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!!!

09/30 DE Squat/DL Accessory

5 minute treadmill
EDT 10 Minute PR Zone
Pull Throughs 80x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5
Hanging Leg Raise BWx5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5

Nothing crazy, good sweat, thats it....now go do something.....

09/29 DE Squat/DL

SSB Speed Box Squat 215x8x2
Rack Pulls 315x1, 405x1, 455x1, 500x1, 525x3 545x3

Cut this one short and will do accessory work tomorrow. The rack pulls felt pretty good and had me gassed after the speed work with the SSB. I love that bar btw, definitely is making my low back stronger. Nothing too fancy here, jsut cranked it out quick so i could go fetch my kid from the sitter....anyway, l8r

09/28 ME Bench

Band Assisted Bench Press 185x5, 225x5, 275x3, 315x1, 365x1, 330x2x2, 340x3x2
CG 4BD Press 315x4x6
EDT 10 Min PR Zone
BB Rows (Pendalay)135x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5
Dips BWx5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5

Had a good night, re-introduced the band assisted Bench. I wasnt gonna do this movement as a ME based on the last couple of tries with it. I couldnt get the bands to set the same way each time i set up, so i wouldnt really know if i was making progress. Well being the ingenius fella i am i found a way to recreate the same band tension each and every time so i can actually track this as a ME movement. I put a bar over the top of the rack and didnt choke the bands. the bands just slide over the two bars and provides no tension at the top and around 50 at the bottom, it deloads fast right off the chest, hence the lower weights used as opposed to previous atttempts with this movement.....well anyway, since next week on ME Day i will be working my opener i figured to get a bit more volume in today, initlaly i jumped to 365 and probably shouldnt have, i got that weight but still should have hit a lower weight for reps considering this is my first week with this exercise. oh well hindsight right? The CG 4DB should have been heavier but i pussed out on them and started feeling like doody after the first exercise....next up was the EDT 10 thingy i am doing, this shit kicks your ass, gets your blood pumping, and makes you wanna pass out. Anybody interested in this thing called E.D.T (Escalating Density Training) can go to www.StaleyTrainingSystems.com or go visit t-nation and do a search on it. I took 20 sec rests between each supersetted pair, this ensured a nice painful 10 minute period....anyway, got 2 more weeks with this stuff in the fold, will let you all know what i think, who knows maybe im onto something here.....until next time Keep It Dark, Keep It Heavy!!!

09/27 ME Squat Accessory Work

5 Minutes on Treadmill

EDT 10 Minute PR Zone
KB Swingthrus (2 Hand) 53x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 (55 Total)
Ab Pulldowns 80x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 (55 Total)

Well this shit was not the most exciting stuff to do but it needed to get done. I think this incorporation of EDT protocol will help me to focus more on the accessory work that needs to get done for the supporting musculature. Right now i have a 6 week Meso-Cycle planned that will break down into two 3 week minicycles for this sort of thing. At that point i will evaluate whether or not i think it is worth keeping in....stay tuned for more on this ground breaking theory.....next up on the plate.....ME Bench-Movement TBD.....

09/26 ME Squat

Low Box Squat 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x2, 315x2, 365x1, 405x3x2
SLDL 135x8, 225x8, 275x2x8

This looks like an abbreviated workout but i had company for this one. One of my friends is possibly interested in coming to the darkside....this surpisingly took around 1 hour to complete. During the workout i showed him the correct way to box squat and only had him going to a 15" box. He actually had pretty decent form with all things considered. He is toying with the idea of catching the ME days at my place and continuing with his other efforts at his commercial gym. This dude has the body type to be a strong sob. I dont think he realized how much goes into getting stronger. Some people have different definitions of this, he seemed to be a bit lost as he was most likely inclined to doing 3 sets of 10 like the nimrod trainers at his gym most likely teach teach. To those boobs a 225lb bench is strong. In due time, with a bit of luck, i may beable to convert him....anyway, my lifts werent the most intense of all reps but i was definitely gassed after doing them and plan on finishing up the accessory work tonight. Talking in between sets made the actual reps harder as i was a bit out of breathe....oh well, there is always next week...until then, Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy.........

09/23 DE Squat & 09/24 DE Bench

09/23 DE Squat

DE SSB Box Low 205x8x3
Sumo Speed DL's 255x10x1
SSB GM w/Chains 115x3x8

Was short on time for this so i figured i would throw together a bunch of "Money Exercises", yup they worked , the next day my legs, lower back and posterior was shot. This workout took around 35 minutes to complete. There was no messing around, my lower back was pumped beyond belief by the end of it.....

09/24 DE Bench-Not Really

DB Bench Press 20x20, 40x20, 60x4x8
DB Tri Ext 20x10x10
Hammer Curls 20x10x10
DB Bent Rows 20x10x10

Kind of a weird night, i wanted to rest up my shoulder like i should have last week. took it really easy and decided to hit the groups with some volume. For all you math whizzes out there that is 100 reps for all three of the accessory stuff. I suppersetted each with 30-45 sec rest periods....needless to say this approach got a ton of blood into the area's and i had a pump like Arnold (Drummond from Different Strokes).....wasnt too motivated and went down just so i would feel like a complte slug....The DB Press felt good and were done with the biggest possible stretch i could achieve, a hold, then aDynamic press. I am also working on finding a different way to sleep, i normally sleep with my right arm over my head and in the morning my right shoulder hurts, go figure. So i have been trying to fall asleep in a different postions which in the last few days seems to have helped a bit......time will tell.........until next time, Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy!!!

09/21 ME Bench -Shirt Work

Bench Press 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x1, 315x1
Shirted 345x5x1, 365x1, 385x1
BW Dips 4x10

Well, i had an epiphany today. Decided to go with bench anyway as my shoulder seemed to be a bit better and didnt really hurt on the warm-ups. Put on the shirt and figured i would experiment with the thing. The following is a description of the attempts and what i found out with this thing:

1. 345x1 Collar High- No Pop out of the bottom, feels more like a RAW bench than it should.

2. 345x1 Collar Down 1/2"- More pop than the previous, but still nothing to write home to mom about.

3. 345x1 Collar Down 1"- Getting there, still having trouble with the set up.

4. 345x1 Collar Down around 1.5-2"- Got the pop i think im looking for but the set-up is still hokey.

5. 345x1 Collar Down, used a crappy Valeo Weight lifting Belt, Collar Down, .5" above nipples, shoulders covered, sleeves rolled up with a 1" Cuff -No Touch!!!! Have not had this happen since owning this shirt!!!

6. 365x1 Same Set-up as #5-I think i have arrived!!!, This was hard to touch and flew to lockout....

7. 385x1 Same Set-up as #5-Yep i think i figured this fucker out....Again slow to touch but flew to lockout...

First things first, i gotta get this sucker altered in the arms. I have always had slack by the elbow joint which i think has attributed itself to me having lockout problems, or that feeling of the shirt fighting me. By "Cuffing" The sleeves i was able to pull the shirt down to a legal level and utilize the shirt better. The Second thing is i gotta get me a thin belt for Benching. Up until last night on the last couple of set's i had been using my Forever LEver Belt @ 13mm thickness which was screwing my set up. I am by no means an arch type bencher but i do have a mini one, and i think this sucker was getting in the way. When i went to the Valeo belt i was much more comfortable in the set-up. It's gonna take a few more sessions in it to get to where i would like to be and get accustomed to the new set-up, but i think i am on the right track...I finished the workout up with Dips as i ran long with the shirt work, i will most likely hit the accessory work tomorrow....Well, here's to getting stronger.......

09/18 ME Squat

Free Squat 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x2, 315x1, 365x1, 405x1, 455x1, 405x2x2
SLDL 135x8, 185x8, 225x8, 275x8
AB Pulldowns 110x3x12
Mini Leg Curls 3x20

Felt pretty good tonight even though i only got about 3 collective hours of sleep last night, dont know what that was about. Guess i was happy the the Patriots won, who knows. This was just one of those workouts that i didnt feel like doing so i got in there and did it then went upstairs. Not much else to say really. I am scheduled for a ME Bench on Weds but may just do accessory work and DB Presses for high reps and give the shoulder a week, still undecided. Thats about it from my keyboard, until next time.....keep it greasy!!!

09/15 SE Bench

SE Bench 95x8, 135x8, 185x8, 225x4x8
Triceps Pushdown 80x4x8
Mini Band shoulder work

Took it fairly easy on the bench press tonight, my right shoulder got aggravated from thinking i was an NFL Quaterback the other day (Idiot!!!) Probably just my rotator cuff acting up from the sudden activity in that ROM...again Idiot!!!On the last set a bit of pain set in so i stopped there, went to triceps and decided my time would be better spent doing some shoulder work with a mini band. I did a bunch of crap for the girdle and didnt keep track of anything, just worked the area fully. I figure i will hit the upper back tomorrow as an accessory day, might throw in some shrugging which doesnt seem to be a ROM that hurts at all. Thank god it doesnt seem to be anything major, but it still pisses me off that my non-lifting life seems to screw with my lifting life, what am i trying to tell myself?......ahhh quit being a pussy and lift big you ass hole......later days willlie mays.......

