05/30/2007 ME Bench/Shoulder????

Overhead Press w/Chains95x5, 105x5, 135x5, 145x3, 155x1
Bench Press 135x5, 225x3, 260x3, 275x3, 300x6
Barbell Bent Row 225x6, 255x6, 275x6, 300x6
Low Cable Rear Delts 20x4x6

Holy Crap, my shoulders are killing me today, as a matter of fact my whole upper body is toast!! this is the first week in a new approach to sort of train around my left Pec Strain/Tear or whatever the hell that thing was....and I can sum it up in one word....Painful!!!

The Overhead Presses with chains proved hard, this isnt your garden variety chain work as the chains are off the ground the whole time and swingin-n-swayin...all the little muscles for stabilizing got owned on this movement. My top set will go up next week as I now know the movement, and wont waste as much energy getting there.

The Bench Press felt pretty good, no twinging in the titty. I am guessing it was a minor tear, but I still stopped short. Actually felt like working up but checked the ego and moved on...this was a good sign. I probably had a couple more in me but didnt want a break down in form to cause another booby-tear.....

Barbell Bents rows were done differently than normal, I did them in the pendalay fashion, but used a bit more body english than in the past, this definitely caused an overload effect for me on this. I used straps on the top set as my grip was wearing thin. (I have been doing grip exercises in spare time to compensate for my DL miss a couple weeks ago)

Low Cable Rear Delts was a new movement, I discovered I could probably do it after determining dumbbells are just too boring...Could definitely feel remnants of my right shoulder problems on this one....will keep an eye on this pain and manage it accordingly.

Well, thats it from here. Guess we'll see where this approach takes me, hopefully to a shoulder-pain-free life of extravagance!!!



Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy!!!


No Nonsense Nutrition DVD

05/28/07 ME Squat

High Box Squat w/Chains 135x3, 235x5, 285x3, 330x2, 380x1, 425x3, 455x2
Wide Stance SSB GM's to Pins 245x4x6
KB Swingthroughs and Hanging Leg Raises

Not a bad night with all things considering. I spent the weekend up on Maine, and the bed I slept on screwed with my back a bit. Coupled with 6 hours of travelling I was quite happy with tonights results.

The Squats were fast and had my lower back not been stiff from the aforementioned events, I would have gone higher. Taking note from last weeks titty tear I stopped at 455, Cant wait to see what I have in me in 3 weeks, should be fun!!!

Wide Stance Good Mornings to pins were absolutely brutal, My whole back was in pain after these, I dropped the pins to # 12 which gave me a bigger range of motion than previous cycles. I kinda felt pukey afterward but nothing came up.....

KB Swingthroughs and Ab Raises were supersetted, I did not keep track of sets and reps, I figure it was around 5 set of 6-8.....my head wasnt in it at this point, I had food on the mind.....

Thats all, next up is ME Bench, figure to insert overhead ME work and do some repetition type stuff for chest and see how the tear is.....stay tuned.

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05/23/07 SE Bench - Partial Tear?

Well, i did something to my left pec on SE Day. I finished my warm ups and went to the work sets, I planned on hitting 320 for 4x4 or 3x5. The first rep at 320 went nicely, and on the second rep something in my left pec twinged and I lost all power at midrange, I grinded out the weight to lockout somehow.

I figured I would give it a 2 minute break as nothing hurt, there was no pain at all. Well, just cuz there werent pain doesnt mean somehting aint wrong!!! i unracked the 320 and about mid way down the twinge was back, I should have just dumped the weight but I didnt, I still performed the lift but stopped after that to avoid any further damage.

This pain is weird as it is in the middle of the muscle, not near the insertions. Like a mid muscle tear or something. I believe I may be in a state of overtraining which I anticipated going into this cycle, too many variants of Deadlifting in there but I wanted to see if my body could handle it, well it didnt....

So, I will revamp this cycle and most likely do all overhead pressing for ME Bench day and use Repetition work to hit the bench and hopefully repair whatever it is thats wrong with my titty....


Keep yer fingers crossed......

