Lat Pulldown:
10 x 70, 10 x 90, 10 x 110, 10 x 130, 10 x 140, 10 x 150, 8 x 160, 8 x 170
Standing Cable Rows:
10 x 90, 10 x 130, 10 x 140, 10 x 150, 10 x 160, 10 x 170, 10 x 180
Hammer Curls:
2 Sets 10 x 10, 10 x 20 (right arm only) 10 x 20, 2 sets 10 x 30 (both arms)
Plate pinched wrist curls:
(2 5's) 3 sets of 10 (flexion and extension)
Dumbbell wrist curls:
3 sets 12 x 20 (both ways at the same time)
Top dumbbell finger grip pinches:
3 sets each hand held for 20 seconds with 20 pound dumbbells
Dumbbell Shrugs:
10 x 85, 10 x 90, 2 sets 10 x 95, 2 sets 10 x 100
This workout went well enough. I was kind of pissed going in and needed to blow off some steam, but my mind kept drifting away. I felt pretty good with my bicep I know its getting better but it is still a little sore and tight. The pulldowns went well and didn't put any stress on it this time. I feel like my back has gotten weak after 2 weeks of minimal activity. I want the thing to grow and since I'm not going to enter the strongman contest anymore I want to work a lot of volume for my Lats. I did standing cable rows which feel great for me and really hit the lats. These sets went well and I really felt like I was pulling from the elbows which is important in trying to build a yoked back. I did dumbbell shrugs which I feel are great for getting me in shape for farmers walk and log clean. Although I will not be competing soon, I still need to be preparing myself for the future. I feel like my traps are getting bigger, and the collars on my shirts have been feeling tighter lately. Hammer Curls were a nice surprise as I was able to do 2 sets of 10 with the 30s going both arms at the same time. Although this is relatively light I feel like it is progress considering how bad my arm felt 2 weeks ago when I pulled it. Hopefully given another 2 weeks I will be able to get back into full Lat and bicep training. I really want to start doing one arm rows and bent over barbell rows again, but both stress the bicep where it is hurt. I finished up the workout with some grip/forearm training which is good because I need my forearms stronger so my wrist can heal. I had done some rice digs yesterday and that had them already a little tired so todays work really left them dead. I have to go get some rice to throw in a bucket. After doing those digs yesterday I am a true believer, they will get your forearms jacked.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
ME Press
Bench:
10 x 45, 5 x 135, 5 x 225, 3 x 275, 2 x 315, 1 x 345, 1 x 360 (failed), 5 x 315
Overhead Press:
explosive: 10 x 45, 5 x 135, 3 x 225, 3 x 245
strict: 3 sets 5 x 135
Continental Clean and Press:
3 sets 3 x 135
Squat Clean and Jerk:
3 sets 3 x 135
Shoulder Raises:
2 sets 10 x 20 (front and side)
Tricep Press downs:
2 sets 10 x 120; 3 sets 10 w/ mini band
Barbell Fallouts:
3 sets 10 x 135
Shoulder traction w/ mini band
Reverse Hyper (for traction):
3 sets 5 x 50 (swinging under head)
Hanging traction leg pulled
Today I was back in Bellevue for a dental appointment so I decided to go over to my old highschool with my brother and grace the Chieftain Strength House of Pain for a workout. It was fun going in there because it has been several months and they have some excellent equipment. There are seriously 20 racks you could squat in. Today was ME Press so I decided to put on a little show for the kids with some big benching. I think some fatfuck freshmen shit himself when he saw 315 fly off my chest. I was a little disappointed not making 360 because I had absolutely nailed 345 and I was able to rep out 315 pretty easily today. I was having a bit of a problem though because I left my wrist wraps in Lincoln and the pair they had was an old pair of Titan redlines with the thumbloops busted off and the velcro coming unglued so they were no use. And the benches were a lot softer than I am used to which made it difficult to dig my shoulders in. But in any case 345 flew up and 360 nailed me to the bench so I have to get my speed up. Fortunately my old weight lifting coach had some athletic tape in the office so I was able to tape up my wrist for the overhead press. I only did a few sets because doing them explosively puts my bicep in a bad position so I didn't do a lot and didn't go heavy. I did some static work so I wouldn't have to do a lot of tricep isolation. I decided to play around with some continentals and squat cleans too. These were fun and the continentals turned some heads. I was glad to get in some OHP because I don't want to get too slow while I rehab this bicep injury. I did fallouts for ab work because they did not have the right set up for most of the other ab stuff I like. But they must have worked well because I really feel it. I tried some tire flips after the workout and the 500 went up and over no problem, but reaching down for the 800 I learned my bicep is no where near ready. Hopefully this doesn't take more than 2 more weeks because I am losing out on a hell of a lot of back and bicep work right now.
10 x 45, 5 x 135, 5 x 225, 3 x 275, 2 x 315, 1 x 345, 1 x 360 (failed), 5 x 315
Overhead Press:
explosive: 10 x 45, 5 x 135, 3 x 225, 3 x 245
strict: 3 sets 5 x 135
Continental Clean and Press:
3 sets 3 x 135
Squat Clean and Jerk:
3 sets 3 x 135
Shoulder Raises:
2 sets 10 x 20 (front and side)
Tricep Press downs:
2 sets 10 x 120; 3 sets 10 w/ mini band
Barbell Fallouts:
3 sets 10 x 135
Shoulder traction w/ mini band
Reverse Hyper (for traction):
3 sets 5 x 50 (swinging under head)
Hanging traction leg pulled
Today I was back in Bellevue for a dental appointment so I decided to go over to my old highschool with my brother and grace the Chieftain Strength House of Pain for a workout. It was fun going in there because it has been several months and they have some excellent equipment. There are seriously 20 racks you could squat in. Today was ME Press so I decided to put on a little show for the kids with some big benching. I think some fatfuck freshmen shit himself when he saw 315 fly off my chest. I was a little disappointed not making 360 because I had absolutely nailed 345 and I was able to rep out 315 pretty easily today. I was having a bit of a problem though because I left my wrist wraps in Lincoln and the pair they had was an old pair of Titan redlines with the thumbloops busted off and the velcro coming unglued so they were no use. And the benches were a lot softer than I am used to which made it difficult to dig my shoulders in. But in any case 345 flew up and 360 nailed me to the bench so I have to get my speed up. Fortunately my old weight lifting coach had some athletic tape in the office so I was able to tape up my wrist for the overhead press. I only did a few sets because doing them explosively puts my bicep in a bad position so I didn't do a lot and didn't go heavy. I did some static work so I wouldn't have to do a lot of tricep isolation. I decided to play around with some continentals and squat cleans too. These were fun and the continentals turned some heads. I was glad to get in some OHP because I don't want to get too slow while I rehab this bicep injury. I did fallouts for ab work because they did not have the right set up for most of the other ab stuff I like. But they must have worked well because I really feel it. I tried some tire flips after the workout and the 500 went up and over no problem, but reaching down for the 800 I learned my bicep is no where near ready. Hopefully this doesn't take more than 2 more weeks because I am losing out on a hell of a lot of back and bicep work right now.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
DE Squat
Warmup:
Hamstring stretching, Ballistic toe touches, Goodmornings, Squat cleans, Zercher Leans, Explosive kicks, 45 degree raise
Box Squat:
W/O Bands: 10 x 45, 5 x 135, 5 x 45, 5 x 135
W/ Average Bands: 3 x 135, 8 sets 2 x 225
Zercher lift (from ground):
3 sets 2 x 95
45 Degree Calf:
5 sets 10 x 270
Seated Good Mornings:
5 sets 10 x 135
45 Degree Back raise:
5 sets 10 x bodyweight
Seated Calf Raise:
3 sets 10 x 185
Side Bend Abs:
15 x 180, 15 x 200, 15 x 220
Kneeling pulldown abs:
15 x 180, 15 x 200, 15 x 220
Bicep Rehab:
a few sets for the right arm with 10 pound dumbbells
Today went pretty well. I have decided that in order to get my back healthy and my hips looser I am going to change things up. I have decided to follow the Elite 12 week guide to box squatting with bands for my DE days. Now that I have 2 average bands and I am buying a second light band on the free shipping sale. I plan on making band squat and deadlift a staple in my DE lower body work. I will follow this progression on DE days and replace my ME work with volume for the next 4 weeks until my back is feeling better. On ME days I will do sumo deadlifts with bands once my bicep is feeling good. I decided to work my back a lot today and did 5 sets of good mornings seated which is very taxing on my hips and low back. These areas need a tremendous amount of work. They are very weak and prone to injury and soreness. I did more calf work today because quite frankly I am afraid of injuring them the same way I did with my bicep. I did some rehab for the bicep with just 10 pound dumbbells. It does not feel sore, but it feels tight which worries me that it could pop again. At the bottom of the curl it feels as though its on the verge of going out again. Tommorow will be 2 weeks since my injury so I am a little frustrated that it is taking so long, but I definitely do not want to re-injure it so I have to go slow and listen to my body. Box squat with average bands is very tough. They pull you down hard from the top and stick you to the box. There is about 115 pounds tension at the bottom so the start is slower than you'd think with just 225, but it gets up to about 190 at the top which makes you have to start fast. The lock out feels a lot like squatting in a suit and wraps in that the top 1/2 keeps getting heavier. I think this lift has a tremendous value to powerlifting, but I think more explosiveness is never bad in strongman. I will be interested to do some reverse band deadlifts once my bicep is feeling better, but I really don't want to risk it going out with up to 500 pounds in my hand and having to worry about what that might do to my back.
