avoided them in favour of squats with weight vest and single leg squats. KB swings--self explanatory given I lost a lot of strength in my back, I think more swings would have addressed that gap. Plus I had bands, so I could have made it even heavier off the ground. I did do one day with a death by KB swings that lit up my spinal erectors and glutes...but never repeated it. Next time, I'd do it more frequently or do one of those X swings a day type challenges.
Plans going forward
I will probably expand my modest gym equipment. I recognize I am very privileged to have had my job through this so was able to maintain my diet, and I had some of the equipment at home that I normally take with me when camping. I think had I not had all that, this would have been tougher, but I'm also the kind of person who doesn't need much motivation to do these things...but I did want to recognize the huge caveat here as dumbbells were sold out virtually everywhere. Currently I am on the wait list for a variety of C2 machines (rower and bike) to have at home for winter cardio. I would also get heavier weight plates for my vest. I'd probably also buy fat grips to improve grip strength. Gymnastic rings to attach to the pull-up bar would be nice. I'd also buy a plyometric box and wall ball or slam ball. Etc.
Now that I'm back at the gym....
When I started back up at the gym, I spent the first week moving at 50% of my old 1RM just to work on motor function. I think this was a good idea overall--it was heavy enough where I could comfortably do the movement for any number of reps, but enough weight where I could do it perfectly. At the end of week one I started working up to moderate triples--not maxes by any stretch, but something that felt like 80%, then the following week I'd try to better it, and week 3 I would work up to maxes in complexes mostly for olympic lifts or a max just short of technique failure in squat/bench. I have not maxed out my deadlift, probably won't for any foreseeable future because I simply don't have to.
I think because up until now I've been doing fairly high volume I was able to maintain that level of volume on accessories albeit in some instances with higher weights. But it's nice knowing that I can do sets of 15 pushups unbroken with a 14lb weight vest because I can still do it as an accessory after I bench more than my 35lb dumbbells--so in that regard, I don't have to compensate my main movements as much with my accessories whereas during the shutdowns I'd probably do AMRAP pushups with the vest. Like I can go back to treating my accessories as accessories.
So. That's my progress report. Feel free to ask any questions--I'll try to answer as many of them as I can.
TL;DR--overall, made upper body, core, and conditioning gains, generally maintained leg strength, lost spinal erector/lower back strength and strength in traps (pulling wise). Did a lot of unilateral work and conditioning. Kept gains.
Now for the full read:
My History and Goals
My goal was mostly to maintain my current strength or at the very least slow the rate of losses during the pandemic shutdown.
My goal prior to COVID was mostly supertotal (SBD + C&J and Snatch) focused with general conditioning (sounds an awful lot like Crossfit), with no real "goal" per say--just always pursuing stronger, better, faster. I've been fortunate to be relatively injury free except for a back injury after slipping on some ice in 2017, and a knee injury in 2018 doing banded barbell squats after a band snapped. This generally made me appreciate well roundedness, so I went from powerlifting to supertotal with general conditioning (metcons, sometimes steady state, etc, really not that dissimilar from crossfit but more focused on what my goals were and how I was feeling that day and obviously not a class setting).
Training wise prior to this I had done a couple (literally maybe 2) years of Crossfit after never having been particularly athletic outside of running really bad 5kms (30 minutes was goal time). Dabbled in powerlifting for a while, then olympic weightlifting. Did all sorts of programs--had a coach, left the coach, had a different coach, left that coach too--never for bad things, just outgrew their programming and I'm someone who has no trouble self-motivating nor do I have glaring technique deficiencies insofar as things can be better, but I also do my own video review, and I enjoy taking courses in fitness fields. So overall, I'd say I'm a fairly competent gym goer--spent time most recently doing my own programming, saw awesome gains, tried other programs as well (5/3/1, Hybrid Performance and its different varieties, a few Catalyst Weightlifting Programs, Building the Monolith, Conjugate, Smolov, etc).
Pre-COVID Stats
- Height: 6ft
- Weight: 160-170lb depending on time of month and day
- 3RM back squat 245 w/ knee sleeves and belt, powerlifting depth/lowbar--I'd say maybe 2/3 were certain on depth with the last one being up for debate if you ask me
- 3RM bench 130 touch and go
- 3RM snatch 110 -- this one I had not tested in a long time, and my 1RM snatch prior to lockdowns was 135 and I've hit doubles in complexes of power+full at 115 and full doubles at 120 prior.
