John's GymBod workout log

Nice circles Laney! Best of luck!

Thanks! Nice planche improvements!!

2 more videos:

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Sorry I haven't updated my log yet, for those of you keeping track. I woke up and my dogs had eaten a hidden mouse poison trap :shock: They are ok now.

John,

This is some dedicated work you are doing there.

If I can give a piece of advice, to take yourself to the next level, I would keep doing the things that you do, but will increase work capacity, in time, this will allow your body to go through more elements and more often, which will increase the adaptation response. Gymnasts have extreme work capacity, through intense, frequent, volumized training since childhood. This is the only way to aquire simultanious, varied multipile physical abilities (sometimes opposing ones) and to achieve that domination of the human machine.

So... keep pushing slowly towards more volume, more frequently and then back off a bit and let the body respond. Rinse and repeat.

Looking forward to work with you in Woodward camp.

Ido Portal,

Hacasa Performance Center,

Haifa, Israel.

Love those headstand to HS presses - that's great. Nice form on the KB overhead squats too.

Thanks very much to the both of you!

Ido, I sincerely appreciate you stopping by to give me advice! Volume is one of the things I was going to ask you about when I got there. I was also thinking of using your advance training method for my front lever pullups since I am stuck at an advanced tuck in the dynamic move but I can do a straddle in the static element. Your thoughts? I am so glad to hear you talk about increasing the volume though! I have been itching to get back to a 5x5 (or higher) since I am used to pushing myself right to the edge... sometimes too far. But that is why I have been holding back, haha. I will employ a 4x3 starting next week, if that sounds good. Should I also do an extra set of the statics to match the dynamic moves?

I have been curious about when to inject a basic ring routine into my schedule as well as when to do a simple static hold day. Maybe on a metcon day I can do my statics at the end?

All thoughts are much appreciated (from everyone)!

John,

I have extremely little experience in increasing work capacity, with the aim Ido refers to. But, working on the idea that capacity is the maximum (or optimum amount) amount of work that can be performed, I have some ideas.

First off, you could try am/pm workouts. You should know how to program this, just split your workouts in half and add a set or rep to each or just some of the exercises. You can figure out the specifics on this one yourself.

Cluster sets. Perform a rep of an exercise, drop the wieght, rest 5-10 seconds and repeat. This one's a bit more complicated, a general rule of thumb is 5-6 reps (per set) is the limit for strength development, whereas this method you get a little recovery between reps as well as being under less/non-constant time-under-tension. So, being as I haven't researched or experimented in depth with this method I can't give any rep ranges, etc. But the idea behind it is you can perform more reps, so it fits in with the idea of increasing work capacity, over time decreasing in-between-reps rest time.

And last is, I'm not sure of the proper name, two time exercises. Perform an exercise at the start of a workout and at the end. This one I'm not so sure about though, as I think it's best used for improving in an exercise when you become stagnant. But remember in the end it doesn't matter what method you use just as long as more work gets done. Hopefuly, some food for thought!

Ed

Thanks for the reply Edx!

I definitely have some planning to do. I have yet to stagnate on the most things but I have worked my way to the end of certain variations and have decided to drop them from my workout. One example of this is my dips, I don't get nearly as much out of dips as I do muscleups. Perhaps I should do curl dip day with cross negatives instead of bulgarians? hmmmm...

I've no idea for your workout, just want to say ----good work!! Your workout, and the shown improvement are so motivating.

Looking forward for your next entry.

Daniel

Might be about time to get that iron cross soon you can always do rings turned out dips to keep the dips in your program if u want.. rto dips are much harder than bulgarian imo.

good work and nice planche!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks you guys! There have been some days where negative thoughts just flow through my brain like "am I doing this right?" or "is this really working for me?" but I have to say persistence and consistent effort pay off. I tend to question everything I do at this point, I guess it comes from my martial arts background. Anyway, my message to everyone is discipline carries good karma.

I will try to keep making videos or pix in most of my workouts. I hope I get to take some good footage at the seminar!

