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...

04/27 ME Bench

Floor Press 155x5, 185x3, 225x2, 255x1, 275x1, 295x7x1
KB Triceps Extensions 48x4x6
Palms facing Pull-Ups 4x6,5,4,4
Band Face Pulls Miix3x12
Neck Traction 3x30 Second holds w/Mini's

Not too bad for not having done floor press is a long time, need to get this back into my ME rotation. Since i havent hit them in so long i figured i would do a bunch of 90% singles from my last known 1rm (325), this put me right in the optimal range of prilipens chart. After being inspired by the RAW website i did all reps with a long ass pause which absolutely killed me, probably a good idea, but they still sucked. The KB Extensions were a new movement i came up with that should get some results, the instability of the movement should definitely address the shoudler stability and gave a much better stretch in the Tri's than DB's. Chalk another one up for KB's. Next up was my pathetic attempt at Pull-Ups, god i suck at these, so im gonna keep hittin em because i have found that when i dont like an exercise it probably benefits me in some way. My Horizontal pulling strength is fine but my vertical, ugh!! The neck tractions i am definitely feeling this morning, at first i thought i slept weird but then remembered this movement, thanks to Chad Waterbury for reminding me of this monster....oh well, since i am at work to do some overtime i probably ought to get to work huh? Fuck the man cause im going fishing when im done....later all.........

04/26 DE Squat/DL

DE Box Squat 215x8x2
Speed Pulls w/Mini's 250x10x1
KB SwingThroughs (Single Arm) 43x3x8
Sit-Ups against Bands 3x8
Band Leg Curls 3x10

Holy Shit this was a rough night. The Squats were fast, though i was concentrating on form and really keeping the arches in my back, after checking a video i did last week i noticed i get slightly rounded in the hole (new wide stance). Posterior chain needs to be focused on more, admittedly i have been slacking on this one. The Speed Pulls against bands was hard as hell, i went with 30 second rest between each one and was sweating my clams off by the end of these two movements. I will tell you this much, my weak point (Lockout) in the Deadlift will quickly fix itself with this shit. The weight flies until just below the kneecaps then someone puts the brakes on!!! Sweet, no pain no gain right? the rest of the workout was done on empty, i really concentrated on making my glutes and hamstrings fire on the Swingthroughs and felt them after and figured i would hit the Hamstrings even more with some Band Leg Curls which had them almost cramping, good times, good times!!! The deload week was nice but left me feeling antsy and lazy, hopefully the time off helped to reset the body for the onslaught to come....until next time, keep it dark, keep it heavy!!!

04/24 DE Bench-12 Week Cycle Start

DE Bench 185x5x3, 225x3, 275x2, 315x1
Shirt (Open Back) 315x1, 365x1, 385x1
KB Rows 93x3x8
KB Side/Front Swings 4 per movementx3x8
#8 Pin Press 315x5x3

Pretty good night, felt good to get back to the normal template of sorts. I branched off from the DE work to get in some shirt work. I opened the back of my shirt so i can pull it down farther and get it closer to my RAW groove. I am very glad i did this, the pop is much better at this new angle. I came to this conclusion after analyzing my form and determined that i cannot get the shirt down far enough with the back closed and it was causing me to bench higher on my chest. Since this was not my true ME day i stopped at the 385 which was my previous PR, this flew up so i know something is right about the shirt now. My plan for this is to incorporate more lockout work since i am getting more pop with the shirt this way. i was sweating my ass off by the end of this work out as all sets were done with 30 sec's rest, i actually felt a little sick to my stomach which i havent experienced in a long time,refreshing yet nauseating at the same time, make sense? oh well.... thats it for today.

04/18 SE Bench

Bench Press 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 275x6,4,4,4
Lat Pulldown w/Rope 95x4x10
Bradford Press 135x4x6

This workout lasted 30 minutes and actually kicked my ass pretty good. I was hurried for time and took 30 rests between sets, this proved to be brutal. I worked the 75% mark of the prilipens chart for the Bench Press. Initially i was going to do 3 sets of 6 but decided to do 6 on the first and hit the remaining with 4'and a pause at the bottom, killed me i tell you, absolutely killed me. After my shoulders felt fried and pumped. Tomorrow i will hit Triceps and do some Shrugs for the aforementioned Yoke(Eggbeaters)and also throw in some Grip work which i usually do at work. Thats about it for now....Hail to the king baby!!!