09/13 The Big Three....Sort of...

Former Blogger Rick came over last night for a ME sort of session. I dont think either of us were quite feeling up to the task but shit happens. We Worked up to singles in the (Shirted) BP, DL and SSB High Box Squat (15").
The Bench press was up first. Neither of us have much experience in shirt work, i believe the correct term would be that We Suck, but with any luck we can get into these more often and figure out how they work. I wll say it was nice to have a lift of for the Bench, took some unnecessary stress off the shoulders. I worked up to a single at 315 RAW then squeezed unto my shirt, a Rage ( not the "x", maybe later). the first one i took was 330, hit that no problem, the second 365 again was no problem. Since i had someone there i decided to give it a go at 385. Off the chest i was fast but stalled around the 2 board range. At that point it felt like the shirt was fighting against me and i hit a brick wall. Not aure what the deal is as i just hit 405 in the 2 board last week, then again maybe that is it and my CNS just wasnt having it that night. Regardless, this seems to be a recurring theme with this shirt thing, so i will have to read a bunch more and work the shirt more. Enough about bench.
Next up was the Deadlift. As any of you who have read my blog knows, i pulled a groin both before and during my last meet. The result has been poor speed off the ground. The shit part is this use to be my best part of this lift. Oh well, after warming up the bar got loaded to 405, i went with a single on this one and thought i was in trouble, the shit moved way to slow to lockout. i stayed the course and went to 455 for my second work set, again slow as all hell....fuck.....what was gonna be my final attempt was 505, i hit that surprisingly well, although slow like molasses, but all in all it felt fairly strong. I took a few minutes rest then put 525, this by the way was gonna be my final attempt at my last meet had i not pulled my groin on the first attempt,. Well, anyway, i pulled the sucker to just sbove the knees and hit the wall, i ended up getting it to lockout but this would most defnitely have been redlighted, although i did see a chick hitch worse than this at a meet and get the state record, go figure....
Originally we had only planned on doing push/pull but Rick has never tried a Saftey Squat Bar and was a bit curious. Probably after having heard me rant about it on my blog. I ended up working up to a very ugly 435 from the 15" box, Quite happy as the week before i hit 425.... up out of the hole i lost my concentration as i remembered i had my DL'ing shoes on and not my chucks, i was very lucky i didnt hurt my back, but who cares, 435lbs fell....
All in all it was a good seesion. It was kind of nice to lift with someone after not having done so for over 7 years (bear in mind i had a 6 year hiatus from the iron). The other thing i realized is it has now been 1 year since i started powerlifting again, damned that flew....i am honestly quit happy with my progress so far and and cant to see where i am in another year, a master's or Elite total in the 198 would be nice....time will tell...until next time, Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy!!!!

Oh yeah, if anybody is interested, Rick and Myself have started a forum at the following address:

http://nebarbell.proboards56.com/index.cgi

09/07 ME Bench

2 Bd Press 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x2, 315x1, 365x1, 395x1PR, 405x1PR, 365x2
BB Ext w/Chains 95x4x8
DB CSR 45x3x10
Hammer Curl/OHP 45x4x6

Needless to say i was quite happy with tonight. I hit a 20lb PR on a movement i had originally planned on doing volume work with. The 395 was my original goal after deciding to see what i could do, but it went pretty easy so i figured why leave one in the tank? The unracking was the shittiest part of this movement. If i had a spotter i could probably have added a few more pounds, doing it yourself doubles the set-up time and takes away from your form big time, but i digress....the 405 went up rather easy even with my lower back cramping (still sore from ME Squats and Weighted incline treadmill walk) so things are looking good in my training thus far. The rest is pretty much the same as last week.
This week is the last week for these movements, its been 3 weeks, now i will move on. I will move to a Full-Range Benching movement for the ME, and partial movements for the triceps work for the next mini cycle, who knows on the back and shoulders, will most likely figure those out when i get down there.
I am still planning on doing the Bench contest in Oct, so that should be fun. For that i will be using a lift off to save energy and hopefully preserve my form.
Once, i had somebody pull my finger, that was a bad idea......Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy!!!!

09/05 ME Squat

SSB High Box Squat 115x5, 155x3, 245x3, 295x3, 345x3, 385x2, 405x2, 425x1
Speed Deadlifts 255x10x1
Pull Through 130x3x10
Ab Pulldown 100x3x15

Probably should have skipped tonight, had a massive headache that only got compounded by the SSB, which builds up enough pressure to give you a headache on its own much less starting out with one. Still it was one of those nights where you finish and your glad you didnt cheese out. I was a bit pissed as i wanted to go heavier, but with just this weight i felt as though i was going to pass out, also the reason for not doing triples. I believe that had i done triples i would have passed out, as it was i had to sit for a good minute after the final reps were done just to recover and stand up without feeling like falling over. The Speed Deads were no better for my head than the squats, i performed these with 20 second rests between. These were primarily used for form work. I really concentrated on grabbing the bar and sinking the hips (essentially pulling myself down if you will) then with one concerted effort i would reverse all the force and pull as fast and hard as i could. Seemed to work pretty good, the pop off the floor is suspect at this point, but that may be a psychological issue. Will work on that too....Pull Throughs sucked as i was ready to quit after the squats and i dont even want to talk about AB's...Fucking necessary evils i guess.....well here's to getting stronger!!!!



Oh yeah, R.I.P Steve Irwin-Done in by a fucking Sting-Ray, seriously.......

09/03 DE Bench

DE Bench w/Mini's 155x9x3
BB Ext's W/Chains 95x4x8
Rev-Grip Pull Down 130x4x8
KB Swing Comlex (side/front) 33x4x8

Nothing too exciting, felt sore as shit the next day though.....Bands beat the shit out of you.......

08/31 DE Squat

DE Box Squat w/ Avg Bands 225x8x2
Rev Hypers w/Mini's 4x8
Mini Leg Curls 4x20
Ab Wheel 4x15

Yadda yadda.....Boring

08/30 ME Bench

2 Board Press 175x5, 225x3, 245x2, 275x1, 315x1, 345x4x3
Seated BB Ext w/Chains 95x4x8
CSR DB 40x3x10
Hammer Curl/OHP 40x4x6

Alright night, was expecting to feel better doing this workout. I got kind of sluggish as i ate dinner a bit later than normal and hadnt allowed for proper time to digest. Oh Well, the 2 boards were pretty good considering the sluggish mood i got into and the rest was kind of ho-hum......Sometimes work just gets in the way of training, this morning at about 10:30 i was all psyched to lift but alas i had calls to answer......bummer!!!

08/28 ME Squat

SSB High Box Squat 115x5, 155x5, 245x5, 295x3, 335x3, 400x3x3
3" deficit Sumo DL against Mini's 225x4x4
Ab Pulldown 130x3x8
Pull Throughs 130x3x8

This SSB is a love/hate sort of thing. While i love the fact that it is strengthening my posterior, i hate doing them as they make your head feel like its gonna pop off, very similar to the first time i used a bench shirt. I set the box so it was about 1" above parallel so it was a bit higher than the low box squat variety(3 inches approx), so it was a bit easier but not much. Pretty much the spot in the squat where i am coming out of the hole and tend to lean forward a bit. So this in itself should help to remedy that issue. Next up was the DL's against Mini's, i was huffin by the end of these and reset on each set to try and work the explosion off the floor. The depth really enabled me to get a good stretch in the bottom position. The good thing is the groin didnt hurt at all, the pop from the floor seemed to be a bit better. I guess time will tell when i get a maximal load on the bar. The band tension isnt quite the same, actually a bit harder, so things look promising. The pull downs were a bit sloppy and i plan on dropping the weight a bit next time, form was a bit on the crrap side. Pull Throughs were re-introduced to my hamstrings dismay, i almost forgot about this movement, she'll be on board for the next couple of weeks.
All in all training is going pretty well, i seem to be recovering well from my meet injuries. Also since incorporation of the foam roller my lower back tightness is all but gone, not too bad for a piece of foam and PVC. I am planning on doing a Bench only meet on October 7th here in Manchester in the APF. The author of Rawpowerlift blog is scheduled to participate as well so it will be fun to compete with a fellow blogger. The sweet part is there is a Hooter's attached to the hotel so guess whats going on after? There will be no peaking cycle for this, just gonna do it for fun and gain some more experience. Should be looking to hit another meet in the November time frame either in New Hampshire or Maine. Still deciding, it looks as though i will be jumping ship to the APF from the APA, although there is an annual meet in Keene NH for the APA that i will most likely hit in February. Given my past experience i think i will pass on the Maine APA meet in Novemeber and try another federation on for size. Plus the APF seems to have alot more meets in the local area so that is a bonus.......well thats about it from here, as always, Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy!!!