Hamstring stretching, Ballistic toe touches, Goodmornings, Squat cleans, Zercher Leans, Explosive kicks, 45 degree raise
Box Squat:
W/O Bands: 10 x 45, 5 x 135, 5 x 45, 5 x 135
W/ Average Bands: 3 x 135, 8 sets 2 x 225
Zercher lift (from ground):
3 sets 2 x 95
45 Degree Calf:
5 sets 10 x 270
Seated Good Mornings:
5 sets 10 x 135
45 Degree Back raise:
5 sets 10 x bodyweight
Seated Calf Raise:
3 sets 10 x 185
Side Bend Abs:
15 x 180, 15 x 200, 15 x 220
Kneeling pulldown abs:
15 x 180, 15 x 200, 15 x 220
Bicep Rehab:
a few sets for the right arm with 10 pound dumbbells
Today went pretty well. I have decided that in order to get my back healthy and my hips looser I am going to change things up. I have decided to follow the Elite 12 week guide to box squatting with bands for my DE days. Now that I have 2 average bands and I am buying a second light band on the free shipping sale. I plan on making band squat and deadlift a staple in my DE lower body work. I will follow this progression on DE days and replace my ME work with volume for the next 4 weeks until my back is feeling better. On ME days I will do sumo deadlifts with bands once my bicep is feeling good. I decided to work my back a lot today and did 5 sets of good mornings seated which is very taxing on my hips and low back. These areas need a tremendous amount of work. They are very weak and prone to injury and soreness. I did more calf work today because quite frankly I am afraid of injuring them the same way I did with my bicep. I did some rehab for the bicep with just 10 pound dumbbells. It does not feel sore, but it feels tight which worries me that it could pop again. At the bottom of the curl it feels as though its on the verge of going out again. Tommorow will be 2 weeks since my injury so I am a little frustrated that it is taking so long, but I definitely do not want to re-injure it so I have to go slow and listen to my body. Box squat with average bands is very tough. They pull you down hard from the top and stick you to the box. There is about 115 pounds tension at the bottom so the start is slower than you'd think with just 225, but it gets up to about 190 at the top which makes you have to start fast. The lock out feels a lot like squatting in a suit and wraps in that the top 1/2 keeps getting heavier. I think this lift has a tremendous value to powerlifting, but I think more explosiveness is never bad in strongman. I will be interested to do some reverse band deadlifts once my bicep is feeling better, but I really don't want to risk it going out with up to 500 pounds in my hand and having to worry about what that might do to my back.
Time to make a decision
It has become clear to me that with the current problems I am having due to injuries it would be extremely unwise to compete in either the Nebraska's Strongest Man or the Cornhusker State Games powerlifting this July. I am extremely disappointed to say this because I have been training very hard the last 8 months or so to prepare just for this contest. I was really looking forward to getting some competition experience. Obviously the contest would be tough for me being in the heaviest division and going for the first time, but I was hoping I would do decently and hell maybe getting my teeth kicked in by some of the more experienced guys would get me motivated for next years contests. However, I do not believe that presently it is a wise decision for me to continue to push myself through injuries just to compete. I would either have to continue to train the way I am now to stay strong and injured, or take time off and come in healthy but weak. Neither seems like a good call to me. I think for the time being I have to get more aggressive with my rehab work for my back, wrists, and biceps; continue to work on foam roller and mobility work; bring up my cardio which is attrocious; and eliminate the muscle imbalances and flexibility issues that are causing me to injure myself. For now I feel like the best thing is to back off and get healthy while improving my conditioning and losing a good deal of adipose mass. I am too fat and out of shape for strongman and if I ever want to be a serious competitor I have to be in better shape. I guess I'll just have to watch Chuck kick ass out there this July maybe with Troy and I working his corner so to speak we can give him a better chance to win. At any rate today's responsible decision is a brighter tommorow.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Bicep Rehab Work
Lat Pulldowns:
10 x 80, 10 x 100, 10 x 120, 8 x 140
Standing Cable Rows:
10 x 50, 10 x 100, 10 x 110, 10 x 120, 10 x 130, 10 x 140, 10 x 150, 10 x 160
Upright Rows:
10 x 50, 10 x 70, 10 x 90, 10 x 110
Dumbell Shrugs:
2 sets 10 x 90, 2 sets 10 x 95
Wheelbarrow Shrugs:
3 sets 10 x 360
Neck:
2 sets 25 x 90 (each way)
Kneeling pulldown abs:
10 x 150, 10 x 180, 10 x 200, 10 x 220
Hammer Curls:
10 x 25, 10 x 30, 10 x 35 (left arm); 3 sets 10 x 10 (right arm)
Standing Dumbbell curls:
3 sets 10 x 25 (left arm); 3 sets 10 x 10 (right arm)
Barbell Curls:
3 sets regular and reverse 10 reps with straight curl bar
Plate pinch wrist curls:
3 sets 10 x 10 (2 5's) forward and reverse
Standing Dumbell wrist curls:
3 sets 10 x 20 (forward); 3 sets 10 x 25 reverse
Holds and wrist curls holding top of dumbbell with fingers
This workout was tough from a mental perspective. It is truly torture to go into the weight room and want to give it your all, but hold yourself back so you can recover from an injury. I had to go really light with my right bicep, but I wanted to give it some work so it can recover. I am really worried about it getting small and weak while I recover and I think after hearing from Chuck I am going to need my biceps a lot for the log clean and press. I decided to go with 10s for all my dumbbell work with the right arm so it could get some blood flowing and hopefully loosen up a little. I am really frustrated because a major goal of mine is to bring up my lats, biceps, and traps as I feel these are weak points. However I had to be extremely careful in working my Lats so as not to stress the bicep. I did pulldowns at first but I was feeling some discomfort so I decided to stop. I elected to perform standing cbale rows instead and I was able to do a lot of these with no stress on the bicep. I felt like I was pulling very well with the lats and I feel very sore in them now. I did dumbell shrugs and wheelbarrow shrugs because that is the way the traps will have to work in the farmers walk and log clean so I feel that I have to have them prepared to work in the proper path of production. I think that is a large factor in the bicep injury that I got. I do not feel that my bicep training was frequent or intense enough nor was it giving me the SPP to perform the lifts I was going to attempt. I think I need to carefully examine my training on a functional basis as I prepare for strongman competition and really perform lifts that are going to aid in the events. I think I need to work some rotation and / or arm wrestling to help strengthen my biceps in the area where the injury occurred once I have healed. I am finding my time in the gym somewhat depressing because I can not perform at the level I want to with this injury and I do not have my work out partners there to push me. It is absolute hell to have to tip-toe around an injury. I hope I get well soon and I can get back to serious lifting.
