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Bear Training Journal

oso0960

oso0960

New member
Oso's Neural Efficiency Training Routine

Workout 1
Dumbbell Neutral Grip Standing Press
Neutral Grip Chin-up
Barbell Deadlift

Workout 2
Barbell Squat
Barbell Bench Press
Barbell Pendlay Row
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Guidelines
All exercises are done with ~80% of 1RM for 1x1 lifted as fast as possible on the concentric portion. Each rep must have total, absolute concentration. Perfect form is a must. Alternate workouts 1 and 2 every day. For example:

Monday – Workout 1
Tuesday – Workout 2
Wednesday – Workout 1
Thursday – Workout 2
etc.

After 2 weeks, attempt PRs.* Take a day or two of rest and repeat. It's well deserved with such a demanding routine. ;) Adjust weight percentages based on new PRs and repeat.
*Does not need to be a true 1RM.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Warm-ups
As stated in Eric Cressey's Maximum Strength book. These are things such as mobility drills, hip/glute activation, foam rolling, etc.
Also warmup before every work set. For example:

Bar x 5x10
50% x 1
60% x 1
70% x 1
THEN 80% x 1

As much rest as needed between each set.

Assistance
Prehab work to maintain muscle balances and such. Exercises such as external rotations, bent over flyes, etc. Very light, high reps.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Estimated 1RMs
Barbell Squat
315 x 1
Barbell Bench Press
225 x 1
Barbell Pendlay Row
190 x 1
Dumbbell Neutral Grip Standing Press
70's x 1
Neutral Grip Chin-up
BW + 60lbs x 1
Barbell Deadlift
365 x 1
I know for a fact that I can go into the gym any day at any time and lift these weights after warming up so there's no overestimating.

All Time PRs
Barbell Squat
365 x 3
Barbell Bench Press
245 x 4
Barbell Pendlay Row
n/a
Dumbbell Neutral Grip Standing Press
70's x 3
Neutral Grip Chin-up
BW + 60lbs x 3
Barbell Deadlift
415 x 3
My best lifts ever done at any body weight.

Current body weight is around 210lbs.

Goal: Raise absolute strength as much as possible while maintaining a healthy, balanced body.

I'll give this routine a good 6 weeks before deciding if it works or doesn't unless an obvious regression occurs due to under-training. I'm sure most of you think it won't work because of how different it is, but there's really only one way of knowing for sure :). This time I'm going to keep this journal haha.
 
in! good to see you posting again. hows things? whats the bodyfat like? have you stayed lean since that cutting competition?
 
Hey bro good to hear from you again. Lately I've been doing too much reading and not enough lifting! Body fat is higher than it needs to be lol not sure of the number. For the past few months I've been half assing the diet and in the gym with no real schedule or goal. I was sitting at 220lbs and not looking too pretty haha. About a month ago or so I decided to shit on that half-assed bulking thing I was doing and just made it a priority to eat healthy/enough protein/etc. So far I'm down to 210 and looking tons better. As for the training I need a log to keep me on track with my goals and this forum is the place to be.

How have you been?? I see you're roughly 4000 posts more than what I remember hahaha.
 
Day 1
05/24/11

DB Press
20's x 2x8
30's x 1
40's x 1
55's x 1
Surprised at how light this felt. Minor elbow joint pain. Guess they haven't fully recovered from previous routine.

Chins
BW x 2
BW+20 x 1
BW+30 x 1
BW+40 x 1
BW+50 x 1
Felt a bit heavy. Minor elbow joint pain.

Deadlift
135 x 2
185 x 1
225 x 1
255 x 1
275 x 1
295 x 1
Easy.

Comments: Need to make sure that the elbow joint doesn't hyper-extend. Should probably warm-up more next time.
 
Why did you decide to go with such a low volume, and pretty low intensity, approach? For example, why not take your top single to 90% or so if you're set on doing singles? Also, why singles as opposed to double/triples/whatever?

Just curious.
 
_cato_ said:
Why did you decide to go with such a low volume, and pretty low intensity, approach? For example, why not take your top single to 90% or so if you're set on doing singles? Also, why singles as opposed to double/triples/whatever?

Just curious.
Click to expand...

Well the intensity is still pretty high, not because the weight is high but because I'm consciously trying to move the weight as explosively as possible and thus training to recruit as many muscle fibers as possible. The frequency is high because I've noticed that I was stronger from squatting submaximally 3x a week rather than squatting maximally 1x a week. I don't really know how to describe it. I think it's why olympic lifters train so often...I guess to optimize the neural pathways with specificity? It kind of goes with the saying that to get better at something, do it more often, practice.

EDIT: btw I refer to intensity as how demanding each rep is, not the weight on the bar relative to the 1RM. I don't believe that a rep where you apply only as much strength as needed to lift it is the same as a quality rep.

So to have frequency and intensity fairly high, the only other parameter I can manipulate is volume. So to balance everything out and not wipe my ass into overtraining, volume is kept very low. It may be too low, not really sure yet. I've never seen this type of training though and don't understand why. Everyone always adds more volume rather than frequency.

I may work up to 90% of my 1RM but I feel that if I were to do it every single day I'd lead myself into overtraining with aching joints, so I figured it might be better to start conservatively first. Maybe I'll wave the intensity if 80% isn't doing anything.

I'm not against doubles and triples, it's just that it's easier to focus everything I have into one solid, quality rep. It also goes with my goal: to specifically raise my 1 rep maximum.

I didn't just think of this training btw. Doug Hepburn, the first man to bench press 500lbs used this type of training at higher intensities (4-10 singles @90%+), along with a guy named TwiceBorn over on T-nation who claims to have known Doug and followed Doug's principles. And finally a guy by the name of Actarus on bodybuilding.com who independently came to the same conclusion that less is more. I've just casually stumbled upon all of them within the past couple of years and they all have one thing in common: They all implemented this style of training and have impressive lifts for being drug free, assuming they aren't lying about either.

The last factor..What do I have to lose? I've been at a plateau for quite a long time using higher volume/intensity approaches. If at worst, I'm sure I can benefit from undertraining for a while.
 
Last edited:
Day 2
5/25/11

Squat
Bar x many
135 x 3
185 x 1
205 x 1
205 x 1
225 x 1
255 x 1
225 x 1
On 255 my mind was too focused on getting out of that hole as fast as possible I completely forgot to contract my glutes! So that's what the 225 was for. Both reps I got air time.

Bench
Bar x many
95 x 3
135 x 2
155 x 1
185 x 1
During the unrack I felt minor pain in my biceps. Rep was solid though.

Row
bar x many
95 x 2
115 x 1
135 x 1
155 x 1
Explosive.

Comments: I probably need to tone down being explosive toward the end of the movements. That might keep my joints healthy. I also think I need to warm-up more with the easier weights. It seems that after every set no matter the weight, it's always faster than the one before
 
great to see you have a log again bro :) I hear you with the half assing it. I'm right back to square 1 with my lifts too. Can't wait to see how this works out for you- good luck!
 
Day 3
5/26/11

Press
20s x 3x8
30s x 1
40s x 1
50s x 1
60s x 1
Raised this a little bit. It feels about right with being just as hard as the rest of the lifts. Still easy though.

Chins
BW x 3x1
BW+10 x 1
BW+20 x 1
BW+30 x 1
BW+40 x 1
BW+50 x 1
Bicep pain still there. Lift felt the same as last time.

Deadlift
135 x 3x1
185 x 1
225 x 1
260 x 1
275 x 1
295 x 1
Was able to get much tighter this time. Very easy and more explosive than last time.

Comments: I think Monday the gym is closed so that forces me to take a day off which is fine. Chins hurt the biceps (obviously) so I'm going to do 1 rep at bodyweight without focus on speed next time. Also as a side note, I do deadlifts with a DOH grip. I need to remember to bring chalk on the PR day though..
 
Day 4
5/27/11

Squat
bar x many
135 x 1
185 x 1
225 x 1
255 x 1
Felt heavier.

Bench
bar x many
95 x 1
135 x 1
155 x 1
185 x 1
Lighter than before, no elbow/bicep pain

Row
bar x many
85 x 1
125 x 1
155 x 1
Same as before

Comments: Stressed out last night and only got 7 hours of sleep. Wasn't expecting a great day.
 
although your knowledge as far as working out is concnered is far superior to mine, i would like to chime in and say to always expect a great day when you go to the gym. If you're expecting a shitty day, then you'll have a shitty day regardless of what you do because you'll have an excuse to half-ass everything.

anyways, keep up the progress my man!
 
Day 5
5/28/11

Press
20 x many
25 x 1
30 x 1
35 x 1
40 x 1
45 x 1
50 x 1
55 x 1
60 x 1
Easy

Chins
BW x 2
BW+10 x 1
BW+20 x 1
BW+30 x 1
BW+40 x 1
BW+50 x 1
Bicep pain going away slowly. These are still the hardest.

Deadlift
135 x 2
185 x 1
225 x 1
255 x 1
295 x 1
Easiest. A lot faster than before too.

Comments: Good day. Felt even tighter on everything especially deads. Noticed that I'm focusing more on keeping my ass and grip very tight as well as the rest of my body. Glute/hamstring connecting area was actually a little sore when waking up today!

Also, g/f noted that I'm looking leaner! Diet is basically eat when hungry, stop when satisfied. Lots of fruits, veggies, lean meats and whole milk.
 
haha yeah I'll never give it up. I wish I could find it locally though..

Day 6
5/31/11

Squat
bar x many
135 x 3x3
185 x 1
205 x 1
225 x 1
255 x 1

Bench
135 x 5
155 x 1
185 x 1
Had to work in with 3 people. Gym was so crowded when I went.

Row
85 x 5
105 x 1
125 x 1
155 x 1

Comments: Came down with some sickness a couple days ago. Got 15 hours of sleep last night and woke up feeling pretty good today. So I decided to work out :) Everything felt just as hard as before. No tendon pain though.
 
can't wait to see you get into the bigger weights man. sorry if you arleady posted this, but what are your goals on this routine? Why only one rep as opposed to another rep range?
 
Yeah I can't either. This cold is killing me though! I hate setbacks and I've decided to take another couple of days off. I'm over most of it thankfully :) Once I'm feeling better I'll get back on track with this routine.

Goals: stronger and to up my 1RM.
1 rep: what better rep range to get there? haha. also I like only having to concentrate all of my energy on 1 rep. My form stays perfect and I can be as explosive as possible without worrying if I'm going to complete all the reps.
 
ugh just had a decent sized post deleted lol. colds suck man... i just read an article that said that working out can actually help alleviate the symptoms of a cold and can also help prevent colds. allergies fucked my training so hard the last 2-3 months i can't even begin to describe it.

i see your point, but if you can keep good form with (for arguments sake) 255x5, aren't you getting more out of it?
 
JDid23 said:
ugh just had a decent sized post deleted lol. colds suck man... i just read an article that said that working out can actually help alleviate the symptoms of a cold and can also help prevent colds. allergies fucked my training so hard the last 2-3 months i can't even begin to describe it.

i see your point, but if you can keep good form with (for arguments sake) 255x5, aren't you getting more out of it?
Click to expand...

dude just read the first post lol

he's working on neural effeciency by working very low volume with 80% of his max very frequently for the next 6-8 weeks
 
^^ basically.

Jdid - If I am able to recruit as many muscle fibers my body will allow all within 1 rep, why would I need 4 more?

Hopefully I can prove that less is more and that quality >> quantity.

Also guys, I'm thinking of testing my 1RMs around next weekend to see where they're really at. They are higher than the estimated ones but I don't know by how much. I know a month ago i hit 335x1 on squats and 250x1 on bench. I'm probably going to do day 1 maxes, rest, then day 2 maxes, rest, then back to the normal workout with the new 80%. I'm thinking Thursday and Saturday :) Then in the next 2-3 weeks after that I'll test them again.
 
Ill be interested to see how this works out. It it goes smoothly and puts a nice chunk on your 1rm's it might be an ideal thing to do following a peaking cycle since it would give you a rest from the really heavy weight and allow you to get used to the new strength you had developed by getting weight in your hands frequently...
 
EM - Yeah hopefully all goes well.

Day 7

Press
60 x 1

Chins
50 x 1

Deads
295 x 2

Comments: I just realized I didn't post this workout. I did it maybe 2 days ago? Chins were easier than usual. Just wasn't feeling it for deads. My form went to shit because I was tired.


Day 8
5/3/11

Squat
255 x 1
Bar felt a bit heavier than normal but felt strong.

Bench
185 x 1
Feeling pretty damn strong on this.

Row
155 x 1
Strong.

Comments: did warmups, I think I'm going to post the top weights only though. Also very tired today and am about to pass out now. Unfortunately my g/f just left for 2 months so I'm going to miss her and have to get used to the hand again, but fortunately I get the bed to myself again so I can get better sleep :)
 
oso0960 said:
^^ basically.

Jdid - If I am able to recruit as many muscle fibers my body will allow all within 1 rep, why would I need 4 more?

Hopefully I can prove that less is more and that quality >> quantity.

Also guys, I'm thinking of testing my 1RMs around next weekend to see where they're really at. They are higher than the estimated ones but I don't know by how much. I know a month ago i hit 335x1 on squats and 250x1 on bench. I'm probably going to do day 1 maxes, rest, then day 2 maxes, rest, then back to the normal workout with the new 80%. I'm thinking Thursday and Saturday :) Then in the next 2-3 weeks after that I'll test them again.
Click to expand...

I understand what you're saying... It's just very unconventional and i haven't really ever seen anything like it. Your numbers will prove that :)

good luck dude! hope you hit all your 1RMs.

and sorry to hear about your girlfriend being away. how long have you guys been dating for? At least you get to rekindle the intimacy with your hand again; should be fun
 
Thanks Jdid, I hope my numbers will prove it!

We've been dating for a year and a half. Bro, even though I'm only 20, she's the one.

I'm not looking forward to the rekindling either...I've been cheating on it with her..I just hope it takes me back :(
 
Day 9
6/4/11

Press
60s x 1

Chins
BW+50 x 1

Deadlift
295 x 1

Comments: Good workout. Stable and solid lifting in everything. Good sleep last night too :). I'm thinking about switching to normal pullups next time though. I think the problem with the neutral grip chins is that the parallel bars are too close together and puts too much stress where it shouldn't be at heavier weights. They're ~6-8 inches apart.
 
Day 10 - Max Day

Yeah I couldn't wait. Gym had like 5 people in it and was feeling pretty good today.

Squat
bar x many
135 x 1
185 x 1
225 x 1
275 x 1
315 x 1
335 x 1
345 x 1
Was halfway to putting 355 on but I figured that was either my max or very, very close to it. Still had to test 2 more exercises!

Bench
bar x many
95 x 5
135 x 1
185 x 1
205 x 1
225 x 1
235 x 1
245 x 1
Wasn't feeling bench as much as squats. 245 was pretty damn rough, I'd say 250 is still my max. Left arm was a little bit weaker/awkward also..

Row
bar x many
80 x 5
135 x 1
155 x 1
185 x 1
205 x 1
215 x 1
The 205 was solid but 215 was where my form dropped a bit.


Comments: There's only been 9 workouts so I can't say too much about the routine yet. The next time I do this max day is going to tell me a lot more. My goals for the next time I test my maxes are:
Squat
355 x 1
Bench
255 x 1
Row
215 x 1 (solid rep)

Also, my next max day is going to be either Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday..whenever I'm feeling up to it.