08/26 SE Bench

SE Bench Press 135x5, 185x3, 225x3, 245x3, 275x4x6
DB Tricep Ext (Paused) 35x4x12
Rev Grip Pull Down 130x4x8
Mini Delta Presses (choked on feet) 3x12

Pretty good day, went out go-karting all day and shot some mini golf before-hand. The Bench press felt pretty good, all were done slow and controlled. I was quite happy with all sets and reps. The Extensions were surprisingly painful at the end of the sets, i had planned on going heavier but the DB's were already loaded at this weight so i left them at that, had the pump going on....the rest was pretty normal stuff, got really pumped on the delta-presses as i decided to choked them off to add tension. This is the last week for this movement but i will definitely do them again in the future, the shoulder girdle gets pumped beyond belief but after the pump the shoulders feel "healthy".....good chit man.....thats about it from here, wishing you all the best in your strength achievements, ciao!!!.........

08/24 SE Squat

Free Squat 135x8, 185x5, 225x5, 275x3, 315x2, 365x1, 405x1, 425x1
Rev Hyper w/Minis 4x8 (Ugh!)
Laying Mini Leg Curls 3x20
Ab Wheel 3x15

Tonight wasnt really a traditional SE Day for me as i was pretty much messing around with my form. I think i figured out one of my big problems with this one, that being too damned slow on my descent. After watching numerous videos of Brian Siders, Kirk Karwoski, Ed Coan and a bunch of other PL'ing greats i had my epiphany. I was sooo damned worried about form and really concentrating on arching, knees out yadda yadda that i was still thinking of them on the way down and slowing myself and doing a tempo of about 4 to 1, with no gear on. Basically it was like trying to find depth with a really tight suit, but RAW......fucking dip-turd!!! Needless to say i was a bit bummed that i just had a ME Squat day this week as it would have been nice to really crank some out with this new found knowledge, but soon enough my pretty!!! I think i had an epiphany (word of the day) for the DL but i will verify this before i go blurt it out...All in all it was a good night, i changed it up a bit on the Rev Hper and rigged it up for mini's, these sum-bitches hurt like hell as there was absolutely no let up in the strength curve, my lowe back pumped up but not likeit used to (thank you foam roller!!) Then came the Leg Curls and Ab Wheel, two of the most intense movements a Powerlifter can do, the mere image of the ab wheel conjures up images of 1000lbs resting on my back, the ability to leap small buildings in a single bound, Tony Little after 1 hr on the Gazelle, Richards Simmons Sweating to the oldies!!!! Aggghhhhhh........Insanity!!!!!




Now Good Day Sir

08/23 ME Bench

2 Bd Press 185x5, 225x5, 275x3, 315x3, 335x4x3
Seated Triceps BB Ext w/Chains 95x4x8
CSR 45x4x8
Hammer Curl/OHP 45x4x8

Forgot to post this the other day so i dont have much to say except i am very sore today, after the 2 bd stuff i messed around with some full range Bench Press assisted with various band tensions. I left the bar weight at 335, lost track and didnt write any of it down, basically killed time....my Triceps were pretty sore today as well the shoulders so i guess something went right......onto the next post SE Squat which i just finished.

08/21 ME Squat.....De-Load Done

SSB Low Box Squat 115x5, 155x5, 205x3, 245x2, 295x1, 335x4,4,3,3(ugh)
Depth Pull (Conventional) w/Mini's 225x4x3
Wood Chops 30x4x12
SL KB Swing's 33x4x12

Had a bit of a deload to get my ME days back on Mon and Tues. I get too many variables on the weekend to screw up my ME days, especially with football coming up. This was the last week of SSB Low Box squat and i will bring the height up to around 1-2 inchess above parallel for 3 weeks before another deload. The first two sets of 4 were bitches as this bar makes your head feel like it is gonna pop off. I started getting sick to my stomach by the 4th set, good stuff. Cant wait to see the effect after this next mini-cycle. The Depth Pulls were bitches and i was still feeling sickly on these but gutted them out even though i hate conventional pulling, and from 3 inches depth to boot. I guess i am punishing myself for something. Will probably rotate a DL variation in two week shifts for a bit and see what happens. So far i dont feel overtrained so i will keep an eye on that, the intensity isnt too bad so that should keep it in check. Wood Chops and SL KB Swings, whoop-dee doo-doo.....Deload Done, back into it, next up on the plate is ME Bench, ahhh.....to be back in the swing of it......l8r

08/15 DE Bench

Speed Bench w/Mini's 145x4x3 155x4x3
Triceps crrrap.....
DB Rows 90x4x8
DeltaPress with Mini's 3x10

Speed bench was fun, i always like pressing against the bands. It gives you a good pump and really makes it feel like your accomplishing something on this much loathed day. Triceps i did a bunch of crap, i watched the Bench Press index to try and "get" the JM Press and basically said fuck it after Jim Wendler said "if you cant get this exercise to feel in the triceps, or you cant make this movement work for you then ditch it and find something you know works, dont waste time learning a movement for the sake of learning it" so thats what i did and ended up doing a million band pushdowns with my average bands. I tried the JM Press with the SSB as well per Paul Childress but me being a stumpy sort of fella my ROM was around 4 inches, just not worth doing.....oh well.....DB Rows are on their 2nd week and im still digging them so they'll stay for another week or two....These DeltaPresses (which im not sure but i think i may have created the name and possibly the movement, if not someone please let me know so i dont walk around with a false sense of pride, whatever) for these suckers i just choked a couple mini bands around my feet and did a side lateral raise and when i got to the top i brought it down into a super deep shoulder press. This compounded movement got a shit load of blood flowing into the shoulder girdle and made it hard for me to take off my tank top post workout to show off my muscle's to the ladies. Very effective movement that i will implement more of......thats it for that night next up will be DE Squat against Mini's......Keep It Dark, Keep It Heavy!!!

08/14 ME Squat

SSB Box Squat 115x8, 155x5, 205x3, 245x3, 295x3, 335x3x3
Rack Pull 455x3x5
Wood Chops with Mini's 3x12
KB SL Swings (outside of legs) 33x3x10

This was a most excellent workout. The SSB kicked my ass yet again, but i did feel stronger with it. It kinda hurt to do these as my neck (and Body) was still sore from thrashing around the other night at my gig. I went nuts on stage and always pay the price the following few days....fun stuff though, the gig went extremely well and my bass was sounding like the Voice of Doom!!! Anyway, this is a powerlifting blog right? So anyway, i figure to leave in the SSB for a bit longer but will vary the box height. I will go one more week with the current height, deload for a week, then bring it up above parallel and go for another 3 week phase before going back to the straight bar. I'm hoping to see the results that i read most people get with this thing which will obviously be a bigger squat but also a bigger DL. On a side note the rack pulls were all easy until the last rep of each set, then i was gassed and my lower back would get pumped like a 5 dollar hooker. All around it was a good session and lasted a mere 50 minutes, probably the reason for the lower back pump, when i move fast like this that generally tends to happen...so that about wraps it up, nobody like to hear about abs or hamstrings when it involves girly weights.....until next time, Eat Prunes and be a regular guy!!!

08/10 ME Bench

Floor Press 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 245x2, 285x4x3
SSB Tricep Extensions 125x4x8
Pull Ups BWx6, +10lbsx3x5
Hammer Curl to Over Head Press 45x3x10

I did not feel like dong this workout tonight but had to. I have rehearsal on Friday for a Charity gig on Saturday.....good shit man.......Anyway, onto the workout. Since i went a day early i wasnt fully healed, i believe my Floor Press suffered. I had originally wanted to go up to 290 and do triples but knew damned well at 245 this wasnt going to happen, so i went with 285 and grinded those fuckers out. These still suck and i will probably hate this movement forever....The SSB's ext's were killer again and had my triceps burning, i will do these for one more week before moving on to another exercise. This was the last week for Pull-Ups, yet another exercise i really hate doing. I think i am finding a common theme here, exercises i suck at i hate.....Hmmm.....Deep.....like a mud puddle....on to the last movement, a little gem i picked up from Charles Staley, strength coach extrordinaire....the Hammer Curl to Overhead Press, slap these onto the end of your bench workout and tell me how your shoulders feel...this will stay in for the next two sessions before moving on....poretty much thats about it, my next workout will be ME Squat with the SSB.....i wont get my hopes up too much as this will be the day after my gig and i will most likely be a bit hung over....guess we'll see....thats it for now, so from my corner of the orld to yours, Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy.......

08/09 SE Squat

SE Box Squat 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 365x5x3
SSB GMs 155x3x8
Single KB Swing Throughs 33x3x15
Foam Roller....ugh

Pretty good night, got a good sweat on. As i type this my Hamstrings are killing me from the GM's, definitely a good addition to the tool box was that SSB. The squats were alright but my groin was acting up a bit, not sure why, i dont remember tweaking it at all but whatever. That foam roller is spawn of the devil i tell you. I knew i was tight through the hips and shit, but this friggin thing kills me, i sweat as much rolling around on the floor with this thing as i did actually working out...Crazy shit man.....anyway short synopsis as this work out was done a few days ago and i dont quite remember what i was thinking then.......on to the next post.....