Thanks again,

-John

I just read through your log today and (1) am very impressed at your discipline, (2) would like to know how you chose to break up your workout days into press/horizontal, etc., and (3) how you apparently work this in to a MA program. I have a black belt in karate and have tried to integrate this by doing kata, etc. during the mornings and the GB program at lunch but find myself tired and overtrained. Any tips would help as I find less time to plan these things.

Great work.

Stephen

Hey Stephen,

1. thanks for the complement!

2. I just went by what Coach recommended in his book. I do the 3 planes of motion on the shoulder as 3 different days and then I do combine pull/press on another day and multi-plane pu/pr on another. It's just a big rotation over a week and a half.

3. I wouldn't do my steady state routine before training MA unless you are just training for mechanical skills (i.e. wrist locks etc.) cause I also feel tired as hell after my training. You could do the WODs instead as well, I believe that is much less stressful. Something like steady state work requires a lot of focus, IMO. I like it cause I am not tempted to alter the routine and I haven't gotten worn out yet (overtrained). I use to, when I was 18-20y/o, train 5x5 5 times a week and do martial arts 6 days per week and had a job :? but I had one night out with my friends per week at that time. I am lucky my schedule and profession allow me to do this type of training.

Thanks again,

-J

MixuEc7itIQ

My first back lever was bad

Nice seated MUs. Great progress in general.

Just a quick little update:

Today I managed some free standing HSPU on the P-bars! I got 2 before I had to kick back up and finish. I will go back to training the rings HSPU for a while till I get just a little more strength.

Here is the link to the voting if you wish to help me go to the seminar:

http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1975

Thanks to all those who voted for me!

Excellent progress! What nutritional plan have you decided on for leaning out? Are you considering adding some met-con?

Scott Kane said:

Excellent progress! What nutritional plan have you decided on for leaning out? Are you considering adding some met-con?

Thanks so much!

I am actually doing the Zone right now (16 blocks) with my g/f. I am down to 185lb with no loss in strength. I would definitely like to up the fat though and I would like to play with my carb blocks and move most of them post w/o. I am doing 98% paleo foods too so the huge amount of fiber really fills me up. I am still in the body builder mindset of getting enough protein though I was afraid, initially, of losing a lot of lean body mass. And I have been doing metcon every 5th workout pretty much but I just started training in martial arts again so the GPP from that for an hour might be enough(?)

I plan on kidnapping Ido when I see him >_< I really want to get down to 175 or just 8% bf... I would die from excitement.

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. I have essentially been following a 16 block Zone. I may experiment with cutting the carb blocks in half and keep fat the same or move about half the carb blocks to a PWO shake. This is what Robb Wolf has been doing (at least as of March 11). See his article Adequate Protein. I am currently doing two 3x5 days of steady state (horizontal and vertical) with crossfit for another two to three days. I have been considering going to four steady state days like you with some short met-con afterwards (Tabata or something 10 minutes or less). How long do your 3x3 steady state training days take you? What type of warm up are you doing?

Oh man, you might have a tough time in the first 2 weeks of a new cycle doing metcon right after a SS routine. Despite the low volume, I get really drained most of the time because I only take a 45second-1m30s rest period in between sets. I did tabata a few times in my first cycle though (jumpin jax).

I do a basic 20-30minute warmup that is kinda like a hybrid between the Jordan Jovchev warmup dvd and some basic joint prep (a lot of wrist stuff cuz my wrists are weak). A little stretch band work too. I usually sip an amino acid drink during that time. I will try to tape my warmup for anyone that is interested.

Really quick update:

I did some Pk yesterday evening and I got several bar muscleups I also got to practice a few different types of dips on the pbars in the adult part of the playground. I suck at doing Koreans! (probably tight shoulders) Also, I need to improve my jumping power this season.

Another quick update:

My body weight has dropped from 191lb to 181.8lb!

Probably helped my bar muscle-ups a lot.

In other news, I still need to update my log! I promise to do it by this evening.