10 x 80, 10 x 100, 10 x 120, 8 x 140
Standing Cable Rows:
10 x 50, 10 x 100, 10 x 110, 10 x 120, 10 x 130, 10 x 140, 10 x 150, 10 x 160
Upright Rows:
10 x 50, 10 x 70, 10 x 90, 10 x 110
Dumbell Shrugs:
2 sets 10 x 90, 2 sets 10 x 95
Wheelbarrow Shrugs:
3 sets 10 x 360
Neck:
2 sets 25 x 90 (each way)
Kneeling pulldown abs:
10 x 150, 10 x 180, 10 x 200, 10 x 220
Hammer Curls:
10 x 25, 10 x 30, 10 x 35 (left arm); 3 sets 10 x 10 (right arm)
Standing Dumbbell curls:
3 sets 10 x 25 (left arm); 3 sets 10 x 10 (right arm)
Barbell Curls:
3 sets regular and reverse 10 reps with straight curl bar
Plate pinch wrist curls:
3 sets 10 x 10 (2 5's) forward and reverse
Standing Dumbell wrist curls:
3 sets 10 x 20 (forward); 3 sets 10 x 25 reverse
Holds and wrist curls holding top of dumbbell with fingers
This workout was tough from a mental perspective. It is truly torture to go into the weight room and want to give it your all, but hold yourself back so you can recover from an injury. I had to go really light with my right bicep, but I wanted to give it some work so it can recover. I am really worried about it getting small and weak while I recover and I think after hearing from Chuck I am going to need my biceps a lot for the log clean and press. I decided to go with 10s for all my dumbbell work with the right arm so it could get some blood flowing and hopefully loosen up a little. I am really frustrated because a major goal of mine is to bring up my lats, biceps, and traps as I feel these are weak points. However I had to be extremely careful in working my Lats so as not to stress the bicep. I did pulldowns at first but I was feeling some discomfort so I decided to stop. I elected to perform standing cbale rows instead and I was able to do a lot of these with no stress on the bicep. I felt like I was pulling very well with the lats and I feel very sore in them now. I did dumbell shrugs and wheelbarrow shrugs because that is the way the traps will have to work in the farmers walk and log clean so I feel that I have to have them prepared to work in the proper path of production. I think that is a large factor in the bicep injury that I got. I do not feel that my bicep training was frequent or intense enough nor was it giving me the SPP to perform the lifts I was going to attempt. I think I need to carefully examine my training on a functional basis as I prepare for strongman competition and really perform lifts that are going to aid in the events. I think I need to work some rotation and / or arm wrestling to help strengthen my biceps in the area where the injury occurred once I have healed. I am finding my time in the gym somewhat depressing because I can not perform at the level I want to with this injury and I do not have my work out partners there to push me. It is absolute hell to have to tip-toe around an injury. I hope I get well soon and I can get back to serious lifting.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
DE Press
Bench (with mini bands):
45 x 10 (no bands), 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 2 sets 260 x 3, 3 x 245, 3 x 230
Strict OHP (with mini bands):
6 Sets 135 x 3
Standing Neutral Press:
1 set 10 x 40 (stopped because of bicep strain)
Neutral Incline:
1 set 10 x 60 (stopped because of bicep strain)
Shoulder Raise:
2 Sets 20 x 10 (front and side)
Tricep Press Downs:
60 x 10, 120 x 10, 140 x 10, 160 x 10, 180 x 10
This workout went well enough for my bicep being as it is. I was very frustrated trying to do neutral grip work because my bicep felt strained. I had to do strict overhead work with bands because my bicep could not take the strain from going explosively. Bench with bands felt good and was explosive. I am realizing that this injury is only aggravated in certain planes of motion so I have to learn how to work around it. I did tricep press downs so I wouldn't hurt myself and they went alright but they are hell on your elbow so I have to avoid doing too many. I am just getting really depressed in the weight room because everything was coming together so well and now one shitty little strand of muscle is holding everything back. I am going to start rehabing this thing tommorow. I will go light and try to get it loose and warm.
45 x 10 (no bands), 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 2 sets 260 x 3, 3 x 245, 3 x 230
Strict OHP (with mini bands):
6 Sets 135 x 3
Standing Neutral Press:
1 set 10 x 40 (stopped because of bicep strain)
Neutral Incline:
1 set 10 x 60 (stopped because of bicep strain)
Shoulder Raise:
2 Sets 20 x 10 (front and side)
Tricep Press Downs:
60 x 10, 120 x 10, 140 x 10, 160 x 10, 180 x 10
This workout went well enough for my bicep being as it is. I was very frustrated trying to do neutral grip work because my bicep felt strained. I had to do strict overhead work with bands because my bicep could not take the strain from going explosively. Bench with bands felt good and was explosive. I am realizing that this injury is only aggravated in certain planes of motion so I have to learn how to work around it. I did tricep press downs so I wouldn't hurt myself and they went alright but they are hell on your elbow so I have to avoid doing too many. I am just getting really depressed in the weight room because everything was coming together so well and now one shitty little strand of muscle is holding everything back. I am going to start rehabing this thing tommorow. I will go light and try to get it loose and warm.
Monday, May 21, 2007
ME Squat
Warm Up:
Good Mornings with bar, Ballistic toe touches, Front and Side hip stretches, Elbow to Ankle lunges, Zercher squat leans, Squat Cleans, Lunges
Back Squat:
10 x 45, 5 x 135, 5 x 185, 5 x 225, 3 x 275, 3 x 315, 1 x 365, 1 x 405
Box Squat:
3 sets 3 x 315
Standing Good Mornings:
4 sets 10 x 135
45 Degree Calf Raise:
5 sets 10 x 360
Side Bend Press Downs:
15 x 200, 15 x 220, 15 x 250
45 Degree Back Raise:
3 sets 10 x Bodyweight, 1 set 20 x Bodyweight
Knee Raises:
3 sets 10 x Bodyweight
This was a so-so workout. I had to be careful to not strain my right bicep so I was very cautious throughout. I picked up a 3" wide ACE Bandage at Walgreens before my workout and wrapped my right Bicep before I went in. I felt like my warmups got me good and loose and my squats felt pretty good for the most part. I had anticipated doing a 4 x 4 workout with 405 in the back squat but I was feeling very dizzy throughout the lift. I decided to play it smart and switch to box squats with less weight. I guess I must have been very dehydrated because I weighed in 5 pounds under and I am very thirsty still. It was pretty damn hot in the gym today and that didn't help.
During box squats I felt a slight twinge in my back so I decided to stop at 3 sets instead of 5. I did some lying back traction and that decompressed the spine so I was good to go on good mornings. I have decided that I will do these Standing on ME days or do cable pull throughs, and on DE days I will do seated Good Mornings or band pull throughs. This will give me 4 assistance exercises to rotate over each 2 week cycle so that will be a good change in stimuli while still hitting supplemental low back and hamstring work. I plan on doing 45 degree raise every low body workout but using bands on DE days and either bodyweight or plates on ME days. I think these are great for my low back and are helping to build my weak and undersized glutes.
I decided I should throw in some calf work on low body days because I think tire flip, yoke carry, and farmers walk will all recquire a great deal of calf strength and explosiveness. Although I feel like my calfs get a good deal out of cleans, OHP, and squats, they are never particularly sore so I have decided to work them more. Ab work went extremely well today and my core felt very strong. I think I will be getting a good deal of GPP tonight because I am going to carry a 95 pound mini fridge up 3 1/2 flights of stairs to my girlfriend's room.
Hopefully with the wrap and some blue heat and advil my bicep will be good enough for some DE Press tommorow and some rehab work the next day.
Good Mornings with bar, Ballistic toe touches, Front and Side hip stretches, Elbow to Ankle lunges, Zercher squat leans, Squat Cleans, Lunges
Back Squat:
10 x 45, 5 x 135, 5 x 185, 5 x 225, 3 x 275, 3 x 315, 1 x 365, 1 x 405
Box Squat:
3 sets 3 x 315
Standing Good Mornings:
4 sets 10 x 135
45 Degree Calf Raise:
5 sets 10 x 360
Side Bend Press Downs:
15 x 200, 15 x 220, 15 x 250
45 Degree Back Raise:
3 sets 10 x Bodyweight, 1 set 20 x Bodyweight
Knee Raises:
3 sets 10 x Bodyweight
This was a so-so workout. I had to be careful to not strain my right bicep so I was very cautious throughout. I picked up a 3" wide ACE Bandage at Walgreens before my workout and wrapped my right Bicep before I went in. I felt like my warmups got me good and loose and my squats felt pretty good for the most part. I had anticipated doing a 4 x 4 workout with 405 in the back squat but I was feeling very dizzy throughout the lift. I decided to play it smart and switch to box squats with less weight. I guess I must have been very dehydrated because I weighed in 5 pounds under and I am very thirsty still. It was pretty damn hot in the gym today and that didn't help.
During box squats I felt a slight twinge in my back so I decided to stop at 3 sets instead of 5. I did some lying back traction and that decompressed the spine so I was good to go on good mornings. I have decided that I will do these Standing on ME days or do cable pull throughs, and on DE days I will do seated Good Mornings or band pull throughs. This will give me 4 assistance exercises to rotate over each 2 week cycle so that will be a good change in stimuli while still hitting supplemental low back and hamstring work. I plan on doing 45 degree raise every low body workout but using bands on DE days and either bodyweight or plates on ME days. I think these are great for my low back and are helping to build my weak and undersized glutes.