08/07 SE Bench & Foam Roller Review

SE Bench Press 135x5, 185x3, 225x3, 245x3, 275x3, 295x4x3
4 BD Press 345x5x5
DB Row 80x3x12
KB Upright Row 63x3x10

Another decent night, shoulder is feeling a bit better. This workout was made a bit more difficult due to the lingering DOMS caused from the SSB. The foam roller helped a bit with that though, more on that later. I worked up to 295lbs (Approx 80% of Last 1RM). Reps were fast and controlled, i was actually quite happy with how the shoulder felt and feel i am on the mend. The 4 BD Press was again nice and controlled, probably should have upped the weight a bit as this was kinda light for this movement, but there again i want my shoulder to heal properly....check the ego at the door Boob!!! DB rows have been on extended Hiatus and brought a nice change up to the workout, and KB's.....ahh whatever....Onto to the Foam Roller, this sucker is just as they bill it. I only did the thing for like 15 minutes while watching TV before i worked out, but i felt incredibly loose compared to normal. My low back tightness from the previous days endeavor went away and left me feeling quite limber, like a ballerina poised for a curtsy, or a figure skater ready to perform a triple lutz.....what the fuck was that? I think somebody hijacked my keyboard for a second, i dont watch either of those sports and no i do not approve of leotards as leisure-wear......geez.....anyway, back to reality.....this sucker is pretty cool and i am glad i bought it. I had been skeptical but read on a few boards about how well they work and so far, so good....thats it for now, and to quote the great radio personality Casey Kasem "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching up Bra's"

ME Squat-SSB is here!!

SSB Box Squat (11"Box) 115x5, 155x5, 205x3, 245x3, 295x3, 335x3x2
Rack Pull 405x3x5
Ab Pull Down 100x3x15
Mini Leg Curls 3x20

All is what i can say is holy shit, this bar sucks!!! (in a gonna-make-u-stonger sort of way) I will liken this bar to the Floor Press, i dont like it, but i know it will get me there. I felt like my head was gonna pop off from all the pressure and as i sit here and type my neck and traps are sore as hell from pushing back. I was pretty confident i would be able to go with more weight until around 245 where it started feeling like i was gonna get decapitated. My legs could have easily handled more but my lower back and upper back werent up to snuff. This bar will most definitely deliver on its claims to strengthen your arches as the weight is constantly trying to throw you forward. If you dont arch hard with this bar your gonna end up doing a GM with poor form.....On to the rest of the workout, The rack pulls could have been heavier and i will do so next week, didnt wanna overdo it as i was unsure how my body would handle the new movement of the SSB (see end of post for post workout CNS response) By the end of those i was quite tapped and finished up with some light Ab's and Leg Curls.
So, my post workout response to this new bar was i went upstairs and passed out on the couch, i literally fell asleep on the couch from exhaustion. Pretty weird stuff that i have never had happen before. I awoke to my son, who apparently just woke up from his nap, tapping me on the head asking for apple juice. Thus i rose from my slumber and fetched the young lad a drink. The End.

08/04 ME Bench

Floor Press 275x5x3
SSB Triceps Ext 115x4x8
Pull Ups Bwx6, BW+15lbsx4x4
KB Side Swings 33x4x8

Decent day, i dont generally lift that well at 3 in the afternoon and this 80% felt more like 95% of my max on this movement. God i hate Floor Presses!!! All reps had a 2-3 sec pause at the bottom and shot up like cold molasses, did i mention i hate floor presses? The SSB Ext's were new obviously because i just got this bar yesterday and had to use it for something. Thanks to Paul Childress for this gem of an exercise... somehow the load gets placed differently than a standard bar and the guns ballooned to 18's i swear.....the fuckers hurt and the skin felt like bursting, hell the weight wasnt anything to write home to mom about, what up with that shit?......the pull up sucked as my left bicep got tweaked during preparation for lifting (i lifted a loaded bar and curled it to the rack without being warmed up, Nimrod!!!) By the time i got to KB's i was sapped, its still humid in the basement and all motivation seems to leave my body after the first two movements, but then i thought about my one true inspiration, Benji, and i perservered.....i mean really, there you have a friggin mutt of a dog saving lives when the chips were down, what more could you ask for? Fucking Lassie had a network of support, what did Benji have? a bad case of fleas and diarrhea from eating garbage, Rock On Benji!!!!

08/02 DE Squat

DE Box Squat 225x4x3 235x4x3
Rev Hyper 60x3x10
SuperSetted 30 sec's rest
SLDL 185x5x5
AB Wheel 5x5

Holy Shit is it hot up here, broke 101 degrees earlier and seems hotter now. needless to say it was a draining workout that lasted a whopping 35 minutes. I was sucking wind by the end but overall felt pretty good. Speed was good. The rev hypers kicked my arse as i havent done them in awhile. I supersetted the SLDL with the ab wheel and thought i was going to pass out by the end. I would perform the two back to back then rest 30 sec then go back to back again etc....I felt these puppies in the lungs, felt like that 350lb fat chick i had a few years ago sittin on my chest......ugh......anyway, back to reality, got to get them planes flying........

07/31 DE Bench

Speed Bench 175x4x3, 185x4x3
4 Board Press (CG) 315x8,6,8,6
BB Rows to Upper Chest 135x12, 165x10, 175x8
Supersetted
KB Upright 53x3x10
Mini Pull aparts 3x10

Almost skipped this workout, got some kind of head cold, probably from the travelling, lack of sleep, CNS is working overtime........After i got down there i felt much better. Again, DE arent much fun to write about, or probably read about for that matter so on that note i will end it...from my piece of the universe to yours, be weary of the traveller with finger extended asking if thou wouldst pull thy digit!!!!

07/29 Back from Cali, 3 Lifts Day

Squat worked up to 435x1
Bench worked up to 315x1
Deadlift (conventional) worked up to 425x1
Clean/High Pull 135x4x6

Duration (60 Minutes)

Since i havent been able to work out for the week i figured i would do all three lifts in one session and sort of reset. This California Trip got thrown together at the last second and was unexpected. A Total trip from hell but you gotta do what you gotta do.
None of these lifts were ME's, just wanted to squeeze all lifts into the 1 hour i had to train in. Tomorrow is my sons b-day so no training then either.......i got pretty drained by the end of this and probably sweat 5 lbs off, holy crap it was hot.....anyway, thats about it for now, time to go man the BBQ, cook some Meat and drink some beer!!!!.....later days willie mays.........

07/24 ME Bench

Floor Press 265x5x3
DB Tricep Ext 45x4x8
Pull-Ups 4x6
Blast Strap Push-Ups 3x10
Seated DB Powercleans 3x15

For a ME night i took it easy, since i dont have anything coming up too soon i figured i would go with super slow, paused reps with a decent enough weight (80%)to get some work in. These Floor Press were bitches and i hate them, but, i swore i would give them a chance and keep them in for a training cycle to see what happens. Just because i hate an exercise doesnt mean it wont work for me........the rest was Ho-Hum, extremely short breaks on all movements, 30-45 sec's so i was sweating my ass off......Think Rick Hussey doing "Sweatin to the Oldies" by his idol Mr. Richard Simmons...probably lost around 3 lbs in water alone......Well i will be travelling to California later today so my next workout will be on Friday, i get back Thursday but will probably be a bit drunk from the Airport bar where i will spend my long layover.........Woo-Hoo, Three Cheers for Beers!!!!

07/23 DE Squat

DE Box Squat 225x8x3
Rack Pulls 315x3x5
Avg Band Oblique
Ab Pull-Down
Lying Mini-Band Leg Curl

Good Night, shit was fast. Lower back was a bit tight but other than than, just easing back into it. Groin felt good, a bit tender but nothing too bad. Should be fine in a week. Not much else to report,.....l8r

07/21 DE Bench-Back to Work

Speed Bench 175x8x3
Close Grip 4 Board Press 275x6, 315x4x6
BB Bent Row (Mid Chest)135x12, 175x10, 185x8
Mini Band Pull-Aparts 3x15

Felt good to get back into the basement, i am going to take it easy for the next couple of weeks and let everything heal properly. My focus on this next block of training will be to really push the training poundages in the broadest sense by adding in SE work every other week instead of speed work. I feel i still need the speed work as i am still a novice lifter and must train the body to fire correctly when asked to do so. I personally feel this approach will be good for me as it will give me more time under heavier weights with the big three. Here is the basic scheme:




Like i said, its good to be back training and i am looking forward to competing again. Training seems a bit more fun when you have a concrete goal in mind, so on that note.....whats your goal?