03-25-09 Wednesday (cycle 2 week 7 day 31) MPP day

A1.) Adv. Tuck Planche x 5s,4s,5s

Chestroll HeSPUx 3,3,3

A2.) 1/2 BL x 5s, 5s, 5s

half FL pull x 3,3,3

B1.) Str. FL x 5s, 5s, 5s

double KB snatch (53s)x 3,3,3

B2.) Str. x 4s, 5s, 5s

BL neg x 3, 3, 3

03-27-09 Friday (cycle 2 week 7 day 32) HSPU/pullup day

A1.) Adv. Tuck Planche x 5s,5s,6s

XR bulg HeSPUx 3,3,3

A2.) 1/2 BL x 5s, 5s, 5s

assisted OAC x 3,3,3

B1.) Str. FL x 5s, 5s, 5s (straddled up into front lever, embedded)

front squat (135lb)x3 (165)x3 (195)x3

B2.) Str. x 5s, 5s, 5s

Circle Leg lift x 3-3, 3-3, 3-3

03-25-09 Sunday (cycle 2 week 7 day 33) Static day

1.) adv. t. planche x 5s (90degrees),5s,5s,5s

2.) 1/2 BL x 5s,5s,5s,(thumbs in)5s

3.) str. FL x 5s,5s,5s, 5s

HS (stomach to wall) x 30s

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03-27-09 Wednesday (cycle 2 week 8 day 34) Test day

WOD= Diane 21-15-9 {245lb (thick bar) deadlift/HeSPU}

Went to the crossfit gymnastics seminar this weekend. Did everything in 2 days O_O

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04-10-09 Friday (cycle 2 week 9 day 35) Horizontal day

A1.) Adv. Tuck Planche x 7s, 4s, 4s

XR PMPPlusx 3,3,3

A2.) 1/2 BL x 7s, 5s, 4s

FL row x 3,3,3

B1.) Str. FL x 5s, 5s, 5s (straddled up into front lever, embedded)

front squat (135lb)x3 (165)x3 (195)x3

B2.) Str. x 5s, 5s, 5s

Circle Leg lift x 3-3, 3-3, 3-3

04-12-09 Sunday Easter (cycle 2 week 9 day 36) HSPU/pullup day

A1.) Adv. Tuck Planche x 5s,5s,6s

XR bulg HeSPUx 3,3,3

A2.) 1/2 BL x 5s, 5s, 5s

assisted OAC x 3,3,3

B1.) Str. FL x 5s, 5s, 5s (straddled up into front lever, embedded)

KB sq(70s)x3 KB OH sq(53s)x3,3

B2.) Str. x 5s, 5s, 5s

Circle Leg lift x 3-3, 3-3, 3-3

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04-13-09 Monday (cycle 2 week 10 day 37) Curl/CPP day

A1.) Adv. Tuck Planche x 4s,4s,4s

XR wide MU x 3,3,3

A2.) 1/2 BL x 5s, 5s, 5s

Inv. Curl x 5,5,5

B1.) Str. FL x 5s, 5s, 5s

double snatch (53s)x 3,3,3

B2.) straddle Lx 5s-5s,5s-5s

BL neg x 3, 3,3

04-15-09 Wednesday (cycle 2 week 10 day 38) MPP day

A1.) Adv. Tuck Planche x 4s,4s,5s

Chestroll HeSPUx 3,3,3

A2.) 1/2 BL x 5s, 5s, 4s

half FL pull x 3,3,3

B1.) Str. FL x 5s, 7s, 5s

double KB OH sq (53s)x 3,3,3

B2.) MSH x 4s, 5s, 5s

tick tock x 3, 3, 3

04-17-09 Friday (cycle 2 week 10 day 39) HSPU/pullup day

A1.) Adv. Tuck Planche x 4s, 4s, 4s

PB (wall) HeSPUx 3, (free) x 3,3

A2.) 1/2 BL x 5s, 5s, 5s

assisted OAC x 3,3,3

B1.) Str. FL x 6s, 5s, 5s (straddled up into front lever, embedded)

Deck squat+height (+35lb)x3,3,3

B2.) str. x 5s-5s, 6s-6s

Circle Leg lift x 3-3, 3-3, 3-3

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04-20-09 Monday (cycle 2 week 11 day 40) Horizontal day (c=combo)