04/17 Beginning of De-Load Week

5 minutes of mobility work
KB Single Arm Swingthroughs 63x4x8
Ab Pulldown 95x4x8
Avg Band GM's didnt keep count, just went till i was super tight

KB and Ab were supersetted with 30 seconds rest between supersets, these sucked and had me sucking wind bad. For an "easy" workout this had me feeling almost sick, really weird!!! Not much else to say, i figure tomorrow i will hit some SE Bench and get the upper body nice and pumped, maybe hit the yoke (i currently only have Egg-Beaters) and get them traps cookin.....Wednesday will be some sort of feeder and Thursday will be SE Squat night.....nothing in stone as its only Deload week....l8r

04/15 ME DL and Shirt Bench

Bench Press 135x5, 225x3, 275x2, 315x1
Shirted 315x1, 350x7x1
DL 135x5, 225x3, 315x3, 365x1, 405x1, 455x2x1, 405x5x3

tonight was originally scheduled to be a ME Test before my meet cycle, i had planned to work up to new ME PR's but it was apparent at the onset of this sessions that no PR's would fall tonight. This is mostly due to an unscheduled Drink-Fest last night which saw me killing an 18 pack of budlight then a few more for good measure. Since tomorrow is Easter i couldnt do this tomorrow as i am sure more beer will flow....so i decided to work to prilipens chart and hit 7 @ 90% on the bench and really work form in the shirt and then work the 80% range on the deadlifts and really work the explosiveness. Every friggin rep i did tonight felt like a ton as i felt like a run over sewer pickle that someone left on the hot pavement. No worries though as this upcoming week is a schedule de-load week and will consist of feeder type workouts that i may or may not list, i guess i will see...The DL were real bitches and got me in a pretty good sweat, the 405 reps were all stop and go's, no bouncing, these killed me and made my head feel like it was going to pop off, i also gave myself a bloody nose on the last one, not too bad, just a couple speckles....well i am looking forward to the deload week and re-focusing myself for the cycle to come. Its nice to have something to train for...now i just got to address this issue with the beer, that pesky foe that always seems to pop his head up on beautiful, sunny days......all work and no play makes jack an unhappy man!!!!...Redrum, Redrum!!!

04/10 SE Squat-Feeling Out

Regular Squats 135x5, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 365x2x3
GM's 135x3x8
Ab Pull Downs 90x3x8
Sit-ups

I took it easy tonight as i wanted to feel out my back and see how it was. I didnt feel it at all which is a good thing. These squats were wide and deep so i figure if i had no problem doing them then im probably alright. These GM's were light as well just to be sure, i did start feeling my lower back after these though, it was a different feel than when i pulled whatever it was that i pulled. The next few session i will take it easy to make sure the injury fully heals and poses no problem for the future, so until next time, l8r

04/09 ME Bench-I'm Back, get it, Back, har har

2 BD Press 185x5, 225x3, 255x2, 295x1, 325x1, 345x1, 375PR
2 BD Press (Downsets) 345x2x3
Weighted Dips w/Chains x4x8
Seated Rows 170x4x8
KB Side Raises 35x4x8
Mini Band Pushdowns 5x20

The back was still stiff, it hurts worst when i try to arch my back so this night was a bit painful until it stretched out. I probably could have gone 385 on this but held back and did some downsets instead. I didnt want to wrench the back in an all out attempt. Today, as i type, my back feels almost 100% so thats a relief, you never know with back pains if its disk or muscular in nature. Im assuming its muscular as i have no numbness or associated symptoms for that sort of injury. It felt good to do something after basically 3 days on my ass,.....oh well, thats it for now......l8r

04/07 ME Squat-Oops!!

Regular Squat 135x5, 185x3, 225x3, 275x3, 315x1, 365x1, 405x1, 455x1
Put on suit 505x1

Well this sucker got cut short as i tweaked my back on the 505, i forgot to do the latch on my belt. The pain wasnt that bad when it happened but my lower back is pretty frigin tight now, its fine when im sitting still but when i walk, ugh!!! needless to say i will do some recuperative things tonight to help rid the tightness...thats its for now.....