07/15 Meet Results

BW: 196lbs
198 Open Division

Bench Press
1st-330lbs went easy
2nd-350 blew it up, Missed the rack comand
3rd-350 Missed Out of groove, see paragraph

Deadlift
1st-425 Slipped on platform, still got it, re-injured myself, altered 2nd and 3rd
2nd-450
3rd-475

Well for a first meet it wasnt the greatest. First of all the gym was about 100 degrees and humid as all hell, no Air Conditioning. Talk about being tapped for energy. The meet ran for around 9 hrs, definitely not the smoothest thing in the world. I got there at 8:30am and was told the meet would start promptly at 9:00am, that turned into 10:00. There were six flights of ten lifters on the bench press, i ended up 2nd to last in the 6th flight, so i ended up lifting at around 1:30 in the afternoon. I would have thought that they would have had the Bench Only people go separate but that was not the case, everyone was intermingled, for the deadlift as well. Deadlift didnt start until around 3:30. Strict curl was in between the Bench Press and Deadlift. So any way the following are the breakdowns:

Bench Press
1st attempt went up easily and i was really happy with this as i felt like i had no strength at all, the warm-ups felt heavy. All in all i was happy and felt confident for the next two.
2nd attempt i blew it up easy but got all squirrely and beat the rack command, Idiot!!! I firgured i would take it again, wasnt 100% sure i could increase it anyway.
3rd went bad from the start, i screwed up my set-up and had a hard time unracking the bar (more on that in the lessons learned segment of this long ass post) I touched the bar too low on my chest and got out of my groove and had to muscle it back, got it to the top and had the left side locked out but the right side was contricted by the shirt, struggled with for what i was told was the longest fight of the day....had to let em take it after i figured out i couldnt get it.

Deadlift
1st attempt was a disaster. Apparently they wiped off the platform after the lofter ahead of me and the friggin thing was still damp. Wasnt really paying too much attention to it, thought i had good footing. I pulled the bar about aninch off the floor and my right leg slipped and caused me to drop the bar. This little incident re-injured my just healed groin. They stopped the meet and asked me if i wanted to continue, at first i said no but then said fuck it, i aint traveling all this distance to go out like a bitch!!! After a few minutes i reapproached the bar and got the 425, though i knew my chance of hitting 510-525 were gone as i lost all power off the floor, after that it was pretty much all lower back baby.
2nd attempt was supposed to be 475 but i settled for 450 at wasnt really sure if i would be able to hit it, got it to my surprise...
3rd attempt i decided to try 475, really thought i would miss this sucker as the platform seemed to be superglued to the bar, by this time the friggin humidity and heat was catching up to me, i end up getting the 475 with a bit of room to spare....better than nothing.

I end up 2nd in my division and got some cheesy trophy, gotta get something for your money i guess. But all in all i learned quite a bit about competing and myself when faced with adversity, below is a list of things i learned and will apply in the future, in no certain order:

1. i will take a lift-off in the bench, i wasted alot of energy in this area.

2. re-adjust the height of the rack pins that i bench out of as they are currently around 4-5 inches higher than a competition bench.

3. will not compete in the summer months in a gymnasium without AC, it was like lifting in a sauna and i think you can all imagine how that feels

4. verify the order of operations. i.e what is the order of comp.....that day it went bench press (all), strict curl, Deadlift(all)

5. will seek assistance to get my shirt on, or bring someone with me

6. check the platform every time i DL from here on out, that was a friggin nightmare and never should have happened, but such is life.

7. will chalk my shoes before all DL/Squat attempts

8. bring plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, i brought a ton of gatorade and water as well as food and am positive that had i not stayed hydrated and fueled i never would have made it through this day, humid or otherwise. Fuel is paramount!!!

9. remember to stay calm and listen to the commands

10. pay close attention to the size of the flights and the length of time each takes to complete

11. im sure theres about a million more but my pizza arrived and i am friggin starving....so the final bit of advice is this.....Get Stronger!!!


Later......

07/09 No Posts for the Week

I wont be posting any of my workouts this week. They will only consist of Very light Accessory work and wont be worth posting anyway. I will post my results after the meet.....until Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy!!!

07/05 DL Opener

Deadlift 135x5, 225x3, 315x1, 365x1, 420x2x1-Once with Squat suit
Rev Hypers 60x4x8
AB Wheel 3x15-No PR's on this Day
GHR w/Avg Band 3x8

Decided to work up to my opener and my warm-up approach and see how everything is, again no pain so that is good, but still not much pop either, not so good. i slapped on my loose squat suit to try and remedy that and did one, but i just dont like the postition this puts me into. My hips end up a bit higher than without the suit and im all bent over. So no suit for the meet. I figure my attempts to go like this 410 opener, 460-475 2nd, 510-525 final. All dependant on how i feel come saturday. The rest of the workout was just the boring support work, nothing too fancy...thats it for now, adios amigos............

07/04 SE Bench

Bench Press 135x5, 185x3, 225x3, 280x4x5
KB Ext 58x8,6
DB Ext 45x3x8
One Arm Cable Row 55x2x(8x8)
Rear Delt Raise 25x2x(8x8)

Everything felt good until the KB Ext where i started getting elbow pain on the second set and swapped to DB's. The Bench was pretty easy, i held back from doing another set to stay within SE parameters. Like i said, the KB ext's brought a bit of pain on the second set so i swapped. I think in the future i will go with a lighter weight and higher reps, its an awkward movement to begin with so im not quite sure what i was thinking. The Cable rows and Delts were done in a different fashion than i normally do, basically after a set with my right side i go immediately into the left side and back to the right with no rest between, by the end of these i was sucking wind pretty good. All in all i felt pretty good after this one, after some ice and Aleve the elbow pain is gone so that is good, just gotta use my noggin next time....anyway, thats all folks, tune in next time for DE Squat with a DL opener...........l8r

07/02 ME Squat-PR on the AB Wheel!!!

High Box Squats 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x3, 315x2, 365x1, 405x1, 455x1
Speed DL's 255x8x1
KB Swing thru 73x3x12
AB Crap....

Took it easy again, wanted to get in at least one heavy set but didnt want to push it and allow for what i hope will be full recovery in time for my meet The Fee's are paid and my cards in the mail, no turning back Gus. ANyway, I am still lacking pop, both in the hole and off the floor, but have absolutely no pain now. Generally, after i would pull, didnt matter what the weight, after i put the weight down and went to step away my groin would kill. Thats gone now (fingers crossed).
The AB Wheel was intense, you wanna talk about power, well let me tell you...the first rep was a grind, then came #2...the sauce crack was in full swing and threatening to turn into ball soup when rep 3 came to town and caused an outbreak of swamp ass and then....alright alright enough of this nonsense....the post was just too boring to type and my ADD just had to rear its ugly head...thats it for now.....Happy 4th of July everyone, raise ye cups and have some brew!!!

06/30 Opener Work in Shirt

Bench (RAW Warm-Up) 135x5, 185x3, 225x3, 275x2, 315x2
Bench Shirted 335x3x2, 335x1 (Super Long Pause), 355x1
Rope Pushdowns 75x4x8
Skipped rest due to tender Bicep incurred while wrestling with my son...that little shit!!!

Worked my opening weight tonight, i figure to open with 330 but knowing full well that a different weight set is going to feel heavier than mine i went 5 lbs heavier for insurance. Never fails, if i go somewhere else and lift, the weight always seem heavier than my basement...except that one time, at band camp....cut tonights workout short and will finish it up tomorrow, i was wrestling with my kid when he pulled a cheap shot and jump off the couch onto my left arm and did something to it,...never trust a 4 year old, you take your eyes off them one sec and BAM, lights out Sonny Jim!!! Guess it aint as bad as my buddy though, he was telling me once how his son jumped off the couch when he wasnt expecting it and hit him in the face and broke his nose, blood erverywhere and the kid laughed his ass off....guess i got off easy........

06/29 DE Squat

Speed Box Squat 255x8x3
Rev Hyper 60x3x8
Ab Crap
GHR 3x8

Boring......

06/27 DE Bench

Speed Bench w/Bands & Chains 145x4x3, 155x4x3
4 BD Press 315x3, 365x5x4
One Arm Cable Rows 50x4x12 (No Rest Between sets)
Rear Delt Raise 20x3x15

Yet another hot day in the basement, but it went well so i cant complain. Like Jon said at least i dont have to worry too much about warming up.
This was the last week of Speed Work with chains or bands, its straight weight from here on out which should allow for complete healing and recuperation between now and meet time. Next Week i will take my opener and figure out where i am at, tentatively i am planning on opening with 330, again this will be dependant on next week, two weeks ago this weight seemed really easy and im hoping with the form work (feet out in front of me more) will help, it seems to be. For a while there i was getting caught up in trying to get them as far back under me as possible and it was compromising any leg drive i did acquire. As i remember back when i started making alot of progress on bench i was doing it more like i am now, i had to revisit a few articles to reinforce this for me.
I was just thinking today that time is flying and didnt quite realize i am this close to the meet. Am pretty excited to get it over with, though i wished i could have done a full power meet this time around i will have to wait until november, though i think i may have read on John Macdonalds blog that there is an APA Full Power Meet in CT somewhere in september which i may hit instead of the one in November. Given my new situation with expecting a 2nd child i think that time frame may work better but we shall see......anyway, thats it from here, didnt talk too much about the actual session but there's a reason for that, it just wasnt all that exciting.....well take it easy.....l8r

SE Squats/DL's

Free Squat 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x2, 315x1, 365x1, 405x4x2
Speed DL 290x8x1
KB Swing-Thru 73x3x10
Ab Pull Down 100x3x12

Tonight was supposed to be a ME Squat Movement but given my recent history i took it easy and did more of a SE type workout just to be safe. The squats felt nice, still lacking pop out of the hole but that will come back. The Speed DL's felt alright, nothing too big top report there, just worked the form with what explosiveness i have left. Not much else to report other than it was humid as hell and i must have lost abot 5 lbs of water weight, this weather friggin sucks.....On to DE Bench.....l8r

06/23 ME Bench

2 BD Press 185x5, 225x3, 280x2, 315x1, 340x1, 385x1PR 350x2x2
Rope Pushdowns 70x4x8
Lat Pulldowns 130x3x8
KB Armbars 43x2x3 (15 sec holds)

Took it easy today given all the recenet issues with my shoulder and shit, was actually thinking of going for another PR but held back (actuallyy listened to myself for once) The good thing is my shoulder didnt hurt at all after the 2 BD, granted most of the pain before was when doing a front raise type of motion. I rediscovered why i hate Rope Pushdowns, they hurt!! but in a good way. The pulldowns were alright, the loading probably should have been higher but what can you do, and the Armbars are bitches now that i know how to do them correctly. The holding is the key on these, before i wouldnt hold them wuite long enough and i made it mostly a delt movement which is opening a way for injury to creep in, once you get the form on these down they are a great movement for the shoulder and supposedly great for recuperative purposes as well, maybe thats why the pain has been subsiding....who knows....thats it for now, tonight i got ME Squat as i was feeling sick yesterday (Sunday), kept getting hot and cold flashes all day long and spent the day on the couch, feeling better today so we'll see, i may squat into chains today not sure.....well thats it for now.....l8r

06/21 SE Squat

11" Box Squat (Form Work) 135x5, 185x3, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 365x3
Free Squat (Form Work) 365xbunch of singles, lost count, then finished with 315x3x3
Rev Hyper 50x4x8
Ab Crap
Leg Curls

Decided at the last second to do some form work and see how the groin-a-roo felt in the hole. Very similar to the DL where i have apparently lost alot of pop out of there, this shit sucks!!! Pretty boring workout really then again form work usually is, its always the same, stay tight, keep arched, elbows forward, etc...so on that note, adios amigos................

06/19 DE Bench

Speed Bench w/Bands & Chains 145x8x3
4 Board Press 315x5, 365x3x5
KB Rows w/Mini's 73x3x8
KB Front Swing 33x3x12

Shoulder felt much better tonight. I skipped my ME Bench from the other day to rest up a bit and did some pathetic pulling on Sunday that is not worth mentioning other than this, my attempts at the meet will be below what i was expecting, probably less than what i started the training cycle with. No big whoop, will just make it easier to beat the numbers next time around. The 4 Board Press i took it a bit easy as i did not want to aggravate my shoulder, good news, i didnt....KB Rows against mini's were kinda cool will leave them in for another 2 weeks and the front swings felt good as well, i went lighter with more reps for a more recuperative effect....thats it for now, next up is DE Squat, til then....keep it dark, keep it heavy...........

06/15 DE Squat

Box Squat w/Bands & Chains 215x4x2, 230x4x2
Seated GM's 135x8, 185x8, 225x3x8
Lying Band Leg Curls Avgx3x10
AB Pull Downs 90x3x15

Good Night, not too exhaustive but definitely sweat inducing. The Seated GM's i will keep in for the next two weeks as i felt these will help to strengthen the lower back in the absence of DE Day pulling. those Leg Curls still kicked my ass and will stay in the mix for another 2 weeks as they seem to hit the posterior much different than any other Hamstring exercise i have been doing, i will try to post a video of how i am doing these to give you guys an idea. Thats it for now, i got ME Bench tonight but will probably take it easy as my right shoulder is still achy, at this point im not sure if i slept on it weird or if it is just the lingering wipeout pain.....we'll see tonight............l8r

06/13 DE Bench & Shirt Work

DE Bench 185x8x3
Shirted (Opener Work) 330x3x1 365x1
3 Board Press 365x2x2, 365x2x3
Pull Up 4x6
KB Read Delt Swing 33x3x8

Decided to put the shirt on since the last time it was a total disaster. The 330 was very easy and the technique felt good. I went with a flat footed position per Marc Bartley and concentrated on pushing myself up the bench, seemed to work well and i didnt have to irritate the groin with a wider stance. The 365 went up but my arse did to, gotta fix this soon. Im kinda pissed as the last time i did a Raw bench i got 355 and i sort of struggled with 365 shirted? ugh, i gotta learn this shit or just lift Raw.........

06/12 ME Squat-I Guess....

Squats into Chains w/Pause 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 365x3, 405x3, 455x3, 500x2
Bottom Position Squats 405x3x1
Rack Pulls (below Knees) 405x4x5

This workout was made up on the fly, i had been meaning to try out these Squats into chains where you basically perform a normal squat but at the bottom postion,the bar rests in the chains. You do a quick pause then shoot up. The whole idea is to perform a regular free squat and help build strength out of the hole, similar to a box squat. These were definitely killers, i had the chains set about 1" above parallel although they felt closer to parallel. After the 500 i got the bright idea to try Bottom Position squats which as i found out were alot harder with no momentum or normal set-up involved. I will come back to this movement in two weeks and beat these numbers. After the Rack Pulls i was wiped and decided to call it, i have a busy couple of days coming up so i dont want to wipe my CNS too badly. The good news was the only nagging area of my body was the Groin Pull, the bruise on my hip has fully come out and is almost gone, talk about ugly.....now the groin just has a slight twinge when i move certain ways......well, this is your gracious host signing off leaving you with this little thing to ponder......Is it a Fin-Less Brown Trout or just a Brown eel?

06/10 Accessory/Recovery Crap for shoulder

KB Arm Bars 38x4x6
Mini Band Fly's 3x15

I spoke with the one and only Marc Bartley on the phone the other day and finally figured out how to do KB Armbars correctly, pretty cool that a world class PL'er will take the time out of his day to converse with some boob from New Hampshire. I was engaging my Lat improperly which is why i always felt these in the delts only. This movement is good for shoulder health and given my recent ailment i figured what better time to incorporate them. With the lat engaged i definitely feel it deeper in the girdle as opposed to before, good stuff. Over the next couple of weeks i will be doing sessions like these with rotator movements and the normal rehabilitory crap they teach you in all these courses, common sense really but boring as all hell.........thats it for now, keep it dark, keep it heavy......unlike today!!!

06/09 ME Bench

Band Assisted Bench 205x5, 240x3, 275x2, 315x1, 365x1, 405x6x1
Seated BB Tricep Ext w/Chains 85x6x6
Seated Rows 190x4x8

Well i came to a conclusion, i will no longer try to keep track of PR's on the Band Assisted Bench as i figured out today it is almost impossible to get the bands set the same each time. This night i had around 85 lbs of assistance where as in the past i had around 100 lbs of assistance. I could waste my time and try to get it the same each time but it will always sit in the back of my head. I am going to continue to use these as ME Movement for the poundage being handled thru the range of motion, but to try and break PR's i think i would be chasing my tail. That being said the 405 felt pretty good, i really concentrated on keeping my ass down as last week when i did shirted crap my ass kept coming off the bench. I had to frig around with my technique due to a groin/hip/shoulder injury i suffered on vacation while fishing on a Jetty in Newburyport. At least i caught some decent stripers though.

Caution Flashback moment coming up

The tide just went out and me and my buddy decided we had to "get out there", well about 50 feet into the rocks i took a spill on and jacked up my hip and right shoulder on the rocks. The fucking Barnacles sliced up my left calf and forearm as i broke my fall, not like i had much choice on how to do this. But being the true fisherman that i am i got up and successfully finished the trip out to the end for the big ones. On the way back my buddy bit it as well (No Blood though, Pussy) so all was well in the universe......Now back to reality......