I decided I should throw in some calf work on low body days because I think tire flip, yoke carry, and farmers walk will all recquire a great deal of calf strength and explosiveness. Although I feel like my calfs get a good deal out of cleans, OHP, and squats, they are never particularly sore so I have decided to work them more. Ab work went extremely well today and my core felt very strong. I think I will be getting a good deal of GPP tonight because I am going to carry a 95 pound mini fridge up 3 1/2 flights of stairs to my girlfriend's room.
Hopefully with the wrap and some blue heat and advil my bicep will be good enough for some DE Press tommorow and some rehab work the next day.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Out of Commission but Under Construction
So I am out of commission for the time being due to what I believe is a slight bicep tear. I am not sure but there is not major swelling or bruising and its not excrutiating so I think it won't be a long recovery. At any rate I can't do much lifting for the next few days so I've set about building some Farmers Walk Handles for strongman training. The good news is I got all the supplies for the handles today and I think when they're all done the total material cost will be under $45 for the pair which isn't bad at all considering a comparable set from elite would cost over $200. I am fashioning them out of 6 x 6 landscaping timbers and 1" steel pipe so they should be very sturdy and last a long time. It will be nice to have them with a little thicker grip and handle than we'll likely use in the contest because then it will feel that much easier. So far they have been pretty easy to make. The only real head ache was getting the right drill bits. Now that is taken care of and I am well on my way to having my own high quality set of farmers walk handles. The only down side to this is I won't be able to go heavy with them for a while as I am waiting for my bicep to heal.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
ME Press
Warm up:
Plate Swims with 5s
Overhead Press:
10 x 45, 5 x 135, 3 x 185, 2 x 225, 1 x 245, 2 x 275, 2 x 275, 2 x 260
Bench:
10 x 45, 5 x 135, 3 x 225, 1 x 315, 3 x 330, 3 x 315, 5 x 300, 10 x 275
Strict Standing Neutral Press (Static Log with Dumbbells):
10 x 50, 10 x 55, 8 x 60, 6 x 65
Aichs Press:
3 Sets 8 X Bar + Light Band
Shoulder Raises:
2 sets 10 x 20 (front and side)
Rotator Cuff Rotation and Press:
2 Sets 5 X 5
Overhead Plate Press:
5 X 90, Attempted 135 but stopped when something popped in my right bicep.
Well this workout started and ended horribly. I was feeling really good going in today, but I quickly ran into trouble with the overhead press. I was really fired up, but I lacked explosiveness on almost all of the reps. I don't know if I was overhyped and not making the press on account of technical errors or what, but it went shitty for the most part. I managed 2 sets of 2 x 275 but it should have been a lot easier than it was. I think maybe catching the press in an olympic style split stance may be something I'm just not used to and is causing me problems with firing my CNS efficiently. Hopefully this does not become a lasting trend.
I dropped down to 260 after the sets with 275 hoping to get in a few 4 rep sets but the first 2 reps went like shit so I racked it and said "Fuck it off to bench." Bench was perhaps the lone high point of my workout. I had originally planned on doing 3 x 325, 3 x 315, and 3 x 310 as the bulk of my bench work, but after my less than stunning performance in the overhead I decided to go a little heavier. I took very few warmup reps becuase I was feeling good and loose. My arch is getting a lot better on acount of doing some arch work with my foam roller and some PVC pipe for thoracic lumbar mobility. I easily smoked all the reps on Bench. I felt very fast and strong here and a lot of people in the gym, even Shinya, were asking me how I do so much and questions on technique.
Neutral Press went well too I suppose. I kept the weight a little out in front of me so it would feel more like the log. I think I now have a really good idea of just how much Lat and Ab involvement there is in the log press. I kept these all very strict so I could get a little more shoulder work and use this as my supplemental tricep work. I decided to try the Aichs Press or at least the way that I understand it. I put my light band under the top of the bench and grabbed it with my thumbs. Then I unracked the bar and tried to press it down as much as I could. I did this for 3 sets of 8 reps and it felt pretty good. I hope this will help teach me how to press in a lower groove because I've had problems with the bar coming too much back over my face at the top off the press.
I did my shoulder prehab work with no problems. I should have gone and done abs and called it a day. But I decided to do some overhead plate press because its a strongman type event. I do my set with 90 no problem. I get set to do 135 and squeeze too hard with my biceps because I popped something in my right bicep. I hope its nothing to serious. I immediately stopped for the day and went down to IPC to get an ice wrap. I kept that on for 25 minutes and took a hot shower, some ibuprofen, and rubbed some blue heat on it. I guess my girlfriend will have to rub it down for me later. I imagine she'll enjoy it anyway. Hopefully I can still squat tommorow, but I think deadlift may be out of the question. I'll skip my next pull workout and hopefully it will be good to press in 4-5 days. I guess I'll have to go light and be smart. You just have to make sure that You don't turn a small injury into a bigger one.
Plate Swims with 5s
Overhead Press:
10 x 45, 5 x 135, 3 x 185, 2 x 225, 1 x 245, 2 x 275, 2 x 275, 2 x 260
Bench:
10 x 45, 5 x 135, 3 x 225, 1 x 315, 3 x 330, 3 x 315, 5 x 300, 10 x 275
Strict Standing Neutral Press (Static Log with Dumbbells):
10 x 50, 10 x 55, 8 x 60, 6 x 65
Aichs Press:
3 Sets 8 X Bar + Light Band
Shoulder Raises:
2 sets 10 x 20 (front and side)
Rotator Cuff Rotation and Press:
2 Sets 5 X 5
Overhead Plate Press:
5 X 90, Attempted 135 but stopped when something popped in my right bicep.
Well this workout started and ended horribly. I was feeling really good going in today, but I quickly ran into trouble with the overhead press. I was really fired up, but I lacked explosiveness on almost all of the reps. I don't know if I was overhyped and not making the press on account of technical errors or what, but it went shitty for the most part. I managed 2 sets of 2 x 275 but it should have been a lot easier than it was. I think maybe catching the press in an olympic style split stance may be something I'm just not used to and is causing me problems with firing my CNS efficiently. Hopefully this does not become a lasting trend.
I dropped down to 260 after the sets with 275 hoping to get in a few 4 rep sets but the first 2 reps went like shit so I racked it and said "Fuck it off to bench." Bench was perhaps the lone high point of my workout. I had originally planned on doing 3 x 325, 3 x 315, and 3 x 310 as the bulk of my bench work, but after my less than stunning performance in the overhead I decided to go a little heavier. I took very few warmup reps becuase I was feeling good and loose. My arch is getting a lot better on acount of doing some arch work with my foam roller and some PVC pipe for thoracic lumbar mobility. I easily smoked all the reps on Bench. I felt very fast and strong here and a lot of people in the gym, even Shinya, were asking me how I do so much and questions on technique.
Neutral Press went well too I suppose. I kept the weight a little out in front of me so it would feel more like the log. I think I now have a really good idea of just how much Lat and Ab involvement there is in the log press. I kept these all very strict so I could get a little more shoulder work and use this as my supplemental tricep work. I decided to try the Aichs Press or at least the way that I understand it. I put my light band under the top of the bench and grabbed it with my thumbs. Then I unracked the bar and tried to press it down as much as I could. I did this for 3 sets of 8 reps and it felt pretty good. I hope this will help teach me how to press in a lower groove because I've had problems with the bar coming too much back over my face at the top off the press.
I did my shoulder prehab work with no problems. I should have gone and done abs and called it a day. But I decided to do some overhead plate press because its a strongman type event. I do my set with 90 no problem. I get set to do 135 and squeeze too hard with my biceps because I popped something in my right bicep. I hope its nothing to serious. I immediately stopped for the day and went down to IPC to get an ice wrap. I kept that on for 25 minutes and took a hot shower, some ibuprofen, and rubbed some blue heat on it. I guess my girlfriend will have to rub it down for me later. I imagine she'll enjoy it anyway. Hopefully I can still squat tommorow, but I think deadlift may be out of the question. I'll skip my next pull workout and hopefully it will be good to press in 4-5 days. I guess I'll have to go light and be smart. You just have to make sure that You don't turn a small injury into a bigger one.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
ME Back and Biceps
ME Pull
Dumbbell Cleans:
2 x 80, 2 x 85, 2 x 85, 2 x 90, 2 x 90, 2 x 95, 2 x 100, 2 x 105
Lat Pulldowns:
5 x 210, 5 x 220, 5 x 230, 5 x 240, 5 x 250
Dumbell Rows:
6 x 80, 6 x 85, 6 x 90, 6 x 95
Jump Shrugs:
10 x 315, 10 x 405
Olympic Curls:
5 x 135, 5 x 155
Standing Barbell Curls:
5 x 70, 5 x 90, 5 x 110, 5 x 100, 5 x 90, 5 x 80, 5 x 70
Hammer Curls:
10 x 40, 10 x 40, 5 x 50, 5 x 55, 5 x 60
Kneeling Pulldown Abs:
3 sets 15 x 210
Wrist Curls with EZ Curl Bar:
3 sets 12 x 60
Farmers Walk:
125 pound dumbbells. One trip down the length of the gym and back. The second trip four times the length of the weight room.
