Significant Knee Progress and BBS Session 24

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Date: 17th December

24th BBS Big 5 session: for weight and times details, see the Body by Science Experiment page.

Post Workout Nutrition: this, 25 mins later.

Total Workout Time: 13 minutes.

Calorie Change - No Effect So Far

There was no magic effect from the increase in calories of the last week. I had changed the weight on chest press, so there was an expected increase in load time, but at least I am now in the sweet spot.

I have pulled back a little of the previous losses on pull down, easily beating last week's bizarrely low 1:20 on 150lbs - but this still falls short of previous bests with 155 lbs. My theory that last week's especially poor performance on this exercise was to do with the crutches may have some truth in it, since this time I drove.

I am still making progress on the Romanian deadlifts, but this is to be expected, as a new exercise, to which I am becoming more accustomed to the intensity.

I felt closer to a fourth rep on shoulder press than I have for a while so perhaps next week I will make the progress on this exercise which has so far eluded me.

Post Workout Meal Timing

As well as the calorie increase (away from deficit) I have started trying to eat my breakfast sooner after the workout. This is tricky because I walk to the train station afterwards, then eat the food on the train. This typically takes me 45 minutes minimum. I may have to create liquid forms of the food to bolt straight afterwards.

I know Doug McGuff, Art Devany and others advocate allowing the body to continue producing growth hormone after a session and that food inhibits that effect... but my understanding is that it's the insulin which causes this; and my post workout meals are generally not very insulinogenic.

Either way, right now I am looking to change up my eating, since other variables such as rest time have not broken my plateau. For the BBS approach, this is last chance saloon in my book. I realise there are other variables like forced reps, static holds and using machines (like Nautilus) that prevent sticking points, but I am not sure I enjoy this approach enough to go to those lengths. I'd rather make no progress with exercises I enjoy.

My next session will be in 6 days, since I will be visiting the folks for Christmas after than, where I will not have access to the familiar machines. So there will be an unavoidable shift in the rest period variable this time.

Knee Physio and Hamstring Hell

After the session I had some physio on the knee. The involved various squat-type exercises, on which I am making good progress. I can now move the knee through well over 90 degrees, and do one-leg squats with the support of the Swiss ball. I can also:

- run up the stairs, one at a time
- walk up the stairs, two at a time, with a little pain
- sleep without waking up yelping because it was in a funny position
- walk normally

My physiotherapist is great, but has a habit of apparently ignoring the significance of the weight training. This time I said

Please don't give me any hamstring or glute work today - I have just taken them to failure with deadlift.

He didn't really respond, and three exercises later had me doing these :-@