This was not good as now i have slight discomfort in my shoulder and when i go to push off walking my left hip/groin area hurts. The shit part is that i dont really get hurt lifting, its usually in the extracurricular activtities that i do i.e fishing, drunken stumbling, etc.....but you gotta live life right? Anyway, now vacation is over i am back to bass fishing from a canoe which is much safer....All that being said, when i went to set up on the bench i couldnt get my feet as wide as i would have liked so my leg drive was compromised, not good since i have been working the leg drive into this movement more so over the last couple of months. Well anyways, onto the next two movements, the Ext's w/Chains seem to be a nice addition to my arsenal as these really hit the shoulders for balancing as well as overloading the triceps at the top of the strength curve. i set the chains so they dont touch the ground which incorporates balancing musculature and shit like that. The seated rows were nice and i decided to add an extra set to what i had planned. I didnt do any direct shoulder work due the previous crap i just typed, so if you skipped over the middle part of this long ass post then go back......long winded as it was that is what is going on in my universe, and thats the straight poop!!!......on a side note, just took the family out to see the Pixar movie "Cars", heres a bit of advice, if you or your kid dont have the best attention span in the world then this will make a good renter, almost 2 hrs long and it probably wont hold their attention that long, i know it didnt mine, thank god for the M.I.L.F's in attendance!!!.........thats it from my world, Enjoy!!!!

06/07 DE Squat

DE Box Squat w/Chains and Bands 215x4x2 225x4x2
Speed DL's 365x21x1
Rev Hyper 50x3x10
Ab Wheel 3x10
Avg Leg Curls lying down 5x5

The Speed Squats felt really good and fast, the Rev Hyper has definitely paid off in the lower back department. I have also been doing some stretching from my Pavel video for Powerlifters which has been helping with the hip tightness and groin pull. The speed DL's were explosive as well, minor pain after each rep but hopefully that will all go away. The lying leg curls i made up, i hooked the Avg bands to the top of my Power rack and perform leg curls while lying on the ground, different but damned did they hurt my Hamstrings......thats about it, i got a ME Bench Post to make but am too damned lazy at the moment and i have to go get my fishing gear in order as i got some big fat bass calling my name in the morning...l8r

06/06 DE Bench

DE Bench w/Chains 185x8x3
3 Board Press 345x5x3
Pull-Ups 4x6
KB Hanging Snatch 38x3x8

Speed bench went well, the 3 Board could have been better but my triceps were still beat from a new movement i did last week on ME day, Seated Triceps Extension's w/Chains. Last week i got 365 on 3 board for 5x3 so i was a little disappointed. No Big whoop as it was only done as an accessory movement. Pull-ups as always were a bitch towards the end and the KB Snatches had me huffing and puffing as well, my traps felt pumped after these and the shoulders were fried as well, good times, good times.....well thats it for now. Nothing too major on the vacation, just too much drinking, not enough fishing, and tons of shitty food, still stayed at 204 with lowered BF so all is good in the world. Upper back bigger, waistline smaller make Chris a happy camper!!! But arent you a powerlifter?

05/29 Vaca-she-on!!!

On vacation this week, wont be updating but still lifting, fishing, and more than likely a bit of drinking..........L8R

05/22 DE Bench

DE Bench w/Minis 145x8x3
4 Board Press 315x3, 385x3, 405x3, 415x2x3
Pendalay Rows 205x4x6
#12 Pin Press Shoulders 185x3x4

Good workout considering i still kind of feel like crap from this flu thingy. Bench was fast and i alternated between pause and true DE. 4 Board was strong and felt pretty good, probably could have done more but wanted to save something for the rest. P-Rows i did without bands and justed upped the weight, i really concentrated on exploding these off the floor, very dynamic in nature. The #12 Pin Press were bitches again but i stuck em out feel better that i finished em up....thats it folks.....l8r

05/21 ME DL

Deadlift 135x5, 225x5, 275x3, 315x2, 365x1, 405x1, 455x1, 525xMiss 510x1PR 460x3x1
KB Swingthru 53x3x15
Mini Band Leg Curl 3x12
Ab Pulldown Bands 3x15

Well this should have went better but i was too impatient. I went straight to the 525 and should have hit something in between. It wasnt a bad miss and i probably should have done it again. I missed the lockout and couldnt roll my shoulders for a complete lift. I decided to drop and at least get a PR for this lift. I will come back to the Deadlift in 4 weeks and see where i am at. The 460 down sets were pretty good definitely worked me good. While part of me was bummed at the 525 miss, i am still optimistic considering many other factors so i wont complain too much. I supersetted the KB Swingthrus and Leg Curls and took 30 sec rests in between so i was a sweaty mess by the end of it all......Well thats about it for now, not quite the PR i was looking for but a PR none the less...Until next time, Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy..........

05/18 ME Bench-PR's Woo-Hoo!!!

3 BD Press 185x5, 225x3, 275x2, 315x1, 365x1, 410x1PR, 425x1PR, 405x2, 405x1
Triceps Pushdown 85x4x10
Chest Supported Rows 105x3x10
Shrugs 275x3x15

Was quite surprised tonight as i have a head cold thing going on where i seem to only have use of one nostril at a time, sometimes neither when apparently a shift turnover takes place. But i forged on, i was on the fence as to whether i should lift or go to bed and i guess since you're reading this you figured that mystery out. I had absolutely no intention of trying to beat my PR, i was just gonna work up to the previous 405 and do a bunch of singles but then felt like a pussy for thinkin like that. the 410 shot up extremely fast and i knew i had something left in the tank and decided to throw on the ole 425 (hindsight tells me i should have thrown on 430 but i digress). Again this shot up fast and i was quite happy. Realizing that my body is fighting something off and i didnt want to fry CNS too bad i back off for some down sets. I really had to force myself to finish this workout up. I felt like crap and was now tapped for energy but then thought about how it felt when i couldnt work out a couple days ago and that drove me. I still took it fairly easy for the remainder but given the cicumstances it was still taxing....now i shall just recover and get ready for ME Squat/DL day which i think calls for a ME on DL but i am not positive.....until next time, when Snot Rocketing, always have a mirror handy, you never know when that little sucker is gonna clear the nostril only to hang from your chin, unknowingly.......

05/17 SE Squat-Form Work

Part I-70 Minutes
Squat 135x5, 185x3, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 365x5x3
Squat 365 for a bunch of singles

2hrs later-Part II 20 Minutes
Rev Hyper 25x3x12
Leg Curl 50x3x12
BB Sit-Ups 40x3x5

Took tonight to work on form and identify weaknesses in my form. My Hamstrings are definitely one and my mobility in my hips, specifically spreading the hips, i can do a front high kick over my head, but to the sides i am extremely tight. All said and done the squat portion took around 70 minutes and i must have done close to 100 reps i swear. Since i used to be a predominantly Quad squatter prior to switching to the wide stance, my hamstrings are causing my knees to go past 90 degrees. Not as bad as it used to be, but still there. So i decided to consult Matt from Westside barbell's site and he recommended and confirmed what i had suspected, weak Hammies and low back. Now i have the Rev Hyper that will help, i must be more diligent in hitting my posterior harder than i have been. I have devised an extra work out that will address this and bring up the weakness as i must make this a priority. That Rev Hyper i made is the balls, i threw 25 on there and that pansy weight kicked my ass, gee think your lower back is weak? boob!! leg curls should have been heavier and will next time, i havent done these in a long ass time on my machine so i didnt know where i was, now i do. The Barbell Sit-ups were a friggin eye-opener for my weak ass abs, i initally started with the olympic bar but quickly dropped to the standard bar i have with 10 lb plates on each side. I got this idea from elitefts in some article where they had mentioned Matt Dimel used to do these and that they were killers. Verdict?....These are killers, my last set was almost not completed, i had all the intentions of doing 3 sets of 12 but after the first set i found out otherwise.....Summary: Kind of disappointing yet refreshing at the same time as now i have the weakness identified and actually have a plan of attack this time rather than some half ass idea of what i am gonna do. In a few weeks i will Max on the squat and see where i am at, until then i just need to work my ass off............thats it from here, l8r

05/16 DE Bench

Speed Bench w/Chains 185x8x3
4 Board Press 315x5, 365x5, 385x2x3, 405x3
Pendalay Row against Mini's 185x4x6
#12 Shoulder Pin Press 185x3x3

Felt good to get back at it. The speed bench i switched it up every set with one being paused and the next being true speed bench. The weight was moving fast and the form was pretty dialed in. I gotta work on my hip flexibility to get a bit wider with the feet but for now i am happy as my bench has shown vast improvement since the beginning of Westside. The 4 Board Press was a new movement that i was a bit skeptical about as i figured the range of motion would be very little and thus the benefit as well. I was wrong, turns out this is a killer tricep movement and this morning proves it as my tri's feel pretty tight...roughly translated....Cool Beans. The P-Rows are kind of a mutation from last week where i did the BB Bent Rows against minis. From Stinns and Mikes blogs from awhile back i remembered these and wanted to throw them in. By doing rows in this fashion i felt much more explosive and will up the weight next time. To boot it seemed easier to stay rigid and not swing or dip as much. Thanks guys. Next up was The Shoulder Pin Press, i had the bar set at #12 on my rack which came to around the middle of my neck when sitting. These sucked alot worse than i had anticipated, i had planned on moving up to like 205 but was quite gassed from all the other work. Also i forgot how much harder it is to get a bar moving from a complete stop at the bottom of a movement. Like i said before, it was nice to get beck in there, still kinda pissed at missing the ME Box Squat day but such is life, my left knee is still tender from kneeling on the concrete floor so i think discretion is the best prescription at this point...unitl next time Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy!!! (No Rick, that aint Star Wars jargon you boob!!)