This workout went alright. My back and legs are a little tired from all the work yesterday so I didn't feel very explosive for the dumbbell cleans. They went well until the last set which was very sloppy. I don't know if this is due to fatigue, lack of explosion, or lack of lat and bicep strength. In any case I got it up so it'll have to do for now.
I decided to do low rep sets for Lats but to go really heavy. I have to get these bigger and stronger if I want to make big gains in the press. I have decided that my goal for the summer as it pertains to my Lats is to be able to do 3 sets of 8 pullups by the time classes start again. This may not seem like much but it would be huge for me and once I can do regular pullups I will be able to hit my Lats even harder.
I wanted to do jump shrugs because I feel like they hit my traps really well. I got through the first set just fine, but unracking the 405 proved a little rough on my back. I did the set anyway but I decided to play it smart and walk away after that. I felt like dumbell cleans, olympic curls, and farmers walk would give me enough extra trap work so I'd be fine.
I performed Olympic curls today which I know is totally gay and brotacular, but I feel like I can legitimately justify these in the context of strongman. These are an underhand clean essentially which is caught in a split stance, but from a physiological standpoint the movement is very similar to flipping a tire because you are trying to explode up while geting your knee out under it. In fact a lot of my training I am modifying to improve SPP for strongman. I am doing dumbell cleans and hammer curls so I am ready for the log. And I have been doing straight bar curls for the tire flip. And of course I got in some Farmers Walk.
The farmers walk went alright. My hands were all sanded and softened up for the lady friend so it basically blistered and ripped the shit out of them. I think I am really boned though when it comes to strongman with 260 in each hand. 125 practically gave me a heart attack going about 500 feet on the last carry. Plus my grip was really shitty, but I think a lot of that has to do with all the grip shit I did earlier.
Dumbbell Cleans:
2 x 80, 2 x 85, 2 x 85, 2 x 90, 2 x 90, 2 x 95, 2 x 100, 2 x 105
Lat Pulldowns:
5 x 210, 5 x 220, 5 x 230, 5 x 240, 5 x 250
Dumbell Rows:
6 x 80, 6 x 85, 6 x 90, 6 x 95
Jump Shrugs:
10 x 315, 10 x 405
Olympic Curls:
5 x 135, 5 x 155
Standing Barbell Curls:
5 x 70, 5 x 90, 5 x 110, 5 x 100, 5 x 90, 5 x 80, 5 x 70
Hammer Curls:
10 x 40, 10 x 40, 5 x 50, 5 x 55, 5 x 60
Kneeling Pulldown Abs:
3 sets 15 x 210
Wrist Curls with EZ Curl Bar:
3 sets 12 x 60
Farmers Walk:
125 pound dumbbells. One trip down the length of the gym and back. The second trip four times the length of the weight room.
This workout went alright. My back and legs are a little tired from all the work yesterday so I didn't feel very explosive for the dumbbell cleans. They went well until the last set which was very sloppy. I don't know if this is due to fatigue, lack of explosion, or lack of lat and bicep strength. In any case I got it up so it'll have to do for now.
I decided to do low rep sets for Lats but to go really heavy. I have to get these bigger and stronger if I want to make big gains in the press. I have decided that my goal for the summer as it pertains to my Lats is to be able to do 3 sets of 8 pullups by the time classes start again. This may not seem like much but it would be huge for me and once I can do regular pullups I will be able to hit my Lats even harder.
I wanted to do jump shrugs because I feel like they hit my traps really well. I got through the first set just fine, but unracking the 405 proved a little rough on my back. I did the set anyway but I decided to play it smart and walk away after that. I felt like dumbell cleans, olympic curls, and farmers walk would give me enough extra trap work so I'd be fine.
I performed Olympic curls today which I know is totally gay and brotacular, but I feel like I can legitimately justify these in the context of strongman. These are an underhand clean essentially which is caught in a split stance, but from a physiological standpoint the movement is very similar to flipping a tire because you are trying to explode up while geting your knee out under it. In fact a lot of my training I am modifying to improve SPP for strongman. I am doing dumbell cleans and hammer curls so I am ready for the log. And I have been doing straight bar curls for the tire flip. And of course I got in some Farmers Walk.
The farmers walk went alright. My hands were all sanded and softened up for the lady friend so it basically blistered and ripped the shit out of them. I think I am really boned though when it comes to strongman with 260 in each hand. 125 practically gave me a heart attack going about 500 feet on the last carry. Plus my grip was really shitty, but I think a lot of that has to do with all the grip shit I did earlier.
Something doesn't seem right
Something has been bothering me all day. I worked out at campus rec this afternoon and while I was there I had noticed some changes. No they did not have new equipment or get rid of all that cardio shit in the weight room. Nonetheless something was really different. Aside from the fresh coat of paint, which looked like it had been put on by some epileptic kids under the supervision of Hellen Keller and Muhamed Ali, something was very different. There were 7 new phillips 42" HD Plasma TVs in the weightroom. Now these were donated by MTVu so they technically did not cost Campus Rec anything, but they would have cost over $11,000. I realize that is not a ton of money for a company like MTV, but for that much money we could have had 2 ELiteFTS collegiate squat racks, a glute ham raise, a Westside barbell pro roller reverse hyper, a Hammerstrength Jammer, a Fat Bar, a band pack, and a set of chains. So while the bros may be thrilled to come back to the rec in august and bench and curl while watching bullshit shows like Grey's Anatomy in HD, I'll look at those beautiful TVs in disgust thinking about what could have been.
Monday, May 14, 2007
DE Squat May 14
DE Squat
Warmed up with ballistic and dynamic movements. Did some toe touches with alternating hand rapidly, Lunges bringing elbow to knee (or at least trying to), snatch squats, zercher squat leans, squat cleans, lunges, and lying hip and back stretches.
Box Squat with Bands (Mini + Monster Mini):
2 sets 5 x 135, 2 sets 3 x 185, 2 sets 2 x 245 (according to the info on elite this probably added 70 pounds at the bottom and 130 pounds at the top.)
Barbell Back Squat:
5 x 135, 3 x 185, 20 x 225, 20 x 185, 20 x 135
Seated Good Mornings:
3 sets 10 x 135
45 Degree Back Raise:
5 sets 10 x bodyweight
Seated Calf:
3 sets 10 x 90
45 Degree Calf:
2 Sets 10 x 270 (explosively)
Standing Ab Hold With Band:
10 X Average, 8 x Average, 6 x Average (All held for 5 count)
Side Bend Press Downs:
15 x 190, 15 x 200, 15 x 210
Attempted Farmers Walk with Straight Curl Bar 180 pounds per side. Gave up after losing balance on each side. Will try again tommorow.
This was a good workout. I felt good through all of it. I didn't hurt my back or wrist today. In fact I didn't even wear wrist wraps for my squats. I did some band box squats because my speed out of the hole has been poor in my squats. This was not done as heavy as the last time I did them. These felt good and I was able to sit back really far on the box. I came up fast with all of these and I was not rocking off the box at the bottom which has been a problem in the past. I decided to do some 20 rep sets on squat because I want to get my CNS firing more effectively on squat and you can only coordinate these motor patterns with a lot of good reps. I have not been squatting a lot lately and I need to get back in to it. I decided not to do my speed dealifts today because I don't want to fuck up my back and I got a lot of volume with the legs already. Instead I did 45 degree raise and seated good mornings which worked my back a lot as well as my hips, glutes, and hamstrings. My back felt pretty solid throughout this workout. I even took my belt off for my last set of 20 on squat. I need to do this more in the future because I think the belt is keeping my back and abs weak. I went really deep on the 20 rep sets because I want to get more hip and hamstring flexibility and Shinya was squatting next to me going ass to the grass with 425 so I'd have felt like a pussy if I didn't. I saw "Back's not important" and his buddy working rows and I laughed. I hope this squat volume will help me improve my flexibility, coordination, conditioning, and make my legs grow. I will try to do 20 rep sets every other week on dynamic day, and I might start doing a "by the numbers" workout on ME days after the strongman contest. I hope this extra leg work will help bring up my GH and Testosterone levels. For my next ME squat workout I plan on doing the "Offroad Workout" (4 x 4 with 405) so we'll see how that goes. Gotta Eat More!