A1.) Adv. Tuck Planche x 4s, 4s, 4s

XR PMPPlusx 3,3,3

A2.) 1/2 BL x 5s, 5s, 5s

adv. t. FL row x 3,3c,3c

B1.) Str. FL x 6s, 5s, 5s (straddled up into front lever, embedded)

snatch grip deadlift (225lb)x3 (315)x3,3

B2.) MSH. x 5s, 5s, 5s

Circle Leg lift x 3-3, 3-3, 3-3

04-22-09 Wednesday (cycle 2 week 11 day 41) Curl/CPP day (c=combo)

A1.) Adv. Tuck Planche x 5s,4s,4s

XR wide MU x 3,3,3

A2.) 1/2 BL x 4s, 5s, 4s

Inv. Curl x 5,5c Reverse yewki x 3

B1.) Str. FL x 5s, 5s, 5s

Deck sq (35lb) x 3,3,3

B2.) straddle Lx 5s-4s,5s-4s

HeS RLL(10lb) x 3, 3,3

04-24-09 Friday (cycle 2 week 11 day 42) MPPr/Pu day

A1.) Adv. Tuck Planche x 6s,6s,5s

Chestroll HeSPUx 3, 3, 3

A2.) 1/2 BL x 5s, 6s, 6s

Yewkis x 3,3,3

B1.) Str. FL x 5s, 5s, 5s

double KB jump shrug (70s)x 3,3,3

B2.) MSH x 4s, 5s, 5s

(bar) Back lever pull x 3, 3, 1/2 BL neg x 3

04-26-09 Sunday (cycle 2 week 11 day 43) HSPU/pullup day

A1.) Adv. Tuck Planche x 5s,4s,5s

PB HSPUx 3,3,3

A2.) 1/2 BL x 5s, 5s, 5s

assisted OAC x 3,3,3

B1.) Str. FL x 5s, 6s, 6s (straddled up into front lever, embedded)

speed dead 225 x 3,5 235 x 5

B2.) Str. x 4s, 5s, 5s

FL pull (full!) x 3-3, 3-3, 3-3

finished with westside's 3way delt raise (10-10lbs)x 20-20-20, 20-20-20, 20-20-20

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04-27-09 Monday (cycle 3 week 1 day 1) Static day

1.) 1/2 BL x 5s,6s,6s,6s

2.) Adv. Tuck Planche x 6s,5s,5s,6s

3.) str. FL x 5s,1/2 FL x 5s,6s, 6s

10 minutes of HS work

PB (freestand) x 1, 1, 1, 1 no specific times

floor x 1, 1, 1

04-28-09 Tuesday Parkour day

Random bar muscleups, different dips and a lot of jumping

05-01-09 Friday (cycle 3 week 1 day 2) Horizontal Day

A1.) Adv. Tuck Planche x 4s, 5s, 5s

XR PMPPlusx 3,3,3

A2.) 1/2 BL x 5s, 5s, 5s

adv. t. FL row x 3,3,3

B1.) Str. FL x 6s, 5s, 5s (straddled up into front lever, embedded)

Double KB HP (70s)x 5, 5, 5

B2.) MSH. x 5s, 5s, 5s

Windshield wipers x 3-3, 3-3, 3-3

So are you still zoning, and is that what's responsible for the ten pound drop? Any planned met-con or just the PK and random CF stuff? Keep up the good work.

Scott Kane said:

So are you still zoning, and is that what's responsible for the ten pound drop? Any planned met-con or just the PK and random CF stuff? Keep up the good work.

Still zoning at 16 blocks. Still leaning out thank God. I have been doing metcon every so often just to mix things up but my lungs BURN. The rest of my body is fine but I wait for the day where I don't breath fire after doing Dianne. I took a trip back up to CF New England a couple weeks ago and did their beginner WOD in 7:50 (best time they saw was around 7:00) so I was happy... but I couldn't stop coughing. The wod was something like 200m run-20 squats- 15 situps- 10 pushups- 5 pullups. It was fun

New PR in recent body weight: 180.4lb! According to wrist-waist to weight ratio, I am anywhere between 9% and 12% bf

Not sure how accurate that is but it is close to what the calipers measure ( 9-10% bf) although I did the silly electronic thingy that measures BF% and it said 16.8-17.2% which I think is not even close. Or at least I hope it's not. :oops: