Alan H's 2012-2013 OFF-season log

**Alan H** · 17th October 12, 01:50 PM

Time to start a new log!

First item: I am taking a full month off, maybe 5 weeks. "working out" will consist of riding my bike to work 2-3x per week, a caber-hunting expedition, and maybe some forays into the gym to visit the elliptical and/or rowing machine. I refuse to lift a weight. My right knee is sore, my right elbow is sore. Enough. I could lose 20 pounds, too. time to start on that.

I keep in mind Francis Brebners situation. He threw and lifted year-round for a dozen years and now has no knees. I love me some Francis, but I don't want to be that guy, and 5 weeks rest is not gonna kill me.

I'm not getting much traction in the HG community for an "in-house" Powerlifting meet in February, so I'm tending towards forgetting about building up the One-Rep maxes. This goes double after watching Richard Campbell throw wob this weekend, and getting a mini-coaching session with one of the guys at the Lightweight worlds. My friend and competitor, Kel Mulrey, who knows a thing or two about strength training also suggested this. Moar SPEED. I **suspect** that I will do Matt Vincents 10-week offseason block, plus some T&F throwing, and then transition to as much speed as I can train in February and March....lots of power cleans. We shall see.

**LitTrog** · 18th October 12, 05:37 AM

Sounds like an excuse to sit around and watch TV.

You could always combine the two! This guy hammered out some lifts while watching a medley of the Real Housewives series...his reaction is not unexpected.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBb0k1sx1s4

**Alan H** · 18th October 12, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by LitTrog

Sounds like an excuse to sit around and watch TV.

You could always combine the two! This guy hammered out some lifts while watching a medley of the Real Housewives series...his reaction is not unexpected.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBb0k1sx1s4

That ralphing thing is actually fairly common....so is passing out after a huge 1-rep max lift.

This one is just painful....face plant into....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8RcDb_wZfQ

**Alan H** · 18th October 12, 12:27 PM

Performance Goals for next season:

1. 56 pound HWFD at 27+ by June. Yup. The 56 pound, not the 42. Why? See #2.
2. Throw in Scotland in July and not make a fool out of myself. They don't hand old guys a 42 pound weight in Scotland, they hand them the 56 pound widowmaker.
3. Light hammer 84+, 4x during the season and break that 87 foot PR from 3 years ago.
4. defend my Caber Awesomeness at Pleasanton

aaaaannnd, the big one...

5. 14 feet in WOB with the 42

...and of course it'd be nice to keep throwing LWFD @ 50+, and shove the Open Stone over 35 feet a couple of times, again.

**Alan H** · 18th October 12, 12:32 PM

It has taken several years of hard work, but my open stone is now getting up there with the Big Lads in the 50's. It really needs to be 36+, but *hey*. To prove to myself that it wasn't a fluke, I need to throw 35+, 3x next season...kind of like how I wouldn't accept that I can throw 50+ in LWFD until I'd done it three times. Considering how incredibly hard I had to work to get up to 30 feet, only two years ago, going 35+, 3x would be *Rather* remarkable.

Hammer used to be my clincher...the event I was best at, the event that I'd almost always win. No longer. Part of that is due to new guys coming along (like Roger!!) who are big throwers, but also, I've stalled in hammer. Stones have gotten better. Weights have gotten better. My hammers are pretty much exactly where they were, two and a half years ago. Time to change that.

The REAL stinker is weight over bar. I am very tired of not seeing 14 feet. THAT is going to change this upcoming year.

**Alan H** · 18th October 12, 12:55 PM

Also, Today is Day #1 of the Let's Get Serious, 5-week weight loss program.. I will log everything I eat, every day, with the goal of keeping it under 1500 calories a day, for 5 weeks.

TODAYS EDIT COMING SOON...

**LitTrog** · 18th October 12, 02:45 PM

1500 calories?! For a guy your size, that'll be as filling as a mocha latte and a couple fly farts. Just a couple of things to think about:

1) get your Basal Metabolic Rate measured. There are online calculators, but they are as stupidly inaccurate as BMI. Talk to your doc or a dietician to get a snapshot, or shell out some dough for a device to carry around with you. You NEED to know how many calories your body needs just to maintain itself. I got mine done twice over the past 18 months, and (averaged) I found that I need 2300 calories to run all my systems. (The online calculators were about 600 calories off!) 2300--And I'm a helluva lot smaller than you. I'm afraid if you limit yourself to 1500, not only will your body balk and produce some hideous cravings, but it will also begin to cannibalize itself. That will cost you all the muscle and strength you've gained in the past year.

2) Spend the next 7-10 days logging what you eat currently (non-program). That'll give you a clearer idea of how much to cut back--find that sweet spot down nearer your BMR. The weight loss won't be dramatic or fast, but it will preserve your gains. Be careful you don't downshift your metabolism into starvation mode. Unless you plan on eating 1500 for the rest of your life >shudder<.

I'm not a dietician, not a health professional. If you have better, more credible advice, take it. You know your body, I'd just like to see this stage work well for you! Giddyup.

**Martin Roy** · 18th October 12, 02:47 PM

1500 cals per day is serious. I expect you'll see results but, oh man, it sounds painful.

**o1d_dude** · 18th October 12, 02:56 PM

1500 cal/day sounds like a very short term experiment to me.

What LitTrog said about the basal metabolic rate and then doing the non-program food log for a week.

If such things are in your diet (64 ounce Big Gulp, coffee drinks that include anything other than a sweetener and cream, eating before bed, chips, etc.) you should eliminate them at once.

Ideally you find a balance between your energy expenditures and your fuel intake. More cardio/activity and a small reduction in calories is usually the answer.

Try lifting more frequently but lighter.

**Martin Roy** · 18th October 12, 03:09 PM

Another thought, fwiw. Talk to my brother, Gman. He's done a considerable amount of diet/nutrition research and the science behind the common myths one hears so often. I'm sure he will have some insight into the most effective way to get lean without losing muscle mass and strength. It's not about calories.