04/05 De Bench-New PR???

Speed Bench 185x5x3, 225x1, 275x1, 315x1, 345x1, 355x1PR
BB Ext w/Chains 105x4x8
Lat Pulldown 130x4x6
Shrugs 295x4x8

Well this was a different slant on the DE night. The 185 was moving way too fast for me not to try and PR the Raw Bench Press, so i went for it. 315 and 345 felt light, 345 was my previous PR so i was quite psyched, the 355 was smooth, i contemplated going for more but held myself back as i just had a ME day 4 days ago and did a Recuperative session the day after. I'm just gonna turn my next ME day into a SE day, that should be fine. Next up was the BB Ext's w/Chains, when i did these last week i fell in love with them, they are bitches but god, they hit the tri's like nothing i have seen in awhile, they're keepers. Lat-Pulldowns and Shrugs were ho-hum as i was winding down by that point, all in all a pretty good training session.
If any of you get a chance have a peek at my meet cycles i got planned and feel free to critique it, its always good to have a second set of eyes to look at it.....anyways, stay strong and stay tuned!!!

Bench-12 week Approach

Deadlift-12 week Approach

04/03 DE Squat

Box Squat w/Avg Bands 205x4x2, 225x4x2
Stingray Squats 185x3x5
Ab and Back crap, all random for high Reps

Very good night on the Box Squats, absolutely no back tightness and the reps were fast. This is the best i have felt on speed squats in a long time. I took 30 second rests and was sweating my clams off by the end of it. Then came the Stingray Front squats, god i suck at these!!! The limiting factor seems to be the fact that this sucker digs into my biceps like a mother. Next time i may just do regular front squats and see how that goes. I did these ass to grass with a 1 second pause down in the hole, this made it a bit harder as well but felt muscles that havent been hit like thatin a long time. I plan on rotating Front Squats and Speed DLs on this day to prepare for the meet, time will tell if this pays off. As previously stated the Ab and Back crap was all random but included ab pulldowns with various bands, back extensions, band GM's, etc....i was pretty gassed after the squatting with short rests that i really had no motivation to do this. I stuck it out on the Abs as i feel my lack of lower back pain is attributed to the extensive Ab work i have been doing lately to address my imbalance and perceived weakness. Well thats about it, back to work and answer some stupid ass questions for stupid ass customers......l8r

04/01 ME Bench

Band Assisted 225x5, 275x3, 315x2, 365x1, 405x1, 440xMiss
Down Sets 405x4x1
3 Board Press 315x5x5
Seated Rows 170x3x10
KB Side Raise 33x3x8

Definitely not a record breaking day, I tied one on last night and never have a PR Breaking the following day. So with that in mind i attempted 440 and missed it miserably and went down to around 90% of my last 1RM for this movement. These popped to lockout with no problem and i actually thought about retrying the 440 but held myself back for the rest of the workout. 3 boards were a bit light so i figured i would get them with volume. I defnitely felt my upper body after both of these movements. The seated rows and KB Sides were supersetted to save time. I was quite tapped after this workout which i suspected would be the case. But what is a New Englander to do? we haven't had many nice days this year and the Bud Light was going down way too nicely, couple that with some burgers and dogs and its a recipe for sub-par performance....no worries though, i still got a killer workout in...

03/30 ME Squat

12" Manta Ray Box Squat 135x5, 225x3, 275x2, 315x1, 365x1, 405x1, 425x1PR
Down Sets 385x2, 385x1
Seated GM's 185x3x5
Pull Throughs 100x4x8
Hanging Leg Raisesx4x8 (Slow)

