10/30 ME Squat

SSB Low BOx Squat 115x5, 155x5, 245x3, 295x2, 335x1, 365x3x2
Rev Hyper 70x4x6
EDT 12 Min Pr Zone (Triples)
SLDL 255x3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,4
AB Pulldowns 100x3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,4

Well i was all motivated during the day but come lifting time i got a headache from my little rodent acting like a mutant. This has been his thing when he gets home from the sitters. So with headache intact i headed down stairs for one of the most unmotivated yet grueling sessions in a long time. The SSB's were tough as hell as the box is set around 3-4 inches below parallel, thismakes it extremely tough on the lower back. So needless to say my back pumped up to a crazy painful level. At noon i had all the plans in the world to hit a 405 single or something like that, but this was not to happen today, oh well, at least i got my strain on.

Next up was Rev Hyper's which only further tightened my back, what am i doing to myself? Anyway, i pushed thru these and almost quit. Usually when i have a headache while lifting, a couple of heavy sets takes care of it and im alright, not tonight the Bea Arthur!!! My head was pounding, but figuring that i will be on vacation for the rest of the week i pressed on....

EDT was up next and about ended the existence known as me....i had to lay down on the ground in between each superset until my rest period expired, truly grueling and tested my mettle (yes that is spelled right Encyclopedia Brown, go check it out!) Anyway after a 12 minute long argument with myself in my head, i finished this friggin workout and kinda felt like puking, not tonight though thankfully. This was just one of those nights that i chalk up to experience. I got my ME strain in and that is all that counts, i learned from it. I learned that i need to fully stretch out my lower back or i suffer these sort of consequences. I skimped on the stretching today and paid the price....Idiot!!! But that is what life is all about right? Trial & Error? Live & Learn? etc.....whatever .....Keep It Dark, Keep It Heavy!!!

10/29 DE Bench

Speed Bench w/Chains 205x9x3
CGBP w/Chains 255x5x4
EDT 10 Minute Pr Zone
Seated Face Pulls 65x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5
Front Raise 30x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5

Speed bench was good, last couple of sets I felt my pec-a-rooni which was kind of depressing. I am gonna be going up to the mountains for the week so I will be able to rest up there, luckily my timeshare has a pretty good gym. So at the most I will miss my ME Bench this week, I probably need it. Like the Jive Turkey I am, I didn’t stop at the Speed Bench and proceeded as planned. The Close Grip stuff didn’t seem to hurt to badly which is good I guess.

On the EDT stuff I upped the weight but kept the reps, thus progress is made as I moved more total weight in the same period of time. Nifty stuff I tell you. Other than that, had a good day trick or treating, he went as a pirate i went as a powerlifter with a broken wing. He and his friends sprinted around the block for like 45 minutes before they succumbed to the cold in their lungs. Got quite quite a bit of grub for such a short jaunt. Later that night I had to administer motrin for sore feet and sore shins (I’m guessing shin-splints), his pain was forgotten around the time he ripped into about 5 lbs of candy, ahhh....what a day....Until next time...Keep it Dark,.....aww you know the rest...

10/26 DE Squat/DL

Speed Box Squat w/Chains 250x8x3
Speed Pulls 265x12x1
EDT 10 Minute Pr Zone
Hanging Leg Raise BWx5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5
Pull Throughs 100x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5

Things were pretty fast tonight, felt the speed was where it should be and force generated was optimal. Again, I was quite motivated to workout which I think helped with the reps being fast and clean.

The Speed Pulls were done in a different fashion than I usually do them, this is courtesy of Marc Bartley of South Carolina Barbell. I use to do one rep then 30 sec rest, then perform the next. Well after getting a membership to his video section of his website (very inspirational btw) I decided to do them in sets of 3 where between each rep I walk away from the bar and reapproach it then pull. After 3 reps I would rest 30 sec’s and repeat. I liked it better this way and it was more efficient, good shit peeps!!

EDT as usual was grueling, but worth it afterward as I laid on the ground in a sweaty heap, now there’s a visual most of you probably could have gone without. I do like the implementation of this into the Westside Template, cuts down the workout time and guesswork of set/repscheme as well. Keep It Simple Stupid……

10/25 ME Bench

Floor Press w/Minis 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 245x3, 265x3, 275x3, 285x3
Chain Lockouts 315x3, 345x3, 365x3, 375x3
EDT 12 Min Pr Zone (Triples)
Pull-Ups BWx3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3
Front Raise 20x3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3

Well the pressing portions felt stronger this week. I was figuring to only hit what I did last week with an extra rep or set. The 285 was fast on the first two but on the last rep it was slow as all hell, a grind, but I got it. That’s the shit part about bands, if you don’t hit the tension with some speed its like slamming the brakes on, you just stop. I normally didn’t like this movement but am liking it more and more (Exercise + Bands = Fun). Before I figured out how to do my set up for this the bar would sit high, like a 1 BD press, now I get my set up where in the bottom position it mimics a bench press with legs up. The bottom position is held so there is no bounce, I think if you did attempt to bounce on this one you would most likely break/injure your wrist….good stuff. Only one more week for this one then its de-load…..