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05/21/2007 ME Squat Deload

SLDL 385x3x3
10 Minute EDT
Ab Pull Down 110x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5
SSB Calf RAise 265x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5

Deload week, nothing fancy....was kind of refreshing not to have to do any squatting.....

Now Thats A Deload......

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05/17/2007 DE Squat - Squat Critique Night

DE Box Squat 315x8x2
DE DL 315x9x1, 405x1, 505x1
Ab Pulldowns
Pull Throughs

This workout was done at a commercial gym called Planet Fitness here in Manchester. I had a couple guys from work that needed some pointers on how to do squats. All is what I can say is that I am glad I have my own gym, this place was a friggin social club for chrissakes.

And, sure as shit when we first walked up to the squat racks what do you think I saw? The oldest cliche in the book, to jamokes doing curls for the girls. You know, cus pickin the bar up off the floor to do curls just aint cool!!! Unbelievable I tell you....Then the little looks for actually doing a box squat, holy crap....got peeps from the other side of the room like I had a turd hanging out of my pocket. Enough of that rant....

315 went smooth and fast, it was a bit weird as the bar had no knurling in the middle of it and the bar whipped like hell with only 315, imagine if it was heavy day? Regardless, after giving some pointers and correcting some technical flaws in form for these guys, I figured I would check their Deadlift form.

Again, a few minor tweaks and they'll be fine. Due to lack of knurling again, I got a decent impromptu grip workout. I worked up to 505 to see what the bar would do, this sucker bent pretty good, if it could hold its straightness and have proper knurling this bar might make a good Deadlift bar. Frig that, I'll stick to my Texas Power Bar!!!

The Ab pull downs I did like as the pulley system is better than the one I have at home and the angle felt a bit better, but it aint worth joining a gym over I can tell you that much. Plu,s couple all of this with the fact if you grunt, clang weights, or make any noise even resembling a struggle you will literally sound off an alarm and be asked to quiet down. What the fuck is this place? Hell?

Anyway, this just reinforces that I did the right thing by turning my basement into a gym. This place is a joke, they cater to the person who wants to socialize and sit on a excercise bike while doing so....my rating....Two steaming Turds and a splash of the Green Apple Splatter.

Keep it Dark, Keep it in the Basement!!!!

No Nonsense Nutrition DVD

05/16/2007 ME Bench

Floor Press w/Mini's 135x5, 185x3, 225x2, 245x1, 280x3, 290x2, 300x1, 280x3, 290x2, 300x1
#8 Pin Press 315x5,5,3
12 Min EDT PR Zone
Pull Ups BWx3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3
Straight Arm Pull Down 70x3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3

Tonight went pretty good, the pin press actually surprised me on the first two sets. The third I simply got gassed and the triceps quit on me....Next week will be a deload for Bench, I thin I will be gonig RAW in the 80% range I.A.W Prilipens.....Not much else to say, will actually be attempting to do DE Squat tonight at Planet Fitness, got a couple dude I'm gonna show how to squat correctly...should be fun....

Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy.......

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05/14/07 ME Squat

SSB Low Box Squat 225x5, 275x3, 315x2, 360x1, 405x1, 460x1PR, 475x1PR
SLDL 365x4x4
EDT 10 Min PR ZOne 1
AB Pulldowns 100x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5
Calf Raises 245x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5

Well I am quite happy with tonight, I set a goal and hit it. Good Stuff. I had it set in my mind that 475 would fall on the Safety Squat Bar Low Box Squat. My previous best was 455.

Now, working up the 460 went nicely,better than expected, so the confidence went up. However, upon unracking the 475, I hit the rack and had to calm the bar down a bit before starting. So as I was standing there the negative thoughts came to town, bull headed as I am I continued.

Off the box I was fast and hit the top portion of the lift and my back rounded over, I felt a black out coming on so I forced the sucker up and somehow racked it (dont really remember this part). Surprisingly the top part turned out to be the grinder of the lift, its usually right out of the hole for me, so I guess thats good. Now I got to hit the upper back more, good to know!!

Straight Leg Deadlifts were brutal and a foray from the routine. I originally had 5x4 planned, but much like last week was too wiped to do them all, so 4x4 made a visit.