Well you may have noticed i switched to a 12" box. After Hearing Jim Wendler talk about it on the Index Vid's i analyzed my depth on the 11" box and found it be a good 2" below parallel, which when i though about it would not be as useful as raising it by 1" and upping the poundages. Everyone knows what happens when you handle heavier poundages. I personally think this will have more of a functional carryover as with the 11" box i was extremely slow coming off it and now i am much more explosive. I will start doing all my Box Squats at this new height as i believe the added weight will translate to bigger Squats/DL's. Well thats the theory at least....the 425 probably should have been 435, i erred on the side of caution as i am still in recovery from the stomach bug and didnt want any unscheduled back door deliveries. The downsets were quite brutal as i was mentally out of it by that time, gotta fix that crap!! The Seated GM's were decided at the last second as i wanted to hit the lower back. I opted for a light load and went all the way down and rested the bar on the rack pins for a second before coming up, this made the movement all the more brutal even with that weight. I suppersetted the final two exercises with 30 sec's rest between the s/s, can you say GPP? that got me huffin...time to scram, gotta go put the little rodent to sleep, he's got an interview at a new school tomorrow......'til next time....., keep it dark, keep it heavy!!!

03/28 DE Bench

Speed Bench w/Minis 165x4x3 175x4x3
BB Ext w/Chains 95x4x8
Lat Pull Downs 120x4x8
Shrugs 275x4x8

I gotta tell ya, it sucks training with a stomach bug!!! Every rep is a risked Shart!! But seriously considering i got 3 hrs sleep last night due to brown mud puddles streaming from my ass the workout was good, by the end of it my energy was gone so i was glad just to get the benches done with decent speed. The BB Ext with chains is another new one that i really like, this sucker definitely overloads the top range of the movement and makes the triceps burn. I will leave this in for a couple of weeks and see if i get any carryover, at first eval i would say it will. These workouts are the ones that add up and make it all worth it, when you just dont want to train but something inside tells you to get up off your lazy ass and push some weight. It also made easier that this was my psuedo "light" day, had it been ME Day i probably would have held off.
Well i fully mapped out my 12 week approach plan for the DL, now i gotta make one up for the Bench. When i get both finalized i will post them here and let you all comment on it and maybe point out any flaws that i may have overlooked...Thats it for tonight, i gotta go catch up on some sleep......Stay Strong!!!

03/26 DE Squat

Box Squat w/Avg Bands 205x4x2, 225x3x1, 185x2x1
Speed DL off 4" Mats 250x8x1
AB Pull Downs 90x3x12
DE Leg Raise BWx3x12

My lower back was all cramped up, this shit sucks!!! Whenever i do Band Squats this happens. Must have something to do with stabilizing muscles, a.k.a Abs which i find very easy to neglect, whence the doubled up ab work. I really gotta put a push on these as i suspect weak abs to be the problem. I cant imagine the low back being weak as i get quite a bit of work on that. Will find out in a few weeks i guess. The rest of the work out was alright, the back cramps went away after lying on the ground for 2 minutes before doing the DL's so at least i know it is muscular in nature...Well thats it for now, next up on the menu....DE Bench..........

03/23 ME Bench Shirt

Bench Press (Raw ) 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x3, 315x1
(put on Shirt)335x1, 375x1PR, 385x1PR
DB Bench Press 90x4x8
Chains w/Mini Tricep Ext's 3x12
PT II Will Be Tomorrow

Good night, i figured out i need a spotter to help with the lift offs though. I had the most god aweful time after i unracked the weight at 385 that nothing fired right as the unracking threw me out of my set-up. I was still able to get the lift, but i know i could have gotten more had i been able to stay tight through the whole movement. I am going to enlist my buddy for this in the future in prep for my meet. He also wants to see how much he can max out on so this will get him motivated to get in there. The 335 and 375 were easy as hell. I chopped down the volume as i wanted to squeeze in some DB work so i dont neglect my raw strength. I figure stay strong raw and the shirt will follow....Tomorrow, (actually today) i will complete part II of the workout with Snatch Grip High Pulls to really hit the traps and some KB Rows for the lats. Probably do them for time in a 10 minute PR zone and really fry myself. Thats it for now....keep it dark, keep it heavy!!!