05/16 Flooded

My basement flooded a bit and has caused me to postpone lifting for a couple of days. I did however get in some GPP work with some sandbags i acquired for flood control. Did a bunch of variuations and copmplexes for 15 minutes and almost puked. Those fcking things work your grip like nobodies business as well...after the rains leave i will be back to normal and back on track, i am kinda pissed as i was scheduled to PR the Box Squat but my knees are hurtin after crawling around my basement on water patrol. I will just pick up where i left off, tonight will be DE Bench, i may change the DE Squat into a SE Box Squat night due to the missed workout.....anyway, thats it from flood central....atleast i didnt lose my house.........

05/12 New Addition-Reverse Hyper (Homemade)

Click ontitle to view Rev Hyper in Action.....damn dude, big pockets!!!












All said and done this cost around $20.00.....sweet deal!!!

05/11 ME Bench

Floor Press 155x5, 185x3, 25x2, 290x1, 315x1, 335x1PR 315x1, 300x3x1
KB Ext 58x4x6
Palms Facing Pull-Up Bwx4x6
Shrugs 315x3x10

Well I PR'd Floor press so i cant complain, i really hate this movement, its not fun, is a pain in the ass, and um......sucks. The rest was ho-hum. I just want to get to the next post and show everyone my new addition to my home gym.....check it out....

05/10 DE Squat/DL

Box Squat 215x8x3
Speed DL's agaqinst Doubled Mini's 300x12x1
Spread Eagle Sit-ups 3x12

Holy Crap!! Those DL's killed me!!! I ended up cuttin out the lower back and hamstrings as my legs were pretty shot after doing both these movements. I felt guilty and whipped out some SE Sit-ups for good measure but couldnt go on after the other ones as i was short on time and beat to hell....All in all it was a good work out. The squats were nice and fast and the form is geting to where i want it to be, the first set went like crap on the form side so i had to kick myself in the ass and really concentrate it. This is just really hard when your going with a really light weight. I know, you should set up like its 110% every time you get under the bar to get a routine down, but that shit is easier said than done. I did feel the remaining 7 sets were much cleaner and focused. I cant speak highly enough about these pulls against bands, these are justplain ass-kickers, i about crapped my pants when i saw 12x1 for 300, this shit felt super heavy on the first rep but seemed to lighten up as i got my form dialed in and the body warmed for it. I sweat my clams off during these and brewed a nice batch of Ball Soup by the end of them. Ball Soup for everyone, step right up, and dont forget your side of Swamp Ass Stew, Delicious fun for all!!! Okay, now im out of control, good bye for now..........

05/08 DE Bench

Speed Bench w/Chains 185x8x3
#9 Pin Press 405x5x3
BB Bent Rows against Mini's 185x4x6
DB Shoulder Press 40x3x10

Bench was fast and controlled. I did the first four sets with 2-3 sec pauses then burst to the top, the final 4 were true speed Bench. The Pins presses were nice, felt them in the Tri's pretty good. The BB Rows against Mini's was a new movement for me, i first saw them around 2 weeks ago and kept them in the back of my head. These were quite painful towards the end. The DB Shoulder presses wre a last second add as i had nothing planned for shoulders and havent worked with DB's in a long time, so they're in for the next two weeks, figured i would hit these with a light weight for higher reps than i normally do for shoulders. Overall it was a pretty good workout. I guess i under estimated the AB GM's i did as my lower back and posterior are killing me still, now i feel better about putting these in the line up...that all for today, now i pose you with this question....Where's the Beef? Talk amongst yourselves..............

05/07 ME GM

Arch Back GM's 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3x3
Snatch Grip Deadlifts 385x3, 405x3
Mini band Leg Curls 3x15
Hanging Leg Raises 3x15
Dragged 100lb sled up and down street to neighbors amusement

I am always on the fence with the GM's as a ME Movement. When i am reading about them or thinking about implementing them it always seems like a great idea. But when i actually do them i dont feel i get much out of them or feel they will benefit me so much. Guess i will leave them in, this morning my lower back is a bit fried so something worked. I went with 315 which is sub-PR and i will PR this next time around (in 2 weeks). The SG DL's were actually easier than i had anticipated, i probably should have gone higher in the poundages but for intensity purposes i didnt. Definitely like the way these hit the upper back....well the rest was ho-hum, finally got the sled out, i have to start doing these at an earlier hour as the sound of this sucker going across the pavement is pretty hard on the ears.....On a side note, NERB was pretty awesome, some some strong guys, Brian Siders had a phenomenal day and posted a huge total followed closely by one of my favorite SHW's Donnie Thompson, from what i hear Thompson has been injured as of late so it was nice to see him still hit it and post huge, he came in second to Siders. We had some pretty sweet seats, we were in the front row center and literally 4-5 feet away from the action. We were so close that we smelled a fart that i suspect Ed Coan let fly but looked around to try and pass the blame....Good times, Good Times....

05/05 ME Bench

3 Board Press 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x3, 315x1, 365x1, 385x4x1
Shirt Work 365 for a butt-load of singles
KB Tricep Ext 53x4x6
Palms Facing Pull-Ups BWx4x5
Band Face Pulls 3x15

Dont remember much about how i felt this day, i do remember the shirt being a pain in the ass on some attempts, still figuring this sucker out.....oh well thats what i get for posting 3 days after the fact.....

05/03 SE Squat/DE DL

SE Free Squat 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x4x5
Speed DL's against Doubled minis 250x8x1
Single Arm KB Swingthru 48x4x6
Spread Eagle Sit-Ups 3x10

The SE Squats were pretty easy, i just concentrated on form and really keeping my arch in the hole. I definitely saw a huge difference in my form on the PC as now i am more upright and sitting down into the squat. My hips are getting more accustomed to this wide stance thing too, doesnt feel like my legs are getting ripped from the sockets anymore. I was being a bit of an ostrich with this one as i was concentrating on getting my bench up and slacking in the Squat/DL area, thats what you get i guess. Back on track and moving the numbers up damn it!!! Those Speed DL's are brutal as hell, i almost puked after doing them, again with the 30 sec rest, what am i doing to myself? One thing is for sure, i should develop some killer speed off the floor and the lockout is coming along... should be interesting to see how everything pans out. Swingthroughs were well, swingthroughs, ho-hum. I foun dyet another way to torture my hipflexors, the spread eagle situp, holy crap these killed, i felt like such a puss ofr doing only 3x10, but my hips on the front side were burning up...these should definitely help with "in the hole issues"...well there's my blow by blow commentary, not too bad for a SE/DE day.....thanks for stopping by, later days willie mays!!!

05/02 DE Bench

Speed Bench 185x4x3 195x4x3
#8 Pin Press (Med Grip) 315x3, 335x3x3
KB Rows 93x4x7
KB Side/Front Swings 33x4x7

Bench was fast, i paused for around 3 seconds on all reps and threw the weight to the top. I am figuring this motion emulates what i do in a shirt, though the rest will be for around 1 sec in the shirt. The Pin Presses were a pain in the arse and done with a med grip, which i attribute the hatred for this movement to. But there again, that which doesnt kill you only makes you stronger. The rows and swings where bitches as well. Ive been on this kick lately where i have been taking 30 sec rests on all sets (except ME day, then its 2-3 minutes between heavy attempts at 90+%) and i get breathing and sweatin like a stuck pig. This kind of turns each session into a sort of GPP session as well. Speaking of GPP i have got to get my friggin sled out there and pull some weight around, hope this weekend will see me getting some time to do that, although i do have the New England Record Breakers to go to so we'll see.....well thats about it for now, i feel i have started this cycle off well and hope to garner some good results from it, time will tell when i get on the platform i guess, until then, keep it dark, keep it heavy!!!

04/30 ME Squat

Box Squat 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 275x2, 315x2, 365x1, 405x1, 425x1, 405x3x1
Snatch Grip Deadlift 365x3x4
Band Leg Curls 4x12
Hanging Leg Raises 4x10

This was a decent night, i really worked on my form and definitely see it coming along. Never really realized how much there is to a good squat. I didnt go for a true max attempt tonight as this is the first week of the 2 week mini cycle for this movement. I have found that when i have my exercises set up for two week stints i do much better on the second week if i hit the first week in the 90-95% range, plus i had to do those friggin Snatch Grips DL's which turned out to be killer. I feel my traps this morning like nobodies business. I totally blew off my diet plan and turned my cheat meal into a 1 day cheat....but in the grand scheme i still fell into the 90% rule which if any of you ever heard of John Berardis "Precision Nutrition" program is still alright, now i got to hit it hard this week. My weight is down to around 202lbs as of this morning, around three weeks ago i was around 210 and decided that was it, time to drop. Powerbellies are nice and all but at the end of the day its just fat, and that aint pretty!!! l8r for now...