Warmed up with ballistic and dynamic movements. Did some toe touches with alternating hand rapidly, Lunges bringing elbow to knee (or at least trying to), snatch squats, zercher squat leans, squat cleans, lunges, and lying hip and back stretches.
Box Squat with Bands (Mini + Monster Mini):
2 sets 5 x 135, 2 sets 3 x 185, 2 sets 2 x 245 (according to the info on elite this probably added 70 pounds at the bottom and 130 pounds at the top.)
Barbell Back Squat:
5 x 135, 3 x 185, 20 x 225, 20 x 185, 20 x 135
Seated Good Mornings:
3 sets 10 x 135
45 Degree Back Raise:
5 sets 10 x bodyweight
Seated Calf:
3 sets 10 x 90
45 Degree Calf:
2 Sets 10 x 270 (explosively)
Standing Ab Hold With Band:
10 X Average, 8 x Average, 6 x Average (All held for 5 count)
Side Bend Press Downs:
15 x 190, 15 x 200, 15 x 210
Attempted Farmers Walk with Straight Curl Bar 180 pounds per side. Gave up after losing balance on each side. Will try again tommorow.
This was a good workout. I felt good through all of it. I didn't hurt my back or wrist today. In fact I didn't even wear wrist wraps for my squats. I did some band box squats because my speed out of the hole has been poor in my squats. This was not done as heavy as the last time I did them. These felt good and I was able to sit back really far on the box. I came up fast with all of these and I was not rocking off the box at the bottom which has been a problem in the past. I decided to do some 20 rep sets on squat because I want to get my CNS firing more effectively on squat and you can only coordinate these motor patterns with a lot of good reps. I have not been squatting a lot lately and I need to get back in to it. I decided not to do my speed dealifts today because I don't want to fuck up my back and I got a lot of volume with the legs already. Instead I did 45 degree raise and seated good mornings which worked my back a lot as well as my hips, glutes, and hamstrings. My back felt pretty solid throughout this workout. I even took my belt off for my last set of 20 on squat. I need to do this more in the future because I think the belt is keeping my back and abs weak. I went really deep on the 20 rep sets because I want to get more hip and hamstring flexibility and Shinya was squatting next to me going ass to the grass with 425 so I'd have felt like a pussy if I didn't. I saw "Back's not important" and his buddy working rows and I laughed. I hope this squat volume will help me improve my flexibility, coordination, conditioning, and make my legs grow. I will try to do 20 rep sets every other week on dynamic day, and I might start doing a "by the numbers" workout on ME days after the strongman contest. I hope this extra leg work will help bring up my GH and Testosterone levels. For my next ME squat workout I plan on doing the "Offroad Workout" (4 x 4 with 405) so we'll see how that goes. Gotta Eat More!
Thoughts on training
Here are some observations that I have made over the last two weeks as pertain to my training:
1. My bench max has gone up 80 pounds in the last year and I really haven't trained bench that much. Now technically I did register a 395 bench in a Titan Fury shirt at a USAPL meet in April 2004, but this press was largely (I can not understate this) due to the shirt. When I got back in to benching last spring on a regular schedule I barely managed a 275 bench. I do not know how much of this was due to lack of CNS coordination, but I can assume that since my max only went up 40 pounds over the course of last summer with conjugate training it must have been due to weakness. However weakness is deceptive, because more benching could not fix this problem. Last week I blasted up a 355 bench easily and I have maybe done bench every 10 days or so for the last 4 months. So where was I weak?
My triceps? Definitely I have been hitting triceps hard with close grip presses, rack lockouts, reverse band work, band work, board presses, tricep extensions, skull crushers, band press downs, basically anything that would work my tris except faggoty kick backs.
My Delts? Yes indeed, these were pathetic, but thanks to my training with Chuck I got into overhead pressing and have made great progress here.
My Back? This was and still is the biggest thing holding me back in the presses. I have made progress, but there is so much work to be done. I realize now that you can't just do a few sets of pulldowns half-assed after pressing and call it good. The lats, traps, and rhomboids are huge muscles and require as much if not more attention as their opposition groups. These muscles must be large and strong in order to get max usage of the triceps. I busted my self in the head doing one arm dumbell press because my lats are weak. You have to hit these frequently and with intensity. I have to get my lats strong because right now I can barely hoist my fatass up for three pullups which is just pathetic.
My Grip? This is still an area that I am working hard on. If you can not hold the bar tight and in line with your arms you will miss the press or lose potential pounds on it. I have been working with COC grippers, an imtug gripper, and am working with wrist curls and hammer curls to improve my grip.
My Speed? This is perhaps the most important aspect of any lift. You have to be fast enough to lift any weight. There is a fine threshold where you simply do not generate enough speed to overcome the gravitational pull on the weight. In order to lift a weight on the border of this speed threshold you would have to be generating your maximal strength output. Speed will blast you through a sticking point. You must be able to control and utilize momentum to lift heavy weights. Lifting explosively with overhead press and olympic lifts, following the dynamic effort method for two workouts a week, and training against accomodating resistance forms is the only way to get faster. If you lift slow you will be slow and it will be hard to make gains. I think my bench has gone up because I have gotten faster from band work and overhead press and because I have learned how to train dynamically to increase my speed.
2. My low back is dog shit:
My low back sucks! Not only do I have two discs that occasionally like to bulge, it is as weak as an underweight crippled kitten. My low back is always tight, sore, and feeling on the verge of going out. So what should I do? Basically I need to quit sucking my father's cock whining about it and make some progress here. Solution:
Foam Roller: This should be a simple fix. I bought a foam roller fom Elite and have been using it regularly. It has helped to break up scar tissue and loosen me up. Also by foam rolling my calfs and hamstrings I have been able to take out some tightness and strain there that was pulling on my back.
Traction: I have to decompress my spine to avoid any stress on the discs, This has to be done by hanging, band traction, and supine extension.
Massage: My wonderful girlfriend just got me a massage pad which has been great so far, but occasionally I think I may have to dig in my back with a carabiner or some brass knuckles to break up scar tissue.
Work the shit out of it: Plain and simple the damn thing just needs work. I have to start doing more 45 degree raise, pullthroughs, and seated good mornings. My back isn't going to get stronger with hopes and dreams alone. I have to get it strong and quickly.
3. My squat just isn't what it used to be:
My squat is not very strong right now. I haven't lost a ton, but it is frustrating that I have not made much progress. This is the biggest and most important lift. I have had trouble because of poor hip mobility and hamstring tightness, but I am working very hard on these areas. I am trying to get more explosive with my squats but I do have to be careful because of the discs in my back. Box squat has been good, but I have to do some regualr back squats. I have been using dynamic and balistic hamstring and hip stretches before my squats because they get me loose and don't drain my strength like static stretches. These are better for post workout and isolated mobility work. The good news: squat always goes up with consistent work. Last year my 3 x 5 squat workout went up 90 pounds in six weeks. I am going to hit these hard, get loose, and get faster.
4. Deadlift is inconsistent:
This has been strange for me this year. All last summer I was basically unable to deadlift because of my shitty back. I get into training in September and my back feels better I do 2 or 3 deadlift workouts and I pull 485, no problem. I do a few more workouts working reps over the next few weeks. One week I decide to pul heavy again so I jump from 455 to 505 and blow out my back really bad. My disc must have been bulging because I had awful nerve pain in my back and leg for the next 4 days. I take 10 days off legs and 4 weeks off deadlifting. I start again light and work on it for a few more weeks. By early december I pull 16 reps of 365 for a set and I'm feeling strong. I work deadlift for speed mostly over winter break never going over 425. My back feels good when we get back to school in mid-January thanks to training smart and getting in some revers hypers when I was in Bellevue. We don't work deadlift for a long time and my back gets really weak. By mid semester we start pulling again. Initially this is okay because we don't go heavy too much. Actually the sunday after spring break I pulled 485 again, but the rest of the workouts are not too heavy. I get through maybe two weeks pulling conventional and something happens. I am suddenly unable to pull conventional anymore. My hamstrings had gotten tight for no apparent reason. So I have to pull sumo which makes me feel like a fat pile of crap. This is good for strengthening the hips so I am willing to go with it, but I am almost 100 pounds weaker than I am with conventional so I have to get my hammys loose so I can pull regualr again.