Anddd, I just realized that I wasn't calculating my body weight into the chins @80%!! I'm retarded lol.
 
Well my car died a few days ago. Luckily my roommate and I have the same class times and we carpool anyway, but that means that I have to workout only on those days or whenever I can get a ride to the school. Anyway, this means that my workout has to change a little bit since I'm only able to go MWF for sure until I get enough money to fix it. I'm still doing singles, but I've jumped the intensity up to 90% and will increase it gradually.

Day 11

Press
40
45
55
60
65

Pullups
BW x 2x1
BW+10
BW+25
BW+40

Deadlift
205
245
285
325
365

Day 12

Squat
175
205
245
285
315

Bench
135
155
175
205
225

Row
125
155
175
195

Comments: Good workouts. Btw I skipped maxing out on deads/press/pullups. Wasn't in the mood because of the car bullshit. Figured I'll just work up to them anyway. Since changing chins to pullups, my biceps feel tons better, no pain anymore.
 
nice work bro... but why did you do all 3 exercises on the same day????? your CNS was probably drained by the end of it on your last row. Why don't you try prioritizing rows or bench next time ahead of squats and see if you feel fresher and if it makes a difference? if it does, maybe you should designate one day to each max.
 
JDid23 said:
nice work bro... but why did you do all 3 exercises on the same day????? your CNS was probably drained by the end of it on your last row. Why don't you try prioritizing rows or bench next time ahead of squats and see if you feel fresher and if it makes a difference? if it does, maybe you should designate one day to each max.
Click to expand...

Live and learn lol. I shouldn't have maxed on all three in one workout, it's just what I've done in the past..never felt so drained after doing it though.

Anyway here's the workout for today

Day 13
06/13/11

Press
40
45
55
60
65
70
The 70s felt just as easy as the 65s. Really weird, but they were a different brand of dumbbells so that could be why.

Pullups
BW x 4x1
+20
+30
+40
+50
Felt strong.

Deadlifts
205
245
285
335
375
Everything felt great except for the beginning portion of 375. Went up slow and heavy and once it got past mid shin, went up like nothing. I'm pretty sure my quads are the strongest part of my body so it was odd. Maybe the set up was wrong or because i didn't stretch the psoas before...

Comments: Doing singles has really got me concentrating on contracting my ass and staying tight on all lifts.
 
Day 14
06/14/11

Squat
185
225
255
285
325
Strong.

Bench
135
155
185
205
230
Slight pause at the chest.

Row
115
135
155
175
195
Actually had a difficult time with 195. I don't think I raised my lower back any to help the weight up though.

Comments: Felt so great today. Found out my roommate was going skating on campus so it was perfect and I just had to workout ;)
 
good job man.. i think that rows are hard to pinpoint your max with compared to squats/deads/bench because it's hard to do them strict, especially when maxing out.
 
JDid23 said:
good job man.. i think that rows are hard to pinpoint your max with compared to squats/deads/bench because it's hard to do them strict, especially when maxing out.
Click to expand...

Yeah definitely and thanks. I figure I'll just keep the progression going until I'm not comfortable with my form on the last rep, then I'll try them same weight again next time.
 
Day 15

Press
40
45
55
60
65
70

Pullups
BW x 2x1
+20
+35
+55

Deadlifts
205
245
285
335
380

Comments: Deadlifts were more difficult than normal

Day 16

Front Squat
135
185
205
225
245
Paused at bottom. These are awesome.

Pulldowns
195
210
225
240
255
270
Supinated close grip.

Dips
BW x 3
+20
+35
+50
+65

Comments: Added this day as workout 3. I'd like to improve on these exercises as well.

Day 17

Squat
185
225
255
285
330

Bench
135
155
185
205
235

Row
115
135
155
175
200

Comments: 2 days off since previous workout and felt great. All lifts went up well.
 
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