03/21 ME DL

Conventional DL (Off Mats/Mid-Shin) 135x5, 185x4, 225x4, 275x3, 315x2, 365x1, 405x1, 455x1, 495x1, 545x1
Conventional DL (Off Mats Mid-Shin) (Down-Sets) 490x3x1
Band Leg Curls Minix3x15
TKEx3x15

Had a decent night, i decided to do Conventional DL (Which i suck at) with the weight placed on mats at around mid shin (roughly 3 inches higher than normal). I also took a double overhand grip with straps at the 405 mark (grip was weak from grip training at work). Since i've never done this before i was actually quite happy with the outcome and established a new record for yet another ME movement i can now do. Since i have a meet in july which is push/pull i am going to use more DL variations on ME day. I was only doing them once every 4 workouts but will change that to this: ME Squat, ME DL, ME GM, ME DL etc....at the twelve week mark i have a routine picked out to help me peak for the meet. Since i stink at Conventional DL's i figure to use these in the variations as well, this should help to jack up the old DL, guess time will tell...Tomorrow will be a feeder workout for todays pulling which lasted nearly an hour, i figure if i approach the weight right next time i should beable to break tonights record easily. I had more volume than normal on the approach as i had never done this sucker before...Well thats about it for now, until next time Eat Wheaties!!!

Back from Texas

Havent been around due to a business trip to Texas, while there i had the pleasure of working out at a Bally's for free and rediscovered why i hate commercial gyms. I performed Dynamic Effort Bench press there and got some funny looks and right in the middle of my sets some nimrod asks me for a spot with 275 doing dropsets with the most god aweful form i have ever seen on bench press. I ended up lifting most of the weight for this boob as he would get the weight about 1 inch off chest and totally stall. I had to bite my tongue about offering any advice as i knew he just would not get it, but the guy was nice enough to ask me if i needed a spot with my measely 185 speed weight, i perform around 10 sets as 2 sets into it was when the boob asked for a spot. I performed the DE Bench with full 3 sec stops on the chest and concentrated on really popping the weight to lockout, the next day i really felt them. I also did Power Cleans and Presses which were bitches as Texas was quite hot and there was no chalk, thus the bar was slippery as hell, but i managed. The looks i got when doing those was pretty funny, this placed was filled with 120 lbs guys hitting the Biceps hard with what should be considered the most useless bicep movement of all time, the Concentration Curl. A couple of these guys must have done around 15 sets of these as i had time to do my bench and power cleans and they were still hittin'em hard. Oh well, at least they're in there which is better than most of the population. So any ways thats where i've been and heres what i did down there:


DE Bench 185x10x3
Powerclean and Press 185x6x3 (weight pressed for 3 times each clean)
Chest Supported Rows 135x4x8
Tricep Extensions (Paused at Bottom) 50x4x6

Oh yeah, before i left i had a DE Squat but didnt get around to posting it, but now i'm back i will keep things current..........thats it for now.

03/15 ME Bench

Band Assisted Bench Press 185x3, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 365x2, 405x1, 415x1PR 435x1PR
Band Assisted Bench Press (Down Sets) 405x3x2
Rope Pushdowns 80x4x6
Seated Rows 160x3x12
Part II Tomorrow-Shoulders and Recuperative Movements

Not a bad night, got my EliteFTS Bench Press Index Video and Squat/DL Index today and they reminded of this movement. The bands are set from the top of the rack and provide around 95lbs of assistance at the bottom, none at the top. I did this back in January and got 405 but missed 415 miserably. Not Tonight!!! 405 flew to lockout, 415 was the same, 435 should have been 440 but not much more, it wasnt a total struggle but i got some good strain out of it. Decided to do some Downsets which i hope will build this sucker up in two weeks when i get to revisit the movement. I finished up with some Rope Pushdowns which i absolutely hate but since i just got the thing a couple weeks ago i felt i needed to use it, and besides, that which does not kill you only makes you stronger. The seated rows felt nice, i havent been in that rep range for awhile and got a little gassed on the last set, no big whoop. I stopped early as i was nearing the 60 minute mark and felt i would benefit more in the shoulders if i hit them tomorrow separately with some recuperative movements for todays damage. Thats about it for now, gotta scram to go watch my new videos, woo-hoo, here's to knowledge!!! Stay Strong!!