The Chain Lockouts were much stronger this week. Not sure what was up with me last week, but everything felt super heavy. Probably because of the meet now that I think of it. This movement is set for two more weeks before I swap it up. I am really glad I bought the 10 feet of chain to do this sort of stuff, it is similar to working with boards but you get no bounce, just a dead stop in the chains then press….painful in a good way!!

The EDT stuff is what is is, very tiring and sweat inducing, and for light weights, painful. This new approach I like, by going with triples it allows you to produce maximum force on each rep, which in turns turns into better muscle recruitment, end diagnosis?……good shit man…..

All in all it was a good workout, I felt well rested and ready when I got down there which always helps. Having a plan is a plus, I always shave some loosely based thing going on but I seem to focus better when I put it to paper and hang it on my dry-erase, I am definitely a visual creature……So from my piece of the galaxy to yours, Keep it Dark, Keep It Heavy!!!

10/23 ME Squat

SSB Low Box 155x5, 205x3, 245x3, 295x2, 335x1 365x2,2,1
Rev Hyper 50x8, 70x3x8
EDT 12 Min PR Zone (Triples)
SLDL 255x3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3
AB Pull Downs 100x3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,

Well needless to say I was wiped after this workout. The low box SSB’s kill me, there’s just something about that bar. The Rev Hypers were quite painful as well, this was due to my lower back being quite pumped and painful after the squats.

Next up was the EDT portion, this was way harder than it looked on paper, in between each superset I had to lay down on the floor and let my back relax. Im not sure what the deal was today but my lowe back was giving me some major issues, plus I am fighting a head cold of sorts…

I was quite happy with myself that I didn’t quit after the hypers because honestly, I wanted to. My numbers were lower than i wanted, my back was killing me, and I could only really breathe thru one nostril…..now that’s what powerlifting is all about!!! Keep it Dark, Keep It Heavy!!!

10/22 DE Bench

Speed Bench w/Chains 185x9x3
CGBP 225x5, 245x3x5
EDT 10 Minute PR Zone
Face Pulls 60x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5
Front Raise 25x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5

Short, sweet, and to the point…..oh Yeah, the Patriots Rule!!!

10/19 DE Squat/DL

Speed Box Squats w/Chains 225x8x3
DL’s Off Blocks 405x3, 455x3, 505x3, 525x3

Shortened this workout as I got to it late. Went out for drinks after work with a visitor from Switzerland. Needless to say the O’douls flowed freely like mountain stream. Absolute waste of my time, guess you gotta do what you gotta do huh? Anyways, this workout took place around 9:30 p.m, I was quite tired and already planned on quitting after the pulling. I will hit the accessory crap today after work.
The Squatting was done with briefs and with the widest possible stance my squat rack would allow. These are getting easier but they are still mighty painful, all things come to those who wait right? It better!! Well that’s about it from the land of me, but remember this…next time you have the green apple splatters, and you feel a grumbly in your tumbly, just make your way to the thunder-mug. It aint worth the price of new knickers to see if the sharting has passed

10/18 ME Bench

Floor Press w/minis 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 245x3, 255x2x3
Chain Lockouts 315x3, 345x3x3
EDT 12 Minute PR Zone (Triples)
Pull Ups BWx3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3
Side Delts 20x3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3

This workout out took awhile as I had to figure out a way to get the bands to have tension thru the whole range of motion. Finally got it, though I am not sure how I much tension am getting, but it is enough to be painful. These were all performed with a 1 second pause at the bottom, very hard, but should be worth it. The Chain Lockouts were new and way harder than I had anticipated. When the weight settles into the chains at the bottom all stretch reflex is gone, just straight up muscle the weight up. The EDT was surprisingly killer. I went with a slightly different approach and dropped to triples for the sets. This way I can introduce maximal force on each rep, usually on the 5th rep at the end of a normal PR Zone my force output is a lot lower than the first couple of sets. Pretty simple really, more force equals more weight, which in turn equals more strength. Btw al reps are performed with complete stops at the bottom to take away any momentum. Well this is a pretty good starting point for this training cycle. I mapped out an 8 week program, which as usual is subject to change if I feel something aint working right it will be replaced…anyway, its good to have a plan, plans are good. But remember, if it’s a bad plan, recognition and adaptation rule supreme…..Keep It Dark, Keep It Heavy!!!

