Your Training Log - Part 2: How to Keep One

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(If you like, you can scroll down to the end of this article and watch a video on this topic. This article is a Blast from the Past article originally posted on 09/04/20.)

In last week’s article, Your Training Log - Part 1: Just Do It, we covered the importance of keeping a training log. Now that you’re utterly and forever convinced of the wisdom of keeping a training log, let’s discuss how to keep one. Your log needs to contain several basic elements organized in a readable fashion, but it’s not a complicated process. Grab a plain old composition notebook, and let’s get started.

First, give each week its own page. We tend to think and plan in these chunks called weeks anyway, so it makes sense to organize our training log this way as well. If you complete all your training for a given week and you have extra space at the bottom of the page, don’t be tempted to start another week on the same page. Again, each week gets its own page - no matter what - so start a new page every time you start a new week. The blank space on the preceding page will remind you that you didn’t do your job last week, and hopefully, this will compel you to do better this week.

At the beginning of the week, divide your new page according to the number of days you train per week. For example, if you train three days per week, you’ll divide the page into three sections (horizontally or vertically - either will work). You can and will fit three or four days of training (even five!) onto one page, and allocating a specific amount of space to each day at the beginning of the week will ensure that you color inside the lines.

When training, label each lift, e.g., squat, press, deadlift, snatch, etc. Abbreviations are fine, but you need to be able to go back and understand what you’re written, so don’t get too clever there, Copernicus.

Next, write the goal - the prescription - for the lift you’re about to perform. If you’re planning to squat three sets of five reps for your work sets today, then simply write “3 x 5.” After that, write out your warm-ups and your work sets (remember, reps are always written second), and finally, write out what you’re going to lift next time. Here’s an example:

Squat
3 x 5 Today’s goal
----------
45 x 5 x 2
95 x 5 x 1
135 x 3 x 1 Warm-up sets
185 x 2 x 1
215 x 1 x 1
----------
240 x 5 x 3 Work sets
Next: 245

If you’re only doing one set of something, the “1” for the number of sets is optional (remember multiplying by “1” in school?), so you can leave that part out if you like. In that case, it looks like this:

Squat
3 x 5 Today’s goal
----------
45 x 5 x 2
95 x 5
135 x 3 Warm-up sets
185 x 2
215 x 1
----------
240 x 5 x 3 Work sets
Next: 245

Beyond this, you’ll also want to write down cues that you’re using or will use next time (“Midfoot!”), reminders (“Next time, put belt on for last warm-up and all work sets”), and even how the training session went (“Smoked it today!”). Keeping a PR sheet somewhere in your training log is also a great idea, and perhaps we’ll cover that in a future article.

Of course, you can keep a training log anyway you want to, but this is my article, so you’re getting my recommendations. If you’d like to do it differently, that’s fine . . . just don’t tell me.

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Week 2022.09.05

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Reminder: We are closed are Monday, 09/05/22, in observance of Labor Day.

This Week’s Conditioning

Option 1
Sled Pyramid – 4, 5, or 6 tiers
Go up and down a 4, 5, or 6 tier “sled pyramid” – rest as needed. The distance for each round is 80 m indoors (a down-back on the 40m course) or 200 ft outdoors (2 down-backs on the 50 ft course). Rest as needed.

For example, Bob does the following (4 tiers):
Round 1: Empty sled
Round 2: 25#
Round 3: 50#
Round 4: 75#
Round 5: 50#
Round 6: 25#
Round 7: Empty sled

Compare to 2022.07.04.

Option 2
Bike/Row for 9 rounds:
1 min on
1 min off

Record distance for each round.

Compare to 2022.06.13.

Option 3
1st: 5 x 50 ft seated sled pull. Add weight each round. Rest as needed.
2nd: 5 x 100 ft duck walk. Add weight each round. Rest as needed.

Compare to 2022.05.16.

Option 4
Outdoors
4 rounds:
50 yd farmer carry
80 m sled drag
Rest 2 min

Indoors
4 rounds:
100 ft farmer carry
100 ft sled drag
Rest 2 min

Compare to 2022.05.16.

The Pin Squat: What, How, and Why

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

In last Friday’s article, we covered the tempo squat. Today, let’s briefly discuss the pin squat. 

What is a pin squat?
A pin squat is a squat wherein you descend, set the bar on the pins (AKA safeties, crash bars, or spotter arms) at the bottom of the squat, pause for a moment, and then squat the weight back up again.

How do you perform a pin squat?
You descend as you would in a normal squat - hips go back, knees go forward and out (staying in line with your toes), and your chest points down. The pins should be set so that - at the bottom of your squat (when the bar is on the pins) - your hip crease is just below the top of your patella.

In other words, the pins need to be set so that you can hit depth, and checking this on video is always a good idea if you’re coaching yourself.

Once both sides of the barbell are in contact with the pins, pause a legitimate one to two seconds (“one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two”), and stay tight during this pause. You should still be supporting most of the weight of the bar.

After the pause, drive the hips up out of the hole as you would in a normal squat and continue your ascent. Don’t be surprised at how slow the ascent is - pin squats are never fast.

Why might you do pin squats or where might you see them in your programming? 
Let’s say your coach has programmed you within a Heavy-Light-Medium structure or something similar - in this case, you might see a pin squat show up as a medium day squat or even a light day squat (the loading and volume need to be carefully managed - especially if it’s a light day squat).

Due to the pause on the pins, the pin squat eliminates the stretch reflex out of the bottom, so it’s a disadvantaged squat, and thus you’ll need to use a lighter weight than with your regular squat, so it fits the bill for a medium or light squat.

However, as with last week’s tempo squat (click here for the article or check out the video earlier in this article), remember that “lighter” does not necessarily mean easy.