- 3RM clean was 150 with a belt
- 1RM Push press 140
- 1600m (1mile) run -- struggled to finish this in 10 minutes; I think I came in at 9:50 and was dying after
- Height: still 6ft
- Weight: still 160-170lb depending on time of month and day
- 3RM back squat 225 no belt, no knee sleeves, and very good depth--took video because I was nervous, apparently I high bar now and depth is not debatable
- 3RM bench 130 w/ pause
- 3RM snatch 110 -- after not snatching literally for months, this was awesome, and each rep had a pause at the knee because I was hyper aware of bar bath and needed the second to adjust positions
- 3RM clean 145 no belt (with a push press after as part of complex)
- 1RM Push press 145 (after 3 cleans as part of complex)
- 1600m (1mile) run -- about 8 minutes at a comfortable pace as part of a workout of on the 0/10/20 minute marks 1 mile row, 1 mile run, 1 mile row. 1 mile rows were in and around 6:30-6:40.
This is mostly noticeable in deadlifts (the lift I actually lost strength on, especially off the floor, granted I always sucked at deadlifts--tall, but short arms long torso. Haven't tested a 1RM but 195 for sets of 5 felt brutal whereas previously I could also ways do 225 easily). Complexes of pulls and snatches/cleans take their toll on my traps and I feel them the next day. Coordination on olympic lifts was touch and go--think forgot how to move my knees out of the way of the bar (finally figured it out again) and how to jerk. Overall I have gained major upper body strength, my mobility is so much better (squats, while a bit weaker, my depth is much much better and high bar feels so much better vs. low bar). Core strength is also significantly better--noticeably so which helps a lot with stabilizing weights.
Diet
I'm an equal opportunity eater and loosely track my macros. Basically I just track protein--if I hit my protein intake, everything else is negotiable. I used to track religiously aiming for 40/30/30 p/f/c but now I loosely aim for 1.5g per kilo body weight which winds up being somewhere around 110-115, but I usually aim for like 120. My meals generally are the same each day and have not changed since COVID, the average day is:
- breakfast: 30g dry instant oatmeal, 100g frozen blueberries, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (not weighed, just eyeballed) 1-2 large eggs (2 eggs on workout days, 1 on rest days) with 100g of egg whites with 2 cups chopped spinach and peppers
- lunch: 45g dry rice (cooked obviously, but don't know what it weighs cooked), 100g grassfed ground beef (sometimes lean, if so I cook in tablespoon of grassfed butter, other times I'll buy medium and use nonstick spray but it depends what the store has when I do groceries), 200-300g mixed veg (varies by the week, usually mix of peppers, zucchini, broccoli or some sort of kale salad mix)
- dinner: only the carbs get weighed here, 45g dry rice or equivalence in pasta, mountain of veggies, some sort of meat (usually salmon or chicken)
- snacks--a lot. Usually cucumber and tzatziki, misc fruit, cereal, jerky, canned salmon or poached chicken I keep in the fridge, cheese, etc. Basically this is whatever I feel like I'm lacking. Usually closer to my period I crave fats so I'll eat more cheese, other times its salmon, other times its carbs etc.
Most of my routine consisted of bodyweight stuff and some stuff with 35lb dumbbells since I had them. To be transparent, I had the following equipment at home
- 2x 35lb dumbbells
- 1x 50lb kettlebell
- 1x pull-up bar
- 14lb weight vest
- jump rope
- several bands
This is where my programming for myself and general enjoyment of Crossfit came in handy. Some day I would take a workout I would find online and try it, but mostly I was just programming for myself based on my equipment (I live in a major city and tracks were closed so couldn't just "go for 400m sprint intervals" as my at home workout. I'd structure my workouts so I had
- One day of just conditioning/aerobic so that was sprint intervals, long runs, biking, with core accessories or static holds.
- One day of lower body strength focus
- One day of upper body strength focus
- One day of GPP where I'd generally combine 2 total body metcons that were in the 10 minute time domain with complimentary movements separated by a 5 minute break, for those I'd program skill based accessories
- Then my 5th day would generally be a 40m EMOM kind of day, also total body but involving combo of push, pull, squat, hinge, core, cardio (generally pick 4-5 of those domains).