10/16 ME Squat

Free Squat 135x5, 185x3, 225x3, 275x3, 315x2, 365x2, 405x1, 455x1
Squats Into Chains 455x3x3
Wide Stance SSB GM’s 185x3, 205x3, 225x2x3

Was supposed to do some Rev Hypers and Leg Raises but my redesign for the rev hyper needs to be rethought and took too much time to do, so I will get to them tonight. Squats felt good, still getting use to the pseudo dive bomb approach. My back was sore all day for some reason, probably from sitting onmy ass at work all day thru meetings. I had planned on going higher on the Free Squats but cut it short due to lower back pain, didn’t want to aggravate anything. Pretty standard stuff for first day back froma deload week, which was nice to have btw….now I gotta re-map my plan a bit with a couple meets in mind. Will expound upon this later, until then, Keep It Dark, Keep It Heavy!!!!

Bench Meet Recap

APF Open Bench Meet 10/14/2006

Attempts:

1. 330- Miss, Beat the press command, Idiot

2. 350-Good, Smoked it…

3. 375-Good, fought that sucker for a good ten seconds, shirt was not adjusted correctly and slipped when bar was on chest.

This was actually a fun little meet, there was only 16 lifters so it went quick. There were some pretty good benches this day and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The finale of the show had this big 310 lb dude get 600 for a lifetime PR and a retirement lift. Said he had been chasing this weight for a long time now and said he will retire and drop the weight after he gets it. Well he did with room to spare.
I was quite happy with my performance given my sore shoulder, though it does seem to be getting better. Warming up it acted up a bit and had me a little worried, but after the first lift, and dumbass miss, I forgot about it and pressed on……I ended up competing in the 220 class at 204, I was trying to cut the weight down to 198 but had a family issue pop up at the last moment which prevented me from doing it. Rick says I won the 220 division but i wasn’t paying attention when my named got announced. Oh well, experience is vital at this stage of the game, cant let that get me down….
Fellow Northeast Barbeller Rick Hussey also competed this day and won the 198 Open Class in his first ever meet. His attempts were as follows:

1. 300- Smoked

2. 320- Smoked again

3. 335- Miss, Mental mistake, started to beat the press command, stopped, then lost momentum. Definitely not a strength related miss…


Recap & Future Plans…..

All around a good day, they will have another one in Feb which I will probably do. I was planning on dong either the APF meet in Meredith or the APA meet in ME in the beginning of November but am still deciding. I forgot about these meets and haven’t really trained for them, plus I would like to let my busted wing heal a bit so I can total a bit better….will give it another week then decide, who knows….I think at this point I have a few meets under my belt and know what to expect, so I may just concentrate on getting stronger, healthier, and gain a bit of weight to compete as a proper 220 lb’er. All the heavy pulling and stuff as of late if making it a bit harder to keep the weight down, plus I love to eat so this will suit me fine…..well with this behind me I will move on in my training and start a new 3 week mini cycle with the aforementioned E.D.T principles thrown in for accessory work to see how this works…..should be fun…….

10/15 Bench Accessory
Close Grip w/Chains 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 225x5, 225x4
Seated Face Pulls 60x3x12
*Palms Facing Front Raise 20x3x12
*Rear Delt Raise 20x3x12

* = Perform Back to Back to Back, very pump-a-licious…….

10/09 DE Bench

DB Bench Press 70x4x8
Tricep Pushdowns w/minis 60x4x6
EDT 10 Min Pr Zone
Seated Rows 110x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,6
Shrugs 225x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,6

Nothing great, just got in there and did some light work.....4 days to go.....

10/08 DE Squat-Last of the Heavies?