The pin squat - again like last week’s tempo squat - can also be useful for a number of other reasons - one of which is that it can help a lifter focus on a specific aspect of his technique.

For example, if Peter tends to squat with his knees too far forward and his back angle too vertical, a pin squat will encourage him to lean over more to get the bar down to the pins. On the other hand, if Mary struggles with hitting depth, a pin squat will force her to correct this - quite simply, if the bar doesn’t contact the pins, the rep doesn’t count (a box squat can be used for this as well). Finally, if Ben tends to relax and “get loose” as he descends, a pin squat will punish this type of behavior, and thus it will remind him to stay tight throughout the entire rep.

This wraps up our short discussion of the pin squat, and in an upcoming article, we’ll move on to the box squat.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

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Week 2022.08.29

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Reminder: We will be closed on Monday, 09/05/22, in observance of Labor Day.

This Week’s Conditioning

Option 1
Sled
Outdoors:
10 rounds of:
Push sled 100 ft
Pull sled 100 ft (hand over hand)

Indoors:
20 rounds of:
Push sled 50 ft
Pull sled 50 ft (hand over hand)

Compare to 2022.06.27.

Option 2
Bike/row:
3 rounds of:
8 x 20 sec on/40 sec off
Rest 3 min between rounds
Score = lowest distance

Compare to 2022.06.06.

Option 3
1. Work up to a heavy single on the axle clean-and-press (i.e., ground to overhead).
2. 5 x 100 ft Zercher carry (50 ft down-back). Add weight each round. Rest as needed.

Compare to 2022.05.09.

Option 4
Outdoors:
5 rounds:
15 cal row
50 yd sled push, 100#/50#

Indoors:
5 rounds:
15 cal row
100 ft sled push, 250#/125#

Push sled slow for recovery. Score is slowest row.

Compare to 2022.05.09.

The Tempo Squat: What, How, and Why

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

What is a tempo squat?
A tempo squat is a squat wherein we assign a certain amount of time to each portion of the movement. Tempo squats are usually given with three numbers: the first represents the eccentric (or downward) phase of the lift, the second number represents the pause at the bottom (if any), and the third number represents the concentric (or upward) phase of the lift.

How do you perform a tempo squat?
We’ll use the example of the 3-0-3 tempo squat - also known as a Denver squat (since 303 is an area code for Denver). In a Denver squat, you spend three seconds going down, there is no pause at the bottom (since the middle number is zero), and then you spend three seconds going back up again.

Another example would be the 3-1-2 tempo squat - also known as a Chicago squat. In this case, you spend three seconds descending, you pause for one second at the bottom, and you then spend two seconds ascending again.

These are the most common tempos we use here at Testify, but of course, there are other options - literally an infinite number of options. With that being said, I’d advise you not to go off the deep end here, or your ego may be writing checks your body can’t cash.

Why might you do tempo squats or where might you see them in your programming? 
Let’s say your coach has programmed you within a Heavy-Light-Medium structure or something similar - in this case, you might see tempo squats show up as a light or medium day squat. It’s not usually the first choice I’ll make for a light or medium day - I tend to keep it as simple as possible at first, and that means literally a lighter squat (usually in the 80-90% range), nothing fancier than that - but eventually, a lifter might see a tempo squat inserted there.

Why might we do that? A tempo squat - since it’s a slow, torturous event - will use a lighter weight than a normal squat, so it fits the bill for a light or medium squat (but note that light and medium do not mean easy). 

The tempo squat can be also useful for a number of other reasons - one of which is that it can help a lifter focus on a specific aspect of his or her technique. If Bert tends to get forward at the bottom of his squat, a tempo squat allows him to think and focus very hard on maintaining his balance over the midfoot. If Ernie struggles to set his knees correctly on the descent, a tempo squat forces Ernie to take more time to do it correctly.

Tempo squats can also be used to help in cases of tendinopathy, and I have Will Morris to thank here for his recommendation of the 3-1-2 tempo squat (AKA Chicago squat). I will leave it to more educated professionals such as Will, John Petrizzo, Rori Alter, and Nick D’Agostino to give a detailed explanation of why this tends to work well - the people I just mentioned are all both physical therapists as well as Starting Strength Coaches and are excellent resources. From a purely physics perspective, I suspect that some of it has to do with the concept of impulse (i.e., change in momentum) and the inverse relationship between the force and time necessary to create a specific impulse. However, this is a topic for another day, so it suffices to say that tempo squats tend to be very useful in cases of tendinopathy.

This wraps up our discussion on tempo squats, and remember, if your coach programs them for you, there’s probably a good reason . . . or maybe your coach just likes to watch you suffer.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

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Click here to start today

Week 2022.08.22

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This Week’s Conditioning

Option 1
Sled
Outdoors:
10-20 x 25 yds EMOM at a weight of your choice

Every minute, push the sled 25 yards, i.e., if pushing the sled takes 20 seconds, then you have 40 seconds to rest. Perform 10-20 rounds.

Indoors:
10-20 x 100 ft EMOM at a weight of your choice

Every minute, push the sled 100 feet, i.e., if pushing the sled takes 20 seconds, then you have 40 seconds to rest. Perform 10-20 rounds.

Compare to 2022.06.20.

Option 2
Bike/row:
12 min TT
Score = distance

Compare to 2022.05.30.

Option 3
Outdoors:
8 rounds:
4 tire flips
50 yd sled push (25 yd down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Indoors:
8 rounds:
4 tire flips
100 ft sled push (50 ft down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Compare to 2022.05.02.

Option 4
5 rounds:
4 tire flips
8 sledgehammer strikes
6 pull-ups
10 push-ups

Pull-ups and push-ups can be modified – talk to the coaches for options.

Compare to 2022.05.02.