My abs were burning by the end of EDT. I think next time I do this cycle I will have to plan the KB Front Swinging accordingly, I did these the day before ME Squat/DL Day. These require the AB's to fire and stabilize the torso which essentially pre-exhausts my core. I either have to move this movement or have a day of rest between. And now that I think about it, this could have contributed to the Rounding on the SSB....Hmmm....Very interesting.....enough banter

Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy.......

No Nonsense Nutrition DVD

05/10/07 DE Squat

Free Squat w/Chains 275x8x2
Deadlift 405x3, 475x3, 525x2, 560xMiss (lost grip at lockout)
Giant Set
Pull Throughs 120x3x8
AB Wheel 3x10
SSB Calf Raise 315x3x8

Speed on the Squats was nice, had me huffing and puffing by the end, those 30 second rests dont last long enough. I need to figure out a way to change the space time continuum to my liking.

Deadlifts could have gone better, I shouldnt have doubled as high as I did as it weakened my grip and caused the miss, coupled with a weak chaling. I blew the 560 up to lockout but as I was rolling the shoulders back the bar started going south, so I aborted. Still, am happy with it as my training kind of took a dump there a few weeks ago...onto bigger and better things now.

Giant set had me feeling sick, again, 30 second rests killed me....

Thats about it from La-La Land.......L8R...

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05/09/07 ME Bench....Wavy Gravy.......

Floor Press w/Minis 135x5, 185x3, 225x2, 255x2, 275x3, 285x2, 295x1, 275x3, 285x2, 295x1
#8 Pin Press 315x3x3
12 Min EDT
Palms Facing Pull Ups x3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3
Straight Arm Pulldowns 70x3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3
Powerlifting powerlifting powerlifting powerlifting powerlifting
Went with a different approach tonight, decided to Wave Load ala Ian King. I went with a 3,2,1,3,2,1 pattern. This proved to be quite brutal and the last half of the wave was full of grinders. And i aint talking the delicious variety found at your local sub shop.
powerlifting powerlifting powerlifting powerlifting
Not sure if I doubled the minis with more tension this week or the low carb-ing is getting to me....but this shit felt heavy!!! As previously stated the second half of the wave was brutal. The first part was strong, I figured out the volume difference from last week to this week and I did around 900lbs more, so i dont think it was that, but who knows. My CNS hasnt exactly been wired to work this way over the last year or so. Will see if it improves next week.

Pin presses proved equally as hard as the triceps were burned from the Band tension of the previous movement. I thought I was stapled on the first rep, then cleared my head and finished up. My triceps were huge, too bad there werent any Betties around to admire them. Maybe i should install mirrors for vanity's sake?


EDT Hurt. Period.

That was about it, all this was accomplished in around 45 minutes, including set-up and tear down. This has been a concern for me the last couple workouts. Life has been trying its damnest to throw monkey wrenches at me and discourage my training. I am sure this has contributed to my thoughts of "Heaviness" and "Sluggishness". Oh well, thats what its all about right? See how much you can take and still progress?

Keep it Dark, Eat Yer Gravy!!!

No Nonsense Nutrition DVD

05/08/07 ME Squat/DL

SSB Low Box 155x5, 205x3, 245x3, 295x2, 335x1, 385x1, 405x3x3
SLDL 365x3x5

Had to cut it short, my old lady got called into work and the babysitter could only stay for 45 minutes. I squeezed this out in around 35 minutes, almost puked, and laid down on the ground to recuperate for the last 5 minutes.

The 405 felt the same on all sets, heavy as shit. I think this is due in part to my Low-Carbing thru the week and whooping it up on the weekend. I felt tired and all that, but I promised myself I would hit 405 for 3 sets of 3. The first two on all sets flew, but the last ones were grinders, the very last set I dont remember racking the weight and got visited by the fireflies...you know, those little blue sparkly lights you see tight before you pass out?

The SLDL's were no different, slow as molasses and puke inducing, almost...I was originally slated for 4 sets of 5, but with this weight I fell short and modified it by cutting off one set....no big whoop as I know I got a good workout in. My lower back and hamstrings were screaming by the end of these....