03/13 ME Squat

Manta Ray Box Squat 135x3, 185x3, 225x3, 275x3, 315x2, 365x1, 405x1PR
Manta Ray Box Squat(Down Sets)365x3x2
KB Swing Throughs 85x4x8
Weighted Sit-Ups (from Decline) 25x3x12

Pretty good night considering, i spent the day home with my sick son, he had some kind virus....Puking, crapping etc.....so i pretty much sat around all day and did nothing. Made it hard to get motivated come lifting time. Made a deal with myself that if i break my previous 400 on the manta Rays i would treat myself to some downsets at 90%. Well i got the 405 and proceed to the downsets which were pretty brutal. Im not sure what it is with this attachment but it seems to make the box squat way harder than regular, it doesnt seem right that a slightly higher bar placement would cause this much distress. Anyway, part of my thinking was that with the added volume on this movement that next time (in 2 weeks) i should be able to blow away this weeks PR, stay tuned for that one.....The rest was kind of ho-hum, had to stop short to get upstairs for "24". I plan on doing the old farmers walk upstairs and some Oblique work tonight as a sort of Feeder workout, a the walks were fun last time i did them. Gotta scram for now, got a dentist appointment to get the old chompers cleaned..........

03/11 DE Bench

DE Bench w/Bands 165x4x3, 175x4x3
Chain w/Mini Bands Extensionx3x12
KB Rows 85x3x8
Chain Side Raisex3x8
Chain Rev Curlx3x8

Pretty good workout considering i drank a ton last night (my dad is in town). Recovered from the hangover and had a great session. I made up a couple of excercises that i really liked, i adapted an idea from EliteFTS with the Chain Tricep Extensions. I didnt have enough chain weight to stimulate my tri's so i grabbed my mini bands and wrapped em around my back and did the extensions, Fucking Brutal is all i can say. I was so psyched that i did the last two excercises with the D-Handle Chain setup. These were killers as well since the weight was unstable it hit all kinds of stabilizing muscles, i was actually feeling these movements in my abs and low back as i tried to stabilize my body from the movement. Those KB Rows were pretty friggin hard as i was going the 30 second rest between them as well, this workout lasted around 35 minutes. Lately i've been going with the short rest periods which have turned these sessions into some serious Strength Speed sessions. Anyway gotta scram for now as it is time eat, With that i will leave you with this,......If a bear poops in the woods, and he had corn for lunch, will a small, furry, woodland animal come along and eat the kernels of Poo?

03/09 DE Squat

DE Box Squat w/Chains 205x4x2 225x5x2
Rack Pulls from Knee 315x3, 405x3, 455x3, 475x3, 505x3
Mini Band Leg Curlx3x15


Had a weird night, just couldnt seem to find a groove on the squats, didnt feel like i popped off the box at all, with either weight. One of these days i'll set up the video and find out for sure, just a pain in the ass and always forget. The Rack Pulls were kind of fun, hadnt done these before and was unsure of what i could do. was pretty happy with the end result, next time i will start higher in weight and go up a bit i think, guess that will be dependant on how i feel. I think part of my unsureness on the box squat was i kind of skimped on my dynamic stretching and got a bit of lower back tightness, (maybe its sympathy pains for Rick!!). Next time i will not do that, just wasnt in the mood tonight i guess. Those friggin mini band leg curls were bitches, my hammies felt like cramping on the last set, gotta love that. I am gonna save my abs and obliques for tomorrow with some recuperative KB. All in all it was an alright session considering i wasnt really into it, now i must regroup and hammer the shit out of my chest next time in, that oughta do it!!.....gotta scram for now, l8r....

03/07 ME Bench-More Shirt Please!!

Bench Press (raw) 95x5, 135x5, 185x3, 225x2, 275x2, 315x1
Shirted BP 315x1, 335x1, 365x1PR, 375xMissed lockout, hit pins
Bench Press (raw downsets) 315x3x2
Next 2 Exercises Supersetted
JM Press 225x3x8
Double Mini-Band Pull Apartsx3x8
KB Upright Rows 35x3x12

Pretty good night in the shirt, i was kind of expecting it as i felt pretty good all day. The 365 PR went like nothing, everything fired correctly, now i just got to replicate that everytime!!! The 375 was a bit of a pisser as i got out of the groove and hit the pins at lockout, then the bar came back down and all mental will was gone, to the bars it went.......i stopped there as i was pretty gassed and happy with my performance, wanted to leave on a high note. From there i performed raw 315 doubles for downsets to get some volume in. Never thought i would see the day where 315 on the bar wasnt considered un-do-able. Progress Rules!! The rest of the workout was quite brutal as i finished it up relatively quick, every exercise had 30 seconds rest between, i basically supersetted the final 3 movements and am quite sore today as i type this, taking today off totally, i think i need it........till next time...Keep it Dark, Keep it Heavy!!!