These are just some observations that I have made about my training over the past year. I am pleased with my progress and the knowledge that I have gained about training in this time. I am very happy with my workout partners because they inspire me and push me to work harder. I need to make progress and do it quickly. I believe that I have the potential to do great things in powerlifting and strongman, but the window of oppurtunity closes quickly in these sports. Already guys my age like Kevin Nee and Arild Haugen are making a huge impact at the highest level. I have to be dedicate, disciplined, and focused if I ever want to accomplish some of the feats these men already have. I may never be Worlds Strongest Man, but I will never stop believing that I CAN be and I will work harder every day to get closer to having the chance. Train Hard, Train Smart, Lift Big, Eat Big, Rest Up, Live It and Love It.
1. My bench max has gone up 80 pounds in the last year and I really haven't trained bench that much. Now technically I did register a 395 bench in a Titan Fury shirt at a USAPL meet in April 2004, but this press was largely (I can not understate this) due to the shirt. When I got back in to benching last spring on a regular schedule I barely managed a 275 bench. I do not know how much of this was due to lack of CNS coordination, but I can assume that since my max only went up 40 pounds over the course of last summer with conjugate training it must have been due to weakness. However weakness is deceptive, because more benching could not fix this problem. Last week I blasted up a 355 bench easily and I have maybe done bench every 10 days or so for the last 4 months. So where was I weak?
My triceps? Definitely I have been hitting triceps hard with close grip presses, rack lockouts, reverse band work, band work, board presses, tricep extensions, skull crushers, band press downs, basically anything that would work my tris except faggoty kick backs.
My Delts? Yes indeed, these were pathetic, but thanks to my training with Chuck I got into overhead pressing and have made great progress here.
My Back? This was and still is the biggest thing holding me back in the presses. I have made progress, but there is so much work to be done. I realize now that you can't just do a few sets of pulldowns half-assed after pressing and call it good. The lats, traps, and rhomboids are huge muscles and require as much if not more attention as their opposition groups. These muscles must be large and strong in order to get max usage of the triceps. I busted my self in the head doing one arm dumbell press because my lats are weak. You have to hit these frequently and with intensity. I have to get my lats strong because right now I can barely hoist my fatass up for three pullups which is just pathetic.
My Grip? This is still an area that I am working hard on. If you can not hold the bar tight and in line with your arms you will miss the press or lose potential pounds on it. I have been working with COC grippers, an imtug gripper, and am working with wrist curls and hammer curls to improve my grip.
My Speed? This is perhaps the most important aspect of any lift. You have to be fast enough to lift any weight. There is a fine threshold where you simply do not generate enough speed to overcome the gravitational pull on the weight. In order to lift a weight on the border of this speed threshold you would have to be generating your maximal strength output. Speed will blast you through a sticking point. You must be able to control and utilize momentum to lift heavy weights. Lifting explosively with overhead press and olympic lifts, following the dynamic effort method for two workouts a week, and training against accomodating resistance forms is the only way to get faster. If you lift slow you will be slow and it will be hard to make gains. I think my bench has gone up because I have gotten faster from band work and overhead press and because I have learned how to train dynamically to increase my speed.
2. My low back is dog shit:
My low back sucks! Not only do I have two discs that occasionally like to bulge, it is as weak as an underweight crippled kitten. My low back is always tight, sore, and feeling on the verge of going out. So what should I do? Basically I need to quit sucking my father's cock whining about it and make some progress here. Solution:
Foam Roller: This should be a simple fix. I bought a foam roller fom Elite and have been using it regularly. It has helped to break up scar tissue and loosen me up. Also by foam rolling my calfs and hamstrings I have been able to take out some tightness and strain there that was pulling on my back.
Traction: I have to decompress my spine to avoid any stress on the discs, This has to be done by hanging, band traction, and supine extension.
Massage: My wonderful girlfriend just got me a massage pad which has been great so far, but occasionally I think I may have to dig in my back with a carabiner or some brass knuckles to break up scar tissue.
Work the shit out of it: Plain and simple the damn thing just needs work. I have to start doing more 45 degree raise, pullthroughs, and seated good mornings. My back isn't going to get stronger with hopes and dreams alone. I have to get it strong and quickly.
3. My squat just isn't what it used to be:
My squat is not very strong right now. I haven't lost a ton, but it is frustrating that I have not made much progress. This is the biggest and most important lift. I have had trouble because of poor hip mobility and hamstring tightness, but I am working very hard on these areas. I am trying to get more explosive with my squats but I do have to be careful because of the discs in my back. Box squat has been good, but I have to do some regualr back squats. I have been using dynamic and balistic hamstring and hip stretches before my squats because they get me loose and don't drain my strength like static stretches. These are better for post workout and isolated mobility work. The good news: squat always goes up with consistent work. Last year my 3 x 5 squat workout went up 90 pounds in six weeks. I am going to hit these hard, get loose, and get faster.
4. Deadlift is inconsistent:
This has been strange for me this year. All last summer I was basically unable to deadlift because of my shitty back. I get into training in September and my back feels better I do 2 or 3 deadlift workouts and I pull 485, no problem. I do a few more workouts working reps over the next few weeks. One week I decide to pul heavy again so I jump from 455 to 505 and blow out my back really bad. My disc must have been bulging because I had awful nerve pain in my back and leg for the next 4 days. I take 10 days off legs and 4 weeks off deadlifting. I start again light and work on it for a few more weeks. By early december I pull 16 reps of 365 for a set and I'm feeling strong. I work deadlift for speed mostly over winter break never going over 425. My back feels good when we get back to school in mid-January thanks to training smart and getting in some revers hypers when I was in Bellevue. We don't work deadlift for a long time and my back gets really weak. By mid semester we start pulling again. Initially this is okay because we don't go heavy too much. Actually the sunday after spring break I pulled 485 again, but the rest of the workouts are not too heavy. I get through maybe two weeks pulling conventional and something happens. I am suddenly unable to pull conventional anymore. My hamstrings had gotten tight for no apparent reason. So I have to pull sumo which makes me feel like a fat pile of crap. This is good for strengthening the hips so I am willing to go with it, but I am almost 100 pounds weaker than I am with conventional so I have to get my hammys loose so I can pull regualr again.
These are just some observations that I have made about my training over the past year. I am pleased with my progress and the knowledge that I have gained about training in this time. I am very happy with my workout partners because they inspire me and push me to work harder. I need to make progress and do it quickly. I believe that I have the potential to do great things in powerlifting and strongman, but the window of oppurtunity closes quickly in these sports. Already guys my age like Kevin Nee and Arild Haugen are making a huge impact at the highest level. I have to be dedicate, disciplined, and focused if I ever want to accomplish some of the feats these men already have. I may never be Worlds Strongest Man, but I will never stop believing that I CAN be and I will work harder every day to get closer to having the chance. Train Hard, Train Smart, Lift Big, Eat Big, Rest Up, Live It and Love It.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Summer Lifting
DE Press
Incline Bench:
6 sets 2 x 215
Overhead Press:
6 sets 2 X 195
Standing Neutral Press (log with dumbbells):
3 x 65, 3 x 70, 3 x 75, 3 x 80, 6 x 85
Close Grip Bench:
3 sets 12 x 185
Shoulder Raise:
2 sets 10 x 20 (front and side)
Lat Pulldown:
10 x 140, 10 x 160, 5 x 180
Hammer curl:
10 x 30, 12 x 30, 16 x 30
This was a really good workout. It felt like a true dynamic effort workout. I felt very fast in my incline and overhead sets. Neutral grip press went well and was a nice supplemental exercise because it did not hurt my wrist or shoulder. It was a little different working doubles, but it forced me to be technically sound on all the reps. I decided to throw in a litle lat and bicep work at the end because those areas are lagging, but I plan on doing a full back and bicep workout on Tuesday. As a side note my legs are still a little sore from last Wednesday's workout so it is apparent to me that I have not been hitting squats and deadlifts hard enough. Monday will be dynamic legs and it will be nice to have all my gear back that has been stuck in my locker this week.