I will squeeze in my accessory work tonight......Enjoy!!!

No Nonsense Nutrition DVD

05/06/07 DE Bench

Bench w/Chains 195x9x3
Dips
Seated Face Pull
KB Front Swings

Wasnt all that motivated, cranked this sucker out in 35 minutes and lost a couple pounds of sweat....Thats it.

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05/03/07

DE Free Squat w/Chains 255x8x2
DL Block Pulls 475x3x3
Giant Set
Pull Through 105x5,5,5,5,5
AB Wheel x5,5,5,5,5
SSB Calf Raises 315x5,5,5,5,5

Was quite happy to discover I had Free Squats w/chains. Prior to finding this out I didnt have much motivation to get down to the basement.

All sets were fast with a deep concentration of pushing out the knees in the hole. This helped with some great explosion out of the bottom. Next week I will go 255 for the first 4 sets, then 275 for the last 4 and check the speed. If all is good, the third week will see speed work with 275.....see the pattern, so pretty.

The Block Pulls (Think Rack Pull from Mid shin) went well. I focused on really snapping the weight up to lockout. I would be sure to take out all the tension then in one concerted move, pop to lockout. Felt very effective, especially this portion of my lift is weak. Productive.

Giant set was a pain in my arse, all movements performed back to back to back....a sweaty mess and a batch of Ball Soup. Now I just need some oyster crackers.....

Apparently there is a bench meet in a couple of weeks, I missed this one so will most likely attend to view and help out. With my added mass to my upper body I am not sure how my shirt fits and where the groove may be. But on a good note, my previously "Too big for me Rage" may fit just right. Unfortunately, being so close I dont think I would be properly prepared, and forking over $50.00 for a crappy bench meet doesnt seem to make sense right now......anyway, will keep you all posted.

Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy!!!

No Nonsense Nutrition DVD

05/02/07 ME Bench

Floor Press w/Mini's 135x5, 185x3, 225x3, 245x3, 275x3x3
Close Grip #8 Pin Press 315x3x3, 225x1x10
12 Min EDT (Triples)
Palms Facing Pull-Ups BWx3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3
Straight Arm Pulldown 60x3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3

Tonights Floor Pressing was brought to you by Preparation H, Feel the Burn!!!

Well, apparently all this extra pulling has paid off in the mass department. My Floor Presses are now to the chest where as they use to be around an inch above it. Or maybe my arms just got shorter!!! Anyway, my shoulder has flared up again, but I pressed on...Get it? 275 for 3x3 had my triceps screaming, I will look to up the poundage and keep the reps next week....

Close Grip #8 Pin press is around the 2 or 3 board region, these were brutal. I paused the weight on the pins for around 3 seconds per rep to make sure there was no stretch reflex utilization. Simply painful!!!

EDT kicked me arse as the GPP is in the dumper for now, I will look to improve that over the coming weeks.

All around I was happy with this workout, I felt I worked hard all things considered. Next up is DE Squat/DL....L8r

No Nonsense Nutrition DVD

04/30/07 ME Squat

SSB Low Box 155x5, 205x5, 245x3, 295x3, 335x3, 385x1, 405x3x2
SLDL 315x4x6
10 Minute EDT
AB Pulldown 100x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5
Calf Raises 245x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5

Not too bad of a work out, felt good to train with a bit of a purpose. But man, my GPP is in the crapper!!!

Worked up to some fairly easy doubles on the low box with the safety squat bar. Last time I performed 405 doubles I only got 2 sets of 2 in the 2nd week of them. So I guess I am ahead of the curve. I forgot how hard this bar is on you, today my upper back is sore as hell.

Stiff Leg Deadlifts absolutely killed my hamstrings. They are tight as hell today, which is good right? Next week I will up the weight and lower the volume. This will continue over the next 3 weeks until I am performing triples for this movement....

EDT was what it was, I was totally gassed by this time so these weights actually killed me, it felt like my lungs were gonna explode, thank god they didnt, I find them important to the breathing process!!!

Thats it from....Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy........

No Nonsense Nutrition DVD