SSB Speed Squat 225x8x2
2" High Chain Squats 405x3, 455x3, 500x3, 525x3, 555x3
8" Box Pulls 405x3, 455x3, 525x3

Well, since this is the last day i really have a chance to go heavy i figured i would do the major pulls and squats. I just built some platforms for bench spotting and pullng off of. I thought what better day to use them than today...The speed squats are what they are, somethiing you dont realize benefit you until you are under heavy weight and moving it slowly, thats when you realize how much speed benefits you. The Chain Squats were a last second decision as i dont want to go heavy any closer to the bench meet than this, and even this was probably ill considered. but i wanted to overload my squat form and see what i could do...555 for 3 was the final decision as i had to leave something in the tank for the platform pulls. The pulls were a bitch as i was pretty tapped after the squats, i alomost quit after the first pull as it was a grind...then something kicked in and i said fuck it, this is what i am here for. i went to 455 then 500 and said what the hell, i aint doing no accessory work today, thats for the birds... i went to 525 from what equals mid-shin level and ripped out 3 reps and started cramping on the third so i stopped there.....spent and beat i ventured upstairs to watch the Patriots squeak out a win against the Dolphins!!!....what a great day....all is good in the universe and i am sore....good times, any time you need a payment, good times any time you need a dream....or something like that.................fun for sure......

10/04 ME Bench-Last Shirt Day B4 Comp

10/04 ME Bench-Last Shirt Work Night B4 Comp

Raw Bench 135x5, 185x3, 225x3, 275x1, 300x1
Shirted 340x2x1, 365x2x1, 370x1
4 Board Press320x4x6
[b][i]EDT 10 Min Pr Zone[/i][/b]
BB Rows Pendalay 135x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5
BW Dips BWx5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5

Tonight went well, i had fellow North East Barbell administrator Richard "I like taking advantage of small furry woodland creatures" Hussey over for one last shirted session before our big bench press comp next weekend. I am still nursing a busted wing but had a good night considering. The weird thing is my shoulder (Pec Insertion to be more precise) doesnt hurt a bit when im pressing, its after my work out when im cooling down and also in the morning when i wake up if i slept on it, still working with trying to sleep on my back, i just cant seem to do it....anyway, enough of that crap, on with the hoot-nanny.....my opener for this meet will be 330, then to 350, then on to 375 or 385, depending on how the weight feels on meet day. I think i could be good for more as soon as i figure this shirt thing out, i am on the right path with pulling the thing down on each heavier attempt so in time i will be a monster bencher!!! HAHAHA....The 4 Boards were Ho-Hum, again taking it easy.....The EDT period was pretty good, Rick did this for the first time and seemed to like it. This stuff pumps the snot out of you and will build up muscle like nobodies business. Good stuff from that Charles Staley fella, by the end of it we were both wiped...on another note my son lifted with us for a bit and hit a PR on the Swiss Ball, he went 5 bounces without falling off and cracking his melon, Good Job Jakob........Thats it for now, Keep It Dark, Keep It Heavy.......

10/02 ME Squat

Low Box Pause on Pins Squat 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x2, 315x2, 365x1, 405x3x1
Wide Stance SSB GM to Pins 135x3, 185x3, 225x2x3

Cut this workout short as i had a headache and generally felt "beat". Tomorrow i will finish up with accessory work. Originally i had planned on doing regular Low Box Squats but set the pins wrong and decided to try a different variation. I Squat down onto the box and rest the weight onto the pins, pause, then squat back up from a static position. These turned out to be quite brutal, a beautiful disaster of sorts. From there i went on to Wide Stance SSB GM's, the last two set sets were brutal and definitely strained me as i rest the bar onto pins in the bottom postion which is set just below the hips. All around good stuff, next time i should crush this weight for doubles or triples, this was more of a feeling out for this movement, justa slight variation on the regular lwo box, but a variant all the same.......until next time, Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy!!!

10/01 DE Bench

DB Bench 70x5x8
Tricep Pushdown w/minis 60x4x10
EDT 10 Min Pr Zone
Seated Rows 110x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5
BB Shrugs 225x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5

Again, taking it a bit easy to let things heal. Nothing too fancy, signed up for the New England Open Bench Press Championship here in Manchester, NH. Should be a lot of fun. I most definitely will not be in top form but the experience is more what i am in it for. I've only been at this for a little over a year so i am a long way away from where i need to get, experience is key.
I also did some Mini Band movements while watching football all daywhich got a bunch of blood into the shoulder area, then i iced it for like a half hour and repeated. another aspect i need to look at is flexibility in my right shoulder. Ever since my "accident" i have noticed it to have a smaller ROM. The good thing is the shoulder doesnt hurt when i am actually pressing, its usually after for an hour or so, not gut wrenching pain but more of a slight "hey, i am still here" sort of weirdness. The good news is it is slowly dissipating each and every time out so i figure with some smart training and throw in some stretching, i currently only do lower body for some reason....need to fix that... i should be fine.
Nothing else to say except that the Patriots kicked some major ass yesterday, and all the media had them written off.....Idiots!!!