Incline Bench:
6 sets 2 x 215
Overhead Press:
6 sets 2 X 195
Standing Neutral Press (log with dumbbells):
3 x 65, 3 x 70, 3 x 75, 3 x 80, 6 x 85
Close Grip Bench:
3 sets 12 x 185
Shoulder Raise:
2 sets 10 x 20 (front and side)
Lat Pulldown:
10 x 140, 10 x 160, 5 x 180
Hammer curl:
10 x 30, 12 x 30, 16 x 30
This was a really good workout. It felt like a true dynamic effort workout. I felt very fast in my incline and overhead sets. Neutral grip press went well and was a nice supplemental exercise because it did not hurt my wrist or shoulder. It was a little different working doubles, but it forced me to be technically sound on all the reps. I decided to throw in a litle lat and bicep work at the end because those areas are lagging, but I plan on doing a full back and bicep workout on Tuesday. As a side note my legs are still a little sore from last Wednesday's workout so it is apparent to me that I have not been hitting squats and deadlifts hard enough. Monday will be dynamic legs and it will be nice to have all my gear back that has been stuck in my locker this week.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Summer Lifting
Conjugate Pull
Dumbell Clean:
3 x 85, 3 x 105
Standing Rope Pulldowns:
10 x 120, 10 x 120
Lat Pulldown:
4 sets 10 X 12(whatever weight that ends up being, it felt like a lot more than 120)
Bent over Row:
5 x 135, 5 x 155, 5 x 175
Barbell Shrug:
3 sets 10 x 225
Seated cable row:
4 sets 8 x 12(whatever weight that is)
One arm dumbbell rows:
4 sets 15 x 55
Standing EZ Curl:
2 sets 10 x 110
Plate Curl (2 5's pinched together):
3 sets of 10 (flexion and extension)
Hammer Curl:
3 sets 10 x 35
This was overall a good workout. I wanted to do dumbell cleans in the neutral grip for a few more sets, but my low back and legs were so fried from yesterday that I really had nothing. The same was true for bent over row. My hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors were really too sore to do a lot of sets. Today I kind of made a conjugate workout because I wanted to get some volume and some heavy work at the same time. I have come to realize that my lats, traps, and biceps are all not only pathetically small, but also weak proportionately to their oppositional groups. This will be a huge focus of my summer training just trying to bring up these weak points.
Dumbell Clean:
3 x 85, 3 x 105
Standing Rope Pulldowns:
10 x 120, 10 x 120
Lat Pulldown:
4 sets 10 X 12(whatever weight that ends up being, it felt like a lot more than 120)
Bent over Row:
5 x 135, 5 x 155, 5 x 175
Barbell Shrug:
3 sets 10 x 225
Seated cable row:
4 sets 8 x 12(whatever weight that is)
One arm dumbbell rows:
4 sets 15 x 55
Standing EZ Curl:
2 sets 10 x 110
Plate Curl (2 5's pinched together):
3 sets of 10 (flexion and extension)
Hammer Curl:
3 sets 10 x 35
This was overall a good workout. I wanted to do dumbell cleans in the neutral grip for a few more sets, but my low back and legs were so fried from yesterday that I really had nothing. The same was true for bent over row. My hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors were really too sore to do a lot of sets. Today I kind of made a conjugate workout because I wanted to get some volume and some heavy work at the same time. I have come to realize that my lats, traps, and biceps are all not only pathetically small, but also weak proportionately to their oppositional groups. This will be a huge focus of my summer training just trying to bring up these weak points.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
ME Lower Body
Squat:
10 x 45, 10 x 135, 5 x 225, 3 x 315, 1 x 365, 1 x 405, 1 x 425, 3 x 365, 3x 365, 4 x 365
Sumo speed pulls:
5 x 275, 5 x 275, 3 x 315, 3 x 315
Good Mornings (standing):
10 x 135, 10 x 135, 10 x 135
Side Bend Press Downs:
3 sets 15 x stack
Kneeling Pull Down Abs:
20 x 200, 20 x 220, 10 x 250
45 Degree Raise:
3 sets 10 x Bodyweight
This was another good workout. My back felt pretty good through all of it, and I managed not to fuck my wrist up because I finally learned how to cast my wrist wraps. It was nice to chalk up, feel the music, and get under the iron and give it a ride. This was my first regular squat workout in over 6 weeks since the last time I maxed so I decided not to push it with singles or reps because I didn't know how much I could take and I certainly didn't want the little crotch stain in the ATO softball T-shirt spotting me with upwards of 450 pounds on my back. It kind of sucked having to use a CREC belt and I won't have mine back until next week when I can get into my locker again. I never realized how accustomed I had become to my own belt until I had to use another. I imagine I will be really sore the next few days. My hamstrings practically locked up as I was walikng up the stairs on my way out, and not from dehydration mind you as I was able to drink 64 ounces of gatorade over the course of my workout. Also I found today that I must have been doing something right in my press workout yesterday as my lats and traps are extremely sore today. That is something that hasn't happened to me in quite some time.
Squat:
10 x 45, 10 x 135, 5 x 225, 3 x 315, 1 x 365, 1 x 405, 1 x 425, 3 x 365, 3x 365, 4 x 365
Sumo speed pulls:
5 x 275, 5 x 275, 3 x 315, 3 x 315
Good Mornings (standing):
10 x 135, 10 x 135, 10 x 135
Side Bend Press Downs:
3 sets 15 x stack
Kneeling Pull Down Abs:
20 x 200, 20 x 220, 10 x 250
45 Degree Raise:
3 sets 10 x Bodyweight
This was another good workout. My back felt pretty good through all of it, and I managed not to fuck my wrist up because I finally learned how to cast my wrist wraps. It was nice to chalk up, feel the music, and get under the iron and give it a ride. This was my first regular squat workout in over 6 weeks since the last time I maxed so I decided not to push it with singles or reps because I didn't know how much I could take and I certainly didn't want the little crotch stain in the ATO softball T-shirt spotting me with upwards of 450 pounds on my back. It kind of sucked having to use a CREC belt and I won't have mine back until next week when I can get into my locker again. I never realized how accustomed I had become to my own belt until I had to use another. I imagine I will be really sore the next few days. My hamstrings practically locked up as I was walikng up the stairs on my way out, and not from dehydration mind you as I was able to drink 64 ounces of gatorade over the course of my workout. Also I found today that I must have been doing something right in my press workout yesterday as my lats and traps are extremely sore today. That is something that hasn't happened to me in quite some time.
Summer Lifting
ME Press
Overhead Press:
10 x 45, 5 x 135, 3 x 185, 3 x 225, 1 x 245, 2 x 275, 1 x 285 (failed), 3 x 255, 3 x 245, 3 x 235
Bench:
10 x 45, 5 x 135, 3 x 225, 1 x 275, 1 x 315, 1 x 335, 1 x 355
Neutral Grip Dumbbell Incline:
10 x 70, 5 x 75, 5 x 80, 5 x 85, 5 x 90, 4 x 95
Shoulder Raise:
2 sets 10 x 25 (front and side)
Overhead Tricep Extension with EZ Curl Bar:
4 sets 10 x 70 (2 narrow, 2 wide)
This was a pretty good workout after a full week off. It was kind of difficult to monitor my rest intervals between sets with out Chuck and Troy there. This workout was fairly short ( less than 1 1/2 hours ) and very intense. I had to find a lot of inner motivation without my workout partners there to push me with their hardcore bad-assery, but the music was great over on East Campus. It was nice to workout without a bunch of bros curling and benching and not having to deal with the emo bullshit music they usually have playing over at city campus.
Overhead Press:
10 x 45, 5 x 135, 3 x 185, 3 x 225, 1 x 245, 2 x 275, 1 x 285 (failed), 3 x 255, 3 x 245, 3 x 235
Bench:
10 x 45, 5 x 135, 3 x 225, 1 x 275, 1 x 315, 1 x 335, 1 x 355
Neutral Grip Dumbbell Incline:
10 x 70, 5 x 75, 5 x 80, 5 x 85, 5 x 90, 4 x 95
Shoulder Raise:
2 sets 10 x 25 (front and side)
Overhead Tricep Extension with EZ Curl Bar:
4 sets 10 x 70 (2 narrow, 2 wide)
This was a pretty good workout after a full week off. It was kind of difficult to monitor my rest intervals between sets with out Chuck and Troy there. This workout was fairly short ( less than 1 1/2 hours ) and very intense. I had to find a lot of inner motivation without my workout partners there to push me with their hardcore bad-assery, but the music was great over on East Campus. It was nice to workout without a bunch of bros curling and benching and not having to deal with the emo bullshit music they usually have playing over at city campus.
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