03/06 Extra Workout-Lower

Dynamic Stretching 5 minutes
KB Farmers Walk Up-Stairs 73lbs each hand for 10 sets of 2 trips with 30 sec rest between sets
Side Bends 73x3x12
Standing Ab Pull-Down 70x 3x12

This little gem got me breathing pretty good, turned out to be a nice little feeder/recovery workout from the Seated Good Mornings which had more of an impact than i anticipated. The core work felt quite brutal as well following the Farmers Stair walk. The total training time on this sucker was around 20 minutes so i was moving along to get it all in.....that's it for now til ME Bench.......l8r

03/05 ME Squat

Seated Good Mornings 95x8, 135x5, 185x3x2, 225x3, 275x3x3
KB Swing Throughs 93x4x8

Abbreviated workout. Had to go to wife's friends house for dinner so i figured i would at least squeeze in the ME movement. I took it easy on the GM's as i was pressed for time and could not utilize full rest periods between sets. I figure in two weeks (when this movement is scheduled) i will have a real go at it. The 275 was a pisser on the first set but the last two it felt much better. Should go pretty well next time around. The Swing Throughs were a bitch as time was running low and i had to get ready to go, i was suckin wind by the end of those. The total training time was around 30 minutes so as i look back on it now, i squeezed a good amount of effort into a small period of time. I am going to do a Part II for this workout tonight, i plan on doing Farmers walks with KB's loaded to 100 up and down my stairs in the basement and some Ab, and Oblique work for good measure......Thats it now, stay strong!!

03/02 DE Bench

DE Bench 175x4x3 185x4x3
#8 Pin Press 315x3, 365x3, 385x2, 365x3
6 Minute EDT PR Zone
BB Bent Rows 205lbs 5,5,5,5,5,3
Rope Pushdown 70lbs 5,5,5,5,5,3
KB Front Rows 33x3x12

Felt good tonight, speed was good for both weights taken. I decided to split the bench into two different intensities and see if i could keep the speed consistent which i did so that was good, next week i will be moving on to bands and approach it the same way with the split weights. The EDT PR Zone was a bitch, i was a bit light headed after that and had to take a few extra minutes to recuperate for the KB Front raises. All in all i felt good, oh yeah i forgot to post my extra workout from yesterday so here it is.

Hip Mobility (10 Minutes)
Sting Ray Box Squats (Dynamic) 185x5x5
Back Extensions 3x12

This was a last minutes workout i decided to throw in for recovery, and because i just got my new Sting Ray attachment so i had to try it out. This thing is pretty cool though i have to work on the placement as today i have pretty good bruising on by biceps, no big whoop, though i took it easy on the weight my Quads are quite sore today so this is a good thing. I figure after a month or two of incorporating front squats into my routine my deadlift should reap the rewards, time will tell....Time to go grab a movie and wrestle with the little crumbsnatcher, until next time, Remember this....Corn is just Mother Natures tracer bullets!!!

03/01 DE Squat

DE Box Squat 205x4x2, 225x4x2
Pull Throughs 110x3x12
AB and Oblique work....

Squats felt pretty good tonight, took a bit to warm up and get stretched out but they were pretty fast so i was happy. Still working with the wide grip and am enjoying it now, actually felt natural towards the end of the workout. No Biceps pain now that i got them sleeves and new grip. The lower back felt good, didnt tighten up so i guess all the stretching and hip movements ive been doing are paying off, and to boot my stance is wider so good deal all around. Pull Throughs were a bit and i felt them in the lower back big time, and abs and obliques no one really wants to hear about, so for now, l8r...........