Day 1: 3x1000m run intervals, rest 5 minutes between attempts or 5km trail run or 10K bike ride--if I wanted to make this truly no equipment and winterized I'd sub it for 3x 50 burpees for time
- accessories (done at home): accumulate 2 minutes of hollow holds
- every time you break hollow hold 45s wall squat hold
- accessories: accumulate 30-50 pull-ups as 10m EMOM, accumulate 100 banded bicep curls
- accessories: accumulate 40 single leg squats per side, 3x max reps KB swings, 50/40/30/20/10 hollow rocks and setups, accumulate 100 single leg glute bridges
Day 5: 5 rounds of 10 pushups/20 air squats w/ weight vest, rest 5 minutes, 5 rounds 10 pushups/20 air squats no weight vest
- accessories: 10m EMOM of 20-40 double unders (or other skill)
For a lot of these movements if they seem too challenging (single leg squats are friggin hard!); they can be modified by doing them to a box or couch, a big part of these is simply coordination and mobility--so even prior to this to learn how to do them I'd do single less eccentric as low as possible and just narrow stance squat back up (slowly reducing weight put on the extended leg on the way back up). Likewise, you don't need to do weighted pushups--the point is to pick a challenging modification for yourself and keep increasing the challenge. During this, where load couldn't be increased, I focused on volume density--so if it took me let's say 10 minutes to do 50 pull-ups or pushups and I did them 5 reps every minute, the following week I'd try to do as many minutes with 6 and so on. Another method is to increase fatigue to the area--so if doing pull-ups again, superset with something like light bicep curls immediately after or seated strict press with band for pushups.
I will also add--don't be afraid to try new things. During this time, while waiting for my pull-up bar, I frequently looked for odd objects to do pull-ups on--had the most success doing them on a set of stairs that like slats? (I think thats what they are called), and also occasionally did them using a soccer field post and towel, and also used bands for rows in my apartment latched onto whatever would hold them (couch, door, standing on them and doing bent over, basically keep improvising). I did on occasion use random bars on scaffolding to many stares, but that's life--in terms of priorities, other peoples opinions of me when outside ranked much lower than my opinion of myself (that hasn't changed)
So what did I learn?
You can become indestructible working out inside your condo--it will take a lot of work, motivation, and creativity...but its doable, and you can get as strong or at least maintain your gym strength off of it. If another round of rona comes, I'm ready for it. This all also made me, for the lack of a better term--more indestructible or "harder to kill" if you will. I can run faster, further, lift heavier for more reps, etc. While I still did lose some strength, I didn't really lose much, and whatever I did lose I think is offset by the fact that I made cardio gains.
What would I change?
I'd do more squats, overhead squats, and more kettlebell swings. The first week barbell squats felt foreign, but I rarely did dumbbell squats despite having access to them--I straight up hated them and avoided them in favour of squats with weight vest and single leg squats. KB swings--self explanatory given I lost a lot of strength in my back, I think more swings would have addressed that gap. Plus I had bands, so I could have made it even heavier off the ground. I did do one day with a death by KB swings that lit up my spinal erectors and glutes...but never repeated it. Next time, I'd do it more frequently or do one of those X swings a day type challenges.
Plans going forward
I will probably expand my modest gym equipment. I recognize I am very privileged to have had my job through this so was able to maintain my diet, and I had some of the equipment at home that I normally take with me when camping. I think had I not had all that, this would have been tougher, but I'm also the kind of person who doesn't need much motivation to do these things...but I did want to recognize the huge caveat here as dumbbells were sold out virtually everywhere. Currently I am on the wait list for a variety of C2 machines (rower and bike) to have at home for winter cardio. I would also get heavier weight plates for my vest. I'd probably also buy fat grips to improve grip strength. Gymnastic rings to attach to the pull-up bar would be nice. I'd also buy a plyometric box and wall ball or slam ball. Etc.
Now that I'm back at the gym....
When I started back up at the gym, I spent the first week moving at 50% of my old 1RM just to work on motor function. I think this was a good idea overall--it was heavy enough where I could comfortably do the movement for any number of reps, but enough weight where I could do it perfectly. At the end of week one I started working up to moderate triples--not maxes by any stretch, but something that felt like 80%, then the following week I'd try to better it, and week 3 I would work up to maxes in complexes mostly for olympic lifts or a max just short of technique failure in squat/bench. I have not maxed out my deadlift, probably won't for any foreseeable future because I simply don't have to.
I think because up until now I've been doing fairly high volume I was able to maintain that level of volume on accessories albeit in some instances with higher weights. But it's nice knowing that I can do sets of 15 pushups unbroken with a 14lb weight vest because I can still do it as an accessory after I bench more than my 35lb dumbbells--so in that regard, I don't have to compensate my main movements as much with my accessories whereas during the shutdowns I'd probably do AMRAP pushups with the vest. Like I can go back to treating my accessories as accessories.
So. That's my progress report. Feel free to ask any questions--I'll try to answer as many of them as I can.
